#and in my experience offense is way easier than defense

[prismit]

a couple treat/sweet thieves tips for playing offense:

have nametags on so the defenders can't ambush you

remember that it's fall guys, you don't need to have sneak 100, just juke em out and it works most of the time :p

[entering--hyperspace]

4, 8, 11 and 25 for combat asks?

4. How do they fight? Do they tend to stick to a strategy or just improvise? Do they prefer to win fast and hard, or to let their enemy tire themselves out before striking them down? Do they favor brute force and resistance, speed and dexterity, or something else? Do they fight fairly or is winning the only important thing? Elaborate!

I consider Leo to be a defensive opportunist. He's observant, perceptive, and relies on his skills as a good strategist to carry his role in combat. By this I mean he tends to go on the defensive primarily, learning how or recognizing patterns in his opponent awaiting an opportunity for a strike or going completely on the offensive if that is what is needed. Leo has above average strength, as apparent by his build, but he is faster than he is strong, which is another reason why he prefers to fight defensively at first. Its easier for him to save his energy and strength for opportunities for attack where he can rely on his speed to switch stances. He is 100% an honorable fighter if the situation allows for it. Obviously in a story where sometimes he's fighting like minions there's not much reason to be a fair fighter when your opponent doesn't abide by rules to begin with, because it then turns into a simple question of survival. But when it fits, yes, he is an honorable combatant. When he fought in the gladiator arena against his legionnaire he chose mercy, he chooses mercy every time just as he chooses to fight honorably even if his opponent doesn't bc it's something he sticks to out of his own beliefs.

8. Do they have any visible scarring or lasting injuries from previous combat experiences? How did they get them? How do they feel about them?

My favorite, most prominent scarring is what lies beneath Leo's eyepatch. During the battle of Claw Island, Leo's eye was gouged out, in panic due of the sudden loss of vision Leo activated his death shroud which filled in the "gap" that had been left.

His reaper eye is able to see spectral/mist energy, and spirits that exist within that in-between state. But because that can be both extremely overwhelming for him and may bring up questions, covers it n' tends not to talk about it. He's not ashamed of this particular "scar" but it serves as a reminder to the tragedy that befell claw island so it's a bit of a touchy subject for him. Leo has a few other smaller scars from years of combat as I'm sure most charr do, but that's his most significant one (as of ls2.)

A scar that's less conventional but something I still want to talk about bc even though its not a "scar" rather a lasting physical change to his body, ever since making a pact with Grenth's avatar and obtaining his reaper shroud, Leo is consistently always cold to the touch.

11. Are there weapons they can't use to save their life? Why?:

Ranged weapons such as guns or bows, he has always just lacked a sharpshooter eye even before The Incident.

25. Do they use a weapon or magic unique to them/that's not present in-game? If so, how does it work?

Kind of, not really, but kind of.

Leo acts as a guide to some wandering spirits, and has formed a deep connection with them in general. Instead of drawing "life force" he is gifted their energy to use in battle willingly. He is able to hear their voices which often provide short, helpful tips such as "behind you", "something is looking this way," "The ground is uneven here." But these voices are not always present or can sometimes even be too overbearing depending on the location. He doesn't have a unique weapon YET, but unique armor and weapons is something I love designing so that'll likely change.

[adamsvanrhijn]

HATE the "hey you are mildly nerdy about [subject] therefore i think you have autism" thing this webbed site has going on. Over 60% of autistic people are non-communicable. Of those who are capable of communicating - and therefore of running a fandom blog - over 30% read below their grade level. "Autism = nerdy superpowers" is such an ableist and unrealistic portrayal of autism it's actually offensive. I'd love to know how many people on here actually have an irl autism diagnosis (not Aspergers - the damage done to autistic people by combining the two and therefore centering far less disabled people as the face/voice of autism cannot be exaggerated) and how many are just playing into gross ableist stereotypes.

I hear what you're saying! When discussing autism there is definitely a very clear bias in the general fandom-y nerdy user bases of Tumblr + Tiktok + Twitter toward people who can communicate with spoken & written language, and the prevalence/prominence of those ideas has altered the way people perceive autism in a way that can reposition an already vulnerable demographic of disabled people for whom resources are already very scarce.

I will say though I don't think the autism spectrum disorder designation including people of various communication abilities and developmental delays inherently centers people who communicate at average or above average levels. Like, Asperger's is not diagnosed anymore in part because the symptom cluster was not wholly unique from autism & the people making the distinction thought that it was not useful for diagnostics and care. At least to my memory what we are seeing online right now is very recent within the last like 2-4 years and seems a lot more Prevalent online than in real life?

Part of why I feel like it's more of an issue online is that where I've lived, resources as well as general understanding of autism seems to be centering people who cannot communicate and their families and caregivers which is how it has been since I was growing up. But I live in the middle of nowhere and that might not be true other places.

I think the fact that the clinical distinction is no longer made combined with how people who right now are nerdy tweens and teens lost 1-2 years of normal social development and school attendance is probably a huge factor, and this might not be a long term issue the further we move away from the impact of covid.

On a personal note—

I also think that due to the nature of how online communities work, we don't have a view into how people with above average communication skills might be affected by symptoms of autism offline, and that some of that might be intentional in that people don't want to bring those experiences into online spaces. People like to control the image they have online, you know??

I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2016 as a young adult by a clinical psychologist after a childhood ADHD diagnosis, and my also double diagnosed brother has significantly more noticeable symptoms than I do including communication delays that I never had (I got the "little professor" moniker). I'm not sure what his first diagnosis was but we are both higher functioning/lower support needs while also in our youth being objectively disabled in a way that relates to autism symptoms. I didn't have support growing up and once I was in middle school I failed every semester until I dropped out of high school (this was also due to homophobic bullying) and he was on an individualized education plan for all of his school years.

I think a lot of people find solace in what their autism symptoms make easier, more engaging, or fun for them and want to focus on that and talk about that rather than all of the things that are difficult for them—and I bet this is especially true with younger people who might be more defensive in general and very, very conscious of how they are perceived offline. "Nerdy superpowers" online might be "can't physically go into the grocery store because the fluorescent lights are too bright" and "only talks out loud to 4 people and is ostracized in school & social spaces" offline.

[primamchorus]

laying down thinking of my xv: reimagined characters and headcanons... mostly been thinking about who would be the most compatible with one another based on certain tasks or combat ability. also pairing names that are for me more than anything. some pairing names are just placeholders till i come up with something better.

long post warning. like, actually, you will be scrolling for a while if you click 'keep reading'. literally 'do you love the color of the sky' levels.

if you do click 'keep reading', uh... i hope you enjoy my xv: reimagined character rambling???

gladiolus + iris :: floral aegis (-siblings)

ideal pair for the maximum amount of defence to protect others. iris' shielding magic along with gladio's sheer physical tankiness and physical capability make them a veritable force to contend with when it comes to protecting the others or even each other. unfortunately, gladio tends to be a bit overprotective over iris and tends to prevent her from being able to act upon her own defensive capabilities.

gladiolus + primam :: unbreakable ice

noctis' strongest physical shield and his strongest offensive mage. primam's ability to infuse weaponry and shields with magical energy lends itself well to gladiolus' abilities with his aegis and greatsword. gladiolus also can bolster primam's defences to keep her safe while she charges powerful spells to unleash.

gladiolus + tandem :: sword and shield

noctis' strongest physical shield and his strongest physical attacker. gladio and tandem are quite literally noctis' proverbial sword and shield. gladio and tandem bounce well off of one another after years of training, able to utilize one another as an extension of each other. the one thing that probably holds them back at times is their competitive nature with one another -- if it means anything, if it's serious enough, they can at least pack away their petty competition to focus on what's important.

gladiolus + cor :: the immortal

as the only two who have fought gilgamesh and live to tell the tale, cor and gladio make for quite the surprising offensive duo after their shared experiences. with gladio's unshakable defenses to cover for cor's speed and attack, the two are quite capable in turning the tide of battle in their favor.

gladiolus + ignis :: refined palate

hand and shield, and both formidable in their own right. with ignis' ability to quickly analyze enemies at a glance with some additional aid from a scan spell, ignis can inform gladio about any attacks to watch out for before they press the attack. with ignis' agility and ability to easily swap between elemental influences, he can make incredible use of any cover gladio can provide to change his approach.

gladiolus + mollis :: dream catcher

not a great combo, all things considered. with mollis' penchant for being high up and out of the way, gladio has nothing to work off of. though he can appreciate the cover mollis provides, neither of them necessarily benefit off of one another unless it's for trading information, and even then, mollie's geographical information will almost always be better with her viewing things from above.

gladiolus :: ros :: steelheart

combat-wise, the two are not suited for one another. however, when it comes to protection, gladio is quick to cover for ros should he be within the vicinity. keeping ros protected is one of the shields' priorities after the king himself, especially as house viridis are the crown healers. in return, ros is able to use his curative and restorative spells with ease.

gladiolus + aestus :: hot iron

aestus is a tactical thinker and gladiolus generally attempts to make those thoughts and plans count with his defensive and offensive prowess. generally, aestus has some pretty powerful supportive and debilitating spells in his arsenal to make combat flow easier in his favor, also allowing gladiolus to make use of the time given to him to really do some serious damage.

gladiolus + vera :: true guard

much like her elder brother, vera is a tactical thinker...and she really does her best to live up to her brother's example. she has less of a mind for the tactics needed in combat, but she has strong bolstering spells like tranquil, leap, brave, and faith. vera is often disposed to bolstering gladio with a brave spell, increasing his defensive capabilities.

gladiolus + lyra :: lyre's veil

unfortunately for gladio, lyra doesn't seem to have a lot of willpower to actually join in for combat, making nearly any pairing with lyra a bit of a hurdle in and of itself. whenever the two are actually locked in, however, lyra's abilities with a lance more than make up for gladio's defensive capabilities. where gladio can rush in with a shielded charge, lyra can make an overhead or even a low attack with her lance. however, these two hardly ever see proper combat outside of training, making their team up capabilities much to be desired.

gladiolus + nebula :: clouded judgment

nebula is still very young compared to the rest of those born and raised within noctis' era. though she shows great promise with the daggers and kukris that she has been training with, gladio treats nebula much like he would treat his own younger sister: a little bit overbearing. this unfortunately leads to nebula not being able to make the most of her own abilities unless she uses her invisibility spell to take advantage of any openings.

gladiolus + prompto :: bullet casings

given that prompto had a late start to being trained as a crownsguard in service to noctis, there are a lot of frustrations that rise up in gladio when it comes to having to cover for prompto. a lot of the time, gladio wants prompto to get his head out of his ass and pay attention to everything that's actually happening around them. however, some of the combat scenarios are nothing like what prompto experienced back at the citadel under mollis and cor's tutelage, making him buckle under pressure at times, necessitating gladio's protection.

gladiolus + noctis :: king's shield

one of noctis' sparring partners and teachers, gladiolus is aware of most of noctis' weaknesses when it comes to the field of combat. he is suited for covering noctis' blind spots as well as being one of the more ideal partners for a link strike after noctis warps into combat. unfortunately, there are still some past grievances that sometimes rear their ugly heads on gladio's side of things when it comes to noctis and his perception of what a king should be that tends to get in the way of things.

gladiolus + lunafreya :: bound by duty

with neither of them really knowing one another well, lunafreya and gladiolus' team up capabilities leave a bit to be desired. what gladio knows is that he is not only noctis' shield, but lunafreya's as well. with a bit of an overprotective nature that hurdles him, gladio unwittingly gets in the way of lunafreya and her own capabilities, leading lunafreya to believe that he doesn't believe in her at times.

iris + primam :: moogle magic

primam often tutored iris in the ways of honing defensive magic, making iris a more magic-based shield of the king should gladiolus not be able to see to his duties. primam cares about iris as she does tandem -- like a sibling. with iris' strong shell and protect spells, bolstering primam with either allows her to unleash an offensive with her blizzard spells.

iris + tandem :: pom strike

mostly because of gladio, tandem and iris were never much sparring partners, so most of what tandem knows is based off of what his sister, primam, told or showed him. also because of gladio, tandem tends to cover and keep iris out of harm's way as much as he can. iris has surprised tandem on occasion, however, taking advantage of his pressing an attack to come in for a finisher.

iris + cor :: pom guard

admittedly, there are rarely, if any, chances for iris and cor to see battle together. the two get along well enough, and iris sees cor as a respectable and valiant figure. she has seen cor train and prep gladio in the past, but she has never really had the honor of being his student.

iris + ignis :: a la carte

two of the more avid cooks within the noble families, iris often consults ignis for her own culinary pursuits a lot of the time, hoping to elevate her dishes as much as he does. in the art of combat, however, ignis seems to allow iris her time to shine more times than not, recognizing her defensive prowess. much like he to gladio, ignis will hold back for a moment while the younger shield takes center stage for a time that allows him to gather himself to prepare a decisive blow -- either with a critical strike, or an elemancy charged one.

iris + mollis :: friends on high

despite -- or perhaps because of -- iris and nebula being close friends, mollis is actually the one that startles iris the most with her sudden appearances. however, because of iris' magical inclination for defensive spells, iris can actually cover mollis from a distance should there be any unwanted attention thrown mollis' way. with shell and protect spells closing the distance to wrap around mollie, mollis can continued ranged support in safety.

iris + ros :: pom cure

perhaps the best defensive and healer pairing when it comes to combat. with high magical immunity shared between the two of them, iris need only cover themselves with a protect spell for incoming physical attacks as ros takes the time to use curative or restorative spells to aid those he's with should they need it.

iris + aestus :: ???

iris was too young to really get to know aestus. all she really knows about him are some stories from her older brother. otherwise, he left lucis to see to his role in niflheim when she was young and never got the chance to actually know him that well compared to the other nobles.

iris + vera :: postmoogle

there is no real combat potential between these two as partners at the moment that i've considered or written. yet.

currently, vera and iris would know each other relatively well within the halls of the citadel, but vera never really makes a habit of sticking around. truthfully, vera's not really actually that impressive outside of her supportive spells, and she tends to overcompensate for it. it probably would make her perform even worse if she compared herself to how well iris seems to be able to do things.

iris + lyra :: dozy mog

lyra doesn't tend to make an effort to really put herself in harm's way in a real combat situation. that said, lyra does have a little bit of a soft spot for iris like she does her own little sister, nebula. more like than not, however, these two would not see combat together. if they did, lyra would likely keep iris behind her for as long as she could manage...which isn't long considering that lyra's lack of desire to train or keep herself sharp means a diminished performance rate.

iris + nebula :: friends in the fog

the designated baby sisters of the nobles within noctis' era. both iris and nebula are fond and fast friends, and nebula tends to stick close to iris simply due to the fact that nebula thinks that iris doesn't do well geographically. combat-wise, there's little for the two to play off of for one another, but nebula's impeccable stealth skills and mastery over invisibility spells keeps both herself and iris safe, not to mention her penchant for finding nooks and crannies to hide in away from others lends itself well to finding a myriad of secrets and shortcuts for the two of them to use.

