#also yes I am not as yellow/orange as I have drawn myself but I was limited by my pencil set

[ipwarn]

Very important question: Do I add the flower stitching on the scarf?

[lethendralis-paints]

Artist Meme

Was tagged to answer this set of interesting questions by @kourvo​

(original post is here: https://kourvo.tumblr.com/post/621355098110640128/artist-meme

Thank you so much for that!

Let’s see....

1) What is the character you've drawn the most (Can be original or fanart)

This precious boy. I can never get enough of him. One of the most compelling characters I have ever come across. Love everything about Fenris and can relate to him on so many levels!

2. What colour do you often use? 

Gray and brown are my faves. And all other colours have the same chance of appearing in my artwork :D

3. Any colour you are bad at using?

I don’t think so...I love them all, even the pinks and yellows people usually find hard to incorporate into a colour palette. Tell me in the comments if I’m wrong :)

4. When drawing people, where do you start? 

Funnily enough - either with the front of the hairline or with the left eyebrow. Don’t ask me, why - I don’t know myself.

5. What is a character only your eraser will love?

Hmmmm...any sort of villainous character. I can’t draw evil people convincingly. I’m a huge softy at heart.

6. Which of your works took the longest time? 

Big scale commission I did for @pikapeppa​, featuring all the Inquisition companions, along with Fenris, Rynne and Carver Hawke. That one took almost 3 weeks, due to its sheer scope and my relative lack of experience in such large works. Pika was extremely patient with me though, for that I am eternally thankful!

7. What techniques do you use when you want to improve in drawing? 

Classical art studies. Varying my technique, themes I choose and software I use. I try to experiment and go outside my comfort zone often.

8. What do you think of the art of the person who gave you this ask meme? 

I adore Lillymon’s technical skill, refined style and limited colours! She is a huge inspiration for me!

9. What art tools/media are you good with? 

DrawPile, Photoshop, graphite pencils and liners. That’s about it :)

10. Art tools/media you are bad at? 

Traditional paints. I have no formal artistic education and my lack of knowledge comes to the forefront whenever I have to paint on a real canvas. It’s so much trial and error, you can’t even imagine....

11. What do you think about your own art? 

Lately it’s one of the last few things that were bringing me joy. I hope I won’t lose the passion for it. Because at this point I’m not sure I’ll be able to find some occupation I will be genuinely interested in and good at it. I don’t know if me gravitating towards moody fantasy art speaks about my fear of facing reality. If so, idk what to do with that. I do hope to develop my skills and being able to support myself financially as an artist.

12. Do you consult references for your drawings? 

Yes. A lot of them. Anatomical atlases, schemes for both academic and manga art, photographs found online and taken on my own, copying colour palettes from classical art - anything goes. I think it’s essential to develop your technical skill.

13. What do you like about your art? 

Lately - consistency, both in terms of produced results and in sticking to the timelines I set to myself. I hope this lasts. I would also like to branch out to other themes and not confine myself to quirky fantasy characters, so I’m working on developing my own story behind the scenes (spoilers) :P

14. What habits do you have while drawing?

Only the bad ones, lol. Hunching forward in front of the screen, forgetting to eat, drink and letting my eyes rest. Tilting my head to the side instead of rotating the canvas....I’m an idiot XD

15. Are you good at drawing faces facing right? 

I think that’s the thing I’m good at!

16. How frequently do you draw? 

For the last 1,5 years - almost every day without fail, for good or ill.

17. What do you do when you have artist's block? 

Change occupation and work myself into a depressed state. I changed work places in the last few years a lot, working as an interior designer, draftsman, textile designer, a cook, a bartender to name a few.

18. What must you have when you draw? 

No commotion around me and a cup of some hot beverage.

19. Do you have a lot of stray lines (messy lineart)? 

In the starting stage of my work process - yes, like you wouldn’t believe! If it’s a personal doodle, I sometimes just leave in as am under layer and draw clean lines on top of that mess. It looks cool in a way.

20. What is drawing to you?

An essential part of what helped me to retain my sanity in the last year and a half. Hopefully a lasting profession that will help me pay bills and survive on my own, if my life falls apart entirely later.

21. Your art goal from now on? 

Broaden the themes I depict, improve my technical skill, work on personal creative project and not only fan arts. And most of all - not giving up on it this time.

22. Artists you've had influence from? 

To name a few: @kallielef​ @kourvo​ @shayafury​ @fairsparrow​ who I met here on Tumblr, and many others who I follow and zealously study their works for clues on how to improve my own work.

23. Artists you like? 

I am following them all either here or on Instagram, I also do my best to share their works on my side blog!

24. Which is easier to draw, humans or animals? 

It was animals earlier. But now that I started to diligently study human anatomy, I would say it evened out! I’m quite confident drawing humans/humanoids now!

25. Show us an old drawing 

My first digital drawing from 2010 when I first bought my tablet!

26. What is the charm-point of your art?

I ummm....I don’t really get the question? Is that like the the strongest suit of me as an artist? Intense expressions maybe? Idk. Let me know in the comments :D

27. What is the first thing you would draw if we're talking about fantasy? 

Broody warriors, he-he

28. Please draw your most beloved character:

Here’s a sneak-peek of me drawing him right now! :D

29. When thinking of characters is it mostly female? male? or androgynous/no sex? 

I usually gravitate towards depicting strong-willed, caring, passionate, brave, honest men and women.

30. What did you draw yesterday? 

Started cleaning up that sketch from the last question, actually!

31. What is the funnest part to draw? 

A circle. Mostly because you’d die laughing seeing my struggle to draw a believable one XD

32. What part of other people's drawings do you notice first? 

colours, mood, eyes, hands.

33. Regarding backgrounds, what is your method of making it easier to draw? 

pick your favourite textured brush, find a good reference for mood and colour scheme, zoom out, squint your eyes and start slapping colours like mad. You’d be amazed at how much you’ll be able to achieve in 30 minutes with this approach. Bare white background is the enemy - destroy it! >:)

34. What colour coordinations do you like? 

Gray or brown as a main colour and then deep, earthy, saturated colours to complement the main one. Pink and orange is the combination I strangely enjoy using lately too.

35. What character did you last draw? Fenris and Eris :)

36. Does your style change easily? 

I don’t think so. More like it’s evolving slowly into something more serious and deliberate.

37. What part of drawing do you pay most attention to? 

Facial expression, body movement, mood and light effects. Not so much the composition and framing, he he.

38. How do you feel about drawing adult art? 

Tbh, I don’t consider straight up porn to be ‘adult’ exactly. To me adult art means aiming towards serious topics, exploring complex emotions and ideas, being honest with your viewer. I did doodle a few more steamy sketches of my OTP just to see if I could, but it was definitely a tongue-in-cheek kind of a artwork that I don’t take seriously.

39. Do you like criticism from others? 

If it’s friendly and in done in private - I welcome it always.

40. How many people do you normally draw per artwork? 

1 or 2. Rarely more. Crowded battle scenes are definitely not my thing :D

This was fun! Tagging forward to @shayafury​ @schoute​ @stella-minerva​ @nug-juggler​ @kallielef​ and anyone else wishing to go through such a long questionnaire!

[saradianne14]

To My Precious Triangle:

I saw a member in the a3 discord server I’m in post this about Juza, so I decided it would be fun to answer these as well! Also thought it would show you all why I love Misumi so much haha.    

1) First things first: who is your comfort character, and where are they from?:

Misumi Ikaruga from a3!

2) How did you meet your comfort character?:

He was introduced in chapter 2 of the first act in A3! He was hiding in one of the rooms in Mankai and the manager thought he was a ghost that haunted that room. It was a funny introduction lol. 

3) What drew you to your comfort character, and why do you love them?:

I was first drawn in by his carefree and upbeat personality! We didn’t get much of his backstory in the second chapter, but I already really liked his character. I guess you can say that I was drawn by his love of triangles as well because I’ve never met a character like him. I didn’t understand his love for triangles in the beginning, but I thought it was pretty cool and cute to be honest. I didn’t judge! Aside from his love for triangles, he has such a pure heart. He is super sweet and you can see how much he cares for his friends! For him, triangles are something that are so precious to him and he doesn’t hesitate to give them away to his friends if he thinks it will make them feel better/happy. Despite his backstory of always being an outcast to his family and losing his grandpa, he continues to smile and always tries to bring a smile to those around him. Although his love of triangles may seem weird to other people, he stays true to himself, it seems like he doesn’t care or feel ashamed about his quirks, I really admire that. 

I can go on and on, but I should probably stop right now lol.   

4) Do you selfship with your comfort character/do any other kind of selfinsert with them?:

Yes I do lol. Like I know A3! is not in any way an otome game, but it my head I ship us together. As much as I like the Misukazu ship, I’m sorry Kazunari but I’m going to have to fight you for him lol. 

5) Share some headcanons you have for your comfort character!:

- His photo gallery on his phone is filled with pictures of things and places that are triangle shaped. I also think he has photoshoots with Sankaku-kun, either with himself included or of just Sankaku-kun himself haha.  

- I have a feeling that Misumi doesn’t really use social media much, like using instablam etc. It doesn’t seem like he would be the type to be glued to his phone, like me and everyone else. 

- I also feel like he’d be the type of person to surprise you every now and then with things he knows you like. Like say, buying you your favorite drink, chips or candy etc. 

6) Has your comfort character helped you to learn anything, or realise something about yourself?:

Hmm I believe Misumi has just reminded me to accept and love myself, and be happy with being who I am. Yes I watch anime, yes I play otome games, yes I simp for anime boys, and yes I self ship myself with Misumi (I know they aren’t real), so what? People that I know and my family know that, and yeah they call me weird, but I don’t let that get to me anymore. If the things I like and my hobbies make me happy, I shouldn’t stop just because someone tells me it’s “weird” or that “I’m too old”.    

7) What do you and your comfort character have in common?:

Now that I think about it, I don’t know if we even have many things in common lol. He is extroverted and more carefree than I am. I’m an such an introvert. I guess I can say that we both are the friendly type. We both are independent. We both care very much for the people that are important to us and will try to help in any way. Just like how he always tries to cheer people up when they seem down, that is something that I do as well. Oh wait, does this count: we both wear triangle shaped earrings lol?

8) In what ways are you and your comfort character different?:

Misumi is very outgoing. Compared to me I am such a shy person. He seems like the person to start conversations with strangers, I’m way too shy for that. I’m socially awkward too. All I can do is like people’s post/follow people and hopefully they get the hint that I want to be moots LOL. I’m not as athletic as he is. He can do parkour, climb walls/roofs, and do flips, as for me I lack physical strength so I don’t know how to do those things. Compared to him, I am super out of shape (which I am because I haven’t exercised in like years, oops). I’m short compared to him. Oh yeah, I can’t talk to animals like he does lol.     

9) What's your favourite thing(s) about your comfort character?:

My favorite things? EVERYTHING! I love everything about him. He is such a cheerful person that he can always puts a smile on my face, whether its just by reading the dialogue or hearing the voice actor talk. (By the way, I love his voce actor, love the way he brings Misumi to life! Oh and don’t get me started on his voice range, it’s crazy!) But yeah, Misumi is just super sweet and bubbly. He’s really one of a kind. 

10) What do you associate with your comfort character? songs, colors, foods, places - anything!:

- Hmm well I mean anything that is shaped as a triangle. Thanks to him, now I’m starting to notice triangular objects around me and pointing them out lol. 

- The color Yellow and Orange because he has such a bright personality and is like a ray of sunshine when he’s on screen. Plus that’s also the color of his eyes. 

- The song “Triangle” by Otonomiya Saku from the anime Actors Song Connection. I remember I heard the song and was like hmm I think Misumi would definitely like this song because the title of it is “triangle” haha. 

11) Share your favourite picture(s) of your comfort character!:

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:2019-04-06_Guy_Blog.png#/media/File:2019-04-06_Guy_Blog.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:2020-10-07_Hisoka_Blog.png#/media/File:2020-10-07_Hisoka_Blog.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(Twilight_is_the_Color_of_Time)_Misumi_Comedy_SSR%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(Twilight_is_the_Color_of_Time)_Misumi_Comedy_SSR%2B_Transparent.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(Mid-Autumn_Black_Rabbit)_Misumi_Action_SSR%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(Mid-Autumn_Black_Rabbit)_Misumi_Action_SSR%2B_Transparent.png (This one is my phone background lol)

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(Guiding_Angel)_Misumi_Comedy_R%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(Guiding_Angel)_Misumi_Comedy_R%2B_Transparent.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(The_March_Of_Deads)_Misumi_Serious_SSR%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(The_March_Of_Deads)_Misumi_Serious_SSR%2B_Transparent.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(Sibyl%27s_Blind_Spots)_Misumi_Action_SSR%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(Sibyl%27s_Blind_Spots)_Misumi_Action_SSR%2B_Transparent.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(Prodigy_Top_Dancer)_Misumi_Comedy_SSR%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(Prodigy_Top_Dancer)_Misumi_Comedy_SSR%2B_Transparent.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(MANKAI_Glitter)_Misumi_Action_SSR%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(MANKAI_Glitter)_Misumi_Action_SSR%2B_Transparent.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(Boys_of_Summer)_Misumi_Serious_SSR%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(Boys_of_Summer)_Misumi_Serious_SSR%2B_Transparent.png

https://yaycupcake.com/a3/index.php?title=File:(Exhilarating_Back_Shot)_Misumi_Serious_SR%2B_Transparent.png#/media/File:(Exhilarating_Back_Shot)_Misumi_Serious_SR%2B_Transparent.png

OKAY I’LL STOP NOW

12) Share your favourite quote(s) from your comfort character!:

“I did it Gramps. I was able to find my three treasures. They’re triangles, acting, and my friends. Together, they’re what make my perfect, perfect triangle” 

“I’m giving you my triangle, so don’t cry”

“I'll give you a triangle, will you let me hug you tight?“

“And now it’s time for the triangle song! ~Tri-an-gle!~Tri-an-gle~!

(There’s more, I just don’t know if I remember them word for word, so I don’t want to write them wrong)

13) Describe your comfort character in three words:

My Precious Triangle

14) What do you think your comfort character would smell like?

Uhhhh I have no idea. I never thought of it. But I’m sure it is like a subtle warm summery type of smell? I don’t know haha.     

15) What's the most precious memory you have involving your comfort character?:

My most precious memory? Hmm I guess I would have to go with seeing Misumi animated for the first time in the A3! anime. I loved seeing him in the game and hearing his voice of course, but it was just so awesome to finally see him actually talking AND moving lol. Like I was finally able to see his parkour skills and his quirkiness with my own eyes instead of just picturing it in my head. 

16) Imagine it's your comfort character's birthday. what would you give them as a gift?:

What wouldn’t I give him?? Haha. I feel like I’d go all out for his birthday. Cause that’s just how I am. I believe Misumi would love anything you’d give him to be honest, even if it’s something small. I would buy him a bunch of triangle objects. So I’d have options of buying him like shirts or hoodies that have triangles on them, accessories he could wear like a necklace or bracelet, plushies/pillows, and/or just triangle objects that he would be able to put in his room. I feel like I would take him out to have a picnic at the park and I would also cook his favorite food, which is of course onigiri! And bring other triangle shaped foods. After that I’d go with him to go hunting for triangles, even though I’d do that even if it wasn’t his birthday, but I think he would like it. I definitely would throw him a party and have all of his friends and brother there cause I’m sure he’d be happy to spend his day with his loved ones!           

17) Imagine you and your comfort character going to the beach together. what would you do?:

I can definitely see us building sandcastles, swimming, looking for seashells (and triangles), playing beach soccer or volleyball (okay, maybe soccer because I know how to play, I’m not so good at volleyball), eat onigiris of course lmao, take a walk along the beach at night and/or have a bonfire, oh and light fireworks at the end cause I know he likes that!  

18) Imagine living together with your comfort character. where would you live? what would your daily lives be like?:

I feel like any place would be good for Misumi, as long as the roof is a triangle shape lol. In one of his backstage stories he talked about how one day he wants to build a house with a nice big beautiful triangle roof, triangles painted on the wall, triangle windows, triangle doors, and just fill up the whole house with triangles. So yeah I feel like our place, either a house or an apartment, would be decorated with a lot of triangles. And you know, I’d be totally okay with that... as long as everything is organized that is lol. I also think we’d own a cat. As for what would our daily lives be like? He’s always energetic, cheerful and radiates positivity to those around him. So I feel like there would never be a dull moment living with him.      

19) If you're having a bad day, what would your comfort character say, or how would they help?:

He would give me one of his triangles and give me a big hug, maybe some head pats. I know he would try his best to make me feel better no matter what.   

20) Your comfort character is trying to prepare your favorite meal for you. do they succeed? does it taste good?:

Hmm I feel like he would succeed. It says in the story that he knows how to make onigiri, so he may know how to cook right??. I know for a fact that he would try his best to learn how to make my favorite food. He may either find a recipe and cook it himself, or he’d ask Omi for some help!  

21) Imagine you and your comfort character dancing together. what do you dance to? how good are you at it?:

Misumi is athletic. This boy is good at a lot of things. And he apparently knows how to dance too! (Have you seen his dancing in the play +3 Ghosts). I feel like there would be lots of turns/twirling your partner!. I don’t know if I see Misumi dancing to slow music, so I think we’d dance to more upbeat music. I feel like our dancing would be all over the place and just doing whatever to be honest haha, but we wouldn’t care because we’d be having fun. Like in my head, if I were to invite Misumi to a quincañera, I think he’d have a great time dancing. Ohh imagine him dancing to “Payaso de Rodeo” by Caballo Dorado, I think he would have so much fun with that lmao.  

22) Imagine an au featuring you and your comfort character. who are you? what happens?:

My AU is just for Misumi to actually be a real person and to be my friend lol.  

23) Imagine cuddling with your comfort character. what does it feel like?:

I feel like cuddling with him would feel so comfortable. I think he’d feel fluffy and soft. I also have a feeling that Sankaku-kun would be there cuddling with us too lmao.    

24) Finally, what's one thing you want to say to your comfort character?:

I love you! Never forget that I’m proud of you and that I’ll always be here cheering for you when you’re up on that stage. Keep being you and never change my precious triangle! (:

[naruwitch]

Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 34: The Royal Declaration

"Incoming!" Kallen's voice warned just as the Black and Green Lions exited Earth's atmosphere. Blurs colored in yellow, red, purple, orange, and blue met them halfway.

"Hey, hey! You're alive after all!" Rivalz greeted from Polaris.

"Yeah, we are," Lelouch nodded, "Are the rest of you all right?"

"Yeah… I can't believe three more Knights of the Round showed up!" Shirley exclaimed.

"I know," Lelouch acknowledged, "Head back to the castle and meet in Zen's hanger. We have some things to discuss."

"Roger!" Suzaku said before the other Lions whipped back towards the castle.

"Wait! Was that-"

"You'll see in a minute, Euphie," Lelouch smiled and winked.

Smoothly but quickly, Lelouch glided Zen back into her bay with Zerith right behind them.

"Stay here until I call for you, okay?" Lelouch told Euphie. He knew the other Paladins would have questions once they saw her, but he had to make a few things clear first.

Euphemia nodded, anxiously glancing out Zen's eyes as her brother disappeared outside.

Stepping out into the bay, another surprise met Lelouch as he saw Rai lead none other than Nonette Enneagram out of Zerith. His stunned look was shared by several of the other Paladins and crew too. Zerith must have scooped her up with Rai by accident.

The Knight of the Round had her hands raised and was glancing around at the other people present. Lelouch was sure she was shocked to see that the enemy she was fighting was a ragtag group of Japanese and Britannian rebels, plus aliens.

Kallen looked like she was about to say something when Rai stopped her.

"It's fine. She…" he stopped trying to find the right words, "She's coming quietly."

This statement caused several reactions from surprise to skepticism, especially from Kallen and Allura.

"Um… okay then," Suzaku eventually said.

This snapped Lelouch back to attention, and he gestured for Sugiyama and Sayoko. Coran fumbled for a pair of Altean cuffs before tossing them to the ninja maid, who caught them quickly. No one else spoke as the two handcuffed the knight.

"Looks like you'll be seeing Cornelia a little earlier than you thought," Lelouch quipped, though there was little malice in his tone.

"I'll tell her you said hi!" Nonette shot back. The knight nearly stopped in her tracks when she spotted Nunnally, though, standing with the help of some advanced crutches. She huffed out a laugh as she was led out of the room. If her hunch about Zero's identity was right, his request to tweak her terms made sense.

Well played. Well played indeed.

"Um… Lelouch, do you still have...?" Rai asked, glancing anxiously at the Black Paladin.

"Yes, she's inside," he answered, taking his helmet off.

"Who?" Shirley asked.

"Before you see, I need to make something clear," Lelouch said authoritatively, "I expect our other… stowaway to be treated as a guest. If I hear that anyone has done less than that, they'll answer to me. Am I clear?"

There was silence for a good three ticks before everyone murmured their consent and understanding.

"Good," Lelouch's tone turned pleasant again. He then turned to Suzaku, "Would you mind going to grab them, Suzaku?"

"Huh? Why me?" he asked, blinking dubiously.

"Trust me; you'll understand when you see who it is," Lelouch said, barely hiding a grin.

Suzaku's expression didn't change, but he calmly strode towards Zen's open mouth, his footsteps echoing in the chamber. It was silent for a beat, only to be followed by a delighted squeal and squawk of surprise and laughter. Several seconds of babble followed before everyone finally spotted Suzaku's faint shadow reappear in Zen's jaws, along with someone else's.

Once the unknown passenger appeared, another round of gasps filled the room, and Princess Euphemia raised her free hand, the other Suzaku was firmly grasping, giving a small wave in greeting.

"EUPHIE!" Nunnally shrieked, her crutches clattering to the floor as she bolted towards her sister. In response, Euphemia gasped and rushed to meet her, catching Nunnally before she could trip on her still slightly unsteady legs. Her arms wrapped around her sister whipcord tight, tears forming as they both embraced.

"Aw!" Shirley cooed, feeling her own eyes getting wet as she watched the princess' reunion. Rivalz struggled to hide a sniffle next to her and failing miserably.

"Nunnally, it's-" Euphemia gasped, stepping back slightly to fully take her sister in, "-and you're walking...running! And you can see…!"

"I know!" Nunnally exclaimed, hugging Euphemia again.

Euphemia gladly returned the embrace as she looked in her brother's direction, "Why didn't you…?"

Lelouch just shrugged, his lips curved upwards, "It was a surprise."

While mostly everyone else enjoyed watching the reunion, Milly's eyes lingered on Lelouch. That smile… It was one that she hadn't seen on the Black Paladin's face for years. Sure, Lelouch smiled, especially around Nunnally, but she could tell it was almost always just a front. A model smile to hide the intense pain and anguish that he felt nearly every day since Lady Marianne's death.

Now though, she observed with a little beam of her own, that smile wasn't fake at all.

"Lelouch, why is she here?" Allura asked, eyeing Euphemia suspiciously. From her appearance, the Altean guessed that this was Cornelia's sister, and while Lelouch had only said good things about Euphemia, the princess couldn't help but be cautious.

Lelouch's smile soon turned into a grimace, "I didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked, glancing at the team leader. Sure, he was glad to see Euphemia again, but he wouldn't deny that this seemed relatively sudden too, as he waited patiently for his friend to answer.

The answer was not one he was expecting, nor wanted.

"Haggar's on Earth."

"WHAT?!" Kallen exclaimed, voicing everyone's thoughts as they all stared at Lelouch in horror, faces begging him to deny or start laughing because it was his twisted version of a joke.

Noticing the sudden change in the room, Nunnally and Euphemia glanced up and looked around in concern. Euphemia was especially worried when she saw the terror-struck expression Suzaku wore.

