#ariel: wants to strike fear

[bravelywego]

Tahirah, Nuriel, Arlyn and Rafaele nodded in understanding at James' explanation. "I see..."

Janne sighed in response to Oddette. "I promise that I'm not that scared of random snakes..."

Geist nodded. "Er...good luck, everyone."

Soon enough, the three groups used their teleportation crystals...

-----

Kamiizumi, Nadine, and Lena found themselves entering the area upon hearing Luciano and a now-healed-up Usama...well...arguing a bit.

Luciano threw up his hands briefly, scowling. "This is ridiculous, we should've just stormed the entire base already and defeated them all! We've been waiting forever for the enemy to just straight-up surrender!"

"Without our backup?" Usama sighed, shaking her head. "You told me about what happened when you and the others busted out DeRosa, Luciano! We can expect similar tactics from our foes here too."

Candace noticed the three first, waving at them. "Greetings. Thanks for coming along to help us out - and, er, sorry about Luciano and Usama, those two argue with each other half the time."

"As long as it doesn't get in the way of accomplishing our task, we should be fine," Kamiizumi reassured her. "What's the situation?"

Candace pointed up ahead. "We've already cornered all the dragon baddies within their base. We're trying to negotiate to get them to surrender - mainly because I really don't want to deal with more fighting. But, they're being hard-headed about not surrendering, so...."

"So...?"

Candace sighed. "I need you three to sneak into the building and start bashing heads. We already found a hidden entrance that the enemy did an embarrassingly horrible job of hiding, so you can use that to go through. We already got rid of all the traps."

----

Janne and Oddette found themselves staring at none other than Araceli Nemesis, who smiled a bit upon spottting them. She wore a surprisingly shiny dress, jeweled and elaborate, but there was some chainmail embedded into it for the sake of protection.

"Well, well, look who the cat dragged in. I presume the Countess told you what needs to be done?"

"More or less, yeah." Janne answered, facing her. He noticed several other armed people with Araceli, and there was also...a backup band nearby. "Where's the baddies?"

"Right up ahead." Araceli pointed at the base, before smiling at them. "So, tell me, what experience do you have with killing people while performing a musical number?"

"Er...none?" Janne blinked. "Why?"

"Why, we're going to bedazzle them to defeat them! We'll storm the base, start up the music, and defeat them while it's all going on." A chuckle left Araceli after. "And I'll have my precious friends pick off whoever's left standing, too."

"Friends...?" Janne immediately noticed a longer snake staring at him while perched on Araceli's shoulders. "Ah. I get it now."

Araceli hummed, nodding. "All I need for you two to do is to shoot down and stab anyone that tries to escape. Sounds pretty fun, right?"

----

Geist, James, and Mona found themselves in the midst of soldiers preparing for the battle ahead. Ariel had redressed in armor and a bit of fur lining to go with it, and he greeted the three as soon as he spotted them.

"Good timing," Ariel noted, before glancing down at Mona. "And you are...?"

Mona stared up at him. "Mona. I can use illusions and stab people." She held up her teddy bear. "And this is my friend."

Ariel looked like he was about to question why the heck Countess Tahirah sent a literal child to join them on the battlefield, but he decided not to ask after he heard about her abilities. "How elaborate are these illusions? Can they..." he paused, pointing at the base ahead, "Can they create the illusion of bad weather in a specific area, like surrounding that building?"

Mona nodded. "Yep. How bad do you want it to be?"

"Absolutely terrible. I want to strike fear in their hearts. The moment they start feeling helpless, it's all over for them." Ariel looked up at Geist and James. "I also heard from one of the spies I sent that there are some magical beasts locked in the base somewhere, so we'll have to be careful with handling them when we find them."

Geist raised a brow. "Are they dragons...?"

"Fortunately, no. There are, however, a bunch of golems, salamanders, and possibly a gryphon."

"That many creatures?" Geist stared. "Are any of those native to any places in Melodia!?"

"The salamanders can be taken back to the Anwara Region. The golems were probably summoned from who knows where, and the gryphons are usually in the mountains."

[ Yew Finds a Wild Janne and Geist! ]

[obessedwithfictionalmen]

Co-Stars pt.2

Callum Turner X Actress! Reader

Summary: All the time Callum and Y/n were together in a movie.

Warning: Allusion to sex/ swearing/ kissing/ mention of being naked

Word count: 1.1k

A/n: The movies I selected are not starring Callum (except the only boy living in New York), and the other movies do not have the same actress, so use ✨️imagination✨️

The first time they were in a movie together was in The Only Boy Living in New York, she was playing Tomas’s best friend, and they needed to kiss multiple times. They had chemistry. That was one of the first things the directors told them. It was said in multiple interviews. After the movie came out, they stayed friends, talking to the other, telling each other what they were in. When they got cast in another movie together, as love interest, they were over the moon. Y/n had got the first role, and Callum got the sexy bartender role. The movie was called Burlesque, Y/n had to sing, and Callum thought she was amazing. The interviews that followed the movie were filled with teasing and flirting.

-

‘’Now, you guys already played love interest in the only boy living in New York, what was your reaction when you learned that you got to do that again?’’ the reporter asked. ‘’For me, I laughed. I was happy that it was him. This movie took me out of my comfort zone and to know that my co-star is one of my best friends was really soothing and yeah, and he’s good looking, so I couldn’t complain’’ she joked. Callum laughed. ‘’It was really fun, she was amazing, her singing was amazing. But yeah, we come as a package now, you want me, you get Y/n’’ he said, laughing. ‘’2 for the price of 1’’ she added to the joke.

-

The first time she was cast in something that Callum wasn’t in was in the remake of Footloose, she played Ariel. She was confident for this role, but without Callum, it was going to be weird. But the director had a surprise for her.

-

‘’Uh, sorry why does it say Callum beside the name of Bobby?’’ she asked. Bobby was supposed to be Ariel’s dead brother, but it had flash back scenes. As she said that, Callum entered the room. ‘’Holy shit!’’ she screamed in joy as she got off her chair to run in his arms. ‘’You two come as a package, I couldn’t separate you guys’’ the director said, laughing. ‘’It’s not a lot of scenes, but I thought this might be fun’’ he added. ‘’Thank you so much’’ Y/n chuckled.

-

Then, Callum and Y/n were cast as voice actors for a movie. The movie was Inside out, Y/n played Disgust and Callum played Fear. They had fun doing their voices, it was something new for the both of them. But the real surprise was when they both got cast in Master of the Air.

-

‘’Now, guys, ready to meet Callum’s love interest?’’ Tom Hanks asked the actors. They nodded and Y/n entered the room. At first, she was confused, but when she saw Callum, she started to laugh. ‘’No fucking way!’’ she laughed. ‘’The pair strikes again!’’ Austin Butler says, laughing. ‘’Who’s the pair?’’ Anthony Boyle asks. ‘’Them, they’re like the new Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter’’ Bary says. Y/n walked up to Callum to hug him, they were both giggling and blushing. ‘’We’re happy to say, that the cast is now complete! Welcome to the madness, Y/n’’ Steven Spielberg said. When they were shooting their scene, it was always amazing. They almost never had to do more than five takes. The only time they had to do more than five takes was their love scene.

-

‘’Action!’’ yelled the director. She was in a white dress, so when she would step underwater, it would become transparent. ‘’Rose, what are you doing here?’’ Callum said, in an American accent. Her turned around to look at her, he was in the shower. She entered the shower, still maintaining eye contact. ‘’John, I can’t keep acting like ahhhh’’ she yelled as she slipped in the shower, almost falling, but Callum catches her before she fell on the ground. They both started to laugh as the director yelled cut. ‘’Y/n are you okay?’’ She nodded as they continued laughing. ‘’Yeah, I’m okay, I’m sorry!’’ she said, calming down. They calmed down and put themselves in their characters again. It was their fifth take, they had to get it right. ‘’Action’’ They redid the scene they did before Y/n almost fell. Now, she was in the shower, soaking wet. In a now completely transparent dress. ‘’Are you going to kiss me, Major?’’ she said, with a flirting voice. ‘’I’m going to do more than kiss you’’ Callum said, with the American accent. Y/n slightly opened her mouth, but it was enough for a drop of water to go straight in her throat, making her chock on it. She started to cough really hard. ‘’I’m (cough) so sorry (cough)’’ she apologized. She felt bad for ruining the scene, but she was literally choking on water. ‘’Do we need a medic?’’ Tom Hanks asked. Callum started to gently tap her back, to help her cough. ‘’She’s still breathing, she might need a minute’’ he said. ‘’I’m (cough) choking on water (cough) it’s ridiculous. (cough)’’ she said. ‘’Stop talking, try to get the water out’’ Callum laughed.

-

The bloopers of Master of the Air got out and the moment where Y/n chocked made people laugh. So, when the were interviewed, people wanted to know more about it and what happened.

-

‘’Julie wanted to know, what was the hardest scene to shoot?’’ Josh asked. The cast started to laugh. ‘’For me, it was the shower sex scene. I mean, people have seen the bloopers. And the take before that I almost fell because it was slippery. And before Callum kissed me, I started to choke on water. So, I was like’’ she got up her chair, putted her hands on her knees, like she was out of breath. ‘’I’m okay (fake cough). I’m sorry (fake cough) I’m okay (fake cough). And Callum was tapping my back like: No she’s not!’’ she said with a fake British accent at the end. Callum started laughing even more, and so did Anthony Boyle. ‘’I was watching them, and Tom Hanks said to me: Do you really think she’ll survive this?’’ he laughed. Y/n came back in her seat and laughed more. ‘’We never had a boring day on set with those two. It was always fun’’ Austin said. ‘’At first, when she started choking, I thought, is it my fault? But when she said she was choking on water, I started to laugh, but I didn’t want to because she was coughing and it was serious, but she was so funny’’ Callum said. ‘’And I was almost naked! Cause I was wearing a white blouse that was supposed to become transparent, so I was coughing and trying to hide my tits. It was a really funny day on set’’ she added. The crowd was laughing and screaming. ‘’And you specify the place of the sex scene, is it that you guys have multiple sex scenes?’’ Josh asked. Callum and Y/n looked at each other, and they laughed. ‘’Well, maybe we don’t want to spoil the fans!’’ Callum exclaimed. Y/n hid her head in her hands and laughed again. Then she brought the mic next to her mouth. ‘’We saw in the trailer that we had, I think we have in total like 5 sex scenes’’ she admitted. The fans yelled and expressed their happiness. ‘’Next’’ Y/n said, red as a tomato.

[teletraan-archive]

Optimus Prime

Video Recording of the first official broadcast of The Voice of Autonomy, the autobot news channel:

A red and yellow cybertronian with what looks like speakers in his legs appears on screen, standing behind an indistinct metal wall.

