#the dragon witches by pencil-is-my-sword

[thedragonwitchesau]

Chapter Seven

The Arbeit

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Thank you Adriana Caselotti, for almost making me lose my chapter.

TW: Drowning, threats (in re-caps), quick death mention, unconsciousness

He was about to say something, but then, suddenly, he heard something. A scream.

The two shot up, and Roman's eyes went wide as he saw Patton's head go under.

Roman rushed over to the lake, almost knocking over Virgil (who stood, frozen, a few inches from the water's edge).

"Stop!" he heard from Logan, but he paid him no mind—until he found himself frozen to the ground. He felt something on his head. He tried to touch his face, but there almost seemed to be a force field around it.

"An air bubble," Logan said, and Roman gave him a look that he hoped the scarfed man took as "Thank you for this air bubble, as I kind of forgot that I cannot breath air and without it would also be drowning."

But he quickly found whatever spell placed on him lifted, and he ran back into the water. When it started to get deeper, he dived down.

He saw something a few feet below him—Patton. Fear on his face, he was rapidly descending. He was swimming up furiously, using all his appendages, but he wasn't making a bit of headway, which Roman thought odd.

He swam down to the Dragon-Witch, and tried to pull him up, but it was no use. And then he noticed a dark clump on Patton's leg. Roman thought this might not be good, so he tried to take it off. But as soon as he touched it, he felt something. It was slimy and shimmery at the same time. It was both heavy and light. And it was definitely dark. So, so dark.

Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by shadows, so thick that he couldn't even see Patton anymore. The first one came up to him.

"You left him," it said in a raspy voice. "You left him and he's waiting for you, thinking what you said was the truth."

"I did mean it—" he tried to say, but he was cut off by another figure.

"You lied to him. You are just as bad as your authorities, and you'll never rise above the filth of your species."

"I just needed to find—"

"Your family?" asked a third one. He just laughed.

The fourth one came up to his face. "He's still in the Cage. You could have tried to get him out, but you didn't. What does that say about you?"

"They're dead. Your quest is for naught, and you have endangered everyone by embarking on it," spoke this fifth.

The sixth just shrugged and said in a bit more of a modern tone, "It's all true. They just said it before me."

There was something about the shadows that just made him want to stay there. Just to stay there, stuck in the lake forever, just drifting. It would be so easy. He wouldn't have to hurt anyone else.

But then a small voice in the back of his head reminded him of something. Patton. Yes, he knew he should stay with the shadows, but he knew he had to save Patton first.

He realized that he was now completely surrounded by the shadows. He decided to try and punch the shadows, which didn't work (They were shadows after all).

But then he was blessed with a stroke of luck. One of the shadows hissed and flinched back. (He wasn't sure of how a shadow could do these things, but honestly, at this point, he wasn't going to question it.) He quickly dove out of the make-shift shadow cave, and looked for Patton, who was floating just a few feet away. He grabbed him and started to head up to the shore.

He saw the shadows following them, and in a bit of desperation, he tried to sing a little melody to calm himself.

"You may be right, but I'll prove you wrong

We'll both find out in time if they're lies, lies, lies, lies, lieeeeeeeees

They could be lies, lies, lies, lies, lieeeeeees

I won't let them be lies, lies, lies, lies, lieeeeeeeees

I'm doing fine"

As he sang, he found his confidence rising, and the water getting much brighter. And then, suddenly, he was above water.

He saw Logan on the edge of the lake talking to Virgil, and when they noticed Roman and Patton, they rushed over.

Logan quickly grabbed Patton's unconscious form, and Virgil did some magic, almost seeming to pull water out of him. The cyan Dragon-Witch's eyes flew open, and he started coughing a little bit, then took a deep breath.

"What... what were those?" Patton asked. Virgil looked at him confused as Logan set him down.

"What were what?"

"Some sort of shadow. They... they made you think things—" Roman said from the lake, and Virgil looked over at him with an expression that reminded him of a sort of painful nostalgia.

"Oh. Then... then those were the Albeit. Creatures of despair and guilt, they amplify all regrets you have and have ever had."

Roman thought for a moment, wondering if this was the right time to ask the question.

"Is what they say true?"

Suddenly, for the first time, when Virgil looked right at him, it wasn't with hate. For a second, it was empathy.

"I don't know." The man said, and he almost wondered if he was speaking from experience. "I really don't know."

⇼

The group decided to leave quickly after that, as no one wanted to be around a lake where Patton had almost died.

When they reached Patton's cottage, the two tried to stay and watch over Patton, but he waved them away, insisting he was fine.

He turned to leave, and Roman went to follow him, but Virgil called out to him. "Wait," he said. Roman turned around.

"We... we wanted to thank you." Roman nodded his head, and the three went to go their separate ways, until Roman remembered something.

“Patton signaled for Roman to stay on the porch, then walked over to the two. Virgil glared at him. ‘Patton Fostiae Adefectus. What are you doing with that human?’”

“Patton glared back. ‘Well, Virgil Storme Aeneid, I thought that it might be okay to bring a friend on our trip. It is a good way to get to know each other, after all.’”

“‘My name is Remington Macchiato Aeneid. And unless you turn into a dragon right now, I’m going to run you through with this spear.’”

He gasped and ran up to Logan. "Is—is your last name Conia-Tionas?" Logan looked at him strangely.

"Yes," he asked tentatively, "Why do you ask?"

Roman tried to play it off subtly. "Oh, nothing. Patton just mentioned it."

"Alright. Goodbye then."

"Bye."

As he walked back in, he finally realized something. These Dragon-Witches weren't just his key to Draconsion—they were the key to his family.

Hey! Guess who's back with Part two? Me! Fun fact, it's Monday (November 23, 2020 for those of you from the future) while I'm writing this! As I published "A trip to the lake" only yesterday, I'm kind of proud that I got to write this 1000-word chapter in one day! (although the fact that I was able to work on about half of it in school was a big help). Anyways, if you liked this, please re-blog, like and comment your feedback! And let me know if I've made any spelling or grammar mistakes. Have a great day/night! -Pencil

[pencilwritesshiz47]

Just a quick thing

I do have some writing side blogs!

One of them is for my original stories, and the other is for the Sanders Sides AU that I am working on.

The short story one doesn’t have a schedule for updates, but I do have 4 short stories already up. (one of them is a two-parter)

The AU is something I’m trying to update more often, usually twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays! 

I have chapters 1-5 up there and am about to put up chapters six and seven.

Even if you don’t want to follow them, maybe check them out? Thank you!

Original Writing

Sanders Sides AU

[twstedbeauty]

Just found your blog, and I love it! May i ask for headcannons of Riddle, Vil, Malleus and Idia watching their designated Disney movie with their s/o?(akin Vil, Snow White, Riddle Alice in Wonderland, Malleus, sleeping beauty)

I’m going to assume that they would have the movies in this world since they canonly have The Little Mermaid adaksdjaksdjas

Riddle Rosehearts 

Riddle is still getting used to relaxing and having fun, so watching movies is still rather new to him. 

He sits rather stiffly on the couch at first, not really sure how he should sit, but he’ll slowly relax once you join him. 

 On the whole, I think Riddle would actually really enjoy Alice in Wonderland. It’s very colorful and whimsical and there’s something about it that gives him an almost nostalgic feeling. 

He’d appreciate Alice as a protagonist, but I do think he’d find her a little annoying with how she thinks and does things at times. 

“Who in their right mind just chases after a rabbit into a hole in the ground?” You hear him mutter and you can’t help but smile to yourself. 

The Cheshire Cat immediately reminds him of Che’nya. 

Riddle is immediately impressed by the Queen of Hearts entrance. She comes on screen and has this air of intimidation and power. 

He points out some parts of the movie that reflect real life Heartslabyul rules! Like the rule about painting the roses, the rule about no cats at parties.

I think the part with the court scene he would find a little silly and quite exaggerated, however. 

"So, it was all just a dream?" Riddle watched the credits roll with a rather confused look. "That wasn't satisfying at all!" You couldn't help but giggle at that.

"It's explained at the beginning! She wanted a world of her own, so she made one up herself~" Riddle just blinks owlishly at you at that, which just makes you laugh again.

He'll have to go and have some time to himself, probably having a mental crisis over what is real and what isn't.

Vil Schoenheit 

Vil loves watching movies, so when you suggest watching a movie from your world, of course he’s all for it. 

Knowing him, he’s no doubt seen the movie already, but he’s not opposed to watching it with you. 

The Beautiful Queen summoning the spirit of the Dark Mirror scene makes a proud smirk come to Vil's face. He can't help but feel a bit of pride for his dorm watching it.

But immediately after, when Snow White comes on screen, his face drops into a scowl and he rolls his eyes.

Right off the bat, he comments about how annoying Snow White is. 

“I just don’t understand why they gave her such a grating voice...” He grumbles, shaking his head. “It’s so irritating.” 

Vil would point out how Snow White's dress and makeup, along with the Beautiful Queen's, is a reflection of the fashion from the period when the movie was made. (And if you pointed it out to him first, he'd be VERY pleased and impressed with you~)

"Oh, so THAT'S why they gave the Beautiful Queen pencil thin eyebrows?" You teased and Vil shoots you an unamused look.

"Of course. She's a product of her time, a staple for beauty and fashion from that era."

The dwarves do amuse him when they come on screen. He'd never tell you, but Dopey is his favorite.

He voices his admiration during the Queen's transformation scene.

"The lengths that she was willing to go is truly admirable..." He watches as she dips the apple into the poison. "But even the greats are capable of making mistakes. She should have ensured that Snow White could never be revived from the sleeping death."

He doesn't have much to say towards the ending, but he does look a little put out by Snow White being revived and getting a happily ever after.

"Such is the fate of villains..." He sighs. "Destined to die in the shadows while the heroes get their happy endings."

"Or is this case, getting struck by lightning and falling off a cliff." You remarked, grinning at the deadpan expression he gives you in response.

His rating for the movie is 9/10. The only reason it's not 10/10 is because of Snow White and the ending.

Idia Shroud 

(I apologize in advance, Idia is one of the characters I'm still trying to get a handle on writing ;v;)

I feel like Idia and Ortho watched the Hercules movie as children and it was Ortho's favorite movie.

So watching it again with you was something nostalgic for him, even if he remarks on it being a kids movie. (You can argue that some of the anime he watches is also for kids, but that will upset him and he'll go sulk under his covers and you'll never finish the movie.)

"Uwehehehe...what a clumsy idiot." He's got that sharp smile on his face as he watches Hercules swing the column around and basically destroy his entire village.

Honestly, he's not really interested in Hercules' tale and he's not really a fan of musicals. The only parts that interest him are when Hades comes on screen.

The only commentary that he gives is to make fun of Hercules.

"It's not possible for people to get THAT muscular in such a little amount of time..." He mutters as he watches the training montage with a bored expression. "It's not scientifically possible." You shrug in response.

"He's part god, so maybe that's part of it?" Idia just snickers with a sharp smile.

"He looks like a car test dummy in a toga."

Idia admires how confident Hades is and how fast he can negotiate things. I think he secretly wishes he had that confidence too.

How does he feel about Megara? Mmmm, I don't think he's interested in her character either. She's the main hero's girlfriend and a pawn to Hades, that's it.

If Ortho is watching with you guys, he's really the only one that enjoys it besides you. Idia goes right back to what he was doing before you suggested watching the movie as soon as the credits roll.

Malleus Draconia

Of course, Malleus knew that there was a movie made about the Thorn Witch. He and Lilia showed it to Silver and Sebek when they were children. (Lilia had thought it would be good for them to learn the history behind the tale!) So when you bring up watching it with him, of course he wants to. He loves spending time with you and the fact you want to learn a bit about his culture warms his heart.

He does like the aesthetic of this movie. He finds the music and the hand-painted backgrounds to be charming.

He can't say he understands how animation works, but it's nice to look at nonetheless.

Malleus likes the three good fairies. He finds their antics and the way Flora and Merryweather butt heads to be rather amusing.

"You know, I've always wondered what the third gift would have been if the Witch of Thorns hadn't come in when she did," He muses as Maleficent makes her entrance. You hum in thought.

"Some people theorize it would have been eternal happiness." You look over at him with a slight smile. "You know....never needing to feel blue?" That makes him chuckle.

"Eternal happines....Yes, I quite like that idea for a gift."

If you remark on Maleficent being petty for cursing an infant, Malleus is going to pout.

