#c: sorrel

[serenafainx]

༶ ⋆ closed starter ( for @snowdreamt​ )

“i think we need more milk ... i should have written down a proper list. all i’ve been thinking about is new year’s resolutions ... do you, um, believe in those?”

[kohaive]

expression meme warmup but literally every single character got an ooc face except like seph

[riverwindphotography]

Reindeer lichen, ferns with sorrel, and a cluster of mosses and lichens

(c) riverwindphotography, August 2024

[mishoarts]

Few differents between Canvas and Original :[What we know so far]

1-Bus graveyard gang were a little older (16)

*Aiden had a rented van to drive,

2-

Ashlyn's parents weren't military, they worked in a family friend's restaurant.

--Ashlyn used to work as a dancer on Saturdays ( she's still under the age but the owner allowed her because he knows how much she likes dancing, as long as she covers her face )

3- Ash's parents design 

(Mike fans how you feelin rn )

4-Ashlyn

Ashlyn was more like an introvert who hates socializing than someone who just doesn't like people(and kinda a little shy lol)

However, she still had that "done with everything" energy ✨

5- Witch Curse

In canvas, the curse didn't start with the sorrel weed house, it's originally from a trap in the witch house 1642 

*there wasn't a tour guide (no jasmine) they went in all by themselves

And unlike O. Ashlyn hearing phantom noises since childhood, C. Ash started hearing them in the witch house -(and got possessed immediately)-

6- Colored speech-bubbles:

Ashlyn > green

Aiden  > yellow 

Tyler  > brown 

Taylor  > orange 

Logan > blue 

7-Aiden :

Instead of our lovely cupcake we have in Original, Canvas Aiden was known as the crazy psycho of the school who no one dares to get near him (except Ben ofc), -- like a suspicious evil weirdo --

BUT the funny thing is that C.Aiden fears hights while O. Aiden is suic/idal careless who likes jumping (lmao)

8- Teacher

Instead of Thomas, it was a normal kind teacher called Mr.T, who tried to push Ashlyn to socialize.

9- T twins

-changed race, 

Tyler's personality was a little different ( less grumpy)

Sadly, the available Canvas chapters ended at this panel before the website moves to Original, so that's all what I know (if you know anything else tell)

END OF WHATEVER THIS WAS, THANKS FOR READING 🩵🫡

[ All Canvas credits to Red ]

____________________

I had to make this so you can have some background information before I post random translated panels.

In case you don't know where I got these, there're 9 chapters from canvas translated to Arabic on some unofficial website.

Some panels have a weird font type, that's just my hand writing I didn't have that time to edit them 🗿🤚🏻

__[ This took me too long to make pls like 🫠]__

[thesoftboiledegg]

X-216 looks cute in this commission that I ordered from @sorrelpaws. Tall and lanky, he wisely shields the flame from the wind as he lights a joint. This artist's style is so recognizable that I feel like I collected a rare trading card. An infinite number of X-216s live on the Curve, but there's only one Sorrel!

(X-216 Rick is my OC who appears alongside C-137 in my fics Spectrum of the Curve and Running Like Water 🌿)

[sotwk]

Food and Agriculture in Thranduil's Kingdom

It's unfortunate that Thorin's Company was welcomed as dinner guests in Rivendell but imprisoned as invaders in Mirkwood. Had Thorin just shown King Thranduil just a little bit more respect, they could have been fed a whole lot better by the Silvans. And there would most definitely have been meat!

While the Rivendell elves seem to lean vegetarian, and Lothlorien's culinary specialty is the "one bite" lembas, the elves of Greenwood know more than a thing or two about indulgent feasting. These elves consider themselves permanent residents of their land, and with that outlook comes an attitude of celebrating Middle-earth's bounties.

The Silvans of the Woodland Realm have always been fond of feasting, merry-making, and community and family traditions centered around food. Furthermore, they are ruled by a King and royal family who whole-heartedly support this culture, participate in it themselves, and encourage trade that allows the realm to access food from other lands.

When it comes to food, the Greenwood elves are actually more alike Dwarves and Hobbits than they are the lofty High Elves.

Below the cut are SotWK headcanons regarding Food and Agriculture in the Woodland Realm:

Food, Cuisine, and Agriculture in the Woodland Realm

Prior to the establishment of the Woodland Realm and in the early reign of King Oropher (c. SA 700), the Silvan Elves populating Greenwood lived in smaller communities spread throughout the vast forest, but predominantly in the southwest, closer to their kin in Lorinand. Limited subsistence farming was practiced by a few, but by far most food at this time was obtained through hunting and gathering. The rich and bountiful Greenwood had always provided more than enough resources for its dwellers.

GATHERING

Greenwood Elves happily spend most of their immortal lives within Eryn Galen and the lands of Rhovanion, so they are accustomed to living off solely what the forest produces, and their diet is influenced largely by it.

The most commonly foraged edibles are:

Nuts: hazelnut, pecan, walnut, hickory, beechnut, chestnut

Fruit: plum, apple, grape, persimmon

Berries: mulberry, blackberry, currant, elderberry, raspberry

Wild garlic and ramps

Fungi: mushrooms and truffles of many varieties

Eggs: from various wild birds

Herbs and Spices: fennel, corn mint, dandelions, ground elder, pigweed, cicely, sorrel, hogweed, stinging nettle, watercress, wild carrot, rowan, wood avens, sneezewort

Maple: sourced for sugar and syrup

There are also hundreds of plant species native only to Greenwood and Rhovanion that are valued for their uses in healing. However, the Silvan herbalists of Greenwood are usually the only ones able to effectively extract the curative properties of these plants, indicating a connection between Elves and homeland may be necessary for the healing to work.

Art from Fantasy Flight Games

HUNTING

Greenwood Elves are expert hunters and trackers, with unparalleled mastery within their forest and the lands that surround its borders. With careful consideration and instinctual knowledge of the forest ecosystem, they select their prey according to what's most populous, and rotate as necessary to balance out conservation levels.

Among the animals they hunt regularly for meat consumption are rabbit, squirrel, duck, turkey, quail, weasel, racoon, boar, deer, wild oxen, and elk. On rare or special occasions, they hunt less common game such as lion and bear. They also obtain fish and freshwater mussels, clams, and snails from the Forest River and various streams.

It is illegal in Greenwood to hunt or kill specific animals that are declared a protected species, including the King's Elk (the breed of Thranduil's war elk), the silverwolf, and all species of eagle or falcon.

Any fauna or fauna may also be temporarily decreed off-limits for hunting or gathering, by order of the Elvenking and his council.

Any animal taken in as an elf's pet or familiar may also not be killed, so long as it has been properly tamed and does not pose a risk to others.

Throughout the Second Age, the Woodland Realm's population steadily increased under the wise rule of King Oropher and his court. As the communities and villages that made up the kingdom grew larger and more numerous, the practice of agriculture became more widespread to bolster the realm's food supply.

In the Woodland Realm, farming would always remain secondary to hunting and gathering due to the preference of Silvans for wild game and native vegetation. Farmed products serve primarily to enhance cuisine, supplement large feasts, provide reserves in case of war or famine, and as goods for trade with other realms.

FARMING and LIVESTOCK

Tracts of community farmlands were gradually cultivated in the arable fields between Greenwood's western borders (near the capital of Amon Lanc) and the Anduin River.

In order of output, the food crops most commonly grown are: wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and peas.

Fiber crops grown for cloth, paper, and rope include: flax, hemp, and cotton.

Domesticated animals are raised in small numbers solely for their by-products and not their meat. In order of importance, livestock that are raised are:

Sheep: source of wool and milk

Chickens: source of eggs

Cows: source of milk and for birthing calves

Animals raised for labor include:

Horses: highly valued and raised exclusively for transport and mounted cavalry

Oxen: used as beasts of burden (large-scale/community work)

Donkeys: used as beasts of burden (small-scale/family work)

When Prince Thranduil built his own palace of Bar Lasgalen just south of the Old Forest Road (which would later become the new capital upon his ascension to the throne), he helped the Silvans residing in the valleys of the Emyn Duir to initiate small-scale agriculture, which encouraged further migration into that area and northward towards the Grey Mountains.

