#I’m just saying I wouldn’t be surprised if she was ra-

[regaliasonata]

I know we all collectively have a vendetta against Master Green cause she doesn’t know when to quit messing with people but I just wanted to point out something.

Why did she throw a huge rock at Devon and was okay with Zayto killing himself at the end of Dino Fury? I’m not trying to assume anything but let’s ask her opinions on Jack and TJ, also why didn’t she help out Scott with the RPMverse if she can easily bring people back to life.

Asking why the morphin masters don’t do anything nah let’s ask the real questions on what Master Green she thinks about those SPECIFIC red rangers 😑😭☠️☠️

[shadow-pixelle]

Help the snippet grew legs

I did more snippet. I actually did more snippet checks nearly two weeks ago now, but then things went to pot a bit and I didn't post. Because I am a living disaster.

But yeah the last DCxDP snippet I wrote has grown legs. In fact it has grown so much legs that I know where it starts as well as where it goes from the last snippet onwards for a while.

I don't know how we got from the start to here, but that's not my problem right now.

This however is not the start. This follows up directly from this post from a month ago.

--

Jason had been on edge since getting back to Gotham. The sort of on edge that made him want to go patrolling Crime Alley, just to make sure everything was alright. Which was ridiculous, because he’d only been gone for a week, and more importantly he was exhausted and patrolling when he was this tired was asking for trouble.

Mostly, he just wanted to go home and sleep, but he needed to head to the Cave to check on some information regarding this case, just to make sure it was closed and stayed closed, so he turned his bike to go and do that first. At the very least it would be quiet there, since it was just late enough in the night that all the Bats would be swarming out on their own patrols.

So of course Babs patched herself into his comms not two minutes after returning.

“Hood.”

“Hey, O.” He said, because he couldn’t really be mad at her for any length of time. And it wasn’t like it was her fault he was on edge right now. “What’s up?”

“Are you heading to the Cave?”

“Yeeesss...?” Jason frowned slightly, leaning forward. “Why, is something wrong?”

“No, just need to warn you, we’ve got visitors.”

Jason jerked in surprise, then swore as he regained control of his bike. He pulled to a stop so that Babs wouldn’t lambast him about it, before replying. “Visitors?”

“Red Robin made some friends while you were gone.” She told him, with an odd tone in her voice. “They’re doing something involving the Lazarus Pits.”

Jason went cold. “They’re- what?”

“The Pits.” She repeated. “They- Hood, we don’t know anything about them. But Red Robin says they’re trustworthy, and yes we checked for mind control and things. There’s nothing. But they know more about the Pits than anyone we’ve ever met.”

Jason laughed, strangled. “What, really?”

“Really. I think they might know more than Ra’s does.” Babs sounded nervous, he realised with another cold flush, and he started his bike again and pushed off.

“That’s not suspicious at all.”

“No, it isn’t.” Babs sighed. “But Red trusts them, for some reason, enough to bring them to the Cave for whatever project they’re working on. The others are there too, he’s not alone, and we’re keeping an eye on things, but…”

“Yeah.” Jason knew. They were Bats, paranoia was in their nature. The fact that none of the Bats that had come into contact with these unknowns seemed bothered at all was… intensely concerning. “You want me to take a look or avoid it?”

“...You can come by, if you want. I’m watching remotely in case we need a League alert or something, but…”

“I hear you.” He sighed. “Who’re we dealing with?”

“They all look to be about mid-twenties. The main guy calls himself Phantom. The other two defer to him on just about everything, so he’s definitely the boss. No real description, he’s not human and only sometimes has a human shape. Fairly middling height and frail-looking when they do, white hair and glowing green eyes. Most the time he’s wearing a sort of hazmat suit of some kind, but that shifts sometimes. When he’s not human it’s pretty much impossible to describe him, but I guess the best way to put it is that he looks like space.” Babs immediately filled in.

“The other two seem to be some kind of subordinates. The man goes by Duulaman, he seems to be a mix of tech guy and magic. Phantom also seems to know his way around technology pretty well, hardware while Duulaman does software. His magic is Egyptian themed for the most part, and seems linked to his technological ability otherwise. Fairly tall, dark skin and blue eyes with a green shimmer, black hair. He wears glasses but I’m not convinced that they’re actually necessary rather than being some kind of device for either his magic or technology. Also, we can’t hack him.”

“What, at all?”

“Admittedly I’ve not tried too hard, I don’t want to make them hostile if they’re not going to be, but I think he uses his magic to amplify what his technology does. Just what little I’ve seen is incredible.”

“Huh.” Also concerning, but in a different way. Though if Babs wasn’t trying too hard then it might just be that Duulaman’s tech seemed harder to deal with than it is. “And the third?”

“A woman, Caucasian with black hair and mostly violet eyes. Little bit of a green shine there, too. She’s the tallest of the lot of them, pretty thin but not as frail-looking as Phantom. Not sure of much more about her, she doesn’t seem to have the same sort of technological abilities as the other two and she’s mostly been standing to the side like a guard or acting as an extra pair of hands whenever either of the males need something. Name seems to be Belladonna, but both males have been giving her a few different plant-related nicknames, so I’m not certain which one’s real.”

“Great.” He sighed again. “Don’t suppose there’s any way to get an idea of that?”

“Not likely. Other possible names are Nightshade, Overgrowth, Foxglove, Yew, and Daffodil.”

“Daffodil?” That didn’t quite fit the theme, though the fact that the woman had a theme of poisonous plants was concerning. Then again, neither did Overgrowth.

“Daffodils are poisonous, apparently.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah.”

Babs went quiet for a while after that, letting Jason drive, and only spoke up again when he reached the entrance to the Cave.

“Be careful, Hood.”

“Always am, O.” He replied, slightly nervous despite himself. A part of him wanted to just run back to Crime Alley and go to bed, not deal with whatever disaster Tim had apparently brought into the family trying to study fucking Lazarus Pits, somehow. He just… didn’t want to deal with this.

But he had to, because if there was any chance the other Bats were under some kind of subtle mind control, they needed someone outside to go and take a look, and with Jason knowing about it ahead of time, there’d at least be a chance for Babs to call in the League if she saw a change.

The Cave was surprisingly quiet when he entered, though in a way Jason wasn’t surprised. The place was practically made to amplify certain sounds, and his bike roaring in was definitely one of them. Plus there was the fact that there were three unknowns in the Cave, so no-one was going to be talking about anything private or secret. Still, it was disconcerting to enter the Cave when it was so quiet, with none of the others calling out a greeting and no sounds of sparring on the mats. It just felt wrong, and Jason felt a chill run down his spine even as he stopped his bike and headed further in.

The chill only got worse when he saw the group. Most of the Bats were just hovering around the Cave, doing nothing in particular and obviously only there to keep an eye on the unknowns. Red Robin was the only one over by the workbench that had obviously been hurriedly pulled together from about four other smaller workbenches, leaning over it with his back to Hood. One of the strangers was with him, and Hood could suddenly understand why Oracle had said Phantom was difficult to describe. For the most part, he definitely looked like Oracle had said, a black hazmat-like outfit and white hair. Given the way he was leaning over the table next to Red Robin, it was hard to see much of him, but he did look fairly frail.

Except when Hood blinked, the man suddenly looked… well. Not human. At all. He could see what she meant by looking like space, because he just… cracked. Like a swirling void full of stars.

Then Hood blinked again, and he was back to normal, and all three strangers were straightening. The woman, maybe-Belladonna, looked up first from where she was hovering- not literally, unlike Phantom, who Hood now realised was literally floating at Red Robin’s side- behind Duulaman, met Hood’s eyes despite the helmet, and paled sharply. Duulaman looked up next, and both their eyes flashed a bright green- a toxic green, one only a few shades off being very familiar- before both swore sharply.

That was when Phantom turned around.

Hood froze. Not just from the sudden chill, fear biting down his spine in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time, but from the look. Something about Phantom seemed familiar, in a dangerous way. Floating slightly in the air, white hair waving like it was caught in an invisible breeze, and eyes shining a just as brilliant green as the other two but solid rather than mixed into their apparently-original colours. The being- because he wasn’t a human, no matter what he looked like most of the time and no matter what the other Bats thought, that wasn’t a meta or even an alien, he was something else- stared at him, a hazy mist of breath clouding in front of him, eyes wide.

There was a crackle of something like electricity and machinery starting, and Phantom disappeared. Hood suddenly felt like he could breathe again.

“Oh Ancients.” Duulaman murmured, looking pale. He was still staring at Hood, as was Belladonna, both of them looking horrified.

“Phantom?” Belladonna called, eyes darting upwards for a moment before returning to stare at Hood.

Slightly uncomfortable with the attention now, Hood looked up.

The Cave roof had been replaced with a starry sky. Based on… everything else about this situation, that was probably Phantom.

The electrical sound came again, somehow sounding apologetic and Hood had no idea how a noise like that could sound like that, and Duulaman sighed. “English, Phantom. Or at least something living, please.”

“Sorry.” The mass of space on the roof said, with an undertone of electricity and ice. “Just… Ancients.”

Belladonna laughed, a small, horrified sound. “You’ve got that right.”

“What happened to you?” Duulaman asked, and out of the corner of his eye Hood saw the rest of the Bats stiffen.

His focus was on the mass on the roof, though, which slowly crept down- like some demented dripping tap of space, Hood thought hysterically- to settle between Duulaman and Belladonna in a mind-twistingly strange blob.

The shape shimmered, and Phantom’s human form appeared, the space-blob folding away like it had never been there. He looked at Hood again, then winced and deliberately turned his head to focus on Duulaman as he leaned into his side. Light flickered again, and then-

Phantom shifted.

White hair swapped to black, the strange hazmat suit disappeared in favour of jeans and a long sleeved shirt- which looked immensely out of place compared to his… partners? Underlings? Outfits; Belladonna had a dramatic black dress lined with vines and pale flowers, and Duulaman leaned into the Egyptian theme with an outfit like a pharaoh. Compared to them, Phantom looked incredibly normal. Like a regular guy in his mid-twenties.

He looked over at Hood again, eyes now blue with only a faint green shine, and Hood shivered. No matter that he looked normal, something about the being still screamed unnatural.

“Phantom?” Both his partners asked, sounding surprised.

“Sorry.” He said, in a raspy voice. “It’s- easier, this way. Kidnapping isn’t exactly a good idea right now.”

“Kidnapping?!” Several of the Bats chorused, and Hood saw Batman stiffen ready to lunge.

Hood just couldn’t stop staring.

He was aware, faintly, of the conversation going on around him. More than aware, really; he was a Bat by training, he didn’t just… tune out of important conversations. Everything that was being said was being catalogued for later, held in the back of his head for evaluation once he had time. But at the same time, it was just… difficult. As much as he was aware of the conversation, he wasn’t really listening. A part of him just… couldn’t stop watching the three. Even as Phantom very deliberately looked away from Jason, almost like he couldn’t bare to look at him. As Duulaman put his hand on Phantom’s shoulder and Belladonna leaned into his side like they were anchoring him, while neither of them looked his way for more than brief glances that every time warped their faces into grimaces.

He was fully aware that the other Bats were interrogating the three. Something they really should have done long before this, before they brought them to the Cave because they were doing something with Lazarus Pits and knew too much about them. And he was well aware that none of them were making getting the information difficult. They talked easily, like none of it was a secret- and maybe it wasn’t. These Infinite Realms, these ghosts, everything about the Ancients and the halfas that Phantom apparently was, maybe none of it was a secret. Or maybe it was just that none of them cared, because-

Phantom looked him in the eyes for the first time since the start of this whole thing.

“Pariah Dark was a monster, and even he would consider what was done to you unforgivable.”

Jason jolted, pulling away from that horrible chill and the feeling that there was something incredible in front of him- something horrifying, something nightmarish and awful. And he listened, really listened, as Phantom laid out as best as he could what it felt like to look at him. It felt like drowning, almost, and somewhere in the back of his mind past the crystal haze of shock it felt like he was screaming. Jason just listened and stared as the three of them laid out how things felt to them- how he felt to them, and wasn’t that just hilarious, that there was something so deeply wrong with him that even these strange beings, these half-dead and partly dead people, were able to look at him and know immediately that something is wrong here.

He wondered a little if it was like the uncanny valley. If looking at him made these people, who were apparently ghosts or at least close to it, unnerved because there was something wrong here, something not quite correct for what it should be.

Of course he would be fucked up. He was already well aware that the Pit had done terrible things to him. What was one more?

Phantom glanced at him only once more, then focused on Batman.

“So,” he said, in a firm voice obviously used to being obeyed. “I’d quite like to know who did that to him. Because my next step is going to be to call the council, get war declared on them, and then erase them.”

Neither Belladonna or Duulaman objected. In fact they seemed like they agreed, or possibly they just didn’t intend to contradict the person that was their leader.

