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dragimalsdaydreams · 3 years

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ok soooo... I’ve never played Pokemon or watched the show or anything, but my dear friend @cobwebbing got into SWSH a while back and infodumped a lot of interesting trivia onto me, including the thing about fossil combinations. we were both horrified by the implications, to the point that she wrote a fun fic exploring the concept (HIGHLY recommend it), and I got invested in speculating the ACTUAL original Pokemon (also, these designs are technically ‘canon’ to her fic)

I tried to mimic some of the official art in lining/shading, but I don’t think I stuck fully to the ‘cartoony’ vibe of Pokemon. ah well, good experience either way

for ease of reading, I’ll be slotting both the image descriptions AND the extra “Pokedex” info about these guys under the cut-- I thought a LOT about their behaviors lmao. for the image descriptions, please assume that the style of all pieces is a mix of ‘cartoony’ and realistic in form, with solid lines and base colors

+bonus! to see the belly <3

[IMAGE ID: text above the Pokemon reads “Zoomzolt” with a yellow button underneath reading “Electric”. the background is a dull yellow with some areas of shade.

this Pokemon is shaped like a prehistoric raptor, with a small/round horizontal torso, a thin neck curved upright, small arm-wings, lithe digitigrade hind legs, and a thin tail held stiffly out at an upward angle from the body. most of the body is bright yellow with small areas of purple, as will be described. the Pokemon is standing cheerily, facing to the left.

the head has a long snout with a prominent bump emphasizing the tip, where a small purple nostril sits on the visible side. the mouth is held open in a happy gape, showing a purple tongue. the front half of the upper and lower jaws have serrated edges resembling sharp teeth, which seem to interlock. the eyes are closed, the lines of the eyelashes turned up with the smile. a small doodle to the left of the head shows the head with jaw closed and eyes open, showing off glossy black-button eyes with tiny eyelashes, and sparkles floating around the eyes. the head is framed by a crown of large, decorative feathers, all of which are a lighter yellow than the body and sport a couple spots of purple. each cheek also has a single purple spot.

a pair of small arms are held loosely to the sides of the body, each with three bare-skin purple talons with long claws, peeking out from under the fluffy yellow feathers of the arm. each arm sports a set of primary feathers resembling a simple wing, ending at around the elbow. these primaries are a lighter yellow than the main body, with a couple spots of purple near the edges. the overall outline at the trailing edge of the primaries forms a lightning bolt shape. there’s a long decorative feather on each of the wings, close to the body, which extends out into a simple zig-zag, before ending in a rounded tip which resembles a peacock feather with a small wisp and a couple purple spots.

the bonus image removes the closest wing primaries, better showing the lighter-yellow underbelly, and the hind legs. the hind legs are long and lithe, covered in yellow feathers up until the ankle, below which the skin is bare and purple. each foot has three toes, two of which are based flat on the ground with mid-length claws. the third toe closest to the body is raised high, sporting a large, sickle-shaped claw, curved sharply compared to the other claws.

a fan of long, light-yellow feathers spans out from the tip of the tail, resembling both the wing feathers and the crown of feathers on the head, adorned with purple spots. the overall outline resembles a diamond, with a vague zig-zag formed by a few feathers on the sides. two long decorative feathers resembling those found on the wings sprout from the sides of the fan as well.

END ID]

Name: Zoomzolt

Type: Electric

Animal Inspirations: road-runners, cockatoos, microraptors in general

Extra design notes: since the spots on the cheeks canonically match the other fossil in the pair, that gave me free-rein to choose whatever color I felt like, and I eventually landed on purple. I also redesigned the arms/wings b/c the shape was just kinda awkward and dull? I think the new wing shape adds more flair to the design, especially in combination with the tail. btw I only thought of the partly-arboreal lifestyle halfway through the piece, and I didn’t feel like changing the claws to fit it better. just know I’m aware that the wing claws should be curvier, and the toe claws (sans sickle) shorter, lmao

Pokedex entry:

Zoomzolts are a highly social species, roaming the moors and forests in groups of 20 or more. while individuals aren’t particularly strong, their tight social bonds more than make up for the lack-- several Zoomzolts can combine their electric powers and deliver devastating blows to even the fiercest opponents. if this isn’t enough, Zoomzolts are a quick and agile species-- they can race away across the plains or climb up nearby trees before their opponent can recover. their unique feet provide an advantage here-- a marriage between an arboreal lifestyle with the curved sickle-claw for climbing, and a grounded lifestyle with the rest of the flat toes for stable running.

besides scaring off predators, Zoomzolts mainly use their electricity to attract and capture prey. at night, packs of Zoomzolts will gather in the upper foliage of tall trees, settle down, and allow small sparks of electricity to arc across their purple spots-- from one part of the body to another, and from one individual to another. this creates a dazzling light show that many nocturnal Bug Pokemon simply can’t resist. when these bugs venture close, the nearest Zoomzolt will quickly snatch them up before returning to formation.

Zoomzolts are friendly and curious to a fault, known for snooping among human belongings if left alone for too long. they’re very easy to train and bond well with humans, but a Zoomzolt will always need more of their own kind to truly thrive. at least 3 or 4 other Zoomzolts are needed for an individual Zoomzolt’s social/mental health, but not all trainers are committed to keeping that many of one species.

~~~

[IMAGE ID: text to the right of the Pokemon reads “Dunkovish” with a tan button and blue button underneath reading “Rock” and “Water”, respectively. the background is a light blue with some areas of shade.

pictured is a fish-like Pokemon, with a typical torpedo-shaped body and a stocky, blunt head. most of the body is blue, with areas of orange and pale yellow, as will be described. the body is positioned in a downward curve, as if the Pokemon is poised to strike at something off-screen.

the head is heavily armored, with most of the main skull forming one large oblong-dish shape. much of this armor is dark blue, while other sections are a bronze-orange color. the jaws are formed out of large, jagged plates, creating massive interlocking orange teeth. the jaw is gaping slightly open, showing a pale blue inner mouth. the visible jaw hinge is rounded and prominent on the cheek. two small, round, bulging eyes sit just above the jaws, on either side of the head near the hinges. the eyes are pale yellow with black, vertical, rectangular pupils.

a few other large plates of armor (some dark blue, some bronze orange) extend out past the main head piece onto the body, arranged like overlapping scales. these plates all have lines at the trailing edges, implying a simple texture. the main body beyond these scales is pale blue, with splotches of dark blue and smaller spots of orange splattered across the body, arranged in a pattern to imply small scales.

there are two sets “limb fins”, one directly behind the lower jaw, and the other near the tail. both sets are built on prominent lobes extending from the main body and matching the main body colors, before the spines of the fin extend out from the ends, flaring out in a pale yellow. the front set of fins is medium-size, smaller than the head, while the back set is much smaller.

the tail fin starts on the back, in the middle of the spine, and extends down to the tip of the tail, then underneath into an extra lobe of spines. visually, this means the main fleshy part of the tail extends into the upper lobe of longer spines, while the lower, shorter lobe of spines flares out underneath, unsupported. this tail fin is pale yellow.

END ID]

Name: Dunkovish

Type: Rock, Water

Animal Inspirations: dunkleosteus, coelacanth

Extra design notes: added in a rock type b/c of the whole “armored fish” thing, and some orange to complement that

Pokedex entry:

this Pokemon roams the open ocean, traveling dozens of miles every day in search of large prey to attack. once spotted, Dunkovish will swim off an appropriate distance, then charge the prey at full speed, ramming their rock-hard skulls into their prey. these charging attacks can easily shatter bone and internal organs, leaving their prey weak and defenseless as Dunkovish feasts.

Dunkovish aren’t typically a danger to humans, as they usually steer clear of shorelines. small shipping vessels are more at risk, as Dunkovish can mistake the ships for prey and ram into them, causing shipwrecks and major losses.

while their power makes them dangerous for the inexperienced, Dunkovish are shockingly easy to train. they’re very food-motivated Pokemon, so all a prospective trainer needs is a lot of tasty chum and a bit of patience.

~~~

[IMAGE ID: text to the upper left of the Pokemon reads “Arctoise” with a light blue button underneath reading “Ice”. the background is light blue with some areas of shade.

this Pokemon looks to be a cross between a tortoise and a plesiosaur, with a large, rounded shell, two sets of long fins, and a paddle-like tail. the shell is mostly snow-white, while the rest of the body is mostly blue with areas of white, as will be described. the body is floating at rest, fins spread-eagle from the body for balance.

the shell is fairly tall and dome-shaped, with the lower half wrapping underneath the torso, between the front and hind legs. the shell has some ridges at the back implying “layers” of snow, which smooth out as they reach the front of the shell. the base color is snow-white, while the lower two “layers” get progressively darker, into a blue-ish light grey. this grey peters out into spots as it reaches the front of the shell.

the head is long, thin, and sharply pointed, making for a thin spear shape. the snout resembles a dolphin beak-- long and rounded at the tip. the eyes are sharp and triangular, with visible white sclera, light blue irises, and round black pupils. the nostrils are based at the center of the beak, raised up along with a small ridge of bone at the center-line of the beak, meeting the forehead. the nostrils are merged together into a small heart shape. a set of small spiral shapes frames either side of the cranium, implying some kind of auditory system. the neck is tucked into the body in the main art, but a small doodle to the side shows the neck fully extended-- long and serpentine like a heron. while the main body (outside the shell) is an aqua blue, the head itself is mostly dark blue, with a few stripes of aqua blue at the tip of the beak.

there are two sets of long, pointed fins, the front set slightly larger than the back set. the front set of fins sit to either side of the neck, settled into the open body cavity of the shell. the back set extend from the shell as well, just in front of the tail. each fin’s base color is dark blue, with white tips and white spots that vaguely follow the inner bone structure of the fins.

the tail is thick and somewhat short, smoothly transitioning from the wide main body-shell down into a pointed tip. lobes of short cartilaginous fins sprout from the top and bottom of the tail tip, the top lobe taller but not as long, and the bottom lobe shorter height-wise but longer. the main tail is aqua blue, while the fins are dark blue.

END ID]

Name: Arctoise

Type: Ice

Animal Inspirations: sea turtles, tortoises, plesiosaur, herons, anhingas

Extra design notes: in retrospect, the ‘shell’ is prolly meant to be a mane of fur, but I like my shell idea too much to change it (if I were to redo it tho, I might’ve gone for like... seal inspiration? selkie lore?? hm). also certain restorations of plesiosaurs shaped the ‘paddle’ on the tail like I’ve shown, which makes more sense to me.

Pokedex entry:

this Pokemon is closely related to the modern Lapras, as seen in their many shared structural features. many researchers even believe Arctoise to be a direct ancestor to Lapras due to genetic similarities, but this question hasn’t been fully resolved.

Arctoise are very successful predators of the frigid southern pole, utilizing a unique hunting technique. they float patiently out near glaciers, necks tucked into their shells and staying perfectly still for hours on end. when other Pokemon see the Arctoise’s shiny white shell, they’re fooled into thinking it’s a snow-covered glacier, safe to rest on. when the Pokemon settles comfortably on the shell, Arctoise snaps into action, quickly flipping over so their prey is thrown into the water. sometimes this is enough to drown the prey (often true for Flying Pokemon that dropped down to rest), but usually this only stuns the prey. this gives Arctoise the chance to snap out their long neck and capture the prey in their powerful jaws. once subdued, Arctoise will right their body in the water and enjoy their meal.

despite the ponderous size/shape of this species, Arctoise are still able to float quite easily due to air sacs located near their spine (thus, near the top of their shell). these sacs allow Arctoise to carefully control how they float, and help hold the large dome of their shell above the water.

communities of small Water Pokemon often form around Arctoise. the large shell and quiet demeanor makes for a stable underwater haven, and a steady source of food from the scraps that Arctoise leaves behind. they’re usually safe from Arctoise’s appetite, as they’re too small to be considered a proper meal. additionally, these small Pokemon often attract larger prey to the area, providing Arctoise more hunting opportunities.

