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sapphicdalliances · 3 years

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Dear Chocolatier,

thank you so much for being here!! my sincere apologies for the lateness and messiness of this letter! sorry about my incredibly inconsistent capitalisation! it has been updated on the 8th of january, and may receive more updates this week.

I’m a simple bitch with simple tastes; here is a general summary of my preferences, and fandom-specific notes and prompts can be found further down!

I very much enjoy:

Fics that are short, but imply a longer, deeper verse; since this exchange is for short fics, but some of my prompts seem expansive, I just want to give you carte blanche permission to dip into an AU, splash around in it, and simply not provide additional details.

Comedic tones, slice-of-life, lighthearted fun, any amount of improbable romcom tropes

Am also on board with misunderstandings and drama as long as there is a happy ending!

I’m deeply okay with AUs, and most likely would be down for any modern, romcom, fantasy/fairytale, gender swap, or remix/crossover AUs you feel inspired to explore! My favourite settings include mundane/urban fantasy (witches! werewolves!), anachronism-stew-with-magic western fantasy jumbles, and disney’s Tangled.

Writing tropes I love:

Proposal fic

Wedding fic where the couple getting married is not the main couple

Outsider/third character POV of the main couple

Exes who are still in love/getting back together

Friends-with-benefits-with-feelings/did a bad job keeping it casual

Shipfic where two or more couples are contrasted

Oblique declarations of love/saying i love you without saying i love you

Provision and caretaking (acts of service!)

Aggressive matchmaking/wingmanning by an enthused friend

Hanahaki, or any other improbably dramatic instances of Cannot Spit It Out

Arranged marriage/fake marriage/fake dating

Epistolary fic

Regrettably I also love a/b/o, especially the kind that emphasises on scent safety and contains little to no actual sex

Art tropes I love, if you offered art:

Art where the characters simply look fond.

Fashion remixes – street fashion, cultural/traditional clothes, festival clothes, renfaire-esque clothes, beach photoshoot, get wild with it

Putting animal characteristics on one or both of them

Botanical motifs + celestial motifs

When plants grow directly out of people

The thing where character A is focused on something they’re doing or seeing, and the character B is focused only, wholly, desperately on A. please… the Gaze

Depictions of intimacy where faces are partially or fully hidden, but the body language is gentle

Characters SLEEPING next to each other, or comfortably doing separate activities in each other’s presence

If you wish to get frisky with your fills:

Yes!

Go for it!

I don’t have strong top/bottom preferences (and usually enjoy it when they switch or are otherwise generally equitable) so whatever you’re in the mood for is fine!

Kink tropes I very much enjoy include oral, restraints, praise kink, when proud characters cry during sex because they love their partners so much, and xeno tropes.

I love non-horny sex scenes; comedic, silly, charged, fraught, or simply affectionate exchanges that happen to include sex are my favourite. Feelings are the real kissing disease.

But like, if you wanna get horny about it.

Chase your bliss.

They simply must be in love.

I’m not as into:

Kidfic

First person narration

Soulmate AUs specifically

Kink wise, my only major squicks are incest, teacher/student, and public sex/getting caught, but i’m also not super keen on daddy kink, toilet stuff, or anything with blades or needles.

In general, please avoid:

Character death or serious/permanent injury

Animal abuse or death

Infidelity

Hopeless or downer endings

Fandom specific info:

Haikyuu!!

changed my life, cured my depression, what can be said about it? truly one of the most important series to me of all time. all musings on craft and creativity aside, let’s focus on the TRUE LOVE!!

i’m all caught up with the manga and supplementary materials!

suggested prompts: - sakuatsu, being mean to each other on purpose vs. being soft to each other by accident - kagehina or iwaoi dealing with LDR - kyouhaba are forced to cooperate on an innocuous, preferably wholesome task, such as gardening, or finding the owner of a lost dog, and it goes approximately As One Would Expect - bokukuroo + overheard phone conversation: and you've slept together how many times now? hmm. yeah, that's not technically a bromance (not in a no-homo way, just in a we-are-both-so-stupid-and-like-each-other-so-much-way) - actually that overheard phone conversation would work for any of these ships.

suggested prompts, art-specific: - festival clothes!! - put some wings on some of them. now it's bird romance, which is for birds - (i lied, this isn't art-specific at all, wingfic is always welcome in any of its forms) - just pick up your whole boyfriend and carry him like that. maybe even kiss him.

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Oofuri

suggested prompts: - Hanai and Tajima really. struggle to get together. for like a bunch of years probably? Tajima copes with it by patiently processing his emotions in a healthy way and enjoying some casual dating. Hanai copes with it, as he does all things, by not coping - The ways Abe and Mihashi learn to take care of each other… Mihashi cooking 4 Abe… T_T

Promare

i simply think the twink and the himbo are in love.

Ace Attorney

favourite klapollo dynamic goes like this:

klavier: *genuinely and sincerely in love with apollo, in a very soft way* apollo: *furious* he's mocking me. why are you like this? klavier: I enjoy your company apollo: FINE, KEEP YOUR SECRETS

also consider: - what if klavier was a big ol golden retriever and apollo was just an angry liddol bunny. like, think about it

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Wotakoi

I love that this series has three couples in different stages of a relationship: one who’ve been together for years and love each other like well-worn grooves; one who have history but have only just recently begun a relationship and are discovering each other anew; and one who probably will not bring themselves to share a kiss for another 27 calendar years.

Narumi/Hirotaka: Honestly, the main couple of a series usually goes over my head a bit, but the more i thought about these two the more wretchedly fond of them I became. The thing I think of the most is how Narumi taught him how to smile as a child; how she did things that meant nothing to her, so easily does kindness come, but that meant so much to him; and how now that they are grown, he does things for her that take no effort, but shake her foundations. I think theirs is a love that grows quietly; something that cannot change the world, but can change them.

Koyanagi/Kabakura: My thoughts on these two are not complex, but they are deeply positive. I love how huge their personalities are, and how they fit around and against each other; I love the implication that despite their endless bickering, they are not an on-again-off-again kind of relationship, and have instead chosen each other over and over again for ten straight years. I love that despite everything, they are kind to each other, first and foremost; they find ways to apologise and to take care of each other, and treat each other gently in private.

Kou/Naoya: I love every ship in this manga equally but perhaps I love Kou/Naoya more equally than the other two? They are just so kind and so silly, and so sweet to each other in exactly the way both of them didn’t realise they were missing. I think about Naoya being told that Kou is “okay with being alone”, and realising that “okay with it” and “have accepted it” are different, and taking his little baby steps to fix it. I think about Kou giving Naoya every last drop of patience he’s trained himself not to accept, and doing so because it simply makes her happy. My only concern is that they are both bottoms. I don’t have a solution for this.

suggested prompts, fic:

- accidentally dating ft. Kou and Naoya, or, “and you’ve made out how many times now? Hmm. Yeah, that’s not technically a bromance.” - 5 times Hirotaka and Narumi almost, almost kissed, and 1 time they did; the unresolved romantic tension may kill me and it would be worth it - what Hirotaka and Narumi taught each other (apart from the more mundane gaming and life skills, i believe that she taught him how to smile and be loved by others, and he taught her how to be loved by herself!) - smutty domesticity ft. Koyanagi and Kabakura — a lazy Sunday, laundry in the sun, fucking on the couch, everything easy with familiarity - (addendum to above: pegging)

suggested prompts, art: - festival clothes - someone’s getting married - naoya: *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a t - red string of fate motifs

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun

seowaka: they are idiots, and they like each other very much, but they do not know. i love a tall crying boy and his short but much more powerful girlfriend.

chiyo/nozaki + chiyo/nozaki/mikorin: im rooting for her in the face of such overwhelming stupidity. one himbo is difficult enough to seduce but two. chiyo is a hero and a woman of rare courage. i like the pair and the trio equally; again, if you go with trio, it’s important that they all love each other please!

suggested prompts: - 5 times any of these ships went on a date without realising, and the time they realised - urban fantasy AU where Waka is a hapless monster hunter and Seo is an annoying but deeply harmless werewolf who’s been terrorizing his town?? - fairytale AU where Seo believes she must rescue the prince from the tower and deliver him back to the kingdom capital, and the prince, who had not realised he’d been kidnapped, thinks Seo is a usurper from a rival kingdom who must be supervised all the way back to the kingdom capital to be served her justice

suggested prompts, art-specific: - festival clothes… - nozaki carrying chiyo, who’s carrying mikorin - (seo carrying waka) - waka sleeping peacefully in seo’s presence… :’(

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

we made it through all the fandoms.

Thank you for making it to the end of this whole disaster; I hope at least one of the prompts sparked joy! The most important thing to me is that whatever you end up doing, you are able to enjoy the process at least somewhat, and deliver a creation that you like! I can also be found on twitter at @hawberries_ (for art) and @popplioikawa (for general ramblings). If you need some more inspo, I recommend going through my art tags for the selected ships because I put a lot of Opinions into my fanart.

#shut up phee #chocbox

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elvendara · 4 years

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Yooran Week 2020

For @yooranweek2020

I have to admit, this one had me stumped and took me a while, but, thanks to @booyakasha516 and her suggestion of a Werewolf Holiday, it was off to the races! FYI, there is nakedness in this fic but no funny business, and no describing the nakedness, very PG!

Day 6: Holidays/Cultural Festivals

Mullin Salang (Love Bite) is a werewolf holiday of reaffirmation. It is a day that only comes every five years. Werewolves mate for life, yet, there are times when this may be mitigated by outside circumstances. The death of a mate, the injury or health issue of a mate, the state of mind (certain mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s etc.). Mullin Salang is a time in which mates either reaffirm their connection or sever it. It is usually celebrated privately, although some packs celebrate together. This will be Saeran’s and Yoosung’s first Mullin Salang Day.

“Come on MC, what should I expect? It can’t be any more surprising than the beginning of mating season!” Yoosung prodded. MC laughed and patted him on the cheek.

“Stop worrying about it! Are you afraid Saeran is going to want to sever your bond?”

“No, of course not. It’s just, well, I’m not a werewolf so…”

“Saeran will tell you what to expect I’m sure.”

“He won’t! I’ve already asked. The little I know has to do with both turning into werewolves, how does that impact us?”

“You’re guess is as good as mine, don’t forget, this will be Saeyoung’s and my first Mullin Salang Day as well.”

“You’re right! 2020, we all got married within the last five years. But, has Saeyoung told you anything else?”

“A little, but mostly he said it would be better if I just followed his direction. It isn’t like the bonding that happens during mating season, there isn’t any magic. He said it was much like Valentine’s Day for humans, just a tradition kind of thing. Though he said the older a mated couple gets, the more the day is infused with reverence. I guess I understand.”

“So you don’t know much more than I do.” Yoosung wilted.

“Why are you so worried?” MC’s brows furrowed above her honey colored eyes.

“I don’t know. I guess…I kind of feel inferior, like, I can’t contribute the same as Saeran, after all, I’m not a werewolf.” Yoosung shrugged.

“But you are Saeran’s Beta. And that’s the only thing that matters.”

“Hey! There you are, you ready?” Saeran popped into MC’s bedroom nodding towards Yoosung.

“Yeah, I guess. You sure I don’t need anything special?”

