#she's gonna be inspired by an angler fish ^^

[jazeswhbhaven]

WHB AUs: Cain's New Sibling

The young devil sighed, setting his bag on the floor of his room after just having arrived back in Hades. Unexpectedly, his father and current King Leviathan had gone into labor earlier than planned. Cain's new sibling wasn't due for another month or so according to Morax, but it was Lucifer who predicted that this would be a short and easy pregnancy compared to last time.

"Short and easy." Cain scoffed, and tossed the contents of his bag onto his desk most of it being trinkets that the twins made for him before he left. He was just now getting adjusted to having to be a big brother to two half-devils Aelia and Kamaria. Their father's were Mammon, the ruler of Tartaros and Satan, ruler of Gehenna also Cain's other father. This new half-devil...would share the mother as the twins; the descendant daughter of Solomon, Astra.

This is what ultimately bothered Cain in the first place. The conception of this new life had nothing but bad faith in meaning. This child's existence was nothing more than a petty point to prove between his two fathers who were no longer together intimately. Although Astra wasn't aware of how Leviathan's body worked in terms of creating devils, this was still a risk and it still happened.

"It seems, I'm the only one who knows better and I'm not even an adult devil yet." Cain mumbled to himself as he continued to organize and clean his room. He'd have to go and see his new sibling soon, not knowing if he or she would even look like. He could only imagine they'd be similar to the twins, absence of horns, less devil like features.

"Your highness, His majesty Leviathan has been expecting you." Foras stood at the entrance of Cain's room, bowed in a ninety degree angle. After a few moments he straightened up to wait further instructions or to be addressed by the younger devil.

"Fine, I'll be there. Thank you, Foras." Cain said flatly, exhaling deeply as he reached for a stray hair tie to fix his hair into a high ponytail. He then walked out past Foras, making his way to his father's bedroom only to be stopped by the noble.

"They're in another room, the new nursey that was built while you were away."

"A nursery?" Cain paused and turned to meet the other devil's gaze. "What for? I slept in father's room."

"His majesty thought it would be best that the child has her own room." Foras looked uneasy relaying the information, but Cain ignored it for now.

"I see. A girl then." Cain stepped to the side of the hallway, allowing Foras to lead the way to the nursey. It wasn't too far from Leviathan's room at all, in fact across the hall with a lavender tinted door and a gilded doorknob. Foras knocked, being met with the tired voice of Leviathan.

"Come in, but be quiet. She just went to sleep."

The door opened on it's own, Cain walking in first as he observed the room. It looked like any typical nursey he'd see in a catalog except there was a miniature coffin sat in the far left corner surrounded with a sheer purple canopy. The other décor and baby items followed the same color schemes of pastel purple, lilac, lavender and gold. In the right corner, sat Leviathan, holding the infant who was turned toward his chest, her hair peeking from the blanket she was swaddled in. A pale lavender color with notes of blonde waves.

"Strange." Cain uttered out loud, causing Leviathan to grimace at the observation.

"Strange? That's all you can say?"

"What do you want me to say? Beautiful? I haven't seen her face yet. Just the top of her head."

Leviathan got up from the chair, carefully walking the infant over to her coffin bed before setting her down and speaking to his eldest child without facing him. "Stay here for a while and watch her. She should be waking up soon for feeding. I have to contact Morax to schedule another check-up."

Cain rolled his eyes but silently agreed, not bothering to meet his father's gaze as they passed each other. The door closed, leaving the two in the room. He could finally see her facial features, surprised to see that barely any of Astra's attributes transferred over. The infant looked like a mini-Levi, right down to the fluffy eyelashes and sculpted lips. The only thing she inherited seemed to be a small amount of her mother's skintone, a light tan reminiscent of Beelzebub's.

"Your hair though, is the most strange." Cain muttered quietly, reaching out to stroke his younger sister's hair. She squirmed, her eyes slowly opening and locking in on Cain immediately. Her eye color was nearly as pale as her hair, making her look even more unique than initially.

"It seems father doesn't have a name for you, since he keeps calling you "her" "she". I'll name you Lumi."

The infant coos, spitting small bubbles in response to her brother's voice. Cain carefully took off her blanket, taking a look at her tiny hands and legs squirming about in her bodysuit.

"Lumi. You are small compared to my baby photos. But I can tell you're going to be just as big as I am. You just need more time to grow."

She spits and babbles in attempt to reply back to him, kicking her feet in excitement as her eyes widen. Her hands reach out wanting to be closer as Cain brings her to his chest. In response, Lumi nuzzles her face into him and clings to his shirt a swirl of emotion coming over Cain as he can hear her tiny heartbeat steady. When he looks at her he realizes she's asleep again but refusing to lessen her grip on his clothes.

"Lumi...don't worry. Big brother will protect you always. Even if the adults around here are too stupid to do anything. I'll be here." Cain says while kissing the top of her head.

"Where is she?" Leviathan demanded as he returned to Lumi's empty room. "Foras..."

"I'm already on it your Majesty, it seems that his highness Cain has taken her away."

"To Gehenna?"

"No, to his room. I assure you everything is fine."

Leviathan squints his eyes, wondering if he should hang his subordinate for even suggesting that everything was 'fine' based on his judgment. Instead he shoves the other devil out of the way, hellbent on going to his son's room and investigating. Once he arrived, he walks in without bothering to knock, his gaze suddenly in surprise as he sees the room is also empty. As Foras comes from behind him, Leviathan's gaze locks in on Cain's coffin. He strides toward it, opening the top quietly as his widen to see that Cain is sleeping with Lumi clinging his chest also sound asleep.

"You see your Majesty? I believe Cain couldn't fit in her coffin so he brought her here."

"Obviously. Leave."

Leviathan coldly dismisses Foras, who silently nods as he retreats to give his King and his family their space. Now alone in his son's room, he reaches down to stroke the top of Cain's hair and down to Lumi. After a few moments he exhales, reaching down to pick up the two of them effortlessly in his arms and carry them to his room. He stares at his coffin as it opens on it's own and he gets in, positioning himself comfortably with his children. Eyes heavy with sleep, he continues to stroke the top of Cain's head eventually lulling himself to slumber.

[highhounddog]

Transfem mermaid :)

I'm two months early to mermay, but inspiration struck

Her name's glaucie :) its a name meaning relating to ice

And a ramble about her if anyone's interested, she's a goby mermaid! her design is based off a sleeper goby/ golden head goby which is native to the west Pacific and Indian ocean. It stays on the outsides of reefs and lagoon under burrows and is found on the OUTER outer layer in the epipalegic, like 6 meters down. So what's girlie doing in the midnight zone?

WELL- She ran away from her burrow, she (pre gender change) was in line to become the next alpha (don't.) of her school. How prawn/ watchman gobies schools is that they can form symbiotic relationships with shrimp, the shrimp maintain the burrows, though they have poor eyesight, so gobies warn them of danger in exchange for a place to stay. So Glaucie is either in danger of A) being eaten for being too intimidating to the current dominant male or B) the alpha dies and she has to get freaky with this big lady fish until she's overthrown or dies of natural causes.

Glaucie doesn't want that, so instead of starving herself to become less of a threat, she transes her gender and sinks down to the midnight zone.

Glaucie is like 12 years old at this point in time? Baby baby. Big baby. Early bloomer. So she swims to the edge of a cliff separating the epipalegic and the mesopalegic, then keeps sinking until she can't see the sun anymore, and the seaweed disperses, leaving her in a cold, rocky, dark wasteland. She falls on some deep sea coral (Don't look up midnight zone coral if you don't wanna be mildly uncomfortable), and closes her eyes.

She wakes up to a light shining in her face, and a large angler fish hovering over her. That angler fish is Dyl, a merfolk that's apart of an original species of mine. To put it in BRIEF terms, Dyl is an exploded star, before they exploded, they were a star with it's own solar system, after death, the Universe personified gave them an empty planet at the beginning of it's formation, said "Yeah here you go man have fun", then dropped them right above the abyss of the endless ocean on this planet.

So Dyl takes the baby Glaucie into his cave, and raises her as her own. Found Family trope yay!!!!!!!!!!!

And, fun fish fact: Goby are a type of fish that change gender based on social conditions! They're one of the few fish that can transition from male to female (other than like, clownfish)

So, Glaucie transitioned into a female before her instincts took over and she would feel compelled to fight Dyl for dominance, basically socially changing to fit a daughter role. She's also just more comfortable like this, uh trans allegories don't fit perfectly when we're talking fish, but I didn't spend 3 hours researching for nothing.