Arctoise is an aloof species, and won’t respond well to “overly-affectionate” bond-based training. but as long as their space and solitude is respected, an Arctoise is willing to cooperate with a trainer towards mutual goals.

~~~

[IMAGE ID: text to the upper left reads “Dracoleon” with a purple button and magenta button underneath reading “Dragon” and “Poison”, respectively. the background is a light purple with some areas of shade.

there are two Pokemon in this image, one to the left with a “female” ♀ symbol, and one to the right with a “male” ♂ symbol. both Pokemon resemble stocky, low-set herbivorous dinosaurs, with short/thick legs, and round/heavy torsos. the female is far larger than the male, and sports two rows of large spikes along her back. the base color of both is a dark green, with large swathes of magenta patterns, as will be described. both are poised with their heads low to the ground, and the female’s tail raised in a defensive position.

the heads of both sexes are wide and triangular, with sharp points at either side of the skull, and a pointed beak at the tip. their round eyes rest underneath the flat top of the skull, facing outwards to either side. the female’s eyelids are pointed down in an angry expression, while the male’s eyelids are pointed up in a worried expression. their visible sclera are white, and their irises are dark magenta. their nostrils sit on either side at the point of the beak. there are prominent bumps on either side of the skull, just behind the eyes, implying an auditory system. the flat top of the skull is bright magenta, while the rest of the head is dark green.

the small head transitions into the larger body via a thick, short neck, held low to the ground. the torsos are both round, heavy, and somewhat horizontally flat like a lizard. the base color is dark green with a light green underbelly, while the magenta pattern on the head extends all the way down to the tail, covering the full back. several pointed spikes of color stick out from the pattern, trailing down the sides of the torso and legs.

the female has two rows of light magenta spikes sticking out from the upper-sides of her torso, 7 pairs in total. the front-most spikes are the largest, with a horn-like shape that curves out in a wave of out-up-out into a sharp tip. the shape of the spikes gradually transitions from round horns to triangular plates at the end of the tail. the sizes transition from the largest at the front, smaller on the torso, larger at the center of the tail, then small at the tip again. all the spikes point at an angle out/up from the body, except for the very last pair on the tip of the tail, which stick out flatly from the sides of the tail.

the legs of both sexes are short and stocky, with thick underlying muscles. the feet are all digitigrade, but the foot/”hand” sections are very short. the feet all have 3 main toes set flat on the ground, while the front feet have a dew claw set higher on the hand, above the ground. all claws are short/thick and hoof-like, though the female’s are slightly longer and sharper. the hind legs are longer than the front legs, pushing the hips higher than the shoulders. the legs are all dark green with light magenta claws. the female has extra magenta stripes running horizontal across the legs.

the tails are both thick, transitioning smoothly from the thick body down to a pointed tip. the male’s tail is short and stubby, while the female’s is longer, sporting the spikes.

END ID]

Name: Dracoleon

Type: Dragon, Poison

Animal Inspirations: stegosaurus, ankylosaurus. (also.... Kaim from Devilman......)

Extra design notes: I mostly color-picked for the other Pokes, but I shifted Dracoleon’s color a lot from the canon colors. the og colors were just a bit too much for me-- hurt a lil bit to look at. so I shifted the red more magenta, and the green to a duller, more subdued saturation. I’m hoping the purple-shifted red conveys the Poison type better. also added a couple more spikes to the tail for flair.

Pokedex Entry:

due to their heavy sexual dimorphism, researchers originally identified male Dracoleon remains as juveniles of the species. it wasn’t until this Pokemon was fully restored in the flesh that this misconception was corrected.

female Dracoleon are highly territorial, aggressively defending their territory against anything they perceive to be a threat. thus, females are generally solitary, only tolerating the presence of male Dracoleon. this aggression only increases during breeding season, when females compete for male attention, and then nesting season when defending their hatchlings.

male Dracoleon are much smaller and more docile than their female counterparts. while females will actively protect males when the males are still within their territory, males usually find protection in numbers by banding together into small groups. males are as attentive to nesting needs as the females, but since they end up mating with several females a year, they roam in small groups across several territories. they’ll visit one female’s nest to help with food and nest protection for a while, before heading off to the next territory for another round of nest-duty. these transition periods from one territory to another are where males are most vulnerable to predation, so they try to travel quickly.

females’ spikes are covered in a toxic oil which is mostly an irritant to fellow Dracoleon and Poison-types, but can easily kill other species if it penetrates the skin. their magenta patterns build an association between their bright coloring and toxicity, which helps protect the males from predation by association, despite the males not having toxic spikes.

while Dracoleon are herbivorous generalists of thick forest regions, they seem to prefer roots and tubers over foliage. Dracoleon territory is easily identified by scattered areas of dug-up soil and holes.

while male Dracoleon are generally easy to befriend and train, females are very stubborn and aggressive towards most training attempts. however, if an experienced trainer is determined enough to prove their worth to their Pokemon, Dracoleon can become one of the most loyal and trustworthy companions a trainer could hope for.

#pokemon swsh #arctozolt #arctovish #dracozolt #dracovish #pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #WHEW... that was a task

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tigerkirby215 · 4 years

Text

5e Katarina, the Sinister Blade build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Riot Games. In b4 Tumblr gives me ToS for this picture.)

In my defense I had this build planned since pre-Tasha’s. With Katarina being absolutely nuts in preseason right now along with her just generally being one of League’s most popular champs I’d have to get around to making a build for her eventually.

Look it was either her or Zac. The only other build I really want to do right now is Miss Fortune and truthfully I’m kinda stumped on her. This build isn’t a build it’s a cry for help.

GOALS

Preparation - We’ll need to always be ready for a fight, with a weapon in hand and ways to rush in.

Shunpo - We’ll also need a way to jump on our foes, or jump away.

Death Lotus - When push comes to shove we’ll need to shred through everyone close by spinning and throwing daggers at a rapid pace!

RACE

Katarina is a human but with some special, magical talents. I’m sure by now people know my aversion to Variant Humans and my love of Eberron Dragonmarks so the Mark of Finding is perfect for finding marks and ending them.

With the Mark of Finding you get some Ability Score Improvements but thanks to Tasha’s we can get a +2 to our Intelligence and a +1 to our Dexterity. You also have Darkvision up to 60 feet, and Hunter’s Intuition, letting you add a d4 to Perception and Survival checks. Finally Finder’s Magic giving you some innate spells.

ABILITY SCORES

15; DEXTERITY - You’re an assassin who hops, skips, and jumps around the battlefield.

14; INTELLIGENCE - For whatever reason Katerina does AP damage? I mean she did. Now she builds Kraken Slayer because lol Rito balance.

13; CHARISMA - People don’t only main you because you’re strong.

12; WISDOM - Kata in lore is a bit of a hot-head but Wisdom is attached to many skills that an assassin needs.

10; CONSTITUTION - You’re a squishy midlaner.

8; STRENGTH - We simply don’t need Strength and with your build I doubt you have much. Even if jumping around like that requires a lot of muscles in the legs and chest.

BACKGROUND

So apparently Katerina is part of a Noxian Noble family? Regardless as a Noble you gain proficiency in History but I’d suggest swapping your Persuasion proficiency with Intimidation instead. You also get proficiency with a gaming set and a language of your choice.

Thanks to your noble birth you have a Position of Privilege, meaning that other nobles will welcome you within their circles and common folk will do their best to please you in order to avoid getting a dagger in their throat. You can even secure an audience with a noble if you need to! Perhaps you need to put a knife in their throat? An assassin doesn’t ask questions.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - ROGUE 1

Starting off as a Rogue for skill proficiencies also because yeah duh. As a Rogue you get proficiency in four skills from the Rogue list: Acrobatics is an obvious choice, Athletics will help your poor Strength score, Perception will help you spot incoming hooded assassins, and Stealth will let you do Rogue things. Rogue things like Sneak Attack if an ally is near an enemy or you have advantage, granting you an extra d6 on the attack roll.

You also get Expertise in two of your skills: both Stealth and Acrobatics make sense for an assassin. Speaking of assassin Thieves’ Cant will let you communicate with them in a way that your enemies can’t understand. And to top it off Finder’s Magic you can cast Hunter’s Mark once per Long Rest. Smite and Ignite to get First Blood.

LEVEL 2 - ROGUE 2

Second level Rogues get Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a Bonus Action. "Never play fair."

LEVEL 3 - ROGUE 3

Third level Rogues get to choose their Roguish Archetype and there’s two important things about your knives:

They do magic damage (for some reason.)

You throw them a lot.

With that in mind we shall be going for the Soulknife from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. As a Soulknife you get Psionic Power for a pool of d6 Psionic Energy die that can be used for a variety of features. Psi-Bolstered Knack will let you boost your ability checks as long as you’re proficient, and Psychic Whispers will let you keep assassination plans to team chat.

Of course what we’re really here for is Psychic Blades, a magic d6 psychic damage knife that you can make when you attack which can be dual-wielded and thrown up to 60 feet. You can also attack again with your Bonus Action if you already stabbed with your main action, but the extra attack will only do a d4 instead of a d6.

Speaking of magic: you also get Locate Object from Finder’s Magic. Perhaps not as useful as Find Person, but thievery isn’t beneath you. Your Sneak Attack also increases to 2d6.

LEVEL 4 - ROGUE 4

4th level Rogues get an Ability Score Improvement: turns out Dexterity is pretty important for a Rogue so increase that by 2.

(Artwork by Jennifer Wuestling. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 5 - WIZARD 1

Time for an AP boost. First level Wizards get Spellcasting because what else did you think they got? You learn three cantrips and six leveled spells when starting out as a Wizard, even if you can only prepare a number of spells equal to your Wizard level plus your Intelligence modifier:

CANTRIPS

Instead of making a dinky d4 knife empower it with Booming Blade for some Thunder damage, and even more damage if the enemy moves.

To twirl around with Voracity Sword Burst will strike everyone near one of your daggers with your knives.

For a long ranged damage tool that inflicts Grievous Wounds Chill Touch will let you make sure your lane opponent doesn’t run away and heal up.

SPELLS

Mage Armor will help you avoid a few more hits.

For a Bouncing Blade (sorta) take Ice Knife to hit your target and anyone close to them.

For a shield thanks to Gunblade (like it’s TFT) take False Life to bolster yourself somewhat.

Disguise Self will be helpful for any infiltration missions.

Detect Magic likewise is useful to locate any magical traps.

Every good Rogue has a backup plan: Feather Fall is always useful in a pinch.

You also get Arcane Recovery, allowing you to recover spell slots with a combined total level of half your Wizard level.

LEVEL 6 - WIZARD 2

Second level Wizards get to choose their Arcane Tradition. There is actually a school for magic knives and that school is the art of Bladesinging! As a Bladesinger you get Training in War and Song for proficiency in Performance along with a one-handed melee weapon of your choice: for whatever reason Rogues don’t get proficiency in Scimitars so grab that I guess?

But much more importantly you can invoke a Bladesong as a Bonus Action, which lasts for 1 minute but ends early if you are incapacitated. (Or if you don medium or heavy armor or a shield, or if you use two hands to make an attack with a weapon. I guess.) You can also dismiss the Bladesong at any time with no action required.

While your Bladesong is active you gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Intelligence modifier, your walking speed increases by 10 feet, you have advantage on Acrobatics checks, and you gain a bonus to Concentration checks equal to your Intelligence modifier. You can activate Bladesong a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

You can also learn more spells like Color Spray for a getaway option, or Cause Fear of incoming ganks.

LEVEL 7 - WIZARD 3

Third level Wizards can learn second level spells like Mirror Image to be everywhere at once, and Misty Step for legally not Flash.

LEVEL 8 - WIZARD 4

4th level Wizards get an Ability Score Improvement: more Dexterity means more AC and deadlier stabs with your knife.

You can also learn more spells like Invisibility for some Duskblade resets, and Enhance Ability (ty Tasha’s) to make sure you’re the best around. And you can learn another cantrip like Prestidigitation for some generic utility sorcery.

LEVEL 9 - WIZARD 5

5th level Wizards can learn third level spells like Haste to up your APM, and Spirit Shroud to make all your stabs all the deadlier.

LEVEL 10 - WIZARD 6

At 6th level you get an Extra Attack as a Bladesinger, but unlike most Extra Attacks you can also cast a cantrip along with attacking! The interesting thing about this is that (rules as written) you can attack twice after casting Booming Blade with this! And depending on your DM you might even still have your Cunning Action!

And on the subject of spells you can learn two more such as Clairvoyance for some Farsight Alterations, and Nondetection to... not be detected...

(Artwork by Atey Ghailan. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 11 - ROGUE 5

5th level Rogues get Uncanny Dodge. When you’re hit with an attack you can use your reaction to halve the damage. Additionally your Psionic Energy die increases to a d8, and your Sneak Attack increases to 3d6.

LEVEL 12 - ROGUE 6

6th level Rogues get Expertise in two more skills: Perception will help you avoid ganks and Intimidation will help you extract information.

LEVEL 13 - ROGUE 7

7th level Rogues get Evasion. If you’re forced to make a Dexterity save you can make some pro plays to dodge, taking no damage on a successful save and half damage on a failed save.

Your Sneak Attack also increases to 4d6, so you can jump onto them after dodging their skill shot.

LEVEL 14 - ROGUE 8

8th level Rogues get another Ability Score Improvement: since your Dexterity is maxed let’s invest in that Intelligence... sorta. The Observant feat will let you increase your Intelligence by 1 along with granting a +5 bonus to passive Perception and Investigation so you can watch those wards, and the ability to read lips! Definitely helpful for an assassin.

(Artwork by Katie “TeaTime” De Sousa. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 15 - ROGUE 9

Hey how about we get your actual abilities at total level 15? Finally with level 9 in Soul KInife you get Soul Blades for two new abilities that use your Psionic Energy die. Homing Strikes will let you add your Psionic Energy die to an attack roll if you miss, and Psychic Teleportation will let you throw out a knife and teleport to it!

Something something read how the ability works yourself because these are guides on how to make a character and I won’t tell you what every class in Tasha’s does. Oh your Sneak Attack also increases to 5d6 now.

LEVEL 16 - WIZARD 7

7th level Wizards get 4th level spells like Phantasmal Killer to make your own jungler (one who’ll actually gank!), and Dimension Door to Teleport into lane. Or out!

LEVEL 17 - WIZARD 8

Level 8? How about an ASI? You may notice that we have two uneven ability scores: increase both your Intelligence and Charisma by 1.

You can also learn more spells but there honestly isn’t much I want from fourth level so hop back to level 3 for Sending. But you can also take Greater Invisibility for some Duskblade resets. Look I just really need a 5th level spell but it’s hard to justify magic on a champion who throws knives and nothing else.

LEVEL 18 - WIZARD 9

Time to finally get the last ability we’re missing: Death Lotus. Or more precisely Steel Wind Strike to hit everyone with your daggers and then maybe Shunpo to them after the fact. Speaking of Shunpo for seemingly unlimited jumps take Far Step, allowing you to be everywhere at once. Just know that you’ll only have one 5th level slot.

(Artwork by Esben Lash Rasmussen. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 19 - ROGUE 10

Picking up our last two levels in Rogue: level 10 means another ASI. Capped off Intelligence woo!

LEVEL 20 - ROGUE 11

11th level Rogues get Reliable Talent, meaning that you can’t roll below a 10 on any skill you’re proficient in. As a capstone skill let’s check what the minimum roll you can get on your skills is:

27 on Acrobatics and Stealth

24 on Intimidation

23 on Perception

21 on History

18 on Performance (Bladesinger lul)

15 on Athletics

And to top it off your Psionic Energy die increases to a d10, along with your Sneak Attack capping off at 6d6!

FINAL BUILD

PROS

They fear my weapons? I am the weapon - Regardless of your choice of tools you are extremely deadly. On one hand 6d6 sneak attack daggers you can apply 3d8 Booming Blade damage to, and on the other hand plenty of potent spells like Haste and Spirit Shroud.

If you run, you won't see me stab you! - You are also incredibly mobile with Misty Step, Far Step, Psychic Teleportation, Bladesong, and just general Cunning Actions. Not to mention that Bladesong gives a big boost to AC which combines well with Uncanny Dodge and Evasion.

A victory is sweetest when it leads to another - Rogues are meant to be skilled professionals and you are certainly that. The skills you are proficient in can be boosted by psionics. Oh and 28 Passive Perception thanks to Observant is just a little bit nutty.

CONS

Ready for trouble? - While you have many a skill you have many more that are lacking. You can put on a mean face sure, but for an important check like Arcana your psionic potential won’t save you.

Better dead than dull - Your spell slots are limited, and quite notably you only have one 5th level slot for Death Lotus IE Steel Wind Strike. While magic can supplement you nicely remember to ration yourself appropriately.

Come on, live a little... while you can! - You know what class doesn’t have a lot of health? Wizards, and half your levels are in Wizard. With a 10 in CON and most of your hit die being d6s your enemies won’t even need to hit you to Power Word Kill you.

But as an assassin you prove why your house is the best in the business. Talk is cheap and you’re always prepared: go in with knives at the ready, take out your target and anyone in their way before slipping out unscathed. You can always reset after a rest; just be sure to remember your cooldowns.

(Artwork by West Studios. Made for Riot Games.)

#dnd #dnd build #dnd guide #League of Legends #League of Legends Katarina #dnd rogue #dnd wizard #please nerf kata #why does she do on hit #kraken slayer #kata is so dumb #rito plz

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lady-grace-pens · 3 years

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This or That: Writer Edition Tag Game

@writingonesdreams tagged me to do this! Major thanks to you!! I’ve actually wanted to do this tag for a bit now lol

1. Historical or futuristic?

Futuristic just doesn’t fit my vibe at all lol, plus it’s kind of boring. I’m a huge fan of history and vintage things! Always have been

2. Opening chapter or closing chapter?

I haven’t written many closing scenes yet, but I feel like I would be much much better with them as compared to the opening scene.

3. Light and fluffy vs. Dark and gritty

I thrive off of the drama I give my characters lmao, give me angst any day

4. Animal companion or found family?

5. Horror or romance?

Hot tip: I’m a big sucker for cheesy Hallmark romance movies and I’m not afraid to admit it ;p

6. Hard or soft magic system?

I honestly have no idea. I haven’t read or written enough fantasy or done enough research in order to really form an opinion on this

7. Standalone or series?

I don’t have any plans on writing a series. Right now I prefer to write standalone novels that have enough potential set up for a sequel if I so desire to write one in the future. I feel like that’s a happy medium between the two

8. One project at a time or always juggling 2+?

I’ve said this before, but I like to dedicate all my love and attention to one story at a time. I can’t imagine trying to juggle any more than that, so huge props to those who are able to!

9. One award winner or one bestseller?

Both. Both is good

10. Fantasy or sci-fi?

Fantasy! By far. Im so sorry, but sci-fi is just so boring to me 😂

11. Character or setting description?

I feel like I’m good at both. Characters have my heart but I’m also good at describing things! Especially places.

World building though… uuuuuggggghhh 😂 I HATE it. Like I need to do it because I don’t usually set my stories in an actual real life town or country, but still. It’s hard as fuck and I dread doing it.

12. First or final draft?

Oooh boy, I’ve got enough to say about this to write a whole post and start a little conversation 😂

