#Logic-Irina

[nadia-el-mansours]

Margo's one attack on Irina being "You worked with him. How could you?" is doing me in. She just can't imagine anyone working with Sergei and not loving him at least a little bit. It's incomprehensible to her...

[shycroissanti]

I was thinking about my OCs and I came to the conclusion that Kenta is the biggest villain in this history :0

He'll always be ruining Irina's missions and being ridiculously mean to her, and maybe he'll do something even worse in the future he will try to kill her

( ; ﾟДﾟ)

🥐Croissant logic: demons that are good and an evil hashira

✨️le tags (I'm still with the tags, but if it's bothering you, let me know, ok?🥺)

@larz-barz @pinkwisteria @knyinfinity @demonslayerdoodles @night-mince0 @scaredyfurry2 @pulim-v

[depressedbagpipe]

A Heartrender's Fire: ch. III

Tolya Yul-Bataar x Lantsov!ofc

Words: 5199 Warnings: canon-typical violence and language, volcra, poor descriptions of grisha powers, grisha powers following the show's logic and not the one in the books, me making up names and titles. also justice for kovu cause the guy straight up disappeared mid-episode. also i don't speak ravkan (russian?) so let's pretend i know what I'm doing A/N: this took way too long because i essentially had a surgery performed on me last month and I'm *still* recovering. anyways, this is way too fun to write so don't worry, i am continuing this story. we're getting some backstories here, too, which i think is pretty neat.

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III: Like calls to like

The day woke up cloudy, but the spirits at the Volkvolny were as bright as the Sun Summoner’s light. Sturmhond had been preparing the ship for the trip to the Fold all morning, giving concise directions to the crew. Only a small group would be coming with him and his clients up in the air, and his sister quickly pointed out that she wasn’t staying behind, no matter how much her brother wanted to keep her safe on the ship while he returned to their homeland. 

“Anything happens on the Fold, you’ll need me,” she had argued, once again before Tamar and Tolya’s unimpressed faces.

“I have a Sun Summoner now. I think I’ll be fine.”

Ouch, Irina didn’t let the reaction show in her face. Tolya did feel her heart beat just a tad faster, though. Not that he was actively seeking her heartbeat out. He would often find himself listening unconsciously and could distinguish it from miles away. Not even metaphorically. 

“It’s my country too, Nikolai. Anything happens on the Fold, you’ll need me,” she repeated.

Sturmhond looked at his sister. Few times she ever addressed him with his name, right in the open, and he realized that no matter how much he wanted to keep his little sister away from danger, she would always find her way to it, face first, full charge.

“Fine,” he sighed. “You’re buying kvas later, though.”

“Deal.”

He still scowled when he took her in, smiling her victorious smile as she high-fived the twins, the three of them chattering amongst themselves as the ship took them closer to the black void that had haunted and fascinated the second prince for so long. Irina was fully aware of the danger, and despite her best efforts, a chill went through her spine at the thought of her first passage through the darkness, afraid, and alone. 

I have a Sun Summoner now. Sturmhond could lie to himself all he wanted, but his sister knew he was just as scared as her. Only now they had a living Saint with them, able to wield the power of two amplifiers and the hope of an entire nation. 

The Volkvolny sailed through the waves seemingly faster than ever. Irina almost wished the ship would stop and trap them on the sea forever, anything but returning to the one place she had been miserable at. No matter how many dirty taverns, war camps, and smelly docks she stepped on, the image of the Grand Palace was enough to fix a permanent frown on her otherwise peaceful manner.

But she was a big girl now. Whatever was waiting for her on the other side should fear her, too. She was powerful, not as much as Alina, or as intelligent as Nikolai, but she still had royal blood in her veins, which coincidentally pumped enough fire to bring down the whole palace with just a flick of her hand. She felt the warmth on her cheeks at the thought, and with a small smile, she looked up, finding Tolya’s gaze.

The giant was looking at her with an all-knowing grin, which she quickly replicated. He noticed her fingers had been absentmindedly tracing her own amplifier, barely taking it out of her clothes. He had noticed that little quirk of hers after she got it, almost a month into joining them on the crew. A failed smuggling operation on the Fjerdan border ended with Sturmhond almost decapitated by a wolf, and Irina melting the snow around them as she protected him from the pack that was sure to attack. Tolya had known Irina’s heart marched to a different beat than her brother’s, but it was only after seeing the flames around her body that he fully knew what was different about her. He had eyed her closely after that, always finding something new about her to stare at, from the way her eyes seemed to come alive in the sun and radiate warmth in the night. Or how she was grounding herself as her fingers danced down the wolf’s fang as if she too needed a reminder of the fire she carried in her soul. There were many things about Irina Lantsov that could be admired, according to Tolya. Not that he would ever tell her. 

Simultaneously, Alina was also stroking her wrists, feeling the amplifiers without looking up. Irina glanced at her, noticing the way her face lit up when Mal approached her again. For a second she longed for it, that love out in the open, despite the dire situation the young couple was in. Their conversation was soon cut short by her brother, perched nearby, waiting for his big entrance as he always did. His voice was loud, demanding, and powerful–everything he had been raised to be.

“Who says you’ll be on your own?” He raised his leg on a box and casually leaned up front. “I want a front-row seat to the light show, thank you very much. Plus, the King’s on the other side of the Fold, ergo, so is my payment.”

���We could definitely use your arsenal,” Mal reckoned.

“Maybe some kind of fortified carriage?” Alina thought.

“Carriage? Land travel is so boring. And that’ll take days!” Sturmhond walked away from them, giving Irina the silent indication she needed to brace herself for takeoff. “Come along! Prepare to decouple!”

Tolya and Tamar quickly jumped to the section, their faces glistening with anticipation.

“Kovu.” Sturmhond nodded at the Squaller behind Alina and Mal. He pulled the lever that engaged the sails. “Secondary mast released!” Kovu shifted the position of the sails so they stood horizontal to the ship, all of it under the astonished eyes of the Sun Summoner. “Engage secondary sail!”

And with another push upwards, the Hummingbird flew out of reach as the rest of the Volkvolny stayed on the water. Alina stumbled over to the wooden bench Irina had fallen asleep just a day prior and looked around in disbelief and fear as the air grew colder and purer the higher they flew in the sky. Tamar chuckled at the girl, enjoying the sight of the Sun Summoner scrambling to stay sitting. Even Irina grinned, feeling somewhat superior for a slight second.

Even the Sun Summoner feels fear.

She couldn’t help but comment. “It’s like watching a newborn discover the world.”

Tolya laughed, who had casually stood beside her, looking at the sea below them and enjoying the sight of the horizon. Irina felt a warmth in her cheeks that she was sure wasn’t because of the chill that settled around the Hummingbird. Instead of looking in Tolya’s direction, she faced her brother, who was also staring at Alina with amusement, only his eyes were kinder and curious, a sight Irina knew too well was only reserved for very few women out there. 

Yet Mal was the only one who got her to open her eyes and walk with her to the edge. Mal was the only one she trusted to catch her if she fell. Irina wondered what that would feel like, should the moment come. Who would come to her rescue, not for who she was, but because they cared about her. 

