#[ which I find really fitting for her build/capabilities/personality ]

[stalwaria]

✿ — etie skill analysis

Sword

Lance

Axe ➝ Budding Talent

Bow ⇈

Brawling

Reason ⇊

Faith ⇊

Authority

Heavy Armor

Riding

Flying

Although she's an archer, Etie's main talent is basically Hitting Things Really Hard. She has one of the highest strength growths in the game, a rate that far outpaces her others—all of which are either average, or lackluster.

And it fits. As a major focus of her character is strength training and bodybuilding, a goal that she is often shown to pursue with extreme tunnel vision. So other skills—especially ones that require a bit more patience and delicacy—tend to be cast to the wayside.

In terms of battle style, she is definitely a character that leans more physical.

BOONS

Bow: It's her innate weapon proficiency, and clearly the art she's most practiced in. Archers are often known for their speed and dexterity, but these are both things Etie is somewhat middling in. However, what she lacks in speed, she certainly makes up for in strength. Etie may not be the type to fire shots in rapid succession, but the shots she does take are powerful.

Due to her muscle training, Etie has high physical strength, which allows her to use heavier bows. The weight of these bows definitely tends to slow her down in battle, especially with her low Build stat (that growth is abysmal—but sensible, with her oft stated struggles to build muscle mass), but ensures that her shots are hard hitting.

BANES

Reason: Base magic stat of 0? Magic growth at 0%? Yeah, this girl isn't opening a tome anytime soon. I don't think there's a deep reason behind it, but lies more in Etie as a person. She doesn't like sitting still, doesn't like precise work, and doesn't like anything that can't be done with brute force. The focus that comes with magical study simply isn't for her, or the sort of person she is.

And with magic being related to math in Fodlan? I have even more reason to believe the art just isn't her style. This girl would NOT have the patience for math.

Faith: This one's a bit more interesting to me. While I don't think she has much aptitude for faith, as it IS a school of magic, Etie herself is a genuinely pious person, and a devotee of the Elyosian Divine Dragon faith. It's this fact, and her deep awareness for health, that makes me think there may be more potential here than with Reason magic, but not by much. Certainly not enough to be a strong, budding talent.

BUDDING TALENT

Axe: Partly me being self-indulgent, but also because I think it's a good fit—of the three primary weapons, the slower, more powerful heft of axes best fits Etie's personal style. Speed and precise form doesn't much matter when she can just smack the enemy, right?

She has the strength to lift axes (as shown in Leonardo's Forging Bonds episode in FEH), and Warrior (an axe/bow wielding class) is a very popular choice of reclass for her in Engage, as it makes great use of her strength stat while making up for her other failings.

[where-dreams-dwell]

I haven’t read the book and only have vague recolections of the movie (though I remember sobbing violently at several points) but I hoped I’d love Netflix’s One Day adaption. And of course I did but one of the things I loved was so unexpected.

I love how they portrayed Sylvie.

Particularly how that relationship both ended and endured. How even at the start there were issues but the small kind you want to work on and work through. She knew her family were hard work but she was on Dex’s side and wanted him to be accepted: but still knew that her opinion was the one that mattered. Dex knew he didn’t fit it but he was trying so damn hard to, and hoped that if he kept trying it would be enough eventually. And she wasn’t this demon or harpy, even people who just met her liked her. She was a nice person.

So many times when the male lead is with another woman before they eventually get together with the female lead this ‘other woman’ is portrayed as toxic, unmanageable, cruel, snobbish, etc… or even just unpleasant to be around; someone we’re happy for the male lead to leave. Maybe it helps us to support the male leads pursuit of the female lead and not confront his poor behaviour as a romantic partner if that ‘other woman’ is unlikable and we’re happy to see her gone?

But here they made it clear: Sylvie is a kind nice woman who loves Dex, and didn’t handle the crumbling of their marriage well.

It was almost voyeuristic how we saw the breakdown of her and Dex’s marriage. It seemed so bloody real. New baby, no sleep, renovating the house, all of it building up until you’re being a bitch and you know you are, and you’re apologising after the fact for what you said but you don’t know how to talk around the fact that you still meant some of the things you said. And a partner who you know is struggling with direction and purpose, and you want them to do well, but *god* you’re the one fielding questions and having to go to bat for them every time someone asks, and as a result you never feel safe to take a break or question them yourself.

And (I don’t know how intentional this was) but Dex’s joking tone which is clearly meant to relax and reassure just came across as him not taking things seriously or being trustworthy. Sylvie lists a whole range of food options for Jasmine while she’s out for the night, clearly showing she has prepped *everything* ahead of time: she isn’t leaving Dex in charge of finding or cooking Jasmine dinner, she’s leading him by the hand to the ready made stuff and telling him now to reheat it. Kind of like he’s a child too. It really shows how capable she feels he is.

And then Dex jokes about giving Jasmine crisps. He’s clearly trying to break the tense atmosphere and joke around with his wife, but it just comes across as ‘I wasn’t listening to you, I don’t realise how much work you’ve done, you were right not to trust me to cook dinner because look what I immediately suggested, you can’t rely on me’.

In all their conversations the tone of their voices just show they’re not sure how to talk to one another anymore, that they know everything they say will be taken the wrong way and so they have no idea how to speak.

It felt like no one was particularly demonised or made into a caricature. Just two people who were different, put under stress until they broke and grew apart. And Sylvie had been responding to this state of her marriage by having an affair, so she is clearly in the wrong there and the one who causes the divorce etc, but… I don’t know; here it comes across more as a plea for help or freedom in the midst of her confusion and less a lack of care or thought for Dex and her daughter (like I remember it coming across in the movies).

Even when they have the brief mention of dramatics and anger around the divorce, afterwards she’s back in the picture as a level headed co-parent: joking around to relate to Emma, sharing co-parenting pains with HER too (‘Jasmin’s learning the violin?’ ‘Yes that’s why we’re fleeing the country’). And genuinely congratulating them in their relationship and marriage.

You don’t see many ex-wives in media who are so openly concerned about how their ex-husband is handling his second wife’s death. She’s present, caring and supportive. And keeps reaching out to him well after she could be forgiven for stepping back.

So yeah I loved all of One Day and yeah it made me cry AGAIN, but I also loved how real they made those significant relationships look. How adult and complicated and messy and ‘no one was a monster/you were both wrong in different ways/there is no right and wrong’ they played out as.

Just because she wasn’t the ‘love of his life’ doesn’t mean she was a footnote either.