Elvish historians refer to the first millennium of the Third Age as the "Golden Age of the Woodland Realm". During these years, the kingdom enjoyed an unbroken peace under a wise King and Queen who also had five sons actively involved in the governance of the realm.

Departing from his father's more isolationist leanings, Thranduil encouraged trade with realms across Middle-earth. It included all the races except for Hobbits, since the Shire did not yet exist prior to the darkening of Greenwood.

Sadly, most trade came to a stop by the end of the Third Age, with the exception of the nearby Dale, due to the struggles with Dol Guldur. However, after Erebor was reestablished by King Thorin, trade gradually resumed with the Dwarves. After the War of the Ring and the Cleansing of Dol Guldur, Eryn Lasgalen once again thrived with renewed relations with their trade partners--finally including the Shire!

AGRICULTURAL TRADE

The Woodland Realm's three most valuable exported agricultural products are:

Rare spices

Mushrooms and truffles

Medicinal herbs (extremely valuable but highly controlled to prevent misuse)

Imported goods are considered luxuries and not necessities, and are brought in seasonally for community feasts and celebrations (of which there are many). Everything is meant for the consumption of all the kingdom's citizens, regardless of status; there is never anything reserved as "special" for the royals or nobles.

The top agricultural imports, usually from realms/communities of Men, are:

Wine

Textiles (silk, cotton)

Seafood

Sugar

Cheeses

ARTISAN COOKS and BAKERS

Exposure to outside realms and cultures also resulted in an expansion of the culinary arts within Thranduil's kingdom. Cooking and baking became full-blown, respected and sought-after professions instead of tasks done within individual households. With the King's support, talented Elves were sent to other realms to learn their culinary practices; chefs from other kingdoms were invited to Greenwood as royal guests to do the same.

A few culinary feats and innovations the Woodland Elves became known for:

Use of offal (innards) in recipes that actually taste fantastic, thanks to seasonings and skilled cookery

Using literally every single part of a butchered animal with zero waste

Aphrodisiacs in common food recipes, using plant ingredients (partly responsible for their marriage and birth rates and large families)

Salted game meat (jerky) that is highly nourishing and excellent for travel; essentially a meat version of lembas

The use of whipped egg whites to make essentially a type of meringue--which opened up an entire category of desserts that became staples at feasts

Bonus Fun Headcanons! (as a thank you for reading this far)

Mealtimes in Thranduil's Family

No one can beat Ada in drinking contests, ever; it has been attempted hundreds of times--usually with Dorwinion wine--and Thranduil has never been dethroned by his sons.

The King and every single one of the Princes are all heavy eaters, and everyone, including the Queen, eats meat.

While they all observe formal manners at the table, the Princes can get rowdy when not in the presence of their mother--especially when there's drinking involved. (Not quite as bad as Thorin's Company, but close.)

Breakfast: Taken individually in their own rooms, according to each one's schedule/leisure

Lunch: The most commonly skipped meal; usually taken "on the go", and oftentimes with people outside of the family (e.g. business lunches, lunch with friends)

Dinner: The family meal. Everyone is expected to sit down and eat dinner with the rest of the family, unless traveling or there is a prior commitment that takes precedence.

Random Fun Food Facts with the Thranduilions

The Princes regularly compete to see who can eat the most exotic/"disgusting" food items. Turhir remains champion at this (able and willing to eat literally everything), with Legolas frequently trying (and constantly failing) to unseat him.

They have also competed to see who can eat the riskiest (aka poisonous) food items. Arvellas has somehow proven to be the most impervious to natural poisons, much to Gelir's frustration.

Legolas can go the longest without eating food, but no one really cares to try to beat his record.

Mirion is the heaviest eater, but is also the fastest, and because he has flawless table manners no one really notices.

Gelir can find truffles just using his sense of smell--yes, like a truffle pig. He has successfully trained other similarly gifted Elves to do the same.

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Tolkien Headcanon tag list: @quickslvxr @laneynoir @auttumnsayshi @achromaticerebus @tamryniel @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @blueberryrock @aduialel @glassgulls @ladyweaslette @klytemnestra13 @creativity-of-death @heilith @fizzyxcustard @absentmindeduniverse @lathalea @tamurilofrivendell @jordie-your-local-halfling @ladyk8tie @scyllas-revenge @asianbutnotjapanese @conversacomsmaug @lemonivall @ratsys @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @entishramblings @stormchaser819 @freshalmondpandadonut

[mcytblrsexymen]

So Who WERE The Mods Backing (and a glimpse of how many people it takes to run something like this)

Alright, we have had a lot of people in the ask box asking who the mods wanted to win, so I went around the group chat and asked everybody who their most favoured blorbos were. This was the result.

I'm Second @theminecraftbee! obviously, Joe Hills. also, ZombieCleo, Technoblade, Scar, Quackity, MumboJumbo, Cubfan, jojosolos, and somehow VikingPilot despite the fact I don't watch Dominion (I have been given a playlist I will watch soon).

Medusa @antimony-medusa. My guys were Martyn, Ren, Pixlriffs, Technoblade, Oli Orionsound, Philza, Ethoslab, ZombieCleo, Bekyamon, Sneegsnag. I took a lot of Ls. I was also won over for propoganda for Quackity, ClownPierce, Wilbur, VikingPilot, Joe Hills, Cubfan, and RTGame. I’ve seen so much good art.

hi i'm roxy @thanotaphobia and i backed technoblade, quackity, joe hills, and #saintsweep !!!!!!!!! my blorbos did so well

Katy, @blueeyedjoy Techno, Quackity, RTGame, VikingPilot despite not having watched him before (am planning on watching through his videos soon), Schlatt (gone too soon), and Joe Hills

Sorrel @magicalmanhattanproject Obviously, Joe Hills. Also, Pixlriffs, Technoblade, Quackity, VikingPilot (despite not watching DominionSMP yet), Eddie the Rabbit, HBomb94, RTGame, Cubfan135, Martyn Inthelittlewood, GeminiTay

Jewels, @juliana677 Technoblade, Scar, Joe, Cleo, Philza, Mumbo, Scott

Sabira @floweroflaurelin: Pixlriffs Pixlriffs Pixlriffs Pixlriffs Pixlriffs—

Emmy @astronomeridian was going for whoever I thought was less likely to win up until the final round or two, which meant voting mostly for dsmp names even though I’m a hermit main, but I always voted for Joe and Cleo and wanted Charlie Slimecicle to go all the way. also Grumbot just cause I spent the time finding screenshots and making them look pretty.

Foxx, @missvulpix212 Voted for Technoblade, Puffy, Phil, Ranboo, Wilbur, Niki, Pearl, Etho, and Joe at the end.

Peachy, @peachytaiga on tumblr. I backed Techno, Philza, Quackity, Daddy Pix, RTGame, Wilbur and Joe. Very much was hoping Techno would beat Scar somehow 

Luna, @moonlitedelight on tumblr Here's the list of folks I voted for at least twice in total, in no particular order (bc I love too many ccs ): Zedaph, Beef, Technoblade, Sneeg, Finnster, TFC, RTGame, Eddie the Rabbit , Lizzie, Scar, Jimmy, Mumbo, Pixelriffs, Joe Hills, Tango, Niki, Quackity, Doc, Smajor, Oli, and Cleo

No Tumblr/Don’t want to be Perceived

H - Captain Puffy, Techno, and Quackity

C - Uhhhhhh RT Wilbur slimecicle quackity Techno Joe

TD - my guys were: Sapnap (bodied by a rabbit), Dream, Puffy, Technoblade, Scar, Joe Hills, ZombieCleo, Wilbur Soot, QUACKITY, and Etho because of the alliance

O - backed joe, RTGame, QUACKITY, charlie slimecicle (I committed so much fraud for quackity) M - god this list is all over the place. anyway, i was rooting for techno, f1nn5ster, mumbo, connoreatspants, wilbur, and finally joined the joe hills team at the end. :YesYes:

[allthingssoulful-garden]

I've been eating from these 4 sorrel plants all winter. They stayed fresh and green, apart from a few days when we had around -10°C and lost some leaves to frost damage.

[feeshies]

Chips & Chances Chapter 5

Chapter 5: In which Sorrel tries to do a good deed after giving Livius a high school level chemistry lesson

Start

Chapter 5

Chips & Chances: An ex-Enclave scientist turned wasteland chem manufacturer teams up with a lost Legion footsoldier to track down the man who shot her in the head. Rating: M Tags: Implied/referenced drug use, canon-typical violence, platonic relationships CW for this chapter: Animal death (a lot of geckos :c), talk of suicide.

