#>> MIDNIGHT DOVE. ( leto )

[huntershowl-moving]

HELLHOUND’S UNSEEN COWORKERS.

i’ve wanted to write about these folks for some time because if hellhound was the type of person to accept other people in her life (and if sanya didn’t work to isolate her from them), this would be the closest thing she has to a family. she interacts with this inner circle fairly frequently, as they all serve different needs for each other; if needed, she would vouch for them in a damn heartbeat. just don’t ask her if she cares about them (except leto, obvi) because she doesn’t want to think about that.

in the last three years since she’s been hellhound, she has greatly distanced herself from all of them except for sanya, with whom she still meets regularly and receives jobs from.

first, a summary of what exactly THE UNSEEN is:

everpresent, this crime syndicate has puppet strings in every tier of american society, as well as branches in the governments of other ‘developed’ countries. the reason for the name? nobody knows who is in the unseen and who isn’t (aside from its leader.) the waiter at your favorite restaurant? the officer who patrols your street? your mayor? half the people in the grocery store? even members of the unseen themselves generally don’t know who else is in it – at least, the lower-tier members. (the people named below are an exception.) many have only worked one contract for the organization and never been contacted by them again. many owe them a favor or two, to be collected in the future. 

they profit from a number of criminal enterprises, having a hand in almost everything: assassination, private security, drugs, embezzling, theft and fencing, arms dealing, forgery... the list goes on. they're also behind a number of legitimate shell companies and businesses.

in mainverse, the unseen is a name spoken with fear, reverence, and a glance over the shoulder. in modernverse, to those who deal with them, the name is not spoken; to those who don’t, it’s an urban legend.

under the cut because long post.

SANYA TRISKEL - THE BOSS.

they’re just begging to be put first, aren’t they? sanya is the leader of the entire unseen, gold-eyed and un-aging. what they’re thinking at any given time is a mystery. hellhound can’t tell whether they actually care about her in their own way or they’ve invested enough in her that they see her as an incredibly valuable weapon (probably the latter, though.) they doted on her meticulously for an entire year after she lost her arms. their hand was directly involved in everything she learned to do with her prosthetics. if they told her to stop breathing or throw herself in a river? personal goals be damned, hellhound is devoted unhealthily to them, to enough of an extent that she would do it. sanya is a rich socialite who regularly schmoozes with elites and politicians, forging friendships and business partnerships with ease despite the fact that they are a nonbinary person of color (being feared does a lot in your favor, it turns out.) while it’s colloquially known that they lead the unseen, not only is it impossible to prove, their organization is so entrenched in law enforcement that it doesn’t fucking matter.

MORDAI MORETTI - THE POISONER.

mordai is a star in duskwall’s fighting ring culture. beautiful and deadly, she takes center stage, rarely defeated by anyone and respectful if she is. she and hellhound had a small flirtation back in the day – but nothing more than a few sidelong glances and exchanged words could develop before hellhound met aya. they have similarly stoic personalities, so they get along well enough to be able to hang around each other for extended periods of time or train together without getting snappy. she is honest and true – a good ally. she also has a wealth of knowledge on toxicology and crafts poisons for the unseen’s forces, having taught hellhound the basics on toxic flowers when she asked.

LETO AISA - THE FORGER.

there he is. my boy. hellhound’s twin brother, with whom she hasn’t spoken since everything happened to make her hellhound. he has been a skilled artist from a young age; even after he lost his hands and had to get prosthetics, his skill did not dip. despite the fact that he was still an incredibly skilled painter after that point, he was never satisfied with a pair of prosthetics. he always says they don’t work right, they hurt, they don’t feel like they function fully. his work for the unseen is reluctant. he holds great resentment toward sanya for what they have done to him and his sister, and he is concerned about the devotion they continue to foster in persephone. he is currently engaged to a very sweet and down to earth accountant named halwart.

