#I LOVE A GENTLE BRUTE. I LOVE A KIND BEAST. I LOVE A POWERFUL AGGRESSIVE LOVER HUGGER DEFENDER

[itsbrucey]

Need to cement myself as the Darryl Wilson mutual otherwise it'll all have been for nothing

[revenge-of-the-shit]

Racism, antisemitism, and anti-Jedi sentiment in Star Wars (Part 1/4)

via @shadowaccio6181 (submitted to me through an ask - the bolded stuff is what I have bolded from their submission!):

I wanted to take a leap and point some stuff out, I guess? Namely, racism and antisemitism in relation to fandom views on the Jedi. I'm not the most eloquent, and this isn’t the most polished, but I hope I can convey my thoughts to you clearly enough! (I also hope this makes sense.

Many anti-Jedi sentiments misrepresent things and take events out of context -- sometimes directly contradicting canon. Furthermore, a lot of the rhetoric has parallels with racist stereotypes and anti-semitic motifs (and these are just what I've found -- there's probably more). I wasn’t really comfortable trying to point them out without evidence I could refer to, but I think I’ve found enough sources listing out racist stereotypes—and anti-Jedi sentiments are common enough—that I wanted to put this out.

One of the first, which I notice a lot, is people saying that Mace Windu is angry, aggressive, unsympathetic, a criminal, etcetera, and therefore deserved to die. It’s usually in regards to Palpatine, and this misrepresents the movies, where he gave Palpatine multiple chances to surrender (at the very least, it’s pretty clear that his decision to kill Palpatine wasn’t impulsive or out of anger). Furthermore, he is commonly depicted in canon as rational, gentle, and kind — in TCW, he’s shown being exceptionally patient with Jar-Jar, among other examples. Therefore, this is not only a mischaracterization, but given the historical stereotype that is the “black brute” caricature (some references: 1, 2), it’s racist.

Commentary from me, Annessarose: yes, I absolutely agree. Much of the fandom hatred revolving around Mace Windu is suspicious, to say the least, and many of the arguments revolving around him often exaggerate his behaviours or cherry-pick them to take it out of context to portray him in an unreasonable and angry light. There are entire episodes that center around Mace and his compassion and strength and desire to do good (e.g. Liberty on Ryloth, The Zillo Beast, The Disappeared Parts 1 & 2).

That isn't to say that he isn't a flawed character. The way he spoke to Ahsoka after her trial was... not the best way to handle it. But for the love of god, let POC characters have flaws without catapulting them straight to the "they're 100% evil and deserved to die" end. The way fandom treats him with these flaws also mirrors how people treat POC in real life - the moment there's a single mistake or a flaw, any flaw at all, people will use it as an excuse to villify and demonize POC (and thus use it as an excuse for their racism). Mace Windu is a character who is good, who is kind, and who sticks to his principles, and the way he's hated on definitely points to an underlying issue of racism within the fandom.

"Another thing that we really can’t ignore about the Jedi is that they were intended as a parallel to Jewish people — the Jedi are a small cultural group (with some religiosity), the Empire is very clearly a parallel to the Nazis, and the Empire was very focused in hunting down and killing Jedi, specifically, amongst the the other atrocities they committed. To drive the point in further, there are at least a few Jedi with very Jewish names.

Common anti-semitic motifs include lack of national loyalty, global conspiracy, Jewish control, money and criminality, and the deicide myth. I’ll take some quotes directly from these sources (1, 2, 3, 4):

Lack of National Loyalty: “Jews are often subject to claims that they conspire to shape public policy for Jewish interests, or that their patriotism is less than that of other citizens.”

Global Conspiracy/Jewish Control: “In its standard modern formulation, the Jews or Zionists form a powerful, secret, global cabal that manipulates governmental institutions, banks, the media, and other institutions for malevolent purposes, undermining decent values. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fraudulent document purporting to record a Jewish plan for world domination, has influenced countless ideas about supposed Jewish global conspiracies including, notably, ideas contained within the Hamas Charter. For example, these writings accuse the Jewish people of starting all modern wars. The myth of global Jewish conspiracy has echoes in contemporary opinions about the putative over-representation of Jewish people in various business sectors. This can be seen, for example, in representations of Jewish control over government, the media, academia, and financial institutions, especially when phrased in terms of a ‘Jewish lobby.’”

Money and Criminality: “Since medieval times, Jewry has frequently been depicted as a wealthy, powerful, menacing and controlling collectivity.” “Claims of Jewish control of and fascination with finances are as old as the New Testament, in which Jews are occasionally portrayed as moneychangers engaged in unholy practice at the Temple in Jerusalem. This continued into the medieval period, when Christians were forbidden from lending money at interest, leaving the field open to others. Since Jews were severely restricted from entering most trades and from owning agricultural land, some began to lend money. Since then, Jews have been depicted as wealthy, powerful and menacing.”

Jewish Deicide Myth: “From the early years of the Christian church, Jews have been condemned for rejecting the teachings of Jesus despite knowledge of his words and proximity to his presence. Worse, some Christians have condemned Jews for slaying the Christian messiah and have held Jews collectively responsible for this action. This view is associated with related doctrines such as the notion that Jews are sustained in a wretched condition in order to bear witness to the moral superiority of Christianity and to foreshadow the final triumph of Christianity at the end of days.”

Commentary from Annessarose: you're right. You're absolutely right. Thank you so much for researching this, and for writing about this. With the sources you've provided, it is extremely obvious how there's a fuck ton of anti-Semitic sentiment in the anti-Jedi hate.

