#grow as a reliable master in the short time he spent with them

[mako-neexu]

a 'beginning' and 'end', a place to feel grounded, a place of bottomlessness, a place of safety and familiarity, the feelings of the living to a journey that seemed to feel as if there is no end in sight can be a burden no one can bear. a familiar feeling of floating as you fall almost endlessly, as if suspended in time, a memory that reminds you of someone from years past, a nostalgic feeling of soft gloves and pink hair, of a small smile of happiness and the faint smell of chemical and antiseptic... so close like a star. all the things you lost, all the sorrow, all the memories of cherished pain and joy shall be your guide until the end. you will reach that destination as one of the living. should you falter and feel as if time had stopped and nothing grounds you to the earth, and you feel that you have been falling endlessly without hope, may the bonds you have gained pull you up. again and again. should you fall, should your heart waver in the face of mind numbing ache to bittersweet nostalgia, everything that you keep close to your heart shall save you, one way or another. as long as there is an end to the fall, you are alive. you are alive.

[husbandohunter]

Stardew Impact [Genshin+Stardew Valley/xReader]

Part 1/3 Kaeya, Diluc

Synopsis: “A mysterious phenomenon brought you and your s/o to an unfamiliar world: Pelican Town! Without the power of Visions, the two of you begin to learn the life of what it takes to be...a farmer?”

(DOMESTIC FARM LIFE YIP YIP)

Coming soon...

Albedo and Childe

Zhongli and Xiao

(A/N): So the brainrot was real in this one. I planned to add Albedo for a Mondstadt edition but kinda went overboard so I gotta split this one into parts too. Wordcount_almost 2k spspspsp

______________________________________________________

Diluc

• Already has the whole year planned in his head. Literally if Diluc were to play this game, he'd have a booming farm within year ONE. Calm and collected through and through, though the new environment raises alot of questions, as long as you were still with him, Diluc ain't complaining

• The town welcomes you two with open arms. It was all thanks to the attire. Diluc wore his usual dark coat adorned with regal gold while you had a dress made of Liyue's finest silk, one that he bought for you. Needless to stay both of you reeked the aura of rich aristocrats (Mayor Lewis is pleased that greedy bastard)

• Once the farm was permitted to your owndership, Diluc began to think of ways to turn it into a vineyard. He was a businessman afterall. Although the staff back at the Dawn Winery were the ones who tended the field, Diluc still knew a few things about planting due to his childhood days Master Crepus would bring him out to their yard and demonstrated the process of gardening. He still remembers those days clearly, doing the very same this moment with you.

• Occasionally works at the Saloon bar. It was the perfect opportunity. As you took care of the farm side, Diluc continues to look for more ways to increase the income while gathering information from the folks around town. Gus LOVES to have him over, like he's just so efficient and reliable! They soon become good friends saying if Diluc were ever to own a wine stock, he would gladly buy from him.

• This is why Diluc would stay a little later due to just chatting with the people from the bar. One time you walked into the Saloon only to the front desk with Emily alone. Turns out the others were in the other room, too busy playing a game of pool. You decided to leave him be since it was rare to have Diluc so relaxed in leisure activities. Thus in the end, you spent your time chatting with Emily until a whole hour has passed before your lover notices and apologizes for losing track of time.

• Everything felt like a dream because it was his dream. To live a life undisturbed from chaos, his duties and the dangers that lurk in Teyvat, Diluc grew fond of the domesticity. There was nothing he loved more than to spend his hours by your side, day after day, returning home to your freshly handmade meals.

• Spring: Already up and early planting the parnersnips (I'm very soft for gardener Diluc you see). What do you expect from a workaholic? Even during his leisure time you would often find him near some plant as he does consider this hobby quite therapeutic. But when it rains, Diluc would be standing beside you with an arm around your shoulder, smiling contently as you lean into his touch. He gazes through the dripping window and silently admires the current progress you both made on the farm.

• Between the two annual spring festivities, I would say the flower dance. Diluc is a private man and would prefer to take things where no eyes were on sight. But with a little bit of nudging from Gus (your wingman), he gives in and leads you to the center stage. Elegant. Graceful. The way you two moved together became the talk of the event. Though, Diluc was already used to people staring by now, all he needed to do was to ignore them and keep his focus on you.

• Summer: No blankets in bed. Nope, its bloody hot in Pelican Town. He tends to stay indoors or anywhere with shade, in other words, his work hours in the Saloon increased.

�� Diluc always has a nice cold drink prepared for you if by any chance you were to pay a visit after a whole day of labour. It's a habit he's made subconciously as if it would be a natural occurance for you to enter the door. His colleagues would ask him who did he make that drink for? Honestly so cute i cri

• Moments like these remind him of Mondstadt, where he quietly wipes the glasses while listening to you talk. Your voice is soothing. Sun rays peek from the side casting onto the umber tables, reflecting a rich golden light as the radio plays a soft song in the background. It's so peaceful, the town was small hence not many people visited the bar, Diluc came to appreciate this warm privacy (plus no Venti and Kaeya which is a huge pog realization).

• Autumn: Harvest time baby. The kegs are full and the sheds are full of kegs. This season was huge stonks and the house ended up getting an upgrade. Diluc is the type of man who wants to make sure that his spouse wouldn't have to work another day of her life. I reckon this is why he's so ambitious because he wants you to have the best and you deserve the best. (Husband material. Slap a ring on him ladies).

When there was no more work left to do, time would be spend peacefully exploring the woods. While you skipped a few steps ahead as the leaves crunched beneath your feets, Diluc follows slowly from behind. He sees your back but his eyes stares somewhere far beyond whats in front of him: His future. 

It was such a stark contrast to the one he envisioned before. One filled with uncertaintly, blocked by darkness with no silver lining in sight, endlessly wandering as he drags the claymore against the ground. There was never a day in which the Darknight hero wouldn't think of Mondstadt. Leaving the city in the incompetent hands of Ordo Favonious while Abyss Mages continue to lurk fuels him to find a way to return as soon as possible and yet...

"Higher big sis!" Jas tightens her hold on the ropes as you pushed the swing with all your might. She laughs, like a child, it was full of innocence and joy. Later Vincent came in and nugdes you, asking when his turn will come.

"You wanna go too? Alright alright don't worry," waiting for Jas to come down, you lift the boy up so that he was seated safely on the chair, "3..2..1 go!"

He wonders if he could just be a little selfish for once.

• Winter: Best man to have in this season. Every morning Diluc would find himself restricted in movements due to a pair of arms around his waist and legs entangled with yours. Turns out you've been doing it subconciously because he's just so warm (Diluc keeps it lowkey and pretends to sleep longer cuz of it)

~~xx~~

Kaeya

• Haha looks like the portal is gone, guess we'll be stuck forever :)). No kidding Kaeya would be so down to stay here for the rest of his life and the best part is to spend it with you. He doesn't show a shred of concern regarding Teyvat, not like he's easily shaken by events that are abnormal, but you can see that Kaeya is truly and genuinely happy. (You're stunned).

• Oho we also have this marvelous landscape just for the two of us? And a cozy little cabin to go along with it as well? This should be fun~ 

• Of course Kaeya would also know a few things about planting, just the basics since he did grow up with Diluc. When they were kids, Crepus would give each of them their own pots so they can grow their own plants. It eventually became a competitive thing where whoever's plant grows the fastest gets to eat the other person's dessert for a year (no one wins. They end up sabotaging each other which Diluc started first, thinking it'll be funny as a joke).

• You are, and will be going on dates with him. In fact, the amount of dates you two went on increased since then. The townspeople would call you two "lovebirds" since he's practically by your side 24/7. 

• I mean he doesn't have the responsibilities as a Cavalry Captain anymore so what else is there to do?

• Would attend all annual events no matter what season. 

• Evelyn constantly gushes how much of a wonderful pair you and Kaeya make and often is the one who provides Kaeya a fresh bouqet of flowers for him to use as a gift. George on the otherhand just rolled his eyes mumbling something along the lines of "youngsters these days" and "crazy hormones."

• Befriends Pam. Love for beer plus somewhat cynical attitude? They get along real swell! She starts sending some recipes into the mailbox of course saying if yall ever need a hand, let her know.

• Spring: I can see Kaeya be switching back and forth between caring for the farm or taking quests posted on Pierre's bulletin board. He likes to keep things interesting, learning the ways of the new world while also getting to know the people around town.

• Would NOT return Mayor Lewis' shorts in which he found in Marnie's room. It's such high quality blackmail material. Kaeya is currently plotting what is the best way to use it to his advantage.

• He didn't tell you of course.

• Summer: There are no blankets because he is your blanket. Since your cabin was small so was the bed. That's why he has to hold you so that no one falls off when rolling over. Either he hugs you with your nose close to his neck, or your back against his chest while spooning you or holding hands if sleeping on your sides became too much. Yall need a serious house upgrade.

• For some reason Kaeya becomes more energetic in the summer. He lets you rest in the shade while handling the farm work for the time being. If you guys got a pet it would be a cat. Hes the first one to refill their bowl every morning outside.

Another day passes as summer comes to an end, the town’s Mayor invited you and your lover to see the annual Dance Of the Moonlight Jellies. Kaeya being the opportunist was delighted to come along. Locking the door of your house, you follow him down the path and made your way to the beach.

Everyone from town was already gathered by the docks when the sun had disappeared down the horizon. You stood by his side in a space far from the others, watching  the candle boats set off to ride the waves, lighting up a small ray of light for creatures to find. 

“Wow,” your tone almost above a whisper, “If only our friends back home could see this too.”

“Perhaps,” he says. Kaeya slips his fingers into yours and you shot him a curious glance, “But let us enjoy this moment shall we? Just the two of us.”

And there they were. A sea of luminescence radiating colours of brilliant blue with hints of green like a city of laterns floating in a world below. Their image reflects in the star of Kaeya's eyes as he wonders, where would they go? Where would the light lead them? They were so free with nothing to worry, so serene just like the sea and unknowningly, he squeezes your hand. It was a sense for confirmation. One to remind him that this moment was indeed a reality he wishes to keep.

Autumn: Finally a house upgrade and a kitchen!! Because it was harvest season, you guys end up making a set of delicious meals with all the recipes the townspeople gave you. Kaeya can cook since he lived by himself back in Mondstadt. Most of the stuff he learned to make were food that can be accompanied by alcohol though...

• Ahah remember Mayor Lewis' lucky shorts? He found a use for them. It was displayed on the stands during the Stardew Valley Fair (Oh my how did this get here? Must be the wind). Ends up buying a Rarecrow for the farm when Lewis bribes him not to tell this to anyone.

Winter: This was mostly an indoor season for the both of you. With the existence of television, nights would be spent until morning while watching movies at the couch. A blanket drapes around your shoulders as extends to his.  Oh and don't forget the hot chocolate! 

[ac3id]

The Artist and His Majesty| 18+

𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝒶𝒿𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓎 0 / 5 | fantasy au. 

chapter i , chapter ii

pairings: yandere! emperor! shigaraki x female! reader.

warnings: [series] dubcon, exhibitionism, size difference, degradation, masturbation, bondage, reader is also kind of delusional, death, violence (not on reader). (there are more but i can’t think right now.]

↪ for chapter 0: none !!

summary: you come to the big city in hopes of starting your career as an artist but things take a shocking turn when you’re recruited as the court painter for the royal palace.

↪ for chapter 0: a strange man approaches you, offering to buy your painting to which you oblige. little do you know that it kicks of a series of unfortunate events ending with you being trapped in shigaraki tomura’s clutches forever.

wordcount. 

a/n: finally !! i started this series. high-key inspired by these two dresses in my wardrobe and @ana-list‘s this  drawing ! seriously it’s literally everything. also thank you once again for proof reading this @the-grimm-writer ! 

taglist: @shigaraki-is-my-master, @deathmemeiverse, @n4dhii, @bat-eclecticwolfbouquet-love, @mstssister, @nereida19, @prince-zukohere [dm to be added/ removed.]

“That’s a beautiful painting,” a rough, scruffy voice calls out, jerking you away from your daydreams. Your grip around the color canvas resting in your arms tightens as you glance behind your shoulder to see a well-built man standing right behind you. He’s tall and a lot older than you, he has short grey hair which falls right before his eyebrows along beautiful, matching grey eyes. A cigar hangs lazily from his lips as he occasionally huffs on it, blowing clouds of smoke out his mouth. He’s dressed in expensive robes, a choice of style only people better off could afford. You can’t help exachaning a covetous glance between his expensive suit and your sloppy, knee-length, light green dress. “Thank you.” you murmur shoving him an appreciative look, hoping he’d leave you alone. When you come to the city to complete your studies in art, you mother, father, family and friends had warned you about men like these. Rich, snobby men who liked to lure in young, naive girls. Whispering praises of how they are the most unique on the planet so they pull their guard down form them to take advantage of the helpless beings. 

