#{ I know someone mentioned wanting to work with a Seere muse... }

[shinigxmi-muses]

[ kinda debating...adding a canon Drakengard muse to the blog... don’t know who in the world I could write for. Of those that interest me:

Mikhail / Michael

Zero

Seere

Undine & Salamander (? could be fun)

Angelus (dragon form, but also the human-style from 1.3)

generic Soldier C (this is more of a joke sorta character, but I mean-)

[ idk! thoughts I have while this blog is still a wip ]

[danhenglovebot]

Choose Me Instead

"I don't care if you're just a commoners, you are my muse and I wouldn't trade you for anyone."

Y/N POV

You had taken a liking to a certain seer, Eli Clark who's a kind and calm man. You knew theres no chance he would like you back since he already has a fiance, Gertrude. You knew how much he loves Gertrude and you can't do anything about it. You cant afford yourself to steal someone's fiance because you knew its not the right thing to do, so you gave up.

Ever since you tried to get rid of your feelings, you've been more quiet lately. Everyone are worried about you, even the grumpy Naib or the very distant Aesop are concerned about your quietness. You haven't been the cheerful person they knew. They tried to comfort you about it and asked what happened, but you just smiled at them. Little did you know there's a certain man that has been watching you.

You sighed as you closed your door room, going to the dining hall to check if there's a snack. Suddenly you heard someone greets you from behind, you turned around and see Eli waving his hand at you. You grew nervous and hesitantly waved back. Eli ran to you while smiling, you had the urged to cry but holds it anyway.

Eli smiles, "Hey Y/N! Do you want to go to the dining hall with me? " He offered.

You opened your mouth but nothing came out of your mouth. You stiffened, don't know whether you should accept or decline his offer. Before you could say anything, someone stood behind you.

"Y/N are unavailable today, they agreed to let me paint them. Now if you excuse us, we have a meeting to attend right now. " A certain voice talked behind you. You could only think one person that would mention something about art, Edgar Valden.

You didn't know much about Edgar, he's always in his room painting and rarely come out. You felt his presence auras are intimidating so you can't bring yourself to approach him. There this one time where you invite him to have a tea together, he declined with the reason you are just a mere peasant like the others and you have nothing to do with art.

You felt him grasping your wrist and dragging you away from Eli. Eli just stood there mouth opened but he quickly regain his composure and smiled while waving at me. I waved back and my eyes went to Edgar, he didn't look back at me instead he just dragged me to his room.

He stopped at his door and let go of my wrist. I figured that he saw my nervous face and decide to help me. I distance myself away from him since we stood pretty close to each other.

"Um thank you for your help Edgar, I'll be going now." You smiled and start to walk away.

Before you could leave, Edgar pulls you to his room. Your eyes widened while gasping to the sudden psychical contact. Edgar closes his door and crossed his arm while looking at me. He sighed while my face is full of confusion, didn't know why he let me go inside his room. His room is pretty messy, full of canvas and lots of paintbrush. A canvas is on the easel, there are two stools in front and behind of the easel.

"What are you waiting for? I'm not going to wait here all day. " Edgar stated coldly.

"Ah, what am I supposed to do? " You asked while he sighed again.

"Sit on the stool idiot, I told you haven't I? You agreed to let me paint you"

"But I never agreed o-" You stopped not continuing since his face is full of irritation now.

"You should be grateful I agree to paint you, I usually won't paint any commoners like you. " Edgar bluntly stated.

You laughed awkwardly and sat on the stool. He

sit on his own stool and start to prepare his paintbrush and paint.

It's been an hour ever since he paint you, you felt really tired and hungry but decided to stay silent while he's still working on his painting. After the long awkward silence, he's finally done with the painting. He looked at the painting and there's a little pink dusk spreaded on his cheek, you didn't noticed that and asked him if you can see the final result. Edgar declined saying that he still need to add a few details and leaded you outside his door. You brushed it off and starts to go to the dining hall to grab a snack.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Edgar POV

I can't help but keep staring at the painting of Y/N, they look so amazing and gorgeous.. I've been watching over their strange behavior since they are always cheerful but now they're more quiet. I have taken a liking to them, they are the only one who would invite me even thought I always declined their invitation. I sighed and sit on my stool, I know that Y/N likes Eli and there's nothing I could do about it.

It's been 1 month ever since you moved on, you didn't have any romantic feelings toward the seer anymore. Edgar has been hanging out with you ever since that day where he paint you. He still act like himself, arrogant and stubborn. Even so, he tried to be nicer to you while he still act like a jerk to everyone.

You may accidentally taken a liking towards the painter, you decided that one day you would have the courage to confess to him. You're still not ready to confess because you know that he comes from a noble rich family and that you're just a mere seamstress.

A knock interrupted your thoughts and you looked at your door, you got up from your bed and walk towards the door. You opened your door and spotted the brunette painter. Before you could speak, he shoved his painting that he hold in your hands. There's a cloth that covers the canvas and you could feel that there's a paper under the cloth too. He ran back to his room and slam his door.

You were confused by what just happened, you shake off your thought and sit on your bed again. You removed the cloth and saw that it's a painting of you, you were sitting on a flower field while smiling and closing your eyes. You smiled softly and starts to read the note he gave you.

●○●○●○●○

I hope you like the painting I made for you, it took me some time to finish it but regardless it's finished now. Y/N I love you, I don't care if you're just a commoners, you are my muse and I wouldn't trade you for anyone. I know you like Eli but I was hoping you would choose me instead of him. I can treat you better, I would stop being mean to you. Let's talk tomorrow.

-Edgar Valden

●○●○●○●○

Your eyes widened and your face is now completely red. It's a love note from him, he wrote it so simple but it made your heart flutter. You smile brightly and decided that you would answer his confession back tomorrow. You sleep with a soft smile on your face, knowing that your feelings has been returned.

A/N: Hi! yes I will make the Edgar ff highschool au but it will took time since I'm still trying to figure out a good plot.

[ganymedesclock]

Others write about Hollow Knight, you've got a way of making things make sense. Thank you for explaining about arena control with THK and Radi. Today's question: how many dream realms do you think exist? Radi is always called old Light, not Dream. In your read, does "expanse of dream,' 'one realm' 'the green children walked from dream' indicate that there are more than two dream realms out there? Also, WTF is up with that giant mushroom in the fungal core?

As best as I can tell from the lore, the feeling I get is less that there's a finite and discrete number of "realms" as much as that Radiance is a god of dreams, in the way that someone might be a god of war but not personally and singularly causing every single war.

The Seer mentions that Essence is fragments of dream, which she also calls old memories. This also ties in with what we understand of the ghosts- they appear to be echoes or memories of specific people. If Radiance had an actual ownership of dreams/cognition, then she'd have no reason to mind control anybody; she wouldn't be the antagonist, she'd be the setting. A more solid evidence of this is that since the White Palace is itself a very sealed dream, it seems to suggest PK fully expected to be able to hide from Radiance in a dream realm.

(That, or he didn’t care if she caught up to him at this point, but she clearly didn’t get in; the only possible ‘intruding’ element in the White Palace is void from the kingsmoulds)

I think the domain of Dream seems to be a godly context, and Radiance having immense power there is in part because she seems to be an immensely powerful god- one aligned more strongly with her divinity than she is with any sort of mortal or quasi-mortal reality. We can know what PK is- he’s the modified adult form of some kind of giant wasteland-dwelling sandworm dragon. While he’s also a god, he has some kind of context. People can talk about the “ancient caste” and speak of wyrms categorically.

We can’t really know what Radiance is. She is barely spoken of, and when she is, only as herself, the Old Light. The Hunter’s Journal entry for her even describes her in extremely minimalist and absolute terms, and has the Hunter himself musing that he may never be able to understand the force that causes the plague.

Was Radiance ordinary once- or as close to ordinary as PK was, and presumably WL, that sprouted out of this “god-rich” land as Godseeker puts it? Or is she just that much stranger than everything around her? She’s immersed in the domain of dream, of memories and belief. The fact that a whole tier of kickstarter backers isn’t just slid into the game, but recorded in the Shrine of Believers inside a pocket dream realm of its own gives some fascinating metatextual implications. Not that I think Radiance has a direct connection to the “real world” besides being a character in a game- but that the pattern repeated is something about belief and communication and the way things can become distorted as they echo through this space.

To answer your question, I think that dream is the medium through which virtually all of the gods that we encounter and many powerful beings work their power; it’s very omnipresent. Grimm has a special relationship with it, but basically there seem to be emanating/light gods, that generate some kind of dream, and consuming/dark gods that draw extant/ambient dream to themselves, and then both parties are gods because they can then use those dreams to shape reality.

If Radiance’s relationship with dream is unique, it seems to be a layered topic in that she has some amount of an innate special relationship with it, but also, that she is a tyrant of it- that she wants to take all of it for herself and wither any other dream that encroaches on ‘her’ territory.

[deliriumsdelight7]

WIP Wednesday

Hey everyone!  My muse desperately wants me to work on a new WIP.  Or two.  Or five.  So that’s slowing me down on my current WIPs.  But I’m resisting!

Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat: 6,115 words written for chapter 14.  I thhhhink I’m like halfway done.  Maybe.  Who the hell knows.

Jupiter’s Waters: Chapter 11 posted last week.  895 words written for Chapter 12.

Trinity: No progress.  Once I finish the next chapter of FFA, I’ll be working on this.

Finding a Cure: 1,033 words written for Chapter 6.

Breaking Cycles: 1,047 words written for chapter 19.  No progress.

What You’d Thought Lost: No progress.  Looking to start this up next month and finish it over the holiday season.

Masters of Destiny: No progress.  

Logic & Proportion: No progress.

A Safe Place to Land: No progress.

And as usual, behind the tag, my future WIPs.  Adding another one to the list.  This plot bunny is up for adoption if anyone wants it, because I don’t think I’ll ever get around to writing it.

Lachlan/Belle “fake”-marriage-to-fuck-over-ICE fic

Franke Keane/Lacey fic

FFA Sequel

FFA Prequel: Belle and Gold’s first meeting (oneshot)

FFA Prequel: Gold with Jefferson, Prissy and Grace (oneshot)

Spinner Rumpel/Seer Belle “Cassandra” fic

Jupiter’s Waters side-fic: Mary Margaret counts the minutes (oneshot)

“Agent French” 

Macelle priest-falls-in-love-with-erotica-writer prompt that’s been floating around.  Hoping someone else writes it first so I don’t have to.

Rumbelle “Ella Enchanted” AU.  

Rumpelstiltskin “Time Travel” fic. Angsty angst angst.

Breaking Cycles Deleted Scene

SS/HG Gender-swapped Beauty and the Beast-type story

SS/HG BDSM fic (Dom!Hermione and sub!Snape)

“The Good Place” Rumbelle AU: Basically I’m obsessed with these two finding peace in the afterlife.  I’m toying with a four-chapter fic of what the afterlife would be like if, instead of Mount Olympus, it was the Good Place.  Like I mentioned above, idk if I’ll ever write it, so if anyone else wants to, be my guest!

28 Weeks Later Donelle “no infection/second outbreak” AU

[eorzean-tale]

FFXIV Writing Challenge - Prompt 8: Adroit

“You look different,” the Seer of Silver mentioned dryly, her lips twitching lightly as she tried to maintain a serious expression while looking the second son of Moya up and down with the intense interest of an art connoisseur inspecting their favourite sculptor's latest work. It was feigned, of course, but it got his tail bushed up a little in a display of discomfort. 

He did his best to hide any further signs of his growing nervousness, but she had been around for far too long to miss the way his ears flicked, and the slight bowing of his head that made it look like he wanted to make himself too small to notice. The Wanderer was far too tall for that, and it took all her self-control not to grin at such a strong-looking lad lose all his confidence the second an old woman like her noticed what he was doing.

“Looks good on you, a bit of grooming,” she teased, then held up a hand to silence any retort he might have for her. “I will get you your trinkets, and the paint as well. Goddess knows you must be looking to impress someone important with all the effort you’re putting in.” To his credit, he didn’t flinch at that. She might not know him very well, the old Seer guessed no one among the Stargazers that wasn’t another Wanderer did, but she knew enough to tell that he was acting out of character. Both with how much attention he’d been paying to his looks as with his request. She was the best silversmith the Stargazers had, by far the woman might add if asked, and her services didn’t come cheap. Especially not the son of a low status woman like Moya. Though he had been getting quite comfortable around some powerful women of late, the Seer mused.

Not that she expected him to elaborate. The son of Moya just inclined his head in the proper form of respect. More coaxing wouldn’t help, but the woman couldn’t help herself. “She must be quite special for you to indebt yourself so, hm? It’s not that awful girl the Waning Moon took on as an apprentice, is it?”

He just gave her one of those irritating small shrugs that didn’t confirm nor deny anything, clever boy. Was he hiding a grin of his own now? Smug little jerk. Her voice took on the screeching quality that could give the average vulture a run for its gil. “Well, either way mister prim-and-proper, I like my men with a bit of dirt on them so begone. I’ll be done within the moon’s turn. And don’t forget my payment when you come back.”

[spiteweaver]

previous | next

--

A gathering of the council, in its entirety, had never been so much as attempted. It was generally understood between each of its members that at least one of them was always going to be unavailable, and that their colleagues would simply have to make do without them. After all, their work often took them abroad, or else kept them sequestered in study.

So when all thirty-odd of them showed up, some without needing to be summoned, Dreamweaver didn’t quite know what to do with themself.

“As promised,” Betelgeuse said.

“Excellent work,” Dreamweaver replied numbly, their eyes scanning the crowded table in quick, darting glances. “You may sit.”

Betelgeuse bowed, and claimed his seat between Tau and Isaiah. The uncomfortable murmur that had swept across the assembly while Dreamweaver considered their next words quieted. Someone coughed; another shifted awkwardly.

Dreamweaver began: “By now, I am certain you have all noticed that something is amiss.”

“That’s an understatement,” Isaiah said through a barely-stifled yawn.

“Hush,” Solaire chided.

“I wish that I could offer you more,” Dreamweaver went on, “more than vague assurances, more than theories and hypotheses--but I cannot. Like you, Banrai and I have slept; truth be told, I wonder if we are not sleeping still. All I know for certain is that whatever magic befell us four eons ago spared our coven.”

“Four eons...” Junior slumped in his seat, and his father placed a bracing hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad Telos went into exaltation when she did, because if she’d been here to see this mess, I think she might kill me.”

��It isn’t your fault,” Bellerophon tried to soothe, but couldn’t help but to add a muttered, “this time.”

“Maybe not,” Junior said, “but Zo would have been in Aphaster if not for me.”

“Junior’s right,” Rue agreed with a baleful sigh, “I can only imagine what my mother’s going to do with four eons of pent-up anxiety...”

Betelgeuse looked like he had something to say, something none of them would like. However, he must have decided that now was not the time, because the next moment, his expression was once more impassive. “I understand the gravity of the situation at hand,” he said instead, “but I must ask that you keep your heads until after you’ve been given a proper explanation.”

“You’ve got one then?” Crucis asked, leaning so far forward that Dreamweaver feared he may actually climb onto the table. His eyes were shimmering with insatiable Arcanite curiosity, his fingers drumming an impatient tune. “It’s that, isn’t it?”

“Wh-what?” Dawn stammered.

For the first time in anyone’s memory, Crucis smiled--not just smiled, in fact, but outright grinned. “Well,” he started hastily, not wanting to give his clanmates the chance to stop him, “among scholars, there are a number of theories pertaining to the makeup of the universe, and one such theory posits that our universe is but one of many within a multiverse--”

Isaiah clapped a hand over Crucis’ mouth. “Betelgeuse,” he said, “before he really gets going, in plain Draconic, if it’s not too much trouble--and stop smiling, Crucis, you’re scaring Junior.”

“Philistine,” Crucis grumbled between Isaiah’s fingers.

“In plain draconic,” Betelgeuse continued, “we, or rather you, have been the victims of a time anomaly--a loop, in which time moves neither forward nor back, but repeats the same span endlessly until it is broken.”

“We’d gathered that much,” Priyanka said, and pressed a knuckle to her lips in thought. “What I find strange is not that such magic exists, but that none of our seers, myself included, foresaw such a major catastrophe. This will have had a devastating effect on foreign affairs, not to mention Feldspar’s economy; an event such as this should not have escaped our Sight.”

“That’s the beauty of it,” said Crucis, shoving Isaiah’s hand away, “you didn’t see it, because it’s Other!”

At the head of the table, Dreamweaver paled. There had been an unpleasantness gathering behind their rib cage for some time, and with Crucis’ declaration, it was released, sending jolts of panic racing up their spine. They tried in vain to hold their form, but with each cold shock of fear, their grasp on it slipped the slightest bit more.

Banrai squeezed their hand. “It’s ok, Dreamy,” he murmured, “it’s over.”

“But I--” Dreamweaver blinked the cosmos from their eyes-- “I don’t have any answers. I’m the only Other here, and I--I can’t--”

“It is not a well-understood phenomenon,” Betelgeuse said, “but I believe you have some knowledge of it. You have heard your people speak of it in fearful whispers, as a rumor, a bedtime story to frighten hatchlings.”

Dreamweaver searched the furthest reaches of their memory, but it was a long one, complicated, and some of it was not strictly their own. Separating themself from the dreams of their people seemed an insurmountable task in that brief moment, perhaps because they had spent four eons tending them.

They saw themself standing in a crowded square as Banrai, so young and naive it made them quake, begged them for so much as a look, a smile, a single word. In a few short weeks, he would beg again, this time for their hand, but they would tell him that they were as the moon, fleeting and distant.

“Then if I capture the moon, will you marry me?” he would reply, and they would be his.

They saw Feldspar in its infancy, the skeletons of buildings jutting out of the fog like the teeth of some great beast. Winter was little more than a hatchling, clinging forlornly to their robes. He had been so terribly fragile then. So had they.

They saw everything, all of the many eons they had spent beneath their Patron’s banner--a part of dragonkind, and yet always somehow separate. Their clan grew, and spread, and lived, and loved. The ocean came for them, and then the nightmare. Sirius fell to earth in a shower of stars. Telos cloaked herself in fuchsia light.

Then they saw a mane of wild raspberry hair.

Dreamweaver caught Betelgeuse’s gaze. They knew his answer before they asked: “You believe the tales?”

“Yes,” Betelgeuse replied, “I do.”

“What tales?” Lestat demanded. “You’re both so awfully cryptic; it drives me mad!”

“You’re already mad,” Mímir jeered.

“You’ve heard them too,” Silhouette said, so softly that they almost went unheard. The council turned as one to face them, seeking answers from the swirling forms within their shroud. “We all have, sometime or another. Dragons whose minds have flown, entire clans locked in a single moment, some that have disappeared altogether, vanished without a trace.”

Henrie pressed his hands over his trembling lips. “You mean--” He looked to the others for reassurance, but found only wide-eyed disbelief-- “dead lairs?” he concluded in a choked whisper.

“I don’t feel dead,” Myrtle mused, and patted himself for good measure.

“It isn’t a literal death,” Betelgeuse explained, “but, in a sense, a living death. Dead lairs do not grow, or change, and they cannot be influenced by the world beyond their borders. It is thought that they are the result of their Patron abandoning them.”

“The Lightweaver would never!” Solaire cried.

“Not the Lightweaver,” Betelgeuse said, “something else, something far older than the Eleven. The gods answer to Them, or so it is said.”

“The gods answer to no one,” Phobos insisted.

“That is only what is said,” Betelgeuse reiterated, “perhaps not what is. Whatever the cause of the phenomenon, Feldspar was subject to it--and now it is not. We have nothing more to fear.”

“Except that it may happen again,” Caesar piped up, then immediately fell quiet when he saw the looks of abject terror on his colleagues’ faces.

Crucis started to speak, but Isaiah wrestled him back into silence. “Whatever you’re about to say,” he growled, “it’s nothing good, so keep your loud mouth shut.”

“Dead lairs rarely remain dead,” Betelgeuse reassured. “I pray that you do not sleep again, but if you should, it will not be forever--and the coven will guard you with our lives.”

“Oh,” Caesar squeaked, eyelids fluttering, “oh my.”

“However,” Betelgeuse was quick to add, “I do not feel it shall be necessary.”

The council exchanged a flurry of uncertain glances and even less certain chatter. Betelgeuse was seldom wrong about such things, and he was the only one of them present who had not spent nearly half a cycle sleeping. If they could not trust his word, there was no one’s they could.

