#rare non-horse post ... and it's these two

[saturnvs]

i still know how to draw these two ... :'(

[muttsterion]

Recently got back in the saddle and started playing RDR2 again. Although I keep other horses with him I have such a soft spot for the big ol' raven black shire horse Hosea maybe or maybe not intended for Arthur to sell. I always keep mine and name him "Brutus" inspired by Hosea calling him a big brute and feels he just fits Arthur. A big reliable, rugged horse to carry the weight of the heavier loads just as Arthur carries the weight of caring for and being loyal to his gang to the very bitter end. Plus he's just a badass looking beast of a horse. XD

[m1ckeyb3rry]

── 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 // 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

Series Synopsis: You were once a spoiled duchess-to-be, set to inherit a city on the brink of a war you knew nothing about — that is, until the war came to your doorstep and the aftermath of a brutal accident bound your fate to Seishiro Nagi’s forever.

Chapter Synopsis: Nagi comes bearing news. // Your father makes an announcement about the new family in Maradine.

Series Masterlist

Pairing(s): Nagi x Reader, Yukimiya x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 2.3k

Content Warnings: death, killing, ptsd, reader is not a good person, actually nobody really is??, they all make mistakes as is to be expected, war is mentioned and the build-up/aftermath is discussed heavily but the actual conflict not so much, non-linear narrative, like HEAVILY non-linear there are two timelines for each chapter (pre and post war), probably ooc, angst, nagi is endgame sorry y’all, alternate universe (early 1900s-ish vibe but not in our world because f historical accuracy), original characters (probably…idrk yet but it’s me so)

A/N: hey guys…so here i am…with the prologue to a new story instead of an update to anything i already have out BYE I’M FLEEING FROM SHAME i’ve been wanting to do something a bit more serious for a while though so i’m excited to give this a try!! some more elaboration on the tags/summary: this is like vaguely historical-ish but not completely, and it’s kind of like two stories being told concurrently?? one being reader’s life as an adult post war and the other her life as a child/teen pre war. every time there’s a ‘break’ in the chapter that indicates a timeline switch!! hopefully it’s kinda obvious which is which especially as we go along…anyways hope you all enjoy

“Kenyu Yukimiya is dead,” Nagi said. Medals sparkled against his breast, the gold a harsh contrast to the dark wool of his coat, and his arms were folded behind his back, which he kept ramrod straight, so unlike the slouch you once associated with him. “They thought it would be best if I were the one to inform you.”

He waited for you to say something, looking much like a mannequin all the while, his pale hair lifeless, his driftwood eyes dull and blank. His careful mouth was pursed into a plain expression which might be considered a frown on another person, but not on him.  Never on him. After all, Nagi did not frown. Nagi did not smile. Nagi did nothing.

“It should’ve been you,” you said.

“Yes,” he said, as prompt and detached as always. “It should’ve.”

Barlezia was a sweeping country, and perhaps you were biased in saying so, but there were none in the world that could claim to be its equal. In the north there were towering mountains which scraped at icy skies, a heavy blue-grey fog settled over their peaks, and to the south there was a vast sea, warm and aquamarine, which led to Drieji in the east and Abraria in the west.

It was on this sea, the Canonora, that the shining city of Maradine was located. Far enough from the northern capital of the nation to have taken on its own character, its own wealth, Maradine was the jewel of Barlezia, a place full of men with horses and women with parasols. Built upon a slate cliff, with houses lining the roads winding down to the pebbly sand, it jutted so far out into the water that some people spent their entire lives on their boats, only venturing onto land for the rare storms that might otherwise drown them.

Near the top of the cliff, where the marble government buildings were sequestered away from the rest of the city, there was a villa. It was the largest of its kind, the walls a deep red terracotta trimmed with white, the floors all glazed porcelain, the many colors and shapes painted onto the tiles making up larger designs of flowers, animals, and other such wonders. The villa overlooked the ocean and a canopy of trees, and it was widely regarded in all of Maradine as the most beautiful in that most beautiful of places, the filigree on an already intricate crown, the diamond in a choker of gold.

This was the villa where you were born, and this was the villa where you would, you presumed, die. Some forefather of yours had constructed it in a time where such art had been celebrated, where Barlezia had ruled the world, and it remained as a remnant of that age, a stronghold against modernity, even though your country had long ago bowed in deference to the ideals and traditions of those in the west.

“Child! Get down from there!” 

The woman that took care of you in lieu of your parents, who were often busy — your father with his politics, your mother with her parties — was slender and frail and too old for keeping up with anyone with any measure of youth. Her hair was entirely grey, and her face was perpetually lined, with sun, with shade, with age and wisdom and worry. You knew her simply as Nanny, and as she was the only one who ever had the courage to chastise you, you found you disliked her very much.

“My tenth birthday is approaching, so you ought not to call me a child any longer,” you said, your legs swinging from your perch in the boughs of a fig tree, the collar of your neatly-pressed dress splotched dark with the juice of the fruit you held in your hands.

“If you continue to behave like this, I certainly will!” she said, her hands on her hips. “Shall I call the manservant?”

The manservant was willful and rough; you doubted he would have any qualms about dragging you to the ground with his bare hands, were he so inclined. Taking one last bite out of the fig, you threw it to the ground, where it burst at Nanny’s feet, and then you clambered out of the tree with as much grace as you could muster.

“You horrid creature,” she hissed at you when you smiled at her, your skirt wrinkled and torn at the hem, your fingers sticky and purple. “How am I to present you to your father and mother in this state?”

“How you always present me, I expect,” you said, batting your eyelashes at her, skipping lightly towards the door. “With more fuss than required.”

She grabbed you by the ear before you could get very far, yanking it sternly, earning a howl out of you. Stomping your foot, you glared at her and waited for her to let go, which she only did when she was assured you would not flee again.

“I will send along a message that you will be late to breakfast. To your room, missy, I won’t have it thought that the young duchess is some mannerless, ill-behaved ruffian,” she said, ushering you towards your quarters as if you were a sordid secret.

“Maybe you need to be better about watching me, and then my manners will improve,” you said, and because you were not doing anything untoward, only saying it, the most she could respond with was an exaggerated sigh.

She bathed you for the second time that morning, quicker than the first, and then she dressed you in something without pattern or finery. Certainly it must’ve pained her, for the ruined dress balled up and thrown into a wastebasket had been much prettier than this one, but there was nothing she could do about it, bar glaring at you as she yanked it over your head.

Nanny wasn’t always so foul-tempered; it was only when you tried her patience, as you did today, that she got to be in such a mood. Else she was a tolerable woman, if not a kind one, and generally softer with her motions. She had mentioned to you a long time ago that she had children of her own, two daughters and a son, the youngest of whom was closer to your mother’s age than your own. You supposed it meant she had some experience with child-rearing, hence why your parents had chosen her amongst the many applicants, and you sometimes wondered if she had treated her own progeny the way she treated you.

Once, you had asked her. She had told you, with a click of her tongue, that she was far stricter with them; however, as you could not fathom anything more chafing than her treatment of you, you found it hard to believe.

Although you were older now — nearly ten years of age, as you liked to remind everyone — you were still not considered enough of an adult to eat with your parents and the rest of adults at meals. Instead you would sit in your room and make faces if the food was not to your liking, discreetly glancing at Nanny out of the corner of your eye and throwing away what you couldn’t stand when you were sure she was not looking. The exception was meals which were meant to be occasions or announcements, wherein your presence was absolutely and unquestionably required.

Today was an announcement, not an occasion, or at least that was what Nanny told you. You did not know the nature of the announcement, only that she was more nervous than usual as the two of you walked to the breakfast room, where your parents would be waiting for you. Up until then, you had been convinced that she had only had two modes of being — fed-up and obedient — so the discovery of this third intrigued you far more than whatever news you might be given.

“Nanny,” your father said. “Y/N. Good morning.”

He did not comment on your tardiness, and neither did he have to; his disapproval was the silent type, which radiated into the air and shimmered like steam, cowing in its intangibility. Your mother offered you a half-smile, as trained and perfect as yours one day would be, and you smiled back at her, your entire focus going into ensuring it was not crooked.

“Good morning, father, mother,” you said, settling into the large chair at your mother’s right, your feet just barely brushing the floor when you were settled with your spine to the cushioned back. “I apologize for the delay.”

“It is inconsequential,” your father said, which was as much of a reprimand as you’d ever get out of him. “We have more important matters to discuss now that you are finally here.”

“There is to be a party,” your mother said. This was nothing out of the ordinary, for your mother, as the Duchess of Maradine, was invited to every party that could be reached from the villa in less than a day. What was strange was that both she and your father thought that you needed to be informed of this occurrence.

“I see,” you said.

“It’s that family from Aprissari,” your father said, sneering at the mention of Barlezia’s capital, the city nestled in the mountains to the north of the country, which may have been the center of your nation’s power but was nowhere near as prosperous as Maradine, never had been and never would be. “The Yukimiyas. The wife is an opera singer and the husband is far more involved in foreign affairs than he has any right to be.”

“And they are rich,” your mother said, patiently and coolly. “Richer than mere commoners. Rich enough to be considered members of the nobility, if we are not careful.”

“We must build proper relations. An alliance, so to speak, but also a reminder that they are no longer in Aprissari,” your father said. “It must be clear to them and to everyone that in Maradine, their money is meaningless if they do not have the approval of the L/N family.”