GABRIELA “GABY” LUNA - THE SLIDE.

gaby is a newer addition to the sanctum, but an extremely valuable one. if you take a look around at the people assembled here, you’ll notice a distinct lack of social skills – infiltration was the one area they lacked up until sanya found the perfect candidate. gaby is bubbly, cheerful, and kind, but underneath the bubblegum veneer is a woman with a strong sense of self and a high level of proficiency in the art of spying. make no mistake – she is dangerous. gaby is very difficult to dislike; she melts into any environment with ease, allowing her to be an excellent asset in collecting secrets, planting things in heist locations before the job, and pairing with an assassin to distract targets. persephone is not immune to the gaby; they’re a little soft on her, though they’d never admit it. the two are solidly friendly, but persephone still holds her at arm’s length with the deepest issues.

TAVIN AILLEARD-AMERI - THE ENGINEER.

perhaps the closest relationship hellhound has with one of her coworkers outside of leto and gaby is with tavin. she is a notorious flirt and has been hitting on persephone for years – not that the assassin minds, as she knows (or believes) tavin isn’t serious. any time her arms need fixing up she goes to tavin, who has made and designed most, if not all, of her gear. she has a penchant for serial one night stands with whatever pretty woman she can pick up that day, but stays with none of them outside of short flings. she and her brother henri escaped to the unseen after henri murdered their parents. the two siblings no longer talk.

HENRI AILLEARD-AMERI - THE FENCE.

perhaps one of the unseen’s strangest, most off-putting, and least likable members, henri got his sister tavin into a world of trouble when he murdered their parents because he was mad at them for a trivial reason. he has no friends, a house stuffed full of oddities and trinkets that he has collected over the years, and a sense of humor that usually involves pushing people’s buttons on purpose. he fences stolen goods and trades in information, and those who come to him usually only do so if they absolutely need to. 0/10. his vibes are wack. hellhound hates going to see him more than most people.

DERYTH - THE BODYGUARD.

deryth is sanya’s personal guard. they are never seen in public or private without her by their side. not much is known about her, including by hellhound, but the two share a mutual understanding in their standing with sanya and the unseen – an unspoken one, an understanding of quiet looks and nods. all that’s really known about her is that she isn’t from akoros, she has no family here, and she is almost always calm, a very calculated fighter and a great guard because of that. there’s a reason she protects someone as influential as sanya.

TIERNEY SHEA - THE DEVIL.

one of the unseen’s most well-known employees outside of mordai, tierney – the loose cannon, known as ‘the devil’ to the city of duskwall – is volatile and unpredictable, with a threateningly muscular build, a barrel chest full of celtic tattoos, long, wild ringlets, and strength that allows him to tear grown men in two. tierney was born in ironhook prison. children of iron, they’re called. most don’t stay within the prison as they grow up, but tierney did, fighting and winning in its annual gladiator event brutenacht as an adolescent before being released out into the world. it is impossible to know what tierney is going to do next. sometimes he’ll be in a pub, happy as can be, and the next he’ll be massacring everyone inside – he causes chaos, pure and simple, and he’s (unsurprisingly) in frequent contact with hellhound. they have an... odd acquaintanceship. he’ll insult her, she’ll insult him back, they’ll drink together and be on their way, and then he’ll talk shit about her behind her back and they’ll get into a fistfight about it. it’s hard to tell whether tierney likes or hates them. he very much enjoys spreading rumors to their coworkers that persephone is not only sanya’s pet, but also in a more physically intimate relationship with them. hellhound doesn’t particularly give a shit what the others think about them, so they never cared what he said, until he started to talk about her disappearance and her estrangement with leto. then, things got Tense.

AJAL - THE HEALER.

ajal is the unseen inner circle’s doctor, and a damn good one at that. he’s kind, patient, and knows how to bring someone back from the brink of death ... the only issue is that due to the quirks of his voidblood, mushrooms grow all over his body. it unsettles people enough that he has never had a lover, despite being a deeply social person and a romantic at heart. he is good friends with most of the unseen’s circle, and at least neutral with the rest (certainly kept hellhound alive numerous times. she doesn’t talk to him much, though.) he also uses his mushrooms for healing tinctures, so just ... don’t think about it too hard, and it’ll be fine. otherwise, he is a very fine and warm fellow. 