“Positive.” Saeran grinned and held out his hand towards Yoosung. With a final look to MC, who gave him an encouraging nod, Yoosung stood and took the offered hand. He could feel Saeran’s excitement, his blood pulsed through his veins so forcefully he could feel it throbbing through his skin.

“I, uh, hope you’re not disappointed.”

“Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?” Saeran laughed. “You’re taking this too seriously, it’s just a silly holiday.”

“If that’s all it was, then you wouldn’t be so excited. Don’t bother trying to deny it, I may not have your superior senses, but I do know you.” Yoosung stopped, in so doing, he effectively kept Saeran from proceeding as well.

“Yoosung.” Saeran sighed and hugged his husband, then pulled away after a few seconds, looking into the gorgeously brilliant lavender eyes. “I’m excited because I get to reaffirm my love for you, my affection, my bond, my desire. I’m excited because I get to show you how much you mean to me and continue to mean to me. If I could, I would ask you to marry me all over again. When you walk into a room, I still get goosebumps and my heart races. When you hold my hand, I still sweat and blood pounds in my ears. When you focus your attention on me and only me, I still get tongue tied and my brain buzzes telling me I don’t deserve you yet here you are. Loving me. Today I reaffirm that I still choose you, over everyone else in the entire world, none can ever take your place by my side. And I hope you feel the same.” His eyes slid away from Yoosung and to the side, worry lines forming on his forehead. Yoosung reached up and smoothed them away.

“Always.” He gave Saeran a soft smile then planted a chaste kiss on his lips. “Let’s go.” Saeran relaxed and led Yoosung outside the house and towards the singular path in the woods.

“Are we going to the lake?” Yoosung asked. It was a favorite spot of theirs.

“No. Not this time, besides, Saeyoung said he wanted to take MC there.”

“Oh, where then?”

“It’s a surprise! But it’s going to take a while to get there, at least the full moon will be high in the sky by the time we arrive.”

“What?” Yoosung was a little unhappy, it sounded as if he would have to walk for a long time.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you!” Saeran winked at him. As soon as they made it past the first few lines of trees into the woods Saeran began to undress. He took the backpack he was wearing and set it on the ground, folding his clothes and stuffing them into the bag. He handed the backpack to Yoosung and had him put it on. Once that was done, Saeran began to transform, his nose and mouth elongated, his jaw expanded, the teeth sharpening and coming in like daggers. He fell to his hands and knees, paws springing forth and fur sprouting from his pours. Once he was fully transformed, he shook his golden reddish fur, his mint colored eyes luminescent. He motioned Yoosung towards his back.

No matter how many times Yoosung witnessed this miracle, it still left him stunned. Saeran pushed at his abdomen with his snout and huffed.

“Right, sorry.” Yoosung sighed and did as he was expected, climbing onto Saeran’s back. He held on to his fur but tried not to pull too hard. As soon as he was secured, Saeran took off. Yoosung lay close to his back and tried to keep his eyes open. The trees were flashing around him, the wind buffeting him but even though Saeran was dodging and jumping and sliding under all these obstacles, he somehow managed to keep Yoosung perfectly balanced.

Yoousng laughed with exuberance. It took them almost two hours to reach the base of a mesa. Saeran slowed down and Yoosung was able to sit up. Saeran stopped at the entrance to a cave. Yoosung slid off, his eyes large and round, he’d never been this far out from the house before.

Saeran returned to his human form and took the backpack from Yoosung, redressing himself. Once he was finished, he took Yoosung’s hand and they made their way inside.

There were torches set into the cave walls and Saeran quickly had them lit with a lighter.

“Wow.” Yoosung stepped into an opening that stretched out to either side. In the center there was a pool, overhead an opening big enough for the moon to filter through, its mirror image shining in the water.

“I thought you’d like it. It’s not as comfortable as the grass at the lake, but it has its own beauty.”

“It sure does!” Yoosung’s voice was full of awe, but Saeran only had eyes for him. Yoosung was distracted as Saeran took his clothes off again and transformed. He nipped at Yoosung’s backside which made the blond yelp and jump.

“Stop that!” he swatted at Saeran but he also laughed. Saeran bit his shirt and pulled. “OK OK, I got it!” Yoosung began to undress, folding his clothes and setting them atop Saeran’s. Saeran had sat next to the pool and stared at the moon. Yoosung sat in front of him and did the same. Without warning Saeran began to howl, the sound reverberated around the cavern and in the distance another howl could be heard. Saeyoung. Yoosung watched his husband, the hair on his body standing on end. The power in that howl was humbling. He felt ridiculous but the desire to throw back his head and howl was overwhelming, so he did. His blond hair shook away from his face, he closed his eyes and felt the sound originate in his belly and travel outwards until it was released through his mouth.

They howled for several minutes, Yoosung’s voice never even coming close to the breadth and depth of Saeran’s but the intensity was accurately matched. Once they had exhausted themselves, Saeran cocked his enormous head. Yoosung was flushed with exhilaration. He knew what was expected of him and complied, leaning his head to the left and exposing the soft tissue of his neck. Saeran opened his mouth and bit. His sharp teeth pierced the offered skin and Yoosung gasped but did not flinch. It was superficial. Once done, Searan backed away and licked the wound carefully, he then sat back and reverted to his human form and offered Yoosung his neck. Yoosung gulped but understood what he was to do. He pushed up to his knees and sank his teeth into Searan’s flesh until he tasted blood. Saeran’s intake of breath was sharp, lacking pointed and sharpened teeth, Yoosung’s normal flat teeth were more painful on Saeran. Yoosung flinched but reminded himself that Saeran would quickly heal. He pulled away and also licked Searan’s wound. While it had made him feel bad to hurt Saeran in that way, the mark also made him proud.

“Will you remain my Beta for the next five years Yoosung?” That was the only thing left to say, everything else had already been said.

“Yes. Will you remain my Alpha for the next five years?” Yoosung answered and asked.

“Yes.” Saeran whispered. “I reaffirm my devotion to you, and vow once more to be your protector and champion.”

“I reaffirm my devotion to you, and vow once more to be your protector and champion…and lover…and confidant…and friend…and occasional nag…and…” Yoosung went off script.

“OK OK OK!” Saeran laughed and kissed his mate. “I love you dummy.”

“I love you too, idiot!”

#my posts #yooranweek2020 #Yooran #Yoosung Kim #Saeran Choi #mysme #mystic messenger #day 6 Holiday #nudity #not sexually related #description of nudity also not done #rated PG I promise!#biting hard enough to draw blood #also not sexually related #OK #thank you and goodbye

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blog-sliverofjade · 3 years

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Of Doms & Subs 6: At Least it Wasn’t Twilight

Pairing: Angus Hopper x OFC

Summary: What's a submissive female to do when she fights her nature and goes on the run as a Lone wolf to avoid being assimilated into a pack?

Word count: 1411

Of Doms & Subs Master List

“Why are we watching An American Werewolf in Paris?” I asked, head tilted to one side that I distantly recognized as a faintly canine gesture.

“It’s sort of a tradition,” Alan answered. “When someone’s newly Changed, we watch a werewolf movie just to talk all the way through it.”

“There’s no American Werewolf in Canada, but they got French Canadians, right? Close enough,” Shane said. Someone threw a kernel of popcorn at him, which he deftly caught in his mouth.

“Could be worse,” Mickayla said mournfully. “They made me watch Teen Wolf.”

“I thought chicks were supposed to like that stuff!” Shane protested.

“Yeah, if you’re thirteen,” Mickayla and I said in unison.

“Do you have a teenage girl living with you, Shane?” Alan asked far too innocently. “Because I could have sworn you had every season on DVD.”

The bickering that ensued masked the sounds of Angus entering the room, but not even the popcorn could hide his scent. My heart beat faster when he passed behind the couch to settle in the recliner within reach of my left arm. His de facto throne was the highest seat in the room and thus avoided any breach of protocol by anyone sitting higher than him. I was so painfully aware of his presence that any one of the already crowded couches looked good in comparison to my seat. Everyone who didn’t have other obligations had come. I wasn’t sure whether it was courtesy, by design, or on accident that I ended up sitting next to the fearless leader.

The movie, surprisingly, was a good teaching tool. They were quick to point out inaccuracies (take off your clothes, first, idiot!), many of which I already knew, as well as what laws both mundane and pack were broken. No to mention cultural differences. Such as: why don’t we get crappy underground raves? It’s Seattle, why throw one when you can go find one?

Apparently they also had a cage in the basement for injured wolves and those who had temporarily lost control, like newbies. When someone tried to suggest that it was for kinky purposes, Angus quickly shut them down. No one even complained when Alan and I ranted about the medical inaccuracies for a good ten minutes. (They’d all be so much raspberry jam on the sidewalk. Did they use packing tape on that bandage? What is it even for, anyway? Broken nose? Concussion? Hiding his funny looks?)

“Reason number two: we can have a little ‘chat’ with your ex,” Mickayla said, continuing her randomly numbered list of reasons why packs are awesome, when the Big Bad Evil Guy/love interest’s ex was killed at the end.

“Uh, that’s really not necessary,” I stammered. She looked at me skeptically. The others quieted to listen, which made me stutter out an explanation. “He wanted the perfect 1950’s lifestyle complete with a Suzy Homemaker waiting with dinner when he got home and a mistress on the side. He didn’t try very hard to hide it because he thought I’d put up with it.” There were several snorts of scornful laughter. “He’d signed a pre-nup thinking I wouldn’t leave. I’ll never forget the look on his face when I got everything, which was how I put myself through school. Now he’s stuck with some nineteen-year-old he knocked up who can’t cook any more than I can.”

“I like her, can we keep her?” Alan asked of no one in particular, which elicited more good-natured jibes at his expense as well as general agreement. Or matter that latter was just wishful thinking. It was either that or their testosterone talking. Probably the testosterone because the conversation turned to the various methods of disposing of bodies.

While the others debated the merits of burial at sea vs woodchippers and lye, Ellie caught my eyes with her own hazel ones before heading upstairs with several empty popcorn bowls. I followed a moment later.

“I-if,” she stuttered, swallowed hard, then started again as she loaded the dishwasher. Everyone else knew to leave the cleanup to Ian and Gordon as it was their turn, but she seemed to need something to do with her hands. “What’s my timeline for making a decision?”

“The ceremony to bring a new member into a pack is done on the full moon, which is in eleven days.” A look flickered across her face that suggested she was aware of the math, but refrained from interrupting as I gave a brief description of the ritual. To her credit, she didn’t bat an eye at the thought of consuming my flesh.

I fell into a practiced relaxed pose in the hopes that it would put her more at ease as it often had with others in the past. Even if she wasn’t adept at reading body language, or even consciously aware, her wolf would pick up on my cues. I was glad that she had not yet learned to smell emotions and would have to believe what I allowed my face to reveal, which was currently wearing the mask of patient mentor. What I felt, however, was worlds away from what showed.

“If I were to join a pack, what would be expected of me?” I smiled at the conditionals, though they lacked the same determination as before.

“Monthly meetings. A ten percent tithe once you find employment, which goes towards things like helping members get back on their feet, new wolves, and the like. No one would ask you to fight, but any pack would benefit from your medical expertise.” Her eyebrows quirked up in surprise. “Fast healing can present its own issues, like bones that aren’t set properly.” Soft, dusky pink lips pursed in thought as her sharp, sky-blue eyes with a touch of green and honey at the center flickered back and forth in contemplation of various scenarios.