"Well, quite frankly, I understand how she feels. It's rather hurtful not being invited to events." You look over at him and raise an eyebrow.

"Fine! Then curse the people who didn't invite you. Don't curse the infant child who had nothing to do with whether or not she was invited." Malleus just hurumphs and crosses his arms.

"In a roundabout way, the king and queen DID suffer for their actions. Having their baby cursed to die." A slight smirk breaks across his face. "I'm sure they'll think twice next time."

He doesn't say it, but he quite likes Aurora as a character and he loves the sound of her singing. He finds it very enchanting and relaxing to listen to.

Flora and Merryweather fighting over the dress color reminds him a lot of Silver and Sebek. Fauna's baking strongly reminds him of Lilia's cooking.

During the part where Aurora is being hypnotized, you suddenly gasping and clamping your hand on his arm startles Malleus. "OH MY GOD. I JUST REALIZED THAT THE CREEPY NOISE IS ACTUALLY SAYING HER NAME."

You both pause and listen again as the eerie note that played in between the music stings creepily called "Auuuroooraaa~" in a beckoning manner. Malleus blinked in surprise.

"Oh my. That would explain her expression as she walks up the stairs." He mused, putting a finger to his chin. "How clever. I've watched this film plenty of times and I never noticed that."

The part where Maleficent casts the thorns around Stephen's castle and turns into a dragon are Malleus' favorite parts.

"None of the other members of the Great Seven can do what she can do." He says with a prideful smirk. "She is truly supreme in her ranking."

Watching Maleficent back Prince Phillip onto a cliff and trap him with no protection is VERY satisfying for Malleus. But once the fairies bless the Sword of Truth, he pouts again.

"If it weren't for them, he wouldn't have been able to defeat her." He says. "It wasn't a fair fight." You raise an eyebrow at him at that.

"She turned into a huge, fire-breathing dragon. You call THAT fair?" His little pout in response just makes you laugh.

Overall, Malleus enjoys watching the movie with you and he'll gladly watch it with you again whenever you want to.

[bearcina]

Olarom!

Welcome to my page, I’m your host, Bear! I’m a 20yr old aspiring author and OOAK doll customizer!

Masterlist (Amazon wishlist)

My pronouns are they/them/he/she/dude

I’m always looking for new friends, I don’t bite! I just write kinky stuff!

My Ask Box is always open, feel free to ask any questions!

Presenting, under the cut!: Q&A!

I see you’re here for the rest of the post!

Where can I find you off of Tumblr?

You can find me on Discord, Bearcina#5637!

My Steam is the same, Bearcina!

My AO3 is Bearcina, and here’s a direct link!

My KakaotalkID is bearcina! My kakao name is Bear'ika (little bear)

I’m on Wizard101 as Maria Rainbowbreath, a level 50-something Balance wizard, I specialize in supports, hit me up for a True Friend code! I just finished Dragonspyre!

What do you use to draw?

I use an XP-PEN brand tablet for digital work!

I do doll face-ups with Arteza watercolor pencils, soft chalk pastels, mica powder, Mr. Super Clear UV Matte Flat, and LOTS of DuraClear in Matte, Gloss, and Ultra Glossy!

My sketchpads are off-white and textured for watercolor pencils! I use Pilot pens for inking, and these pencils for sketching!

Do you have a Masterlist of your fanfics and works?

Yes, and here’s the link to the Masterlist!

I’m into Astrology, what’s your birth chart?

I am a Gemini (sun), Sagittarius (Mars), Libra (Rising), Taurus (Venus), Ares (Moon) and a Gemini (Mercury)!

What the FUCK is wrong with you?

A LOT. I’m disabled and mentally ill from some serious childhood trauma! Here’s a nonexhaustive list of my problems!:

C-PTSD

PTSD

MDD

BPD

Generalized Anxiety

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Panic disorders

More Depression, but make it ~Seasonal~

Fibromyalgia

Migraines (a LOT)

Arthritis

Herniated spinal discs

Chronic fatigue

And so many more!

I’m also autistic, I have ADHD, dyscalculia, and my brain is about as functional as a goldfish! (surprisingly smarter than expected but still dumb as a damn rock-)

What fandoms are you in? What interests you?

I currently enjoy: (current fixations are bold!)

Katamari Damacy

The Outer Worlds

Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout 4

Fallout 3

Spyro the Dragon

Hades (game)

Pokemon! (Sinnoh, Alola, and Galar right now! I have one of every gen but Hoenn)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, and Explorers of Darkness/Sky (I don’t have time!)

The Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, Minish Cap, Link’s Awakening (all three editions), and A Link Between Worlds and many others!)

Portal

Portal 2

Portal: Aperture Tag

Portal Stories: Mel 

Animal Crossing (Check above for my switch codes to play NH with me!!)

Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer

Star Wars, specifically The Mandalorian and things related to Mandalorians! (I’m learning Mando’a with help from the Oyu’baat!)

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld 

Good Omens

Prospect (2018) (I love Ezra!)

SCP Foundation

The Penumbra Podcast: Juno Steel! (podcast)

The Magnus Archives (podcast)

Wolf 359 (podcast)

Elaines Cooking for the Soul (podcast)

MarsCorp (podcast)

Oz 9 (podcast)

StarTripper!! (podcast)

The Strange Case of Starship Iris (podcast)

Welcome to Night Vale 

Mars’ Best Brisket (Podcast)

EOS 10 (podcast)

Distractable Podcast (by markiplier)

The Sims

Sewing, I do mine by hand and machine! (ask me about my machines!)

Crochet

Historical sewing

Cosmetology (I grew up in a salon, my mother is a beautician and I love dying and cutting hair!)

Acrylic nails (they’re so pretty!)

ToonTown ReWritten (Find me as Fancy Lolipop the bear or Deputy Biscuit the deer!)

Wizard101 (I like playing!)

Gardening

YuGiOh (I collect the cute cards >w<)

Martial arts (I did karate for many years and i got my black belt! I also like playing with rope darts, though I’m not good!)

Tarot Cards and other such fortune telling things, I’m a pagan and a witch!

Any other questions? Send me an ask!

[boyy-wonder-grayson]

Seven

Pairings: JJ x Reader

Warnings: angst kinda, mentions of abuse.

A/n: this is my first time writing for jj so hopefully i did some justice. This is based on the song Seven from Taylor Swift, ever since i’ve heard that song i coudln’t stop thinking how much it fit jj, so i tried to write something for it. Feedback is always nice, sorry for any mistakes and thanks for reading! (italics means it’s in the past jic)

*pics mine*

The warm breeze blew among the tall trees, signalling that summer was already settling in North Carolina. The two little kids were running around the woods, trying to find the tallest tree in order to climb it, much to their parents chagrin and warnings to be careful. They didn't care, they were young and full of life. Their laughs echoed through the empty lands, not a soul could be found in the deep end of the woods. They both have heard stories about this part of the town, about how the ghost of an old witch haunted those places, and how she enjoyed tricking kids into following her for them to never be seen again, but they didn't care. Not while they were together.

Seven year old Y/n and JJ ran across the dusty trails that led to their favourite spot under the biggest tree in the island. It was an old oak tree. According to her father that tree has been there for as long as he could remember, he told them that the three was there when he was a kid too,so it was probably a really old one.

A few years ago Y/n's father had set up a swing in one of those trees so the kids could play. Competitions were held against each other. Who would be the one to reach the sky when swinging? It was JJ. Of course he was the one who would always win. Y/n was scared of swinging too high and not being able to come back down. It was a stupid fear,but nevertheless she never tried to beat him. She liked the way he smiled when he came down from the sky smiling triumphant when he realized that he had won yet again.

"You need to go higher Y/n! You can even see the creek from up there!" JJ would beamed at her, but the girl would always shook her head no, too scared to fall, too scared to be able to come back down, but JJ always reassured her that it wasn't like that and that if she were not to come back down, he would simply go up with her. 

"Cross my heart and hope to die" he'd said placing a hand over his heart. The girl would smiled and do the same. She loved her best friend.

She snapped out of her trance when her mother called her name. She was supposed to be cleaning her room when she found an old picture of her and JJ under that oak tree. They were probably eight. Both with big smiles, she was missing a few teeths and JJ's hair was blonder than ever that summer. She smiled fondly at the picture letting it take her down to memory lane, only for her mother to interrupt her. She sighed putting the picture down and throwing the box aside, going downstairs to see what her mother wanted. She didn't speak too much during dinner that night, too engrossed in the memories of her best friend. She went back upstairs eager to see what else was inside that old box she'd found at the back of her drawer. Before going upstairs she poured a glass of sweet tea her mother had made earlier that day, she took a sip and sat down on her bed and started rummaging through the box and found an old drawing from JJ:

'Love you to the Moon and to Saturn'  she read at the bottom of the drawing. She smiled remembering how did they came out with that phrase.

JJ grabbed a red pencil and finished drawing what was supposed to be a dragon. The girl laughed at her best friend idea of a dragon and picked a blue pencil to finish the sky she was painting. Her mother looked at the kids fondly from the kitchen, she was preparing something for them to eat. Sandwiches and sweet tea. JJ's favourite. 

"What's that?" She asked pointing at a weird circle in the boy's paper. 

"A planet duh" he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What planet?" She asked genuinely curious awaiting for the answer.

"Saturn" he said nonchalantly. For some reason JJ was obsessed with astronomy at the age of eight. His favourite planet was Saturn. He'd said that it was the coolest planet because it was one of the biggest and also his rings were super cool.

"And what about the other planets?" She'd asked forgetting about her own drawing.

"There not there because they're not as cool as Saturn" he answered with confident. "Like me" he added.

The girl laughed a little making the boy laugh too. 

"You're so dumb" she said laughing harder now. 

"You're dumb!" He retorted for lack of a better come back. "I'm the coolest, just like Saturn" He'd said smiling proudly. 

"Nu-uh you're dumb, but I you're my best friend and I love you" she'd said a little shy this time. It wasn't rare for them to be affectionate with each other but she was always shy while sharing his feelings unlike JJ who was loud and boisterous.

"You're my best friend too and I love you more" he'd fight her. Making the girl frown. It also wasn't rare for them to compete with each other about every single thing.

"No! I love you more! I-i love you to the moon and back!" She screamed proudly knowing that she had won this time, but JJ was quick to shut her response down.

"Well, I love you to the Moon and to Saturn, which is way further, so I win!"

The little girl shut her mouth, not being able to say anything this time. He had won, again.

Y/n put the drawing down and picked her phone up, snapping a picture at the phrase and upload it on her Instagram. She then looked for JJ's profile. They were following each other, even though their friendship was taking a break of sorts, they still kept in contact with each other once in a while. A 'hope you're doing okay' text that would lead to mindless conversation every few weeks was all that they had now. She didn't mind though, relationships were strange.

She smiled when he saw that he had liked the picture. She put her phone down and kept looking inside the box. She found an old pirate eye patch, it was from Halloween when they not dressed as pirates.

Y/n's mother had finished applying the last touches on her costume while JJ wait patiently on the couch, admiring his plastic sword. 

"Done!" Her mother said letting the nine year old take a look in the mirror. The little girl laughed when she saw how cool she looked with her eye patch and her pirate hat. Her white shirt was underneath a red jacket while JJ wore a blue jacket over a white shirt too. Both looked adorable as pirates; her mother did not understood the sudden obsession the kids had about pirates, so when her daughter told her she and JJ wanted to go trick or treating as pirates she didn't think twice before making two costume one for each kid.

JJ's mother had been gone for a year and the kid had been not himself lately. It was hard to live a life without a parent, but it was harder when the only one left wasn't a good one. 

Y/n did not understand much about what was going on inside the Maybank residence so she didn't ask. Her mother explained to her how things between JJ and his father were a little rough now that his mother was not in the picture anymore. She explained that Mr. Maybank needed JJ to stay home a little more now than before and that even though the girl didn't like not being able to play all day with her best friend she nodded at her mother's explanation and didn't ask any questions.

It was one of those rare days were Mr. Maybank was in a good mood, so he allowed JJ to play with Y/n in his backyard. His good mood didn't last too long. After a call, in which his father let a string of curses come out of his mouth, the little boy sighed knowing that when his father was in a bad mood nothing good could happen.

"I think your house is haunted" Y/n said one day after JJ dragged her into the woods. They were walking towards the oak tree when she spoke.

"What do you mean?" He asked looking at her confused.

