#battlestudies

[hesperio]

"I made you something!" She hands the man a doodle of Professor Gible (is it well drawn? Who knows, art is subjective after all) with a little hat - strangely looking like the Fighting Tera crystal. "It's a thank you for being the nicest colleague I ever had and all the help you gave me when I first started at the Academy!" (hi! i hope you don't mind this ask, she wanted to greet you!)

he's not expecting the company, puzzling over something in his classroom, his brows furrowed with the intensity of someone deep in thought (despite being faced with the goofiest ditto painting anyone has ever seen.) dendra's voice breaks him out of his thoughts, and he turns in time to have the picture handed to him.

it didn't matter if it was 'well-drawn' ; it was delightful to receive even small doodles from the people he knew. and as a thank you gift as well!

" of course! i pride myself on being a very welcoming and helpful member of the staff. you know you can always come to me if you have need of something. you've been a delight to have as well, dendra. "

(he's definitely putting this with the rest of the gifted art he keeps around his desk.)

[redlegend-a]

Wow, is this The Man? The Myth? THE LEGEND?! She can't help it but- "Battle me!!!"

He grins. Maybe!

And signs, ‘OK’, gesturing broadly around him as if to say, ‘where?’

[armatization-a]

( @asterisque / @battlestudies )

[ FIVE BRUSHES ]  sylvain + ashe !

[ five times they don’t and the one time they do prompts ; accepting ]

Ashe is taking notes, watching Byleth as they talk. He isn't the best with tactics just yet, and anything that requires calculation is lost on him. He makes notes on formulas and tactics, but the quill slips from his hand. He gasps sharply, before diving under the table to grab it.

The quill itself is fine, thank goodness. Ink hadn't splattered everywhere, either. He picks it up with one hand, the other on the bench to hoist himself back up. He flinches as his hand touches flesh instead. Sylvain's hand. Ashe pulls back, and whispers an apology.

How embarrassing - Ashe nearly grabbed hold of Sylvain's hand. But he's sure Sylvain will forget about it soon enough.

—

There is no such thing as a good ghost story.

And yet, somehow, the Lions have all gathered around a campfire. It started with roasting things over the fire, chatting happily about the day's events. It should be a group bonding activity, though Felix left early. As soon as Mercedes notes the spooky nature of their outing, Ashe wishes he were as antisocial as Felix.

Mercedes is detailed in her horrible ghost story. She leans into the fire just so, face illuminated menacingly by the flames. Ashe wants to leave. He scoots back as she ramps up, scooting until-

"Ah!"

Ashe screams as he falls to his side, horrified. He felt something cold and bony and awful, but soon realises his mistake. It's only Sylvain. It's only Sylvain's hand.

"I- that's-" he gasps. "I- I'm sorry. I think I should go."

He scrambles to his feet and runs, his chest heaving. He would like to die now, please.

—

Ashe isn't big on dancing.

It's not that he doesn't want to, it's more that he shouldn't. He stands against a wall, staring at the destroyed flower arrangement. As long as no one knows it was his lousy footwork that did that, then everything would be fine. He eyes the door: maybe he could sneak out. He sees someone approaching, and looks over. It's Sylvain, his hand extended.

Ashe looks down at his hand, then back up at Sylvain. He wants to, but then his eyes dart back to the flower arrangement. It's only a silly crush, but the last thing Ashe wants to do is embarrass himself in front of anyone, let alone Sylvain. He smiles, but shakes his head.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I'm not feeling very well. I was thinking about turning in early. Oh but, I think I see Annette over there. I think she would appreciate a dance.

Before Sylvain can question it, Ashe is gone, face burning. Why is he like this?

—

Ashe misses those innocent days, where his only worry was school dances and missing assignments.

Okay, he doesn't look back at his embarrassing moments with fondness, but the general idea of it? He misses idle campfires, he misses his friends being more carefree. He misses it all. But despite that, there's one thing that didn't change.

Ashe still likes Sylvain.

This isn't surprising, but it is disappointing. There's no time to chase this, even if he wanted to. Even if he could. In his mind, he's still the awkward teenager who flinched at the thought of holding hands.

When they sit together, Ashe's mind wanders back to his teenage years. Maybe it would have been inappropriate to try back then, but he wonders what would happen if he had tried. Would they be together? Would they still be together? Would they be a battle couple? Hm.

He snaps himself out of his thoughts. He's supposed to be paying attention to the war meeting, but once again, tactics aren't his strong suit. He glances over at Sylvain, who is listening, at least. Ashe simply cannot pay attention. His mind is elsewhere, full of anxieties and what ifs.

His eyes trail down to Sylvain's hand. Perhaps in a better life, he might have dared to try. But he can't. He won't.

