#(( think about the children nel ))

[pcndaemonium]

"Atharia, darling, could you pass me a beaker of Centaur spinal fluids?" -> Neltharion

With both hands, she gently grabbed one of the whelps and sat it back down on the floor, preventing it from disturbing her work further. The whelp screeched in displeasure about the treatment from its mother yet obeyed her silent command: Don't get on her working desk. Instead, it eyed the aspect from its ruby eyes as he was sitting not far from her desk. Atharia's golden jewellery, that decorated her pale horns, jingled quietly upon turning her head toward him. " You are asking for a treat, " she wanted to know and grinned impishly. " Have you done anything to deserve a treat? " Though calling her darling already nudged her into giving into his request of passing him a beaker of the spinal fluid which she often kept for the whelps as a reward for behaving well.

Hearing such from him tugged at something within her body, making her essence tingle in a strange fashion she was unable to place. It often brought a faint shimmer to her cheeks - a shimmer she tried to conceal as well as she could, for he was not allowed to witness it. Even now did she turn away from Neltharion and back to her work. " We would give the whelps an ill example if I just rewarded you for doing nothing special. They are already spoiled enough. " But how would he try to earn it? Or would he simply take it, now that Atharia had rejected his request?

@earthwarden

[yanderefairyangel]

Alright after reading something on twitter, I re-re-read Alear and Rafal' PR support.

Saying that since Divine dragon and Fell dragon have a common ancestor in the Fell Xenologue, Nil's personality was more alike of a Divine dragon then a Fell dragon and that the reason why they are called a failure is because of their sweet character, and thus is the reason why they are more likely to be either disposed of or die due to the hostile environnement they live in, making them easier target and then... my brain was like

"So... when he said "such a sweethearted evil dragon would have died first thing in the morning in my world"... was it because Alear's kind nature reminded him of Nil....? "

...

Excuse me * rolls on the floor and cries*

[elysianstars]

Painful Fell Dragon thought of the day: What if the gift of Nel's dragonstone is what ultimately got Nil killed?

So, Xenologue Sombron sent his offspring into battle while they were still very young. Nil and Rafal were clearly nowhere near adulthood, when they were thrown against enemy soldiers (even accounting for Engage's anime art style, and the dragons' weird ageing process). Which makes me wonder how those soldiers – composed of humans and Divine Dragons, the supposedly more morally upstanding side – were okay with killing children, who'd been given no choice in the matter? Because that sounds like war crime behaviour from both sides.

If a few were regrettably caught in crossfire, because the Divine side didn't realise what was happening, that's one thing. But I doubt this was an isolated incident, with Nil and Rafal being the only 'failures' sent off in that manner. Not with the general Hunger Games mindset that was going on in Gradlon.

So, who was targeting them regardless? I'm going to say humans, because human soldiers would feel weaker and more desperate, facing off against dragons. We're told that dragons are physically superior, stronger and faster, so even a child might be a threat to them.

...Especially one who wore a dragonstone on his chest, hinting at the ability to become a much bigger, deadlier creature. Maybe it'd be possible to spare the others, but a child who could transform would be significantly higher up the hit list, for anyone with knowledge about their species. Don't you think so?

What if the enemy was afraid of Nel's dragonstone, assumed that Nil was a powerful foe, and went out of their way to erase him?

Obviously this is pure speculation, and there's nothing in canon to explain why Nil died while Rafal managed to live. But that sure would be some excruciating irony, wouldn't it?

[thelandswemadeofpaper]

I can't hardly blame Tolkien for spending so much time creating names and cultures, its so fun!

I - finally - have courage to actuallly develop the crossovers and plots I have been writing and slowy creating in my head

And making up names and customs for my favorite Arda's people (my beloved Easterlings) is awesome. I need to be careful so I don't 'sanctify' them, for lack of better words, as much some people love to make them Feminism, Queer Accepting, Not-Racist, Unflawed just like some people do in real life with Native American Cultures.

I genuine thinking about men having more than one wife like some cultures had, not that I approve or fetish it, its just...historical? In some parts of Middle-East? I just don��t want to make Arda Eastern Culture...perfect?

What I can do to make them more 'feminist' is that, since so many men die in Sauron's army, and Easterlings are mostly trying to survive in a bad enviroment, its won't be historically incorrect for women to take men roles becaus of necessity

My Easterling names and words so far

Enni:

Kurma

Tenka

Vika

Viya

Kurko

Kurya

Naku

Rutta

Nysa

Wyla

Penthu:

Freggo

Briegga

Brinna

Adhina

Kuhina

Mharai

Inra

Runa

Welfa:

Oresha

Araya

Suriki

Yefa

Karuk:

Gretta

Dhurara

Kulthan

Valko

kheda (widow)

bri (beauty)

hina (bride)

ku (sea)

van (clan)

nel (woman)

nul (man)

Nelva (literally 'house of women', the place where widows and women whose husbands are away live with their younger children and orphans)

The tribes are deeply intertwined due to the constant exterminations of their people done in the past, both by Edain and Orcs alike, many parts of their cultures were lost, but those that remained were adapted among them

Although they can no longer say they have 'nobles', each tribe is divided into clans, each one proud eith their crafts and all following the same naming system. A single syllable added to the sufix '- van', while they don't have surnames, the firstborn naturally has the syllabe in their names (like the head of Tuivan could be named Tuikan or Tuimer), in daughter or a second son's name its optional

The Karuk and the Welfa are more present in the Sauron's army than the two others tribes, for their weapon and horse skils are more prized there and, with exception of Enni's boat-building and navigation skills, the sea tribe mostly contribute by farming and fishing. The Penthu are forced to give up their elaborate arts and gifts in exchange for more useful crafts produced in mass.

However they have an upper class, those who remain wealthy and powerful despite the ruin of their homeland and its inhabitants, allying themselves with the Dark Enemy in search of glory and participating in the terrorization of their own folk

This is my first time actually writing beyond just random making ideas like that post in 2022

I still starting and I want it to be a crossover, so still in making

Easterling, a simple term, often spoken with anger, fear and mockery, soon lost his original meaning. A vast word that embraced all the folks that lived beyond the Sea of Rhun. From the wild Karuk horsemasters, the skilled artesans of Penthu with their pottery, glasses and paint, the fierce warriors born in Welfa, and those that lived and died in the cold blue rivers of Enni.

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

TW: Child on child sexual assault, I recently realized that I was the perpetrator and a victim. I describe what I did plainly but not graphically. I want to know what I should do, and if there’s anything I can do to lessen the pain of the child I molested.