"I think your house is haunted" She repeated "my dad and I were watching this show about ghosts, and the man in the show said that his son was always angry and that it was because they had a ghost inside their house. So you must have a ghost too!" She said making the boy look scared. 

"I don't have a ghost in my house, that's stupid" he said annoyed.

"But the man in the TV show said that, and it was just like your dad. You always tell me that he's angry, and that you always hide from him because he'd yell at you. Maybe he's possessed or something?" The girl asked with genuine curiosity.

"I...I don't know, maybe you're right!" He said thinking it through. "I don't want to have ghosts in my house,I don't like them" he said trying not to show how scared he actually was. Luckily for him she didn't notice.

"Well you can come live with me! And we would have sleepovers every day! And my mom would help is built a fort and everything!" She said jumping up and down with enthusiasm. "And then you wouldn't have to hide anymore, because we don't have ghosts in my house" she smiled proudly at the fact that a supernatural creature was not living in her home.

Y/n smiled sadly at the memory and how innocent they both were. She wished  that she would still had that innocence that would protect her from the horrible truth about JJ's father. She found out a few years later when they were both fourteen. He didn't mean to tell her it just happened.

Black and purple bruises covered the boys chest, leaving little to none skin left uncovered. Y/n wanted to cry and the sight of her best friend. She wanted to scream,to punch something, someone. But she knew that whatever she'd said she would need to be careful. JJ was a ticking bomb that was about to explode at any given moment. And he eventually did, but not in the way she thought he would. No. He cried in her arms that night, revelling how truly awful JJ's father was. How much of a piece of shit that man was. A coward actually,to beat his son up because he could. She couldn't understand how someone as sweet and genuine like JJ, could go through something like that. She held him until he cried his eyes out. Until he didn't have any more tears. And he told her everything.

"Maybe we could run away" she said in a whisper looking at the boy laying on her bed. He was looking at the ceiling, not showing any emotions,but turn his head around when she spoke.

"What?" He asked.

"I said, maybe we could run away. Leave Outer Banks" she repeated with conviction, which made JJ chuckle.

"Yeah? And where would be go?" He asked amused at his best friend proposal. He would be lying if he said that the idea sound promising but they were fourteen, no real job,no money. How the hell would they achieve something like that?

"I don't know. India" she said smiling a little, that made JJ chuckle.

"Why India?" 

"I don't know, we were talking about it today at school and it sounded cool" she said laughing.

"Okay, well go to India then" he said pulling her closer to his body and cuddling her. Her head rested on his chest and she could hear his heartbeat. It was calmer than before.

"I love you JJ. To the moon-"

"And to Saturn" he finishes for her kissing her forehead before they both fell asleep embracing the other.

Y/n wipe a tear that fell from the corner of her eye.  She didn't realize how much she missed JJ until now looking at the old photographs inside the box. Of course she missed him but right now it fell as if she figured it out that she missed him more than she wanted to admit.

She sighed and looked at the hour. It was half past two, she picked everything and put it back into the box that once again went to sit at the back of her drawer. She opened the window letting the faint summer breeze enter the room. She climbed into bed after changing into her pajamas. She was too focused on her on thoughts that she didn't hear the knocking on her window. The second time she did. She got up frowning when she saw a figure outside of her window.

"JJ" she breath out not believing that her former best friend was now standing in front of her. 

"Hey" he said a little awkward. It's been two years since they actually saw each other face to face alone. He didn't know what came to him to leave his house and walk all the way to hers. But he didn't regret it after seeing the look on her face.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a small voice, trying to fight the smile that was slowly making its way into her face.

"I... honestly don't know" he chuckled scratching his head. "I just-i saw that picture you put on Instagram and I just, I don't know I wanted to see you, I guess" he didn't know why he was being so honest with her. Maybe it was because he missed the way he was around her, or how she made him feel safe enough to speak what truly was on his mind. 

"I'm glad you came" she said shyly "but my mom is probably gonna kill you if she see you here."

"Your mother loves me, I don't know what are you talking about" he said nonchalantly.it was true,her mother loved him like a son. 

"You wanna come in, or are you gonna stay on the other side of the window all night?" She asked the boy. He entered her room, and looked around. Nothing changed that much over the last years. Her bed was still in the same place,the colour of her walls was still that pale blue he always liked, and the only different thing inside that room was her. She looked different, more mature. More beautiful that JJ remembered. 

He stood awkwardly in the middle of her room while she positioned herself in the bed.

"Are you coming or what?"she asked as if it was obvious that he was supposed to join her in the bed. JJ was surprised at how chill she was with the situation. I guess nothing has really changed.

They spent a few minutes without speaking. Both looking at the stars on her ceiling. They were glowing. 

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come back, I just- I wasn't having the best of times" he admitted ashamed.

"It's okay I understand" she said softly turning her body so she was now facing him. JJ did the same.

"I guess i was scared" he didn't seem to mind how the words kept coming out of his mouth. 

"Of what?" 

"Of you not feeling the same way that I did for you. That I do" he confessed. 

"You're always been a dumbass JJ" she said smiling brightly at the boy. "You know my mom always told me that you were in love with me since we were kids, but I refuse to believe her."

"You should have, your mother's wise" he said moving closer to her. "I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out, but when I saw that picture o couldn't just not do anything. I needed to at least be honest with you. You've been my best friend since forever and I owe you that" he said caressing the girls face. The look on his face was painful. Y/n could see the vulnerability underneath the strong facade that he would always put up. She could see the sincerity of his statement and the love that was hidden inside of him, trying to come to the surface but not being able because of his fears. She knew he was scared to drown himself in the love he was feeling. JJ was so full of love for everyone, even for the one who had wronged at some point. He didn't have malice in his bones. 

She grabbed his face and pulled him for a kiss. An innocent little kiss. 

She smiled before she said: "I love you to the moon"

"And to Saturn."

[camdennightingale]

My good friend @uwujustsoftthings tagged me to do this QnA thing, so let's go!

1. Do you prefer writing with a black pen or blue pen? Black pen, just looks cleaner and nicer to me.

2. Would you prefer to live in the country or city? The country. It's where I live currently and I wouldn't change it for the world. Cities make me extremely anxious, I don't think I could bare living in one.

3. If you could learn a new skill what would it be? I'd like to improve my bass playing skills and get back into art, but as for a new skill? I want to learn to sword fight. Not fence, sword fight.

4. Do you drink your tea/coffee with sugar? I don't like tea or coffee especially, I prefer hot chocolate and that doesn't really need sugar.

5. What was your favourite book as a child? Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver. Also The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

6. Do you prefer baths or showers? Bath, good and relaxing.

7. If you could be a mythical creature, which one would it be? Yikes... Either a witch, because I honestly look like one, or a dragon because awesome.

8. Paper or electronic books? Paper books, electronic fanfiction, audiobooks day to day.

9. What is your favourite item of clothing? My witchy coat. It's got the ideal of making little kids look at you with wonder and old people with extreme disapproval.

10. Do you like your name or would you like to change it? I'm perfectly happy with my name.

11. Who is a mentor to you? J.R.R. Tolkien. That man gave 150 percent to everything he did except his actual job. I respect that. Also, he all but invented the modern fantasy genre and I owe him damn near everything for that.

12. Would you like to be famous and if so, what for? Pfft! I'd like to be famous the way Daft Punk and TWRP are, there's a persona that people know and then there's the actual me who's got plenty of anonymity.

13. Are you a restless sleeper? Unfortunately...

14. Do you consider yourself a romantic person? No, I'm quite possibly the most UN-romantic potato there is, I've just never got it.

15. Which element best represents you? Not sure, probably water.

16. Who do you want to be closer to? My new online friends. You know who you are, you're awesome, and I'd love to get to know you better!

17. Do you miss someone at the moment? My irl friends. It's been a year since I've been in a room with them all and it makes me very sad.

18. Tell us about an early childhood memory. Uhhh, I've got a really bad memory... I remember meeting a very large praying mantis while on holiday in Minorca, I was pretty young at the time, but I can't remember how old exactly.

19. What is the strangest thing you have eaten? Chicken rice on toast. I refuse to elaborate.

20. What are you most thankful for? My friends, that I still have my ability to create, good music.

21. Do you like spicy food? Yes. The spicier the better.

22. Have you ever met someone famous? Technically yes, kinda depends on your definition of famous.

23. Do you do you keep a diary or journal? I used to.

24. Do you prefer to use a pen or a pencil? Both, depends on the situation.

25. What is your star sign? Aries.

26. Do you like your cereal soggy or crunchy? Depends on the cereal.

27. What would you want your legacy to be? That's the business of the future, not my concern. All that matters is that I lived.

28. Do you like reading, what was the last book you read? I love reading! The last book I read was A Steanger In A Strange Land and I loathed it. The last thing I read was a gift fanfic from Uwu and I adored it.

29. How do you show someone you love them? Always be there for them, for whatever they need, include them in things.

30. Do you like ice in your drinks? Not usually.

31. What are you afraid of? Wasps... Myfriendsnotwantingtobefriendsanymore and being completely alone.

32. What is your favourite scent? Sea spray, woodsmoke, old books.

33. Do you address older people by their name or surname? Name. Are you supposed to do differently?

34. If money was not a factor, how would you live your life? Probably exactly the same as I do now, I'm content. That being said, there would be so many concerts to attend...

35. Do you prefer swimming in pools or the ocean? Pools, they're warmer.

36. What would you do if you found £50 on the ground? Pocket it and add to my collection of semiprecious stones. Finders keepers.

37. Have you ever seen a shooting star? I have and it delighted me!

38. What is the one thing you would want to teach your children? My gay ass is not having kids anytime soon.

39. If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it? Time Spiral on my right shoulder, my personal sigil on my inner left wrist.

40. What can you hear now? Twilight of the Thunder God, Sabaton.

41. Where do you feel the safest? My room.

42. What is the one thing you want to overcome/conquer? My long-term illnesses would be nice...

43. If you could travel back to any era, what would it be? Rome, 2007. I've got a concert to go to!

44. What is your most used emoji? 💜

45. Describe yourself using one word. Nerd.

46. What do you regret the most? I had a very close friendship with the two most toxic people on the planet.

47. Last movie you saw? Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

48. Last tv show you watched? Star Trek: Deep Space 9.

49. Invent a word and it’s meaning- Thura. A word to call someone who you love very much (definition of love is up to the user.).

I'm actually tagging someone for once! @cardinalxsin as I don't believe they've been tagged yet. Absolutely no pressure to do this, just if you feel like it!

[nocturnalsleeper]