So, I'd also like to add links from a couple of Jewish Fans who have spoken about antisemitism in Star Wars:

Watto, Toydarians, and antisemitism (would also like to add that there are a lot of articles on google that talk about this)

Antisemitism in the design of Clone Wars (2003) and The Clone Wars (2008)

This is part 1 of this ask!

[Part 2] | [Part 3] | [Part 4]

[frozenartscapes]

Possible New Fic from Me - Frozen/Beauty and the Beast

Ok, so I’m going to try something.

I’ve been sitting on this fic for a while now. Parts of it are physically written, other parts are written in my head, and others still I haven’t really thought about yet. But most of the story is there. I’d like to get back into fic writing, but the last few things I’ve written haven’t really gone very far when it comes to viewership. I know the fandom’s really quieted down lately, so I can’t expect the same kind of response that I got a few years ago. But it’s still a little disheartening to put effort into something and for it to maybe be seen by, like, four people. I really hate saying this, because it feels like I’m being selfish, but that’s been a big reason for why I haven’t been able to write stuff lately. For a while there I was considering scraping any WIPs I had and just calling it done until the sequel, as I feel like my Frozen muse is also going away.

That being said, I still want to keep going with this one. I kinda hope with the live action Beauty and the Beast maybe this will be a little more popular than my other recent fics. But right now I’m just going to test it.

This is the prologue/first chapter. It’s pretty much a Beta - I know there are things from it that will likely change as I write more of this story. But I really want to hear from you guys. Do you like it? Does it make sense? Will this story even work? If the responses are good (and by that I even mean constructive criticism - anything would be good to hear) then I’ll continue to work on this story.

If not, well, I’m not going to say that I’ll stop fics all together. I still have a few ideas for DA!Verse stuff and I might still work on the odd prompt (or the ones I’ve been given and just need to finish) but I can’t promise they’ll be frequent. I’m about to start school soon, so production will slow even more. But if I know that maybe a few people at least are looking forward to this, then maybe I can get myself to keep writing it.

Prologue:

Once upon a time, nestled amongst the Northern Mountains and the fjords, lay a small Kingdom by the name of Arendelle. In the town lived a beautiful young woman named Idunn. She was a simple peasant girl, who had fallen in love with a young inventor by the name of Adgar. But before they could properly marry, the King of Arendelle, a brute of a man, sent out a declaration that all eligible maidens were to come before him, and he would choose his wife from among them. Idunn’s father forced her to go, but she tried to blend into the crowd to go unnoticed. However, despite her attempts to hide, the King spotted her, and decided her beauty was greater than any other. He made her his wife, and she had to say goodbye to Adgar.

The King was known throughout the Kingdom to be a cruel and selfish man. He was aggressive and vulgar, oftentimes acting more like a barbarian than a king - but only in private where no one else would know. But it was his kingdom, and as such it was his to do whatever he pleased with it. And what he desired was to leave it to his son. He was very adamant about leaving it to a son.

Idunn, when she became pregnant with their heir, grew more and more worried as the King went on, especially when he started to threaten her with execution should she bear a girl. The poor child would not fare much better, and would likely be fed to the wolves. And so one night she went out, taking a map from an ancient book in the library and travelling to a mystical place known as the Valley of the Living Rock. There, as the legends said, would she find the Trolls.

Trolls were a dangerous, mysterious folk. They sometimes helped, and other times harmed. And they almost always harmed in order to help. But Idunn needed their help, and was willing to pay for it. She was more scared of her husband than whatever the Trolls would do the her.

The Troll King confirmed what she feared most: her child would be a girl. She pleaded with them to do something, anything to keep both herself and the child safe from the King’s wrath. And so the Trolls gave the child something that would make up for the fact that she would be the wrong gender: magic. The Troll King assured Idunn that upon witnessing the magic the child would possess, the King of Arendelle would forget all about the importance of a son. But he then warned her about the dangers of greed. If she were to return and ask for more magic for the child, the consequences would be grave. Idunn agreed to the terms, and returned to the castle with relief in her heart.

When the child was born, the King initially was outraged. But before he could tear the fragile baby girl away from her mother, she sneezed…and snowflakes appeared in the air around her. He demanded from Idunn an explanation, and she told him about the Trolls. She told him that their little girl would be just as strong as a boy, her magic making her a force to be reckoned with.

The King smiled wickedly, before stating that that was an understatement.

Under the cover of a full moon, the King forced the Queen to ride alongside him to the Valley, where he then demanded that the trolls make the child stronger. He didn’t want a mere witch. If she were to have magic, he wanted a demigod. He wanted her to be the most powerful being on the planet, for no other man would have boasting rights like he would. The Troll King told him that his words meant nothing. They had to come from the mouth of the mother. The King then ordered Idunn to request what he wanted.

Idunn, remembering the Troll King’s words, refused. But then the King drew his sword and threatened to flay the child right then and there if she did not do as he said. So she did as she was told, and asked the Trolls for more magic to be bestowed onto the child.

The sky grew dark, and the auroras flowed around them in streaks of red and deep violet. The Troll King, his voice louder than thunder, declared that her wish would be granted, but with a heavy price to pay. And so the prophecy of the Snow Queen was born:

“Your future is bleak, your kingdom will splinter.

Your land shall be cursed with unending winter.

To punish your Greed, a deadly sin,

one year after a decade will this curse begin.

    A change will affect all who dwell inside your palace,

    but the only ones who need to fear

    are those who’s hearts are filled with malice.