So after Glaucie grows up to about 19/20 years old like she is in the painting, she's fully adapted to life in the midnight, but her diet is a bit complicated. Goby are bottom dwellers, and they feed on small invertebrates. Invertebrates in the midnight zone include shrimp, dumbo octopus, and mussels, that's the kind of stuff Glaucie can hunt herself. Dyl takes over for the rest of the hunting, usually small predatory fish like bristlemouths. Glaucie has a lot of predators in the midnight zone, so she isn't allowed out much.

HOWEVER, on her 20th birthday, she sneaks up to the Sargasso sea to feed on eel eggs. Gobies can eat fish eggs, even their own, and eels lay eggs in the Sargasso sea around 13 thousand feet down.

And that's all I got, I'm not sure where to take it from here. I have a few ideas 1), punk eels catch her eating her eggs and rock her shit, making her run back to Dyl injured. While earlier that day, a few gobies have come across Dyl while they were hunting, Dyl questions the fish and they say they're searching for somefish they lost about 10 years ago (the alpha, which I'm probably gonna refer to as a king in the actual story, has died, and Glaucie was the only fish in the burrows fit to follow him). So Dyl is freaking because Glaucie could be taken from them, and boom conflict ensues.

Another thing I wanna add is another fish for Glaucie to bounce dialog off of, maybe another goby or a shrimp for her burrow, Glaucie takes an interest in "the pretty fish with the sharp face", since I originally planned for her to be a mandarin goby. She isn't designed and barely thought out though. I can let this stay a found family story or I can give into temptation and give Glaucie a romance subplot because I love girls.

[petite-guignol]

I said I was gonna use this for doll stuff so.

I've been off and on working on a doll of an old TTRPG character of mine and I've been slowly realizing I have only the vaguest idea of what this character looks like. This is weirdly embarrassing to me, like there are people out here drawing their OCs consistently and here I don't even know if she has hair or some kind of splatoon inkling tentacle situation??? Come on

Anyway I decided to give her hair with some trailing jellyfish frills I haven't added yet. I finished the wig and god this is SO much hair. Its probably going to get cut shorter but right now it's like. Its heavy.

This is an old busted up Lagoona Blue doll and as you can see she has some marks on her face I can't figure out how to remove, so I will have to do a faceup that covers them somehow. I also removed the paint from her forearms so they're transparent and will probably attempt to make a smooth gradient.

She's supposed to be vaguely jellyfish inspired but I don't want her to look too much like any particular sea creature (she's the child of a demon that looks kind of like a cross between a Chinese dragon and an angler fish, not like an anthro or anything)

(she's an Exalted character if anyone cares lol, a demon-blood who exalted as a Zenith caste Solar. She's also toxic. Like literally toxic, you can't touch her.)

Anyway I wanted to show off the wig because I think the effect is shaping up pretty well. I just unraveled yarn into individual strands and glued them to a wig cap in sequence. Yes I glued every single strand individually.

[felstar-games]

Third Mermay installment!!! This time the Aasimar Dasmer as an angler fish! Unfortunately this character is gonna be retired from our campaign but im excited for what new PC the player is gonna make!

[Image Description: a dark illustration with warm tones of a mermaid inspired by an anglerfish. She has tan caramel skin, silver eyes, and short black and gold hair. She has her arms crossed on her tail and glares at the viewer as if she’d been woken from a nap. End Description.]

[jouxlskaard]

can you tell I've been thinking about this a lot

I'm sure none of this is legible to the average reader, so I'll try to lay it out with my thinking here (the canon TMA timeline has been completely thrown out the window so expect to be confused 🫵):

Jon is Zagreus, trying to escape the Institute and Elias' grasp on him. Martin takes Thanatos' place, kindling a romance with Jon and trying to help him where he can. Everyone else is a bit difficult to determine, since their roles in their respective narratives differ so much, but Georgie would be some mix between Megaera and Orpheus in the Institute (which will, of course, take the place of the House of Hades) - being both Jon's ex and unable to reach Melanie (Eurydice) after Melanie managed to escape from the Institute's clutches. Daisy takes Achilles' place after giving in to the Hunt for Basira (Patroclus), wracked with regret and unwilling to leave the Institute for fear that she'll lose herself again. Sasha is Dusa/Nyx for no other reason than I couldn't find a better fit for her - it's more like a comparison to how she functions in the game than a reflection of her character. I was originally gonna make Tim a replacement for Skelly, then I remembered that Gerry exists and that Skelly jokingly tried to get Zagreus to free him from his eternal torture and I figured that worked better - although for Gerry it would be less of a joke and it just won't work for whatever reason. Instead, Tim is Sisyphus, because I think he's most likely of the assistants to be thrown out of the Institute for gross misconduct (aka wooing filing clerks with Institute funds) - then I thought Rosie could be Hypnos, welcoming Jon/Player back to the Institute whenever he dies, and Elias would be Hades. Because of course he is. He might provide Jon/Player with little annoying tasks to do that aren't technically necessary, but they generally have decent rewards so it would be greatly advised.

The Underworld regions are replaced by some weird mix of the real world and fear domains, since there isn't really a canon TMA equivalent to Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium or Styx. The bosses are reflective of the show's season endings; so Jane Prentiss is the Furies, the Not!Them is Lernie, Nikola (and maybe the mechanical turk or the angler fish for good measure) is Theseus and Peter Lukas is Hades - the final boss. Or.... Is he?

I wanted the Avatars, providing Jon with Marks, not to overlap with each other. So, as much as I love and appreciate Mike Crew, I love Sky Grandpa more. And so, Simon Fairchild is the representative of the Vast. Mike might show up somewhere else, who knows (I do. He will)? Meanwhile, the other Avatars include Oliver Banks (End), Jared Hopworth (Flesh), Trevor and Julia (Hunt), Jude Perry (Desolation), Maxwell Rayner (Dark), and, in a strange turn of events unseen by even me, Alfred Grifter for the Slaughter and Hezekiah Wakely for the Buried. There is a severe lack of Slaughter and Buried Avatars, unfortunately, and I've resolved that Grifter and Wakely will be much rarer occurrences as a result. The other Marks will be given by Jane (Corruption), Not!Them/Nikola (Stranger), Peter (Lonely), Annabelle (Web) and the Distortion (Spiral). The first three in their boss fights, Annabelle as a replacement for Chaos and the Distortion as a replacement for Hermes. Meanwhile, Jon will be Marked by the Eye no matter what, and Breekon & Hope will be replacements for Charon as the resident eldritch deliverymen.

The available weapons are, of course, inspired by various Artefacts seen in TMA. The Web Lighter is the default weapon, with the Corruption Scalpel, Slaughter Gun, Slaughter Knife, Lonely Boatswain's Call and Dark' Dark Star eventually being offered as alternative options. I've had some thought into how they all might function, but I think I've talked enough to last a lifetime at this point. Collectibles include Gold (run-only), Statements and Eyes. Statements function much like Darkness and the Mirror of Night - providing Jon with Knowledge and allowing him to level up in some capacity. Eyes are akin to Nectar/ambrosia.

In terms of narrative, beating Lukas would allow Jon access to the Scotland Safehouse - only able to stay there for a little while before being forced to come back to the Institute as he grows hungry. After beating Lukas 10 times, however, a new mechanic is introduced much like how it is in Hades - and the Eyepocalypse begins. Much like Heat, it's entirely optional, and it provides Jon with more power and might allow him to progress the story quicker. The regions' aesthetics change drastically, with each chamber becoming its own fear domain as the Heat increases.

Statements found in the game's rogue-like section and Statements found in the Institute function differently. The Institute Statements, which can be found scattered throughout the Archives and are unlocked after certain dialogue is triggered with other characters, provide insight into the world of Magnus and give Jon more Knowledge, as well as introducing characters like Agnes Montague, Gertrude Robinson, Michaele Salesa (who can be found in higher Heats of the Eyepocalypse) and Adelard Dekker.

Once all Institute Statements are found, and certain dialogue is triggered between the characters, Jon/Player is given a new goal: to be Marked by every Avatar/Fear in a single run. When this is successfully completed, roughly equating to completing Persephone's request of inviting the Olympians to the Underworld, a cutscene will play - and reveal Elias as the Eye's Pupil. You thought Peter was the final boss? Ha. No. Loser. It's Elias. :)

That's all I've come up with so far lmao enjoy

elias in hades, perchance?

if tma were a hades-style roguelike I think it'd be entertaining to have elias just show up like a little bitch and give you tasks that eventually give you rewards. I don't think he'd show up as the final boss until much later on in the story (equivalent to the hades epilogue) where he'll become the eye's pupil and the player (presumably jon) has to kill him to stop the eyepocalypse or smth (don't question my thought process too much I haven't actually rationalised it all in my head yet lol)

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

Bioshock Rebirth Timeline

This is a timeline of an AU I’ve had been developing for a long time now. I wanted to get this out there before I got on vacation. Where I’ll will be only able to use my phone to go on Tumblr. Be warned a long introduction. 

