#capricious wolf

[heavyisthecrownif]

Intro

The Emperor is ill; the people of the capital whisper with varying degrees of concern or delight; he has completely fallen into the clutches of madness, as the most insidious tongues allege, the truth is, to their ignorance, considerably more urgent.

The Emperor, Airlar the Unifier, responsible for the greatest modifications to the constitution and State in the entire history of Ehyla, a living testimony to the existence of a civilization buried by the sands of time as well as oblivion, is irremediably, undeniably dying.

And so your life undergoes an absolute change overnight by nothing less than imperial decree. As the only one of your siblings of the right age, you are not only heading to a nest of conspiring vipers that you should never have dealt with, but every second, implicitly and explicitly, you are being judged and evaluated for a purpose that escapes your knowledge. Truth be told, at least it's not all bad; you have your very competent and loyal assistant at your side, and with your sister relatively close by, your experience shouldn't be so terrible...

Unless...

CW: This is a dark romance, and what this entails—things like possessiveness, stalking, manipulation, jealousy, and dependency will be seen in varying degrees in all routes. Sexism, transphobia, and homophobia will be briefly mentioned, as well as religious trauma, abuse of power, graphic violence, and optional explicit sexual scenes.

This list is subject to change as the game progresses.

HITC is only for an audience of +18.

Demo: Prologue: 11k last updated on 2/21/25

Since HITC is a wip all blog content is subject to possible changes in the future.

•Customize your Crown; personality, appearance, gender, pronouns, independent of the chosen gender, magic type, and where the foreign half of your bloodline comes from.

•Build friendships, romances and/or enmities with 5 diverse characters, all of selectable gender (with ace options).

•Find out why you are in demand in the capital and why you should study at the "Saint Elizsea Academy for Illustrious Young People" side by side with the cream of the crop of Ehylian society.

•Have a familiar! With options, so far, to choose from a wolf, a ferret, a raven, a snake, a crocodile, a deer and several types of dogs and cats.

Choose wisely! They all possess consciousness and at least a degree of magical attributes and some are...sassy.

•Shape the narrative with your decisions, every choice matters.

•The Crown: You! As the fourth child of a marriage between a former general promoted to king for his illustrious strategies against the rebellion against the fae and a foreign scholar, your outlook is, to say the least, peculiar. Not only are you the product of a marriage of love, with the confidence of genuinely and willingly counting on the support of your brothers and older sister again, but also, well known for their almost barbaric customs, your parents have the audacity to allow you to decide what to do with your own life, from coveting and collecting knowledge to learning the art of war or venturing into any of the five arts, you have a place nothing less than privileged, so far from being the firstborn and with an older brother more than capable and willing to take charge of the kingdom, your future is, to say the least, very promising, until an edict of the dying, and extremely capricious emperor demands that every young people of marriageable age who is not taking charge of the administration of their jurisdiction at the time, must go to be evaluated at The Academy in the heart of the capital, with your first brother discarded, your older sister engaged, your second brother in the borderlands doing pilgrim work and your younger siblings too young to attend that leaves you alone as an option.

•The one who left (RO): Asterion/Astrya Dellamort. With silky midnight waves and expressive eyes that evoke the memory of the moon in their hue and roundness, they possesses an astonishingly delicate and pretty face, for someone who has been classified with little variation as a rigid, cold, arrogant, difficult and even bitchy person throughout their young life, Azzy, the nickname with which you baptized their and, unbeknownst to you no soul is allowed to use without going through severe verbal reprimands and/or public humiliation, was, at least until the age of 13, your best friend, with their mother being a strong ally, and more importantly, a supporter of your parents, it is no wonder that you two were brought together to be playmates since before you could remember.

Truth be told, Azzy was never easy, despite knowing you all their life there is something about you that bothers they deeply, they can trust your reasons, your transparency, but they can't understand your affection, because as the only child of the Queen, Azzy they was much more exposed and at a much younger age to the cruel machinations of politics, so, with an almost supernatural ease they developed a capacity with words as bewitching as it is deadly, cruel if you will even, not that you have witnessed it first hand, of course, for many complaints, frowns and playful reluctance, you probably have the rare honor of knowing and living with the kindest version of Azzy, which in turn gives you the merit of being the person who knows they the most and the least, being a witness to they gentleness but mostly ignorant of their cruelty.

It's not until a tragic occasion, when your relationship breaks down, abruptly, suddenly, with the roughness of a wound that hasn't healed properly even five years later, that you wonder why Azzy decided to cut off all contact with you, but, unbeknownst to you, they despises and belittles anyone who tries to gain their favor by putting you down.

Tropes: Friends (with the possibility of a friendly rivalry...or not) to "rivals" to lovers/ Attachment issues, let's say Azzy is fine keeping their distance, (they're not) but if you come back into their life there's no turning back/ The ice king/queen's weak point/ Misunderstandings/ Forced proximity.

The one who takes care of you (RO): Kaihlan/Karonthe Agrapolli. Strictly speaking, Kai is your bodyguard, but over the years they has taken on far more than their fair share of responsibilities, and no matter how much you and your parents have asked them not to overexert themselves, the satisfied gleam in their amber eyes whenever they do something to make your life easier, along with their unbeatable stubbornness, means that you can count on Kai as your shadow more often than not.

As the eldest of your father's right-hand twins, Kai has been two things to you: a constant and a teacher. With their undeniable combat skills and their minds as quick as their feet, it is not only an honor to have them defend you, but also teach you.

Kai is loyal to you to the core; in order to ensure your happiness and safety, they is capable of acts that go against morality and even the laws of man and god.

Kai is probably the tallest person you've ever met, so tall that when you were younger and cheeky you asked them if they weren't part giant, they laughed but otherwise didn't answer the question. With sun-kissed skin glowing a shade reminiscent of honey almost as much as their eyes Kai is not only tall, they're broad and rough, with large scarred hands that extend all the way to they forearms you'd expect they to behave like a bull in a china shop, and they do in a way, but when you're around them, they seem incapable of anything but the most dedicated and delicate care. Both M!Kai and F!Kai have hair brushing their shoulders in a fluffy reddish-brown mess, with the back of their necks longer than the front and scattered freckles from spending so much time in the sun.

Tropes: Puppy love/They look like they could kill you and potentially will if you're not MC, but they're actually a cinnamon roll, long-term crush, himbo/bimbo, surface only, gentle giant, wolf in sheep's clothing.

The one who admires you (RO):???. You're not sure how, but you've somehow managed to get a hold of a stalker.

What you know so far is little and downright mediocre, they either have enough power or influence to bribe someone into getting their letters to you within the castle grounds, or more unlikely, they're stealthy enough to slip past Kai's ever-watchful eye, so all things considered, there's most likely magic involved, which brings you back to the first point, or they're rich enough to hire or own a wizard themselves or they're powerful enough to conjure their presence into your chambers without raising suspicion.

Tropes: Loved you from the moment they saw you/secret admirer/strangers to ???/would burn the world down for you.

The one who does not show up(RO): Secret route! You'll know when you meet them...maybe.

Tropes: Love-hate/they despise loving you/they want to live in your heart... literally/the love that was never meant to be/they are doomed. to love you? to exist without you? not even they know.

The one you impressed (RO): Elysse/Eylarion Kurayoi.

If there is one word to define Ely it is scandal, with their elastic golden curls bouncing with the sound of their thunderous laughter, they would not readily admit how much they love to impress, but the mischievous sparkle in their mahogany eyes says otherwise.

You know little to nothing about them other than the rumors that proclaim that they have no standards regarding who they share a bed with, but for some reason you intrigue them, if you were to ask them they would say little more than that they are curious that you are so different and little else.

They happens to be your roommate at the academy and as someone who for better or worse seems to be extremely transparent and understands how everyone who has an important name in the capital acts, it might be convenient to have them around, but be careful not to leave them too close to the warmth of your home because they might not want to leave.