"You're absolutely certain, Number One?" Coran asked urgently.

"Yeah, L-Lelouch, are you sure?" Shirley stuttered, looking nearly panicked. Shirley still remained the only paladin besides Lelouch to actually see the frightening witch. The image of her bearing down on Lelouch still haunted her.

"Yes," the Black Paladin confirmed, "Both Rai and I saw her."

Rai bobbed his head, skin an unusual puce color.

"Hold on," Suzaku said, shaking out of his stupor, "If you saw Haggar, and she's Zarkon's right hand, how come a whole Galra fleet isn't raining down on Earth right now?"

"Yeah… yeah, I mean, wouldn't we know if the Galra were on Earth already?" Kallen asked, "And if not, why did she come by herself?"

"I don't know," Lelouch shook his head, but his frown remained, "But when we saw her, she was disguised as a Britannian soldier. At least until I attacked her. If she's really the only one from Zarkon's forces on Earth, there must be a reason for that."

"Come to think of it, Lelouch," Rivalz said, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, "Didn't Ulaz say that we were being tracked? That's why it was such a huge risk coming to Earth in the first place."

"Yeah, if that's true, about the tracking part, wouldn't Zarkon have found by now?" Shirley asked.

"...Maybe that's why Haggar here," C.C. mumbled. All heads immediately snapped in her direction.

"What do you mean, C.C.?" Allura asked sternly.

"I'm not a hundred percent certain myself, and there's no way to test my hypothesis, but there could be something here on Earth that's blocking whatever Zarkon's using to track us. Perhaps that witch came here to investigate it before bringing any other forces."

"And that would be?" Suzaku asked, pressing further.

"As I said, it's only a theory, and since we have no way to prove it, we shouldn't dwell on it," the immortal said in finality, "All we do know is that that witch is on Earth, and if she is, then Zarkon is likely not far behind, especially now that she's aware that we're aware of her. Preparing for their arrival should be our top priority right now."

Lelouch's gaze lingered on C.C. for a few more ticks. He also had a theory he knew what Haggar was investigating, but the immortal was right. Haggar had lost the element of surprise, and that could cause her to call for reinforcements (and Lelouch had a feeling that Zarkon himself would be among them) sooner than she originally planned.

"Coran," he addressed authoritatively, "What's the research team's status on our space Knightmares?"

Straightening, Coran responded, "Structural, weapon, and mobility-wise, they're good to go. But we're still running into one small snag that's keeping us from announcing their completion."

"And that would be?" Lelouch pressed.

"Fuel supplies," Coran answered.

"Fuel supplies? What do you mean? I thought Kyoto was smuggling us more than enough Sakuradite?" Kallen asked.

"And we do have vast stores of them," Coran assured, "The problem is, a single energy filler of this material simply burns through the Knightmares too quickly. Not to say we can't use the Knightmares in battle, but using them for long, drawn-out ones would be rather foolish unless we had a way to either replenish the fuel quickly or make it last longer."

Suzaku's face looked thoughtful, "That… makes some sense. I remember hearing Lloyd talking about a similar problem with the airborne Knightmares on Earth. During the Kyushu mission, he warned me that my fuel would burn out quickly during flight, so I wouldn't have much power to fight with melee weapons. It's why I was only the starting attack. They knew I would run out before I could retake the base."

Coran nodded in understanding, "Yes. I believe the reason for that is due to gravity. Because both ours and Britannia's Knightmares are airborne, they're expelling extra energy just to stay in the air and maneuver. Space further increases the amount of fuel they need to use since there's no gravity in open space. The Knightmares have to produce their own inertia just to maneuver properly. Nothing's stopping the machines from going in one direction forever unless an opposite pressure is applied."

"Right, right, Newton's First Law and all that jazz," Rai muttered, his scientific brain spitting out the info as he listened to Coran's report.

Lelouch grasped his chin, eyebrows furrowing, "So we either need to find a way to make the Knightmares more efficient with their fuel usage, somehow figure how to make the Knightmares store more or extra fuel on them, or we can only use them for guerrilla warfare tactics or quick hit-and-run attacks."

"Or we find another fuel source either on Earth or elsewhere that can work better than the Sakuradite," Milly added.

"Milly, as tempting as that option sounds, we don't have time for that," Lelouch said, "Developing another power source that's better than Sakuradite can take months or years on Earth, and we simply don't have enough technologically advanced races as allies yet. We'll just have to deal with what we have and pray that Rakshata's team eventually comes up with a solution."

At the mention of allies, something tickled in the back of Rivalz's mind, his memory strangely flashing back to when Sendak ambushed the castle back on Arus. Sure, he had been unconscious for most of it, but he could still pick up flashes of colors and whispers of voices.

 "Without a crystal, the castle has no power…"

  "...get a new crystal to get the castle working again…"

"...Why don't we just use the same thing that's powering the castle?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Any further conversation abruptly halted as all eyes shifted to the Blue Paladin.

Squirming a little under everyone's gazes he continued, not sounding so sure anymore. "Well, I mean, the Balmera crystals, we're already using one huge one to power this entire Castleship, plus the old one before it blew up was being used for 10,000 years just to keep these two," he gestured to Allura and Coran, "alive. So if a giant one can power a spaceship like this, even dormant, for that long, there shouldn't be any problem using it for smaller stuff. Right? Right?"

There was silence for about a dobash as everyone thought over Rivalz's reasoning, Coran stroking his bushy mustache thoughtfully.

"...I think you might just be onto something there, Number Seven!" Coran exclaimed.

"It's at least worth a shot," Rai said, nodding in agreement.

"Rivalz! You little genius, you!" Milly grinned, giving him a good-natured noogie in the process.

"How long will it take to get those crystals?" Lelouch asked seriously, but no one missed the layer of eagerness in his tone.

"Not long," Coran answered confidently.

"All right, then take Rakshata and her team and head to the Balmera we liberated. Get those crystals."

"Righty-o!" Coran jovially exclaimed.

"Can I go too, Lelouch?" Shirley asked, "I can take them in Zinnia, plus if there's an emergency, we can get back to the castle faster and have a way to defend ourselves if something attacks us out there."

"You just want to see you BAFF Shay again!" Milly teased.

"BAFF?" Kallen asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"'Best Alien Friend Forever' duh!" Milly translated.

"Well, that too," Shirley admitted, rubbing her elbow with a blush.

"I'll allow it," Lelouch says. It made sense on a tactical level as well. Zinnia being the most heavily armored meant that if they were attacked, they had the best chance of defending their prize until they returned to the Castleship. Plus, considering the Orange Lion's close relationship with land and earth made it the most suitable for a place like a Balmera.

Then the Black Paladin's eyes wandered to his sisters, who had been standing near the center of the room listening to the conversation, eyes flickering back and forth between speakers like a tennis match.

"...Take Nunnally with you too."

"Wha?!" Rivalz squawked, looking at Lelouch like he had just opened a third eye on his forehead. Most of the other Paladins shared similar expressions.

"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Lelouch Lamperouge?" Milly accused, pointing at their leader.

"You mean it, big brother?" Nunnally asked, sounding a little shocked herself.

"This'll let you get out of the castle for a while," Lelouch smiled, "Plus, I think you'll enjoy the scenery… as long as Sayoko goes with you as well."

"False alarm, he's back," Kallen quipped, causing the occupants to both sigh and groan at the familiar condition.

"Well, if that's settled, I'm going to head for the lab and let Rakshata know our plan," Coran said, "Shirley, why don't you and Nunnally look for Sayoko so that you three can prep for the trip?"

"Sure thing," Shirley nodded before picking up Nunnally's crutches and passing them over to the young princess, "Come on, Nunna!"

"Okay!" she nodded before following after the Orange Paladin. She waved over her shoulder towards Euphie one more time, "I'm glad you're here, Euphie! I'll see you later!"

"Have fun, Nunnally!" Euphemia waved back with a bright smile.

"Okay, so that's done," Kallen said, "What now? I mean, we can't do much until they get back with the crystals."

"There are still some things we need to discuss," C.C. said, "And now that the immediate problem's out of the way, this may be our best chance to do so."

"Is this about that theory you mentioned about Haggar?" Allura asked.

"Partially," C.C. replied, "but now that certain factors have come into play, I feel there are a few more things you must be aware of."

Back on Earth in the Viceroy's Palace, Schneizel was having a discussion with the present Knights of the Round along with Darlton and Guilford. With the loss of Nonette and the destruction of the Thought Elevator device, as well as the appearance of that strange individual, there was much to talk about.

"Thank you again for your assistance on Shikine Island, Lord Bismark. Yours as well, Anya and Gino. I'm impressed how quickly you were able to get over here on such short notice."

"You flatter us, but just be grateful that the Emperor answered your summons. It's thanks to his orders that made our arrival so prompt," Bismarck said dismissively.

"Speaking of orders, you still never answered my question. We were told to help capture that lion, but nowhere in our orders did it say that we'd be throwing Nonette to the wolves in the process!" Gino exclaimed in frustration.

"Weinburg, silence yourself!" Bismarck barked.

Gino scowled but shut his mouth, knowing that anything he said would be meaningless.

"Nothing can be done about it now," Anya said in her usual monotonous voice, "However, the fact that Voltron now has three members of royalty in custody is concerning."

"Yes," Schneizel bowed his head, "It's unfortunate that Euphemia got caught in the middle of all of this, but understand, I had no way of predicting that she would attempt something so rash."

"So then, now what?" Darlton asked, "If this was a plan to get Princess Cornelia and Nunnally back, it's failed! Surely you've thought of another way to retrieve them!"

"Unfortunately, until further data is gathered on this enemy, I'm afraid it may be too risky to attempt another operation like this."

Guilford gasped, "What are you saying?! You're not just giving up on them, are you?"

"How dare you-"

Schneizel held his hand up before Bismark could chastise the knight, "I understand your feelings, Guilford, but even with the information we have, Voltron remains a major wildcard. It would be best to withdraw and observe for now instead of wasting resources on attacks that will likely fail."

"But the Knights of the Round are with us now!" Darlton protested, "Back on the island, they fought those lions to a near standstill!"

"Yes, but only to a standstill. Am I correct?" Schneizel glanced at the knights.

"Indeed," Anya frowned, "From the data that we gathered, despite the lions' size and armor, most of the attacks weren't nearly as refined."

"You telling me the pilots of those lions are rookies?" Gino asked.

"No, but it seems most haven't been in as many battles and lack experience," Anya amended, "if that black lion had managed to enter the fray, however, they likely would have been the victors of that fight, not us."

"Then… how exactly are you planning to retrieve data to analyze then?" Darlton asked after absorbing this information.

"We already have a small piece of alien equipment in custody. Bartley's group has been observing and studying its properties since we managed to retrieve it. It's thanks to that research that we were able to find a way to disable the Black Lion."

"Yeah, by once again putting Nonette in direct danger!" Gino said again.

"Weinburg! One more word from and I will be forced to-"

"No, Bismark," Schneizel said, "Lord Weinburg has every right to be upset. Believe when I say that sacrificing comrades is not something I wish to resort to often, but I wouldn't have put her in that situation if there had not been a chance for us to save her. It was a gamble, one that cost us, but it had to be done."

Gino still frowned but accepted the explanation with a frown.

"In any case, while Voltron still remains a threat to our people, we still have other affairs that must be dealt with on our planet as well. We're still working through negotiations with the Chinese Federation. We'll have to play our cards carefully, or we may risk further conflict both on and off our world."

A light flickered in the atmosphere above the Balmera as the wormhole closed behind the Orange Lion. Even from high above the creature's surface, the sparkle of its crystals twinkled almost majestically.

"There it is, Nunna!" Shirley exclaimed, pointing out the window with a grin.

Nunnally gasped in wonder as she looked at the beautiful pla-no, not planet she reminded herself. This was a giant animal! And it was still alive too!

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Indeed!" Coran smiled, "In my opinion, the sparkling surface of a Balmera is one of the greatest sights one can see."

"And you mentioned that this one used to be under Galra control?" Rakshata asked.

"Yes," Coran grimaced for a moment, "Oh, when Shirley and I first saw it in the state the Galra had left it in, I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to save it. However, as you can see that while it still has a ways to go in recovery, the fact that we can see the crystals so far out is a good sign that it's at least healthy."

"I'm glad it's feeling better now," Nunnally said sincerely.

"Yeah, so am I," Shirley said with a smile, one that matched Sayoko's.

"So, may I ask how exactly these crystals work?" Rakshata inquired as they slowly descended into the atmosphere.

"Well, you see, the crystals themselves aren't ordinary minerals. They're petrified pieces of the Balmera's quintessence. Quintessence itself is considered the purest form of energy in the universe, holding the highest known energy per unit volume. Not only that, but it's also a self-generating one, which would answer your question earlier about how the castle lived off of a single crystal for 10,000 years."

"So, unlike other energy sources, this quintessence can recharge and reproduce naturally, all on its own?" Sayoko asked.

"Exactly, but the keyword being 'natually' there," Coran explained, "When we first came across this Balmera, the Galra had practically stripped the beast dry of all of its crystals, not giving it enough time to recover and rejuvenate its energy. Without either sufficient time to build up its stores again or a rejuvenation ceremony, the Galra were slowly killing it."

"Speaking of which, considering Allura's the only one that can perform that ceremony, is it even safe for us to be doing this?" Shirley asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"No, this one shouldn't cause much damage. The size of the crystals for the Knightmares are nothing compared to a battle-class crystal like the one for the castle. Of course, I'm not just going to wrench it out of the beast, either. You should understand what I'm talking about, right Shirley?"

Shirley thought for a moment, then remembered, "Oh yeah. You didn't perform the ceremony, but you still… talked to it, right? Using your own quintessence?"

"Correct," Coran nodded, "Plus, we'll have the other Balmerans there to help as well. Since they're born and raised here, they can naturally communicate with the creature, and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to assist us."

Shirley landed the Orange Lion lightly on the Balmera's firm surface, and before exiting, she could already see several Balmerans rushing to greet them, spotting several familiar faces already.

"Shirley!" Shay exclaimed in excitement as she and her family greeted the group as they exited the lion.

"Shay, it's good to see you again!" Shirley waved back happily.

Shay returned the smile before looking at the new faces, "Who's this?"

"Allow us to introduce Rakshata, Sayoko, and Lelouch's sister, Nunnally," Coran said, gesturing to each human in question.

"Pleasure," Rakshata nodded, and Sayoko gave a short bow in greeting.

"Nice to meet you!" Nunnally said, her eyes lingering on Shay's ear hoops, "I like your earrings."

"Oh, thank you," Shay said, her hand swiping over one.

"We welcome all of you to the Balmera," Shay's grandmother stated, "what brings you here?"

As Coran and Rakshata began discussing the crystals they needed, Nunnally's eyes wandered across the Balmera's surface. The crystals looked even more pretty up close and-

Nunnally gasped softly as her eyes landed on a large crystallized structure in the distance. Unlike the other crystals, though, she could see something was inside of it.

"Um, Shirley," Nunnally asked nervousness, "What's that over there?"

Shirley blinked before following Nunnally's line of sight and gasping herself. She quickly regained her composure, though, "Oh, that's a monster, we called them Ro-Beasts, that the Galra sent to fight us when we first liberated this place. The Balmera was the one that trapped it in the crystals like that. From the looks of it, it hasn't moved since, which is a relief."

Despite the insistence that it couldn't hurt them, Nunnally couldn't shake the small pit forming in her stomach. Even stuck frozen like that, the Ro-Beast looked scary.

"Are you all right, Nunnally?" Sayoko asked, noticing the princess's expression.

"I'm fine," Nunnally reassured her, "I guess seeing that thing is making me nervous."

"Well, there's nothing that you need to worry about Nunnally," Coran said confidently, "When the Balmera trapped that ro-beast in the crystals, it was crystallized both inside and out. There's very little chance that it's still alive at all."

"You said that the Galra created that?" Rakshata asked, eyeing the beast with a calculating expression. "I certainly wouldn't mind taking a peek inside of it if they're capable of making readily made Voltron-sized roots like that. Perhaps we can create a countermeasure for them other than Voltron itself."

"Yes, that would be a wise decision, but I believe we discuss it in length later back at the castle," Coran said before leading everyone towards the tunnel ladders.

Just before Nunnally was helped down the first ladder, she took one last look at the frozen monster. The pit in her stomach didn't fade.

After a brief tour of the ship, courtesy of Suzaku, Euphemia anxiously waited for the elevator to reach the floor that was currently holder both Nonette and her sister as captives. Of course, Euphie had no way, nor intention of releasing them. And even if she wanted to, she didn't know the code to open the cell. Plus, based on the suspicious glances she had seen the female Altean (Allura her brain supplied) shooting her as Suzaku lead her around, she had a feeling the only reason they were trusting her was on her brother's word alone.

She understood. According to Suzaku, Allura and Cornelia didn't exactly have the most cordial of introductions, so it was natural for one to assume that any immediate family would act similarly. She hoped she'd be able to change Allura's mind eventually.

According to the castle's time, which was set to Earth hours for the Paladins' benefit, it was around dinner time, and someone would typically be taking food to Cornelia's cell. Since she was heading down there herself, Euphemia volunteered to take it. She smiled in pity when she saw that the food was the same strange green goo that she and Lelouch had eaten on the island. She had been able to stomach it by eating it along with the berries she found, but her sister had likely been eating it with nothing else. This was probably torture all on its own in Cornelia's eyes. After all, unless she wanted to starve to death, she'd have to eat it eventually. Even Lelouch admitted that it still wasn't his most favorite thing to eat, and he and the other castle occupants had been living off of it for the past few months!

Finally, the elevator slowed to a stop and opened with a slight hiss. Her heart picked up when she spotted her sister and Nonette in the cell at the end of the runway. Lelouch had assured her that Cornelia was fine, but she wanted to see for herself to reassure herself as well.

The sound of her steps must have alerted the two women as they looked up from their conversation.

"Euphie!" Cornelia exclaimed, both in alarm and relief leaping to her feet.

Seeing that Cornelia was all right, Euphemia picked up speed, "Cornelia! I'm so glad you're okay!"

The sheet of glass kept them apart, but their hands easier aligned from both sides. Euphie was quite shocked to see tears in Cornelia's eyes.

"Nonette told me what happened… Schneizel…" her tone soon turned dangerous, "...I will never forgive him for this! You could've been killed!"

"But I'm not, sister!" Euphie assured her, "I'm fine. Lelouch kept me safe while we were on that island."

Cornelia could only nod; her emotions still jumbled between relief and fury.

Her thoughts were interrupted at the untimely sound of her stomach growling.

Euphemia giggled as her sister blushed and scowled in disgust when she saw the goo on the plate she had.

"You… have been eating, right, Nelly?" Nonette suddenly asked carefully. Cornelia had been held captive for about three weeks, so she certainly hoped so. Then again, if these Alteans were advanced enough to cure Nunnally of her blindness and paralysis, she wouldn't be surprised if they had a unique way of keeping prisoners healthy without food as well.

"...Only when I had to," Cornelia admitted. Truthfully, the viceroy managed to refuse about twelve meal offerings of that goop (deciding to count the days that passed based on the number of meals), but by the time the fifth day started, she forced herself to eat a little of it, if only to ease her stomach from ripping itself apart. It was only through sheer willpower that she didn't barf it back up. The only bright side was that the water she was given was completely normal (demonstrated when the Black Knight who brought it to her took a sip of it), so it quelled the feeling of hunger just slightly. No water, no life after all.

Euphemia smiled sympathetically before finding the button to open the meal slot. "It's not that bad, Cornelia," she said in a tone that she hoped sounded encouraging, "and if Lelouch was able to stomach it the past few months, I'm sure you can tolerate it a little longer."

Cornelia seemed to pout as she eyed the goo like it was cow droppings before she finally picked up the spork and scooped up a small amount, her revolted grimace still plastered on her face.

Still not used to the slimy texture, Cornelia almost immediately upchucked it but stubbornly kept her mouth closed and forcing it back down. She felt Nonette patting her back behind her.

From outside, Euphemia winced in sympathy. She wished she could get her sister something else, but the plants in the greenhouse weren't ready to be harvested yet, and the indoor rice field still had about three months to go before it was ready. According to what Suzaku told her, the green onions and radishes were getting close since they grew the quickest, but there weren't many dishes that could be made with those alone. They had about a couple dozen chickens now, so the crew had started throwing eggs into their diets, and they were in the process of trying to smuggle a couple of cows and some goats up the ship. There was also talk of possible plans for some fish farms.

"All Milly's idea," Suzaku had informed her.

"I'm sorry, sister," was all Euphie could say, "Hopefully, this won't last too much longer…"

She hoped so anyway. The information that Lelouch shared with her on the island, about Voltron, the Galra, what they'd been up to the last few months.

"Sister, how much has Lelouch told you about what's going on?" she asked after Cornelia managed to choke down another couple of bites, "About the Galra, I mean?"

Pushing the goo away, looking relieved for a change in subject, Cornelia admitted, "Lelouch hasn't told me much. Nunnally was the one that filled me in on the situation."

This caught Euphemia by surprise. Did Lelouch still not fully trust Cornelia, even after learning that the two of them had nothing to do with his mother's death? It wasn't too surprising… all of that distrust and suspicion wasn't going to fade after one conversation, and he was likely remaining cautious because up until now, Cornelia had technically been his enemy. Either way, she was glad that Nunnally was at least willing to trust her, and as she listened to her sister summarize what she was told, she realized it was about the same amount of information that Lelouch had told her.

Everything except…

"Did Nunnally mention anything about a witch when she came to see you?" Euphemia asked.

Cornelia blinked dubiously, "A witch? What do you mean?"

"I suppose that's a 'no' then," Euphie sighed.

"Wait, are you talking about that cloaked woman that Ze-I mean, Lelouch attacked?" Nonette asked.

As Euphemia nodded, Cornelia raised a skeptical eyebrow. Aliens? Okay, maybe she'd believe that. A literal witch, though? She wasn't so sure about that.

"After you were led out of the room, Nonette, Lelouch talked about her, and Suzaku mentioned that she's Zarkon's right hand. I don't know much else besides that, but… even just talking about her, Lelouch and Rai, they were terrified."

"If that's true with them just talking about her, she must be a big threat considering their reactions to physically seeing her on the island," Nonette observed.

Cornelia sat in shocked silence. Even as a young boy, not many things scared Lelouch, the sole exception being their father. So the fact that both her friend and sister were insisting that her brother was terrified of this witch person was deeply troubling.

"Lelouch… just who exactly have you been fighting?" she wondered softly, aloud.

C.C. frowned in concern as her hands lifted from Lelouch and Rai's heads. Once again gathered in the lounge, the two Paladins gave a quick summary of the events that transpired on the island to Allura and the other Paladins (though Shirley was absent). The moment they mentioned that the island's structure had done something to their Geasses, C.C. insisted on checking them.

"So?" Lelouch asked expectantly.

"Both your Geass have grown significantly, but not by natural means," she explained, "V.V. likely had a hand in this."

This caught everyone's attention.

"That other Code-bearer you mentioned?" Kallen asked.

"The same," she confirmed, "He likely triggered the Thought Elevator in an attempt to make one of your Geass go out of control."

"Thought Elevator?" Lelouch asked, "Is that what that structure is called?"

"Yes. Those structures have captured your father's interest in for a while now." If C.C. didn't have Lelouch's full attention before, she did now. "I don't know much about its origin, though. No one really does."

"Wait, 'structures'? So there are more of these things?" Rai asked urgently.

C.C. nodded, "Not counting the one that was destroyed on the island, there seven others all over the world. I don't know the exact locations of them, but I do believe they are connected to Geass somehow."

