#[About Captain Ravyn]

[lookthedevilintheeye]

In general, the Hero Crews will have a Sin Pirate as their antagonistic counterpart, but it's seldom ever 1:1, especially with the corresponding cardinal sin. For instance, Ruixiong is Sing-Lung's counterpart, but Sing's greated Sin is Wrath (wanting revenge for San-Gwong). Meanwhile, as much as Captain Ravyn is, well, Captain to her Crew, but her Sin counterpart is Abena, despite Ravn's biggest sin being Greed.

It's mostly regarding the personal narratives of the characters. Ravyn is a mother who is aloof and distant from her son, Omar, thus grabbing the attention and animosity of the Sin of Envy (who lost her own child). Meanwhile, Sing-Lung has been removed from Chinese culture as an orphan and dearly loves San-Gwong, and well, Ruixiong has been removed as well and is the one who (reluctantly) killed San-Gwong.

So not everyone is going to have a rough 1:1 thematic match like Phoebus and Isaac. I don't think Isaac's greatest sin is Sloth anyway. Pride?? idk. I'll see in the future when the stories are more developed.

[melodywritesstuff]

Nothing more than a relic (The Shepherd King Missing Scene)

There isn't nearly enough content for this fandom, so here's my humble offering. Hope you enjoy this brief missing scene set at the end of Two Twisted Crowns (spoilers ahead!).

(Ao3 link above, but it's so short I thought I'd put it here as well)

Summary: Elm and Ravyn destroy the final Scythe card.

Words: 640

---

Elm tried to ignore the way the stairs to the palace vault felt all too like the confines of the dungeons. The same cold stone and stale, underground air pressed in on him. The cold tore at him, though it was hardly frigid here with torches casting a warm light along the walls. Elm fixed his gaze straight ahead, the way he always did in the throne room. He focused on the sound of Ravyn’s steps behind him.

At the vault doors, he pulled out the keyring he had begun carrying and opened the locks. The box where the king had held his Providence Cards was exactly as Elm had left it, untouched since his last visit, but for one addition.

His father’s Scythe sat on the top of the stack. Drops of dried blood marred one edge, barely discernable against the red velvet, and Elm knew it was his own. He picked up the card and for a moment, its familiar feel was almost comforting. He twirled it between his fingers.

"You destroyed Hauth's Scythe," he said to Ravyn without looking up. "And mine was used to unite the deck. If Brutus Rowan's was destroyed-"

"This is the last one." Ravyn finished his train of thought.

Elm wavered for a moment, then held out the card.

"I want you to destroy it," he said.

Ravyn didn't move to take the card. His brow creased.

"Are you sure?" he asked, and Elm hesitated.

For so long, the Scythe had been his shield, his crutch. His protection from Hauth and from the world. It had been his armor, but also his prison: the fear of what Hauth could do to him- could make him do.

The reason for an education in pain.

Elm remembered lying in the road, in agony, praying he had held on long enough as the card took its toll.

The far greater pain of standing immobilized, utterly helpless, as Hauth drove a dagger into Ione's heart.

"I'm sure," he said firmly. “I refuse to be another Rowan to rule Blunder with fear.”

Ravyn took the card and, as easily as if it were a simple piece of parchment, tore it in two. He handed the pieces back to Elm.

Elm thought for a moment of putting the halves back in the box, or even of burning them. Instead he tucked them into his pocket; nothing more, now, than a relic- a reminder of a life past.

He closed the box, leaving the remaining cards, and turned towards the door.

Ravyn was looking at him thoughtfully.

"You're a different man than you were when I left, Elm," he said. "Confidence suits you."

"And happiness suits you," Elm replied. "It's nice to see the way you smile when you look at her. Who would have guessed that Ravyn Yew, fearsome Captain of the Destriers, was a romantic."

Color rose in Ravyn's cheeks, but his lips twitched into a sheepish smile, and Elm laughed.

"Trees, even thinking about her makes you blush," he teased. Ravyn gave him a playful shove.

"I could say the same about you," he said, and it was Elm's turn to grin.

"I suppose we're both love-struck fools," he conceded.

“Fools who have a banquet to attend,” Ravyn nodded gravely, throwing his arm around Elm’s shoulders. “I’m sure people are waiting to speak with their king.”

Elm groaned.

“Perhaps I could stay down here, say I lost track of time…”

Once, he would have done it without hesitation- to spite his father or simply because he wanted to- but they both knew that that Elm was gone. He was king now, and he had every intention of doing the job well. And of course, Elm thought as he followed Ravyn up the narrow stairs, the pageantry was infinitely more bearable with his family at his side.

---

->Everything belongs to Rachel Gillig, this is just for fun! :)

[der-karibisch-heyder]

Caribbean Currency 2

Continuing from the last post I made.

(Pictured: Florentine Guilder from 1341)

So I did a bit more reading around, mostly in the interest of grasping living wages and cost of living in the 17th and 18th centuries. In doing so I came across more in depth information about Dutch currency beyond the Lion Dollar, namely the Guilder.

Guilder, which is the English term for Gulden, which is German and Dutch for just “golden”, an informal term for “gold penny”. It is largely considered interchangeable with the Florin, as the currency was widely used all across the reach of the Holy Roman Empire. Anyway.