        Your child’s power will grow ever stronger, consuming until she is no longer.

    She has until she is of age to find control,

    and must master all aspects of her gift,

    or else this curse shall take it’s wicked toll.

With blasts of cold will come dark art,

and a ruler with a Frozen Heart.

Then all will perish in snow and ice,

unless saved by a sword’s sacrifice.”

A bright flash then filled the clearing as glowing blue energy surrounded the child in Idunn’s arms. It then died down as the magic seeped into the baby, the intense light fading until everything had seemingly returned to normal. The King then scoffed, stating that if that was all the Troll’s magic could do then he had nothing to fear. He returned to his horse and barked a command to his wife for her to follow.

Before Idunn could leave, she was stopped by the Troll King. He told her to hold out a hand, and when she did he dropped a small crocus bulb into her palm. He then instructed her to plant it in a pot when she returned. It would be their hour glass: when it blooms, the curse will begin, and when it dies, the curse will have run its course. If they are able to save the delicate flower from a frosty demise, then that means the curse has been broken. Idunn shakily nodded and took the bulb without a word.

On the way back to the castle, Idunn devised a plan. She knew her horrid husband would abuse their child’s power right from the start, but perhaps there would be hope for her if she could teach her to love from an early age. When they returned, she tucked her little princess into her crib, quickly found a pot and planted the bulb as the trolls instructed, and then composed a letter.

Three days later, the fruits of that letter arrived at the castle in the form of her old love, Adgar, with an arsenal of hidden gadgets in tow. He presented himself to the King as a travelling wizard, who had sensed the presence of a new sorceress in the area. With the help of his inventions, he was able to convince the King of his lie, before offering to train the child in the ways of magic. The King agreed, being sold on the idea that magic was the same as military prowess, and the more one trains the stronger they will be. If his child were to begin learning from such a young age, then that meant she would be all-powerful much sooner than he had first planned. But Adgar insisted that the child must come with him, for the castle did not offer the proper resources for a young sorceress to begin her training. The King was reluctant to leave his castle, but Idunn eagerly suggested that she go in his stead to oversee the girl’s training. The King was reluctant about that, too, but in the end gave in for the sake of the power his child would have. He gave the fake wizard eight years to train her, allowing himself a few years to train her in more ruthless ways for her remaining three years before the curse was supposed to begin.

The next day, Idunn, Adgar, and baby Elsa left the castle to begin Elsa’s “tutoring”. And over the years, the girl did learn. But not the battle-ready magic the King had been expecting. Idunn taught her about Love. She taught her grace, and kindness. She taught her to think only of others and to show compassion and mercy whenever such a time called for it. As a result, Elsa was unwilling to harm even the smallest of insects. She was gentle, and warm. She laughed often and smiled always. When a baby bird had fallen from its nest, she had scooped it up ever so carefully and brought it back home, safe and sound. When Adgar accidentally burned his hand while reforming some metal, she was the first to come running to his side to place a perfectly cooled hand on his to help the pain.

Adgar taught Elsa about Learning. His eagerness to pursue new things, and his own great knowledge, had sparked a desire in the young one’s heart to learn as much as she could. She could read by the time she was three, and her reading level only grew higher and higher. She read philosophers, mathematicians, and inventors. She studied their techniques and ways of thought. She drew out their formulas and hypotheses on paper. And she would build. With her magic, with her own mind, she would build things. Complicated designs, some that would take master architects years to create she could form in mere minutes. Granted, they weren’t full size, but the models were meticulously crafted nonetheless. Yet, despite her obvious talent, her favourite thing to do would be to watch Adgar work. She followed him around constantly, often trailing after him carrying a couple books, some notes, or his tool bag. She would often fetch his tools for him, too, even the ones he had made himself and gave ridiculous names to. She was the only other person who understood what he meant when he asked for a “whatcha-ma-callit”.

Her mother and her mentor’s teachings may not have been direct lessons for her magic, but her power was under her complete control the whole time. It was obvious fairly early on that with each day she grew, so, too, did her extraordinary magic. Yet it never seemed to faze the girl, even as the power she held began to seemingly dwarf her outward appearance. It often left her mother wondering how such a small, delicate child could hold enough magic to freeze an entire centuries-old tree to pure ice.

But there was one more person there who had become a teacher for Elsa, though she had arrived late to the gathering. You see, Idunn and Adgar still loved each other greatly, and after about three years, they had a new baby to prove it. Idunn knew what would happen if the King were to ever find out about little Anna, but he was never going to. She hated the thought, but had resolved to leave the child with Adgar when the time came for her and Elsa to return to the castle, but for the time being, she would let the new sisters get to know each other, and love each other.

And oh, how they loved each other. Elsa, from the moment she first saw her baby sister, had a special place in her heart solely for the redhead. Her powerful magic suddenly became entertainment for a baby, who would giggle and smile in awe and amazement at the shimmering snowflakes her big sister made. Anna taught Elsa how to be a big sister. And while she didn’t really teach anything, Elsa naturally learned what it meant to have someone to protect. She learned what it was like to have someone she loved so much she was willing to do anything for.

But the good times had to end. When Elsa was eight, a royal carriage was sent to Adgar’s cottage with orders to bring the Queen and Princess back to the castle. Tears were shed by all, but no one’s heart hurt as much as Elsa’s did. Anna was only five, so she didn’t quite understand why her best friend suddenly had to leave. Elsa did understand, but she didn’t wish to. She was perceptive, even at her young age, and knew nothing good was waiting for her at the castle based on how her mother acted every time she asked about her real father. But despite possessing more power in a single finger than anyone around her, she had no authority, and no choice in the matter. She was going back to the castle.