“Can I take a better look? It’s the Emperor, is it not? Your painting. ” You hesitate before turning back to him. Not a lot of people had seen the King to be. He lived humbly in his castle, trying his best to not indulge in the affairs of the common people. “ Yes,” you hold up the slightly small canvas (courtesy of you being broke the entire week and not being able to save up to buy a bigger canvas). To even get an idea of Shigaraki Tomura, you had to go through many people. Not a lot of people had seen his face, he had always kept it hidden under a mask. No one knew why he did so but the many conspiracy throes suggested it was something to do with his personal grief.

 You had heard many stories about him. Some made him look like a spoiled brat with a demeaning, ignorant personality who didn’t care for others and as the rumors said: self destructive habits which lead him to tear the skin of his own neck down whenever he got anxious or frustrated. 

Others portrayed him as a strong, confident man and a reliable leader who cared for his comrades. You did not know which one of the two personas brought him your attention but you couldn’t complain. Tomura had caught you under a spell, and despite never meeting him (and knowing full well you never would), you were still ready to sacrifice your life for him. He was your King even before he had taken his crown, to you he looked like a shining bright light ready to enlighten you. To you, he was a god. And as years passed by, he grew from a caterpillar into a cocoon which was ready to burst open as a butterfly into the beautiful, mysterious world. And it was happening today, Prince Tomura Shigaraki’s Coronation ceremony. After the passing of All For One, it was his turn to take the crown and fulfill his duty as the ruler of the nation

 The entire city was busy, bustling with people. Families, friends and everyone in between gathered around the huge castle walls as they waited for the ceremony to begin. They waited patiently, filled with excitement and joy as they waited to catch a glimpse of the new great King. You were among them. You had come down to the centre of the city with your friends, waiting alongside many to catch a glimpse of the new ruler. The painting which nestled in your hand was something you were hoping to sell today, to a shop or anyone who wants to have it. It was a beautiful painting which had taken you several days to complete, and dare you say it, you were quite proud of it. From all the things you had heard about Tomura, you had managed to sketch him decently. Long white, wavy hair reaching till his shoulder, skin white as snow. He sat proudly on his throne wearing a cape with his vermillion eyes peering through your soul. His face was scarcely detailed as you did not have much idea about it but he still looked ethereal. With little scars running both his eyes and a comparatively larger one on his right. Chapped lips with even more scars running over them wildly, he was not conventionally attractive. No one would call him a pretty boy yet there was something more, something alluring which attracted  you to him. His beauty was rare, not in the grasp of many but if it was grasped and held close to the heart, it was hard to let go off. And you found him attractive, very attractive. 

The man took a good look at your painting, examining it carefully and for a second you really thought he had seen the mysterious Prince. “It’s quite similar to him,” he sends you a friendly grin and you notice a tooth from his front missing, leaving an uncomfortable gap. “Have you seen him before?” he asked and you shake your head, no. He gives you an amused expression, “I must say, you are very talented, miss…?” you complete your name with a nervous smile. “And you are?” you ask. 

You realised that you were getting a little too comfortable with the stranger and it could be a really bad decision but you can’t help but give him the benefit of the doubt as he behaves like a gentleman you can find yourself to trust. “Kagero Okuta but I like to go by Giran,” he says with a lop-sided grin. Giran, you’ve heard the name before but cannot recall where and how. It sounds so familiar but you just can’t grasp it, he looked wealthy so you assumed he was a Noble and that made you even more curious as to why he was speaking to you.

 “What are you planning to do with that painting?” he asks, diving a closer look and admiring its features. “I must say, you’ve got it quite accurate but,” you stiffen, your hands growing cold as your heartbeat picks up. You realized your painting must have some complications, drawing a man you had never seen before purely out of your interpretation was a hard and a bold task to do. But to have someone who had actually seen the King for himself pinpoint your mistakes sent a rush of anxiety through your veins.

 “He’s not that bony.” He completes and you gulp nervously, looking down at your painting in disappointment. Your eyes are filled with disappointment,  all of the time and effort you spent making the piece all for it go in vain just because you missed a small detail. Giran notices your remorse and speaks up, “But that’s quite alright. He looked just like that until a while ago,” he hadn’t meant to offend or hurt you. He still believed your painting was the most beautiful thing he had seen all day.

 “What do you mean?” you ponder, giving him a perplexed look. He leans  in closer to you as if to tell a secret, “let’s say the King has been working out behind closed doors.” you blink in confusion. It was a strange thing to say, exactly how well did this man know the Emperor? Who was it that you were talking? 

“Who are you?” you can’t help but question, bewildered by such a character. Giran says nothing. He just stares at you with his lips curled into a snappy smirk, holding his cigar between his lips. He was not going to tell you anything. Without wasting time, he quickly changes the topic. “What are you going to do with that painting?” he repeats, his voice growing impatient.

 “I am planning to sell it,” you feel a bit taken back. The friendly aura which had Giran had now disappeared for a reason you could not conclude. “Sell it? To whom?” the intruding nature of his tone starts to make you uncomfortable, there’s nothing more you want to do other than get far away from him. Yet you still find yourself answering him, “To anyone who wants it.” he hums at your response, his eyes holding a mocking glint. “Wouldn’t you like to give it to the Emperor himself?” you frown, was he mocking you? 

“That’s well...impossible.” you reply, stretching your neck awkwardly. “To you, maybe.” 

You stop yourself from rolling your eyes, this man was really testing your patience. A part of you tells you to ignore him and walk away but as he reaches into his coat and pulls out a bag of coins worth much more than you could ever earn in a month, he has you hooked yet again. 

“Hey, let me buy that painting, would yer’?” 

.

..

..

“What is the problem now?” Giran takes a seat around the round table. It was late after the Coronation ceremony and the Royal palace was already facing problems. Giran was disappointed but definitely not surprised. After all, he was their personal problem solver and broker. “It’s not that big of a deal.” A curt and hard reply cut him off.

 “It actually is, Shigaraki Tomura.” a voice speaks, coming from a man dressed in a black suit with a long, flowy robe covering his entire body. He stands taller than the other two men in the as his head is replaced with a wisp of smoke. He was none other than the trusted and talented magician of the Royal family. With eccentric features and an ability to wield strange magic, nobody knew where he came from. There were many rumors about him; that he was once a normal, handsome man cursed by a witch that turned him into a hideous monster or he simply was a ghost. “What is it, Kurogiri?” Giran rephrases his question, directing it to the other man. “We need a new painter,-” 

“Servant.” Shigaraki corrected. He stood in front of the giant windows glancing over his city as his men talked about hiring a new painter for the castle. He couldn’t care less about such tedious tasks, he had his focus set on greater things like expanding his territory, taking back stolen land. 

“What happened to Mr. Kyo?” Giran asked, Shigaraki rolled his eyes at the mention of the name and clicked his tongue, “His Majesty eliminated him.” Giran stops himself from laughing out loud. He was certain once Shigaraki would take over the throne incidents like so would double the instant. But he was expecting it to happen so soon. “And why was that?” 

“He was breathing too loud, like you are right now.” 

A cold silence broke over the room as Giran counted his breath. Kurogiri looked nervously at Shigaraki who still had his back turned to them. The longer the pause grew, the dreadful the atmosphere became. Shigaraki’s threat strung the air loud and clear and Giran was afraid to speak again. “What we are asking for is that-,” Kurogiri started in a calm, slow tone easing the tension in the room. “-we need a new court painter. Do you have any names?” 

The murderous sent in the air magically disappeared as a grin stretched across Giran’s face. 

“Aren’t you in luck?” He says, running a hand through his hair before taking a puff out of his cigar. “Does that mean you know someone?” Kurogiri questioned. Giran hummed, “You see, I met this beautiful painter today. She’s extremely talented and I know for a fact she will love working for the castle.” 

“What’s the name?” growing impatient, Shigaraki asks. “Oh, it was,” Giran pauses for a moment to recall. 

“Ah yes, Y/N L/N.” 

[vixeyfoxworth]

this ain't for the best my reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me.

we can't make any promises now can we, babe? but you can make me a drink

BASICS

Name: Victoria Grace Foxworth Nicknames/Alias: Vixey, Vix, occasionally Tori. She really hates being called Vicky and though she’s nice about it if it happens she does address it and ask if they not call her that. Face Claim: Emma Stone Age: Twenty-nine Gender/pronouns: Cis woman / she/her Sexuality: Pansexual. Vixey’s never really felt like she develops feelings based on gender, it’s always based on the human and their connection and character. Date/Place of Birth: June 6th / New York City Currently:  Avonnola Occupation: Actress, previously performing on Broadway

HISTORY

Childhood/Family Life: Vixey grew up in an incredibly loving and supportive home. Her father’s a veterinarian, primarily serving exotic animals, while her mother, a veterinarian primarily serving farm and domestic animals. Her father spent a few years working around the world before her parents met and then after they met they were able to do a bit of traveling thanks to his job. From day one Vixey was taught to love and care for animals always. She was raised vegetarian, using locally sourced animal products. Growing up Vixey thought her parents may push her to pursue their dreams for her but to her surprise they were fully supportive of her little girl as she pursued choir and the theatre clubs in school. From a young age Victoria loved to perform, commanding a room when she walked in without effort, sometimes due to her striking red hair, but most of the time it came naturally thanks to her personality. Due to her parent’s jobs, and her dad eventually opening his own practice, Vixey’s always lived a very comfortable life. Though Vixey was born in New York City, her parents are both from small towns in Tennessee and made sure to expose Vixey to more than just the fast paced city life.  Education: In high school Victoria was a big of a teacher’s pet. She got her undergraduate degree in theatre performance and went on to get her MFA in acting and most of the time questions if she even needs it. Accomplishments: Pursuing her dream of becoming an actress and performing on Broadway. Being nominated for a Tony Award and being nominated and winning various other drama related awards. Completing her master’s degree as that was one of the biggest headaches of her life. Regrets: Vixey isn’t very big on actively regretting things, mostly because she knows if she does she’ll dwell on things and it’ll only make her feel worse. She tends to be incredibly impulsive and can also be jealous so she doesn’t like to give herself time to think too much about actions. She certainly regrets things she’s said to people in the past, especially when she’s been upset. Secrets: tbd.

PERSONALITY

Positives/Virtues/Skills: She’s kind, loving, empathetic, a team player, self-confident, a good listener, and very efficient when it comes to completing a task. Victoria learns fast, she’s a visual learner and loves to collaborate with others. One of her favorite things about performing on stage is that yes, it’s important to pour everything you can into your character for yourself but also for the sake of the show. Unless it’s a one woman show, you’re never truly alone on stage - and even then you’ve got a tech crew truly making you shine. Vixey’s always been very complimentary of her off stage coworkers. She’s reliable in a way but also unreliable in others. If you want someone to help you, she’s your girl, but if you want to go out on the town with someone who will stick by your side the whole night no matter what, she’s probably not because she’s been known to disappear for the night with a partner or with new friends she’s made.

Flaws/Weaknesses/Negatives: Vixey can be jealous and is often stubborn, wanting to make decisions and do things on her own terms, and it isn’t always to her benefit or the benefit of others. Though she can be patient, she tends to have a short fuse and can go off about little things, though she tries to apologize and own up to her mistakes in that regard and has gotten better. She tends to act impulsively, especially when it comes to somewhat non-life altering decisions. Vixey knows if she thinks too long about something she’ll overthink it so she tends to act without thinking. She’s working on it but it still happens.

Personality Type:

ESFP - Entertainer

Likes & Dislikes:

Vixey’s favorite color is red, she loves anything that sparkles, her music taste varies on the day, she’ll listen to almost everything. She took dance classes as a kid and kept up with them through college. She loved playing the piano as a kid and though she doesn’t play anymore she could if she had to. She loves shopping and thanks to her comfortable life has never really had to worry about treating herself every now and then. She’s not necessarily one for designer brands, unless it’s for a special event or she finds them at a discount. Vixey loved a good bargain but often comes across as materialistic thanks to her hobby. She actually doesn’t like going into designer stores, they feel more like a museum than a store to her. She likes to pick up and try things on before buying them and she doesn’t feel super comfortable doing that in those stores. She likes to be in control of a situation, she’s not necessarily bossy and she doesn’t always like to be in charge or in a leadership position but she definitely likes to be in control of her own thing. She loves plants and comfy beds and naps in the afternoon. She hates phone calls and rude comments on her instagram. 

