#both of them are the 'kingmaker' by the way

[liliewrites]

So reader is childhood frnds with both arle & clervie(we can't forget this girlie), but like reader has this talent that lets her blend into the background with no one knowing like she's even there. This trio literally stick tgt everyday like if someone sees 1 of them they know the other 2 aint that far behind. So reader & arle had this obvious crush on each other(not that they r gonna say anything but its so obvious to eveyone who saw them cus they r kids). Reader then got sent to Fontaine from Snezhnaya to snoop around for info (this is b4 KingMaking). So while reader is snooping for info, KingMaking happens as canon & arle tried to find reader after she became a harbinger cus like she lost clervie alrdy & she just wants to know reader is still safe ya know. But like obviously arle couldn't find cus reader's talent of 'blending' works damm well. So arle got transferred to Fontaine for the gnosis, happened to find reader by 100% coincidence while on a walk, grabbed reader, carried her all the way to the hearth, had a VERY long conversation about what happened & decided to finally confessed to reader about the crush that has never fade despite being separated for so long.

💫anon

HALLLLOOOOOOOO 💫 ANON:DD i hope i do ur ask justice n feed all of u the good ol' slowburn n mutual pining w arlecchino:DD eat up!! also, i changed smth a little bit for the sake of the plot if u don't mind, but overall, it shouldn't make too much of a difference! tyy for requestingggg!! i feel like this isn't my best portrayal of arlecchino though huhuawkajdwas

-warning/s ; maybe ooc, clervie's death mentioned.

-pairing/s ; arlecchino x fem!reader

(men please dni utc!)

peruere didn't know what to do.

peruere didn't know that the last word's clervie to you would be "byebye, y/n! make sure to come back home safely, okay??"

peruere stared at her hands with an absent stare, her mind in full delirium as she just realized the atrocities she'd just commit. the children of the house of the hearth has fallen- and she was the only one left.. along with you. knowing her mother, she knew what she had done to clervie would eventually happen to you.

she wasn't going to lose you too.

thankfully, you were currently absent from the scene- as "mother" had assigned you on a mission somewhere within teyvat but she knew as soon as you came back you'd be suffering the same fate as the others if she didn't act soon enough.

her mind finally met with clarity, she picked up her sword- the very same sword that bore her sins against your friends and siblings.

the next day, you heard what had happened back at.. home. the house of the hearth was no more.

peruere had been arrested, mother crucabena had been killed by peruere. you didn't believe it at first, but when you also heard that the rest of the children had died a year prior to crucabena's death- you knew peruere had lost her wits at the last minute.

you were disoriented for a moment, unsure of what to do now that you had nowhere to come back home to, but you mostly worried about peruere. you thought of what they would do to her, you didn't want to lose her too. she's all you had left.

with a heavy heart, you never went back home. you had no choice but to use your ability to blend in within the street kids of sumeru, just so no one would recognize you especially the fatui agents that roamed the streets from time to time. you spent a few years within the streets, taking advantage of your expertise in the field of gathering information with your stealth and earned yourself a living off of it.

however, you just couldn't shake peruere out of your mind. constantly, she was on your mind like a nail lodged in your head. especially when the full moon had gleamed upon you it's blessed and gentle caress and had brought you comfort, did peruere witness it's beauty? or was she as lonely and lost as the moon in the vast darkness of it's own solitude akin to her own isolation within the confinements of her prison cell? it worried you greatly.

after a few years, you'd caught news of the newly appointed harbinger named arlecchino whom had inherited your "mother's" title, the knave.

there were different rumors that surrounded the harbinger, but they all pointed to her committing a massacre, calling her the "poor, mad and cursed" knave.

your chest thumped, you had a strong feeling you knew it was peruere yet you couldn't confirm it yet. you haven't seen any photos of the new knave, except for the fact that she's been stationed in fontaine within the newly rebuilt house of the hearth.

confirmed or not, you knew it was her-- it had to be. so you had immediately began to prepare for your trip back to fontaine with haste.

unbeknownst to you, said harbinger had been looking for you first thing when she had gotten out of prison. she knew you would have fled fontaine entirely as she had intended, but was also aware of your proficiency when it comes to hiding your identity. she knew it would be hard to find you, but she still carried on. she couldn't let the kids handle this, lest she could risk the freedom you had now from the life of being a fatui (which she hoped you had). so she could only hope, if there really was a deity out there that would hear her, that you were safe and alive and well.

you were, in fact, safe and alive and well. now you were taking your first few steps into the city of fontaine. when, honestly, as a child you've never been able to experience the city despite spending your childhood within it's region. "mother" had never let you leave the orphanage, not until you were "of age" to join the official ranks of the fatui.

you looked around, mesmerized by the people and their lavish clothing. the weather was much different from sumeru as well. despite not growing up within the city, however, you caught whiffs and scents of your favorite cakes from your childhood. truly, you may or may not be fontainian by blood, but at least you were by heart.

you spent the first few days, getting yourself to blend in within fontaine's society. you were still afraid and wary of the fatui, especially with how strict "mother" was to you which formed your impressions of the organization. eventually, after getting a place to stay, getting accustomed to the city and dressing yourself in the same clothes as them- you could now officially, once again, call yourself a fontainian.

however, the reason why you came here in the first place was still on the very top of your head, you had to see peruere no matter what. you kept your eyes open for any signs of her monotone colored hair. you kept your ears alert if you'd catch any drift of her name, peruere or arlecchino, to no avail.

you let out a sigh, feeling unsuccessful. you weren't about to give up, but decided that you should rest and call it a day. it was getting late, so you had gotten up from the bench you were sitting on to go and head back to the inn you were staying at.

.. then suddenly, you had been robbed of your sight then consciousness.

your eyes fluttered open, but your eyesight had been blurry. the first thing you've realized is that your feet was off the ground and you were being lifted up on the air. your fight response kicked in, and you had tried to wriggle your way out of your captor's grasp.

"let go of me-"

immediate silence. you knew those eyes as she looked down at you. just from her look alone, you knew she had sent you a warning to stay silent.

but that wasn't the reason why you were still, it was because of those those x shaped pupils of hers that bore into your soul that you've come to love.

".. p-peruere? is that.. you?"

she froze for awhile, before continuing on walking.

"later. we can't talk here, keep your face hidden."

you nodded, returning back to your tucked position as she carried you in her arms. you could feel your heart thumping, beating- you've never felt this way since you've last seen her.

once you've arrived at your destination, you noticed that she's brought you within a building. a private study room, it seems. she carefully placed you down on the couch, before sitting on the chair in front of you. you've finally had a full view of her, and both of you had eyes full of shock at the sight of each other.

you were the first one to shatter the silence, immediately tearing up and throwing yourself in her arms. for a while, she awkwardly placed her hand on your waist. you couldn't help but let out a fond chuckle. after all these years, she still acted as if hugging was an alien thing.

you leaned back again, sniffing. she's definitely went through a lot. the apathetic look on her face was much more hardened, more sharper. she looked intimidating, especially with her upright stance and poise of a full fledged military officer. which in her position's case, she was.

she reached out to grab your hand. feeling you, touching you, as if to make sure that you really really were alive and in front of her.

see, the knave was not one to show emotion since she was a child, and you knew that.. but the way she acted now, it bothered you.

".. what happened? where have you been?"

she asked, pulling away from you to regain her composure. her voice was much more deeper now compared to a few years ago. you couldn't help but blush at the sound of it. the way she talked, it lacked warmth, she sounded stiff and stern.

"me? why ask me- what about you?! you're a harbinger now, pers!"

you exclaimed, causing her heart to still for a moment as you called her by that affectionate nickname she hasn't heard in a while. "i'll explain to you, sit."

her way of speaking was much more commanding, more authoritative, but it didn't scare you. rather, you were astonished at how much more polished she's been after all these years.

you sat down next to her, listening to her relay to you the past events that have happened while you two have been apart. she spoke in such a way that she sounded like she was reporting a mission or an assignment, making you feel amused even more as you listened to her speak.

your peruere has really grown up a lot, hasn't she? it made you think that you were wrong, maybe she's not peruere anymore. it made sense, she was called arlecchino now. it made you feel like you've truly lost her forever.

"i see. i'm happy to hear that the tsaritsa has pardoned you, our tsaritsa is truly blessed.." you muttered, looking away as you sighed. arlecchino noticed the melancholic twinkle in your eyes, causing worry to stir within her. "is there something wrong?" she asked, yearning for you to look at her again.

she wouldn't say it out loud, but she missed you, dearly.

you were silent for a few seconds, before letting go of her hand. the look in your eyes made her feel dread-- dread at the thought that you now hate her for killing clervie, for killing "mother", for destroying the place you had once called your "home".

arlecchino was used to being called a monster, a murderer, a freak by many and she could take it.. but from you? oh, it tore her apart. she felt like she'd truly lost you for good.

you looked at her, wanting to ask her if she was still your peruere.

she reached out again, wanting to make it clear to you that it had to be done to protect you.

"do you loath-" "-my peruere?"

both of you had talked at the same time but arlecchino heard your words loud and clear. she just had to hear it again for confirmation. "..pardon?" she asked, blinking at you in confusion.

slightly embarrassed at the thought of being a grown woman whom still referred to her affectionately as "your" peruere after all these years, you really didn't want to ask again, but you needed assurance.

so in a smaller, more hushed voice, you asked again.

"are.. you still my peruere?"

