#it's nothing new XD

[mymanymerrymuses]

What with it being father's day if anyone wants children for their muse(s) I have six that always need parents XD

[maskedhatterdoodles]

I gave him blanket. Moopsy deserves blanket

[littlebittyhollowbugs]

Bretta! Or Cornifer and Iselda!

Have them all!

Bonus Iselda and Bretta together because I hc Iselda becoming a mentor figure to Bretta, after Bretta decides to attempt to become a hero herself, And needs some nail training. Iselda was already super supportive (and secretly protective) of the young girl. Their dynamic is cute <3

[sweepingboy]

"General Ming Guang is doing palm reading!"

Gods surround the ruler of North giggling and shoving each other like a bunch of teens. They're hooting and hollering as they listen to old Pei's fortune telling, teasing each other. Sex, love... It seems that some topics will always bug people no matter how many centuries they lived.

Mu Qing rolls his eyes at them but keeps watching from his seat across the table as Pei Ming masterfully flirts with young goddesses clearly abusing his palm reading excuse as he brushes his lips against their delicate hands. They blush and squeak and look at the deity oh so hopefully.

Mu Qing came in terms with his fate long time ago - always in a rush he had no time to fool around. He took his vows, sharpening himself like a sword. A blade that had passed the fire of the forge and the icy waters, the singing steel praising the scarlet drops on the grim metal. Protecting attacking - he has a duty, he chose it himself 800 years ago.

He feels a tug in the ribcage as Pei Ming grabs Xie Lian's hand.

" Ho-ho!, Your Highness! I see a long and happy marriage" Ming Guang winks "death won't be enough to set you apart!" The prince blushes and laughs awkwardly placing a hand over his chest where, Mu Qing knows, the diamond ring is hidden. He clenches fists under the table the bandages digging uncomfortably into his skin.

Quietly he gets up and leaves.

Gentle wind plays with his hair as he stands in the shadows of the garden feeling like a shadow himself; frozen in his power he watches the life passing leaving him behind.

"General Xuan Zhen," familiar voice calls "may I have your hand?"

Mu Qing sighs in annoyance as steady footsteps approach him "I'm not interested, Ming Guang."

"Xuan Zhen," the other general teases " is this how you treat your elders?"

Mu Qing scoffs at him, while Pei Ming smiles charmingly. Exasperated, he lifts his hand and starts taking off the bandages slowly, arranging them into a neat roll as he does so. Inch by inch he reveals areas of burned skin - some pale pink, healing already, some still aggressively red. At least they aren't wet with ichor he thinks. He hated feeling moist cloth against his skin.

General Ming Guang takes his hand carefully.

He traces the lines gently - Mu Qing thought they wouldn't be visible at all remembering how tight was his grip on the red-hot hilt of Zhanmadao but they are even more defined like that, long curves against the puffed flesh.

"Your heart is covered in thorns."

"How original."

"Shush! You're listening to me now, young man!" "It's hard for a living creature to get through the thorn bushes."

Mu Qing rolls his eyes "It's not how you read a palm."

"Many people see it as cruel and dead" the god continues patiently "but I can see that this heart has bled enough. General you have lived many troubled years without warmth - but you know what cold is because you have something to compare it to" the younger god listens to him, as calloused bog fingers dance over the creases of his skin "This stubborn heart will do anything for those it cares about. It will endure pain, reproach, misunderstandings. I like that little guy."

"My dear Xuan Zhen," Pei Ming's thumb is gently massaging the center of the palm "you carry the most beautiful rose in your chest. A lover worthy of you should be willing to prick himself dozens of times to see it's bud. And you must be ready to let it bloom when the time comes."

"If the time comes." Mu Qing whispers.

Pei Ming calmly looks him on the eyes "When. The Heavens are full of brave men."

"Thank you general" he says quietly " I will treasure your very accurate detailed prediction."

"Sure. Want me to do your horoscope too?"

"Please spare me that honour."

Pei Ming laughs and hugs him with one hand and Mu Qing can feel a small smile forming on his lips.