Kovu kept working the sails as they rapidly approached Ravkan soil, the sea blending with the land. Irina’s heart drummed in anticipation, looking back as they left the sea behind.

“How are you holding up?” Tolya suddenly spoke. He seemed nearer, their arms barely touching.

“Meh.”

He shook his head, his eyes shifting from the sky to the ground below them. “Why haven’t you told them about you being Grisha?” He lowered his voice. Irina looked around, sighing in relief once she saw her brother keeping his guests entertained. “It’s bound to happen, anyway.”

“And give away the big reveal? No way.” Irina scoffed, looking back at him for a second.

“Don’t be like your brother.” Tolya’s seriousness would’ve caught her off-guard, but she was used to his sudden tone changes. 

“I’m not like my brother. In fact, I’m better.”

“Something Sturmhond would say.”

“Something Ainthe would say, too,”

“See?”

“Shut up,” she giggled. He smiled too, missing the sound of her laugh. After the prior day’s events, he wouldn’t admit he would miss her laugh if she was gone. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m so used to hiding amongst Ravkans… I can’t tell how they’ll react.”

“They’re good people.”

“How can you tell?”

“I happen to have a way with hearts.”

“You don’t say.”

“Captain! The Fold’s in sight!” Tamar called, effectively interrupting the banter between the two Grisha.

“Next stop, destiny.” 

“For Saint’s sake, Sturmhond,” Irina groaned. 

“What? I’m trying to add dramatic effect here.”

“We don’t need it.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Children.”

–·–

The Hummingbird entered the pit of darkness in complete silence. Thunder rumbled as the flying vessel tore through the barrier, and Irina took one last big gulp of fresh air before her body was completely surrounded by obscurity. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the black, and she released a silent breath, moving her head around as soon as she heard the first creature’s wail in the distance. Kovu kept the flying skiff afloat, his arms tiring but without complaint. Alina stood at the front, arms ready, while Irina gripped the ropes, looking wildly around. 

The crew seemed to gather behind Alina, with narrowed eyes, trying to find some hope to hold on to.

“I hate this place,” Mal commented in a low voice.

They all knew they had to be very silent if they wanted to make it out alive.

“Eh, it’s just a bit of pitch black and bloodthirsty monsters,” Sturmhond joked. He ignored the unimpressed faces of his clients and faced his family. “What’s not to love?”

He gladly received in his open palm his firearm which Tamar had thrown at him, never losing his mischievous smirk.

“Seems like a good day to kill some Volcra,” Tamar growled, getting her own weapons ready as well.

Tolya sighed. “I’d much rather a hot bath and a book of sonnets.”

Tamar stared at him in disbelief. Tolya was looking at the darkness with a longing look, picturing himself in the warm water, and Irina had to glance another way just to stop those thoughts from wandering elsewhere. She rolled the sleeves of her red coat up, her hands tense and ready to summon. Should Alina fail, she would become the first line of infantry. Irina stood next to Kovu, guarding the Squaller at the back while the rest of the team remained at the front.

“All good?” she asked the man, noticing the faint line of sweat on his forehead.

“Could be better,” he replied.

Irina sighed. “It won’t take much longer, don’t worry.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

The girl couldn’t say anything else, for she too felt the tension rising with every passing second. She knew it hadn’t been that much time since they entered, but any time spent inside the Fold felt like an eternity. 

Alina stood up near the edge, and the light show quickly began. With heavy breathing, the Sun Summoner created a light barrier that first extended around the Hummingbird, and then expanded into the black void. Irina stared around in amazement, a hole opening itself in front of them where the ancient mountains of Tsibeya stood at the horizon, welcoming them home once more. Light and heat overwhelmed Irina as beams of light danced on Alina’s arms. 

The barrier only got bigger from then on, and just as they were about to exit on the other side of the hole Alina had opened, things spiraled down. Alina’s light flickered, her arms flailing wild as she tried to call on her power once again, but nothing responded.

“Alina!” Mal kept calling her, but whatever made her stop had also thrown her off on the deck, the protective barrier of light gone with her.

The Volcra didn’t take long. Their growling was near, angry and ferocious, as the last beams of light extinguished around them. The Fold swallowed them whole again, and Sturmhond didn’t waste any time.

“Kovu!” he yelled at the Squaller as he took some steps back. “Get us out!” he stood before his sister, guns ready.

Kovu quickly rearranged the sails, making the ship fly faster at his mercy. Irina’s relief was short-lived, for one of the haunting monsters was now perched right beside them, ready to launch itself at its first victim.

Sturmhond quickly fired his revolver at it, making it stand back. The twins stood at the rear of the ship, the five of them standing in a circle as they protected each other’s backs. With Alina still on the floor and Mal perched over her, they weren’t the primary victims of the giant creatures.

Another one tore the main overhead sail open and landed on the deck right in front of the twins, who quickly got to work to end the monster’s life. The skiff was tilting dangerously, having lost its main support to stay afloat, but Kovu was doing everything in his power to get them out of the Fold on the other side while keeping the Hummingbird in the air. Irina didn’t need to be a genius to know they would not last long.

Sturmhond helped Tolya with a shot to where the Volcra’s heart supposedly was, and the giant quickly cut its head off. Irina assessed the damage, noticing the big hole in the fabric right above her head. She saw Alina finally stand up, still looking out of it, and because Mal only had eyes for her, neither of them saw the monster that was coming at a rapid speed to them.

Alina barely had time to look up before Irina stood protectively over them, firing a big and scathing flare up towards it, almost bursting it into flames as it fell through the void, fire following the Volcra as it sunk deeper into the Fold. 

Irina smiled at the sight, her fingers itching for more, standing tall and proud at her own display of power under the stunned faces of Alina and Mal.

“You’re Grisha?”

“No time to explain, Sol Koroleva,” Irina said.

The Hummingbird hit the exit of the Fold with a strong thud, nothing in comparison with their previous smooth entrance. The ship kept descending, gaining speed as it did so. One of the engines didn’t survive the attack, and the smoke was quickly turning into a well-spread fire at the front of the skiff. Irina was almost sent back flying, and would have crashed into the ship’s barrier if it hadn’t been for Tolya’s extended arm, catching her and bringing her closer to him, pinning her to the same rope he was holding on to for dear life as gravity pulled the crew down.

“Kovu, begin descent!” Sturmhond called, balancing on two feet, even though there wasn’t much Kovu could do. “Brace yourselves for landing!”

They were hurtling straight to the ground, and the Squaller could only do so much to prevent them from crashing completely. Everybody was trying to grasp at anything that could keep them up, bracing for the incoming impact. Irina felt helpless once again, but she didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself, because, with another jolt, the Hummingbird finally crashed, sending everybody down on the ground, impacting with the walls as the ship swept along the flat land and continued forward. Tolya kept a hand on the rope and another slithered around Irina’s waist, keeping her in front of her as the ship continued in motion through the meadow. Irina could only count the seconds until the movement stopped, closing her eyes in a silent prayer. 

