#melusine anatomy

[vila-of-burning-waters]

<From x>

"I hope that the trinkets I sent Miss Traveler and Miss Paimon helped! A bunch of ingredients and a pretty orange and green water rock that's cool on my membrane... Mint for Mel and Seagrass-stuffed Tidalga for me make a great quick meal when I'm on an adventure, after all."

Vila grins, looking at the city and getting a metal plate out of her bag that she carefully wraps around Mel... It covers the bottom of the Slime and seems heat-resistant, since it hasn't started melting.

"There we go! Now you can join me in the city too, Mel! Gotta thank Miss Estelle for making this when I visit Muirne and Sedene and Liath..."

[suguru-getos]

Genshin Impact characters and how they comfort you (F!Reader):

A/N: It's been a while lovelies :P since yours truly touched Genshin Impact. In all honesty, the game remains to be my comfort game & the characters give me so much joy. Here's me, word-vomiting about them blorbos. ;)

Characters included: Neuvillette, Wriothesley, Alhaitham, Ayato

Neuvillette:

The only reason he hasn't cried (yet) is because he is thinking hard on what to do when you're blue. Would probably suggest that you and him go together for a walk! Hey! Don't judge him - a walk fixes everything. Besides, someone who hasn't had a romantic interest in centuries really needs to learn a thing or two. He doesn't mind writing an official application about his absence and walking along the streets of Fontaine with you. He knows the Melusine village brings you a lot of comfort so it's also his go-to place whenever he's feeling down. He tried making you taste different kinds of waters - yep, didn't end well for the Hydro Dragon Sovereign. However, lessons are to be learnt and he learnt them well! Now, he has realized that mostly, your sadness can be satiated with something delectable to soothe your tongue. He started with soup, well? Naturally.. though that didn't end well either. He now has realized what he might like, you might/might not. So, he takes the more aware turn & takes you to places you like, or sometimes doesn't do anything. Happily wraps his arms around you, kisses your forehead and doesn't say anything. Silence and hugs? Best! He's noticed you like that far better.

Ayato:

The Yashiro Commissioner is a cocky fellow, and sometimes a tad too overconfident. He thinks he knows you inside out; that's not something he refers from you though. He thinks it's because no one can ever love you more than Kamisato Ayato. (He is kinda right? Though what's worse is he is mostly correct about the things that you need.) Like - he knows when that period begins, and when the mood swings absolutely obliterate you; he knows some Fontainian chocolate, or Mousse will come to the rescue. Some dangos might also help. The Kamisato Estate staff is trained to not fall pale to your needs. You & him both know that with all the travel opportunities you accompany Ayato in, you do have taste-buds which would be bored with Inazuman food alone. Whenever there is something bothering you personally, Ayato would ask you to vent it out. He firmly believes in annoying you with persistent cooing and crooning of, "Hey Princess, what's got that pretty face so long?" / "Oh come now, don't tell me you would hide things from your husband? I feel judged already. Do I not deserve to know?" You do end up telling him everything - and while Ayato is surprisingly good at giving advices… you always like how he asks first, if you want him to listen, or give his opinions.

Alhaitham:

The Scribe of Sumeru's Akademiya who is also your boyfriend - usually takes the overly analytical route, rationalizing everything. So you often don't tell him about the things that bother you. Since he is so observant and keen however, you can never really slide something that's got you down under the rug either. "You are behaving differently." Alhaitham commented, "Usually when you come home, from outside… you freshen up." He comments at the lack thereof, watching you squirm under his gaze. Of course, whenever you feel down your mind and body send you in a slump. "Oh- yeah, I'll get to that." You quickly comment, though you're cut off by his tender hold on your wrist. "Course you can, something wrong?" Now he knows the 'Female Anatomy', as he likes to call it. Often going out of his way to explain your hormonal cycle, what you should do when you are in your leutal, menstrual, ovulation phases etc. You don't have to say much in certain times as such. Though he acts like nothing's the matter when you do vent about let's say - something at work/Akademiya; there have been instances where he would pay personal visits to some people for pissing his girl off. Duality? Yep.

Wriothesley:

'His' Grace; is extremely kind to everyone, and fair. You being his significant other, get your own perks from time to time. For example: He is always available for tea for his little one. He is always available to listen to you whenever. He considers it fortunate enough that you are willing to live in the Fortress of Meropide with him - he knows it's the harshest decision especially from someone who hasn't done any crime whatsoever. There are days when even someone like Wriothesley (who seldom goes out) makes sure that he visits the world up above with you. Might take you to the Opera, might take you to those fabulous boutiques, anything and everything fashion the second he notices your eyes glim. Nope, none of that is tolerated here. The prisoners have started calling you 'Her Grace'; while you do not prefer it, Wriothesley does not mind, he is fine with you being treated like someone treasured. That would ensure that people around you would tend to you also, when you're down. Damn does this man love body massages, giving them to you and watching your shoulders slump. He needs to be so careful with you though. Can’t be too rough else his little baby would break… <3

[dragimalsdaydreams]

[image ID: several cartoony diagrams and infographics of Melusines from the game Genshin Impact, but re-imagined as nudibranch-like creatures.