Hi, You can call me Nel. I’m 20 now and I’m coming to terms with the fact that I am a child molester. When I was about 12 years old I was changing the diaper of this 4 year old little boy and I squeezed his penis. It was out of curiosity and it was a brief squeeze and I never did anything like that again and I thought so little of it at the time (which makes me sick to think about now), that I didn’t even really start thinking about it until a couple years later when I’d unpacked my own sexual assault and come to terms with the reality that girls could in fact rape boys. As I say all this I am aware of what I did and how much I undoubtedly hurt that little boy. Again, at the time I didn’t even view what I was doing as sexual, just as satisfying my curiosity as I’d never seen a penis before. But now of course I realize that what I did was in fact sexual assault and that it was harmful and evil and I was at the age where I should have known better. I’ll probably never see the child I assaulted again but I want to know if there’s anything I should/can do to lessen his pain or redeem myself? When I was assaulted it was by a child who was only a couple years older than me so I don’t think my emotions surrounding that situation can be applied here. The thing is that I don’t think he remembers what happened so I think finding him apologizing to him would be more harmful than beneficial. I just want to know what I should do now that I’ve come to the realization.

Hi Nel,

Children's frontal lobes, which are responsible for rationalization and judgment, are not fully developed, meaning that they can make poor choices or not completely understand the consequences of the choices they make. This includes 12-year-olds. While older children can sometimes assist with diaper changes if properly taught, the primary responsibility should ideally rest with adults or mature caregivers who can ensure it's done safely and appropriately.

It was wrong to do what you did and it's important to take ownership and accountability for your past actions, but also important to consider the context of your cognitive development at the time, the fact that you hadn't seen a penis before, as well as your history of abuse. It would be very different if you had done this as a fully grown adult.

As for what to do now, it's great that you have the empathy and remorse to want to apologize or potentially offer closure. However, it's best not to reach out to him. It's important to give him the autonomy to reach out to you on his own terms if he wants.

The best thing you can do now is take the way you feel about what happened and use it towards building self-compassion and self-work so that this not only doesn't happen again, but you can learn to enjoy your life without feeling guilty or undeserving. While not everyone can access or afford it, if this experience is truly plaguing you, therapy may be an invaluable asset in unpacking and working through these emotions and beliefs about yourself.

I hope I could help and please let us know if you need anything else.

-Bun

[ingek73]

Harry and Meghan in Jamaica are soft-power dynamite. Britain is left with kryptonite William and Kate

Nels Abbey

At times like these, it’s clear that the Sussexes represent a missed opportunity for a UK that needs friends in the world

Fri 26 Jan 2024 11.25 CET

Left to right: the Duchess and Duke of Sussex; the Jamaican prime minister, Andrew Holness, and his wife, Juliet; and its culture minister, Olivia Grange, at the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Kingston on 23 January 2024. Photograph: Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures,

A popular Nigerian adage says “the cow never knows the value of its tail until it is chopped off”. In many tragic ways, this speaks to today’s Britain. From EU membership, to competent leadership, to low inflation, it seems necessary for Britain to lose things to appreciate their importance.

This week, look at Prince Harry and Meghan being feted in Jamaica. See the soft-power skills they carry with them, and think about that Nigerian adage.

In much of the British media, Harry and Meghan are all-year panto villains. But around the world, they could not be more loved – often for the very reasons they are despised in the British media. They are the soft power we could have enjoyed with the increasingly dominant, increasingly self-confident non-white world, especially the Commonwealth.

It’s not just that they are royals. Prince William and Kate headed to “no problem” Jamaica in 2022, and encountered problems aplenty. As their PR fiasco unfolded, they were derided for shaking hands with Jamaican children through wire fences, and for motoring viceroy-style through crowded streets in a fancy Land Rover. At the nightmare’s end, Jamaica basically handed Britain its P45, informing the royals of its intention to be a republic, to “move on”.

View image in fullscreenPrince Harry larks about with Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, 2012. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA

Still, Harry has something the royals he left behind and the likes of Chillax Cameron can never have. He has familiarity, an ease with difference – and he has Meghan.

In 2012, he also had the love of the UK press and public. He was praised for his warm embrace of the then Jamaican PM, Portia Simpson-Miller, and was photographed larking about with Usain Bolt. “He has shown himself to be a natural ambassador, a diplomat in a very real sense – one hug from him has (at least partly) dissipated the bad feeling of generations … It is inconceivable that any other royal could have pulled this off quite so effectively,” gushed the Mail on Sunday.

‘God Save the King’ doesn’t fall from Jamaican lips so easily. Soon we’ll be a republic

Barbara Blake-HannahRead more

But that was then, before the British media’s own version of Orwell’s “two minutes hate” became a thing. Now, much of the press sees Harry and Meghan glad-handing and being glad-handed in Jamaica, surfing the love at the premiere of the Bob Marley biopic, and they don’t much like it. “Meghan and Harry pose next to anti-royal Jamaican prime minister who wants to ditch the monarchy and warned Wills and Kate they’ll never be king and queen of his nation – as Charles undergoes prostate surgery and the Princess of Wales recovers in hospital,” thundered the Mail. “The hubris of Harry and Meghan’s Jamaican photoshoot,” snorted the Spectator. “Crown fools: ‘Provocative’ Harry & Meghan spark royal row as they meet Jamaican politicians plotting to oust Charles as head of state,” jeered the Sun.

Britain understood Harry’s value and soft power in 2012, so what changed? Answer: Harry fell in love with, and married, a Black woman. That could have been a boon for this country, here and abroad; instead it’s a might-have-been. And what might have been to our reputational benefit is what has been happening in Jamaica.

The UK headlines and sour grapes tell you one thing: we messed up and we know it. Meghan was, and remains, soft-power dynamite, and all we have now is the soft-power kryptonite of Wills and Kate and the Windsor “firm” that spurned her. Still, that’s us: we never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

Nels Abbey is a writer, broadcaster and former banker. He is the founder of Uppity: The Intellectual Playground

[pinoysol]

One thing on my mind a lot is the fact that Harribel’s hole is in her womb.

I just did the new point event quest in BBS and just seeing how sweet and kind this woman is just *chefs kiss*. Her fracciones were so worried about her being tired and she was like “I feel better by you guys being here”. LIKE SHE WOULD BE AN AMAZING MOM, IF SHES THIS SWEET LIKE SHE WOULD BE A WONDERFUL MOTHER LIKE GUYS LISTEN. It was mentioned somewhere, I don’t remember where but basically Nel said that she has a soft spot for children AND people good with children. (I think it’s CFYOW).