".. you don't hate me?" she asked, a bit dumbfounded that out of all the things you could say, that was the first thing that came our your mouth. it should've been obvious that she's yours, she always has been and she always will be.

"why would i hate you, per- arlecchino? you're my best friend..!" you exclaimed, a bit dumbfounded for her to think that you hated her. you weren't blind to "mother's" ways of raising children. it would've happened either way.

you started to tear up a little, calling her arlecchino felt bitter to the tongue. you've waited all these years, looked for her high and low, and now that you've seen her again.. it felt like you were facing a different person.

all the fears that had built up within arlecchino through all these years had drifted away. you didn't hate her. you didn't resent her for killing clervie. for ruining everything. she was glad that you were still the same woman she loved.

she pulled you in for a hug, albeit a bit awkward, she pulled you in as close as she could. "of course. of course i'm still your peruere. just.. refrain from calling me that in public." she told you, wiping away your tears with her hand.

her hand- her hand, oh archons! "pers, what happened?!"

you exclaimed in horror, grabbing her hand and carefully examining it. you knew of her curse, and it seems that it has taken over her. "worry not. it's been years since the curse had fully manifested, i am fine now" she reassured you, then, holding your hand in hers.

".. did you mean it when you called me yours?" she immediately asked after, looking down at your intertwined fingers. her thumb swiping against yours in a soothing manner.

"why of course, pers, you're my best friend!" you told her, your cheeks becoming flushed as she held your hand in a rather.. more affectionate manner.

"no, no. what if i wanted you to call me yours in a different way?"

she then looked up at you again. her eyes were filled with conviction, with a subtle hint of desperation and enamor. "i'm a woman who's dull to the concept of loss after having witnessed many losses and failures.. but you, i've lost you once. i cannot bear to lose you again. please stay, mon amour." her voice wavered for a moment as she held on to your hand tightly. "please, y/n." her face did not show it, but with the longing stare in her eyes, the way she held at your hand. she was devastated at the thought of losing you again.

your heart broke at the sight of her. you knew, she was still your peruere. within your presence, arlecchino was gone. within your presence, she is peruere. the same one whom would eat your favorite cakes with cakes with you, the same one who would cling on to your shirt as she followed you around, the same one who'd let you use her as your blade in a fight even if she knew you were capable of fending off on your own. arlecchino wasn't asking you to stay while professing their love to you, it was peruere.

you smiled at her, leaning in to lean your forehead against hers.

"of course, pers. i'm here to stay. i've found you again, i'm never going away. i'm glad to be home." you whispered, feeling that familiar warmth from her presence that you've come to know and love. "home?" she asked, a bit curious as to what you meant. "did you mean the orphanage? the current house of the hearth is much different from what we've grown up to, mon amour." she told you, your heart fluttering at her calling you that way. "no, silly. i mean you, pers. no shelter nor place can compare to the warmth and safety that you provide." you muttered and arlecchino let out a soft sigh.

"is that so? then.. i'm glad to be your home." she closed her eyes, basking in the moment of having you near her after so many years of separation. "then i am proud to be the one you call home. for as long as these flames course through my veins, i will always keep you warm and safe." she mumbled as you closed your eyes as well, relishing in the long lost comfort you've longed for.

"still.. i'm happy that for once, my flames have brought a different feeling than fear.." "yeah.. we still have to work on your hugging though.. seriously, pers. you're bad at hugging!" "what- can you blame me? i was never one for affection!"

[skyfullofpods]

Hello fans of Re: Dracula who were introduced to fiction podcasts through the updates from our good friend Jonathan Harker! Now that the story's over (sob!), would you like some recommendations for some other audio dramas that you might enjoy, made by some of the folks who worked on the podcast?

Jonathan Sims, who played our local phonograph enthusiast, is the writer of the hugely popular horror podcast, The Magnus Archives. The Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute records statements made by members of the public, detailing strange encounters with the supernatural. What soon becomes clear is that these statements do not describe separate and unrelated events, and a bigger and horrific picture begins to emerge. Also appearing as recurring characters in this series are both Sasha Sienna and Alasdair Stuart.

Karim Kronfli is a prolific voice actor, and while he might be best known for his roles in both Re: Dracula and The Magnus Archives, he has voiced a wide range of characters in many different fiction podcasts. Out of all the ones he's appeared in, I would personally recommend urban fantasy anthology series, Unseen. The unseen world exists alongside ours, but only a few humans can see it. It's a world where magic and magical creatures exists, and Karim's character tells his story in episode 7, titled We Ourselves.

Beth Eyre and Felix Trench played twins Antigone and Rudyard Funn in Wooden Overcoats, a British sitcom set on the tiny fictional island of Piffling, in the English Channel. The twins run a funeral parlor together, the only one on the island, until a newcomer arrives. Eric Chapman (played by Tom Crowley) sets up a much more successful funeral parlor, and the story is narrated by the Funns' house mouse, Madeline.

Alan Burgon plays the Interviewer in The Amelia Project. The Amelia Project is a secret organisation, and clients come to them looking for their help in faking their deaths. The Interviewer listens to each client's story, before concocting unique and often elaborate ways in which they will stage their deaths, before being reborn into a new identity.

David Ault is also a very recognisable voice to anyone who spends a considerate amount of time listening to fiction podcasts, and The Kingmaker Histories feels like an appropriate choice here. A weird steampunk series set in the Valorian Socialist Republic in 1911 , this story involves found family, its own intriguing magic system, and being gay and doing crime.

Our favourite cowboy, Giancarlo Herrera, plays one of the protagonists in sci-fi action/thriller, Primordial Deep. Spinner is part of a team which is sent deep beneath the sea to investigate the resurgence of creatures thought to be long-extinct. There's plenty of horror to be had here, as something ancient is stirring in the depths of the ocean.

As for the crew? Tal Minear works on so many podcasts, and if you like fantasy stories, I would recommend the delightfully lighthearted Sidequesting, which follows new adventurer Rion, as they help people on their travels. If you would like some more horror, there's their spoiler-driven anthology series, Someone Dies in This Elevator.

Hannah Wright's Inn Between is a fantasy series based on D&D. Each episode follows a party as they meet in the Goblin's Inn, in between adventures, as the tavern follows them around wherever they go.

Stephen Indrisano's upcoming docu-horror Shelterwood promises to be a series which explores the horror of suburbia, as it follows one man's quest to find his missing sister. Until this is released, I would recommend Do You Copy, in which Stephen plays one of the protagonists. This found footage horror series follows the events which unfold after the closure of Red Tail National Park, and the people who were left inside the park, after its mysterious closure.

Ella Watts is regarded as a walking encyclopedia of all things audio fiction, and has worked on several high-profile projects, including directing both Doctor Who: Redacted and Marvel Move. Her upcoming Camlann is a post-apocalyptic series due to be released next year, inspired by Arthurian legends and British folklore. She is also the executive producer of Tin Can Audio's (who are also producing Camlann) beautiful experimental series, The Tower. The protagonist of this story, Kiri, leaves her life behind to climb an impossibly high tower, making phonecalls along the way.

Newt Schottelkotte's Where The Stars Fell is a supernatural fantasy set in the town of Jerusalem, Oregon. Cryptozoologist Dr Edison Tucker arrives in the town to carry out some research, and meets her roommate, author Lucille Kensington. There's so much more to this strange town than first meets the eye, with a huge revelation at the end of season one.

If you're new to fiction podcasts, welcome! I hope this short (ish!) and very much non-comprehensive list gave you some ideas of what to listen to next!

[fyeahaudiodrama]

Happy @podcastgirlsweek to all who celebrate! While I haven't had the time to properly work on fics (and probably won't this week because oops, hurt my hands yesterday) I still wanted to take the time to highlight some favorite podcast girlies along with everyone else!

The prompt for Monday is highlighting podcasts with women in the leading roles, so here's a few of mine (and hopefully, some new ones of yours if you don't know them yet):

Back Again, Back Again: Ilyaas, you absolutely fantastic disaster of a fantasy ace, never stop trying.

Breathing Space: While the show is anthology with a rotating cast, some of my favorites from across its run include:

Evie Yuriskin

Amity Archer

Any characters who were introduced one episode and then started referring to each other as "my wife" by the end or by their next appearance

Camlann: Some apocalypse survivors interpret dangerous dreams about dark magic to cope. Some knit sweaters. Both are valid and should kiss.

City of Ghosts: Featuring the grungy, disgruntled, tormented-by-visions LADY detective of your dreams.

Desperado: Take note - give your ladies knives. And god powers. And witchcraft. And a sniper rifle, for good measure.

Do You Copy?: I think [REDACTED] deserves three weeks of paid vacation

Fawx & Stallion: Madge Stallion is THE moment. She's six feet tall. She can't stop making innuendos. She's not your fucking Mrs. Hudson (although, she is - no, I shan't say).

Hi Nay: Mari & Laura are my everything - the loving and self-sacrificing hero and the newfound friend who chooses to stand by her side (fire axe and all).

Inn Between: Oh, my Inn Between girlies, where do I start? Fina and Betty, the OGs and life partners that even death couldn't stall? Rosie and Zara, the new best pals who chose to stay together? Phoebe, just one step at a time learning what she deserves and what she doesn't? All impeccable, A+.

It Makes A Sound: Any show focused on music is going to be a slam dunk for me, but Deirdre's quest to reclaim her memories as well as those that tied her to her mother is so damn real and compelling.