Tropes: Master/Mistress of seduction until they flirt with someone they really like/ Bad reputation or justified prejudices?/ the capital's rebellious child/ The most beautiful at the ball/ The beauty and the beast

Feel free to ask me anything! And thanks for reading!

[st0rmyskies]

What Your Favorite Link Says About You

A.k.a. The Links as tarot cards/your rising sign/your blood type.

Time

You're likely an older Zelda fan. Ibuprofen has become a food group for you. Anyone who thinks OoT isn't the greatest Zelda game has you clutching your pearls and tutting. Kids these days don't know how good they have it.

You are a person to whom young people come for advice, either in your career or in life in general. You're happy to give it, especially because you love to help, but on the inside you're silently screaming, What?? Why me???

You may have trouble sleeping through the night. Even if it's not every night, there are some where you just can't turn your brain off and worries or worst-case scenarios just keep playing and replaying ad nauseaum.

You enjoy time in solitude to appreciate the beauty of nature. I bet you know how to braid a mean daisy crown.

“The flow of time is always cruel...” - Some event in your life took your innocence from you, perhaps much too early. You grew up quickly because of it.

Legend

Either you had a crush on the emo kid in high school or you were the emo kid in high school.

You might be jaded by the world, but you still have a solid work ethic and a soft heart despite it all. Even if you hide it all beneath a healthy layer of sass.

You possess a multitude of skills, not all of which are related. Anytime a friend needs a piece of clothing mended or a picture frame hung on the wall or a leak in a faucet addressed, you have the tools and the willingness to help.

Either you have a history of moving frequently when you were young, or you have a restless spirit. You may never quite feel 'at home' in any given place.

"But, verily, it be the nature of dreams to end." - You’ve suffered a meaningful loss in your life and you have a hard time opening up again because of it. 

Hyrule

You root for the underdog, or perhaps you are the underdog. Any of those "against all odds" stories just hit you square in the chest.

Somewhat quiet by nature, you do vital work behind the scenes but you aren't the type to seek out a leadership position. Leave the limelight to somebody else, please.

You might sell yourself short when it comes to your skills and abilities, but you should believe in yourself, man! You can do it!!

You have a capricious streak in you that rears its head now and again. That smile can look sharp and devilish in the right light.

"It's dangerous to go alone!" - You either already have or are destined to find 'that one person' with whom you can open up and truly be yourself. 

Twilight

I'm willing to put money on the fact that Twilight Princess was your first Zelda game.

You have a strong sense of justice and get really bent out of shape when you encounter unfairness or flaw in the system, whatever that may be. You might be considered an outsider in some way because of this.

You're the friend who scoops spiders up in a cup and sets them outside. Live and let live.

You were the 'wolf kid' in middle school. Come on, those amazing tie dye shirts? Wolf Woman? Julie of the Wolves?? Even if you kept it inside, it was there in some way.

"Your current power would disgrace the proud green of the hero's tunic you wear." - You put a lot of stock in the opinions of others and hold yourself to a higher standard because of it. Sometimes that standard isn't achievable, though, so try to be kind to yourself. 

Sky

You, my friend, have a soft heart. You're generally a happy-go-lucky sort of person. You're likely to make excuses for those who've been mean to you in the past and come out as friends on the other side.

You're crafty, or at the very least good with your hands. You're the type to give someone a handmade gift rather than go buy something for them for their birthday, a holiday, etc.

You have a strong affinity for your friends. If anything bad were to happen to them, you'd turn violent at the drop of a hat.

You may have some level of chronic illness that affects you. Although you might do things in a different way or at your own pace, though, you still come out on top.

"You fight like no man or demon I have ever known." - You have the capability for great things. World-changing sorts of things. Don't give up!

Wild

You're some flavor of neurodivergent, if I had to guess I'd say ADHD. You have 42 tabs open in your brain at any given time and you have no idea which one the music is coming from.

You're an incredibly creative person, although you might have trouble finishing tasks/works-in-progress. Doesn't mean you didn't learn something along the way!

Rigid guidelines or deadlines stress you out. You'd rather be given a goal and decide for yourself when and how to get there. When you do have a deadline, you're a bit of a procrastinator.

Sometimes you don’t get the 'right' way to do things, but you carve your own path--although sometimes it's unorthodox--and get there in your own time.

"Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten." - In spite of how your life changes you, for better or for worse, you have a driving inspiration or ethic or vocation that moves you forward at all costs.

Warriors

Those who don't know you well tend to boil you down to one or two trite traits. In reality, you contain multitudes. Most people couldn't handle all of you, not that they deserve to know even part of you.

You tend to lay it on thick--be that your charm, attitude, or whatever else your social shield might be--because you're hiding some deeper secret or insecurity at your core.

You're the mom friend or the planner in your group, or perhaps you're the oldest child. You’ll pass on an authority role if and when you can, but likely you’re still involved in some supervisory capacity in a given situation. 

You kill spiders with fire. Show NO mercy.

"You dare raise the blade of evil's bane to me? So be it. Hyrule's blood will be on your hands." - You have strong convictions and you aren't afraid to take risks, major risks, to do what you know to be right.

Four

Babe, if you ain't short, you've got short person energy. You scare me a little bit tbh.

You were praised for not being a problem child growing up, or for being very responsible at a young age.

You have a vivid imagination! You may have had an imaginary friend as a child or lived in your own little world altogether. I bet your notebook pages were strewn with little doodles in school.

You're a lover of information. If you could choose between an afternoon at the library or a movie matinee, it would be the former.

"Hanging around with you fools is dangerous for my health." - You're the snark friend, aren't you.  

Wind

You are extroverted to a fault. You need the company of others to recharge that social battery. The quintessential golden retriever friend.

You had active involvement in the music and theatre department. I'd be surprised if you weren't in at least one show in high school.

Having adventures is where it's at! You're a big fan of travel, either cross-country road trips or international flights. You could happily live out of a suitcase.

You tend to make friends easily wherever you go. If everyone in this classroom/workplace/bar doesn't know your name already, they will pretty quick.

"I have been waiting for you, boy... Do not betray my expectations.” - Against all odds, you've proven yourself to be worthy of great things. Screw what fate has in store! You're the type to take your own destiny by the 'nads.

[jurijurijurious]

So I've seen posts on social media talking about how some viewers have cried at the finale of Wolf Hall, with some coming back with: "I have no sympathy for Cromwell, he did XYZ, orchestrated deaths, etc" which yes is all very fair, but I feel this kind of talk both dismisses the intelligence of most viewers who already know this about the character, but also I think sorta misses the point slightly.

I admittedly cried, probably for the final five minutes of the last episode, because the whole story was unbearable and presented in a way which felt suffocating. I saw a constant rolling cycle of death and waste. I saw men and women gamble and play high stakes, often using other people as bargaining tools, and it was horrible. I saw a capricious, terrifying king killing friend after friend, servant after servant, usually once he'd wrung them out to dry and often used them to enable terrible things or as a means to an end.

Wolf Hall is written from inside Cromwell's head, of course things are coloured in his favour, that's the point. You're seeing Cromwell's history, not an unbiased account. Maybe this isn't so clear in a TV drama. But you're also seeing how normal people, how very likeable people - who have families, who pet cats, who play cards, etc - do terrible things, and how many people around them don't stop them. Because people will always be people. And we have every right to cry at the horrifying inevitably of it all.

It's not true history but it's an excellent drama which lays bear some of the absolute worst of the human condition.

[missisjoker]

Monday rumblings about Cregan Stark

I feel like the fandom collectively decided that Cregan Stark is this broody, solemn, always serious man whose smile is a rare treasure, like a warm day in winter.

And I get it; he is very straight-forward, right down to business, no-bullshit type of a guy (which is understandable, considering the conditions he lives in, and lives he must protect on a daily basis).

I also understand how he would be cold and reserved at first, cautious of anyone he doesn't know (case in point: Jace), and guarded (considering his closest family tried to usurp him, why wouldn't he be?)

And yes, he would be a giant loving teddy bear to his wife and kids.

But where's his mischievous side? Where's his adventurous and dangerous side?