“You already have Alan for that.” That was not the conclusion I was expecting.

“As great as Alan is, he’s only one person, who has a full-time job,” I pointed out. “What if, God forbid, he was hurt? Or there were more injured than he could handle at once?”

“Does that happen often?” Instead of appearing stricken at the prospect, or for not having considered those possibilities first, her eyes narrowed shrewdly as if she were already calculating assets and performing triage in her mind.

“Even once is too often.” Ellie accepted that non-answer without digging further.

“Even though I have to give it up as a career?” she asked bitterly. That was when realization hit like a hammer. Nursing was more than a job to her. She’d all but said that her ex forbade her to work. Then she took his money to rebuild herself.

“Your wolf will see frightened patients as prey,” I said gently. The dismay she tried to hide nearly broke my old, cynical heart. “Even if the humans would let you once they figured out who you are.”

“Any specific duties for an unmated, submissive female?” She had turned her back to me to wipe down the counters. Her scent was a confusing mix of fear tinged with arousal. Evidently she found her emotions bewildering as well because when she faced me again a rosy pink blossomed across her cheeks even as a furrow developed between her brows.

“Help out when and where you can as the situation calls. As a submissive, your presence can have a calming effect on us sociopaths.”

“I think you mean ‘psychopath’,” she muttered. A smile threatened to lift the corners of my mouth. “And I seem to have the opposite effect on ya’ll.”

“How can you help this looney bin if you aren’t calm yourself?” Small, white teeth worried at her bottom lip as she digested that. I didn’t point out that the males were reacting to her like wolves in rut, which no amount of submissive energy would fix. She was skittish enough as it was.

“I promise that I won’t touch you.” Disappointment and relief flashed over her face like the shadow of a cloud. To hide a small smile of satisfaction, I leaned until my nose nearly touched the soft flesh below her ear and breathed her in. Her heart beat under her skin like a trapped butterfly. Desire, both hers and mine, spiked sharply in the air. “Not until you ask me first.” I forced myself to walk away as casually as I could manage, her stare boring into my back.

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nightwitchwriter · 3 years

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New Chapter

Happy Halloween! The first and second session is in honor of Samhain, aka All Hallow’s Eve, aka Halloween.

Chapter 4: Samhain

Six more days until Halloween! Woo! If you’re wondering why I’m counting down from six, well in some cultures, six cultures 6 is an unlucky number. Well, if you consider 666, that’s a unlucky number right? Anyway, once Halloween hits, there is going to be a huge party.

I open the doors to school, and take into my surroundings. Halloween decorations can be seen through the hallway and some classrooms. The school celebrates Halloween by letting the students throw a freaky Halloween party, as well as wear costumes on the date. I have no need for a costume, yet I dress for the occasion anyway.

“Really? Orange and black?”

I turned to see Nick staring at my clothes.

“What? They’re traditional Halloween colors. I like them, I wear them.”

“Well, I’m just saying, orange is one of the few bright colors you wear. Especially since…”

“Since I’m a witch? For Pete’s sake, calm down. Witches celebrate Halloween too.”

“No, because you can’t-”

Realizing what he was going to say, I quickly shut him up making the same move Yubaba did on Chihiro in Spirited Away to keep her from talking.

“Mm?!”

“Hey you swore not to say anything outside my house since you signed that contract. You really don’t want to piss me off on Halloween, do you?” I gave him a sly grin.

Shaken, but annoyed, he nodded.

“Good.” I unzipped his mouth, continuing my way as he took a breath.

“You can breathe through your nose, you know.”

“Nicky! Nicky!”

We both turned to see my sister, in her school uniform, running towards us.

“Faye? What are you doing here?” Most of the people here didn’t know I have a sister, much less any family.

“Who’s that?” “Don’t know.” “Will seems to know her.” “Is that her sister?” “I thought she was an only child?” “She’s so cute!” “Are you sure they’re related?”

See what I mean? I groaned. Even without whispering, I could see questions written all over their faces.

Faye grinned from ear to ear, as she took out an orange envelope with black cobweb etchings, and handed it over to Nick.

“I, Faye McCalmont , dubly invites you and your sisters to our upcoming Halloween party. We’ll have tricks, treats and a super scary feat!” she announced as nobly as possible.

Aw, shit. I knew what she was planning, and I am not having this happen.

“Nope.” I stated, taking the envelope out of Nick’s hand.

“Hey!” complained the two children

“Trust me. You do not want to go to this party.”

“And why not?” questioned Nick

“Yeah, why not?” copied Faye

“Because it's not that kind of party.” I growled through my teeth.

“Then I’ll be happy to come, Faye. I’m sure my sisters will be happy too.”

I glared at him, while my sister giggled at his gentlemanly manner.

“It’ll be a pleasure seeing you there, milord.” she answered in an Irish accent.

“Leave.” I growled, pointing the way out.

“Bye-bye!” Faye ran out of the school, before any teachers appeared.

“Yoink!” Nick took the invitation from my hands.

“H-hey! Give that back!” I reached for the invite, but couldn’t grab it.

“Technically, it is mine. So no. your sister did give it to me personally, I may add.” I swear, I know he is mocking me right now.

I reached for the invite again, but even on platform boots, I still couldn’t reach his height. Nick was like, a couple of inches taller than me, but didn’t include his long arms or the fact that he was on his tiptoes.

I was close to grabbing it, when it was taken out of his hand. We both looked to see Heather inspecting the invite.

“Nick, don’t tell me the witch invited you to her party? Don’t you know that if you follow a witch to her home, she’ll eat you?”

Oh, for God’s sake.

“For your information, witches don’t do that anymore. That’s been illegal since the 1900s.”

“Illegal?”

“Illegal?!”

Crap. I realized my mistake, and while Heather looked annoyed and confused, Nick was shocked and scared. Good.

“The point is, that witches, rather people in general, don’t do that. Besides, everyone knows that witches throw the best Halloween parties. Not only that my sister gave him the invitation.” I stated

The queen bee smiled. “I heard. The freak has a freak of a sister.”

I struggled to withhold my anger. My mom says that me and my sister have a fairy’s temper.

“I guess, it could be fun.” she continued. “If you see fun as childish.”

Anger continuing to grow.

“I, however, am throwing a mature, scary Halloween party, at an old warehouse my parents managed to rent for two nights. Nick, I’m sure this one will be much more appreciative for that night.”

Oh, God. If you want to sleep with him, just do it already.

“Actually, my mom asked me to take my sister's trick-or-treating on Halloween, since something came up for both my parents. So I’m not sure they’ll appreciate your party. Maybe later once they hit the sack?”

Eh? I looked at him, with a questioning look.

“Hm? Are you sure? Halloween is supposed to be scary once night falls.”

“Positive. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Alright.” she relented. She kissed him on the cheek before walking away. “Wait til you see my costume Nick. You're going to be howling like a werewolf once you see it.”

Ugh. She may not be a succubus, but she acts worse than one.

“Ow! What the heck?”

“Why did you have to lie to her like that?”

“I wasn’t. My mom really did ask me and I said sure. Besides, I’m sure my sisters will be happy to go to your family’s Halloween party. You really don’t want people to come to this party, do you? I bet not even Maddy has an invite.”

“She does but it's different. It’ll be the only time when my magic will be at its highest.”

“Speaking of that, did you say that witches actually used to eat people?!”

“That was a long time ago, and it depended on the culture. Nowadays people don’t do that anymore. Why? Stopped you from coming?”

“No.” he began walking away, revealing the invitation in his hands. “But, once my sisters hear about this, you try stopping them from going. See ya!”

“H-hey!”

Great. In six days and counting, Nick, his sisters and Maddy are coming to my house on Halloween night.

Did he forget to realize that there will be actual monsters there?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Six days hath passed… (see what I did there?)

Nick’s POV

Halloween is tomorrow, and the past few days, I’ve noticed Will and her family preparing for the event. At the cafe, their home, even Will’s locker was decorated to the extreme with various Halloween props. She even brought Halloween themed food for lunch, practically scaring the rest of the student body, along with her pranks. Though no one but me knows it her. Surprising, even myself, I smile to myself, thinking how much fun my sisters are going to have.

“Nicholas!”

I stopped and saw Mrs. McCalmont coming towards me, carrying a large bag.

“I wanted to give you and your sisters something for the party tomorrow. You didn’t get your costumes yet, have you?” she asked

“Not really. My sister’s are being picky, and I wasn’t planning of wearing something elaborate as a costume. Just a mask, that’s it.”

She chuckled like it was a joke. “Oh, don’t be silly, here.” She handed me the bag. “I’m sure you and your sisters will love them.”

I looked inside and saw the folded fabric.

“You made us costumes?” I was surprised of someone being so generous. “You didn’t have to. What about Will or Faye?”

“Don’t worry. Their costumes have been done two weeks ago.” She answered

Why doesn’t that surprise me?

“There’s also additional items that go with the costumes.”

“Oh, thank you. I’m sure my sisters will like them.” Let’s hope anyway.

“I’ll see you on Halloween. Come at 6 o’clock!”

“We will! Thank you again!”

When I got home, I showed the costumes to my parents and sisters. I don’t know if its because she’s a witch or a mother, or something else, but she was right. My sisters love their costumes.

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Will’s POV

It was around sunset, 5:30pm to be exact, when they came. I was helping Faye finish putting on her costume, when the doorbell rang. My dad changed the bell to something similar to the bell of the Addams Family.

“I’ll get it!” she yelled, running out of the room

“Faye!” Dammit! I didn’t zip her back yet!

I chased her down the stairs to the door.

“Who is it?” Faye asked

“It’s Felicity, Samantha and Molly! And NicK!”

“That’s not what you say today! It’s Halloween! Try again!”

“Oh! Trick-or-Treat!” called all girls

I sighed in amusement and grabbed the candy bowl as Faye quickly opened the door.

The three sisters, and Nick were all wearing their costumes. Felicity wore a traditional witch costume, Samantha wore a doll costume, complete with mask, and Molly was a Dullahan. Nick wore a 19th century vampire outfit, though the clothes are actually from the 19th century.All made by my mom. Faye was dressed as Queen Titania, queen of the fairies. I was dressed in a white gothic dress from the movie, Beastly.

“Hey.” said Nick, eyes widened in amazement.

“Hey.” I replied, in equal amazement.

“Candy!” yelled Molly. She held out her bag.

“Molly! That’s not how you ask for stuff!”

“That's okay. She did say trick-or-treat.” I laughed. I like Molly’s forwardness. These girls are going to get along great with my sister.

“Here you go.” I gave each of them a handful of candy. “Sis! Get mom to zipper your back and get your candy bag! You guys can come inside. You're early.”

“Yay!” The girls rushed inside, following Faye.

“Can you help us with our make-up?” asked Felicity

“Sure. I’ll make you guys have the scariest faces.”

“Nick too!” pointed Molly

“And Nick.” I smiled

“No thanks. I’m good. Is Maddy here?” he asked as we went up the stairs.

“Yeah. Got here 15 minutes ago. And you’re putting on that make-up. Anyway, who’s the kid?”

Nick must have known what I was talking about, because he leaned closer towards me.

“You see him too?”

I sighed. “Yes, I see the ghost boy.”

The boy I’m talking about, is a cute little seven year old in a skeleton costume. Faye was already introducing herself to him.

