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yuri-is-online · 4 months

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Love and Deepspace Timeline: MC, Philos, and the Aether Core

Look I finished Xav's myths card. I don't regret waiting until I was done with it to post his timeline because the last two nodes have more to do with MC than him, but I am in a state so we are making this to cope.

This is all speculation and should not be taken as fact, I have done two other posts, one on Zayne and one on Xavier and I will not be doing one on Rafayel please see this reddit post by u/joonmin for relevant information about his myths card blah blah blah.

This post is less of a timeline and more here to answer questions you very likely have if you: A) decided to browse reddit and saw people saying Xavier feels like the "cannon ro" [this is a gacha game there isn't one] but have never read any of his memories, moments, or dates B) read chapter 8 and went "none of this makes sense I feel like I am missing something" or C) just generally are confused about L&D's world building and what's up with MC. I have answers for you. Wibbly wobbly soupy answers. This post also has a TL;DR in case you don't want to see me break out the string board and just want the relevant bits of information about MC you won't get from the msq.

SPOILERS FOR ALL IN GAME CONTENT UP TO CHAPTER 8, VARIOUS MOMENTS, AND ANECDOTES RELATED TO ALL 3 ROS, PROCEED WITH CARE.

Current Timeline MC (i.e. The one we are playing as)

The game starts with MC's graduation from the Academy and first day as a fully licensed hunter. We learn a few things in this first chapter, namely that MC is combat trained, has a rare heart condition known as Protocore Syndrome that has no known cure, and that her decision to become a hunter has something to do with what she experienced fourteen years ago during the Catastrophe when the Deepspace Tunnel opened and Wanderers started invading earth.

Specifically MC describes something burrowing itself into her heart. She feels helpless, like prey, and has a strong desire to never feel anything like this again. Which is unfortunate because I have a feeling a lot of someones are going to be on her trail sooner rather than later.

In Chapter 5 it is revealed that MC has an Aether core fused to her heart. This sort of human experimentation is highly illegal and it is unknown who did this to MC other than our beloved Grandmother was directly involved. Grandma appears to have taken MC away from wherever this happened after the tests started to threaten MC's life.

This is known to Dr. Zayne and Dr. Noah, though neither seem to know more than what Grandma told them. Neither of them seem to fully understand what an Aether core is or what it is doing to MC's heart. Zayne in particular seems to find this extremely concerning.

Uncovering the mystery of the Aether core seems to be what will be driving the first arc so we will not be discussing it at length here. I do want to note that Xavier absolutely knows what it is, while Zayne does not but does seem to know more of the technical aspects of how it is effecting MC, and Rafayel is at least aware of it being valuable and maybe why exactly the people in the N109 Zone want it.

At some point in the past MC met and made a promise to Rafayel. It is my personal theory that this likely took place on Hat Island during the field trip MC talks about due to some of the comments made in Chapter 7.

MC and Caleb were friends with Zayne in childhood. MC's exact age is a bit fuzzy, but the game does seem to suggest she is younger than Zayne. She does not know why Zayne disappeared from her life or what led him to become a doctor.

Comments in Chapter 4 suggests that Caleb encouraged MC to become a hunter. He seems to be very supportive of her, but Grandma seems more interested in trusting MC's protection to Zayne.

On the surface MC seems pretty normal. Her memories from before the Catastrophe seem to be gone, if she had a mother and father or other blood relatives, she doesn't remember them anymore.

Philos MC (i.e. What is Going on in the Myths)

It is revealed in Xavier's When Shooting Stars Fall anecdote that Philos is Earth in the distant future. This has confused numerous people in the notes of my Xav's timeline so I am going to be insufferable and attempt to assist with a graph:

The MC you play belongs to the game timeline, the MCs (plural each myths card features a different one) in the Myths cards come from the Philos timeline. I have tagged the Game timeline as a "potential tangent" as the events that take place in game are entirely reliant on the existence of the Deepspace Tunnel, which is created in the Philos timeline.

At some point in the Original/Philos Timeline, Earth's core ceases to function. Humanity replaces it with a new, artificial core that causes noticeable weather changes and fuses all of the tectonic plates together, and begins a new calendar counting forward from the years since Earth ceased to be and Philos was born. As a result, we don't know what exact year Earth's core giving out happened in the Original Timeline. The artificial core allows almost all humans to "live eternal." They seem to be like Tolkien's elves in the sense they can live for an eternity but they start to get tired after a while and give up on life. This is why there is a royal family that needs a line of succession. Xavier is the Crown Prince of Philos, he meets MC in school and learns she has a rare disease called Protocore Syndrome which will not allow her to live forever. He attempts to cure this by finding a specific protocore she mentions, but fails to reach her in time and is forced to watch her die. This all happens in the year 214.

At some point MC is reborn and assigned to the same teacher as Xavier. She is to train to become his knight and serve as the leader of the Lightseekers, an order tasked with killing Wanderers. At some point during or before Xavier's coming of age ceremony, he learns the truth about Philos: the planet is dying due to the artificial core never having been meant to sustain the planet this long. The Royal Family's solution for this is to occasionally feed humans to the heart of Philos in Starfall Forest. When they do this, it creates Wanderers. As if that wasn't bad enough, Xavier learns that his father and the royal family have found what they think could be a permanent solution: there is a girl who has achieved true immortality. She is the only person on Philos who can die and be reborn constantly, and while they don't seem to know why she does this, the royal family believes this girl is the life force of the planet itself.

This girl is MC and Xavier does not want this to happen. He has a plan that he does not explain to MC, but it involves traveling back in time. He says they have specific places in time picked out, but we know from Xavier's Passing By anecdote that something went wrong with his team's attempt at time travel and now there is no guarantee that the MC he left on Philos as its Queen is still there.

So now we have two timelines: Original/Philos Timeline and Game/Tangent Timeline. But all of that is just taking Xavier's anecdotes and Myths card into account... so what happens if we try to plug in the other two ROs?

Rafayel

In u/Joonmin's reddit post they mention two very important bits of information: 1) It has been 30,000 years since the sea dried up and 2) MC is a member of the royal family of Philos, not by birth but because "she has a heart that’s been blessed by the gods" and has "awoken from the depths." If all three myths cards take place in the same Philos timeline as the one Xavier leaves, we can reasonably place Raf's myths card after Xavier's backtrack mission.

So the Philos timeline would look like this. I have a note for Zayne's card there as well, but if I had to get picky with it I'm slightly tempted to place his Myths card between MC's first death and her being reborn to meet Xavier again. The other explanation would be that there are three separate Philos timelines created because the MC was successfully scarified to the Heart of Philos. In Xavier's Myths 6 MC briefly takes a dip in the space time anomaly at the center of Starfall Forest which could also explain MC scattering across different timelines, but the in game spacepedia makes a point to say that there is a chance that life still exists on Philos:

So it could simply be that MC over there has been stuck in the exact cycle of death and rebirth that Xavier was trying to prevent. It could also mean that when they add that mystery fourth love interest there is an explanation for a fourth possible myths card. Anyway all this information leaves us with a set of timelines that currently look like this:

This still leaves a lot of unanswered questions. For example, if the Philos timeline is where this all starts, what version of it is? What caused Earth's core to give out in that original timeline? Is Rafayel and Lumeria's existence the consequences of clashing timelines or are mermaids cannon to this universe? What effect on the space time continuum did Xavier's actions have? And how much of this is actually going to be answered in game?

TL;DR

Philos is Earth in the future with an artificial core that started running out of power, and never should have been made in the first place.

The royal family fed some of their long lived humans to the anomaly in Starfall forest to keep the planet running, but then they found out about a girl who could constantly be reborn each time she died and had an idea.

An idea Xavier wasn't very keen on but who cares. They thought that "when the time was right" they would sacrifice her to the rift and leave her there to die and be reborn forever. They also did not think to ask her.

Oh yeah when they fed people to the rift they turned into Wanderers. So wanderers = people as mentioned in Zayne's Still in the Dark anecdote.

Whatever makes MC reincarnate might have something to do with Lumeria, or at the very least the Lumerians in Rafayel's myths card seem to think it does.

In game MC, current timeline MC knows none of this, and has no memories from her lives, past or future. This is consistent across all her incarnations.

Final Thoughts

The only reason why I think this way about timelines is because I watched Donnie Darko in a college theater class. People like to argue about that movie and how it is supposed to be interpreted, but generally speaking they all seem to think that Tangent Timelines and the Tangent Universes they spawn get deleted very quickly, so maybe that's why the game starts by talking about "being able to leave this loop" and why Xavier seems to think something bad will be happening to Linkon City soon.

Chapter 8 ends with Xavier attempting to send a message back through the Deepspace Tunnel to make contact with someone. Interestingly enough he calls this "Traceback II." This sounded familiar to me and sure enough the game starts by mentioning that exact same thing, it is going past a black hole and is what says that line "we are stuck in this loop."

I thought in previous posts that the Aether Core is what could cure MC... but now I think the Aether Core is likely what Philos's artificial core is called... so who created it in the first place? ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ)

The Deepspace Tunnel is a spacetime anomaly likely caused by Philos's existence since it was "never meant to exist." So why was it created? And by who?

#love and deepspace #l&d #love and deepspace xavier #love and deepspace zayne #love and deepspace rafayel #as a side note i hate how the reddit girlies are like #“just finished this myth card! can anyone tell me what to think of it?”#if you gave me the details of what happened yes i could otherwise please do not waste my time #i am autistic and cannot make you a spreadsheet without the data you are denying meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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piratefern · 2 months

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THE COLOURED DIGITAL PEICES ARENT MINE, THEY ARE OFFICIAL ART FROM THE GAME

(so you can tell whos who, and for those unfamiliar with rainworld)

I drew the main three rainworld characters from the base game and gave them environmental adaptations according to their play style for sillies :3

SURVIVOR:

I gave survivor a more average slugcat body type as it serves as the “normal mode” of sorts in the base game. The back legs are spring like and adapted for jumping and quick manoeuvres. They have a streamlined head shape to allow for this movement, but their dew claws are also adapted into a hook like shape to improve grip on poles and ledges. They have a balljoint in the front legs to improve with this as it gives a fuller range of motion. They also have more omnivorous teeth, with molars, carnassials and incisors! They are fitted with big ears for good hearing, whiskers to measure spaces, and reflective eyes to improve with vision in the dark due to many areas being underground. Ontop of this they have a strong prehensile tail to allow for easier escape from predators.

some little things I added for sillies are the claw marks on the back and neck along with a bite mark where they would have gotten away from a lizard :3

MONK:

Monk has similar base adaptations like the other slugcats such as the spring legs and good vision :3 But their nose is incredibly pointy, forcing the teeth into a more rodent like shape which aided in consumption of fruit but not excluding meats. They are also more streamlined than survivor, smaller and with shorter legs; their ball joints in the lower arms are stiffened for strength and their dew claw is similar to that of a cat’s. These factors are all to help improve running speed, and allows for monk to escape into smaller areas more effectively, they are less able to pick and choose fights like survivor but they aren’t incapable of killing.

My version of monk doesn’t have any visible scars to push the fact that they are adapted to opt for escaping rather than fighting :D

HUNTER:

I ran out of red ink on the red slugcat, typical, hehe :3 Hunter has adapted for physical strength to improve success when, well, hunting! I had to take note that hunter does fight with spears rather than claws and teeth, so I noted that they wouldn’t be too drastic from the other slug cats, but still a lot stronger. So i gave them a more robust jaw for improved biteforce because fuck that apparently, as well as very ancient canines like that of thyacoleo to emphasise a meat based diet. Furthermore the dew claw is adapted into more of a proto-thumb than the others to aid in object handling, such as spears and debris. I say proto-thumb as it isn’t a fully formed opposable thumb, but more acts as something for the object being throw to lie on, improving accuracy and damage! The tail isn’t as prehensile as hunter’s body doesn’t need to rely on climbing to escape due to improved offensive adaptations. They don’t have whiskers due to their larger size, but have an improved sense of smell to track prey more effectively as they are a solitary predator.

My hunter has the infection around their back area like usual, but also has scars under their chin and the tip of the tail has been bit off from a vulture attack, where as the eye scar i believe came from a scavenger attack in cannon? But i could be wrong. I chose a vulture as they are the apex predator in most regions, and would make more sense them giving hunter the extra scars rather that a more secondary based predator such as lizards (like with survivor). The ears have also been affected, but thats up to you whether you think it’s infection or scaring, I can’t decide :3

Hope you guys like my headcannons, i love making adaptations for things its fun :3 reminds me a little of all tomorrows (but obviously nowhere near that scale lmao)

#rain world #rainworld #slugcats #rain world art #Rainworld fan #rainworld fanart #rainworld designs #Rainworld hunter #rainworld suvivor #Rainworld monk

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thecreaturecodex · 11 months

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Dread Domicile

"The Dread Gazebo Updated" 3-D model by Michael Zavala under the Creative Commons license. Accessed at My Mini Factory here

[Sponsored by @balmz. "Eric and the Dread Gazebo" is a classic bit of tabletop gaming lore, which is older than I am. I haven't had this exact experience, of course, but as someone who uses a large vocabulary at the table, I have been on the receiving end of similar confusion. Rather than just make mine a gazebo, I took inspiration from the AD&D house hunter mimic.]