“Their son is only a little older than you,” your mother continued, perhaps noticing that you no longer held much interest in the conversation, which had diverted to topics of which you had little understanding and even less interest. “The party is being held in honor of his twelfth birthday, and you are to befriend him as best you can.”

“It won’t be difficult,” your father said, and the reluctance of his conviction was the first clue you had that the arrival of these Yukimiyas meant something more to your family than you could possibly know. “You are Y/N L/N; there’s not a child this side of the country that wouldn’t want to be your friend. But you must do it.”

If Nanny or the manservant or anyone else in the L/Ns’ employ told you something so harshly, you would’ve protested or found some way around it, but this was not anyone else. This was your father, Duke L/N himself, and so it was as much a royal command as it was a request from someone who loved you. Perhaps it was even more the former than it was the latter; based on the wideness of your father’s eyes and the lowering of your mother’s lashes, you wouldn’t be surprised if it was the case.

“Yes, father,” you said. “I shall do as you say.”

“Good,” he said. “Finish eating and then attend your lessons as usual. We shall leave once the sun sets.”

You ate at a record pace. Your parents were exchanging looks that said they wanted to speak to one another alone, and it was only your presence which was hindering them, so you endeavored to make yourself scarce as fast as you could without seeming rude. 

Excusing yourself quietly, your head bowed until you left the room, you followed Nanny towards your chambers, deep in thought, turning over the directive your parents had left you with. Befriending the son of the Yukimiyas. For you, who had never had a friend your own age, it was more difficult of a task than your parents must’ve anticipated, so with a tug on the end of Nanny’s apron, you halted in your tracks.

“You heard my father, right, Nanny?” you said. “I have to befriend that boy.”

“That you do,” Nanny said, and then there was a fourth aspect to her which you unlocked: sympathy, glimmering in her irises like a sunrise on the crest of a wave. 

“I don’t know how to do that,” you said. She patted you on the head, brusque and perfunctory, like she was dusting flour off of her hands, yet somehow affectionate, in her way.

“You’ll have to learn, missy,” she said. “Ties with the Yukimiyas may be invaluable in the years to come.”

“Whatever do you mean?” you said. She placed one hand against the wall, her thumb tracing an idle circle over it as she contemplated something or another.

“There are as many ideas of what’ll happen to the continent as there are fish in the Canonora Sea,” she said. “Whether by will or force, Barlezia shall, like every other nation, choose which they back. If they choose wrong, then Maradine will bear the brunt of the consequences. That is all.”

“But what do the Yukimiyas have to do with it?” you insisted.

“Nothing and everything, child! You will understand when you are older. Now hush and go to your lessons,” she said, breaking from her trance and pushing you into your room, where one or another of your tutors would, invariably, be waiting for you.

You wanted to rail at her, to tell her that you weren’t too young, that you deserved to know as well as she did what might yet happen to your own city. Before you could say anything more, however, she shut the door behind you, leaving you standing alone by the wastebasket, where a rusty stain the color of fig juice continued to spread down the sleeve of your crumpled dress.

[themaudlinmimic]

High Effortposting about my Favourite Fantasy Book Series

A lot of pixels have been spilled on the inherent comedic potential of a character being in the wrong genre. More often than not, this is spent on stuff like that one post about how Sherlock would thrive in an isekai setting or how Columbo would crush the death note mystery. That kind of thing. But in terms of characters quite clearly in the wrong genre, and the interesting stories that can arise from this, I have a bit of an oddball pick.

Deltora Quest is a children's fantasy series which any australian worth their salt has hopefully read. The story is about a young boy and his travelling companions assembling a mystical artefact to defeat the dark lord. The issue being that the dark lord is an insanely powerful sorcerer who has lived for centuries, conquered the entire land so slowly nobody realised it had happened until too late, and rules with an army of monsters and grunts that do his dark bidding. In the end, he is of course defeated by the fully assembled Belt of Deltora and the powerful warding magic it represents, but it takes some time for his influence to fully leave the land.

How was it that such a powerful overlord was defeated? Was it because he failed to account for the indomitable human spirit? His inability (mostly) to make shapeshifters that didn't have a glaringly obvious tell? The fact that evil shall fall and good shall triumph as a base rule of most fantasy?

Well, sure. But I think it's mainly because he's not actually a sorcerer, but a mad scientist in entirely the wrong genre.

Let's start with the basics. Magic in this series can generally be classified into two categories: quirky little oddities that are largely bound to a single place or family, and Real Shit. There are springs of water which can let you see dreams, honey that gives you superspeed if you're a horse, and the actual literal hulk living out his days as a travelling salesman. Baubles, in short. There are also the ancient gems of Deltora, powerful talismans that can ward off all evil, and the sacred city of Tora, home to endless magic and miracles. These two categories are fairly set: the former can appear anywhere but needs cleverness to exploit, and the latter require very specific circumstances to actually work but are basically unstoppable. Magic is either widely applicable but weak, or rare and impossible to use without specific pre-requisites but incredibly strong.

The Shadow Lord, in no particular order, displays the following magical capabilities:

The construction of extremely painful projectile weapons from frog venom and careful construction.

The large scale creation of obedient armies of near-identical almost humans, show explicitly to be grown in "vats".

The ability to speak over long distances and record sounds and sights using a magic mirror.

The creation of vast machinery that billows out smoke and poisons the land.

Accelerated "evolution" and "mutation" (sic) of base creatures by exposure to a strange type of glowing rock.

As a last resort, in the final book of the final series, an actual literal self-replicating matter eating grey goo that can only be stopped by the heat of pure dragonfire.

I'm not certain that he's a sorcerer as well, but it's definitely possible. There are actual no-shit knowledge based sorcerers in this setting, magic is something that can be learned if you are very old and very lucky. It might help explain some of his stranger abilities, such as existing in a non-corporeal form. But what he's capable of obviously goes beyond that. My hunch is that there is a difference between the magic he has learned and the technology he wields, in that one could probably be replicated by even normal people given time and resources, but it's a difference nobody in the setting (maybe not even him) is aware of.

As for his motivations, he doesn't attack Deltora out of some ancient grudge. He is aggressively pragmatic about it. He wants the place for its vast natural resources, and its favorable ports that shall allow him to send vast legions of warships. He's the estranged disfavored son of a noble family, if the deep lore is to be believed, and that's some prime mad scientist material if I ever heard it. He has a history of encountering beautiful magical things, such as dragons and the singing sisters, and creating false versions of them when he couldn't bend the original to his will. I'm not arguing just based on word association with scifi bullshit here. There's themes to this. Whenever given the opportunity, he behaves like a mad scientist would.

And as for how he ultimately gets defeated? Magic. Again and again, it's magic. He can't breach Tora, so he besieges it and cuts it off from the rest of the country with subtle manipulations. He can't destroy the belt, so he scatters the pieces of it. When he is defeated for the first time, it's with a magic belt. When he's briefly taken out a second time, it's with a magical flute. While my memories of his third appearance are hazy, you can bet it was magic that stopped him then as well. He doesn't understand magic beyond a surface level, beyond his own tricks, he can't truly replicate it, and he can't stand against it.

The Shadow Lord is a villain in the wrong genre. And this is his greatest strength just as it is his greatest weakness. This is why you'll never win, Shadow Lord. None of that nonsense about good triumphing over evil: the entire setting is just an outside context solution to your outside context problem. But if it's any consolation, I'm sure that somewhere out there, there's a foul sorcerer trapped in an old world university with a stitched up corpse and a lightning rod wondering how the hell he got there as well.

[thetreehousechronicles]

THE DIVIDE DISPATCH

"News You Can Survive On."

Issue #014 | Circulated via Deadwood Radio | Sectors 3–9A

State of the Wasteland

The Veloura strain continues to spread beyond containment zones. Once passive, infected flora now exhibits movement. Reports of “whispering trees” and fusion-zombies in overgrowth zones have prompted reroutes of major caravans. Travelers are advised to avoid Green Vein Ravine and outer sectors of Deadwood Divide.

Animal mutations have become increasingly volatile. A three-headed horse was spotted near Ruin’s Edge—locals claim it's Hellhound’s mount. It did not attack. It just watched. Gently. Spookily. With all six eyes.

“Don’t pet the wildlife. Unless the wildlife is named Kuki and comes with a field medic license.”

(A/N: For Kuki joke is because she's a wondered. She doesn't have a home other than her clinc and sometimes she stays at Wally's or Hoagie's place but she never at one spot to settle down)

BIO-FLORA CLASSIFICATION UPDATE

The following Veloura-Variants have been cataloged. Engagement is not recommended. If encountered, avoid conflict and reroute immediately. Prolonged exposure may lead to infection, disorientation, or worse.

DRIFTERS

Codename: Moss-Walkers

Behavior: Quiet. Bipedal. Humanoid in shape, but no longer human.

Notes: Often observed at a distance, watching silently. Passive unless followed, cornered, or startled.

CHORUS SKINS

Codename: Echo-Singers

Behavior: Non-verbal. Vocalizes only in death.

Notes: When terminated, they emit harmonic, choral frequencies. These sounds have been linked to vertigo, auditory hallucinations, and suicidality in unstable minds.

Warning: Avoid echo chambers, cliffs, and tunnels. Their song carries.

Warning: Do not follow them back. Survivors who do are rarely seen again.

