#also they probably have a couple gardens around the island they like to tend to

[h-didanart]

GUYS—

GUYS HELP—

ITS TAKING OVER—

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Anyways—

So I’ve been listening to the Circe Saga in Epic the Musical for a while, I actually got the idea of giving Bloody and Harvest magic out of it, but that wasn’t enough, I had to go further

So now they are the God of Sorcery or something, look I’m just having fun here—

K, so they have an island to themselves, and they have a lot of magic and are cool, and they look after nymphs and stuff, and they turn anyone who tries bothering them into pigs. I think the Ancient Greek setting would change their backstory a bit but not by much, they probably wouldn’t almost die, but y’know, they’ve still had to deal with shitty stuff, which would actually lead to even more motivation on their end to protect those they care for. They have flower tattoos around their legs because I kinda just felt like drawing flowers and I’m pretty sure that that flower in specific represents strength and healing, and it also helps with insomnia I think. As for the scorpion imagery I chose it because of a kinda joke that’s supposed to be in the au where they choose to have a different day as their birthday and Bloody wants to be a Scorpio because scorpions are cool, and I looked up the symbolism and there’s some rebirth and life//death and change stuff which I think fits them (I am actively choosing to ignore the other potential symbolism, please don’t look it up I’m so sorry my boys 😭) And I like to think they’d use shadow and ice magic because of 1) conquer your fears /literal and 2) as a treatment for their overheating problem

I really like this silly variant, they’re cool

Oh and, uh, about ‘There are other ways’, uhm

Yeah that’s how they were gonna deal with that, cool

[victorluvsalice]

The hits just keep on coming regarding my Potential Tiny Town Challenge --

-->I figured out what Smiler's money-making skill would be! And it's all thanks to my Chill Valicer Save Alice harvesting the prairie grass in Moory's pen and discovering a bottle of Energy Nectar. Because when I read the in-game description of the nectar, about how it makes Sims both happy and energized for a while, I thought --

"...that kind of sounds like how I've always thought Joy Serum worked?"

Cue me looking up more about nectar in the game, and discovering that not only do all the nectars tend to give really positive moodlets, Potato Nectar apparently makes Sims super happy. Meaning, yeah, Nectar-Making kind of HAS to be Smiler's skill of choice now, right? So that's been settled! (Though I certainly reserve the right to have Smiler try out all the other skills I was thinking of for them -- at the very least, I rather like the idea of them getting into Juice Fizzing and Mixology too and maybe starting a business offering all sorts of different drinks. Something for everyone!)

-->I've also decided that, in the world of the Challenge save, while the rest of Windenburg is built up as normal (and has the "fandom lots" that I mentioned in the previous post, like the Hill Valley Courthouse park and the Ministry of Joy nightclub), nobody ever did anything with the Crumbling Isle. Meaning this Tiny Town challenge is about turning the whole island into a town, not just the big 64x64 lot that normally houses the Villareal household. How do we do that?

Community Space lots! :D Yes, I am taking full advantage of this frankly pretty interesting Eco Lifestyle feature and turning three of the four other lots on the main island (I'm leaving the Bluffs lot off to the side as-is) into Community Spaces so the residents can turn one into a garden, one into a maker space, and one into a marketplace! (The remaining lot will probably be a park of some kind -- we'll see). I feel like doing that will most accurately reflect the island going from a place where people are just starting to settle to a thriving, bustling community. :) And lucky me, I do have a greenhouse already built that I could use for one of them...

-->A couple of additional rules and regulations that I'm putting into place for my version of the challenge:

a. The Tiny Town lot itself has the Lot Challenges Off The Grid, Reduce & Recycle, Simple Living, Creepy Crawlies, Wild Foxes, and Wild Prairie Grass on it, at least to start, to represent that it's, well, on an island that's never been developed. I'm thinking they'll be able to get rid of these as time goes on, though Simple Living and Reduce & Recycle are likely to stick around for a light touch of realism. I'll probably put similar restrictions on the community lots, though probably not as many. We'll see how I feel!

b. Oh, and the lot starts off with a washtub and clothesline on it, because might as well make the Sims deal with laundry too! XD

c. The founder Sim must purchase a Symbolic Boat near the start to be allowed off the island. I am like 99% sure you can't use boats in the waters around Windenburg, but I feel like it's a nice little extra challenge to have to add just a touch of realism. (I will probably also have my Sims regularly use bikes, but that's not a Challenge, that's just me thinking "bikes will be easier for moving around quickly.")

d. Instead of having the starting items for every Sim in place when the lot is first made, I think it might be cute to have the Sim previous "prepare" the next lot for their neighbor. For example, if we started with Smiler, they'd start with their nectar maker and a couple of seed packets, but once they had finished their house, they would then buy the things the next Sim needs (say, if it was Victor, they'd get him a digitalistic sketch pad and an easel, since Victor's thing is painting). Just thought it would be nice and build a sense of community between the Sims. :)

e. This is less a "rule" and more just a fun thing I'd like to do -- set up a holiday celebrating the town's founding on the day that the challenge starts. Not sure what the traditions would be yet, but it just feels appropriate, you know?

Aaaand I should probably think about making a new post the next time I come up with some new ideas, shouldn't I? XD Don't want this one to get too long...but hopefully you have enjoyed the journey through me figuring out a Tiny Town! Perhaps next time I can show you my attempt to build the Tiny Town lot itself...

Sims 4 Wednesday -- Potential Tiny Town Challenge

Hi all! As we're between Chill Valicer Save updates this week, I wanted to talk to you about something I discovered relatively recently and have been thinking about off and on -- The Tiny Town Challenge! I first learned about this challenge through seeing a thumbnail for James Turner's version on YouTube, and, curious, tracked down the original challenge and rules to see what it was all about. You can get the full rule set and take a look at the original lot and Sims Deligracy created at the link above, but the basic gist is that you spend the challenge setting up a tiny town on a large lot (preferably 64x64) for seven Sims. Each Sim has a specific money-making skill that they must use to earn the funds to build their house on their specific sub-lot, and a favorite decor style and color that must inform what their house looks like. Each Sim is moved in individually, once the previous Sim has finished their house, and the challenge ends when all seven houses and any communal area is fully built.

I took one look at that and I was like "yeah, I'm into it." XD Both because it sounds like a fun challenge, and because it's a challenge with minimal set-up (which is the problem with the challenges I personally have come up with previously -- I think they'd be fun, but they require a loooot of prep!). Having thought about it for a bit, I have some ideas about how I'd like to do the challenge myself -- and some problems that I'm going to have to figure out before I can set this up as a potential alternate save file to the Chill Valicer Save:

-->Location: I decided relatively quickly that I'd like to do the challenge in Windenburg, setting up a little community on The Crumbling Isle (something like how Plumbob Paragon set theirs up). I almost never play in Windenburg, so I figured that setting the challenge there would be a good way to encourage me to wander around that world and see the sights. And I already have some ideas about using the other lots to make a true town out of the island -- like turning one lot into a Community Space to get a community garden going, or another lot into a retail store that a couple of the citizens run. Might be fun!

-->Citizenry: Well, you guys know me -- of course the first three residents of the tiny town would be Victor, Alice, and Smiler. However, I'm having trouble deciding on who the other residents of the town could be. The way I see it, I have two options for the rest of the group:

Option One: Add Victoria Everglot and Emily Merrimack and do a "Four Victorians Riding A Roller Coaster" polycule thing on the tiny town lot! This would be fun as it would allow for amusing and adorable polycule shenanigans...but the problem here is the color schemes. Specifically, while Smiler is fine with their primary color being Yellow, Victor, Alice, and Emily ALL suit Blue being their primary color (Victor has his blue butterfly and blue tie -- plus I've always headcanoned it as his favorite color; Alice has her iconic blue dress; and Emily has her blue -- everything), and Alice and Victoria would both suit Red (Alice has that iconic red blood splatter on her apron; Victoria has her red dress). Now, I know how I could fix this for Alice -- make her primary color Green, to match her eyes -- but I'm not sure what to do about Victor and Emily. I mean, when it comes down to it, Emily would have to get Blue, look at her, but the only other alternate colors I can think of for Victor would be Black or Grey, and that would result in a depressing-looking house. :( So yeah, bit of an issue there!

Option Two: Add my young Emmett "Doc" Brown Sim (patterned off his appearance in BTTF: The Game), a fem!Malkavian Fledgling Sim I downloaded off the Gallery (which I'm already planning on calling Mal Kavian), a Preston Garvey Sim, and my take on a Wheatley Sim to the gang and just represent pretty much all my favorite fandoms and games in one go. The bonus here is that I've got the full roster of seven Sims; as stated, I'm representing a bunch of things I enjoy, not just the primary three; and I get a tiny bit of diversity by including a black character as a primary. However, there are also a couple of issues here:

I'm not entirely sure I want to do the challenge with the full compliment of seven Sims, as I have trouble wrangling a mere three sometimes in my Chill Valicer Save. And before you ask, no, I don't have For Rent, so I couldn't turn the lot into a Residental Rental and just play one family at a time. I'd have to really fight with my own micromanaging tendencies to get this to work!

We again have color overlap issues because Victor, Preston, and Wheatley ALSO all suit the color Blue (Victor for the reasons listed above; Preston because the Minutemen have blue as their primary color scheme; and Wheatley because his eye is blue in the game). Now, admittedly, this one is a bit easier to solve -- make Preston's color Light Brown to match his iconic duster (yes, Sims 4 actually distinguishes between Light Brown and Dark Brown -- the only color that gets that distinction in the sort!), and Wheatley's White to match his core's outer shell -- but still. I am apparently obsessed with Blue characters!

Now, I can think of an interesting way to solve this dilemma -- set up two tiny towns on the Crumbling Isle on the two biggest lots, and divide the Sims so there's like five or so on each lot. (Suppose it could be like Victor, Alice, Smiler, Doc, Mal Kavian on one, and Victoria, Emily, Preston, Wheatley on another?) That does mean having to do the challenge twice, and wrangling a lot more Sims, but... *shrug* We'll see how I feel!

-->Skills, Colors, and Decors: As previously stated, all Sims have to have a specific skill that they use to fund the creation of their home, and a favorite color and decor style that should inform the look of said home. Now, the decor thing is kind of a mystery to me (I mix-and-match styles all the time when building, and I don't have Dream Home Decorator to make Sims Like specific types -- though it does occur to me that I could just fudge it by having each house just reflect their canon in some way), but I do have skills and colors almost entirely locked down for almost all of my potential citizens --

Victor: His color would be Blue (probably darker shades of such), and his money-making skill would be either Painting or Piano (though I'm leaning toward Painting because I've always headcanoned him as being more private with his music)

Alice: Her color would be Green, and her money-making skill either Painting or Writing (leaning toward Writing because I like the idea of her writing her own books)

Victoria: Her color would be Red, and her money-making skill would be either Knitting or Cross-Stitch (since we know she likes to sew from seeing her working on her blanket in the movie when Victor climbs onto her balcony)

Emily: Her color would be Blue (brighter shades), and her money-making skill would be either Flower Arranging (for her bouquet) or Gemology (for the wedding ring that starts the whole Corpse Bride mess -- it just amuses me)

Doc: His color would be Orange (as part of the BTTF logo), and his money-making skill would probably be Robotics (since it's the most sciencey-one), though I wouldn't say no to Fabrication

Mal: Her color would be Red (because, you know, vampire), and her money-making skill would be Wellness (because it deeply amuses me to have a vampire from that clan doing yoga and spa stuff)

Preston: His color would be either Blue or Light Brown (as previously stated), and his money-making skill would be either Fabrication (because he's the settlement guy, and Fabrication is a lot like how the workshops work in Fallout 4), Woodworking (the more low-tech version of that), or Archaeology (because he clearly enjoys the past, given you find him hiding in a museum and his coat is apparently looted from another one -- probably have to use a mod to make it available outside Selvadorada, though!)

Wheatley: His color would either be Blue or White (again, as previously stated), and his money-making skill would be Programming (again, because of the hilarity factor -- I mean, Wheatley CAN hack in the game, but we all know just how "good" he is at it XD)

Smiler: Their color would be Yellow, and their money-making skill --

And this is where I run into a problem, because I'm not entirely sure what to do for Smiler. Because my version of Smiler's primary thing is chemistry (or alchemy, depending on the setting), and I'm not entirely sure how to best represent that with the skills on offer. Should I do Mixology, on the basis that I heacanon they are also awesome at mixing drinks? Herbalism because that's kind of close (I have a mod that puts Granite Falls bugs in other worlds, so that's not an issue)? Do I rely on Simsonian Library's Apothecary mod and related skill because that is arguably closer that Herbalism? Or do I just fudge things by choosing Mixology or something before turning them into a spellcaster and having them focus on the Alchemy section of the spellbook? Decisions, decisions...

But yeah -- that's what I currently have in mind for any future Tiny Town-related save files I may make! Not gonna guarantee that this is gonna happen, but it's a distinct possibility. :) And if you guys have any suggestions regarding how I should do the tiny town (and what the fuck Smiler's money-making skill should be), please let me know!

[nabesthetics]

MC getting the guys + Asra flowers 💐

A HC request from @sociallyacceptable that has been sitting in my inbox for over a month because I am like that :’B Muri’s is a bit different, but I got the idea and couldn’t just let it go, alright Also yes I did go overboard a bit by adding plot, what about it

FLUFF TIME. It’s just a tiny bit suggestive in a couple of places, but it’s all PG, I promise.

💙 Asra 💙

The Apprentice gets the bouquet on a whim.

They spot a flower stall at the market while shopping for spices and some ingredients for the shop; one of the arrangements, a mix of deep purple and pastel violet remind them of Asra and Faust at the same time.

On the way back, the MC adds a couple of enchantments to the flowers, to both make them last longer and leave a little personal touch: some of the blooms end up sparkling as if the live petals were made out of delicate amethyst crystals.

Asra is conjuring something in the kitchen when they return home; hearing the front door closing, he starts his regular playful banter without turning from the stove.

Faust sees the MC enter the kitchen first, popping her head up from Asra’s shoulder and blepping in greeting.

“Pretty!”

“Mmhm, they sure are Fa- oh.”

His surprise quickly gives place to delight, and moments later he’s pulling MC into a kiss.

They just can’t help but make him fall in love all over again every day, huh?

But if they say a cheesy line about the color of his eyes, he will tease them a bit for that, even if he is blushing at the same time and already tucking one of the sparkling flowers into their hair.

Everything else is forgotten for the rest of the day, he just wants to turn all of his attention to them, grateful to the universe for being able to hold them as much as they wish.

(He probably ended up burning whatever he was cooking, though)

The bouquet will stay in the bedroom, just for the three of them to see.

They have to go and get Faust her own flower basket the next day, because she wants to sleep in the flowers.

Asra puts his own spell on one of MC’s enchanted flowers, to complete its transformation into ice-like lavender crystal, preserved in time and kept as another memory that he would like to remember.

❤️ Julian ❤️

Unfortunately, Love Festival tends to be a very busy day at both the shop and the clinic.

While MC handles the expected influx of demand for pretty magical trinkets, Julian has to deal with the over-enthusiastic lovebirds who end up at the clinic after trying to “spice things up”; it is entertaining most of the time, but also means that the two have to be apart all day, to Julian’s great dismay.

He swears that he’ll try to make it home before dinner.

They both know that he likely won’t.

So around midday, MC closes the shop for a while and heads to the numerous festival stalls.

And in the first minutes of Julian’s lunch break, they dramatically show up in his office with a no less dramatic crimson bouquet, nearly making the poor doctor spill his (third cup of) coffee all over himself and the papers he’s been working on.

He’s having troubles processing it.

“H-hello, darling, did you- ah, I mean- are those... foooor me?”

He almost adds an “are you sure” in there before his brain catches up.

Once it does, he grins and hurries to get up from his desk and sweep the MC off their feet, sending them laughing.

He’s deeply touched and somewhat sheepish: for all his theatrics and love of cheesy romantic gestures, this man will never get used to being on the receiving end.

Oh how he loathes the fact that he doesn’t have the time to thank them properly right there and then; stealing their breath with a kiss will have to do for now.

The flowers are definitely enchanted - Julian can barely take care of cacti - and will stay in his office once MC fetches a vase from their shop next door; he may or may not tear up just a bit while looking at them at some point.

He does make it to dinner, by the way - other workers at the clinic practically kick their boss out because he’s overworking as it is - and takes the MC to a lovely evening in the city.

💚 Muriel 💚

It’s been a long project, with the hardest part being keeping Muriel in the dark about it; MC managed to talk Inanna into helping.

Finally, when everything’s ready, they “go for a walk” in the forest together, with MC leading them to their secret spot.

A small clearing in the forest has been transformed into a colorful island of flowers. Carnations and wild primroses from the depths of the palace garden; a few plants from the Heart’s clearing, their soft glow visible even during the day; and of course, forget-me-nots and MC’s own favorite flowers.

There’s enough space to walk freely between the flower patches, and few charms decorate the surrounding trees, keeping the plants flourishing and covering the area with a blanket of calm, peaceful aura.

Muriel freezes on the edge of the clearing, stunned, looking over the carefully selected plants and then turning to MC with a silent question in his eyes.

It’s been a year since the two of them confessed their love to each other, they explain. So they wanted to create something special, to remind of that moment.

There’s a blush on his cheeks as his expression softens into a smile.

“...you never stop surprising me. Thank you.”

He leans down for a kiss, softly at first, then picks them up to kiss them like he did a year ago.

Really, the only reason he doesn’t take it further is that Inanna is right there, somehow looking very pleased with herself before she trots into the clearing to lay down next to a wild lavender patch.

They stay there for the entire evening, enjoying each other’s company.

Muriel teaches MC how to make flower crowns, and doesn’t try to take his off this time; Inanna ends up with a flower necklace as well.

They head back home when the stars above match the shining flowers scattered throughout the clearing.

That place becomes one of their favorite spots for years to come, with them maintaining and modifying it together.

🤍 Lucio 🤍

Lucio “I should be showering YOU with gifts!” Morgasson isn’t as used to receiving gifts as one might expect.

Oh, there were many people trying to get in his good graces through expensive gifts back in his Count years, but those were basically expected grandiose bribes, really; never a simple genuine gesture of affection.

Lucio himself goes strongly overboard with gifts at any given opportunity, and that does sometimes include flowers - or at the very least petals on the bed, he’s that kind of guy.

MC figures that “revenge” is long overdue.

It takes a little while to turn that idea into reality, but finally, after completing a few rather intense contracts in a row, the two go back to Vesuvia for a week to catch up with others and take a break from adventuring, with Nadia letting them stay in MC’s guest bedroom.

After sleeping in, Lucio wakes up to an empty bed and the intense smell of vanilla and chocolate in the room.

There’s a plate of freshly baked cookies on the desk, clearly not the “typical palace type”; it’s a pleasant surprise, if slightly confusing - but he is alright with being slightly confused with a cookie in his mouth.

That’s when MC quietly opens the door, beams upon seeing that he’s up, and enters with a bouquet of white, yellow and orange flowers in their hands.

The absolutely dumbfounded mid-chew expression on his face is fascinating to watch, as his eyes dart from the flowers to MC and then to the walls: there are a few seconds of badly concealed panic as Lucio frantically tries to recall what date it is, did he forget something, are they expecting something in return and he’s not ready-

Then, that one slightly wavering grin, “Gooood morning. What’s the occasion, dove?”

“The occasion is that I love you.”

How dare.

Well, good thing that the bed is right here, because he really doesn’t know how else to deal with this situation.

The flowers stay on the desk for the rest of the week, and Lucio turns pink every time he spots them.

He soon figures out how to deal with the situation, though; little does MC know that they just started a gift war.

[prof-peach]

Out of all of the pokemon you have taken care of, which one do you think it was the hardest to deal with? Be cuz they were in a pretty bad shape, or just personality wise?

We get rumbunctious and rowdy Pokemon all the time, our works nature brings them to us probably more than any other issue, outside of grass Pokemon care and management. Anger and nervousness is something we have a good hold of here, and try to help iron out of various species. I do a lot of that work, and on occasion, Grey will do the odd water type with these problems, as I tend to shy away from those. For the most part, they are short stint stays, a couple months, to a couple years helping them to rewire their anger into a more productive feeling or energy. That being said, there’s alwasy the odd Pokemon who comes our way who’s just a step above the rest. So here’s some stories of the ones who have had to stay with us, for their temperament and behaviour.

On the north side of the island, we house the biggest, meanest Pokemon, and the individuals who are very timid and nervous around people. We do this to ensure they have space to live undisturbed in peace, but also to protect guests and visitors from being eaten, crushed, blasted, or otherwise harmed. Some of the northern residents are difficult yes, but most are just stroppy or uncomfortable with the majority of humans, but there are a handful that are actively engaged in harming or hunting people.