Dread Domicile CR 16 NE Aberration What appeared to be a gazebo reveals itself as a monster, its entrance growing a fanged maw and lashing tentacles growing around its perimeter. It has leering, dreadful eyes.

A dread domicile is a giant variant of mimic, capable of disguising itself as a whole building. Cottages, barns, sheds and gazebos are common choices for camouflage, and the dread domicile can enhance the appearance with lights, props, and even the sounds of conversation, farm animals or music. Unlike ordinary mimics, dread domiciles are typically evil—they actively hunt and eat sapient prey above all others. A number of them live in shantytowns or other rundown urban neighborhoods, where their victims won’t go missed.

Dread domiciles are slow, so they use ambush to hunt. They can feel vibrations in the ground, and so usually close their eyes until a creature has actually touched it. Their gaze causes creatures to cower in fear, so any creature that is not glued in place is usually unable to assist its allies. Glued prey is then transferred to the domicile’s mouth and swallowed whole, sequestered in a little pocket that acts as a stomach. A dread domicile will swallow multiple creatures if it can, and rapidly reshapes itself to accommodate new victims if a creature cuts its way out. Because of their low speed, a dread domicile is more likely to surrender and try to negotiate for its life than it is to flee. They collect plenty of treasure, which they use as both bait and bribes.

Variant Dread Domicile A dread vessel is an aquatic version of a dread domicile. It masquerades as a small ship, or occasionally as a raft, floating driftwood or even a whale carcass. A dread vessel is a dread domicile with the aquatic subtype, amphibious special quality, a land speed of 10 feet and a swim speed of 40 feet. A dread vessel is still a CR 16 creature.

Dread Domicile CR 16 XP 76,800 NE Gargantuan aberration Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +20, tremorsense 120 ft. Defense AC 30, touch 5, flat-footed 30 (-4 size, -1 Dex, +25 natural) hp 270 (20d8+180) Fort +17, Ref +5, Will +16 DR 15/magic and slashing; Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10 Offense Speed 20 ft. Melee bite +21 (2d8+10 plus grab), 6 tentacles +19 (1d8+5 plus adhesive) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. (10 ft. with bite) Special Attacks gaze, swallow whole (AC 22, 27 hp, 2d6+10 bludgeoning and 2d6 acid) Statistics Str 31, Dex 8, Con 29, Int 12, Wis15, Cha 18 Base Atk +15; CMB +29 (+33 grapple); CMD 39 (cannot be tripped) Feats Blind-fight,Critical Focus, Deceitful, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Tiring Critical Skills Bluff +23, Climb +18, Disguise +26 (+46 as a building), Knowledge (dungeoneering) +16, Knowledge (engineering) +19, Perception +20, Sense Motive +17, Swim +18; Racial Modifiers +20 Disguise to appear as a building Languages Aboleth, Common SQ mimic building, sound mimicry (any) Ecology Environment any land or urban Organization solitary or development (2-6) Treasure standard Special Abilities Adhesive (Ex) A dread domicile exudes a thick slime that acts as a powerful adhesive, holding fast any creatures or items that touch it. An adhesive-covered dread domicile automatically grapples any creature it hits with its tentacle attack. Opponents so grappled cannot get free while the dreadful domicile is alive without removing the adhesive first, or if the dread domicile chooses. A weapon that strikes an adhesive-coated dreadful domicile is stuck fast unless the wielder succeeds on a DC 30 Reflex save. A successful DC 26 Strength check is needed to pry off a stuck weapon. A dread domicile can transfer a creature glued to itself in this way into its mouth with an action to maintain the grapple. Strong alcohol or universal solvent dissolves the adhesive, but the dread domicile can still grapple normally. A dreadful domicile can dissolve its adhesive at will, and the substance breaks down 5 rounds after the creature dies. The save DC is Strength-based, and the Strength check DC suffers a -4 racial penalty. Gaze (Su) Range 30 ft.; save Will DC 24; effect cower in fear 1d4 rounds. This is a fear effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Mimic Building (Ex) A dread domicile gains a +20 racial bonus on any Disguise checks to disguise itself as a building of Gargantuan size. It can change its color and texture, and even create open spaces or lights (which radiate light up to that of a torch). Disguise is always a class skill for dread domiciles. Swallow Whole (Ex) A dread domicile reshapes itself to have a separate stomach chamber for each creature it swallows.A creature that cuts itself out of a dread domicile has a 25% chance to cut into another chamber and thus remain swallowed. A dread domicile can use its swallow whole ability even if a creature cuts its way out.

#pathfinder 1e #d&d #dread domicile #dread gazebo #mimic #sponsored post #game lore

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bowieandqueen11 · 2 years

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I Missed You / Diego Hargreeves Imagine

Request: I know in your dating 60s!diego hargreeves hcs you briefly mentioned his and readers reunion, and cuddling in elliot’s apartment, so i was just wondering if you’d expand on that whole thing because man, he’d be lost for words 😩. im down bad for needy diego 😌

My LOVE honestly this is THE mood first I get DILF Diego and now needy Diego??? My heart cannot handle it!!

Warning: NSFW, light swearing, and mentions of the asylum/drugs!

(I do not own The Umbrella Academy or its characters, all rights go to creators. Gif credit goes to @cardigan-ns.)

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

The late night drive felt never-ending, the car wheel stiff against your clenched hands, and Diego was crying.

Well, trying his best not to, you suppose. The effort just didn’t seem as successful as he was imagining it to be in his head. He could turn the back of his shaggy head to you and gaze out through the windows and into the blurring lamplights all he liked, but he couldn’t stop the way his shoulders were doing their best to heave and give his emotions away. The way you could spot how his bottom lip blubbered in the fractured image of his reflection. How, every so often, he would raise the back of his hand to wipe against his nose and block out the stifling sound of sniffling.

Despite how wracked he sounded, you knew he was just a mixture of euphoric and terrified. He was simultaneously over the moon that the love of his life had magically appeared in front of him with his tiny ass brother, but also still grieving over the fact that this was probably just another hallucination. ‘Stupid D-Diego’, he thinks, ‘being so easily tricked by this. By them. As if Y/n would ever come back for your stupid ass.’ Just another phantom dream, as so many before them. Soon he’d wake up, and find his arms tied around his sides again and his head battering around the padded rooms of his purgatory.

Although he tries to stop it, he can’t help but let out a pathetic sounding sob then. It catches in the back of his throat, making him sound even more like someone whose soul had been torn into two and patched back together with solely a despaired kind of hope. He frowns, tightening his arms around his sides and banging his head against the passenger side window. He prays that you haven’t heard him as he glances at the diners that whir by and the dry asphalt streets that blur into one long stretch of angry blackness against his blurred eyes, even if this was a dream. He wants to be strong for you, no matter if you’re real or a cruel mirage brought on by the drugs.

It’s a good thing you can read him so well. ‘Di-Di, it’s... it’s alright. We’re not at the asylum anymore, they can’t hurt you. I promise, I swear to god I’ll never let them touch you again. Plus, even better, Five has buggered off again to who knows where so we can finally focus on each other rather than the end of the world for five damn minutes-’ You’re stopped only by your feet automatically slamming down on the brakes in retaliation to Diego’s hand clamping down on top of yours on the wheel.

It takes you a moment to fully process that you’ve come to a stop, before you take a deep breath and glance over at the man sitting hunched over beside you. For the first time that night you really see him, and he looks horrendous. His face has paled, and the tired lines under his eyes seemed to have creased in so he looks like a tired child - frail and broken and dejected, crying out for just one fond and loving word. He’s twisted in his seat so he’s facing you again, the stolen shirt hugging his torso as he stares at you so intensely it nearly leaves you flustered.

Not knowing what to do, you drum your fingers against the dashboard and wait to see if he wants to speak. You take a few side glances at him as he just leans closer and closer towards you, his pupils becoming wider and wider. It was a puzzling sight: Diego inching towards you like a hunter closing in on his prey, until you could feel his ribcage hit your elbow, but his eyes- his eyes were giving him away. Engrossed, they seemed to grow with profound awe that blurred into tears, so overcome by the knowledge that the angel who had command of his heart was sitting beside him.

He must have seen the confusion on your face as his eyes roamed over every aspect of your body. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a sharp intake of breath. Bless him, he looked so helpless as he leant forward to rest his forehead so tenderly against your own. His hands came up to cup your cheek, his large thumbs wiping over your skin as if you were the one crying instead of him. When he finally pulled back slightly, you could fully take in just how many tears were slipping out of the corners of his eyes and cascading down to hit the edges of his trembling smile.

‘I-. I m-m-missed y-you. Wh-where w-were you?’

‘I’m sorry I took so long. Dallas is a surprisingly big place, and it doesn’t help when you get arrested straight away. Although, I shouldn’t really be surprised you’d do something stupid when I’m talking to the man who was convinced by Klaus that cookies became poisonous as soon as you turn eight just because he wanted to eat all of them’, you reply with a sad grin, trying to affirm the breaking man in front of you by reaching out and resting your hands over his slender and trembling fingers. He snorts, but his smile grows all the brighter as you rub up and down the back of his palm, making sure to gently squeeze his wrists every time you pass them. ‘At least we have all the time in the world now to become reacquainted with each other.’ He rolls his eyes, but even you can pick up the way his thighs shuffle in his seat and his heart seems to choke him. ‘By the way... I like the beard. Looks very suave, which is one thing you are not.’

‘H-hey! I’m plenty s-s-so, sophis-ticated.’

‘Diego, you spend half your life running around in faux leather and running down alleyways like a bargain batman. You’re a big idiot, is what you are.’

That earns a laugh as he lets go of one of your hands to reach up and try to swipe away the rest of his tears. You don’t let him do it alone, instead using your own thumb to gingerly wipe under his eyes.

‘How about you and me go back home, huh? I know I said we had forever, but your weird ass little brother actually said something about your family bringing around another apocalypse. He had just downed ten cups of coffee though, which honestly was really impressive to watch but it also meant he was vibrating on the spot when he grabbed my collar and pulled me down to his face to spit that at me so I don’t even know.’

‘You sure you still want to marry into this family? I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to run the other direction’, Diego snuffles. You only push him back down onto his seat with a thump, reaching round his torso and making him put his seat belt back on.

‘Diego, I’ve known you and your dumbass siblings since I was five years old, you already are my family. Plus, you know, you’ve stranded me in 1960′s Dallas so I’m stuck with your ass until you get me back.’ You start the car back up again, trying to figure out in your head your way back to Elliott’s place without Five being here to shout directions at you.

‘That’s my sexy pumpkin pie.’ You use your right hand to thwack his chest as he finally bursts out in the first real fit of laughter he’s had in months.

‘Ugh, do not start calling me that again, mama’s boy.’

Poor Luther.

All he could do was raise his eyebrows at Elliott and smile apologetically as yet another pair of pants smacked against the blurred glass of his bedroom window. ‘This is a lovely cup of tea’, he manages to fumble out as he takes a nervous sip. Elliot’s too shocked to even reply, just leaning back on his chair and staring at the window with his mouth agape.

‘Is your family... all... like this?’, he finally manages to blurt out, raising a finger to point in you and Diego’s general direction. ‘I mean, I met the one with the robot mother... and he was just as-’. His words are overshadowed by the sound of pealing giggles reverberating through the upper balcony, and the sound of his bed creaking under the weight of the two of you rolling over. ‘As frantic’, he finally manages to finish with a hard swallow.

‘Oh, those two?’, Luther starts with a shrug as he sets down his cup and saucer onto the living room table. ‘Those two are probably the most hectic out of all of us!’ His smile seems to portray a sense of pride in the two of you, but it quickly falls into a regretful tight lipped grimace as he watches how horrified Elliott becomes. He looks like he’s about to pass out as he stands up, holding his hand out in front of him as if he’s about to ask something important, but instead he just lets his eyes fall wide as he mumbles out. ‘I’m going to go buy some more jelly.’

‘Good idea, my friend!’, Luther stands up to slap him on the back. ‘If I’m being honest, I think I’d rather go with you if that’s alright. This could go on for a while.’

The sound of their receding footsteps down the slightly twisted staircase is overpowered only by the grunts of Diego as you roll over to straddle him. Your knees draw against his hip to hold him in place, and you can feel how much his body is burning against your skin as you reach up to hold his wrists above his head. Even though you’ve only been here for ten minutes he looks wrecked in the silent moonlight that pours through the sole window: his hair dishevelled like a brandy plumage, his lips red and swollen, and yet it didn’t stop him from trying to escape your grasp and reach up to try and reach your lips yet again. He pants as you push him back down, the engulfing silence of the night making the pounding of his heart all the more evident.

He whines as you lean down until your chest has covered his bare own and he feels your chin slide over his. He squirms under your body, a futile effort to gain some traction and quench the feeling of burning that alights the pit of his stomach with need. You bite down and tug his bottom lip when you see how his eyes have squeezed shut into a painful patience, earning you a gasp into your mouth and a growl that seems to grow from deep within his throat.

‘Did I tell you how much I missed you’, he pants as he finally manages to throw his thigh between yours and flip you down onto the mattress. He crawls over you, running his hands over every inch of skin on his way up: along your calves, biting them teasingly as he goes, skirting his fingertips along the edges of your thighs, splaying his fingers along your hips and squeezing before resting against your sides.