the first image is a diagram of a Melusine's basic anatomy. they're shaped like typical nudibranch sea slugs, with a mantle over top a muscular foot. the front half of the body is lifted up, with the rounded head facing forward. a couple of round, antennae-like rhinophores sprout from the head, with the text, "scent and water/air currents provide sense of spatial awareness." a mass of rounded, feathery gills sprout from the back end of the mantle, just above the foot. ocelli/eyespots sit on the head just in front of the rhinophores, with text reading, "wide range of color vision, poor depth perception." five sets of legs are situated underneath the body, with the foot partly hanging over the lower legs. these legs are much like caterpillar prolegs-- chunky and short, hydraulically powered, with cup-like suction grippers. the two front sets of legs are lifted up above the ground, with the lifted half of the body, and have slimmer grippers that look modified for grasping.

a doodle below shows the Melusine walking with all five sets of legs, with text reading, "'rippling' walking motion. they normally walk on just the lower 3 sets, but can use all 5 sets. usually reserved for running." another doodle shows the Melusine swimming flat in the water, with text reading, "legs pull up into body cavity when swimming. foot extends out farther and provides wavelike locomotion."

another doodle shows the Melusine slowly forming around a mechanical gear, with text reading, "Elynas goop clung to 'tokens' over time, leading to current forms."

the next image show a simple doodle of Melusine skin covered by a layer of Hydro particles, with oxygen molecules in the air gathering towards the Hydro. nearby text reads, "Hydro layers over the skin on land, protecting Melusines from desiccation and sun damage, and providing support to their soft bodies. Melusines can also pull oxygen and water from the air through the Hydro layer, breathing and retaining moisture as they would in water."

below that we see a human hand patting a Melusine on the head, with text reading, "the Hydro layer also provides some protection from physical damage. touching a Melusine, one would only feel the cool, smooth, somewhat rubbery surface of the moisture-wicking Hydro layer, rather than the truly moist, slimy skin of the Melusine. this layer can technically be broken, but it's difficult to break the molecular bonds outside of elemental damage."

below that is a doodle of a healthy Melusine on land in Fontaine, then that same Melusine on land anywhere else, laying on the ground dried up and dying. nearby text reads, "this semi-aquatic lifestyle is only possible in Fontaine's heavy Hydro concentration (arguably Watatsumi as well)."

the next image starts with text reading, "Melusines can change their color/patterns, and their language is based in complex color/pattern cues. each Melusine has developed unique color/pattern preference over time, so communication rules/cues vary widely between individuals. (though they've learned to telepathically communicate using common human languages, with Neuvillette's help)." a doodle below that shows two Melusine staring blankly at one another, with text reading, "having a heated argument (they've been completely silent and still for 10 minutes, but their patterns are rapidly shifting)."

a short comic sits below that, starting with text reading, "*early in Sigewinne's career*" Sigewinne-- a light blue Melusine with pink accents, wearing a white nurse's cap-- stands silent, staring into a box at her feet. Wriothesley the human stands nearby, thinking to himself, "Hm, Sigewinne hasn't moved in a while." grabbing Sigewinne's attention, Wriothesley says, "doin' alright there, Sigewinne?" Sigewinne flips through a yellow book with the title, "Human Expressions for Dummies" with a simplified Melusine mascot on the cover. then she turns back to Wriothesley to telepathically yell, "No, I'm not!!!" with angry eyebrows and a cartoonish pulsing vein on her head, created using color patterns on her face. Wriothesley simply replies, "Ah."

the next image shows many different Melusines, with text reading, "Wide variation in body, rhinophore, and gill shape." indeed, some Melusines are thin and tall, others are short and round, while others are stocky and squared-off. some have thin, upturned snouts, while others have short, stubby snouts, or blocky, drooping snouts. some of their rhinophores are thin and straight, or round and curved, or branch/antler-like, or have more pronounced nodes/ridges. some of their gills are bulbous and pointed, or thin and wavy, or feathery, or branch-like, and some Melusine even have extra gills higher up on their bodies. all of these Melusines have different colors and patterns, with text reading, "Melusines can be found in all colors across the spectrum (including colors humans can't see), but individuals usually prefer a few specific colors."

a doodle below shows off Sigewinne's present-day outfit. she's wearing a white nurse's cap tied to her head with a pink bow, on top of a grey wig with a bob cut and curling bangs. a white apron with blue hearts and pink ribbons is tied to her front, with a two-tier cut to allow her front legs to move freely. another white apron with pink and blue bows is tied across to her back, covering most of it. nearby text reads, "no concept of nudity, clothes are just fun accessories. wigs are both exotic accessories, and a way to show kinship with humans."

below that is text reading, "Melusines usually darken their tones outdoors, for extra sun protection." a nearby doodle shows a pale Melusine indoors, then that same Melusine outdoors, her colors visibly darker.

the final image is an edit of a meme, reading, "If a Melusine wore pants, would she wear them like this or like this?" above two drawings of the same Melusine. in the first, the Melusine is wearing jeans cut to fit around her three lower sets of legs and the bottom edge of the foot. in the second, she's wearing jeans cut to fit around the back end of her body and last set of legs, covering the back end of the foot and mantle, and cut around the gills.