Why are we all missing that

He is incredibly smart - he managed to oust his usurper uncle at the age of 16 by sheer will and wits. That says a lot.

He has a dry, sharp sense of humor. Yes, you don't get it much from 3 minutes of screen time, but if you read the books, it's THERE. Even the jab at Jace ("you had the mercy of not threatening me with your dragon") is right there, and it's FUNNY. Give me more sarcastic and dark-humored-Cregan!

He is a charismatic person- first of all, some generic schlob wouldn't get 3 wives, one of which was Aly Blackwood. Like, that just doesn't happen unless you're filthy rich (which Cregan is not). So I doubt he could've gotten that just by being this cold and broody and grumpy Wolf. No, there's plenty of charisma there. Second of all, he got the Riverlords look up to him the moment he reached their armies. He didn't even DO anything much, just SHOWED UP, and got them all blushing like maidens. That doesn't sound to me like fear or respect or general unease that you get next to a respectable, strong personality. It sounds more like a crush to me, if i'm being honest.

He is adventurous, he loves danger, and you can't convince me otherwise. A peace/safety-loving man would not threaten to attack 3 separate kingdoms just because he felt like it.

And he is also deeply wounded inside. He lost his mother young, so he never had a loving warm embrace of his mom. He lost his brother and his father when he was what, a teen? He was an orphan, while his closest remaining family was scheming behind his back. That kind of betrayal wounds deep. He lost his wife to a child bed, and i'm sure deep down he feels guilty about it (even though it's not his fault at all). So, there's a lot of insecurity and guilt and loneliness deep inside him- he is probably touch-starved, he likely wants to be praised and told that yes, he IS good enough to be a leader/husband/father. That the person he might open his heart to will never betray him, and never leave him- come hell or high water, they will be there for him. He even maybe, deep down, wants a person who he could be weak with. Not whiny or capricious, but weary. He is YOUNG, and he carries so much on his shoulders. He needs someone who would let him put his head down to their arms let it go, even if just for a moment.

He is smart, strong, quick-witted with dry sense of humor, but he is also an orphan and a widower with a Kingdom to run in the harshest of conditions.

I just feel like we are all concentrating on this "standard" Stark-ish description of him but missing the depth of his character. There's so much to explore...

Ok, rant over.

And yes, I just want to wrap him in a blanket and cuddle him like a giant grumpy northern burrito.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

One reply + suddenly a hc list today! About the animals.

Anonymous asked:

Normally I rather dislike ace and duece as a couple but something about your art makes it ok... or at least more so than normal

lol thank you Anon!

I’m glad the way I draw them makes it more appealing to you.

thestarlightfae asked:

If the twst cast were animals, which animals do you think they would be?

Hehe, I’m coming back to your last question!

I feel like we talked about similar topics every now and then, so for this post to not sound very repetitive I thought that I’m going to make it more difficult for myself and actually give everyone a couple of animals. I also tried not to be too obvious, but I’m not going to not call the Leeches eels…

Also there is no equality there, some guys have more animals than others :( Sorry!!

Riddle –  a hedgehog, a mouse, a house finch… he just feels like a loud little bird sometimes lol He’s small but he could bite or prick or peck you. Of course, he is also a goldfishie..!

Ace – a fox, a red panda, a red cat. Always getting in trouble, but still pretty independent and sly, but also ekekek’ing happily when fed and spoiled. Capricious but also an idiot.

Deuce – a jack rabbit, a dog (a mutt), a rat… I don’t know he just feels like someone who could be a great and dear friend if you let him into your life <3 He is a little bit wild, but also easily tamable.

Cater – a ferret, a parrot (not sure which one), a husky-golden retriever mix. Kind of obnoxious and loud at times, but so incredibly magicammable! At the first glance at least, but he really needs an owner that understands him.

Trey – a bear, a badger, a turtle. Once again, Floyd’s nickname feels like it works perfectly for how chill he is… but he could still somewhat dangerous, even if he looks cute and cuddly.

Leona – a lion (shocking), a maine coon (is this cheating?), a panda. I don’t know man, he’s just here to relax, even if it bites him in the ass sometimes… but maine coons are supposed to be good hunters, so!

Ruggie – a hyena, a magpie, a raccoon. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure – he is excellent at finding stuff that he wants and taking it without anyone noticing.

Jack – a wolf, a kangaroo, an irbis.  Sorry, he is such a pup it’s very difficult to think about anything else, but… don’t provoke this guy!! He’ll fuck you up!

Azul – an octopus, a Turkish angora cat, a ram. Very careful and anxious, but also gracious and smart… and super stubborn and scary when angry!!! Also, angoras love to swim! And have the most gorgeous blue eyes.

Jade – an eel, a scorpion... But I also want to acknowledge dolphins because of…certain shenanigans that they do… anyways, this one is a huge DANGER sign. Anything venomous feels pretty much like him.

Floyd – an eel, a shark, a husky-wolf mix. Once again, the first two are pretty obvious, but he is also a wild fluffy beast running around and yelling… when he feels like it. When he doesn’t, he is super lazy and gets very angry when bothered.

Kalim – a mongoose, a puppy (can’t even give you a breed, just a puppy, something super expensive though), a parakeet parrot. A mongoose is just too ironic not to pick, but he is also super friendly, excited and sociable! And colourful, of course. Always the center of all the attention.

Jamil – a snake (viper/cobra), a chameleon and a caracal cat. Once again, cautious, independent, ready to attack but very sneaky about it. Also very gorgeous looking, it’s difficult to look away even if you know it’s dangerous…

Vil – a peacock, a show dog with tons of medals and awards, a horse. Speaking of gorgeous… Truly a magnificent creature that knows his own worth. Perfectly fit, perfectly pampered and groomed, but also has quite the temper.

Rook – an eagle, a fox, a hound. I feel like it describes Rook pretty much perfectly… An excellent hunter, but also there is something so sneaky about him. But then you look at him and see someone who is very friendly and open-minded, just like a dog! Weirdo…

Epel – a bunny, a chinchilla, a Pomeranian. He would be so mad, but let’s be honest, am I wrong? The last one especially feels like a no-brainer to me: so small and oh so fierce.

Idia – a skittish cat, an anxious borzoi dog, a fallow deer. Somehow both a loner and enjoyer of good company… he is cute and long and kind of both gracious and clumsy at the same time.

Ortho – a dog (Cerberus!), a clione (sorry it’s too cute Floyd is right again), a tiger cub. The last one is probably kind of sudden, maybe I should’ve went with something flying instead, but he does feel like a little pouncing hunter sometimes…

Lilia – a bat, a sugar glider, a shrike. Small, adorable, but oh god how fucking deadly. The more I think about it, the more I think of how much of a shrike he is…

Silver – a jackalope, a unicorn, a hippogriff. All fictional animals because he is just that otherworldly lol Probably isn’t fair to everyone else, so I’ll make it even more unfair and give him three normal animals: a swan, a hare, a deer.

Sebek – a crocodile, a bull, a dog (Doberman or Rottweiler?). He is a such well-disciplined dog, but also stubborn and kind of easy to provoke. Still, he is such a pup sometimes.

Malleus – a monitor lizard, a crow, a panther. The first two are pretty explanatory, but I just couldn’t resist the last one – had to give him a big gorgeous black kitty.

[yes-these-obsessions-are-healthy]

A much better story of Mythal would have been styling her story like a figure from a Greek myth. Mythal had been a slave owner, yes, but she would’ve been a “good slave owner” that—like Dorian—began to see that her maternal humanitarian feelings as the Mother of the Evanuris could not jive with continuing to practice slavery. There could have been a complicated issue of “slaves are off-limits to other Evanuris, but freemen, while still free, have fewer opportunities to achieve greatness”. Essentially most freemen are middle or lower class or in poverty while slaves can potentially be granted access to education, training, and bureaucracy because their loyalty to their masters would be assured, so unlike a freeman they wouldn’t act in their own self-interest.