The short of it though, is this. As of right now, I like investing all of the love, planning, and care that I possibly can into my first drafts. That way it’ll resemble the final product and I’ll save myself future frustrations. Quality over quantity, pay attention to all the little details, and focus on making the story exactly as how I see it happening. That’s my personal attitude towards this, and that as a result does make me a slow writer which sucks ass. But hey, you can’t have it all right?

Besides, the payoff seems worth it to me in the end. I’d rather have a first draft that I enjoy instead of something I hate and will have to rewrite and edit to death.

13. Literary or ‘commercial’ genre?

Both? Neither? As a reader, I don’t really look at one vs the other. I just enjoy stories that I enjoy.

As a writer though, my talents tend to be with literary, character focused stories

14. Love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs?

I tend to not enjoy romance outside of the actual genre itself. I typically avoid writing it in my own stories. It’s only when I can’t imagine a certain pair of characters being separated that I include romance. Usually though I don’t enjoy it as a writer and reader. I like to focus more on showing interesting family dynamics and strong platonic relationships.

15. Constant sandstorm or rainstorm?

Both of these choices sound evil to me. Give me sunny and 75 degree weather by all means 😂 Buut if I had to choose, I’ll take the rain because I’ve never been in a sandstorm before.

—

Think I’m gonna leave an open tag for this one. If anyone out there who sees this and wants to join in, do it! This is your sign lol

#writing #writeblr #writing tag game #tag game #this or that #writblr #writers of tumblr #writing community

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this-is-a-podcast-fanblog · 5 years

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hey so - this reply was written by me! I want to expand on this point a little past 280 characters

(when I say podcasts in this essay I’m specifically talking about fiction podcasts)

Podcasts are perhaps the only medium that has absolutely no gatekeeping. Writing books and stories requires help from big publishing houses - even if you self-publish, you’ll need a corporation like Amazon to provide the books for you. I actually have self-published before and I can *assure* you that gatekeeping is still present. TV shows and movies are also created by high-budget studios who re-hire the same famous actors to tell the same stories, except the white boy and girl who fall in love have slightly different lines.

But podcasts? No barriers. No boundaries. You can get a $30 mic from Amazon, make a free podbean account, and start uploading episodes literally the same day. Sure, for a really high-quality production, you’ll need to invest more time and money, but it’s very doable.

As such, almost anyone can get into podcasts. It doesn’t matter what you look like, because no one can even see your face. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a fancy degree from a good school. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a huge marketing budget, because if you’re smart with social media and create good content, you can get people to pay *you* for airtime on your show.

Because the creator pool can be so diverse, it is. And the stories it tells are even more diverse! Want a Jewish gay man of unspecified race in a relationship with a Latinx scientist on the spectrum, who live in a town governed by two black women and populated by literally countless queer characters? You’ve got it! Want a story about a black nonbinary lady with depression who falls in love with an Asian man, who, bonus points, is also a well-written feminine gay man? You get that too! Want a crew of astronauts with women in leadership roles who are well rounded past being just a “strong female character”? Sure thing! A lesbian trucker searching for her wife, and actually having a healthy relationship that isn’t at all fetishized? Podcasts have that! You want shows that *actually* cast queer, trans, and non-white actors? Yes!!! Most popular podcasts do that!! Did you hear that - the *most popular* podcasts are created with diverse acting and creating bodies!!!!!!!

and here’s the part where I get personal. I’m a non-straight woman (I alternate between using the labels “bisexual” “queer” “homoflexible” and sometimes, because it’s quick and I’m mostly attracted to women and straight people don’t understand microlabels, “gay”) with several mental illnesses, including depression. The first podcast I ever listened to was Welcome to Night Vale. When Cecil and Carlos became a couple I almost wept. I had never, ever, had good queer representation in a show, much less two well-written characters I actually felt invested in. When they actually got married, I wept. I lay in my bed and cried for half an hour. I had never thought I would see a healthy gay couple in a show, ever.

And then I found even more shows - shows like the ones I mentioned above. I found female characters. I found QUEER FEMALE CHARACTERS that I related to! And I found characters with depression written REALISTICALLY! I have never felt so seen!

I have so much love for podcast creators. One of my favorite things about this community is the allyship. People like Fink and Cranor, or the McElroy’s, who understand how important queer representation is, and provide it in abundance. People who validate, protect, and encourage their fans. Podcast fans keep podcast productions growing through Patreon or crowdfunding, and in return podcast creators... well, they rip our hearts out with emotions and eat them in front of us. But we love that!!!!

And this is why I’m so scared of podcasts becoming “mainstream”. Big corporations creating podcasts have nothing to gain from us except listenership. They’ll be sponsored by other large corporations, not fans or indie productions buying airspace. They can be “safe” when it comes to representation, and they probably will be. In short, they don’t have to create art. They can just create okay, nice enough stories.

Podcasts are revolutionary. Do you know how many times I’ve seen a movie and said “that was a bad movie”? A shit ton of times! Do you know how many times I’ve listened to a podcast and thought “this is a bad podcast”? Never!! (Not fiction, at least - a bunch of “politics and current events” podcasts that I’ve tried turn my stomach). Even if the audio quality isn’t great, it’s always clear that the creators genuinely care about what they are making and the stories they’re telling and they’re not! Just! Adding! Representation! To be woke!

I genuinely might be dead right now if podcasts hadn’t come into my life. Welcome to Night Vale in particular - it has helped me fall asleep on nights when my intrusive thoughts felt like they were tearing me apart. It introduced me to this amazing medium and all the people who are a part of it. I don’t want to see this thing I love so much turned into a profit machine by capitalism. So I’m really, really nervous about podcasts becoming mainstream.

TL;DR because the podcasting medium has essentially no gatekeeping, it can be very diverse, and it is. This has led to a great fan-creator dynamic of mutual support and created many positive examples of representation. If big studios and corporations are able to produce podcasts on large budgets with little consequence for a bad or boring story, they might drive the art form in a direction that makes it harder for smaller studios or indie creators to get into.

Please share your thoughts about this and also please follow my twitter.

#podcasts #welcome to night vale #the penumbra podcast #wolf 359 #alice isn't dead #the mcelroys #the adventure zone #lgbt #joseph fink #jeffrey cranor #representation #my meta #meta #essay

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rpgmgames · 5 years

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November’s Featured Game: Grimm's Hollow

DEVELOPER(S): ghosthunter ENGINE: RPG Maker 2003 GENRE: Indie RPG, Adventure WARNINGS: Discussions of death, losing a loved one, grief SUMMARY: Grimm’s Hollow is a spooky, freeware RPG where you search the afterlife for your brother. Reap ghosts with your scythe, explore haunted caves, and eat ghostly treats on your journey through death.

Download the game here! Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! *BB: My name's Bruno and I did some of the music along with Nat! I’m super happy to have participated in this game! *NW: I’m Nat Wesley, a.k.a. Natbird! I’m a composer available for hire with a few projects in the works. I’m honored to have had the chance to work on the soundtrack to Grimm’s Hollow! *GH: Hello! I go by ghosthunter online; I started developing RPGs with a friend in school when we found out that we both enjoyed RPG Horror. I enjoy art, webcomics, cartoons and narrative-driven indie games a lot. I bought RM2K3 on sale and started pouring pixel art into it, before learning how to do things like chase scenes, cutscenes, etc. I used to fantasize about making my own game, drawing dungeons and ghosts in the back of my sketchbooks, before I finally started Grimm’s Hollow. Now I’m near the end of high-school, and I’m hoping the best for uni!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create this game initially? *GH: Grimm’s Hollow, originally, wasn’t as ambitious or personal. It was simply just going to be “my first game”, something that I could finally put my doodles and RM2K3 skills to. I wanted a game that a younger me would have enjoyed, back when I first discovered the classic RPGMaker games and replayed them constantly for those endings. That was my initial inspiration. It eventually evolved into an action turn-based RPG that relies on timing, yet it’s mostly narrative-driven. You traverse death in search of your sibling, and try to make an escape. There are unexpected pieces of me that ended up in this game, some of which I’m still noticing even now.

How long have you been working on your project? *GH: Since the summer of June 2018.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *GH: Standstill Girl, OFF by Mortis Ghost, Undertale, Over The Garden Wall, and the animation medium in general.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *GH: Many! Making your first game is such a giant learning curve, that the list of challenges goes on. I would say that the most difficult issue I encountered (and that, in some ways, I am still facing after release) is working around the limitations of the game engine I am using. I wanted to see whether creating an engaging but simple 1-party RPG in RM2K3 (without going completely custom) was feasible, and I experimented with quick time events as part of that. I worked around the engine’s built-in formulae so players could see progress when they upgraded their stats - although the game might display as defence as “10”, in reality the game stores it as 40 since the engine splits defence by 4. Since I did not want to create an RPG which was too complex for my first game, I also scrapped traditional staples such as armour or weapons. There were also issues such as having an appropriate “game over” handling event which wouldn’t shoot you back to the title screen after you lost a battle; getting RM2K3 to play a small cutscene where you faint and respawn somewhere else was tricky. I felt that if the player had to reload after a loss, it would disrupt the game flow.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *GH: Like I mentioned before, the game started off impersonal. I just had a soft spot for a spooky cute aesthetic, and I wanted to indulge in that. It was (and in its essence, still is) meant to be a short story, to keep the player invested for the short game length - nothing grandiose. The original draft did not have Baker play a role in the narrative - he was just an ordinary shopkeeper NPC. For a long time during development, Lavender did not even have a name. In the very first draft, she was a silent protagonist the player could name and customize. But she played a very active role in the final outline, so it was hard not to give her own unique voice when one emerged from the narrative naturally. I am glad I did; she grew on me quite quickly! Grimm was virtually unchanged from beginning to end. The only difference was that a close friend suggested that he seemed like he would be into drinking Oolong tea - so that’s what he offers you when you meet him. Timmy also did not go under massive overhauls like Lavender and Baker did, but his relationship with Lavender became much more fleshed out as I wrote the narrative. In other facets of the game’s design, there were not many changes to the original prototype.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *GH: It was just myself, doing the art, writing, programming, etc. But halfway through creating the second cave, I realised I would need a very specific sound for Grimm’s Hollow. So, I contacted Nat for music, but I also created a post on tumblr calling for a composer since there were many tracks to make. I met Bruno as a result! I am very happy with their work and I am so grateful I’ve got to work with them! (Some players are asking for an OST release, which is in the works).

What is the best part of developing a game? *GH: I really enjoyed the early stages of development: creating new tilesets, sprites and maps and piecing them together in the editor, then taking a small screenshot and sharing it with my friend over summer vacation … It was nice to see the game’s world slowly come together. I think that’s what I enjoyed the most from beginning to end: that sense of world-building, that sense of relaxation from making a small cosy game. The latter started to disappear as work and other responsibilities started to intrude, and pressure began to seep into development time - but I never stopped loving making the world and characters. I also want to say that, by lucky chance, I have met a lot of kind people from making my first game. I’m very grateful for that, so thank you to everyone.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *GH: All the time! Other RPG Maker 2003 projects are great inspirations for pixel art tilesets, as well as how to code harder features such as custom menus. They’re also just fun to play.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *GH: Lavender and Timmy are relatable to me in multiple ways. I can’t elaborate on Timmy since that would go into spoiler territory, but I somewhat relate to Lavender’s insistence on managing her life on her own - sometimes to her own detriment. I’d say the most fun character to write for was Grimm. He can be unintentionally silly while speaking in the most formal way, but also very caring too. Everything he does and says was easy to write, whereas I had to think harder for the interactions between everyone else - especially for very crucial scenes regarding their development. That being said, my favourite is still the game’s central two siblings. I can not pick between them for the life of me.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *GH: I wish I started testing even earlier! Not only does it give you a good sense of what’s missing, but seeing people enjoy what you’ve made yet get hindered by bugs is a very strong incentive to fix your game immediately. When I was lacking motivation or was stuck, I found that good feedback and support made me motivated again. I also wish that I could have pushed the deadline a little further, or perhaps released the game on Early Access since it will take me a while to refine post-release bugs - but as it is, the 31st of October really was the deadline for my game due to external circumstances (no, that deadline wasn’t just because it was Halloween!). Other than that, I wonder if using an updated version of RPG Maker would have produced the same game …? It’s hard to tell, but I hope people enjoy it for what it is - I will be working on that post-release patch soon!

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *GH: There are no current plans, but I would be happy to have the opportunity to improve and expand on the game. As it is, the game’s released for free and done as a hobby, so I would struggle to do that by myself.

What do you most look forward to now that you have finished the game? *GH: Earlier on, I was really looking forward to players’ reactions. Games are made to be fun, and I would have felt distraught if my game didn’t achieve what it was set out to do. Yet it was not just about the gameplay; it was about the narrative. I hoped that what I found funny, the player would too; what was heartfelt to me, was heartfelt to the player as well. Like sharing a laugh, or just a good experience together. I hoped they would enjoy the feeling that went into it, despite the struggle of making it against circumstance and limitations. Now, I look forward to resting and sleeping once this over. I want to explore my other interests, improve, and explore new media. I want to relax, and refocus again like I was before the heat of development.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *GH: Bugs! Some are easy to fix, but others are harder due to the limitations of the engine (e.g an error in one ending is caused by an overflow error).

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *GH: Show your game as early as possible, to as many people as possible. As soon as you have something playable, it’s ready for feedback. You’ll see if that game mechanic you spent hours refining works, or if it doesn’t work and why. You’ll understand what players enjoy and what they want more of, but also what they don’t like or don’t enjoy. And you will definitely encounter bugs. You’ll be able to pinpoint and fix minor problems early on that can easily become a larger issue later. You’ll be able to fine-tune your game so its best bits shine, and the difficulty is just right.

Question from last month's featured dev @dead-dreams-dev: Is there anything you’ve added to your game for no other reason than because you’re hoping fans will get a kick out of it? Fanservice, fourth wall breakage, references to other games, jokes, abilities that are just ridiculously overpowered and badass, etc? *GH: It’s hard to say; game design is trying to find the intersection between what’s good for the player, what the developer enjoys, and what’s feasible to implement. Every decision made should be conscious of that … I think a lot of the game’s early light-hearted jokes was not only made because I enjoyed it, but I hoped the player would “get a kick out of it” too. But more so, I think it’s because I would struggle to write a story which is serious and bleak from beginning to end. The game is a little self-indulgent in the narrative that way.

We mods would like to thank ghosthunter & team for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Grimm's Hollow if you haven’t already! See you next month!

- Mods Gold & Platinum

#rpgmaker #rpg maker games #indie games #pixel games #rpg #adventure #cute #grimms hollow #grimm's hollow #gotm #game of the month #gotm 2019 #2019 #game of the month 2019 #november #november 2019

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doomonfilm · 4 years

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Ranking : Christopher Nolan (1970 - present)

From the moment he kicked the door down on the scene with the breathtaking Memento, the name Christopher Nolan has rung synonymous with high thinking, high level and high entertainment film. He always finds fresh and unique ways to tell stories, be it visually, narratively, or some combination of the two, and many of his conceptual deep dives have opened real conversations in regards to different aspects of space and time. For an artist, the impact the Christopher Nolan has had on the populous as a whole is impressive, which is why after recently seeing Tenet, I felt it necessary to take a look back at all of his films and determine where they stood in relation to one another (in my eyes).

11. Insomnia (2002) As stated with every instance of ranking the work of a director, there’s always one film that’s got to take the bottom of the list hit, and for Nolan, it was Insomnia. The film in itself is not a bad one, and it does offer some strong visuals in regards to the unrelenting amount of sunlight that one experiences in Alaska, but it does suffer not only from being a remake, but a remake that pales in comparison to the original. For my money’s worth, Nolan works best with original ideas, with one specific trilogy standing as an exception to that notion.

10. Memento (2000) While not his debut film, this was the film that put Nolan on the map. The story is unique and intriguing, and the manner in which it is told really makes it work, as a standard A to Z telling of the film would eliminate much of the dramatic tension felt. That being said, this film suffers from a similar fate to that of films like The Sixth Sense : it’s cool the first time you see it, it really wows you the second time you see it, and then further viewings find diminishing returns in regards to the experience of the “gimmick” (for lack of a better word). Definitely worth seeing if you’ve never seen it, or are looking for a gateway into the work of Nolan, but underwhelming when held up against his future work.

9. Batman Begins (2005) As previously stated, Nolan (in my opinion) works best as a writer/director of original ideas, so like many, I was slightly surprised when he was tapped to handle the Christian Bale edition of the Batman movie canon. There wasn’t so much doubt about his ability to pull things off visually, but with such a beloved franchise and character in his hands, there were thoughts about whether or not his style would translate in a way that an already dedicated fanbase would appreciate. Batman Begins was an effective table-setter for his Dark Knight trilogy, but due to the necessity of having to address an already familiar backstory, many of Nolan’s best ideas would have to wait until the sequel.

8. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) This film found itself the unfortunate victim of an all too familiar national tragedy in the form of a mass shooting during an early screening, forever putting a sort of black cloud over the film as a result. That being said, the film was a stellar entry in the Dark Knight trilogy, anchored by an instantly iconic Tom Hardy performance. If this film was attributed to any other director, it would possibly stand as one of their top works, but Christopher Nolan is a man of such depth and style that The Dark Knight Rises merely stands as above average output from a creator who is pulling back a bit to fit the Hollywood ideal (or his version, anyway) of a comic book film.