“Salutations, cybertronians both big and small! Your optics and audio sensors aren’t glitching out on you, this is Blaster. I know you haven’t heard from me or my minicon crew of rabble rousers in a long time, but there’s a fair reason for that. On the last few broadcasts of Blastin’ Out Truth, I gave our new decepticon government a few harsh critiques. Now, the expected response from our leaders would be some lip service about how their increasingly fascist military isn’t all that bad. The hopeful response is that they’d actually course correct and stop all this peace through tyranny nonsense. The actual response? Megatron and his cronies threatening to blow up the building where I used to broadcast from. Say what you want and Sentinel Prime’s time on the throne, I know I have, but at least he let speak your mind.”

“I pride myself on speaking the truth, even when it’s hard. So, let me say this… Things are getting real bleak for Cybertron. Megatron bringing the hammer down on peaceful protests, military spending is through the roof, and that’s just the tip of the spear. Yes, the decepticons are turning our home world into one giant battle station of death and conquest. But folks, there’s a light at the end of this tunnel. You might’ve heard about the rumblings of a new resistance movement, especially if you live here in Iacon. I’m happy to say that I’ve recently became a member myself.”

“What’s this new resistance? How does it have a chance against the military might of the decepticon empire? To answer those questions, a familiar face is gonna take the stage. Now, he’s not used to public speaking, so give the bot some mercy if he stumbles a bit. Come on up, boss bot.”

Blaster steps aside as a tall red and blue cybertronian with a face plate walks into frame. A unique red insignia is on his left shoulder. The most striking thing about him is his chest windows, giving off a light circuitry glow. He steadies himself and begins to speak.

“Greetings, people of Cybertron and beyond. You all knew me as Orion Pax, one of the ascenticons key spokesmen. If you remember, my wonderful girlfriend Ariel reported that I was severely injured by Megatron when trying to talk sense into my old friend. During my slow recovery, I could only watch as the bot I once revered turn into a monstrous tyrant. How could this warmongering brute possibility be my brother in arms?”

“A more pressing question was on my mind, however. How did Megatron amass such a large following of decepticons? This is not the movement that I joined, the one that promised to aid the other species of the galaxy and not hide away in paranoia. The destruction of Tarn alone should’ve stopper the decepticon empire in its tracks due to public outrage. And yet, cybertronians continue to join. Why? … Why in the name of Primus would anyone ever join such a morally abhorrent government? Why would people willingly, gleefully tear apart homes and take away the freedoms of others?”

“But a few days ago, Megatron made a new speech. He confessed that the Matrix of Leadership refused to make him a prime. He would go on to denounce and condemn the matrix bearers, that the leader of Cybertron shouldn’t be chosen by an ancient trinket. That’s when it all clicked for me. That’s when I realized why so many support and praise Megatron. He said exactly what many wanted to hear.”

“Megatron said what those who feel isolated wanted to hear, that we could forge our own destiny and should be allowed to explore the cosmos without restraint. He said what the fearful and greedy wanted to hear, that brute strength and conquest would lead our kind to greatness. He said… He said what I wanted to hear. Nova, Nominus, Sentinel, they’ve all done great things for Cybertron and it’s neighboring worlds. But they have also caused great pain and frustration among the masses. Many of us excused their foibles simply because the matrix chose them and they accepted the responsibility of leadership. But we must remember that even the thirteen original primes had their faults. I don’t believe that a single person should have the final say on how to improve our future… With all that said, this next bit of information might come off as hypocritical.”

Orion’s chest windows convert and open up, revealing a shining light. The light dims, showing the Matrix of Leadership residing within the speaker’s chest.

“After his speech, Megatron openly gave the Matrix away to Alpha Trion. My former colleague challenged my iron mentor to find another prime and see how many would flock to them now that the decepticons have shown their might. Alpha Trion came to my medical bed and gave me the Matrix. It deemed me worthy and I accepted. I am now Optimus Prime, and I send this message.”

“In my resistance against Megatron, I vow not to return Cybertron to the way it was before. I do not believe the the thing in my chest grants me superiority over all others, nor does it give me all the answers. Thankfully, people like Ariel and Xaarron are already rallying against the decepticons. Of course, this rallying force needs a banner and name to stand under.”

“Megatron’s philosophy only rewards the strongest and cruelest of our kind. Where is the sympathy for those that cannot fight? How can the decepticon empire proclaim that all of Cybertron shall thrive while the weak and unmilitarized are crushed underfoot. Our resistance is not just for our allies that think and act like us. We fight for the autonomy of all, because freedom is the right of all sentient beings! We are autobots!”

Just then, Blaster interjects from offscreen.

“Wrap it up soon, Optimus. That Soundwave fella is working hard on cutting the transmission and I don’t know how much longer I can firewall him.”

Optimus nods and continues,

“I know that things are dire. We look at the successes of the decepticons and think ‘Is this what cybertronians are? Just ruthless war machines?’ But that is not all that we are. We are courageous in the face of darkness, and we do not bow to those that seek to control everything around them. Do not despair at the decepticon’s power. As a librarian in Iacon’s hall of records, I’ve read of the different alien races across the galaxy. There have been many empires like the decepticons, and there is one thing that connects them all. They all fell. Even if Megatron defeats me, others will rise to defeat his tyranny. The autobots will defend and aid all that we can. We will fight when fighting is the only option. We. Will. Win!”

Video transmission ends.

(Author’s note: While this certainly became more topical than originally intended, I hope that this fic can bring some comfort to those that need it. The main idea behind Optimus being against a prime ruling all Cybertron came from IDW2)

[rattlingmycage]

Hescrates

I figure it's about time I actually centralize the scattered pieces of my BG3 OC's bio in one place.

Species: Tiefling Gender: Agender (they/he) Background: Noble Class: Fighter. Previously Bard

Occupation

Heir to a noble lineage subservient only to royalty. The family makes their business in handling the martial affairs of the Crown, and are generally feared by aristocrats and peasants alike. Occasional personal security aide to one of the princes. He's charismatic, Epicurean, friendly, and a pain in the ass for Hescrates because he drags them to his various social excursions with foreign dignitaries.

Alignment

Neutral evil. Generally speaking, they're rather vicious. Cut you for staring at them funny vicious. It's what keeps the hired mercenaries in line, and ensures no rivals get any misguided ideas.

They chill out more in the game timeline, since they don't have an army at their disposal and the game companions are all they have to work with. It's an intentional strategic choice, but also the first time they relax the tyrant facade in about a decade.

Philosophy Strike first, ask later. Loyalty is a commodity, trust is a mistake, and power is the only safety. Personal survival above all. I made this OC because I wanted a more precarious relationship arc with Astarion, so I chose the personality traits according to that. They're things that Astarion can relate to, but also a source of constant conflict with him.

Curse Hescrates made a pact with a witch long ago. The stitch scarring on their lips sews back together if they ever try to sing, and the wound reopens without warning at times. In exchange they're very strong and can tank most damage with ease. (I basically made a fucked up Ariel. Instead of legs she just gets hella jacked. And becomes dollar store Deadpool. lol)

I have a zine that goes into detailed backstory (too much, if you ask me), several au versions of them of varying nastiness, and I ship them with Astarion in an enemies > begrudging allies > lovers > separated > ??? something fucked up here > bitter rivals way.

[ausetkmt]

Haiti crisis: What we know about the gang takeover that has killed dozens and displaced 15,000

Haiti is spiralling further into chaos after armed gang members freed thousands of prisoners, burned government buildings, and forced the prime minister out of the country.

Dozens of people are dead and roughly 15,000 have been forced to flee their homes due to gang raids, according to the Associated Press, with many now facing dwindling supplies of food and water.

The violence escalated on 29 February when Haiti’s powerful criminal gangs, which already controlled large parts of the economy and most of the capital city, Port-au-Prince, launched a series of attacks on police stations, prisons, and other government buildings.

With all the capital’s international airports now seized by gangs, prime minister Ariel Henry is trapped outside the country and facing both domestic and international pressure to resign.

The US has airlifted in extra military muscle to guard its embassy in Port-au-Prince, while Caribbean leaders are meeting in Jamaica to find a solution to the crisis.

So how exactly did this happen?

Former police officer Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier, who leads an alliance of armed groups in Haiti, gives a news conference in Port-au-Prince on 11 March, 2024

Gunfire, mass jailbreaks, and an absent prime minister

The heightened upheaval this month began while Prime Minister Ariel Henry was travelling to Kenya to push forward a United Nations deal that would bring 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti to help restore security.

On 28 February, leaders of Caricom — a trade bloc comprised of 15 Caribbean countries or territories — announced that Henry had pledged to hold elections by mid-2025, after promising and then failing to do so twice before.

We don’t know exactly why Haiti’s powerful criminal gangs chose that moment to strike. But one day later, they unleashed a wave of violence that killed at least four police officers and forced airports, businesses, and schools to close and numerous Haitians to flee their homes.

In a recorded video, gang leader and former police officer Jimmy Chérizier — known by his childhood nickname, “Barbecue” — declared that he planned to capture various government ministers and prevent Henry from entering the country.

“With our guns and with the Haitian people, we will free the country,” said Chérizier, who has previously claimed that he is a “revolutionary” rather than a mere crook.

Former police officer Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier, leader of the ‘G9’ coalition in Haiti

On Saturday night, gangs led a mass jailbreak at Haiti’s national penitentiary, reportedly releasing nearly all of its roughly 4,000 prisoners. Three people were found fatally shot outside the facility, while the other Port-au-Prince prison, which held 1,400 people, was also taken over.

Several prisoners and prison staff members were injured in the two raids, Haitian government officials said in less than reassuring statement.

“Our police officers, on the scene of several operations – facing the rampages of heavily armed criminals wanting at all costs to free people in custody, particularly for kidnapping, murder and other serious offenses, and not hesitating to execute civilians, burning and looting public and private property – thanks to various collusions, did not succeed in preventing the bandits from bringing out a large number of prisoners,” the statement read.

Only a small portion of inmates did not flee. Among them were reportedly the 18 Colombian mercenaries accused of orchestrating the assassination of a previous Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse, in 2021. Their attorney, Samuel Madistin, told The New York Times they remained in the prison out of fear for their lives.

Since Mr Moïse was killed, Haiti has faced widespread violence at the hands of gangs. According to a UN report, there were nearly 5,000 homicides in 2023 — twice as many as the prior year.

Haiti’s finance minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, who is acting prime minister while Henry is away, declared a state of emergency and imposed an evening curfew.