One such Pokemon is a rather nasty tempered Drampa, he came to us about five or so years ago now, kindly donated by being abandoned on our shores, it’s original trainer leaving the ball and hopping on a boat without alerting us, or letting the individual know. We figured it would be possible to rehome it, they’re usually a rather reasonable Pokemon to handle, considering their typing. We were wrong. This Pokemon when let out of the ball, went on a monsterous rampage for four days, destroying forests, toppling buildings, blasting holes in the mountain to try to burrow away, and picking fights with anything it’s size or bigger, often causing great harm to others. The island didn’t rest for that entire time, most Pokemon cowering from it, bigger species trying to halt them, all in vain. It took an entire troop of grass Pokemon using sleep powder to knock it out, the Drampa moved about so fast, one single grass type didn’t stand a chance to produce enough spores in time. It took a lot of work but we knocked the old boy out, and got a good look at him. His body was riddled with arthritis, not medicated, he would thrash about and cause himself so much pain and discomfort. He had overgrown nails, the feet hidden in the fur they have around their torso, often overlooked, and it’s ability to fly was limited because of its general condition and state. We began helping it, medicating it’s aislments, aiding it’s inflamed joints, but it never really calmed down, so now it chills out alone on the coast of the north side, left well alone, it doesn’t even like the company of other Pokemon.

We’ve done our best to interact with it, to socialise it, to generally get it use to people enough to do medical checks, but it’s still very resistant. We have decided that after two years of hard work, and it being tolerant to me, at least to check it’s health and wellbeing, that it’s best to let it live it’s life unbothered. Many would push a Pokemon to be a perfect social being, but we don’t believe it’s necessary for happiness. Some species are happy to be away from others, I wouldn’t push a human to be social, I know how awful that can be, so we didn’t force the individual to be around others either. It’s not that it’s unhappy, we spot it from time to time sitting on the rocks by the ocean, humming to itself, and the small pidgey and tailow that come by don’t bother it, and even give mild brief conversation. He seems ok, the medicine given means he’s in less pain, despite still having stiffness, and in the winter we’ve built him a unique space, rocky cover much like a cave, just above a Macargo hide where they lay eggs. The heat from those Pokemon keep its cave very hot, and help in the cold to ease the joint aches. The two species have different entrances, making sure they never meet within the hide at any point. There’s a good slab of rock dividing them, so it’s not an issue, and saves us having to pipe hot water over that far for him. He eats well, has a few items he’s kept from the labs, a toy sentret, and a large red ball, and generally is in a good place to live out his life in peace now.

Another difficult member would be a particularly timid Slazzle, gifted to us by a police member who had confiscated it from a rather mean individual close to her home town, they had been hurting the poor Pokemon, forcing it to produce an insane amount of poison liquid, throwing water on the poor thing every time it tried to ignite to retaliate, generally abusing the poor thing for its life, apparently it had been locked away since it was a young unevolved Pokemon. They’d been harvesting the poisons from the Slazzle and dropping it into various water sources to try to control the local Pokemon population, as they blamed the wild ones for the state of their land, and diminished crops yield from their allotment. Jokes on them, that water poisoning affected them too, and their garden died very quickly, and made the man quite sick through consumption of the crops he grew there. The slazzle is still very skittish, will hide at any given moment, we’ve seen her ignite an entire building in one move, and then bolt away through the flames to lose our line of sight. She managed to stay hidden for two weeks on the island, before we caught sight of her again. Generally she’s just a case fo neglect but we have been working with her now for a long while, 3 ish years, and her temperament is at least manageable amongst our staff. We have found her others of her kind to help her settle, and she’s become good friends with a Wartortle who came from the same area, they bond over memories of the place, and seem very happy in each others company.

We’ve found ways to keep her grounded, but she never goes near people when we have open days, slinks off through the big fence to the north side, and waits out the visiting hours until night. They’re not usually nocturnal but she likes the night, and spends her time looking about, foraging and feeding in the later hours. If you’re quiet you can catch her moving around the forests and the base of the mountains here, talking with the occasional individual, she seems to enjoy Murkrow too, their company seems to keep her quite social, as they usually move in large flocks here. She may never be rehomed, but for now we try to socialise her, we don’t battle her, and she has a very calm and peaceful nook to go to when she’s having a rough time. We make sure to provide support where possible, and though she’s a little skittish she’s somewhat happy to have myself and Grey, even Pari take a look at any wounds or scrapes she may gain while living here. She’s become trusting enough to come to us if we call, and who knows, maybe someone will come our way who she takes an interest in. There’s hope for her yet, we have however become quite fond of her, and she’s part of the furniture now. It may end up that she never leaves, and lives her life in peace here, surrounded by people and Pokemon who love her. Her panic makes her very difficult to pass to another trainer, and she’s prone to spitting up huge quantities of toxic liquid when spooked, and bolts at a slight bang or rumble.

One I have kept back for a number of reasons, is a rather mean tempered Aerodactyl. Normally we get Pokemon sent to us, but this one I ended up finding myself, some circus had her chained up in a box hardly big enough to turn around in, an attraction to the masses as they travelled through the area. The leader of that troop was particularly awful, treating Pokemon as commodities, items to be bought and sold, used as toys in his big performances. Boiled my blood. We called her Zeplin, and after 12 years she has still got a nasty temper on her, when not focused on a task. Her condition when we first found her was quite something, tattered wings, unable to fly straight at all, and she was littered with cuts and bruises, not in good health. Val has melted the chains that bound her, and the lock in her cage, and she just went, like a bat out of hell, flew off, blasting the tent that hid her quarters, burning a lot of the circus as she went. Little did I know, my foot was in one of the chain links, and I got dragged off with her, the ground, Val, all my other team mates, falling from my pocket, or being left on the floor where we had once been standing. She flew, and kept going, not aware I was still attached, you could see her wings were having a hard time catching the breeze, littered with holes and tears, she went for about two hours, I nearly froze that high up, trying to get a good grip on what chain was left so I didn’t come falling from that height. We came to a very sudden crash landing, she hadn’t had much chance to practice the whole take off - land thing from the feel of it, we both ate dirt, and she became very aware that I was there all of a sudden.

I had about three seconds while she assessed my presence, to get out of the chain, and dive behind a rock that gave me cover from an almighty blast of energy, chipping away bits, catching my arm a little. Trust me when I say, it’s terrifying coming face to face with something that stands a fair few meters taller than you, with more teeth and claws than you’re comfortable with dealing with, with none of your Pokemon, no weaponry, no real plan or cover other than a rock. How she didn’t eat me, I don’t know. Perhaps she knew it was me that let her go, maybe she just ran out of energy, but for whatever reason, she made a few bits and tail lashes at me, missed the lot, and gave up, turning to stomp off into the forests around us. She was still shackled with heavy irons, one on the neck, two on the legs, and was in serious condition, so I did the stupid thing and followed her, tried to sneak my way behind, though every now and then she would look towards me, and try to focus on my form in the dark of night now. It was a few days, she had stalked some prey, fed, and was starting to ooze from some wounds. Though the circus was unkind, they were providing her with medication that stopped further infections occurring, perhaps a scarred beast of great size drew more punters, maybe they were just making sure she survived to make them money, I still don’t know.

I hunted herbs, dug out roots with rocks, used river water, and common berries and managed to fashion some kind of salve, nothing amazing, especially back at that age, but it would work, I knew it would because I used it on my own wounds first. Just had to convince her it was a good thing to let me get close. Not an easy task. We physically brawled, she was clearly spent, not able to use any attacks, just thrashing about, I managed to trip her with the chains still attached to her legs, and once downed, you can jump on the head of these Pokemon to keep the jaws shut, just long enough to lather the wounds you can reach, then bolt fast. It was a small act, but she took off running again. With some wounds sort of cared for, I followed again, fishing for dinner, forraging roots to chew on. It wasn’t much but it kept me going, then one night, where I had climbed to a crook of a large tree, using my jacket to tie myself in for a nights sleep, I was awoken by loud rustling, thudding of feet, and a mighty huff.

Below where I sat, the Pokemon had returned, being no doubt well aware of my presence, following the smell of human, she had noticed the salve do a good job on the wounds I managed to reach, but the ones I couldn’t get near had become far worse, red, inflamed and weeping terribly, no doubt hurting and itching. I’d seen her rubbing her sides in the day, itching gasinst rocks and trees, smearing blood and ooze along her path as she trudged. So here we were, alone in the woods, I veeeeery carefully climbed down, staying in cover as much as possible, and over the space of an hour or two, she let me come out into the open, teeth bared yeah, but she hadn’t attacked, and other than a very uncomfortable, low growl, she allowed me to creep closer, some more of that salve made more for my own wounds than hers, being sniffed at, she licked it too, but wasn’t happy with the taste, very bitter, and I was cautiously optimistic, allowed to help her heal the rest of the cuts she had acquired from her old home. So we began our....I want to say friendship but that wasn’t it, it was a collaboration to survive.

We had landed somewhere far from others, I missed my team, and she had never experienced anything outside of the cage, and so we banded together, tentatively. We caught dinner as a team, and climbed for fruits, foraged for berries, reapplying what loose form of medicine I managed to make, before coming to some kind of comfortable companionship together. A week passed, wandering without a clue where we were, before a path was found, she seemed to want to avoid it, and while I wasn’t keen on people much either, it was impossible not to want to find my team again. They needed me, and I needed them. If they had been found, a police officer or the likes may have sent them to my original professor, waiting to be called from the PC system again, but knowing Val, she had grabbed the balls, my things, and bolted to hide, waiting for my return. In desperation I tried to explain this to the Aerodactyl, who had not experienced a trainers care before, and seemed reluctant to return.

It was only upon mentioning revenge, to burn the circus to the ground, that I regained her attention, and we came to a slow agreement to get aid, gather items, and return to where she had been released from. She waited in the forest while I went to town, checking my PC space to see if my team had been handed in, which they had! It was lucky, I was reunited with Val (vulpix), Booker (teddiursa), and Potato (bulbasaur) who I took back, and returned to the woods with.

We had to get some revenge, and in turn we devised a plan to free the Pokemon first, sneak in and pick the locks, melt the chains and gates, and then finally, let the aerodactyl do her thing once the vulnerable individuals were loose. I did my best to hold back my own personal rage, and simply aid the demise of a group who were awful towards Pokemon through this one big flying type. I wint go into details but no one perished in the fire, they were arrested and charged for unsafe work conditions, and abuse towards Pokemon, not to mention false advertising, having no worker’s Compensation in pace for injury, which many staff complained of, and several incidents of sexual harassment in the work place that were brought to light.

Once one started to talk, the others all joined in, and the fire was put down to unsafe working conditions and a lack of health and safety. From what I heard, the whole circus worth of Pokemon were rehomed, helped and generally lived much better lives after that. However now we had one very mistrusting angry Aerodactyl on our hands, a Pokemon I had not worked with before, who had seemingly become quite tolerant of me, but would snap at just about anyone who clocked eyes with her. So I kind of just kept her, no ball, not for a fair few years, we both didn’t think it was important. She was nursed back to health, and we had to go through a lot of training together, she bit booker once quite badly, but we’ve all put that in the past, and have worked on it together.

She is still testing, she won’t be ridden by anyone else, she doesn’t care for other Pokemon much, crowds will spook her, she doesn’t like when people talk with raised voices or hostile tones, and gets real irritable if you come at her in any kind of way that isn’t open handed, calm and slowly. She’s now a very capable flier, wings healed up, spending her first half of life locked up made her long for the open sky, so now we take time together to go off and ride winds when work is slow, and she’s helped in many ways to make the island functional, by moving logs, clearing paths, helping lift building materials around, and generally being there for me when I’m full of rage, which is actually annoyingly often. We’re anger buddies hah, kind of get on the same level with it. She’s become so much part of my family, and I feel like i’m part of hers now too, so I doubt she’d be rehomed, but should she find somewhere she would rather be, we wouldn’t stop her going. She is difficult, angry, snappy, tempermental, difficult, won’t be touched by strangers, likes to fight, but I’d not change her, she’s our testing monster, who we love and adore.

Went off a bit, but I figured why not, I know her, and can write more about her life and story than the others.

[quitealotofsodapop]

MvA assorted headcanons

General:

So many years together has made the core monsters inseperable. If something affects one member, it affects the group.

All. The. Monsters. Are. Family.

It takes Susan a while to understand inside jokes and past incidents because of being the most recent addition.

There are Other anomalous creatures kept in Area 5X, but they are either non-sentient and/or are too dangerous to be kept around the more human-friendly monster group.

Area 5X is so gotdang big because they were expecting a lot more kaijus like Insecto to crop up. Sadly not many have surfaced to justify the space.

There’s a hangar in Area 5X full of wrecked UFOs. Some are spacecraft wreckage while others are stuff like weird meteors (Susan’s is in there), and at least one alien creature that got crystallised upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.

There’s significant difference in staff employed at different points throughout the past 50 years. There are far more women on the Area 5X worksheet than back in the 50s, and the guards are generally more sympathetic towards the monsters. Many modern staff members have been reprimanded or let go for failing to uphold secrecy, or for unnecessary cruelty towards the monsters.

Budget cuts were a legitmate concern up until the Battle of Golden Gate Bridge. The facility was far more barebones and sterile before the government had to formally recognise Area 5X’s importance. There have been a lot of redecorating at the facilty since the fat checks started coming in.

Putting individual characters under read due to length.

Susan:

Enjoys many hobbies considered stereotypically feminine; baking, sewing, cosmetics, etc...

Grandparents and extended family are farmers or are atleast connected to the business. Modesto is the agricultural centre of California after all. Her parents were the first of their generation to go against the mold and seek out white-collar careers.

Studied cosmetology in school and was working at a beauty salon to save up for her and Derek’s wedding.

Is very athletic and grew up doing a number of physical extracurriculars like cheerleading, dodgeball, and roller-derby.

Grew up being teased for being the shortest kid in her class/family. They still tease her for it.

Greatly fears causing collateral damage and/or harm to others through her size.

Has issues with anxiety, worsened only by her new job as “savior of earth”. She wishes for a confidant to tell her worries to.

Married life with Derek was doomed to fail. Susan had a plan in place for what came after the marriage, and focusing 100% on Derek’s career was not it. There’s also the line from Derek’s mother about Susan being “the weatherman’s wife”, implying that she was to be the homemaker and not have a career of her own. It’s possible that Susan was planning to settle down and have kids with Derek, but the lack of control she had in moving to Fresno implied that more was going on.

Is currently “taking a break” from love and dating, despite gaining many new admirers.

Tries her best to return to Modesto to visit her family and friends whenever possible, though work often keeps her away for weeks at a time.

If she retains her height-shifting abilities as in the series; Susan goes through really bad “growing” pains.

Link:

Was frozen in his relative late-teens during a cold snap. Got shifted around until he ended up somewhere in Greenland before being discovered by modern humans. Post-thaw he went a bit wild, swimming frantically back south to try and find his old enviroment.

Was one of many scrappy youngsters in his troop, with a number of adoptive parents. The strongest ruled the troop, and Link was fairly weak in comparision to the leaders. He had gotten into a fight the day of his freezing (over something silly in hindsight) and swam away to sulk. When he didn’t return after the cold snap - the troop accepted that he had likely died out on his own.

Likes to freak out humans by making up weird biology facts about his species and ones he’s fought against - like joking about laying eggs or having his tail dettach and regrow like a lizard. However there’s some things he has to ask about, because he doesn’t have medical knowledge or words to describe something.

A lot of his macho behavior came from imitating the guards who kept watch on him. 1950s violent military alpha males aren't a very good role model for someone who doesnt know what societal norms are yet. Link was a lot more insufferable back in the day but chilled out as he began interacting with other walks of life.

Has a high paternal instinct and immediately becomes softer around kids and smaller animals.

Has body language similar to a cat/alligator. Slaps his tail when angry or in deep thought. And yes; Link purrs/rumbles when happy.

Loves monster movies - especially the ones where the monsters “win”. He cried when he saw “Beauty and the Beast” and then immediately booed loudly when the Beast turned human.

Does Not Trust doctors or scientists due to bad past experiences. Will only go to Dr Cockroach and Monger if he ever gets hurt/ill. Gets stressed fast if he has to be in a waiting room or doctors office.

Link had no idea what gender indentities or orientations were until recently - he did come from a pre-human civilization that really didnt mind/care about the schemantics. It took him some time to wrap his head around it. He identifies himself as bisexual after much thought and many hours alone on the computer.

Don't press him about his body. He's built different from humans and cis people. He will punch anyone who doesnt respect his or anyone elses identity.

Has been in love before. It didn’t end well.

Will occasionally wear clothes, but finds it a challenge to find anything that fits him. Will give any shoes he finds to Dr Cockroach and BOB to eat.

The best driver/pilot out of all the monsters.

Dr Cockroach:

True name is Jaques-Yves Herbert. Prefers to just go by "Dr Cockroach" because he dislikes the association with his birth family.

Picks up human languages very easily, although not as quickly as he can understand animals.

Parents were a mixed scientist couple. His father was an aggressive “Strong British Man” that would beat him son down for not following orders or for not meeting his standards for a man. Dr C turned down both chances to attend his parents funerals.

This man isn’t straight. He probably uses old-fashioned slang when asked about romance such as; “I am Uranian” or “I wear a green carnation”. It took Susan a few times to realise what he meant, as she is used to a more open minded enviroment.

Got the idea of transforming into a cockroach from reading Franz Kafkas “The Metamorphosis” as a child. He sympathized with Gregor’s abusive situation, and began considering the possibilties of how one could survive better as a creature like a cockroach.

Studied in biology and entomology in the Uk before moving to the states to follow engineering. Obtained his degree in Dance as a “side gig” in University.

Has been barred from free access to the coffee maker/machine due to overnighters. Once stayed awake so long that he forgot the letter “R”.

Owned a terrarium of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches throughout college. He mourned each of them when his roommate’s iguana got into the tank.

Was a "beatnik" back in the day and still kinda is. Embraces and encourages modern counterculture as he himself was not given such acceptance in his youth. He has however shamefully eaten his old Lenny Bruce album.

Hasn’t actually aged physically since his transformation. He attributes this to the fact that certain athropods can’t age physically beyond maturity. Link is very jealous.

Has obtained more degrees while in captivity, as Monger allowed him access to research and learning materials. He has however had his allowances revoked for previous escape attempts/doomsday devices.

Does still enjoy human food, but the cockroach instinct of "eat detritus" tends to overrule his eating choices. Can’t cook either.

Ironically a terrible driver. The damages from previous drives has made Monger restrict him from operating even a razor scooter.

BOB:

Pretty much considers himself human. Was created by them, raised by one (Monger), and talks like one. Gets sad when he's reminded that no other humans are blue blobs like him.

Absorbed some dna from the scientists present at his "birth", leading to his eye, speech, and omnivorous diet.

Doesnt actually need to breathe (as he can just absorb oxygen through his mass) but the fact that humans Do means that BOB thinks he has to as well.

Shares some physical characteristics with tomatoes/nightshade plants, as he is technically half tomato. He refuses to eat tomatos for this very reason, considering it cannibalism.

Attracts garden pests looking for a tomato plant. This unwittingly makes BOB a pretty good bug zapper.

Still retains his "mental broadcast" ability from "BOB's Big Break" although at a more subtle level. He tends to parrot the things he accidentally "eavesdropped" on.

Is empathetic, and can tell when others aren't doing ok emotionally. Will flop down on someone who’s really sad to comfort them. No brain, only heart.

Best cook out of the monsters. If he doesn’t forget what he’s making at least.

"Whats a gender? Can I eat it?"

Insectosaurus:

Core body is that of a Japanese Silkmoth, although she ended up being spliced with other animals present on the island during her initial mutation; namely ants and ground squirrels.

Eats over a literal ton of mulberry leaves per day. Also enjoys oranges.

Secretly wishes to be more humanoid.

Was only able to pupate and transform due to physical trauma. It seems that her transformation was like a “power-up” that required her to be in geniune distress for it to activate.

First language is Japanese. She learned it from the intial recovery team, and later developed an understanding of English from years in Area 5X.

Goes into torpor in cold weather. Pretty much impossible to wake her up for missions during Winter, as she needs to “rev up” before becoming mobile.

Still very much Link’s best friend. Still enjoys sports, chicks, and beer.

Monger:

Full name is; Warren Rex Monger.

Is very protective of the monsters and will defend them to the death.

Pretty much raised BOB (as seen when BOB was a baby blob in “Night of the Living Carrots”), and considers him his “freaky gelatinous son”.

Has a reputation of being a “control-freak” due to his aggressive overseeing of the monsters’ containment. This toughness is partly because of incidents that occured without his knowledge. Lets just say some scientists have been wedgied/fired for running experiments on the monsters without Monger’s approval.

Has a very “Ron Swanson” emotional response and view of the world. Crying is acceptable only at funerals and at the Grand Canyon (if he hadn’t lost his tear ducts in the war).

Has been married multiple times. Will not confirm or deny if he is currently seeing anyone.

