#000 during the Season

[whitechocolate]

where tf are my dunks where the tf is my nct sanrio package where tf is my brandon blackwood bag

[abigailtravellerjasie]

[37sommz]

✼. THRU SPACE 'N TIME | GRID DYNAMICS PT.2.

000.⠀⠀NOW PLAYING: michaela's grid dynamics pt.2. ✼. view:⠀masterlist⠀⸻⠀join the taglist⠀⸻⠀request.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀JENSON BUTTON.

Of all the relationships between drivers, past and present, there is none messier than Michaela and Jenson. Growing up, Jenson was one of the drivers a young Michaela would idolize with posters on her walls and special Brawn GP merch. She can recall watching his championship-winning season with his stats rolling off her tongue with the sweetest of smiles. Meeting him for the first time as the presumable F2 champion in 2018 was the beginning of a tumultuous relationship between the two. Though they wouldn't bump into each other outside of the odd interview on race days until two years later, Michaela would quickly find herself falling head over heels for the divorced heartthrob.

Though the affair was kept their dirty little secret for nearly two years, it was only a matter of time before rumors began to spread throughout the formula world of the then McLaren driver's secret romance. With a sense of insecurity beginning to leak into her words and into her driving, Michaela would be the one to end things in 2023, heartbroken to hear through the grapevine that Jenson had replaced her with a new girl just weeks later.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀KIMI RAIKKONEN.

Michaela admittedly owes a lot of her approach to F1 to Kimi. Beyond the adoration she held for the Finnish driver, Michaela often raves about just how much Kimi welcomed her with open arms to Ferrari during her season as a reserve for the team. Often found defending the Australian to the media and Ferrari execs alike, Kimi shied away from truly vocalizing how much he adored the younger driver. Upon his retirement from formula racing, however, Kimi would offer Michaela the advice she holds closest to her chest: never give too much away.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀NICO ROSBERG.

From the moment Michaela's name began swirling around the F1 paddock during her F3 days, Nico has openly had a soft spot for the Australian. He's given her unsolicited advice on more than one occasion and takes every opportunity to slide in a praise of her skill, potential, and performance anytime he finds himself in front of a mic. Aside from his ritual selfies with her whenever he finds himself in the paddock, Nico often checks in with the younger driver with a shoulder to lean on when she needs to vent. On Michaela's end, she absolutely calls him Britney every once in a while, but he lets it slide because she can do no wrong in his eyes.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀GEORGE RUSSELL.

Michaela and George are one of the more unlikely pairs on the grid. Although Michaela is admittedly much closer to George's girlfriend, Carmen, the two have begun to warm up to each other. Their friendship started out icy as the two battled through their shared F2 season only for George to miss out on the championship by a few points.

The iciness continued through the end of the season when Michaela found herself left with very few options for an F1 seat while George easily scooped up a seat at Williams. After making their debut in 2019, being forced to do rookie PR together alongside Nyck, Lando, and Alex, brought them closer together through their shared love of tacky humor.

Michaela finds George hilarious and joins in on his antics whenever possible. In return, George sticks up for Michaela more than most others would dare. Fans look forward to their interactions on social media where they entertain the ridiculousness of each other comments.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀SEBASTIAN VETTEL.

If Kimi gave Michaela the best advice she's ever been given, Sebastian gave her the worst advice she's ever been given. Starting from Michaela's time as Ferrari reserve when Sebastian and Kimi drove for the Italian team, Sebastian has consistently urged Michaela to relax and live in the moment. Though the advice was often framed innocently, Michaela knows firsthand all of the horrible decisions Sebastian's talked her into over the years. Between convincing her it was a good idea to go public with her relationship with Olivier and later convincing her to call Christian Horner out in the press, Michaela often turns to Sebastian for validation of her worst ideas.

Regardless of the bad advice, alongside Carlos, Lewis, and Nico, Sebastian has always been a phone call away. As easily as he's talked her into making questionable decisions, Sebastian's also talked her off the edge a few times. She owes her Aston Martin contract in part to Sebastian who, with Fernando's help, managed to convince Lawrence Stroll to take a chance on the Australian despite her turbulent season at McLaren.

✹.⠀⠀،،⠀MARK WEBBER.

Michaela and Mark have had rocky runs of ups and downs in their relationship. Mark first met a young Michaela in 2013 during his last season in F1. After Michaela's uncle and then-manager, Travis managed to convince the fellow Aussie to watch his niece race, Mark found himself in awe of the 13-year-old dominating her last year of karting. Connecting Travis with various sponsors, Mark was instrumental in securing Michaela her first racing opportunity with JHR Developments in the Ginetta Junior World Championship, a series she won in her first series.

Watching Michaela grow from an overexcited teenager to a levelheaded competitor instilled pride in Mark to be so involved in the development of a fellow Australian driver. Seeing Michaela achieve so much success in F2 before being promoted to F1, Mark has been her most vocal supporter from day one.

Their relationship would be tested in 2022 after Mark found out about Michaela's relationship with Jenson. After a fiery conversation in a hotel elevator, Michaela would go nearly a year before speaking to Mark again. Justifiably upset, Mark made it his mission to pull strings for the Australian behind closed doors to help her regain the confidence that had been shaken out of her from the eventual end of her relationship with Jenson.

Though their relationship is not as close as they once were, Mark is learning to let go of the image of the little girl he watched grow into a woman.

✼. taglist:⠀

@cha-hot @certifiedlesbianbaddie @nichmeddar

@d3kstar @thewannabewriter @hwalllllllelujah

@pacmacs-macs @thearchieves @doodlehunz

@sviidoll @evie-119 @bxdbxtxh

@seaweed-orchid @glitterquadricorn @99snse

@ginghampearlsnsweettea @alliwantisadonut @hiireadstuff

@emilyval1 @scarlettwidow3000 @anotherblackreader

@sv5beehives @mynameisangeloflife @tellybearryyyy

@melancholyy-hill @emmma323 @valluvsu

@futuristiccroissantlampsludge @sunfairyy

[mydaddywiki]

Buddy Ryan

Physique: Husky Build Height: 5"10"

James David "Buddy" Ryan (February 17, 1931 – June 28, 2016; aged 85) was an American football coach in the NFL and AFL. During his 35-season coaching career, Ryan served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986 to 1990, and of the Arizona Cardinals from 1994 to 1995. Ryan also served as the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears from 1978 to 1985, and of the Houston Oilers in 1993. Coaching multiple Hall of Fame defensive players throughout his career, Ryan is considered by many to be one of the greatest defensive minds in the history of American football.

Authentic and ornery, Ryan had that rugged, tough look that always get me going. Even his sons, Rex Ryan and Rob Ryan have it to some degree, but not the way Buddy did.

Born in Frederick, Oklahoma, Ryan played college football for Oklahoma A&M University (now Oklahoma State) where he earned four letters as a guard between 1952 and 1955. He served as a sergeant in the United States Army during the Korean War. Following his service in the military, Ryan's a career as a defensive troubadour began, winding its way through New York, Minnesota, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston and Arizona.

Twice married, Ryan had had three sons, including fraternal twins, Rex and Rob with his first wife, Doris Ryan. Ryan married his second wife, Joanie Ryan in 1970. Ryan died on June 28, 2016, on his ranch in Shelbyville, Kentucky, at the age of 85, after a lengthy illness. Ryan's passion for the game often made him a divisive figure. As a coordinator, he warred with his head coach and fellow assistants. Most memorably, Ryan throwing a punch at Kevin Gilbride on the sideline of a nationally televised game. And he stay in the back of my mind ever since.

Career Highlights and Awards 2× Super Bowl champion as assistant coach (III, XX)

Head Coaching Record Regular season: 55–55–1 (.500) Postseason: 0–3 (.000) Career: 55–58–1 (.487)

[site666]

ok, a genuine request

Could you draw Iceberg in a fall/autumn setting? I think his color contrast would go great with the orange and red leaves during that season :000

I’ve been wanting to draw him in that setting but I haven’t had the motivation

ur a genius my friend he contrasts so well

[defodisturbed]

Jake Sully fluff ideas :000

imagine exploring each other's bodies, but not in a sexual way. finding the different birthmarks, looking over each other's scars and sharing the stories behind them. running your hands over one another and just appreciating the feeling of being next to each other

imagine jake tucking the sheets around you when you stir during the night (and vise versa)

imagine you and jake help each other dry and brush your hair after a shower

imagine sharing a dessert with jake!!

imagine him making your favorite meal when you have a hard day!!

imagine decorating the hut with seasonal decorations while having debates over what holidays are better than others!!

imagine jake wrapping a blanket around you when you two are sitting on the couch and watching a show!!

imagine FINGER PAINTING with him!!

imagine having a tickle fight with jake sully, the big bad warrior!!

imagine jake carving your initials and drawing a heart around it on a tree because he's so in love!!

(the clan teased them by vandalizing it) (maybe norm took part in it too)

[simplegenius042]

Music Monday

Tagging @socially-awkward-skeleton @shallow-gravy @direwombat @derelictheretic @adelaidedrubman @g0dspeeed @nightbloodbix @carlosoliveiraa @corvosattano @cloudofbutterflies92 @chazz-anova @voidika @onehornedbeast @softtidesworld @minilev @titiagls @wrathfulrook @afarcryfrommymain @aceghosts @turbo-virgins @deputyash @purplehairsecretlair @florbelles @inafieldofdaisies @josephseedismyfather @josephslittledeputy @ladyoriza @megraen @skoll-sun-eater @snake-in-the-garden @starsandskies @thewanderer-000 @strafethesesinners @strangefable @la-grosse-patate and @shellibisshe + anyone else who is interested. Here's the taglist for those who wish to be continued to tagged or not.

Songs for Far Cry The Silver Chronicles, Life, Despair & Monsters and A Radioactive Calamity Of Love, Bombs & Gore. Music below the cut.

Vega, my Fallout 76 OC, is one of the "Residents" of Vault 76. Originally a settlement planner, she is now on a quest of revenge against the other residents of Vault 76 for "wrongfully" leaving her behind in the vault. Truthfully nobody wanted to deal with her bullshit and didn't want to wait on her when they had a job they'd been waiting 25 years to do, so they left her to sleep in (because she had a bit wee too much to drink during the night of Reclamation Day), thinking she'd catch up to them later. Vega did not take it likely. She also has a particularly concerning obsession with Vault 76's Overseer, viewing the older woman as her rival (even if the Overseer views Vega as merely a minor annoyance at best and always poking holes in Vega's delusions). This song pretty much sums up Vega's POV regarding the Overseer (and her fellow Vault 76's Residents).

"Oh, wherever you go You know I will follow you You know I will run to you Oh, the sun and the moon It don't matter what you do You know I will run to you

Can't believe in all this time I'm hurting for you But you feel like hold down The love you give it lift's so high I'm dying for it I'm dying for it And I can't let you go

Hide away, hide away from me Hide away, hide away from me Hide away, hide away from me Or you'll lose, or you'll lose Hide away, hide away from me Hide away, hide away from me Hide away, hide away from me Or you'll lose, or you'll lose

If you hide away I'll hunt you down And follow you to the end of the Earth My heart beats with yours My lungs breathe with yours You're a piece of me I can't hide away

Oh, I'm under your spell I'm making and I'm fading And nobody can see I'm your heartbeat You're part of me

Can't believe in all this time I'm hurting for you But you feel like hold down The love you give it lift's so high I'm dying for it I'm dying for it And I can't let you go

Hide away, hide away from me Hide away, hide away from me Hide away, hide away from me Or you'll lose, or you'll lose Hide away, hide away from me Hide away, hide away from me Hide away, hide away from me Or you'll lose, or you'll lose."

Have a lovely ship song between Mercy Omar-Seed and Carmina Rye (the former is the daughter of Silva Omar and Faith Seed, the latter the daughter of Nick and Kim Rye). While Old Dusk (the WIP of the New Dawn arc) can be quite bleak (not as bleak as Silva's Hope though) due to the circumstances, this relationship is one of the most heartwarming highlights that I've been developing.

"Let's go below zero and hide from the sun I'll love you forever where we'll have some fun Yes, let's hit the North Pole and live happily Please don't cry no tears now, it's Christmas, baby

My snowman and me, hey My snowman and me Baby

Don't cry snowman, don't you fear the sun Who'll carry me without legs to run, honey? Without legs to run, honey? Don't cry snowman, don't you shed a tear Who'll hear my secrets if you don't have ears, baby? If you don't have ears, baby?

I want you to know that I'm never leaving Because I'm Mrs. Snow, 'til death we'll be freezing Yeah, you are my home, my home for all seasons So come on let's go."

Imagine being amongst a group of individuals who have been brutally mutilated, experimented on or in general fucked over by the same short dude who's not only from another dimension and can travel through it to other worlds, but also runs a cult-like science organization dead-set on ruining humanity's life to help them "evolve" and laugh at their despair... well, that's the crux of Life, Despair & Monsters, a group of individuals, some of whom sure weren't the greatest (but still didn't deserve what happened to them), whose lives were negatively and irreversibly impacted by that of one Sir Enigma Malvolio and his Ruins of the Midnight Rise. All because he wanted to see how humans could cope with erratically spontaneous and disastrous change to their livelihoods.

"You say I'm craving hope in this darkness You say I'm just a joke, just a joke

Shivers my spine so much Swimming in the river styx too much They try to let go of us But the truth is... Once you're in then You're one of us

Truth is... Once you're in then You're one of us One of us Truth is once you're in then You're one of us

My darling in fire My darling rolls in fire You liar You say my darling rolls in fire, in fire You say my darling burns in fire You're a liar."