Jason wasn’t sure. He was still too busy being shocked, lost in a hazy daze of… something. He couldn’t have spoken even if he wanted too, and all he could do was stare at Bruce as well, waiting to see what was next.

Batman didn’t speak.

He wasn’t sure he was surprised.

The silence stretched, reaching a minute, two. Phantom continued to stare at Batman, who stared back, a firm line in what Jason could see of his mouth. No-one else moved.

Jason took a shuddering breath, and a step back. It was more of a stumble, really, and it broke the holding pattern the rest of the room was in. Eyes snapped to him.

The three- ghosts? Realms beings? Whatever they were- looked directly at him with only a slight wince. Phantom tensed slightly, like he wanted to spring, and both Duulaman and Belladonna did the same in response, hands grasping at their leader as if to keep him in place.

Jason took another trembling breath, and bolted.

Someone- Dick, he thought, but he couldn’t quite tell over the shuddering sounds of his own breaths and heartbeats- shouted after him, but Jason didn’t stop. He just ran, going straight for his bike and leaving.

The chill lingered in the back of his chest the entire time. Jason couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so cold.

He hadn’t even realised he’d been warm, until he saw Phantom. Now there was just the chill, slowly seeping into his bones. He wasn’t even sure that was Phantom’s fault, though.

After all, Bruce had been silent.

Why would Dad tell them who hurt him? It wasn’t like Jason was his son, or anything. It wasn’t like it was only the League, like it was only the Joker, like it wouldn’t deal with so many of their problems without them needing to do anything.

He somehow wasn’t surprised.

So Jason ran.

[definitelynotamhafan]

A cave at the edge of a universe (Darkness pt.2)

Warnings! Flashbacks.

The day had gone by in a mixture of awkward silence and mistrustful glares, nothing you weren’t used to, of course.

Now, as the sun was setting, your bare feet dug into the still heated sand, you couldn’t help but feel uneasy. The sound of silence was swirling around you, the wind carrying a salty scent.

The sea. Oh how you missed it. You remembered the days of the first sprouts of plants ever growing on the soil beneath your feet, the way Amun slipped his hand in yours, both of you running along the shore…

No. Amun was gone, he had changed, what use was to dwell in the past if it only caused you pain?

Your screwed your eyes shut, taking a deep breath and going back in the tent. You grabbed a bowl from one of the tables, pouring yourself some water for your parched throat. As you tilted the bowl, your lips pressed against the smooth ceramic carved with depictions of some pharaoh you couldn’t care less about, you felt a pair of eyes on you.

Staring at you, with a glare so sharp that it was burning the back of your head, was Seth.

“Are you just gonna keep glaring at me like that? You’ll get wrinkles.” You said, chuckling.

“You still play that game, huh?” He retorted. “Acting like you aren’t an evil god.”

You paused. Evil? Out of all the words he thought, evil was the way to describe you?

Unfair? Sure. Damned? Yeah, why not. Cursed? Go ahead! Unwanted? Unforgiven? Bring ‘em in! But evil? That didn’t sound right.

“Says the god of chaos.” You said. “At least I’m not punished to live as a demigod.”

Now it was Seth’s turn to go silent.

“You know?” He asked.

“Of course I do. I can smell it on you. Half god, half human. Such a pitiful punishment.”

“What did you just say about my punishment, you asshat?!” He snapped

“You heard me first, Weasley!” You retorted.

“…what?” He asked confused.

“Nevermind, you wouldn’t get it. What did you do to deserve that shit anyways?” You asked, putting the ceramic bowl down and tilting your hunting dog headdress back.

“I cut Osiris into pieces.” Seth said, looking away.

You paused.

One beat.

Two beats.

And then you burst out laughing.

“Fuck yeah! That green pea-looking bastard deserved it!” You managed to say between laughs.

Seth was stunned. I mean quite literally shook™️. He had no idea that someone would actually hate Osiris this much to agree with him.

“Really?” He asked.

“Of course! That dude is wayyyyy too obsessive for his own good. He didn’t do anything to you, right?” Your expression turned serious at the end. “Right?”

———

“HE DID WHAT?!” You gasped. “Oh you poor thing…” you extended your hand out to Seth, wrapping it around his shoulders comfortingly.

The way his head rested against your chest, it felt just like-

“Am-heh! Wait up!” Ra called out, running after you. “Slow down, love.” He whispered, trailing kisses on your skin as soon as he reached you.

“And if I don’t?” You teased.

“Then I might just make sure you can’t run away.” He winked.

“Oh? And how is that?” You inched closer, your faces inches apart.

“We’ll find out tonight, won’t we?” He teased, before turning into his female form, guiding your hands to her waist. “You won’t run away from me, right?”

“Never.” You sealed her lips.

-no. Not again. You pulled yourself together, ignoring the throbbing pain at the back of your head. Amun-Ra was gone. She wasn’t the same anymore. Now she was just Ra, goddess of the sun. Not your dear Amun. Once the love of your life, who couldn’t take his eyes off of you as you created the stars, embroidering the sky with their light, or creating the fabric of the Nile from your cloak of darkness. They weren’t the same. They would never be. Never again.

“You still don’t trust me?” You teased Seth a little bit.

“Maybe a little.” He replied, snuggling against your chest, his breath so deep that you were surprised he hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

Yet one thing couldn’t escape your mind as sleep began closing in on the both of you, as you laid face-up on the bed. The familiar rocks, the darkness surrounding you, the cool breeze seeping in your bones…. Something was calling out to you. And you knew where it was hiding.

In a cave at the edge of the universe, at the end and beginning of time, somewhere where the clock is pointing at the 25th hour, and no ticking will ever be heard. Somewhere where your memories will haunt you forever.

[sepublic]

I find it interesting that the Forbidden Five are from the Wyldness, where the Wolf Tribe is also from. Their army draws on the aesthetics of wolves, as does their dojo, and even the enhanced Wolf Mask warriors have energy claws akin to the Chi avatars of the Wolf Tribe; They’re even the same color, as some Chi avatars are blue, while others are red, with wolves being the latter!

But there are no actual wolves. The Forbidden Five conquered a Tiger tribe that Zarkar and Ras come from. But otherwise, their minions have all been shown or implied to have been human.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Forbidden Five learned from either a Wolf Tribe, or the same one from Chima; Given their nomadic nature, I wouldn’t be shocked if some of the Wolves who evolved from Chi left the floating continent to explore the rest of their realm. Because Doylist reasons aside, it feels like the Forbidden Five would be interested in Chi if they knew of it; Though tbf, Jordana did have that crystal orb she used to perform Theroxian magic…

But yeah, I’m not putting it past the Five’s imperialistic attitudes and flippant dismissal of Zarkar and his race to have, I dunno. Learned from Wolves, and then stolen their aesthetics and knowledge for themselves, while disregarding actual wolves. Not sure where the humans came from, but Chen knew of a portal connecting Ninjago and the Wyldness, and it’s one the Wolf Clan must’ve been familiar with to surround it with wolf statues… Maybe that’s where they came from. We know the original Wolf Clan, or at least some of its members, were human; Their descendants as Garmadon meets them are, as is Lord Argus.

Even if the Forbidden Five also hail from the Wyldness (Drix certainly looks the part), that’s like saying all humans come from Earth, so we all have claim to each other’s cultures. I’m half-joking when I say the Wolf Clan is itself appropriation. So this is the second time we have a tournament arc where the main villains are people who appropriate the aesthetics of anthropomorphized animals. Fitting that Garmadon would run into their legacy after being directed to by Chen.

And you wanna know the real kicker? With how the Children of the Wolf are distinguished as the last descendants of the original Wolf Clan, who were otherwise petrified fighting Zaiden Kane. I wouldn’t be surprised if the present-day Wolf Clan was just a bunch of impersonators; Thugs Ras hired and trained to do his dirty work. The sets implicate them as humans. Perhaps they’re the dissidents and criminals of Imperium, who were supposed to be swept under the rug, so Ras took them in knowing he’d probably need his own force separate from Beatrix’s, who would have no loyalty to her anyhow.

Because for all their past and apparent reverence for the Forbidden Five… The new Wolf Clan doesn’t bat an eye at Ras enslaving Nokt. When Nokt rebels, they take Ras’ side and have to be brainwashed by Rox to serve the Forbidden Five once more. It’s quite a far cry from Argus, who served directly beneath the Five, and with the old Wolf Clan attempted to honor their legacy and continue their ways, even after Rontu and Egalt defeated his masters.

So it’s karma; Nokt and his comrades impersonated the aesthetics and stole the ways of the Wolf Tribe for their own purposes. They pillaged Zarkar’s people. So now their descendant Ras returns the favor by bastardizing their own army and legacy for his purposes, even having someone wield their own Theroxian magic. The Wolf Masks, as well as the Gong and Mallet of Shattering, now belong to Roby since he imprisoned the new Wolf Clan! Again, a second tournament arc where a dead warrior tribe with animal aesthetics is bastardized, only for those with the original claim, once sealed away, to take revenge on the bodies of the thieves.

That would explain the shift to the Dragonians in S3; Rox could create more Wolf Masks and perhaps another gong and hammer. But we don’t know the logistics it’d take to do that, or train new warriors as well. And while Nokt and Rox know where the Shadow Dojo is and could always go back to it with the others, I can see how they’d have to go for another group that uses sapient animals’ aesthetics. Makes me wonder if the Dragonians are like Imperium in exploiting dragons, or if their bond with their dragons is actually mutualistic. Perhaps S3 will involve villains who actually do work together and care; The Forbidden Five, and the Dragonians and their dragons?

[blacksurvivalnostalgichanges]

Black Survival characters as mythological/supernatural creatures

Adela:vampire adela is convincing but you know she could be fae with that sort of “you have already lost” thing she has

Adriana:i want to say fire elemental, but that’s too obvious. it’d be poetic if she were instead something that’s constantly cold like an ice elemental or something

Aiden:he is canonically pretty much a supernatural creature. all i can do is nudge towards son of zeus or suggest he’s that one thing i saw somewhere of a being that turns into electricity and travels in power cords (this parenthesis is of me sending this out. what the fuck is this last bit. i have zero clue)

Alex:i think all secret agents would be shapeshifters or changelings. he does have a lot of This Man Is Unfindable vibes, so he’d probably be a shapeshifter

Arda:so tempted to say he’s the human in the story. but ok i’ll name something. i think he has elf-y vibes. at least immortal. like, he’s the type to have lived through a lot of things to me

Aya:maybe it’s because i think she’s kinda similar to kujou sara genshin impact, but i’m thinking tengu

Barbara:human with tons of metal prosthesis (this is me from the future/present. boy that’s a cyborg. pretty sure i described a cyborg)

Bernice:werewolf. hunter of the night, sad about hurting people, that’s werewolf baby

Camilo:either a siren or a sexy vampire

Cathy:necromancer. god i picture someone being like “h... he’s dead.....” and she cracks her knucles like “i didn’t get my medical license revoked for nothing”

Celine:mage or witch vibes to me. all her spells are fireball

Chiara:the nun enemy in horror games. whether she’d be a ghost, or a demon, or a whatever-the-hell is ambiguous, but that’s what i’m seeing. maybe a fallen angel too. good omens au with emma, see my vision

Chloe:witch. like, wears-a-hat, potion-making, cat-having witch is what i’m picturing except instead of a cat she has a small child

Daniel:i’ve compared him to alucard and dracula and vampires too many times for me to say anything but vampire

Echion:hes kind of a cyborg right. i don’t need to try

Eleven:whatever flutterina from she-ra had going on (me from the present/future again. that’s a forest elf. she-ra has a wiki page)

Eva:yeah this one’s obvious. just. magical girl. there ain’t much to work with

Emma:magical girl skin is compelling but. again. good omens au

Fiora:so much medieval knight slayer of dragon vibes coming out of her

Hart:i got nothing. muse? elf? she’s too Normal Person to read

Hyejin:if she were chinese she’d slay in a danmei so hard. she’d cultivate so hard. so when it comes to korea it’s something akin, i guess. don’t know if i want to deep-dive into korean culture for this

Hyunwoo:i never watched teen wolf but he’d be a werewolf in there. source:dude trust me. but with all his stuff going on i wouldn’t be surprised if he was cursed

Isol:ehehe werewolf isol

Jackie:there’s this one episode of grimm where they reveal jack the ripper is a ghost/demon that just comes back every 100 years and possesses someone to go to murders. i think that’s what she’d be

Jan:too much of a normal human being for me to read as well. he’s maybe the character with the least skins too so no clue. not even a halloween costume, i feel like he’d just wear one of those skeleton full-body costumes and call it a day

Jenny:i think it’d be neat if she were a ghost possessing a theater, or something akin to walpurgisnacht from puella magi madoka magica. but she also has elf vibes since she’s full of herself and pretty and stuff

Johann:cleric. what do you want from me

JP: he’s got to be some sort of trickster spirit. if he’s chinese then there’s definitely a few to pick from there

Laura: her whole character is a sort of fetish so if you append “sexy” to it she could be anything

Lenox:dryad. why? she’s afraid of fire. checkmate

Leon:merman

Li Dailin:she’s so regretful and bitter and self destructive. that’s a wraith baby

Luke:he seems like the sort of shapeshifter to turn into a horse to be inconspicuous

Magnus:dude in greek stories who learns not to dare the gods

Mai:that one pokemon that makes fabric. but well. elf. sure. all skinny vaguely pretty people could be elves

Nadine:werwolf is too obvious. but it’s obvious because it fits too perfectly

Nathapon:my guy is beatrice portinari from ordem paranormal, he can’t remember the rituals they did on him

Nicky:is it cruel of me to name dwarf because she’s short. do i get a short joke pass. if i can laugh at my friend when he says the wind

Rio:elf, i think. archery, general appearance. i think it’d be cute if she wore the Elf Outfit Thing but it included a hood with cat ears. something to consider

Rosalio:soul eater weapon thing but he’s a baseball bat with nails that nobody wants to meister

Rozzi:brazilian legend of the iara is what i’m going with, because honestly there’s enough aspects that work well imo. the summary is that it’s a siren but with ~lore~

Shoichi:man i got nothin. his vampire skin is cool and there’s some symbolism there that works since vampires are either rich aristocrats, gay, or both (me from the future again. he’s also ashamed of himself and wouldn’t want to show his body to his child. that is so vampiristic!!!)

