#but then he DID make them a clan. and gave us SOME lore

[justsomeoneunordinary]

If we tweak canon just a teensy bit, we can make Katsuyu a sea slug (she certainly already looks it) instead of a terrestrial one, from the seas surrounding Uzushio, thus giving Tsunade a connection to her Uzumaki side that Kishimoto failed to do so himself

[midnightbears]

Arranged marriage with Gyomei pls. Kagaya matched Gyomei with Y/N ​​for some reason and Gyomei slowly falling in love with y/n 🥲🥲❤

✿ i love you, and i want to find out what that means together.

#STARRING: himejima gyomei ft. fem!reader

#TAGS: arranged marriage. gyomei is in his early twenties in this one! set before the main events of kny. some invented lore for the sake of the story please just bear it thanks

#NOTES: hello there! thank you for your request <3 tbh I've always had this specific idea stuck in my head and you just gave me a reason to write for it LMAO i actually went kind of crazy with this fic omg i loved to write it let me know if u would like a part two! hope you like it and hope it wasn't too much LMAOOo

your existence could be hashed over with one word.

purpose.

ever since you could remember, your entire life had been mapped out for you: what to eat, what to not eat, what to like, what to dislike, what to wear, your hobbies, your pastimes, your vocabulary—everything. apparently, every inane thing that had been shoved down your throat was only done to make you a dignified woman worthy of whichever lord they married you off to.

you and your family hailed from a long line of priests and priestesses, where the girls were raised to be proper wives and shrine maidens and the boys were carefully taught the profession in hopes of serving important figures throughout japan.

you were helping your mother tend to the flowers one day when a messenger from the ubuyashiki clan—a kakushi, as you heard they were called—appeared before your temple's door, asking your father to choose and provide the clan with one of his daughters.

you were picked immediately, and you had no choice but to stand before your father, trembling, and pretend that you agreed with his decision with a serene expression on your face. you could tell this was just his way of finally getting rid of you.

in the words of your father behind closed doors, if someone couldn't be bothered to have the decency to visit the temple in person and instead sent a mere messenger to request a carefully trained shrine maiden, it was clear they didn't deserve the best of what he could offer.

you smiled, agreeing with him.

when you went to pack what little things you had, nobody was in the shared quarters; at least you would spare yourself of your sisters' cruel remarks over your father's decision. you did not have many things of your own; you packed your hairbrush, a book, and what few things you held dear.

the kakushi was waiting outside when you emerged. trying to maintain a semblance of calm, you offered him a small smile. he looked at you with curiosity but did not say anything. kindly, he allowed you a moment for a brief prayer before the buddha statue at the front of the temple. then, you were off.

no one came to say goodbye to you.

it was alright, you supposed. the only person you could think fondly of was your mother, and a barbed wire of melancholy slowly wound around your heart at the thought of not being able to part ways properly. you knew that she preferred you over her other daughters, but even so, you were aware that she would never hear the end of it from your father if she came to say her farewells. you would write to her.

you were the third of six sisters, and always, one of them was more talented than you were, just a tad bit more attractive, just a tad bit more creative, just a tad bit more charming. sure, you were well-versed in the duties of a useful spouse—okay, all your sisters were as well. what good was that when you had nothing special about you? what was it your father called you? ah, yes, mediocre.

the kakushi did not speak to you for the entire trip, for which reason you did not know. a question hung on the tip of your tongue, although you dared not ask it. at some point, he urged you to wear a blindfold and climb on his back, which you simply accepted, knowing better than to ask.

you didn't make anything out during the journey, only listening to the sound of small pebbles vibrating against the ground as he made his way up a mountain. after what felt like hours, he finally put you down, gently tugging the blindfold off you and allowing your eyes to adjust to the bright light of morning.

once you were presentable, he escorted you toward the estate entrance. you could tell he was a bit off put by the way you were just accepting things, but he didn't say anything about it.

the kakushi stopped before the towering gate of the ubuyashiki mansion and offered you a deep bow. you thanked him, and you could see him smile with his eyes before he left. another kakushi, a woman this time, escorted you toward a graveled garden, a small figure sitting by the engawa.

she knelt on the ground and bowed her head, and you did the same until she picked herself from the ground.

looking forward, you met the gaze of a boy who looked to be around the age of fifteen, with kohl black hair that sat just above his shoulders. he had the most beautiful eyes you had ever seen, so easy to look at, lavender tainting the irises. he had the calming smile of a buddha, and although knowing nothing about him beyond reputation, you felt at ease with him.

"i am kagaya. i trust your journey went smoothly? thank you for your patience, maiden. i apologize for not going to your temple in person, i hope your priest will forgive me. believe me, i wanted to, but i'm afraid my illness would not have allowed me to make the trip."

the boy's voice was unlike any other you had ever heard, fluid and gentle, causing a wave of reassurance to wash over you. you felt at ease immediately, as though something had just taken every burden off your shoulders and instead shrouded you in a cloud of repose.

"it was no trouble, oyakata-sama, truly." you followed this with a deep incline of your head, your own voice remaining serene and mellow, "it is an honor to be in your presence."

kagaya smiled. "your temple is of great renown. my clan has had the pleasure of counting with your priests and maidens across the centuries. there is no need for such formalities, child."

granted, you were sure you were older than him by a few years, but the way he called you 'child' was comforting, and you were not about to question him, simply keeping quiet.

"you are to marry one of my pillars, maiden. he is an honorable man, the lord of stone, i am sure the two of you will get along. he should arrive any moment now."

you willed yourself to say something, yet you simply could not. you were not the first maiden who was given to a lord for marriage, and you certainly wouldn't be the last. still, your heart did a flip at the simple notion of ending up in a similar situation as your mother, forced to produce offspring until your husband found you undesirable.

for a moment, a cold hand wrapped around your heart in fear of what that man would do with you. however, the single thought of the young boy before you lying about the pillar's honor revolted you. he was telling the truth, and if he said the stone pillar was a good man, then you had nothing to fear.

softly, the sound of footsteps reached your ears, and you turned slightly to see a towering figure approaching, his presence both imposing and serene all at once.

the man who stood before you was unlike any you had ever seen. large beyond comparison, clad in the dark robes of a uniform and a green haori. his stature was immense, with muscles that seemed chiseled from stone. he was young, with an impassive face, yet undeniably handsome. his eyes, clouded with a milky whiteness, told you that he could not see, yet he moved with a grace that belied his blindness.

"this is himejima gyomei, the stone pillar," kagaya introduced, "he has been chosen as your betrothed, and i trust that you will find solace and strength in his presence."

gyomei walked toward you, his movements slow and deliberate, his footsteps echoing throughout the garden—

your breath hitched as he knelt before you, reaching his hand out. but instead of what you expected, he pressed his palm against your cheek, his voice reverberating like a chiming bell inside a cathedral. he caressed your cheek as one would treat an injured butterfly.

"maiden beloved," he murmured, tears spilling from his eyes, "i apologize for making you wait."

the ceremony was that same day, quick and endearing.

you were married in front of oyakata-sama, his wife, and other members of the corps as witnesses. before you knew it, the wedding concluded, and your husband guided you to your new home with you by his side.

gyomei was not acting like he had been given you as some justly won right to do with as he pleased. that set your heart at ease, greatly so, and in some way, it was like he could tell, too. he was walking slowly, allowing you to keep up with his large strides. small talk filled the empty silence of the way home as he listed all the things you would assist him with.

you were to cook for him, clean the estate daily and take care of it when he was away, write letters for him and read them when he received any, and...

huh. that was it.

getting used to your routine was easier than anticipated as weeks passed, although you would be lying to yourself if you said that gyomei's patience and demeanor weren't helping you in the slightest.

he had insisted that you sleep in a separate bedroom within the estate, taking into account that despite being your husband, he was still a complete stranger to you. the very moment you reached your new home, he made sure to explicitly tell you that he did not wish to embarrass you or cause you discomfort in any way, shape, or form.

during mornings, you would naturally wake up at the crack of dawn, your training making things much easier. you would dress yourself in the robes gyomei had gifted you for your wedding and make your way to the kitchen to start a big meal for the day. you'd wake him up then, guiding him to the kitchen to share breakfast together.

most of the time, you ate in silence, although you did not mind at all. after that, you would wash dishes, and he trained. the estate was not that big, so having to sweep the floor or dust the shelves daily did not bother you, and you instead found comfort in the repetitive routine. you would finish quite swiftly and urge gyomei inside again for tea time during noon.

you tried to entertain yourself as best as possible during the afternoons and evenings. usually, you would find yourself tending to a small garden you'd created when you arrived. your husband would sometimes join you, captivated by the sweet smell of the flowers and the sensation of the earth beneath his fingertips. you would explain what the flowers looked like and how they were meant to be taken care of, and he, in turn, basked in your every word.

gardening duty was one of the things you enjoyed most back at the temple, and since no one else was willing to get their hands dirty, you were the maiden who would regularly take care of the flowers.

you bought flower seeds during your first trip to the market in the nearby town and took the time to introduce yourself to as many people as possible. the locals were very kind to you, and as you started frequenting the shops more and more, you were always being greeted by folks who wished you and your husband the best.

as months passed, your relationship with gyomei deepened in ways you had never expected. the initial tension and clumsiness of living with a stranger began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of familiarity and comfort.

gyomei, true to his word, respected your boundaries and gave you space to adjust at your own pace. however, small gestures of care and affection started to seep into your daily life. he would often leave freshly picked flowers from your garden by your bedroom door, their vibrant colors and sweet fragrance greeting you first thing in the morning. sometimes, he would assist you with household chores, his presence making the mundane tasks feel lighter and more enjoyable.

he began to pay attention to the little things, like how you offered wounded slayers who stumbled upon the estate a fresh meal and a place to redress their wounds, or how you fed the cats mingling around your shared home every single night, even noticing that you had taken the time to name them and remember everyone.

the town's people, too, played a part in your growing closeness. they would often remark on how harmonious you and gyomei seemed together, their kind words fortifying the bind that tied you together. you started to see the way gyomei interacted with them and how much respect the people had for him—and you couldn't help but admire him more each day.

your conversations, though initially skimpy and shallow, began to flow more naturally. gyomei's deep voice would rumble through stories of his past with the children of the orphanage, his experiences as a hashira, and the lessons he had learned along the way. you, in turn, shared snippets of your life at the temple, your family, your dreams, and your fears. it was through these conversations that you realized how much you had in common despite your different backgrounds.

anyone with a pair of working eyes would see it, or, at least, anyone who had known for at least once in their lifetime what a soul-stirring connection with another human felt like. you found comfort in his presence, seeking him out like a moth to a flame, and he, in yours, only wanted you to tend to his wounds after missions, fix his haori, or wait by himself outside just so he could pray by your side.

eventually, it got to a point where the separate bedrooms became less of a necessity and more of a formality. you often found yourself falling asleep together in the living room after long conversations or shared moments of silence. whenever you did manage to part ways, you always lingered by your door, a dreamy smile encasing your lips.

you could not deny yourself anymore. you were the happiest you had been in years.

one evening, as you both sat for dinner, the familiar quiet enveloping you like a warm blanket, gyomei's voice broke through the tranquility.

"i love you."

the bunch of food you were going to bring into your mouth splattered into the bowl again with a messy splash. oh. oh my god. you whipped your head toward your husband, who stared at you with a soft expression on his face.

"you do not have to say it back if you do not feel the same, but i wanted you to know." then, gyomei went back to chewing his food as if he had not said what he had just said.

"why?"

gyomei shifted his head in your direction with a worried expression, your teary tone and doddering heartbeat doing nothing to mitigate his apprehension. he tried to reach for you, but you jerked away from him. he could tell that whatever you were feeling was not directed toward him, but still, it pained him greatly to know you were suffering.

"g-gyomei, i—"

your hands were shaking, and he reached for them to trace your skin with the pads of his thumbs. he opened his mouth, but you beat him to it as you keeled over, shoulders trembling as sobs left your mouth, your usual calmness thrown out the window.

"y-you said that you wouldn't embarrass me! there is nothing special about me. what is it about me that you could possibly love? you're always so good to me," you were throwing word vomit at this point, and the worst part was you did not even know where it was coming from, "i haven't done anything to receive your affection! i'm just doing the things i'm supposed to do..."

tears slid down his cheeks before he could stop them, and he leaned forward to pull you into his embrace. your body completely froze, an unknown emotion taking over. gyomei had never initiated contact before. most of the time, you had to be the one to grab his hand or tug his collar.

"my little maiden... you have no idea how precious you are to me," gyomei murmured, his voice impossibly gentle and firm. he held you close, his large, comforting presence grounding you as your sobs began to subside. "you see yourself through the harsh lens of your own eyes, but i see the truth of your heart with my own. your unconditional kindness, your strength, your sincerity—these are just some of the reasons i love you."

his words seeped into your cold heart, slowly quieting the tempest inside. you couldn't understand how someone as incredible, kind, and powerful as gyomei could see such worth in you, but the sincerity in his voice and the warmth of his embrace made you want to believe him.

"you don't have to prove your worth to me or anyone," he continued, his voice alleviating your wounded spirit. "you are enough, just as you are. your presence in my life is a blessing, and i am grateful for you every single day."

"gyomei," you whispered, your voice trembling but no longer with fear. "i… i love you too. i was just scared. scared that i wasn't enough for you."

he smiled softly, wiping away your tears with his thumbs. "you are more than enough, my love. and i will spend the rest of all my lifetimes showing you just how much you mean to me."

© midnightbears on tumblr, july 2024. please do not repost to another platform, plagiarize, translate, use for AI-related purposes or claim as your own.

[nadas-dirthalen]

I Saw Solas's Origin in an Achievement Icon and It Opened My Eyes on 15 Years of Lore

— PART THREE: if you haven't read previous parts, do it now! —

[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ]

Welcome, friends and travelers! I wanted to get some thoughts recorded before Veilguard's release so I could see if I am right about an absolute BOATLOAD of theories I have.

In short: I saw the achievement list when it was released. I have seen the backstory hints for Solas included in said list. AND MY MIND WAS BLOWN.

You have been warned: THIS COLLECTION OF THEORIES INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR EVERY DRAGON AGE GAME AND ALL PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL UP TO AND INCLUDING OCTOBER 18, 2024.

Come sit down with me. Make a nice cup of tea (and hide it from Solas). We've got a lot of unpacking to do.

(this photo isn't the spoiler, I just like it.)

Today's Discussion:

So far, we've covered a few things. We know Solas was "born" from (or manifested from) a branch of raw lyrium while he was still connected to a Titan. We know there were hints toward this from across all three previous games, plus a lot of external media. We know his "birth" was initiated/instigated by Mythal.

We also know that there are quite a lot of hints about memory and forgetting across what we've covered so far, from Cole's dialogue to old elvhen lullabies.

But from here, we must ask ourselves: What ARE the Forgotten Ones? And if Solas really IS Titan-born, what does that say about the rest of everything we know about the world of Thedas and its magic?

Why the Titans are the Forgotten Ones

Fen'Harel Walked Between Both Clans of Gods

The Abyss and the Fade

Lyrium: Titans' Blood, Emerald Waters of the Fade

What IS a Spirit, Then?

Solas's Magic: What Was He Born With?

Solas and Petrification

Solas and "Blood" Magic // The Red Lyrium Idol

What Did Solas Absorb at the End of DA:I?

Why the Titans are the Forgotten Ones

Okay. This, I admit, could have been its own post. There is a LOT to cover with just this topic. I was in the midst of outlining such a post when one of my favourite Dragon Age theorycrafters (girltriesgames) came out with this video, which summarizes every point I'd gave gone into at length. Go watch it, if you want the full deep-dive!

For now, I will summarize some of the video's points:

There were two clans of gods, according to Merrill. The first was the Evanuris, and the Forgotten Gods were the second.

Fen'Harel walked among both clans without fear, and both believed he was one of them.

The Forgotten Ones have been "sealed" in the Abyss, which we know is the deep underground from the Descent DLC and other sources such as the Anvil of the Void.

The Forgotten Ones are cited by Merrill and the World of Thedas books as being at war with the Evanuris, namely Mythal and Elgar'nan being at war with four Forgotten Ones; in the Trespasser DLC, it mentions that the Titans were at war with the Evanuris, and slain by Mythal and Elgar'nan.

The Hissing Wastes features codices from ancient dwarves who fled to the surface to escape a war that was ultimately... forgotten, featuring dragons being used as weapons that slaughtered their kin. Obviously an above-ground enemy!