[gamegarden]

when cucurucho took chayanne into the interview room, there were already some signs in there that he broke before we could see them 👀 idk if they were just left over from like. a run through before the stream started or if they were intentionally left but given that it's an uncustomized sign color (light blue) and today we learned there's still one unaccounted for egg that's alive..

[zu-is-here]

Imagine...Cross and Dream as Vikings....fighting (badass) And a little Viking, Aim, following them

oh my god they were a family... ★

[desultory-novice]

Opinions on you as a person? Well... I don't really know you that well... But based off of what I see here... You're very nice, you work hard, very passionate about the Kirbyverse! You do your best to accommodate everyone, answering every question! Not to mention, very supportive of other creators! I'd say you're pretty cool!

What spurred this on?

Aghh! /pos Thank you...

Thank you to everyone because ALL of you wrote really nice things?!? I really do have a skewed view of myself, I guess... No one even said I needed to work harder on all the stuff I say I will do and then don't ever seem to do in good time >.>;;

(Speaking of, to the anon who specifically said they want to see me stream on Twitch again, that is a VERY good idea and I would love to!! That sounds like a great time and I could use the fun. I would also...haha... I would LOVE to stream myself going through the WHOLE series so we can talk cool Kirby facts together!!)

-

I guess I was feeling conflicted because another round of the Kirby OC Tournament is upon us and I kinda want to...cheer for my OC and produce more content of him (he's back to rotating in my head, rotisserie chicken style) but...I've been doing that non-stop for MONTHS already!! ^^;; And I also MISS being the kind of Kirby blog that went on weird drunken rants about Dark Crafter and other canon characters! (Or gave precious time to my beloved OTP...)

I worried people, even people invested in the tourney, might think I'm being flaky or self-absorbed for wanting to give my OC just a little more attention... (I'm also struggling to find the right way to do so! I have a LOT of roleplay-related anxieties + having a grimdark angst puppy OC doesn't help. And even though I have been dipping my toes in, I worry maybe I'm just more cut out for solo writing...?)

...But either way, I expect OC content to drop off naturally once the tourney is over in October (this will be my "one" first-and-last OC experiment too) so I suppose it's not that much of a wait anyway!

-

Also, maybe we'll get some other kind of !surprise! big Kirby news in the meantime that will put my head back on straight! XD

[mikimeiko]

Maxxxine (Ti West, 2024)

[slashingdisneypasta]

Hey... what's your favourite urban legend or ghost story?

🌲🕸🌲🕸🌲

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

hello again fellow denizens of our beloved hellsite, once again i need assistance in picking my Next Book To Read (after i finish this nonfic and perhaps also HILL HOUSE). these are all somehow adjacent to the writing project i'm working on, so i might even read them in order of Victor to Loser (though i reserve the right to say nah).

please help me select my next read based on ZERO propaganda, only titles and cover vibes.

here are all their beautiful faces:

button-press away!!

[mementoasts]

ryuji purin

[cpirits]

[ multimuse | multiship | multiverse ] 

▶ muses from anime / manga / video games / books / movies

▶ cherished by zero

▶ 200+ muses to choose from

▶ IMs are always open to chat; discord available upon req

▶ ask always open / magic anons welcome

▶ follows back from @opscurus​

▶ AU maker / divergent portrayals

▶ low activity

▶ NSFW content (not cut but tagged)

▶ non-selective sideblog

------

MUSES | MUN | RULES

[ info on the blog ]

[braceletofteeth]

5, 12, 17, 19!

❤️🧡💛bl ask game💚💙💜

5. Favorite Female Character

Mam from Never Let Me Go (I tried talking about it once before...). Actually, it'd probably be a tie between her and Tanya (from the same series).

But while I admire Tanya because she's this strong, respectable woman, with a truly unconditional love for her child, I still feel like Mam's “flaws” are more compelling to me.

Because- well. I've been the person who judges her, I've been her, and I've been her child. I've been through all of it. And I know how people look at and what they think about women like her—so I know how easy it would have been for the ones who directed the narrative to let its audience throw stones and condemn her character without giving her a chance to speak.