THORNS

Codename: Blight Hounds

Behavior: Aggressive. Fast. Reacts to heartbeat, vibration, and movement.

Notes: Appears quadrupedal, often mistaken for mutated canines. They are not animals.

Anatomy: No eyes. Barbed limbs. Muscle growth exceeds typical organic limits.

Warning: Stay still. Hold your breath. If it finds you, you won’t outrun it.

SPIRES

Codename: Bloomers

Behavior: Stationary. Plant-like. Often mistaken for large trees or overgrowth.

Notes: Release airborne spores that induce confusion, memory loss, and hallucinations.

Observed Effects: Survivors report lost time, visual illusions of deceased loved ones, and temporary paralysis.

Warning: If the wind shifts sweet, leave immediately. Do not investigate.

If you encounter unclassified variants, contact Dispatch via encrypted shortwave—Channel 8-B, Call Sign: Cold Echo.

Or don’t.

Just don’t get close.

BOOMHATCH SCRAP & REPAIR

Run by The Junkyard King himself + Steve the Ghost-Tech™

LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Bring in two semi-functioning sprockets and get your next patch-kit for HALF RATIONS. WE TRADE, WE FIX, WE DON’T JUDGE.From busted bot-parts to retro-fusion drives, we’ve got it, fixed it, or thrown it at Steve until it worked.

Look for the busted tire tower east of Sector 6. No Ironclad interference tolerated. “If it ain't glowing, we ain’t throwing.”

Ask about the ‘Boom Special’ — it's probably legal.

SIGHTINGS & RUMORS

The Hellhound was spotted in Sector 4C riding his infamous three-headed steed, “Blue Lightnin” No confirmed casualties. Locals report he helped a traveling medic pass through ravine territory without injury. Ironclads are reportedly "not amused." A Broken Tooth cell claims they've intercepted a signal repeating a phrase: “The Vault wasn’t empty.” Interpretation unclear. Could relate to the original KND data cache thought lost post-Collapse.

Reports say Commander Uno is still transmitting encrypted messages east of Deadwood Divide. Why? And to whom?

SCRAPS & SURVIVAL

Survival Tip #92: “Moss-Eaters”

Some wastelanders have begun ingesting diluted Veloura spores. While it may increase vision temporarily in low light, it also causes memory leaks, paranoia, and a 12% chance of spontaneous root growth in the lower extremities. You’ve been warned.

THE GREEN GALE AID TENT

Operated by Kuki “Kale” Sanban – Former Medic, Certified Life Saver

NOW SERVING: Walk-ins, limp-ins, drag-ins welcome. No questions asked. Fusion burns, infection scrapes, emotional damage? We’ve got salves and sass for all that. Traveling across zones? Book a Safe Escort, or visit one of the multiple Mobile Tents with a Golden Butterfly mark on the cloth.

Mobile tent services are available – look for the Gold Butterfly tarp & waving hand.

“She’s got friendship bracelets and field surgery gear. Don't underestimate either.”

More to come in next week's Divide Dispatch:

Rumors of Broken Tooth Rebellion camps spreading into Sector 3.

Night sightings of ‘Ghostwire’ Maurice in Scraplands.

Was the explosion on Iron Clad's Supply Trains caused by the Broken Tooth Rebellion or was it Hellhound?

An exclusive report on the “Uno Doctrine” and its chilling enforcement...

Stay alive, stay aware, and if you can’t outrun it—outsmart it.

[cordiallyhqs]

CORDIALLYHQS PRESENTS... VOWS OF LARIMAR HOSTED BY HOUSE OF THORPE

the tides turn and heads roll like thunder over an open sea as tales are whispered through drawing rooms and cobbled streets that another bachelor is taken off the market. but as vows cut from larimar glisten in the light, they do not sparkle the same under the moon. other forces are at play with tides tying new knots, and how lucky you are to not step into a noose in the dark. the air is thick with salt and scandal— but are you more afraid of what lies underneath the waves, or what awaits you on the shore?

・.・𓂃۶ৎ KNOTS TIED, AND SAILS HIGH! This is a mandatory event and all muses are to attend and participate.

EVENT SUMMARY

After a secret elopement, the House of Thorpe demands a celebration for their next heir and his newfound love that is a stranger to the shores of Mayfair. All of London is invited to bask in the festivities that take the vows of a love that feels like whirlwind and let it set sail! Sharing a taste of a life dictated by the tide, Mister Tobias Thorpe and Mister Peter Drake set the scene for festivities commonly found amongst pirates and long days at sea with formalities fit enough for the ton.

GUIDELINES

The event officially begins on Wednesday, 5/28 at 12 pm EST and ends Wednesday, 6/4 at 12 PM EST.

You can continue non-event threads but please prioritize event threads.

The first two event related open starters do not need to follow the starter rule. After these have been posted, please ensure you reply to two open starters before posting your own. There is no rule for closed starters.

IN-CHARACTER PARTICIPATION & TASK

Participation in the event is mandatory, meaning that all muses must be present one way of other. Please see below for some ideas to have your muse involved! Event related threads are not limited to the event itself, but can pertain to preparations for the event, being at the port, the journey to the event's venue, and situations pertaining to the event.

the terrors of going on open waters, exploring the ship and all it has to offer, dropping a message in a bottle off the edge of the boat, dancing after a few drinks in ways not as polished for a ballroom floor, exploring the paintings on loan below deck, exploring different cuisine, fighting a crew member's dog for the last lobster tail, shooting targets and betting on who is the best shot before losing all your coin for the night, jumping into the water (or getting pushed possibly by a scorned lover), a rivalry between members of king's theatre and the royal opera house who were commissioned instead, a lady's dress becoming entangled in the wind of the ship taking off and losing her gloves or scarf, trying to guess how much money was spent on the celebration, botany curious muses gawking at the rare florals, playing card games and puffing on cigars, formal wear becoming incredible impractical on the ship, getting lost in the moment and saying things too freely that carry over the wind, or trying to speak your heart out but nothing can be heard over the wind, climbing the sails, getting seasick, finding a secluded corner of the ship, looking for whistledown because the last major event away from mayfair was chaos, standing at shore nervous to board, seeing off someone who was invited, sneaking in below deck or with cargo without an invitation, preparing a new dress at the modiste for the event, getting a suit tailored for the event last minute, rushing last minute to get a carriage to the port, a carriage wheel flying off before you can make it to the port on time, missing the ship as it leaves and swimming out to try and reach it, trying to find the happy couple an elopement gift in town to now show up empty handed, feeling ill and trying to find a remedy to feel better by the time the celebration starts, tracking down a missing shoe from ur sticky finger sisters, stealing a horse to sneak out and attend and so much more !

DETAILS TO KEEP IN MIND

THE VENUE: The event will be hosted on Mister Peter Drake's ship, one of the largest docked in London at this time. Hues of green and blue belong to each man, and light grey is scattered in between to represent the storm that the found each other in that Tobias saved his life. Like all details, the truth in their love story that is not privy to all of Mayfair finds a way to be honored. Lignum Vitae are scattered around alongside frangipani imported from overseas. The ship will take a short stride along the coast, and then set off fireworks when they are far enough way at midnight to end festivities.

ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT: A rope tying ceremony is hosted for close friends and family who did not get to witness the initial ceremony done in secret. Other activities are singing and dancing that all in attendance are encouraged to try their hand at without the formalities of a ballroom, reminiscent of the nights spent on ship and its crew. The Royal Opera House will hold a performance, as well. Below deck, the Thorpe's will have a series of romantic paintings loaned for display to distract anyone from the anxieties of being in open water and set the tone for a night of romance. Targets will also be set up off shop before sailing for entertainment purposes.

CUISINE: Fresh fruit and seafood is on the menu for the night, creating a far more elevated dinner than what is custom on the open sea. Conch steew, crab, lobster, grouper, and bonefish will be served for all guests along with pigeon peas, steamed vegetables, and cured meats. However, guests may be too busy indulging themselves on rum, lemonade, and coconut water prepared by Gentleman Jack's.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hi Slug!! I'm curious about some of the religious imagery in hypmic! Kuko is obvious and I think Doppo has talked about not believing in gods before but what's up with Jakurai? Is he meant to actually be Christian or is it just an aesthetic thing?

This ended up being so long Tumblr wouldn't let me put it all in one post. Hoo boy. Under a cut for length.

Usual disclaimer that I don't live in Japan, so I'm not talking about IRL Japan so much as Japanese media. Media isn't perfectly synonymous with real life and, of course, it's foolish to draw conclusions from the general (media and culture) and apply them to the specific (individual persons). With that being said, media is indicative of real life values and cultural concerns--for example, the American high school experience is a lot less interesting than in movies, but these movies reflect a romanticization of teenagehood so widespread in the US and areas with heavy US cultural influence that filmmakers take it for granted in their audiences--so I can talk about what assumptions inform the portrayal of religion in Hypmic.