There are countless mentions of the word "Forgotten" around the Titans and dwarves. The Titans have been forgotten. They do not exist in the Memories of Orzammar. The sleeping Titans have forgotten how to wake up.

Cole makes many mentions of forgotten songs in relation to the sleeping Titans and also to the dwarves. Curiously, he even ties these concepts to the Templars, who employ the same magic (according to Cole).

Fen'Harel Walked Between Both Clans of Gods

Once I knew that Solas is made from lyrium and that the Titans are the Forgotten Ones, everything clicked into place for me. The legends say that Fen'Harel walked between both "clans" of gods because each one believed him to be one of their own. That sentence made less sense to me before, because I wondered: how does an elf fool an entire other clan of gods into believing he belongs to them?

Understanding that the Titans are the Forgotten Ones, famously the clan of gods that the Evanuris (namely Mythal and Elgar'nan) warred with... well, it makes sense now, doesn't it? Solas was able to walk between both clans of gods because he DOES have roots in both. Solas is crafted FROM a Titan. Solas BECAME an Evanuris. The Titan would recognize him as one of its own; the Evanuris accept him as one of their own.

This is backed up even further by a piece of Solas's dialogue in The Threat Remains.

"I have journeyed deep into the Fade in ancient ruins and battlefields to see the dreams of lost civilizations. I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clash to reenact the bloody past of ancient wars both famous and forgotten."

The Titans' existence was struck from Orzammar's Memories. Cole makes endless mentions of forgotten songs, old songs. Beings that are sleeping and don't remember how to wake up. Beings that have forgotten even themselves. Solas refers to dwarves as the severed arm of a once mighty hero.

"Wars both famous and forgotten," therefore, might refer to a war that was famous among the ancient elvhen, but forgotten by the rest of the world. One side takes pride in the mining of lyrium from slain titans. The other is doomed never to know what was lost.

But the question remains: When Solas created the Veil to imprison the Evanuris, what exactly happened to the Titans?

The Abyss and the Fade

To truly understand what happened to the Titans, we must first understand what, exactly, the Veil was making a divide between. We know much of what happened to the Fade: that Solas says it was once a state of nature like the wind, flowing through everything. That now it is mutable and unpredictable, with little in the way of permanence in anything. That it takes the shape of the thoughts and memories of those within it. That magic functions unpredictably within it.

But what about what that meant for the Titans? What happened to them with this split? And, more importantly, what was the Fade in relation to them?

Let's start with what we know about the Titans' domain. Frequently called the Abyss or the Void, the realm of the Titans is below the surface. Yet, in much elvhen literature found in Trespasser, their domain is referred to as the Earth.

I believe, based on the context of those codices, that the Earth and the Abyss are not the same. The Abyss refers to the caverns in the deep underground. The Earth, specifically, is the Titans who live within the Abyss. Earth, in the ancient elvhen, pre-Veil context, may refer to the Titans' bodies—lyrium—while "Pillars of the Earth" refers to the Titans as sentient beings. The Song to Elgar'nan talks about wanting victory over the Earth, capital 'E.'

Though the Chant of Light describes the Void as more a state of being, the ancient elvhen describe it as Andruil's old hunting grounds.

One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking the Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss. Yet even a god should not linger there, and each time she entered the Void, Andruil suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning. Andruil put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, and the other gods became fearful Andruil would hunt them in turn.

The time of Andruil using the Void as her hunting grounds predates the Veil. Overall, we already know much of what this codex implies about the Void: that it is dark, underground, and that there is reason we know of that would send Andruil back with madness (the abundance of raw lyrium and the fact that the Evanuris are mages, plus Andruil's lyrium armor).

What I want to focus on is that the Forgotten Ones were thriving in the Abyss before the Veil went up. They were alive and, ostensibly, able to fight back. They had access to their will and to their consciousness.

That consciousness seems to have disappeared with the creation of the Veil. Let me rephrase.

The Titans lost access to their consciousness with the creation of the Veil. At the same time. And what did the Veil do? What is the SOLE thing it did?

Separated the Fade from the waking world.

A collection of facts, when taken together, lead me to my conclusion about the relationship between the Abyss, the Fade, and the Titans.

The Forgotten Ones (Titans) live in the Abyss

They were conscious and "thriving" before the Veil went up

Cole remarks that they have "forgotten" how to wake up in the time since

No one has memory of the Titans, not even the dwarves

Lyrium is the blood of the Titans

and lyrium grows in the Fade.

Lyrium: Titans' Blood, and the Emerald Waters of the Fade

I think a lot of us (me included) have been thinking about the Fade all wrong. I think a lot of people consider the Fade to be this Other Thing™ that was once a part of the world, and is now separate. Now, I believe differently. I think that the Fade and the Titans were once two pieces of one whole, and creating the Veil effectively sundered all Titans' consciousness from their bodies.

In short: I think the Fade is the Titans' missing consciousness.

That's why I think it is very important not just that Lyrium exists in the Fade, but that it grows there. It implies that the Fade is still alive, just like the Titans are still alive, but asleep.

When Solas says, "I seek... regeneration" in Vows & Vengeance, I think this is what he means: reconnecting these two sundered pieces.

We've always thought as the Fade as the realm of spirits. Those characters who contemplate the Veil being torn down immediately think about how many spirits and demons that might unleash upon Thedas.

But I must ask: If the Fade is the consciousness of sundered Titans, where did the first spirits come from, before the creation of the Veil? What relation could Titans have with spirits?

What IS a Spirit, Then?

I'm sure that I am not alone when I say that my original guess for Solas's origin story is that he was a spirit that took mortal, corporeal shape. We've all heard Cole say, "He did not want a body, but she asked him to come." We all know that the Dread Wolf's six eyes greatly resemble a Pride demon, and we have seen that Solas' Manifestation achievement icon features those same six eyes.

If you're like me, you might've seen that and wondered how exactly this is all related. How can Solas be a spirit of Wisdom turned to Pride if he came from a Titan?

I'm here to tell you: I think those are the same thing.

And the Chant of Light agrees with me.

Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew. Come to me, child, and I shall embrace you. In my arms lies Eternity. —Andraste 14:11

Many believe that the well of sorrows and the waters of the Fade must have elemental associations with, well... water. But I'd like to put forth a different interpretation.

Lyrium exists in liquid form, once refined. The Bastion of the Pure in the Descent DLC has a literal underground sea. We know that lyrium is the Titans' blood, growing both in the Abyss and the Fade. We also know that the Fade, domain of spirits, is likely the Titans' sundered consciousness.

The "well of all souls," then, is the same as the "emerald waters." Both of them refer not to water, not to oceans, but to lyrium.

I think every spirit on Thedas, not just the dwarves, came from the Titans originally.

To test the validity of my idea, I then asked myself: what do we know of spirits and their nature?

We know that spirits all boil down to one singular quality: Wisdom, Compassion, Purpose, Love, Justice, etc etc etc.

We know that those qualities can change back and forth from "virtuous" to "demonic" depending on the spirit's own feelings and reactions to the world. The trauma of crossing the Veil or being bound can force Wisdom to become Pride (Solas's personal quest) or Compassion to Rage (Down Among the Dead Men from Tevinter Nights).

Not all spirits are named for "virtues" or "sins." For instance, there are Hunger demons, and hunger is not a sin.

Spirits can be killed outright. When that happens, they may reform, but they are never quite the same when they coalesce again. There are also "ancient spirits" mentioned throughout the franchise, which tells me that not all spirits are the same age. They were not all created at the same time.

Many spirits are mere wisps, without one of those one-word qualities. They must gain power before they take such a shape.

To me, that sounds a lot like how thoughts work.

Our singular thoughts could also be boiled down to singular qualities, if framed in a certain way. For instance, my current craving for food is very much a Hunger thought. My constant joy in reading World of Thedas stems from Curiosity. Terrible traffic conditions inspire fleeting Rage, which changes when I remember my Compassion for other drivers who might be erratic because they're going through an emergency or something traumatic.

People don't remember every single thought they have. The ones that stick with us over time? They remain with us because they are powerful. Stronger memories stick around longer; the rest fade away or become shapeless until we try really hard to remember them again.

But when we do remember things we have forgotten? We never remember them exactly the same, do we? If I remember I thought I had as a child, I have to remember it with the context of my current 30-year-old self. I will never experience the thought exactly as my 5-year-old self did.

As long as I have access to my own consciousness, I will constantly produce new thoughts and memories.

Therefore?

Specifically, I think that all spirits on Thedas are the thoughts of Titans, once either held in lyrium or free to drift through the Fade before the Veil existed. Those spirits may then manifest into a corporeal shape, like Cole does, if they have enough power.

And Solas? Solas is one such thought-spirit, who used to be held in lyrium, who Mythal convinced (or coerced) to take shape.

Which explains a great deal about every type of magic we see him use.

Solas's Magic: What Was He Born With?

Oh, Solas, you beautiful enigma. For so long, we thought of you as an ordinary mage. Then, with the big Fen'Harel reveal and the way you began petrifying people in Trespasser, we thought you were something else.

Mages draw their power from the Fade. It looks like the dwarven magic we're seeing (from Harding, from Valta, from Sandal) draws its power from the Stone, in addition to manipulating it. So what gives? How is Solas able to pull from both schools of magic? Is he a mage? Is he kin with the dwarves?

Now, with all the knowledge we've gained through one singular achievement icon jpeg, I understand: you are both, and you are neither.

We must remember that all ancient elvhen are born in a pre-Veil era. With the knowledge we have, that means an era when the Titans were not sundered from their thoughts, and all magic in the world was one thing. If all spirits are the thoughts of Titans made manifest (either as living concepts or as corporeal beings) and the Fade is just one part of Titans' whole existence, then a world without the Veil is a world where we don't need to think of those magics as two separate things.

Rather, they are both magic, but opposing schools of the same magic. When we think of the four elements here in OUR world, we think of earth and air as opposites—but in a lot of media, magic users have access to both. Often, they are weak to each other, one cancelling out the other.

We see this laid out more clearly in this codex from the Vir Dirthara.

"The unchanging world is delicate: spells of power invite disaster and annihilation. The unchanging world is stubborn: the pull of the earth fiercely resists making fire run like water or stone rise like mist. The unchanging world rings with its own harmony. Listen with fearless hearts, and great works will unfold."

This codex is actively encouraging the magic users of ancient elvhen (AKA, all people from that time) to listen with fearless hearts to the "unchanging world" to exert will over the "pull of the earth." They're not saying to avoid the Titans, or to dominate them with an abundance of their own (Fade) magic. By tapping into the Titans' rhythm, even the magic of the Fade is embellished. Made stronger.

To be alive in that time is to be able to wield both magics interchangeably—but just like Aang in Avatar: the Last Airbender, the pull of the earth is a notoriously difficult thing for "air" (Fade) magic-users to grasp, and vice versa.

(A tiny aside: I believe these discoveries about spirits and magic teach us the distinction between elven and elvhen. The latter translates to "spirit-soul," loosely—the spirits that came out of the Titans. I believe elven refers to the corporeal descendants of those elvhen that sexually reproduced.)

Solas and Petrification

Many of us speculated for a long, long time that Solas's ability to petrify people—an ability associated with Sandal and Harding—was something he took from a dwarven or Titan-aligned source. People speculated that Urthemiel, the archdemon, must be somehow connected to the magic of the Stone.

I have a different theory: Solas has always had this capability, but the power he absorbed from Mythal is what has allowed him to once again perform the magic of the Stone from whence he came.

Maybe utilizing both magics to such a powerful degree (remember his Mind Blast from Trespasser?) requires that a mage be more powerful than most, carrying two "sects" of magic within them and using both in such a great and terrible capacity (like how the Avatar is more powerful than other benders, able to carry multiple elements because of bonding with the spirit of Raava, to continue with my previous example).

Solas and "Blood" Magic // The Red Lyrium Idol

I'll preface this by saying: no, I have no idea why Solas has changed his tune about blood magic in DA:tV. I hope to find out in five days!

I do want to suggest that, for Solas, blood magic might mean something different than it does for everyone else. Solas's blood, while he has taken a corporeal shape almost identical to any other elven person, may not be the same chemical make as the blood of mortals. That might explain why he has not experimented with it much during the time of Inquisition, and might explain why he does not want to use his own blood in DA:tV.

Instead, his blood might be closer to lyrium than we expected. And the red lyrium idol might be HIS idol.

Some of you might remember that way back in part 1, I noted that a hint for Solas's origin from previous games and external media is that, in Tevinter Nights, the Dread Wolf refers to the red lyrium idol as "my idol" before slaying the Mortalitasi trying to perform a blood magic ritual with it. It confused me, for a long time, why the Dread Wolf (the big wolf form, not necessarily one with Solas) would refer to the idol as "my idol" before actually retrieving it to keep. The explanation seems simple: it was his first.

This makes me wonder, given everything we know, if the idol first belonged to the Dread Wolf because it is made from the Dread Wolf's blood. Since the Dread Wolf is a piece of a Titan, that would make its blood likely at least related to lyrium, right?

Many have also speculated that Solas's ritual dagger, which gets passed on to Rook, is made from a purified/reforged red lyrium idol. Given the blood connection between Rook and Solas, it makes sense to me that if the dagger is indeed made from the blood of the Dread Wolf (and/or Solas), that is why Rook has access to its abilities.

What Did Solas Absorb at the End of DA:I?

I cannot for the life of me find a well-cropped image, but this post on Reddit talks about a designer note from the post-credits scene of DA:I between Solas and Flemeth. Namely that Solas does not take Mythal's soul when he absorbs power from her. Before he absorbs that power, Mythal passes her soul on to Morrigan.

While David Gaider had previously advised fans to not necessarily take this as canon, it seems to be proving true in Morrigan's design change, featuring Flemeth's crown.

That means there are two things Solas may have still absorbed from Mythal, since her soul was already "spoken for."

Raw power

The soul of Urthemiel, the archdragon slain in Origins. This is true in every world state with Kieran, but I would wager that Urthemiel's soul belongs with Mythal in every world state, since Flemeth said she had an "appointment to keep" in the prologue of DA2, which is why she did not travel with Hawke. My guess is she went to Denerim, poking at the remains of the slain archdemon until, 10 years later in Inquisition, she was in possession of Urthemiel's soul no matter what.

We know, however, that archdemons are sundered pieces of the Evanuris. We've been able to suspect this since Inquisition, where we see Corypheus's archdemon is in possession of a piece of his soul and is therefore the secret to his immortality.

I don't think either of this gave Solas access to any new spells. Rather, I think either one (or both!) might have granted him the power necessary to access spells he already knows from both Fade magic and Stone magic.

However, I'd like to touch on just one thing before this post concludes.

I believe that Urthemiel is June's archdemon. The Chant of Light references an Architect of Beauty, just as it references Corypheus, the Conductor of Silence. These are high priests of the so-called "Old Gods," which were revealed as archdemons when Dumat appeared during the First Blight. Corypheus was the high priest of Dumat, the old god of Silence.

I believe the word Architect being used as the title for the high priest of Urthemiel is indicative of the Evanuris that Urthemiel belongs to. There is one Evanuris known for craftsmanship: June, who we know nothing about.

The reason I mention this is that, if nothing else, June's abilities may have allowed Solas to "purify" and shape the red lyrium idol into his ritual dagger that we see in Veilguard.

In conclusion: I believe Solas has always had access to the Stone, but it would certainly be interesting to see if each Evanuris has their own suite of magical abilities, potentially due to the Titan from which some of them originated (more on THAT in a later post, stay tuned!).

If you read this far, THANK YOU, as always! The collective hype of everyone reading and sharing these is making me all the more excited for Veilguard.

Keep an eye out for the next instalment in this series: What the Chant of Light teaches us about Solas, Mythal, and the Evanuris at large.

[cream0fwheat1998]

Captured

Thanks to @livingdeadgirly for giving me the idea.

(Yandere!BihanxreaderxYandere!Tomas)

It's long. Sorry.

I have built on this idea to my own liking/ to fit the idea I have so this is MY interpretation of the idea. Please be aware that I have never played any Mortal Kombat games just watched movies & lore videos.

After the events of MK1 (2023)

Summary: Tomas and the woman he's trained have grown closer over the past few years. However a threat from the Lin Kuei (minimal use of Y/N) puts their relationship on hold as his darling is abducted by them during an attack.

WARNINGS: Dark/yandere/noncon/violence/forced relationship.