Dreams/Ambitions:

She’s already achieved her dream of becoming an actress and she only hopes to continue that. She’d love to open her own dance studio someday to help others pursue their own dreams. She figures in another life she’d work in a bookshop or library but she isn’t so sure her own need to constantly have something to do would serve her well in a job like that.

Fears:

Abandonment or being left out. As an only child Victoria had a difficult time connecting with other kids right away until her parents finally enrolled her into a preschool program. That didn’t last long, though and it wasn’t until Vixey was in school that she finally had proper interaction. She was often left out of games early on and a lot of kids made fun of her hair, saying he looked like a fire engine but eventually she just focused on the fire part. Later when she began to date she dated.. a lot, but was either left or left before she could be left.

RELATIONSHIPS

Parents: Katherine and Jeff Foxworth Siblings: Victoria is an only child. Children: None, and though she may not admit it, she wouldn’t mind having a big family someday. Spouse: n/a Current Partner: tbd Ex-Partners: tbd Friends: tbd! message me for wanted connections :) Enemies: tbd! message me for wanted connections :)

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Build: 5′6″, slender, loves to wear heels to appear taller than she is, especially around men who are taller than her. Hair Colour: Red Eye Colour: Hazel Green Distinguishing Marks: Victoria has a tattoo on her left side just under her breast, two butterflies, that she got on a whim after college.

[lightshadowverisimilitude]

Temeraire ABO Prologue/?

I am 82,000 words into this one, so, it is safe to say that I will be able to post consistently for a little while at least. 

Laurence has spent the entirety of his adult life hiding his orientation. His worst nightmare is that someone will discover he is an omega.

As requested, tagging @tamaras-random-little-corner @whenflowersfade @memprime  

Watch out for the cut, ducklings.

~*~

Laurence stood at the rail and watched England disappear beyond the horizon. Somewhere ahead of him was China. Below his feet was Yongxing and the whole of his embassy with seven or eight months in close quarters and nothing else to do with their time but try to separate him from Temeraire. 

The part of his heart that had always been drawn to the sea was relaxed in a way it had not been in the months since he and Temeraire had been set ashore in Dover, but he was surprised to realize that it no longer quite felt like home to him. He had been at sea for eighteen years and had always felt a little ill-at-ease on solid land before. 

His first brief trip on a ship had been his uncle’s merchant vessel when he'd been about nine. At the time, he’d thought it a real marvel, though in reality it was quite a small vessel with a crew of only fifteen. They had traveled far enough away from the shore that Laurence could see nothing but endless ocean in all directions. He had felt a swelling sense of wonder, at once both alone in all the world and connected to it in a way that he couldn’t explain. His heart had been for the sea from that moment on. At least until Temeraire.

Laurence reached out and set a hand on Temeraire’s forearm. He wanted nothing more in that moment than their clearing at Loch Laggan, but he could only be grateful for their reunion, even if that reunion lasted only as long as the journey to China. He pulled himself up into the comfortable crook of Temeraire’s arm to enjoy the warmth of the sun and the cool salt breeze. If staying onshore wouldn’t have risked the Admiralty changing their minds about sending him and his whole crew with Temeraire, Laurence would have preferred to remain on land for another two or three weeks to get through his cycle before being confined to the ship.

It did not matter. He had gone through dozens of cycles onboard and could manage another. It would not be as comfortable or easy to hide as when he had been in command of the ship, but that, too, he had done before. A five-day fever would not be uncommon or unexpected on a long sea voyage, though he did not like that it would come so soon when Temeraire was intent on playing the nursemaid and concerned over his health. Laurence could already feel the prickly sense of discomfort of the cycle, and guessed that he had maybe two or three days until he was in the thick of it. He looked up at Temeraire. From the angle, he could really only see the underside of Temeraire’s chin and the thin tendrils dangling over the side of his jaw. 

Laurence would have to try to endure as long as he could to stay at Temeraire’s side and alleviate his concerns as much as possible. If he was lucky, the exhaustion brought on by his recent injury would work in his favor, and he would sleep through the first part of it, though he would need to isolate himself in his cabin once the fever came on or risk discovery.

Over the years, he had grown accustomed to laying the groundwork for his periods of isolation, and coughed into his fist. 

“Laurence?” Temeraire asked immediately, alarmed. “Oh, it is too cold. Roland! Do bring another blanket!” he ordered before Laurence could even get his fist down from his face. 

“My dear, no, I am quite well. Please do not concern yourself.” 

He needn’t have bothered to protest. Roland had jumped up and was already gone belowdecks, though he did manage to put a stop to it before Keynes was summoned, and immediately felt guilty for the ruse. He had never liked it, play acting at being ill, but a convenient fever was the only means he could reliably use to lock himself in his cabin and trust that his crew would not bother him for fear of spreading the sickness. If any of his crews had ever suspected the cause of his illness, no one had let on. 

Roland reappeared with the second blanket, and Laurence withheld his frustration at the treatment as she was directed by his overgrown mother hen to wrap it around his shoulders. She had also taken the initiative of bringing a cushion, and tucked this between his neck and Temeriare’s arm. 

“Thank you, Roland,” Laurence said dryly. She gave him an impish grin and danced back to her play with the other runners. 

It was going to be a long week. 

~*~

Laurence was practiced at hiding the initial onset of his cycle, but that had been easier when he’d had actual duties and could blame the vagaries and stresses of command for any shortness in his tone. It was different when he had a very attentive dragon who had little to do with his time other than hover over Laurence. He watched Riley and Purbeck on deck with a growing sense of jealousy and irritation. Every order built up the annoyance under his skin until it was all he could do to tuck himself in between Temeraire’s arms and feign sleep. Even then, sleep came rarely, so he had to just clench his teeth and try to block out the sounds and scents around him. 

“Laurence, are you quite sure you are well? The wound is not bothering you?” Temeraire asked when Laurence woke in overheated agitation, already struggling out of his nest of blankets before he was even fully aware. 

Laurence blinked rapidly, trying to place himself. The sky was dark above him, stars wheeling ahead. For a panicky moment, he thought he’d fallen asleep on watch, but finally registered Temeraire’s chest at his back and remembered where he was and why. He was parched, and the hand he dragged across his forehead came away slick with sweat. His leg also ached in dull fire of complaint, dragging the memory of the skirmish with the French and subsequent confusion of the harness straps tangled around his leg, the later horror of his crew standing with weapons raised opposite Marines. 

Shaking his head to dislodge the spiral of memory before it dragged him under to waking nightmares, Laurence patted at Temeraire’s chest.  

“I think, perhaps I am not feeling well after all,” he said finally, struggling to his feet.

“I will call for Keynes immediately -!”

“No, Temeraire, please do not disturb anyone on my account. I will just go below and get some sleep. I am certain that I shall be well again soon.” He patted at Temeraire’s hide and stood, but kept one hand on the smooth black scales as he walked around Temeraire’s outstretched arm to the stairs leading off the dragon deck. 

Temeraire called after him in some concern, but Laurence feigned not to have heard and made his way down the hatch, clutching unsteadily at the rail as he went. He felt faint and dizzy, his stomach twisting and chest aching. He did not run into anyone en route to his quarters and bolted the door firmly behind him. Laurence drained the tankard of water on the cabin’s small table, and then crawled into his hammock and closed his eyes against the prickling burn.

The sway of his hammock was familiar, but the motion was not pleasant with his stomach squirming with nausea and his head throbbing. He reached out blindly to put one hand on the bulkhead, but it didn’t help to stabilize him. Heat was already building under his skin, and he guessed that the next morning would see his cycle take hold in earnest.

~*~

Part way through the next day, Riley came to see him. Laurence thought that if anyone had guessed the truth about him, it would be Riley. Laurence had made something of a name for himself by taking young officers under his wing and then recommending them to other captains after a year or so of service. As a result, he had developed an odd reputation as both a fighting captain and something like a school master. Other captains were always happy to take his young officers, already well-trained, while Laurence would accept a new batch of fresh faces at the onset of the following voyage. 

Riley, though, had come up under him from midshipman, and had been his longest-serving officer. It was as much at Riley’s fervent insistence as for the growing friendship between them, but it had been dangerous for him as well. The frequent change over of his officers meant that very few of them had ever seen him through more than one cycle, while Riley had likely witnessed a dozen or more. Surely, enough to do the math. 

Despite this, Riley had never so much as hinted at a suspicion. When he called through the door, Laurence hesitated only a moment before cracking it open. 

“My apologies, Captain Riley. I appear to have a bit of a fever. It is probably best if I do not accept visitors for the time being.” 

Riley did not try to push into the cabin, but nodded to him. “Of course, Captain. Your dragon has been asking for you, and I would like to prevent any … anxiety. Might I carry word to him?”

Laurence considered straightening his clothing and going up topside, but he was in no condition to be around people for anything less than an emergency. As his cycle progressed, he would become increasingly more unstable and have less self control. The damage of being on deck with potentially hundreds of witnesses could not be easily understated. 

“Please tell him I am well enough, just tired. If I am feeling better this evening, I will come up.”

Riley gave him a critical once over, but nodded. He handed a bell through the hand’s breadth of space Laurence had left open. “If you need anything, please ring for it. I have made it a general order to keep this corridor clear during the day where possible, though there will be men at the far end if you have need of anything.” 

“Thank you, Captain,” Laurence said sincerely. His eyes fastened briefly to the cut of Riley’s jaw, the soft space just behind the ear. He shook himself to break the spell and accepted the bell, keeping his fingers well away from Riley’s in the exchange. He closed the door firmly and leaned forward to rest his forehead against it to listen to Riley’s steps as they retreated. 

The pressure low in his pelvis built up so quickly that it made him gag. He doubled over, knees hitting the deck. He tore at the ties of his trousers and shoved his hand inside, but it took nothing more than pushing his fingers against the warmth just behind his balls to come, blinding fast and so hard that it was more pain than pleasure. 

He toppled sideways and gasped for breath, the heat and urgency momentarily abated, though the customary anger took its place. It was a useless anger. Outside of his cycle, he could discipline himself to dismiss it. This was biology, and it was not a thing that had been done to him out of spite, though he had railed against God enough in his youth. In the grips of it, he could barely see past the rage that the majority of the population was never held in this miserable prison, and society would be more than happy to punish him for it if anyone ever learned the truth.

~*~

Sometime around midnight, fucked out on his own hand, oversensitized and shaking with reaction, Laurence nonetheless took the time to clean himself with meticulous care, dress neatly, and make the trip above decks to see Temeraire. The corridor was clear, and the deck was empty but for the officer of the watch, a pair of hands playing cards around a lantern some ways down the deck, and Granby sitting at Temeraire’s elbow with a novel open on his knees, reading aloud by lamplight.  

“Laurence!” Temeraire declared loudly enough to pull the sailors’ attention from their game, interrupting Granby mid-sentence. 

“Captain,” Granby greeted, obviously not at all offended to be interrupted. If anything, he looked rather relieved.

“Mr. Granby, my apologies for the interruption,” Laurence said anyway. Granby had discarded his coat, and his neckcloth hung open over his shoulders, revealing a strip of skin, sweat slick in the hollow of his throat. 

Laurence yanked his eyes forcefully away, already feeling the resurgence of heat below his belt. He cleared his throat and crossed the dragon deck to the rail. Cool spray hit his face and he breathed in the air. He would have liked to have his window open, but, under the right conditions, the water could carry sound for miles. The last thing he needed was Temeraire hearing whatever noises he couldn’t suppress and becoming more worried, or, worse, anyone else hearing him and knowing exactly what he was doing. 

“Are you well, Laurence?” Temeraire asked anxiously, leaning down to bring his eye level with Laurence’s face, his chin just hovering above the railing. “Captain Riley was kind enough to let me know he had spoken with you, but I do hope your wound is not troubling you. Perhaps we should return to England, Laurence. At least until you are well. If Prince Yongxing does not wish to wait, he can go on without us. I am quite sure I could make it back to land from here." 

“My dear, it is only a fever, and you see that I am much improved already. I am sure in another day or so, you will hardly know that I had ever been ill.” He stroked Temeraire’s soft nose. For the first time, he truly wished he could share this burden with someone else. It felt wrong to hide any part of himself from Temeraire, but he had been keeping this secret for so long that he wasn’t sure he could have made himself say it, even if they were not surrounded by ears. Laurence was not willing to rely on the polite fiction of ignorance for this. 

He swayed at another wave of heat boiling up out of his gut and over his chest. He disguised it by leaning against Temeraires’ cheek and resting his forehead on the eye ridge. 

“You do feel quite warm,” Temeraire said in obvious concern. 