7. Following (1998) Quite possibly the most personal of all Nolan films, which makes sense, considering it was his first. It was the buzz that this film generated during the 1997 festival season, along with an already completed script for Memento, that turned Nolan from an aspiring director to a household name. Following gives us a bit of insight into Nolan’s creative process, presenting us with a highly stylized version of an observational writer, forever receptive to the stimulus around him. The look of the film displays Nolan’s eye for location and cinematography, and the non-linear nature of the story served as a sneak preview to a format of storytelling he would soon master and manipulate beyond our ability to initially understand. Though a bit on the short side for a feature film, it is certainly a fun ride with much indication of where its creator was headed.

6. Interstellar (2014) Throughout the 2010s, it seemed that Nolan was hell-bent on warping our brains through the entertainment medium, and after the warning blast that Inception was, Interstellar served as a sort of thematic and spiritual double-tap for our psyche. Nolan took the basic structure for a story of familial, unconditional love and skewed it by thrusting our protagonist into the uncharted depths of space, skewing his perception of time so radically that the people he loved became old while he did not age, which in itself is enough of a heartbreaking concept to build a film off of. Add to this the fact that we are presented with (to the best of our knowledge, anyways) the most photo-realistic depictions of a Black Hole and a tesseract, and the end result is a powerful genre-blending journey that stands in rare company, with films like Tarkovsy’s Solaris and Kubrick’s 2001 : A Space Odyssey serving as the closest points of comparison.

5. Tenet (2020) When you have a track record like that of a Christopher Nolan, it is inevitable that people are waiting on your downfall, and with 2020 changing the way we take in films, many tried to seize this opportunity and label Tenet as this moment in time. To me, this is an absurd stance to take... not only is Tenet one of the most intriguing films I’ve seen in years, but its efficiency in storytelling trims away so much fat that we are left with archetypical characters with subtle amounts of depth shepherding us through a narrative line that folds in and overlaps on itself numerous times. With this premise set and our characters deeply devoted to their functionality (though not at the expense of performance), we are left with the spectacle of some amazing choreography and in-camera special effects work that makes you really and truly have to stop at times just so you can try and process what it is you are seeing. Hopefully, in repeat viewings, the “gimmick” won’t take precedence over the film itself, as I believe there is enough going on outside of the visual trickery to keep one interested time and again.

4. Dunkirk (2017) It’s no secret that Christopher Nolan has the talent to build vast, textured and deeply imaginative worlds with his films, but up until the point of Dunkirk, Nolan had not attempted a “period piece”. Luckily for us film lovers, Nolan decided to try his hand at that style in the form of a war movie, and the result was the extremely moving and powerful experience of Allied troops in World War II caught in a situation where death seemed inevitable. Despite the vastness of the beach and sea we are shown, the feeling of being trapped permeates through and through, and it is enhanced by stellar cinematography and practical effects. Even with a cast full of familiar names and faces, the experience of hopelessness created soon eliminates the familiarity that comes with star power, and we are left with nothing but our investment in the story.

3. The Dark Knight (2008) Simply put, The Dark Knight really has no business being as good as it is. You’d think that its placement between the two trilogy bookends would give it a transitional nature, potentially only existing to move the story forward to its conclusion. What we are given, however, is one of the most nuanced looks at heroes, villains, anti-heroes, and just how much those roles can alternate based on the perspective of those applying the title. For all of the horror that the Scarecrow character brought, or the pure intimidation of Bane, The Dark Knight gives us a complex agent of chaos in the form of Heath Ledger’s instantly iconic (and tragically final) performance as the Joker. All of the pacing issues that weigh down the other two films are completely absent in this middle offering, and the movie hangs around in your mind well after the final credits roll. To many viewers, this film set the artistic benchmark for what a so-called “comic-book” movie had the potential to be.

2. Inception (2010) For many, Inception marks the culminative peak of all that Christopher Nolan brings to the table as a director and storyteller. His ability to coherently weave together a narrative that deals with the perception of time as one goes deeper and deeper into the psyche is impressive in its own right, but the amount of breathtaking nuance, visual effects and mental gymnastics used to tell the story would bring a lesser director to their knees. If The Revenant and 2015 served as the culmination of Leonardo DiCaprio finally receiving much-deserved recognition as an actor via an Academy Award, then Inception feels like the starting point for that final leg of his journey. Everyone brought their A-game to this table on both sides of the camera, leaving us with a true visual and storytelling spectacle for the ages.

1. The Prestige (2006) Irony is a funny thing... I bring that up because Christopher Nolan has literally taken on (and, in some ways, conquered) space, time and perception in his films, all of which would be incredibly lofty concepts to illustrate and visualize, let alone make entertaining. With all of that in mind, it’s ironic that his best film would be one that does not rely on all of the aforementioned lofty aspects and visual tricks. The Prestige, at a base level, is a story about jealousy and how it can drive you mad, but it’s the way that this story is told that makes it possibly the best film in the Nolan canon. Christian Bale’s performance (or performances, at the risk of spoilers) is enough to put this film in a class of its own, but the balance that Hugh Jackman’s performance brings to the overall equation keeps you guessing on whom we are supposed to root for right up until the final frame. The triangle of love triangles in this film further serve to build up the eventual scale of damage that is presented when everything falls completely apart on both sides of the narrative coin. Most importantly, like any good magic trick, the film sets you up with expectations, only to wow you in the end. If you had to pick one Nolan film to watch, this would be the one that I recommend, hands down and without question.

Who knows where Christopher Nolan plans to take us next. I, for one, would not consider myself clued-in enough to hazard a guess on this, but I would almost certainly put money on the fact that wherever he chooses to take us, he will entertain us and amaze us, if not both at the same time, as he always does.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #ChristopherNolan #Insomnia #Memento #BatmanBegins #TheDarkKnightRises #Following #Interstellar #Tenet #Dunkirk #TheDarkKnight #Inception #ThePrestige

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lefaystrent · 5 years

Note

Yes hi. Do you have anything on Analogince? Hcs, fics, art? I just got dragged into that hell and I plan to stay there forever

I don’t think I’ve ever writtenanything for them, but here’s some headcanons.

Also this got loooong and I still didn’twrite out all my thoughts, but it’s 1 in the morning so I’m going to cut it hereand hopefully add more later. ^_^

Roman is the one who brings themtogether as friends at first.

If it was up to Virgil and Logan,they’d stay inside all day and not socialize with the rest of the world.

So much to do, so many possible confrontationsto avoid, better to avoid the trouble.

But Roman has a way of moving people.

He throws their schedules upside downand gets them to come out of their shells in ways they didn’t know possible.

And somehow they don’t hate it.

Roman is bright, idealistic, andpassionate. Sensitive as he is strong.

He’s like a puppy ready to take onthe world.

Logan and Virgil silently agreethat they must protect the puppy. He’s cute but kinda dumb.

Logan and Virgil aren’t quite sure whyRoman’s so insistent on being around them. They think he’ll get boredeventually.

Roman never gets bored. He actually thinksthey’re really cool and he just wants to impress them.

Logan and Roman share a passion forwriting. They can sit and talk for hours about ideas and phrases and metaphors.

Roman writes his own stories. It’s a bigdeal for him to share his writing and open himself to criticism.

Roman shares his work with them.

Logan becomes the editor he never knew heneeded.

Logan has a way of correcting thelogistics of Roman’s writing without tearing him down.

Virgil doesn’t contribute much to thoseconversations, but he likes listening to them a lot.

Whenever Roman asks Virgil for storyideas, Virgil’s go to is, “Make a meteor crash down,” or something of the sort.

Virgil mostly bonds with Roman over music.

They have a lot of similar tastes andfavorite bands.

Roman’s a big musical fan, but Virgil’snever really listened to any musicals.

Roman gets Virgil into musicals. Virgildoesn’t tell him he’s succeeded at first.

Roman catches Virgil humming, “Michael inthe Bathroom,” one day and squeals loudly in glee.

“Oh my god, Be More Chill? When didthis happen? We have so much to talk about!!!”

Logan doesn’t care for most of the musicaltalk.

UNTIL HAMILTON IS DISCOVERED.

“So do you like it?” Roman asks, on theedge of his seat as Logan listens to some of the songs.

Logan fucking loves it.

He goes into full history rants and howwell blended the story is for a modern medium and THE LYRICS!!

It’s one of the first times the othersrealize just how passionate of a person Logan can be.

When he’s interested in something, he’sinvested with his entire soul.

In the beginning Logan held off fromshowing this side of himself, not wanting to scare off the other two.

But more and more he’ll get this excitedgleam in his eyes and just go off about a subject.

He makes even the most mundane topicssound new and worthwhile.

A lot of times he’ll cut himself off.

“Oh, my apologies. I’m probably boringyou.”

Roman and Virgil quickly shake theirheads.

“No! Please continue! You’re hot—I mean,you’re not boring us!”

Virgil especially likes listening to Logantalk.

He’s never heard a more calming tone.There’s just something incredibly safe about his voice.

Or maybe that’s just Logan in general,smart and dependable as he is.

Regardless, Virgil will close his eyessometimes while listening to Logan.

He’ll call Logan when he’s feelinganxious.

“Talk about anything,” Virgil willrequest.

After a pause, Logan will respond with, “Haveyou heard about *insert random subject here*.”

Sometimes Virgil relaxes so much that hefalls asleep listening to him.

Speaking of voices, Virgil loves Roman’svoice too.

His usual voice is okay, a bit too loudmaybe but rich and deep.

But then one day Virgil hears him sing.

Roman goes into song, and Virgil immediatelystops whatever he’s doing and stares.

Roman eventually notices the slightlystartled stare. He stops with a smirk. “Impressed, Hot Topic?”

And Virgil hasn’t regained quite enoughsense to respond with the usual banter. Instead, he just nods in wonder,looking at Roman in a newfound light.

The honest response does things to Roman.

It’s only fair. That voice does plenty toVirgil.

Virgil’s always been a sucker for prettyvoices.

But a cute guy with a voice like an angel?

Virgil is very gay and very doomed.

Virgil is the first to fall for the othersin a romantic sense.

He keeps it to himself of course. Ofcourse he couldn’t be normal and just crush on one of them. Fate was cruel anddemanded it be both of them.

And of course neither of them wouldreciprocate. Better to just repress that shit and move on like nothinghappened.

Roman was always kinda low-key into theothers, but for all that he presents himself as the romantic, he’s incredibly apprehensivewhen it comes to romance for himself.

He’s got a lot of deep-rooted insecuritiesburied in there. He doesn’t know if he’s ready to dig all that up.

So he does his best to distance hisconscious mind from going in that direction, even while his heartsubconsciously falls slowly over time.

Logan simply never pictured himself in anykind of romantic context.

He just never thought about it is all,never felt a particular want for it.

But then stuff starts happening betweenhim and the other two.

One time Virgil’s close to having a panicattack, and Logan grounds him by taking his hand.

“I want you to squeeze my hand Virgil. Don’tworry, you will not hurt me.”

And it’s enough contact to keep Virgilconnected yet small enough not to overwhelm him.

It helps immensely.

Logan sees this and starts using thismethod frequently. Not just when Virgil’s super anxious.

They’re in a somewhat crowded store andVirgil fidgets slightly? Logan holds his hand.

They’re sitting together on the couch andVirgil’s stressed trying to formulate a business email? Logan holds his hand.

Virgil is confused and gay.

Virgil does not bring attention to thehand holding, only panics internally because WHY IS LOGAN SUDDENLY HOLDING HISHAND ALL THE TIME?

Virgil doesn’t let go of his hand eitherthough.

And then with Roman, Roman is veryphysically affectionate.

Roman will often come up from behind anddrape himself over Logan.

“Speeeeecs, I’m hungry. Feed me.”

Logan thought he was annoyed by the breachin personal space at first.

But more and more Logan starts realizingthat he’s more annoyed when Roman doesn’t breach his personal space.

Roman hasn’t hugged him or thrown an armcasually over his shoulder in a while?

Logan will look at Roman more, eyessquinted, trying to figure him out and then himself out and wondering why he’sso bothered.

Logan eventually concludes that he likesbeing physically close with Roman.

When Roman takes too long to initiateaffection, Logan does it for him.

Logan will pointedly sit down right besideRoman and lean against him.

“Watchya doing, Microsoft Nerd?” Roman asks,blinking at the not-at-all subtle approach Logan’s taking.

Logan doesn’t look at him, choosing toopen a book. “I’m getting comfortable to read, isn’t it obvious?”

For some reason Roman gets a little shywhen the others initiate affection.

Roman has long since been used to havingto be the one to initiate things.

It’s kinda…really nice, not to have to askfor things.

The three of them start becoming very comfortablewith physical affection.

Roman will often lay his head in Virgil’slap, and Virgil will scratch at his hair while scrolling on his phone.

Roman melts under the touch.

It’s one of the few times he’s evercompletely silent. He’s always burning with the urge to move, to create!

In these moments, he can happily soak inthe peace.

Logan feels warm and content when he seesthe two of them like that.

Considering that in addition to all ofthese other signs, Logan has an epiphany moment.

He is attracted to the other tworomantically.

It’s a fairly shocking realization forsomeone who’s never experienced such a thing before.

Logan takes it in stride though.

He starts listing out the pros of them allbeing together.

The three of them work better togetherthan alone, he concludes.

With that in mind, Logan approaches theother two and asks them out.

#sanders sides #roman #roman sanders #logan #logan sanders #virgil #virgil sanders #analogince #romantic analogince #Anonymous

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whenallelsefails-eatpie · 4 years

Text

Finally Answering Questions for y’all

Q1: How tall or short do you wish you were?

I used to wish I was taller because I already am tall for an (AGAB)female (5′8 1/2) but then I learned about platforms so.

4: What was your favorite video game growing up?

Monkey Ball or Sonic Adventure Escape the City...I only had a Gamecube.

6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

Warning: Uses humor as a defense mechanism but will quickly become extremely invested in you and give you immense amounts of unending love if they vibe w you

8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic]

Melancholic

9: Are you ticklish?

extremely, on my back and sides (use this information wisely. I take no responsibility for involuntarily punching anyone who tickles me)

10: Are you allergic to anything?

absolutely nothing, allergies are to weed out the weak. (jkjk no eugenics here sis you slay that epipen)

11: What’s your sexuality?

~ pansexual ~ (prefer agab [not cis, those are two different things] females)

12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa?

tea, then coffee with cocoa. I don’t enjoy cocoa or coffee as much separately.

37: What is your eye color?

hazel/green

38: Introvert or extrovert?

I’m ambiverted but lean toward introversion.

44: Do you like tattoos and piercings?

oh yeah absolutely, I personally just prefer that the tattoos aren’t on your face. Or with piercings that they don’t take up so much of your face that I can’t see what you really look like.

54: What color would you like your hair to be right now?

pink, red, or platinum 56: Something that calms you down?

reading, playing instruments, taking a bath, cooking or baking

57: Have any mental disorders?

yessir. ADD, anxiety. and I used to have really bad depression. Now my depression is simply manageable lol.

73: What is your MBTI type?

INFP (enneagram 4)

86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes?

surprisingly yes, will I come close to passing out? Maybe. But I can.

87: Do your socks always match?

never, I hate matching my socks unless the socks are funky and need to match to give them the biggest bang for their buck.

92: A store you hate?

Dick’s sporting goods. I have been dragged around that place for hours and absolutely nothing there interests me. (edit: I found a beanie that I liked but my previous opinion still stands)

93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day?

start counting and never stop. If you mean in terms of actual measurements like cups/ounces, I can drink 20. What can I say I’m from New England.

94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds?

Definitely fly because that might help lessen my fear of heights

95: Do you like to wear camo?

literally shoot me if you ever see me wearing camo. please, I beg you. that will be me at my lowest point

96: Winter or summer?

Autumn. Next question.

97: How long can you hold your breath for?

3-4 minutes. It’s all that breath control from musical theatre.

99: Someone you look up to:

Jughead Jones. Yes I said that, fight me. He is completely himself and he allows the different facets of his personality to shine through to people that he loves and cares about. He is loyal and caring but also unique and resilient. Plus his fave food is burgers which is an instant win for me.

100: A store you love?

Hot Topic, Barnes and Nobles, Savers or any thriftstore

102: Where do you live?

New England bb (; gettin that dark academia aesthetic straight from the source

104: What is your favorite mineral or gem?

Amber

105: Do you drink milk?

You mean out of the glass? Like a psychopath? Like a serial killer? Absolutely not

106: Do you like bugs?

I do! Except for spiders and mosquitoes (although I’m warming up to spiders)

109: Can you draw:

Eh yeah ig, well enough. I draw realistically but I’m not great at animated style.

111: A question you hate being asked?

“Are you a boy or a girl?” (like why? does it personally affect you? are you planning on boning me? if not then buzz off)

113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach?

Yes, but only at night when the beach is quiet. I’m not a huge fan of the beach during the day

114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days?

Rainy or sunny. Don’t go givin me the clouds with none of the drizzle.

119: Favorite thing about a person:

Personality first and foremost. Humor and kindness. But physically; their smile and mannerisms.

120: Fruits or vegetables?

Veggies (or berries i like berries)

121: Something you want to do right now:

Run away... ahah. But in all honesty I would love to go mushroom foraging rn, or possibly go on an adventure. Maybe go put on clothing meant for an entirely different time period and run around Target idk.

123: Sweet or sour foods?

Definitely not sour I hate sour. Spoonfeed me wasabi, that I can handle. But if you make me eat a Warheads I will cry.

129: What would you want written on your tombstone?

I personally have a lot of problems with the funeral industry, so I would rather not take up space and rot preservation chemicals into the earth. But if I had an interim tombstone with no body underneath, it would read “Live Laugh Love” bc ~irony~

131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself?

that I’m very individualistic and stubborn

132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures?

Yes absolutely, that’s what they’re there for.

134: Do you like roller coasters?

Do I like feeling like I’m about to full send through the crust of the earth and die? No. No I do not. (I am a simple person, I go to carnivals for the food and to feed off terror.) 139: What nicknames do you have/have had?

141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink?

OH YEAH absolutely, I am a repressed gen z homosexual raised in a homophobic religious atmosphere, I am practically born with a therapist assigned to me.

142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others?

Definitely good -_- unfortunately. Catch me bein the mom friend.

143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help?

I prefer giving, but I am learning how to recieve.

144: What makes you angry

People who live their lives in willful ignorance despite the endless resources available to them and let that ignorance hurt others.

146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries?

All of em. Gimme em all. I don’t like boys as much currently but I would still probably lay my life on the line for some.

147: Are you androgynous?

Yes. It’s more fluid than it is being in consistent limbo between masc and femme. Usually I’m androgynous but I often swing wildly between both ends of that socially perceived spectrum. 148: Favorite thing about yourself physically?