A Guilder was essentially worth half a Lion Dollar. Recall earlier, a Lion Dollar is worth between 4 and 5 Shillings in English currency. It takes 20 shillings to make a pound, thus 4 to 5 Lion Dollars to make a pound. Hence, it takes about 10 guilders to make a pound, so a Guilder is roughly equal to 1/10th the value of the pound or English Guinea. This is all noteworthy because the Guilder was the long accepted go-to currency for foreign reserves, likely due to its equal value and standing with the Florin and its widespread use across central Europe.

In reading on all this, I too found the values of ships were often rated in tonnage. Specifically about 20 pounds to the ton. Using some ships in Devil’s Eye for a quick reference...

La Demonia Roja, a massive Manilla Galleon, weighs in at 1000 tons of storage, giving it a massive value of 20,000 pounds.

The Barracuda, a simple schooner, weighs in at a mere 100 tons, giving it the value of 2000 pounds.

The Barracuda’s long standing rival and competitor from their piracy days, the Dutch vessel Diantha, being a converted Fluyt (a ship with a unique design meant to maximize tonnage without taking up too much area), weighs in with 400 tons for a value of 8000 pounds.

The HMS Cavalier, a 6th Rate warship oared frigate captained by an old former friend of Ravyn Hurley’s father, Post-Captain Jack Davenport, weighs in at 300 tons for a value of 6000 pounds.

For comparison’s sake, the annual wage of the First Lord of the Treasury of England was 4000 pounds. It’s a little sad that Ravyn’s pride of a ship is worth less than that, but such is life. Middle class wages were expected to be anywhere between 40 and 75 pounds a year, which is about what would be expected for a merchant trader who owned a ship. Given the costs of a ship and hiring a crew to captain and sail the ship, the loans must be outrageous. Despite that, a ship was a long term investment that often paid for itself several dozen times over several decades of use, which is why piracy for stealing such vessels was a lucrative business to begin with.

Other notable wages and fees of the 17th and 18th centuries include:

Coach rides were 5 pence per mile if you rode inside the coach, and 2 pence per mile if you rode on the outside.

River ferrying was about 3 pence per mile.

A cheap shared bed at an inn would cost you 2 pence a night - but an unfurnished room for rent would only cost 1 shilling a week, so it was actually cheaper to pay by week if you were staying over long term. (Things like this are again, why Ravyn needs Robert around to manage the crew’s finances!)

Servants only made between 2 and 5 pounds a year in earnings, but their estate would pay for their clothing, food, and board, which were the most common and costly expenses of living at the time. A more experienced housemaid could make up to 8 pounds a year, and an exceptional housekeeper could make up to 15 pounds a year.

Lastly, it was generally assumed anyone making 500 pounds or more a year were considered wealthy to some degree or another. I don’t know how far up one must go the wealth ladder to be considered nobility or aristocracy, though.

As for the money the Heyder family pulls in, I’m still working that out. I’m imagining Robert having a fairly large amount of disposable income, but not enough to where he can just liberally throw money at any and every problem he comes across. Otherwise it would start begging some questions. I’ll get back to that later.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom—but the monster in her head isn't the only threat lurking. Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her. Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.But nothing comes for free, especially magic.When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers…and guilty of high treason.He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

Review:

In a world where those who are “infected” are either locked up or killed... those who do survive the infection end up with magical gifts. Elspeth was infected when she was young but her father, despite being Captain of the Guards to the King has hidden her away and kept her illness a secret. In this world, people have the magical ability to use special cards that all belong to a “deck” that enables them with certain gifts, such as Maiden cards giving people beauty, Scythe cards giving people the ability to control others, Chalice cards getting people to tell the truth and so on... but when Elspeth was sick and young she accidentally touched a Nightmare card and in doing so... invited something into her... or rather someone... a monster who protects her but there is always a cost for magic. Elspeth has lived her life ever since carefully hiding away her abilities and the voice inside her, she has tried to stay under the radar but when she runs into highwaymen and fights them off only to discover that one of them was the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers and the man who is her father’s successor, Ravyn, Elspeth know’s she’s in more than she could ever imagine. Soon she finds herself intwined in Ravyn’s quest to gather the twelve Providence Cards- which will be a cure to saving his cousin whom the king is holding captive and will use as a sacrifice. The more Elsepth spends time with Ravyn the more she wants to let him know her secrets... and the more they begin to fall for one another... but how much can she trust him? The more situations that require her to get help from her Nightmare the more she begins to lose herself to it.... and soon she might not even be able to control herself anymore. Romance, secrets, enemies to lovers, magic, and so much more come together in this lush story of survival, monsters, and love. I had a blast reading this book and can’t wait for the second book to come out!!!! (Part 1 of a Duology)

*Spoiler/recap for when I read the sequel*

Elspeth is recruited to help Ravyn find the twelve cards not only to cure his cousin but to help her cure herself of the Nightmare in her ( aka the Shepherd King). Elsepth’s ability enables her to see the other cards whenever they are around making her an asset in locating the cards. Ravyn and his family only need 3 more cards in order to complete their deck. By the end of this one they are only missing the Twin Adlers- aka the card that has long been thought to have been lost to history. Elsepth and Ravyn fall for each other. Ravyn is also infected, but his con is that certain cards do not work on him and at the same time he is losing the ability to use more and more cards. He is also a Nightmare card like Elsepth. Elsepth and Ravyn pretend to be courting for the court but fall in love for real.  Elsepth finds herself losing more and more control of herself the more she ask for help from her Nightmare. At the end of the book Elsepth is attacked by the heir to the throne Hauth and his physician so she calls on the nightmare: she agrees to give over herself ( what is left of her) to him in exchange for him saving her, getting rid of them, and makes him promise to help Ravyn and his family. Ravyn comes back too late and finds that the Nightmare now occupies Elsepth’s body. The Nightmare tells Ravyn to turn them over to the King and when they get an audience with the King they say they will offer to help the king since they know where the last card is hidden. 

