#adventures of shad

[shad-the-rad]

I love catsitting because I can be like “oh where’s Moonpie? I haven’t seen her for a while” so I check her box and there she is

The other cat, RC, never leaves me alone, so I never have to wonder where he is…

[wildtornado-o]

Doodles :)

I think the Graham de Vanilys should have some cats and ferrets, Félix seems like a ferret liker <3 The doodles on the last image are old ones i never got aroun to posting, mostly consisting of the aged up designs i have 4 feligami

[ratrrriot]

🎶 ♪ My wish for you,sweet happy life

May all your sorrows be gone, and your heart begin to sing

And if a wish can make it be,

I wish you spend every day of your happy life with me ♪🎶

[derpycatsu]

replaying tp (again) YAAAAAYYYY

i think it would be so cool that with all the mirror shard dungeons each resistance member would go with link and explore and adventure together (i know with some of the dungeon mechanics/stuff it wouldnt really work with two people but I Dont Care) . and also i love ashei and shad and i miss them they are so silly to me

[screaming-but-also-no]

VERY LATE BUT HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!

[silverjurors]

I would love Ein to be in MCD as Irene's brother not because of any contributions to the plot but because of the DRAMA that man could cause

Like, Irene is canonically gorgeous, he would 100% have experience intimidating potential love interests away

Imagine the menace he could be when put into MCD context with that kind of life experience

[smilesrobotlover]

Whumptober day 10- alternative prompt, panic

Love at twilight!!!! :D it’s a strong focus on Rusl and the Ordon kids and I love it so much. Hope you guys love it too! Uh, this one is very mild, not a lot of whump, but there is a brief moment of panic. It’s a lot more lighthearted than the others. Anyways hope you like it as much as I do 🙃

~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright ya kidlets, are y’all ready for a daring adventure in the forest?”

Rusl looked out at the young Ordon kids who stared at him blankly. Rusl cleared his throat and gestured to Faron woods behind him.

“C’mon, I know y’all are excited.”

Beth yawned while Colin rubbed his eyes. It was pretty early in the morning, and these kids were barely teenagers, the oldest being fifteen, so being awake was clearly not something they wanted. Rusl swore that he didn’t sleep as much as they did when he was a teenager, but regardless they were all very tired and very much not excited for an adventure through the woods. His little three year old stepped up and put her hands on her hips.

“Toughen up ya sleepyheads!” She yelled out in her three-year-old voice, and Rusl chuckled.

“Yeah, you heard her! Wake up, you’re gonna need all your energy for today!”

Talo raised his hand. “Rusl, why are we up so early, and why are we going into the woods?”

Rusl clapped his hands excitedly and walked over to the kids. He’s been training them sword fighting. Mayor Bo believed that if another invasion were to happen, having just Rusl and Link there to defend Ordon would not be able to work, so he wanted the younger kids to learn how to fight in order to protect their home more. Renado wanted his daughter to be taught as well, mostly so she would protect herself in case anything happened. Rusl happily obliged, wanting to start training Colin anyways. The kids were all pretty excited to learn sword fighting, even Beth who didn’t enjoy that type of stuff. Rusl figured since all the kids were so close now that they loved doing anything together, so the training has been easy going for Rusl. But after a few months of training, Rusl wanted them to get more hands-on experience. He faced Faron woods and put his hands on his hips with Rela copying him dramatically.

“Talo, I’m going to see how far along you’ve come on your training, by venturing through Faron woods, and learning how to survive without the comforts of your home!”

There were various mixed reactions from the kids. Talo and Luda seemed pretty excited, Colin was indifferent, but Beth was pretty upset. He figured these would be reactions, so he faced them again and knelt down.

“It’ll only be for one night, we’re gonna practice our fighting skills, appreciate Farore’s gift to us, and learn how to survive in the wild.”

Beth crossed her arms and looked down. “Are there gonna be monsters?”

Talo paled a bit and Luda looked at Beth worriedly. Rusl shrugged.

“Who knows. We’ve cleared it out so there shouldn’t be, but if there are monsters,” Rusl grinned in a teasing manner, “then you’ll have to put your sword fighting skills to the test! Now let’s go!”

Rusl headed into the forest with the kids following him closely behind, making sure to hold onto Rela’s hand as they walked on the trail. When they reached a small river, he picked up his daughter and hopped on rocks effortlessly, landing on the other side. The kids watched him in disbelief and he waved them over.

“They’re nice and sturdy! Don’t worry!”

Talo nodded and hopped onto the rocks. Rusl set down Rela when he reached the other side and smiled. Rusl gave him a thumbs up and the others quickly followed. Rela sat there with her hands on her hips giving them all words of “encouragement”.