Tag list: @wedgie-of-destiny, @frumentariae, @raiderwaster, @hamingo, @malkavcandy, @shrupdedup, @shslivalice, @cosmicdorito, @sir-vanfleet, @alittlebitces

[oceans-goddess]

Tyler Galpin x Reader Pt. 5-- An Interruption

A/N: So sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out! It has been a busy week, and I have been sick. Anyways, I wanted to try something a little different today, so this is more from Tyler’s POV. I hope you enjoy!

Link to Pt. 4

_______________________________________________________________________

Coming to the Weathervane became a daily routine for you after your first date with Tyler. You would walk in, take the booth closest to the counter, and pull out your homework while Tyler brought over the usual: a hot chocolate and a croissant. Both of you looked forward to seeing each other every afternoon.

At times, when it was a quiet day, Tyler would have a few moments to sit with you as you worked, and though you enjoyed his company more than anything, it was Tyler who truly felt at peace once you walked into the shop. He would never tell you outright-- he was afraid that being too forward would scare you off-- but seeing you was the best part-- his favorite part-- of every day. You were his escape from school, from work, from home. You brought him so much peace without even trying.

“Whatcha workin’ on today?” he asked, lowering himself onto the booth across from you. You looked up through your eyelashes in a way that made his heart flutter no matter how many times you did it.

“Just some notes on this book we are reading. Not much other homework tonight,” you responded, looking more relaxed than usual. On some days, Tyler would watch as your brows pulled together in frustration over confusing material. Other days, the exhaustion would make itself known in your shoulders and under your eyes. Though you always smiled at him when you came in, it worried him that your school work often became too much for you.

“Oh, good,” he responded, grinning. “Then you have time for a walk at the end of my shift?”

You answered with a simple nod, then pulled his right hand across the table. After a moment of confusion, he realized that you were drawing a smiley face onto his wrist with the pen you were using to take notes.

It wasn’t fair, he thought, that something so small, so silly, could make him want to melt into the very booth.

When you were done, he held your hand in his, squeezed twice, and stood up to clean up behind the counter.

From there, he could sneak peaks at you as you both worked. He loved the slight side smile that tugged at your lips when you read, and the way you shook our hair out of your eyes even though it always fell back into the same place. He loved that your toes tapped against the linoleum floor when you got impatient, and the way little red flowers blossomed across the table when you were frustrated. He loved the way you’d pull your sweater up to cover your nose on particularly chilly afternoons, and the way yellow wood sorrel petals would slither from under your sleeves when he managed to say something particularly suave. But most of all, he loved when you’d catch him watching you, for two reasons:

1, because you looking at him meant that you were thinking about him too, and

2, because it gave him a chance to smile into those calm y/e/c eyes for a moment-- to get completely caught up in all of you, even if the two of you were across the room from each other.

When the two of you looked at each other like that, the rest of the world felt so much brighter.

_______________________________________________________________________

“We can walk down a few blocks, make a left, and do a big circle, and then I can walk you back to school,” Tyler suggested, shrugging on his jacket outside of the coffee shop. You were glad his shifts never ended too late; it meant that you got to have full conversations with him afterward instead of talking to him at work when he was busy with orders.

Walks like these were much easier than the first. After all that you’d told him, Tyler didn’t bring up your past. He assumed you would tell him anything you wanted him to know in time. Instead, the two of you gushed over books, played new songs for each other, and talked about nothing.

It was perfect.

“Sounds good,” you said now, and you blushed when he smiled at you. The two of you made to walk down the sidewalk, only to be stopped short by a man in a dark uniform turn the corner from the small parking lot and begin walking toward you.

“Tyler,” the man said gruffly, then, upon seeing you holding Tyler’s hand, paused. He cleared his throat before continuing.

“I, uh, who is this?”

You smiled a lopsided half-smile, but looked down at the hem of your skirt. Tyler shifted his weight uncomfortably. He hadn’t expected to see his father until much later that night.

“Uh, dad, this is y/n. Y/n,” he said, turning to you, “this is my dad, Donovan.” You nodded and smiled wider, but in focusing so hard on not bursting into flower petals where you stood, you failed to say anything.

“Well, it’s, uh, it’s nice to meet you, y/n,” Mr. Galpin said. After a moment of awkward silence, he took a step forward and leaned in slightly.

“Listen, Tyler, I don’t mean to, uh, interrupt, but I came to get you. We need to get home and talk. It’s important.”

Now was anything but the time to call him home, he thought, cringing at the thought of you seeing him be dragged home by his dad.

“Can it wait? I promised y/n I’d walk her home--”

“Ty, now’s not really the time to argue,” Mr. Galpin responded quickly, and though the urgency was clear in his voice, his dismissal of his son seemed to ring in your ears. Tyler had mentioned a few times that he didn’t get along well with his father, but seeing the strain on their relationship in front of you felt entirely different.

“But, dad, it’s already dark. She can’t just--”

“Fine, we will drive her home, and then you will come home with me.” The officer turned on his heel and began walking in the direction from which he came, clearly expecting you both to follow.

Once you were tucked into the back of the cruiser with Tyler, which was just as uncomfortable as it looked, Mr. Galpin asked you where you wanted to be dropped off.

“Uh, the front gates at Nevermore are fine,” you said quietly. Mr. Galpin immediately stiffened, and you knew you’d said the wrong thing.

“You... you’re a Nevermore student?” he asked. Tyler wanted desperately to be anywhere else, and his anger burned hot on his face. It took a long time for you to respond.

“Yes,” was all you said. The rest of the ride was completely silent.

____________________________________________

Tyler didn’t know which was more intense at the moment, his anger at his father for being so rude to you, or his embarrassment at not being able to do anything about it. He’d watched with a lame, apologetic grimace on his face as Mr. Galpin kept his gaze from you and sped away from Nevermore.

The moment you were out of sight, he swiveled his head so his gaze was no longer out the window at you, but instead on his father.

“What is the problem?” he asked, though he wished he’d had the courage to ask it more belligerently.

“We’ll discuss it when we get home,” Mr. Galpin reminded, but Tyler rolled his eyes.

“No, not the problem from before. You seem to have a problem with y/n. You all but ignored her the whole ride!”

His father huffed before speaking.

“I don’t understand why you are so set against me, Tyler,” was all he said. Tyler put his head in his hands.

“What are you talking about?” the boy asked, his fingers threatening to pull strands of hair from his scalp in frustration. Mr. Galpin never took his gaze away from the road.

“I let you have that silly little job at the coffee shop, I let you keep your secrets with that ridiculous therapist you see, and now you want me to let you hang around with a bunch of delinquents? How do you think everyone else in this town will see me now that you’ve spent your time in public with that girl?”

Speechless, Tyler felt the tension between them bubble as Mr. Galpin turned right onto a quiet road.

“You,” he said after a few agonizingly awkward moments, “You can’t seriously feel that way about Nevermore students.” Mr. Galpin scoffed.

“Are you kidding? Tyler, just go hang out with normal kids. Why do you always have to make things difficult?”

For the first time in a long time, Tyler had felt at ease in Jericho; you had brought so much calm everywhere you went, despite your ability to get flustered easily. And now his father expected him to give it up?

“I’m not making anything difficult! She’s my—“

He stopped himself short, and quickly steered the course of the sentence in a different direction, silently promising to revisit the exciting idea of you as his girlfriend another time.

“—friend,” he finally managed. “The best friend I’ve had in a long time. You can’t just—“

“Yes, I very well can!” interjected the officer mercilessly. “That girl, that thing, things like her, they make nothing but trouble for me in this town, and I don’t need my son getting any more awful ideas from them.”

Thing?

The brunet felt stung. Breathless at his father’s language. He’d heard him say things like this before, but not about anyone other than his son. To hear him speak so wretchedly of you made his hands shake in anger and agitation.

“Let me out of the car,” Tyler said slowly. A wry chuckle passed Mr. Galpin’s lips.

“No, I told you, we have—“

“Let me out, now,” Tyler demanded. His father’s brows furrowed with rage, but he had no time to respond, because in a moment, Tyler’s hand was clasped around the door handle and pushing the door open.