[vigilskeep]

do you have any refs for Minerva’s relationship with the other dao companions? I did not realize she and leliana was estranged 😭 also if im remembering correctly she makes loghain do the dark ritual? sorry I do like spinning her around in my head and knowing the little details she’s such a great character!!

leliana and minerva did not have a clear breakup in the alistair minerva sense but they did grow apart because of the simple reason that post dao minerva becomes politically at odds with the chantry while leliana is serving its leader. leliana is not a type of person minerva finds very easy to like or trust so while they did grow on each other over the course of dao they never had a simple friendship in the first place

alistair you probably know about bc its kind of the cornerstone of minervaposting but theres a post fully explaining it not much further down in her tag

zevran is her romance <3 i hesitate to use the word “soulmates” exactly but they definitely fit together in a way no other minerva pairing could match

morrigan she has a weird close complicated vaguely homosexual friendship with, i’m sure this is par for the course for f!wardens. they probably could have been in love if morrigan had been willing to pursue it in the start and if minerva hadn’t already gone for someone else by the end, and all that is unspoken but very present in everything about them

sten is i guess kind of the typical high approval relationship as presented in game? not much more unique. a lot of respect a lot of arguing a lot of dry humour. they could hang out in silence comfortably and they’re also both know and respect that they’re very capable of killing the other if their greater purposes ever demand it

oghren she kind of doesn’t pay much mind in origins when she doesn’t have to but he becomes part of the family in awakening. they bond over having their insane shared experiences of the blight, and also over him trying to quit drinking and her trying to quit blood magic which leads to some really wild out of context conversations for the others. and hey, eventually over first attempting to parent at similar times

wynne she has a bit of a sharp relationship with. i think this could vary a lot if i pick her up earlier, but in my main minerva playthrough i picked her up late by which time minerva had absolutely no fucking interest in getting the kind of lectures she grew up with. sorry grandma </3

uhhhh who else. shale idk man im sorry for being a fake fan but shale’s dlc truly does nothing for me it’s unfunny and i dont think abt it at all 💔 this would be written in less harsh terms if i wasnt sleepy

loghain is. well that’s a kettle of fish. minerva spares him because it happens to be a preferable move for her agenda and her way of thinking, it’s not rlly about him as a person at all. she doesn’t absolve him of anything he did, like, she still thinks he’s a bastard it’s just that she doesn’t really believe at all in the concept of justice being done if it doesn’t serve a purpose. when he’s in the party they do build up respect and a weird kind of friendship. he sucks and she’s bitter about what sparing him cost her, but that isn’t relevant, it’s not going to stop her learning from him, or fighting at his side as the best team she can quickly make them, or simply finding him entertaining to talk to. so by the end it’s as a friend that she asks him to do the dark ritual, whatever that means. post dao she agrees with weisshaupt that him being assigned outside of ferelden is wise but they continue to write to each other extremely regularly, mostly on matters of news and strategy but occasionally on the more personal

is that everyone i think thats everyone

[tomyo]

Now that the anime finally released and people made gifs of the opening, can we talk about Okarun and his effeminacy?

I don't want to reduce it down to "boy not masculine, therefore effeminate", I think he definitely embodies masculinity too but subliminal messaging keeps hitting my brain when I see his cuts in the first part of the DandaDan opening. The posing 4 poses he does invokes imagery of girls doing model posing, specifically the one with his hands on his cheeks while being more creeped out still makes me think of a pose a girl would do to show off her nails. Honestly his design in a different Shonen he would've been the fav uke of fujos everywhere.

I would say there's definitely meant to be SOME statement about gender in DandaDan as both Okarun and Momo use less common pronouns for themselves; Jibun instead of Boku/Ore and Uchi instead of Watashi/Atashi. It's also notable that Okarun has a lot of similar facial traits to the girls in the series; short flat eyebrow, large rounded eyes, and a rounder face which I think personally was really effective because the panels of the characters staring into the fourth wall is literally imprinted on my brain. And it's not just the design style of the series since we see Jiji who uses that more traditional Shonen facial type.

While I didn't think too much about this initially since an underdog male protag who isn't as manly (yet) is a pretty common occurrence, those opening scenes really make me think more on his otherness. I think it's a notable fact that he fits into and doesn't look out of place in Momo's clothes. It reflects a lot on how they both present more gender neutral. One of the things I do appreciate about the series is despite recently showing he's made a lot of physical growth, it has not resulted in him being drawn any more traditionally masculine. He is often outpaced by Momo in terms of fighting ability as well and often still needs her to finish a battle while she's more independently capable. He's also more of the worrier in these situations; the one who has to chastise or watch after a battled out Momo.

We also know that to some extent Okarun has a complex about this; he tried to get buff in secret and felt worried for how he compared to Jiji. I don't think these are bad traits necessarily (I liked him pushing his limit in the recent arc) but I do worry how this could possibly lead into Momo's characterization as well, the girl protag getting sanded down so the boy protag can stand in the limelight as a true male hero. While I don't think it would fully go that way, I've been burned by so many strong female characters (Sakura in particular) becoming more muted as a series went on. As far as I can tell (translations can bury some context), he isn't particularly focused on manliness and tends to avoid the two pitfalls of a male hero; The underdog who becomes more stoic/manly as the series goes on or the pathetic dude just normal enough to get a harem. In fact looking at that for a second, this series definitely pulls of the love dodecahedron with basically everyone crushing on one of the two but in the case of Momo's love rivals, it isn't really that they are crushing on Okarun for his traits but due to the narratives they build in their own heads; Aira needed someone to fill the tragic anti hero lover of her heroine story, Vamola believed she had to find someone strong because her adopted family wished that for her, and Sawaki fantasizes over the idea of a vampire ravishing her. (And to avoid derailing further, it could be interesting to examine how on the flip side Okarun's rivals tend to like her more so from bonding with her). But most of all, what made him and Momo work was not magically working for either other but a lot of effort and connection. Their initial bond coming from in a sense the excitement of discovery all the while they're still fighting over dumb shit and nudging each other as friends, they don't try to project (well at least they don't succeed to) an inauthentic persona around the other. He's not above telling her off but never in a way that isn't portraying them as equals and it's sprinkled in throughout the series how consideration for each other is taken (he bought her Golgo 13, he's given food when he brought Sawaki over, etc.) that by the time he is having those stereotypical protection moments, it doesn't feel like it undermines her as a capable person but rather shows off a natural protectiveness that anyone would have for someone they care about.

