#tectus

[unrestrained-balderdash-art-blog]

Day 14 of Pied Month - Pied Puffbird! Originally planned to do bi since it's in the name, but it looks so round so I had to give it the circle of the intersex flag

Reference photo by Francesco Veronesi

I'm on Cara, it's a social media for art that's anti-AI, follow me @ tbalderdash

[birdstudies]

January 19, 2024 - Pied Puffbird (Notharchus tectus) These puffbirds are found in and around forests and woodlands, often near water, from Nicaragua south to parts of central Brazil and Bolivia. They feed on insects, including dragonflies, grasshoppers, moths, bees, and wasps, foraging in short flights, often high in the canopy. They nest in holes dug into arboreal termite nests, laying clutches of two eggs. Both parents care for the chicks.

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Pied Puffbird

Photo: Carlos Sanchez

"Puffbirds are oddly-proportioned birds with rotund bodies and huge heads. Pied is small, black-and-white, with an obvious black breast band and a thin white eyebrow. Perches conspicuously, often on a bare branch in the canopy or even on a telephone wire. Usually at the edge of the forest, overlooking an open area."

- eBird

[tisiphonewolfe]

I commissioned my good pal @kellerybird (Also the artist behind the drawing I use for this blog's icon) to draw Releine and Almyra and look how incredible they turned out!

I highly recommend checking out both their other art and -

Saffron Wave

their awesome webcomic about magical girls in ancient Crete!

. . . should I change the blog icon to Releine, Almyra, or keep Tenacity as the star of the show? Vote now, on your phones -

[arcanigenum]

[searchfactory]

Simonswerk / Tectus 540 / Hinge / 2003

[the-iceni-bitch]

𝕭𝖊𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝕽𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕯𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖗𝖊

𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷 - 𝙳𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝙰𝚛𝚒 𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗

𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊.

𝙰𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 ~ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊, 𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑

𝙶𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚑𝚢 ~ 𝙰 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚗-𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚋 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚟𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚜

𝚂𝚝𝚢𝚐𝚒𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊 ~ 𝙰𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

Word Count: ~3.5k

Relationship: demon!Ari Levinson x virgin witch fem!reader

Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content (size kink, unprotected p in v, breeding kink), violence, witchcraft, self cannibalism? SMUT!!! 18+ ONLY!!!

I am no longer doing taglists so if you want to stay up to date on all my latest fics, follow my sideblog @the-iceni-library and turn on notifications!

You breathed deeply as you checked your sigil and ensured the circle of salt was complete, placing crystals and candles around yourself before sitting back on your heels and closing your eyes. The backs of your hands rested on your knees when you began to chant in a low voice, swaying when you felt the power starting to flow through your veins as your voice grew stronger.

“Fortitudinis filia sum et rapui omni hora a iuventute mea. Caeli me alloquuntur! Concupiunt et cupiunt me furioso appetitu! adumbrata calenti saxea, et purpureo nubilo tectus sum. Ego autem defloratus sum, et adhuc virgo! ecce! Educam tibi natos, o vir Arximoro!!”

The sigil started glowing a deep red and you opened your eyes, your breath catching when smoke that smelled of sulfur began to fill the room. When you heard a distant roar you steeled yourself, keeping a dispassionate look on your face when the furious noises grew closer. Horns appeared in the center of your circle and you fought every instinct that told you to prostrate yourself and beg forgiveness. You were the strongest witch of your age, there was none alive who could hold a candle to you. You would not cower and beg like a simpering girl, no matter that you were making a show of supplication.

As soon as he broke through the haze Ari growled, shaking his head and thrashing his tail while he took in his surroundings. When he realized he was bound he snarled, testing your circle and groaning at the strength of it and gnashing his teeth as he threw himself against the ring of salt. He hated the plane you had called him to, the stench of humanity and the cool air was like a curse. Then he spotted you kneeling at the edge of the circle and bared his teeth, crouching like some massive predator about to pounce as his silver eyes raked over your naked body.

“You stupid little witch…” Ari licked one of his massive fangs and sneered when you just stared back at him, his claws digging into the wood floor as he thought about dragging them across your tempting flesh. “Unbind me now and I promise to leave your body as lovely and unbroken as it currently is.”

“If I am stupid then remove yourself from my restraints.” You winced and cursed yourself under your breath, hating that you had already lost control of your mouth. “Um..I am sorry, my lord.” Even though you had him bound and you needed to remain strong you would still show him the respect he was due as a Lord of Hell, since you didn’t want to end up filleted when you eventually had to release him. “But I fear they are a necessity as I make my plea.”

“Foolish girl.” He tossed his head and let out a rumble from deep in his chest when you dipped your fingers in fragrant oils and began to draw runes on your breasts and stomach, surprised at the sudden feeling of desire he felt stirring in his core. “Make your plea and make it quick, I have more important matters to deal with than some needy little witch. What do you want?”

