#Knight and fire spirit and whatnot too

[caffeine-cookie]

Cookie Run party outfits for some of my favs!!

Latte, Espresso, and Madeleine were all designed by me from the help of references on Pinterest, but Roguefort, Sparkling, and Cheesecake are all their pre-existing costumes on OB with very few tweaks :) And without their masquerade masks

I had fun drawing these and I want to do more but I may not, because I never live up to any art promises :P

[senblades]

4, 28, 34 for the ask game!

4: Do you have any OCs? Do you have a story for them?

okay so I already gave my whole spiel about my short film (i'll upload it one day.....) but lemme talk about some of my other characters!

I've got a trio of characters in a nebulous political thriller/high fantasy/steampunk world.... uhhhh basic premise of the magic system is that everyone has a spirit tied to them that is related to an abstract concept, which gives them relavant magic abilities. The spirits can be reeeeally broad or hyper specific- the hyper specific ones actually have individual personalities, whereas the broad ones are too abstract to really keep a hold on something like that

(believe it or not, this concept was cooked up before I knew what persona was about HAHAHA any similarites are coincidental)

the characters are:

Karmen (name pending a change): she's tied to a general nature spirit- very kindhearted, and set to be the next leader of her particular city. but, there are a lot of secrets and shady business that's been going on that she's privvy to because of her position, and she does her utmost to Keep Those Things Secret (stuff that keeps the city safe, but is uh... questionable)

Azaila (...name pending... something lmao): she's tied to a spirit of shadow- very combat focused. she's kind of an asshole fhdkjshfds /affectionate. Her city is wayyyy up north in the snow, and their culture is very merit-based, often devolving into duels and shit for leadership disputes. each family tends to have a 'leader' as well, and Azaila gained this position via questionable means from her uncle (she cheated in the duel lmao- her uncle kinda sucks and she was sorta desperate)

Elias: He's tied to a fire spirit, but due to an... incident (TM) in his childhood, he pretends his spirit is too weak and hyperspecifc to be of any use. he's a knight in the capital's royal guard, as is his father (yay nepotism /j HAHAHA) his whole deal is like... dealing with shit like duty and cowardice and trauma and whatnot

soooo i've had these guys on the back burner for a Hot Second. I'll do something with them one day...... maybe i'll draw them at some point too

28: Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

I once again have absolutely no idea what I'm doing HAHAHA- if this was like, art advice, I might be able to help more, but.... hm....

I guess: make sure you plan your plot way in advance! Even for smaller stuff! You are not immune to writing yourself into a corner!

following that, though, don't be afraid to deviate from your plan wildly! (i sure have with fftsr lmao) It's important to avoid writing yourself into a corner, but so long as you see where a potential path lies, you can often write something even better if you deviate from it once you've gotten a ways into the story

34: Do you write to improve? Or is that not a concern for you?

it's not really a concern for me, tbh. since writing is entirely a hobby for me, I don't really feel the need to hold myself to any particular standard.

that's a bit misleading, though, since I do still want the stuff I write to be good; it's like, I improve naturally the more I write, and I'm happy with that natural pace rather than pushing myself for any goal. With my writing, I'll be satisfied with what I've got pretty quickly, where I stop and start with my illustrations a lot more if I come up with a better composition or the anatomy is funky or the colours aren't working and yadda yadda (and thus, i improve at art a lot faster (the life drawing classes def helped with that too lmao (anatomy is an interesting beast to tackle)))

ty ty for the ask! <3

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

i love your work! i hope i can download it 😂 i was wondering if you have something like this?

merthur au where merlin is tired of hiding everytime hes trying to help the troupe is in danger with his magic. and fearing for his life as well as arthurs reaction, he invented a spell where he can make himself invisible so he can help arthur and the knights everytime theyre in danger. he practiced with lancelot for sometime until he perfected it and the next time theres bandit attack, he doesnt have to hide, not literally, but he became invisible pushing bandits away from the knights, removing tipping their weapons away from them and the the likes. then the gang kept thinking that theres a spirit guiding them and whatnot while merlin continue rolling his eyes for the absurdity of it all?

(This is #31 on This List)

Oooooh this is gonna be funnnnnn!

~

Yeah so, Merlin is sick and tired of not being able to use the full extent of his magic, or at least a little more of it than normal, so instead of hiding behind a tree the whole fight, he pretends to hide behind a tree and then makes himself invisible and walks straight back out. Maybe other magic users can still see/sense him, so they're always "WTF?!" but Merlin just starts... flinging people around... setting fire to people... summoning lightening.... all silly goofy shit that's OBVIOSULY sorcery. And the knights are all flabbergasted, and then Merlin comes out from behind the tree again and goes "Wow, weird, huh?". But then he sees the error of his ways because fucking Gwaine like... bends down on one knee and bellows to the sky "OH SPIRIT!!! WE THANK THEE FOR YOUR PROTEC-" he then gets tackled because he's making too much noise and attracting more attackers but... the sentiment sticks. Everyone thinks there's a ghost like... anti-haunting Arthur, protecting him, making his life easier. Lancelot and Mordred do NOTHING to quell these rumours, in fact they actually encourage them. Merlin is not very impressed, but they don't care, this is the best fun they've had in years.

Perhaps I shall make this Mercalot🤔

~

This is silly goofy Phoenixx, silly goofy I tell you :D

[alyjojo]

July 🎉 2022 Monthly - Pisces

Whole of your energy: The Hermit

There is some sort of conflict in your world that you want no part of, or one that has put you into this quiet solitude, searching yourself and even Spirit for answers to your questions, looking at the deeper ties and energies within everything and questioning your path and where you’re going from here. It’s due to Knight of Wands & 5 Wands, passionate conflict, someone rushing in with a bunch of drama you don’t want in your world. So you’re shutting out everyone & everything. This may also be due to some action taken in an impulsive moment of anger. Wands can be passion, and anger is a form of passion.