end ID]

I swear I had no idea it was nudibranch day yesterday, this was just a happy coincidence LMAO

anyways, I hate how Melusines look in-game, so I decided to make them Actual Slugs b/c that's objectively cuter. obvious nudibranch base design, but I added in some planaria and caterpillar elements for the eyes and legs, respectively. it's a bit goofy, but I'm real happy with how it all turned out <3

also sorry if the Sigewinne comic isn't true to her early career, personality, or her relationship w/ Wrio. we haven't seen her much yet, and tbh I didn't rly care to look into her current lore all that deeply

[syntiment]

I drew my appearance headcanon for Sigewinne! (Got the base anatomy by just tracing over her in game model because I'm lazy but anyway behold-)

I think she looks TOO human like in game so I wanted to find a nice balance between her human and Melusine features and I'm pretty happy with this design!

[awordbroken]

tumblr won't let me edit my old oc profile post anymore, so this is a remaster i guess

picrew 1 picrew 2 picrew 3

dedicated character tag

Crow Melusine Kos (that’s two first names, always used together) (...their children call them 'Sine) former Pursued Con-Artist, Star-Struck Scholar, current Politic Laboratory Director or Doting Naturalist light fingers/main they/them

frequently wearing a mask that covers the upper half of their face; often plain colored with some painted details, such as vines, eyes or abstract lines. they paint their own designs - they doodle a lot while taking breaks.

faint lattice of scarring on top of head in memory of being buried alive. otherwise no scars of note.

underneath the mask, looks perpetually tired, with dark circles that never go away. typically very low affect in both expression and voice, speaks with a sort of soft, unwavering drone. not charming in personality, but used to sell ponzi schemes on the surface on the strength of their dead-pan manner making them sound completely and unshakably confident in whatever they’re saying.

casual interest in false-stars, especially a certain one of unusual brightness that was first sighted a few years ago. primarily studies Neathy animals and monsters. a bit scatter-minded and out of it as a professor, but students who thrive on hands-on, low-oversight learning rate them a solid “alright”. no longer spends much time teaching since taking a job as Director of one of Mr Fires' newest laboratories.

considers themself a parent to the moon-miser hybrid, and misses it greatly. may or may not be making preparations to grow a new monster baby in their lab. <3 now parent to a fluffy orange and cosmogone baby bat the size of a toddler of "mysterious" origins.

allergic to smoke and very much almost died when Mr Fires took them into an underground library and set it on fire with them still in it. incidentally has a “rivalry” with Mr Fires that consists of them metaphorically hitting each other with brooms. nowadays, is deeper entwined with Mr Fires than ever before, but don’t worry about it.

ESes that are canon for them: The Deadly Dapperlings, There is the Richest Juice in Poison-Flowers

picrew

Carver The Hushed Crowner bag a legend/alt they/them

once student worker in Crow Melusine’s lab. asked by Crow Melusine to bring them the Vake, and no one was merciful enough to tell them the Professor expresses wanting a new monster to study literally every week and they could just ignore it.

child of a Khaganian mother and a Londoner father; grew up in London. used to work in one of Mr Fires’ factories as a crowner’s assistant, which mostly involved patching up injuries and “investigating” worker deaths/accidents and determining that the factory was not at fault and would not be compensating the family in any way. bit soul crushed about it.

“poached” by Crow Melusine, who helped them get into Benthic on the strength of their knowledge of anatomy and basic medical care mostly to tweak Mr Fires’ wires. Carver feels indebted anyway, because literally anything is better than the factory.

sought the Vake to gather samples for Crow Melusine’s research, but found themself captivated by it after coming briefly face to face with it. eventually got their sample, but gained permanent mobility issues from their wounds and was forced to give up the hunt.

now runs a small clinic in Spite, with an attached morgue for the temporarily dead--for safe storage until their recovery, or, for an extra fee, a guarantee that the deceased will stay dead an extra day or two. also does tattoos on the side. the clinic is guarded by three puppy-sized spiders, which they vehemently deny doting on like pets.

has never forgotten the Vake.

conscientious. arms like tree trunks. periodically non-verbal. nerve damage down left side of body from taking a claw to the shoulder. cane user. missing something. has something strange and bittersweet going on with Ada.

picrew

Ada Durand tbd bag a legend/alt she/her, occasionally it/its in private

has to be the most fuckable person at the Singing Mandrake at all times.

child of a well-to-do industrialist father. never fit in with her peers. left home to become a monster hunter on a whim, but found that the hunt suited her. hedonistic and a bit thoughtless, loves jewelry and cares about her appearance. smug and smirking and sharp of tooth, but never really lets anyone see her innermost self.

the last Vake-hunter. killed the Vake and made it a part of herself.

still, an emptiness is left behind.

met Carver while looking to have an injury treated, and recognized something in their ever-unfulfilled longing for the Vake. can be found coming and going around their clinic at all hours ever since. hates that Carver lets the giant spiders sleep on the bed.