“He’s been following us the last two blocks. I thought ghosts were supposed to be invisible. How is he here and why can my sisters see him? He’s not like Sam from that trick or treat movie is he?”

“I assure you, he’s not.” I chuckled over Nick’s panic. “He’s a Halloween spirit. They’re people and children that died and visit our realm today and the next two days.”

“So, he won’t curse, possess or hurt them, will he?”

“Dude, it's Halloween. Let go of your fears. It’s time to celebrate. Here.” I handed him a piece of red cake. “Have this.”

“Thanks.” He stuck his fork in, watched as red sauce came out of the holes, and due to me staring, took a big bite of it. He then proceeded to eat more.

“This is good. What is it?”

“Piece of flesh.”

Instantly, his eyes widen in fear and quickly spit the cake out and threw the rest into the garbage. I laughed and relished at his reaction.

“Hahahahaha! Oh, God! Your face! Haha! It was only cake!” Man, that comment of witches eating people early really got to him. “It was red velvet and cherry jelly!”

Nick glared at me like he actually wanted to set me on fire. It was hilarious.

“Okay, let me take you and your sisters to the bathroom. You are going to love the make up I put on you.”

“Hey Nick. What are you doing here?”

We turned to see Maddy, wearing an 70s costume, with the glasses I gave her. I just finished putting Nick’s make up on after doing his sisters. My mom helped to, but left to prepare for the other kids. Nick’s face was now a skeleton, with his hair slicked back.

“Woah, Maddy. Nice costume.” complimented Nick, once he saw her 70s outfit.

“Thanks. Will gave it to me. Are you suppose to be a skeleton?”

“Yeah, I guess so, but how can you tell?”

“I can see you.” she stated cheerfully.

“I thought you were blind.”

“I am. But for some strange reason, I can see. I’m not one to ask questions why, but I’ll advantage of it for the rest of the night.” She then left to go mingle.

Earlier today, I decided to tell her the same thing I told Nick, but I was actually going to tell her first, since she’s my friend. She was shocked at first, but then decided to go with it, think I was just making it up. I made those glasses to make her temporarily see. I think she believes me now.

It was six o’clock, and the rest of Faye’s friends and classmates were here. I played another prank on Nick by turning the ice into fake eyeballs. Seeing him flinch in fear is so funny. I wonder if this is what witches in the past felt like when playing pranks on humans.

“Playing pranks already?” Mom came from the kitchen.

“It’s Halloween, mom. I’m allowed to play pranks.” I defended

She chuckled as she gave me a traveler’s skeleton key.

“Be back by before nine, if you want to see the parade.”

“Alright.” Trick or Treating from six to nine, doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but with a traveler’s skeleton key, I can go anywhere in the world. Which means time zones.

“All right you monsters!” I announced to the trick-or-treaters.” “Are you ready to eat enough candy to rot your teeth from the inside out and be scared out of your minds?”

“Yeah!!!” cheered the group of children.

“Then let’s go trick or treating!”

“Trick or Treat! Trick or Treat! Trick or Treat!” chanted the kids.

For the next three hours, which varies thanks to time zones, we trick or treated in several different states, in both Earth and Arcanos. We went to New Orleans, LA, Salem, MA, Sleepy Hollow, NY, Savannah, GA and other cities and towns known for Halloween specials. Thank you traveler’s skeleton key.

Felicity, Samantha and Molly’s eyes were bulging out of their skulls right now. I don't think they ever got this much candy before. I feel bad for their parents trying to take it from them.

It was nearly nine when we all traveled back home, when Nick decided to talk to me. Except for talking to his sisters and Maddy, he was quiet all night.

“You know, I never expected this to happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, believe it or not, I actually did some research on how witches celebrate Halloween and today. Aren’t you guys supposed to be worshipping spirits or something?”

Well at least he’s honest and did some research first.

“Not really. All Hallow’s Eve, or Samhain or Halloween, was more of an agricultural celebration, rather than religious or spiritual. Though there are some gods involved. Anyway, Halloween is kind of similar back then as it is today. Just not so commercialized. Halloween is the only time of year when the spirit world and Earth crosses with each other and magic power heightens at its peak.”

“That’s what you said earlier about Maddy.”

“Yeah, I used the added power boost to make those glasses so Maddy could see, though it’ll only work for tonight. You can’t use magic to someone’s blindness.”

“That sucks.”

“Uh-huh. I was planning on telling her the truth earlier, but then you came along. At least she didn’t have a panic attack like you did.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It's fine. Anyway, to avoid being pranked by mischievous spirits, people would disguise themselves in order to fool them. Of course, they saw through it over time, but they liked this idea. In addition to that, they left out treats for the spirit to eat.”

“Hence trick or treat?”

“Hence trick or treat. Halloween and Days of the Dead are the only time when the fantasy and spirit world connect with the earth and when normal people can see them. Though again there are a few exceptions.”

We arrived at my house in Arcanos and after thanking us, the children, including Nick’s sisters ran inside, eager to continue the party.

“By the time we come back, it’ll look like the candy stock market hit. They’ll probably be still trading candy when we come back.”

“Trading candy? Haven’t done that since I was a kid. Maybe when come back from Heather’s party, I’ll trade in some candy myself. So, quick question, how are we going to get to the party?” Asked Nick

I smiled at him, taking out my broom.

“Ask a stupid question…”

#witches #samhain #all hallows eve #halloween

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dndeviants · 5 years

Text

Luvash and the Vistani

Aric had left to traverse the “Svalich Road”, as the sign named it, following Vasili's directions to Vallaki. He examined the curious charm that was said was going to protect him... and held it close as he saw wolves travelling a little too close to the road for comfort... but they did nothing but watch him as he passed. Jeeves kept an eye out for trouble, but they arrived upon town unscathed.

It seemed to be a fairly humble town, if not for the dreary mists that never went away. Guards stood outside the stone walls wearing flowers on their blue and gold uniforms, colorful streamers were strung above the gate... it was a clear sign that the town was going to celebrate something soon... As Aric and Jeeves approached the eastern gates, they saw a poster declaring: WOLF'S HEAD FESTIVAL, RAIN OR SHINE. ATTENDANCE OF MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN ARE MANDATORY.

“A mandatory festival, that seems odd, doesn't Jeeves?” Aric looked over to his companion.

Jeeves nodded, "I thought the point of a festival was to celebrate... if you choose. A mandatory event? Perhaps it is a cultural difference..."

Aric couldn’t help but notice that Jeeves did not speak with much conviction. He shrugged, “Let’s head further into town see if we can’t find Luvash, and get some information on this bite.”

Jeeves made a gesture to the men at the gate, "Perhaps we can ask the guard?"

“Couldn't hurt, I guess,” Aric approached the guards at the gate and spoke in a friendly, but curious manner, “Pardon me, we are looking for someone and were hoping you could help. Do you know a medicine man named Luvash?”

The guard plastered a grin across his face, stretching the corners of his mouth in an unnatural imitation of friendliness. It was obvious to Aric that the man’s smile was forced as he tried to speak to them, "Sorry, but Luvash and his tribe were kicked out of Vallaki... Vistani are not allowed in the town. The Burgomaster refuses to do any dealings with agents of the Devil Strahd... if you seek the medicine man, go around the south wall, and follow the trail back. The Vistani have a camp set up there."

“...Thanks for the information...” Aric backed away from the man slowly, and motioned for Jeeves to follow him around the south wall.

Jeeves backed away warily from the man, and followed Aric. As soon as they were out of earshot, he muttered, “Nope, no cultural differences. These people are just crazy...”

Aric returns in a hushed voice, “Seems the Vistani aren’t well liked. Those women at the inn were nice enough, though. Maybe we’ll learn more when we speak to Luvash.”

Jeeves nodded. They followed the trail down into the forests and come upon an encampment filled with colorful wagons, free ranged chickens, and children dressed in red and yellow vests running around and playing with each other. Men with dark hair and mustaches smoked and worked on various tasks for camp, like skinning deer, while women wove with exquisitely rich thread.

A tall, burly man with raven black hair, and a well-groomed beard, wearing fine clothes twinged with red and purple was speaking with an elderly lady and a young girl. The elderly lady hunched over a gnarled cane, and wore also a red and purple headscarf, while the little girl wore her raven black hair free, purple and red woven into her simple dress.

Aric approached an elderly man, “Pardon us, we are looking for a man named Luvash, could you direct us to him?”

The old Vistana pointed over to the tall man wearing red and purple. Aric nodded his thanks and approached the trio. The man abruptly ends his conversation with the old woman and turns to face Aric.

He speaks in a deep, rumbly voice, "Ah, where are my manners. It seems we have a guest. I am Luvash, chief of this tribe. How may I help you?"

“We are looking for you actually,” Aric confessed, “May we speak in private, its a personal matter, and I'd rather not be overheard.”

Luvash studied Aric, before murmuring, "Of course."

Luvash turned to the girl, "Arabelle, go run off now. Papa's got to do business. Mother..." he faced to the elderly woman, "We will continue this conversation later."

The girl ran off to play with the other children. The old woman smiled in Aric’s direction, shocking him with youthful, piercing blue eyes... As Luvash turned his back to Aric and headed into a large tent, the old woman touched Aric’s arm.

"It is nice to see you again, young Pasha,” she spoke in friendly, but hushed, raspy voice, “When you and your other companions are all here... you should come and see me. The cards have something to tell you all... Come see Madame Eva when you are ready..."

The old woman let him go, and hobbled away, leaning on her gnarled cane. Aric looked over to Jeeves, spooked. Jeeves shook himself off, trying not to think too much on the old woman’s words. Aric collected himself and headed into the tent Luvash went, Jeeves followed closely behind.

The tent was filled to the brim with vibrant and plush pillows of several colors and exquisite embroidery, splayed out on an ornate plum rug. A small table presented several various alchemical reagents, herbs and spices hung from the supports, and incense burned from a small hanging lamp, filling the tent with an aromatic smoky haze... It reminded Aric a little bit of his homeland.

Luvash sat on a small mound of pillows and made a gesture to the floor, "Feel free to sit."

“Thank you, and thank you for seeing us,” Aric rested on one of the sitting pillows, folding his legs in a butterfly position.

Jeeves sat and positioned himself to watch both Luvash and the entryway to the tent, and gave Aric a silent nod.

Luvash took a small sip from a canteen, unoffended by Jeeves’ gesture. He quirked a lip and asked, "So what brings you to me? Is it medicine? Or perhaps enhancements? Or a temporary escape from this reality?”

Luvash gestured at the reagents on the table, “I deal in many concoctions... One of my most popular is with men is a potion of stamina, however..." Luvash’s face quirked in amusement, "You seem young enough to not need such items. A temporary escape doesn't much look like your purpose here... so, what medicine do you need?"

Aric nodded at the Vistana’s deduction, “I was looking for medicine, yes. Something of a different variety than what you might normally deal with. I was bitten... by a werewolf...” he paused, and faced Luvash, “...and I'm looking for a cure.”

Luvash blinked, set down his canteen, and examined the reagents before him, "Ah, hence the secrecy... Mother did warn me that there would be an interesting request... It has been many years since I cured one bitten by a werewolf... But it can be done. Let me see the bite."

Aric unbuckled the armor he wore and undid his fine robe shirt, gingerly undoing Jeeves’ dressings. The air was cold against the wound.