iris + prompto :: rainbow sparks

iris thinks prompto's a lot of fun and a breath of fresh air whenever he's at the citadel. in combat, iris has been happy enough to throw her moogle plush out to expand her protect and shell spells into a wider radius. this does actually allow prompto some better time and opportunity to set up his bioblaster, gravity well, or chainsaw within the safety of the protective bubbles.

iris + noctis :: mog knight

whether it's because iris has a crush on noctis, or because she takes her own training as a potential shield of the king seriously, iris looks out for noctis just as much, if not more, than gladio does. surprisingly, iris can pair well with noctis' link strikes, bringing down a devastating mog strike upon their enemies after noctis has caught the enemy unawares.

iris + lunafreya :: moon halo

while there was certainly jealousy at first -- especially considering that lunafreya has the perceived fairy tale story that iris wishes she had -- iris has quickly set aside whatever differences or jealousy she had after the dangers and perils that have followed noctis since the fall of insomnia. with lunafreya's skill with a lance, iris can and will bolster lunafreya's defenses as appropriately as possible.

primam + tandem :: bear them like coeurls

the dual arms of the king, primam and tandem are a powerful combo when it comes to pressing an offensive at each others' sides. they were born together, they grew up together, they know how one another thinks the best out of everyone else. with tandem's penchant for weaponry and even having forged his and his sister's own, their weapons are made with elemancy and elemental enhancement in mind. where tandem can press a physical offensive, primam can follow up with her magical offensive, both hitting their enemies where their physical or magical weaknesses lie.

primam + cor :: flint and steel

primam can hardly keep up with cor a lot of the time, knowing that his incredible speed makes it so that she would have to keep up with him if she ever planned to cover for him at all. fighting alongside cor is the first time that primam ever really used her thunder spells, as they were the only spells fast enough to keep pace with him to act as any finishers to enemies he has struck and weakened.

primam + ignis :: crème brûlée

both gifted in the art of elemancy, both primam and ignis are a black mage crownsguard duo that are best not to be trifled with. where primam can control the elements at her fingertips, ignis is quite capable at enhancing himself with elemental energy to alter his attack patterns and skills. it is a skill primam finds herself somewhat envious of, but she makes the most of it because she and ignis can actually share in their elemental magics to bolster one another for devastating spells. it does drain both of them at an equal rate, however.

primam + mollis :: ties that bind

relatively decent friends within the noble families, primam and mollis have an interesting way of tag teaming. with a combination of communication, stop, and slow spells, mollis will take advantage of primam being within her line of sight and call for her aid to supercharge her bullets while they're being fired. this...doesn't always have the desired result, as it's honestly still something done in practice than it is actually mastered. but if primam and mollis can pull it off, then mollis' elementally imbued bullets can cause quite the area of effect on impact.

primam + ros :: greenword

though primam is more aligned with the art of black magic, and ros more aligned with the art of white magic, they can bounce spells off of one another decently enough. much like ignis and primam, primam and ros can share their magical prowess, lending their magic to charge the other if needed. otherwise, primam tends to prioritize ros' safety after noctis', using her grasp on protect and shell spells to deflect any incoming attacks aimed at ros.

primam + aestus :: heated coals

technically, there is no combat maneuvers that have been actually put into action between aestus and primam as of yet. otherwise, aestus favors more close and personal combat maneuvers versus primam tending to keep her distance away from her enemies. aestus would probably make primam hesitant to attack since he would be within direct line of fire, and his magical resistance isn't as high as some of the others.

primam + vera :: mascara raid

both primam and vera tend to recognize that they both do a lot of work and feel the weight of expectation on themselves. due to vera's high magical immunity that has been observed, however, primam feels a bit more comfortable being a little more reckless with her magic when vera is in combat alongside her.

primam + lyra :: same song and dance

those who were once very good friends, and now it's like a switch has been flipped. lyra has a disdain for primam, and she makes this somewhat clear with the way that she tends to target primam for ill-natured ribbing. often clashing and butting heads against one another, lyra seems more intent on getting in primam's way and making her spells be redirected more than actually aiding and assisting in the flow of combat.

primam + nebula :: lantern light

as one who is enamored with magic and its uses, nebula looks up to primam and often shadows her, attempting to learn how primam wields magic for use in combat or to aid others. primam has often been aware that nebula follows after her, though nebula is a bit too shy to really approach her directly given lyra's grievances with primam. they have no defined combat style at this time.

primam + prompto :: quicksilver dancers

school friends and generally pretty perceptive to one another, primam had quickly picked up on prompto's penchant for his impeccable aim stemming from not just his quick reflexes in playing video games, but also his photography skills. prompto's being wet behind the ears when it comes to combat, however, makes primam more susceptible to covering for him and putting herself in harm's way to keep him protected. likewise, prompto tends to focus enemies that might have primam cornered or focused to keep her out of harm's way, more based on her emotional sensitivity.

prompto being in danger or being hurt is the one thing that can make primam's emotional state bring in a harsh cold snap more severe than the first time she's ever done it.

primam + noctis :: winter night

sworn to serve noctis as arm of the king, primam is stalwart in her obligation to her duty. she views noctis like a brother to her, and having been one of two nobles assigned to accompany him nearly everywhere, primam is almost as aware of noctis' habits as she is tandem's. contrasting against her usual fare, link striking with noctis is an opportunity for primam to summon her elementally charged mace and bring down a mighty elemental blow to the enemy.

primam + lunafreya :: blue winter

:)

tandem + cor :: fang and claw

there are some competitive tendencies that seem to take hold of tandem whenever he's in cor's presence -- as if he's trying to prove himself in some capacity. either cor doesn't notice this, or he simply ignores it in lieu of what's in front of him -- what's more important within the moment. so long as tandem is acting accordingly, then there's no reason to create more distractions. with gale wind speed and strikes coupled with tandem's strength-based or elementally charged weapon attacks, the two can be a devastating combo when on the same page.

tandem + ignis :: orange marmalade

ignis' tactical mind and grasp on the libra spell makes his call outs a boon for tandem to be able to strike fast and true to whatever weaknesses ignis manages to find on the fly. though the two aren't always seeing eye to eye in recent times simply due to how their personalities have branched out, tandem does try his best not to be a hindrance to ignis, knowing that ignis has only ever wanted the best for the nobles around him for noctis' sake.

tandem + mollis :: catnip

an odd pair, but one with some history. tandem and mollie appear to be friendly enough, and one would think that their preferred fighting styles wouldn't complement each other that well. both have high critical attacks, and when mollis can link strike with tandem, it definitely involves a high speed entry from mollis with her melee weapon to drive a devastating piercing attack with tandem following up with a crushing blow.

tandem + ros :: bed of thorns

tandem would prefer not fighting alongside ros if he can avoid it. the two don't really complement each other well, and ros would rather hang back and cast spells versus enter into the fray. even if ros has melee capabilities since all crownsguard must be trained in such fashion, ros is still one of the weakest martial fighters within noctis' royal council. while tandem is no stranger to spells thanks to his twin sister, and ignis, ros' spell mastery doesn't press an offensive. thankfully, there are some bolstering spells that ros can throw tandem's way, but otherwise, they need to stay out of each other's way.

tandem + aestus :: thousand degrees

though there are no real cases of tandem and aestus seeing combat together, there is a worry that tandem would more get in aestus' way. aestus also has very little confidence in being able to pair well with tandem when it comes to their combat prowess. he knows tandem is stronger than him, certainly, but tandem's headstrong nature clashes with aestus' want to think things more tactically. of course, should aestus be aware of tandem's rather ideal fighting methods alongside ignis, this would quell some of his hesitation.

tandem + vera :: surestrike

vera really only has a small subset of spells to use at her disposal, but these spells are a boon to tandem's fighting prowess. like ros, however, vera is not terribly suited for close quarters combat, and tends to use firearms while keeping her bolstering spells at the ready. vera can keep tandem covered well enough, but she needs protection and to be kept out of harm's way if she happens to gain the attention of enemies.

tandem + lyra :: singing steel

another not ideal pairing. tandem already gets kind of frustrated with lyra in recent years due to her blasé treatment of training. likewise, lyra already clashes with primam, it's not a far stretch for her to clash with tandem as well. the only difference between the two is that tandem is willing to bite back at lyra with equally or more venom than she starts with.

tandem + nebula :: dancer in the dark

not super ideal if only because nebula isn't as seasoned a fighter as many of the other nobles. she can hold her own, but she's more of a hindrance than a boon. tandem is aware of her stealth capabilities, and if she is to help with anything at all, tandem would prefer she run off to hide, or bring others to safety with her skills.

tandem + prompto :: off limits

school friends and on pretty good terms with one another, tandem views prompto as wet behind the ears, but with great potential. especially given that prompto is mollis and cor's student, meaning he's gotten some of the best hand to hand basics in training, and has the best marksmanship trainer to make the most of his capabilities. in combat, the two are alright -- nowhere near being on the same level as either tandem and primam, or prompto and primam, however. tandem generally tends to prioritize prompto's involvement knowing his sister's affection for him.

tandem + noctis :: summer eve

the other part of noctis' dual arms of the king, tandem's martial prowess far surpasses his sister's own, and tandem can easily make the most of noctis' combat ability while weaving in his own. throw gladio into the mix, and you have a trio of powerhouses that can physically obliterate their opposition with decent enough coordination.

tandem + lunafreya :: summer at twilight

:)

cor + ignis :: sharpened knives

level headed and able to see the bigger picture, both cor and ignis' ability to scan their surroundings and enemies make them an analytical force that can make more precise strikes to their foes. their trade of information is also a valuable exchange that aids in one another's tasks at hand.

cor + mollis :: predatory gaze

mollis is a surprisingly good tactician on the battlefield, and is cor's right hand after the fall of insomnia. mollis follows along after cor willingly, aiding and keeping them both informed of the niflheim movements within the lands of lucis. they both believe that what they are doing is for the best in regards to noctis, and more so for lucis as a whole. mollis believes in cor's vision, believing him to know what true beauty is when it comes to preserving their kingdom. it also helps that cor was mollis' teacher beforehand, and now that she has mastered her own capabilities, the two of them are generally on the same page on how to help each other and capitalize on their strengths and weaknesses.

cor + ros :: lionheart

cor was probably one of the other ones outside of lyra that reached out to ros in order to make sure that everything was going alright for him. cor is aware that there is a lot of grief in ros' mind and heart, and he does his best to kind of keep that in mind while also keeping his mind on the larger picture. knowing that there is a lot of weight on ros' shoulders, cor does his best not to burden him further overmuch, but at the same time, he does his best to kind of push ros in the right direction to getting himself picked back up on his feet. especially if ros is determined as he says he is to being noctis' heart of the king.

cor + aestus :: heartbeat

aestus may have a number of the current noble children that look up to him, but aestus looks up to cor. having trained with cor's guidance in the past, aestus has a number of skills and things he remembers from cor's tutelage that he has refined and expanded upon. combat-wise, the two tend to run off and do their own thing, but they're decent enough when paired together, covering for each other where needed.

cor + vera :: assured courage

cor treats vera more like a secretary, and has reservations about seeing her in the midst of combat. it is unfortunate for vera, as she often wants to show that she is capable, but there are a lot of things that she simply isn't good at. cor would rather have vera play to her strengths out of the way versus joining him in the fray. unfortunately, this is something that tends to make vera feel inadequate.

cor + lyra :: lion song

there is an interesting thing that happens where cor is able to coax out the best in lyra when it comes to combat should the two of them see it together. cor is probably one of the first people to see how capable lyra really is, and finds himself a little frustrated at how she squanders her potential and clear grasp of skill. however, so long as lyra is acting as she should in combat alongside him, he does his best to give her positive reinforcement, having picked up on her more self-deprecating nature.

cor + nebula :: ???

nebula is too young to really have gotten the chance to train with cor, let alone meet him too many times outside of formal parties and gatherings at the citadel.

cor + prompto :: silver bullets

having helped to train prompto in preparation for the trip to altissia, cor worries a bit for prompto's capability overall. he does his best not to, especially given how surprisingly quickly prompto picked up on self-defense tactics as well as his penchant for marksmanship. similarly to other match ups, however, cor does see how green prompto can end up seeming in actual combat, necessitating some aid and assistance so he doesn't get hurt too badly.

cor + noctis :: measure twice, cut once

from regis to noctis, cor pledges his service to the crown ever strongly in what way that he can. he has seen noctis from the days of his infancy and into growing into the man he is now. having traveled alongside regis and seen the lands of lucis firsthand, the land is his home, and noctis is his duty. cor more than makes up for any of noctis' shortcomings from having the lingering effects of the scourge still within his body, and noctis tends to view cor highly and respectfully as someone who has been at his father's side for as long as he can remember.

cor + lunafreya :: dancing blossoms

:)

ignis + mollis :: tiramisu

both coffee aficionados, mollis and ignis get along well enough outside of combat. within combat, ignis' libra coupled with mollie's high perception in her equally high locations makes them an incredible informational boon to those fighting alongside them. where mollis can quickly ascertain the lay of the land and how enemies are moving from above, ignis can pinpoint enemy weaknesses and openings to take advantage of, making the two of them some of the deadliest shot callers should others heed their advice.

ignis + ros :: wilting flowers

both weighted with incredible responsibility and little way to really learn from the people around them, ignis tends to take some consideration in facilitating ros' preparations to being heart of the king while also seeing to his duties as hand of the king. where ignis has followed the guidance and instruction of his uncle silex, ros does not seem to do the same with his uncle arbor. ignis attempts to frame things in better ways for ros, but ultimately, ros keeps ignis at arm's length at best, seeing what he's trying to do.

ignis + aestus :: white hot fire

having taken from aestus' example in the past already, ignis does hold aestus in high regard when it comes to aestus' tactical skill and ability. when applying it to combat or even covert operations. ignis is adaptable in that regard, able to follow aestus' lead in a situation, seeing as most instances where they would see to a task, it likely would be within aestus' wheelhouse more than that of the altissian traveling party.

ignis + vera :: zero secrets

relatively close friends within the citadel, ignis and vera have seen a lot of each other and attended many of the same meetings to ensure they are aware of the political climate of lucis and other nations. the two of them share a number of different pieces of information; where vera can supply ignis with information collected by various members of house vox, ignis typically keeps vera apprised of noctis' status and progress. in combat, ignis appreciates vera's cover fire, though typically doesn't need it too often.

ignis + lyra :: distant letters

there was once a time when it felt like ignis and lyra were decent friends, but the distance that only grew between the two as they grew older created a rather sizable rift. ignis attempts to reach out, but lyra closes him off a lot of the time. in combat, lyra and ignis are more suited as dual pole arm combatants than as elemancy and melee fighters.