picrew 1 picrew 2

Broken Tree of Ephemera, Mr Silk heart’s desire/alt they/it/she, depending on the identity they’re using

a Sorrow-Spider council that failed to reach consensus and split apart. many of their members died or scatted, but a core cohort remains, refusing to accept the pain of being apart, even when other sorrow-spiders dismissed the idea of wasting time and resources on trying to fix a failed union.

they co-inhabit a human-like silk puppet, with which they’ve infiltrated the human population of London in pursuit of a way to re-meld. thus, they came into contact with the marvellous.

have they been touched by the lives they came into contact with in the game and in their interactions with humanity? difficult to tell. though lifelike, their blank-faced doll body expresses little.

nevertheless, they won their hearts’ desire. the Masters, however, were none too keen to upset the Neath‘s already strained balance of power by handing the sorrow-spiders a brand new, red science-improved spider-council, and the Tree of Ephemera was obliged to agree to a transformation that might be more... easily controlled, and the duties and title of Mr ____ ...well, it’s a work in progress. the Tree is well aware that the Masters have no intention of ceding any real power to them, so they see little point in arbitrarily choosing an area of trade, despite their new colleagues’ repeated attempts to explain the necessity to their new nature. the only thing that matters is that the change will make them whole again: one body, a joined mind.

so far, to their so-called colleagues’ chagrin, their changes have not been wholly curatorial in nature. their puppet is growing as many flecks of shiny carapace as patches of fur, and has recently grown a glittering array of additional eyes.

less pleasing, they have begun to develop a distracting interest in weaving, silk, and other fabrics. Mr Veils watches them with increasing anticipation of an excuse to swat a gnat.

picrew

Penelope Howard, “Penny”/”Ash” nemesis/alt she/he

when her brother Ashley’s lover was tragically murdered, he left his home and family and ventured to the Neath alone in search of her killer. there, he was killed (permanently), leaving his revenge unfulfilled.

as Ashley’s twin, Penelope has spent her life in his shadow. kind, thoughtful, intelligent, and naturally talented with every paintbrush, instrument or weapon placed in his hands, Ashley was loved by everyone. the ideal son. in contrast, Penny was just... Penny. after her twin’s death, it seemed only natural that she should take on his burden, following him to the Neath and taking on his identity to continue his pursuit. after all, he was the best thing about her.

is "Ash” avenging his brother, or the lover that he hardly knew? does it really matter?

picrew

Woebegone the Captain Sunless Skies captain they/them

former London urchin. older than they appear. carries traces of Storm. sold their reflection to a fingerking. treasured. a doting parent and spouse.

FL ES canon for them: Homecoming

[dkniade]

Lately when trying to draw Melusines I’ve been trying to draw a (humanoid) skeleton just to figure out their (anthropomorphic) anatomy

[hazardworld]

It’s time for more Monster Town! Get ready for some Steddie (finally lol)!

WB1.WB2.WB3.P1.P2.P3.P4.P5.P6 

-------

"So I’ve got Sirens: A Detailed History, Mythic Anatomy and Physiology, Twisted Tails of Sirens and Mermaids, plus a few others,” Dustin set the stack down on the table with a smack, giving him a few annoyed stares.

What, like he cared?

This was a library, not a hospice.

"Dustin, Siren Mating?" Will held up the small book with a raised eyebrow, and Eddie’s eyes seemed to widen instantly.

Bingo.

"Lucas said there was a whole thing with Chrissy, so I was wondering if that had anything to do with it," Dustin responded cooly, just like he practiced, while also very obviously flitting his eyes between Will and Eddie. Will seemed to catch on, and glanced behind him at Eddie, before smiling and nodding.

"Got it, makes sense." Will winked and set the book to the side, right between him and the older teen.

Dustin sat, ears twitching as he heard the almost silent swipe of Eddie taking the book. He pretended not to notice, but he and Will made eye contact, exchanging grins.

Both him and Will reached for books, and they began researching.

——

"Apparently, there’s an obvious difference in tails," Dustin read of Mythic Anatomy and Physiology. "Siren tails are longer and thinner so they can choke their prey, whereas mermaid tails are shorter and bulkier for more fat storage,"

"Smart, but are we really gonna be seeing Jason’s tail by the end of this?" Will countered. "It’s smart to know the differences, but I highly doubt we’ll be able to get him to shift if it proves his guilt."

Dustin sighed and nodded, knowing Will had a point.

"Yeah, that makes sense. What did you find?"

"Sirens: A Detailed History talked about the history of Melusine. Wasn’t that Steve’s ancestor?" Dustin grinned.

"Yes! What did you find?" Will opened the book to a page entitled 'Creation Myth' and slid it towards him. Dustin looked over with eager interest.

"In the beginning, yada yada yada…" Dustin skimmed the page until he found anything relevant. "The second sibling, Melusine, was entranced by his beauty, and chose to stay with him on human land. Knowing he would fear her true form, she bathed alone. They lived a happy life, until the fateful day when the Prince, now King found her lie, and she fled to never be seen again."

"Then it kinda goes into migration patterns of land sirens, and after that siren dialects? I’m not sure." Will commented, and Dustin gave a nod.

