#and for them both to be her closest companions like.... it's a lot to take in

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

This week on "CJ needs to gush about DAO": Morrigan's dark ritual.

I adore Origins because depending on how serious you take roleplay, every decision you make is a thread that leads back to your origin, and in this case of the ritual, who you choose to romance can have a major impact on how you handle this choice.

For context, my canon run is with a female Tabris who romances Alistair and keeps him as a Grey Warden, and is close friends with Morrigan. It's more in character for my Tabris to reject Morrigan's ritual and not even bring it up to Alistair, which would result in her leaving him behind while she makes the ultimate sacrifice in killing the archdemon... however, agreeing to convince Alistair to do the ritual with Morrigan is the only choice in the entire game where I break roleplay because I'm selfish and weak and I want Tabris to live.

I have a lot of strong feelings about the ritual, like it hurts me. It makes me want to chew on furniture. I can talk about it until I can talk no more. I so badly want to be strong enough to remain in character and reject the ritual.

Let me explain: Tabris survives an origin that deals with sexual assault. She gets kidnapped on her wedding day, she watches the other kidnapped women and her husband get murdered, and then is too late to save Shianni from being assaulted... and Tabris carries that trauma with her throughout the entire game.

If the way to save her life is to ask the two most important people she cares about; one being her lover and the other being her best friend; who she knows hate each other, to have dubiously consensual sex in order to make a baby to absorb the old god soul... she's saying no. The last thing Tabris would ever do is put someone into a sexual situation where consent is at all dubious after what she saw happen to Shianni and nearly happened to herself. She'd rather die than force that upon Alistair and Morrigan.

That's what I mean when I say origin affects everything; I know some will side eye that with "Really? Your warden would rather die than let Alistair sleep with another woman? It's one time, and Alistair agrees to it, so no one needs to die?"

Let me be clear in saying this isn't a "Morrigan slept with my man" issue. Sure, that part's awkward and it sucks, but that's not even breaking water tension, let alone diving into the deep waters to the core of the issue.

For my Tabris, this is about betrayal, consent, and accepting fate.

The person offering Tabris this deal is someone she thought of as a trusted friend who has actually been lying to her the entire time. It doesn't matter what Morrigan's intentions are now or if she genuinely wants to save the wardens. She knew from the beginning why Flemeth sent her with them, she admits as much. She knew a warden would need to make the ultimate sacrifice and then leveraged that to get what she wants. Morrigan waited until the night before, when Alistair and the warden learn one of them has to die to defeat the archdemon, and took advantage of the high running emotions and possibly the fear of dying to make the warden agree to her ritual.

At least, that's how my Tabris interprets this confrontation. She feels betrayed by someone she came to love like a sister and went out of her way to help Morrigan with her mother upon learning what's in Flemeth's grimoire. And then that someone tells her no one needs to die, she just needs to convince Alistair to sleep with her... which is a huge fucking problem.

The Alistair and Tabris romance is slow; it took a long time for either of them to be comfortable with being emotionally vulnerable and trusting each other with basic intimacy, let alone sex. Tabris is mortified at the idea of putting Alistair in this situation. Not only would it feel like a betrayal on her part to ask that of him, but she knows the last thing Alistair ever wants to do is father a bastard who then goes on to grow up without him. How could she possibly ask him to do that?

Then you consider that ritual or no, there isn't a guarantee that they'll survive anyway. Say they do the ritual and Tabris dies anyway; she made Alistair sleep with Morrigan in order to save her and then she died anyway. Or if Alistair dies then Tabris gets to live with the fact that the last person Alistair was with was a woman he hates because she asked that of him… and either way, Morrigan gets to walk away with what she wanted.

Tabris led the group, and she's accepted that if Riordan dies [which he does] then she'll be the one to make the sacrifice, even if it means breaking both hers and Alistair's heart.... except she doesn't because I'm a coward who doesn't want to lose her because my worldstate isn't good without her in it but I also refuse to lose Alistair so I just pretend it plays out differently in my head it's fine-

But... that's how I play Tabris and view the situation. My friend @pi-creates and I have discussed the dark ritual at length. While I play a Tabris who romances Alistair, Pi plays a Mahariel who romances Morrigan, so we have vastly different interpretations of the ritual itself and Morrigan's intentions.

Which yeah, it makes total sense that someone who romanced Morrigan with a different origin, and has the option to do the ritual with her rather than asking someone else to do it, wouldn't see this the way I do.

To quote Pi: "Playing as a male warden in the Morrigan romance makes the whole situation feel different, and maybe it’s because she’s presenting it differently due to the emotional connection, but it feels more like she’s opening up about her initial instructions (that she had been given by Flemeth) and offering a solution to avoid the possibility of death. And for my Mahariel, the constant threat of sudden death has haunted him from the start – he caught the blight and was ripped away from his clan (something he did not want to do in the slightest), got forced into a Grey Warden ritual that could kill him, was forced into a battle that could kill him, going on this whole quest that he never wanted but has now become responsible for regardless of his thoughts on the matter… the dark ritual may be one of the few moments where he is presented with an option to decide if he wants to walk into certain death, or take actions of his own volition to stop it.

"The idea of the ritual still feels like a dodgy thing to do since the ultimate outcome is unknown at that point, he’s taking Morrigan at her word that it will save the warden and that this child would be unharmed, just with an old god soul that she isn’t exactly clear on why she wants that and is determined to runaway immediately after the battle to secure it properly. It could be interpreted that it’s purely a preservation thing, but I’m biased to wanting Morrigan's intentions to not be power based.

"But also, taking part in the ritual isn’t as outlandish for my warden since he and Morrigan have already been involved in an intimate relationship. It’s the future of the ritual that is scarier – the idea of this old-god baby, and the idea of Morrigan insisting that she’s leaving afterwards when Mahariel and her have a loving relationship. He’s hurting, but he doesn’t want to die, he doesn’t want Alistair to die, he doesn’t want Morrigan to leave, he definitely doesn’t want pregnant Morrigan to leave on her own… it’s complicated, but for completely different reasons."

And I find that fascinating. I want to know how other players approach this part of DAO, what origins they play, and who they romanced. Seriously, this is an invitation to anyone reading to share their thoughts.

What about a warden who doesn't even have Alistair in their party because they made Loghain a warden? Is there anyone out there who has Loghain do the ritual with Morrigan and why? What about male wardens who don't romance her? Do you choose to do it with her anyway, or do you ask Alistair or Loghain to do it? Do you tell Morrigan to fuck off with the ritual? Why? Who makes the ultimate sacrifice in that case? And what about Morrigan herself? How do you interpret her intentions/motivations? I want to know.

I'm telling you, this is a discussion that gets me excited, as most discussions about DAO do.

[meanbossart]

Sorry if you answered this, I did go through your asks a bit but didn't find an answer and I was just curious if you have any lore regarding the drow and Orin? Does he have, like, any thoughts regarding her as a pseudo-sister or she is just a henchmen that stabbed him in the back? Or like, regarding the fact it was her betrayal that got him out from the cult and eventually meeting Astarion and the gang? I feel a lot of people sanitize the Durge a little too much (which fair reaction, they are very fucked up in the game 😂) so I love hearing about people who have their durge lean on their violent weirdness

Huh! I guess it's been a minute since we've talked about Orin. Yes, their relationship was very significant and you should be able to find all that I've written and drawn with/about her here (save for anything I forgot to tag, which happens sometimes, lol.)

Also as a side note to everyone, please abstain from making comments about how other people choose to write their Durges (and Astarion for that matter) in my askbox, it is rarely (If ever) necessary.

Anyways, I guess this is a good opportunity to try and put it all down cohesively, so here we go:

DU drow came into the Bhaal temple at ages 17-19, he had lived a profoundly isolated life up until that point where his only constant companion would have been the lackey Sceleritas and, for a time, a horse. He had no friends, no companions, and killed the one woman he lost his virginity to the day after he met her. Sarevok and the rest of the Bhaalists taking him might have been a mockery of a family unit, but it was the closest he ever had to it nonetheless - and by far the one person in it that he felt the closest to was Orin, who was close to him in age and in that moment in time occupied a similar place in the temple's hierarchy as himself.

It's important to note here that when I say they were close, I'm talking about a closeness befitting of Bhaalspawn. They didn't share any good times; they had bad times together. And they enjoyed it to the extent that two profoundly dysfunctional young adults groomed to become murderous deities can. There was no tenderness here, feeling was expressed through violence and vulnerability wasn't only discouraged, it straight up wasn't practiced or even conceptualized in either of their heads. They killed together, mocked one-another, and hurt each other on the regular, and it's through those actions that they saw each other.

And yet, DU drow felt a burning limerence towards her from the moment he laid eyes on Orin, and this feeling never faltered, only grew. Orin cut off his matted hair in a careless, uneven slice of a blade, she pulled out his rotting molars with rusty pliers, she mocked his stink and resented his arrival (dare I say she was afraid, because she knew what it meant) but they had much more in common than they had in difference. This was a silent understanding, a screaming fact of life that led to them often gravitating towards each other in both packed and empty rooms, but never once discussed aloud.

I have no doubt that what would eventually become this Rabid, burning crush and later obsession of the drow's towards Orin is a result of their continous Isolation. The rest of the world was beneath them and temporary, and above was only Sarevok and Bhaal. Because of this, DU drow never once thought or desired to search for companionship and love anywhere besides for her, and so he started to see her not only as the vague concept of a sister, but also as his only option for a mate and wife, one which he embraced wholeheartedly (and that's putting it lightly).

Orin, on the other hand, had no such desires. Not to mention that her fear of being replaced and the implied consequences of it always spoke louder than any genuine feelings of comradery.

As DU drow ascended in the ranks and became head of the cult, those fears solidified in several ways. Not only did Sarevok favor him and she could feel herself being pushed aside, but DU drow's ego grew tenfold. What was once a quiet young man who saw himself as an equal to her became a self-righteous bhaalspawn who lavished in his role and all the boons that came with it. DU drow took everything he had acquired for granted, including her, whom he assumed would eventually succumb and become his romantic partner.

It didn't help that Sarevok subtly encouraged this partnership, thinking that through their children they could continue to produce bhaalspawn of a purer and more efficient pedigree.

Ironically, DU drow's disillusions went so far that he never once in his life thought Orin would turn against him, and as much of an egomaniac as he became, his love for her was always genuine - misguided, but genuine, and he never once wished for her death until she betrayed him. Realizing this, as well as that Bhaal would only accept one chosen, she struck, putting the tadpole in his head and sending him off to Kressa.

[moonydustx]

Law or Zoro (maybe both separately 🙇‍♀️?) with their s/o secretly being a kunoichi 🤭

Thank u 🙏

Hi Hi! I'll start with: I'm sorry. I didn't know much about the term and I tried to research it, but to be honest, I don't think I got the best of it. I used the point of view in which the character actually became an ally. Maybe I got a little carried away with Law.

After all, how can you disappoint them? (I mean, look at these two happy just seeing Raizo)

requests | one piece masterlist

Zoro

Warnings: blood, use of swords, the two like each other but are unable to deal with it maturely.

"Leaving friendship aside" you shouted, dodging the blow. "You're too slow, Zoro."

" What did you say?" He tried to attack you again, but it only took a few steps for you to dodge his attacks. "What the hell!"

"I said: slow." You stopped the sword with your forearm, turning it and letting it rest against the swordsman's skin. "And sloppy."

"How can you do that?"

"A lady doesn't tell your secrets." You laughed, letting him go.

The sun streamed through the crow's nest windows, illuminating the entire space.

Occasionally you and the swordsman would take time out to train. Your excuse was always that you needed to improve your skills and his was that he needed a punching bag. You knew there was a lot behind it - the hours wasted together, the accidental skin-to-skin touches. Those workouts were your favorite part of your schedule.

A crash caught the two of you's attention as well as the uneven rocking and some screams coming from beneath you.

"We are being attacked." Zoro looked out the small window seeing the reason for the small chaos that had formed. "Stay here."

He disappeared from your field of vision in a few seconds. You were determined to follow his orders, not that you owed any kind of obligation, but returning to fight seemed like a distant choice.

Your eyes narrowed at the edge of the window, trying to understand the scale of what was happening. Three pirate ships surrounded the Sunny, each with a flag. Probably a group has allied together to try to overthrow you. Ignoring it no longer seemed like an option.

You practically jumped halfway down the stairs, finding the ship full of enemies. Everyone fought as best they could, but the number of people interested in taking down the Straw Hats seemed too much for you.

Using the same technique you had used in previous training, you dodged each attack, trying to take as little damage as possible. On the other side, you saw one of the men suddenly throw Nami's Clima-tact stick away. Your eyes quickly searched for the best and closest alternative within your reach.

Dodging two guys, you didn't bother asking for permission to take out the third sword that Zoro still kept in its sheath, only seeing him look at you sideways without much room to question.

Before the bullet hit Nami, you positioned the katana blade and watched the fragment turn into two. Ignoring your friend's screams, you threw blows at the first man who had attacked her. A cut in the middle of the chest was enough to knock him down and make room for other enemies to find you.

The sharp blade paraded across the deck of the Sunny, arms fell around you, enemy blood splashed on your clothes and the floor. The presence of the other companions was a memory in the fog, you just needed to help everyone get rid of the little problem. Losing your balance when you saw the ship accelerate in the opposite direction to the enemy ship, it wasn't long before you were just contemplating the blue horizon in front of you.

The absolute silence took a few seconds to bother you until you realized what it was. All your companions looked at you curiously, probably the blood that dripped from the katana and that also stained your clothes was what attracted most of their attention.

The words came to the tip of your tongue and died for a few moments, you were fully aware that you owed your friends satisfaction, it was just difficult to bring the story to light.

"Since when did you know how to do that?" Nami was the first to ask, without any type of ceremony.

"There's been a good, good time."

"But you weren't just an expert in languages, I mean, for someone who has their face buried in books translating those strange things, you know your way around a katana very well." Usopp pointed out, making clear all the curiosity - which was probably in the others' minds.

"I was trained for a long time, longer than I would have liked." you declared, walking to the edge of the ship and leaning against it.

The crew's swordsman did the same, stopping next to you and the others practically circled you. Your hand nervously squeezed the blunt end of the sword in your hand.

"I was taught to infiltrate, to go unnoticed, to kill. I never had much of a choice in the meantime."

"And how did you end up here?" Chopper asked almost adorably, his curiosity leaning more toward admiration than anything else.

"I had a mission." your eyes found Robin in the background. "I needed to infiltrate and take Robin away from here, a high price for someone with high qualifications."