*Thanks Netgalley and Orbit Books, Orbit for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[sins-of-the-sea]

1 for oc muse questions but for the Captain himself~

QUESTIONS FOR MUNS OF OC MUSES

1.) Why did you create this muse?

Short version: Captain Frascona was initially the first--only--villain for Devil’s Eye! All the way back in 2001!

Long version:

Draft 1 was the story around 2001-2002. Back then, there were only six characters: a swabbie named Johnny, his kleptomaniac lady Captain Ravyn, her ornery First Mate Amir, their eccentric ship surgeon Dr. Tripoli, and the mischievous ship cook/carpenter Sing-Lung.

And besides them, who do they have? Their trusted Quartermaster, Mr. Mortimer, whose running joke was that he was old and ugly.

Except... LO AND BEHOLD, the trusted Quartermaster wasn’t old and ugly--or mortal! He was a young and handsome (???) guy in disguise named Josef (with an f) Frascona, and he’s here to commit mutiny and steal the Devil’s Eye! Why? So he can have serve the DEVIL IN HELL, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA.

..... I was 13. The fella was named after two bullies who harassed me often in middle school, for crying out loud.

Captain Frascona didn’t start resembling the complete mental mess of a man until around 2005, during the first RP with CappnRob. Prior to that, he was just a generic spooky pirate captain. But by 2005-2007, he was shaping up to be a broody emo angy angsty generic spooky pirate captain! :D

To be honest? The Captain Frascona we know now? It’s thanks to his massive character development in Ira/Avaritia, and by extension, Midsummer Misery. So Josep had very literally twenty (20) years to develop! 2001-2021!!

Will I say he’s the Big Bad now? Of course not. Nowadays, he narratively serves as the lead Heavy (as Captain of the Seven Deadly Sin pirates) in the story of the Devil’s Eye.

[supervillain-smut]

Fandoms and Characters Masterlist

AVATAR

Recom Quaritch Recom Mansk Recom Lopez

DC

Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash Leonard Snart/Captain Cold Evan McCulloch/Mirror Master Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow Edward Nygma/The Riddler

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN

Connor Markus Simon

THE EVIL WITHIN

Stefano Valentini Ruben Victoriano/Ruvik Joseph Oda

FALLOUT

Deacon MacCready Nick Valentine Vulpes Inculta Cooper “The Ghoul” Howard Edward Deegan

MARVEL

Michael Morbius/Morbius the Living Vampire Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler

MORTAL KOMBAT

Erron Black Reptile Smoke Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion Kabal Kung Lao Raiden

RESIDENT EVIL

Albert Wesker Carlos Oliviera Leon S. Kennedy

THE ELDER SCROLLS

Ancano Enthir Lucien LaChance Niruin Ondolemar Ralis Sedarys Ravyn Imyan Ronthil Teldryn Sero Vicente Valtieri Vingalmo Vyrthur

STAR WARS

General Hux Cad Bane

LOST AND FOUND (Single Characters)

Henry Jekyll (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) Iorveth (The Witcher 2) Garrett (Thief 2014) Reaver (Fable) Vicar Max (The Outer Worlds)

AO3 EXCLUSIVES (No requests, updated and uploaded at my leisure)

POKEMON

Giovanni Grimsley Nanu Kabu

*This list was made on June 29th 2019, and was updated last on May 23rd, 2024; This is not final, despite what is currently written, please feel free to send in an ask about a certain character in the previously mentioned fandoms, and I will let you know!

[hellpmeimobsessed]

Samrafi

(I’m putting Samrafi under a read more because she has done a LOT)

Name: Samrafi Race: Bosmer/Wood Elf Age: 180 Height: 5'6 Weight: 175 lbs Eyes: Red Hair: Black Companions/Allies/Friends: Cicero, Lucien LaChance, Erandur, Marcurio (Husband), Teldryn Sero,  Ralis Sedarys, Faendal, Ondolemar, Niruin, Talvas Fathryon, Neloth Telvanni, Captain Veleth, Ravyn Imyan, Revyn Sadri, Brand-Shei, Enthir, Nelacar, Ancarion, Garthar, Jenassa. Family: Marcurio (Husband), Sofie, Lucia (Adopted daughters), Dianah (Mother, Hero of Kvatch), Lucien LaChance (Alleged Uncle), Vicente Valtieri (Alleged Father). Guilds: The Dark Brotherhood, Theives Guild, Dawnguard. Worships: Sithis. Champion of: Sheogorath, Sanguine, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora (rejected), Boethiah, Meridia. Nicknames: Sam (only to her closest allies), Listener, Guild Mistress, Lass (Brynjolf only), Sister Elf (Faendal only), Boss (Teldryn Sero, Ralis Sedarys, Jenassa only), My love (Marcurio only), Mother, Matron of Mer (supposed). Primary Weapon(s): Bow and arrow, Ebony bow and Dwarven Arrows.