Fortunately for her, it wasn’t long before it did.

Everybody was grunting and breathing heavily. Irina felt the burn on her hand from groping the rope for dear life, but Tolya didn’t take his arm off her.

“Is everyone okay?” Sturmhond asked loudly, quickly getting up.

Irina felt Tolya’s arm tensing slightly before finally releasing her, going to check on his sister who was still panting but seemed otherwise fine. 

“You good?” Sturmhond asked Irina, placing a hand on her back as he checked for any injuries on the younger girl. 

She nodded. “Yeah. You?”

He nodded too. That was all confirmation they needed before they both jumped over the deck onto solid ground, assessing the damage.

“Another one gone.”

Irina frowned. “This one worked. It was the Volcra.”

“It’s always the Volcra.”

But none of them could even breathe in relief before a bugle blew nearby. A regiment of the First Army had so lovingly decided to welcome them back to their land, with raised firearms ready to shoot at them, and its Colonel walking up front in a menacing stance.

The twins didn’t even shudder at the sight.

“Well, looks like we’re about to enjoy a traditional Ravkan welcome,” Tolya joked. 

Irina smiled, feeling the air charging with her brother’s boastful ego, about to make his big entrance. Maybe she was a bit like her brother. Not that she would ever admit that.

“You’ve crossed illegally onto Ravkan soil. Identify yourselves,” the Colonel called.

Sturmhond jumped down, standing in front of his crew with a straight back. He took off his bag, giving it to Tolya. “I’ll handle this.”

Irina stood back, repressing a smile.

“What are you doing?” Alina whispered at him but shut up at the look Irina sent her. She hid back slightly behind Mal, mainly because she was still the country’s number one fugitive.

“Identify yourselves at once or be shot.”

“Have I really changed so much, Raevsky?” Sturmhond, very slowly, started undoing his blue captain coat, leaving behind his fake persona and embracing his birthright before the Colonel’s own eyes. “I know it’s been a number of years, but people swear I remain boyishly handsome.”

He was wearing his First Army uniform underneath, and just as the green attire caught the Colonel’s eyes, he smiled.

“It can’t be.”

Tolya was being used as a coat hanger by that point, with Nikolai Lantsov standing proud and tall, with a devilish grin as he walked closer to the regiment.

“Yes, it is.”

“Moi tsarevich,” Raevsky mumbled before kneeling, the rest of the troop doing the same. “My prince. We’d all but given up hope.”

Nikolai chuckled as he shook the Colonel’s hand. Raevsky didn’t waste any time and turned around, facing his regiment and presenting the prince with a boisterous speech.

“I present Nikolai Lantsov, Major of the 22nd Regiment, Soldier of the King’s Army, Grand Duke of Udova, and Second Son to his Most Royal Majesty, King Pyotr the Third, Ruler of the Double Eagle Throne,” the Colonel called.

Irina mouthed the titles as Raevsky went on, and even the twins shared impressed looks at the many names their fearless captain bore.

“You’ve got to be joking,” Mal whispered, both him and Alina frowning. 

“Saints.”

Nikolai continued. “And in your own words, as I recall, ‘the greenest and most useless grunt you ever had the misfortune of commanding.’”

“Now, that sounds like you,” Irina spoke out loud, only noticing her mistake when the Colonel’s eyes glanced at her, also opening wide as he kneeled once more.

“Moi tsarevicha.”

The regiment, once again, copied their Colonel, kneeling as she walked closer to her brother, already regretting the attention she was receiving, but knowing the longer she stood without saying a word about her identity, the harder it would get later.

“I, once again, present Irina Lantsov, Grand Duchess of Mydrov, and First Daughter to his Most Royal Majesty, King Pyotr the Third, Ruler of the Double Eagle Throne.”

Nikolai chuckled when he noticed his sister's discomfort. “Thought you could get away with it?”

She groaned before motioning the Colonel to stand up. He took a step forward and bent down to kiss her hand, while Irina forced a smile onto her face.

“At your service, Your Highness.”

“We wanted to return sooner, but not without her,” Nikolai looked back at Alina.

Irina grimaced, knowing what was coming.

“May I present my esteemed traveling companion, former cartographer and sometimes Saint, Alina Starkov!” he extended a hand towards her, yet looked back at Raevsky. 

His sister shook her head, seeing how Alina was taking fast steps towards her brother. Despite her protectiveness over him, she knew he had it coming.

“Sol Koroleva. We heard you were dead,” Colonel Raevsky spoke with fear evident in his face, but his words died as soon as Alina yelled.

“You lying bastard!”

The punch to Nikolai’s face was met with utmost silence. The sound of betrayal was too loud to say anything else in return.

–·–

“That was fun,” Tamar said as they rode toward the Spinning Wheel.

“It was terrible,” Irina groaned, closing her eyes momentarily.

“You looked so cute there, like all stiff and stuff, and all the soldiers in awe like ‘Saints, the princess’,” Tamar kept going.

“I didn’t know where to look anymore! Everything was so awkward.”

Tolya joined. “Were they curtsying the right way?”

Irina groaned. Tamar laughed. 

The twins loved teasing the princess about her royal status every time they were on Ravkan soil. And while Irina pretended she couldn’t stand their banter, she knew she wouldn’t last a day without it. 

“How long do you think she’ll be mad at him for?” Tolya wondered.

The three of them looked back at where the Sun Summoner ignored the prince, looking at everything except the blond next to him. The three of them rode at the front, followed a few feet away by Nikolai and Alina, the rear of the party finished by a brooding Mal and a silent Kovu. Alina was still ignoring Nikolai, and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t seem to get on her good side. 

“No one can stay mad at Nikolai for long, but she seems stubborn enough to try,” Irina commented. 

“You know what he’s planning, don’t you?” Tamar said as she looked ahead again, fixing her posture on her horse as she looked around, searching for anything dangerous that could find them on their route.

The princess nodded. “Yup.”

“And she’s not gonna like it.”

“Nope.”

Tamar groaned. “Did he tell you?”

Irina shrugged. “It wasn’t necessary. I always know what he’s thinking. I mean, when you grow up with him, it’s easy to read his mind. Heartrender or not,” she winked at her friend. 

“It reminds me of this poem by a Kerch author, about the bond between brothers–” Tolya started, but his sister interrupted him.

“Is he dead?”

Tolya stopped. “Yes?”

Tamar shrugged. “Then I don’t care. I only vibe with the living.”

“In which case, last time on Novyi Zem there was this street artist who…”

The three of them continued with their playful chatter as their party rode on, leaving behind Raevsky’s regiment and the Fold. The Spinning Wheel was already in sight, and Irina felt a shiver set permanently in her bones as she gazed at the fortified mountain. She had spent years sneaking up there with her brother, perfecting her techniques, helping him build the place from the ground just to create something that would somehow resemble her ways. It had been her personal sanctuary once, and it was now full of Grisha displaced by General Kirigan’s torment and greed. Irina wasn’t truly the patriot that her older brother was, she too felt the tug in her heart at the thought of all the families that had suffered at the mercy of a pointless war, and the generations of both Grisha and Otkazat’sya that had been divided by the envy of the few. Her own life had been a constant lie because of it. And she was about to face it all over again, no matter how much she had convinced herself that she wouldn’t ever have to.