"This is getting interesting." the archaeologist smiled almost understandingly. For some reason you seemed to have given up on the plan and she had already found herself in a similar position. "What made you stop?"

"You, all of you." the answer sounded obvious coming from you. "You all welcomed me so well, I felt like part of a family. So I never answered the calls again and decided to stay here, to be honest, if I had any other choice I wouldn't have done all this." you gestured towards the blood on your clothes. "I understand if you want me to leave, a secret this big..."

"No." Luffy responded immediately. "You're not going to leave."

"But..."

"The captain decided, you're still a Straw Hat." Sanji completed, leaving room for a brief drag on his cigarette. "And with all that blood you're still beautiful."

"Shut up idiot" Zoro grumbled. "But I agree with Luffy, it's decided, you stay. Now everyone, let's get these scraps out of here." the man pointed to the downed enemies.

Without much desire to continue arguing, one by one you saw your companions move away and begin to clean the deck. Zoro however remained there, standing a few meters away.

"I bet you hate me for my petty theft." You turned to him.

"Are you feeling good?" His calm voice broke your expectations. "You didn't seem comfortable telling all that."

"It's a past that I wanted to leave behind, you know? Being a linguist is much cooler than having to scrub clothes dirty with enemy remains, but now I don't have much choice."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've already proven that I can fight, I believe that in the next battles it won't make much sense for me to try to escape." a dejected smile crossed your lips as you approached him.

"Only if you want." Zoro replied as you parked yourself in front of him, your feet aligned with his. "If you want to fight, I'll be happy to help you get a katana. If you want to continue just being you, I promise I have enough strength and swords for both of us."

The promise implicit in his voice gave you goosebumps, as well as warming your cheeks in a certain shyness.

"And leaving friendship aside?" he started and you just nodded. "You look beautiful using my katana to take out idiots."

"Leaving friendship aside..." you replied, taking the opportunity to reduce the small space between you.

Without taking your eyes off Zoro's eyes, you slid the sword back into his sheath, completing the trio that now rested after the battle.

"I'd love to be able to do both. Maybe you can help me." your faces were just a short distance away, ignoring the entire world around you.

"Meet me tonight, upstairs. I think we can take some time to train."

"You two make this mess, come help!" Nami's scream broke you both out of your little trance, but the promise still hung in the air.

��

Law

Warnings: cute, brief hint of something hotter at the end, pre-established relationship. Law is a super nerd in this one.

Something was out of place. Something felt like it was about to go wrong, you just didn't know what. Following the corridors of the submarine, you made a point of looking room by room, corner by corner, in search of what you didn't even know what you were looking for. The Polar Tang, despite being moored on an island, was occupied by all the crew. Almost all, the captain was absent.

"Bepo?" you entered the room he was in, hitting the switch sharply.

With nightfall and no longer sailing, there weren't many tasks left to be carried out inside Polar Tang. The bear - who was apparently taking a brief nap - rubbed his eyes, trying to understand where the call was coming from.

"Sorry to wake you up. Did you have any news from the captain?"

"He just said he was going to leave for a few hours and that if possible, we would be ready to leave." If it weren't for the worry you would definitely be teasing Bepo and his habit of making mini roars instead of yawns.

"Taking a nap is being ready, mister furry?" the bear's grumbling filled the room. "I don't know Bepo, I have a bad feeling."

"About the captain?" he rose to his feet, more alert than before. "He said he had things to sort out."

"I don't know." you murmured, thinking about possibilities, perhaps the worst possible ones echoed in your mind. "From what I remember, Law was alone for a long time before he went, am I right?"

"Yes! He said he needed to focus on something."

"Okay, let's go through his desk."

Papers hung on the wall, notes spread out on the table, a large web connected the information he had gathered so far about Doflamingo. Occupying his chair, you didn't hesitate to turn over some pages, finding names and positions written down and a map of the island. An X marking a specific point next to a photo attracted your gaze, making you search your own memories to understand the familiarity with such a situation.

"Flander..." you brought the photo of the man with white hair and a black suit closer. You remembered the man but even so, your brain burned trying to remember why and it gave you a bad feeling.

"Do you know him?" "An idiot tycoon who's also a mobster. Last time I bumped into him it was to recover a stolen devil fruit. He craves power, so he uses the black market to sell them and also use... oh, shit!"

"What happened?" the bear tried to keep up with you as you ran back to your room, thankful to find it empty.

"Get everything ready for us to escape. Also prepare the defenses." you pulled out a large hidden brown box. "Law may have been ambushed."

In other situations you would even ask him to leave, but while the bear screamed and ran from side to side you didn't hesitate to throw your overalls and in seconds put on the suit. The minutes lost in getting dressed would certainly be recovered with help in camouflaging.

"Wait, what is this?"

"No questions Bepo! Go now!"

You adjusted the cloth that covered part of your face. Ignoring the curious stares, you crossed Polar Tang in seconds, finding a full moon shining all over the pier that night. That costume, that story, you had chosen to leave behind, but the thought of someone hurting your captain was too much for you to ignore.

Following through the trees it didn't take long to find Flander's compound. Trying to avoid the presence of the security guards, you followed their movement pattern, finding a small gap to climb onto the first floor of roofs. Even though the rooms that were within reach of your eyes seemed empty, you still chose to go outside. Leaning on the gutter and avoiding any noise as much as possible, you didn't have much difficulty finding the next floor.

This time, coming across some lights on in the indoor area, you could feel closer to your goal. Using the noise of voices and the distraction to your advantage, you managed to peek inside the room.

Flander was sitting in one of the chairs, three huge men accompanied him and Law was sitting on the floor. A trickle of blood ran from his eyebrow and his hands were tied together. You hated being right in your suspicions.

Using the point of illumination to your advantage, you opted for the lack of it, throwing your dagger towards the lamp. The sound of breaking glass attracted the attention of everyone there - including Law.

"Where did that come from?" one of the men bent down picking up the small gray object.

The moonlight might still be an advantage for them, but it wouldn't be a problem for you. Rolling into the window, you took advantage of having fallen in a crouch to cut the ankle of the first man within your reach and joining a trip, he soon found the ground.

The other two gathered around you and using the ratio of size to speed, you managed to dodge them, reaching Flander and putting your other dagger through his leg, leaving it stuck between his thigh and the upholstery of the expensive bench he was sitting on. One of the other men managed to hit you, making you lose your balance, but it only took a few kicks and both he and the other man were on the ground.

"Who are you?" Flanders shouted, probably not only trying to clear the doubt but also trying to get the attention of more henchmen.

Before he could continue shouting, you slammed his head against the expensive wooden table in front of the man.

"Cap... Trafalgar." you corrected yourself almost at the last second. "Do you know where your handcuff keys are?"

"In my left pocket." your eyes - which were one of the few things discovered on your face looked in pure disbelief at him. "I knew he would try to trick me, I changed all the handcuffs here to regular versions."

"I do not believe that." despite the relief in knowing that in a way, he already knew what awaited him, it didn't stop you from staying alert.

"You're Shadow Moon, right? The konoichi who helps Sora in magazine 147 of the regular story. From Yushe Island?" He stood up, approaching the table and picking up a small brown notebook, leafing through it quickly. "Am I right, Shadow Moon?"

"Law, we have time to sort this out later." you pulled the cloth away, revealing your face. "Is this the only notebook you need?"

"Are you Sora's Shadow Moon from the Yushe Islands?" for the first time you saw Law's voice rise a few decibels in pure surprise. A slightly more serious version of a child who just got the doll he always wanted. "You?"

"We really can... Shit!" you felt your arm burn as more men appeared in your field of vision. Before you could prepare to fight, the blue dome enveloped you and the bodies lying in the room were replaced by the trees of the island's small forest, the same one that had helped you camouflage your arrival.

"Well, it was a graze." you checked your own arm and it didn't take long for Law to take the job for himself.

"Yes, you almost don't need stitches. A bandage should do the trick, Shadow Moon."

"Are you really going to call me that all night?" Law decided to back off the subject when he noticed the irritation in your voice, but you knew the subject wouldn't remain quiet for long. "When we arrive at Polar Tang, I'll explain. I've already got everyone ready for us to set sail."

You were never so happy to be back in the little metal cocoon, or at least that was the affectionate way you called the yellow submarine. After reassuring everyone, you followed Law to his room, knowing that he must have doubts about everything that happened.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked as soon as you slammed the door behind you. Taking advantage of the small peace to catch your breath, you leaned against the wall.

"I had a strange feeling and when I found Flander's photo, I knew something was wrong. I already knew his history with Devil Fruit users."

"I understood." Law seemed distracted by something on his stand. "I knew he would try to catch me, I wanted to make the most of my time to extract information."

"Next time, please let your girlfriend know." you murmured, crossing your arms and watching him walk towards you. "No way."

Law placed a small doll next to you and you knew what it was without even looking.

"Shadow Moon, I knew it!"

"I'm sorry I kept this from you." You asked and saw him nod. The same hand that held the action figure pulled you closer to the bed.

"How did you end up in Sora?" he sat down, giving you space to sit next to him or in it.

"Long story short, I helped one of the comic's editors, it was his way of thanking me." Law's eyes sparkled as you adjusted yourself over his hips.

"My girlfriend is Shadow Moon. Do you have any idea how badass that is?" he again looked at the doll and placed it aside. "Although you look a lot hotter in the real version."

"Is this serious? I took down several idiots at once to save you and you're impressed by this?" You pointed to your own clothes.

"This? You mean the legendary Shadow Moon responsible for taking down enemy armies and who can disappear into the shadows?" Your loud laugh also brought a light laugh from Law. "Shadow Moon herself came to save me. Where were you hiding all this?"

"Kind of wanted to put that story behind me." you bent down and pushed him against the bed, using the gap to lay on his chest. Just a few hours apart along with the adrenaline in your body made you miss Law's contact. "It was really lucky they left my suit in Sabaody."

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay." Noticing the hesitation in your voice, Law tried to steer you away from that subject. But his presence was comforting, it was as if the old memories were just that: things left behind.

"After my parents died, these women took me in. They gave me a home, food, but in return they trained me. They did this with different types of girls."

"You know why?"

"A lot of us went on missions for them, but the purpose was always to teach us how to defend ourselves." You smiled when you felt his fingers caress your skin, encouraging you to keep talking.

"I started to stand out, taking down many of the enemies until the mission where they discovered me infiltrated. I was pretending to be a doctor for one of the pirates who stole them."

"So that's why you already knew how to deal with everything here."

"Exactly, it was almost like a vocation, or destiny" a provocative smile dared to cross your lips, soon disappearing. "After finding out, they locked me up for a while. When they got tired of my presence, they sold me into slavery."

"You're lucky that a guy with a good heart was there, right?" Law's cynicism was something almost immersed in him. You quickly took the man's lips.

"They say he was very handsome." you murmured, catching his kisses.

"Babe, please." his tone was strangled when he felt your hips press against his. "But it's okay if you say no..."

"Trafalgar!" You lightly patted his shoulder when you saw him blush - like you hadn't seen in the time you were together. The way his gaze roamed your body made it clear what he wanted. "Okay, the costumes are still on my body."

"Hm.. my beautiful little konoichi." he turned you over on the bed, pinning you beneath him. "This time you won't be able to hide."

[scarletwinterxx]

every comma, every question mark - mark lee scenario

helloo🥺 it's been a while since I wrote a mark lee scenario, and this one was supposed to be out for his birthday but i only finished now, better than never😅😅hope you like it!

all song credits belong to NIKI btw!!! her songs are amazing and I'm a big fan. true story is when I first heard plot twist, all i can think of is how mark lee coded that song is so here we are🤍

and yes the ending may be a hint that there's a next for this (?) not sure tho hahaha anywayssss

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

and if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

"You need to let him go, it's 5 in the morning. You've been here since yesterday!"

Your manager's loud voice resonated through the room, breaking you from your train of thoughts.

"You're distracting me, if you do more of that I will never get out of here" you told him, turning back to your laptop trying. The only other person in the room besides you and your manager is your co-producer. These two is your closest companions, like your two older brothers. You spend most of your time with them, and you being the introvert you don't really have that many friends in the industry.

"As your manager, I love this whole creative wave you're going through. But as a concerned citizen, I'm begging you. Go home. It's your birthday, why are you hauled in this dark room" your manager continues to rant but you pay him no mind

"Yo, you're just making this last longer than it already is. I'm just letting her find whatever it is she's even looking for" your producer say, he's been here with you since yesterday ready to help you out when you need it.

Those two guys know you take your craft very seriously, each and every song you put out is like your own child. Each and every word, every tune, every melody all came from your pretty little mind. They are both very in awe of the discography you have created throughout the years and you're still so young.

Your manager exits the room, muttering something about getting breakfast and coffee before closing the door to the studio.

"How about one of the songs in your vault? You have a lot of unreleased demos" your producer suggests

"I don't know if there's one fit for this"

"Girl you have tons, surely there's one for now. Let's have a hear"

The two of you go through unreleased tracks, some finished and some still on the works before landing on a few possible candidates

"What are we looking for anyways?"

"Not sure, but I promised my fans I was going to put something out just in time for my birthday. It's my birthday and here I am" you grumbled, then suddenly you come across a demo you've written a while back

"Uh this one's old" you say before clicking on it, the beat playing through the speakers in the room

Where have you been All of my life? It's all growin' dim, now That you've come to light And who could've known, who would've thought Between the wishbones and dot-dot-dots There was always gonna be you and I

"When did you write that?" he asks

Just like that, the exact memory of when and where you first wrote that verse came flooding in your head.

"Oh"

"Oh what?"

"I feel like this is the one but I don't know if I can release this" you say

"What do you mean? Why?"

"I wrote this like some time a few years back... about a guy.. I had a crush on"

He chuckles at your reasoning, "So? All songs are inspired by something. You gotta start somewhere"

"Yea but what will I say when people ask what's the story behind it? I'm suppose to perform this on my birthday event this month"

"Then say it, what's the worst that could happen?"

Turns out a lot of things could happen. On the day of your birthday event where you're going to release your new song, your manager informed you a few artists are also present to watch you.

"What?? Why???"

"Cause they like you?" your manager asks back

"Who is it?" you ask but then the prod team calls for you

"Hey Y/N, we need you backstage now"

You get on stage, go on with your show and a short interview. The host surprises you with a cake from your fans and the crowd sings you happy birthday.