500 Drawing Prompts

waterfall

wizard's staff

zombies

sandcastle

fangs

tattoo

family crest

spaceship

mythical beast

spooky tree

alien

tropical cocktail

robot

dragon

tombstone

medieval goblets

king's throne

mermaid

vampire

witch's cauldron

tooth fairy

deep sea monster

magic carpet

sculpture

coral reef

wine bottle

statue of liberty

beast

beauty

elephant

Mayan ruins

birds

cameras

bowl of soup

breakfast

lunch

snack

dinner

flower vase

ladder

full moon

bright sun

autumn

summer

spring

winter

butterfly

caterpillar

troll

roller skates

rain boots

weeds

flowers

bedroom

kitchen

dining room

bathroom

egg hatching

wrist watch

night

harvest

pond

raincoat

hat

water bottle

flashlight

sailboat

dandelion

earthworm

bank robber

policeman

superhero

villain

view out a window

cactus

sunflower

mosquito

spider web

star fish

flip flops

lawn chair

trampolines

pots and pans

sword

lighthouse

pie on a windowsill

house plant

soldier

chimney

barbed wire

squirrels

hot sauce

chain

beehive

helicopter

hot dog

venus flytrap

stained glass

sphinx

skateboard

serenity

open book

werewolf

hourglass

tower

camel

Cleopatra

favorite book character

desert

forest

mountains

ocean

pumpkin seed

pine cone

octopus

mannequin

lollipop

something sticky

footprints

tractor

slime

island paradise

sand dune

archer

my favorite outfit

trophies

fishing fly

black hole

cyclops

swan

mirror

microphone

pretzels

newspaper

submarine

scrambled eggs

eel

wave

bike

leather boots

keys

coffee cup

self portrait

snake charmer

playground

sumo wrestler

crystal chandelier

eight ball

secrets

treasure chest

children's toy

something that sparkles

penguin

unicorn

pirate

tribal pattern

suit of armor

pinball machine

erupting volcano

seahorse

ninja

happy monster

futuristic car

three little pigs

magic amulet

yeti

toolbox

fish bones

zipper

carpenter

handcuffs

doll house

mask

telescope

piano

windmill

double sided axe

samurai

ghost

hot air balloon

bubbles

polka dots

plate of cookies

snake scales

pair of socks

high dive

belt

figure skater

fisherman

space

jack-o-lantern

Cinderella's glass slipper

hay bale

bumper cars

cover wagon

spy

fighter jet

parachute

tree bark

radio

art gallery

bow and arrow

pepperoni pizza

snail

bushel of apples

doorknob

talking object

harp

chess pieces

sprinkler

electricity

computer keyboard

presents

barn

plaid

jewelry

ballet

curtains

tripod

sunglasses

bow tie

Saturn's rings

birdcage

swap creature

horse and carriage

banana peel

stapler

toothpaste

thunder storm

movie poster

video game controller

cinnamon sticks

target

skull

elf

alien plant life

first love

new baby

kids jumping

glaciers

shark

scarf

wheelchair

blacksmith

four wheeler

cowboy

crossroads

pedestal

police car

pug

someone who is full of joy

what's under your bed

hieroglyph

dolphin

wooden shield

laughing

jump rope

desk

something big next to something small

taxi

staircase

tomahawk

hummingbird

hedgehog

gorilla

firetruck

soda can

teddy bear

fortune cookie

fruit basket

smirk

game of marbles

crumpled paper

swordfish

alarm clock

goldfish

puppet

salt and pepper shakers

jet pack

time machine

hands

wood fencing

cave mouth

milkshake

high heeled shoes

music

smile

mad scientist

telephone booth

skyscraper

gargoyle

diamond

sushi

brier patch

something that comes in pairs

box of chocolates

brick wall

bat

chicken

bonsai tree

headphones

a new typeface

jellyfish

candy canes

lawn mower

rain puddles

school

lamb

wolf

bed

bowl of popcorn

lampshade

peacock

turtle

bear

ceiling fan

yo-yo

oil spill

kite

invisible man

casino

Abraham Lincoln

ice cream cone

corn on the cob

claws

beekeeper

coins

watermelon

landing on the moon

rotary telephone

brain

rocks

needle in a haystack

picnic basket

fireplace

bottle of poison

genie in a bottle

knight

hammer

acorn

orange

owl

hair

wheel barrel

pyramids

exploding dynamite

shrimp

guitarist

keyboardist

drummer

singer

griffin

carousel horse

bunnies

puppies

board game

a famous painting

stone walkway

maple leaf

lizard

eyes

ears

nose

mouth

leopard

record player

bulldozer

bride

snowman

feather headdress

playing cards

windy day

sleeping bag

dancing skeleton

piggy bank

wizard

evil prince

lantern

beach ball

cherub

sprout

aircraft carrier

olympic swimmer

wedding dress

feather

baseball glove

noodles

cat

dog

happy

sad

angry

relaxed

graffiti

motorcycle

tornado

caveman

pineapple

Lock Ness monster

flag

gas mask

starry sky

dream house

deer

Goldilocks

frog

tadpole

swing

circus clown

earth

cupcake

lace

rocking chair

bravery

Big Ben

doctor

railroad car

parade

Christmas sweater

Ferris wheel

sci-fi gun

medicine cabinet

birthday party

cutlery

great wall of china

umbrella

traffic sign

catapult

light bulb

bamboo

heart

moon colony

sandwiches

juice box

lake house

bushes

hard candy

camouflage

platypus

football helmet

soccer game

balloons

astronaut

missing teeth

memory

jukebox

tulip

ladybug

birthday cake

t-shirt

igloo

golf ball

fossils

your least favorite food

pencil cup

half eaten apple

food with a face

horseshoe

daffodil

castle

tea party

scared

bag of chips

camping

cabin

bonfire

ship

watering can

palm tree

wind chimes

armchair

fireworks

knife

wine cork

waitress

farmer

fountain

last leaf on a tree

saber toothed tiger

grocery store

rainbow

typewriter

engine

bluebird

shooting star

a new invention

school of fish

bearded lady

secret garden

suspension bridge

viking artifact

Eiffel tower

a feast for a king

guitar

tree house

seashell

dinosaur

sea lion

Taj Mahal

your favorite animal in a tuxedo

[rosesnvines]

The Art of Diplomacy

This is a combination of, well, Art and Diplomacy, lol. Working on a longer story for the month and I want more chapters done before I post some of it. Hope you enjoy this little snippet!! Which also stars Callum and Harrow from The Dragon Prince (Callum and Hiccup just make such great besties). 

Callum pushed the pencil across the table. Hiccup caught it with his finger and pushed it back. Callum caught it, and pushed back to him. This little, mind-numbing game went on for a few minutes before Hiccup’s father, Stoick, picked up the pencil. 

“Dad!” blurted Hiccup as both boys finally brought their heads up from the table. 

“They’ll be here any second now,” said Stoick. 

Callum sat back in his chair and groaned. “Why do we have to be here?” 

Callum’s stepfather, King Harrow, stepped behind his chair and crossed his arms. “Because you are the eldest.” 

“And Hiccup is going to be the new chief when he’s older,” said Stoick. “He needs to get used to this.” Both boys groaned. 

“But they’re taking forever to get here!” blurted Callum. 

“Can we at least do something while we wait?” said Hiccup. “Promise we’ll pay attention when they get here.” 

“Ah, your son already has the makings of a diplomat, Stoick. But that should be no surprise considering how he’s taken care of your dragon problem,” said Harrow, impressed with Hiccup’s simple request. 

Hiccup glanced at him and blinked. “Huh?” 

Stoick shrugged. “I guess so.” He glanced between the two boys before looking at Harrow. “Alright, I think we can let them do something else while they wait. What did you have in mind?” 

“Drawing!” the boys said in unison. 

Harrow laughed as he went to another table and grabbed a few sheets of paper and a pencil. “Go figure.” 

Stoick shrugged as he placed the pencil he picked up back on the table. “Hey, it is was got us actually into talking. Looks like your son has the makings of a diplomat as well.” 

Harrow nodded as he patted Callum’s shoulder. “So it would seem. Guess they’re already off to a  good start.” 

“So then, we really didn’t have to come?” asked Callum, a little too hopefully. 

Both men glanced at him as his stepfather answered. “Oh, you still had to come.” 

The boys groaned, but in the next minute their attention was on drawing. Both of them had worked hard on fine-tuning their art skills, and it had helped to form their friendship, and eventually an alliance between Berk and Katolis. They were so focused on their art that they didn’t hear the whispered conference between Harrow and Stoick nor saw them leave the room. 

They kept at their drawing, Callum on a picture of his mother while Hiccup was drawing out Toothless. He had told Callum a lot about his new dragon friend, but hadn’t been able to show him. Toothless wasn’t allowed on this trip, Stoick thought it best not to bring a dragon along to a meeting with Scots. He warned that they could take any slight annoyance or aggression as an act of war. Harrow, having had more experience dealing with the elves on the border of his kingdom, decided to leave it to Stoick’s expertise on the matter and let him lead this peace treaty, which was Harrow’s idea to combine as many countries as possible to fight the elves if the time ever came. If the elves decided to join the alliance as well, Harrow was more than willing to let them. But for now, they were wanting to be prepared in case the elves decided to go to war instead. Harrow was glad that Berk had its own dragons, that would give them a much needed hand in a battle. 

Hiccup finished his drawing first. “Hey Callum, this is what Toothless looks like.” He picked it up and showed his friend. 

Callum’s eyes widened. “Whoa! He looks amazing!” He grinned at Hiccup. “I still can’t believe you have your own dragon!” He leaned forward on the table. “What’s it like flying him?” 

Hiccup’s face brightened as his eyes took on a faraway look. “Like freedom. No one can tell me how far I can or can’t go, or how high, or, well . . . like you’re free. That’s the best way to describe it. I’m going to have to show you.” 

Callum grinned. “I would totally like that.” 

“So, you have a  dragon, huh?” 

The boys yelped and jumped out of their chairs. They looked at the end of the table and saw a girl their age with fiery orange curls running wild past her shoulders, sky blue eyes, and was wearing an aqua dress. She looked uncomfortable in the dress, but Hiccup couldn’t help but think that she looked cute, even if she was glaring at them like Astrid would have. 

Callum was trying to hide behind Hiccup, but plucked up enough courage to say, “Who, who are you?” 

She went from having her hands on her hips to having them crossed. “I’m Merida DunBroch, my parents are King Fergus and Queen Eleanor. Who are you?” she said in a thick Scottish accent. 

Hiccup quickly introduced the two of them. “So, you’re a Scot.” 

“Well duh,” said Merida with a roll of her eyes. “Whatever gave it away?” 

Callum chuckled nervously. “That, that was a good one.” 

“Ugh.” She threw up her arms. “Why did I have to come? Now I’m stuck with a couple of wee lambs!” 

“Your parents forced you to come too?” blurted Callum. 

Merida glanced between the two. “Your dad forced you too?” 

They nodded, but Hiccup noticed that the men weren’t in the room. “Yeah,” he said, “but they’re not here. I wonder where they went?” 

Merida shrugged. “There  were two guys outside who suggested I come in here and that they go talk somewhere else.” 

Hiccup and Callum blinked and glanced at each other in surprise. What was going on? 

“Why would they do that? Dad said we had to come to learn about diplomacy!” blurted Callum. 

Hiccup groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. “If we just wasted time on this . . . I could be flying with Toothless right now!” 

Merida seemed to relax a bit at that and came closer towards the boys. “Speaking of, how did you get this dragon?” 

Hiccup grinned and told her the whole story of how he captured Toothless and how they eventually became good friends. The three sat back down at the table during Hiccup’s story and he showed Merida his picture of Toothless. 

She glanced over it with wonder. “Wow, he’s a beauty! And you’re pretty good at art.” 

Hiccup blushed slightly. “Uh, um, thanks!” 

She noticed Callum’s piece and pulled it closer for a better look at it. “And who’s this?” 

Callum smiled sadly. “My mom.” There was a moment’s pause as he took a deep breath before launching into the story of how he lost his mother and why this alliance was being created. Merida sat and listened, letting him tell his tale without interruption. 

She spoke when he was finished. “I’m sorry about your mother.” 

“Um, thanks.” 

“So, what about you?” said Hiccup. “What’s your story?” 

Merida laughed. “You wouldn’t believe me.” 

“Try us,” said Callum. 

She let out a huff. “Alright then, here goes.” She told about how she was trying to change some traditions, primarily involving her marriage to one of the other three Scottish tribes’s sons. But their mouths dropped when she talked about how her mother got turned into a bear and how they reversed the spell. 

“What?” blurted Callum at the end of it. 

Merida huffed. “Told you you wouldn’t believe me.” 

“Oh I believe you,” said Hiccup quickly, “but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the notion that there’s a witch who can turn people into bears, and only bears. Or that there’s even a witch!” 

“You’re telling me!” said Merida. 

“But, it helped you make the changes you needed to make,” said Hiccup. A big smile grew on his face. “That’s something the dragons helped us to do.” 

Merida nodded, smiling. “So I could tell from your story.” She glanced at Callum. “If your father open to cooperation with the elves?” 

Callum nodded. “If they decide to cooperate and agree to peace, but we want the alliance in place just in case we need aid in a war, which I really hope won’t happen.” He turned to Hiccup and grinned. “But, having the dragons of Berk as allies can really come in handy.” 

Hiccup grinned back. “Definitely.” 

Merida glanced between them. “Are you two really good friends?” 

They nodded and told her how they became friends through their art. They offered Merida a piece of paper and a pencil to draw something. 

She waved her hand. “Oh, I’m nowhere near as good as either of you.” 

“Don’t you draw at all?” asked Callum. 

“Only when I’m bored during school.” 

Hiccup and Callum laughed. “So do we!!” 

Hiccup pushed the paper towards her. “Come on, just something simple, please?” 

She let out a huff. “Oh, alright.” She took the pencil and the paper and began to draw. She drew a pretty simple picture of a bird with Celtic designs swirling within the outline of the bird. 

“Hey, that’s pretty good!” said Callum. 

“Nice design,” said Hiccup, nodding with approval. 

“Thanks, it’s a design I carved on my bow.” 

“Your bow?” the boys asked. 

Merida grinned. “I like archery. I like sword-fighting too, but archery is my favorite.” 

Callum leaned in closer. “Could you teach me sword-fighting? I’m no good at it, and I don’t think my sword teacher has the patience for it anymore.” 