Those thoughts lasted long enough to reach the Spinning Wheel. Irina was still frowning as she got off her horse but forced a relaxed grin as soon as her brother appeared next to her.

“Welcome to the Spinning Wheel. My inventions workshop. It’s become something of a refuge for Grisha,” Nikolai spoke, introducing the place to Alina. He made sure to wink at his sister at the last bit of information, which the Sun Summoner clearly caught.

“Is that why you care so much? Because of her?” Alina asked the prince.

He simply shrugged, suddenly not caring about boosting his ego further. He looked at his sister, who was looking at him with a knowing smile.

“She’s my family above all. And as I already told you, you do what you have to do to protect the people you love.”

Irina shook her head, yet warmth spread across her chest. Nikolai finding out about her being able to summon fire had been an accident, much in the same way she found out. They were both playing outside the Grand Palace borders, sneaking around their older brother, their nanny, and the two guards who followed the small party into the outer world, as the princess liked to call it. The storm found them sitting on top of a tree, and suddenly, Vasily and the rest of their chaperones were running towards the palace again, leaving the two lesser children to fend for themselves. Nikolai was gripping Irina’s hand tightly as they made their way down and followed the path they had taken out of the woods when lightning struck a nearby tree and cut it in half. The trunk was about to crush them when the girl raised her hands in a terrified scream, and the next thing she knew, a huge chunk of ash was dissolving into thin air. Nikolai, wide-eyed and drenched, only took his sister’s hand once again and ran with her back to the palace. Without saying a word they sneaked past the guards at the entrance and escorted her to her quarters, helping her dry off. He sat her near her chimney, and with a silent nod, they both agreed no one ever would know about it. When she woke up the next day, Baghra was sitting by the window in her room, looking at the poor unfortunate royal soul with a sad expression on her pale, aging face.

–·–

“We’ve received accounts of First Army units found massacred, here, here, and here,” Nikolai pointed at the map. The improvised war room stood on one of the balconies overlooking the main entrance, and his most trusted advisors –namely, his sister, Alina, and Mal–, looked down as his fingers traced the old ink on the yellowing parchment.

“Too far from the border to be Shu incursions,” Mal commented.

“Or Fjerdan.” Alina kept her hands close to her, her hands almost itching to touch the intricate patterns on the paper, suddenly missing her simple life as a cartographer, before the entire world fell down on her shoulders.

“There’s good evidence that these units were holding Grisha captive. Some reports say soldiers were mutilated. Some… cut in half.”

Alina sighed. “It’s Kirigan, isn’t it.” But she didn’t even have to ask to know the answer.

“We haven’t been able to find his base camp–”

Mal shook his head in disbelief. “There’s no way he survived the Fold.” 

“He survived it before,” Alina cut him off. “Besides, he’s the only one who can do the Cut. Baghra, yes, but this is him.”

Irina shuddered at the mention of her old teacher. The only Grisha who knew about her back at Os Alta. The only one who never treated her as a porcelain vase, but instead built her up to become strong and fierce in her abilities. With a frown, the princess realized she had missed the old hag. She could only pray the General had spared her.

“If he’s alive, it’s only a matter of time before word reaches him about your attempt in the Fold,” Nikolai voiced it carefully, but his statement stung Alina.

“‘Attempt,’” she repeated. 

“No disrespect meant.”

“No, you’re right. That’s what it was. An attempt,” she still sounded defeated. “You three saw my light. It was… strong and angry and dangerously off-kilter. I can try to master what I have, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”

“We need to find the third amplifier,” Mal finished for her.

“The firebird,” Irina spoke, surprise laced in her tongue. 

Nikolai stepped away from the table, turning around as if to follow his train of thought, his head orchestrating their next steps as they continued the meeting.

“The more we search for it, we are at the mercy of your protection in this country.”

Alina searched Irina’s eyes, desperate to get her point across. And Irina already knew what her brother was about to say.

“Well, until then, a proposal.” Nikolai turned around. Irina closed her eyes. “We can try to stop this country from falling apart and tell the Fjerdans to shove their bounty up their ass in the process.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Alina asked.

“I bring you under the wing of the Royal Family, our name becomes a shelter to you, and a banner under which we can enact change.”

Mal frowned. “Your name?”

Nikolai nodded. Irina shook her head.

“Wait,” Alina caught on. “This is a ‘proposal’ proposal. You’re suggesting marriage.”

Mal looked ready to throw himself off the balcony at that point, whereas Alina seemed she was going to be sick any second from then on.

“Alina, I’m not proposing a love match. Just a political alliance of Grisha and Otkazat’sya.”

“Well, that’s just what royal marriages are, aren’t they? Strategy,” Mal was looking everywhere but the future royal couple.

“Precisely. Maybe we never get to marriage. An engagement signals a strong commitment to cooperation and it will allow us to enact meaningful change for Grisha and Ravka,” Nikolai explained. 

“Don’t you have a Grisha sister, too?”

“Leave my sister out of this, Mal.”

Irina stepped forward. “Mal, I know Nikolai’s plan sounds crazy but it’s our safest bet. Nobody knows about me being a Summoner and the court will not take likely to the revelation. There’s never been a Grisha on the Ravkan throne and I certainly will never be the first one.”

“I’ve seen what you both mean to each other. I understand if you decline, but I hope you weigh the options and consider the benefits,” Nikolai nodded his head in silent farewell, and both royal siblings left the couple to talk it out.

On the way down, Nikolai grabbed her arm. “How long have you known?”

She frowned. “About the proposal? Since you saw her face on the posters.”

It was his turn to frown. “Not even I thought about that then. It was after she got on the ship.”

Irina smiled mischievously at her brother. “Guess I’m smarter than you now.”

He pinched her side, making her giggle.

“You should rest before tonight. Gotta be patient enough not to punch Vasily in the face.”

“How did you know I was thinking about doing that?”

Nikolai smirked. “Guess I’m still smarter than you’ll ever be.”

“You little piece of shit.”