“Boy, close the damn door!” the sheriff shouted, but his son was already unbuckled. He had no choice but to stop the car so as to keep Tyler unharmed. The moment the tires stopped rolling on the pavement, Tyler was out, the door slamming behind him with a loud C R A C K !

Mr. Galpin laid his head on his hands as they rested on the steering wheel, willing himself not to cry out in frustration.

————————————————————————

A/N: okay so that was a little more angsty than I originally planned, but I’m enjoying this, and I hope y’all are too!

Tag list: @dwindlinghaze @sarcastic-sourwolf @diorgirl444 @fanficfanatic204 @podraje @daydreamer-222 @peachycupotea @runrabbitrun3 @theidioticspirit @vanessa-boo @noahspector @doingurmom69 @those-sea-green-eyes @erikaar @elizabeth916 @louderfortheback @wisteriasbreath @zoleea-exultant @serrinaisdying

[shivunin]

OC Questionnaire

Thanks for the tag @brother-genitivi and @greypetrel! I tried to do this for two of the OCs I talk about a little less c: I'm tagging you both back in case there are other OCs you'd like to do this for!

(Also, I swapped star sign for the tarot card I associate them with because I don't know shit about astrology lol)

Tagging back @pinayelf @jtownnn @heniareth @blightbear @dungeons-and-dragon-age @vakarians-babe @star--nymph @daggerbean @ndostairlyrium @scribbledquillz @inquisimer @dreadfutures @palipunk (and if anyone ever wants me to stop tagging them in these things, please lmk!!)

NAME: Salshira Lavellan 

NICKNAME: Sal (she hates this; it’s a childhood nickname from her mother)

GENDER: Female

TAROT CARD:  Knight of Wands

HEIGHT: 5’6”

ORIENTATION: Bi

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Dalish (Hispanic)

FAVORITE FRUIT: Plums

FAVORITE SEASON: Fall

FAVORITE FLOWER: Daisies (followed closely by sorrel and ranunculi)

FAVORITE SCENT: Cinnamon/nutmeg

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Sipping chocolate c:

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 6

DOGS OR CATS: Yes

DREAM TRIP: Antiva

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: Three

RANDOM FACT: Salshira is ambidextrous, but she pretends to be right-handed

NAME: Tavitha Hallowthorn/Octavia Raithborne

NICKNAME: Tav

GENDER: Female

TAROT CARD: Eight of Pentacles

HEIGHT: 6’7”

ORIENTATION: Demi

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Half-wood elf (Hispanic)

FAVORITE FRUIT: Golden apples

FAVORITE SEASON: Spring

FAVORITE FLOWER: Pale roses

FAVORITE SCENT: Freshly-sanded wood, marble dust

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Tea

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 7.5

DOGS OR CATS: All animals are precious and should be in her vicinity immediately (she prefers pigeons/birds, though)

DREAM TRIP: No, thank you. Right here is fine. (Maybe Chult. Maybe. But only because she wants to meet dinosaurs)

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: One heavy blanket

RANDOM FACT: Seriously considered asking Halsin to teach her about being a druid, but only because being a bear looks really fun.

[snowlupinwoodstories]

Art done by the amazing @vigoburrito (and I'm not saying that because they are my partner).

Its time for Sona Genetics! The time where I look at a sona/character and take a stab at what their genotype is based on their colors, and any lore.

Anastasia here is a grey strawberry roan base with striped hooves.

Since I have a history of Anastasia (I built her after all!) I know her father is a grey(black base) and her mother is a bay roan. I also know that she is a chestnut base, because chestnut is the base for strawberry roan.

Referring back to my horse genetics research, I can use what I know to determine a genotype for Anastasia.

Since her father is a black base grey I know that he is giving a G allele (G being the dominant grey gene which causes greying), but because she is chestnut based we can't be sure if he gave her a B allele, which causes black coloring.

Since her mother is bay roan we know she gave her the R allele, which causes the Anastasia's roan coloring, but we can't be sure of anything else once again because of Anastasia's chestnut base.

Chestnut is cause by a homozygous ee expression. The E gene determines restriction on black pigments, and prevents expression. The e allele is the most restrictive, and also recessive. Fun fact breeding a chestnut horse to another chestnut horse will always result in another chestnut.

Going alphabetcally we know Anastasia is __ __ CC dd ee F_ Gg pp Rr ww __.

We don't know Anastasia's A or B genes because ee prevents either from being expressed. She might be have a the black causing gene from her father (B) but we have no way of knowing based on her color. Likewise she could have they bay (A) gene from her mother, but ee prevents us from seeing it.

The C gene causes further restrictions, and since she isn't palomino, cremello or perlino, we know she is homozygous for the big C's as all the genes on that loci are incomplete dominant/recessive.

We know the D gene is homozygous dd because the Dun gene is dominant. Since she isn't dun at all she doesn't have the D gene.

Because she's chestnut based and we know chestnut is a recessive color caused by the E allele we know her E loci is ee.

The gene is the F gene. F gene determines flaxen mane and tail. Flaxen manes and tails only show up on chestnut based horses, so since she doesn't have a flaxen mane and tail she has at least the F allele.

The G gene is the first heterozygous gene that we know both alleles. This is because grey is a dominant color in horses, so you need a grey parent to get a grey horse. Because Anastasia has one grey parent we know she carries one grey (G) allele and one normal (g) allele. Likewise this also holds true for the roan gene, so we know Anastasia is Rr. (Another note, within real life RR is deadly, so all roan horses are Rr. )

The P gene causes lightening on the inside of the legs and belly, but that would have changed her base to a 'blond sorrel' (sorrel is also chestnut. Since this needs the dominant P allele, she is pp because she doesn't have any blonding. This also holds true for the W gene which determines if a horse is true white, which requires the dominant W allele.

The last gene is the Z gene, which causes silver dappleing (different from the dappling that may happen with grey horses). This gene is likely not present as her foundation breeds (Shire, American Saddlebred, Marwari) but because it doesn't show up on the chestnut base so we can't be sure.

So fellow gene nerds how's my educated guess? Anything I should have considered? Nerdy enough for you?

For my non gene nerds, how's my explaination? What terms would you like explained better? Any questions about how I deduced her genotype from her picture (phenotype?)

For my Furrys, anyone have a sona/character they'd like me to attempt? Non standard colors welcome! Also would welcome any background you may want to offer!

Simply message a picture, reblog with a picture or place a picture in a note and I'll let you know if you've been picked!

[kohaive]

expression meme pt 2

[ro-valerius]

Virgil is Fucking Stupid

What? He is...

Collab write with @ffxiv-f13ndish [Virgil and Miyu] and @sorrel-haven [Odetta and Luluci]

Virgil didn’t get to talking about what he came over for right away, giving Tofu more time to readjust – not that he believed that Tofu was fragile enough where he needed the time to rest. Really, it was difficult to discuss business with someone when his sister was fawning over him the whole time. Though she didn’t quite seem as he knew her… This must be the voidsent woman she housed.

Once Tofu was settled, Virgil took a seat across from him, Fa-el beginning to make her way to the stairs now that she was no longer needed.

“Now then, I’m sure you’re aware of Nhagi’s association with voidsents. I have a proposal on hunting it down. I have a method of tracking the voidsent within her – the same which may consume it from her being entirely,” Virgil began, sitting back in his chair as he awaited Tofu’s response. 

Fa-el paused, then turned, making her way back over with slow, calculated footsteps. Seemed something Virgil said had caught her attention. There was something akin to fury in the pools of abyss that were her eyes, and her shrouded hands clenched into fists briefly. She kept her gaze steadily on the deteriorating elezen, a cold expression on her face. She hopped up to sit on the dining table between them, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back on her hands. 

“I cannot allow you to let that voidsent be consumed by anyone but me. Nor do I appreciate the implication that you do not believe me capable of tracking down my own… subordinate,” she said, leaning over and hooking a finger under Virgil’s chin to bring his gaze to her eyes. 

“Ah, Fa-el, so nice of you to deign to speak to us,” Tofu remarked dryly. “Do try not to antagonize our guest.” Fa-el turned an impish grin towards Tofu with a shrug, removing her hand from Virgil’s proximity. 