What’s going on in July:

The Tower:

Clarified by 4 Swords…for some of you this is going to be a very sensitive and emotionally taxing situation. The Tower is something shocking, like a lightning bolt, that crumbles your foundation or at least how you knew it. Sometimes literally, sometimes it’s a mindset or a belief. This could have to do with someone’s health, maybe someone you haven’t had the best relationship with before. Even if it’s not their health, there’s a sudden shocking break from someone you don’t get on so well with, and if it’s not literal physical health then it’s definitely mental/emotional. Healing is required from whatever this is, and you’re pulling your energy away from everything else.

5 Swords rev:

There is a lack of stability, commitment, love in some cases, team work, equal footing. Someone is apologizing for all of this chaos they’ve laid at your feet. Because you won’t talk to them, work with them, have anything to do with them. This is an energy of pleading with someone for forgiveness, and it’s followed by 9 Wands. Whatever this person put you through was too much, you had enough and pulled back from their bullshit. Wand energy in general is a nope for you, you’re not interested. Every Wand following the Knight and the 5 is reversed or the 9 of Wands. You have no interest in competition, arguing, fighting chaos or drama and whoever you’re dealing with seems to be full of all of these things. So much that you’re shutting off like a switch. They are apologizing, and how you seem to be responding is 9 Wands. Your guard is up and you don’t trust them or the situation.

9 Wands:

This is having been through hell with this person and all their drama, you’re sick of it. It’s clarified by King of Pentacles & Temperance, which is great energy. You just want to live your life in peace. You’re stable, you’ve built a solid foundation for yourself, you’re patient and try balancing out everyone’s separate issues and preferences and whatnot and whatforth. It’s like your energy is not being honored like it should be because you’re surrounded by chaos, and enough is enough. If they won’t appreciate you, they don’t get access to you. King of Pentacles can be who is trying to reconcile, the one apologizing.

6 Wands rev:

Following this feeling of having been through hell we have failure, Queen of Wands & The Lovers. Two Queens in two rows, one comes up as your other half, the other comes up as a failure & a problem. Wands is the problem, like with every other Wands in this reading. You could have ended the connection with this person altogether, and they keep trying to return. Having to reject the same person over and over and they’re affecting your relationship. This person probably feels that you’re their soulmate, and is the one creating this air of competition and drama that you just want no part of. Yours is more an energy of if they want someone else, leave then. Go get them. And your person is telling you that’s not the case, and are shutting this Queen down. Again.

8 Cups rev:

You are returning to your person or this situation that is laden with drama and fiery impulsive energy. The minute I thought “fiery and impulsive”, I was repulsed by that, so I’m going to guess you don’t have ANY fire in your chart, and your person has an abundance of it that annoys you. You’ve pulled the Masculine Energy card, and it might be something that’s very difficult for you to vibe with in a balanced way. At least… the more intense aspects of it. So you’re returning to the relationship with your Queen of Pentacles, one that you feel may be riddled with toxicity or any number of issues with The Devil here. You could feel bound to this person. Which, I mean you are. Sort of. They do come up as your soulmate. Whoever is King/Queen doesn’t matter, you are a pair, but there’s clearly work that needs to be done in this connection separately, so you can be on equal footing. Being Pentacles shows that the two of you are solid and stable in your lives and the connection with each other, you’re both looking long term, even with whatever this bump in the road is. For now you’re staying in Hermit mode while you chew all of these things over, even being with a person you’re probably off in your own little world.

Signs you may be dealing with:

Aries, Sagittarius & Capricorn the most, but all are here

Oracles: ✨

16 Masculine Energy

The sun ☀️ powerful, a life force without which nothing on this earth could survive. The masculine energy is one of action, doing, creating, forcing. In nature it is balanced out with feminine energy. When we find ourselves embodying this energy, we get things done - we are thinking, logical beings. If we reside here too staunchly, we do not have any room for the opposite energy to come in. Being able to effortlessly flow from one to the other - masculine to feminine - is the pinnacle of being in the flow energetically. Sometimes in love relationships, the energy turns topsy-turvy and we end up residing in an energy that doesn’t meet our highest need. This is hard to break out of due to fear: “If I don’t do it, if won’t get done.”

Realize that two people make up a relationship and in an evolved one - the relationship itself develops it’s own energetic balance - a perfect combination of yin and yang - masculine and feminine. No matter what kind of relationship, there’s motion & action, feeling & receptiveness, it’s a balance. If there is a void in one area, an imbalance will develop and, as is the nature of things, unconsciously we will try to balance it out. Being aware is the first step. Alternately, this card signifies a very important man in your life.

We enter into July as:

Sky Blue 💎

“You’ll see it when you believe it.” - Wayne Dyer

Seeking wise council is vital when you are pushing into new territory that may be overwhelming. Choose wisely though; if you choose someone too critical of your dreams, it could be a hinderance. When we are close to the proper decision, often we teeter on the brink and simply give up for fear of being embarrassed. Do not use another person’s negativity as an excuse to hold yourself back. If you pick someone who you know will not support you, do not blame them for your shortcoming. When you believe something is possible, everything and everyone you need to manifest your desires will materialize. We can only create what we can envision. It is time for you to imagine what you wish to create, for you will only see it, when you believe it!

What is to be learned in July:

Royal Purple Brick 🧱

“She resists what she clings to.”

The fear of stepping out, of being abused, has grown so great that you no longer need a wall of fear to prevent you from living - a simple brick will do. Which of course symbolizes that what frightens you is much smaller than you imagine. What we resist, we cannot heal. Royal Purple Brick appears when we are resisting something, and may indicate a loss of faith. This is a sign of fear holding you back in some way and preventing you from moving forward. If you are experiencing pain, holding on tighter will only worsen the situation. Fear may also indicate you’re trying to save yourself from a path that will not serve you! Are you following your true passion? Is it divinely guided?

This can also indicate presently using your energy in a self-defeating way. Use your courage to let go of control and allow Spirit to come in and heal you. The promise of Royal Purple Brick is freedom after surrender. In letting go you may feel some discomfort, but you’ll also allow healing in. The fear of something is always greater than the actual event. This time period will be a life changing experience for you. Accept mystery. Release the brick and be free.