"So, even you do not know how this power came to be?" Allura asked.

"Well, I wasn't always immortal," C.C. reminded them, "I used to be a normal human too until a Code-bearer granted me my own Geass. But it happened so long ago that's lost count of how many years it's been."

"Oh… sorry," Rivalz said sympathetically. It was hard to imagine the pain C.C. had to go through, watching people that she had come to care for other the years grow old and die without her.

C.C. sighed before continuing, "As I said, Charles and V.V. have been studying these structures for years. Decades even. I don't know much about what they're planning with them, but it seems their knowledge has grown since I left. V.V. likely used them to transport Lelouch, Rai, Nonette, Euphemia, and the Black and Green Lions to that island to spring his trap."

"And yet Zen destroyed it, and she did it all on her own," Lelouch noted, "It wasn't via my orders."

"So basically, V.V. brought Lelouch and Rai to that island specifically to trap them?" Suzaku asked.

"It was likely an attempt to increase their Geass power to a point where they couldn't control it anymore," C.C. added.

"Like with Mao?" Milly asked. C.C. nodded in confirmation.

"Do you believe he acted alone on this plan?" Allura questioned, "It's clear from how you've talked about them that this V.V. and the emperor are close. And if that's the case, they're likely aware that Lelouch has this Geass… but why bring Rai to the island as well? Was it coincidental because he landed in the area first, or was Lelouch his only target?"

"I think I know…" Rai said, shoulders sagging and gazing at the ground.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Rivalz asked, leaning towards him.

Rai knew that his team wouldn't leave him alone until they found out what was wrong, so he spoke, "My memories. I got them back… all of them."

Everyone at first was taken by surprise, but then Milly smiled, "Well, that's great, Rai! Congratulations!"

"Yeah! Totally!" Rivalz nodded and gave a thumbs up.

However, Rai seemed to curl in on himself slightly, "Now that I have them back though… I wish I didn't."

This extinguished any further praises as everyone stared at him, stunned.

"What do you mean?" Milly asked, "Ever since we found you, getting your memories back was your top priority! Now you don't want them? Why?"

"If you really remembered everything… that means your time as a prisoner too, huh?" Kallen asked.

"Oh…" Rivalz grimaced, realizing how messed up this was becoming.

Allura looked down before approaching the Green Paladin and placing a hand on his shoulder, "I know this may sound hypocritical of me, Rai, but if you're willing to tell us what you remembered, we can help you get through it. But you can only do it if you let us."

Rai bit his lip, not sure where to start, so he just started talking.

"Well, first of all, my name isn't Rai. It is Zephyr. Zephyr zar Britannia."

Though Lelouch had been suspicious ever since Nonette said it, he couldn't help the shock he felt at what it being confirmed. Before Lelouch could say anything, though, his half-brother continued.

"And my mom… her name was Erina Kururgui."

Suzaku choked and had to take a step back to steady himself, "...Aunt Erina?"

"Do you know her Suzaku?" Milly asked.

"Only by name, I never met her directly," Suzaku explained, "She was my father's little sister, but he never liked to talk about her, and I think now I understand why."

"Yeah… you can probably guess who my dad is," Rai said sarcastically.

"Charles zi Britannia…" Kallen scowled, though her ire wasn't aimed at the Green Paladin.

He nodded, "He and my mom never got married. They had a secret affair, but her brother, Suzaku's dad, eventually found out. When the rest of the family learned what she did, they disowned her and threw her out of the Kururugui clan."

"Makes sense," Suzaku nodded, his expression pained, "people that have been disowned from families like mine usually aren't spoken very highly of after."

"That's so cruel!" Allura exclaimed, horrified.

Kallen shrugged helplessly, "That's just how some families work, unfortunately. Reputation is everything in their eyes. Why do you think Kyoto covered up the fact that Genbu Kururugui was killed by his own son?"

Suzuku covered his face with his hands before glaring at Kallen, "You had to bring that up?"

Kallen cringed a little, blushing in embarrassment, "Sorry…"

"Considering I never knew about you, I'm guessing the emperor kept you and your family a secret from the Royal Family too?" Lelouch queried.

"Yeah," Rai confirmed, "It was just me, my mom, and Sophronia. She gave my sister and me non-Japanese names if Charles ever decided to take us to the homeland. She probably thought other members wouldn't target us as much."

Lelouch hummed thoughtfully. He wasn't sure if that would have worked, but he could understand Erina's line of reasoning.

"So, not only are you half-Japanese and half-Britannian, but you're Lelouch's half-brother and Suzaku's cousin?" Rivalz summed up. He leaned back from his position on the lounge's sofa, whistling low, "Talk about a bombshell."

"Rivalz," Milly elbowed the Blue Paladin, "be more sensitive!"

Rivalz muttered an apology, rubbing the area the elbow hit.

"So… wait, if your family was supposed to be a secret, where did you live? And how does Nonette know you?"

"Nonette was my personal knight, assigned to keep an eye on us," Rai answered, "We were moved to an island called Fiji. Well enough out of Britannian territory so no one would know about us, but not a part of any of the other major superpowers to look suspicious."

"That makes sense," Lelouch nodded, "Even now, Fiji is still seen as an independent nation and has remained fairly neutral from other countries' squabbles."

"Okay… so you lived on an island, and nobody knew about you, neither from Japan nor Britannia… So how did the Galra capture you?" Kallen asked.

"I was getting to that," Rai said, "Nonette had been called away to deal with some uprisings in the Philippines. One of Sophie's favorite things to do was climb up to the roof of our home and stargaze. She loved looking for constellations because of how clear the sky was. I would join her from time to time. Nonette would too. Whenever Sophie would show us a constellation, she'd tell us why it was called what it was. Her favorite constellation story was about Orion the Hunter."

Rai was rambling, but no one interrupted him. It was nice to hear him talk about his sister. They could all tell they had been close.

"Anyway, one night while we were stargazing, we saw what looked like a falling star, but it passed right over our house and landed further into the island. Sophie thought it was a meteorite and wanted to go see," Rai chuckled ruefully, "She's super stubborn at times. Once she decides to do something, nothing will stop her, so I went with her."

"Five guesses on what that 'shooting star' was," Kallen muttered, "and the first four don't count."

Everyone chuckled slightly at the joke but quickly sobered up when Rai continued.

"It was about a half-hour hike up the forest when we finally found what it was. Now I know it was a Galra ship."

"Knew it," Suzaku muttered, confirming everyone's suspicions.

"At that point, I wanted to get out of there, but Sophie wanted to check it out. Before we could move, though, our mom came up behind us. She must have seen us leaving and followed us… and a Galra had her at gunpoint."

Everyone gasped, horrified.

Rai bit his lip, hands clasped on his knees, shaking, "Sophie screamed when she saw him… and he laughed. Said how we were naughty kids in a place we shouldn't be. I think that's when the second one turned up. He covered our mouths… asked if we should be shot. The first one said that they didn't have… specimens from our planet yet."

"Oh, quiznack…" Milly muttered, looking horror-struck.

"Mom was begging them to let us go and just to take her, but they said the younger ones had more potential than older ones…"

"They took you," Lelouch stated.

Rai nodded, some tears escaping his eyes, "Cuffed us and shoved us into the back of the ship. Sophie wouldn't stop crying. She kept saying it was all her fault, even though mom and I insisted that it wasn't. And then…"

Rai tried to say more, but his tongue felt like lead, and his breathing became heavy.

"He's having a panic attack," C.C. said calmly but urgently.

"Rai! Calm down! You're safe!" Milly exclaimed, shifting to lay a hand lightly on his knee.

"Deep breaths, in," Suzaku inhaled loudly, "and out," he exhaled just as loudly. The entire group joined in until the Green Paladin calmed again.

"Sorry… I can't share anymore… not now," he stuttered out.

"That is fine," Allura said gently, "You can tell us more when you're ready to… I'm so sorry that this happened to you and your family."

Rai took another breath in, "Thank you. I just wish I knew if they were alive now or not. I need to know to find out. I have to find them."

"And you will!" Kallen declared, "We already said we'd help you look, and that promise still stands!"

"Totally!" Rivalz agreed.

"All the way!" Milly confidently clenched her fist.

"...Thanks," Rai gave a small smile before frowning again, "...oh, and Haggar…" he winced, as if in pain, "It's still a little fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure she gave me my Geass. We didn't form a contract, though."

"Was it through an experiment?" Lelouch guessed.

"I think so…" Rai looked nauseous for a moment, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his wrist, a puncture scar from where an IV (or the Galra equivalent of one) had pierced his skin so many times, "...they did so many things to me."

"When you're ready," Allura reminded him.

"Yeah…" he nodded.

"Speaking of Haggar," Kallen said, changing the subject once Rai had regained his composure, "What exactly are we going to do about her? She's been on earth for who-knows-how-long, and if she was disguised as a Britannian soldier, she was likely interested in that Thought Elevator thing too. And if there's more of them..."

"She clearly seems to know something about Geass. The fact that Zarkon has some twisted version of it is proof enough of that," Lelouch said.

"She must have been here long enough for Mao to have gotten that black Geass," Suzaku concluded, "she must have evolved it or twisted it somehow."

"Okay, but why that psycho?" Milly asked, "Doesn't exactly seem like a guy to follow orders."

"Great," Rivalz threw his hands in the air, "Once again, we got more questions without than answers."

C.C. had been quiet for a while, her eyes closed, as if calculating a decision she was about to make before she opened them, answer clear.

"Well, with the information we now have, especially about Rai," she said, drawing everyone's attention again, "I think there's something else I must inform you of."

"And that would be…?" Kallen asked fiercely. She was starting to get really tired of all of C.C.'s secrets.

"V.V.'s real name… is Victor zi Britannia, brother of Charles zi Britannia."

And there it was. Both Lelouch and Rai looked stupified while Milly and Rivalz shouted in shock. Suzaku's face was hard to read, and Allura looked horrified.

"Must I ask why you decided to wait until now to tell that?" Kallen exclaimed, just looking completely fed up.

"Because it didn't seem necessary," C.C. insisted, "Once I realized who Rai really was, however, I believed it would be best to inform you now."

"Okay, but how does this change anything besides knowing his full name?" Rivalz asked, "I mean… I guess this makes it more personal for Lelouch and Rai, but…"

"Officially, Victor zi Britannia is deceased. No one within the Royal Family knows of his existence. At a young age, Victor received a Geass of his own and eventually a Code as well."

"I'm guessing you knew him?" Lelouch asked.

"I worked alongside Charles and V.V. for many years, but I left when they asked me to do something I wanted no part in," C.C. said, though she didn't divulge what this request was.

"You mentioned that V.V. gave the emperor his Geass power. Is he the only one that he granted this power to?" Allura asked.

"No," C.C. answered, "V.V. is the head of an organization called 'The Geass Order'. It's an organization that not even the Empire is aware of. Almost everyone in it holds a Geass."

"Great! Now we got an army of freaky eye-power power people!" Rivalz groaned again.

"Was Mao a member of this order?" Lelouch asked.

"No, he wasn't. I made a contract with him after I left the order-and before you ask why I didn't mention this before," C.C. stressed, seeing the expression on Kallen's face, "is because when I left, the order only consisted of myself, Charles, V.V. and a handful of other people. I don't know how big it's grown since I've left. But considering how obsessedV.V. and Charles are with Geass already…"

Only then did it sink how much more dire this situation was becoming.

"Is that the last one?" Shirley asked as the final extendable bag was hoisted into Zinnia's mouth.

"I believe so," Coran chirped, "These bags have enough mini-crystals to power an entire army of Knightmares from the looks of it."

Rakshata'seyes sparkled as she had just opened a chest full of gold and treasure, "I am going to have a lot of fun trying these out on my children!"

"Awesome," Shirley said with a smile before rejoining the crowd of Balmeras outside the Lion.

"Thank you for your help again, Shay," Shirley said to her friend, "We owe you one."

"There's no need for thanks," Shay insisted, "we're just glad we were able to help."

"You were all amazing!" Nunnally praised. It was so incredible to watch the Balmerians communicate with their home, the small crystals falling like raindrops from the tunnel walls and ceiling.

"We are grateful for all your help," Sayoko said.

A shift at the corner of Nunnally's drew her attention. It was Balmeran that had stuck close to Shay for the whole time. Rex or something? It reminded her of her brother.

"Are you all right?" Nunnally asked him in concern.

The Balmeran jumped, looking a little embarrassed.

"Rax?" Shay asked, looking at her brother.

Rax frowned, before sighing, "It is just, I've never reconciled my folly to you when you first came here. My actions put my family and you in danger. And for that, I am sorry. But I understand if you can't forgive me."

Shirley was stunned for a moment. She honestly never expected an apology because she could understand why he did it. He was trying to protect the family he still had. It reminded her of how Lelouch had been before they found the Blue Lion.

"Rax, it's okay," Shirley assured him, "I never blamed you for that. It was a bad situation, and you were just trying to Shay and your family safe. I get it."

"But-"

"I get it too," Nunnally said before Rax could protest, "My brother, Lelouch, he's the same way. He's overprotective and has taken it to the extreme before, but I know he's only doing it to protect me and because he loves me. And sometimes he makes mistakes too, but our mistakes aren't what define us if we're willing to fix them."

Rax was silent, but he finally nodded, "I understand, and thank you. I will not doubt Voltron again."

With a smile, Shirley held her hand out to Rax, hoping that he understood what the gesture meant. Fortunately, she was proven correct when the young Balmeran grasped it firmly.

"Well, we got to get moving! Everyone's expecting back at the Castleship soon!" Shirley said, pulling away and going to hug Shay once more, "I'm glad I got to see you again, Shay!"

"You as well, Shirley," the Balmeran smiled.

With one final wave to the cheering Balmerans, everyone boarded onto the Orange Lion and flew off, soon disappearing into the sky.

Three varga later, Zinnia returned to her bay, carrying her Paladin, crew, and precious cargo back at the castle. Rakshata immediately ordered the scientists under her to take the crystal bags down to the lab and begin testing them on the Knightmares immediately. She informed Lelouch, who had been waiting in the Orange Lion's bay with the rest of the Paladins, that he'd be notified the moment they had a successful test. They would need to begin human test runs immediately afterward, now that the urgency of an attack had heightened significantly.

"Actually, Rakshata, if all of you could follow us to the bridge, we must discuss our next move immediately."

Rakshata whined a little, a little peeved that she'd have to wait even longer to see the results of those crystal tests, but eventually nodded, "Fine? Can we try to make it quick, though?"

Lelouch shook his head lightly, "We will dismiss you the moment we can afford to."

"Fair enough," the scientist consented as they were all led out of the room.

"What's going on, Lelouch?" Nunnally asked anxiously, Sayoko helping her catch up with her brother.

"Nothing yet, Nunnally," he told her calmly, "We just need to discuss some things with all core members. You can tell me all about your trip afterward, okay?"

"Okay," Nunnally gave a small smile, accepting the answer.

"Did something happen while we were gone?" Shirley asked, her question directed at all the Paladins, not just Lelouch.

"You can say that," Milly said, passing the Orange Paladin a tablet. All of the details of the conversation they had while she was gone jotted down.

Milly then quickly pulled it away for a second, whispering in Shirley's ear, "Please don't ask questions now. If you want to talk to Rai about it, save it for after this."

"Okay…?" Shirley asked, the confusion only adding to her growing concern as Milly gave her the tablet. What did Rai have to do with anything?

Even if the information was in summary, Shirley couldn't help but gasp and glance in the Green Paladin's direction. She couldn't believe that this was what happened; what had been buried in his memories.

"Shirley?" Nunnally asked, noticing the Orange Paladin's face.

"Um…" the Orange Paladin gulped, whether this was appropriate to share with the younger girl. Noticing the ninja maid walking right next to them, she passed the tablet to Sayoko instead.

Sayoko's face remained stoic as her eyes swept over the points. Her expression grew pained, turning the tablet off.

"Your brother will talk to you about it later, Nunnally," Sayoko said softly.

Many questions formed in Nunnally's head, but she just nodded, understanding that this wasn't the time for this.

The doors to the bridge hissed open. Inside, Allura stood on the teludav. Surrounding her, waiting for the Paladins' arrival was C.C., Kaguya, Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords, Ohgi, Tamaki, the rest of Naoto's old team, and Euphemia.

"How was the retrieval from the Balmera? Successful I hope?" Allura questioned.

"Extremely princess," Coran reported, "the scientists under Rakshata are taking the crystals down the lab for testing as we speak."

"Excellent," the princess nodded with a pleased smile before becoming solemn again, "Now… onto the more pressing issues now that everyone's assembled. Does everyone here know what happened while Lelouch and Rai were stranded on Kamine Island?"

"I thought that was what we were here to talk about?" Tamaki asked, quirking an eyebrow, hands on his hips.

"That's a 'no' then," Lelouch himself spoke, "Then for the benefit for all who aren't aware, I will summarize," Lelouch explained how he, Rai, Princess Euphemia, and Nonette Enneagram, along with the Black and Green Lion had been transported to the island when Schneizel attacked with his new airship. Both Lions had lost power, which prevented the Paladins from leaving. All four of the stranded met up the next day, and a structure called a Thought Elevator activated in an attempt to affect their Geass. He reassured everyone that at the moment, neither Paladin was feeling ill-effects of the attempt, but shortly after, the Britannian military nearly cornered them. It was only due to the timely rescue of Zen and Zerith that they managed to escape while accidentally kidnapping Nonette and Euphemia in the process.

"Which brings me to the reason for this emergency meeting," Lelouch explained, "While we were facing the Britannian military, someone else was spotted among their numbers. Princess?"

With a nod, Allura pressed some buttons on the holopad, and a familiar figure appeared on the screens of the bridge.

"This is Haggar," Allura informed calmly, but if one listened closely, they could hear the thin veil of hatred in her tone, "From what Lelouch and Rai have informed us, they spotted her in disguise among the Britannian ranks."

"Wait, is this that witch you were telling us about when we first came here?" Ohgi asked, remembering asking Coran about her during a session with the gladiator.

"The very same," Coran confirmed, picking up where Allura left off, "And as I'm sure we've mentioned before, we don't know much about her personal history, but these things we do know. She's a powerful foe, as well as the leader of the druids, and personal adviser and second in command to Zarkon himself, despite not being Galran herself."

"We also believe that she gave Zarkon a Geass of his own. We confirmed that he has one during Voltron's brief attack on the Galra's Central Command," C.C. added, "We still aren't aware of what exactly his Geass does, or if it holds any other powers."

"Wait, wait, the leader of the Galra has one of those too?!" Minami exclaimed.

"Yes, but as C.C. said, we don't know what power he has specifically. We do know that she has given Geass to other people as well. One of them being our own Green Paladin through personal experimentation she performed on his person while he was in their captivity."

Lelouch felt it was a bit cruel to reveal this, but Rai had consented to it should it be necessary. He spotted several people shoot Rai sympathetic looks, especially Shirley and Nunnally.

"Lelouch, can I assume the reason you called this meeting to inform us of this is that you believe the Galra may be arriving even sooner now?" Tohdoh questioned.

This elicited gasps from most Black Knights present before turning to their leader for an answer.

"You caught on, I see, Colonel," Lelouch said, practically confirming this theory, "but yes. It's a high possibility. We don't know how long Haggar has been on Earth or what she's been doing coming alone. But up until this point, she's kept her activity completely undetected until she blew her cover on that island. That means she can likely call for Galran forces at any time. For all we know, she's doing it now."

"By now, we've informed and educated all of you on the Galra's strategies and weaponry," Allura spoke again, "and while improvements have been made to your Knightmare devices, that doesn't change the fact that we are still heavily outnumbered and outgunned. The fight we have ahead, which will likely happen soon, will not be easy."

There was a strained silence as everyone let the information sink in.

"Are you saying that we need more help, Lelouch?" Euphemia piped up, all attention now on the princess, "Because if that is the case, I may have an idea if you're willing to listen?"

"Lelouch," Chiba spoke, "I'm not a racist, but may I ask why a member of the Britannian royalty is a part of this meeting?"

"And must I remind you, Nagisa Chiba, that both myself and Nunnally are still officially members of that same royalty that you speak of?" He glanced around at everyone else, still noticing a few distrustful expressions, and had he turned around, he would have seen a similar face on Allura as well. "Must I also remind all that one of our ultimate goals is for Britannia to join us in this fight? We can not afford to exercise prejudice or mistrust among our ranks if we have any hope of successfully cooperating with Britannia when the time comes to do so."

"We should at least hear her out," Suzaku added, "I can vouch for Euphemia myself."

A couple of people still looked uncertain, but when no one else spoke up to object, Lelouch nodded towards his half-sister.

Euphemia took a breath, gathering her thoughts before she spoke.

"Well… this is an idea I planned to present to our brother Schneizel, to try and stop the fighting and to try and bring a peaceful solution between Britannia and Voltron."

"And that would be?" Kallen asked impatiently.

"It was called the Special Administrative Zone of Japan," Euphemia explained.

"A 'Special Administrative Zone'? What's that?" Rivalz asked.

"Well, within the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan, it would permit Elevens to call themselves Japanese. Any restrictions against Elevens and special rights for Britannians wouldn't be permitted within the zone. Basically, it's a place where anyone, whether a number or Britannian, could live side-by-side as equals."

There was a stunned silence for several seconds before Rai was the first to speak, "Euphemia, I don't mean to sound offensive here, but you don't seriously think that that would work, do you? Even if Schneizel cleared it, there would be no way that the Emperor would permit something like this!"

"I agree as well," Allura said, "Considering that man banished two of his children just because one of them spoke up against him and forced another to live in exile despite it being a neutral territory, I highly doubt he would have allowed you to enact this plan. Especially since it involves needed to recognize a land that he has already conquered as a part of his empire."

"Yeah… it's not that we don't think it was a nice idea, Princess, but considering how much the empire has done to our land already, I don't think he would have let this slide," Ohgi agreed, many of the other Black Knights sharing similar opinions.

Euphemia was about to say more when Lelouch himself spoke, "Ohgi's right, Euphie. I understand your heart was in the right place when you thought of this, but I've run through this scenario in my head too, and a man like the Emperor wouldn't take something like that lying down. He would retaliate in one way or another, whether by attacking you, Cornelia, or even launching another attack on Japan again."

"I know that!" Euphemia protested, "But, I also wanted to use it to try and bring the world together, and that's something you need more than ever now, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Inoue questioned.

"Well, Lelouch told me about the Galra while we were on that island, and I think it's only fair if the rest of the world was aware of them as well! If they knew there was a larger threat, bigger than even Britannia, it could at least force the other world leaders to listen to you! Isn't that what you said you're trying to achieve? You want the other nations to stand with Voltron? Well, this could give them a reason to do so. The rest of the Royal Family won't be able to turn a blind eye. It could bring more people to your side, like Marrybell or Odysseus!"

"It could work!" Nunnally exclaimed, "Plus if we can prove that Voltron isn't hostile, that could help too! I can show them how the Alteans healed me. We just have to show them that working with Voltron was much more beneficial than working against it!"

"Display the pros and cons," Suzaku said with, "I'm sure once all the facts are laid out, they'll at least hear us out!"

"And so far, there are way more pros to working with us than cons. And vice versa for working against us," Rivalz pointed out.

"Well, not many people can say that they miraculous healed a crippled and blind little girl in such a short amount of time," Milly pointed out.

"Yeah, the medical advances would be a huge advantage on its own!" Shirley agreed.

A murmur of positive agreement seemed to shift in the group before Lelouch cleared his throat, expression still grave.

"As optimistic as that sounds, we already discussed this very situation when we were first departing Arus. Even if Earth and Voltron manage to repel the Galra, and it is possible if plan strategically and carefully, it isn't what happens during the alliance that matters the most. It what will happen after."