Bioshock Rebirth is an AU that’s actually a reimagining of the Bioshock series. Basically a reboot of the series. But also in a strange way it’s a, “What If” scenario. The origins of this AU were quite strange and it became this one thing. Where I have admitted I went too far with how deep it was going. There was this passion and me trying to develop it(Such as imagining how it would work as a video game. Even though this is my story). Including I made some stories for it. Along with an ages chart of a lot of characters. 

During development I was trying to understand what made Bioshock well Bioshock. Yet make something that seem plausible despite how I considered it insane in it’s early stages.

I’ve been so nervous and shy to share it with the Bioshock community on Tumblr. Because it’s complex, and I’m concerned of what the reactions would be to it. Especially some parts I feel like became quite dark. With this AU I have used elements and characters from the first three games. But the timeline is mainly mostly like Bioshock 1, 2, and taking things from the novel. Despite what some reactions were to that novel.

I looked into the timeline before Infinite made things more messy. 

One of the origins for Rebirth it’s supposed to be a more hopeful version of Infinite. A contrast to that game’s ideals and whatever else. Including a weird way to explain how this timeline existed. Because of the incontinences and errors in Bioshock Infinite’s, “Burial At Sea” and the events of Infinite did something to the multiverse. Mainly in a way that despite how Ken Levine tried to erase Bioshock 2 out of canon. Basically, “Burial At Sea” destroyed the timeline and in a way caused a ripple. Thus resulting in a new timeline that is a neighbor to the main universe. A, “Reborn” version of the timeline. Where Rapture was created way later. When the Cold War was still going on.

But this, “Reborn” timeline was made into a more linear timeline. Where characters, and some events were reborn into a new reality. Meaning nearly every character from the first three games were, “Reborn” into one linear timeline. Where the floating city of Columbia isn’t a thing.

While that doesn’t make sense and it’s weird. What’s amazing that during development, some of my Bioshock jokes...became literal. Such as the, “Burial At Sea was a mistake” line. Yet I could say another funny reason was two entities fought over the universe of Bioshock. One being Ken and the other being GeekGem. But I don’t wanna get into that.

I guess you say I feel glad to see many Bioshock fans don’t like Burial At Sea(Especially Bioshock 2 fans) and how Ken wrote it along how he approached Infinite. Glad to see I’m not the only one. In a silly way....Rebirth is a middle finger to Ken trying to rework the timeline. Along with other reasons that it’s amazing I went so deep into this. Basically in retaliation to Burial At Sea, Rebirth was born.

I wanna thank my good friend @pikablob for encouraging me to share this. Because he was the first person where I revealed this in it’s early development stage. But there is one person I really wanna thank but they wish to remain anonymous. A person who had given me ideas and even asked if I could mention them. I am eternally grateful for them helping me develop ideas. Especially to hear from another Bioshock fan who didn’t like BAS and who seemed passionate about the series. Yet they were glad to see I was passionate about the games.

I’ve been concerned with how people would view this and may hate it. But overtime I feel like I made a, “Love Letter” to the Bioshock franchise. Despite some directions I went with. I really like these games, the characters, and this world they live in. Where I really tried to keep them in character as much as possible, how these characters would make sense in this timeline, thinking about the criticisms of Infinite, and other things.

I will admit before making this introduction. One character I wanted to include was Charles Milton Porter from Minerva’s Den. I decided to look into his story and the DLC’s story on the Bioshock wiki. Because this DLC was beloved by the community and I wanted to keep that character and his story intact. But I just wanna post this because I’m done keeping it as a draft. Yet I feel like wanna say compared to this main universe counterpart. Porter is most likely okay. So don’t worry about him. He’s probably still around and fine.

Be warned of spoilers from the Bioshock saga. Including as I am going to reveal the twist behind a character named Archie Wynand. Who’s creation and development process was a weird one. I’m sorry if there are some errors. Was fixing up some stuff before posting this.

1981: Rapture is first established on November 5th 1981. While the rest of the construction of the city is finished in late 1986. Rapture was made to escape the surface especially the affects of the Cold War going on between America and Russia. To make a utopia for the world’s greatest minds and artists.

1983: Earlier that year, Brigid Tenenbaum is welcomed to Rapture because of her status as, “The Wonder Child”. ADAM is finally discovered through the slugs by Brigid. But because of injecting a sample into a volunteer named Annabelle Dewitt,  Annabelle dies giving birth and Elizabeth/Anna is born. The girl was unusually healthy that  Andrew Ryan convinced a grieving Booker Dewitt to give his kid away for a better life. When in reality Andrew saw something in the girl. Along with Yi Suchong.

During one night, enraged by the loss of his wife. Booker invades Brigid’s apartment, tying and gagging her up with the intention to kill her. Accusing her of killing his wife. But he relents after seeing the woman cry and realizes violence isn’t gonna solve anything.

After this, Booker leaves Rapture without anyone noticing. Later down the line joining the CIA. But during his work in the CIA, being affected by the loss of his wife and giving away his daughter. Booker becomes some what of a apathic psychopath. Which creates a terrible reputation for himself. 

Because of what happened with Annabelle, Brigid is turned away from many research facilities. But Frank Fontaine saw the value of her discovery and agreed to fund her research. Including during this, he and Tenenbaum are made aware of Elizabeth’s existence to study her growing up. Including later the Lutece Twins. Mainly to help study the girl. The reason Fontaine also involved with Tenenbaum because she was his employer.

During this process. Brigid gives Elizabeth the last name of Comstock. Because Ryan would feel disgusted if the girl shared the same last name as him.

1986: During the 80′s and 90′s. Elizabeth is placed into a building and her existence is kept a secret. Yet in 1986 when nearing a closing teleporter made by the twins. Her pinky finger is severed. 

After this, because of her blood and what happened with the tear. She was able to gain the power to open tears. But because of this incident, her prison becomes less loose and more strict. Such as the twins creating a device to control the use of her powers.  During this time, Yi Suchong creates the, “Proto Daddy” to keep her company as her guardian. Which Elizabeth nicknamed him, “Bluto”.

Elizabeth is kept as a secret in case for the possibility in case he hopes it never happens. If Rapture were to fall and soon taken over. Whether it be the, “Parasites” or someone else. Elizabeth is his secret weapon. If she were to be revealed now, Rapture as a society might collapse. Showcasing his lines of, “No gods or kings, only man” as just something he went against.

But in the tower, they keep her there and watch her as she grows up. With Andrew not calling her it instead of her, and Suchong studying her as well. 

1988: Elizabeth was the inspiration for the Little Sisters. Which results in Frank Fontaine starting the Little Sisters orphanage.

Elizabeth is basically the, "Proto-Sister" of the Little Sisters.

1995: The UK’s Royal Navy deep sea diver, Sergeant Johnathan Gunnar AKA Johnny Topside finds Rapture by mistake but is captured. He is presumed dead by his government. Johnny is given the freedom to live unless he lives in Rapture which he does. Mainly due to his career as a diver. Now helping as a construction worker to keep the city from falling apart.

Eleanor Lamb is born to Sofia Lamb. Because of during one therapy session she got, ‘acquainted’ with a patient, and had sex while drunk. Sofia refuses to speak about it. Yet she finally has a daughter for her own purposes. The father is unknown at this point.

Because of this and the increase of the Rapture possibly being discovered. Andrew personally sets out to find a someone that has the skills but does not seem to care about anyone else. He finds Booker Dewitt who is now a ex CIA operative due to his increasing rage and violence over the years. The American government thought he was a disgrace.

Andrew see’s this as a opportunity and gives Booker some what of a 2nd chance. To be Andrew’s personal soldier. In case things go south where he may want Booker to take care of any problematic people who apposed Rapture.

Booker became Andrew Ryan’s personal Grim Reaper. With Andrew allowing him to wear a skull mask that looked like the jaws of an Angler Fish. To showcase fear to any of his enemies.

1997 to 1998: Jasmine becomes pregnant by Andrew Ryan. After discovering from the audio recordings of a surveillance device planted in Jasmine’s room.  Using Tenenbaum as an intermediary, Fontaine offered to pay Jolene a large sum of money in exchange for the fetus of her unborn child, which he planned to nurture to become his "Ace In The Hole" in his schemes against Ryan. Brigid, Yi, and others were tasked with developing a young Jack Ryan.

The Alpha Big Daddy series is soon made. Inspired by the, “Proto Daddy”. To protect the Little Sisters from getting attacked from people who used ADAM too much. Who were called the Splicers.