"It’s a good start, but it doesn’t explain anything we can use against you-know-who," Dustin looked around as he spoke the nuanced name. Even though the Party wasn’t in danger anymore, Jason was still protected by the public, and you never knew who was listening in on you.

Will nodded and reached his hand behind the stack of books. "That’s why I took a look at this one," He pulled out a large, purple, leather-bound book entitled 'Sirenic Magic,' and Dustin gasped.

"Dude—" He was immediately shushed by the tables around him, and rolled his eyes. Will chuckled. "Dude, that’s perfect!"

Immediately, they poured into the book.

"’Sirens must cast on a routine basis in order to maintain good health.’" Dustin read aloud, and he and Will made worried eye contact.

"Didn’t Steve say he doesn’t use magic anymore?" Dustin nodded.

"He doesn’t like it. Even when he used it on Robin it was only for fun." Will turned around.

"Eddie?"

Dustin grinned when he saw Eddie’s burning cheeks, engrossed in his book.

See, Dustin had known Steve was into Eddie for awhile.

He’d started suspecting something when Steve took care of Eddie before his name got cleared. Apparently, Steve was nothing if not chivalrous and kind to him. This was vastly off because Dustin knew anyone in the party, especially him, could report that generally, Steve’s care and affection was almost always mixed with snark, sarcasm, and playful bitchiness.

(For Upside-Down related events, it was always more calm and thoughtful. It wasn’t that Steve was ever unkind, it was just that he acted like an older brother.)

Steve had gone to the hospital every day to see Eddie, and Dustin would constantly see them gingerly touching each other. Usually, they’d be playing with each other’s hands.

Robin had "confirmed-but-not-confirmed" Steve’s bisexuality in the hospital hallway. Weeks later, a few days after Eddie started living in the new trailer with Wayne, Steve had confirmed it himself in a panic induced breakdown Dustin had accidentally burst in on.

Now all Dustin needed was to make sure Eddie liked Steve back.

"Eddie," Dustin asked innocently, "Have you been reading that book the whole time?"

Somehow, Eddie’s face found an even redder shade to shift to as his head turned to face the two boys peering at him inquisitively.

"…maybe maybe not…"  Eddie mumbled, pulling a strand of hair to pull in front of his face and chew on. Dustin grinned.

"Why that book, Eddie?" Will asked with the same faux innocence as Dustin. "Why Siren Mating?"

"Because…because…" Eddie looked around, as if he was looking around for an excuse. "Maybe it has something to do with Chrissy and Jason’s dynamics?"

"Cut the shit, Eddie," Dustin deadpanned, and Eddie’s face blanched. "We both know you wanna bone Steve,"

"What? Nooooo…" Eddie trailed off nervously, but sighed in defeat when Dustin and Will didn’t relent. "How did you know?"

"Gaydar." Will smirked, and Eddie’s eyes widened as the two boys high fived.

"What?"

"In my defense," Dustin explained, "I’ve been noticing things and only started testing the waters today, so…" he shrugged.

"And I sorta pegged you from the beginning."

"Why is it you all come to me?" Eddie asked, though Dustin clued into it being rhetorical. "Can it be me telling you for once? On my own terms?"

"It’s not your own terms when you’re reading a book to woo the only siren we know who doesn’t wanna kill you." Dustin decided to ignore the rhetorical-ness.

"Wait," Will spoke over an audible groan from Eddie. "Are we not the first to come to you about liking Steve?"  

"Max." Dustin groaned. Of course Max got to Eddie faster than him. Dammit! Sneaky shit.

"Course it was Max." He parroted his thoughts out loud.

"Anything interesting in there?" Will asked genuinely, leaning his elbow on the table and his head on his fist.

"Well," Eddie turned back to the book, "It says that for interspecies relationships, the siren always initiates the ritual. It’s supposed to be like an 'offering of peace' or some shit."

Weird. Werewolves didn’t really do that. If anything, alphas (if and when there was one trying to mate) initiated mating rituals, but that was the only occurrence Dustin could think of.

"What’s the first gift?" Will raised an eyebrow at Dustin’s question. "The first thing Steve’s supposed to do or give Eddie,"

"It’s called a caddou*, apparently. It’s supposed to be some sort of token of his trust, something with his magic in it. My job is to do the trust thing and return back with some sort of thing to show for it."

Most werewolf mating rituals started with one party making something for the other, with the other party reciprocating if they wanted to mate. The ritual showed the care and attention shown towards each other and the relationship.

"Well sirens are all about luring people to their death, so I guess it make sense." Both Eddie and Dustin turned to Will, who had leaned back in the chair so both could see him.

"What?"

"What do you mean?"

Will shrugged. "Well, the ritual is showing the siren has trust in you, and therefore cares for you and doesn’t want to kill you. In completing the trust exercise, you’re essentially saying that given the chance, you’re not going to hurt them or their things."

Ohhhhhhhh.

Yeah, that made a lot of sense.

"Why is that so cool?" Eddie asked. "Seriously. That’s so cool."

"How are you gonna know when it is? It could be anything!" Dustin asked. Werewolf mating wasn’t as cool, but it was a lot more clear.

"And does Steve even know how to use his magic, much less infuse something with it?" Will chimed in, and Dustin nodded.