Purple may be a lucky color 💜

[redbeanboi]

'Fire and Ice’: Parallels Between Jon Snow and Giorno Giovanna (Part 2 of ?)

While I’m taking a quick break from writing—let me get back into this. I’ve been re-reading parts of AGOT, and... I’ve found a lot of material that I want to use for this section.

First post can be found here.

Warnings: Extended Spoilers ahead for JJBA: Vento Aureo and ASoIaF.

I’ve discussed Ambitions and Childhood, but I haven’t talked about Personality.... Most especially the uncanny, bizarre charisma these two possess. 

Giorno and Jon are quiet and keep to themselves. They’re also very very bad at setting good first impressions. 

Before Jon is allowed to take his vows, he has to train in the yard at Castle Black with the other recruits. And... as expected of Lord Stark’s “bastard,” Jon—the teenager who lived in a castle and was trained by knights—is able to beat these fellow recruits (untrained, lowly born kids) singlehandedly and even breaks someone’s wrist because sparring with them is just child’s play to him. 

“They’re not my brothers,” Jon snapped. “They hate me because I’m better than they are.” 

“No. They hate you because you act like you’re better than they are. They look at you and see a castle-bred bastard who thinks he’s a lordling.” The armorer leaned close. “You’re no lordling. Remember that. You’re a Snow, not a Stark. You’re a bastard and a bully.” 

“A bully?” Jon almost choked on the word. The accusation was so unjust it took his breath away. “They were the ones who came after me. Four of them.” 

“Four that you’ve humiliated in the yard. Four who are probably afraid of you. I’ve watched you fight. It’s not training with you. Put a good edge on your sword, and they’d be dead meat; you know it, I know it, they know it. You leave them nothing. You shame them. Does that make you proud?”

— A Game of Thrones, Jon III

Not exactly making a splendid figure for himself as a recruit for the Night’s Watch.

Luckily for him, that scolding from Donal Noye leads Jon to reflect on the error of his ways and ultimately drives Jon to apologize and make friends with his new brothers. In good spirit, Jon offers to help them train and even makes them laugh, and would you look at that—everyone’s warming up to him!

Others were gathering around and looking at him curiously. Jon noticed Grenn a few feet away. A thick woolen bandage was wrapped around one hand. He looked anxious and uncomfortable, not menacing at all. Jon went to him. Grenn edged backward and put up his hands. “Stay away from me now, you bastard.” 

Jon smiled at him. “I’m sorry about your wrist. Robb used the same move on me once, only with a wooden blade. It hurt like seven hells, but yours must be worse. Look, if you want, I can show you how to defend that.” 

Alliser Thorne overheard him. “Lord Snow wants to take my place now.” He sneered. “I’d have an easier time teaching a wolf to juggle than you will training this aurochs.” 

“I’ll take that wager, Ser Alliser,” Jon said. “I’d love to see Ghost juggle.” 

Jon heard Grenn suck in his breath, shocked. Silence fell. 

Then Tyrion Lannister guffawed. Three of the black brothers joined in from a nearby table. The laughter spread up and down the benches, until even the cooks joined in. The birds stirred in the rafters, and finally even Grenn began to chuckle.

—A Game of Thrones, Jon III

Giorno on the other hand is just... He’s quiet and the other guys probably only feel unsettled by his sudden appearance (this is my interpretation of course, I know people just love the idea of an evil and manipulative Giorno) in Chapter 456.

They’re in a dangerous line of work and having some stranger join—and inevitably disrupt the existing dynamics on their team—is not a prospect they welcome wholeheartedly. It’s only because of Bruno’s endorsement that they kind of suck it up. 

But... not before trying to pull a prank on the unsuspecting new guy.

Pictured above: Four people who could not give a flying f*ck about welcoming the new guy.

Pictured above: Same four guys who are proceeding to ignore their new teammate.

Pictured above: Same four guys trying to pull a sneaky one.

Giorno finally catches the drift and sees that he’ll have to put in a little more effort if he wants to be taken seriously around here... 

And for some reason that means drinking the piss-tea. But sure, he “turned his tooth into a jellyfish.” Of course you did, dear Giorno.

Protagonists rising above their peers’ expectations is a trope you see throughout a lot of Shounen manga. Naruto is one that comes to mind, but there’s tons, and you even see it in Phantom Blood with Jonathan. This same device is present in VA with Giorno, who does it again and again. 

And just as Jon manages to impress the recruits (and even some of the sworn brothers), Giorno manages to turn the tables around and impress Bruno’s team. And this is not a solitary event. If anything, these few pages are only the beginning, and you see throughout VA that Giorno continues to earn their trust and admiration. 

This arc also applies to Jon, who goes from very unpopular bully to a leader (and eventually Lord Commander of the entire Watch) as the series progresses. He and Giorno have a knack for winning people over, and it’s precisely why people look to them for leadership. When things take a turn for the worst during the attack on Castle Black, everyone turns to Jon for guidance. Jon won their trust and they’re ready to follow his commands.

Giorno, on the other hand, does not have many solo fights, but his presence and influence are very evident when his teammates are despairing. One arc that comes to mind is the Talking Head arc. Narancia is able to keep moving because of Giorno. Giorno’s stand literally gives life to inanimate objects, and just as Gold Experience gives life force to everyday knickknacks, Giorno is able to inspire and breathe new life into his teammates. Charisma is a central trait to both of these characters and it’s one of their most notable traits—probably one of the traits that distinguishes them as leaders, too. Hm. 👀

—————

A/N: I actually have some stuff about Aragorn that I wanted to add (because Jon Snow is DEFINITELY GRRM’s version of Aragorn and our dear Estel has to also deal with rising above expectations and whatnot in LOTR), but uh.... seeing that this is about Jon and Giorno, I left it out. Let me know if you’re interested in seeing those additions to this meta. 

Edit on 06/23/20 — Changed the title to the meta because I remembered this old post I made.