Next chapter

[thegamingcatmom]

You asked for asks and I'm asking :) I know is probably a long shot from where we stand rn bc everything is new and terrifying, no matter how nice they are, how beautiful they are... MC has still been abducted and that's well, quite a shocking experience I might say, idk I've never been abducted by pretty women before so wat do I know, right(?) Thing is MC can't stand them, Irina can't stand MC, Tanya and Kate want to be in MC's pants and Eleazar/Carmen play a more chill kind of parental figure in all this, whic I'd say they both are the most neutral of the bunch but not less to blame bc well, they are part of it too. My question is. How the hell is this even gonna work? Like what's going to change for MC to go from hating them to tolerate them to eventually like them and fall in love with them? Same with Irina, how goes from wanting to unalive and suck MC dry to fall in love with her? I understand this may be kind of a huge spoiler to the future bc of obvs reason but I find it to be so interesting how the dynamics are going to change, sure is gonna be a bumpy road there (ha see what I did there? :p) but it is the goal after all, so I understand totally if you don't wanna say anything about it bc well, spoilers(?) But if you could at least share a lil bit of what's going through your mind on that regard? Bc in my mind I find it quite difficult, like is MC's love a lie? In the sense that she falls in love bc the trauma is so severe that she's accepted this is all that it is out there for her bc she is not getting out, like that's kind of sad but it is a possibility yk some kind of psychological response to trauma perhaps. or is her love going to be genuine, like she found true love bc she eventually got to know them and oh surprise they are not that bad despite the fact that they abducted her? (That doesn't sound pretty good either XD) But I think you'll understand where I am going with this? if not is ok I'll try to explain better (: Thanks <3

I knew I could count on you. ❤️

Aight so, right off the bat:

It is difficult. And complicated. And ugly. And beautiful. And just fucking complicated.

A bumpy road alright. 😉

...is MC's love a lie? In the sense that she falls in love bc the trauma is so severe that she's accepted this is all that it is out there for her bc she is not getting out

This is something I can answer with 100% certainty:

No, I won´t turn MC into a brainwashed puppet. I´m not saying she will always be honest with her abductors (which is well within her right, if you ask me), but when she does start developing feelings, they will be real.

...Whether she will accept them is another story. 🙈

But there´s so much that still needs to happen before we even get to that point. And I think this is really what it comes down to:

It´s about all these different struggles and obstacles MC & the Denalis will have to face - alone and together. These challenges will force changes - some for the better, some for the worse. But both is needed to make progress.

I mean, it´s easy to live in a bubble when there´s nothing there to burst it, right?

...Well, it has been burst the moment Tanya chose to bring MC home. Thing is, nobody´s realized it yet. 😅

I mentioned it a while back, but the Denalis have this system in place that has worked for centuries now. They never had a reason to change their way of living and their, well, "culture". Which basically means Tanya is the boss and everyone else just goes along with whatever strikes her mood at the moment.

...More or less. With lots of hissing and spitting. 😏

In other words: They´re a less than functioning community right now because Tanya is a less than ideal leader right now. A leader is supposed to act in the best interest of everyone else, which means Tanya should have ended MC in those woods.

...Logically speaking. 😏

But ye, there´s a lot that needs to change first before we can even think about feelings, which means that all of this here-

Like what's going to change for MC to go from hating them to tolerate them to eventually like them and fall in love with them? Same with Irina, how goes from wanting to unalive and suck MC dry to fall in love with her?

...can´t really be answered in a straightforward way. It´s gonna be a long and bumpy road (hehe) for all of them, and it´s because of those bumps that they´ll eventually (hopefully) become the best versions of themselves. Because, in the end, that´s what it´s all about. ❤️‍🩹

...she found true love bc she eventually got to know them and oh surprise they are not that bad despite the fact that they abducted her?

I mean...getting to know them is defo a huge part of it all. If not THE part. This will (hopefully) become clearer as the story progresses, but MC & The Sisters have more in common than they´re currently aware of. And I think this will make a big difference, in the long run.

(Tip: Check out Chapter 2 again. 🔍)

BONUS: REMINDER

We´ve also got something else heading our way that might cause some panic, distress, disbelief confusion among The Sisters.

Don´t forget: MC has a +1. 😉

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Thanks a lot for your ask! I love reading those novels. 💋💋💋

[iricathel]

I made Irina's bingo too for whoever wants to join 👀

I swEAR there's a logical reason for Irina's despise towards albinos (mostly males) 😭

[pricechecktranslations]

Uh, two, maybe three questions. Evil's Theater II (aka “Banica's restaurant”) can travel through parallel worlds, right? Does the Court Ending count as a parallel world? If so, is it possible for the Graveyard crew to visit that world? Just curious. Thanks!

1. Yes, it can.

2. I am...pretty sure it is? I mean, I believe it's a parallel world, but I don't know if it's the same as the other parallel worlds. Those ones exist by virtue of the "every choice produces another world where a different choice was made" kind of logic. The Court End though I feel was deliberately created by Irina.

3. Possibly. I know the Ma Ghost keeps them from going to the Fourth Period, so I think it depends on how the Court End relates to it.

[the-time-lord-oracle]

Been looking at Lego minifigures of Imperial officers and there's still a few gaps that I've noticed.

From A New Hope, Admiral Motti and General Tagge are big omissions. Both would have been good choices to include in the 2008 and 2016 Death Star sets, since those sets included the briefing room where these two officers argued the toss over the Rebellion and Motti made the mistake of mouthing off to Vader.

From The Empire Strikes Back, we haven't seen either Admiral Ozzel or Captain Needa in Lego form yet. Lego have produced three play-scale Star Destroyer sets over the years, and Needa would have been a good choice to include in them. Ozzel meanwhile would be a good choice for if Lego ever decide to redo the UCS Super Star Destroyer they made back in 2011.

From Return of the Jedi, Moff Jerjerrod is a missing link. He would have been a logical choice to include in the 2008/2016 Death Star sets, which included Palpatine's throne room, or the 2005 Imperial Inspection set, which depicted Palpatine's arrival on the second Death Star. That set did include two generic Imperial officers, so we can pretend that one was meant to be Jerjerrod, but a named version of him would be nice.

From the Disney-era, Governor Pryce from Star Wars Rebels lacks a minifigure. She would be an easy one for Lego to do, as Pryce was based on Irina Spalko from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Lego made a Spalko minifigure, so all they's have to do is take the head and hair from Spalko and put them on an Imperial officer's body

And while we're at it, an updated Admiral Piett would go down well too. Piett gained a Lego minifigure in 2011's UCS Super Star Destroyer and is unique to that set. An updated version would be nice, as Lego were still using kepis for Imperial hats back then, and they subsequently introduced a custom hat piece in 2014. Piett could do with a new look.

[santoschristos]

“Wheel of Samsara” Irina Sushelnytska

Samsara is translated from Sanskrit as “the process of passing, flowing”, “wandering of the soul in a circle”, an endless cycle consisting of birth, death and rebirth of life in the material world.

Life is only a link in the general chain of rebirth and death, the cycle of samsara

A person is able to change and improve, his image comes to the circles of samsara in all new expressions.

“Wheel of Fortune”, “Samsara”, “Ouroboros” embody the cyclical nature of time, the universe and symbolize logic, order, harmony.

[moldygreenblue]

In Search of Good Times and Good News

(Day four prompt for Woevember, created by @asouefanworkevent)

“FROSTED UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE KIT-KAT!”

Without any hesitation, the blonde slammed her foot onto the brake of the car. Because she slammed on the break quickly, the five passengers hit their heads as the car bounce back. Two of them hit their heads onto the back of the front seat headrest, one of them hit their head from their own seat, and the person riding shotgun smacked their head right into the dashboard.

“Lucy! What the hell!?” The four passengers glared at their colleague as they all rubbed their forehead. The passenger riding shotgun in particular was giving a glare that could kill.