[hab-a-nice-day]

The last time Montreal beat Boston, you were 15 years old. You were still somehere in Košice or Salzburg, so how does it feel to finally win against them? So, for me it was a great feeling. I'm glad we managed to win. It was a good game, Saturday at the Bell Centre. I don't think it could have gone any better than that. I was actually here for a game for the first time. When you won the game, there were 20, 000 people screaming. Do you feel that extra energy? Of course. Our fans are the best in the League because they have unbelievable energy and I think we have a great atmosphere in this arena, probably one of the best in the world. So it's just a joy to play here every day. Your team and Boston are big rivals. Have you felt that yet? Of course, there's always a big rivalry. Even today I think there were some fans from Boston here. I'm glad that… I think it's the first time I've played against Boston and we managed to win, so I'm extremely happy about it and I just need to keep going. You were winning a lot of [ puck ] battles today. Was it also your best physical game? Well, I don't know, it's just a normal game. I'm just trying to help my teammates win some pucks and then do some things that the coaches and I have talked about. I think it's going on the right track. If I'm not mistaken, during the combine, when you had an interview with Montreal, you said that what you love the most is making a difference when the games are close. Isn't it a bit frustrating in moments like these when you don't play and the coach makes you sit out? [ Smiles ] Hmm! I think it's a coach's decision and I can't accept anything else and if it wins us games, it probably works. And I believe that my opportunity will come at the right moment and I'll be ready for it when he sends me there. Do you talk to your coach about playing at the end of the game or in the 3-on-3 overtime? I talk to him, sure, but I don't think it's explicitly about that. It's about the game in general, and so… I don't know… nothing—nothing in particular. You're playing Vancouver tomorrow. Are these two wins an extra motivation? Well, of course, I think it's extra motivation. They're difficult games but we're all prepared and tomorrow we will try to play like we did today. You've already scored a goal this season but you've also missed a few opportunities. Is scoring a goal for you? Or, as Martin St. Louis says, it's not about the points so much as the progress. Of course I want to put it in there, but I'm trying to do these little things on the road and I'm getting nothing else. I just have to believe that it's coming and that [ my production ] is going to take off. It's not happening for me right now but the team is winning, so I'm satisfied.

—Juraj Slafkovský, Montreal Canadiens, [ Translated from ] Post Game for Šport SK, Nov. 11, 2023

[elvis1970s]

Elvis was in Las Vegas in December, 1975, making up for the season that was abruptly cancelled after just three nights during August.

This engagement ran from December 2nd through to the 15th, with a significantly less intense schedule; a total of 16 shows and just one show per night with the exception of the two Saturdays, the 6th and the 13th. This great quality soundboard is from the midnight show on Saturday the 13th.

The 'silver phoenix' was one example of a jumpsuit style used between 1974 and 76. The original design concept wasn't for a bird at all, as Gene Doucette, Bill Belew's design associate, recalled in an interview with The Guardian in 2010;

"…I remember once I was working on a bunch of ideas and Elvis was impatient so asked, through his assistant's assistant's assistant, could he see some samples. I was making a jungle-themed suit at this point – vines, serpents, elephants – so I sent him a sample that featured a zebra's head on it. I heard back, 'Elvis loves it, but wonders why you've made the feet on the bird so small'. I had no idea what they were talking about, until I realised that when you looked at the zebra upside down, it kind of did resemble a bird. What could I do, it's Elvis? I just widened the zebra's nose, changed its feet to ears and reworked the shape and it became a Phoenix. Then I hear back: 'Elvis loves them, can you do five more in different colours?'.."

Elvis played his final Las Vegas engagement in December 1976, but was booked to open a new showroom, the 5 000 seat Hilton Pavilion, in October 1977.

[whats-9plus10]

Venture Bros Time Frame

Based on the Venture Brothers Wiki Timeline and what I could find in the show during my final rewatch before the movie. Like when I calculated Gary’s age, this is not an opinion piece. I pull straight from the source material. 

I am not starting from a specific year because we know Venture Bros references current pop culture based on the year each season was released. Various dates documented in the show fail to provide a cohesive timeline. Hence, my focus is on the time frame. I'll be keeping track by noting "Venture Bros Year _" when the series moves into the next year and by referencing years as "000(number of year)" while using dates. I suggest following along with your calendar open like I had to do while organizing this lol.

S1e11 Past Tense - Orpheus predicts that The Action Man will have a stroke in "2 years, 17 days." 

We will start pretty late into the first year, Venture Bros Year 1

S1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean - Takes place in late September 0001. 

The episode features Monarch's birthday, which is around late September 0001 when, according to him, "the leaves would be orange enough..." to build his Monarch wings. 

The Monarch butterfly migration and the leaves turning can begin around late September in New Jersey. 

A Very Venture Christmas Special occurs on Christmas, December 25th, 0001, between season 1 and season 2. 

While the entire episode was a dream, it was still revealed to be Christmas time. Sally is shown to be pregnant with Rocket. This is important because it solidifies that this episode specifically took place sometime between s1e7 Ice Station Impossible and s2e5 20 Years to Midnight. 

Venture Bros Year 2 

S2e2 Hate Floats - The boys celebrate their 16th birthday.

S2e5 20 Years to Midnight - This episode takes place May 4th, 0002, "...in Rusty's 44th year." In s1e8 Mid-life Chrysalis, he states his age is 43. Rusty must have turned 44 last month on April 30th, 0002. This means a little over 7 months have passed since s1e13. Rocket was born to Sally Impossible during that time. 

This means the boys' birthday is between December 26th - May 3rd. I'm casting a wide net because, for all we know, the episodes in between could have happened just days apart from each other. They live chaotic lives. 

S2e11 ¡Viva los Muertos! - Rusty promises the boys will receive something better than their clones as Christmas gifts. 

S2e12&13 Showdown at Cremation Creek (Parts 1 and 2) - This episode spans a month between the Monarch's proposal and the wedding. 

S3e4 Home Is Where the Hate Is - The boys state that they are still 16 years old "going on 17". That phrase usually indicates a birthday is approaching, but we can't assume anything definitive. What this does tell us is that a full year has not gone by since s2e2 Hate Floats, assuming the boys didn't die again off-screen.

S3e5 The Buddy System - Billy says he is 35. Based on s2e12&13 Showdown at Cremation Creek (Parts 1 and 2), we know that he is 35 at least a month after May 4th, 0002. 

Here's where it gets tricky

S3e8 Tears of a Sea Cow - Dean's newspaper is dated May 23rd. I will explore two possibilities. 

Possibility 1

Even though I don't feel like the date on Dean's paper is strong evidence as it could be a secondhand thought made up by the animators or a reference to how each season seems to occur in the year it airs, the month of May would line up as the boys had previously told Hatred they were about to turn 17 years old four episodes prior, indicating a birthday was near. If we say we are already in Venture Bros Year 3 and believe the date in the newspaper to be May 23rd, 0003, the boys would already be 17 during this episode because we know their birthday is before May 4th. However...

S3e13 The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together Part 2 - Hank says "...open my Christmas gifts early...." referring to the clones they discovered in s2e11 ¡Viva los Muertos!. Indicating that December 25th, 0002 has not occurred yet. 

Possibility 2

What this could mean, other than an oversight, is that it was May 23rd, 0002. This would make the boys still 16 years old. And everything between s2e5 20 Years to Midnight and s3e8 Tears of a Sea Cow takes place all in one month... but that also doesn't work because s2e12&13 Showdown at Cremation Creek (Parts 1 and 2) spans about a month by itself and we see the Monarchs multiple times in various stages of their relationship throughout season 2. 

Because acknowledging the date in the newspaper would not work either way, I feel that it's safe to disregard it completely based on the current information we have. I feel more confident in trusting the writing that came directly from Doc and Jackson rather than the animation. 

S4e1 Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel - The Nazis give Rusty "8 months" to clone Hitler. During this time Hank grew out his hair, Brock got out of shape and back in shape, and Gary got dieseled. Somewhere during those 8 months, we moved on to…

Venture Bros Year 3 

S4e2 Handsome Ransom - Billy says he is 37. If Billy wasn't lying or rounding up, this means at least a year and a day have passed since s3e5 The Buddy System. The boys must be 17 at this point. 

S4e5 The Revenge Society - Documenting where this episode takes place for a later reference. 

S4e10 Pomp and Circuitry - Brock tells Hank "...you also have to be 18" to dissuade him from joining SPHINX. Confirming that two whole years have not passed since s2e2 Hate Floats.

S4e12 Everybody Comes to Hank's - Hank asks Dean "How was your summer?" hinting that they are approaching the middle to end of summer. 

S4e15 The Silent Partners -JJ is in space building Gargantua II. This is information for later reference.

S4e16 Operation: P.R.O.M. - In the commentary, Doc and Jackson use prom to symbolize the boy's unofficial 18th birthday, more specifically their ascent into adulthood. I did not take this to mean it was literally their 18th birthday. The latest their birthday can be is May 3rd and at this point, they are nearing the fall. 

S5e1 What Color Is Your Cleansuit? - Takes place the day after P.R.O.M. and spans 3 months. A Very Venture Halloween special takes place in the middle of it on October 31st, 0003. We see Gary raking leaves - Fall. Then the compound is covered in snow - Winter. The weather here is intentional to show the passage of time. It is unclear at this point if we have moved on to the next year. There is no mention of Christmas or New Year's. By the end of the episode, it could be as early as November 0003. 

At this point, we are over 2 years and at least 1 month into the series. We started in September 0001 in s1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean and are now sometime past October 31st, 0003. I am keeping in mind Orpheus' prediction of "2 years and 17 days". In the commentary Doc and Jackson state that the Action Man could have considered his health since the prediction which resulted in delaying his stroke. 

S5e3 SPHINX Rising - Gary says "Hank is an adult." I took this to mean he had turned 18 at some point. While their birthday may be at the end of December because we had cast a wide net for them earlier, I will assume we’ve moved on to…

Venture Bros Year 4

Here’s where it gets tricky part 2

S5e4 Spanakopita! - This episode should take place in October. Team Venture attended the wedding of Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy which took place on October 20th, 1968. Another historical event mentioned was the Apollo 7 mission, which took place Oct 11, 1968 – Oct 22, 1968. In the flashback we see Spanakopita aligning with the Splashdown date, October 22, 1968. This is evidence that the dates are intentional. 

In this episode we see Hank in his strength suit, confirming that Spanakopita takes place after s5e1 What Color Is Your Cleansuit? and A Very Venture Halloween special. I feel it's unlikely that they intended for a full year to have passed between s5e1 What Color Is Your Cleansuit? and s5e4 Spanakopita!. I want to make this as accurate as possible so I'm going to entertain two possibilities.

Possibility 1

If we say that s5e4 Spanakopita! was not intended to take place in October specifically and it was an oversight, then I feel safe to assume the warm weather we see after s5e1 What Color Is Your Cleansuit? indicates that we've moved onto spring or summer, still in Venture Bros Year 4. 

S5e5 O.S.I. Love You - Hank’s limbs atrophied from wearing the strength suit he found in S5e3 SPHINX Rising for “weeks”. 

S5e6 Momma's Boys - Hank tells Dermott “Last year…” and references the events of s4e5 The Revenge Society which took place in Venture Bros Year 3.

S5e7 Bot Seeks Bot - This episode takes place in July 0004. We see a flashback in S7e3 Arrears in Science which took place the night before Thanksgiving, November 0004.

S5e8 The Devil's Grip - Dean says a third of his age is 6 - indicating he is probably 18. 

All This and Gargantua-2 - Monarch says Rusty “hasn’t paid his electric bill since June.” We know we are in July or August because s5e7 Bot Seeks Bot takes place in July 0004.

Season 6 starts in Venture Bros Year 4, August or September 0004 because we know Dean had applied and enrolled in the Fall Semester. The boys would be 18 years old—3 years since s1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean. 

S6e1 Hostile Makeover - Hatred says he's "been waiting to do that (hit Gary) for weeks”, assuming he is referring to the last time he saw Gary in either s5e8 The Devil's Grip.

S6e4 Rapacity in Blue - Takes place on October 7th, 0004. The timestamps are in the top right corner of the security camera videos.

S6e5 Tanks for Nuthin’ - Takes place on October 8th, 0004 the morning after s6e4 Rapacity in Blue.

S7e1 The Venture Bros. & The Curse of the Haunted Problem - This episode takes place the in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, November 0004. We flashback 2 years ago to JJ discovering the Gargantua crash. This implies JJ made this discovery sometime in Venture Bros Year 2.

According to The Art and Making of the Venture Bros. - Rocket is 3 or 4 years old now.

Next, we have a clear time span thanks to s7e3 Arrears in Science. It's Thanksgiving, November 0004. 3 years and 2 months since s1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean. 

Time jump to the start of the Spring Semester in s7e4 The High Cost of Loathing, which starts in Venture Bros Year 5, January 0005.

S7e4 High Cost of Loathing - There is a "two months later" time jump at the beginning of the episode.

We are still in Winter Venture Bros Year 5 as of the final episode. In total making the time span from s1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean to s7e10 The Saphrax Protocol 3 years and at least 4 months.

Possibility 2 

If we do say it has been another year and s5e4 Spanakopita! takes place in Venture Bros Year 4, October 0004, which means almost everything is pushed back a year. The boys would be 18 years old. 

S5e5 O.S.I. Love You - Hank’s limbs atrophied from wearing the strength suit he found in S5e3 for “weeks”.

S5e6 Momma's Boys - Hank tells Dermott “Last year…” and references the events of s4e5 The Revenge Society which took place in Venture Bros Year 3. That would mean this episode would need to take place between October 23rd, 0004 and December 31st, 0004.

Venture Bros Year 5

S5e7 Bot Seeks Bot - This episode takes place in July 0005. We see a flashback in S7e3 Arrears in Science which took place the night before Thanksgiving, November 0005.

S5e8 The Devil's Grip - Dean says a third of his age is 6 - Dean must be 19 at this point and have rounded 6 years and 3 months down to just 6. 