Yi Suchong and Gil Alexander were involved in the making of the Alpha series.

Johnny Topside discovers the process about Jack. Including what Frank planned to use the child for.

Johnny risks his own life and future to give the boy a life. Fighting against Frank’s forces and even Andrew’s own men as they think he’s gone against Rapture. Even one time assaulting Yi once to rescue Jack from him.

Due to Brigid’s feeling regret of what she did to the Little Sisters. She secretly helps Johnny by making sure the, “Would you kindly” phrase doesn’t work or any other functions Frank would of used. Including to stop the sped up aging. This was done in a secret safehouse she would use later on. While a pair of twins secretly smuggle Jack out of Rapture. With giving the boy a new name Archie Wynand, a high school diploma, birth certificate, lots of money, and new memories showcasing that he had loving parents who disappeared in the ocean. To make sure he never wonders about Rapture. But also to make sure he is set for life.

The chain tattoos are covered up some how. During this time Jack was only 1 but physically 19 due to the experiments performed on him. Again feeling sympathy over the child and not wanting this to be his fate. Despite never raising a child before.

Johnny also tried to make sure nothing would lead back to Jasmine being Jack’s mother. Worried the woman would get killed if Andrew found out.

But after he is smuggled out by these twins, Johnny is caught. Angered by this, Frank tells Andrew that Johnny was gonna expose Rapture to the whole world. That Johnny finally lost it.

As punishment, Johnny is turned into an Alpha series Big Daddy named Subject Delta. Where his Plasmid testing and more is done by Sinclair.

Afterwards Andrew Ryan soon discovers what Frank was trying to cover up. That he was gonna use his own seed to turn against him. Including when he discovered Frank wanted to sell ADAM to the surface and would smuggle it.

This resulted in one last shootout which left Frank dead. Along with Andrew ordering Booker to show Frank no mercy. Many others thought Frank was dead. But it was all a set up for Frank to disguise himself as a new person named Atlas.

Surprisingly the concept of Atlas was also inspired by Johnny Topside himself. Despite Atlas would be of Irish decent and other things.

During late 1998, Atlas would soon start becoming a public figure to the poorer citizens of Rapture. Posing as a fisherman, proletariat hero, and a family man. To act as a humble freedom fighter to who would stand up to Ryan and his colleagues. Along with the bonus that Atlas was originally in the Irish Army for some time.

But because of what Johnny Topside did. Frank’s original, “Ace In The Hole” was gone. His original plan that was so perfect was ruined. His personal slave was lost and broken now. Now things have to start over.

Yet there was one last thing he could of used. Something he knew for a long time. Elizabeth, if he could use her for his own purposes. She was born with ADAM in her, and able to create these tears. He would become unstoppable. But now he has to take it slow and steady.

Because of her new found heart after what she did to the Little Sisters. Yet this also caused Frank to fire her earlier. Brigid wanted to help rescue the Little Sisters. Yet after her renunciation of the Little Sister orphanage. She was called a madwoman by the public and hid from the public eye.

She secretly has a safe house for any rescued Little Sisters. Which she has also made a living space for herself. Because living in her apartment would be considered too dangerous. But also because of her new found heart and living with the guilt for many years. Brigid feels responsible for Elizabeth’s predicament. Wanting to save and take care of her like she was with her little ones. Despite she can’t get to that tower now considering how well guarded she is. Along with Brigid’s reputation was destroyed at the time.

Throughout 1998 and to 2002. Because thinking his parents were gone. Archie was a loner and an introvert. He had no family to live with. Yet it was because of Johnny’s kindness and the memory that his thought to be dead parents left an lasting impact on him. Making Archie a tender and genuine kind person.

Archie joined the 75th Ranger Regiment in respect of his father and to help people in need. He joined in late 1998. Passing his testing and training with unseen excellence than other people. This was because of what the testing did to him as a child.

Because Frank wanted Jack to become the ultimate killing machine. To make sure when the time came, Jack would of been ready to take on Rapture when he activated him. Thus in a way making Jack some what of a living weapon.

Something that even his commanders were so shocked at his excellence that they questioned if he was human. With some of them being strangely terrified that he never showed attitude, never showed off, or anything that a normal rookie would of done. Nearly everyone treated with him respect despite their disbelief that any human can train like that.

When joining the US Army Rangers, this enhanced Archie’s status as a weapon. Thus making him even more of a force of nature. Reserving his extreme emotions but not becoming emotionless. At the age of 21, he became a sergeant.

Because of Johnny, Jack now as Archie became more than Frank would of ever done for him.

Archie became a force of nature. Unbreakable, raw, incorruptible, loyal to a fault, and unyielding. What was supposed to be a sleeper agent became a legitimate super soldier.

Yet despite all that. Archie was an outcast.

Despite Brigid trying to make sure his original programming didn’t work. If, “Would you kindly” was said to him. His head would start hurting. Almost like a migraine or headache. If the phrase was said more. His mindset would start getting worse. Starting to remember things and being confused of what’s going on. 

Seeing things such as faces, including Andrew Ryan, Frank Fontaine, and other things. 

The, “Code Yellow” command was still intact. Yet more raw now if it was mentioned. Because Yi and Fontaine only knew about it.

1998 to 2001: Atlas begins to start giving the poorer citizens of Rapture a voice. The tensions between the social classes begin to rise. Including with ADAM becoming more of a problem now due to addiction. Especially with later down the line Ryan nationalizing Fontaine Futuristics. Which causes Bill to resign. But afterwards, Atlas convinces Bill to join his rebellion in secret.

2000 to 2001:  Sofia Lamb was arrested after Ryan finds out she is a Collectivist and spreading her beliefs to people in Rapture. Eleanor Lamb was put in the care of Grace Holloway. But after finding out Stanley Poole was a spy for Andrew Ryan. He had Eleanor kidnapped and turned into a Little Sister. She spent time in the Little Sister Orphanage and was under the care of Dr. Gil Alexander. She is later paired with Subject Delta. They form the first pair bond between Little Sister and Big Daddy.

Over time the pair bond between the Alpha series and Little Sisters worked too well. If a Little Sister were to die. The remaining Alpha Big Daddy would be left to be aggressive. Because of this, it was decided to go for a more generic, but versatile route for the protectors for the Little Sisters.

Which results in the creations of other Big Daddies such as the Bouncer and Rosie models. That were still construction workers. But now having to protect a Little Sister. The pairing process was different. With now adopting being a thing.

But also during this time. Sinclair started to realize the error of his ways and tried to better himself. Especially with Rapture slowly falling apart.

Charles Milton Porter is framed by Reed Wahl with a recording of Porter siding with Atlas. Porter comes up with a back up plan if he were to become a Big Daddy and manages to message Brigid before being taken away. Who was the only person Brigid could safely come into contact with because they are good friends. 

2002: On New Year’s Eve, Atlas leads an attack that starts the Rapture Civil War. Which also scars Diane who after some time joins Atlas and his cause. Including Daisy Fitzroy joins as well. Becoming in a way Atlas’s 2nd in command.

Yet also during this, Sofia Lamb a month earlier escapes prison during an uprising. To finally get Eleanor away from Delta. Which she succeeds in doing so. Yet during this, Sofia discovers the original WYK plans and the experiments of speeding up a child's age. Which she plans to use on Eleanor and any Little Sisters she may catch. But for what she thinks is the common good.

But during this because he no longer has Jack. Frank no longer has a back up plan. Andrew is winning this civil war. The city is slowly falling apart. While some areas are still populated. Other parts of the city have gone dark. Making them a paradise for Splicers. Despite some Splicers and others would get into more better areas.

In June 2002, Atlas becomes desperate that he decides to make a distress call to the surface. His plan is to trick anyone that would come into helping him into rescuing Elizabeth and taking over Rapture. With making false promises to call the US government to take in Andrew Ryan and anything else.

In Georgia, the Army Rangers get the distress call and are deployed quickly. When their aircraft gets near the location. They are confused it’s in the middle of the ocean but there’s a mysterious lighthouse.

Seeing this, Andrew fires down the aircraft using a special heat seeking missile that can be fired from the city. This causes the aircraft to crash and there is only one survivor. 

Surprisingly for Atlas and others by chance. That survivor was his original, “Ace In The Hole” Jack. Now known as Sergeant Archie Wynand.

The story of Bioshock Rebirth happens. Which results in Archie finding out who he really is. Along with other things. Leading up to Archie killing a half ADAM powered Atlas/Frank Fontaine by stabbing him in the chest with a syringe to suck the ADAM out of him. Then hanging him from a roof. Ultimately killing  Effectively ending the Rapture Civil War once and for all.