Hiccup glanced at Callum in surprise. “Soren, not have any patience? I don’t think there’s much that could phase that guy!” 

Callum grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, well, he does get tired of things after a while.” 

“Nah, it’s more like he’s not the greatest of teachers. That, or you’re just so bad there’s no hope for you.” 

Callum glared at Hiccup. “Hey!” Merida burst out guffawing. 

“If there’s no hope for you, then there’s no way I could teach you either!” 

A loud shout startled them. 

Hiccup’s eyes widened. “Has something gone wrong with the meeting?” 

“There shouldn’t have, unless my parents didn’t like something in the treaty,” said Merida, rising from the chair. “Come on, let’s find out!” She led the boys out of the room and into another room on the right. The three paused at the scene, there was more than just the three leaders of the respective countries, but a woman and three other men as well, along with a few more Scots. 

“Lord Dingwall, they actually allowed Eleanor and Merida to come, they practically requested it!” Fergus was saying, trying to calm down the red-faced Scotsman. 

“But an alliance, with Vikings? Come on Fergus, you should know better than that! Eleanor, talk some sense into him!” 

Eleanor strode up to Lord Dingwall and looked him in the eye. “It was I who suggested that we agree to the meeting, Lord Dingwall. Besides, it’s not like we’re forming an alliance with all Vikings, just this tribe.” 

Stoick nodded. “That’s right, there are some Vikings tribes that even we are enemies with. We have made alliances with a couple, but I have no authority to speak on their behalf at this meeting.” 

“Though we do hope they will join this alliance,” said Harrow. Stoick nodded. 

Lord Dingwall glared at them. “And how do we know you won’t betray us!” 

“If we do, though that was never our intent, you have the authority to side with our enemies and fight us,” said Harrow. 

“What?” blurted Callum. The adults turned and saw the three teens. 

“Ah, how kind of you to join us.” Stoick glanced at Dingwall. “Though, it’s a bit of a bad time.” 

“They will have to learn how to navigate through these bad times, Stoick.” 

“Quite true. Come, have a seat.” 

Dingwall scoffed. “And two new contenders for the princess’s hand, I suppose?” 

The boys blinked and glanced at each other before looking at Dingwall incredulously. “What?” 

But that statement seemed to make Merida mad. “Lord Dingwall, they have not presented themselves as possible suitors, only as friends. Please don’t jump to conclusions.” 

“Hmmph,” said Dingwall as he crossed his arms. 

“And if they do decide to present themselves as possible suitors for Merida,” said Eleanor, “we will not turn them away. Merida still has time to make her choice.” 

Dingwall grumbled something, but said nothing else. 

Harrow turned to Eleanor and Fergus. “Then, do we have an alliance?” 

“But how can we be sure we can trust them?” said another man. 

“Lord MacIntosh,” said Merida, “did you trust my father at first before he came to help you?” 

MacIntosh, Dingwall, and the third man, Lord MacGuffin, stared at Merida in shock. “No,” they managed to say slowly. 

“But you gave him a chance to prove himself, and he has. Will you not now allow these two to prove themselves?” 

The three huddled and had a quick conference before looking directly at Harrow and Stoick. “Fine,” said Dingwall, “we’ll give you a chance too.” 

Harrow held out his hand and shook hands with each of them, including Eleanor. “Thank you, I will not let you down.” 

“You’d better not, “said MacIntosh with a sniff. 

“Neither will I,” said Stoick as he too shook hands. 

“You especially,” said MacGuffin, “we’re going to keep a close eye on you.” 

“I wouldn’t expect any less,” said Stoick with a little more cheer in his voice. 

“Well, is that it? Can we go now? I want to get some practice in before we leave.” 

“Merida!” blurted Eleanor. “You’re supposed to be learning about diplomacy!”

Fergus chuckled. “Let them have some fun, Eleanor, we are almost done with this meeting.” 

Harrow grinned at them. “Besides, I think the three have already done all the diplomacy they can do at this time. It’s why we suggested Merida join Hiccup and Callum, so the two of them would get to know each other and practice diplomacy, if you will, on each other. I think it seems to be working out rather well, don’t you think?” 

The teens’s mouths dropped open. “What?” 

“Your lesson is done for the day, you may go play now,” said Stoick with a grin and a wink. 

Merida recovered first. “Fine, bye!” She turned and walked out the door, heading towards the yard. 

“Talk to you later!” said Hiccup before following her. 

“Hey, wait for me!’ said Callum as he rushed out. He came running back. “Bye!” He rushed after the other two. 

Harrow chuckled. “Yes, let’s go ahead and wrap this up, shall we?” 

Fergus grinned. “With pleasure.” The adults finished up the details of the treaty while Merida got to show off her skills, thoroughly impressing the boys. 

While Merida went around on her horse, Callum nudged Hiccup. 

“So, is she a competitor to Astrid now?” 

Hiccup blushed slightly and stammered. “Wh-what? N-no!” 

Callum grinned. “Uh-huh, yeah, sure.” 

“No she isn’t!” said Hiccup as he pushed Callum. He crossed his arms and glanced back at Merida, her fiery curls flying in the wind and a smile that reached into her lips. “No, but I would like to get to know her.” 

“She seems to have more in common with you than Astrid anyway,” said Callum. “And I think she’s pretty cool.” 

“Oh, so you have a crush on her!” 

Callum glared at him. “Do not! I like Claudia! You know that!” He crossed his arms and humphed. 

Hiccup chuckled as he turned back to watching Merida. Callum was right though, Merida seemed to have more in common with Hiccup. She wanted to be a free spirit, like him. She would no doubt enjoy flying as much as she does riding a horse, and exploring, and, well, everything Hiccup wanted to do. Except maybe the inventing, but a lot of other things he wanted to do before becoming chief. He leaned on his knees, not realizing how softly he was smiling at her, yeah, getting to know Merida better was now on that list.

[pop-culturereference]

1, 5, 13, 14!

1. Which item would tempt you most? A golden comb, an embroidered boat, or a red apple? I’m gonna assume it’s a comb in the sense of a hair ornament, and go with that. I’m a sucker for earrings, headbands, hairbows, and everything of that sort.

5. You’re out to save your kingdom from a cruel king. The journey will lead you through dangerous woods and unknown lands- what do you pack in your rucksack? Which animals would you ask to aid you on your journey? a magic box that plays music, an awesome sword (can you fit a sword in a rucksack?), poison (in case the sword doesn’t work), a key that can unlock any door. Animals? Songbirds to guide me on my way <3 <3

13. You’re a dragon, what do you hoard? Toilet paper (just kidding lol) Books, sweaters, pens/markers/colored pencils/scrapbook paper, sheet music and instruments. Also, boxes and boxes of cold cereal.

14. You’re a witch. What is the first spell you learn? A SPELL TO GIVE ME AIRBENDING POWERS 2nd spell, end world hunger.

[barberwitch]

Witch Tip Wednesday 7.18.18

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword: Enchanted Inks

So, you made a book of magic, you gilded the edges, and you’re ready to fill it. While the variety of pens and pencils and colors they come in has been a boon for witches, if you want to take your magical book to the next level, then magical inks are the way to go.

Not only are they an awesome project to work with and to add depth and make a statement in your book; magical and handmade inks are a simple way of adding a huge magical boost to a working.

Now, a lot of modern witch craft if it even specified to use a certain color, it doesn’t specify the ink. Again, I’m down for ease of use and witching on the go, but if you’ve got the time and really want to tip the scales, use a corresponding ink.

Used for sealing pacts, written spells, or adding gravitas to a petition, enchanted inks are generally a blend of sacred resins and herbs blended together. They can be used simply with only a few words, or adding another magical level to sigils or ritual. Some people even use these inks to draw on themselves as the ink can stain for a day or more to carry more witchcraft through the day.

Just as people choose specific candles or oils for their workings, there’s a history of putting as much care in choosing which ink to use as these modern witchcraft practices.

A note on “blood”: There isn’t actual blood required for these recipes. Due to secret codes and lost references, some may assume bat’s blood or dove’s blood ink require actual animal sacrifice, but much like the animal misnomers covered in my Shakespearean Herb name post, this is just a code for blood resins.

Dragon’s Blood Ink

Dragon’s blood ink is a wonderful place to start, because honestly, the other blood inks can be easily tinkered and altered off the base of this type. Used for general magical need, workings dealing with courage, strength, power, and luck.

Dragons blood resin is used as a general magical booster. Something that increases spiritual resonance similar to how some people use asafoetida to add an extra boost or how others will use crystals to add extra power.

🐉Dragon’s blood resin

🐉Gum arabica (acacia gum)

🐉Alcohol*

🐉Optional: cinnamon essential oil

Grind the resins as finely as possible (equal parts is a good place to start) and once it’s ground as finely as possible, start to add alcohol drop by drop until it reaches proper consistency to use with a fountain or dip pen.

Bottle and label this and give a shake before use!

Dove’s Blood Ink

Used for love magic, blessings, friendship and relationships in general.

🕊Dragon’s blood resin

🕊Gum arabica**

🕊Alcohol

🕊Cinnamon essential oil***

🕊Rose essential oil/tincture***

🕊Bay Laurel essential oil***

Bat’s Blood Ink

Used for baneful magic. Hexes, curses, bad luck, domination, and commanding, or for lifting hexes curses and other baneful workings.

Just as a note, as this is adding yet another component to baneful work, just take caution when using because it’s yet another moving part to something you already should be cautious about. Last thing you want is your own working splintering off and affecting you or others inadvertently.

🦇Dragon’s Blood Resin

🦇Gum Arabica

🦇Alcohol

🦇Cinnamon Essential Oil

🦇Myrrh Resin

Label this one especially, because you don’t want to try and protect someone and accidentally hex them by mixing up your inks.

Additional Inks

There are other enchanted inks like Butterfly Blood Ink which can get rather pricey as saffron is a key ingredient. Or natural dyes that can be mixed to create different colored inks like color changing butterfly pea flower.

Lampblack ink made with candle soot, oak iron ink made with oak galls and iron infused liquid was the original black ink used in illuminated texts and grimiores. You can experiment and look up recipes, but find what works for you!

🦇Cheers, Barberwitch

Like the blog? Show support! Buy me a Ko-fi or donate to PayPal. It truly helps.

Original content of this blog is licensed under a Creative Commins Attributution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license

Additional notes ⬇️

After a time, alcohol may dissolve and thicken the ink. Add additional alcohol until it reaches the proper consistency.

*If you are using a high percentage alcohol like I mention in my tinctures post, you can let this sit for a few days to allow the alcohol to dissolve as much resin as possible. If not using a high proof, then strain it through a coffee filter or fine piece of cloth to remove debris.

**Gum Arabica, also known as acacia gum or resin from the acacia tree is added as a thickening agent which helps the consistency of the ink be usable. Without a thickening agent, it will be hard to write with and more or less like painting with water colors.

***If essential oils aren’t a viable option, I suggest making a concentrated tincture with the herbs required, and feel free to add additional herbs you connect with your purposes to this. Use the tincture instead of plain alcohol to make the ink. (See the above mentioned tincture post for details.)

[do-your-socks-have-holes-in-them]

Til the End of the Night / Ch6: In which Roman has company

Previous / Masterpost / Next 

Summary: The Dragon Witch finally shows up in person.

Warnings: manipulation, breaking things in anger

A/N: Roman wanted more page time. And by wanted I mean demanded from me. So I gave it to him. :)

Read on AO3

Roman watched through his full-length mirror as his friends entered the forest.  All the walking wasn’t very exciting, but watching it was better than doing nothing. He had finally worked out how to zoom in on the stupid thing after tinkering with it (and shouting at it) for most of the day, and jeez was he ever gonna have to have a talk with those three about their clothing choices.  Virgil at least looked the part, although it was the wrong part.  And, okay, yes, Patton was freakin’ adorable, that was a given.  Logan, uh… yeah, he had nothing there.  Even his face- which was, of course, identical to Roman’s own face, and Roman looked good in anything- still couldn’t save that outfit. Back to the point, though, if they were going through the forest, that meant they were taking the same route he himself had a few days ago.  Which meant… hmm.

He flopped on the bed to think, staring up at the ceiling. When he traveled that path, he was always presented with challenges- three of them, to be exact.  Adventuring was his way of testing himself, making sure his improvisation skills were kept sharp, as well as his swordsmanship.  His friends probably wouldn’t be fighting much, though, given that they had no weapons and wouldn't know how to use them if they did.  No, they were more likely to face obstacles suited to their individual strengths.