"I know it's my birthday but I have a gift for you also" the crowd cheers

"So I wrote a song, I actually wrote it a while back. It's about those unexpected moments that happen in my all to normal life. To be honest with you guys, I've always liked plot twists. The good kind" you add, making the crowd laugh

"Yea and uh sometimes there's someone who comes in your life who you didn't expect and suddenly the sky is bluer or the sun shines just a tad brighter" you blush a bit while trying to explain the song

"Anyways here's the new song, I hope you like it. It's called Plot Twist"

Look what we got A thickening plot Just when I started getting used to The thought Of closing the book There you were, in every nook Of every word, every page And now I wanna stay and wait, 'cause Met every comma, every question mark Bored of how all of the chapters start But you feel like a brand new arc That I never knew, oh I'd like to think I know a thing or two Like every day the sky's a different blue And then along came you, oh

The crowd turns their flash on, it's like a sea of stars in front of you. This made you smile while singing the words

Where have you been All of my life? It's all growin' dim, now That you've come to light And who could've known, who would've thought Between the wishbones and dot-dot-dots There was always gonna be you and I

You get to the last part of the song, enjoying watching the crowd have fun. Unbeknownst to you, the one who inspired this song was in the crowd bopping his head as he listens to your melodic voice.

Who could've imagined? Who could've imagined you? Who could've imagined? Who could've imagined you?

You finish the song and say your final ment before bidding goodbye to everyone.

Your team welcomes you backstage. congratulating you on another successful event. You were busy talking with the band when your manager pulls you on the side, "There's a few people here who wanted to greet you"

"Huh? Oh okay" you follow behind him down the halls.

When you get there the first person you saw was Haechan, a member of a group you're a fan of.

Your first thought was, what is he doing here

The second being, if he's here then surely his member is also here and you already have a hunch on who it might be

"Y/N, you already know Haechan and Mark. They came to watch tonight" your manager say

"Uh yea, oh sorry I wasn't expecting this. I'm a big fan" you tell them, bowing your head down as a sign of respecting and greeting. The two boys doing the same

"Me too, Love your songs" Haechan says, then adds a greeting at the end

"Happy birthday, we uh wanted to come and see you play live since we're on a break. Usually our schedules clash so we can't go to your shows" Mark says

Not believing this is actually happening, you give yourself a pinch on the back. It hurt.

"Me too, I mean I'm a fan too and uh thanks for coming"

"It's Mark hyung's birthday too so this was my gift to him" Haechan jokes, earning a jab on the side from Mark

"I invited him" Mark clarifies, you just laugh at that.

"You guys want some snacks? Refreshments? Let's go to the lounge room" your manager leads the three of you to the lounge area. The two guys, Haaechan and your manager, have a conversation between them. Turns out they're neighbors and Haechan's manager are friends with yours.

"I uh like your new song" Mark clears his throat as he tells you this

"Thanks, it's been a while since I wrote that actually" you mumble, feeling shy all of sudden. You definitely did not expect Mark of all people to be here tonight.

The very person who inspired you to write the song.

"I love the way you write your songs. There's always a story to uncover, big fan of your word plays" he tells you with a smiles you know will haunt your dreams for nights to come and until you make another song about him again.

"One of the few songs I've written that isn't about a heartbreak. And this is from my own point of view, usually I write them imagining the scenario in my head"

"What a lucky guy" he says

You chuckle, looking down at your shoes "He's great, but that song was a confession I'd probably never tell him"

"How come? It's a great song, he should feel honored"

You smile at that, finding the situation all too unreal.

"If he does figure it out, then I'll take my chance"

For a moment you gather up the courage to look him in the eye as if confessing the words without saying it. Like you wanted him to know it's about him but you're not sure if you can ever admit that to him.

Maybe not now. Maybe some other time, you do after all think he's the biggest plot twist of your story.

Then he's looking back at you, a glint in his eyes you wanted to know more about before he smiles at you again. His voice already writing the words in your head, ready for the melody and for your creative genius. He tells you,

"He'd be a fool not to take a chance with you"

[merao-mariposa]

I'm weak for Phil/Missa with a worship focus

Think about this:

We're looking at the angel of death and a reaper of death.

We are seeing the guy who has survived everything since the beginning of time and the guy who keeps dying, and coming back, choosing what he always wants to return to.

They are united more than they should while one wields a sword to defend those he loves, the other clears the clouds in their loved ones path because he loves them! He wants them to be happy!

They will both forever remember those who were in their heart, The Antartic Empire and Team Vacío Legal lives forever, no matter how much time passes because they were loved by Philza and Missa; the most loyal immortals.

Oh! And something more; the focus on their immortality is so unique! When did I meet him I was told that; “The only thing Phil knows is that he has not died yet” But Missa I think is very aware of his death, he died, he died and he came back with a fourth chance when the others had until the third chance to return and he came back from the dead a fourth time. time, he would do it a fifth, sixth and seventh time he would do it all over again because he cares about.

While Philza in life gives everything of himself for people once they earn his loyalty, trust and appreciation. He won't stop being the same emotional-constipate-crow-dude but God knows he will follow his closest friends to the end of the world, he took the world alongside Technoblade and then he would destroyed another next to him! He is a patient crow, domesticated by death herselft (for whom he is waiting patiently to be with her) staying home and being domestic? He can do it, chaotic raiding dungeons and loting everything that makes his “shiny!” Brain go?, he won't say no. This man can do both if the people he cares ask him.

We have years of lore about Phil, I'll be honest. while we don't have much information about Missa but what we do have comes from HIM and US (his community) do you want a prince-ish son of la Santa muerte? He can be, do you want an labor overexploited reaper? poor thing lmao but here him is! Do you want him to be 26 (or more) meters high? well, ask the admins but no one will deny you //I have seen him ominous, savage, bear hybrid, anguished, violent, etc, the limit is in the imagination!

(You have so many styles)

They worship each other by the way they complement each other. Just by thinking of Philza as the one who has not died, silent and anxious, waiting almost patiently for his complement, his missing half, the father of his children and his husband to return to him after literally being in the center of the end, the end of their life together, the end of watching his children grow and grow, until grow old (even though the mere thought of them aging beyond them breaks him)

After literally being in death and its domain only to choose to return, Missa would never believe in taking away Phil's free will so he's prepared to not see him there, he'll be fine; It is his right. Someone like him with the eternity in front of him would get bored of waiting for a guy like Missa.

Only to arrive and be absolutely adored and hugged till death (again) by his husband. He is happy to see him, he is so glad to see him waiting for him, Philza is happy that not so much of that so-called “time” has passed since the last time he had him in his arms (where Missas belongs to), so happy that their life together is not over yet. A life he loves and a husband he would fight for until he dies.

Obviously he drags him into the house where Missa is absolutely delighted to be welcomed (he always will be) like a crow carrying a new treasure to adore to its hiding place, only that Missa in his soul shines brighter than many of his shinys.

Missa is a reaper of death, literally a part of him feels explicitly built to respond to Phil as his angel or to BBH as a companion of duty, but it's too much, almost too instinctive and natural for him to worship Phil, not that he has a lot of experience but it is nothing like the crush he once had with Quakity, this is more real and deeper than the kiss he shared with Roier.

It's almost like nature for him to adore Philza.

And he doesn't make it any easier for poor Missa, so great and kind, Missa will always be vocal about how incredible and charming his husband is, how much he wants to spend time with him despite the adversities and hazards of the job that he does. prevent, they are worth it as long as he can be under his presence like a cat with sunlight.

It doesn't matter if Phil doesn't want him anymore because Missa is his because he decided it for himself/the skeleton isn't going anywhere, Phil is patient but as long as they are on the same earthly plane of life he is not going to let go of Missa, simply because he is loyal to him (hes also a little chaotic, not above dragging Missa around like putting a collar on a wet kitten)

En conclusión:

DEATHDUO KILL ME YAIIII :DDDD

❗️How we interpret their relationship does not change that Phil took the name “platonic husbands” correctly. (Pissa AND deathduo are totally valid, don't worry, we can get both :D )❗️

[thesoftestmess]

this might not be canon, but personally i need furina to struggle a whole lot longer and harder with post-prophecy depression and mental illness. She's played the same tiring and painful act for five centuries, was constantly in a life or death scenario and had to hide her true self from the world the entire time and she won't just recover in a few years from that.

There's parts of her that will never ever be compatible with a simple human lifestyle, and parts of her that are irreparably broken. She isn't sure of her personality after everything that happened and the lie she had to live. She slips between personas and her archon temperament comes through like a defensive mechanism at any sign of conflict or trouble.

She's plagued by nightmares. Of the flood, of the trial, of the people closest to her conspiring against her behind her back, and of being found out in a million terrible ways. Of saying the wrong thing, making a wrong decision. Of being found out, of being found out, of being found out.

Lying or keeping a secret feels existential still. Being honest still feels life threatening sometimes. Putting herself first feels like putting both hands on a hot stove.

She doesn't live in the palais anymore, doesn't have to sit through trials anymore, but her heart and soul are still there. In her dreams she's still at the place she spent her entire life's memories at.

Yes, she can make new memories, but it'll take time. More time than she has, maybe, now that she's the closest to being human she'll ever be.

She'll never be human in the way the people around her are.

What sort of human has 500 years worth of memories after all? What human tells personal anecdotes and mixes up their centuries?

What sort of human can feel the absence of their divinity like it's a physical thing? A voice that will never speak to her again, or keep her alive? What human has no family, no childhood?

What human remembers so little, but still remembers death somewhere deep within?

She jerks out of sleep from it sometimes, gasping for air, and spends the rest of the night awake, almost frozen by fear. The flood is over, but it's hard to convince her racing heart that the danger is too.

Humans have entire family trees that go generations back, but Furina was put into this world a solitary creature, her blood heavy with sin ever since she turned human.

She owns a hydro vision now and doesn't know how to yield it, but the ocean still calls out to her some days. Sea creatures flock to her like they can smell she's not human enough.

She learns how to make little hydro companions for herself, so the darkness and emptiness of her apartment feels less ominous when she lies awake at night.

She can't turn her vision into a weapon quite yet, but when it rains the droplets seem to cling to her. She's watched them roll upwards along her arm, watched them gather in her palm like kin. She wonders if sea creatures flock to neuvillette in a similar way, or if his immense power makes them recoil. She wonders if elemental dragons can feel regret. Wonders if he, too, ever feels entirely foreign in that human body he was given. If he, too, lies awake trying to grasp faint memories of a past life.

She's extremely human in the way she's plagued by body pains from not being able to relax just one day in five centuries. The years catch up with her once she gets out of survival mode, and fatigue is a constant companion now. Sleep comes difficultly and getting out of bed was easier when the fate of a whole nation depended on it. On her. She's never lived for just herself before and some days she's not sure she wants to.

She did her duty and earned her retirement and the story turned out well, all things considered. She still has people by her side, some of them.

Still, she feels raw and tired and overwhelmed by the life lying ahead of her. As a human and as someone who will always be Something Else.

[acquieesce]

some might say it's love (fluff)

reeeally long story, hope you like it! 🩷

words: 2k

it was just another ordinary day. you were at your friend liam's house, lounging on the couch while the tv played in the background.

liam had become your closest companion ever since his brother—and your best friend—noel had gone on tour as a roadie for inspiral carpets. noel had been gone for months. at first, you both tried to keep in touch, but as time passed, it became harder and harder. eventually, you two lost contact.

you spent a lot of time at peggy and liam's house, helping her with the dishes, assisting in the kitchen, and setting the table. whenever she needed a hand, you were there. that’s how your friendship with liam grew—through small acts of kindness and shared moments. he became your partner in crime, someone you could confide in. it was almost funny to think that, just a few months ago, the two of you barely had real conversations.

but there was one thing liam didn’t know—your love for noel.

you had known noel for as long as you could remember, practically growing up together. despite being a year younger than him, you attended the same school, and he had always treated you like a little sister. you used to love that. until one day, you didn’t.

as you grew older, you began noticing him in a different way. noel was a little taller than you, lean but not too thin, with long hair that always seemed slightly disheveled. but what captivated you the most were his eyes—piercing blue, the most beautiful you’d ever seen.

the first time you realized you had feelings for him was the day he helped you after you fell in the street. he had been so worried, fussing over you, carefully bringing you home, tending to your scrapes with such gentleness, as if you might break at any moment.

and in that moment, you knew—he wasn’t just your best friend anymore.

the sound of the doorbell at the gallaghers' house jolted you from your thoughts. you glanced at liam, expecting him to get up and answer it.

"what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "you want me to open the door? you go!"

you shot him an indignant look. "the house is yours! you open it!"

"i'm way too cozy right now, and besides, you're closer to the door," he said, leaning back further into the sofa with a smug smile, hands resting behind his head.

rolling your eyes, you sighed. "fine! i'm coming!" you called out as the doorbell rang again, more insistent this time.

as you swung the door open, your breath caught in your throat. standing in front of you was noel.

his hair was shorter than the last time you'd seen him, and he held a few bags in his hands. the moment his eyes met yours, he let them drop to the ground without hesitation. before you could even process what was happening, he pulled you into a tight embrace, holding you as if it had been years instead of months.

for a brief moment, you stood frozen, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions. then, slowly, a wide smile spread across your face as you wrapped your arms around him, holding him just as tightly.

"my god, i missed you so much! looks like you've grown up!" noel said, stepping back to take a proper look at you.

you rolled your eyes with a small laugh. "come on, it wasn’t even that long."

"felt like years to me," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "i couldn’t wait to get home."

"oi, rkid! you're back!" liam's voice rang out before he practically tackled his brother in a hug, catching him off guard.

"come in! i want to know everything!" liam continued, barely giving noel a chance to breathe. "how was it? is the road cool? what was the band like?" the questions spilled out one after another.

noel chuckled, shaking his head. "liam, slow down." he glanced around. "where’s mum?"

"she went to the market, she’ll be back soon," liam said, flopping back onto the couch. "okay, so? how was it? did you meet any bird?" he shot noel a mischievous grin, wiggling his thick eyebrows.

your stomach twisted at the question. you weren’t sure if you wanted to hear the answer. instead, you forced out a small laugh, waiting for noel’s response.

"of course not," noel scoffed, rolling his eyes. "i went to work, not to chase girls." he shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"wow, man, you really don’t know how to have fun," liam teased, shaking his head.

you laughed along with them, secretly relieved.

a little while later, peggy arrived home, immediately pulling noel into a tight hug and planting a kiss on his cheek. she had missed her son terribly—and, judging by the way he held her just as tightly, he had missed her too.

that evening, the four of you sat around the table, catching up over dinner.

"you have to see, love," peggy said, shaking her head with a fond smile. "liam barely stays at home anymore—he’s always off rehearsing with his band. what was the name again, dear?"

"oasis," liam answered proudly, puffing out his chest. "and we’re going to be the biggest band in the world."