The Kingmaker Histories: No female character in this show has ever done anything wrong. Colette gets a migraine pass. Ariadne can turn people inside out. Daphne is owed this for working in a theme park.

Life With LEO(h): Janiiiiiine, so messy and smart and dedicated and she cares so much, I love yoooooou.

Me and AU: Kate's worries and desires and doubts are some of the realest out of any audio drama so when do I find an Ella too

Palimpsest: My faaaaavorite gothic horror anthology, each one fresh with a different brand of haunted, tormented, secret-keeping (and quite frequently gay) gothic protagonist

The Pasithea Powder: Jane and Sophie. Sophie and Jane. What more could you need? <3

The Silt Verses: Women who start cults/leave cults/seek an end to the endless cycle of meaningless sacrifice as so valid. For all your wet cat(fish) woman needs.

Second Star to the Left: Because I always love a good Ishani performance. Hi Gwen, please tell Boots I love them.

Small Victories: You want sad wet cat women? How about one that literally can't stop self-sabotaging (but at least manages to draw the line at sabotaging others...occasionally). She even gets stabbed!

Starfall: I mean, kind of a given, but anyway, Leona definitely exists because she's the kind of action protagonist woman I always wanted - one that could be unapologetically powerful, but still full of flaws and desires (especially ones that weren't about falling in love and minimizing her own strengths). She's even autistic!

Stories From Ylelmore: Keryth! Keryth, Keryth, Keryth! She reminds me so much of the kinds of characters I would make up when I was younger - I love her and her small magic so dearly.

The Strange Case of Starship Iris: Hi queer space pirates <3

Unseen: Another anthology show, but Harry Winters and Never-Ending Circles remains one of the most perfect premiere episodes I've ever heard in audio drama.

The Way We Haunt Now: Get your podcast ladies here, dead or alive!

We Fix Space Junk: My favorite type of repairman is a woman who could kick my ass.

Wolf 359: I don't think I need say much more here - y'all know and love 'em just as much as I do.

[shalomniscient]

how would arlecchino react to the abuse kjsr was subjected to by takayuki?

takayuki is lucky he’s in prison and under watch 24/7, basically. in my canon arle definitely knew factually that takayuki was abusive since the fatui likely have a dossier compiled on sara, and it wasn’t like he kept his abuse secret. she feels a twinge of sympathy for sara on their first meeting, but ofc she doesn’t show it since she has an image to maintain. however, once their relationship progresses and arle sees the effects of takayuki’s abuse with her own eyes she feels absolute pure rage and disgust towards him. she’d tremble with it as her hand traces the thin, straight scars criss-crossing sara’s back and her eyes catch on the way sara’s wings rest at odd angles from being bound for so long. (the only other tengu we’ve seen visually is sasayuri, and all of their artwork has had them with their wings out as if by default. sara, on the other hand, only unfurls her wings occasionally. the implications are hence… unpleasant.) also to some extent i think arle sees at least just a flash of clervie in sara… both were isolated and tormented by their “parent” figure. crucabena singled clervie out by punishing her for speaking up, while takayuki isolated sara by punishing anyone who spoke up for her. it’s unbearably cruel and arle loathes knowing that sara had to suffer through it alone—because though the kingmaking may have ended the way it did, arle at least knew what it meant to be loved before the end. sara had no one and nothing, a lonely bird in a cage. it pains and sickens her, frankly. she considers breaking into the inazuman prisons and killing him herself—it wouldn’t be hard, she’s an assassin after all—but it’s only by sara’s own wish that she holds back. sara wants to bring him to justice, as is her right, and arle respects that decision. nonetheless, she treats sara with a lot more gentleness than one would expect from the fourth harbinger, especially when it comes to touch. arle is observant, always has been since she was a child, and she watches for all of sara’s tiniest expressions whenever they touch. she asks things like, “do you like this, little bird?” or just generally checking in a little more often to make sure sara’s alright with where she’s being touched. arle knows firsthand how this healing comes slow, so she takes it slow with sara as well. at least in this, her little bird will no longer be alone.

[artifeast]

Cursed Dungeon Meshi AU, with a vague attempt at the manga's style. They are 17 inches shorter than their canon heights. Maintained the height differences though!

Telesphore is an elf of course, Colette is a half-foot/tallman, and Eisen is a gnome. WAY too many miscellaneous thoughts about this AU under the cut. There miight be worldbuilding spoilers if you haven't read the DunMesh manga and bonus material

Telesphore is an elf because, obviously

Eisen's a gnome because that gave me a decent height difference with Telesphore while still giving him strong magic capabilities. He might have a bit of dwarf in him, though

Colette's mother was a half-foot, and her father is a tall-man with a half-foot grandparent. Colette is still taller than the average considering her heritage (I did MATH about this. and jsyk the numbers worked beautifully). I wanted her to not be particularly innately magical, and also this would give her an appropriate height in comparison to Telesphore and Eisen. Like, the AU is already gonna be cursed with how Telsie has to get shrunken, but it'd be even worse if Colette was a tallman and 8 inches taller than him LMAO

Colette still has the Kingmaker in this AU, though I forgot to draw it. In this, it's an ancient elven magical artifact.

Colette's still 25, while Telesphore and Eisen are the same age (190). I made an age comparison chart for the Dungeon Meshi races a while back, taking into account both age of maturity and life expectancy, and according to it, 190 makes Telesphore the equivalent of about 29 and Eisen the equivalent of about 47.5, which is close enough. This AU loses the dynamic of Telesphore being alive for hundreds of years longer than Eisen, and in fact makes Eisen the older one of the two (aging-wise) from the very start, but eh, I think it still works. There's still lifespan angst since Eisen only has 50 years before he hits the average life expectancy for gnomes, while Telesphore has another 210 years. Also I think them remaining the same age, as opposed to canon, but still aging differently is kinda fun.

The Kingdom of Valor is somewhere in the middle of the Eastern Continent, landlocked like in canon. The population is primarily half-foots, but there are also a good deal of gnomes and dwarves, as expected from the region. More interestingly, there is a community of elves.

Within Valor is the Seltsamwald, a bizarre and massive surface-level dungeon in the form of a dangerous forest that stretches for miles, held in check by incredibly powerful ancient magic forming a barrier around it. The elves are investigating it and maintaining it. There is no immortality spell in the Seltsamwald. The lord of the dungeon has not been found, but doesn't appear to be particularly active; in fact, despite being clearly contained and rather active in terms of monsters, it retains many properties of a natural dungeon. Some have theorized that it actually is a natural dungeon that's spread too far, perhaps cultivated by a mage in ages past, that was then sealed closed when it grew too powerful. However, it's not sealed entirely shut, and is kept alive mostly by the elves investigating it. There is very limited non-elf foot traffic, with it mostly being criminals that sneak into its maze-like forest. The Seltsamwald has been kept stable like this for hundreds of years. More recently, a group of elves have formed a small town within the dungeon as a sort of research post, named Sorbus.

Also within Valor are at least two magic schools, located there due to the plentiful mana from the Seltsamwald. One is for gnomish magic, and one is for elven magic.

The Desrosiers were half-foots. Ariadne is a tallman that's managed to prolong her life using ancient magic. (Though even still, in this AU she probably murdered Eisen's parents when he was the equivalent of like... 37, rather than 18)

I've spent a LOT of time thinking about it and I've decided not to try to translate the revolution and the closed Kehrseite portal situation into this AU. It's much easier to say Telesphore not being able to go home is just… a personal issue, because he's a wanted criminal on the Northern Central Continent, LOL. And the revolution's just a huge mess... I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I excluded the Good Neighbors/elves from the proceedings, though. These fantasy medieval ages are allowed a little populist revolution

[radlymona]

I find it interesting that people that there's not an insignificant overlap of people who think Criston Cole lacks depth as a character and people who foam at the mouth at any change from the book no matter how much it sense makes for the adaptation.

Unlike the GoT's showrunners, I find it pretty clear that the HOTD writers really respect, are engaging with, and are even challenging GRRM's series. Like Criston is so obviously a nod to Book!Jaime's storyline about the loss of Romantic ideals and what it means to be a knight that has sworn to swerve and protect in such a violent world. And I think it's interesting that this lowborn knight who has come from a region despised by the rest of the realm is intially so honoured to serve the King, because it means that the gap between him and Them isn't as big as he once thought.

And of course those ideas are shattered as he realises just how big the gap between him and Them really is. A lot of people think he's not over Rhaenyra rejecting him, when in reality he takes it as a destruction of his fantasy of being the chilvarous white knight protecting the sweet but daring young princess. And I think he takes her rejection to mean that she's more akin to the prince who's seduced a serving wench and filled him with romantic promises, only to be left alone and shameful after their encounter.

Cole going to Alicent who understands just how much it hurts to play second-class fiddle to Them, is a way of seeking redemption and clinging onto his last shred of knightly ideals. The fact that he's drawn to the Faith as both the ideological opposites to Them and an institution so thoroughly intertwined with knighthood isn't an accident. Especially considering that in times of war, it's the Faith that tends to brutalised commonfolk. He's desperate to be the knight he's always dreamed about, but he can't. He's done too much already, and will do so much worse in the name of a tyrannical dynasty.