Luvash rose from his seat and examined the bite. He marveled at it, "This is well taken care of... no need to worry about infection. This happened only about the last day or so, and it is already healing..." Luvash traced the bite with two fingers, "It was a big werewolf... much larger than I am used to... how unusual... the bite marks are almost... vampire... with how your skin is reacting...” He indicated the purplish, murky taint around the wound and the paleness of the skin.

“You are lucky to be alive,” Luvash stated, then muttered, “How perplexing..." Luvash stood back, "Allow me to sense your aura, and find the best way to pursue a cure."

"Of course,” Aric wasn’t going to deny Luvash permission to eradicate the monstrous infection.

Luvash stood and closed his eyes, placing a hand over Aric’s wound. A strange energy began to wash over Aric, pulsing through his entire body. It felt almost like someone was surveying him from within... Luvash frowned, and the energy faded away.

“Well that is odd indeed...” the Vistana murmured.

“What is?” Aric felt the familiar clawing dread. What was it now?

Luvash shook his head, "Your aura... reads as if you have been a werewolf for your entire life... that you were born one... but that cannot be the case... because I have seen your bite with my very own eyes!" Luvash pointed to his eyes.

“I think I would know if I were a werewolf, wouldn't I?” Aric scoffed.

Luvash stroked his beard, "I believe you would... unless you were bitten by a werewolf unlike anything I have ever seen..."

Aric thought back to the last night... the beast’s eyes seemed to glow as it bit into him, the wounds he had inflicted on the beast healed themselves... as it drained the life from Aric...

No, I don’t suppose that it was a typical werewolf, then. “There was something strange about the werewolf that bit me,” Aric admitted, “Afterwards it seemed to heal itself, like my life-force was being taken away.”

Luvash seemed puzzled, and spoke to himself in his native tongue for a bit, before addressing Aric, "Which do you prefer first? The good news? Or the not-so-good news?"

Aric blinked, “The not-so good news, I guess.” He looked over to Jeeves, who merely shrugged.

Luvash steepled his fingers and inhaled slowly before exhaling and clasping his hands, "Alright. I do not know of any way to cure this in particular- as of yet... Yet, but perhaps in time, and with Arabelle's help, we can find something to remove the curse from your blood. As of now, however... I don't see how, and we only have a week or so before the next full moon... where traditional lycanthropy is irreversible."

Aric sucked in air, “And the good news?”

Luvash shrugged, "If you become like those who are born werewolves- werewolves by blood- you will have much more control over your power, and won't be cursed to transform during the full moon, preying on friends, family, and murdering everything you love."

The air was still in the tent for a few seconds. No one knew what to make of either bit of information. Luvash continued, "I can, however, make a charm for you, if you would like, that would mitigate the blood-lust, if you do end up like the other, though."

“That would be much appreciated, thank you,” Aric readily agreed.

Luvash sat down and folded his hands, thinking for a bit, "It will take me two days to make materials and cast the spell. Why don't you come back then? In the meantime, you should stay at the Blue Water Inn. As long as you are not Vistani, and don't criticize the burgomaster... or claim to be an agent of Strahd, you should have no problem."

“I was actually hoping to speak with the woman you were talking to when we approached you, I believe you said she was your mother? She seemed to... know me somehow.”

Luvash chuffed a small laugh, "Madame Eva is her name to outsiders. For us Vistani, she is raunie, or the leader of all tribes. Like a queen in your land. To me, she is mother. And to you-" Luvash made a gesture to show importance, "If she bothers speaking with you, you have caught her attention, and she sees great things in you. She is most gifted with Sight, and has likely seen you in her visions."

Aric became interested, “Where would I find her?”

Luvash gestured outside, "She is visiting the camp right now, and will be for a few days. But after the 19th, she will return to her tribe at the Tser Pools."

Aric rose and offered a small bow, “Thank you for all your help, I believe we will seek her counsel before retiring to the inn.”

Jeeves rose and also offered a small bow. Luvash made a dismissive gesture and began to work on something with the reagents as they exited the tent. They walked forward through the camp.

Jeeves sighed, "That... wasn't my hopes. But, we shall have to see, I suppose."

“Nothing much we can do about it now,” Aric returned. He lowered his voice, “Madam Eva seems to know something we don't, she addressed me as Pasha, and said we had met before, but I'm certain we haven't.”

"Oh I don't expect you to recall. It was a very long time ago, and at the same time, it never was," a voice croaked behind them.

Jeeves jumped and yelped like a cat scared out of its skin. Aric whirled around at the voice and gasped, holding a hand over his heart to keep it from jumping out of his chest. After a few startled coughs, Aric straightened out his clothes and faced the tiny old woman from earlier- the one Luvash named as Madame Eva.

“Please excuse us, Madam Eva,” Aric caught his breath, “We aren't used to being sneaked up on, usually we are the ones doing the sneaking.”

Madame Eva cackled, "It's quite alright. I still have a few tricks up these long sleeves."

She hobbled past them, leaning on her cane as she wandered through the camp. She made a gesture to follow her, which the boys readily accepted. She chuckled, "I'm impressed at how quickly you got here... and how you are looking for your... inheritance. Pardon the familiarity, but I often forget that while Sight grants me the knowledge of you- it hardly works in reverse."

Jeeves and Aric contemplated her words and chose to listen to the old woman.

She wandered to the edge of the camp and sat on a log, facing the young foreigners, "I have my reasons. You have yours. A mutually beneficial partnership, you and the Vistani..."

Madame Eva gestured to the camp, "You see how my people are treated? A culture ancient and rich, nomadic and free... the Barovian people call us gypsies and thieves, they are suspicious of us, and chase us from their towns, calling us spies of the Devil Strahd...” she paused and lowered her voice, “However we are treated by them, in other lands we are treated far worse..."

She leaned over the log and gathered mist in her hand, “My people are fewer than a thousand now, all roaming through worlds, trying to trade and tell our stories, trying to overcome the hatred. But Barovia will always be a safe place for us. And you already know what you were asked by Lord Strahd... through his envoys."

Madame Eva let the mist fall, "You are in a tight place... gathering curses, working with the damned, and trying to solve your own mystery at the same time, to find your inheritance and to go home. Shall I enlighten you on the troubles that are presented to us?"

"If it’s not too much trouble... then yes,” Aric was eager to listen. To figure out... something. Anything.

The crone nodded, "I don't know how much you grasped so far... But the first, and most obvious... what they want you to see, is that Lord Strahd is a vampire... but not only that... he is the First to ever exist."

Madame Eva chuckled, "Naturally, when the superstitious Barovians found out, this became a problem."

She looked to Aric, "I suppose you can imagine the consequences if you were in a similar situation with your people...”

Aric felt a knot twist in his belly. Yes, the werewolf situation could pose a problem with succession and his livelihood in Calimshan. The old woman’s voice drew him back to the present.

“...Another is that this realm... is a prison." Madame Eva nodded to herself, "It wasn't always, but that is what it became. A prison for Strahd, and for all the other horrendous monsters that rule over the other 'nations.'"

The old woman paused, "And then you have the wardens... the Dark Powers..."

"Dark Powers?” Aric questioned.

Madame Eva nods, " The Dark Powers... Our stories tell of beings with the ability to create things we know as monsters... all that we know are because of them... they tempt mortals with gifts and powers, and then twist them... so that they are no longer human. No one knows why... The Dark Powers created Strahd, they created liches, undead, were-creatures... And they created the thing that bit you."

The woman paused and her eyes glazed over, as if she was in a distant place. She spoke in a low voice, "This is all I am at liberty to say right now... tell me when Linda, Ruki, and... Vasili... are here in Vallaki with you. The cards wish to speak to all of you... and your goals will manifest then. But I am tired, and must rest. The Sight is draining."

Aric rose, “Thank you Madame Eva, I will return with the others when they arrive. Good evening.”

Aric bowed and turned toward Jeeves, motioning for them to return to town, silently. Jeeves nodded and rose from the ground, following the path back to the “happy” town of Vallaki.

#curse of strahd #story update #aric rein

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dawnlion · 7 years

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Here is a list I found on this website (check it out for more information on mythology and folklore!) with very brief descriptions of shapeshifters found in various cultures. Since the wolves in Twilight are actually shapeshifters, not lycans, and these are based on real life stories the Quileute tribe, I thought that in a similar fashion this could be a good start for anyone looking for OCs or AU verses ideas with different kinds of shapeshifters that would bring more cultural diversity to the rpc. Our world is so vast and rich, our fiction should be as well. I hope this helps!

The telling of shapeshifters in myth and legend have been present from as far back as is recorded. It is a common theme in almost all cultures and tales can be found every corner of the world. With that in mind, I have an ongoing list. If you know of something that I am missing, let me know! I’ll keep adding as I find new ones in the hopes of making it as comprehensive as possible.

Argentina : A fox-like werewolf Lobizón or Lobisón as well as Werejaguars know as Runa-uturungu

Brazil : Lobisomem. There are also Boto, a river dolphin that transforms into a boy, and a Uirapuru – a small brown bird that transforms into a boy.

Bulgaria : Vrkolak is a Bulgarian Werewolf that after death turns into a vampire

Canada : Bear Walker is from First Nations folklore of that area. It’s an evil sorcerer who walks around in the form of a bear.

Chile : The Chonchon shapeshifter is a Kalku, or sorcerer that transforms into a mythical bird that announces bad luck. It has the shape of a human head with feathers, talons and big ears that it uses as wings.

China : 狼人 láng rén is the Chinese werewolf. 狐狸精 Huli Jing, a fox spirit which usually appears as a beautiful young woman; most are dangerous, but some are featured as the heroines of love stories.

Ethiopia, Morocco and Tanzania : The boudas is a sorcerer/blacksmith that changes into a werehyena. It often wears an ornament from its human form by which it may be recognized.

France : loup-garou is prevalent in France with the Beast of Gevaudan being the most famous documented case. Then there is the bisclavret which is a werewolf that cannot return to human form unless it can put its clothing back on.

Finland : ihmissusi

Greece : vrykolaka is a catchall word for werewolf, vampire or sorcerer. The word lycanthropy, from the ancient werewolf-king Lycaeon, originated here.

Haiti : loup-garou can change into anything, both plant and animal.

Iceland : A hamrammr (from old Icelandic literature) is a werecreature that shifts into the form of the animal it has most recently eaten. Its strength increases with each animal that it consumes. The current (and more correct) word for werewolf is varulfur.

India : rakshasa or raghosh is a shifter who can change into any animal it wants and is characterized by its large size and color of hair (red or blond). Ancient Indian mythology tells of Nāga, snakes that can sometimes assume human form.

Indonesia (Bali) : Leak or Leyak is a spirit that shapeshifts into humans, animals or objects and will cause mishaps, illnesses or even death.

Ireland & Scotland : The selkies are seals that take off their skins to become human. Dark-haired Celts may have their geneology explained via the selkies. Selkies are helpful creatures who watch over fishermen.

Italy : lupo mannero or licantropo s an Italian werewolf. The “Benandanti’ were werewolves that left their physical bodies behind to become wolves at which point they would go to the underworld to fight witches.

Japan : The most popular werecreatures in Japanese folklore is the kitsune (fox) and the tanuki or mijina (raccoon dog or badger). The kitsune is usually a female, and the tanuki, a male. Collectively, shapeshifters are called henge.

Kenya, Africa : The ilimu is a man- eating shapeshifter that starts out as an animal, but can shift into the form of a man.