But by Sunday 10 March, the government was still struggling to quell the violence, with sporadic gunfire audible across Port-au-Prince while ordinary Haitians run low on basic supplies.

How did Haiti’s criminal gangs become so powerful?

On the afternoon of 13 November 2018, a police armoured vehicle drove into the La Saline neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince and unloaded its cargo of armed men, some of whom were wearing police uniforms.

What happened next was one of Haiti's worst massacres in decades. At least 71 people were killed, 11 raped, and 150 homes looted and destroyed, according to a report by human rights observers.

The leader of the slaughter, the report alleges, was Jimmy Chérizier – then a serving police officer, allegedly acting with the support of senior Haitian politicians who wanted to punish La Saline for its role in a huge wave of protests against then-President Moïse.

That was the first of many atrocities allegedly backed by Moïse's government, which experts say increasingly colluded with criminals to keep a lid on unrest.

"'Barbecue' is a Frankenstein['s monster] who has broken free from his master," Sorbonne University geographer Jean-Marie Theodat told AFP, a French news agency, on Sunday.

Haiti has long suffered from poverty and political stability. Founded in 1804 by Black revolutionaries who had broken the shackles of slavery, it was eventually forced at swordpoint to pay vast sums in compensation to French former slave-owners, creating a debt that would cripple its development for more than a century.

Haitian politicians have relied on armed gangs to enforce their rule since at least 1959, when the infamous dictator François "Papa Doc" Duvalier formed a paramilitary militia known as the Tonton Macoute – named after a mythological boogeyman.

The problem continued long after the Duvalier family were overthrown in 1986, as Haiti stumbled between military coups and foreign interventions.

In 1995 the Haitian military was disbanded after one coup too many, but that put thousands of armed men out of work while creating a power vacuum. When a rogue police official attempted another coup in 2001, it was armed civilians, not soldiers, that thwarted him.

Meanwhile, Haiti's position between Latin America and the US made it an attractive route for drug smugglers, creating a new line of commerce for the gangs.

Experts say that some progress was made under René Préval, the only Haitian leader to democratically win and complete two terms, who took a hard line on gangs.

But in 2010, Haiti was struck by a massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake that flattened Port-au-Prince, killing anything between 100,000 and 316,000 people. The Haitian economy was more or less destroyed, while thousands of former gang members escaped from jail.

Since then, democratic government has steadily crumbled in Haiti. Before his death, Moïse was accused of consolidating power and ruling by decree, repeatedly violating the constitution while refusing to step down at the end of his term.

While the reasons for his assassination remain murky, a New York Times investigation found evidence that he was preparing to name names about senior Haitian politicians and businessfolk involved in the drug trade.

For his part, Ariel Henry has repeatedly reneged on promises to hold elections, saying that gang violence would make it impossible to ensure that they are fair.

Hence, Haiti has been trapped in fiendish double bind. The United Nations has warned that security must improve before elections can be held. But the lack of elections has created a crisis of legitimacy that empowers and emboldens the gangs.

"For the last the three years, the gangs started to gain autonomy. And now they are a power unto themselves," University of Virginia professor Robert Fatton told AP.

Just ask Jimmy Chérizier, who gave an interview to AP earlier this year as he strolled through the slums of La Saline, flanked by armed guards and watched from above by a personal monitoring drone.

"The government of Ariel Henry is a de-facto government. It’s a government that has no legitimacy," he said. "I’m not a thief. I’m not involved in kidnapping. I’m not a rapist. I’m just carrying out a social fight."

What happens next?

Henry is currently stuck in the US territory of Puerto Rico, having been refused entry by the Dominican Republic (Haiti’s neighbour on the island of Hispaniola, which shares a land border with it).

Chérizier and other gang leaders are dead set on removing him, and have promised to temporarily stop the violence if he agrees to resign.

“We are going to call for a truce just to evaluate the situation,” Chérizier told ABC News. “Everywhere around Port-au-Prince that is currently blocked or inaccessible will be reopened and we will automatically stop the attacks on the police stations.”

A growing number of government officials within Haiti are also calling for Henry to resign, although according to the Associated Press he has rejected these calls.

On Monday US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Jamaica for an urgent Caricom summit aimed at resolving the crisis. Whether Henry was allowed to attend this meeting is unknown.

One possible solution on the table: Henry could resign and be replaced by a transitional council, which would select an interim president and arrange the country’s first elections since 2016.

However, it’s hard to imagine how free and fair elections could take place under the current conditions of violence, in a country where armed groups have usurped such power from the government.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has approved an intervention plan that would send 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti to help restore order. But this intervention faces several barriers.

For one, Kenya’s High Court has ruled it unconstitutional; for another, 1,000 police officers would not even replace the estimated 3,300 Haitian officers who have deserted since 2021.

The mission is also not very well funded: the US has pledged less than $200m, while Canada has said it will give $80m.

All of which leaves the future of Haiti, and the safety and prosperity of its people, severely in doubt.

[calypsocoverpg]

[May, 27, She/Her, GMT] is that Isabelle Ariel Ambrose? They bear a striking resemblance to Sydney Sweeney. I heard she is a 24 year old fae who came to the Hotel La Lune 6 months ago seeking safety from her husband-to-be and parents. Word has it they are a mechanical engineer. I guess the locals will have a lot to say about her…

Born to a wealthy and highly esteemed old fae family in the Winter Court and growing in the fae realm, Isabelle had what you might call a sheltered upbringing. One of her parents’ younger children and their only daughter, Isabelle was doted on from the moment she was born. Her parents valued wealth, status and success above all else, and instilled this in their children from a young age. As a teenager Isabelle developed a certain charisma, learning how to use her looks and charm to get what she wanted. Things came easily to her - good grades, lots of friends, fellow fae fawning over her. But she wanted more than just what her looks could offer her - having discovered an early interest in science and mathematics, this was what she quietly focused on, while maintaining the air of someone who took their studies much less seriously. She had it all - the status of popularity and perfect grades. 

In her final year of highschool, her parents announced to her that she was to be married, having promised her to the song of the King and Queen of the Winter court - a young, self-centered and arrogant prince whom Isabelle had had the displeasure of meeting just once before. Her parents were determined for her to go through with the marriage, eager as ever to gain the status that would come with having a princess for a daughter. Always the faithful daughter Isabelle initially agreed, but the night before her wedding, she disappeared out of the realm, fleeing to the human world in the hopes of escaping her marriage. Between her fae charm and natural intelligence, she was quick to be offered a place at Harvard University in Massachusetts to study a degree in mechanical engineering. After finishing her engineering degree with honors, Isabelle moved straight into her masters, whipping through that with what seemed like ease, but all the while the knowledge that her parents and her husband-to-be were likely searching for her weighed heavy on her mind. It all came to a head just as she was nearing the end of her masters, her husband-to-be showing up in the human world and demanding she come home. She was forced to drop out of university just weeks before finishing her masters, fleeing to Hotel La Lune in search of protection. 

That was six months ago, and things have not gotten better for Isabelle. She remains hidden away in Hotel La Lune, reluctant to even venture further out into Calypso Cove despite knowing that the whole area is protected. She waits in fear, certain that either her parents or her husband-to-be will find her and drag her back to the realm, stripping her of everything she has come to know since arriving in the human world.

[roseprincessarts]

I Beated Kingdom Hearts Final Mix... My Thoughts...

Well, y'all Kingdom Hearts fans (for those KH fans that is), I recently finished Kingdom Hearts Final Mix just last month I believe. I know it's late, but I wanted to tell you my experience of this game and how I felt about it.

Here are my thoughts...

SPOILER ALERT for those who hadn't played either the original Kingdom Hearts, or Kingdom Hearts Final Mix! If you don't want spoilers, I suggest reading this after playing Kingdom Hearts and experiencing it for yourself as I did (even though sometimes i was a bit clueless, but managed to do well!). Be alert on that, or read this at your own risk. For those who DID play Kingdom Hearts, both original and Final Mix, enjoy this journal piece as I explained how my experience went!

I love the first game! The CGI cutscenes are so pretty, and absolutely the graphics are fantastic! Although the same as the original, even though we never had the original for the PS2. The controls were a pain to deal with, but I a

My favorite worlds are Traverse Town, Wonderland, Olympus Coliseum, Monstro (not a world, but one of my favorites), 100 Acre Wood and Hollow Bastion. Olympus Coliseum and Hollow Bastion is probably my top favorite worlds! To be honest, the Coliseum tournaments got harder by the time I was finished with other worlds, and I couldn't help but fear of losing ^^;. Hades Cup is probably the one hard tournament I didn't even THINK I would win, ha ha ha ha ^^;. Cloud battle is probably one of my favorite battle, even though it's hard. I did most of the solo and time trial (except the Hades Cup, since I feared of losing lol). Hollow Bastion, however, is gorgeous :3. Both the music themes are incredible and became my favorite ^^, except somethings. The room levels, Maleficent boss fights and Riku/Ansem battle (which this battle I struggled with). Monstro I liked, because the music and the storyline became my favorite as well. Along with Deep Jungle, the music became my favorite with him. 100 Acre Wood I enjoyed, some mini games I did enjoy, others had me frustrated lol. Hadn't watched Winnie The Pooh for quite a bit, and (don't judge me plz lol) I am kinda interested into watching those ^^. If there were books of them (if they still existed or something like that), I would read them ^^;. Wonderland is my favorite because of how it looks (well one of them that are okay), and depicting the first world story, how they all started to travel to many worlds for the first time. Traverse Town is my favorite. I really like how they did the settings and all (and had Final Fantasy characters, and Destiny Islands had some too lol)

Worlds that are okay are Deep Jungle, Agrabah, Halloween Town, and the End of the World. Deep Jungle's soundtracks are unique, and creates more fitting of a jungle atmosphere. As for Deep Jungle, vines are the ones I STRUGGLED for days. And, gosh darn, I didn't know there was a rope I can pull up to another vines area that can get me into the tree area. Stupid me had actually done the vines for nothing lol. Since I love Tim Burton (actually a fan of him), Halloween Town is the world I like, except it's graphics are dark that I can't see anything (except for one area to where I can fight Oogie Boogie lol). However though, it can eventually get into my favorites list when I play more Kingdom Hearts games throughout the future ^^. Agrabah.... Well.... It's okay. I actually never liked how it turned out. Especially how it's set up that are a 50/50 for me. But I managed to get through it. End of the World is the same as well. I wanted to get Meteor Strike staff, but that didn't happen. At least I got through the whole world.