"y/n’s already heard us rehearse—tell him!" he turned to you eagerly.

you let out a small laugh. "they’re actually pretty good, trust me." you glanced at noel, watching for his reaction.

he raised an eyebrow. "and what exactly do you do in this band, liam?"

"i sing," liam said, as if it were obvious.

noel burst out laughing. "he sings? i think you need to clean your ears, love."

liam stuck his tongue out at him.

"these two have been inseparable since you left," peggy chimed in. "she’s always here—it’s like she’s becoming my daughter at this point." she laughed softly. "and she and liam do practically everything together."

you felt your cheeks warm as you looked down with a shy smile.

noel said nothing. he just nodded—and changed the subject completely.

some time later, you found yourself in noel’s room, sitting across from him as he talked about life on the road—what it was like to be a roadie for an up-and-coming band, the long nights, the exhaustion, but most importantly, the dream it fueled in him.

"one day, i won’t just be setting up guitars," he said, eyes shining with determination. "i’ll be on that stage, playing my own songs for the whole world to hear."

you watched him intently, admiring the way he spoke with so much passion. it was inspiring—beautiful, even. but no matter how much you wanted to listen, your mind kept drifting.

all you could think about was how much you had missed this. the late-night talks, the warmth of his presence, the way everything felt lighter when he was around.

"oi, earth calling—are you even listening to me?" noel snapped his fingers in front of your face, smirking.

you jumped slightly at his words. "what? yeah, i’m listening," you said, blinking rapidly, trying to refocus.

noel hummed in response, then, as if it were the most casual thing in the world, asked, "so, you and liam got really close while i was gone… did something happen between you two?" he absentmindedly played with his fingers, not looking directly at you.

"what?" you let out a loud laugh, tilting your head back. "are you crazy? liam is five years younger than me! that would never happen."

noel just gave a small, weak smile.

for a moment, neither of you spoke. you simply stared at each other, a comfortable quiet settling between you. god, you had missed this. you had missed him—his warmth, his jokes, and especially those piercing blue eyes, more beautiful than the ocean itself. the ones you had always loved getting lost in. you wondered if he had missed you too.

"you know," he started suddenly, voice softer now. "while i was with the inspiral carpets, i kept thinking about you. about us."

your breath caught in your throat as he leaned in ever so slightly, closing the space between you.

you froze. "a-and what were you thinking?" you stammered, heart pounding at his closeness.

noel sighed, running a hand through his hair. "i don’t know. just... wondering. if i hadn’t left, if i had stayed here, would things have stayed the same? or would they have changed? you know, the usual ‘what ifs.’"

you let out a small chuckle, trying to mask the growing tension in the room. "well, i guess we’ll never know, right?"

noel tilted his head slightly, a small smile playing on his lips as he shook his head.

"what?" you asked, laughing nervously.

he exhaled, still smiling. "seriously, you haven’t noticed yet?"

your brows furrowed. "noticed what?"

he let out a small, disbelieving laugh before muttering, "god, you’re such an idiot."

you opened your mouth to protest, but before you could say anything, he looked straight into your eyes and said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world—

"how have you not realized that i like you?"

you stood there, completely still, just staring at him. had you heard that right? noel gallagher—the boy you had secretly been in love with—had just confessed that he liked you?

the room felt suffocatingly quiet until noel sighed and broke the silence.

"i know this might seem like a lot, but i needed to get this off my chest," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "i really like you. hell, i liked you even before i went on tour." he exhaled sharply, as if he'd been holding it in for far too long. "i think i realized how real it was when we lost contact. i spent every single day thinking about you—wondering if you were okay, if you were eating, if you were sleeping. god, i couldn't get you out of my head!"

you just stood there, frozen, letting him speak, letting his words sink in.

"and i missed you. so much." his voice softened now, his eyes searching yours. "i wanted to see you every day. i wanted to hug you. talk to you. kiss you—"

he froze, realizing what he had just said. your eyes widened, heart hammering in your chest.

and then, before you could even think, you threw yourself at him, pressing your lips to his in a sudden, desperate kiss.

noel tensed for half a second, startled by your boldness, but the moment passed, and he melted into it, his arms wrapping around you like he'd been waiting for this forever.

the kiss was filled with everything neither of you had said before—affection, longing, relief. nothing else mattered.

noel’s hands instinctively went to your waist, his fingers pressing gently against you as if memorizing the moment. one hand slid up to cup your face, his thumb stroking your cheek as he deepened the kiss. your arms wrapped around his shoulders, your fingers tangling in the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

time didn’t exist. it was just the two of you, lips moving in sync, tongues teasing and exploring, hearts racing. you felt like you were floating—like all your dreams had suddenly become real.

and then—

"oi, dickhead, mum is calli—what's happening here?!"

liam’s voice shattered the moment like a brick through a window.

you and noel immediately pulled apart, eyes wide, faces flushed.

your cheeks burned with embarrassment as you struggled to meet liam’s gaze. he stood in the doorway, mouth open, eyes flicking between the two of you like he had just walked into a crime scene.

noel groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "liam, get out. now." he pointed toward the door. "and close it behind you!"

liam held his hands up in surrender, smirking. "alright, alright! just—maybe don’t make babies in my bed, yeah?"

"get out!" noel barked.

liam chuckled, backing out of the room, muttering something under his breath before disappearing down the hall.

silence.

then, you and noel locked eyes.

and suddenly, you both burst into laughter.

as the laughter faded, a comfortable silence settled between you and noel. the weight of what had just happened hung in the air, but it wasn’t heavy—it was warm, almost electric. he reached for your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours, his thumb tracing slow, reassuring circles against your skin.

neither of you needed to say anything. the confession, the kiss, the unspoken emotions lingering in the space between you—it was enough.

somewhere down the hall, you could still hear liam grumbling to himself, likely making a mental note to never leave his room unattended again. the thought made you smile.

noel gave your hand a gentle squeeze before pulling you into his chest. his chin rested lightly on your head, and for the first time in months, everything felt right. the world outside could wait—right now, in this small room filled with old posters, unfinished song lyrics, and the faint scent of cigarettes and aftershave, you had everything you had ever wanted.

and noel had finally realized that he had, too.

[lorebeth]

Hello. I was wondering if you could make a platonic Honkai Star Rail story with the reader being Jing Yuan's child and but they ended up running away to stay with their mother because they keep messing things up especially after Jing Yuan and the readers mother got divorced. it takes awhile but a few months later the reader suddenly returned to the Loufu because of some disaster where the reader had been living with their mother and Jing Yuan also wanted to talk the reader so he would finally be able to apologize to them especially after he accidentally saw the diary they kept on their computer. (I was kind of inspired by the first episode of The Owl House season three Thank To Them for this request but If you're not not comfortable with writing this that's completely alright and I wish you a good morning/afternoon or goodnight☺️)

I nearly cried bro I accidentally deleted everything I’m gonna sob but I rewrote it!!

IM SO SORRY IVE LITERALLY BEEN DEAD I SWEAR THE SECOND I WROTE FANFICS I GOT YHE MOST DEADLY COUGH OF MY LIFE I WAS SICK FOR THREE MONTHS STRAIGHT 😭😭😭 I HAD WHOOPING COUGH ISTG

My exams started a little while ago too and I had a request before this, I HOPE THIS IS GOOD ENOUGH AND IM SORRY ITS SO LATE OMG I DIDNT MEAN TO DROP OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!!

TW: mention of bad coping mechanisms - no outright mention of sh, yanqing and reader share a sibling bond, jing yuan is kinda ooc in my opinion… I genuinely think there’s a paragraph missing somewhere and a bunch of spelling mistakes so please bare with me 🙏🙏🙏 Yanqing referred to as brother multiple times near the end!!! 

It all started after the divorce. Your grades plummeted and your training sessions with your father became scarce. Your footing during combat was mediocre at best and you found yourself closing off from friends and even your own father.

He was worried about you from the beginning, never wanting you to be at the centre of the messy divorce especially during one of the most stressful weeks at the Luofu no doubt. The IPC had arrived on short notice and demanded immediate attention, leaving your father to worry about not only them but how you felt and your mental state too. 

How he showed his care however… It was not the best. He would make sure others spent time with you in his place, whenever you wanted to see him, you would be notified by a guard or one of his subordinates who would be tasked to hang out with you that he was unavailable and you wouldn’t see him until later. 

This did not make you feel better, instead you got into contact with your mother again, her reaching out and asking to spend time with you. You didn’t know how to feel and had mixed emotions but ultimately coming to the conclusion to give her a chance and slowly working up to a happier relationship with her again. Not only were you disappointed at your father but also your mother. 

She told you all about her new home and how it resembled the Luofu so much, how she would be delighted for you to join her one day. You liked that idea a lot! Especially since you had a feeling that your father’s subordinates didn’t want to babysit you anymore.

You worked on yourself and started training again, this time not with your father. The IPC had left weeks ago and promised to come back to settle matters with your father once and for all. You didn’t care about that though, you still hadn’t seen your father in a week up until the point of training.

“That’s right, Y/N!” Yanqing praised. He had become one of your closest companions and you both had a sibling-like bond: he knew you better than anyone else and you vice versa. He had become your pillar and knew all your secrets, even about the unhealthy coping you had developed and how to better maintain your emotions and habits during the tough days. 

Jing Yuan knew of you two’s training sessions and had guards keep him posted on your location at all times. He didn’t want to admit it, but he kept himself away from you at the fear of being neglectful and disappointing you again. He remembers the last time you both were in the same room, you had begged to play chess with him. He had pushed you away, saying;

“I’m busy, Y/N. Please go find someone else.” 

He in fact wasn’t that busy, he just couldn’t bare to see you and thought you were disappointed in him. He replayed that scenario in his head multiple times the entire week he’s gone without seeing you and at the back of his mind is the broken relationship with your mother. He cannot bring himself to forgive what he had done to your mother to make her leave, and he was worried you would eventually leave him as well. In desperate attempt, he would send you trinkets and clothing to try repair the missing attention he couldn’t give you, but you stopped taking them after a while. His heart couldn’t bare to see you upset at him, so he buried himself in his paper work. Surprising all those around him, especially Fu Xuan. She was extremely impressed and scared. She had no clue when he became so serious about his work and almost drowning himself in it. 

Fu Xuan knew it had to do with you. She was one of your mothers closest friends and knew that you went through one of the toughest situations of all, your parents both fighting for custody and ultimately putting you in the middle of their arguments. She also had to hang out with you in place of Jing Yuan sometimes, knowing exactly how you felt and being able to read you like an open book. She couldn’t help but feel angry at your father, cursing him and his stupidity. For a General, he sure was an idiot for denying you the love and attention you deserved, instead making others give it to you when you instead needed your father.

You fucked up. Earlier this morning in a final attempt to reconnect with your father, you walked in on a meeting of his. You had no clue he had visitors and you went everywhere in the house trying to look for him. He never let you get involved in meetings - stating you were too young and shouldn’t worry about such trivial matters. You tried to respect his wishes every time, knowing he was a well respected figure and you didn’t want to mess that up for him.

“So, this morning I received word from-“ the voice of your father stopped as you opened the door to his private study. His closest subordinates sitting around a table, waiting for him to finish his sentence. Everyone turned to look at you and you felt your face get hot, your knees wobble and tears prick your eyes. You screwed the fuck up. 

“I’m sorry! I was just-“ you couldn’t finish off the sentence, you felt your throat closing up in panic. You made eye contact with everyone, noticing pity and sympathy in their eyes. You hated it so much… But what caught you the most off guard was the hard expression on your fathers face. His eyes calculating and holding an emotion you couldn’t decipher. You wanted to explode on the spot.

Quickly and almost aggressively, you slammed the door behind you, shaking the hinges and wanting the ground to swallow you whole more than ever. 

The look in your fathers eyes. Was he disappointed with you? Did he have enough? Did he not love you anymore? Were you being too pushy about hanging out with him? Why was he looking at you so coldly? You wanted to cry and sob and forget about everything. Go back to the days before the divorce. You wanted everything to be the way it was. Going out with your mother and father, being showered with love and affection, being given small trinkets that your father said reminded him of both you and your mother. 

You felt yourself spiralling again. You needed to go see Yanqing and quick. 

“Oh Y/N…” Yanqing nearly pleaded with you. He knew that look on your face, your swollen eyes and your weak frown, he was immediately sympathetic and knew something bad happened between you and Jing Yuan. 

Yanqing himself considered Jing Yuan his father in a sense too and you his sibling, so he knew you well enough to grasp you and Jing Yuan’s connection. He also loved your mother as his own and the divorce hit him pretty harsh as well. But he understood they fought about you the most, and how helpless you felt. He never held that against you and tried his best to make sure you were safe and as happy as could be, but right now? What the hell happened?

“What happened? Do you want to talk about it?” He held you in his arms as you felt your tears never ending.

“I think father’s upset with me…” you couldn’t help inhale air with small hiccups and double takes, staining Yanqing’s shirt with your salty tears. You wanted to pry away and apologise but you felt too weak and mentally exhausted. You felt stupid and not worth it, not worth your father.

“I’m sure it was all a misunderstanding, Y/N! He loves you, of course he does!” Yanqing offered, he help you tighter and you felt all your emotions explode again, crying harder than before.

“You should have seen the look on his face- he stared and stared with that cold look!” you wrapped your arms around Yanqing’s back and clung onto him hopelessly. 

“I- N/N…” he started, only for you to cut him off.

“Y’know… I’ve been thinking about moving with mother…” you sniffled, having calmed down much more than before. You felt Yanqing freeze around you.

“W-what do you mean?” He uttered in disbelief.

You dropped your arms slowly and looked up at the young boy, wiping your tears and holding his hand in your own. 

“Let’s face it. Things haven’t been the same since the divorce. Father’s been avoiding me like the plague, sending everyone but him to come hang out with me. For Aeon’s sake, he didn’t even come to the park like we always used to on the First Full Moon of the month…” you whispered, emotion turning your voice hoarse and painful, as if thorns were tightening at your throat.

“But- but it could get better! I’m sure if I spoke to him, he’d understand!” Yanqing stared at you with determination in his eyes, his hope shining bright. 

“I don’t think it will. Not after today. I promise to come visit you, I swear it! I just- I don’t want to embarrass myself more in front of father than I already have. I don’t think he deserves that.” you state gently. 

For the first time in a few weeks, you felt excited. Not that hanging out with Yanqing and sending letters to your mother wasn’t fun, but you genuinely wanted some where new to explore, a different atmosphere away from the burden of trying to please a father who couldn’t even bother look you in the eyes. You needed a change of pace.