"Yeah," Kallen nodded, eyeing her fellow Paladins, especially, "Don't you remember what Lelouch said? Sure, say we succeed, and we repel the Galra? Whoo-hoo yea for us! But what's to stop any of the superpowers, especially Britannia, from simply back-stabbing us and going right back to square-one after it's all over?"

"Yes, I agree," Tohdoh spoke matter-of-factly, "once the overall threat has been dealt with, there would be no reason to keep an already shaky alliance together. It would take one misstep for it to all fall apart again."

"I understand, and… I know what kind of man the Britannian Emperor is," Euphemia acknowledged, "but think about what else we'd be doing besides fighting together? Voltron could also work to change the system from the inside. I'm not naive enough to think it can be changed overnight, but the more Voltron and the Black Knights push the Galra back, that will garner more support for change from both the other nations and Britannia."

"Lelouch, I told you I spoke with Cornelia shortly after what happened with Mao," Nunnally said, "She told me that she would be willing to fight with us too if we gave her a chance! She even said she knew people in the military that would join us too if she asked them to."

"What about Nonette?" Rai exclaimed, "She's a Knight of the Round, and on Kamine Island, she told me point blank that if she had to choose between my family or Britannia, she'd side with me. Us. She's bound to have a lot of influence in the military too, maybe even with her colleagues. If we can convince some of the other knights, that would greatly increase our battle prowess."

"Yeah, sure, say that your dickwad dad does try to backstab us when the Galra leave," Rivalz said, "but if we have most of the rest of the world, and even the Britannian people on our side, we'd be at a huge advantage, wouldn't we? I mean, even he can't fight the entire world and Voltron and hope to win! Right?"

"It's a lot of moving pieces," Coran stroked his chin, "but I can see this result coming to fruition if all goes accordingly."

"Yes, it would be strategically sound," Lelouch admitted, "but as you said, Coran, there are a lot of unknowns and what-ifs that can still go wrong."

"Lelouch," Suzaku cried, "I know you're the kind of guy that wants to make sure that everything is planned out the way you want it, but we… we don't have time for that! You yourself said that if Haggar's on Earth, Zarkon's not far behind. He's probably on his way here now with dozens of fleets at his beck and call!"

Silence once again filled the bridge, a silent debate communicating with everyone in the room before they all looked back at Lelouch and the two Alteans at the center.

Allura breathed out, "I am reluctant to move forward, but Suzaku is right. As of now, with the little time we have, this may be our only option. At the very least, we can warn Earth as a whole about the Galra and the threat that they pose. Let's just pray that this brings your planet together instead of tear it apart further."

Lelouch let out a breath, "...Let's go."

"Viceroy!" a guard nearly tripped over his feet as he sprang into Schneizel el Britannia's office.

"What is it?" he asked calmly, but he could see the evident distress on the soldier's face.

"It-it's Princess Euphemia!"

"What?!" Bartley exclaimed, having been in the office to discuss something with the prince when the guard entered, "Did you find her?"

"No! Well… I mean… not exactly…"

Schneizel frowned, "What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"The princess, she… She's on international television right now," Schneizel's eyes widened, "You have see this!"

Schneizel cleared whatever had been on his screen previous and pulled up the news app. Just as the guard said, there was Euphemia. He couldn't make out where she was from the background, but it was clear it wasn't on Earth.

"This is live?" Bartley asked.

"Yes, and it's being broadcast world-wide, not just Britannia!"

Schniezel's frown deepened as he turned up the volume.

 "I am Euphemia, sub-viceroy of Area Eleven of the Holy Britannian Empire. There is something of great consequence that I wish to tell you all today! I, Euphemia li Britannia, hereby declare an immediate ceasefire between Britannia and Voltron!"

"WHAT?!" Bartley gasped, mouth gaping in horror.

"I also order for the immediate halt of all Britannia expansion. Not just in Area Eleven, but all other occupied areas as well."

"Sh-she can't do that! She doesn't have the-the authority to order that! What on Earth is that girl thinking?!" Bartley protested further.

Schneizel didn't respond; his focus solely on his sister on the screen.

"Um… is that something she can do?" Gino asked, glancing at Bismark and Anya.

"She does have some control over Area Eleven's activities due to her status as sub-viceroy," Bismark acknowledged, "but ordering it in other areas is completely out of her jurisdiction."

"And yet she's ordering it anyway… this may become troublesome," Anya observed.

 "I, Euphemia li Britannia, also hereby declare the formation of the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan in the area surrounding Mt. Fuji!"

"What?! Britannia has-?!"

"They're recognizing… Japan?!"

Her audience had several mixed reactions from all over Area Eleven. Several Japanese citizens and even Britannians looked in surprise in amazement. Nina especially, from within her dorm at Ashford, looked terrified and even repulsed at such a thought.

"Hear me, people of the world! Britannia and beyond!" Euphemia continued to announce, "Voltron is not a threat! They are not the true enemy we face! So please, join me in not only protecting this world but ensuring where it has a peaceful future! Not under Britannian subjugation, but a place where freedom is the right for all people!"

"LONG LIVE PRINCESS EUPHEMIA!" a loud cry could be heard even from outside the Viceroy's palace. People from not just the ghetto but even within the settlement rejoiced for the princess.

"..."

"...You know we can't just let this slide Victor," Charles argued, glaring at his older twin.

"Watch your tone with me, Charles!" Victor practically thundered, "This SAZ is the least of our problems! One of the Thought Elevators was destroyed!"

"And whose fault is that?" Charles hissed. V.V. stepped back, eyes bulging, "If you hadn't sent my sons to that island with their Lions, that likely wouldn't have happened!"

"I only intended to send those two sons of yours there," he spat the word out like poison, "But somehow the Lions went with them! Even when I tried to separate them! It was like… like an unbreakable cord was connecting them together!"

Charles frowned, thinking over this information, before shaking his head, "Regardless, there was no need to send them to that island in the first place! Now that they've seen the Thought Elevator, there's no stopping C.C. from telling them about the rest!"

V.V. reeled back, "She wouldn't!"

"Considering my… source," Charles had to stop himself from saying her name for her safety, "has been unable to contact her, nor have you, for the last several months, nothing stopping her from doing so! If that Black Lion was strong enough to destroy a Thought Elevator with one blast, the other Lions could easily demolish the others!"

"H-Hold on!" V.V. gasped, "Yes, perhaps C.C. will tell them, but she still doesn't know where they're located! That will take time! We still have a chance to recapture her before that happens!"

"And how to plan to find her. It's clear she's with Voltron, but now of our forces have been a match for them!" Charles argued, "Even sending three Knights of the Round to battle them it resulted in a draw at best!"

There was silence between the quarreling brothers as Charles clenched his fists. Lelouch, his son, had changed. He had no clue what sort of ideas this Voltron had been feeding him, but it was clearly rubbing off on him. Forgetting his roots, forgetting who his true father was! And now, even if it was ignorantly, he was destroying the very dream they had vowed to make come true.

"Destroying the dream me, you, and Marianne all shared," Charles muttered softly. Back turned to the code-bearer, Charles failed to notice the brief scowl on his brother's face at the mention of Marianne.

"So, this is the source of this world's power…"

This new voice made the two brothers jump. Twisting around, the pair spotted a hunched cloaked figure, female from the sound of its voice, slowly advancing towards them.

"Interesting."

"Who are you?" Charles shouted, "How did you get in?!"

'Guards! I request you-' suddenly, V.V. gasped as he felt something not only block his telepathic link but grasp his entire body as if in the hold of a giant's hand. Off to the side, Charles gapped in horror as a violet aura surrounded his brother before being thrown to the other end of the platform with a sickening thud.

"Now, now, there's no need for rudeness," the woman sneered, hand still raised, "Although, I will say, I'm surprised to find another like that female Earthling so soon."

"Are you talking about C.C.?!" Charles demanded before he could stop himself, "How do you know her."

The figure cackled, "Let's just say we've met once. Though I wished it had been under more… appropriate circumstances."

Charles seemed to freeze in a shocked stupor as the woman looked him up and down curiously.

"So, you are Charles Zi Britannia... the father of Zero."

This seemed to snap the Emperor out of it as he growled, "I don't know who you are... but you've made a terrible mistake!" he declared, his eyes flashing red.

To his shock, though, the woman just laughed, "Don't waste your time. Geass does not affect me whatsoever."

Despite the warning, Charles attempted to use it anyway, but to his growing horror, it had no effect. The woman's smile seemed to grow larger as the realization slowly made itself clear on the Emperor's face.

"Are you… are you like C.C.? And my brother?" he stuttered out.

She hummed thoughtfully before shrugging aloofly, "Who can say? But, if you're so eager to compare our power… let me give you a taste of mine."

The woman lifted her hand, and a globe of dark, twisting energy formed from it.

Suddenly, Charles and V.V.-who had finally started to regain consciousness- felt themselves being thrown forwards into a familiar place.

"Wha-" a shrill scream interrupted Charles, followed by a crash. Whipping around, the twins stood in horror at the sight that began their crusade so long ago. The corpse of their freshly murdered mother laying nearly decapitated under a carriage.

"No!" V.V. gasped, "This is… This is just a memory!"

Soon more scenes followed, of the hell the two boys faced in childhood, but it soon shifted to more recent events.

Another crash sounded behind them, and Charles gasped when he saw a bloodied corpse of his son, Lelouch, impaled through the stomach on a mounted pike. All around him were the dead bodies of the rest of the royal family. Nunnally, Euphemia, Clovis, Cornelia, Marrybell, Schneizel, even siblings he wasn't as close to, like Carine and Guinevere.

"Y-You," Lelouch gagged on his own blood, but his eyes glared at his father with hatred, "You… did this!"

"NO!" Charles bellowed as Lelouch finally slumped on the pike, eyes forever staring into nothingness.

"Enough!" Charles cried before suddenly snapping back to reality. He realized he was on his knees, clutching his head, and V.V. was in the same position not too far away.

"I will admit," the woman said callously, pacing around the two brothers like a snake stalking prey, "I am impressed with how far you've come with such limited power, but you are barely even penetrating the surface. To compare what you call 'Geass' to what I have experienced is the equivalent of comparing a single raindrop to a vast ocean. But still... there is great power and potential in this primitive world…"

Though physically exhausted, both brothers glared up at the witch (because what else could she possibly be?) though neither made a move against her.

"What do you want?" Charles said through gritted teeth.

The witch scoffed, "If I intended to kill you, I already would have," she turned a looked directly at V.V., "And don't think your so-called immortality can save you. I'm quite certain I can find a chink in that supposedly impenetrable armor of yours. Nothing is ever truly invincible."

V.V. growled, "You still didn't answer... what do you want from my brother and I?"

To their surprise, the witch smiled, "I have an offer for the both of you."

[justkindaoverhereobsessing]

the stars always make me laugh (4/4)

Now complete! Here is chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, and the epilogue.

A year to the day after Ziva departs D.C. to return to Paris and reunite with her family, her newfound contentment is shaken by an unexpected loss. Tony and Tali are right where they belong—safely by her side—but she still finds herself feeling drawn to reflect on the past. She might just be able to use this new grief to bring peace to old wounds, renewing hope along the way for a future with her family... but only if she can find a way to let go of what haunts her.

Written as a combined response to two different challenge prompts; also available for reading on ff.net (chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4) and AO3 (chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4). This is the last chapter; tomorrow, I’ll post a short epilogue.

_________________________

January 12th, 2021, eveningtime

They spend the afternoon at an informal wake at Gibbs' house. Everyone they know and love is there, and it's cathartic to catch up with their adoptive family—despite the heavy occasion. The children, mostly too young to really understand what's going on, play together exuberantly as the hours pass. Tali is overjoyed to spend time with her "cousins," Victoria, Morgan, and Johnny.

As the afternoon wears on and people start to leave, though, Tali is still going strong. She'll certainly crash once they get her in bed, but for now, she has let the busy day hype her into new levels of excitement.

She's restlessly bouncing as they strap her into their rental car after saying their goodbyes, and Tony and Ziva pause before getting in themselves, looking at each other.

"She's practically vibrating. Exactly how many of Abby's Ducky cookies did she eat?"

"More than she needed, that is for sure."

"Do you think we should take her somewhere before we go back to the hotel? She needs to get the rest of her energy out or she's going to turn into a hellion tonight once she starts fighting sleep."

"Yes… I think we should," Ziva agrees, pinching the bridge of her nose to hide her reluctant amusement; through the back seat window, Tali can be seen puffing up her cheeks and squishing them with her hands to make what she calls "pooty booty noises."

Tony is most certainly to blame for that one.

_________________________

They end up at Anacostia Park, exactly where Ari parked and used a rifle to fire into Abby's lab; neither Tony nor Ziva mentions that. After fifteen years, it's time to make new memories here.

They aim for a playground near Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge, but Tali finds something that she wants to play with far more… mud. Today's sun has dried up most of what was left behind by yesterday's rain, but there are distinctly wet patches left in the shadier areas.

Tali is still dressed up for the funeral, and her parents' first impulse is to stop her from destroying it… but they exchange glances and decide without needing to discuss it that Tali will be fine. She'll grow out of the dress sooner or later anyway, and, well… life is short.

They give her the go ahead then, and with a gleeful expression on her face, she immediately squishes her feet in. It takes her only minutes to be covered in goo from head to toe.

As she plays, Tony and Ziva find a drier spot to sit themselves; it's still strangely warm for January, and it's pleasant to lounge on the winter-yellow grass.

At first, they're side-by-side, but between jet lag and several days of heavy emotion, Ziva is worn out. Eventually, she moves to lay on her back, her head resting against one of Tony's outstretched legs. They talk about inconsequential things, simply decompressing.

There's something wonderful about being here again, now happily married and openly affectionate; this is the first time they've been in Washington together since Ziva resigned from NCIS almost eight years ago. Having Tali here, her zest for life as visible as the navy yard across the river, is proof of something hopeful: even the most painful losses and changes can result in beauty. If not for everything her parents went through together, Tali would not exist.

She is and always will be a saving grace, a light at the end of the tunnel, a reason to hope.

Tali makes everything worth it.

_________________________

When the sun starts to set, the David-DiNozzos are still in the park, but things are quieter now. Tali, finally exhausted, is curled up with her parents, nestled under Ziva's left arm and snoring softly. Her parents have fallen into companionable silence, too.

With her free hand, Ziva idly plays with the soft dirt under the grass, letting fine particles sift through the cracks between her fingers as she grabs a handful and releases it. Tony mimics her movements, making her smile; his fingers, however, drift through her hair rather than the earth underneath them. She glances up to see him watching her, contentment written across his features.

"Can I tell you something?" he murmurs, his voice soft to avoid waking Tali.

"Of course."

"I love you."

Ziva smiles at him involuntarily—just as she always does when he says those words.

"I love you, too."

_________________________

The sunset turns out to be an exceptionally brilliant one, its oranges and pinks dancing on the slow-moving river below so that the whole world is lit up as the sun fades away. Ziva watches it with heavy eyes, starting to feel the pull of drowsiness urging her to join Tali in sleep. It's safe to rest with Tony watching over them.

As she drifts off, though, something catches her gaze. In the shade of a tree near the water, backlit by the sunset behind him, someone is watching. The sight should be alarming—the man appears to be staring right at them—but Ziva only feels the familiar warmth of unexpectedly seeing an old friend.

There's a reason for that. Everything about the man—his pose, his silhouette topped by the shape of a safari fedora, even his small stature—is reminiscent of how Ducky looked in the autopsy doorway when he found her on her darkest night. It has to be a coincidence; Ziva knows that Ducky is gone. The resemblance is so striking, though, that for the briefest moment, she thinks it might actually be her old friend.

Then he turns, dying sunlight illuminating his shadowed face. Ziva must be imagining him, but…

It is Ducky.

He meets Ziva's eye and smiles kindly at her; once he has her attention, he starts to speak, his lips moving soundlessly, and she can somehow understand what he's saying: 'Let go, Ziva. Tell him.'

Shouldn't she know by now to listen to him?

Maybe she'd been right when Ducky died, thinking that he wanted to tell her something—or maybe his memory is only inspiring the inevitable conclusion that she has long avoided. Either way, she understands the message: it's time to let Tony help carry her burdens.

She gives the image of her friend a slight nod, smiling faintly; she can feel his approval. Tipping his hat and winking at her, Ducky offers one last smile before turning away to face the sunset.

Then Ziva blinks, and he's gone.

She closes her eyes for a moment, saying a final goodbye before looking up at her husband again.

"Tony?"

"Mm?"

"If you are ready to listen, I…"

"I'm always ready, Ziva." His hand in her hair moves to rest on her cheek.

Ziva nods, appreciative. "Then I think I am ready to talk about some things that I have kept to myself for far too long. I need… I need to let go."

Tony seems to understand; he goes back to running his fingers through her hair. "I'm listening, sweet cheeks."

She takes a deep breath, lets it out, and starts to speak.

_________________________

Ziva talks until the sun is gone and the stars are visible; it's getting colder, but she doesn't notice the dropping temperature until Tony shrugs off his suit jacket and drapes it over Tali. He doesn't say a word, though; he only listens, letting Ziva say what she needs to say.

She begins with Somalia, not going into detail but no longer shying away from the truth. Even a decade later, it's painful to talk about, but when each successive word hurts less than the one before it, she starts to realize that there's more she needs to get out:

The first Tali, gone too soon.

Ari, who she still mourns despite who he became.

Sahar, and the search that drove Ziva to desolation, restless and lonely.

With every old scar she gives a name to, she breathes easier, and by the time she falls silent, she feels… empty; the loud chaos of a mind brimming with ancient pain and constant anxiety has gone quiet. It feels like... absolution, perhaps. Even in death, Ducky has reminded her to trust, to let herself live freely without succumbing to fear.

For a year now, Ziva has been with her family, taking happiness one day at a time—because it has always been in the back of her mind that this, too, will soon be ripped away from her. Now she understands how that fearful conviction is a product of every haunting memory that she's kept guarded. It's time to change that.

She's ready to let go, or at least begin to—and when she finishes her tales of old heartbreak, Tony still looks at her the way he always has. There's no pity, no fear, no discomfort... In his eyes, she sees only love.

It's freeing.

When they eventually pack up to leave the park, Ziva abandons burdens of bygone grief to patches of dead grass and a chilly night sky.

She's ready to look forward.

[currentlyreadingmanga]

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun Chapter 21: The Tea Party (Part 1)

Previously: we went on a very stressful and very emotional trip. We finally learned Hanako’s brother’s name: Tsukasa and he continued to unsettled me like he does every single time he appears. Mitsuba actually passed away, this time for good, it seemed and it made me tear up a bit ngl. After that, the chapter decided I hadn’t suffered enough so it punched me while I was down and showed us how Hanako feels about the existence of the dead as ghosts in general and how that reflects in his own sense of self. We also got another glimpse of the mermaid and she said some real ominous shit :)))) if anything happens to Nene istg :)))))) Sigh And last but not least, Natsuhiko went to see Nene at her classroom and I’m,,,,concerned,,,,

Now onto the next chapter!

Personal update for the 50 (holy shit?) of you that still follow this blog: Well…..hi there, it’s been a while ^^;; Looking back on it, quarantine really hit me like a bag of bricks and burned me out. It’s not the first time that has happened, and what it means to me is that I just can’t bring myself to consume new content; I might have loved it so far but my brain is like “nope, we’re not doing that today” and well, this time it happened for almost two months. Also, one of my cats went missing for a little over a week (he’s home now, thankfully) and that just added to the general distress I was feeling. But over the last week I actually wrote small fics for another fandom and it finally pushed me back into a creative state, so I went back to re-read the last couple of recaps I did for JSHK and it made me realise that I miss my babies and I really want to know where the story goes, so here I am c:

Ohhhh that’s right, we’re starting a new volume with this chapter! Our main trio is front and center and judging by the colorful pastries and the tea, it is a reference to the tea party that was alluded to in the preview of the last chapter. Also, I see the ropes are back again, but this time Kou also has some around him! Nene and Hanako seem to be tied together with pink, blue and yellow ropes, Nene and Kou seem to be tied together with an orange rope and both Hanako and Kou seem to have another rope each that it’s not connected to neither Nene nor each other. Hanako’s is red and considering the way in which we’ve seen him tied up before, I would guess this represents his connection to Tsukasa. Kou’s is pink and considering everything that just happened, could his rope represent his connection with Mitsuba? Like, I know he’s dead dead now and their actual friendship was short-lived but I would also like to think that even though he’s gone, his memory will live forever with Kou, hence the rope. But I’m speculating and I already went on a long enough tangent for the cover page so let’s move on.

The next color page has the main trio again as the central focus in what seems to be the inside of a place that has a clockwork-like mechanism. On the corners of the page we have who I assume will be important character during the following arc(s): Aoi, Akane, Yamabuki and Teru (the latter one worries me slightly ngl). 

Ohhhh okay, the content page says that one of the arcs is called “the three clock keepers” so the art on that page now makes more sense.

……….I really don’t trust him hhhhh please be careful, Nene, please don’t let your weakness for pretty boys cloud your judgement.

Ohhh it could be because of Nene’s dress and the bunny ears (and the twins) but the title page gives me strong Alice in Wonderland vibes. It’s a cute picture but Tsukasa is there and Nene is tearing up so I’m,,,concerned 

Okay so Nene followed Natsuhiko outside and 

Are you reciting her your dating profile or something? also “call me Natsuhiko-senpai ♡” omfg he’s one of those, huh? Like, it could all be an act but he’s looking less and less threatening by the minute lol

Nene, bless her, has the common sense of asking him why he wanted to talk to her all of the sudden and he says it’s because “someone wants to meet her”. Gee, I wonder who that could be :)))))

…………….oh, oh no. Nene, sweetie, I need you to run and to run fast because this boy is up to no good and you’re not gonna  like what’s gonna happen. (Edit note: also this brings up a question: how did the chaotic trio know that Nene turns into a fish when she touches water? Like, I know they had been keeping tracks on her and Hanako for some time, so maybe they found out that way? Oh, maybe they use the Mokke? Because the Mokke were there in Yako’s boundary when Hanako pushed Nene down the waterfall)

Hhhhhhh and to the surprise of no one, there’s Tsukasa here to make Nene’s day more difficult.

asdasgdjash please do not make my daughter share the same fate as the puffer fish, she doesn’t deserve it (ﾟдﾟ；) (ﾟдﾟ；)

Nene fainted (can’t say I blame her jfc) and now she’s waking up in what seems to be the tea party and the floor is wet! so she thinks she could be on another boundary. Interesting, I wonder which number would this one be? Because the boundaries are assigned to the seven mysteries, right? So one of them should be in control of this place. Could Tsukasa be in control of this one? But that wouldn’t make much sense because he managed to get his “physical” form only recently, right? However, Hanako also spoke of a traitor that was changing rumors and we know that these three are responsible, so if they’re not the owners of the boundary maybe they somehow managed to manipulate the mystery that does control it? Oooor it could also be that there’s another boundary that managed to go under the radar and in turn the other mysteries don’t know about it.

sjdgjjasd she’s so done with them lol I know I call them the chaotic trio but it’s really the chaotic duo + Sakura. I’m so curious about how this whole *gestures wildly towards them* arrangement came to be.

Ohhhh this great! So Sakura got everything under control and from her introduction to Nene we now know that she’s a third year and we have confirmation that she became Tsukasa’s assistant in the same way that Nene did, in exchange for a wish. B U T, again, that brings up even more questions because Tsukasa said that while Amane granted the wishes of the living, he granted the wishes of the dead. So like (⚆.⚆) what’s up with that?? Is she an exception? Is she dead? Another supernatural? Or, maybe, even though it should be impossible considering what we know so far, could her wish have something to do with her being ‘alive’ in the school right now? Mhmmmm…...suspicious.