Worlds I didn't like was Atlantica and Neverland. The battle platform I didn't really like. And one thing I did like is I didn't know Ariel can actually fight ^^. That is one thing Iiked, but the rest of the world... I think not. The boss Ursula I struggled :/. Not a fan of that boss. Neverland is the same. Not a fan of how it's settled up, and the battles gotten harder (well, obviously). And that's where the optional boss got me boiling lol.

And let's not forget Destiny Islands. It's design and music is pretty:3.

I did manage to do optional bosses as I progressed the game. Kurt Zisa and Ice Titan is probably the hardest I did. I sometimes didn't like how it went, but at least I managed to try to get them done. Phantom is, my lord, the WORST. I didn't like how it went at the worst bosses, and I WAS about to give up, but I manage to do it. The one I was really looking to fight Sephiroth at the Coliseum. He was HARD 0_0. He became one of my favorite Final Fantasy villains that couldn't stop thinking about lol. It took me quite a bit to beat him, until I finally won. The cutscene with Cloud and Sephiroth was pretty cool :).

One boss I did forget to do is the Unknown, but you know what, that's fine. I don't really have to get everything, or 100% the Story So Far. It's not really my game, it's actually my brother's. He had KH3 for an Xbox, so I might either get it for the PS5 digitally or Steam (maybe get the 1.5, II.5, and II.8 for Steam. Maybe, idk.). KH4 is coming out next year or so (from what I heard).

And most of all, the story is beautiful ;3. I was in shock when Maleficent (and Ansem) manipulating Riku into betraying his friendship with Sora and to get rid of him in order for Maleficent and Ansem to bring darkenss into the world. Kairi protecting Sora from the heartless and bringing him back into his own self is gorgeous, indeed for what I see. However, I was going to see how they will end up being, which I'm not gonna tell until I understand their stories and play every one of the Kingdom Hearts games. I really love the ending. It's just majestic 🥰. The whole story is what I like most because you wanted to fill your heart with friendship and wanting to protect others instead of hate and cruelty. ❤️

One one of the most shocking things is I didn't know they actually added Final Fantasy characters into the game franchises. Isn't that pretty cool though? The song Simple and Clean is so pretty as well ^^

I just started Re:chain of Memories after beating KH: FM. To be honest... I didn't like how the battle looks like, and I Sorry if it's a late thing to get this journal done, I was super busy, and tired lol. I couldn't wait until what happens next in this game after the first.

Anyways, I am hoping to beat Re:chain of Memories when I had a knack for it to actually do well instead of stressing myself out too much.

Welp, have a good night!

[sleepyselkiesims]

Part 43

Now that the wedding was over, Melody wanted to bring up her old fears again... she really didn't want to be a disappointment to her momma!

She explained that she really hadn't dropped out out of fear! She just wanted more time to do the stuff she loved! And this time, Ariel calmed her down quickly.

She hadn't listened to Melody the first time, and she was sorry. She really was proud of her! And Melody was old enough to make her own choices by now.

Everything really was ok between them! Melody had never felt so relieved as she did when she got the parental thumbs-up.

Things still weren't perfect, but maybe, just like her moms' relationship, it didn't have to be. At least it was getting better!

With that mother daughter bond a little stronger, the benevolent god figured it was time for a little family outing with the other mother-daughter duo!

They couldn't live so close to an amusement park without visiting at least once!

Neither of these two had any particular Ferris Wheel fears; if anything, it was a bit tame for them!

Next stop, pier ice cream!! Whatever Cassandra wanted!

If there was one thing Cassie took seriously, it was ice cream choice. And totally not an excuse to try out every ice cream!

Overall, it was a really nice day out! Cassie couldn't help wondering, why didn't momma take her out more?

Well, Ariel would've joined this time, but the wedding had completely exhausted her. Of all the places the benevolent god would've looked for her, bed was not one of them!

The mother-daughter outing was cut short when the benevolent god saw someone Erika just had to become friends with!!

Erika still didn't know anyone besides the Queen family, so she couldn't miss this chance!

Alas, other Erika apparently didn't want to stick around. Ah well, might as well get some quality time with her other daughter! Better strike while Melody was still feeling good about the world.

10/10, guys.

They're so sweet! Melody probably couldn't've gotten a better step-mother if she tried. And boi do the Disney Princesses try!

It was nice for Melody to have someone she could always count on to talk to, even if Erika made one too many gross jokes.

They were the ones who kept the house clean when Ariel's upgrades didn't work out.

Ariel still wouldn't cook, but Erika made sure both her daughters at least knew the basics.

Though Cassie seemed to be headed more down Ariel's route, preferring cleaning the dishes to making food for them.

Thanks to Erika's interfering, Melody and Ariel were actually kinda bonding these days!

So when it came time to age up, no one was more excited to celebrate her life than her wife and step-daughter.

This probably wasn't the life she'd envisioned for herself all that time ago, when she'd met that random mermaid trying to drown somebody. But overall, not a bad situation to blow out some candles in!

Congratulations to Erika for being the first legacy sim to actually have an elder birthday!

That uhh... this does not seem like the best time to gain that particular lifestyle.

...oh. Good. Actually, that might be the closest we get to having Erika nearly marry the wrong person. Honestly just didn't have the time for that on short-lifespan, since she didn't even meet Ariel until late adulthood.

[juliana-hale]

Fantasy Getaway

“It’s your turn, Stacy!” All my friends turned in my direction, eager to hear what I had to say. “What’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on as a child?”

I closed my eyes and thought about all the vacations that my parents had taken me on growing up. It was hard to decide, but I finally thought of my favourite.

“Well, once they took me to a super fun amusement park!” I began thinking about the details, and I could picture myself back at the amusement park experiencing all the fun rides. 

“Oh, I love amusement parks!” My friend Jacklyn had been to almost every amusement park that there was in the world. “My personal favourite is Hong Kong DisneyLand!”

“What was your favourite ride at the amusement park?” My friend Ariel brought the conversation back to me.

“Well, there was a roller coaster called The Midnight Cyclone where it was super dark, and I remember feeling my stomach suddenly drop with no warning. Everyone was screaming!”

“Wow, that sounds so scary,” Jacklyn said. “What’s the name of the amusement park?”

“Mystic Dreamscape Park.” I smiled, as I hadn’t heard its name out loud in a long time.

All my friends looked at each other with confused looks on their faces for a few moments, before my friend Riley broke the silence. 

“That’s cool, I haven’t heard of that amusement park before.” 

I saw the clock strike 8 o'clock, which was the time that my friends’ parents were picking them up. Sadness came over me, as I wanted to keep reliving my old memories of Mystic Dreamscape Park.

I walked my friends to the door. “Bye guys!” I shut the door behind them, and silence filled the house.

~

“Guys, I just looked up Mystic Dreamscape Park and it doesn’t exist.” Jacklyn’s concerned voice captivated Ariel and Riley. 

“Well, maybe she’s just remembering the name wrong.” Riley tried to reassure his friends, but deep down he was also concerned for Stacy.

Jacklyn and Ariel nodded their heads and continued walking to the curb where their parents were picking them up. Silence prevailed until their parents arrived, prompting them to exchange farewells.

~ 10 years earlier ~

The old trailer creaked as Stacy’s mom walked into her room, with a big grin on her face. “Are you ready to go on vacation to Mystic Dreamscape Park?” 

“Yes!” Stacy smiled so hard that her cheeks ached.

“Alright, close your eyes sweetie!” Stacy’s mom wrapped an old rag around Stacy’s eyes to make sure that she couldn’t see anything.

Stacy’s mom held Stacy’s hand and walked her into the next room. She guided Stacy into a large cardboard box that she had found in the nearest dumpster.

“Alright, you’re on The Midnight Cyclone!” Stacy’s mom gave a hand signal to her husband to begin playing an audio of screaming children on a roller coaster. “Hold on tight!”

Stacy’s mom and dad lifted the box together and began moving it up and down around the trailer, and at the end they dropped the box midway through the air to imitate a steep drop on a real roller coaster. Stacy screamed with fear and excitement.

“This is the best vacation EVER!” 

[dreamyourselfxbackagain]

Look who just woke up- is that ALI ONER? No, I must have been mistaken, that’s REVALI from ZELDA BREATH OF THE WILD. I heard they are 23 and stuck here just like everyone else. Even in the 20’s, he still give off a HEAVY BURDEN FOR YOUNG SHOULDERS, HAVING TO BE THE BEST, CONTROLLED BY INSECURITIES, TOUGHER ON HIMSELF THAN ANYONE ELSE IS, NEVER MISSES A TARGET impression. But here, they are working as a PILOT They’re known to be quite CONTROLLED & RESPONSIBLE, but have a tendency to be ARRAGANT & INSECURE on their bad days.

Gender/Pronouns : Male / he/him

How long have they been in Sydney : In his memories, 10 years. In reality, 1 month

Which suburb do they live in? Liverpool

Personality description : Revali comes over as an arrogant arsehole. He'll rarely actually lose temper, choosing to remove himself from the situation rather than actually snap at someone, but he can be very passive aggressive. However, the reality is he has a lot of insecurities. From a young age he was expected to protect his home town, and if he failed for a moment, anything could happen. He has a deep fear of not being enough, and is rude to cover that. If you do get close enough, he does care deeply.

Memories of their real life : 

Born in Rito village, from a young age Revali was good with a bow. After winning many archery contests, he became the pride of the rito. It was a burden, the attention causing him stress though he'd never show it. Eventually he was able to get a archery training ground, and he could work on ariel strikes.

He eventually created Revali's Gale, a way to send himself upwards. Then the stories of Calamity Ganon started, and the Royal Family were looking for the one who'd seal the darkness. With his village always putting pressure on him, he had believed it would be him. But it soon became apparent it was Link. Instead he was asked to pilot a divine beast. Much as he disliked having to play sidekick, he agreed, wanting to save Hyrule. But the thought of having to trust someone else to save Hyrule... save Rito Village, that was harder.

To become a champion, he had to face the trails, which he did with ease. Despite how it appears, the truth is he disliked ceremony and uniform. He didn't think it was worth it, they had yet to win.

The group had been to Mount Lanayru to try and see if Zelda could unlock her powers. It was then that Ganon attacked. The Champions rushed back to the Divine Beasts to try and do their part. But it was too late. Ganon had overtake the Beasts. Revali was attacked by Windblight Ganon, and though he fought back, he was loosing. He tried sending an SOS, but no one was coming. He lost the fight, and died trapped inside the Divine Beast.

But there was no peace, his spirit was trapped. Hyrule lost the battle, Zelda was trapped in the castle, in a constant fight with Ganon, whilst Link was placed in the Shrine of Resurrection.

A hundred years passed, and Link entered the Divine Beast. Revali was able to assist him enough, and Link was able to kill Windblight Ganon. Revali gave him Revali's Gale. He piloted the Divine Beast to wait for Link to attack Ganon. He was well aware that now, there was no one left in his home that would actually remember him, and he was just a story.