“C’mon you slow pokes! Hurry it up!” She would yell at Beth who was being very careful not to fall in the water. “There’s no wind to knock ya over, you can do better than that!” She yelled at Luda who nearly lost her balance on a rock. Colin hopped from one rock to the next, but slipped and fell face first into the water. Rela waddled over to her brother and crossed her arms. “You’re a failure!”

Rusl walked over to her and nudged her over to Talo, who was trying not to laugh at the little girl berating everyone.

“Sweet spirits above, Rela,” he muttered, and offered his hand to Colin. “You’re doing great Colin.”

Colin smiled and took it. “Thanks pa.”

When Beth finally made it to the other side, they continued onward, getting closer to the clearing Rusl wanted them to settle down in. He was relieved that there were no monsters. Although he joked about it earlier, the kids were not prepared to fight bokoblins, and with Rela here as well, Rusl didn’t want to put her in any danger. So the lack of monsters was a relief to Rusl. The others seemed relieved that there was no fighting as well. This adventure was just a lovely walk through the woods, minus Beth’s complaining about her feet. When Rusl saw the clearing, he smiled and turned to the kids.

“We’re almost there, don’t worry!”

The kids all cheered tiredly in response, and Rusl laughed. He spotted Link and Ashei and waved at them, and Link waved back, with his little two-year-old running towards Rusl.

“What’s Ashei and Link doing here?” Colin asked, watching Kori slam into Rusl’s legs.

“They’re here to teach you what they know about sword fighting! It’s best that you learn all the different techniques,” Rusl answered, picking up Kori and kissing his cheeks. “Besides, they had actual teachers, they know what they’re doing.”

The kids all ran to the clearing and greeted Link, while shyly greeting Ashei, whom they’ve never met before. Ashei looked more uncomfortable than them, and wandered off to grab the tent supplies.

“I don’t think she likes kids,” Link told Rusl with a chuckle. Rusl shrugged.

“Well she’s a great fighter, and I think she’ll help Luda and Beth feel more confident in their abilities, don’t you think?”

Link shrugged. “I guess. But if she makes one of them cry, don’t be upset when I say ‘I told you so’.”

Rusl smirked and smacked his son’s shoulder. He waved at Malo who was reluctantly manning the tent supplies, handing it to Ashei as if it were his shop. Rusl spun around and faced the kids, gesturing to Link and Ashei.

“Alright, these two are some of the best fighters I know, and they’re gonna show you what they know. Then we’ll set up the tents and make dinner. Got it?”

The kids nodded unenthusiastically and they all got to work. Link showed them what he knew, demonstrating the helm splitter, the ending blow, and the back slice. Rusl still had no idea who taught him those moves, it certainly wasn’t himself who did it. But he never thought to ask, and Link never talked about it, so it was never brought up. The kids all tried out the different moves, some of them failing at the helm splitter, which involved a front flip over an enemy after they'd been stunned.

“I think y’all should wait until you’re better at flips,” Rusl called out, and Link scratched the back of his head embarrassed.

Once Link taught them everything he knew, Ashei took over, teaching them her own moves. She was more quiet and serious with the kids compared to Link, but she showed her different skills with grace and perfection. She’s clearly practiced these moves a thousand times over, and it was almost mesmerizing to see her move. Link and Ashei were great fighters, but they were so different. Ashei’s skills were more so from learning and practicing, while Link’s was from actual experience from fighting. Rusl’s sword fighting was all self taught, so he was never given different sword techniques like the other two were.

Ashei watched the kids as they practiced her moves, fixing their posture and giving them some pointers to help them improve. Rusl watched happily as Beth kept asking her if she was doing alright, trying to be good in front of the cool lady. But he was pulled away when Link walked up to him with a concerned look on his face.

“A bunch of bokoblins showed up in front of the forest temple,” he pointed to the entrance, and up the log bridge, Rusl was able to see a small group of them. It looked to be three bokoblins, which was good. They would be easy to take care of. Link looked back at Rusl and crossed his arms. “Are you gonna have the kiddos fight them?”

Rusl shook his head. “No, I don’t want to risk any of them getting hurt.”

“Really? They’re just bokoblins. I mean, I was fifteen when I killed my first bokoblin.”

“Link, Luda is the only one who’s fifteen here. And you were easier to protect if something went wrong.” Rusl gestured to the kids who were finishing things up with Ashei. “There’s four of them, that’s gonna be harder to keep track of.”

Link looked down for a moment, pursing his lips. “It’s just three measly little bokoblins, pa.”

“I know, but I’d rather not deal with this right now. Bokoblins are stupid but they’re still dangerous.”