“If you insist, pretty boy,” she said. 

Virgil tilted his head in interest. 

“So you can speak, then. I hadn’t been certain of the nature of your… development,” the elezen remarked. “And it seems you are quite acquainted with the mage’s own little shadow. I cast no disregard to your abilities, though it does beg the question of why you haven’t made your mark yet. Fa-el, yes? A pleasure to speak with you directly.”

Fa-el scowled at him with a near-bored expression. 

“Cannot say it is a pleasure to speak with you. As for why I have done nothing so far, Vira is quite adept at hiding her own aether, and I’m sure that woman that has consumed her has figured out how to use it to her own advantage. The question that I have is how that wretch managed to merge with my beloved so easily… Though that pixie’s revelation gives me something to ponder on that matter,” she said, though most of it was her own thinking out loud, while part of it was ‘I can go on and on, too, rat’. 

“Yes, as far as she presents herself – it appears to be an efficient merge,” Virgil said, voice falling flat just a tad. 

“Aw, jealous~?” she cooed lightly before Tofu smacked her in the arm. 

“Behave.”

“No,” Virgil stated, a pause soon following. “I consider it to be more akin to an inpatient apprehension. I wish to understand her fully. Unfortunately, to dissect her would mean to catch her. As you have mentioned, she is adept at hiding her aether.”

Virgil leaned forward just a bit.

“You wish to consume your beloved. A lover’s spat? Or mere carnal hunger which your type tends to exhibit?”

Fa-el leaned towards him as well, her bored expression remaining.

“It is a mutual desire. We wish to become one, we were merely interrupted when those mages locked me inside this woman,” she corrected, leaning back. 

“And it is good that you are not jealous, you should not be. Their joining… Either Vira will consume that woman, or I will consume Vira, the only uncertainty is which will happen first. While I have come to an accord with Fiora, a mutual understanding, Vira and that woman would not be able to come to a similar accord.”

A quick glance at Tofu could almost be overlooked, if she didn’t have to turn her head slightly to do so. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, his expression clearly indicating that he was done with her shit.

“Nothing~” she purred.

“A mutual understanding? And what would that be?” Virgil inquired, unconsciously tilting his head in the opposite direction now. Fa-el held a finger to her lips and winked, a hushed ‘later~’ barely audible.

Virgil stared back with a blank expression.

“You behave as if it is some sort of secret, but your stare at Tofu and this… cheeky response with him in the room infers that he has something to do with it. And from what I presume, there may not be many later conversations to be had, hm?” Virgil responded in an aloof manner.

Fa-el rolled her eyes; really, stuffy men were just no fun.

“Oh, his involvement is no secret, but the nature of it is between me and Fiora. And what makes you presume that there may not be many later conversations? I do hope you don’t think I’m going anywhere when all of this is over. Unless it is you who might not make it to the other side of this?” she asked with a curious tilt of her head.

“Fa-el, if you have nothing of use to say, stop making my sister’s body do things she would never do, it’s starting to weird me out a little,” Tofu interjected. Fa-el rolled her eyes again, though had the decency to give him a sheepish smile before turning back to Virgil, holding up one hand in a ‘go on’ gesture. 

“Fine, then, have you any productive questions for me, elezen?” she asked. 

“No. I don’t believe the concern of what is left and what is to survive applies to me in this situation,” Virgil responded with a weighted stare — not directed at Fa-el specifically, but to the individual the voidsent bonded to. “I do look forward to future conversations. It seems I have yet to bore you. I am not one to engage in games, however…”

“Would it not be a fascinating game to see who is consumed first? Be if you and your beloved, or them and the beast mage — or perhaps, between the maws of the artificial voidsent I have created myself?” Virgil drew out his last words intentionally, perhaps to hold the attention of the voidsent whom he spoke with.

“You insist you are very well capable of finding her. It should be no competition, as you insist — and yet you intercede on my suggestion. Do you not enjoy games, Fa-el?”

The laughter that erupted out of her bordered on the insulting, a hearty bellow that sounded odd in Fiora’s voice. She turned a toothy smile to Virgil, amused at the nature of his assumptions. 

“Oh, you funny little man. There will be no other outcome. That woman will be eliminated, my beloved and I will be joined. When you brought up consumption before, I thought you had some actual, feasible plan behind it, but an artificial void creation?” she said, her voice light with mirth. She leaned towards him again, a glint even within the shrouded eyes. 

“Darling, an insignificant little thing like you lacks the ability and understanding to create any void being strong enough to consume even Vira. And I am stronger than Vira by far. Your toy would do nothing against us, and I do not speak from overconfidence.” She leaned back, expression dropping as she eyed him. 

“You would do to learn more of the source of your own endeavors rather than going about under-educated experimentation. That is why you are falling apart at the edges. That is why you are doomed to fail, and watch people like Fiora achieve the things you desire without detriment to themselves. You think your toy a success, but your toy is also doomed to failure.”

Virgil’s expression remained stagnant as the voidsent spoke down on him, his eyes icy and calculative while he observed Fa-el.

“A creature caught in an endless stream of time – knowing no beginning nor end – lest struck down prematurely. This is my beginning. My fall may be my creation… The timing is unfortunate presently, given prior agreements I’ve taken responsibility for. Nevertheless, I do intend to proceed to my next stage. You’ve had quite the stages to scale, Fa-el. After all, powerful as you may be, you’ve had your fall of vulnerability when you were interrupted and contained in a vessel,” Virgil responded.

There was a moment of softness in his gaze as his eyes fell.

“Dante… he grows stronger by the day. I sense no instability in him. All that falters is his mind. He continues to be my success. There’s promise in him, he just needs time.”

The stone cold wall of his gaze hardened once more as he met Fa-el’s own once more.

“Regardless of needless competition, it would benefit Tofu to have more than one hand on deck.”

“Do you not listen? Or do you lack the ability to comprehend? I am trying to help you. The way you are going about your ascension will cause you to lose the very things that make you who you are, you will lose the reason for becoming."

"As for your…Dante, while his body is stable, it is exactly his mind you should worry about. Lest he become a mindless thrall to the darkness, educate yourself so that you might still make a success out of him, educate yourself so that you might recall what it is you’re trying to become one with the void for once you achieve that goal. If you do not, you will both be lost,” she said, her eyes taking on a sad edge as she stood from the table.

She started to walk towards the stairs, but paused to look back at him.

“For someone who is supposed to be learned, you’re brash and reckless. It would be a shame to waste that mind of yours carelessly.” Then she continued up the stairs. Tofu buried his head in his hands.

“You both talk too much…” he grumbled.

Virgil went quiet in consideration of Fa-el’s words. He never fully evaluated Dante’s mind. What is to become of him? And what is to become of himself now? Virgil’s eyes fell to his hands, which appeared to flicker in his lap. He clutched his hands together and gave a faint sigh through his nose.

“Uh, sorry about her, I think… Thousands of years old and still can’t figure out how to play nice with others,” Tofu said with a heavy sigh. 

He stood and grabbed a couple of cups and a jug of water, setting a cup in front of Virgil and filling it with water before doing the same for the cup in his spot. He returned the jug to its place and settled back down at the table. Tofu eyed Virgil carefully, but didn’t say anything more.

“If you come to live over a millenia, manners and courtesy tend to become purposeless. No sense in obtaining friends – or enemies, for that matter – if you can simply outlive them all,” Virgil said with a shake of his head. He fidgeted for a moment, snapping his fingers with a tense brow.

He picked up the cup set before him with a nod in thanks, then took a sip. The water spilled from the glass as his hand shook. As he went to set it down, the glass passed through his hand and spilled across the table.

“My apologies. I’ll go get a…cloth,” Virgil apologized as he moved to stand. He took one step from the table before he collapsed.  

Tofu was out of his chair and at Virgil’s side in an instant, checking for a fever…or a pulse. The elezen did have a pulse, but he was cold and clammy to the touch. Tofu had to resist the urge to shake his hand as he couldn’t help but compare the feeling to that of a corpse…

With a sigh, he draped one of Virgil’s arms around his own shoulders and half-carried, half-dragged him to the couch, laying him down with a surprising amount of care. The temptation was there to carry Virgil the way Virgil had carried him, but the man was too tall and gangly for that. He tucked a pillow under Virgil’s head then straightened, pulling out the small ceramic bell and giving it a ring. 