As in a lot of Japanese media, religion is present but not explicitly mentioned outside of Kuukou. It's what I would call culturally religious as opposed to actively religious. Similar to how many works in the Anglosphere are steeped with Christian ideas and phrases even if the authors/works themselves aren't Christian (the Christian concept of sin, using "God" or variations as an interjection, etc.), many works written in Japanese are influenced by Shinto and Buddhist ideas. Some people in Japan are active worshipers of Shinto, Buddhism, or both, but many more have a somewhat relaxed approach. It's not uncommon for people to have a belief in a higher power, but the nature of this higher power isn't terribly well-defined. Many people will attend religious ceremonies for holidays or funerals but rarely pray to a higher power outside of moments of great stress. That is, being culturally religious. Traditions are fun and comforting, especially if they involve dressing up in fancy clothes, eating yummy food, and seeing friends and family. Even if you're not especially devout, it doesn't hurt to pray for a bit of luck before a big test, that your child will grow up healthy and strong, or that your recently departed ancestor will be at peace. For those in predominately Christian areas, you probably see plenty of this in your community--people who maybe go to church occasionally for companionship or holiday celebrations but aren't active worshipers. Or, perhaps, people who pray like, "Hey, if anyone's listening, can you lend me a hand?" Maybe you're even one of these people yourself. We can generally assume that most of the cast falls into this camp. Doppo and Hifumi go to a festival with a religious element--charms and rituals to bring good luck by appealing to Shinto deities--but I doubt either of them have a firm belief that these particular deities exist. They may think that there's some higher power...or not. But what's the harm in a good luck charm, right? And more importantly, it's fun to play games, eat, drink, and horse around with friends! But wait, does that mean these two are only Shinto or...Shinto-ish? Probably not. There's an expression that most Japanese people are "born Shinto, but die Buddhist." Shinto rituals tend to focus on matters of the living (although Shintoism has its own distinct funerary rites, sometimes combined with Buddhist rites), while non-devout Buddhists usually participate in Buddhist ceremonies only when loved ones die. We see Juushi and Hitoya with loved ones buried in Buddhist cemeteries, but it's safe to assume both observe Shinto holidays and customs in some fashion. We also see in the very beginning of TDD that Nemu and Samatoki have what appears to be a butsudan--a Buddhist altar--in their home dedicated to their deceased parents. "But wait," some might say, "I thought spirit worship isn't a part of Buddhism." That's true for some forms of Buddhism, but not all! Buddhism is enormously varied, and some of the (many, many!) forms of Buddhism practiced in Japan accept aspects of Shintoism. There's plenty of mixing, just as we see within individuals themselves. Again, the Hypmic characters may not fully believe that spirits exist. (Well, outside of Ramuda...) But it's a comforting thought that one's deceased family members are around in some form and can be a positive influence on one's life.

[wellthatschaotic]

What kind of creatures do you have in the paracosm? Also have any werewolves ever chased their own tails :p

oh there's So Maeny

as mentioned in the previous ask there's all the Traditional Fantasy Things. but i can ramble about some (other) original species!

some humanoid species are:

shadowen (here's a small post by heron)

there's also spirit elves who live in the Whispering Forest who are kind of like. telepathic. in that they communicate in "silent" wavelengths. their ears are specialized to pick up these Essentially Telepathic Signals so other similarly "silent" things (like electricity or something) are audible to them and audible things (like human voices) are like. clouded(?).

on a similar note there are spirit foxes who Look like normal red foxes but are completely sentient and intelligent creatures. they speak a different telepathic frequency/"language" than the elves but they can learn each other's languages and often do. which is pretty cool

oh there's also different shapeshifter species and were- species. there are two kind of genres of shapeshifter which are binary (two forms, like werewolves) and composite (like human shapeshifters, who can take the form of any human). usually with composite shapeshifters they stick with one species (like all dogs or horses or whatever). rarely they have access to multiple species in a genus (like all felines or canines) but usually they can't go broader than that.

in terms of binary shapeshifters, the "were-" prefix means one of the forms is human (werewolves = human/wolf, werecrows = human/crow, etc). non-human-related shapeshifters don't really have Names for each species partially because they're less documented/well known due to. unless you see the animal shapeshift how are you supposed to know that dog and that cat are actually the same animal. kinda hard to tell.

uhh im not sure what else (it feels like asking what creatures earth has there's a Lot lmao) but if you have more questions feel free to ask!!

and to answer your second question: absolutely it's so much fun (- luke)

[funarisjournal]

I made Kasuga on Elder Scrolls Online

Keeping with the game's lore, I gave her a name that fit her race (she's a Nord, btw): Tottigrid Spring-Sun (see what I did there?). And while ESO has SOME settings to make somewhat husky characters, there's literally nothing on the facial parts to give rounder AND long-ish faces. I did the best I could. She's definitely based more on her drama appearance, though her hairstyle was picked because it kind of reminds me of that one time she changed up her look in the comic (all the ponytail styles are bang-less OTL)

Still trying to think of what to do with Nomoto, but at least Kasuga's done! I even had a white horse mount in my collections to give her. White horse in place of her white car lol

Anyway, the Elder Scrolls AU I started coming up with on Twitter is below the cut

Kasuga, who has long since left her traditionalist family in the rural parts of Skyrim, is part of the Fighter's Guild closer to Imperial territory (game had her start by Skingrad, so we'll say she's living around those parts). Steady work, and they feed okay, but it IS shared with the other guildmates. Then she sees a job posting from someone who wants to get some difficult ingredients...

She goes to talk to the person who wants the job done, and it's Nomoto! Not sure what race she'll be yet - I'm waffling between a non-traditionally-raised Khajiit (don't see her doing the 3rd-person speech) or a Bosmer. But she's still someone who REALLY loves to cook and is having trouble grabbing some uncommon ingredients. Kasuga will do the job well, of course. Now, normally, Kasuga gets Gold or maybe something she can sell as compensation, but Nomoto…doesn't have much 😅 But she offers to cook her a dish with this ingredient! Would that be okay?

Kasuga is silent for a moment, and then cue Nomoto doing her rambings...but she will say yes in the end. Nomoto admits it's an experiment, but seeing how Kasuga just wholeheartedly eats the whole plate in front of her...well, maybe she should try some! And yeah! It's delicious!

They then start a deal where Kasuga hunts for Nomoto, and Nomoto cooks up food in return. I'm sure Nomoto has SOME fighting skills (I'm imagining her more of a mage-type character, just not sure what kind yet), but she can't do what Kasuga does. She can get up close and personal with monsters/enemies and knock them out! Anyway, this would lead to them eventually traveling together and even taking up quests from others that involve food! Let they learn the secrets of Tamriel's food cultures~

Oh, and I definitely don't see either lady as The Vestige in this world. You know, the whole Chosen One aspect when you play any ES game. But hey, you don't HAVE to make it part of your character if you don't see them that way. Take the questline for the EXP then do whatever you want!

They're just two ladies who are hunting rare ingredients and making amazing dishes to enjoy together lol MAYBE some of the questlines are actually experienced by them. I just don't know which ones yet lol

[crosbyism]

re: fandom feminization (sorry for beating this horse) - one of the things that definitely bothers me most as someone who actually does enjoy a certain amount of feminization in fic really is when looking at a fic of two men in a very masculine environment who are being written as gay- WHY is it so common to write them as though they are a heterosexual man and woman in a heterosexual relationship? specifically the kind of egregiously heteronormative relationship that makes people rage against media with relationships LIKE that for being misogynistic??? ykwim? one cooks and cleans and cries and has emotions and does the emotional labor and calms down the controlling and upset/angry or emotionless other man because he's the girlfriend and the pretty princess girlboy - GUYS why is that the standard relationship dynamic here, they're supposed to be queer men, why are you making a queer relationship so fucking BAD hetero, the antisemitist kind 😭 and it really is like always the smaller guy, the "prettier" guy who's nicer and more palatable to project femininity onto. across all fandoms no matter what. i don't even want to think about the infantilization that goes hand in hand with some of this. that's a rant best left alone 💀 anyways feel free to delete, i'm just another person the masculinization posts resonated with and i appreciate seeing others feel the same !

anon i feel u dot org. it’s not my cup of tea either. i think it’s important to keep in mind that fandom works do not have the same “responsibility” (in as much there’s any responsibility in storytelling to be had at all, but that’s a whole different topic i won’t get into) in storytelling as traditional media, being very personal expressions of creativity first and foremost. people are simply into writing this type of thing for themselves, and that’s exactly what they should do without shame. i very much do understand why people would write those kinda dynamics (any number of reasons from “i want to project heteronormativity onto a queer relationship for personal catharsis” to “i want to explore this kind of dynamic” to “lol crackfic” to “i just feel like it idk”, all of which are totes fine and cool). personally i really don’t feel drawn to it at all. rip fanon mitch marner i guess.

what’s interesting is that it really is like that in every fandom. sometimes it get me sad that a lot of gender play in fandom is so cisheteronormative. like, there’s so much potential to get weird and strange with it, y’know? i would love a lot of more non cisheteronormative gender play fics. or, man, i would kill for a guy to finger his coach and go “oh, the menopause is making you drier, huh? that’s alright, i’ve got the lube right here, i’ll get you nice and wet, don’t worry” and service him like he’s a hot cougar’s young stud.

there’s a couple of rare gems in the hrpf tag re: slightly non-traditional gender play for sure, but it def isn’t the majority. i also think cause the majority of gender play in fandom is so cishet it kinda repels people who don’t like that from writing or getting into that in general, so clearly we need to fix this out here and reclaim the genderplay lol. make genderplay queerer 2024

(side note: i think you might be using antisemitist wrong? is that a typo? i don’t think you meant “bigoted towards jewish people” there? lol? that was confusing)

[haravatat-slime]

Lore Rant: Castor, Pollux, and the Arrogation of the Twins

cw: brief references to sexual assault in the context of mythology; in-game references to cannibalism (sort of)

hi okay so. this came about because i was reading Gods and Myths of Northern Europe (H.R. Ellis Davidson, 1964) and came across a brief section on the worship of god-twins in Germanic/Norse/Old English religions.

according to Davidson, “there is good reason to believe that at one time the heathen Germans worshipped twin deities, two brothers who were the sons of the god of the sky.”

among certain Germanic tribes, these twins were known as the Alci/s. The etymological root for this name appears to be contested (according to Wiki, at least), and may stem from Old English/Germanic as either 1. “elk,” 2. “to protect” or 3. “healing hand” (referencing the Germanic rune algiz.)

another, Old Icelanding name for the Alcis may have been the haddingjar, from the root haddr (woman’s hair. Which, I mean.)