“You are right, my dear. Perhaps I will return to my cabin. I will see you tomorrow. Mr. Granby.” He nodded his head to his first lieutenant, who watched him very carefully, but nodded back as Laurence passed him on the way to the hatch. 

~*~

The rest of his cycle passed uneventfully. Once he felt the last of the heat fade and hunger starting to return, he opened his windows to air the cabin out and gathered his linens to be washed. He was greeted warmly at the breakfast table, and reassured those present of his returned health. He was ravenous, but made himself maintain the fiction of having just recently recovered from illness and took his gruel and biscuit without complaint. 

Depending on their luck with the winds and how much Riley pushed their speed, he might have one more cycle to withstand aboard. He could not honestly say if he would prefer to weather the potential suspicion or concern of appearing to catch the same brief illness twice in so short a period, or risk being incapacitated in China. 

He would endure it either way. He hardly had a choice in the matter.

[meghand]

i’ve had a lot of thoughts about rue and jules and their relationship building up and i feel like i need to get them out so here goes: i’ve been seeing a bunch of posts about these two basically either saying that they’re a perfect cutesy couple and should just be together forever or that they’re super toxic for each other and should not be together

and i kind of feel like i have a foot in both camps

on the one hand, as of the end of season one, their codependence does seem unhealthy. rue has placed a lot of her sobriety in the hands of the happiness that she’s found in being with/around jules, whether or not jules signed on for that or if she’s even fully aware of it. that’s not fair to either of them, and one person can’t ever really be responsible for another’s progress and mental health like that. so far we have seen rue take a few steps toward getting better and stronger on her own and for herself, but the mentality she’s maintained throughout this season is that jules is the end all be all.

 and to me it seems like jules, when she decides she loves someone (which, given the fact that she thinks she’s in love with anna after meeting her once, may not be the most reliable) she dives in head first; with “tyler” who she met on an app and had no way of verifying whether or not he might actually be the person he said he was (in more ways than one, as we found out), she agreed to meet him late at night in a secluded area where there was no one else around to see or hear a thing; with anna, as i mentioned above, she spent one intoxicated night (was it a whole weekend? not actually sure but still) with her dancing, hooking up, and getting, to be honest, fake-deep and calling it a real connection.

with rue it’s a bit different. we clearly see that rue falls for jules very early on and girlfriend is by no means a master of controlling her face. but they start as friends. they get to know one another (with secrets here and there, to be sure) slowly but solidly. they make each other happy. and jules takes her time in realizing and admitting that what’s driving this friendship/relationship might actually be love after all. and when she finally admits this, out loud to rue, she takes rue’s half-joking running away suggestion and says fuck it let’s go. without thought to logistics, without a plan, in her mind all that matters is that they’re in love and that’s all they need to get by. 

but, i think, the fact that with rue she took time to form a foundation and settle into the thrill of being in love... that might make all the difference

yes, she leaves rue on the platform while she remains on the train, but every time these two are apart, jules misses rue. she talks about rue. they’re in near constant contact from the moment they meet. she even asks if she should text rue when she’s literally dancing with anna who could not more clearly be trying to get with her. i’ve seen some people say that jules’ feelings for rue aren’t that strong or that rue is only convenient to her, but i think a lot of that reservation comes from knowing but not knowing how rue feels about her. yes, to us it’s obvious, but to me that moment in the bathroom stall when she asks rue why she doesn’t kiss-kiss her is so telling. she knows rue likes her, but rue (who is likely asking herself the same questions) hasn’t shown the outright passion that jules thinks is there but can’t be quite sure, and without that confirmation, letting herself fully feel and express a real love that goes beyond the texting and short-lived romances we’ve seen her in so far has got to be, well, scary.

when rue decides not to get on the train, we see that she can separate her love for jules and need to be with her/make her happy from her own well being. despite the drugs she takes at the end of the finale, i can only assume that as she recovers from her relapse, this time she knows that a support system can’t be a single person she just puts herself into. we’ve seen her get help from her mom. we’ve seen her push and encourage her sister to do better than she did. she’s got a sponsor who’s going to kick her ass, tell her “i told you so,” and then help her see that a relationship is like a bridge between two towers - if their structural integrity relies too heavily on the bridge, when the bridge caves in, the towers can only follow suit, but if the towers themselves are built up strong, in the event of a bridge collapse, they will remain upright. 

and rue will build herself back up with a stronger foundation. by staying behind even after jules begged her to join her on the train, told her again the words rue has been waiting to hear practically since they met, that jules loves her, she has shown us, and jules, and herself that she has the capacity to do what’s right for herself even if it means not making jules happy. this moment is a huge first step. because they do love each other, they just haven’t yet been able to do it right. part of that is just them being teenagers. 

i think the finale has shown us so much more potential for the future of the relationship between rue and jules than anyone has given it credit for. and while, i admit, they are by no means in a perfectly healthy relationship throughout the one season we’ve gotten so far, we’ve been left off at the perfect pivotal point for these two characters to own up to their situations, learn and grow on their own, and come back together in a way that is healthy and as close to perfect as these things can get.

[kwanisms]

To the Sky Profiles 03

Age: 27

Place of Birth: Leadporte

Social Class: lower, sky pirate

Height: 5’7” (171 cm)

Personality: caring, compassionate, loyal, fair, welcoming

Skills/Talents: adept at hand to hand combat, skilled pilot

Likes: successful missions, freedom, being on his ship, flying through the sky

Dislikes: authorities, drawing too much attention, disloyalty

Goals/Ambitions: to continue to fly the skies with his crew, free

Strengths: combat training, pilot skills, ability to command

Weaknesses: his crew, particularly Jongho

Fears: being caught and his crew being executed

Occupation: captain

Short Bio: Hongjoong is the newest captain of the Horizon. He was born in Leadporte, raised by miners. He is the youngest of six siblings, five boys and one girl. Hongjoong spent most of his childhood roaming Leadporte. He decided he didn’t want to become a miner and instead ran away from home, sneaking on board the Horizon after the first mate refused to bring him to the captain. When he was found, the Captain decided to keep him, seeing a potential in him. He groomed the young boy into the man he is today. When the Captain was ready to retire, he kicked the entire crew of the Horizon off at the Sky Sanctuary. It was there that Hongjoong met Seonghwa who would become his first mate and the first of his crew. When the Captain retired, he passed his mantle to Hongjoong who works under the Benefactor.

Age: 27

Place of Birth: undisclosed

Social Class: upper, sky pirate

Height: 5’10” (178 cm)

Personality: closed off, cold, stern, quiet, calculating, clever, and quick witted

Skills/Talents: master at hand to hand combat, having learned from San, 

Likes: the crew, being free, the ship, payment, strawberries

Dislikes: authorities, aristocratic class, deals not going his way, talking about his past, drunkenness

Goals/Ambitions: retire comfortably and remain free

Strengths: unattached nature, calm and collected mindset

Weaknesses: the crew

Fears: losing the crew or the ship

Occupation: first-mate and deal maker of the crew

Short Bio: Seonghwa doesn't talk about his past very much and for good reason. He was raised by an abusive stepfather who drank a lot and beat his mother. When Seonghwa was 18, he defended himself from his stepfather, killing him. The law found in favor of him and let him go. His mother, angered that he killed her husband, kicked him out, telling him to never come back. Seonghwa made his way to Ravenmoor to find work. He worked different jobs, saving up and living in the attic of the tavern he worked in. After saving up what he could, he arranged passage on a ship to Copperdrift where he was welcomed by the brother of the tavern owner in Ravenmoor. He was given lodgings and a job. While in Copperdrift, he met many people. He was a favorite of the ladies but he mostly kept to himself. It was in this tavern that he met Hongjoong whom he would form a strong friendship with. When Hongjoong asked him to join his crew, Seonghwa said yes.

Age: 26

Place of Birth: Ravemoor

Social Class: lower, sky pirate

Height: 5’9” (175 cm)

Personality: squirrely, eccentric, restless, venturesome, brash, charming, charismatic

Skills/Talents: acrobatic, flexible, does well on solo missions, ability to fly with his suit

Likes: flying, daredevil acts, the thrill of danger, his crew members, the small tasty cakes Yeosang makes him for his birthday, his foster mother (Changbin’s mom)

Dislikes: vegetables, the foster care system, his birth parents, not being able to fly, and being made fun of (mostly about his desire to fly)

Goals/Ambitions: to prove to the whole world that a man can fly

Strengths: his ability to fly, his unbreakable bond with Yun-ho, his size and speed

Weaknesses: his friendship with Yun-ho

Fears: losing his friends and crew

Occupation: professional daredevil, mechanic

Short Bio: San has always been drawn to danger. He gets a thrill out of playing and living on the edge. He has been fascinated with flight and how it works. Perplexed by how entire cities can float but he cannot, San has made it his mission to prove everyone wrong and that man can indeed fly. He met Hongjoong when he crashed into his ship by accident, testing out his friend's flying machine. He apologised profusely but Hongjoong brushed his apologies aside and did the unthinkable. He offered San and his friend, Yun-ho, a place on his ship if the pair would work together to perfect this flying machine. Having tested several prototypes, San now goes on solo missions with the aid of his flight suit. San has done what no one else has ever done before: proven that a man can fly.

Age: 26

Place of Birth: Ravenmoor

Social Class: lower, sky pirate

Height: 6’0” (184 cm)

Personality: bubbly, kind, caring, a bit of a jokester/prankster

Skills/Talents: inventing, mechanical work, figuring out how things work and improving them

Likes: crafting, inventing, San, the cabbage stew Yeosang makes twice a week, being free, adventure

Dislikes: being sick, boiled sprouts, when San doesn’t wake up on time and they get yelled at

Goals/Ambitions: to rebuild the Horizon and make it run better than before

Strengths: inventing, working with his hands, strength, size

Weaknesses: San, his naturally sweet disposition

Fears: losing his friends, falling to his death, bark spiders

Occupation: mechanic, inventor

Short Bio: Growing up in Ravenmoor with San was not an easy feat for anyone but somehow, Yunho managed to do it and survive. He has always been fascinated with how things worked. Once he was old enough, he began taking things apart to see how they worked and he started improving on them which led to him starting to invent. One of his inventions would be the failed flying machine that San crashed into the deck of the Horizon. Believing his friend had just sentenced their death, Yunho took off, leaving San behind. Only an hour later, San found him and told him that the captain of the ship had offered them a place onboard. Yunho was initially worried about the situation but once he met the captain, Hongjoong put his nerves at ease and Yunho had no reservations about joining the crew. Since joining, Yunho has perfected his flying machine and even invented a flying suit which San uses often. He keeps the ship running.

Age: 26

Place of Birth: Fort Blackburg

Social Class: middle, sky pirate

Height: 5’8” (173 cm)

Personality: playful, resourceful, kind, carefree, flirty, loud, charming, valorous, a bit of a ladies man

Skills/Talents: marksman, skilled with virtually any weapon due to his upbringing, excellent with a sword, and hand to hand combat, often spars with San

Likes: meeting new people, exploring new lands, flirting, seducing women when the Horizon ports

Dislikes: being away from civilization for too long, rejection

Goals/Ambitions: to hone and perfect his combat skills and learn how to use every type of weaponry

Strengths: knowledge about weapons, resourcefulness

Weaknesses: the crew, beautiful women

Fears: losing the crew, execution

Occupation: weapons expert

Short Bio: The son of a general, Wooyoung wanted to escape his militant household and in his mind, joining a pirate crew was the best option. The Horizon happened to be moored in his hometown of Blackburg and he heard rumors of the captain visiting a tavern in town. Gathering what few belongings he wanted to take with him, Wooyoung left home, hiding a note in his mother's favorite book, and snuck out into the night. He approached the tavern and asked the barman where he could find the Captain. The barman pointed him in the right direction and when Wooyoung headed upstairs he was ambushed by San and Yunho but easily overpowered San. Before he could kill him, Hongjoong stopped him and asked what he wanted. Woo-young told him the truth. He wanted to join the crew and so Hongjoong welcomed him aboard the Horizon.