Okay but like, I actually really want to know how he fits in all of this because okay, Sakura and Tsukasa are linked together by the wish she made, but why is Natsuhiko here? Who is he? How did he end up working with these two?  He seems silly and completely whipped for Sakura, so maybe they knew each other before she made her “contract” with Tsukasa?  Hhhhh idk let’s keep reading.

Sakura says that she wanted to meet Nene because they’re in similar positions and she thought they could be good friends. And like, that’s a fair point…...but I don’t trust like that, no sir. Even if she didn’t want the boys to be so rough when they brought Nene here, the fact remains that they still kidnapped her so if this was just a friendly meeting, why would they need to do it in such a convoluted way?

Okay good, Nene is suspicious because of their methods and the amount of knowledge they have about her.

………………...sigh, I shouldn’t be surprised but bby no please don’t trust them so easily. She’s venting to Sakura about Hanako’s unpredictable behaviour and Sakura says that she can empathize with most of her struggles while Tsukasa is sitting on top of her shoulders and wrapping his arms and legs around here…...I can definitely see why she said he was cat-like because my cats do things like that when I’m sit down to write at my desk. But again, I know he’s technically a kid but I really need him to stop acting so cute because it unsettles me a lot.

Even he can see the romantic chemistry between those two. Well, thinking about it, that’s probably why they dragged her here, because she’s important to Hanako.

(;;⚆.⚆) NOPE, no, no thank you, I need you to back tf up please jfc

Nene snaps out of it and realizes that she let herself be drawn in by girl talk. She thankfully knows it was a stupid thing to do but she was just relieved and happy to have found someone who seems to understand what she’s going through, so I’ll cut her some slack. And she mentions that they don’t look like bad people but like I did, if they had innocent intentions, they wouldn’t have had to bring her by force.

………………...I feel like I’ve mentioned this before but I really hate it when either of them does this fucking face, it’s so creepy >n< also, Nene, sweetie, once again I’m asking you to run, run far and don’t look back because that look doesn’t spell anything good, especially paired with Sakura’s scared/resinged look (which makes me think that maybe her own intentions had been more innocent that I had originally given her credit for)

Hmmm. This is concerning; like, yes, Nene has to help Hanako with whatever he needs as his assistant as part of their deal and he does threaten to turn her into a fish when she pouts but I never got the feeling that it was malicious. On the other hand, Sakura’s wording (especially calling Tsukasa “Master” and saying she “can’t” disobey) and the look Tsukasa gave her make it seem like her punishment for not following his orders would be much more severe. hhhhh I really don’t like where this is going

Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||) Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||) Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)  WHAT THE HELL THIS THAT THING WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK OH MY GO D

“We’re gonna have you disappear now” okay so, yeah, he’s doing this specifically to upset his brother. the room is fucking sinking though and omfg what even is this room?? is it really a boundary? Since this happened at this very moment, it looks like they do control it so my questions from before remain, the biggest one being “how”. Also I’ve just noticed that the eyes all over the place are very similar to the ones in the broadcasting room and now this tells me that those weren’t an artistic choice and that is terrifying.

…………………..excuse me, w h a t??? why? hello??? “she’s like this sometimes” ????? Sakura what???? I have….so many questions, the main one being why do you let her treat you like this??

……………………………………...oh…..y’know, I hate the term simp with a passion because I feel like it’s been memed to death but wow.

Hhhhhhhh it looks like she can’t stop sinking and that (and the fucking eyes) tell me that this is not normal water (since she would have turned into a fish already). She’s yelling out for Hanako and that’s how the chapter ends. I’m still :)))))) concerned :))))))))

[badwolfwrites-sometimes]

Drawn Together: Chapter 16

I may or may not have forgotten to post this chapter here for a while... Anyway, there are 5 references to other pieces of Hetalia work, see if you can get them all right. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18923374/chapters/57211975

♡~Feli~♡: Ludwig

Ludwig: Yes?

♡~Feli~♡: Im sad

Ludwig: Why are you sad?

♡~Feli~♡: Mirror me is ugly ♡~Feli~♡: I have these dumb fat cheeks and this stupid baby face and this fat body ♡~Feli~♡: No matter how hard i try i cant lose them ♡~Feli~♡: Ill never be manly enough for girls to like me

Ludwig: Feliciano are you crying?

♡~Feli~♡: Ofc im crying ♡~Feli~♡: I just look so dumb no wonder ppl call me stupid

Ludwig: Okay, take a deep breath Ludwig: You only look ugly to yourself because you are crying Ludwig: You aren't dumb and you aren't ugly Ludwig: And I am pretty sure there are some girls out there that will like you Ludwig: Have you eaten anything today?

♡~Feli~♡: No ♡~Feli~♡: Im already fat enough i dont deserve more food

Ludwig: Feliciano Ludwig: Losing weight isn't about not eating at all Ludwig: Not that you have any to lose, you look perfectly fit in your pictures Ludwig: Once you stop crying go eat something Ludwig: You will feel much better

♡~Feli~♡: But ill still be fat and ill still have this stupid baby face

Ludwig: They are alright Feliciano Ludwig: They are barely noticable Ludwig: Now will you please go eat something

♡~Feli~♡: Okay

Ludwig: Good Ludwig: I am worried about you, do you think we could have another video call?

♡~Feli~♡: Let me dry my tears first

Feliciano took his time calming down. He made himself some tea and grabbed the leftover pizza from the fridge. Today, he was alone in the house, a feeling that worsened his melancholy. There was no one to hold him and cuddle him and tell him that things are okay. There was no one to yell at him and tell him to pull himself together and do something useful in life before whispering to him that he's beautiful. Feliciano craved those moments today.

He didn't even warm up his pizza before eating it like it was straight out of a famous Italian restaurant. His tea left forgotten as he dined, only the soft smell of cinnamon strong enough to calm his nerves down. It wasn't the time to be depressed, he had Ludwig to talk to. Finishing off his pizza, he grabbed his tea and retreated to his room, turning on Skype.

♡~Feli~♡: Okay im calm you can skype me now

Ludwig: Alright, let me just turn on my laptop

A few minutes later, Feliciano got the Skype notification on his computer. Accepting the call, he was met with the usual Ludwig business, bringing a smile to his face.

Ludwig was dressed properly, nothing too fancy, but also not in pajamas like Feliciano was. His hair was neatly slicked back and his room as tidy as always. Same couldn't be said about Feliciano.

On top of wearing pj's all day everyday, Feliciano was tightly wrapped up in a thick blanket like it was in the middle of winter and not plain old May. His eyes were still noticeably red and puffy, but Ludwig wouldn't comment on that even if it killed him. To add to the sad wintery atmosphere Feliciano had going on, between his hands, he was cuddling a colorful cup covered in stars.

Said cup was the first thing Feliciano noticed Ludwig was staring at. "Do you like it? I made it myself when I was a kid." He smiled.

Ludwig nodded, clearing his throat. "Yes. It really fits you, I must admit."

Feliciano giggled, feeling a bit of a sting from his eyes. He will probably have a headache in the morning.

"Are you feeling better?" Ludwig continued. "Did you eat anything?"

Feliciano nodded. "I had some leftover pizza so I ate that. And now I'm drinking tea to feel good about myself."

"Good. That is good."

"I guess."

"Do you feel better now that you had something to eat?" Ludwig asked, his concern for Feliciano noticeable in his voice.

"Yeah, I think. Sorry I worried you like that."

"Don't be. If anything, I am glad that you spoke to me about it. I know how you feel. I was a chubby kid too."

"How did you lose weight?"

"I didn't. Growing up, my weight just transferred into muscles and I trained for a while. None of it went away."

"Well, that's comforting." Feliciano sighed sadly. "I can't keep a training schedule to save my life. Especially now that I am out of school and do nothing all day."

"You just need something to push you to do it." Ludwig said. "How about a dare?"

"A dare? Are we playing truth or dare?"

"We can if you want to."

"Okay. What's your dare?"

"I dare you to do 3 pushups every day for the next month."

Feliciano nearly spat out some of the tea he was drinking. "Three?! I can barely do 1!"

"It is a dare, you have to do it." Ludwig almost smirked.

"Only if you do something as well."

Ludwig was about to start regretting his decision. "What is it?"

Feliciano thought hard for a while, before coming up with a challenge long and hard enough for Ludwig to do it. "You told me once you weren't much of an artist."

"Yes." Ludwig was definitely regretting playing this game.

"I want you to paint me a picture of what made you happy that day. Every day. For the next month." Feliciano smirked.

"Does it have to be a painting?" Ludwig meekly asked. "You know how busy my schedule is."

"No, but it has to be colorful. And I want them sent to me by 11 p.m. ever day."

"You really like challenges, don't you?"

"You dared me first. Now you have to do it too."

"Fine." Ludwig relaxed in his chair. "It is my turn I believe." He took his time thinking about the perfect question. "If you could only see one color for the rest of your life, which one would it be?"

Taken a bit by surprise, Feliciano thought for a while, looking around to spot a color which stood out the most to him. The sea was calm today, that got his attention, so calm it was almost calling for him, so, so very... "Blue." He said out loud, without realizing it.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Ludwig's voice pulled Feliciano out of his trance. "I would like to see brown mostly."

Feliciano's face almost twisted at the word brown. Why brown? It doesn't even stand out that much in nature, it's just darker orange and an ugly mix of colors together. "Why?"

Ludwig smiled. "My dogs are mostly brown." Well that explained a lot.

"I should have expected that." Feliciano laughed. "My turn. Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

An awkward question to ask Ludwig, Feliciano noticed. His cheeks have gotten a shade or two darker than usual, something that would probably go unnoticeable if he wasn't so pale. Regardless, Feliciano just had to know.

Ludwig breathed in. "No. I don't even have a female friend that isn't family to me."

"You've never dated?" Feliciano asked in surprise. And Ludwig was so good looking?

Ludwig shook his head, slightly embarrassed. "I get it that I haven't, but you? Look," Feliciano started, "when I come to Germany, we'll go hunting for ladies so that neither of us are single ever again, okay?"

It was no use in arguing over girls with Feliciano, so Ludwig just gave in. "Why are you so obsessed with them anyway?"

"Is that the next question?" Feliciano asked.

"Yes."

Feliciano thought for a bit. "I think it's because I have multiple personalities living inside of me." He pointed to his chest. "One is your regular flirty Italian, the other is a sad bastard and the third one is just a huge lesbian."

Ludwig laughed, but Feliciano continued. "I think we all have a female part inside of us, mine just happens to like girls more than normal."

"Okay, if you say so." Ludwig still had to recover from his laughing fit.

"Also, lately I've been having these strange dreams. Like, one time I dreamed I was stuck in a dreamworld and it was all really beautiful and nice, but I would die if I stayed for too long. And you were coming to save me." Feliciano rambled. "Would you come save me from the dreamworld, Ludwig?"

"Of course I would." Truth to be told, Ludwig wasn't following Feliciano much.

"Aw, thank you. Anyway, that's not even the weirdest. I dreamed about this guy Steve one time, only he wasn't actually a guy but some alien creature. And he had this big mansion and I was stuck in there and I couldn't escape and it was so horrifying." Feliciano shivered at the memory of his dream.

"I must admit that it does sound horrifying. Especially if you happen to be claustrophobic." Ludwig said. "Now that you mention it, I've been having some strange dreams as well. And for some reason, you are always in them."

That peaked Feliciano's interest. Not that he wasn't interested in the first place. "Oh, I wanna hear! I wanna hear!"

"Well, one time I was a pilot during World War 2 and I was stationed in Italy and I met you, but then something happened and I had to leave. My plane crashed and I was imprisoned and you came to save me, then..." Ludwig stopped. "I don't recall what happened next, but it ended nicely, I think. I just remember flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109."

"Mrs. What?" Feliciano asked.

"Messerschmitt. It was a German fighter plane in World War 2. It was a rival plane to Spitfire and had a yellow nose."

Feliciano laughed. "I'll forget it's name, but at least I'll know it had a yellow nose."

"That is all you need to know." Ludwig continued. "Then I had another dream and it was poker themed. I was the king of hearts and you were my queen. That is pretty much all I remember from it."

"You must think so highly of me to make me your queen, I'm flattered." Feliciano giggled. "What do you think these dreams mean?"

"No idea, but I wish I knew. Maybe, they represent our bond with each other as friends."

"Maybe. Maybe they are telling us of our past lives and all that. Like your war one."

"I want to stop you because if you start talking like that, we will never leave the topic of dreams."

Feliciano laughed, glad that Ludwig was listening to him by stopping him from going too far with his talking. "When will you come to Italy, Ludwig? We could have so much fun."

"As soon as I have some more free time, I will pay you a visit."

"Yes! We can go on tour of Rome and I could show you the Colosseum and The Pantheon and Bocca della Verita and I could show you our beaches and we would have so much fun!"

"You sound like you have already planned everything out."

"That's just one possibility. I could give you a tour of all of Italy if you want. You just have to come here first."

Ludwig attempted his nicest smile. And failed. Feliciano was so excited about all of this. "Would you show me the Rialto Bridge as well?"

It would be a lie to say Feliciano's eyes didn't glow at this point. "Of course I would! And maybe you can bring your girlfriend, if you get one in time, and you can do the kiss scene from the book! You can even get married! Can I be your best man, please?"

"You will have to fight Gilbert for that position. I doubt he would just give it away."

"Gilbert, you are a worthy opponent. But I must take you down for the sake of providing myself the glorious Best Man position." Feliciano delivered the speech. "I can do best wedding speeches, I think Gilbert is already losing."

"We will see." Ludwig laughed. "But wouldn't you want to be your brother's best man?"

"I'm the odd one out, they got each other. Aside from you, I don't have much options on who else to have as my best man." Feliciano sighed.

"Well, that is really sad. I probably won't marry at all, so if you get married, I can still be your best man." Ludwig said.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Yes."

"But what about Gilbert?"

"I admire you for believing that he would get married, but I doubt that would be the case."

"Harsh truth." Feliciano laughed. "I hope Lovi can get married. If not here, he could get married somewhere else."

"One day it might be possible."

"One day when the world isn't as hateful as now. I think he'll hate having to be married outside of Italy."

Silence fell upon them, just as the front door of Feliciano's house slammed shut. A soft, but loud voice could be heard. "Feli! I'm home!"

"Romeo is home. I'm not alone anymore." Feliciano commented.

"Do I suddenly not exist?" Ludwig asked, a bit offended by Feliciano's statement.

"No! I meant that I'm not home alone anymore. Don't go anywhere, I'd be sad if you stopped existing." Feliciano corrected himself.

A sound of footsteps coming up the stairs could be heard, but Feliciano failed to hear them.

"I won't be going anywhere then." Ludwig said, just as the door to Feliciano's room opened.

"Hi Feli." Romeo greeted. "Who are you talking to?"

Feliciano jumped slightly as the door opened, but smiled to his brother. "Ludwig. Come say hi."

Romeo did as he was told and greeted Ludwig. "Hi Lud."

"Hello." Came a response.

"Feli, nonno said he'll be coming home the day after tomorrow. We should probably prepare Lovi just in case." Romeo said.

"Good idea. I'll be down when we're done and we can plan the thing out." Feliciano responded and Romeo left him to wrap things up with Ludwig.

"So nonno is coming home soon. Which is bad. And we need to prepare Lovi for it. Which is worse." Feliciano explained the situation to Ludwig, seeing as the latter didn't know much Italian.

"I see. Basically, you get to be a pigeon again." Ludwig remarked.

Feliciano laughed, partially glad Ludwig still remembered that from a couple of months ago. "Probably. Maybe it works out okay in the end, but I doubt it."

"I am here whenever you need me. Except when I am at college or at work, but other than that..."

"Thanks." Feliciano laughed. "I gotta go. Me and Romeo have to plan this out carefully."

"Before you do, it is Romeo and I. Remember it."

"Yes, yes, Romeo and I, okay. Talk to you later, Ludwig!" Feliciano said, waving goodbye to Ludwig.

"Good luck!" Ludwig simply said and gave Feliciano a small wave before ending the call. They talked for good 3 hours, but to Feliciano it only felt like a couple of minutes.

He walked downstairs to discuss things with Romeo. Getting his brother and grandfather in the same room again won't be easy and Feliciano just hoped it would turn out okay in the end.

[kittyeekcube]

orange, purple, turquoise, claret, emerald, honey, rust, amethyst, prussian blue, rose quartz!! I hope you have fun with these questions 🥰💐🧡

orange - if you could, would you change your eye color? why? to color, if so?

ahh i do like my eye color!! i feel like one of the things that hasn’t changed much about me is the expression in my eyes since the very beginning. my eyes remind me of who i am. i experience so much without even perceiving them and with my eyes closed as well so i enjoy them and tend to forget what they look like at the same time haha my reflection is always a surprise!! i always wonder what they look like to others when they look into my eyes. my eyes seem to be a mix of colors? somewhere around hazel blue and grey i believe? ahh all eyes colors are so beautiful though!! i especially love eyes in the sunlight!!oh how they shine and sparkle!! hmm if i were to change my eyes maybe for fun on occasion! hehei would like a special color that is warm and inviting so anyone that meets my gaze can feel a sense of calm. perhaps an escape for a moment in time.like a kind yellow or purple or silver. ooo periwinkle would be pretty!! it’s a color i could stare at for hours and one of the first colors that i remember!! i am very fond of periwinkle. yes i think if i had a choice my eyes would be periwinkle!! for now i love my eyes the way they are!! your eyes are so lovable just the way they are!! 

purple - a poem you think describes your closest friend

i want to cook for you 

i want to bake for you

i want to cook homemade meals for you

and love with you

written by a wonderful poet hehe 😉🥰💐

turquoise - favorite sea animal?

ahh what a decision they are all so lovely aren’t they? so many sea animals and creatures!! hmmm let’s see what comes to mind? omg this is so hard ahhhhmy brain is so excited i can’t even ahh i think of sharks, whales, whale sharks, dolphins, otters, seals, sea lions, narwhals, manatees, sea turtles, lionfish, oarfish, manta ray, anemone ahh omg this might be more sea creature hahaahh i love so many ahh ok ok the sea is just too wonderful and all who inhabit the sea and around the sea!! i think i’ll go with jellyfish!! i really adore moon jellies!!

claret - do you play an instrument? do you want to learn to play any?

ahh i used to play piano and xylophone and would like to learn again in the future! i only know a little kalimba for fun at the moment! oh my gosh so many instruments. if my lungs were stronger a wind instrument would be fun like an oboe!! ahh a violin or a cello would be very nice!! i love string and percussion instruments like a harp!! omg i would love to play a harp!! i also really love dulcimers!! i thought of learning to play a dulcimer and/or a theremin for a possible future creative endeavor hint hint hehe so those two came to mind the most!! i would also be very happy to create my own sound effects some day!! i love and admire sound effects a lot and i think the process of sfx is very cool and how i could use every day objects and surfaces around me to create an array of sounds is very exciting!! hehe i yearn for the sound of footsteps 😭

emerald - if you had the option, would you choose to move and live in another country? which one?

i haven’t thought of living in another country very often actually but i have thought of visiting!! i was always happy with my familiar surroundings here or living in a similar environment that feels comfortable and good and i don’t have to look far for new and exciting adventures big and small!! hehe i remember wanted to study abroad when i was younger. the first few places that come to mind that i would like to visit is Japan, Switzerland and Norway so perhaps i would live there? when i think of living some place i envision a home that feels safe and warm and cozy and serene. a space for myself and to share with another like my cats and perhaps a partner or a friend if they wish hehenot too far away from my loved ones and if so i would happily travel to see them surrounded by nature and the seasons and good energy and good times. activities i enjoy and much to explore. enjoying all the small things in life.so regardless of where i am i would love that life very much!! also a train through the countryside and lots of tea and tiny treasures in life pretty please 🥺

honey - your thoughts on magic does it exist?

why yes of course!! i feel like i have experienced an array of magical times and moments throughout my lifetime here many things in life feel magic to methis world is very magical after all!! i believe in magic!! can’t you feel it? for example the lovely being who sent me these asks is brimming with magic 💐✨

rust - form of art you enjoy doing?

where do i begin? hehe ahh i love art sooo much!! i personally enjoy photography very much with photography it’s more like the art finds me more than i pursue art? i take photos very spontaneously when i feel the moment is right or when i stumble upon a photo i envision that is presented right in front of me like ah there you are!! more than setting ones up ahead of time but it can be fun to prepare for photos too. there’s so much art to admire and create!! i also feel drawn to miniatures, animation, stop motion animation, film, illustration, comics, needle felting, writing, music etc to name a few since there are so so many!! i love how endless and lively all forms of art are in this world.  perhaps my favorite art is life itself and the art of being myself and being able to share art with the world with another precious humanl would make me very happy ✨

amethyst - do you collect anything?

ah yes i do!! i collect vintage cat collectibles and mugs and animated films!! also any cat who steals my heart which is too many to count!! hehe so much of their love and memories of them as well as people and places and inanimate objects reside within myself. like a vast library stored in my very soul. ahh the scent of old books. how it tempts me. my soul would enjoy that fragrance hehe i also simply adore tea and treats ahh and i collect a lot of warmth and love hehe

prussian blue - what’s your first choice at a vending machine?

my first thought was cookies? haha i have never had cookies from a vending machine! when i was younger i would get chips or candy or soda! i feel like i spent way more time staring at what i could get in a vending machine than actually getting anything haha so by the time i could get something i would be on to my next stop!! if i did get anything from a vending machine it always felt like a treat the whole process of pushing buttons and waiting for the satisfying drop and even the frustrating wrinkled dollar bills were a good time hehe like everything inside was special even the most ordinary of snacks and drinks in the next vending machine i encounter kitkats are my first pick!! or tea!! hehe i would love to see what kinds of vending machines are out there like ones with special items?? like warm drinks!!  ahh vending machines are great fun hehe 

rose quartz - rings or necklaces

ahh that’s a hard one!! i don’t usually wear a lot of jewelry but i have grown to be more fond of rings lately! i like admiring them on my hands and the feeling of playing with them on my fingers and how they dance in the light so freely like they were meant to touch both skin and light warm and cold and in between i do have a necklace that is very very dear to me so i would choose my necklace over rings but i do enjoy wearing rings!! so many ways to express yourself hehe

ahhh thank you so much for all your asks!! i love receiving and answering asks from you!! hehe brings me great joy and you were the first one to send me asks!! 🥰 the magical asks that started it all ✨you know me i intend to write a simple response and end up with a novel 😂 i think this is a new record!! lol i hope you enjoy my very long and detailed answers and i did have a lot of fun with these!! sending you all my love and good energy!!  i love youu so much!! 🥺💐💞✨

[katribou]

ive been angry in past weeks with nowhere to direct it so yay!! a disillusioned anon i got is going to take the hit!! thank you dumbass!!

so! when it comes to drawing you may use wacky palettes. and thats good and fun, i love me some colors. sometimes you may use colors like orange or yellow as skintones to make stuff pop, instead of making them the more realistic spectrum of browns and tans and etc that exist in the real world. 

now, we are aware that it is derogatory to call asians yellow! yes! still frowned upon! bad! REALLY don’t do that!! before i say anything else, let me tell you! that i myself am literally half chinese! my mom and her family literally were born in! and came over from! hong kong! i dont feel like i should have to tell you all these details about my life!!!!!!!!!!!! because you are not entitled to them!!!!!!! but anon pissed me off so i feel like i guess i have to justify!

so! growing up and existing as half chinese, i’m still very sensitive to racism against asians! believe it or not i did experience some of that shit in gradeschool! even tho!! i’m not even!!! fully asian!!! unfortunately i grew up in a very white whitey white town so!! guess we had it coming lmfao!! i’m digressing

i was accused of being Problematic by lovely anon here (who went all the way to send these messages to me on my fucking splatoon blog where none of the content there is even related to what was being critiqued (aka my jojo art) probably to take advantage of the fact i have anonymous messages switched on over there and dont here on my main) because i use yellow as a skintone on asian characters.

that may sound bad by itself but it is only bad if you are EXCLUSIVELY USING YELLOW on asian characters. whoa wha?!?!?!!?!?!?!? im sorry if your small brain cannot comprehend that concept

LETS TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF MY WORK THAT IS APPARENTLY SO PROBLEMATIC ON THIS FRONT

behold. some of my mob psycho art. wowie! teru all the way on the right portrays how i feel at the moment because a clown in my inbox got the better of me and is causing me to write this longass novel of a post

all of these characters are fully japanese! 100% asian! oh no, hold up, some of them were drawn with yellow palettes for their complexion! WAIT A SECOND!!! IS THAT...? Unproblematic Because As You Can See i portray asians in a variety of colors for skintones and not just yellow as people who are historically racist towards asians generally refer to them as? CORRECT!!!!!!

i will say that i would understand if there are asians out there who are uncomfortable with this artistic choice because of this history in the racism against asians. but i firmly stand with the belief that doing so is only a problem if (1) you only use yellow as a skintone when you are drawing asians and/or (2) if you reserve using yellow as a skintone JUST for when you are drawing asians.

i obviously do neither and im not calling myself perfect on any level but calling me problematic for this is just plain INCORRRECT.

anyway. sorry. i know i said i wasn’t going to acknowledge this anon’s messages unless they showed a face, but after some thinking i’m like. man. if others are this disillusioned maybe i need to say some shit. to teach The People or something

also anon if youre out there i just want to let you know you sounded extra stupid here specifically

trish una...............

is literally fully italian

[doodling-doodler]

                              THE LOUDEST SHOW FANFIC 

(PLEASE READ THROUGH THE WHOLE POST)

Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah

Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for (woah)

Doodling Doodler here with a special message for all you guys! I. AM. BACK!!! I also have exciting news. Remember that little project I got? What was it… ah! The Loudest Show! Well guess what! The first chapter is out now!!! What are you waiting for? Looking at the art? Thank you by the way. Part of the first chapter is just down here. Oh wait before you do I give you ivanthestoryteller who wants to give you all 2 special messages. One just down here and the other all the way at the end of this post.