ignis + nebula :: springtime sorbet

since ignis has spent so much time around vera and lyra, nebula is another one of the vox siblings that ignis is actually relatively close to. he looks after her like an older brother, and tends to show her his new sweets that he's baked as a test run to give to the others. after all, if nebula's sweet tooth is sated, it hopefully will he good for the others.

similarly to other nebula pairings, ignis would rather not have nebula enter combat. she's not a martial prodigy like cor was at thirteen, and so ignis is more at ease when nebula is out of harm's way.

ignis + prompto :: balanced diet

certainly a lot more prone to looking out for prompto, ignis does his best to keep the prince's best friend out of harm's way and add onto the strengths presented. thankfully able to play off of one another's strengths in analyzing and lining up a shot, both ignis and prompto can make for a critically adept pair when it seems like prompto isn't being threatened by anything else and shaking his focus.

ignis + noctis :: oyakodon

sometimes a bit of a hindrance than a help, ignis tends to put himself in harm's way more often than not when it concerns noctis. though they are both capable, ignis stands firm in the desire to protect noctis through and through. while he might not be the shield that gladio is, he is still ever dependable and values noctis' life more than his own.

ignis + lunafreya :: ring bearers

two sides of the same coin in a way, both lunafreya and ignis are able to click together like pieces of a puzzle. both are willing to go through great lengths in order to see noctis is protected and well on his way to becoming the proper king to lucis -- to fulfill his destiny. when push comes to shove, both are willing to bear their all, and as practitioners in the art of the lance as well as maintaining their own magical prowess, both of them make excellent spear masters to keep melee enemies at more than arm's length away.

mollis + ros :: blinded hearts

ros has envy over mollis and what she has among the noble families, sometimes making it very hard for him to relate to her or reach out to her. though they get along well enough -- mostly because everyone seems to get along with mollis -- their combat abilities together leave a lot to be desired. ideally, ros would keep to higher ground alongside mollis in order to take advantage of her sniper nesting, but also staying far enough out of the way would allow him to get a better idea of things going on down below to offer support when the time comes.

mollis + aestus :: heated bullets

aside from her own father, aestus was one of the other mentors that mollis had when she was undergoing her marksmanship training. though it was not marksmanship that aestus taught mollis, it was instead the art of being hidden. while mollis' magical capabilities are far less than some of the other nobles, leaning certain spells to cloak her appearance will always be appreciated. both mollis and aestus are decent at staying out of the way, but mollis more so as she would rather not find herself in the midst of close range combat.

mollis + vera :: smoking barrel

if there's one thing that vera is most certainly good at besides her range of supportive spells, it's her own gunmanship. though she is no eyes of the king, vera can certainly hold her own to provide cover fire alongside mollis. information-wise, mollis and vera are quite decent at trading valuable information, and can keep each other well enough updated on happenings, allowing them to hopefully stay ahead of their enemies or those that threaten lucis.

mollis + lyra :: bullet rain

over the years, lyra has become a bit of a handful for the other nobles...including mollis, who seems to have the most tolerance and love to give to the nobles as a whole. however, mollis persists, and does her best to keep her heart and mind open to lyra, even with as much as lyra might try pushing her away. it is perhaps because of this, however, that lyra will put herself out there for mollis' sake, even if she might admonish mollis for necessitating her interferrance in the first place. still, mollis does her best to offer positive reinforcement where she can.

mollis + nebula :: early birds

mollis always seemed to run into nebula in the mornings at the citadel...and while it seemed like pax or her other siblings were not part of her morning routine, mollis often ended up looking after nebula a lot of the time. at least until nebula disappeared for the rest of the day. mollis, as many of the other nobles of their generation, frets over nebula, though that fretting has slowly turned into reassurance that nebula seems to know how to stay safe and out of the way for the most part.

mollis + prompto :: we never miss

mentor and student, mollis was in charge of training prompto for his marksmanship while her father, ater, was overseeing the glaive along with the other members of the lucian royal council to ensure that they were being trained to protect the wall. in the months that they spent training alongside one another, mollis has picked up on prompto's habits as well as his impeccable aiming skills. all that was left was to make him used to the kick of certain firearms...of which he surprisingly did well with. this, at the time unknown to them, was due to prompto's past that was designed to make him nothing more than a weapon that made him quick to adapt.

mollis + noctis :: seasonal beauty

mollis has it ingrained into her that preserving noctis' life is to preserve the beauty of lucis -- to grow a more beautiful lucis. she is loyal to noctis, and she believes in him wholly. to that end, mollis will enter melee combat far more willingly if noctis is in the fray, more than happy to aid his link strikes with high velocity entrances to strike down their foes.

mollis + lunafreya :: flower petals

it would be a lie to say that mollis didn't look at lunafreya once they met for real and feel her heart soar at her beauty. a drive was instigated into mollis when she saw how motivated and driven lunafreya was herself. mollis does her best not to allow herself to get too distracted by lunafreya, instead focusing on the grander picture and design of everything else around them.

ros + aestus :: burning roses

truthfully, a lot of aestus and ros' interactions typically come from the fact that ros and lyra are close friends. aestus otherwise didn't see a lot of ros, and when they started seeing each other more, aestus was alraedy being trained and prepared to leave for gralea.

ros + vera :: truth of hearts

often having practiced magic together along with ignis at times, ros and vera are pretty aware of what they bring to the table. when it comes to martial combat prowess, it isn't much. both of them are better at a distance and out of the way versus being in the fray and handling things in melee.

ros + lyra :: soft garden songs

extremely close friends and the ones that can bring out the best in one another whether they realize it or not. their co-dependency is a burden and a boon to them both; it makes them fiercely loyal to one another, and will push them both to their limits should one or the other feel forced into it.

ros + nebula :: garden mist

admittedly, nebula tends to avoid ros more times than not, all things considered. nebula tends to follow those she finds interesting around the citadel, and...unfortuantely, ros doesn't really fall into that category. ros does care about nebula, though...same as he does any of the members of the vox family. should nebula be around, ros tends to keep track of her as best he can. surprisingly, he's actually the best one who can find her where others can't. perhaps aside from lyra, that is.

ros + prompto :: broken hearts

if we're being honest, ros finds prompto's outgoing and extroverted personality exhausting. but...he does his best to tolerate it as best as he can... after all, the prince is in need of friends not of the noble ilk. unfortuantely, this exhaustion finds its way well into battle, especially when prompto shows that he's still in need of keeping himself grounded when things get serious, or catch him off guard.

ros + noctis :: ever beating hearts

ros is someone who hates the idea of destiny and fate, and this seems to lend itself well to noctis' destiny that has been laid out before him. ros is, in his own right, a powerful healer at noctis' side -- at his cousin's side. though ros may not be the strongest fighter that can aid that well within the midst of combat itself, he can give incredible healing and restoration, allowing noctis to fight through his own lethargic onset at times for a secondwind.

ros + lunafreya :: soothing life

ros and lunafreya are something of kindred spirits to one another. both were unable to have their parents or other relatives really teach them their roles, and thus had to learn through other means. in this sense, ros admires lunafreya and her tenacity -- her willpower to learn despite her conditions that should have made it nearly impossible for her to pursue as such. together, the two of them can be a powerful healing source -- lunafreya to cleanse the scourge, and ros to keep the victim stable as she does.

aestus + vera :: passing the torch

an ideal pair for espionage, that's for sure. both aestus and vera are quite talented at what they do, and both have the skills and training necessary to carry out their duties as need be. as it stands, you would not send these two out for anything that requires heavy combat, that's for sure. instead, you would send them out for reconaissance efforts and intel.

aeatus + lyra :: deer in wolf's clothing

aestus worries for lyra...in more ways than one. he wants to be the supportive older brother that she can turn to, but she doesn't feel like she can because she feels like no one in her family pays enough attention to her. this is made even worse once aestus departs for gralea to carry out his assignment.

aestus + nebula :: smoke and fog

the last time that nebula really got to see her older brother was when she was six. she has fond memories of aestus, yes...but she doesn't really know him that well. what she knows are stories from her elder sisters...and those stories do inspire her. all that nebula really has of her older brother is the dagger he left her...and even then, it was left within vera's care until nebula turned twelve.

aestus + prompto :: ???

aestus was already long gone into gralea before prompto could ever meet him.

aestus + noctis :: deafened ears

aestus did his best to be there for the crown when everything happened. aestus was twenty when noctis and his mother were attacked at cape caem. during the four remaining years, aestus doubled down and trained ever more diligently as a member of house vox and then departed for gralea, passing his mantle to vera so that he could protect noctis and the crown with the role he wished to adopt in their enemy nation's territory.

aestus + lunafreya :: caged birds

in the eight years that aestus has been in gralea, he has spent six of those years acting the part of one of niflheim's lap dogs all to ensure the safety of lunafreya -- a wish from regis. of course, stella and ravus were a part of that plea...but it was not to be. in the years that aestus has watched over lunafreya, he has offered her a presence of safety all while acting the part of the jailor and the prisoner. it is a meticulous dance they practice, and one that places aestus' life at risk should he ever be caught.

vera + lyra :: truth in song

vera tries to be the same type of older sibling aestus was, hoping that she can get lyra to open up to her or talk to her. after a lot of failed attempts, however, vera slowly stopped trying. his also reflects itself in their training and how it seems lyra acts in contempt for her own older sister at times. of course...there is still love there, strained as it may seem. should things get down to the wire, they can at least turn whatever family tension they have around...for the most part.

vera + nebula :: sweet sisters

vera and nebula probably seem like the closest of all the vox siblings, but vera also has taken the time to start training nebula in the ways of house vox more actively. after all, she and lyra got their training already, so she isn't as worried about lyra knowing what to do and how to do it. vera has been in the routine of teaching nebula how to use her dagger from aestus, and has also started teaching her how to use a sword. though, nebula is still far from ready for combat, vera urges nebula to run and hide while she takes care of any threats.

vera + prompto :: concealed documents

prompto isn't sure what to make of vera. as he puts it, 'one moment she's there, the next, she's gone -- as if she's never been there in the first place.' there does seem to be something that tugs at vera every time she sees prompto and interacts with him, but it's nothing that she makes evident. instead, she greets him with a smile and she simply remains as cordial as possible. combat-wise? they're okay...they both favor guns, but it's clear that prompto actually has a better aim and steadier arm than she does.

vera + noctis :: if the shoe fits

vera is noctis' ears of the king, and she does her best to take this role as seriously as possible. she fills in whenever ignis can't, and she tends to whatever ignis is too busy to. in a lot of ways, noctis views both vera and ignis in the same light: a bit too overbearing, and maybe a bit too convenient at times. at any rate, vera's not the best combatant, and certainly shouldn't be one of the ones at noctis' side should enemies be around.

vera + lunafreya :: ???

vera never really gets a chance to meet lunafreya. so far that i've planned out, at any rate.

lyra + nebula :: hidden whispers

there are many days and times where nebula simply passes by lyra's room or...whatever lyra finds herself doing at the time nebula finds her. as sisters, lyra's very emotionally distant from nebula -- at least as far as nebula seems to be able to perceive it. sometimes she thinks that lyra doesn't like her, which leads her to doing her own thing more times than not.

lyra + prompto :: peanut gallery

there is...quite a bit of resentment that lyra has for prompto, which is really unfortunate, because they share a lot of the same interests and pastimes. but the fact that lyra cannot seem to separate prompto's association with the prince and the future arms of the king makes her envy and rsd ever more apparent, and she would really rather not have to deal with being in his presence longer than necessary. even worse is how she recognizes primam's crush on prompto as well. on the other hand, prompto does his best to be as cheery as possible, even if lyra does seem to intimidate him a bit.

lyra + noctis :: a word in the ear

despite everything that revolves and rotates within lyra's head, she does feel some sense of obligation toward noctis. she may question it at times, but she will at least fight for the prince -- for the crown -- should she feel backed into a corner to do so. her composition alongside noctis isn't the best, but lyra is a surprisingly fast learner to everyone that knows her. she can read combat well enough and adjust where needed -- the only downside is that she gets tired very fast because she doesn't practice as much as the other nobles.

lyra + lunafreya :: ???

there hasn't been a moment planned for lyra and lunafreya to meet just yet and have any proper dynamic.

nebula + prompto :: pinky promise

truthfully, nebula finds prompto fascinating. she watches him at a distance whenever she follows after primam during her own self-made training. but the way he acts and carries himself is just so...different from how the noblesdo, as they are held to a certain standard. though nebula does nothing to go out and meet with prompto, she does sometimes leave little trinkets and notes for him and primam both as she remains in the safety of her ability to hide and stay hidden.

nebula + noctis :: night light

with noctis' time being taken up a lot of the time by either actual obligations he has, or trouble he ends up making for himself, he gets little time to really see nebula, similar to how he gets quite little time to actually see iris despite her being gladiolus' sister. nebula never really seems to quite mind this, as it turns out. she shifts a lot of her attnetion and focus onto other things. while she may know the duties and the expectations of the houses and their roles to the crown, nebula seems pretty content doing her own thing and having the freedom to do that.

nebula + lunafreya :: ???

nebula doesn't seem to have the time to meet with lunafreya just yet.

prompto + noctis :: silver stars

close friends in high school onward, noctis enjoys giving prompto some gentle ribbing every now and then, especially when it comes to combat so that the nerves don't rattle them both. they play off of one another tremendously, able to keep a lighthearted tone throughout the heat of combat for the most part. while prompto might have some difficulty every now and then, you can bet that noctis will be there to give him a helping hand and pick up the slack.

prompto + lunafreya :: dog lovers

lunafreya has been a figure shrouded in a number of mysteries to prompto. he feels obligated to her, though he's never really seen her for real, nor does she know what she's like outside of the brief things noctis has shared with him about her. meeting her for the first time was a real highlight for him, especially since he had kept an unspoken promise to her this entire time. within the throes of combat, the two aren't suited to complement each other well just yet...but give it some time.

noctis + lunafreya :: moonlight sylleblossoms

childhood friends and those who lived shared tragic experiences...noctis feels a bond with lunafreya that he feels only she can understand -- has the capability of understanding. though the two of them have never fought side by side, their bond has been kept strong enough through their method of contact for the years they have been apart. they are in tune to one another enough that syncing together only feels natural. plus, it perhaps helps that, as oracle, lunafreya can have inklings to little threads of the will of the astrals that grant her small glimpses of the future.

[faerietaled]

@milehighmechanic continued from here. he’s starting to like her in spite of himself. that’s annoying. but tony does  roll his eyes as she continues to insist that she works for SHIELD, psychic paper and british uniform be damned. she really could give cap a run for his money with that kind of stubbornness. “i’d like to point out that i’m not particularly fond of SHIELD right now, since they tried to nuke my city, so it’s really not as strong an argument as you think.” if he thought she was SHIELD, she’d already be kicked out onto the street, is what he’s saying.  she brings up a good point though.  “yeah, yeah, i know. UNIT usually clean everything up far more effectively. you’re right, what’s the difference between the chitauri over new york and the daleks that were over london a couple years ago?”  ( the difference is that daleks are fifty, a hundred, a THOUSAND times worse than a bunch of chitauri. how they were defeated he has no idea but—– they still haunt every nightmare he has. )  “if i had to hypothesise—— the tesseract. SHIELD’s possession of the tesseract is what caused this incursion, and because SHIELD personnel were so closely involved, UNIT had no way of sweeping in and taking over. and then fury got us superheroes involved, and well. we’re hard to disguise.” he shrugs, spreads his hands wide.“but that’s just my hypothesis. what’s yours?”

honestly, that's a good point, and since she isn't SHIELD, and she hadn't been part of the decision-making process, she doesn't know who would decide to nuke an entire city. isn't that the ethical question of the day, would nuking new york have been worth it?