-You were a young woman residing in a rural village within Earthrealm

-You enjoyed your schooling because your family was privileged enough to afford you an education but you weren't wealthy either

-You favorite pastime was reading/learning about the other realms however your priority was mapping out Earthrealm first since you lived there

-You attempted to educate young children in your village by reading to them in your spare time and teaching them about the beauty and dangers that co-exist within the multiple realms

-A danger that you only had heard whispers of became a reality late summer when these assassins sporting Blue and Black garments stormed your village in search of those who supported the Shirai Ryu

-Houses were cased in ice, schools and hospitals demolished

-It was a picture right out of a book about the Netherrealm. Grey/green clouds, sharp winds and endless screams of innocents being slaughtered

-In the midst of chaos, you'd been hit by a dagger as cold as a winter storm and fell to the ground

-With the little strength you had, you crawled your way to cover

-The heat of your skin had bullet sized sweat drops running down your body, the amount of blood you felt leave you put your mortality in a sharp perspective and you assumed you wouldn't make it

--------------------------------------------------------------------

-The next 3 years were something of a miracle

-You were saved by soldiers from the Shirai Ryu scouring the land for survivors and hours after the attack, your lifeforce was hanging by a thread but you were still alive

-You spent your time learning their discipline, their training and forming the strength to become a fight

-Fighter in loose terms of course, you weren't good

- you refused to take part in the same carnage and devastation you were put through, you held your own fire back

-But you remained optimistic much to the chagrin of the more serious members when your academic skills aided them to victory

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Another unforeseen occurrence has recently distracted you

-The handsome, grey-eyed and soft silver, short-haired warrior Smoke was your instructor

-The way he and his brother lead their clan in unison reminded you of the family and friends you'd loved and lost over the years

-You were told by Kuai Liang that Smoke had saved you from death and carried you to safety

-Over the few years, you felt some sense of debt to him and he clearly did not see it that way himself, your persistence to prove something to him added to his ego

-His dedication to train you started from a sense of duty but overtime he couldn't help but think if he saved you for himself rather than the Lin Kuei

-You were an attractive woman and he attempted not to stray from his purpose of serving his master (Kuai Liang)

-Yet you looked up to him in a way that made him feel special; he was second and his days under Bi-han he was third if anything at all

-But you went to him first, you called his name first when you had an issue

-Tomas couldn't help but feel like he was more of a man because of you, a pretty girl, coming to him for help

-Using the moral guide of the Lin kuei and the Shirai Ryu, he knew being humble was the key, however....

-The way you looked at him when he was giving instructions, the shy smile you gave him in the morning or in passing

-Especially, the way you'd let him adjust your form during training

-Deep down he knew he wasn't entitled to you but the prestige of being the second in command in the Shirai Ryu had been manifesting in his head

-Tomas knew he wanted his legacy to continue but the years of Bi-han's abuse had convinced him he wasn't good enough

-He felt ashamed when his thoughts of pinning you down and having his way with you occurred during training

-His fantasy was you admitting that you werent good enough to fight but that you could be useful in otherways

-He'd pin you down on the nearest surface, well first you'd suck him off THEN he'd force you down and probably spank you and when he was hard from hearing your cries, he'd force himself inside you

-His deepest desire is you submitting as a thank you for saving your life several years ago

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-But all the changed when the Lin Kuei attacked......

-Kuai Liang and his wife Harumi commanded their assassins into position, somehow that Lin Kuei had infiltrated their land

-Tomas immediately found you and demanded you hide inside the compound but you insisted you fight with your group

-The defiant attitude had Tomas growling, this was the first time he'd be forceful with you beyond training

-"I'm not asking. I'm telling you to HIDE or there will be punishment." Tomas said, no room for argument

-Once Tomas was out of sight, you ran to an opposite area of the compound, determined to prove you can fight for Tomas just as he has fought for you

-You'd met with the most intense scene you'd ever witness. Kuai Liang and a large man in a Lin Kuei uniform facing off using their powers

-After blow to blow, the man using sharp, ice daggers subdued Scorpion and chuckled at his brothers downfall

-You gasped, never witnessing Scorpion lose to an opponent causing the large man with the gravely deep voice to glance at you

-His eye brows furrowed and he go into a fighting stance and you knew you'd be no match for this warrior

-You attempted a fighting stance yourself, but you slipped causing the Lin Kuei-man to laugh at you

-He was about to strike when smoke appeared out of nowhere and Tomas angrily appeared

-Tomas and the man he called Bi-han shouted at each other until fists were exchanged

-In a spur of the moment decision, you ran in-between Tomas and Bi-han and a force unknown to you knocked you to the ground and everything went dark

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

-A throbbing headache hit you as you came through, your blurry eyes trying to focus on the comfortable surroundings

-You were on a bed and a heavy chain was on your ankle

-While yanking on the chain with all the strength you could muster, the door swung open to a man who took up all of the door frame

-It was bi-han wearing a mask, his outfit still stained with the blood of the fallen members if Shirai Ryu

-Immediately you remember Tomas, your heart races as you look at all the dried blood

-"Those fools are still alive, they are lucky we held back. Somewhat." Bi-han says, crossing his arms

-You ask why are you here, tugging on the chain as Bi-han steps forward

-"What are you to them?" He asks.

-You explained that Tomas and Kaui Liang saved you from dying and allowed you to train within the Shirai Ryu

-Bi-han raised a skeptic brow, eyeing your muscles (or lack thereof) indicating his disbelief

-"Whose Concubine are you?" Kuai Liangs?" He suggested, slowly removing his mask and tossing it aside

-You stopped pulling while the heat when to your face. How dare he think that's your purpose with them AND that one of the most honorable men you've met would behave in such a manner. Kuai Liang would never betray Harumi in that way and the slander of him made your blood boil

-Without a response, Bi-han went on "So you belong to Tomas then?" He didn't smile, waiting for an answer

-You reaffirmed that you trained with them, scared but not backing down

-Bi-han stepped closer you, confirming that he commanded dominance at all times

-"You may not think you belong to him but does he know that?" Bi-han crouched down to your eye-level, his icy breath hitting your face

-For the first time, you make direct eye contact which seemingly surprises him for second before his eyes darken again

-"You want to be his? He is weak and why my brother tolerates his incompetence in their new era shocks me." Bi-han says, clutching his fists.

-"Unlike you, Tomas is a good man who fights to protect the innocent not glory." In a surge of confidence, you try to push away Bi-han but he catches your wrists.

-"Is that so? Well then maybe I should show you how much of a bad man I am."

-Bi-Han quickly removes his garments and moves to get rid of yours. You thrash around, limited by the chains so Bi-han easily covers your entire body with his much larger one.

-He caresses your skin in a gentle contradiction to being pinned down with force. You attempt to push him off of you to no success. He smiles, knowing your resistance is useless.

-"Did Tomas ever touch you like this?" Bi-Han asked while thumbing your nipples and fondling your breast.

-You mewl at the brand new sensation of being felt so intimately and for a second Bi-Hans eye went soft at the sight beneath him

-The gentleness didn't last when Bi-Han realized that you and Tomas had never been intimate; you had never been intimate and that made Bi-Han delighted. This would be one of his many flawless victories over the Shirai Ryu.

-"I'll have to open you up a little." Bi-han reached a long, thick finger down to your intimate area and began playing your lips. His finger ran down your slit slowly; he wanted you to feel and remember him. You'd end this day as claimed territory of the Lin Kuei. It didn't matter what you wanted.

-Your brain had stopped. Your reasonability drowned out by the fast pace of your beating heart.

-His attention back on your face and without warning, shoved one finger inside you. He began jerking it in and out; he made sure to hit every spot he could. He grew harder thinking about the idea that you'd be able to feel him hours after this night.

-With every thrust, your hand that was wrapped around Bi-Hans arm squeezed his bicep. Something about you responding to his assault by holding on to him harder caused him to spur.

-You felt yourself getting closer to what you knew to be the climax of your enjoyment; a coil of warmth began and you clutched on Bi-Han for dear life.

-Bi-Han quickened the pace seeing your reaction. You squirmed and let out a loud moan at your release.

-You slowly sat up as Bi-Han closed in on you. Catching your breath, you asked him to please not do anything more with tears pricking in your eyes.

-He had no intention of stopping; he was belated to have you bending to you will, underneath him. Now it was your turn to give him his prize.

-He pulled up right to his erect penis and looked down on you expectantly.

-You shook your head, turning away until he grabbed the back of your head and forced your open mouth down on him.

-"Do as your new grandmaster commands." He said in a low voice.

-You swirled your tongue around, unsure of how to do what he wanted you to do. You dragged your tongue up and down his shaft, targeting the vein. You blushed because you had the thoughts about Tomas in the past but knew they weren't appropriate.

-Bi-Han started bobbing your head up and down on his cock, using both his hands.

-This is the only time he'd allow himself to be sloppy. His moans and sighs filling the room.

-Abruptly, he shoved you down and once again his large body was completely covering yours.

-"No more resistance? Good girl." He adjusted himself to be at your entrance before grabbing your face and smashing his lips on yours.

-There was no adjustment period. He shoved himself inside you and began to thrust. He held you down with super strength while peppering kisses on your neck and chest.

-Bi-Han sped up his movement and kissed you again. "Kiss me back" he growled.

-You obliged; just wanting the nightmare to be over.

-His tongue danced for dominance in your mouth and of course he won. He smiled into the kiss.

-He began growling as his thrust became sloppy. He gripped your hips with intense force and released his seed deep within you; not moving until every single drop was inside you.

-"You are officially property of the Lin Kuei. You will be under my particular command and I suggest you keep your mouth shut and do what I say. I can give you alot.....if you earn it."

[hearts-hunger]

evergreen — part one

Read on AO3 | Masterlist | Cabin Fever Masterlist | Join my taglist here!

Series Summary: Jake takes you on your first vacation to the cabin the gang stays at every year. When memories of past relationships loom heavy, will this vacation send cracks through the foundation of safety and trust you have in each other?

Chapter Summary: Jake picks the worst room possible to share with you.

Pairings: Jake x Reader, Josh x Baby, Sam x Danny | Genre: fluff, angst, emotional h/c | Word Count: 3.5k | Warnings: drinking, sexual innuendo, mentions of infidelity

A/N: Hi it's me again with another Cabin Fever fic :)) I've had this one bouncing around the ol' noodle for a while now, and I'm finally trying my hand at it. It's a direct sequel to Cabin Fever and No Strings Attached, set about a year after No Strings. I don't know how many chapters it's going to have, but I hope you like this first one! ♡

“God, am I glad we decided to drive together. No way the boys would have let us stop for drinks so many times.”

You looked over at your best friend and smiled, cradling the peppermint mocha you’d gotten at the last Starbucks you'd come to before you truly left civilization. She was holding a latte in one hand and steering Josh’s jeep with the other, humming along to the playlist you'd put on.

“You don’t think we could have convinced them?” you asked. “We do have some feminine charm at our disposal.”

She grinned. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. And since Danny’s driving, and he can't say no to either one of us, we probably could have gotten away with it.”

You propped your feet up on the dashboard, enjoying the scenery of the winding road through the woods as she drove. You were headed to the infamous cabin you’d heard so much about, the one they’d vacationed in each fall for the past two years. It would be your first time there — you and Jake had started dating a few months after they went last time, and you were looking forward to being a part of the friendship lore the trip held now that you were a part of the family.

Baby gestured to her bag in the back. “Grab my notebook out of there,” she said. “It’s got a list of things I want us to do this week. Look it over and add stuff that I missed.”

You did as she said, perusing her neat handwriting and seeing things like make breakfast together and have a movie marathon. At the top, with a little smiley face by it, was a neatly penned item reading break the bed.

You laughed. “Ah, I see where your priorities are.”

She glanced over at the list and gave you a smirk. “It’s tradition. Nobody bats an eye about it. I can guarantee you it’s high on Jake’s list too.”

You felt a dull blush creep up your neck at that. It was no secret that you and Jake were intimate, but there was something about this trip that made you a little nervous, perhaps foolishly so. The last time they’d all come, Jake had brought his ex, Izzy, with him. That had been before she cheated on him and he broke up with her, but they’d no doubt broken the bed that trip when everything had seemed fine between them.

“Are you sure it’s okay that I’m coming?” you asked.

She waved you off. “Of course. Don't even ask. You’re in the Kiszka-Wagner clan now, sparrow, and it wouldn't be a family vacation without you.”

You wondered briefly if she’d said the same to Izzy last year. Of course she would have been kind to Jake’s then-girlfriend, but you wished that you'd gotten to be the first girl Jake brought to the cabin.

She looked over at you and smiled. “I’m really glad you’re coming. I would be bored to death if it was just me and the boys.”

“I don't know,” you teased. “Judging by this list, you’d have kept busy.”

She laughed. “Well, maybe. But I want to spend time with you, just as much as I want to spend time with the guys doing whatever they can cook up.”

You smiled, deciding to forget your worry and just enjoy the trip. “Speaking of,” you said, “we should add that cooking show competition thing to the list.”

“Oh, yeah!” she agreed. “Write that down. We're definitely doing that.”

You penciled it in where you could find space, and the two of you spent the last few minutes of your trip coming up with ideas for things you could do over the week. Songwriting was the most important to the boys; Baby said they usually took a lot of time to work on new songs when they had the time and leisure to play around with them in a low-pressure environment. 

“Lunch has got to be the first thing we do, though,” she said. “I'm starving.”

“Me too,” you said dramatically. “Should I text the guys and ask them to throw a pizza in the oven or something?”

She turned onto a long dirt road. “Maybe we got lucky and they already did,” she said. “Because.... ta-da! We're here!” She pulled into dirt driveway that led up to a big, snug-looking cabin nestled into the trees. Josh and Sam were unpacking Danny’s truck, and you parked next to them.

“Well well well,” Josh teased, giving his girlfriend a quick kiss hello. “Look who finally showed up.”

“Had to get coffee, honey,” she insisted. Josh opened the back of his jeep and started pulling out your bags. “We can do that, though. You guys just unloaded all your stuff.”

“Don't worry about it,” he said sweetly. “Come on inside. Danny's got lunch going.”

“Oh, thank god,” she sighed. She followed Josh as he took her bags inside, and you stood by the jeep, a little shy about walking in by yourself, wondering where Jake was.

Before you could start feeling too lonely, you were swept up in a bear hug from behind. You squeaked in protest as your feet left the ground, giggling when you realized who it was.

“Just me, sparrow,” Jake teased, setting you back down and kissing your cheek. “Not a wild animal, I promise.”

You smiled, feeling much more at ease now that you were with him. “How was I supposed to know? All the way out here in the woods, anything could happen.”

“Nah, I gotcha. No bear attacks for my best girl, if I can help it.” He took your bags from the trunk. “You ready for the grand tour?”

You took his arm when he extended it to you in a very gentlemanly fashion. “Lead the way, Mr. Kiszka.”

He showed you inside the cabin, pointing out the kitchen, the living room, and the back porch.

“Basement’s down there,” he said, walking you past another door on your way to the bedrooms. “We’ll get that set up after lunch so we can work on some music later.”

The cabin was cosy and rustic, the perfect place for a getaway with your best friends and your boyfriend. You hugged his arm as he led you down the hall, and he showed you the bunk room and three other bedrooms, each with a single, big bed.

He ushered you into the last bedroom and started unpacking your bags, putting your clothes neatly in the dresser drawers next to his things.

“You don’t have to do that,” you said, a little guilty. 

“It’s no trouble, sweetheart.” He finished and nudged the drawer closed with his hip. “How do you like our room?”

“It’s lovely,” you said sincerely. The king sized bed was spread with colorful quilts and pillows, and it reminded you a little of the cabin you’d shared when you got together. You scooched close to him. “It’s romantic.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Anywhere would be romantic with you, but I like it too. I staked my claim on this room last year, mostly because it’s the darkest, and you know how I get about sleeping with any lights on.”

Your heart sank a little, any amorous thoughts dissolving as quickly as they’d come. So this was the room he’d shared with Izzy the last time he was here? You knew it shouldn’t bother you, but you’d be lying if you said it didn't.

“Oh,” you said, not sure what you should say. 

He read your discomfort. “What’s wrong? You don't like it?”

You shook your head and tried for a smile. Obviously it didn’t bother him, and you didn’t want to cause trouble your first five minutes there. 

“No, it’s great,” you said. “I love it. You have very good taste.”

He kissed you. “I know,” he said pleasantly. He took your hand. “Come on. Let’s see what everybody else is doing.”