[thecheapsteaks]

VIDEO GAMES... 2018

2018 was a thing.  It felt like it lasted 2 or 3 years.  It is honestly a bit difficult to track which media I consumed during the year. I'll start pondering a game that I feel like I played last year only for it to dawn on me that, oh, it happened this year.  It makes keeping track of this stuff a bit tricky, honestly.  Anyway, I am still going to try to do that, to get my thoughts in order and let everyone see what I had in mind. I will go over all of the important things needed to survive:  video games, music, anime, and other things.

VIDEO GAMES

Again, it's a bit tricky to remember what even came the hell out this year game wise. I am not going to rank things, because I suck at ranking things and also comparing a lot of the things I played this year is like comparing apples and termites.  I'm just going to make a good effort to go over some nice highlights of the year.

Bayonetta 1 and 2

Bayonetta is a game series I have been interesting in playing forever, but just haven't gotten around to due to circumstances despite it being released on multiple systems I owned.  I passed it on the PS3, couldn't afford to buy it when it was out on the WiiU, so when it came out on the Switch I had to give it a shot, and it was worth it. Admittedly, I sort of sucked at it (I take a ton of damage playing games, which isn't the best for getting high ranks) but I still enjoyed it and am glad that I played both of them (except for that one part in the first game in the angel territory where you fight those thunder and fire claw dudes who are immune to witch time, they can eat my ass).  The characters are fun, the over the top action and enemies are neat, and Bayonetta is just too damn cool.  I'm definitely interested in the third one and looking forward to seeing where the sequel goes. 

(I had forgotten this game had came out this year, it was in February, goddamn how long was this year)

Kirby Star Allies

I will admit, I am heavily biased towards Kirby to a fault.  If a Kirby game makes a reference to a past Kirby game I will gleefully clap as I notice it like a trained seal, and Kirby Star Allies, serving as a Kirby anniversary title, plays into that nostalgia hard.  Compared to the other modern 3D Kirby games (Return to Dreamland and past) I feel that the single player experience is on the weaker end, admittedly. The main campaign, while satisfying, blazes by quick, and the game does re-use boss styles a lot, which is a shame since the past few Kirby games had some very satisfying bosses.  Fortunately the extra content, including the post game modes and extra DLC support, was a marvelous way to keep the game running way after its release.  The nods and references to past games worked wonderfully for me, and it was admittedly great to see long dormant characters such as the animal buddies, Gooey, and Adeline/Ribbon return as playable characters.  The game's single player campaigns, both the initial story mode and the DLC conclusion “Heroes in Another Dimension” have very satisfying conclusions, and the challenge offered by the obligatory Arena mode is wild.  Really, I just love Kirby, and this game is a nice love letter to Kirby.  I have no idea where the game will even go after the plot line from this, but I am ready for the ride.

Octo-Expansion

Being able to play as an Octoling was definitely a long anticipated update for this game, and the way they were integrated into the game was amazing.  The initial Octo-Expansion trailer oozed almost rude amounts of style, and getting a whole new bonus single player campaign made purchasing an expansion worth it.  The additional stages were absolutely geared for challenge, and I don't think I will go back to finish the ones I didn't finish any time soon, but they had so many cool new implementations and spins on the Splatoon formula.  Splatoon on its own would make a decent game if it were just the single player campaign or multiplayer, so having both just makes for a nice, complete experience.  The whole climactic sequence, from finally completing the challenge of the subway to escaping to freedom, has that absurd escalation I just love in video games too. Also I love my stylish Octoling.

Kemono Friends Picross

Somehow I made it so long without ever playing Picross, but this finally brought me into it.  I have no idea how this combination came to be, but it finally got me into a fun puzzle system and I enjoy it. Somehow I have put in nearly as many hours on this game as I have Star Allies.  A lot of it does come from having the game paused as I idly go through puzzles while working on other projects, but having a game that does not demand a ton is pretty nice and fits with my gaming and lifestyle.  I'm looking for friends.

WarioWare Gold

WarioWare is one of my favorite video game franchises and a bit of an underdog, I feel.  The original Mega Microgames was my favorite experience on the GBA, with its unique game play mixed with a silly style.  The games that followed in the series for the DS and Wii were fun, but Made in Wario on the WiiU changed from the Microgame based high score hunting style to a collection of modes and games based on the WiiU game pad.  There were some bright ideas in there that might have done better as their own eShop titles, and the shift towards multiplayer games didn't quite fit as well with my style of gaming.  After that there was silence from the Wario Ware camp until the announcement and release of WarioWare Gold, which like Star Allies is a celebration of the series's past.  It was fun to have another Microgame experience that blended all of the weirdness and frantic gameplay that made me love the series, with a solid selection of classics built in.  It even has fully voiced cutscenes (an expansion on Smooth Moves's narration for each different style) that are oddly charming in a Saturday morning way.  It was good to have this series back, and I hope to see more unique takes on Microgames in the future.

Katamari Damacy Reroll

The original Katamari was a quirky game I bought on a whim back in the PS2 days that was sold to me on its weird look, style, and nice price point.  I enjoyed the first so much, and We <3 Katamari is one of my favorite games of all time.  Having a nicely touched up port on the Switch was welcome.  Somehow, despite having not played the original or its sequel in decades, I took to it like I had just played it yesterday, rolling up incredible Katamaris like a pro.  The original does have some warts in its gameplay that the sequels ironed out marvelously, and the dual stick controls do bother my thumbs at times, but it's still so satisfying to play and it's great that this game has a new chance.  Please go by this one, it's so enjoyable, but also because I want them to port We <3 Katamari so badly so you can all play that and see Katamari perfection.