BACKSTORY/THE DARK BROTHERHOOD Samrafi is the daughter of the Hero of Kvatch and Lucien LaChance's former Silencer, Dianah. Neither have shared their last name in order to protect each other and any other relatives they had. Samrafi grew up with Dark Brotherhood teachings, and stayed faithful. She idolizes the Cheydinhal sanctuary members, and grew up hearing stories mostly of Lucien LaChance, Vicente Valtieri, Ocheeva and Teinaava, and was taught archery by her unnamed step-father. She is a very stubborn and edgy Mer, but should she take a liking to you, you will quickly find she is protective, caring, even a motherly type. She is a ruthless killer, when under contract, outside of that she cares very much for the people around her, and would do anything to protect them. She had planned to do everything alone, but after the events that unfolded during her time with the Dark Brotherhood, she brought Cicero and Lucien everywhere, and cherishes and even spoils Shadowmere. Since she grew up with older Brotherhood teachings, she knew the Five Tenets forwards and backwards, reciting them dramatically to Astrid before driving the Blade of Woe into her neck to 'silence her traitorous mouth'. She cares not for what Sithis does to her in the void, her fire fueled simply by the loss of her only family after her mother turned into Sheogorath. She spared Cicero for many reasons, the top among them being that Lucien was specifically telling her Sithis did not want Cicero dead, she had grown rather fond of the Keeper, and what Astrid had asked her to do was against the Tenets.

THE MIND OF MADNESS She had heard rumors of the Pelagius wing in Solitude during her brief time there, and decided to investigate. She was in shock as Sheogorath continued to recount the very stories her mother had recited to her; it was then she realized he used to be her mother. Saying nothing, with tears in her eyes by the end of the ordeal, she graciously accepted the Wabbajack and became champion of Sheogorath.

THE THIEVES GUILD She had hoped to find a new family with less murder involved in the Thieves Guild, and all was going well and smoothly, until yet another betrayal, this time by Mercer Frey, had occurred. She was eerily calm as the events unfolded, until she faced Mercer Frey, immediately disarming him and beating him to death with her bow. She had attempted to drown herself upon the collapse, only to be thwarted by Brynjolf dragging her out, completely oblivious to her suicide attempt, and she kept it that way until she became Guild Master.

FAILURES She considers her greatest failures, although few, to not being able to save Malborn during her mission to find more details about the Thalmor and the dragons, although saving Etienne Rarnis was a success, not acting on Astrid's obvious betrayal sooner, and not telling her mother, now Sheogorath, that she loved them and knew it was her.

DAWNGUARD She later joined the Dawnguard to kill vampires and keep her friends and family safe after she had to ride Shadowmere to the brink of any normal horses collapse when Faendal had contracted the first stage of vampirism during a random attack, but ended up helping Serana despite everything. Samrafi, however, left Serana and her mother, Valerica, in the Soul Cairn for two days among finding out they worshipped Molag Bal and had put Serana through such a ritual. After making peace with the fact that what was done was done, she returned and helped mother and daughter, discorporating the dragon Durnehviir in the process, and gaining the dragons respect, even helping him in his final and only wish to fly in the skies of Tamriel again, at first convincing herself it was only for the shout he could teach her, later on forgoing the notion and summoning him simply while travelling to give him freedom, even summoning him in Solstheim. She also aided Saint Jiub find his pages for his Opus, and informed Teldryn Sero what had happened to him after he mentioned the very question, bringing Jiubs Opus as proof. She didn't want to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur, especially after learning he was betrayed by Auriel and allowed to turn into a vampire, but orders were orders, and he hadn't ceased his attempts to kill them, and so he fell to the ice sheet below after she landed the killing shout. They retrieved Auriels bow from Gelebor, who she frequently visits with books from her own library, and having hours-long talks with him about the history of Mer.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER After the events of the Thieves Guild, she went to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun, where she had first called home, to drink her sorrows away, only to be approached by a man named Sam Guivene, only to later find out at the end of the run aroud he had sent her on whilst intoxicated, that he was the Daedric Prince Sanguine, and had little time to reject Sanguines Rose once it was in her hands before she was sent back to Tamriel, Rose in hand, with Lucien snickering at her upon her return. She still hasn't convinced him she had no sexual affairs during her drunkness, especially not with the Daedric Prince, but Lucien continuously uses the Roses mere presence as his evidence.