Back to the topic of how she doesn’t have a uterus/womb I have a head canon about her:

- she is only missing her uterus, meaning she has her tubes and ovaries intact

And with this, if she wanted to have children she could either go to:

A) Urahara to make her an implant that would give her the temporary ability to get pregnant.

B) Ask Mayuri/squad 12, same thing but you know he would do research on the child instead of actual payment.

I might expand on this and write a short fanfic because EUGHEEDUSJSJ

I also hate the sexualization of her, like we get it she’s curvy womp womp, BUT LETS FOCUS ON HOW GOOD AND NICE OF A PERSON SHE IS. She’s one of my favorites because she is so chill and would rather not fight and rather have peace.

Anyways take some old Mom Harribel art (I think it’s from like 4-5 months ago??)

[maochira]

Hello! Can I ask you for headcanons about coaches + Ego as father(older brother idk) figures for NEO EL assistants please? Your writing is gem!

Tysm!!! I know I already have the father figure coaches and father figure Ego as separate series... BUT!!! I think they'd be a bit different with the NEL assistants, soooo....

Requests open! - NEL assistants masterlist

Tags: gn!reader, I have a huge father complex so this is quite self indulgent

Series synopsis: You, Claire (@deerangle3) and Mao (me) are assistants in the Neo Egoist League. (Note: Claire doesn't really see the coaches and Ego as father figures, so it'll only be you and me in this! Also I'm not doing Loki uhh but I might write something with him in the future!!)

Noa was trying so hard to stay professional, but something about seeing you and Mao running around the players, trying to keep up with their requests made him feel a bit protective whenever he saw you getting stressed. He always makes sure you get enough breaks and the way he talks to you sounds very fatherly.

Chris started calling you and Mao "kiddos" more as a nickname if he needed both of you at the same time, then he joked about you being like kids to him. What started non-serious as a joke developed into him actually feeling fatherly about you. After a bit, he actually starts calling himself your "dad" and even though he always says it in joking contexts, it's obvious that he's halfway serious about it.

Lavinho has never been that serious about treating you in a professional manner. He's very lighthearted and fun regarding your work and the task he gives you to do. Actually, he rarely gives you tasks anyways. Most of the time, he's just goofing around with you whenever the team doesn't need your assistance with everything. After he found out Chris calls himself your "dad" he started doing the same.

Snuffy started treating you and Mao as if you were his children right when you started working. It just feels the most natural to him, even though on a professional view, he has a higher position than you. But he doesn't want to see you as someone "superior" to him, but rather someone on an equal level. If you're stressed from work or have any other problems, he's always there to listen and has fatherly advice for you.

Ego was confused when he started feeling protective over you and Mao. After a few weeks of you working in Blue Lock, he started treating you more as if he's a father figure to you rather than a boss. Even though he isnn't used to feeling that way, he can't deny the way he feels about you.

[rosegrlwrites]

"I mean, speaking of children, what was Orym like as a kid? Was he always super serious like this? Or was he like a goofball?"

Alma laughed, gentle and bell-like. "I mean, he's always been a sweet little boy." 

"That's how I think of him!" The robit's eyes almost glowed with pride. Friendly pride, but pride all the same.

"He's been a handsome, stoic, very physically active child." 

"Oh yeah! Was he a captain of the football team?"

"I am a bit of a mama's boy." Orym shrugged.

"Did you ever get in trouble? Was he a troublemaker?"

"Oh, all the time!" Alma smiled warmly. "He was also very curious and he would wander into whatever strange nooks and crannies of the town that he could, and get lost often, and we had to retrieve him."

"I have been pretty high up in the central tree here in town."

"But he's a very good boy and he's made his mother very proud and many of us, very proud." 

"And I hope I keep that up."

"Oh, I'm sure you will. Just—" Alma reached out, gently touching Orym's face."Just don't be a hero if you don't need to be. All right? I want to see you come back home safe." 

"I only do what's called for, Mom."

"Of course." 

"Indeed." Leeta pipes up, patting the halfling on the shoulder. "He'd be very proud of you." 

Orym just throws his arms around her knees and hugs tightly. "Okay. Well, that's good. We'll see you soon."

"Indeed. We will."

"Do you remember the time Will fell out of a tree watching you train?" The entire group looked at Berenie. "He had climbed up into the branches and just stared for...I don't even know how long. He leaned forward too far and the branch snapped and you could hear it through all of Zephrah. He wouldn't talk about it for a week—just get all red when anybody mentioned it."

"There was the time he almost burnt down the house making dinner." Lita added.

"The chicken." Orym laughed quietly.

"He ruined half the flower garden training once." Nel sniffled. "Then he ruined it again picking ones for you."

"There was the time you two went stargazing and he didn't think to tell us." Maeve laughed. "We all thought you two had run off in the middle of the night until we found you both dead asleep in the grove."

"First time you sparred, he almost knocked you unconscious with the wooden sword. Didn't want to spar for a week after that." Derrig added, with nods from Nel.

And the stories keep going. Their first date, ruined by the rain. The first time Will took Orym home and all the sisters doted on him, asking him all sorts of things. Will proposing before Orym had a chance to. They're all teary again as Orym jumps in.

"One of the dates—I think the one before the stargazing—we just sat and talked for the longest time and we started talking about what we would do if we got married and what would happen in the future and where we would—" A broken sob is wracked from the halfling, torn from somewhere deep inside of him as he talks. "—where we would go after we got married and what he'd wear and what everything would look like—and where we would go if we ever decided to leave the Blades—he went on about seeing everything and anything—"

Oh, he'd be so proud of all Orym's done.

He's so proud of all he's done.

[lonelycowgirls]

Leather Bomb

I read Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid last year and much like pretty much everyone else on the planet, I loved it. The concept really inspired me and I've had this piece saved to my laptop for months, so I got home today and thought, "why not post it, we'll see what people think."

This is a little taster for it, I'm not 100% on a name for the series, I just wanted to test the waters. Of course, this is a work of fiction, so it's not tied to real-life events and timelines. It's just a bit of fun.

Enjoy, like and reblog.

Nel xo

~

Warnings: None

Word count: 1.7k

Interviewer: Veronica Styles… thanks so much for joining us.  I think I speak for everyone when I tell you how much of an honour it is for you to agree to a chat with us.