(Certainly no argument there.)

The Roman historian Tacitus, when researching folk beliefs among Germanic tribes, strongly believed that the Alcis/Haddinjar were the same twin-deities worshipped in the Roman Empire - that is to say, Castor and Pollux.

So here I found myself switching from looking at Norse and Anglo-Saxon mythology to taking a dive into Roman mythology to see where the similarities lie. (Something that I’d somehow never done before? But anyway.)

Castor and Pollux are described as both being ‘blond-haired, large-eyed, fair complexioned, and well-built with trim bodies’ (Dares Phrygius, via Wikipedia).

Much like the Alcis, they’re considered protective gods, and STRONGLY associated with horses. (I can’t explain this bit, but I do think it’s hilarious that we still haven’t seen a horse in Teyvat despite being told they exist, and the iconography that might connect twin-gods to horses is, likewise, nowhere to be found.)

Castor and Pollux are ALSO twins, ALSO brothers, and ALSO sons of the god of the -

actually wait.

that part isn’t the same????

and THAT was where i fell down the rabbit hole that caused the alleged ‘mind-blowing’ that i talked up when i first started doing this post weeks ago.

because while Castor and Pollux are twins - they’re not identical.

Castor and Pollux are a product of a (rare but technically possible!) reproductive phenomenon known as heteropaternal superfecundation: two separate ova, within a single womb, being fertilized around the same time by two separate sets of sperm.

Pollux is a demigod - a result of Zeus (THERE’s the sky god) sexually assaulting Leda, future queen of Sparta, while he disguised himself as a swan.

Castor’s father is human. Making Castor, at the time of his birth, 100% human.

Castor and Pollux, along with their other (non-twin) siblings, are sometimes said to have been born from an egg (presumably due to Zeus’s influence? and because of this, they’re sometimes depicted wearing white caps meant to be bits of their…birth-egg-shell?).

now i simply CANNOT ACCEPT that these things are a coincidence. we have twin siblings with slightly different features (height, sex, hair color) who nevertheless appear to be the same age. and while they don’t have the eggshell hats, it does feel a little on the nose that Aether and Lumine have wings and bird-feather accessories, if they’re meant to have any similarity to a set of twins birthed from an egg.

WHICH, on the topic of the egg itself: this is a CONSISTENT MOTIF that comes up in relation to the twins, but it’s especially important to point out that in Orphic-Greek mythology, the Cosmic Egg from which the primordial deity is born comes from (or is made from) Aether. Not the protoscientific substance aether. The deity Aether.

as far as how BOTH the divine Pollux and human Castor became worshipped as deities: apparently the twins got mixed up in a…cattle-raid? in other words, stealing cattle. from Arcadia.

—which was a piece of info I was just going to skip over, until I did the required searching and was reminded that ARCADIA ACTUALLY EXISTS IN GENSHIN. because it’s brought up aaaaaall the way back in Mondstadt, during Kaeya’s Story Quest. The “lost ruins of Arcadia” are on Galesong Hill in Mondstadt.

it’s also WELL worth mentioning that Arcadia (in Greek myth) was the home of Pan and Hermes (who i am going to talk about SO MUCH MORE. another time).

during said raid, and the ensuing battle, Castor is dealt a fatal wound, and so Pollux gives up half of his own immortality so that he and Castor can stay together. this earns them their place among the constellations, as Gemini.

so if we’re keeping up on the “Castor+Pollux” / “Lumine+Aether” parallels—human twin dies while stealing something from an area known for being the birthplace of gods. (whether that something is cows…let’s not worry about.) godly twin decides to give up part of his godliness to save sibling. sibling is now…ALSO godly.

now let’s just look at Genshin on its own for a second. Celestia does NOT like it when beings color outside the proverbial lines without their permission. they find out a nation is worshipping a different god? NO gods? messing with human evolution (possibly by ingesting dead-god flesh—looking at you, Alberichs)? poking around at forbidden knowledge (also chilling in dead god flesh)? just gotta burn it all down and curse the sinners responsible!

isn’t it just as likely that they’d punish one of their own for committing the same crimes?

and now the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles is on their case, and she is not happy.

imagine: Celestial twin finds out they have a human sibling (our “prince/princess of Khaenriah,” according to the Caribert quest) that doesn’t remember having celestial family. Celestial twin is overjoyed! Celestial twin descends(!), finds human twin, maybe they have some adventures, but then—oop, gotta steal something (maaaaybe the genesis pearl? or maybe just cows! /j) from Mondstadt. Heist goes wrong—human twin hurt in process. Celestial twin surrenders some of their divinity to save human twin from death—but now they’ve broken the laws, not only about tampering with life and death, but also about keeping humans human.

doesn’t it seem possible that her confrontation with the the twins isn’t just because of their involvement with Khaenriah, but because they’ve also committed their own, more personal sin?

Some misc. stuff:

the “divine twin” myth isn’t exclusively European in nature, and pops up around the world with lots of similarities: the different fathers (one of which is always a sky deity); associated with stars, horses, and (often) the sea); divine martial protectors (i.e. in battle); providers of magical healing; etc. they’re often also worshipped as fertility deities but I know better than to talk about that here.

and of course whenever the same stories or motifs pop up in different places again and again I feel the need to bring up Jung, since he loved the idea that a “collective unconscious” was responsible for giving human beings the same ideas for myths—the figures within which played archetypal roles that reflected the human psyche. (why he thought that made more sense than having core myths get spread out and retold with the evolution of human civilization…i have no idea.)

the Divine Twins may have been the original drivers of the Solar Chariot (presumably the same one owned by Apollo in Greek myth, which he gives to Phaethon to drive—with disastrous consequences), hence why they became associated with horses. this isn’t really related to the implications of this post but i am most CERTAINLY going to be making another, much bigger post about the Chariot because it’s been driving me crazy. pun absolutely not intended.

other symbols associated with Castor and Pollux are the dokana (a structure of posts and cross-beams that has been associated with everything from gates and doors to grave-markers and mirrors; this article written in 1919(!!) about them was actually super interesting), shields, and snakes. (here’s a dokana with a pair of snakes for reference!) snakes are about as important as eggs in this lore, but I'll save that, too.

as a result of Pollux’s choice to share his divinity with his brother, they (much like other Greco-Roman gods like Persephone and Dionysus) surrendered their full-time residence on Mount Olympus, becoming instead capable of traveling between Olympus and Hades. considering whichever twin we don’t pick at the start of our journey becomes the “Abyss twin,” and both twins appear able to travel freely between Teyvat and the Abyss at will, it feels like a logical stretch to say this part of their myth is also lore-relevant.

cool okay i think that’s it for now, go crazy, go stupid, and SOLAR CHARIOT YOU’RE ON MY SHORT LIST

[pixie-skull]

10 characters in 10 fandoms tag :D thank you @airasora for tagging me. =D

So I did do a VERY similar post a few days ago, but screw it more shout-outs fandoms I like. >:D

UPDATED ON NOVEMBER 23, 2023

10. Diablo vide games:

One of my first favorite video games and favorite character is Deckard Cain.

9. Monty Python and the Holy Grail:

The comedy group Monty Python needs more fans I feel. XD Favorite character of this movie is Tim.

8. Futurama:

I feel like a fool I did not think of this particular fantastic show. Besides being one of few science fiction I can enjoy so much, the stories, running gags, animation, and especially the characters are so great. Favorite character is so hard as younger me adored Leela, but as I get older it is a tie of her and Kif. I just like show reversed certain expected traits for characters. Leela to muscle while Kif the temped heart. That being said Zoidberg and Nibbler as I oddly relate to. 🤷‍♂️

7. Scooby Doo:

If from the original, to the movies (Witch’s Ghost and Alien Invaders), to newer shows, and a few video games. :D Favorite character is Scooby tied with Shaggy.

6. Non-Disney:

Now this kinda cheating but I adore animated movies, especially hand-drawn movies. I mean dang I am so grateful that certain animated movies gems that I have seen, that it made and I happily if could consider voice acting for a career. However I am also cheating to say a favorite character as he is a comfort character, Thief from The Thief and the Cobbler. This also why this middle of my list as so vague.

5. Allan Moore’s work fandom:

Okay a tie, between a graphic novel and a movie. I am aware Allan Moore well known to despise his work be adapted to film. Graphic novel (even though the movie is a guilty pleasure of mine) is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Movie is V for Vendetta, plus favorite character a three-way tie of Deirich + Evey + Finnich. Yes I meant it alphabetically order. XP

4. Firefly+Serenity:

I am sure this does not surprise anybody? XD Favorite character is hard but it is Inara with Sharped in close second place.