They were in the kitchen making lunch, chattering on about memories the cabin held for them, and you felt the weight of your discomfort a little more sharply. You didn’t know any of these inside jokes, nor the antics that had gone on here at the cabin; you tried to remind yourself that you’d make plenty of memories with them this week and tried not to let it bother you.

After lunch, you all made your way down to the basement, where you helped get things set up to the boys’ satisfaction. Christmas lights were strung overhead, amps and instruments set up, comfy couches and chairs rearranged.

“Hey, do you think you can teach me some new stuff this week?” you asked, venturing over to where Jake was taking his guitar out of its case. You weren’t the best at guitar, but Jake was always patient with you, and under his kind direction you’d improved more than you’d ever hoped you could.

He smiled. “Sure, honey. I’d like to.” He nodded towards Sam and Danny. “I think your boys are trying to rope us into a hike right now, though.”

“We just got here,” you said, amused.

“You know Sammy,” Jake said. “Always looking for some adventure to get into.”

You went to talk to “your boys” and found that Sam was, indeed, planning a trek into the woods. Danny seemed perfectly willing to go along with his boyfriend’s scheme, as he generally always was, but told you that there was no pressure to join them.

“Aw, you don't want to miss it, sparrow,” Sam protested. “You have to see the waterfall.”

You’d heard of this enigmatic, hidden waterfall, and your curiosity was piqued. 

“Fine, but somebody’s making me apple cider when we get back,” you said.

Sam gave Danny’s shoulder an affectionate slap. “Dan’s got that covered. Don't you, babe?”

Danny rolled his eyes and smiled. “Yes, I’ll make sure sparrow has a festive little drink as a reward for putting up with you.”

“Good man,” Sam said cheerfully.

Baby and the twins were cajoled into coming with you as well, and you set out into the chilly woods together to find the waterfall. You huddled into a flannel jacket you’d stolen from Jake forever ago, enjoying the crisp autumn weather and the company.

Jake, Josh, and Baby were leading your group; you hung with Sam and Danny a few paces back, thankful for Danny’s steadying hand when you came to overgrown parts on the trail.

“Did you guys pick a room yet?” Danny asked, holding your hand as you stepped over a fallen tree trunk. “Sam was too excited to get outside for us to decide on one, but I guess we’ll just go with the same one we had last year.”

You gave him a rueful smile. “Well, Jake picked ours. Care to guess which one?”

“Probably the last one on the right,” he said, frowning a little. “He picked that one last time, but... oh, I see what the trouble is there.”

Sam found a sturdy walking stick in the brush. “Jake can be kind of an idiot sometimes.”

“Yeah,” you said, a little more bitterly than you’d intended. “Not the smartest choice, I thought, but hey.”

“Just tell him,” Sam suggested. “He’s not that much of an idiot that he’d make you stay there once he knew why you didn't want to.”

“Oh, I don't know,” you said, hesitant. “I don’t want to be annoying. It’s just a bedroom, after all.”

“Yeah, with a big, comfy bed he’s shared with someone else.”

Danny elbowed him. “Not helping, love.”

Sam looked a little abashed, then, but his easy, incorrigible smile won out.

“Sorry, Sparrow. I'm kind of an idiot sometimes too. But I do think you should just tell him.”

“You can have mine and Sammy’s room,” Danny offered.

“And I can guarantee that Jake hasn’t slept with either of us in there,” Sam added. You laughed, and Danny shook his head. 

“Samuel Francis,” he said, chiding and affectionate. “You’re terrible at this sort of thing, you know?”

He shrugged, a lazy grin spreading over his face. “Got a laugh out of her, anyway.” He slung his arm over your shoulders. “Don’t fret, my pet. Once you get this bedroom thing sorted out, this week’s gonna be great. Not least because...” He pointed ahead of you with his walking stick. “We’re almost at your waterfall.”

The six of you came through the trees to a beautiful swimming hole and the accompanying waterfall, and you had to admit it was very nice. Jake was looking for skipping stones along the water's edge, and you joined him.

“Hiya, sweetheart,” he said. “Did you have a good time with Sam and Danny?”

“Yeah,” you said truthfully, thankful for their kind advice and help. You handed him a perfectly flat stone to add to his collection. “How’s this one?”

“This one,” he said, holding it up to inspect it, “is a winner. C’mere.”

You did, following him to the bank, and watched him skip your stone an impressive five times across the water. 

“Here, you try,” he said, handing you a few. 

“I’m not very good at it,” you said hesitantly.

He grinned. “Sweet!” At your confused look, he softened and pulled you snug against him, your back to his chest. “Gives me an excuse to get real close and teach you how it's done. I didn’t know how I was going to convince you to let me teach you if you were good at it.”

You smiled and snuggled close to him. “Don’t worry. I would have pretended not to know.”

Giving you some pointers, he stretched your arm out and showed you how to move your wrist just so. He did it with you a few times, sneaking kisses here and there, and you probably would have been more successful if you hadn't been so distracted by his warmth and affection.

“Okay, you try,” he said, letting you go.

“No, one more,” you said, wanting him close.

He chuckled. “How about some incentive? I'll give you a kiss for every skip.”

That was motivation enough, but you tossed the next stone with such vigor that it skated straight under the water without so much as one skip.

“Aw, super,” you said. You looked to Jake. “Can that count?”

He kissed your nose. “Half a point. Try again.”

You did, several times, and earned kisses for each paltry one- and two-skip attempt. Then, finally, your stoke skipped four times.

“Ha!” you said, exultant. “There. Four kisses, please.”

He smiled and obliged you, giving you an extra for a job well done. 

“See?” he said. “You’re pretty good after all.”

“And now you've Pavloved me into expecting kisses every time,” you teased. “That won’t ever get boring.”

He hummed and gently butted his head against yours. “You’re right. It won’t.”

Warm with his affectionate attention, you felt brave enough to bring up the bedroom situation, sure he would understand.

“Can I talk to you about something?” you asked.

“Always, sparrow,” he said gently. “What’s up?”

“Well... I was just wondering if we could switch rooms.”

His brow crinkled. “I mean, sure, if you want. Any reason in particular?”

You bit the inside of your cheek.

“Because, well...” You couldn't make yourself say it, wishing he’d just realize what it was instead of you having to spell it out. You didn't want to make him feel bad, and you definitely didn't want to be the one to drag the memory of his ex into your vacation. “I just want to. I think a little variety would be good for you.”

He gave you a bemused smile. “Okay, honey. Suits me.”

You hugged him, needing him close, and he hugged you back with a tight squeeze.

“I sure do love you, sparrow,” he said with a happy groan. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” you said contentedly. “For both things.”

When the sun started to sink and the air got colder, you made your way back to the cabin and started getting the bonfire going. Sam and Jake got the grill on, serving up a round of hamburgers and Sam’s very artfully crafted veggie sliders, and Josh made drinks while you and Baby helped Danny with the fire. Helped was a bit of a strong word, actually, given that Danny did most of the work, but he was grateful for your efforts all the same.

By the time the sun had set, the six of you were well on your way to being drunk. Josh was nothing if not a craftsman of strong drinks, and you all hung around the fire, tossing the football around and lounging in your camping chairs, talking and laughing and intermittently breaking out into song. The playlist you and Baby had curated was expertly tailored to the musical taste you shared with the boys, and none of them could resist a good tune.

“Listen to his tone on that,” Jake said to you, his accent slipping into tellingly British territory. He gestured with his cup, sloshing a bit over the rim. “I woke up and pressed my lips to a cup full of comfort, wrapped in the bliss of a golden shroud,” he sang, his voice raspy and warm. “God, that guitar sounds so cool.”

You smiled up at him, pleasantly buzzed and dreamy. “Not as cool as yours, honey.”

He grinned and gave you a kiss. “I like you. I think I’ll keep you.”

“Suits me, Jakey.” You draped your arm over his shoulder and let him sway you to the music. Your breaths came in silverly clouds, and you were thankful for his warmth in the chilly night. 

He nuzzled against your jaw, breathing you in, humming along to the tune. “You smell good, sparrow.”

You giggled when his hair brushed against your neck. “Thanks. It’s just soap.”

“It’s you,” he said. “Sunshine and fresh air.”

“Well, I have been out in the sun and the woods all day,” you reasoned.

He kissed a loved mark against your neck, and you lost yourself in his touch. 

“I have a theory,” he said after a moment.

You hummed. “What’s that?”

“You let me make love to you,” he said, “and I’ll make you the best love you ever had.”

You laughed. “That’s not a theory,” you protested. “That’s... a bargain, maybe, but not a theory.”

“Whatever,” he said. He pulled you close. “Bargain, theory, call it what you want. What say you, lassie?”

“Oh, there’s my pirate Jake,” you said, coy and affectionate. “I missed him.”

“He’s all yours, sparrow. Just say the word.”

You looked around the bonfire and saw Sam and Danny playing a card game, both of them laughing far more than any card game could make a person laugh sober. Josh and Baby were entangled in Josh’s camping chair, looking like they might very soon cross out that thing at the top of her list of things to do this week.

You had a mind to cross it off too, and as you’d been promised, Jake was more than amenable.

“Very well, Dread Pirate Kiszka,” you said, swaggering and posh. “As you wish.”

He grinned, wasting no time finishing off his drink and taking you inside. You were giggly and clumsy as you made your way through the dimly lit cabin, and you weren’t paying attention to where he was taking you until you passed the bathroom.

“Hold on,” you said, disentangling yourself from him. “Two seconds. Be right back.”

Going to find him after, you realized with a pang of chagrin that he was in the room he’d said you could move from. What’s more, he was absolutely dead to the world, spreadeagle on the bed with his shoes still on. You would have found it sweet and amusing — apparently even the promise of drunk pirate sex wasn’t enough to combat an unremembered number of tequila sodas — if you hadn't been so unhappy about where he’d fallen asleep.

You swallowed your feelings and gently took his shoes off, setting them neatly against the wall. Surely you could handle one night in this room; you wouldn't dream of bothering Jake by insisting he get up and move when he was already sleeping, not when the reason would be something as silly as your emotions. Getting undressed yourself, you got into bed next to him, trying very hard not to think of another girl who'd done the same thing in this very bed.

He roused just enough to move close to you, draping an arm over you.

“My love,” he mumbled, soft and sweet.

For some reason, you felt like crying. Couldn't he have called you his nickname for you, one you knew had never been used for another?

“I’m here, Jake,” you said softly. You pressed close to him, hiding your face against his shoulder, wishing you could forget every reason not to relax against him completely. Feeling the sting of tears that you knew you wouldn't be able to stop but would try to keep quiet, you weren't sure how successful you would be.

taglist: @viagvf @allieisacrybaby @itsafullmoon @spark-my-nature @anthemheatwave @xserenax-13 @musicspeaks @mountain-in-springtime

and some cabin fever besties who were excited for this one :) @shutupdevvie @gold-mines-melting @earthlysorrows @brooke-gvf

join my taglist here!

[a-sad-mage]

Circling back to the whole Will Shane possibly having murdered Tom Por thing-

It's like, never brought up again, other than the mental connection we the audience make during 'The New Kid pt 2' when Twist is telling Eli his backstory.

Like did Will actually kill Tom?

Or was it a misunderstanding???

Because it's very well implied that Will actually did do it.

The gang kinda confirmed Tom Por just... Vanished, and no one knew exactly what happened to him?

Sure, Dana says Will Shane murdered her father. But she has no solid proof other than what her father told her.

And we know when she says 'he found out Will Shane was working for the enemy'[not a direct quote] it was about the Shadow Clan. And that Tom was attributing the time Will spent away as time collaborating with them.

In reality, Will was just going top side to spend time with his family. And a small portion was actually spent with the Shadow Clan as they were collaborating in protecting Slugterra and it's secrets. To the point Will was given the Shadow Talker, and the recorded messages Will left for Eli that were curtesy of Shadow Clan.

So they were friendly.

circling back, Dana claimed her father found out about it. But it's clear he didn't know the full truth at that moment.

We know there was a possible confrontation between the two men.

And in that possible confrontation, Dana claims Will murder Tom.

Key point, Dana claims. She doesn't know for serten. She says she knows it's the truth- but here's the thing, no one knows for serten.

Eli rebuffs the idea, and again, the gang is not entirely convinced themselves.

In short, Dana is an unreliable source of information because she doesn't know the whole truth(no one but Will dose) and she's also blinded by her emotions.

Another thing that orb Dana is now using after having taken it, a thing I've taken to calling the Shadow Walker. The thing that let's her walk in the Shadows like she's Shadow Clan.

That to me, didn't belong to Will. Because when Dana makes off with it, none of that Shadow Clan chase her down, nor make an effort to track her down to get it back. (I think, I could be wrong, been a while since I saw the EP)

Key point, they let Eli keep the Shadow Talker. Like they show up, just to tell him that he can keep it. That it once belonged to his dad, and now belongs to him.

They make no real fuss about the Shadow Walker orb.

What if the Shadow Walker was Tom Por's?

What of when Tom confronted Will, and Will told him the truth about his partnership with the Shadow Clan?

It was established that Will and Tom were friends. Good friends, after all, Tom was Wills navigator, and you have to trust the person navigating you.

So what if, when Tom confronted Will, Will told Tom the truth about his dealings with the Shadow Clan?

What if Will took Tom to see the Shadow Clan, and as a show of good faith, and a favor to Will Shane, they gave Tom the Shadow Walker?

But something happened, something bad, that was out of everyone's control, and Tom unexpectedly died, just moments after getting it?

[Mabye even suddenly disappeared? Spirited away by some unknown force, leaving behind the Shadow Walker]

Will, devastated, takes the Shadow Walker and the Shadow Talker and put them in the box, cover it in a metal only a Lavalynx could melt and hid it.

Will for whatever reason, can't bring himself to tell Dana the truth, and he knows his emotions might get the better of him as a dad to a son around her age at the time.

So he makes one more request of the Shadow Clan in regards to the Shadow Walker.

Should Dana Por ever get her hands on it, let her keep it for better or worse.

Again all of this is speculation, the rambling of a mad person who is in desperate need of sleep. I could be wrong. This is mostly crap I thought up while making my OC lore for Slugterra. There is no real evidence.

So take this with a grain of salt.

Anyway, I'm going to bed, I have a Flan to cook tomorrow.

[barrenclan]

just binge read the entire thing up till the recent update (up till 6 am. Don’t do this) and went nuts looking at things for asphodelpaw bc MM MM I love a well crafted narrative. She reminds me of a character I have as well, whose been affected by generations of trauma, but he deals w it in such an immature, teenager-y way bc well. He is. And so was she. She lashed out at Pinepaw bc she desperately wanted approval, some kind of warm reception from an authority figure, and bc her mother has been so distant, she didn’t seek it from her, instead she looked to her mentor Plumstripe (who, admittedly in very nature of being a mentor, had assumed not just an authority role, but a familiar one, one that was supposed to be close, like family.) and Plumstripe, having internalized the cruelty and generations long self inflicted torture Barrenclan does, began to pass down not just that, but the feelings dredged by a splintered relationship w her sister and family. Plumstripe, who validated her own feelings by passing them down and seeing them repeated. And Asphodelpaw so desperate to be close, to be useful, to feel valuable, gave her everything. And yet none of it was enough. (I noticed that while she didn’t try pursuing Cormorantpaw like Daffodilpaw did, she seemed to try and make up for that by needling her brother, something that Plumstripe, from her constant fights w her sister amd the laugh she gave upon actually being there for some of the sniping, clearly liked. At least to try and catch up w Beenose, who was seen being smug abt Daffodilpaw trying to get Cornorantoaw to open up.) And as time went on, the burden of loneliness, frustration, and despair cracked the walls and mask she had built. And the biggest crack came from Slugpelt trying to reconcile w her children, and Pinepaw coming out and trusting his family w that vulnerable secret. Something that shook her enough that she couldn’t help but look inward, to see that she was unhappy, to look outward, and see that the place and people she had looked up to so blindly were hurting her. And she made the right choice, something that speaks so much abt her character. She didn’t withdraw deeper into herself or double down on this performance for the clan she’d been doing, she said “wait, this is wrong. It shouldn’t be like this. And I have the power to change that.” And she HAULED ASS. She went to Egrettail for advice on her feelings of isolation from the culture and pressure the clans have toward she-cats, and finding her footing in her identity that she had grasped for but never realized she could reach until now. She went to Pinepaw and apologized, something that’s surprisingly hard to do, ESPECIALLY for a kid. Her character arc had hit a new track, and she was building a new, authentic confidence. And then all at once she died. And now she’ll be frozen there, never completing her journey, haunting the world she was ripped from. It’s AWFUL (<- said w a smile) I love deeply flawed characters, they’re just so real. Kind hearted and well-meaning characters like Pinepaw are great too, but to me there’s something so visceral abt characters that do the immature things, the selfish things, etc.