“There are a great many things I want, my lord.” You could feel the way the intent of his gaze started to shift and it made your breath grow shallow, your eyes sliding up his body until they met his and you let out a small gasp at their intensity. “But what I need is a child. And a worthy mate to sire the child.”

“And you wish for me to sire your spawn? How flattering.” Ari let out a harsh laugh and rose to his full height, rolling his shoulders as he gazed down at you from his eight feet and ran his forked tongue over his bottom lip. “Tell me why you require the seed of a Lord of Hell, woman.”

“I will show you, my lord.” You mentally checked your bindings as you rose to your feet, biting your lip and bowing your head as you turned so he could see the brands that had been seared along your spine. “A warlock bought and bound me, using my power as his own and binding me to his will. I cannot break free without the seed of one of the most powerful of all demons.”

Ari snarled when he saw the marks on your back, his tail lashing back and forth while rage started to creep through his veins. He could look at you with as much disdain as he wanted, he was a Lord of Hell and you were mortal. The stink of humanity tainted you, in spite of the fact you were a witch of incredible power. But even if you were below the hierarchy of Hell, you were still a servant of the Dark Lord. The fact that some worm of a mortal with no power of his own had made such a vile claim on you, a handmaiden of Lucifer, was an offense of the highest order. You were being wasted on some mortal’s whims instead of serving your eternal master as you should.

“Tell me where he is, little witch.” Ari started to push at his bindings again, his voice low and feral as he thought about ripping into the man who had dared to defile one of the unholy servants of Satan. “I would see this mortal punished for his crimes.”

“He is asleep. I brewed a draught that will keep him unconscious and unaware of my activities for the next hour.” You knelt at the edge of the circle again, fighting against every independent bone in your body and bowing your head respectfully as you continued to address him. “Even in death he has arranged for my bond to pass to another warlock just as vile as he. I can only be freed by demonic seed and the spawn of an unholy Lord. This is my plea to you, my lord, to bear your child and be your humble servant in exchange for being released from this bond that was placed without my consent.”

He almost purred as he watched you lay at his feet, his claws scraping against the wood when he flexed his toes as he considered what you were asking of him. You were as comely a witch as he had ever seen, and he wasn’t one to deny himself the pleasure of a mortal lover, much less one that was only half mortal, such as yourself. And the smell of power that came from you was intoxicating. A child borne from a union between the two of you would be a creature of incredible strength. He couldn’t deny that the thought of propagating his line with a witch as lovely and impressive as you aroused him, heat flushing his body as he stepped as close as he could while the circle was still complete.

“I will do this for you, little one.” Ari breathed deeply when he saw you relax, leaning down and pressing his thick fingers to the floor at the edge of the circle. “But know that I expect something in return:”

“I will give you whatever you desire, my lord.” You began the process of releasing him from your circle, extinguishing the candles with a flick of your wrist and pricking your fingers so you could adjust your sigils as needed. “I will bind myself to you my lord. I will be your humble servant. If you wish to take the child once it is born I will let you. All I wish is to be free of this man and his cruel desires.”

When you freed him from the circle he stretched his entire body, his massive wings unfurling and his tail lashing back and forth before he stepped closer to you. His eyes bored into yours, and he found himself licking his lips at the intensity of the hunger in your gaze. You gasped softly when he wrapped his tail around you like a lover would their arms, your breathing growing heavier as he pulled you off your feet so he could drag his nose over the curve of your neck. Ari breathed in your scent deeply and growled at the sweetness, lifting you even higher so he could rub his face against your breasts. He laid you on the floor and licked his fangs while he stretched his body over yours, his massive frame caging you in while his tail snaked around your soft body and he started to brush his nose down your stomach.

“Mmm, I love the smell of a virgin cunt.” Ari purred when he nuzzled at the plump folds of your mound, hooking your knees over his horns and spreading your thighs wide so he could press his face against your dewy flesh. “So sweet and unspoiled.”

“That is lovely but I require your seed… oh!” You whimpered when his forked tongue slithered through your pussy lips, your back arching and your eyes fluttering closed when the cleft in the thick muscle toyed with your clit. “Fuck.”

Ari just growled while he tasted you, savoring the sweet flavor of your virginity and watching your body writhe for him. The pleasure of soiling a virgin was unlike anything else in any of the spiritual planes, and the fact that you were offering yourself to him so willingly, even if you were a little bit sassy about it, just made everything better. He purred against your flesh before slipping his tongue inside you, his lips spreading in a grin when you cried out and kicked your little feet at the new sensation. Your body and mind were already surrendering to him, he could feel it, he could practically taste it as his tongue pushed deeper inside your wet warmth.

You could feel your core growing tighter while your body rolled against his face, your breath leaving you in small whimpers and gasps as pleasure raged through your veins. When you felt his thick tongue undulating inside you your vision went white, your toes curling and the taste of your own blood filling your mouth while you bit your lip in bliss. Your breath was heavy in your chest as you came back down, your body limp as your new demon lover rose to his knees and drew you into his lap with one massive hand.