“It’s not my fault this time! Well, not entirely!” Lucy gave out a sheepish smile. “September, Ravi, Romero, Bartholomew? Are you all okay?”

“Okay? Okay? OKAY!? Do you think we’re okay when you’re driving?!” September readjusted his headband, and frowned. “I’m starting to think you need to retake the designated driver driving test! Ms. Preludio wasn’t happy the first time around when we told her what happened!”

“My mother wasn’t happy the first time? Are you saying this is the second test drive!?” Romero stood up from his seat, and his three-legged crow necklace dangled around.

The four who were there in the first incident remained quiet. Lucy gave a small whistle. Ravi was parting his bangs to the side, before doing a palm-face in frustration. Bartholomew rolled his eyes before he stood up from his seat, and flicked September with his black comb.

“Nice going, September!” exclaimed Bartholomew. “And to think half an hour ago, you were worried I would go let the cat out of bag! Guess who has the loose lips now!?”

“Considering how my mother knew about this all along,” said Romero, his hair suddenly floating upward as if there’s an updraft in the vehicle, “I think spilling the beans is doing you a favor. At least she can determine if there are much needed readjustments on the brake pressure.”

“We can discuss the breaks when we get our asses back to the Preludio,” replied Ravi, who is now finally standing up from his seat. “Lucy, care to explain what happened?”

“Some woman with pencils in her hair was driving crazy in a taxi with three children in the backseat wearing diving gear just went into the nearby hedges!” answered Lucy, keeping her eyes on the road where another taxi soon stopped. “Huh. Will you look at that!”

The taxi driver got out of the driver seat, and scans the area. The man was as tall as someone who once attended elementary school would be, and wore a hat that covered his face. The man was wearing a trench-coat that had him resembling a private detective from a film noir, though why would a private detective drive a taxi car is another discussion altogether.

Bartholomew squinted his eyes to see slightly better. “I wonder what got him having the need to block traffic. The way he’s acting, it’s as if he tailing someone and lost track of them.”

“Maybe he was tailing the woman in the crazy taxi,” suggested Romero.

“Why would a taxi driver be trailing another taxi?” asked September, giving an incredulous look to Romero. “To see how the competition is doing? That’s rather dumb.”

“Who to say the taxi driver is actually a taxi driver?” asked Romero in return. “Considering the fact Lucy told us the woman drove into the hedges, maybe she knew she was being followed.”

“And she escaped by driving into the freaking hedges?” interjected Ravi. “How is that logical!?”

“Boys! Please!” Lucy soon slammed her head into the driving wheel. “Can we not have you arguing again? We don’t have time for this! We need figure out where the hell are Marco, Anton, and Irina! We checked almost everywhere in the City, and they’re so far nowhere to be found!”

“It’s not my fault Marco went off without informing us,” Romero sat back down in his seat, and ran a hand through his black hair. “He is just as worry about the pocket watch as we are, even more so. My father was the one who left him in charge of it. I just hope he’s not somewhere where he can get his ass kick. With his luck, he might get himself thrown onto the floor.”

[In Which This is a Break that Indicates a Scene Break Because Tumblr New's HTML Editor Is Broken And Isn't Allowing Them]

“Oh my God! You crazy bitch!” Irina clutched her hands onto the side of her head, watching her poor colleague currently on the café floor of Room 178. “You deadass threw him onto the floor!”

“Irina, I advise you to not make our situation worst.” Anton continued to stay in his seat with his hands up in the air. Another waitress who was there when everything unfolded, grabbed the nearest butterknife and pointed it at his direction. While a butterknife isn’t super sharp, it can still lead to an injury if used for harm, like for example, stabbing someone in the stomach.

Marco gripped his father’s pocket watch tighter as he gets pushed back onto the wooden floor. Someone —the waitress who threw him in the first place— soon began rolling up his left leg pants, and pulled down his left green sock. To think this is all because he asked for sugar!

The waitress soon gave a gasp, and soon got off him, She then helped him stand back up, her face looking red and embarrassed. “Pardon my actions, sir. It was a reflex from my defense training. Would you care for a complimentary slice of rhubarb pie to go with your coffee?”

“Well, I can’t say no to free food,” said Marco with a small smile. “Yes, I would like some pie.”

The waitress soon scurried off, hanging her head down on the floor. The other waitress set back down the butterknife, and ran off as well. Irina gave out a sigh of relief, and soon joined Marco back at the table with Anton. Anton couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at Marco, and grabbed a blueberry muffin off of the plate the waitress brought before the sudden throwdown.

“Really, Marco?” asked Anton, taking a bite of his blueberry muffin. “Rhubarb pie?”

“Sorry if I have an appetite that you and your sister don’t have,” Marco pushed up the bridge of his glasses. “And who can’t say no to free food?”

“People who have self-control,” says Irina, hiding her smile behind her cup of coffee. “Let’s hope your stomach can handle the taste of rhubarb. Especially rhubarb in a pie.”

[shatcey]

Introductions

No one has ever asked me, but I feel kind of bad that I haven't done this before. I've been here for almost a year and haven't introduced myself. It's not very decent of me.

Since when do you care how decent you look?

Well… I need to do it every once in a while to at least pretend to be a normal person (I hate pink, but have no choice… Yoichi - orange)

You missed this chance a long time ago…

(damn it, he's right, but I'll continue trying)

So… My name is Irina. Actually, I really like my name. It is of Greek origin and means peace, tranquility. And this doesn't mean I am a calm person (which is true, but not quite), it means that I can and love create a fun and peaceful atmosphere around myself.

You still have a long way to go to reach my level...

That is... true...

English is not my first language, which is pretty obvious. I never learn it with teachers, I've picked up something here and there, so my writing style is probably sounds very strange for native speakers. I'm sorry about that. But I don't use English on daily basis, I don't need it for work or for my personal life. And for a person who doesn't really need it, I think I know more than enough. If suddenly (life is extremely unpredictable) I'll find myself in a position where I need to know more, I will learn more. I'm not against studying, moreover, if I don't learn something new, I feel like I'm drowning… You know that feeling, right?

I'm a mathematician by profession, so logic is the basis of my mindset. I get very annoyed if I don't see logic somewhere. And yes, I understand that the fact that I don't see it doesn't mean it's not there… We all think differently, and it's not easy to understand everyone… But I'm trying.

I have been interested in many areas in my life. I (how very immodestly of me) consider myself a Renaissance man. I've always wanted to know a little bit about everything. At various times in my life, I've been interested in programming, philosophy, phsycology, archeology, various kinds of art (that's how I realized that I had no talent at all), photography, writing, foreign languages and culture, azotericism and acculturism, and many more I cannot even remember. Some of them stayed with me for years, and to some I lost interest almost immediately. For example, as a child I was very interested in Spanish (I watched too many soap operas), but it was too long ago, and if I recall a few words, it will be a lot. About 10 years ago, I was obsessed with Ireland (I know Ireland and England have a lot in common, but I was only obsessed with Ireland, have no idea why), and since then I have started practicing English every day. And most recently (2 years ago) I was obsessed with Korea, I even started learning the language, but….. Ikemen games eat up all my time, so it's on pause for now. But I continue to love their cuisine (and eat it on daily basis) and enjoy their music (again, every day).