Super Smash Brothers Ultimate

Smash Bros games seem to live on hype.  I will admit I never expected to see a Smash Bros game so early in the Switch.  It doesn't even feel that long since Smash 4 came out!  So having a trailer in the beginning of the year and a release in the same year was a bit astounding.  There was lots of drama and intrigue with leaks, character additions, and whatnot, and even if I am sad for some that didn't make it (pour one out for Ashley and Shadow, please) having every character available, along with some fun new additions, is definitely nice.  The spirits mode is a nice twist on the event mode, and the rebuffs to classic are nice.  Really, the best part is just being able to play Smash again with my pals, try out all of the characters, and just enjoy it with everyone.  I look forward to the DLC, and that we get Banjo and Crash to create some sort of bizarre realization of every ones mid-2000s dream game.  It was a fun ride leading up to it, and I look forward to playing it more with pals in the new year.

STUFF I STILL NEED TO FINISH

There are some games I got really recently that I still need to finish as gifts from the Steam Sale and whatnot.  I have right near the end of December received Celeste, Donut Country, and I finally got Cuphead thanks to the kindness of friends.  These will be some nice games to get me started on the new year even if one of them is from last year. At some point I may go back to Hollow Knight and Dark Souls, although admittedly the requirements for the true ending of the former are a bit of a turn off and I am having a bit of difficulty getting into the game play, controls, and progression style of the latter, but who knows!  I am also intrigued and interested in Yokai Watch 3, Yoshi's Crafted World, in the near future, and hope to see some nice news on Animal Crossing. Lastly, may Platinum Games heed my calls and give the world a Wario World sequel where Wario wrestles God or something in the pursuit of money.  Amen.

Also I still need to finish Persona 5.  Really at this point I’m just doing it for Futaba. She’s the best.

Next up, I will write about my favorite music from the year, as well as cartoons and film, which admittedly I have not gotten as much into this year!

[imaginefireemblem]

❄ winter wonderland event | hosted by imaginefireemblem!

     it’s happening, friends! with an overwhelming amount of likes, the event is happening. so, without further ado, let’s address how this will work.

-- | Rules

you can only submit one request unless i find something wrong / unclear about your initial request.

if it takes more than one message to tell me about yourself / your request, then that’s okay!

only one character per person! 

submit via the inbox.

state whether you’d like general headcanons OR Stages of Love. you can’t have both, my dudes!

if you request Stages of Love for a character who is underage, i will omit the “first time” portion. 

despite what i initially stated, i’m going to only keep the inbox open until Monday, December 18th until 12 pm CST.

-- | What can / should I submit?

anything really! your likes, dislikes, hobbies, passions, and whatnot are all fair game. be as specific or vague as you want!

of course, address who you want to be shipped with.

tell me whether you’d like general headcanons OR Stages of Love. again, you can’t have both!

state whether you’d like a modern au or keep it canon.

if you’d like to keep it canon, tell me what class you are and your weapon of choice. if you’d like, you can give me a backstory too. it makes it easier for me!

likewise, if you request a character who appears in multiple games (such as Xander in Fates, Heroes, and Warriors) tell me which game you’d like me to focus on.

if a modern au, be specific. barista au? college au?? tell me, my dude. if you don’t, i’ll decide for you.

this event also doubles as a Pair-Me-Up. what that means is, if you want, i can pick your partner! just tell me what you’re like, whether you want general headcanons / Stages of Love, and whether you want a modern au or keep it canon, AND your gender preference. from there, i’ll pair you with a Fire Emblem character i think you’d look cute with!

-- | Request samples

hullo! ouo i’d like to be shipped with Camilla (Fates) for Stages of Love in a modern au, preferably college! i’m a film major with a passion for bad French noir movies. i like baking, walking my dog, and cuddling. i work part-time at my college’s mail room. it’s boring but it pays! and that’s all!!

hi hi hi! i want to be shipped w Alfonse for just general headcanons! pls keep it canon. i’d like to be a Pegasus Knight, and although i’m rly clumsy w a lance, i make up for it in spirit! i like gardening and reading tarot cards. lately i’ve been trying to work out more too! thanks!

hello there! i’m a small person who likes to collect stuffed animals and play card games. i’d probably be of the Hero class with a preference for axes! maybe i started out as a mage but decided it wasn’t for me lol. my hands always get cold too ahh,, hmm... i also love dogs! that’s about it. as for who i’m shipped with, i’m cool with anyone as long as they’re a gal :OO just please make it Stages of Love and keep it canon!

Special thanks to . . .

@hms-fireemblem | @seta-centennial | @limitless-imagination

. . . for reblogging the post and spreading the word! you’re all amazing and i appreciate your taking time out of the day to reblog this humble event ♡

[shirubaka-blog]

DIVINE WILL END and its full cast.

Gnik Fate,  the leader of the group.

Gnik (pronounced ‘nick’, the G is silent.) is from the far north of the country where the mountains are, being found by monks after he was seemingly abandoned by his parents, thus he has no memories of them whatsoever when he was far too young. This particular shrine where Gnik was raised happened to be closely related with Kitsune and was very open about welcoming kitsune into their walls if they ever needed a place to stay or rest while traversing through the mountains where some were known to live in. For some reason, growing up, Gnik was favored by the Kitsune– as if there was something about his aura or scent that attracted them. Of course, he never really minded this, and grew up a young man that respected Kitsunes and great spirits like them, along with various kinds of other species of beings that exist and the magic they wield. He’s kindhearted and levelheaded with a strong sense of justice, wanting nothing more than to help and protect others, especially those that are his friends.

He carries a mask on his person given to him by the Kitsune of the shrine where he grew up. It is made and infused with sheer magic from the Kitsune. Wearing it on his face gives him the abilities of them, giving him a boost in agility and strength along with the ability to use and manipulate fire however he so pleases. When he’s not wearing it, it usually hangs around his neck or stays inside his satchel– Usually it’s the former though because he’s very protective over it.

One day there came a monk with a prophecy that apparently came from a dream, and this man had been someone that had been blessed with the power to see into the future so his word was believable– Something terrible was going to happen to the world. Apparently Gnik was involved in this dream, and he had to gather companions to stop this from coming true; he had to gather a strong alley in each corner of the world. Firstly, an angel in the west. In the east, a swordsman blessed by the powers of magic. And last and most importantly, a person of the woodland elf lineage the earth itself seemed to adore.