‘I think you might have’, you manage to warble out against the feeling of Diego’s tongue swiping against the seam of your lips. His legs drive against your own with the force of how he kisses you, pushing you further against the duvet and trapping you against the expanse of his chest. It’s exhilarating and rushed, but full of all the passion and love and want that has been stored up within Diego’s soul since you were cruelly torn from him.

He breaks away to nuzzle your neck with delicate kisses, so faint and heartfelt they seemed like whispered promises being etched into your skin. His beard though tickled your neck and broke the silence as you began to laugh, and you could feel his warm breath puff out against your shoulder blade in return. He pulls back to gaze down at you, all the adoration in the world bursting out of this whiskey, puppy dog eyes.

‘And did you know that I love you more than anything?’

‘Yeah’, you reach up to play with the curls of hair that lie against the nape of his neck. He closes his eyes in bliss and grunts as he’s enveloped by the brackets of your arms, before he collapses down on top of you to lie with his head under your chin. ‘I think I managed to get that idea.’

#the umbrella academy #tua #diego hargreeves #diego hargreeves imagine #diego hargreeves x reader #tua imagine #the umbrella academy imagine #david castenada #diego tua #diego tua imagine #diego the umbrella academy #diego the umbrella academy imagine #tua season 2 #tua season 3 #tua season 1

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inventors-fair · 3 months

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The Best of the Rest: NPC Winners ~

Our winners this week are @helloijustreadyourpost, @izzet-always-r-versus-u, and @sparkyyoungupstart!

@helloijustreadyourpost — Vicious Headcrab from the Half-Life series

Immediately, this has got to be one of the cleanest transitions from other media to a magic card, full stop. Or, it's the cleanest that I recognize enough to confidently state as such. Still, this is at its core a very simple and intuitive card that does something extremely unusual, which always catches my eye. It's a tricky proposition to have a 1/3 defeat anything in combat without tossing in an extra card, but given how much of an upgrade the token is combined with the occasional upside of exiling a key creature, I'd say that this number of hoops to jump through is perfectly warranted. The necessity of sacrificing the headcrab also helps enforce a sense of fairness, as you can't simply slap deathtouch on it and trade up with something far larger. At this very least, though, this creepy critter preys on tokens all day long.

@izzet-always-r-versus-u — Lycan Blood Hunter from Critical Role

The first thing that immediately interest me about this one is just how distinct it is from every other werewolf we've seen so far. Nowadays more than ever, Magic's werewolves are pretty set in their ways, and barring a thematic shakeup from an as-yet unexplored plane, that's not liable to change. Leave it to Universes Beyond to pick up the slack, and offer glimpses into other fantasy worlds where familiar types appear in unfamiliar places. The "transformation" being tied to being under half your life is a great move, I must say, and the idea of literally bleeding yourself to produce blood tokens is so clever that I was shocked to learn that no such card already existed. Part of me wishes this also lost its Human type when it's "transformed" like fellow D&D-related card Werewolf Pack Leader, but that's a minor blemish on an otherwise sterling card.

@sparkyyoungupstart — Hiss Distorted from Control

I mean this in the best way possible, but: what? Having no knowledge whatsoever of the source material, I can really only guess as to what's going on here, but what I do understand has me absolutely fascinated. The creature type alone is a standout, but that's hardly enough to get it to the winner's circle. No, it's here because of that effect, and oh, what an effect! Reconfiguring foretell into a bizarre mirror-universe version of dash is quite the move, to be sure. Utilizing the inherent turn delay of foretell to justify the absurd power by forcing the card to be foretold even more so. It does somewhat lose the element of surprise that characterizes foretell after the first time, but it hardly needs it (and it wouldn't even be the first. Looking at you, Foretold Soldier). There is one slight concern that I can't rightly ignore, though. I'm not entirely sure if this was your intention or not, but due to the underlying mechanics of foretell, you can foretell it during your end phase after it returns to hand, meaning that every cast of it past the first is every turn rather than every other one. If that's not intentional, it necessitates moving the self-bounce later into the turn cycle, such as during your upkeep. If it is, I would recommend maybe moving it earlier in the turn instead, such as after combat. It wouldn't change the functionality, but it would make the card easier to understand, as that interaction is something a lot of players are liable to miss their first time playing with the card.

Runners will be up before too long, with commentary later today. @spooky-bard

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair #commentary #winners #npc contest

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the-goddess-of-mischief-writing · 2 years

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Word of the day {6}

Oneshot summary; A hitman assigned to kill the Russian ghost, but what happens when the only time you can't fail, do?

Pairing: Winter Soldier x reader

Rating: Explicit

CHAPTER NO/ONESHOT: Oneshot

Word; 6.5k

Warnings; canon type violence, near death experience, d/s themes, choking, non-con to a beginning (don’t like any of the TW then don’t read)

Author; @the-goddess-of-mischief-writing

A/N: So yeah, as I said, I will do some catch up’s on things I still want to finish before starting anything else, so here is probably one of my favourite Advent calendar chapters I had planned. Ps, translations will be at the end and excuse me if somethings isn’t correct, my rusty Russian needed some aid from google translate.

MAIN MASTERLIST

ADVENT CALANDER MASTERLIST

Fuck, fuck. Even if you could've sworn aloud from how harshly your heart beat against your ribcage, you wouldn't have done it, fearing your hunter would snap up the sound.

You weren't used to this role as prey. You'd never even imagined it as possible. But now it was and your hunter was none other than the name you'd written down when your hunt started. The one you'd stared at countless times as it glared back at you from the pages of your ledger.

The Winter Soldier.

As few, you'd heard of him. Like anyone living, you hadn't seen him. But, until now, his reputation hadn't set enough respect in you compared to everyone else. It had merely been a whisper everyone feared. The phantom of the east. The Russian ghost. The Winter Soldier.

Now, however, you felt the same fear everyone before you had. Now when the Soldier was hunting you.

You regretted ever signing the contract with that damn goodie two-shoe company that paid you a ridiculous amount even before you knew the name of your target. Why had you done it? You never said yes to things you weren't sure you could finish. But his name, once you'd been informed of it, hadn't stifled enough fear in you and that was the problem that got you here from the beginning.

You could and did blame your contractors for apparently not understanding the meaning of a hitman and that it was your job to take out the person whose name they'd given you. They'd ruined your plan and thoughtful positioning by being brainless enough to open fire upon the shot from his rifle rather than yours. Despite knowing you already were there to eliminate the target.

Though not anticipating their reaction, you knew that his shot must ring ahead of yours. Otherwise, you couldn't localise him.

After weeks of tracking him, it wasn't until the man you were here to protect pranced around in a suit to show himself off in public, acting like a goddamm beacon even during the day, you'd gotten a trail on the ghost. He felt more like a shadow in your peripheral than someone you could stare at straight on. But you'd noticed him, lingering in the shadows enough to become one with them.

When the big event finally came, you'd taken your position and estimated you had approximately five to seven seconds after the Soldier's shot echoed to find and line up your shot before he would retreat into the shadows again. And you'd found him.

However, the shot you'd lined up so perfectly ended up being a centimetre awry when he'd flinched upon one of your contractor's associates unknowingly came close to him with their flailing shots. Yet, those were margins you didn't have.

Rather than a hole piercing the line right above the Soldier's mask. It clipped his hair. And that was all he needed to know he wasn't the only hunter in the field.

Out of everyone, your first and single mistake had been when facing the Winter Soldier.

Facing him may be an exaggeration. But seeing how he was as good as they come, the silencer on your sniper didn't help when he'd been able to calculate which direction the bullet had come from and thus finding you behind the gun.

You didn't need more than to see his masked face turn towards you whilst looking into the scope of your rifle to know he'd spotted you. Those eyes, hidden beneath his mask like the rest of his face, made you urgent to escape the building you'd been perched upon.

Fuck, the Winter Soldier had seen you.

You quickened your tempo, feeling your rifle bump harshly against your backside from how the bag you slung over your shoulder jostled for each step you took. You'd already tugged on a jumper over your shirt and flung the cap you'd worn someplace when you'd hurried down the fire escape. Not knowing nor caring where it ended up.

The moment you hit the ground, you'd pulled up the hood of your jumper. And though it bought you some time, in the end, you knew it would be worthless to try and blend in with the crowd. Because if the Soldier even had gotten the slightest sight of what you wore, he would find you and if it so happened to be in the sea of people, you didn't hesitate that he would pull the trigger anyway.

Despite your primal instinct repeating 'safe in masses', you didn't weave through the crowd to reach your location quicker because you knew it would make the Soldier's job more difficult if he couldn't spot you directly. So you kept your head down, attempting to look around you with nothing more than glances which could pass off as any civilian watching their surroundings.

Yet, you couldn't catch even the tiniest of glimpses of him. Not even a shadow shifting in the corner of your eyes. Maybe that was why you felt a keen need to get to the apartment the company contracting you had suggested renting in a remote part of the town, gather the few things you needed and leave.

But for some reason, as you moved through the mass of people -your pace not frowned upon as everyone tried to get somewhere as soon as possible- it didn't feel like someone hunted you, seeing how no shiver of an unconscious knowledge that someone followed you erupted. Not even a building unease that stemmed from sensing how somebody watched you.

But you knew the Russian ghost was somewhere. If not on your heels, then at a vantage point to follow you unnoticed. That was why you knew, as soon as you entered the apartment complex, you didn't have much time to get in and get out before the Soldier figured out where you stayed.

When finally parting from the crowd and entering the motel, you rushed up the stairs rather than taking the elevator, breath pushing from your lungs in a ragged manner. You tried to ease the sound as you opened the door to the fifth floor and jogged down the corridor, only stopping once to unlock the door to your room. But that was when you froze.

You held your breath.

Someone was here.

No one was sitting on the couch. Nor by the table in the kitchen area. But there was no doubt. Something felt wrong.

It was silent and none of the few windows was ajar. Still, the air wasn't the same as when you left earlier. It wasn't purely because your heart was still racing. You could sense how someone disturbed the air by purely breathing.

You let out the air you'd kept in your lungs as you stepped over the threshold, silencing your breathing as much as possible whilst pulling your rifle bag from your shoulder and silently putting it on the floor right by the entrance. One hand sneaked beneath your jumper and grasped the gun you always had for safety strapped around your torso. Raising it, you slowly closed the door before continuing into the apartment.

The hair on your body stood as soon as you did. Now the feeling that had been absent swept over you in full force.

You felt the gaze upon you so clearly, but the moment you shifted to where the heavy stare came from, it switched places. It felt like you were going crazy, paranoia gripping you in its fearful clutch. Thus wherever your eyes flickered, nothing was there, even if you could've sworn on it. And then, a sudden gleam of metal shimmered in the edge of your vision.

Lightning-fast you spun around. Not hesitating on pulling the trigger as you did.

Your instinct hadn't lied. Seeing how the Winter Soldier now emerged from the dark. However, what made your jaws clench, was that the bullet from your silenced gun didn't hit him, not because you would've missed this time. One of his arms was metal. Gleaming and with a red star on it. And with it, he'd deflected the bullet heading for his chest.

You had no time to reflect over the bullet, now buried in the wall, as he stalked forwards. Instead, you fired another two shots as you backed away. Both deflected similarly to the first one.

Your heart switched from beating steady and heavy in your chest from running to plunging into short and sharp taps as your eyes widened, following the Soldier as he advanced towards you like bullets didn't hail over him. Maybe he found your attempt of putting one in him arduous because as soon as he was close enough, he ripped the gun from your hand.

It flew across the room and crinkled to pieces because of the strength in his cybernetic arm. Still, you had no time to marvel at the fascinating weapon the gleaming piece of metal connected to him was. Thus now, it came towards you.

You tried to move faster, rip the knife you always carried as a last resort on your forearm from its sheet. Though it quickly became meaningless, seeing how, with an inhuman speed, those cold digits wrapped around your throat.

As he drove you into the wall, your head whipped backwards with enough force that silvery stars danced wherever your wide-eyed gaze flickered.

You groaned, attempting to raise your hand and spear the metal arm pinning you in place. But the Soldier was faster, way too fast. The knife barely left your side before his flesh hand gripped your wrist and pinned it against the wall.

There was no question that his strength wasn't solely contained to his prosthetic, seeing how the power he'd immobilised your hand with was enough for it to twitch open and the blade clatter to the ground.

Although your advantages were few, perhaps even none existing, you held something over him now. His hands were occupied by pinning you in place, meaning you still had one unrestricted.

You tried to use all those dirty tricks pure life and death situations brought. You attempted to find a soft spot on his arm, but the metal was solid and only whirred beneath your grabbing. Then you tried to pull at the brown and jagged hair hanging as curtains around that masked face. However, reading your intention when your hand shot forth, the Winter Soldier moved his head out of your reach.

You couldn't reach those dark locks to yank at them. But there was still something within reach.

Not anticipating what you would do next upon your failure, the Soldier was too late to move away from your fingers dragging down his face.

Your nails scraped downwards, forming red marks in their wake. The angry red lines started at the line of his hair and trailed down to his glasses. When they hit the fabricated edge, you were determined to continue your painting, so you buried your fingers underneath their hem and yanked.