Veronica: The pleasure is all mine.  You have my rider… Styles gives me a wink from across the coffee table between us.

Interviewer: I’d love to go back to the beginning.  Your story is so fascinatingly illusive it seems almost a crime to not delve into the origins.  You’ve had an almost Priscilla Presley level of intrigue present in your life, tell me about how you dealt with that when you first met Harry.

Veronica: Well, it’s quite funny actually… to be here talking with you about this in this format.  It definitely makes me feel old.  Harry always used to say, ‘I’ll open up about our life when I’m old and grey and all this is a memory.’  She gestures to her white hair, as curly as it was when she was in her 20s.  Her husband famously said he would retire from the spotlight at 50 years old.  The musician has since recently released his 30th album at the age of 72.  It’s your lucky day, darling.  I suppose I can see how you would get to that comparison but it feels very strange to connect myself with Priscilla.  Elvis is an icon and was a real change of pace for pop culture in the 60s.  She pauses and then a cat-like smile slides itself across her face.  I suppose Harry was, is, very similar.  I know it’s reductive to think of him as simply a husband and a father but that is who he is to me, it’s difficult to see him as anything else.  To acknowledge your question, I simply didn’t deal with it.  It was very much a head stuck in the sand situation for me.  Harry was not an easy person to deal with in those days.  He’s mellowed out a lot now, granted he’s in his 70s and, if anything, more stubborn than ever.  But you see, Harry was a package deal.  To love him, was to love his lifestyle, his job, his fame, his manager, his publicist, and his fanbase.  She chuckles fondly, reminiscence present on her features.  We used to joke about how we were one step away from having his personal assistant in bed with us…  I dealt with that in my own way, and I suppose I have regrets when it comes to that.  I was very young… She answers coyly and open-ended; a Styles trademark.  I have a feeling I may have touched a slightly exposed nerve with my question.

Interviewer: You were 17 years old when you and Harry met.  Can you remember what your first thoughts were during that meeting?  People often talk about a shift when they meet significant people.

Veronica: I think I have a slightly tainted point of view on that sentiment.  It’s almost…  artificial.  Because, when we met it did feel very significant because everyone was telling me how significant it was.  So, while I absolutely agree that I knew I’d met someone special, it’s because I truly had.  I’d met someone that was incredibly famous, successful and who was culturally disruptive.  I suppose it wasn’t until later on that I realised it was a different kind of special.  A special that was going to have a personal effect on my life.

Interviewer: You couldn’t possibly have known at that time that you would marry this man and have children with him.  Did you have any inkling in yourself that you would even meet him again?

Veronica: I hoped that I would.  I used to always laugh when reading about people who fall in love with their future partners at the first meeting because I just didn’t think that was possible.  Harry and I were electric, we didn’t realise it at the time, but looking back it was truly a match of souls, as lovey-dovey as that sounds.  When you’re young, everything feels colossal in terms of importance.  Because as bad as it sounds, your world revolves around you.  And, I don’t know, hormones are raging and in abundance.  So, your reactions to things are super-powered.  I thought of nothing else after I’d met Harry.  He’s an old man now, but you have to understand the level of sexual magnetism he held, the charisma.  He was incredibly wanted and lusted after.  He was everything young girls wanted and dreamed of.  I was never immune to that, the usual trope is, ‘I liked her because she was different, she didn't fawn over me’.  I’m not admitting that I fawned, but I didn't have the cool girl demeanour people often attach to me.  I was very aware and receptive to his effect on me as a young woman.  So, yeah, I was desperate to meet him again once I had.  But more in the way of a teenager wanting to see her crush again; it was natural.

Interviewer: Can you remind us of that first meeting?

Veronica: Oh, gosh.  Okay, so Harry’s story is always different, to be honest, I don’t think he even remembers fully because parts of it change every time he tells it.  I laugh as she rolls her eyes.  All I know is he took a liking to me when we first met, but he didn't make much of an effort to follow up on that.  At that point, women were queuing up to offer him anything he wanted, and he didn't have time to pursue someone he didn't know or who wasn’t game for it, if you know what I mean.  His time was taken up, let's just say that.  So, anyway, we met at an arena; my friend and I had signed up for agency work at a hospitality company and we’d been sent out to Manchester International Arena, and they were hosting the Brits there.  So, we’d been put on VIP drinks service, Harry at that time, was not at VIP level, he’d get there eventually as we know.  But it was an odd time because he was very famous and beloved within his fanbase, but the general public were taking time to, kind of, catch up to that.  But his friend, Ed Sheeran, was enjoying the VIP experience and took Harry as a sort of unofficial plus one, I say unofficial but he was never kicked out so I don’t think anyone had a problem with him being there.  I was working the bar and I saw him standing around a tall table, chatting and laughing.  But he has this nervous tick, where he scratches the back of his neck and when he had long hair he’d toss it all forward, ruffle it up and then flick his head, kind of, off to the side and smooth it through his fingers.  He did that A LOT.  And I remember thinking, ‘this guy is gonna get a crick in his neck if he does that anymore tonight’.  But he did, and each time he did it he’d glance around him and then try to look interested in the conversation he was supposed to be having.  I only learned this was a nervous tick when I noticed his hands were shaking.  And I mean, shaking.  Anyway, I think I must have watched him do that about seven times before he looked around and caught my eyes.  I was very shy so I looked away immediately, I was so embarrassed but I couldn’t help but glance back and I saw him still looking with a smirk on his face.  But he also had this quizzical look in his eyes.  I always say to him, you looked at me like I was a crossword and you just couldn’t wait to get the last clue to complete it.  Very whimsical of me, I know.  She laughs again and fiddles with the ends of her hair, shaking her head thoughtfully.  She hasn’t made much eye contact with me by this time, choosing to glance just past me.   He didn't speak to me until the very end of the VIP service.  He came up and asked for my name.  I told him and he drew it out long in his accent, but not like my accent, I knew immediately he was from Cheshire.  It’s like a posh version of a proper northerner, he hates when I say that, so definitely put that in.  I bet you can’t believe how much I remember.  It’s sad, isn’t it?

Interviewer: Absolutely not, this is gold.  I don’t suppose you remember what he said to you?

Veronica: Not completely.  Probably something smug ‘cause he’s a cocky git when he wants to be.  She properly laughs.  I just know that I felt warmth when he was close.  He was very attentive and very easy to talk to… but very hard to actually draw anything significant from, you probably remember that from his interviews.  Before he left he decided to down his drink, not very impressively, and he stared at me while he did it.  He slammed his glass down on the bar, gave me a nod and then he was gone.

