#female unkindled

[nightprince]

Day 19: Shadow

Day 19 of @oc-growth-and-development OC-tober. Featured here is my Sorcerer character from Dark Souls 3. Not going to lie, this one was really hard to figure out. I am, once again, shouting out my wonderful wife @nightsminx for assigning the characters and editing the prompts!

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Sriethlann did not fear the fading of the fire like so many others. She wondered if that was because she was a sorcerer. Wondered if, because unlike the pyromancers, the flames never called out to her. Wondered if it was because the heat and the light of the flames repulsed her. The magic of the arcane - and the crystal magic - were cool and precise. Not wild and rash like the flames.

So if pyromancy was out of the question, and she had learned all other sorceries, then what was left to study and learn?

The fools of the Vinheim Dragon School would argue that there was none. They’d turn in their undead graves if they knew she had learned crystal sorcery. Not that they would care. Not that anyone from that wretched school would care what she did anymore.

One pointed purple fingernail traced the dragon tattoo burned onto her face. The last humiliation before they exiled her. For daring to question. For daring to look at other sorceries. For daring to think there was more than what they taught.

So she left to find what she could. To find and master all sorceries. It didn’t matter to her if they had been considered heretical. She cast away the beliefs of the Vinheim Dragon School just as easily as they cast her out. After all, why should heresy concern an exile? After all, why should an exile care about how things should be done?

Sriethlann reached into her witch robes and drew out the tome of so-called Dark Sorceries. The Dragon School were fools for banning these sorceries. Fools for fearing what it meant in order to cast them. Such hypocrites the lot of them. After all, souls were the currency of the world. What did it matter if the sorcery was fueled by the soul? What did it matter if the sorcery was a reflection of humanity?

But that was the problem, wasn’t it?

Humanity was so feared that it was the first thing to be discarded. So feared that the darkness which lurked within everyone was constantly denied and ignored. So feared that anything which drew upon it was branded heresy. So feared that anyone who even glances at it is branded a heretic.

Sriethlann pulled the wide brim of her purple witch’s hat down, casting a dark shadow over the dragon brand. She had already been branded and exiled. What did it matter to her? She had sworn to master all sorcerers.

Nothing would stand in her way.

[iamnightduchess]

WIP: Until Dawn Pt. 2 (18+)

Snippet#1

The small, wrapped up figure lying on the makeshift pull cart began to stir in his sleep. The vigil brown-haired woman who was resting against a nearby tree and keeping watch, scooted over to the pull cart.

“Hey Levi,” asked Hange, concern vivid in her visible eye. “Are you parched? Need something to eat?”

The raven-haired man’s one good, visible eye opened and he responded slowly, “Hange...what was the commotion about earlier?” He awoke in his sleep, when he’d heard the sound of a scuffle from the group. Shaking his drowsiness away, he began to reach out to the bowl in Hange’s hands, but the other woman pulled it away, insisting that she’d helped him instead.

“That? Just a bunch of kids duking it out over centuries old history and dead best friends,” offered Hange, as she continued her recap of the earlier incident. “Jean kicked the shit out of Braun for killing one of the cadets in Trost. Remember that day when the whole unit’s gone outside the walls for an excursion?”

Hange scooped a small sum of the meaty, starchy stew, having been slightly cool off in the cauldron, and pushed it into Levi’s slightly opened jaw. “Take it slowly.” In normal circumstances, Levi would not be caught dead having to be fed by someone else yet it’s now already a regular occurrence between them since the past few days. Hange found it rather therapeutic and in a sense, calming when she saw Levi slowly regaining his strength from an almost vegetative state several days earlier. “How are you feeling?”

Humanity’s Strongest nodded slowly as he took in another spoonful of stew. “Better. All thanks to you, Hange.”

Hange beamed when she saw the only visible end of Levi’s lips curved upwards. A tiny bit. “Is that a smile I see, Levi?”

“Hmm…” Levi grunted, feigning an annoyance towards his longtime comrade’s words. “Anyone died while I was asleep?”