"it might not be a strong argument, but i'm still on their payroll." liar, liar, liar. but it's the lie they're going with, and she's not about to change her story in the middle of it. "and since i'm on the payroll, and not the one signing the checks, i had nothing to do with that call."

the daleks. she blinks, and if it hadn't been for the years that she spent as a kiss-o-gram, she would have had a more visible reaction. daleks, while note angels, terrify her just as much.

"we have experience with daleks, but the chitauri are knew. we want to know what's changed." another lie that's as easily to come up with as anything else she's said so far. the ease at which she's lying should be concerning.

damnit, if she knew more about what went on with SHIELD, she might have an easier time at lying, but instead she's trying to remember exactly what the tesseract is, if she even heard of that before. it's not like everything is readily available to civilians.

god, sooner or later he's going to catch her on a lie.

"the tesseract has been in possession of SHIELD, for how long? and for how long has it been on earth for? she phrases the questions rhetorically, because she's honestly making it all up. "and anyway, i'm more interested in their tech. the best defensive is a good offense, or something like that. so, if i could, could i please look at the remaining tech?"

[ledenews]

Ohio Valley Preps Aiding Area Athletes in Recruiting Game

(Writer's note: The creator of Ohio Valley Preps is an Ohio Valley native. A former prep athlete, e grew up around the game, played a bit himself, and has experience working with sports organizations on multiple levels. He wishes to remain anonymous and keep the focus squarely on the players) Collegiate recruiting resembles the working world in a lot of ways. Talent is important. Motivation? Work Ethic? Equally so. But sometimes, like in the business world, who you know is just as important as what you know. Or, in this case, who knows you. Self-promotion is an important aspect of the recruiting process and social media allows today's athletes to get their own names out there easier than ever before. But the ease of self-promotion also can lead to an over-saturation of available prospects. Sometimes, those prospects need a little help getting their talents in front of not just a multitude of eyes, but the right set of eyes. That’s where one Ohio Valley native came in last football season, doing his part to help facilitate the process for a growing list of Ohio Valley athletes. Ohio Valley Preps made its initial tweet on Twitter back on October 23, near the end of the 2022 regular season. OVP's mission statement states that its hope is to increase exposure for area football athletes and help them get to the next level. It listed the area it currently serves—Northern West Virginia and Mid-Eastern Ohio. That initial tweet listed the 35 Ohio Valley Athletic Conference schools it was currently scouting, a mixture of large and small schools on both sides of the Ohio River. A day later, its first list of the Top 20 quarterbacks in the Ohio Valley was released, along with an initial rating for each, plus each player’s school and graduation year. Big Red senior Phaeton Hill was listed first, followed by Wheeling Park’s Brett Phillips and Edison’s Gage Cline. During the course of the next week, positional rankings were released for all positions, from running backs, receivers, tight ends, and offensive linemen, to all three levels of the defense, plus specialists. The initial response, and the cooperation that’s followed, has been great according to the OV Preps founder, a gentleman who for the time being wishes to remain anonymous. As he said during the interview “this is about the kids and not me. That’s my only concern.” “The response has been great,” he said. “The kids are excited about it. They like seeing their name in the rankings and winning awards and I’ve had quite a few coaches message me and I always like to get feedback from them. “They talk about who some of their best players are, who they think can play at the next level, and their feedback has been amazing.” The initial 35 schools will likely grow to the entirety of the OVAC and a bit beyond come next season. The site already lists more than 800 followers for its Twitter handle @OhioValleyPreps, along with 881 on the ’Gram at OVPreps. With more schools involved, and as interest and influence grow, those numbers are sure to increase. A Numbers Game The NCAA estimates 1,006,013 young athletes suit up each year on high school football fields across the country. Of that total, 73,712 go on to play at the next level, whether that’s Division I (2.9 percent of high school players), Division II (1.9), or Division III (2.5). That’s a grand total of 7.3 percent of all high school players reaching the next level. Factor in the proportion of those athletes coming from Texas, California, and Florida, and the percentages for the rest of the country drop considerably, despite the fact that both Ohio and Pennsylvania are also recruiting hotbeds. It’s an ever-changing world and one that the founder knew from an earlier age that he wanted to enter and help out local athletes in any way he could. “I’ve had this idea since I was in college back in 2015,” he said. “I always liked the whole recruiting game, following the rankings and the stars, state rankings, positional—I was interested in the whole deal. “I wanted to go for it and finally did. I stopped thinking about it and just went for it. I want to try to help these kids get recruited as much as I can and get their names out there. There is a lot of talent in the valley, and we put a lot of kids at the next level each year. “I want to do anything I can to help out.” That’s why he attends as many games as he can each week, sometimes pulling double-duty with a matinee and Saturday night game, this after watching one on Friday night. But with only so many weeks of the regular season and postseason, there are only so many teams he can see live. That’s why soliciting, and watching, film has been crucial. “My father goes with me to a lot of games, but the rankings and social media side, that’s primarily me,” he said. “I’ve easily watched more than 100 hours of film already, and it’s a lot of fun. I enjoy doing it and it’s something I’m passionate about.” He’s poured through past all-district and all-state teams, the award winners from WTOV9, and the All-Valley and All-TL teams, anything to help him find players to observe. But it’s not all about statistics, because they don’t always tell the full story or even the right one. It’s all about the performance on the field and the good ole eye test. “Stats are important, but it’s about producing on the field,” he said. “There’s always a potential reason why one kid might have better stats than another. If you’re the top guy at a smaller school, it may be easier to put up gaudy stats, or vice versa, if there’s a lot of talent at a bigger school, the stats might not be as eye-popping.” Wheeling Park's Jerrae Hawkins was named the Galloway Award winner, named after Bellaire and Ohio State great Joey Galloway. Hawkins recently announced he'll be attending IMG Academy in Florida to start the spring semester. Updates and Awards Toward the end of the season, OV Preps released an updated set of rankings. More players were seen both in person and on film. A reordering was necessary to reflect the talent pool better. In addition, Ohio Valley Preps released a list of positional award winners. Similar to the positional trophies presented to Division I players each season, the awards are named after some of the Ohio Valley’s greats from the past—Quincy Wilson for running backs, Joey Galloway for receivers, Eddie Drummond for playmakers, Beaver Local’s Derek Wolfe for defensive linemen, and Bellaire great Lance Meh for linebackers, to name a few. Hill won the “Collaros” award for the top quarterback, named after another former Big Red great who’s currently tearing up the CFL in Zac Collaros. The awards are just another layer to the promotional aspect of his overall goal. But awards and positional rankings and evaluations aren’t the end of it. He has a large email listing of recruiting contacts at a number of schools in 19 states and counting across the country, ranging from Division I down to III. He routinely updates this list with any new information about players in the Ohio Valley he can. He also wants to host an in-person event, similar to a pro day, where Ohio Valley athletes can come out, get tested, and get seen. “That’s definitely one of my biggest goals,” he said. “I want to have a day where the athletes can come out, colleges as well, and watch the players test and perform. “If not this coming year, hopefully in the near future, we want to be able to put that on.” Yes, there’s plenty of football talent here in the Ohio Valley, and Ohio Valley Preps is going to do its part to make sure the right people know about it. Read the full article

[robininthelabyrinth]

I'm absolutely delighted your prompts are open! Your writing is amazing and always makes me smile, it's the best way to start the day along with a cup of coffee!

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are given another chance at raising a child after a family is killed leaving only a young child behind. Lan Sizhui is delighted to have a baby sibling. Though everyone is more or less nervous about it (mostly be Wei Ying is a gremlin) but also there isn't any other options.

ao3

“It’ll be fine,” Jiang Cheng said, rolling his eyes. “Hanguang-jun raised Lan Sizhui, didn’t he? And he turned out fine.”

“I did,” Lan Sizhui said agreeably, then frowned. “I think I did, anyway.”

“Not to be a spoilsport, but, realistically speaking, how much raising did Hanguang-jun actually do with you?” Jin Ling asked, and held up his hands when Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi both glared at him. “I don’t mean any offense or anything! I’m serious. We know he was in seclusion those first few years, right? Who raised you then?”

Lan Sizhui thought about it. “Back in the beginning? Well…that was mostly Teacher Lan, I guess.”

“Teacher Lan’s the best,” Lan Jingyi said loyally, then added, “Well, other than that fondness he has for surprise quizzes. But that’s not applicable to parenting, is it?”

Lan Sizhui made a face that suggested that maybe it was, in some weird way, shape, or form.

“Teacher Lan, really?” Jiang Cheng asked, clearly getting drawn in despite his best intentions – as was often the case. There was a reason their little group swung by the Lotus Pier nearly as often as they did the Cloud Recesses and Jinlin Tower, despite Jin Ling not living there part of the year any longer. “Wasn’t he mostly in recovery for those injuries he got during the war? I would’ve figured Zewu-jun would’ve been more involved, wouldn’t he?”

“He was around sometimes, but no, it was mostly Teacher Lan,” Lan Sizhui said. “Zewu-jun was often busy – he was rebuilding the Lan sect –”

“I was rebuilding the Jiang sect! So what? I still raised Jin Ling, and he wasn’t even supposed to be here – I had to fight the Jin sect for months just to get the opportunity – ”

“Yes, jiujiu, we know!” Jin Ling said hastily. “You don’t have to tell that story again! You didn’t have to tell everyone that story in the first place!”

Jiang Cheng huffed. He was probably going to tell the story again whether they liked it or not.

“I think I see what you’re saying, Jin Ling,” Ouyang Zizhen put in, always a good fellow for throwing himself on a conversational sacrificial sword. “If Lan Sizhui was already a few years old when he was adopted, and then Teacher Lan raised him for the next three years, then he would’ve been old enough to be entered into the Cloud Recesses’ official junior classes by the time Hanguang-jun took charge of his education, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I meant, that’s it exactly!”

“What does it matter?” Lan Sizhui asked.

“Yeah! Hanguang-jun still raised him the rest of the way,” Lan Jingyi put in, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring. “Gave him lessons and tips and all that!”

“Isn’t that something he does as a sect senior anyway?”

“Well, yes, but it’s different for Sizhui, okay?”

“I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with that. After all, the person who teaches the most is the same as the parent, and being the person raising them is what matters no matter when they’re adopted,” Jin Ling said, with an eye on Jiang Cheng, who looked begrudgingly pleased. He looked begrudging all the time, though, so it was probably just pleased. “But my point is – once you were part of the lessons, even if he was raising you the rest of the time, you still already mostly had your personality down by then, right? We’ve never seen what someone raised entirely by Hanguang-jun from birth would be like.”

They all stopped to consider that.

“More than that,” Jin Ling continued. “This kid’ll be raised not just by Hanguang-jun, but by Hanguang-jun as he is now – after he and Senior Wei got together. You know?”

They did know.

“And of course, that’s all putting aside that the kid will be raised by Senior Wei himself, too…”

“Maybe we should start investing in defense talismans,” Jiang Cheng mused. “Because everything is going to explode. Everything.”

-

“Everything will not explode,” Lan Wangji said calmly.

“Are you sure?” Wei Wuxian asked. “Because I’m not sure, and I’m more likely to be involved in these hypothetical explosions than you are.”

“Mm. I’m certain.”

“But…”

“Wei Ying will be an excellent father,” Lan Wangji said, and his voice left no room for doubt.

“It’s easy for you to say,” Wei Wuxian whined, though he was smiling now. “You already have the experience of it! They say that it’s easier the second time, when you know what to expect…”

“Do not tell lies,” Lan Qiren said mildly. He was looking over some of Wei Wuxian’s notes – he’d insisted on any new inventions passing through a sanctioned approval process before they were put into practice and had volunteered himself to review them, a matter that had caused Wei Wuxian no end of stress until he realized that Lan Qiren really did intend to approve anything that met his standards and, moreover, understood musical cultivation enough to understand what he was driving at with most of them, even the esoteric ones, at which point Wei Wuxian gotten extremely enthusiastic about the whole thing.

This didn’t mean that they were friends or anything, but they’d at least formed some sort of tentative truce.

Most of the time, anyway.

Wei Wuxian squinted at his old teacher suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying that it’s not easier the second time?”

“I am only saying that I have experience in raising a child not my own,” Lan Qiren pointed out, and Wei Wuxian nodded, slightly abashed; he knew that the old man had basically raised Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen, of course, although sometimes he forgot. “The first child I raised was Xichen and his personality as a child was much as it was as an adult: gentle, amiable, friendly, obedient.”

That made sense. Wei Wuxian nodded.

“The second child I raised was Wangji,” Lan Qiren said. “He bit people.”

Wei Wuxian burst out laughing.

Lan Wangj virtuously ignored them both, continuing to write a letter without the slightest hint of embarrassment – even his ears hadn’t turned red. What a shame!

“I can testify to that myself,” Wei Wuxian giggled, leering at his husband in the hopes of getting a rise out of him. “He’s still a biter – for certain lucky people.”

“He was a lot less discriminating when he was younger,” Lan Qiren said, and Wei Wuxian winced, abruptly remembering that Lan Wangji’s uncle was, in fact, still in the room. Luckily it was pretty easy to flirt around Lan Qiren, who didn’t seem to notice most of the time, but it was still a bit awkward. “And I once succumbed to temptation and gave him mixed messages, which I believe made it worse.”

That sounded like a story.

“He gave me a candy after I bit Sect Leader Jin,” Lan Wangji clarified, which made Wei Wuxian start laughing again. “He did not expect me to remember. I remembered. Nor did I allow him to forget about it.”

“It is easy to make mistakes while raising a child,” Lan Qiren said, ignoring Wei Wuxian’s cackling. “But if one means well, and tries hard to do the right thing, children are very forgiving – usually.”

Despite his best efforts to remain neutral, Lan Wangji’s eyes curved slightly in a smile. Wei Wuxian felt his heart go all warm and melty all over again.

“This is true regardless of whether it is the first or second child,” Lan Qiren added. “I have confidence that you will both do fine.”

“We will,” Wei Wuxian proclaimed. “With parents like me and Lan Zhan, how could the kid go wrong? And we’ll even try to avoid too many explosions!”

“Please do. One Lan Jingyi is enough for the Cloud Recesses.”

