#The most tenacious fighter can still lose. I don’t think hope loses

[noisytenant]

I like challenging the idea of hope as fragile but I don’t connect with the idea of hope as some kind of gritty fighter.

I think hope is more like the sun: A force of life that is always present, but not always visible.

Despite the clouds and rain, night and winter, the sun is the central source of energy on earth, and evidence of its presence is always there in our continued existence.

Even when we’re layering jackets in the coldest night of the new moon, the promise of unconditional warmth and light fuels us to seek it out where we are.

And in this way I think the reason hope comes across as fragile is because our grasp on it is fickle; In its rawest form it can be overwhelming and even painful to the point that we can’t hold it in our gaze. We have to experience it at a distance, filtered, through proxies to sense it at all, and so often lose sight of it, and approach it cautiously.

But I think it is worth fighting for. As living beings we are motivated by hope but complicated by context, and the challenge is to believe in hope while recognizing the struggles we undertake to bask in its warmth, including the times we turn away from it.

In essence, I don’t think hope fights for us, but we fight for it ☀️

[bratz-kitten]

attack on titan characters - birth chart analysis 🌙

Here is my take on the big 6 of Levi, Eren, Armin and Mikasa of attack on titan/shingeki no kyojin! I kept their sun signs since we know the day and month of their birthday and since I think they’re absolutely perfect. If you want me to do my take on the others (like Jean, Historia, Erwin, Hanji, Connie, Sasha, Reiner, etc) please let me know! (spoiler warning!)

Levi Ackerman

sun in capricorn - levi mf ackerman is fuelled by three things and three things only: LOYALTY, a strong moral code and power. he is seen by most people as a heartless, unemotional bastard but is canonically the most emotional character - he shows love through very indirect ways and he’s the peak of capricorn in the sense that he represses his emotions – he smiled literally ONE time in four seasons, and didn’t once shed a tear. he’s very hard to read. has a lot of respect for his superiors and follows the orders of only those he’s loyal to. he’s driven by his moral codes in the sense that the protection of humanity is his prime motive for fighting titans. like a true capricorn, is the master of his field of work and cares the most about being a survey corp member. please protect this tragic baby. 

virgo rising - two words: CLEAN FREAK. this man has a strong need to be presentable at all times and hates getting blood on his hands for the single fact that he needs himself and his environment to be clean. his obsession with being clean is very much due to his childhood trauma and how he lived in in poor conditions in the underground. he has many quirks that correlate with this: the way he holds his cup, the carvat he uses bc of his mother, and the way he always cuts his own hair because that’s the way his mother used to do it.  intimidating and demands respect. DRY HUMOUR. 

moon in scorpio - i think he has many similarities with mikasa, especially in the moon and venus. introverted and hates people but will go to the ends of the earth to protect the ones he loves and respects. represses emotions and internalizes his hatred until he has a mental breakdown - which happens in the form of extreme violence. VERY sensitive and emotional even if he doesn’t show it. he’s very intuitive and often acts based on gut; he’s secretive and vindictive. very wise and great at giving advice. doesn’t let himself get manipulated and uses shitty situations to his advantage (like with the reeves company). trust is the most important thing to him.

mercury in aquarius - levi is extremely logical, and hates when others involve their feelings in the making of decisions. his decisions are always backed up by strong arguments and others often see him as cold and detached. i saw someone  mention something extremely interesting about aquarius mercury’s/people with their mercuries in the 11th house: despite not being very sociable, others are drawn to them for friendships – and often they’re the introverts who get “adopted” by extroverts. this is 100% levi’s case, hanji and erwin practically adopted him. being very vulgar with his words and having a distinctive sense of humour, he’s very humanitarian and is actually really talkative but only when he’s very comfortable around someone. blunt, always tells it like it is – like when he tells eren he can’t know what the right choice really is and he needs to choose it himself. teases and insults his friends as a form of affection.

mars in scorpio - levi’s a fighter, a survivor. he knows what it’s like to come from nothing and have to build himself up. very confrontational. reclaims his power by exerting intimidation and mastering violence. others fear doing as much as make a joke at his expense. understands other’s motivations and characters very easily. he’s very intuitive. very serious due to his need for having an intense and demanding presence, for being respected and valued. he’s the one who everyone sighs of relief when things go to shit and he appears because you know he’s the strongest and most dependable person.

venus in capricorn - good luck getting this motherfucker to open up. his trust is very hard to gain but is necessary for working with him – he places his full trust in his comrades and demands the same from them. very work-oriented and takes relationships very serious; it’s really telling that he cares little for romance because capricorn venuses are the ones to date to marry, and will only devote themselves to someone once they believe they’ve met the one. they either want a more powerful and mature partner or they exude that energy (levi is the latter). slightly parental – we see this in the way that levi is pretty much the dad figure. it’s called squad levi for a reason, after all. very responsible. takes care of loved ones and often uses tough love as a form of discipline.

Eren Jaeger - im not even kidding with this one, he has extreme aries energy

sun in aries - eren feels the need to be very independent and he hates whenever he has to depend on mikasa and others, wanting to be strong enough to reverse the roles. he’s very self-confident, bold and direct. very impulsive, he’s quick to anger but is also very quick to forget - especially seen with his arguments with jean, fighting him is basically a love language at this point. aries suns are very fast thinkers and their strong energy may come off as intimidating. they have great intentions but that often becomes muddled with their impulsivity and the fact that they don’t think ideas through. eren is unabashedly himself and fights relentlessly for what he wants. his aries energy also makes him extremely motivated! he believes in the impossible and will make it happen no matter what.

aries rising – aries risings are the trailblazers. they ooze intensity. eren has very much a baby face and, due to his impulsivity and childish charm, people tend to baby him a lot – in the sense that he’s this kid surrounded by adults who needs supervision at all times or he’ll get into deep shit. aries risings are also marked by their extreme need for action, they’re the ones to do now and apologize later instead of asking for permission to do something in the first place. he is guided by his passion and is a natural leader who inspires everyone to fight alongside him. aries risings have a lot of energy which they need to express in a physical way, making them be prone to be very athletic and lead very active lives. he’s also extremely competitive and is driven by the force of becoming stronger than mikasa, and often feels angry when he realizes how stronger than him other people can be. at the same time, this pressure to be better is put solely on himself. he’s a dumbass with a good-heart and pure intentions.

