#verse: fandomless.

[acesleuth]

okay. bullet points rq on my fandomless stuff for ashveil. takes insp from: bloodborne, lovecraft country, deadlock, and arkham horror.

the setting is modern. sorta generic 2020's modern. i.e cars, computers, phones. i was considering it being set in ny- but i think chicago might be better. kinda has some nods to planarcadia. but again ,,, less sci-fi. i may stick with a real world place, or just shoot for something i've made up for more flexibility.

above in mind. it is modern + supernatural. i do lean more into the type of supernatural horror found in lovecraft and deadlock. so. cults, horrors, patrons and elder beings who toy with the natural world. there's some i snagged from bloodborne too though- beast men, mi-gos, celestial hosts ect ect.

ashveil is a major player in this verse for now. when he moved to the city where the main story takes place- he took up the role of a detective, and has actually done a decent job with it. while he does do plenty of odd work for regular every day kind of people- he also takes other, much stranger work. investigating cult activity with a really intense kind of dedication.

the bloodborne side of things comes from the idea of imbibing blood but... in a more modernized sense. like it's a hip thing to do. treating the blood of elder gods as a way to gain insight and get a form of 'high'. it's a newer issue, and it's the main cause of the rampant crime- and the literal monsters that are cropping up. those who have enough insight, are unfortunately very easy for the local cult to manipulate. or might turn, or lose their minds due to what they can see.

taking some parallels from ashveil's canon; he's very old. thousands of years in fact. and this is due to a pact he has with yogg-sothoth. it was a pact that required a great deal of loss, and sacrifice of his part. and has earned him quite a few enemies, even some that were quite close to him at the time it was made.

OH ALSO- his arm is not a prosthetic like it is in hsr. it's actually just, really weird looking. and he usually keeps it covered in some way.

[wuyoob]

in wuya's fandomless stuff; posts can be found here & here for now; she is a performer and songstress publicly. but plays the role of a 'witch' or wish maker in private. unlike many of her other verses, she dresses in much more modern attire- similar to some of these below. ( while she does not wear a witches hat, one of her most common fits does have a very wide brimmed hat with wing designs / crow motifs ).

she does NOT have ties to any of the major outer god pantheon. and actually plays an active part in trying to prevent their entry into our reality. many people believe wuya's music has an otherworldly quality to it. and some do truly believe her to be a witch or a sorceress of some kind trying to influence people's minds. so while she has a massive fan-base, wuya does have some haters. it doesn't bother her though, as in her distant past she was loathed and despised much the same. though to a greater extreme, by the gods who created her for their own gain in their courtly games.

much like in any verse, wuya embodies freedom and enigma. she is considered a neutral character in the world of lumen- and owes her allegiance to no one but herself. no one knows who her record company or producer is. so a lot of rumors online have begun to circulate around her- unknowingly spreading her influence, and her "talisman" around, which allows people to bargain and trade with her.

it's important to rlly emphasize that wuya is NOT a witch. it's simply a rumor spread about her on forums, and by word of mouth. wuya doesn't really argue against it.

[acesleuth]

more world building. because i have settled on some stuff more. it's a continuation of my thoughts from this post. and honestly, since sony has effectively vaulted blood/borne as a whole. it's mine now.

going with my OWN city, but it is based off of chicago, and new york, with small nods to planar/cadia and how ... media driven it is. it's called Lumen City. Or just Lumen. And boasts a pretty massive tourist pull due to how old it is. It strikes Ashveil as odd of course, because from the outside it seems like nothing is wrong. But living within the city has proven to be quite dangerous for those who don't know what to expect. Or who to watch out for. It's almost as if Lumen has become a lure of some kind. on the surface it seems fairly normal. but the longer you live there... the worse things get.

the imbibing of old blood is known by a few names. but the process of it has been simplified and refined to make it easier to spread. the local cult is to thank for the drug that's been going around. though police forces are not really able to stop it, as it's too infectious, and... some of them are taking it anyway. a little bit wont do any kind of permanent damage- but it's highly addictive. initially it's like ...LSD i guess. but over time it's effects linger for longer and longer... until you really begin to see things within the cosmic folds of reality and ... well. we all know lovecraft. this makes people really easy for the cult to control. though many of them will go mad, or begin to turn into monsters and horrors themselves.

there are other issues too. and groups of people who work to either clean up lumen city, or try to study and understand what's happening.

the hunter's workshop

literally what it says it is. it's an organization of people who have the necessary skills to deal with the rampant problems within the city. it's not really official. like it doesnt have funding from the city. it's small, and run by a woman named Renata. she used to be a very influential figure, until the cult pulled strings to have her family brought low to keep her out of their way. she still has a LOT of money, but she's lost a lot of her power, and aims to dig the cult out of its burrow by any means necessary. the hunters have been given permission to use any means necessary to deal with beats, horrors, or people lost to the blood they've carelessly imbibed in.

hemwick university

they study a lot of the going ons within lumen. it's very obviously based on miskatonic, as it's primary focus is the occult, cosmic horror, and forbidden knowledge. it's sort of divided, similar to the choir & the school of mensis. where one side wishes to commune and understand the outer gods. and the other wishes to become them, or at least grow to become a part of them. some people believe the cult was born from the university but others have their doubts and speculations.

the lumen coven

this is a group that practices magic. well. cosmic magic. the coven has mostly managed to maintain their control over the power given to them by their exploration into forbidden arts. but they've gotten a lot smaller, as the old blood usage has bled into even their numbers. it was the discovery of the Necronomicon and the old blood that had torn the coven in two- and birthed the cult. members of the cover do still practice, but carefully and with defined intent. they're far and few between now, and the knowledge they have is sought after by the university.

lcpd

yeah i mean. this is p straight forward... these are the police. ashveil has worked with them before, but limits how often he does. their ranks have grown more corrupt and unreliable over time. though there are still members of the force that do try to do their job. it's a mess really, and a lot of people have chalked them up to a joke.

there are other locations and factions. but these are the big ones. i could yap about the cult but i think this post has gotten long enough. i plan on pulling a lot from different content i like. and getting into how the outer gods like yogg, hastur, and even nyar might play into things.