Interviewer: Okay, so you meet Harry at 17.  Then most people will be shocked to hear that you didn't meet him again until much later, is that accurate?

Veronica: Yes, a lot of people think that we are somewhat childhood sweethearts.  It was nice at the time for people to believe that.  Harry doesn’t like to talk about relationships at all in the public sphere, that’s why I’ve never actually spoken much to the media before now.  We didn't start actually seeing each other romantically until I was about… 23, I think?  So, he was 25, he’d left his band and gone out on his own.  Height of fame and success, he was seeing Camille Rowe, yeah… all that good stuff.  She seems uneasy again but shakes it off with a smile in my direction.  I’d just completed my degree and I was training as a nurse.  So… She pauses for a long time, almost a minute, staring and thinking.  This is a story that I don’t think anyone has heard before… it’s going to be odd telling it.  All I’ll say to preface it is that it is and was a real source of emotional turmoil for everyone involved.  I nod and try to ensure her that as a journalist, I personally cannot in good conscience take on a story that she doesn’t want to tell.  She reassures me.  I’m not getting any younger, it’ll be somewhat... freeing to finally open up about it.

Let me know what you think!

[yanderefairyangel]

Alright, comming back to the theory part 1 and 2

Hanging near the jpn side of the fandom is always interesting, really cause someone pointed out how Elyos and XenElyos are ... twin world.

“Twins in Japanese Culture: Superstitions and Beliefs” – Asian Journal USA

This is how twins are seen in jpn culture. Now, if you remember what the devs said about the DLC

There is something that lead at least one of the twin in pair in the DLC world to die. Nel lost Nil, Rafal his twin, Veyle hers too. Only one twin in the pair of twin survive. Only one 片割れ remains.

Apply this logic to the whole Engage world and you have it.

There is 2 Elyos : only one Elyos knows a bright future, the other one is a dead land.

There is 2 version of each indidvidual : one of them die, one survive. Alear dies, Alear survive in our world. The Royals are all dead, but in our world they are safe, Veyle is dead in that world, she is alive in ours. Marni, Griss and Zephia are dead, Madeline, Gregory and Zelestia are alive. Mauvier dies in the DLC, Mauvier lives in our world and is the only surviving member of the Hounds.

A japanese player pointed out that they spotted one of the Royal solider we fight in Firene's castle for training having a double in this world as well, and we kill him meaning we kill in the Fell Xenologue all the soldiers with whom we fight (can this game get any less darker ?)

And of course the fact that Isekai Alear outright refers to Alear as their 片割れ/fragment/twins

I already said it : Isekai Alear is the only one who use the word kataware to refer to their other self, in the Xenologue, Nel and Rafal use it exclusively to mean "twin".

It should also be noted that Nel Nil and Rafal's characterization and design are meant to mirror each other : similar yet distinct. Nel had black hair, Rafal and Nil white hair. Nel wears blue, her brothers pink. Nel is at first introuduced as cold and Nil as warm until the point where we realize that Nel hides her sweet character behind her cold facade which is as true for Rafal, but he is more arrogant. And the fact that Nel and Rafal's quote very often mirror each other. In the same way all the "kataware" are mirroring each other and even those that seems very alike such as Alear, Sombron and Mauvier end up with having distinct personality : Alear being more confident in this world, Sombron having different origins therefore motivations and Mauvier not being as passive.

This means that Elyos and XenElyos are twins world, forming a whole, a fragment of each other and it ties back to how choosing Alear's gender determine on whether or not they belong to the Fell or Divine dragon tribe, but also which world. We choose the world that survives, the "twin" that survive. (this game cannot stop can it)

In the fell xenologue's world, Fell dragon and Divine dragon are "twin tribes" from a common ancestor. This might not be the case for the MG story, but it also contributes to the whole "Fell/Divine duality" and it is once again a case of race surving over the other : in the Fell Xenologue, all the Divine dragons are dead. In the MG world, one survived with Alear.

This however means that Nel and Rafal didn't existed. Keep in mind what I said, they are refering to each other as a whole, a fragement of a whole. Yet only one twins survive, that's the rule of the Xenologue for each of the Fell children : if they are born as twins, this means they already have a 片割れ in this world, therefore they can't have one in our world. The surviving twin in the pair of fell twins corresponds to the surviving counterpart in the pair of alter ego.

And when you think about it, Rafal and Nel refering to their twins as half also explains why they need to be two to form a greater whole. Rafal lost his 片割れ, hence his other half when he was young and was feeling alone, incomplete this whole time. He then meet Nil that he describes using the same words as Nel, his hanshin/other half. And Nel herself lost that other half yet Rafal and Nel both replaced that missing half.

However, Sombron and Veyle have 片割れ/twin from another world, even if we do know that this Veyle would have a twin sibling. So the only way it can come together is comming back to this one idea : that they are splitted from one and only Fell children in our world.

For one Fell child we have two 片割れ who are 片割れ to each other. The one exception being Alear of course as they are not tied to Sombron between universe. In fact it seems that our Elyos is the only universe where Alear is linked to Sombron cause one of Rafal's pact ring wake up event is him going to your room and asking "hey, I wonder if there is a world where I can summon you as my Emblem" (my brain hasn't been the same ever since). Sombron also isn't linked to his ancestors since this isn't a universe constant (same for Maddie and Marni's parent) and the fell kids to their mother (since Veyle can't be half Mage dragon in the other world) but in Alear's case the whole 片割れ logic doesn't apply to them since they have the same 片割れ as the other member of the cast. For Veyle however, as she is dead in the begining of the DLC, we can assume she had a twin.

Regardless, the same way that in the DLC one 片割れ in a pair of twins dies, one 片割れ in a pair of "twins from another world" die with XenElyos, the twin world dying.

[elysianstars]

Part of being a fan of the Fell Xenologue, is frantically trying to come up with explanations for weird stuff the plot does.

Why do some people confuse both Alears, despite the gender swap? Why does Rafal not seem invested in Ivy's attempt to revive Sombron? What was Sombron actually trying to achieve with his heir/legacy nonsense, and how did Rafal expect to do that properly without understanding it? Why was Nil, the weaker and less useful twin, getting sent off to battlefields without Nel? Why could Alear only sense something strange about Nel's dragonstone, and Zelestia identify that as Sombron's magic, after it was shattered? How did Sombron, the world's worst parent, manage to spot the difference between Nil and Rafal? Why are Nel and Rafal not doing anything during Chapter 21 of the main story, if you have them recruited at that point? When did Gradlon sink during the Xenologue timeline, and if it was after Sombron's first defeat then where were all his surviving offspring hanging out for the next thousand years?