“I promise I’ll write you to everyday!” You beam at him. The boy looks at you with uncertainty in his gaze and sadness. After losing your mother, he didn’t want to lose you too. But he knew it would make you happier than ever. And plus, he loves reading your spelling mistakes. It’s a win-win in his book.

You had left nearly 3 months ago, keeping your promise and sending voice recordings to your brother and small videos here and there, as well as handwritten envelopes with flowers from the beautiful planet your mother came to. She had told you it’s history and how they had been rebuilding themselves as an Oasis in the making. Her mother, your grandmother came from this beautiful planet and you couldn’t help but notice how similar you looked to the natives here. You felt at home, much more than you ever did on the Luofu.

You hadn’t told you father about your departure, having opted to pack you bags immediately and call your mother, asking for a quick and easy way to travel to her home world. She accepted immediately and welcomed you with open arms.

You eventually told her why you left and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “That man wouldn’t know discipline and responsibility if it hit him with the entire Luofu itself! How he’s made it all these years is beyond me. I’m sorry you experienced that my love. I’m glad you’re with me now.” She would scoff at your father’s actions and always pat your head, getting ready to go to work or take you out during her days off. She would also help you record videos for Yanqing and would mention how she missed her son dearly, always calling him hers and asking if he’s been eating well, showing in her own way she cares.

You didn’t want to know about your father and Yanqing never told you, waiting only to tell you when you asked. Which never came.

Eventually, you had made friends with the locals, learned your native tongue and made sure that everyone was happy, having been placed to understudy your mother and work alongside her in the Guild to provide for the elders of the City. You also volunteered to as many soup kitchens as possible and helped with poverty wherever you could. Your mothers home was beautiful but the economy was rather poor, leading to the fittest to provide for the elders and young children. 

You returned home one day after a successful evening at the kitchen only to have received three distress signals from Yanqing and one from your father. You felt sick to your stomach and as if you were about to faint. 

Quickly you opened your signals and heard voice messages come through.

“Y/N! Please! You need to come back to the Luofu right now! It’s Jing Yuan! He’s- he’s been in critical condition since this evening!” 

“Please! Fu Xuan is panicking and it’s throwing me off… I- I don’t know what to do! Please…”

“He’s finally okay! He’s in a stable condition��� it’s been hours! Please tell me you’re okay, Y/N! He’s been asking for you… Please return to the Luofu…” 

You didn’t dare open your father’s one. It was staring at you as if cornering you . Ready to eat you alive. 

“Y/N. You should return.” Your mother said beside your doorframe. She had heard everything and wanted to make sure you were okay. 

“I- but…?” You started, only to be met with your mother’s questioning gaze. You knew you should go visit your brother and father, Yanqing was worried and your father could have died. You had to see him. 

“Okay…” you couldn’t help but worry.

The air was different on the Luofu than your mother’s planet. It was crisp, almost as if there was electricity in the air, waiting to strike at any moment. 

As you made your way down the streets to your home, you felt a familiar presence and turned around to see Yanqing running at you full speed, nearly knocking you down ass first onto the pavement. 

“Y/NNN!!!!!” He nearly sobbed. It was endearing and a little too tight of a hug, but you reciprocated.

“Hey there, Yanqing! I’ve missed you.” You felt your eyes tear up. You had truly missed your brother and wanted him to be safe.

“I’ve missed you too. I really hope you’re happy. But..! Please- Jing Yuan- he’s been so tired and I’ve never seen him this restless. You have to go see him.” The boy stopped hugging you to stare at you with complete sadness. 

You felt as if your body was in fight or flight, wanting to drop kick your brother and run for the hills of your mothers home planet. But that would be uncivilised and you’d feel bad later.

“Okay…” you agreed with apprehension.

You had entered your father’s house. Everything was the same way it was when you left. The same colours, same tapestries, even the same stupid old vase you hated and wanted to break on multiple occasions at the ugliness of it. You truly didn’t miss this place one bit but at the same time missed all the memories and the unfulfilled promises. 

As you walked the final step of stairs and walked to the end of the hall, you were met with the door of your father’s bedroom. He had shared it once with your mother and you nearly sobbed at the sight of it. Last time you had been in his room was when you had a nightmare and wanted your mother, having snuck into the bed to be with her. 

You quickly pulled off the bandaid. Knocking softly three times and rethinking doing it again having garnered no reply.

Just as you brought your hand up to knock again, a hoarse voice spoke out. “Come in.”

You felt your stomach do summersaults and wanted to evaporate into thin air. But you had to pull the bandaid off completely, no? 

You opened the door gently and closed it behind you, walking to your father’s bed and having made eye contact with him half way through your walk. His eyes were glassy and he was in his bed with bandages all over his chest, arms and even one on his neck. You nearly broke into tears.

“Y/N…” he uttered softly. His gaze piercing yet soft. He missed you dearly and wanted to reach out desperately to apologise for how he treated you. But you weren’t here to hear his excuses.

 “Father…” you couldn’t hold it back and the tears started flowing again. Jing Yuan slowly rose up and took your hand to his chest, pulling your entire body towards him and laying you on his bed, kissing your forehead and holding you tight. You wrapped your arms around him and kept apologising, remembering how you had left without a word and wanting it all to have been a bad dream.

“You’re my child, Y/N. And I should have treated you better. I did not mean to chase you away or make you feel incompetent. I adore you and you are one of the only good things in my life. My life’s purpose.” He whispered into your hair.

“I- I should have been there when you were upset. I am sorry for neglecting you. I wish I had spoken to you more and kept the relationship.” He held you tighter, as if afraid you would disappear any minute.

“I’ve read your diary, Y/N.” You freeze. Oh shit. He started to pet your head and you feel tears blind your vision.

“Father- you weren’t..!” You can’t finish due to the hiccups taking over your body. He only pushes you away to look into your eyes carefully. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. You were never the reason me and your mother didn’t work out. You will forever be my top priority, and I am so sorry you felt otherwise. You are my child- my one true love. I will never stop fighting for you, nor your brother. Please, give me one last chance to prove to you my dear child.” His eyes were glassy and he had extreme eye bags, a curtesy of his non-existent sleep schedule. 

You didn’t know how to reply. Of course he still loved you, even after the lack of communication on his behalf and your insecurities leading up to the emotional turmoil in your relationship. 

“You’re my father. Of course I’ll always give you a second chance..” you whisper against him again.

You had a feeling that everything was going to be okay again.

[rise-my-angel]

every fucking person in this fandom hates brandon and i have no idea why 😭 like sure, barbrey dustin alluded that he liked sex rough but that doesn't make anyone evil. i cant believe that's something i have to explain to people. people forget that 1) barbrey was talking about it as something she enjoyed 2) she was only guessing that brandon liked it too 3) barbrey dustin is by no means an objective account of anything. seriously people are so quick to hate on him when hes a dead man who is rarely talked about 💀💀 the only times we recieve any actual info about him is either from the mouth of his lover whos a bitter old widow, the words of the obsessive maniac who challenged him to a duel and was severely beat up, or in the thoughts of his heavily traumatised brother. none of whom can serve as objective outlooks as to what kind of person he was, his traits and complexities. the guy is dead. the only concrete thing we know about him is that he was arrested for trying to save his little sister and was murdered when trying to save his father. which is enough for me.

I think because we never know anything of Brandon until after he's dead, it's really easy for people to project onto him.

A lot of people I think take what they perceive as flaws in the Starks and put them all onto him as if he was the epitome of everything wrong with the Starks, when in reality the most notable thing Brandon did in his life, was not hesitate to ride to Kings Landing to save his sister, and was murdered for it.

He got into a duel and mutiliated Petyr Baelish for life? Well, Petyr personally challenged him first, and when Brandon won, instead of killing him as is tradtion for that sort of challenge, he listened to the pleading of his betrothed, and spared his life. Yes he left a scar, but the alternative was ending his life and Brandon chose to fufill the wish of the woman he was going to marry, telling us that he valued Catelyn's wishes and did things to make her happy.

Barbrey Dustin is an unreliable narrator, because she is so bitter towards the Starks and Ned specifically, that it is very hard to know what she says is real and what is being said after being built up in her mind for decades of bitter resentment. She resented that Rickard Stark didnt betroth Brandon to her, and I think she somewhat resented the fact that he didn't fight it and he happily accepted the to be wife he was to have in Catelyn. Barbrey has a very skewed image of Brandon because she refuses to see him in any light but through the bitter lens of once lovers, instead of seeing him as the man he was outside of her.

Ned feels guilt that he wasn't closer with Brandon. The only reason they weren't as close was because they were both sent by their father as wards to two far away places. Brandon in Barrowton where he met Barbrey, and Ned in the Eyrie. He wishes they had more time together and it's clearly why he doesn't send any of his children away as wards. Brandon is literally the reason why Ned raises Jon and Robb the way he does. He wants Jon and Robb to be what he and Brandon never had a chance to be, each others closest companions. Ned would've stood by Brandons side as his closest advisor and he raised Jon to be that for Robb because he wanted them to have what he and Brandon didnt get a chance too. Ned knew Brandon best, he wouldn't wish he could've had those chances if Brandon were a bad person.

We know so little of his person, but a lot of people project their greivances onto him and exaggerate the details as if to justify why they hate him so much. In reality, we don't know enough about Brandon to say what he was truly like, but it also means we don't know enough about him to actually hate him.

They hate what they've decided he stands for, and not what he's actually done. Which is bravely ride to face the royal family beside his father to rescue his little sister, and died for it.

People think we don't know enough about Brandon to like him, but we do know enough about Brandon, to understand why you shouldn't hate him. But people do anyways, because thats easier then acually crediting that Brandon was probably a man who was nuanced and multi layered and not the short tempered meat head womanizer people have decided was all he ever was.

[pikachu78109]

General Lance Headcanons

((These are some general headcanons that I came up with for Lance that I wanted to include earlier in my initial headcanon entry for him, but didn’t))

I see him in his late twenties to early thirties, honestly. Like, maybe 28 or nearing 30 at least. Despite his looks, Lance appears far more older than what others think initially. He’s told he looks like he’s twenty or eighteen, which is such a common assumption that amuses Lance.

His relationship with Clair can be tumultuous. They get along fine, but there are moments when Clair’s overly competitive and sore loser mentality wears Lance down. He can handle her outbursts like a pro; he’s got the patience of a saint, but he does find himself nearing the end of his rope whenever Clair gets too defensive. I think it helps that at one point in his childhood Lance has been in Clair’s shoes, but has managed to keep calm thanks to the Dragon Master’s guidance. Whenever Clair challenges Lance to battle at the Pokémon League and loses, she throws another one of her outbursts, much to Lance’s dismay. He’s often asked by League members, Gym Leaders included, why Clair still has a Gym Leader position. Part of him hopes that whenever Clair faces a Trainer and loses to them that it will make her more humble. That’s yet to happen as her pride is so high that it takes the Dragon Master to threaten her by telling Lance what’s up that she relents the Gym Badge. Regardless, Lance understands Clair’s position but he does not condone her ill behavior.

Lance didn’t grow up with a lot of friends outside of Blackthorn, so it was mainly just him and Clair. When he got old enough to go on his journey, Lance didn’t know what to expect. He was made aware of the different towns and cities across Johto and Kanto as well, so he wasn’t completely sheltered. However, his lack of social skills and stoic exterior has led people to be, let’s say, intimidated by him. It doesn’t help that Lance traveled the two regions with his trusty Dragons, which are far more intimidating than just him alone. This made Lance feel like an outcast, which he kind of was, therefore he ends up keeping to himself. However, all it took for him to come out of his shell was for a couple of little kids to curiously ask him about his cape, which did lighten Lance’s spirits.

His three Dragonites are all different, personality wise. One is a big softie who loves being cuddled and enjoys wearing Lance’s cape. They are the equivalent to a Golden Retriever and the youngest. The second Dragonite, the “middle child” so to speak, keeps to themselves. They enjoy lying around and dozing off, but are quite capable of getting shit done when told by Lance. And, lastly, the third Dragonite, the oldest. This one has been with Lance the longest, making them the “leader” of the pact. They are a ride or die with Lance, partners til the end, and has zero tolerance for BS (also much like Lance). This Dragonite was gifted to Lance when it was a newly hatched Dratini when Lance was around eleven (the ripe age for upcoming Dragon Tamers to receive their first Dragon Pokémon). Lance loves and cares for his Dragonites deeply and will, without question, lay down his life to protect them as all three are his closest companions.

Despite his stoic demeanor, Lance is a sweetheart. He’s polite, helpful, friendly, and just wants to enjoy life being around both people and Pokémon. He understands that he’s an intimidating presence but he strives to be more approachable. He tries to find some common ground, although it’s still difficult for him, but he TRIES.

Not much a movie person. Lance doesn’t like sitting for long periods of time while watching a television screen. He likes moving around, so sitting still for an hour just isn’t his forte.

For some reason, I see Lance having a shitty sleep schedule. I mean, he’s constantly on the move and doesn’t stay in place for longer than a minute. One moment he’s getting up at an ungodly hour, say 3AM, training. And then, before you know it, he’s passed out on the couch until 5PM or at noon. At times, he’ll go two or three days without sleep. His sleep schedule is in such shambles that the Johto Elite Four have had to set up alert reminders for him to go to bed at around 9PM and get up at 7AM. They nearly have had to do an intervention just to get Lance to sleep properly.

When not wearing his usual uniform, Lance likes to put on a simple black turtleneck or V-neck T-shirt. Usually this is rare, but whenever Lance has free time that isn’t being swallowed up by the League or other pressing matters, Lance likes to dress casually.

Prone to getting into physical altercations, either with people or with Pokémon. Lance can hold his own in a fight (not a Pokémon battle, mind you) and has thrown hands before. While he is nowhere near Bruno’s level of strength, Lance can get a few hits in and can take his fair share of bruises and cuts. These fights are usually provoked by Lance interfering in illegal activities, which causes escalation to ensue. Luckily, Lance has never had a weapon pulled on him.

Gets cold pretty easily. Living near the Ice Path, the winters in Blackthorn can be pretty brutal, so Lance has never truly adapted to being cold. People think it’s funny that the Dragon Tamer Lance gets cold easily since, you know, Ice beats Dragon types. But, truth is, winters in Blackthorn can be deadly under the right conditions. Lance has spent many winters in the Dragon’s Den, caring for the Dragon types there so he has little need (or desire) to venture out into the wild wintry whiteout.

Not a public transportation kind of guy. If Lance wants to go anywhere, it’s either on foot or on his Dragonite’s back.