Her point of view doesn't make what she did right (or wrong, for that matter), but I appreciate that there was a space within conversations for her to voice some of her feelings. Her dilemmas, her regrets, her desires.

Many times in fiction, when it's a story focused on kids or teenagers, parents are portrayed as just that—someone's parent. A mom is just a mom, and her story ends where her child's begin. I liked that Mam was a woman, and a mother, who was neither there to be antagonized nor sanctified. I liked that she made a selfish decision, put herself first, and lived the life that she wanted, as fulfilling as it could be. I liked that she knew she couldn't have everything, but still gave herself the choice of what she would rather have, despite what was expected of her. I liked that she was honest with herself, and with the ones that she loved.

12. Most Rewatched BL

After discovering it, I watched Utsukushii Kare five times between May and December last year. Would have watched it even more this year, if it wasn't for the fact I'm only now having time to rest properly. I'm planning to do the next rewatch this month, preferably this week.

The reason why I've rewatched UK many more times than any other BL is that, well, for one, it's not lengthy. You can watch both seasons + the movie and that would be little more than an afternoon/night/morning. Plus you know you're gonna enjoy every second of that time.

It's hard for me to put into concise words why I like this drama so bad, because- Man, I like everything. I like the dynamic between the characters, I like them (and to study them) individually, I like the acting, I like the chemistry between the actors, I like the BEAUTIFUL AMAZING INCOMPARABLE original soundtrack made especially for it, I like the scenarios and the vibes, I like the colors and the lighting and the angles, the moving shots, the still shots, the tension and the timing. I like the humor, I like the drama, and I like the romance. I like the way they express themselves, the acts and words they use; when, where and how they use it. I like how so many little things are meaningful throughout the story. I like how they found the exact kind of love and support they needed in their lives. I like how protective they are over each other; how jealous, mesmerized and touched they can get. I like the co-dependency and the tangible yearning. I like how it's both so intense it's kinda crazy but also so tender it makes me wanna cry.

There's nothing ever made in this world that I'd rather watch more.

17. Best Kiss

(doesn't specify what kind of kiss, but I thought it was already hard enough deciding among the mouth-to-mouth ones—so those were all I took into consideration for this.)

This may sound like a basic answer, but as long as I have eyes, and ears, and a heart... it's got to be PatPran's Rooftop Kiss in Bad Buddy.

I tried not to reach a final verdict too fast and even rewatched some of my personal favorites (KinnPorsche's separation kiss on EP6 of KinnPorsche; NuengPalm's own rooftop kiss on EP5 of Never Let Me Go; SandRay's angry-desperate kiss on EP9 of Only Friends; and others from these same three series), but in the end... There's still nothing that can compare.

It's hard to breathe watching the moments that lead to that kiss. While they kiss, you can hear Pran crying. He kissed that man like that was the only kiss he'd ever get for the rest of his life. He kissed like he had waited for a thousand years, and a thousand more wouldn't be enough to recover after.

Good luck beating that.

19. Favorite Female Actor(s)

(sorry, couldn't decide on just one!)

I was recently captivated by Nina Nutthacha performance in Love Sea. I love how expressive she is, and how you can easily identify and sympathize with the emotions she's portraying. She did impressively well in both the humorous and emotionally poignant scenes. I'm looking forward to more of her works in the future! 💕

Another actress that I like is Samantha Melanie.

Ever since her character in Until We Meet Again won over my heart, seeing her show up in other series always makes me happy, no matter how brief her appearence is. She's the kind that brightens up a room just by being there (and. also she's so pretty 😳).

[reikurusu]

I did something really exciting today!

I'm not going to bother you with details about it, but I have a really bad relationship with my father's side of the family. He passed away 23 years ago and even before that, he was hardly there for me and my brother. After he passed away, my mum, brother and I didn't really have the best relationship with his side of the family either and haven't spoken to any of them in, like, 15 years.

So when we were in our late teens (like 10+ years ago), my brother and I started thinking about changing our last name to our mum's. Because, y'know, she was actually there for us.