“What’s going on?”

Link and Rusl looked over to Ashei walking towards them.

“There’s a bunch of bokoblins up there,” Link said nonchalantly, a little too loud so everyone could hear.

The kids all gasped, looking either scared or excited.

“Are we going to fight them?” Talo asked in a small voice.

“We should! We’ve learned a lot!” Beth yelled out before Rusl could say anything.

“Yeah! We might as well put our skills to the test!” Luda agreed.

“I guess we could try,” Colin muttered, “I mean, y’all will be there to help us right?”

Link smiled at Rusl and walked closer to the kids.

“Of course we will! With all of us fighting together, those bokoblins will have nothing on us!”

The kids all cheered excitedly, raising their swords in the air as Link hyped them up. All except Talo, who was clutching his wooden sword silently. Rusl frowned at him, this didn’t seem normal for the brave and brash Talo…

“Talo,” Rusl stepped up, putting a hand on Link’s shoulder, “do you want to fight the bokoblins?”

Talo stared at him with wide eyes, and Rusl saw that he made a mistake. Everyone turned to look at the boy, and Talo shrunk back, tears starting to form in his eyes. Without warning, he darted away, running out of the clearing.

“Wait— TALO!” Rusl called out to him, and he sprinted after him. “Link, Ashei, take care of the bokoblins! Luda you’re in charge!” He yelled behind him before running out of the clearing. He looked around him frantically, just barely making out Talo’s red headband. He sprinted towards him, afraid that a monster was going to pop out and attack him. That was the last thing he needed. Finally, Rusl slowed down when Talo stopped, sitting by the river that they crossed earlier, crying. Rusl quietly walked up to him and sat down beside him.

“Talo,” he said quietly, and Talo peeked out from under his arm. “We’re not gonna fight the bokoblins, Link and Ashei are taking care of it.”

Talo sniffed and buried his head in his arms again. Rusl sighed and pulled him into a side hug, which he leaned into.

“What’s got you worked up like this Talo?”

Talo hugged himself closer.

“I don’t want to fight bokoblins…” he mumbled.

“Hey, we’re not gonna fight bokoblins, not anytime soon. I wanna start out with keese first, it’ll be easier—“

“I don’t want to fight monsters.”

Rusl stopped and stared at Talo. “Oh, I see…” Rusl stared at the rushing water, trying to think of what to say. “Why don’t you want to fight monsters?” He asked.

“‘Cause— ‘cause they’re scary! Bokoblins tried to eat me and a monkey! They kidnapped me and Malo and they kept us from going home. They—they kidnapped Colin and tried to hurt him, they just—they’re just scary!” Talo yelled out, flailing his arms around in a frustrated manner. Rusl just watched him silently, the events of what happened replaying through his mind.

He remembered when Colin frantically ran up to him, saying that Talo ran into the woods and was in danger, when he found Link bringing Talo back home safe and sound, when the bulblins broke through Ordon and grabbed all the children, when King Bulblin nearly killed Rusl when he tried to protect them, the screams of the children when they were kidnapped, when Colin told Rusl about King Bulblin tying him to a pole to use against Link, all the things that the poor kids experienced during the twilight invasion. It was no wonder why Talo was so scared. He was surprised the others weren’t.

“So, you’re scared of monsters,” Rusl stated, and Talo nodded. Rusl sighed and rubbed his arm. “Do you want to keep learning how to fight with a sword?”

Talo raised his head and looked at Rusl with puffy eyes. “I—I do! But— I—“

“Because you’re learning how to use a sword in order to fight monsters.”

Talon was silent for a moment, and he buried his face in his knees again.

“I’m sorry,” he sniffled, and Rusl gave him a squeeze.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I think that, if you face monsters more, then you’ll find them to be less scary. But we’re not going to face them now, ok?”

Talo nodded, and Rusl stood up. “C’mon, Link and Ashei are dealing with the bokoblins right now. We’re just gonna focus on building shelter and making food with what we got.”

He offered his hand to Talo who stared at him silently, but he finally grabbed his hand and Rusl pulled him up, wrapping an arm around him.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of Talo, monsters are scary. So don’t be embarrassed for being scared, ok?”

Talo silently nodded and leaned against him slightly as they walked. When they reached the clearing, Rusl noticed Link and Ashei cleaning their swords with the kids all watching. Link spotted Rusl and waved at him, and Rusl waved back. The kids all turned around, causing Talo to shrink into Rusl’s side a little, but Luda ran up to them and hugged Talo, with the others quickly joining in. Rusl smiled as he watched them all comfort Talo, even Rela and Malo joined in the group hug. Link walked up to Rusl as the kids talked amongst themselves, he was holding a sleepy looking Kori and he gestured to Talo with his head.