“But what might those be?” he mused aloud.  Not that he didn’t know what their strengths were, but how did, say, Patton’s emotional intelligence and caring nature translate into anything that might pop up in the normal course of a heroic quest?  He tried not to dwell on the fact that he should have known, that he seemed to be losing control over his own dreamspace thanks to their presence and truly did not know what would happen.  “I mean, I’ve certainly never heard of anyone defeating a dragon with hugs.”

“Have you ever tried?”  He sat up in surprise at the sound of another voice, light and teasing, yet underlaid with a dangerous sharpness.  The Dragon Witch herself, stepping through the mirror.  He dismissed the images quickly and laid a hand on his sword, jumping to his feet.  “It’s been a while, Prince.”

“Not long enough, witch, and I believe the attempt would only earn me a knife in the back,” he pointed out, eyebrow raised.  She laughed, tossing her intricately braided dark hair over her shoulder.

“You know me too well.  How are you faring, all alone in here?  I know it must be difficult for you, what with the lack of adoring imaginary subjects and all.”

“You’ll be disappointed to hear that I am perfectly fine.” Actually, he had never been so bored in his life.  Now that the reality of his situation had really settled into the Imagination’s framework, he couldn’t conjure anything fun anymore.  “Enough small talk, what are you planning?  You must have a reason for wanting me out of the way.”  His weapon was drawn now, and they circled each other, Roman holding his sword at the ready, the witch’s hands giving off a warning glimmer of magic.  They both knew better than to attack first, so a wary peace existed for the moment.

“Oh, taking over your kingdom, terrorizing the populace, the usual.  I do wish you’d give me more complicated motives once in a while.”  The witch was one of Roman’s earliest creations.  He wasn’t entirely sure when she had become self-aware.  It was a bit worrying, if he was honest; sometimes he wasn’t sure if she was really under his control or just playing along for her own amusement.

Roman bristled at the insult to his creativity, clapping a hand over his heart in offended shock.  “You dare presume to tell me how to craft my stories?!  I wish you wouldn’t imprison me in my own architecture, but we can’t always have what we want, can we?”

“Point taken.  But that reminds me, I didn’t just come to indulge your love of antagonistic banter.”  She took a step towards him and he raised his sword defensively.  “Oh, put that down, I’m not here to fight.”

“Maybe I am,” he retorted, and, well, with an opening like that, what was he supposed to do?  He lunged at her with a shout, only to find himself suspended in midair, surrounded by green and gold light.  Stupid magic. His sword floated out of his hand and over to her while he was immobilized.  She finally released him from the spell after catching it and he thudded onto the floor in a very unprincely manner.  He glared at her and stood up, brushing himself off and trying to look at least a little bit dignified.

She responded as if nothing had happened between his last statement and this one.  “No, you’re here to wait for someone to save you from my evil clutches, but since I doubt that will be happening any time soon, right now you’re going to help me with this.”  She produced a rolled-up parchment and showed him a vague drawing of a castle.  “I mean, it’s definitely missing something, right?”

He blinked, taken aback and briefly forgetting to be angry. “Pardon?”

“The design of my castle,” she said, as if it should have been painfully obvious.  “How am I to take your place as ruler of this realm without anywhere to rule from?”

He really shouldn’t be helping her with that, but dangit, the temptation of having something to do was too strong.  It wasn’t as if she would have time to actually construct the thing, after all, he certainly wouldn’t be lending any assistance there, so there was no harm in merely planning it as a mental exercise.  And he really wanted to draw a castle, okay?  He snatched the paper and spread it out on the table, conjuring a pencil.

“Alright, you’re definitely going to need more spikey bits here… No, no, this is all wrong-” he erased an entire section of the building- “this should be over here, and then maybe some spires… Oh, and of course there’s got to be a wall with a nice, intimidating front gate…”  Without her noticing, he also scribbled in a small back-door entry.  No impenetrable stronghold would be complete without a way to sneak in, obviously.

Soon he was flipping the paper over to sketch different angles on the back, and then unconsciously summoning up more, so absorbed in messy floor plans that he didn’t notice when the sun went down. The witch watched over his shoulder as he muttered to himself, smirking at how easy it had been to get him going. Eventually, he finished off one last illegible annotation with a flourish and stepped back proudly. “Done!  Beautiful, right?”

She stepped around him and shuffled through the papers. “Oh, yes, you’re so talented!”  He preened.  She glanced sideways at him, a glint in her silver eyes and a smug smile tugging at her lips, and he faltered, realizing he may possibly have made a slight mistake.  “And so, so incredibly easy to manipulate.”

Her eyes flashed green.  He gasped and braced himself on the table.  It felt as though someone had wrapped a hand around his internal organs and given a sharp tug.  Something was torn from him, forced violently out into the world.  His closest reference point was a dream gone wrong, the feeling of nightmares forming themselves from his creative power against his wishes, only so much stronger. He couldn’t breathe for a second, and then the witch flicked a hand at him before he could try to move, walking away and leaving him frozen in place.  He could only watch as she oh-so-casually opened a wooden door that definitely had not existed before, on the opposite side of the room from the window, and stepped out into a long torch-lit hallway, taking his sword with her.  “Thanks for the castle, Princey,” she sang while closing the door.  There was the metallic sound of a key in a lock, and he stumbled a bit as her magic dissipated from the air around him.

“No,” he said out loud, surprising himself with how angry he sounded.  “No! How could I be such an idiot!”  He swept the papers off the table in frustration, and the look he gave them as they fluttered harmlessly to the floor should by all rights have burst them into flame.  “I finally get a chance to do something in this story, the story I was supposed to be the hero of, might I remind you-”  He appeared to be reminding the lantern.  “-and the one thing I’ve been able to do in like a week, it all goes completely flipping pear-shaped!  It’s not fair!”

He was vaguely aware that this was the literal definition of throwing a tantrum, but given that no one could see him anyway, he didn’t particularly care.  In fact, he decided to go ahead and throw a pillow, too, while he was at it.  Then he accidentally knocked the lantern off the table, again, while pacing angrily around the room, and then the pillow he’d just thrown was on fire and so were the drawings, and the lantern survived but he burned his hand retrieving it and at that point he was too frustrated and tired to clean up properly, so he didn’t. He just fell into a convenient chair and glared at nothing in particular, trying to get himself under control before his burning anger morphed into hot tears.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He couldn’t tell how long it took him to calm down.  When he felt like sitting up properly again, it was really dark outside, and that was all he knew.  The lantern was flickering, because a lot of its oil was now pooled around the charred remains of paper and fabric and fluff.  He simply snapped his fingers to get rid of that mess, now that he was stable and not at risk of making it worse instead.  While he was at it, he cleaned himself up and changed into some more comfortable clothes for sleeping, red flannel pajama pants and a soft t-shirt.  He sat on the edge of the bed, dropped his head into his hands, and sighed.

“Am I… losing control?”

The room didn’t respond.  His own thoughts tried to answer him instead, and he didn’t much appreciate what they had to offer.  The evidence was beginning to add up, as Logan would say, probably while dressed as Sherlock Holmes for some reason.  Getting stuck here in the first place could be dismissed as a fluke.  The others having influence over his realm, well, that made sense, given the way it responded to his thoughts, although that didn’t mean he liked it.  But the Dragon Witch hijacking his power to bring an entire castle into existence?  That should not have been able to happen.  He created her.  She was a figment of his own imagination.  Why was she suddenly doing things he didn’t expect, or understand, or know how to stop?  It was… scary.  He had never been genuinely afraid of anything here, always knowing on some level that none of it was real, but this scared him.

He wanted to conjure up a new pillow, but was hit with the probably-irrational fear that it wouldn’t work and he would have proof that his power was fading.  Maybe leaving him entirely, stranding him here, never to return to Thomas except in dreams, where he would desperately try to get a message through each night only to have it forgotten upon waking and okay no this was not a hypothetical narrative he needed to follow to its conclusion, that was only making things worse, stupid brain seizing on anything it could turn dramatic and taking it way further than necessary.  This was exactly why he needed the others to get here soon.  Logan would bring him back to what was real and actually happening when his thoughts ran away with him like that, and Patton would surely give him a hug and believe in him so hard he’d forget he ever doubted himself, and Virgil would make him feel better just by being there, ready to stop him if he tried to do anything else stupid for the sake of showing off.  He and Logan were basically 85% of Roman’s impulse control, but Virgil was the one willing to literally tackle him to prevent a bad decision.  He’d never expected to miss that.

This wasn’t getting him anywhere productive, and he couldn’t sleep with his thoughts in such turmoil.  He gave up after fifteen minutes of trying and sat up.  The room was nearly pitch-black, but there was a dim sliver of light coming through the crack under the newly-extant door, making the mirror appear to glow.  Maybe he would just check on them once more before going to sleep, just, you know, to see how far they had gotten since last time.  They were almost certainly asleep by now, but still.  He felt his way carefully across the darkened room and pressed a hand against the cold glass of the mirror, focusing his thoughts on his friends.

[thedragonwitchesau]

Chapter Five

The Painting

Wattpad

Table of Contents

I'd like to give a quick shoutout to my new writing/editing buddy Carl for listening to me read this aloud, and giving me the motivation to finish this chapter!

Patton sighed, and started again. “They don’t hate you in particular, it’s just that a lot of Dragon-Witches have bad feelings towards humans. Some gather in groups to hunt us, and, well, you can’t really say you approve of a species that does that, can you?”

Roman nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt. 

“Hey, why don’t we play Patton-cake?” 

Roman looked at him. “What’s that?” 

Patton laughed, and smirked. “You’ll see. Now, go dip all of your fingers in candle wax.”

Roman smiled, leaning up against Patton’s cottage. The weather was just so perfect. The air was crisp, the breeze was soft, and the sun was casting a golden glow over the whole area. He just wanted to stay out here forever and write his novel, but something in the back of his mind reminded him that he had other things to do.

Mainly, win over Virgil and Logan. If he could just get them on his side, he could finally make it into Draconison. He could finally achieve his goal.

So novel writing would have to be sidelined for now, and he would have to put all of his focus on formatting a plan. He couldn’t allow anything to interrupt him.

“Hey kiddo! You busy?”

…

Well, Patton was an exception, right?

 He thought for a moment, then looked up. “No, not really. Did you need anything?” 

“Actually, me, Logan and Virgil had plans to go to a lake not too far from here. I was wondering if you wanted to join us?”

Roman’s smile widened. This was perfect! He could try and earn the other’s trust while having a fun time at a lake!

“That’d be wonderful!” 

 “And by the way,” The shorter one added, “do you have any swimming clothes?” 

The knight thought for a bit, realizing he hadn’t gone swimming in… almost ten years? 

“No,” he admitted.

 “That’s alright!” Patton said. “I think I have some spares in my room.” He quickly motioned for Roman to follow him, then went inside.

He gathered up his novel pages, and then jogged in after him, placing them down on the table. He saw Patton disappearing up the stairs, so he went the same way. 

Unlike his room, which was on the left side of the hall, the Dragon-Witch’s was on the right, with a door the same shade as his house. Patton held it open for him, and he looked around.

The room was just like Patton, bright and cheery. There was a large bed in the corner with a soft-looking pale-yellow blanket, a small bookshelf filled with spell books right beside it. The wall in front of him had a window with a few succulent plants in cute vases on the windowsill. Instead of candles or torches like most buildings Roman was used to, there were small glowing orbs of light clustered all around the room. To the right was a wall filled with paintings of Patton and what Roman assumed to be his family, or his friends. 

He looked over to the painting in the center of the wall and let out a small gasp. 

There were two women in the back of the painting. The woman on the left had light brown hair, green eyes, and a bright smile. She had pale yellow wings and was wearing a white shirt (or dress, he couldn’t tell) with a white witch’s hat. She was holding hands with the other, who was quite different. 

This Dragon-Witch had dark skin, and black hair pulled up in a bun. Her wings were a very dark navy, almost black, and she was wearing a gray turtleneck and glasses. Her expression seemed cold, but then he took a step forward. The human noticed that the corner of her mouth was turned upwards, slightly, and that she seemed to have a twinkle in her eye.

Sitting in front of them were two people. The first one was a mirror-image of Patton, the only difference being his slightly darker hair, white wings, and brown robes. He had the same friendly smile on his face, and Roman thought he was the type of person who wouldn’t hesitate to give you a hug.