The protection once separating his and your eyes fell to the ground.

You tried to get further, not only with your nails over his skin so it wouldn't only be his gaze meeting meet yours, but his whole face. Although, as your hand dropped, it wasn't to continue where you left off nor tug off the remaining piece of his mask. It was to the tightening hold around your throat, cutting the oxygen to your lungs.

Desperation urged your action of clawing his hand. You knew it would be useless because this wasn't an arm of flesh and blood. It couldn't feel pain. This was metal. Strong and non-human, creating more pain in you than its owner as your nails caught in the small gaps between plates.

The killing strike was here, you thought. When the hunter came too close to his prey. Still, it wasn't with fear you watched him when your gaze flickered up to meet his. It was anger.

For a few seconds, time froze as his eyes held yours.

Blue, cold and lifeless eyes had no mercy as they met yours. They were piercing in a haunting and detached way. It didn't feel like it was a human looking at you. It felt like it was a machine.

Your vision blurred when your chest started to convulse. Body screaming for air. Still, you tried maintaining eye contact with the Soldier until your eyes slowly started to drop.

But then, seconds before you plunged into complete darkness, before you went under the surface of a silent and waterless sea... the grip around your throat eased.

The breath you sucked in was almost so hard it hurt your lungs. You hadn't even noticed your head tipped forwards. Nonetheless, it shot upwards as life now returned to your body.

With eyes wide open as you hungrily sucked fresh air down your throat, you found the Winter Soldier had adverted his eyes. However, as they found yours again, he didn't look at you with the same expression as earlier. Now his brows were furrowed.

Something about the action brought back his humanity, maybe from how something passed his gaze momentarily. You had no idea what it was, nor could you figure it out as you got something else to focus on.

"кто послал вас?" Even if you hadn't seen his mouth move, his rough voice was hard to miss. Perhaps a combination of the mask still hiding his lower face and how he hadn't used it recently.

"English only", you breathed, seeing how the foreign words carried no meaning to you even if you understood they had been a question. His head tipped to the side and you saw the muscles in his temples work. You don't know what he was doing, at least not until you heard him speak and realised he'd tested the words on his tongue before saying them aloud.

"Who sent you?" A Russian accent tinted the sentence. Still, the intonation wasn't as heavy as someone native to a Slavic language. There was a distinctiveness to how he spoke for someone with English as their native language, meaning that the Winter Soldier didn't have his origin from the east as the rumour had it.

"Someone that doesn't fancy getting shot", his eyes narrowed, possibly thinking back to his target. If he were even half as much of a machine as you thought, he wouldn't know much about the person he would eliminate, just their name and how they looked. Like you, honestly.

"Do you work for them?" You quirked a brow in an answer, but it seemed the Soldier wasn't one to play by any book by his, seeing how he instantly suppressed your air supply to the barest minimum.

"For now", you said through gritted teeth, feeling his fingers stop pressing as harshly as they'd done moments earlier.

"Contractor". You didn't know the meaning of his gruff huff, but you would get an explanation quickly as he leant in close. "Your current one is dead. I have people who want you".

Though his breath didn't fan across your face, you felt it seep through the vents on his mask. Up close, there was almost something animalistic behind his eyes and that was when you realised it. The Winter Soldier was nothing more than a dog on a leash for an unknown party. So, the words he spoke weren't his own.

"I don't want to work for your handlers". You suspected those who held the Soldier's leash were the same people wanting to hire you for whatever work they meant. But though you were in a shady business, you had some backbone to always request a one-and-done contract. Freedom, in other words. And you knew whoever he worked for wouldn't take kindly on that particular request. Not when staring at the Soldier you now knew had none.

"Why don't you join? They know everything about you". You'd thought about stepping over a line you couldn't come back from. You really had, but not only did the virtuous side always pay better -both for your actions and silence- but they also hid your identity. They didn't want to get themselves caught with red lining the ground their company stood on and knowing you were the person who could make their precious empire fall, they wanted you to be silent and invisible.

You'd been close to dying and the Soldier was still in control of your life. Nevertheless, you sneered at the thought of him attempting to persuade you to consider joining his side.

Knowing that you would rather die with your pride intact than work for his handlers, you spat at his boots.

Irritation flared in his light blue eyes, setting them on fire.

He let go of your wrist and tugged you forward with his metal arm so you could feel his harsh breaths through his mouth-cover as he stared down at you.

"плохой ход", he growled, fingers pressing into the sides of your throat again, a threat he could finish what he earlier hadn't.

Upon the reminder that if he merely wanted to, he could take your life like water smithing a flame, you struggled against him. His cold eyes watched you for barely a second, seemingly enough for him to recognise the blaze of defiance in your eyes but not enough for your fingers nor nails to reach him once more concerning how he swiftly spun you around.

His metal arm shifted its grip to clutch your neck, making you feel like an animal being held by the scruff off its neck. His other hand collected your wrists behind your back. Nonetheless, it felt like you could wrestle yourself out of this hold. At least your estimated your ods as better when your hunter couldn't simply tighten his finger to cut your airflow. But as if the Soldier could read your mind, your body was soon pressed to the wall.

Even if you weren't wrestling on the ground and he could utilise his larger body to pin you down solely with his weight, you somehow felt that was the case anyways. You could barely do more than furiously attempt to dig your nails into his hand and wriggle against the firm body aiming and succeeding too well to immobilise you.

It barely felt like he struggled to keep you under wraps while you snarled in frustration as nothing seemed to work to even move the Soldier.

"Your choice", he began, voice unhumanly even. "Join or-". You'd struggled against him, not thinking what your squirming could lead to, at least not until the Soldier behind you cut himself off with a hiss, his gloved fingers reactively digging into the muscle in your neck.

It sounded like you'd burned him while his body grew rigid, almost as if frostbit stiffened his limbs, but neither had happened. What happened, however, was that you'd accidentally pushed your ass straight into his crotch.

You don't know why, but your breath caught as a sudden new tension entered the air. It was something about the Soldier stilling until it felt like another wall was pressed against your back. And then, when he finally moved, you froze, body locking as you went into shock, a sensation that you would start retching skyrocketed together with your pulse and threatened to destroy your eardrums. In any other case, you would've thought it was from the adrenaline plunging, but if anything, it surged once more.

The hand earlier clamping down on your wrists curled over your hip. And almost experimentally, the Soldier rolled his hips into yours.

Your eyes widened as you tried to look at him to see if he truly was doing what you thought he was, but even if you managed to twist your head, you couldn't see much more than his brown locks in your peripheral.

But you didn't need to see what he did as you could feel it.

Once again, he rocked his body into yours, and you gasped, but not in pleasure. It was something between horror and shock. The Soldier you earlier had glared at was a machine. He didn't feel wired for this. And yet, he rolled his hips into you again -now at an angle upwards, lifting you slightly off your feet- causing your heart to hammer in your chest.

Your breath stuttered, heart jumping unregulated as you wriggled, but it did little to help you. Thus, it only spurred the Soldier on.

"Is this how you lose your claws, котенок?" You'd never heard a taunt that sounded this detached from a teasing lilt, nor a word that you somehow felt was so familiar despite not being said in your language.

"N-no!" He doesn't answer your objection, only presses his hips against your ass until you're entirely pushed up on your toes this time.

"руки на стене", you bite back a pained whimper as the hand on your neck forces your cheek further against the wall. "руки на стене", he repeated the phrase, accentuating each word carefully this time. Regardless, you didn't understand his command until his flesh hand gripped one of your hands and smacked it against the sleek surface of the wall harshly enough your palm stung. With a slight tremble, you raised your other, pressing it as flat against the surface as the other.

His hand leave yours and the next place he's pressing it into is your crotch. There's nothing gentle about how he does it. No trail down your body with his fingertips, no he cups your heat without warning, palm pushed against your clit as the pads of his fingers seek to bend the seem of your tactical pants as far inwards towards your pussy as possible.

You let out a sound you don't want to admit... is a moan. Even if it's a surprised one. The Winter Soldier can't make you feel good. He'd had you an inch of your life a few minutes ago and how he touched you now was no less gentle. And yet... you fought the need to remain still when he circled his fingers.

You don't only imagine tasting metal when you bit down on your inner cheek to keep quiet, not in fear of anyone else hearing what he was doing to you, but rather the Soldier right behind you doing so. There was no way in hell that he could know -despite having fought him with the dirtiest tricks in the books moments earlier- his deft touch made warmth swirl in your stomach.

"Why so silent?" He leaned closer, enough for his hair to brush against your neck. It tickled, but the sensation faded compared to his fingers curling further into your heat, causing your eyes to press tightly shut.

"котенок...", his voice dipped into something new as he spoke, something the Soldier shouldn't be able to reach. Attempting to hide the shiver running down your spine, you struggle against him again, though there's little you can do to push him off when he still has you on your toes.

Despite your hope flickering if you would get out of this situation, you push against the wall in one last attempt.

You'd prayed you could challenge his balance, but the ever calculating Soldier braced against your efforts and soon, you feel a hand against your neck again.

Even if it's his flesh hand, the way his gloved fingers dig into it is as forceful as the cybernetic arm trailing down your side and settling over the curve of your ass.

"You disappoint me", he breathed against your neck as the fingers of his metal hand grip the fabric of your pants, ripping them with a swift yank, bearing your ass to the chilled room. "Where has your fight gone?" You move your hips when he reaches forth, trying to stop him from making the tear it into an even larger hole. But you're reminded how human you are compared to the Winter Soldier because your struggles do little to stop his action.

A puff of cold air hits your cunt as he tears your trousers close to shreds. "Fuck you", you sneer through your teeth, pressing your legs together to not feel as exposed. Instead of verbally answering, the Soldier forces his hand in-between your legs, inserting a few fingers beneath your panties before harshly tugging the material upwards.

The sharp sting that forces you to rise even further on your feet to ease the sensation feeling like a rope running from your ass and all the way to your clit makes you yelp.

You feel a rumble against your back before he releases the grip, much to your relief, though it's short-lived.

As he sneaks his fingers in between your folds, you start at the feeling of such a foreign thing as metal being coated in a wetness you hadn't realised drenched your underwear. It's cold, contrasting heavily to the heat he moves his fingers through. And yet, how unfamiliar it ever may be, it feels good.

A shiver runs through your body and you close your eyes, feeling a tear slip down your cheek as you will yourself not to believe he's making you this aroused.

"I'm gonna kill you", you snarl at him, attempting to convince yourself that your writhing isn't slowly changing from an attempt at breaking free to chasing the pleasure building in your body. "Give me a fucking butter knife and I'll do it".

"So why are your hands still on the wall?" His reminder dawns on you a minute too late.

Instead of ripping your hands from the wall and going against his earlier command of keeping them there, you move them downwards, not more than an inch, before he presses you flat against the wall by stepping into you. He traps your arms in a partly awkward position in which they follow the outline of your body enough your hands curls into fists and you can't push away from the wall.

Still, the hand buried in your panties move to grip one of your wrists in an iron grip, coating some of your slick against your exposed skin.

As the Soldier bends it backwards, you wince at the angle but have no choice but to obey the way he directs you.

Surprisingly, he settles your hand over his thigh. "I've had a knife here all the time, котенок", he says, forcing your hand against the outline of his thigh strap where you feel a knife handle. Now his crushing grips make even more sense. He's stopping you from being able to close your hand without it hurting you, therefore also preventing you from stealing his weapon. "But you didn't even try to reach for it".

You curse him. You can hear yourself doing it in the distance. You don't know which words you use or how you use them. You only know you spit all thinkable things at him as your mind tries to understand just how you hadn't noticed something so evident as the knife strapped to his thigh. In any other case, you would've remarked it early on, knowing you could use it to your advantage. But you hadn't.

"Such dirty words", he grunted in your ear, hooking his arm in the crook of both of yours to bend them backwards, bringing you slightly off the wall but pinned to his chest.

You wished you could curse at him in Russian, spit back the damned language of the ghost from the east, the one he used to order you with. But you don't get a chance. Not to speak the language you wouldn't be able to either way. No, you don't get a chance to say anything.

While you'd sucked air into your lungs and opened your mouth to let words hail over him again, the Soldier took advantage of his hands' positioning after releasing yours. He slipped his hand between your breast and upwards until he shoved his fingers into your mouth.

A gruff moan escapes you, eyes widening upon feeling the cold and heavy weight of his metal fingers part your lips and rest heavily on your tongue.

"That's what I want to hear". The Soldier's fingers play with your tongue, filling your mouth with the taste of your own arousal. You know why he switched to his metal hand for this. It would hurt you more than him if you bit down on them, which both of you knew you would've if it had been flesh parting your lips. "Suck". He pushes his fingers against your tongue, but you don't move, at least not more than to shake your head.

His body stiffens and he breaths out heavily enough for a slight wheezing sound to escape the filters of his mask.

He repositions your arms until they're crossed behind your back. Before you can move, he pushes himself against you and into the wall, pinning your arms in place. It's uncomfortable, your shoulders are straining and the metal arm pressed into the space between your breasts as his fingers push down on your tongue sit awkwardly against your breastbone and ribcage.