And so, Gnik set off to gather this team together and stop this from happening.

Angel Litias, the first member of the group.

Like the prophecy went, Gnik went to the west to look for an angel– Specifically, a person named Angel, because she most definitely isn’t an angel at all. But of course, before that part, there is the background information of Miss Litias. Angel is the daughter of a prestigious family. Her father was the governor of the city and was very rich so she grew up being raised like a proper precious daughter that would be expected to marry some day and become a governess… Though that wasn’t really her style. She didn’t like her lifestyle at all– And as if FATE were at work, a day came where her life was changed forever. A demon came before her one stormy night in her room when the thunder and rain was the loudest, seeming to drown out how her room shook and the windows clattered when it jumped through the window. Darkness curled into the room like a carpet, and the demon could see in Angel that the things around her were dull; she needed something more to her life and didn’t want to. So, the demon made her a deal: it couldn’t exist in the human world for that form for very long, so if she allowed the demon to possess her and live within her body, it promised to give her amazing magic and abilities she could use as she pleased. And of course, Angel agreed to this, thus the demon has dwelled in her body since then. She would use its powers to turn parties into absolute messes, avoid getting involved with men of power her age she knew were going to try to establish a relationship and later propose. It was at one of these parties that she met Gnik who kind of forced his way to meet her upon hearing her name was ‘Angel’, and right away he started saying he was here to travel with her! Because there was something coming to this world and they were supposed to take care of it together. She actually thought he was pretty funny at first, but in the end traveling was better than being stuck here messing up parties. In the end, Angel agreed, leaving a note saying ‘she had fallen in love with her knight in shining armor’ and was going away to get married to him. It was a bitch ass lie, but it wasn’t like she cared. Anyway, a little more on the demon that kind of basically possesses her: Its name is Kurikata. When Angel allows ‘Kuri’ to take over, she is still capable of controlling her own body. She can move extremely fast and her nails grow a bit– Though she uses two daggers on her person to hurt people instead of her bare hands as long as she can help it because she doesn’t like getting her nails dirty or getting anything under them. It’s gross okay. Kuri serves as a second conscience of hers, thus when she’s fighting, Kuri will warn her of enemies and where they’re attacking her. She can talk to it whenever she pleases and sometimes does. Gnik is actually kind enough to see them as two separate people and therefore refers to them separately when he speaks to them. Angel finds it endearing.

Cedric Roycuff, member number 3.

Cedric is a swordsman from the west. He served as a royal guard for the king of the country! He’s from a long line of swordsman, dating back at least a century, thus his sword skills were well known within the city in which he lived. His skills were so amazing in fact that they surpassed anything that people had seen, so people started to believe that he had been blessed by some magical being to be given such skills. Not only this, but he’s nearly escaped death countless times in the most ridiculous of scenarios which doesn’t help the situation any. When Gnik and Angel went to the west and heard about Cedric, immediately they thought that Cedric was the one they needed to ask to join them to save the world from danger in the future. It was actually incredibly easy to get him to join with the fact that they were going to save the world because he’s very courageous and concerned about the well being of others, and the world is a big deal with a lot of people!! So he told the king the deal but asked him to keep it on the downlow, and with this he went with Gnik and Angel to look for the last person of their group to prevent the bad thing from happening– Aka, a person with woodland elf blood in the south.

Unfortunately, Cedric actually isn’t the swordsman needed in the prediction that Gnik was told and they actually got him mixed up.

The real person they need is actually Killi who also hails from the west. He actually ends up joining the party despite being an antagonist that’s supposed to kill them (because he’s a headhunter) later on in the story when they’re told that Cedric isn’t the one, to his disappointment of course and they have to figure out who they really need.

then of course there’s the unlikely main character, Laven Aster.

Laven Aster is a lone botanist living in a small town on the edge of a forest rumored far and wide for being enchanted, having fairies and mythical beings living inside of that is separate from the lives of humans. No humans have ever gone inside this forest and have returned aside from those of the Aster family, coming from a long line of woodland elf mages who have the power to go inside and not get lost, returning with magical herbs to heal people who have visited from far away lands to be cured of their pain and diseases.

Laven’s parents were both mages of this lineage, though many years ago they went into the forest and never returned, so many people thought that they were devoured alive by whatever creatures actually lived within the mythical wood. Laven was instead raised by their grandmother who had grown too old to venture into the woods anymore, thus as to why they did it in her stead. Laven actually possesses magic as well due to their mother and father, however they have decided to ignore this fact and never use their magic so they end up like their parents did. Thus, the use of magical herbs in the forest have stopped completely since the death of their parents.

Laven’s name is derived from ‘lavender’, a flower that was apparently in a vase next to their mothers bedside when they were born. Apparently they didn’t know how the flower got there, so they thought it was a blessing from the wood and therefore named them after it. Ironically, Laven grew up with an affinity for the soft purple color and was usually always seen wearing something with that shade on their body.

This has not changed even as they grew older and their grandmother finally died, leaving them to take care of themself in their home in the small town where they live. Because of their grandmother being specialized in herbs and whatnot, Laven grew up learning this as well and knows quite a lot about plants and herbs and has ended up becoming a doctor within the town along with being a botanist.

They’re always seen walking around in a white cloak and lavender colored tunic, and there’s always a satchel around their shoulder hidden underneath the cloak where they keep a book of flowers and plants that’s really important to them. It also has notes inside it they’ve written over the years and various plants they’ve collected and added to the book. No one has ever been allowed to touch it, though.

Laven is gender neutral. They have long blonde hair tied with a purple ribbon. They look completely adrogynous, so it’s hard to tell whether they’re male or female– Thus people on both sides within the town are pining after them, but they’re not the talkative type and they’re actually really awkward with people and don’t care.