Which a final thought is again on what the possessions tell us about each person. I keep theorizing in some ways Turbo form represents elements Okarun wants in himself, he's got more muscles, is more traditionally handsome, and refers to Momo and others more casually (chan opposed to San) but strikingly it's rare his two forms are ever compared or commented on. Now with those powers gone, it's possible the idealer him he desired is no longer reachable.

[read-watch-sleep]

How do you think the dynamic between Mello, Near, Matt, Light and L would be if they were female? Would fantom response to them be different in your opinion?

Hello! Thank you for the ask, anon. I think a lot of their individual personalities wouldn’t change much (largely because otherwise I would have no other framework from which to view them, but also because most traits just aren’t restricted to gender.) Similarly, I don’t think Near, Matt or L would change much in terms of presentation. It’s obvious that they don’t dress for public expectations, and I don’t think that would change. 

I imagine Mello, if anything, would make a greater show of proving herself. Mello is a self-made success of sheer will, charm, and hard work, and I think that common misogyny would challenge that for her. God forbid if Light or anyone else perceives her as another vapid blonde. If you think Mello’s inferiority complex towards Near is large in canon, just wait until she has to work twice as hard just to be taken seriously. She’s going to be twice as mean, driven, competitive, and afraid. She’s that bitch.

Because I believe in shipping Meronia in any format, there’s also something to be said about how intensely she’d have to believe in and trust Near. While I think this is the case no matter what, I imagine if they were women, Mello would be the person who underestimates Near the least. 

Speaking of underestimating Near, I imagine that Near would come off as even more childish/shy as a woman, even if her behaviour does not fundamentally change. Possibly due to a softer voice and smaller frame, but also just because of expectations. She’ll have to work to gain the trust of the US president, or her team. Light doesn't really see how much of a little girl Near appears to be until the very end, but this would probably come as a shock. Unlike Mello, I imagine this isn’t a reflection on Near’s self esteem, and rather, she just finds it annoying. 

I DO think that it would affect her relationship with L and Mello, so far as I think she’d seek out what little connections she has. I think the distance from her team would amplify how much she yearns for a capable mentor, or a strong and willful lover. The same exact taunting and banter between Mello and Near (ie “May the best woman win”) would come off as 100% flirting. 

Honestly, I don’t think L or Matt would change much at all. Matt’s burnout and low-energy lifestyle, or sheer loyalty to Mello, don’t really change with gender. She’s still going to follow Mello anywhere, make dark jokes, and chainsmoke. 

When it comes to L, in canon we already know that L’s identity is incredibly hidden. I think the world at large would assume that L is a man, and she wouldn’t really do anything to dissuade them. Like Near, I imagine she shocks Light by showing up in person and defying that expectation, but the fact that she’s really odd already does that. Also in parallel to Near, I imagine that L’s affection for Light is greater as a woman, but not to the same extent that Near yearns after Mello– I think L is just delighted to have an intellectual equal who isn’t underestimating her. 

Light would be the person who’s dynamic changes the most. Look, she’s not going to suddenly lose the misogyny that canon Light has, it’s just going to change forms. It’s a kind of TERF-adjacent misunderstanding of gender roles. Light is defending women by killing men… and also any women who don’t fit her ideal world. The perfect preppy brunette honour student is going to hate L for being weird, hate Misa for being dumb and blonde (and probably slutty), and underestimate Mello’s capacity for violence (violence is for the men that Light kills, obviously women are more graceful and subtle than that… Or not, as Mello blows up a building with herself inside.) It will take longer for Light to accept the way L behaves, because it’s so antithetical to her worldview. Ladies don’t sit weird. Ladies don’t stuff their faces with cake (I just know she’s jealous of L’s waistline despite the sweets.) Over time, she builds an exception into her world where L’s behaviour is almost okay (she still has to die, though). Eventually, Near will fill this niche, and Light will hate her that much more, for not being L. 

As for the fandom as a whole, I’m really sorry, but I admit I don’t know! I only joined up with the Death Note fandom again recently, and before that, I’ve been out of the fandom sphere for almost a decade. While I may have written about she/her Near back then, obviously a fandom will change within ten years, so my perception would be pretty inaccurate. However, there are some lovely fanworks that play with gender– I suggest you check them out! 

[meteortrails]

saw someone somewhere say ‘idk what the story in cass becoming Batman would be’ and literally since that day I’ve thought about it. NON FUCKING STOP. I’m on an amusement park ride where the operator has not only refused to let me off but wholesale left the fucking building. bc fundamentally, Cass becoming Batman is a culmination of her choosing her own ideals and beliefs and rejecting those she was raised with, and it is also Cass learning new dimensions and strengths within herself. it’s both a logical next step and a transformation of what it means to be Batman, what Cass is capable of as a hero, what Cass is capable of as a PERSON.

to tackle this from one angle to begin with: to be Batman is to be the lynchpin of Gotham’s vigilante and crime scene. to be Batman is to be the sun around which everything else orbits, the gravity well that distorts everyone else’s behavior. you are responsible for both Gotham as whole, and wrangling/keeping tabs on/assembling all the personalities therein. Cass is someone who is so fiercely independent that I think this could become a really fun point of conflict in her Batman run! she’s only ever been a member of the team or an independent agent, she’s never been RUNNING HERD on everyone else.

how does her relationship with Barbara and her siblings change as a result of these shifting roles? how does she grow into these new responsibilities?? these are things that take her out of her reliable comfort zone of martial ability and explore the way her strengths translate into different arenas; her ability to read body language is something that will both serve her well and trip her up as she learns the shape of her new role (think that one episode of Wayne family adventures - you can see what people are feeling, that doesn’t mean you know how best to react to it). this all also allows a reinforcement of a fundamental truth: Cass’s strength and value both as a person and as Batman has so little to do with her physical capabilities and everything to do with her strength of conviction and commitment to doing good.

now, building off of that and also coming in from a different angle: as Cass becomes Batman, her relationship not only with her siblings will change, but with the roles that they inhabit. she’s an adult who is discovering new depths of what she is capable of and prepared to be responsible for - how does this shape her relationship with the mantle of Robin? it’s something that could be a really interesting later plot point, is her finding that connection that Bruce did to the children of Gotham, and finding her feet as a mentor and a guardian to the next generation. show me Cass rediscovering the ways in which her guardians failed her through her attempts to do right by those she has tasked herself to take care of. show me Cass trying to set these new generations free of the cycles of violence that have defined her life, even as she herself struggles to even find self worth outside of them.