“I had to warm you up, little witch.” Ari purred and dragged his nose along your sweat dampened temple, huffing out a laugh when you could only mumble nonsense in response as his free hand moved to line his gargantuan cock up with your creamy pussy. “Don’t want to actually break you while I’m breaking you in. Not if I plan on keeping you around.”

The way he lazily leaned back against the wall as he manhandled you should have been annoying, but the arch of his brow and arrogant smirk of his full lips only served to make your cunt drip even more. He kept licking your juices off his lips while he watched you struggle to regain some semblance of control over your mind and body, but then his thick tip slid through your pussy lips to catch at your entrance and all you could do was moan.

Ecstasy. That was the only word for the sensations that overwhelmed your body when he pushed inside you. A violent scream of pleasure escaped from you once you were completely full of him, your cunt spasming wildly around his cock. There was pain, but there was also bliss. He was bigger than anything you could even imagine, and the barbs that surrounded his shaft made you stretch even more as you arched your back and whined. Your thighs started trembling as he guided you down on his length, his free hand cupping your jaw almost tenderly when you felt your virginity tear and let out a pathetic mewl.

“Shhhh, it’s alright little one.” Ari grinned wickedly when you choked out a thin whine as he rolled his hips under yours, his hand on your waist gently keeping you upright even while his eyes glittered mischievously. “Just let every thought drain out of that pretty little head except for how good it feels. That’s it.”

Your eyes rolled back in your head when your hips finally met his, your muscles quivering with the effort of stretching to accommodate him. It should have been impossible for his cock to fit inside you completely, but it was, making you feel every one of the fleshy barbs along his shaft that would swell and throb in his release before he started to slide you up and down his length with no effort. Ari growled pleasantly when he watched your nectar and blood drip down his cock as he pulled you up so just his tip was nestled inside you, then snorted out a laugh when you yelped as he dropped you back down again. One of his thumbs started tracing the curve of your breast idly, making him grunt when your pussy clenched around him before beginning to snake his tail around your legs and between your thighs.

“What a sweet, soft little witch you’ve turned out to be. You enjoy this, don’t you?” Ari chuckled when you just nodded at him, swatting your ass with his tail and making you yelp again as he slithered the tip between your cheeks. “You will find that I enjoy when my lovers tell me how much they enjoy what I do to them with words, little one, especially when it’s their first time. Is it as wonderful as you thought it would be?”

“It’s… ohhhh, fucking Lucifer.” You dropped your head back and keened when his tail dragged through your slick before pushing inside your ass, your hands clutching at the thick fingers that held you as you felt new warmth spreading through you. “It’s… it’s incredible… so full… my lord.”

“Mmhm, and you look lovely all stretched open like this.” When you scowled a bit at that Ari laughed, sitting up so he could breathe in your scent while he nuzzled at the top of your head. “Don’t scowl little one, it’s unbecoming. And I feel as though you should call me something new now that we’re mated. Obviously not my name, I am still a lord of hell and you’re just a little witch. But why don’t you try calling me your beloved?”

“Not little.” Your pout disappeared with a gasp when he flicked your nipple with the sharp edge of his claw, not enough to make you bleed, but enough to warn you to behave as he cocked his head at you. “I’m sorry, my… my beloved.”

“That’s a good little witch.” Ari’s tail slithered deeper inside your ass at the same time he drove up into you and he purred at the noise you made, starting to move his hips regularly rather than just pump you up and down like an inanimate doll. “Why don’t you come for me, little one? Think of your new life that waits for you in the depths of hell as my mate and come for your beloved”

He ground against your clit and you could barely rasp out a ‘yes beloved’ before you were crying out in euphoria, your body arching and your cunt fluttering as everything in the world turned to bright white light. Every muscle in your body trembled and clenched while he held you upright, and it was impossible to catch your breath as you sobbed and gasped. When your mouth was still open you felt his forked tongue slide inside, your gaze finding his as you opened wider for him while his grip on your waist tightened and his movements became more determined. Ari groaned with pleasure when you swallowed his tongue, his claws scraping against your flesh at the feeling of your ultimate surrender.

You could hear him in your mind, telling you how beautiful you were, how well you were taking him and that this was what you were made for. He promised to give you as many sons and daughters as you desired, all the power you could ever dream of if you would serve and pleasure him however he wished. It was intoxicating, being full of him in every possible way. You could swear you were already feeling the warmth and static of the new power he promised you flowing through your veins and prickling your skin as you lost yourself in his touch and the depths of his silver eyes.