My hands or smile(product of bracesTM). But I have been told I have nice hands.

149: Favorite thing about your personality:

I am a very strong blend of wise and class clown. I can do em both, I can do em well, and I can do em whenever. I also care a lot about others but I don’t change myself to be accepted by them.

150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person.

MLK Jr. --> I want to gain perspective on some of the current global issues. Jesus --> I’ve got a lot of questions for that dude. JRR Tolkien bc he’s incredible or Joan of Arc for the same reason

151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose?

Ooh well, as a woman not many eras are desirable. But um probably either the 70s or Ancient Greece

154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons?

YES. GIMME UR FINGERS > i meant that to sound much less threatening than it did but my statement still stands. 155: Do you like to play with others’ hair?

Yes it’s literally one of my favorite things to do. I hab empty lap. *pat pat* U may lay your head on it and watch Rilakkuma and Kaoru with me while I play with your hair. pls. 157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious:

Women..... That’s it. That’s the tweet.

158: Biggest lie you have ever told:

That I am not a member of the alphabet mafia. (It’s not currently safe for me to come out) Now tell me *shines light in your face* who are your contacts?

164: Do you have long or short hair?

I have medium hair. It’s around the length of a bisexual bob or a good mullet.

165: Shortest/Longest your hair has ever been:

Shortest was a pixie cut, almost buzzed, amazing. Longest was to my butt and was literally the worst experience in existence. I shall to this day actively rebel against having hair like that again.

166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religion?

Organized religion can suck it. You can’t organize your relationship with God, nor can you stick it into a little manmade box and pretend that you have the ability to create a perfect faith which others have to either follow or perish. It’s arrogant and damaging and hurtful and not at all what Christianity is supposed to mean.

167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created?

I do. I think it’s important and something we need to think about. I do believe there is something after death, and I like to believe that my life has meaning. I think that questions of creation are important questions to ask and we can’t just ignore them.

168: Do you like to wear makeup?

Yes! It’s fun! Pretty colors!

170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully?

Absolutely. And the ones I didn’t feel like answering I simply omitted.

#chaotic good #Q&A #I learned more about myself writing this #than you probably did reading it #pls feel free to continue asking questions #i probably have too many answers #i heard oversharing on the internet is #cool

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sunnyborabora · 5 years

Text

Ghost stories (Yoongi x Reader)

You are a medium, being able to see and talk to ghost since your birth is cooler than it seems and now you are just traveling around the country, people calling you from every where so that you can solve they supernatural problem. But what you are going to face is way different than everyt thing you’ve seen before and the worst is that you have to team up with Min Yoongi and his two acolytes. Medium reader x Ghost hunter Yoongi

It was mean to be posted for Halloween... What can I say except that lmao you can never count on me djhgjdvskjvkjv

Warning: Horror theme, ghosts and demons, possession, a little bit of blood, the reader is kind of a crackhead, smut (please don’t have sex in a haunted house)

You got off your car the cold air hitting you harder than you thought. It was already late but you got stuck into traffic jam all day and you did all you could to come to your client house as soon as you could. Two cares were parked near the house two, one being a black van. You draped your large black scarf around your long dress. You walked toward the house, wind blowing in the branches. The moment you step a foot on the wooden stairs you felt something passing beside you. You turned around, but you didn’t see a thing except the sand of the desert surrounding the house. The only thing that could be heard now was the wind and the sound of your high heels on the wooden porch. You knocked three times. You heard a ruffle behind the door. It opened and you saw a woman. She was small and seemed tired.

« Mrs Lincoln ? I am Y/n L/n, sorry for the delay, I was stuck in traffic. - Oh don’t worry. I am happy that are here. » You entered and you noted that the inside of the house was the exact same temperature than outside. A chill ran down your spine. There was definitely something wrong. « The supernatural investigator are already here, but you didn’t miss anything » she said while tying her scarf more tightly around her neck. You realized that she had a thick coat on, and she seemed to shiver every now and then. « The supernatural investigator ? », you did not expect that. You entered the living room and you saw four other people. All men. « Good evening, sorry to be late, I was at the other side of the state when my assistant got your call. -No problem, I am Eric, I live here with my wife. » You smiled at him, reaching his hand to shake it. You shivered, something felt suddenly off. He wasn’t wearing as many clothes the others you noted, but he seemed tired. « Miss L/n, this is mister Min, mister Jung and mister Kim- - Call us by our names, we are going to spend some times together now I am Hoseok, and with Namjoon we are in charge of the electronic part, this is Yoongi our leader. » You reach for his hand, smiling, his powerful aura giving off positive vibes even in this weird atmosphere. « So you are ? » The last man, Yoongi ?, asked you a stern look in his eyes. « I am Y/n, the medium mister and miss Lincoln called. », You smiled. His aura was a deep red and it seemed soft. The total opposite of the man itself, his expression not giving any friendly vibes. « A medium ? » He said like you just told him some joke. He pushed back his glasses, crossing his arms. You raised your brows. « Aren’t we hunting some ghosts ? » You were used to people being septic, even your clients were in need of reassurance. The only thing that was different this time. You were used to working alone. The man named Namjoon, who was really cute, smiled and said : « She is right Yoongi, and the more we are the faster we’ll solve this case » He met your eyes and blush as you wink at him playfully. « This is a serious matter. We are doing science, not witchcraft. -You can call me a scientist if it’s what’s bothering you that much » If looks could kill, you’d be dead on the spot. But you simply smiled. It was true joy to play with pretty boys like that. He seemed annoyed more than anything. « Did you explained them what phenomenons were happening in the house ? Does it bother you to tell me everything. -Actually it would be a great idea to tell the entire story. We are going to record it this time if it doesn’t bother you. » You all sited around the table, you were sitting next to Yoongi in front of the couple. Hoseok was just behind them, setting up a camera to film you, he was also adjusting a microphone just above the Lincolns. Namjoon was doing the same thing just behind you. You looked up at Hoseok who had settled a pair of headphones on his ears. He nodded his head, making you sign that you could start. « Okay, I am Min Yoongi, we are the 30th October, it’s 8 pm, and I am with Namjoon, Hoseok, miss L/n, and we are interviewing Eric and Sadie Lincoln. » You watched around you and saw nothing. But even if the fire place was lighted, and the fire was strong you still weren’t able to feel any heat. « Tell us everything since the beginning. -Where can we start ? -The first thing that you could think of, that made you feel uneasy maybe » They seemed to think. « Humm, then it should be as soon as we arrived in the house. When we were moving in, I felt not so welcome in the place anymore. -The thing is that we bought this house at a sale at auction. It was really cheap, and we didn’t have to do that much work inside. Seems too good to be true now… - After it was more of a… Feeling of being watched. Sadie was the first one to hear the footsteps. -It was like someone was walking behind me, following me around the house. At first, it was staying distant. But with the weeks passing, the… Presence was coming closer. -The next step I would say, was the missing objects. Literally everything was changing places. Even when no one was in the house. -It lasted a while I would say… But then the presence, the manifestation… It becomes more violent. -Our bed sheets would be dragged suddenly out of the bed. Doors would open them self slowly. -We thought it was just coincidence. But Then I started to get scratches, bruises all over my body. Once I woke up with bruises like fingerprints all around my throat- » She stopped talking as tears were starting to roll on her cheeks. You looked into your purse, finding a little pack of tissues that you gave her. She smiled at you and this is when you saw it. The dark shadow behind her. It was latching onto her body without mercy. « It is openly violent then ? » You asked still watching over her shoulder. As you speak, like you had predicted, the shadow reacted to your voice. It violently got of Sadie’s back and disappeared in the darker corridor. « Yes. It has become dangerous… We feel like it wants to hurt us… And the worst… It’s messing with our mind… -Messing with your mind ? -It has a very bad influence on us. Since we are here… We’ve been angry, almost violent against each other… -And… I started to have dark though ts… -Dark thoughts ? » She marked a pause. « I tried to kill myself twice… » You took her hands in yours trying to comfort her. The more you were listening to their story the more you were worried. « How long have you been in this house ? -We’ve been living here for three months » You couldn’t help but gasp. Yoongi looked at you weirdly. « Why are you asking this ? -Those type of phenomenons… They are normally are displayed on several months, even a year. Three months, this is nothing… -What does it mean. -It’s really aggressive. It’s hungry… » Yoongi nodded readjusting his headband on his forehead. « I think we are good with the recording. Do you want to ask something else Yoongs ? Y/n ? » You shook your head. You have heard enough. Yoongi got up and at that precise moment the fireplace smother. The room was suddenly dark. But you still were able to see a little. Suddenly you felt something. You got up almost knocking your chair down. « Namjoon, Hoseok, can you film ? » You asked. « Yes, we are behind you » Namjoon told you. You were seeing something at the end of the corridor. Something that wasn’t human. It was scratching at the floor, long claws almost digging into the wood. « Do you see that ? -No miss L/n… What do you see ? » It was Yoongi. « I see a silhouette. I can’t see its face. It has long nails, it’s scratching the floor… Oh my god... » The silence was heavy. You turned around to see the cameras, and then you Yoongi. You pointed your ear with your finger, making him sign to listen. His eyes widened. He was hearing it too, the scratch. You pointed at the corner were the monster was hoping that the camera would catch something. Suddenly everything went quiet. The atmosphere was heavy and your ears were ringing from the lack of sounds. « Help ! Oh my god ! » You turned around at the same time as Namjoon and Yoongi. You all ran up the corridor, Namjoon throwing his camera at the ground to be faster. He arrived first but what could he do when Sadie Lincoln was floating in the air. « Get her down ! » Was screaming her husband but it didn’t do anything. Hoseok was trying to get her down but the spirit was too strong. « Do you see it ? » You turned around. Yoongi was looking at you. « Yeah, it’s holding her. » You had to act fast. You ran toward the table, climbing it. There were moment to ask yourself question, and it wasn’t now. But you really didn’t plane to become a WWE super star today. You still jumped in the air, grabbing Mrs Lincoln. Namjoon and Hoseok succeed into grabbing Sadie as you crashed to the ground. « Sadie are you okay ?! Sadie !? » You got up with a hiss, your knees cursing your stupid ass. You took Yoongi’s hand getting up with difficulty. « She doesn’t answer. Is she okay ? - Is she breathing ? -Yes, she seems okay, she just doesn’t wake up. » You took a deep breath. « She might be in shocked. You have to leave this house. Get as far as you can. Whatever this is, it’s draining you from your energy. I am already tired and I’ve been here for two hours at most. You’ve been here for three months. -She is right. We don’t need you to stay here if we want to investigate, and it’s not going anywhere. » You nodded, but you weren’t sure it was a good idea if you stayed in this house longer too. « Hoseok, Namjoon and I, we are going to install all the material, cameras, microphones everything, what we need is to collect evidence. Even if we don’t need further proof to stay. »

You knelt down next to Sadie. Caressing her forehead, you saw how she looked tires, new bruises were appearing around her eyes. You were sure they weren’t here before and that they weren’t caused by the fall. She slowly opened her eyes and you saw, the suffering, the pain, death. « Y/n ? Are you going to stay ? » You raised your head toward Namjoon. He was holding a camera, probably already planning the setup. « I am not quitting the case if it’s what you are asking. -No I meant… Where are going to sleep ? You are not going to stay in the house ? -Oh no ! I won’t advise anyone to stay here after what I just saw. I am probably going take a room in a motel not to far away. -We are staying in motel 6 miles away from here. If you want to », this time it was Hoseok, he was also smiling at you. You smiled back at him answering simply : « Yeah thank you ». The next thing you did was help Mister Lincoln to carry his wife in his car. She had gained consciousness again but was really weak. You advised them to not take anything with them, literally everything is soaked in this dark energy that they should leave in this house. « Take some pause on the road there to sleep, but don’t come back here. Call me when you arrived. » He nodded before taking the road. You looked back at the house, and for a moment you thought you saw a dark silhouette standing there in the deserting night. You feared for the men inside so you started running. You almost knocked over Namjoon when you entered. « Oohh easy tiger ! -Are you all okay ? I- -Yeah no problem Y/n, we are fine ! We’re almost done with the setting of the stairs. Do you want maybe visit the house ? -Yeah, hmmm, it’s a good idea ! I am going to visit the floor, like that you’ll be able to do your work downstairs without me blocking you. -You won’t block us, and don’t you think it’s dangerous to go upstairs alone ? -Don’t worry about me ! It’s not the first time I do this. » You went up the stairs crossing Yoongi on your way up. He stopped you a disapproving look on his face. « What are you doing ? Don’t go upstairs, we just set up everything. -I know, but I need to see the house. I’ll be nice I promess », you said, trying not to me too sarcastic. As you were walking up the stairs you heard him say something but you didn’t paid attention. The stairs were silent, almost too silent as three men were supposed to be moving and talking just below you. It was composed of four bedroom, all pretty big. Three of them were empty, the main one, the one where the couple was supposed to sleep, was just composed of a bed, a wardrobe and a small cabinet that seemed pretty ancient. You entered the room scanning the place, it seemed lifeless, as if no one had been living in it. You watched under the bed, in the wardrobe, no monster in sight. But as you were going to walk out, the little cabinet opened itself. You turned around, to see. And you saw. « Who are you ? » It was squatting next to the little cabinet. It’s skin was the color of charcoal, long claws were pointing at something inside the cabinet. It was smiling at you, a big toothless smile. It was terrifying. It was the first demon you ever saw. You were used to deal with ghosts but you were almost sure it wasn’t one. It suddenly got up, so tall it’s slender long limbs were towering you. It was advancing toward you and as much as you wanted to run away you couldn’t.

« What’s your name ? What are you doing here ? » It puts his claw in front of its mouth to silence you before disappearing. You walked toward the cabinet hoping to find answer. All you find was a bunch of pictures. You could see the portrait of a woman. It was dated by 1922 and was giving the address of the house. You took a picture of it. You knew better than to take what didn’t belong to you. You found a page of an old newspaper. It related the story of an orphanage which had been destroyed by a fire. You also took a picture. You soon were over with the visit. There was no attic thank god because you hatted them. You walked down the stairs to find the three men gathered around the fire place. « So did you finished ? -Oh hey ! Yeah we are done. -What happened tho, did you ran a marathon upstairs » Funny how everything this man was saying was annoying as fuck. « What do you mean ? -We heard someone running. -I didn’t run. And I didn’t hear something running » The three of them looked at each other. « I really don’t like this » said Hoseok. « Do you know what type of ghost this is Y/n ? -I don’t think it’s a ghost. It doesn’t look like one at least. -What is it then ? -I don’t know… A demon maybe ». Hoseok squealed. « A demon !? -Yeah, never met one before. But I know someone who dealed with some. I should call them. -What does it look like ? -Completely black skin, so tall it almost touches the selling, long claws, toothless smile -I am so fucking happy I can’t see those shit… -If we do our job well we might » You closed the house, making sure all the cameras were on and the left. You followed them until you reached the hotel. You choose a room next to theirs, working at the same place, it would be easier. « Really you don’t have to help, I can carry them » you said to Namjoon and Hoseok who had insisted in carrying your luggages. « Y/n it’s nothing ! We’ll help if we can ! » The three of you laughed until you arrived to the room, where a very grumpy Yoongi was waiting for you. You really wondered when this man wasn’t irritable. You entered your room and settled down. You were drowned off of your energy. Your brain was a shamble, and you were wondering what you were going to do. You had the time to take a shower and change clothes before someone come knocking at your door. « Hey, we were wondering if you were angry. We ordered pizza. -Oh thanks ! But I have a lot of work I should get- -Well if you come we’ll be able to discuss the case. » You smiled and accepted. You followed him, Namjoon was working on his computer and Yoongi was spread on the bed, his long hair out of his face even if he wasn’t wearing his headband anymore. They all seemed to have had the same idea as you, and had taken a shower. « Come on Y/n sit ! » You sat next to Hoseok on the ground, your stomach finally growling. You took a slice, happy to finally eat. « Did you find anything else ? On the case ? -Actually, I m probably going to do some research on the house first. -That would be a first step. We’ll be back tomorrow at the house to see what the cameras had registered. -I find something in the main bedroom, in a little cabinet. » Yoongi rose from his position on the bed. « A cabinet ? -Yeah… -There’s no cabinet in the main bedroom. Just the bed and that old dresser. » You looked at him weirdly. « I saw one tho », you looked for your phone in your pocket, « Look I took pics of it » Indeed, there were the pics of the document you found inside the cabinet. « What… We didn’t see it when we were in the room… -That’s fucking creepy », Said Hoseok, shaking his head, still a piece of pizza in his hand. « I’ll look at the camera tomorrow » said Namjoon, « I think, whatever is in this house, reacts to you more than to us, it obviously wants something from you ». You shuddered at that. « Great ». You kept eating, as you were all talking more casually. « We met in high school ! We all dropped after two years of uni, it wasn’t really for us… -That’s funny ! I wish I could have a group of friends like this. -Yeah it was a good timing ! » Namjoon laughed looking at Hoseok. « And how did you start investigating ? -That’s because of Yoongi » You turned your head toward him. He was munching on his pizza, his puffy cheeks making him look younger than he probably was. « Ahhh, why always this story ?! -Come on ! It’s a cool story ! » He turned towards you, looking exasperate as if he already had told this story a million time. « My house was haunted when I was a child. So when I grew up I started investigating the story of the house. It was our first case. After that, like nothing was really interesting to me, I thought it was a good alternative. -And what happened to your house ? -An old woman had died in this house at the beginning of the century. She had hidden a sort of treasure in the house and forgot about it. I just found it for her and she left. My parents are still leaving in there. -Wow ! That’s impressive ! -And you, Y/n ? How did you come up to being you know- -Well I am just seeing ghost since I was a kid. My mom has this ability too, she never done anything with it but, I don’t know, I thought I could be helpful to others. -That’s so cool ! And terrifying ! -And you a saw them all the time ? -Yeah basically, when I was younger I used to not recognized them, I thought they were just people, weird and very confused people. Now I know how to recognize them. -Oh my god, if you saw one in the motel, you’ll tell me hmm » Hoseok started to look suspiciously everywhere. You suddenly grasped. « Oh my god Hoseok be careful, you’re gonna sit on one ! » He jumped out of the bed, screeching. You laughed followed by Namjoon and even Yoongi. You ended up talking for another good part of the night, planning what you’ll do tomorrow. You decided to let Hoseok and Namjoon go to collect the videos, while you and Yoongi were going to do research on this house. You ended up falling asleep on the floor, Namjoon had passed out on the bed in a weird position, Hoseok was sleeping on the (siege), he’ll probably be sore all over in the morning. Yoongi was also on the floor, his head carefully placed on a pillow, he wasn’t that far away from you. You had a dream this night. A weird dream. You saw the house, as flames were everywhere. A woman was standing here, you could only see her back but you understood what she was doing. In her closed fist, was a bloody piece of flesh, she was clenching it screaming things you could not understand. Suddenly everything swung and went completely black. The only light was a little light bulb just above your head. « Burn it ». You turned your head but there was nothing.