and to look at that from yet another angle, there is an incredibly poignant story here about Cass finding herself as she takes on the symbol that she chose and makes it her own. she rejected the ideals she was raised with because she realized that she, as a person, values human life above all else. she choose the symbol of the bat because it reflected those ideals, and in doing so she chose Bruce as her father, and his family and ideals as the ones she will let hold sway in her life. her becoming Batman would be a commitment to that choice and to her core values, and I think any storyline worth it’s salt would at least on some level be about Cass seeing and learning to believe that the traits she values so much in Batman are things that are intrinsic to who she is as a person. she doesn’t need to contort herself to fit other’s expectations of what Batman should do or act like or look like or be good at, she just needs to be her, because Cass already is and was always going to be an embodiment of exactly what the Bat symbolizes. she doesn’t need to sacrifice herself to be perfect! she just needs to be herself!!! that’s valuable enough all on its own!!!!!

and if all of that wasn’t enough to convince you on its own, any story about Cass acting as a bat is a continuation of the idea that like. everyone who has ever been even a little bit important to you has shaped you, whether you liked them and wanted them to or not. and you’ll never truly escape that influence, but that doesn’t mean you’re a slave to it either. so many people have tried to twist Cass to their agendas, but none of them can ever change or touch who she is as a person. once you acknowledge the impact someone has had on you, you also have the power to respond to and determine the shape of that impact, and Cass is such a beautiful example of that! David Cain and lady shiva may have raised her and shaped her, but she’s her own person, and she gets to decide what of that influence she takes with her going forward bc at the end of the day she’s the master of her own life!! how is that not some of the coolest shit you’ve EVER HEARD.

anyways. in conclusion. there’s all KINDS of story folded into the idea of Cass becoming Batman, she’s so fucking amazing. can someone please let me off the carnival ride now.

[bonefall]

i am definitely one of those people who gives their cats warrior names so here r my parents' two young cats:

"Cloudbound"-> Haipipip "fat cloud bouncing." He is a big floofy ragdoll himbo and he reminds me of a cotton swab.

"Flywhisker" -> Ffawshusspap "keen fruit fly." There's not yet words in the lexicon for her name I think, so I used "bee sensing with carpal whiskers" as a placeholder which is kind of what I want to get at but she's really more of a fruit fly yk? And I couldn't find a personality adjective for an observant cat or a proficient hunter, which I think could be a good addition regardless. Anyways she is a very skittish and twitchy little black and white spotted cat and i am her favorite person because i walk quietly.

Don't feel obligated to answer this ask, i just wanted to share :]

FLIES

Fruit flies are actually quite rare, and mostly only seen in ThunderClan because of their notorious love of including fruit in their recipes. This climate is very cold, and fruit flies are most common around human settlements where there's a year-round supply of fruit (pre-infested!) coming in from supermarkets.

So I'll add fruit flies when I get around to a legitimate entry on flies as a whole, but for now, there's a whole bunch of teeny flies that could be very fitting here.

Let's start with the broad "categories" of "Fly" that Clan Cats have plus some related words;

Fly (Generic) = Usprr Any insect that primarily flies to travel, but is not a butterfly, dragonfly, or midge. Bees are a type of Fly in Clanmew. (Midges include craneflies, robberflies, and mosquitoes)

Waste = Bloh Translates directly. A waste. Something that can't be used.

Gall = Oorp Swollen bumps and shapes that rise off plants to house certain types of insects, very popular with certain types of flies, but also used by some mites.

To Harmlessly Pretend/To Pretend To Be Busy = Aweerron/Aweerro/Aweerr This is a REALLY hard verb to translate into English. Translated directly, it means "doing the act of being dandelion-yellow." Translated roughly, it means to don the color yellow so you're left alone by something with a greater threat-level. It can mean 'compliance,' or it can mean to 'mind your own business,' or it can even mean 'looking busy.' A verb that describes several animals, but especially types of flies, of which bees are a type. Their yellow coloration acts as a deterrent to bigger animals who want to avoid being stung. If you've ever been at work and just done something pointless when the boss rolls around, so you don't get assigned more work, you were doing this.

Maggot (of any fly) = Ulae The most general term for baby flies of all types. Also used for bee larvae. NOT derogatory in Clanmew.

Maggot (of green bottlefly) = Huli The medicinal maggot, a VERY important species for use in treating SEVERE wounds.

SPECIFIC CATEGORIES OF FLIES

Hover Fly = Hafrr Little flies capable of a true hover, coming in various odd shapes, but most are dandelion-yellow. Just like butterflies, a fly that is capable of performing this difficult flight pattern is highly respected, but in a cutesy, diminutive way. Hover flies are primarily pollinators, seen around flowers. Being likened to a hoverfly is like being called "spunky."

Building Fly = Kyybr Most bees, wasps, hornets, certain gall flies. Flies that build another structure. Ants temporarily become these at certain times of the year, according to the Clan cat interpretation of an ant's nuptial flight. There are a TON of other subtypes under this, wasps, solitary bees, swarming bees, etc, which I'll get into some other time.

Bristle Fly = Bfurr Probably what you imagine when you hear "fly." Round, bristly, buzzy things, which are often attracted to rotting things and waste. A little fruit fly is a type of bfurr, but so are bottleflies and the golden dung fly. Some flies which are not drawn to decaying matter, such as the Red Parasite Fly, get lumped in here too.

Lace Fly = Honrr Clear-winged, slender insects. Includes scorpionflies, some sawflies, actual lacewings, and the bay sucker.

And lastly, a couple of interesting species.

Scorpionfly (Panorpa Communis) = Yykrn The web-pilferer. Named for its habit of snatching the prey of spiders right out of their webs!

Cleg (Haematopota pluvialis) = Grawr The MOST annoying fly in the entire Clans, absolutely detested. A nasty creature whose bite contains an anticoagulant, causing it to bleed profusely. Common in WindClan and near the edges of conifer forests (such as the plantation near ShadowClan). Considered a lot worse than mosquitoes, which are just itchy.

Marmalade Hover Fly (Episyrphus balteatus) = Fsi Yes. Marmalade can be a valid warrior cat prefix if you'd like <3 The most common hoverfly, traveling in swarms and looking almost exactly like a bee. Their maggots kill aphids and the adults pollinate flowers, causing them to be looked at especially fondly in ThunderClan.