Invisible Man/TiM:

Legit got out but no one at Area 5X is sure how. He suffered a geniune medical emergency and disappeared after surgery. The other monsters were informed that he died from complications to deter them from getting escape ideas.

Is able to be detected in Infrared light. Dr Cockroach managed to rig up goggles to view TiM in case of injury and to foil pranks.

Was a scientist working on an invisibility potion for the military and used himself as a guinea pig. Hasn’t actually been able to replicate his results since - thinks the effect may have been caused by a genetic abnormality.

Dr Cockroach and him are massive rivals. Both actually met eachother pre-transformation through a CalTech expedition. This makes the pair one of few people that have seen the others human face.

Is 100% naked. Was forced to wear clothing once this was discovered.

A massive prankster and a cynic. Him and Link were a force to be reckoned with.

Has revisted the facility multiple times and has started a number of ghost stories.

Any additions are welcome! I proably have alot more to dump about. Might make one of the alien characters from the series

[aserethstorm]

Ever After's 🦢

Pieck Finger x Jean Kirstein  

Also on Ao3!

__________________

Will there be a future after the war?

Whether it brings them to the peace they've yearned for or to even more battles they need to fight. Two wayward souls decided to navigate it together, into this brand new world born from the rumbling.

——————————

It’s a beautiful afternoon, the sun’s shining not too brightly and the sky is a clear blue.

"A perfect time to tend to the garden?" Jean suggests as he lifts the large shovel over his shoulder. Pieck hums, putting on her gardening gloves, already picturing the stubborn weeds awaiting her.

Pieck’s father; Mister Finger greets them as the two exits the opening of their home. Seated on the rocking chair of their porch with a cup of hot coffee and a crisp newspaper at his disposal. Pieck kisses his cheek and Jean tells him where they're heading. The man nods his features softening.

Ever since Pieck broke off her curse: thanks to the help of a certain bespectacled commander and marrying her comrade in war. The once miserable man began to smile, to weave jokes into his conversations. He finally showed Pieck the other side of him that he thought to have died with his wife all those years ago.

He didn’t even complain! Not once when Pieck told him they were moving to the 'damned island of the devils'. Only asking that his humble abode be right next to his daughter so that he can visit often.

“Your father is in high spirits today” Jean comments holding the gate for her to enter. Pieck chuckles both at her husband's words and the sight in front of her. “He’s always in high spirits nowadays Jean...and I’m so thankful he is” she sighs before pointing to Jean where he needed to begin. She bends down, working the knots on the soil.

Duties were still chasing after them like the shadows that haunted them behind. But somehow the two manage to find light in between. Of course, being needed didn’t help as it dwindles the state of their usually empty home.

It takes them an hour and a half before they're halfway done. Their garden is a little bit better than it once before. Jean stabs his shovel on the ground, leaning on it...he wipes the sweat that gathers in his brow. Jean exhales loudly, pulling out the shovel he calls out to his wife. “Hey, we might be able to grow potatoes here too.”

He just realizes upon uttering the last word in his sentence that the memories come rushing back. Memories of a familiar food maniac and their once shared bond. It doesn’t go unnoticed to Pieck as she watches him carefully, her expression solemn at the sight. “That’s nice, the more the merrier.” Jean shakes his head, continuing the task at hand. Though from the way his movements hardened and his jaw clench. He labored the task, troubled.

Pieck grabs the watering can, dampening the now weed-less soil “I wonder how Gabi and Falco are doing...” she absentmindedly asks as she moves on to the next row. This time large plots with living vegetable plants growing in them. Jean grunts lifting the dirt “they're probably attending a school like what normal children are supposed to do.”

He doesn’t notice the long silence that follows. Too focused on the task at hand that he barely hears her utter the next words carefully. He halts, the shovel falling limply to his side, fingers barely clutching the hilt as he turns to her with surprised eyes.

“W-What did you say?”

Pieck looks up to him, smiling like it was just an afterthought. “I’m pregnant,” she spoke albeit slower this time. Purposely drawing out each syllable in the statement. the former cart titan gasps when she finds Jean running to her, lifting her body off the ground as if she didn’t way a thing. She holds on tightly to his shoulders as Jean twirls her around. They both cheer, Jean cheering for both of them since she was too busy laughing at it all.

“Tell me this is a dream!?” He asks eyes bright but slowly being blurred by tears. He remains still with Pieck raised to the air. Her gaze softens as she rubs his cheek, where a single tear rolls. “You're going to become a father Jean,” Pieck confirms, cupping his face in her tiny hands. She says the words as if it was the surest thing in the world, onyx eyes unwavering as she recites the words into his soul.

Jean grins even wider, pulling her close to his lips and into a long-lasting kiss.

________________

“Jean.”

A voice calls and Jean whips around to meet the petite figure approaching him. Wavy black hair flowing softly as she half runs to stand in front of him.

Staring at him with the loveliest abyssal. She smiles and Jean feels his heart tighten. The feeling is neither welcomed nor unwelcome.

“Thanks for having my back, Kirstein.” She nudges, grazing the side of his arm. Jean smiles, silently admiring their height difference. “It’s fine.” He answers.

Only when his gaze turns to the distance, seeing the kids converse with Annie and Reiner that he decides asks “What’s your plan now?”

Pieck pauses for a moment turning her head to her group of warriors. “We’re heading back to Liberio...recover what’s left.” Her voice is soft but it remains firm.

Strong. In an instinct, Jean squeezes her shoulder. Pieck turns to meet his gaze, surprised. “You have us, we're still the alliance after all.” She nods and Jean lets go. The two silently gaze at one another, both pondering on the little act just committed before Connie yells out Jean's name.

________________

They hold hands as they walked back to their home atop the slope. Pieck’s father quickly standing from the porch to welcome them mid-way. As he arrives at their side Pieck shares with him the big news and once again was enraptured in a loving embrace.

Her father smiles, his face now directed towards Jean. The two clasp hands Mr. Finger extending his congratulations to the younger man and they relish a short hug before laughing. They pull Pieck once again between them in that short embrace.

This is getting too much. Pieck thinks but doesn’t at all hate the words. The feeling of so much love between the two men for her was unconditional and she was eternally grateful to have them by her side.

Dinner passes swiftly with the three discussing future arrangements and the way of an announcement to the rest of their friends. Pieck suggests they don’t rush it already imagining the overbearing pampering she’ll be receiving from the lady soldiers she has grown to be acquainted with. Jean smiles at her placing his larger hand above hers, she melts at the sight.

Before they knew it the dishes were cleaned, the table was arranged and Pieck's father was waving them goodbye leaving the couple to their own devices.

After sweeping Pieck plans on finishing her book. Which she hasn’t been able to do in quite a while. The former cart holder hums at the thought, appreciating the tranquil silence that was too soon interrupted by slow jazz.

The music fills her every waking being and she sighs, chuckling at Jean's ridiculousness.

“So is this how it goes...Jean?”

She tilts her head backward meeting his soft loving gaze. Large hands tantalizingly tracing the length of her arms.

Pieck leaves her broom to the side, allowing Jean to sweep her away to the beat. The music is slow and Jean laughs softly when Pieck turns to him, surprised he lead them both back to their bedroom.

The chorus continues and they sway gently to the track that was playing downstairs on the gramophone. Jean holds her hand in his and the other squeezing around her waist. Pieck smiles, she can't help it these days. Allowing her head to rest against his chest as Jean guides her to the steps.

They resume like that for a couple more minutes before Jean gently cups her chin. Making her look up to him once again, accepting her to see the raw undying infatuation and affection the man held for her.

“I love you, Pieck...”

She examines them more and muses the way the burgundy color of his eyes glints at the candlelight before capturing his lips.

Jean was momentarily caught off guard at the action but who wasn’t when it came to Pieck? Instead, he smirks pulling them both to the bed. their lips leaving for a parting second as Pieck situates herself upon his torso. Hands placed on both sides of his head, She cages him.

For a moment they stare at each other, catching their breaths before their tongues collided once again, Pieck delights herself exploring his clothed body with nimble fingers. Making the man below her breathe heavily. The energy around them is burning and Jean makes himself useful by quickly unbuttoning her blouse.

________________

“That was reckless of you Captain Kirshtein.”

Pieck voices, though the tone is not filled with the reprimand and despise Jean was expecting. It was carefree like a trivial thought she tossed at him...just like the way her hands wrapping limply around his neck. Jean huffs pushing up her body further as he continues walking.

It’s the late afternoon and the sun has now begun to set. The two officers have now just departed a global briefing. A meeting compromising the military officials and their plans to do what’s left of humanity outside the island.

“He saw it coming. He knows to never utter those disrespectful towards you...to any of us.”

As Captain, Jean is always there. Always present as he stands side by side with the last two commanders of Paradis’s military and as the former Cart holder Pieck is needed as well. Her knowledge and insight are what are still keeping Marley together along with Reiner. Their duty never ends and Jean thinks he’ll continue fighting until he dies.

You rest when you have already left this world.

The fleeting words of that strange old man he passed by before entering the barracks this morning return and Jean releases a small sigh. Though the battle is over many things have yet to be discussed. This is the price they have to pay...for everything

She lays her head softly on his watching as the sun descends into the horizon. Jean continues looking forward holding her firmly but also careful and gentle.

“Your lucky you’re loved.”

These moments...these precious moments they have together. It began a few years back. Back when the whole world was still scraping the pieces of what’s left.

Official unions are held often and they meet in it all, growing closer. Conversing into the long hours of the night after meetings or military affairs and their bond grew larger than expected. It evolves from there on out...from reassuring words to warm touches. They don’t give meaning to this or maybe it’s just Jean who doesn’t want to give any meaning to this...

too afraid, too scared, too much of a coward. To finally accept this promise of peace and happiness he was deprived of. Who could blame him though? Being a former soldier in the Survey Corps taught this young man to accept that his happiness is fleeting, warm promises meant nothing in the end and you’ll just have to accept the fact that anyone you grow too attached to will leave your side sooner or later.

His thoughts bring him back all those years ago. On that familiar street of that wanted city. The look of emptiness on what’s left of Marco’s face...

“You know what? Let me just take a breather.” Pieck chuckles before carefully plopping off his back and into the earthy ground below. The grass is warm, a little detail Pieck notes to herself as she trails her fingers over its leaves before using them to straighten her skirt.

The two share a solemn silence as they stare at the setting sun. A giant ball fire descending steadily, painting the sky in a cacophony of bright oranges and purples. The beauty of this cruel world never fails to astound Jean. It never fails to leave him gasping for air, just Iike the way he’s holding his breath now.

Looking at her.

Wavy black hair tied in a low ponytail just like the way she tied it back when she was 12. A habit she once told him. The curve of her elegant nose, the paleness of her flawless skin, Tired black pearls that she calls her eyes, trapping the beautiful scenery inside them.

"The world is cruel but it's also very beautiful...Mikasa was the one who said that to me."

"Yeah..."

He continues to stare at her, not caring that the sun has set a decent amount of time before it. He doesn’t care that the stars have now began to appear in the dark blue heaven above and the way she’s now looking at him directly.

“What’s on your mind, Jean?” She asks bopping his nose.

A frightening warrior she is...disguised in such a lovely and beautiful woman.

“You still have to take me back y’know” Pieck jokes, stretching her arms over her head. “That sunset was delightful but I’m afraid I’m going to be late for my curfew.” Marley soldiers visiting the island for business affairs were situated in a residential building in their stay on Paradis and even warriors still need to be disciplined with its time limitations.

She ushers herself to stand only hesitating when Jeans held her hand. Pieck stares at him, watching his emotions shift from a long hesitation to a quick resolve. His burgundy eyes sparkle with hope and Pieck holds her breath.

“Will you marry me?”

He asks softly, eyes shining brighter than any of the brightest stars in the sky. If he asked this of her years back she would have exploited this to her advantage, used him, laughed at him for offering such a thing.

But she got to know him in those years and more. Learning his land, his family,  friends, and him. Understanding every shine and crack that immortalized his past, getting to know him and his flaws and perfections. Without realizing she began to enjoy even more of his presence and her heart made room for him there, etched with care and affection that only grew larger and larger...

She’s sure of her answer as she meets his gaze, lovingly.

“Yeah”.

[poptod]

Dusk and Dawn (Ahkmenrah x Reader)

Description: A gardener and a prince look for the beauty in the world and end up finding it in each other.

Notes: This is mostly a drabble that came about after I played with the hose while watering my flowers, and also after I read some ancient Egyptian poetry. gender neutral. Word Count: 10.5k

AO3 Link: Dusk and Dawn

+

God, you loved to watch him. He didn't know about that, of course, but you still liked to look up every now and then. Your garden was right below his room, and he often sat in the open arches overlooking the city. A soft sigh fluttered through you – the sun set on your end of the palace, and the warm rays always glittered in the prince's golden robes. Surprisingly you actually had met him, though that was a long while ago and you doubted he remembered you. Still, you held the hopeful fantasy that maybe he was looking down, watching you tend the blue lotus pond.

For a long while you'd been tending to the western garden, bringing water for the plants, keeping the pond clean and making sure the turtles and geese were fed. There were a few birds who lived there, and those that did each had a name assigned by you. One had electrically orange tail feathers; that one's name was Abayomi. Another had black feathers surrounding her eyes – her name was Nuru. An ibis also stopped by every now and then, though you didn't have a name for it, as it usually roosted up in the treetops.

None of that really mattered, but tending the garden all day and living without many friends had set a special loneliness upon you, and with no visitors you could generally do as you wished. That's why you kept one of your prized possessions there amongst the flower bushes; a flower from China that grew in the shade. The Pharaoh was not aware of the flower, but you doubted he'd actually care anyway. After all, he barely glanced at the list of gardeners before hiring you, and he seemed to be doing it more to satisfy his wife's wishes than to fulfill a passion for the earth.

Either way, you were lucky to have the job you did – it paid well, was an easy enough, enjoyable job, and every now and then you could see the prince in his palace windows. The best times were when you could hear the jangled notes of him trying to play harp, though most times it was rather out of tune.

You circled the sandstone path of the garden once more, watching every flower and testing their sweet scent in the warm air. Once you checked the health of each vine, bush, and tree, you turned to the pool of water, the alabaster edge marking the lillies encircling a tiny, grass island in the center, where turtles liked to relax.

As the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared over the desert and oasis horizon, you stood from your knelt position against the white lip lining the water, looking up to a purple dusk above you. One glance at the open arches and he was not there. Slightly disappointed, you enjoyed the last few minutes of your job before you left. You didn't ever really like going home – your roommates didn't like you all that much (and to be fair, you didn't like them), and the gardens were much quieter. Unfortunately, you had to pack up your remaining tools, as your garden was the home of nesting animals and the few nobles who meandered the paths at night.

Tomorrow you would have to tend to the bushes. Their branches, while fruitful, had to be trimmed properly so as to keep a 'clean' look about the place. Another issue was the overcrowding of the date trees; you'd have to look into that, but you left that for tomorrow. As for tonight, you wandered on home, watching the stars appear in the sky like distant candles marking an oasis.

You awoke to the screech of birds outside your window, roosting in the tall trees even with your third-floor bedroom. Grumbling, you hid away from them, slowly acclimatizing yourself to the idea of standing up. When at last you did so, you turned to the small mirror in your name. Kneeling before it you tidied up your hair, making sure you looked even before reaching for your clothes. Normal clothes today, you thought – nothing special happening, just another day of tending.

Beneath the pile of cloth, something rattled, and as you pulled the folded clothes away you found a golden armband beneath them, clinking against the stone floor. You paused, curiosity consuming you until you set the clothes aside and picked up the band. Examining it, you admired the sun's reflection and the lapis beads dug into the shape of a scarab. Your brows knitted together; you had no recollection of seeing this, much less buying it. Maybe one of your roommates had gotten it for you, but it seemed improbable, as they often failed to pay rent. For a moment you contemplated wearing it, ultimately deciding it couldn't do any harm.

With a soft smile on your face you pulled on your sandals, tying up the leather laces before slinging your linen satchel over your shoulders. Running down the stairs, you made a quick stop to the pantry, taking one of the parts before you left out the front door. It would be a beautiful day, you thought, as the sun shone warm overhead, and in the distance you saw naught but a pale blue sky and faraway mountains. You passed by a couple birdsongs as you made your way to the palace, and though you made sure to appreciate them you also made sure not to be late. Not that you actually had to check in or anything – just a personal preference.

It didn't take too long before the palace stood in front of you, the tall, stone walls leering over the city. The sight unsettled people sometimes (mostly foreigners), but you found it familiar over all else. Another soft smile crossed you – if you could find time to stop by the kitchens, you could get leftover bread and scraps for the birds, which always helped in their amiability with you.

You passed by several people in the halls, none of which you knew, though silent nods were usually exchanged. Politeness was key when dealing with royalty and nobles, and your fear of them helped to keep you in check. You would never be able to find it within yourself to disobey nor befriend royalty.

Fortunately, you did stop by the kitchens, and the servants working there bid you a cheery hello and pleasant good bye as you came and went, stuffing day-old bread in your bag.

Continuing on your way, you came to the large archway leading into your garden. Sunlight shone through it and onto the stone you stood upon, lighting up the intricate detailing of the carved arch, and the bits of metal in your sandals. Warmth rolled up your body, comforting your skin as you continued forward. The sun had always been your friend, and you hoped it would remain that way, as you always smiled when the sun touched your face.

Setting your bag down on the stone floor you snuck behind the bushes, pulling out the box of various tools you needed. Shovels both big and small, shears, bags of earth direct from the Nile's shores, such and such – you dug through for a moment before reaching the large, metal clippers. Holding it with both hands you smiled, satisfied with the size before you stood. The bushes needed trimming; you'd do that first, and once you finished with that, you could climb up into the trees and harvest the dates, and later the figs nabk berries.

In the meantime, you listened to the faraway music of the temples, carefully snipping away at the loose leaves and branches. Out of habit you looked up to the sky, watching for both birds and the prince. When you found neither of them you let out a dissatisfied mumble, returning to the task at hand with a tinge of disappointment.

By around noon you finished off the bushes, and you excitedly prepared for your next task of the day. It was a tad harder than your previous work, but more worth it, and certainly more enjoyable.

Grabbing a wicker basket you set it beneath the date tree, looking up so as to carefully measure where the dates would fall. Date trees were tall, tall enough to need either a ladder or a rope, neither of which you had. You contemplated your various options before deciding you could probably climb up the trunk. Whether or not that was safe you didn't know, but it wasn't particularly important anyway. Climbing trees was fun.

Your first attempt ended up with you flopping onto your back as you fell. It wasn't a very long fall considering you only made it two feet into the air, but it still knocked the air out of you, which was an unpleasant feeling all around. Trying again, you kept your hands tight around the wood, using your shoeless feet to get a better grip. With a little more flailing you made it to the top, wrapping your legs around the trunk and releasing your hands. You floated midair, and with a wide, triumphant grin you began to pick at the branches heavy with dates, letting them fall into the basket far below.

Through the tree branches movement caught your eye, pausing your hands as curiosity once more overcame you. High above you, the prince stood at his golden arches, and for a second the two of you made eye contact. Reaching your hand out wide, you waved at him. He laughed – at least that's what you thought he was doing, and he waved back. Your own bright grin crossed you, but before you could think of something to yell, he returned to the safety of his room. You tried not to let it disappoint you and returned to the dates.

A few minutes later and the heavier branches were lifted of the bulk of their fruits, making the brush of the leaves much lighter in the breeze that passed by. You climbed carefully to the floor, jumping off when you could, and looking over the collected dates. It was a good batch – clean, well shaped, with little to no bruises. You had a special talent when it came to that, which you liked to believe made you a better gardener.

Lifting up the heavy basket you took it to the waterside, kneeling on the ledge and dipping the basket in. The design of the flax allowed water to pass through, and as you soaked the fruit the bugs and dirt washed away, fluttering to the bottom of the clear pond. With a grunt you lifted it out, the remaining water draining till all that was left was clean dates. You took one – just to taste, and within the first bite you knew the trees were having a wonderful spring.

As you made your way to the arch, ready to take the basket to the kitchen, you were stopped by nearly walking head-on into a man entering the garden. You fumbled only a moment, your grip on the basket tightening so as to not accidentally drop it on both your and the stranger's feet.

"Oh goodness," you breathed out as you stepped backwards, narrowly avoiding collision.

"I'm sorry, I – I didn't see you, sorry," he stammered, holding his hands out in front of him defensively.

Looking up to his face, your breath stopped, eyes widening imperceptibly. Immediately you dropped the basket, kneeling before him in a bow that pressed your forehead against the stone floor.

"My prince," you said, your voice weak from nerves.

"Oh, there's no need for that," he said quickly, helping you back up to your feet while you stared in awe and confusion. "I'm the one that almost ran into you, after all. You're the gardener, right?"

You nodded, heart pounding against your ribs.

"I see you from my room, sometimes," he said, and right away you recalled crystal clear memories of seeing him far above you that dated back years.

"I think I waved to you," you said softly.