3. The Tenth Kingdom:

I rarely hear anyone talk about this miniseries which is a shame as such a fun show. @airasora I for some reason can see the character Wolf being your favorite character. :D In regards my favorite character, it has to be Virginia.

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Yay one of the FEW shows I have actually watched all 7 seasons of (plan to rewatch the movie). XD I am honestly torn between two characters I really like. Especially as both are relatable in info dumping on legends/folklore, plus the few times they work together it is a fun team=Willow and Giles

1. Sense8:

I can not articulate enough how this show deserves more attention and needed more time/episodes. Favorite character has to be my crush Kala. However she is also a favorite character along, Lito x Hernado (I am aware both are cis gay men, but as a bi trans man they are one of few men love men relationships I have felt so relatable to).

0. Mythology:

If I had pick what particular creature that pop culture has used it is obviously the Unicorn. Funny enough I have not watched any of the My Little Pony shows+movies. I just feel too weary it be hard to not be bothered by the fact they are “horses with horns and cute”.

[lonelypond]

"Tall" Handsome Stranger

NicoMaki, Love Live, 2.7K, 1/1

Nishikino Maki returns to find more people at Hanayo's ranch than she expected.

"Tall" Handsome Stranger

Sheriff Sonoda Umi had very cleverly set up her office triangulated between the hotel and the largest saloon in town. This way when visitors checked their personal firearms it wasn’t too much of a trip for Umi to lock them up in the gunsafe. Maki did not carry a pistol. A rifle snugged into its case on her saddle, for protection out on the trails or in the woods. A new wanted poster caught Maki’s attention as she strolled through Otonokizaki Falls. This one barely looked a teenager. Maki grimaced. Always sad to see innocents turn to crime for survival. Good thing she’d found Dia and Ruby before someone less kind. The frontier was an inhospitable place for orphans and Maki had saved them from that when she’d found them in the wreckage of their burning wagon and took them home with her.

Right now, though, they were safe with Hanayo and Maki needed some adult conversation after a particularly difficult surgery. She tied the sprightly Scherzi to the post, striding through the doors of the Queen Of Cups.

“Maki!” The proprietor’s voice rose over a low roar, “Welcome back. Your usual?”

Maki nodded and sidled up to the bar to be greeted with a smile by proprietress Nozomi Tojo, who quickly hit a glass with a squirt of bitters followed by brandy, almond syrup, and lemon zest. “So what’s Hanayo cooking for you and your girls? Eli always makes me something special when I’ve been working late.” Nozomi leaned in with a leer.

“It’s not like that.”

“Not your type?”

“I don’t have a type.”

“Eli…” Eli Ayase was Nozomi’s partner and the local blacksmith, “said there was a big black horse up there she’d never seen before.”

“When?”

“This morning when she was riding out to work at the South Falls ranch.”

Maki frowned. Hanayo was very very shy, rarely having visitors, never any non locals. An unfamiliar horse was a worry.

Maki chugged the drink, tossing three dimes on the bar. “Thanks. Catch you next visit.”

“So I’m your type?” Nozomi flipped her bar towel.

Maki growled; Nozomi giggled.

“Still holding out for a tall, handsome stranger?”

Maki leaned into the bar. Though mildly worried about the strange horse at Hanayo’s, she was mightly overwrought at Nozomi’s constant pestering.

“Some of us aren’t waiting for anyone at all.” Maki’s amethyst eyes were narrowed and hard as flint. “So I would much appreciate your not making me find another place to drink.”

“Whatever you say, Doc.”

Maki waved an aggrieved goodbye.

###

Hanayo couldn’t just curl up in her bed. First, a stranger with a bullet in their flank currently occupied it. And second, two children watched her every move with wide, curious eyes. And asked questions. Hanayo needed Maki to arrive soon.

“Can Nico have my soup?” Ruby asked.

After finding Nico in the barn and the struggle to get her into the house, both Nico and Hanayo had collapsed. Hanayo’s brief nap in the rocking chair had given her a boost. Once Nico hit an actual bed, she’d slipped into a deep deep sleep, not even disturbed by Dia poking her or Ruby asking questions. Hanayo hoped it was exhaustion and not the last stages of sepsis. Nico’s wound looked a deep deep red. Even deep in sleep, Nico flinched at the slightest pressure on it. Hanayo had done a quick cleaning, but had no way to deal with the bullet. She’d just layered cloth over the wound, leaving Nico lying on her back.

Hanayo hugged Ruby. The girls were so caring. “No, Ruby. Nico needs to sleep more than she needs to eat.” Hanayo wondered how many days ride Nico had had. Her horse had shown signs of hard wear. She’d have to call the blacksmith in to look at him.

“MAMA!” Dia’s excited call brought Hanayo’s attention to Maki, walking through the door, carrying her doctor’s bag, hat pushed back, eyes tired. She smiled when Dia hugged her leg.

“Hi, Dia!”

“Mama, you have to come and fix Nico.”

Dia switched from Maki’s leg to pulling with both hands on her arm.

“Nico?” She glanced to Hanayo.

“The girls found someone hiding in my barn. She’s been shot.”

Maki processed that. Girls. Wandering. Finding someone who’d been involved in a shooting. And who might have people chasing them.

“You let them…”

Hanayo raised both hands, “They always go for a walk after breakfast while I wash up. I can usually see them from the kitchen window.”

“And when you didn’t?”

“I was about to get Juniper and go look for them when Ruby came running in.”

“Where is Juniper?”

“Out with the sheep.”

Juniper was a working sheep guard dog, not her daughters’ bodyguard. Maki grunted at Hanayo.

“I am so sorry, Maki…I didn’t know anyone had…”

Maki raised a hand, pulling Ruby close when Ruby came in for her hug, “Everybody’s fine.”

“Nico’s not fine, Mama.” Ruby whispered, “She won’t wake up.”

Maki sighed. Patient first. Then figure out if there was actual danger for the girls.

“I had to leave the bullet in.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Yes. Leave the bullet in, drain the wound, let the new skin grow. Lead won’t kill her; infection might.”

“Her side’s really red.”

“Did you clean it?”

“I didn’t want to be too rough.”

“Wait a minute, Dia.” Maki stopped letting Dia steer her. “Hanayo, make me coffee and bring me boiling water.”

“Okay, Maki.” Hanayo headed for the kitchen.

“Fast.” Maki could feel the headache starting. Fortunately, there hadn’t been that much punch in the brandy she’d drunk at the Queen Of Cups. Her head was clear.

Lying on her back in Hanayo’s bed was a pale, tiny woman, all sharp angles and fragile beauty. Her hair was long, lush, and sable, straying all over the pillow. Her lips twisted as she breathed, maybe muttering, maybe just nonsense syllables of pain.

“Her name is Nico?” Maki asked.

Ruby nodded.

“That’s what she told us.” Dia said.

“Did she tell you anything else?”

“We had to keep her a secret.”

“We might not be able to do that.”

“Mama, we promised.” Ruby’s eyes were wide.

“And you told us never to go back on our word.” Dia was right behind Ruby.

Maki had. But Maki hadn’t promised. And although this woman seemed older than the teenager Maki had seen on the latest Wanted poster, the resemblance was enough to give her many new concerns.

“First thing, we have to get your new friend’s wound cleaned out and disinfected.”

Ruby and Dia exchanged a look.

“Mama always knows what to do.”

“I can assist you.” Dia opened Maki’s bag.

“You can. Find some gauze. Or see if Hanayo has some plain, CLEAN, cotton cloth she doesn’t need.”

“What can I do, Mama?” Maki glanced back to the woman in Hanayo’s bed, noticing the thinness and the evident fatigue, picking up a sudden feeling of loneliness seeing her so stark, tiny against the plain sheets. “You hold her hand, Ruby. She seems like she needs to know there’s someone on her side.”

“All right, Mama.”

###

Pain. A blast of pain and heat. Nico’s hand squeezed something small and warm and there was a high pitched squeal. Nico immediately released the…hand? She opened one eye to see Ruby, both hands over her mouth, bright green eyes wide. Then the blast of pain again and Nico turned to see another redhead, a grown up redhead, linen shirt plastered to her skin, sleeves rolled up, packing Nico’s wound loosely. The stench of carbolic acid made Nico gag.

“Hey!” Nico swatted weakly at the redhead, who pushed back to give her a long look. The eyes were gemstone colored and just as hard.

Nico felt a soft touch on her hand, turning to where Ruby was propped next to her pillow. “It’s okay, Nico, Mama’s gonna fix you.”

“I’ll make sure she does it right.” Dia handed Maki a dry cloth.

Nico forced herself to sit up. “I know it’s not that bad.”

“For a bullet lodged in you, lower abdomen is one of the better places.”

“Nico knows that.”

Maki frowned, “But there is still a bullet lodged in you. And an infection started. I think I can get the bullet out, but then we’ll have to let the wound drain.”

“Can’t you just stitch me up?”

“I would be stitching the infection in.” The doctor went back to work, “Quick way to waste my time. And your life.”

Brusque manner, quick, gentle hands, angry, clenched jaw.

“You’re hurting Nico.”

Maki sighed, “This is the best way. And I’m a trained doctor, a graduate of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania.” Maki met Nico’s glare, her voice even, “It’s not my first bullet wound.”