Green Bottlefly (Lucilia sericata) = Holibf The species that is attracted by Clerics so its maggots can be used in medicine. A fly species you're definitely already familiar with, for its shiny, green abdomen.

[rozaceous]

so you wanna know more abt mariko's family

behold, some background and meta abt mariko's family. doesn't really fit into the fic proper (much to my chagrin) but should give some helpful context both to mariko, and the events of ch 18. it's also just a bunch of behind-the-scenes world building, bc i find that fun.

copying from some of my chats w verm:

mariko's family moved to konoha AFTER the kyuubi thing bc they were hoping to avail themselves of the hospital (her mom's health stuff), which is why kaya gets pushed into becoming a medic/ninja. mariko is also encouraged but she would've done it anyway, so she genuinely felt no pressure abt that one lol

but this means there's a lot happening in terms of her family not knowing abt naruto and the kyuubi

so they're like 'rough around the edges but sweet kid who needs food' and they get backlash

that NO ONE can explain

lots of passive-aggressive pushback from the village, but it's literally illegal to tell them anything

and as far as they know uzumaki clan is respectable? like, tragic or whatever, but a big name, so this looks extra baffling to them

her parents actually contemplate leaving konoha a couple times (they're from the capital), but decide to stick it out long enough for the kids to finish academy/become established medics

mariko's family is ordinary, no secret bloodlines or political ties or anything, they just go to konoha bc konoha's hospital is supposed to be the best, can work literal miracles. so this is maybe a year post-kyuubi? i feel like konoha would be eager for some new blood at that pt still; they no doubt took a huge blow to their population, even besides the infrastructure and losing the yondaime, so mariko's family probably isn't the only one to do something similar.

kaya is at the perfect age to start academy, and they absolutely steer both their kids into becoming medics. there might even be weird politics abt providing chakra healing to non-ninja in situations that aren't life-threatening.

i think kanako and kenta would see them pushing their kids into medicine as smart. gathering from the context of canon and elaborating: w civilians, you're pretty limited to whatever the family business/trade is, and i think that ninja villages/being a ninja is actually a lot more egalitarian/meritocratic and free with this. let's maybe also include that they have daughters, and wouldn't be able to totally rely on passing down any business/trade unless they had someone marrying in. so giving their daughters a means of supporting themselves/earning personal prestige is smart.

but so kaya and mariko would be ninja--and thus valuable to the village--but not of a designation that puts them in any particular danger. i also think that being a medic from konoha is the sort of ninja profile that would carry a lot of social currency even with civilians. (this is why mariko's mom makes that comment abt her working in the palace. this also fits in w all the pts abt medicine and politics that we see in haku's chs.)

and yeah, i view the situation w mariko's family as a huge culture clash between--not just civilians and shinobi--but non-konoha civilians and the civilians that were raised in the village. even after over a decade of living there, they're outsiders, and made to feel like it because they had what they saw as basic decency towards their daughter's classmate and then had the audacity to be stubborn about it.

so yes, kenta and kanako were going to leave and move back to the capital once both of their daughters were graduated and working in the hospital. other fics have used as a device abt becoming a shinobi and receiving your hitai-ate as a marker of being a legal adult, and i'm running w that. as far as they're concerned, their daughters would then be adults with stable and respectable work and capable of sustaining themselves, and they could visit each other. i don't think this is irresponsible parenting.

ofc mariko getting assigned to team7 is a wrench in the works. like, a FIELD MEDIC?? （⊙_⊙）

but ok, ok, maybe it's not the worst? she's got a pretty capable sensei (forget that he's popularly nicknamed 'friend-killer kakashi') and naruto is a good boy. not...too sure abt that uchiha kid (they were around for the massacre and were this close to leaving for good bc of it) but it seems like it'll work out?

kaya would have a MUCH more realistic view of the situation than her parents, esp since she's dating a branch member of the hyuuga. but kaya's view is something along the lines of "let's just get mom and dad out of here asap" and then she and mariko can deal with their own problems. (i...really need to give kaya her own outtake...)

but yeah, everything is a disaster and it's delicious

[amelikos]

I mentioned in a previous post that it seemed that the writers were potentially building a connection between Spinel and Dot, and some interesting elements were added this week as well.

As Dot got into the ship, Spinel actually directly addressed her (taunting her), which is the first time he talked to an opponent directly in this arc. It's something he didn't even do with Friede, but he started with Dot and then commended the trio for finding the ship. Spinel seemed to expect a capable trainer given how Dot rushed in by herself too.

Some other things that stood out to me is how Dot experienced her first battle against Spinel. She was caught off guard and didn't know how to react when she was facing him alone, which I liked because even though she has lots of knowledge, this was her first time facing such a situation so it's expected that she would lose her composure and panic. Once Liko and Roy joined her, she wasn't alone anymore and she was more assured. Despite the dire situation, Dot learned how fun battles could be in this confrontation against Spinel.

I found this significant. It reminded me of how Liko and Roy learned how fun battles could be in their training episode against Cap in HZ007 (which was just after their confrontation against Amethio). In Dot's case, the setting is much more different but she still goes through steps that Liko and Roy went through before.

Spinel also told the trio that they stood no chance against him.

Once they got the advantage over Orbem and Rarecoil, Dot uses Spinel's words right back at him. He taunted the trio before, now it's their turn.

He listened and her words actually got to him too, and made him send in his last Pokemon to battle (Dot noticed that Blacky seemed on another level too).

Between this personal exchange and the fact that Dot experienced fun battles in this confrontation specifically, I still wonder if this could be a recurring thing. I am also reminded of how Liko got the resolve to become stronger after her confrontation against Amethio in HZ006. Since Dot never really battled before, I do wonder if she'll go through a similar thought process and feel frustrated because of her current limitations. Perhaps she'll want to become stronger because of her confrontation against Spinel?

Either way, the whole trio facing Spinel was really good. I liked how they all played off each other. Dot felt panicked when she was alone, then Liko stepped in and saved her. Roy stepped in to help Liko when Orbem made its move and told her she isn't alone. Then, they all worked together and everyone had their own part in this. I really liked that they managed to get back the pendant with their own strength. I hope we'll get to see them work together more and more after this. Their dynamics has been interesting to witness so far.

The episode title was really fitting too. Kuwassu really helped Dot take a step forward, and she grew alongside her partner and managed to do things she couldn't have done before.