MARRIED WITH KIDS She had no intent, nor did she think it was possible, for her to settle down and have a husband, or wife, or kids! But when she met Marcurio, she didn't know how to feel. She knew, obviously, how she felt about him, her mother had told her and described in detail what it felt like to be in love, but she didn't know how to say it, or even know if he felt the same. While on an adventure just roaming around the Pale with Cicero, they had stumbled upon a tent with an Amulet of Mara in it not too far from the Dawnstar sanctuary. She took it as a sign that her and Marcurio were meant for each other and wore the amulet around him to see if he'd take notice. When he did, she was ecstatic, and when they both confessed, they immediately headed to Riften to arrange their marriage. She had bought Proudspire Manor in Solitude not even a week before she got married to Marcurio, and they moved in immediately. Marcurio began running a store, selling whatever Samrafi found during her travels, and when she came home one day, she found Marcurio stressed and tense. When she finally found out what was wrong, being that Marcurio had wanted children, but he knew Samrafi's opinion on them, he hadn't wanted to ask, but it was eating him up inside. Samrafi admitted she hadn't even thought being married was an option for her, and they agreed to try for a child. Samrafi found out she was pregnant three weeks after her and Marcurio had begun trying, they were ecstatic, Marcurio had cried and thanked her for the opportunity to be a father what seemed like a million times. Samrafi was pregnant for three months until she had a miscarriage and found out if Samrafi tried for another child again, that even if she managed to carry a baby to full term, giving birth would most likely kill her, Dragonborn or not. That took a heavy toll on them both. The Dragonborn was nowehere to be found for another month before they started adventuring again, slowly coming back around to the happiness they felt when they were first married. While visiting Riften, Samrafi had visited the orphanage her assassin career began in, and was handed a pamphlet with details about adopting a child. She went back home to Marcurio, mentioning it, and he was more than happy about the idea, when Sofie had come running from the hallway, immediately latching onto Samrafi's leg and asking her if he was her new father. Marcurio realised she had already adopted Sofie from Windhelm, as they had run into the girl before when Samrafi had bought many of her flowers while there, and always bought her dinner and toys whenever they were in Windhelm. Marcurio was overjoyed and more than happy to accept her as his daughter. Not even two months later had Marcurio brought home Sofia, consulting Samrafi before going to adopt her and welcoming her to her new family. She even had a sister!

DRAGONBORN After a good while of being settled in, Samrafi was attacked by a group of Cultists who claimed she wasn't the true Dragonborn, that someone named Miraak was, and she immediately sailed off to Solstheim after informing her family that she was needed elsewhere. It was in the Retching Netch she had met Teldryn Sero, who she had hired to help guide her around Solstheim and teach her about the unique threats that Solstheim had to throw at her. Despite the Reaver Pirates, Ash Spawn and Netch, she hated Ash Hoppers the most. During her travels with Teldryn, she had met Neloth Telvanni, whom she had heard much about, and she had helped him with his tower, finding a steward and removing his former apprentice from the mortal plane. In turn, he had gone to Nchardak with her to find the Black Book of Hermaus Mora. She still helps him with finding heartstones to this day, and participated in a few experiments. She had even stopped a planned assassin of the Jarl, taking down a branch of the Morag Tong, the only competitors of The Dark Brotherhood, and members of House Hlaalu, winning over the Jarl's favor and earning a property in Solstheim, to which she offered to Teldryn Sero while she was gone, if he would lend his services to her when she returned.

UNEARTHED She had run the gauntlet of defeating Miraak and emerged victorious, and in her adventuring to find every location Solstheim had to offer, even climbing one of four of it's great mountains, she stumbled across Ralis Sedarys digging all on his own at Kolbjorn Barrow. She had offered and funded his expedition, informing him that she needed to return home, but if he needed any more assistance or more funding for the expedition, he should write her. On the docks of Solstheim, Captain Veleth, Councilor Morvayn and Teldryn Sero saw her off, however Teldryn Sero had declined to stay at Severin Manor, instead asking to accompany Samrafi to Skyrim, claiming he was bored of Solstheim. She agreed and brought him along with her, paying for his fair, obviously. She had made multiple trips back to Solstheim, opting to instead put Teldryn on babysitting duty while she brought Marcurio to Solstheim, to which Teldryn quickly shot the idea down, claiming he was no good with kids and would gladly return to Solstheim for the trip instead. After defeating the Dragon Priest Ahzidal, who was evidently found buried in Kolbjorn, something she found out far too late when Teldryn had stumbled upon the book titled 'The Descent of Ahzidal' while travelling to the barrow, they hastened their travel, knowing Ralis was well in over his head and fearing him dead, the adrenaline and fear of a repeat scenario with Cicero, fearing for worse results of not being there in time to save him, brought her to a sprint not even Teldryn could keep up with, she had actually cried out when Ralis was sent flying into the nearest wall as Ahzidal erupted into the chamber, and scrambled over to him once the Priest was defeated, she swore and made Teldryn swear not to tell a soul about what happened, knowing full well about not being in control of your actions when Brynjolf had been possessed to fight Karliah when facing Mercer Frey, and knew the regret Brynjolf still held, she offered to protect him so long as he travelled with her, to which he agreed. By the time their adventuring together was coming to a close, Samrafi offered either Honeyside in Riften or Severin Manor for Ralis to stay in, Ralis chose Severin Manor, and Samrafi saw him off to the docks and secretly payed for his fair and for Captain Gjalund to give him back his money plus the extra she gave him for Ralis when he got to shore. A week later she got a letter from Ralis thanking her for a new start and that he had received the money, and should she ever need his services again, he would be more than happy to oblige.

BLOOD ON THE ICE During the Butcher's reign of terror in Windhelm, Samrafi grew extremely frustrated with how many women had been slaughtered under her watch, and had even tried to protect his final victim, but she payed him back in kind by catching him and slicing his throat open, allowing him to die slowly and painfully, in as much fear as they did.

AVOIDANCES AND DISLIKES/IN THE END She doesn't care for being a vampire like her mother, nor does she wish to be stricken with Lycanthropy, she avoids the Companions due to both rumors of them being werewolves, and being too morally high for a Mer like her, and she has no wish to turn around now. She takes being Dragonborn with much pride, winning the Civil War for the Imperials with even more pride, but most of all she is proudest in managing to keep all of her family and friends safe, and will continue to do so, but pray for Sithis to have mercy on your soul should you find yourself on the other end of her bow.