“Is he ok?”

Rusl sighed. “For now. He’s scared of monsters so we won’t be fighting them anytime soon.”

Link hummed and Ashei stared at the group.

“Well, the girls are ready to fight monsters,” she started, “you can’t hold them back for the boys to catch up, yeah?”

“You’re right about that Ashei. Maybe you could take the girls on a monster hunting trip sometime?” Rusl suggested. Ashei’s eyes went big and she stepped back.

“M-me? No— no way. I’m not good with kids…”

“Beth and Luda aren’t kids, Ash. They’re teenagers. Besides, I think they like you!”

Ashei grumbled and turned away. “They barely even know me!”

“Well, I think seeing a swordswoman gives them confidence in themselves, so I’m sure they’d love fighting monsters with you. But it’s a suggestion of course.”

Ashei glared at him for a moment, then waved them away.

“Let’s just focus on building up camp, yeah?”

Rusl nodded and walked over to the huddled up kids. Talo wasn’t crying anymore thankfully, and he seemed to be laughing at what the others were saying. It warmed his heart knowing that Talo had good friends to help him. And he couldn’t help but feel pride for his own son who was being compassionate towards him. He definitely got that from his dear mother.

“Ok, you four,” he sadly interrupted the sweet moment between the kids, “let’s set up camp ok?”

The kids wandered over to the tent supplies and with the direction of Rusl, they were able to make pretty decent tents. Rusl kept a close eye on Talo, but he seemed to be doing much better. Though there were some bumps in the road, Rusl would say that this night in Faron woods was a success.

[papaiyatree]

thinking about what ian flynn said about issue 56....

[shads-shipposts]

The way they just STARE at each other before either one reacts

[un-pearable]

i desperately want to talk about the stt au again but i had a moment of “oh no i’m one of those people who has an underground au”. a) fuck that this is sonic fandom there is ALWAYS stupider shit out there and b) this is like. 1% underground (the existence of manic and sonia) and 33% game canon and 60% archie w movie/fleetway/whatever inspo whenever it was relevant. that is furthest from being the problem with the triple threat au. the REAL problem with the triple threat au is that it’s FUCKINH HUGE and all of rhe documentation is scattered across three discord servers two google docs and a one note folder. and shadow was stuck on the ark for fifty years bc i got three arcs in before realizing i forgot he existed and now i’m too attached to his story to introduce him sooner

[jacob-the-human]

[shad-the-rad]

Gender reveal! 🥁

🩵 Basement cat is a boy! 🩵

[shadowthestoryteller]

So for one of my classes this summer (Biodiversity Stewardship), I have to do a blog for the semester and figured I’d share it here if anyone wanted to give it a look✨

I just posted a presentation on Ecology, but also recently posted some AI news that’s actually wholesome (new reef mapping tech developed by Uni of Hawaii)

The blog itself is focused specifically on Hawaii if that side of biodiversity interests you👀

[myocsfanfictions]

THE WRATH OF FIRE

House of the Dragon

MASTERLIST

Princess Ysilla Targaryen is the only daughter of Prince Daemon Targaryen and Lady Rhea Royce. The affection that she felt for her mother was strong, while her father had never been there, acting as if Ysilla was not even his. But she was. The dragon egg that had been put in her cradle hatched. An outcast of a dragon was born. A dragon with no legs. An outcast of a dragon for and an outcast of a dragon rider. Ysilla’s hair was dark but streaked with white. She was a Targaryen, and her wrath was not different from the one that burned inside the members of the House of the Dragon.

《 Previous - Next 》

CHAPTER 9

Ysilla was walking up the stairs of one of the many secret passages of the Red Keep. Ysilla had explored the castle with her cousins since they were all just babes, and they used them frequently to move around unnoticed.

Ysilla liked to do it. Those dark and lonely places led to different parts of the castle. Every time she walked through those corridors, she felt like an adventure. She knew it was childish, but she enjoyed it.

But those were even the fastest ways to move in the castle, with no people watching or asking where she was going. She liked life at court, but people could be very inquisitive and curious. And she didn't want to show people the anger she was feeling. Aegon really knew how to be cruel when he wanted to be, and Aemond seemed to be the target of his jests and the Velaryon brothers, even if they were younger. Aemond felt left out from all of them, he was different. He would always following them to the Dragonpit even if he lacked a dragon, wishing for his egg to finally hatch or for a new dragon to be found.