Elsa realized after day one that her father was not a kind man. He was the furthest thing from Adgar, and suddenly she wished she had him as a father over the King. The King was mean, and stern. He treated her more like a military captain might treat a new recruit than a father would treat his daughter. Just the second day she was in the castle he started teaching her to fight, both with weapons and her own magic. Each day she would seek out her mother after her training sessions, sore and worn from all the hard work, always with the same question on her lips: why did she have to learn to hurt people? She did not want to hurt people.

Idunn could only watch in terror as Elsa grew more quiet and reserved, choosing to be alone in her room whenever she wasn’t learning how to use her powers for bad things. The Queen feared that her husband would undo all that Elsa had learned about love and kindness, and prayed that her fears would remain just mere worries. Elsa needed to stay good. She needed as much love and hope in her heart as she could get, for the Prophecy was drawing closer with each day and her poor child did not have much time left. She remembered stories of love conquering evil, that True Love would break through any darkness cast by the wicked. Her magic would begin to consume her regardless of how much she loved, but perhaps if Elsa was well and truly good then she could stand a better chance.

But the King didn’t see it that way. The way he spoke made it sound like he embraced the idea of Elsa turning into a heartless sorceress. She would be unstoppable. The whole world would have no choice but to bow down before the might of Arendelle and its secret weapon. And he did everything he could to attempt to squash the love and hope in Elsa’s soul.

Elsa’s tenth year was a year filled with dread. The King and Queen had both elected not to tell the Princess about her coming demise, for entirely different reasons. The King didn’t want to give her any ideas about trying to reverse it, as he feared her knowing about the curse would give her more time to work on seeing that it did not come to pass, or if it did, it wouldn’t last long. Idunn, on the other hand, hadn’t told Elsa for what she deemed to be selfish reasons. She couldn’t bear the thought of Elsa knowing that she had been doomed from the start. She didn’t want to see Elsa’s spirit die upon learning that something terrible and inevitable was going to happen to her. And, worst of all, she feared more than anything that Elsa would blame her for it.

The dread only grew worse when, exactly one month before Elsa’s eleventh birthday, the crocus the Trolls had given the Queen peeked out of the dirt in the pot. The soil had long grown dusty and old, and the pot covered in cobwebs as it sat unmoved from its spot on Idunn’s windowsill, and yet there was a tiny sprout of the purest green she had ever seen. She would have been awed if it didn’t terrify her. Because to her, it was not a miracle. It was an omen, a symbol that time had finally run out, and there was nothing she could do now but wait.

That night she hugged her slightly confused daughter with tears in her eyes and promised her that she loved her no matter what. She always made sure to say the same thing each day after that.

When the day finally came, the tension in the air could be cut like butter. The crocus had reached its full height, the bud ready to bloom at any moment. It was unclear as to when exactly it would open, but Idunn was keeping a close eye on it.

The King had taken his daughter into their sparring room as he always did. It was a dark, window-less chamber in the dungeons with plenty of room for swinging swords and flying magic.  It was while she was there, her father barking orders at her while she tried her best to achieve them, that she suddenly experienced the worst pain she could have ever imagined seize her heart and bring her to her knees. Her vision clouded so much that she momentarily thought she had gone blind. She felt her magic roar to life like a sudden maelstrom swirling inside of her, completely disorienting her from her surroundings as it moved around in her veins. She felt some of the magic leave her, but she wasn’t sure where it went.

When her senses began to return, she realized the room was darker than it was moments ago. The torches had all been extinguished, she assumed by her magic. “Father?” she called shakily, “Are you still there? I…I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened…”

She waved her hand to create some glowing ice on each torch in the place of fire, but found it much more difficult to do than it used to be. It took her several attempts, and even then, she only managed two out of the eight she had been going for. Her head suddenly began pounding, and she had to stop trying to use her magic.

“Father?” she called again, searching the shadows for his form. By this point, he would have scolded her for losing control, but he hadn’t made a sound yet.

Then she caught sight of a large form illuminated by the dim light from her ice. A moment of panic washed over her as she wondered if she had accidentally struck him. “Father? A…are you ok? Are you hurt?” she asked nervously. She dared not approach, since she had no idea if he would be furious with her.

A low growl answered her. But it was not the sort of sound an angry man might make - it was one an angry animal might make.

“F…Father?”

The form stirred, before rising to four feet. It turned its massive head to glare at her with piercing, yellow eyes that glowed in the low light. It snarled again, revealing a huge mouth full of long, sharp teeth.

Elsa stumbled backward. “Father! Help!” she cried into the darkness, hoping that her father, despite how awful he was, was still in the room somewhere and would defend her from this beast. But no other movement occurred, so she quickly flew to her feet and hurried to the heavy door.

She heard the creature growl again before beginning to run at her. She struggled to shove the iron door open. It was much bigger than herself, and weighed probably five times as much, so even all her weight on it barely budged it open. The creature leapt forward, and she scrambled out of the way before it’s teeth made contact with her. It’s sheer size crashing into the door pushed it open, and left the creature temporarily stunned.

Elsa flew out of the opening and raced down the hallway, feeling her heart beat even faster when she heard the beast running after her. She tried to call on her magic to do something, literally anything to slow it down or stop it. But her head throbbed painfully at even the thought of using her powers and nothing seemed to be listening to her. So she did the only thing she could do: she ran.