—

The battle isn't won yet. Ashe doubts it ever will be.

He's in a state, but he keeps going. He's worn to the bone, beaten down, but he must keep fighting to keep his friends and allies safe. He nocks another arrow, but as he's about to release it, he hears a thunk. It takes a moment to realise.

That's bone. That's metal hitting bone. That's his shoulder.

His now useless hand lets go of the arrow, which clatters to the floor. He can't feel the wound, but he knows it's there. He drops the bow to touch it, and shudders. The arrow is solid in his shoulder. He needs to get out of here and find help, but he's barely covered as it is. He hisses as he tries to collect himself. He needs a plan.

And then Ashe sees him, his knight in shining armour. Sylvain gallops towards him, his horse's hooves beating against the earth. Ashe tries to stand, but he struggles. Sylvain reaches out and Ashe reaches too, but he can't quite make it. He stands up higher with all the strength he has left.

Then another thunk. A gasp. Darkness.

—

Ashe wakes up in agony.

He isn't surprised, really. He's surprised he's alive, though he doubts he'll be in fighting condition for a week or so. He sighs, shifting to assess the damage. He can't move his arm.

Panic sets in. That arrow must have snapped tendons, torn away at his nerves. He tries again, but as he does, he looks at his arm. There's something holding down his arm - specifically, his hand. He follows the source, and finds Sylvain asleep, holding onto Ashe's hand.

"Sylvain?" he whispers. He doesn't stir. It's for the best that he doesn't, to be honest. Ashe tries to squeeze his hand, but his hand is weak. He'd rather enjoy the moment, anyway. He relaxes, and lets his eyes slide shut once again.

[skullkxd]

📜!

Ree: If you were to vacuum up jello through a metal tube, well I think that’d be a neat noise  Dendra: I beg to differ  Ree: Then Beg

[lunaetis]

@battlestudies​ asked :

Dendra running at Rika, pokéballs in hands. "WOAH BATTLE ME!!!!" Like, you know, as an instructor she has to know how the Elite Four fights and all, to help her students, yeah. Totally.

unprompted. || always accepting

─「リカ」─  it wouldn’t be the FIRST TIME someone had challenged her to a battle right off the bat, even without as much as an introduction given how her status as an elite four wasn’t much of a secret.

                “ while i appreciate your enthusiasm, miss. i’m afraid i cannot participate in unauthorized battles. ” that wouldn’t be fair to those attempting the champion assessment, wouldn’t it ? “ i’d get in trouble for that, actually. my boss can be quite strict on the rules. ” and all the elite four know better than to cross la primera.

[lafiyahenry]

War of My Life

John Mayer’s 2009 album “Battle Studies” houses a song entitled “War Of My Life”. If I’m being truthful, I honestly never took much notice to the song while listening to the album which is why it was weird for me to call back to it when I thought about writing this piece. I am in the War of My Life. In the song, John sings about fighting against darkness and uncertainty. Being ready and prepared to inevitably face them instead of running away and I connect to that right now in this phase of my life. 

I don’t talk about my faith and what I believe in much on this blog but this is one of the most challenging seasons that I have no choice but to walk through alone. I can’t explain what it is or the feeling that I have but the only way that I may be able to sum it up is with one word: metamorphosis. 

According to Wikipedia, Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation.

Metamorphosis is famously known as the process which turns the caterpillar into the butterfly and I’m in the cocoon. Even though I cannot see it, I can feel a positive change coming for me. I feel it in the cells of my bones and the pores of my skin. I’m waiting for God to fulfill promises that he made to me. I’m preparing myself and making myself ready for receiving them. I’ve gone through many a dark time in my life, I’m not a stranger to it but this particular time feels monumental. The stakes are high. This is the final exam. Do I want the things that I say I want, bad enough? I’m having to let go of every comfortable thing and surrender it, sacrifice it actually, for the growth that I need for the next level. 

There is this story about an apprentice going to a master and saying that he wants to become like him. The master takes him to the beach and tells him to go into the water. When the water is at his ankles, the master asks “Do you still want it?”. Enthusiastically the apprentice responds “Yes!” The master sends him further out, when the water is at his waist the master asks him the question again which elicits the same response from the boy. He sends him out further into the waves, where his shoulders are now submerged and he has to struggle to keep his head above the water. The master shouts, “Do you still want it?” and the struggling boy responds “Yes!” So the master urges him to go deeper. The boy calls out, “I won’t be able to breathe!” to which the master responds: “ You have to want it more than breathing!” 