I always imagined the Evanuris with a dynamic akin to the Greek gods—capricious, alien in their eminence, nigh-immortal with extremely long lives of needling one another and fucking with each other’s domains and personal pursuits while maintaining a relatively stable structure. Mythal was respected as, again, a more informal matriarch type. Norse Frigga meets Greek Hera. Though she had slaves she distinguished herself from the other Evanuris by being the kindest to them, hence Solas’s assertion that she was “the best of them”.

I imagined Solas as perhaps being a spirit of Wisdom that came into being after the Titan War and became Mythal’s “wolf”, but eventually, like a demigod turned deity, he became powerful enough in his own right to earn a seat at the table. He’s seen as an upstart and interloper by the rest of the Evanuris, but Mythal doted on him so he was pretty safe from harsh reprisals that he couldn’t worm his own way out of. At some point Solas becomes fed up with slavery and tries to lead the Rebellion. Mythal agrees, but for various reasons she cannot join him in the Rebellion formally and instead chooses to help him quietly with Underground Railroad schemes to funnel slaves to Solas’s army. She would be more useful as Solas’s primary contact on the inside. Secretly, she is hoping to maybe convince the other Evanuris that slavery should be abolished. Against Solas’s advice, Mythal eventually reveals to one of the Evanuris of her and Solas’s scheme, and she is tricked into attending a meeting to induct that specific Evanuris into the pact—you can choose which one. Solas is reluctant but agrees after convincing by Mythal, but on the day of the meeting, Solas is severely delayed, perhaps intercepted. Mythal arrives early to the meeting to find it’s a trap, and she is slain by the Evanuris, with her lover Elgarnan delivering the killing blow.

The regrets of Solas would be multi-fold. Regret for not being there to protect Mythal. Regret for not being more skeptical of the Evanuris who agreed to join them. Regret for allowing her to involve herself in the rebellion in her secret way. Sorrow and anguish that his dearest friend—a good woman—was slain by heartless power-hungry monsters who cared more for maintaining their dominion over slaves and the People than allow all elves to prosper as equals.

And thus in semi-death, the spirit fragment of Mythal that inhabits Flemeth would be that of Vengeance. The sort of gnashing and tar-black mercilessness akin to that of Clytemnestra, and it is what drove her to raise Morrigan as terribly and abusively as she did. By the time Morrigan grows into her own in DAI, Flemythal is second guessing some things, or questioning how her motherliness has been tainted by her residual anger over her betrayal. In the meantime, Flemythal has accepted that the world is as it is. When Solas meets Flemythal, Solas ignores the piece of Mythal he’s speaking to, because he cannot accept that Mythal is asking him to give up. This is just a fragment that’s been affected by possession, the real Mythal would encourage me to continue fighting for the elves, if only to avenge her memory by bringing about the one thing that the Evanuris feared and despised. The statement “Free the People” comes down to semantics. The fragment of Mythal believes the modern elves are free. Solas doesn’t, and he thinks that accepting they are is giving himself an intellectually cowardly ‘out’ to absolve him of what he thinks is his responsibility to the memory of Mythal, i.e. ‘I could half-ass the job and say I did it. But in my heart I’ll know I didn’t do everything I should have’.

And what’s worse is she doesn’t try to stop him when he takes her essence.

I don’t care I genuinely don’t care. My idea is 10000000x more compelling than the canon “Mythal asked Solas to do everything for her and he did and she didn’t help Solas with the rebellion and then she died and suddenly she wants Solas to stop trying to bring the ancient elves back like she’s somehow a voice of reason and not just a mouthpiece for the writers to say ‘Nooo solas you’re too radical, don’t ahaha’

[missyourflight]

in absolute bits about the wolf hall/mirror and the light finale lads

it's the same feeling i had when i had to stop listening to the audiobook for like 6 months because it was getting too close to the end and i just. Wasn't Ready. i put off watching the fifth episode for a week because the tightening tension leading up to the arrest is somehow so much harder for me to handle than the scenes where he's a dead man walking, his last arguments and farewells.

anyway i started crying at the scene with rafe reading the letter to the king and then i fully lost it when it cut back to rafe with cromwell. it's always the austin friars boys that get me: richard's steadiness (o god when cromwell gives him the medal to keep him safe), rafe's watchfulness, gregory's insecurity, call-me-risley's jealousy. every time it cut to one of them at home during cromwell's execution i cried harder jfc. we cannot do without the man in charge 💔

all the recasting worked really well i thought, especially alex jennings as gardiner and harry melling as call-me (he's had one of the more interesting post-potter careers and he's so good here! risley sucks but you truly get the sense of how he longs to be part of the team and isn't quite! even as he's sitting, pathetic, at the table in austin friars at the end!). it's the best work damian lewis has ever done, how fucking scary he is when he talks softly, how implacable and capricious and unreasonable.

god this is just incoherent lol. how much of the story takes place in the looks mark rylance exchanges with people!! all the daughters - mary and dorothea and jenneke. the idea of launde abbey as both his idea of peace and the symbol of his ambition - didn't you know they'd never let you have it. knowing he should back off but unable to let go of the opportunity to remake the world (a world where cromwell can be cromwell etc).

what a fucking book what a fucking show. i first read wolf hall 15 years ago and it does feel like a rare thing, to have the chance to continually revisit and think about and live with the story through the books and the audiobooks and the television adaptation.

[veneumfm]

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[ … ]  ❀  you’re  not  from  around  here  ,  are  you ?  i  figured  because  you  totally  just  missed  {  ZAKIR  DRISSI  }  walking  by.  don’t  tell  me  you  don’t  know  who  { HE }  is  ?  they  kind  of  look  like  {  EMILIO  SAKRAYA  }  and  i  could  be  wrong  but  i  think  that  they  might  be  {  TWENTY  NINE  }  years  old  right  now.  they’ve  been  living  in  palmview  for  the  last  {  FIFTEEN YEARS  }.  and  i  don’t  know  if  anyone  has  ever  told  them  this  before  but  they  kind  of  remind  me  of  {  PATRICK  ZWEIG  }  from  {  CHALLENGERS  }.  if  you  stick  around  the  town  long  enough  you  might  catch  them  in  action  working  at  {  SHOREFIT  GYM  }  as  a  {  PERSONAL  TRAINER  }.  you  see  this  town  isn’t  really  that  big  of  a  place  ,  some  folks  like  to  call  them  the  { STUD }  of  palmview!  they  took  a  liking  to  the  name  too  after  a  while  ,  go  figure.  oh  crap  ,  they  must  have  heard  me  yapping.  they’re  coming  this  way.  i  got  to  warn  you  though  ,  rumor  has  it  they  can  pretty  { CAPRICIOUS }  at  times.  i  wouldn’t  take  it  too  seriously  though  ,  from  the  times  i’ve  spoken  to  them  they  seemed  pretty  { JOVIAL }  to  me.  we  see  each  other  all  the  time  since  they  live  in  that  { ONE  BEDROOM }  apartment  beside  me  over  in  {  CORAL COVE  }.  i  better  leave  you  to  it.  it  was  nice  meeting  you!  

full name : zakir drissi. nicknames : zak. age : twenty - nine years old. career : retired semi - pro tennis player , current personal trainer. birthday : june 26th , 1995 ( cancer ). gender + pronouns : cis male / he + him. sexual orientation : bisexual. family : keir drissi ( father , deceased ) & leyla drissi ( mother , deceased ). character inspo : patrick zweig ( challengers ) , dain aetos ( the empyrean series ) , azriel ( acotar ) , floyd reynolds ( new amsterdam ) , scott mccall ( teen wolf ) aesthetics : onyx speckled hues, rippling muscle dripping in sweat, a knockout competition, teddy bear in lion's clothing, playful banter galore, tender lover with calloused hands, speaking with fists before mouth.

[the-avengers-ate-my-tongue]

State Of Disgrace (smut)

Summary: Being a Roy is harder than it looks.

Shipp: Kendall Roy x Cousin!Reader, Roman Roy x Cousin!Reader

Words: 2699k

Disclaimer: SMUT! it's not really proofread, I have to say, but I kinda like the way it came out.