Ari kept his lips molded to yours when you came again with a muffled cry, cradling your body almost gently even as his hips thrust against yours faster and wilder. His tail fucked your ass while his tongue fucked your throat, your tight pussy squeezing the life out of his cock when he started to swell as you fluttered and stretched around him. He could see the plea in your eyes as you whimpered and moaned, remembering just how addictive the emotional energy of a mortal lover could be when they were overcome with pleasure. With a growl and a deep roll of his massive body he let himself go, the barbs of his cock engorging and locking him deep inside as he pumped his thick, hot seed into your fertile womb.

As soon as you felt the first gush of his cum inside you, the bonds forced on you by your mortal master disappeared, your power raging unfettered through your veins for the first time in years and making tears well in your eyes even as you grinned against Ari’s mouth. Ari felt the change and his eyes widened, the strength of your power making him appreciate you even more as he thought of the might you would pass on to your children. He let his tongue slither out of your mouth even as he kept your other two holes filled, licking his fangs as he gazed at you curiously, bending one massive leg so you could rest against his thigh.

“A strong little witch.” Ari reached out to drag his thumb over the bulge in your lower stomach where his cock was resting against your womb, smirking when he saw his cum leaking out of you and staining your thighs. “You may even survive the birth, sweet one.”

You were about to answer him when the door to your private cell was flung open, your warlock master looking even more furious when he saw you resting in the arms of your new demon lover. When you didn’t immediately cower he snarled, his fists clenching as he gathered his weak and meager magic to try to bind you again.

“You stupid little bitch!”

Whatever he had been about to say next was cut off when you raised your hand and gave an indolent flick of your wrist, smiling to yourself when he was instantly flung against the wall and pinned there, gagged with air so his mouth was forced wide open. Ari laughed at your display of power, pulling you closer and kissing the top of your head before pulling out of you so he could stand. Your former master had the good sense to flinch when the enormous demon came to stand in front of him, his eyes flitting towards you and widening with fear when Ari leaned forward to smell him.

“Weak and insignificant, I wonder how you ever managed to snare my little witch.” Ari snorted and rolled his eyes when the man pissed himself, reaching out a hand towards you and looking down to smile at you when you came to stand by his side. “I would normally punish you myself for making a slave of one of the Dark Lord’s handmaidens, but I should like to see what my sweet little one thinks you deserve. She is the mother of my child, after all. Make it quick or bring him with us, small one, I will be bringing you to your new home.”

You beamed up at him adoringly before turning to sneer at your former master, biting your lip as you ignored his muffled sobs and thought about what exactly you wanted to do to him. By the time Ari had opened a portal to the realm of Hell you had performed a quick incantation, gripping one of your lover’s hands with both of yours as he led you into the shimmering heat, your mortal captor swallowing the first of his fingers and whining as he followed the two of you before the portal winked shut and you left the mortal world behind.

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Daily fish fact #458

Hoodwinker sunfish!

This species was only found very recently, as it was mistaken for other ocean sunfishes! Its scientific name, Mola tecta, references that, as "tecta" comes from the Latin word "tectus" which means hidden or disguised. However, it is distinguishable from other species as it is slimmer and lacks a lot of the "lumpiness" some of the other species have.

[serickswrites]

Lonely Place of Longing

Master post here (includes character bios, summary, and chapter links)

Warnings: restraints, blood, cut, wounds, hurt/aftermath, hurt/recovery, caretaker and whumpee, captivity of sorts

“Welcome to Scutus, Halle Corvus,” Samuel Rex, spokesman of Scutus, said, his hazel eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity,” Halle said enthusiastically. Halle had always wanted to make a difference with her life. She knew that Scutus—with their unprecedented efforts to keep the world safe—was the best way to do so. Though she had limited military training, and absolutely no background in technology management, somehow Halle had managed to get the job.

“Let me take you to your team. You’re going to be assigned to Alpha Team. They’re our most active. I’ll let Thomas Petri fill you in on your duties. He is your direct superior, team leader, and you are to report to him.”

“Understood. Thank you, Samuel.” Halle hurried along to follow Samuel. Though Samuel’s hair was grey and thinning, he was surprisingly spry for a man his age.

“There are several teams. But Alpha has the most unusual members. Ah, Thomas, there you are,” Samuel stopped in the hallway as he almost collided with a hulking figure. Thomas easily stood a head taller than Samuel. And a head and a half taller than Halle. He looked down at Halle with warm, dark eyes.

“You must be my new medic.”

Halle nodded vigorously. “Yes, sir! I won’t let you down.”

“I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team. They’re in our portion of Tectus. What has Samuel told you about our team?” Thomas walked quickly. Halle had to half jog to keep up.

“That you are very active as a team. And that you have…” Halle’s voice trailed off. How would Thomas take to having his team called unusual?

“We have a pretty big team. I’ll introduce you to them all in time. But I have to warn you. We have something assigned to our unit that makes us indispensable. Your job will be to manage and take care of that thing.”

“I won’t let you down. I promise,” Halle said eagerly.

“Do you know what a living weapon is, Halle?” Thomas asked, completely ignoring Halle’s promises.