Age: 25

Place of Birth: Emberton

Social Class: upper, sky pirate

Height: 5’9” (176 cm)

Personality: quiet, reserved, shy at first, takes a while to open up to strangers, follows the rules

Skills/Talents: archaeology, navigation, astronomy, geography, mythology, combat

Likes: the stars, exploring new places, adventure, being in the sky

Dislikes: the sound of steel against steel, meeting new people, being alone

Goals/Ambitions: to remain free and find the greatest treasure in existence

Strengths: navigation, astronomy, surviving solitude even if he doesn’t like it

Weaknesses: he doesn’t have many weaknesses but he is a weakness to other people

Fears: execution, losing his family, losing the crew

Occupation: navigator

Short Bio: Ever since he was a boy, Jongho has always had an interest in the stories of pirates and buried treasure. His parents had other plans for him, urging him to go to school where he found an interest in history and geography, and decided to pursue archaeology . He was sent on a dig to one of the islands when his team ran into the Horizon. Due to his quick thinking, he was able to uncover the treasure the crew of Horizon was searching for and also able to send the archaeologists back to their hometown by giving up himself in service to the Horizon. He has come to love the crew like his brothers and enjoys life on board the airship. He has learned the skies and knows them almost better than anyone. He is very valuable to Hongjoong so he rarely leaves the ship.

Age: 26

Place of Birth: Voxstead

Social Class: middle, sky pirate

Height: 5’8” (173 cm)

Personality: calm, methodical, thoughtful, trusting, considerate, quiet, reliable

Skills/Talents: butchery, cooking, baking, medicine, and knowledge about plants

Likes: cooking, baking, being on a ship and feeling like part of a family

Dislikes: death, talking about his dead wife and child

Goals/Ambitions: he doesn’t have a grand plan, he just wants to keep doing what he’s doing, maybe eventually find someone to share his life with

Strengths: he is one hell of a cook and butcher, he knows how to cut up a body if need be

Weaknesses: his deceased wife and daughter

Fears: death, losing his home, losing his family

Occupation: cook

Short Bio: Yeosang was born to sky pirates and later adopted by the butcher in Voxstead. His adoptive parents owned and operated a butcher shop and cafe in the town square, above which they lived. One day, while in the market with his adoptive mother, Yeosang caught sight of the baker’s daughter and fell in love. After their chance meeting, Yeosang noticed the daughter, whose name he learned was Emily, starting to pop up everywhere. The two of them began a flirtatious relationship that turned into courtship and a year later, they were married. Tragedy struck Yeosang barely a month into marriage when his father and mother died from sickness. He and his wife took over the shop. A year later, business was well, he had a beautiful wife whom he loved dearly, and a brand new baby girl. Everything in life was going well until tragedy struck again and his daughter died in the middle of the night. The couple was devastated. Emily blamed herself. Try as he might  to convince her she was innocent, Emily went mad with grief and ended her own life. Yeosang, having lost everything, closed the shop and left Voxstead, bound for the capital. Only the ship never made it to the capital and was set upon by pirates. The Horizon had caught them and though he couldn’t offer much, Hongjoong took a liking to Yeosang, offering him a place aboard as the cook, a position he has been eternally grateful for ever since.

Age: 26

Place of Birth: the Second Sanctum

Social Class: aristocratic, sky pirate

Height: 6’0” (183 cm)

Personality: loud, boisterous, kind, polite in his own weird way

Skills/Talents: he makes a good bodyguard, combat, 

Likes: fruit, freedom, adventure, money, pretty women

Dislikes: vegetables, authority, the church, his father

Goals/Ambitions: to help his mother escape from his father

Strengths: his size and physical strength, street smarts

Weaknesses: his mother

Fears: losing his mother, death, mythical creatures

Occupation: guard/protection

Short Bio: Mingi was born the son of a cleric in the Second Sanctum, the Holy City and home of the Order. He had an older sister, Nari, whom he loved more than anyone. Nari was considered the pinnacle of purity and goodness. Mingi on the other hand, was always getting into trouble, rebellious well into his teens. One night, while on her way home from a friend’s house, Nari was raped and later died. Her killer got off on a technicality. Bringing his frustrations to his parents, Mingi was scolded and told he must pray. Angry by their reaction to the violation of his sister, he told his father to go to hell and left the house and wandered out into the night where he found Nari’s murderer. In an unchecked moment of anger, Mingi brutally killed the man. After realizing what he had done, he had no choice but to go on the run, hitching a ride on a cargo ship which was raided by the Horizon. Mingi promised to use his size and strength to the captain’s advantage. Hongjoong accepted and brought him on board.

[pcttrailsidereader]

An Easy Chat

By Howard Shapiro

I live in northwest Washington state. We are fortunate to have very abundant hiking opportunities throughout the state. Near where I live the PCT makes its way to Canada. A few miles away is the headquarters for North Cascades National Park and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. A little ways south is the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and the list goes on.

 In addition to these wonderful places we have a local resident who has found a very successful career writing and publishing hiking guidebooks for our region. Craig has authored over twenty such books and has become well known locally and well beyond. Recently, I had an opportunity to interview him. We have some friends and a keen interest in the outdoors in common so the conversation/interview went easily much like a nice trail with a gentle grade. 

Here is our conversation: 

PCTR: What brought you to hiking? 

CR: In a nutshell-nature all around and indirectly through bicycling. By the time I was 21 years old I had biked across the country twice. Often on these trips my biking partner and I would ride through the National Parks.  I also spent time growing up in New Hampshire where there are many trails I explored. Hiking offered a slower pace. I spent some time as a backcountry ranger in the White Mountains. In addition I wrote a column in the local paper on cycling and became a member in the local Land Trust. This also ignited an interest in pursuing classes in conservation and a degree in forestry, and later a BA in history and eventually a Masters in Education. 

PCTR: How do you prepare for a hike that may last more than a day? 

CR: [I spend a lot of time in] preparation. In preparing Craig  may car camp for several days before setting out. With backpacking I have the luxury of picking where I want to go when I want to go. I make the weather work for me. Craig describes himself as someone who “likes to move”, so he strives to be as efficient as possible. He is quick to acknowledge that life is short. [Getting ready] I rely on a master list- make adjustments  and find it has become so routine. I like doing my own research and learn on my own [about a place]. I read books I [feel I] can trust and websites that are reliable. 

PCTR: In your view, what responsibilities do hikers need to be most mindful of? 

CR: Trail etiquette is number 1. Be prepared, by reading books and magazines about where you are going. Know (and understand) the rules and regulations about a place, they are there for a reason. [Understand] we have to respect each other. Responsibilities and restraint are essential. We must be good stewards. Here Craig turned an often quoted  and thought of famed northwest hiker and writer Harvey Manning who said, “ I would rather share a trail with 100 enlightened boots than one chainsaw.” Craigs twist is, “I would rather share a trail with 100 enlightened hikers than one jerk.”  

Since the 80′s [the outdoors has been a victim] to a gutting of so much support. [It is challenging] to reach everybody. How do we do that? In our conversation it was apparent that one way we do this is hiking and living by example as often and whenever we can. 

PCTR: For you, when is the best time to be in the mountains? 

CR: Never a bad time! [Be aware of] safety and try to go in milder weather (if you can). It is always a good time being in nature! 

PCTR: How do you cope when you are on the trail and there seem to be just too many people? 

CR: I do all I can not to go to crowded places. Timing [is everything]. I avoid going where everyone is during busy times. I don’t like crowds [all that much]. When I lived in Seattle avoiding crowds was number one for me. Nevertheless, Craig described being at a very popular hiking destination and acknowledging the importance that places like these crowded or not are “gateways” to the outdoors. 

PCTR: Who have you hiked with the longest or do you prefer to hike solo?

CR: I like hiking both solo and with my wife. We have hiked  a lot together. [We have hiked locally] and in the Pyrenees and Argentina where we were guides. 

I do like being by myself. I know who I am. Some of this comes from having to do the kind of stuff I do. There are people I share a philosophy and connection with so  hiking comes easy with them. My wife is one of those people. 

PCTR: If you were to name two of your favorite Pacific Northwest or west coast hikes, for that matter, what and where would they be? 

CR: Sourdough mountain is a favorite going back to the mid 80′s. Sourdough is everything the North Cascades represents. Craig went on to explain the connection he had with the fire lookout he met on that first hike up Sourdough where they shared a connection over their  mutual interest in Jack Kerouac. Kerouac grew up not far from where Craig grew up. 

Another favorite is the area in northeastern Washington in Ferry county where the Kettle River Range is. I saw this for the first time in 1995. These are the oldest mountains in Washington. I think of them as the ‘Appalachians of the Northwest’. They have such amazing diversity and more gentle than the Cascades. I love these mountains so much my wife and I got married up there. 

PCTR: Recently you have been writing about urban hikes. How would you compare these hiking experiences to those described in your previous books/guides? 

CR: Urban hikes offer so much opportunity for discovery. I see cypress trees where I don’t expect to find them. I see things differently. I also get to apply my interest in history and integrate that into my writing. Wild places are great but urban hikes allow me to get on my ‘soapbox’ and say how much we need parks and trails where the people are. Accessibility is important. I love the sense of discovery and history. [I get from Urban hikes]. 

PCTR: Okay Craig, how about a ‘lightening round’? 

What do you prefer uphill or downhill? 

CR: Uphill

PCTR: What is worse...too hot or too cold? 

CR: Too hot. (Spoken like a former resident of New Hampshire! Ed.) 

PCTR: Trail mix with or without chocolate? 

CR: With

PCTR: Hiking solo or with others? 

CR: Solo

PCTR: Mosquitoes or nettles? Mosquitoes or Black flies? 

CR: Nettles...Mosquitoes

PCTR: Best guidebook author- Harvey Manning or Craig Romano? 

CR: Craig Romano...BUT, Harvey has a better command of English...

Craig has two new books coming out soon that continue a theme covered in his past several books that  feature urban hikes in the Puget Sound region. Craig has over 20 hiking guides to his credit and he appears to not run out of places or topics to cover. Please check out his many books and his website craigromano.com

[keeper-of-the-lilacs]

Character Profile - Hyacinth Delacroix

[ BASIC INFORMATION ]

[FULL NAME]   Hyacinth Delacroix

[PRONOUNCED]  ‘hahy-uh-sinth delah-kwAh’

[ALIASES]   None at present

[GENDER]   (Trans)female

[AGE]  28

[NAMEDAY]   24th Sun of the Third Astral Moon (5/24).

[RACE]   Duskwight Elezen

[RELIGION]   Patron Dieties are Halone and Thaliak

[LANGUAGES]   Common, (whatever constitutes as French in Eorzea).

[ACCENT]   Very, very slight French accent, ‘proper’ accent.

[HANDEDNESS]   Right handed

[ APPEARANCE ]

[HAIR]   A short hairstyle that just runs past her ears, the mess of wavy ash brown hair is kept clean and soft yet appears to grow too fast for the owner to keep it out of her eyes. Her bangs have a shock of white through them from a birthmark at her hairline.

[EARS]   Long elezen ears that span outward.

[EYES]   Light lavender, purple.

[COMPLEXION]   Pale skin, constantly red from a telltale complexion.

[HEIGHT]   6′2″

[BUILD]   Not entirely soft of features besides the innocent pudge to her face, Hyacinth is built for combat beneath her robes or armor. Her arms and legs are lithe with muscle, her long chest torso taut from years of training with the Holy See’s best. It has taken some minor fleshcrafting by an expert mage to bring a bit of feminine roundness to her form.

[POSTURE]   Upright and proper, by years spent learning decorum and also from just general Anxiety. 

[SCARS]   Her body has light scars across her chest, arms, and legs. One can’t spend years as a knight without receiving a few mementos from one’s scaley foes.

[MARKINGS]   No markings.

[MANNER OF DRESS]   Hyacinth dresses modestly. If there is a gem or flashy bit of armor in her ensemble, it is guaranteed to be there merely for the magical or physical protection it brings and not to adorn her features. Before working in the company of Sthal’s companions and living in La Noscea, Hyacinth was typically in only armor or form-fitting masculine attire, however now she has broadened her range of clothes to include skirts and dresses for when she wishes to feel ‘pretty’.

[ COMBAT SKILL ]

[COMBAT CLASS]   Lancer/Scholar -- ‘Academician’ 

[MELEE PROFICIENCY]   None  |  Low  |  Intermediate  |  High  |  Masterful

[RANGED PROFICIENCY]   None  |  Low  |  Intermediate  |  High  |  Masterful

[MAGICAL PROFICIENCY]   None  |  Low  |  Intermediate  |  High  |  Masterful

[HEALING PROFICIENCY]   None  |  Low  |  Intermediate  |  High  |  Masterful

[ATTRIBUTES] - - -  STRENGTH:   14 (+2) - - -  DEXTERITY:    14 (+2) - - -  CONSTITUTION:   11 (+0) - - -  INTELLIGENCE:   16 (+3) - - -  WISDOM:   13 (+1) - - -  CHARISMA:   7 (-2)

[WEAPONRY]  A lance whose spear is topped with a crystal of dark purple hue and inconclusive material, sharpened to a deadly blade and nigh unbreakable (it has replaced her lance from her service as a knight, given to her by her mentor’s grandmother). Hyacinth also carries a grimoire with her on her belt. Occasionally she wields a rapier and dagger, or a bow.