“Mama!” she cried as she skidded around corners and hastily made her way up stairways, “Mama! Somebody! Help!”

Where were the guards? Where were the maids? Where was the butler, Kai? Where was anyone? The whole castle suddenly seemed devoid of life. She did not know what was going on, but she did not like it one bit.

She headed for her parents’ room, hoping her mother was in there. Her Mama was smart, and strong. She would at least know what was happening, the child thought, and may be able to help her fix her magic.

She turned a corner, revealing the bedroom door at the far end. “Mama!” she yelled again, hoping this time her mother could hear her. She continued to run, since the beast was still right on her heels. She finally reached the door, and quickly threw it open - only to reveal a second creature.

There was much better light in the bedroom, so she was able to see that the second creature was a wolf. It was a bit bigger than normal wolves, and had dark brown fur. Interestingly, it appeared to have scraps of cloth hanging off its body. It turned when she screamed and skidded to a stop, falling to the floor in the process. She caught sight of deep blue eyes before it snarled and lunged forward.

She waited for teeth to sink into her flesh, but they never came. There was a loud crash, followed by furious growling and a vicious struggle. She looked up to see that the second wolf was attacking the thing that had been following her. She realized that it was also a wolf, with deep black fur and scraps of fabric clinging to it, too.

The brown wolf managed to pin the other one. It turned to face Elsa, fear and desperation etched in its face. “Elsa, run!” it, no she, commanded, “Run, Elsa. Run!”

“Mama?” Elsa uttered in a tiny voice. Why did that wolf sound so much like her mother? Why did the other one appear to be wearing her father’s royal medallion? What was going on?

But then the words registered and she shakily ran back out into the hallway and down to the main entrance. She could still hear the fight upstairs, gradually getting closer and closer. With all her might, she managed to open the great castle doors to reveal the courtyard. Except it was difficult to see because of a blinding snowstorm. The wind was so sharp, and the snow so heavy, she feared she could get lost after taking only a few steps. She didn’t know where to go.

Suddenly, the large black wolf appeared at the top of the stairs. It’s yellow eyes locked onto Elsa and it charged. Elsa looked frantically into the white abyss and then back at the approaching demise, terrified beyond reason and unaware of the frost leaking out from her feet.

Before the wolf could reach her, something large, white, and feathery crashed into it. The wolf yelped in surprise as a snowy owl swooped out of nowhere and attacked its face, temporarily stalling it from reaching Elsa. Elsa didn’t wait to find out why or where the owl had come from, and instead ran into the snowstorm.

She had to reach the gates. The courtyard wasn’t that large, but she could barely see her own hand in front of her face. Finding the massive gate was going to be tricky. She didn’t know what was out there with her, at that. She couldn’t see, and for all she knew there was another dangerous animal awaiting her out here.

Then, without warning, she collided with something furry. With a panicked cry, she fell backward, flinching and waiting for whatever it was to gobble her up. When nothing came, she slowly opened one eye to find a terrified little reindeer staring back at her. A second one came into view, sniffing the first one before approaching her.

“Hey. Are you ok?” it asked.

Elsa felt her mouth hanging open dumbly, but she couldn’t bring herself to close it. She merely shook her head back and forth in reply.

“It’s ok,” the reindeer said gently, “But…I don’t… You wouldn’t happen to know what’s going on, do you?”

“N…no,” Elsa said weakly.

“That’s ok. I’m sure someone does. Because I’d like to know why my friend’s suddenly a reindeer.”

“What?” Elsa asked, her voice so quiet it couldn’t possibly be heard over the howling storm.

A furious snarl behind her caused her to leap to her feet. The black wolf appeared through the snow. Before it could lunge, the brown wolf arrived, too, throwing her whole weight into knocking the other wolf to the ground. The wolf, furious that it had been attacked again, whipped around and grabbed the brown wolf by the neck, then throwing it to the side like a rag-doll.

Elsa watched the brown wolf crash to the ground. She lay there for a second before attempting to struggle to her feet, but she had been weakened from the past fights with the aggressive enemy.

The black wolf then turned its sights on Elsa and the two reindeer, both of whom were much to small to stand any chance against it. Elsa found herself reaching both her arms out to protect them. Suddenly, something stirred inside of her, like her power had just awakened and was prepared to finally contribute something useful. Only it then decided to ignore anything she wished of it, and it surged so quickly and painfully inside of her that she blacked out. The last thing she remembered was a searing pain in her head.

So...what do you guys think? I’m interested to know how you feel about the set up, and maybe even what you think might happen. If you have any kind of input, I’d like to hear it. It’d be incredibly helpful to me.

Thanks again!

[velcoriaexploration]

Monsters to transfer from a blog I’m shutting down (This is a long post... Forgive me)

Hero:

“Chronicler/Referee”

She is the only “human” muse

Behavior: Lazy, Whiny, Freeloader Beautiful, Burdened with the task of keeping an eye on these monsters by the gods except for Athos, Warrior

Orientation: Athos

Hero is actually a Dullahan, although she hides it well. she is hostile towards monsters for the most part as she was in life. She lives with Athos, a dragon who for whatever reason, she doesn’t see as the monster he is. She doesn’t like to move much from his lair, unless she here’s of a bounty on a monster.

The girls say I’m useless, but someone has to be there if they go too far right?

