June 2025 Talent Showcase
Riona, The Phoenix Warrior
by Tesariel
So this is a character of mine I had not thought about for a long time and am planning to revisit again in a short story. She is a warrior who was cursed to be a phoenix, and now transforms back and forth between them. For a long time she could not transform at all.
Her hair is supposed to look like fire itself, as she has fire magic. In the drawing, I have drawn both her phoenix form (left) and her human form (right).
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Phoenix_Bluefeather
Holt Town Nuclear Power Station
by .real_moonmoon
Couldn't think of anything relating to my projects, so I said YOLO and took some aesthetic screenshots of a nuclear power plant I found and proceeded to nuke.
Made in Stormworks.
CONTENT WARNING
This entry contains written story mentions and computer generated pictures of death along with scenes of peril. No blood is depicted.
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In the late hours of January 6th, 2004, the Holt Town Nuclear Power Plant was operating normally.
At 4:59:11 PM the control room for reactor one had several high pressure warnings sound for the three turbines.
At 4:59:21 the emergency systems kicked in to bring the pressure down.
At 5:47:13 a technician noticed unusual readings for the coolant levels of that reactor and instructed teams to investigate and check for anything abnormal.
At 5:50:00 an alarm sounded warning of dangerously low coolant.
At 5:50:10 an operator switched over to using the emergency reserves and watched the levels stabilize, but not climb.
At 5:54:56 alarms began ringing out alerting them to high pressure in the turbines, and a high fuel rod temperature.
At 5:55:07, a massive explosion tore through the reactor building roof, launching pieces of the core into the air. Pieces of fuel rod would be discovered some 200 meters away.
Approximately 5 minutes later a secondary explosion tore apart the remainder of the room, blasting massive sections of steel reinforced concrete into the parking lot.
A tertiary explosion occurred 5 seconds later as the control rooms filled with alarms warning of radiation soaring off the charts. Out of all 20 employees on site at the moment of detonation, all of whom would perish by 6:59 PM. Along with 3 additional sailors on a nearby fishing boat. Dozens in the nearby town of Holt would also get ARS and perish in the coming months and years.
At 4:59:11 PM the control room for reactor one had several high pressure warnings sound for the three turbines.
At 4:59:21 the emergency systems kicked in to bring the pressure down.
At 5:47:13 a technician noticed unusual readings for the coolant levels of that reactor and instructed teams to investigate and check for anything abnormal.
At 5:50:00 an alarm sounded warning of dangerously low coolant.
At 5:50:10 an operator switched over to using the emergency reserves and watched the levels stabilize, but not climb.
At 5:54:56 alarms began ringing out alerting them to high pressure in the turbines, and a high fuel rod temperature.
At 5:55:07, a massive explosion tore through the reactor building roof, launching pieces of the core into the air. Pieces of fuel rod would be discovered some 200 meters away.
Approximately 5 minutes later a secondary explosion tore apart the remainder of the room, blasting massive sections of steel reinforced concrete into the parking lot.
A tertiary explosion occurred 5 seconds later as the control rooms filled with alarms warning of radiation soaring off the charts. Out of all 20 employees on site at the moment of detonation, all of whom would perish by 6:59 PM. Along with 3 additional sailors on a nearby fishing boat. Dozens in the nearby town of Holt would also get ARS and perish in the coming months and years.
"Another Day, Another Dollar; Taken 1:00 PM January 6th, 2004."
"Fishing With the Boys; Taken at 5:47 PM"
"A lot of people are gonna die and they just don’t know it; Taken at 5:55:07"
"The Moment the Gravity Of The Situation Hit; Taken, 5:57:26"
"Taken from near the parking lot at 6:00:07"
Flames Of The Father
by sylvirashe
Father Declan Pict occasionally works with Saber whenever he's assigned to hunt particularly dangerous monsters. The Church doesn't exactly APPROVE, but it keeps their Exorcist alive and there's always the chance that the monsters will take each other out and won't be a problem anymore. He has a standing order to kill Saber if the opportunity arises. So when he finds himself on a mission that takes him near enough to Saber's home that he can pass the night in a comfortable bed instead of a tent, he gladly stops by. And when he sees the Court empty of all but its Master... he takes his chance.
It fits the theme because FIRE. Fire scorches.
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Saber lounged boredly on a velvet chaise near the balcony windows, reading by moonlight and trying to ignore the feeling of Declan pacing upstairs in his borrowed guestroom.
The lovely priest had shown up late the night before and slept through most of the day. He was terse at dinner, clearly tense, wrestling with some heavy weight that he'd refused to share. It wasn't as though it was the first time he had stayed in one of the vampire's lairs, not even the first time it had been only the two of them in residence - Katarina had left a week ago to visit Baba Yaga, Roger the day prior to escort Brandon to his new chosen culinary school, and the human servants had their own homes to go to - but something felt different. Pict hadn't even taken off his blindfold...
Not that Saber wanted to see the sightless sapphire eyes and crimson sclera that were a constant reminder of Raphael's power in him, but it was strange for the Exorcist to hide them from him. A slight flaring of his nostrils and unconscious twitch of a frown pulled him out of his musings and he sat up straighter to test the scent of the air, trying to pinpoint what had alerted him.