moon in sagittarius – all this motherfucker talks about is freedom and seeing the world past the walls. he craves adventure and is extremely optimistic. but even if a sagittarius moon needs their freedom, they are still absolutely ride-or-dies and once they’ve commited to something, NOTHING or NO ONE can stop their determination. these are also the people to try their best to always appear cheerful and full of determination to hide their sad façade – like when he was nearly vomiting when talking about the titans to the other recruits when they began the training in the military but still forced himself to say that the titans aren’t scary at all and that they aren’t a big deal; he naturally inspires others and fills them with courage. but the way they put on this strong and brave façade leads to a strong emotional turmoil, violent urges and a sudden hostility to others. they are filled with surpressed anger that can lead them through very destructive paths – and the happy-go-lucky child might just lose her hope. we see this in eren in the most heartbreaking way.

mercury in aries – LOUD!!! eren speaks what’s on his mind with NO hesitation whatsover. he’s very quick to defend his friends and points of view, and speaks openly about his passions and dreams. he’s very assertive and tenacious. short attention span and not afraid to give a different opinion from someone else’s. very passionate about what he argues about. very expressive and when an aries mercury disagrees with you, you’ll know it immediately by their facial expression. confident and thrives on inspiring others. remember him being mad when it was discovered the possibility of all titans being humans because now he didn’t know who the enemy is and he NEEDS to hate someone and blame them in order to keep going? ARIES MERCURY ENERGY!!

mars in aries - people look to mars in aries to lead them. they’re full of energy and dynamic, and very athletic - eren exceeds at hand-to-hand combat and, in the other subjects where he’s not so good, his determination makes him push forward and become better. VERY hot-headed and confrontational, which is both the source of all their problems and their strength - they are not afraid of going after what they want and are willing to go through any obstacle to do so, and they’re also not afraid of upsetting other people in order to do so. eren is courageous, loves to take initiative and is very enthusiastic - something that is very contageous. competitive and hates compromise, he likes getting his own way. aries mars are also very individualistic and can have a huge ego.

venus in pisces - i know this is going to confuse a lot of people - like, how does he have so much aries energy, how is he so intense yet has one of the softest venus placements? i deeply believe he’s a pisces venus, and here’s why. his friends are EVERYTHING to him. pisces venus’ love very deeply and are very dependent on their loved ones, and eren is extremely protective of his loved ones and is willing to do anything to protect them. pisces venus’ are very vengeful, too, something that people seem to brush off about them - they might not do anything when you mess with them but as soon as you mess with their friends it’s game over. i also get a lot of “there was no other way, the word had to be fixed” vibes from this placement? like, this placement gives me the energy of someone willing to commit awful crimes under the excuse of it being for the greater good, which is something he dramatically experiences as he grows older and witnesses the cruelty of the world.

Armin Arlert

sun in scorpio - armin very resourceful!! he easily adapts to the circunstances he’s in and works his way around it. very intelligent and with great memory. extremely manipulative, cunning and perceptive. scorpios are known for their capability to be great investigators due to their natural curiosity, and armin has this deep need to see the world outside of the walls and he studies all there is to know about it with great passion. determined to succeed. 

cancer rising - armin just wants to achieve his dream and it’s so soft. cancer risings are very receptive of other’s emotions and incredibly sensitive, but it’s difficult for them to open up to others. his appearance is very soft and delicate. loves to help others and has a naturally warm presence that makes others feel comfortable in his presence. give off a very grounded and stable energy, but this is often because they try to hide their most intense emotions and don’t know how to deal with them/don’t want to bother others by opening up about it. 

moon in pisces - one word: EMPATHY!!! very compassionate. tendency to become a martyr and be very self-sacrificial. VERY imaginative, he is the strategist, after all. can feel others emotions and read them very easily. avoids confrontation but feels a strong need to take the weight off of others’ shoulders and to solve all their problems. very loving and giving, in tune with his emotions and emotionally intelligent. on the other side, this caring side of him can make him see other people through rose-colored glasses, and he is prone to believing in the best in people and giving them the benefit of the doubt. but when they’ve proven their true nature to him, he’ll see them for what they are and will no longer defend them, even if still feeling remorse. notice how he’s always like “this had to be done, we had no other choice” to justify his actions.

mercury in scorpio - bro armin’s eyes are so intense. when he gets on his manipulative bullshit it’s IMPOSSIBLE to look away from his gaze. he practically communicates through the eyes. armin is very sharp and his innocent appearance has everyone still thinking of him as a sweet angel as if he isn’t a whole war criminal. he easily psychoanalizes others to know what they want and uses it to his advantage, like how he used berthold’s love for annie to manipulate him to let eren go after him and reiner kidnapped him. scorpio mercuries be knowing shit, they be knowing everyone’s secrets and others usually confide in them as if they’re their therapists. 

mars in pisces - mars in pisces makes a person avoid physical confrontation at all costs. notice how armin’s first response to everyone wanting to kill reiner and bertold/the marleyans was “please let’s just talk about this first”? he hates violence and deems it not worthy most times. he is very physically weak and aware of his limitations, unlike eren and levi, whose first instinct is to use violence in order to get what they want. no, armin has developed a much more subtle and effective way to get what he wants without using violence: emotional manipulation. he is the KING of appearing innocent and naïve and having people feel bad for him and want to baby him and protect him, and due to his extremely intuitive nature, he knows EXACTLY what to say to someone to get under their skin. he twists his words and emotions to get what he needs out of people and it’s both incredible and dangerous. also, very self-sacrifical and his goals are based on his emotions.

venus in cancer - he loves so much and it’s so beautiful and heartbreaking. he gives everything to the ones he loves and thrives off of being helpful and keeping everyone safe. reads a lot into the behaviour of the people he loves. very emotionally intelligent, wants stability and to maintain peace and may bend over backwords to achieve that. needs to feel understood and has a soft spot for troubled people, those who are more demanding and assertive (eren and mikasa), people he can take care of and who can take care of him in return. very affectionate and communicative. warm presence, you can pretty much feel the love radiating out of him. 