Enjoys domestic living, like cooking and cleaning. When he was younger, he was raised by his single mother who did a lot around the home, so that homely influence affected him greatly. He likes keeping things in order and has kept a lot of his mother’s recipes after she passed.

Lance holds onto his relationships very, VERY closely. If anyone dares to harm any one of his friends or family, they are in for a bad time (cue Megalovania).

Keeps in contact with some of the other Champions, like Cynthia and Steven. They all would meet up to discuss news about their respective regions and other events/issues. Isn’t so much political as it rather focuses on the Pokémon League aspect of each region and how each League is being cared for and how they are upholding their foundation. Still, these meetings allow Lance to catch up with other Champions, more than anything.

[spinedog]

Please talk about birds and why their existence is horrifying!

For dabble prompt, Yang and Weiss making macaroni, as inspired by the recent Instagram where Barbara and Kara made macaroni.

You can request a ramble and drabble here, and see prompts I've finished and am currently working on!

Ramble - I have a lot of Emotions about birds and their relationship to mammals.

Drabble - The college AU returns: guess who has no fucking idea how to make macaroni, and who else finally got fed up with it.

Birds. Birds my beloved, birds my beloathed.

Here's the thing. Every time I research birds, for any reason, I learn something new and horrifying. I could fill a post the length of Do You Like The Color Of The Sky with the shit I know and fear about birds. Rather than go into a specific reason, let me explain the underlying reason why I find them both fascinating and disturbing.

Birds are endotherms (warmblooded), like us. They have a four-chambered heart, like us. They have complex social behaviours across multiple unrelated genera, like mammals. Many unrelated bird species use tools and can solve human puzzles. While not shared with us, birds also have paired larynx structures that let them make insanely complex noises. Between the intelligence and this ability, many species are capable of mimicking human speech - and at least one species has both scientific and anecdotal evidence of being able to use human speech to communicate. (The only mammal proven to be able to mimic verbal speech is a goddamn Grey Seal btw)

All of this is lovely until you take a step back and realize our ancestors diverged 300 million years ago. Our shared ancestral traits are a handful of internal changes, the loss of gills, keratinized skin, and fucking chest breathing. That is how goddamn little we have in common with birds ancestrally. To be clear, the first true mammal came along closer to 225 mya - but we are the only living group left from the synapsids, then therapsids, that grew Better Teeth and split off. In comparison, birds and crocodiles are the only living members from archosauria, and the arrival of birds themselves is still under a lot of debate but was probably around 150 mya.

This is the part that I find so fascinating. Go all the way back to that paragraph with all the things we share with birds. Both mammals and birds evolved all of those traits separately. And yet, despite being so far away that we may as well be alien, we've ended up on a parallel course to each other. Almost every part of our body, right down to the brain, works in a completely different way and yet the outcome is spookily similar. We can reason. We can problem-solve.

We've gotten to the point that a well-educated human and a well-educated grey parrot have stood eye to eye with each other and had a true, verbal, two-way conversation.

Seriously. Think about that. That's something we had to use sign language to do with our closest living relatives, and talking buttons to do with our longest-running domesticated companion species - and both happened in the last few decades. The first account of a 'talking parrot' was in 5th century BC.

I think that's a significant connection, on the grand cosmic scale of time and evolution. Sister groups not in blood but in destination, driven by curiosity and a miraculous set of coincidences, reach out and speak to each other in a language both are able to understand.

And I didn't even touch the fact that birds and mammals are the only two living vertebrates that developed fucking flight.

---

"I wouldn't use this in a hot pan, it's plastic."

"Oh." A pause. "Right."

Yang's voice coming from the kitchen wasn't new, but Weiss' certainly was. Blake poked out from her room, curious enough about the potential of dying in a house fire to emerge from midterm studying.

Immediately she saw Ruby, pressed up against the wall to stare down the stairs. The younger woman turned, catching sight of Blake and pressing a finger to her lips before motioning her forwards, kneeling to clear room for her. Blake slowly crept up, leaning over Ruby as they both peered around the corner.

Down the stairs, the small, messy kitchen was visible. Weiss Schnee hovered over the stove, hair pulled up in a ponytail and eyes wide with uncharacteristic worry. "Okay, I think it's all combined."

"Good, now you can pour the milk in." Yang appeared from behind the wall in their view, where she must have been standing by the fridge. "Don't do it all at once, pour in about... here. That much. Whisk it together until there's no clumps and then add the rest."

Blake turned her gaze downwards, bewildered.

"Weiss admitted she doesn't know how to cook mac and cheese." Ruby whispered. "Yang couldn't let that one go."

She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. It was probably bound to happen. Weiss hadn't had to cook for herself a day in her life, and Yang had probably been cooking for herself and Ruby since she could reach the stove. Sooner or later, there would have to be a collision. Of course, she had to feel a bit bad that no one had ever taken the time to teach Weiss any of it. But any guilt she felt was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer surrealism of the scene unfolding in the kitchen. Weiss had merely brushed off all points at her complete lack of housekeeping and cooking. And now here she was, taking lessons from the person who gave her the most shit for it.

"This all seems complicated?" The trademark Weiss sass wasn't gone entirely, even with her being miles out of her element. "Isn't mac and cheese supposed to be a really simple thing that kids can make?"

"That's Kraft dinner. This isn't much harder to make and tastes way better, so we're starting with it. Relax, ice queen, it's hard to screw it up completely."

Weiss heaved a frustrated sigh, whether it was at the nickname or the recipe wasn't clear. "Is the pasta in yet?"

"Nope, water still isn't boiling." Yang had leaned against the cupboards, clearly amused.

"They always say, to uh." Weiss looked up, blinking. "A watched- when you look- when you watch the bowl of- it never boils." She looked over, as if hoping Yang might have understood the verbal equivalent of an orchestra falling down the stairs.

Yang nodded sagely. "Exactly."

Blake pulled herself away from the corner, barely choking back laughter. Ruby's breathing devolved into chaotic inhales.

"Seriously, what is the saying?! Something about pots? And watching it?"

"No, no you nailed it. A watched when you look when you watch-"

"Yang Xiao Long I will beat you with this spatula I swear to God."

She could hear the grin in Yang's voice. "You and what ladder?"

That was the final straw for both Blake and Ruby. Ruby broke first, the laugh escaping like a water from a high pressure hose. Within moments both of them were in hysterics, Ruby on the floor and Blake leaning against the wall, fighting for air.

"Well." Blake managed to look over, and found Weiss glaring at them both from the bottom of the stairs, hands on her hips. "If you two are going to have input, you may as well get downstairs and help cook."

It was a fair enough point, and the two women managed to pull themselves down the stairs and into the kitchen, still wiping tears away. Yang watched them sit down at the table, clearly fighting back a laugh of her own.

Weiss re-entered the kitchen, frowning down at the water in the pot. A split second of quiet.

Blake wasn't much of a comedian - but she knew when the timing was right. "A watched pot never boils, Weiss."

Yang broke like china, falling against the fridge with a howl of laughter. A spatula bounced off the center of Blake's forehead, and it was worth every second.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Okay, headcannon for how Shadowpeaches met:

After Wukong git back from training with Subhodi he found that his monkeys had been kidnapped by the Demon King of Havoc, so naturally he goes and rescues them. Except.... there was an extra?

Macaque, who had run away from home after feeling smothered by Chang'e (who may or may not have been chanelling her grief over her husband into how she was raising her baby monkey bro) ran away from home to show her he could take care of himself!.... and was captured by a demon king. But he was FINE, he totally could have escaped on his own and didn't NEED to get rescued, thank you very much! But... he doesn't exactly have anywhere else to go so could he stay on the mountain please? Just for a bit, he'll totally leave soon after he gets his feet back under him.

Wukong, meanwhile, thinks this new guy is really pretty in need of his help, so lets him stay and offers to train with him (which has NOTHING to do with wanting to show off his new magic powers or spend time with the new guy, obviously).

And the rest is dubiously cannon history.

ooo this is a cool idea.

Chang'e I feel was a little over-protective of MIhou when he was a baby because he was one of her few companions on the Moon. Chang'e had dreamed of having children with Hou Yi, so she did her best to spoil her little moonstone. Ultimately she could only raise him as just one Celestial castaway, not as a troupe of monkey demons as he should be. So when Mihou came to her one day saying that he heard the sounds of "people that were like him!" on winds from Flower Fruit Mountain; she knew that MIhou would be happier learning from a troupe on Earth. Plus not a lot of babysitting or teaching opportunities up there on the Moon.

I doubt Mihou would have left without hugging his big sis goodbye, but he would have left without telling her. He runs up to her, gives her a quick hug, and by jumping on a magic wind (or magic wind bag "borrowed" from a god); he propels himself towards Earth to finally meet others of his kind. Chang'e cries obviously. But she knows it's for the best.

Sadly, although the monkeys on FFM did resemble Mihou superficially, they were cautious around him. And even a little scared of him. And none had ears like his.

Then as Mihou finds himself moping alone, a flash of orange fur crashes into him. The orange thing hoots excitedly and playfully nips Mihou's fur.

Think the scene where Bambi met Flower;

Shihou, pointing to the new monkey's ears: "Flower!" Mihou: "Me???"

Thats how Shihou and Mihou meet for the first time - for the first time.

Mihou managed to get to know the Elder Storyteller before he sadly passed. But he and Shihou didn't really get a chance to know each other better before the orange monkey left to study with the humans. Mihou had been sad obviously, as he felt like even on the island that he was Other than the rest of the monkeys. With Shihou he didn't feel that way so much.

With both the Elder dead, and the closest thing to a leader being an absent monkey cub - the cruel Demon King of Havoc muscled in and declared himself the King of Flower Fruit Mountain. The monkey troupe disagreed and what amounts to a miniature civil war breaks out across the archipelago.

MIhou is caught up in the drama of the Demon King's regime. His appearance making him a rare oddity that the King of Havoc decides to keep around as an ornament. As long as MIhou kept his head down, looked pretty, and told the King stories, he and the other captured monkeys would be safe from harm.

Suddenly one day; the walls of the Havoc's throne room burst open, revealing a slightly older orange-furred monkey cub. He seemed to levitate on thin air as he wielded an iron pole, demanding the return of his people.

The Demon King of Havoc scoffed and ordered the floating monkey to do his worst. Within seconds the Demon King of Havoc was no more.

As the returned monkey counted those missing from the troupe amongst the Demon King's staff, his eyes fell upon the striking moon-white fur and lotus-petal-shaped ears of the court jester.

Sun Wukong: "Flower?" Macaque, amazed that Shihou remembered him: "Me."

The connection is instant. Wukong stumbles over his words as he reintroduces Mihou (now nicknamed "Macaque") to the troupe, and to the Demons he'd befriended in proving himself as the King of Flower Fruit Mountain.

Macaque is confused. Shihou wanted him to stay?

"Of course!" the orange monkey smiled, as if it were obvious. "You are a member of this troupe no matter what! The others told me of how you'd protect and comfort them while you were all captured by the King of Havoc. I'd be honoured to have you stay."

And thats how Macaque found himself the new Storyteller of the troupe. And how a certain romance blossomed between two stone monkeys.

I hope you enjoyed this <3

[uniquelyuninspired]

Introducing My Rook - Raisa Thorne

Hey, guys! I have been writing a lot of Veilguard stories utilizing my canon Rook, and I thought it might be good to have an introductory post for her, in case anybody reads and enjoys those fics when I start posting them, so y'all can better feel you know Raisa, if desired.

I saw a Rook Questionnaire posted on here, and thought I'd use that for this. The post is here. . . .

. . . . for anyone interested in using it for their Rook!

INTRODUCING —

Raisa Thorne, Grey Warden

27-Years Old, She/Her

1 — Where in Thedas is your Rook from?

Raisa was born in Wycome in the Free Marches, and lived there until her parents died when she was thirteen. She relocated from there to live with her Aunt in Antiva, but she took off on her own at the age of seventeen after growing tired of her Aunt’s selfish lifestyle. She’s moved around almost constantly since.

2 — What is your character’s alignment?

Neutral Good: She is incredibly altruistic in her actions and beliefs. She has genuinely only ever wanted to put her considerable magical talent toward helping others, especially those abandoned by the people who are supposed to help. She has very little patience and respect for people who view themselves as higher and better than others, especially when that person holds a position of power and influence, and they only use it to control and demean others. Normally, she will do whatever she thinks is necessary to help/save others, even if it goes against leadership and orders, however, there is one person she will for sure listen to the orders of no matter what, and that is Evka.

3 — Race and Subclass?

She is a human mage.

4 — If your Rook was a companion, where would they be found?

In the Hossberg Wetlands with Evka and Antoine.

My friend and I actually have a plan for a co-op story where she starts off as a companion before being asked to assist with some of the leadership decisions, and this is exactly where they meet her.

5 — What emotion did they usually pick?

Raisa is very positive and encouraging, always trying to see the better outcome and brighter side of things. She’s incredibly compassionate and selfless, and will always be there for everyone she loves unless there’s something that is physically keeping her from doing so.

6 — What companion are they platonically close with?

She is closest with Davrin and Lucanis, and in the beginning played a lot of the role of the mediator between the two.

7 — What companion are they romantically close with?

Taash is her one and only; a relationship that washed over her despite her attempts to not get romantically attached. She has a general rule of not getting involved with people outside of the Order, because she’s had partners she’s gotten incredibly close with leave her after finding out about the Calling and what it takes to kill an Archdemon. After the second time, she figured it would be best to stay within the Order, since they all understood that commitment. But she fell helplessly hard for Taash despite her own rules.

8 — Who are they suspicious of?

The First Warden is at the top of this list, for sure. From the first time she met him, she sensed that he was the exact kind of person who abused their position of power that she despises. She is also suspicious of most of the mages in power in Tevinter, though she does grow to trust and respect both Maevaris and Dorian, and the Viper before his end. She is also suspicious of all Templars: The Tevinter ones because no one ever knows which ones have been bought off by corruption, and the Southern Thedas Templars because they treat mages like disgusting creatures to cage.

9 — Does your Rook get along with their chosen Faction?

Raisa gets along incredibly well with most of the Wardens, just not the First Warden and those that fully support him.

10 — Are they proficient in playing any instruments?

She’s been able to play the piano and the harp since she was young, but she fell out of practice after beginning her travels. She can still play during those rare times she actually finds an instrument to play, and she’d love to get back into the habit if her life ever permits it.

11 — Weapon of choice?

Primarily, she wields a staff, but she switches easily to an orb and dagger combination whenever a battle calls for it.

12 — What is their orientation?

She is pansexual.

13 — What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it?