But it's forgotten when his free hand forces itself between your body and wall and goes straight down to your exposed heat. You protest, but with the digits in your mouth, it escapes you in a string of muffled noises.

You can't help the shudder running through your body as he circles your clit. Neither how your hips buck towards his cupped hand when he pushes two fingers into your weeping hole.

It feels even worse when it's his flesh hand because it doesn't feel like the Soldier pumping in and out of your as his palm grinds against your clit in a way that makes something in your lower stomach tingle. It could be anyone. Only that it isn't. It's the Winter Soldier causing your body to writhe and a flare of white-hot pleasure to suddenly blind you.

Your orgasm comes suddenly, shocking even you, as your body locks up and clamps down on the fingers continuing to work in and out of you, consequently prolonging the pleasure sweeping through your body.

His fingers leave your mouth, a thin string of saliva following them until it breaks and hits the skin beneath your chin. Not until his hand settles on your throat do you realise it's because your head tipped backwards to rest upon his shoulder.

"хороший котенок", his deep voice is an echo in your ear and you know you would've felt his lips against yours if the dual sensation of sharp plastic and the metal lining of his face covering wouldn't have pushed into your cheek.

You feel weak, a softness entering your body as you finally settle. But you're given no time to completely wrap your head around the fact that the Winter Soldier just made you cum. Not when his fingers slip out of your cunt with a rush of wetness following and drenching you even further, enough for your upper thighs to feel sticky. A move closely followed by him putting some space between the two of you, causing your arms to slip forth of their own accord before the uncharacteristically loud sound of a zipper follows.

You'd been taking deep breaths to stabilise the erratic jump of your heart, but it catches when you feel the tip of his steely length brush against your fold. Your throat constricts around the word no as he doesn't waste any time running his cock through your wet folds but simply enters you with a snap of his hips.

The moment froze for just a few seconds while the sting of his forceful entering bled into a heavy fullness. The Soldiers chest rose and fell quickly against your backside. His fingers curled into your hip, forcing the flesh to form after his imprints. At least until they reached your hipbone.

He has you arching against him, directing you to reach deeper within you as the metal around your throat became vice-like as he kept your head bent backwards, causing your stuttering breaths to wisp straight upwards.

He mumbled things beneath his breath. Russian and English words breathed like a dog's growl. Bouncing against his mask only to reach your skin as vibrations. The shifting between languages made his voice gruffer as both accents bled into their non-matching counterpart.

When he finally pulled his hips back and buried himself deep again, a collective groan left the two of you. The next time he pulled back, it wasn't a slow roll that he entered you with but a snap of his hips.

You couldn't hold back your moans even if you wanted to. The way he fucked you should feel dirty, his sloppy and erratic thrust shouldn't make your jaw slacken and your body fall further against him. They shouldn't make you feel good. Yet they do. His rough touch awakens something primal inside you.

You claw your thighs as there isn't much else you can reach, without a doubt engraving crescent moons in your skin even through your pants. But it isn't enough. You need to feel more of the Soldier than his erratic thrusts breaking you apart.

Writhing against him further excels your pleasure and pulls a whine from you as your wandering hands attempt to find any part of him. A growl, trying to scare you off from making too much resistance, vibrates against your back as he curls himself around you and speeds up his thrusts.

"Please". The word is broken as each snap of the Soldiers hips punches your breath out of you. "Please", you beg again, an equal unconscious frustration at what he'd reduced you to and desperation to touch him.

He doesn't answer and so, deeming that you would get a warning if you did something he didn't like, your hands sneak towards the first best part of him, which turns out to be his metal arm. One hand closes around his forearm, the other his wrists, and your body eases at having something to ground yourself against. But it doesn't last long, not when he squeezes the fingers around your throat, cutting off your much-needed air supply, just seconds after.

Although, compared to earlier, you don't struggle. Even if you squirm against the Soldier, you don't try to force his hand away. And he must realise that when your body falls against his with eyes closed and your lips parted without any sounds escaping it, you're not touching him in an attempt to break free.

He flexes his fingers to their previous state of simply keeping you still. But brings you further away from the wall and more into him.

You feel him ploughing in and out of you and on a significantly harder thrust, he follows it up with a dirty grind of his hips, causing you to whine and push back against him while your cunt squeeze around him.

"Good God", he groans as you all but assume his head dropped close to the shell of your ear. "Feels like heaven", he grunts with yet another roll of his hips. Yes, yes, heaven, hell, whatever. Your brain is a scrambled mess, thoughts barely straight enough you can make sense of them as you moan unabashedly at what feels like sin dripping from his lips.

You can't fathom how he feels so warm all of a sudden. How the Soldier feels like a man behind you, his words so rich and at the loss of every chill they'd carried earlier. He feels like a human and when the flesh hand on your hip sneaks downwards, fingers finding the opening in your pants and your clit at the top of your slit, a mumbled 'cum for me, doll' you all but forget who's behind you.

You have no control over your body as it convulses, pleasure ripping you into pieces. The only thing keeping you from wriggling away from the man behind you is his metal hand slipping down to anchor over your breasts and his palm pushing against your mound to keep you grounded against his relentless thrusting.

His fingers still reach your slit and he takes full advantage of having access to your clit to prolong your peak and how you flutter around him. Even if your hands have fallen to the wall, they do little to hold you up. So for a moment, when you're thighs are quivering enough your muscles can't keep you upright, he manages to do so by gripping your hips.

He slams himself as deep as possible a few times more before slipping out of you so hastily that your slick trickles out of you. His grunt is blended with a moan. Either at the loss of your heat or in pleasure. Seeing how he drives his cock between your ass cheeks, pulling your hips against his, over and over, before only his hips move jerkily and he paints your lower back in ropes of cum.

You arch against him, taking in the sensation of his softening cock and his spend trickling down in-between your cheeks and the way his fingers flex over your hips at your action. But that is all you get in-between heavy breaths as he abruptly rips himself away from you. And shortly after, you hear him sip his trousers.

When he doesn't dwell in the same post-orgasmic softness that settled in your bones, you were once more reminded that it wasn't any man behind you and that you shouldn't be surprised about his actions. And yet, you were. You were surprised he'd let himself give in to his pleasure, how human he'd seemed to have gotten, even now when he ran his metal hand up your backside, a few fingers tracing your skin.

And then, you weren't as surprised anymore, not when the air so tangibly shifted and, instead of caressing your skin, his hand travelled upwards until it nestled against your neck, fingers curling further than comfortable beneath your ears on either side.

The Soldier proved, then and there, how much warmth he would ever be exposed to and whatever fidget of your imagination thought he'd radiated some too... he would always remain the Winter Soldier.

"I've found you, котенок", he said. And then, there was silence.

Silence, once again silence, a silence solely the Russian ghost could create when he still stood close enough you could feel the heat of his body. A silence to let his word sink in.

When he finally released you and silently stepped away, you didn't spin around to witness him disappear in the quickly dawning sun. You stayed pressed to the wall, hands curling into fists as your forehead dropped to the cheap paint.

The Soldier had found you and he would never lose you. That was what he'd meant. The Winter Soldier had caught your scent like a bloodhound and would never forget what you smelled like. He'd decided to spare your life just to haunt you instead. Until you chose to work with him rather than against him, you would never see him, but know he always watched you.

You hadn't gazed into his eyes when he forced you to succumb to him, nor when he painted you in ropes of cum. But there was no need to have done that when you would remember that steely gaze behind closed eyes.

Translations:

кто послал вас? - Who sent you?

руки на стене - Hands on the wall.

котенок - Kitten

плохой ход - Bad move

хороший котенок= Good kitten.

#winter soldier fanfiction #winter soldier x reader #winter soldier x you #bucky barns x reader #bucky x reader smut #winter soldier smut #winter soldier x reader smut #fanfic #fanfiction #MCU fanfiction #MCU fic #bucky smut #winter soldier x reader tw #advent calender 2021

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skelletors · 7 months

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MCYT as D&D Characters 5 - Philza

Part 5 of me turning MCYTs into playable D&D characters! Today, as you might’ve guessed, I’m taking a crack at the man, the myth, the legend, Philza Minecraft. And, of course, before we begin, the ground rules.

This will not be balanced and the builds may not be very good. This isn’t for the minmaxers (not that there's anything wrong with that), this is purely based on either stories these people have participated in or their overall persona on the internet

These characters will go up to level 20, but in no way do you have to play them to the max level to get all the mechanics that make up the character

There will be no homebrew in this build.

I will be using standard array for all of these characters (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) when determining the stats for these characters for my own ease of use.

Character Traits to Emulate:

Bird

Angel of Death

Old as hell

Anarchist

THE father figure

Race, Class, Background and Stats

Race: Protector Aasimar (There was a lot of debate on what race Phil would be, if he would be a full bird or more human, but I decided on Aasimar purely for the connection to celestials/gods in D&D canon. Plus, they live longer than the bird races and have some fun features!)

Ability Score Improvement: +2 to Charisma, +1 to Wisdom

Darkvision: You can see in the dark! Sick

Celestial Radiance: You’re resistant to necrotic and radiant damage

Healing Hands: You can heal people a number of hit points equal to your level once per long rest. Maybe use it on a particular pig to make sure he can keep standing…

Radiant Soul: Once per long rest, for a minute you gain the power of flight (a fly speed equal to your walking speed) and deal extra radiant damage on attacks.

Background: Far Traveler (I think this one fits the best with Phil and his connection to his hardcore world, where he’s generally implied to be from.)

Proficiencies: Insight, Perception, a musical instrument or game of your choice (let’s choose lute) and a language of your choice

Class: Ranger 11, Cleric 9 (This one may need some explanation, but the features Rangers get are just about getting knowledge about creatures quickly and fucking people up, which is a very Philza vibe. Cleric is for his connection to Mumza)

Stats

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 14

Constitution: 12

Intelligence: 13

Wisdom: 15 + 1 = 16

Charisma: 8 + 2 = 10

The stat distribution is also somewhat self-explanatory, Phil isn’t really lacking in any stat but he’s definitely not the most charismatic and as a bird man, probably not the strongest. Not to worry, he definitely uses finesse weapons rather than heavy longbows.

Level 1: Ranger

Favored Enemy: You’re really good at tracking and know quite a bit about certain enemies. I’m not sure what Phil’s would be, maybe undead or something like that.

Deft Explorer: This is a more general replacement for the normal level 1 ability Natural Explorer. Natural Explorer makes you specialize in different areas but I think the more general expertise that comes with Deft Explorer makes more sense.

Expertise in one ability of your choice

Two more languages of your choice

Level 2: Ranger

Fighting Style: Dueling

You get a +2 to damage rolls with a weapon if you’re only holding that weapon

Spellcasting: You get some cool spells! Like Hunter’s Mark! To kill things better!

Level 3: Ranger

Primeval Awareness: You can expend a spell slot to become aware of the kind of creatures around you like abjurations, fiends, fey, undead, etc.

Sssssssssssssssssssssubclass time! The subclass being…

Monster Slayer! Fuck yeah, this subclass is exclusively about learning the weaknesses of your enemies and fucking shit up. It’s just better Hunter, I will not be taking criticism.

Hunter’s Sense: As an action, you can choose an enemy within 60ft of you and learn any immunities, resistances and vulnerabilities as long as they aren’t immune to divination. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus

Slayer’s Prey: As a bonus action, you can designate a creature within 60ft to be your victim. The first time each turn you hit the creature, you deal an extra 1d6 damage

Level 4: Ranger

ASI Time baby!

Level 5: Ranger

Extra Attack! Not much, but hey, you can hit shit more often

Level 6: Cleric

Time to finally go into those Cleric levels! Clerics are pretty fun, especially since they get their subclass at level one. That subclass, of course, being…

Death Domain!! There was a bit of debate between this and Grave Cleric, especially with how the two synergize with other members of SBI (especially a certain pig), but I chose Death Domain because it really is just a Cleric class for people who want to fuck shit up. Also, Death, Mumza, pretty obvious.

Bonus Proficiency: You get proficiency in martial weapons. Unnecessary, since Rangers already have proficiency in martial weapons, but I’m mentioning it just so I’m not skipping any features

At first level, you learn a necromancy spell from any spell list. And, when you cast a necromancy spell that targets one creature, you can target two within range and within five feet of each other

Level 7: Cleric

Channel Divinity! This is one of Clerics more fun features, and there are two options open to you. You can do this once per long or short rest.

Turn Undead! As an action, any undead within 30ft of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, it must take it’s entire action to either run away or, if it cannot run away, take the dodge action

Touch of Death. This is something exclusive to Death Domain Clerics, and it's pretty fun. Whenever you make a melee attack, you can add necrotic damage equal to 5 + double your Cleric level

Level 8: Cleric

ASI Time! This time we’re adding a +2 to his Wisdom, bringing it to 18

Level 9: Cleric

Nothing special here but you have more spells!

Level 10: Ranger

Back to ranger baby! Rangers are so cool, they are my favorite class and if I can put my favorite CCs in the ranger class, I will

Deft Explorer Improvement: Walking speed increases by 5 (that’s 45ft for those of you keeping track) and you have a climbing and swimming speed equal to your walking speed! That’s also a 45ft fly speed, so good luck to anyone trying to escape you.