[ARMOR]  Hyacinth is typically in a mix of cloth and metal, preferred for the battlemage she has become. 

[COMBAT STRENGTHS]   Hyacinth is best at mid-range with her lance, which can take down foes much larger than her and keeps mounted foes at bay. It also keeps those with shorter blades from reaching her. The bow was part of her training as a knight and she is an acceptable shot by Ishgardian terms. Hyacinth can send ice attacks at her foes from mid-range to long range, which coupled with her lance attacks can be quite devastating. Ollie the fairy heals for her and her companions.

[COMBAT WEAKNESSES]  Close range is Hyacinth’s downfall. Once an opponent gets past Hyacinth’s lance or bow, it is difficult for her to defend herself and gain back the advantage. Ollie also is not much for helping in combat, much preferring to heal and protect with shields; at close range, all he can do is shape-shift into something to surprise Hyacinth’s opponent to get her feet back under her.

[ EARLY YEARS ]

[HOMELAND]   Ishgard

[PARENTS]   Opert Delacroix, Aster Delacroix - Viscount & Viscountess Lavandiere

[SIBLINGS]   Jacques/Jack the eldest brother (supposedly missing), Iris & Violet the eldest twin sisters, and Lily the youngest sister.

[REASON(S) FOR LEAVING]   Hyacinth was originally a knight for House Hallienarte, but when they were under suspicion for heresy and Hyacinth was approached by the Holy See’s inquisition to join, she accepted to attempt to prove their innocence. The work was heartbreaking for the Echo user, who could see the innocence of the inquisition’s victims but could not prove to her colleagues that they were wrong; when her mentor Sthal got between the inquisitor Hyacinth was guarding--and proved he was a spy for the very heretics Hyacinth had been hunting--Hyacinth turned him in and then asked to be free of her service to Hallienarte. She visits her sister Iris there but never stays.

[ LATER YEARS ]

[PAST RESIDENCE]   Ishgard.

[PAST OCCUPATION]   Inquisition Knight.

[PAST AFFILIATION]   Hallienarte, the Holy See.

[PAST FINANCIAL STATUS]   Moderate, modest for a knight.

[PAST SOCIAL STATUS]   Respected.

[PAST RELATIONSHIPS]   Sir Gelert, brief relationship.

[PAST FRIENDSHIPS]  Several friends among the knights under Hallienarte, before joining the inquisition of the Holy See. Several friends within the Scholasticate as well (open to connections in RP!)

[ PRESENT DAY ]

[RESIDENCE]   A small residence in the Mists of Limsa Lominsa.

[OCCUPATION]   Hyacinth would say she is just a ‘student’, with her time mainly spent either continuing her education of arcanum and aetherology under her mentor or in researching her various pet projects. However, she also deals in relic hunting and leads her own expeditions, and her projects typically have her hiring others to help her in dangerous areas. Her work goes towards the betterment of Eorzea with the Scions, though she might open her own adventurer company eventually. 

[AFFILIATIONS]   Hyacinth is affiliated with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, as a member of their order (this is something not RPed to the public, only to individuals interested with their own Scion/WoL OCs). She is also affiliated with the Scholasticate in Ishgard and the Arcanist Guild in Limsa Lominsa, although the latter is merely from her mentor being a professor there and her being considered his assistant.

[FINANCIAL STATUS]   After her brother Jack’s return, and his naming Hyacinth as the heir to the estate of Lavandiere, the funds afforded to her by the will of her parents has allowed her to live comfortably in the Mists, and funded her many projects with the help of her steward, and her brother’s (perhaps sordid) businesses.

[SOCIAL STATUS]   Though she’s the heir to minor nobility, this afford’s Hyacinth little regard outside of Ishgard. Her work as a scholar in her field of aetherology, however, gives her more aplomb in academic circles.

[RELATIONSHIP STATUS]   Single, not terribly interested.

[PRESENT FRIENDSHIPS]   Too bashful to make new friends, Hyacinth as a few acquaintances. Perhaps her only current friend is one Pfarblyss (@walkingflowerxiv​)

[VICES]   Exhaustion is a constant companion for Hyacinth; she is constantly overworking herself, especially if she’s close to finishing a project or has the need to finish it for an important/difficult matter. Hyacinth is also very gullible at times and sometimes duped into bad situations from believing a sob story she shouldn’t have.

[ ROMANCE & SEX ]

[GENDER IDENTITY]  Transgender female.

[ROMANTIC ORIENTATION]  Heteromantic

[EMOTIONAL ROLE]   Submissive  |  Dominant  |  Switch  |  Unsure

[RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES]   Close quarters with other, bawdier knights led an inquisitive Hyacinth to have several innocent relationships as a young adult; the last one she had was the only one that was physical as well as romantic. Ever since the death of her committed partner, Hyacinth has alienated herself from the idea of having another committed relationship.

[LOVE LANGUAGE]  Hyacinth’s love is very verbal--she loves giving and receiving affection by words, in written or spoken form. Receiving gifts makes her uncomfortable in a relationship, and while she can show affection through touch, she couldn’t spend hours snuggling--holding hands and reaching out for the other, however, is a constant.

[SEXUAL ORIENTATION]    Asexual (sex positive)

[SEXUAL ROLE]   Submissive  |  Dominant  |  Switch  |  Unsure

[LIBIDO]   Average/Below Average. Hyacinth does not feel sexual attraction, but her sexual urges are medium. She can warm up to the idea of having sex with a committed partner but prefers to handle it herself, alone.

[ATTRACTED TO]   Empathy/kindness. Honorable. Calm decision-making. Intelligence, or a constant love to learn. Humor. Honesty. Reliable.

[TURN OFFS]   Ignorance. Secrets. Excuses, or an inability to be responsible for one’s actions. Disloyalty. 

[ PERSONALITY TRAITS ]

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between / Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

[ HOOKS ]

Knight of Ishgard Whether you’re a noble, a commoner, a fellow knight of Hallienarte or another noble house, or even a part of the Holy See, you have probably met or seen the brunette Elezen with a streak of white in her hair in Coerthas.

Student, Researcher, Mage In Ishgard it was hard to find an organized school for magick, outside the Scholasticate; one needs to either tutor themselves or seek one out if they have the means or money. Therefore it was in the last few years that Hyacinth has appeared in academic circles, with her being sighted in Limsa Lominsa on her way to the Arcanist Guild, or sitting in for talks or lectures at many halls in the city-states of Eorzea. She is known as a talented mage with arcanum and ice-aspected thaumaturgy, and the assistant of Sthalward Khannfyrsyn, a Scholar and professor to the Arcanist Guild. A perfect acquaintance for anyone academically inclined.

Expedition Leader Are you an adventurer in need of some gil? Looking for a job, and find protecting one skinny stick of an Elezen an easy way to line coin in your pockets? Hyacinth is regularly sending leves to the adventurer guilds of Eorzea for people to add to her expeditions, or in gathering miscellaneous ingredients needed for a project or two. Contact her for a job or a permanent position in her team, if interested.

Researching the Unknown of Summoning Magick Before her mentor left for the new world, he left Hyacinth with a curious gem that seemed to be all too similar to a Scholar’s soulstone. Inside was an arguable breakthrough in research for Allagan summoning and the techniques of the Nymian scholars--a shape-changing lesser elemental by the name of Oleander. This is the current overarcing plot for Hyacinth, who is constantly found with this carbuncle/fairy; his typical forms are a sheep or a mouse, and he can be determined by his occasional hiccuping of bubbles or random change to a different form. Hyacinth is very interested in meeting other summoners/scholars/allagan or Nymian interested individuals/masters of arcanum for this very reason.

Scion of the Seventh Dawn Mostly in personal writing, Hyacinth is a Scion, about the same in importance as Arenvald or Riol merely because she isn’t constantly interacting with the WoL but having a secondary role in information gathering and research. If anyone has any Scion OCs or NPCs, it can be RPed that she knows and works with them. Tentatively, I am also open to the idea of her knowing and working with WoL OCs as well, in assumed noncanon RP unless I feel that a WoL OC can eclipse the placeholder I have in my personal writing, my NPC Sthalward Khannfyrsyn.

Any other ideas? If you’ve read over Hyacinth’s profile and have a different idea for walk up RP or plot, feel free to message me about them! I am open to many different connections for her to help flesh her out further.

[ OOC ]

Please don’t contact me for ERP-heavy/only connections. My character is asexual and I would like that to be respected. 

No f*ta or trap characters conceived for fetishistic reasons. Just...no. 

I will not RP at minors. Sorry, but please be above 18 if you contact me.

Very Important: I work and am up mainly between 10 pm - 2 pm EST because of my work. If you can handle someone who has the hours of a vampire, that’s great! If you cannot, there at least is RP in google docs or discord that I can also do outside of in-game RP, though for any plot heavy RP I’d prefer to do some scenes in-game.

[grandmasterofwangxiancultivation]

SV ch.55

Okay I’m nervous. 

Looking at the style of murals to the sides of the corridor, there was a strong yin ambiance, and it was clear to see this was Luo Binghe’s headquarters in the Demon Realm.

But I am totally not panicking.

EDIT:

The two both had nothing to say, not giving each other a sideways glance. One in front and one behind, their footsteps made no breath of sound. The atmosphere was stiff and cold.

This is the definition of PAIN. I need some bingqiu communication right now

EDIT 2:

Pushing open the door and entering, the furnishings and arrangement of the room were quite familiar-looking. In fact, it was quite similar to the bamboo house on Qing Jing Peak.

Omg. OMG. So let me get this straight. Lbh spent years mourning his Shizun, keeping the wounds he had left him, keeping sqq's broken sword, keeping his freaking corpse and (now we find out) making a room similar to the one in the bamboo house-

This is borderline obsession and yet my heart aches for lbh so much i just... PLS Shizun. PLS.

EDIT 3:

Now acting like a miserable child and throwing tantrums, making his heart overflow with sympathy. Now again hitting his face and telling him it was all an act. Real or fake, his eyes weren’t sharp enough to clearly see autumn feathers and see through Luo Binghe’s heart to understand what he was really thinking, some parts truth and some parts hypocrisy.

(Guys, sqq is angry because lbh put on a facade in the dreamscape. He is angry and disappointed and wary of lbh possibly using the same "trick" on him again and again just to move sqq's heart. I honestly thought Shizun had understood by now.

Like, okay, lbh tricked him the second time to see if that was really Shizun or just a figment of his imagination, but can you blame him?? You have been dead for years, sqq!! He probably went insane with pain, has always been in love with you when in his eyes you betrayed him by pushing him into the abyss, come on! If you two would just fucking talk-)

While he was still brooding over these thoughts, Luo Binghe walked a step closer to him.

(A n X i E t Y)

EDIT 4: here is an exemplar of Shizun using a series of excuses to keep himself rooted in place and not back down in front of an advancing lbh. Still, he is a mess inside.

BRAVE SHIZUN.

But he was still inevitably tense, his heart stretched taut as a bowstring, his eyelids jumping and fingertips curled.

How was Luo Binghe so perceptive? He advanced another step.

“Shizun, what do you think I’m going to do to you?”

(o m g. Omg o can't feel my legs-) 　

Shen Qingqiu said sincerely, “I cannot guess.”

EDIT 5:

Luo Binghe reached out his right hand. Shen Qingqiu didn’t make a sound or movement, but his gaze couldn’t help but stick to his fingertips, following them as they reached out.

(I AM TOTALLY HYPERVENTILATING RN)

That hand was neat and slender. It didn’t look like the hand of a Demon Race young master who had already taken countless lives, but rather one which was born to pluck strings, a hand to burn incense and bathe in snow. It slid shyly over his cheek, faintly brushing his skin.

(OKAY SOMEONE NEEDS TO CALL AN AMBULANCE R I G H T T H E F U CK N O W 'CAUSE I DON'T THINK MY HEART BEATING OUT OF MY CHEST AND MY LUNGS CONSTRICTING LIKE THIS IS NORMAL?

LBH IS ToUcHiNg Shizun's cheek-)

And then it landed on his throat.

*chokes*

Lbh no- *whispers*

EDIT 6: I died, like, for 5 minutes before gathering the courage to go on. And BLESS GOD I DID BECAUSE

Luo Binghe retracted his hand. The next time he opened his mouth, it was impossible to tell if he was happy, angry, sorrowful, or joyful. “My blood, it’s not responding to my beckoning.”