[kurakurakura99]

Just read your post on AC6 about how connected you were to your AC. And I just gotta ask how you got that feeling? I've a good amount of posts about this same thing, such a deep connection to your mech, but I never got it. I want that feeling, to truly be one with a 40 ton war machine, yet to me my AC is still just that, a machine.

Even my PvP AC which is getting close to Mark 15 now is still just a tool for me. Like I love that AC and my lastest version is fucking genius imo the love is more like the love I have for my emotional support hammer (yes I have one sue me).

Sorry for venting randomly to you about this but like reading that part on your post about how changing parts on your AC felt wrong during a boss fight made me think about my toughest boss in the game. Not saying the name cause spoilers but it was beating my ass hard. After I realized my build wouldn't work the first thing I did was start changing parts, and even when I used the meta ones nothing worked. In the end like 2 days later I beat the boss, not by swapping back to my original design, but by using a pair or weapons that are entirely overlooked. But even after all that I didn't feel that connection to my AC, a newfound respect for the twin active homing missiles but once again only in the way I would respect a wrench that finally fits onto an annoying bolt.

So like how do you get so close to your AC, how did you get that connection with it? How can I get it?

Find common ground with your mech. its deeply personal, like I said, but I empathize with Capable so much because we are both Objects, means to an end. There is a certain kinship to be found, conceptually, between a person who has been dehumanized as much as I have and a machine. Theres also a measure of...sentimentality? that you have to approach building them with. My girlfriend is baffled by how Capable is put together. I use the DESSERT legs because they got big fucking paws and fat thighs, like I do. I picked her arms soley because they would hit harder with my Pile Bunker (Itself a dubious weapon choice for late game, some may claim) and it had a nice, flat surface to write "Forgiveness" on. Getting a little whimsical with it led to Capable being, frankly, a freaky little mech with weird issues when it came to boosts and mobility. Having something that didn't move like a more optimized design helped really cement her in my mind as a partner and not a tool. AC6 feeling by and large, much easier and accomodating to player expression compared to the rest of the games I've played in the series, makes this much more feasible. Beyond that, even a simple change of language towards your mech helps:I avoid using "It" for Capable, ever, and she is only "my mech" when I'm talking to someone who doesn't know her by name yet and needs the context of what the fuck I'm talking about. Otherwise, She is Capable.

These are tips I guess but. its just something that happens naturally for me so its hard to give anyone tips on how to force it

[corvidcrybaby]

On Y/N Fanfiction

so like as somebody who is still pretty new to the realm of fanfiction writing i decided to return to it by tackling a Y/N fic and doing so was honestly a very illuminating and rewarding writing experience if only because it shed a ton of light on the common issues with this form of fanfiction

as an academic thespian, interactive media and fiction has always fascinated me and Y/N fanfiction represents such a unique blending of elements that i honestly think some of the avant-garde playwrights would find very interesting. because like. okay. what is the goal of a Y/N fic? immersion and wish fulfillment, right? all fanfic is wish fulfillment somehow but then so is most art in general but that's neither here nor there - the fact one is meant to insert their actual name or a name of an OC makes it a unique level of collaboration between the writer and their audience.

and the general issue i find with many Y/N fics is that they simply do not capitalize on what makes Y/N fics potentially very engaging. the potential for meta commentary is boundless, yet if it's ever done, it's ham-fisted and very "winks at the audience" ish.

i find that the Y/N fics I respond best to often take what I call the Video Game Approach - the reader is viewing the world through a character's eyes of their own design, but video games are still built around certain concrete facts or assumptions that the player character would have. the biggest thing is that video game PC's are established in their setting, and have reasons to be there, which many Y/N fics simply lack.

thus, the challenge becomes, how can someone create an experience in a fic that is grounded enough to match the energy of an average person being part of the story they're inserted into (assuming that's what the reader and writer wants), while still fitting the scenario?

for my part, though she is no longer a Y/N character (there are meta commentary reasons for this that will become apparent as my current fic, Lesions of a Different Kind continues but shush, spoilers), in the Y/N fic I wrote for Hellsing, I opted to make the POV character a regular-ass Hellsing trooper. the reason being, this gives the rest of the cast a reason to be familiar with and have some modicum of care and respect for the reader insert character, while still decidedly grounding us in reality by having her be a grown-ass adult with her own opinions, agency, motivations and worries that a reasonable (if zany/neurodivergent) grown human woman might grapple with in a "supernatural paramilitary agency" setting. she's capable of fighting and holding her own just as anyone might - to take a page from the Halo Combat Evolved manual where they describe the Marines, "they're the best of the best of the best - but they're only human." she's used to her job fighting the undead, but it never stops being unnerving and "what the fuck is my job, dude, like, actually" - which I think any sane adult would question nonstop in a setting like this. I drew from the Wild Geese for inspiration, big time, and wondered what it would be like if one of them was followed more closely besides Pip as comic relief, etc.

That, I think, produced an interesting effect. I'd still like to fiddle around with Y/N fic more in the future and see what someone can do with it when you really put your nose to the grindstone and try to create something off the beaten path, because that's where i think the magic lies.

IDK fam my adderall kicked in for the day and i'm procrastinating studying for a work exam i just had to vomit this forth make of it what you will, i'm just a mad rambling scholar muttering to herself in the corner of a theatre building.

[sonntam]

I don't get it when people say "oh, why minmaxing in DnD, it is all make-believe anyway".

Guys. It's real. If my character in tabletop is the biggest badass in the world, killing people left and right, then it's SO much more real than anything that ever happened in a videogame.

Videogames are so make believe. But tabletop?? My homies are there. They see my beautiful build. They see how well I execute my strategies. If it works, it's glorious.

I literally lived for past three days on the high of being a paladin with an aura that gives +2 to saves and casting Bless on my group. It was SO important that everyone passed their save. It was so important that my Find Steed horsie accompanied a lost druid back to his village.

This is where everything comes together: roleplay supported by in-game abilities and spells. Lady Arisa von Fellengard as I originally conceived her was supposed to be not very flashy and being tank/support Eldritch Knight Fighter. Now she is a paladin and she really blossomed.

Full tanking capabilities by having War Wizard multiclass, so that she gets both Shield AND the ability to add +4 to her saves as a reaction. Full support with Bless (bonus to saves & attacks) + Lay on Hands (healing) + Crusader's Mantle (group buff with radiant damage). Some additional support spells like Gentle Repose, Revivify, Dispel Magic, Lesser Restoration and Protection From Good and Evil always at hand.

