I'm Atlas Sage. From Willow Creek, but I'm almost never home. Why? You might ask?
I'm an explorer; an adventurer. I travel a lot. That's what I do for a living.
Normal people just call me unemployed, but to be honest, I think it sucks to be them. They're the ones trapped in their 9-5s while I'm over here exploring the world. You only live once, and I wanna live my life like people should: exploring, learning, experiencing, and living freely.
When I am home though and need a quick buck, I'll do some one-off odd jobs as a way of helping my community with what they need. I find money and capitalism shameful, but as much as I want to, I can't fix the way society runs.
I've been to several places: Granite Falls, Sulani, even Mt. Komorebi, but out of all the places in the world, there's one place I'd like to explore the most...
Selvadorada.
My mom's from there. She died when I was 6. Don't remember much of her, but now that Dad's gone too, I wanna learn more about her, her culture, and Selvadorada's history.
By learning about my mom, I'm also learning about myself. I'm half Selvadoradian, after all. I want to live, breathe, and experience her origin; our origin.
When my Dad was still around, he told me to never travel too deep into the jungle, and to never explore the ancient tombs in the area. I'd find everything I'd wanna know in the Puerto Llamante Marketplace, he said.
But I know there's more to Selvadorada than what you'll find in the marketplace. The marketplace will be valuable, but the secrets of the jungle are what I'm truly after.
I'm going to Selvadorada, and I'm gonna explore it all. Sorry, Dad.
I'm choosing to believe that death means rebirth for Lilia. By the end of her trial she was finally able to fill in all the gaps and now can live her life from the beginning, not afraid of her fate.
"Let us begin," her Maestra says.
In the surrounding shadows of the green nature and flowing waterfalls, the daylight offered a vast array of enterprises. From the casual hiker to the daily jogger, it was a testament to South Korea’s rolling and breathtaking landscape. Even when the moon rose to its highest point and the density of the fog in the spring made it challenging to see, the pathways and points of interest remained teeming with people. At 2,080 feet, this was a place where only peace and tranquility could live.
This particular evening, however, was different. The orb of the night had begun a new, no glow would light the way this night. The elevation had succumbed to the absolute darkness that surrounded its every cliff and ridge. For most, this was a warning. A sign that the quiet and beautiful ambience had vanished, enough to keep most souls’ miles away from the area. But not all.
Along one of its higher pathways, two headlamps bobbed up and down at a steady pace. Music leaked into the night air, echoing through the two sets of earbuds worn by the two runners. After making it to a landing along the stairs, the headlamps went still, bending over in fatigue. They were in their early twenties, college students, and frequent visitors to the terrain. Not paying any mind to the somber sky, the two had decided to take a break from study.
“You good?” The boy breathlessly panted.
“Yeah, you?” The girl smirked back.
“Think so, it’s a good night for this.” The two stood straight up, catching their breath. As were various nights in the spring, the encircling air was hazy, but the thought hadn’t even crossed their minds.
“You mind if I go ahead?” The girl gestured towards the path ahead.
“No no, you’re totally fine.” The boy smiled back and motioned.
“See you there!” She called back, playfully waving as she jogged up the stairs. After taking a few moments to take a drink of water and readjust his headlamp, the young man put his earbuds back in and began running up the stairs. It had only been around five minutes when the air became thicker and heavier with fog, though he hadn’t taken notice as of yet. But when the wind began whistling louder than his music, he immediately stopped and took his earbud out, reaching up and pressing his finger to his ear in discomfort.
“Min?” A familiar voice suddenly echoed in his ear as if someone was singing his name. He turned from right to left trying to track the whereabouts of where the call had come from.
“Sarah?”
“Min Min?” Her voice went through his left ear to his right, the musical way he had been called the first time had now become seductive, luring him to look towards the silhouetted trees off the trail.
“Ooh, I gotcha…” Playfully, he briefly stuck his pinky in his mouth and then ran it across his brow, putting his thumbs in each side of his tank top, stretching it forward and then letting it slap backwards to his chest. Puffing his chest out, he walked into the foggy forest.