Level 11: Ranger

Supernatural Defense: Whenever an enemy makes you make a saving throw or escape a grapple, add a 1d6 to the roll. Helpful, especially with the grapple. You have a +0 to Strength, you’re not escaping anything

Level 12: Cleric

Destroy Undead: Basically an improvement to Turn Undead, if the undead you’re targeting is under a certain challenge rating, they’re instantly destroyed

ASI Time! We’re going to be adding another +2 to Wisdom, bringing it to 20

Level 13: Cleric

Inescapable Destruction: Necrotic damage dealt by Cleric spells/abilities ignore resistance to necrotic damage

Level 14: Ranger

Land’s Stride: Moving through non-magical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement, as well as being able to move through non-magical plants without taking any damage from hazards. You also have advantage on magical plant spells meant to impede movement

Level 15: Ranger

Nothing special here, but you get more ranger spells!

Level 16: Cleric

ASI Time! Now, we’re taking another feat, and it’s going to be Observant! With the observant feat, you gain a +1 to Wisdom, can read lips as well as a +5 to passive perception and investigation. And if Phil is one thing, it’s perceptive. Seriously, he could tell his eggs were being played by different admins on the QSMP insanely quickly, this fits so well.

Level 17: Cleric

Divine Strike: Your weapon attacks are infused with necrotic energy. 1d8 until 14th level, so effectively 2d8. Pretty sweet, and it fits perfectly, thematically speaking!

Level 18: Cleric

Nothing special here, unfortunately

Level 19: Ranger

Nature’s Veil: Briefly, you can turn invisible until your next turn a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses with a long or short rest. Kinda redundant with invisibility, but hey, could also free up spell slots

ASI Time! We’re going for Shadow Touched. You can add a +1 to Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom, obviously we’re going for Wisdom. You also learn invisibility and another 1st level illusion or necromancy spell, and there are some fun ones out there. Seriously, do not discount 1st level spells, some of those things are broken. Also, I think it’s fun that both Phil and Wilbur have this feat, since they’re both touched by death. Also, Phil now has a 22 in Wisdom, so a +6. Fucking christ.

Level 20: Ranger

Magic User’s Nemesis: If an enemy is casting a spell within 60ft of you, you can effectively counterspell them by making them make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. You can only use this once per short or long rest, but it’s pretty nice to be able to counterspell if your allies can’t!

And that's pretty much it! I hope you enjoyed reading and let me know any requests for future mcyts, I accept requests for pretty much everyone

#mcyt dnd #dnd #philza #philza minecraft #mcytblr #d&d character #im so close to finishing sbi #but i have other people i wanna do next #and also tommy is so hard to really nail down for some reason

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rebrnlove · 16 days

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⋆ ┊❤'d for Suzaku ╱ : @pointofviiew ◞

' Where did It go...? ugh stupid wind.' she said as she looked around for her neck scarf that blew off.

#pointofviiew #suzaku it is <3 :D #ღ › ┊i’d rather be hunter than the prey ╱ : ic. ◞

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sweet-star-cookie · 6 months

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heyo! question time, you've mentioned in a lot of posts that Zodiacs have companion constellations (scorpio and scutum, sagittarius and centaurus, and i think gemini and auriga? those are the ones i can name off the top of my head). could you elaborate on the roles they serve and their relationship with their zodiacs? you don't have to go in-depth for all of them, but you're welcome to do so! scutum's relationship with scorpio and cassie is the one that's the most relevant to the fic though. looking forward to your long ass response like always! (/pos)

Absolutely! Thank you for the opportunity to roll out another long ass post (affectionate) about my characters :D With this many to discuss it was going to be long anyway, but I hope it's still useful/interesting regardless!

The basic idea for the companions is that they're generally younger and/or less experienced than their respective zodiacs, and thus many of them form teacher/apprentice or parent/child relationships (or a mix of those two). There are a few exceptions to this, and I will mention those when I talk about each of them! These roles aren't assigned or anything, each of the zodiac and their companions have stories about how they met and bonded, so the decision is mutually beneficial. There also isn't any limit to which constellations end up being zodiac companions for the same reason. The status of being one isn't treated like a special title or anything either, though some like to mention it as a point of pride or loyalty to their zodiac, like Lupus to Libra. Here's the WIP lineup art I have for the companions too, if that helps! Though I'm even more behind on redesigns for these than I am with the zodiac lmao

Since you mentioned Scutum specifically I'll go the most in-depth with him, but I'll still provide info/backstory for each of these :) Perseus, the Hero('s Monster) - Companion to Aries A shy but capable student under the cantankerous ram, though they first met during fierce combat. After defeating Perseus and realizing he's just a kid, Aries takes him under his wing to train him instead. With Aries having much to live up to with his own constellation's lineage, he understands Percy's desire to be a "true" hero despite outward appearances. This doesn't always go smoothly, as Aries has to do a lot of self-reflection to make sure that Perseus doesn't repeat Aries's own failures under his tutelage, but their relationship is one that allows Aries to show that his anger often comes from a place of care and passion rather than malice or hatred. The ram's loud and boisterous attitude is in stark contrast to Percy, though some of that does positively influence him to come out of his shell a bit more with time. Perseus, when not hiding from others on instinct, is usually seen training in Aries's arena or helping to maintain it.

Orion, the Hunter - Companion to Taurus A similar story to Perseus in terms of his desire for redemption, though Orion searches for peace and a new sense of purpose after learning the fear of his prey while on the hunt. After he becomes one of Hercules's targets, Taurus rescues him, stating that she's one of them too. When asked why she saved him, Taurus empathizes with Orion by having a similarly false reputation perpetuated by Hercules.

When he explains that the claims about him are true, he does in fact have a kill count, Taurus offers him a chance to redeem himself, thinking that if she's caught between two hunters anyway, she might as well try to appeal to one of them. He initially refuses, feeling unworthy of such a chance, until Taurus returns with a search-and-rescue mission that could use his hunting expertise. Though there were many doubts along the way, Taurus's kindness allows Orion to heal, and he bonds with many of the creatures of the Astral Plane as she does during more of these rescue missions. Eventually, he continues on with a calm and friendly disposition, having found a new and greater purpose.

*A note if you plan to write him in the fic: Orion is blind, and thus he relies on and trains his other senses to compensate where possible, though these senses are not magically augmented in any way. Every constellation has the ability to sense the "aura" of other beings on the Astral Plane (including the Starglass) and he is no different, but this does not allow him to see anything, in his mind's eye or otherwise.

Auriga, the Charioteer - Companion to Gemini A chipper and friendly charioteer who loves to race, and also uses her chariot as a transportation vehicle for other constellations. One of the exceptions to the rule of the companions being younger than their zodiac, Auriga is instead a guardian and voice of reason to the Gemini twins when they're not with Sagittarius or Cancer, and cares for them as such. Though she can also be a getaway vehicle for them when they get into mischief, which is equally as often! To make sure she's able to rescue them at any time, the twins use a special coin that, when thrown onto the ground, creates a doorway portal that Auriga can instantly travel through. Auriga roams around quite frequently when not with Gemini, and does much to report the continued destruction of the Astral Plane, especially when it comes to the quickly dwindling amount of stable ground to travel on. *A note if you plan to write her in the fic: Auriga is paraplegic (paralyzed from the waist down) and thus cannot stand freely or move that part of her body without assistance. Her wheelchair is necessary for her mobility, and has some magical attributes that allow it to travel up stairs or other sharp inclines without a ramp, and clear some gaps in the ground with the wings on its sides.

Hydra (Hydi & Draga), the Water Snakes - Companion to Cancer Technically two constellations that manifested as one (Hydra and Hydrus), but are referred to as Hydra collectively as a reference to the multi-headed creature of the same name. They are one of the smallest and most benevolent constellations, but they received a bad reputation for their name, as most picture a massive and dangerous beast instead. They are still hunted as a result, and they first meet Cancer when she comes to their rescue, and they bond over being saddled with unfortunate titles. Originally, she was going to leave them alone after that, but they quickly chase after her and beg to stay with her, as no one would dare to attack them with her around. Eventually, she grows quite attached to the two of them and keeps them around for good. Though they are quite small, they help clean the armoury as best they can. They can fully understand regular speech, but can only respond with a variety of high-pitched chirps and trilling sounds. A close approximation of what it sounds like in my head is Chewtle's cry from Pokémon, though Hydra's sounds are often shorter. When writing the onomatopoeia for their sounds in the comic, it's usually some variant of "skree!" or "churree!". Very few things are able to get Cancer visibly angry, but threatening or hurting Hydra is one of them. The same goes for her ability to be visibly anxious if they were ever lost or kidnapped. She is at her most dangerous when her protection instinct is activated. Leo Minor, the Little Lion - Companion to Leo Sometimes called "Mini" to avoid confusion with Leo, he is the guardian of the door to the Astral Plane's relics, and his spirit rests inside a golden lion statue when not with her. Though not a sapient being itself, the statue rejects those whose spirits are not strong enough to guard the door, and the timid little lion couldn't do much to measure up at first. With Leo's help, he was able to conquer this challenge and even learn how to move the statue while inside it. Though Leo is quite young herself, she still acts like a big sister to him, and he looks up to her a lot as a result. They are usually seen running around and playing together or with the other younger constellations. Corvus, the Crow - Companion to Virgo A valued member of Virgo's court, serving as either a judge or attorney depending on the situation. He was originally known for a string of thefts of some of the Astral Planes relics (a reference to a crow's love for shiny things in real life), the most notorious being of Crater (the cup/chalice). Unbeknownst to him, the cup was corrupted by Void magic, and touching it corrupted him as well. This was the first indicator to the others that even constellations of inanimate objects could be corrupted by Void magic as well, but in slightly different ways.

After his rescue, he struck a deal with Virgo (and later Libra) to warn of any other potentially corrupted objects, and also to use his expertise in theft to track down any other thieves like him, with his craftier side coming out to see through any lies. Though their relationship started out as a very "business-like" mutual agreement, they found common ground eventually, and Corvus began to share their mutual desire for justice, despite the irony.

Lupus, the Wolf - Companion to Libra An astute and loyal assistant, helping to run her library. Similar to the relic chamber and the mausoleum, the library contains many remnants of prior constellations, and she and Lupus maintain it with utmost care. Most do not recognize him as a wolf, and though physically small in stature, his dedication to this task and to Libra herself is anything but that. He does not know the full extent of her past, but he is frequently her confidant and emotional support. He does tend to over extend himself, and at first does not view himself as Libra's equal, but he thrives on their mutual respect regardless. As things escalate with Libra's part in the story later on, his courage is tested with confronting her about it. Scutum, the Shield - Companion to Scorpio Thought to be inanimate, Scutum was originally found among some ruins and was placed inside Cancer's armoury for safekeeping. While Scorpio attempts to steal some armour and weapons prior to his first excursion to the Voidlands, he is particularly drawn to Scutum, who appears to be completely immune to his Void magic. Though Scorpio is caught by Cancer and then escapes, he finds Scutum placed at his door the next day.

Scorpio continues to test his Void magic on the shield, but doing so seems to awaken something within it, and it transforms! Turns out, Scutum is actually a talking beetle that can turn into a shield, and can get stuck if left in that form for too long. Scorpio is immediately hostile towards him, thinking Scutum was sent by someone to kill him, but the kindly beetle takes it all in stride, simply grateful to finally be returned to his other form. Not intending to keep a prisoner, Scorpio lets him go, but Scutum offers to stay, arguing that Scorpio wouldn't have grabbed a shield if he didn't need one.

Scorpio continues to be skeptical of Scutum's casual, upbeat and goofy attitude, but he serves his purpose as a shield and then some. He never views Scutum as a tool or object at any point, but still questions his strong desire to protect complete strangers, especially strangers like him. Though the beetle can't remember how long he's been around or for how long he was stuck, his overall world view implies that he's experienced enough to lack the anxiety of a newcomer. In addition to being immune to Void magic, Scutum appears to be immune to Scorpio's prickly attitude as well, and they get along better than one would expect. While not outwardly expressed, Scorpio's view of him does grow from tolerance to genuine friendship over time.

Upon Cassie's arrival to the Astral Plane, Scutum is the bridge between her and Scorpio, with his charisma saving many a conversation that would be hostile otherwise. He extends his role as a shield to protect her as well, especially when she lacks knowledge of the Astral Plane's dangers at the start. When the three of them are together, Scutum helps Cassie build more confidence in the face of said danger, making his role extend to emotional support as well. Though Scorpio pretends to be annoyed by the two's cheerful antics, he is happy to have them at his side.

As Scorpio warms up to Cassie more, Scutum sees this as an opportunity for Scorpio to gain another friend in his life, and thus supports the idea wholeheartedly. They team up frequently out of a shared desire to keep her safe, even after she's trained enough to hold her own. They form a powerful trio together, which Cassie calls "The Scorpio Squad". Centaurus, the Centaur - Companion to Sagittarius A curious explorer, Centaurus (or Rus for short) is also a cartographer, hoping to map out all of the Astral Plane someday. This gets increasingly difficult as things start to literally crumble and shift around, but he remains dedicated nonetheless.