I've got elaborate headcanon answers for the majority of those, which let me sleep at night, but literally every time I replay, more questions manifest to torment me. Here's the latest set.

1. After the battle in Firene, why does nobody ask how the Bracelet of the Brash General came to be awakened with Fell power? Obviously 'Nil' knows, because he did it. Nel suspected the royals were Corrupted, and it would make sense that whatever Fell sibling was responsible for that would have woken the Bracelet at the same time. So she's got a working theory that she'd rather not discuss yet. But neither Alear nor Zelestia suspects that, so why do they never question who's going around messing with these Emblems, without actually stealing them?

2. I always had the strong impression that Nel and 'Nil' ditched their family a long time ago, and were living in Lythos for most of the thousand year peace. But in one of Zelestia's supports with Madeline, she claims the twins didn't appear until Sombron 'showed signs of returning'. Which makes far less sense, since where does that place them for the last several centuries? In a Gradlon which may or may not have been underwater? Surrounded by hostile siblings, who only learned not to openly talk about murdering 'Nil' because Nel slaughtered the last group who did that? Choosing to deal with an atmosphere like that for centuries? Or were they just wandering the world minding their own business, in which case why is that period never referenced, and why bother ever showing up at Lythos? It doesn't give Nel much time to fall in love with Xeno Alear either, when it's said she felt that way for years.

The other possibility – and I've never considered it before, but the Xenologue is SO agonisingly vague with timelines that I suppose it can't be fully discounted – is that Nel and Rafal aren't actually thousand-year-old dragons born during the first war, they're only teenagers born during the second war. But that also doesn't make sense, since it would have necessitated Sombron being around for at least a couple of decades after his return, plus where did the mothers of these brand new children come from? Were they just floating around in possibly-underwater Gradlon, waiting a thousand years to be impregnated while having no ambitions of their own? Or did they get resurrected alongside him in a package deal?

...I really don't think any explanation works, aside from Nel and Rafal being long-term residents of Lythos.

Nel says she cut ties with Sombron during the last war, but you could interpret that as either running away, or openly fighting against him. Sombron, in the flashback that seems to be placed shortly before Xeno Alear kills him, says it had been 'some time' since the twins betrayed him, and that Nil died 'long ago' (yet isn't it the Bracelet of the Three Houses he's shown with, and wasn't that in Divine Dragon hands, so it could be sealed in the Somniel?). Rafal refers to his residence in Lythos as an 'age of lies'. Everything is 'for a time' and 'not long after' without giving numbers, and those phrases become increasingly vague when they're being spoken by individuals who measure their lifespans in thousands of years. We don't even know how long the Divine Dragon has been dead for – months? Years?

'Showed signs of' is another unspecific phrase. You can show signs of something that doesn't actually happen in full until many years later. You can show signs of something you've already been doing for many years in secret. I don't have the energy to compare the JP text and see if there's any differences. Sorry Zelestia, I'm going to have to ignore your single obscure comment as either a mistake by the writing team, or just you being forgetful because you're so old.

Otherwise I'd have to rewrite around 100,000 words of fanfic as not being canon compliant enough, can you imagine the pain of that.

3. In one of Rafal's bond conversations with Emblem Celica, he asks if her warp magic could be used to travel between countries. But isn't that exactly what he does, after showing his true colours in the Xenologue? How else does he transport an unconscious Alear from Elusia to Solm, seal them in the desert ruins, then race all the way back to Elusia in time for Nel to be none the wiser? His later warping has a stronger basis in the game's mechanics (abducting Nel in a way that's similar to an Entrap staff, then blinking over to the Somniel because the previous Divine Dragon must have given him the blessing). But that particular cross-country event? If he can do it regularly, it would also explain how he can rampage around Corrupting the entire world's royals without Nel realising, but hello, where does this power come from? And where does it go, once he's recruited and just has to walk places normally like a loser.

Additionally, I do enjoy when characters say things which are painfully ironic in hindsight. Zelestia saying in an early chapter how it's so fortunate Nel and 'Nil' never lost their other half, and 'Nil' is just like yeah, haha, that sure is great isn't it...

Sadly I will continue to try and deal with Fell Xenologue's problems forever, because it gave us the gift of not one but two hot murderous bisexual dragons acting completely unhinged, and to me that's worth digging through any number of plot holes for.

[the---hermit]

end of the year book tag 2023

I did this tag last year more or less at this time. This book tag was created by Ariel Bissett over on youtube, and I recently heard her talking about it again in her podcast, which is how I got the inspiration of doing it again this year. As I think I have also mentioned last year when doing this, I tend to be a mood reader so planning my next reads never really works, but it's fun to sit down and reflect a bit on what is coming next into my reading life before the year is over.

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

As I am writing this I have three main books I am in the middle of: Hell Followed With us by Andrew Joseph White, Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson and Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker. I have technically also started reading Walden by Thoreau a while back, but I don't have a plan to finish it quickly, it's more one of those books I read a little bit every once in a while when I feel like it, because I want to grasp as much as I can and while I am also taking classes and studying for exams I always struggle a bit with enjoying non-fic on my own.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

I am once again doing this tag in the middle of autumn, so idk how much it counts, but I don't think I have a proper autumnal book on my tbr/wishlist. I am still waiting to get the sixth volume of Something Is Killing The Children, which is an horror graphic novel so that might count as a spooky season book. But I don't really wait spooky season to read horror books.

Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

As I mentioned the sixth volume of Something Is Killing The Children has very recently came out here in Italy and I am desperately waiting to find a copy of it. I am also waiting to get Bookstores And Bonedust by Travis Baldree which is coming out at the beginning of November. There are a couple of other 2023 releases I still haven't got my hands on but I don't know yet if I'll get them before the year ends (mainly He Who Drowned The World by Shelly Parker Chan, and The Land Of Lost Things by John Connolly). I am also waiting for the release of the final book in the locked tomb series but I don't think a release date has been set yet? (and regarding that I have yet to decide what I want to do because I would like to get physical copies of the English editions, but it will be a future me problem to solve).