“Levi….” Hange shook her head, yet she couldn’t force back the grin on her face. As she continued to feed him, occasionally alternating with small sips of water from the steel canister, Hange eventually let out a long drawl of sigh, oblivious with the way Levi’s watchful gaze lingered over her face. 

“Something on your mind?”

“Nothing...just, I hope that we can work all of this out. I should’ve seen what Eren was planning, should’ve tried harder to foresee this happening.”

“Stop blaming yourself for that brat’s selfishness.”

“What do you think Erwin would have done?”

There was a flash of reminiscence in Levi's eye when their previous Commander’s name was mentioned. He took a long time to respond to her question. To be honest, it’s a question that has crossed his mind once in a while when he’s faced with a decision-making that requires the priority of one over another, or others.

“He would have prioritized humanity above else. Just like you do.”

Hange nodded, although she was very well aware she wouldn’t be able to fill in Erwin’s position that he left behind, but she would never cease to uphold all the values their former Commander had inspired inside all of those who bear the insignia of the Wings of Freedom. It was rather unfortunate that Erwin’s values had somewhat been violated by the Jeagerists - who twisted their definition of freedom by enabling Eren’s orchestration of the world’s destruction.

Erwin would have fought for the world’s humanity to the death.

Levi’s grunt could be heard as he eventually caught sight of the Female Titan holder, sitting on the other side of the clearing with Armin next to her. Both of the former 104th cadets could be seen conversing, more strained than a cordial manner. His jaw clenched tightly, as memories of his old squad resurfaced at the back of his mind. Eld, Gunther, Auruo and Petra. He could still taste the overwhelming rage that coursed through his blades in the Forest of Giant Trees on that day.

It hasn’t been easy for him to accept working with their enemies was even an option at all, but to face a mutual threat, you’d have to push aside your personal anger and vendetta for the greater good. He made a promise in martial court years ago that he’d be the one who personally keeps Eren in check if he so much stepped out of line. That brat was beyond redemption. If talking to Eren isn’t working, then there’s only one thing left to do.

It would be hard on his only kin, but if it needs to be done, then so be it. Even if it means it would be hurting her the most.

Snippet#2 *contains (some) sexual innuendos somewhere-ish

“Mikasa, you’re burning up. Are you sure you’re not running a fever?,” asked their Commander, as all eyes were now drawn towards her and she truly felt like her silent indecency was forcefully placed on display.

Reiner stopped mid-chew, offering his suggestion, “It could be the start of a heatstroke. Have you drank anything since we got onboard?” Unbeknownst to him that HE was actually the true reasoning behind the sudden spike of her body temperature.

Mikasa shook her head, clearing her parched throat. Yet she unhurriedly reached out to a pitcher of water, to which Armin had already poured into a cup for her. “Thank you,” she said coolly, somewhat relieved that things have been in a way, amicable between them. She downed the whole cup quickly.

Hange-san voiced out her concern. “Mikasa, I want you to take a rest inside one of the bunk rooms available in the upper deck. You’ve done really well today.”

She nodded slowly in return, adhering to her Commander’s order. “Yes, Hange-san.”

There was no concealing the older woman’s maternal concern over the younger recruit who had been the closest thing to a daughter in her life. She observed as Mikasa stood up from her seat and walked towards the main door of the room.

“Wait,” Jean called out to her, “Mikasa, I’ll walk you to the room.”

Reiner, Hange and Armin exchanged odd glances between them. Jean certainly had no idea how wrongful of an implication his suggestion sounded like to most of them. Pieck could be seen shaking her head at the taller man’s naivete.

“I’m fine on my own,” came the monotonous reply from the other woman as she turned her head back towards Jean’s direction. Mikasa’s yearning eyes that were brimming with a telltale sign of a dawning urge, Pieck noticed, were not even gazing at Jean but at another person inside that room.

It was aimed for her direction-- no, she turned to her right hand side and realized that Mikasa’s words were meant for Jean but the longing in her eyes; it was for Reiner. Or, could the words be meant for Mikasa, herself?