At first Rus admired Sagittarius from afar, wishing to emulate his power and confidence in dangerous situations, and took up archery like him as well. He eventually follows Sagittarius into rather dangerous territory to watch him fight up close, and this quickly goes wrong as Rus's inexperience nearly gets him killed in the crossfire. Luckily, Sagittarius is able to save him, but Centaurus then fears that the half-bear warrior would resent him for his actions.

Instead, Sagittarius allows him to explain himself and cared more about his safety in that moment than anything else. He admires Rus's courage, even if it was misguided here, and agrees to be his mentor going forward. Rus is elated, and while he never truly loses his penchant for ending up in uncharted territory, Sagittarius teaches him how to survive rather than trying to stop him outright, knowing Rus's adventurous spirit would lead him there at some point anyway. Being both a horse centaur and an archer-in-training, Rus is often mistaken for Sagittarius, but he views this as more of a challenge than a detriment, hoping he'll be as admired and respected as his mentor someday. Pegasus, the Winged Horse - Companion to Capricorn An equally dramatic and cheerful player of the Caprian Theatre, and one of its main showrunners to boot, drawing from many of the tales associated with the mythical pegasus as a base for her plays. Though she initially lacked the confidence, Capricorn's faith in her came with her chance at stardom on his stage. Capricorn himself focuses a lot on the beauty of the Astral Plane, and while it may seem frivolous to some in times of crisis, Pegasus shares his dedication to keep the masses entertained in trying times. If you're familiar with G4 My Little Pony at all, picture a mix of Pinkie Pie and Rarity for her personality. Energetic, loud, highly emotional and forever intrigued by a good story, especially one rife with show-worthy angst or drama. She's pretty terrible at keeping secrets due to her inability to keep her mouth shut most of the time, but loves good gossip regardless.

Though Capricorn can be a tough customer due to his high standards and is quick to critique, he does genuinely respect her opinions and values her contributions to the theatre, viewing her as an essential part of it.

Aquila, the Eagle - Companion to Aquarius A large and powerful eagle, once a scourge of the astral skies through her dangerous lightning storms. But once Aquarius arrived on the scene with her own lightning powers, a rivalry was born.

Through their various fights, Aquarius is eventually able to best Aquila, but rather than attempting to stop her storms altogether, she instead offers to be an outlet for them instead, so long as the eagle agrees to not let them harm anyone else.

They form a bond of mutual respect for one another's power and though they spar quite often, it is now a friendly rivalry, akin to wanting to see each other at their fullest potential. When together, they can combine their energies for more powerful attacks, and Aquila can be summoned with a lightning strike from Aquarius's sword as backup or to escape by riding on her back.

Aquila is airborne whenever possible, sometimes blending into the clouds of stardust entirely, but on her moments of rest she always has a place to stay with Aquarius and Pisces via a large nest on top of one of their buildings.

Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish - Companion to Pisces Going by Austri for short, she was originally a member of Uranoscopus's travelling circus. Her amorphous body shape proved useful for more than just her acts, however, and Austri was pivotal in the theft of Urania's Mirror, a magical artifact that Ura believed was rightfully hers. Austri soon regretted her decisions once she saw what Ura planned to do with the mirror, and sought to steal it back. Not sure who to ask for help, Austri settles on Pisces, who is essentially the queen of the seas and thus quite powerful in that regard, and seemed to have a history with Ura as well. Pisces, known for believing there's good in all of us, believes Austri enough to see the situation for herself, and helps her return the mirror to its rightful place. With Uranoscopus and her crew still at large, Austri fears she'll be targeted, but Pisces assures her protection.

Considering that Pisces and Aquarius are a couple, they've essentially adopted Austri as their own. Her ability to change her body shape at will allows her to help in their clothing studio, serving as the perfect mannequin for any occasion. When not doing this, she can usually be found doing various imitations for the amusement of others. *A note if you plan to write her in the fic: Austri can't speak, so she uses a variety of expressions, gestures, sign language, and changing her body and face to communicate instead. She can imitate the shape of a mouth, but doesn't actually have one.

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Though Ophiuchus is only an honorary zodiac at one point, he has companions of his own that I might as well mention here too! Serpens, the Snake Serpens is a constellation that is a part of Ophiuchus, being the serpent to the serpent-bearer. And while they function as separate entities here, this connection is how they meet. When Ophiuchus appeared on the Astral Plane, so did Serpens. Brought together by these circumstances, they quickly bonded over their shared kind-hearted natures. They share similar naiveties as well, for better or worse, but they are loyal to each other regardless. Even well after Ophiuchus's downfall, Serpens is one of the few who still believes in him and his original goal to heal and save others. Cetus, the Sea Monster Once a hulking beast like his namesake, Cetus was also another target of Hercules via his connection to Perseus (mythologically speaking, Perseus killed Cetus). Cetus didn't think much of it at first, simply revelling in the freedom he had to destroy things and would attack anyone who tried to stop him. In an attempt to stop his rampage, Ophiuchus uses his magic to transform Cetus into a snake, allowing him to live, but as a much smaller and (mostly) harmless creature. This transformation is one of the first indicators of Ophiuchus's magic not only growing in power, but doing a lot more than simply healing. Though Cetus viewed this as a "hostile takeover" initially, he eventually forms a bond with Serpens as his adoptive brother, even if a lot of his destructive tendencies remain intact.

#idk what was up with tumblr but it did not like saving this post lol #hopefully it posts properly but if not let me know!#asks #tabsters #my art #my OCs #Starglass Zodiac #SGZ #long post #like really long this took a while to write #sorry lmao

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awritingcaitlin · 4 days

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💥Find the Word Tag Game

@sentfromwolves tagged me for the words Crack, Creak, Crunch, Crave, and Click.

Tagging: @turnips-creates, @runeseaks, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @circa-specturgia, and @juls-writes

Your words are:

I'll do snippets from Siege under the cut, since it's the first WIP I found that had all the words. (Crave is apparently not one I use often??)

💤CRAVE(D)

It was the most dreadful fog. Rinnie would wake up for what seemed like microseconds before drifting back into a terrible abyss of nothing. She thought about how nice it was to sleep and her body craved it.

She fought it. She wasn’t supposed to be sleeping.

When she was at last able to throw it off, she heard the Priestess swear something. Rinnie elbowed the man carrying her in the temple and they both dropped to the ground. He tried to subdue her, but she shimmied away quicker. She noted exactly how close they were to the edge of the docks. She fearfully realized she was trapped.

There was a gunshot. Rinnie covered her head, already on the ground.

The shot wasn’t meant for her anyway.

🌕CRUNCH

Perhaps it was only the night, but the place seemed so temporary. The oldness of the buildings inside the Wall was not present here. Everything was made of wood, brick, and cheap metals. It smelled of fish and sewer. If it were daytime, Rinnie supposed she could imagine the place bustling with workers—fishermen, traders, merchants, the like.

But right now, everything was so lonely and empty.

She came across a water bucket sitting against a building. There was enough light from the moons to provide Rinnie the ability to see her reflection. Her face was bruised and scratched. Her nose was crooked, and her eyes both blackened. The sea had washed the blood away. Also her hair was significantly shorter in spots, like it had been burned off.

Gritting her teeth, she reached up and braced her nose between her fingertips, then wrenched. With a crunch, her nose went back to where it was supposed to be. Rinnie gasped in pain, despite having known it was coming.

She put her face in her hands and willed the bones to re-fuse and the blood vessels to do likewise. It was hard, not being able to see the work. But she could feel, more or less, what needed to be done.

🌊CRACK(ING)

“Sheesh, we don’t get tomorrow off, do we?” Rinnie asked, wiping sweat from her brow.

“I can give everyone stamina shots!” Mica exclaimed, sounding excited by the prospect.

“No thanks, Mica,” Riela said flatly. “I’d rather get my energy the normal way.”

“I find a good morning swim wakes me right up,” Killian said, cracking his knuckles.

“Hmm,” Rinnie mused. “I might just join you.” The thought of swimming was invigorating on its own.

💼CLICK(ED)

“We’d made a good life here,” Thea said. “Hopefully we can come back soon.”

“It wouldn’t be the first home we’ve left.”

Thea shrugged. “I know. But I can dream a little.”

Behind her, her trunk clicked shut. Cael stood up straighter. Thea closed her eyes and straightened her own spine as well. It was time to move.

“Let’s ward the house,” she said.

🏫CREAK(ED)

Still, he couldn’t help but think about traps. He’d grown up as an academic, not a hunter. But many of his friends had grown up that way and a phrase they liked to use kept popping into his mind: driving prey.

Killian led the squads to the center of the school complex. They stuck to the walls, not wanting to expose themselves in the open courtyard. The swings on the swing set creaked eerily in between the sounds of gunfire. It became unfortunately clear the maps on the wall had been drawn to be easy to look at, not to scale. If they’d been to scale, they’d’ve reached the stairs sooner.

The crack of a rifle bullet as it struck the wall less than an inch from Adler’s nose and peppered his face with plaster flakes reminded him that no plan, no matter how well or hastily conceived, ever survived contact with the enemy. Adler’s body threw itself backwards of its own accord and out of the line of fire of a Nid who’d fired at point-blank range with a sniper rifle.

The Nids already had control over the courtyard.

“We can’t turn back,” Killian said. “They’ll have us surrounded.”

#tag games #find the word #my writing #siege of berthingtonn #rinnie #mica #riela #killian #thea #cael #nathaniel

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pokemonxhyperfixation · 14 days

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Our Wonderful Headquarters!

"In Zooge, we elected to put our headquarters near the center of our Forest sector, with the building as it appears on our map, as well as an interior map pictured above.

Our HQ is not only where our Upper Managment work, but also where we live.

It only feels right to introduce the people who call this building home first!

First would be one Mrs. Hong Meiling, who formerly served as our head of security in our previous incarnation, but has since been moved to Head Zookeeper (which admittedly means her job hasn't really changed). She's in charge of training all our keeper staff, as well as testing how safe any given creature we house is for staff to be around. She might have one of the more dangerous jobs out of everyone in this Zoo!

Next is our new Head of Security Ms. Rei'sen! Her job is pretty simply to... deal with anyone who is causing problems, if you catch my drift. While she is rather young, she does have extensive military background (and a drinking problem to match), so she's more than qualified. Hell, she's already FRIED multiple... problems we've ran into with that ray gun she keeps in her room. (We've since told her to use a pistol she keeps on her person, as the ray gun doesn't leave usable remains).

ben.

Then there is our lovely Ms. Alice! She is the lady who co-founded Zooge (along side myself) after all! While I am more of a machinist, she focuses more on magic, something we have had to work with FAR more than one would think. We founded Zooge together out of a shared interest in the studies of the strange and wonderful creatures of this world of ours.

And of course last up is me! Your very own Dr. D Clownberg. I'm the man in charge! And the one who took on doing all the promotional material (because Gods know that the Tengu can't be trusted with that). I used to be something of a Monster Hunter (hense the Lich head I keep in my quarters), but my real goal has always been study of what I once called prey. Now, (with help of our generous benefactor) we can make this dream of mine a reality.

But that's enough on us, how's about we tour the building?

To guests, all they will see upon entering is the front door...

And the information desk, where one of us (usually Alice) will help with information. While everything past this room is staff only, we have collectively agreed that we'd show the rest of HQ as something of a transparency thing.

Once you enter, you likely first see our kitchen and dining area (as the table is right there), which has all the basics we need. We do not feel a need to live in luxury, just to be more than comfortable.

That is then followed by our general area, with seating and a table for us to hang around at. We also have a TV, which we don't use for it's intended purpose too terribly often. We have many books around (mostly in mine and Alice's rooms), so we mostly do alot of reading (except Rei'sen, We're still unsure if she is literate).

Next up is the basement, which only really has our Waystone and room for Ben to roam around. There is nothing else in the basement. You don't need to worry about the basement. You are not to go into the basement."

The section on the basement is whited out, and what's writen above is writen in it's place. There is also a clear tear in the pamphlet, and the next section is crudely re-attached to where something else once was.

"Next up is our more personal quarters. Each of the doors in this hallway leads to a room. The three on the right are Meiling, Alice and Rei'sen's room's specifically, and mine is the second on the left. We agreed to not cover our rooms aside from introducing ourselves. So that leaves the other two on the left.

First is the bathroom. I didn't go in to take this photo, but it's a bathroom. Pretty damn unassuming. We have a toilet, a tub, and a sink. The real only thing of note is that this is the only one we have in the building, which is a minor annoyance I guess.

And that is the Zooge HQ! EVERYTHING in the Zooge HQ! Any and all questions related to Zooge you have will be answered if you put them through the proper forum (our askbox), and one of us (probably me) will respond! That is all."

-Dr. D Clownberg, Zooge Owner.

So yeah! I'll use this to say that if y'all want to ask me Zooge related questions, I'll gladly answer, and try to answer in character! I'll also note that I'm both willing to drop the pack here if you want it, and I'll also state I am NOT posting these exhibits as they finish. HQ was the second thing I built (first was Peeker's Woods), and I do have an excess of exhibits to post! So yeah!

(I do wonder what's in those area's of HQ that were glossed over?)