You’ve crafted a very interesting story here, with lots of little lore tidbits that make the world feel so much more real, and you’ve backed it up w characters and narrative w so much passion and thought. You care, not just about the story and characters you are writing, but the narrative it presents, the reaches it has. Thoughtfulness is one of the marks of a good writer, and you’ve got lots of it here. Thanks for making such a cool story. If you ever finish the human version, I think you’d have a solid chance at getting it published as an actual book. But if that’s not something you want, please be proud of your hard work and remember to sit back and admire it sometimes.

Thank you both for your very kind words on completely opposite ends of the spectrum.

[avatarpabu97]

In coherent Gambit theory and rambles. That is months in the making.

Spoilers I guess for the comics and a shit done of spelling Mistakes i literally did this at 5 in the morning. It’s is a collection of Gambit lore and story beats and a theory to help make sense of Remy LeBeau

- [ ] Th guilds or at least the New Orleans branchs needs to find the old kingdom

- [ ] Apocalypse and his servant know of it despite it being ancient Even for them but their original time period was much closer then 1891 era was.

- [ ] The Celestial technology has the same writing system as the old kingdom and may straight up just be the same technology

- [ ] The Guilds can only find the kingdom by working together and somehow Remy is the one to unite them hence the Le Diable Blanc prophecy

- [ ] The old kingdom is a utopia of coexistence regardless of skin tone, religion, or human and mutant( coexistence like Xaivers dream)

- [ ] Marvels earth seems to have artifacts spread throughout the world

- [ ] Including a statue in turkey that looks suspiciously of Remy( maybe a byproduct of 90s art gambit volume 3)

- [ ] Said statue was filled with Kinetic energy that caused the new sun’s own internal energy to go nuclear and destroy his home world

- [ ] The Prophecy of Le Diable Blanc mentions their Messiah(Remy) was to bring forth heaven’s light(but new son is from another reality with the same prophecy hinting at multiple seers across Time and space to misunderstand a certain event)

- [ ] Oddities with the thieves guild. LeBeau is specifically a clan of the old kingdom

- [ ] The thieves guild or all the thieves guilds seem to have a secondary agenda of keeping certain artifacts out others hands

- [ ] Could explain why Jean-Luc and Stephan strange know eachother and consider each other friends. The Guilds work with the sorcerer supremes closely.

- [ ] The all new Xfactor has Remy stealing an artifact that will unleash a doomsday creature (Logan dismisses because the language is supposedly dead. Remy is still very concerned about it being used regardless. Cypher exist Logan.)

- [ ] The Madripoor set that can open realities. A set of six crystals that go with a temple in Madripoor that acts like the gate way to other dimensions. Also something the Thieves Guilds try to keep out everyone’s hands only acting when people try to collect them all. (Why they don’t lock them away make me think it falls under Dragon Ball logic.)

- [ ] Ororo Mother gave her a ruby that has been pass down from mother to daughter for generations.( the giant red gem she wears with her costumes sometimes. Ororo maternal ancestors were powerful queens and sorceress one of which was a sorcerer supreme for nearly 4000 years. Weather her family has the stone because of the sorceress supreme was to keep out of other hands is unknown or if they had a connection to the old kingdom or guilds but theirs a possibility.)

- [ ] During the series extreme X men storm and her team search for the destiny diaries.

- [ ] In the diaries Destiny foresaw Gambit being crucified by the Madripoor set and his kinetic energy is amplified to through the crystals( This is post reverse lobotomy burn out post new Sun battle Gambit so their is a lot of power being used dangerously)

- [ ] Side note both Gambit and Storm have a lot of connection to magic and can possibly use magic.

- [ ] Perhaps this why a centuries old Wizard known as the Antiqury wanted Remy as a child.

- [ ] The portal opens up and Khan an alien who conqueres across the dimensions.(No relation to Kang as far as i can tell.)

- [ ] Gambit eventually gets free almost dies and is burned out on his powers. Again.

- [ ] Sage jumps starts him and then he goes blind and then he’s has future powers

- [ ] They do not stick for long plus it’s up their with the wacky stuff the new Sun potential

- [ ] Now some random shit. Gambit technically knows what the old kingdom is because his adopted grandfather and his allies figured out with Apocalypse’s chamber but Sinister ripped those memories out and sealed them away into Remy’s brain and only a surgeon of Sinister’s level could unleash them.

- [ ] Remy is a key.

- [ ] Some weird connections. That will make sense.

- [ ] Irene, Sinister and a woman named Amanda muller all worked together on a project known as the Black Womb. They experimented and killed mutant children. Not only that but to map out the genetics of human evolution and eugenics. Technically Juggarnaunt, Xaiver and Shaw were apart of this program when they were children.

- [ ] Black womb is also Amanda Muller because her unique mutation gives her long life and Sinister paid her to kill her unborn children for science.

- [ ] Amanda Muller is the Ancestor or at least allegedly of the Summers family.

- [ ] Irene Adler a precognitive mutant was part of the Black Womb Project. It also was not as controlled with their experiments. Because of Muller.

- [ ] In New Sun’s(the alternative gambit) reality Black Womb under a semblance of control became Alpha-1 and was more successful in its experiments. New Sun was born their by organization paying his parents to combined their genetics. If his flashback siliouettes are to be believe he was born from an actual person not a test tube like X-Men the Ends Gambit( no mention of sinister on New Suns part)

- [ ] The Alpha-1 knew what Gambits powers were gonna be.

- [ ] Perhaps because of a certain precog mutant predictions in a controlled environment.

- [ ] New Sun somehow killed an omine present being the Phoenix. Which is possible. Wanda can apparently do this because of the nature of her powers.

- [ ] New Sun eventually made his way to the New Orleans guild and was mentored by his realities Jean-Luc. Hence why they went to Turkey to see the statue of the Old Kingdoms king. (The unification of the Guilds is important for this step because they both have Tomes on how to reach the old kingdom. Jean-Luc jumped the gun.

- [ ] The New Sun has the power to travel time and Space.

- [ ] The Witness(Real name only LeBeau) is allegedly an alternative reality version of Remy from Bishops future who helped raised him and his sister.(It’s Remy he’s Cajun! And shit!)

- [ ] The Witness is a temporal anomaly. He exists at the confluence of all the timelines. This simply means that he is able to exist at all points in time at once. It is in this way that he is able to know everything before it happens. He is technically Schrödinger Cat of Marvel.

- [ ] He is the biggest enigma. He may or may not be Remy because he and Remy exist at the same time (the man is an alternative reality version of Remy. Possibly a dark future for him)

- [ ] He technically own stark industries in Bishop’s future.

- [ ] The man calls refers to himself as both a prisoner and a prison. Unfortunately he was killed in preparation of Hopes birth but he seems to have a reemergence in the Askani timeline because their was a group called the Order of the witnesses founded by a man trying to redeem his past sins( so basically Remy.)

- [ ] Also he sits on alot thrones. Very similar to Remy. Like a lot. Remy has a lot of throne imagery.

- [ ] But also one throne he sits on is in front of a Collume of pure energy. Very similar to the one Remy emits during his crucifixtion

- [ ] Interestingly he apart of a story were a symbiote who is the opposite of the Phoenix known as Le Bete Noir(The Black Beast and The White Devil. Funny)

- [ ] The Witness also created something Called the Momentary Princess an egg like deceive that travels throughout time and space gathering information.

- [ ] Once again an artifact that the New Orleans Guild specifically the LeBeaus are tasked with retrieving it. Canadra also wants it as well so it maybe because of her but it’s also maybe because of the old kingdom stuff.

- [ ] Also a random piece of Info in the Ultimate Universe there is no Guilds and Remy seems to be an Actual LeBeau not adopted like all his counterparts. I include this because it’s interesting tidbit and somehow still has a connection to Sinister.

- [ ] Again Maybe because of 90s art work but if you were to compare some of the panels of Jacques, Jean-Luc and Remy out of Context you would either think that three are the same person or all related by blood.

- [ ] The LeBeau heraldry is a Sun and the name irl was originally estimated to be established between 1840 to 1920.

Ok so what am I getting with all this Random info that I know that I’m missing bits and pieces and have greatly misssplelled.

First what is the old Kingdom. The Old Kingdom seems to be a utopia created by using Celestial technology and somehow Remy is involved.

Gambit is the Key to access it or was the source of power to access it. One would assume he like Ororo would be a descendant of someone special hence why he seems so important to the imagery. But Remy’s entire life is a Paradox so why wouldn’t his connection to the Old Kingdom be. Given how the Witness seems to exist essentially at every point of time and created something to appear at every point time I believe that the King of The old Kingdom was the witness himself. I believe he came from reliaty where his orgins are similar to Ultimate Gambits with the twist is he joined Xaivers cause. I believe given all the really weird shit that happens to comic universes to begin with a catastrophic event took place and nearly decimated earth. In order to save everyone he and what other survivors maybe a few scientists like beast or forge or Reed or Stark came together and found some old Celestial Technology maybe specifically Apocalypse chamber. They reverse engineer the tech in hopes to help eart but they need a power to keep the tech going. Here we have Witness!Remy who can power it. Perhaps when jump starting it a large amount light could be seen across the planet.(Heavens Light)

Slowly but Surely Earth begins to bounce back. Witness! Remy begins to learn more about the tech he’s powering. Maybe because of some strange Osmosis he learns about it. But there is one thing Witness!Remy is changing. Over time a new Kingdom of earth is made in a sense. Over Time the original scientists begin to fade away due to time and age. But not Remy he remains enternal. Remy becomes a leaders champion Xaivers message of equality Over time Remy is declared a king and new tradition are being created ones that will be carry on to the Guilds.

Over time earth is a utopia that begins to expand to other empty planets in their solar system. Over Time they created tools which will eventually become artifacts to tap into Remy’s power so they can better transverse the starts without having issues returning home over time other space Empires grew jealous of their unique resources and their mass of allies due to their coexistence policy.

Over time an alien Conquer name Khan rises and starts a war that threatens to destroys their reality. In a last ditch effort Witness!Remy hands covered in blood from the wars he was forced to fight tries to save every one the tools that let them go from one planet to another with ease are reworked by the new Kingdom scientists and mystics to transport everyone across time and space. They just need to use Remy to fuel the path. He does and it shattered him. His mind his soul. Across time and space at every moment and time he is there. His people survive across the multiverse tech and artifacts scarttref across the ages being reused and retooled for othe purposes.

But the old kingdom clans remember. They plant the statue down of the old kingdom clans as memoriel and scatter across the world. Starting the guilds and maybe other organizations that have strayed from the path. The LeBeaus are recognized as being an old kingdom clan. Perhaps clan LeBeau descendes from the witness himself. If he was the king who’s to say he didn’t have any heirs. Because Remy’s entire life is a Paradox his adoptive family is technically his descendants from another reality.

But the Witness is broken and he bares Witness to everything. Sometimes he active sometimes he’s reactive and sometimes he just sits down in his chair watches. We know he watched over child 616 Gambit. Letting him play in his crypt.

Jump foward to 616 Gambit and Jean-Luc is stealing him from the hospital. Jean-Luc and his Nephew are the only ones who know Gambits true origins.

All we know about Gambit is he was taken. Given to the Antiquary for four years taken again given to Fagan a bastard of a thief assassin for 6 years. Until at the ripe age of 10 Jean-Luc brings him home. We know in 1891 he travels back in time and meets the original Nathaniel Essex who will later create the four suit clones. A motif heavily associated to gambit. Another connection to Sinister.

Perhaps Gambit is the Bastard Son of Jean-Luc perhaps he’s the actual son of The Banished son Jacques LeBeau making him Jean-Luc’s younger brother. Perhaps he the child of an unknown Jean-Luc sibling. He has two unnamed sisters why not a third or a brother. Perhaps Remy like his tempory guardian he too was a bastard of an assassin and a thief. Given the long age of the Thieves of the Thief guild it could have been anytime.

Maybe like the New Son Gambits Parents were hired by the Black Womb accept one was from the LeBeaus and one was an assassin maybe they got wrapped up in it and had a kid maybe it was one Remy’s parents or Remy himself. Maybe it was Remy’s mother who had the same eyes as him. But regardless weather it was Remy or a parent he and everyone involved are in trouble. Because the two guilds basically have a shared bastard and that a no no and Sinister now knows the man who came from the future is born or possibly is about to be Born. It’s also possible that Sinister during the experiments he spliced his dna into Remy in utero technically making him one of Remy’s parents maybe he spliced his sons dna in utero just to what would happen and what results would be yielded or maybe when Remy’s mother was raised in the Black Womb project Sinster used her like he used Amanda Muller a new source of DNA to make various children to experiment on and eventually through his genetics into the mix and out came Remy

Regardless of how the events happened Remy’s parents end up back in New Orleans maybe the hospital they gave birth was a secret facility for Sinister.

Remy is born regardless and should technically not exist because both Guilds at best will abandon him or at worst kill him on sight if they ever know the truth. Regardless Sinister now knows Remy exists in the modern era and has sunked his claws into him and watches Remy’s life like he did the summer grey bloodline. Waiting for the opportunity to get ahold of him in some capacity. He only views Remy as a son when he knows he can use it to fuck with Remy and manipulates certain events to test him. (Hiring him at 15 to retrieve his journal at weapon X. Theirs a version of him in the multiverse that worked for weapon X)

What we do know for a fact the Antiqury learns of Remy’s birth alerts Jean-Luc maybe he knows of Remy’s true origin and tells Jean-Luc or maybe Jean-Luc figures it himself all he knows is that the child is the key to his guilds survival both past and future and give him to the antiquary. Eventually the guilt gets to. Jean-Luc and rescues Remy and puts him with Fagan’s mob.

Remy LeBeau is the key to the old kingdom due to time and space multiversal bullshit. He has the potential to be a god his powers can break reality. He is the Messiah for both Guilds that is both Praised and Cursed in the same breath. He is character that is very under utilized and has many great opportunities to explore some really cool lore in the Marvel universe if you can somehow attached it to the guilds. He’s an even deeper connection to Ororo because of her mother’s Ruby.Perhaps it was fate that brought them together or the multiverse echos of the past. Regardless Remy becomes an X-Men and his life is even more intertwined with Sinister and Irene.

Hopefully 616 Remy doesn’t follow the same path as the Witness and he too becomes a broken shell of himself.

Gambit has potential for a great story about fate and family and choosing his path in life. Perhaps one day the old kingdom will come back into play and Remy will become a damsel and it takes the combined effort of his friends family and allies to save him so he doesn’t go down the same paths as New Sun and Witness.

I’m sorry if this isn’t coherent but I literally did this at 5 in the Moring and I know I’m missing shit for this. Feel free to add stuff you think is relevant.

[allidoistrytrytryy]

don’t want no other shade of blue, but you (part 1 of 2) (neteyam x reader)

AO3 version if you prefer reading over there

part 2 (Neteyam and the sky girl, series)

summary: (the confusing timeline and glimpses of life between Neteyam and a human girl.)

warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff and angst, kinda only angst with bits of fluff for part 1, will get better, no use of y/n, confusing timeline, aged-up characters when it comes to present time, not canon-compliant, will surely be unrealistic when it comes to lore but i write what i want and that IS AN HAPPY ENDING IN PART 2

As you slowly woke up, you peeked over to the edge of the tree to see the sun had begun to set.

You needed to go back, now.

You pulled yourself away from the large blue body. You had fallen asleep on his shoulder, again, while you were talking.

Your very best friend, Neteyam. Your other half in so many ways.

The one that you could never be with, you reminded yourself as you re-positioned your mask again, making sure it was well attached and still working.

Here was the detail, you were fully human. Or sky people, as they all liked to remind you when the others of the clan looked at you and whispered under their breath.

Were you angry at them ? Of course not. Sky people were still your people, as much as you wanted to erase that part of yourself. But that did not change the fact that your people had tried to take everything from the Omaticayas.

They had destroyed Hometree. Killed the Olo’eyktan. Killed so many of them, all for some resources. And you were simply a reminder of that.

Your small stature, your non-blue skin, your hands of five fingers, your mask always on your face. You were one of them, no matter how much you did not want to be.

But the thing was you didn’t know anything but Pandora.