Halle stopped walking. A living weapon. She had heard of them of course. But never in her wildest dreams did she think she would ever see one, let alone work with one. They were supposedly the most dangerous assets Scutus had at their disposal. Their enemies, of course, also had living weapons. A great number of them. Weapons were allegedly easily corruptible. Weapons were typically very, very evil. They had to be kept under lock and key at all times. Halle nodded. “They’re a human, well they were human to start with. And they’ve been imbued with…”

“With powers that make them more dangerous than an army of regular soldiers.”

Halle swallowed. So it was true. Living weapons really could level a city by themselves.

“We have one. He’s called Dylan. Your job is simple, Halle. Keep Dylan alive. Patch him up when we bring him back. And keep him in his quarters. He isn’t to be trusted with any freedom. No matter how much he asks, you can never let him out of our quarters unsupervised. Do I make myself clear?”

Halle nodded.

“And, Halle, please remember he is dangerous. He is deadlier than any gun, knife, or projectile you will ever see. Please remember that.”

Halle nodded again and continued to follow Thomas. She half heartedly listened to Thomas introduce her to Alpha Team. Over a dozen names and faces to memorize. But none of them were the weapon. And Halle’s mind kept drifting to the weapon. What was he like? What were his powers? Would he hurt Halle? Would he try to escape and hurt the rest of the team?

After what felt like hours of introductions, but Halle realized it may have only been half an hour, Thomas was leading her away from the rest of the team. “Dylan’s room is down this hall. I hope you don’t mind, it’s where we had to put your room.” Thomas looked a touch embarrassed. “No one wants to stay down here near him. I’ve put in a work order to repurpose our library into a living quarters. Once that’s nearly ready we can convert your room to the library and then you can move. I’m sorry.”

No one even wanted to sleep near the weapon. How evil was he? “It’s ok. I’m sure it won’t be that bad. Thank you.” Thomas knocked loud and hard on a door at the end of the hall.

“Dylan! Open up!” Thomas called gruffly. “You have a new keeper. Come meet her!”

The door swung open to reveal a small, spartan room. A bed was tucked into a corner, blanket neatly tucked in. A desk was not too far from there, a small stack of books and papers in the center. Halle could see a small balcony, opposite the door, that overlooked Tectus’s grounds. Halle swallowed as she realized the balcony was caged in. The other window had bars. There was no escaping this room.

Thomas strode into the center of the room and turned to face the door. “Dylan, meet Halle Corvus. Halle this is Dylan.”

Dylan leaned against the wall. His pale blonde hair curled softly at his collar and he watched Halle with icy blue eyes. He was tall and lean, though his build didn’t betray the power that lurked beneath. His clothes were plain—black shirt tucked into black pants, with black boots. The only thing adorning him were the silvery cuffs at his wrists—cuffs that Halle knew kept him from accessing his power.

“Nice to meet you, Halle,” Dylan said, his voice surprisingly soft. Halle fully expected his voice to be low, grating. She didn’t expect a soft, pleasant sounding voice.

Halle swallowed twice before replying. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“I’m going to leave you two to get acquainted. Dylan you are to give Halle a run down of your medical history and what she may need to know to be better than your last keeper. Actually, you can also let her patch up that cut from our mission this morning. It’s a small one, Halle. Won’t take you that long. I’ll check back in with you, Halle, in,” Thomas looked at his watch, “an hour. I have a briefing with Delta Team to get to.”

Before Halle could protest, Thomas left. Halle stood in the center of the room, her heart in her throat. Thomas left her alone. With a living weapon. A being so dangerous he was kept in a room that was essentially a cage. And he had his powers suppressed at all times.

“Are you afraid of me?” Dylan asked quietly. He hadn’t moved. Hadn’t attempted to get closer to Halle. Hadn’t tried to run out the door behind Thomas.

Halle licked her suddenly dry lips. “Yes.”

Dylan nodded. “Good. You should be.” He crossed the room and flopped onto his stomach on the bed. Halle could see a long, still bleeding cut, running the length of the weapon’s back from his left shoulder to his right hip.

The weapon propped his head up on his arms. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you unless Thomas tells me to.”

“Do you always do as Thomas asks?”

The weapon lay his cheek on his arm. “Yes. I am to always listen to Thomas.” The weapon sighed. “The last one didn’t last long. There’s no shame in quitting. I won’t blame you.”

“What?”

“My last keeper. He quit after three days. It’s ok if you are too scared. You can quit. Everyone does eventually.” The weapon seemed to say the last more to himself than Halle.

“Where’s your first aid kit?” If she got to work she could ignore the weapon and his ice cold eyes.

“In my med bay.”

“You have your own?” This unit was much fancier than Halle thought. Each member got their own private med bay. Just how large was this space?

The weapon closed his eyes as though he was suddenly very weary. “No one wanted to share with me.”

Halle was silent. What do you even say to that? She looked around for the door to the med bay.