[deficd]

I have an updated interest tracker that can be found here. Even if you filled out the previous one, it’d be great if you could fill out this one (as some things have changed), if possible. c: This also serves as permission for me to send you memes and give you random starters from said muse(s).

Link to google doc of muses + rules.***

Not sure how to interact? Send a meme!

Status: Forever semi-hiatus.

Queue: Paused until I can fill it a little

I can also be found at the following URLs:

@paramounticebound (Khan from Star Trek)

@sxbaist (Star Trek OC)

@valleyofgolg (SWTOR OC side blog)

***DEAD DOVE, DO NOT EAT.

List of current (as of 12/30/24*) muses beneath the cut:

Primary Muses-- I have a lot of brain power for the muse and they’re open for anyone.

Ragnar Lodbrok (Vikings)

Kratos (God of War)

Arthur Morgan (RDR2)

Darth Nihilus (Star Wars)

Hilda Ragnarsdottir (Vikings OC)

Arcann Tirall (SWTOR)

Darth Agonia (SWTOR OC)

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Dune)

Secondary Muses-- I have some brain power for the muse and they’re open for anyone.

Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars)

Fox Mulder (The X-Files)

Dragonly (The Witcher)

Gyda Ragnarsdottir (Vikings)

Sindre Ísleifsson (Vikings/Historical OC)

Solveig Ísleifsdottir (Vikings/Historical OC)

Max Rockatansky (Mad Max)

Doctor Strange Supreme (Marvel)

Doctor Strange (Marvel 616)

Celeste Morne (Star Wars)

Connor Kenway/Ratonhnhakéton (Assassin's Creed)

Thexan Tirall (SWTOR)

Glossu Rabban (Dune)

Piter de Vries (Dune)

Tertiary-- I can’t always muster up the brain power for the muse, but they’re open for anyone.

Cipher 12 (SWTOR OC)

The Outlander (Dishonored)

Saw Gerrera (Star Wars)

Paper Star (Carmen Sandiego)

Alara Kitan (The Orville)

Isaac (The Orville)

Jarael (Star Wars)

Marcus Drusus (Raised By Wolves)

Moon Knight (616 Marvel)

Johnny Estrada (Alternate History OC)

Brynhild (Alternate History OC)

Revna of House Nasrai (Dune OC)

Sirthi al-Karak (Dune OC)

The Vessel (Fantasy OC)

Request Only-- I’m running on fumes for the muse, and not sure if I do them justice, but they’re open for anyone.

Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)

La Bruja en Las Paredes (The Darkness)

Valka (How to Train Your Dragon)

Senua (Hellblade)

Manadh (LOTR OC)

Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones)

Katie del Castillo (Red Dead OC)

Private-- Usually tied to a canon, so I’ll only throw them at those who ask or show interest.

Vera Harkonnen (Dune OC)

Lucan Anita Zascem (Dune OC)

Clara Metulli (Dune: Prophecy OC)

Ilya Harkonnen (Dune OC)

Leto I Atreides (Dune)

Test-- Just testing the waters, but open to anyone.

Teal'c (Stargate SG-1)

Soma (Assassin's Creed)

Eivor Varinsdottir (Assasin's Creed)

Vette (SWTOR)

Silco (Arcane)

Abeloth (Star Wars)

Beckett Mariner (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

D'vana Tendi (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

Reagan Ridley (Inside Job)

Amicia de Rune (A Plague Tale)

Paul Atreides (Dune)

Ghanima Atreides (Dune)

Lana Beniko (SWTOR)

Vaylin Tirall (SWTOR)

Yoshii Toranaga (Shogun)

Kashigi Yabushige (Shogun)

Vasco Rodriques (Shogun)

Mizu (Blue Eye Samurai)

Shin Hati (Star Wars)

Simon "Ghost" Riley (Call of Duty)

Oda of Clan Cadera (Star Wars OC)

A'den of Clan Spar (Star Wars OC)