It heavily depends. She is perfectly fine with killing darkspawn, her main enemy as a Warden. However, she isn’t the biggest on killing humans, elves, dwarves, or qunari unless she absolutely has to. She never gets a rush of enjoyment out of killing, though, no matter the enemy; she does for the safety of people and the world.

14 — What hobbies does your Rook have?

She used to love playing music, and she can even sing, though she never practiced vocals as much as she did piano or harp. She also loves reading, both historical textbooks and novels, and she’s always got her two favorite books in her pack when traveling. After becoming a Warden, she fell out of the habit of playing instruments, but she did pick up a love for cooking, and learned a variety of cultures while preparing food for whatever group of Wardens she was a part of at the time.

15 — What NPCs do they like? Which ones do they dislike?

Her favorites are easily Evka, Antoine, Mila and Holden, and Greta. She grows to be quite fond of the Viper, Irelin, Rowan, and Teia as well. She doesn’t really deeply dislike many people, but she has some choice words for the First Warden and a fist always ready for Solas, but if forced to think about it, she wouldn't say she's necessarily fond of Illario or Caterina, Illario for his cruel grab for power and Caterina for the stories about his youth from Lucanis. She likes Illario better though, because she can see in him the desire to do better and his love for his cousin despite his actions taken against him, whereas Caterina shows no regrets about the things she's done and sees nothing wrong with her views and how she treated Lucanis and Illario.

16 — Do they have a favorite creature in Thedas?

Obviously, that would be the Griffons, especially after getting to see them in person after having spent her entire life believing they were extinct. She finds Halla to be incredibly beautiful creatures, and she also has a deep respect and mild fascination with dragons.

17 — Do they enjoy life as an adventure?

She enjoys when on an adventure that isn’t full of danger and risks, for sure, but as a whole she doesn’t really view life as an adventure, despite the fact that a lot of people would see her life that way when they learn of how much traveling she has done.

18 — What would your Rook be doing if they weren’t recruited by Varric?

If she hadn’t been recruited, she would be wherever Evka and Antoine are or tell her to be, fighting the darkspawn on Evka’s orders.

19 — How do you think they’ll meet their end?

If she doesn’t get the chance to grow old and die of aging after being cured of the blight, then most likely she would meet her end by throwing herself into danger to protect someone else without a second thought to the risks.

20 — Would they side with Solas or fight him?

At first, she is wary of Solas given all she has heard about the “Dread Wolf”, but with how much he helps them in the fight and her tendency to want to see the good in people, she starts to trust him. However, the very second that he rips her away from everyone she loves and locks her away in his prison all of that trust shatters, and she is no longer willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. She fights him in the end, no longer willing to take any chances, and ready to burst with a multitude of pent-up anger toward him.

21 — What is your Rook’s favorite ability?

Raisa is a healer, first and foremost, and ignoring the limitations of the in-game specializations, she is a Spirit Healer specialist who uses both Fire and Force magic for offensive purposes. Her favored abilities are boosting her companions with protective and rejuvenating barriers, raining down on them with meteors or blocking them off with a wall of fire, and slamming enemies to the ground or blasting them away from herself or a companion with force magic.

22 — What languages is your character fluent in?

She is fluent in the trade tongue of course, but additionally she is fluent in the languages Qunlat and Orlesian, and she is learning both Dwarven and Elven.

23 — What do they do after an absolute crisis?

She always keeps it together and keeps pushing forward during a crisis, but immediately following an absolute crisis, once they are as safe as they possibly can be, she can sometimes shut down, depending on how horrible the outcome was – like after Weisshaupt and after the final battles. If the outcomes were great, then she's mostly just exhausted and needing rest, but enthusiastic and excited about their success and what it could mean for the future.

24 — Does your character believe in the afterlife?

She likes to hope that there is something out there for those who have passed on, but deep down she knows that she truthfully doesn’t believe there is.

25 — What specialization best represents your Rook?

Spirit Healer. Even when she was young she was a natural caretaker. She always jumps quickly into taking care of people and looking out for them, protecting her loved ones at all costs. The way her magic very first surfaced was to heal the wound of a friend when she was a kid.

26 — What animal best represents your Rook?

The best representation for her spirit animal is an Elephant. The positive: Intelligence and consciousness, strength and protection, unity, family and friendships. The negative: Repressed anger. She is incredibly intelligent, with book smarts, critical thinking and common sense, and emotional intelligence. Like elephants, she is known to risk her own life to protect loved ones, and she does not hide in the face of a threat. Family and friendships mean everything to her, and she is intensely dedicated to people, as well as incredibly social. Though elephants are considered one of the gentlest animals there are times when they can become violent and fiercly attack their predators to protect the herd; and there are times where emotions are running high for many people, especially if they are ones that had been forced down for a while for her, and the situation is dire, Raisa can snap. An example is at Weisshaupt. Emotions ran high for everyone, every Warden panicked and fearful, and the First Warden was still refusing to listen. With her own frustrations and anger caused by the First Warden at an all-time high after she’d been forced to shove them down for so long in favor of keeping the peace and respecting authority, Raisa snaps and ends up hitting him before she even knows what she’s doing. It is one of the moments she’ll reflect on later and feel a little shame for how things happened, but ultimately she wouldn’t regret it as long as it helped keep people safe – which it did.

27 — What was their life like before the events of Veilguard?

She’s been a Warden since the age of nineteen, so she’s been traveling to wherever there has been darkspawn sightings and helping out with other dangerous issues whenever she comes across them – even when the Wardens she’s with state it isn’t their responsibility because it isn’t darkspawn. Ever since meeting Evka and Antoine, who are exactly like her in the sense that they will help out anywhere even if not darkspawn related, she’s done her absolute best to stick with them.

28 — Is your character the de-facto leader of the party? Or do they consider someone else to be the leader?

She doesn’t view herself as above anyone else, but she’ll take on leadership roles if necessary, though she will always still listen to what everyone around her thinks and, if she absolutely has to be the one to make a decision, she’ll base that decision on what she thinks is overall best for everyone. She is really uneasy when people ask her to make a decision that she has no right being a part of, however, and in those situations she will just pose a bunch of questions that help that person or people get to their own decision. Like with Bellara and the Archive: She truly feels that it isn’t something that she could or should be deciding, especially since she isn’t even an elf, it isn’t her history, so she asks a bunch of questions until Bellara comes to her own decision on what she wants to do.

29 — If you could choose a different faction for your Rook, which one would they have joined and why?

Out of the ones in-game, she’d likely end up with the Shadow Dragons. She wants to help in any way she can, wherever needs it, and Minrathous almost always needs it. There is a lot of help she could provide in Tevinter. There is a possibility of Lords of Fortune, solely to be close to Taash for the rest of her life, but treasure isn’t really something she cares about much, so she’d mostly just be there to put her healing and protective skills to use, and possibly to aid with puzzles in ruins, since she loves puzzles and riddles.

30 — What’s your favorite thing about your Rook?

This is an impossible question, because the answer is EVERYTHING. I have never been so attached to a self-created character before, either in RPG games or in stories I write. I love Raisa for everything she is. All her strengths, all her weaknesses, all her compassion and intense love and hope. She’s optimistic and hopeful, but not unreasonably so to the point where she refuses to see the bad in the world and people, and she always, always tries to do the right thing, yet isn’t afraid to admit when she’s in the wrong. She’s one of the most complex and realistic characters I have ever created, and I have never been so obsessed and in love with one of my own characters.

She's also quite swoon-worthy, and those grey eyes are to die for.

[dragonsarecool]

Febwhump Day 6 - Forced to Stay Awake

Day 6 - Forced to Stay Awake

A/N: Julian finds himself overwhelmed on the Teplan homeworld. Set during 'The Quickening'.

He was tired.

He was so tired.

He hadn't been this tired since his first year of medical school, where late nights and early morning beverages had been his constant companions.

Julian finished the third cup of his ration-pack coffee, staring wearily around the room. Much to his surprise, moonlight was still peeking through the gaps in the dirt layering the windows. Seriously? Feels like it's been days in here…

He pushed the closest one open and took in a fresh breath of the night air, relieved to be able to step away from Ekoria's labour for a moment. None of the local midwives or physicians had offered to lend their assistance, and despite going out into the streets and pleading with the villagers a few hours' prior, Julian remained Ekoria's sole support and care provider.

But eighteen hours of non-stop labour care was beginning to take its toll on both the doctor and his patient. Despite Ekoria's repeated insistences that he take the time to sleep properly, Julian refused to abandon her.

Yawning so hard he thought his jaw would dislocate, Julian rubbed his eyes furiously as Ekoria roared with another contraction. By his calculations and limited knowledge of the planet's rotation, it was roughly just after four in the morning.

He took a moment to admire the stars, glittering like billions of sequins across the horizon. It'd been a long time since he'd seen them this brilliantly from a planet; the Earth had far too much light pollution these days, and those from the station were usually dimmed by Bajor's rotation.

"GAHHHH! JULIAN!"

The young man was startled out of his sleepy daze. The change in pitch of Ekoria's cry was a promising sign, and he prayed it was indicating that their trial was nearly at an end. He closed the window and rushed back to her side. "I'm here."

Ekoria heaved herself onto her elbows, raising her sweaty hair from the equally drenched pillowcase. She gritted her teeth as she grunted, pulling on the sheets beneath her. "Julian!"

"Talk to me, Ekoria," Julian grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. "What are you feeling?"

Her only answer was a mix between a scream and a grunt, but it contained all the information he needed. "Are you feeling lots of pressure?"

Muted with pain, Ekoria nodded hysterically.

Excellent. Looks like active second stage is about to commence. "This is good, Ekoria. This is good!"

Without hesitation, Julian sprinted to the kitchen and began filling a bowl with hot water. Hopefully this won't take as long as I think it will.

****

"Push!" Julian ordered, adjusting his hands as a greater portion of the baby's head came into view. "I can see his head, Ekoria. Push! Keep pushing!"

Ekoria only groaned in reply, pulling the bedsheets beneath her into the palms of her hands. She arched her head back, scrunching her eyes closed as she obeyed Julian and pushed. "Gahh!"

He'd barely opened his mouth to coach her through the next push when the baby's head suddenly fully emerged, cringing as he saw Ekoria's flesh distort and tear around the child. He had to dodge to avoid receiving a fateful of blood and amniotic fluid. Ekoria caught her breath before giving another involuntary push, and Julian managed to catch the child before he was spurted out onto the floor.

For a moment, all he could do was stare.

His flesh!…

A weak cry gurgled in the baby's throat. Julian grabbed the nearest cloth and began drying the infant, refusing to stop until the whimper reached a satisfactory volume. The baby began to turn pink, flapping his arms around so much that Julian had to tighten his grip to stop him from falling.

His eyes widened as he took in the child's pristine skin. Taking an edge of the towel, he tried to wipe away the remaining patches of vernix, his eyes scouring every inch of flesh for any signs of the Blight.

"My God!…" Julian could barely contain his joy. He held the spotless child out to Ekoria, giggling with tears in his eyes. "It all makes sense now! That's why there's no antigen in your system. It's all been absorbed through the placenta!"

Struggling to sit up, Ekoria gave him a confused look. The fatigue was obvious in her face, and she panted wheezily for breath.

"Ekoria, he doesn't have any lesions," Julian reiterated tearfully. "He doesn't have the Blight!"

It took a moment for Ekoria to process the news. A few tears escaped her eyes as she ran a trembling finger across the baby's forehead. Her breath rattled in an eerily familiar manner; a cold sweat came over him as Ekoria slumped into the mattress, her eyes fluttering closed.

No…

"Ekoria?!" Julian's voice began to tremble. "No, Ekoria, don't…not now!"

He rubbed her sternum viciously and ignored the disgusting cracks coming from her brittle bones, praying for some sort of response. "Ekoria!"

Pressing against her jugular, his heart sank as the artery remained still beneath his fingertips. He watched her lifeless diaphragm for the longest ten seconds of his life, finally accepting the reality he'd been presented with.

The baby cooed in his arms, and he found his eyes drawn to him. A warm tear ran down his cheek and onto his forehead. Julian hurried to wipe it away, stroking the child's face tenderly.

"Oh, little one," Julian whispered, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry…"

A tiny hand clutched around his finger, accompanied by a wide pair of innocent blue eyes.

The baby wailed, and he too began to sob.

[love-for-burgundy-blog]

So, here is my take on Ash's relationships with his traveling companions.

Misty: I don't ship them, but I do think that they have a really strong bond!! I actually headcanon that Ash didn't really enjoy Misty's company untill they parted ways, and that's when he started to miss her. It could go the other way around too. Unfortunately, this relationship is faltered by the fact that Misty and Ash clearly didn't like each other in the beginning and said some pretty nasty things to each other. To end on a positive note, pokeshipping is not my favorite, but I think Ash and Misty will always have a strong relationship with each other!!

Brock: I think Brock and Ash have a pretty good relationship, kinda like Brotp except for the fact that I don't ship them romantically. I think Brock was necessary for Ash's growth and I think Ash's company softened Brock up, he became nicer in other words. They are close friends and nothing more or less. Brock is an excellent older brother figure to Ash and he has been with Ash the longest out of his traveling companions so that also earns their relationship points.

Tracey: Yeah, this might be controversial but I think Tracey was the third wheel in Orange Islands. He practically invited himself into the group and Ash and Misty could both be pretty rude to him at times. Tracey and Ash are friends no doubt, but I wouldn't say that they are super close or anything.

May: So I think May and Ash helped each other out a lot but I don't think Ash is the closest to May because if I remember correctly, he was rude to her a lot of the time, they also don't have much in common, Ash is into battling and May likes shopping and contests. So yeah, I obviously don't ship them, Contestshipping is clearly superior!! I think Ash and May are good friends, especially after Ash mellowed out, but I think Ash has a closer connection with some of his other companions.

Max: I am not going to say that these two have a super strong bond or anything but I do think they bonded somewhat over the fact that they aren't into the the girly things that May is lol. Also, Max is a few years younger than Ash so the age gap kinda prevents a close bond from happening. Still, I think Ash and Max are friends regardless and always will be.

Dawn: She and Ash are besties!! There, I said it. I don't ship them since I'm more of a Dawn x Zoey person but I love these two as friends. Who could forget their iconic high-five and these two serve as great protagonists for DP. I love how much these two work off one another, they give sibling energy for real.

Iris: Speaking of sibling energy, Iris is like the twin sister Ash never had!! Iris is also the only female traveling companion that I ship Ash with romantically. I will argue that Iris is one of Ash's closest friends. They also work so well because they are exactly alike in terms of personality. They are both hyper, stubborn, love food, and care for their friends and pokemon deeply. And who could forget that one episode where they went sightseeing in Nimbasa city together. I love the duo of Ash and Iris and I wish people would stop undermining their relationship.