Your mother, a scientist, had been pregnant when the evacuation happened. Barely pregnant, in the early stages, but still enough to not be able to be brought back, the flight too dangerous to take and cryo impossible.

So your father, one of the many military men on base at the time, had fucked off and taken the first flight home back to Earth, not caring about the woman he had fucked or his unborn child.

Obviously, your mother had wanted to go right back to Earth too, so she had hated you for keeping her on Pandora. She gave birth to you and got evacuated as soon as she could be.

You never heard from her after that. You never asked about her either. You didn’t care.

Home had been the remaining humans in the lab who had stayed. Home had been the multiple faces and hands you had been through. Home had been a little blond boy, human too, pulling on your hair and going out every day, when you barely had the courage to go explore.

Home was looking up at a tank with a large blue woman floating in it (“It’s a Na’vi.” Norm had said, while holding you on his hip, explaining to barely 1-year-old little you. “Well, technically, she’s but an avatar, so not truly Na’vi but… yeah. That was Grace. And soon, there will be another baby around, but blue.”).

That Grace had been pregnant, which you later on understood no one could explain. (Lo’ak would whisper his suspicions later on to you, in his own confident joking manner, loud enough for Kiri to hear. She had jumped on him after that. You had looked with a sigh, but a smile anyway.) But a blue baby came out soon after and was taken by two larger than life blue people. (Literally larger than life. You remembered looking up at them from the ground, fascinated and terrified at the same time.)

You had not seen her (Kiri, Norm had told you, back from a run to the Omaticayas in his avatar. Daughter of Grace. Daughter of Jake and Neytiri.) for a few years, until one day Spider dragged 5-year-old you to the forest to show you the clan and make you meet the Sully siblings.

You remembered how Spider had jumped in with them, so naturally, like another brother. You had felt awkward, looking from afar, already so aware of your differences even at such a young age.

Spider was being rowdy with Lo’ak while Neteyam was watching them with a shake of his head. You had gravitated towards Kiri, who was sitting away from them, looking around her. You had sat down beside her.

Kiri hadn’t looked back for a minute or two, too engrossed in the world around her, until she had finally turned to you, surprised to see someone she didn’t know beside her.

“Sorry, I did the thing... You must be the human girl Spider keeps talking about ! It’s nice to finally meet you.” Kiri had exclaimed, with a smile so big you had loved her instantly.

“Must be me... I’m the only one around anyway... I hope he didn’t tell you bad things.” You had grumbled under your breath, sending a death glare to Spider’s back.

Kiri had shaken her head with a laugh. “Brothers, am I right ?” She had sighed, looking at her own brothers.

You had sighed back and smiled. You hadn’t countered the word. Spider was the closest thing you had to a brother. The only one who understood what you were going through.

Spider had gotten close to you two after a while. “I saw you with your look and your sigh. What are you saying about me, dumb ass ?”

“Absolutely nothing, I'm innocent." You had said, lightly kicking him with your foot.

He had narrowed his eyes in suspicion, until Lo’ak and Neteyam had come closer. Lo’ak was the first one to talk, while Neteyam was simply looking at you.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, monkey boy ?”

“I have the unfortunate pleasure to introduce you to my daily pain in the ass.” Spider had told them your name as you had whined over his words, kicking him harder with your foot this time.

“It’s nice to meet you. He talks about you often. We wondered if you would ever come around.”

Neteyam had looked at you with a smile while saying it. You remembered liking him instantly, with his easy smile.

“I wasn’t going to, until Spider dragged me here.” You had whispered, looking at your hands.

“And we’re glad he did.”

Kiri had rubbed your back, before pulling you to your feet to show you the forest.

The rest is history. You came back, again and again and again. You couldn’t stay away anymore. You loved them. You felt like you belonged beside them.

But you knew you didn’t.

You barely went to the Omaticayas’ home. You always joined them in the forest, but you never crossed the line, as much as Kiri pulled on your hand to come with them.

“Come eat with us ! Come on ! Our parents would love to see you. They always hear about you, but never see you.”

(You knew that was not true. Maybe Jake wanted to see you more, getting it underneath it all, but Neytiri ? Spider had told you so many times how she looked at him with cold unforgiving eyes and whispered under her breath. (That did not stop him from sticking to the Sullys and always crossing that line you had drawn yourself.) (In the few times you had met them, her, she had never looked at you like that though. Maybe the fact that you stayed away made it easier for her to just... forget about you.))

In those moments when you refused and said you were going home with a sad smile, Neteyam would always walk you home, helping you get over any obstacle and helping you climb.

He kept growing taller and taller while you stayed small. Which means he was lifting you more than helping you climb, honestly. And he would make fun of you for it too.

(“Come on, sky girl, keep up !”

He said, laughing as he jumped over trees and vines easily.

“I’m trying, Nete ! You skxawng !”

You yelled and he laughed even harder, looking back at you, his braids swinging with the movement. Your heart skipped a beat.)

One day, when he was twelve and you eleven, he had stopped you before arriving to the small lab you called home.

Neteyam hesitated, your small hand in his. “You should really come around, one day. Just... come see where we live and eat with us. Just one time.”

You had seen the hope in his eyes and you had tried not to cave in. He couldn’t get you. Nope. No.

“Nete, I... You do understand that I don’t belong there, right ?” You had laughed faintly. “Spider doesn’t get that through his thick skull, but I do. No one wants to see me there.”

He had looked at you with sadness, taking your other hand in his free hand. “Other sky people come around all the time. And you do belong.”

You had bitten your lips, looking anywhere and everywhere but his emerald eyes. “Just one time, sky girl. Please.”

“Okay, okay ! Ugh, you’re so annoying, Neteyam.”

He had simply laughed before ruffling your hair, which almost made you fall down. (“Control your own strength, skxawng !”)

That was when you learned you could never say no to him. Anything he asked you would cave for.

(You had come around the next day, grumbling under your breath, as Neteyam pulled on your left hand and Kiri on your other one. Lo’ak was pushing at your back. Spider looked at you and laughed his ass off. You threatened to cut his hair in his sleep.

Jake had actually been happy to see you. Neytiri less, which you weren’t surprised about. You had tried to be as respectful as you could be, making yourself small, even though the others were making it hard for you to be.

Neteyam had sat down beside you, his shoulder and thigh brushing yours, clad in a simple tank top and shorts. You had been glad for the comfort.

When you had left that night, you had been surprised about Neytiri not being hostile to you. Not as Spider had told you.

That had made you come back a few times a week after that, for years. Even though Neytiri did not love you, but she accepted you at least. Even though some Omaticayas would look at you and whisper that you didn’t belong.)

You didn’t understand how you hadn’t realized your feelings for Neteyam back then.

He was your best friend, until he wasn’t just that. Until you looked at him and wanted more.

You didn’t remember exactly how the realization happened. You knew one day you thought he was just your closest friend and confidant, and the next day you wanted to hold his hand and kiss him on his stupid blue lips and fall asleep every night close to him.

Which led you to this exact moment. Sneaking out to go back home, because you couldn’t help but stick close to him. As much as you told yourself every minute of every day that you two could never be. Could never happen. Would never happen.

Sometimes, you even fooled yourself into seeing more in his looks and his touches. Seeing that maybe he saw you the way you saw him. But it could never happen.

As you walked back to the lab, you told yourself that he deserved more. Neteyam was...

You couldn’t even describe it. He was Neteyam. Good and protective and strong and kind and smart and beautiful. Caring. Loving.

He deserved everything. The mate. The family. The future.

You could never give that to him.

So as you said good night to the other humans, giving a small wave back to Norm, as took off the mask, as you laid in bed, you thought and thought and thought and hurt.

You fell asleep hours later, missing his warmth and hating yourself for missing it.

You dreamed of being Na’vi again. You dreamed of him. And it tore you apart.

You kept playing the good best friend, still never crossing lines until he looked at you with those eyes and that smile and you couldn’t help but gravitate to him.

He got even taller, broader, bigger. His voice got deeper. His skills got better.

He was one of the best hunters already at eighteen. He was to be a great future Olo’eyktan, after his father.

You couldn’t understand why he kept seeking you out. You understood when you were younger, but now?

You were simply human. You had barely grown. You had learned basic survival skills from Jake, who had insisted you learn them (“Just in case.” He had told you, a hand on your head.). You were glad he had taken the time.

Neytiri had, somehow, warmed up to you. As much as she could for sky people.

She had taught you how to use a bow, how to make arrows, how to defend yourself with them. You had taken every opportunity, working hard to learn. You wouldn’t speak a lot with each other and you never pushed it.

Mo’at had even given you great opportunities to learn from her, teaching you which plants healed what, talking to you as if you were a part of them.

(When you had asked her why, she had simply looked at you. “The great mother has shown me that you have great strength and a great heart. That does not come around very often in your people.”

You had almost cried in front of her in that very moment, sniffling and keeping them in as best as you could.)

Even through it all, a part of you always screamed that you didn’t deserve any of it. That you didn’t belong and would never. You had learned to not listen, every new acceptance and moment adding to your disillusions, every smile and look from Neteyam making yourself get closer.

The biggest reminder was when the sky people came back.

That had been your wake up call.

When it happened, you had been with all of the Sully siblings. Tuk was in your lap, even though she was already way taller than you, but hadn’t lost the habit from when she was small.

You were helping her make bracelets (“One for all of us ! And one for Mom and one for Dad !” She had exclaimed, excited to be with you for the night while their parents were out on date night.). Kiri and Neteyam too. Lo’ak was still on the same one, grumbling that they were braiding bracelets instead of going out. Spider too.

Neteyam had sat them down quickly when they had tried to get out.

“You guys’ asses are staying right there. No bullshit.”

You had laughed with Kiri, hiding behind Tuk.

All was calm and good until there were loud noises, until you all went out to see what was happening and you saw the forest on fire.

Until everybody screamed out that sky people were back.

You felt yourself faltering, your hand letting go of Tuk’s and dropping to your side.

They were back. Back. Back. Back. Back.

No. No. No.

You felt a hand on your back and startled as a voice talked to you, “You okay, sky girl ?”

The nickname that you loved from his lips now wanted to make you scream, cry, throw up. They were back. And you were one of them.

You had never belonged here and they had just reminded you of this very fact.

You looked up at him, smiled sadly and hid your face in his side to let yourself cry. You would let yourself give in this one moment of weakness.

And then, you were tearing out the plug.

You left right when Jake and Neytiri came back and the Sullys were too busy being together. You left without a word for any of them, without a word for Neteyam who didn’t realize you had left until it was too late.

You locked yourself in your little room. You barely went out for weeks. You couldn’t bring yourself to go back.

“If they ever come around, just tell them I’m not here.” You told Norm, before locking yourself in your room again.

They tried to come again and again. Neteyam knocked on your door, day after day, with the others or alone.

“Sky girl, come out. We all miss you.”

“Please, sky girl. Just... talk to me. I’m on my own. You know you can trust me.”

“You always listen to me, come out and let me listen to you.”

“Let me hear your voice. Tell me you’re okay.”

“Sky girl, I’m never going to stop coming, you know that right ? No matter how much you try to push us away, to push me away, I’ll never stop coming.”

You knew he wouldn’t stop. He was loyal to a fault. Protective. He wouldn’t abandon you.

That hurt more than anything else. If he stopped, at least, you could comfort yourself in the fact that he didn’t need you anymore. He made it hard.

He made you want to open that door. You missed him. Missed Lo’ak. Missed Kiri. Missed Tuk. Missed the forest and the sounds and the feeling of it all around you.

But you couldn’t. Not when you remembered that sky people were out there, hurting them again.

At some point, the scientists and avatars moved to the Omaticayas and the mountains, to help them, to be as close as they could.

You didn’t. You stayed right in your little room and in this lab. Some humans came around to see you as often as they could. Max and Norm stayed sleeping there almost every night, to not leave you alone.

Spider too slept there a lot.

You never opened the door for any Na’vi. Not even the ones you loved.

You were trying to distract yourself with some reading when loud bangs erupted on your door.

“It’s Kiri ! You need to come out, right now. Neteyam’s hurt !”

Fear spread through your whole body. Not him. You unlocked the door and opened it wide.

“What happened, Kiri ?” You asked, your hand shaking on the handle of the door.

“He... They were out on a mission, to get supplies from sky people. They were supposed to just be spotters but Lo’ak got into it, so Neteyam did too, and then there were explosions.”

You could barely hear more, your ears were ringing. She told you that it wasn’t too bad, that he would be okay, but you couldn’t feel your fingers anymore. What if he was badly hurt after all ? What if, what if, what if ?

You ran through the forest, Kiri helping you up the mountains. You barely focused on the mountains, barely focused on Omaticayas welcoming you back or looking at you surprised, barely focused on the other avatars calling out your name. You needed to get to Nete.

Kiri pulled you to their tent. Neteyam was sitting down, his back to you, while Mo’at tended to him and Kiri got right back in it as she arrived.

You saw the scars on his back. They had been bleeding but they weren’t deep. You dropped your hands to your knees and took your first real breath in what felt like hours.

“Well shit, look who’s back !” Lo’ak screamed out followed by Jake’s “Language !”.

Tuk jumped at you, crying out. “Don’t ever leave again ! We missed you !”

You rubbed her back, “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to hurt you, yawntutsyìp...”

Lo’ak hugged you fiercely, almost breaking your back while whispering that it was good to have you back.

Jake and Neytiri smiled at you.

Neteyam hadn’t said a word. He wasn’t even looking at you.

He waited until Mo’at had finished (“Welcome back, girl.” with a touch of her hand on your shoulder) and he was deemed okay to get up. He took your hand and pulled you away from everybody.

He stopped but still didn’t look at you, letting your hand go in the process.

“Nete... I know you’re mad at-”

He interrupted you, “Mad ? Mad ? You don’t know the half of it ! I tried being patient, I stayed there behind that locked door for hours and hours, worried to death. And now you do come out ?”

You could feel yourself getting angry too, your throat getting all clogged up. “I didn’t ask you to stay behind that door ! So what ? I shouldn’t have come out ?”

“That is not what I mean, you skxawng ! Fuck ! I was worried to death that you weren’t okay. You wouldn’t let me in. You wouldn’t let me be there for you. I hated it. Hated the fact that you were all alone in there. Hated myself for not being enough for you. I’m never good enough, even at this.” He said, gesturing with his hand to you and him.

You startled at his words, “Not good enough ? Nete, you’ve always been too good. You’re the best of us all. Look, you even got hurt again for one of us. Me shutting down ? It wasn’t you. It could never be your fault.”

“Then what is it ?”

Looking up into his eyes, the tears started falling before you even said a word. “They hurt you all again. The forest, the planet, the people... They did. And I’m one of them. As much as we try to act like I’m not, as much as we try to act like I’m part of you guys, I’m still one of them. I’m part of the people that keep hurting and taking from you all. I can’t fucking handle it anymore.”

You wiped your tears away, your eyes turned to the sky and not at him.

“I hate myself, you know. Hate what I look like, hate what I am. Hate that I can’t escape it, no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I want to be a part of this, I will never be. People will only see that I’m...sky people.”

He took your face in his large hands, ripping your gaze away from the sky back to his eyes. He bent down, talking softly.

“Not to us. Not to me. Never to me. You look like them, sure. You’re small, fragile, and all the colors are wrong.” You scoffed and he softly tapped your forehead to make you stop. “But, inside ? You’ve never been one of them. You’ve always been one of us. And I know you’ve tried not to be, ever since we were kids. You’ve always tried to distance yourself from us. But, you can’t.”

He dropped his forehead to your masked-clad one and you traced the glowing freckles all over his face with your eyes, wishing it was with your fingers instead.

“You can’t go back. You can’t distance yourself. You’re Omaticaya. You’re with us, sky girl. You’re with me. I won’t let you go.”

You felt his thumbs gently rub your temples, behind the mask, wrapping his other fingers around your hair.

You came back with him to the tent. You stayed after that. You couldn’t go again. Not when he held your heart in his hands.

It all went back to shit when the Sullys came back without Spider. Quaritch was back. He had taken Spider with him. You could only comfort yourself in the fact that he would surely not hurt Spider. That was his son.

He might not have cared when he was human, but he wouldn’t hurt him. (Right ?)

And the Sullys were leaving. Leaving the Omaticaya clan and fleeing far away.

“I don’t want to go.” Neteyam whispered in your shoulder, both of you hiding deep in the forest.

“I don’t want you to go either, Nete but...you guys will come back.” You whispered, folded against him.

He shot up in a heartbeat at your words, “What do you mean, ‘you guys’ ?”