All This and Gargantua-2 - Monarch says Rusty “hasn’t paid his electric bill since June.” We know we are in July or August because s5e7 Bot Seeks Bot takes place in July 0005. 

Season 6 starts in August or September 0005, because we know Dean had applied and enrolled in the Fall Semester. At this point, the boys would have to be 19 years old. - 4 years since s1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean. Overshooting the 2 years and 17 days prediction by a lot.

S6e1 Hostile Makeover - Hatred says he's "been waiting to do that (hit Gary) for weeks”, assuming he is referring to the last time he saw Gary in either s5e8 The Devil's Grip.

S6e4 Rapacity in Blue - Takes place on October 7th, 0005. 

S6e5 Tanks for Nuthin’ - Takes place on October 8th, 0005 the morning after s6e4 Rapacity in Blue.

S7e1 The Venture Bros. & The Curse of the Haunted Problem - This episode takes place the in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, November 0005. We flashback 2 years ago to JJ discovering the Gargantua crash. This implies JJ made the discovery sometime in Venture Bros Year 3 before S4e15 The Silent Partners.

According to The Art and Making of the Venture Bros. - Rocket is 3 or 4 years old now.

Again, we have a clear time span thanks to s7e3 Arrears in Science. It's Thanksgiving, November 0005. 4 years and 2 months since s1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean. 

Finally, we have the time jump to the start of the Spring Semester in s7e4 The High Cost of Loathing, which would start in Venture Bros Year 6, January 0006.

S7e4 High Cost of Loathing - There is a "two months later" time jump at the beginning of the episode.

We are still in Winter 0006 as of the final episode. Making the time span in this possibility, from s1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean to s7e10 The Saphrax Protocol, 4 years and at least 4 months. 

NOTES AND THOUGHTS

S1e1 Dia de los Dangerous - Presumably this episode takes place on Dia los Muertos, November 1st. Monarch states that he's in Mexico to find his foster parents. Butterflies arrive in Mexico around early November. Because this happened before Orpheus' prediction, it could be plausible that there is almost a year between the first episode and s1e13 Are You There God, It's Me, Dean. It is probably just as likely that Doc and Jackson were not considering keeping to a set time frame until much later in the series.

JJ did not appear in the season 1 Christmas Special. The boys are alive. Rusty was not on his journey running away from the boys' deaths. I wonder if this means s1e13 Return to Spider-Skull Island took place after Christmas. I am also not considering the weather as a determining factor here because I remember hearing about issues with animating different backgrounds in the earlier seasons. 

If it helps, I placed the boy’s birthday on the Ides of March (March 15th) to help me keep track of things. It’s both a significant historical date and a 70’s rock band. Plus I wanted them to be Pisces :)

I also stuck the Monarch's birthday on September 30th because that's when Don became Venturion. I think it's poetic.

Doc and Jackson are phenomenal writers and I’m sure if they were to address this in the show they would find a way for it to make sense that we would all enjoy. I had a lot of fun doing this. I love digging deep into my favorite show and piecing together what I find 💛 Go Team Venture!

[neoninky]

TWST Fic: "Her Devoted Shield" - Chapter 1

10, 000+ words later

Oof, ok. Here we go. Chapter 1 is up and the story is in full swing!

I'm going to let y'all dive right in. Please check out my AO3 and Masterlist for this and my other stories (also for any new readers - hi -this is the third story in my Sacred Crown Chronicles series so I highly recommend starting with 'Her Ivory Crown' first if you haven't already) Likes, comments, and reblogs (NOT reposts) are welcomed and appreciated, thank you. Ok onward

Chapter 1: Dragged into the Abyss

A year passed in its steady seasons without further written letters or talk of happenings across the ocean. The campus of Noble Bell and Fleur City both continued onward as normal. Students moved towards further study and the city thrived with its busy streets and lively festivals as it had for years. Occasionally Moselle still appeared among the people as she had before returning to the bell tower though her light was visibly dimmed. Soon enough, the fae appeared less and less. The rains began to come more often, always erratically until they stopped altogether for long periods. Rollo Flamme was no longer on campus, having left for his fourth-year studies elsewhere in the Shaftlands. About a week after his departure, the remaining students noticed that the bell tower remained empty for days. When asked, the citizens of Fleur City had not seen Moselle aside some the occasional sight of a large shadow swimming by in the river.

- 

The river flowed overhead as the currants gently carried the somber dragon fae along. Moselle returned to staying within the river, out of sight and out of mind. She put on a strong face when Rollo told her he decided to study outside the city during his final year. They knew it was coming and Moselle cared for the human boy deeply. How could she make a fuss and hold him back? Especially when human lives were so short in comparison to fae like her? Still his absence, the silence from Malleus, both only served to remind her that she was alone. She had been for years, but now? Now, Moselle couldn't escape it. It didn't matter how familiar the river felt to her. It didn't matter that it was her and her family's original home. It was empty. 

The dragon huffed a rush of frustrated bubbles and swam faster, trying to escape the bitterness biting into her. She swam until her body ached and burned. When her lungs demanded air, Moselle left the river only to hide away in the dark waterways under the bridges in her human form. The season was turning colder and soon the river would freeze over. She could return to the bell tower but...

"No, I can't stay there forever, " She mumbled as she wrapped a thick blanket she hid in that spot to shelter herself against the cold, "Maybe...maybe it's time to move on to somewhere else?"

A critical voice laughed in the back of her mind. Where would that be? Fleur City is all she had ever known. The people had been kind to her since she revealed herself to the public after the masquerade. Well, many of them have. The ones who were not kept their distance and told their children to do the same. Their eyes were always full of anxiety or fear. Moselle never took it too personally. I mean, she was strange and stuck out tremendously. There was no one else around like her...

No one.

"You're like me..."

Moselle groaned as Malleus' words from that day dug themselves up from her memory. She hated and loved it all at the same time. She wrapped her arms, the blanket, and even her tail tightly around herself, squeezing her eyes shut. Moselle loved that, for a moment, someone else saw her and felt some connection, some kinship with her on a deeper level outside of being enthralled with her strange fae nature or weary of it. Moselle also hated how she knew in the depths of her heart that no, there was no way she was like him. He was royalty. He was powerful, elegant, and charming, and he came from a place of other dragon fae that were all very similar. He wasn't some lonely, overgrown trench lizard like she was-

"Stop it," she hissed quietly, "Thinking this way won't help you at all..."

The sky was growing dark and the night would be even colder. Moselle lamented that, unlike other dragons, she couldn't breathe fire to keep herself warm. Perhaps...? A thought struck her as she quickly scrambled back onto the walkway. The people of Fleur City were known for their hospitality to visitors so surely they would extend that to her as well, yes?

-

It had started to snow just as Moselle reached the nearest inn. It retained its more rustic appearance from when it was first built but the owners were renovating it in hopes of competing with the newer hotels that set up shop over the years. If nothing else, it at least had electric lights and a lift. The light coming from the windows was welcoming and warm. Even as the door opened for patrons to exit, a few of them recognized her and gave her a friendly greeting. Her spirits lifted when the warmth washed over her, welcoming her in from the cold night. 

The owner's eyes widened as she shyly approached the front counter, "Mademoiselle Dragonne! There you are! We feared you had left our fair city for different waters." 

Moselle slowly relaxed and gave him a tired smile, "O-Oh no, no, not at all. I, uh...good evening, sir, I apologize for the short notice, it's just that I need a place to stay tonight, out of the cold." 

The man's expression tensed as he pondered, "I see. Unfortunately, many of our rooms are closed down for renovation..."

The door opened behind her to a group of travelers shuffling in from the snow. They eyed the dragon fae, grumbling about their long journey as one man stepped forward to speak with the owner about a reservation. Moselle began to feel even more out of place as the man looked her up and down with curious eyes. The owner gave the group a warm greeting before turning back to Moselle.

"Do not worry, Mademoiselle, go sit by the fire while I sort some things out." 

The dragon fae exhaled her relief, "Oh thank you so much."

Once she was nestled comfortably by the fireplace. The owner spoke with the group in hushed tones as he checked them in. While they spoke, the owner's wife approached Moselle with a warm drink and a pitying smile.

"You poor thing, here drink this. It'll help you warm up." 

The dragon took a satisfying sip before thanking the woman for her kindness, "Thank you so much. I'm so sorry for stumbling in here without reserving a room first." 

The older woman tutted as she watched the fae drink, "Nonsense, it's no trouble at all. There is a spare room in the old wing. My husband just asked the staff to get it ready for you. It's far away from the guests in the newer rooms so you shouldn't have to worry about hearing any noises during the night."

Moselle felt warmth and relief wash over her as she began digging through her long skirt pockets for any money she had on her. Before she could say a word, the owner's wife stopped her.

"Oh don't worry about payment, my dear, it's all been settled," she said gesturing to the group that had come in behind Moselle before. The man who spoke for the group gave Moselle a grin and tipped his hat to her before following the rest of the travelers up the stairs.

- 

Her room was at the end of a long hallway on one of the upper levels. It was eerily quiet so much so that Moselle was convinced she was the only one staying on the floor. She was too overcome with exhaustion to second-guess the room's placement. The owners were kind enough to give her a home-cooked meal along with the warm drink before she turned in for the night. Perhaps it was the stress leaving her body but she barely made it past the door before her head started to spin. The exhausted dragon shambled into the humble room and locked the door behind her before flopping onto the bed, pulling the top cover around herself. 

"I'm so tired...can barely m-...move..." Moselle was out within seconds, falling hard into a heavy dreamless sleep. 

It was the kind of sleep where her eyes refused to open any disturbance that her ears may have picked up. The wind pushing against the window or the creak of old pipes or floors outside her room, nothing could stir her awake. She couldn't even roll over if she felt the need. Moselle's mind was foggy, heavy, and steadily growing more anxious as she heard movement that couldn't have been the wind. Late into the night, her door creaked as it opened...but didn't she lock it? She finally opened her heavy eyes and drew a sharp breath at what she saw. Or rather who.

"Hold still, sweetheart. It's far less painful that way," the man who paid for her room loomed over her as the rest of his crew surrounded her bed. Her brain was on fire though it was hazier than ever. It screamed for her to move, attack, anything, but she couldn't even lift a finger. Her heart hammered against her ribs as the travelers drew closer, pulling tools out of their coats. Tools that wreaked with a frighteningly familiar scent: iron. 

Their leader lunged down and clamped a heavy collar around Moselle's neck that began to burn her as soon as it touched her skin, ripping a scream from her throat. 

"Get off of me!!" 

The little strength she could summon was enough to throw the man across the room before she tumbled onto the floor. The other travelers began throwing themselves on top of her, pinning her to the floor and forcing iron shackles onto her wrists and ankles. It burned her skin like a hundred hot pokers. She screamed and thrashed, throwing the men off of her back before collapsing in writhing pain. All she could do was scream before one of the men gagged her and chained her hands and feet together. The pain was so intense Moselle's body finally gave out and plunged her back into the dark. 

"They didn't put enough sedative in her food," the leader growled picking himself off the floor, "Sedate her for good measure so she doesn't wake back up. Remove the iron before it scars her. She'll fetch a far higher price unscathed." 

The four men who chained and shackled her quickly removed the trappings as another filled another syringe with the same liquid the innkeeper and his wife had drugged her with before. No one ever came to the door to check on the commotion. If anyone noticed the group of travelers carrying some bound form into the back of a loading truck in the dead of night, no one said a word.

Far too late, Rollo was notified by his peers at Noble Bell that the dragon had gone missing. Moselle was miles away from Fleur City and any trail left behind had gone cold.

-

The light in her eyes had gone out long ago. Her skin bore fading burn marks from iron used to keep her docile. The punishments worked too well. After a while, Moselle finally stopped fighting. Her master was thankful for the peace, especially now that his treasure could heal. As he prepared to open his menagerie for visitation, Moselle fully healed.

"She is exquisite! A rare diamond even amongst fae!"

The man who purchased her was a fat nobleman who smelled of sickeningly sweet roses and tobacco. He was a collector who prided himself on his discerning eye for the exotic and rare. Moselle was his greatest treasure and was kept in her room, separate from the rest of the other rare fae and monsters he had collected over the years. If it could even be called a "room". It was, more or less, a large iron cast cage: a high ceiling with foliage and other greenery to simulate the outside with a large pool of water for her to swim in and an alcove with comfortable enough bedding. There was also a lower deck for visitors to observe her as she swam in the water. It was barely different than a habitat at a zoo.

That same night she was taken, Moselle woke up barely able to open her eyes or lift her head. She couldn't see or speak as she was both blindfolded and muzzled. But her ears caught the sound of multiple voices shouting out numbers over and over. Everything was hazy but the air smelled of dust and iron. After the same sum was called out twice there was applause from the unseen audience moments before Moselle felt another sharp stab to her skin just before more sedative poured into her system. When she woke up the second time, she was there.

That was four years ago. Not that she knew that. Time continued to elude her in this prison. Outside the cage, her surroundings were tall walls of cement and steel with artificial lights in the place of windows. Also, a barrier of magic would electrocute anyone trying to enter or leave without the nobleman's permission. Moselle had no idea where she was, or what day, month, or season it was outside. She just existed to be gawked at and fawned over by her master and the others he charged to do the same. Day after day after day. She couldn't remember the last time she tried to escape, how long ago it was, just that it ended very badly. 

"You belong to me!" 

The nobleman screamed over Moselle's shrieks as his staff held her down with heavy nets made from iron chains. They dragged her into the cage she now lived in and threw her into the water once she was too weak to struggle anymore. Her punishment was hours in the dark with no food or fresh drinking water. The previous habitat had been outside in the gardens in a giant greenhouse-like dome. It was visually stunning, yes, the glass was magic proof and the metal iron, but it was still nowhere near strong enough to contain a fae hellbent on escape. It had been the third habitat the nobleman had constructed specifically for her and it was the last one she destroyed like a house of cards.