Silvia:whatever quicksilver from the avengers had going on for sure

Sissela:Ghost. It makes too much sense, but I briefly considered jiangshi ig

Sua:i think it’d be cool if she was a library ghost. maybe a dryad that lives on as a book idk, but i think it’d be cool if people entered a library and tried to find a book and this sweet disembodied voice goes “it’s on the top shelf”

Tia:she’s already fuckin marina from monica’s gang, what can i say on this one

William:soul eater weapon thing but he’s a boomerang that also no one wants to meister because william is a strange oddly bitter man

Xiukai:ok i need you guys to stay with me through this one, i’m going somewhere. there’s this one urban legend show that ran years and years ago in brazil, and this one episode is about this big boy house that these girls are staying in for a vacay that one of their boyfriends let them stay in. they dirty the floor and stuff because people be like that, and then they start disappearing. that aforementioned boyfriend explains he lived in this house as a kid, and he was a shitheel as a kid who deliberately made a mess for his maid to clean up, but one day she tripped and died. now her ghost (who isn’t sure she’s dead and just cleans up the house as usual) turns people into framed photos. WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT STORY IS, is what i think xiukai would be

Yuki:that one ghost hunter skin is too good for me to be able to imagine him as anything else. i am sorry. i’d love to be like “ah he’d do a good kitsune” or whatever but my mind drifts instantly to him cutting a ghost with a katana

Zahir:i’m like 60% sure he’s already based on a hindu legend so can’t talk too much on that tbh. can’t say for sure since i know very little on that subject but i’m pretty sure they’re basing his backstory off of something

[modernmisadventures]

Chapter 15: Sharing Secrets

The week apart had given her too much time to think. Too much time to brood. Even with Thancred sending constant text messages, chat messages, and even the occasional email, Kal’istae was too certain that this trip he’d needed to take for ‘work’ was little more than a convenient excuse to ease things off. Not that she could blame him. Two dates in and they were already talking relationships. Who even did that?

Not her, nope. Clearly, it had just been chemistry and the heat of the moment. And with distance and time between them, they had both seen the light.

So why was she so damn miserable?

The knock at her door startled her out of her funk, and she leaned over the back of her ratty old couch to glare at the door. She was half-tempted to ignore it, but when the knock came again, she groaned and hauled herself up. “It’s ten at night,” she muttered as she slumped up to the door, “and I’m sulking. Go away.”

The last was said as she opened the door to Thancred’s surprised face. “I mean,” he said hesitantly, “if you really wa- oof!” He was cut off as he suddenly found himself with an armful of Kal’istae. The Au Ra scaled him like a tree, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around her waist as she yanked his head down and covered his mouth with hers.

He barely had time to lean into the kiss, however, before she slid down and stepped away, covering her mouth with her hand and staring at him with wide eyes. “Ohmigods,” she babbled, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help - I didn’t mean - I just saw you there and I was missing you and ohmigods shoot me now.”

Thancred didn’t think; for once, he let pure instinct, pure emotion guide him. As she backed up, he followed, catching her about the waist. As he drew her against him, her voice felt silent and she gazed up at him mutely, her expression half-anxious, half-hopeful. When he smiled, she exhaled, and when he lowered his head, she raised herself up on tiptoe to meet him.

There was hunger; there had to be hunger. They had both wanted too much, too long, too hard for there to not always be that underlying hunger. But it was tempered by sweetness. It was muted by affection. It was buried deep beneath gentle reconnection. And when he finally released her, she clung lightly to him to maintain her balance as he lowered his forehead to hers. “I missed you,” he murmured.

“Oh gods,” Kal’istae replied, and shut her eyes. “Oh gods, I missed you too.” They stood like that a moment longer, then she slowly lowered herself back to the ground, plucking absently at his wrinkled dress shirt. “I thought you were coming back tomorrow.”

He kept his hands loosely around her waist, gazing over her head into the apartment behind her. “I finished what I had to do and found someone to trade flights back with,” he replied. “Came straight here from the airship terminal. Which I suppose,” he added wryly, “is rather obvious.”

She croaked a soft laugh, then tugged at his shirt. “Come on in,” she invited, carefully not looking at his face as she slipped out of his hands and grabbed one, walking backwards and drawing him after her. He just as cautiously avoided her gaze as he followed, booting the door shut behind him with his heel.

Once inside, she released his hand and turned away, seeming lost. Before he could say anything, however, she shook her head and ran her hand through her hair, grimacing. “I suppose it’s too late to bemoan how I look,” she muttered, all too aware of the loose pajama pants and ratty old t-shirt she habitually wore when staying in alone. “Go have a seat,” she invited, “I’ll get you a drink. Hard or soft?”

Glancing down at himself - his tie loosened, his vest and shirt wrinkled from travel, his shoes scuffed, he grinned wryly. “I wouldn’t worry about it. You look beautiful, as always. And soft, please; hard’ll put me right out - I’ve already put in sixteen hours today.”

She half-turned, then shook her head and started for the kitchen. “And you came here instead of going home?”

He was tempted to follow her, but instead headed for her couch, sinking into the battered cushions with a deep sigh, and immediately understood why she kept it. It may have looked thrashed, but damn if it wasn’t the most comfortable thing he’d sat on in days. “Yes,” he replied simply as he stretched out and lay his head upon the embroidered pillow. “I wanted to see you.” His voice began to slur at the edges. “I needed to see you.”

Kal’istae paused while rummaging in the refrigerator, blinking rapidly to ease the unexpected prick of tears before digging up a can of soda and nudging the fridge shut with her hip. She debated getting him a glass, then shrugged and padded into the living room with the can. She placed it on the coffee table, then a soft sound drew her attention and she turned to look at him.

He was stretched out on her couch, snoring lightly as he slept. Without thinking, she leaned over him and tugged the knitted throw off the back of the couch and spread it over him, gently tucking him in. He sighed softly and shifted, and when she leaned down and brushed the fall of silver hair from his face, his lips curled in a faint smile. After tugging off his shoes, she pressed a kiss to his forehead, then replaced the soda in her fridge and made her way to her own room, where she read until she, too, fell asleep.

The seductive scents of sizzling bacon and cooking eggs drew Thancred from his exhausted slumber, and as his eyes blinked open, he stared muzzily at the dull white ceiling above his head. A fan spun lazily just at the edge of his peripheral vision and the faint sound of music tickled his ears. When he shifted, he found his arms bound and fought against an instant of panic before he realized that he had been tucked in beneath a blanket.

Absurdly touched, he carefully untangled himself from the soft knitted thrown, admiring it as he tossed it lightly over the back of the sofa. Rising to his feet, he skimmed his hands through his hair and grimaced at the slightly greasy feel of it; he hadn’t showered since early the previous morning, and a long day of travel had left its mark.

Then the scent of coffee struck his nose and he forgot all about the grit and grime of travel. On silent, sock-shod feet he traipsed across the short distance between couch and kitchen. There he stopped in the entryway, captivated by the sight of Kal’istae’s swinging hips as she hummed along with the soft music playing from her phone, spatula in one hand as she stirred a pan filled with golden, fluffy eggs.

“... -n’t wanna break your heart,” she sang softly in a relatively pleasant voice as she set the utensil aside and yanked open the fridge, bending over slightly to peer in, “wanna give your heart a break…” The lyrics fell off into humming again as she reached in and came out with a dish of butter and a diet soda. Turning back, she spied him in the doorway and gave a soft shriek, barely keeping a hold of her burden. “Gods! You scared me.”

Thancred held up his hands, stepping slowly into the kitchen. “My apologies - so many apologies,” he added. “I can’t believe I crashed on you like that.”

Her face softened and she set aside the butter and the soda and reached for a dish towel to wipe her hands clean. “I wasn’t expecting it, but it wasn’t a problem,” she assured him. “Fortunately, that couch is a lot more comfortable than it looks.”

His lips curved. “Seriously. And not to intrude on your amazing hospitality further, but is that coffee I smell?”

Kal’istae wrinkled her nose. “It is, and fortunately for you I have a small stock I keep for guests, because I detest the stuff. But I’ve noticed you sometimes have a cup when you visit the school, so I figured you might be one of the addicted multitudes.”

He couldn’t help himself. Moving in, he cupped her hips in his hands and leaned down to press a kiss to lips parted in startlement. “You, my dear, are a goddess among women.”

Smirking up at him, she reached up and patted his cheek, then indicated an upper cabinet. “Mugs are up there. Let me just finish here and we can sit down and enjoy breakfast.”

He reached up into the cabinet she indicated, pulling down a clean mug while she returned to her eggs and bacon. After pouring himself a cup of coffee and doctoring it with some sugar, he leaned back against the counter and sipped at it, watching her thoughtfully. “Busy week?” he finally asked her.

“Mmm. No more so than usual. One of my kids almost blew out a window, but that’s pretty par for the course. It’s why my rooms are triple shielded and the glass was enchanted during the initial melt.” She gave the eggs one last stir, then turned off the burner and set them aside. A quick press with paper towels to the bacon set on a rack helped to clean off most of the remaining grease. “Sourdough okay?”

As she turned to get his answer, the thick loaf of bread in her hands, it struck him. He’d come to her straight from the airship terminal, not even pausing to change his clothes. She’d let him in, and when he’d passed out on her, she’d tucked him in, taken off his shoes. And now she cooked him breakfast with a sunny smile and no hint at all of disdain or disappointment.

Ah, hells.

He set his coffee aside, then crossed to her, reaching out to pluck the loaf from her hands and set it on the counter. She frowned up at him confused, then her eyes widened when he reached down and jerked her up by her hips. “Hold on to me,” he said earnestly.

“Thancred…”

“Hold on to me!”

She held onto him, her arms looping around his neck, her legs hitching around his waist as he dragged her up and against him, covering her mouth in a hot, hungry kiss that held nothing of the soft sweetness of the night before. She resisted only briefly, then on a soft moan finally gave in to it, and to him. Her lips parted beneath his and tongues tangled, teeth scraping as they devoured one another, breakfast forgotten in the rush of passion. He shifted until he could slide her onto the counter, then dropped his hands to brace himself, grinding against her as they continued to feast.

As the last of their breath petered out, they finally parted, gasping for air and leaning drunkenly upon each other. Thancred closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers, curling his hands into fists to prevent himself from grabbing for her again. “Kali.”

Her arms loosened, sliding away from his neck until her hands pressed against his breast. She sucked in lungfuls of air, struggling to regain her breath - and her equilibrium. As her name whispered out on his breath, she closed her eyes and sighed. “Thancred.” When he opened his mouth, she took a guess at what he was about to say and closed her hands around his shirt, jerking him forward slightly. “Don’t say it. Don’t you dare apologize.”

When his pale gold eyes flickered open, he found himself staring into a pair of resolute indigo eyes edged in lavender. “If you’re certain.”

She tilted her head, brushing her lips across his. “This is nothing that would not have likely happened last night had you not been exhausted.” Pulling back slightly, she released him, then leaned away. “I still want to talk, though, before… before.”

He leaned in to nuzzle against her cheek, then stepped back, turning slightly as if to pick up his coffee to hide his hands as he carefully adjusted himself. When he turned back, coffee in hand, he caught sight of her knowing smirk. “Of course,” he said equitably, “but I’d rather not waste the breakfast you’ve gone to such trouble to make.”