At least, that was what Dreamweaver hoped they were saying to one another, with heads together and voices low. Grief was not unwarranted, but it was unproductive--and they could not afford to be unproductive at such a delicate juncture. Already, Dreamweaver was beginning to feel restless; this meeting had worn on too long.

“If there is nothing further to discuss,” they cut in, “I suggest we get to work.”

“What about the Dominions?” Juneau asked. “He may not have been able to influence me, but I doubt Penitence would have left my side while I slept for anything less than the end of the world.”

“Yes,” Tau agreed, “Copernicus as well.”

“Ah--” Betelgeuse sighed-- “I had hoped you would not ask.”

Dreamweaver sagged, the stars in their hair winking out one by one. There was not a face at the table they wished to see then, and so they dropped their head into their hands, to find reprieve in darkness. “They haven’t woken,” they said, “have they?”

“What do you...?” Junior’s chair toppled back as he staggered out of it, and blindness did not protect Dreamweaver from his anguish. It oozed into every word, every syllable one closer to a sob. “No,” he gasped, “not them too. I c--I can--” Abaddon stood, and Junior all but collapsed against him-- “I can’t do this again. I can’t lose them again.”

“You won’t,” Abaddon said, “you haven’t.”

“I have been in contact with those among them who, like myself, were unaffected,” Betelgeuse interjected, “and we are all in agreement that someday, hopefully within the next cycle, our allies will wake as well.”

“The next cycle?” Tau clenched his fists, so tightly that the skin drew thin and white, and joined Junior on his feet. “My mate is there. You can’t expect us to sit idly by while our families lie vulnerable beneath some deific spell.”

“There is nothing more to be done,” Betelgeuse replied simply.

No one spoke. Amun, a Dragonhome Ridgeback who had spent scarcely an eon with the clan before its slumber, placed a hand on Tau’s shoulder, guiding him gingerly back into his seat.

“I should have been with him,” Tau mumbled. “Why wasn’t I with him?”

“Mother,” Rue said, the rare hitch in her breath causing even Betelgeuse a strange discomfort, “and my siblings--it doesn’t seem possible.”

“My brother as well,” Yọmí added as his head sank miserably into his hands. “I saw him only yesterday it seems. At least...perhaps Rántí will have been spared...”

“What am I going to tell Zo?” Junior moaned. “What am I going to tell Sirius?”

At last, Dreamweaver rose, and clasped their hands in front of them in the way their people had seen them do so many times before. “If you need time to collect yourselves,” they said, “you shall have it. Once you have done so, return to me, and receive your orders.”

The congregation trickled out slowly. Those with loved ones in Aphaster lingered together; they touched one another as if each of them might break, their fingers whispering hoarsely over skin and fabric. It would be they who told Atsushi, and Xerxes, and Asura, and all the many others who would soon wake to find their families beyond their reach.

From their place at the head of the meeting table, Dreamweaver watched.

“Betelgeuse,” they said.

Betelgeuse gave another bow. “Your Majesty.”

“I want the coven working on this ‘round the clock,” they commanded. “If magic can be done, it can be undone--even that which is divine. Meet with Faded; I am certain they will have some insight.”

[fatebreaking-a]

Tagged by : I am a thief. ( Stolen from @starthieve​ ) Tagging : steal it from me.

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

( I will not, I will pick all my muses, how dare- I’ll leave everything except this blog + my other Sona blog out, for length’s sake.) long post, so it’s under the cut.

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES-ish / NO. ( people who like her like her, and people who don’t... really don’t. )

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Are they underrated?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?  — lol. I take inspiration from canon, let’s put it that way.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  Your local patron saint of lost causes, a heroic entity who has overcome betrayal and judgement to become an existence that can save the world. Also she’s tall and strong and hot and nice, what more could you want? Huh? You want more than being hugged by a 6′4″ lady??? Sona can also be in various countries, and can participate very easily in fluff, angst, and all sorts of other types of threads.

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  —  Lots of angst and drama, a bit of a loner with a distant vibe. Having no etwahl and not playing music kills the interest and ‘usual interactions’ for a lot of people, and being mute & not jumping to telepathy can make threads dry and slow. Being a ‘sexy boob lady’ ( u g h ) also has painted her in a certain light - I’ll never forget that someone said that ‘ofc everyone ships with Sona, she’s the village bicycle.’ I’ve made her exceptionally strong ( almost overpowered ), and that doesn’t jive with people sometimes - shoving in all these themes that I personally like and crafting an interesting story of a divine / demonic seer witch who doesn’t know what to do with herself, is finally ‘too strong’, and finds power distasteful... The themes can be a little depressing and cold, even when she acts nice. And seeing “Even though she feels nothing, she still acts nice” in character can feel... tiring. A mute is not an easy person to write with, and I don’t shy away from trying to give the impression that ‘waiting for Sona to communicate can be tiring’ - because I want my readers and mutuals to feel the kinds of things she goes through everyday. While I try to make the blog accessible, Sona has a speech disability, and that can be tiring.

Also that she doesn’t act like a fancy noble... I don’t know. I feel like the way that I write her is very, very different to the fandom’s impression of her, and that leaves people disillusioned. “This isn’t what I expected or signed up for.” She’s just not that person... And because she doesn’t speak, a lot of prompts are off limits. I’ve also recently reset because I wanted to emphasize that she is patient, grim, and secretive while still being kind. I’ve toned down her tendency for mischief a lot, she used to be an absolute gremlin.

A lot of these things also apply to my other Sona blog ( @virtuous-dignity​ ), where she is extremely structured and self-confident and a bit of a recluse, so while she’s much much nicer, she’s also a complete hardass. It’s rough stuff, especially since I make sure to point out, “hey this Sona practices music over 8 hours every day.” “Hey this Sona finds it morally wrong to play music for small audiences.” There are certain traits that just cut ideas in the bud.

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  I played Sona a lot in bot lane. Multiple years of sexist remarks, shitty writing, and bad characterization made me frustrated. A lot of things were left unexplained and the etwahl felt like too much of a focus that I could not answer, “who is Sona besides a musician with a fancy instrument”. She has to be someone, right? But we never get to that in the story ( nor in the apparent upcoming lore rework either... ). She has to be someone, her being a famous musician is not everything. So I forcibly tossed aside the music part, especially to also prevent accidentally being pulled into ‘your music is so pretty’ plots. Plus: I wanted to write a character with an internal conflict who was going through some things but wanted to be nice anyway - I believe in that idea a lot. And I wanted to write a character that, tbh, could ship and flirt and just... be flirty and easy going more ( hah! didn’t work out so great now! ). My first canon characters were a ‘left by the void Malz’ dealing with his sins and Ori, who I talk about below, and neither were really great for getting that flirty vibe out. I also really wanted to emphasize that... Well, to be blunt, that if I wrote Sona as sexually promiscuous, that wasn’t a bad thing. That ‘being sexy’ and ‘sex positive’ did not equal ‘objectified tiddy witch’ and ‘perfect candidate for oppai mouse pad’ and other things I’ve heard directed at me in my league experience. Many, many things. Ugh. It kind of did end up turning into a thing where Sona herself draws an interesting line between ‘haha I can tell everyone’s looking at me with those eyes and it’s the fucking worst’ and ‘ok but I trust you and am in bed with you, so I want you to grab me’ - but that’s getting more into ns/fw topics so I’ll leave it there. 

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  All my characters tend to be expressions of myself, as well as answering important thematic questions, like “What does it mean to be rejected by your home and no longer have a place”, and some other stuff. I usually go back to that. Plus, exploring concepts around abandonment and loneliness is something I do a lot with her - feelings of neglect and disillusionment, and ideas surrounding “do I need to like someone or be liked by someone to treat them with dignity”. ( virtuous-dignity, on the other hand, was created because I wanted to write something as soft and uwu as possible, and then it turned into something about ‘balancing dignity for oneself with duty to others’ and handling those kinds of conflicts. )

I also really do enjoy, on some level, turning people around on these characters. “You made me care about character x” is such high praise.

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO.

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. ( idk, how many of you think robots are hot- )

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. ( I think people downplay Ori’s intelligence a lot, but Riot also casually implied she did open heart surgery on herself so??? )

Are they underrated?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?  — hahahahahahaha. hah. hah. Sorry. Everything I write is divergent by default.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  A genius inventor and cute spherical robot duo who speak to other robots and shoot lightning, run around acting cute, and try to save their city one step at a time - all while dealing with deep existential dread and fighting off a fate that decrees Ori’s death. Between ‘pancake bot’ and Ori being an accidental flirt, there’s plenty of variety and development here as my oldest canon muse. Not to mention that the blog ‘grows’ and ‘changes’, and in the last year, Ori has taken to dying her hair pink ( because Vi is cool is why, just don’t let her near a rifle or she’ll try to imitate Cait ). I also regularly think about / draw different hairstyles and clothing styles. Ori is very much ‘alive’, the most so out of the three muses on this blog. A human that has the memories of being a robot, trying to live on and live a good life. Also, there are bird, angel, and time themes. So many clocks. Mega clocks!

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  —  Deep angst and existential dread, because she knows her fate is to die and she’s cheated time. Themes of dysphoria and other troubling topics abound. Being stuck in time loops, thinking she’s an aberration, needing crutches because her legs stop working, etc.

Also, removing the fact that she is a robotic automaton is a bunch of the appeal of Ori. Or well, it’s what makes her character ‘interesting and unique’ to many. Without that, she is ‘yet another Zaunite’, as the thing that made her most interesting was her death and rebirth. ( Nevermind that her entire story is that she’s a selfless person but- I’m supposed  to act like she’s bad, right? )

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  Hey remember when institute of war was a thing? And then when it wasn’t? And Ori’s lore was “died to a turret shot trying to be a champion”... and then it was up in the air for two years?

That’s why. If no one else will love her, I will. She deserves better. And then the lore became close to my lore so I rewrote everything a second time trying to stick to the themes I had.

Ori’s thematic question is, “What do you do when you don’t recognize yourself anymore? How do you get back to ‘okay’ and what do you do from there?” It’s a pretty dim question that has a lot to do with body image, but also to do with abandonment and neglect, and  just dropping out of people’s lives. I think that’s something that people can really relate to. I originally wrote her on a multi with a ‘post void Malz’, who was dealing with the trauma of being puppeted around for years and all the things he had done, trying to get back to ‘okay’ without getting killed. More below:

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  Themes as noted above, Ori is super cute, and a lot of my art & general ideas. I’ve kind of turned these three characters in borderline OCs and keep developing them as they grow... Sometimes I think the stories and concepts I’ve written have outgrown the fandom. And thinking about her, and how she would live, and what her story is... mmm.

Also, the themes I write... I think they matter. Maybe it’s not obvious to anyone but myself, but writing a character who feels dysphoria and hates their body for ‘betraying them’... is relatable. It’s not nice. It’s not simple. But it’s relatable and it matters. Ori’s theme on this blog has a lot to do with “fighting a fate that says you’re going to lose and defying expectations” as well as “coming back from something wicked and rotten in your psyche/body”. And I do write some other skin verses for her but they’re all adapted to meet that theme. ( For example, in SG, she rises to guardian after finding out she’s fated to become a dark star and fights that fight alone, because ‘hell no she’s not going to go dark’. This was 5+ years ago back when there were theories SG and DS were same universe. )

Mostly it’s writing about these themes of expectation and reality. Overprotective parent, absentee parent, dealing with trauma... All my writing is like that. It can make my characters seem overly tragic, yes, but these ideas are not so far gone that they’re completely irrelevant and beyond belief. I’m sure many people have experienced emotional exhaustion and problems with body image. Even though I do write ‘polite but ready to fight’ characters only... Well, I believe in exploring and expressing these kinds of problems. Inner conflict and all. But also fluff! Fluff is really nice! Talk to her about pancake robot.

I also really do enjoy, on some level, turning people around on these characters. “You made me care about character x” is such high praise.

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO. ( post rework??? oh my god )

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. ( hard to consider ‘martial’ characters strong when Xer/ath and Syn/dra exist )

Are they underrated?  YES / NO. ( she’s a little overrated, isn’t she?  )

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?  — I still draw from old lore with her big four blades of doom and ‘reviving’ with the help of Raka ( though I leave it vague / easy to gloss over ). I also had a lot of ideas about music and rhythm and tradition before the update ( drums were a big thing for her, so strong percussive beats and motions reign over the more silk and ribbon dances that flow more, drawing on things like Zelos existing, Lito’s lessons & harsh behavior, and her own internalized habits of trying to calm herself ), so I draw on those a ton. For me, the progression is ‘classic’ -> ‘infiltrator / nightblade ‘ -> ‘aviator’ all as one timeline. Also wrote her as being ‘missing in action’, which makes the awaken cinematic weird. I also really try to emphasize that she’s an emotionally stunted wardog with scars and not ultra pretty, so.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  A world traveler and a wardog, you can find her anywhere, any time, ready to kick some butt and enjoy the local food. Her simmering fury is a counterpoint to her relatively muted demeanor and adventurous spirit. However you may find her, there’s a definite charm to being flown up above the clouds to watch a sunset and talk. She will fly you where you need to be.

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  —  I’m a little stuck on old lore and writing Lia as a character that has “left behind” her past and is pretending to be dead does make certain interactions tough. She’s also a deeply stunted character, emotionally, and I write her ten years of experience as having chilled her to a cold, ever burning ember rather than a passionate flame. Also, ‘aviator’ is kind of weird to handle for a lot of people.

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  This one is really simple. When this blog started, the only splash where Irelia was smiling was the aviator splash. That’s it. That as the whole reason. “I want her to be happy and have found her happiness.”

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  I will admit that Lia is the character that I give the least attention to out of these three, and part of it is because I don’t really do flirting or shipping with her as much. She’s not one to reach out to others, and there are a lot of popular Lia blogs to the point that when I, as a multi, write with someone... She probably isn’t the first pick.

But I just... want her to be happy. That’s it. As I mentioned with the Ori section, what I’ve worked out for her has kind of outgrown the fandom itself, she’s become a different entity. Her themes largely involve recovery and finding oneself anew, and writing a character that is passionate about others while still being cool-headed is some of the variety I need. Because Lia is ace/homosexual, she sits out on a lot of the flirty content, but the chances I get to write her being romantic and caring... my god. Just a few posts back and forth with @unholyshe​ ‘s Akali and a So/na I used to write with....... Unforgettable. ( On that note go follow @unholyshe​ what a good writer, gosh dang. ) It’s these small interactions I find intensely compelling, and having a ‘quiet intensity’ and really thinking about her body language...

Also it’s nice to write a character with little secret agenda, who is just straightforward. “Will I enjoy kissing you? Only one way to find out. ‘It was okay.’ “ A ‘the only way forward is through, just do it’ attitude is refreshing.

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Learning to write all three characters helps me write the others: The little things I think about that are specific to each person really help me out for the others. The depth of using body language from Sona bleeds into how Lia uses body language, and how Ori doesn’t ( even common ticks ), etc etc. Ori’s blunt, observational style of speaking ( telling you that you look good like it’s an observational fact ) helps me understand how to be straightforward with Lia.

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES …? / NO. ( sometimes I do get very anxious abt it, esp. since I’m so divergent and do things like ‘so/na is one part succubus lol’ )

Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO. ( do excerpts count? less headcanons and more musings, since I’m on like 5+ years with 2/3 of these. )

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO. ( time is not a thing but I used to write a ton, my drabble energy goes to novels now )

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day?  YES / NO. ( this is why you see mobile posts from me constantly, and so many excerpts / musings ).

Are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO. ( It’s what I want but it can also be disillusioning / disappointing to people so. Dunno. Anxiety. =/  )

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO. ( It takes me a bit to warm up to a character again, but yes. I know my writing is not bad but I can be a little insecure about it. )

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO. ( Very. I cry a lot and I get upset pretty easily. Sometimes I end up being really cold instead but idk. )

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?  — To a point. Sometimes criticism is irrelevant or meaningless, or is just personal taste. “Sona shouldn’t be that strong” isn’t helpful ( but thinking about ways to pare down the complexity is good! ) Sometimes I get criticism that is the equivalent of tasting a chocolate cake and going, “It should have been vanilla, I like vanilla better.” That’s cool, but that has nothing to do with the taste of the chocolate cake I made. ( Ori as a human isn’t interesting, talk more about Sona & the etwahl even though it’s broken, Lia flying doesn’t make sense, etc - these are foundational flavors, so what can I do? ).

Also sometimes people make comments that make me feel they’re just being petty / catty and not sincere. I’ve seen quite a few hypocritical comments and it’s hard to take them seriously. So, yes, but ‘to a point’... Mostly I take suggestions, which I then talk about for the muse. Exploring those ideas. Unsolicited criticism is... hmm. In my experience, about half of it isn’t constructive. And from the wrong person, it can sound judgemental. 

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  — Of course? I love asks. Always. Great. Awesome. If I have a chance to draw to answer these asks, even better.

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?  —  Not really. I’m divergent, they probably disagree because they have a different vision for the character. I’ll be honest here and say I’ve had enough people tell me that “my portrayals are not what they expected” that this can be... disheartening. I usually have a good reason for 80% of my hcs. If we’re talking in IMs though or just conversing, I’m totally fine with it. This comes back to unsolicited criticism - to be a little blunt, some people just straight up don’t know what they’re talking about. And given that I put a bunch of effort in trying to make sure most of my headcanons can be glossed over, so it doesn’t cause conflict and my ‘ultra grim take’ doesn’t cause the end times... I dunno. I’d rather that someone tell me “the kind of interactions they want”, so I can lean into that direction. If you just want fluff, I can leave most of my darker hcs for So/na at the door... But you need to tell me that, so I can work with you. 

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?  — just leave? huh? I mean, I already know people disagree. If you’re not rude, then we’ll just move on and be chill. Otherwise... well, we won’t be chill and you can still go, but I’ll consider you a dick. I don’t expect everyone to agree with “Ori is a human”, but why bring that up to me?

This is why a lot of the time, when people talk about characters and my muses, my brain defaults to “Well that has nothing to do with me.” Why should I invest any time being upset that people are disappointed with my portrayal or I’m not what they expected. It’s exhausting. People have some really strong opinions about Lia and Sona sometimes, but... ‘that has nothing to do with me.’ There’s no point in trying to convince someone to try your flavor of ice cream when they’ve already decided what flavor and toppings they want. It just leads to tremendous insecurity. I should not have to argue that ‘my portrayal is worth paying attention to’. 

Ugh. I might be too sensitive about this. There was a point where people really got in the habit of saying, “this is how character x is” ( not their muse ), and it felt like someone trying to enter my kitchen. It did not feel like a suggestion or an idea. It was an assertive, “this is how Irelia is” by, say... a Ry/ze or Ken/nen blog or something. That felt extremely isolating and alienating to me, because it felt like I could not participate in that conversation at all. Or stuff after. I had to sideline myself, because... that has nothing to do with me or my interpretations. Ofc griping at them is wrong because I know they mean, ‘this is how I see it’, but ye. I’m short tempered and easily upset. Working on it.

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?  — um? bye? hello?

god I used to go “ ok that’s cool you don’t like my portrayal, here are some other great So/na blogs that I love” but I realized that I was directing someone who felt the need to tell me my portrayal or character is bad to those people... and no. no no no. I still feel a little guilty about it, because thinking I directed a toxic person to my duplicates...  yuck.

If you don’t like the characters, or you don’t like my divergent takes, that’s fine. I get it’s not for everyone. Just unfollow me. You’re not paying me. You’re not under any obligation. To an extent, i don’t mind being critical of the character, but there’s a difference between being critical and being hateful to someone’s muse? And it depends a lot on how close I am with a person. For example, I think Sy/las is a complete scumbag and I hate him, but I don’t go yelling that to every Sy/las blog I see. C’mon.