“You know, I was wondering – how did you end up with him being quite so…hmm…”

“Oh?” Lan Qiren said, and Wei Wuxian noted to his amusement that Lan Wangji straightened in back in sudden alarm despite Lan Qiren’s extremely nonchalant tone. “Have you not met Lan Yueheng yet? I must introduce you when he returns –”

“Perhaps not,” Lan Wangji said, sounding a little worried.

Worried, in this case, meant fun.

“No, I think I definitely need to meet this person – Lan Zhan, stop batting at me! I know exactly what I’m doing…”

-

Wen Ning looked down at the baby with which he had been entrusted.

“I don’t have any idea what I’m doing,” he confessed.

The baby gurgled.

“I think Wei-gongzi may have been thinking more about ‘babysitter that doesn’t need to sleep and has inexhaustible energy’ and less about ‘is this person qualified to take care of a baby’.”

More gurgling.

“I just wanted to apologize in advance.”

The baby yawned.

“…right then.” Wen Ning straightened up. Someone was going to have to raise this child, and based on how distractable Wei Wuxian was when he was around Lan Wangji and visa versa, it looked like it was going to have to be him. “Let’s do this.”

[thecreaturecodex]

Nascent Demon Lord, Dalmosh

“Dalmosh” © Wizards of the Coast, by Izzy. Accessed at the Monster Manual V Art Gallery here

[Commissioned by @annotaremonstrorum​, who wanted a version of Dalmosh from MMV as a nascent demon lord. Their ideas for developing Dalmosh’s cult were very good, and incorporated fully into this entry. The original was a CR 17 with more than 400 hit points and an AC of 13. It felt like a very purposeful experiment with tweaking the hp/CR ratio, and I wonder how it actually worked in play. My guess is not great. I also gave him the dispelling slam ability so he could have at least a chance to pull his signature swallow whole on a high level character.]

Nascent Demon Lord, Dalmosh CR 21 CE Outsider (extraplanar) This massive fleshy creature appears as a boneless parody of the human form. Its legs are columns of swaying meat, its arms overlong with swollen fists, its head conical and asymmetric. It has a gaping maw with blunt teeth, and covering its bodies are sealed fissures disturbingly similar to both sutures and jaws.

Dalmosh The Eternal Hunger, The Walking Mountain Concerns hunger, destructive gluttony, living demiplanes Domains Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Strength Subdomains Catastrophe, Demon, Entropy, Ferocity Worshipers ogres, trolls, creatures trapped in the Gullet Minions dwiergeths, gibbering mouthers, piasa Unholy Symbol a closed fist with a mouth on its back Obedience eat another creature alive. Gain a +4 profane bonus on CMD to avoid being grappled Boons 1: bear’s endurance 2/day; 2: divine power 2/day; 3: extended hungry pit 2/day

Dalmosh the Eternal Hunger is a walking mountain of meat and teeth. His home is the Flesh Mountains, a range of Abyssal terrain spanning several layers that is itself faintly alive. Dalmosh wanders through these mountains, consuming all in his path and chewing himself a cave to hide in whenever he tires enough to rest. Almost everything is food to Dalmosh—animal, vegetable, mineral—although he seems to find unworked earth distasteful. Dalmosh is dull, brutal, and indiscriminately destructive, and he leaves sweeping arcs of ruin in his wake.

In combat, Dalmosh is simple and uncreative. He attacks whatever he can reach, attempting to swallow it whole. Creatures that elude his reach may be pelted with thrown debris, but after a few rounds he will ignore them in search of easier prey.  When struck, Dalmosh’s skin opens up into a set of temporary, but still deadly, jaws. His surface is covered in the scar tissue of previous such openings. Dalmosh has a keen sense of smell, and can be distracted by particularly aromatic morsels.

Any inanimate objects Dalmosh consumes, as well as creatures lucky or clever to fight their way there, are transported to the Gullet, a sprawling demiplane in the shape of a fleshy labyrinth. Gusts of foul wind, pools of acid and occasional meatquakes are terrain hazards here, but there are creatures that make a living in the Gullet. These are swallowed victims who either couldn’t escape through planar travel or simply chose not to, and there are even permanent settlements built in this moist, organic refuge. The largest of these is called Garnamastra, and it is ruled by a rakshasa calling himself the Eyeless Tyrant. It is said that the treasures of ancient realms and slain heroes are scattered throughout the Gullet, and some foolhardy adventurers have allowed Dalmosh to swallow them in order to go treasure hunting.

Despite his dim intellect and utter indifference to worship, Dalmosh has managed to gather enough of a cult following to empower him as a nascent demon lord. The dwiergeths consider him their progenitor, and some pipe a quick prayer to Dalmosh whenever they consume a particularly scrumptious morsel. Ogres, trolls and other evil giants view him as something of a figure to idolize and emulate, although they also view him as a bogeyman to scare their children with. Some particularly evil and crazy spellcasters see Dalmosh as an embodiement of planar paradoxes such as living planes and pocket dimensions, and use gate spells and offerings of rich food and unusual sacrifices to gain Dalmosh’s service as a living siege weapon.

Dalmosh           CR 21 XP 409,600 CE Colossal outsider (chaos, demon, evil, extraplanar) Init +3; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, Perception +24, scent Aura cloak of chaos (DC 24), frightful presence (300 ft., DC 29) Defense AC 36, touch 5, flat-footed 36 (-8 size, -1 Dex, +31 natural, +4 deflection) hp 455 (26d10+312) Fort +26, Ref +18, Will +25 DR 20/good and slashing; Immune charm and compulsion effects, death effects, disease, electricity, poison; Resist acid 30, cold 30, fire 30; SR 32 Defensive Abilities rejuvenation Offense Speed 50 ft. Melee 2 slams +34 (3d8+16 plus dispel), bite +34 (4d8+16 plus grab), secondary maws +32 (4d8+8 plus grab) Ranged debris +18 (2d8+16/19-20) Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft. (15 ft. with secondary maws) Special Attacks fast swallow, gluttonous frenzy, spawn maw, swallow whole (8d8+16 bludgeoning, AC 25, 45 hp) Spell-like Abilities CL 21st, concentration +27 Constant—cloak of chaos (DC 24) 3/day—greater teleport Statistics Str 42, Dex 9, Con 34, Int 4, Wis 23, Cha 22 Base Atk +26; CMB +50 (+52 bull rush, sunder; +54 grapple); CMD 63 (65 vs. bull rush, sunder) Feats Blind-fight, Cleave, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Improvised Weapon Mastery, Intimidating Prowess, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Throw Anything Skills Acrobatics +15 (+23 when jumping), Climb +32, Intimidate +38, Perception +24, Survival +24, Swim +32 Languages Abyssal, telepathy 300 ft. SQ nascent demon lord traits, no breath Ecology Environment any land (Abyss) Organization unique Treasure none Special Abilities Dispelling Slam (Su) A creature or object struck by Dalmosh’s slam attack is subject to a targeted greater dispel magic effect (CL 21st). Gluttonous Frenzy (Ex) As a full round action once per minute, Dalmosh can move up to his speed and make a bite attack against every creature he can reach along his movement. Nascent Demon Lord Traits (Ex/Su) Dalmosh is a powerful unique fiend with the following traits:

Immune to charm and compulsion effects, death effects, electricity, poison

Resist acid, cold and fire 30

Telepathy 300 ft.

Dalmosh’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons he wields, are treated as chaotic, epic and evil for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Dalmosh can grant spells and boons to worshipers as described in his cult entry above

Rejuvenation (Su) If Dalmosh is killed, he crumbles into rot and is reborn in the Flesh Mountains 2 days later. Dalmosh can only use this ability once per year; if slain again in that time, he is permanently killed. Spawn Maw (Su) Whenever Dalmosh takes 20 or more points of damage in a single attack, he can create a set of jaws as an immediate action from the wound. These jaws attack as secondary natural weapons and have a reach of 15 feet. If the creature that dealt that damage is within 15 feet, Dalmosh may make a secondary bite attack agains that opponent as part of the same action. Secondary maws created in this way remain for 1 hour. Swallow Whole (Ex/Su) A creature swallowed whole by Dalmosh can make its way to the Gullet with a successful DC 26 Escape Artist check or by dealing 20 points of damage while swallowed. A creature that travels to the Gullet in this way is deposited in that demiplane without further injury. If Dalmosh is subject to a dimensional anchor spell or a similar effect, this option is not available. If a swallowed creature cuts its way out of Dalmosh, Dalmosh can still use swallow whole immediately thereafter without penalty.

[prof-peach]

Is the four moves per Pokémon a gym/competition restriction? Cause I could have sworn I have seen Pokémon with more than four moves before in the wild or in friendly bouts.

Ah, you’ve noticed adaptive moves, nice! This is something I study furiously, battle tactics are very important to my work, plus I love working with my buddies hah.

So, everyone knows that Pokemon have move sets, they’re capable of doing a lot of different things, some offensive, others defensive, even some supportive moves. This does not however include ambient moves and adaptive moves. Here’s an example, my dear vulpix is a fire type, she is capable of putting out blasts hot enough to melt through the hull of a steel ship. That would be inferno, a wonderfully destructive attack used in a broad range manner. So with this information we know the Pokemon is capable of breathing and exerting severe heat. The Pokemon does not lose this skill should they be taught a roster of non-fire attacks. Breathing fire and being able to change the rooms temperature is an ambient skill, something every vulpix(kantonian of course) can do, even without a fire attack. Even though there is one name for a move, you can train and use it in a number of ways. Her ability to breathe fire for example, is something we’ve really worked on, and over the years she’s been able to focus the flame down to a precise fine point, much like a welding torch. This is not an attack, this is a honing of an ability, and a good example of her using her fiery blasts adaptivley. This skill allows her to cut through thick metal chains, or even chunky trees, as if they were made of butter. This does not count as an extra 5th move, it is not a special attack of some kind, and it’s totally within the realms of the league to allow a Pokemon like her to use adaptive moves such as this in their tournaments and battles.

With this example in mind think about the times you’ve noticed Pokemon use more than 4 moves, it may be that they’re just using a move they know, combined with experience and refined training. We often think of the weak moves as useless too, I see a lot of people saying they’re no good in battle, but because they’re low level, they’re easier to retain. Just about any Pokemon can tackle something, or throw sand at an opponent if they terrain allows, or even strike an intimidating pose and growl menacingly. Even if a Pokemon learns new and improved skills, they retain old, often simple abilities, that they could do if they weren’t labelled as an attack. Not only this, some Pokemon are adept enough to combine moves. So a surf attack mixed with a blizzard will cause a huge issue for an opponent, should you be working with a powerful partner, or even simply, a tackle combined with a stun spore, will often leave opponents in a sticky situation.

We recently had an Aipom sent to us, sweet thing, had a little temper issue and got put up for adoption. She knew headbutt, ice, fire and thunder punch, according to the trainer who left her with us. We however observed her using her hand to freeze mud with ice punch and throw solid chunks of dirt at foes with precision, we spotted her wielding a large branch with ferocity, and certainly she was quick to throw grit and sand in someone’s face to try to escape capture or dodge a move. She certainly ran past me with enough power and speed to knock me to the ground, and that to me sounds like a tackle if anything right? Pokemon are adaptive, they learn, they retain, they use what they have, even if it doesn’t technically have an attack name. There is a limit to the power that one individual can put out, and some species will have better memory for tricks and tactics sure, but the moves we call to our partners, that they learn, are just ways for us to communicate to them what needs doing, and they can be built upon, kind of like a skill tree of options, should you put the time and effort in.

((The games are broken, 4 moves never made any sense outside of them, I 100% do not use that information as canon on the blog, it just doesn’t feel right.))

[sereneshymn]

The capture is successful, and the Swimmole, as the peculiar talking orb called it, accepts it just as willingly as Museon did. It rings a note of hesitation and awakens a bit of an unpleasant feeling in Rafiel, if he were to be honest - reminding him a little too much of the time he, too, was caught and followed his captors without a word, unable to do anything else.

It makes him wonder - he did it, for neither his body nor his soul know a thing about fighting. These creatures, if he understands correctly, possess powers that they can use in both offense and defense. And yet, they choose not to. What makes them give up their freedom with such willingness and ease?

... Well, they are supposed to be participating in a game, he reminds himself. Perhaps all this is temporary, and maybe they know that.

Speaking of the talking orb, an inquiry made by Fiora is answered in a way best described as cryptic, and certainly doing little to put her mind at ease. When she turns to him for counsel, he has to think about it for a moment.

"What I understood is that these particular creatures have the ability to somehow connect with the spiritual plane," he explains. "It's reminiscent to me of the different types of laguz, shapeshifters from my land. I suppose our 'types' would be Hawk, Tiger, Lion, Wolf and so on... Some can fly, some are extra fast or exceptionally powerful... and then you have Herons such as myself, the only laguz capable of using galdrar, special songs imbued with power. Perhaps it's like that."

That feels... like the best comparison he can make, really.

The suggestion of water is an appealing one, and Rafiel takes a moment, crouching by the riverbank in order to hydrate himself, with Museon soon joining him. Once ready, the Heron stands back up and looks to Fiora with a light smile.

"You should take care of yourself as well," he reminds her. "You have seemed stressed since we first arrived here... I know the unfamiliar circumstances and scenery can be a lot to accept, and I do feel a bit of that as well. But please, remember that you are not alone in this."

Granted, advice tends to be easier to give than to follow; as Rafiel takes a better look at the other side of the river to discern the best direction to follow, his heart sinks. While the forest they'd just walked through had shown no signs of damage, on the other bank, it's a plain of dead and blackened trees, scorched ground, and rough dust. All sign of greenery is dried and blackened, and far in the distance they can see the rise of glowing, ochre red mountains swathed in low and angry clouds. The terrain change is drastic, as though whatever phenomenon or formation had dried out everything on the other side had stopped as soon as it reach the banks of the river, leaving this side untouched.

It fills him with a sense of dread he hasn't felt in more than twenty years, and never expected to experience again. In and around his body, he suddenly feels unusual warmth. It shouldn't be here.

It only lasts for a moment, however, as he feels a touch of a paw against his leg. Snapping out of it, he looks down at Museon, who is watching him with concern. He forces a smile, shaking his head.

"Sorry. I'm alright, don't worry. Let's head north, alongside the river. I think that area may be dangerous."

Rafiel moves North. Roll: 1d100 = 100

The path is mostly uneventful. Museon continues to sing, with Swimmole trotting alongside. Rafiel joins in the tune again, both to soothe the ache in his heart, and to pass the time and have something to focus on, ensuring that he does not look to the left.

The river eventually bends gently towards the northeast, and the scorched forest finally gives way for the mountain range, filling him with some relief. He has no time to think about it, though - very quickly, something else catches his eye. Up ahead, they can see something small and round bouncing along the water's surface, floating up airily on each bounce like it's made of mostly air. It's a dark violet in color with what looks like a bow on its head from behind, and unless Rafiel's eyes are playing tricks on him, it seems to sparkle under the sun as it moves.

The spectacle is mesmerizing.