“Well, I mean you Sullys ?” You questioned, not understanding what he was asking.

Neteyam narrowed his eyes at you. “You’re coming, sky girl. So it’s a ‘we’.”

You scoffed bitterly at that remark. What was he asking from you ? To go to a completely different Na’vi clan with them ? A clan that would never accept you ?

“You know I can’t come with you, Neteyam.”

You got up and put some distance between you and him.

“The Omaticayas only accept me because of your father and because of the others. They wouldn’t, otherwise. You think a whole another clan far from here, with no sky people in sight will accept me ?”

He also got up and tried to close the distance you had created between you two.

“So what ?” He asked, truly angry this time around. “You just stay here while we go ? We have to leave you here ?”

“Yes ! That is the plan, Neteyam ! I can’t follow you there. Be realistic about it for one minute. Think about it. They will only reject me, and I get it.”

“You can’t ask this of me. They can’t ask this of me.” He shouted, pointing in the direction of his family. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

This was your very last night together for a long time and, instead, he had decided to be angry. Angry about something neither of you could control. You went to rub your eyebrows and forehead to try to calm the headache that was coming, before remembering the mask.

“I don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn about this, Nete. Think about your family. I’ll be fine here.”

Neteyam turned to you and got right into your face as you said that.

“Why I’m being stubborn ? This, us, this is the one thing that is only mine. I don’t need to meet expectations, I don’t need to be the perfect son or the best. I can just be me. How can you ask of me to leave you here ?” He whispered, his hands gripping your forearms.

“And how can you ask of me to follow you there ?” You whispered back, lightly pushing his hands away which made him let go. “Nete... What did you think was going to happen ? That I was going to come with you guys ? That they were going to accept me and we could live happily ever after ? This isn’t one of the stories your father used to tell us.”

You stepped away, willing yourself to look up right into his eyes.

“We’ll never get an happy ending, Neteyam. Not us. I’m not Na’vi. I can’t be accepted. I can’t give you anything.”

“And I don’t need you to give me anything, sky girl. I just... I just need you.”

A sigh came out of your mouth. “What I mean is I can’t give you a future. Not one you want, not one you deserve. What we feel isn’t enough.”

His shoulders had drooped, his face was obscured by his braids. You had never seen him so defeated and you hated that you were the one to put this look on him.

“It is, for me. I see you. Oel ngati kameie.”

He softly said it. A part of you had always known that he saw you the way you did him, but hearing it... Your heart wanted to be out of your chest.

But it also broke. Because you couldn’t say it back. As much as you wanted to.

“Nete... Please...”

Your voice broke, the sobs threatening to come out.

“It won’t be enough... If I say it back, one day, you’d resent me for it.” You cried, willing for him to understand. “One day, you would look back at me and wonder why you ever tried with me. I can’t...share the mating bond with you. I can’t give you a family. I can’t give you what I know you want, growing up in the family that you had. And I can’t do this to you. I’m sorry, Neteyam.”

He had no reaction. He stayed there for what seemed like forever. He then simply turned away from you and left.

You collapsed on the floor and cried silently for a while. When it finally caught up, you openly sobbed and sobbed until your voice was hoarse. You had ruined the one good thing that you had, you had broken your heart completely and his too.

It would never be the same. You would never get back the moments you shared with him. Holding his hand, falling asleep on his shoulder, flying his ikran with him, sharing a hunt, talking and talking for hours. Having no secrets. Knowing him inside and out and him knowing you inside and out.

It was over.

You said goodbye a few hours later to the Sullys, your eyes puffy and red and crying again as you had to let go of the people you loved most.

Kiri and Tuk didn’t want to let you go. You didn’t want to let them go.

Lo’ak comforted you, hugging you in the way he always did. (“Don’t be an idiot out there, dumb ass.” “Yeah, yeah, sky girl.”)

Jake put a comforting hand on your head, told you to be careful. Neytiri squeezed your shoulder with a smile (which you would have celebrated in the past but had no strength for now).

Neteyam never looked at you. He was already on his ikran, ready to leave. You only ever saw his back as they flew away.

It was over.

[ntaras]

Thanks for the link!! Dude went waaay too far, he seriously wants MK v.s DC to be canon ahzah. I want to slap him whenever he calls Raiden and Fujin demigods lmao. Like, Elder Gods>Gods>Demigods (or half-gods) it really isn't that hard, man. 😭 If we follow his logic then what are Taven, Daegon and Rain supposed to be? And spare me your titans crap. Out! Out!

And we really ignoring the Tempest creating Chaosrealm? 😔 At least they might have referenced it with how it came to be in MK1 ig. At least, he acknowledged Deception lore with the soul stones and the sorcerers in the Nether.

Okay so now I'm just gonna ramble about Frost. 🗣️

The small attention given to Frost and Nitara is cool. Although when it comes to Frost, it kind of sucks because on the surface it really looks like a bad case of "this character is evil because they had a rough childhood but we are not going to delve in the why and the how it affected them". The "bad childhood" is such an easy card to pull when it comes to explain a character's motivation and it COULD be good if writers actually chose to acknowledge and treat it properly. However, the way it's presented in MK11 is weird and frustrating because while we are made aware of Frost's struggles (her false feelings of not being good enough in Kuai's eyes, her feeling like she's always underestimated and unworthy, her wanting to prove herself to an unhealthy degree) they're never developed and explained. Paired with Kuai Liang's claim that he gave her a home and that she was a talented student, it makes Frost look like a major dick who's just overly arrogant, who just killed her mom for no reason and who actually takes pride in it.

You have to dig yourself to at least try to understand/come up with an explanation related to Frost's issues with authority, her arrogance, why she clashed with Sonya upon meeting her the first time in DA, why she rebelled against Kuai Liang while simultaneously wanting to earn his respect... Which she DID but she fucked things up herself!!! And it makes me sad because Kuai Liang was genuinely proud of her and cared about her. Frost finally had the love and attention she wanted and there's no doubt she would have become grandmistress after Kuai Liang at some point but she had to ruin it herself because of some sick thirst for even more power.

And while I actually really like the "bad childhood" and "found herself participating in death matches" elements brought by NRS, I struggle to understand Frost's problem with the truce between the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu in this timeline. It comes from nowhere and just makes Frost look like a grade-A asshole for no reason. It even results in Kuai Liang no longer caring for her when he used to be more sympathetic to her in the Midway timeline... Until Deception and that's because she slaughtered a good chunk of the clan!!! In MKX, Frost had just rebelled against a truce. I don't think we are even told if Kuai Liang at least attempted to talk to her and understand what she was going through. He just cast her out and like, yeah, I can understand why he'd be mad but at the end of the day it makes both Frost and Kuai Liang look like assholes lmao.

I really like Frost and I wish she wasn't just reduced to a lost cause because at the end of the day she's just a troubled young woman who obviously went through a lot. Kuai Liang himself had a rough life and that's why I just hate that he doesn't at least try to be considerate with her and understand her story. You'd think he would be made aware at some point that Frost fought in death matches??? Like, I mean, that's such a fucked up thing to do. How did Frost even find herself there?? The way I see it, Kuai Liang was turned into a weapon while Frost had to turn herself into a weapon in order to survive and I think that's a neat comparison, especially when you consider Frost willingly cyberized herself. However, they sadly never address it.

I'd loooove to know more about Frost's family life. I'm still working on my headcanons but I'd like to go in a direction opposed to Kuai Liang and Bi-Han. Like, while the brothers were trained and pressured by their father to master their cryomancy, Frost's mother wanted her to conceal her powers in order to live a normal life. I definitely don't think she was a good mom, therefore, she was quite rough and commanding in the way she forced her daughter to hide that part of herself that Frost struggled to control and it made their relationship really tense. I definitely don't think Frost loved her mother but I also don't see her willingly killing her in cold blood. I mostly see it like, Frost's resentment toward her mother grew so much that a fight between them caused her powers to go out of control and cause her mother's death. Self-defense might also be to consider. Maybe. idk. that's pretty much a W.I.P and I like to consider every possibility.

Okay now that I'm done, I'm really curious to hear your take on Frost. 👀

i think dominic needs to just make his own game so he can write whatever lore he wants instead of doing what he currently is doing and we’d all be happier.

to be fair i forgot about the tempest being a thing but i am not an official writer so what excuse does he have. (also looking up the tempest led me to being reintroduced to zaggot cause i have not read the older comics in yearssss. but what a name.)

but frost!!!!!!!!! i agree with pretty much what you said about her. i adore her but for some reason she cannot get a complete arc nor an attempt at digging into her character. she deserves the recognition that mk12 bi-han is getting because he is a carbon copy of her but that’s another topic.

i adore how self-sabotaging and aggressive she is, but i wish she was actually given reason behind her character! frost being confirmed to have a shitty childhood and killed her (also shitty) mom does offer reasoning behind her personality but i wish it was actually explored in canon. like you said, you really have to dig to figure out the reasoning behind frost’s actions because she’s one of the many characters who are not given much for the audience to work with.

but i’ll take the scraps :,)

like i said i agree with pretty much what you said about her, and i think we’re in the same boat regarding headcanons. i’ve also thought that she forced to conceal her powers by her mother, which also begs the question on if frost’s mother was a cryomancer or if her father was. had it been her father, i wonder what happened to him considering there’s no mention of him (because frost specifically says she killed her mother). i’ve thought about if her father was somehow not in her life (be it that he died when she was young, before she was born, or left her and her mother) and he was a cryomancer, it caused her mother to force frost to suppress her powers because she did not know how to deal with it. but if it was her mother who was a cryomancer, her own mother could’ve tried repressing frost’s powers as a means of protection (protection being isolation of her daughter) or a projection of her mother’s own shame/issues about her cryomancy.

either way, i think she was forced to repress her cryomancy by her mother (which i think would be painful, because cryomancy typically shows up when the cryomancer is older but frost is on the very young side. she ultimately was alone in dealing with this unknown power.)

i do not think frost killed her mother out of cold blood either! it was ultimately just the result of of poor parenting and resentment building up on both sides. and the way her mother raised her lead frost to having issues with authority, for example, kuai liang.

i think i’ve briefly mentioned it before, but i think frost views kuai liang like her mom. like, there’s a part of her that views kuai liang as the closest to “kin” because he is the first cryomancer she’s met. above anyone he would understand her isolation and rage, and i think in turn she would understand him in a way. i think they’re both characters who have walls up but at the same time having a shared power automatically reveals some vulnerability to each other. but frost has IMMENSE issues with her vulnerability, and i don’t think she’d easily be open to another authority figure when she already dealt with her mom.

with kuai liang being her mentor i don't think she can help herself from automatically linking him to her mom and as a result wanting to take control before another authority takes control of her and suppresses her. she doesn’t want to be a child anymore, but be the ultimate authority (which only causes her to act more childish- with extreme naivety and rebellion).

and going off what you said about kuai liang being forced into a weapon while frost chose to become a weapon, i think being a weapon is what frost views as the ultimate authority (or in other words, violence is the ultimate authority to frost).

i do think kuai liang would have known about frost being in death matches (which i also have no clue how that girl got involved in them) and had to teach her fighting methods different from how she used to fight, or even teach how to be better at whatever methods she used to use in those matches.

also fun (and unfortunate) fact, had the mkx comics continued we would have gotten A LOT more focus on frost because her and kuai liang are meant to parallel hanzo and takeda. she could’ve gotten a fully fleshed backstory and yet we were robbed as usual

in the end despite all of frost’s flaws and mistakes, i genuinely think she should be redeemed instead of only being a lost cause. i hateeee how dismissive kuai liang is of frost and how easily he gave up on her in the nrs timeline. like i do think she represents a metaphor for kuai liang as the final challenge he has to overcome in order to finally redeem the lin kuei, and she does some very messed up things that really push kuai liang towards the edge, but because of that metaphor i really think it’d be fitting if frost’s redemption was also kuai liang’s completed redemption of the lin kuei. (i also do think her being a metaphor for being kuai liang’s final challenge to redeem the lin kuei can explain her issue with the shirai ryu as the clans used to be enemies, but idk it’s just an attempt at trying to make it make sense in a thematic way lol.)

it would also allow kuai liang rest because i do think his story needs to (or at least needed to considering we won’t have sub-zero kuai liang back) end, and i think it should end with “sub-zero” being passed to frost because she should get to a point where she deserves to be grandmaster.

anyways to sum this up i wish we got her backstory because i am sick of people (the writers) dismissing her as an ungrateful brat who’s a lost cause… she deserves her story!!! she deserves to grow as a character!!! i love her dearly and i appreciate her <33

[lostcauses-noregrets]

I know new AoT stuff wasn't going to be anything but still an artbook wasn't what I expected. I know it was never going to be about the Ackermans but I swear Isayama should do something about them one day because they are "weakest point" storytelling-wise in AoT. Kenny Levi and Mikasa are all my favorites but also they don't make sense and always feel like something Isayama only invented to explain how they are so OP in a more grounded story where ordinary people without Titan powers are just that, ordinary people. That ask you answered recently for example. They are just... It makes zero sense. Fandom, especially Eruri fans, did so much more justice to this side of AoT compared to Isayama. Because in no world it makes sense that they just discover 2 of their soldiers are literally super soldiers and there can be more out there when they are literally threatened by intelligent titans and a mostly unknown enemy. Don't get me wrong, I love that Yams kept it mysterious which gave the fans creative freedom when it comes to Ackerman stuff. Eruri fans are so creative with it. But he still acts like Ackermans exist in their own little world. No one reacts to them, no one is interested in them unless the story has to remind us they are special (again that ask you answered about ackermans being immune). You telling me Paradis, in desperation under the threat of outside world and their intelligent titans, didn't search for possibly more Ackermans? Erwin who loves things like that never questioned Levi or Mikasa? Hange, who is a science freak and loves titan science in the first place, begged Levi or Mikasa to give them their blood sample or anything? No one tried to weaponize them? Ackermans make no sense because it feels like their story is a side story, a side quest and completely seperated from the main storyline, not because they are a mystery. THEY MAKE NO SENSE ITS DRIVING ME CRAZY

I got this ask last weekend and we've had a lot more information about Shingeki FLY since then. We now know it's going to be a 200 page art book, a "top secret final draft", and "Attack on Titan Vol. 35 which contains the newly drawn manga Bad Boy". There's been a lot of speculation about who Bad Boy refers to with many fans holding out hope that the new manga or side story will be about Levi. (Though I did laugh at the person on twitter who said it might be about Armin and Annie.). So you never know Anon, you might get your Ackerman lore yet!

Much as I would love to know more about the Ackermans, I'm not sure I agree that they're the "weakest point" storytelling-wise". I think there are much more annoying plot weaknesses, particularly whatever the hell is going on with Historia! Personally I can live with the layers of ambiguity surrounding the Ackermans, particularly because they've proved such fertile ground for fic writers, as you rightly said.

The thing about the Ackermans is that, given the king's attempts to wipe them out, it's not clear whether anyone on Paradis knew anything about them. Erwin wanted Levi for the Survey Corps as soon as he saw his strength and skill, but when he recruited Levi, he had no idea he was Ackerman, or what that meant. Levi himself only discovered he was an Ackerman at the end of the Uprising Arc. We don't know from canon whether Levi revealed his lineage to Erwin, but I'm quite sure he did. He certainly doesn't seem to have been reticent about talking about his relationship with Kenny to Mikasa and Hanji in the cart, and with Nifa on the rooftop.

But even if Erwin did know by the end of the Uprising that the Ackermans were a clan of supers soldiers, as you put it, he didn't really have a chance to exploit that information; sadly he was killed barely a couple of months later. Hanji does appear to have some knowledge of the Ackermans later in the story, but again, by that stage they were all fighting for their lives so they weren't exactly in a position to go hunting for more Ackermans to support the Alliance.

Anyway, I can understand your frustration about the lack of information about the Ackermans, and I really would love to know more about them too. However, over the years, I've made my peace with the fact that they are likely to remain a mystery.

[tamaruaart]

YOU

Grant us your oc’s delicious lore, anything that comes to mind first-

Ah tysm for asking

(btw I apologize for this being long af 😔)

So I feel like I should prep this by saying before I figured out about LMK I was super into OPS's jttw series. So I made Zhao with the context of the book, and the book doesn't sugar coat things so Zhao's backstory is a bit uhhh, mature? There's no nsfw stuff but there is a lot, lot, loottt of angst (even though the backstory is kinda "simple"), so forgive me :'(

I did change up her backstory a bit for the LMK version because it is a kids show and I don't feel like the creators would stick with the dark tone of the original. Whenever I write OCs for sertant shows I try to write it with the context of "How would the creator tackle this if my oc was a Canon character?" Yk? You don't write a depressed, emo, Greek hero for a light hearted magical girl show.