AAAAHAHSNJXUDKEHXKE DO YOU WANNA KNOW WHY, BINGHE? YOU SEE, IT'S A FUNNY STORY. IT INVOLVES A SNAKE-MAN, MAIDEN SHIZUN AND MANY WOMEN-

EDIT 7:

Luo Binghe said, “It looks like in these short few days, Shizun has had another fortuitous meeting.”　

Shen Qingqiu said, “Well, what can you do about it? Make me drink it again?”　

Luo Binghe said, “You’ll run if you drink it, you’ll run if you don’t, both options are the same. I had better not make Shizun add another layer of loathing for me in his heart.”

(OKAY NO. N O. I'm not good with tension. I can't bear it. So pls stop and no one will get hurt, okay?)

Luo Binghe fixed his gaze on him for a time, then said, “Is there anything you desire?”

Shen Qingqiu said, “Anything is acceptable?”

Luo Binghe nodded. A sudden malicious sentiment arising from his gut, Shen Qingqiu bluntly said, “I want to see you as little as possible. Best if I never see you at all.”

(WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

NO

THIS IS WRONG, WHAT NOVEL IS THIS, WHAT THE FUCK FUCKITY FUCK

NO

okay it's a joke, right? Ah ah ah ah funny, now stop this. When I said I desperately wanted these two to meet, i meant to pray for FLUFF. NOT THIS. THIS. WHATEVER THE HELL IT IS.

MY HEART IS BREAKING? DO I DESERVE IT, AFTER PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THEM TO MEET? I dOn'T fUcKiNg ThInK sO, so freaking solve this-)

Luo Binghe looked like he never expected Shen Qingqiu to make this sort of request, his face paling.

(SHIZUN YOU WERE MORE CLUER THEN A FREAKING DEMONIC LORD. HUG HIM. HuG hIm Or I sWeAr-)

If you are hearing something, IT'S ME SCREAMING LIKE A MADWOMAN. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS.

EDIT 8: thank you, system, your presence always makes my anger cool off. I love reading Shizun talk to it, it reminds me this novel is too good to be true, an yet it exists. Bless.

With a ringing notification sound, the System quietly began to download the upgrade package. Shen Qingqiu had a sudden thought and asked, “Right, what is the name of this feature upgrade?”

The System: 【Small Scenario Pusher Luxury Edition.】

SEE SEE I LOVE THE SYSTEM, IT ALWAYS KNOWS WHAT TO DO. NOT ONLY THE SMALL SCENARIO PUSHER IS BACK, IT CAME IN A L U X U R Y EDITION.

Let's go bring down those heartbreak points now

EDIT 9:

With many official duties to attend to, perhaps unable to extricate himself, all along he had not shown his face.

…or maybe that day, his glass heart had been shattered by Shen Qingqiu’s harsh words, and he didn’t dare to appear.　

Shen Qingqiu tore his thoughts away from that latter path with great difficulty.

IS THAT REGRET, SHIZUN? IS IT? I S I T? System, pls summon me and let me go hug lbh or else I'll cry

EDIT 10:

Furthermore, Luo Binghe didn’t act like the characters in the books his younger sister liked to read in his previous life and shackle him with chains, blindfolded and gagged, stripped and beaten. He might as well be content with whatever he has and make himself at home wherever he is.

(SY HAD A YOUNGER SISTER? DO YOU THINK SHE READ HARDCORE BL?)

Bull***t!　

For Shen Qingqiu to attempt to comfort himself with these words, there must be sh*t in his brains! He wasn’t some sort of Stockholm syndrome patient, feeling deep gratitude for being fattened in captivity. Don’t you understand, you need to bring about a fortunate lifestyle yourself, not by relying on others’ charity?!

(You're right, Shizun, of course. That's why there is a pretty simple solution- TALK TO LBH WITHOUT ACCUSING HIM, TRY TO UNDERSTAND. WOULD YOU?)

EDIT 11: this chapter is playing with my patience. Bamboo does not grow in the Demon Realm, but lbh ordered for ppl to find a way. Shizun FLIRTED WITH A MAID ASKING FOR SOMETHING TO EAT BUT THAT BOWL WAS PREPARED BY LBH, BECAUSE IT HAS THE SAME TASTE AND NO ONE EATS HUMAN FOOD THERE AND IT BREAKS MY HEART AND I JUST CAN'T OKAY I AM CRYING STOP THIS SHIT

EDIT 12: sqh is here!

OH. SO HE SOLD SHIZUN OUT. OH, okay. I don't know if I should hate him or congratulate him, I never know if I should consider the events from the point of view of a reader or a writer, me being both (I mean, like, I occasionally write, so I know sometimes one makes characters do strange, despicable things, not like I am a super pro write didn't want to sound pretentious, eh eh), so I'm like "what the fucking hell sqh, what about friendship?" and "omg good job mxtx, this character is so interesting, what even is moral ptf!"

And now

Lbh

Gave Xiu Ya sword back to Shizun. Let's add this to the increasingly long list of "things that show how much lbh cares for Shizun and make my heart crack"

EDIT 13:

On the other side, Shang Qinghua laughed nervously and rubbed his hands, clicking his tongue and saying, “Aiyah, I really, really never thought… the storyline would bend so far out of shape. Remarkable, really remarkable.”

Shen Qingqiu: “The stallion novel protagonist you wrote turned into a cut-sleeve, shouldn’t you be angry?”

Shang Qinghua said sincerely, “It doesn’t matter. Either way, the one he fell for wasn’t me.”

(there, see? I love him.)

Shen Qingqiu gave him a cordial middle finger, lowering his head to polish his sword. Shang Qinghua gave him a thumbs-up. “Really, you don’t need to be so pessimistic. You have good prospects for the future, quite good prospects. These golden thighs, they’re strong, reliable!”

Shen Qingqiu said, “Take your ****ing golden thighs. If I have to hug those thighs, where do you think they’ll take me? Between the legs!”

Shang Qinghua: “Between the legs is even better, ah. Between the legs is a man’s most important place.”

(OMG OMG THIS turning out too good I'm having too much fun!!

Sqh surely is a man of wisdom. BLESS HIM.)

EDIT 14: okay plot, PLOT.

“…” At long last Shen Qingqiu knew the true origin of all those plot holes. “So you just went to write the harem plotline, and might as well leave the more serious Bing-ge’s dad plotline full of holes?”

(So the big final boss should have been lbh's dad? FATHER-IN-LAW IS REALLY GONNA SHOW UP IF SHIZUN FILLS THE HOLES? I AM SO SO S O O O O FREAKING EXCITED.

But I am honestly scared, 'cause this means whatever sqh's previous plan for the novel were, they may still happen. That means everyone is potentially in danger, if the danger is not lbh.)

EDIT 15: SQH WAS GONNA SAY SOMETHING USEFUL ABOUT HOW HE WANTED TO BUILD SQQ'S CHARACTER AND THEN WHAT?

Lbh comes.

Like, I love you baby, but-

Luo Binghe’s eyelashes drooped. After standing for a bit, it seemed he had come to a major decision. He said stiffly, “Even though those earlier events happened in a dream realm, I took advantage of Shizun. But the feelings I revealed to you then, those were not false.”

(GOOD BABY. G O O D. Let it sink, let Shizun understand how much you care.l

EDIT 16: lbh is trying to finally, finally let Shizun understand how he felt and why he did what he did and I'm so glad he is trying. I get why these two would need to learn how to trust one another all over again, that is totally okay, it's fine if they need to guard their feelings for a while before settling this problem, so reading about them talking, about lbh trying to reach Shizun fills me with hope.

His face gradually settled into a gloomy expression from his sneer. Drawing closer the distance between the two, he said, “But what if I said, that towards Shizun, I only remember, not hate, most likely I wouldn’t be believed.”

SEE. SEE.

[puffdragongirl]

Burned: Chapter 2

Please be advised that there are graphic descriptions of injuries in this chapter. Proceed with caution!

Not sure if I’ll manage to finish the entry for track 3 before the master post, but here is another very late submission for the soundtrack challenge!

The quiet of the pharmacy is broken by the slam of the door against the wall, and a desperate cry for help.

“Please, we need some help over here!”

Shirayuki and Ryuu rush towards the entry, where a pair of soldiers support the weight of an injured companion. The man is dressed in the distinctive, if blood-spattered garb of a messenger, but apparently his non-combatant status had not mattered to whoever had shot the man full of arrows. As they guide the soldiers towards one of the examining tables, Shirayuki can feel the heat rolling off the man in waves. A quick glance at the fletching of the arrows shows one with the distinctive gold striping made infamous in the pharmacy courtesy of one too many poisoned patients.

Her gaze shifts to Ryuu, whose mouth is already set in a grim line. The arrows lodged in the man’s right arm and torso were worrisome enough on their own, but his chances of survival were slim to none if they didn’t immediately treat him for the poison now running through his veins.

“I’ll get the kera leaf,” Ryuu murmurs as they settle the injured messenger belly-down on a cot. He turns to the hovering soldiers, and gestures for an apprentice to come escort them to the waiting area. “We will do all we can for your friend, but please give us some room.”

Despite the grim circumstances, Shirayuki can’t help the swelling of pride she feels as she watches Ryuu interact with the concerned soldiers. Ever since his conversation with Obi on the snowy ramparts during the winter flu outbreak their first year in Lyrias, Ryuu had pushed himself to be more independent, stepping out of his comfort zone to speak with patients and their families. His hard work paid off, and he is now known as a reliable, if quiet, pharmacist.

“My name is Shirayuki, Sir,” she says to the injured messenger, voice gentle as she lays a hand on his uninjured arm, “You’re safe here in our pharmacy in Wistal, and we will do our best to care for you.” He turns his head on the pillow to look at her, eyes glazed with pain and fever, but looking cognizant. “Could you tell me your name, Sir?”

“Hayata,” he groans, grimacing as the movement of his breath jars the arrows, “I was just carrying a message, on the main path and all.” Tears pool in his eyes until they spill quietly down his cheeks, “I don’t want to die, Miss.”

“Shh…” she soothes, rubbing his shoulder gently, “We’ll take good care of you, Hayata.” As she reassures the man, one of the senior apprentices approaches with a steaming cup, and the familiar scent of the ready-made blends of pain-killing herbs they keep on hand fills the air. She accepts the cup with a quiet thanks, then holds it up to allow the soldier to inspect it. “I have some herbs here that might make you a little sleepy but will ease some of the pain from these injuries. Do you think you can drink some of this for me?”

The man nods gingerly, so she assists him in sipping the brew. Just as she is setting the emptied cup to the side, she hears a sharp curse, followed closely by a clatter from the storage room down the hall. Concerned, she leaves Hayata in the care of an apprentice as he relaxes under the influence of the herbs to investigate the situation. Ryuu had…acquired an extensive repertoire of swear words following an “outing” with Obi, Suzu, and Kirito after his 16th birthday (”A man needs to know swear words, Miss,” Obi had insisted when she protested, “It’s practically a law”), but he rarely used them, especially not while he was on the job. When she arrives, she finds Ryuu hunched over a bench, furiously sorting through a storage drawer. She approaches, opening her mouth to ask what is wrong, but gasps when she catches sight of the drawer.

Dozens of small, black beetles swarm over the stock of kera leaf. She scrambles to the table, joining Ryuu’s mad dash to rescue the precious few leaves left undamaged by the voracious insects. Minutes later, they stare with a silent, shared horror at the remaining stock. There is enough left to help the wounded messenger, and maybe a few more patients if they calculate the dosage precisely each time; but it isn’t nearly enough, especially if the war draws close as quickly as Obi predicts.

“It’s barely above freezing outside,” Ryuu voices her unspoken fears. They have to get more, and they have to get it quickly. The leaves never survive the first frost, and they can’t afford to wait until the new growth in the spring.

-----

Hayata is a lucky messenger. After dosing him with a carefully calculated quantity of kera leaves, Ryuu and Shirayuki were pleased to find the arrows had done as little damage as a half-dozen arrows could possibly do. The rest of his care was relatively straight forward, so once his wounds were packed and stitched, they surrendered him to the care of their senior apprentices.

Now, the first task at hand is to scour the storage room for signs of where the beetle infestation had come from. A handful of the neighboring drawers also contain beetles, and they eventually trace the problem to one of the bundles processed by a newer apprentice a few days ago. A senior apprentice had noted a clump of beetles was attached to a hunk of willow bark a soldier had peeled from the tree. They had marked the bark as unacceptable for storage in the log book, but had apparently failed to dispose of it properly, as a second entry later in the book recorded the same specimen as being stored in the drawer at the epicenter of the infestation. Thankfully, none of the other critical supplies are tainted, but the loss of the kera is devastating enough.