[wickvdsiren]

         joey batey, cis male, bisexual, he/his 

                            rome welcomes KIERAN RAVYN / NEREUS,                      a SIREN PRINCE. they are 31/ 3000+ years old                and have been in the city for THREE YEARS.              they are known to be RESOURCEFUL + PERILOUS,                 which makes sense because they’re FURIOUS about the marriages.        i heard they’re betrothed to DAMON DVORAK ( HENRY CAVILL ), an INCUBUS.

   hi, everyone ! i’m mori, my sleeping schedule is all fucked up and I can’t wait to write with you all! this thing got long af but the most important things are on the end, I swear! xd

triggers warning: slavery of some sort, child abuse, drowning, drowning child, implied sexual assault, kidnapping.

--- story.

nereus was born in a small town right by the shore. his mom was known for her beautiful voice and he loved the sea, so nobody was surprised by seeing him running around the beach while listening to his mother’s sweet songs carried by the wind into the sea.

one day, a ship comes and the captain becomes obsessed with mother’s voice.  she didn’t want his adoration nor gifs and proposes, but the men didn’t take a no for an answer - to the point of kidnapping her and her kid, get them on the ship and taking them away into the beloved sea.

the men were using nereus as a tool to make his mother submit to his wishes, again and again. she did, though she never stopped trying to fight him and his hands.

one day, nereus ― then not more than six years old ― almost made the ship burn down and got beaten in punishment, whip cutting the skin on his back. it made his mother fight and scream, raising a riot ― she could take the beating but she wouldn't stay silent as her son was hurting.

the captain got furious  ― he tried so hard to make her see that he was the most important person in her world now and she still would look at her bastard son as he was the one. he throws the beaten and still bleeding kid into sea, smirking at his mother and daring her to jump after him if he was her heart and soul. and she did. 

they survived surprisingly long, ship nowhere to be seen when her arms got tired of keeping them both above the water. she tried to whisper sweet things into nereus’ ears, trying to calm down his tired and scared sobbing. the words of love, promises of revenge and warmth murmurs of affection. the quiet ‘ I love you so much, my son, so much ‘ still echoed in his head as water filled his lungs.

they drowned. … or did they?

he wakes up to a burning pain going through all his body, smashing small fist against his mother’s skin as she kept him close. it was her rage that sparkled the magic, twisting her body into the first of sirens, and in hope to get her child back, she bites him on instinct and changing them.  

later, they changed a few people that way, building their own kingdom at the bottom of the sea, but the ability seems to disappear as their number grew.

he watched her becoming leader, and then The Queen, making him The Prince, royals living in the deep water.

--- headcanons, etc.

nereus got a reputation among his people, with his never-ending hunger to lure sailors and drown them, watching the light slowly escaping their eyes. it is, of course, one of the hungers he shares with others sirens, but he got really violent about it few centuries ago, not sparing a single thought whatever they deserved his rage or not. he was losing control, which quickly escalated into a big fight with his mother, making him turn his back and walk away from the kingdom. they made up few centuries ago and it’s still fresh. ( it also one of the reasons he didn’t show humans middle finger and got to live under water again, instead ‘agreeing’ to the marriage. )

on the land, he changed his name to kieran ravyn, even if other sirens can tell who he really is. he doesn’t mind being called prince from them while in private but mostly keeping his royal status to himself.

he still lures people under the water with him, but now mostly they are bad people, but once or twice he did it just for fun .(Then again, he always has fun with it.) kieran is careful to not get caught on it.

he is mostly all fun and games, keeping up with the rest of the world, but there are days when his age is showing. he hides then, not liking to be seen like that — cold, more bitter, lost in thought about past. (He do it mostly because he sees it as a weakness, tbh.) 

he has a big tank filled with fishes and yes, he talks with them a lot.

as siren, he has a beautiful voice and love for water & melodies in his heart. he also can manipulate water a quite bit & his favorite is to make ice daggers bc aesthetic.

he likes to use the power of his voice a lot. He will hum/sing quietly with the intent of just mess up with people, distract them from whatever they are doing. Mostly it just harmless pranks. Mostly ;)

--- wanted connections.

mom, please 

friends? someone who runs right into troubles with him and someone who is trying to stop him from drowning people just because they annoy him.

a long time hook up? they meet sometimes, had fun, and be no their ways. there was no love story, they are comfortable with each other but feelings? nah

PLATONIC SOULMATE. they are it. they get each other and with one look knows what the other is thinking. the greatest bromance you can imagine. probably are little shits to each others too, but xD

people whose family member he killed maybe?

exes of all kinds

that one “immortal” asshole he meets from time to time and they just. don’t get each other. but drinking together is fun.

drink / party buddies !

humans he tricked into thinking he is a human too.

all things, please.

[imagenashyun]

I've been feeling rather burned out/overwhelmed by WoW and Ba'tala, so lately I've been doing more Devil's Eye stuff. Redirecting my creative focus and efforts here and there keeps me on my toes, plus it allows me to explore ideas. That, and Game of Sultans is resparking my interest in the Ottoman Empire.