Maybe the Hizurian girl is burning with a fever after all. The fever from an old unkindled flame. Zeke’s briefing wasn’t the first time she had heard of Mikasa’s name in Marley. It was from Reiner. He had spoken it out of fear but Pieck knew very well, one does not scream a hated enemy’s name in their sleep and found themselves waking up to an unconscious secretion of some rather privy bodily fluids. Porco, Reiner’s bunkmate in their past years’ missions, had blabbed about it to her once to get a good laugh out of her but she felt only sympathy for their Vice Commander’s predicament and Pieck had made sure Porco swore to take that secret with him to his death.

Porco…. She felt an immediate pang of guilt from within.

“She shouldn’t be alone,” persisted Jean as he pushed his chair back and Pieck decided that someone should remind him that the other woman’s wishes should be respected. “I’m very sure Mikasa said she wanted to be by herself.” Pieck reiterated the female Ackerman’s earlier words. Also, Jean had been grating on her nerves since last night.

“You don’t know her like I do.”

She rebutted, “Knowing someone and actually respecting them are two different things, Jean.”

The other man raised his eyebrow, irritated. The sarcasm within the Marleyan woman's words were not missed by everyone inside that room. “What the hell is wrong with you? Since last night, you’ve been nothing but a bitch to me!”

“JEAN! You’re stepping out of line.” Hange sternly reprimanded her subordinate of his indiscretion, while Armin and Connie were already exchanging nervous glances between them at the unexpected fracas taking place out of nowhere.

Pieck sent him a chilling glare from across the table and goaded, “Commander Hange, I don’t mind if he wants to TRY punching my face like he did with Reiner. He obviously has some anger slash ego issues he needs to sort out.”

Reiner sighed and stepped his foot down. “Pieck, at ease. You and I would need to talk. Now.”

“Sorry, Sir.” Pieck looked down in shame at her own temporary lapse of judgment and offered another apology to the Survey Corps Commander. “I apologize, Commander. My words and action are uncouth and unnecessary. I’m sorry.”

Jean stormed off the room, needing to vent out his frustration somewhere more private (yet again) and Connie shook his head in disbelief, chugging his fifth glass of red wine for the day, much to Armin’s chagrin. Hange gazed down calmly at the papers in her slightly shaking hand, it seemed that the heat and existing tension were getting to everyone when flaring tempers and disgruntled frustrations should be the least of their concerns.

----- 

Until Dawn by NightDuchess

[intakeofbreath]

Gimme 1 to 10 for Dark Souls please!

Ask meme

1.First ship you remember

That is Ornstein/Gwynevere. I think I shipped them because my boyfriend kind of spoiled me that he had left Anor Londo and that perhaps he was an ilussion. Then I went... he left... Gwynevere left... so they left together... that is so romantic!

I still lowkey ship them, with Gwynevere pining hard for Orn but him not reciprocating her feelings.

2.Your newest ship

Dragonslayer Armour/Ornstein ^^

3. Favourite ship ever

NKstein! That is my OTP. I love Prince/Knight dynamic so much, ahh...

4.Favourite m/f ship

Ciaran/Artorias. Gotta enjoy some angst and probably a lot of fluff because Arty is the best boy ever and I'm sure he treated her like a queen

5.Favourite m/m ship

Again, nkstein! The devotion, the faith, the lost, the forgiveness, the strong arms... this mixture is just perfect

6.Favourite f/f ship

This is surprisingly a hard question because I'm not usually super interested in undeads/unkindled, and that's were all the majority of female characters are! But... mmh... I guess it's Female Ashen One/Firekeeper

7.Most innocent ship

Solaire/Chosen Undead! I doubt there's a more innocent ship in dark souls

8.Most fluffy ship

Well, Solaire/Chosen Undead has won a double price!

9.Most angsty ship

Tricky question, all my ships are super angsty in one way or another and I feel that all of them are a good answer xD But you know, I think I'll go with Ciaran/Artorias because he dies and the she dies out of sadness </3

10. Most smutty ship

Seath/Gwyn just because I headcanon Seath to love dick so much he's always all over Gwyn trying to get a piece of that old flaccid ass

[fareastfilm]

FEFF Campus film review - ‘Dance with Me’

WRITTEN BY FAN HONG

“Why do some people like to watch musicals?” wonders Shizuka (Ayaka Miyoshi), a discreet, kempt and industrious Japanese office lady working at a well-established financial company in Tokyo.