Latvia : vilkacis, meaning “wolf eyes” or “werewolf,” is a shapeshifter that is usually evil, but occasionally offers treasures.

Lithuania : vilkatas is the Lithuanian version of the werewolf.

Mexico : nahaul is a werecreature that can turn into a wolf, large cat, eagle or bull.

Native Americans : Many different types of “skin walkers such as the Navajo Indians’ skinwalkers, the Mai-Coh and the Mohawk Indians limikkin.

Native Hawaiians : There are several shapeshifting legends out of the Hawaiian islands including the famous volcano goddess Pele who could shift into whatever appearance she wanted. There are also several shark-shifter legends.

Normandy, France : lubins or lupins look like wolves, but can speak and are very shy.

Norway & Sweden : eigi einhamir (not of one skin) has the ability to change into a wolf by wearing a wolfskin.

Norway & Sweden : Varulv (or varulf) is similar in looks to the traditional werewolf lore. However, the change is not brought on by a bite or blood. In many of the Varulv legends, the creature become a werewolf voluntarily. Usually with the use of a certain article of clothing, such as a belt, like the belt described in old 1582 werewolf story of Peter Stubbe and his Magical Belt.

Panama : Tula Vieja has been and continues to be sighted in Panama on a regular basis. The creature takes the form of a very, very old woman or witch (bruja) with a crow’s foot for a right hand. This child-eating shifter haunts all places dark and dismal, waiting to take anyone back to Hell with her that she can get her claw/hand on.

Persia : The Persians have a creature similar to the Indian rakshasa that pretends to be a harmless animal. It often attacks travelers.

Philippines : is a shapeshifting monster in Filipino folklore usually possessing a combination of the traits of either a vampire, a ghoul, a warlock/witch, or different species of werebeast, or even all of them together.

Portugal : The bruxsa or cucubuth is a vampire-werewolf that consumes both flesh and blood. The lobh omen would be your everyday werewolf.

Russia : There are two types of distinctive werewolves in Russian Mythology. The first, the wawkalak, is a werewolf who has been transformed as a punishment by the Devil whom they have angered. Recognized by friends and family, the wawkalak are not considered as evil or frightening. Unable to stay in any one place for long, the wawkalak are distended to roam from home to home and town to town searching out food, shelter and love.

Russia (Slavic) : Volkolak translates as lycanthrope. This is unusual in that the person can turn into a wolf or bear. Volkolak have been know to change willingly and against their will as a curse.

Russia, Central : The bodark is a Russian name for the werewolf. This type of Russian werewolf is actually a person that chooses to be one and goes through ceremony to force the change.

Scandinavia : The varulv much prefers beer to human flesh. Scandinavia is also home to the berserker (bearskin). There is also the ulfheobar (wolfskin), which is usually lumped in with berserker.

Serbia : The wurdalak is a werewolf that died and became a vampire.

Slovakia : The vlkodlak is transformed into a werewolf by the sorcery of another. It usually shies away from people.

South America : Kanima, a jaguar-shaped spirit that seeks and kills murderers.

Spain : The Spanish werewolf, or lob hombre, prefers pretty gemstones to human flesh.

United States : Native Americans and Native Hawaiians have many different types of “skin walkers” (see above). There are also wererats that are particularly rampant around Pennsylvania. The wererat skulks around at night, and prefers carrots with ranch dressing to human flesh.

#twilight rp #indie rp #dear indies #open twilight rp #spn rp #fantasy rp #resources.

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jameswrites · 5 years

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Ghostly Reception: Matt Mann

Genre: Supernatural comedy

Word Count: 2028

Characters: Matt Mann, a Werewolf

He’s not the main character, and I am well aware of this and in fact, write him this way on purpose. This is his first run in with a werewolf, and it’s where his story truly begins, before the start of the story, before he gets a special needs support dog for his werewolf side.

Want to pick the next person I write a snippet for? Vote here!

Matt wiped his brow with a handkerchief and sighed. He had the decency to keep the sigh soft, barely a breeze between his lips, but the hippie woman in charge of the corporate “retreat” eyed him with unbecoming derision, before she perked back up and smiled with teeth at the entire group.

“Hello everyone, my name is Shelly, and I’ll be your Guidance on this journey into understanding yourself. Let my voice and my energy fill you and give you peace to explore yourselves and each other.”

She put on a voice that’s no doubt meant to be calming, but Matt couldn’t help but feel irritation tense the worn muscles in his shoulders. She didn’t want to be their guide, but their ‘Guidance’, and frankly, Matt was already over it. Matt rolled his eyes and stretched out over the overly embellished log that served as a bench, unable to keep some of his reactions from showing, despite so much practice on maintaining composure in the courtroom. “And if we’re quite content with ourselves already?” He was politely informed that he would not prod this by his boss. He was told that everyone, from the Partners themselves on down, had to go to these at least once a year. It was a tradition. A way to show we they were all a big family. It was nonsense, but of a sort he could hardly stand.

“Well, that would make you pretty stagnant,” the voice sharpens and cuts loose from that feigned calm, “if you’re not willing to grow and change, how can you keep a job in a company as competitive as this one?” She kept the chirp in her voice and the teeth in her smile loosely threatening.

Others around him smirked, he could feel it as sure as the warmth of the fire paled compared to his cheeks. Matt didn’t bother to reply or acknowledge anyone else around him.

He could picture her as a defense attorney, against him on the stand. He could see her in a skirt and tight jecket both in a flattering navy blue, stalking about with the intent to put him on edge as she poked holes in his arguments, tried to humiliate him in front of the judge and jury. He could respect that, but the upbeat way she did it was infuriating. And this power imbalance at the retreat made it difficult to put himself on the same level as her. Still, he’d find a way. He always did. His record was nearly unblemished, and he couldn’t allow this to stand.

Instead of countering, instead of pulling even more of his coworkers’ attention onto their shared irritation, he shrugged and sat a bit more upright, angled his body to look a bit primmer, to counter her own casual posture.

Within a minute, she handed out coloring sheets and crayons, in an attempt to get them all to pull from their childhood and unlock their creativity.

He excused himself to go to the bathroom. Such a shame he didn’t know where the nearest one was, she didn’t bother to tell him, and he ended up ‘lost’ in the woods nearby. He smirks as he follows the trail.

He knew he’d get told how inappropriate it is to escape, and he knew he didn’t care. Besides, it’s hardly like she’d take roll call, probably. He could deal with the risk. He didn’t care. Matt wouldn’t tolerate any of that preachy lovey feely kumbaya crap, especially wrapped in be-dazzled barbed wire like it’s a damn bow, and he’s not about to change himself just because his boss told him that it’s just how it’s done.

Eventually, along his stalk through the forest path, Matt realized he really did need to go to the bathroom, and he really didn’t know much about forest navigation. He knew he’d followed a path, but eventually, the evening sun slid down the sky and the forest took on a more shadowy form. The darkness didn’t scare him, with its shifting shades reaching up and clawing down from the trees. It annoyed him. It kept him from knowing which way along the path he was really going. And with the policy that cell phones had to be turned off and turned in when they arrived, so no work could be done, he didn’t even have a flashlight with him.

Finally, he realized he’d have to do his business in the woods, as distasteful as it was. At least the darkness would give him cover. So he found a tall looming tree, clung close to it, and allowed himself to finish his task in nature, like no doubt that peace-love guide would suggest they all do.

Matt chuckled, a brief interruption to the silence of the fading evening, and shook off in preparation to put himself away.

A moment passed, and he heard movement in the distance, running, shifting movements through the trees. He felt goosebumps pull up on cool flesh as the sounds of breaking sticks and whistling leaves grew closer. Something big bounded his way.

Matt was an Eagle Scout. It looked good on his Yale applications, so of course, he’d done his duty and learned enough about New York and Scout culture to fit to the letter, if not to the spirit, of what was required.

Matt had been an Eagle Scout. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten most of it in law school and hadn’t been camping since his last troop outing.

If it’s a bear, play dead? But no, not for black bears like those found in New York, with those you had to fight or run. But if it was a wolf, running would set their instincts off and they’d hunt you. Besides, it sounded massive, perhaps it was a moose, and he knew to run from those.

Matt tucked himself away, the single calm action, before he took a chance that it wasn’t a wolf and ran faster than he had in State track. He was a distance runner, of course, so his sprinting skills weren’t as solid as he’d like, and it had been years since he’d gone on a morning run like he would when he was in his prime. It was an inconvenient truth, the steady throb of time and how he rarely took it to stay in shape.

His heart exhausted his body with every beat, his lungs swelled and emptied in short gasps of breath, his brow stung with sweat, nettles covered his nice button-up shirt, twigs tore at his face and hands as he pushed through the thick of the forest and the night overtook him. As darkness surrounded him in the depth of the forests, he heard the snarl of what was most definitely a wolf.

Fear gripped him, and he attempted to scramble into a tree, ignored the sharp pain on his torn fingers, forgot about how normally he’d never get messy in nature like this. No, Matt’s survival instincts kicked in and all thoughts shut down.

Except for one. Less a thought, and more a painting of fear in broad strokes. That wolf looked an awful lot different than any wolf he’d ever seen. Its mouth was far too big, and those eyes were far too wild. Its proportions pulled all wrong, in longer legs and arms, in a hump in the back, and the tatters of cloth it had on its body.

The bite burned, intense and cruel. Jaws crushed and tore through flesh. Blood soaked through his pant leg, and no doubt made the wolf even more anxious to tug him free of the tree. He could smell his own fear, he knew damn well that drove the predator on as well.

He’d never be this weak in court. Not in the final closing arguments, where he knew he had to win, to overcome the other's defense.

Normally, it was a defense, not a brutal offense like this. He was out of his quarter, of course, but that was no excuse for this cowardice, for backing down. He was the one with more experience winning, no doubt.

With the simple thought, he swelled with a reaction of rage and humiliation, laced with pain, then thought took over once again. He kicked the freak wolf right in the face with his other leg, once, twice, three times, and then it released. It tore the cloth, and tugged through some more flesh, but it was worth it for Matt when it meant freedom.

Matt tugged himself onto the branch, pulled past the pain in his arms and settled into a steady angled section of the thick oak tree, above the attacker.

It yelped. Pathetic. But even with that yelp, it remained, it attempted to get at him.

Matt spit on it in a show of dominance, ripped another branch free, felt its sturdy weight in his hand, and swung it down in a low arch against the tall wolf that still approached upwards along the trunk.

It yelped again but held fast, turned that yelp into a defiant growl.

Matt didn’t hesitate to beat it again, thrash it with the thick wood until it finally tucked its tail and ran, crying the whole way. Or, that’s what he’d tell everyone.

Adrenaline steadily decreased, his heartbeat became more steady, and he felt a wave of exhaustion roll through him.

Matt checked his wounds. The bite didn’t go as deep as it could have, thanks for his thick socks and warm pants. Still, it was nasty and needed a doctor to look at it, and likely it needed some stitches.

He gazed up at the moon as it hung high in the sky, watched it light up the forest above the tree he remained in. He attempted to use his shirt to bandage his wound and was thankful it worked well enough to stop the bleeding but furious it was necessary in the first place. Of course with his top shirt pulled off for another purpose, the chill bothered him more as well, it frosted his frustrated and pained breaths. He damned himself for leaving his coat behind when he went on the trail.