Eventually Link attached Ganon, and Revali played his part. With that, his spirit finally was able to rest.

What was their fake life like:

Open for plots

Optional, please pick at least three and interpret them however you wish ::

Theme Song: I Can't Decide

Quote: How is Rito Village faring? Everyone seems to be doing well, as far as I can tell. I can't fathom that it's been 100 years... There's no one left who would even know me. But even so, it will always be my home.

Wanted Connections: FWB/one night stands Co-workers Friends Family

[bts-aera]

Profile: Choi Aera

Stage Name: Aera

Birth Name: Choi Aera

English Name: Ariel Choi

Position: Main Vocal, Lead Dancer, Sub Rapper, Face of the Group

Birthday: Dec 1, 1997

Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea

Height: 5'5

Representative Emoji: 🌸

Instagram: @lifeofaera

Facts

Lived in San José, California for 2 years when she was 11.

Is the older sister of Choi Yeonjun from the group Tomorrow x Together

Is very close with her brother (V Live)

Was part of the debut lineup in the beginning but was pulled off after Big Hit worried that it would jeopardize the possible success of their group.

Was re-added to BTS in early 2015 by Bang PD because he wanted to try something new.

Ended up shedding Bangtan Sonyeondan and used Beyond the Scene while promoting internationally since it translated to Bulletproof Boy Scouts.

She considers the maknae line to be her closest friends

Has the most numbers of famous people on her phone (Buzzfeed Puppy Interview)

Speaks English, Korean, and Japanese

Finds that languages are easy for her to learn so she is their personal translator when doing promotions in Japan

Has a fear of heights

She's the best drinker out of everyone (3.5 bottles of soju)

2NE1 is the reason she fell in love with kpop

Wanted to do something in the entertainment industry since she was little

Nicknames are Aeri, A, and little duck/duckie

She got the nickname little duck because during pre-debut she would practice until her body gave out and would end up waddling the next day because she was so sore.

Was a former SM Trainee

She is the most flexible member

She slept on the pull-out couch in their first dorm

Loves playing video games and will sometimes play games with ARMY (their fans)

Her favorite video games are Counter-Strike, The Last of Us, and Overwatch

Helped Jungkook pick out Bam for adoption

Is the member Bam loves the most (Jungkook V Live)

Plans to release her own mixtape

Would love to try acting at some point

Became close with a lot of idols during her time as an MC with Mingyu from Seventeen

Helps write a lot of the lyrics

Is considered the scariest member when shes mad (Arirang)

[thenamesblurrito]

it’s not a crazy ask necessarily, it’s just a Big Question that kind of takes the entire story to answer, yknow? specifying it to asking why each kid is doing this on a personal/moral level is much more manageable, i get the point of this one. i can sorta answer it with a very simplified list?

Orion: responsibility complex, combined with literally being told to do this by the guy who gave him his relic, combined with genuine optimistic belief in a better world

Windblade: aforementioned guy telling her to do this, plus a deep conviction that she has good to bring into the world and the world has good to bring to her

Minimus: aforementioned guy, combined with a deep seated (and repressed) rage at the injustice inherent to the status quo and a love for order and equity

Hot Rod: i will be honest he is just along for the ride, happy to be here, and wants to impress his crush

Blurr: loneliness and an inferiority complex, curiosity, and a desire to be helpful

Deadlock: personal lack of peace and stability, combined with self disgust and repression, and the need to express himself in a healthy constructive way

Megatron: rage at the machine, rage in general, teenage angst, the punk aesthetic, some genuine solid philosophy, and spite

Starscream: desire for meaning disguised as lust for power, the need for self actualization in an oppressive social structure

Thundercracker: loyalty to friend and family, yearning for adventure, and basic nerdy admiration of sick anime powers

Skywarp: loyalty like TC, boredom, a sense of peace and direction and control found in hero form, and wants to impress his crush

Nightracer: horrifically deep loneliness resulting in a crushing need to be seen and valued and admired and praised, general terrible life situation of being a homeless child

Blitzwing: feeling valued and protected by his fellow heroes and that sense of kinship, an unstable self defense drive, general chaos

Ariel: that feeling of asking your besties “hey wouldn’t it be fun if [worst idea you ever heard]”, combined with an actual strong love of community and leading by example

Arcee: love of violence and chaos hidden by being a model child in an oppressive society, love and loyalty to friends

Chromia: deep protector drive mostly expressed through offense being the best defense, love and loyalty to friends

Moonracer: genuine curiosity and enthusiasm about bettering the world by being a good example, love and loyalty to friends

Firestar: desire for more than what is expected of her, teenage rebellion and discovery of self, love and loyalty to friends

Predaking: member of an oppressed class striking back at the system, deep hatred of bigotry, and compassion for the downtrodden

Blackarachnia: also part of an oppressed class, general hatred and spite borne of abuse and fear, the desire to twist some good out of brokenness

Makeshift: also oppressed, a need for self actualization and autonomy, and the trust and camaraderie of fellow heroes

Rumble: chaos, spite, fun family bonding activity

Frenzy: chaos, boredom, fun family bonding activity

a lot of these are deeply broken or bad reasons! that doesn’t make their heroism invalid however, it just means they are going to need a looooooot of therapy

Gonna sound like Oobleck from RWBY here and ask why are each of the people in the 4 groups here? Why is it that they are each at the JAAT? Why is it that each of them do what they each do?

i. anon i can give you a primer but like. you're essentially asking for the entire story in a single ask, or for me to link every post i've made in the past 2+ years?? exploring the answer to your questions is the point of The Entire Canon?

may i direct you to my pinned post where i have an about page, a navigation page linking to the bios for each hero kid, and a worldbuilding masterlist for all the important bits, including about the heroes and the JAAT and the context of society currently guiding their actions?

everyone is at the JAAT bc they were lucky/smart enough to pass the entrance exams designed to find the cream of the crop amongst younglings and teach them in the least functionist way possible for their society (except Nightracer who is a junker). for the other stuff... i think you'll have to be a little more specific, i'm sorry i genuinely don't know how to answer

here's my post on faction ideology

the Decepticons and Predacons, as individuals, for the most part don't truly want genuine anarchy, so "lawless world" is inaccurate. they simply operate at an extreme opposite of the current system, which is totalitarianism, so it basically manifests as anarchy. i mean, they're kids, so some of it is teenage rebellion. Megatron would probably love genuine anarchy for a week or so before relenting, but he's the only one who properly self-identifies as an anarchist even as a civilian. the heroes in these factions just want the current regime eradicated instead of reformed, and act accordingly. they'll be demonized no matter what they do, why not lean into it?

also, important to remember, these are kids. they have NO IDEA what type of society they're fighting for. two of the factions want to change what already exists, two of them want to destroy everything and start over. two of the factions believe in an individual's power and autonomy, two of them put their faith in community and teamwork. these are young internet liberals learning woke vocabulary and tearing into each other over petty leftist infighting with little to no real world consequences, except instead of doing it on the internet, they're doing it on the streets with superpowered fake bodies. i am literally modeling the faction conflicts off the stupid stuff i see teens doing with their political and moral choices. this is not a dig at teens, and not entirely their fault, it's simply teenagerdom! but they, and the SNAP kids, will put a lot of passion and effort and thought and even violence into something that is really, really dumb sometimes. hence getting a magical artifact from god and using it to beat up another person with a sword

[lacependragonwrites]

Title: City of Fractured Dreams Series: The Book of Farside Book Number: One

Genre: Political science fantasy

Setting: Constructed fantasy world wherein all civilization exists on floating islands far above a dark and dangerous ocean, with magic powered technology that ranges across several technological eras.

Premise: A divided, floating city on the brink of civil war has its powder keg ignited when the return of otherworldly monsters provides an opportunity to take the city to its knees.

Status: Drafting first draft

Summary

In the floating, island city of Tairkyda, civil war is brewing. In Topside, politicians strain for power in an ever-growing city fueled by the inventions of their charismatic leader. Down in Underside, a multitude of criminals and politicians make their play to control the grimy, seedy underbelly of Tairkyda.

The whole city is a powder keg, ready to ignite.

And then someone strikes a match.

When a dragon rider returns with news that a new Rift — portals to another world which first appeared 20 years ago — has opened in the ocean, Tairkyda’s leader preps the same bomb that sealed the last one.

Yet, it fails, and all but three members of the dragonguard die — two return to Topside, while one is thought dead and falls to Underside.

With the city’s strongest fighters dead, its politics in shambles, and the smell of fear thick in the streets, each player in Tairkyda makes their move.

A political activist strikes out against an opponent thought to be too dangerous to approach so brazenly.

A bartender is forced to choose sides instead of defending the makeshift, unstable peace he’s created in Underside.

A leader struggles to build a solution to the impending apocalypse, one he stopped with a partner sixteen years prior.

A military general uses the unrest to look for his missing son, all while fighting for a system he believes still has merit.

Two monsters, born from assumption and pain, rise from the ash and decay of their old lives and step into their new ones.

A ragtag team struggles to become the next dragonguard and the heroes Tairkyda needs in these uncertain times.

And at the center of it all, a pair of siblings struggle to find one another after eight years apart.

Peace is over and returning to it isn’t an option. Now, the question is who will be left standing when the dust finally clears, and will they be capable of stopping the monsters that threaten to drag their island, and all the others, into the depths far below?

The Characters

Cináed — 17, they/them. Kidnapped from Underside eight years ago, Cináed is an arcane caster about to graduate from the academy who is eager to return to Underside and find their sister, Cat.

Cat — 21, she/her. Aggressive, frustrated underground fighter in Underside constantly running into walls as she looks for information to hunt down their sibling, Cináed.

Baqir — 46, he/him. Defacto leader of Underside who craves nothing more than peace and solitude for himself and his people who is forced to take a stand when the Cult of Farside targets him.

Nomiki — 21, she/her. Dragonguard member who unknowingly survives the attack and scours Underside to hunt down the woman who stole her dead dragon’s bones.

Ariel — 22, he/him. A Fringe farmer who discovers Nomiki and her dying dragon in his barn. He longs to be a hero and go on adventures, yet fails to recognize his own worth.

Rhys — 18, they/them. A Farsider who desires to be with those who love them above all else. Rhys lacks understanding of limits and most morals, yet is fundamentally kind beneath their penchant for violence.

Shahin — 51, he/him. Crime lord in Underside using his technological prowess and charisma to exact revenge against Topside and the Council of Tairkyda.