“Pigii!!!” Ruby had turned away, her face in the pillow.

“Maybe this isn’t the best place for your little girl, Doc.” Nico patted Ruby’s back, “Don’t be scared, Ruby. Your Mama’s taking good care of Nico.”

“Here’s your coffee and water, Maki.” Hanayo put a large tray on the cedar chest.

“Can you take Dia and Ruby and feed them supper?” Maki asked, her tone mild.

“Of course.” C’mon girls. You need to eat. You must be starving.” Hanayo picked up Ruby, but Dia refused to leave Maki’s side.

“Go on, Dia. I’ll be there soon.” Maki smiled.

“Listen to your Mama, Dia. Nico will be fine.” Nico managed to not tremble at the surge of pain, keeping a grin for Dia.

Dia considered, then nodded, and followed Hanayo.

Nico let out a long breath, fists clenched. “Now Doc, make Nico fine.”

“It’s Maki. Or Doctor Nishikino. Do you want something to bite into?”

Nico glanced to where the girls had gone. “Yeah.”

###

Maki had her bedroll unrolled in Hanayo’s main room, ready to tuck Ruby and Dia in for the night.

“Time to get some sleep, girls.”

“I want to see Nico.” Dia pouted.

“Nico needs to sleep too.” Maki pulled quilts up around Ruby, guiding Dia under the same pile. “Don’t worry, Hanayo and I will watch over her.”

Maki had moved the rocking chair into Hanayo’s bedroom, between the bed and the window. Hanayo came in from the bathroom, changed into a nightshirt. Maki was still in her trousers and untucked shirt. She was taking this first shift.

“There’s some more coffee I left on the nightstand.”

“Thanks. Glad to have something to keep me company.”

Hanayo settled into her own bedroll.

There was a sudden sound from the bedroom, as if something had hit the floor.

“Mama?” Dia, worried.

Maki was already on her feet, anger pulsing energy to push out any sleepiness. If Nico had gotten out of bed, after Maki…

Maki stepped into the room, surprised at the sight of a ginger haired woman half sprawled between dresser and floor, not having successfully climbed in the window.

“Don’t move.” Maki reached for the rifle she’d left next to the door.

“Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot.” Both hands rose in the air, “I’m sorry. I was just going to be in and gone, after I checked on Nico. I swear. Just let me go. You never saw me.”

“You know Nico? How did you find her? Did you shoot her?”

“I saved her…or stopped Erena from shooting her again.”

“So you’re one of the A-RIse gang.”

The ginger shuffled her feet, “Not exactly. Saving Nico would get me shot if I went back. Tsubasa’s not nice.”

“Tsubasa?”

“Tsubasa Kira, the boss.”

“Who are you?”

“Rin Hoshizora. I’m actually…” Rin moved her hand.

Maki snapped the rifle up, ready to do damage.

“Just wait, please. I’m a Federal Marshall.” And Rin pulled out a badge. “Undercover.”

“So you’re here to arrest Nico?” Maki wasn’t sure if she wanted to explain that to Ruby or Dia. And she was positive Nico shouldn’t be moved.

“Nico’s harmless. Retired from being the number one bandit. Three days ago.” Nico croaked from the bed.

Rin giggled, “Smart move.”

Maki moved closer to Nico, pouring her a glass of water with the hand that wasn’t holding the rifle, “Drink more.”

“Yes, Doc.” Nico quirked an eyebrow at Rin, “She’s a tyrant. Pretty though.”

“Maki, what’s happening?” Hanayo crept into the doorway, her voice soft.

“We have another visitor. A Federal Marshal.”

“Ooohh, that’s so brave.”

“Breaking and entering is not brave.”

“I just wanted to check on Nico, then report in.”

“Nico’s better. Thanks!”

Rin nodded.

Maki was full of practical questions, “Report in where?”

“Got any food or coffee.” Rin was standing now, “It’s been a long run.”

“You didn’t ride a horse.” Hanayo’s eyes were wide.

Rin ruffled her hair, “Hard to hide a horse. Or track from the back of one.”

“I’ll make you pancakes.”

“Nico likes pancakes.”

“All right,” Hanayo smiled, “Pancakes all around.”

“Put the rifle down, Doc. Rin’s not gonna hurt anybody. She saved my life.” Nico urged.

Rin followed Hanayo out of the room as Maki slid into the chair. Exhaustion was never a good constant companion.

“Girls okay?” Nico asked.

“They’re fine.”

“Got a husband?”

“They’re orphans.”

“That’s tough.”

“Yeah.”

“Frontier life is rough enough on kids.”

Maki stared at Nico for a long minute.

“Seems pretty rough on you too.”

“Nico’s got kids running around too, well, before I joined….”

“Really?” Did bandits have families? Would it be safe?

“Siblings. Nico’s Papa died and Mama needed help so Nico took the first job offer.”

“Bandit?”

“Actually, Nico was cooking for A-Rise, but moved up pretty quick.”

Maki rolled her eyes. This wasn’t a job interview. Maki didn’t need a bandit or a cook.

Nico moved and groaned, “Nico will be back to cooking breakfast soon.”

“Sheriff Sonoda has your Wanted poster up.” Maki raised an eyebrow, “You looked like a kid.”

“Tsubasa wants to blame Nico for everything, have everyone chasing her while…”

“What?”

Nico shook her head, “It’s better you don’t know.”

“Sheriff Sonoda will probably be up here tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t come back to town with Ruby and Dia. She pays attention.”

Nico exhaled, “It’s good that you have someone looking out for you. The frontier’s no place for a single parent.”

“I can take care of us.” Maki leaned back, letting the chair rock. It was surprisingly easy to talk to Nico.

“Friends don’t hurt.”

“Do you have friends?”

Nico thought about Rin coming through the window, concern on her face, “Might now. But Nico’s always had family. We take care of each other. Nobody hurts them on my watch.”

Nico sounded so fierce.

“I want that for Ruby and Dia.”

Rin bustled back into the room, a plate in each hand. She gave one to Nico, then settled on the end of the bed, finishing hers, “These are the best pancakes, Nico-chan.”

Nico took a bite, “Pretty good, but Nico makes ‘em fluffy.”

“But your buckwheat’s grainer.”

“It’s healthy.”

“Rin likes these.” Rin shoved a huge forkful in her cheek.

“Guess I’ll have to get my own plate,” Maki had her arms ready to push up.

“Nah, Kayo-chin is bringing yours in a minute. She said you’d want bacon.”

“Kayo-chin?” Nico asked.

“Cute nickname for a cute girl. Japanese is fun. English is...” Rin shrugged.

“Next you’ll be calling the Doc here Sensei.”

“Hi Sensei.” Rin waved a fork.

“Just Maki.”

“Okay, Maki. Your friend Kayo-chin is cute. This is a pretty big ranch. She have a…partner?”

“No.”

Rin relaxed, Nico nodded and took another forkful. Maki yawned. Why do people continually obsess over those kind of details?

###

Dawn. Maki woke up. She’d fallen asleep in the rocking chair at some point in Rin and Nico’s continuing pancake dissertation. The ginger marshal had fallen asleep at the end of the bed, curled into a ball like a pet cat. Nico was sprawled out, limbs everywhere, almost laughably silly looking. But more relaxed. Sleep had done Nico some good. She had more color. Maki found herself staring at the sharpness of Nico’s profile, remembering the humor in eyes that hid more painful emotions.

Maki tilted back in the chair, running a hand through unruly curls, watching the sky outside lighten, listening to Nico’s light snore, hearing Ruby make a little cry in her sleep, followed by Dia’s comforting whisper. Maki wasn’t home, but as she stretched out her legs and watched banks of clouds turn as red as the depths of Nico’s eyes, comfortable was an easy enough term to claim.

[paperanddice]

Haugbui

A haugbui is an undead spirit tied to is burial mound. Often they are created intentionally from willing participants to act as protective spirits over nearby farmland or villages, though its protection is sustained through regular tribute. Traditional offerings include rituals such as pouring the first beer from a barrel, leaving a portion of each meal out overnight, burying a percentage of all wealth gained from trade, or even blood or livestock sacrifice. In order to fully awaken the haugbui, it must feed, and so the ritual to create one includes planting a corpse of some kind in the burial mound, usually a hawk, hound, or horse.

Each haugbui can observe several miles around its burial mound without leaving, and can use magic through its observation point, allowing it to provide protection and aid without being physically present itself. They prefer to remain within their mounds, but will be drawn forth over great insult or injury, or if they must extend their protection beyond the range which they can scry. A haugbui that does not receive tribute rarely turns hostile, remaining humble and calm even in such circumstances, though they will withdraw their protection until tribute is offered once more.