I want it far more than breathing. I want the life and abundance that God has for me and I’m unwilling to compromise on it. This is why this time is so important. The battles that I’m fighting now determine the rest of my life and I wholeheartedly believe in the woman that I’m meant to be. In the second verse John says “If fear hasn’t killed me yet/ then nothing will/ all the suffering/ and all the pain/ never left a name” 

Revisiting the butterfly analogy, I once heard a story about a boy who saw a butterfly in a cocoon and it was struggling to be free. He sat there for a long time, fully mesmerized. He wanted to see the big reveal, he wanted the butterfly to be free but it looked so distressed and it seemed like the butterfly would never be free. With good intentions, the boy intervened and set the butterfly free but quickly realized that the butterfly had become handicapped. The poor insect didn’t get it’s chance to fully go through the process of metamorphosis. The struggle is apart of the process. The struggle makes it stronger and able to survive when they finally do emerge out of that cocoon. Sometimes you have to struggle and you’re going to struggle alone. 

I'm in the war of my life/ At the door of my life Out of time and there's nowhere to run/ I'm in the war of my life At the core of my life/ Got no choice but to fight 'till it's done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo5bX8rgT4U 

Love, Lafiya, 

[samjohnson26]

“Weakday company.” Happy Birthday, John.

[fmrboarder]

2. Who was your first muse?

my first muse? on tumblr? clair from pkmn technically. in indie? sabrina.

[surgingchef]

@battlestudies​ sent: 📜!

incorrect quotes generator (accepting)

Kofu: I am not out of control! I'm a law abiding citizen! Dendra: Really? Name one law Kofu: Don't kill people? Dendra: That's on me. I set the bar too low.

Kofu: Name a more iconic duo than my crippling fear of abandonment and my anxiety. I'll wait. Dendra: You and me!!! Kofu, tearing up: Okay.

Kofu: Fuck. Dendra: We've got to work on your cursing. Kofu: Why? I'm pretty good at cursing already.

[mentorival]

@battlestudies​

"so? what's up waldo?"

“Not much, just hiding away in a crowd of people that look just like me.”

[redlegend-a]

10. Would you be friends with your muse if they were real? 👀

reds a fantastic friend and v. chill and texts you once a month. he’s definitely the person you call and you’re like hey want to come over and help me tile my floor because he’ll be like sure why not im not doing anything.

because he’s permanently unemployed.

[heckerleash]

me: i was crazy tired, but then i saw that @JohnMayer was live talking music history/theory + playing stuff.. mom: you stayed up for that? me: 🎶 "do you know me, at all?" 🎶 • • • #battlestudies #doyouknowme #willsacrificesleepforjm #andilovesleep #morethanmusic #johnmayer #musichistory #musictheory #jimihendrix #thegratefuldead #SRV #sogood #musiclessons #latenightchats #lovehim #helovesus #stayweird #whyisitaspecialplaceinhell?

[alinepell]

A simple little kind of free...

[totd365]

John Mayer - Moving On and Getting Over

John Mayer has always occupied an interesting place in music. While he played his teenage-girl-heart-throb-“Your Body is a Wonderland”-Jessica Simpson/Jennifer Anniston/Taylor Swift-dating self into fame in the 2000s, he also tried to carve out his identity as a blues guitarist with 2006′s Continuum and 2008′s live album Where the Light Is: Live From the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. For the most part, he did this really well. He never had a number one record or a number one single, but he sold a lot of records and made some pretty decent music.

After 2008 though, his career began a slow-burning down turn. Sure, “Say” was pretty good and Battle Studies and the subsequent albums that followed had some good songs, but they were largely mediocre. The public noticed, and nobody really gave a damn about John Mayer until, well, right about now.

The Search for Everything - Wave One (released today on Spotify), is satisfyingly solid. Surprise surprise, the above track happens to be where Mayer actually makes the most use of his talent as a guitarist and is easily the best composed song on the EP. It feels like “Waiting On the World to Change”-esque but with more love-centric lyrical themes and sans xylophone solo.

Don’t tease me now John, I want more!

[fmrboarder]

❝  it’s  time  to  show  them  what  you  really  are.❞

hands rose above his chest. the sound of the beat got his feet tapping, but that's it. nothing more. it's bad enough that he's here of all places. he'd only meant to visit tulip, not get dragged in some—what was this? a gym trial?

it'd be even worse if wasn't.

there was already a crowd—filled with some of who'd he'd imagine came over for calisthenics, maybe gym trainers?—with the number growing since he'd came. many of them joining eagerly, looking over with anticipation towards the duo.

' yeah, but—come on, posing? that's—that's not what i had in mind. '

[surgingchef]

@battlestudies​ sent: larry, geeta and clavel for the fmk :3c

fuck, marry, kill (accepting)

“Larry, Geeta, and Clavell...they’re quite interestin’ people.” A soft hum of contemplation escapes from his mouth. “Marry the director, fuck Larry, and kill La Primera. Apologies, Geeta.”