During this, Sofia’s influence becomes stronger. With, “The Rapture Family” slowly rising in power and to make Eleanor, “The People’s Daughter”. As of now because of the sped up aging, Eleanor is 17 years old. 

After the events of Bioshock Rebirth. The Vox Populi are formed. A reformation of what Atlas had done. 

Two months later in August 2002.

Rapture is in a better state. With the Vox trying to make it in a better place to live in. With a community that would help each other. But Andrew Ryan has gone into hiding and is nowhere to be found. While the Vox led by Daisy Fitzroy and Bill Mcdonagh try to capture and find certain people in Rapture to emprison them. Such as Yi Suchong, Booker Dewitt, Sander Cohen, and whoever else considered to be a criminal that doesn’t wanna change.

Including during these events, Subject Delta is brought back to life by Eleanor through the help of the Little Sisters. With also Eleanor contacting Brigid to help aid in undoing the psychological conditioning imprinted imprinted in Delta’s mind when he was a Big Daddy. The plan works well and Delta meets Brigid and others.

Soon, Sofia does a hostile takeover a Rapture. With, “The Rapture Family” and the, “Vox Populi” going to war. But the Big Sisters turn the tide of it. With the Vox’s secret weapons being Sgt. Archie Wynand, Elizabeth Comstock, and Subject Delta.

Sofia demonizes Delta but also calling Archie, “The Demon Of Rapture” because of his actions and his own birth. Because most people in Rapture know of his existence as, “The Prodigal Son”. Sofia worries Archie may influence Eleanor. But realizes later on, it’s Delta she needs to worry about.

Sofia has the support of Grace Holloway(Who then joins the Vox after realizing who Archie really is and seeing Delta isn’t a monster), Stanley Poole, Gil Alexander(Who is now possibly Alex The Great), but also Ava Tate. A seductive woman who made propaganda films for Andrew Ryan. Along with being one of Sander Cohen’s colleagues. But also Sofia’s right hand woman. 

But because of Sofia’s hostile takeover. Because of the old programming. Archie starts seeing hallucinations of Atlas using his Irish accent. Haunting the young man and trying to get him to certain things. Such as killing Suchong and Sofia Lamb when he shouldn’t. Or other things that weren’t exactly right.

This is because the PTSD is finally catching up to Archie. 

During this because Little Sisters were running low. A Big Sister was able to go to the sister and take some girls away from the surface. Which leads a man named Mark Meltzer to search for his daughter. But also the surface possibly may try to search for Rapture. Considering now little girls who going missing.

After a exhausting journey to get Eleanor back. Because of Delta’s kindness to not kill but save the Big Sisters. When they sense him being in danger after Sofia suffocates Eleanor. They come back and attack Sofia’s base of operations. Saving Elizabeth, Brigid, Daisy, other Little Sisters, Archie, Delta, and Eleanor.

Even after everything she’s done and Rapture being almost revealed to the surface. Eleanor lets Sofia live so can begin a long road of redemption. Despite how others may look at it differently. Delta lives, and Archie with the help of Elizabeth, Brigid, and even Eleanor and Delta. The Atlas hallucination that has been haunting him is gone that week is gone.

A week after the events. They manage to find Subject Sigma and help him get back the Thinker from Reed Wahl. With Subject Sigma finding out he was Charles Milton Porter and later on letting go of his late wife Pearl. With Porter being turned back to normal. While Delta is a tricky situation.

It is likely afterwards. Despite helping Rapture becoming a livable place again. Archie and others may of gone back to the surface for a while. But they can visit Rapture still. 

But during the ending part of the Rapture Family vs the Vox Populi. Ava Tate had escaped to the surface. While Stanley Poole was later killed by Booker Dewitt. 

[keiratheraven]

Side story: Introduction to The Brent Family

(This family has nothing to do with Bentley 8 Squad. And I'm gonna continue this story after this chapter by Sims 3 version because I'm no longer have Sims 2).

This is The Brent Family. They are rich, famous, smart, and beautiful. The three adult siblings: Travis, Odette, and Ronald are the grandkids of Thomas Brent, the founder of Salvatore hotels. Meanwhile, the teens and children: April, Carlos, and Jayden, are Travis's kids. They have American, Italian, German, and Spanish ancestry. All of them have a prominent position in the celebrity world. They're living together in Bridgeport.

This is Travis Santiago Brent, the oldest of adult Brent siblings. He's 35. He's a five-star celebrity. He's a romance/family sim. His traits are flirty, commitment issues, great kisser, slob, genius, and virtuoso. He's charming, slouchy, smart, nice, and musically talented. He's a good singer and guitarist. He used to be the CEO of Salvatore hotels, but he left his career to become a musician. But he's a total douchebag who woohooed with plenty of women since he was in high school. He never put any strong feelings towards them until he met Stacy Keller at Sim State University when he was a sophomore in the economics major. After two years of dating, Stacy got pregnant when they were seniors. Then, Stacy's water suddenly broke after they received their diplomas at Sim State University graduation ceremony. She gave birth to a daughter named Aphrodite. Soon after, Travis got a job as a young executive at Salvatore hotels thanks to his grandfather. Then Travis and Stacy got married at a small church in Downtown. Two years later, she gave birth to a son named Carlos. But, Travis was still unfaithful to Stacy until her death due to a car accident ten years ago. Since then, Travis made a promise to himself that he will never remarry. He rose from his grief and adopted a black son named Jayden. He kept being ambitious to his job and became the CEO of Salvatore hotels. He got a master's degree from Sims University in business major. But eventually, his passion for rock music made him left the business world to become a rock star. Now he's a vocalist in the "Bullet 47" band. Currently, He's the Pop Icon in the rock star career track, and he wants to pass the inheritance of Salvatore hotels to his three kids. He also continues his adventure as a Mr. Player who sleeps with many models, actresses, and singers.

This is Odette Brent, the second and middle child of Brent siblings. She's 32. She's a four-star celebrity. She is a fortune sim. Her traits are genius, social butterfly, workaholic, unflirty, star quality, and grumpy. She is independent, graceful, smart, a hard worker, and talented as an actress. She likes to play the violin as well. But it's hard to make her happy because she's never satisfied with anything. Odette has a double degree in biology and drama from Academie Le Tour. Opposite her brother, Odette is an asexual person although she dated a few men in the past. She's also a feminist who dislikes Travis's behavior as a player. After having three miscarriages, Odette gave up on having kids. She also pursued her career as an actress after leaving the science career, and now she's a supporting actress in the Professional Actor career track. Travis once said to her, if she wasn't his sister, he would woohoo with her. Then Odette threw her drink to her brother mindlessly and said to him "Learn some respect because women are not an object".

This is Ronald Brent, the third and youngest of adult Brent siblings. He's 30. He's a four-star celebrity. He is a popularity sim. His traits are charismatic, friendly, natural cook, ambitious, dramatic, and schmoozer. He's nice, has a lot of friends, a great home cook, and competitive. But sometimes he's manipulative and good at complimenting others to get what he wants. Ronald has a bachelor's degree in political science from La Fiesta Tech and a master's degree in communications from Sims University. He's a gay man and pursuing a political career to become an LGBT activist. Harvey Milk is his inspiration. He is the leader of an LGBT campaign named "Limitless". He's currently dating a guy named Xavier Hanson and having a career as a Mayor in Politician Career Track. In one interview, he said that Malcolm Landgraab is his crush.

This is Aphrodite "April" Brent. She's 16 and a junior in high school. She's a popularity sim. She's a four-star celebrity. Her traits are social butterfly, diva, excitable, artistic, genius, and light sleeper. She's a popular cheerleader. She is a queen bee who always bragging about her fame and fortune, especially her family. She has a lot of friends, but secretly they hate her. April is an author and painter at once. She published a graphic novel about teen pregnancy phenomena in SimNation high schools, and she aspires to become an illustrious author. Although she's still a junior, she's already got accepted at Fine Arts Major at Sim State University and also Psychology Major at Academie Le Tour, and now she's having a dilemma about which school she will choose. April is also a teen magazine model and Miss Teen Sims Beauty Pageant winner. She's having a sibling rivalry with her brother, Carlos, who excels in school due to his academic achievement.

This is Carlos Brent. He's 14 and a freshman in high school. He's a knowledge sim. He's a four-star celebrity. His traits are genius, bookworm, loner, no sense of humor, computer whiz, and socially awkward. He's the leader of the sci-fi books club and academic decathlon club at once. He's smart, wise, shy, serious, and obsessed with technology. Unlike his sister and family, Carlos doesn't like to socialize in a crowd. He also has a social phobia. Although he's still in freshman year at high school, he's already got accepted in physics major at La Fiesta Tech and also Science & Medicine major at Sims University. He aspires to become a doctor or science teacher someday. Carlos is a famous social media influencer who has more than two million followers. He invented a lot of applications, and always making a vlog about the apps or his cover songs because he likes to sing and play the guitar just like his father.