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

One of my goals for 2023 is the read all the books I have bought this year, or at least as many as I can. I must say I have been very good with this goal, but I do have a couple of books that have been sitting on my shelf for a while. I don't know if I'll get into the right mood to read them before the year ends but I will add a couple of those to this list. The first one is Nel Buio Della Casa by Fiore Manni and Michele Monteleone. It's an horror novel of the hauted house genre which is one of my favourites but for some reason I haven't picked it up yet. Next is a book I cannot wait to pick up The Ballad Of The Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde, I love this author and after reading De Profundis earlier this year I have been really intrigued by this poem. Finally I bought a prose edition of The Odyssey and I might end up picking it up before the year ends.

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

Not really? I expect to love a lot of the books I'd like to read before the end of the year but there's a couple of books I read this year that I doubt can be topped (Gideon The Ninth being at the top of that list alongside The Priory Of The Orange Tree).

Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

I actually have, weirdly enough. I was thinking about goals for next year and I think I will definitely keep the goal of trying to read all/ most of the books I buy during the year. I certainly need to find a way to read more of the books that have been on my shelves for years, so I will have to think of a more structured plan to reach that goal. I am also considering to create a goal to finally complete my Neil Gaiman collection since this year I have read all of the books by him I own. That could be a fun goal I think. Lastly I'd like to try and get as many books as I can second hand. It's not really super easy for me to do, because where I live there are no second hand book stores, and generally what I look for is quite difficult to find in regular shops, but there's a few exceptions, like classics for example are easier to thrift. Again these are more brain dump thoughts than an actual plan, but it's more than what I had last year at this time.

(no pressure) tags: @just-a-cup-of-anxietea, @fluencylevelfrench, @dreamofghosts, @upside-down-uni, @la-galaxie-langblr

[fellmonarch]

♛ ━━━ 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 : 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄. / 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 & 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬.

care to fame, Sombron is a complicated character to insert into otherwise casual interactions, especially with his tendency to prefer directness over connecting with others. thus, I had to alter a few plots to provide a gap for us, as the writers, to work within without retracting the joy of the mission. bear with me as I wrestle him further into his disguise; and similarly, understand that the majority of these plots may be slightly aggressive in terms of bonding! since he doesn't believe in that, of course, which is totally real and totally makes sense.

as always, the cap of threads I'm willing to take is three to five, with the exception of greeting asks spilling over into their own interactions. I am also not taking up any plots that are not listed here, since I likely won't have a proper reason to include Sombron there without causing a few contingency errors in and out of character. but despite that, if any of these itches your fancy, then contact me on Discord through the server, DMs, or comment on this post and I'll get back to you once available.

SOMBRON IS AN UNAFFILIATED MUSE, THEREFORE HE CAN BE ASSIGNED TO MISSION PLOTS AS NEED BE.

#MISSION BOARD.

ANY SKILL +1 : this hunter has not been hunted since he was a young babe, showing off his growing fangs to the only mother proud enough to spy his sharpening adolescence. all this is to say is that Sombron is not afraid of these monsters, nor is he amused by their intelligence; for any being that prides their mind above his isn't as smart as they claim. in his experience, monsters will bend to their instinct no matter how great their will, so his methods are. . . questionable. questionable as in he will offer these monsters the delicacy of flighty prey to appease their ego and thrill of a chase. however, Sombron's role in this is the executioner, so either your muse will agree to fill the sheepskin of the victim, aid him in finding a less fortunate bystander, or you'll learn he is not foreign to the art of creating sacrifices from unwilling patrons. / TAKEN BY SOJI & RAFAL

STRANDED BY SHORE : surviving in the wake of disaster is a skill he was forced to learn at an unfairly young age, and one he sought to teach to his children hands - on. so, having to remember all he learned, and why, is an introspective thrill I would love to explore. for narrative purposes, the storm is likely still a remnant in the air surrounding the isle, since anything else is likely weather he can fly through ( whilst leaving your muse, I'm sorry ) . preferably, this can be taken up with a muse who is knowledgeable on survival techniques, since anyone else will be seen as a liability and thus, a one - course meal instead of an ally. unless. . . you want that and like the thought of fending him off while trying to survive. we can likely make a game out of this, if so.

AUTHORITY +1 : less likely to revolt because of physical grievances, more likely to revolt because of the distaste that accompanies an overly qualified worker beneath an incompetent boss. he's already beneath two authority figures as of waking here, and he's not willing to add a third to the dreaded list. however, Sombron is willing to work aside someone to overthrow the respective supervisor of their team; as long as you're willing to get your hands dirty with his twisted morality. the plan is simple: kill the supervisor, assume their position, and gather the respect of the workers for liberating them— all before you work them to their hardest! easy, right? unless you're mortified by his ideology and wish to stop his ridiculous plan before the cycle repeats. / TAKEN BY ASTER & ALEAR

FLYING +1 : i swear i have an idea give me a minute just think about the differences between taming beast and human and the value of both before and after entertaining their purpose just think about t / TAKEN BY NEL & MICAIAH

#NON - MISSION BOARD.

FAITH +1 : I want this one so badly, I'm willing to sell my heart to write this. however, the likelihood of Sombron allowing himself to be the subject of a self - imposed exposure, especially when he believes fears are beneath his kind, is low to zero. thus, we have to bend this reality just a bit. imagine that the guru is attempting a spell for a loving, paying customer's complex fear when— oh no!— the magic is disturbed by a mistake, rocketing out of the guru's grasp and into two people passing by; our muses! the horror! in order to get out of this strange limbo, the guru tells you two that you have to face the fear head - on and release your belief in it. the good news is that you don't have to pay for the mistake, though the chances of obtaining financial compensation from him are unlikely. the bad news, though, is that you both are entrapped in the same spell, facing both your fears and each other's. . . / TAKEN BY NEURO & MORION, LEON & VEYLE

[twistedisciple]

♡  — How would your muse define love? Do they believe in soulmates? Do they believe this definition of love is achievable?

Life Philosophy HCs | not accepting

This question was also sent by @rafent

So glad you asked! This post is long overdue and would be a separate meta if I had gotten to writing it sooner.

Love is actually the reason I don't find it appropriate to label Griss as a true psychopath. He's not callous, despite his penchant for violence, and most of his actions can be attributed to his definition of love. I've drawn from three canon lines for this interpretation. The first is from the end of Chapter 23:

Zephia: [...] Why should I die in the dust, while he... While he gets everything he wanted, just like that. Does that seem fair? Now that they know about the shard, they're sure to break it... and he'll know I've met my end--that he's lost me forever. Griss: You gotta really love somebody... if you wanna hurt 'em that badly.