“You don’t need to dress it, Halle. It will clot soon. Probably.”

“You’ll ruin your sheets.”

“Isn’t the first time. Won’t be the last time.”

Halle very much did not want to be alone in the room with the weapon any longer. But she had a job to do. So she crossed the room to a door that she thought might lead to another room. She was right. The med bay was well stocked. She grabbed some gauze and anti septic so she could dress the wound.

Halle worked in silence. And the weapon was silent. Halle expected him to fill Halle in on his medical history while she worked. Expected him to say anything. But the weapon merely lay there and let Halle clean and dress the wound. “I don’t think it needs stitches. But I could glue it if—“

“It’s fine, Halle.” The weapon pulled his shirt off and over his head. His back and chest were littered with scars, some older, some newer. “Here’s my medical history. I can’t get sick. I can’t remember if I did before…before I came here.”

Halle marveled at the scars. How was the weapon still alive? Some of them were serious, grievous wounds. “Anything else I should know?”

The weapon shook his head. He opened another door to reveal a small closet. He tossed the soiled shirt into a bin. He pulled another shirt from the drawer and put it on. “I am glad to meet you, Halle. No matter how long you stay here.”

Tags: @beomsstudio @mousepaw @keeper-of-all-the-random-things @eyehartart @corbytheking

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[alonglistofbirds]

[1181/10977] Black-headed Lapwing - Vanellus tectus

Order: Charadriiformes Suborder: Charadrii Family: Charadriidae Subfamily: Vanellinae (lapwings)

Photo credit: Nik Borrow via Macaulay Library

[arclundarchivist]

So it’s the Imperium vs the Volition, which is a interesting name because it can be taken as “Your Own Volition” ergo, they’re an army focused on the freedom of personal action and free will.

Which takes a whole deeper level after seeing that the Willmaster could do, forcing an entire village to sacrifice themselves for her.

And I have to wonder the Bormodos claim they can’t dream, but… is that true, or is that something the Weavemind has convinced them of, feeding them the dreams and thoughts of Exandria so to draw them there in their plans to concur it?

Because we know the Imperium destroyed a lot of the original Rudian history, likely to push their own narrative, but what was the original narrative? Why do they hide Predathos’s true name?

Reilora, Bormodos, Cytaas, so far we have three folk, “made from the stone” aka born of Predathos, as “warped reflections”, and I have to wonder/fear that if Predathos awakens maybe they die, or vanish but what if, just as we saw they lose the free will that they have, and are just forced to march as one against Exandria.

I’m curious to see what other folk are out there, and if the Volition can reveal anything more about Predathos and the Imperium, and its constituent parts like the Tectus and Crooth.

Like is a Shrike just an occupation, they’re bodies look quite different from the more baseline Reilorans?

And what is gonna happen with all the folks they knocked unconscious like the Kid?

Honestly this town felt almost like the opposite of the town in Issylra, and I’m excited to see how everything turns out.

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 89

Why is Ashley's hammer so tiny?

Strange voice choices ... Ashley: "Wait, what's an English accent?" Proceeds to entirety fail to work it out ... oh, but Taliesin trying Jester is so much worse ... Travis, what the fuck is that? Oh, but Marisha's Nott is actually pretty good ... XD

Oh yeah, that's right ... it's full of city!

Great way to sell it, Laudna ...

Oooooh, plotting ... goodie!

Aha, Juggernaut ... and two little chewing gum guys? Oh, they're FUNGUS? Weird ... Gaz Tomo? Oh yes, of course ... he's huge ... and like a huge John Wayne kinda dude? Crazy ... XD

Myceit? Intriguing ... so they ARE sentient mushrooms, basically ... bizarre ...

Way to give the big man a major existential crisis regarding his food choices, FCG ...

Wait, so the Weave Mind are big bad eugenicists? Boooooo!

"Marked at birth?" Fuck ... this really IS a Mind control-based totalitarian dictatorship ...

The Arx Creonum ... yeesh ...

I'm sorry ... RESET?!!! Like the Matrix?

The Crush? Hmmmm ...

"Psychic bioengineering" ... weird ... it IS a shame they can't get their hands on some of this tech ...

"Taking out the trash?" Oof ...

Quakes? Crap! Not good!

Hey, sometimes revenge can be good ...

Ozo Cruth? This would be the Big Bad, then ...

Oh, I get it. So Gaz is like Johnny Bravo, then? XD

The Tectus? Ewww ... politicians? There's just no getting away from them ...

Holies? Sounds like fun ...

Oh yeah, proper theological GENOCIDE ... not good at all ...

The Great Question ... would you really WANT to know?

The endeavours .. okay then ...

A lengthy figure? If couldn't be ... FUCKING IRA!!! You prick! He couldn't have made it easier for them, could he?

Oh yeah, he's still SO CREEPY ...

Evoroa? A missing Bormodo scientist they need to find? Hmmm ...