Next to him was the second Dragon-Witch. He had tan skin, brown eyes, and black hair. He had a smug smirk on his face and looked like he knew something that someone else didn’t. He had a tail that was a kind of sienna color and was wearing a black robe with a brown leather bag.

And then there was the final Dragon-Witch. She was laying on her side in front of them all, one hand supporting her head and the other on her hip. She had a joyful expression, green eyes and reddish-brown hair. Her wings were a bit of a darker magenta, and she had a slightly poofy cream-colored dress with rainbow elements.

He knew this painting. He knew what it was, and he knew that it shouldn’t be here. Right?

By this time, Patton had noticed him looking at it, and came over. “Do you like it?” 

The second man turned to him. “Yeah… where did you get it?” 

“Oh, my dad gave it to me a few years ago. It’s a picture of him and his friends from when he was a bit younger.”

Roman froze. What?

“Anyways,” Patton continued, holding out a pair of swimming trunks, “Will this work?”

“Y-yeah,” he said, not really knowing, and not really caring all that much. He quickly grabbed them, and went over to his room, thinking of those four words, and trying to figure out how in the world they were possible. 

So. New chapter! Oh my gosh, I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while. But I think I've finally solved my plot/ship problems, so chapters should be a bit more frequent. (although, now I do have real life school, so let's hope I can find time in between that...) Anyways, if you liked this, please re-blog, and let me know your general feedback as well as any spelling or grammar mistakes that I may have made! Have a great day/night everyone! -Pencil (also, if it wasn't clear, Carl is a stuffed turtle.)

[apocalypticvalraven]

Some custom pokemon based on friends after I posted these to my Facebook-

And because it’s pencil and my phone camera is bad-

Piezap

The Piezoelectric Pokemon Electric/Rock

Special Ability: Piezoelectricity When struck by a physical attack, this pokemon’s SPD rises.

Piezap is composed of quartz-rich rock pieces, held together by strong electric fields. As piezap is jostled, charge builds up in its quartz growths, which it can release to devastating effectiveness.

Move List -Rock Throw -Zippy Zap -Spark -Magnet Rise -Bolt Strike -Power Gem -Plasma Fists -Ancient Power -Diamond Storm -Thunder -Rollout -Stealth Rock

Grypalm

The Muskateer Pokemon Dark/Grass

Special Ability: Riposte When a physical attack misses the pokemon, the user takes half the damage it would have dealt.

Grypalm is covered in leaf-like feathers and soft fibrous fur that provide it ample protection from tearing and piercing. The long leaves on one arm and the leafy cloak allow it to flourish and feint with great effectiveness before driving it’s long thorn into its enemy.

Move List -Leaf Blade -Spiky Shield -Throat Chop -Razor Leaf -Swords Dance -Razor Shell -Bullet Seed -False Swipe -Night Slash -Feint Attack -Solar Beam -Searing Shot

Cauldragon

The Coven Pokemon Dragon/Ghost

Special Ability: Into the Pot When struck by a Poison type move, the pokemon’s Special Attack increases

Cauldragon is a mysterious pokemon, reclusive and nearly always encountered either alone or in groups of 3, 5, 7, 11 or 13, each with their own potwidow. The singular large horn and frill on its head give the impression of a witch’s hat, and is fearsomely protected by the pokemon.

Move List -Hex -Silver Wind -Attract -Confusion -Toxic -Shadow Claw -Curse -Cauldron Brew -Spore -Ominous Wind -Infestation -Dragon Breath

Cauldron Brew Ghost, Status 20 PP, --Atk, 90 Acc Afflicts the target with a random status affliction (poison, paralysis, sleep, burn, frozen, confusion, attract)

[faladafound]

🎵 As a musician, this is a daily mantra for myself, and a message I try to share with my piano students. But when you truly think about it, this application should be taken beyond music to any life encounter. So often myself, and students, struggle to keep motivated when a piece is challenging. Because, being honest, things are rarely fun when they are difficult. However this is where the true test of character development lies...it becomes more than just a piano piece. The question becomes what are we truly practicing: the piece or our world view? How we face challenges and difficulties in childhood and in our hobbies shapes the very person we become; whether life throws us a difficulty in finances, in work, in relationships, or in crisis, we need to be prepared. When it becomes a challenge, will we be the person who walks away? Or will we rise to the occasion and make something incredible out of it? Just like a blacksmith tempers a sword with fire to build the blade's strength, our daily small stresses are there to mold our character and minds into our own weapon against adversity. Two days ago, I coached a piano student through a difficult passage in her music. We were working over the phone, due to social distancing, but I could hear her scribbling notes down with her pencil and the earnest concentration filled her voice. We worked together for almost an hour. Last night, her mom sent me a video of her proudly playing the piece in full. There are few greater joys than overcoming a challenge. Just ask St. George about his Dragon, Frodo about the Ring of Power, Lucy Pevensie about the White Witch. We love these stories for a reason: because in the end, we all want to be strong enough to be hero who beats our bad guys. So, today if something is getting you down, ask yourself: "What will I do today that will shape who I become tomorrow?" #instawrite #writersofinstagram #writer #write #author #journal #prose #foodforthought #inspiration #dailyinspiration #inspo #practice #practicetechniques #achieve #believe #selfawareness #selflove #confidence #music #musician #musicteacher #piano #pianist #pianoteacher #teach #success #dreambig #workhard #follow https://www.instagram.com/p/B-FRyjVlorb/?igshid=iifyi6kn99aa

[year-of-art]

365 Days Of Art 2018

First off, this is going to be a long post.

I have decided to make a drawing challenge list for an entire year. Ya sounds crazy but I’ve always been a bit eccentric.

This is also going to be my New Years resolution, so starting January 1st I will be picking a subject at random every day. Just need to find a big jar ^_^

I will be working in any media, not just pencil. The great thing about this challenge is that I can experiment with different media. This also takes me back to my College days, where we did a lot of experimenting e.g with sticks, feathers, I even made a printing tile out of form I found in a Pizza box.

Why am I doing this? I want to start drawing and painting again and I’ve always found it very therapeutic.

I will be posting each piece on my new art blog and in my Deviant Art gallery.

Feel free to use this list yourself and enjoy ^_^

A Flower

Hands

A Cartoon Character

Hearts

A Video Game

A Cat

Something Scary

Favourite Fruit

In The Garden

Favourite Movie

A Pokemon

A Bird

A Feather

An Umbrella

Rain

Favourite TV Show

A Butterfly

A Dream Catcher

Favourite Comic

Favourite Season

The Seaside

A Doodle

Something Pink

Dream Holiday

A Dog

Something Old

Favourite Book

A Piece Of Jewellery

Wonderland

Something Red

Home Comforts

A Bug

Favourite Hobby

Your Eyes

An Old Camera

Your Parents

Can't Live Without

Tea And Biscuits

Favourite Place

An Old Bottle

The 1980s

Fireworks

What Inspires You

An Old Phone

Keep Putting Off

An Ordinary Day

A Vampire

Favourite Musician

Something Green

A Cherished Item

Your Star Sign

Favourite Anime

Mandala

Something Blue

Steampunk

Your Countries Flag

A Logo

Landscape

The 1990s

A Sunset

Some Clothes

Your Birthstone

An Old Key

Favourite Fairytale

Monogram

What Upsets You

A Wish

The Milky Way

Something Blue

A Tiger

A Tree

An Old Light Bulb

Fictional Couple

This Month

A Place You’ve Visited

Someone You Admire

8 Bit Video Games

Something Yellow

A British Garden

Tea And Cakes

Something You Hate

A Plant

Favourite Disney Movie

Charms

An Old Sewing Machine

Stars

A Cityscape

Something Orange

An Anime Character

A Fashion Designer

The 1960s

A Robot

A Dragon

Zentangle

A Musical Instrument

Under The Sea

Sugar Skull

An Old Clock

What Makes You Happy

The 1950s

Artist You Admire

Mythical Creatures

Rainbow

Something Purple

Favourite Food

A Leaf

A Cupcake

Favourite Holiday

Dream Job

Favourite Country

An Old Teapot

Harry Potter

Something New

Favourite Sweet

Favourite Mug

Medieval Mayhem

An Old Bicycle

Marvel Movies

Favourite Manga

16 Bit Video Games

Sci-Fi Landscape

Something White

A Lion

Anything You Want

Favourite Colour

Final Fantasy

A Pokeball

Your Name Meaning

A Fish

Checkerboard

A Chess Piece

Fantasy Landscape

Self Portrait

Lips

A Dandelion

The 1920s

An Owl

Favourite Biscuit

Street Art Graffiti

Balloons

An Old Building

Celtic Knot

A Wolf

Flower Faces

Sunflowers

A Glass Of Water

Sliced Fruit

Year 3000

Piece Of Lego

Fictional Rivals

Something Cute

Optical Illusions

Cyberpunk

A Bat

A Phoenix

Stripes And Spots

Favourite Quote

Tropical Florals

Candles

Something Silver

A Journey

Art Deco

A Vase Of Flowers

A Spiders Web

Night and Day

Day At Comic Con

Stamps

Draw It Again

The Olympics

A Pack Of Cards

A Movie Scene

Manga Panel

An Old Stone Bridge

Something Gold

A Puzzle Box

Old Perfume Bottle

Abstract Flowers

Another Doodle

Board Game Pieces

The 1940s

Star Wars

Sun And Moon

A Sliced Vegetable

A Dragonfly

A World Of Books

First Toy

Fairy Tail

Steampunk Hat

Filigree Heart

A Rabbit

Keep Calm And…?

Clouds

Diamonds

Jewellery Tattoo

Something GOT

A Modern Bridge

Butterfly Faces

Queen Of Hearts

Silhouette

Ghost In The Shell

The Year 2000

Falling Apart

Abstract Butterfly

Good Morning World

A Werewolf

Disney Character

City Lights

New Life

Sonic

Sword Art Online

Under Water

A Black Cat

Original Character

Crystals

Anime Angel

A Butterfly Tattoo

A Necklace

Stone Castle

How R U Feeling?

Crosshatch Flower

Day Of The Dead

The 1930s

A Mermaid

Tomb Raider

Chinese Zodiac

Abstract Dragonfly

Favourite Junk Food

A Mountain

A Witch

Candy Land

Last Book You Read

Healing Magic

A Sea Shell

Angels & Demons

A Knight

Frames

English Breakfast

Fire And Ice

Water And Lightning

You've Cosplayed

Apocalyptic World

An Old Shoe

Geometry Art

Water Lilies

A Pair Of Earrings

Anime Eyes

An Elephant

The Rainforest

A Fictional World

Waves

Time Travel

Tassels

A Ring

A Dark Wizard

How R U Feeling?

Bead Art

Another Mandala

Steampunk Weapon

A Disney Princess

Yin And Yang

Paris

U In An Anime

Favourite Actor

The Colour Wheel

A Bracelet

The Alphabet

Pirates

Filigree Leaves

A Chrysanthemum

Peace

Medieval Buildings

A Chair

Another Zentangle

Mario Bros

A Seahorse

Spoons

Infinity

Anime Fan Art

A Dark Fairy

An Old Car

A Sword

Tropical Fish

Create A Outfit

Tribal Art

King Arthur

A Birdcage

Black & White

A Mask

A Doll

Mecha Anime

Experimental Draw

Found Objects

Anything U Want

A Fairy Door

Ice Cream

From The £ Shop

World Map

Hair

Dragon Eyes

Typography

A Fox

Treble Clef

An Anchor

Believe In Yourself

The Mad Hatter

A Hedgehog

A Dancer

A Peacock

Pocket Watch

Coca Cola Bottle

Old Jars

A Lollipop

Paint Brushes

A Bowl Of Fruit

Lavender Fields

A French Breakfast

Cute Donuts

A Panda Bear

Little Big Planet

Anime Crossover

A Unicorn

Peter Pan

Street Lights

A Cartoon Ninja

Storm In A Teacup

Wing Tattoo

A Compass

A Goldfish

A Penny

Animal Kites

A Ladybug

An Orchid

Needle & Thread

Watermelon

A Cute Alien

Magic Wand

Magic Potion

Steampunk Goggles

An Anime Ninja

Neo Victorian

Hippie Art

A Spaceship

Philosopher's Stone

Greatest Fear

Actress You Like

Surname Meanings

Chibi Party

Koi Fish

Game Boy

An Old Bench

Escape

Light & Shadow

Pens & Pencils

A Lighthouse

Harbor

Ninja Turtles

Egypt

Swirls And Spirals

Tree Of Life

A Dinosaur

The Deathly Hallows

Dream Home

You As A Pokemon

Greek Mythology

Coral Reef

[snarkyoracle]

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AMERIKARATE #6

Writer(s): Brockton McKinney, Corey Kalman Artist Name(s): Daniel Arruda Massa Cover Artist(s): Devin Roth (Cover A), Daniel Arruda Massa (Cover B), Dave Perillo (Cover C), April O’Neil (Cover D) Cover A  – Regular Cover (unlimited): Devin Roth Cover B – Machine Gun Variant (limited to 1500): Daniel Arruda Massa Cover C – Karate Man Variant (limited to 1500): Dave Perillo Cover D – April O’Neil Cosplay Variant (limited to 1500)

Explosions explosively disrupt Sam’s life as Cynthia fights for her legs in the midst of the mysterious robot crime wave. Now it’s up to Kickwell to clean up the city the only way he knows how: with an absolutely insane arsenal of asskicking weapons! If you’ve got a death wish, he’s ready to grant it!