But the legislation around it was very strict. You had to apply for it, have a good argumentation, and it had to get approved with a royal decree and all. Plus, it cost a bunch of money. So we wanted to do it, but all the crap that came with it, it just wasn't worth the trouble...

At the beginning of July, though, a new law came into force where, for one time, you're allowed to change your first or last name without all the hassle of the royal decree nor the cost of it (just so you know, this is something completely separate from when a trans person changes their name. There's an entirely different legislation surrounding that.)

So this morning, I went to town hall and applied for the name change! Which is so cool!! (My brother applied a week or two ago)

It will take about a month for the paperwork to go through and afterwards I have to go back to change my ID and driving license and all (and I have to contact my bank and insurance and what not) but it's so exciting!!

It's also a bit weird because obviously you're so used to your name and to have it change all of a sudden... It's, I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like you're a different person all of a sudden? It's feels like letting go of the person you were all your life? I don't know if that makes sense.

So yeah! I'm so excited about this!!! It's going to be weird and I'm probably going to use the wrong name out of habit, but I'm so happy that I can finally do this and leave that side of my life in the past!!!

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Valicer In The Dark -- More Score & Story Ideas!

Because, uh, I have a lot of ideas for stuff I want to do in this verse, and the original list from a year ago has expanded quite a fair bit:

-->While I haven't gotten all of my stories into a proper timeline yet, I do have the first five sorted:

A) "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" -- the story currently in progress, where the trio all meet, solve Victor's ghost problem and Ghost!Emily's Barkis problem, get wrongly accused of murder, run from the police (showing off their special starting scoundrel abilities along the way), and eventually end up in Elder Gutknecht's old place in Six Towers. This is sort of the "prologue" to the whole mess, putting all of them in the right position to start on a life of crime. XD

B) "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded" -- yes, I did have Gale of Baldur's Gate III's line about how "a parasite shared is a parasite halved" when I came up with that title. XD As you might imagine, this is the trio first "unofficial" score, with them going to murder Bumby, because the fucker needs murdering. Of course, it's only after they kill him that they meet up with Smiler's parents and learn they were exonerated of the original "murder" by the Spirit Wardens. XD Still no regrets, though.

C) "The Van Dort Vacancy" -- came up with that title while looking at old Oxventure Presents: Blades In The Dark episode titles and being inspired by "The Cab-Con Caper's" alliteration. This story focuses on Alice and Smiler returning Victor to the Van Dort mansion...only to discover the Van Dorts hosting a party. Victor quickly learns that his parents never even considered the idea that he might be in danger when he vanished, only caring about the fact that Victoria Everglot married someone else (and is now due to wed Imperial Guardsman Christopher White after her first husband's death and disgrace) -- and after overhearing his mother declare "what ghost would marry our Victor?" decides fuck them, he's taking his stuff, stealing what money he can, and going to live with Alice and Smiler in Six Towers. Features special guests Barnaby "The Butcher" Fortescue III and Kasimir Jones from Oxventure Presents: Blades In The Dark, because it tickled me to imagine them doing a score to steal some of the Van Dorts' money at the same time -- only for Victor to catch on to what they're doing when he meets Barnaby at the party and go "if you wait five minutes for me to get my things, I will open the safe for you and give you a good chunk of the money inside." XD

D) The currently-untitled story detailing the gang's first "official" job as a crew, picked up when they go to dinner at the Ball & Socket Pub and Smiler overhears two workers from Coalridge discussing needing to get something back from their boss -- the "something" is a list of potential union representatives that the boss stole in order to call assassins on the people listed. The workers need it back to keep their nascent union safe. Notably, the score involves the workers saying they can't give the trio much in Coin, but they'll do what they can -- and then one of them jokingly saying, "Unless you want to be paid in furniture."

Cue Victor, Alice, and Smiler, who currently live in Elder Gutknecht's-not-exactly-comfortable house, going "what kind of furniture?" XD (A couch and a proper dining table, specifically -- old furniture one of the workers was trying to shift after inheriting some stuff from a late relative.)