"Yes," he said with a smile, "you did. I just... I thought I should introduce myself. I think we've seen quite a lot of each other, but I still don't know your name."

"I am Nedjem," you introduced yourself with a shallow bow.

"Ahkmen," he said, offering you his hand. Gingerly you took it, shaking his hand.

"I'm sorry to leave so shortly, but I need to take these to the kitchens," you said as you knelt, ignoring how close you were previously standing before him in favor of lifting up the heavy basket. He scooted to the side to allow passage.

"Will you be back?"

"Of course, my prince," you said with another short bow, this time bidding him a short good-bye.

A shiver ran through you – both from your encounter and the sudden shade in the chilled walls of the palace. Passing by the paintings adorning the hallways, you noticed your hastened step with bashfulness, and the ceaselessly happy smile creeping upon you. You couldn't control it, so instead you kept your head up and waved to the couple people you passed by.

It wasn't a long trip to the kitchens, and though the chefs wanted to discuss something with you, you quickly excused yourself with the excuse that the prince was waiting for you. They shut up pretty well after that.

The prince was just as nice as you thought he would be, something even you could tell from your brief meeting. A giddiness ran through you – he was so polite, especially considering his other family members. You'd only met his brother once, but you preferred it that way, considering in that one meeting that lasted exactly four minutes, he managed to find seven different ways to insult you. A creative lad for sure, but not kind.

You reentered the garden with the large, empty basket at your hip. Humming quietly to yourself, you stowed it away with the other tools, not bothering to look back at the pond.

"Is this where you keep your tools?" The voice of the prince said behind you, and before you could help it you jumped, whirling around to face him with quickened breath. At your reaction his eyes widened, and he said, "I'm so sorry, that's twice now I've made you jump. Oh dear."

"No, it's my fault, I should've noticed you standing there," you said quickly, trying to get your breathing under control. The prince didn't make it any easier – he was practically standing chest to chest with you, and with you backed up against the thick brush, you couldn't move anywhere. You could feel your cheeks boiling with a vibrant blush.

"I'm still sorry," he said with a weak chuckle, taking a few steps back so you could leave your little hole behind the bushes. You nodded your head gratefully, but you couldn't hold that long of a conversation with him, even if you wanted to. After all, you were still at work, and the fig trees needed to be plucked and trimmed.

As you took one of the smaller baskets to the northern row of fig trees, the prince followed behind you, looking over your shoulder as you worked away. With your bare knees dug into the soft earth, you ducked beneath the tree branches and reached for the more invisible of the fruits. There had to be a few visible for the King to pick, should he come through, so you took up the tendency of taking the bare minimum. The King hadn't said anything, so you assumed it was fine.

"Can I make it up to you?" The prince said in that mellowed, honey voice that you doubted you'd ever grow used to.

"What do you mean?" You asked, reluctant to turn away from your task, as any eye contact you held with the prince had your heartbeat picking up and your palms sweating.

"I frightened you terribly. You could've dropped your basket. Both times, too," he added, drawing a soft laugh out of you. Shaking your head, you tried to think up a response as you debated whether or not you actually wanted to spend time with him. He was kind, but you couldn't trust yourself to keep calm.

"That's really not necessary," you said.

"I know," he said as he knelt down beside you, dirtying his golden robes. Before you could say anything, he added, "I just want to."

"I would love to, but I'm busy with the garden most days," you said with a sigh, your heart sinking ever so gently into a pit of regret for something you hadn't even decided not to do.

"What about tonight? I can take you down to the river, we can sail for a little while," he offered, and though your immediate reaction was to turn him down, you paused before speaking. You could certainly use more flora and such for the garden (it was a little sparse around the walls), and one of the best, cheapest places to get it was in the wild.

"Can I collect plants?" You asked quietly, almost embarrassed to bring it up. But he just smiled, warm and comforting, as though what you said was not only special but worth hearing.

"Of course. When do you finish off here? I can meet you then," he said, and you answered with your usual time, which was around sunset.

He bowed curtly before he left, a hint of a smile tugging at the ends of his lips. You let out a heavy breath – he could be quite intense, but you looked forward to the day you could relax around him, should that day ever come. In the meantime you fantasized while you gardened, dreaming of picking figs beside him and wading in the shallow pools.

The sun set slow that afternoon, verging carefully into evening. You didn't notice, still caught up in your plants, and having yet to feed the geese circling the pond. The ibis hadn't come today, but you weren't worried – it could handle itself just fine. As for the domesticated ducks and turtles, not quite so much, and as one of the servants brought you a small basket of wide, crisps leaves, you thanked them with a short bow. They left quickly, and with that you turned to the animals gathered in the pond and on its' island.

Slipping off your sandals you kept the basket of leaves close to you, carefully readying yourself for dipping your feet into the water. It chilled against you, crawling slowly up your leg till you stood calf deep in the water, wading across the soft dirt floor towards the island. Several of the turtles looked up to you, but the rest didn't pay your presence any mind. Smiling softly, you pulled a few leaves out, holding them in your hand for the more hungry ones to bite into. The crisp of the leaf in a sharp beak snapped in the quiet air, bothered only by the soft giggles leaving you at the sight.

Ahkmen watched as the edge of your skirt dipped ever so slightly into the water, smiling to himself at your absolute concentration. He stood, leant against the arch while you hummed quietly, taking short pauses to speak to the many turtles now staring at you. It was a rather unfamiliar sight to him, but he still couldn't help the smile on his face.

"I've got to feed the others now," you told the turtles quietly, leaving the rest of the leaves on the center of the island before wading back to shore.

Setting down the now-empty basket, you reached for the bag of bread crumbs, only then catching Ahkmen out of the corner of your eye. You nearly jumped – again – but fortunately, you kept your composure this time.

"Do you often feed them?" He asked, his arms crossed over his chest, watching you with a lopsided smile.

"Feed them every day," you said with a nod. "They live here."

"Really? I thought they were wild," he said, stepping away from his place beneath the arch to join you at the side of the pond. Still dressed in his golden robes, though this time wearing neither his cape nor his crown, he sat down on the pond's ledge.

"Some of them are," you said, sprinkling crumbs over the water around the ducks, "but some understand the ease of life here a little better than others."

They began ducking their beaks underwater, fast movements allowing them to eat before it soaked too terribly. You watched with a distant smile, sprinkling more over as they ate quickly, the sound apparently amusing Ahkmen.

"Could I feed them?" He asked, his eye switching between the geese and you.

"Of course," you said, handing him the bag.

With a grin he grabbed a rather large handful, mimicking your sprinkling, but ultimately failing when a sizable chunk fell from his palm, sinking into the water. He frowned.

"Don't worry," you said, "they'll get it eventually. They always do."

The two of you stayed there a little while longer, you calf-deep in water, and Ahkmen sitting on the ledge, his skirt crumpled in his hands to avoid soaking it. As you fed the last bits of bread to the ducks, the sun fell behind the horizon. That familiar purple tinted the sky, making way for the first stars, and in the southern sky, the moon. Dusk settled itself upon the land, and with that you looked to Ahkmen who was already staring at you.

"Nice evening, isn't it?" He murmured, tracing his finger over the lily pads. You agreed with a hum. "Shall we go then?"

He stood before you answered, and wordlessly you followed him, wading carefully in the water before making it to the edge. Hauling yourself off, you wrung out the end of your skirt. You offered a small smile before taking your bag, slinging it over your shoulder before you left the garden, walking beside him like good friends. For a little while he led you through the palace corridors, into places you'd never been before and didn't really care to be. It didn't take too long, though – soon he was leading you down an outdoor path to a distant boathouse, sitting on the edge of the Nile with its' canoes brushing up against the dock in time with the gentle movement of the water.

The scent of the shore hit you all at once, enlivening your heart till you were practically giddy, your pace quickening to reach the river sooner. Beside you Ahkmen smiled at your excitement, fixing his steps to match yours.

"I don't get a lot of free time," you told him quietly, your eye never straying from the fertile shore. "My work takes a lot of... well, work."

"I feel the same way," he said with a chuckle, "with all the studies I've got to do."

"At least we have free time in the night," you said.

"Indeed. And I'm happy to spend it with you," he said, leaning forward to catch your reaction. He was quite a lot taller than you.

"You hardly know me," you mumbled as a blush began creeping up your cheeks.

"I know you care deeply about the earth. That tells me a lot about you already," he said.

"Like what?"

"You're kind and thoughtful," he said, pondering quietly for a moment before he continued. "You're also quite beautiful, though I didn't need to see your garden to know that."

You said nothing, instead staring at the ground while Ahkmen watched your growing blush with much interest. He had a soft blush of his own, invisible in the dark of night, and he preferred to keep it that way.

At last you stood beside the shore, following him into the boathouse where the skiffs were tied up. As he set about positioning oars and untying ropes, you sat on the end of one of the many wooden docks, your legs dangling off the edge, just barely skimming the surface of the water. Staring upwards, you watched the sky's movements in the approaching midnight. Soon it would become much harder to see, but you didn't mind all that much – night was a beautiful time to be alive, and the moon above would be able to mark the definitions of the plants along the Nile. You fidgeted thoughtlessly with the strings of your bag, only pulled away when Ahkmen tapped your shoulder.

"Ready?" He asked as you pulled yourself to your feet.

"Yes, my prince," you said with a smile.

"You don't need to call me that. Not when we're alone at least," he said, taking your hand and leading you to another dock, where a boat sat tethered by only one rope in a weak knot.

Helping you inside, he had you sit on the end before entering himself, untying the rope and taking an oar in hand.

"Do you want me to do that?" You asked, too aware of his royalty.

"Aren't I the one who invited you here?" He asked in reply, a questioning smirk on his face.

You huffed, but unfortunately couldn't stop your own smile from appearing. He clearly liked your compliance, though you felt nothing but restlessness as he rowed, taking the two of you far from the boathouse and the palace. Sighing, you tried to comfort yourself – the prince was perfectly safe, and you had nothing to worry about. The thought alone didn't rid you of your anxiousness, though blamed that chiefly on the way Ahkmen kept an expectant eye on you, smiling when you smiled and generally watching you with an innocent curiosity.

"By the way, if my father catches us, this trip is for your garden," he said, breaking the silence, followed by your laughter muffled by your hand.

"I'll keep that in mind," you said when you calmed down enough to form words.

He was beaming at your delight, his eyes shining even in the dim light of the moon. You hadn't taken the time to notice it before, but he had a childish curiosity for the world, something you often found in yourself as well. After all, you tended to the geese and turtles as though you could speak with them, a trait more commonly seen in children than adults.

The shore rolled slowly by, marked only by the soft sound of water rushing against Ahkmen's oar. Ripples ran from the droplets falling in by the oar, brushing against the fingers you dipped ever so slightly into the water, finding comfort in its' familiarity. There were no fish in the river, at least none you could see – it was a bit hard to look for fish at night. 

When at last you found your search fruitless you turned back to the shore, feeling nothing but your heart beating harsher every second you spent with the Prince. Not out of any logical anxiety, of course; just the need to be seen as good, as worth his time.

Out of the corner of your eye you caught a flower resting in the water, the petals white and the center pink. Your eyes widened.

"Could we stop here for a moment?" You asked, your eye never leaving the flower.

Wordlessly he followed your request, guiding the boat to shore, where you immediately jumped out. Water splashed up your leg, a few drops reaching him. You didn't watch, caught up in the search, though you still heard Ahkmen's quiet chuckle.

In the garden you tended, the lillies were blue – blue lotus to be exact, and though they were beautiful, blue was the only color they showed. Maybe it was just that specific strand of flower, but excitement still filled you as you reached the white lilly resting on a wide, dark green pad. Pulling the small knife out of your bag, you dipped your hands into the water, running your knife across both the pad and the flower's stem till it broke, allowing you to pick the two up as one.

"You know, people come to our gardens, and they always marvel over our blue lilies," you said, wading the short way back to the boat, "but I always find white lilies to be more worth the time. They grow everywhere in the rest of the world, but so rarely do you find one here. I think it'll make a good addition to your garden."

"I've always thought of it as a bland color," he admitted, taking your hand and helping you back into the skiff.

"It's purity, and it is silence," you said softly, still admiring the flower, even as you took your seat back in the boat, dripping river water on the floor. "Think of alabaster, and clouds, and the reflection of the sun – white isn't bland. Not when you look closer."

"Maybe you're right," he sighed, taking the oars back in hand and rowing you away from shore.

"It's also good to have more than one type of lily. Makes sure the colors don't clash," you said, bringing a soft chuckle out of him.

"That too," he said.

You turned to the stars, looking up with a distant smile as you admired their light. They had patterns – looking close enough, you could find anything, just like in summer clouds. Lions, trees, chariots, and all of it hidden in the heavens. You sighed softly, filling yourself up with a calm you rarely found while in the presence of someone else.

"I feel as though I already know you," he said, drawing your attention away from the light of the stars and to his light.

"How so?"

"Well, I... um, I've actually watched you for a while, from my room," he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I hope that doesn't make you think any less of me. I just... you're very nice to watch."

Despite him initiating the conversation, he wouldn't make eye contact with you, intent to concentrate on the oar that really didn't require all that much concentration. Reaching forward you stilled his hand, allowing the boat to come to a stop in the river as he looked to you.

"I already kind of knew that," you admitted. The two of you had made eye contact enough throughout the years for you to realize a pattern.

"Really?" He asked, a blush burning onto his cheeks as he gripped the oar tight, letting his knuckles turn white.

"I don't mind," you said softly, smiling gently as he met your eye. It brought a small comfort to him.

"It wouldn't've happened if I were allowed to leave the palace, mind you. I just... it gets terribly lonely, sometimes. I know I have to complete my studies since one day I might rule this land in my father's stead, but I am still young," he said, spilling out information you hadn't expected to hear anytime in the next month. You took a moment to contemplate your response.

"At least you're aware of it. Better than ignorance or anything of that like," you said.

"You're a very kind person, aren't you?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the left.

"I don't think that's for me to decide, but thank you anyway," you said with a soft giggle, making him grin as well, dimples creasing into his blushing cheeks.

"I enjoy your company a lot more than I thought I would, and to be fair, I already thought I'd enjoy your company quite a lot," he admitted, making you laugh. Immediately you covered your mouth with your hand, unable to stop the giggling falling from you. His smile only grew.

"I enjoy your company quite a lot, too," you said in a posh voice.

He let his head hang from his shoulders as silent laughs shook his body. Delight filled you – from his smile, from your own comfort, from the gentle current of the river, from your flower, and ultimately just from him. You were expecting a polite man. Not a warm one, but the surprise was one you welcomed with open arms.

As you headed back up the Nile in search of the city, you watched the shore carefully for any other flowers. You didn't end up finding any more, but you did pause for a few fern leaves, and the root of a vine whose leaves splayed wide. Watching the water pass by, you leaned against the edge of the boat, your chin supported by your palm, watching the shadow of your reflection beneath you. She smiled, and your lips quirked up just slightly.

Soon the bottom of the river could be seen, making you raise your head away from the water and towards the prince. The boathouse sat ahead of you, and as Ahkmen rowed you back, you took the little time left to watch the muscles on his back move with every stroke of the oar. You hadn't noticed before, but he was actually rather muscular. Just another thing you realized about him that night along with a dozen other things.

He gently maneuvered the skiff back into its' place at the dock, tying up the rope on his end before tossing his oar onto the dock. Placing his hands on the wood he lifted himself out, tying the other end before lending you his hand, helping you out. You murmured a soft thank you, following behind him as he put away the oar.

"We can do this again, if you like," he offered quietly as the two of you headed back towards the palace. "Or we don't have to. Up to you."

"I'd like to," you said, "if only to get more seeds."

He grinned, shaking his head.

"Shall I find you at dusk again?"

"That sounds nice."

When I hear your voice, it's pomegranate wine

I live to hear it

And if I look at you, at each look,

it is purer than any honey or beer.

True to his word, he did take you on more short excursions, though he called them expeditions, something that always made you chuckle. Maybe it was just because you were bashful around him, but no matter the reason you both enjoyed calling them that. Expeditions or adventures – you still found yourself enjoying them, even if you took the same path through the Nile every time.

At sunset he appeared in the threshold of your garden, watching you silently as he always did. Sometimes you spied him out of the corner of your eye, but most times you didn't, leading to you jumping when he made a sound. The other times that you did see him you let him stand there, feeling the heat of his gaze on your back.

What exactly he was doing you didn't know, but you didn't mind all that much, as he'd never shown any cruelty to you. It was a polar opposite to his brother – at least, in your interactions with the two princes. Kahmuh didn't talk to you nearly as much as Ahkmen did, and you preferred to keep it that way.

"How's the garden today?" He asked, making you twist around to him. The moment you saw him a bright smile lit up your face, now an instinct whenever you met his eye.

"Doing quite well. I need to feed the geese less, though," you noted as you stood from your seat beside the pool, your feet dipped in the water.

"Why? Growing too domesticated?"

"No, just too fat," you said, pulling a laugh from the prince.

As you stepped out of the pond, the geese tried to follow you, honking at you demandingly. You turned around, scolding them quietly before you hurried over to Ahkmen.

"My prince," you greeted him with a bow of your head, a habit you made sure to keep. Just in case. He didn't like it, which was obvious from his knitted brow, but he would have to learn to like it.

"Want to go out on the river again?" He asked, mostly ignoring your greeting.

"Of course."

And you found yourself out on the water for the umpteenth time, staring at the same stars, watching the same shore pass you by, and yet every time you joined him it felt new. Just like the first time you watched the shore carefully, scanning for any flora you could add to the garden. You paused only to look to the sky, charting the stars with your imagination, drawing lines across the heavens to form the earth in the sky.

"I've finally started taking astronomy lessons," he said, his voice airy as he, too, looked up to the stars. "I've always loved the stars, but... never got around to learning much about them till now."

"Is it a difficult subject?" You asked, leaning forward.

"Not yet," he said with a chuckle, making you smile.

With the skiff resting the middle of the river, he set down the oar, moving to sit beside you. He took your hand and pressed your cheek against his, matching your eyes together as he pointed upwards.

"Up there," he said, "you can see Hathor's constellation, right by the brightest star."

"Oh, yeah," you mumbled, watching where he pointed and drew out the sacred cow.

"Over here is an eagle. The tail runs pretty far, but it connects through the southern star," he said, and in your concentration you almost forgot about his touch against yours, curling around your fingertips and pressed against your blushing cheek.

"It's beautiful," you murmured thoughtlessly, not even noticing when his finger dropped down, landing on your intertwined hands. He hummed in agreement, keeping at your side.

Only when silence encompassed you did you pay attention to his closeness, an anxious warmth crowding out your thoughts as he breathed against you. You could so easily rest your head on his shoulder, or stroke your fingers across his forearm, or kiss his cheek – you didn't do any of those things. Instead you enjoyed the softness of his hand while you could, letting your imagination run free as you stared up at the patterns of the stars.

You almost drifted off, almost – one moment you were almost leaning into him, your eyes just barely closing, and the next he once more stood on the other end of the boat, the long oar in his hand. He was humming, quietly enough that you had to strain to hear. As the seconds rolled by you stared back up at the stars, memorizing his thoughtless hum and teaching each note to the distant lights above you.

Upon your return to land your feet grew shaky, too used to being in the gentle rock of the tide. Like all the other times he offered you his hand, and you took it, lifting yourself out of the boat and pressing your side against his for support. He didn't seem to mind, so you stayed right where you were. With your heart thumping so harsh you were worried he could feel it, the two of you left the boathouse, heading up the path back to the palace.

"Have you got anywhere to be in the morning?" He asked.

"No," you answered.

"I'll walk you home, then," he said with a soft smile, and you looked at your feet, ashamed of the blush that so easily overtook you. "I haven't anywhere to be tonight or tomorrow."

"Is that rare for you?" You asked quietly, your shoulder bumping against his arm as you walked.

"Let's just say it doesn't happen often," he said, making you chuckle.

Soon you found yourself at the fork of the path, the well-trodden one leading to the palace, and the overgrown path leading into the city. He took you that way, adopting a slow stroll that you didn't mind in the least. Even if you did get subpar sleep, it would be worth it to spend more time with him, listening to crickets and the distant sound of music. Like most summer evenings, the city was alight with the life of several different parties. The scent of alcohol grew thick in the air, and the shouts of patrons louder, marking where solitude ended and unease began. The prince didn't seem to mind it, but he noticed your discomfort, and in a motion both exciting and familiar, he held your hand in his.

Behold, if I pass before him,

I shall tell him of my turnings;

Behold, I am yours, I shall say to him

And he will boast of my name.

On a late summer morning, you awoke before the sun, bringing yourself to life with a heavy sigh. The blankets across your body draped as you sat up, already awake from the rather disturbing dream you'd had. With the thought of sleep eradicated from your head, you stood, dressed yourself, and left your home without word or breakfast. You regretted the decision about five minutes into the walk to the palace, as you stomach began to grumble uncomfortably. Instead of stopping by anywhere, you thought of your Chinese flower, and how beautiful it would be to see it in the total dark of the hours before dawn. Surely it would be a marvel – and that was what led you away from your comfy bed and fresh food.