Theron Shan (SWTOR)

Kahhori (Marvel)

Jack Delroy (Late Night With the Devil)

Father Paul Hill (Midnight Mass)

The Ghoul (Fallout TV Series)

Lee Harker (Longlegs)

Rocket Raccoon (616 Marvel)

Ronan the Accuser (Marvel)

Miguel O'hara/Spiderman (Spiderman 2099)

Aunty Entity (Mad Max)

Nux (Mad Max)

Cassandra Cain/Batgirl (DC)

Mark Grayson/Invincible (Invincible)

Brodie (Deathgasm)

Tula Harkonnen (Dune: Prophecy)

Desmond Hart (Dune: Prophecy)

Count Orlok (Nosferatu)

[huntershowl-moving]

if hellhound's brother got his wish and they met after three years of not talking to each other, he would not like what he saw

[huntershowl-moving]

drabble 001: rotting city

 some people find refuge in the embrace of another. a parent, a brother, a lover. some people find refuge in courage. some find it in habits, healthy or unhealthy or somewhere in that sloshy gray area in between. some people don’t find refuge at all.

PERSEPHONE AISA used to believe she found her refuge in family. not a complete one by any means. a voidblooded child on the streets of a city corrupted by the clawing hands of moral decay would not be safe on her own. but she wasn’t on her own. she had her twin: LETO AISA, quiet and sensitive with a creative soul. they took new names when they left home. new names to symbolize new lives. new names for a fresh start, away from their barbed-wire parents, their gilded-cage life. leto was not good at standing up for himself. he was empathetic, his words falling flat when he tried to sound tough. he didn’t want tofight – he wanted to draw, paint, create beauty out of duskwall’s dust and grime, make something within its crackling lightning wall that was beautiful rather than bloody… but the two needed to eat. they needed somewhere to sleep when it rained. they needed to stay alive in the midst of gang wars and hungry eyes searching for voidblooded children like them to traffic who-knows-where. so persephone picked up the slack. they’d shared a womb, but they didn’t share everything: she had all the fire. quick to temper and slow to forgive, persephone did whatever she had to in order to keep her and leto safe: steal, con, hurt people, a spirited little anklebiter with a cunning mind and fast hands. she was the first to pick up a knife. she was the first to draw blood. but that didn’t mean she was ruthless. persephone did her best to solve problems nonviolently. she wasn’t good at words, but like leto, she was empathetic; it was easy to see when hurting someone wasn’t an appropriate solution, when they were more hurt than she was already. an exchange of money or information was a better use of both her and the antagonist’s time. logic, already primitive in a child’s mind, was frequently overruled by the pair’s emotions. and when the two hit aroadblock, they chose an option that would change their lives for the worse, forever. duskwall was already ruled by a handful of factions: gangs, mostly, peppered with a few secret societies and larger crime syndicates. none of these were more insidious than THE UNSEEN. if the name didn’t reveal enough, the unseen was of a debatable size – no one knew how many people were in it, who was and who wasn’t on their side, in their pocket, on their payroll. they were rumored to have people in the government, influencing the lord governorship; people in ironhook prison, controlling who was and wasn’t put away; people in the bluecoat police force, the imperial military, the goddamn factories. despite its apparently insidious size, there had never been an information leak. now, that wasn’t to say everyone in the unseen was – well – unseen. its leader, SANYA TRISKEL, was comparatively very fucking seen. they lived in the largest mansion in the city. bigger than the lord governor’s, bigger than the suite the emperor stayed in when he came to visit duskwall. they were a public figure who wined and dined with duskwall’s finest, attended nearly every opera, and installed gramophones in their most frequented establishments so that they could listen to jazz whenever they wanted to. they weren’t from duskwall’s mother continent, the imperialist country akoros. they had been born in iruvia, a continent southwest of akoros whom the imperial military had not gotten their colonizer fingers on yet. sanya immigrated to duskwall at an unknown time and somehow managed to become the most powerful person in the world. one arm was made from an unfamiliar white metal, something light and strong that glowed with yellow light. their eyes, an amber-gold hue, split into two irises when they were angry ( so the rumors went. only an unlucky few had ever seen them