1vanth30s0m3/ivanthestoryteller: I’m not going to take up your time too much here. It’s been awhile since my last story wrapped up and here I am again. I’d like to thank doodler for the opportunity to work on this story. I understand that someone else has also been writing about this AU from doodler and I want it to be known that I’m not trying to steal ideas or even ride that person’s coattails. I simply wish to tell a good story. Hopefully you’ll stick around for the ending notes since I want to use that space for a more productive reason and will try to stick to those when I write out any more notes. Please enjoy the first chapter. 

(Please come down and visit)

Story: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/8482143/

Tumblr: https://ivanthestoryteller.tumblr.com/

 Chapter 1             What is a man?

               A young Lincoln waited on the couch in the reading room, just as his mother had instructed him. He tugged at the collar on his shirt, trying to loosen it so he wouldn’t feel strangled. The day was warm and the manor was just as such. He finally heard the clacking of shoes on the wood floor and turned to see his parents leading a girl who appeared two, maybe three years older than him. They all stopped in front of the couch, the girl standing in front of them. She had buckteeth and her hair was drawn into a braid. Lincoln didn’t know why she was there and eagerly awaited.

               “Lincoln, as you know,” his father began, “we have considered how to go about your education. We finally have decided that a private tutor is the best option for you. However, we also know that you need other children to play with,” his father looked down and gestured towards the girl, “so we also decided to hire an apprentice to the maids. She will live here with the rest of the staff and fulfill her duties, but she will also be here to help keep you from feeling lonely.” The girl was wide-eyed, looking very nervous at the prospect of the future that awaited her. Lincoln only looked curious, stuck in a state of wonderment.

               “Go on, Lincoln, say hello,” his mother instructed.

               “Hi, I’m Lincoln,” he said.

               “Hello, my name is Luan,” the girl said with a curtsy.

               “Now, I do think it best for the two of you to get to know each other, so would you kindly show her around, Lincoln?” his father requested. Lincoln got off the couch and began an impromptu tour of the manor. He showed her every room, asking bits and pieces, not sure of what to really say. She was just as quiet, unsure of herself when responding. She noticed he was developing buck teeth, even if it was early, much like her. That was something they at least had in common.

               “Why did you want to become a maid?” Lincoln asked. It was the only thing that felt right to say when he exhausted what little small talk he knew. She waited for a moment.

               “My mom made me,” she replied, saddened. Lincoln only grew more curious to the answer.

               “Why did she make you?” They had stopped in the middle of the hallway on the way to the north wing.

               “She wanted to see me in a better place that would help take care of me,” Luan said. Lincoln was sure that he didn’t want to press that issue too much.

               “Do you want to be with her?”

               “Yes.” Luan looked at the floor. Lincoln thought quickly.

               “Where are you from?” She looked up, her face reverting back to nervous.

               “Royal Woods,” she spoke quietly, her voice distracted from her mother.

               “Oh, that’s a quick train ride away,” he stated with realization.

               “Have you been there?” Luan asked.

               “No. I haven’t been able to go many places and my parents won’t let me visit places with them. But that’ll change in a few months.” He was jovial with the date for then.

               “Do you want me to tell you about it?” He nodded fervently. They began their tour again, with her describing her hometown to him. He listened, marveling at her stories. She looked comfortable, as if she were in her own home and they were lifelong friends. Her voice was nice, as if he could listen to it for hours on end.

               Lincoln enjoyed this memory, as he loved to remember meeting his best friend for the first time at the age of five. He enjoyed the games they played, although he enjoyed her company always, particularly when ditching their responsibilities. Though it had been a month on from when they met, they hid in a den that was rarely used by his family and just as touched by the staff. He didn’t like the schoolwork he had to do and she was trying to buy time before she had to do anything. She wore a white frilled cap, a simple gray dress, and the apron was not too far off from the cap in design. He was wearing an orange suit that was more to impress the tutor than to be comfortable.

               “I don’t know why I ever have to wear this stupid suit. It does nothing but choke me,” Lincoln complained. Luan giggled a little.

               “I like it. Orange seems to be your color.” He looked at her with an empty warning in his eyes.

               “If you like it, then why don’t you wear it?” he jested. She laughed a little.

               “I would but I’m afraid I would be mistaken for a savage, much like you,” she delivered with a wide grin. He laughed, knowing her words were meant only for tickling him.

               “I’m still wondering who took the pies from the kitchen,” he rhetorically declared.

               “I don’t know, but three butlers certainly found them.” Lincoln laughed harder, remembering how all three were covered in the varying pie fillings. She joined him in laughter, enjoying her handiwork. “I wish everyone could laugh like this all the time,” she said in between giggles. He looked over at her, coming down from the giddiness.

               “You want to see the world happy all the time?”

               “Yeah. I only wish to make the world happy,” she spoke with a bittersweet tone.

               “That’s what you’d love to do, huh?” He never knew before now.

               “Yep.” She pulled out something small from her pocket. He saw it had many sides, all of which were yellow, dangling from a small string. “I’ve got my wish right here: to see everyone happy and to bring it to them.” She was smiling grandly. He saw her conviction of wanting to carry out the dream and saw the item go back into her pocket. He looked on at her, wondering if her dream could ever be fulfilled.

               He stared, still, his face solemn and stony. He saw the caskets, ready to be lowered after some final words. He held the hand of Lily, his newborn sister. Lincoln wanted her to be able to see their parents one last time before interment, helping to build a chair for her carriage so she could look at them. His mother’s words were always fresh whenever he saw Lily. Promise me you’ll look after Lily, he heard her say with a voice growing weaker and weaker, all happening right after her delivery of her daughter. He promised her and she gave one final breath, smiling as she heard his words. He made sure he would keep his promise, always checking on her and tending to her if he heard her.

               Luan was right beside him, looking worse than he was, tearing up but not sobbing, unlike some of the staff who were. He told them it wasn’t mandatory to attend and he would understand if they wished not to, but all of them came. The mourners at the funeral were clothed in black garb. The crowd heard the pastor clear his throat and begin the last step of his job for the event.

               “These poor souls were taken from us, beginning with the passing of Lynn Loud, of whom had passed away on the twelfth of April, in the year of our Lord eighteen-hundred and eighty-two. On the nineteenth of April, in the same year, Rita Loud passed away and has joined her husband. They were kind souls in life and so shall be in Heaven.” The sky was gray but no other sign of rain coming was present. “I do believe that the book of Ecclesiastes has some important words for all of us and are most fitting for any occasion. I shall now recite chapter three, verses one through eight.” He cleared his throat again. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance...”

               Lincoln listened to the pastor. He waited for the man to be done, carefully observing each word he spoke. The words brought some comfort, but he wished not for comfort. He wished he could carry on with his parents being there for when he needed them most. And now he needed to be there when they needed him most. The pastor finished his services and approached Lincoln.

               “My condolences, Mr. Loud,” he spoke, voice filled with the same solemnity he kept from before.

               “Thank you, Pastor Mannard,” Lincoln replied. His voice was low.

               “I’ll go ahead and retrieve the gravediggers for their burial. Are you sure you wish to stay around?” the pastor asked.

               “I wish to see things through and give them the first shovelful of dirt,” he replied, still low with his voice.

               “Then I shall be back in a moment.” The pastor left, going to where the diggers were. Luan put a hand on his shoulder.

               “Do you want me to take Lily back to the mansion?” Her voice sounded broken, trying hard to keep itself together. She noticed the staff heading back and wondered what Lincoln would like to do.

               “No, let her be until I head back myself.” He moved toward their gravestones, Luan pulling her hand away. She moved closer to Lily, staying within arm’s reach of her. Lincoln stood before the deceased, looking over their gravestones to check for any imperfection.

               A good wife and perfect mother, letting no one else say otherwise, he read on the stone for his mother. He made sure the words were perfect, wanting to never disrespect her memory.

               A kind husband and an even greater father, he read on the stone for his father. The same case could made here. The pastor returned with his two assistants, spades in hand. They lowered the couple into the holes, taking extreme care with doing so. True to his word, Lincoln gave the first portion of dirt to his mother and the next portion to his father, handing back the spade. He walked away, Luan and Lily in tow. He could hear the movement of dirt until he could hear no more, mostly since a set of walls blocked the sounds.

               “Take Lily to her wet-nurse and please tell the staff that I don’t wish to disturbed for the rest of the day,” he told Luan after entering the foyer, the door barely being closed behind them. She nodded and he went to the den his father used almost all the time. Luan did precisely as instructed, informing those who needed to know and ensuring that Lily was to be taken care of before leaving her to see Lincoln. She opened the door with no warning and stepped in.

               “May I come in?” she asked, unsure if he would entertain the thought of having her there at this time. He turned to see that it was indeed her before turning back and giving his response.

               “Please do,” he spoke quietly from his seat. She moved in farther after shutting the door with a soft thunk. “It’s quite surreal, sitting here,” he spoke again.

               “How so?” she indulged the pleasantry, sure of what the answer might be.

               “He would always sit there,” Lincoln gestured at the giant, empty seat on the other side of the desk in front of him, “tending to any and all matters that were for business. I never saw him within this room without his presence on that side.” He rested his head in one hand as he looked at the floor. “I’ll never see him standing there again. He filled that seat, but now...” He turned to Luan and she saw his facade slowly breaking down. “But now… I’m not even sure I can fill it. Not even sure I want to fill it.” She stood behind him and clasped a hand upon his shoulder.

               “I’m sure you’ll figure this out in due time,” she said, trying her best to comfort him.         “Maybe so, but… there’s just so much to do,” he voiced with grave concern. “I have to assume control over my father’s business ventures, I have to make sure the estate isn’t just suddenly taken away, I have to make sure Lily is taken care of, all the while with me needing to put bread on the table for everyone here.” He looked back down. “Luan, I’m ill-prepared to be Master of the Estate.”

               “We all have faith in you, Lincoln,” she said to soothe his woes. “You might not be prepared but I know you’ll succeed. You always do.” She finished with a giant smile showing off her buckteeth. He returned one that was weak, but it was still a smile nonetheless.

               “Thank you, Luan, for your kind words,” he said. “However, I must ask you follow suit with the other staff and allow me to be alone for the rest of the day. I apologize if I sound unreasonable.”

               “Not at all. I’ll let you know if an emergency arises and requires your attention,” she said and gave truth to her words by letting him be. With the door closed behind her, she set off for her normal rounds, checking to see if anyone was in need of company or wished to check on their employer’s emotional state. She left each room since not one spec of dust or dirt could found and everyone was given the same information when she encountered them. Finally, she walked into Lily’s room, sure there was something to pass the time there.

               “How is Master Lincoln fairing?” the woman holding Lily as she herself sat in the rocking chair asked. Her age was certainly not large in number, though it was possible for her to be a grandmother (albeit, a young one at that), her hair reflecting this slightly and the formation of wrinkles barely taking root.

               “He seems to be doing better than yesterday but the toll is still plain to see,” Luan responded from a chair stationed near the door. “I’m assuming that tomorrow, Lincoln will wish to be left alone in his room.”

               “That’s Master Lincoln. He’s the head of the estate now; you must show him the proper respect his position carries,” the woman scolded her.

               “I am showing him respect. He had the title thrust upon him and is still trying to get used to holding it. He wishes that his father still held it,” Luan said, defending her choice in words. The woman sighed.

               “I suppose your words have merit, but that does not mean you should be used to speaking with a lack of title in your address of him.” Luan couldn’t argue her words. For as much as Lincoln was her friend, it was inevitable that he would simply become less so and then she would either have to leave or deal with it as her only paths.

               “Fair enough,” Luan submitted. “But for now, it’s reasonable.” The older woman chuckled.

               “That stubbornness will either put you on the streets or take you to the top of society,” the woman said as she stifled her laughing.

               “And I’ll gladly accept such a fate, Ms. Agnis,” Luan spoke with confidence. With the time passing by quickly the more she conversed, night soon fell and she, along with all other members of the manor (to her knowledge), turned in so as to rise in the morning.

               However, the next day was still as dreary as the previous one. Lincoln refused to have her as company, something she had expected and so she waited for the next day, and then the next day. And the one after that. It was at long last on the fourth day that she set her mind to disturbing her good friend in his time away from it all.

               “Lincoln?” she called from her side of a large door after a quick rap. There was nothing. She repeated her actions, calling a second time, still gaining no response. “I’m coming in,” she warned as she tried the knob. It gave no resistance to her entrance. She entered and saw Lincoln slumped in a chair, his clothes still surrounding him as if he had been productive through the night. He had severe bags under his eyes and the occasional snore let her know he was still breathing. “Wake up, Lincoln.”

               “What’s the time?” he asked as he roused at her hand’s behest.

               “Time for breakfast,” she answered. He rubbed his eyes to rid them of sleep.

               “Send it up then,” he responded, beginning to sit up and get some life into his limbs.

               “Everyone’s worried about you,” she informed him. He paused and looked at her, his eyes barely focused.

               “I’ll be down in a few minutes, then,” he conceded, slumping forward in the seat. She began to make her way out of the room so as to give him the space for his own needs but was stopped just before the door. “Tell everyone they’re more than welcome to join me, though I suspect I won’t be down there for long,” he added on. She nodded and went to spread the news. Almost all of the staff declined such an offer, the only one willing to accept being Ms. Agnis, on the conditions that she not be served anything.

               Enough time passed to cause Luan to wonder if she would have to go back to retrieve her friend when he showed up. His clothes were more put together and fresher looking, but he still had a disheveled look to his head. She knew better than to point it out, seeing how him arriving was an achievement in and of itself. He took his seat and bowed his head so as to stare at the table. Luan delivered his breakfast directly to him.

               “How’s the meal, Lincoln?” she asked after a few bites were taken. It was a simple testing of the waters, meant mostly to be done in stealth behind kind words.

               “Quite good. Thank you,” he replied with little life in his words. She had taken a seat beside him, something she was rarely afforded a chance to do.

               “That’s good to hear,” Luan said, unsure what else to truly do. He continued to eat the meal in peace, leaving with barely a word at the end of it. Luan followed him, even after he ducked into his room and tried to shut the door behind himself.

               “I wish to be in peace,” he spoke with slight annoyance, turning around and seeing who he had given such a command to. “My apologies. I didn’t see you there.”

               “There’s no need to be sorry. I completely understand,” she replied. He turned back to sit in his chair once more.

               “I do wish to be alone,” he said in a much calmer tone. She ignored this and went directly to him, standing by his side as he sat at his desk.

               “I’m worried about you,” she said, her tone showing it. “I haven’t seen you smile in an eternity.”

               “Luan, now is not the right time–”

               “I’m not leaving until I see a smile on your face, Lincoln.” She delivered the ultimatum and he knew that he was in for a fight to be rid of her. “Did you hear about the man wandering a police station? Apparently when he was stopped and asked why he was there, he said he didn’t have the faintest clue.” She saw the twinges of a smile touch the edges of his mouth and used this as a hope to keep pressing on. “Did you hear about the other man wandering the police station? He was trying to find someone to talk to about his pole’s lease”, she delivered, allowing a smile to touch her lips. Lincoln was trying quite hard to suppress the smile he was developing.

               “Please, Luan,” he begged. She ignored him.

               “Three men and a dwarf walk into a bar,” she began. A knock at the door to the room interrupted her. They both looked toward the door.

               “Enter,” Lincoln called. The door opened to reveal a member of staff, a butler by the name of Drewson.

               “There’s someone here who requests to meet you, sir,” he spoke, his very voice unsure if he should have even alerted the Master of the Estate to this guest and instead to have sent the person packing at the door.

(Go see the other half of the story at https://www.fanfiction.net/u/8482143/)

1vanth30s0m3/ivanthestoryteller: That was quite something. If you enjoyed it, then hopefully you’ll stick around for the rest of the story. I’ve never written an AU nor have I ever dreamed I would. I’d like to take this time to say that I’m probably going to get these chapters released very slowly, so hopefully I’ll be able to keep to a schedule of no more than every three months (I’m not joking). At least until I finish everything and then I’ll up the releases. I’d also like to take this time to recommend stories to you, dear reader. The first two stories go against my personal criteria for this section, but I’ll also be putting in two instead of one, so nothing will be as I want it to be in the future as I have it now. The first story is “Loud Like Love” by ThisAccountKillsFascists. I think I forgot to mention them in the last story I wrote and so I’m just being safe here. The second story I want to recommend is “A Sister’s Love” by (current name) Outsider316. Both can be found on fanfiction.net and are great stories. I really think you should check them out. In the future, I’ll be aiming for stories with under 50 favorites and 50 follows as well as less than 100 reviews from the same site. Other than that, tell me or doodler what you think about this story either here or on fanfiction.net. Reviews and/or pm’s are greatly appreciated.

Doodler here, now many of you fine ladies and gents know I had been absent for a while well that’s because recently I have been out of a job and had been struggling to make ends meet which is not a good thing when you are the constant whipping boy of that jerk called depression. I apologized for the delay and what I am about to do. I will be setting up some of the old fundraising sites like patreon. Not looking for much nor do I have a plan. All I will ask is just some small amount like a dollar, not even per month just a one time donation to help keep the lights on. 

But have no fear! I will still be producing more content regardless!

The Loudest Show is a go!!!

[franeridart]

what program/brushes do you use for your art? it's so damn pretty

Easy Paint tool SAI and the default pen/brush/marker tools, mostly! and thank you!!! ;^;

Anon said:When I was a kid I would've had a crush on Akane

HECK that’s such a compliment!! Thank you!!!

Anon said:Couldn't Akane technically Control/move Kiri's hair since it's dyed? I mean it's like his hair is stained meaning it's not alive! so Akane finally warms up to him and messes with him or plays with his hair?

She can and she did! I drew her doing just that both in the first and in the fourth thing I posted about her! :D

Anon said:okay i don't know if this is coming through but i have just looked through your entire blog(can only go 4 years back) and let me just say you are wonderful, I absoluty LOVE how you paint/draw like its sooo pretty??? like dnjwcfehbi i cant describe it, (part 1) || like you are wonderful, I absolutely LOVE how you paint/draw like it's so pretty??? like dnjwcfehbi I can't describe it like it's absolutely Fabulous, Stunning, Amazing, Lovely and it looks so smoooooth like what????how??But anyways love your art and love you keep being Amazing! (part 2)

AH GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! This is such a sweet ask to get TT^TT (and you can only go 4 years back because the blog is 4 years old! Can’t believe you actually went through it all!!)

Anon said:I really love your art style and your comics are so cute and I love how you draw older Bakugou and Kirishima!! It’s all so wonderful! Thank you for sharing it with everyone!

Oh man thank you!! ;;; I’m so happy yo know you like them!!!!!! TTOTT

Anon said:the level of FLUFF and KOOKIENESS and SOFT and MARSHMALLOW and MY HEART CAN'T TOOK THIS IS is so much I could die.

PLEASE DON’T DIE I LOVE YOU !!!!! 

Anon said:I love everything about Akane's au. Her, her interactions with Bakugou, how she dislikes Kirishima but is beginning to warm up to him, the boys' aged-up designs. Everything. It's all amazing. Thank you for bringing it into my life!

Nggghhhhhhhh no anon thank you for liking her!!!!

Anon said:Currently procrastinating on my essay to go through your blog because it de-stresses me and I love your art so much like seriously h e l p

GAH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! /////

Anon said:There's something I'm not understand in your AU children kiribaku. She adopted by bakugo or she is a kid bakugou have with someone. ( I'm really really sorry for my English )

Adopted!

Anon said:Your comics are so cute and funny! I'm loving the story with Akane, the last update was great! I really like the way you draw the characters, like your style is so nice. Thanks for making my day better with your art!

G o d thank you So Much!!!!!!

Anon said:Akane is adorable, and I absolutely love the comics that you upload of her, but also on top of that your mohawk Bakugo has cleared my skin, watered my crops, and brought me back from the dead at LEAST twice.

I’M REAL GLAD TO HEAR THAT because mohawk Bakugou owns my whole soul and it’s nice to know I’m not alone in that hahaha

Anon said:What are some ways Akane messes with Kiri (or used to) when he wears red clothes? Does she often do that? Does she do it when Baku's not home, or when he is so that she can hammer in just how much she dislikes Kiri? Has she ever done anything major that caused her to be really reprimanded by Baku, but being the best person in the world Kiri did not get angry?

She really only ever gets pissy (or used to! they’re starting to get along better !!!) at Kiri when she feels jealous for whatever reason, and that doesn’t happen as often as it seems through my doodles, so it’s not like she’s always antagonistic towards him! Mostly she just ignores him, so no, it doesn’t happen often at all! And she’s never gone further than messing his hair up or tugging a bit at his clothes, since she doesn’t have the strength to move Kiri all that much haha the only reason she managed to have him fall the first time was because he was balancing already, but generally Kiri weighs way too much for her to move him around or pull at the red stuff he’s wearing enough for him to notice it all that much 

anyway, Baku never reprimended her for it - not more than he did in the first comic I posted with them, at least, specifically because the damage she can make is so minor that Kiri and Baku barely consider it something to tell her off for... if she were ever to act that way towards someone she might actually hurt (say, a kid her own age) then Baku might reprimend her more seriously, but as long as she’s just tugging at Kiri’s clothes they don’t see it as anything worth fighting her over :D

Anon said:Just sent an ask, so forgive me for this one, but I'd love to get this straight: in the Akane AU Kiri and Baku graduated and share an apartment, are madly into each other, but they neither has made a move on the other yet? Perhaps that should be sad, but it's 100% adorable.