What is a Targaryen without a dragon? Ysilla was not stranger to that thought. She still remembered how she cradled Darysir’s egg when she was just a babe of five, knowing that a dragon was the true legacy of a Targaryen. That was their sigil and symbol of power. No one but them could bound such terrible beasts to their will, no one was as strong. And yet a Targaryen without a dragon was just a human. No different from anyone else. That was a frightening thought, a saddened one too, and she felt for Aemond since he had to indulge in such pain.

“Are you alright?” She had asked him following him, to make sure he didn’t felt alone. She knew how loneliness hurt to the heart and the spirit.

His posture was stiff. Ysilla could not see his face, but she didn’t miss how he quickly pass a hand over his dirty face, “Yes, cousin.”

The girl looked down at her hands, she was picking at her nails, sometimes she did that when she felt uncomfortable. Out of words. Those situations were the hardest to handle, since she felt like her every word could make no difference.

“I’m sure you’ll have a dragon one day, my prince,” she whispered, not daring to get any closer.

Aemond scoffed shaking his head, “Don’t lie to me,” He asked turning to her, the dirt on his cheeks were stained, giving away the tears he had shad, “My egg will never hatch and there’s no dragon for me to claim. Don’t be cruel, Ysilla.”

Ysilla observed the boy in front of her, he desperately wanted to prove himself to all of them, to himself and the hurt on his face was so visible as if Ysilla was feeling it herself. Her words must have felt like another jest, and of that she felt bad.

“Aemond,” she spoke softly taking a step towards her cousin, “I was not trying to to be cruel, I hope you know that,” she assured, “What I meant is that mayhaps here in King’s Landing there are no more dragons to claim, but on Dragonstone there are. Vermithor, Silverwing, or the three wild dragons as well.”

Aemond looked at her skeptical, “And I could bend one?”

“You are a Targaryen, my prince,” she said looking at him in the eyes, “There is nothing you cannot do.”

“Other Targaryens do not think so,” he answered with frustration, “They see me fit for a pig.”

Ysilla moved her hand so that she could lift Aemond face with her fingers, “Velaryon are not Targaryen. They seem rather strong to me, but they are not us.” Her words seemed to surprise him, and when he saw her lips turn up into a smile, he timidly did the same. “Don’t be bothered by those kids.” As for his brother however…

Aegon liked to jest, never thinking about consequences. He never thought about consequences. He never cared about consequences, not until he had fun with it. She wanted to speak to her cousin, they had grew up together and he was probably the one she knew best, the one she was the closest to, the one who made her angry the most.

But when she arrived behind the hidden door of the passage, Ysilla heard a voice.

"Aemond is your brother."

It was the Queen. She must have already talked with the King.

Ysilla wondered if the King would have done something about what had happened—at least scold his son and nephews. The Queen had been so angry after Aemond had left for his chambers to clean himself. Ysilla understood how the Queen felt, and she would have liked to have a chance to talk with Aegon before his mother wanted any explanation.

"Well, he's a twat," Ysilla shook her head, hearing Aegon's muffled voice.

Gods, Aegon, she thought in silence.

"We are family," the Queen spoke, "You may cuff him about as you wish at home, but in the open world, we must defend our own."

"It was funny," she heard Aegon answer simply.

Ysilla took a deep breath. Sometimes, even the family itself can be dangerous. But that was not the case with Aemond and Aegon. They were just boys. Ysilla wished that Aegon had paid a bit more attention to his own siblings. He should cherish his family.

"Do you think Rhaenyra's sons will be your playthings forever?" The Queen asked, not trying to hide her irritation. “As things stand, Rhaenyra will ascend the throne and Jacaerys Targaryen will be her heir.” Ysilla got closer to the wall to hear at her best.

“So?” Aegon seemed lost and that made her mother groan out loudly.

“You are nearly a man-grown. How is it that you can be so shortsighted?” The Queen’s tone was full of frustration, anger and disappointment. But Ysilla could understand Aegon’s confusion. He would never think about the consequences, and Ysilla herself had found herself lost when the Queen had spoken to her about the danger their family was running into.

Does every family plot on killing each other for power? Or is just our prerogative? Ysilla thought as her mind went back to the last time she had seen her mother ride away for hawking, coming back as a corpse; cold and still, as a little girl of five found out that her own father had been the cause of that tragedy. And for what? To be wed to Rhaenyra? Become prince consort? Was that his plot?

Daemon Targaryen had left her motherless for a whim, and as he gained nothing, Ysilla had lost everything. The wrath that she felt every time she thought about her father was something that light such a fire within her, a fire that she desperately wanted to free somehow. But she had learnt the art of dignity and the taste of patience. She knew that the King would have never done anything to his precious brother, and yet Ysilla still dreamt of a day where her father would face the consequences of his crimes.