You forgot about acting

The fact that I love theater doesn't mean I wanted to become an actress

Nonetheless you're pretty good at acting.

I wonder who I learned this from?..

(smiles)

So everything that has ever interested me is reflected in my posts one way or another. They're not just about the characters I like or the lore of the games, they always have something more… from reality.

And the last thing… which I probably should have started with… I, like my beloved boys Yoichi, Keiji and Alfons, don't like sad and depressing things. It doesn't mean that I don't know about them or don't think about them. Life is already too difficult, and I don't see the point in adding more dark colors. That is why I try to find something bright, fun, exciting and share it with you. So don't take my posts too seriously, it's about entertainment and for amusement.

And as you've noticed, I'm pretty crazy. I communicate with the characters all the time. No, they're talking to me… that's even crazier…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🔝 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 🔝

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[thewiddershinsme]

On Chapter 12 of Spinning Silver

-there are now four first person pov characters (Miryem, Wanda, Irina, Stepon) and am very impressed the author has written each voice so distinctly within a sentence I can know who we are on. No names above any chapter or section to help differentiate.

-the juxtaposition and parallels of both Miryem and Irina's marriages happening in the same part of the book has been *chef's kiss*. Both in bad situations (though I would argue that Irina's is the worse of the two). But I LOVE practical and common sense characters! They are making such understandable and logical choices based on the information they have (and writing characters keeping cool heads while still showing how they are very much terrified and freaking out they are inside is so satisfying)

-Wanda is also in a bad situation but am not sure how it is going to reconnect with Miryem and Irina (Irina is obviously escaping into the Staryk kingdom)

-still don't spy the Rumpelstiltskin character in this retelling

[strawbrryrush]

(´,,•ω•,,)♡ event 15 plotting call! i'll probably pause all current events for this event- just for my sanity ! so this doubles as a starter call as well! below u can find out what all my muses will be up to- and also u can plot and request a starter for them!

elena gilbert- this isn't her first rodeo- well.. maybe one that she can remember, given her current not remembering status.. she's stressed- but will do her best to stay vigilant! she will help people- and maybe her finding someone unalived will be beautiful character development idk.. (0/5)

eric northman-too old for this shit, jk jk but he won't be taking anything too lightly.. he has people he cares for here, for example faye, irina, he doesn't want them getting in harm's way.. but he may be entertained??especially if he's accused (0/5)

genya safin- she's one hell of a warrior- she'll be frightened of course but she knows combat and how to fight. she'll be worried for david most of all, and will do her best to stick by them. (0/5)

hannah washington - scared out of her mind, she doesn't like these type of situations.. i can see her anxiety at an all time high- she's doing her best to hide.. please someone protect her, she's frightened..- but also worried highly about her siblings and her best friend kiyi (0/5)

homura akemi - OH SHE'S READY, she's in combat mode.. she has one person in mind she wants to protect- and one person only, madoka kaname. who is she if she isn't protecting the love of her life?? lets be honest, but also she'll help protect others if needed- and be suspicious of everyone. (0/5)

jesse pinkman- THEY CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS! -no but he'll be stressed, he has ptsd from everything that has occured in his life.. but if anything jesse knows how to do- it's to fight.. he'll be carrying a gun, and be prepared.. or as prepared as he can be, and he'll be keeping a look out for allison! (0/5)

jinx- THRIVES ON THE CHAOS, pls let's be real she probably assumes the doing is stu and his friend.. which.. idk why she's with him if she thinks that but anyways she doesnt have logic- but as soon as it starts getting too real.. she may start losing it a little bit, and will be amused if anyone accuses her.. (0/5)

lettie hatter- scared, concerned for her siblings, calcifer, josh- and i guess howl too.. jk we love howl, she'll be doing her best to find out whoever it is.. and get her investigative skills on, but also pls protect this angel. (0/5)

nami- she's so sick of finding herself in these types of situations, she's cowardly.. will be hiding behind anyone who will allow, but also she has some good ranged combat.. so if push comes to shove and she needs to defend herself or someone else- she will.. (0/5)

richard gecko- he's been through his fair share of bs, he'll be concerned for seth and aerith- more aerith.. given seth and him have been through the bs together, he'll be putting on his detective gear.. and probably joke it's seth just to get on his nerves, and get offended if accused.. (0/5)

ashley graham- LEON, bestie where are you?? she's scared, not this again.. she's doing her best at hiding when it matters, and not making any enemies.. but also she can handle herself pretty well, just still would prefer some help.(0/5)

draculaura - look she may be immortal, but this is scary. she'll probably transform into her bat form just to get away- but also she'll be hiding behind people.. she can fight, but would prefer not to. (0/5)

belle - she's smart, she's pulling out that detective cap and doing her best research.. she's afraid, but won't admit it.. she'll go through this with a stubborn- tough look on her face; nobody will make her afraid. (0/5)

tifa lockhart- protecting people she cares about, she's the mom friend.. she doesn't want anyone getting hurt, watching out for aerith, satana, and seth.. (0/5)

march 7th- she's ready; maybe the ice powers she unaware of will come out while afraid and being defensive.. they'll try to laugh fear in the face- but also someone make sure they don't get into too much trouble. (0/5)

hitori gotoh- frightened, scared, not having it.. i mean it when i say pls someone protect and befriend her. or else she'll just hide under her bed or in a garbage can; she doesn't want to confront anyone-let alone a possible killer.. just.. idk how far she'll get, pls help. (0/5)

lip gallagher- part of him thinks this is a big joke, but he'll be ready with his own makeshift weapons if needed. he'll be looking out for his family; and just trying to piece together who could be sus. (0/5)

[shycroissanti]

I was here thinking about the story of my OCs, and I'm going to tell a few things about Irina :3💙

Firstly, it doesn't seem like it, but she is very intelligent and has great logical thinking (in her own way)

She loves playing chess and always plays with Yudi (he is very good at board games or card games too) this will still have an explanation in the next comics

And now about her "powers", she never knows when the flames themselves will help or hurt her. The flames can help heal small injuries faster, but there are times that Irina suffers in silence with the sensation of burning🥺

The flames are greatly influenced by Irina's emotions

[tickling-giggles]

Hello!!! Would you mind writing a fic where korosensei is tickling karasuma? (No foot tickles please), thank you so much!!

C’mon just smile

A/N: Hiiii anonnie✨!! Sure thing no problemo🤭 I got this joke from one of my moots 😭😭@randomratty

Lee: Karasuma

Ler: Korosensei

———————————————————————-

Korosensei was walking to the storage room putting up all of chemistry sets. He has been thinking of what his students had said earlier.