This is Jayden Brent. He's 10 and a 5th grader. He's a three-star celebrity. His traits are: loves the outdoors, angler, and athletic. Travis adopted him when he was a baby. His birth parents died because of fire and Travis adopted him soon after Stacy's death. His hobbies are exercising or playing football, fishing, swimming, go to the beach, and camping. Being the only dark-skinned member in The Brent family doesn't make him insecure because they treat him with so much love and attention, and he feels lucky to be adopted by them. He's also a child TV actor and starring in a few kids shows.

Although Travis is a player, he's still a good father to his three kids. He hugged April when she just broke up with her boyfriend. He apologized to Carlos when he didn't come to his science competition. He gives love and nurture to his youngest son, Jayden. He's always looking after Odette and Ronald. There's no doubt that he's a douchebag, but he will do everything to look after and support his family.

(To be continued by Sims 3 version)

[thethaumaturgeworld]

Jude’s Last Strike (The Thaumaturge World Teaser)

The fire wasn’t exactly the worst part of Jude’s week, but it came as a close second.

On the bright side, Jude now understood the universal law of returning books to the school library on time. Because that’s how this whole mess started. A library book.

Jude was a thirteen-year-old student at Havendale Primary. Upon first meeting Jude, you couldn’t tell that he was a troublemaker because he seemed like such an average teen. Bright brown eyes, strawberry blonde hair, and freckles, nothing out of the ordinary. He was smaller than most kids his age, which was an advantage when hiding from teachers, policemen and disgruntled neighbours out for revenge.

His Dad often turned to Jude’s Uncle Aaron, telling him he was a bad influence. Aaron would just laugh it off, of course. But there could’ve been some corruption there. Aaron had told them many stories of the dumb things he did in his younger life. Pranks he used to pull, things that he thought was smart at the time but later discovered could’ve killed him. The real rebel inspiration, however, belonged to Jude’s late grandfather.

William died three years prior, coincidentally a month before Jude’s rebellious attitude had spiked. Nobody is sure of the cause of his death, but Jude knew something that nobody else had. He still couldn’t quite explain it. When he had reached his grandfather’s house a few blocks away and saw the ambulance, he’d have sworn he had seen something scuttle across the road.

At first, he thought it was his imagination. Then he thought it might have been a bearded dragon. Upon closer inspection, that theory was squashed. The creature had scales that were dark cream in colour. A lamp like object on its head similar to an angler fish. Jude only saw it for a second before it disappeared into the bushes. It was real, and it had come from the house in which William Blake was found dead.

The real story began on a Monday, as a class of seventh graders left their classrooms for break time.

Jude was pretty tired after a whole day of boring lectures from different teachers. He knew a fair share of the topics discussed in class; he just didn’t care enough today to listen to the things he didn’t know. Before he made it around the corner to get to the staircase, he felt a hand grab his arm.

“Hey! wait for me!” Henry Jones said with exasperation, “I was caught at the back of the row, and you sped off like a runaway car. Are you trying to avoid me?” He smirked at him at the last sentence.

“I am not avoiding you,” Jude rolled his eyes at the other boy, “I forgot.”

“Your own friend?” Henry placed a hand over his heart, “I am wounded.”

Jude snorted in laughter, “Don’t expect an apology any time soon.”

Henry pouted but then just shook his head, looking up the staircase, “We have… history after this?”

“Ms Jacobus? Correct,” Jude replied.

They headed up the stairs, into the mostly empty hallway. Henry placed his backpack in the row in front of the classroom. Most students were making their way back so they could join the rest of the school on the field, chattering amongst each other. Jude placed his own backpack next to his friend’s.

That’s when he noticed Henry’s eyes following his every move. He looked at him, confused.

“What are you looking at? Does my face resemble a steak?” Jude asked.

He shrugged in response, “Just wondering what you’ve got up your sleeve for today. Any plans?”

Oh. Right. Reputation.

“I thought I should tone down on the surprises today,” Jude explained, “So my sleeves are all empty.”

“Hey, Blake!” He heard behind him. He knew who it was before he turned around. Amy was making her way toward them, her school monitor badge set blinking on her white shirt collar, mocking him.

“Anything you want?” Jude asked.

“Yeah,” Amy said slowly, “The library book? Do you have it with you? Karla’s been stressing about it all morning. It’s two days late, you’re gonna have to pay.”

Jude tried to avoid looking at Henry, “Library book? The ghost story one?”

Amy crossed her arms, “Unless you have other books that are past due, yes the ghost story one? Please return it today… okay? Give us all peace of mind so Karla won’t have another anxiety attack.”

Jude flashed a thumbs up, “It’s in my backpack.”

Amy smirked as she looked over Jude’s shoulder at Henry, “Good, and good luck.”

She turned around and swiftly walked away. Jude turned toward Henry, who was positively glaring at him. Jude shrugged, grinning. “Whoops?” He said.

Henry groaned, “Why!? You told me you returned it!”

“I forgot,” Jude responded, already rifling through his backpack to look for it.

“I asked you if you gave it back and you said yes!” Henry stuck his hand in his dark brown hair, much like Jude’s father would do if he was frustrated. He sighed, “You have it here, though? Right?”

“I’m looking! I’m looking!” Jude said, “Hold your horses!”

“I cannot be stable! You know that!”

“Ah yes; Henry Jones, my dear unstable friend.” He rifled through his books until his hand closed around the library book. He smiled and showed it to Henry, “We’re in luck.”

Henry sighed in relief “Great,” He said, “Let’s go return it.”

They reached the bottom floor where kids from grades one to seven were already on the field. Jude could see a few familiar faces; Abu and Hansie were playing ball closeby. The ball almost hit Imka. The girl turned around and started to shout at them. All good fun.

They finally arrived at the school library.

When they entered, the line at the front desk was long, and Jude almost decided to turn back. Karma, art thou a heartless snitch.

“I’m gonna return this,” Jude said “You can look around. Looks like I’m gonna be a while.”

Henry nodded “Yeah, I’ll be over at the Comic Book section.”

Henry left for the comic books and left Jude standing in line alone. He tapped the book against his leg as he waited. The line shortened way too slowly. He really didn’t want to wait this long and waste his break.

He was considering ditching the library and come back during the second break when the librarian called ‘Next!’ and realised he was the next one. He stepped forward and placed the book on the table. He was just going to turn away when Mrs Botha grabbed his wrist. He sighed. Of course. He turned to face her. She let go of his wrist slowly, peering at him over her golden spectacles.

“It’s late,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, it is,” Jude admitted, “Would you also be interested in knowing the colour of the sky?”

She sneered at him, “Five Rand Mr Blake.”

“Fine,” Jude sighed, “I’ll bring it tomorrow. Can I be excused so I can enjoy what is left of my break, or will you prefer to keep me in your clutches?”

Mrs Botha’s glare hardened. “Go,” She hissed.

Jude left as fast as he could and looked for Henry. He walked passed the kiddies’ section, avoiding Karla as she organised some books. He saw the Comic Book section up ahead. All of a sudden, a strange feeling overcame him. He saw something scaly move in the corner of his eye. He turned around. A strange creature was making its way around a bookcase and right towards the Computer Lab.

Jude’s eyes widened when he recognised it. Now that he was closer, he could easily make out the bat-like ears and large, yellow eyes. This one was a lighter colour than the one from three years ago, though, but looked to be the same species. A part of Jude wanted to turn around and pretend it never happened.

Alas, he followed it like an idiot.

He supposed a part of him hoped that by following, he’d find an answer to what had happened to his grandfather. Finally, there would be no more ‘maybes’. This creature could hold the answer, and he needed answers.

Jude saw as the creature zipped into the Computer Lab and with little hesitation, Jude followed. He cautiously observed the room. Old school computers were lined on the tables with cables and mouse pads. The blinds over the windows were closed, and everything looked normal. There was no sign of the angler gecko.

He considered leaving. Little did he know that he was at a crossroad. The decision he made now, will directly impact the rest of his life.

He can get Henry and leave. Spend some time with him and finish this day’s school work. Pretend this never happened. But no… he couldn’t. This creature would keep coming back, and he’d just be forced into another encounter one day anyway. With that thought in mind, he proceeded forward into the room. He scanned the room carefully, a strange feeling crawling down the back of his neck.

His chest burned as he moved slowly into the place. Something was holding him back. He shakily bent down and checked under one of the tables. There was nothing. No sign of anything out of place.