"... Cute," the Heron whispers, before turning to Fiora. "What do you think to do?"

Filling Our Emblemdex

Team Sheep, Team Four Creature Campaign

[thepremedthatwrites]

In Between

request: okay so maybe one where both edmund and susan are both into the reader (also a queen of narnia) and it ends with spice!!

warning: smut below the cut.  smut contains a threesome so if you are uncomfortable with that, I totally understand.  also note that Susan and Edmund never touch each other and both are only interested in the reader (felt the need to include that because apparently there are people who ship the Pevensies together and I do not support that at all).

A ball.  That’s what Peter had said we would do.  The kings and queens of Narnia were plagued with boredom and a ball was the cure according to Peter.  The others seemed to be on board with the idea and I feigned excitement.  How could I explain to the other royals that I didn’t know ballroom dancing?  I was supposed to be a queen and I didn’t know something every queen should know how to do.  The others had started to file out of the room until it was just Susan and I.

“Are you alright (y/n)?” Susan asked, her eyebrows knitting together as a worried expression painted her face.  “You seem more quiet than usual.”

“It’s just,” I started, already feeling my face warm as I felt Susan’s eyes study me, “I don’t know how to dance.”  The corners of Susan’s mouth started to lift as a smile formed on her face.

“Well that’s an easy fix!” she exclaimed, taking my hands in hers.  “I’ll just teach you!”  

“Would you really do that?” I asked, starting to smile.  

“Of course,” she replied.

“Thank you!”  My smile had started to grow wider.

“Anything for you,” she said, smiling before letting go of my hands and starting to move towards the door.

“Susan,” I called out.  Susan paused, turning to face me again.  The sunlight that filtered through the window gave her a soft golden glow as her blue eyes studied mine.  “Could we keep this between us?  I would rather the other’s didn’t know.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” she said, giving me a quick wink before walking out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

“Don’t be so tense,” Susan said, chuckling lightly.  “Dancing shouldn’t be something that’s stressful.”

“It is when you don’t know what you’re doing,” I mumbled before releasing the tension in my shoulders.  Susan and I were slowly dancing our way around her bedroom.  Her hands were on my waist and mine were around her neck.  

“Just follow my lead.  When I step back, you step forward.”  Susan winced as I stepped on her foot.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, heat rising to my face in embarrassment.

“It’s alright.  I was the same way when I started.”  Our eyes met for a moment and I felt my heart start to race.  I had always found the young queen attractive, although I wasn’t sure if she felt the same.  In fact, I wasn’t even sure if she liked girls.  

“There you go,” Susan said, snapping me from my thoughts.  “You’re doing great!  Haven’t even stepped on my foot for a while.”  She laughed at her own joke and I cracked a smile myself.  As we progressed, I felt myself start to relax.  Susan was incredibly patient, praising me when I did exceptionally well and offering advice on how I can improve in areas where I struggled.  We came to a halt in the middle of the room.  I looked up, my eyes meeting hers.  I felt my heart skip a beat, the surroundings becoming a blur as I was focused solely on her.  Susan had fallen silent and I caught her eyes flickering to my lips.

I licked my lips in response, suddenly extremely nervous.  “Thank you,” I said, a bit too quickly.  

“Yeah, of course.”  She released my waist and I removed my hands from around her neck.  “You should do great at the ball this weekend.”

“All thanks to you,” I replied with, a shy smile on my face.  My face was still warm as she smiled back.  “I should go.  I need to be fitted for my gown.”

“Of course.”  I quickly walked towards the door, opening it before walking into the hall where the air seemed to be significantly cooler.  I winced as the door slammed behind me, the loud noise echoing throughout the hallway.  I scurried towards my bedroom, hoping my blush would subside by the time my maid came to take my measurements.

“Would you be my date for the ball?”  I blankly stared back at the brunette, not sure I had heard him correctly.  “(Y/n)?”

“Yeah, of course,” I said, finally finding my words.  I had never expected Edmund to ask such a thing.  Of course we had exchanged flirtatious looks every now and then but nothing had ever come of it.  Until now.  A large grin appeared on his face.

“Great!  I promise to not disappoint on the dance floor.”  I laughed.

“I can’t make the same promise.”

“I don’t buy it.  I can tell you’re a great dancer.”

“And how can you tell that?”

“I just know,” he replied before giving me a wink.  “I’ll see you at dinner.  I need to make sure our outfits go together.”  He raced off, the grin never leaving his face as walked away.  I smiled to myself as I watched him walk away.  I had always found myself stuck between Susan and Edmund.  Both of them were incredibly attractive and I felt like I could be myself around both.  I could never pick one over the other, although Edmund was much easier to flirt with given that I knew he was into girls.  Susan I was never sure with, but the thought of her never reciprocating my feelings made my heart ache.

No, it was better I went with Edmund.  He was always there for me, helping me adjust to life in Narnia when I first arrived.  He was the one who believed in me.  He was the one who insisted I would make a great queen, even when I didn’t believe it myself.  It was final.  I would go to the ball with Edmund.

I twirled around in my dress, bright red fabric flying around me.  The dress fit me snugly around the waist before flowing out down towards the floor.  Combined with my hair which was pulled into an intricate braid and the expertly placed make up, I could barely recognize my own reflection.  My hand lightly touched the golden tiara that sat on my head before I turned to the door.  I took a deep breath and walked out of my room and towards the other royals.

“You look...wow,” Edmund said as I approached him.  His garments were a matching red to mine, his silver crown sitting proudly on top of his brown hair.  His face wore a large smile as he put out an arm for me to take.  “Are you ready for the Narnians to see us together?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“How long do you think it’ll take for rumors of a marriage to spread?”

“I give it an hour.”  He looked at me and I replied with a smile.  

“You’re being generous love,” he said.  “They’ll be assuming we’ve eloped and are already expecting a child the moment we walk out together.”  I let out a laugh.  “Here we go,” Ed said, turning towards the double doors which had already started to open.  I followed his lead, looking forward as the crowd appeared in front of us.  I could hardly hear the announcer announcing us as we walked down from the balcony that looked out to the entire ballroom towards where Peter and Susan were waiting for us.  

A look of shock was on Peter’s face.  I tried to read Susan’s face but couldn’t tell what she was feeling.  I felt a bit guilty not telling her before tonight but I wasn’t sure how I would tell her.  Before either of them could say anything, Lucy had started to make her entrance, a smile proudly on her face as she excitedly waved at the crowd before making her way towards us.

“Can you believe it!” Lucy exclaimed.  “(Y/n) actually allowed Edmund to take her to the ball!”  A chuckle escaped me as Edmund wrapped an arm around my waist.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ed asked defensively.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” Lucy said quickly before racing off to start talking to her people.  

“It is quite shocking,” Susan said.  Although she was speaking to all of us, she was focusing on me.  I couldn’t look back at her so instead I focused on Peter who seemed to have gotten over his initial shock.

“Well, I’m happy you two have figured out your feelings for eachother,” Peter said.  “Now, if you will excuse me, I have a representative from Archenland I must talk to.”  He gave us all a short nod before walking away, leaving me with Edmund and Susan.  The orchestra had started to play causing Edmund’s face to light up.

“C’mon (y/n)!  Let’s dance.  I did promise you an amazing experience on the dance floor.”  He had grabbed my hand, leading us away from Susan and towards the crowd of Narnians who had started to dance.  “And perhaps I could expand that amazing experience to the bedroom,” he whispered into my ear before placing his hands on my waist.  I felt myself blush at his words.

“Ed!” I scolded causing him to laugh.

“I’m kidding!” he chuckled as we started to dance.  

“Well, if you’re half as good in the bedroom as you are on the dance floor, I guess I shouldn’t complain,” I said, already regaining my composure.

“And you say I’m the bad one.”  We danced for a while, laughing the entire time.  “I have to say, I’m impressed with your dancing.  Who taught you?”

“Susan,” I said.  My eyes searched the ballroom before landing on the queen who was standing by the side of the room, conversing with a faun.  Her eyes flickered to me, our eyes meeting for a second before I turned back to Edmund.  

“I’ll have to thank her later then,” Edmund said, spinning me around.  “I was bluffing when I said I knew you were a good dancer but you haven’t stepped on my foot once this entire evening.”  I feigned a look of offense.

“You have no faith in me!”  

“No, no.  I would trust you with the world.”  I felt my face warm at his words and I looked down at the floor.  The song ended, our dance coming to a stop.  A more upbeat song started, Lucy rushing towards us.

“C’mon Ed!  I love this song!” Lucy exclaimed, grabbing her brother’s hand and dragging him to dance.  I let out a laugh as he looked back towards me, a small smile on his face.  I made my way towards the side of the room, watching Edmund and Lucy dance when I felt someone approach me.  I turned my head to see Susan approaching me.  I felt my back straighten and I gave her a soft smile.

“So, how long have you and Edmund been a thing?” Susan asked as she reached my side.

“If by ‘a thing’ you mean him asking me to the ball, then last night.”

“If Ed hadn’t asked you, would you have gone with anyone else?”  I turned to face Susan, her blue eyes looking back at me.  Her eyes were wide, searching my face for anything that would give away my thoughts.

“Yes,” I said, suddenly feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me.

“Who?”  My mouth felt dry, my heart racing.

“You,” I said in almost a whisper.  Something seemed to have come over Susan as she grabbed my hand, tugging me towards a door that opened to the hallway.  I felt my back press against the cool stone as her warm lips met mine.  I kissed back hungrily, my hands tangled in her brown hair that had previously been put into place with care.  Her hands explored my body, groping my ass.  I moaned into her mouth, trying to press her body as close to mine as possible.

“What the fuck.”  Susan and I quickly pulled apart to see Edmund standing in front of us, a pained expression on his face.

“Ed…” I started, not knowing what to say.

“I’m sorry,” Susan said, looking at her brother.  “I’m so sorry Edmund but I need (y/n).  Even if it’s just for one night.”  Edmund’s eyes darkened as he focused on me.

“Then I’ll share her with you for one night,” Edmund said, already making his way towards me.

“Ed, what do you mean?”  I asked.

“Shut it,” he said, grabbing my wrist harshly.  “Susan and I are going to punish you for being such a little slut.”  I should have been angry at the way he talked to me.  I should have been furious as he forced me down the hall and towards his bedroom with Susan close behind us.  Instead, I felt myself start to get wet as I watched Edmund, his jaw clenched, pushing open his bedroom door.  

He pulled me towards him, his lips crashing with mine.  I felt a pair of hands working on the strings on my dress.  I pulled away from Edmund to see Susan expertly untying the string.  Edmund grabbing my face with his hand, forcing me to face him before he started to kiss me again.  A small moan escaped me as our tongues pressed together.  I felt the cool air brush my bare skin as my dress fell to the floor.  

A pair of soft lips pressed against my naked back, Susan’s hands tracing the curve of my hips.  “Susan, would you like to play with her first?”  A smile formed on Susan’s face as she nodded.

“Yes,” she said, making her way towards me.  She pushed me onto the bed, hovering over me as she kissed me.  “I’ve been wanting to do this for ages,” she whispered into my ear  before starting a trail of kisses down my body and stopping at my pussy.  She paused for a moment, looking up at me, our eyes meeting.  I raised my hips, desperate for contact with Susan.  “So impatient,” she chuckled before kissing my inner thigh.  A small moan left my mouth at the small contact.  She continued to tease me, her lips kissing up my thigh before stopping where they were needed most.

“Please,” I gasped, the anticipation becoming too much.  Susan let her tongue run over my clit in response, drawing a moan from me.  A hand forced my head to turn from Susan to the side of the bed where Edmund was standing, now naked.  He knelt down, giving me a soft kiss, a stark contrast to how he had been treating me before.  It was short lived as he stood up again, stroking himself a few times before moving closer to the edge of the bed.

“Open your mouth.”  I obeyed, Edmund starting to shove his cock into my mouth.  I opened my mouth as wide as I could, Edmund slowly starting to thrust his hips.  Susan had entered a finger into me as she sucked on my clit causing my back to arch.  A strangled moan left my mouth, the sound muffled by Edmund as he thrust deep into my throat.  My hands flew to Susan’s hair, knocking off her tiara.  

I could feel myself getting closer as Susan started to move her fingers faster, her tongue pressing hard against my clit.  “You’re doing so fucking good,” Edmund moaned as he continued to fuck my mouth.  I felt my body start to tense up as the knot in my stomach became tighter.  Within seconds, my entire body shook with pleasure as my orgasm rippled through me.  Susan had removed her finger and slowed her tongue to a stop.

Edmund pulled himself out of me, lowering himself once more so our faces were level with each other.  “Now, I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk and you’re going to take it like the little slut you are.  Understand?”  I nodded, causing Edmund to smile.  “Good girl.”  Susan had taken off her dress while Edmund had been talking.  The two switched positions so Edmund was at the end of the bed and Susan on the side.

“You’re not allowed to finish until I do, understand?” Susan asked as she climbed onto the bed.

“Yes,” I replied with.  

“Good.”  She started to lower herself onto my face.  My hands gripped her thighs as I started to run my tongue over her clit, causing her to moan.  She was already so wet.  I kept my eyes open, looking up to see Susan’s eyes closed in pleasure as I started to eat her out.  A low moan left me as Edmund pushed into me, his hands harshly gripping my hips.  The vibration from my moan caused Susan to moan as well.  Edmund had started a good pace, his hands holding my hips in place.  Each thrust caused the tip of his cock to brush that special spot within me that lit every inch of my body with pleasure.

Susan had started to rock her hips against my face and I watched her breast move in rhythm with her body.  I tried to focus my energy on making Susan feel good but Edmund was fucking me so hard that I had trouble concentrating.  Instead, I allowed Susan to set the pace, my tongue pressed against her clit as she moved.  Every now and then, I would let out a moan that would send vibrations through Susan and cause her to moan.

I could feel myself start to clench around Edmund’s cock.  “Are you close?” Edmund asked.  I moaned in response.  

“You’re not allowed to finish,” Susan said, struggling to get the words out as she was close to climaxing as well.  I focused on making Susan finish, knowing that once she did I would be rewarded with my own orgasm.  “Oh fuck (y/n),” she gasped.  I could feel her body start to shake as I drew circled on her clit with my tongue.  I started to slow down as I watched Susan start to come down from her high.  I didn’t have much time to admire the glow that was on her face post-orgasm as an orgasm of my own rippled through me.

Susan had crawled off of me, kneeling at the side of the bed and planting soft kissing on my neck as I screamed out in pleasure.  Edmund locked eyes with me as he fucked me and I knew he was enjoying watching me come undone underneath him.  He continued to fuck me even as my orgasm started to come to an end.  He let out a low grunt as his pace increased to an almost painful extent before I felt himself spill into me.

He slowed to a stop as Susan pulled away from me.  Edmund lowered himself onto his forearms, his face inches from mine.  “You did so good, love,” he said into my ear, planting kisses along my neck.  He rolled off of me, covering himself with the sheets.  I turned to see Susan had already dressed herself, her tiara back on her head.  