The second is actually from Gregory at the end of chapter 4 of the DLC, when the Winds discuss Nel's heartbreak over Alear:

Zelestia (about Nel): [...] It's only natural she might need some time to herself after that. Mauvier: Ah. I see. Gregory: People's hearts are fragile when they're in love. You gotta be gentle with them, big guy. Madeline: Sounds like you speak from experience, Gregory. Have you been in love before? Gregory: Nope. But I hear it's as terrifying as it is exhilarating.

Gregory also asserts in his S rank support with Alear that he doesn't understand what love is, and curiously shares this exchange in their A rank:

Alear: Fine. If you can’t come to terms with it, here. Take this. Gregory: Wha?! What was that? That wasn’t a punch! You just flicked my forehead. Alear: And that’s all you get. Consider that your punishment. We’ll never speak of this again. Gregory: Haha. Actually, that’s almost a nice sort of pain. I don’t mind it.

There's a running theme of pain and terror in both Griss and Gregory's concepts of love, which makes sense in the context of their abusive parents, the earliest introduction they ever had to "love." I believe that Gregory's inexperience with love and his fear of pain go hand-in-hand, so the reverse of that is Griss' obsession with pain, and therefore greater experience with love. I would argue that Griss is constantly yearning for some deeper connection with another person, and the only way he knows how to convey this feeling is through violence.

[cw physical abuse] He wants others to hit him, because his parents did, the people of the fell church did, Zephia likely did, and everyone else he's encountered and forced into this never-ending cycle ultimately did as well. He's twisted these experiences into corrections of his own failings (his parents hit him because he wasn't good enough, the sages hit him to drive out sin, Zephia hit him to teach him a lesson), and believes that these people wouldn't raise a hand against him if they didn't love him. This is in line with Zephia's belief about how children should be raised, and meeting her may even be the reason he's able to see pain in this way, but that's a topic for another post. [end cw]

While Griss has an internal concept of love, I don't think it's something he can articulate. The definition at its simplest is love = pain. This is the level that he recognizes and can talk about. However, I believe a broader definition is hidden in his actions: love is self-sacrifice. We see this in Gregory as well, since he repeatedly lets himself be hurt in order to protect those close to him. Griss' devotion to Sombron is rooted in self-harm, and while he isn't a knight making some pretty speech about his loyalty for his liege, the same sort of promise is hidden in this line at the beginning of chapter 23:

Zephia: Retreat isn't an option. I will die, if I must, to protect the shard. Griss: You? That's crazy talk. If anyone's dying today, I've got first dibs.

And confirmed at the end when he tells Zephia that he'd never leave her. I believe this is actually the very beginning of Griss' understanding of "real" love, and parallels the definition Gregory eventually settles on with Alear:

Gregory: I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t really grasp this “love” thing everyone talks about. Gregory: But if love is finding someone so important that you’re terrified of losing them, then maybe… Gregory: I… I want to be by your side, protecting you. Now and always.

Is this definition of love achievable? Yes. Although Griss is almost too far gone to ever have a long-term, stable and healthy relationship like Gregory will eventually get. This isn't something that he regrets though. At least, not at this time. More on the existential crises that come with change later though.

As for soulmates? No, absolutely not.

[inconmess]

For the Noticing Trauma prompt:

10 "I'm here to listen if you ever need to talk"

Orym and either Chetney or Fearne.

Ok, so this is going to be an Orym and Fearne conversation after the reunion I suppose...

Edit:

The thing about your laptop crashing in the middle of a writing streak is the fact that you forget what you had actually written cuz you were in the zone while writing so while this first started off as a Fearne and Orym conversation, round two took a completely different turn *shrugs* I might bring that back up if I remember what I'd written for it.

"Your watch is done, Orym. Try to catch some sleep, yeah? It was nice to catch up on the woodworking with you but we also need to head out tomorrow. Early in the morning." Chetney said.

"Well, I will wake up. The question is, will you, old man?"

Chetney stared at Orym for a moment before muttering about insolent children and what the generation has come to and shook his head. "You zoned out for quite a while there-"

"I'm Fine!" Orym quickly said as he backed towards the door. "Totally fine. Just happy that we all are back together."

"You know that I'm here to listen whenever you want to talk to me, right?"

"Oh I know you'll listen. You just won't talk." Orym shot back in a panic, before giving a curt "Good night" and slamming the door to the room.

As much as he tried to not think about it, a part of him is growing pretty tired of everyone telling him that they were there to listen to him at this point. Will. Derrig. His mom. Nel. The triplets. Keyleth. Dorian. Chetney. Ashton... everyone.

Like... it is easy to say that they'll listen but... listening isn't always enough, is it? Listening isn't going to make things right. Listening isn't going to bring dead people back. Listening isn't going to miraculously vanish any suffering.

Listening does help, albeit momentarily because of the whole "burden shared is a burden easier to carry" and all that, but really? Imogen listened to his thoughts, his talks and still asked if Ludinus was right. Bor'Dor had listened to his confiding and still had turned on them after everything they'd done. Dorian had listened and kept away, Chetney had listened but didn't trust him enough to reciprocate and Ashton had...

The point is, everyone seems to listen but not really seem to listen to what was being said underneath it now, are they? What was the point of talking if people listen but not listen? Plus it was hard to get words out already and-

"Orym? Is everything alright?" Fearne asked sleepily as she sat up.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Orym asked, feeling a little guilty at the thought of waking up the faun because of his carelessness.

"Not really. I was waiting up for you but you were just... standing by the door and hadn't moved for the past five minutes."

"Oh. Sorry. Just... thinking about something."

Fearne hummed before patting beside her. "You can think over here too."

"I suppose I can." he gave her a small smile as he stashed away his boots, sword and shield, carefully placing them in their respective places before hopping onto the bed.

"Now, what were you thinking about?" she asked as she pulled him onto her lap.

"Nothing really serious."

"Not serious enough that you were frozen at the door for five minutes?"

"Well... I suppose it is about the people who say they are willing to listen when we talk and then act like they hadn't listened to anything at all? Or like they don't understand that sometimes it is easier to show in action than by talking, you know? Some words are hard to get."

"Who is this about?"

"Everyone."

"You're right. People are silly. But that's what makes them people, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Now sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow. Good night!"

"I'd rather not talk about this" he mumbled "Love you Fearnie. Missed you."

"I missed you too."