Sliding from the counter, Kal’istae dusted her hands together. “Of course not. Now, sourdough?”

He smiled at her over the rim of his mug and tried to ignore the butterflies that did pirouettes in his stomach. “Yes, thank you.”

They sat at the table, plates heaped high and extra toast set on a plate between them. As he had during their dinner date, Thancred elected to sit catty-corner to her rather than across. They made small talk as they buttered their toast and began to eat, but eventually the conversation shifted as he’d expected. “Did… everything go okay?” Kal’istae asked hesitantly as she scooped up the last crumbles of egg from her plate.

He remained silent a moment longer, contemplating his own empty plate, then grabbed another piece of toast from the communal basket. “As well as could be expected, under the circumstances,” he finally replied. “You understand, I can’t tell you details…”

She reached out to place her hand over his and he trailed off into silence. “If anyone understands the rights of your patients, it’s a teacher,” she murmured. “Just tell me what you can - what you want to. Or nothing at all. I won’t take it amiss.”

But he wanted to. He desperately wanted to. “It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. The child is alive, and in safe hands now. It will be a long road to recovery, and I may have to take a few more trips to consult before Joshian feels comfortable handling it by himself - but he’s doing a good job. It’s a tricky one, but I think the kid’ll make a full recovery. Or as full as one can, given the circumstances.”

She lowered her gaze to her own plate and used the last of her bread to mop up what few pieces of egg and bacon remained. “Yes, it isn’t always easy to come back from things, even though people always say kids are more resilient. I think kids are just better at faking it than adults are.”

Thancred watched her quietly, not bothering to hide the compassion in his eyes. “You’re not wrong,” he agreed. “A child who has experienced trauma often knows how to hide what they’re thinking and feeling, knows what to say to make everyone believe everything’s okay. A lot of times, their health and even their life depends on it.”

She abruptly shoved back from the table and rose to pace. He remained where he was, watching as she strode from the dining room into the living room beyond. Her loose indigo robe flared about her as she marshaled her thoughts, and he did nothing to distract her. Finally, she turned and beckoned for him to join her. He did so.

“Look around you,” she invited. “What do you see?”

He hadn’t had a chance before now to really take a look at her apartment. Hadn’t wanted to; his eyes had all been for her. Now he stood before her couch and turned in a slow circle, studying the space in which he stood with a psychologist’s eye.

There was color; lavenders and seafoams, light pastels that contrasted nicely with the rich dark woods and leathers of her furniture. Several prints adorned the walls - landscapes, mostly. Sharlayan, he noticed, featured prominently, but there was one he particularly liked of Ul’dah’s stark and sere surroundings.

And there were photographs - Kali as a teenager, as a young adult, by herself, with friends, in a group. He was amused to find a picture of her in an affectionate embrace with his childhood best friend, and resolved to call Jacke as soon as possible and tease him. But it didn’t take him long to realize why she’d wanted him to look. Of family photographs, there was only one - a formal portrait of herself and her adoptive family.

He, of course, knew the Professors Miurani; they both taught at the Studium, and he’d sat their undergrad classes during his own time there. He knew their children, too - the daughter better than the son, but he didn’t think he’d be telling Kali that any time soon. But more telling than the fact that there was only the single family photo was the fact that Kal’istae had held herself apart from them during the shoot. Although the lady professor’s hand was possessively draped across the young Au Ra’s shoulder, the girl had stood several ilms away from the tight bunch of Elezen, a lovely young teenager with an unexpectedly serious mien.

A single formal portrait, and no candids. Yet it hadn’t been the Miuranis who had held themselves aloof from their young charge. “Why?” he asked softly, tearing his gaze from the portrait to meet her sad eyes.

Tucking her hands behind her back, Kal’istae paced a few steps more, then sank onto the couch, curling up in a ball. He moved to join her, careful to leave several ilms between them as he sank onto the soft cushions. She wrapped her arms around her knees and gazed at him in silence, then shrugged jerkily. “I don’t know. And I mean that quite literally. I don’t know anything about why I was the way I was that first year or so. I was…” She trailed off, frowning. “Rescued, I guess.  When I was seventeen - or so they think was my age, anyway.”

“Rescued from where?”

She didn’t look at him. “Garlemald.” His skin chilled and he fought not to show anything on his face as she continued. “Or rather, their annexed territories in Ala Mhigo. From what I was told, I was one of seven survivors found in a facility they suspect was used to develop bioweapons.”

Gods.

“Everyone else was… dead…” she continued, her voice flat and her eyes blind as she gazed beyond him, beyond the room, beyond the city. “And the other six with me… didn’t last long. I’m the only one who came out of it unscathed.”

He scowled. “Hardly unscathed,” he countered with unexpected harshness, and closed his eyes, searching for his balance. “Just because there were no physical repercussions, it’s clear that the experience left a mark on you.”

Her eyes focused on him and she gave him a faint, humorless smile. “You are, of course, correct. I was… not catatonic, but in shock when the researchers who found me brought me back to Sharlayan. It took them weeks to coax me back into some semblance of sense. I know they spoke of sending me to Doma, or perhaps Thavnair, of finding me an auri family - then they tested me.”

“And no doubt found you to be highly intelligent with an enormous aptitude for magic,” Thancred replied blandly. She shrugged at him. “And that’s when they found you a family in Sharlayan willing to adopt you, even with the possible repercussions from your past.”

She sighed. “I suppose you know all about that.”

Thancred reached out and hooked a finger beneath hers, gently tugging on it. Her eyes tracked to his. “It’s an uncommon story, but not an unusual one. Sharlayan is not known for its charity - but they are known to provide every opportunity to those they find meet their admittedly lofty standards.”

Wrapping her finger around his, she gazed down at them. “Not entirely true,” she argued. “Sharlayan is very charitable - as long as those who need it stay off the island.” When he conceded her point, she smiled faintly. “Back on topic, however, it has been twelve years since they found me in that facility - and I remember nothing. Nothing from before the moment that I awoke in the hospital, confused and scared out of my wits. Not even my name,” she confessed.

He remembered something of the incident, but he’d been in his first year of college and more concerned with acing his classes and seeing how many girls he could talk into his bed, and he’d paid little mind to the news beyond the island. “Obviously, you adapted.”

She shrugged again. “What choice had I? Adapt or die; those were my two choices. And for my first year, I wasn’t entirely certain which it would be. To call me unstable would have been kind. The Miuranis put up with a lot of baggage from me; I’ll never stop being grateful that they didn’t give up on me, and saw me through the worst of it.”

Wordlessly, he released her finger, then slid his hand beneath hers instead. She allowed him to twine fingers with her, then shifted her position until she could curl up beside him. He draped his arm across her shoulders and drew her in. “You’re worried there’s still something of that inside of you.”

She rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes. “That, and we never found out why I alone survived with no ill effects,” she murmured. “That mystery alone makes me a bad bet for any kind of relationship, Thancred. Not to mention the fact that we have no idea who I am or what I come from.”

He stroked her hair, closing his eyes as he turned to press his lips against her hair. “We all have dubious mysteries in our pasts, Kali. I can no more tell you where I came from than you can. I’m fairly certain my parents were gang members; either Pirates, or rivals killed by Pirates, but I don’t know anything more than that. I was in and out of the orphanage in Limsa from the time I was three until the day I tried to pick the pocket of an old Elezen man.”

Her eyes opened to slits. “The rumors are true then?”

His chuckle vibrated through her and she unconsciously curled closer. His arm tightened, trapping her against him. “True enough. Louisoix caught me with my hand in his pocket; the old man had to have used magic,” he mused. “No one had ever caught me before. But he did. Grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and hauled me up. I don’t know what he saw in me. I never asked. But he hauled me onto the boat with him and took me back to Sharlayan. Adopted me then and there. Offered me his name, but I wanted my own. So he dubbed me Waters, because the first time he saw me with any expression other than a scowl was when I was staring up at the statue of Thaliak in the harbor.”

He fell silent, waiting for a response, but she offered none. He almost thought she might have fallen asleep, then she shifted beneath his arm and he loosened his grip, anticipating her desire to rise.

Instead, she slid onto his lap, twisting until she straddled his thighs. Pressing her hands lightly against his hips, she gazed into his eyes. “It doesn’t bother you, does it.” It wasn’t a question. “That there’s no telling from whence I sprang. That no one knows what happened to me. That I know nothing of who or what I am.”

He reached up and buried his hands in her hair, watching as her eyes fluttered closed. “You are Kal’istae Miurani, daughter of Sharlayan, graduate of the Studium. You are Kal’istae Miurani, teacher of magic, wielder of mysteries.” He tugged on her head, drawing it down until her mouth hovered less than an ilm above his own. “You are Kal’istae Miurani, the woman I’m starting a romance with.” He hesitated, then breathed out a soft laugh. “The first woman. The only woman.”

She sucked in a breath. “I think I like that woman,” she murmured, eyes lighting up.

“So do I,” Thancred murmured, and closed the slight gap to cover her mouth with his, stealing her words, her breath, and her thoughts.

“I should probably get going.” They hadn’t moved much in the past hour; Kal’istae remained straddling his lap, though her robe had found its way to the floor, along with his vest and tie. His shirt was mostly unbuttoned, and the shoulder straps of her loose sleep tank had been nudged down to pool about her elbows. Both his pale golden skin and her dark indigo showed signs of generous attentions from lips and teeth.

She lifted her head, gazing lazily into those citrine-colored eyes. He lifted his hands and skimmed his thumbs along her jaw, tracing up over the blades of her cheekbones before dragging her head down for a kiss. She hummed against his lips, shifting on his lap and causing him to suck in a breath. “Probably,” she murmured, her voice husky.

He didn’t stop her when she slid from his lap, though he did not immediately follow, all too aware that standing up would prove… difficult… at that moment. Instead he tilted his head back, looking up at her as she pulled up her straps and adjusted her shirt so that not quite so much of her breasts were exposed. “I want to see you again.”

She finished drawing up her strap and turned to look at him, watching him as she crouched and hunted around for her robe. “I should certainly hope so,” she teased lightly. When he gave a quick smile at her retort, she relaxed slightly and plucked up her robe, rising and swinging it around her shoulders. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’d like to cook you dinner.” That gave her pause, and she tilted her head to one side, studying his face. “Yes,” he added at the look on her face, “I can in fact cook. I find it soothing, and when you live alone, you either learn to cook, or you spend way too much money on take-out.”

She glanced towards her kitchen. “Indeed,” she agreed. “When?”

He finally got his body under control and rose, reaching down to rebutton his shirt. “Tonight, if you don’t have other plans.” He fastened the button over his breastbone, but left the rest undone, letting his collar fall open to frame a throat marked by love’s bruises.

Reaching up, she touched one of the spots where a shallow indentation of her teeth curved around his jugular. “I earmarked the evening for you,” she admitted, blushing as he grinned with pleasure. “I knew your flight would be in later this afternoon; I’d hoped maybe I could talk you into coming over for dinner. And a talk.”

He reached up and covered her hand, then drew it up to his lips. “Well, so we moved those plans up a few hours. I’m game to make new ones. Dinner. My place. Say… sevenish?”

She nodded. “Dinner. Your place. I’ll bring dessert.”

He hummed. “Sounds like a plan. I’m thinking pasta - it’s a specialty of mine. Greens. Some wine. Some talking,” he murmured as he laid her hand on his shoulder and caught her waist, twirling her lightly in place. “Some dancing. Maybe a movie. Maybe more.”

Swallowing against the heat that flooded her body, she smiled up at him, swaying in time with his movements. “Maybe more,” she agreed, and his arm tightened around her. “Maybe, Thancred.”

Laughing softly, he bent to brush his lips over her forehead. “I’ll take a maybe. I see no need to rush,” he reassured her. “As far as I can tell, we have all the time in the world - I can wait until you’re ready. It will be,” he added as he dipped his head lower, his lips pressing lightly to hers, “be worth any wait.”

“Oh my, that’s a lot of pressure,” she said breathlessly.

Straightening, he shook his head. “I have no doubts at all.” Releasing her reluctantly, he crouched down and found his vest and tie, folding them together and draping them over his arm. “Alright, then. I’ve some shopping to do, and laundry - and I probably need to clean,” he added with a grin. “I haven’t had to make up the place for company in some time.”

Her eyebrows raised in polite disbelief. “Given how often I understand you have company, I find that hard to believe.”

He snagged her around the waist and drew her in for a kiss. “Kali, my dear, I’ve been trying to get you to go out with me for a year. Do you really think I’ve been sleeping around that whole time and risking the chance you’d think me anything less than utterly sincere?” He grinned at her dumbfounded expression. “Consider that, darling.” He gave her parted lips another hard kiss, then released her. “Sevenish. I’ll text you the address. See you then.”