Mikasa Ackerman 

sun in aquarius - if you get past the emotional walls of an aquarius that has them appearing detached and distant because they’d rather use intelligence than seem emotional, you’ll be met with an incredibly soft, loving and caring person. an aquarius strength is their ability to be very unique, individualistic and humanitarian individuals - they truly march to the beat of their own drum. mikasa possesses a great deal of determination and isn’t afraid of being rebellious, especially when her loved ones are in danger. 

capricorn rising - people with capricorn rising had to learn to be very independent from a very young age. mikasa is very intimidating but she has a very doll-like beauty, common to many capricorn risings. these people have had to deal with a lot ever since childhood, but they are fighters and their determination has them being able to survive even unsurmountable odds stacked up against them. capricorn risings tend to be serious and disciplined, and with a melancholic aura to them – which mikasa perfectly embodies. but the fact that these people have cancer in their descendant makes them strongly emotionally attached to their loved ones.

aquarius moon - even under the most stressful and dangerous situations, mikasa always remains in control of her emotions. she thrives in those situations, it’s the adrenaline of the moment that has her being so good at controlling her emotions until it’s safe to be anything but racional again. aquarius moons are feel very misunderstood and tend to racionalize their emotions a lot. however, it’s only due to their fear of vulnerability that they build this emotional walls, because they experience very intense emotions. i always think about that survey corp member saying “what did you have to go through for you to be like this?” when she was perfectly stable in a life-or-death situation. 

mercury in capricorn - mikasa is incredibly action-oriented and she speaks in a structured but confident way. although she’s on the quieter side and is reserved, she’s able to inspire everyone when all hope seems lost, and she’s taken up eren’s words of “if we don’t fight, we can’t win” and uses it constantly in order to keep going. she’s very hard to read due to her usually expressionless face, giving her a mysterious aura. she’s very ambitious, persuasive and determined. 

mars in capricorn - when people say that mars in capricorn people are the scariest when they’re angry, they’re not wrong. they act so calm and collected until suddenly they’re fixing you with a death glare and you’re rethinking all your life choices up until this point. mikasa might be extremely rational and calm, but as soon as someone threatens the ones she loves, she’ll stop at nothing to eliminate the threat. it’s like she fears nothing but ever being unable not to save them. she’s very responsible and reliable, with a lot of physical strength and stamina. very PROTECTIVE, grounded and GIVING 

venus in virgo - this is one of the things that makes mikasa so similar to levi, the way they love. this bitch is LOYAL to her very core. she knows very well where her loyalties are - eren and armin - and is ready to kill all her close friends and superiors in order to protect them. she threatened to kill historia if she got in the way of getting eren back home safely, jumped levi on sight when he wanted to save erwin instead of armin, and got pissed at connie for doubting eren’s intentions after the whole marleyan ordeal. acts of service are very much her love language - she constantly picks up eren’s and armin’s stuff and carries it herself or orders them to rest while she works. it’s very hard to gain her trust and loyalty but once you do it’s forever, she’s very selective about the people she cares for. she’s possessive, too - giving historia the coldest death glare in the world when she saw her with eren. i’ve also noticed that venus in virgo are very difficult to declare their emotions!! they’ll just wait for the person to notice their indirect acts of affection. very attentive to the needs and details of loved ones.  

[mage-cat]

Roses

Perfuma seeks common ground with the Rebellion's newest member, Catra. 

Part 4 of the Mending Bridges series. Start from the beginning of the series here.

Story under the cut. ~1000 words. Link to AO3 through here.

Catra walked into one of Bright Moon’s more secluded gardens, steeling herself for another tense but polite half-hour or so. Glimmer and Scorpia insisted that the rest of the Alliance would come around if she spent more time around them, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding in her chest and her mind from running through all the ways things could go wrong when she had to deal with princesses. Knowing that someone who had her back was there helped. Seeing that Perfuma was alone with neither of Catra’s usual backers in sight nearly made Catra turn on her heel, but Perfuma’s voice told her she was caught.

“The time I gave to Scorpia is an hour from now. I wanted a chance to talk to you in private.”

Catra walked closer and crossed her arms over her chest. “Then talk”

“I think we could be friends. I also think you don’t trust it when people like you, and I’m hoping to dispel some negative energy by explaining myself.” She sat on the grass and gestured to invite Catra to sit facing her. “Will you humor me?”

Catra sat as Perfuma fished something out of her pocket and pressed it into the ground between them.

“I think the soil we grew in and the way we were tended were a lot more different than our seeds. Are you familiar with roses?”

“Type of flower. Right?”

A sprout began to grow.

“The flower is the first thing most people think of. There have been gardeners that spent lifetimes breeding them to bloom in different colors or with more petals.”

An orange blossom with layer upon layer of petals emerged from a bud.

“Just as important in making a rose a rose, though, are the thorns.” The stem of the plant erupted in inch-long spikes. “And the healthiest roses are fed with blood.” Perfuma smirked. “People forget that plants can be vicious.”

She looked wistfully at the tiny rose bush. “My father was never comfortable with having a rose for a daughter. He was more like ivy, tenacious but... by the time it was just him and me, the fight had gone out of him. I think he had fought so hard and lost too much. He thought if I wasn’t a fighter, I might not lose so badly. Out of love, he tried to strip my thorns and encourage my flowers. Some of it was necessary--I ran wild after Mama died--but I do think he went too far. Fighting in the Alliance has meant a lot to me.” Her eyes were back on Catra now. “When I watch you--especially when I watch you with Scorpia--I wonder what I might have been like if I was raised by someone who tried to strip my flowers and encourage my thorns instead. Maybe one rose to another, we can understand each other?”

Catra hugged one knee to her chest. “Adora and Scorpia were raised in the same place I was. They didn’t turn out like me.”

“The seeds we start from are important too. I don’t think of either of them as roses. They’re more like hardwood trees. They survive by being hard to move, rather than having anything sharp about them. Adora is like an oak, golden wood and broad spreading branches that want to shield us all. Scorpia is like a cherry tree, darker, red-toned wood and branches covered in pale, delicate blossoms that turn into sweet fruit.”

Catra suspected it wasn’t the thought of cherries alone that had made her voice turn so soft. “Do you have a thing for Scorpia?”