“If Rhaenyra comes into power your very life could be forfeit. Aemond’s as well,” the Queen spoke again, “She could move to cut off any challenge to her succession.”

Would Rhaenyra commit such crime against her own brothers, to secure her position and the one of her bastards sons? She once was so close to Daemon Targaryen, wearing the shiny Valyrian neckless that he had gifted for her as if it hold some kind of a promise between them. Such a beautiful neckless, Ysilla thought bitterly. My neck still remains unadorned.

A bond like the one Rhaneyra and Daemon shared, could lead them to the same crimes? Ysilla did not wish to learn the answer, she would have not learnt the answer. She had already lost her family. She could not lose another. She refused to. Aegon and his siblings would not pay the price to let bastard ascend to the Iron Throne. She could see it. But Aegon…

“Then I won’t challenge…” Aegon was cut of but the Queen’s screams. A sound that made Ysilla shiver.

“You are the challenge!” She yelled, “You are the challenge, Aegon! Simply by living and breathing!” Ysilla felt her breath labour as she slid down against the wall. It could happen. It would happen. Politics could be cruel, it knew no mercy, it knew no family. If a succession war was to happen, the first to die would always be the male heir.

“You are the King’s firstborn son,” the Queen kept saying, “And what they know, what everyone in the realm knows in their blood and in their bones is that one day, you will be our King.” Ysilla closed her eyes with a heavy sign as she heard the Queen leave Aegon’s chambers. That future didn’t seem so far. The King did not possessed the best of health, having lost an arm and getting paler by the day. He still smiled though, and she wished that his body would keep living form many years more, because once the King would leave that world, not everyone would bent the knee to a woman, especially after giving birth to bastards, and at that point her cousins’ life could be at risk.

"Aegon," she spoke quietly, stepping into the room. She heard the boy take a shaky breath. He was about to cry, and that sound pained her heart.

"My mother had already scolded me, Ysilla," he said, pushing his head back as he stood up. Ysilla was quick to turn her back to him, noticing that he wasn't wearing any clothes. It had already happened before, so she was not surprised to see him like that, but she flushed anyway.

"I'm not here to scold you," she said, hearing him cross the room to get his clothes. In truth, she was, but after what she heard, Ysilla felt for him, and suddenly, she didn’t feel the need to argue with him anymore. You never think about the consequences, Aegon.

“So my brother had not come to cry to you as he did with Mother?” He asked with frustration, but Ysilla did not answered to that.

"I wished to ride on dragon back,” she said turning to look at Aegon, “Do you want to come with me?” His eyes widened in surprise as he observed her frame, but he nodded none the less.

They were strangely quiet as they made their way to the carriage that would bring them to the Dragonpit. Ysilla quite enjoyed that silence though. Quiet sounds, quiet times. Maybe they would all shout too much. She could feel Aegon’s eyes on her though, unsure of what to do or say. That behaviour made her smile.

“I was thinking about something,” she said suddenly, smiling when she saw her cousin take a relieved breath.

“Finally,” he said, “I wasn’t sure if you were angry with me.” Ysilla observed him.

“You get on my nerves quite easily,” she answered making him roll his eyes, but the smile never left her lips. “So, do you want to hear my thoughts?” She asked fixings her black riding clothes.

“As long as you don’t shout to me like Mother.” He mumbled looking outside the carriage.

“I was thinking about how lucky we are,” she said ignoring his scoff, “How lucky I am.” That made him frown as he turned to look at her, “After my mother I thought I would be alone for the rest of my life, but then you, all of you let me in this family,” she took a breath, “You are my family, Aegon.”

His eyes stayed on her, observing Ysilla with a confused stare, “I… I don’t understand…” Ysilla smiled, standing up as the carriage came to an halt.

“There’s no need,” she said, “I do.”

The door got opened by the guard that had escorted them. The man showed her his hand for her to take, so that she could safely get out. Ysilla knew she needed to no help, but the gallant gesture was much welcomed, so she accepted the hand. As she walked towards the Dragonpit, she could hear Aegon quick steps coming from behind her.

“You said you wanted to share a thought, but you said nothing I didn’t know,” he argued, still confused. Ysilla laughed.

“I’m glad it is no news to you,” she answered fixing the clothes of the gloves around her fingers. Suddenly he took her by the arm, making her turn.

“What did you understand that I didn’t?” Ysilla could see the confused frown upon his face, how his lips would pout when he got frustrated. That expression made her smile, as she swiftly caressed his cheeks.