At least he didn’t have to listen to that preachy positive-thinking drivel from that young woman who thought she had all the answers despite being at least a decade younger.

Matt let out a low chuckle and shook his head, leaned into the slope of the tree, and put his own positive spin on things. If he played his cards right, he would get a settlement from this, and be able to make it so the Partners could never force him to go to one of these damned retreats again. After all, he’d not been shown where the bathrooms were, how was he to know? And anyway, the wolf clearly chased him from the path into the forest, he certainly wasn’t to blame for that.

Yes, perhaps this wasn’t an entirely bad trip. He’d get a scar, a story, and a settlement out of it.

Matt smiled and found himself a bit grateful for this detour. For a bit of pain, he’d be free of so much wasted time and frustration.

He wouldn’t sleep that night, of course, but by the time he was able to limp into camp in the morning, he had his recollection tied tightly with a lovely silver-tongued bow.

As he was taken to the van to drive to the nearest hospital, he smiled at her. He’d imagined her in court to try and regain his mental footing before. Now he’d get something even better, she’d actually have to show up. He’d have the higher ground, the upper hand, and he could win easily.

Her smile didn’t have teeth this time, it was cold, pressed thin and her eyes were wild with anxiety.

Matt could smell her fear: of a lawsuit, of losing her job, of the smile he gave and the look in his eyes, and he inhaled it deeply and slid into the back of the van. He barely even felt the pain in his leg anymore. In fact, he felt stronger than he had in a long time.

#writblr #Original fiction #Ghostly Reception #Matt Mann #Werewolf

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itsraininginspace · 7 years

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Mythical Creatures – The Ultimate List of Mythological Creatures

For as long as human beings existed, there have been stories of monsters, legendary beasts and unimaginable, supernatural beings. Some were vile creatures of darkness while some were benevolent and even heroes to the mankind. Some still walk the earth if you ask the right person.

From the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to the oral tradition of Inuits and urban legends of the present day, mythical creatures are an integral part of any folklore or mythological account.

But how well do we know our monsters? There are hundreds of them after all. Well, this article, which will be updated regularly with new additions, was written to be your guide in that sense. For those who have been wondering about them, here is our ultimate mythical creatures list:

Acephali

Acephali were human-like creatures that were believed to have lived in Libya. Acephali had their faces on their chests because their heads were removed by gods as a result of a rebellion.

Some were able to find their removed heads and carry them under their arms. The word acephali literally means “without a head”.

Also known as Acephalos, Acephalites, Akephalos and Akephale, these creatures were mentioned mostly in the works of Herodotus and Josephus.

Acheri

Acheri is a mythical creature in Native American folklore which is believed to be a revenge spirit. According to the belief, Acheri is a ghost of a young girl that died a terrible death either by being murdered or by being left to die after being abused.

Wandering around mountainsides, Acheri comes down at night to spread death especially among children by making them sick. Casting its shadow is enough for acheri to make children sick. Although it is a revenge spirit, it does not target specific individuals and very rarely adult people.

It is believed to lure some children back to its home in some cases.

Wearing red clothes, bracelets or necklaces is said to provide protection against Acheri.

Al-mi’raj

Al-mi’raj is a mythical creature in Islamic mythology which is basically a hare (rabbit) with a single horn on its forehead much like a unicorn.

Al-mi’raj lived on a mysterious island named Jezîrat al-Tennyn within Indian Ocean.

Despite its harmless appearance, this beast could kill creatures much larger than itself by stabbing them with its horn and then devour them.

According to the belief, only a true witch could render Al-mi’raj harmless ensuring others to come close and carry the beast away.

Amarok the Wolf

Amarok, also known as Amaroq is a giant wolf in Inuit mythology which was believed to kill people who were out to hunt alone.

One of the few legends regarding Amarok suggests that a boy who was unable to move and disliked by his people prayed for the god of strength and Amarok came to his aid.

Knocking the boy down with its tail, Amarok broke some bones in his body and told the boy that he could not move before because of those bones.

The boy came to wrestle with Amarok daily and become so strong that he beat three bears and earned respect from his people.

Although its origin is also linked to shunka warakin, hyaenodon and waheela, the myth of Amarok was most likely based on stories about direwolves told by ancient Eskimo people.

Banshee

A banshee is a female spirit from Irish folklore believed to be the harbinger of death.

Banshees, known as “crying/wailing women”, heralded the death of a person, a relative in most of the stories.

Banshees looked like young women combing their hair with a silver or golden comb or sometimes old women.

They also had red eyes because they wept all the time.

According to the myth, King James I of Scotland met one of these wailing women who told him that he would be killed by Earl of Atholl and his co-conspirators. He indeed fell victim to their conspiracy.

In the old times, people were warned about not picking a comb if they found one as it might have belonged to a banshee.

Doppelganger

Doppelgangers are the legendary creatures that were told to be the double spirits of people.

Although they looked exactly the same with the person in question, doppelgangers were not the twins of those people.

According to the belief doppelgangers had no reflections in the mirror or cast shadows.

Seeing a doppelganger was considered a bad omen.

Noah Brooks suggested in his book Washington in Lincoln’s Time that Abraham Lincoln saw his doppelganger and his wife told him that he would not live to serve his second term as the president of USA. Lincoln was killed right after he was chosen to be the president for a second term.

Also, John Dunne, the famous English poet said he saw the doppelganger of his wife when he was in Paris. He came back home to find out that his wife gave birth to a stillborn baby.

Basilisk

Basilisk is a legendary giant reptile in European mythology which was known as the king of serpents. The word basilisk is derived from the Greek word basiliskos meaning “a kind of serpent”.

There are three ways the basilisk was depicted in the myths: a giant snake, an enormous lizard or a reptile with scaly wings and some features of a roster like feathers, legs and head.

According to the belief, the basilisk could kill anything with just looking in its eyes much like Gorgons in Greek mythology.

Some other myths suggest that the basilisk could fly, deliver venom by biting its prey and/or breathe fire.

Loup Garou/Rougarou

Loup garou is a mythical creature in Cajun and French Canadian folklore. Also known as rougarou, this creature is basically French and Cajun counterpart of a werewolf.

A person becomes a loup garou if he or she is put under a specific loup garou curse. On the other hand, French Catholics believed that a person became a loup garou if he broke the rules of Lent for 7 years in a row.

Loup garous are very agile and strong creatures. They are weak against fire which is considered by many people to be the only way to kill them.

Cutting the head off or cutting the whole body into pieces are believed to be the other ways to kill a loup garou.

If you would like to learn more about this creature, read our detailed article about loup garous here.

Briareus

Also known as Aegaeon, Briareus is one of the Hecatoncheires in Greek mythology born from Uranus and Gaia. Briareus, the son of these major deities representing Heaven and Earth, had 100 arms and 50 heads. The word Hecatoncheires is actually derived from Greek words meanings “hundred hands” although some accounts suggest the word “briaeros” simply means strong.

Some accounts (by Homer and Hesiod) suggest that Briareus and his brothers helped Zeus while he was battling Titans. On the other hand, some accounts (Hymn to Delos by Callimachus) have Briareus as an enemy of Zeus who was buried under Mount Etna after he was defeated and killed.

Another account refers to him as the god of sea-storms who wed Kymopoleia, one of Poseidon’s daughters. This is the reason he is identified as Aegeon/Aegion (which means something like “of the Aegean Sea”)

Brynhildr

Also known as Brunhild, Brünnhilde, Brynhild, Brynhildr is a valkyrie and a shieldmaiden in Norse and Germanic mythologies.

According to the belief, Odin punished Brynhildr to live as a mortal woman after she decided Agnar was the winner of a fight between King Agnar and King Hjalmgunnar, who was preferred by Odin.

Imprisoned in a castle on top of Mount Hindarfjall, Brynhildr got rescued by the hero of the Volsung saga Sigurdr Sigmundson after he killed the dragon Fafnir.

The two fell in love and got married after Sigurdr proposed Brynhildr with the legendary ring Andvaranaut.

On a side note, Brynhildr is known as the mother of Aslaug (Kraka) one of Ragnar Lothbrok’s wives.

Upir

Upir is the word used to describe vampires in Slavic cultures although there are some slight difference between the myth regarding upirs and vampires.

As one of those differences, upirs had the ability to walk during the day and did not burn unlike vampires.

There were different opinions as to how an upir could be killed. According to the belief, staking an upir in the heart with a blessed stake would kill the creature while some other people suggested staking in the heart while sinking them in holy water was the way to kill upirs.

Decapitation and incineration were mentioned in the stories as other ways of killing upirs. If you would like to read more about the myth regarding this mythical creature, read our detailed post on upirs here.

Centaur

Centaurs, also known as Ixionidae, are mythical creatures in Greek mythology with the torso and head of a human being and the body of a horse. They are known as the children of Nephele (a cloud created in Hera’s image) and Ixion, a king of Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly.

Some accounts, however, suggest that centaurs were born from the unity of Magnesian mares and Centaurus (a single centaur considered to be the father of all centaurs).

The most significant centaur mentioned in the myths is Chiron who was known to be a mentor to some important characters in Greek mythology like Achilles and Aesculapius.

Despite being immortal, Chiron, accidentally shot by one of Heracles’ arrows (on which Heracles applied the blood of the Hydra) fell into great agony. Later, when Heracles asked Zeus to let Prometheus free and Zeus asked for a sacrifice, Chiron volunteered and died to free Prometheus and end his own suffering.

Cerberus

Cerberus, also known as Kerberos, is the giant hound with three heads guarding the gates of the underworld in Greek mythology.

The hound of Hades, which is the child of two monsters, Typhon and Echidna, is depicted as a monster with three heads, a serpent as its tail and a body from which snakes come out.

As the twelfth labor of Heracles/Hercules, Cerberus was captured by Heracles and brought to Eurystheus after which he returned the hound to the underworld (although some versions of the myth has Cerberus escaping and returning to the underworld by itself).

Chimera

Chimera, also known as Khimaira or Chimaera, is a mythological creature formed of three animals, a lioness, a snake and a goat.

Chimera’s body had three heads on her body: one that of a lioness as for her head, a goat’s head on her back and the head of a snake at the end of her tail.

Just like Cerberus, Ladon and the Lernean Hydra, Chimera was a child born from two monsters Typhon and Echidna.

Chimera could breathe fire according to Homer’s Iliad and Hesiod’s Theogony.

In the most famous myth regarding the creature, the Lycian King Iobates sent Bellerophon to kill Chimera since she has been killing cattle and setting fires throughout the country. Bellerophon killed Chimera with the help of Pegasus.

Read our more detailed article if you would like know more about Chimera.

Orthrus

Orthrus, also known as Orthus, was the two-headed hound that guarded the cattle of Geryon in Greek mythology.

He was one of Echidna and Typhon’s children (like Cerberus, the Lernean Hydra, Chimera and some other monsters in Greek myths) and was killed by Heracles while he was fulfilling the tenth of the twelve tasks/labors given to him by Eurystheus: capturing cattle of Geryon.

Sphinx

Sphinx is a legendary creature mentioned in Greek and Egyptian myths. According to the legend, the Greek sphinx had a lion’s body, a woman’s head and chest and wings of an eagle (and the tail of a serpent in some versions of the accounts).

Egyptian sphinx, on the other hand, was shown as a male. As for another difference between these two legendary beasts, Greek sphinx was a merciless and treacherous creature while her Egyptian counterpart was a benevolent figure in Egyptian mythology.