Perfuma looked at her hands in her lap as though that would hide how her tanned cheeks were turning noticeably pink. “I think her heart is elsewhere.”

Catra fingered the petals of the orange rose. If roses came in as many colors as Perfuma said, she had likely chosen one the color of Catra’s magic on purpose. “I know there are things Scorpia wants from me. I also know I’m not ready to give them to her. I might never be ready to give them to her, but she still deserves them. If someone else is willing and able to give her those things, she has my support.” She raised her eyes back up to meet Perfuma’s. “But if you hurt her, I will make you regret it.”

“That sounds fair.” She stood up. “May I give you a hug? You always look like you could use more hugs in your life.”

“Sure.” She stood up and let her have at it. As she awkwardly returned the embrace she noticed something. “What do I smell in your pocket?”

Perfuma stepped back. “Oh! That. I was going to offer you a calming tea I find helpful. Then I remembered that, while one of the ingredients is a mild sedative for most people, feline species often have a very different reaction, so I wanted to check with you first. How do you react to catnip?” At Catra’s shrug, Perfuma pulled a small cloth ball out of her pocket. “Give it a light sniff.”

Catra took it and did so. Her pupils opened so wide that her eyes become almost entirely black. “Alright, this is good, but the total opposite of relaxing.”

Perfuma chuckled softly. “Duly noted. If you put it away, the feeling should fade in a couple of minutes. The aftereffects actually should leave you feeling pretty mellow for a while.

As Catra tucked it away in her pocket, Perfuma continued. “You know, with what’s happened with the Heart and the Runestones, I realized I might need to be able to fight without my magic one day. We were all drained for while you and Glimmer were... elsewhere. Would you be willing to give me some help with that later? I suspect that I might adapt to your hand-to-hand style better than Adora’s. In exchange, I could walk you through some meditations that I find helpful. Maybe the two of us can work out a balance between our flowers and our thorns together.”

Catra grinned. “I think I might like that.”

Next story: One Bridge to Burn >

[cloakofshadows]

Fenlynn Cheth → Letter to home #1

This letter is from Fenlynn Cheth to her mother in Assam in the Shining Plains. Attached is 1000 gold pieces.

Mama,

          I know it’s been awhile since I last wrote to you.

          I am safe. Things are a bit unclear right now, so I don’t know how much I should be sharing. Please know that I am going to be alright.

          I didn’t want to send you one of those messages I learned in school because I know you don’t like them. So, I’m writing this letter. That way, you can have a physical copy to keep.

          Things between us last were unfortunate, to say the least. Losing Papa was a lot. I know my leaving didn’t make it any better; I’m sorry. I was so used to the University where I could get as much space as I wanted, whenever I wanted. Needless to say, this letter won’t make it better, but I hope it’s a start in fixing things.

          I’ve had some very eye-opening travels since leaving home. After leaving the Plains, I headed out on a caravan towards Greenest. Since then, things became a big spiral. Good and bad, but still a spiral. In the middle of it all are some strangers—and myself, of course.

          These women are like none I’ve ever met.

          One is a half-elf woman named Kestrel. She’s skilled with so many kinds of weapons I had no idea existed! Seemingly well-versed in stealthily hunting dragons, she’s a dexterous fighter. She talks about a family in Baldur’s Gate and a life as a gladiator. It seems like a fitting profession; she works quickly with weapons and has a flair to her movements. It truly is a performance to watch. Outside of her taste for the dramatic, she’s especially competent at showing the rest of us figure our way out through the wilderness. Her prowess is far beyond my current understanding.

          There’s another woman—Mercy. She’s a winged tiefling with the most magnificent horns atop her head. Another fighter, she’s well-versed in militaristic fighting. Her plate armor further suggests she is adept to battle. I haven’t figured out how, but she appears to also be a holy warrior of sorts. Her powers burn others in a way unlike the fire I know. I’ll need to study it more closely to figure out what separates our magic. When she’s speaking with others, Mercy is calm, even-handed; she’s not one to yell or even laugh with strangers. There’s a strange charismatic quality to her.

          Lastly, there’s Renata, a cleric of Bahamut. You’re familiar with Bahamut, yes? She’s a young cleric, seeming to always place the priorities of others before her own. Perhaps this is a part of Bahamut’s dogma? I haven’t asked her yet. As for her magic, she is more attuned to fulfilling her god’s wishes than using the magic surrounding her. She is kind and has used some of her healing abilities to help us out of quite a few scrapes. Renata appears to be a regular human with the exception of her eyes—akin to fire opals in color. Very peculiar indeed.

          Ever since I met these three women, my life has been turned upside down. I think our paths will be intertwined for the foreseeable future.

          As of now, my journey is not over; I still have some things to settle. When I come home, I will share everything since leaving. I’m unsure when that date will be, as everything that goes wrong seems to keep going wrong. We’re trying to keep spirits high, I promise.

          In my travels, I have grown familiar with the dragon cult the other merchants spoke of. Should they come to the Shining Plains, please get as many people out of the area. They are ruthless and have no hesitations in dispensing of lives. No amount of martial combat will stop them; the cult members are tenacious. It’s imperative you get as many people to leave as you can.

          I will try to write you more often. Right now, I believe we will be heading back to Waterdeep. There, I can send you this letter. The coin purse should help.

Best,

Sincerely,

Love,

Fen

[daddypoett]

The Prince and His Knight

Chapter 1: They Meet

Once upon a time in the faraway Kingdom of Elysium a king and queen give birth to a beautiful baby boy named Lucas. The boy grew up strong, handsome, kind, charming, and all the markings of a truly phenomenal leader. He caught the attention of women from all the nearby kingdoms with his short brown hair groomed to perfection each morning along with his beard being kept short, his milky, amber eyes coupled with his lean muscular body and tall build. The prince, despite his near perfection, does have one tragic difficulty unknown to many casted down on him by the wicked witches of the east. He was cursed with the inability to feel romantic love which would turn permanent and rid him of all his emotions if he could not find his true love by midnight on his eighteenth birthday. Not to mention, the Prince also has difficulty feeling any emotions unless they are intense and completely true. Despite his court’s best attempts the Prince has found himself depressed and lonely for most of his life. Unimpressed by the things that were given to attempt to distract and delight him.