E) "Who You Gonna Call?" -- As you might guess from the Ghostbusters quote for a title, this story involves the gang busting some ghosts. XD Specifically, it involves Bonejangles -- here a Whisper who does entertainment work for the Ball & Socket on the side -- deciding to school Victor in the art of ghost-catching by taking him on a job to catch a few Echoes (non-sapient ghosts who continually do the same thing over and over again in a loop), with Alice and Smiler tagging along for moral support. However, as it turns out, one of those "Echoes" is actually a Specter (a sapient, feral ghost who attacks people and possesses them to feed on their life force) who was biding its time... I felt a little bad that none of the previous stories really had any Whisper-y stuff for Victor to do, and decided he needed a "day in the limelight" score -- as a bonus, this score is how he gets his ghost-hunting equipment for later!

-->I also have plans for two possible prequel stories -- one showcasing the three times Alice and Smiler talked before the events of "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" (I have the first bit, Smiler giving Alice the money for lunch, actually written already), and one showcasing some of Smiler's life even before that (I have a rough draft of the scene where they wake up the "morning" after inventing Joy Serum and go "bwuh?" over their newly-glowing yellow eyes). Good for filling in gaps and writing more stuff from Smiler's POV!

-->I mentioned Victor wanting to make a community greenhouse very briefly in the very first post I made about the AU -- this has expanded into a whole little arc about him finding an abandoned conservatory while wandering Six Towers and the gang fixing it up into a place where they and the other residents can grow food. In order, the stories would cover:

1) Getting enough money to pay a glazier to fix all the broken window panes (or doing something for the glazier in trade)

2) Acquiring the initial plants (which involves a trip to Barrowcleft and probably doing a job for someone there in trade)

3) Victor researching ways to infuse butterflies and moths with electroplasm to create radiant energy insects to help the plants grow; my idea is that he eventually tries mixing it with some of Smiler's Joy Serum -- and gets REALLY BIG bright yellow glowing moths, to his and Smiler's delight and Alice's concern

4) And then, once the place is just about ready to "open to the public," Lord Rowan, the only lord who maintains a permanent residence in Six Towers, rocks up, claims the greenhouse is his, and demands an absolutely ASTRONOMICAL rent from the trio to use it. Fortunately he proves to be a man who likes games when Smiler asks to negotiate, and tells them if they can break into his house and get the deed to the land from the safe in his bedroom, it's theirs (the trio smartly get this written down and notarized by someone in Charterhall first; Rowan is PIIIIISSED when he realizes he'll have to honor the deal)

-->A related idea would be for the gang to encounter some of the people in Charterhall (the neighborhood mostly made up of one big university) who are working on an alternative power source to help replace leviathan blood (which is refined into the electroplasm that powers everything electric in the setting) and need a place to test it. The trio decides that the alternative energy group can try to get the streetlights back on in Six Towers, and there's a score all around helping them get there safely, and keeping Lord Rowan's nose out of it until they're done. Not sure what exactly it will entail yet, but I'm eager to find out!

-->As stated in previous posts, the gang eventually has to go after Dr. Kelman when he puts out a notice saying he wants the three captured so he can submit them to his special "social compliance therapy" (aka do horrific brain surgeries on them and/or Hollow them by ripping out their souls). This is how Victor and Alice learn Smiler's birth name, and the whole trip proves to be a rather dark look at Smiler's childhood pre-running away and joining the Advocates. In fact, I already have one specific scene in mind of Victor finding a photograph of a young Smiler and noting that their smile in the picture looks incredibly strained, as if they're desperately trying to see the bright side. Also, Miles Cedars is definitely going to show up, and possibly get to murder Kelman. Because I like giving him the chance to murder Kelman. :)

-->Speaking of Smiler angst, I also have in mind a story where, on a particularly chilly night in winter, Smiler, Victor, and Alice are wandering the streets together when Smiler somehow falls into one of the local canals. Victor and Alice fish them out as fast as possible, fortunately, but the rest of the story proves a race against time to get Smiler home and warmed before they succumb to hypothermia. Featuring half-naked cuddling when they learn that skin-to-skin contact can be an excellent way to warm a chilled person (fortunately this is after they get together as a polycule, so the partial nudity isn't as awkward as it could be)...and Smiler crying in front of Victor and Alice for the first time when they can't stop thinking about the fact that, if they'd been walking with their fellow Advocates, said Advocates would have believed them when they said they felt okay...and they probably would have died. :( It is a story of many feels, is what I am saying.