“Many things, my prince,” she said freeing herself as her eyes went to Dārysyr. He was being brought to her by the Dragonkeepers. He would slither beautifully on the ground, his purple wings lapping in excitement as he saw her, like he had done since he was just an hatchling.

“Zȳhon belma qogror",” she said as Dārysyr would get close so that she could touch his snout. His scales were so hot against her gloved fingers. “Gaomagon ao jaelagon naejot sōvegon rūsīr issa?” At her question, Dārysyr growled, moving his dark wings. (My beautiful friend. Do you want to ride with me?)

Then another growl could be heard, but it was different from Dārysyr’s. Its pitch was higher and clearer. She knew who it belonged to.

“Sunfyre,” Aegon said with a genuine and happy smile on his face as his beautiful golden and pink dragon would get closer to his rider. Sunfyre was the most expressive among all the dragons and he absolutely adored Aegon. He playfully pushed Aegon as a greeting and Ysilla’s heart got full with fondness as she watch how Aegon caressed his dragon. Her hand would stroke Dārysyr’s neck as he’d protectively went around her as he always did.

“Is my prince ready to take flight?” She asked getting Aegon’s attention back to her.

“Are you ready, my lady?” He dared her as he moved to get on Sunfyre’s back.

“Don’t start something when you do not know how it will end,” she warned him playfully her securing the belt around her waist as she got comfortable on her saddle, but he just scoffed before giving Sunfyre the order so that the dragon could start moving towards the exit.

“Tolot zȳhos ābra, zȳhon ñuha.” She said patting Dārysyr’s neck, “Sīr zābūbys ābra, dārys. Targot dāeri, Dārysyr.” (He never thinks about the consequences, my friend. I’ll think about consequences, then. Fly now, Darysir.)

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[thydungeongal]

You've stated repeatedly that D&D 5e doesn't possess the mechanics to enable the heroic-fantasy adventure that a lot of DMs/Players seem to think it's meant for. What mechanics would a game designed to cater to that manner of play and storytelling have? Care to offer any recommendations?

In my opinion for a game to really support the genre of heroic fantasy it should have at least some of the following:

Some way of character motivations affecting gameplay in a robust manner. D&D 5e has inspiration which can be rewarded for acting according to a character's bonds, ideals, or flaws, but it is so poorly integrated into the system it might as well be "your DM grants inspiration when they feel like it."

Meaningful nonlethal consequences. D&D 5e gives characters limited means of handling situations nonlethally, including combat, but for the most part combat defaults to lethal and the game provides very little actual concrete guidance as to how characters losing an encounter should be handled. Death remains the most meaningful, clear consequence in D&D, which means there's a risk of losing narrative continuity in pretty much every encounter.

Doing heroics should be tied into the game's incentive structures and in-game reward mechanics. D&D 5e by the book mostly rewards overcoming obstacles (with defeating monsters as the most clearly mechanically defined example!) and before anyone says "milestones" shut up, that's just putting more work on the DM instead of the game defining its own reward mechanics.

There should, in general, be a framework for handling more types of activity than just combat, and combat shouldn't necessarily need to be handled as a blow-by-blow affair, but this is something I think there can be a lot of variation on.

Games that I think fit the bill to varying degrees:

RuneQuest/Mythras: Character ideals like Passions are very well integrated into gameplay. While combat is lethal the game does a lot of the work of telegraphing that to players and GMs and since the game assumes that most opponents will be intelligent creatures with thoughts and feelings there's no expectation of "the orcs will fight to the death" which is a sentence I hate in modern D&D adventure design. While I personally think Passions could be better integrated into the game's advancement system, the way the game handles advancement through actually doing things and membership in organizations (integrating characters into the setting) works very well!

Against the Darkmaster (VsD for short): While mostly a very trad game in the same general wheelhouse as D&D mechanically, its lethal combat system can actually disincentivize engaging in combat for fun (not exactly heroic imo) and it actually provides lots of mechanics for integrating character motivations and doing heroics into the system, including its advancement structures! Hell, it even provides methods for corrupting character ideals and it has a clear campaign structure of fighting against a BBEG!

Fellowship: A game that very much approaches the same genre of fighting against a BBEG as VsD but from an indie direction, once again rewards actual heroics and building connections with the world over just killing monsters, and I mean that this stuff is already implemented into the rules. Also provides a framework for handling social situations, including making friends!

QuestWorlds (formerly HeroQuest): Probably one of the first "narrativist" RPGs (I'm only using that as a shorthand: GNS sucks), QuestWorlds is a very much a trad type of RPG but that approaches the act of gameplay from a very different perspective. Basically, the game has narrative convention built right into its mechanics. It is a very neat game and I heartily recommend checking it out!