The thing is, I've always had interest in the Ottoman Empire, but my lack of exposure to fictional portrayals of it beyond "oh, that Middle Eastern empire? Yeah, ok" or "it's like Aladdin, right?" has been super lacking, so even from a fantastical standpoint, erroneous as it would be, there is no point of reference of any to make, and my "BUT IT'S NOT ACCURATE" mentality became more a detriment than a benefit when it comes to exploring fictional portrayals. But by letting that mentality down, and being exposed to Game of Sultans, it not only allowed me to have an open mind on what are the factual bases of fiction that allowed such fantastical portrayals, but gave me a reference point in which I can work on distinguishing fact from fiction.

For the first time in maybe 10-12 years, I finally got that spark of inspiration to try to fix some holes in the Devil's Eye story and develop backgrounds on certain characters, particularly Amir and Jinni, and by proxy, Dr. Tripoli and Captain Ravyn. @cappnrob and I are working on the kinks of the timeline, but at the very least, I can stop indulging in the Sins and work on the Saints beyond being designated story protagonists.

So if you see me wantonly reblogging a bunch of historical shit my followers wouldn't care about, my apologies ahead of time.

[lookthedevilintheeye]

Isaac at current has been going through a fuckton of rewrites ever since Cappn and I decided to drop angels and demons from the Devil's Eye story (people can still believe in them in-universe, they just wont be an actual narrative presence). Originally a part of Captain Ravyn's Crew as its chaplain, he was also an angel incognito named Saraphiel, and Saraphiel watched over the world ever since St. Emilio took out the Master's Eye. This, however, provided a lot of religious implications we didn't want to address in the story (too distracting and... well, bad). So Isaac's story has been almost entirely dropped.

Isaac James Conrad is the youngest son of Maximilian Conrad, a veteran naval chaplain and landed gentry in Winchester, with Abram and Deborah as his two oldest siblings. Studying to eventually become a part of the local Anglican clergy, Isaac lived a highly sheltered life, given the boy was neurotic and anxiety-riddled since very early age. Little did Isaac know was that Maximilian, as a former man of the sea, happened to have connections with individuals who would eventually become pirates--namely two former privateers named Mortimer and Joshua Hurley. While this may not mean much in the present day, it does mean something when Isaac is picked up by Mortimer's old crew led by his adopted daughter, Captain Ravyn.

The kidnapping was accidental, but Isaac--despite his anxiety--stuck around with the Crew upon hearing they are after the Devil's Eye, a talisman Isaac himself became curious about and wondered if it can be purified, and thus, used for a greater good. All the more his drive to join the Crew would be cemented when he spots a man among the Seven Deadly Sins whom he thought was betrothed to his sister, only for him to vanish and leave Deborah at the altar. That man would be known to Isaac as Adam Loisel; in reality, he is Phoebus Ben Ghiat Duchamp, aka the Sin of Sloth. Wanting answers, Isaac sticks with the Crew of the Barracuda to provide educated and religious knowledge and advice, all while encouraging the Crew to resort to diplomacy and conversation with the Seven Deadly Sins instead of battle.

Isaac was initially 19 at the start of the story, but after some rewrites (including those involving Sing-Lung), he has been de-aged and is now 14 by 1721. This means he would not qualify to actually start studying as an Anglican cleric, but he is the closest the Barracuda has to a ship chaplain. Nevermind that no one else onboard is Anglican, and the most religious practitioners are actually Muslim. But eh. He tries his best. No worries, he doesn’t try to convert anyone, he’s much more polite than that.

[der-karibisch-heyder]

11 and 39 for Helen!

From 50 Questions for Female Muses!

"They're.... alright, I suppose? I'm pretty close with my sister Alice, and with my mother... but beyond that, I don't really have any "girl friends" as it were. Johnny's sister Loraine is alright to be around, I guess, but we don't talk much. Captain Ravyn is...."

"Let's just say its a stretch to even call her a "woman", not that it would change my opinion of her any if she wasn't. Anyway - Alice I love dearly, but she's always badgering me about being a shut-in, I wish she'd worry more about her own life problems than my own. As for my mother... well. I'm the oldest, by a fair margin. For several years, it was just me, her and my father in Changsha - and even when we left, my brothers were not born until after we landed in port in the Caribbean. She is very strong, and always works very hard for everything she applies herself to. She taught me Mandarin, and it is because of her I'm aware of the half of my heritage that's much less commonplace in Kingston. She doesn't speak much, but... really, I find that comforting. I hate having to hold protracted conversations."

"I... don't quite understand what it is that you mean by this? Am I attached? Like, emotionally? I suppose I am? I don't... resent being female, if that's what you mean. I don't find myself wanting to be a boy or anything like that. I'm not that hot at being a proper lady, for sure... but I'd be an even worse guy, I bet. As for relating...."

".... I don't know, kind of? As much as I look up to my mother, she's not really one I share a lot of interests in... my brothers and sister connect a lot closer with her in that regard. And my sister... I like spending time with her, but it often feels.... obligatory I suppose. She's a social go-getter, I'm a shut-in cave troll. We couldn't be more different if we wanted to be, even if she is just as smart and well-read as I am. She fits in perfectly with the other girls in town, like Loraine, I tend to just be a tag-along."

[sins-of-the-sea]

I really need to finish setting up the Hero Crews' blog because you have been really missing out on some top Devil's Eye shenanigans I can't have with just the Sins Crew. Like.