I’m looking at you Marta ¬_¬

Marta

Species: Manticore

Behavior: Fierce, Lusty, Party Girl

Marta is playfully sadistic. She is very cat-like in her dealings with people and other monsters. She loves to toy with most of her food, friends, etc. She thoroughly loves to gauge her “companion’s” reaction to her playing. Interesting reactions entertain her, and they might just keep you from becoming the mouse in her tummy. Hero is her favorite target when others don’t have her attention.

Orientation: Gray-romantic Pansexual

Eydis

Species: Selkie

Behavior: Stubborn, Cold, Usually withdrawn until she warms up to you.

Elsa is cold as the sub-arctic waters she comes from. Your first meeting with her will usually play out like the following. You say hello, she points her spear at you and tells you to back off. She isn’t being rude. Selkies are incredibly protective of their sealskin clothing. If a male (or female for that matter) creature were to steal it and hide it from a selkie, they’d be forced into a relationship with them despite her wants. Rule of thumb when dealing with Eydis: Slow interaction is the key. Eventually, if you play your cards right, she will melt her icy demeanor towards you.

Orientation: Demiromatic Bisexual (Prefers men)

Bridgette

Species: Salamander

Behavior: Powerful, Strong-willed, Passionate

Testing your strength against a Salamander/Lizardman and winning works to make most of her kind go goo-goo for you, but not her. She may love to fight and spar just as much as any Lizardman-type, but she secretly loves poetry even more. She’s kind of a sucker for it.

Orientation: Biromantic (Through I’m not sure about her sexual preference honestly.)

(source)

Elsa

Species: Kirin

Elsa’s Behavior: Innocent, Sweet, Devoted

Orientation: Hetero

Elsa is “bipolar”. Which pole you get depends on how you treat her. A pure soul would respect her wish for a loving relationship and marriage before they lie with her. Her greatest dream is to be a cute housewife. But she will only bend for a gentle soul. She has been told that a dark soul will corrupt her and rob her of that dream. ~Great for Rps that don’t need sex or have limited~

“Tainted” Elsa: Her purity stripped from her, Elsa now wishes to make the world her pawn. All may enjoy her, but she simply is twisting them to her needs. She knows nothing of true love anymore. She is simply a feral beast doing as she feels to run from the pain of what got her here in the first place, “HER MOST LOYAL SUBJECT, YOU”. (Warning: Involves corrupting a completely pure creature. Devotion of an evil creature has its benefits and issues. You never know how this kind of devotion will manifest. You should go over the cause of her corruption if you wish for this.)

Helga

Species: Yeti

Behavior: Cuddle-bug, Upbeat, Honest, Carefree

Orientation: She doesn’t go past Squishes for the most part. But she’d be Pan if she weren’t so focused on making friends.

Helga is just a big fluffball. She loves just about anyone and anything, from the smallest bug to the tallest tree. Problem you’d run into if you’re looking for a relationship is that she tends to pay attention to everything equally, so it’s hard for her to notice someone who wants more than friendship. If you just want a friend though, she’s your girl. Just watch it. Bear hugs have nothing on her hugs. XP

Keiko

Species: Shirohebi

Behavior: Warm, Loving, Romantic, Quiet

Just don’t go out of your way to make her jealous or cheat on her………. Or insult Lady Ryu. Please don’t. She wants to open her heart until you break it. Then she gets aggressive. Aggressive Lamias of any kind are never a good thing.

Orientation: Hetero

Keiko is a shrine maiden at a temple to the local Zipangu rain goddess, Ryu-Sama. She is a helpless romantic despite her appearance. She would love to find someone who’ll “wisk her off her feet”. She is very quiet and shy around people, not wanting to get in others’ ways since her kind are known for being bad omens. She is allowed to work at the shrine because the locals believe her “power of misfortune” to be muted by the goddess. Anywhere else, she’d probably be promptly exiled and chased off. Keiko is often down on herself when she screws things up, her failure seemingly proving the things that are thought about her kind.

Saihō-shi

Species: Arachne (Tarantula Subspecies)

Behavior: Concerned, Observant, Self-Critical, Maneater (Unintentionally)

Her name means Seamstress. It really bothers her that her mother gave her that name, since she has quite a lot of difficulty with it.

She prefers to go by Scarlet

Orientation: Biromatic Gray-Sexual

Saiho is an artist and like many others is very critical on her work. The one thing she is the most critical about is her silk-spinning. She would love to be able to make the wonderous works of art and clothes her cousins make. All she seems to be good at is catching things (Food, men, women, other monsters) in her webbing much to her chagrin. She wants someone to admire/help with her works, not end up in them.

Modification from the MGQ Tarantula: Those aren’t breast below her. They are the first joint or Coxa. Think of it as her hips.

(source)

Hatter

Species: Alraune

Behavior: Obsessive over her “husband/wife”, Faithful (so she expects the same whether they want to or not), Cruel

Hatter is not named that way for wearing hats, but how she kills those who refuse to love her. Just imagine a bag sealed over your head…

Orientation:Pan

Stella and “Belle”

Species: Doppelganger

Behavior: Stella: Anthropophobic, Teratophobic, Loving; “Belle”: Loving, Sweet, Sophisticated

The thing about Stella is that although she wants to express herself to humans and other monsters, she’s afraid of them. She uses “Belle” as her way of interacting without interacting. Think of “Belle” as her online avatar. Behind this wonderful, strong, loving woman is a scared “girl”.

Orientation: Demi

Earina

FC: Yukihaze from Dog Days

Species: Inari

Behavior: Prankster, Loving, Protective

She is one of the Cerberus triplets of this blog. She is the second oldest by birth time and is the Alpha of the group. She loves to tease her brothers, Barthe and Theran. She mainly picks on Theran though. But unlike Barthe, she does it purely out of love, although she can take it a bit too far. She is actually very protective of him and bugs him only to try in her own way to build his confidence.