Moselle was jolted back to the present when she heard the heavy doors open. She didn't move from her alcove at first. That is until she heard multiple jovial voices. Her master had patrons today. This triggered something in the dragon's mind and she sprang up to position herself in a more visible resting spot. She learned that doing so pleased her master greatly and therefore avoided his wrath. Her master and the group of fellow gentlemen that followed in after him were talking and laughing about various things. There were one or two women amongst the group that seemed rather bored and then a third woman, blonde, in a tailored red dress and wide-brimmed hat. She was the only one who immediately made eye contact with Moselle with a gentle smile. Its strange familiarity caught Moselle off guard and yet she didn't look away from the stranger's warm hazel eyes. A sudden shout from her master broke her gaze.

"Into the water! Show my guests your glorious scales!" He laughed heartily. On the surface, it seemed like a proud parent wanting to show off their talented child but Moselle knew it was a warning. She dove into the water without a fuss as the group descended onto the lower deck to get a closer look as Moselle changed into her dragon form. The lower tank was quite large but even so, Moselle found it stiffling. 

She couldn't hear their voices clearly through the glass but judging from the guest's expressions as she swam about, Moselle knew her master would be pleased. She felt a sick mixture of relief and shame. The relief did not last as she saw her master give her a specific hand signal. He did this whenever he wanted her to spin or twirl in the water so he and others could get a better look at her. Moselle's body obeyed without question as more shame seeped into her gut. She was no better than a trained circus animal! The group laughed and applauded her little performance through the glass. All of them except the woman in red. She stood unmoving with a slight frown. It wasn't disappointment so much as it was sadness. Perhaps even a bit of frustration? Moselle couldn't tell...but what did it matter? She would get to sleep comfortably with a full belly that night. Normally that affirmation was enough but...

The woman in red was looking her straight in the eyes. She was angry. Not at Moselle, but for her. The dragon could feel it. Her master rapped his knuckles on the glass and shouted something to draw Moselle's attention to him. He made another hand signal, silently commanding her to perform another trick for his easily entertained guests. Her muscles twitched, trying to move on memory, but she resisted. She was...tired. Moselle had enough. The dragon didn't wait for another signal from her master before swimming back to the surface and returning to her alcove in her human form. The group remained in the room, talking amongst themselves, some even calling out to the fae as if she were a dog that could be beckoned over. When she ignored them, her master merely laughed.

"Ah, it seems it's having a bit of a tantrum today. Perhaps I've spoiled it too much."

Moselle huffed and rolled her eyes, keeping her back to them. A second voice broke through the laughter, "Might I have a closer look at her? My buyer is quite fascinated with her." 

It was the woman in red. Her voice was feminine though slightly husky as she spoke, emphasizing the word 'her' with authoritative posh. Moselle looked over her shoulder at the blonde woman as she walked right up to the bars without waiting for a response. The woman gave Moselle that same warm smile that felt like a comforting hand on the shoulder. Her master clumsily blurted out some answer, negating any suspicion that Moselle might be for sale, but it fell on deaf ears. The dragon fae looked the mysterious woman up and down, only now seeing her pointed ears and small fangs when she spoke. Why this gaggle of humans didn't seem to notice was beyond confusing. Unless...? Moselle sensed some magic surrounding the woman as she turned to negotiate with Moselle's master. It had to be some form of glamour. No wonder these humans didn't notice. The thought of this woman being so sneaky amused Moselle a bit. It swiftly turned to desperate anxiety once she saw the look on her master's reddening face. He was growing furious.

"It isn't for sale! The dragon belongs to me!" He shrieked like a child arguing with an adult. 

She had been called 'it', 'dragon', 'you', anything but her actual name for years. For years, she had been treated as an animal and not a person, to the point where she completely stopped speaking or trying to communicate with her captor at all. What was the point of speaking when no one around you listened? After so many years, after finally witnessing another soul treat her with even a sliver of real acknowledgment, something primal deep within her finally broke. 

The small crowd outside the cage stumbled backward as the water suddenly splashed towards them through the bars. Moselle disappeared beneath the waters for three long seconds just before a furious river dragon burst out of the waters with a terrible roar, scattering the scared humans like cockroaches. Her master began screaming commands at her in an attempt to regain the broken illusion of power as the woman in red stood rooted to the spot and watched her, awe burning in her eyes. 

The dragon snarled and huffed at the pudgy human that had caged her all these years before blasting him across the room with a geyser of water from her maw. He slid off of the cement walls like a slug. The other humans fled the room as his hired security flooded into the room. Their shouts only angered the dragon more as she began blasting them as well. The woman in red was quickly taken out of the room as Moselle's now furious master regained his footing. 

The guards quickly surrounded the habitat, readying their mage stones, one shouting out commands to 'secure the beast'. Moselle's slitted eyes narrowed as a deep growl rumbled out of her like thunder. She reared back to give them another blast when the guards all shot magic at the bars, making the cage's ceiling sink in on her. She quickly dove into the water and slammed into the glass windows to no avail. On the other side, more guards were using magic to make the glass harder than diamonds. After more shouts, large iron balls were dropped into the water. They began to release a metallic powder that burned Moselle's lungs and skin. The dragon screeched and quickly swam to the surface. The iron bars were now just above her. They hit her head, neck, and back, burning her as she quickly shrank back into her human form and desperately crawled into the alcove, now her only haven. The furious nobleman glared menacingly at the fae through the bars. 

"Do not drain the water tank, " he barked at the guards, "Leave the iron deposits and bars as they are. No food, water, or lighting for the next three days. It will learn to obey me."

As the lights were shut off and the room emptied with the definitive slam of the doors, Moselle was left with only the sound of her haggard breathing in the dark. She collapsed onto the bed, burning pain and adrenaline ripping her apart. She couldn't stop shaking.

-

The darkness consumed everything but the putrid smell of iron around her. How much longer would she be forced to live like this? What was happening outside, back home? Was Rollo alright? Did he miss her? Did he remember her?

The dragon fae used to remind herself of Fleur City before falling asleep each night: the glorious springs in full bloom and the festive autumns each year, the music, and the warmth of the people who were kind to her. But now, it was simply too painful. Now, Moselle silently prayed for a sleep that she would not wake from. Everything hurt too much. Though there was little difference in the pitch blackness, she finally felt her eyes close and her body give way into the dilapidated bed. Her breathing eventually slowed and she was out.

A sudden burst of light all around the room and the dull sound of thudding pulled Moselle back to the waking world. The lights were back on. Was her punishment over? Before she could process her feelings on the matter, they were swiftly overwritten by fear as the loud thudding suddenly became louder and closer. The metal doors shook as voices were shouting on the other side in rhythm with each strike: someone was trying to break down the doors. Moselle's eyes darted around. The cage was still too low and the water too polluted for her to transform. Instead, she crawled further into her alcove like a scared animal with no escape as the doors finally collapsed. The crash rang louder than the bells back home as sounds of chaos ripping through the menagerie poured in.

On the other side, a group of humans in militant uniforms and silver armor cleared a path to enter the room. Half seemed to be looking for other potential exits while the rest surrounded the habitat and started using their magic to cut through the cage bars. She could hear other voices ringing through the outer hallways, yelling back and forth. Once an opening was cut, one of the guards stepped forward to enter. They looked different from the others. Firstly, they were shorter than the rest and more slender looking even under their body armor that was dark and more worn. They wore a silver helmet like the others that covered their face and a red cloak that was tattered and darker along the bottom as if it had been through many other raids like this one. 

Moselle hissed and snarled at the guard who entered despite her entire body trembling like a leaf. The guard slowly approached, raising their hands to show that they were unarmed. Their comrades used magic to create a path across the pool to Moselle, but the caped one didn't rush across. Instead, they called out in an earnest voice, "We're here to help. We mean you no harm." 

It was a girl's voice. Moselle unbristled a small amount as her eyes darted around to all the other guards who slowly backed away from the habitat, giving the two inside more space. The fae didn't move. She didn't try to run or attack. She simply sat frozen, clinging to the back wall, staring as the kind-voiced stranger slowly made her way across the water. Once the stranger was on solid ground and still far away enough to not crowd Moselle, she kneeled and spoke in gentle tones.

"It's alright. I know you're frightened but we only want to help you." 

A spark of hope flickered in Moselle's tired emerald eyes. Could it possibly be true? She wanted to believe her words, but what if this was just another trap? Sensing her doubt, the stranger slowly removed her helmet. Oh, she was a young human woman. Her eyes were deep brown and held the same benevolent look the blonde woman's held before. The freckles she had in her younger days had since faded. She stood slightly taller than before. Time and strife had toned her lean build more, preparing her for the life she had chosen. Her tenacity and heart were still ever the same.

"I'm Petra Revie. I'm here to save you." 

Petra was now a twenty-two year old young woman, her school days behind her. She extended her hand to the dragon fae and waited. This girl was a stranger. For all Moselle knew, Petra could be trying to trick her. Even without words, Petra understood why the fae hesitated. So instead of forcing her to come with them, the human girl reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out a familiar piece of fabric. 

"Your friend asked us to find you, Moselle."

In her hands was a violet handkerchief covered with moons and stars. Moselle's voice was still locked away, buried under years of abuse. Even when she opened her mouth to speak, words refused to form. All she could do was gasp and half-sob with overwhelming joy before extending her shakey hand to Petra. 

-

News of the recent arrest of one of their own spread all across the Rose Queendom. From the nobility to the common citizens, shock and appall were equally shared. In print and broadcast, this man's name was ruined as his crimes were put on a full blast across the nation. Though his trial was closed to the public, everyone knew whose wrath he would be facing. 

Inside the courtroom, the accused man sat alone with a downcast expression already covered in a cold sweat before the trial even started. On the other side sat Petra in formal dress and a legal representative of the task force that had raided and shut down his menagerie. A jury was deemed unnecessary for this case. The audience in attendance were members of the royal court. Entering the heavy room with a serious look on his face was Lord Jasper Elfern. In civilian courts, there were appointed judges, lawyers, and the like to handle these sorts of things. This case, however, was brought directly before the royal family and the royal court. Unfortunately for the collector, no lawyer within the capital city was foolish enough to defend him once they caught wind of his crime and the logistics of how he was exposed. It was less of a trial and more of a last shot for the man to be proven innocent before he was sentenced. Here there was only one judge to convince and he was notorious for being obstinately committed to the facts, his queen, and little else. Jasper's voice rang out across the hall.

 "All rise, His Majesty King Rosehearts presiding." 

Petra and the others stood uniformly. The accused noble nearly fell over as soon as he heard who would be the judge for his case. The quiet clicks of his heeled shoes cut through the silence like gunshots as the stern young king entered and took his place behind the bench. Riddle to date was one of the youngest kings in the Queendom's more recent history, standing at the same 5'8 he reached upon his final years at school, and held a more controlled temper now that he was in his twenties. None of these attributes made him any less domineering, however.

His steel eyes went directly towards the accused making him wriggle like a helpless worm, "State the crimes of the accused."

Jasper listed each item with a serious tone, "Purchase and imprisonment of illegally poached monsters and other international fauna, most if not all are classified as endangered. Purchase and imprisonment of various types of fae, from various illegal underground markets. Charging admission to fellow anonymous nobility and other patrons to gain access to his 'collection'. Abuse and torture of captured monsters and fae from himself and his patrons for entertainment purposes. Including one Miss Moselle of Fleur City who was not only tortured, abused, and extorted, but also kidnapped by a paid third party and then won at an auction rigged in the accused's favor to cover any tracks that linked the kidnapping to him." The audience festered with scandalized gasps and chatter as the list continued until Riddle banged a gavel to quiet them all. The nobleman panicked and shot up out of his chair, "Your Majesty, please! This is slander! I never-"

"Silence," Riddle's gaze could crack diamonds, "I will hear from the prosecution." 

The representative next to Petra called her to the stand to testify. All of the evidence was foolproof. They had photos and receipts of each specimen that was purchased with no signs of forgery. The final straw was the clear photos of Moselle being caged inside a habitat and then close-up, clinical shots of the injuries she sustained on her skin from the last bout of abuse she suffered. The courtroom erupted with the nobleman's desperate cries and the backlash from the audience behind him.

"This is outrageous! I never laid a hand on it-er-her! I had no idea who she was or that she had been taken by force! If anything I should be the one prosecuting you!" the incensed man pointed an angry, stumpy finger at Petra, "My property was broken into and vandalized by this woman and her lot-"

Riddle's gavel came down with a thunderous crack, "ORDER! Be seated and silent at once!" Once the ego-wounded man finally shut his trap and slid down in his chair, Riddle addressed Petra directly, "Miss Revie, did you and your comrades act on your own accord or were you sent on that raid?"

"We were gathered and deployed by a higher command, Your Majesty," Petra's eyes could bore holes straight into the guilty noble's forehead with how angry she looked.

"Tell the court who this higher command was, Miss Revie," Riddle already knew the answer, but it needed to be said before the proper verdict could be given. 

"The Rose Queen, Her Majesty Reine Rosehearts," Petra had to fight to not smirk as the noble's face turned ghost white, "the Queen received an anonymous report along with the same evidence presented here that one of her subjects was committing heinous crimes right under her nose."

The man was trembling beyond reason, "Y-Your Excellency, I-I-" 

Riddle stood and slammed both hands onto the podium. His expression was calm but his eyes and voice burned, "Based on the evidence and accounts given here today, I conclude that the accused dared to dishonor his Queen and country with these foul acts and then has the gall to feign innocence? Am I correct, sir?"

All eyes dared the pitiful man to argue, heavy silence pressing in on him as everyone waited for an answer. There was no escape for him. He was doomed the moment he was caught. The man broke down into a pathetic fit of sobs, utterly defeated. Riddle sat back down and proceeded to give his verdict.