-->So, when does my OT3 actually become an OT3 in the actual stories? Shortly after the Kelman score, in a story entitled "And There Was Only One Bed" (a play on the fic trope, and the fact that the house only has one good bed -- at the time the story starts, the three are taking turns using it, with the other two sleeping on cots borrowed from The Advocates). The story involves Smiler (who has been trying to subtly push Victor and Alice together, having noticed they seem to like each other) finally revealing to Victor and Alice that they're a pretty accomplished hypnotist, and offering to use their skills to help Victor with a nasty bout of insomnia. Victor agrees, with Alice wanting to watch for her own peace of mind -- cue Smiler hypnotizing Victor the next time the three of them are going to bed...

And a deep-in-trance Victor asking to be held as he falls asleep. Prompting both Smiler and Alice to cuddle him...and fall asleep against him because neither wants to get up and possibly disturb him after he does drift off. Meaning when everyone wakes up the "morning" afterward, they're all really awkward -- Alice because she's like "wtf why did I find that hot;" Victor because he's like "oh no I liked that too much and I have to process the fact that I'm in love with both of them now;" Smiler because "damn it I think I just decreased total happiness in this household should have kept my stupid mouth shut." They do their best to push through and complete the latest job they have though (a random "steal something from this rich fucker's house" deal, it's not actually important), which ends up with them having to clamber up onto the roof at some point --

And then Victor nearly falls off said roof. Prompting both Alice and Smiler to nearly have a heart attack and have their feelings toward him thrown into STARK RELIEF. Meaning they all finally have a chat once they complete the job and get back home, which allows them to finally discover that a) they're all willing to get into a polycule and b) that they actually have quite compatible kinks. Story ends with Smiler delightedly returning one of the cots to their parents (Alice insisted on keeping one in case one of them does want or need to sleep alone) and the three of them regularly sharing the bed. :)

-->I also want to do at least one follow-up concerning them starting to play around with hypnosis, and Alice insisting she wants to do something that will help keep Victor Victor no matter what they do to his head -- cue her and Smiler coming up with a safety suggestion that involves Victor picturing the core of his personality as a glowing tree, and then having him encase it in unbreakable glass so his personality can shine out, but nothing can get in. :) It's just a sweet scene that's been rattling around in my head for a while, and I'd like to put it to virtual paper.

-->I mentioned a "Lord E.A. Bethesda" in my Duskwall Slang post a while back, as a guy who gets labeled with the very-dangerous-in-Duskwall title "Welcher" (someone who hires someone for a job, but then decides to try and kill them instead of pay them; people who do this generally end up dead themselves). How does he get saddled with this label? By hiring the Three Pillars to steal a golden beetle statue from a rival (Lord Bethesda is a bug collector, you see), plying them with a hefty reward if they pull it off (which he can afford as the "Gambling King" of Duskwall -- his fortune was built off of getting lots of people to pay him small amounts of money in hopes of great reward). They do indeed pull it off --

And Lord Bethesda happily orders them killed by his guards, forcing them to escape his house in Brightstone. However, Bethesda (who has done this before) employs Plan B and has his guards herd them toward his garden and through a gap in the lightning barrier around his home --