Both creatures were considered as guardians of important places like temples and were featured at entrances to such places.

While the sphinxes as a species were depicted in many ancient artworks, the most significant one in Greek mythology was the one that laid waste to the city of Thebes in Greece sent by the gods as a punishment for a crime people committed.

According to the story, King Creon (Kreon) of Thebes promised the throne of the kingdom to the person who could slay the Sphinx.

In the first version of the myth, the Sphinx stood guard at the gates of Thebes and asked riddles to the travelers who wanted to enter the city. She killed and ate them if they could not answer her riddles correctly.

In the second version of the myth, the Sphinx, which has been destroying the city for a while, refused to leave Thebes unless somebody answered her riddles correctly.

When King Creon offered the throne of the city to the person who could defeat Sphinx, Oedipus accepted the challenge. He could actually answered the riddles correctly ending in the Sphinx killing herself by jumping off the mountainside.

Nemean Lion

The Nemean lion was a legendary gigantic lion in Greek mythology believed to be one of Echidna and Typhon’s offspring although some myths suggest that he was a child of Zeus and Selene (the goddess of moon) and fell from the moon while another origin story of his featured him as the child of Chimera.

The Nemean lion had golden skin which was impenetrable to the weapons of mortals and his claws were sharper than any sword used by mortals.

As the first one of his twelve labors, Heracles was asked to kill the giant lion which has been terrorizing Nemea, a city in the Peloponnesus area.

When he finally found the lion, Heracles shot arrows at him only to realize that his skin was impenetrable.

To prevent the lion from escaping, Heracles blocked one of two entrances to the cave and followed him back into the cave. He killed the lion by strangling him with bare hands as that seemed to be only thing that worked.

On a side note, some accounts suggest that he killed the lion by shooting it in the mouth, the only part of the beast’s body that was unprotected.

Ladon

Ladon, also known as the Hesperian Dragon, was a dragon with hundred heads that guarded the golden apples of Hesperides.

Stealing the golden apples of Hesperides was the eleventh labor of Hercules set by King Eurystheus.

After wandering Egypt, Libya and Asia for a long while, Hercules finally found the garden, killed Ladon and stole the golden apples.

Lernean Hydra

The Lernean Hydra, also known as the Hydra of Lerna, was a mythical creature in Greek and Roman mythologies that lived in the lake of Lerna in the Argolid region.

Like Cerberus, Chimera and many other significant beasts in Greek mythology, the Lernean Hydra was also known as the offspring of monsters Typhon and Echidna.

According to the belief, the Lernean Hydra had nine heads, she breathed poison and her blood was so deadly that even the scent of it was enough to kill.

The Lernean Hydra was killed by the divine hero Hercules as it was the second one of his labors set by King Eurystheus.

In the myth, every time Hercules cut off one of the Lernean Hydra’s heads two new ones replaced it. In the end, Hercules asked for help from his nephew, Iolaus. Iolaus burned off Hydra’s necks as Hercules cut the heads off. That worked and Hercules finally slew the beast.

As a modern reference, the evil Hydra organization in the comic books by Marvel Comics, TV shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and movies in Marvel Cinematic Universe used the Lernean Hydra as its symbol along with the motto “If a head is cut off, two more shall take its place”.

Caucasian Eagle

The Caucasian Eagle was a giant eagle tasked by Zeus to torture Prometheus as his punishment for stealing fire from the gods.

Chained to the peak of Caucasus Mountains, Prometheus had a piece of his liver eaten every day by the Caucasian Eagle.

Some myths suggest the Caucasian Eagle was an automaton crafted by the blacksmith god Hephaestus while others suggest that the eagle was another one of Typhon and Echidna’s offspring.

While he was on his way to steal the golden apples of Hesperides as his eleventh labor, Hercules saw the Caucasian Eagle torturing Prometheus and felt sorry for the titan. He killed the eagle and ended Prometheus’ suffering.

Arachne

Arachne is a legendary creature in Greek mythology mentioned as the first spider in the world.

According to the legend, Arachne was firstly a human being, a young woman with excellent skill in weaving who was too proud of her work.

When asked whether her amazing gift of weaving was given to her by Athena, Arachne said she did not need any teaching from Athena and challenged the goddess for a weaving competition.

Disguised as an old woman later on, Athena tried to warn Arachne to be respectful and not offend gods but Arachne kept acting in an insulting and disrespectful manner. Athena revealed herself and accepted her challenge.

According to the first version of the myth, Arachne’s work for the competition was insulting on gods as she pictured them in shameful ways. Athena touched Arachne’s head (or hit according to some accounts) and made her feel shame and guilt for her insult on gods. Arachne killed herself after that but, feeling sorry for how things developed, Athena did not let her die and turned Arachne into a spider.

In the second version of the myth, Arachne did an excellent job but her work was not even close to Athena’s work. Having won the contest and seeing Arachne’s passion for weaving, Athena turned her into a spider and commanded that she and her descendants would weave until the end of time.

Cyclopes

The Cyclopes were one-eyed primordial giants in Greek mythology known as the sons of Uranus and Gaia while Homer suggested in his works that they were actually the sons of Poseidon.

The Cyclopes were lawless creatures that lived freely and did not fear the gods. They were also known to be the workers of the divine blacksmith Hephaestus.

The most significant one among the Cyclopes was Polyphemus featured in Homer’s work Odyssey. On his way back home, Odysseus arrived at the island of Cyclops (Sicily) where Polyphemus, the man-eating giant lived.

Polyphemus caged Odysseus and his men in his cave when they were trying to eat his food. He ate four of Odysseus’ men but Odysseus managed to fool him and get him drunk.

After Polyphemus fell asleep, Odysseus stabbed him in his only eye and he and his men escaped from the cave the next morning by tying themselves under the sheep Polyphemus took out to graze.

Harpies

Harpies are mythical creatures in Greek and Roman mythologies with the head of a woman and the body of a vulture (although some myths suggest exactly the opposite).

The word “harpy” is considered to be derived from the Greek word harpyia meaning “the one that steals”. This is thought to be the reason why these creatures were given the name.

In Greek mythology, harpies were Zeus’ servants and one of the most significant myths about harpies have them punishing the King of Thrace, Phineus.

Zeus wanted to punish Phineus since he used his talent for prophecy to disclose secrets of gods. He ordered harpies to steal whatever food was put in front of him.

His punishment went on until Jason and the Argonauts came to his rescue on the island where he lived.

Medusa

Medusa was one of three Gorgon sisters born from ancient marine gods Phorcys and Ceto, the offspring of Oceanus and Gaia. While her sisters Stheno and Euryale were immortals Medusa was a mortal being.

Medusa was a creature in the form of a human female with snakes for her hair. She had the ability to turn into stone anyone that looked in her eyes.

Originally, Medusa was a priestess of Athena with golden hair. She made a wow of celibacy for life but, being seduced by Poseidon, she broke her vow and married him.

Greatly offended by this, Athena punished Medusa by turning her hair into snakes, making her eyes ugly and bloody so that everyone looking at them would feel disgust and giving her beautiful white skin a hideous green tone.

Medusa ran away from her home and wandered around for a long time slowly becoming the horrible creature fitting her appearance. Her misery ended when, tasked by King Polydectes of Seriphos, Perseus beheaded her in her sleep.

Ancient Greeks believed that, while running away from one place to another in despair, Medusa wandered around Africa and the snakes dropping from her hair were the reason why the continent became so densely populated with venomous snakes.

Minotaur

The Minotaur was a mythical creature born from the intercourse between the Cretan Bull and Pasiphae, the Queen of Crete.

King Minos of Crete offended Poseidon and Poseidon put Queen Pasiphae under a spell that made her fall in love with the Cretan Bull in order to punish Minos. That is how the Minotaur came to be.

In most of the myths the Minotaur had the head of a bull and the body of a human while some other myths suggested vice versa.

Although Pasiphae tried to nurse him at first, being an unnatural creature the Minotaur became restless with time and started eating humans to feed himself.

That is when King Minos made the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus to build a huge labyrinth to keep the Minotaur under control.

According to the myth, Athenians were accused of killing Androgeus, the son of King Minos and to pay for this sin (compelled by a great plague spread among his people) King Aegeus of Athens sent seven young men and seven maidens as a feast to the Minotaur every seven years (while some accounts suggest that this was done once every nine years and some suggest it was done once a year).

When it was time for the third sacrifice, Theseus, the great Greek hero and the son of Aegeus offered himself. When Theseus reached Crete he met Minos’ daughter Ariadne and Ariadne fell in love with him.

She helped him navigate the labyrinth by giving him a ball of tread which made him find his way back and not get lost. Theseus killed the Minotaur with the sword of his father and went back home.

Pegasus

As one of the most significant mythical creatures in Greek mythology, Pegasus, the winged horse was the offspring of Poseidon and Gorgon Medusa.

Simultaneously with his brother Chrysaor, Pegasus was given birth when Perseus killed his mother. Some accounts suggest that these two creatures were born from the blood coming out of Medusa’s neck while others suggest that they were born from the Earth when Medusa’s blood fell onto it.

A third version of the story suggests that they were born from the mixture of sea foam, pain and Medusa’s blood implying that Poseidon played a role in their birth.

The most prominent myth featuring Pegasus is related to the fight between the Greek hero Bellerophon and the Chimera. Upon the suggestion by Polyeidos, Bellerophon slept in the temple of Athena to wake up and find Pegasus drinking water from a nearby spring.

Tamed by the hero, Pegasus helped Bellerophon greatly when he defeated the Chimera.

Scylla

Scylla was a monster in Greek mythology that lived between two rocks near Italy and Sicily.

The creature was described by Homer as a monster with twelve feet and six long necks. It had six heads with three rows of sharp teeth.

While some myths suggest Crataeis was Scylla’s mother, Hecate was also linked to be the mother in some other myths. There is no obvious mention of its father but Apollodorus suggested either Tyrrhenus or Phorcys was the father of Scylla.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Circe tells Odysseus to sail close to Scylla rather than Charybdis, Scylla’s counterpart that swallowed the sea waters three times a day. Circe suggests Odysseus that Charybdis might sink his ship as a whole while Scylla will only take six of his men (if he asks Crataeis, Scylla’s mother to make her offspring to attack his ship only once).

Odysseus listens to Circe and loses six of his men to Scylla while passing through.

Sirens

Sirens, also known as the Seirenes, were legendary sea-nymphs who lured sailors passing nearby to death with their beautiful voices and enchanting songs.

There are different opinions regarding the number of the Sirens but the most common belief suggested that there were three of them.

The Sirens were the handmaidens and companions of Persephone before she was abducted to the underworld by Hades. That is when Demeter gave the Sirens wings to help in the search for Persephone.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus wondered about the song of the Sirens and asked his men to plug their ears using beeswax and tie him tightly to the mast of the ship.

Hearing the beautiful song of the Sirens, Odysseus demanded his men to release him but they tied him even more strongly. They released Odysseus after they sailed away to a distance where Odysseus could not hear the song of the Sirens anymore.

According to some authors, the Sirens died if someone heard their songs but survived and the Sirens who called for Odysseus killed themselves by jumping into the water after Odysseus escaped.

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Source: http://mythologian.net/mythical-creatures-ultimate-list-mythological-creatures/

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