Slowly you climbed the steps of the palace, keeping quiet footsteps to keep the peace. Two soldiers were always stationed at each end of the staircase, and though you'd never said hello to any of them, you did wave, which earned you an odd look and confused wave in return. You almost stopped to laugh and initiate and genuine conversation, but the pull of your flower was strong enough to hurry your footsteps towards the garden.

As you reached the open hallway leading into the garden, you paused, already hearing a voice from inside. Silently you approached the arch, hiding behind the wall as you peeked inside.

Ahkmen sat on the pond's ledge, wearing naught but a loosely tied skirt that tugged down with every movement he made. For a moment you lingered on the soft skin of his waist, but your thoughts were torn from there when he spoke, and with one glance you found him talking to Nuru. She didn't look like she minded, but it was hard to pinpoint the emotions of a goose.

"You see Nedjem a lot," he said, his right hand curled around the fabric of his skirt, and the left petting Nuru's wing feathers. "Do you think they like poetry?"

You perked up slightly, though kept in mind it'd be best not to be seen.

"I hope they do," he hummed, a gentle smile on his face as the goose burrowed her neck into her fat body. You really needed to stop feeding them so much. "Lately I've written so much. Mostly on pottery shards, but still... maybe you'll have an opinion on them?"

He proceeded to dig into the small pocket sewn to the side of his skirt, shuffling around before pulling his hand back out, opening it to reveal shard upon shard of limestone. Your heart began to race, your grip on the marble arch tightening.

"I'm not a poet, mind you," he added, talking to the goose as though she were a person. "I can barely write. But..." he trailed off, sorting mindlessly through the collection before pulling one out, holding it up to read.

"Oh to be the artist – able to stare at you for as long as I please. To be the writer, capturing your essence, the sweet melody in your laugh. Oh, to be the musician, mimicking that melody, serenading you with the kindest words and softest tone, to be an artist – what an endearing form of love. How wonderful it must be to be an artist in love. Um..." he stuffed it back in his pocket, picking a new one. "When I touch you, I am love incarnate. I have found a home in the touch of your hand against mine. That one's... quite a bit shorter. Probably won't use that one. Oh, I shouldn't be too straightforward with it, either."

You almost giggled – you didn't, fortunately, managing to cover your mouth with your hand before any sound escaped. But the sight was so sweet, so endearing you could almost imagine him saying those things to you, looking you in the eye, and running his thumb across the curve of your lips. A lump grew in your throat, hurrying your breath as you watched him continue.

"There's only one more that's worth mentioning," he said, although there were a great deal many more shards than the last one he pulled. "I want to love you in so many ways. I want to love you as a servant, as a master, I would love you as a king and I would love you as a farmer. As long as it's you, I could be anything if I still loved you."

"That's a pretty poem," you finally said, leant against the arch and surprising him just like he'd done to you months ago. He immediately looked up, his expression softening when he recognized you.

"Nedjem," he said with a smile, a tinge of relief evident in his eye. "Gods, I thought you were my brother."

"Fortunately no," you said, walking to join him at the side of the pond.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well for one, this is where I work," you said, making both of you laugh. "Who are you writing these poems for?"

He stared at you a moment before answering, "someone very special."

"I'm sure she's quite happy to have your companionship, then," you said, ignoring your own feelings on the matter, as anything detrimental you could say would only worsen your own heart's decay. "And I do like poetry. You can show me them, if you'd like."

"I -"

"Ahkmen!" Came a voice from the hallway, shouting with terror-laced words. "There's a fire in the kitchen!!"

"Again?" He groaned quietly, moving to his feet and running towards the hall. "I'll be back in a moment," he promised you before he left, disappearing behind a corner.

You almost smiled, but instead you turned to Nuru, who was still mostly asleep.

"He's a nice man, isn't he?" You said.

I hear thy voice, O turtle dove-

The dawn is all aglow

Weary am I with love, with love, Oh whither shall I go?

The edge of the sun touched the horizon, casting a hazy, golden glow across the land. Your skin tingled beneath its' touch, warm and familiar as you sat on the docks of the boathouse. Ahkmen was God knows where – you hadn't seen him after the fire incident, and assumed he was busy with princely duties. He had a fair amount of those. You, on the other hand, had spent the last few days fixing up the array of new plants near the garden walls.

"He likes poetry," you murmured aloud to yourself, your concentration on the setting sun and its' peach clouds wavering as you thought on the prince.

He hadn't ever mentioned that about himself before, but it was obvious he enjoyed it quite a lot, and as you thought of his poetry in crystal clear memory, you wondered if perhaps you could write your own poetry. Of course, it wouldn't be written down – you didn't have any papyrus or clay, and you didn't even know how to write. No, you'd have to memorize the words you pieced together, and you imagined yourself serenading him as you closed your eyes, letting your feet drop into the river water below.

You thought and thought, racking your brain for ideas or clues as to what you could do. Compare his beauty to a rose – a tad too feminine, but you hadn't any idea what else to call him. He was sweet; like a rose, and his skin soft, like the red velvet petals. His humor was the scent of a rose's nectar that delighted the bees so, and when you caught him brandishing a spear in a spar against his teacher, he was the thorns of a dark green stem. His life was the roots and you were the water, happy to be something within him, be it a thought or a melody – and he kept you close, safe, like the leaves of a rose bush and the spike of thorns protected every wonderful thing that coexists to form pure life.

You closed your eyes and breathed. You would remember; you had to. Hopefully it would stay in your mind for a good long while, as you had no idea when you would see him next, much less be able to actually speak to him in that manner. It was rather daring, though – a lowly worker infatuated with a prince locked up in a high tower. A reverse fairy tale, and as you opened your eyes to see the quiet ripples of the water, you thought of nothing but him and the stars he drew in your eyes.

Slowly the sun set low, dying once more as the moon took its' place in the sky above you. Looking up, you found the moon as a sliver, smiling in the dark. A cool wind settled over you, making you curl up to avoid the chill. Another deep breath and you turned to the water, watching the reflection of the sky dance, rippling with every slight movement.

Hours passed by and you stayed right there, memorizing your image of him, trying to imprint it in your memory. It would have to be perfect; he deserved no less, especially from someone so low as you. Neither of you had remarked much on your class difference, but every now and then it did bother you – you'd be less than human if it didn't. Sometimes class didn't matter, but sometimes it did, and that but had you gripping the wood of the dock tight. He was a kind man, of voice, touch, and words, and you had no doubt he could love someone beneath him. Whether he could love you was something else entirely.

Soon the darkest hours of night overtook you, and in the dim glow of the moon you could hardly see your hands, only feeling the way you drew your fingers up your thigh to rest in your lap. The silence that surrounded you was broken only by the roll of the river against the wooden dock, a few of the boats clanking against each other. You breathed deep, relaxing in the familiar scent of the Nile, comforted by the breeze and the dissipation of every physical thing. Nothing but pitch black – it might as well have been a new moon, as the distant shore melded into the faraway mountains without hesitation.

A hand touched your shoulder and you jumped, feeling the fingers run a line down your upper arm before stopping and disappearing. You looked up, finding nothing but darkness, yet as the figure sat beside you, you could hear the even breaths and the creak of the wood beneath them.

"What are you doing here so late?" Ahkmen asked softly, worry evident in his tone.

"I needed some time to think," you answered honestly. "There's a lot on my mind as of late."

"Would you like to talk about it?" He said after a moment to let your words rest in the space between you.

"Not really," you said with a smile he couldn't see.

The two of you sat there for a couple minutes, your shoulder brushed against his, his thigh against yours, and the chill wind keeping you close to one another.

"I wrote something for you," you finally said, breaking away from the thought of holding it back. What was the use of memorizing if you weren't going to tell him? Besides, you were alone – just you, and just him.

"Really?" He said, sounding surprised.

"I didn't actually write it down. I just put together some words," you said, smiling when he chuckled. You were looking directly at him and you still couldn't see him, but your head replayed every time you saw him grin.

"How does it go?"

"I want you to close your eyes," you murmured, moving to cup your hand over his jawline, running your thumb over his now-closed eyes. "Imagine the garden. My garden." Your heart raced when you felt his breath on your skin.

Once assured he followed your command, you began your recitation, digging your nails into your palm to avoid slipping up.

"I am yours like this garden," you said, keeping your voice soft either out of love or fear. "Planted with flowers, and fragrant herbs. Its canal is pleasant –– dug by your hand, cooled by the north wind. A lovely place to wander hand in hand; my body satisfied, my heart rejoicing, walking together. When I hear your voice, it's pomegranate wine –– I live to hear it, and if I look at you, at each look, it is purer than any honey or beer."

He didn't speak, but he remained in your touch, melting into the way you caressed his cheek. Raising his hand ever so gently, he set his own hand on yours, pulling it away just enough for him to kiss your palm, just enough to send you into a blazing blush.

"You remind me of the moon flower," you mumbled, barely able to get the words out without stuttering.

"A moon flower?" He asked curiously.

"I keep it in the garden," you said as your hand fell back to your lap. "Would you like to see?"

"Of course," he said, and the two of you stood, taking that familiar path back to the palace.

Gravel crinkled beneath your sandals, and birds circled overhead, but none of that fully processed with him so close to you.

"That was a beautiful poem, by the way," he told you in a murmur, almost reluctant to compliment.

"Thank you," you said, a small smile spreading across your face. "I suppose you inspired me a little this morning. I've never heard poetry before."

"Really? I've heard it quite a lot," he said.

"That's probably because you can afford it," you said, and the both of you laughed, leaning imperceptibly closer together.

He snuck you into the palace, and in return you snuck him into the garden, taking his hand and leading him onto the sandstone path. With a distant torch lighting the outside hallway, you could see the shapes of the garden trees and the walls. Ahkmen, ever so helpful, pulled a rushlight from his pocket, lighting it to reveal the closed lilies and, in the corner, the blooming petals of the Chinese flower. Once more you took his hand, leading him to kneel before it.

The white color that previously coated it was replaced with a vibrant pink, a color you were sure you hadn't ever seen before. If you had, it certainly wasn't as vibrant, and it didn't have you quite as awestruck as the flower did. The stem reached your shoulder when you knelt, covered in tiny petals, each belonging to its own blooming flower, ruffling in the slow breeze.

"I got it from a trader in the markets at Tanis," you told him quietly, careful not to break the trance of its' beauty. Turning to him, you saw his amazed face lit by the flickering rushlight, glowing in the dim of the garden.

"Where's it from?" He asked, his lips still parted in curiosity.

"She said it was from China. I'm not sure where that is, but she told me it's far in the east," you said, watching his expression carefully. The curve of his nose, the crinkles around his eyes, the slightest dimple from his smile filled with wonderment.

"I... I want to show you something, too," he offered quietly, as though you could ever say no.

"As long as it isn't too far away. Dawn will come soon," you said, noting the slightest variation in the pitch black sky.

"I don't care about dawn," he admitted as he took your hand. "Will you come with me?"

"Of course, my prince."

He pulled you to your feet, leading you away from the garden and into the palace. You turned down twists, letting him take you up staircases and through empty rooms. For a moment you thought to ask him as to his destination, but as you watched his delight in your curiosity, you let it be. You'd find out soon enough anyway – the palace wasn't outrageously large, though you'd bet without a guide it was easy to get lost. Fortunately, you had him, and he never let go of your hand.

Through hallways painted from top to bottom, through unused servant's quarters and empty storage rooms, and at the end of it all a large, wooden door in an unassuming hallway.

"My parents moved me here after Kahmuh started fighting with me," he told you, looking up at the bolted door. "I used to live in a much more occupied hallway, but I like the solitude. It's nice to hear the quiet."

You agreed but said nothing, letting his touch drop from yours as he worked with the bolt, eventually unlocking it with a heavy click. The doors slowly rolled open, aided by his hand till the whole of his room stood before you. In the center, pressed against the far wall was his bed, a silk canopy hanging above it. To the left his desk, and against the nearest wall a bookcase. At last your eyes wandered to the right of his room, finding the arches you saw so often from below, the open alabaster viewing the whole of Memphis.

When you didn't move forward he intertwined his fingers in yours, pulling you gently closer till he closed the door behind the both of you.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" He said, noticing your stare past the arches and into the city. "On festival nights the buildings light up like fireflies. So many people, all with their own thoughts and agenda, and all so small from here. Doesn't stop the city from reeking of alcohol, though."

You giggled, pushing him away as a dopey grin overtook him. While he went to light the torches hanging off the wall, you made your way to the arches, sitting on the cold floor and letting your legs dangle in mid air. His room had to be five or six stories above the ground, and as you looked down an anxious shiver ran through your body. Your legs and arms tingled, excited and fearful of the garden fall below you. Soon he joined you, letting his legs dangle beside yours, placing his hand right next to yours, where his pinkie could touch yours in a hesitant grace.

"You can see the Nile from here too. Fleets of ships, their banners covered in vibrant colors right next to the boats of fishers, whose boats carry no sail at all," he said, pointing into the distance where you could just barely make out the river. "It gets incredibly crowded sometimes."

"I see where you get your poetry inspiration from," you murmured, your eyes still stuck on the sight before you.

"That's not where I get it from," he said, and you turned to him with a confused expression, wondering why he was smiling and wondering where he was going when he stood.

Looking down, you picked at the dust on the floor, fidgeting with your nails as you turned back to the city. There were no celebrations or festivals, but still there were lights scattered across the many houses. If you keened hard you could hear the laughter of dinner parties and the music of dances.

Soft, calming notes came from behind you, struck on a harp. Turning around, you found Ahkmen sitting on a blanket, his legs crossed and a harp against his chest, plucking the strings with careful, gentle fingers. You didn't move – you couldn't, caught up in his focused expression, unable to tear yourself from his melody for even a moment.

"I'm not very good at harp," he paused to tell you, allowing you to break from concentration and make your way over to him. "I had to teach myself, and I'm not a very good teacher."

You giggled, covering your mouth with your hand as you did so.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" You asked quietly, tilting your head.

"I... well.. yes, I'm... I'm just nervous, I'm sorry. I've never played in front of anyone, and I know you like harp. That's sort of why I, um, picked it up," he admitted abashedly, hiding his face from your eye.

"When did you learn that?"

"On one of our expeditions on the river," he said, his lip quirking up into a half-smile. "You were half asleep at the time. I don't expect you to remember it."

"I don't," you said, pleasantly surprised that he would remember that.

"The point is, I've been trying to get better. I practiced a lot, so hopefully I don't.. slip up," he said as he reached beneath a nearby pile of blankets, pulling out a roll of papyrus which he set in front of him.

You watched in curiosity as he cleared his throat, cheeks blushing despite the fact he hadn't even started. First he poised his fingers above the strings, then, after double checking the papyrus, he began. A sweet melody in major, simple to remember, and easy on the heart.

He cleared his throat again before he opened his mouth, a song falling from his lips. In that moment everything in your body stopped – you hadn't expected him to be a good singer. Hell, you hadn't expected him to actually be able to even play the harp, but here you were, being serenaded by your prince, comforted by his words and his simple presence.

"I love you, O still heart," he sang, "I stand alongside your image. Rejoice in sacredness, strong of voice – you are everything, perfect and pure, you are the earth and you are the sky. The ways I have hidden myself in you; My soul, My throne, O still heart, is yours."

When he finished you finally breathed again, your chest blooming a warmth you hadn't ever felt before. There were moments that could be considered similar, but when he looked up at you, uncertainty lacing his expectant eyes, nothing could compare.

You leaned forward, and wordlessly you pressed your lips up against his, kissing him sweetly in a moment he happily reciprocated. Comfort in his presence, happiness in his word, and it was home in his touch.

My hand in your hand

I walk with you

in all the beautiful places.

[kidnappedbycartoons]

Thoughts On Noah

I said I was going to do another character, so now I’m doing Noah. Let’s get it.

At First:

One thing I want to point out is that Noah never stepped forward on Day One. Not even when Hope came out, she went to him and chose him but he didn’t step forward at all. Was he waiting for someone more his type or was he just being shy? I honestly don’t know. But after this, we do see Noah making some moves on Hope on the first day like with the boyfriend material joke or when the text came that a new islander was coming in, he looked at her. I do think that Noah is the kind of guy who doesn’t date around. Like, he locked things in with Hope early on, to the point where on Day Three if MC goes to talk to him before the recoupling, he rejects her immediately.

I’m just going to say it though. I feel like Noah was playing the game a bit. Let me explain. On the first week of Love Island, no one is really serious yet. Everyone is getting to know each other and feel each other out. But he and Hope were practically acting like a married couple within the first week. The two of them already slept together within the first three days, he let her paint his nails and whatever she was doing with his eyebrows, they were feeding each other, like, all of this adds up. Do I think he genuinely liked Hope? Yes. But I feel like he was playing the game a bit, because why would anyone lock themselves in so fast? He didn’t let ANY of the girls get a chance and it was only the first few days.

Now, when I did his route, I had MC ask him on the date for Day Nine. He’s a bit torn, clearly. It’s like he wants to get to know her, but doesn’t want to ruin things with Hope. I think he actually did want to get to know MC and Priya to an extent, but because of his relationship with Hope, he held back. And I noticed that on Day Eight when Rocco gets dumped and we get the text that there is a recoupling, he reassures Hope but then looks at MC. I think he had a bit of a crush on her, but he held back because of his feelings for Hope.

God. I have to talk about it though.

Operation Nope:

I’m not going to talk about how wrong it is because I could go on all day about it. But, imagine how Noah feels if MC and Priya goes for him. He would have to know something is up then. Both of them try to kiss him on the same day? Same afternoon at that? Now, even if MC doesn’t kiss him, it’ll still be weird because they would’ve just had their conversation about how Noah feels about being with Hope and whether or not he should stick it out with her. And then a while later, Priya kisses him? And if MC isn’t participating, she can bring up Priya’s name as an option for him? He’s not stupid. I think that’s probably why he distances himself from them following Operation Nope, especially if Bobby told him the whole truth (Or half of it). 

But it does mess with his head. Because we know that he and Priya have spoken before, like on Day Two, and Priya even tried to grind against him on Day Four. We also know that he has a small crush on MC. But he also has feelings for Hope too. He’s a mess. He’s confused. He’s stressed. Boy probably had gray hairs by the time he left the villa. But! On the disaster recoupling, he was going to choose Hope. Now, let me explain why.

Sticking with the fact that there is no way that Noah couldn’t have picked up on Operation Nope, he probably felt a bit disgusted with MC/Priya. He also sees how upset Hope is about it and probably feels guilty about his part in it. So on Day Thirteen, he was going to couple up with her so that they could work on their relationship and give it another shot, but then Jakub chooses Hope and he’s left to choose either Priya or MC. They were his second choice. Now, he’s open to exploring the relationship since Hope practically dumped him and they’ve shown interest in him, plus he also wanted to get to know them anyway. But up to this point, I think he was still more into Hope. 

How could I forget? On Day Nine, if you take him on the date, he says he tends to give into people with strong personalities. And I just realized the girls he was paired up with have strong personalities. Not to mention that he doesn’t like yelling or arguing. I’ve noticed him try to calm Hope down before during the Mean Tweets episode and on Day Two. That could explain his actions during the aftermath of Operation Nope and why he tries to run away from Hope. He probably needed space to think and collect himself, but she was badgering him for an answer and then throw Priya and MC in there and it’s a mess. That could explain why Noah wanted to choose Hope on Day Thirteen too. Oh wow.

After CA:

So, after Casa Amor, if you’re on his route he brings back Blake. I’m not going to say much because it’s coded that way, but she probably manipulated him into switching. Now, we know that he was a mess during Casa Amor. He grew a break up beard, he saw one of the girls and thought she looked like Hope, and that he was upset at Jakub for sleeping with a girl only one day after coupling up with Hope. Up to this point, Hope is still his number one.

After everyone is reunited, Hope and Noah practically get back together after talking things out and Lottie and Bobby save them. Here’s the thing. I think Noah is the type of guy that when he messes up in a relationship, he goes all in to fix it. Because remember on Day Nineteen when Noah comes in fully dressed while everyone is sleeping and asks Hope if she wants something to drink? And then Lottie admits in the dressing room that he was going to come to bed fully clothed? And we’re supposed to think that’s cute? Hell no! He’s doing this in order to stay on Hope’s good side. Everyone knows Lottie isn’t a threat to the relationship, he could’ve just slept in the bed. But since things were still rough with Hope, he went back to how he was acting in the first week. Shutting girls down, only focusing on Hope, and making sure it’s known that he’s only into Hope.

However, if you’re on his route and you say you wish you were coupled up with him on Day Nineteen, it shows Noah how serious you were. That Operation Nope wasn’t some dirty joke, but that you actually are into him. I think this is the point where he truly starts to see MC in a different light, because she’s actually interested. And if you don’t switch during Casa Amor, that counts too. 