Colloquium of Candescense ...

Ludinus' doomsday MacGuffin ... hmmm ...

Dark emerald dragonborn? An emissary of the Strife Emperor ... Bizodan Amorai? Ye gods ... make it easier on us, Matt, PLEASE ...

Prison Break at the Glass Garrison? Ooooh ... THAT sounds like a hot ticket ...

The Changebringer is "broken road?" Hmmmm ...

ASSASSINATION MISSION?!!!

Oh wait .. are they going after Liliana?

Sleep on it ... oh boy ...

Oh my gods ... mushroom escorts? Adorable ... and kind of creepy too ...

A literal bag of water ... CLEAN water, at least ...

This is NOT very private ...

Yes. How DOES Imogen feel about this?

How old IS Imogen? She's 28? Okay, then ...

Oh crap ... orb check? Ah hell ... Otohan is closer now ...

Other possibility is maybe going up against Fearne's real DAD ... hmmmm ...

Oh boy ... emotional intensity engaged! O.O Either choice will definitely be heavy ...

IS there ant chance of bringing Liliana back to the good? Would it be a lost cause? Hmmmm ...

Hey, come on, guys! Bad idea! You NEVER split the party!

"The worst Denny's ever" ... no shit, Chetney!

CAN Fearne summon her demon booty call?

Coin flip! Yay! Whoa ... it lands ON ITS EDGE?!!! Oof ... not a good sign ...

Yes! A Greater Restoration would be helpful, yes ... bring Ashton back up to top level again, Letters!

Ooooh ... the tragic backstory of Gaz Tomo! Whoa ... that's pretty cool ...

29? That's like a STUPID good persuasion ...

The Woven Music Grand Hall? Hmmm ...

Himbo of the Moon ... pfft ... XD

Every part of this plan does sound like a REALLY BIG RISK ...

Oh boy ... so they're gonna try to get through to Liliana in dream tonight ... oof ... this is SO SPECTACULARLY STUPID ...

Oh gods ... the lights or going RED ... never good ...

Holy shit, FCG could bring EVERYBODY along this time? Astounding ... and really dangerous ... yeah, better not to ...

CONTACT!!! Matt: "And we're gonna go to break!" AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Nervous ... so very nervous ...

Oh boy ... this is gonna be such s tough, emotionally devastating heart-to-heart, isn't it?

Fuck ... Liliana really HAS drunk thd Kool-Aid all the way, hasn't she?

Gods damn it, Matthew! Why do you have to be such s bloody amazing actor right now? She's in SO MUCpain right now you're gonna BREAK US ...

Waking up again ... yeah, genuine lost cause ... seriously, this sucks so bad it REALLY HURTS ...

Oh come ON Ashton, just SLEEP already! You're a mess! You need it!

This IS the question, IS Ludinus' promise to the Reilorans of relocation a lie or DOES IT have a basis in fact in his plans? Is he just leading them to unwitting ruin? Is he betraying them?

Ah yes ... the difference between religion and truth ...

Hey! Vecna gets sort of namedropped! Yay!

The Dunamussy! Ye gods ... wait, Laura, WHAT ARE YOU ... AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! You fool! What have you done?

LONG REST!!! SERIOUSLY!!!

So what's the plan?

Choices ... hmmm ...

Fearne goes looking for Ira ... the Nightmare King is tinkering ... flirty questions ensue ...

Ah yeah, the skinny on Zathuda ... Ira is LITERALLY just sore about them pulling one over on him ... basically Ludinus is Mark Zuckerberg in this scenario ...

All three of the Witches immediately verbally admonish Ira about being a dick ... including the two who aren't there ...

She wants his weird flying beast ... oh she wants A PONY!!! XD

Checking in ... ARE THEY going to go with Ira?

Insight check ... Ashley: "I don't know!" LOL

Evoroa? Might be the wise play ...

Going back to the meeting table to find out what's what, then ...

Meanwhile Laudna asks how Imogen is ... Holy fuck ... Laudna GENUINELY dropped sn I love you into the conversation ... and now Imogen's invoking the Delilah situation ... oof ... Imogen drops an I love you too! O.O A KISS!!! It's really sad but SO ROMANTIC too ...

As far as Laudna's concerned Imogen is a full blown SUPERHERO ...

Interrupted by sentient mushrooms ...

Quannika? That is SO HARD to spell ...

Meeting is called to order, then ...

Ira in a bandit mask ... XD

Oh, so HE'S making the selection? Okay ... Fearne, yes, since she DOES have a stake in this too ...

Detonation and infiltration, then ...

Screech Blooms? Fascinating ...

Oh ... hello, Unsettling Presence ...

Selecting their teams, then ... so, Fearne, Ashton, FCG for detonation, the others for Infiltration ...

Oooh ... spooky Reiloran mage type ... a really OLD one ... Ivanas? Cool ...