On La Demonia Roja, the Captain babysits everyone.

On the Barracuda, everyone babysits the Captain.

[sins-of-the-sea]

It was unintentional at first, but thanks to changes in the story, I can definitely say that, yes, both the Crews of La Demonia Roja and the Barracuda are led by couples. But even when there are similarities, there is also a stark contrast between them.

In the Sin Crew, Josep and Abena are sickenly in love. They get along together swimmingly and seldom ever fight; if they do, it tends to be more playful in nature, and conflicts are always solved with cool heads and calm tones. The biggest conflict that plague them, and remains unresolved for a long time, is overcoming their grief over the loss of their daughter Arcelia in the Razing of Canton. Whenever the subject of Arcelia or children in general comes up, they become a mess. This isn't present in the Modern AU because they'd have centuries to get over their grief by then, but in the Main Verse, the death still hits a very sore spot between them, which can even prompt them to separate if they need to. As such, there is more tension between them at times, but they are mindful to keep it from the rest of the Crew and on the down-low as to not screw up the team dynamic.

But the Hero Crew? HOO BOY. If it weren't for Omar's existence, you wouldn't even know they fucked at least once. Ravyn and Amir don't even act like lovers--they seem to just be Captain and First Mate, through and through, with Omar as their metaphorical midshipman/cabin boy.  Most of the conflict that does ensue is Amir making sure Ravyn doesn't do anything incredibly batshit insane like stealing something that can't fit in her tits, or getting arrested, or destroying another boat. Romantic moments also tend to be utter disasters. While Amir is the much more conventionally sensitive/romantic of the pair, Ravyn is so boorish and coarse, dates and outings tend to end up a complete mess. She's not necessarily aromantic, she's just really really bad at being a conventional lady in any way. As in ‘willing to rip off her stay and petticoats in the middle of fucking public because she can’t breathe’ bad.

If it weren't for the fact the two Crews are enemies after the Devil's Eye, Josep and Amir would get along well for being tired husbands of disaster wives they otherwise can't stop loving for being disaster wives.

[sins-of-the-sea]

Tell us more about Amir 👀

I introduced him before! But I can def describe a bit more about Rashid's great-grandson.

Amir al-Basil was born in Jeddah in 1690 (so he'd be 31 by 1721), generations after Assad exiled his father and sold off Rashid's assets to rebuild the estate. The family since the exile tried to rebuild their honor and reputation in Jeddah, but by Amir's time, an event happened that prompted Amir to run away from home--and the local law. Much of Amir's personal arc is coming to terms with what he did in Jeddah that made him run away and become a pirate to begin with, as well as what can be done to atone without putting the rest of the Crew in danger or at their expense. Despite being Rashid's great-grandson, his personal arc has little to do with Rashid directly, largely due to the generation gap.

For the most part, you can find and meet with Amir among others onboard the Barracuda, captained by Ravyn Hurley, whom Amir partners with as her First Mate. In addition to being the second leader of the Crew, he's also the primary navigator and helmsman, having the most formally trained sailing/military history. He was also, at least at the start of the story, the main muscle, though this position is eventually taken over by Aaron Heyder ( @der-karibisch-heyder ) once he became of age and build.

While I did say Amir's personal arc has little to with Rashid directly, the same cannot be said reversed. Upon learning of Amir's and then Amir's son Omar's existence, Rashid attempts to try to outright kidnap them both to keep them as his personal prisoners on La Demonia Roja, only for them to avert this scheme as often as they can. Amir and Omar do not know about their great (great) grandfather being still alive, however, so they just see Rashid as some creep who wants to add another soul to his Master's pot.

If folks want to RP Devil's Eye in the Main Verse (so this is not applicable in the Modern AU) and want to redeem Rashid, you will have to interact with Amir, Omar, and Captain Ravyn because they are key to his redemption, as well as the discovery of the Key of St. Emilio in India. Otherwise, left to his devices, he's going straight to Hell with the Master.

Fun fact about Amir: Besides being the archetypal rogueish handsome hunky Arab pirate archetype, Amir is written as a very extra superstitious sailor, and not just in terms of Arab superstitions. Due to the general history of sailor superstition often mixing and matching different beliefs from all over the world, Amir is familiar with all sorts of different don'ts and do's of the sea, from not bringing in holy men on board (it pisses off the sea spirits), to not sailing on a red morning. There is also him avoiding black cats, going under ladders, sprinkling salt over your shoulder if you spill it, you name it. It's not obvious in his artwork above, but his color scheme generally even follows the nasir, just to show how much he will do ANYTHING to avert bad luck.

"But Immy, his Captain is a woman! Aren't women bad luck on the ship?" Well...... there's a story behind that. And that story is why Omar exists.

[der-karibisch-heyder]

Helen, if Ruixiong didn't hook up with you, do you have anyone else in mind to be with? Does your dad have anyone else in mind?

"Honestly... I'm really not sure. There was someone I was somewhat interested in among Captain Ravyn's crew - her cook and carpenter, Hui Singlung, but... we never really hit it off. He liked me more than I liked him, I guess. Maybe things could have gone different, but I can't really look back and tell how so."

"As for my father, he only ever pressured me to be more proactive in looking for someone to court me, but never really suggested suitors directly. Though for what its worth, he took a long while to warm up to Rui... for reasons that I would think would be obvious for any concerned father about Rui. Ehehe..."