I have whole TWO awesome weapons: Siab'Mal, the sentient sword with radiant damage which gives off sunlight AND a gorgeous magical whip with 30f range and automatic grapples on hit. That is SO COOL, because I have a Dexterity build, so with the addition of my DM graciously giving me the partial effect of the Shield Master feat (being able to put on/take off shields as a free action) I can use longbows, rapiers, whips AND my best boi Siab'Mal. It gives me a great weapon versatility which I highly appreciate, since I wanted Arisa to be a veteran of many fights and able to wield anything.

Then there are spells which highlight her personality: Zone of Truth (always prepared due to her subclass) which is utterly perfect for Arisa who prides on always telling the truth (and wishes more people followed her example). Shield, Find Familiar and Comprehend Languages nicely round up her bookish interests, while Alarm helps to show how she is often expecting the worst case scenarios and ready for an attack... at pretty much all times. Tactical Wit feature from the War Wizard has a similar feel, giving her a bonus to Initiative equal to her Intelligence.

And I did not even talk about her aura which gives immunity against charmed effects, which is so fitting, because Strahd loves charming people... and she utterly hates him (the hate is mutual). I like to think that Arisa's no-nonsense aura sobers up people around her, suppressing their charm.

And last but not least, since taking her oaths Arisa became immune to diseases with Divine Health... and also got rid of her phobia of being unclean or getting parasites.

[shh-im-not-here]

hello, fellow genshin enjoyer ✨ i'd love to know more about your ongoing arlefuri omegaverse fic: is there anything specific you like about this dynamic? also, what made you decide to make furina the alpha and arlecchino the omega? thanks so much, keep up the great writing! 🌟

Wonderful question! I'm about to write a lot, please bear with me.

Also, brief apology to y'all who followed me for non-fic stuff. Pls ignore this if you wish!

The decision to make Furina an alpha instead of an omega came from two places. One was a lack of a!furina content out there. The other was because I really wanted to explore the kind of person she would be if she had the secondary gender that was stereotyped to be "big, strong, and scary". Furina is on the smaller side and is more often than not seen as easily intimidated, rather than intimidating. To me, she's the type to stand up strongly for what she believes in. No, she may not have physical strength on her side, but she's very full of passion and fueled by a desire to do what she believes is the right thing.

The way I see her, Furina is an unstoppable force. Which is a trait that is common in alphas. Then, paired with her kind and fun nature, she is capable of being an alpha that possesses self control, and has zero desire to be forceful with omegas.

Which leads me to Arlecchino. She does fit into the typical alpha box. "Big, strong, and scary" is a part of her image. But beneath all the covers, you'll find someone who cares deeply for her family, and works day in and day out to protect them. I really like to pull back the layers on characters like Arlecchino. She is also unstoppable, and will do everything she has to in order to make her family's world a better place, even if it takes her a lifetime.

In this fic, I've cut out her having the entire orphanage to care for. This was mostly due to it being a modern au as well as omegaverse, but I also did not want to keep track of her dozens of children throughout the story. Still, she does adopt three children out of a pure instinct to provide. I personally felt like it just fit her well.

They both exist outside of the mold, and can find comfort in knowing that they are not alone in being different than what was expected of them. Arlecchino is not the type to just roll over because she's an omega. And Furina is not going to attempt to triumph over everyone she sees. It's just a role reversal that I find very interesting.

I really like looking at omegaverse relationships in a non-traditional way, and I've also decided to do a bit of changing to the usual format of the genre.

(I'm using this as an excuse to explain my world building lol)

- Omegas heats are not nearly as intense. Instead, the cycle is more like a full body ache (doesn't hurt too terribly, probably a 4 out of 10 on a pain scale) with a bone-deep need to be around a mate or someone else that's trustworthy. There is no sexual loss of control, just a desire for protecting and/or feeling protected. (There is still sex tho. I would never get rid of it entirely, worry not.) The heats come around every six months.

- Alphas do not get routine ruts. They will instead come about when they are around an omega in heat. It will not always happen, but it's very likely to be triggered by heat pheromones.

- Betas are equally as common as the other two genders instead of being the most common. A perfect ⅓ split. They don't have a scent, but they can pick up (faintly) a + o scents.

- Beta females can get pregnant, beta males can't. Alpha males and females cannot get pregnant. All omegas can get pregnant, of course.

- Heat suppressants are similar to birth control. Just a little pill that puts a pause on a cycle. Suppressants aren't meant to be taken for longer than 3-4 years. After that, an omegas body will begin to "fight itself". This comes with near constant pains similar to heat pain, just without all the instinctual desires.

- Scent blockers are just little patches (think 2x2 square bandages) that just get pressed over scent glands located on the wrists and on the neck to mask pheromones.

That's probably it? Uh but yes! I'm just a crazy omegaverse nerd and there's nothing I want to do more than rant about all the different things you can do with it.

Thank you for asking this question aaahhh I loved writing this all out!

[nathank77]

11/15/24

1:32 p.m Added to Significantly 1:53 p.m

I'm home, I'm about to throw a chicken in the oven and take a shower.. tomorrow is a much needed red bull day I cannot fucking wait but idk what I want to play.

I tried a lot of new workouts today.. tricep kickbacks fucking hurt like a bitch. My left shoulder blade is sore for some reason. I def did more dumbbell exercises and the stretchy things for my pecs. I couldn't do the shoulder machines.... I just couldn't... i knew if I did id fuck myself up. Some of the 5 pound workouts are getting too easy. 30 reps and such. So I upped some of them to 7.5 pounds.

One exercise I really like is the seated Arnold press. It hurts like a bitch. I mean I found a few that really challenge me even with 5 pounds. I did some back workout machines too. Idk how to proceed... I like to start with the dumbbells but by the time I get to the machines I'm exhausted... and there is a part of my brain that even at the beginning is like stop, you're going to hurt yourself. And it says it all the time. It was saying it the whole time last time and I didn't even really get sore at all. I know it's psychosis and anxiety...

This time by the time I got to the fucking machines i was beat but I had to do chest presses bc the stretchy things I was on are only moving like 3 to 7 pounds. And I had to learn how to do them. I'm really excited. I can't lie. I'm going to be fucking ripped. Eventually I'll get to my abs. I didn't run or do any cardio..

The dumbbell hammer curls fucking kill. I love it. It's a complexed dumbbell workout.