"It says here if I complete the task he’ll give me something of his in return." Eddie read further, "Then I’m supposed to—actually, fuck it, I’m checking the book out. I’m gonna forget this." A pause. "Wait—didn’t you guys need me for something?"

"Yes!" Dustin exclaimed, and Will dragged the book over to Eddie. "This says that Steve has to be doing magic, but he can’t, right?"

They paused as Eddie read the text a couple times over, frown deepening each time.

"Yeah, no, magic users have to use a certain amount of magic within a certain amount of time, like a magic quota. Sirens fall in that category, but Steve said he hasn’t been using magic consistently since Hawkins Round 1." Eddie sighed. "Look. I’ve heard of untrained witches powerful enough that their magic just kinda…oozes out of them when they don’t use enough."

"Steve can’t be that powerful though..." Dustin asked, slightly in disbelief. "Is he?"

*pronounced cah-DOH

Part 7!

Tag List:

@estrellami-1 @cookies-and-doom @beckkthewreck

[monsieur-neuvillette]

hey hey neuvillette! it's alright!

Cyno (general mahamatra) is guarding them while hat guy (extremely familiar with "mr. harbinger"'s anatomy) is checking over the hole in Scara's chest.

Both Melusine's had water to drink and everything, Menthe is simply very very tired at the moment from a drop of adrenaline probably

“I simply wish I could be of more assistance… I am not much use here.”

[chunkymamatam]

Original Content Master List

Random OC Ref Sheet

Who tf is Ung

Art Dumps

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Anatomy Practice 1

Anatomy Practice 2

Sketch Dump 1

Animation/Animation adjacent

Blink

Jump, Expression Change, Turn

The Children of Gods(Comic and title subject to change)

Lesbian in love with Gay boy's mom

Sister's Performance(Old)

Old sketches of demons, A mad scientist and a clown god

Old Concept dump

Creature Concept

Character Ref Sheet: Navi(Subject to change)

Redesigning Max

Redesigning Ragnorok

Redesigning Chaos

D&D

Ref sheet sketches

Ref Sheets Complete

Campers and Hortus Mortis Introduction

Campaign presentation drawings

Fanart

Ace and Deuce fucking around

Sun/Moon Sketch dump

The lovely sun FNAF

Self insert dump

My Favorite Melusine

Isekai Slow Life Self Insert

System Art

Headspace chilling and Icons

Whores Of Headspace /pf

Furry Shit /Pf /Pos

Fursona (old)

Gaming with my Friends and Partners

The worm and my bird boy (Lethal Company)

[prcetexto]

trigger warnings ! (fontaine archon quest spoilers) anatomy metaphors, anxiety, blood, death, meltdowns, panic attacks, suicide

BIO

name ! focalors furina de fontaine

nicknames ! lady furina, lady archon (people of fontaine) / miss furina

titles ! hydro archon (formerly) / god of justice (formerly) / regina of all waters, kindreds, peoples, and laws (formerly)

constellation ! animula choragi

description ! the "ideal" and humanity of the god, focalors. the former representative of the hydro archon, succeeding egeria after she fell in the battle of tunigi hollow. after the fulfillment of the prophecy and the destruction of the hydro throne, she abdicated her position in the court of fontaine.

ABOUT

birthday ! 13 october

age ! 400+ years

species ! oceanid (formerly) / cursed human (formerly) / human

region ! fontaine

vision ! hydro, pneuma && ousia

special dish ! pour la justice (la lettre a focalors)

ORIENTATION

gender ! feminine

pronouns ! they/them, she/her

romantic orientation ! demi

sexual orientation ! demi

PREFERENCES

hobbies ! performing arts / reading novels

likes ! sweet desserts / tea

dislikes ! experimental food

fears ! the prophecy / being discovered / attempts to end her life / large sharp claws

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

faceclaim (fc) ! n/a

height ! 4'11" (150 cm)

mma weight class ! strawweight

eye colour ! light blue (right), dark blue (left)

hair colour ! white blue, with blue streaks

hairstyle ! a short bob, reaching the neck area (in ousia form ; includes twin tails mimicking jellyfish arms in pneuma form)

usual attire ! performance costume or formal wear, usually resembling a suit

vision location ! waist, pinned to a bow and sash

notable features ! complete heterochromia iridum with teardrop-shaped pupils / something like a cursed aura sometimes emanates from her person

INVENTORY

weaponry ! sword, splendor of tranquil waters

gifts ! various gifts accepted over the centuries, discarded upon her abdication

FACTION

alignment ! lawful good

allegiance ! fontaine

profession ! representative of the hydro archon (formerly) / theatre consultant / chansonnier

RELATIONSHIPS

ancestry ! egeria (mistress, formerly / predecessor)

same generation ! egeria's oceanid familiars (sisters)

progeniture ! -

romantic ! -

platonic ! chlorinde (champion duelist / bodyguard, formerly) / neuvillette (iudex, hydro sovereign) / traveller (confidante) / the melusines / gentilhomme usher, surintendante chevalmarin, mademoiselle crabaletta (summons, ousia form) / singer of many waters (summon, pneuma form)

antagonistic ! the knave, arlecchino / the childe, tartaglia

other ! navia caspar (complicated, assumed negative) / magician duo (complicated due to ties with the fatui and lyney's trial, assumed negative) / charlotte (nervous about being asked for an interview later on)