Chao — 52, he/him. The leader of the Council and Tairkyda as a whole. A guilt-ridden man struggling with the weight of the world on his shoulders who never wanted the burden he was shouldered with sixteen years ago.

Aeliana — 34, she/her. Political activist in Underside attempting to legitimize it while also wiping out all crime she believes undermines her efforts. Brutally efficient and eager to act.

Janus — 24, he/him. Younger brother of Aeliana determined to help who accidentally bonds with a powerful dragon and gets pulled into Topside politics and the new dragonguard

[pinespittinink]

beer cheese & chicken noodle!

Beer Cheese Soup: A scene from your wip that made you laugh

there's this entire scene in chapter four of The Great Glavenisean Theater that i'm absolutely in love with because i think all the interactions at the cast party are spectacular, with Morgan as the extreme fish out of water. I've lumped the whole scene over here if you want to read it! (1.6k) 🎭 here's a teaser!

“You’re a designer?” Christina says, lowering her head toward mine enough that her hair brushes my ear for a moment, acerbic voice sharpened to be heard under the raucous clamor. “Do you have your portfolio then? Have you designed costumes before?”

“I’ve designed for shows, but not theater,” I say, fighting to keep conversation as Travis licks honey off Seonghwa’s fingers. “I have an appointment with the departments in Lisa Rollins tomorrow.”

“I used to have a dress from Lisa Rollins,” Christina says, a nearly comical dourness blooming over her face, pointing her dark lips into a nostalgic pout. “One of my boyfriends got it for me a few years ago. But I tore the whole thing from knee to hip at Squid’s one night—beads everywhere, silk ripped up to my panties.”

Chicken Noodle Soup: Your favorite hurt/comfort scene

Oh BOY, okay so I don't have one of these for TGGT yet, but you can expect some upcoming stuff with Zachary and Ariel as I get into the meat of them.

That said, Bloodlines has a decent amount that fits into this kind of thing; this is a scene in particular from the current draft that I wrote years ago.

“Lady Perfoliata, Enfriator and I are leaving the hospital,” he says. Enfriator carefully slips from his wings and drops from the nest to retrieve her boots, hanging her pack and discarded pietna leathers over her shoulders. 

“You are not,” Rain spits. Victory is hardly aware of her, concerned instead as Enfriator picks up her swords. The sheathed tips drag across the floor, and the guards move suddenly towards her. Victory strikes a wing in front of her, halting them again. He is not aware of his own trembling until Enfriator soothes a hand along his wing.

“Where is Polar?” he asks shakily, “Where is West?” 

“Down the mountain a little ways, I believe,” says the Successor. “They have been preparing the little villa you favor, in case you wished to return.”

Victory swallows tightly as Enfriator strokes his feathers. “That’s where we will go then.”

The moment he gets down from the nest, Victory crumples to the floor. 

Blinding flashes cross his vision in sheets; his throat constricts around emptiness, devoid of breath. Sound is distant and muffled in his ears, light too bright, too deafening. His body is dissolving into particles, feathers and hair and skin threatening to break away like the golden motes drifting in the air. All boundaries between his flesh and soul are disappearing like the dawn fog. 

Voices ring all around, words indecipherable and frantic, but one digs deeper than the others, urgently forcing the divisions of his spirit back together. Strong, safe hands touch his face, and Victory’s white blindness retreats like a lightning spike called back to the clouds. His body has weight and shape again, and he gulps in air, tears burning his eyes. 

Enfriator has dragged him into her lap. She holds him in her arms, hands cradling his face. She is solid over and beneath him, and he folds into her as much as he can. There is a choke in her voice, caught deep in her chest, and Victory burrows his face against her bare stomach, gasping. He can feel her fear, but her arms are strong around him and he shuts his eyes tight, shuddering. He feels like slack rope, like jelly, immovable and shivering. The other voices are still a resounding collision, Pulvia Queen and the Successor and the nurse all speaking in unintelligible sounds and harsh volumes. He understands only Enfriator, murmuring into his hair.

phew boy okay that was a lot, thank you!! Current wc for TGGT: 21793.

🍲 for every soup I will write a hundred words! 🍲

[whumpinggrounds]

Ursula the Sea Witch

all right day two of @whumptober2021 and i am trying the prompt “talking is overrated” + “choking” for my beloveds Liam and Delilah

tagging @hearse-song, @brutal-nemesis, and @whumpy-writings, please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

CW: choking, noncon drugging, psychological whump if that’s a thing, brief ableist language, tiny whumper, big whumpee, crying, angst, noncon touch, intimate whumper, creepy whumper

Facedown on the ground, all Liam can see is the wood floor of the cabin under his nose. He can tip his head back a little to keep his forehead from resting flat on the ground, but he doesn’t have enough clearance to really see any of his surroundings except for the panels below him. Still, Liam tries to pay attention, as if anything he can see is going to help him. The light coming through the windows is clear and harsh – is it morning? Afternoon? He’s been asleep for so long he’s not sure, especially now that so much of his rest comes unnaturally. He’s learned to dread the strange, bitter water that Delilah pours oh-so-carefully down his throat.

Or, he mostly dreads it. Sometimes being asleep is so much better than being awake that he gulps the water gratefully and hopes that when he wakes, the nightmare will just be over.

Now would be one of those times. His limbs are his own, his body and mind are his own, but Liam is utterly trapped by the weight of Delilah perched cross-legged on the middle of his back. She presses his bare chest firmly against the boards, which are cold enough to make him want to squirm. Even if Liam could throw her off, he woke up this morning to a brand-new manacle locked around his ankle, one that’s bolted right into the cement of the chimney. He might be able to stand without her on his back, but he wouldn’t get far.

Much more pressingly, Delilah has a belt in her hand, and the leather of it is pressing gently into the thin skin of Liam’s throat. Swallowing hard, he feels his Adam’s apple bob uncomfortably against the wide leather strap. He doesn’t know how long they’ve been sitting like this. It feels like a long, long time. 

“Hey, Eric? We’re gonna play a game.” Above him, Delilah’s voice sounds playful, light.

Throat working in quick, shallow pants, Liam moves his mouth soundlessly for a moment, not even sure what part of that he should address. Finally, he goes with the most basic. “My name isn’t Eric,” Liam whispers, so desperately confused he wants to scream. “I-”

Right then, his voice cuts out, because Delilah hauls hard on the belt, and Liam is left choking, gagging, desperately trying to suck in air that won’t come. He’s never felt this before – this raw desperation, the tearing need for oxygen that can’t, won’t, isn’t coming. Feet beating uselessly against the floor, his hands come up to scrape fingernails uselessly against the smooth leather, but almost as soon as they do, Delilah is relaxing her stranglehold, sighing.

“Wrong,” she informs him. One fingernail is tracing nonsense patterns on his spine, and the sensation of her sharp nail against his bare skin makes Liam shudder against the cold wood floors. “C’mon, Eric. It’s not hard. What’s your name?”

“I-I don’t know who you think I am, but my name is Liam-”

The feeling of the belt cutting into his throat is the worst one that Liam knows. It’s not just that his air is cut off – it feels like it’s being taken from him violently, like his throat is closed and his chest collapsing, lungs burning in instantaneous protest. The pain of having his neck crushed is almost secondary – an ache that makes him heave out wracking cough after wracking cough as soon as Delilah releases her hold.

“Wrong again. You’re not very good at this, Eric.” She reaches up, tousles his hair. “It’s a good thing I love you.”

“I don’t know who you are-”

More gagging, gasping, choking. “Fuck,” Liam gasps, as soon as she lets up, and with a put-upon sigh, Delilah chokes him again.

“Princes don’t swear,” she tells him, when she finally lets go, when the red and black dancing spots are finally receding from his vision.

It takes everything in him to maintain his composure, to keep from breaking down and screaming or cursing or crying, but as Liam heaves in choked, jagged breaths, he curls his hands into tight fists and forces the word out slow and careful.

“…p-princes?”

Liam’s voice sounds thin and reedy to his own ears, exhausted and unfamiliar. He wants to demand an explanation, wants to throw her off his back and force her to tell him who she thinks she is – who she thinks he is. More so than that, he wants her to understand she’s made a mistake, it’s not him she wants, and she needs to just let him go.

But Liam doesn’t have the words or the breath for that, and even if he did, Delilah doesn’t want to hear it.

“Don’t play dumb, silly.” Delilah’s hand cups his cheek. “You’re my prince. You’re my Prince Eric, and I’m your mermaid, Ariel.” Her voice takes on a dreamy tone as she slides her palm down the side of Liam’s face. Sour fear turns Liam’s stomach.

She’s not confused. The girl on his back is fucking crazy.

Swallowing hard, and then gagging at the pain in his throat, Liam tries to think. He needs to play along at least a little. It’s clear from the last few minutes, and the bruises forming on his throat, what will happen if he doesn’t. Trying to think carefully, he clears his throat and then has to squeeze his shaking hands into fists to keep from cursing at the pain. Wetting his lips, Liam tries to speak. It takes him a few tries to get words out.

“P-Princess Ariel,” he begins carefully, and on top of him, Delilah lets out a pleased giggle. She bounces a little in place on his back, and it should hurt, but she’s so damned light. So damned light and yet he still can’t get away from her. “Princess, um, Ariel, I think you’ve made a, a mistake?”

The leather rests snugly against Liam’s throat, making him squeeze his eyes shut, anticipating the pain. Delilah doesn’t pull – not yet – but the warning is clear as the belt tightens just a little further. “A mistake?”

“I…I don’t, um, think I’m the prince you’re looking for?”

There’s one moment when Liam thinks she might be listening to him, one breath of pause in which he lets himself hope. Then he feels the belt tighten.

Liam kicks and hits out with his fists, but there’s nothing to do. His hands come up to try to haul the belt off, but she has it cinched around his throat, and he’s left thrashing uselessly, panting without air, fingernails leaving long furrows in the skin of his neck. The pain is everywhere and it is searing – cutting through his lungs, burning up his throat, making his head ache so fiercely his vision swims. Liam bucks against the floor, heaving, but Delilah uses the belt like a leash, holding her body on top of his, and every contortion only makes the noose grow tighter. It goes on for what feels like forever. It goes on so long that Liam is sure he’s going to die.

When Liam’s vision is so black it’s almost gone, something changes. There’s a loosening, an allowance for a tiny breath of air. Liam sucks it in like he’s trying to drink the ocean through a straw, and that sets off a long and agonizing round of coughing that nearly sends him into unconsciousness – every time he brings in a new breath of air, it’s stolen by a cough, all relief denied. By the time he’s aware of himself, he has tears running down his cheeks, painful sobs heaving through his swollen throat. The leather still rests tight against his skin.