angry and lived to tell the tale. ) they ruled the unseen from the public eye, their fingers wrapped around puppet strings attached to every continent in the known world. duskwall was certainly under the unseen’s heel. knowing all of that, persephone and leto decided to try and ask for the unseen’s help when they finally ran out of scraps of luck. no more benevolent bakers. no more unguarded awnings to sleep under. no more money, no more water. there was only one direction to turn. the contracts were short and uninvolved, at first. eavesdrop on this conversation. report to this messenger. pickpocket this man’s mailbox key. run this message to that client. their orders came from different people every time, as that was how the unseen worked; no one knew each other’s names or faces, only the right thing to say. as time went on, though, their jobs became increasingly more precarious. persephone broke her arm trying to escape a client angry with the news she brought him. leto was reduced to tears over and over again, and they had no one to tell that it was too much. they couldn’t ask for help from colleagues whose names, faces, and locations they didn’t know. nobody talked to sanya, of course – such a huge organization meant that very few members of the unseen interacted with them directly. the twins were teenagers – thirteen or fourteen, she couldn’t remember anymore – when they finally decided to escape. the unseen had proved too dangerous to stay in while planning a future for themselves. persephone spent days charming the booth worker at the floating city’s airship docks enough to get herself and leto tickets off of the continent altogether. no more duskwall, no more akoros, no more unseen. besides, other people had left the gang before. some had retired, some had quit, all without much fuss from the gang at large. the twins had no belongings other than a few keepsakes from home: a small framed painting for leto; a mostly-empty bottle of cologne for persephone that smelled like a pine forest; the clothes on their backs; each other. leto, with his nubby black horns, persephone with her smoking hair. the night before their departure, they sat in their assigned room in an unseen safehouse and drank clean water from a shared pitcher. ❛ where d’you think we’ll end up? ❜ leto asked, scratching at the base of one of his horns. his skin was drying out now that it was getting colder, and the horns area itched like crazy. one of his paintings sat drying next to them, its corners weighed down by rocks. duskwall, but with a sky lit by brighter colors than the shattered sun would normally allow. ❛ i don’t know. ❜ persephone was still having trouble hiding her ritzy brightstone accent. it was the quickest way to peg someone for a runaway kid, the quickest way to get yourself kidnapped for ransom and thrown back home. she had to speak slowly, if she talked at all. ❛ maybe … mm. severos? ❜ ❛ you just want to pet the horses, seph. ❜ ❛ i also wanna eat all the fruit. ❜ ❛ all of it? ❜ ❛ well – i mean – yes. but they can grow more after that. ❜ leto smiled, covering his mouth with a hand to hide the grin. persephone hated that the world had made her brother so self-conscious. she cracked a smile back with an involuntary little chuckle. this … this was the happiest she’d felt since before they’d joined the unseen. it was her and leto. nothing could stop them. the last thing persephone remembered from that morning was the cool breeze of a hopeful dawn, before she and her brother were dragged away with sacks pulled tightly over their heads.

––––––––––– HELLHOUND, THE HUNTER doesn’t find refuge in much of anything. once persephone became a sleeper, anger and grief arose in her place to form the shape of a woman fed by liquor and fury and unhealthy loyalty. she and leto haven’t talked in almost three years. it’s better that way, to hellhound; if leto hates her, he won’t share the cloud of shit-hits-the-fan bad luck that seems to follow her everywhere she goes like a hungry stray. he does not know what has happened to turn persephone into hellhound. if he knew, he would be killed. it’s as simple as that.  attachment is weakness, as far as hellhound is concerned. the deeper a bond becomes, the more vulnerable both parties become to demons and prying eyes; if you care about no one and no one cares about you, then the only person your enemies can go after is yourself. yes, hellhound has a brother. i heard she doesn’t give a damn about him, though. they haven’t even spoken once in three years.  better that way, she repeats when the longing threatens to eat her alive. better that way, better that way.