“I had no idea you were so….” His confidence and bravado disappeared almost immediately when he realized what was in front of him was indeed not his companion but something out of the stuff of nightmares and legends. Two red eyes with white pupils stared back at him, animal-like with absolute hatred and hunger.
“What the he-” Before he could move a muscle, he had been taken off his feet and as quickly as he had opened his mouth to scream, silence filled the air as even the wind had ceased to absolute dead air. The only human presence on the mountain had been utterly stolen from the night. And whatever had taken that presence was anything but human.
KPop Demon Hunters: The Blood Moon
Next Chapter: https://www.tumblr.com/worldofpureimagination2697/813281158237437952/kpop-demon-hunters-the-blood-moon-chapter-i-just?source=share
A file lay open on the polished mahogany desk of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Scattered across its surface were several photographs, each depicting a young man who had captured the attention of the FBI Art Crime Unit. Other images displayed various pieces of artwork recently retrieved from a storage unit, which had once been obscured by the shadows of neglect. To date, there was no evidence linking the young man to any illicit scheme; the FBI, it seemed, was not so easily deceived. However, Hannibal possessed little faith in their investigative prowess, which had always allowed him to remain several steps ahead of them. They were still in pursuit of a multitude of his victims, each lead culminating in a series of dead ends—unless he strategically provided them with small morsels of information to sustain their inquiry.
Despite the FBI's ongoing surveillance of him, it appeared that many had largely forgotten the case, overshadowed by the myriad of other investigations vying for their attention. Typically, Hannibal would have little interest in cases of this nature. However, among the photographs of the recovered artwork was one particular piece that stirred an ache within him, deep in the cavity of his chest. He recognized that he would need to delve deeper into the whereabouts of the artworks and follow this trail on his own.
As he perused Casper's file, (@boyinvisible) he recognized that reaching out to him directly by phone would not serve his interests well. Thus, he resolved to pay a visit to Revered Relics, ostensibly under the pretext of bringing an old painting in need of restoration. This artwork, an heirloom passed down from his uncle, was shrouded in memories. The canvas portrayed cherry blossoms, once vibrant, now faded, and featured a nude Japanese woman who no longer glimmered under the dappling sun that had once graced her bare shoulders.
Upon entering Revered Relics, he encountered Casper. "Mr. Reid, I have traveled quite the distance to see you," Hannibal announced. This approach might not have been the most prudent, but he was determined to present a veneer of professionalism that would eclipse his underlying intentions.
" you've... heard of me? "
Hannibal's smile was subtle; it barely lifted the corner of his mouth. "I have," he replied, gracefully lifting the canvas draped in brown parchment to rest it upon the counter nearby. "Forgive me; it was rather cumbersome, and these leather gloves have yet to be properly worn in."
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 94/96
Fandom: Batman: Arkham (Video Games), Batman: Arkham Knight Genesis (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Characters: Jason Todd, Joker, Killer Croc, Dove Marquis (OC), Harvey Bullock, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, the squad - Character, Leslie Thompkins, Catherine Todd, Jonathan Crane, Kitty Richardson (OC), Lemon the Dog, Nicole the Non-Local (OC), Sheila Haywood
Additional Tags: Whumptober, we do not respect clowns in this house, Batdad, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, fear toxin, Dr. Crane is technologically challenged but we've all got faults, anyone (that's not Lemon) can die, Weird Shit happens in Gotham for the sake of this spindly plot, it sucks to be jason todd
Series: Part 5 of Cigarette Smoke & Snark
He’d lost control. He’d completely lost control of his cursed form, and he was caught in a wild rampage. Hissing and snarling, the elk-like cursed beast was tearing through the halls of the castle, slammed through the doors of the throne room, and— There! Letting out a loud, shrieking howl, he flared his wings and snapped skeletal jaws at the face of the Emperor.
Hissing, growling, he bucked and tossed his antlers, even as scouts were attempting to surround and restrain him. The cursed teenager was completely wild and out of control, and again, he charged straight for Belos with wicked fangs ready to tear the man apart if he wasn’t stopped.