« Burn it » Two arms emerged from each side of your head, long black claws clasping around your mouth. The only thing you saw was the woman standing in the light before the monster take you into the abyss. You woke up with the horrible feeling of falling. Yoongi was on his phone, looking at you weirdly. « Are you okay ? -Yeah... » You were breathless, like you just ran a marathon. « I just had a bad dream… -Must have been intense damn… -It was » He kept looking at you, the only light being his phone screen. « You wanna take some fresh air ? -I should, I’ll be right back… -Wait » You heard him get up. It was cold outside, but it felt good against your burning skin. « It wasn’t a dream right ? -I mean… It was… But it was weird. -Did you see the demon ? -Not really. » You didn’t say anything else. You thought that a bit of fresh air would calm you down but it wasn’t working that well. You didn’t know what was happening with you and Yoongi, that tension between the both of you. You were mixed between jumping his bones or strangle him. Which was powerful coming from someone you just met. He put his hand on your forehead. « You’re hot -Thanks » You suddenly wanted to kill yourself. He watched you incredulous. And you did what everyone would do in this situation. You panicked. « I should go back to my room ! It’s late, and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow ! » You tapped his back and entered your room. It took you one hour to go to sleep again, not so much because of the dream, more because you were a fucking dumb ass. You woke up early in the morning and you decided to go in town to get everyone breakfast. It was fairly desert at this hour, even if you were sure it wasn’t crowded any hour of the day. You came back an hour after to find Namjoon outside the room drinking what looked like coffee. « Hey, sleep well ? -I don’t know in what position I fell asleep but fuck that » You laughed. « I went for breakfast ! » His smiled at you and you smiled back. You stayed outside, eating with Namjoon the breakfast you had taken from the city. « What you eating ? » You saw Yoongi’s hand first, as he was aiming for the coffee cup. You didn’t realise his fingers were that long before. You shook your head. « You're leaving soon ? -Yeah the earlier we got the footage the earlier we can analyze them. -Be careful when you are there » you said worried. « Don’t worry about us Y/n, We’ll be fine ! », He patted your hand. You turned around but Yoongi had left. Namjoon and Hoseok left soon after, and you started your research. Yoongi was in their room, and you in yours. You tried to find information on the house but nothing came out very concluding. All you find that was interesting was the fact that there have been witch trial in town centuries ago. Witches have the tendencies to attract demons. And then you remembered the dream from last night. The woman… She could have been a witch. You took a pencil and a paper and started scribbling something. The face of the witch started to appear as you were drawing her. Her slender silhouette becoming more and more recognizable. Once you were done you couldn’t stop yourself and took another piece of paper. This time it wasn’t a woman’s face that appeared this time. No eyes, black charcoal skin, big mouth full of sharp teeth. « Y/n ! Come hurry up we have something ! », Hoseok entered your room suddenly. And indeed they had found something. They had looked at the footage and the camera had registered two moments where they had been movement. The first time was at 11 pm, it was the door of the closet that had opened itself. Nothing too alarming. « It could be anything. » But the second one took you aback. Your heart stopped beating for a moment you thought. As your ayes were widening. It was a silhouette, entering the house. « Y/n are you okay ? » Fuck fuck fuck. « Do you know who this is ? » You opened your mouth but nothing come out. You were too shocked, busy looking at the woman that was in your dream yesterday, walking up the stairs, entering the bedroom and looking for something in the ghost cabinet you had found the pics in yesterday. « Y/n ! Fuck what is it ? » You couldn’t take your eyes off of her. She turned around, looking at the camera. There was two black holes at the place of her eyes. She smiled and mouth something before disappearing. « I- I- -What is it ! Talk ! -Yoongi, leave her some space ! » It was Namjoon. « I saw this woman before… -When ? Where ? -Yesterday… In one of my dream… -Your nightmare ? » Yoongi had calm down. You simply nodded, still looking at the screen where you were seeing the woman, still facing the camera. « What nightmare ? Y/n ? -She had a nightmare during yesterday… What was it ?… -This woman… I think I know who she is…. » You stood up suddenly, storming out of the room. When you came back a second after Namjoon was at the door. « Look ». You gave them your drawings. « Fuck, when did you do this ? -When you were gone… I- I couldn’t help but think about it… » Hoseok took the drawing and looked at it. « It’s exactly the same thing. How… Oh, fuck… » He had look at the other drawing. « The fuck is this -It’s what it looks like ? The thing in the house ? -That’s what he showed me at least… -It looks nothing like I’ve seen before… -It’s terrifying, fuck, how do you get rid of this…. » You didn’t feel really good. « I don’t know… -What was happening in your dream ? -The- the house was on fire, and she was standing in front of it… Then everything, it went black, and I was alone. Then » You gulped « something grabbed me and I woke up ». The three of them looked at you. Hoseok looked terrified, Namjoon worried and Yoongi, well you couldn’t tell. « We need to know more about this house, about this town before doing anything else. This must be the key to what is happening. » You all started to do research, Namjoon and you were looking at books, old newspaper, and you didn’t know how but Yoongi had succeeded into finding some of the church archive in town. He said the librarian was nice enough to let him borough them. « You didn’t steal them right ? -No, Namjoon what the fuck » Namjoon still looked suspicious, but the archive were actually pretty useful. It confirmed what you had seen on internet. « So the entire town was infested with witches. And this fucking house ! It was a coven ! -Technically it was an orphanage for young girls… -Sounds like the perfect cover to me. », Hoseok said as he was holding your hand for dear life. You smiled at him. « Not all witch are bad you know, I know some of them that are very nice, some are even my friends. -Are you a witch too ? Oh my god please say no… -No I am not don’t worry. » That’s true you were not a witch. You never perform any sort of witchcraft. Your gift, it was just there since your birth. « I have an idea. Tonight, at midnight, we’ll do what I do best! » You closed your books, smiling at them. « Calling some ghost ». The house was even colder than the day before. You were all sitting in a circle in the living room, Namjoon at your right, Hoseok on your other side, Yoongi in front of you. « No breaking the circle, don’t take anything they are going to say personally. We need to finish the seance before leaving. Is everyone ready ? -Can we ask her question ? -I don’t know if she’ll agree to show herself. To you or to me. Just ask, no insulting question, and we’ll see. -You don’t use a Ouija board ? -Don’t think I need it this time. » You all joined your hand and closed your eyes. You took a deep breath in. « I summon you spirit of this house. I feel you, you are here, and I am asking you to show yourself. » Nothing happened. « Carolina Emilie Steinfield, you tried to contact me before. I am reaching out for you. We need your help. Show yourself. »

The candle blew out under the light wind. You felt Namjoon trembling. You opened your eyes and you saw. In the middle of the circle, she was. « Keep your eyes close » you said as the ghost put her finger in front of her mouth. « Y/n, is she here ? -Hmmm, I don’t know… Just keep your eyes closed... » She was like you saw her in your dream, without the two holes that were puncturing her head on the video. She seemed young, younger than you, soft feature, dark eyes. She touches your head and you saw. It was only snippets of information, flashes in front of your eyes. You saw women, in a circle. Blood. Long claws. And fire. Burn it. Burn it all. « What do you mean ? -Y/n, who are you talking to ? » You couldn’t answer. It was too much for you. But you were understanding. You were seeing. You felt yourself fall. « Y/n ! Fuck wake up ! » You opened your eyes and everything was a blurry mess. You couldn’t talk or move. « What’s happening ? » The flashes had stopped but you were suddenly very tired. « I saw it » you simply said. « Saw what ? », said Yoongi. You could feel his hand on your shoulder, his contact was making you shiver. « The witch, I know... » You blacked out. You woke up in the motel room, Hoseok laying next to you, munching on some french fries. « You’re awake ! Oh my god ! -Y/n ! » Namjoon fell on your other side. You smiled at this. « Damn, please don’t do that again » Yoongi sat on the bed in front of you. He seemed relieved. « What happened ? -You fucking convulsed, I swear I thought you were going to die. -Damn awesome… -At least you didn’t pee yourself… » You slapped Namjoon arm with the strength of a baby. « I saw the witch. -Yeah, we figured that out… -She gave me a vision, this was the first time this happened like this… -What did you see ? -They were indeed a coven. One day they performed a ritual to summon something, but it went wrong. -What is that thing ? -A demon. It has nothing to do with a ghost, it’s way more dangerous. -How do you get rid of this ? An exorcism ? -I don’t think so… The rituals had been done in the living room. When the witch died the demon couldn’t leave, it stayed enslaved in the house. » The voice of the witch was still ringing in your ears. « So ? -She told me to burn it. -Burn the house. -I mean- If you say it like that... » Yoongi seemed to think about something. « That makes sense. Demon can’t go around without being attached to something. If the thing he is attached to disappear he will be forced to go back to where he belongs. -Yeah, that sounds logical. -What about the spirit tho ? -They’ll go away. The demon is forcing them to stay. Once it’ll be gone they’ll go away. -You are sure we are not freeing a demon in the outside world ? -No, I am sure. -That’s true, how can we trust the witch ? They are the one who summoned it. -I don’t think they wanted to summon it, they wanted to bound him to their will. Use it’s power. -Now that they have been slaughtered anyway, they have no interest in keeping the demon here. -Well… I might call the Lincolns, to tell them that we are going to burn their house... » You winced at this. Yoongi had Mister Lincoln on the phone early in the morning, and he told him everything. Mister Lincoln was worried, his wife was still asleep, ever since their departure. You understood that something was wrong. You needed to act as fast as possible. « She is like a coma… This isn’t normal. -It’s the demon, she stayed to long near it. It feed of her for too long. -She is not possessed ? Please tell me she is not… -No I don’t think so. The demon can’t leave the house. » Yoongi laid on the bed. Namjoon and Hoseok were out for food. « Everything, this story… It’s fucking crazy -I know right… I thought I was just going to see some ghost, not an all ass demon coming right from hell. » He snickered at that. « Did you sleep ? » You asked looking at him and seeing he was very tired. « A bit, not enough probably ». You moved on the right side of the bed, making him sign of moving next to you. He looked at you incredulously, before understanding. He was going to refuse, but then he moved toward the spot on the left. He took of his glasses and you threw the cover on him. « I swear you look like a kitten -Shut up… -No really… You cute or whatever ». He groaned and hit you from under the cover. You cried out. « Hey ! I just got possessed by a ghost have mercy ! » He turned around but you could the blush on his cheeks. « Ok kitten, sleep well ». He wanted scream you could see it. But he simply put his head under the cover in embarrassment. You received a call two hours later. You answered, trying not to wake up Yoongi. « Ms. L/n ! » It was Mister Lincoln. « Please, help me, my wife, she- she escaped ! I don’t know where she went ! She took the car and left ! -When did she left? » You looked around you, Namjoon and Hoseok were looking at you. You put him on speaker. « She left just after my previous call. I did not call you right away because I thought she could just have woken up. But when we started looking for her in the house she wasn’t there, the car was gone, I-I don’t know what to do… -I think I know where she is going » Namjoon took his vest and you understood. « She is returning to the house of course ! -Yes she heard us talk about it over the phone, we said we wanted to destroy it. -The Demon is using her. -We have to go, burn this shit down before it’s late » All of you got out the hotel, jumping into the vans, you had no time to take your car. Namjoon was driving, way faster than it was probably authorized but non of you cared. But you couldn’t help but feel bad. In fact, you felt terribly guilty. You were the one who told everyone that there will be no problem. That the demon would not be able to reach her or follow her once she’ll be out of its range. It was your fault.

« Stop sulking, we are here », Yoongi said, not throwing you a single look. He was right, you had to go into action. « Fuck, isn’t it the car they used to leave ? -It is... » You all rushed toward the house to see the door was open. « Shit. -Mrs Lincoln ! It’s Y/n ! Where are you ?! » Nobody answered. « I got it », Hoseok said, two buckets of gasoline in his hands. « We have to find her before we do anything. -We should split. -No ! No, you know what happen when people split in horror movies. They die ! -But we have to hurry ! We’ll go faster if we split in two groups ». Hoseok looked like he was going to faint on the spot. « If you feel slightly bit dizzy or anything get out. You find her, get out of the house. -Please don’t burn the house while we are still inside tho. » Namjoon and Hobi started to look downstairs as you and Yoongi got upstairs. Everything was good, as good as they could be, until you went to the attic. You had not found a trace of Mrs Lincoln presence nowhere upstairs. Namjoon and Hoseok had not called for you one bit, meaning that they didn’t found her either. She was necessarily in this house, you’ll find her. The attic was dark, but strangely clean. No dusty boxes, no spiders. It was empty and it was even more terrifying like that. « Y/n ». You turned around. Yoongi was looking at his feet, seemingly breathless. « Are you okay ? -You know when you spoke about feeling dizzy ? » He looked at you, and it was like a fire started consuming you. You needed to run, to get out of here right now. But as the last string of logic was passing you didn’t want to leave at all. « What is happening Y/n ? » He was suddenly so close to you. His breath on your face, as you were feeling the heat of his skin against yours. « You look so cute », it really, really wasn’t the moment to say that, you knew it, but you couldn’t help yourself. He kissed you, roughly, feeling you return the passion just as hard. Your tongues met twisting around each other before you started nipping with your teeth. What was going on ? Why were you suddenly making out with the cute guy you literally met two days ago ? Why were you unable to move except for moving forward toward his body, to feel him more. You cried out when Yoongi suddenly bit your neck, and your hips trusted against his, rubbing against his thigh. You had never felt this way before. It was only this primal desire to feel him, to be with him. It was more powerful than anything. You could feel it, against your thigh, how hard he was. He was in the same state as you. « Fuck. What’s going on ? » You were lost, but just the thought of Yoongi pressing against your thigh like that made you wetter and wetter. Feeling like he wanted you, it was everything. Your brain was so slow, it was impossible for you to think, you were just able to feel Yoongi. It was the only thing that mattered. Already, you were able to imagine him remorselessly plunging into you, thrusting hard and fast, making you gasp, moan and call out. You couldn’t help but thrust your hips forward again, rubbing up against Yoongi’s erection, turning him on even more. It felt good, you made him feel so good. He was like drunk in everything that was you. Your scent, your voice, your eyes the way you were rubbing on his cock. It felt so good even through the fabric of his pants. A moan escaped his lips before he could stop it, and it solicited something inside you. You bit his neck hard, and he felt like he could cum on the spot. He pushed you back, and you fell on the wooden floor. He would have felt guilty but you didn’t seem to mind for one bit. And honestly, looking at you from his spot, above you, as you were laying on the floor, your hair scattered around your head, your eyes closed, your lips red and bitten. He was unable to feel sorry about anything. He never saw anything that was as beautiful as you. You were sultry and dangerous. So fucking dangerous. He couldn't have resisted even if he had wanted to. But hell, he didn't want to. He wanted to take you, right here, on the floor of this damned house. He wanted you to scream. He pressed another bruising kiss to your lips, and you moaned up against him. « Please » you demanded, kicking him off of you. « I don't want your kisses, »You pleaded. Yoongi's eyes darkened, but he knew you were right. He didn't want yours, either, at least not only that. You both wanted something else and you were going to have it. He placed his hands on either side of you, caging you in. Your hands reached down, and quickly you undid the buttons of his pants, sliding them down his thighs. You struggled with his boxer before he decided to help you to take them off. His cock stood erect between the two of you, thick and throbbing. You looked down at it, and a small moan escape your lips. « You want it right ? », Yoongi asked. No more words were spoken, you simply nodded eagerly. He smirked and it was his turn. He didn’t take the time to take off your dress. He pushed you on your back, his hands grabbing your dress collar and ripping it apart. You gasped, as if him taking off your clothes was making you able to breathe again. He pushed your long dress up your thighs, exposing you to the cool air. Your underwear was thrown somewhere where it won’t bother you. Placing one of his hands on your thighs, he pulled your legs apart, looking down between them. You were wet, so wet, your pink folds glistening. He wanted to eat you up, fucking devour you. But he couldn’t. He needed it right now. It was stronger than his will. He positioned himself between your legs. Yoongi grabbed your hips so hard, it will bruise but fuck every time he was touching you, you were like set on fire. He trusted up into you, making you moan throwing your head backward in pleasure. You couldn’t help it but wrap tightly your legs around his back to keep him closer. He trusted inside you hard, his mouth in your neck. In and out he pistoned, filling you with his member. You were like two animals, the only thing that was important was the feeling, the electricity running through you, the heat of the contact. The pressure was building between your legs as his thickness filled you over and over, as your scream were starting to get louder and louder. You were arching your back, the pleasure almost too much to handle. He took you in his arm, and he sat on his calves, you on top of him. Your thighs were burning from the movement but you couldn’t help but move up and down and it was magnificent as he was hitting just the right spot. His cock was curving into your upper wall, making you moan and writhe. It was making you see stars before your eyes and lips parted and legs trembling. Yoongi held strongly to you, his fingers digging into the skin of your waist as he helped you fuck yourself on his cock. It was like you had put a spell on him, he couldn’t stop, couldn’t get enough of you, and he could never. He couldn’t think clearly, but a small part of his mind was telling him that he could deny everything he wanted later, it would never be the same anymore. He was the one making you moan and writhe, and he couldn't help but feel good, proud about it. You cried out sharply when he pushed you hard against the floor. He wanted more, faster. He pounded into you, making you scream. He kissed you, and you felt something. Something else than just the burning, sick passion, borderline obsession that was overwhelming you. You didn’t resist, savoring his taste. « What are you doing to me -Yoongi, fuck- -Yes, Y/n, I feel it baby- » Your nails bit into his arms. He pushed himself as deep inside you as he could, as if he wanted you to feel him, feel him so deep inside you, to leave his mark. Right now you felt like you’ll never be able to be satisfied by anything and anyone else in your life. When it will stop you’ll be left sad and empty. Yoongi was feeling the same but you wet and warm, surrounding his cock was feeling so good that he wasn’t able to overthink this. You loved the feeling, too. The pressure was so great between your legs, so intense. You were clenching without knowing, and you felt like you could come at any second. But it was far away, out of reach but still so close. You were teetering on the edge, almost about to climax. Almost about to release all of your built up tension and stress and rage. About to scream. He leaned in close to you, so that your lips were brushing together. Yoongi’s arms tightened around your back, pulling you closer to him until your body was crushed up against his. Your nerves were turning to fire within your body, and you felt yourself throbbing around him. And then you reached your climax, and it crashed in waves inside your body. You screamed your eyes wide open. On the ceiling, here it was. Black, long tongue pending out of this mouth now