“F-fuck,” he hisses, and then screams as the belt firms inexorably against his trachea, fast and unforgiving as a striking snake. This time, when she stops, he lets his forehead thunk hard against the wood floor. Liam lets himself bawl, tears coming fast and hard, each hiccup and sob tearing through his bruised esophagus like a personal insult. It’s hard enough to breathe without worrying about the tears and the snot – and then Delilah starts to pull the belt taut again.

“N-no!”

“Princes don’t cry like this, Eric.” Delilah sounds faintly disgusted. “This is icky.”

A high ringing starts in Liam’s ears as he thrashes. Somewhere distantly below it, he can hear a horrible gagging, a choked-off grunting gasp that he knows must be coming from him. It’s an animal sound, a plea for air with no interruption from higher order thinking. He goes so much faster this time, vision swimming, lungs seizing, and when the blackness rushes up to meet him, Liam can’t do a thing to stop it.

_

Gasping and spluttering, Liam comes to with a feeling like drowning. There’s water in his face and his mouth, cold and alarming, so he sits up fast, but the motion makes his head spin. Groaning, he grabs at his face, trying to steady himself.

Information comes to him in stages. He’s alive. He’s awake. He’s soaking wet. His body hurts, his head hurts – every part of him hurts, but nothing else comes close to touching the searing ache attacking his throat. Gingerly, he prods at his neck with one finger, hissing at the immediate spike in pain. Every breath feels like he’s swallowing sandpaper.

“Eric! Eric, are you alright?”

Liam looks up and there she is – Delilah, in all her delicate glory, her long brown hair braided back from her face, her tiny hands clasped rapturously to her chest. When she looks at him, her blue eyes are wide and almost dazed. She smiles, her elfin face alight. “Eric?”

Letting his head sink into his palms, Liam tries to take a deep breath, but it won’t come. He can’t get air into his lungs, or at least not far enough to make a difference. He can only breathe shallowly, so shallowly that even now he still feels like he might pass out.

The girl in front of him weighs probably half what he does, and she’s out of her mind besides. Big strong Liam, college lacrosse Liam, works-out-every-day-but-Sunday Liam, could not, should not, cannot be held captive by this glowing little girl.

But there’s a manacle around his ankle and not nearly enough air getting to his muscles and his brain. He feels so helpless he wants to cry, but he has to keep the tears small, silent, manly enough to escape Delilah’s notice.

“Yes, Ariel.” His voice comes out so battered, hoarse and strained, that for a moment, Liam doesn’t quite know who’s talking. “Thank you. I’m all right.”

Her hand comes to rest on his blonde hair, fingers running through it, and Liam can’t tell if the implication is that she’s protecting him…or possessing.

[emilia3546]

Shadowsinger Part 7 -Gwynriel

ACOSF Spoilers! Do Not read this unless you have finished ACOSF and the Azriel bonus chapter

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Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

*****

Azriel fought the urge to fidget, waiting, hidden in the shadows at the back of the room, not all the camp lords were even here yet, but they were still complaining. A clock in the corner struck nine and, almost as one, heads turned to the doorway, to Rhys' form appearing there, right on time. Azriel dispelled the shadows, and almost grinned at the clear surprise of some camp lords, and the outright fear of others, those who'd been toeing the line of outright treason. The moment Rhys stepped into the room, the camp lords stood, some smiled at him, others remained neutral, but there were a few who were glaring at him as if he were the greatest evil they'd ever seen. Rhys waved it all off, taking his seat at the head of the table,

"Sit down, and let's get on with it." Silence still reigned over the table as Azriel stalked across the room to stand behind Rhys, a hand casually resting on Truthteller's hilt at his side. "I believe there are some issues that you wish to discuss," Rhys started, but silenced an overeager lord with a look, "And I will listen, but my decision on matters will be final, is that understood?" He was met by begrudging nods and allowed the first lord to speak, 

"Thank you, High Lord." Good, at least this one hadn't forgotten his manners. Azriel fought the instinct to glare at Ironcrest's camp lord, the arrogant shit that he was, "I do have some concerns about some of your new rules,"

"Laws." Azriel corrected him, "You don't get to belittle laws you don't like."

"My apologies, about your new laws. My daughter, she now has to train with the boys, and wear leathers, I can see them looking at her, and it disgusts me. I have to protect her, but I cannot if you insist that she is trained with the boys." Rhys nodded slowly,

"I understand your concern, but, that is exactly why she should be trained, so that you don't need to protect her all the time. Can she hold her own in a fight?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then you don't need to worry, but I will consider allowing all-female training sessions for those who prefer, and," he added seeing the uproar that was about to kick off, "I will ensure a plan is made to avoid limiting training time for males and the females who are happy to train with them." The camp lord narrowed his eyes for a moment, considering, but sat down, Azriel knew better than to believe he was actually happy, but there was no other way for him to push back. It seemed that, for now at least, he would be content. The moment he sat down another stood to take his place,

"You might be content to see your girls fighting, but I am not. I do not care that your mate fights, High Lord, it is not in females' nature to fight, they will get hurt, and will be unable to do the jobs that they are supposed to do."

"What? Get married and breed?" Rhys raised an eyebrow as he spoke, "I'd consider your answer very carefully,"

"No, but someone has to maintain the camps, do the cooking, make clothes, look after children. Males train and fight full-time, there is no time for that, females fighting is ridiculous, when that isn't what they are designed to do."

"Again, I do understand that you worry about the integrity of your camp, but, I assure you, with both males and females helping with household chores, there is ample time to train and maintain a home."

"I don't think you understand the time it takes, High Lord, it can't be done."

"It can be done, with both males and females helping. Cassian probably works and trains more than all of you, and his mate matches him minute for minute, but they still find time to cook, clean the House, and spend time with their family." The camp lord struggled for words for a moment, "I will have plans written up to help with this if needed, but give yourselves some time to adjust, and teach your sons how to help their sisters and mothers." The camp lord nodded, not quite satisfied, but contented again. Azriel almost winced, if only he knew exactly what they wanted, what exactly Rhys could do to prevent them from rebelling, neither of the two lords who had spoken were really happy, they were just going to wait until Rhys made a wrong move, and strike.

Azriel watched silently, glaring at anyone who liked like he might start violence, and stepped closer to Rhys, ready to step in front of him if needed, but the room stilled when Ironcrest's camp lord stepped up,

"High Lord," he slightly inclined his head to Rhys, in a mockery of a bow, "Hello, Shadowsinger," he chuckled, "Our ability to protect our people comes from our ability to maintain order," each word was carefully chosen but Azriel knew what he really meant, he wanted to be able to control his people, "For protecting our females, that means keeping them in the camp, where they are safe, now they will be tempted to fly somewhere they cannot be protected, where no male knows where they are. We must keep them in the camp for their own safety, and not tempt them with flight elsewhere, into danger." Azriel almost snarled,

"Safety? Is that what you call it?" Rhys chuckled, "I call it control, and it makes you no better than those fae who kept humans as slaves, but you at least convince your enslaved people into thinking that you want to protect them. You don't fool me, but, since the threat of a female not being to defend herself outside of the camps is genuine, you have brought up the exact reason for my insistence that they also train." The lord's face fell for a moment,

"If they fight, they might start to think that they can lead,"

"They can lead, unless you're worried that you might become dispensable." The lord chuckled, 

"Of course not, but I will not have my females thinking that they are more than what they are."

"And what is that?" Rhys' voice was a low warning,

"Wives and mothers, homekeepers, not warriors, that is and has always been, a male role, I will not allow you to destroy our culture." With that he stood and left, leaving silence in his wake,

"Anyone who tries to ignore any laws will be punished as such, if help is needed to adjust it can be provided, or if there are genuine concerns outside of 'females' place' do send me a letter, and I will address them as best I can." Rhys then stood, and rested a hand on Azriel's shoulder, winnowing them both back to Velaris.

Azriel almost stumbled on hitting the ground outside the River House,

"I'm sorry," he muttered, and Rhys blinked,

"What?"

"That was awful, you should have known exactly what they wanted and how to truly avoid a war, that just delayed it."

"I know enough to know that truly avoiding a war is near impossible,"

"But not impossible, not with the right intel."

"Az, you did everything right, anything more drastic would have been noticed," he placed a hand on Azriel's shoulder, "You didn't think you'd find much, don't worry," Azriel turned away,

"I didn't expect much, but I expected something, you shouldn't have had to go in there blind." 

"Az, really, it's fine, your spies not being able to find anything tells us something else, we know at least that they're all being very careful with what they say, that they don't trust their own, and can't be unified." That was true, and Azriel nodded, "C'mon, we've got to make a plan, Feyre's waiting, and Cass will be here soon."

"No Nesta?"

"No, she'd already planned to go with Gwyn to visit Emerie." What? Rhys didn't miss the flash of worry in his eyes, "It's okay, Emerie says there's no hint of rebellion there, Mor dropped them off right at her house, and saw them go inside, no-one will attack them inside." Ariel nodded again and pushed the door open,

"Hold him," Feyre immediately brushed past him, dumping Nyx into his arms as she ran for the nearest bathroom. Azriel wrinkled his nose at the unmistakable scent of vomit, he held Nyx at arms length as the baby gurgled and hiccuped, still smelling, and Rhys chuckled behind him,

"He's not going to explode you know,"

"I know, he smells,"

"He's a baby, they smell." Azriel still held Nyx slightly away from his chest, but smiled when he narrowed his eyes, going still and then trying to leap for a shadow on Azriel's shoulder. With Nyx's tiny wings flapping, Azriel only just managed to catch him before he fell. 

"Well he definitely takes after you, Mr Reckless." Rhys grinned again, and Azriel followed him through to the nursery, putting Nyx down and sending shadows racing around him, Nyx's shouts of joy as he chased them almost taking his mind off Illyria, almost, but not quite,

"Thanks, Az." Feyre grinned when she reappeared, armed with Velaris' best cleaning supplies as she made a beeline for her son, tickling him as she tried to clean him up, making faces at him to make him laugh and let her finish cleaning him. "Good boy," she muttered before releasing him to crawl after the shadows again. She flopped onto a couch next to Rhys, and he automatically threw an arm around her shoulders, "Meeting go well?"

"As well as we could have expected, they're all content for now, still grumbling, but they haven't got a decent excuse yet," Rhys explained, "We just need to brainstorm a few ideas about next steps now, so we can be prepared."

*****

Gwyn stifled a laugh as Nesta almost snorted out her mouthful of hot cocoa at Emerie's comment about one of their most recent books,

"He's not evil," she protested, "He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all."

"Wrong place at the wrong time?" Emerie snorted, "He's literally a war criminal!"