I was five and he was six. We rode on horses made of sticks. He wore black and I wore white, he would always win the fight. 

I used to shoot him down.

Being a child was easy enough. Being a Roy child, however, was a bit more capricious than a regular household.

My mother died in childbirth. She was a lovely woman by the eyes of friends, a gold digger by the malicious judgements of others. Nevertheless, for me, she was nothing but a stranger. My father was Alistair Roy, the youngest brother of my uncle Logan, who tragically also died of extreme sadness due the loss of my mother. 

Some called it depression. I used to call it his swan song.

I moved in with Logan Roy at the raw age of two. Before that, I'd never even met him. My father, before his tragic passing, was just like uncle Ewan, you see. He avoided any further familiar contact with the capitalist monster and ruler of the empire of disgrace Waystar was to them. 

Uncle Logan was not a warm man. His wife, Caroline, was even worse. So, every warmth needed by a two year old was entirely given by my older cousins — whom I had also never met before — and Roman.

Roman and I had the same age, me being just a couple of months older. We grew instantly attached  hip to hip, so much everyone else started to call us "the twins". It was not, however, a praise title, but a Shakespearean war name, for ever since we'd got enough motor skills, we began to explore the vast world that extended to the huge grounds of our mansion. Then Siobhan came, a needy, smiley little girl that resembled her father so much. Connor and Kendall were excited with their new sister; I feared the small ounces of attention I gained daily would be threatened by her charming toothless smile and spikey gingerish hair. And Roman, as much as he was also happy with the new sister, shared the same inconscient dread, the crumbs he used to get from his mother as the youngest slowly fading away. That's when we got more and more agitated, gaining a few more reprimands as soon as another nanny would quit. 

I particularly remember a day where Roman and I distracted the nannies for one minute, fleeing to the pool area. It was a windy day; the crystal water trembled and rippled, the soft movements catching my clueless attention like Narcissus was caught by his reflection. However, instead of languishing away, I came too close, my balance still in development. 

The water received me with the cut of a thousand blades, cold as the feeling of danger that felt like a punch in my stomach. Roman's screams rang in my ears and, after almost half a minute submerged, it began to resemble a sorrowful howl, like a wolf pup. I was four, too young to fully comprehend what was happening, too old to suppress the memory of peace that instilled in my heart. I was no longer the sad little orphan, the spare suitcase that couldn't find its place.

Roman's howls were gone. In an instant, I would lose my sight as well. The deep, vast blue of the pool water and the tiles, the reflection of light on the surface above me were the only things I could see. My lungs, a few moments ago burning up with the invasion of that intruder substance, were now obsolete and dispensable. My body felt feeble and, for a moment, I was only pure conscience. 

It was right at that moment that Roman's face came to my mind. How could I ever leave him? We were parts of the same molding, made of the same matter. How could I allow him to carry the guilt of my accidental death for the rest of his life? 

That was not my call, though. I couldn't swim. If it wasn't for Connor, who was bringing some girl over to the infamous little pool house and heard Roman's cries for help, I would be dead and buried. I can still remember the feeling of the water being launched out of my lungs through my sore throat, the desperate sound of coughing and the tears that stained Roman's face while he stared at me still in panic with the prospect of losing me. That's precisely when I just knew we belonged together, as kindred souls, platonic or not.

Unfortunately, I would also find out later in life I would do anything in my power to feel that kind of lugubrious peace again. Furthermore, that state of disgrace would also bring me closer to another one of my cousins. 

Seasons came and changed the time. When I grew up, I called him mine.

He would always laugh and say

"Remember when we used to play?"

Restless adolescence. I began sipping on drinks when uncle Logan or Caroline weren't paying enough attention, developing quite a taste for neat whiskey. At thirteen, I drank (and cursed) like a middle aged sailor. At fifteen, all the alcohol was locked up and the waiters were instructed to keep an eye on me at parties. 

It was also the age of fickle flings and steamy makeouts with any boy who gave me enough attention — or enough booze. Never been much of a fan of stimulants, but the barbiturates… They were my bestest friends, knocking me out sometimes for a whole day, making the world seem distorted and distant from my usual cold reality. There was no one left to acknowledge my problems; Connor had moved out, Kendall was at Harvard and Logan had sent Roman to a military boarding school to try and cut a bit of our almost symbiotic connection. Shiv was penetrating the fearsome gates of puberty, so no one was able to keep a two minute conversation with her anymore. The nannies or maids weren't paid enough to care, and Logan's corporative minions only extended their attention when I used business vocabulary. Once I realized that, I began to read every piece of news, fully understand what meant to rule a media conglomerate and excerpts about corporate business. It was brain porn to me. Knowledge was as addictive as the drugs and booze, and I was a junkie craving attention like a moth to a flame.

Caroline left, leaving Shiv and I as the only girls in the house. I chose to take a step to the spotlight, being able to impress whoever tried to sink in deeper with my knowledge and grownup words. She's so mature for her age. So clever. So smart. She's got class conscience. Little Y/n Roy is all grown up! Logan noticed my sudden interest and stimulated as much as he could without showing any favoritism on my behalf, bringing me to Waystar with him sometimes, allowing Gerri to guide me on whatever I wanted to know and understand when it came to business. That actually brought me closer to the blonde, austere woman; I sought a motherly figure to tend to my emotional needs like a junkie with a needle. 

I was also surprisingly good at corporative game. It was like playing poker, the one who pretends the best gets to count the cards and win. Board vision. I began to, as my Sherlock Holmes books expertly instructed, actually observe more than just see. 

A peck with the teeth in the nails. A quick lick or bite on the bottom lip. Dilated pupils, nostrils flaring. Avoiding eye contact. All signs of discomfort or vice versa became crystal clear to me, showing up like Christmas lights. That also taught me to be an even better player, and I became a virtuoso of deceit. The difficulty of interaction I had with people I hated had faded completely and now, at sixteen years old, I felt absolutely nothing but a huge void that came with being in control of all my feelings. Sentiments made me weak, I had learned. It clouds the judgment and proliferates like maggots on rotting flesh. If one loses control over it, it's gone. 

That should also include vices, so I mannered my consumption, elaborating some sort of twisted diet with small albeit enough doses. Being in control  was exhilarating, and I felt as if I was at the top of the world. Drinks? Only in parties of sorts and reunions, and a single glass. Drugs? Just to keep me concentrated or calm, nothing more. Uncle Logan began to see my improvement, and a conversation about business school had been approached. 

After a while, however, it started to get a bit dull, always knowing the right thing to say or what everyone wanted to hear. Defiance and rebellion were in my veins. Uncle Ewan told my dad he wasn't going to marry my mom; uncle Logan, so I've heard, forbid him to bring her into family gatherings. Many scenes were detailed crudely by the press over the years, painting my parents as the villains of a dynasty and uncle Logan as some sort of Zeus almighty. For weeks, I expected the perfect opportunity for misbehaving. Nothing serious enough to reach my uncle's ears, but to, at the very least, assure my conscience I was still the same Y/n Roy, daughter of Alistair and Giorgiana Roy. I was in paradise craving the forbidden fruit without even knowing how it would manifest.

Until Kendall came back from Harvard for Thanksgiving holidays. 

He looked different then, somehow cooler, more confident and laid-back than he usually was. It was kind of comic how attractive Kendall could be when he wasn't looking like he had a pine tree up his ass. After dinner, I managed to suggest an innocent gathering in my bedroom to talk about college and news from the world outside the golden cage we were usually trapped into. 

"Hey, you should try this" he suddenly pulls a small bag of cocaine from his pocket, waving it in front of my eyes like a plate of meat to a starving dog. "Seriously, this is the shit."

I laughed in contained mockery, knowing that, if Kendall somehow felt diminished, he would slip through my fingers like sand. Instead, I watch him prepare some lines to blow using one of my school notebooks as support. Two lines after and I can no longer see the greenish of his irises, black englobing everything. If possible, he looks even more confident, this sort of bellicosity making him even more appealing to me. 