The burning in his chest intensified, his ears buzzed. It felt as if the walls were closing in. He got off the floor and headed to the door before he could think. He looked back and saw nothing. Maybe he was going mad after all. He shook his head and left the computer lab, quickly making his way back to the library.

“What took you so long?” Henry asked, placing the comic back.

“The… the line was long,” Jude said, eyes darting to the computer lab. Was it just him or was there sound coming from there? No, he was just paranoid.

Nevertheless, he grabbed Henry by the elbow and dragged him out. Henry made sounds of protest but was shushed by one of the assistants. They exited the library, and Jude picked up his backpack.

“What was that all about?” Henry asked.

Jude nervously smoothed down his hair, “It’s nothing,” He said. He forced a smile as if to prove his point. He jerked his head toward the staircase “Let’s enjoy the rest of break while we still have time.”

They started to make their way down the hallway. What happened next took them entirely by surprise.

There was a loud booming sound from behind them followed by the sound of screams. Henry and Jude whipped around. Jude lost his voice. Bright red flames moved at an abnormally fast speed across the fabrics of the library curtains. The fire roared aggressively. The alarms blared to life around the school. The principal’s voice was heard in the distance.

“This is not a fire drill. Everyone must gather on the sports field immediately. Do not to panic, and proceed calmly.”

“What about Mrs Botha?” Henry asked “And Karla, Miranda, Chris-”

“I don’t think this is our place to interfere, Henry,” Jude said, “We should leave and go to the field.”

“But… Karla’s in there,” Henry said, “Chris is a first grader!”

“We don’t have any experience,” Jude replied “There’s no point. We’ll only die, Henry. We’ll be helping nobody.”

“You’re always prepared to take a risk,” Henry said. Jude was horrified to see his friend move toward the burning library.

Even though his entire being screamed to grab Henry and run, he knew there was no stopping his friend. It was one of the things that they shared along with freckles and being shorter than most of their classmates.

Jude followed Henry reluctantly into the burning library, cursing himself for doing so. When they were inside, Jude stared around. The fire crackled on the walls and, electronic sounds came from the lab.

The lab… Jude’s eyes found the door hidden behind a burning bookcase. He didn’t see the angler-gecko anywhere. Whether it made it out already or if it died in the explosion, Jude wasn’t about to find out. He saw something else move from the corner of his eye.

While leading the other kids toward the exit, Mrs Botha stumbled away from the bookcases, a small boy in her arms. That’s when she set her eyes upon Henry and Jude.

“Move!” She shouted “Move outside! Now!”

Jude didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Henry and pulled him along, Mrs Botha following soon. The boy in her arms coughed, eyes darting around the room as they made their way out of the library. When they got out, coughing and shaking, Jude took time to see if everyone made it out. To his immense relief, they did. Karla was standing there, looking frazzled.

There were cuts on all of them, but Mrs Botha definitely took the brunt of it. She had a bruise forming over her eye, spreading to her temple and her glasses were shattered and bent. It was then that Jude realised the way she was looking at him.

Her face seemed to be filled with hatred, her glare beyond murderous. Jude knew the only reason she hadn’t tossed him off the third floor yet was she was carrying a first grader.

But the message was clear. Jude Blake was her main suspect.

“All of you — follow me to the field at once,” She said, “Before there’s another explosion that kills us.”

“Kills us?” The first grader asked.

“We’ll be fine,” Mrs Botha assured him. They headed toward the staircases, Mrs Botha telling them to form a line. Jude was relieved when they finally arrived outside of the school building, heading for the field. Every Havendale student stood there for roll call. Principle Mollow had the list and was calling out names.

That’s when he noticed them. His face turned to shock and surprise “How in heaven’s name did you get out of there alive!?” He asked.

“Long story,” Mrs Botha said, gently putting down the young boy, who stood there, shaking. A fifth-grade girl that must’ve been his sister raced toward him.

“Did everyone get out?” Mollow asked.

Mrs Botha nodded. “Continue the roll call with the others, though.” She gave Jude another dirty look before limping over to the nurse, who had a paramedic kit ready.

That’s when he heard the sound of fire truck alarms blaring. A red truck was speeding towards the school, and the sirens that followed meant there were cops as well. He looked back at the building, thinking of the strange creature. He’d observed that thing a few times before, but this was the first time it caused havoc. Actually, there were a few creatures he had seen this past week.

He’d convinced himself that it wasn’t real, but it became more and more real as time went on. The ghoul he’d seen crossing the street last week Wednesday. It had saluted him and then disappeared into thin air, right in front of him. None of his schoolmates had seen it.

Then there was last Friday when something small, fluffy and round had stolen his favourite pen. He felt pretty confident that hamsters weren’t into taking stationery. He tried to ignore it. But he was starting to wonder… maybe ignoring it wasn’t the best decision?

[nia1sworld]

Hey Nia this is a question that involves Carren, if she's an angler fish why is she wearing a necklace? Is it an eye or something? Not a mean comment I'm just curious!

Ask the ink Chronicles #12

She cares about it....Also BTW (Your gonna kill me for this) She was inspired by Ranger so, her necklace is like this

[angry-ace]

I was tagged by the inspiring @barbex who's fictober challenge I am doing

Rules: List all the things you’re currently working on in as much or little detail as you’d like, then tag some friends to see what they’re working on: writing, art, gifsets, whatever.

I’m gonna tag people that are waaaaay to cool for me but who’s to stop me my anxiety probably @crunchie-morris who by the way has the BEST jackcrutchie modern au that I love with my whole heart and @your-brother-crutchie who is my go-to sprace blog both Sami and Rowan own my entire ass guys not in a sexual way but in a you’re my idol and I want to write like you way  also @one-true-houselight who’s got some pretty cute original fic stuff going, and lastly my son Thayne @king-of-newyork whom’s’t I love with my whole heart

Fuck this is gonna be long

Fanfics:

-my Jackcrutchie Mermaid au

-my newsbians fantasy au

-my hella angsty sprace au where Spot is a farmer not a newsie

-yesterday's fictober prompt that I accidentally fell asleep before finishing oops

Original fics (I'm going to be including both the works I've started and the ones that I wish to start but are currently just ideas rattling around my brain. As I was summarizing this I realized how messed up some of these are so I’m gonna give a content warning for death, abuse, body horror?, cannibalism, supernatural evils, attempted rape:

-a post apocalyptic novel about a group of teenagers who become refugees after their hometown is attacked by bandits and they end up fighting some cannibals and shit 

- currently there’s kinda an idea for a horror book in my brain about an evil ghost that preys on mentally ill people because neurotypicals find us less credible. Don’t worry the ghost gets killed in the end by a kickass lady and the sibling of one of its victims.

-  A woman is with her older sister, her niece, and her brother in law when the zombie apocalypse starts. Her parents were scientists and she was named after one of their coworkers.The brother in law is bitten and killed and the sister kills herself shortly thereafter. The protagonist is left to care for her niece. They end up in this community run by a tyrannical guy who sends the niece away against her will. She escapes and wanders alone until she’s scratched by a raccoon. The scratch gets infected but she's saved by another woman. They begin dating and find a new community that’s actually safe and good. They get word of the niece and decide to leave together to find her.

- A teenage boy with monoplegia in one of his legs caused by a spinal injury navigates the zombie apocalypse. His journey begins with his mother, infant sibling, and abusive father who escaped jail at the start of the apocalypse. He was in jail for causing the car crash that injured the protagonist by driving drunk. To escape a zombie horde the father throws the baby into the mob and the mother runs in after the baby, they both die. The protagonist is left with his abusive father who is eventually killed by a badass afab agender hero in a hotel. The hotel is overrun by the dead and they escape together. Once outside they steal a car with a key in the ignition. They drive for miles heading towards a refuge from the dead, a safe community where they can live out the rest of their lives in safety, when they hear noises coming from the trunk. They open the truck, expecting to kill a member of the undead, but are instead surprised by the presence of a kidnapped teenage girl. They drive together to the community but the protagonist is denied entrance because of his disability. The girl enters the community but the protagonist and agender badass move on. They encounter a group of other disabled people who were denied entrance to the safe haven. Notable members are a spunky autistic girl, and a deaf young woman who turns out to be the sister of the teenage girl they’d previously traveled with.

- Okay so Nina Normal is a transracial adoptee from India who is living in Kansas. She was adopted when she was a baby so she never meets her birth parents and they literally never become a plot point. She visits her uncle in his science lab and is caught in the explosion of a particle accelerator that gives her super speed. She starts fighting bigots with her best friend Maia, a Japanese teen who is an aspiring voice actress. She also attempts to dismantle Narcorp, a company responsible for selling the faulty lab equipment that caused her accident who’s goal is to cause people to get super powers so that they can have a super powered army.