Another bit of salt but it’s... kind of a sad topic, really. There are some characters people love to hate, whereas other ones get the ‘protection squad’. And in general it’s really disheartening to see someone shittalk Lux every two weeks, but go ‘these other champs are off limits’. If you have that attitude, it makes me think you’ll shittalk my characters the moment they get popular ( COUGHIRELIACOUGH ) and that’s kind of sad. And mean. So general advice on this is: Probably just don’t tell someone you hate their muse, you know? Idk. Everyone has their own tolerance level too so. meh.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  —  Somewhat.  Not much to say here, sometimes I am very tired, sometimes I comma splice like a madman, sometimes I overuse hyphen dashes to avoid deciding whether to use a comma, period, or semicolon - like this. I don’t need an editor. English is my first language. But if there’s something egregious or you have tips, let me know? I’m someone who looks up grammar rules regularly, and breaks teh rules just as regularly. Knowing when and how to break grammar rules is useful. Though I do tend to... overuse something once I’ve learned it. Hyphen dash, I’m looking at you.

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?   — Yes and no. I’m chill, I can be a little overly passionate, and I’m pretty quick to apologize... But I have certain moral standards and if you break those, you’re done. Also I can be a vengeful bastard. I try to give as much benefit of the doubt as I can and many chances, but I’ve noticed that I really... have a sour attitude towards a lot more people than I expect. Sometimes people who are very well liked, just because they said or did something that ticked me off. Luckily, I have the special skill of not being a jerk even if I don’t like you, and overall trying to be nice to most people, so it usually won’t matter. 

Ah and I can be a little selective in who I talk to / play favorites a bit. I’m a busy person with an adult life and a stressful job, I only have so much patience. I skip from “tolerating it” to “leaving”, and that can seem like I ghosted, but that’s not always the case. Just better to leave than to pick fights. I have some pretty strict standards and harsh opinions. Short temper. Vengeful. Alas.

Somehow people think I am very nice and baby, so take that for what you will. Pft. I just want people to be happy and feel comfortable and okay. Wrong is wrong, blah blah blah ok I stop now.

That’s about it, congrats for filling out!

( If you managed to read all this, with 3 full muses... Let me know, I want to hug you??? )

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

][Valentine's Day Alphabet for Pascal][ A || B || C || D || E || F || G || I || J || K || L || N || P || Q || R || S || T || U || V || X || Z

@blind-mutant

A   :   AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection?

Pascal will show his affection through his words mostly, usually by a nickname or saying something that teases someone. One of the biggest signs that Pascal is being affectionate is how he will actively look out for your fate and he'll stop mentioning things that might affect you and will possibly try to make/prevent it happening.

He wants the people he cares about to be safe and Pascal is fully willing to go through any means for it.

B   :   BOUQUET.   does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?

Pascal's mutual to them. He knows they're pretty and they're meant to be romantic but he's already seen a blurry version of them and they don't do much. He probably wouldn't even notice if he got the flowers to be honest. He likes tulips since they're simple and used to grow around the church.

C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?

Again, it's a fifty fifty because Pascal likes chocolate, but it melts in his mouth much quicker than it does for anyone else so he has to chew like a rabid dog when he has some. He likes macaroons and other cookie based desserts though, mostly because he's gotten into the habit of rabid chewing whenever he eats sweet stuff.

D   :   DATE.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

Pascal is much more happier to go to places that his partner wants so he'll happily let Rhys drag him wherever he wants. He just wants to go somewhere that Rhys will have a fun but I imagine that once Rhys finds out where Pascal works then a lot of their dates will be Rhys dragging Pascal so he can play with the dogs. It's not that uncommon now to see Rhys with the dogs and Pascal plans aggressively to let Rhys see the new puppies at some point as a surpise (100% this is probably how he asks Rhys out for a date).

E   :   EMBRACE.   does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?

He's a great hugger because Pascal is warm at all times and soft despite the dog muscles he has. He adores pulling Rhys into a slow cuddle being being able to smell the vanilla and feeling Rhys's own warmth as he gently squeezes. Pascal is that loser who yawns and drags Rhys down into a hug in bed and pretends to pass out with his arms conveniently trapping Rhys.

But yeah, VERY warm hugs and Pascal is happy to be Rhys's hot water bottle.

F   :   FLIRT.   is your muse good at flirting? how do they flirt?

Pascal can be good at flirting due to the fact that he KNOWS all the right things to say and he has the advantage of knowing exactly what can get Rhys really flustered. The weird part? He chooses not to. He's awful at flirting on purpose because he wants Rhys to love a loser rather than love someone who can tell him all the right things in life. He wants something messy and free rather than simple validation. Pascal wants Rhys to sigh at a shitty pick up line and then see if he still wants Pascal instead of lines made out of bitter honey.

A soft part of me is aching at Rhys's finding out that Pascal was shitty at flirting on purpose because he wanted Rhys to fall in love with something that was honest rather than the simple adoration everyone else had.

G   :   GIFT.   is your muse good at gift - giving or do they struggle to get it right?

A man who can see and know exactly what you want? Pascal's great at it. He knows when things that he wants will be in stock and knows the reactions Rhys will have to something and how it'll pan out. Often he'll leave a gift for Rhys somewhere obvious before leaving for work as a nice surprise.

I    :   I LOVE YOU.   does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

Technically Pascal finds it easy because he knows how Rhys will react and knows that he will get his affection returned. But it doesn't stop the intensity of what he wants to say or how it feels doing it. Everyone he loved had terribly ending fates and sometimes Pascal wonders whether he was the cause of their deaths and misery (I mean, he was). It weighs down on him and Pascal probably puts off telling Rhys he loves him for a while because of this.

J   :   JEALOUSY.   does your muse get jealous in a relationship?

A bit. Pascal knows that Rhys is utterly devoted (nothing like Pascal's real devotees thankfully) and has enough sense to know that cheating on a seer is a very terrible idea, but that still doesn't stop the small flicks of jealously if one of his work colleagues makes Rhys laugh or if someone hits on him. If Pascal wakes up grumpy and clingy? Then Rhys eventually starts to get the gist of these moods when they date long enough.

K   :   KISS.   is your muse a good kisser? why / why not? 

Pascal is because like the flirting, he knows exactly what Rhys wants and unlike the flirting (thank God) he doesn't feel the need to act like he's shitty at it. Pascal knows what will make you feel good and he's often eager to do so as well as his mouth always being warm

L   :   LOVE.   who does your muse love?

He loves Rhys! Rhys is beautiful and funny and makes Pascal feel like the most normal man in the world. Pascal adores it when Rhys whines for his warmth and will often look chances to just....hold Rhys's hand and tell him how amazing he is.

He also adores Korra and Zuko because they help him so much and how can a man not adore his kids??? Its his favourite thing to walk about with Korra and feel her brushing against him lovingly or to feel Zuko meowing and thr brush of his little sweaters as his sweet little rotisserie lays on his back.

Pascal still loves his sister and feels awful for never telling Rhys anything about Cass. And a part of him still loved his mother, even though she did shitty stuff like sold Cassandra to a reflective eyed woman and did nothing but use her son for prophesies.

N   :   NAUGHTY.   what is your muse like in bed?

Pascal knows all of your sweet spots immediately and depending on who he's with, that could mean he's rather gentle or very teasing. Though things like first times mean that Pascal will definitely be gentle and kind. He like taking his time and exploring other parts of the body, which can make him come off as teasing but he just wants a chance to explore and adore other parts of his lover!

P   :   PARTNER.   what does your muse look for in a partner? looks / personality?

Pascal doesn't really care about looks because he's legally blind ("A cooler version of legally blond. I solve cases with my mind, Rhys!") And most people in his visions, while they have features and he can see them, they're often bright and blurred so it's like....ugly goggles? It's how he would describe it to a sad eyed Rhys because his bf has just called him ugly in a way.

He likes rude people, ngl. Pascal gets insulted??? Immediately enamoured because it's so different from how he was always treated with cold adoration. It probably makes Rhys a little depressed to hear that what made Pascal like him so much was the bad stuff depsite hownsweet it is in a way.

Q   :   QUESTION.   would your muse ask the big question or expect their partner to?

Pascal is fully happy to and he probably would since proposing to him is a little useless. Isn't the point of the proposal (apart from having Rhys forever - a wonderful idea) is for it to be a surpise? Pascal would ruin it if he was proposed to by waking up and scremaing yes so he would wait for the perfect chance to propose (by having Korra bringing the ring box).

R   :   ROMANCE.   is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

With Rhys, he's become more of a romantic. Its seeing someone so easily lovable that's made Pascal more inclined to sharing his heart and making him want to do things to make Rhys feel special. Pascal fully gets why all those cheesy romances are so cheesy now, he'd do evey cheesy gesture in the world if it made Rhys smile at least once.

S   :   SWEETHEART.   did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?

Nope, Pascal's mother didn't want him getting close with any of the devotees children and they'd experience strict punishments if they interacted with Pascal and Cassandra. He barely ever spoke to any of those other kids and then he spent almost his entire teens alone in the church. It's why he had been a bit over eager when he began to move away into the city.

T   :   TRUE LOVE.   does your muse believe in true love?

He...wishes he could, after all, fate is real so why can't true love be? But Pascal finds it hard to believe in after a lifetime of being in cold isolation, even when he wasn't really alone. But with Rhys? Yeah, he can start to see why true love can be such a great deal.

U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?

No, well...if you count heartbreak by family? Then yeah, his mother shattered his heart. But Pascal hasn't ever been close enough to someone to experience it and his visions help him deal with it by distancing himself to any bad events that he knows are going to happen.

V   :   VALENTINE.   how does your muse feel about valentine’s day?

He likes it! Pascal enjoys the chance to be cheesy with his romance and certainly he is not going to pass up the chance to make Rhys feel special! Its mostly about Rhys but Pascal does feel surprisingly flustered if Rhys ever whips out some treats for him. He doesn't like anything overly special for one day about romance though. It seems cliche.

X   :   XOXO.   does your muse use / like pet names?

Yup! He uses them after a while as part of him showing his affection, but Pascal will use them sooner if the other person uses them first. Like a "oh he does this so I can do it too" mindset.

Z   :   ZZZ.   how many people has your muse slept with?

Only one and it was a woman who he had met at a bar and got pegged by later that night. Pascal had been overzealous and lonely but it had been enough for him to settle until he had eventually met Rhys. Get togethers were harder when they were so...repetitive.

[blindkarakul]

Long Survey - M’yhe Tia

BASICS.

FULL  NAME :  M’yhe Tia NICKNAME :  Youta, Little Sheep  AGE :  25 Summers BIRTHDAY : The beginning of spring (Apr 13) ETHNIC  GROUP :  Seeker of the Sun / Keeper of the Moon NATIONALITY :  Gyr Abanian LANGUAGE / S :  Huntspeak, Eorzean (Common and Ala Mhigan Dialects) SEXUAL  ORIENTATION :  Homosexual Homoromantic RELATIONSHIP  STATUS :  In a Relationship; Ninka’ir Tayuun HOME  TOWN / AREA :  The Lochs, Gyr Abania CURRENT  HOME : None; Lives with mate in the Lavender Beds PROFESSION :  Diviner, Fortune Teller, Oracle, Ritualist, Bounty Hunter, Absolute Dumbass

PHYSICAL.

HAIR :  Sandy Rose-Blond EYES : Pale Blue FACE :  Thin, Scrappy COMPLEXION :  Deep Tan BLEMISHES :  None SCARS :  Lashing scars across his back, a band around his ankle, a few deep cuts in his abdomen TATTOOS :  Seer’s tattoos around his entire body, white ink HEIGHT :  5 fulms, 3 ilms. WEIGHT :  Trying to steadily pack on some weight-- 118 ponzes BUILD : Lithe and agile, recovering from malnourishment.  FEATURES :  Chalky face paints, bright white eyes, Claws, Snaggletooth Grin ALLERGIES :  n/a. USUAL  HAIR  STYLE :  Cut and groomed short, braids woven at the side of his face and stained red USUAL  FACE  LOOK :  Smudged on face paint, a coy grin USUAL  CLOTHING :   Free and flowing, rough and tumble but dependable

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR / S :  Whips, Dogs Barking, Maggots, Infection, Loneliness. ASPIRATION / S :  Becoming a Fist of Rhalgr. Happiness. A home. Found Family. POSITIVE  TRAITS :  Wise, Caring, Light-Hearted, Fun-Loving, Mischevious, Adventure-seeking NEGATIVE  TRAITS :  Hotheaded, Stubborn, MISCHEVIOUS, Self-depreciating MAJOR ARCANA :  The Hanged Man ZODIAC :  Aries, the Ram TEMPERAMENT :  Sanguine  SOUL  TYPE :  The Spiritualist ANIMAL :  The Sheep VICE HABIT / S :  Bullheaded Adventure; they rarely think of the consequences, and would rather have fun first and say sorry later. Very defensive about this. FAITH :  Worship of the Twelve + Tribe Specific Religion; M’yhe’s branch of the M believed in the intrinsic spirit of all things. Everything as it is known was formed by the hands of the twelve, and is derivative of what were once larger spirits. Communication and appeasal of these spirits grants good fortune. Angry spirits that die unhappy turn into spectres, and while the nature of an angry spectre is harmful and dangerous, it is a terrible thing to kill a spirit rather than give it the chance to find peace. GHOSTS ? :  Yes. AFTERLIFE ? :  Yes. REINCARNATION ? : Yes. ALIENS ? :  Maybe? He doesn’t often think about it. EDUCATION  LEVEL :  Has never been in a school, but has had various tutors over the course of his life.

FAMILY.

FATHER :  Unknown Keeper of the Moon; whereabouts unknown MOTHER :  M’iraa Vuehe, deceased (haunts as a spectre) SIBLINGS : M’iaho Nunh, adoptive brother, alive. M’koyo Tia, adoptive brother, alive. EXTENDED  FAMILY :  M’ahsasha Vuehe, adoptive mother, deceased. M’ahli Jedte, adoptive mother, unknown. M’rhaxis Tia, tribe brother, alive. M’zhrii Zurrie, tribe sister, alive. M’zhbi Zurrie, tribe sister, alive. J’kebun Tia, half-tribe cousin, alive.  NAME MEANING / S :  ‘Yhe’ is an utterance in M Tribe Huntspeak, often used to indicate positive affirmation, or sometimes joy.

FAVORITES.

BOOK :  Anything Ninka’ir reads to him DEITY :  RHALGR, the Destroyer HOLIDAY :  Winter’s Knell MONTH :  ‘Budding Season’ in Gyr Abania SEASON :  Spring PLACE :  Ninka’ir’s Apartment + The Velodyna River WEATHER :  Warm Sun and Cooling Breezes SOUND / S:  Ninka’ir’s Voice and Music SCENT / S :  Rose, Chamomile, and Frankincense TASTE / S :  Savory and/or spicy FEEL / S :  Silk and/or Leather NUMBER :  What The Fuck Come After Seven? (n/a) COLORS :  Red, Purple, Blue, Black, White.

EXTRA.

TALENTS :  Fighting, Charisma, and Healing. BAD  AT :  Being decent. And most tasks that require eyesight. TURN  ONS :  Ninka’ir Tayuun TURN  OFFS :  Whips!! Shit, dude. HOBBIES :  Training, Painting, Fortune Telling QUOTE : “A hurrrting hearrrt is not so weak as you have been lead to believe.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 :  If you could write your character your way in their own movie,  what would it be called,  what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about? A1 :  Blood Moon; an action packed drama about M’yhe’s life growing up and the pitfalls that make him eager to seek happiness and redemption in his current life. 

Q2 :  What would their soundtrack/score sound like? A2 :  IT... VARIES... But honestly I’ve always been a fan of folk music, and so has M’yhe. Music by Blanco White is pretty close.

Q3 :  Why did you start writing this character? A3 :   I made M’yhe around 6 months into having started FFXIV. My ex and I were trying a new server, and making alts there. I had a previous M tribe character, M’iaho, who I made because the more I learned about the plight of Gyr Abania, the more the concept of a tribe from Gyr Abania became interesting for me. But M’iaho was a very irresponsible Nunh who claimed his title by accident, and as fun as that was to play, I wanted someone who was a bit more grounded and grumpy. M’yhe was actually supposed to be a bunny from the Gold Saucer who just happened to be able to read fortunes AND was from Ala Mhigo, but I became really invested in him and his character. He was interesting to me because of his background in the occult, and so he just grew from there (and I ended up leaving the Bunny concept behind). He would always be my favorite go-to character that I would play when I needed to get into a place of destress. Because he was so seemingly carefree on the surface, his natural mischief made his interactions with others fun, and helped me branch out and find new friends when I needed it most. Toward the end of my relationship, I would use him as a crutch to give me a happy place to turn to. I placed so much love and work into him that when I finally made the decision to be free for myself, I took him with me. And while he grows, I continue to grow too. So... he’s a very personal character that was kind of born out of my subconscious desire to break away and be free. And now that we’re both in happier places, I’m relishing getting to play him growing as a person. World knows I am too.

Q4 :   What first attracted you to this character? A4 :  Honest to god I just wanted another catboy? But one that I could connect with more. The first two I made were fun, but not what I was looking for in terms of a character. Also yeah, all the above stuff too. I wanted to explore the concept of finding personal freedom after being in a place where I didn’t feel like I had much.

Q5 :  Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 :  M’YHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LOT RUDER but I’m too soft to be terribly mean. Each time M’yhe makes a stupid life decision a little part of me dies.

Q6 :  What do you have in common with your muse? A6 :  We’re both adept tarot readers! But that was obvious. So less obvious is that we would both kill for oranges. (I can’t eat oranges though, sadly, because I’m allergic to them, so I get to live my citrus impulses through M’yhe). 

Q7 :  How does  your muse feel about  you? A7 :  Real talk I don’t think M’yhe would find me especially interesting and I don’t blame him.

Q8 :  What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with? A8 :  Because he’s such a charismatic character... really he can bounce off of just about anyone? But I really like the characters that are able to peel away his charismatic exterior and get to actually make him act as the kinder and softer person he can be deep down. I like the people who get him to say his cryptic wise quotes without a shred of sarcasm. M’yhe is a very manic character and can sometimes feel so on top of the world that when he’s grounded and serious are sometimes my favorite times to write him.

Q9 :  What gives you inspiration to write your muse? A9 :  Music, honest to god just me imagining scenarios... and also my lovely as FUCK Free Company, Nightraid. As well as Coeurl’s RP community as a whole. I mean, I know it’s cliche to say. But I have a lot of people there who plot and poke fun at scenarios with me, they always keep me on my toes and keep me thinking of the next story beat. They’re all amazing and lovely people, and while there are things I miss about being on a more populated RP server like Balmung or Mateus, Coeurl is my home and damn if it isn’t M’yhe’s too.

Q10 :  How long did this take you to complete? A10 :  Do I mention the fact that I finished like half of this and then took a 3 month hiatus or what

Tagged by: No one I stole this but I caN’T REMEMBER WHO I STOLE FROM.... I think @huntspeak​

Tagging: ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS! Also;

@akaiwakizaka @unatobajhiri​ @impure-ivory @sangria-fangs @donpom-house-of-alts  @of-shadow-and-storm @renofmanyalts@fakuboy@weaveroftruth @amurr-reha @rkhdaj-tia @khabataaq-buduga @ballade-du-mage  @ofmasters@divineseer-marcella @lavender-hemlock @yululu-and-co @sedatayuun @ritsuka-aoki  @an-honest-waltz​ @alusbeauregard​

(For a character of y’alls choice, for you multimuse buddies)

It’s been a while since I was really active, so I thought I’d do a big comprehensive on M’yhe’s character again!

[waitineedaname]

Lightning Round, Take Two

kudos to @notedchampagne for inspiring this!!

also on ao3

-

“This is a terrible idea.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“She’s going to hate me.”

“She’ll love you.”

“Love me? Love me?!” Karkat all but shrieked. “I don’t know if you’ve realized this, Dave, but I don’t exactly make the best impressions! In fact, one might even say I make the worst impressions! We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t end this visit early because she can’t stand being around me because I have the personality of a deep seated pimple!”

“Damn. The kind it hurts to pop?”

“Yes! The kind of pimple that never forms a head and settles on your upper lip so it hurts every time you move your mouth! That’s what my personality is like: persistent, painful, and pus-filled!”

“The three P’s.” Dave mused, and Karkat shot him a scowl. “C’mon man, don’t sell yourself short. You’re like a blackhead at the worst.”

“Don’t pander to me, Strider.” Karkat grumbled and crossed his arms, but he didn’t complain when Dave slung his arm over his shoulders. “I still think this would go much better without me.”

“Nah, dude, trust me, this is the best option. I mean, best case scenario, if I did this by myself, she’d be like ‘omg do u have a bf’ and I’d be like ‘yeah’ because that’s part of what I’m tryna do here, tell folks about us, but then she’d want pictures even though she’s definitely met you, and then I’d have to show her all those cute pictures I took of you when you weren’t looking, and I know you don’t want that.”