Prince Lucas’ seventeenth birthday rolls around and his court and family are frantic to find him a suitor before he becomes dark and emotionless. His parents have become so desperate and divided on the matter that they decided to each try their own plan to save Prince Lucas.

King Ivan decided he’d train an army to locate and force the wicked witches into lifting the curse. Queen Mary decided she’d have fair maidens lineup from kingdoms near and far to attempt to win over her baby boy’s heart. Day after day the prince would sit for twelve hours talking to princesses and royalty from all over but alas only found them uninteresting with the same uneventful tales of palace or castle life. The prince didn’t have much hope for either plan yet played along to give his family the hope they undoubtedly needed. He often didn’t sleep and would spend his nights in the mirror practicing the emotions he had trouble feeling. One of those included joy which came easy because he felt it some years ago training and going on missions with the recruits for the King’s army. Fighting for himself during the day and singing with his mates at night around a fire brought light into young prince’s eyes. In addition to the freedom he also thoroughly enjoyed getting away from the king and queen for days not having to uphold their standards. Alas, those days are now over. He is a month into his mother’s plan and women still flood the castle gates every morning despite his wishes that they wouldn’t.

The only upside to the separate plans is that King Ivan wasn’t there to have his any of his outbursts. He was too busy taking it out on whatever poor group of knights he got to agree to hunt witches with him. He was barely ever around the castle anymore, instead he is usually out barking orders at his men while dishing out harsh punishments to those who couldn’t keep up with his drills or help him locate the witches.

Today marks the 35th day Queen Mary has tried to force a wife onto the prince yet has failed once again. Per usual, the prince’s overall disdain for these women coupled with his bluntness left a girl in shambles crying at his feet, as he leaned down to apologize he was yanked down by his red and gold robe nearly knocking off his shimmering crown. The woman began begging for him to wed her. Before she could finish her plea the guards came to attempt to drag her away but the six foot tall muscular, tenacious princess put up a fight the guards would not soon forget causing such a commotion Queen Mary rushes to call for more guards to escort the persevering princess out of the castle. Our prince seized this opportunity to step down from his throne and tries to sneak out of the opposite end of the throne hall to escape the posh, panicking princess pile up of doom.

He gets around to the other side of the hall before his name is called out by his mother silencing the chaos as everyone turns to see Lucas sprinting away. He darts left and slides down the spiral staircase, makes another left into the kitchen running into the maids and cooks preparing supper. The maidens gawk at the young man as he takes off his robe and crown handing them to the nearest servant, then bolting out the backdoor in his linen shirt and baggy pants.

He inhales the crisp fresh air, feels the wind blow through his hair, finally away from all the “fair” princesses desperately trying to save him with their misplaced love. He begins running to the training quarters feeling his feet beat against the the dirt path as his heart quickly makes its own beat picking up pace like battle drums leading him to his safe place.

Lucas reaches the sparing area outside and ducks behind some nearby shrubbery to watch a few matches. The winner of the match takes on the next opponent until they lose.

For the entire morning a knight by the name of Connor has gone undefeated, quickly outsmarting his opponents, often leaving them on their back with his wooden sword to their neck. Connor was an orphan boy now seventeen that impressed the king four years ago when he reportedly disarmed and embarrassed several officers attempting to arrest him for theft in the market. He was then giving the choice of life in prison or his pledging unwavering loyalty to protect the kingdom, especially the king and his family. He subjected Connor to harsher training than the rest claiming him as the kingdom’s champion as he vanquished countless foes over the years leaving other rulers petrified of Elysium’s champion.

Connor isn’t short but he certainly isn’t the tallest and despite having a nice build isn’t the biggest either. His mocha brown skin shined with sweat facing his last opponent, even his short, scruffy beard dripped droplets of sweat, he tied back his long wavy hair as his adversary stepped forward. They took their ready positions as Connor felt his blood begin to boil and his heart beginning to thump like wings quickly flapping leading him to push his challenger with a level of sureness he had never felt before.

Prince Lucas can no longer sit by and watch as his heart is still pounding like the stomping of children running down stairs to receive a treat. He wants to feel the rush a of a challenging rival. He dips away at the beginning of the final match to fetch a knight’s helmet and comes back as they begin cheering for their champion. Lucas grabs a loose training sword, pushes past the swarm of sweaty simpletons to stand before Connor. He doesn’t speak, only gestures for him to pick up his sword and gets into fighting position. Connor doesn’t speak as well, just picks up his sword and enters ready position.

Their hearts racing like its their first time in combat. They gravitate toward each other lunging at the same time banging their sword together. After a series of impressive blows from both ends Lucas flings Connor’s sword away. Confident, perhaps too soon, Lucas steps forward expecting surrender yet to his surprise Connor tackles him to the ground pinning Lucas’ hands under his knees leaving him what he thinks is powerless. He goes to remove the helmet of his reticent rival when Lucas kicks his knee up into the back of Connor’s head losing his grip enough on the hand without the sword. Lucas goes to strike Connors face but he catches it and puts it behind Lucas’ head and bends down to be sure of no more surprise knees from behind.

Speaking into the silent silver face Connor says through the chanting of his fellow brethren, “How about a truce?”

“I don’t lose; feel free to get off of me so I can end this.”, Lucas replies through the grates of his metal mask.

“It’s not losing we’re just agreeing to call it even since you have no way out of this but I have no way of striking a final blow, so we are at a stalemate and might as well call it a truce. You’re a great fighter and worthy adversary but this’ll never end.”

“Fine, get off of me.”

He stands up offering the weird warrior his hand, which Lucas ignores standing up and immediately turning and darting away into a nearby forest. He took the long way home, grinning the entire walk back thinking about the way him and Connor fought so passionately with so much fire behind their blows. He removed his helmet when he was close to the castle, once there he snuck in through the kitchen to avoid Queen Mary. The prince then went into his chamber and locked the door. His heart rate had finally simmered down yet it still felt loud like battle drums.

Connor went back to other drills with the men, besting everyone in other skill sets such as archery. He started wishing the secretive soldier would come back to challenge him in other drills. Now Connor is back in his quarters, separate from the rest of the men since he is the kingdom’s champion. He can’t stop thinking about who could’ve matched him so well. He can’t even sleep as he is plagued with questions, wondering where he could’ve came, or if he’s a threat. His heart is calmer now yet is still restless.