Some people don’t really like Lavel and find them really rude because their resting face either looks sleepy or a face that makes you think that they’re irritated from lack of sleep and will rip your head off if you dare to speak a word to them. (Well actually, they constantly are running off of lack of sleep because they stay up studying too long and getting caught up in their work, but still.) Along with this, they’re brutally honest. Their voice is soft when they speak too, so people get annoyed at this fact as well, leaving Laven to not want to bother people even more.

[riverofmemoriesft]

. Between the Lines . 185

The cheering of thousands marked the start of the seventh day of the Grand Magic Games. Lucy could see the arena from the tiny window, her heart aching. Her friends would be fighting, she was sure. They couldn't just leave the Games for no reason. But she doubted that they would leave she and Gray there.

Someone would come.

A hand on Lucy's head made her glance up. Gray offered her a crooked smile and together, they peered out the window at where balloons - millions of them - were being released into the sky. "I can't believe they successfully used all of us without us realizing," she whispered suddenly. "They just..used this to absorb our magic."

"Eh," Gray sighed. "Nothin' we can do about it now, Lucy. We just need to wait and-"

"Someone's coming," Yukino said suddenly, standing swiftly.

Gray and Lucy whirled around as, sure enough, light footsteps filled their ears.

Gray slid an arm in front of the blonde and she flashed him a look, annoyed. She could defend herself! Mostly. Nearly. Gray didn't seem to notice, ice gathering around his fingers - until someone stepped into view, black cloak fluttering around their ankles.

He couldn't see her face - for it was definitely a female by the looks of the wrist that held up a set of keys. "Be ready to run," she ordered and his lips parted in shock when Lucy retorted, "Who are you?"

"Lucy," he realized.

"Huh?" the blonde asked, looking at him with impatience, but he wasn't looking at her.

"You're Lucy, or the future version of her, aren't you?" Gray demanded, stepping forward and gripping the bars of the cell they were in. Lucy stayed close, her eyes widening as the woman used the hand holding the keys to pull her hood down, revealing cropped blonde hair that brushed her chin. Her dark eyes were haunted and wary, cheek bruised from where she'd been struck

. "I am," she said firmly. A spark of life lit her gaze. She gave him a warm smile. "You have no idea how nice it is to see you, Gray. I haven't seen you since...well, today. The last time." She became a whirlwind of energy as she started forward, quickly letting them out of their cells. "It's currently three in the afternoon. Yukino's sent word that Rogue and Hisui are in the arena, watching and waiting for this evening. We need to be careful, though. Arcadios is running around - that's the Knight's name, by the way."

Yukino emerged from the cell she'd been in. "Our keys-"

"On Hisui's hip," she sighed. "We won't be able to even get close to them right now. Natsu should be on his way soon, of course, with-"

"A few others," a new voice finished. They all looked over to see a tall cloaked figure darting down the stairs. He was heaving for air as he ripped the hood from his head and gasped, "We got trouble. Rogue's not where he was supposed to be."

"Gajeel?" Lucy squeaked.

"Hey, Bunny Girl," he said, flashing her a quick smirk. She was shocked by the ragged sharp teeth in his mouth, the scales that circled his eyes and cheeks. Crimson eyes seemed to glow in the dimness of the room. "Long time, no see."

"I'm right here," the future Lucy retorted. She tossed the keys over her left shoulder and then strode over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Like I said, Rogue's not where he's supposed to be," he retorted. "Trouble's comin'. Is he like that fucker from-"

"Don't call him that," she retorted angrily. "You know he's trying to help us fix everything! But he might be. You could barely tell the difference between us and our past selves, let alone people that aren't even from our time-"

"I'm confused," Gray muttered.

Lucy nodded and Yukino agreed aloud.

"On that note, go tell the other two," the future Lucy ordered. "I'll watch these guys and get them to Natsu. We need to keep Rogue away from Lucy...that's odd. The last time I called someone by my own name was when we went to Earthland!"

That made him snort. "Watch yourself." The future Gajeel showed her his hand. "Even without me using magic, the scales are spreadin'. Even if we do die tonight, I might not be myself when I do. I may add to the trouble."

"Try your best to not," was the response he received.

"Right," he muttered. "See ya. Nice knowin ya, you stripping bastard," he added as an afterthought and then darted back up the steps.

Gray looked at a loss. "...huh?"

"Can we go now?" the future Lucy demanded in exasperation. "We need to get the hell out of dodge if Rogue's decided to start running around-"

"Right," Lucy cut in, grimacing at how similar their voices were. She offered a faint smile. "Do you know the quickest way out?"

"I do," Gray cut in. "If we could break through the wall-"

"That'll bring Rogue to us," the future Lucy interrupted, shaking her head. "I can get us out undetected. Trust me." When they gave her wary looks, she smiled tightly. "I have no wish to see you dead. Any of you. And if Lucy dies, I die, so believe me when I say that you're protected more than anyone else when we get to Natsu."

"You're infatuated with him," Yukino hummed.

It earned a small laugh from the future Lucy. "When am I not? Let's be honest, I've been infatuated with him for a very long time now." She offered her past self a warm smile. "We're from nearly a decade in the future. My Natsu has been dead for all of that time, killed when someone tried to save me in a stupid way. I promise you that he will survive, and that you will survive."

Lucy's lips parted. "Natsu's dead?"

"Mhm." She led them up the stairs, her eyes darting this way and that. "I miss him every day, but...there's something we can hopefully do about that now, so…"

They came out into a room, brightly lit by the noon light. It was decorated with the Fiore family's royal crest, which was carved into the wall. A red and gold-lined carpet went down the hall. They followed it for a short time before turning down another hall.

"I've been here since...well, a while," the future Lucy sighed. "Since June at least. And before the preliminaries. We had to scout the area. Well, some of us did. Some of us watched over you."

"Have you been in here?" Gray asked as they bustled along. "Like, mapping out the palace and whatnot?"