Fate: I don't particularly like Fate but even I must admit that it fits almost all of my criteria there! It is more of a toolkit game system so some assembly is required, but I do believe one could easily run a heroic fantasy game using it!

The Shadows of Yesterday: Is a good game. I'm losing steam right now but like TSoY is a pretty good game and I like it. I think y'all should Google it, it's out there on the internet and you can just. Read it.

[blu-ish]

Ok so how do you think Shadow reacted when Sonic wasn’t in his arms when he arrived back in green hill

(Sonic prime)

... (Here's my idea as a sample mini-fic cuz I have no self-control.)

He couldn't help the panic that sunk deep within his broken heart. He failed. After everything, and he was still unable to save one of the only people who genuinely cared about him. That was Shadows most rational thought at the moment anyways. Almost tempted to let out a pitiful laugh at the irony of it all.

The hedgehog felt stupid, naive, and absolutely pathetic. Just like before.

What did he think would happen?

His grip loosened after he feels the almost ghostly appearance of the chaos emerald in his quills, the one he'd spent hours scouring for in the past. He doesn't even remember why...

The emerald looked way to much like his eyes, eye's he'd never get to see again.

As much as Shadow was willing to give into the pain, the urge to scream his lunges out, he remembered the mountain-- the prism.

What if...?

Hope burns like a small uncertain ember in his heart, one where the slightest breeze would extinguish it forever. Shadow races up the mountain, emerald in hand, unsure of what he might see--or what he wanted to see. Who he wished to see.

Ruby meets emerald green, and Shadow can breathe again.

...

Shadow tries to ignore the emotional whiplash he had just experienced. He really does. But, he can't help but occasionally stare- no, examine the cobalt hedgehog who sat next to him.

He's here.

He's alive.

His gloved hand twitches, unbeknownst to its owner, it slowly inches its way closer to the hero. Stopping at an invisible barrier, Shadow clears his throat.

"I hope you've at least tried to learn something from all of this."

Sonic's laughter almost makes the agent jump, almost.

"Yeah, yeah. No more smashing super colorful rocks for me, that's for sure!" Sonic played the events they both just endured like another adventure, just another day for Sonic T. Hedgehog. Or so he assumed the blue hedgehog was trying to do.

"I think that would be for the best. For everyone." Shadow concluded, gripping the grass below him a little harder then he meant too. An action that didn't go unnoticed by the hedgehog next to him.

"I'm really gonna miss everyone though, seems kinda silly after everything but..." Sonic sighed, "I'm really glad the guy I ended up getting stuck with was you, Shads."

Turning to face the hedgehog fully. Shadow scanned Sonics face for any indication of sarcasm, only to be met by the most brightest smile he'd ever seen. The warm hues of the sunset didn't help either.

He'd seen Sonic smile, the guy seemed to do it whenever he could. But now, this... felt different, personal. It didn't feel unpleasant either. That scared him, not like he'd ever admit that though.

"And what exactly does that mean?" The darker hedgehog ignored the flush that was most likely on his face right now. Narrowing his brow at the other. He could unpack what he was feeling, later.

"Does grumpy want a list?" Sonic replied playfully. Since when did he start to lean on his side? The blue hero continued, listing his reasons on his fingers.

"Not to mention you've saved my life, more than once, all in practically the same day."

"You saved mine as well, that makes us even." Shadow reminded. It was getting harder and harder to keep eye contact with Sonic. He crossed his arms in mild frustration at himself more than anything.

"We had a bonding moment! You cradled me in your arms, dude!" Sonic exclaimed, moving in even closer somehow to wrap an arm around the flustered hybird.

His mind going blank to find a proper response, he resorted to grumbling. Sonics laughter filled the air again, taking another breath out of Shadows in the process.

"Anyone would've done the same, your life was in immediate danger, I was simply the fastest mode of transportation, simple."

"But it wasn't just anyone Shads... it was you." Shadow had rarely heard the hedgehog sound so serious, but gentle at the same time. As if he was talking to a frightened woodland creature, one that was only mere moments away from fleeing.

He didn't know when they started looking at each others eyes, he also came to the conclusion that Sonics eyes--while similar, shined way brighter than his emerald.

It was Sonics turn to clear his throat, accompanied by a chuckle. "So, yeah... thanks."

What Sonic wasn't expecting was dark arms wrapping themselves around his back. Bringing him close to his rival. Or the soft patch of white fur to tickle so much.

"Don't get used to it.." Was all Shadow said, burying his face unapologetically into his peach shoulder.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sonic smiled, hugging Shadow tight. The pair stayed like that until the night covered them in a blanket of stars.

It was good to be home.