She stayed rooted in place, staring at him as he turned and strode towards the door. Even as he opened it and slipped outside, shutting it behind him, she couldn’t seem to find any words to articulate her shock.

Long after he’d left, she finally unrooted herself. “Wait,” she said feebly to the empty air, “what the fuck?”

[mogai-sunflowers]

I'm not surprised to hear that She-ra is problematic because I literally can't think of any media that isn't problematic at all (:'/), but why is She-ra problematic? /genq /lh

(it's okay if you don't want to talk, I'm just curious because I haven't really heard anyone mention this until now)

so yeah, there are a few issues with it. overall I wouldn’t say it’s SUPER problematic but I’ve definitely seen some consistent, valid criticisms (ones that aren’t just “I don’t like this so it’s bad” or “they didn’t represent queerness exactly how it fits my worldview so I’m sad”)

the main criticisms I’ve seen are from people of color in the fandom about racial issues with the show. I am not the person to do a deep dive analysis of those issues so I’ll paraphrase the main ones I’ve seen:

White saviorism: while the story itself parallels indigenous resistance to colonization, the main hero was originally part of the colonizing group. While she was brainwashed by said group and never actually colonized anything herself, she was still part of it and then suddenly became the hero of the other side. While not a direct parallel to the show, the way Adora goes from being part of the colonizers to being the mighty savior of the colonized, definitely echoes white saviorism stories from reality

She-Ra has to be stereotypically white in order to be the hero: We mainly know Adora as She-Ra. Adora has pale skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair. While that in and of itself is not a bad thing, we also know that Mara absolutely does NOT have those things. Mara is a brown woman with dark brown eyes- until she becomes She-Ra. When Mara transforms into She-Ra, she doesn’t just become a magical princess, she becomes a white woman. She has blue eyes, light skin, and blonde hair as She-Ra. She literally has to become white to become the savior. Example:

THIS is Mara as just Mara:

[Image ID: A picture of Mara from SPOP. She has brown skin, dark eyes, and is wearing her dark brown hair in a twisted ponytail and wearing a blue dress with white shoulder pads and a multicolored skirt. She has a concerned expression on her face. End ID.]

but THIS is Mara when she turns into She-Ra:

[Image ID: A picture of Mara as She-Ra from SPOP, standing with Razz in a forest. She-Ra has orange skin, blue eyes, blonde hair, and is wearing her white dress with the golden decorative breastplates, shoulder plates, and arm plates. End ID.]

as you can see, her skin got lighter and her hair turned blonde and her eyes turned blue.

Catradora is an abusive relationship: Catra spent years actively colonizing, and terrorizing the rebellion, and Adora, Glimmer, Bow, and the Princess Alliance specifically- and within a few episodes she loses her memory and therefore becomes “redeemed” and suddenly she and Adora are kissing and yeah. I’m not against the relationship itself, but the redemption arc was done very improperly and haphazardly with little regard to the harm Catra had actually done.

that’s the gist of the issues I’ve seen, I’m sure there are more but that’s what I know of.

[fleur-de-violette]

Saving the middleman

AO3

Summary:

Dick had offered Barbara to hang out with him and Damian. The afternoon seemed nice until it turned into a kidnapping. Until Dick wouldn’t wake up. Until she and Damian had to cooperate to get all of them to safety.  

Note:

This is my third fic for the DC out of the shadows event, by @holyserverbatman following the prompt: Barbara being badass in her wheelchair. Warning for kidnapping, head injury, fight and Damian’s debatable training. I had a lot of fun writing this, I hope you’ll enjoy it!

-

“Gordon!”

Barbara grumbles and tries to push her pillow on her head. Why is someone waking her up so early? Is that Damian? Why is Damian waking her up?

Why is Damian waking her up? That is not normal. Why doesn’t she remember going to sleep? What happened?

Dick had called her for an outing with Damian. They went to the movies, got ice-cream and then…

A black truck. Too many men to fight off, let alone while keeping their secret. And then…

Nothing.

Bruce is never going to let them hear the end of it.

She blinks. She’s in a cell with Damian just above her. Dick is laying down on the other side. They are all locked up together, but not tied up. Clearly these people underestimate them.

“I’m up,” she says, pushing on her arms to sit down. Without surprise, her wheelchair is gone. She hopes it’s somewhere in the building and not destroyed.

“What happened?” she asks.

Damian looks at her for a second or two before answering, “we were ambushed. I wasn’t dosed with a drug dose as strong as you two, which is why I woke up earlier. I guess they didn’t account for my… resistance to poison.”    

She nods. “Dick?” she asks. He hadn’t moved at all since the beginning of the conversation.

“He took a blow to the head,” Damian explains. “I tried waking him up, but I couldn't.”

She bites her lip nervously. They both know how bad it is. Head injuries have the potential to become really bad really fast, especially on someone who had gotten shot twice in the head. Dick had done miraculously good so far, but the thought that every time his head takes a hit could be the last had been weighing on them for a while now.

She crawls the few feet that separate them to check on him herself. Sure enough, there is blood matting his hair. He’s breathing, which is a relief, even if it’s a little fast to her liking. He doesn’t react when she tries to call him or shake him gently. Not that she was expecting him to, given Damian’s report.

“Father is going to send help,” Damian says. He’s terrified, she realizes. He’s not Robin, not even the grandson of Ra’s Al Ghul, here. He’s just Damian Wayne. Just a child whose big brother and most important person isn’t waking up. Might not wake up for a while, if ever. And this is terrifying.

“Yeah,” she says. “He will.” But this will take time. Time Dick might not have. He needs medical attention, and he needs it now.

“Hey,” she says to no one in particular. “He needs a hospital. You can keep us, but you have to let him go. He’s no use to you dead, isn’t he?”

No answer. She hadn’t seen a camera around, so there is a real possibility that they just let them without any surveillance. Like she thought: underestimating them. With Dick out of commission, they probably think a child and a disabled woman are harmless.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

“We’re going to have to get out of here,” she tells Damian. “We can’t really afford to wait for help.” And by that, she means Dick can’t afford it, but no need to worry Damian any further. Something tells her he understands anyway.

The kid looks at Dick, and then at her, eyes wide. “I can’t carry you both,” he says.

“I promise, you won’t have to.” If it comes to it, she will crawl out of here. But something tells her it won’t. These people underestimate them, but they’re not total idiots. A chair like hers can get them a fair amount of money. They probably kept it as an extra.

She looks at the cell. It’s relatively clean, as far as kidnapping goes. She doesn’t have as much experience as the Waynes in that matter but being the daughter of Gotham’s commissioner, it was always a risk. That, and both Batgirl and Oracle have saved kidnapped kids.

The lock is magnetic. They probably think it’s safer than one with a key, harder to open. They wouldn’t be wrong. It would probably be tougher to open. For anyone other than her, that is. She had seen this kind of lock, twice, while studying some buildings. She’s confident that if she manages to open the small panel on the door, she will be able to open the door.

She leaves Dick with Damian and moves toward the door. She usually has a few knives on her, an old habit from being both the daughter of the commissioner and trained by Batman, but one quick assessment tells her they’ve been taken. Figures. They don’t underestimate them enough to skip the body search.

She resorts to putting her nail in the small opening of the box. It’s glued, not screwed, which is a shame because screws might have been easier.

She curses.

“What is it?” Damian asks.

“I can’t get it open.”

The kid looks at her for a second. “Would a blade be useful?” he finally asks in a small voice.

She bites back a of course it would, trying not to sound too exasperated. Damian is scared, she remembers. And just a child. “They searched me,” she says instead. Surely, they searched Damian, too.

“I, um.” The kid does something with his jaw, and then spit something in his hand. He washes it quickly with his shirt before handing it to her.

She looks at him with wide eyes. It’s a razor blade.

Damian seems very interested in the floor. “They didn’t find this one. Grayson is against me keeping it, but I guess if it saves his life, he won’t mind.”    

She nods slowly, taking the blade. She doesn’t want to know its initial purpose. Knowing the league, she can guess easily enough. She feels nauseous at the mere idea of a kid being trained to keep a blade in his mouth. But, she has to admit, right now, this is useful.

She slips the blade between the two parts of the panel. Looking carefully, there is some kind of map on the wall, but she can’t see it well from where she is. “Once I open the door, we won’t have much time before they find out we’ve escaped. Can I trust you to go find a storage room? That’s probably where my chair is, as well as some weapon. Once I have it, we will gain mobility, not to mention being able to secure Dick on it.”

The kid nods, acknowledging her words like a soldier. Something tells her he’s used to even less details on the plan. Working with Batman will do that to someone.

Finally, the box snaps open in her hands. Good. One quick look tells her the nature of the lock: she will be able to open it.

She’s proud to say she had steady hands. Even in situations like this, she keeps her hand steady enough so that she can make fast and precise movement around the wires.

Damian’s eyes are piercing on her, watching her. He’s preparing for the next step, but this is not only that. She knows that look, she’s often the one who has it on her face. He’s learning. And she knows him: he will learn fast. Fast enough to be the next Oracle, if he’s willing.

But she gets the thought out of her head, for now. The door snaps open, and they have to think fast. With the help of the cage’s bar, she gets herself out so that she can properly see the map. Damian on her toes.

“Here,” she says, showing a room on the map. “That should be it.”  

Damian looks at her for half a second, probably more time than they can afford to lose, his eyes expressing what he doesn’t say. He trusts her. To take care of Dick while he’s aw           ay. To lead him to the right room. To get them out of here. And she’s not going to betray that trust.

Then, he nods, and he disappears in the shadows.

She grinds her teeth. A bad habit, she knows. But waiting is hard, and she doesn’t have access to cameras to look out for Damian, here. She moves back in the cell, next to where Dick is still laying. He had not moved at all during the opening of the door. Thankfully, he’s still breathing in the same way he did when she first woke up. There is not much to do here: the blood on his scalp is already dry, and she has no way to help him without a hospital. She needs to trust Damian. He’s good, well trained, and competent. He will be back.

So, she waits.

And waits.

And waits.

Time stretches indefinitely, but really, she knows it’s probably only minutes later that Damian appears, pushing her chair in. She lets out a sigh of relief when she realizes it isn’t damaged.

“I couldn’t find the rest of our stuff,” he says. So, no phones or weapons. She wasn’t really counting on it. “They must have taken them to the second floor. I didn’t see anyone either. They just left us in this basement.”

Underestimating them again. This is good. “Good thing we don’t plan on going up. See this large room? That’s a garage.” At least she hopes so. “We’re getting a car and we’re getting out of here.”

Damian nods. “I also found this,” he says, showing a large kitchen knife on his belt. “Not my first choice of weapon, but better than nothing.”

She nods as she gets herself in the chair. “Help me secure Dick on me.”

Damian looks at her with wide eyes. “I can-”

“I need you to clear the path in front of us. It’s safer this way.”

Right now, it’s probably easier for her to carry a -the word feels wrong in her head – dead weight than it is for Damian.

If she had the choice, she probably wouldn’t have moved him without a stretcher, but they really don’t have that kind of luxury. So, instead, they secure him on the chair, his head on her shoulder, and hope they’re not doing more harm than good. But worry takes time, time they don’t have. Their captors might not be on the same level they are right now, but it doesn’t mean they won’t find out they escaped sooner or later. She hopes later, preferably after they are long gone, but she knows that, in that kind of situation, hope is a dangerous thing.

They start moving toward the garage. Despite carrying Dick, she’s still able to move fast enough to keep up with Damian, even if she suspects he’s not at his maximum running speed.

Things are going well.

Things are going great.

Up until there are voices behind them.

Damian turns, but she signals him to keep running. He does. They can outrun them. They will outrun them.

Until they reach the door of the garage, and it becomes clear they won’t. 

Barbara breaks. Apparently, the men weren’t expecting that. She tosses her head backward, and she’s satisfied when she hears something crack, followed by a bunch of curses. She doesn’t dwell on it. She knows she can’t fight them all; not without risking Dick’s health. Besides, she has another job to do. The garage door isn’t going to open itself.

Damian seems on the same page, because they switch places, and she can see him getting the kitchen knife out from the corner of her eyes.

She trusts Damian to handle the fight. Instead, she focuses on the code that is locking the garage door. It seems like these guys rely a lot on technology. And this is, indeed, good technology. But, as an expert in tech, she knows one thing: relying too much on it is dangerous. Because there is always someone better than you that can turn your system against you. In that case, the better person is herself.

The door opens and she takes Damian’s shoulder to pull him with her inside the garage before it shuts again. It can’t be opened with the code anymore. She used a simple trick, but it might buy them some time. Not much, unfortunately.

She moves toward a black SUV that doesn’t resist much before it’s opened and hot-wired.