"I find the defendant guilty. He is sentenced to life in prison without parole. He is stripped of his title as are his heirs and wife. The remaining members of his household are banned from the royal court, even by association. Any remaining properties or laundered money connected to his crimes will be confiscated at once." 

Not a moment after the gavel was banged for the final time was the guilty man cuffed and dragged out of the courtroom. This specific courtroom was a part of the royal palace and used for the most dire of cases. Or at least the ones that Riddle felt needed his attention. The fact that his wife and queen played a great part in bringing that bastard to justice only enflamed his cause. For the protection of his wife and future family, the courtroom was kept outside the vast grounds of their home but still away from the public of the capital city. 

The two old friends were escorted into a protected vehicle and driven back to the royal grounds proper. Petra finally let herself relax into the leather seats with a heavy sigh. Riddle let his stern guard down and gave the princess a satisfied grin, "Well done once again, Petra."

"Thank you, Riddle," it felt too weird to call him by his proper title when it was just the two of them even now, "I couldn't have done it without your and Reine's support, naturally. The Rose Queendom's police force is no joke." 

The young king grinned proudly, "Oh yes. Only the best serve and protect under Reine's rule. Whether it's in the light of day or behind the scenes. Speaking of which...how many raids have you and the task force completed over the years, Petra?"

Honestly, she had lost count. It all started her fourth year at Sacred Crown during what was supposed to be a political internship based in her kingdom that bordered what is now Briar Valley. Petra selected one that would allow her to serve the people instead of just sitting in a castle, overlooking them. That's how it started but soon the ugly truth reared its head. There had been an influx of game hunters crossing the borders and infiltrating the mountains and forests between the human and fae kingdoms. It was brushed off as 'wildlife management' by her father's advisors and the local authorities. Come to find out, no, it was anything but that. 

Her people, in the name of technological advancement, were trapping fae and siphoning off their magic to use it to power machinery for their businesses, harvesting and expanding their farmlands, and even sourcing out power for factories and power grids. She always knew that her kingdom was behind others when it came to technology. The entire land that held both her kingdom and Briar Valley was richly steeped in magic and raw nature so it was difficult to build any sort of metropolis like other countries around the world. In a way, Petra loved the land for that reason. Still, her people took advantage of smaller weaker fae to help themselves, and any larger, stronger fae that happened to be subdued were sold off in secret marketplaces or auctions much like the one Moselle was forced into. It was gruesome and unbearable. Petra couldn't and wouldn't stand for it. Instead of the homecoming of a princess her people expected after she graduated, Petra Revie took matters into her own hands. In turn, well, public opinion regarding the princess was greatly polarized and not always in favor of good. Those who supported their princess joined her cause. This was only the beginning, however. Once Petra discovered that these dubious transactions weren't just happening at home but in other countries as well, she left her faction to oversee things in their kingdom and set out across the sea. Her journey brought her to the Rose Queendom at the dawn of Reine's ascension to the throne.

"Petra? You have been here for quite a few years now. Not that you're never welcome here, just..." Riddle had his concerns as did many in Petra's life. While he was now king of a nation, Petra was a friend and an ally, not a subject to be ruled. Judging from the growing frown on her face as she avoided his gaze was a further testament to this.

"The throne is in good hands. Besides, I was able to shut down those markets in my kingdom and come to find out, others are perpetuating the problem in other countries, like here," Petra ignored the pit of guilt brewing in her gut, "I want to ensure that fae everywhere, not just back home, are safe and free to live peacefully." 

Riddle's expression softened into a proud smile, "Your efforts have not been in vain, Petra. Thanks to you and Mr. Zhao, we've been able to rescue hundreds just over the past two years alone. It's hard to imagine in today's world such prejudice and ill-treatment of fae still runs rampant..."

Petra snorted as the car came to a stop, "You can call him Tai instead of 'Mr. Zhao'. It makes him feel old. I mean he is like six or seven hundred years old, but you didn't hear that from me."

The two exited the car as Riddle hummed to himself, "Well I must say he looks fantastic for his age, not a day over three hundred at least." 

Petra's loud chuckle echoed into the corridor as she followed Riddle to the throne room, "Heeey, look who grew a sense of humor!"

-

Warm light faded into the quiet room with a soft breeze brushing up against the sleeping dragon's face. The sinfully soft bed she had been resting in was a sweet haven from the nightmare Moselle had survived. She felt entirely too groggy yet so rested all at once. She slowly sat up with a deep yawn and looked down at the nightgown on her in confusion. It took her brain a minute or two or remind her how exactly she got here. The mental recap was interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door. Moselle opened her mouth to answer but only a tiny rasp came out, reminding her yet again how out of practice her vocal cords were.

The door opened letting a kind greeting float into the room, "Oh good you're finally awake, Miss Moselle. Good morning."  A young woman entered with a soothing presence. She was quite petite and youthful with rose pink doe eyes and mint blue wavy hair, cut short for ease. The tiny mole under her left eye only added to her charm. Moselle looked her up and down, not recognizing her or the healer uniform she was wearing. Her soft voice did sound familiar though. The healer pushed a tray with a full tea set and some breakfast into the room with her, "I thought you might be hungry after all that rest so I prepared you something. I hope you like it."

A wave of deja vu suddenly crashed over Moselle as she remembered the last free meal she was offered before she was taken. She nervously backed up onto the bed, shaking her head. The girl didn't seem offended in the slightest. She just gave the dragon a gentle smile and placed the cover back over the food, "It's alright, I understand you're probably feeling rather disoriented after all of...that. For what it's worth, I assure you that you are quite safe here in the Rose Queendom. Her Majesty has tasked me with keeping a close eye on you while you've slept since arriving...uh let's see...three days ago?"

The dragon's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She slept for three whole days?! The girl's soft-spoken tone suddenly vanished as she laughed at the fae's exaggerated expression, "You had quite the nap!" She snorted mid-giggle before quickly clearing her throat and returning to her original reserved tone, "Apologies. As I said, you are quite safe here under Her Majesty's watch. She would never let a guest suffer in her house-er-palace." 

Moselle's eyes drifted about the room, finally noticing just how grand it was even for a spare room. That's right...that armored girl and a bunch of others rescued her and brought her here. Her senses felt conflicted between relief and learned trauma as they took in the smell of roses in the air. It was a fresh and sweet smell, unlike the concentrated cologne that the abusive noble constantly wore. No, this place was very different. She looked over at the tray of food right as her stomach loudly growled. The healer smiled knowingly as she uncovered the food and started preparing a cup of tea for the dragon. 

"You may eat whenever you are ready. I promise it's not poisoned," another giggle-snort escaped from her before she tried to recover yet again, "Oh, sorry, I'm Astrid by the way. Astrid Piperita. I'm one of the many healer mages that studied here in the Rose Queendom and I've been charged with aiding in your recovery." 

"...Tha...Than...k...y-y...ou..." Moselle felt a bit mortified at how much she was struggling with such a simple sentiment. She felt a bitter lump form in her throat which only frustrated her more. 

Astrid sat down in her chair next to the bed and handed Moselle the teacup, "Here. This herbal blend will help relax your throat. I also have some books for you to practice reading aloud later if you want. That way you can get used to speaking again at your own pace." 

The kindness in Astrid's pastel eyes made Moselle's start to water. She quickly wiped the budding tears away and nodded. The healer beamed, "Excellent. But first, you need to eat. After your breakfast, how about we go outside? The palace has the most gorgeous gardens in the city, if not the country. Fresh air and sunshine will do you good. And don't worry, I'll stay with you so you don't get lost."

Moselle felt her whole body start to lighten as the sweet little healer cut up her food into smaller pieces for easier consumption.

-

"It's all been settled, My Queen."

Riddle kissed his wife's hand after finishing his report of the morning's events. Reine Rosehearts thanked her darling husband with no shortage of adoration in her eyes as he sat down on the throne next to hers. Petra thought it sweet that the couple was still so in love with each other. On the other hand, she felt kinda awkward being in the same room as them. Thankfully Reine knew when to get straight to business.

"Petra, has Mr. Flamme responded yet?"

The princess frowned, "Unfortunately, he's not one for using an actual cellphone so not yet. You'd think that he'd be easier to get in touch with considering he reached out to us first." 

Reine pondered a mere second before calling for the footman, "No matter. We'll simply have to reach out differently. Bring the Looking Glass at once, please."

The rabbit beastman swiftly left the throne room and just as quickly returned with a very large, antique mirror he wheeled in with the help of another rabbit. Petra was impressed but not surprised.

"I guess people do still use these things, huh." 

Reine rose from her throne with a satisfied grin, "Modern technology is useful but when in doubt, the classics work just as well. Mr. Flamme said he would be expecting us any time now so hopefully this will do the trick."

The queen cleared her throat and thought for a moment before speaking in a clear voice in front of the mirror, "Fleur City. Monsieur Flamme, please." Both Riddle and Petra stood at her side, curiously waiting.

The glass started to shift like water before a blurry image began to smooth itself out. Across the oceans in Fleur City, Rollo Flamme was busying himself inside his home's study. His expression was as tired and dead serious as ever. Very little about him changed over the years. On the wall across from him hung a much smaller version of the mirror Reine was using. When letters weren't fast enough, or he couldn't be bothered to find his misplaced phone, the magic mirror was Rollo's go-to for long distance communication. Even in a dire circumstance such as this, the young man still couldn't seem to keep track of his cell phone.

"Monsieur Flamme?"

Reine's voice made Rollo's head pop up from his work with a look of surprise, "Ah, Your Majesty."

He quickly made his way across the room, bracing himself. He had been waiting for news for over a year now. He silently prayed that today he would finally hear something to feel joyful about. Reine addressed him with a pleased look.

"We found her. She is here, safe and sound."

Rollo exhaled a breath he felt he had been holding for years, "Ah. Thank goodness. I owe you an immense debt of gratitude, Your Majesties, thank you," his tired eyes shifted to Petra, "And to you, Lady Revie." 

Petra was never one for overt thank yous or compliments, "I was just doing my duty, Rollo-er-Monsieur Flamme, sir." 

Petra and Reine both filled Rollo in on what they discovered, how they found Moselle and her current condition. The entire time he listened, Rollo felt bitter anger boil his blood. He knew deep down that the dear fae would never want him to feel guilty for leaving all those years ago even after her terrible experience. Even so, he had to know...

"What happened to that man? And the poachers?" His expression was a stone-cold mask hiding his stewing temper.

Riddle stepped forward and explained the sentencing that had happened that morning, "He will be spending the rest of his life in a cell. As for the poachers, we've detained more than half of their men already. We're on the trail of the others as we speak. They will be facing the same sentence if I have anything to say about it." 

Rollo's brow was as sharp as his tone, "Good."

Reine moved the conversation forward to the important next step, "I want you to rest assured that Moselle is receiving the best care and is more than welcome to stay in the royal palace until she is fully recovered, Monsieur. However, I am concerned about what comes after..."

Before anything was said, Rollo could tell he and the Rose Queen were thinking the same thing. Even with the culprits brought to justice, Rollo was still burdened with worry about Moselle's safety in the long run. He sighed and looked out into his city which had changed greatly with time.

"Though I am happy to know that Moselle is alive and in good hands for now, I'm afraid...returning here is no longer an option," he didn't bother hiding the creeping sadness on his face, "the possibility that there won't be others seeking her out isn't guaranteed. Even if it were, the river here on which she was born has been greatly neglected by the city since she disappeared. There have been efforts to restore it but it will take a great deal of time. Taking both into account, I do not believe that Fleur City is the best place for Moselle anymore." 

The king and queen shared a disheartened look between them as they pondered over Rollo's words. Petra huffed, frustrated at no one in particular.

"I understand what you're saying but Fleur City is her home, isn't it? Does she know anywhere else? Or anyone else for that matter? Staying here would ultimately be just as dangerous wouldn't it?"

Unfortunately, that was true. The Rose Queendom had more rural towns far away from the capital but who was to say that she wouldn't run into the same danger of capture there? 

"A dragon fae would have a hard time thriving here in the city as well..." Reine sighed, not sure what to do, "Do you have any recommendations, Monsieur Flamme? You know her better than any of us."

There was one possibility upon Moselle's secure return that had haunted Rollo ever since he requested help in the first place. There was one place where a dragon fae could reside, surrounded by other fae like herself. Only one place came to mind and he loathed the very idea of it. He looked back to his desk where a box of faded, carefully stored letters and postcards sat. Each one bore the same sender's name: 'Malleus Draconia'. If there was anyone in the world who could keep a fellow dragon safe from ill-intentioned humans...

"I don't know if this is a viable possibility as of right now. However..."

-

The sunshine seemed so foreign that it was almost completely new all over again. Moselle stood out in the open space in complete awe. The smell of the flowers, the feeling of fresh grass under her bare feet, and the birdsongs filling the air filled the dragon to the brim with a sense of wonder that she had forgotten.  

"Moselle? Would you like to sit under the gazebo?"

Astrid had just finished setting the table with a pitcher of water and some snacks just in case Moselle was still hungry. The dragon was so enamored with her surroundings she didn't answer the healer. Astrid watched her before joining Moselle in the sun. 

"It's lovely out here isn't it?" she sighed before plopping down in the grass, lying down to face the sky. She patted the spot next to her when Moselle gave her a curious look. The fae slowly got down to sit on her knees next to Astrid. The doe-eyed girl pointed to a fluffy cloud, calling out what it reminded her of. Moselle wasn't sure what was happening but it felt nice. Astrid would pick more clouds and then giggle about how they reminded her of something called a mock turtle or a sleeping flamingo. 

"I think that one looks more like a walrus, honestly..."

Moselle jolted at the sudden voice coming from behind them. Astrid looked towards the large tree with a smile, "Oh Tai. There you are." 