Daen Lad was, of course, not there. He had forgotten. After their excursion to the Library, the pixie had disappeared, gone off to find someone for answers. With another sigh, he went upstairs to drag Fa-el - no, Fiora was back - back down the stairs. She followed without complaint, though he didn’t explain beforehand. He gestured vaguely at the couch. 

“Watch over him a moment, I have to make a run to the Sorrel house to get… one of them, I don’t even care which one at this point…” he asked, a weary edge to his voice.

“Do be careful not to strain yourself, you have two new injuries and I’m not dumb enough to believe that you haven’t exacerbated your older ones,” she said, knowing full well she could not change his mind if she tried. He nodded, then stepped outside.

He took a deep breath to brace himself, then teleported straight to Gridania. The blue glow and the gentle hum greeted him as he staggered into the plaza. Odetta barely caught him from fully stumbling as he appeared right next to her. 

“Oh! Welcome to Gridania, Tofu. Are you well enough to be teleporting like this? Dolly was very concerned about your condition, last I heard,” she asked as she looked him over. Tofu offered a sheepish shake of his head.

“Haven’t…been well enough to teleport for several months, but this might qualify as an emergency? I had to find one of you, Virgil’s passed out at the house and feels like a corpse and I can’t get him back to your home by myself…” he murmured, not realizing that he had pressed a hand to his chest.

“Oh dear… Don’t- Uh this will sound weird- but don’t worry about that too much, he feels like a corpse all the time. The passed out thing is a bit concerning! I shall send Luluci ahead of us.” She snapped her fingers and Eos appeared. She looked to the fairy. “Please ask Lulu to go check on Virgil, my dear?” 

The fairy nodded and flittered off to find Lulu. Odetta looked back to Tofu.

“We should have you sit a moment, Lulu will get there quickly,” she said as she guided Tofu to a nearby bench. Tofu resisted with another shake of his head.

“I should get back before one of the others wakes up, Fiora is already going to give me an earful, I don’t need anyone else getting on my case for- I don’t need them getting on my case,” he said, stopping himself from admitting that this was not the first time he’d teleported in recent times. 

“Then we lie! I will take you home in my carriage, my chocobo is very fast. It will not be as fast as teleporting but it will give you a chance to rest and you can tell them that you met me on the road,” Odetta said with a smile. Tofu gave her a surprised look. 

“...You’d do that?” he questioned softly. 

“What, lie? Oh all the time, sometimes you just gotta lie. But like… Little white lies that don’t actually hurt anyone. I mean… Don’t like lie if you’re like dying or something, but-”

“Yeah okay I get it. Uh, thank you. If it’s all the same to you, can we get going…?” he interrupted, noticing a look in her eyes that reminded him of when Hana was about to go on a rambling tangent.

“Oh! Sure, we’ll have to take the ferry to the Lavender Beds, the one by the Lancer’s guild. This way!” she said as she linked her arm around his, tugging him along. Tofu didn’t have enough fight in him to wrest his arm back from her, begrudgingly allowing himself to be dragged along. 

---

Tofu leaned back against the side of the carriage, allowing his eyes to slide closed, though he wasn’t in danger of slipping out of consciousness. He was worn out, but he could keep going just fine. Odetta looked back at him.

“We’ll be passing into Thanalan soon… So… What did you get yourselves into? Virgil collapsing usually follows him exerting himself,” she prodded.

“Virgil did very little, actually. He came over, carried me halfway home until I got out of his grasp, then he talked with Fa-el for too long probably,” he said with a half shrug, not really elaborating on his own adventures of late. 

“Wait… Who’s Fa-el?” she asked with a tilt of her head. Tofu lifted his head and looked towards Odetta. 

“Oh. Right. The voidsent woman that got sealed inside of Fiora,” he said, realizing that he didn’t actually know how much Odetta knew about Fiora.

“Oh! I vaguely remember something about that… Someone must have mentioned it over a shared meal. Lulu insists on us telling stories at the table whenever we can manage to eat together.” Odetta looked up as she tried to recall.

“Ah, I just don’t keep tabs well on who knows what, got a lot of other things to deal with. If you need clarification on anything, just ask, I’ll do my best to provide it,” he said, leaning back against the side of the carriage again.

“In any case, the most Virgil did in my presence to exert himself was try to carry me back to the house. I…don’t know what caused his collapse.”

Tofu’s hand once more rested against his side as he stared up at the sky from under the canopy of the carriage. Big, billowing clouds drifted lazily across the sky through the last remnants of the boughs of the Shroud. There was something…peaceful about the sight. He could almost get lost in it.

Odetta hung the reins on a hook and turned to look at Tofu fully. She watched him silently for a moment before smiling; a peaceful carriage ride seemed like something he really needed. She spied a moogle coming up to the carriage, probably to chat with her, and put a finger to her lips, shaking her head no. The moogle pouted for a moment before flying off to find someone else to play with. 

The Shroud finally gave way to the Thanalan landscape. The chocobo pulling the carriage chirped in distress as the road changed from the soft Shroud soil to the hard Thanalan road. Odetta turned back to the chocobo.

“There there, Squeak, I know you don’t like this road but you’re a big brave boy,” she cooed.

Tofu narrowed his eyes at the more intense sun of Thanalan and pushed himself to an upright position, resting his arms across his thighs. A faint smile flickered at the corners of his mouth at the name she had given her bird. She seemed the sort for cutesy names like that. He was briefly grateful that she was more worried about Virgil than she was him, since she hadn’t pressed him on matters…at least, not yet. But they had a fair bit of distance yet to cover, so he didn’t hold his breath.

“...How’s Lament?” he asked, finally breaking his silence.  

“Recovering from their latest job with Rika,” she said as she turned back to him. “Things went a little sideways, as things are wont to do. But they’ll be fine! Mostly just over extended their limits. Rika almost got eaten though… She didn’t seem too fazed by it.”

Tofu tilted his head. Rika… Rika… Ah, the woman with the white hair and cold demeanor. 

“No, I don’t think that one would be fazed by much of anything. I am glad that Lament is recovering well from that. They’re not going to be too happy when they find out about Virgil,” he murmured, the last part mostly for himself. “Make Lament carry him back like a princess.” 

That wasn’t meant to be out loud. 

“Ah, forget I said anything,” he said, looking away sheepishly. Odetta couldn’t help but laugh.

“That’s so specific though! What prompted that?” she said, still giggling. Tofu groaned and rolled his eyes.

“That lanky bastard must have thought it would be so funny, even though I told him I just needed a moment…” he grumbled. 

“Ah, hmm.” She sighed lightly. “I’m glad he’s acting his age. He should be goofing off more like that.” She tilted her head as she smiled at him. 

“Honestly, it’s good for you too. To goof off. You have a lot of burdens, so I hear. Having little moments to be silly, they’ll help you not break,” she said softly. Tofu’s hands clenched in his lap as he kept his face turned away from her, though he had to relax his bandaged hand as it burned.

“I am not so fragile that I would break so easily,” he said, his voice so quiet that it wasn’t clear if he intended for Odetta to hear him, though there was a hard edge to it. 

“Never said you were,” she said with an even tone. “But even the strongest metal breaks with enough pressure. We need to let ourselves be in the moment, let the pressure escape through our laughter. Be with our family in times of levity and times of strife. Stand with our family and not stand alone.”

“Trust me, I know, because I am the strong one for my family. I protect them all the best I can. But my strength does not and should not negate their own. My family picks me up when I falter, and I let them. Because to deny their help is to deny their strength and that’s just insulting.”

“I’m trying,” he all but whispered. “Decades old habits don’t relinquish their hold so quickly. Trust…is hard to give, no matter how much I want to, no matter how much I know that I can, I have spent so long being the only person I could rely on that I don’t know how to…accept anything else.”

He got quiet for a moment, watching the road wind away behind them.

“I-” He clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. Odetta smiled softly, not an ounce of judgment in her eyes.

“You don’t need to start with trust, start with acceptance. If someone offers their hand more than once, accept it.” Her ears perked up as she quickly added, “I’m not saying to blindly take the hand either, you can be ready to catch yourself if the hand lets go. But typically if someone really wants to help, they won’t stop holding out their hand after one rejection. Acceptance is the first step in building trust.”