full of theeth. It was smiling at you. Yoongi came after that. He released every every bit of himself inside you, as his orgasm took his body completely and a roar was torn from his throat. His hips began to still. « Stop sulking, we are here », Yoongi said, not throwing you a single look. He was right, you had to go into action. « Fuck, isn’t it the car they used to leave ? -It is... » You all rushed toward the house to see the door was open. « Shit. -Mrs Lincoln ! It’s Y/n ! Where are you ?! » Nobody answered. « I got it », Hoseok said, two buckets of gasoline in his hands. « We have to find her before we do anything. -We should split. -No ! No, you know what happen when people split in horror movies. They die ! -But we have to hurry ! We’ll go faster if we split in two groups ». Hoseok looked like he was going to faint on the spot. « If you feel slightly bit dizzy or anything get out. You find her, get out of the house. -Please don’t burn the house while we are still inside tho. » Namjoon and Hobi started to look downstairs as you and Yoongi got upstairs. Everything was good, as good as they could be, until you went to the attic. You had not found a trace of Mrs Lincoln presence nowhere upstairs. Namjoon and Hoseok had not called for you one bit, meaning that they didn’t found her either. She was necessarily in this house, you’ll find her. The attic was dark, but strangely clean. No dusty boxes, no spiders. It was empty and it was even more terrifying like that. « Y/n ». You turned around. Yoongi was looking at his feet, seemingly breathless. « Are you okay ? -You know when you spoke about feeling dizzy ? » He looked at you, and it was like a fire started consuming you. You needed to run, to get out of here right now. But as the last string of logic was passing you didn’t want to leave at all. « What is happening Y/n ? » He was suddenly so close to you. His breath on your face, as you were feeling the heat of his skin against yours. « You look so cute », it really, really wasn’t the moment to say that, you knew it, but you couldn’t help yourself. He kissed you, roughly, feeling you return the passion just as hard. Your tongues met twisting around each other before you started nipping with your teeth. What was going on ? Why were you suddenly making out with the cute guy you literally met two days ago ? Why were you unable to move except for moving forward toward his body, to feel him more. You cried out when Yoongi suddenly bit your neck, and your hips trusted against his, rubbing against his thigh. You had never felt this way before. It was only this primal desire to feel him, to be with him. It was more powerful than anything. You could feel it, against your thigh, how hard he was. He was in the same state as you. « Fuck. What’s going on ? » You were lost, but just the thought of Yoongi pressing against your thigh like that made you wetter and wetter. Feeling like he wanted you, it was everything. Your brain was so slow, it was impossible for you to think, you were just able to feel Yoongi. It was the only thing that mattered. Already, you were able to imagine him remorselessly plunging into you, thrusting hard and fast, making you gasp, moan and call out. You couldn’t help but thrust your hips forward again, rubbing up against Yoongi’s erection, turning him on even more. It felt good, you made him feel so good. He was like drunk in everything that was you. Your scent, your voice, your eyes the way you were rubbing on his cock. It felt so good even through the fabric of his pants. A moan escaped his lips before he could stop it, and it solicited something inside you. You bit his neck hard, and he felt like he could cum on the spot. He pushed you back, and you fell on the wooden floor. He would have felt guilty but you didn’t seem to mind for one bit. And honestly, looking at you from his spot, above you, as you were laying on the floor, your hair scattered around your head, your eyes closed, your lips red and bitten. He was unable to feel sorry about anything. He never saw anything that was as beautiful as you. You were sultry and dangerous. So fucking dangerous. He couldn't have resisted even if he had wanted to. But hell, he didn't want to. He wanted to take you, right here, on the floor of this damned house. He wanted you to scream. He pressed another bruising kiss to your lips, and you moaned up against him. « Please » you demanded, kicking him off of you. « I don't want your kisses, »You pleaded. Yoongi's eyes darkened, but he knew you were right. He didn't want yours, either, at least not only that. You both wanted something else and you were going to have it. He placed his hands on either side of you, caging you in. Your hands reached down, and quickly you undid the buttons of his pants, sliding them down his thighs. You struggled with his boxer before he decided to help you to take them off. His cock stood erect between the two of you, thick and throbbing. You looked down at it, and a small moan escape your lips. « You want it right ? », Yoongi asked. No more words were spoken, you simply nodded eagerly. He smirked and it was his turn. He didn’t take the time to take off your dress. He pushed you on your back, his hands grabbing your dress collar and ripping it apart. You gasped, as if him taking off your clothes was making you able to breathe again. He pushed your long dress up your thighs, exposing you to the cool air. Your underwear was thrown somewhere where it won’t bother you. Placing one of his hands on your thighs, he pulled your legs apart, looking down between them. You were wet, so wet, your pink folds glistening. He wanted to eat you up, fucking devour you. But he couldn’t. He needed it right now. It was stronger than his will. He positioned himself between your legs. Yoongi grabbed your hips so hard, it will bruise but fuck every time he was touching you, you were like set on fire. He trusted up into you, making you moan throwing your head backward in pleasure. You couldn’t help it but wrap tightly your legs around his back to keep him closer. He trusted inside you hard, his mouth in your neck. In and out he pistoned, filling you with his member. You were like two animals, the only thing that was important was the feeling, the electricity running through you, the heat of the contact. The pressure was building between your legs as his thickness filled you over and over, as your scream were starting to get louder and louder. You were arching your back, the pleasure almost too much to handle. He took you in his arm, and he sat on his calves, you on top of him. Your thighs were burning from the movement but you couldn’t help but move up and down and it was magnificent as he was hitting just the right spot. His cock was curving into your upper wall, making you moan and writhe. It was making you see stars before your eyes and lips parted and legs trembling. Yoongi held strongly to you, his fingers digging into the skin of your waist as he helped you fuck yourself on his cock. It was like you had put a spell on him, he couldn’t stop, couldn’t get enough of you, and he could never. He couldn’t think clearly, but a small part of his mind was telling him that he could deny everything he wanted later, it would never be the same anymore. He was the one making you moan and writhe, and he couldn't help but feel good, proud about it. You cried out sharply when he pushed you hard against the floor. He wanted more, faster. He pounded into you, making you scream. He kissed you, and you felt something. Something else than just the burning, sick passion, borderline obsession that was overwhelming you. You didn’t resist, savoring his taste. « What are you doing to me -Yoongi, fuck- -Yes, Y/n, I feel it baby- » Your nails bit into his arms. He pushed himself as deep inside you as he could, as if he wanted you to feel him, feel him so deep inside you, to leave his mark. Right now you felt like you’ll never be able to be satisfied by anything and anyone else in your life. When it will stop you’ll be left sad and empty. Yoongi was feeling the same but you wet and warm, surrounding his cock was feeling so good that he wasn’t able to overthink this. You loved the feeling, too. The pressure was so great between your legs, so intense. You were clenching without knowing, and you felt like you could come at any second. But it was far away, out of reach but still so close. You were teetering on the edge, almost about to climax. Almost about to release all of your built up tension and stress and rage. About to scream. He leaned in close to you, so that your lips were brushing together. Yoongi’s arms tightened around your back, pulling you closer to him until your body was crushed up against his. Your nerves were turning to fire within your body, and you felt yourself throbbing around him. And then you reached your climax, and it crashed in waves inside your body. You screamed your eyes wide open. On the ceiling, here it was. Black, long tongue pending out of this mouth now full of theeth. It was smiling at you. Yoongi came after that. He released every every bit of himself inside you, as his orgasm took his body completely and a roar was torn from his throat. His hips began to still.

« Yoongi ? -What the fuck just happened?! » He pushed himself out of you, like you had electrocuted him. He was in shook, like you. You remembered everything, but it was like you had lost every bit of free will. Your breaths were ragged, harsh, you were both fighting to get your heart rates to slow down. « Fuck… Mrs Lincoln! » You jumped on your feet, your legs wobbling. You almost fell down. You put back your underwear as running toward the hatch. Your legs wobbled and your head was pounding. You had something to do. You jumped out through the hole, landing in the corridor. At the end of it was Mrs Lincoln. « Y/N ! What the fuck - » Yoongi was behind you in a second. « She has a knife » In her hand there was indeed a bright blade cover in blood. « There’s blood on it fuck... » You walked toward her, and she smiled. Her eyes were black, her little frame trembling. She was covered in bruises even on her face now. You were thankful for your mother who insisted in you tacking self defense classes when she learned you were going to travel through the country to hunt ghosts. It made you able to stop her hit. You really didn’t want to die today. You knew she was going to have a great strength. She was possessed after all. You made her fall on her, but she kicked you before you could do anything else. « Let me go ! » Something screamed, a distorted voice coming out of her tired body. Yoongi was restraining her. « Namjoon ! Hoseok ! Help ! We got her ! » You weren’t enough of two to restrain her. Namjoon arrived, and you understood the blood. He was holding his shoulder. « Are you okay ? Namjoon ? -Yes, fuck she attacked us by surprised but nothing too bad. Just- » He took off his hand off his arm, more blood come goosing out. « We need to get out, and drive you to the hospital. » Easier said than done, as Mrs Lincoln was literally pulsing in your arms. You, Yoongi and Hoseok were holding as good as you could but the demon was not going to surrender that easily. « Get off me ! » She pushed you with such strength that you fell down the stairs. « Ouch » You were opening your eyes seeing Namjoon coming at your rescue. But something gripped your feet, and suddenly you were being dragged away. You were thrown in the kitchen, the door closing behind you. « Y/n ! Y/n open the door ! » But you couldn’t. « It’s blocked I can’t ! » You turned around trying to find a way to escape. People were staring art you. Women to be more precise. « You are going to burn the house ? » The witches. « Yes. We are going to destroy it. » The one that you had seen in your dreams walked toward you. « The demon, it hurt you » You looked at her strangely. « No I- wait… What happened to me and Yoongi ? -He is like an incubus. Using your deepest desire and attraction against you. -Fuck… » She tended her hand to ward you. Her face looked sad. « You have to stop it. Now. -I am going to destroy it doesn’t worry. I’m going to free you. -We shouldn’t even ask you that. We were the one guilty. We deserved that eternal damnation. -No one deserve this. The couple that bought this house just wanted to be happy. They didn’t deserve that, neither did you. -The woman, she is going to die. -Why ? -It won’t let her leave the house. -Please, help me, help her. She is innocent. » They looked among themselves. A blond one looked at you and smiled. « Child. Your powers are greater than you think. I wish I would have used mine like you are using yours. -She is right » The kitchen door opened itself. « Go, we are going to allow you to go out of the house » You nodded and sprinted out of the house. Yoongi was looking at you like you had grown another head. « Who were you talking to ? -No one let’s go. » You took his hand and started running. At the front door, Hoseok and Namjoon were struggling. « She won’t pass the door, every time she stay- -Try again. -I just told you- -Just do it ! » And Hoseok stepped outside and as soon as he was outside the woman fainted in his arms. He looked at you incredulously. « Hurry up we have a house to burn. » It was actually way more difficult that you thought. But you covered the first floor and gasoline so it should do the job. Yoongi took of a lighter out of his pocket. He looked at it and handed it to you. You lighted it up, and threw it at the porch. The house caught fire at a supernatural speed. No amount of gasoline could have done this. You all ran away not to get injured. « It’s over… -Yes. » You shuddered, not so much from the cold, than from all your nerves letting go at the same time. You felt a hand slipped into yours. You didn’t need to look to know it was Yoongi. He was trembling to. Namjoon took your other hand. Around the house, the coven was forming a circle. All the witches were gathering in a circle, holding hands, murmuring something. The house screamed, the roof suddenly collapsing on itself. They turned around and looked at you, and you felt like crying. It was over. You closed your eyes, feeling little tears falling on your cheeks. Everything is going to be okay.You heard it the voice, for the last time. When you opened them the witches were gone. « Everything is going to be okay » You turned around, to see Yoongi looking at you. You squeezed his hand and smiled. « Of course ».

#bts #bts fanfic #bts fanfction #reader x yoongi #min yoongi x you #min yoongi x reader #bts smut #bts min yoongi #min yoongi #bts yoongi x reader #yoongi smut #ghost story au #horror #min yoongi scenarios #min yoongi fanfic #medium reader #ghost hunter

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wehavethoughts · 4 years

Text

Six of Crows Review!

Six of Crows

By: Leigh Bardugo

YA Fantasy Novel

Henry Hold & Company, 2015

Rating: 4.5/5 Waves

Summary: Six rag-tag teens are offered the job of a lifetime: more money than they know what to do with and all they have to do is spring a scientist from the most heavily fortified prison in the world. A daring adventure filled with magic, love and betrayal.

The review CONTAINS (mild) spoilers for the novel Six of Crows.

Content Warning for Six of Crows: Blood, Violence, Death, Forced Prostitution (mentioned), Fantasy Racism, Sexism, Slavery/Indentured Servitude

“No Mourners. No Funerals.” – All of these wonderful characters right before they do something insane.

I can’t tell you how refreshing it was for me to pick this book up and read in three days. It’s been years since I’ve found a book that I simply could not put down. From the writing style to the pacing to the clever characters, this book had everything I didn’t know I needed. Before I dive into why this book knocked my socks off, I want to give a shout out to the several friends who recommended this book to me over the years (you know who you are). You were right! I loved it <3

Aside from how highly recommended this book was, I knew pretty early on that this book was a great fit for me. The first clue was that there are not one, but two maps in the front. I might be the only one, but a good map to start off my fantasy book always puts me in a very good mood. In my version of the book, the maps are illustrated by Keith Thompson and they are beautiful. The detail and imagination that went into these maps, particularly the Ice Court schematic really allowed me to immerse myself in the story, especially since one of the characters actually sketches the Ice Court in the novel. It is so easy to imagine Wylan hunched over a piece of parchment drawing this spectacular map.

My second clue that I would love this book was that it is a heist novel. In fact, knowing that this book was about a fantasy heist was at least half the reason I decided to read it, and Bardugo did not disappoint. What I find to be most compelling about this heist story is how she lays out the mission as nearly impossible, but never gives the reader a reason to doubt the characters’ resolve. Sure this heist seems insane and doomed to fail, but our faith in the characters keeps the reader invested. Bardugo also did a great job with her foreshadowing. The plot twists and the way the characters solved their problems, while surprising, always made sense in hindsight. There were never any instances where I felt like Bardugo used her magic system to ‘cheat’ the character’s out of a bad situation or where the characters were just so clever there was no way I could have ever guessed what they were going to do. The book kept me on my toes, but it never made me feel stupid.

As I mentioned in my About Page, I love me a good magic system, and Bardugo delivers fun and vibrant magic with clear rules and expectations that just beg to be broken. She also does a great job integrating the magic into a world that feels complex and expansive. This world has both a history and a future in a way that makes me feel like the author put a lot of good work in and loves this world as much as I do. My favorite detail is how Bardugo used language and language barriers in the story. The main cast are from different countries within this world and logically speak different languages, though fortunately most are multilingual. I just love the little details like how Wylan speaks schoolroom Fjerdan because he learned it from his tutors and how Matthias only just learned Kerch during his time in prison. It gives the world a fun realistic dimension.

Hands down the best thing about this story is the characters. Usually at this point in the review I have to sigh and tell you that it was a fun book but the diversity was lacking. Fortunately for us Bardugo gives us a beautifully diverse cast of well rounded and compelling characters. Of the six main cast, only one is an able-bodied straight white man (I am making some assumptions about Matthias’ sexuality so you will have to forgive me) and in an age where I am still reeling from the Avenger’s lineup this crew was a breath of fresh air. Every single character comes out of the gate interesting, three-dimensional and just a delight to read. This book is constructed so that every chapter we switch point of view and I found myself excited to see how each character thought and reacted to the wild situations they ended up in. Also, the way Bardugo gets the reader to care deeply for her characters does a fantastic job in creating high stakes with real tension. I found myself holding my breath and flipping pages with much more force than necessary during some high stress scenes. Even the characters that were clearly not good people had me checking my moral compass from time to time and cheering for them anyway.

I think it’s also important to include how much I liked the writing style of this novel. Everything I listed above wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable if the flow and pacing of the writing were not enjoyable to me. This novel is written in a fairly typical YA style of fantasy, fast pace and dialogue heavy, which I loved. There was enough description that I never felt lost, but I also never got bogged down in details I didn’t care about. Bardugo also made a fun choice to break the book up into six parts and at the end of each part there are two full black pages with the part title. The first couple times I mostly ignored it, but when a character is in physical danger and you flip the page and it’s just black! That is a great use of your physical medium! I got chills.

I have one nit-pick that didn’t deeply affect this book’s rating, but could be a deal-breaker for other readers. First of all, this novel is the first in a duology and it does not stand on its own as a story. While the main conflict does get resolved, another plot starts in the last couple chapters and the story does not end at the end of the book. It is clear that a single story has been broken into two books and it came as a shock to me. Fortunately, unlike the poor suckers who read this when it came out in 2015 and had to wait a whole year for the sequel, I only have to wait about a week for my library to have it available. Still for people who want a stand alone book or enjoy when all of the books in a series have a neat and tidy ending, this is not the book for you.

The two things keeping this book from a perfect score were the fantasy racism and how the women were framed in this world. I am using the term ‘fantasy racism’ because there is systemic oppression in this fantasy world and that systemic oppression is a clear metaphor for real-life racism, but in the story the minority group is the one with magical powers and not an ethnic minority. Generally, I think this author did a good job at showing the damage institutionalized racism can do to specific countries and the world as a whole. What I did not enjoy was the sub-plot of one of the main cast (Matthias), who was a member of the highly bigoted ruling class of the most racist nation in this fantasy world, overcoming his racism not through critical thinking or learning to understand the value of lives that are different from his own, but rather because he fell in love. I am open to the idea of racists learning to respect the cultures they were prejudiced against and when done right can be a very powerful thing, but when romance is the key motivator it feels very hollow. Also I have trouble conceptualizing a woman of the minority group falling in love with someone who is literally a part of the military death squad in charge of hunting down her people (Nina I know he’s hot, but what the hell?). Either way, the idea of reforming a racist with the power of love is not a trope I enjoy in my media.