Cilan: So, Cilan tended to act like a father figure to both Ash and Iris. Sometimes, I tend to get the impression that Cilan was like the "Tracey" of the BW Trio, However to a MUCH lesser extent. Since Cilan at least had a lot of nice and heartwarming moments with Ash and Iris both individually and together. It's pretty obvious how much Cilan cares for Ash and Iris since he is always super sweet and patient with them. Ash along with Iris looks up to him for advice and guidance and he also admires Cilan's cooking. The only thing holding Ash and Cilan back from being super close is that Ash and Iris seem closer to each other, both in age and personality. Regardless, Cilan and Ash are still good friends and I think they always will be.

Clemont: If there was a male companion that I would ship Ash with romantically, it would have to be Clemont. Diodeshipping for life!! Ash and Clemont have been spotted touching each other several times, like putting their arms around each other while walking. It's also no surprise that Ash admires Clemonts inventions and Gadgets more than anyone else hence "Science is so amazing!!" Clemont and Ash also have never argued, at least to my knowledge. To conclude, I think Clemont is the closest to Ash out of the male traveling companions, Probably tied with Goh.

Bonnie: Unfortunately unlike her brother, I think Ash and Bonnie have the least amount of connection out of his traveling companions. (Besides maybe Chloe, but I don't count her as a companion and I haven't seen JN) I say this because I don't remember any significant interactions between Ash and Bonnie. But on the bright side, it's not like Bonnie and Ash truly need each other since Bonnie has both her older brother and Serena (who she has a much stronger bond with) to look out for her.

Serena: Alright.... These two are friends and nothing more. Yes, Serena has a crush on Ash, but Ash clearly doesn't feel the same way about her. If these two ever got together, their relationship would probably only last a few years max since they both have entirely separate interests and goals. I would even go and say that Serena and Ash have the least amount in common out of the traveling companions. Ash and Serena did help each other out a lot, but I think at most, they are good friends. Sorry Amourshippers.

So I am not fully done with my binge watch of Sun and Moon, but when I am done, I will make a separate post like this for the SuMo companions.

[tavyliasin]

Disability Pride Essays - Shadowheart, Memory Loss, Depression, and Invisible Chronic Pain

We’re at our last Origin Character for the Disability Month Essays, so it’s time to dive into the most mysterious of the starting companions. Shadowheart has quite a complex story as it relates to physical and mental health, as well as how the two can be inextricably linked to one another too. There’s a lot to look at in how she progresses through the game, from how her story can follow different paths, to her own relationship to her sense of self and memories. So let’s start off once again with our warnings for the content that will follow, and you can then choose if you are in the right headspace to proceed with the discussion or if it’s best skipped or saved for another day. I’ll be taking a look at the difficulties of memory loss through a variety of causes, from PTSD to degenerative conditions. I’m also going to mention some of the deeper aspects of depression and potentially a few of the less helpful coping mechanisms for that. Shall we?

What is Shadowheart’s Disability?

Shadowheart’s main issues are quite clear from the beginning of the game, with her lack of most memories and a very casual attitude to how it is affecting her. We also catch glimpses at times of the pain, which might be something that people who experience fluctuating pain conditions - and particularly nerve pain issues - may well identify as they look on screen. Once we get deeper though, we see more aspects akin to depression and trauma - her lack of care for whatever it is she’s missing in here memory with the adamant denial that “it must be so terrible there was a reason I don’t want to remember” or simply that Shar knows best. There’s also a potential thought further on her mental health, as she pins her entire identity and life goals on what someone else has decided for her.

How Do We See The Disability In The Game?

We have quite a clear progression in Shadowheart’s story, with the big twist in the middle of whether she can be convinced to take the harder path to healing (and the fun “reinvent yourself by changing your hair/look” is quite common in those struggling with mental health) or whether she leans in to the nihilism and darker thoughts. The early sections also show more of the pain coming out of nowhere, as she grips her hand, looks to be in obvious distress, yet soon minimises her own suffering because there are more important things that she needs to do and worry about. The impact really comes from how the lack of memories impacts her decision making and even her interactions with others. Once she regains her memories, realises what she has been made to give up, there’s a marked difference in how Shadowheart relates to both those around her and herself as well. A lot of it is shown through her relationship to the very-real-in-Faerun gods Shar and Selune, though you could easily think of these instead as literal representations of Loss and Depression vs Hope and Healing. 

How Does This Reflect Real Life?

In real life, we don’t have spiteful deities and cult-like church leaders physically stripping memories from our minds, or an angelic being helping us to restore them, but there are plenty of conditions that can cause temporary and permanent memory loss. One that is sometimes controversial in the field of psychology is full memory repression - which is where a person’s mind, upon encountering a deeply traumatic incident, will completely repress the traumatic memories in an attempt to protect the individual from the impact of them. It’s one of those automatic and not consciously decided coping strategies that the mind will utilise for self preservation - if you don’t remember the terrible thing, it can be as if it never happened to you. I’ll go into this in more detail in its own section later, but it is one of the ways we can interpret Shadowheart’s memory loss and probably the closest to her experience in real world terms. Other causes of memory loss can be literal physical injuries disrupting nerve pathways in the brain either losing the memory completely or temporarily blocking the ability to access it. Medication and other treatments can also cause temporary or permanent memory problems, as can a number of conditions such as dementia, stroke, seizures, and similar brain-related incidents.  Aside from this, we have the physical pain that Shadowheart shows in her hand. When I saw this, I immediately felt that connection to my experience of chronic pain and particularly nerve conditions. These can cause a sudden flare up of pain with no cause - out of nowhere it can feel like someone has grabbed hold of your bones and crushed them, or that somehow there must be a wound in your shoulder because it hurts so suddenly and acutely… Similar to how Shadowheart doesn’t understand her own pain’s cause at first, it can be deeply frustrating and also terrifying to not know when you’re going to feel as if you’re being actively hurt by something.

But let’s take a deeper look at each of these, and how we can relate Shadowheart’s story to our own lives and better understand those around us too.

Sudden Onset Pain

I’m going to start with the simplest here - the pain. Most peoples’ experience of pain is that it is a cause and effect equation: There’s something making it hurt, and there is also something that will stop it from hurting (eg, medication, rest, heat packs, etc). Some disabilities, however, are marked by pain that does not have a cause or a cure. Something can hurt with no warning, no reason, and there will be nothing that can stop it from hurting. It’s unfair, it’s scary, and it can also be confusing and frustrating to those around us. That’s where we need patience, for our friends and loved ones to take a moment to realise this pain was not a choice and there’s not much we can do about it. There’s no healing potion, no spell or cleric or herb or simple prayer that will just make it go away, and it may hit at very inconvenient times for all of us. Do try to avoid the temptation to suggest treatments, and be aware that one very good way to make us feel better is for anyone telling us that diet or yoga will make it all better to be immediately removed from the vicinity - preferably by trebuchet, but the nearest door will do! Which is to say, well meaning concern and offers to help and advise aren’t what we need. We need companions who will stay with us, listen, understand that whilst we might be able to go adventuring one day we may not be able to manage the same thing the next day.

And, of course, that we are probably more frustrated than anyone else by having sudden onset and unpredictable symptoms prevent us from living our lives.

Trauma and PTSD

Let’s go a little deeper now, because it really is impossible to discuss Shadowheart’s story without looking at PTSD and the marked impact it has on her life and ability to function in the ways that she wants to. The biggest thing for her for a long time is around wolves - similar to how someone in real life might be chased or even bitten by a dog in childhood and develop a fear of them, Shadowheart similarly finds her nightmares filled by the phobia of wolves. We see this in how she reacts even to just a sound, but when faced by more we have those game stats showing the just how strong that fear reaction is. Connecting by tadpole, we catch glimpses of the tiny scraps of memory that it brings back out, but it doesn’t make sense to her. There isn’t enough there to put all the pieces together. That’s something that may well feel familiar to those who have experienced memory loss from PTSD - tiny shards of that fractured memory can linger in dreams, or rush to the surface in flashbacks when exposed to a triggering stimulus. A sound, a smell, a word, a phrase, a sight, a texture, a taste - any of the senses can be the key to reopening memories that have been repressed. What I mentioned above, flashbacks, those are arguably the most severe symptoms of PTSD. In these moments, a sufferer who has encountered the triggering stimulus will find their mind can begin to recreate the entire traumatic scenario. This could even include hallucinations, but is often marked by very strong emotions and a more dream/daydream/nightmare-like rush of memories and images and sensations. “Feeling like you’re back in that moment” is the key, whether it’s limited to the emotions of feeling everything that was felt at that time, or a far more direct reliving of the memories and experiences. In the game, Shadowheart is able to confront the source of her trauma incredibly directly, and in doing so to overcome that. Real life, unfortunately, rarely affords such simple solutions. Instead there’s a lot more work with the help and support of both trained professionals and loved ones, but it is still possible to recover. Just as we see Shadowheart in her Selunite ending - finding peace with herself, her family, and even learning to bond with animals again over time - so can we in real life take the time to do the hard work (and therapy really is work) to uncover the causes of the trauma and deal with them until they no longer impact our lives so severely. Which really is to say that even though it might seem impossible, like there are just too many mages in a battle casting darkness and unfair spells constantly, it’s a fight you can still win with the right party, training, and inventory.

Memory, Identity, and Depression

Now let’s focus in on the memories. Shadowheart presents us with a very distinct and severe memory loss, it’s quite clear cut at first as she can tell you what she remembers and that the rest is just not there. As we move forward into act 3, and also bringing her back to her home city surrounded by familiar things, that’s where we see her memories returning and stabilising again. She starts to identify things, talk about them, telling stories as they come back to her about her youth and the things she still recalls. This can be quite a strong parallel to a variety of memory issues, but particularly I feel this connecting to degenerative memory conditions like Dementia. This might sound odd, but there’s some strong suggestions that being around the familiar and stimulating the sufferer by talking with them often and encouraging them to talk about themselves can retain more memory. Whilst it might still fluctuate, inconsistent and changing from day to day, there can be more “good days” when that stimulus is there to bring up more positive memories.  But aside from the basic mechanics of being able to remember, there’s also a core part of our identity that’s formed by our experiences. For Shadowheart, she has lost her name, her family, her past, and anything that Shar and Viconia decided she didn’t need to be able to fill the role they made for her. She pins everything for her future on a single goal, following orders and aiming to gain what she believes to be a prestigious position that she has always wanted. Becoming “Shadowheart”, hardening herself, ensuring she doesn’t allow herself to be “weak” or to fail the task assigned to her… It becomes an entire identity. There’s nothing beyond that at first, and her arc if she regains her memories becomes about regaining her identity and working out how to reconcile everything she strived so hard for with the full reality and what her new goals have become.

And there are parts of this that can mirror depression, too. Leaning on darker thoughts, going through the motions to complete tasks without much thought beyond that one goal, and also becoming very closed off to those around you. It’s very easy to see that if Shadowheart had remained on this path, isolated from all positive influences, she would’ve continued along it easily.

It is simply easier to go along with the day to day, to sink into the comfortable and not put in that work to change, and I realise as I’m writing this that it might sound as if I am blaming those struggling with depression for not fixing it, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I know very well that easy path, how it’s simpler to push people away than to let them in, how it can be far more comfortable to avoid unpleasant thoughts and memories than to face them head on.

There really is a common theme for a lot of us to try to dye our hair and change our look as we’re pulling out of that low place, to have that strong physical difference that reminds us we are moving forwards, but it does come with a risk. We need to reconcile our entire selves, rather than simply rejecting who we were or pretending that our struggle is gone completely. Similarly, Shadowheart finds her whole look changing, a very striking and physical difference that marks her turning away from Shar and the comfort of forgetting, to the far harder path of trying to heal and face her fears.

Looking back on the essay with Astarion, there’s another moment here where we can see a parallel to addiction and former friends turning against us. This might not be so common with depression, but there may still be friends and loved ones who see a change in how a person is when recovering from an extended depressive episode and finding that they no longer fit in any more, or that the relationship is not as compatible as it used to be. That can be painful, to lose friends or even have them turning against you, but it is something we see both in the game and in real life at times.

Depression and mental illness are tough, and the recovery is arguably even tougher, but it is still very much worthwhile. Do try to ensure you have the proper and full support both from your friends and family as well as mental health professionals if at all possible.

And remember - it may well feel worse before it feels better. It might not be as simple and clear cut as a battle against physical foes, but to get out of that darkness there will be a fight and often some shadows of fears and memories that need to be brought into the light and fully understood before they can fade and shrink away. Recovery is rarely such a straight and smooth line, too, but one bad day does not erase the progress.

What We Can Learn From Shadowheart’s Story

Perhaps some opinions may differ, but one of the main things I take away from Shadowheart’s story is how patience, understanding, and letting someone work through things at their own pace as much as possible can be far more effective than trying to deny their reality or force them to change all at once. Whether we can identify and sympathise with the experiences of mental health struggles and memory difficulties, or the more direct suffering of chronic conditions and pain that doesn’t have a simple cause, there’s the common thread that we do not need to fully understand what’s going on to show kindness and care. It might be a tough concept to really empathise with from an outside perspective, but these experiences can be quite simply terrifying. It’s said that a lot of fear comes from the unknown, and that’s a common theme here too. From not knowing the real cause of visceral physical pain, to a literal lack of memories, to the absolute peak of fear in the form of PTSD and phobias when we may not know what triggered it or when it will subside - all of them stem from that unknown. That’s why it will always be important to talk about these topics, to gain understanding not only of those around us but of ourselves too - even if you have been fortunate enough to never identify directly with anything covered in today’s topics, you might just understand a little more about yourself in other ways. So I’m going to leave today with a slight apology for the delay between pieces, and also if this one feels less coherent - I’m feeling a little foggy myself from the impact of some stresses and medications, and an all-too-common lack of quality sleep on this side of the screen! But I hope you have found some of this to be interesting as we’ve looked through Shadowheart’s journey through her story, and how this can mirror real world experiences of disability and chronic health symptoms. As always, I’d love to open the floor to any of you in the comments or reblogs to talk about how you’ve connected to the story of Shar’s disciple and her journey to recover what she lost. I’ll see you next time as we go over Halsin’s character and how he can relate to disability, followed by a couple of bonus rounds from NPCs if I have time and energy before the month is out.

Be kind to yourselves and those around you, there’s no way to know what pains someone might be keeping quiet about. Patience and compassion can go a long way to helping us all find the light in the dark~