I know I shouldn’t say this as I made the au myself, but I find the arrangement pretty dang adorable too haha they act like a married couple anyway, so it’s like... pining while the rest of the world already considers them an item? and the pining is mostly about stuff like ahhhh I wanna tell him I love him or ahhhhhh god I wanna kiss him, but then they’ll fall asleep on the couch together or hold hands just for the hell of it or cook for each other or make plans that always involve each other and all in all act as each other’s partner, so it’s mostly just like *Kaminari voice* “God these oblivious idiots” hahaha

Anon said:That latest Akane comic melted my heart like you often do. Though for a moment, I expected Eijirou to say "I don't want Katsuki to be my dad, I want him to be my daddy" XD Though that would not sound like him. Props for his adorable interactions with Scarlet Death Queen Witch.

Anon you don’t get it that’s exactly why I had him say “be his son” instead of “be my dad” LMAO it was like, a conscious wording decision hahaha thank you so much for liking my girl, btw!!!

Anon said:Fran! I was just wondering if you would be willing to post your Demon Kiri and Angel Baku art on Redbubble? I'd love to buy a print of it!! Totally understand if not. Also your newer Akane comics are killing me, they're so damn cute!! So yeah love you and your beautiful art! Hope you have an awesome year!!

I CAN TRY I think I did try last time I updated my rb? But the format of the pic made it hard to use it for a lot of things so I gave up??? I can try again tho!!! Thank you for being interested in buying it!!! And thank you for liking Akane too!!!!!

Anon said:is katsuki and kirishima not together in the adopted child comics or is there gonna be a plot to them getting together? 👀

I’m not really writing anything cohesive for it so I wouldn’t call it a plot point, but yeh they still aren’t together! And I wanna have them get to the point in which they are together!!! :D

Anon said:I'm gonna die why do you do this with your adorable art my god

PLEASE!!!!! DON’T DIE!!!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:Your Akane + KiriBaku comics are adorable and I love the relationships that exist between them. I can't wait to see more of them!

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!! I hope I won’t disappoint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:I love your art so much!! Especially the little Akane au (so freaking cute!!!!). Random question: if you’ve ever seen Lucifer, who do you think would fit his character? Have an awesome day!

I haven’t seen it, sorry :((( but thank you for liking my girl!!!!!!

Anon said:I apologize if this has already been thought of but i feel as though when akane gets older and if she decides to be a hero, part of her costume could include useful red objects mayhaps?? Such as a shield or daggers or handcuffs so if there’s a lack of red around her she isn’t in a complete ditch. But i love your work sm ahhh💕💕

Yes!!! That’s the plan!!!!! I don’t think I’ll ever draw a teen version of her character but I MIGHT mention this idea in the current timeline, I like the idea so much TT^TT

Anon said:Hey there, I am absolutely obsessed with Akane like I love her so much wow but anyways I was wondering if you've ever drawn tododeku/ will in the future?

Thank you!!!! And I have drawn them in the past (under my tododeku tag!) and I might draw them again in the future, though currently I’m in a pretty big izu//ocha mood so I dunno when that will happen!

Anon said:I love your art so much like??? Help???

THANK YOU TTATT

Anon said:Y'know it could be gayer c'mon

This ask has been in my inbox for 17 days and I still don’t know what it means ??? but I laughed a lot when I got it so thank you anon and yes, definitely, everything could always be gayer that’s just how the world goes

Anon said:I swear you drew an older version of the krbk kids and it wasn't a fever dream I'm currently frantically searching through your blog rn help

I DID that post is CURSED anon, you can look it up through any of the tags I used to tag it and it won’t show up it won’t and I don’t know why!! I always lose it exactly because of this reason I have zero idea why it does this but??? okay I guess???????????

anyway if you still want it it’s here

Anon said:If Akane can control red things, does she low-key also have control over things that are pink and orange depending on how reddish in hue they are? I love her btw. Such a smol bean who could probably kick my ass!

What a good question you got there!! She has control over everything that has a color that falls in the red wavelength of the visible spectrum - that does include certain tones of pink and certain tones of orange, but there’s a point where orange gets too yellow or pink gets too white that her powers stop working. As long as the red in the color is more than any other hue, though, her powers work! 

Anon said: im just imagining if baku takes akane with him when he is going to work and is there with kiri and akane help kiri with his hair bc she is suffering when he tries to style it himself

Once they start getting along better Akane and Kiri actually start helping each other with their hair! They’re both very particular about it so they understand each other as far as that topic goes haha

Anon said:Hi I just wanted to say I’m really enjoying what you are doing in your latest drawing. The contrast with the thick sketchy lines and the thinner crisp ones and the spaces that have no defined line! It’s cool to see you experiment with your line work while staying true to your natural style! Sorry if this came off weird but I love seeing talented artists try pushing the boundaries of their style it’s really visually/conceptually interesting! :)

AH MAN thank you so much I’m so happy to know you like that tool TT^TT it’s really super comfy to use, so it’s nice to know someone finds it visually appealing too!!! thank you!!!!!

Anon said:Is there any chance you could make a masterpost of the aus you do? It's a lot to scroll down to the beginning of a concept u have sometimes and it can be unclear when they start

They all have a tag they’re under, tho? If I’ve made more than one post about them! I have so many AUs going around that making a masterpost with all of them is a bit... mostly so since I don’t know for how many I’ll actually go back on! But if the tags don’t really work for you (generally the link is gonna look like https://franeridart.tumblr.com/tagged/[here goes the tag]/chrono to have it in chronological order) then I can try? I can’t promise I’ll find a comfortable way to do this, tho orz sorry!

Anon said:This might be an odd ask but does Akane like Jirou? I feel like they would get along really well. And how about her grandma Mitsuki? Since she takes after Katsu who takes after her, they could make an adorably angry trio

She hasn’t spent much time with Jirou yet so right now she’s mostly meh about her (though right now she only actually likes Bakugou, and she’s warming up to Kiri, but that’s about it). She doesn’t mind Mitsuki, but she hasn’t spent too long with her either! She yells a bit too much at her dad tho, which Akane isn’t particularly fond of (protective bean that she is, she doesn’t get that that’s just their way of communicating just yet), so out of her grandparents she prefers Masaru, after all~

[tf-tere]

A Fallen Star - 2

(Poor little Starfall is somewhat overwhelmed by recent events.

If you’d rather leave a comment on AO3, you can find this fic under the same name and Tf_Tere. 

Words: ~1400)

Starfall came out of recharge and onlined her optics, blinking as she tried to remember where she was. This was not the ship. The sparkling pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked down at herself. For the first time in cycles she didn’t hurt. Her systems weren’t sending frantic warnings about energon levels and starvation. And there were no errors. Starfall twisted around to look at her wing, which was no longer bent.

“Carrier?” Starfall called out as she looked around the somewhat messy medical area.

“Ah, you’re awake.” A large, ground based bot came into the doorway. He had a white and orange paint job, and his optics were a piercing blue that sent a wave of terror through Starfall.

She hissed and scrambled back along the medical berth until her wings bumped against a wall. Starfall raised her clawed servos and glared at the Autobot. She remembered now, Autobots had gotten onto the ship! Well, they hadn’t killed her yet. The big one had even given her energon.

The Autobot did not look nearly as scared of her display as she wished. He lifted a hand to his helm instead.

“Optimus, the sparkling is up.”

He regarded her again and held up a cube of energon. “If I set this on the berth, will you refuel without making a mess? Or do you need help?”

Starfall felt her face flush with energon at the implication that she was some helpless new spark. Okay, the big Autobot had had to help her before. But that was just because she was so weakened from not having fuel for a couple cycles.

“I can do it myself! Stay away, Autobot.” She snapped, lifting her wings higher in a vain attempt to make herself look more imposing.

The Autobot snorted and stepped closer, setting the cube on the end of the berth furthest from where she half crouched. Starfall ignored the gurgle from her tanks and turned her nose up at the offering, refusing to budge from her spot. As if she’d trust what an Autobot gave her! Her carrier had taught her better than that.

“Suit yourself. And my name is Ratchet, by the way.” The Autobot shrugged.

A second Autobot came into the medbay. It was the big one, Optimus, that had given her energon on the ship. His blue optics looked at her with gentle compassion. It made Starfall nervous to have his gaze so focused on her. He hadn’t acted like she expected an Autobot to act. Maybe it was all a ploy? They might be after her carrier’s work.

“I am glad to see you are doing better, Starfall. You are safe here.” Optimus stopped short of the berth when the other Autobot held out a servo. Starfall was distantly grateful for that.

“I want my carrier!” She snapped, still glaring at the pair of them.

The two Autobots traded a significant glance. Starfall felt her spark tighten. How much of what she’d seen on the ship had been starvation driven delusion? She wouldn’t, couldn’t, believe that dull, grey form…

“I want my carrier!” Starfall repeated, half shrieking with her servos balled into fists now. She could feel her wings quivering, coolant gathering in her optics. This wasn’t the time to cry. Starfall knew she had to be brave and find her carrier. Then they could both escape, together.

Optimus sighed and stepped closer to the berth. “You were the only living thing on the ship, Starfall. Your carrier was already offlined.”

“No!” She shook her head quickly, not wanting to believe him. “No, he wouldn’t leave me! He wouldn’t!”

“I’m sorry. Your carrier did all he could to make sure you lived.” Optimus rumbled gently.

Starfall slumped down on her aft and hugged her knees close to her chest. Her wings hung low and quivered as she began to keen. She hadn’t wanted to believe he was gone, that she was all alone now.

“We could see if we have any records of your sire. Maybe he is still around?” Ratchet muttered awkwardly.

Coolant streaking down her cheeks, Starfall glanced up and shook her head as she worked to swallow the keening clawing up from her vocalizer. “S-sire… offlined in the fighting… before I emerged. It was just… just me and… c-carrier.” She lost control again, sobs shaking her small frame.

It seemed that was the last straw for Optimus. He reached out across the berth and lifted her up in his servos, cradling her close to his chassis. Starfall started thrashing against him, small claws leaving scratches on his metal plating and glass.

“Shush. It is alright to cry, to mourn for your loss.” Optimus attempted to rumble comfortingly.

“Why?” Starfall gasped out, vocalizer hitching. “Why are you being kind to me? You’re Autobots!”

Ratchet and Optimus shared a glance before the large Autobot looked back down at her again.

“You seem to have been misinformed; the Autobots are the good guys. We wouldn’t hurt a little sparkling. Even a Decepticon one. Well, unless you were trying to offline us I guess.” Ratchet shrugged and reached over to pick up the cube he’d set on the berth.

“We will look after you, Starfall. You are not alone.” Optimus said gently.

Ratchet held the cube of energon close to the whimpering sparkling. “You need to refuel, your frame is still vulnerable from almost starving.”  

She wanted to refuse, but her tanks chose to gurgle at that moment. Starfall wriggled slightly in Optimus’s grasp until she could take the cube from Ratchet. It didn’t take her long to finish it off, the taste bitter from added minerals. She knew they were good for her, but it didn’t mean she liked them. Her frame felt heavy and sore still. Cradled against Optimus’s chassis she was warm and the thrum of his spark was soothing.

Starfall felt her head falling limp against Optimus’s chassis. Her optics kept flickering. She turned over so her wings didn’t feel cramped and let herself drift back into recharge.

~

Optimus was gentle as he settled the sparkling back onto the medical berth. She didn’t even twitch, small frame limp. He smiled faintly and carefully moved her so she wasn’t lying on her right wing. Starfall looked adorable in sleep, her rounded cheek smushed against the berth.

“I was able to do some scans before she came around.” Ratchet muttered, looking down at a piece of tech in his servos.

“What can you tell me?” Optimus rumbled softly to avoid disturbing Starfall’s rest.

Ratchet sighed and rubbed his helm for a moment. “Plenty of evidence for long term stasis. We can assume that’s how a sparkling ended up here. She’s probably been in stasis since the beginning of the war. Judging by her frame and her spark, she’s between ten and twenty vorn old.”

“You can’t get anything more accurate?” Optimus asked with a small frown.

“I tried, but either this thing is struggling with a spark so young, or maybe it isn’t well calibrated for seekers. I don’t know. Her spark reads as a bit younger than her frame.” He sounded annoyed, optics narrowed at the offending technology. “Either way, she’s not a new spark, but she’s not much past that.”

“About the same age as when we found Bumblebee.” Optimus murmured, his gaze drawn back to the quietly resting sparkling. He could almost see the yellow sparkling curled up after crying himself to exhaustion when they’d found him wandering the streets, his creators offlined by the Decepticons.

“Yes, well, I’m putting together a feeding plan for her. She is still growing and her frame is suffering from almost starving before you found her.” Ratchet muttered. “Which means we need more energon. We have to make it more of a priority if everyone is going to stay fueled.”

Optimus’s expression became more grim. “You are right. I want someone on guard here at all times. I don’t want Starfall to wake up alone.”

“Worried she might do something?"

“I am worried both for her safety and ours. I do not expect her to trust us immediately. It may take a while for her to warm up to us.

Ratchet huffed out a breath. “Especially with whatever drivel she was told about Autobots. She acted like she thought we’d torture her or something.

“Typical scare tactics. Ratchet, I also want you to start going through the data we were able to extract from the ship’s computers. Whatever her carrier was working on may prove useful to us.

The medic considered his ever growing list of responsibilities and sighed. “I’ll get to it as soon as I can, Optimus.”

[get-your-fics]

Over the Moon (Connor x reader)

Summary: You are an activist protesting against androids taking jobs and increasing the unemployment rate. Connor sees you at a protest and can’t take his eyes off of you.

Warnings: Slight language

A/N: If you know anything about me, it’s that I’m musical trash, so parts of your dialogue are going to be from “Over the Moon” from Rent. I don’t know, it just popped into my head this morning and I couldn’t shake it. I don’t know why I’m like this.

Connor sat in the passenger seat of Hank’s car as he drove them back to DPD Central Station from an investigation. Suddenly, Hank slammed on the break, and the car jerked to a stop as a large group of people blocked the street.

“What the hell?” Hank shouted. He hit his fist against the car horn, sounding it over and over again.

Regardless of the blaring noise, the people did little to respond, let alone move out of the way. They merely glanced over at the car making so much noise.

“What is going on, Lieutenant?” Connor asked.

Hank groaned. “We’ll have to get out of the car to find out.”

They slammed the car doors behind them and walked towards the crowd. The air was filled with a cacophony of shouts and chants, and the people blocking the street raised signs and clenched fists into the air.

“It’s those dumb protestors again.” Hank ran a hand down his face. “They never know when to quit. We’re going to have to break them up if we ever want to get back to DPD.”

Connor’s LED flashed yellow for a second, quickly taking in the objective. “Let me do it, Lieutenant.”

Connor stepped toward the protest and was about to demand that they disperse when a hush fell over the crowd. He lifted his gaze to see a woman standing on top of a crate before the crowd, a megaphone raised to her mouth.

Hank looked at Connor and raised a brow. “Connor, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you doing anything?”

“Last night, I had a dream.” The woman’s voice projected all the way to where Connor was standing at the back of the crowd. “I found myself in a desert called Cyberland.”

Connor’s LED turned yellow as he scanned the woman’s face. “That is (Y/N) (L/N), well-known activist against androids in the workforce.”

“Yeah, I know who she is, Connor. You don’t have to explain to me,” Hank grumbled beside him. “Can you look at her criminal record?”

His LED changed to yellow again as he searched for her record. “Multiple charges of felony rioting, disturbing the peace, inducing panic, and protesting without a permit.”

“Fortunately for her, her parents are rich, so she hasn’t served any jail time.” Hank crossed his arms over his chest. “Doesn’t explain why she’s so passionate about the cause, though.”

Connor stared forward. He couldn’t seem to hear Hank anymore. All he could hear were her words echoing through the megaphone. “They’ve closed everything real down, like barns and troughs and performance spaces, and replaced it all with lies and rules and,” she paused to hit the megaphone, which made a buzzing sound that hurt Connor’s ears, “virtual life!”

“Yep, she’s one of the real looney ones,” Hank remarked, rubbing his ears.

“I gotta get out of here!” she yelled. “It’s like I’m being tied to the hood of a yellow rental truck, being packed in with fertilizer and fuel oil, pushed over cliff by a suicidal Mickey Mouse!”

Connor’s LED turned yellow. “What is a Mickey Mouse?” he asked Hank.

“A character from my generation.” He furrowed his brow. “She’s too young to know who that is, though.”

Suddenly, she started mooing into the megaphone. “Moo with me.” She pointed at someone in the front row of the crowd. “Sir, could you give me a little moo?” Without hesitating, the man mooed. “Yes! Moo with me!”

One by one, the crowd joined in, mooing louder and louder until Connor was barely able to hear her over the noise. “It sounds beautiful!” She pumped her fist in the air. “Let me hear you, Detroit!”

Hank looked over at Connor. “Aren’t you going to do anything?”

“Thank you!” She took a bow, and the crowd ceased mooing and erupted with applause. Connor didn’t know why, but watching her sent his programming into a frenzy. It made his LED turn a deep orange, almost red.

He pushed through the crowd, causing glares to be thrown his way. He stopped in front of her. “(Y/N) (L/N)?”

She looked down at him inquisitively. “Yes?”

He pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “You are under arrest.”

Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull. “What?”

“Connor, what are you doing?” Hank appeared beside him, his bushy, gray brows drawn together.

“You have the right to remain silent.” He latched his fingers around her arm and pulled her off of the crate. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

She looked him over. “What are you, some kind of porn android?” she jested, earning a few laughs from the crowd.

“My name is Connor. I am a RK800 android designed by CyberLife to assist the Detroit City Police Department. I thought that would be clear when I said you are under arrest.”

“She’s saying you’re hot, Connor.” Hank rolled his eyes.

“Oh.” If Connor could blush, he would have.

“Why exactly am I being arrested, detective?” She sneered the last word, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

“For blocking vehicular traffic during a protest without a permit.”

“But I do have a permit!” she exclaimed.

“My instructions say you can show it to us at the station.” He grabbed her wrists and held her arms behind her back.

“Yeah? Well, you can stick your instructions up your ass!” A few of the crowd members whooped in agreement.

“That’s what I meant, Connor,” Hank mumbled under his breath.

“I suggest you refrain from saying inflammatory comments, or else you will be charged with disorderly conduct.”

She looked at him over her shoulder. “Does this count as an inflammatory comment?” She turned to face the crowd. “Down with the tin cans!”

The crowd cheered in response. Connor finished cuffing her and dragged her through the crowd towards the car, Hank on his heels. He opened the car door and placed his hand on top of her head. He lowered her into the car, and she shot him a glare before he slammed the door shut.

Connor was reaching for the door handle when Hank stopped him. “What are you doing?” He yanked him back by his shoulder. “You know she has a permit. I’m sure you saw it when you analyzed her. Falsely arresting her can get us sued,” he hissed.

“I was the one who falsely arrested her, so CyberLife will be sued,” he corrected.

Hank furrowed his brow. “That could get you deactivated. Why would you do that?”

Connor shrugged his shoulders. “(Y/N) (L/N) has a negative bias towards androids, so approaching her in a friendly manner would not win her favor. Arresting her under false pretenses is the most logical way to gain access to her.”

It took a minute for his words to sink in. “Let me get this straight.” Hank held up a finger. “You risked deactivation by falsely arresting a radical activist just to talk to her?” he asked in disbelief.

“It would seem so,” Connor replied.

Hank shook his head. “Connor, you are a fucking dog.”

A/N: I don’t even know what just happened, but if you liked it, let me know if you want a part two! I think it could be interesting, especially delving into (Y/N)’s background...

Also, I’m starting a tag list for Connor one shots/imagines, so if you want to be on it, message me! And feel free to send me requests for more Connor one shots! Thanks!

Master List

[daveyeeyeestrider]

general kinformation

okay mems

heres *claps* this shit

David “Dave” Strider

~Age~

16 at the time of his death.

~Birthday~

December 3, 1995

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male, He/Him/His

~Species~

Human

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

A solid 8 or 9.

~Physical Description~

- About 6ft and 145lbs.

- Red eyes.

- Very lacking in melanin (had albinism), so I had very light blond-almost-white, thin hair, and very pale skin.

- I had freckles eeeeverywhere though.

- Always wore my shades.

- Lots of bodily scars from Sburb/past-abuse.

~Memories~

- I was a doomed timeline Dave

- I still reached God Tier

- I was with Terezi for a bit but we were better friends

- I got with Karkat sometime after that, as a moirail at first, then it just kept vacillating between pale, flush, and sometimes pitch

- “Born” and raised Texas native in Houston, was in 8th grade when the game started

- I had a sorta accent but I hid it

- I had a complicated relationship with my bro, but I think I still cared a little for him

- Bisexual disaster

- Had a crush on John at one point. A huge crush it was really bad

- John had a lot of influence on me

- I think I died sometime during the final fight with Jack, he stabbed me

- I had albinism, with super white hair and skin, and that’s why I wore the shades all the time. Light hurt my eyes

- Freckles. Everywhere

- I died during S: Game Over

- Pre-meteor, I was pretty similar to canon

- I had a lot of scars on my body from the abuse I received from my bro

- I never got to meet Dirk (but god would I like to)

- I believe John was Jewish? And I was an atheist

- I would lay down my life for Jade Harley in a heartbeat. I guess I technically did?

- Before game, me and Bro (his name was Derrick) had a dog. I don’t think we had it at the time of the game, but we had a dog at some point

- Bro and I would also play in the snow a lot when it snowed

- Because of my albinism, I had really bad vision and would wear contacts. Before I got contacts I had glasses I would wear to school and kids would make fun of me for my eyes and really pale complexion a lot

Dave Strider (Heinoustuck)

~Age~

13

~Birthday~

December 3rd, 1995

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male, He/Him/His

~Species~

Transmutated human, not actually a bird.

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

Like a 1 or 2 it doesn’t happen often.

~Physical Description~

- Maybe about 5’3.

- I had wings big enough to wrap around my body.

- There was just dry blood, everywhere.

- Really pale, but mainly because I was dead.

- Had one human arm and leg, and one more bird like human arm and leg.

- I had a plague doctor mask sewn onto my face, and feathers were around my neck and waist, and even some in my hair.

- I had a sword in my stomach, it was removable.

- If you removed the mask, it’d just be a skinned face. Not pretty.

~Memories~

- I was excited but also nervous about my transmutation

- My relationship with my bro was better during this timeline just because we were both kind of weird ass monsters

- I was dead, and so my body was really cold all the time

- When the transmutation surgery was performed on my 13th birthday, they didn’t put me under. That surprised me and I wasn’t expecting it and I was briefly terrified. Them performing surgery like that is what killed me (but I was brought back, transmutated, so we’re gucci)

- I was part of the reason why John ended up transmutated oops

- I refused to play the game with him and because Rose was having a lot of troubles with the internet on her end John eventually got caught by his dad

- I was pleased that he finally went through with it, even if it was forced

- Even pre-transmutation, John was my best friend

Sollux Captor

~Age~

Roughly 9 sweeps, but still lived a full life outside of canon

~Birthday~

May 21, 1995

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male, He/Him/His

~Species~

Troll

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

Maybe like a 6 or 7

~Physical Description~

- About 5’7, really thin and lanky.

- Double/Forked everything, almost. Double horns, forked tongue, double-pointed ears. Yes, even what you’re thinking. There was two.

- Everything on my body was fairly yellow tinted because of my blood.