[wuyoob]

          "  Busy  as  a  bees,  you  Tsukinos-  aren't  you?  "  the  crow  calls  from  it's  perch  on  a  low  branch.  It's  a  little  larger  than  average,  but  not  enough  to  notice  at  a  first  glance.  It's  feathers  carrying  a  glossy,  purple  sheen.  The  strangest  part;  it's  third  leg.  "  Why  aren't  you  using  the  talismans  I  provided  your  caretaker?  "  it's  head  tilts,  cartoonishly  almost  as  it's  beak  clicks  with  every  word.

" Such a waste... "

@holyscorch / sc ( taiyou )

[acesleuth]

@holyscorch asked: " i don't know why, but ... it did annoy me a little. the way they were flirting with you. " / crimson oop

          It  was  a  shock  to  be  pulled  away  so  suddenly,  rescued  as  it  were.  But  he  went  with  it  to  escape  the  woman's  attempts  at  seducing  him.  She  was  beautiful,  certainly,  but  he  wasn't  exactly  in  any  kind  of  mood  for  it-  and  had  been  trying  to  find  a  way  to  excuse  himself  between  her  conversation.  That  was  when  Crimson  had  swooped  in  and  snatched  him  by  the  arm,  pulled  him  away.  Leaving  Ash/veil  to  stutter  an  apology  her  way,  as  he  disappears  into  another  room.  To  be  pat  down  gently,  and  fussed  over  as  if  he'd  stumbled  or  fallen.  And  the  confession  that  follows,  does  leave  him  with  surprisingly  little  to  say  at  first...

"  Really  now...?  "  it  probably  shouldn't  be  such  a  surprise.  After  all  hasn't  he  also  stepped  in  when  he'd  seen  Crimson  in  an...  uncomfortable  situation?  This  feels  a  little  different  than  that  though.  Ash/veil  is  perceptive  enough  to  pick  up  on  the  subtle  shifts  in  his  tone,  how  he  moves.  It  sounds  like  jealousy,  or...  something  like  it.  He  knows  what  they  are;  the  idea  that  Crimson  would  be  possessive  is  unsurprising  but...  of  him?

He  raises  a gloved  hand,  and  though  there  is  a  pause there,  he  does  rest  it  against  his  arm.  "  Well  if  it  makes  you  feel  better,  I  didn't  have  much  interest  in  her.  " it's  meant  to  be  reassuring,  of  course.  But  also  to  gage  in  a  way,  how  he  responds.  "  In  case  you  were  worried  for  my  wellbeing.  I  promised  to  stick  around  for  a  bit  anyway, remember?  "

unprompted

[acesleuth]

       "   Alright.   So   you   want   me   to   help   you   find   something.   "   repeating   just   to   clarify   the   expectations   of   this   commission.   He's   been   asked   to   find   things   before,   not   just   people.   But   she's   been   pretty   vague   about   what   it   is   she's   looking   for.   "   Want   to   give   me   more   details   beforehand?   Hard   to   do   proper   proper   sleuthing   when   I've   got   so   little   to   work   off   of.   "

@viteoublies   /   sc

[acesleuth]

shou vc hey pangea explorer 👋

" Hello fetus. "

[acesleuth]

@frenzie asked: 💋 ok. yknow 💅

          Luocha  was  many  ...  many  things.  And  he  found  himself  thinking  about  those  things  more  often  than  he'd  like  to  admit.  Wondering  at  times  if  these  thoughts  were  really  just...  deeper  feelings  without  a  real  name  to  them.  Good  hearted,  patient,  understanding,  and  extremely  dependable.  Of  course  we're  not  going  to  get  into  the  physicality  of  his  opinions-  like  how  disarmingly  beautiful  he  is  but.  No that's not  important  right  now.  No  it  was  that  dependability  that  has  Ashveil  more  excited  than  usual.  It's  why  he  kisses  him;  a  sudden,  firm,  press  of  lips.  Emphasized  by  a  fanged  smile,  and  hands  cupping  his  cheeks.  Normally,  such  an  action  is  preluded  by  '  i'm  so  happy  i  could  kiss  you  right  now!  '  but  he  skipped  that  part.  They've  done  more  than  that,  more  than  this  ... 

... so he's hardly embarrassed.

"  You  have no idea what this means-  "  he  says,  still  holding  his  face  in  both  hands.  And  ...  as  if  intending  to  make  up  for  the  first,  he  kisses  him  again.  Though  it  is  much  more  gentle.  Before  he  slips  away,  and  takes  what  it  is  he's  been  given.  To  pin  it  up  on  his  wall.  "  I've  been  trying  to  find  evidence  connecting  these  two  leads  for  months-  ahhh,  how'd  you  even  get  this?  "

kisses yeeeah / tentatively accepting