His Route:

So, I’m going to focus on Day Twenty forward because we get little scenes with the longing gazes, small conversations, and whatnot, however he still sticks with Hope. Let me explain without using the “He was playing the game” theory. One quote I remember is him saying “Have you ever been so afraid to hurt someone that you choose their happiness over yours? And don’t go after what you want?”. Here’s my thing. As he falls for MC, his feelings for Hope wane. He wants to couple up with MC, he wants to be with her, he wants to. But he chooses Hope on Day Twenty-Two. Here’s why.

Bobby saved Hope solely for Noah. He knows this. He also knows that Hope wants to be with him the most in the villa and no one else. He also knows that mostly everyone in the villa is rooting for them to get back together. Remember how he gives in to strong personalities? I feel like he gave in because he felt pressured to get back with her. If he had coupled up with MC, then who would’ve gone for Hope (If Lucas isn’t there)? He didn’t want to put her at risk or let everyone else down, so he stayed true to her, despite his growing feelings for MC.

Not to mention that he’s realizing that he and Hope aren’t really that compatible. Remember the Baby Boom episode on Day Twenty-Seven? It’s so sad watching Noah pretend like it was just a bit of fun and give in to Hope when he clearly wants kids and he was having a good time. Call him a coward and I’d agree...slightly. I do think he has cowardly ways, but I also think he doesn’t like to let people down. This isn’t like it only affects Hope. Everyone else in the villa is lowkey invested in this relationship and the outside world as well. But I think this episode is when Noah realizes that he’s all in with MC and that the feelings he had for Hope at the start have gone.

The Prom episode...it’s painful. I hated his speech to Hope. “Anyone would be lucky to be with her”? He’s indirectly saying that he doesn’t want to be with her. And he even glances at MC during the speech too. It’s the disrespect in that moment for me. And then the sleeping with him thing? Okay. I don’t agree with that. That’s not the Noah we’ve come to know. But I’ll say that maybe it’s just all the tension and feelings coming to surface. He and MC are clearly into each other, clearly attracted to each other, and you could only take so much longing gazes and accidental touches before you break. He broke. Or he was playing the game, but that’s another thing.

The Finale:

So, the only way to get with him is to take the money. If you split it, then he breaks it off with you and goes back to Hope. Here’s what I think, without the player theory. Noah sees MC split the money and he probably assumes that means she wants to continue on with her partner. But if she keeps the money, then that means she wants to be with him as there is no way she and her partner can come back from that. If she’s willing to do something as big as that, then that probably gives him the courage to break up with Hope. 

Final Thoughts:

Now, I love Noah as a character. I do. Excluding the playing the game theory (Which only really came up because of how Fusebox did his route so dirty). I feel like he doesn’t date much, and when he does, he’s all in. I like to think that after the villa, he learns how to stand up for himself more and not to give into what other people want all the time. I feel like that has something to do with him being the oldest in his family and practically raising his siblings. He’s the kind of guy that probably wants a nice house with a garden where he can be a nice househusband and watch over his four kids while his wife makes that paper. His route is disgusting, but I don’t think he’s a full coward. Just a half coward. 50% coward, if you will.

[shachaai]

Okay this is the last one from me— Asakiku/ iggypan analysis? I always thought a lot of countries can possibly get together in 21st century, just because it’s the 21st century, but how do you think asakiku would happen? You don’t have to answer the second part with historical accuracy, just a scenario would be amazing. 💕

Okay, this is just a note that it’s been a long time since I last looked at Anglo-Japanese relations throughout history (and the last few times I did, I was looking at it for fem!England x Japan stuff, which I think has several different nuances to it from the m/m ship), but - for the most part, very obvious historical periods as the exception - I think they’re a very quiet, gentle couple, where romance - or at least, physically consummated romance - came pretty late in their relationship. There might have been the rare physical moment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, building from a slow sensuality? But I don’t think it was a frequent thing then. For me, their kind of romance is one that’s evolved from a deeply respectful, fairly muted friendship, but returns to the friendship more than anything else.

England was someone Japan had heard about from several sources - Portugal, the Netherlands and America - long before he met him, and to say he got some mixed messages from those three is an understatement. Portugal spoke affectionately of a younger friend, and gave Japan the beginnings of what would become Igirisu. Netherlands spoke of an older, opportunistic business rival. America spoke - when he could be coaxed into speaking of England at all - of an entitled former father/brother figure with a stick up his ass.

England regarded Japan as another ~old, wise and mysterious~ Nation in the East, whose artistic goods were highly prized because trading options for them were always so limited. There had been hope of establishing trade between England and Japan in the early 17th century, and the two probably got as far as exchanging long-distance highly formal letters (through translators) for just under 20 years, but the Amboyna massacre in 1623 led to the departure of the English from Japan for another two centuries.

They probably found each other incredibly bewildering when they first actually met. I think England was a little more culturally sensitive about some Japanese sensibilities than some of the other western Nations: making a ceremony out of tea is Understandable, and haikus are great (but what the hell does a reference to a haiku have to do with the conversation at hand...?). Sticker for effort, even if it’s done a bit ham-handedly and goes completely out the window if he’s had too much to drink and is feeling a bit too Superior that day.

Skipping ahead a great deal, I think they really solidified a friendship during the later Victorian period and exchanged gifts of art and books and flowers. That friendship was, of course, formalised when Britain determined to end its Splendid Isolation in 1902 and went ‘official’ friend-hunting, signing the Japanese-British alliance. (A huge amount of appreciation societies and schools sprang up in both Nations to share and admire each other’s culture and education around this time? It was adorable.) They were allies during WW1, and I think they found a lot of understanding in each other despite their cultural differences: both imperial island nations, younger than their immediate neighbours, dependent upon their nautical prowess during warfare and rather short on friends due to Attitude.

Relations between Britain and Japan slowly began to deteriorate during the Interwar Period, and I think this filled England and Japan with as much regret as bitterness. They were sad they weren’t as close as they used to be - but also deeply resentful: Japan, of feeling belittled by the Western Powers (and in particular, England and America reconciling - against him -), and England, getting uppity because why can’t Japan be happy with what he’s already got?

WW2 was an absolute clusterfuck of cold, formal exchanges when exchanges were necessary - and not ignored. Deep, deeeeeeep resentment on both sides for attacks on the British Empire’s holdings in the East, for treatment of British POWs, and for the highly significant British scientific contributions towards the development of the atom bombs. (America fired the gun. Britain handed America the knowledge on how to build that gun.)

I think the second half of the 20th century was still... cool between and England and Japan, for the most part. They were both healing and feeling reduced - to differing levels - in the world following the war, and it was a gradual, grudging, inch back towards an awkward friendship. Neither one of them addressing the elephant in the room, but it’s easy enough to discuss new music, the health of their leaders (let’s not talk about the old ones), and the serenity of gardening. Somewhere in that, they managed to enjoy each other’s company again. Somewhere in that, they started to smile at each other again. Somewhere in that, they managed to tease each other again, and, once they reached that point, it became a lot easier to slide back into trading the playful barbs all Nations tend towards with each other.

Around the turn of the millennium, Britain got a bit dopey about Japanese things again. Pretty art! Amazing technology! New business! Exotic sports! There was a year-long cultural-exchange project between the two Nations in 2001, and I honestly think if England and Japan were going to develop their relationship in a different direction, it would’ve been about then with all the sheer cultural nerdery that was going on. Just the sheer delight England would’ve had showing Japan around his country again and watching Japan quietly geek out about all the ~gentlemanly~ behaviour and cool architecture (that he can use for drawing references).

...I’m not sure how to end this tbh. These two dumbasses can spend hours talking about the currents in the oceans, tea, spring flowers, and gardening. It’s kind of boring to listen to as an outsider, but they’re fascinated. Also murder mysteries with the Intrepid (usually Amateur) Detective, they both really like those.

[poliel]

Surprise Egg 9/13: Party Lights

Sitting on a rock on the beach, Buddy flipped through their journal. Surely they’d forgotten or missed something, right? No way they had actually done all of everything everyone had requested of them. There was always more, right? …

For once though there wasn’t somehow; they’d marked everything as complete. Other than for the task of keeping them all fed in general no one wanted anything from them. And… they’d all given up on their goals too, some after Buddy helped them catch a big legendary bugsnax – or more like caught it for them in Wiggle and Cromdo’s cases – some just because they’d finally realized bugsnax weren’t going to help. Even Shelda had dropped her purity act even if she still refused to eat bugsnax if they weren’t put into her box first. And that left them with… not a whole lot to do.

They’d already caught every single bugsnax that seemingly could be found on the island too. So all that was left was to find the Snaxsqautch and open the stone doors which would hopefully lead to finding Lizbert. The former seemed more and more unlikely as it was very good at hiding when it wanted to. The latter was mostly up to Eggabell and Triffany to figure out; the riddle was intriguing but not their strong suit especially since their mind seemed to have a permanent fog around it these days, making it hard to think clear enough to solve anything.

They snapped the journal closed and put it away before jumping off their rock and into the sand. A wave washed up around their feet, pleasantly warm thanks to the heat of the midday sun overhead. Today would’ve been a nice day to spend at the beach, relaxing in the sun and taking a nap, maybe going for a swim afterwards. But even though they could easily spare the time to they didn’t have the mental energy to do something merely for the sake of it. So, with a sigh and as the wave pulled away from them, they turned and headed back for Snaxburg.

Once there, they headed first for Shelda. She wasn’t mediating but instead sitting on the edge of her little platform, seemingly doing nothing. “You need help with anything?” they asked as they reached her.

She looked up. “Not even going to say hello, huh?”

“Hello. Is there anything you need help with?”

“You working customer service now?” Her halfhearted chuckle quickly trailed off. “But… no. I don’t think there’s anything you can help me with right now.”

“Are you sure? Because I don’t have much else to do.”

“No, thanks dear. You should go rest.”

Not bothering to reply to that, they moved onto Wambus who was tending to his garden as he always did at this time. “Need help with something?” they asked as they put their paws on his fence, leaning forward onto it a little.

“No thanks,” he replied. “You should probably go rest, you look uh… unwell. Not that that’s anything new these days.” The last part was muttered under his breath, barely audible from where Buddy stood.

With a frown, they moved on. But they got basically that exact response from everyone else too. No one needed or wanted their help with anything and thought they should rest. Which was a kind sentiment but… they couldn’t, they needed a distraction. Sitting or lying around doing nothing seemingly helped not at all anymore and only made them more aware of their own misery. And it felt like if they sat still for too long they wouldn’t be able to get back up. Which was silly but… felt true anyway and thus made them afraid and anxious about resting.

They could force themself to eat more. That might make them feel better but… they weren’t hungry, hadn’t been for a while now. Which was a blessing but also a curse as it made eating quite unpleasant. Stopping would be really bad though so they had to. And they could and probably should do so now because they hadn’t eaten anything at all since this morning… maybe. … They weren’t in the mood though so later. Instead they would do… what? There had to be something, right? …

Ah, Filbo! He never asked anything of them other than for them taking better care of themself because he was wonderful and amazing like that but maybe he might need help with something today?

They found him out behind his hut, taking his freshly cleaned and dried mayor sashes off the clothesline. He smiled as he looked up and caught sight of them approaching. “Hi, Buddy! You doing okay?”

“Yeah.” About as okay as could be expected anyway. “You need help with anything?”

“Hmm… yeah actually I do.” Draping the sashes over his arm, Filbo led the way back around to the front of his hut and then inside. He continued as he carefully put them away in his dresser. “What do you say about having another party tonight to celebrate almost everyone being back? Snorpy made some party lights and I could use some help hanging them up around town. … If you’re up to the kind of thing anyway. You could also just lie down for a bit and take a nap. In fact, maybe you should do…”

“Nah, putting up lights sounds great.” Better than lying down and feeling miserable until they feel asleep only to wake up feeling just as tired and even more miserable than before so what would even be the point? “Just tell me where to put them and how you want them to look and I’ll do my best.”

“All right. Let’s go then."

~

As they worked, they talked. Or more like Filbo talked and Buddy mostly just listened. Which was preferable as their mind felt too foggy to really make intelligent conversation. So Filbo chatted about this and that, catching Buddy up on what everyone had been up to around town since last he’d done so the other day. There of course wasn’t much new but that was fine.

Eventually he lapsed into silence. Before Buddy could gather the wherewithal to ask if he was okay he broke it. “So… I’ve been thinking about uh… when you leave. Which will hopefully be soon since… you know, the whole starving thing. But uh… anyway, I think I’d like to go with you when you do go. If that offer is still open anyway.”

“It is!” They wanted to just be happy he was coming but… “Are you sure though? I’ll come back of course with food supplies for Gramble and Shelda and stuff but… probably not super often outside that. And I won’t be able to stay long when I do visit most of the time. So… I wouldn’t ask you to abandon everything you have here just for me. Especially since you’re the mayor.”

“I call myself the mayor yeah, but… no one here is ever actually going to see me that way. Besides Liz is going to be back by then and she’s a far better leader than I could ever hope to be. So they’ll be in good paws. I’ll miss everyone of course, especially Liz and Egg but we can visit sometimes. And if we can eventually get internet and cell coverage out here, I can chat with them long distance. So… I want to go with you.”

“All right. It’ll be nice having you along.”

“Speaking of the whole you leaving thing though we should probably ask Snorpy and Chandlo to fix your airship soon so it’s ready to go when…”

“We solved the riddle!”

Filbo squeaked in surprise and almost topped off his ladder at the louder than needed interruption. After watching to make sure he steadied himself, Buddy carefully turned around to look down at Triffany standing by the foot of their ladder.

“We solved it,” she said again, smiling up at them. “It took a bit because Liz’s notes threw us off for a while but we figured it out in the end. So now we can go up there and open the stone doors. Or at least we should be able to, we could be wrong again but I don’t think so.”

Things just kept getting better and better today. With a grin, Buddy pushed themself off the ladder, jumping off. They landed a bit harder and more unsteady than intended but quickly shook it off before starting for Filbo’s hut at a jog. They grabbed their backpack from inside and only did the barest minimum checking to ensure everything was attached to it properly before turning around and jogging back over to Triffany and Filbo. Eggabell had come out from somewhere to join them.

“Let’s go,” they said as they reached the group.

Eggabell looked them over with a measuring look before frowning. “You haven’t been resting.”

“Incorrect. I rest often.” Though no more than had become normal. But now it wouldn’t be a problem anymore because they’d be getting their interview with Lizbert – or would have to give up on it – and then could be on their way back to the mainland to publish their story and everything would be better.

Eggabell shook her head in seeming defeat. “Let’s just go.” She turned and started leading the way towards Sugarpine Woods. She only took like three steps before she stopped though, turning to face Filbo instead. “Look Filbo I know you want to come too and normally I’d let you but…” she glanced over at Triffany, “well Triffany kind of helped me figure it out faster than I probably would’ve on my own so I feel like she should be our third for opening the door. And we only need three so…” she trailed off.

“I know it’s dangerous,” Triffany began, “with the whole threat of avalanches and whatnot but surely one extra wouldn’t hurt too bad now, would it?”

Eggabell gave Filbo a look for a couple seconds before looking back at Triffany. Before she could actually reply though, Filbo spoke up. “No, it’s… fine. Risking it wouldn’t be… uh, wise if we don’t have to. And I would only slow you guys down anyway. I can talk to Liz later when you guys bring her back and stuff. So it’s… fine. But uh… Buddy,” he looked at them, “be careful, okay?”

“I’ll be as careful as I can.” They could do that much for him at least.

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Eggabell said, her tone making a promise. “Now let’s go.” She turned and started on her way once more.

Triffany hesitated for a moment, shooting Filbo a guilty look before following.

Buddy looked back at Filbo. “I’ll see you in a little bit. And I’ll hopefully have Lizbert with me when I do. We’ll probably be back in time to enjoy at least some of the party too.” They stepped closer to share a quick kiss with him before turning and jogging to catch up with Triffany and Eggabell.

“Yeah, see you in a little bit,” Filbo said behind them, his tone almost making them want to turn back and give him hug too. But they didn’t have time to right now, they had important things to do.

~

Even without Filbo they went at a fairly sedate pace through the woods and up the mountain because that’s the pace Eggabell set even though it wasn’t long before she looked impatient with it. Buddy would’ve normally chaffed under it and either insisted they go faster or just gone on ahead by themself. But this time, they appreciated it.

It was quickly getting dark and they were so very tired. When was the last time they’d slept? Was it last night? Maybe, they couldn’t be sure. They would’ve gone to lay down somewhere and sleep but… important things needed doing. So they continued on, doing their best to pay attention to what Triffany was saying to them to distract themself from everything else.

Talking to her was always a delight. She went on at length about how she and Eggabell had solved the riddle and what Lizbert had gotten wrong about it in her notes. She of course talked about other things she’d found out about the stone doors as well as stuff surrounding them and what it all might mean. She also speculated on what could be on the other side of the doors and what that might mean. All very fascinating stuff that unfortunately Buddy’s mind didn’t seem inclined to absorb much of right now.

They were nearing the top when the ground rumbled beneath them. Just a small tremor at first but it was immediately followed up by something much bigger, making all three of them lose their footing. Thankfully they weren’t on one of the steeper parts of the climb up so instead of falling to their deaths they were all sent sliding down hill on a thankfully for now small wave of snow.

Buddy scrabbled and clawed at ground, somehow managing to get a grip on rock outcropping. A quick glance around confirmed Eggabell and Triffany had found themselves in similar situations, though a bit further down. Buddy took a breath to shout to them but the sound died unuttered as they glanced up just in time to see the massive wall of snow right before it hit them.

[willow-salix]

Fluffember prompt: Rose

Day 11 of Isolation on Tracy Island 2.0 and I would like you all to know that, while Virgil was very nice to write my update for me yesterday, he’s also a complete liar. I did not fall asleep on the couch, I was watching the movie the whole time…

Anyway we all got up late today, since we didn’t get to bed until late and even then it hadn’t been easy to get to sleep. I’d woken up a few times but a quick look at the clock to estimate the amount of time I’d actually been asleep, coupled with a warm John to snuggle meant that I gave in to the lure of oblivion twice before I actually got up.

I felt like death, which was strange, because usually caffeine has little to no effect on me, I can only assume that the added stress of Alan hopped up on coffee beans was the catalyst to my zombie-like state. 

Alan, it transpired, was going through an even worse caffeine hangover than I was, at least I had a little resistance. He was groaning from his bedroom complaining of a headache and full body shivers. 

So yes, we were certainly feeling delicate and, even though I desperately wanted a coffee to wake me up enough to function I knew that it would probably be a bad idea. So there I was, sipping on a hot chocolate (I delivered one to Allie too), munching slowly on a corner of my toast and just hoping that the world would stop spinning today when Grandma came in.

“What are you planning on doing today?” she asked, not bothering to offer a greeting, no good morning, no hello, nothing. I glanced over at Scott who shrugged and sipped his tea ( he was avoiding coffee too, Virgil wasn’t but it takes a LOT to put that boy off his brown nectar).

“No plans,” I was forced to admit. I saw Scott shake his head sadly, like I’d just doomed myself. I obviously wasn’t on top of things today, my brain is mush.

“Good, then you can help me with some chores.” 

I resisted the urge to groan, looking over at the big bros for support…

“Huh, where did they go?” Grandma asked me.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know,” I sighed, gulping my cocoa and wishing it was something stronger and possibly alcoholic.

“Then I guess we’ll have to work twice as hard!”

 “Yes, Grandma.”

                    ***

“John,” I whispered into my comm as I hid in a corner of the library.

“Yes?” he popped up in his hologram form, not looking at me straight away, clearly distracted by whatever he was working on.

“I have a question.”

He turned to look at me. I saw him pause, his eyes darting around, taking in my surroundings.

“I have a question too, why are you hiding behind a curtain? Where even is that?”

“Library,” I settled back against the wall. Perched on the windowsill I was indeed hiding behind a curtain. “Grandma gave me a chore list.”

“Ah,” he said, not needing to add anything else, that said it all really. “You had a question?”

“Oh, yeah, I did.”

“What was it?”

“Oh, she's made me do three loads of laundry, I’ve dusted her ornaments, cleaned the two bathrooms, which is all I'm doing by the way, I’m not touching the ensuites, they’re on their own with them.”

“A wise decision,” he agreed, crossing his arms, leaning back on nothing, suspended in midair, showing he was in the comms sphere, clearly sensing that this would be a long story. There’s no rushing me when I’m trying to explain things, you just have to accept that you're along for the ride.

“I’ve helped her change the bedding in the guest rooms, why I have literally no clue, since no one can come and visit anyway and this is a secret base and it’s not like we do a lot of tours or anything…” I trailed off, seeing the raised eyebrow of doom on my boy. “What else did we do…” I mused, trying to think and hurry my thought process along. “Cleaned all the old food out of the fridge, vacuumed the lounge and now I’m here.”

“And why are you in there? Apart from hiding from more chores, obviously?”