He'll excuse crowning Aegon and dividing the realm because Rhaenyra dared to "flout" the rules of their society. He believes that in his role as Kingmaker he can restore honour and purity a "defiled" dynasty, and as a Hand he will temper and mould the princes he knows deep down are far worse than Rhaenyra. Only Aemond once again shatters those delusions the moment he unleashes dragonfire on men Cole swore to lead and protect, but only sent to die. And that gap between him and Them is all too apparent once again. Only this time he's more than culpable in their atrocities.

[synchodai]

do i prefer the book or show version of this character?

Just based on how much I personally enjoy them. Please note since Fire and Blood is written as a history book, most characters don't really have a lot of arcs or development, so the show theoretically should have a leg up since it's not just a series of events told in chronological order.

AEGON II [HOTD]

Book!Aegon is lustful and a drunk but it's not specifically because of any underlying neglect or trauma — that's just how most men acted in Westeros. His usual habits turn to addictions as the war progresses where he spirals into alcoholism, but before that he didn't have much going on to draw you to him compared to show!Aegon. Still think introducing show!Aegon as a rapist was unnecessary overkill though.

ALICENT [HOTD]

The religious guilt and trauma of being a child bride isn't in the books.

AEMOND [FAB]

Book!Aemond's deal is pretty easy to understand as a character in the books. He's vengeful, impulsive, and extremely prideful — like a lot of edgy teens but this one is given access to a nuke. He's supposed to be book!Daemon but if book!Daemon was still a teenager and maimed as a child. As for show!Aemond, I don't really know what his deal is or I'm confused about his motivations.

CRISTON [FAB]

Love that show!Criston is Dornish. Not loving that they're downplaying his impact as Kingmaker and the intentional "Jaime Lannister but the opposite" aspects of his character.

HELAENA [HOTD]

Helaena doesn't have much of a personality in the book.

OTTO [HOTD]

Show!Otto and book!Otto aren't that different in my mind, so this goes to the version which is acted by Rhys Ifans.

LARYS [HOTD]

Same as Otto.

TYLAND [FAB]

Show!Tyland is basically an NPC.

RHAENYRA [FAB]

This woman literally spent 3 months catatonic in the book and she's still more active in her own story than her show counterpart.

DAEMON [FAB]

They basically gave book!Aemond's personality and Harrenhal plot to show!Daemon, which doesn't make sense for an experienced commander, war hero, and scholar of Valyrian history who spent time is Essos to research his heritage.

JACAERYS [FAB]

This one was a hard one because it could have gone either way. I like show!Jace's perfect prince persona and being made to parent his parent. But I prefer book!Jace's political savvy and willingness to get his hands dirty. Book!Jace was the person who spearheaded the Red Sowing where he sent a call that anyone who can claim a dragon would have wealth, titles, and fly with the prince. This resulted in hundreds of deaths of their own men, but netted them 4 dragons which eventually turned the tides of war in their favor. It was both smart (+4 nukes) and dumb (giving nukes to unreliable people) and showed Jace as empathetic to the smallfolk (was the only one who saw it as an option to have non-Targs ride dragons) and still ultimately saw them as expendable.

CORLYS [FAB]

Just had a more active role in book. All Show!Corlys does is stand by the docks.

RHAENYS [FAB]

I preferred her when she was eager for war because it makes sense given her history. She regrets not pressing her and her son's claim so she's super gungho about it now so she can right the injustices she faced in the past. Book!Rhaenys also possibly doesn't know that Rhaenyra's sons are bastards and never suspected her killing Laenor, so her support makes more sense than show!Rhaenys's.

BAELA [FAB]

Has a personality in the book.

RHAENA [HOTD]

I think her book and show versions are pretty much the same.

MYSARIA [HOTD]

Show!Mysaria is given a personal agenda and more backstory than book!Mysaria.

TOTALS

Greens - HOTD: 5, FAB: 3

Blacks - HOTD: 2, FAB: 6

In conclusion, the greens are more developed on the show while the blacks, in my opinion, were flattened compared to their book counterparts.

[sunder-the-gold]

I thought Republicans back Trump. Like weren't they defending him over the trial to the point where they think Democrats and Joe Biden was behind it.

A response to the RNC treating Trump as an outsider

"Trump Derangement Syndrome" was first coined during the 2015 primaries to describe RNC hostility to Trump, both from political incumbents and from life-long major donors to the party.

Had there ever been a Republican candidate for president so independently wealthy that he could pay for his own campaign, and thus owe NOTHING to the elite donor class?

A Republican candidate who could bypass all of the kingmakers, who normally never had to even think about the concerns of the working class members of the party?

No one with any amount of influence or control over the levers of power wants Populism of any stripe, whether communist Bernie Sanders or capitalist Donald Trump.

The donor class, the bureaus, the military-industrial complex, the banks all had a cozy system of exploitation and control down to a SCIENCE, and they did not want the unwashed masses letting a bull loose into their precious ivory tower.

The RNC supported Trump in getting supreme court justices and lower-court judges appointed because that was politically advantageous to them even after they finally managed to be rid of Trump.

But did the RNC support literally ANYTHING else Trump did?

He wanted to pull our troops out of the Middle-East, but the RNC wanted more wars. The RNC has done nothing to prosecute military officers and intelligence agents who ADMIT that they lied to Trump about the number of our troops in foreign countries so that he couldn't give orders to have more of them brought back home.

The RNC refused to grant him the funds necessary to complete the border wall.

Did the RNC go after Trump's political enemies the way that the DNC has gone after Trump? Trump's four years in office were plagued by the Mueller special counsel investigation that the RNC just let drag on forever, with a constantly-expanding scope of investigation.

The RNC appointed only "Never Trumpers" to the show trials of the January Six hearings, where they denied Trump the opportunity to offer any evidence or arguments in his own defense. A mockery of our justice system.

Is the RNC doing anything to defend against actual trials now? Where are the Republicans who argued that Trump would never get a fair trial in New York, where all of the jury members knew that if they said Trump wasn't guilty, Antifa would break into their homes and break their kneecaps.

[autumnwoodsdreamer]

Sneak Peek Sunday 14/07/24

Din wore no armour all that time.

Initially, it was because he was still healing and just the process of donning the whole set would’ve needlessly spent his energy and strength. Then, when he felt well enough to join the work, he left it off as one less thing to hinder him.

He didn’t even keep his gear strapped on his person; he carried only the Darksaber hilt on his belt.

(Sabine did balk a bit when she saw him using the ancient sword to cut up chunks of twisted metal for easier storage and transport on the scrap wagons, but it was hard to pitch any argument that Tarre Vizsla as a Jedi would’ve disapproved when Ezra was doing the exact same thing not ten feet away with his own lightsaber.)

Unorthodox usefulness aside, the Darksaber had become familiar to Din.

He trained with it often now, honing his technique and prowess with the strange blade. It took more than strength, more than even willpower to learn it; it required discipline and patience, and even after all these months wielding it, he still felt like he could barely glimpse profiency with it.

He trained with Ezra, with Sabine, with Zeb and even with Rune, each sparring partner imparting a vastly different lesson than the others. But with every session, he learned the blade just that much more.

Its weight, its song, its ability—these he knew well.

Its story, its role, its purpose—these he had yet to comprehend.

He knew the tale well now, he could recite it off by heart and he had even shared it a few nights around the fire when prodded to do so because whatever he made of it, he couldn’t deny that it made for a good story.

He told of his adoptive ancestor who forged this blade of both shadow and light as a fusion of both his Mandalorian heritage and his Jedi heritage, how it was stored safe and sound in a Jedi place until it was stolen by Tarre’s descendants and turned into a kingmaker. He mentioned the unworthy hands that grabbed madly for it and the blight it became. He told of how his wife, as a youth, tried to restore it but to no avail as it ultimately fell into the hands of the man who made it his mission to exterminate their people.

Somehow, his audience got the impression he fought Gideon to liberate the blade, get it back into the hands of the Mandalorians where it had always belonged. He could see how they concluded such, he agreed it made sense thematically, and it would’ve tied the story up in a neat, logical, satisfying end, but it wasn’t the truth. He told them, outright and without embellishment, that he knew nothing of the blade when the Moff attacked him, cornering him into a duel that shot his fate off course. He fought back because he had to; he fought to save his son.

He expected laughter.

He could see the punchline a mile away; the irony, the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

But no one laughed.

They stared at him, all eyes wide and fascinated, and he wondered if it had been something in his delivery or perhaps his expression that had lined the story with too much weight.

The next day, one of Rune’s young sons asked Din what he was going to do now as king of the Mandalorians and just that question, trimmed with a child’s innocence, ripped open his perspective of the situation in a way nothing else had, calling to mind something Sabine had tried to explain to him.

The blade has no power; the story does.

[cactusringed]

hiya can i ask u for bdubs character arc thoughts. i feel like this season has been a major turning point for him in a lot of ways, going from dead weight to killing the dragon and i love him very dearly for it.

I am honestly so, so excited to see more of bdubs this season and really want him to win if only because it would wrap a bow on a beautiful, beautiful character arc we're seeing unfolding.

Something about bdubs is that he doesn't, actually, believe in himself. He doesn't. All of his grand talk of him being the best at x or y is all, well, talk. He's very alike to Joel in that regard, though they both express is in slightly different ways; he's self conscious. He feels small. Inadequate. He feels like he has to prop himself up on a pedestal because no one else will. And he's so... Not used to it, that when he does receive outward praise, he either doesn't believe it, thinks it's a joke, or gets wildly uncomfortable.