I switch my crossed legs from position. His now dark eyes accompany the movement, narrowing. I'm wearing a short skirt, and the way I move my legs makes me look like I'm recreating that one famous scene from Basic Instinct. 

He stares in silence for a few seconds, studying my face, seeming to be gathering the guts to do something. 

"Do you like what you see?" I suddenly ask, new acquired courage, one of my hands traveling through my dressed body. Kendall shuts his eyes, taking a deep breath trying to restrain himself. I wait for no response, pulling one of his hands and placing it right on one of my breasts, the warmth of his touch allowing a small sigh to escape my lips.

"Y/n… what uh… what game are you playing here?" He tries to organize his thoughts, but I purr like a kitten as if that simple touch of his feels like the grasp of a flame in the coldest winter. "Oh, fuck… don't… don't do that, come on."

"Don't act like you don't want it to happen. I don't see you removing your hand" I crawl in his direction, stopping from inches of his mouth. "I want you, Ken."

"Y/n, this isn't right, I mean, I'm fucking older than you, we're cousins…"

"So? So what? Come on, Ken. Don't you ever get tired of being a fucking model to this family? Daddy's little toy soldier?" I jolted forward, sitting on his lap. He doesn't stop me. "I fucking want you. How many were brave enough to say that to your face?"

I lick my lips as I rub my hips against his and a low grunt echoes on his throat. He looks almost helpless; it's pathetic. I can feel his dick getting hard underneath the dark denim pants, and that gives me some sort of enigmatic power, like I'm a form of Venus. Kendall's hands lift my skirt, moist visible in my underwear, almost staining his pants. 

"Fuck, Y/n… how are you so wet already?" He pushes my panties aside, losing his patience and ripping it apart, making me giggle. I start humping against his pants while kissing his jawline, touching his lips with mine for the first time. He tasted like minties, cigarettes and a bit of the whiskey we drank after dinner. After that, he finally decided to let go; his tongue invaded my mouth with passion, and he made me lay down on the floor, towering over me. I pulled his shirt, throwing it across the room, sucking the sensitive spot on his neck that caused him to let out some sexy moans with his deep voice. My cunt was pulsing to the point it started to actually hurt a bit.

"I need you, Ken." I said, starting to unbutton his jeans. 

"What a greedy little thing you are" he pulls my hands away, trapping them on the floor above my head by my wrists. With the free hand, he took his dick off his pants, the tip glowing with precum. 

He finally rested between my legs, the feeling of his head against my entrance making me a bit nervous for the first time that night. I got even more wet just with the expectation, and just when I was about to rush him, he entered me without a warning, a loud moan escaping my lips. My nails carved the skin of his hand, and he hastily quieted down my whimpers with a sloppy kiss, letting go of my arms and allowing me to wrap them around him.

"You okay?" He questioned, his gorgeous green eyes looking so sweet, so concerned, that I actually felt slightly guilty of using him to achieve my own whims. With a smile, I nod, and he moves painfully slow inside me, my breathing intensifying. It hurt at the beginning, but soon, the pain started to give in, and my hips began to synchronize with his own movements like an intricate dance, sweat accumulating on my forehead. My whole skin felt hot, feverish, and my hands grabbed Kendall's ass to pull him closer, my legs wrapped around his lower back.

His breathing changed, and he squeezed my skin so rough I was sure it would leave bruises tomorrow. 

"Y/n… fuck, wait… I'm gonna…" his body began to tremble as he fastened his movements, and a louder grunt came out of him while he poured himself inside me, leaning his forehead against mine. 

Our breaths mixed up, sweat dripping out, and a now pleasant and new pain between my legs. He laid on top of me until he became too heavy to endure, rolling his body sideways afterwards, laying on the cool marbled floor. I turn down on my stomach to face him, the cold white marble alleviating the pressure on my low abdomen. He looks herculean with his hair all messed up, face glistening with small drops of sweat and a peaceful manner in his eyes, eyes no longer darkened by the drugs, but clearer like leaves on springtime. 

We kissed a few more times, talked about trivialities, and he left soon after, placing a kiss on my shoulder, too hasty to record and too soft to ignore.

The matter was hardly discussed afterwards, and I never mentioned he was my first, not even when it happened again, and again. For many years, I told no one, the secret feeling like a little barb around my lower abdomen every time I saw him. 

Until I felt safe enough to share it with Roman. But that's a story for another time. 

[fiddles-ifs]

THE KING'S PHYSICIAN: CAST

SIBIR TEMYURINKAI | The Wolf (Gender selectable. She/her, he/him, they/them)

Age: Mid 30s Ethnicity: Ruz Height: 5'7/173cm

Mercenary, captain, commander, and your best friend of many years. Sibir found you at your lowest and helped you realize you were more than just a child of unfortunate circumstance. The two of you have been thick as thieves for more than a decade -- and yet sometimes you think you catch yourself wanting more. They're difficult to read. Only a handful of people (yourself included, most of the time) can pick up on their microexpressions and the nuances in their tone. Introverted, sarcastic, easy-going.

Flavor of romance: Friends to lovers, unresolved sexual tension, love epiphany, shippers on deck.

LISANDRO ABARCAS | The Lion (He/him)

Age: Late 20s Ethnicity: Alandrian (Rionante) Height: 5'11/180 cm

The young king-uncrowned of Alandria, Lisandro has spent the past six years putting down petty revolts and consolidating power after his father's death. Still technically in his regency, Lisandro has yet to be baptized and officially crowned -- despite being the king in all but name. He hires Sibir's mercenary company after a chance encounter to provide extra security for his upcoming baptism. After a mysterious illness threatens to end Lisandro's prosperous reign before it begins, you might be the only one able to help him. Charming, tender-hearted and just, though not exactly honest. Lisandro requires the use of a cane due to an accident in childhood.

Flavor of romance: Courtly love, Uptown Girl, savior complexes.

IDALI ABARCAS | The Spider (She/her)

Age: Mid 30s Ethnicity: Alandrian (Rionante) Height: 5'9/179cm

Duchess of Baqueria, second in line to the throne, Lisandro's sister -- and biggest obstacle. Idali returns to the capital city of Elvira to attend her brother's baptism, and is Suspect No. 1 when Lisandro falls ill. Her extensive spy network, resources, and open, vicious hatred of her brother makes her the obvious choice, but like everyone in Alandria, Idali has secrets. Some she might be willing to share. Cunning, calculating, and capricious.

Flavor of romance: Uptown Girl, Defrosting the Ice Queen, #girlbossmode, dancing with danger.

TESIAS | The Serpent (Gender selectable. She/her, he/him, they/them)

Age: Mid 30s? Ethnicity: Mani? Height: 6'0/182 cm

A mysterious masked traveler who offers you information -- for a price. A consummate professional spy, it's hard to tell who they're working for. Idali? Lisandro? Themself? Someone else? They say they're Mani, a nomadic ethnic group often harassed in Alandria. They also say they're shudnah -- outcast by their Clan for some kind of crime. One thing you know for sure: Tesias is out for revenge. And they will get it. But against whom?

Flavor of romance: [INFORMATION CORRUPTED]

[eidingate]

B A S I C S

Name Eidin Kupfohcwin Nicknames Probably more than she remembers. Eid to some, Little Fox to family friends. Age Turning 32 right before Dawntrail Nameday 32nd Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon (RIP to her parents hoping she would be delayed one more day to be born a under the nice steady month of Byregot rather than the capricious month of Oschon) Race Sea Wolf Roegadyn Gender Cis female? More likely genderfluid Orientation Bisexual Profession Part-time Warrior of Light, full-time menace against the Empire, occasional craftsperson.

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C  T S

Hair Turquoise with golden highlights, reminiscent of oxidized copper. Currently worn short with a metric ton of pomade keeping it styled. Eyes Marigold orange Skin Pale turquoise green Tattoos/scars Hands are heavily scarred with nicks and burns from reaching into still-hot magitek machines. She's definitely earned some more significant scars over the years across her back and torso. What tattoos she has are strategically hidden, but one is a jackdaw, representing her family.