Prince Lucas lies awake yearning to feel his heartbeat like it had earlier, so he decided to go look for adventure in the forest and be back in time to face his mother for more potential bride meetings. He got dressed, put on his helmet, and climbed down from his bedroom window. As soon as his feet hit the ground he was off running trying keep up with his heartbeat leading him into the unknown deep in the forest.

Connor decides to go for a walk to attempt to clear his head and as soon as his feet connect with the ground his heartbeat picks up moving his feet for him leading him deep into the forest.

-Poet

[ganymedesclock]

I have to confess that there seems to be a persistent fandom perception that Keith’s dad was an awful person and cruel parent or that, at best, he up and ditched Keith willfully for possibly a nebulously well-intended reason.

Which... confuses me, honestly.

Like. Let’s just look at s2e8 and what that told us.

First: Keith still cares about his father. He would not have seen his dad in that scenario afterward. Kolivan states the suit plays on Keith’s greatest fears and greatest hopes. One of Keith’s greatest hopes is seeing his father again. When the image of his dad asks if Keith wants to catch up, Keith’s response, without hesitation, is, “of course I do.” He looks hurt his dad would even consider Keith turning him away.

Look at that face. That’s not just “I don’t understand totally what’s going on here,” that’s “Dad, how could you even insinuate I don’t want you here?”

And honestly, the image of Keith’s dad lives up to that. Yes, he seems shady and manipulative in some ways, trying to play Keith’s emotions to manipulate Keith’s decisions, but we can probably rule that out as part of the real Dad Kogane’s personality- because hologram Shiro does the same thing. The purpose of these figures during the trial is to use familiar faces to pull Keith’s heartstrings. To make it harder for him to say no to them than the faceless, unfamiliar Marmora soldiers.

Hologram Shiro is the same way- detached, unconcerned, sort of smirky, and wants his way over what Keith wants. We see an incredible contrast between holo Shiro and the real one- the real one who asserts with certainty that Keith would never give up and who refuses to separate Keith from the knife even if it means singlehandedly fighting every Blade member on the base trying to get to Red in time. Which, remember, they have a narrow window to enter and exit the base safely.

And I think other evidence stands that this is not remotely who the real Dad Kogane is as a person.

First of all, once again: Keith, confronted by his father again with no context, is not angry. Not even once. His immediate response is of course he wants his dad back. Of course he wants to talk. Keith- of the relentless priorities, and the case of objective-based tunnel vision- who pilots the super-fast instinct-focused Lion that specializes on leaping on and responding to situations at top speed- actually hesitates and lingers in that dream of the shed, because reconnecting with his father is that important to him.

Keith has definitely been angry at people potentially leaving him before. Look at the way he blew up at Pidge. It’s not that Keith is suppressing or holding back anger towards his father. 

There’s also the fact that, powerfully, much like the image of Shiro: the hologram of Dad Kogane appears during the trial because Keith is suffering and heavily injured. Specifically Shiro- who, Keith looks up to Shiro. Keith adores Shiro, and has valued him as a source of advice and stability. (“If it weren’t for you, my life would’ve been a lot different.”)

Keith is hurt, down, exhausted and alone. His brain is trying to pull people who are comforting. People he feels are, or were, trustworthy, supporting, there for him in times of need. And he comes up with Shiro, and his father.

This does not remotely illustrate his father as negligent, harsh, or distant. If anything it would tell us that Dad Kogane was very close to Keith. It would suggest, much like the real Shiro was much more concerned with Keith, and much more horrified at Keith’s injured state- that very likely the real Dad Kogane would not interact with a heavily injured Keith that way, or try to press him between reconnecting or going to be a paladin.

If anything, there’s the matter of how the suit tries to pass its manipulations as Shiro, vs. how it does Keith’s father.

With Shiro, the hologram appeals through Shiro’s sense of duty and how Keith looks to him as a guide. “You’re making the wrong choice,” “you’re driving the other paladins away from you” “I’m here to try and help you get back on the right track.” It uses his snappiness- and Shiro can be quite snappy, look at his whole response to Kolivan in that episode- to drive a sense of urgency.

In contrast, hologram Dad Kogane is completely calm. The entire time. When Keith starts wavering towards the other choice, the hologram of his father doesn’t get angry- rather, he seems to fold inwards- he gets sad. Unlike holo Shiro, who forces the issue- if Keith won’t immediately choose him then he’s going to leave- Keith’s father watches him go. Quietly, without struggle or protest.

This tells us that even with the suit trying to use him as manipulation, it would be incredibly unlike Keith’s father to lose his temper at Keith- to a point that it would break Keith’s immersion and make him realize immediately this is not his father. The suit can’t make a convincingly angry Dad Kogane.

The threads I’m seeing here are a well-meaning, soft-spoken individual who Keith remembers as gentle, reassuring, and a protective force- “We’ll be safe as long as we stay here.” That’s what Keith views his father as- a protective force. And this is such a powerful memory that even having gone on as an adult and witnessed the galra empire- in dream logic, it makes perfect sense that Keith’s dad, and the shack, could protect him from the storming, marching empire.

And once again, unlike holo Shiro, the hologram of Dad Kogane is willing to stay there as long as Keith wants him to. The impetus to break that interaction off is on Keith, and Keith alone. And in case we weren’t convinced Keith wants nothing more than to reconnect with his father, that tiny, heartbroken, “Goodbye, Dad,” is telling enough.

Keith isn’t mad at his father. He misses him, terribly. The implication seems to be that he vanished, rather than he died- but I’m very suspicious that the episode that introduces him draws parallels between him and Shiro. Because Shiro is also, definitely, a figure that vanished from Keith’s life, but that was because he was forcibly abducted from the empire. He agreed to leave, in that he agreed to go on the mission in the first place, knowing it would take him away from Keith, but he had every intention of coming right back. That it would be a month, maybe, but nothing like a year. 

And while we can’t really make unbiased judgments on how Keith’s parents feel about him, I’ve mentioned before that there seems to be a connection between Keith’s father and the shack. That the dream chooses to put it there, and that this is the designated safe place the empire cannot reach.