"Well, I think he's got potential, he just needs to see an alternative." Nesta insisted, and looked over to Gwyn, "C'mon, back me up,"

"I think," Gwyn narrowed her eyes, "That we don't really know him well enough to make a proper judgement, he could literally be evil, or he could be hiding his motives, perhaps it'll be clearer in the next book." Nesta cheered, and finished her mug of cocoa, staring triumphantly at Emerie,

"She didn't agree with you, either, Nes!" She shouted after her as she ran off to the kitchen to refill her mug, and grinned when she returned,

"Anyway," Gwyn started, "Enough about fictional males, how's mated life treating you? We haven't had a proper discussion yet." Nesta snorted,

"I've only been back for a few days,"

"Still," Gwyn raised an eyebrow, and Nesta laughed,

"It's like, well you know what we were like before, it's like that, but somehow more, with the bond there, really there, everything is so much more intense, y'know."

"Not really," Emerie smiled, "Care to enlighten us?"

"You know when you love someone so much that when they're not there, you constantly want to check that they're okay?" Both Emerie and Gwyn nodded, Catrin, Gwyn had loved her that much, differently to how Nesta loved Cassian, but she had loved her so much. "It's more than that, it's like looking in a mirror, like seeing my soul reflected in his eyes."

"And the sex is good, yes?" Emerie chuckled, and Nesta blushed, trying to dodge the question,

"You have no idea," she finally muttered, earning a howl of laughter from Emerie, "Right after you mate, there's like a pull, and well,"

"Don't tell me you spent your whole honeymoon having sex?" Emerie giggled gleefully, enjoying this conversation far too much,

"Not all of it!" Nesta insisted, "We went to a little house in the mountains, Cass built it himself a while ago, right after Rhysand became high lord, it was the first time he'd ever been able to buy anything himself, so he bought the materials for that house." Gwyn smiled, "It's right by a lake, and when the sky's clear, and there's no wind, it looks like a mirror, like the stars and moon are shining up rather than down."

"It sounds beautiful," Gwyn mused, 

"It is, and, I don't think he noticed, but when we went down to the lake one evening, some of the stars, they crested just over his wings, and almost looked like a set of armor, but then it disappeared, right as he pointed out some of the constellations, Enalius, he's the one I remember best, but there was a lion one, and a pegasus, and," Nesta paused, and pursed her lips, trying to remember, "And, oh a wolf. And then, he picked me up, and flew above the trees, and the stars were shining over the mountains in the distance. We picked a star. It's our star, whenever I look at it, I have to think of him, and when he looks at it he has to think of me. I know it's a bit lovey-dovey, but I like having that, even when he's not right here."

"I think it's cute," Gwyn squeezed Nesta's hand, "I'm gonna get some more marshmallows," she gestured to the dismally boring mugs of cocoa, and slipped off to the kitchen, and swore when she saw that they'd run out, "Em!" She shouted up the stairs, "You got any more marshmallows?"

"Yeah, there's some in the parlor at the side of the house, I think," Emerie shouted back, before howling with laughter, presumably at Nesta's expense, and Gwyn chuckled to herself as she stepped outside, the cold air nipping at her face as she quickly skirted round the house, keeping an eye out before rummaging through to find the marshmallows.

A hand clamped over her mouth, and muffled Gwyn's scream as she was dragged backwards, no, no, no, she couldn't, not again, tears pricked her eyes as she fought desperately to regain her balance, her panic clouding her mind. She forced herself to stop, to take a deep breath in. It was dark, no-one else was around, Nesta and Emerie were too far away to help her. She glanced around as much as she could, there, Emerie had a wood-chopping block set up, and the axe was still there. She relaxed, and stopped struggling, waiting for her attacker to grow complacent. He didn't, just tugged her tighter against him,

"You're one of the bitches who thought that females can fight," a voice hissed in her ear, "We'll see what our 'oh so powerful' High Lord thinks when he finds out we have you." Gwyn shivered in fear, slowly trying to loosen his grip on her, but the moment he slightly let go, he spun her around and threw her to the floor, she was several hundred meters from the house now, even if she screamed nobody would hear her. Right as she tried to get up, he kicked her hands out from underneath her, pinning her wrists to the floor. She couldn't breathe. This was it. She was going to die, right here, right now, she was going to die. "Pathetic," the male hissed, "Girls like you should know better than to go outside in the dark on your own, even if the camp is loyal, some of us don't agree with the new laws." Gwyn ignored him, focusing on keeping her breathing slow, but each time he adjusted his grip on her, it sped back up. She had to distract herself, something happy. Nesta smiling, Emerie laughing, male in the dark. It wasn't working, miniature pegasus, male in the dark. Baby Nyx, male in the dark. Azriel. Azriel smiling, Azriel laughing, Azriel singing, Azriel holding her, flying over Velaris, Azriel teaching her silent fighting, Azriel, Azriel, Azriel.

Gwyn surged upwards, flipping the male off, and sprinted for the axe, wrenching it out of the wood, and hurled it at her assailant, only turning back in her mad sprint for the safety of the house at his grunt of pain. He stumbled, blood seeping out through his leathers as he inspected the gash in his thigh,

"Bitch," he hissed, and Gwyn flew for the door, latching it behind her,

"Nesta! Emerie!" Gwyn screamed, backing away from the door, Nesta was the first down the stairs, "We have a problem, call Cassian now, get someone here to fetch us early, he'll break down the door soon." True to her words, a banging started on the doors, and stopped, but then intensified, oh shit, he had the axe, she'd practically given it to him, and he was going to kill them. "You have any weapons, Em?" Emerie silently shook her head, 

"Only kitchen knives,"

"That'll do," Nesta muttered, "C'mon, we should be ready for when he gets in." Gwyn followed Nesta into the kitchen, quite happy to let her plan, and position them all. The banging stopped, he was in, but then there was a thump, and the door squeaked open, so it was still on its hinges,

"Nesta? Gwyn? Emerie?" Mor. Gwyn stood out of her hiding place, and Emerie ran for Mor, her wings almost knocking them both off their feet as she crashed into Mor's arms,

"Thank the gods," she muttered, "We thought we were going to have to fight him off with cutlery." Mor snorted,

"Not on my watch, let's get out of here." Emerie wrapped her arms around Mor's waist, and Nesta and Gwyn each held an arm, only letting go once they reached the House of Wind, "There's not a spare room here, there's already one in the townhouse though, I'll stay with you if you prefer, Em." Emerie smiled and nodded,

"Yeah, okay, thanks." And held on to Mor as she winnowed them away again. Gwyn had barely registered arriving before Cassian hurtled through the door, and cupped Nesta's face in his hands,

"Are you hurt? Who tried to hurt you? I'll kill him, I'll kill him." Nesta reached up to cup his face,

"I'm fine, I'm fine Cass, no-one touched me, Mor was there quickly enough." Cassian gathered her into his chest,

"I'm never leaving your side again," he muttered, kissing the top of her head, and Gwyn almost wanted to leave, but that felt more awkward,

"That's a bit dramatic," Nesta giggled,

"I mean it, sweetheart, I'm going nowhere, from now on, I get to tag along on girls night." Nesta snorted again,

"Only if you let us braid your hair."

"Deal." Gwyn's attention was drawn away by a little noise behind her, and she turned to find Azriel waiting,

"How long have you been there?" She asked, and he shrugged,

"I didn't want to startle you," Gwyn just wrapped her arms around his neck, raising herself on her tiptoes just to reach, "Are you okay?" He muttered, noting the mud all over her clothes,

"Yeah, just a bit shaken, he didn't get a chance to actually hurt me, just scared me a bit." Azriel nodded, and squeezed around her waist a little, "I panicked,” she admitted, "All the training we've been doing, and the first time I got ambushed, I panicked."

"That's okay, it's normal, you still got away, that's still great." Gwyn sighed,

"I suppose, but what if it happens again, I mean it was a male in the dark, and I just froze," tears formed in her eyes when Azriel gently tipped her chin up to look at him, 

"That is normal, Gwyn. You did so, so well by realizing that you were panicking and working through it to escape, you did, I am so proud of you for that." Gwyn smiled, just a little, but it made Azriel grin at her, "Do that again."

"What?"

"Smile." She did,

"Thank you, Az." She mumbled, letting him lead her back to her rooms and draw up a bath. He stayed sat on the bed while she washed, talking gently, almost nonsense, but his voice, just his voice chased away the remaining fear, and Gwyn found that she was exhausted, and was almost asleep when she flopped into bed, barely registering when Azriel brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her brow gently before leaving her to sleep. Gwyn tried to call out his name, to ask him to stay, but he was gone, and sleep claimed her quickly.

Tired as she was, dreams plagued her sleep, dreams of faceless males, in the dark, dreams that she hadn't had in years, dreams of Catrin's face, smiling and laughing, then crying silently in fear, dreams of the younglings she had to protect before they shared her sister's fate. Her eyes flew open right as that Hybern commander's face appeared in her dreams. She stumbled to the bathroom, staring straight into the mirror.

I'm safe.

It's over.

I'm in Velaris.

I'm safe.

It's over.

I'm in Velaris.

It wasn't working, her usual calming ritual wasn't working, she couldn't calm herself down, she splashed her face with water, deep breaths, deep breaths. The bed was drenched in sweat when she returned, sweat that felt like blood, Catrin's blood, just like the nightgown clinging to her skin now. Gwyn stepped back into the bathroom, and cleaned herself up before changing into a new nightgown. When she returned to the bed, it was clean, new sheets in place,

"Thank you," she whispered, just about managing to fall asleep until a voice filled her dreams

That one's mine.

Gwyn hurled herself out of bed, she had to get out, she had to just get away, she threw the door open, a sob rising in her chest as he eyes fell on the door across from hers, as the scent from that room reached her. Male, but safe, male, but safe, male, but she didn't fear it, no, she didn't fear it, she loved it. She threw the door open, the sobs finally forcing their way out of her as she ran fro Azriel. She sobbed as she crawled onto the bed, into his arms, and buried her face in his chest,

"Az," she sobbed, and he mumbled gently to her, she couldn't quite make out the words, but his voice was calm, soothing, and she snuggled into him, "I had a nightmare," she muttered by way of an explanation, and Azriel gently stroked her hair, "About Sangravah, I was scared."

"You're safe here," he mumbled, "I'm right here, no-one can touch you, not while I'm here." She nodded and sniffed again, fear dissipating with every word he spoke, and giggling when a shadow wrapped around her, 

"They're protecting me," she giggled, and gradually drifted back to sleep, nightmares held at bay as she slept this time. She was safe here, with him. Gwyn slept the whole night snuggled against Azriel's chest, safe in his arms.