She exudes the air of professionalism and cautiousness typical of the Japanese “salaryman” and seems the least likely to let herself loose. “Isn’t it nutty that the musical actors swing their bodies and belt out songs out of the blue?” she reasons. However, after getting entranced into believing that she was born a diva by a charlatan hypnotist, Shizuka cannot help but turn into a boisterous, assertive, untameable musical lead dancing to the beat. In order to break the spell and revert back to a normal life, Shizuka needs to chase down the hypnotist and thus has many strange yet hilarious encounters on a wild road trip through the Japanese countryside.

A breezy blend of musical, road trip and comedy, Dance with Me depicts the story of a woman discovering a talent (for musicals) she initially abhors. Director Shinobu Yaguchi conceived the idea after seeing many foreign musicals. As he pointed out in a recent interview, Japanese audiences generally find bursting into song and dance very strange, and by making this film he hoped to cross this barrier. However, Yaguchi believes that he is tweaking typical musicals by giving Dance with Me an “anti-musical” musical element. Instead of smoothing the plot or helping to reveal the innermost feelings and thoughts of the protagonists, the musical parts often invite trouble for the leads, and could well leave audiences wondering if they are indeed watching a musical at all.

On a scale of 0 to 5, I would give Dance with Me three stars for the satisfactory acting alone. The sheer enthusiasm and liveliness lead Miyoshi radiates when Shizuka loses herself in dance is contagious, and at points it may even make you want to sing along. However, speaking from experience (as a connoisseur of stage musicals and those of Hollywood and Bollywood), I would say the plot is loose and could have been spiced up. Sure, the film is intended to be funny and light-hearted, but that should not come at the cost of not fully exploring the relationship tensions. For example, Shizuka seems to have nurtured a crush on a charismatic male superior who uses his charms to have the female clerks work on extra tasks, but in the end she gets over these feelings. The plot could be significantly more hilarious (at least for me) if the superior was, say, teased by Shizuka dancing around him and pulling off his pretensions, yet the actual film only brushes off the problem by having Shizuka turn down a job promotion. In addition, the symbiotic relationship between the elderly hypnotist and his middle-aged female accomplice deserves closer examination. In the film, they con people into paying for their non-existent hypnotizing magic, but it would be fun to see how this rare success on Shizuka makes them legitimate hypnotists, able to peddle their tricks and enjoy a greater extent of fame.

Unsure of whether to accept a job promotion, despite not finding genuine passion in it, Shizuka can confidently walk away from the winners’ career path (kachigumi) at the end of the film knowing that she has a discovered, proven and inalienable talent for musicals. This might be the biggest takeaway, apart from much-needed, stress-relieving laughter the film surely provides. Personally, it presents a cheerful (though unlikely) alternative to the monotonous, depressing office life of forever being confined in a cubicle and tempered by corporate rules. Just like Shizuka, people might have some undiscovered talent and unkindled passion. Hypnotize yourself, be open to suggestions and you might just stumble upon your real gift.

[evenonelife]

Bonus Video: In this playthrough, I felt bad for how I've treated Anri (male in this game, since I'm playing a female) in the past so I decided that Fortuona would help him out.

Anri has a tragic backstory. We meet her/him on the Road of Sacrifices with her companion Horace. Before the unkindled ash was awakened (lore pls), the two of them had lived in Aldrich's timeline and presumably had been meant for him to consume...

So in the 'present', their mission is to slay the Devourer. From the Road of Sacrifices, they move into the catacombs where Horace becomes lost and meets his end (at our hand..) in Smouldering Lake where he has become hollowed. Anri pushes on and we meet her/him in Irithyll, where we save her from the plots of the Sable Church (lore pls) and allow her/him to make their way up to Anor Londo and to Aldrich. At this point, we are given the ability to enter into Anri's reality (lore pls!) and aid in her/his fight. I chose to do so and we slayed the fell beast in one attempt.

Of course there was a little snafu at the end and we missed some dialogue....but Anri will be able to move to the end of her/his story knowing her/his purpose is complete...and Horace will be able to rest in peace as well.