Basically, we have these kind of inanimate tokens that seem to hearken back to Keith’s parents: the knife, and the shack, and Keith’s interactions with these places have been in a sense, nurturing.

The knife guides Keith to the Blade- while it’s a rocky reception, the knife is also what settles the dispute by awakening for Keith. It guides him to more information about himself, and it’s stayed by his side the entire time, when seemingly, very little else has. As a weapon and as a tool, he’s used it to protect himself and to fight.

If this is indicative of Keith’s mother, it would paint a picture of someone who is maybe not comforting and reassuring, but viciously and tenaciously in Keith’s corner. The knife activates in his grip just as he’s about to give it up- almost like someone else going “Nope, not happening, you’re worthy, you don’t get to back out because you don’t think you’re all that.” Possibly, Keith’s mom is or was someone who helped reveal things to him, which would make sense, if she was a Marmoran- they do have their thing of knowledge or death, and prioritize that knowledge very highly.

Ironically, this is a lot of how the Red Lion interacts with Keith- Red is not very good at being reassuring, but she’ll fight tooth and nail to protect Keith and help him accomplish his goals- and in s2e8, she not only appears in Keith’s dream, but during that scene, when he loses consciousness, Red starts trying to tear the base apart to get to him.

But if Keith’s father is connected to, and potentially the original builder of the desert shack... The shack was basically a final bastion Keith didn’t even know that he had. He felt “called” out to it, possibly by Blue, but possibly by a separate force drawing him to the shack itself. It was humble, it was small- but a safe place to hide and somewhere he could make his base of operations. When Keith thought he had nothing left, losing Shiro and the Garrison, he goes out into the desert and... it was waiting for him.

It’s a humble little place. It’s not much. Like the very sheepish way Dad Kogane presents himself- it does not suggest, historically, he’s someone who sees himself as a very big deal. And yet that humble little building arguably went up against some intimidating forces. If the bike was with the shack, then implicitly what Dad Kogane left behind was key in Keith challenging, taking Shiro from, and escaping the Garrison- and then hid them from the Garrison for at least twelve hours, if not longer.

Reading this as a study in Dad Kogane’s character and his relationship with Keith, if we can read the knife as Keith’s relationship with his mother, it would suggest that Dad Kogane is not the informant or the fighter that his partner is. “Knowledge or death” is not how he operates. And compared to the glossy, cool-looking ceremonial blade made of rare space metal, the shack and the bike, even if they seem to have hidden properties or capabilities- the bike in particular is pretty high-caliber- are very dull and shabby-looking. If anything, they’re so shabby it belies those capabilities.

(Some self-deprecation issues there, Dad Kogane..?)

But somewhere to live, a shelter and a hiding place, would reinforce what was suggested in the hologram- that Dad Kogane cared most about safety, and protecting Keith specifically. Taking the bike and the shack together, it’d suggest that while Mom Kogane left behind a window to Keith’s history, and a means to defend himself- a rigidly practical gift- Dad Kogane was more worried about if something went wrong, and wanted to give Keith both somewhere to hide and a way to run if anything was chasing him.

With my theory that Dad Kogane was an outsider coming from space, that difference in priorities could well explain when and where Keith’s parents split up. Mom Kogane, the fighter, went to challenge whatever was pursuing them, and put her back to Keith and Dad Kogane- whatever was coming it wasn’t getting through her. Comparatively, Dad Kogane, the protector, took Keith and ran, eventually coming to Earth, which, for all the same reasons the shack might appeal to someone, Earth was the same way- forgettable, quiet, a needle in a haystack to find. The empire only found it because the empire’ been going through the universe one strand of hay at a time, and eventually they’d hit the needle anyway. They brute forced it, basically.

But all of the items left behind by Keith’s parents suggest that somehow, they felt that they couldn’t be with him, but wanted him to be okay anyway. There is a thread of implied sacrifice to both the bike and the sword.

The Marmorans that we’ve seen, even at the highest level, only carry one sword. If Mom Kogane’s weapon is with Keith- well, there’s a reason the members of the Blade reacted so harshly. That’s an agent’s last line of defense, not in that agent’s hands. Possibly, like Ulaz or Thace, Mom Kogane did not intend to survive whatever she was doing for Keith’s sake- though whether or not she did survive is a different question.

And if Dad Kogane is not a fighter, if he would much rather run than face confrontation, if the bike was at the shack for Keith, it means he wasn’t using it. And it doesn’t make much sense for someone who seems to have held Keith as such a high priority, who Keith remembers as someone who would keep him safe no matter what they were dealing with, to just walk out.

I think again, about the parallels drawn between him and Shiro- that he might have intended to leave, but only for a short time, only to be caught up by a larger force that took him off-guard.

But I also have to wonder if something else was coming and Dad Kogane left to divert it.

I mean. There’s a lot of peculiar things afoot and I don’t think we can know for sure at this point what caused it, but to bring this back around to where the post started: while we don’t know for sure how or why Dad Kogane disappeared, from what we can tell, we have no reason to suspect he was a bad parent pre-disappearance, and it’s pretty obvious Keith is more hurt and missing him than he is angry and “well screw you for giving me trauma, I’m fine without you”

[angisam]

Your wild side

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AO3

chapter summary: Now everything is a bit better clarified

Tag: underfell au , Fellwolves au, bad language (I do not cut anything at all) , violence, fight ,”gore”, experiments, panic attacks, I’m bad to describe things as labeled …

character chapter: underfell!Sans , wolvesfell!Pap, Frisk, Flowey

Chapter 10

At first he was surprised at what the boy had said until something clicked in his head. - And if he is perhaps right - that this theory is surreal doesn't make it unlikely at all, years ago he was studying everything about the space-time, even still kept in his basement the remains of the project in which he worked it, not for the purpose of traveling between universes but with the same principles.

Fowey’s face was pure poetry; his face of unexpected surprise said it all - "What?" - "Just think about it, it looks a lot like him, he recognizes bossy as his brother, he knows he lived in snowdin, nobody knows who he is. ... "c-could be .... Maybe ..." - The last sentence was almost a sigh. - "Frisk, cut it that!" - Shouted shaking its leaves up.