“Because I needed to ask you what was going on.”

Was that an eye roll? I’m pretty sure it was. 

“Going on with what? You’re the one that was filling me in on your day.”

“What’s with the Grandma?”

“Grandma?”

“Yes, Grandma. I’ve been going from room to room, ticking things off her chore list but…”

“But what?”

“Babe, I hate to ask this, but is Grandma going a little…” I couldn’t say it out loud so I settled for the universal sign that is a finger twirl to the side of my head.

“Explain.”

“Babe, I don't usually question the wiseness of Grandma's logic but this time…well...she's got me watering plastic plants,” I whispered, making a conscious effort not to shout as I usually would. News like this needed to be delivered in a delicate way, a supportive, understanding way. No one wanted to hear proof that their, let’s face it slightly elderly, grandmother was going a little cuckoo in her golden years.

I watched him carefully, it wouldn’t do to be upsetting him when he was so far away 22,400 miles away to be exact, and I couldn't be with him, but to my surprise his face registered nothing but relief with a hint of...amusement? OK, maybe a hint was being generous. 

“Dude, are you laughing at me?”

“No, love.”

“Lies! You’re laughing right now!”

“I’m laughing with you, not at you,” he promised, sobering slightly.

“Laughing with me implies that I should be laughing too, so either share the joke with the rest of the class or bugger off.” I was not impressed and fast losing patience with the love of my life.

“Sorry, sorry,” he coughed, clearing his throat in an effort to regain his composure.

I waited, arms crossed in a mirror of his earlier pose, lips slightly pursed, eyes narrowed, he sooo knew he was in trouble.

“Let me tell you a little story,” he began, finally calm enough to talk to me properly.

“Go on then, I’m listening.”

“Grandma has always loved her plants, she used to garden a lot,” he started and as usual when he spoke, I listened, one because I needed to know what was going on and two, because I just love his voice and would happily listen to him reading a menu if he so chose. I wiggled a little to get comfier and prepared to be entertained, because every story John tells is entertaining in its own way, mostly because he just sounds so fed up and done with life as he tells it. 

“She said that she found it relaxing to tend them, it gave her time to think and to order her thoughts. She would talk to them like they were her children and no one dared touch them.”

I nodded to show I was following so far.

“When we moved to the island and got busier with International Rescue it obviously started taking up a lot of time for all of us,” he reclined himself back into his lazy float giving me a nice view I must say (I’m sure he did it on purpose).

“The busier we got, the less time she had to devote to them, the more we did the more she forgot about them and it wasn’t long before the first one died. She came down one morning and noticed that it’s leaves were dried out and brown and it was slumped over in its pot. She tried, we all did, but there was no reviving it.” His tone was so serious that I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Grandma was really sad, so we decided to help if we could. Unfortunately, as it turned out, none of us have a particularly green thumb. We did our best, but failed spectacularly. As we always say, you can’t save everyone, and that isn't limited to humans.”

I nodded encouragingly, wishing I had a mug to sip from 'cause my boy was spilling the tea!

"When we noticed another was, as Gordon put it, on its way out, we stepped in before it happened and fixed it."

"You fixed it? Like it was a broken processor or something? How do you fix a dying plant?" 

He stayed quiet. 

"John?" I lifted an eyebrow demandingly. 

"We switched it out for a plastic one," he finally admitted. 

"John!" I was shocked, shocked at their sneakiness and the sheer balls of pulling off such a move right under her nose. 

"I know, I know, it was awful of us. But we couldn't think of anything else to do. She was so sad every time she lost one and we couldn't stand it."

"How many times did you do this? Because I have yet to find a real live one."

"I think you just answered your own question."

"All of them? Like every single one?" 

"Well, not all of them, the bonsai in the lounge is still alive, but that's mostly Kayo and Virgil that tend it. Kayo learnt from her dad, he loved to garden. And the outside plants usually do OK. We have timed watering for then with both underground pipework and an overhead sprinkler system. And Kayo will do a little maintenance on them, cutting them back and the like, whenever she has time which isn't often. We don't really get weeds here as the seeds have nowhere to carry from, so it's just upkeep of the plants themselves."

 "But every houseplant other than the bonsai…"

"All fake," he confirmed. 

"And you never told her? She didn't notice?" 

"No, not that we know of, the fact that she gave you the job of watering them confirms that. We just kept offering to look after them for her and she let us do it. We bought the best quality we could, they look very realistic." He said that last like it made the whole thing more OK. "We did it for her, we didn't want her upset."

"Well, I honestly don't know what to think about all that," I confessed. And I really didn't, they were such sneaky little sods when they wanted to be, dangerous when working together. Sure they did it with the best of intentions and for the right reasons but still I did need to know one thing… 

"Whose idea was it?" 

"Idea?" he repeated, clearly deflecting. 

"Yes, who thought up the idea of swapping them?" I knew the answer, he knew that I knew, I just needed him to confirm it. 

Slowly he lifted his hand. 

"Yep, not surprised. Totally called it," I grinned. 

"Then why did you ask?" 

"Because sometimes I need to remind myself what a deliciously devious man you are." 

"You're a strange woman."

"A strange woman that your dumb ass married," I reminded him. 

"We all have our weak moments," he quipped but I didn't take it seriously. "I should probably get back to work, just hide out there for another few minutes and call the job done."

I nodded, seeing the sense in his words. "How long will you be?" 

"Just another few hours, I should be done by dinner."

"OK, but I'm holding you to that, Space Man." 

"Wouldn't expect anything less."

I blew him a little kiss which he dutifully pretended to catch, with much eye rolling, before he clicked off, cutting the connection. 

Sighing , still unable to believe what I'd just heard I drew back the curtain I was sheltering behind and dropped down from the windowsill. I grabbed my phone, tucking it into my pocket as I turned round. 

"Grandma!" 

There she was, waiting for me like a silent septuagenarian ninja, arms folded, one foot tapping out an annoyed rhythm. 

"Hi," I greeted, taking an unconscious step backwards. Would she notice if I threw myself out of the window like a weak willed victorian maid whose husband hadn't returned from the war? 

She glared at me. Yep, she'd notice alright. 

"Done with the chores?" she asked in a voice that told me she already knew the answer. As far as I could tell I had three choices, lie through my teeth, tell her the truth or deflect like my name was John Tracy and I was late home. 

"Well, there was a lot on the list…"

"Oh knock it off," she huffed. "I heard everything."

I slumped, there was no deflecting this.

"I'm very disappointed in you, young lady."

"I know, I'm sorry, I-" 

"I can't believe you let yourself get dragged into one of their idiot schemes. I expected better of you."

"I'm sorry, I know I let you down."

"Too right you did, I've been waiting the best part of five years for them to tell me the truth, I had hoped you'd call them out on it but they ended up with another conspirator. Perfect."

"I said I was sorry, I- wait, you knew?" 

Grandma rolled her eyes in a move that was so very John. "Of course I knew, how stupid do you think I am?" 

I sighed in relief that I wouldn't have to pull off this charade any longer, hell, I'd only been involved for five minutes and it felt like a year. "I did wonder, I mean, I noticed straight away and I don't even know that much about plants. When did you find out?" 

"Not long after they started," she shrugged. "I just didn't tell them."

"John did say they bought the best quality plants they could find," I said, feeling the need to defend my man and his idiot brothers. 

"Oh, they did that alright. They are beautiful and less work than the real thing, honestly I liked my plants because they gave me something to do, they kept me occupied but when this organisation took off I didn't need them any more."

"Then why not tell them?" 

"Because it was funny to watch them pretend to water them every week, plus I was waiting for then to realise how stupid they had been."

"Which they didn't," I supplied. 

"No, they didn't, which surprised me, I thought I'd raised them to be smarter than that." 

"They were pretty smart with it," I argued. 

"Smart? They replaced every plant that died."

"Yeah, that was kinda the point."

"Which would have been fine, if they had paid attention to the plants themselves. Roses that bloom for four years are a dead giveaway."

[thexam-union]

Newcoming

Another new person on the island? Oh my! Maybe this is why we had another person kicking around than there were files for. But introducing Arcturus, keeper for Quantum! :>

Length: 1171 Words

General Overview: Arcturus bumps into Fomalhaut and gets on the Sector register in a very chill way. No stress for anyone involved.

Warning(s): No triggering content present.

( If you need anything else tagged/forewarned about let me know!! )

The weather in Lost City was always pleasant, the sun beaming down on the cracked walking tiles around each of the small projects in the area. Arcturus yawned as she walked out by a favourite haunt of hers, not expecting someone sitting on the hill to point their telescope directly at her. With a newfound sense of presence, Arcturus looked down at herself to see what attracted the attention, as if her bright red hair, pastel blue dress and pastel pink undershirt weren’t enough to warrant it.

“Hi, do I know you?” They asked, although Arcturus could easily ask the same thing. They didn’t think anyone came out here, and now there was suddenly someone here? That was a bit strange, but she’d deal with it. Hopefully social skills haven’t gone too rusty.

“I don’t think we’ve met, no. I’m Arcturus, I look after the garden down here.” She gestured behind her to Quantum with a smile, as the stranger nodded. They were wearing a button-up - white, with a half-done dark blue tie and a black choker - and had hair that went from a salmon pink to a deep twilight purple for her bangs, and a light cyan at the back. Arcturus got a little closer and started up the hill, beaming the whole time. “And you are?”

“Oh, I’m Fomalhaut. I didn’t know anyone even had that as a project around here.”

“I didn’t know there were other people.” Arcturus shrugged with a half-laugh. “I love this little spot, though, so I think it’s just a right place time thing.”

“Seems that way! I mean, I’ll be honest, I don’t really know anyone in here particularly well, so I’m sorry if I came across as rude.” Arcturus sat down on the grass at the top of the hill.

“Don’t worry about it, Fo - Can I call you Fo? - I’m sure we can get to know each other well.”

“Yeah! And if you want to. It’s cute.” Fomalhaut put the telescope back on its tripod, looking over at a smaller island in the distance. Arcturus didn’t know what was going on, but was more than happy to support Fomalhaut’s interest. Even more so since this was their first friend on the Island! “So you have a project name, but I’ve never seen you around. How does that happen?”

“Search me. I just stick to myself, but now I know there’s people, I’m going to try my best to actually talk to people. It gets lonely out here.”

“You’re telling me. I spend a lot of my time in Amity, do you want to go touring around so you can meet people? I’m sure Volans - they’re in charge of this whole thing - will be happy to meet you. And put you on the books, it sounds like.”

“I’d love to. Lead the way.”

With a smile and a nod, Fomalhaut picked up their tripod and telescope, packing both away into a case with a clearly practiced motion. The case was a rich blue - matching their tie - and had silver paint on it outlining a few constellations. The paint was showing signs of fading with time, but that was mostly to be expected. The walk was rather straightforward, too, taking between five and ten minutes, though halfway through it felt like wading through an old batch of treacle for a moment as even the weather front felt revolted by the change, changing to a harsher mizzling rainfall.

“Is the weather always like this?”

“Most of the time.” Fomalhaut nodded, gesturing to a relatively shallow hill with quite a large building on top. “We just have to get up there, though.”

“I see! I will say, a lot of the buildings here look a bit…” Arcturus let her tone do the talking, but Fomalhaut nodded a little.

“You must be new, Amity’s been like this since just after I came back.” Fomalhaut said with a short laugh. “And that happened almost two decades ago, now. That was a weird couple of years, back in… Four, ish? But you’re not the first person to just randomly show up this week, so I’m sure Volans would be really accepting, I won’t worry about them. They don’t get angry, either, just a bit stressed.”

“Yeah? How come?”

“Okay, so, you probably know Polaris, but when he went he left a really awful-looking archive of staff files, so Volans has taken it upon themselves to rewrite each one individually. They’ve already found people that legally don’t exist, you’re kind of just one of many, so no pressure.”

“That’s really not ideal, though. I don’t to be a nuisance.”

“From what I’ve heard about someone else who’s just showed up randomly? You can’t do worse than him if you’re concerned about being a pain.” Fomalhaut laughed a little, “From what I’ve heard - I tend to roam and Vo’s a good friend of mine so I hear all the things - he’s awful. I’m so glad that we’re both in Lost City, since he’s off in the Jungle.”

“He seems like a pain.” Fomalhaut knocked on a door that had “Sound Technician” on an engraved plate inside what appeared to be a radio building in a great deal of disarray.

“Come in.” Fomalhaut opened the door for Arcturus with a smile and nod, before putting down their case and giving her two enthusiastic thumbs up. “Take a seat.”

“Hi! I got told to come here to go on the register because I might not legally exist?” Arcturus laughed a little bit, taking note of the office.

“Right.” The person on the other side of the desk started typing at a computer. “I assume you knew Polaris at least in passing, so you understand that the files here are nowhere near as nice as I’d prefer them to be. I’m Volans, current Sector leader.”

“Yeah, organisation really was a luxury. It’s good to meet you Volans, I’m Arcturus. In charge of Quantum.” There was a smile, a couple more nods, and more typing. Significantly faster. “I don’t really get out much, but I do prefer your energy to Polaris. A lot more hands-on.”

“Thank you. You came in with Fomalhaut, so you know you’re already based around Lost City. I’d recommend you explore and get to know the others on the Island, things have changed a lot since Polaris left the position.”

“I see. Well, thank you. Can I ask Fomalhaut for the tour?”

“Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I’ve also set up a few things for you, so I’ll just send that to print. Just a contact email, my details and other lines of communication. Normally I’d recommend Kalausi, but if you’d rather go with Fomalhaut, I won’t stop you.”

“Great! That’s wonderful, I’ll be going then. I’ll see you around, right?”

“Most likely. Make sure to go to the break room to pick up the printout.” There was a smile in Arcturus’ direction as she stood up and left the office, Fomalhaut waiting outside relatively patiently. Time to go!

[karlacri]

27. favourite national celebrity? 16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?

oh, I didn't think they would ask me something so fast 😅 xDDD I don't know if this counts, but I think it's important to mention that although I live in Chile my parents are Peruvian, so the answers are probably mixed between the two countries xD

27) Favorite national celebrity: As I am not very aware of the entertainment world, I think that here the groups or people of whom I know 2-3 songs or something like that could enter  😅 and those would be:

*From Chile: The folkloric, Andean and Latin American rhythms groups 

Los Jaivas, canción Mira Niñita song Look little girl sub english   Todos Juntos song All together sub english Todos juntos full hd xd  Sube a nacer conmigo hermano sub english 

Inti Illimani, Samba Landó   I did not find a video with the lyrics, but I did find a web page that translated it (I hope it is ok)  Sirviñaco I did not find the lyrics in English, but in the comments it is in Spanish and it is about a young man proposing to a young woman that they marry Carnavalito de la Quebrada de Humahuaca (popular Argentine)

Illapu     Paloma Ausente  the lyrics are by Violeta Parra, but Illapu sings it xd  Lejos del Amor  Far away from love  Surviving /Sobreviviendo  lyrics in english  "Vuelvo para vivir" (I'm coming back to stay) (I feel that this song needs context xd from 1973-1990 in Chile there was a dictatorship where these groups were exiled due to political differences and when the dictatorship ended and they were able to return, Illapu wrote this song. The song Sobreviviendo I think was not written by someone from the group, but it was written during the dictatorship)

and Violeta Parra (who is famous for collecting and disseminating Chilean folk music and representing things like that in hers songs) Run Run se fue pal norte lyrics in english  La jardinera/ The gardener  lyrics english  Volver a los 17 Returning to seventeen sub english in youtube  Rin del angelito/ Rin of the little angel (rin is a musical genre from an island in southern Chile. In the song Angelito is a child who has died very young, Violeta wrote the song when her baby died and in this video there are scenes from that moment in a movie about her life. I say it in case someone is affected )

Thanks to life Gracias a la Vida  (is her most famous song and one of the last he wrote before her death)

As a curious fact, I can say that all of them were more or less contemporary during the time called New Chilean Song in the 60-70s that sought to recover folk music and was also combined with rhythms and instruments from other countries on the continent.

*From Peru: Group 5 which is a cumbia group, and I just discovered that it is practically the same age as my dad xd Motor y motivo/ my life’s mission song   Que levante la mano 

Yma Sumac who was a well-known soprano and has a star on the walk of fame. She was famous for her very high voice, she said that she had learned to sing like this by imitating birds singing as a child her duet with flute   Interview

Gastón Acurio who is a chef and promoter of Peruvian gastronomy, as far as I know he is one of the greatest ambassadors of Peruvian gastronomy (I don't always pay attention to everything his recipes say, but I do take some advice xD)

Juan Diego Flores: He is a light tenor that according to the internet is one of the best tenors on the current scene Ojos Azules / Valicha  

he singing the National Anthem 

  Juan Diego Flórez: What happens when an opera star goes onstage?

 Apart from them, I need to make an honorable mention to Los Kjarkas (Saya San Andrés  my favourite song xd saya is a bolivian dance), one of the most important groups in Andean music. The group is Bolivian, so technically I shouldn't mention them, but for me they are celebrities and they are the only group that I follow on facebook and of whom I have wanted to go to a concert xd

16) Stereotypes: I haven't seen this on my internet for so long that I probably mention outdated things, sorry From Chile: I remember there was a moment on Facebook where a couple of memes came out about how in Chile people were retarded and ate dogs. I do not know how widespread it was, I did not see much of it, but more than annoying me, it puzzled me because I did not know where that could have come from although a while ago I had a hypothesis about the matter of dogs. 🤔

meme on the matter and incidentally shows the myth that Peru eats pigeons

The best known among South Americans of all is that the accent and the way of speaking of Chileans is unintelligible to other Spanish speakers and that in Chile Spanish is spoken very badly xD Looking around, I saw that apparently so much is the case that in 2015 a Chilean linguist wrote a book about how Spanish was not badly spoken in Chile, it was only spoken differently xd According to me, the origin of this is that in Chile people tend to speak faster than everyone else, combined with the jargons that seem to be very different from those in other countries. I think I agree with this moderately, because there are people who speak quite fast, interrelated and / or it is difficult to understand the expressions they use, but it is not unintelligible as the meme says (in fact, I have a friend who speaks slowly, and even the Chileans themselves drew attention xd) and I can understand my teachers and classmates most of the time

meme about Spain laughing at France because most of their former territories don't speak their language, while the former territories of Spain learned their language ... or almost all of them xd And something I forgot to say, apparently it is quite distinctive that in Chile "asjkssjaskka" laughs while others laugh "jajaja" apparently xD

From Peru: I think the best known is still the one that Peruvians eat pigeons. As I read once years ago on Facebook (high scientific rigor xd 😅) the myth arose in Chile when in a certain place in the capital where many Peruvians came to live, the pigeons that had always been there began to disappear. From what I remember, sometimes the meme is shown as if the pigeon were the flag dish of Peru and that you cannot live without it, but it is a lie xd I know it is eaten, my mother at least ate pigeon with noodles and she told me that were raised to eat (and in fact he told me that it was possible that there really were people who had hunted in the plaza at some time 😅), and I also saw Gastón Acurio prepare pigeon ocopa (ocopa is like a cream and is eaten with rice, potato and lettuce). However, the case of Gastón Acurio was that he was preparing forgotten recipes from a 1950 cookbook, so I highly doubt that many people prepare it and it is definitely not very representative (there are much more widespread and famous dishes). About the noodles, it may be prepared, but it is much more common to see the chicken noodle.  Anyway, it does not seem very serious considering that there are other places where you eat or ate pigeon cake xd    

It is also that Peru claims everything as its own, but it is more because of a fight it has with Chile over whether the pisco sour (a drink with lemon) is Peruvian or Chilean and something similar happens with ceviche. Anyway it is exaggerated and I think that most people on both sides do not really care about the matter xD

Peru meme claiming things like yours

Chile and Peru fight for pisco sour. "wn" can mean from friend to idiot depending on the context and is one the best know chilean slang xd

Anyway, it is a meme that is almost always taken with humor (or at least I do) xd  😅  

I guess that's it, I'm sorry I literally answered you almost a month later and I'm also very sorry for how long the answer is, at first it was hard for me to write something and suddenly I ended up with this xd 😅

[xxyumeno]

INFORMATION

Name: Kaicho Kanji: 諧調 Meaning: harmonious melody; harmony; unity; euphony Faceclaim: Secuntus from the Abandoned Empress DOB.: Don’t know Age: Immortal Gender: Ambiguous Pronouns: zie/zim/zir/zis/zieself Height: 5’10” Weight: ??? Orientation: Merlin was here Note: Pokémon OC

PERSONALITY

Kaicho is quite indifferent toward the problem facing both Pokémon and humans a like. Seeing as not zir problem despite being birth from the last remnants of the gods that survived a war. Zie does not harbor any of the feelings these gods had before they passed on and formed zim. Which zie considered to be quite lucky. To zim it give zim the excuse to be an ass toward those (only one Legendary in particular) those keep pestering zim.