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

Pathfinder 2e

Haugbui Creature 13 Rare Medium Incorporeal Spirit Undead Perception +26; truesight Languages telepathy 120 feet, plus any two languages they knew while alive Skills Arcana +24, Intimidation +25, Religion +27, Society +24, Local Lore +28 Str +4, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +5, Cha +3 AC 31; Fort +23, Ref +21, Will +24 HP 185 (void healing); Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 10 (except force, ghost touch, spirit, or vitality; double resistance vs. non-magical) Sunlight Powerlessness A haugbui caught in sunlight is clumsy 2 and slowed 2 for as long as it remains in the sunlight. Speed fly 40 feet Melee psychic claw +27 (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 3d8+14 mental Divine Innate Spells DC 33, attack +25 ; 7th dispel magic (×3), execute, shatter (×3); 6th blessed boundary, repulsion, scrying; 5th locate (×3); 4th cleanse affliction (×3), cleanse cuisine (×3), dream message; 3rd blindness (×3), mending (×5), mind reading (at will); 2nd invisibility (at will); 1st bane (×3), create water (×3), mist (×3); cantrips (7th) light, stabilize, telekinetic hand, vitality lash, void warp Constant truesight Divine Rituals DC 33; geas, plant growth Sepulchral Scrying 10 minutes (concentrate, divine, manipulate, scrying); Frequency once per day; Requirement The haugbui is within its burial mound; Effect The haugbui creates an invisible floating eye at a location within 5 miles of its burial mound that lasts for up to 12 hours. The haugbui can move the eye to any other location within that area, or dismiss the eye as a single action with the concentrate trait. The haugbui can see and hear from all directions from the eye as if it were using its normal senses, and can cast its innate spells as if it were at the eye's location.

13th Age

Haugbui Double-strength 7th level caster [undead] Initiative: +10 Psychic Claw +10 vs. PD (2 attacks) – 20 psychic damage. Natural 16+: The target is also dazed (save ends). R: Life Drain +12 vs. PD (two nearby enemies) – 25 negative energy damage. Natural 16+: The target loses a death save until the end of the battle (they now die after failing three death saves). This is not cumulative. R: Moonbeam +12 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies) – 20 holy damage, or 30 holy damage if the target has any spells active on them. R: Telekinetic Hurtle +12 vs. PD (one nearby enemy) – 20 damage, the target pops free from all enemies, and the haugbui repeats this attack against a different enemy as a free action. On a hit, both the initial and second target take the damage and the first target is moved next to the second target. Limited Use: 2/battle, when the escalation die is even. Flight. Sepulchral Scrying: The haugbui can oversee anything happening within several miles of its burial mound. Whenever a fight occurs in that area, the haugbui can scry upon the battle and observe what happens. 1/battle, it can use life drain or moonbeam, targeting creatures of its choice. Resist Weapon Attacks 14+. AC 23 PD 20 MD 20 HP 170

[onenettvchannel]

BALITANG ENTERTAINMENT: Prime Video expands Adult Animation universe with New Seasons of 'Helluva Boss' and 'Hazbin Hotel' [#FIRSTonOneNETnews]

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- American streaming service 'Amazon Prime Video' (APV) officially secured the rights with VivziePop's indie production company 'Spindle Horse' picking more new seasons of both 'Helluva Boss' and 'Hazbin Hotel'. It was during the 'State of the Hellaverse Panel' at LVLUP Expo 3-day event held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in 'Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America (U.S.A)' Friday afternoon (April 25th, 2025 -- Pacific local time).

Things go medium-rare to extremely mature-rated cartoons in history on both sides of the universe. Voice actors and actresses are the lead fictional characters like 'Charlie Morningstar' and 'Blitzo Buckzo'. Vivienne Marie Medrano (VivziePop) is the only moderator herself, and the online show creator also serves as executive producer, who currently takes part in the event panel.

Within minutes before the actual afternoon panel… 'K5 News FM: Dumaguete' obtained an exclusive announcement video, in cooperation with Philippine telco firms 'DITO Telecommunity' and other telco sectors from around the globe that the new seasons on both shows are now confirmed.

There may be some speculation that most or several new episodes will be totally uncensored & uncut, including a lot of spicy sex scenes over to APV, then followed by her main personal channel 'VivziePop' to be uploaded after a month or two via video-sharing platform YouTube (Google's parent company "Alphabet") in censored versions free-of-charge. This means that the viewers on YouTube will slowly decline outside the paywalled subscription platform due to enacted rules and regulations, or is being decided not to release the offensive ones for non-APV subscribers. While 'VivziePop' distancing herself from all-negative criticisms, politically unverified claims of kid-friendly age limits, and the leaks from brutally harassed and toxic online fans ahead of the new season.

Blitzo, the eccentric leader of 'Immediate Murder Professionals' (IMP) told 'K5 News FM: Dumaguete' in an announcement video, 'VivziePop' takes full control of both shows and APV will distribute globally including the Philippines; once the scripts, post-productions, final touches of animation and securing global licenses from Spindle Horse are completed in full per season and per web-series show.

Animating the episodes takes a lot of time to produce, so the 2nd new season of 'Hazbin Hotel' will take place by the Fall of this year, following the remaining seasons 3 and 4, just a few years on or before the Summer Olympics 2028 in Los Angeles, California. Although, Seasons 3 & 4 of 'Helluva Boss' remain undetermined for now. The expected release window is by early 2026 or later.

The panel was 45 minutes long at the "State of the Hellaverse", 'VivziePop' recently unveiled a potential crossover between 'Hazbin Hotel' and 'Helluva Boss', us exciting fans with inter-connected storylines. Voice actors and actresses moderately discussed the characters' emotional arcs and themes of personal growth, highlighting the series' resonance with viewers. Concluding off with anticipation for new seasons and gratitude for the fanbase. If its not enough, there are lot of sponsors like Good Smile Company, MoeFlavor, YouTooz and Hot Topic for these goodies are exclusively for adults.

Through their partnership with 'Amazon Prime Video' and 'Spindle Horse' after picking up from online legal streaming management, the web animation series from 'VivziePop' reaches its highest point yet, but not on national TV with full respect of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in America. Both web-series shows can anticipate new season releases thanks to APV's platform distribution. Through this partnership, the creative team gains strong resources and expanded accessibility benefits all viewers developing their exclusive animated domains.

You can catch-up the latest or relive the best and hellish moments of 'Hazbin Hotel', available to stream right now on Amazon Prime Video with a monthly subscription, and on the other hand for 'Helluva Boss' available also to stream for free on YouTube, which to be later expanded on APV.

ART PHOTO COURTESY: TheTitanDrawHH via X Network PHOTO BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://x.com/thetitn20119578/status/1916316401784029588 *https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxQN1dWlS8CYiv5YlWcpAIL6nEC7WKq5pG *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbGg8TDqRbA *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31aKpse5mTk *https://deadline.com/2025/04/helluva-boss-renewed-two-seasons-prime-video-hazbin-hotel-1236377335/ *https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/04/prime-video-hires-on-helluva-boss-adult-animated-series-with-extra-seasons/ *https://www.vitalthrills.com/helluva-boss-prime-video/ and *https://thepopinsider.com/lvl-up-expo-2025-news/

-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team

[kroashent]

Faebruary '25 # 19 - Kris the Baobhan Sith

"The night is cold,and yet the night is young. Come, join us in our dance, traveler, or warm yourself by the fire. We can promise you a night you will never forget..."

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Faebruary: I am very excited to share this monthlong project with you all! Regular viewers of this channel will know that a lot of my creative focus goes into Kroashent, my ongoing fantasy series. There's a ton of background lore for the series, so I thought it might be fun and helpful to run a little project to introduce to viewers new and old, to the characters and creatures of Kroashent, with a twist!

For the month of February (or rather "Faebruary!" I will be posting drawings of the characters of Kroashent as different creatures from Alvez, their world. To begin, these creatures will be the "Tuath", the sapient, social creatures of the world (think the playable species of D&D). (We'll address the beasties and things that go bump in the night in a future project)

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Kristina Brezilerez Kernvvoger: Kristina is the daughter of an Eladan military engineer and a court dancer, and she carries on the legacy of both parents, overseeing the construction and execution of defenses for the Barony of Blackwater, as well as serving as its chief sapper when the Barony besieges enemy strongholds.  An avid dancer, Kris implements a rare form of non-verbal huderezh (cast magic) using motion and dance, combining this with her knowledge of resonance and flexibility to both create and destroy fortifications.  Known as the Siegebreaker, her unique approach makes her a reknowned figure in military engineering.

Baobhan Sith:The Baobhan Sith are fae predators, slender bipedal humanoids, with deerlike hooves. Incapable of producing their own foyson (Magical life essence), they instead extract it from living prey, possessing small, hollow fangs capable of siphoning blood. They hunt in packs of four, enticing lone travelers or small groups to join them in their nocturnal revelries before consuming their lifeforce. The dance of the Baobhan Sith has an entrancing effect, similar to that of a cobra.

Baobhan Sith typically wear long, flowing green dresses. They call themselves Deontóirí mianta, or Wishgranters. Despite their predatory nature, they are full members of the Unseelie Court, answering Winter's Call to gatherings, taking part in ceremonies, battles and courtly intrigue.

Baobhan Sith have a fear and hatred of horses, and will avoid them where possible, acting nervous and skittish when confronted with a horse. While in a blood frenzy, this aversion becomes more apparent, and they will flee from equines. Nightmares and Ki Du will often attack the Baobhan Sith on sight.

Val's Notes: Quite a few people were asking for this entry, Kroashent's vampires, the Baobhan Sith. The Baobhan Sith are a faerie from the folklore of the Scottish Highlands, and are actually one of two "vampires" found in Alvez. The other, the abhartach, are feral revenants stalking forgotten burial mounds. Of the two, the Baobhan Sith are the more social, capable of sophisticated planning and communication, as well as engaging with other Tuath.

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If you are interested in supporting Kroashent and projects like this one, considering showing your support on my Patreon! Patron's will get an exclusive nude version of most of the Faeburary pictures, including this one!