“You what?”

“You didn’t hear that.”

Karkat rolled his eyes and leaned a little closer into Dave’s side, eyes tracing the little carapacian homes they were walking by. Dusk was falling, much to his relief; they both had to make compromises when they realized their species operated at different times of day, but he still avoided leaving the hive when the sun was glaring and ready to burn him to a crisp. Dave probably could’ve flown them all the way to Roxy and Calliope’s house, but Karkat hated making him carry him that far (Dave always insisted he wasn’t that heavy, but the strain in his voice never escaped Karkat’s notice), so they were walking the last few blocks. Karkat had a sneaking suspicion Dave was fine with walking because he was trying to delay the inevitable. He was nervous, if the way his fingers were tapping on Karkat’s upper arm or the way he kept clenching and unclenching his jaw said anything. Karkat sighed and unfolded his arms to wrap one around Dave’s waist.

“You don’t have anything to worry about, you know.” He said, surprising Dave into looking down at him.

“What? Who said I’m worried? You’re the one who’s been bitching the whole evening.”

“Because I want to make a good impression on your weird paradox ancestor, shit for brains. I’m saying you don’t need to be worried about coming out to her.” He met Dave’s eyes through his shades, something he’d gotten good at over the sweeps. “Of all fucking people, she’ll be the most fine with it. That’s why you’re telling her first, right?”

“Yeah, I know, it’s just-” Dave sighed and looked away. He was better than he used to be, but holding eye contact was still hard for him, “It’s a big deal, you know? I mean, Rose probably figured it out from living in a confined space with us, and Dirk kinda got it out of context clues, but this is a first using the big B-word.”

“She’ll be fine. And if she isn’t, I’ll tear her apart and at least give her a reason to hate your boyfriend besides my shit-awful personality.”

“Aw, babe, I dunno whether to be flattered you’d attack my mom like a feral raccoon or bummed that you’re trashin’ yourself.”

“How about we compromise, and I’ll stop shit-talking myself if you stop stressing yourself out about this.”

“...Deal.”

“Good. Because I think that’s her house.”

“Oh shit.”

The two of them stopped just outside the elaborate building the carapacians had offered Roxy and Calliope back when they’d first arrived in the middle of Earth C society, both of them brimming with anxiety despite their reassurances. Karkat almost thought Dave was going to say this was too much for him and turn around and fly home, but he unwrapped himself from Karkat’s arm and instead held his hand to walk up to the front door and knock.

“Just a sec!” Roxy’s voice rang out from somewhere inside, and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal her smiling face. “Davey!” She squealed and launched herself at him, hugging him tightly. Dave, to his credit, adapted quickly and let go of Karkat’s hand to hug her back.

“Sup, Rox.”

Roxy pulled away from Dave to turn towards Karkat, who instinctively took a half step back. She noticed and laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hug you if you don’t wanna. Is a fistbump cool?”

“I don’t know if I would call anything a certain red asshole harangued me with in the early years of our friendship ‘cool’, but it is acceptable.” That made Roxy laugh, and he gave her a light fistbump.

“Karkat, bro, I can’t believe you’re just calling me uncool in front of my mom. What the fuck. What is this betrayal.” Dave shook his head, but he already seemed more relaxed.

“Dave, I dunno how to break this to you, but you’re related to me ‘n Dirk.” Roxy tried to adopt a sympathetic expression despite her grin. “You’ve got dork running through your veins.”

“Goddamn. You’re tellin’ me I’ve got a genetic predisposition for this shit?”

“Yup. It’s chronic. Doctors everywhere’re rushing to write studies on our family to try and isolate the ‘cool-but-really-not-cool’ gene.”

“Let’s hope it’s not replicable in a lab or anything. I’m pretty sure Earth C can only handle four of us.”

“Ohmigod, can you imagine them trying to test it out. Little lab rats wearing shades and writing wizard fic. Holy shit.” Roxy gasped at her own idea, an unbelievably pleased look on her face.

“Oh my dick. Fuck ectobiology, this is the science I want to invest in.”

“Absolutely not.” Karkat interjected. “There’s already enough of you jackasses, I think I’d have an aneurysm if any more blond lunatics were running around.”

“Lol,” Karkat couldn’t believe Roxy just said that out loud, “You’re probably right. Are we gonna keep fucking around about cool mice on the doorstep, or do you guys wanna come in?”

She stepped aside to lead them inside and showed them to the living room. “Callie’s out picking up dinner. I would’ve made something since I invited you guys over for dinner, but living in the water apocalypse did not leave me with many cooking skills.”

“Hey, no shade here.” Dave shrugged, plopping down on the couch with Karkat at his side. “I don’t think I’d be able to work an oven if I tried. We’re a strictly take-out household. Hivehold? I dunno, but we’ve barely touched the kitchen in the week we’ve been here.”

“Excuse you, I made those Hot Pockets yesterday.” Karkat countered sharply.

“Yeah, and they were like 30% cooked, dude. You put them in the microwave for thirty seconds and then panicked.”

“Fuck you, I don’t see you doing much better! In fact, I distinctly remember you eating those frozen pizza pockets like a ravenous barkbeast! It was like you’d been locked in a cave with nothing to eat for half a sweep and my delicious plate of folded sauce treats were the only thing saving you from a miserable, malnourished death!”

“I mean, a Hot Pocket’s a Hot Pocket. I’m not gonna turn one of those fuckers down, who do you think I am.”

“I think you’re a wiggler with no sense of taste.”

“You eat bugs.”

“And you put ranch on your pizza! Bricks and glass houses, Dave!”

“Dude, do trolls even have that expression? Aren’t y’all light sensitive? Why would you have glass houses?”

“Newsflash, dipshit, I’ve lived in close proximity for the majority of the past two sweeps with an overflowing fountain of pop culture references and idioms and an uppity seer that likes to make things as convoluted and difficult to understand as possible. I picked up a few human phrases! Uh, no offense, Roxy.” Karkat added at the mention of Rose.

“None taken! I’m pretty sure she gets that from Dirk anyway.” Roxy waved him off. “Take it back to the ranch on pizza thing tho, do you really do that? Is this some earth delicacy I missed out on?”

“Oh fuck yeah, it rules. You gotta try it some time.” Dave nodded, excited to get someone else to try his food crimes.

“Imma have to take a pass on that.” Roxy said, crinkling her nose.

“Finally, someone with taste!” Karkat exclaimed, and Dave gently hit his shoulder.

“I am slowly workin’ through traditional earth food tho! Or at least as traditional as you can get here. That’s where we’re getting dinner from! There’s this human/troll fusion place that Callie and I like. I dunno how authentic it is, but it tastes good at least!”

“I mean, nothing on Earth C is super authentic, it’s all like human diet slightly to the left, but it’s edible.”

“Better than the garbage we alchemized on the meteor, at least.” Karkat agreed.

“God, the fucking buffalo wings debacle.” Dave and Karkat shuddered in unison. Roxy looked amused.

“You guys spent a lot of time together on the meteor, right? And now you’re living together?” Roxy asked, and they both nodded. She had a look in her eyes that was far too reminiscent of the look Rose got when she was gearing up to psychoanalyze someone, and Karkat was hit with a stroke of panic. “Sooo, I should prob’ly do a lightning round with you too, right? Since you’re important to Dave?”

The pair shared a look and Dave shrugged, appearing nonchalant despite the way he was anxiously picking at a loose string on his jeans. “Uh, I guess?” Karkat said, bracing himself.

“I’ll start easy, I promise!” Roxy drummed her fingers on her lips as if thinking. “Hm… you’ve got ‘cat’ in your name, do you like cats?”

Karkat made a face, thrown off by the question. “I guess? I never had one, but Nepeta was pretty fucking into them, and they seemed… fine. I can respect a meowbeast that just lazes around if it’ll leave me the fuck alone, but Nepeta’s lusus could’ve probably torn me to shreds, so…” He shrugged.

“Was Nepeta a friend from the game?” Roxy backpedaled the moment she saw Karkat’s face fall. “Oh shit, tender subject, sorry.” She worried her lip, looking for another question, then perked up. “Oh! What’s your sign? I know it’s Cancer from earth astrology and stuff, but what’s that mean for trolls?”

Karkat looked down at his chest and grimaced. “Fuck if I know, I don’t actually have a sign. I spent most of my life thinking this stupid thing meant precisely fuck all. I guess it’s a symbol of my ancestor? But I never really learned much about him since the empress always tried to erase his rebellion, and I thought that ancestor shit was highblood bullshit anyway. I guess now I know it’s not, but ugh, I could’ve happily gone my whole wretched life without meeting that douchebag.”

“We met his ancestor in the dream bubbles.” Dave explained. “Or I guess descendent? Since y’all are technically the post-scratch group? I never really understood that part.”

“Doesn’t fucking matter, he was a pretentious asswipe with his head so far up his nook it’s a wonder he was even audible, but oh god, was he audible alright.”

“Lmao, I kinda wanna meet this guy.” Roxy grinned.

“No you don’t.” Dave and Karkat said in unison, which made her laugh.

“I’ll take your word for it.” The mischievous look was back in her eyes. “Next question! Have you ever had your quadrants filled?”

Karkat almost choked. “What the fuck kind of question is that? That’s none of your fucking business!” He blustered. “My quadrants are private, and it’s my decision if I want to bring them up! Are all humans this fucking nosy or is it just the Lalondes?!”

“It’s just the Lalondes.” Dave said flatly.

“I just thought it’d be fair since I asked Dave that in our lightning round!” Roxy put her hands up in apology, but didn’t look particularly apologetic. “I was curious!”

Karkat was about to continue his rant about people feeling entitled to knowledge about virtual strangers’ quadrants, but the way Dave sat up and cleared his throat gave him pause.

“Actually, Rox,” Dave started, fidgeting a bit, “I never answered that question back on the lilypad.”

“Yeah, but that’s okay!” Roxy brushed him off. “I’m not gonna push you to answer something you’re not comfy with.”

“That’s the thing. I wanna answer you now, if that’s cool.”

“Oh!” Roxy’s eyes widened. “Of course that’s cool! That’s cooler than cool.”

Dave lifted an eyebrow, a smile pulling at his lips despite himself. “What’s cooler than being cool?”

“Ice cold!” Roxy shouted at the top of her lungs, and the two of them chanted “alright” about a dozen times while Karkat watched them in bewilderment. Humans, he thought. He’d never understand them.

“Okay, but for real tho,” Roxy said once they’d both gotten a handle on their giggles, “You wanted to say something?”

“Yeah.” Dave almost immediately looked anxious again, running his hands over his jeans. “So. You asked if I’d ever kissed anyone or-” He cleared his throat and the rest came out in a mumbled cough, “-been in love.”

Karkat held his breath, eyes flicking between Dave and a very focused Roxy.

“The, um. The answer to both of those questions is… yes? And I know you’re wonderin’ who, that’s like the next logical question, like if you ask someone if they’re hungry and they say yes, your next question is probably gonna be ‘what do you wanna eat’, unless you’re a total dick and just wanted to, I dunno, be aware of someone else’s hunger for your own sick pleasures and leave ‘em waiting like you’re some kinda sick torturer tryin’ to extract information out of a prisoner, like ‘hey are you hungry?’ ‘Yeah, I am, actually. I’ve been hanging from my ankles for a week now and I’d kill for some motherfucking KFC right now.’ ‘Interesting. Go fuck yourself.’ That’s not a very good interrogator, actually, he didn’t even try to get any information out of the guy except for the knowledge that he’s really craving some chicken, which is virtually useless, unless the interrogator is working for KFC’s competitor, like Popeyes out here tryna get the deets on their rival brands. Hey, do you think they’ve got a Popeyes anywhere on Earth C? Maybe we should start one, make a shit ton of money. Really boost the economy.”

“Dave.” Karkat cut him off before he could get too far from the topic, giving him a pointed look. “Were you actually going to say something important or were you going to just talk out of your deflated ass forever?”

“Hey man, you know you love my ass.”

“The point, Dave-!”

“Right right right.” Dave shook his head and took a deep breath before looking at Roxy again, who looked like she was might be putting things together already. “It’s Karkat. The answer to ‘who’, I mean. We’ve, uh. We’ve been dating since the meteor.”

Roxy’s whole face lit up. “Aw, congrats you guys! That’s really sweet!”

“Yeah.” Dave looked over at Karkat and gave him a tiny smile before looking a little apprehensive again. “I’d, uh, appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone though? I mean, the rest of the meteor crew probably knows because we spent… a lot of time together.”

“Most of that was platonic, though. A good two-thirds of it, at least.” Karkat countered.

“True, but they don’t know that. Far as they know, one day we were just two bros hanging out and watching movies and shit, then the next day, Vriska walks in to catch one of those bros taking a snooze on his other bro’s lap and falling off the couch the moment she announces her presence.”

“I’ll give you three fucking guesses which dumbass that was.” Karkat directed that at Roxy, and she snorted.

“Rude.” Dave nudged him. “But yeah, they’ve probably figured it out, but we haven’t officially told anyone. I haven’t even told anyone I’m, you know. Bisexual.”

“Wait, so I’m the first person you’ve told?” Roxy looked a little stunned.

“I- Yeah? I just thought you’d probably be a safe person to go to, especially since we don’t have any weird baggage like I might have with John and Jade, you’re just my alt-mom, which I guess does make things a little weird-”

“It’s a little weird, but it does mean you get a certified mom hug!” She interrupted, standing up.

“A mom hug? Dunno if I know what those are like.” Dave said, smiling a little.

“They’re like this, you big goober.” Roxy pulled him into a tight hug, pulling him down a little so he could put his head on her shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Davey. That’s a big deal, comin’ out and shit. I’m glad you felt like you could tell me.”

“...Thanks mom.” Dave’s voice was a watery mumble against her shoulder, but he seemed to have collected himself by the time they pulled away. Roxy immediately turned her sights on Karkat.

“Your turn! You’re family now, you can’t escape hugs anymore.”

“Ugh, you humans are so fucking tactile.” Karkat grumbled but resigned himself to Roxy’s affectionate squeeze.

“Hey man, don’t act like you’re not cuddly as hell. I have to pry you off of me with a crowbar to go take a piss sometimes. You should see this dude when he gets sleepy, Rox, it’s so fucking cute. Did you know trolls purr? It’s some kinda flushed noise or something and it’s the fucking best.” Dave seemed to already be relaxing now that the thing he’d been dreading was over with.

“That’s private!” Karkat hissed, embarrassed. Dave just grinned at him and sat a little closer when they took a seat again. “Do you want me airing out how you melt like a touch starved candybar left in the sunlight when I suggest you should be the little spoon? Or how you turn into a warbling puddle of Dave when I do this?” He reached over and out his hand on Dave’s knee, rubbing his thumb in soothing circles. Casual affection, Dave’s weakness.

“Aw,” Roxy cooed. Dave looked thoroughly embarrassed and made a strangled noise in his throat. Karkat gave him a smug look.

“Shut up.” He grumbled weakly and scooted a little closer so he could press against Karkat’s side and hold his hand.

“So you guys are matesprits?” Roxy asked, and Karkat’s anxiety immediately returned. Dave wasn’t the only one who had coming out to do. Dave squeezed his hand and let Karkat start since this was his thing to discuss.

“Mostly?” He offered weakly, then tried to sound more certain. “We’re kind of pale too.”

“Plus I piss you off in a pitch way sometimes.” Dave added helpfully.

“And the way you kept me from tearing Vriska apart on the meteor was sort of ashen.” Karkat admitted.

“I mean, there wasn’t really much of a chance of you tearing her apart to begin with. Spidertroll could’ve probably kicked any of our asses in her sleep, she’s fuckin’ crazy.”

“My point still stands!”

“So…” Roxy interrupted, guiding them back on topic, “You’re in all quadrants? I didn’t know trolls did that!”

Karkat winced. “They don’t. Usually. It’s extremely frowned upon.”

“Karkat’s had trouble keeping shit in one quadrant.” Dave explained for him. “He’s got a big ol’ heart full of love.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only person in Paradox Space to come to that conclusion about what my useless fucking pump biscuit is full of, but thanks for the thought.” Karkat rolled his eyes, defaulting to annoyance to avoid the insecurities that always gnawed at him when he thought about his relationship with quadrants. “‘Full of love’ is usually not the first thing people describe me as. More like ‘full of a burning anger’ or ‘a perpetual stream of irritable piss’ or, hell, ‘just undiluted dumbass juice!’ As far as most people are concerned, I’m Karkat ‘useless shitfit’ Vantas, and they’re not fucking wrong!”

“Okay, sure, you might be the grumpiest person in all - what, is this five universes now? I can’t keep track, but that doesn’t mean you’re not secretly a big softy.” Dave rubbed his thumb over Karkat’s knuckles. “I know that best out of probably anyone.”

“If it helps, I don’t think of you as those things!” Roxy added. Karkat gave her a disbelieving look.

“Full offense, we’ve never really ‘hung out.’”

“I mean, no, but I’ve seen you interacting with Dave and John and Kanaya and stuff, and you’ve always seemed to be a caring friend underneath all the yelling.” Roxy shrugged. “It’s nice knowing Dave’s in good hands since I’ve only been part of his family for a couple weeks. Means I don’t have to give you a shovel talk prob’ly!”

“The shovel talk? What the fuck? What does that even mean?” Karkat looked at Dave for an explanation, but he only winced.

“You know, when parents meet their kid’s partner and are like ‘you better not hurt my baby, or I’ll kill you.’ That kind of thing. I’m guessing trolls didn’t do that on Alternia?” Roxy tilted her head, seeming genuinely curious. Karkat’s face contorted as he wrapped his head around that concept.

“Okay, first of all, no we didn’t because we didn’t even have parents and our lusii wouldn’t give two shits about our quadrantmates. Second of all, you better not even think about giving me your ridiculous human ‘shovel talk’! I’ve known Dave far longer than you have, so it really should be me going ‘don’t fucking hurt him,’ but I know I don’t need to because Dave can fucking handle himself! He doesn’t need your bullshit defenses! If I ever hurt him, I trust him to be able to tell me to fuck off out of his life - not that he’d ever need to because I’d rather establish a culling system in the Troll Kingdom and offer myself up as their first sacrifice than hurt Dave!” He took a deep inhale to continue his tirade, but Dave cut him off with a pat to the cheek.

“Yo, dude, shoosh, it’s okay. It’s really not that big of a deal.” It was only after Dave cut off his train of thought that Karkat realized how worked up he was getting, and he shrank back down against Dave’s shoulder, embarrassed. “I’m pretty sure Roxy was kidding, anyway.”

“Yeah, for sure!” Roxy nodded quickly. “I didn’t mean to imply you were gonna hurt Dave or that he couldn’t take care of himself or anything. That’s hella not my place, and you guys seem very good for each other.”

“Oh. Well. Good.” He sent her a warning glare just to make sure he’d gotten the point across, then forced himself to let some tension out of his shoulders.

“It is really nice knowin’ my family’s in good hands though.” Roxy smiled. “Hell, it’s nice knowin’ I have a family! Oh my god, Dave, do you realize none of us Strilondes are straight? I mean, Rose ‘n Dirk are both gay as hell, and then you and I are bi!”

“Yeah- Wait, what?” Dave jolted a little in surprise. “Rox, you’re bi too? Since when?”

“Uh, since always?” Roxy laughed a bit. “I thought that’s why you came to me, because you knew!”

“No! Holy shit, I gotta process this for a second.”

“LMAO.” Roxy said, pronouncing every letter. “Yeah, dude! I mean, can you blame me? Like, dudes are hot as fuck, that’s like self explanatory. I mean, have you seen the Englberts? Eglishes? Whatever their family name is, John and Jake are both total babes, but then there are girls too! I mean, Janey, what a gal, right? And Callie too!”

“Right?” Dave enthused, clearly excited someone understood where he was coming from. “Girls are so fucking good, hot damn, but then? Dudes? Holy shit?”

“Yeah!” Roxy was just about throwing herself out of her chair with her excitement. “I can barely leave the house, it’s just smoochable babes everywhere I turn.”