The thing that sucks about starting with dumbbells is my weight is really low but I can fucking go wild with different exercises... but the machines I can lift heavier weights that helps build my muscles everywhere versus the dumbbells which generally target one muscle group.

The machines are important bc When I get cut I have muscles to show off... I'm afraid if I was to start on machines I wouldn't be capable of pushing myself on the dumbbells.

The dumbbells don't have great chest workouts to be honest which is why I got to incorporate the stretchy things and the machines. The dumbbells are great for shoulders, biceps and triceps. The lateral dumbbell raise hurts like a bitch and I can see my shoulders in the mirror.

I'm fucking really into working out. I've turned into a gym rat. I hope i didn't hurt myself bc I def incorporated many new dumbbells exercises and I love them all.

I can't wait to see what i look like in 6 months and once I get my arms and chest and back to look how I want, imma have fucking abs. People say dad bods are in but ain't no girls like me... so imma hit my fitness prime and love myself even more.

That girl with schizophrenia is good morning handsoming me... this is why I shouldn't have hugged her. I just knew she needed one. I only have feelings for one girl and until I find her or i meet someone who meets me on my level and let's that awkward friendship be a thing, I'm only going to be in love with her. I'd still need that awkward friendship with the girl I'm in love with... but I mean that's besides the point bc she will never be my girl. But the girl with schizophrenia is really zero to 100 and I don't operate like that. I can talk about how much I am in love with that one person but if she talked to me we would start at zero. By 2 months we might be at 30.... and by a year it may be 100 cause I don't let people in bc they fucking hurt you and disappear.

I slept well but I took two Hydroxyzine.... bc I knew I would struggle... it knocked me out. I really got to ask for more bc it stopped me from needing more xanax which is always a good thing.

[look-mom-percys-on-the-tv]

I'm loving the overall vibe here. I remember how left out Percy felt in the first chapter/plus, and I think the scene definitely uses that emotion to build tension with the repeated line, and that fits in real nicely with Grover's urgency because he is lowkey ignoring Percy for a minute and doesn't know how to act quite yet.

There's also a bit of context/canon divergence by just clarifying that yes, camp WAS the plan for TONIGHT- and oh yeah, Sally's been In On It with Chiron&Co for probably the last decade, and already knew about the Dodds bullshit already before she asked Percy about it.

BASICALLY that's the reason I love this clip, and below the cut are some nerdy tangents

This actually raises some more interests for me. One is Poseidon's involvement with Sally. We are hi red to see their relationship, and in the books there's a consensus that he's Cool TM, but better when he's Not There. I never really thought about it before, but when Poseidon was like "dam, gotta dip b4 the fam finds out about my prophecy boy", he was also like "Chiron probably wants this one." and arranged explained it all to Sally without revealing his identity to Chiron, who probably spent years wondering "WHICH OF THESE FUCKING GODS FINALLY EXPLAINED IT", in which case, how did Big P get Sally not to reveal his ID to Chiron?, OR mister quakes-at-earth was like "better make sure MY heir gets the prophecy, I know who can keep them alive!", in which case I'm really interested to see which it is. I know the books have Poseidon show affection for Percy and Sally, which may make the first seem more plausible, but in my experience w/ A(u)DHD, aka the Point TM of the books, alot of motivation behind love is misplaced, and rather relies on what someone DOES, their CAPABILITIES which is relevant to ALOT of people, but specifically causes an extra pressure with learning disabilities. "I love you", and "I knew you could do it" become synonymous, and kids who are held back by their brain, their environment, or both, FEEL IT. Anyways, in the case of Poseidon, this is why I think "better keep MY child alive" is very fitting with the "genuine but misguided (and we're all fucked)" approach Rick takes to the gods.

I have also started to totally rethink the scene when Sally gets off work in book one. I now see that by keeping secrets, she is inadvertently inviting her son not to feel he can tell her everything. She's a little bit mysterious, and seems all the more fragile for it, furthermore, Percy has been made to feel like the event is secret by Grover and Chiron both in their secrecy and gaslighting. all this amalgamates into a social isolation even from Percy's closest people, even though they were just trying to help him. I can't quite explain it, but this is familiar as FUCK to me personally. It's like he was being judged and didn't even know what for, or like es everyone was making decisions without him. Being kept out of the loop is a very similar emotion to feeling left behind by your peers, and Percy faces both at the same time.

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ scene clip: Grover comes to warn Percy

[halikyon]

When building out Ryune's character, I found that I would enjoy it if she had a companion, but I really had no idea who. I had established where she was from, her family, and how she had gotten to the beginning of ARR, but interpersonal things eluded me.

I ended up just exploring around writing down names of characters that might potentially work, including many Scions, job teachers, a few heads of state, and various other npc's. While not successful in finding a specific person, I was narrowing down what would likely work best for her. Someone from her home region, someone smart and strong enough to handle things on their own if need be, and someone who really cared about making things better.

This first actually led me to Fordola, but I saw them butting heads far too often. Arenvald was another good option, but while very gregarious and kind and caring, I wanted someone who would be more capable of tagging along on adventures. I actually did have a thought of Lyse or Raubahn, but I felt Ryune would see Raubahn as more of a father figure, and Lyse felt more like a platonic love in the end. (Lyse hate is a complete mystery to me idk why some people don't like her)

So, roaming Gyr Abania, I went into Rhalgr's Reach on my way to the entrance to the dungeon there to get ideas when I realized that M'naago, sitting right there trying to help reconcile and rebuild, had been totally overlooked. Some searching into her lines and actions later, I realized she might just be a perfect fit.

Thus, I wrote some test doodle stories, found them incredibly cringe but also wholesome and good, and set about expounding upon the idea, giving them a home in Ala Ghanna and exploring what that relationship would look like.

So now here they are, working near each other and able to participate in each other's lives quite consistently due to often overlapping goals.

I imagine that right before The Ghimlyt Dark, a time when they were still figuring things out, there was some conversation that went along the lines of:

M: "I'm scared, Ryune."

R: "It would be foolish not to be, but we will get through this."

M: "Yes, but that's not what I mean. There's something else."

R: "Hm?"

M: "What if you get taken next, and all you leave is an aether-starved body? I can accept the danger we are to face but...not that. For you to waste away before my eyes, I dont think I could take it."

R: "Naago..."

Then they have a sweet intimate scene that ends with their first kiss, not realizing that it would be the last personal time they would spend together until after Ryune comes back from the final fight with Zenos, where both of them realize their feelings and decide to be together romantically (which I did write about).