There's almost this fear of disappointment in him. Disappointing etho or whoever else he's allied with, whoever else he looks up to, or who might look up to him. He very quickly pushes himself to the sidelines for the sake of someone he believes to be worth more. He knows he has worth, but that worth can only be used to push those he loves forward. Never himself. Never.

He wants to be the best he can be, for others.

It's to the point he's convinced himself he's less than, that he's weak, that he's not brave. He might laugh it off when he's called a dead weight, but before anyone even said it he wholly believed it.

Not anymore, though. Bit by bit, it's breaking. He's not being allowed to put himself on the sidelines. He's not being allowed to run and cry to Etho anymore. Etho may regret it, but him refusing to help bdubs with the dragon - it started something. Or perhaps just hastened something that was already happening.

I genuinely believe it to be such a huge stepping stone for bdubs' character arc this series. The side character who killed the dragon. The kingmaker become king. With a past winner rooting for him - not outwardly protecting him, but instead offering her strength - and one of the most fiercely loyal and passionate ally one can get.

Perhaps one could think of him hiding from the wither as a step back. But I think it's a step forward. Learning to choose his battles. Learning the difference between bravery and foolishness. Taking a page from Etho's book, instead of holding him as an unattainable role model.

Learning that there is value in him living. That he should live, not just because he's scared to die, but because he will be genuinely, horribly missed.

Learning there is value in himself to the point he allows himself to feel rage over losing a life for nothing, losing a life because of someone else's cruelty.

I really, really, really look forward to seeing more of that. Of brave bdubs, who was always brave, but might finally be able to see in himself what he sees in others. And make the rest of them see it, too. No more will he be mocked. No more "etho can't protect you now". He's Bdubs. Brave, strong, and loved Bdubs.

[agentrouka-blog]

"He thought for a moment of the boy Viserys, fled to Dragonstone, and of Rhaegar's infant son Aegon, still in Maegor's with his mother. A new Targaryen king, and my father as Hand. How the wolves will howl, and the storm lord choke with rage. For a moment he was tempted, until he glanced down again at the body on the floor, in its spreading pool of blood. His blood is in both of them, he thought."- Jaime(ASOS II).

I am slightly confused here. Was Jaime intended to kill Viserys and Aegon?

I think the context is pretty clear from the surrounding text:

"Tell them the Mad King is dead," he commanded. "Spare all those who yield and hold them captive." "Shall I proclaim a new king as well?" Crakehall asked, and Jaime read the question plain: Shall it be your father, or Robert Baratheon, or do you mean to try to make a new dragonking? He thought for a moment of the boy Viserys, fled to Dragonstone, and of Rhaegar's infant son Aegon, still in Maegor's with his mother. A new Targaryen king, and my father as Hand. How the wolves will howl, and the storm lord choke with rage. For a moment he was tempted, until he glanced down again at the body on the floor, in its spreading pool of blood. His blood is in both of them, he thought. "Proclaim who you bloody well like," he told Crakehall. Then he climbed the Iron Throne and seated himself with his sword across his knees, to see who would come to claim the kingdom. As it happened, it had been Eddard Stark. You had no right to judge me either, Stark. (ASOS, Jaime II)

He was briefly tempted to proclaim one of Aerys's line as heir, not knowing that Aegon (or his replacement) was being murdered on his father's orders. To take that decision would have been an immense power move for himself alone, because it explicitly goes against the option of his own father as king, as unlikely as that one may have been, and it locks out the two victors of the Rebellion, Robert and Ned. It would have been Jaime Lannister, kingsguard, kingslayer, kingmaker. But the reality of what the last king was, and the uncertainty of what made him that way ("his blood") makes him step away from the decision-making process entirely. Tywin will lay the corpses of the children at Robert's accepting feet and Jaime will content himself with the dubious self-appointed task of murdering the remaining alchemists, burying the secret of the hidden wildfire for the next fifteen years.

He was a teenager.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Any recs where the hero just takes care of the heroine? Like very Daddy in acts of service and what not doesn’t necessarily need to contain the kink explicitly but just one of those strong men who love to take care of their women?

Sure!

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas is obvi The Example.

But beyond that, I would say:

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang in that the hero is generally very much a caretaker in a very REAL man way, but also because there was a scene where he parallel parked for her and she got so hot over it and I did too

A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy! The hero is very much a caretaker (while also being an emotionally messy widower). The heroine has ADHD (which I found well-done) and he initially pulls her into his Christmas mansion because she has nowhere to stay. I'd say they take care of each other, but it's definitely there.

Kate Clayborn heroes often come through on this level—I'd definitely recommend The Other Side of Disappearing has as strong (physically and emotionally) caretaker hero.

Kylie Scott heroes!!!! Omg. The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck has a heroine who's kind of messy and a hero who's kinda grumpy and buys her clothes with his black card and is like "SETTLE," which I love. End of Story has another somewhat surly hero who arrives to help the heroine work on her house, which... And then Deep is an oops baby book wherein the hero initially has a hard time with the news (lmao) but one he straightens up he's very authoritative about caring for the heroine.

Act Your Age by Eve Dangerfield, obviously. Which DOES have them roleplay, but also has the lighter, more everyday stuff. And a big age gap.

If you're open to something on the darker side with MMF, I will once again recommend the ongoing Lyonesse series by Sierra Simone. Because all of Sierra's dom heroes take care of their partners, but Mark Trevena, for all that he's a ~villain in many ways, is suuuuch a caretaker. He's strict about aftercare, he cooks for Tristan and Isolde, there's the scene where he helps Isolde into her wedding shoes, there's the scene where he massages Tristan, he carries Isolde around like it's nobody's business (and to be very clear, Tristan is her bodyguard and also cares for her, but Mark cares for BOTH of them). I think that with him you feel the WEIGHT of caretaking but it's also so tender. I was rereading this morning and she's literally like "I'm tired" at a party after... things happen... and he's immediately like "ARE YOU OKAY? DID I HURT YOU?" after being so cold to everyone else lol.

The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan (direct sequel is Rebel King). THIS SO MUCH. Lennix is such a genuinely strong heroine as well, which makes the way Maxim cares for her so beautiful. And then at one point she gets to take care of him in a way I found delightful. Reel also has a great caretaking hero, especially important as the heroine has a chronic illness. He's also a movie director, and he's generally very authoritative which... yes.

This is a dark romance, but in King's Captive by Amber Bardan the hero takes care of the heroine... And it's kinda weird.... Because she's been kept captive on his private island lol.... But I just have a vivid memory of the way he cared for her. And him cooking steaks.

Managed by Kristen Callihan has a wound-tight hero who takes care of EVERYONE and gets all huffy about the hero's resistance to him MANAGING her.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang has an amazing caretaker hero. He's very affirming, he cooks, he loves to tailor things, he also gets AGGRESSIVE in the right situations...

Alright, some more....

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley. Of course. Hart is growly and aggressive and a general menace, but he's also like. Everyone's dad. But Eleanor's DADDY. Will never forget the scene in a book that wasn't even theirs, introducing the fact that they'd been together in the past with him being like "You and your dad need rent money?" and before she could refuse him, tucking cash into her bodice lmao.

Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley. The Sound of Music if Captain Von Trapp was a Scottish lawyer with only two (horrible but great) kids and Maria was a street urchin who was stalking him before he hired her.

Regarding the Duke by Grace Callaway. This is an amnesia book where the hero conks his head, wakes up, doesn't know anyone, and is like "wait I'VE ONLY BEEN BANGING MY WIFE ONCE A WEEK???" Pre-amnesia, Adam is a (hot) but restrained PROVIDERRRRR which is one type of caretaking. Post-amnesia, he's full everything caretaker as soon as possible. And a great dad.

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe. BUT OFC. Lockwood has approximately no money, but he still wants to take Nellie out to eat (and then take her back home to eat), and to swan her about and take care of her. "I'm keeping you, Eleanor" PLEASE.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. All Galen wants to do is buy Hester things and take care of her and swan her about town and line his carriage with indigo fabric (because he calls her "ma petite Indigo". Truly one of THE BIGGEST CARETAKER HEROES EVER.

Lorraine Heath heroes often do caretaking. Waking Up with the Duke comes to mind, The Earl Takes All, Between the Devil and Desire, The Duke and the Lady in Red, The Duchess Hunt... most of them, tbh.

[nomorefstogive]

Path To Nowhere Headcanons: Langley

Good Evening ladies, gentlemen, and all things that lie between, and welcome to this newest display of our wanton insanity. While we work on updating our Genshin Impact story, A Guide To Mending Broken Wings, on Ao3, we have decided to have a bit of fun with something that is somewhat novel to us.

That being our attempts at headcanons, this one focusing on the SFW ones as we plan to make a second one to focus solely on the NSFW ones, without managing to make an entire damn fic out of each entry lol. In particular, we will be starting with our headcanons for the sinners of PTN, with all of that said, let us begin!

Ah! We will also be using a Female Chief when we mention the Chief in this fic, we hope this does not bother anyone, but yuri is a passion of ours and fem chief was practically born for being paired with all of the lovely and dangerous ladies of PTN. 

First up, we have the Silver Spider of Dis herself, head of the 9th Agency and wielder of a gun to make Alucard from Hellsing ultimate proud-

Langley: 

SFW Headcanons

1. Like Zealous-Box on Reddit, I believe she is actually a rather nice boss to work under, although I also see her having the mentality of 'These are my agents to bully and not yours' and as such will not tolerate any outside factors weighing down on them. Debt? She'll subtly pay off the one they owe. An issue with their kids' schooling? Welp, that school is under investigation now. And so on.