Yeah, I don't think ANY of us trust Ira as far as we can throw him ...

Working out the technical aspects if what they're about, now ...

Wow, they're all SO BAD at pep talks ...

Charcoal? Hmmm ... oh, it's Invisibility? Cool ... AND they can SEE each other ... ALSO cool ...

So, time to head out, then ...

Seeming for detonation team, then ... oh cool, now FCG is a sentient mushroom ... XD Meanwhile Bormodo Fearne now has a Mister Cytaa ... :3

Separation for the duration, then ... descending into the city below ...

A strange mockery of Exandrian architecture, but twisted through half remembered dreams ... interesting ...

And there's soldiers everywhere ... great ... preparing for the coming invasion, clearly ...

And that's it for tonight ... split missions! Intriguing setup for next time, then ...

[sillyandquiteawkward]

Ngl, Far Harbour is actually an amazing and fun DLC. It made me the most emotional i've ever been playing through a video game and I got so attached to some of the characters, and despite the writing flunks, it was a pretty solid DLC, in my opinion.

But there is one major issue I have with it, and it's that, as the player, you're SEVERELY limited in what you can do.

When I was going through, I made the decision to not tell Avery she was a synth. When I went back to do the Replace Tectus ending, I also did some quests for the people of Far Harbour to be trusted by them. There was one point where I had to talk to Avery to advance a quest, and it WOULD NOT let me advance that quest until I told her she was a synth. I tried. All the options were either to end dialogue or some varying degree of "You're a synth, Avery," until I told her and THEN it let me talk to her about the quest. I was so frustrated by it.

I also remember having to dismiss Nick at some point because my actions were just upsetting him too much when I was trying to get the Children to like me so I could get inside the Nucleus. Like, why couldn't I somehow explain to him that I was going "undercover" to help everyone out?? He's a detective, he'd understand that whatever I'm talking about is just to butter them up and that I don't actually mean anything that I'm telling them, right??

Not to mention, when you uncover stuff about DiMa, or the Children, or the people of Far Harbour, you're pretty much forced into this stringed out series of events rather than being able to intervene in certain situations. Like, why can't we intervene with DiMa's death? I understand that's their law, but we seriously aren't even given the choice to say anything, and we're forced to watch him be murdered like a bystander who hasn't been waist-deep in this situation the entire time?

(On a side note: I understand the limitations they established with the 4-option dialogue Fallout 4 has, among the limitations in potentially making this DLC more "fleshed out" than is already is, but c'mon. I felt like I was just a guard rail for a bowling ball towards a certain ending rather than being the person who threw the ball itself.)

[Also extra side note: It's been literal years since I played that DLC so there's some things I may not analyze well or misremember

i agree 100%. there was always some sort of railroading or limitation when it came to far harbor. its def not just a part of the 4 option dialogue, i think there couldve been a lot of improvements to give the player more options of actions even with the limited dialogue trees.

also on ur note, i wish we couldve pulled a bit with nick and go undercover with him. would love to see some actual sleuthing and lying thru ur teeth with nick giving you the thumbs up behind you. maybe there couldve been a part where nick pulls you aside after that and is like hey that was cool and all but you sounded really convincing. hope that aint how you really feel. and you can reassure him it was a bit, or that yeah its how you really feel, etc. make a joke (sarcasm option). i think it couldve made that part of the game a lil more fun and you wouldnt have to piss nick off bc all the companions dont understand what lying is due to game mechanics.

[chipsandnuggets]

Intret amicitiae nomine tectus amor

My fic for the Piarles Fantasy Fest

Harry Potter AU + Hanahaki

"Do you like Quidditch?" He says this, looking surprised. "Most of the time, Papillonlisse people don't." Charles nods with happiness. "I love Quidditch! My favourite team is the Cavalli Rampanti, and yours?" He asks after he shows him that he has in the notebook some of the cards of the players and some drawings of what it seems are some plays. "Mine too!"

[tisiphonewolfe]

Answerer's choice of whoms't to answer for...

2. describe your character's voice. do they have a voice claim?

4. what's your character's favorite recreational activity?

Thanks for asking! I shall answer for . . . Almyra!

2. describe your character's voice. do they have a voice claim?

I think the voice closest to how I imagine Almyra is Kiera Knightley as Elizabeth Swann - especially near the beginning of Curse of the Black Pearl. Haughty, tends to get higher with long, drawn-out vowels when she's upset, that sort of thing!

4. what's your character's favorite recreational activity?

Almyra loves to read whatever popular novels she can get her hands on - especially romances, especially wlw romances. She will read anything that fits that bill while lounging on a couch and reading the best bits (or worst bits) aloud to Releine.

Her other hobby is napping. She is ready to fall asleep at all times, without provocation. It is always bedtime in her world.

[shockwaves-tiddy]

Some art to post on this side account of mine at least. My satellite baby.

This is Tectus. He's got social anxiety.