"Yeah, for the most part." She flashed him a quick grin and then suddenly took another sharp right. A distant roar spoke of the people outside cheering on the guilds and their teams and Lucy shuddered at how clueless they were about what was going on. They had no idea-

"Wait," Lucy said, sliding a stop. The future one paused as well, treading lightly, her head turning to look back. Yukino and Gray gave her a curious look, too. "The dragons that Hisui mentioned-"

"They're coming," the future Lucy said, pressing her lips together. "We can't stop that unless we get to the Eclipse Gate without being captured."

"So if Hisui and them want to stop the dragons, why are we trying to stop them?"

The future Lucy said nothing, only looked at them quietly for a long moment before heaving a sigh and unclasping the cloak at her throat. It pooled around her feet and left Lucy gasping in shock.

The future Lucy wore clothes that were ragged, tattered, and burned, clearly patched together by shaky hands. They looked somewhat similar to the odd clothes that the black mage Zeref had worn, more like layered cloaks than anything. But it was easy to see what she was trying to show them.

"Your arm," Gray rasped.

She touched the small bit of upper arm left and smiled wryly. "A dragon took this off. Natsu saved me. He received severe life-threatening injuries in the process, but he kept me from getting eaten. Funny enough, it was a fire dragon. We're right-handed, so you know how rough it would be to deal with this in a world where you have to fight and your Spirits are lost."

Lucy felt a pain in her soul.

This Lucy had lost everything. Her friends, Natsu, her arm...her Spirits!

"I'm here to help," she pleaded softly. "Please let me. And don't ask too many questions, or we won't be able to get through this!"

"We'll do what you say," Gray said after a moment. Yukino murmured her agreement.

"Things don't really begin until dusk, so we should lay low and hide from Rogue until then," the future Lucy decided. "Natsu will come to us." She gathered her cloak and threw it back around her shoulders, expertly clasping it back into place. She drew the hood back over her head and gave them a smile.

"Let's go!"

It was hard to focus when you were staring at someone who really shouldn't have been there and there was a heavy pain in your chest because of a psychic connection made between the two of you.

"Natsu?" Happy said anxiously as he stumbled, but pushed forward past the pain. He swallowed thickly, anxiety for Lucy driving him forward. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Natsu reassured, jogging beside Wendy. She was keeping up with surprising ease, Charle clinging to her shoulder in preparation. The streets of Crocus were empty, the heat of the day was blistering, but no one noticed as they headed for the center of the city.

"Stop," the cloaked man said suddenly, a low growl in his throat. He studied the palace. "There will be guards everywhere, Hisui's orders. We'll have to take a hidden way in. We should be okay. Rogue will be-"

"Still can't believe that bastard's behind all of this," Natsu muttered.

"-with Hisui, so we should be fine for now," he finished as if Natsu hadn't spoken. "Follow me." He led them down a back alley and stopped before a sewer. "Secret entrance, it's not really a sewer," he explained as he hoisted the heavy metal circle away with Natsu's help. Happy stared curiously into it. "We'll be able to sneak right past the guards. It was made for if the family ever had to make a quick getaway, you know?"

"Interesting," Charle muttered, looking exhausted. She'd been plagued by constant visions, Wendy had explained when Natsu had questioned it. But she'd still been determined to come.

"Very," Lily agreed from where he was on the future-dweller's shoulder. He'd demanded to accompany them as well, much to everyone's surprise. Gajeel had been reluctant, but a word from Levy had convinced everyone it was better.

"I'll go first," the man with the cloak muttered. He gripped the edge and dropped in. There was a loud grunt when he struck the ground and then he called up, "C'mon, guys!"

"I'll slow our descent," Charle promised her friend as Wendy nervously peered into the darkness. Finally, she dropped into the sewer and there was a fluttering of wings as Charle slowed them. Natsu went after, Happy copying his white-furred friend.

"I got the torch," Natsu offered, lighting a ball of fire in his palm. It cast a hazy glow around them. "Will Lucy and Gray meet us down here?"

He shook his head. "I don't know where they'll be. We'll have to find them." He checked to make sure his hood was drawn over his head and then started forward. "Don't let anyone know who I am if they ask. They can't know, or Rogue will find out."

"Got it." Natsu glanced around as they jogged down the corridor. It was clearly not what they'd expected, with its wealthy looking walls and carpeted floor. He didn't feel the least bit guilty about the footprints he was leaving behind. Let him stain the carpets red with the blood of the people who-

"Damn I really need to get my imagination under control," he muttered under his breath. Happy purred in amusement and flicked his tail before suddenly pricking his ears.

"Natsu," he whispered. "Do you hear-"

"Sh," the cloaked man hushed, pressing a finger to his lips. They stopped dead in their tracks, everyone quiet and listening intently. The sound of fighting filled their ears and they exchanged looks before darting forward.

By the time they reached where they needed to be, there was already someone there, knelt over a body that lay strewn across their path.

"Gajeel?" the cloaked man demanded, abandoning his companions to join the wild-eyed dragon slayer. Natsu and Wendy gaped at the future version of their fellow dragon slayer, staring at just how dragon-like he was now. The future version of Gajeel shook his head, gesturing to the body. "Is that-"

"Rogue's not with Hisui like we thought. And neither was Yukino."

"Oh," Wendy breathed shakily, fingers covering her mouth, and Natsu turned her away, feeling sick. She didn't need to see that. How a friend's blood pooled around her body, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling above.

"He must have found out she was working with us," Gajeel said quietly.

"Shit, he'll be onto Lucy then," the cloaked man growled. "We need to go. Tell Levy-"

"On it," the future Gajeel muttered, shooting to his feet. He gave the dead woman a long look, grimacing at the long silver strands that had turned scarlet. "She didn't deserve this. She worked hard to help us. I hope she's with that arrogant ass and the two cats now."

And then he was gone.

The cloaked man knelt, closing the future Yukino's eyes. "This is what Rogue has become," he said without looking up. "He won't dare come at me, so you guys are fine, but Lucy's in danger. Both of them."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Natsu's onyx eyes flashed as he slammed a fist impatiently into his palm, flames bursting to life. His teeth bared, he lunged forward, and the others ran behind him.

All of them desperate to find their friends before the future version of Rogue did.