2. She has trust issues as a result of having been betrayed many times in the past. It's the reason she is so quick to put a 'Mark' on someone, so if they betray her she can put them down as soon as possible, however, it can also serve as a sign of trust to those who have proven themselves to her.

A way of saying 'I always have your back, so long as you don't double cross me,' as she could use the 'Mark' to find them if need be. Of the few people she trusts, the Chief is the newest to a very small circle and as such is under her watch.

3. The Chief is her 'Little Rookie,' and no one else's. She is their superior and she will not tolerate anyone else trying to poach someone who is hers from her.

If someone tries to give the Chief an order, she will tell the chief to ignore it, before she has a nice 'Talk' with the person who tried to order her rookie. Said talk may involve her cane and their skull becoming intimately familiar with one another.

4. She hates the Old Men who run Dis. She finds them to be both incompetent and Corrupt to the point she has many times fantasized about removing them and playing kingmaker to find suitable replacements for them, but the threat of Pharma and others keeps her from going through with said dreams, afterall it is better the Devil you know then the unknown ones. She is loyal to the city, not the suit-clad rats that run it.

5. She sleeps with her pistol under her pillow. She likewise has one on her nightstand, another strapped under the bed, and many more scattered all across her home. She even has her room at Minos, it is less a cell and more a room because the Chief has accepted they are largely running more of a rehabilitation center/halfway home/apartment complex at this point, outfitted with several guns of varying caliber hidden across it.

6. She treats her stay at Minos like a vacation from her superiors, and can often be found napping with her hat pulled down over her face and her cane over her lap, Lady Maria style, or doing any other number of things to help try and relax from all the stupidity she deals with daily.

7. She encountered Suspect R once, the event left her absolutely terrified of the woman to the point of suffering nightmares of the woman and her power for several months afterward, this being what led to her meeting Chameleon, who came to be her counselor.

To this day she is terrified of meeting the woman again, and fears that should that day come she may not be able to muster the courage to actually face her. What makes it all the more traumatic to her, is that R did not even try to fight her, she simply overwhelmed her by virtue of her sheer presence alone, and this has led to Langley fearing the idea of just what the woman is capable of if she actually tries to fight.

8. Like KhandiMahn on Reddit, I think that she does collect cute things, although I personally feel she collects things such as children story books and fairy tales and has a single stuffed animal that has been with her since childhood, where it was her only real friend, that she has kept well maintained all these years.

She cannot sleep well without her stuffed animal and would more than likely have a panic attack should it be destroyed. The Chief earns brownie points with her when they find it laying around in the washroom and patch it up before she finds them fixing it in their office, Langley almost begging them to give it back to her with the chief doing so and agreeing to not tell anyone else while Langley hold her old friend to her chest.

Needless to say, Langley threatens them to keep quiet despite what they have said and heads off to get some actual sleep, the chief smiling at their superiors' antics as she leaves.

9. She is not a morning person, at all. Her subordinates consider the idea of waking her up early to be the equivalent of walking into the Rust without a weapon and with a neon sign strapped to your chest saying 'Eat Me'. She is in fact barely coherent or aware until she has coffee in her, and is in particular quite fond of Summer's coffee, the one that keeps the Chief up for a whole day in the supervision incident, though it barely affects her.

10. She suffered a leg injury that makes her occasionally have issues with her balance while walking, hence her cane. She added all of the gizmos and gadgets it contains later on, and has recently had Summer update some of them. Among them being a taser-like function that packs as much punch as a cattle prod, an option to remove the handle, which is attached to a small pistol, and a needle filled with adrenaline with a separate one being filled with sedative.

11. She cannot stand spicy food and has a not so secret sweet tooth. In particular, she is quite fond of strawberry or blueberry flavored ice cream but also enjoys coffee flavored versions of the frozen treat as well. She has a separate freezer in her home that is filled with nothing but ice cream. Her subordinates know about it but are wise enough to not say anything because she frankly deserves it given all she has to deal with. 

12. She frequently has migraines and as such carries around a pair of ear plugs, a pair of sunglasses, and a bottle of aspirin, as strong as she can obtain it without going on the blackmarket, and has a special room in her home and cell that is outfitted with complete sound proofing and no windows. 

Her subordinates have come to recognize the signs of one beginning to form, and will work to get her out of whatever situation she is in and either back to her home or to somewhere she can ride out the oncoming pain till it passes. 

The Chief encounters her when one is forming and takes her to their office to rise out the pain with them pulling down blackout curtains and giving her a pillow to rest her head on as they go to leave, only for Langley to stop them and ask them to stay with her during it and until it passes. 

13. She is somewhat touch starved, but she has had bad experiences with physical contact from her childhood and from her struggles throughout her life, and as such is somewhat adverse to it. 

That said, once she feels she can trust someone implicitly, of which there are few, she will typically be the one to initiate contact, typically through light brushes against their shoulders or by threading their fingers together.

If she ever reaches the point of allowing for herself to embrace someone, or allow for them to embrace her, then it becomes readily apparent that she is quite clingy and will allow for just how touch starved she is to become apparent as she tries to maintain contact for as long as possible or initiate it whenever it is possible for her to do so.

It will be worse still if she has nothing to do, and she knows the one she is holding has nothing to do, in which case they had best be prepared for a lengthy stay.

14. She has something of a fascination with spiders, often pausing to admire their webs whenevers she gets the chance, or allowing them to scurry across her hand or nest in the corners of her home, she also has a terrarium filled with various breeds from harmless if annoying Jumping Spiders, to lethal Brown Recluse and Black Widow spiders. 

Curiously, even the most hostile breeds of arachnids seem to be somewhat docile in her presence and also seem to display something akin to obedience to the Silver Spider of Dis, perhaps owing to an unknown attribute of her Sinner Power or for other unknown reason. 

She is particularly proud of having managed to get her hands on, and subsequently raise, a Female Goliath Bird Eater that she has named Spook, it is unknown if the Spider is normal or not, as it has lived for almost 10 years past its life expectancy and has shown remarkable intelligence. 

All of that said, the chief most certainly did not appreciate it when Spook landed on her shoulder while visiting Langley, the ensuing scream could be heard well across the Bureau and most of Dis.

15. Her driving is…let us just say it is something that necessitates boeing both soundly buckled in for, and having made sure that your last will and testament is in order, as Langley tends to pay less attention to speed limits and traffic laws, than she does on getting where she needs to go fast.

There are many reasons her agents trip over themselves to drive her somewhere, and most of them are owed in part to the sheer amount of accidents she has caused over the course of her time behind the wheel. 

16. She has a somewhat odd relationship with Tetra and Bai Yi, as she has hired the 2 to do jobs for her, and by extension the 9th Agency, before and while she has had many complaints about Bai Yi’s antics in the past, she cannot help but admit that the 2 are among her most trusted independent contractors for when she needs something done outside of her own jurisdiction. 

She occasionally provides them aid by subtly having charges against them revoked, or by having them bailed out of sticky situations, though she always expects them to repay her in some way once she has done so. 

17. She has something of a rivalry with Eirene, the two often being found playing chess against one another and speaking, though few of those who have managed to find them during these games are able to understand just what it is they are speaking about. 

This rivalry also manifest as Eirene going out of her way to purchase assets the 9th Agency is interested in, be it structures and companies, or hiring individuals they were interested in recruiting and then using them as leverage to force LAngley to play further games with her both at the negotiating table and at the chess board. 

18. She has a fascination with Crache and has her eye on her as a potential recruit for the 9th, her ability to effectively control shadows and to appear out of nowhere having the potential to make for not only a lethal agent but perhaps also someone that, if taught correctly, could become a greater legend than even herself in the fields of espionage. 

For now though, she is content merely monitoring the girls growth and ensuring she continues to develop along the right paths, occasionally she will provide little tests and challenges for the girls ability as well as subtly raising the education level of her tests to see her strive to grow, but outside of that she is keeping her hands off of her for fear of a certain nurse catching wind of her interest.

She despises needles and someone with a gun that shoots them is as such quite a bother for her to deal with. 

19. She once attempted to deal with Nightingale’s work out of curiosity for just what the adjutant has to deal with on a daily basis, she promptly had a small mental breakdown after the first hour, crashed from an overdose of caffeine near the third, had another mental breakdown near the fourth, and upon seeing just how much was left gave up and fled to her cell.

She has since made it clear that no one is to speak ill of the Adjutant, be they Sinner or Agent from the 9th or otherwise, any person who can handle that much bullshit and not lose their minds deserves not only the highest of praise, but also whatever the hell else they want or need, whenever they want or need it. 

20. She has a personal stamp made in the image of a widow like spider with a hypercube on its thorax that she uses to stamp all of her documents with, she once attempted to add a webbing design to it…it did not work like she thought it would and resembled more solid circle of ink than anything else and so she tossed the web and went back to the simpler spider design.

21. Her main gun is called the “Silver widow”, she has several spares with similar names, from a sniper rifle called the “Black Widow”, to a shotgun called the “Brown Recluse”, she has likewise had each of the weapons inscribed with the design of the spider they are named after, her main gun bearing the only custom emblem out of the lot with it being her own spider symbol, a widow like spider with a hypercube in place of an hourglass on the thorax. 