VERSES

how wonderful life is ! default verse, shortly after the performance of "a little oceanid." though granted a vision, there remained the question of what she was to do next. to live as a human, just as she wished they could... how does one do that, really?

half-moon, half-human ! takes place during her reign as the hydro archon, a period which spans centuries. her mind is always a cacophony of thoughts, constantly thinking forward and back, perfecting and reinforcing her act. she must be perfect, she must be justice in the eyes of her people. she cannot falter, she cannot hesitate. no matter the cost, she must be the leading lady of this stage.

it feels easier to just swim down ! oceanid au // i. before egeria gifted humanity to her faithful that wished for it, she, too, was one of the many oceanids of teyvat. / ii. though the hydro sovereign had pardoned fontaine for their "sin," she could not forgive herself for her own failures. rather than insist on her selfish wish that furina lives as a human as she wished they could, what remained of focalors enacts justice differently: she seals away egeria's gift, as well as neuvillette's forgiveness, allowing instead for furina to live as an oceanid. perhaps more centuries were necessary for her healing. and one day, when her tears have dried, she could reclaim the gifts that she had always deserved.

the unseen genius ! mirror au. focalors acts as furina's confidante; they move in tandem to deceive the heavenly principles and save fontaine from the prophecy. her "mirror self" still hides within the oratrice mechanique d'analyse cardinale, occasionally appearing in the palais mermonia using bodies of water and the looking glass in the archon's personal chambers. some secrets may still come between them, and it cannot be said that divinity and humanity always see eye to eye, but their heart beats as one. their love for fontaine shall be the only thing that drowns their nation.

[dangerkeith3000x]

[vampire-himbos-of-santa-perdita]

Dude, I feel it with the shitty week thing. Tell me about your ocs. As many as you feel comfortable talking about. If you need questions: What are their favorite colors? Do they like cookies with milk, and if so what kind of cookies? What are the colors of their eyes? And what are their goals in their story? I hope your week gets better. 💚

I’ll do all my Haunt Your Murderers murder children, as that’s what I’m writing right now.

Favourite Colours

Andrina: She’s the exact type of girl who flip-flops from the most sparkling baby pink to raven black. (mostly the latter...)

Millie: Reds, blacks, golds, purples… The gothic royal stuff.

Octavian/Melusine: Octavian’s into a darker palette, but Melusine loves every colour under the sun. Give her jewel-tones for sure though.

Vermilion: I mean… He named himself Vermilion Carnadine. What colour do you think?

Basil: Muted tones – greys, browns, navy. Things that aren’t easily spotted in a crowd.

Hamish: Mossy greens, sky blues, all those earthy, adventurous colours.

Eye colour

Andrina: An intense dark green of moonlit grass

Millie: Amber whisky hazel

Octavian/Melusine: The stormiest grey

Vermilion: Brown(?)

Basil: Baby blue

Hamish: Brown

Goals

Andrina: Wants everyone to stop fucking murdering each other, you heathens. (And also to kiss Millie Marsette, maybe a lot.)

Millie: Wants to make sure her future remains intact, and also to maintain order (or… disorder? Unclear…) in the London underworld. Namely, this involves making sure the biggest assholes don’t uncover the secret to immortality (which she’s been sitting on).

Octavian: Wants to get rid of their incompetent thieves and replace them with more loyal ones made out of hacked up pieces of the originals…

Melusine: Wants to live her life as a woman in an otherwise unforgiving society that won’t validate her personal identity.

Vermilion: Wants to eradicate all the fallen women in the streets… and also fucking murder a bunch of people. And he needs cadavers for his anatomy lectures too, I guess. Also, definitely immortality. (Whaaaat? A greedy villain wanting all of the things? Shocking…)

Basil: Wants to support his remaining siblings, even if it means thieving to get by. And also just… survive.

Hamish: Wants adventure, and to one day sail the seas (maybe find his father, who was unjustly transported as a sailor). If he meets his idol, the notorious pirate, Steamboat Annie (ie: Andrina) while he’s at it, all the better.

Ask me about my OCs!

[vampire-himbos-of-santa-perdita]

Writing Influences Tag Game

Ok, so I’ve been tagged in a ton of writing tag games lately, it’s hard to keep up, but this one’s a good one! I was tagged by @infinitelyblankpage (at my main blog) for this goodie!

Rules: Give a short summary of your WIP, name 7 books, TV Shows, games, movies, comics, etc. that have influenced your story, and tag 7 people.

I’ll do Haunt Your Murderers for now, and maybe do the others later if I’m feeling inspired.

Haunt Your Murderers

Victorian London is in a state of industrial revolution. Yet within its seedy underbelly, resides nefarious criminals who will do just about anything to earn good coin. A drag queen madam of a high class brothel doubles as a notorious kingpin for a thieving ring. A corrupt surgeon lures fallen women to his home under the pretence of a want-ad marriage. Two working class boys take up grave robbery for decent pay and the thrill of it all. Pulling each and every one of their strings is an elusive high priestess of the underworld.