"I really think it's my counterpart" - "DO NOT  laugh at us you trashbag!" - "I'm serious, you never heard the theory of parallel worlds" - Frisk looked curious and Flowey with hatred - "look no matter what are you think unlike your wild friends, I - "-" they aren't savages ... "- interrupted annoyed the boy -" yeah, in fact they are more civilized than those that live in that small town "-" THE CASE is that I worked In a project to leave the underground using the concept of travel between space and time of the same reality, I doubt that you understand it but basically we managed to obtain a hypothesis where it confirmed the existence of different time lines or even different alternate universes "- the human and his friend looked a little surprised until the flower began to speak -" you realize that there are endless possibilities more realistic than that stupid story "-" huh? What do you mean "-" well, who can tell us that you do not try to cajole us to kill us behind our backs "- the skeleton simply smiled cheerfully with lazy eyes -" what is your- from the ground come pointy bones that practically rose them Were immobilized. A bone was placed in front of Flowey's view and at the end of the handle could be seen the face of satisfaction of Sans. Bossy fell to the ground in surprise.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would simply kill you, I am not very good to be an actor * wink" * the invoked bone disappeared. "I really don't care if you believe me or not, I'm going to spend the night with you" - "WHAT! What makes you believe that?" - "... the injured leg that your friend doesn’t savage has left me, how late it has been done to return to the town, besides that I have no idea how to return actually "-" all that is your fault "-" it wasn't me who ran out before starting a pleasant conversation "-" Of course, as nice as before? "-" you still breathe, don't you? "- both showed each other sure they would not lose this" battle "with each other, Flowey growled and began to show signs more than Evident irritation while the skeleton seemed to have fun.

"Stop fighting, it's totally stupid ..." - the flower snorted and turned his gaze away and Sans laughed internally of the act. "I have to talk with Flowey for a moment, we'll come right away." The boy moved a few feet away from his original position. Meanwhile Sans looked down to meet the minipapyrus who was still looking at him with his eyes of stupefaction. "Yes ... I know ... I think the same thing when I look at you"

The flower narrowed your eyes at Sans and he crossed my arms - "I swear I can't stand it anymore and we only know him for 10 minutes, do you really believe its history? "-" ... it makes sense somehow "-" Frisk "-" say what you want but what you said has a certain meaning, I mean, if I told him what I can do, I wouldn't believe it and that wouldn't be a lie "- his friend seemed to reflect on what he just heard -" whatever ,you didn't bring me here for that, and the answer is NO "-" WHY NOT? "- shouted the boy unconsciously and quickly some sheets were covering Their mouths- " you can't trust him, be" a Sandy "or not, you don't know their true intentions him, could be dangerous " - "you enter the same of the two brother and thanks to it we are still here" - " it isn't the same situation "-" I trusted you nothing more to meet us, also has already demonstrated that he  can defeat us without any effort "- tired of discussing the subject and knowing any argument exposed the human would find the way to contradict it exhalo and let out an " ok " .

When they left without a second thought under the gaze of his brother. It was not very high should measure something like 1 meter or so, if Sans was in front of Papyrus, or "Bossy" as the boy he call, it would reach the ribs, should be 7 years or so like? Don’t he? His confused face was more than obvious; he had also felt so in the first contact even now felt strange.

"If ... I know ... I also think the same thing when I look at you" - just like the beastly human with a winter coat of hair on his neck but considerably much larger with respect to his height, the jacket reaches his knees. A more determined vision made him realize the scar that crossed his left eye. Even in a different universe was that damn scar...

Sans noticed a sharp prick in his ankle where he had been nibbled, with all the gill had not bothered to even take a quick look, well now was the perfect time.

 It turned out nothing too serious the bones were a bit chipped but still could move .... with pain.

"You have very good teeth, you know? Even my brother hasn't managed to have a smile so sharp "- did not get any particular response from the smallest -" heh you're a fighter alike, right? "Before he finished his alagoas began stroking his head

"WHY NOT?" - a shout from the human was heard, it was more than obvious why they wanted to talk alone, this simply confirmed the fact. He hoped he would not have to go bad, not all of Snowdin's people would come home when night fell below ground, many of them wandered around looking for someone to steal or simply looking for a fight, it was too dangerous and even having a Crippled foot could not maneuver as much as he wanted.

He curled a little as he felt something touch his hand. He had not realized that he still kept his hand on Bossy's head as he kept rambling on his thoughts- "heheh I'm sorry, I guess you don't like it." He moved his hand away as if the skull had begun to burn.

The smaller one stretched towards Sans and began to hug him trying to roll him in the sitting position of Sans as much as he could with his short arms. Without much thought, he grabbed the Minipapyrus and brought it to his lap to make things easier for him. It felt a bit strange about this.

"He really misses her ..." - the human and the Flower returned from their little talk without being aware of it.

"You mean the Sans of this universe? What happened to him? Did you say they took him away? "

"If ... a few weeks ago we were approached by monsters and Sandy tried to keep them away from us by attracting their attention, we know they didn't intend to kill us so we think they took him ... although ... we aren't really sure, we have not seen him ... more" - finished the sentence in a sore voice and the only thing that was heard later was the cold breeze of the forest - "you look a lot like him that's why I acted like that in the city, I really believed that ... maybe I was back."

 The undergroundl was synonymous with survival although in cities people were the most "sociable" continuous fights were something that became a simple routine, the youngest quickly learned the situation of the world where they lived. One day you can be with your loved ones and the other lose everything by crossing you with the wrong person. When his younger brother told him he got a sentry post, there was no day that Sans feared for the life of his little brother. His brother was strong and tenacious and with time passed that fear was disappearing.

In this universe things had not happened like this, his brother's counterpart had lost his older brother being just a child. The embrace of Sans became stronger knew very well how painful it was for a child to lose everything in a day, when they lived in New Home it was common to see children in the streets, surviving without any help. There were not enough shelters or orphanages to shelter all those faces overcome to despair.

"Do you have any verdict mr judge?" - The wolf turned his head to look at his two companions.

"Huh ... oh, yes! Can you be with us”- he smile

"Hehe, that's great, anyway I do not think Pupyrus would have liked the alternative, certainly.

"I thought it was" Papyrus "

" Agh " - without grace was another thing that Flowey would target on his list.