22. She shares a feeling of fond exasperation for the Chief and her usual aids, Hella and Hecate, as while they do get results, their methods tend to be…rather unique and occasionally very entertaining to watch and or hear about, but she is also somewhat wary of the most unlikely of the two Sinners for her own reason. 

She sees the Chief as something of a protege, though it could also be argued she seems to have a borderline romantic interest in them, or perhaps it is the growing bond between them simply showing just how lonely she truly is behind the mask of the leader of the 9th.

Regardless she tends to go out of her way to keep an eye on the eccentric Chief of Minos, occasionally going out of her way to aid them from the shadows or protect them from the various elements of Dis that just seem incapable of grasping just under whose protection they are.

As for Hecate, she finds the quiet and artistic girl to be somewhat pleasant to be around, always silent unless she is spoken to or needs to speak and always sketching she is one of the very few to have encountered Langley while she was having a migraine and not earned a bullet between the eyes as she closed the curtains of the room they were in and gave her a pillow to put her head on. 

When she asked why she helped her, Hecate merely looked at her and tilted her head before saying; “You have been kind to the Chief, and the Chief says I should help people if they are in pain, and you looked like you were in pain. Is that not a good enough reason?”

Langley will deny to her dying breath that she gave the young woman a head pat after she said that, and Hecate herself will be strangely quiet on the subject, though there will be a faint glimmer in her eyes at the memory. 

Since then, she has had something of a soft spot for the young woman, typically it is one shown by making sure she is alright upon returning from a mission or by encouraging her to grow beyond her current state of being, typically by arranging tests for her or challenging her to chess, she can proudly say the young woman is showing progress in her growing education.

As for Hella, one would expect her to despise the feral gremlin of Syndicate, what with her foul tongue, disrespect for authorities, and penchant for causing trouble wherever she goes, but in truth she finds her to be quite entertaining as all it takes to cause a spectacle is to say the right words to wind her up and then point her at something as she watches the fireworks. 

She also harbors a grudging respect for the young girl, as at one point she found herself confronted by Hella in one of the many hallways of Minos, the Syndican casually leaning against a wall as Ninety-Nine leaned against the wall across from her.

She had been intrigued from the moment she saw the oddly calm and composed look in the little gremlin’s eyes as she pushed herself off the wall and walked towards her, stopping in front of her and looking up just enough to meet her eyes as she spoke up in an oddly calm voice.

What followed was something she did not expect, the little B-Rank Sinner meeting the eyes of the Spider of Paradiso, an S-Rank Sinner with a kill count in the hundreds if not thousands, and telling her that she didn’t trust her, nor did she like her authority over the Chief, but she would tolerate them.

But if she betrayed the Chief, if she betrayed them or hurt them in anyway…well Ninety-Nine’s fist striking the hypercube reinforced wall with enough force to cause cracks to spider web across the wall and dust to fall to the ground as she pulled her mutated hand out of the pit she had born through it with one strike finished her sentence. 

The display was met with her aiming her pistol at the younger Syndican fast enough neither could blink before the cold metal was aimed at her forehead, the taller Syndican snarling as her eyes began to burn crimson as her power began to surge, only for Hella to do something that caught them both off guard.

She laughed.

She looked Langley dead in the eye, and she laughed as she lifted up her hand and pulled the gun flush against her forehead, the cold steel meeting her skin in a frigid kiss as she unblinkingly met Langley’s gaze.

“Go ahead, pull the trigger you eight legged Eastside bitch. We both know you don’t have enough bullets or strength to keep me from coming back before you can put Ninety-Nine down, and how long do you think that fancy cane will keep us back huh? Think a taser and a few knives and a little pea shooter are going to stop us for more than what? A few minutes? An hour? Doesn’t fucking matter, eventually one of us will break it, then what? How long will you last with that bad leg of yours? I give you about 10 minutes before one of us breaks it again, and this time you won’t have anyone to save you. So go ahead cow, put one between my eyes, I. Fucking. Dare. You.”

As Hella spoke she had reached her hand up to grip Langley’s wrist and begin to rest her smaller, yet more heavily calloused hand, over hers and begin to push down on the trigger finger after she thumbed the hammer back, never once breaking her gaze as she and Langley kept meeting each others eyes. 

Langley could feel Ninety-Nine’s gaze on her as she moved closer to her sun’s side, her posture telling Langley that the moment she squeezed the trigger, she would be fighting the brute up close and personal and she doubted even a round from her gun would stop her.

And so, she pulled her gun back and gave an amused chuckle to the young woman and her hulking companion. 

She looked down into Hella’s eyes and offered her a simple nod of understanding as she holstered her gun and began to walk away, the pair letting her pass with their peace said, though she soon stopped to call over her shoulder to them.

“I’ve known some of the best FAC soldiers and Agents in my life, and none of them have even half the guts you do brat, I look forward to seeing how you’ll turn out, little girl from Syndicate.”

Since then she has kept a close eye on the little gremlin, all the while wondering just what is truly going on in the head of the little B-Rank that had the guts to stare her down like that, because now that she has seen a glimpse of what lays behind the facade of a brat, she can’t help but wonder just what kind of beast stands beside the Chief. 

23. She is bi-sexual, but prefers either females or feminine or effeminate looking males, she is also one to very much wear the pants in any relationship, though she will have her softer moments, especially after a long day of dealing with the bullshit she deals with and her leg beginning to ache on her.

All she will want after visiting her partner afterwards, is to have her leg massaged while she closes her eyes and gets some sleep as she dreams of the day when she finally snaps and sets her paperwork on fire. 

24. She can be quite protective of those she has grown close to, and even more so in regards to those she considers friends or potential partners. Expect the Spider’s web to be thoroughly wrapped around these individuals as she maintains near constant surveillance of them and those around them.

Any fool going after them will have not only the Spider herself after them, but all of the 9th gunning for them as well, because their boss has earned those few treasured individuals after all the shit she has been through and anyone that tries to take those that make her happy from her, had best start digging their grave, cause whatever gods they worship have washed their hands of them. 

And that is about all for the Headcanon we have for the silver Spider of Paradiso at the moment, we may come up with some more in the future but for now this is where we will be ending this little chapter of this mess. 

Till next time, take care and stay safe everyone.

[shalomniscient]

SELFSHIP LORE: SEVCHINO

master document. always stc according to new lore updates.

PAST: CHILDHOOD -> I meet Peruere and Clervie at the orphanage as the last one to join. Clervie is the one who opens up first, and where Clervie goes, Peruere naturally follows. We become a sort-of trio in the orphanage, mostly just following Clervie around since she's the more outspoken and outgoing one between the three of us. I do start to warm up more eventually, though not to Clervie's extent.

-> On a starlit night after a particularly brutal training session, Clervie assigns all of us nicknames, in a sense. Peruere is the moon, I am the sun, and she is a star. Then, she tells us both about the auroras of Snezhnaya, and we all promise to go see it one day. Together.

-> I rely mostly on Clervie and Peruere during the training sessions because I'm not the most physically capable. I am, however, an academic fucking weapon and destroy any of the academic tests that are set. So much so that by the time we turn 15, a scholarship comes in the mail from Snezhnaya for me, with the offer to study in one of the prestigious institutions in the Nation of Cryo.

-> I consider ignoring the offer, but Clervie rips into me for it. It's an opportunity to escape the Kingmaking, after all. I would be stupid not to take it, yet at the same time, I don't want to leave them. But Clervie assures me that they will both be fine--they have each other, after all. Peruere, on the other hand, makes no such promises (and perhaps, she was wise beyond her years to do so).

-> I head off to Snezhnaya in the coming week, and from then on, only communicate to Clervie and Peruere through letters. It's mostly Clervie writing, but Peruere writes the occasional paragraph or two. I treasure all the letters and keep them in a box beneath my bed at the institute. I get two final letters, one from Clervie and the other from Peruere. Clervie assures me that everything is fine, but Peruere's letter is more honest. The Kingmaking approaches, and nothing is certain. Though they both promise that when it's over, which ever way the chips fall, we'll go see the auroras together.

-> The letters stop the year I turn 17. It doesn’t take long for me to figure out why, since rumors buzz around Snezhnaya like wildfire; Crucabena, the Knave, assassinated by one of her orphans. I try and dig for more info, but everything is kept under tight wraps. I graduate at 18, and I officially won't be receiving any more letters, because I'll be dispatched as a sleeper agent to Liyue and functionally 'severing' any ties to the Fatui. The dream of seeing the auroras remains just that—a dream.

PAST: ADULTHOOD -> As a sleeper agent in Liyue, I work for the Qixing in administration. The Fatui gives all its sleepers a new identity, and as part of my own training at the institute, adopting it isn't difficult. I spend years as a member of the Qixing, and even get to watch Ningguang rise to power as Tianquan.

-> But orders arrive from Snezhnaya to work with a newly acquired 'asset' based in Liyue. That 'asset' ends up being the up-and-coming future Regrator. I become his insider in the Qixing, funneling information to him and functionally becoming his assistant. This goes on for about a year before Yelan comes into Ningguang's service, and the Qixing do a full top-down department purge of Fatui agents. Though by that point, we had already completed what we set out to achieve, so the retreat back to Snezhnaya was not one of disgrace.