So ye, this first segment will be her JTTW backstory sum-up and I'll note what is changed in the LMK version at the end👍

JTTW/original backstory(this is long, read at your own risk)-

-Zhao wasn't raised in the best household.. Not only was her father a total womanizer with 3 wives (at the time of her birth, by now he has 7) and who knows how many mistresses, but her elder family member were pretty verbally abusive. I mentioned before but Xiaotian and Biao-Qi (Zhao's father and grandfather) wanted Zhao to be born as a male because in their clan its essential for the first born of every generation to be a boy, so when they found out about Zhao being a girl they were really salty and thought of her as "The disgrace" of the family. (hence why Zhaoyan is a name generally given to Chinese boys, which yea Xiaotian is the type of douche-bag to chose the name of the child at the start of his marriage without the mothers approval)

-Zhao was the one basically raising her younger siblings because her parents couldn't be bothered to, Pangfua (Zhao's mom) couldn't even bare to look at Xiaotian's face so the last thing she cared for was some random children of him and his mistresses, and Xiaotian's other wifes didn't really care for the children either. However, Zhao ADORED her siblings because she was always good with little kids. But as time went on and on, with so many children coming in to the household she started getting tired, but what could she do? At the time she was barely a teenage girl, if she complained to her father she could legitimately be at risk to lose her head. Like I said, Xiaotian couldn't care less about Zhao, he doesn't give a damn if she likes taking care of her siblings or not.

-Eventually Zhao grew too tired of her family, and decided to leave. This might seem selfish but holy frick, the girlie felt like a maid, and it's not like she doesn't care for her family, it's that they couldn't care less about her. All of her siblings were old enough to take care of each other and the other family members treated them well, why shouldn't she be able to "go live her own life"?

- The first place she went was to a temple dedicated to the Chinese tiger spirit- Hu Ye. The reason she went to him specifically was because he was sort of the protector/symbol of Zhao's family (for context think about how Apollo was the protector of the Trojans in the Iliad), she prayed to him all night, she asked humbly to become a Jade Maiden that serves Guan Yin (because that was probably the best option. Also just so you have context- Hu Ye blessed the girls in Zhao's family with a healing gift. So basically they could heal any illness, wound, missing limb etc...). But to her surprise Hu Ye saw what she did as "unforgiving". You shouldn't leave your family who loves you so much, not cool >:( (cut him some slack tho, whenever to family would worship him they would make them self's seem like the most perfect people ever). And so in short he gave her flaming orange hair so she never forgets that she is a Tiger Maiden (bcz orange=tigers and he just be petty like that bro).

-Eventually she went to the woods but she was found by Lánhūa- a forest spirit. Lánhūa took pity on her and decided to take her in as one of her nymphs. Because Zhao had the healing gift she was a great addition to the palace Lánhūa lived in, Zhao was always the one making sure everyone was healthy and the worst someone suffered was a common cold, and even those wouldn't last long.

-However one day while she was collecting fruits for the palace she stumbled upon a strange noise near a mountain, she went to check what it was and wouldn't you have guessed its good ol' Sun Wukong. The pair fairly quickly became friends, Zhao would often tell him stories and keep him company and Sun (who was under that damn mountain for 346 years by the time he and Zhao met) would listen and tell her his life stories.

-At the early stages of the jttw Monkey actually did try and convince Zhao to come with him and the other pilgrims, she would be the one taking care of Tripitaka and making sure he stays healthy. Zhao refused at first but after some time she agreed. Her and Tripitaka were very close because they were both kinda the "sane ones" of the group and Zhao took her position very seriously. Sanzang eventually noticed that this was a bit weird considering how layed back the other pilgrims were, so he confronted her and Zhao opened up to him. And that's how I'd show her backstory in the book.

So in short: Girl leaves abusive family and prays to god, god makes her a ginger and she gets adopted by a hot forest spirit. A monkey befriends her and convinces her to give free health care to his friend **emotional**

Holy crap that took so long to write/ Notes on how her backstory would probably be changed in the lmk version:

In the lmk version I think they'd tone down how bad her family was just a bit, again it is a kids show. I think the start would generally be the same but that Hu Ye would grant her wish. But instead of a disciple for Guan Yin I think they'd change it into a Peach Maiden, so that she could meet the brotherhood and befriend Wukong like she did in the original backstory. They'd probably remove Lánhūa as well (because she is a very minor character in Zhao's backstory). So yea in short of what I think the creators of LMK would do with her character: -Hu Ye grants her wish of becoming a Peach Maiden. -Orange would be her natural hair color(bcz tigers woo). -I honestly think they'd give her a sort-of survivor's guilt because of the whole "leaving your family" thing instead of "Ama give u tiger hair so you never forget how you left your family >:(" -She meets the brotherhood through their lil' rebellion -Healing powers would probably be toned down a bit so there's still some risk

So ya-

Again thank you SO much for the question and thank you for coming to my Ted talk

[sillygoofyqueer]

Read the first chapter of the three blades au and I’m so excited for chapter 2!! How did wwx find a way to Almost Die this time? Was it Wen Chao or someone else?? Why was he being buried alive and not killed some other way? Also what did he give up???

Gotta say, didn’t expect Suibian to be wielded by the god of nature but can’t say that doesn’t fit. I do hope that eventually we will get more info on who these gods were not just lore-wise but also a little personally.

Interesting that Cultivation is shunned and more of a secret practice. (Is this why Wwx was being buried alive? If so, why tf would you bury him and not, idk, shoot/stab him or something?? It’d make more sense as a revenge plot tho or Wen Chao being an idiot as per usual.) even more interesting about the implication that other gods’ weapons are still around somewhere.

Kinda sweet that HC and LBH never stopped looking for the third member of their trio and I feel like I’m probably going to get emotional over that later down the line. Maybe not tho ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. It’s also very sweet that LBH had nothing when he went for Xin Mo and as a result got the opportunity of a lifetime.

Last thing I wanted to mention is that you might wanna reread the chapter because there are quite a few typos. If you don’t feel like doing that or don’t care that’s fine but I thought I’d let you know. (One I couldn’t help but notice was in the beginning where one says found again instead of forged)

As always four, I love your writing so much and I can’t wait to see where this goes! I have already given Kudos but I wish I could give you more! Remember to take care of yourself and take regular breaks!

[having flashbacks to the drunken post I made] that's so sweet, thank you so much lmao!!!

See, only Wei Wuxian can almost die the multitude of times he does in MDZS, and what kind of writer am I if I can't portray that in my own work?? Of course, there isn't much I can tell you.....yet :] but I can say for certain that a certain clan DOES have something to do with his dance with death. And I'm buzzing at what he gave away, you don't even realise how much I'm kicking my feet and giggling at the thought of it.

You guys are gonna LOVE it. AAAGHHHH, cultivation as a secret, shunned thing has always been a personal love of mine - think about it! People knowing, feeling, that something was going on inside them, how they could feel the earth shifting or something pulling at them, dancing through their body. These people not being able to understand or explain it to those who don't understand. Until something happens (the right person overhears a conversation, or a panicked haywire qi blast to avoid an attack, or something like that) and they're suddenly dragged into this quiet place where people can talk quietly about this feeling and how to hone it. MMMM. I LOVE IT. On this vein of thought, I cannot wait to start yapping about what the LAN have been doing during these years of suppression. BUT THAT'S FOR ANOTHER TIME. Anywhosles, there are spiritual weapons just lying around and being used by others!! You are allowed to use them in public, but they have to be registered and at the disposal of the government (derogatory) or they're classed as criminals for cultivating without a license or something. Think like...Marvel, Captain America: Civil War, where those that refused to partner with the government were written as traitors and dangerous criminals, while those who did could be classed as puppets! UH. Most spiritual weapons that aren't bonded with people and can be found (like Xin Mo) are nowadays either in museums, or heavily guarded areas (but still tourist attractions). The government search for the compatible people with the weapons and then groom shape them into perfect heroes. If only they could find everyone with a spiritual weapon...(or, y'know, control them, if they aren't hiding but far too powerful to detain ((**cough cough** the Blades **cough cough**))) AHAHA. BUILDING ON MY BABIES' RELATIONSHIPS?? YOU WILL TOTALLY NOT BE UPSET OR MOVED BY THESE ISSUES!!! THERE WILL BE TOTALLY NO BROTHERLY BONDING AND GROWING TOGETHER!!!!! THERE WILL BE NO UNPACKING OF ISSUES OR GRATEFULNESS FOR MENTORS IN THEIR LIVES. Ahem. Thank you for the heads up about the typos, I've been attacking it on my phone because of....school (derogatory), and the auto correct has NOT been working towards my advantage. If you ever spot any more, I'd much rather know about them than let them live on, so I'm grateful you decided to tell me!! :] AS ALWAYS, LUNA, you are such a sweet mutual and I am actually dead now. You killed me. I can't believe you've done this. I'm actively on the floor and being rolled up into a carpet so my body can be hidden and/or eaten. Thank you for caring, and I will certainly consider taking breaks...most likely

[ryttu3k]

Quick question, what’s the deal with the Eldest and Kupala? Did they strike a deal with the devil-style bargain, or was it something else?

More or less, yeah! The story goes that the Eldest never really felt at home in Enoch, and wandered until they reached the Carpathians, where they felt a connection to the soil and land there. It's ambiguous whether they were reacting to the land itself, or to Kupala, bound beneath it.

Either way, they sensed Kupala's presence and just... made contact. Kupala wanted to be freed from the prison the Garou had basically put it in, and the Eldest wanted knowledge, and the Eldest offered to try to free Kupala to get that knowledge. They didn't quite succeed, not able to sever the final connection between Kupala and the Carpathians, but they did help, and Kupala gave them knowledge in return. This is generally accepted to be in the form of Koldunic sorcery, which technically would make it a form of infernalism, although only in the sense that it was passed down from a demon and not in the sense of dealing with them directly (Koldunic sorcery requires exchanges with spirits, which aren't actually demons).

This didn't work out great, since during the Baali War, the Salubri methuselah Samiel did, in fact, sense infernal taint on the Eldest, and attacked them. This led to both their deaths, except you can't really kill the Eldest. This is where the Dracon getting surprise!pregnant with his sire comes in! After the Dracon gave birth, he took the baby Eldest to Yorak at the Cathedral of Flesh, and at some point was transferred to Sarmizegetusa under the care of Damek Ruthven, Kupala whispering to the Eldest all that time.

Either way, Kupala has shaped the Tzimisce clan almost as much as the Eldest has. The clan curse of being tied to soil or Domain relates back to the Eldest being tied to Kupala's lands by Caine's curse, Kupala is referenced in several Koldunic rituals and powers, Kupala's Sacred Fire-Flower was one of the most important parts of creating the Vaulderie ritual, et cetera. (Kupala might have also influenced the Cathedral to eat Yorak.) And they're not actually the only clan to be heavily influenced by Kupala - as the 'Root of All', it directly influenced House Tremere to set up the chantry of Ceoris in the 980s, and to begin the process of using Tzimisce vitae to become Cainites in the following decade. Perhaps it was curious to see what it could make out of Tzimisce blood itself, and used the Tremere mages as a way to do that?

Kupala, incidentally, is referenced in the name Kupala Night, an actual Slavic pagan celebration for Midsummer, referencing the birth of the sun, Kupalo, and the shortest night. During the medieval period, 'Kupala Night' gave rise to a deity of the same name, although the celebration is believed to have existed much earlier than the deity it references. 'Kupala's Night' as celebrated by Tzimisce in the World of Darkness presumably refers to the demon itself, not a feminine deity of sun and water. The Fire-Flower used for the Vaulderie is presumed to be a reference to the actual tradition of trying to find a fern flower, which is said only to flower during the midsummer.

(Kupala Night also inspired Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, the Fantasia sequence of which scared me so much as a child I didn't realise it was followed by Ava Maria until I was in my twenties :D)

For more lore fun, a Romanian Youtuber called The Old Country has a deep dive series into Tzimisce lore and specifically Kupala! Everything is in the playlist here, highly recommended.

[turtle-fiend]

Hamato clan patriarch Hamato Yoshi. He is a kind and peaceful soul. He trys to be more open and honest with his sons then his own father was to him. He trys to give each of his sons time to spend with him and share things they enjoy with him. He often paints and draws with Raphael and Michaelangelo. He watches Asian soap operas with leonardo. He is also very proud of donatello's theatre kid tendencies.

Splinter was very hesitant to start the boys training remembering what it was like being taught by his own father but did start them. understanding the world being the way it was they would need to know how to protect themselves. He started basics when they were 5 ,Hand to hand sparring at 8, And weapons training at 10. he makes a clear distinction between sensei and father mode. He wears samue instead of his robe on lazy days.

He has tried to tell some stories of his youth to the boys but any thing between the ages of 16 and 18 is off limits. It is far too painful.

Guilded city thoughts

The guilded city gave Yoshi the feeling of seeing new york for the first time all over again. His experience with regular new york prepared him to be carful and cautious until he got a handle on things.

He had a Mystic patron that gifted him power while working in Her service.

• Wall crawling

• Grapling net

• Shadow portals

• Protective circles

• Identify lore

He still has these powers but uses them sparingly. The turtles rediscovering the guilded city gave splinter a sense of guilt at hiding it from them and fear at having them explore it without him.

[pizzapasta23045]

Olay so apparentl the hisden strife event had lore drops? And lettwrs hidden around Mondstatd! And a huge one was super hidden from kaeua???🌵

Ok! Yeah that's a thing! It's kinda sad cause it was, like, the first time they gave us hints about Kaeya's family. Now it's a bit obvious in terms of lore bu there were some interesting things.

(I wasn't there either, I just know about this by researching it.)

So, the main part is this:

The objects in the box are all pretty old. One particular sheet of paper stands out. A piece of it has been burned away, and the remaining parts show signs of hacing been rescued from that same flame. Every line on this sheet of paper has a matching one right under it. From the handwriting, it looks liike a child wrote on this first before an adult stepped in, held their hand, and taught them how to do it a second time. The writing are as follows: “Remember always that it was the Alberich Clan, who did not have royal blood, who stepped in as regents when the strength of the one-eyed king Irmin failed” “Though we could not restore Khaenri'ah to life, we of the Alberich Clan should leave lives as those who blaze like fire, rather than those who wallow in the embers.” If you flip the paper over, there are other words there. You reckon these must be annotations of some sort. “I saved this one memento from the fire ‘Father’ made while he wasn’t paying attention. This was in violation of our principles. Our clan’s affairs should never be recorded. For me, this sheet of paper cannot serve as any form of identification, and will not give me pasage anywhere. Now that I look at it, his handwriting was as grieving as a smoking ash pile. There is no way that I can write something like that, living in Mondstadt as I am.” Moving the paper aside, you can see a cloth bag underneath it that conatins an eyepatch of significant age. A sticker is attached to the side, and the text on it reads: “Hah! to think that all that play-acting as a one-eyed pirate would eventually end with one actual wounded eye. I have never blamed Diluc for that. I suppose I must have been asking for it, telling him the truth the day my adoptive father died without expecting conflict to emerge somehow. He seems to believe that I really was blinded, though that’s not the case. Well, I’ve fooled him for a while, haven’t I? Might as well keep going.” Two letters lie beneath the bag, all of which have “D” as their sender. The letters are in great condition, and there is a time written on the back. This is most likely the time these letters were received. You can tell that the words have been written in a strong but elegant hand. A small paper bag lies next to these two letters. It contains nothing but a few seashells. They have lost most of their luster. It is unclear how much time has passed since they were picked up.

It's interesting because it gives us ideas on the Alberich's policies which, hindsight after 3.5, really make sense for the Abyss Order.

“Though we could not restore Khaenri'ah to life, we of the Alberich Clan should leave lives as those who blaze like fire, rather than those who wallow in the embers.” Meaning they do not wallow in the past but burn themselves just for the sake of revenge against the gods!

Also the reason I don't buy Kaeya not knowing about the abyss since... he clearly was not spared the worst details. But that's another story.

Also we learn that they burn any comunication which is... interesting.

I will link all the letters here if anyone's interested. Compiled by the lovely @transxiao on Tumblr. The rest is mostly either Diluc lore or Ragbros and I'd advise you to read this if you have free time on your hands!