The fae quickly turned her head to see a figure lounging comfortably in the thick, low-hanging branches. It was a man with a svelte figure and familiar blond hair loosely braided over his shoulder. His warm hazel eyes met hers, and all at once her brain haphazardly connected the dots. Moselle's eyes widened and her mute mouth hung open as this "Tai" fellow slipped out of the branched and approached the two young women. 

"Afternoon Astrid," his voice was deeper but just as smoothly precise now, "And Miss Moselle, good to see you in much better conditions." It had to be him. Or her? Moselle was confused but the look and smile matched. 

The fae looked him up and down, noting that he did have pointed ears and small fangs. She couldn't help the confusion on her face as she slowly pointed and mumbled, "...Ma...male...?"

Tai looked himself over as Astrid burst into a giggle fit, "Ah. Yes, I do look very different now than the last time we saw each other. Though personally, I thought I pulled the red dress off quite well." There wasn't a hint of shame or sarcasm in his tone. 

"Red is your color, yes," Astrid agreed in full seriousness. 

Perhaps this wasn't strange? Wait, was she being too blunt? Moselle's face turned pink as she muttered a weak apology, "S-sor-ss-sorry!"

The blonde fae just chuckled, "There's nothing to apologize for, my dear. The whole point was that the look was convincing, so I'll take your confusion as a compliment." 

"Tai is a professional. He's been undercover confusing his enemies with his pretty face for years," Astrid said a bit too bluntly with the grin of an admiring child. 

"Aiya," the fae scowled, "What kind of explanation is that Astrid? I am a professional in reconnaissance, stealth, and hand-to-hand combat specifically, not just playing 'dress up'," seeing more confusion take over the dragon fae's face, Tai cleared his throat and started again.

"I am Zhao  Tai-Yang, a fox fae from The Land of Red Dragons," he traditionally bowed to her, "but you may call me Tai. It's easier for most to pronounce. You've met my ward, Petra, though briefly. I imagine she's speaking with the queen at this moment." 

Moselle felt like her head was about to explode with all this new information. So these people rescued her, brought her to a rose-filled kingdom with a queen, and one was a medical human, another human in armor, and then a very androgynous fox fae from a far-off land that she vaguely remembered hearing about at Noble Bell before. These two seemed very friendly and trustworthy so far so surely the armored human was too? At least she hoped so. The conflicted feelings from before began pulling her at the seams once again. This place and everyone she met so far seemed nice but what if they weren't? What if it was a farce? What if she never got to go home ever again? On the other hand...did she even want to go back home to a city where others with nice voices and faces let her get taken away and tortured? The last thread holding her together finally snapped and her vision quickly blurred with salt water. Her mental dam broke hard and fast.

Astrid quickly sat up once Moselle's body began to tremble, "Moselle??"

The clear skies above suddenly clouded over with the rumbles of thunder. The dragon's ragged breath turned into a painful heave that pushed the tears down her distraught face and broke the clouds above in heavy rainfall. Astrid squealed and jumped to her feet, "Oh no, oh no! Moselle! Oh dear..." 

The dragon sobbed in the raspy remnants of her voice. Her tears wouldn't stop. Astrid managed to summon a large umbrella with magic and held it over herself and Moselle as she quietly cooed gentle words to calm the tormented fae. Tai stood silently in the rain, unmoving and soaked to the bone. He watched the poor girl cry and then the healer trying to console her before he finally spoke in an even tone, "Astrid, give her space, please." 

The human took the fox's advice and backed away while still holding the umbrella over the dragon, shielding her from the rain. The two of them stood in the downpour and let the dragon continue to grieve for several minutes. Moselle finally lifted her puffy, tearful eyes to look at the two strangers who had stayed with her this entire time. Both of them offered her reassuring looks. They weren't leaving. They weren't running from the storm. The dragon sniffled and sobbed now for an entirely different reason. 

The fox slowly closed the distance and joined Moselle under the umbrella, kneeling before her just as Petra did when she had come to Moselle's rescue. His warm smile didn't falter though he was a completely drenched mess. The dragon looked at him like a lost child. This wasn't the first time in his many years of seeing that look.

"Oh my dear...I may not understand completely, but I do know you have been through so much terror and I am so sorry," Tai's voice was full of patience and wisdom that couldn't be taught, "Just know, that while it will take some time for you to heal, to feel at peace, you are safe and among friends."

The heartfelt smile on Astrid's face only confirmed every word the fox had said. Any doubt previously holding her back was cast aside as Moselle's body moved on its own, searching for some sort of anchor. Tai gave a soft grunt as the dragon tightly embraced him, still sniffling and sobbing quietly to herself. The fox wrapped his arms around her and gently patted her wet hair without hesitation as if he had cared for the fae all her life. 

"Ah child, it's going to be alright. You're going to be alright," he hushed her cries like a doting parent.

Astrid sighed and lowered the umbrella as the rain stopped. This wasn't exactly the kind of day that she had planned for but it was a good start. The final member of their crew called from the garden's entry. 

"What's going on with the weather-AH!" Petra froze at the sight of the drenched trio, "What happened to you guys?"

Moselle recognized her immediately. This was Petra, the one who saved her. The girl's expression shifted from confusion to concern once she saw Moselle hunched over on the ground in Tai's arms, both of them a mess. The princess approached them and looked straight at Moselle without a hint of fear.

"Hey, are you alright? Are you still hurt?" 

The dragon nodded silently, suddenly feeling worlds better than before. Petra heaved a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness. Come on, let's get you dried off, ok? Can't have you catching a cold on your first days of freedom."

Petra's laugh was light and carefree as she helped Moselle to her feet. She offered a hand to Tai as well, "You too, old man. Actually, can fae get sick-AH!"

The fox made Petra shriek as he started shaking off the water like a dog before casually getting to his feet, "We can though we aren't as feeble as my rude ward here seems to think." 

"We still need to dry off!" Astrid, just as soaked through as the two fae but suddenly steeled with purpose, summoned a stack of dried towels and began drying off Moselle's horns and hair for her, "Temperature regulation is important to maintain one's health! Also, we're going to need more tea!" 

Moselle swiftly found herself back inside, changed into fresh clothes, wrapped in a blanket, and seated at a table with the three companions drinking more tea. She was once again unsure of how she got there but...she wasn't upset about it. Moselle sipped her tea in silence as the other three talked and joked amongst themselves. They were like a little family. Petra leaned over and began chatting with the dragon as Astrid began serving snacks.

"Sorry for everything being chaotic. This is just how we are...sometimes," she laughed awkwardly, "Anyway, hello again. I'm Petra Revie. I'm happy to see you're up and about finally. Astrid is one of the best so you're in good hands."

Astrid cooed affectionately on the other side of Moselle, "Oh, that's sweet of you to say. I just do my best, that's all." 

"And you met Tai. He's the eyes and ears of our group. He's taught me almost everything I know," Petra beamed.

The fox was leaned back in his chair with a sly grin, "Almost, she said. Well, I suppose you're right. I certainly didn't teach you that sloppy footwork you used in your swordfighting the other day, pup." 

Petra wildly gasped making the other two laugh, "Hey, it's not that bad!" 

Pup?? Moselle's head tilted to the side with questions. While the other two bantered back and forth like a true guardian and child, Astrid whispered to the dragon.

"Tai has been with the  Revie family for generations. He was there when Petra was born. I've only known them both for about two or three years, but we've been working closely together this whole time. So he likes to call us his 'pups'. It's adorable, don't you think?"

The sentiment was catching, making Moselle grin for the first time since she could remember. They were a little family.

--------------------------------------------

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[37sommz]

000.⠀⠀NOW PLAYING: take a bow [1.7k, fluff?]. ✼. view:⠀masterlist⠀⸻⠀join the taglist⠀⸻⠀request. ✼. synopsis:⠀never put michaela, max, and seb in a press room together. ✼. notes:⠀seb is and will always be michaela #1 defender. ✼. warnings:⠀none!

✼.⠀OCTOBER 24, 2020 — portimão, portugal

"Michaela, tell us about your strategy for tomorrow's race." A journalist called out, as the buzz of the crowded room grew expectant.

Michaela leaned back in her chair and took a sip of water before addressing the sea of faces. "Strategy?" She echoed, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Well, I plan to start from 17th, work my way through the pack, and then just teleport to the top step of the podium. What do you think of that, Max?"

Max couldn't help but chuckle at the side. "Sounds perfectly possible," He quipped, earning a round of laughter from the room. Sebastian, ever the accomplice to their comedic duo, nodded wistfully. "If only we had that technology."

The room lightened up a bit, the tension of the intense qualifying session dissipating. Another journalist, seemingly not in on the joke, fired off a more serious question. "Michaela, your performance at the Tuscan Grand Prix was historic, but since then, your team has struggled. How do you plan to overcome the recent setbacks?"

Michaela's smile remained, but her eyes narrowed in recognition of the journalist's voice. Anthony Georges, a motorsports reporter for the BBC, had never been shy to challenge Michaela's dodges. From her Formula 2 days, Georges had been the bane of her existence. The very reason she had walked out of a press conference during the first race of the 2018 season.

"Well, I've been taking inspiration from my latest shopping trip. You know, you might not find what you're looking for right away, but with persistence and a bit of luck, you can still come home with something special." She winked at the Brit, her words another clever dodge.

The room rippled with laughter again, but the journalist pressed on. "I meant technically speaking. What is Alfa Romeo doing to improve?" His lips pressed into a stern line, graying eyebrows furrowed in a smug, accusatory expression.

Michaela's expression softened as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Look, we're working tirelessly behind the scenes. It's not just about slapping on a new wing or tweaking the engine. We're in the middle of a season that's thrown more curveballs than you can imagine. But we're a team and together we're navigating these challenges."

The room fell quiet for a brief moment, Georges seemingly at a loss for a comeback for the moment. Sebastian, ever the opportunist, jumped in. "And let's not forget, she's still the only one here who's managed to avoid hitting a wall this weekend. That has to count for something, right?"

The tension broke again, the room erupting in sporadic chuckles. Max couldn't resist a laugh either, remembering his own unfortunate incident earlier in the weekend.

"Speaking of walls," Another journalist said. "What do you make of the criticism that your recent DNF in Sochi is a sign that you're not cut out for this level of racing?"

Michaela's smile never wavered. "Ah, the infamous 'female driver' stereotype," She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, if you ask me, I'd say it's more about the car and the track than my gender. But, hey, if you want to believe that I'm secretly trying to redecorate the circuits with my car parts, go ahead. That's not my problem."

The room was filled with a mix of shocked expressions and snickers. Sebastian leaned forward, a glint in his eye. "I must admit, I've hit a few walls in my time," He said with a self-deprecating grin. "It's part of the job description, isn't it?"

Michaela nodded solemnly, playing along. "Absolutely, Sebastian. It's in the fine print right under 'must be able to operate under extreme G-forces' and 'capable of consuming copious amounts of energy drinks.'" Her reference to energy drinks is emphasized by Max who lifts his own RedBull energy drink in a mocking toast.

A journalist, a newer face in the pressroom, from the back of the room, emboldened by Georges' initial challenge, decided to jump into the fray. "But isn't it true that your teammate Kimi Raikkonen seems to handle the car better?"

Michaela's eyes twinkled with mischief as she looked over at her press officer, Beata Gasparro, who motioned frantically for her to keep her calm. "Kimi's a legend," She said, "But let's not forget, he's also got more than a decade on me. I've got plenty of time to get the hang of it."

"I'd like to add that Mickey's actually doing relatively better than Kimi this season. She's outperformed him at all races this season except for what?" Sebastian spoke up in defense of the former Ferrari reserve driver.

He glanced towards Michaela and Max, knowing the two of them would know the answer to his question. The Alfa Romeo driver decided to remain quiet, choosing instead to stare straight ahead at the questioning journalist.

Max jumped in her stead responding with a casual, "Spa and Sochi.", and a smile as if punctuating the point. Sebastian nodded at the answer, closing the question off with, "I'm sure Kimi won't mind me saying that."

"He doesn’t care much about anything these days," Michaela muttered under her breath. The cheeky remark had the room in stitches again. Kimi was notorious for his icy personality, so it was no secret that his preference for not speaking much was a running joke in the paddock.

The journalist's face reddened, but he maintained his composure. "What about the psychological aspect, then? Do you feel any extra pressure being the first woman to achieve such a feat?"

Michaela leaned forward, her gaze intense. "I'm a driver, not a pioneer on a mission to prove anything about my gender. The pressure I feel is the same as any of these guys feel—to win races and do the best I can for the team. And honestly, if I let every question about my gender throw me off, I'd never get out of bed in the morning. So, let's talk about racing, yeah?"

Her words hit the journalist like a cold splash of water, but as she sensed an opportunity, she added fuel to the fire. "You know, we've got a race to talk about tomorrow. Maybe we should focus on the actual cars going around in circles instead of my inability to pee standing up." The room erupted in laughter, even Georges couldn't help but crack a smile.

"But seriously," Michaela continued, her tone earnest now, "I race because I love it. Because I'm good at it. And because every time I get into the cockpit, I'm racing against the best in the world, regardless of their gender. Now, if you have any more questions about the actual racing, I'd be happy to answer them. Otherwise, I think we're all set here."

Sebastian's hum of approval only served to embolden Michaela in knowing she had properly shut down the years of gendered attacks on her and her abilities.

"Alright, alright," Georges jumped in, seemingly admitting defeat, raising his hands in mock surrender. "We'll stick to the racing, as the lady wishes." He leaned back in his chair, a glint of respect in his eyes. "But, let's talk about strategy for real this time. What's the game plan for tomorrow?"

Michaela leaned back in her chair, a smirk playing on her lips. "Strategy doesn't work if you explain it," She quipped before taking a deep breath and giving a more serious response. "We're going to play it smart, work the tires, and hope for some good old-fashioned racing luck. That's all I can say without giving away our secret sauce."