Susan walked up to me, giving me a soft kiss on the cheek.  “Thank you,” she whispered into my ear before turning around and walking out of the room.  

[doedipus]

I wonder what kinds of statistics would be helpful in arguing that strive should be run best of 3.

I suppose at the end of the day the argument really boils down to longer sets = more competitive integrity, but I can't imagine a single sport or game where that wouldn't be true in theory. I mean, baseball playoffs are best of seven right? maybe that should be the new standard? or I mean, why stop there, like, the physical demand of playing additional matches in a video game is negligible compared to even something like baseball after all. set lengths could be whatever we wanted.

clearly though there's a limit where the marginal returns of longer sets is low enough that the concerns about the production side of things that the wwgg crew has been adamant about since launch would hold more weight.

last summer hursh went through and did some calculations to determine how many sets in a few large tournaments actually went through all five games, which was a pretty useful metric to have. I think it would probably be worth repeating that experiment now that people have had a year to acclimate to the various mechanics and character quirks in the game and more data just exists in general.

I think the most valuable statistic on that end that I could look for would be how many matches that would have been decided one way on a best of 3 format were upset by the end of the set, and also which round of the tournament they happened in. I'd suspect that this would be higher than at launch because of familiarity, but just looking over the notebook I keep of all our stream match results, there's definitely a lot more 3-0s than 3-2s in pools at least. in top 8 the longer format might lead to more upsets because of higher player skill, but that's not part of our programming block so it's less of a concern

the problem there though is that there isn't really anything to compare it to, since to my knowledge it's pretty uncommon for +r or Xrd tourneys to run best of 5. no matter what the data shows, it's hard to say whether strive is more or less prone to successful momentum shifts in the back half of sets than the games it's most often compared to.

it might be worth looking at other games that run longer set counts, but most of those do it for other sorts of reasons- marvel, skullgirls, and bbtag for example only have one round in a game, so the longer sets help compensate.

there's also a lot of other ancillary arguments that leffen stans throw out that boil down to the sentiment that strive matches are decided in fewer interactions than previous games in the series, whether through combo damage or the balance between the strength of offense and defense.

since we have a pretty huge backlog of match footage for +r and strive lying around it would probably be easier for me to gather data and draw comparisons here, but it's also dealing with stuff that's much harder to quantify. there's certain more concrete things I could look for, like the number of times a match swings from neutral to pressure to combos, but even that is something that's pretty wishy-washy

the true end of this saga is me ascending into cyberspace like lain and becoming a one woman baseball-reference.com for wnf guilty gear

[mc-critical]

So I was rewatching some of MYK Season 2 and it had me thinking..do you notice the insane amount of parallels and overall similarities in character arcs between MYK’s Beyazied (Gulbahar’s son) and MY’s Mustafa (Mahi’s son?). Both had a sense of undying loyalty and love/respect to the respective sultans of their time while also meeting their demise at the sultan’s hands, both maintaining positive relationships with their half-siblings despite opposition from their enviornments, both being the only children of mothers who weren’t favorites but were extremely politically ambitious and skilled. Both being princes popular with the janissaries of their time and were seen as a looming threat towards the sultan’s power. I even feel like like Beyazied and Mustafa were similar in their disposition and sense of justice and morality. Tell me am I wrong here because I really can’t unsee it they feel so similar to me😭

Yes, MCK Bayezid and MC Mustafa share the same character archetype (hence why they have the parallels you mentioned), but that's the only thing they're similar in for me. The archetype is only a baseline for both of their characters - their development goes in a very different direction.

The thing that sets them apart the most from the start, is that Mustafa's strenghts and flaws are shaped more by sheer personality, while Bayezid is a character shaped more by curcumstance. That leaves room for more development for Bayezid where he eventually changes his stance on people around him, while despite of every hint of change, intrigue or word of advice, Mustafa's principles and beliefs stay the same.

Both Mustafa and Bayezid have a missing part of their lives that shapes their flaws, but that part is different in both of them. No matter how much support Bayezid seemingly had, he always missed his mother and wanted to see her face he's long forgotten, he wanted to see her all the more with each and every letter of hers. And once that chance presents itself, thanks to Murat, no less (good job, lad, good job, indeed....), he would surely want to see his back from exile mother in a good light, despite of all the wrongs she has done. That's why Gülbahar was Bayezid's blind spot. His love and respect for his mother goes beyond comforting her, defending her, hiding her mistakes and saving her from death, something that Mustafa would be also likely to do - with each event passing, Bayezid also begins to listen to her more and more, becomes convinced of her words that he's born in a middle of a war and sets himself even further against Murat and Kösem. Mustafa, on the other hand, has always been next to Mahidevran in every step of the way, with everyone around him avoiding their separation at all costs, hence he can be much more independent of her perspective. She can only go so far with opposing Mustafa's decisions, he always ends up choosing to do what he sees as right and just, even when his beliefs are challanged. He doesn't let his beliefs to be challanged by anyone. He doesn't want to let his beliefs to be challanged by anyone. He loves his mother deeply and he's also developed a need to protect her at all costs, but that need is based on his awareness of all she has experienced and to prevent her to suffer or worry ever again, not out of missing her whole self, which makes it a need outside of Mustafa's own predicament and decisions.

Mustafa wanting to keep his principles firm originates from his wish to prove himself to his father. Süleiman is Mustafa's blind spot. We see how much he wants to be next to him and have his attention even when he was little and since Mustafa was given a sense of purpose ever since then, too (while Bayezid has been living a life where he didn't yet see the dangers of the world in their fullest extent before Murat's complete downfall and before Gülbahar; he even mentioned to her that he didn't want the throne, even though he was constantly suspected of betraying Murat.), sure he would want to prove himself worthy and follow what SS (and Ibro and Mahi to an extent, too, but especially SS) has taught him when it came to ruling. (like when he chose justice instead of SS's order in E92, which, even though he disobeyed, wouldn't be right or just, since that person was slandered. Musti revealed that he acted like what SS has told him in the past, it being justice is most important.) Even when his father acted against him, Mustafa trusted him blindly, refusing to believe that a father could ever kill his son, even in close probability, no matter what everyone else around him said. (he wrote the letter when Cihangir told him of SS's words in E123, but Musti went to SS anyway, his trust being much stronger than his biggest inkling of suspicion.) He loved him too much, even when he slowly came to realize the growing wedge between them, never succumbing to the temptation to directly rebel against him. (except the kaftan situation, where his trust was directly put into question by a supposed action of his and even then Musti went to merely confront him and die as a warrior if it lead up to this, not kill him, and the trust became stronger than ever afterwards.) Bayezid, on the other hand, always sensed the danger Murat posed in some way, and he realized that no matter how much he proved his loyalty at first and refused drastic action at first, he would always keep suspecting him. Bayezid was allowed to see Murat in his biggest cruelty, at one point, Bayezid didn't see him as fit to rule anymore and was more than ready to dethrone him after an act too cruel by him in Bayezid's eyes. Even when he respected Murat, Bayezid didn't seem to want to prove his worth as much to him or to have gained his principles and beliefs by him and the bond between them wasn't as close, not for Bayezid. The cruelty of the world and Murat's own cruelty grew more and more, hence Bayezid became more open to criticize them and more ruthless, as a result of this. He strived to evade his wrath more than anything. And at one time, there was no turning back now between Murat and Bayezid, which also played a part in his execution.

The way Mustafa views Hürrem and the way Bayezid views Kösem are both very different, too. While I don't feel Mustafa completely hated Hürrem, per say and even in S04, he was rather done with her bullcrap than anything else, he had some resentment for her. He was aware that she played a part in Mahidevran's suffering and sensed that Hürrem giving birth hurts his mother. Still, he knew where the line was: he respected her position as a Sultana and the mother of his brothers, didn't blame her instinctively, didn't fault Cihangir for choosing his own mother in the kaftan sutuation and was willing to listen even in the peak of his resentment. (in E121, where he didn't believe that she wasn't behind the trap.) Bayezid had a more familial bond with Kösem, since she was like a mother to him when his real mother was missing. I feel he appreciated all the care she took for him and even loved her until a point. But once he turned against her, the mutual respect between them was gone completely, with him eventually discarding all she did for him and Kösem disowning him. His resentment for Kösem slowly grew through Gülbahar: the seeds were planted with the letters she was sending to him, which made Bayezid feel he didn't belong, opening a hole in his heart, and then Bayezid being open to listen to Gülbahar more and more with her setting him against both Murat and Kösem. Bayezid tied Kösem to Murat, while in truth, she acted outside of him. Bayezid eventually became convinced that Kösem was a danger. But while circumstances also helped, him standing "on the other side of the war" was bound to break them apart. Bayezid and Kösem already had different goals. The more he sided with Gülbahar's view, the more that cemented their rift. He fully stood against her once she confronted him about him hiding Gülbahar, that made him give up on her to the point he agreed to have her killed in the Eski Saray, since then it would be easier to take down Murat. Despite of Mahidevran's view and experiences, Mustafa's resentment of Hürrem grew because of her own actions: all her attempts to kill him are what made him embittered towards her to the point of him declaring that he won't have mercy on her and Rüstem. He views her actions separately from those of Süleiman- he's aware that she's trying to eliminate him with all her might and that she could maybe involve Süleiman in that, too, but still strives to see a bigger picture. All that is why his actions against her are more defensive than they're offensive and only go so far as to show her her place in some way, not to directly try to kill her, since he regards the feelings of his siblings, too. He sees her and Rüstem as a tandem in S04, but even then he would do actions more against Rüstem than against Hürrem.

I would say that Mustafa has a better relationship with his brothers than Bayezid. He truly loves them a lot and always considers what they have to say, no matter what, but his brothers themselves, even Selim, loved him, too, and never got in conflict with him, expect for the aftermath of him saving Selim from the janissaries, some side scenes with Mehmet when they made amends almost immediately or that one case where they both were little. And he indeed never stops caring about them. I wouldn't say the same for Bayezid, however. While he did share the same affection Mustafa had for his brothers at first, Kasim always had a strained relationship with him and it kept getting more and more strained by each day (even Ibrahim resented him at one point, too). And yes, truly, Bayezid did try to reach out for him many times, Kasim seeing Bayezid and Gülbahar's secret firsthand and the whole Kalika situation sealed things between them to the point of no return. He set himself against Kasim completely, turning out that Gülbahar succeeded to drive the wedge between them. (of course, Mahidevran also had this similar intent, but what I found interesting with her is that, E55 aside, she mostly tried to make Mustafa look at them merely as rivals and in E69 she did tell him that his love for them made her proud regardless; I'm preparing a whole post about comparing Gülbahar and Mahidevran I hope I'll finish some day ahahah) By deciding to take what's rightfully his, Bayezid disregarded his brothers, too. (I understand why he did, but still.) His perspective on them changed just like everything else.

I agree that both Mustafa and Bayezid have a sense of justice, but while Mustafa's justice is based more on morals, principles, nobility, familial bonds and "doing the right thing" in general, Bayezid's justice becomes more "warped". Bayezid sees many injustices done to him or his mother and no matter how much he held back from acting the way his supporters wanted him to, he comes to respond to the injustice with injustice, as well. Or worse yet, he already views the injustice as justice. He perceives leaving his previous, "purer" principles behind as what is right and since he's in a war, he's already ready to do "whatever it takes" to ascend the throne. It's like he restrained himself for too long while reality around him ensued. Mustafa was always aware of this reality, even if deep down inside, even when he was trying to deny it when it came to SS, yet he chose not to leave "his own self" behind. Despite of all the intrigues against him, he responded to the injustice with justice. He held onto this until the end. He held onto this in spite of every opposition or injustice. And yes, both of these approaches were to Mustafa and Bayezid's detriments, respectively, in their distinct circumstances.

Sure, both of Mustafa and Bayezid did "the right thing" prior to their executions (going to SS - choosing not to go to the persian şah as a way out). It was expected for Mustafa, due to his established character and flaws, but for Bayezid it has become the exception - I saw him as more irritated that Gülbahar and Sinan worked behind his back when he told them not to a while ago, but maybe when he didn't succeed to do what he attempted to get on the throne, he decided that he'd rather die, but not run. And his mother's safety was still his first priority, even in death. Even then he didn't exactly realize his mistake, rather that he would be executed for it, since he still acted high and mighty in front of Kösem. Mustafa wasn't really aware of why SS called him in the first place, he wasn't aware of the intrigue with the letter, he didn't know what went wrong, hence he didn't have a true reason to doubt all that, despite of the words of everyone else, so of course he approached the situation like he typically would. It was only Cihangir's words to him where the doubt appeared and he still didn't back down on his decision. Bayezid took a more immediate decision based on curcumstance (with one scene with him ruminating in his chambers), while Mustafa took the decision he usually would. They were both executed by their fathers, but due to different reasons and even before the executions and with their once same foundation as characters, both of them acted differently here.

Though no matter how different they turn out to be in hindsight for me, I still consider MCK Bayezid as a response to MC Mustafa anyway - what MC Mustafa would've been if he let curcumstance influence him and decided to act against his father. (I also did mention in your previous ask about Mustafa that the fandom does tend to view him as MCK Bayezid's exact copy sometimes, but that isn't quite true.) When the crippling realization that your parent could disregard you comes through and you decide not to stand by that and let your survival instinct kick in, after all. Anyhow, I find both of them very interesting to compare and contrast and I love both of their characters, so thanks for giving me the chance to delve into this topic at last. ^^

[line-of-fire]

She only turns to truly face Viper when the other woman begins to speak, tensed like a cornered animal. Truthfully, her initial reaction was a gut response to the approach of anyone, it wasn't anything personal. After all, Helena couldn’t remember the last time she truly felt safe enough to let her guard down, not since her experience with Kingdom at the very least. It left her on edge for months now, ready to snap at anyone getting too close or unfortunate enough to catch her unawares, like Viper had just done. 

Still, however impersonal, Sommer’s hostility- a defense mechanism Simmons frequently reminded her it was in her best interests to work through- wasn’t something she could easily drop when it came to Viper. Not when it came to the woman's past associations and expertise. It was all too easy for her mind to subconsciously replace her with different doctors, different faces; those that had done her harm and would likely always be haunting whispers in the back of her fractured mind. 

It did make it easier not to be affected by Vipers retorts however, unnaturally pale eyes meeting hers, expression solidly guarded off. Not quite a challenge but still, holding her ground without quite going on the offensive. That is, until the word stray is thrown out, and Helena finds her control slipping once more, hanging on by a t h r e a d . 

There was something about the word that causes it to hit deep, in a way she couldn’t brace for. The way it sounded so dismissive when Viper spoke. After everything, it felt dehumanizing, and in the moment Viper is temporarily replaced by another doctor, one of those damned scientists, reminding her of her place. 