“I’d say it’s a goddamn plight, but I got the most smoochable right here.” Dave emphasized his point with a kiss to one of Karkat’s horns, making him squawk. Dave laughed a little and turned back to Roxy. “Yo, but rewind back to Callie. Soooo, are y’all two, y’know…”

Roxy looked remarkably like Dave when embarrassed. “Uh…” The sound of the front door opening and Calliope’s greeting voice cut her off. “I’ll get back to you on that!” Dave waggled his eyebrows at her but didn’t push it.

Dinner was an enjoyable affair, despite Karkat’s near constant crippling fear of being miserable in every social engagement. The food was good and pretty close to tasting like home, and the conversation was fluid - mostly because Roxy and Dave chattered the entire time like hyperactive squirrels. Karkat tried to be annoyed with their ridiculous stream of consciousness discussions, but he couldn’t help but feel warm watching Dave talk so comfortably with his ecto-mom. And he certainly wasn’t the only person happy with the situation; every time he and Dave started bantering back and forth, he could see Roxy’s delight out of the corner of his eye, and the absolutely lovestruck look on her face whenever Calliope spoke didn’t escape him either.

Eventually, though, they had to head home - though Dave and Karkat had both shifted their sleep schedules to be active in the afternoon and most of the night, the majority of their human friends were still diurnal and needed to go to bed eventually - so after a few more hugs from Roxy, they were sent on their way.

Dave landed them down the street from their hive, and Karkat didn’t complain about having to walk that last distance. The Troll Kingdom was just now starting to wake up, stores and restaurants lighting up, trolls in suits rushing to their early jobs, and young trolls getting ushered off to school. It was so different from Alternia, but Karkat thought he could probably get used to the differences if it meant he didn’t have to worry about getting culled at a single glance at his blood color. Maybe it was too early to tell, but if he let himself feel just the slightest bit optimistic for his future, he had a feeling he could be really happy here. He could live a peaceful, successful life on Earth C, and if the cheerful way Dave was swinging their clasped hands meant anything, he wasn’t the only one feeling hopeful.

“So,” He prompted, leaning into Dave’s shoulder, “I guess that could have been more horrible.”

“Yep.” Dave said, popping the ‘p’. “We’ll have to scrap those emergency plans. Cancel our name changes and facial reconstructions and flights to the other side of Earth C, no need to run away immediately.”

“I don’t know, we might have to keep that shit pencilled in. We still need to tell John.” Karkat reminded him, and Dave groaned.

“Oh fuck. Yeah, never mind, you sure we can’t just fuck off into another universe? Universe D here we come. The D stands for Davekat ‘cause it’ll just be us, babe. It also stands for Dick because, come on, it’s us, of course it does. Also Dinosaurs just ‘cause. Do you think dinosaurs are a universal constant? Like, did dinosaurs exist for you guys? Or- oh shit, do you think they evolved differently? Are trolls just super evolved dinosaurs?”

“Dave,” Karkat gave him a look, “I think I would know if I was a dinosaur.”

“I dunno, dude, maybe we’re all dinosaurs-”

“Okay, I know when to cut that shit off.” Karkat rolled his eyes and let go of his hand to unlock their door. “Seriously, I think… that went okay. Less than horrid.”

“Less than horrid, huh? That’s a big compliment coming from you, are you feeling okay? Are you gettin’ some kinda fluffy feelings from hanging out with Roxy too long, ‘cause like, I get it.”

“Shut up. All I’m saying is this might not have been as much of an ordeal as we thought, this ‘coming out to everyone we know’ thing.”

“Maybe. You might be right.” Dave admitted, following him inside. “But that involved way too many emotions, and I think all my brain’s been used up for the rest of the day for anything that involves more thought than playing Xbox for seven hours straight. You down?”

“Fuck yes.”

[for-the-haunted-mist-i-ride]

The aftermath:  (Semi Complete RP between Abaddon and Nortrom)

for-the-haunted-mist-i-ride:

Abaddon crushed the ancient bones beneath his feet, dust collapsing from the withered fragments that had once been a man but to the Lord of Avernus they were nothing more that a fallen enemy. The last of the Ostarion’s troops had been vanquished, shattered beneath the Blades of Avernus and the soldiers of Aeol Drias. As they had breached the inner gates Ostarion had waited with his personal retinue, none now stood. Ish'kafel, the dark seer, had fled the field in a surge of speed when Jah'rakal, the troll warlord had destroyed Ostarion in single combat.

With the enemy so to did silence fall, not true silence, but the end of battle, cries of the injured rang true and clear, the creaking and groaning of the city fires below could be heard even in the citadel. But the clash of steel and bone ended, life was all that remained in the citadel of Franktou, no undeath to speak of, only the dust to mark their final passing.

Grinding his armoured boot into the dust Abaddon turned his luminous eyes upon the hall. It was a scene of carnage, a grand throne room of white marble, cascaded in the blood of the fallen, dust littering coating the floor in a grey flood of death, if their enemy had been living, the floor would have been a river. At the end of the throne room, lying across the throne was Jah'rakal, tossing his axes up randomly to his own amusement, after vanquishing Ostarion and in his eyes, proving himself the greatest, Jah'rakal,had taken to the throne in an act of pure, though not uncalled for, arrogance. Ahead of the troll were the remains of their forces, soldiers of Aeol Drias supported troops from Avernus and a vice a versa in a sight of brotherhood that had not been seen since before his fathers time; but celebrations could wait.

“You, men of Aoel Drias” he called indicating a group of the purple glad soldiers closet to him, they were young but their eyes glistened with a determination that he had come to expect from Aeol Drias, “Secure the doors behind us” he barked, indicating the throne rooms entrance way.

“Captain Franquer” the Lord continued, looking for the captain amongst his men. As he spoke a trio of men clambered forward, one supported by the other two. The centre man and the man to his left were clad in the garb of Avernus, obsidian plate armour, devoid of decoration except for a faint crest upon their chest. The final man, to Abaddon right, wore the garb of Aeol Drias; he look battle hardened akin to the centre man. As they approached the young soldier of Avernus spoke.

“Captain Franquer is injured my Lord Abaddon, “we have to get him out of here.” the man implored, though in reality he was little more than a boy.

Abaddon looked to the centre man, sure enough it was the captain, his beard and rugged face were unmistakable. Though he was battered and bruised, his armour dented, blood dripping from his left side and a large gash across his head. “What is your name soldier?” he inquired, looking to the young man, he held a strong form for one so young, and his eyes, they seemed so…

“I am Hurgoth my Lord, Franquer is my Father” he explained quickly, hoisting his father up as his form slipped a little.

Abaddon nodded, the mans words answering his incomplete thought, “Very well Hurgoth, you’re Captain now in your fathers absence” he ordered, the youths face twisting through an assortment of emotions, bewilderment, shock, horror before finally, Duty. As the boy nodded Abaddon continued, “take half of the company captain and work your way back to the lower citadel gates, gather the wounded and get them to the grand hall two corridors back, I want it turned into a healing station at once. And send a runner to out forces outside of the city, have them send supplies to the hall on my express order.

“Yes my Lord” Hurgoth responded curtly, waving for half of the company to go with him, a few of the battle healers of Aeol Drais volunteering to go with them as they did so, a dash of enchanted blue in the sea of Black that swiftly began to search the immediate vicinity for the injured. As they began to work the soldier from Aeol Drias who had been helping Hurgoth turned to Abaddon.

“And what if their injuries are to severe Lord Abaddon?” he inquired sternly.

Facing the man directly, Abaddon stared into his light brown eyes and dark skin, “Then put them out of their misery” Abaddon responded curtly, his voice echoing through the room, a potent reminder of what this war would entail.

Turning away from the Lord, the soldier of Aeol Drias left with Hurgoth to take Captain Franquer to the great hall.

Turning on his heel Abaddon marched through the throne room, gathering soldiers of both Aeol Drias and the house of Avernus beside him, Abaddon worked his way to the throne and  Jah'rakal, the imposing warlord.

“Jah’rakal!” the Lord commanded as he reached the throne, the troll twirling his axes absent-mindedly until the Lord called his name, at which point he turned. Abaddon could feel some of the men behind him shift nervously, the trolls temper was legendary. “Last I heard” the lord continued unabated.”The scourge of the plains, Luna, was having trouble clearing the enemy out of the Northern part of the city, care to show her how a real warlord does it?” the Lord inquired, knowing that the troll would no be able to resist such a temptation.

The trolls eyes shifted at the mention of conflict, turning to the lord but not moving from his throne. “I could go” he mused lazily, looking at all of the puny humans in front of him, only Abaddon looking anything more than a bag of blood. “But what do I get Lord Abaddon?” he wondered, his tone offering little respect to Abaddon, though that was not unexpected, the troll didn’t respect anyone really.

Abaddon looked at the Troll curiously beneath his helm, he looked pretty comfortable in that chair; he had an idea, “Well, besides the bragging rights over Luna, why don’t we have that chair you’re so fond of delivered to your home after the battle?” Abaddon offered, causing a few concerned glances from his surrounding soldiers. “I mean, you did just shatter Ostarion twice for it, it would be a shame for it to go to someone… less deserving” the lord continued, watching the Warlord’s eyes react to the offer.

“A throne? all for me? YES! The Warlord deserves a throne!”he declared, jumping from the throne in one swift motion, shaking the ground with his bulk even as he twirled his axes. “I will show that elf!” he began, striding on past Abaddon and his men in eagerness.

“Oh  Jah’rakal!” Abaddon called, causing the Troll to paused mid stride.

“Wha…” he began before it became clear. Waving his hands before the Troll Abaddon cast a shield of energy about him.

“Go with my blessings” the Lord commanded, nodding to the troll even as he turned away without even a note of thanks.

“On to my next victim!” he declared, twirling his axes as he ran from the throne room, intent of causing carnage wherever he want. As the Troll departed Abaddon could hear an audible sigh from his men; the Troll frightened everyone it seemed.

Turning to his soldiers Abaddon wasted no time on sentimentality, “We can celebrate later men, our job is not yet done. you men” he indicated a group to his left, roughly authority soldiers of both Aeol Drias and Avernus, search the remaining rooms for survivors, intelligence and artefacts, I want them all placed in this room unless they require medical attention.” he waved the men off, movement beginning immediately as the soldiers organised themselves into mixed bands, a growing sign of the trust the two forces had earnt for one another.

“The rest of you, with me, we are going to find the Nortrom, to the Cathedral!” he barked, his voice gaining a note of strength as he spoke. Striding away from the throne the soldiers followed, a mixture again, followed. As they marched quickly through the derbies one soldiers called from the group.

“How do you know he is at the Cathedral Lord Abaddon?”

“Do you really have to ask?” the Lord retorted, looking over his shoulder with his luminous eyes.

nortromthesilencer 

Nortrom’s eyes had finally adjusted to the dark. There was little room for movement, the cathedral collapsed around him and the beams became propped up against the altar creating a small area of respite from the rest of the falling debris. In his arms the Silencer felt a weight, now cold and lifeless; He was trapped in a metaphorical broken sarcophagus with the corpse of his only known family member. Gone.

Shifting, he ran his fingers in a circular motion over the Inquisitor’s armour, the dents and cracks from battle making an uneven texture that split between metal and cloth unseen in the darkness. Around them there was no sound, the fires since died down, but the ash and smoke remained in a haze around them making each breath grate against the back of the throat.

Nortrom sighed. He was tired, and from the lack of feeling from his right leg, most likely injured. An effort to move quickly confirmed this, as pain shot up from the limb, pinned down by remains of a heavy stone pillar. Another, deeper, sigh. The effects of the artifact would last 48 hours, and were he to not be found before dehydration set in there would be two corpses, two silencers, uncovered in the end. That wouldn’t do- it would be a disrespect to his brother, to everything strived for today were such a thing to occur.

Unknowing if Abaddon and the main front had succeeded in their march, the Silencer could only have faith and put his trust in their troops: men and women, heroes and mortals, all walks of life - trust that they were capable to see the job done. With this in mind Nortrom felt it best to signal the others in some way, even if only to let them know there was someone still alive in this mess that was once a place of worship.

Raising his hand slightly, he called forth one last bought of strength, and Franktou was blanketed in silence.

for-the-haunted-mist-i-ride:

They metallic, rhythmic sound of marching vanished, as did the hushed whispers of the men… and the moans of the dying. Silence fell like a heavy blanket over Franktou, all fell into the abyss of the void as magic faltered and screams died while lungs still stretched; it was an uncomfortable sensation. doubling their pace in perpetual silence, Abaddon and his men reached the battered and somewhat collapsed gates to the grand Cathedral of Franktou with greater vitality than before, Nortrom.. a Nortrom, was still alive. Using hand signals, Abaddon ordered his men to begin moving the debris as carefully as possible, the intent to make room for one man at a time into the unknown centre of religion.

As they began their work minutes passed in absolute silence, no muscle twitched, no mouse scurried, no breaking stone shattered the silence. Then, with the force of an explosion the noise of life returned, screams and clashing steel, heavy breaths and roaring fires, their was no rising sensation, no warning, just the full force of noise and all it entailed.

“I really hope no one needed healing in that time” Abaddon remarked to himself as the men finished clearing a small entrance way into the cathedral. “We must be careful men, the Cathedral is unstable, do not move anything without my express command, do you understand?” he ordered.

“Yes my lord” the men rang, Avernus and Aeol Drias alike.

Nodding, the Lord of Avernus turned and proceeded through the tiny entrance way they had carved fourth; beyond it lay an image of desecration and carnage. The Cathedral was all but ruins, the roof collapsed, ash strewn, the western wall all but collapsed, the three remaining walls barley standing, their once beautiful stone scorched by flame; it was a miracle that anything could have survived in here.

Walking slowly into the cathedral, derbies high all about him, he felt as if he was weaving from a maze of death and masonry, walking for about a minute but barley making headway, Abaddon found a slightly larger patch of open ground.

“I need four men with me!” he ordered, “And tread carefully, this place is unstable” he barked even as a small selection of the roof’s tiles collapsed down, shattering shrapnel in the vicinity of their landing. Breathing deeply Abaddon focused his mind, their was at least one person in here, he could feel at least six fates pulsing in the room, though he would not know the location until he was much closer.

“How will we find Nortrom in this detestation?” one of the men rang, his accent that of Aeol Drias.

“I cannot see him, if it is him, yet, but I can tell you if we are going in the right direction.” the Lord responded simply, not looking back, but instead beginning to walk forward, slowly and deliberately; his men following in single file behind him.

nortromthesilencer

From the enclosed space, the approaching footsteps echoed and caused the stones to shift, letting lose small specks of gravel and dust from already precariously placed surfaces. Raising his head, the Silencer moved his grip from his brother’s corpse, lifting both arms over his head to brace their shelter lest what he was about to do caused it to collapse. Taking a deep breath, he called out as loud as possible. “Under here!” He hadn’t spoken since the battle and afterwards coughed heavily, the soot and smoke stinging against his throat.

Hopefully his words were heard, and those overhead were friend and not foe. Being in no condition to fight, leg pinned and broken, strength used up, there would be nothing he could do in defence should the ones that found him be Ostarion’s forces.

for-the-haunted-mist-i-ride:

Abaddon raised a fist to halt his men, the metallic ringing of their boots falling silent as they stopped suddenly. Abaddon had heard a voice in the dust filled air, its volume muffled by the dreary air which circulated them. The very fabric of the air was coated in dust and ash, it hung like an incense of decay over the once proud cathedral. The ground below them was a mosaic of broken craftsmanship, masonry, glass and woodwork crunched underfoot as the men had weaved through the rubble.

Abaddon breathed deeply, the voice had sounded familiar, could it be him? he could feel the fate getting stronger as they had progressed into the cathedral, maybe, just maybe. “Nortrom!?” he called, loud and clear, taking a step forward, “Where are you? We are coming!” the Lord continued, waiting in the desecrated cathedral ruins for a response from his friend.

nortromthesilencer

Another voice! Not only that, but a recognizable one; while the words were masked under rock and echoing chambers the deep, ethereal tone carried strong into his ears. Nortrom cleared his throat with a few more raspy coughs, gaining enough air to call out once more. “Abaddon! The centre of the cathedral!”

for-the-haunted-mist-i-ride:

As one the men turned sharply, the shout was muffled but hear able, there was no mistake, it was Nortrom. Moving swiftly Abaddon and the men closed in around a large pile of masonry and wood, it was a miracle anyone could have survived the rubble.

“Nortrom!” Abaddon called, “Are you hurt? we’re going to get you out of their.”  he called, leaning close to the rubble as the men attempted to locate him and a way to remove the rubble safely. They were looking through gaps in rubble as well as moving some of the immediately obvious debris such as loose roof tiles and fallen beams.

nortromthesilencer

The echoing steps grew louder and more lose debris was sifted from the pile. Being sure to keep his arms up, to support what was keeping him from being buried and ignoring the sharp pains from where the shards of glaive had hit and rubble had crushed, he tried once more to help in their locating of his whereabouts. “You’re getting closer; The centre altar.”

Unable to hear the exact words spoken by Abaddon, Nortrom failed to answer his questions. Still, it was good to know the lord was alive- perhaps their side had won this after all. Leaning back with a sigh of relief, the Silencer waited.

for-the-haunted-mist-i-ride:

Listening to the words Abaddon nodded, they were in the right place. “Men! Find a quick way in, we don’t have time to move all of it!” He ordered, beginning to circle the mound of rubble, a collection of masonry and iron.

Abaddon shook his head as he circled the would be tomb, it didn’t look good, but maybe they would luck out. After all, Nortrom must have survived in a pocket, maybe their would be a route to him, or at least to get him out of the rubble.

Breathing deeply Nortrom focused on the fate of his friend pulsing faintly beneath the rubble. He was close enough to see his friend now, an skeleton of light twisting and turning in its fight for life. Across it lay another fate, recently extinguished. Abaddon shook his head as it dawned on him who the other fate belonged too.

“My Lord!” Called one of the soldiers, breaking Abaddon from his mind. “We may have something” he continued, waving the Lord over to the east side of the rubble. As he approached, the men now gather around, the solider continued to speak.

“This beam is wedged between the masonry here and it’s proper against the wall” he I dictated behind them, if that thing moves, the while lot will collapse, but, if we are careful, we can move the stuff to the right of it, it is mainly loose rubble, the beam seems to have held the heavier stuff from adding it’s full weight.“ As if to prove his point, the solider strode up to the rubble and removed a hefty piece of stone from the right of the beam, a chunk of debris came off around it but the larger mass did not move.

Nodding Abaddon strode forward and stared into the abyss that yawned beneath the rubble, the removed stone offering a tiny window by which to see.

"Move it all, and hurry! ” He ordered, stepping back for his soldiers.

nortromthesilencer

More shifting of stones from above. The Silencer winced, his broken leg displeased by the movement around them and Nortrom’s own movement to maintain the structural integrity of his shelter. The body on his lap was easy to pull away, none of the rubble had seemed to harm it’s form; even being the one to kill his brother, he wouldn’t want the remains to be mutilated.

Around him the continuing sounds of debris being moved were heard, and the weight above his arms became easier and easier to shift with every passing minute. Eventually a crack of light peered through, breaking the darkness and causing the man to squint and cover his eyes. A face, human, not undead. Good.

Nortrom lowered his arms, once more cradling the body of his brother, taking a deep breath of the fresh air that wafted in from the slowly expanding hole. Attempting a thankful smile as the gap widened and Abaddon came into view, the Silencer sighed with relief. “You’re one hell of a sight for sore eyes.”

for-the-haunted-mist-i-ride:

As the rubble broke away and the Lords nervous wait was over, he was relived to  see the face of his friend, Nortrom the Silencer, champion of Aeol Drias, was alive. Smiling beneath his helm, the Lord nodded, “As are you Nortrom” he indicated for the men to continue moving the rubble. In truth Nortrom looked disheveled, weak and in pain, both emotional and physical. Bu the fact remained he was alive, he hadn’t realised it, but Abaddon had been highly string over the whole ordeal, he had hated the plan from the start, such solo ventures more often than not resulted in death.

As the men moved the last of the rubble the Lord pushed his wandering mind to the side and took a step forward, two of his men propping the Silencer up, another two gently, but slowly, moving Red’s corpse away. It was a strange sight, to see the two of them together, even in such circumstances; though he guessed no one would ever again.  