12:03-Lunch time/Planning period

The students were asking one and another their first impressions of the teachers. “Hey Nagisa, what did you first think of Mr. Karasuma?” Nakamura asked. “Well I thought he was one of those mean but cool bad ass spies you see in movies but now I think he’s a pretty cool class dad” Nagisa smiled.

“Yeah, even though it’s hard to tell when he’s having a good time or not” Kayano agreed adding on. “I don’t think the man have ever cracked a smile” Karma bluntly said. “Now that you say that, he’s never smiled at all” Kanzaki realized.

“Professor Bitch have you ever seen Mr.Karasuma laugh or smile?” Maehara asked seeing her pass by. “Actually….no now that I think about it— but I almost made him laugh before” Irina answered.

Back to the present

Karasuma checking and putting in grades as he heard two knocks on the door “Come in”. “Oh it’s just you game show” he looked out of the corner of his eye.

“Still refuse to call me an actual name I see” Korosensei rolled his bead eyes. “You know it”

“Anyways… you wanna hear a joke” Korosensei beamed. “Uh sure why not” Karasuma shrugged his shoulders giving korosensei his complete attention.

“Okay why did the chicken cross the road?” Korosensei asked. “To get to the other side?” Karasuma answered confused. “No to get to the idiots house, knock knock” Korosensei corrected. “Who’s there?” Karasuma sighed still confused. “THE CHICKEN AHAHAHAHA OHO Gahahd that’s funny” Korosensei burst into laughter. “Do you get it?” He asked. “Yeah I do it just wasn’t funny” Karasuma shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh c’mon!! maybe your happy wire is disconnected from your brain” korosensei whined. “That’s logically impossible” Karasuma raised his eyebrow.

“Awww Karasumaaaa Do you need a hugggggg? Korosensei cooed before he scooped him from out of his chair. “No! I don’t gameshow now put me dOhoWn!” Karasuma flailed around, he let out a giggle when korosensei’s tentacles held his side a bit too tight.

“…what was that?” Korosensei paused his hugging. “Did— did you just giggle” korosensei seemed intrigued. “N-no damn it, now would you put me down?” Karasuma slightly blushed. “Sure I will…after I figured out what made you giggle” Korosensei observed every inch of Karasuma before squeezing both of his sides. “GAhahA stAhp” Karasuma jolted.

“Oh my gosh your ticklish? Your ticklish” Korosensei chuckled in joy. “I-I am not n-now put me down” he demanded not looking him in the eye. “Okay okay I will… once you laugh” Korosensei snickered before he scribbled at his sides.

“Stahap ihit” Karasuma tried hushing his giggles. “Oooh playing tough guy now huh?” Korosensei grinned, as green strips appeared on him. “Knohock it ohoff” “hmmm no let’s move up a little” he refused as he moved up to his ribs. “NAh noho stohop” Karasuma with his free hand he covered his mouth. “Aww but you haven’t even laughed yet your just giggling your head off.” Korosensei teased, as he moved down to his hips.

“Ohohokahahay ihihi’m lahahaughing nohow” “hmm I think you should really laugh, and how dare you hide your smile from me ” Korosensei pouted. "GaHahHah yo-yoUhohou suhuHuck ahahaAHt tihicKlihIng"Karasuma sassed, laughing trying to push his tentacles away from his hips.

“See look at that charming smiling you should how it more often” he teased.

“NohOhoohohOhoHo”

“No? Are you telling me no? Well I korosensei shall not be told no laugh thee say” Korosensei dramatically gasped before shoving his tentacles up his armpits.

“FUHUHUHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!! STAHAHAHAHAP!!!” He screamed.

“Not until you agree to smile more often” korosensei teased.

“STAHAHAHAP, I’LL SMIHIHILE MOHOHOHOHORE!!” He yelled in defeat.

“Good, see you tomorrow”

[radical-revolution]

Irina Tweedie

" It is quite simple, you see. But you have to be ready.

You cannot have the cake and eat it. If you want spiritual life, you have to give up everything. That is a fact.

There is a most significant painting in the Tate Gallery in London. Many years ago I went three or four times to see this painting alone. It was a painting of a young Arab

leaning against a pillar. Jesus and his disciples are there,

but they are walking away. And underneath it was written

"and he could not do it." Jesus had said, "If you want to follow me, leave your father and mother. Give away your possessions, and follow me." But the secret is that you don't give up anything. It falls away from you. In other words, the values change.

Let me give you a very simple and very banal example.

A mother comes into the room and sees her little child playing with matches. She's horrified. If she takes the box of matches away, the child will cry. So she quickly grasps a lovely red bowl. "Look, darling, look." The child drops the matches and grasps the bowl. That's what the Teacher does. He changes the values within you.

Suddenly something is not so interesting anymore. The values have changed. Then it is not crazy, you know,

because you are being given something more precious, like the child.

Spiritual life is infinitely logical. It obeys the laws of this world of logic and of common sense. The other day in San Francisco, I met my friends of the Theosophical Society, and we had a walk in Golden Gate Park. The man was giving us a little talk and he said, "What is spiritual life? Common sense. Then aspiration, endeavor, and then there is a third factor."

"And people asked, "Please tell me, what is the third factor?"

He said, "More common sense."

And our Teacher said it in the book. "No hysteria, please, no exaggerations. Have both feet firmly on the ground.

But with your head you have to support the vault of the sky, so that people shouldn't think that it falls on them."

When I was young there was a popular song that said "You belong to my heart once and forever. Our love had a start long, long ago." When you can say that to the Beloved with all your love, with all your tears, with all your heart, then you are there."

~ Irina Tweedie was born in Russia and studied in Vienna and Paris. After the Second World War she married a British naval officer, whose death in 1954 led her on a spiritual quest. Little did she know that her trip to India in 1959, at the age of fifty-two, would mysteriously lead her to a Sufi Master from the Naqshbandiyya-Mujadiddiya Sufi Order, whom she called Bhai Sahib (Elder Brother). This meeting set her upon a journey to the "heart of hearts," the Sufi path of self-realization.

[sleepyowlwrites]

You're sick? I'm sick too!! (bleggggghhhh)

for the asks: 26 and 28

Oh yay, a friendly sick party.

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

I just think about them a lot. I explain them to myself. I talk about their motivations and quirks and dislikes and responsibilities. This way I know how they'd react to a variety of situations so then whatever I'm writing for them, I make it consistent with what I've written so far. I don't pretend the character is me, or sink down into their psyche. I just understand it, or understand the logic of it from their point of view. I don't have to work to get into most of their heads, and I never have to work to get out.

A few of them escape me, of course. Rhea, Irina, Bell, Alexander, Jessalyn, Wryn, Hawk, Shadow, Mirai, Yadsmyn. (That seems like a lot but I have over 100 characters)

I just have to explain them more.

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

Nyks, obviously. He's the light of everyone's life, for characters and readers alike. He's optimistic, bouncy, adorable, kind, gentle, anxious, sweet, concerned, adventurous, cuddly. He's best boy! He's the baby! You have to love him. He's the glue that keeps everyone together. He holds the key to shutting everyone up and making them get along. Nyks best boy.

Thanks for asking, Idea!