#zooge #modded minecraft #minecraft #minecraft zoo #touhou #minecraft mods #ask me stuff #hong meiling #alice margatroid #rei'sen #reisen 2 #Dr. D Clownberg #Clownberg #OC #madness oc #(Those two tags are related to Clownberg who is also just kinda me)#touhou little maid #species #(those are the mods all mobs from this post are from)

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thecreaturecodex · 1 year

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Kigrid

[I can kind of understand why, of the four illithidae introduced in Dragon 150, only three of them made it into Lords of Madness in D&D 3.5. The cessirid and the kigrid are somewhat redundant mechanically, both of them having a bite that inflicts pain poison as their primary unique ability. But from an ecological standpoint, they're quite distinct. Cessirids are pack hunters that cooperate readily with mind flayers, and kigrids are usually solitary and generally uncooperative. So I tried to give them different SLAs and other abilities to give the kigrid its own mechanical identity.]

Kigrid CR 8 NE Aberration This creature looks something like a reptilian bear, with dark skin and long curved claws on all four of its limbs. It has a broad beak like that of a parrot, around which four small tentacles dart and writhe.

A kigrid is a member of the illithidae, having an ecological niche similar to a bear or boar on the Sunset World. They are voracious omnivores, and among the most intelligent of the illithidae. Their intelligence is turned primarily towards devious ways to set ambushes and protect their lairs. They are gifted vocal mimics, and use a combination of mimicked speech and their inherent climbing ability to lure prey onto ledges and cliffs before attacking.

A kigrid will usually attempt to pin down a single opponent and rip them to shreds before moving onto the next target. In order to keep themselves properly paced, they use overwhelming grief to deny enemy actions. Few kigrid ambushes are launched without a blur spell to minimize successful attacks. Kigrids are stubborn foes, and once their blood is up will readily fight to the death.

Kigrids spend most of their lives alone, but associate in pairs in order to court. They prefer to lay their eggs in the corpses of large creatures, and lay a large number of eggs at once. The weakest of the larvae become part of the provisions for the stronger siblings. Once they reach maturity, the surviving siblings may travel together for a while in order to tackle larger prey, but these associations are rarely loyal ones. Their upbringing leads kigrids to view each other as food or rivals more than allies, and cannibalism is a fairly common outcome of kigrid interactions. Kigrids are valued as physical labor by mind flayers—they can carry incredible loads, and their tentacles are as prehensile as human hands. Due to their stubborn independence, however, most kigrids have to be controlled by charm magic, rather than joining a colony of their own free will.

Kigrid CR 8 XP 4,800 NE Medium aberration Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +16 Defense AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 21 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 natural) hp 94 (9d8+54) Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +8 SR 19 Defensive Abilities ferocity,uncanny dodge; Weakness light blindness, sunlight sickness Offense Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft. Melee 2 claws +13 (2d4+6 plus grab), bite +12 (2d6+6 plus staggering) Special Attacks rake (2 claws +13, 2d4+6) Spell-like Abilities CL 8th, concentration +10 At will—anticipate thoughts (DC 14), blur, levitate 3/day—overwhelming grief (DC 16) Statistics Str 22, Dex 17, Con 21, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 14 Base Atk +6; CMB +12 (+16 grapple); CMD 26 Feats Dodge, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Perception), Toughness, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Bluff +14,Climb +24, Craft (trap) +8, Perception +16, Survival +12, Stealth +18; Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff, +4 Stealth Languages Aklo, Undercommon SQ sound mimicry (animal sounds, voices), strong back Ecology Environment underground Organization solitary or family (2-5) Treasure standard Special Abilities Staggering Bite (Ex) A creature bitten by a kigrid must succeed a DC 19 Fortitude save or be staggered for 1 round. This is a pain effect, and the save DC is Constitution based. Strong Back (Ex) A kigrid’s carrying capacity is triple the normal amount for its Strength score. Sunlight Sickness (Ex) In an area of natural sunlight, a kigrid is sickened.

#kigrid #illithidae #dragon magazine #D&D #pathfinder 1e #aberration #tentacles #thomas baxa

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i-bring-crack · 1 year

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I can understand Cha Hae In suddenly wanting to be close to Jin Woo.

I mean, imagine if your entire life everyone around you smells as though they just came from an anime convention. jk, but in part it is true, some people smelling bad, others smelling at least neutral, the higher up they seem then the stronger the stench smells until it can cause you a headache, dizziness and maybe even vomiting like it almost happen with the Ant King.

And on top of that you had to see them every day on your job, they were everywhere. The stronger they where the harder it was to evade their smell which is probably why she might have never sparred with S ranks, or at least we see that she choose to become the pupil of a C rank instead of other higher ranked swordsman.

So here are some canon divergence I would have liked to do for the story, obviously some of the ideas might be in other fics I will eventually make:

If the author wanted her to have some sort of connection to the E rank, he could have had. Especially since Sung is the literal weakest which probably meant that he wouldnt smell as bad to her as say, you know, every other hunter. She could have befriended more low ranked people because they dont smell as bad, which could have also show her caring nature against those weaker than her.

We can see she cares because she is going out on patrol during her raids when it is time to rest, and it could even help show a bit more interaction between the mining team and the rest of the upper ranked hunters, giving her a subversion of basically what every other S rank has done up until now, which is act like they are in control of everything. (Like the mining team casually dropping hints that "Oh yeah Miss Cha is more calm than all the other S ranks, Mr Ming Byung Gyu too because they treat us like normal human beings despite their power exceeding us by miles. Its almost like tshe doesnt care about numbers for a dungeon but rather people which she can rely on and help.")

Cha Hae In could have even come to "know" Sung Jin Woo through Mr Song, her teacher, and about the constant dangers he was in. Which, unfortunatly due to her constant working she wouldnt have time to meet him but would definetly know of his situation in the dungeons, and maybe tend to help him out by letting Woo Jin Chul or another member of the assosiation keep an eye out on the poor boy. She could also have a sharp sense thatt he might not have done this for fun. And this conversation could have been explored around the prisoners arc. She doesnt need to have known him for a long time, but the gradual idea of acknoledgement even as an E rank could be intriguing to see. How does an s rank think of an E rank? is the lower ranker more brave than the S rank? would she be curious as to how he is constantly be saved? would it be pity or wave it off? We meet the first S rank as Hwang Dong Soo, someone who is ready to kill without any remorse two low ranked hunters, thus establishing a first idea to how even D´s and E´s can be preyed upon by S ranks. But then we would have another point of view, an opposite point by having Hae In tend that code of "Protect the weak no matter how strong you are." thus also explaining as to why the whole world hasnt completely been changed by tyrant S rankers, because there are still others who hold their morals far above than their own powers.

We have the Hunters Assosiation, yes, but what do normal S ranks think? do they value other lives? or is it just money and power they are under? and when we get to the Red gate arc, have the confrontation between Baek and Hwang, it can be shown that yes, people are still naturally good despite the whole awakening and dungeons and new enemies to fight with.

Anyways having Mr Song as her teacher would actually connect Cha Hae In and Sung Jin Woo to something that wasnt just coincidental. She could have learned about the double dungeon and even shown a bit of care towards those who survived it, once again showing that she cares not only low ranked hunters but also her master that was in probably one of the most traumatic events of his life so we wont brush off the PTSD that fast, or at least not turn it in simply a cold act.

And with that level of knowledge it wouldnt come off as weird for Cha Hae In to suddenly drop out of nowhere in Sun Jin Woo's life (it was weird cuz she is suddenly willing to leave everything out for him without even knowing his personality, I get it why (and also the whole feeling safe under him adue to Jeju, which, fair) but at least some hesitance could have fleshed her out more, like she doesnt know who he personality wise and only did a surface level research, there could have been more, SHE COULD HAVE TALKED WITH HER MASTER!!!. But if she knew him before or at least got the sense of who he was, she could have weighted out her options and opted to meet him again, maybe offer him some work at the dungeon so she can be around the boy more and doesnt have to fear for his safety, or if he chooses to become a backpack boy then she could have someone who doesnt smell as bad as the rest of her team, and thus lean closer to him.)

The research part could have also been expanded on like how Woo Jin Chul had done but bc she has more influence as an S rank and is the vice-master, she could have been the first to gather up on jin Woo´s mother, or even, the sudden shift in hospital visits. She could have supplanted a theory to Jin Chul or Jong In or Baek yoon ho (gnashing my teeth bc Yoon Ho seems to be the most apparent to her well being, seeing that he seemed to worry about her nose problems when they were sparring between S ranks. ) about him being a false ranker, which could alarm Jin Chul in order to understand hima little better.

If Cha was someone who deeply cared about others (which she is) then she could have also served to link Jin Woo more closer to his humane side than simply letting him be edgy as fuck. Of courseis not the whole "I can fix him" its rather the "Fix yourself Im just here tomake sure you dont become worse"

Because, he killed, he has the power to kill as many as he can and no one will be there to stop him at some point, he is loosing himself to the powers of the Shadow Monarch, to the Black Heart, he is becoming more and more Apathetic. But for the first time, he gains a friend (or at least a friend which doesnt feel like he is a burden too, with Lee Joo Hee they were close and I also wish they got to explore more of her too but not right now, this is Cha time,) he gains some support in his life and when Cha Hae In goes out to confront Sung Jin Woo about: The smell, the weird reawakening, his sudden jump to powers as he continously grows, and also the message Min Byung Gyu left for her, He COULD FINALLY have someone to talk about the system!

Sorry, but yeah, he can finally talk about all the things that the system has commanded him to do so, and because he has no choice but to answer her (She is an S rank that has been nice to her and she doesnt show off any sign of killing him, so he cant excuse the system for her death or try to threaten her, he has to at least answer. And maybe he can be vague or he can come completely clean, but he can at least get some things off his chest.) and suddenly Jin Woo now has someone which can at least try to him to help sort his problems out.

Though im not making Cha Hae In the therapist here, nor do I want Jin Woo to suddenly have all his problems resolved, but I can see it as the first step for Jin Woo to not be overcomed to take the position of Ashborn. Which, granted, he didnt have much of choice in the matter cuz it was a "Become Shadow Monarch or die" kind of situation, and he did want to grow strong enough to survive and pay his bills, to save his mother, but after Jeju there seems to be a breaking point. there is almost no reason to go on further because he has fufilled all that has mattered to him, but the system still wants him to go on, to keep struggling and becoming stronger so he can protect even bigger threats that NO ONE knows existed.

Cha Hae In, and maybe Baek Yoon Ho too, even Yoo Jin Hoo could start to gain more relevance here because they too have continued to hunt despite obtaining what they needed. Jin Ho still wanted to be with Jin Woo because of his family problems and could have sought out for more of Jin Woo's affection as well as the affection of the other sibling that also cared for his brother every day, Jin Ah. (Could have fleshed out that dynamic because Jin Ah seriously had more backstory with her friend Song Yi than Yoo "legit never met him once and now she is his wife at the last chap" Jin Ho.)

Jin Woo could have learned through Baek Yoon Ho's life just how great Byung Gyu was before and therefore leave an impact of Sung Jin Woo and whenever or not he should be using human soldiers when at some point they were just normal human beings. Iron, who did leave the weakest behind to die, but they were also stuck in an extreme situation with dire circumstances. The mage Park Hee Jin could have also come back and made Jin Woo face that other psychological conundrum about Iron. But instead of getting rid of Iron, cuz, its Jin Woo, he instead starts to think of what it really means for his shadow soldiers to be revived, and that if they are now under the shadow of an S rank hunter, they are hunters of their own who will, by choice, understand and protect humanity, not only because they are ordered to, but because this is a second life which they are allowed to become heroes.

And it dives even deeper into those shadows which, when we see the School dungeon break out, we can see some of the shadows be more impactful towards the situation at hand. Some who are apathethic to it, but other shadows who do feel a bit of remorse towards the situation bc of their link to a human(Jinwoo) is affecting their minds and letting thm have more empathy, making them more human than shadow.

Slowly, maybe even Sung Jin Woo too, could start to think if the fighting against magical beasts is really worth it, and how long will it be until humanity has exterminated all alien life through this.

We could see Sun Jin Woo develop more 🎆detective skills🎆 as he tries to find out about the working behind the gates and the awakened humans. Cha Hae In could also use her nose to detect waves of mana that are different from the rest, just like how she did with Jin Woo, and as they work toguether they truly start becoming friends friends. They get on each others nerves, they play with each other, they would no longer feel socially awkward, they tease and do their best to work well with one another, theyd comfort each other and even debate whenever or not they should try to reach out to see if the international rank hunters are like Jin Woo. Maybe Choi Jong In joins in after seeing his S rank get along too well with the Ahjin guild helps Jin Woo and Jin Ho on how to run a guild, which they are suprised by but Choi relates to Hae In that unlike Baek, he doesnt want to fight another S rank over the authority of the A rank dungeons in those areas, and maybe the Hunters guild can branch out to take more part in other cities of Korea without worring about the big cities, after all the gates are increasing.)

And then comes then Double Dungeon!

Which now feels a little more natural for Jin Woo and Hae In to be called friends, and even more reason for the Hunters, especially Cha He In, to save him from completely loosing himself to the Shadow Monarch and his black heart.

#solo leveling #cha hae in #sung jin woo #solo leveling au #manwha #baek yoon ho #choi jong in #song chi yul #solo leveling spoilers

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