Looking the man over again Abaddon noticed the trapped leg, pinned beneath masonry; it looked painful, “Get his leg free men” he ordered quickly, indicating the rubble. He looked down to Nortrom, masonry dust heavy in the air from the constant shifting stone. “Nortrom, I can seal the wound if you wish, it should make it easier for you.” he offered sincerely, his mind still a little stunned by the whole image, Reds cold corpse, Nortrom’s injured leg, the whole ruined Cathedral; in truth this campaign had been one of horrors.

nortromthesilencer

Nortrom was reluctant to turn over the corpse, but knew he couldn’t hold on to it and move from this location at the same time. “Be careful, I don’t wish him harmed.” To late for that…

When first being moved Nortrom winced, a strained hiss given as his leg was pulled and a faint internal cracking could be felt. Thankfully the fact he was pinned was caught right away, the soldiers setting him back down and working to lift the pillar away. He thought all feeling had been lost from below the knee. He thought wrong. The moment blood was attempting to return to the lower limb a surge of pain shot through his extremity, causing the man to jolt giving an embarrassing yelp of pain.

Catching his breath, Nortrom nodded in thanks towards one of the troops who had offered up their canteen. The water was cool and much needed, soot and dust stinging the back of his throat and leaving his lips dry and mouth parched. The man downed most of it immediately and messily, caring little for manners at the moment. Wiping his mouth with a gloved hand, the Silencer handed back the canteen and looked to Abaddon. “I- I think that would best. Even so, I doubt I can walk without assistance.”

for-the-haunted-mist-i-ride:

The Lord nodded, waiting a moment for the Silencer to compose himself, water dripping down his dust covered chin. To his right his men gently as they could, moved the body of the Crimson inquisitor, Nortrom’s twin brother; depositing him in a slightly less debried filled spec of floor to there left. Stepping forward the Lord of Avernus kneeled besides his friend and slowly moved his gauntlet covered hands over his leg, hovering just above the wound for a moment, tendrils of mist  examining the wound through his gauntlets. Without a word the Lord of Avernus clasped his hands about the wound, causing a yelp of pain to escape the silencers lips; but the Lord ignored it he could not care for such minor pain now. As his hands met the wound, a flash of blue and black light shone through the gaps between the Silencers wound and the lords hands. Bone was instantly set, flesh covered the external would and a small semblance of pain relief undoubtedly came to the man. yet as this happened, the Lords felt his own leg, the one deliberately braced against the floor, shift and surge in pain for the briefest of moments, though he made no sound of it. To heal meant he suffered a minor version of the same wound, such was the price for his gifts.

“I do not expect you to walk unassisted” the Lord proclaimed, standing straight, ignoring the pain in his leg, it would die down soon enough. Offering Nortrom his hand, one of the other soldiers also offering the Silencer assistance, the Lord of Avernus smiled beneath his helm, “So lets walk out of this ruin together.”  

[littlemisssquiggles]

RWBY Musings #75: My One issue with Neopolitan and Cinder Fall: A Squiggle Meister’s Blunt Ramblings.

So…I recently read through the notes from the RWBY V6 Commentary by Redditeer: Sweetfable as shared by @soldieroflandb​. According to the post, it was mentioned in the commentary on Chapter 5 that Neo wasn’t originally planned to appear in V6.

The original note read:

“…Neo wasn’t originally planned to be in this Volume, but was decided when they thought of what they could do better to make Cinder’s storyline better and for when Cinder gets to Atlas they thought her having a partner was cool…”

This point brings to light my one issue with Neo’s stark return to main RWBY: the CRWBY Writers DIDN’T NEED to bring Neo back .

Before some of you more passionate Neo stans prepare your pitchforks, let me just make this clear. I don’t dislike Neopolitan. I have no issue with her as a character. She isn’t one of my favourites but I do like her design and I’ve enjoyed what the showrunners have done with her (and Roman Torchwick a la RWBY Chibi). 

That being said, this is a blunt rambling so I’m going to be blunt here folks. Neo was a character who I didn’t expect to see again in main RWBY after V3. I would’ve quicker expected Torchwick’s corpse resurrected from the belly of the Gryphon Grimm to be paraded around Weekend at Bernie’s style before seeing Neo.

Despite hearing through the grape vine for years on end that the CRWBY Writers promised to bring her back at some point, I honestly never believed this info since personally I felt like Neo didn’t need to be brought back. I understand the appeal of Neo and why she’s such a popular fan favourite. However, in terms of story, she didn’t really have one back when she was first introduced. At least not one substantive enough for me to hook onto and desire to learn more of. At least not until V6.

Neo was mostly featured as a devoted accomplice to Roman Torchwick. The Harley Quinn to his Joker without the abuse. So her story correlated with his. So naturally, when Torchwick was killed off, I figured that was Neo’s final curtain call too. Despite her disappearance via runaway umbrella being a cliff-hanger, I still did not anticipate Neo’s return. Nor did I need for it to happen.

The CRWBY Writers didn’t need to bring Neo back. Her presence in the story, unfortunately to say, is unnecessary. At least in my eyes. This is only my opinion after all. As a matter of fact, I feel like the Writers have written themselves into a corner by bringing her back. You already have a full cast of undeveloped characters pining for focus. Why bring back Neo when you could easily have done the same idea with someone else already pre-established?

In the past, there wasn’t really much from Neo’s side of things to make me go ‘Oh I would love to learn more about her’. She wasn’t like Adam or Emerald or even Mercury who each had a thread of a cool backstory itching to be unravelled prior to the Mistral Trilogy. Neo didn’t have that. But now the CRWBY are attempting to give her one by dropping breadcrumbs of a potential past with Torchwick as hinted during the RWBYV6 OST ‘One Thing’ and the visuals from V6 C5.

That’s all fine and dandy but…this is all happening only because Neo was brought back and they had to give her a motive for being back in the current narrative. We’re only getting all this new stuff on Neo because the Writers made the decision to resurrect her from the pit of obscurity---a decision that wasn’t planned before and…again, didn’t need to happen.

You could have easily replace Neo with another pre-established character who’s been a part of the Mistral Arc since V4 and it would make no difference. By bringing back Neo, the CRWBY missed a shot to further develop characters such as Emerald Sustrai.

If the Writers wanted Cinder to have a partner for Atlas then why not make it Emerald? Why not introduce a plot point where following the Triumph of Haven, Emerald got wind that Cinder was still alive and abandoned Mercury and Hazel to go find her before they made their return to Salem.

V6 C4 indicated that Salem was already fully aware of Cinder’s blunder and fate from V5 just as how it was shown that Salem had a Seer Grimm at Haven. The same Grimm she used to keep tabs on Lionheart, communicate with him and eventually kill him. If the Seer Grimm was already pre-established in V5 then why not have this same Grimm locate Emerald, Mercury and Hazel while they were still in Mistral?

Instead of having the trio travel all the way back to the Dark Domain just for Salem to punish them with info she already knew about, why not have Salem just have her Seer Grimm track down Emerald, Merc and Hazel and deal the same punishment while they were steal weak and vulnerable following their defeat.

Sure it would’ve made Salem seem rather heartless to punish her minions while they were still recovering from their failed mission. Then again, that’s the point. Salem wasted no time in axing off Lionheart. Imagine if she had done the same to Emerald, Hazel and Mercury?

Salem could have easily thrown her tantrum and had the Seer Grimm threaten to choke the life out of Hazel right in front of Emerald’s eyes before she blurted out that Cinder was to blame. This same revelation from V6 C5 could’ve happened in Mistral before the return to the Dark Domain. We could have gotten a scene where Emerald contemplates leaving in search of Cinder upon learning that she was still alive.

We could have even gotten a small confrontation between her and Mercury before a bitter parting of ways. That whole conversation of why Mercury is fighting with Salem could’ve served greater purpose and meaning in a scene where these the Jaded Duo were deciding for themselves their new paths in the story moving forward.

Imagine…Emerald, Mercury and Hazel resting off before they return to Salem. After learning of Cinder being alive, Emerald decides that she’s going to go find her. To continue being by her side. That’s her final decision. Despite Salem choosing to abandon her, Emerald refused to leave Cinder alone. 

She chooses to remain completely loyal to Cinder and when probed about it by a confrontational Mercury,  she could give the same excuse that Cinder is the closest thing to a mother Emerald ever had. Whether Mercury wanted to hear this or not, Cinder is who Emerald considered her family. More so than him. The guy who is always by her side and still stood with her even when he could’ve left her behind at Haven.

This could’ve been a great Emerald and Mercury moment to kind of emphasize what the two meant to each other outside of Cinder.

This small squabble could’ve then led in the two having their little spa which would essentially reveal the canon truth about Mercury’s father; highlighting her stance on family in general. You could have had Emerald and Mercury fight but in the end, Merc is forced to leave Emerald to her own endeavours.

She made her choice just as much as he made his. She was going to go look for Cinder, be at her side. As Mercury moved on to work with Salem, seeing her as the winning side. The side where he didn’t have to work so tirelessly seeing as that’s the only life he’s lived.

This could’ve been done and it could’ve been a double whammy for these two’s development. Instead we got the Jaded duo more or less being underused for V6 with the next chapter of their stories left unclear.

Are Emerald and Mercury both going to go look for Cinder at some point? Are they tasked to Vacuo as Hazel’s partners while Tyrian and Watts aid Salem with the Fall of Atlas? What is next for these two? 

I’m not exactly sure. But you do see the missed chance with these two, correct? If there was one character who should have been Cinder’s partner for Atlas, it’s Emerald. She already shared a known attachment to Cinder since V1. We all know how loyal she is to her. The CRWBY Writers even highlighted that with how devastated she was by her downfall in V5. They could’ve used that to further the shared story between these two. But no. Bringing back a character who shared zero ties to Cinder outside of Roman Torchwick to be her partner for next arc is much cooler. Okay then. 

I’m going to assume the Writers weren’t planning on focusing on Emerald much in V6. Saving it for another future volume, possibly. Well if the Writers didn’t want Emerald, who else could they have used other than Neo.

Well…Adam Taurus would’ve been my next best candidate, believe it or not. I mean why not Adam? Just like Neo, he was a character previously made into an accomplice by Cinder. If memory serves correctly, the only reason Adam wound up working with Cinder was due to her intimidating him with the use of her Maiden magic.

Imagine if…we received a parallel that harkens back to that episode in V3. Cinder went to Adam to scout him and it was only after she received part of her Maiden powers did she gain his interest long enough for her to tempt him with her demands.

Imagine if this time Adam scouted Cinder. Picture Cinder being left weakened by her defeat against Raven. So weak that she’s unable to activate her Maiden magic for some time. Imagine Ms. Malachite double crossing Cinder and planning to turn her over for bounty money before Adam shows and ‘saves’ Cinder by slaughtering Ms. Malachite and her Spiders. 

I mean they could’ve easily been killed off since they served no further purpose in V6 beyond providing a narrative means for Cinder to reunite with Neo in the most contrived way possible which, honestly was waste of an interesting new character.

Am I the only person who actually really liked Ms. Malachite and her Spiders?  I feel like they should’ve been brought in earlier in the Mistral Arc (probably as earlier as V4) or saved for another season like Atlas or even Vacuo perhaps. There’s a part of me that’s even starting to bank on the concept of Ms. Malachite being one half of a twin sister.

According to the RWBY V6 Commentary notes, Ms. Malachite is the mother of the Malachite Sisters from V1. Since her daughters are identical twins, who’s to say twins don’t run in the family and Ms. Malachite isn’t a twin herself. I mean it would fit. It’d be interesting if there’s another Little Ms. Malachite, a younger twin sister who runs the Spiders over in another kingdom. But that’s just my headcanons.

Anyways, resuming talk on Adam and Cinder. Having Adam be Cinder’s accomplice instead of Neo would have fit also.

Both characters were originally considered powerful leaders in their respective factions. Both have suffered humiliation and fall from grace by the hands of characters from the same team. Both have revenge vendettas against said characters. And as of V6, both characters were alone and vulnerable; abandoned by their followers to claw their way back up through nothing but their own strength and cunning. Adam and Salem working together would have been a cool duo to see.

I’m going to be honest again here folks. I’m not a Tauratier but like many of his fans, I share in the sentiment that the way his story was concluded was a disappointment. A mishandling of a character who originally started off rather interesting. I will admit that.

One of the ways the Writers missed a chance to further develop Adam is having him team up with Cinder with to achieve the one goal they both craved---revenge. The Writers created the subplot of Neo wanting revenge for Torchwick’s death to give Cinder someone to share in her hatred for Ruby.

But in all honesty, there was no need for that. You already had a character like Adam Taurus who was on the same kind of war path. Sure it wasn’t for the same person but Adam and Cinder could’ve still shared in their path of vengeance especially since their targets: Ruby and Blake are friends and teammates.

Adam could’ve easily been Cinder’s partner for Atlas. As a matter of fact, he would’ve been perfect for Atlas. Atlas should’ve been the stage for Adam’s curtain call. I wasn’t upset with the way how the Writers decided to kill off Adam. Minus the tag team murder from Yang and Blake and the lack of emotional repercussions from having hero characters commit such an act. Adam being defeated by Yang and Blake and falling to his death referencing Gaston from the Beauty and the Beast was very fitting. It made sense.

I just wished it wasn’t in Argus where he was killed off. Adam has zero connection to Argus. I mean why kill him off in Argus when you established within the same moment that Adam has ties to Atlas.

The CRWBY highlighted that Adam has a connection to the SDC given his scar yet they kill him in a place that has no connection to him at all. Everything about the Adam Final fight was nearly perfect except for the build-up and the setting. Showing Adam branded with the SDC logo before killing him off before the audience could get the opportunity to learn the backstory of his history with the SDC felt like such a waste that I kind of wish they had done something else with Adam’s face reveal.

I would’ve taken him having a regular scar than the SDC logo because by planting that, you’re given the audience the impression that there is more to learn about his character. But before they could get the chance to see that, he gets axed. Such a waste of a good potential plot thread man.

It would have been better to learn more about that before Adam got killed. You had an entire character trailer where that part of Adam’s past could’ve been delved into. Not to mention that it would have made more sense if Adam was killed in Atlas because that’s where the Schnee Dust Company is located. Adam should’ve died in Atlas, not Argus. That’s basically my point on that. Moving along.

As I’ll say again, I have no issue with Neo. I just feel like her return honestly stole a chance for focus from characters whose stories could’ve used it when hers didn’t, y’know what I mean?

As a matter of fact, why bring back Neo for the main purpose of having her pair up with Cinder in the first place? You brought her back just so she could have a partner in Atlas? Why? Was that truly necessary? Why have Cinder have a partner at all? Why not just allow her to have her own journey?

As mentioned in V6 C4, the reason why Salem decided to abandon Cinder in the dirt was so that she could learn from her mistakes the hard way.

Cinder is already a pretty intimidating and powerful character. She doesn’t really need an accomplice. At the moment Neo is being used only as a pawn to Cinder---a means through which she can kill Ruby Rose which, if you were to sit down and truly consider, wasn’t crucial to her story. We’ve seen Cinder use and abuse pawns since V2. Neo is no exception. It would have actually been more fascinating to see Cinder on her own to be honest.

To find her back after hitting rock bottom for a third time. Third time’s the charm, am I right? Cinder’s side of the story should’ve focused more on giving us viewers more insight into Cinder; helping us understanding why and how she became to be the megalomaniac she is presently.

Instead of steering her story in her finding another pawn to manipulate, I would have much rather watch small snippets of Cinder learning to cope and fend for herself without a pawn. And having her be alone in the Mistral underbelly, where you can’t trust anyone---not even the people who you believe you can intimidate---was the perfect setting to do that.

Add in my earlier idea of Cinder being too weak to use her Maiden magic and that could be a challenge for Cinder. Heck. You could have even added another layer to that where Cinder begins to lose control of the amputated Grimm arm attached to her body; tying back to the training she did with Salem back in V4.

Instead of bringing back Neo, it could’ve been more interesting to have Cinder toil away in the slums of Mistral, being made a target by Ms. Malachite and her Spiders who would hunt her down to turn her in for profit since she was a wanted felon.

Through such a struggle, we could have gotten a bit more on Cinder’s backstory as this moment of complete helplessness could’ve been used as an opportunity to have Cinder suffer frequent flashbacks explaining her backstory and how she came to meet Salem.

Imagine if …Cinder had found herself in a position where she felt she could manipulate Ms Malachite and her  Spiders only for them to double-cross, capture and torture her. Since V6 established Ms. Malachite being a sort of information broker, perhaps she already knew the important details about Cinder. Minus her Maiden powers, of course. Enough to pull the wool over her eyes.

Imagine if…Ms. Malachite was a watered down female version of Ramsey Bolten from Game of Thrones. Not as vile but still a master sadistic manipulator who liked to use torture to control her pawns. This could play into what she told Cinder in V6 C2:

“…Y’know I used to be afraid of spiders. Wanna know what I did about it?” “Learned to kill them?”

“Oh no. The world needs Spiders. I just made the spiders work for me.”

Imagine if…in an alternate version of Ms. Malachite, the way in which she got her loyal Spiders to do her bidding and remain devoted to her was through manipulation and cruelty tactics, breaking them down physically and psychologically until they were completely subservient to her. That’s when they’re branded them with her tattoo. As a sign that they’re not just her pawns. They’re her property. She owned them to use as she saw fit.

In my alternate interpretation of Ms. Malachite, I pictured her as being a Black Widow Spider Faunus with a unique trait. When used lightly, her spider venom can cause vivid hallucinations and this is what Malachite used to manipulate her pawns. She injects them with her venom which puts them in a trance and that’s how she slowly breaks them down into her loyal subjects.

Imagine if… Cinder was placed in a scenario like that where she’s broken down by Ms. Malachite who makes her her slave. This could’ve been interesting for Cinder to go through because of the strong Cinderella reference.

Picture Ms Malachite taking inspiration from the wicked stepmother who whips the once confident Cinder Fall into submission and during these scenes we get glimpses of Cinder’s past where there was another character, a former parental figure of some kind from her past who would treat Cinder the same way until Salem entered the picture.

Shoot. You could have even introduced a subplot where Cinder, through her strength of character and resolve broke free of Malachite’s hold on her before killing her. By killing Ms. Malachite, the Spiders swear their loyalty to Cinder, viewing her as some kind of Goddess (to parallel how Tyrian sees Salem). And that’s how Cinder would’ve gotten to Atlas. Not through Neo. But through the Spiders and their resources because obviously they would have those means.

V6 could’ve been the story where Cinder takes the step forward to forge her own army. And all the while this is happening, Salem watches on from afar, proud at her creation for her little experiment had worked. Her tough love tactic had provided Cinder the motivation and incentive she needed to become the person she strongly desires to become. One who is strong and powerful to be feared by others.

Does anyone else remember Cinder’s words from V3?

'...I want to be strong. I want to be feared. I want to be powerful...'

That’s Cinder’s goal. That’s who she wants to become.  At least that’s what was established prior. V6 should’ve been another pivotal stepping stone in Cinder’s story towards that goal.

In the beginning, I used to think that Cinder Fall would become the character who would one day rise up and overthrow Salem. I used to think that Salem was grooming Cinder to become her successor back when my previous headcanon was that at some point, Salem would either betray Cinder and steal her body. Or…Cinder would betray Salem and take her place as the Mother of Grimm. Becoming sthe student who became powerful enough to upstage their own master.

This was before the whole bit about Salem being immortal and indestructible came into play.

Now instead of seeing Cinder as someone who would one day rise up and succeed Salem as the main big-bag of RWBY, I get the strong impression that the CRWBY might be setting her up to go out in a similar fashion to Adam Taurus. I feel like Atlas might wind up being the setting for Cinder’s final curtain call. They’ve already baited her death like twice using her vendetta against Ruby Rose.

We all know Cinder is going to fight Ruby (and/or Oscar) at some point for Atlas and there is a high probability that she will lose that fight again. This will be Cinder’s third defeat and at this point, if she isn’t killed off for good then I would sincerely begin to question why she is being kept around in the series.

If you may pardon my blunt honesty here again. Cinder, to me, was a character who didn’t have a lot going for her in the beginning. She was introduced as this character working closer with Salem to achieve her goals. We didn’t honestly understand why. It wasn’t until V3 did viewers receive an inkling of something that could be considered a motivator to shape Cinder’s story.

She’s a character who wants to become strong, powerful and feared. Because of this you might now ask questions such as why does she want this? What happened to her in her past to make this her main goal? However as of V4, Cinder’s current key motivator is her vendetta against Ruby.