32 pgs./ M / FC                   $3.99 

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DOLLFACE #9

Writer(s): Dan Mendoza & Bryan Seaton Artist Name(s): Dan Mendoza Cover Artist(s): Dan Mendoza, Colette Turner, Celor Cover A – Dan Mendoza (unlimited) Cover B – Tattered & Torn variant cover (limited to 2000): Dan Mendoza Cover C – Colette Turner Pin-up variant cover (limited to 1500) Cover D – Colette Turner Pin-up Tattered & Torn variant cover (limited to 2000) Cover E – Celor Pin-up variant cover  (limited to 1500) Cover F – Celor Pin-up Tattered & Torn variant cover (limited to 2000)

Still feeling responsible for the death of Emily’s girlfriend, Lila goes off on her own to reflect on who she was and what she has become.

Retailer exclusive coves are available, please contact bseaton@actionlabcomics.com.

32 pgs./ M / FC                   $4.99

DOLLFACE VOLUME 2

Writer(s): Dan Mendoza & Bryan Seaton Artist Name(s): Dan Mendoza Cover Artist(s): Dan Mendoza

The adventures continue as Lila, Emily and Ivan set off to sunny California in search of the next witch on Lila’s list. In this story, Emily meets up with her long distance love, Ivan learns more about his ghostly form and Lila exhibits what she’s capable of when pushed to the limits.

Get ready for California carnage in volume two of DollFace: Tales of the ball-jointed witch hunter!

128 pgs./ M / FC                   $14.99

Hero Cats: Midnight Over Stellar City Volume 2 #3

Writer(s): Kyle Puttkammer Artist Name(s): Alex Ogle (Inks, letters) Cover Artist(s): Alex Ogle

A time for WAR! Can Midnight and the Hero Cats survive Dr. Ross Rex’s all-out assault on Stone City?

32 pgs./ E / FC                   $3.99 

HERO CATS OF SKYWORLD TPB (COLLECTS HERO CATS #16-18)

Writer(s): Kyle Puttkammer Artist Name(s): Omaka Schultz Cover Artist(s): Omaka and Schultz (Inks), Julie Barclay (Colors), George Gant (Letters)

Bandit of Earth meets the Hero Cats of Skyworld for the first time! A perfect place for new readers to discover the exciting and dangerous realm ruled by Corvus the Crow King.

96 pgs./ E / FC                   $11.99 

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INFINITE SEVEN #7

Writer(s): Dave Dwonch Artist Name(s): Arturo Mesa (Pencils), Geraldo Filho (Colors) Cover Artist(s): Arturo Mesa (Covers A-B), Andrew Herman (Cover C)

In this special issue, we reveal the secret history of the Infinite Seven’s greatest enemy, and discover how he has been manipulating the Infinite Seven and the terrorist group Chimera. This issue sets the stage for an all-out war between the two, and nothing will be the same ever again!

32 pgs./ T+ / FC                   $3.99 

KID SHERLOCK #4

Writer(s): Justin Phillips Artist Name(s): Sean Miller (Pencils), Lesley Atlansky (Colors) Cover Artist(s): Sean Miller

Fear grips the students as an unseen force terrorizes the halls of Baker Elementary. Tensions rise as students continue to fall before the mysterious tripper. Sherlock and Watson must determine if the villain in question is a foe from their past or something else entirely. Time is running out!

32 pgs./ E / FC                   $3.99 

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MEDISIN #4

Writer(s): Jeff Dyer and Mark McKeon Artist Name(s): David Brame (Pencils), Joaquin Pereyra (Colors) Cover Artist(s): David Brame (Cover A) 

First Do No Harm Chapter 4 Ethan Sharp has the ability of fast thinking, but even his powerful mind is struggling to understand the shocking revelation from last issue. And with truth comes consequences as a MEDIC pays the ultimate price for this disclosure. Meanwhile, the MEDICs brace for war as the Lords of Discord begin their assault on Mitokas, headquarters for the Exemplars. Also, Sage’s past finally catches up to him. The final act of our opening story arc begins here!

32 pgs./ T+ / FC                   $3.99

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MIRACULOUS: PIXELATOR

Writer(s): Zag Entertainment Artist Name(s): Zag Entertainment Cover Artist(s):  Zag Entertainment Arranged and Adapted by: Cheryl Black and Nicole D’Andria

Vincent is a fan of pop singer Jagged Stone and he dreams about getting a picture with his idol where they pose like two friends. But Vincent gets rejected by the star. Akumatized by Hawk Moth, he turns into Pixelator and is determined to do everything he can to capture the image of his idol for good!

64 pgs./ E / FC                   $4.99 

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MIRACULOUS ADVENTURES #3

Created by: Thomas Astruc Written by: Thomas Astruc, Mélanie Duval, Fred Lenoir Bryan Seaton & Sébastien Thibaudeau Artist Name(s): Brian Hess Cover Artist(s): Thomas Astruc, Tony Fleecs Letters by: Justin Birch Edited by: Nicole D’Andria and Bryan Seaton

The Trash Krakken Part 2 Ladybug and Cat Noir are in New York, fighting a terrible menace that threatens to destroy the entire city. Alongside the world’s greatest superheroes, will they be able to stop the Trash Krakken before it’s too late?

32 pgs./ A / FC                   $3.99 

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MISBEGOTTEN: RUNAWAY NUN #1

Writer(s): Caesar Voghan and Eric Granger Artist Name(s): Justin Case, Casey Bailey, and William Bohm Cover Artist(s): Justin Case (Covers A-B), Photo Cover (Cover C)

In a post-apocalyptic world gone medieval, the Church sends their top monk warrior to infiltrate a renegade scientist’s enclave and kidnap the J-Clone, the Lord’s vat-born twin. Saving the holy clone from the cross forces, the monk must confront the truth of his own (very immaculate) birth.

Clones of Marilyn Monroe, Hitler, Gandhi and Jesus… oh my! Misbegotten is cyber-punk religion gone mad!

32 pgs./ M / FC                   $3.99 

SHINOBI: NINJA PRINCESS – LIGHTNING ORB #1

Writer(s): Martheus Wade Artist Name(s): Martheus Wade (Pencils), Gene Fayne (Colors) Cover Artist(s): Martheus Wade and Gene Fayne

Ninja VS Monster Action is Back! After the capture and narrow escape of fourteen year old ninja-in-training, Shainndrea, the Toshigawa Ninja Clan has been forced to move to a new secret base further on the outskirts of Osaka. The evil Red Dragon has taken leadership of the rival Azumi Ninja Clan and is determined to fulfill the contract to capture Shianndrea at any and all costs. Now, with her new commanders in place, the stage is set for the Red Dragon to reveal her most powerful Oni yet, Yawata, the embodiment of war with the powers of lightning. However, Yawata has his own agenda and capture is the furthest from his mind.

32 pgs./ E / FC                   $3.99 

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ACTIONVERSE #1 FEATURING STRAY

Writer(s): Vito Delsante Artist Name(s): Sean Izaakse, Lee Gaston, Chris O’Halloran, Wilson Ramos Jr. Cover Artist(s): Sean Izaakse (Cover A) [COVER A NOT FINAL] Orderable Variant Cover by: David Golding (Cover B), Sean Izaakse and Chris O’Halloran (Cover C) [COVERS B AND C NOT FINAL]

From the ashes of the Actionverse, STRAY is back! New York City is on the brink of a civil war, and only Stray can stop it! What threat from his past has come back to haunt him, and what does the formation of TeenAegis have to do with it? Join as as we look back at “The Rottweiler Years” and introduce artist, Lee Gaston, to the Actionverse! 80’s Homage cover by Sean Izaakse and retailer incentive cover by David Golding (Infested Earth)!

32 pgs./ T / FC                   $3.99 

TOYETICA #2

Writer(s): Marty LeGrow Artist Name(s): Marty LeGrow Cover Artist(s): Marty LeGrow

It’s Accessory Day at Dollington Academy, and all the students are excited! But Trixie’s too busy trying to win over new student Minky to even pay attention. Meanwhile, Bunnard gets the sword he always wanted…and a lot more than he bargained for.

32 pgs./ E / FC                   $3.99 

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VAMPBLADE SEASON TWO #7

Writer(s): Jason Martin Artist Name(s): Marco Maccagni Cover Artist(s): Winston Young (Covers A-B), Magenta King (Covers C-D), Arturo Louga (Covers E-F) Cover A – Winston Young Main Cover (unlimited) Cover B – Winston Young Risqué variant (limited to 2000) Cover C – Magenta King Artist variant (limited to 1500) Cover D – Magenta King Artist risqué (limited to 2000) Cover E – Arturo Louga 90s variant (limited to 1500) Cover F – Arturo 90s risqué (limited to 2000)

The Danger Doll Squad hijinks continue as Katie, Janey, and Lila carry on with their adventure leading up to next month’s Danger Doll Squad mini-series debut!!

This Danger Doll Squad tie-in features 3 covers (regular, artist, and 90s style), each with a risqué variant as well!

32 pgs./ M / FC                   $4.99 

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ZOMBIE TRAMP #39

Writer(s): Dan Mendoza Artist Name(s): Celor Cover Artist(s): Dan Mendoza (Covers A-B), Daniel Campos (Covers C-D), Hector Sevilla (Covers E-F) Cover A – Dan Mendoza Main Cover (unlimited) Cover B – Dan Mendoza Risqué (limited to 2500) Cover C – Daniel Campos “cocktail” variant (limited to 2000) Cover D – Daniel Campos risqué “cocktail” variant (limited to 2500) Cover E – Hector Sevilla Artist variant (limited to 2000) Cover F – Hector Sevilla Artist risqué variant (limited to 2500)

The battle continues as Janey goes head-to-head with her closest ally in a crazy all-out beach brawl!

Features 3 regular and risqué variants, including two covers from series creator Dan Mendoza (DollFace)!!

32 pgs./ M / FC                   $4.99 

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ZOMBIE TRAMP: ORIGINS #3 (VOLUME 1 COLLECTOR EDITION)

Writer(s): Dan Mendoza Artist Name(s): Dan Mendoza Cover Artist(s): Dan Mendoza (Covers A-B), Celor (Covers C-D), Dan Mendoza (Covers E-F) Cover A – Dan Mendoza Main Cover (unlimited) Cover B – Dan Mendoza Risqué (limited to 2500) Cover C – Celor SEXY variant (limited to 2000) Cover D – Celor risqué SEXY variant (limited to 2500) Cover E – Dan Mendoza REPLICA variant (limited to 2000) Cover F – Dan Mendoza risqué REPLICA variant (limited to 2500) The final issue of the Zombie Tramp remastered reprint! This highly collectible mini-series has never been released in single issues to the direct market. Zombie Tramp must face off with the crooked Sheriff Rudolf and his elite riot squad if she’s to continue her new undead existence!

Features a new cover by series creator Dan Mendoza, plus an all new SEXY variant, and classic “replica” variant (all with risqué variants)!

32 pgs./ M / FC                   $4.99 

September 2017 Solicitations: Action Lab Entertainment AMERIKARATE #6 Writer(s): Brockton McKinney, Corey Kalman Artist Name(s): Daniel Arruda Massa Cover Artist(s): Devin Roth (Cover A), Daniel Arruda Massa (Cover B), Dave Perillo (Cover C), April O'Neil (Cover D)