F A M I L Y

Parents Wintgeim - Mother. A mechanic and former sky pirate. She leads a band of roving magitek scavengers, the Winter Jackdaws. She has a big, fierce personality and is strongly protective of her little band. Kupfohc - Father. A Sharlayan scholar who hired her mother as a guide while he investigated the environmental effects of magitek around Ilsabard and wound up never returning to his studies. He's a gentle soul with a love of music. He was basically disowned when he chose not to return to Sharlayan. Siblings Thuvwilt - Older brother Fraeswys - Younger sister Grandparents Opylona - Grandmother. She basically raised Eidin and her siblings when they were too young to go on scavenging jobs with their parents. In-laws and Other Her mother's scavenger band is her wider family -- some by blood and many others not. Not surprisingly, this ambiguous style of adoptive family has translated into her adopting the Scions as well. Pets Sadly she never stays anywhere long enough to want the responsibility of pets long-term, but she falls in love with many friends' pets and spoils them rotten.

S K I L L S

Abilities In combat, Eidin's skills lie in dancing around the edges of the battlefield before delivering quick, precise strikes. She is master of all physical ranged weaponry, but often turns to the Red Mage foil for its versatility. She is constantly on the move, weaving in and out of range of the enemy and scanning for weaknesses. Out of combat, she dumped all her stats into charisma. She's adaptable to different groups of people of various cultures, high class and low. She's quick to gain people's trust, and trades often in favors. She dabbles in new skills wherever she can, making her very much a jack-of-all-trades, but rarely sticks with anything for long. Hobbies She's a bit of a tinkerer who delights in taking things apart just to put them back together differently. She likes making little clockwork contraptions out of scrap parts -- nothing so intelligent as a mammet (she's not sure she can take the existential questions around creating something smart enough to talk back), but with some basic functions. She also plays the violin, though this is one of the few things that she is shy about performing in front of others.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait Give her five minutes, and she will become your best friend. Warm and open and fascinated by everyone around her. Most Negative Trait Being everything to everyone and constantly changing yourself to suit their expectations surely has no long-term repercussions right??

L I K E S

Colors Gold, orange, shades of blues and greens Smells Lavender, campfire smoke, fresh bread, crushed pine needles, bergamot tea with a splash of honey Textures Well-worn leather, smooth chocobo feathers, freshly-polished gemstones Drinks Chilled mead in the summer, warmed rum on chill nights. Rich heavy porters. Black tea with a bit of milk and honey.

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes Only socially. You never know when you might need to offer a cigarette to a bored Garlean sentry to keep them occupied or press them for information. Drinks All kinds. The local establishment is the best way to learn about a new place, after all, and what kind of liquor a place produces says much about their culture. Drugs She's been known to partake of the fogweed on occasion Mount Issuance Eidin loves chocobos so so so much and turns to them during quiet periods when there are few dangers expected on the road. Her company-issued chocobo is named Fisticuffs for its habit of trying to fight everything and everyone. She has a few favored chocobos that she'll rent out in different regions when her own is too far away. There is no in-game mount that quite fits, but I like to think she's got a heavily modified magitek vehicle that's flight-capable -- something like the Magitek Sky Armor but much more homemade. Been Arrested Ask her about this after a beer or two.

------

Tagged by @elliewiltarwyn! Thanks for the tag!

I feel like I'm late to the party on this BUT just in case you haven't done it yet and are waiting to be tagged, I nominate @ravandfriendsxiv, @amons-hat-enthusiast, @oathkeeper-kima

Totally optional, of course!

[noxtms]

dear rachel ; we are pleased to inform you that your application for FLEUR WEASLEY-DELACOUR has been accepted to 𝐧𝐨𝐱 ! sobhita dhulipala is now taken. you have twenty four hours to submit your account, or else your role will be reopened !

⧼ sobhita dhulipala, cis woman, she & her / king by florence and the machine + they named you fleur, for flower. for something beautiful, born in spring. your mother was lovely. primed & perfect - she put her makeup on before they left for the birthing ward, that night, and touched it up before they posed for pictures. your father was kind. he told anyone who'd listen that he didn't care who you took after, more, so long as you were healthy. they dressed you in a pretty pink dress and wrapped you in a gossamer blanket and brought you home to your ivory tower. every inch the fairytale princess, just sans the dragon. / when safia elhillo wrote, i'm sorry you got this storm cloud for a daughter instead of the flowers you deserved. / you always knew that you were pretty. it never needed to be said; though it was, and often. jealous girls and starstruck boys - you found yourself a target for misplaced ire and schoolyard crushes. fleur delacour, always pretty in pink, your long sleek hair tied back with bright white ribbons, your face the first thing anyone saw and everyone commented on. it never felt right. you were other things, too - whip smart. recklessly brave. big hearted. it didn't matter. you never wanted for anything except to be taken seriously, and the cruellest thing you ever knew, back then, was how little anyone else cared for your pathetic sorrows. / catherynne valente said, she knew herself, how she had slowly, over the years, become a cat, a wolf, a snake, anything but a girl. / your name was pulled second. you came dead last. it was exhilarating, all the same. okay, so you're beautiful; so are dragons. you've seen them! so are merpeople. so is death, though you choose wisely who to share this particular thought with. what happened was horrifying, no doubt about that, but it forces you to confront parts of yourself you never knew existed when you are faced with your own mortality time and time again and refuse to back down or go easy. you're pretty and people hate it. sometimes they just hate you, but you're not the only one who sees how much more you are, anymore. the war comes and you meet it headlong, courageous. it leaves and you keep going, much the same. / 'helen, helen, come home; there was a helen before there was a war, but who remembers her?' / when eve, the first woman, ate from the forbidden fruit under a serpents watchful eye. when sweet little sansa stark of winterfell chose to name her monstrous direwolf 'lady'. when persephone, demeter's only daughter, descended into the underworld and became both death and the maiden. when yennefer of vengerberg admitted for the first time that the beauty she had chosen after a lifetime of chasing hadn't been her hearts deepest desire, after all. when theo crain shook her head and told steve that she'd be using her share of the money, not on cars and purses and travel, but to get her fucking phd. ⧽ ━━ hey, isn’t that FLEUR ISHANI WEASLEY-DELACOUR? i read a daily prophet article on them, once ; the THIRTY THREE year old quarter veela WITCH is a BEAUXBATONS alumnus who has gone on to be an UNSPEAKABLE (DEATH ROOM). i’ve heard they can be quite CANNY & UNWAVERING, but i don’t know… they came off very CAPRICIOUS & HAUGHTY in that interview. it really is hard to know what to believe these days though, isn’t it? [ rachel, 26, gmt, she/they ] * mozzie's wc for separated fleur

[rochellehassan]

cover reveal! NOX WINTERS AND THE MIDNIGHT WOLF is an upcoming middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of Gravity Falls and Over the Garden Wall. This beautiful cover is by artist @velinxi and designer @mollyfehr!

I've been a huge fan of Xiao's work for years, so having her art on one of my books is an absolute dream come true! I could not be happier with how this turned out :')

NOX is out on September 3, 2024 from HarperCollins, and is available for pre-order now. Summary below the cut:

For twelve-year-old Nox Winters, the town of Evergreen isn’t home—it’s a tourist trap in middle-of-nowhere Maine for amateur cryptozoologists hoping to spot its infamous legend, a batlike creature known as the Evergreen Devil. But his twin brother, Noah, has been wasting away from an illness that has left medical professionals stumped, and the doctors here in Evergreen are his last hope. And Nox goes where Noah goes. As Noah’s condition worsens, Nox begins to suspect that Evergreen is doing more harm than good—and that there might be some truth to the local tales of fearsome cryptids and mysterious disappearances. When Noah falls into a deep sleep that Nox can’t wake him from, Nox’s only chance at saving him lies in the surrounding forest; there, he discovers a hidden world where it’s always nighttime, full of powerful magic, supernatural creatures, and capricious minor gods. Nox must venture deeper into an endless night and successfully bargain with the terrifying Keepers of the forest for a cure to Noah’s ailment, or else neither twin will leave Evergreen alive.