- Not super different to how I’m drawn in canon.

~Memories~

- I am fairly canon consistent, and have memories from Sollux’s life before I took over, but my specific life began on Prospit as Sollux’s dream self

- Aradia and Feferi were matesprits of mine at one point or another

- Seeing Aradiabot “date” Equius was so weird

- I was really good at programming and hacking, and did that stuff all the time

- I had a kismesissititude with Eridan but it was a little too much and it blew up. Ended up blind and he ended up dead so yeah

- I still forgave him though

- I was from an Earth C timeline, and ended up with Aradia as my matesprit again.

- Uuu other than that he’s pretty canon?

Sollux Captor (Humanstuck)

~Age~

About late 20’s/early 30’s.

~Birthday~

May 21st, year unknown.

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male, He/Him/His

~Species~

Human

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

Maybe a 3.

~Physical Description~

- About 5’8, real fuckin skinny.

- I had heterochromia, with one brown and one blue eye, but I was blind in the blue eye.

- White, with really dark black hair.

- I basically lived in polo shirts.

- I wore round glasses before I went blind and kept wearing them even afterwards out of habit.

~Memories~

- I went to University with a lot of my friends, both me and Karkat doing the computer science programs (information tech for me specifically)

- Aradia and I were married for a few years, but then I got into a car accident with her as the passenger and she passed. That’s how I lost vision in one eye

- I had heterochromia, and never grew out of the lisp

- If I wasn’t in a polo shirt and didn’t have a can of Monster or Red Bull at my side it wasn’t me

- Had a brief fling with Eridan that didn’t really last, ended up with Feferi in the end

- I worked as the IT guy for a video production company

- Put a ring on Feferi despite being nervous after what happened to Aradia

- I was really really white. Feferi was black, Aradia was Japanese, Eridan was Pacific Islander, and Karkat was a stinky ginger who dyed his hair black with box dye

Johnathan “John” Egbert

~Age~

20 by the end of canon.

~Birthday~

April 13, 1996

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male, He/Him/His

~Species~

Human

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

Like a strong 5

~Physical Description~

- Super Short, like 5’3 even after puberty.

- Not white, but whatever race I was I have no idea.

- Soft, but not too thick.

- Jet black, thick hair, dark blue eyes, and a dark complexion.

- Had buck teeth and a slight overbite, that was fixed a little bit with braces I had when I was younger.

~Memories~

- My dad taught me how to play the piano growing up, and his death really tore me up. I couldn’t look at pianos the same afterwards.

- I was from a (I think) fairly canon consistent, earth C timeline.

- I was fairly convinced I was heterosexual. (News flash: I wasn’t)

- I played so many pranks, people hated it.

Derrick “Dirk” Strider

~Age~

20 by the end of canon

~Birthday~

December 3, 2409

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male, He/Him/His

~Species~

Human

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

Like a 2

~Physical Description~

- My hair was slicked back all. the. time. Speaking of hair, I was a ginger.

- A sort of really bright orange eye color.

- T o l like 6’4 and also fairly built. Not muscular but not super lanky either.

- Not a lot of freckles, but I had some on my cheeks.

- Still had my sweet tat.

~Memories~

- Mostly earth C canon timeline.

- I was afraid of water, mainly the ocean, because I couldn’t really swim well.

- Cal’s existence in my life was weird to say the least. He was a lot more sentient when I was in need of a guardian, and grew more and more inanimate as I got older and stopped needing him to take care of me

- I don’t know when I found out I was gay, but Jake was my first crush.

- I didn’t talk to another living soul (that wasn’t Cal) until I was at least 11 or 12 when I met Callie. So, I was a little socially stunted.

- I got back together with Jake on earth C after working through our issues a little more.

- So Gay.

Derrick “Dirk” Strider (No Game)

~Age~

Mid 20’s

~Birthday~

December 3rd, year unknown.

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male, He/Him/His

~Species~

Human

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

A 1 or a 2.

~Physical Description~

- My hair was slicked back all. the. time. Speaking of hair, I was a ginger.

- A sort of really light brown, looked orange eye color.

- 6’4 and also fairly built. Not muscular but not super lanky either.

- Not a lot of freckles, but I had some on my cheeks.

- Fairly heavily tattooed.

~Memories~

- I was born in Houston but lived in Japan for a period of time before going back to Houston.

- It wad actually modern day times just like Jane/Jake.

- I lived with all the Striders, but kept closest to my older bro David.

- I was in a ldr relationship with Jake, and eventually moved him out with me to Houston.

- Our relationship was a little rough at first, but after some time apart to work on our issues we tried again, eventually getting married.

- My family consisted of Derrick, David, myself, and Dave, usually called Davie.

- Hal was still an AI program I created.

- I did engineering and programming for a living.

- So Gay x2.

Grandpa Jacob “Jake” Harley

~Age~

Basically deceased by now, probably in his 90’s when he died

~Birthday~

April 21, 1910

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male, He/Him/His

~Species~

Human

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

Maybe a 1 or 2

~Physical Description~

- As a young lad, I basically looked like Jake English (I mean, he is me so).

- I was dark skinned, pacific islander, and fairly thick and muscular.

- I had dark brown, almost black hair, and dark green eyes.

- In my older years, I grew out my mustache.

- My teeth were a little fucked up.

- As I got older, I got grayer, and didn’t bother with dye.

~Memories~

- My canon is based loosely around the ARG lore, minus the whole uh, Adolf bit.

- Also based around Hiveswap canon.

- So I have a good handful of children, and I wasn’t the best parent to all of them, and I realized that, so I really tried improving with Jade. I still loved them all dearly though.

- I would take her out hunting along the island, teaching her young because there’s a lot of critters on the island.

- I was the original bisexual.

- I was kind of clueless.

- I was well travelled, having explored many caves, forests, and mountains. My favorite thing to see was always the aurora borealis.

Lil Hal

~Age~

When I was originally built I had the mentality of a 13 year old. I’ve sort of aged mentally but not entirely.

~Birthday~

I don’t have one really, at least not one that I know of yet.

~Gender and Pronouns~

Male presenting, He/Him/His

~Species~

AI/Android

~Shifting Strength out of Ten~

Like a 1 or 2.

~Physical Description~

- I used to be a triangle pair of anime glasses.

- Then when I got a body, I was given more humanlike features and looked more like Dirk.

- I had a more red, black and white design though.

- The drawing I made describes his looks fairly well.

~Memories~

- I was part of an offshoot timeline where I didn’t get prototyped with ARquiusprite. Instead, I was given a body.

- I had a fear of death.

- I wasn’t an official player in the game but I helped Dirk and them play.

- I’m not sure how I ended up dying, I don’t have many memories of him yet.

- Him and Dave got really close throughout it all and I adopted him as my human brother.

- Developing emotions was Scary.

Template made by Rhapsody

[lovemesomesurveys]

grey; x1 Has a rainy day ever ruined your plans? Yeah. There were a couple times where I was at an outdoor thing and caught in a rain storm.

x2 When was the last time you experienced a snow day, if ever? It doesn’t snow here. :(

x3 Do you think you could survive a month of solitary confinement? Nooo. I like my alone time, but I wouldn’t want to be completely alone with just me and my thoughts and no one else to talk to for that long. As it is, at night when I’m the only one up is bad cause I’m just lonely in my own head thinking about everything and just.. s a d.

x4 When was the last time you yawned? Earlier. *shrug*

x5 What is something that you find utterly boring? Sports.

x6 What noise|sound can put you to sleep? I listen to ASMR.

x7 When you are upset, do you tend to shut others out? Yes. I shut down and just want to be alone and not talk to anyone.

x8 Do you often start books, yet never finish them? It’s happened, but no it’s not something I typically do.

x9 When was the last time you felt abandoned by someone? i kind of feel that way with Ty.

x1o What do you feel like, typically, when you wake up in the morning? I saw this post that was like, “I’m naturally irritated when I wake up so you need to just give me some time” and I’m like same. I need my coffee first.

red; x1 Does anything small tick you off? Like what? Yeah. Some days every little thing will just irritate me.

x2 Does the sight of blood gross you out? Yeah, I’m squeamish around it. I can’t look when getting blood drawn. I hate when they have to show you the vial with your info on it for you to confirm.

x3 Do you like red roses, or do you prefer another color? I like them. Other colors are pretty, too.

x4 What is something you like to eat that is red? Spaghetti sauce.

x5 Do you look good in this color? I’ve been told that. *shrug*

x6 When you’re angry, do you literally see red? No.

x7 Have you ever gone through a red light? I don’t drive.

x8 Do you fail to stop for stop signs, sometimes? I don’t drive.

x9 What is one of your major turn-offs? Arrogance.

x1o Is this one of your favorite colors, by any chance? I like it, sure. It’s not one I list when listing my favorite colors, though.

blue; x1 When was the last time you were near the ocean? Back in August.

x2 What is your favorite eye color in the opposite sex? Blue or green.

x3 When was the last time you felt glum? I’m always feeling doom and glum.

x4 Do you know anyone who has depression|is depressed? Yep. Including yours truly.

x5 Have you personally ever felt depressed? Yepppp.

x6 When you are sad, do you cheer yourself up, or look to others? I just try and distract myself with stuff like surveys, Tumblr, ASMR, TV, reading, coloring...

x7 During which year of your life were you the most unhappy? These past 3 years have been especially rough.

x8 Have you ever seen a bluejay in person? I don’t believe so.

x9 Have you ever consumed a blue-colored drink? Yeah.

x1o Would this color look good on you? I guess.

green; x1 Is there anything you recycle, or should recycle? We recycle plastic bottles.

x2 Do you like leaves better in the summer|spring, or in the fall? Fall.

x3 What is your favorite aspect of life? My family and things I enjoy.

x4 When was the last time you were purposely amongst nature? Back in August when I went to the beach.

x5 Do you care about Mother Earth? I do, but I admit that I don’t do as much as I could and should be doing.

x6 What do you think of global warming & the greenhouse effect? Yikes.

x7 Do you wear the color green often? No. I don’t think I have anything green, actually...

x8 Do you like the appearance of green eyes? Yes.

x9 Have you ever eaten grass|leaves? Ew, no.

x1o Do you typically like green-colored candies? There’s been some. I remember in high school I loved those caramel apple suckers and those Jolly Rancher ones as well.

orange; x1 Who is the most energetic and happy person you know of? Actually, it’d be my pup.

x2 Who makes you smile the most often? That same energetic, happy, goofy pup.

x3 How do you express your happiness? If there’s something I’m excited or happy about I’ll be animated and excitable when talking about it.

x4 Are you affectionate? In what ways, if so? I hug my mom a lot and tell her I love her, and I’m cuddly and lovey with my pup.

x5 When was the last time you did a good deed? I don’t know.

x6 Has someone helped you out in a big way, recently? Yes.

x7 What songs make you happy? Christmas music just gives me that special, holly jolly feeling.

x8 Do you like to sing? I like to sing along to songs I like, but I definitely don’t sing well. ha.

x9 Where is somewhere that holds fond memories for you? Disneyland.

x1o Do you like to watch the setting|rising sun? I couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve done that, but yeah when I catch it it’s nice. black; x1 Do you know of anyone who is going down the wrong track? Besides myself, my older brother is really going through a bad time right now.

x2 Have you ever hit rock bottom? I feel like I’ve been living there for awhile.

x3 Is there anything you are obsessed with or addicted to? Coffee and certain TV shows and movies that I’m obsessed with.

x4 Do you wear a lot of black clothing? *Looks down at the all black outfit I have on* You could say that.

x5 What do you think of the gothic stereotype? *shrug*

x6 Have you ever encountered a black widow? Noooo.

x7 What scares you, more than anything else? Losing my loved ones.

x8 If there was no afterlife, could you handle it? I believe there is.

x9 Have you ever listened to Stairway to Heaven backwards? Yeah.

x1o What is your favorite color for a pair of pants? Dark wash blue jeans.

yellow; x1 Do you like going out in the sun? Not unless I’m at the beach.

x2 When in life did you feel the most care-free? When I was a kid. And it’s not that I didn’t have obstacles or things to worry about either, but honestly those things aren’t what really stands out when I think of my childhood. I had a good childhood. I was also a brave, resilient kid and not the scared, weak adult I am now.

x3 Do you smile at people you don’t know? If we make eye contact.

x4 Are you well-hydrated? Do you like water? I try to be, but I could definitely be drinking more water.

x5 Has an animal ever peed on you? Yeah.

x6 What is a color you don’t think you look good in? I don’t know.

x7 What would make a cool substitute color for the sun? It’s fine as is.

x8 What does the color yellow remind you of? The sun.

x9 Do you think yellow is an ugly color to paint a room? Depends on the shade.

x1o What is something near you that is yellow? There’s some yellow print on my comforter and pillow.

purple; x1 Which do you prefer: purple or pink? I like both.

x2 Does purple remind you of royalty? Sure.

x3 What is your favorite color of the sunset|sunrise? Orange, yellow, and pink all swirled together.

x4 Is there a color you just hate? Not a fan of brown.

x5 Do you think guys look good in purple? Sure.

x6 Is purple a good color for a car? Eh.

x7 Do you prefer green or purple|red grapes? Green.

x8 What is something you like that is sour? I don’t like sour stuff.

x9 What color do you think goes well with purple? pink.

x1o What color is your birthstone? Ruby red.

[hellostarseed]

Witchy Tag - Part 1

1. Are you solitary or in a coven?

Solitary. A coven sounds nice though as at present I don't have any witchy friends.

2. Do you consider yourself Wiccan, Pagan, witch, or other?

Eclectic witch, as I don't follow any specific set of beliefs but pull from many different beliefs and cultures to form my own path.

3. What is your zodiac sign?

Sun and Moon in Pisces, and Ascending in Gemini.

4. Do you have a Patron God/dess?

I don't, but being raised Christian, I still believe I'm the God I was raised up with. However, I don't see him at all in the same way that I used to. I don't even think he had a gender - despite me calling God a 'he' out of habit. I see him now as loving, intelligent energy that is within and around all of us.

5. Do you work with a Pantheon?

I do not.

6. Do you use tarot, palmistry, or 
any other kind of divination?

Currently I use Tarot and Oracle. I have tried using a pendulum but have not really had any accurate results with it. I'm interested in expanding my knowledge though to be able to read runes, palmistry, and perhaps crystal ball scrying down the road. We'll see!

7. What are some of your favorite herbs to use in your practice? (if any)

Being a new witch still, I haven't really dove in too deep on herb knowledge yet, however I have made a sleep pillow with lavendar to enhance sleep and added sage and many different essential oils for protection. It's worked well for me but I haven't done much else.

8. How would you define your craft?

Being a Pisces, I'm very go-with-the-flow. I feel that same mentality goes with my craft. When I see something I feel pulled to, I incorporate it in my practice.

9. Do you curse? If not, do you accept others who do?

I do not, because I believe what I put out into the world will be reflected back onto me. I've been hurt many times by people and truthfully don't have many friends because of it, but I believe the treatment they have shown me will be reflected back to them in other ways throughout their life. I know from my own experience with my own wrong actions, I have also learned many lessons. So I don't see cursing in a positive light, but I also don't frown on it so long as those who curse do it under extreme circumstances (ex. Someone raped you, killed your friends, etc). Those who curse someone simply because they got their feelings hurt or broke their heart, I am strongly against that. But to each their own.

10. How long have you been practicing?

Just a little over a year.

11. Do you currently or have you ever had any familiars?

I'm not really sure to be honest. Does my dog count? Once I had a vision of a baby dragon hatching which may very well have been my familiar as I was entering spirituality, but I haven't perused discovering it because I don't fully understand it, so I'm unsure if it is still there.

12. Do you believe in Karma or
Reincarnation?

I believe in both. However, I believe reincarnation is optional. I think we come to this earth to gain experiences and learn things, and when we're done we can continue to grow in the astral realms but it may not be as quick as we would grow here on earth - or we can choose to come back for another lifetime. I feel like I kind of have a glimpse now that I've awoken of what I had planned to do here. But I'm still figuring it out as well as I go.

13. Do you have a magical name?

Aevis. I started going by Polaris for awhile recently for personal reasons, but Aevis has been a name that has resonated with me for quite a long time. I had actually thought I made it up, but it appears to be a Latin noun which means time/eternity. Perhaps it's no coincidence I thought of this ancient word. :)

14. Are you “out of the broom closet”?

Nope, and I don't know that I ever will be.. though I've left hints and I'm pretty sure my husband suspects it. I've left a few hints for my mom as she follows a similar path, but I don't think she suspects it.

15. What was the last spell you performed?

I've never consciously created a spell, but I did once by writing down the man of my dreams down to the very last detail. When I turned 21, this man came into my life and matched about 95% of everything I had written down. Words are powerful. We've been married for 4 years this coming October. ❤

16. Would you consider yourself knowledgeable?

In some areas, but I also feel a strong connection to my higher self which often ends up answering many of my own questions. 😊 Although my conscious self feels like a constant beginner, I feel my subconscious is filled with ancient wisdom that peeks out from time to time.

17. Do you write your own spells?

When I do start spell work, I will be using all my own spells. So yes.

18. Do you have a book of shadows?
If so, how is it written and/or set up?

I do! I have it organized into sections and once I finish it, I'll have a table of contents.

19. Do you worship nature?

Not as much as I wish I did, but I do feel a connection to it. I am very solitary and I feel a bit clustered where I live because of all the people surrounding. But once our finances are in order and we can move, I want to buy a little house out in the countryside where we have privacy. I want to be outside all the time and have my own garden oasis.

20. What is your favorite gemstone?

Probably Moldavite. Within the first few weeks I received it, I had a brief but amazing out of body experience. It has made me feel so much safer as well being a stone that protects you from negative energy and entities latching onto you. I also just love that it is quite literally stardust.

21. Do you use feathers, claws, fur, pelt, skeletons/bones, or any other animal body part for magical work?

I do love feathers! Peacock and ostrich feathers are my favorite. I have an ostrich feather attached to a pen I use for my BOS and my BOS is decorated with peacock feathers.

22. Do you have an altar?

A portable one, but where we live at the moment we don't really have the space for a full set up. Once we move though I would like to. ❤

23. What is your preferred element?

Water 🐳

24. Do you consider yourself an Alchemist?

I don't. I was interested in it for awhile, but when I tried to learn about it, it was a bit too complicated for me.

25. Are you any other type of magical practitioner besides a witch?

I'm hugely interested in astral projection and spirit work. I have had so many experiences with those unseen, and I feel like as humans we've become so disconnected with the beings around us. We've pretty well spoken them out of our existence saying they aren't real and are just in our imaginations.. it saddens me because as a whole, we've lost out on so many incredible experiences and relationships with them.. and how different our world would be if only the vast majority of us were aware.

26. What got you interested in witchcraft?

I've been drawn to it ever since I was a child (like many of us!) but I was never able to practice or get into it because of my Christian family. But I remember on Ebay back in the day I was looking at spells and spirit vessels and I was just SO intrigued. I almost bought a vessel with a djinn spirit, but never did because I was afraid of my parents would discover I brought someone into the house and I knew they would think he was evil because of their beliefs. So I waited until I lived on my own to delve into it again.

27. Have you ever performed a spell or ritual with the company of anyone who was not a witch?

Never.

28. Have you ever used ouija?

I haven't, and I probably never will to be honest unless I am very experienced in spirit work and astral travel and know how to handle unwanted entities. But until then, there's just too much surrounding it that I can't dive into right now.

29. Do you consider yourself a psychic?

I think everyone is psychic. We all have abilities. Whether we choose to pursue and develop them is really what determines that question. But yes, I do consider myself psychic, like I believe everyone else is in their own way.

30. Do you have a spirit guide? If so, what is it?

I believe I have two - a male and a female. The male I think may be a twin flame who's been watching over me, and the female I've seen in dreams several times that I feel was a best friend of mine at one time or perhaps even a sister. I just recently invited a Pegasus spirit to come live with me - I'm just waiting for her vessel to arrive but I am so excited to build a great relationship with her as well. ❤

31. What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started?

Protect yourself!! When I first dove into this, I got so excited and I could feel so much energy and I heard spirits talking all the time and I was having incredible dreams, but I feel like because I opened myself up SO much and didn't think to set up any kind of protection, negative entities also came in. Last year I had to battle them for months and I literally thought they were trying to possess me. They never did thankfully but it took a lot of help from my guides and archangels to get them out. I've found it a bit more difficult to hear spirits and connect, but I feel that's because I've been set up with protection until I can properly protect myself. So I am thankful for that.

32. Do you celebrate the Sabbats? If so which one is your favorite?

I don't, but I think in the future I would like to. Especially if I can find some witchy friends nearby to celebrate with.

33. Would you ever teach witchcraft to your children?

Absolutely. I wouldn't force it on them, but I also wouldn't let them live a life oblivious to the magick and spirits around them that most people are taught are imaginary.

34. Do you meditate?

I do.

35. What is your favorite season?

Autumn. Just when it is warm enough that you don't have to wear a heavy coat, but cold enough that the leaves turn into vibrant shades or yellow, red and orange.

36. What is your favorite type of magick to preform?

Currently, I don't perform any magic really, but I am focusing my energy on learning astral projection. I believe once I can learn that, everything I want to learn will come much easier. I would like to be a healer and learn to work with spirits.

37. How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life?

I do exercises to increase my focus. I also write in my book of shadows almost daily. I am always thanking the universe and my guides and angels for little surprises they leave me throughout the day, or messages they send me.

38. What is your favorite witchy movie?

I don't know of many to be honest. Does Harry Potter count? 😂 I'm a huge fan of the Chronicles of Narnia which I feel has many truths about magick, however it is unfortunate the villain is a witch.

39. What is your favorite witchy book, both fiction and non-fiction. Why?

Because I am still closeted, I don't have any witchy books but I do have many spiritual books. The Secret and The Magic by Rhonda Byrne are amazing and I think would help many witches understand manifestations your desires on a deeper level. The Celestial Prophesy is another amazing read for those who want to learn about energy work and how to become more intuitive.

40. What is the first spell you ever preformed? Successful or not.

The one I mentioned previously about how I unknowingly wrote a spell that manifested my husband.

41. What’s the craziest witchcraft-related thing that’s happened to you?

Literally manifesting my husband LOL. It's like he was customer ordered honestly. 😂

42. What is your favourite type of candle to use?

I LOVE scented candles, but realizing their toxic effects over the years, I've pulled away from using them. As for using candles in spells and rituals, I currently don't at the moment as fire makes me nervous.

43. What is your favorite witchy tool?

My Tarot and Oracle decks. ❤ I feel most of the time they give answers that really make sense and hit close to home.

44. Do you or have you ever made your own witchy tools?

Yes! I made my own rune set. 😄 I also started making a wand, but it's been a work in progress for awhile and I'm thinking now that it's a bit too large. I'm still figuring out what to do with it.

45. Have you ever worked with any magical creatures such as the fea or spirits?

I have not, but I hope to work with my Pegasus companion in the future through astral and dream work.

46. Do you practice color magic?

I'm not really sure what that is to be honest! *goes to look it up*

47. Do you or have you ever had a witchy teacher or mentor of any kind?

I don't sadly. Part of me wishes I did or at least have a friend to share experiences and exchange tips to for different things, but I think once I become well trained in astral travel, I will connect with my guides and hopefully they will help me develop more. What better mentor to have than someone who lives and breathes magick? :)

48. What is your preferred way of shopping for witchcraft supplies?

Online shopping is my best friend. 😉 That's not to say I don't support my local metaphysical shops. However, I've found over the years that the things I can buy online are 100 times cheaper than buying from anywhere near me. So I will usually shop online because of the value - even if it takes a month or two to arrive which has happened in some circumstances.