Orientation: Ace

Charlie

(Art by gochan-penru)

Species: Cheshire Cat

Behavior: Treacherous, Prankster, Loving if you can tame him

Orientation: Pan? Bi? Homo? Hetero? (I honestly don’t know. It really depends on the roll of a D10 with him. I’m not even joking. He could even be fluidic in nature like the rest of his form)

Charlie is just not a fun guy to deal with. He loves spending time unraveling plans. He’s not without his better qualities. He can be very loyal, it just takes work. Bribes help tremendously in that regard.

Birley

(Art by mitchellnolte)

Species: Minotaur/Minotaurus

Behavior: Dense, Loyal, Thin-Skinned

Orientation: Demi

Exterior doesn’t match interior with this one. He may be a big dumb brute, but he actually is just a big softie. That is unless he sees red, a common thing for his kind. He acts on impulse when this happens like all of his kind. (MOD note: Never got that, since bovine monsters would actually be color-blind because cows and their cousins are.)

Barthe

FC: Akatsuki Ousawa from Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero

Species: Inari

Behavior: Rude, Brash, Self-proclaimed gift to women

Orientation: Hetero

The oldest of the litter. He is very much the typical “jerk jock”, always feeling that he needs to assert his dominance over others to cover up his numerous insecurities about himself. He does not except playing second fiddle to others and will do anything to put them back in line behind him… Unless of course someone can find a way to straighten him out. He usually takes out his frustrations on Theran, making him a frequent punching bag when Earina isn’t watching.

Theran

FC: Cinque Izumi

Species: Inari

Behavior: Quiet, Reserved, Seemingly weak-willed

Theran is the runt of the litter. He doesn’t generally speak up much for fear of attack from Barthe. The constant abuse has completely sacked any will to try to thrive in most areas. Theran generally will try to keep from doing anything that might outshine his brother for fear of retribution. Anything he does is generally well hidden. The pup needs some repairs, that’s for sure… As for his relations with his sister, he knows she means well, but he would appreciate it if she could stop occasionally.

Orientation: ?

[nehasy]

Whispers of a Feather

This is for Pethics, for the ESS 2016 Secret Santa.  Hope you like it.  Eris/Folken, post series.

****

               The feather felt so light in her hands, it might as well have been made out of air.  Gently, she traced her fingertips along the shaft, marvelling at its silken texture, noting how it seemed to almost shimmer with pearlescent radiance.  Though she considered herself to be a well-educated woman, she had no idea what sort of bird could ever have shed such an amazing feather. Hours had been dedicated to researching it, trying to figure out exactly what Folken had been telling her when he’d given it to her all of those years ago.

               “This was given to me by one of the rarest creatures on Gaea.”  He’d said, his gentle voice whispering across her ears like the softest of velvet.  “Now I give it to you.  Guard it well, for you hold my heart in your hands.”  

She’d never understood that cryptic remark but it still never failed to draw a smile from her lips at the beauty of those words. How utterly like him, cloaking himself in mystery, presenting a living breathing puzzle for her to understand all the while hiding so many of the pieces from her.

Had she a lifetime to understand him, she would still die in vexation and oddly enough, that intrigued her as nothing else could.  Who would have thought that a young barbarian prince could have been such a poet in his heart?  Certainly not her, and to this day, she still recalled her strident refusal to so much as entertain the notion of betrothal to the Fanelian prince.

 “It will be a strong match!”  Her father, Grava Aston had argued, his loud voice overriding any of her impassioned protests.  “He is heir to a strong country known for their military prowess, something which we are sorely lacking my dear.”  His thick bejewelled fingers had stroked his long moustache as he spoke, those calm blue eyes of his glittering in victory, no doubt already seeing a proud strong Astoria supported by the powerful Fanelian army.  “While yes, I do concede that they are a little… rough, I’m sure that as a woman, you could bring an appropriate level of elegance to their country.”  

She’d been furious and disgusted at the very prospect of marrying an uncouth barbarian.  Growing up, she’d heard tales of the fierce warriors, living in their rough country surrounded by dragons.  How they would fight the great beasts in order to rescue their chosen maidens, or defend their borders against the vicious beast-men who always sought to prey upon civilized human settlements.  As a young princess, the tales had terrified and fascinated her, but once she’d grown up and seen the truth, the reality of her predicament became so much more worrisome.

The very concept of battle appalled her on a visceral level. Why would a person, any person in their right mind seek to end the life of another?  It brought nothing but suffering into the world, and yes, while she understood that her own precious country had been founded on death and betrayal, it had always been taught as a life lesson rather than an act to be glorified. Yet here her beloved father was… was selling her off to these vicious brutes like chattel!

“You would have your daughter live in a glorified mud hut, devouring the flesh of innocent beasts for sustenance?”  She’d argued passionately.  “Why not Marlene?  Why must I suffer this indignity?”  Her words fell on deaf ears, no doubt her father was ignoring the “silly bleating of womanly histrionics.” as he so lovingly put it.  No, arguing like a child wouldn’t allow her to escape this fate. She was a princess and had a duty to her crown and her people, no matter how loathsome it might be.

“I am seeking a match between Marlene and Duke Mahal dal Freid.” He’d replied patiently, speaking in the tone of voice he usually reserved for Millerna, her younger sister. “With that match and yours, we’ll control most of eastern and central Gaea.  It will mean unrivalled power for Astoria, and more importantly, protection.