[mwolf0epsilon]

For those who wish to know the secret behind James' name... I simple showed Eps a picture of Jessie and James from Team Rocket and Eps was sold on my dumb naming idea

The naming system of the 105th is basically a huge joke on them being opposites to the 501st.

This is more apparent in the case of Hardcase & Clearcut, Dogma & Caprichoso (who's name means capricious), Tup & Lobo (who's name means wolf) and the Domino Twins & Jenga Twins.

In other cases we pull some extra punches for the sake of having a good laugh:

Rex and Carno

Jesse and James

Kix & Bon

[stardate44002point3]

Shaw's Quint speech

Shaw's Quint speech was exactly what we needed to understand where he's been coming from all season. The man was deeply traumatized by the Battle of Wolf 359; not just the terror of all that death and destruction but also the guilt at the sheer capriciousness (and, in his mind, injustice) of his own survival.

It's clear from the comments in the first episode, that he's had a successful career since, he might be a little more conservative in his captaincy style than Picard or Riker would be, but he's obviously a good Captain. He's been in command of the Titan for five years, he has a lot of successful missions under his belt. He has obviously worked hard to put his trauma behind him and move on with his life.

He even selected an ex-Borg XO; recognizing that she has strengths to bring to his command, that he doesn't have. He might have to compartmentalize a little by referring to Seven by her human, not Borg name, but that's a) possibly because that's the name on file for her with Starfleet and b) if she truly had a problem with it (I've seen it described as "abuse" on reddit) then she could request, and almost certainly get, a transfer. There is no indication anywhere that Starfleet would permit a hostile work environment if the victim protested.

All that being said, Shaw has probably spent the last 34 years secretly praying to whatever gods he has that he would never come across Picard in person. If anything qualifies as a trauma trigger, seeing Locutus in the flesh, hearing that voice in person, would qualify.

And, with Picard retired, probably thought he'd succeeded.

And then the fucker shows up on his ship, unannounced, with some bullshit story to get him to ignore his actual orders and head off to the edge of Federation space.

Can you even imagine the kind of trauma response that would generate? No matter how well he has recovered from Wolf 359; no matter how much work he has done on himself - that has to be massively triggering. Hearing that voice, seeing that persona, walking and talking on his ship, even 34 years later.

And does he get time to work through it? Does he fuck.

He gets thrown into a life or death situation, for him and his crew, that he clearly tries very hard to protect; gets injured, drugged and then has to wait for his ship and everyone on it to die.

No wonder he goes off on Picard. And it's not relevant at this point that Picard was a victim too, trauma triggers aren't rational, they are visceral. And Picard is the direct cause of his current predicament (and the incipient death of his crew of 500).

I liked Shaw when we first saw him because he was right; Riker and Picard tried to bullshit him into risking his crew, and he wasn't having any of it (just as they wouldn't have if a retired Admiral and paid-off captain had shown up on the Enterprise 30 years earlier and pulled the same shit on them).

I'm not a fan of protagonist-centered morality (which is something that has always been far too common in ST) and I really liked seeing Picard up against someone who wasn't going to be intimidated by the legend.

The Quint speech just makes him all the more sympathetic.

[alexkaneinq]

Cultist's Gamble Round 11

They don't have any trouble with Pew for the rest of the night, but even after the vampire has dried off, Eric spends the night in his apartment. Kasper works in the evening, so he doesn't mind losing the sleep, and he does learn that the other man is absolutely terrible at cards. He's not a terrible liar, but he just cannot get a winning hand to save his life. Maybe he did something to piss off the gods of fortune when he was alive, maybe they're still punishing him in their petty ways now because he was able to make the best of his life as it stands now. Either way, he won all but three hands and took the man for every copper he had on him, which was a delightful way to spend the evening, only occasionally sparing a sliver of his attention to the rot he put inside of Pew's body. He was curled up and sleeping as a wolf as soon as the moon went high, and still seems to be asleep when Eric sees that the sun isn't rising. Or rather, it is, but the morning appears to be overcast for now. That's fine by him, and good for Eric, the other man able to slip back home under cloud cover without worrying that his skin will be set ablaze. 

"That was an eventful evening in a million ways that I did not expect." Eric tells him as they step out into the hall. Kasper needs to collect his other sigil if they're going to open the door and break it. "You're certain that you won't be in any danger from him?" 

"Not unless he tries to wag his tongue to someone. I can work on making sure that can't be done. I just need to make sure that I don't get any more of Ristol's attention." 

"That might be difficult. Penelope apparently hired him to investigate you, she doesn't believe you could be back for any good reasons." 

He isn't surprised she's the one who hired him, but he does ask, "She likes you, why are you in his crosshairs?" 

"Ristol has always been suspicious of my comings and goings, and it would be disingenuous to say he isn't also jealous. He has always taken a shine to Penelope and I believe he resents how much time we spend working together. You know how capricious and jealous fey can be." 

"Great, so we're just fucked then?" 

"I'll see what I can do about Penelope." He says with a fair amount of consideration. "She can be reasoned with and she trusts my judgement. Though you will have to tell me someday what she believes she caught you doing so I can understand why she holds such resentment for you." 

Kasper snorts. "We'll see about that." He grabs the sigil off of the door and puts it into his pocket to burn when he goes back to his apartment. "Thanks for showing up." 

"Of course, I wouldn't have abandoned you to this situation when I'm the one who put it on you. If you have any other trouble with him, don't hesitate to tell me." 

"I'll keep it under control," he says, "but I'll keep you up to date if the situation changes." He pulls open the door and both he and Eric startle as they find Ristol sitting at the bottom of the stairs taking notes in his little booklet again. 

"Morning Doctor, Mr. Kosk. I didn't realize that you were so close you were spending the night together." 

Eric doesn't have blood in his cheeks to blush, but he starts to stutter, sounding completely flustered, "I beg your pardon--!" 

"Whether we are or not isn't any of your business." Kasper tells him coldly, glad that the seal was only down for a minute or two. "But sitting outside of my apartment is going too far. I don't care who hired you, if this keeps on, I'm going to the guard for harassment, Mr. Ristol." 

"I assure you, Mr. Kosk, I'm not here to cause you any trouble. I just came to check in on Mr. Pew. Not my fault that you two are neighbors. But no matter how long I knocked, no one came to the door." 

"It's barely past seven, Mr. Ristol. I assure you we were all asleep." 

Result: Critical Failure

Bad End Counter: -7

Grady Heart Counter: 1 to -1

"Ah, of course. Well, I should be saying 'hello' then." 

"I would advise against that." Eric tells him coldly, moving in front of the doorway and towering over the other man. "Mr. Pew had some stomach issues last night and was feverish, likely from pushing himself too hard after leaving the lab. He needs rest today, doctor's orders." He doesn't budge an inch and both he and Kasper are deliberate in not clearing the salt and iron line in front of the door. 

"I see, well I guess it was very lucky that you happened to be in the neighborhood, wasn't it, Doc?" He closes his little notebook and puts it in the inner pocket of his coat. 

"Very fortunate indeed. Thank you for your hospitality, Kasper, I hope to see you again soon." 

"Yeah, good seeing you, Eric. I'll come by if Mr. Pew gets any worse." 

"See that you do." He moves down the stairs, hall so narrow that Ristol is forced to move down the stairs himself, Eric effectively chasing him from the apartment. Kasper shuts the door again, goes to his apartment and brings back another bottle of the salt and iron, and puts it in a very thin layer on the jam above the door as well. Given his tenacity, Ristol might try to send a mortal to come and break the line in front of the door, but he won't know about this one. Then he goes back and knocks on Pew's door, calling, "You better clean up and figure out a way to explain that hole, because if you get evicted after less than a week, you're going to get all kinds of bad attention on you." He doesn't get a response, but he doesn't need one, he just turns and goes back into his own apartment to get a few hours of sleep before he has to get up to prepare for work again.

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