“You drive,” she tells Damian as she secures Dick in the passenger seat. She doesn’t miss the half smile that covers his face. The knife is gone, he’s got blood spots on his hands and the beginning of a bruise is forming below his left eye. She guesses he needs the win.

Just as she shuts the door after getting herself in, the garage door opens. Damian starts the car, and she stretches out of the window to push the emergency opening exit. And then, they’re on their way to freedom. The top of the car scratches on the door, Damian driving way faster than he normally should. But they’re free.

Unfortunately, freedom is hard to win, and hard to keep. Soon, there are multiple cars racing behind them.

Their captors aren’t letting them get away so easily.

“Focus on the road,” she tells Damian as she starts rummaging in the car for anything that can help. It takes her a few seconds to get her hands on a toolbox.

Good enough. She still trains regularly to throw batarangs. Screwdrivers are almost the same things. She looks inside the box. There are three cars behind them, and three screwdrivers. She can’t miss. The good thing is: she trained with Batman. Messing up had never been an option for her.

She opens the window, knowing she doesn’t have much time to aim. If they have guns, they will try to shoot her the second she gets out.

But she’s Oracle. She’s been Batgirl. And she’s fast.

She aims, launches, and feels satisfaction crawling on her spine when the first car makes an emergency stop, one of its tires exploding. Good. Minimal risk of death or injury for these guys, but they won’t be able to pursue them.

The other two cars soon follow the first one, and she finally allows herself to breathe. “Now, get us to the hospital,” she says. They are not far from Gotham, so she assumes Damian knows where he’s going. She won’t be able to truly relax until they reach Gotham’s general, and Dick is out of danger.

If she’s honest, she might not be able to relax until she’s positive the men who took them are safely locked up.

They haven’t made a few miles when they start hearing sirens. Damian curses.

“Pull over,” Barbara says. “They won’t hurt us.”

At least she hopes. Surely, her father’s influence extends here as well.

“Get out of the vehicle,” one of the policemen says.

“Listen,” Barbara tries. “We can explain everything, but you need to escort us to the hospital.”

“Yeah, right, you’ll explain why you have a kid driving and a corpse in the passenger seat on our way to the station.”  

Damian opens his mouth, and she cuts him before he can antagonize the cops. “Look,” she doesn’t exactly like pulling that lever but, “my name is Barbara Gordon. I’m the daughter of commissioner James Gordon. Surely, you’ve heard of him. You can call him to check my story, but if one of you has ever been in his office, you’ve seen my face on the framed pictures he has. The two people here,” she waves her hand toward the front seats, “are Dick Grayson-Wayne and Damian Wayne, first and last sons of the billionaire Bruce Wayne. What do you want? Do you want to escort us to the hospital, or do you want to explain to James Gordon why you arrested his daughter and to Bruce Wayne why you denied his son potential life saving treatment?”

“Is that a threat, young lady?” the man asks.

“No, that’s fact. Please. His life might be in danger. You’re in this to help people, right? Take us to the hospital.”

The policemen seem to think about it for a few minutes before coming back.

“Right,” one of them say. “I guess it’s safer not to move him, so I’m going to drive the vehicle and my colleagues will escort us with the police cars.”

Barbara sighs. “Thank you,” she says as Damian reluctantly steps out of the driver’s seat to go sit next to her. The knowledge that they might not have been that kind if she hadn’t mentioned Bruce and her father tastes bitter in her mouth.   

She wonders how Damian would take physical affection from her. He sits very still, eyes on Dick, and she thinks he looks in need of a hug. If Dick was in her place, he would half hug him and tell him everything would be alright. But she’s not Dick, and her relationship with Damian isn’t the same.

“It’s okay,” she still says in a low voice. “He will be fine.”

“Yes,” Damian replies, not taking his eyes off Dick. “I know.”  

Everything happens too fast and too slow at the same time from there. They reach the hospital and get separated. Barbara gives her father’s number and Bruce’s number several times before giving her statement. Again, several times. A doctor examines her, but she’s fine, beside a few bruises and traces of the drug that have yet to leave her bloodstream. She asks about Dick, but they can’t tell her anything. If only she had a moment alone, she could hack into the hospital computer or get access to the camera, but she seems to be constantly swarmed by people.

She finally gets to call her dad, who tells her Bruce is already on his way to the hospital and asks if she needs him, or if he should focus his efforts on finding the kidnappers. She tells him she’s fine and promises to spend the day with Bruce and Alfred to ease his worries.  

She also wants to track the kidnappers. And she knows Batman, with Oracle’s help, will have them locked up tonight, should her father fail. While she’s more comfortable in the clocktower, she can work from the cave.  

She’s just getting in a corridor when she spots Damian. Band-Aids are on his face, as well as on his arms, and he had changed clothes. He turns when she calls out.

“Grayson is still in surgery,” he says when he sees her. “Father is talking with the doctors.”

She nods. And then, out of impulse, she does what she didn’t do in the car. She takes his arm and pulls him toward her. He let himself go, getting easily in the hug in a way she hadn’t expected.  

The Damian she first met would never have let her do that. But now, he clings to her for a few seconds before letting go.

“You did good,” she says. “You were very brave.”

Damian nods. “You were impressive too,” he replies, looking at the ground. “I knew you were strong, but this was… you were impressive.”

She smiles. Not unlike his father’s, Damian’s compliments are hard to earn.

She doesn’t have time to reply before she can see Bruce coming toward them.

“Barbara,” he greets her. “Are you alright?”

She nods, and he sighs, with the face of a very very tired man he sometimes has. “Damian told me what happened. Thank you.”

She stops for a second. Did he just thank her? She nods slowly. “Anytime,” she says before thinking twice about it.

“Well,” she adds after reflection. “Hoping there won’t be a next time.”

Bruce gives her a sad, half smile. Maybe one day, when Dick will be better and they would go out for ice cream again, they would be able to laugh about it.

For now, they are alive, and they are safe. She keptthem safe.  

And maybe there will be a next time, after all. But for now, they are safe.  

[cynthia-malqir]

Clouds across the Sun

Hi! So uh. This is my first actual fic I wanted to share. There ARE patch 6.5 spoilers in here, so be warned.

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

Two figures sat curled into each other before a crackling fire. The hour was late, and no other light illuminated the living room. One figure was smaller, marked as an Au Ra by her curving horns and smooth, scaly tail. The other, taller, had long flowing hair the color of flame, and an otherworldly air about her. 

The pair sat for a while, merely watching the flames flicker, before the taller woman broke the silence. “It’s almost time, you know. Your friends have been making progress on their research.”

The Au Ra sighed. “Yeah. I was planning to go talk to Deryk soon anyway.” Cynthia looked up at her partner. “You’ve been very careful not to say anything about him. If he’s not who I think he is, you and I will have words, Azeyma.”

A smile played across the goddess’ lips. “Well, I suppose you’ll have to wait and see if you’re correct, won’t you? Or maybe you simply need to work on your investigative skills.”

Cynthia shook her head. “Aren’t you the goddess of inquiry? Wouldn’t you be willing to give your favorite follower a little help?”

“Only if I think her faith deserves reward,” Azeyma teased, before the smile fell away. “That aside, I did wish to speak with you before you leave. About… us.”

Cynthia sighed. “Yeah. I get the feeling this isn’t going to be the ‘run off into the sunset together’ talk.” She looked back at the fire. “You… all of you… are getting ready to leave us, aren’t you? Hydaelyn left the star in the care of its people, and from what I can tell, you’re all recreations of people from before the Sundering.” She paused. “I’m pretty sure on that part. There were two people in Elpis that were suspiciously similar to Althyk and Nymeia.”

Azeyma nodded, slowly. “Yes, that was where their old selves were stationed. I wouldn’t be surprised if you did meet them during your time there. But we’re getting off track. We were supposed to reveal everything to you on your third journey through the Heavens, but I don’t think any of us would have anticipated a relationship like ours.” Azeyma looked away. “I… do not think it wise for us to continue as we are. It will only make the parting much harsher.”

Cynthia’s voice was quiet as she replied. “But why must you leave? You’ve stood watch over the world for millennia. Where’s the harm in continuing as you are?”

Azeyma was silent for a few moments before she responded. “We’ve told you that we are not primals, Cynthia. However, that does not mean we are unaffected by prayers. We use much of the faith mankind places in us to maintain the star. But we, all of us, would like to leave the world fully to you. No divinities to absorb prayer, just energy for the star to use.”

“But what if you did stay? Could you… I don’t know, leave your divinity behind? Live as a mortal?” There was a hint of pleading in Cynthia’s words. “I haven’t asked for much in my life, Azeyma. But if you could, would you stay with me?” Cynthia’s voice wavered.

There was a much longer silence while Azeyma mulled over her thoughts. “I… would like to. But to stay behind while the others move on… feels selfish. I will… need some time to consider this. Forgive me.” She glowed briefly, and with a burst of light, vanished from Cynthia’s home.

Cynthia fell backwards onto her couch, her support suddenly gone into thin air. I don’t know what I was expecting. Hoped for? Yes. She pulled her legs up to her chest. We haven’t been together that long, but… I don’t want her to go. Cynthia’s head dropped, and her first tears in a very long time dripped onto her clothes.

—------------------

Cynthia stood before the gate to the Heaven of Fire. She had already spoken to the rest of the Twelve, save one. The hardest conversation. She took a deep breath. “Azeyma?”

There was a delay before the sun goddess appeared, unlike the rest of the Twelve. “Cynthia. Hello.” 

Neither seemed willing or able to break the silence. Fortunately, a third party was more than willing to. “Oh, just talk to each other already!” The figure of Menphina sprang up next to the pair. “Do you think I don’t know what you feel for each other? Must I remind you of my domain?”

Azeyma let out a sigh. “No, Menphina, that will not be necessary.” 

The moon goddess giggled a bit. “Suit yourself! But I am here if you need advice~” With a flash of light, Menphina shifted into the form of a small rabbit, and hopped away in the direction of the Heaven of Ice.

Azeyma returned her gaze to the Warrior of Light. “I… believe we both have things we wish to say. Shall I go first, or would you like to, Cynthia?”

Cynthia shook her head. “You can go first. I don’t know how to say what’s in my mind yet.”

Azeyma nodded. “Very well. As it stands right now… I am torn between our duty to the star and… my love for you. No matter what I decide, it feels… selfish of me. To stay with you, and forsake my duty? Or to continue with our plan, and leave you alone? I do not know the answer. These few months together with you have been wonderful. You have awakened long forgotten feelings in me – feelings that once smoldered like embers amidst the ashes. Your presence gives me comfort and warmth, and I do not wish to leave you. But I am… afraid. Of what might happen, no matter my choice.”

Cynthia looked down. “I don’t know what will happen, either. I just know that I want you with me when it does.” She looked back up, a distraught look on her face. “I… I love you, Azeyma. There’s still so much I want to do but all of it means nothing if I cannot share it with you. There are wonders in the world I can barely imagine but seeing them will only feel hollow if the woman I love is gone forever. Stay with me. Please.”

Azeyma looked as though she was about to respond, when a voice called out in the distance. “Ah! Cynthia! You’re here!” 

G’raha Tia and Krile had just arrived. Cynthia had turned her head at G’raha’s voice, and when she looked back, Azeyma had gone.

—---------------------

“May the font of your ingenuity ever flow.”

“Yours is the strength to destroy all obstacles.” “There is meaning in your deeds. Celebrate life and embrace death.”

“May you flourish, and reap a bountiful harvest.”

“In your limited time, have boundless compassion.”

“Carry yourself with honor and forge on, towards victory.”

“Harbor love in your heart–for yourself, for others, and for the world.”

“From past to future the river of knowledge flows. Be part of its nourishing waters.”

“May a wonderful new world greet you beyond destiny’s horizon.”

“Be calm as the ocean, and you shall weather any storm.”

“As the wind blows unfettered, may you be free to follow your heart.”

Eleven of Twelve had passed along. Now, only Azeyma remained behind. It was time.

“...Abide in virtue, and hold fast to the truth.” The goddess spoke her piece to the small audience before her, and turned to leave-

“Wait!” Cynthia’s voice reached her, right as Azeyma was about to depart. It gave her pause.

“What if you did stay?” The memory of the earlier night echoed through her mind.

Halone’s voice whispered in her ear. “You needn’t agonize so, Azeyma.”

From Nophica. “Remain with her if you desire.”

Azeyma lifted her head towards the void where the rest of the Twelve had dissipated. “But… This was what we were meant to do. To return to the star together. I… You all knew?”

Next was Llymlaen. “Naturally! You hid it well from us… At least for a short while.”

A giggle from Nymeia. “Dear Menphina was the first to notice, but the rest of us did wonder where you disappeared to so often.”

Menphina now. “Follow your heart, for it guides you with love. When the time comes, we shall meet again.”