I’m sorry, I’m just seeing a pattern here. It’s the same thing that happened with Adam. Prior to RWBY, Adam was established in Black Trailer as someone who once fought alongside Blake for the Faunus as part of the White Fang.

In V3, it was highlighted that Adam was someone who fought strictly for the Faunus. If my memory serves correctly, I remember one of the reasons Adam didn’t want to work with Cinder in beginning being that he didn’t wish for any of his men and fellow Faunus dying for a human cause or something along those lines.

It’s why I, again, can’t help but empathize a bit with the Tauratiers. Before V3, Adam’s devotion to being one of those who fight on the behalf of the Faunus was part of his character. Heck it’s what brought him and Blake together. They bonded over that same ambition. Where they split was in their approach. But at the core, they both desired the same for their race and seemed the share in the same passion for the cause.

Adam having a former romantic relationship with Blake that turned abusive was only introduced in V3. Before that, it could be argued that that wasn’t the case. That being said, my issue wasn’t that Adam was turned into the abusive ex-boyfriend to Blake. There are interesting ways that side of him could’ve compelled his character. Nope. My issue was that Adam’s relationship with Blake became his entire character and the other trait about him being someone who took a more radical approach to fighting for his people was completely dropped in favour of this. 

Adam the abusive ex was admittedly the weakest part of Adam’s character. This is what made him so boring for me to follow after V5. Of all the aspects to Adam that they could have run with, they chose the weaker of the two. They didn’t even do a decent job with it either. I would have much preferred to watch a story where Adam went down believing that his way was the only way to achieve the equality that he believed his people deserved even if such a frame of mind brought him to his own endgame. Adam could’ve been the kind of villain to make the audience think and have meaningful debates over his views.

I would have preferred that guy as opposed to the wet paper tower he turned into after V3; throwing temper tantrums and annoyingly blaming all his problems on Blake in a past relationship that felt so bare-bones compared to everything else discerned about him.

They even missed an opening to use Sienna Khan as someone partially responsible for grooming Adam into the man he became. I mean, they tried to sell the idea for the V6 Adam Character Trailer. However it all felt short-lived and forced given the events of V5. I can honestly go on with my issues with Adam Taurus and the topic of his eventual character assassination as labelled by the FNDM. If folks would like to hear my views on that, feel free to ask me and I’ll share my full opinion on the matter.

In the meantime, let’s resume my main focus of this post: Cinder and Neo. Like I said, Adam’s vendetta with Blake became his entire character motive after V3 and I’m sadly seeing the same pattern being repeated with Cinder. Cinder’s vendetta with Ruby is her driving force right now.

While I actually don’t have an issue with Ruby being a target for Cinder, my concern is how it’s going to be executed moving forward toward Atlas. By my assumptions, I figured Cinder is going to be killed off between V7 and V8. But from my knowledge, there are some of you who believe in the concept of Cinder being staying long enough in the story to be redeemed like Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I…honestly don’t see it. Sorry folks. I’m not really an advocate for Cinder’s redemption. I am neither bashing anyone for wanting this to become canon nor am I saying it’s impossible. I’m just saying that if you were to ask me if I think Cinder can be redeemed, I’d honestly say no.

I only believe in a much more compelling arc for Cinder. An arc that possibly depicts her falling from grace for a third and brutal time, suffering a brief moment of happiness or change of heart only to revert back to her old ways highlighting that no matter what, power is what Cinder craves most of all and she’d stop at nothing to get it. Not even a momentary bliss can thwart her lust for that as she believes being powerful and feared by all who oppose her is her destiny. Her ever after.

Like the villain from The Box Trolls. Despite the thing that he desired most being detrimental to his health, the villain still insisted on obtaining it by any means possible because that’s what he believed was his destiny. This is how I see Cinder going down to the bitter end. She would continue to go after that lust for power, even to the point of it turning her into a monster in the process.

I have a better chance of believe this is Cinder’s fate. If not that then a swift death via character assassination like what happened with Adam.

But a redemption? Where she could potentially turn good? Join the good guys? Fight alongside them to stop Salem?

I…yeah I don’t really see that, sorry. In order for me to believe in that then I need evidence. I need examples of Cinder genuinely going through brief seconds of doubting her actions or having some semblance of guilt to get this kind of impression. Nothing so far with Cinder hints to me that she feels the slightest bit of remorse for his past actions and the people she’s hurt and killed. It’s difficult to believe in this kind of character turning good when all I’ve seen is her hurt other characters and not think twice about it.

If the CRWBY Writers wished to appeal more to Cinder’s humanity, they could’ve shown her thinking or being concerned for Emerald in the same motherly manner that the Sustrai girl described Cinder to be. Cinder’s affiliation with Emerald could’ve been the perfect platform to show Cinder in a more empathetic light.

But nope. She forgot all about Emerald as soon as she ran into Neo. I know it’s meant to establish that Cinder doesn’t care as much for Emerald as she does for her. This only further confirms my point. I don’t see Cinder being redeemed.

Either she will be killed off at some point during the story or the CRWBY Writers will find some new way to continue to string Cinder along for the remainder of RWBY with Neo tagging along. Heck it wouldn’t surprise me if Neo is turned into Cinder’s plot armour, ensuring that she will never be killed off for anything. Since, after all, it would be kind of silly if the Writers only brought Neo back to play protégée to Cinder only for her to return to the pit of obscurity the minute Cinder is axed off, right? Not unless Neo gets her own happy ending (with Henry Marigold) or becomes a good guy?

And it’s not like they’re going to make Neo Cinder’s replacement. That might not work. Not Unless there is some twist where a defeated Cinder Fall, on her last breath, ends up ‘eating’ Neo to possess her body; courtesy of the Geist Grimm arm attached to her body? That…actually isn’t bad but what do I know, y’know?

As always these are only my views on this. Feel free to agree or respectfully disagree.

Anyways that’s pretty much my whole ramble. Normally I tend to have some kind of conclusion to my posts. But since this was mostly just me giving a blunt rambling, I don’t have much of a conclusion to give. So that’s all folks. Let me know your thoughts on my thoughts if you’d like.

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)            

[littleprincesa-isabel]

Writing Task: BDRP Questionnaire

Trigger Warnings: None

Extra Note: This got very long haha

Your Name: Kiara :DD

Characters:

Sally Finkelstein, Minnie Muysken, Georgette Midler, Isabel Flores

Pick one of your characters and talk about their growth (we recommend choosing an older character, but it’s up to you!) What about their story has surprised you? What are you proud of? How have they changed from their original inception to now?

Georgette

First off, let me preface by saying that when Georgette’s muse originally formed in my head and I went for her, I absolutely did not envision her dying, coming back to life undead, and becoming a magick like at all. In fact, when I picked her up I loved the fact that she was a mundus and all my intentions were to keep her as such. Yeah... she’s not so much now but... surprise!

Georgette has done a total 360 change from what I originally had formed for her in my head, but it like also really helped out too that she did lol. (Thanks MK!!) I knew from the start that the MAIN goal I wanted for Georgette was to create a new form of stability for her. I wanted her to grow out of her old glamorous and ritzy life and into a life where fame and fortune really aren’t the most important aspects.

I wanted her to end up gaining a more humble perspective of life, almost just completely rewire her and I got to end up doing this twice for her lmao.

Just from Georgette needing to learn how to puzzle/rewire herself into this new life when she was forced to move to Swynlake. Learning how to live smaller and with a publically trashed and slandered reputation, learning to cook (she still sucks at it), live on her own, process through living with her rape trauma and just getting help with her alcoholism. I was able to meet that goal simply through all of that because Georgette grew and learned so much. She got into therapy, accepted help, gained real friends, learned how to process through her trauma, gained an appreciation for the simpler things in life and all through that journey of simply trying to tape up all that had shattered in her life.

Then she died... and came back to life.

So it was now going through this journey with her again where Georgette had to learn how to rewire herself and pick up the pieces to now make them fit into this new life of hers. It was going through all the emotional baggage of processing this new reset button for her, learning her new powers, coping through having died under a tree, surviving her rape trial, accepting that she no longer had such needs as hunger or sleep like normal humans, etc.

I’m proud of where she ended up going and how strong she has become. She hasn’t given up and keeps working through each hurdle. She has really changed from the shallow, spoiled brat she was in the beginning like I’m a proud mom lol.

Pick another character and talk a little about where you WANT them to go. What are your plans for them going into the new year?

Isabel

I want Isa to like completely spread open her wings for this new coming year!!! She is officially EIGHTEEN, and I want her to gain independence outside of her family. I want her to have independence outside of the royal appearance and duties of a princess, and outside of the daily knife over her head that is a crazy sorceress out to kill her.

Isa just wants to live life in where she doesn’t feel caged in.

I want her to be reckless lmao. Go to a party and get straight up trashed, travel more outside of Swynlake, move out, have sex, go to the club, go go-karting, sing karaoke with friends drunk or sober, set up an instagram account, survive an all-nighter, tipi a house, watch a Broadway play, get a tattoo because why the fuck not?!?

Feel life! I want Isa to feel life. Almost all of Isa’s life has been under the microscope of bodyguards or her family that I want her to learn how to be out on her own. I want her to make stupid mistakes, she’ll learn to go through them and get to grow because of them. Isa loves to learn, this will be great for her!!

And yes, she has already done a lot, but under the supervision of someone else, like Isa doesn’t know how it feels to be completely free and she wants a taste of it. I want a taste of it for her.

Pick a thread or a plot that you’re proud of and talk about why you loved it.

Minnie

I actually really liked my plot in where I got Minnie attacked at night by a patient that has already hurt her before. It makes me sound awful, but I liked it because it allowed Minnie to pull herself away from the hospital. Minnie wraps so much of her identity around the hospital. Her father used to work there as a surgeon, she used to spend so much time with her father there when she was little, she would volunteer at the hospital and it has been where she was working since she graduated from Pride U.

I honestly wanted to see if Minnie could see herself outside of the hospital. It was a journey of Minnie processing through the trauma, being able to simply feel safe again, and realizing that for her mental health she will have to step back some from a job and a place she loves dearly.

Minnie is still healing and will still ask for company whenever she needs to go out at night because she hasn’t been able to feel entirely safe as of yet. She is still working at the hospital but no longer coded/full time and now she has actually become the school nurse for Swynlake General. She loves the job and if it hadn’t been for the attack she honestly would’ve never been opened to even trying for that opportunity.

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 strengths and talk about why you think it’s one of your strengths.

Voice: Not to so much conversational voice as that’s actually something I want to improve in, but the mental voice. It is so easy for me to get into the thought processes involved with my characters. I always speak of their emotions and how they are thinking through their current situation. I love doing that because, for me, it explains the reasoning for all that my characters do what they do or end up doing. I just end up forgetting about everything else that should also be involved beyond thought and emotion lol.

Starters: This is a weird strength lol but I absolutely have no problems writing starters. It’s easy for me to create a situation where I need two people to end up engaging with one another. It’s fun for me to think of different ways, especially since Swynlake is a magical town so ideas really are limitless!! I just suck at creating titles that is definitely not my forte!  

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 areas of improvement.

Conversation: I’m trying to be very cautious about this and I’m hoping that I have been improving but just not answering everything that is being spoken in a thread. I want to improve in knowing which things should be answered and what shouldn’t because it messes with the continuity of the thread. Hopefully, I have gotten better but it’s one of the main things I have been trying to pay hard attention to when writing my replies.

Body Placement/Situational Awareness: I’m also hoping to improve in being constantly aware of where my characters are and what they are doing. I lack describing simple actions with my characters like continuing to drink a tea they have in hand, remembering if they were holding something so as to know they need to put that something down if they want their hand, remembering if my girls hair is up or down because then she can’t tuck hair behind her ear if it’s up, etc. It gets hard for me sometimes because it’s a lot I have to keep track of.

Actions: I think I stink at writing actions where my characters are concerned. I forget that they are supposed to do more than think and talk. I suck at properly engaging them at times and I have to constantly remind myself like oh this is a date: hold hands, kiss, hug, lean in, stuff like that. They are in a hospital remember to engage with the machines, the diagnosis, doctors, and nurses etc.    

Pick one of your plots, or even just a character, and come up with a list of 3-5 “mentor texts” where you can look for inspiration or research, then write a short (2-4 sentences) why you picked those texts.

Sally

Edgar Allen Poe’s Ligeia and Morella: I use these two short stories from Edgar Allen Poe a lot when it comes to inspirations for Sally. For Morella, I took the aspects of Sally looking so identical to her mother as she grew older and her father being obsessed with her because of that straight out of that text. Morella dying during the birth of her child, I stole that too for Sally’s back story involving her own mother. WIth Ligeia I love Edgar’s description of the main woman in the story, Ligeia and I often find myself going back to read it because I want Sally to resemble that description since that’s how I view her in my head.

Weather Websites: Lmao. I don’t know if this counts as a text per say, but legit I am constantly looking up websites that give me different types of weather and their descriptions. I use them because Sally empathic magic transcribes itself through a type of weather. Whenever she feels an emotion from someone it comes to her like the feeling of weather: snow, hale, warmth, fog, rain etc. depending on what emotion it is whether anger, sadness, confusion, happiness etc.

Edith Hamilton’s Mythology/Charmed: I know charmed is not a text lol but it needs to be mentioned because I used that show (particularly Phoebe) as an inspiration for Sally’s vision magic. Sally’s visions are constantly evolving and changing mainly due to the long time it has taken Sally to control it so it took a form of its own when it had the upper hand. That form I stole from Phoebe in how touch was needed for a vision to form and the aspect of Sally feeling all the emotions involved with it. Then, Mythology was a book I had to read as a requirement in my Freshmen year of high school. I use that text for references to the seers and oracles in Greek Mythology which is where I get my inspiration for how Sally’s visions are appearing now.  

And now, a wishlist! Jot down a few themes or stories or genres etc that you want to maybe pursue in the upcoming year!

A forbidden romance, a bi-wakening!!!, any magic based plots because I love being able to dive into the magic of my magick babiess, family drama, paranormal thingss and medical plots because I can’t help myself it is who I amm haha.

Sally: Continue to evolve her magic because there is a specific point I want her aside from ya know that having complete control point, so if anyone needs anything seen you know who to hit upp. Open up the store she wants tor tailoring!!! I need to stop being a lazy fuck with that :/. Get her into a relationship. I have had Sally for likeee 3/4 years now and she has just been a lonely spirit. I don’t want her to be a lonely spirit all her liffeee.

Minnie: Hmmm not sure tbh aside from like medical plots!!! I love those gimmie gimmie, Minnie is an awesome nurse :DD

Georgette: Get her through a second trial where hopefully her rapist lands in jail. More socialite things because like she is a famously known socialite and I be forgetting that often. Magic stuff because she is now a magick herselff.

Isabel: She is going to be living up her eighteenth year of life. I am hoping it will be Princess Gone Wild this 2020 lmao. Get Isa to simply live it uppp.  

[absolxguardian]

Master and Apprentice Propechy Analysis

Alright, with Master and Apprentice giving us snippets of Jedi prophecies, it’s time for one of my favorite things, analyzing them with not just the hindsight of over 60 years of events on the characters, but with the knowledge that narrative imperative means that the prophecies cover events in the main story. So let’s go:

“She who will be born to darkness will give birth to darkness.”

I can very confidently say this refers to Leia. She’s Vader’s biological child, and her son will be Kylo Ren. The original prophecy was also in Old Alderaanian, making it even more relevant to Leia. Qui-Gon brings up a possible interpretation of the prophecy having already passed, referring a Malastaran duchess with an evil father and a Dark Jedi daughter. I’m going to say narrative imperative makes it about something the audience already knows about. And something involving the family of the likely Chosen One is going to give the events more weight to the Force, if you want an in-universe explanation.

“When the kyber that is not kyber shines forth, the time of prophecy will be at hand.”

Qui-Gon ends the book believing that the false kholen crystals on his mission indicate that his mission starts the time of prophecy. I don’t really agree with him. To start, there’s nothing about this mission that makes it more prophecy-like than any other mission Qui-Gon went on with Obi-Wan. It’s not their first, and it’s not the one right before TPM. Qui-Gon does have visions that end up being correct, but he didn’t even have them before the mission. And visions aren’t really prophecies.

If you assume the time of prophecy is the time periods covered by the movies (again narrative imperative and the Chosen One prophecy), either TPM or ANH/Rogue One starts the time of prophecy. Qui-Gon’s first vision after seeing the kholen crystals consist of them turning red, like bled crystals. I could see bled kyber crystals not being considered kyber because they’ve been damaged. If that’s the case, then TPM will mark the first time the wider Jedi order encountered Sith lightsabers in a thousand years. And so that’s when “kyber that is not kyber” shines forth. Or if the “time of prophecy” is the OT then the activation of the Death Star would be when kyber that is not kyber shines forth. The laser is powered by kyber crystals, but the modifications and impersonal activation of them could make it so they’re no longer true kyber. I don’t really have a preference for either marker, but I don’t really agree with Qui-Gon.

“When the righteous lose the light, evil once dead shall return.”

Obviously, this could be about the complacency of the Jedi Order leading to the return of the Sith and most likely is, but there’s another more specific reading for this prophecy. And that’s Maul. This would make the Jedi losing the light when they enter the Clone Wars. Now if the prophecy said evil once dead would return because of the righteous losing the light, then I’d say it’s definitely the Sith, because the survival of the Sith comes directly from the Jedi’s problems. Maul’s return is a less direct cause and effect, but the prophecy doesn’t require the return to be because of the Jedi’s problems.

“The danger of the past is not past, but sleeps in an egg. When the egg cracks, it will threaten the galaxy entire.”

Yeah, it’s the Sith. I don’t think there’s any deeper symbolic meaning of the egg part, it’s just that things grow in eggs, but can’t hurt anyone while inside one.

When Qui-Gon is musing over the whole idea of prophecies, he thinks about a prophecy that “said the Sith would disappear yet appear again”. We don’t know the exact text of the prophecy, but I could see it as being either of the previous two. Jedi studying that prophecy agree that it references to a possible return of the Order, which it obviously does. Qui-Gon mentions that it could be about Darth Wrend, a Sith who was assumed dead but then returned to fight the Jedi. Again, I think narrative imperative requires it to be former. I also think we can say that Qui-Gon studying this prophecy is why he’s so confident Darth Maul is a Sith.

“One will ascend to the highest of the Jedi despite the foreboding of those who would serve with him.”

Qui-Gon believes the prophecy refers to him, but since he never accepts the position of the council, it can’t be. And it’s clearly about Anakin. Thank you random Jedi Seer for having such a straightforward prophecy.

“Only through sacrifice of many Jedi will the Order cleanse the sin done to the nameless.”

The most obvious interpretation is that the destruction of the Jedi somehow “cleanses” what they did to the clones. I’m not sure how the Jedi Order falling makes up for what happened to the clones, it certainly doesn’t improve their situation. The only thing I can think of is that it’s somewhat implied that Order 66 only works once (Tiin was only able to pull his Order 66 trick because the clones with the inquisitors were new, but Bilabla’s clones keep hunting Kanan. On the other hand, the few Imperial clones we know of aren’t obsessed with the Jedi anymore), and so with it fulfilled, they’re finally freed from the inhibitor chip. But it seems like a pretty bad deal, but I could imagine the Force or the Seer considering freedom from possible literal mind control enough.

Another reading I could think of is that the masses of the galaxy: slaves, clones, and exploited poor beings are the nameless because no one pays much attention to their plight. With the Jedi Order reset, the sin that was their complacency and being bound to the Republic is destroyed. You see that with Ezra, Kanan, and Ahsoka, but Luke clearly falls into the same trap. Qui-Gon says that the prophecies can be filtered by the Seer’s basis (so it’s a tool to learn about how they see the world), so it’s possible that the Seer just saw Rey’s new light-side Order as Jedi, or maybe Rey ends up calling them Jedi. Of course, this is if it does turn out Rey does the likely thing of forming a new and improved Jedi-like order.

“When the Force itself sickens, past and future must split and combine.”

The stuff about past and future made me think of the World Between Worlds, but nothing about that time really strikes me as making the Force sick any more than the Empire after Rebels. They were single-handedly causing climate change on Lothal, and with the Loth Wolves, the planet seems to be very important to the Force, but I can’t really see Ezra’s time travel as “splitting and combining”. Maybe the Force was just worried about Ahsoka, since she holds the spirit of the Daughter.