...Smoke? Declan!
He leapt up and all but flew out of the bedroom, racing through the halls and up the stairs to find his priest and get him to safety... Only to skid to a stop as he rounded the corner.
The Exorcist stood in the middle of the hall, dressed, geared, hunting whip in one hand and holy staff in the other. "Why couldn't you have just gone to the fire, boyo?" he asked in that lovely, Irish lilt, the aching in his chest audible in his voice. "Such a shame to lose a library like that one."
Saber blinked a few times, mind refusing to believe what his senses were telling him. That he'd been betrayed. That his beloved priest was a threat. When he finally caught up to the situation, all he could think to say was, "My library... You set fire to my library‽ Why‽"
He softened ever so slightly, adjusting his hold on his staff. "Why do you think, Augostos? Orders."
"Don't call me that," he snapped weakly, more concerned with his warring instincts than the hated name. "You really came here to kill me this time?"
Before Saber could make up his mind whether to attack or flee, Declan closed the distance between them and swung his staff to try knocking his feet out from under him, then redirected to crack it against the vampire's cheekbone when he dodged. The strike had enough force behind it to fling the delicate creature through a closed door, splintering the solid wood easily. While his quarry recovered and he advanced, he breathed a quiet, "That's always been my assignment, Augostos. You know that... I just- I got lucky..."
"Stop calling me that!" he snapped, struggling back to his feet, voice brittle. "Please... Dec..."
"Then fight back!" the priest cried in pained anger as he flicked the whip out, her crack driving his prey deeper into the room. "Fight back as Saber - the Saber of the Morning Star, the vampire who slaughters priests by the churchful, the monster who hunts his own kind - or die as Augostos, the pretty little toy who never stopped being a slave." That finally got a reaction, and when Saber lunged for him, he snapped the whip out again to force some space between them. After a deep, centering breath, he brought the end of his staff down on the marble in front of the fireplace and spoke an unwavering, "Isrāfīl." The name was a rumble of distant thunder and he snapped open eyes that were suddenly alight with sapphire flame. "Why didn't you just go to the library..."
"Because I made the mistake of thinking you mattered more," he hissed, the use of holy magic forcing him to take their situation seriously and go on the offensive as smoke began making its way up the stairs to fill the hall. He called thin tendrils of his blood from his wounds and formed them into twin daggers, then launched himself at his enemy.
The vampire had him beat in speed and maneuverability, but channeling his patron's Grace made him almost a match. He stayed just ahead of blades and claws, blocking and retaliating with his staff whenever his opponent slipped inside the whip's range. A flickering orange glow in the hallway got just enough of his attention for Saber's claws to rake his face with the force to send him to the floor. He instinctively lashed out with the whip and realized just how much they had both been holding back.
Concern slowed Saber's response, his obsidian gaze locked on the Exorcist's face with such focus that he didn't notice his hand move until those sapphire eyes went wide. His leap back changed the point of contact from the left side of his chest to his thigh and he screamed as his flesh burst in response to the whip's own deadly magics. Dropping to the floor and writhing in agony, he watched his leg - much farther away than it should have been - crumble into dust.
Declan stood, wiping the blood out of his eyes, and advanced on his crippled quarry. The wounds across his face were filled with healing light, quickly closing with little more than a thought from him, that soothing power in stark contrast to the ease with which he used his whip to take both of the vampire's arms, trying to ignore her hunger and joy. "I am sorry, you know... In another life-."
"Just do it," he growled through gritted teeth, crimson tears streaking down his fair cheeks.
Rather than take his head with the whip or run him through with the sharp end of his staff, he took up a firepoker and stepped closer. "You had to know it was always going to end this way..." Not wanting to hear whatever venom Saber was about to loose, he drove the poker down through his chest with a sickening crack of bone and a loud thunk as it sank deep into the wooden floor and pinned him in place to await the rising blaze.
Saber managed a gurgling, wheezing laugh and groaned out a mocking, "Taking the coward's way out then? Leave me here and let the fire finish me off? Pathe-."
Declan cut him off with a fierce kiss, loathing the sweetly intoxicating taste of the other man's blood on his tongue and terrified of what it would mean if he were to survive. "It's nearly dawn. If the flames don't get you, the sunlight will. Just make it easy on yourself and end it before one of them does. I have to go while I still have a chance." After pressing another tender kiss to his vampire's forehead, he ran to the window to try his luck climbing down the trellis.
A very different kind of tightness in his chest didn't ease until he felt the priest reach a safe distance away from the inferno he'd set. "God I hate him..." he sighed to himself, then turned his head to watch the flames scorch through the hall and begin crawling their way into the room.
The lovely priest had shown up late the night before and slept through most of the day. He was terse at dinner, clearly tense, wrestling with some heavy weight that he'd refused to share. It wasn't as though it was the first time he had stayed in one of the vampire's lairs, not even the first time it had been only the two of them in residence - Katarina had left a week ago to visit Baba Yaga, Roger the day prior to escort Brandon to his new chosen culinary school, and the human servants had their own homes to go to - but something felt different. Pict hadn't even taken off his blindfold...