The press conference continued, with questions flying from all angles, but the mood had shifted. The journalists, though still probing, had been put in their place and were now receiving the kind of answers that didn't feed into their narratives.

Michaela's responses remained sharp, and she was practiced at pivoting the conversation back to the race. "Tomorrow's going to be a tough one," She said, her eyes scanning the room, "But that's what we live for, right?" She grinned at Max and Sebastian, who nodded in agreement.

As the conference drew to a close, Michaela thanked the journalists with a wink directed towards the BBC reporter. As she received a smile that formed a semblance of respect between the two of them, she left the room a bit lighter. With Beata on her tail, however, she could feel the scolding coming from the middle-aged Italian woman.

"Michaela, you can't just say things like that," Beata whispered in rushed Italian urgently as they navigated through the corridors of the Algarve International Circuit.

Michaela turned to her, her smile never leaving her face. "Why not? It's the truth, isn't it?"

Beata sighed. "It's a fine line, Mickey. You don't want to be seen as disrespectful."

Michaela raised an eyebrow. "But I'm not. I'm just telling them to stick to the racing. I've earned that much, don't you think so?" The unspoken insinuation of all the hardship Michaela had been forced to navigate with the confrontational press during her junior career hung in the air.

With a tinge of acceptance, Beata sighed, "Why can I never win with you?"

Michaela just laughed as they approached the team's garage. "You know, I'm not trying to make enemies," She said, her voice growing softer. "But I've had enough of the bullshit. It's about time someone called them out." Her famously near-perfect Italian caught the ears of some of the mechanics who laughed in recognition, knowing how fed up the Australian had been in recent weeks.

"I know, I know," Beata sighed, her stern expression softening into one of understanding. "But you've got to be smart, Mickey. You can't let them get under your skin."

Michaela nodded, her eyes focused on the garage ahead. "I'm not letting them get under my skin. I'm just not going to let them define me anymore." She paused, looking back at her press officer. "You saw the crap I got when I first started. This is nothing."

Beata's expression softened. "You're right. You've come a long way. But we're at the highest level now, and the stakes are higher."

Michaela nodded, her eyes gleaming with determination. "I know. And that's exactly why I'm going to keep pushing back. I've earned my seat here, and I'm not going to let anyone question that anymore."

✼. taglist:⠀feel free to send in an ask/comment to join the taglist <3

@cha-hot @certifiedlesbianbaddie @nichmeddar

@d3kstar @thewannabewriter @hwalllllllelujah

@thearchieves @doodlehunz @evie-119

@bxdbxtxh @seaweed-orchid @glitterquadricorn

@99snse @ginghampearlsnsweettea @alliwantisadonut

@hiireadstuff @emilyval1 @anotherblackreader

@sv5beehives @mynameisangeloflife @tellybearyyyy

@melancholyy-hill @valluvsu @futuristiccroissantlampsludge

@treehouse-mouse @sunfairyy

[hisui555]

Hazbin Hotel thoughts : Foils 4

(Foils 1 here)

(Foils 2 here)

(Foils 3 here)

Masterpost here.

(Or the one where I'm starting to think I'm not really creative with title names.)

Anyway, I'm on a roll (seriously, what's happening. Motivation is perking up from its deep slumber. Didn't happened since last October. Is it a full blue moon tonight or...?) and I did say I was gonna talk about Lucifer and Sera, so here goes.

Lucifer VS Sera, and for good measure Charlie VS Emily. Both Lucifer and Sera come from Heaven (revelation of the century, wow, I know - oh lookit dat, my sarcasm is awake early today), happen to both be Seraphim (with Lucifer as one of the most powerful and Sera having been involved in the creation of Earth apparently, if Ep 1's intro is to be believed) and a parental figure to their younger charge : Lucifer is Charlie's literal dad and Sera is a mentor motherly figure to Emily. They also both want to protect the ones they love, but go about it in different ways : Lucifer made a deal that no hellborn demons are hurt during the yearly Exterminations, while Sera enforces Heaven's flawed system to keep the heaven-bound souls and Emily joyful and safe. However, hurt Charlie and Lucifer will come down on you like a meteor, despite having spent time estranged from his own daughter, while Sera keeps Emily out of the loop despite always being with her (they are no on-screen scenes of Emily alone up to now, even if at one point Sera did separate to talk to Adam, which means that Emily was showing Vaggie and Charlie around on her own, off-screen).

This is fairly interesting to see that while Lucifer - due to depression, growing cynism (10 000 years at least of waking up each morning and being met first thing looking out of the window by Hell's cesspool of sin and violence - the reminder of his broken dreams and awful unforeseen consequences of his well-meaning gift of free will) and plain just life going sideways with his wife missing for 7 years and his daughter going down the same road as him, also unintentionally hurting Charlie by not supporting her dreams (at first) - is not much involved in Charlie's life but still wanting to reconnect with her and is ecstatic when he has the chance to ("My daughter wants to see meeee !"), Sera is always present in Emily's life, working together with her ("It's my position as the Head Seraphim to protect our people at all costs ! And it's your position to keep them happy and joyful") in tandem : one takes care of the technical side, the other of the emotional side of things. Bread and circuses (funnily enough, Lucifer and the other Sins have a circus theme going on) - yet she's more distant and disconnected from Emily, keeping her (and the majority of Heaven) in the dark and using her position to uphold the status quo over what Emily wants or feels. Lucifer, while reluctant at first, actually agrees to help Charlie the way Charlie would like it to go, and is there to pick her up when things go south, fully supporting her once he comes around (More Than Anything and Finale).

Sera and Lucifer are also kind of two sides of the same coin : the latter is a known dreamer, extremely creative and open-minded, which blew up in his face when he changed things, unintentionally made shit hit the fan and got casted down to Hell for it. Sera on her side upholds the rules, doesn't dare to question the system, strives to not change a thing even if she seems to deeply regret how it's done, and lives in constant fear of her or her loved ones suffering Lucifer's fate. At the point of the first season, both are motivated by the same thing : fear, especially of losing or seeing their loved ones hurt, and especially this exact thing happening to their daughter figure - a very relatable thing. Yet Lucifer, after some prodding, chooses to fully stand by his daughter's side (and what's more, she (unknowingly) succeeds !) while Sera feels forced to squash Emily's hopes with the intention to spare her anguish and pain. At the end of Ep 6, both have disappointed their daughter figure at least once, but Lucifer did it in the past and strives to get better, while Sera is currently doing it and worsening things (in Ep 8, she's probably keeping Emily from intervening in any form about the Extermination). Lucifer, the fallen angel, dares to go where Sera, the high seraphim, would not, overcoming a fear Sera still can't shake off.

Quick aside, they make a nice foils triangle with Carmilla : Sera on one side as an angel not changing the status quo even if it's flawed and even if it brings her anguish and she has to put her daughter figure's feelings down for it, Carmilla on the other side as a demon who broke the rules by defeating the undefeatable to protect her daughters no matter what and helping out indirectly, and Lucifer in the middle as a fallen angel that has tried but given up, ending up doing a pendulum swing from one side to another, both with his own daughter in mind too - first not supporting her dream to avoid her getting crushed, then saying 'screw it let's do it' and standing by her side no matter what. Probably not intentional, but the fact that he starts with his more angelic form (ep 5) like Sera and ends up in his more demonic form (ep 8) like Carmilla when at peak protectiveness is smile-inducing to observe.

Charlie, Emily, Odette and Clara really should organize a tea party sometime.

Which brings us to Charlie VS Emily. Not gonna lie, they're a lot alike (the sun also rose today, also, breaking news : water is wet), idealistic, optimists, two piles of sugar sweetness in the shape of a young woman (chronological age notwithstanding) with a certain naïveté to them - basically, they're each other's counterpart in their respective realms of Heaven and Hell, as high-ranked figures in charge of seemingly less important stuff that actually have their weight : Charlie is the Princess of Hell and founder of the Hotel, wanting to repent Sinners, while Emily is a seraphim in charge of making citizens in Heaven happy. Both strive to bring joy and kindness to their own people and fully believe in their cause, so it's no wonder that they immediately click very well together. In Welcome To Heaven (both the song and episode), Emily is absolutely gleeful in meeting both Charlie and Vaggie, can't wait to show them around, and openly welcoming no strings attached (which contrasts Sera's tempering : "You're gifted to be here", and "of course it's just temporary, I'm sorry you can't stay" - she's quick to remind everyone that it's not where the two demons belong).

However Emily looks like a Charlie that's still sheltered. To be fair, while Charlie is, in some measure, still naive about her own world (though not naive enough to think every Sinner wants redemption), with not-really-thought-through plans (Puppy dog kisses and puffy-wuffy clouds, anyone ?), has grown up under the protection and love of her parents, and is ready to Fluttershit the shy (yes, you read that right) out of everyone who comes knocking, she's still out there working for it (even during Exterminations, as seen when she found Vaggie), knowing it'll be a hard road and that she's going to get rebuked a lot. She's also more or less on her own, at least since 7 years, estranged from her parents and managing the Hotel alone (later with the help of her girlfriend since 3 years). Emily on her side, from her own point of view, lives in a world where nothing is wrong (as far as she knows), has been kept away from what's really going on (though no fault of her own) and is always around her mentor, having the task of keeping people happy. The moment the truth is out, her world shatters ("What are you saying, let me get this straight - you go down there and kill those poor souls ?!") and the pedestal her mentor figure was on, in her eyes, completely falls apart. However, just like Charlie, she shows inner strength and maturity, immediately calling out and condemning said actions, showing that she's not a child to coddle - just like Charlie who is capable of showing a more competent and dangerous side. They also have both less human forms (Charlie's demon form, Emily's seraphim form) that partially pop up when they become emotional or agitated (the horns and eyes for Charlie, the halo and torso eyes for Emily).

Where Charlie rekindles her bond with her father, realizing how much alike they are and at one point having believed in the same dream before also rekindling said belief, Emily on her side ends her episode realizing how different she is from Sera, who fed her beliefs and morals she herself doesn't hold - and rightfully calls her out on the hypocrisy, because just like Charlie, who's out during Exterminations to help her own people, she's willing to risk herself (falling) for what she believes is right, fair and just. Is it any wonder why the joined duet of Charlie and Emily is such a cathartic banger ? Everyone together now !

If Hell is forever then Heaven must be a lie !

If angels can do whatever and remain in the sky !

The rules are shades of gray, when you don't do as you say,

When you make the wretched suffer just to kill them again !

As a side note, I also wanted to talk about the representation of Heaven itself : I was awaiting the classic "everyone looks like humans with wings, back to how they looked like on Earth for the Winners, with some form of uniformization", just like St-Peter basically. But the show did me one better : Heaven is just as diverse as Hell - there are animals, anthros, monster-like people, some have still object-heads and item-like bodies, just with a vaguely gold-and-white aesthetic and some angel wings. There are things that crawl, fly, twist, people with multiple eyes and limbs, fangs, gills, scales and fur, just like Hell. The only ones uniformized (and looking like flat-out classic demons) are the Exorcists - and those are the fanatics hellbent on carnage and suffering. When Sir Pentious ascends, he's still a snake, just with a more angelic-like design. Take Molly's wings out and put her in Hell, or stick them to Angel Dust and put him in Heaven, and you won't see the difference. Heaven dips just as much on the "monster, abomination, humanly incomprehensible" side as Hell, and just like Hell, not everyone is a jerk (even if not everyone is nice either. Right, Adam ?) : Emily is genuinely kind and open-minded, St-Peter is accomodating, and despite agreeing to actions that bring the misery to thousands of people, Sera is sincerely compassionate and regretful of her decisions (even if she believes them necessary - funny, since she was the one to call Charlie "misguided" earlier).

Again, it's a spectrum. There's no real box to fit people in, simply because here, Heaven and Hell are just like us humans : flawed. They have the big lines down, but the edges are blurry, and a lot of people fall through the cracks. They're like two districts of the same city, each on the opposite side of the road. Once more, people being people.

Again, Masterpost here.

[icharchivist]

you should tell us the tale of how you first got into gbf

Ooouh boy what a tale what a tale!

Under the cut because i rambled but the short story, is, my two best friends lured me in with one of my fav trope, with gorgeous men, and with indulging into my seiyuu madness.

the longer story:

The two main culprits in getting me into Granblue are two of my bestest friends, @/nalhegrande (Suzu) and @/baconplasm (Bacon). We've been friends since 2015 or so, we met via the dgm fandom revival of the time, and we've been tight knit ever since. Also at the time my blog was very ff7 themed and my url was a reference to it, which also got the two of them interested in it (relevant to the story)

anyway back in 2019 was my major Hypmic phase, so i was starting to really be into seiyuu then (and i was a huge huge fan of Saito Soma as a result). Suzu and Bacon both were playing Granblue a lot.

First thing that happened was around Granblue's 5th anni, March 2019, when 000 came out, and Suzu was reading Paradise Lost in preparation. Because Suzu busted into my DMs going "ICHA YOU WONT BELIEVE IT, SAKURAI AND SUZUKEN ARE DOING LIVING LEGACY STUFF AGAIN". Because Suzu, knowing me from my "living legacy" url days, knew exactly how to hit me with a truck, as i've been obsessed with over a decade with that trope i saw in ff7 of "the person you looked up to and cared about died in your arms and the only way you can cope is to become their legacy, to become them. But you need to find yourself again.". Which was originated by characters Suzuken and Sakurai voiced at the time.

(Suzuken and Sakurai who themselves were also there during the dgm days. the rabbit hole runs deep. dgm also has Living Legacy tropes to it btw to express how on brand it is for me. And while their characters are super important to me (my current url is a reference to the character Suzuken used to voice, it IS one of the most important character in my life), i did discover them with their roles in ff7, who genuinely shaped my life, so telling me they were replaying the same dynamic somewhere else was a siren song.)(yes that's why i never lived down the Sakurai incident lol.)