Tofu opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught on a gasp of pain as his chest flared aggressively - he really should not have teleported, though it was impressive that he made it this long without repercussions. He gripped his chest tightly as everything spun around him, dropping to his knees on the carriage floor. Blood dripped heavily between his lips as he struggled to hold himself up.

He had made a string of terrible decisions that day and this was his consequence. 

“Squeak, steady ahead!” Odetta prompted the chocobo. She hopped from the driver's seat to the back of the carriage, her expression focused as her maternal instincts took over. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

She knew better than to try to do anything more than hold him steady, even though it killed her to simply watch. She waited for the worst of it to pass before she pulled a cloth out of her pocket and offered it to him.

As the pain subsided bit by bit, he leaned heavily against the seat he had vacated, still gasping for air as he took the cloth gratefully. His eyes took an extra moment to focus on her concerned expression. One hand kept him propped up as the other went back against his chest. 

“S-sorry, it’s fine, it’ll pass,” he murmured, trying to offer a comforting smile that was belied by the blood still flecked on his lips. He blinked as he remembered the cloth she had just handed him and attempted to get the blood off his face, at least.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I am a mother by choice, it’s my nature to worry, even for those not my own.” She smiled softly. “That is one nasty curse for sure. I see why Dolly was so concerned.” 

Tofu gave a slight tilt of his head. There it was again. The idea that Dolly, who hadn’t cared about him until that point, could get to the point that she was actively worried confused him. Had something changed at the Library? He hadn’t done anything he would consider special.

“Dolly was…?” he asked, sitting up straighter to grip his shoulder tightly. The bullet wound throbbed from all of the commotion. Odetta frowned as she took away Tofu’s hand to look at the wound. She noted there was no exit wound. It must have gotten stuck on bone, or didn’t have enough powder in the round.

“Squeak, pull over boy,” she called over her shoulder. As the chocobo pulled the carriage off to the side of the road, she dug around under the seat for her medical supplies. “I’m going to put a numbing salve on this till we can get you home.”

He offered what he hoped came across as a reassuring smile.

“It's…kind of treated. Blomma and Ro weren't home so Fiora did her best- well, Fa-el had to because Fiora is blind, but that's a long story. I should have let her wake Miyu but I didn't want to worry them…” he tried to assure. But the injury had definitely bled through, he had felt it under his hand. “Blomma should be home shortly after we get there, she should be done with work…sooooon.”

“... Yeah, I’m putting the salve on and then taking a look when we get there.” Her tone made it clear it was best not to argue. Tofu blinked at her.

“R-right,” he agreed reluctantly. 

—

Shortly after Luluci had stopped by to examine Virgil, Miyu had stepped away and repositioned themself to wait at the door for Tofu’s arrival. They remained at the entryway, holding a medical kit under their arm, as they tapped their foot and kept their eyes straight ahead. Fiora cast a look at them from across the room.

“...Do try not to bombard him as soon as he gets home, alright?” she prompted softly. She did not think that he would arrive…rested.

While she was also not happy with Tofu’s choices, she also knew that he did not need to be chastised as soon as he set foot through the door. Or by multiple people. 

Miyu gave a faint sigh through their nose as they rubbed their shoulder, brow in a tense furrow.

“I’ll behave, promise,” Miyu said with a chuckle. They took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let a slow breath out. Yes, they were prepared now. Luluci looked up from tending to Virgil.

“Fiora, Miyu, please prepare a space for Odetta to dig out that bullet left in Tofu’s arm, I can hear her grumbly thoughts from here,” Lulu sighed. Fiora gave a flat look.

“Useless fuckin’ voidsent didn’t even-” she started grumbling before doing as instructed. Her eyes flickered black.

“I heard that.” They returned to normal.

“Good.”

Miyu’s gaze lingered on the door as they let out a soft huff, before moving on to prepare the space. They looked to Fiora and opened their mouth to speak, then reconsidered. Nevermind what they just saw. 

“They’re here, someone go open the door,” Lulu said without looking up. Miyu promptly sped walked towards the door.

“Odetta, good to see you. Tofu… hello, darling,” Miyu greeted upon opening the door. They stepped to the side to allow them in. “Glad to see there’s enough of us now to carry Virgil’s body to the hole we dug.”

They were attempting to lift the mood. Judging by their tense expression, it wasn’t working. At the sound of Miyu’s voice, Tofu moved to walk slightly behind Odetta as they entered the house. He had been really hoping they’d still be asleep…

“H-hello,” he muttered as he passed them. “I sure hope Virgil isn’t a corpse, would be a waste of effort.”

“Yes yes, Virgil’s like a corpse, very funny. Now get over here so I can get that bullet out properly?” Odetta said with a bit of a huff. The mother’s patience began to wane.

“Yeah yeah, I’m coming…” he grumbled, making his way to where Odetta was to treat him. Fiora huffed.

“I thought you got Fa-el because she could see?” she said. 

“I did. No one said she was good at medical treatment,” he responded. Fiora shot him a glare before stomping up the stairs, a ‘stupid rabbit…’ making its way down behind her.

Miyu’s hand remained on their shoulder as their gaze lingered on Tofu’s own. They held their tongue and turned their attention to Odetta.

“Everything should be set up now. Let me know if you need anything else,” they said with a nod. They made their way to the kitchen to grab a bowl of water and some extra towels.

On the other side of the room, a corpse-like elezen began to stir. Luluci put a hand on his chest to prevent him from getting up too fast. She watched him open his eyes for a moment.

“Glad to have you back with us. But what were you up to that caused all this, hm?” she asked, peering into his mind as she did so, in case he was disinclined to answer.

Virgil glanced down at the hand on his chest with a small scowl, but nevertheless made no attempt to sit up. He shut his eyes for a long moment as he fought off the pounding headache that had begun to creep in. As he turned his head away to pinch the bridge of his nose, more silvery locks fell before his eyes.

“Ah, of course he alerted you. I-”

“I thought you were dead,” Tofu called from across the room. 

“He didn’t even need to alert me! I told you I would be checking in on you.” Luluci rolled her eyes.

Virgil shot Tofu a glare. Upon doing so, he noticed Odetta was present, as well.

“Ah yes, let us call the masses, shall we? I-” 

“He didn’t ‘call the masses’, I was at the aetheryte in Gridania. Don’t fret, Lament doesn’t know… Yet,” Odetta interrupted.

“And they won’t have to know. I only had a brief fainting spell after neglecting to grab lunch – it’s fine,” Virgil quickly responded. He turned his attention back to Luluci. “As for what I was doing… I had only come here to speak with Tofu. I found him battered and hopeless on the floor outside and had to carry him back to the house. I suppose I spent much of my energy doing that.” 

“Liar.” To Tofu’s surprise, Lulu said the same thing at the same time, though for clearly different reasons. He raised a brow at her.

“That’s not all that you did. You can’t hide your thoughts from me, I am much more practiced at peering than you are at concealing, young man,” Lulu said, crossing her arms.

“And you didn’t have to carry me, you decided to even though I told you I just needed a moment. And I wasn’t hopeless!” Tofu was tired, and perhaps a bit more immature in the face of it. A hiss of pain and a muttered ‘ow’ escaped him as Odetta dug around in his shoulder.

“Well if you wouldn’t fuckin’ move…” Odetta grumbled.

“Well, you certainly appeared so,” Virgil said with a cough. He cleared his throat and turned his gaze back to Luluci. He supposed it was useless to conceal it.

“There was a change… I felt it. I just needed to draw it out somehow. It hasn’t killed me-”

“Don’t you dare say ‘yet’ or anything of the sort like that!” Lulu snapped. “I am not sure you understand exactly what it is you are trying to achieve. Your single minded pursuit is leaving you blind to what you’re actually doing to yourself. You will not live to achieve your goal on this path.”

“May I finish any of my sentences?” Virgil flatly responded. 

“Not until you stop being stupid with them,” Lulu scolded.

Virgil closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out.

“My life is not of your responsibility – and before you interrupt me again, I will not be moved from that stance. I know very well what risks come with what I’ve done to myself – I’ve weighed these factors. There is nothing I will stay behind for,” he coldly remarked, voice steady. He opened his eyes again and held his gaze with Luluci’s, but there was a distance in them. 