Not that Saber wanted to see the sightless sapphire eyes and crimson sclera that were a constant reminder of Raphael's power in him, but it was strange for the Exorcist to hide them from him. A slight flaring of his nostrils and unconscious twitch of a frown pulled him out of his musings and he sat up straighter to test the scent of the air, trying to pinpoint what had alerted him.
...Smoke? Declan!
He leapt up and all but flew out of the bedroom, racing through the halls and up the stairs to find his priest and get him to safety... Only to skid to a stop as he rounded the corner.
The Exorcist stood in the middle of the hall, dressed, geared, hunting whip in one hand and holy staff in the other. "Why couldn't you have just gone to the fire, boyo?" he asked in that lovely, Irish lilt, the aching in his chest audible in his voice. "Such a shame to lose a library like that one."
Saber blinked a few times, mind refusing to believe what his senses were telling him. That he'd been betrayed. That his beloved priest was a threat. When he finally caught up to the situation, all he could think to say was, "My library... You set fire to my library‽ Why‽"
He softened ever so slightly, adjusting his hold on his staff. "Why do you think, Augostos? Orders."
"Don't call me that," he snapped weakly, more concerned with his warring instincts than the hated name. "You really came here to kill me this time?"
Before Saber could make up his mind whether to attack or flee, Declan closed the distance between them and swung his staff to try knocking his feet out from under him, then redirected to crack it against the vampire's cheekbone when he dodged. The strike had enough force behind it to fling the delicate creature through a closed door, splintering the solid wood easily. While his quarry recovered and he advanced, he breathed a quiet, "That's always been my assignment, Augostos. You know that... I just- I got lucky..."
"Stop calling me that!" he snapped, struggling back to his feet, voice brittle. "Please... Dec..."
"Then fight back!" the priest cried in pained anger as he flicked the whip out, her crack driving his prey deeper into the room. "Fight back as Saber - the Saber of the Morning Star, the vampire who slaughters priests by the churchful, the monster who hunts his own kind - or die as Augostos, the pretty little toy who never stopped being a slave." That finally got a reaction, and when Saber lunged for him, he snapped the whip out again to force some space between them. After a deep, centering breath, he brought the end of his staff down on the marble in front of the fireplace and spoke an unwavering, "Isrāfīl." The name was a rumble of distant thunder and he snapped open eyes that were suddenly alight with sapphire flame. "Why didn't you just go to the library..."
"Because I made the mistake of thinking you mattered more," he hissed, the use of holy magic forcing him to take their situation seriously and go on the offensive as smoke began making its way up the stairs to fill the hall. He called thin tendrils of his blood from his wounds and formed them into twin daggers, then launched himself at his enemy.
The vampire had him beat in speed and maneuverability, but channeling his patron's Grace made him almost a match. He stayed just ahead of blades and claws, blocking and retaliating with his staff whenever his opponent slipped inside the whip's range. A flickering orange glow in the hallway got just enough of his attention for Saber's claws to rake his face with the force to send him to the floor. He instinctively lashed out with the whip and realized just how much they had both been holding back.
Concern slowed Saber's response, his obsidian gaze locked on the Exorcist's face with such focus that he didn't notice his hand move until those sapphire eyes went wide. His leap back changed the point of contact from the left side of his chest to his thigh and he screamed as his flesh burst in response to the whip's own deadly magics. Dropping to the floor and writhing in agony, he watched his leg - much farther away than it should have been - crumble into dust.
Declan stood, wiping the blood out of his eyes, and advanced on his crippled quarry. The wounds across his face were filled with healing light, quickly closing with little more than a thought from him, that soothing power in stark contrast to the ease with which he used his whip to take both of the vampire's arms, trying to ignore her hunger and joy. "I am sorry, you know... In another life-."
"Just do it," he growled through gritted teeth, crimson tears streaking down his fair cheeks.
Rather than take his head with the whip or run him through with the sharp end of his staff, he took up a firepoker and stepped closer. "You had to know it was always going to end this way..." Not wanting to hear whatever venom Saber was about to loose, he drove the poker down through his chest with a sickening crack of bone and a loud thunk as it sank deep into the wooden floor and pinned him in place to await the rising blaze.
Saber managed a gurgling, wheezing laugh and groaned out a mocking, "Taking the coward's way out then? Leave me here and let the fire finish me off? Pathe-."
Declan cut him off with a fierce kiss, loathing the sweetly intoxicating taste of the other man's blood on his tongue and terrified of what it would mean if he were to survive. "It's nearly dawn. If the flames don't get you, the sunlight will. Just make it easy on yourself and end it before one of them does. I have to go while I still have a chance." After pressing another tender kiss to his vampire's forehead, he ran to the window to try his luck climbing down the trellis.
A very different kind of tightness in his chest didn't ease until he felt the priest reach a safe distance away from the inferno he'd set. "God I hate him..." he sighed to himself, then turned his head to watch the flames scorch through the hall and begin crawling their way into the room.
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