However, there’s another way to read this. With the Cosmic Force “awakening” in TFA and Luke noticing a change in the Force when Rey arrives, it’s implied that the events ST trilogy is affecting the Force itself. With them returning to Jakku, where the definitely dark-side abyss is located, it's possible that part of TROS deals with the Force being sick in some way. Rey learning from the Jedi of the past, but also using her own morality and ideas to create a better order and that’s past and future splitting and combining. Take what works from tradition, but make your own future. If my second guess is true, then it means that this prophecy has actual predictive qualities for us, and that’s pretty cool.

“A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored.”

So you know how I’ve said that I wouldn’t make a Chosen One theory without the actual text of the prophecy, well here it is. It’s also simpler than the several page mostly-censored version from legends. Well to start, unless there’s some translation gender weirdness (like the original language of the prophecy had no gendered pronouns and the translator’s own basis influenced them), Rey isn’t the Chosen One. But don’t get excited, Kylo Ren can’t be the Chosen One either, because the identity of Kylo’s dad is pretty important. In fact, the only way I can see the Chosen One being Luke is that “born of no father” isn’t literal, but instead, it's about how when Anakin fell and Padme rejected him, he forfeited the right to be Luke’s true father. I like that reading, but the ending of ROTJ seems to imply Lucas doesn’t agree with me.

In fact, I’m now firmly in the “Anakin is the Chosen One” camp, and I’ve left my “series of Chosen Ones” headcanon. The main reason is the “through him” part. It implies that it’s not Vader’s actions that cause balance in the Force, but that it’s an unintended consequence of his actions. Now people have joked that the two-ish Jedi and two-ish Darksiders after ROTS mean that Anakin balanced the Force then, and Rael even brings up that same idea, that balance is when light and dark are equal. But when the Empire rose, it was only the numbers of Sith and Jedi that were equal (and they weren’t even that equal, with the Inquisitors, short-term surviving Jedi, and the almost Jedi like Ahsoka). The Sith were clearly more powerful. However, as I mentioned before, there’s a good chance the Cosmic Force “fell asleep” after ROTJ. And there have been hints that extensions of the Cosmic Force like the Ones or Force Ghosts are actually aberrations. Anakin brings balance to Mortis by killing all of the Ones, and the Father seems confident Anakin will do the same to the wider galaxy. Now he may be wrong, but I’m more inclined to trust a Force god over someone like Maul. And Qui-Gon’s story in FACPOV makes it clear that when a Force ghost manifests, it’s an unpleasant and unnatural separation from the Force. Somehow, the end of the Sith caused the Force to smooth out the aberrations that are consciousness independent from the whole. Well, until TFA. And if that is true, it explains why the Force Ghosts couldn’t give Luke advice until TLJ.

“He who learns to conquer death will through his greatest student live again.”

Obviously “he who learns to conquer death” is supposed to be Qui-Gon, but the question is, who’s the greatest student? Qui-Gon becomes the master when he teaches both Yoda and Obi-Wan after his death, but I wouldn’t describe anything of what Yoda or Obi-Wan does counting as living again. Neither of them really live up to Qui-Gon’s temporal goals. Also, who is supposed to be the greatest? Obi-Wan was Qui-Gon’s only temporal student, and you can’t be the greatest when there’s no competition. But Qui-Gon only taught one thing to Yoda.

The fact the obvious interpretation doesn’t quite fit has led me to another reading, one that also predicts the future from our view as well. And that is that Luke ends up conquering death a lot more metaphorically through Rey. The TROS trailer has, what we have to assume to be Luke’s Force Ghost saying “we have taught you all you know- a thousand generations live in you now.” It sounds like Luke is somehow speaking for other Jedi spirits or at least the contents of the Jedi texts. As I discussed earlier, Force Ghosts are aberrations in the Force. So Luke conquering death is more metaphorical. His beliefs in both the failings of the Jedi, but the need for the Jedi to exist will come to fruition in the form of Rey’s reborn Jedi. And Luke has had many students, but since they all either fell or died, Rey is certainly his best one.

[brightdcys-blog]

we’re back !! with my sunshiny healer girl !!! but do not be fooled.....the sun gives life nd warmth but can also burn u to death much like sunhi.

you’ll find her bio, headcanons, and wanted connections under the cut !!

☾*✧･ﾟ:*「 kang seulgi. cisfem. she/her. 」did you know that there’s a witch in haneul known as ryu sunhi? they have been living here for six years and is a healer in training. they are currently twenty two and was a student at crocus institute of higher magic in the house hyacinth. i heard that they are known to be erratic, but worry not ! i heard they are also very passionate too. remember to stay out of trouble, the ju jak are lurking around every corner !

BIO:

sunhi was raised in the countryside outside of busan !!

her family wasn’t poor but they weren’t the most well off either. her parents ran a small potions shop that catered to both humans and magi. the divide between the two groups seemed to have not touched her small town as much as it did bigger cities.

from the age of seven her parents sent her to a magic prep school in busan to give her a leg up when she finally went to crocus. it was expensive, and they spent a large chunk of their income on it, but they truly believed it was what was best for their little girl.

from september to may she attended school in the city, living in the dormitories. during summers she would go home to the countryside.

she was a terrific student in school. since her parents were working so hard to get her an education she worked really hard to be top of her class and not step a toe out of line, for fear of ruining her chances at getting into crocus and letting her family down.

despite being a good student, sunhi’s time at the prep school wasn’t all that pleasant. she was often the target of bullying from other girls from richer families who deemed her unworthy of being there.

summers home were always her favourite because she got to spend time with her family, as well as her best friend --- a neighbourhood boy named jaejun who she had befriended in her early childhood.

the two would spend practically every day together while she was at home ( that she wasn’t working ), swimming in the lake or going on adventures in the woods. when she was away at school they kept in constant contact via handwritten letters that they would send one another every few days.

she was defs highkey in love w/ him but never said anything because she didn’t think it would be fair of her to expect a relationship when she was away in busan most of the year.

had a summer job at a tea house in her town. she saved every cent she earned so that she could move to seoul when she graduated.

at sixteen she graduated from the prep school and, as planned, moved to seoul all on her own !! she got a tiny, crappy loft apartment that was basically just a room with a kitchen on one side and empty space on the other, but it was hers and she loved it.

for two years she worked three jobs to save up enough money to continue paying her rent and living expenses while she attended school. she didn’t want to have to move into the dorms, the thought making her anxious due to how horrible her experience was in busan. she preferred the comfort of living in her own space where she could have everything her way.

a year after she moved to seoul, jaejun reached out to her after a year of very little contact asking if he could stay with her until he got himself on his feet. of course she said yes, and he moved in right away.

having him living with her was simultaneously the best and worst year of her life. the best because it was jj, the worst because of who he had become. she spent most nights waiting up for hours until he got home, constantly in a state of worry that ate away at her.

lucky for her ( i guess ) she doesn’t remember !! any of it !! because right before the two of them started attending crocus, jj wiped her memory of him and dipped.

because of that she has a lot of blank spots from her childhood. situations that don’t add up or make sense when she thinks back on them. found a shirt of his he forgot in the laundry and had no idea where it came from or why there was a guys clothing in her house. still wears the sunflower necklace he got her when they were thirteen but couldn’t tell you where she got it. 

when she started at crocus she was sorted into hyacinth. despite the house’s reputation for spitting out herbologists and seers, sunhi decided she wanted to be a field healer.

almost all of her professors tried to talk her out of it, saying that she was too softhearted for a job that draining, but that only made her want to do it more so she could prove to them ( and herself ) that she was strong and capable.

had a boyfriend for a little over a year. he sucked so she ended things to focus on school. she doesn’t really like to talk about him much because it’s still a touchy subject.

was somehow very involved but also very uninvolved with social activities at crocus. a bit of a floater, she never really settled into any particular groups of friends, instead casually befriending random people here or there. nothing really stuck though, because despite her extraverted and friendly nature she’s horrible at keeping up friendships.

graduated in the top of her class at the age of twenty one, and was quickly taken on for practical training at a magi hospital in seoul !! she’s currently employed there and mostly works with children ( even though she isn’t the biggest fan of them ) but is hoping to start field training once she’s done the basics.

just moved into a new, much nicer apartment !! thanks healer salary, u a real one !!

HEADCANONS & RANDOM FACTS:

literally probably the most social person on the planet. she will strike up a conversation with anybody anywhere because she’s just so curious about everything.

very organized and particular about her things and her space. her apartment looks like something out of home and garden and even her purse has a specially tailored organization system.

avid hockey fan !! will stay up into the wee hours of the morning to watch the live broadcast of nhl games. her favorite team is the montreal canadiens.

has a tendency to get very stressed very easily. one little thing can ruin her mojo for an entire day and she’ll be very snappy until something calms her down again.

claims to have a horrible memory because of how little of her childhood she can recall. little doES SHE KNOW !! IT AINT HER FAULT !!

is a vegetarian.

she’s so competitive it’s like an issue. she will compete with the person walking beside her down the street to see who can reach the crosswalk faster ( without even mentioning it to them ). she will even compete with herself as a way of “ self improvement. ”

pinky promises are a binding contract in her mind. will mumble a charm to herself upon making a pinky promise that will cause minor inconveniences for the other person if they should ever break their promise and not come clean about it. 

seems like the type of person who would like kids but she...really actually doesn’t. she finds them messy and annoying and she doesn’t ever plan on having kids of her own.

has a very impressive collection of scented candles.

when she’s at home she does not wear pants. she hates pants with a passion.

cannot leave the house without putting on mascara and lip tint, even if she’s just running to the mail box.

dresses like a grandpa.

cannot cook to save her life. she’s truly horrible at it, her mother is very disappointed.

keeps a very detailed planner, it’s always in her purse.

knows standard korean and when she’s working she speaks very professionally. when she’s anywhere else that busan satoori be poppin.

so loud. someone pls tell her to shut up.

if music is playing, she is dancing. she cannot be stopped. she’s just gotta groove.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

former classmates:

sunhi was a social butterfly in school and probably knew most of the people in her year !! tbh she probably knew most of the people not in her year as well. chances are if she attended school at the same time as your muse she would know them at least a little !

competitors:

was defs that bitch who always wanted to be top of her class, and if she knew someone else was trying to encroach on that she would get very riled up and very competitive.

friends:

pls. she loves basically everyone. 10/10 will always go to lunch or just to run errands with you if you asked because she just loves being around people.

coworkers:

other healers who maybe work at the same hospital as her ? pls.

That Ex From Crocus:

big oof. don’t wanna give too much detail for this connection cause i wanna leave it open ended !! only criteria is that the relationship did not work out. gimme this one for the angst !!

someone to teach her how to cook:

i’m begging. she can’t eat takeout forever. someone save this poor woman.

i’ll add more to this as time goes on, and i’m not limited to just these connections either !! i’m honestly down for pretty much anything, just say the word and i’ll probs do it cause i’m a hoe for plots uwu

[dc-x-readers]

Remnant (Jaime Reyes x Reader)

Request:  I love your imagines! :0 can i get a Blue Beetle x reader where the reader can talk to ghost so like when they both get weird looks when they "Talk to themselves?"

So this one is up super late because I think it fits into my Halloween series which is going on all October. Sorry about the lateness

Trigger Warning: Ghosts, mentions of death, sever self-hate

You had always been different, that is what you mother had called it when talking to your teachers or to her friends. 

Different, you had grown to despise that word.

Different, that’s what you were.

From a very young age you began to see the remnants of people who had past, laymen called them ghosts, but you knew better. They were remnants, remnants of a soul left behind, because sometimes not all of what was there is taken on to the afterlife, so often you are forced to see the ugly parts of a soul which has grounded itself to the human world.

They weren’t all bad, your best friend was a remnant, she was an old woman who died after a her struggle with alzheimer's finally got to her. The funny thing about Marge, you very good friend, is that she doesn’t realize that she died at the ripe age of eighty two, instead she thinks her life was cut short at seventeen. You never had the heart to tell her the truth, even though you mentor Constantine wanted to.

You loved Constantine like a father because he too was different, he didn’t see remnants, he saw demons and hell fire.

The two of you are both broken, but you put back the pieces of each other, mold your differences into one combines front against all supernatural evils. You completed each other.

Which was why you couldn’t understand why he wanted you to join a group of plucky sidekicks. You didn’t want to go, you wanted to hold onto John’s leg like a child and cry and scream for him not to leave you. It would be embarrassing, and if you thought for a second it would work you would be down on the ground bawling, but John doesn’t care about feelings as much as results. So you were to remain with the plucky sidekicks, another place where you would be different.

“I will remind you,” Constantine said taking a drag of his cigarette, “you too are a plucky sidekick.”

You let out an indignant huff, and next to you Marge let out a mock gasp at your mentor’s words. “I am anything put plucky.” you muttered pulling at a bracelet around your wrist.

John laughed taking another puff of his cigarette before stepping into the Zeta Tube. You followed behind reluctantly with Marge at your side. She gave you a comforting smile, which you returned before you were teleported within Mt. Justice.

When you got there John was already starting and argument, because of course he was, this is John Constantine you are talking about. John was taking a long drag from his cigarette, and a man in all black except a cobalt blue bird insignia kept yelling at John. Behind the man were two other teen boys, one sheathed in blue body armour, the other in a cream white and scarlet red catsuit. You almost shuttered.

“Tacky.” Marge whispered in your ear, echoing your thoughts, causing you to giggle. The two teens looked over at you, but you quickly turned to face Constantine instead, trying to figure out why he was fighting this time.

“You can’t smoke in here.” The man in black said annoyed, his tone too loud for something as foolish as this.

“For God’s sake John, just put out the cigarette now and light another when you leave. Stopping smoking for three seconds won’t delay your death by much.” You called over to him, and John’s hazel eyes turned towards you before sigh and stomping his cigarette beneath his boot. You smiled in satisfaction, knowing you won.

“Thank you...” The man trailed off realising he didn’t know your name.

“Y/N.” You supplied helpfully, and the man nodded.

“Codename?” He asked.

Codename? Why would you need a codename, very few demons or supernatural beasts get tripped up by a secret identity.

“Oh, name yourself The Seer.” Marge said dramatically, striking a pose to prove her point. You laughed at your friend, which you realised looked bad in front of people who don’t know you, or about your abilities.

Quickly you sobered up, “Just Y/N.”

The man nodded, before introducing himself as Nightwing, and the boys behind him were Jaime and Bart, otherwise known as The Blue Beetle, and Impulse. They were to be your new team. Team Omega.

“See ya’ round kiddo.” Constantine smiled, ruffling your hair before turning around to leave.

“Hey!” You shouted, unable to leave it at that. This man had been the first person to ever understand you, he was the first person that helped you grow you talent and use it for something good. This was the man who you had spent that last year and a half of your life with, and you were not letting him go without at least a hug dammit. So you raced to your pseudo father figure, and wrapped your arms tightly around his waist.

It was awkward for a second, John not knowing what to do with you, but he gently put his hand on your shoulders and patted your back gently, “You better not go to Hell before I’m back.” You whispered angrily, and John laughed, before prying himself away from you.

“No promises love.” He said, and walked toward the Zeta Tube to return to Chaz and his cab, “Don’t get into too much trouble yeah?” He said before the Zeta Tube dematerialized him and sent him back far away from your reach. Marge put a comforting hand on your shoulder, and you nodded at her reassurance.

“Hey if you need you can hug me too.” Bart’s voice interrupted your thoughts, and you turned to face the two boys who would become your teammates.

“Bart!” Jaime chastised sounding slightly annoyed at his friend.

You looked at him and noticed something you hadn’t seen before, a shimmer of a remnant attached to the Blue Beetle suit. It grew stronger by the second, pulsating around the suit in an almost mechanical fashion.

You briefly wandered if Jaime knew he had a ‘ghost’ attached to him. You decided not to ask.

“So what do you guys do around here for fun?” You asked, and Bart launched into an excited tirade about all of the best pizza joints in the town.

A month later and you were finally feeling apart of the team, they’d given you a few minor missions to go on with Team Omega, and you got into the swing of working with multiple people. It was very different than working with John, because he didn’t like anyone else in harm's way unless they absolutely had to be. For the first time you were able to feel the exhilaration of a mission and it was honestly intoxication.

The longer you stayed in Mt. Justice the more the Remnants came out to get to know you, you had met Wally, who seemed fine with being a remnant, but sometimes seemed to forget you were the only one who could see him and would begin to flirt with a girl named Artemis. You had also met Jason, he was a bitter Remnant who blamed his brother Dick for letting him die and letting their father replace him. And there were others who clung to certain hero’s so hard that you weren’t able to have a good conversation with them.

“You know what I miss most about being alive?” Wally mused one night in the common room, it was currently two AM and you were having a bonding session with a few of the remnants away from the prying eyes of the team. Even though you had started to trust them, you still couldn’t bare the thought of them seeing you as different.

“Ice Cream?” Marge supplied, looking longingly at the freezer in the other room.

“Being able to punch things?” Jason asked, and you turned to look at the remnant that held so much raw anger, you wonder what the rest of his soul was like sometimes.

“Being able to talk to people?” You threw out, because you knew that talking to just one person could get old really fast, she found that out with Bart. As much as she liked the small spunky boy he was too wound up all the time.

Jaime on the other hand...

You shook your head a blush forming on your cheeks. You forced yourself to focus back on what Wally was saying. “The sex.” Wally grinned.

Marge looked scandalized at Wally’s words, and Jason just looked grossed out, “Wally, Jason is ten!” You chastised.

“So?” Wally shrugged, then he examined your face, “Oh, someone's thinking about Jaime. Come on, we all know it, and we’re your best friends. Go on ask me something about Jaime, I’m ready.” Wally teased, and the crimson blush that had previously just dusted your cheeks, now deeped into looking like someone had painted your face red.

“Hey, shut up.” You stuttered out.

“Who are you talking to.” A voice called from behind you, and you turned around alarmed to see Jaime, most of his scarab suit on, save for the helmet, allowing you to see his pretty face.

Around you you could hear the laughter of your remnant friends, no doubt enjoying your discomfort. You wanted to scream at them, those bastards.

“Oh, no one.” You tried to sound flippant, “Just on the phone with John. Alright bye John gotta go.” You pretended to hang up the phone, but it didn’t look like Jaime believed you for a second.

Jaime stepped closer to you, examining the empty- to his eyes- common room, before letting his chocolate brown eyes settle on you again. You felt yourself squirm under his stare, behind you the sound of Wally and Marge’s laughter echoed while Jason made a gagging noise consistent with most ten year old’s views on romance and dating.

“Don’t lie to me Y/N.” Jaime sighed, “I see you doing it all the time, talking to yourself.”

“I am not!” You yelled louder than intended, causing Jaime to shrink back slightly. You couldn’t help the outburst, your entire life people have thought you were crazy for talking to yourself, and you didn’t want your teammate, the one you had slowly been falling for to see you the same way.

Marge cat closer you you and placed a ghostly hand on your shoulder, causing you to shiver, but you appreciated the sentiment.

“Sorry.” Jaime mumbled quietly.

“No.” You sighed, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have snapped, it’s just... I see remnants, or well ghosts.”

Jaime looked at you in surprise, he seemed to think this was some sort of prank. Tears welled in your eyes. You didn’t want Jaime to see you as a joke. All you wanted was to go back to Constantine, to fit into his weird supernatural world and stop being... different.

“Are there any in here?” Jaime finally asked, snapping you out of your spiral of dark thinking. You looked around at Marge, Wally, and Jason. Then to the remnant that wouldn’t show his face but always clung to Jaime. Should you tell him?

You nodded slightly, and Jaime grew wide eyed looking around. You heard Jason snicker at Jaime’s discomfort, and you gave him an accusing glare.

“There are four in here, Wally and Jason say they know you.” You spoke trying to ease Jaime’s fears.

“And the other two?” Jaime asked.

“Well Marge is here, she’s my best friend, but there is one more, he is attached to you. I don’t know why.” You said.

Jaime’s eyes grew wide before he turned around and ran away. The tears were falling from your eyes openly, you were too different from him to care about you. You are a freak.

Marge tried to whip the tears from your eyes, but her hand ghosted through you body, Wally was telling you everything would be okay, and Jason already rolled up his sleeves going on about he was going to teach Jaime a lesson.

At the end of the day you were still different, but at least you had your remnants.