“Man, you really are, stupid, aren’t you?” a voice from the stairs said. Fiora - no, the shrouded eyes and hands indicated that this was Fa-el - sat upside down on the stairs, hands clasped on her chest. “Doesn’t matter if you die, does it? Does it matter if you remember? What even are you doing this for? To be better? But why? For what purpose? Who are you helping by doing any of this, because this course of yours helps absolutely no one. You won’t even be yourself at the end of this road.”

“Godsdammit Fa-el…” Tofu muttered.

“There is nothing about myself I wish to retain,” Virgil snapped back – for once, he was concise with his reasoning. 

“Not even your mind? Fool.”

“Lament will be so happy to hear you’re willing to sacrifice your memories of them,” Lulu said, narrowing her eyes.

“Okay! I think that’s enough of that for now,” Odetta said as she finally retrieved the bullet. “Miyu, please hold a cloth to his shoulder while I prepare to stitch it now that the bullet is actually out.” Fa-el shrugged as well as one can while sitting upside down on the stairs. 

“I am not medically trained, don’t ask me why he asked me to do it,” she said, no trace of remorse in her tone.

“Could have just woken me up,” Miyu grumbled quietly as they shot Fa-el a look, but they went ahead and held a cloth to Tofu’s shoulder with one hand, while the other fondly smoothed his hair out of his face. They sent a curious glance over to Luluci and Virgil.

Virgil was silent for a long period of time as Luluci’s comment about Lament lingered on his mind.

“...They know what is to occur if they are to be involved with me,” Virgil said, his voice low. He moved to sit up. “Enough of this. I should be heading back now. I’m sure Tofu doesn’t need more of an audience than he already has while being stitched up.”

Luluci rolled her eyes once more.

“Sure, okay. Don’t consider that you are involved with a hopeless romantic that actually hopes for the best,” Lulu said, staring daggers into the elezen. Fa-el sat up, allowing herself to slide down the stairs backwards until she hit the ground floor and stood up.

“Yeah, okay, become a mindless, aether hungry void thrall like the beings that haunt Hawke Manor, I don’t even care anymore. Waste your intelligence, your goals, your aspirations, to become nothing more than a floating eyeball creature with no will of its own outside of ‘consume’. Have fun, moron,” she said as she shrugged and went back up the stairs. Tofu groaned at her as she left. 

Virgil held onto the couch as he stood to his feet. He stared straight ahead. Trouble was, he had considered who he was with. And it was the only reason he hasn’t gone away to pursue his experiments on his own. He wouldn’t say this now, though — especially not in front of everyone. He did, however, show hesitance in his body language by remaining still in one spot for a prolonged period of time. 

“Fa-el…” Virgil began, only to realize she had gone back up the stairs. Never mind that, then. Another time. He continued out the door. Luluci watched as Virgil left and she shook her head.

Stupid child. Whatever was she to do with him?

Odetta meanwhile finished patching Tofu up, with fresh stitches and bandages. She started to clean up the mess of medical supplies she made as she instructed Miyu, still acting as her second pair of hands.

“Oh, and Tofu,” she said, placing a small jar in his hand, “this is that numbing salve. Give it to Blomma as an apology for using her other supplies. It’s very potent so she’ll only need a little. There’s an applicator in the lid.”

Tofu blinked heavily as he took the jar. Numbing salve or not, having someone root around in your shoulder is not the most comfortable sensation, his eyes were still unfocused. He tried to offer a soft smile, but it came out tense still.

“R-right, thanks,” he murmured. 

His hand probably needed to be properly looked at, too, but he would ask Miyu or Blomma to deal with it later, Odetta had done enough already. He made a mental note not to get the voidsent to apply medical treatment in the future.

He brushed his fingers across the bandages around his abdomen; between the incident at the Library and what has transpired today, there was a lot to cover. He couldn't help but think ‘I really am a mess, aren't I?’ as he sighed heavily through his nose.

“Oh don’t think like that,” Lulu said, suddenly by his side, giving his thigh a pat. Tofu jumped a little. “You should have seen the messes Odetta would get in! You would think being a mother might have tempered that, but no.”

“H-hey! Lulu, let's not bring up those stories.” Odetta said quickly, her cheeks a little flushed.

“Well, I’m sure you were able to handle it with a certain grace,” Miyu hummed, though they glanced at Luluci with a raised brow, as if inquiring about what she spoke of.

They absentmindedly reached for Tofu’s hand, but paused upon seeing the bandages — ones which were badly wrapped at that, too. Their brow twisted as they gently took his hand to inspect, though they didn’t unwrap it just yet. They held the back of his hand to their lips for a moment as they gave Tofu a questioning look. 

Tofu tilted his head at their look, then realized the hand they held. Ah, they had already noticed. He looked away sheepishly. He didn't know how to answer their questioning look, so he didn't say anything at all, only shrugging dismissively.

Miyu only gave him a small smile. Rather than taking up a seat to get to work, they took a seat on the corner of the table. They unpacked the medical supplies that Odetta had already cleaned up, and then quickly got to work to tend to his hand. 

“I know Luluci loves to tell stories… I’d love to hear more of them,” Miyu said as a playful smirk danced across their features. Lulu’s eyes sparkled with mischief, as Odetta buried her face in her hands.

“No…” 

“Yes!”

“Shouldn’t you make sure Virgil gets home without collapsing again?” Tofu interjected, hoping to save Odetta some embarrassment. Luluci pouted.

“Fiiiiine.” She stood up and headed towards the door. “But don’t think your stories are only kept by Lament, missy!”

Odetta shook her head as she watched Luluci leave, but said nothing in the hopes of not enticing her to stay. Tofu let out a soft sigh of relief. Mission accomplished.

“I suppose I’ll have to swing by later, then,” Miyu said with a faint giggle, quickly giving a goodbye wiggle of their fingers before returning to stitching Tofu up. Tofu watched for a moment in silence before speaking up.

“You didn’t have to worry about this right away. It would have been fine until everyone went home…” he murmured. Old habits, indeed. He would still rather as few people know about his injuries as possible.

“And leave you opened up like this? No, no. You deserve better than that. And you don’t need a nasty infection,” Miyu said with a tut of their tongue.

They glanced up to him and smiled. For a moment, their eyes lingered on his shoulder again. They averted their gaze back to his hand.

“Besides, I’m almost done here. Keep still for me and maybe I’ll get ya a cookie after.”

“Do I look like Hana to you?” he said with a flat expression. He turned his attention to Odetta briefly. “Thank you, uh, for the ride back.”

“Of course, I’ll be on my way as well. Should uh… get the carriage off your lawn…” She headed towards the door with a sheepish smile. “Take care!” Tofu offered a slight wave goodbye. 

“Take care, Odetta!” Miyu chirped back in response. They turned their gaze back to Tofu and gave him a long stare, squinting as they studied him.

“Hm. Nope, not Hana. Just perfectly you,” they said as they finished wrapping up his hand, topping it off with a quick peck on the knuckle. Tofu felt the heat rise to his cheeks and looked away.

The door swung open as Kore rushed in in a panic. 

“Tofu! I-” She blinked as she took in the scene, “Y-you’re okay? But Virgil said- … Oh I need to go kill an elezen. Be right back.”

She turned to leave again, Miyu and Tofu barely catching a glimpse of rage in her eyes.

“Hi, love! Bye, love! Have fun!” Miyu called out as Kore turned to go hunt down an elezen. 

“Whatever he’s about to get, he deserves.”

[glennk56]

Clifton James in the 1970s. (2 of 4)

Clifton James as the infamous Sheriff Pepper in the James Bond movie Live and Let Die in 1973.

Clifton James in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh in 1973.

Clifton James giving Jack Nicholson his assignment in The Last Detail in 1973.

Clifton James in 1974's drama Buster and Billie.

Clifton James in 1974's crime/comedy The Bank Shot starring George C. Scott. Pictured with Sorrell Booke.

Clifton James as a passenger onboard the Britannic in 1974's Juggernaut.

Clifton James is back as Sheriff Pepper again in 1974's James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.

[alexc-draws]

Thought for the day: did Sorrel and Halsin have a one time fling? And if so, will this information cause Rolan to:

a) burst a capillary in his eye

b) have a jealous meltdown

c) immediately need to know how he stacks up against the bear

Thoughts???