Anyway because i'm a sucker for those plots, Suzu explained it to me in major details and in tears, of Paradise Lost AND of Zero and i couldn't help but be invested, so i definitely developped an affection for Sandalphon and Lucifer just then.

(Suzu killed me by mentioning that one of my fav song, that i associated to my Living Legacy pair over here, also fit Lucifer and Sandalphon, and it immediately won me over. Stream Saturn by Sleeping at Last.)

But at the time i wasn't really fan of gacha on principle, so i didn't want to get into it, and everything to get into seemed tedious (i was seeing them tweeting raid battles everytime and all i thought was "yeah no i do not want to be perceived, hard pass"). So eventually while i thought about checking it out, i didn't actually feel like it.

Flashforward a few months during the Summer season. I see the two of them regularly lose their mind over their favorite characters. (at the time Suzu was mainly focusing on Heles and Cain. I say "at the time" because Wilnas is now one of her main husband and he wasn't even a raid battle back then. And Bacon is a Vane stan through and through and a fan of the Knights by extension.). Both of them also really like Percival!

(also yes they posted about Belial once i a while, and i knew more or less his deal then, but i admit he didn't do anything to me then. this might be the most shocking part of this story considering literally everything about this blog, and also the fact he started haunting my dreams before i officially read wmtsb, and i haven't caught a break since.)

anyway Summer 2019 was the year of LanVane SR Unit AND Percival's EX summer art. And of Summer Sandalphon while at it.

so all of those things were flooding my TL on twitter. Just couldn't scroll anywhere without seeing those.

I cared for Sandalphon thanks to Suzu at this point so i was *points* everytime i was seeing him. I've identified Vane as Bacon's boy so i was fully seeing him as a Blorbo in law at this point.

But it was my first time running into Lancelot and Percival.

And i fell in love with Percival in this one singular art.

Like i looked at it thinking he was the single most gorgeous man that had ever graced my screen. Everytime my friends were retweeting this picture i would freeze a second and stare at it mumbling "it can't be right".

Eventually i shot Bacon a message about it especially since she was the one posting most about it. But i did one slight mistake when i told her "yeah that guy you keep posting? i think i have a case of the down bad, can you tell me more about him" -------- i mixed up Lancelot's and Percival's names.

And so instead she mostly shared Lancelot and Vane stuff, and i didn't realize it was because i was wrong on the name, i just thought she went on a tangent. But because i was interested suddenly Bacon tried to grapple me in by doing what Granblue Fans do best: "if you think he's pretty WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HIM--" and she shared pictures of various characters, including, of course, Mister Sieg's Yukata art. (while i was losing my mind because i knew his VA (Kakashi from Naruto's fame, Angeal from ff7) so it was also a thing)

Anyway also this was the funniest bit of this exchange:

screenshots taken before a disaster.

you'll notice that because she just called Percival "that bitch" and because i mixed up the names causing a misunderstanding well. She couldn't properly exploit my thirsting on Percival's summer art. And Belial had to insert himself in this conversation first.

... and that's the day i started the game. or, at least, made an account.

I got very lost at the time, so the three of us made a group chat then to keep discussing gameplay stuff, and well, about anything under the sun.

They held my hand through it slowly, i participated to the summer free pulls (falling in love with Summer!Rosetta this way) and all... but i didn't play long enough to be hooked so i ended up falling off, but with the promise to my friends i'll get to it eventually.

Percival, most gorgeous man on earth, was slipping through my fingers.....

(though eventually misunderstanding was cleared lmao and friends were like "yeah actually that tracks, but we won't say a word, just come and see him")

Anyway i was hard in hypmic at the time, and especially into Saito Soma's career as a singer because of it. So my friends were also trying desperately to hook me in with various characters that shared those seiyuu, the biggest catch at the time being Shiva.

Because Soma's character then only had a SR and very little important contents. It took a few years for Feather to get some serious stories after all :). (plus he is in a total different range than i'm used to when it comes to that) (also ironically i kept pulling Randall's units over Feather's units, which originally annoyed me but then i found it really funny i kept pulling the guy who wanted to see Feather and couldn't find him. the irony of the fact i had songs by the two of them (and Lu Woh's VA) on my phone at the time escaped me for about a year (bc i admit i wasn't a major fan of the music unfortunately), where Randall was still my underrated R/SR fav character, not ready to handle the fact his seiyuu was going to play my favorite a3's character and definitely ruin my life the moment i realized he was there in gbf being a fav all along.)

On this journey, because i listened to a lot of others Soma's bands, one of the major draw ended up being the fact i listened to another band he was in with Eguchi Takuya, so when Bacon started to talk about Vane's seiyuu, i was here and armed with "oh yeah i have flirty songs by him" and having this torture device (affectionate) was a huge motivation to get into gbf even more to bully my dear friend.

then in September/October A3 came out and it ate my life away so it halted me getting more into gbf at this point (and EguTaku being in it i could still continue my torture agenda)(we all kinda got in it so it was still madness.)

Anyway then again in my usual fashion of "i don't get into hyperfixation, hyperfixation gets to me (by hunting me down for sports)" i ended up randomly having a dream about Percival, which i totally forgot about, but i was so worked up about it i grabbed the game again in November 2019 and just binged a chunk of the main story and the Dragon Knights events.

This whole mess was its own long story, because it turned out i didn't end up liking Percival in his first event appearance and i was betrayed as hell, but BFAF made me reconsider everything about him and now i'm a Percival expert and lover. But my friends were then allowed to see me in full downspiral.

But it sealed my fate. After that, i was too hooked and i didn't want to leave anymore. And while i took some breaks here and there bc of burn out, i've been playing Granblue daily ever since.

then in December or January (right in time for Light GW then) Suzu dragged me into her crew, and Bacon joined in eventually - and since both of our crew had the same problem (half of our crew was inactive, the other half was tight knit though), we ended up merging the crews' active players together, and now here we are and we've been at it for years.

(and i've read wmtsb around February/March 2020 for the full timeline - since 000 and the maydays weren't in the sidestories i had to watch them on youtube then too. I know it was the date bc it was right in time for Seeds of Redemption, the 6th anni event, and it was the most emotionally overloaded period for me as a result lmao. But it basically sealed my fate then, no way i turn away from this game after just how emotionally packed this one month was.).

so that's the long story.

the short story:

My two best friends informed me of a lovestory's trope similar to the one story that destroyed my life, of the most gorgeous man on earth, and fed right into my seiyuu madness, and now i'm stuck here with all of you to discuss Belial's balls.

the more you know, and now you know who to blame. (be nice to them, or else 🔪.)

i hope the read wasn't too tedious ahah

Take care ;D

[simplegenius042]

OC(s) interviews

Wasn't tagged but was invited by @onehornedbeast in an open tag.

Tagging @socially-awkward-skeleton @shallow-gravy @carlosoliveiraa @strangefable @voidika @g0dspeeed @strafethesesinners @adelaidedrubman @thewanderer-000 @josephslittledeputy @vampireninjabunnies-blog @neverthesameneveranother @derelictheretic @deputyash @purplehairsecretlair @ec-10 @gaeadene @henbased @inafieldofdaisies @inthewinedarksea @jacobmybeloved @ladyoriza @minilev @wrathfulrook @direwombat @cassietrn @chazz-anova @nightbloodbix @softtidesworld @snake-in-the-garden @corvosattano and @trashcatsnark + anyone else who would like to join in (or just read this as I am under the impression I'm a bit late)

Got three characters ready to roll out. My very late WIP post is also almost complete, but that will come at a later time... and maybe something else.

Calvin Dearing (The Untitledverse, Original Works (& Various Fandoms))

Name: Calvin Dearing

Nicknames(s): Cal, Carl. (More TBA).

Gender: Male.

Star Sign: Cancer.

Height: Around 5ft 6inch.

Orientation: Demisexual.

Nationality/Ethnicity: African-American.

Fave Fruit: PLUMS. Don't go near this man while he's having plums, he will not share and is prepared to debate or fight anyone who wants one depending on his mood.

Fave Season: Autumn.

Fave Flower: Honeysuckle.

Fave Scent: Honestly? The smell of books or the wood in studios. Brings back good memories to when he was alive.

Coffee, Tea, or HC: Caffeine fiend, just like Joaquin. Trying to replace coffee with tea.

Average Hours of Sleep: Used to be like 5 or 6. Since having died, he doesn't need sleep but does rest/meditate like 3 or 4 hours, maybe less, to conserve energy.

Dog or Cat Person: Probably a cat, but would prefer to keep something "simple" alive... like a fish.

Dream Trip: This man wanted to visit Australia, Germany, Japan and Sweden when he was alive but money was severely limited since Terrance Carmine was a greedy bastard. Being a Dream Spirit he has to deal with multiversal travel which is free but way more dangerous than simple traveling would have been.

Favourite Fictional Character: Mickey Mouse.

Number of Blankets They Sleep With: One when he was alive. Now that he's dead he doesn't really feel the need for one since everything's a mess of hot and cold for no reason.

Random Fact: Calvin was one of Terrance Carmine's most loyal employees, and was even the one to insist Terrance use the opportunity of WW1 to spark popularity into their cartoons to spread propaganda to have others join the military. It was very profitable, however once the war was over, the very thing that gave meaning to the cartoons Calvin and Terrance made was no gone, and their animations irrelevant, leading to the studio bankrupting. Terrance wasn't very happy with Calvin, and invited him for one last talk before closing the studio for good.

Silva Omar (Far Cry The Silver Chronicles, Far Cry 5 + Far Cry New Dawn)

Name: Sylvester "Silva" Omar

Nickname/s: Sylvie, Silva, The Boa, The Muse, The Deputy. (More TBA).

Gender: Female (Intersex).

Star Sign: Capricorn.

Height: Around either 5ft 8inches or 5ft 9inches. She'd likely grow a little more taller from age and her father's late genetics.

Orientation: Demiromantic Lesbian.

Nationality/Ethnicity: Spanish with Arabic origins (on her egg donor's side).

Fave Fruit: The classic apple.

Fave Season: Spring.

Fave Flower: Lavender.

Fave Scent: Hot chocolate and Bliss.

Coffee, Tea or HC: Coffee, but she's moving on to tea.

Average Hours of Sleep: Very inconsistent. She has insomnia and reoccurring nightmares that keep her up/wake her up. Less than seven hours on a good night and less than five on a bad one. She does take time to rest or nap throughout the day so there's that.

Dog or Cat Person: She doesn't mind either. Before the Reaping, she'd want nothing to do with dogs, cats or any other animal because she can't really afford to keep something alive while barely functioning herself. During the Reaping she gets a dog, a cougar and a bear.

Dream Trip: Spain and anywhere in the Middle East, actually. The former because after having to repeatedly lie she was born there for majority of her life in America, she got curious about what it is actually like there, and wanted to connect connect with the culture more, without her father's input or stain on it all. The latter was mainly to connect with heritage. Unfortunately, no thanks to the Collapse, she's not going to be going to either for a long while, if at all.

Favourite Fictional Character: Frankenstein's Monster.

Number of Blankets They Sleep With: Silva sleeps with two blankets.

Random Fact: Silva despises the snow and the winter, however does enjoy breezy cold nights. Also here's a sad fact; Silva doesn't really celebrate Christmas on account that most of her family and friends are dead, she's a recluse and Christmas is her late sister's (Elsa's) birthday, which Elsa died a day or two after.

Hatsukami Hinode (Life, Despair & Monsters, Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Chat Noir (+ Various Fandoms))

Name: Hatsukami Hinode

Nickname/s: Suka, Hats. (More TBA).

Gender: Male.

Star Sign: Aries.

Height: Hatsukami will tell you he is 5ft 4inches. Icarus' body's height is actually 5ft and 8inches.

Orientation: Hatsukami isn't really interested in those kind of stuff, unlike Icarus and Xavier.

Nationality/Ethnicity: Japanese.

Fave Fruit: Cherries.

Fave Season: Spring.

Fave Flower: Daisies.

Fave Scent: Freshly baked stuffed chocolate Croissants.

Coffee, Tea or HC: Milkshakes.

Average Hours of Sleep: 10 to 13 hours. He oversleeps.

Dog or Cat Person: Dog person.

Dream Trip: If he could, he would go around the world.

Favourite Fictional Character: Spongebob Squarepants.

Number of Blankets They Sleep With: Three. Icarus and Xavier hate it.

Random Fact: The Hinode family assumed that Hatsukami's behaviour was a result of repressed emotional growth. They had not realised that Hatsukami was one in three alters. ALSO! Hatter (the interdimensional parasite that Xavier had unknowingly ingested while fronting) credits his name in honour of Hatsukami after bonding with the young lad.

[artemisbarnowl]

I frickin love the Top End. Everything is red and dry except theres lush tropical plants and you are red and sweaty. Sun every day, clear nights every night. Everyone is ready to welcome you into their air conditioned space, NT time doesnt mean the time zone it means people do whatever (this is actually very annoying if you have Official Business because it seems to be contagious and your employees catch it) whenever theyre ready, except we all clap the sunset at the beach the second she disappears. Everyone loves laksa. Its probably got bush food spices in it. There is a crocodile in the watering hole. The state of mind is barefoot but its so hot the asphalt is melting and shoes are Not Optional. There's art on every building. The market will sell larrakia art next to a japanese jewellery maker next to a sugar cane juice stand next to laksa truck next to crocodile burger. Multiculturalism is real and celebrated, theres a transience that is also embraced. Someone might be here for a season, for ten years, for 65 000 years, lets all sit in the shaded grass for a yarn. Every activity has to be open late because you cant do shit during the day, its too hot. Every day i finish work i can go for a swim. I can walk on the beach. Every. Day. It will never be too cold.