Before turning said barrier back ON and stranding them in the HEAVILY ghost-and-horror-riddled Deathlands just beyond (specifically, they're in the Lost District, a formerly rich neighborhood that was abandoned once the lightning barriers went up). This leads into the sequel story, where the trio have to find a way back into the city while navigating the horrors of the Deathlands...which results in them discovering that Alice's Wonderland Jabberwock, inspired by an illustrated poem she read as a child, is actually based on a REAL CREATURE. Which has the horrible eye beam and wants very much to kill them. (And which may have the voice of Christopher Lee because I might as well throw in the nod to Tim Burton's Wonderland -- Victor is VERY CONFUSED as to why it sounds like Pastor Galswells.) They manage to kill IT instead by strapping Alice's Vorpal Blade (now a real thing, Victor bought it for her as a present) to Victor's ghost-catching kit while Smiler whacks together a sort of motorized skateboard thing for them to ride on and then using the electroplasmically-charged Blade to slice the damn thing's unprotected belly open. Alice claims one of the eyes as a trophy, and shortly thereafter they're found by the Spirit Wardens, who look at the corpse and go "let's just get you back inside the barriers, shall we?" Cue the the trio tromping back to the Ball & Socket and telling the clientele about their experience...leading to Lampblack gang leader Bazso Baz declaring Bethesda a Welcher, and the guy soon afterward getting killed.

-->Not that Baz is actually a friend to the trio -- for another future story has the trio invited to one of his fancy parties, supposedly to recognize how rapidly they've made a name for themselves in the Duskwall underworld. The three go, figuring it's a good way to keep relations good with their fellow criminals -- but are quickly rather disgusted by the party itself, as it feels pretty much like any party Nell Van Dort would throw (overly ostentatious and making it clear he's only in it for the power). They resolve to get through the shindig and head home...

And then Baz reveals that the actual reason they were invited was because they've collected a variety of bounties on their heads (including a big one from the Van Dorts, specifying Alice and Smiler have to die but Victor be brought home alive, and a huge one from Lord Rowan, wanting them ALL dead) and the other criminals want to claim them. Cue the Three Pillars having to try and find a way to escape from the house as the other criminals hunt them. Fortunately for them, they have unexpected allies in Baz's staff, with one guy in particular having a sister and nephew in Six Towers whom they've helped a lot (probably both in general with the greenhouse, and specifically by helping the kid when he got sick once). They eventually manage to get out with the staff's help, and limp their way back to Six Towers...

Just in time to see Lord Rowan trying to make a big speech to the citizens about "how your heroes are dead" and blah blah blah. He is gobsmacked to see the trio still alive, leading to, of all people, Smiler strolling up to him and clocking him in the face. XD Gaining the Three Pillars a reputation as, frankly, unkillable...

Aaaand I should probably cut it there because this post is getting long enough. XD And I haven't even touched upon all the stories I have in mind that are based off of other properties I like! Guess that would be a good follow-up post to this one, huh? :p

[blackjackkent]

"Tsk'va!" Lae'zel shouts with dismay as the battle is joined. "Thorm can't die while Nightsong's still caged."

And indeed, at the far side of the platform where Ketheric has planted himself, there is a swirl of familiar magic. Aylin, recaptured on the rooftop, has been thrown back into her cage, the necromantic power dragging her immortality into the general's body.

Were Rakha more coherent at present, perhaps she would register this, but she has been in terrible pain and under terrible tension for several straight days. With the final opening of hostilities between herself and Ketheric at last, she barely notices Lae'zel's words, or anything besides her target.

She surges up onto the platform and into Ketheric's face with an explosion of fire out of the palms of her hands.

Lae'zel growls low in the back of her throat, flashing back suddenly to the first day she ever knew Rakha - another burst of fire as Rakha hurled herself at the mind flayer in the center of the nautiloid's bridge, leaving Lae'zel to dash for the control console.

"G'lyck... tas'ki, t'rac'shka... not again," she mutters, and vanishes, Misty Step-ing past the platform to appear at the Nightsong's side.

"Free me," growls the aasimar as Lae'zel shimmers into being next to her. "Set Dame Aylin free to wreak her bloody vengeance and set her boot upon the head of that accursed--"

"Yes, yes," Lae'zel says impatiently, grabbing the huge armored woman by the arm and yanking her free of the cage. "There is a line; you will have to get in it."