A tear rolled down Azeyma’s face. “But… why…?”

“We understand. Go. Share a lifetime with her. The Lifestream will still be here when it comes time.” Oschon’s voice gave the final push Azeyma needed. She turned away, and moved back towards her love.

From Cynthia’s perspective, the Twelve had vanished in a bright glow. Her heart felt like it had been torn in two… But when the glow faded, one figure stood before them. A Hyur woman, with flame-colored hair tied back and eyes like embers, gave Cynthia a small smile. “I’ll… be staying with you for a while longer.”

Cynthia stayed silent, walking towards the woman. Slowly at first, before she broke into a run. She crashed into Azeyma, causing her to take a step back. They wrapped their arms around each other, and with tears in her eyes, Cynthia looked up at Azeyma. “Welcome back.”

Azeyma’s smile broadened as she looked down at the smaller Au Ra. “It seems… I was worried about nothing.”

“Ah… I feel as though the rest of us are missing some context here…” G’raha spoke up.

As though just remembering there were others present, Cynthia jumped. When she turned back to face them, her face reddened. “Oh, um…”

Krile stared at the pair for a moment, her brow furrowed. She winced suddenly and rubbed at her temple. “Ah. I see. Perhaps more than I should have.” 

G’raha turned to Krile. “An Echo?”

Krile grimaced. “Yes. I’ll spare you some of the details, but… Those two seem to have been intimate for some time. Since not long after your first sojourn here.”

Snoegeim’s eyes widened. “That long?!”

Cynthia’s blush had not lessened, and even Azeyma had developed a small flush. “Could we perhaps gloss over some of this? I wasn’t exactly looking to have my love life examined in complete detail.”

Krile averted her gaze. “Even setting that aside, there are still some questions I think the rest of us would like answered. Mostly regarding the Twelve as a whole, but also… What will you do now, ah… Azeyma? Should we still call you as such?”

Azeyma frowned. “Hm. I had not given the matter much thought, but… perhaps I should think of a name so as not to draw too much attention. Azeyma will do for now. Just take care not to mention it where you might be overheard, yes? As for what I will do, that should be obvious, should it not? I will stay with Cynthia. Accompany her on her adventures. Share in her joys and sorrows. What more could I ask for?”

[observeroflaplace]

D16 - Jerk

Passing the conjurer’s guild on the way to Muh Khetto’s Amphitheatre, a gold-clad Raen woman pauses and squints, much to the surprise of her current travelling companion, a Lalafellin academic - who neat enough walked into the former in the process. While it was difficult for her to ascertain exactly, she spots a familiar-looking woman and child; both Highlanders. The mother was pale despite a natural complexion better suited to Thanalan, and her son was much the same; a sign of anaemia and loss of stamina. Still, the way they seemed to speak with a beaming conjurer bespoke of some manner of recovery on their part, likely of some deprivation of vital aether.

The Lalafell asks her companion asks,

“Izayoi! Is something the matter?”

Before Izayoi could answer, or even recall whom the pair were, the mother catches sight of her and storms over to the best of her ability, though the strain clearly worries the conjurer.

Izayoi’s eyes widen in realisation, though the scowling highlander suddenly makes to strike her across the face. Stunned into silence, Izayoi simply turns to face the highlander once more, as she speaks.

“You! You insufferable, cruel..!”

Izayoi doesn’t make any effort to deflect, interrupt, or rebuke. Eventually, the highlander takes a deep breath, and stops fuming, though her brow remains furrowed at the Au Ra before her.

“Look. As much as it pains me to say it, you… You saved my son and I. I know you probably don’t remember, and goodness knows we’ve still needed treatment even after you ‘helped’ to recover from what that… Thing, did to us.”

Another deep breath.

“But still, I wouldn’t be here if not for that. So, thanks for saving my son and I. Just a word of advice? Try to work on your bedside manner. As it stands, from what my son tells me, you’re kind of a jerk.”

With that, the Highlander woman finally gives a half-smile and departs back to the conjurer and her child, and Izayoi in turn, simply smiles and places a gloved hand on her cheek, to feel the extent of the sting of that slap.

Her Lalafellin companion chimes in again.

“Izayoi, are you quite alright?”

Izayoi nods.

“I’m fine, Runa. …Besides, I kind of deserved it.”

[kuma829]

Decorate♥Crimson Chocolat Festival Chapter Eleven (Ver. Two)

CONTENT WARNING: TRANSPHOBIA for an alternative version click Here

…That vampire bastard fell asleep and made a mistake with the number of chocolates we needed. I was busy makin’ chocolates until late last night, it was a real pain in the ass, yeah?

Cast: Adonis, Mitsuru, Arashi, Koga

Author: Yuuki Yoshino

Season: Winter

Adonis: (Anzu, there you go keeping your head down. She ended up refusing my help… I suppose, after all, she said she wants to give us our costumes directly)

(well, I can’t force myself to help her when she says there are also adjustments to be made. I suppose I’ll hurry to my own destination as well)

Mitsuru: Dashyuu, Dashyuu!! Let’s turn at the corner with another dashyuu—

Adonis: …?

(Just now, was that Tenma’s voice I heard?)

Arashi: Koga-chan, Adonis-chan~ Hey, hey, if you don’t mind, why don’t we practise together?

Koga: Hmph? Why do I gotta practise with this ok*ma bastard? Yer a Knights, so why don’t ya practise with Knights, huh?*

Arashi: Because they’re all gone now… I’ve been practising by myself for a while, and I’m getting pretty lonely, y’kno?

Plus, since you don’t have all your members either, isn’t it fine?

Koga: Hey, Knight’s is gonna be on stage before us UNDEAD, so how could you be so sure it’s fine practising together like this?

The fans would be disappointed if they didn’t see Knights come together, hmph

Arashi: Ara, are you worried about us? Aww, Koga-chan, aren’t you kind.

Someone who looks devious at first glance, but is a real sweetheart underneath that rough exterior~

Ufufu, if I didn’t already know you didn’t have special someone in your life, I’d be shocked finding out ♪

Koga: It’s fine. Hmph, and anyway yer better suited to that situation than me. Even the chocolates ya guys give out are all made by yer own hand.

Arashi: Of course, we packed it with a lot of love, y’know? I heard UNDEAD left it for a contractor, but I don’t think that was a bad decision at all.

Everyone is still hard at work in the kitchen making sweets, right?

I would help too, but it’s almost time for Knights to perform, so I might be called up soon, hm?

I mean, the units performing in the morning should be over by now, so I thought I wouldn’t have to stand here any longer.

After all, there must be someone on stage. If someone is called up and is absent because they weren’t available at the time, what a disaster that would be.

I made these sweets by hand and practised a ton for this day, so I don’t want it all to go to waste too, y’kno?

Koga: Ah, so that’s why yer the only one here. I guess I get it too, since even with UNDEAD using contractors, we had our fair share of work put in too.

Arashi: Is that so?

Koga: …That vampire bastard fell asleep and made a mistake with the number of chocolates we needed. I was busy makin’ chocolates until late last night, it was a real pain in the ass, yeah?

Well, I was workin’ through this mornin’ too, so I guess I’m gettin’ tired too.

Arashi: It’s hard work to make sweets on top of practising, isn’t it?

Making treats is hard work, but I wonder if those who don’t have any experience with it think it’s easy.

It’s just food for thought, I suppose. Hey, Adonis-chan, what’s wrong with you?

You don’t look like you're concentrating on practice, perhaps you're feeling sick?

Koga: Eh, it’s Valentine's Day today, that’s probably why he’s like that.

Arashi: Huh? What do you mean by that? Is there something wrong with Valentine's Day, Adonis-chan?

Adonis: …You surprised me, Narukami. How long have you been here?

Arashi: Hm? Adonis-chan, you’re quite absent-minded. Or maybe it’s a love problem?

If that’s the issue, then maybe I can lend you my expertise ♪

Adonis: Right. Narukami, if you’ve seen Tenma recently, please let me know if you’ve noticed something off about him.

Arashi: Huh, Mitsuru-chan?

Adonis: Aah, yeah, Tenma.

Arashi: If you ask me about what’s different, I’d say…

Recently, I’ve been teaching Mitsuru-chan—or rather everyone in Ra*bits—how to make chocolates, but there wasn’t anything strange about it.

At first, Mitsuru-chan was horrible at making chocolates, but after receiving some help from Anzu-chan, he was able to do it flawlessly, so he seemed pretty happy because of that.

Aah, come to think of it… Mitsuru-chan and Anzu-chan were secretly plotting something together.

I was going in and out of the kitchen a lot, and even the other members were curious about it.

Ara? The afternoon unit’s have been called. Does that mean the last of the Ra*bits performances are done now?

Adonis: …

Arashi: Adonis-chan? Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going? UNDEAD starts in the afternoon, so you’ll be called soon, won’t you?

Adonis: Sorry, I just remembered something I had to do. I’ll be back before you know it.

Koga: Hey! Ugh, come on Adonis…! What’s going on with ya?

Arashi: Koga-chan, leave it to me I’ll chase him down for you. If it’s me, I know I can keep up pace with Adonis-chan’s running.

But for Adonis-chan to panic so much… What type of situation must he have landed himself into?

/

オカマ is a slur used against feminine gay effeminate men, unfortunately this was written into the games script.

/

All Chapters

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

[eristic-kaleidoscope]

One Last Contribution | Erik A | Re: Trial 4 Results (2)

As everyone talks, Erik A blinks and looks at his tablet with his free hand, typing something as discussion and volunteering continues for a moment, before he puts it down again to pay full attention to what’s happening. Akito’s asked him a question, so first he goes ahead and answers that.

“First off, nope, I dropped Erika L tokens off in my room, so I don’t have em on me right now. If absolutely need be I can ask if they can be gotten, but it seems like we have enough otherwise, for now."

"More than enough, even, so I’ll go ahead and say, anyone who’s not comfortable putting things on the line if they don’t absolutely need to doesn’t have to here, as long as we have the right amount in the end. Fuck, I’d be willing to just straight up volunteer to take it in the end if that’s an option, but assuming it’s not, better to be certain, yeah? No regrets in whatever you all pick.”

“Also, Ae-ra messaged me, said she’s willing to give all her points for the sake of this too. She knows the conditions set out here, and if she’s allowed to help out, she wants to.”

Oh wow, even someone who had already lost their life was willing to help in the end, huh…? Erik A doesn’t say more about it from there, letting Ae-ra’s choice and offer to stand on its own for her will. 

Some others have already spoken up on what Kori said, Akito with finally renouncing some of the previous ways he’s thought, even if Erik A is sure he still has a long way to go to figure all his shit out, it’s a start that he gives him a nod of acknowledgement for. END too, of course, explains her own perspective on this and offers up as much as she does, Erik A gives a nod of acknowledgement.

And then… once more, he turns to Kori right beside him, and gives a smile before saying something to her himself.

“I may be a little stupid sometimes, I’ll admit that much- But right here and now, with this? Not at all. I’ve had to sit by and watch as people who have nothing to do with any of this are put on the line we have to vote between, some of which I’d have given anything to take on the punishment for if I could, and trust me I thought about that one a lot. I’ve had to sit here knowing that at the end of these trials someone would be dying and there was nothing I could do about it, when I sure as fuck wouldn’t have been hoping for that otherwise."

"Feeling powerless sucks, you know? It’s not surprising to me that I’m not the only one who wants to finally have some control in this mess.”

“So taking on something like that will always be worth it to me to save a life, your life, even if what you did was fucked up. I’d say risking an arm or a leg coming from me is worth that, genuinely. You aren’t any less of a person to me than anyone else, Kori, no matter what you think on your end.”

Just like their previous thread before, no matter what she thought of herself, that was his own thoughts, and his own choice in the matter whether Kori agreed that she was worth it or not.

[butttterball]

THIS IS NOT FACT CHECKED AT ALL. PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. THIS WAS DONE ON VERY LIMITED RESEARCH AT 3 AM

Damian Wayne HeadCanon-

Damian went through a HUGE culture shock when he moved through the states. Even though he lived with the greatest detectives on earth, not one even thought of explaining ANYTHING to him.

For example, a lot of Arabs don’t celebrate birthdays. Most don’t even remember the exact date they were born (especially if they are older) with Ra’s being like 500 years old. This mofo probably didn’t even know what a Birthday is. He most than likely can not tell you the day he was born. But here in America, We celebrate birthdays so when everyone would be talking about a so called “Birthday Party” he would just call it useless. They just brushed it off as the league training. Dick Grayson being himself would try to pry out when Damians Birthday is and Damian would just shrug. The conversation usually went like this...