Octavian Cutlass is far from pleased with their thieves’ lazy performance. Tired of their complacency, they’re desperate to do away with the lot of them and start from scratch. Consulting surgeon Vermilion Carnadine and grave robbers, Basil and Hamish, they drum up a murderous ploy to get rid of the thieves one by one. But the high priestess has a stake in this too, and what she brings to the table is good old fashioned resurrection. As the bodies pile up, she must choose who is worth bringing back from the dead, and who is worth burying. 

A single soul stands in their way: a trapeze artist turned lady pirate come home to London, and the stench of decayed morals she’s returned to is foul. 

Influences!

I already talk ad-nauseam about my Victorian literary influences for Haunt Your Murderers, so I’m gonna go for the less obvious ones and go into the historical context:

Wuthering Heights. Although there isn’t much of a hint of WH’s influence on the plot and characters itself (a shocking feat, since everything else I’ve ever written has a hint of WH in it somewhere), the title is borrowed directly from Emily Bronte, who brought us this gem: May you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you—haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! 

Edinburgh’s underground caverns. Oooh! So this is fun! On one of my first weeks in Edinburgh, I went on a ghost walk of the caverns beneath the city’s streets. The story goes, the poorest of the poor, and merchant class would live down beneath the streets because they had nowhere else to go. And they managed for a time being until the Great Fire of Edinburgh (which I’m only just realized was in fact, a 19th century phenomenon), blazed through and choked everyone out. The desperation in the dark led to murderers and thieves slitting women and children’s throats in the pitch black, and what remains now is the demonic presence of all that dark energy. Apparently, at some point, a coven showed up to drive away the demonic force, and within a few days of living down there, they decreed it the most evil spaces they’ve ever encountered, and they all fled. I knew the minute I heard that story, that Millie had to get involved as the high priestess who cleansed the underworld of its demonic presence. (...or DID she???)

Burke and Hare! Holy shit, I love Burke and Hare. So they’re the most notorious grave robbers in Victorian history. At the time, corpses were a particularly hot commodity among surgeons for use in their anatomy lectures. Often times, they would take custody of anyone hanged whose body was never claimed by family, but when that was made illegal, they started accepting bodies from just about anyone willing to hand them over. Burke and Hare started off just digging up fresh bodies where they could find them, but eventually they got so desperate for money, they just started killing off prostitutes and handing their bodies over. They were eventually caught, executed, and their skins made into book jackets (or at least one of them did...). We’ve got a similar situation with Basil & Hamish (who together, quite unintentionally, share Burke & Hare’s initials!)

Sarah Waters. So Sarah Waters wrote Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet, two (modern) queer 19th century novels about the criminal and sexual underworld. She gave me a taste of what it could’ve been like if London had an underground sexual revolution, where the Victorian equivalent of the LGBT community hung out in clubs and deviated as much as they wanted from the social norms. That’s where my duplicitous drag queen comes from.

Fanny and Stella. So, historical research on Victorian drag culture isn’t non-existent, but it is pretty darn hard to find. Fanny and Stella are two queens(?) that are pretty well documented though. I maintain it’s tough to breech the topic of trans identity in the Victorian context, because even with this prominent case, historians are pretty wishy washy about exactly how they identified (with so many cis white male historians, what’re you gonna do?) They’re recorded as theatrical performers, who spent time dressed as women both on and off stage, and had relationships with men, with a preference for their feminine names. It seems to me they were trans women, but just didn’t have the modern notions to describe it as such yet. Similar to Oscar Wilde, they’re well documented because they had a court case haunting them over their “deviant behaviour”. There was practically a witch hunt after them for essentially just being true to themselves, so you can imagine how hard it would’ve been to be trans in that era. Octavian/Melusine definitely falls somewhere within this realm of gender identity. (Melusine being their preferred identity, but Octavian being the one they use to traverse within society’s confines).

The fortunetelling scheme. When I was doing my undergrad, with my minor in history, I took a small research assistant job, where I combed through 19th century newspaper archives for any mention of criminal activity. One of my favourites was an incident that happened on the highway of my home town in the UK, where travellers would pretend to be fortune tellers, tell some unsuspecting victims’ fortunes, then swindle all their money and vanish into the night. Looking back on it, this could just be a xenophobic dig against gypsies, which is no bueno, but unfortunately rampant at the time... I have a scene I’m writing right now where Melusine encounters Andrina (an actual fortuneteller) on the road, and promptly attempts to rob her, only for Andrina to swindle them back. 

The young bride want-ad scheme. Every so often, I’ll do a deep dive into non-fiction books about Victorian crime, and a favourite nugget I’ve found has been that at some point, a serial murderer would put out an ad in the newspaper requesting essentially mail-order brides. He would then lure them into his home, and kill them. Vermilion does much the same with his victims.

This has been a spontaneous Victorian history lesson... I hope you learned some stuff! 😉

I’ll tag some new writeblr followers! ...and @msmeaghanrey @howsweetthewords @authorlaragrey @vanwolffen @scribble-dee-vee @amyanda @katekarl @atellier