-Okay so this one is an ace lesbian named Lana has a super abusive mom and also she is a princess. She’s a painter and has magic but she has dyslexia so finds it difficult to read spellbooks. There’s this army that trying to overthrow the queen and she joins them after her mom throws her out of the house after she attempts suicide. In the army she meets a girl Mary and she and Mary start dating. The queen’s army threatens to attack Mary’s army while it’s weak and Lana gives herself up to protect Mary. Lana’s mom tries to do a ritual to remove Lana’s magic for herself but it’s interrupted by Lana’s father, who she’s never met, rescuing her. Lana’s dad returns her to Mary and helps aid the overthrow of the queen. Lana and Mary have a huge fight about Lana’s mother’s execution and Lana goes to study magic in her father’s court. Lana’s dad turns out to be a dickhead, he tries to make Lana get married to a dude but obviously she doesn’t want to because she’s gay and also still hung up on Mary. The dude gets drunk and tries to rape Lana but she uses a spell to make him start throwing up and get really sick. Lana returns to Mary and helps dissolve the monarchy in her home queendom. It basically becomes a lovely anarchist commune and Mary and Lana get back together and also get married and live happily ever after.

- Okay so this one doesn’t have any humans. It takes place in a different solar system on the planet of Oceana. Oceana is almost entirely water and it has a bunch of different mermaid cultures and types of mermaids. There are polar mermaids that live in the cold areas, can survive on the ice, they have gills and tails, the way they walk is by digging their claws into the ice and dragging themselves around. The deep sea mermaids are more like angler fish, they have super great hearing and rather than speaking and doing hand motions like polar mermaids they communicate by flashing their lights. Basically the different mermaid tribes are at war and idk the mc is trying to resolve the conflict. The mermaids would be different sizes based on whatever fish they’re supposed to be.

-So there’s this evil group trying to turn people superpowered to do espionage shit idk. And they kidnap a bunch of at-risk teens to experiment on giving them powers or to study their naturally occuring powers. The kids eventually escape during an attack on the lab by a group opposing the scientists, but some of the kids got left behind. They begin working with the attackers to rescue their friends. What happened to them has some fallout on the kids like the mc’s boyfriend becomes addicted to drugs from his struggle to cope. Eventually the kids that got left behind are rescued. Some of them don’t want to keep fighting the organiation and move on. Other’s feel like their lives have purpose since they began the fight and keep at it. The one’s who moved on get roped back into it when the organization attacks a very public place and their guilt gets them involved.

[raystart]

When Your Non-design Hobby Becomes Your Hustle

Justin Fuller has spent plenty of mornings fly fishing for trout on Boulder Creek before heading into the offices of his Colorado design firm, Good Apples. In 2013, he gave his co-founder Dan Storch a minimalist tenkara rod for Christmas, and pretty soon, the two had hatched an idea for their second venture.  

“With fly fishing, you’ve got all this equipment you’ve gotta lug around with you—it’s almost like golf, but without a caddy,” says Fuller. “So much depends on the species of fish, the time of year, and how long you’ll be out there—you don’t want to end up without the equipment that you need.” To hold all that gear, anglers generally choose between a cheap plastic storage bin and a $400 bag with dozens of straps, pockets, and zippers.

Fuller and Storch decided to fill the gap with an $89 bag made from remnant wader material they’d discovered in Japan, forming Yakoda Supply in the process. The company’s first product offers storage and durability at a reasonable price, but it also solves one more problem: the pricy Neoprene waders required for fly fishing are so delicate that anglers can’t set foot on a gravel trail or asphalt parking lot; most jump out of their trucks and change on a garbage bag, floormat, or an old piece of carpet. Each Yakoda bag includes a removable foam pad to class things up a little. The two are now designing their second product—a $10 pocket-sized tin with foam and magnetic storage for flies, which splits the difference between the typical jury-rigged container made from an Altoid tin and a $20 box made of molded plastic and silicone.

“We’re looking at all of those small but meaningful elements that have been over-engineered, to put a few products in your quiver without breaking the bank,” says Storch. “The idea is that you can buy some of our stuff then have enough money left over to put gas in your car and go fishing.”

Their design background helped them understand market niches and positioning, and they quickly recognized that Instagram is the perfect place for fly-fishing nature porn. Living in Colorado, they’ve also found inspiration and guidance from friends who once worked at Mountain Hardwear and Black Diamond.

The entire experience has piqued Fuller’s interest in all things entrepreneurial. In conversation, he references Shoe Dog (the biography of Nike founder Phil Knight), NPR’s How I Built This podcast, and idols like Yeti and Howler Brothers who have built powerful brands focused on the outdoors. Until they reach those heights, they plan to spend their days focused on clients, and their evenings and weekends selling fly-fishing gear bound for a river hundreds or thousands of miles away.  

Fishing gear from Yakoda Supply.

When UX designer Brian Marchand and his family left Toronto for a suburban home with more elbow room, he built a small workshop in his backyard so he could devote more time to his favorite hobby: woodworking and carpentry. And after selling his own small digital firm to another company and serving out his three-year contractual obligation, he was handed the perfect opportunity; the CEO of Filament, a friend since childhood, asked if he’d like to work as a senior designer four days a week, with the goal of gradually devoting more time to woodworking if things took off. A no-brainer.

Some new employees bring a dozen donuts to the office early on, but Marchand did even better. After noticing that nearly every one of his Filament colleagues propped their computer monitors on stacks of books or empty boxes, he created monitor stands out of walnut, cherry, and ash, complete with storage compartments for pens and sticky notes.

When Made By Marsh was ready for paying clients, Marchand got referrals from his mother-in-law, who owns a Toronto home and garden store. Custom night tables, speaker cabinets, and shelves eventually led to walnut dressers, kitchen islands, and built-in benches. For now, his biggest expense is equipment: a mitre saw, drill press, and dust-collector set him back $700 each, and he’s got a long wish list with bigger and better toys, including a $4,200 cabinet saw and a $2,300 edge sander.

Although the tools in his workshop are nothing like the tools on his desktop, Marchand says woodworking has a surprising amount in common with web design. “I’ve always enjoyed building things that may actually solve a customer’s frustration or problem,” he says.

“It’s much like UX in that I’m asking questions like: Who is my audience? What do they need? What can I do to create a better solution?” 

He’s growing his social media following slowly and organically, and he’s constantly learning new things, like how to budget for projects that grow in complexity long after he’s quoted a price (once again, see web development). And he’s been surprisingly happy with his new role at Filament, which means he’s in no rush to abandon Sketch and Slack for the tablesaw just yet.

Custom wood sound system, by Marchand

Nashville graphic designer Matt Lehman and some friends had been kicking around ideas for a small business when one of the more enviro-friendly members of the group suggested making stylish home goods from recycled materials.

“We’d all talked about the fact that the recycled space is full of products that mean well, but [often come down to] bowls made out of candy wrappers—no one in the Crate & Barrel realm is really using repurposed materials in a meaningful way.”

There’s a reason for that. It’s expensive and time-consuming to source recycled materials at scale, which meant Lehman and friends had a long journey ahead of them. They looked to Europe, where small companies have been creating recycled products simply because they lack America’s wide-open spaces (a.k.a. future landfills). During a family vacation to Spain, one of the founders took the RV on a detour to check out a small shop outside Valencia, where everything is fully recycled and hand-blown. Lehman’s company, dubbed Newly, now offers wine glasses, whiskey tumblers, and pitchers manufactured in that small Spanish village.

Newly’s founders have learned a lot since opening for business a year ago. Hiring a local company to fulfill orders is worth every penny, and no amount of work is likely to pay off in January and February, whereas a healthy holiday season can make an entire year. The last of these reasons was the impetus for a series of photos created in October. Newly used a guerilla-style approach, renting out a hip Airbnb as a set and employing family and friends as models. Lehman’s wife is a fashion stylist for Nashville recording artists, so she’s been persuaded to lend her eye to photo shoots and video productions, too.

For now, Newly is close to break-even, with minimal debt beyond the founders’ initial investments. Like the founders of Yakoda, they know they’ve still got a long way to go. “Anyone who’s starting their own business thinking that they’re gonna be writing themselves a paycheck a few weeks after they start selling their product is crazy,” says Fuller.

“Even if this thing is more successful than we can imagine, we’re years away from it being our day job.”

Fortunately, all of these entrepreneurs are more than happy mixing business with pleasure. “We’ve realized we’re only one or two degrees of separation from someone we might want to talk to,” says Fuller. “And the best way to connect with those people is to take ’em fishing.”

Glasses, by Newly