“don’t shrug your shoulders at me! I just want to know when my little Baby Brothers birthday is so I can give him a gift!” “Grayson, No, Go Away”

This lead to a lot of problems especially in the future when Damian would just shrug to anyone asking his birthday. Bruce, trying to get custody papers settled, was pissed off when Damian wouldn’t say his birthday. Damian sat there confused like you guys remember it.

The person who figured out that Damian didn’t know his birth date was surprisingly Steph who out of the whole Family wasn’t famously known for outsmarting the bat like Tim Drake.

She took Damian out for Waffles. She decided if she could guess his birthday it would make it easier.

She just asked just generally “is it before or one of ours like month wise not year obviously”

(We are gonna say Tim was born in December)

“Around Drakes”

“REALLY! dEcEmBeR bAbY! After before.”

“I’m not quite sure”

“Well, Timmys is the 14th sooooo before or after.”

“You imbecile I know drakes birth date”

“Just answerrrrr”

“I’m not sure”

Steph is not as blonde as she looks. She finally realized

“You don’t know the date you were born.”

“It is not important brown. Back in the Middle East most didn’t celebrate their birth along with my affiliation with the league. It was never mentioned.”

Steph realizing it was a culture difference. Explained the American custom.

“oh how fucking confused were you” steph laughs

“Brown, We live in a manor filled with detectives and not one of those dumb mother fuckers could THINK to tell me it was an American tradition.”

BOOM -> cultural shock

Or something common is small talk isn really done in a lot of countrie around the world but it sure is in america

Informality is something americans have while other countries wouldnt dare. For Damian, perfect example

The amount of different languages utlized in Americ although not an issue could be really surprising.

The fucking Climate is a great one too. Its hot ass hell in arabic countries and you move from hot as balls to freeze your tits off. Its just gonna be. Shock.

[hopemakesstuff]

New Recruit (borrower!Collei AU)

At it again posting fic snippets to tumblr. Genshin Impact this time though :P

In which Collei is a borrower.

If you don’t know what borrowers are then uhhh look up Studio Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty or The Borrowers by Mary Norton. I’m too lazy to explain x’D

~ ~ ~

“You might as well come out now, little one.”

Oh. Of course he could hear her. 

Even if he didn’t have those massive fox ears, Collei wouldn’t have been surprised if just about anyone could hear her right now—her frantic heartbeat was practically deafening her by that point.

Well, maybe this was the exact kind of push she needed. She’d already been standing there for Archons only knew how long, trying to work up the courage to actually reveal herself.

Alright.

It was now or never. 

She stepped out into the open.

“Huh. Wow. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think that would actually work,” the head forest ranger noted with a somewhat surprised look on his face. Only somewhat surprised. The rest of his expression was currently being dominated by curiosity.

With the way he was scrutinizing her, Collei almost completely lost her nerve right then and there. The doubts and fears that had been holding her back in the first place were rearing up more fiercely than ever before.

What if this was a mistake? What if he didn’t even care what she had to say? Maybe he’d just ignore her words completely and decide to capture her and study her like some kind of rare insect. She didn’t know if she could handle being another human’s ‘research specimen.’ No matter how trustworthy Cyno had claimed him to be, there was no way of knowing how he would actually react to meeting her until it was too late.

She’d gotten so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed his approaching hand until it was already too late. Collei let out a startled little whimper of a sound, instinct forcing her to take an immediate step back.

Only to realize that he wasn’t actually trying to grab her. Not yet, at least.

Instead he was… holding out a mushroom? Quite a small one, although it was still about half her size. He set it down on the shelf a few inches in front of where she was standing, and then his hand promptly returned to his side. She stared at it for a good couple of seconds before looking back up at his face. Her confusion must’ve been readily apparent.

“It’s alright. You can take it,” he insisted, sounding almost like he was trying to be encouraging. “This species is safe for consumption, I can assure you.”

“I-I’m not here for food,” she stated, finally working up the courage to speak as she clutched the strap of her bag even tighter. She tried not to get distracted by the way one of his ears immediately twitched at the sound of her voice.

“Oh? Hmm. Did you need medicinal herbs then? You really shouldn’t try to take those on your own. Measuring out the correct dosage would be tricky enough even for someone with proper training.”

For a moment, she worried that she was about to be on the receiving end of one of his infamous lectures. Thankfully, it seemed like he was starting to get lost in thought instead.

“I’ve heard that your people’s physiology is similar to humans, but given how little information the Akademiya actually has on the subject, I would hate to assume…”

“I’m not here for any supplies,” she clarified before he had the chance to go on for any longer. “I… I wanted to speak with you, actually.”

Now he definitely looked surprised.

“Really? Most people don’t hide from the ones they want to have conversations with,” he noted quizzically.

Her cheeks flushed with mild embarrassment. She didn’t want to admit out loud that she’d been too nervous to reveal herself right away—both because of her stubborn pride, and because she was certain that it was already pretty obvious. So instead, she focused on explaining what exactly she wanted to speak about. She just hoped he wouldn’t start outright laughing at her. 

Well, the sooner she got this over with, the better.

“I… I-I want to become a forest ranger.”

~ ~ ~

Tighnari blinked several times in confusion, convinced that he must’ve misheard her somehow.

“You… want to become a forest ranger?” he echoed. 

Finding out that a borrower had come here just to speak with him was already quite unexpected. Especially because, unless he was mistaken, this wasn’t just any borrower. He was fairly certain that this was the girl Cyno had told him about; a borrower with Eleazar who’d been experimented on by the Fatui.

Cyno had also warned him that she would be slow to come around, even though the General Mahamatra specifically brought her to Gandharva Ville in the hopes of having him keep an eye on her and monitor her condition. She was an especially cautious sort—and understandably so.

But now here she was, standing on one of his bookshelves and trying to have a conversation with him. And asking to become a forest ranger no less.

“Y-Yes, sir. I do. If you’ll accept me,” she replied, fidgeting with the strap of her pack again. “I-I know I can’t travel very far on my own—not very quickly at least—and I… I can’t do as much as a human could, but… but I promise I’ll work hard and do as much as I can to help!”

Tighnari pondered her words for quite a while. His continued silence only seemed to make her even more anxious.

“Y-You know what? Nevermind. Forget I said anything. It was a dumb request, I know. I’ll… I’ll just go now. Sorry to waste your time.” She quickly started turning to leave, not even waiting for him to respond to what she’d just said.

“Hold on.”

She stopped, visibly flinching at his words. He didn’t think he’d spoken too loudly, so maybe it was the suddenness that had startled her? Her eyes briefly darted to his hands before returning to meet his gaze.

Ah.

More likely than not, she must’ve feared that he would try to stop her by force.

“It wasn’t a ‘dumb request’ at all,” he assured her. “I was just considering the logistics of it. I don’t think I would be able to make you an official trainee, given the fact that borrowers aren’t formally recognized as citizens of Sumeru, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, there’s nothing stopping me from simply just giving you the necessary training.”

Now it was her turn to be surprised.

“W-Wait, really? You will?” she asked incredulously.

“I don’t see why not. It can’t hurt to try.”

The smile that lit up her face after he said that was pretty much all the validation he needed to know that it was worth trying.

“Th-Thank you! Thank you so much, sir! You won’t regret it, I promise!”

[dilf-whore]

all the days i’ve waited for you pt.1

next

pairing: su hyeok x f!reader

genre: friends to lovers!, fluff, some teeny tiny angst (?)

summary: you and su hyeok like each other, but it seems like you’re both out of each other’s league

A/N: i’m made it a three part short series hehe. all of the parts are posted, i didn’t want you guys to wait. also this my very first request! i hope you guys enjoy this (づ˶•༝•˶)づ♡

requested: yes 

requests are OPEN

✿

Laughters from the corner of class 2-5′s classroom can be heard as you and your friends were making fun of gyeong su’s cute clumsiness since he tripped over god knows what again. 

“oh how nice you laugh at me when i trip but when su hyeok does you suddenly become a nurse and help him immediately” gyeong su says, playfully glaring at you as you help him up.

“pshh come on that’s not true” you retort.

“ah bare-su! you’re finally here” dae su who’s standing beside you, exclaimed.

you look over the door and see su hyeok, the boy you’ve liked since middle school. every time he’s in the same room as you, you swear to god its like the whole world slows down and butterflies suddenly go crazy in you stomach. you both were in the same group of friends but didn't have that closeness as to compared to your bond with the others.

“hey guys!” he greets.

"hi!” you smile, subconsciously tugging your hair behind your ear.

you watch him as he ramble about the nba games last night even if you couldn't really relate much to what he’s talking about, you still loved listening to him, the way his eyes just lighten up talking about these things makes you smile.

all of your thoughts were interrupted by the school bell, signaling the students to sit and prepare for class.

✿

thanking the lunch lady, you pick up your tray and look for your friends in the cafeteria.

you hear footsteps approaching you from behind. turning around, you see su hyeok waving at you.

“let me help you with your tray” he says.

“it’s alright! i can carry it myself, it’s not that heavy” you say, your face turning red.

“no no i insist” he grabs your tray and spots your group of friends.

sitting down, on jo nudged you slightly. “you guys are so cute” she says

“oh no we’re not together, i don’t like him like that” you look at her.

“darling, you’re not fooling me” she smiles teasingly.

telling him how you feel has never really crossed your mind, you always thought that he wouldn’t like you back. you were shy and more of a type of student who’d indulge on your work. meanwhile, su hyeok is outgoing but keeps a good grade.

✿

you were walking back to your classroom, taking another sip of water from your jug, when you see two figures walking together from a distance in front of you.

it was su hyeok and nam ra.

they were both laughing over whatever su hyeok said, nam ra slightly slapping his shoulder from the laughter.

you felt weird, you didn't know what you’re feeling exactly. surprised? jealous? hurt? you couldn't tell. but you did know that your chest felt heavy and tears were threatening to fall down your cheeks.

you rush back to your classroom and see your friend cheong san at the door frame. you hugged him immediately, seeking for comfort from the sudden sight you just saw.

“woah, are you okay?” cheong san asks, hugging you back.

you shut your eyes, “i’m good, just overwhelmed by school work” you lie.

su hyeok sees you and cheong san as he enters the room with nam ra, losing his smile as he looks at the both of you. he was worried when he caught a glimpse of your face, he wanted to approach you but didn't want to butt in between you and cheong san.

✿

[mudskip-muses]

ahogedetective​:

Shuichi was in the school kitchens, trying his hand at vegetarian shoyu ramen. He usually always ate it with meat included, mainly pork belly, but there wasn’t any stocked in the fridge. While he wouldn’t had minded just going to the store to get some, he thought: why not just trying some without it? In a way, it’d be like challenging himself to still make a ramen that’s filling and flavorful without the addition of meat.

Right now, he was preparing the toppings he will use for the ramen while the broth continues to simmer. That’s when he heard the girl’s voice, making him jump just a bit in surprise. “-!!” He turns his head to look towards her, first greeting her with a: “O-Oh, hello…. Ah, I’m just cooking some ramen, is all.”

It was someone he didn’t recognize… wondering if she was a new student, or just one he never happened to cross paths with before. “Weird…?” He tilts his head, wondering what she meant by that… but does smile when she says it smells yummy. “Oh, thank you. Y-Yeah, I was just trying my hand at vegetarian shoyu ramen. It’s my first time making some without meat, so I hope I’m doing good so far. But if you say it smells nice, then that’s good… Erm, i-if you are curious enough to watch, I don’t mind. Perhaps you could be my test taster, if you’d like.”

Undeterred by his fright, Ginger simply giggled at the funny movements as if she thought it was a joke instead a showing of fear. Her head tilting in curiosity to mirror his, her eyes gazed over everything strewn about the counter as he explained. “Ra-men?” With a strange accent twisting slowly around the word in unfamiliarity, her head tilted in the other direction and then back to the start as her cheeks puffed in thought. “Oh! Is that the stuff that looks like the little friends that live in the dirt?” She asked while pointing to the noodles. “I saw a small man in a funny hat brewing that in a biiig pot when I first arrived, but he it was spag-get-he. I like yours better though, those thingies are wiggly, just like my dirt friends!”

At the offer to watch, Ginger’s hands clasped together in delight, her eyes shining at this new opportunity to learn more about the humans she now found herself surrounded by. “Oh yes, I would like that very much! I can even help! Momma showed me how to brew a few potions before I left the forest, this looks just like that!” There were plants and such after all, how different could human ‘cooking’ be? @ahogedetective

@ahogedetective liked for a satyr starter uwu (X)

Ever since joining the humans at this "school" Ginger had learned so many interesting things she never even thought about in the forest. It attracted many confused and curious eyes whenever she would be amazed at the mundane, but so far it seemed an acceptable reason to say she was "raised in the forest" as to why. Somehow that wasn't the weirdest thing to happen at Hope's Peak, nor was a young woman who had never heard of cooking.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she peered over the young man's shoulder. "That looks so weird, but it smells so yummy!"