-> As part of his 'team', I'm present at his inauguration as a Harbinger. But who then is also present, but as a Harbinger herself, other than Peruere? I don't take my eyes off her throughout the entire ceremony, and neither does she, but now is not the time nor the place for a reunion. Instead, she waits until a few days later, meeting me outside my temporary accommodation at the Zapolyarny Palace on a cloudless night.

-> We talk, and then with her permission, hug her tightly. She says that she looked for me, but it made sense that I couldn't be found since I was a sleeper. The aurora stretches far and wide above our heads, and I ask her where Clervie is, even though at this point, I could surmise the answer myself.

-> A few days after that, I receive a transfer order from the Knave, much to Pantalone's displeasure. I, of course, don't think twice about accepting it.

PRESENT -> I work for Peruere, now Arlecchino, as her adjutant and second-in-command.

FUTURE -> In honor of Clervie's nickname of 'star', our first child is given a name that embodies it; Estelle.

[bespectacledbun]

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ a little lovemail for Emma ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

because I went on a little rant on discord recently about how capable she is and how much she’s overlooked by the fandom. too often I see comments saying she’s weak, or incompetent, or a glorified therapist for the princes when she’s not; Emma is honestly incredibly intelligent, but I feel people always forget to consider that she’s a) a commoner b) a woman c) in a medieval fantasy setting, and hold her to modern standards, which is... a little unfair

so I wanted to give her a little love too 💌

she knows three languages, two of which are entirely self taught—court french (Chevalier’s route) and japanese (Rio’s route)

she doesn’t stop there, though; she proceeds to learn even more languages after getting her happily ever after. in Luke’s post-route stories she knows at least 4 languages, and in Chevalier’s post-route stories she knows more than 5 languages and is actively learning more

while I’m on the topic, LITERACY. I think people often forget that “education for all” was not a thing until the 18th century, and before then only merchants and nobility got proper educations. Emma holding a clerical job as a commoner IS an admirable quality for her social status and the time period ikepri is set in

she’s a great entrepreneur. she opens a book-lending business (Chevalier’s route), as well as her own bookstore and a school (both in Clavis’s route)

not only does she pick up on court etiquette and skills (music, dance, diplomacy, politics) in less than a month, she’s also able to learn ministerial duties and absolutely kicks ass at it (Sariel’s route)

she knows how to play not only to her own strengths and weaknesses, but also to that of others around her. she’s able to broker bargains with many of the suitors (Chevalier, Nokto, Silvio, Sariel) across routes to get the information and/or help that she needs

another thing I see often is because she doesn’t say “no” to the princes and that somehow makes her weak, or easier to push around—there’s a world of power difference between her and the suitors. emma being able to hold her ground against the princes as she does, while navigating an entirely new battlefield of court politics and high society, is an excellent testament to her mental fortitude and character

she’s a skilled horseback rider (all routes) and swimmer (Jin’s events) way before she comes to the castle, and she eventually learns martial arts for self defense from Licht (Licht’s events)

she taught herself first aid and nursing, and is proficient enough to become a battle medic in many of the routes (Chevalier, Licht, Yves). emma also goes on to properly learn medicine to become a licensed doctor (Keith’s route)

“Belle” isn’t just a role that Emma plays for a month; it’s a political position with a LOT of power. there is a reason why she observes the princes so closely, there’s a reason why she hides it and why she doesn’t let her feelings for the princes determine whether they are fit to rule or not. she can change Rhodolite’s governmental administration entirely, whether it’s directly, by naming a particular king, and thus a particular set of policies that will affect the entire kingdom— or indirectly, by influencing their views on how to rule. her first priority will always, ALWAYS be protecting her home and her people, regardless of who she’s in a relationship with; Emma is a kingmaker, not arm candy. 

there’s probably more that I can’t remember off the top of my head but my point is—– Emma isn’t just a pretty face and a kind voice to the princes. the reason the suitors fall in love with her isn’t because she’s the therapist who “fixes” them, it’s because she’s intelligent, brave, and a really hard worker. she stands by her convictions and morals no matter who she’s against and is determined to achieve her goals regardless of what stands in her way

is emma a little idealistic about her job and wanting a fairy tale romance? yes. does she try to solve her problems through nonviolence instead of action? also yes. but it doesn’t make her any less of a person or diminish her skills and worth because she’s not ambitious or assertive enough. she’s content with her life and her relationships, but she still strives to improve herself and help the people around her, and I think that makes her both a great character and a great woman

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Rorkoun

CR 6

Neutral Evil Huge Aberration

Adventure Path: Kingmaker: Rivers Run Red, pg. 86-87

These absolutely bizarre aberrations slither through the lightless waterways and endless, inky depths of the Darklands, making their homes in tight crevasses no creature of their size should be able to fit in and emerging to gorge themselves on whatever creature may pass by. Able to cram themselves into tiny cracks thanks to their boneless, semiliquid body, victims may not even realize one's there until its teeth are already closing around them!

When discovered in cavern waterways closer to the surface, Rorkoun are typically found nesting in pools or bogs near the hideouts of goblinoids and mite/mitflits, because their alien intellect registers two facts: they cannot stand the flavor of goblins and mitflits, but both of those creatures often bring in what the Rorkoun truly enjoy, the (say it with me now) flesh of sapient humanoids. While normally these creatures are opportunistic ambush predators, Rorkoun fill a strange niche in the Darklands: that of the guardian to small raider tribes. Not out of loyalty, but because goblins and mitflits both love to antagonize nearby civilizations, which invites reprisal from those civilizations, and that reprisal comes in the form of delicious morsels the Rorkoun truly enjoys to feed on; any actual guarding it does is purely incidental. While goblins often believe the twisted abominations to be protector beasts that guard them from the retribution of dwarves, drow, and other Darklands denizens, their fanatic belief often blinds them to the fact that the Rorkoun only ever attack invaders until it manages to grab onto a morsel or two and dive back into the waters to enjoy its meal, leaving the rest to do as they will.

Rorkoun strike like the snakes they just barely resemble, lashing their lengthy bodies from their watery homes in the hopes of Grabbing onto a target and either constricting them to death or pulling them into the water to drown. They have a 15ft space and a 15ft reach, making shorelines in the Darklands even more precarious than they already were, and their strength and size can spell doom for single targets that get grabbed by their bite or their coiling slam attack. The bite of one of these creatures deals 2d6+7 damage, the slam 2d6+3, and both of them Grab anything they hit. Anything that can't break the grapple takes an additional 2d6+7 damage each round from constriction, but the primary danger is being dragged into the water and swiftly drowned; even breaking free of the grapple doesn't end the danger, because most creatures pulled underwater--especially ones which rely on bludgeoning weapons--have their offensive options drop to nearly zero. It's difficult to fight back or gain any meaningful distance before the horror just grabs them again next round!

If you think you're safe taking to the air or being able to walk on water, they have a disgusting way around that, too, by horking up Gobs of their horrid mass at targets within 30ft as ranged touch attacks. Anything hit by a Gob takes 1d6 damage from the impact and must succeed a DC 19 Reflex save or become entangled in the slime, plummeting to the ground if they're in the air, sinking if they're swimming, and becoming stuck in place if they're on solid earth. This technique is especially dangerous when aimed at foes already engaging goblins and gremlins alike, as being entangled usually assures a swift and horrible demise by countless thrusting spears and cutting daggers. Mercifully, any amount of Acid damage destroys a Gob completely and utterly, allowing Wizards with Acid Splash to free themselves and their allies without risking too many resources, and Rorkoun themselves have a Vulnerability to Acid that means bringing acid flasks and Acid Arrow into the depths is a good move.

Rorkoun are incentivized to use their slime as a support projectile, as tribes of goblins near their homes will usually throw such victims into the water for them to feed upon like a sacrifice. Without other monsters helping them kill creatures that were gobbed up, any creature that gets outside of their reach and stays out is typically safe. "Stay away from the water" is the surest way to avoid having to get into combat at all with these things, and while not always feasible, taking the battle away from the shoreline assures no third party attacks will leap from the depths to assault the party. The threat posed by these tentacle monsters is immense, but the Rorkoun need this massive threat radius because of a crippling weakness: Aquatic Dependency. Their lives swiftly end if they spend even a single round without their space intersecting a source of water, their bodies painfully and "violently" dehydrating the second they're not drawing water into themselves. They take 1 point of damage the first round they're not touching the water, then 2 the next, 3 the one after, then 4, 5, 6, so on and so forth until they either slip their body back into the water or die horribly. The process is stated to be so painful that Rorkoun will only bear it if they're literally on the verge of starving to death, and otherwise will never risk leaving the water for any reason or any length of time.

Before we wrap up, let's talk quickly about something unusual and unique about them: Deathwatch. This ability isn't listed anywhere in their Special Abilities block, nor is it a Universal Monster Ability, and it's not listed under constant spell-likes as it technically should. I'd consider this a printing error if it weren't for the fact that Deathwatch as a spell exists, and it's a fairly useful spell for something that's an opportunistic ambush predator: It allows the Rorkoun to constantly assess the health states of living creatures around it, letting it know which one to focus its wrath on as the easiest target, and how to avoid hidden Undead, unappetizing Constructs, or creatures who are too full of vigor for it to bother with. It's a 30ft cone, which also allows the Rorkoun to track prey in complete darkness, prey which is invisible or hard to spot, or sense when something (perhaps even something wounded) walks or swims past its hiding spot so it can spring out like a snake in a peanut can.

You can read more about them here.