The sentiment is done no favors by the clinking of the mug, harsher than what Sommer was bracing herself for. Her fist clenches against the countertop “I am not a fucking stray.” she grits out as the temperature in the room plummets back down to what it was, matched by a layer of frost coating her fist and the counter surrounding it. 

‘Strays’ were animals nobody wanted, that had nowhere to go, helpless. Ragged, lost, and fucking helpless. A description Sommer refused to believe fit herself or Pixie. They weren’t like those twins after all, not knowing anything but that facility, not knowing anyone on the outside. She had a home, she just couldn’t go back, left to follow Simmons’ lead, wherever it took their ragtag group. 

She forces herself to release the breath she had been holding; a poor attempt at regaining control and grounding herself before this turned into a conversation she’d be having with Pixie whenever she got back. On principle, she refused to let herself truly lose control in front of Viper and prove her right. And however difficult it is, she does turn away to pull a tupperware container out of the microwave with her gloved hand, muttering out, “My apologies for getting caught off guard and disturbing you.” The bite in the air does recede, not quite as much but it’s noticeable. Proof of a conscious attempt of what Simmons could maybe call ‘civility’ at least. 

@toxichem liked for a starter from here!

"I'd appreciate a little space." Helena turned to glare the moment she saw the other woman approach just a bit too close out of the corner of her eye. The surrounding temperature practically plummets for the split second that the Norwegian is caught off guard, the frost seemingly lingering around her even when things return to normal.

[aloeverified]

Miraculous Fighting Styles Analysis:

I love superhero media, it's one of my favorite types of content. Something that really makes it stand out to me is being able to see the different types of fighting styles between the characters. It can show a lot about them; ranging from their experience, personality, and even to their morals.

So one thing that really disappoints me about Miraculous is that the characters all seem to fight similarly ― or at least in a bland enough way that it all blurs together.

Which is why I'm giving them their own fighting styles. Starting off with Adrien.

With Adrien, it's important to remember his background. Adrien is a fencer, so he would have a fighting style that reflects that. However, there are three types of fencing styles ― all of which use different weapons and rules. These three styles are called Épée Fencing, Foil Fencing, and Sabre Fencing.

In the Dark Knight episode (S1E14), we can clearly see from the shape of the bell guard that Adrien is a sabreur, or sabre fencer. Sabre fencing is styled after the more formalized duelling setup of old, where the winner was the one to draw first blood. With that in mind, sabre fencing is fast and uses a lot of slashing with the blade (whereas foil uses thrusts meant to kill with one blow).

The maximum legal weight of a sabre is 500 grams (1.102 pounds). The entire weapon is generally 105 cm (41 inches) long. The hand guard on the sabre extends from pommel to the base of where the blade connects to the hilt. This guard is generally turned outwards during sport to protect the sword arm from touches. Hits with the entire blade or point are valid. Touches that land outside of the target area are not scored, off-target touches do not stop the action, and the fencing continues.

Sabre offense usually consists of the following basics:

Attack ― a thrust or slash to land a touch upon an opponent.

Beat attack ― where the attacker beats the opponent’s blade to gain priority (right of way) and continues the attack against the target area.

Lunge ― a thrust while propelling the body forward with the back leg.

Riposte ― an attack by the defender after a successful parry. The defender then has the opportunity to make an attack and take right of way.

Feint ― an attack with the purpose of provoking a reaction from the opposing fencer.

Disengage ― beginning an attack in one direction, then quickly moving the point down in a semi-circle to attack a different location. This is used to trick the opponent into blocking the wrong direction.

Remise ― a second attack immediately after the first has missed or been parried. A remise is considered to have lost right of way, and if there are simultaneous touches the defender’s riposte will always score instead of the attacker’s remise.

Sabre defense comprises the three primary parries:

Tierce ― high outside.

Quarte ― high inside.

Quinte ― head.

And three secondary parries:

Prime ― generally taken in a sweeping motion to cover the entire inside line.

Seconde ― guarding the low outside line.

Sixte ― blade up and to the outside, wrist supinated. (There is debate over whether this guarde actually exists, or whether it’s just a slightly extended tierce.)

With sabre, it is generally easier to attack than to defend, and high-level international sabre fencing is often very fast and very simple. It follows from the nature of sabre parries (they block an incoming attack rather than deflecting it) that they are static and must be taken as late as possible to avoid being duped by a feint attack.

Okay, now that I've given you a fencing 101 lesson, let's talk about how this would impact Adrien's fighting style.

Adrien wouldn't hesitate in a fight, he'd always be the one to charge first. In fencing, he's fast ― but that could have something to do with the fact he's covering such short ground. I think his Miraculous would make up for this, though, and Adrien would still be only of the fastest Miraculous holders. Also, since fencing has specific rules on how you have to move your feet, Adrien would also have near perfect coordination; he moves with purpose and doesn't stumble on his feet. He has good foot work and fast reflexes.

Now before I go into more detail on how this would look in a fight, let's talk about Adrien's other fighting experiences; Karate and Kung Fu. Like fencing, these have many different types of styles within them ― however, unlike fencing, we don't have any hints as to which specific styles Adrien knows, so because of this I'll be basing his knowledge off of the overall martial artstyles themselves.

Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open hand techniques such as hand-knives, spear-hands and palm-heel strikes. It focuses on concentration and self-discipline. It's well known for its usage of the hips and breathing techniques, along with being very strick. Karate is not about victory or defeat, but about hard work, training, effort and self-control.

Kung Fu is a martial art that focuses on self-defense and self-discipline. Although it usually incorporates weapons, it's much less common when taking place outside of Asia ― so for Adrien's case, we'll imagine it only focuses on hand and foot movements. It's one of the softer martial art styles, and is often described to be better underpracticed than overpracticed. The movements are round and continuous, with slow and quick strikes. Kung Fu's name originates from the rough phrasing of "using weapons to stop violence."

Now, due to our vague understanding of how skilled Adrien is in these fighting styles, this will be mostly guesswork based of the styles themselves rather than his skill level in them.

Fencing doesn't use much involvement from his hands, but Adrien's experience from Karate and Kung Fu make up for that. He can move his body very fluidly, using his hips and sharp movements from his arms. However, Adrien isn't as mastered nor does he spend as much time practicing Karate and Kung Fu as he does with fencing, so they don't affect his fighting style as much.

So based off of all that information, here is my head-canon on how Chat Noir would typically fight.

He would be the first to move in during fights, fast and with purpose. He goes all-out, saving only his Miraculous powers for later, in an attempt to end the fight as quickly as possible. He's very light on his feet, and doesn't stumble or fall. However, he most likely uses the same or very similar foot movements in each fight, which Hawkmoth could pick up on and use against him in a close-range battle.

Due to his usage of a sabre in fencing, Chat would use his baton to try and hit the weak spots on his opponent. This could be by striking places that would cut off their hand or foot attacks, knock them off balance, or to try and break or remove their akumatized object.

Chat Noir fights a lot more fiercely with his baton, since fencing is the most aggressive of the martial arts he practices. He uses his baton mostly in fights where his goal is to attack. When it comes to self-defense, he leans more on his hands to counter the other.

The exceptions lie when he is fighting someone he knows that he would hurt with his baton, such as children or someone with a non-protective akumatized form. In these situations, he would use his baton less to attack ― usually leaving it up to Ladybug. The other exception is when he knows that he needs extra-protection, in which case he uses his baton as a way to separate himself from his opponent.

When people see him fighting, their impressions of his fighting style can be summarized as fast, well-coordinated, and powerful. Characters from other forms of media who may be used as an example of his fighting style could be Ojiro from My Hero Academia and Nightwing from DC Comics.

[nibeul]

Saberstaffs: A Guide for People Creating Jedi/Sith OCs

I posted this on Instagram a while ago but I figured I should post it here too! This is basically my analysis of saberstaffs paired with some history and extra info. I’m by no means an expert, just a SW weapons nerd who enjoys rambling about things, bonus if people find it helpful :) most of the general info is backed by the wookiee for anyone curious to give it a look

The History

Saberstaffs are rare among the Order, and while a decent amount of it has to do with how hard it is to master, its origins also play a part in this fact. Originally known as the “Sith Lightsaber”, saberstaffs were created by the Old Sith Empire (as the name suggests), serving as weapons of aggression with the ability to easily overwhelm and overpower. The design had been pretty much unheard of until it was wielded by Exar Kun during the Great Sith War, the fallen Jedi having modified his original lightsaber using schematics from Sith Holocrons he had found. It was forgotten shortly after, trading off from hand to hand before eventually making its way to the Order for safe keeping (this is obviously a very simple explanation since I don’t want to dwell on it too much). The design became popularized among the Sith during the Jedi Civil War, and was even wielded by some skilled Jedi, though the Council frowned upon its use as the staff was a weapon of aggression purely designed to kill more effectively than the standard saber. The Order’s prejudice against the weapon remained a constant even into the waning days of the Republic, and as a result, very few Jedi utilized it. By the time the Invasion of Naboo rolled around, they’d faded into almost complete obscurity, so you can imagine the surprise of Qui Gon and Obi Wan when Maul pulled one out.

Schematics

The original saber staffs were much more complicated than the ones seen during the Clone Wars, consisting of a singular lightsaber mechanism that had two emitters, Exar Kun’s modified staff fitting this design. The more modern staffs, such as Maul’s, were made up of two, standard lightsabers that were melded together at the pommel in order to form one, elongated hilt. I’m actually not sure what the exact reasoning for the simplification was since the original was more effective, though I assume it has to do with the loss of the original holocrons and a change in wielding styles as the years progressed. The Council was right though in the fact that they were made for better effectiveness in combat; two ends meant faster attacks, and rapid assaults could be dealt out by the wielding with minimum movement. On the flipside, it was also good for defense—specifically in dueling, I’ll get to combat against blasters later—because it covered more area with less effort. There was also a psychological impact that comes with most unorthodox weapons, as tracking two blades is obviously a lot harder than one, and either end was often thought of as separate weapons instead of one.

Of course, there were still weaknesses, and with great killing power came debilitating flaws if put in the wrong hands. Wielding a staff without training was fatal in most cases, and it was likely that an inexperienced user would slash or bisect themselves trying to utilize one. A prime example of this comes from Antos Wyrick who accidentally impaled both himself and his daughter when trying to kill her. The minimum movement needed also came at a cost when it came to attacking and parrying because it’s impossible to simply adjust positions, as someone using a standard blade might. The sun djem contact mark could be employed by an opponent with little experience, and due to the length of the hilt, it’s hard to defend against. The best comparison to a saberstaff in terms of modern weapons would be the quarterstaff, though it’s not completely adequate because there’s only so much area for the user to put their hands whereas a quarterstaff, you have the entire length. The weight is also different as the weight of any lightsaber is condensed at the hilt while a quarterstaff’s weight would be evenly spread throughout it. Because the user’s hands have to be positioned at the general center of the weapon at all times (the hilt), power that would be possible with a quarterstaff is lost with the saberstaff.

Wielding Styles/Forms

Next, we have a breakdown of wielding styles, and to do this I’m going to be using Maul and Krell.

Maul

There’s apparently some controversy over what lightsaber Form Maul uses, though based on what I’ve seen from the show and the movie, I think that Juyo is the closest form to compare his fighting style too. Maul’s lightsaber is an extension of his body; he was raised for one thing, and that was to kill Jedi. He is, in the simplest sense, a killing machine, and his fighting style is reflective of that, martial arts interwoven with his strikes and parries, etc. etc. Maul, while obviously capable of defense, is a very aggressive, offensive fighter, and this is abundantly clear in his duels against Ahsoka, Obi Wan, Qui Gon… I’m sure there are videos floating around for each of the duels, I recommend giving them a rewatch if you’re curious. His power comes from his hips, and he relies on straight up striking power and prowess in combat in order to overwhelm his opponents. His style is pretty similar to how one would wield a quarterstaff, which is incredibly effective when it comes to melee combat against one or multiple opponents, but an open battlefield is a different story.

The biggest problem for Maul’s fighting style when applied to an open battlefield is the lack of maneuverability and the uncovered area that makes up the hilt of the staff. In a lightsaber duel, he has full coverage of his body since the blades are pretty one dimensional (I’m not sure if that’s the right word to use, but I’m using it anyways) while against blasters, there’s more open, uncovered area that he’s not going to be able to defend. I don’t recall seeing a lot of blaster vs lightsaber action with Maul, not when it came to his staff anyways, so it’s hard to determine what he’s capable of when it comes to that. I’m just applying what I’ve seen to a hypothetical situation—the bottomline is that Maul is likely a more effective duelist than anything else, and his use of the saberstaff plays into that strength.

Krell

Krell—who I know you all love—uses Jar’kai and I want to say hints of Form V based on his aggressive way of fighting while also on the defensive against dozens of clones. We unfortunately didn’t see a lot of fighting from Krell until he was slaughtering the 501st and 212th, so I don’t have a whole lot to work with here, but I do know that he used the Force in tandem with his staffs which was something that was made easier by the fact that he had four arms. Unlike Maul, Krell doesn’t face the problem of lack of coverage when it comes to fighting on the battlefield—because of his anatomy, he’s able to fully rotate the blades in a manner that covers him entirely, though something important to note about that is the change in power. The power from his strikes come almost entirely from his arms, which is clearest when he’s fighting the clones up in the tower. He’s able to cut through men without putting a huge focus on power, 1) because he’s already naturally strong and 2) because of the reach of his lightsabers. He’s outnumbered, but his sheer combative prowess with his lightsabers allows him to keep an edge during the entirety of the fight until he’s ultimately taken down by Tup.

I think the most important thing to note about Krell is that he constantly makes space, which is a tactic commonly used by staff users specifically (it’s also used when handling other weapons of course, though that’s when it comes to multiple opponents; with a staff, you constantly want space so you can strike from afar). He makes space to prevent himself from getting overrun even when severely outnumbered, and this tactic allows him to employ the deadliness of his lightsabers on an open battlefield, whereas Maul would have more trouble doing so thanks to the differences in their fighting style. Because I haven’t seen Krell in a duel, it’s hard to say how he would combat someone else with a melee weapon, though I want to say it’s likely similar to Grievous’s way of fighting. The sheer amount of blades he holds makes it easy to overwhelm an opponent, and because of his stature, he doesn’t have a need for extreme power behind each swing, which allows better maneuverability (as we see when he’s spinning his lightsabers).

General Pros and Cons

So, I’ll just finish this off with the main pros and cons after breaking everything down and giving my input.

Strengths:

• Offensive and defensive capabilities

• Faster attack rate

• Bigger surface area for deflecting/parrying

• Unorthodox/Uncommon

Weaknesses:

• Hard to store

• Exposed hilt

• Dangerous to user

• Often requires both hands to wield

In general, staffs are best for characters who are older with more than a couple years of training under their belt due to how hard it is to master and the dangers of inexperience. These characters tend to be heavily combat focused since the staff was pretty much made for killing. However, this is just a general breakdown I did for fun, so don’t let that stop you from giving your characters whatever weapons you see fit :)