-----

Rakha pays very little heed to any of this. Her focus is only on Ketheric; she is dimly aware only that the fire of her spells takes root suddenly and begins to burn along Ketheric's flesh, through his hair. Minthara, at her side, is equally single-minded, her blade flashing out, clashing against the metal of the general's hammer, sending sparks flying along the platform. Behind them, Wyll's magic chews away at the mind flayers and intellect devourers that emerge, screaming in fury, from the room's shadowed corners.

"KETHERIC THORM! FACE ME!" bellows the Nightsong, climbing up to the platform at Lae'zel's side. Around her, a bright glow of icy moonlight flares, vaporizing several of the intellect devourers that swarm towards them.

Lae'zel can see Rakha's head swivel just a little at this - the only thing that can distract her from her vengeance, the touch of new magic flooding the battlefield. Something loosens in the half-orc's face, just for a moment and then with renewed energy she sends a bolt of lightning directly into Ketheric's eyes.

The battle grows faster, more hectic, terrifyingly chaotic. Between spells, Rakha briefly seems to vanish from the battlefield, followed by Minthara, followed by for a moment Lae'zel herself, her head swimming into a strange negative version of the world full of distant howls. For every blow they strike against Ketheric, he strikes back just as hard, glimmering blows of necromantically-infused divine smites that detonate like bombs.

And then... suddenly, stillness.

-----

Minthara's blade sinks deep into Ketheric's chest and he staggers. Putrid black blood pours out over her sword, over her wrist, steaming as it puddles on the rocky floor beneath him.

His eyebrows lift - a flash of fear, and then his face settles into cold mockery. "What a fool you are," he rasps, looking from Minthara to Rakha to the others at a greater distance. "You cannot kill me. I am eternal!"

With a wrenching motion he jerks backwards, pulling himself off of the blade, letting the blood pour in waves down his armor. He spreads his arms to both sides, looks up with a wild, maniacal gaze into the arching roof of the cavern.

"Myrkul! Lord of Bones!" he cries. There's a wet, bubbling liquid sound in his voice, but the words are clear, fervent, desperate. "I am here! I am ready!"

Rakha realizes what he is about to do, too late to stop it.

He lets himself fall backwards, down into the deep pit that sits at the center of the cavern, glowing with that pale green light that illuminates the brining pools.

She darts forward to the edge of the pit, her mind flaring for a moment with the beast's uncontrollable rage - how dare you deny me the final blow that splits your skull? how dare you deny this mad dog her teeth in your throat?

But he's gone. And as she peers down into that bottomless, glowing pit, a voice rings in her head. A new voice - not the Absolute, not the guardian, not the tadpole, not the beast, but something entirely new, basso and rumbling and full of icy malice.

"YOU DARE END ONE WHO BELONGS TO ME?"

Her head rings with it. Even the tadpole for a moment seems to cower as it clangs like a gong through her skull.

"I AM THE SMILE OF THE WORM-CLEANSED SKULL. I AM THE REGRETS OF THOSE WHO REMAIN, AND THE RESTLESSNESS OF THOSE WHO ARE GONE."

"I AM THE HAUNT OF MAUSOLEUMS, THE GOD OF GRAVES AND AGE, OF DUST AND DARK."

An enormous skeletal hand lifts out of the pit. Then another. And then before her rises the great bulk of a creature of bone and metal that she has no name for. It reeks of incense and decay, and for once all her rage is lost beneath a primal wave of fear.

"I AM MYRKUL, LORD OF BONES, AND YOU HAVE SLAIN MY CHOSEN! BUT IT IS NO MATTER. FOR I AM DEATH - AND I AM NOT THE END. I AM A BEGINNING."

"The Triad help us..." Wyll whispers.

Rakha tries to swallow in a throat suddenly as dry as those bones. What is that thing? What is happening?

There is no time for more questions. No time even for the beast's rage, because this creature will not bleed. One of those skeletal arms smashes downwards, narrowly missing her head - and she begins a fight not for vengeance but for her life.