For zim to help would require too much effort on zis part. If Kaicho does help it either or of amusement or there something zie is after. As long as whatever it is can benefit zim in some kind of way zie will help. Be wary of Kaicho, because there may be some kind of ulterior motive to zir kindness if Kaicho does decide to help any one being. There are very very very rare moments when zir kindness is genuine and it only to those Kaicho consider like family which is very few.

Zir has an elegant way of speaking at times as zie noticed it tends to get on the nerves of a few. It not something zie can really changed as it was passed onto zim from one of the more polite goddesses that made up zir being. Even though zie inherited politeness it didn’t stop zim from being direct and very blunt with zir words. It just sounded a lot nicer, despite the curtness, when zie spoke. Though, zie wished zir sarcasm would be taken seriously to some degree. It will be something zie will have to work on.

Kindness exist in spades and primarily reserved for those Kaicho deems worthy of it or if see as being close like family to zim. Zie does have a fondness for small and cute things, even considering some things other would see as ugly or even grotesque. Kaicho tend to have a rathe ‘unique’ view of things when it come down to it. Zie doesn’t come with a censor either, if it is on zie mind thou shall speak it. If only to cause chaos when things seem to be too peaceful to zim.

BACKGROUND

A harmonious god born from the remnants of gods who survived a war that greatly reduced the numbers of legendries and gods on both sides. The number of Pokémon suffered as well, but not as severe as the humans who existed far lesser in numbers.

It was a strong desire to end the war before both sides perished. The respective leader of each side called an end to their fighting. The reason for the war, their fighting had long been forgotten lost to the sand of times. The war that had raged for so long had gone on for centuries. An event that neither side wanted to remember. It was agreed upon in a peace treaty that it would not exist in their shared history.

Once peace was restored between the two races. The remnant of gods that survived withdrew their presence from the world in silence leaving the running and maintenance of the world to the Legendries and their kind. Thus, the world was reset and history given a clean slate once the Legendaries realized the human gods had vanished. Little did they know…

“My name is Kaicho how may I help you Legendary known as Mew?” is how zir had introduced zieself when Mew had discovered this harmonious god when the legendary was in search for the remnants of gods who had survived the war. “Unfortunately, the remnants you are in search for are no more. They are gone and it is I who remains of them.” Kaicho would say next with a slight bow of zir head.

A problem had arose while Kaicho lived in seclusion as zie watched events from a distance. Zie knew the God of Pokémon was aware of this. “Oh, you came seeking my help when it was thou who wish not the gods to interfere in thy problem?” Kaicho would smile cheekily with zir eyes closed. “Do as you wish as this is no concern to me.” Was zir words as zie turned zir back on them.

Due to Kaicho not helping the culprit, a majority had thought vanquished during the war, escaped prosecuting at the hands of the Legendaries. With the exception of Mew who had gone to keep Kaicho company.

Once more Kaicho was called upon to handle yet another situation that zie probably wouldn’t bother with solving. Mew brought zim to the location. This time zie sighed “You do realize this god is from another world yes? That he has nothing to do with the one that escaped all those years ago, yes? If I must do something… I’ll take him to another~” with that Kaicho took the other worldly god to a goddess of sorts who arrived in this world undetected several millenniums back.

Eventually the Legendaries had stopped bothering zim after that and Kaicho was quite grateful. Though, it was mainly just one it was still quite a bother to leave his tea and books. Any problems pertaining to the war that happened ages passed did not concern Kaicho for zie was born after it had ended. Seeing as zie was the last of zir kind technically, Kaicho had to deal with it regardless.

ABILITIES

Elemental Magic: Zie has mastery over the five basic elements thanks to one of the remnants that presided over magic, witchcraft, sorcery, and etc. Though, Kaicho has a strong preference of using Air, Water, and Space the most.

Shield: When evoked it will protect zim from all physical and elemental attacks. Though, it won’t work all at once. At most zie can get two of three of these going for a shield at a time. Only one will be at full capacity while the secondary will more than like be at half what it could be if zie only focused on one. Kaicho continues to work at this, but it seems to be a slow progress without help from others.

Mental Fortitude: Kaicho has a strong mental shield/barrier around zir mind to keep psychic’s as well as psychic type Pokémon out of zir mind. If one does by chance happen to break through zir mental defense they will remain trapped in a hellish nightmare until Kaicho decides to let them go or crush their mind.

Shapeshifting: being able to take on any form and any shape that zie so desires has had it many advantages for Kaicho. Not only does it allow zim to hide from those who constantly pester zim. It also allowed zim to cause as much trouble as zie pleases just to be a thorn in their side. Thus, leading zim to develop quite a mischievous and playful side.

Creation and Destruction: Zie can do all, but create another living breathing life from thin air such as Pokémon or humans. For zie doesn’t exactly have that kind of ability to do so. This power heavily pertains to plant life and objects one can use in their everyday life. In a way this ability is in connection to zir emotion. Depending on zir emotional state Kaicho can go from creating a rain forest to destroying it in one go.

Healing: Zir healing can be quite potent from healing small cuts to regenerating lost limbs and missing organs. Due to this zie tend to keep it on the download as zie does not wish to be hounded when it comes to healing others. More so when it come to the first generation. There is a small bit of leeway for the younger and current generation of Pokémon.

Necromancy: As proficient as zie is with it. Kaicho doesn’t tend to use it as much due to the repercussions it could cause to zim and zir body. The spirits of the dead tend to visit zim on quite an often basis for zim to keep up with current events and new happenings when zie has trouble keeping up with popular trend zieself. While trying to keep his identity as a god a secret from mortals.

NOTES

Kaicho can cook anything you ask of zim as long as zie has cooked it before. Baking on the other hand, one is lucky if zie doesn’t burn it to a crisp. Despite living among humans for a good couple hundreds of millenniums, one would think zie would have gotten the hang of baking already. Unfortunately, this one has not figured out that zie has to watch the timer when baking.

Zie grows zir own garden. Kaicho grows flowers, herbs, and vegetables and sell some of these in a small shop zie owns. Though, the location of Kaicho’s shop isn’t in one specific region, town, village, or city. Zir shop will appear as if by magic or summoned when someone need it. For it is how zie had designed zir shop, but there have been times when zir shop has appeared without that requirement being met. Thus, effectively confusing Kaicho.

When not attending to zir own shop, Kaicho can be typically found on mystical Isle of Apples. The Isle of Apples isn’t an island that is easy to find nor can it be viewed normally. The Queen and her sisters that reside on this island are the ones who deem those who are worthy to enter or even see the island. Kaicho consider zimselves lucky in this regard. It was definitely a good thing zie got along well.

The god zie had saved from an unfair execution Kaicho had befriended by chance. At first zie did not think they would get along due to God of Fire being from a completely different world than this. After learning of the god’s background zie had decided it wouldn’t hurt to try and make a friend. A genuine friend zie could confide in something Mew and the Queen of the Isle of Apples kept pestering zim about. It was from him that Kaicho learned the fun of pranking and crafting. Who knew carving little animals from apples could be so much fun?

Of all the abilities Kaicho has zie only uses Creation and Healing the most as that is how zie make their living while living among humans and Pokémon. Though, he has learned how to make zir herbal medicines and tea the old fashion way in the event some ask zim on how they make zir traditional medicine.

Kaicho is a human god, but zie is not made of the remnant of the god who created humans. Which zie consider zieself to be quite lucky. If there was any recorded history of there being a god who created human zie would more than likely be pinned as the one even zie did not.

[banannabethchase]

Reyna and Calypso: first kiss

Maybe also on AO3

~

Reyna finds herself washed up on an island. But she’s not alone.

~

Okay but this is set after Tyrant’s Tomb but in a universe where Caleo broke up or whatever and the gods gave Calypso the choice to move freely about the world but the island is still hers and only hers okay? okay. Also the reference to Khione in Tennessee is referring to that time I drove cross country in March and it was a fucking blizzard in Tennessee for absolutely no reason and I’m still annoyed about it.

I hope this works for you, my dear!!! Thank you for the prompt. 

~

Reyna should have expected this. She really should have.

“Hello?” she calls, looking around her. It’s a sandy beach, soft and white beneath her fingertips, a tiny tinge of pink every so often. She doesn’t recognize this place. She doesn’t know where she is, but she’s lost, the hunters nowhere she could guess. Probably somewhere off in the ocean miles away from her.

See? That’s what she means. She should have expected it. She’s too – too something to fit in anywhere for a long time. Too young for the Amazons, too old for the Hunters, too broken for the Romans, too stoic for the Greeks.

So here she is alone again, gazing out at a horizon that has no promises for her.

She sits there, for once in her life allowing herself a pity party as she draws circles in the sand, until she hears footsteps.

She jolts, spinning to her feet in a single movement.

There, in front of her, stands a girl with soft, dark hair, and a skeptical look.

“Hi?” Reyna asks, because the girl, somehow, looks familiar. “Wait a second.”

“Don’t –” she winces. “Okay, yes, I’m Calypso, I’m back here, don’t – don’t make it a thing.”

Reyna blinks. “I’m on Ogygia?”

Calypso nods, eying her. “How did you get here?”

“You’re really going to ask me that question?” Reyna replies, mirroring Calypso’s guarded stance. “One minute I was trying to get Khione to fuck off and leave Tennessee, the next I’m face first in the sand here on this island.”

Calypso lets a smile glance across her lips. “Fair,” she replies. “You can leave whenever you want, by the way. It’s not enchanted or, as I liked to call it, cursed.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m on this island with nothing but a bad attitude.”

Calypso laughs. “That makes two of us.”

~

Over the days, Reyna learns the ins and outs of the place, and of Calypso. Her relationship with Leo fizzled soon after Apollo went back to Olympus, the lack of chaos bringing itself into their arguments, and the two of them decided to end it.

“We’re still friends,” she’d added, “really, we are. It’s just…” she’d trailed off. “It was a whirlwind, like most of my life.”

Reyna understood that. Her whole life was a whirlwind until, somehow, all of this slowed down. Khione was the biggest issue they’d had in months, and, apparently, even that was enough to knock Reyna on her ass.

They tend the gardens together, and Reyna has to keep herself in check every time she leans a little too close. Callie, as Calypso has preferred to be called lately, would rather tend in silence than do anything else. The soothing pattern of the waves in the background, coupled with the serenity of the island, gives Reyna the feeling, for the first time, that things will be okay. Seventeen years of her life fighting to survive. And now she’s here – resting on the beach without a single thing on her mind.

Well. One thing.

~

They’re lounging on the beach, soaking up the sunlight and each other, when Reyna lets herself think it for the first time.

Maybe.

~

They’re sharing a bed one night when the normal caress of winds on Ogygia shift to a bitter cold, when Reyna lets herself think it for the second time.

Hopefully.

~

“Aw, come on, Roman, you can do better than that,” Callie laughs, and it’s the third time Reyna lets herself think it, as she’s flat on her ass in the sand, looking up at Callie with nothing but a stick and millennia of experience as she stands victorious. “Are you letting me win?”

Reyna shrugs. “No.”

Calypso extends a hand. “Then it’s three to two.”

Reyna doesn’t think this time. She just does. She grabs Calypso’s hand and pulls it, just hard enough that Calypso is pulled off balance, but not hard enough for her to fall. Calypso lands, hovering over Reyna, one knee in the sand between Reyna’s legs and a hand on one side of her head. She waits for Calypso to pull away, or fight, but instead she leans in closer. The soft press of lip to lip, gentle and nothing more than a touch, floods Reyna with some sort of purpose.

Maybe she’s found where she belongs.

“Oh,” Callie breathes, as she pulls just far enough away to look into Reyna’s eyes. She’s flushed pink, eyes sparkling. “Now it’s a tie.”

[azrcxlfatale]

under the cut you’ll find saint’s intro, its just a brief run down for now until i get bio pages up but it should help get a sense of the boyo all the same !! he is gentle and friend shaped is all i can say ajjdfg. THIS HAS NOW BEEN UPDATED WITH LIKE FIVE EXTRA LIL MORE CURRENT HEADCANONS! [ they r just like for his own growth nothing major has happened with saint and he’s still fundamentally the same as he was bc he’s always been a more laidback and less tragic muse but feel free to read em bc they do help contextualise how he’ll be career wise and with grandmami] : 

   CHWE SAINT: 

so for the best part of his life saint was raised with his ‘grandmami’ as he terms her, but she’s better known to the whole island as ajumma solmi. for this reason he’s very doting toward her and a real grandma’s boy. he bakes with her often and they can often be found on street corners selling cheap priced but some of the finest flowers to the citizens because it’s grandmami’s tradition and its mostly done in hope to uplift the islanders and bring joy to their day in a small way and act of love. 

when i say doting i mean doTInG, he will help her in and out of chairs, help her cross streets, hold the groceries for her as she crosses, open doors for her even if grandmami insists he stops fussing because ffs saint ur making me look ancient and i’ll have u know i am still fighting fit and could knock any idiot on his ass with a fliCk of my finger. ajdhf. she is v fiery, if saint is like the picture of elegance and good manners then grandmami is the sTARK contrast. she has one hell of a potty mouth and just a no time for ur shit attitude. if anything saint is keeping her in line, not the other way around. 

his quirk is warp gate. he rlly just uses it to entertain himself mostly and help give his pals quick escapes when a prank of some sort has gone wrong. he can basically create portals out of a dark fog which can either be emitted through his breath or openings at the end of his fingers which he can activate, anyone can also use his portals to travel so long as he’s given them permission.

he just exudes sunshine rlly. is well known round the island for his out of this world smile which has been known to charm many. he is a very eligible and sought after bachelor but saint is like...not interested mostly bc he just like has no romantic awareness ahdhfhf not bc he doesn’t want it. and also bc he doesn’t like the way it’s mostly super young girls and guys just like awestruck by him. it feels a little too much like he’s a collective childhood crush by his groupies so yeah he is OBLIVIOUS. 

very humble and incredibly polite. just really down to earth whenever spoken to but being raised by an elderly person kinda makes u a little outdated, for this reason saint is kind of demure and bad at conversation mostly due to the fact he can easily talk for hours about his plans for baking with grandmami later, the book he read her this morning, the lovely walk they took in that gorgeous spot which he rlly recommends etc but he is god awful at talking about like typical young people stuff. 

lot of ppl think he plays hard to get, this is not true, saint just fr does not know how to fuckin speak and is the most oblivious person in the world to how to flirt, he’s easily flustered but bad at knowing when he’s being flirted with or if this person is just rlly nice and is usually too shy and respectful to rlly push luck by flirting in response hfhfjkg. USELESS. 

very 70′s/80′s aesthetic bby boy, sweet summer child. he is obsessed with old classic black and white films, had a collection before he moved to the island which he misses like everyday but luckily he has memorised ten million quotes. also collected records. obsessed with anything retro, is a collector of gaming merch. but he didn’t get to sneak much to the island :-( the only thing he rlly snuck was a small record stash. liked roller skating, bowling, drive in movies. dresses very retro but refined and classy with lots of layering. rlly good knowledge of classic literature. 

most likely to find him at the arcade in the funzone now on the island, he is a master at all the games but esp the old retro ones, usually goes early morning or late evening so he can spend hours uninterrupted on them and beat his high score everyday a bit more. if not there then he’ll be at zen’s computer gaming instead. he likes all tech really but prefers retro, he’s still figuring out modern. before coming to the island he was rlly getting into VR. if he’s not in either of these places, he’ll be on the beach in a volleyball match or doing a jog. still v much into his sports. 

ultimate sike power cause people think he looks like ur typical jock fuckboy but jokes on u he is pure of heart and dumb of ass himbo just blessed with ethereal looks, he is the breed of good lil boyo and that is all. 

obsessed with milkshakes and popcorn at the diners if he’s ever there u can guarantee that is what he is snacking on or treating himself to. his weakness is churros he fucken thinks that shit SLAPS. he’ll do anything if the prize is churros.  sMH someone help his diet. also loves fiddling with the jukeboxes there ajdjd. 

has two pet geckos one is peach colored and called zelda, the other is black and white leopard spotted and named zeus and he also has a chonk of a fluffy grumpy white cat called yoshi. he is the best. saint is a huge animal lover but probably still not on nyx’s level of dog worshipper. 

weeb. not as big of a one as nyx but he likes haikyuu, kuroko no basket, given, fruits basket, free! and yuri! on ice. he is very into anything that is slice of life or sports anime. 

has the nickname ‘koda’ bc of the movie brother bear, nicknamed after the lil baby bear cause he just reminds people of a baby bear ahdhd. 

he studies art, spends half his life in the studio working, big art nerd. once he gets in the work mode, he just does not stop for anything but water and snacks and goes at it all day into half the night. usually does big projects bc he loves a challenge. mostly paints, sometimes sketches. u know those vids of people mixing paint colors like a swatch of gold and turquoise? saint fuckin loves those so bad unf he does that all the time to calm himself. 

still lives with grandmami currently, he’s looking at getting his own place bc everyone tells him if he ever wants to have his own life then he needs to but he’s just v anxious about leaving grandmami on her own bc she getting older by the day and she’s all he has sO she cannot get hurt!! 

also in a bit of a dilemma with his art bc he kinda wants to make something out of it, like maybe teach some classes sort of thing and use it more as a career but right now he does not have the confidence in his ability and is mostly just doing it for fun and as a calming thing ( he’s an idiot he’s rlly fucken good pls someone make him take himself seriously )

never cusses but does say bitchin a lot, only ever uses fuck in bed basically so if u ever hear him say it then u know something next level has gone down bc saint refuses to swear even if he stubbed his pinky toe.

looks like a cinnamon roll but HE FUCKS!! boy is a kinky freak however saint has no shame or embarrassment like he will discuss it as casually as a discussion of what to have for dinner not bc he is like lewd but purely bc to him its rlly natural and like another form of art and he does not get the embarrassment or secret nature of it all like it is just factual to him that we come into the world like that and ppl enjoy it sometimes ajsj. 

gardening enthusiast!! has a fascination with studying plants and insects tbfh. still uses 70′s and 80′s kewl kid slang like unironically someone help him pls. sjjdjf. cute bonus fact: has freckles all over his shoulders and down his back. UWU. 

COUPLE OF CONNECTION IDEAS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD??: 

i would love for him to have a muse for art and/or to be someone’s muse. also and maybe interchangeably someone to kinda be his art mentor and be like saint u could pursue this fr if thats ur dream, then do it pls share this talent dont let ART DIE!!

someone he does gardening and insect studies with who gets his nerdy enthusiasm over it. 

a regular who gets flowers from him and grandmami, maybe he makes a special bouquet for them every day which always has a different meaning in the flower language bc he is soft like that ajjfl

someone who he can take on loads of cute lil platonic diner dinner dates bc he is a huge foodie as we can tell. this one is super fun like I imagine they scam tf outta restaurants that are over priced and for the elite by being like we all kno married couples or people getting engaged, celebrating anniversaries etc tend to get better deals on their meals. so he’s essentially doing this one bc he likes ur muses company and enthusiasm for food but also bc it means cheaper high quality meals for both and a guaranteed good time.

someone to nerd out with him over classic literature or films bc that would be hella cute

maybe someone who is also close with his grandmami and rlly loves spending time with her as well so he kinda trusts them to take care of her and trusts their judgement when they r like saint chill let the lady live okay go and do ur own shit akskf

he usually jogs alone but it would be cool for him to have someone to do that with and like table-tennis and shiz cause he just loves fitness activities and active leisure stuff too. 

maybe someone who is tryna teach him a little more about how to uH TALK LIKE SOMEONE HIS DAMN AGE AND STOP BEING SOME RETRO MAN STUCK IN MODERN TIMES AJDJD

UPDATES:

so a lot about saint hasn’t overly changed because like he just is and has always been a very wholesome laidback boyo but just a few bits of like additional info for his personal growth can be added:

he’s owner and manager of the florist now, grandmami is also there most of the time and handles a lot of stuff when she’s feeling up to it but with her getting more tired more easily from her illness saint needs to head everything really.

he grew up in a neighbourhood on hosu which like consisted of his entire street pretty much being full of his aunts and uncles so now like it’s a street just littered with all his tiny cousins who like to follow him about everywhere and play ball games etc on the street with him and kinda take it over shs. you can hear their joyful playing from like streets over it’s very cute.

his mother gave him up when she realised she was pregnant with him and too young to raise him and that it would hinder her from pursuing the life she wanted with his father. saint doesn’t hold any resentment for her choice, it only bothers him that his grandma has always had a serious illness since the early days of talks of her having no choice but to take him on and that despite this his mother allowed him to be left to her care and another burden on her when she was already so ill.

grandmami is now at a point where she’s hanging in there but she won’t have long left and saint is essentially now her live in carer till her final days which is hard af for him but he refuses to let it show. he’s not sure how he’ll function when he loses her. right now he’s trying to extend the florist business into a wellness one as well and more of an apothecary so he can keep himself stable and busy.

this is more just a cute fun fact but he’s a Christmas Eve baby. uwu lil boyo was born on the night before Christmas bc of course he was sdjdj.