There was no need to point out how vital such a goal was in this day and age.  Basram and Egzardia had been increasingly hostile to each other, moving steadily towards open aggression.  As their southern neighbours, it was only a matter of time before Astoria became involved. Rumour even whispered that the reclusive and secretive Zaibach Empire was stirring in its shadows.  No doubt, her father intended to marry young Millerna into one of the three countries, further securing their borders against the other two.

While agreeing to the arrangements disgusted her deeply, she understood her father’s actions and allowed herself a gentle sigh of resignation.

“At least allow me to meet the man I’m to marry.  Let me look the barbarian in the eyes so that I might take his measure.”  Her father laughed in delight at her words, no doubt believing that in a short matter of time, she would be the power behind Fanelia’s throne, as he’d intended all along.

 The country had been exactly as she’d expected; isolated, wild and not for the weak of heart.  The capital city bore the same name as the country as well as the royal family… thus proving that creativity was not a Fanelian trait.  

King Goau Fanel was also as expected.  Tall, heavily muscled and bearing a shrewd yet grizzled appearance, his stern face was marked with many scars as well as the weight of the crown. His eyes however burned with a strange ferocity which rivalled that of the lands legendary dragons.  

At his side sat Queen Varie, his utter opposite in every way. She radiated an odd sense of serenity and calm, practically glowing in her tranquil beauty.  There was a strangeness to her, an otherworldly aura which drew the eye, yet when she smiled, it calmed the heart and encourage you to smile with her.

On her lap was a small black haired boy, full of light and happiness. He giggled as he squirmed, making a game of trying to slip from his perch and no doubt go off running amok. While he clearly favoured his father’s darker coloring, there was an echo of his mother’s beauty in the shape of his face and eyes.  No doubt one day he would be exactly what young women pictured when imagining a Fanelian warrior king.

Standing in the shadows, watching her with as much trepidation as she watched him, was Folken Lacour de Fanel, heir to the crown and her betrothed. Tall like his father, he however bore his mother’s slender form and gentle face.  Kind sienna eyes watched her cautiously, the spark of hope glittering in their depths and she knew in that moment that he was just as nervous as she was.

 Her fingers trailed along the delicate feather once more, watching the play of colours shift and dance at her touch. Who could have known that white had so many different shades?  It was almost mesmerising in its beauty and it seemed to radiate the love and gentle soul of the man who’d gifted it to her.

Slowly, her eyes drifted over to the second feather resting in her lap.  Reverently, her fingers picked it up, placing it next to its brother.  Two feathers, identical in size and shape and yet so different that it was heartbreaking.  This one was black, deeper than the glistening ever shifting darkness of raven’s wings.  Unlike the first, it felt cool in her hands and heavier, as if the weight of the world were pressing down on it.  Rather than reflecting a myriad of tones at her touch, it seemed to drink in the colours around it, drawing them in and muting them with its darkness.

It should have seemed threatening, but instead, all she felt was melancholy.  Her first feather had been given with the promise of life and unity everlasting. This one had been a farewell from a man she’d long ago thought dead and lost.

 “This feather was given to me by one of the rarest creatures on Gaea.” Folken had said softly, his eyes sad as they stared into hers, speaking volumes that she feared she’d never understand. His voice was just as she’d remembered, as rich as the softest velvet, yet full of resignation, sadness and… oddly, hope.  It had pulled at her soul to hear it and she knew deep in her heart that he was saying goodbye to her one final time.  “Now I give it to you.  Guard it well, for you hold my life in your hands.”

He’d placed it in her palm and gently closed her fingers over it. Only his true hand touched hers, the twisted mechanized thing which was his right hand stayed hidden beneath his cloak, loathe to touch her tender flesh.

“Don’t leave.” S he’d breathed softly.  “Stay with me, let us have the life fate denied us.”  It sounded like something a silly heroine from one of Millerna’s books would say rather than the plea of a proper princess, but her lips formed the words on their own volition, guided by her heart rather than her head.  “Let us have one moment of happiness before it all ends.”

His smile had been so sad and yet so full of love as he’d leaned forward and kissed her.  It felt… like home to her, filled with sweet comfort she’d always denied within herself.

“Live for me.”  He whispered gently.  “I’ve lived too long in the darkness to be part of your light.  Make your fate is your own, fight for it, cherish it and help rebuild this world.  Lead it towards the peace you hold in your heart and never forget the man I once was, or who I became.”

 She’d stood there in the garden, holding the two feathers in her hands while he left her to save the world from the brink of madness.  The sky had been coated with emerald light, poisoning the souls of Gaea with false promises of glory before burning with the madness of Basram, obliterating friend and foe alike in their quest for glory. Still, she stared at the feathers, tears falling silently down her cheeks as she contemplated their beauty and their mystery.

When they’d come to tell her that Folken had died fighting Emperor Dornkirk, she’d simply nodded her head and clutched the feathers to her chest, feeling the warmth and coldness radiating from them in a heartbeat, forever held on that precipice between one beat and the next.

 “Draconians are not the cursed people.”  She whispered softly to the feathers in her hand. “It is those they leave behind who bear the curse.  Those left to grieve.”  Closing her eyes, she once again held the feathers to her heart, feeling their conflicting natures and the lost promises trapped within their vanes.  Without a further word, she gently placed them in an elegantly carved box and slowly closed the lid, sealing them in the darkness for another year.

com;Cy3*t