The second thing keeping this book from a perfect score is the treatment of the women characters. One thing I noticed early on is that nearly all of the women characters had been forced (either financially or physically) into prostitution or slavery. It makes the reader think that in this fantasy world the only places to find women are the brothels or in chains. This world is vibrant and full of so many interesting things and people, yet for women the world seems so very limited. I found myself disappointed that even in a novel written by a woman, a well loved character is described during the climax as ‘a half-naked girl in shreds of teal chiffon’. To be fair, I have read fantasy books that have done their women characters much, much dirtier, but it’s unnecessary and exhausting. I notice it even in small doses and I’m sick of it. Fortunately, neither of these issues I had with the novel got a ton of page-time and there was always something else going on that I could focus on, like the strong female friendships and the brilliant disabled protagonist.

Tldr; Overall, best book I’ve read in a long time. I couldn’t give it a 5/5 because of some issues in how the fantasy racism and women were handled, but I would still highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes fantasy stories, diverse characters and/or a really good heist.

~TideMod

#TideMod #book review #fantasy novel review #six of crows #soc #soc spoilers #spoilers #fantasy #heist #leigh bardugo

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collegecoward · 4 years

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I’m the freak out 2 parts anon and all I want to say is I’m not freaking out anymore. Will I overthink again? Yes. But I think that I’ve decided to major in political science and minor in International biz. Just wanted to let you know in case you were like “is she ok” lol my college search is still going strong I want to go out of state but it’s going to cost too much even with my 27ACT and with COVID every is still up in the air. Anyways thank and hope your doing well💕

I’m the anon who was trying to pick a major psych, international affairs, political science. I’m pretty set on political science and either double major that with international biz. Or biz be a minor but now I’m still freaking about about choosing a college I have a list safety, match, and reach but the only ones I can afford is my match schools that I don’t think I would get many connections out of school/ state as I want to move away after college bc my state schools are not very good. 1/2

I mean there fine but they are not what I want. And now I’m double guessing my major because it’s political science a safe investment in my future? I’m quite literally having a freak out session in the parking lot of my minimum wage job about this lol any ways do you think I’m on the right track? 2/2 thank you!

Hi! I hope it’s okay I included all the parts of your updates. It’s so rare I get updates, let alone two updates (!!) from folks who’ve asked questions, so this feels pretty special. I was wondering if you were okay, and I’m glad you’ve sorted things out for now. I'm trying to get better at keeping up and responding more quickly, but this week got away from me.

I like this major/minor combination you’ve got here: I think international business will give you an edge as a poli sci major when you’re searching for jobs and internships. That said, if you change your mind again, that’s super normal and I’m sure it’ll be a thoughtful decision.

Going to school out-of-state can be expensive, but private scholarships are a thing, too, so I’d encourage you to look into those. I’d also recommend contacting admissions offices at the colleges you’re interested in and see what they say about financial aid opportunities for out-of-state students (like getting in-state tuition). I recommend reaching out after the start of this school year, since right now they’re focusing on this year’s incoming students. Many colleges are struggling right now, but part of that is because they’re desperate to enroll students, and it sounds like you have academic success that would appeal to them.

I do want to note that it may be worth looking into (financially stable) smaller or medium-sized colleges out-of-state, as they may be especially interested in attracting more students from out-of-state since their in-state applicant pools are smaller. Of course there are other things to consider like program quality and making connections, but it's a strategy I wanted to mention.

If you want to chat about specifics, you are welcome to email me at [email protected]. Thanks for checking in! I’m rooting for you.

#college #uni #studyblr #appblr #student #applications #apply #college search #school size #out-of-state #scholarships #tuition #major

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vixenofthemist · 5 years

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Hey there! Saw your tags about Claude out-barding a bard and it made me wonder, if the Golden Deer had a class DnD game what do you think they'd each play??

I’M SO GLAD YOU ASKED

Ignatz doesn’t have a character because he is the DM. He and Raphael played it as kids with some other merchant children, and they where reminiscing about it one day after class and Claude overheard and thought it sounded fun and convinced everyone to try it at least once- even Byleth xD. So Ignatz made a really simple one shot, thinking no one was going to really like it much so didn’t plan beyond that, but they all got really attached to their characters and into the game and now they play at least once a week asjdfk Ignatz is unsure about his dm’ing style but everyone seems to like it so he does his best, and he’s p good! He draws all their characters and important NPC’s and finds lots of inspiration from their battles.

Raphael is a half-orc barbarian- he just likes fighting stuff and doesn’t want to worry about magic or anything lmao he just wants to punch and punch h a r d

Claude is playing a half elf, half dwarf warlock. Warlock bc he thought the backstory of the class was fascinating with having to make a deal with some powerful being in exchange for power and your servitude and he really wants to know what loopholes he can find in the deal. (are there loopholes? Can you turn it back on the patron? How many patrons can you have?) And a dwelf bc, well, he thought it was funny lmao. And, of course, since most Warlock spells use charisma so he WAS going to make that his highest stat, but Leonie dared him not to so now it’s his third highest but you know what? He still out charms the bard constantly. Whenever he rolls for charisma fate is just like “It can’t n o t roll well, its freaking Claude von Riegan What am I supposed to do?? Not let him be charismatic?? Absolutely not.”. He has never rolled below a 10 for charisma checks and the bard is convinced he’s cheating.

Byleth is an Aasimar for sure and maybe a rogue. When Ignatz was helping her roll her character and read the description of an Aasimar, Byleth immediately felt an odd connection and immediately picked it, causing Sothis to get v e r y upset she didn’t pick a Dragonborn and kept nagging her to change xD not seeing what Byleth found so interesting about Aasimars. (Byleth promised her next character would be a Dragonborn so Sothis stopped bothering her to change and is now really invested in the Aasimar ajslkfj “QUICK DIVINE PULSE SO WE CAN REROLL THAT DICE” “I’m not going to do that that’s cheating-“ “HE MIGHT D I E BYLETH WE CAN’T LET THAT HAPPEN!” “Oh so I can’t divine pulse teatimes but you can to save a fictional character.” “My divine power I do with it what I want.” Byleth has never actually divine pulsed to reroll, and Sothis denies she ever said to use it in such a frivolous manner afterward, but at least once a session she will suggest it alsdjflsjf.) When Ignatz asked her who she wanted her god to be Byleth panicked and said Sithos (which is just Sothis backwards alsdjflsjf).

Marianne is a half elf Druid- she felt connected to half elf’s often not fitting in to either of their parents world and being isolated, their entire existence feeling like a burden. Also she likes being able to talk to animals and really likes the personalities Ignatz gives them, saying they’re close the real thing. She has a deer animal companion named Dorte. She is really, really attached to her and everyone else’s characters and is the first one to start crying if it looks like someone might die. She really enjoys the RP, finding it fun to be someone else and is invested in helping her character work out her problems.

Hilda is a human cleric. Like Raphael she doesn’t really want to deal with how confusing magic can be (she was going to be a wizard but once she saw how you have to keep track of components and such she peaced), but also she doesn’t want to be a big strong fighter because she’s delicate even in imaginary games and she refuses to be anything that would need to rush into battle. So she ended on cleric bc she figured it was a happy medium with spells less confusing than wizards and sorcerers and being able to heal which is nice and Delicate but turns out... being the team healer is STRESSFUL. She quickly became the teams Tired Mom who stresses about heals and never uses her last spell slot just in case someone needs healing and she constantly worries over the more fight oriented characters like Raphael and Lorenz. Really her mom friend personality jumped out even harder than usual A very aggressive mom friend lmao Raphael fricking keep your character near the group or Hilda will NOT rez you again she swears to the goddess

Lorenz is an elven paladin and he plays it 100% lawful good. He likes being a character of importance and role plays heavily. He has the second highest charisma technically, but like the bard, Claude just keeps outrolling him and it really bothers him but only for diplomatic moments because HIS character is the one who should be dealing with all this high class stuff, NOT the warlock with no previous connections to anything >:(

Leonie is a human ranger. Simple, easy, closest thing to a mercenary or hunter. She always tries to be better at Byleth’s rogue since a few of their skills over cross alksjf

Lysithea plays an elf sorcerer. She picked the most adult, tall, serious class and race in her opinion to show she IS all those things herself, and she does play it well. Though she does have moments of childishness that her character probably wouldn’t have but she can’t help herself lajdkf

Now the big question- Who Is the Bard Claude keeps cucking outrolling???

Sylvain.

#fire emblem three houses #fe3h #golden deer #claude von riegan #byleth eisner #hilda valentin goneril #vixenanswersasks #vixenramblesfireemblem #btw Byleths assimar??? looks like Bylad #its just bylad #i had to rush the final few bc i gotta go but hope this is what you wanted!!#thank you for asking :3

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jellypipemedia · 4 years

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Art Industry and Equality

The Artist Industry, an industry that lets self-expression come out in a number of mediums.

As an Artist myself, i can tell you how wonderful it has been to have a creative outlet like my multimedia. To express my ideas and watch the momentum of my work turn into something special. As many other Artists, it’s hard to find that validation and legitimacy in the industry that defines you as a professional and makes your career into more than a ‘hobby’. Some find that struggle more intense than others.

The idea that ‘All Artists have to struggle’ is a common ideology but beyond that- do all artists struggle in the same ways? Of course not. This could be combated with a number of different perspectives based off of different talent levels and different environments but commonly, artists are not given the same opportunities based off of more than just their talent. Different aspects come into play.

The Artist Industry has been known for their inclusive atmosphere and supportive community, but is it set apart from any other industry when it comes to addressing equality issues?

Misogyny/Trans-Misogyny , unequal opportunities based on gender, lack of recognition and the power struggle of legitimacy have all played their part in work industries all over- and the artist industry doesn’t escape that narrative.

A common theme that i find more than any other is women, queer, non-binary, and Fem artists struggle to find their power behind their art because they are usually dismissed, deemed illegitimate, or seen as ‘just a hobby’, or they could ‘make it a real job someday’. Their work isn’t given the credit it deserves or the recognition of legitimate work. Opportunities are missed quite often as work lays in favor of social stigmas and safe investments in uncomplicated people seem to flourish regularly.

Stewing over my thoughts on this, I reached out to my social media circle looking for more perspective on the situation. I was able to connect with a couple of people, ask them their thoughts on how these aspects of the industry have affected them on a professional level and their influence on the industry . I want to keep the dialogue going about this and would love to hear more about the perspective of women, queer, fem, non-binary artists on the industry that claims to be so inclusive.

With that being said, I had a great opportunity to talk with the Founder of ‘Siren Nation’. *

Diving into ‘Siren Nation’ media, I came across their ‘LinkedIn’ page. Their Mission Statement spoke to me and left me wanting to dig just a bit deeper into the foundation of their cause.

“Siren Nation is a unique arts organization that showcases and creates performance and exhibition opportunities for women throughout the year. We are the only women’s collective that produces an annual festival showcasing the original work of women working in music, film, performance and visual art.

Siren Nation’s mission is to inspire and empower women of all ages to create their own art and to highlight the many achievements of women in the arts.”

When I was connected with Natalia Kay O’brien, I didn’t know much about Siren Nation or where our conversation would lead too. I had an idea of where i wanted to take this project, not having much more than a foundation and urgency to keep learning more about the perspectives of women identifying, queer and non-binary.

So, I asked if she’d be willing to help me out by telling her story and giving us an insight on her perspective of the industry.

Natalia:

I'd be super happy to help! There's an amazingly rich queer music scene in Portland and the Pacific Northwest. That is a big part of the reason I moved out here!

From 1999-2010 i produced a lot of events that centered queer folx -some from out of town, some in town.

Jay:

Awesome! I appreciate that a lot about Portland and the PNW. I've grown up in Portland most of my life.

Natalia:

Lucky you!

Jay:

What are some of the events that you produced?

Natalia:

I started out doing house concerts for a spoken word artist out of NYC, then booking shows for/with traveling queer female artists i got connected with over time. I ended up doing the booking for mississippi pizza for a couple of years and got some more experience there producing shows--generally national folk acts--and booking artists. That helped me begin to get more familiar with the local music scene and get introduced to some amazing artists like Laura Gibson, long before they broke out.

My experience and frustration, with the local music scene's dearth of female and queer presence and opportunities to get the kind of exposure that festivals offer, inspired me to found Siren Nation, an organization dedicated to promoting and empowering women artists.

As a queer woman I made sure that there was a strong queer presence during my tenure. We were supposed to have ‘Gossip’ headline the first festival and 3 weeks beforehand they broke their contract!

The seven years I spent with Siren Nation exposed me to new queer artists. Unfortunately, at that time, there was no such thing (in terms of identity) as nonbinary, and we didn't put enough effort into be trans inclusive. We produced, and they still do, 2 tribute nights, one for dolly parton, one for billie holiday, that have been happening annually for something going on 15 years! and then the annual festival, in november, which i produced from 2007-2010.

Jay:

That's absolutely awesome that you contributed so much to the queer/fem community. I know how intensely hard it can be to demand that recognition and be seen as legitimate in the eyes of the world. It's no small thing. Can you give me an example of a time where you’ve experienced misogyny/trans-misogyny that directly affected your work as an artist?

Natalia:

I was tired of not seeing enough women and women-fronted acts on local festival lineups when there were SO MANY amazing female bands. My work as an artist (visual) has been almost entirely a private endeavor. however i do think there is a correlation between the fact that i considered my drawing 'doodling' and i'm a woman. I made art for years before I took on the identity and claimed it. I still squirm a little.

Jay:

I can totally understand that. I deeply feel like the accomplishments of women are often made out to be 'A nice hobby' or 'could be a job someday.'

Natalia:

Yes, exactly.

I can tell you as a booking agent for queer female artists in an industry that is heavily male, did not make for the most hospitable environment to work in. Getting club bookers to book an artist whose press kit screams 'radical feminist lesbian" let alone that she was doing spoken word which was just emerging...well, ultimately all they cared about was whether we could fill a room. There were some venues that didn't want to deal with us, in more conservative parts of the country, i.e. midwest and southeast.

I think trans-misogyny was unfortunately a little baked into Siren Nation in the sense that trans women have remained almost invisible within that space. Not enough queers involved with siren nation after I left!

So I tackled showcasing as many media as possible--music, film, visual arts and later fashion and comedy.”

Jay:

That's a powerful tool in today's world too. Being someone who is involved in a variety of media ( myself as well) is a powerful weapon to today's world of perspective. We have a lot more influence than people credit us for. Have you been affected by any people that are positive influencers in the queer community/have given inspiration to you personally?

Natalia:

The artists inspire me!! That's part of why I produced events because I truly believe in the artists and want to help them connect with a larger audience and want people to get exposed! Bands like Team Dresch, who really blazed trails for queer women punks, all around the country at a time when there was virtually no queer presence in media. Beth Ditto and Gossip, for being fearlessly brash, unashamedly fat, and a force! Women who were unafraid to be loud when it wasn't the norm yet--Sleater Kinney, Bikini Kill too!--inspired me and they were tackling issues that I cared about as a feminist in ways that I didn't see straight women doing.

I will never ever forget seeing Bikini Kill and Kathleen Hannah telling all the 'boys to go to the back'. It blew my mind having stopped moshing b/c it wasn't safe and she demanded and created that space

Jay:

I can definitely vouch for queer punk artists being a heavy influence in the queer community and causing pressure on 'social norms'! It's very empowering and the women in the scene are not a force to be reckoned with. It's still astonishing how such a positive and empowering movement got met with so much resistance.

Natalia:

Kinda like what I wanted to do with Siren Nation. Yeah, some people can't handle a strong woman especially if she is in any way not gender/hetero conforming.

Jay:

I'm sure Siren Nation impacted a lot of people to be the ferocious and powerful people they knew they were.

Natalia:

I hope so!! I know it was a space where, for example, at the tribute shows, artists got to meet and mingle backstage, and spontaneous collaborations would happen.

Jay:

That's the best part of festivals in general. Bring artists from all over and to create that opportunity for networking and creativity.

Natalia:

Right!??!

Practically every female artist who has broken out nationally performed at Siren Nation at some point and offering free workshops was an important way for us to empower and encourage women to create and make their own art.

Jay:

That's awesome! Does Siren Nation still have a website that I can reference too?

Natalia:

Yup! Sirennation.org

As an audience, I found festivals an amazing opportunity to get exposed to new artists.

Most of the language there that is about the organization, like mission statements and values, is mine.

Jay:

So why have you decided not to produce events for Siren Nation more recently? or does the organization take care of itself nowadays?

Natalia:

I left in 2010 because i was pursuing a masters degree, basically decided to pour all the hours and energy i had put into siren nation into a degree that would get me a salary for doing that kind of work. My co-founder December Carson has stayed at the helm and kept it going all these years. There are some longtime volunteers who help at events.

My dream that someday it could be a salaried job I finally realized was not going to be feasible

Jay:

That's a positive transition out of the organization tho! Did you get your master's degree?

Natalia:

Yes! It helped to know that it would carry on after I left, because it was my baby and I was very attached! It has thrived over the years due to the dedication of the board members who make it happen. New blood comes in, and then they add fashion and comedy. It's been neat to see how it has evolved over the years and yes, I got my Masters, in Public Administration.

Jay:

That's so so so good to hear Thank you so much for talking with me today- you have really been insightful and this is truly very inspirational to hear as a queer woman in the multimedia industry!

With ending our conversation, I felt like I made a breakthrough on what direction I wanted to take this project and found the encouragement to keep pushing through the media and highlight these amazing women, non-binary, and queer people.

We lack recognition for being who we are while we make it in this industry. We struggle and fight back - gaining ground and getting traction.

I’m excited to see where this project takes me and I'm glad to have you all on this journey. Stay alert for more to come!

#Art Industry #art #journalism #punk #punkscene #inequality #queer #trans #woman #women

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