As they clear the room of the infestation and update the log book with the losses, they discuss potential strategies for compensating for the lost supplies. They circle around the inevitable decision as they drop beetle after beetle into a jar of alcohol. By the time the last beetle has been eliminated from the room, they agree only one path forward exists.

Once they reach the doorway separating the pharmacy from the rest of the palace, Ryuu hesitates, hand hovering just short of the handle. He catches her gaze, eyes dark with worry. “….Obi won’t like this.”

Shirayuki presses her lips together, guilt twisting in her gut. She knows he is right, she knows, but…. She shudders involuntarily, an image of the sickening pallor of Obi’s skin as he sweated through the worst of the fever rising unbidden from her memories. She recalls the fear she had felt even with his assurance that he had built enough immunity to be fine even without the kera antidote Ryuu was furiously working to prepare. She couldn’t go through that again, couldn’t almost lose him again.

“We have no choice. He’ll understand.”

 -----

“It’s going to frost tonight, and we can’t afford to wait six months for a new crop of plants to grow in.” Ryuu concludes his succinct summary of the situation, holding up the rest of their meager supply of kera, “We will lose dozens, if not hundreds of soldiers if this is all we have to work with until spring.”

“…Sir Obi will not be pleased,” Shikito protests, every line of his body betraying his extreme reluctance to submit to their request, “He specifically asked me to limit trips outside the palace walls.”

“To limit, not forbid,” Shirayuki presses, suppressing another surge of guilt at her logical dissection of Obi’s instructions, “He spoke with me as well, but he only said to not go outside the walls alone.” She holds out the map they had used on their trip with Obi, gesturing at the precise annotation of the location of the kera patch less than two hour’s ride from Wistal, “We know exactly where to go, and we won’t be alone.”

The guard takes the map from her hands, brow furrowing as he inspects potential routes to the kera patch. She remembers the path – it had been one of the last stops they made and was almost a direct shot from the castle, with most of the route consisting of heavily trafficked roads. Given that many of the herbs they had found on the trip required travel through considerably more questionable areas, it was as safe a path as existed during a war.  

“Lady Shirayuki…” Shikito makes another attempt to dissuade her, “I understand the gravity of the situation, but couldn’t we possibly delay the trip until…”

“Please, Shikito!” desperate, she reaches for his wrists, “We understand the risk, but it’s now or never, and we simply can’t afford to wait.” She squares her shoulders and meets his gaze, doing her best to convey her determination, “Please take us there.”

-----

In the end, they convince him to escort them. Because of the need to beat the frost that will surely coat the surrounding area overnight, Shikito decides travelling light and fast on horseback in a small party will be less conspicuous than traveling in a carriage with a full armed guard. The ride to the patch of kera plants is uneventful, and they breathe a collective sigh of relief when they find the plants still intact, bristling with more than enough leaves to replace the stock consumed by the beetles. Between the three of them, they make fast work of picking and bundling the needed quantity, plus whatever extra they can squeeze into the saddlebags on each of the horses.

Shikito checks the perimeter of the clearing as the pharmacists carefully secure the last of their bounty. He may have spent most of his career as a palace guard, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t seen his fair share of battles in the past. It had been quiet on the way in, no sign of a tail from the main road and no hoof marks on the path ahead. But although he did not see anything wrong, he trusts his instincts enough to know something is not right.

He turns to the pharmacists, “Lady Shirayuki, Master Ryuu, I think we had better…”

The whistle of something cutting through the air attract his attention, and he ducks just in time to see a gold-striped arrow sink deep into the bark of a nearby tree. He curses under his breath, damning himself for exposing them to danger, and spins to face the direction of the threat.

“Run!” he barks, placing himself between the threat and his charges, “Quickly, get back to the-” His words are cut off with a gasp as a dagger flies from nowhere to bury itself hilt-deep in his chest, sending him staggering back against a tree. His vision greys as he slides to the ground, feeling the wet heat of blood seeping into his uniform. Desperate voices call out to him, but as the words are indistinct, as if heard through water. He grits his teeth, forcing out another plea for them to flee, “Run!”

As the last of his consciousness fades, he sees several figures melt from the forest, approaching his charges menacingly.

“Well, well, well… look at what we have here.”

[jovialyouthmusic]

Two’s Company AU Part 3

Here is another episode of my original idea of Lucy being in a threesome with Drake and Brad, whilst she is engaged to Drake.  

Erotica, not suitable for under 18s

‘Perhaps a quick freshen up is in order’ suggested Brad. ‘I’ve been reliably informed that the master suite here has a large walk in shower’

‘You’ve heard correctly’ said Lucy in surprise, then caught a conspiratorial glance between the two friends. ‘And I see now that a little bird with a name beginning with the letter D whispered in your ear’ she paused, and then said ‘A short rest perhaps?  I don’t know about you two, but my legs are a little wobbly. We don’t want to slip and have to call staff for help, that would be awkward to explain’

‘As you wish, my lady’ agreed Brad ‘but I’m sure you will be feeling stronger very quickly’

‘So how long since you indulged in a threesome?’ Lucy asked. Drake looked thoughtful

‘A while ago – probably not since Leo abdicated and made Brad the heir. Things were a little sensitive for a while, and it would not have been good for the new heir to be seen to be enjoying himself too much – and tricky for the ladies involved too’

‘Hah’ replied Lucy ‘But I’m a known risk, huh?’

‘You’ve shown yourself more than a match for any adversity – and the Cordonian people love you’ smiled Brad. ‘Do you feel strong enough to make a trip to the ensuite?’

‘I think so’ she replied and shifted to the end of the bed. Brad got up and offered her his arm, and Drake followed.

 The water was warm, the shower gel expensive and fragrant, and the three of them helped each other clean themselves thoroughly.

‘I think shower sex is over rated’ said Brad as he rinsed himself clean under the shower head.

‘What Brad means to say is, he did himself quite an injury once when we had an assignation with the De Montfort twins’ teased Drake. ‘It was very awkward to explain away, and we’re not sure to this day whether my father managed to cover for us with the King and Queen, or they simply pretended to know nothing. In any case, he wasn’t able to ride in the hunt that summer. Father was angry that I’d colluded with Brad and I was banned from the palace for the summer too’

‘Don’t laugh’ protested Brad, but Lucy had already started to giggle.

‘Don’t worry Brad, your secret’s safe with me – and I also think sex and slippery surfaces don’t mix’

‘Really?’ Drake asked archly, and the three of them laughed at the double entendre. Drake handed out the fluffy white towels that Lucy could never quite get used to, they were so soft and luxurious. They rubbed themselves down, and Lucy threw her arms around Brad’s neck, turning to wink at Drake.

‘I think you have some unfinished business with us’ she purred ‘and I think I might just have the strength for one more try before I flake out’

‘Ok, but let’s quit the Health and Safety nightmare’ joshed Drake ‘The bedroom’s a much better place’. Brad nodded in agreement and the three left the ensuite bathroom, which was bigger than the full size bathroom in Lucy’s New York flat – in fact it was probably bigger than the bathroom and the tiny kitchen put together. How far she’d come in just a few months.

Once they were on the carpet, Brad swept Lucy off her feet and carried her to the bed where the three of them rekindled their ardour. Lucy exchanged kisses between the two men, their hands stroking and exploring, bringing back the ache and heat in her body. It was quietly understood that now it was Brad’s turn, and he scooted down the bed to kiss between her thighs. She did her best to resist the temptation to give in to his tongue exploring the depths of her sex and the now hard nub of her clitoris. He teased her to the edge, stopping and starting again and again until she was writhing and moaning.

‘Oh god please stop’ she begged, and then ‘No, go on!’ and Brad relented, sitting back and gently pushing her thighs wider. He sat back and looked into her eyes, watching her expression as he began to ease his way in to her.  She was aware that he was wearing protection, and felt his girth stretching her. She caught her breath and bit her lip, holding tight onto Drake’s hand, then let go of every muscle in her body. He paused, and she adjusted, and slowly and smoothly he began to stroke in and out. She felt every movement he made, aware that Drake was watching her intently. Taking her hand and kissing it, he was gauging how close she was, holding off until he saw Brad was close too. He kissed her breasts passionately as Brad started to groan, and she began to shake and tremble as her third orgasm of the evening coursed through her. She almost saw stars from the intensity, and lay gasping and limp as Brad rolled off to the side, spent and breathing hard.

‘Ohmygodthatwasincredible’ she gasped. ‘I literally can’t move now. That was amazing!  I hope you’re not expecting more, or the staff will be calling the undertakers in the morning.’

‘At your service, my Lady’ smiled Brad ‘But only with Drake’s permission of course’

‘I’d say any time, bro, but I’d like Lucy to live a long and happy life’ Drake smiled, his voice dropping to a whisper as he saw Lucy’s eyes flickering closed.

The two friends threw their arms lazily and protectively over Lucy’s body, and she drifted off to sleep, an exhausted smile on her lips.

 Hours later, Brad had returned through the passageway, and Lucy had slept heavily. She woke to find Drake beside her, morning light starting to leak through the cracks in between the heavy ornate curtains.

‘Drake – you’re still here’ she said sleepily ‘you should go before Gladys gets here’

‘It’s fine, she already did’ he said softly ‘She knew about us of course, and she’s very discreet. I said you need a lie in this morning, so don’t worry about it’

‘But why didn’t you leave?’ Lucy protested ‘now I can’t pretend it’s a secret’ Drake grimaced

‘I hope that won’t affect our assignations’ he said sadly ‘But we’ll be married soon enough, and it will all be considered quite normal’

‘What time is it?’ she sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes and was shocked to see it was well into the middle of the morning. ‘Wow, why didn’t you wake me? I’ve got things to arrange, places to be’ and started to get out of bed. Her legs didn’t seem to be as strong as usual and she felt light headed, so she sat down again quickly. Drake noticed and sat up swiftly, putting his hand to her shoulder.

‘Hey, hey, be careful, don’t you remember what we got up to last night? You’re bound to feel a bit woozy. And don’t worry about any appointments you have, Gladys will see to it that all is well.’

‘Oh wow, did that really happen?  I thought for a moment it was a crazy dream’ She said, a little shrilly. ‘Tell me I’m not going mad – we had a threesome with Brad, right?’ Drake considered briefly to mess with her and deny everything, but he couldn’t do it.

‘Yup, we certainly did’

‘What was I thinking? What if anyone finds out? The scandal...’ her hands flew up and she covered her face. Drake reached out and drew her close.

‘It’s ok, Gladys has no idea; she only saw me, and that’s fine. Brad took all his things with him, nobody will be any the wiser, I promise. Plus you forget that standards are different here; it would hardly create a ripple both in court and out of it.’ Lucy relaxed into his arms ‘You’re not ashamed, are you? I seem to remember you enjoyed it at the time.’ Drake murmured into her ear.

‘No, of course not. It’s just – it will take a while to get used to the idea.’ she said softly.

‘So how did you like our mutual friend?’ He asked ‘I took quite a risk letting him in, and I hope it doesn’t change things between us’ Lucy pulled out of his embrace to look him in the eye.

‘Last night was amazing, and you are two very different men – but I stand by our agreement – I won’t do anything without your consent, and you are still my number one, my soulmate. I intend to grow old with you, if fate allows it’ Drake smiled gratefully and drew her close again.

‘Good, I’m so glad. And when you said ‘number one’, that’s actually a term we use for open relationships. You’re my number one as well, and Brad would be known as our number three’

‘What happened to number two?’ Lucy asked mischievously ‘Can’t you count in this country?’ Drake laughed.

‘Then I guess together we are one and two, and that changes depending on who wears the trousers, metaphorically speaking’ Lucy struggled out of his arms and turned to him.

‘That would be me then – you’re number two!’ She started chanting ‘Number two, number two’ and bouncing around him on the bed. Drake laughed and wrestled her down, straddling her and pinning her arms above her head.

‘Say that again’ he threatened, grinning ‘Who wears the trousers?’ She stuck her tongue out at him and he changed his grip so one hand held her wrists down and his other was free ‘Right Valois, that calls for some serious tickling’ and he followed his threat though, tickling her mercilessly until she begged him to stop.

‘Okay, okay, you’re number one – for now’ she giggled. ‘Now can we please get some breakfast, I’m starving’

@sleepwalkingelite @brightpinkpeppercorn @agent-bossypants @andy-loves-corgis @ao719 @boneandfur @blackcatkita@drakewalkerwhipped@darley1101 @drakewalkerrosenberg @endlessly-searching-for-you@flowerpowell @gardeningourmet @kinkykingliam@katurrade@likethetailofacomet @mind-reader1 @ooo-barff-ooo @silviasutton1989@speedyoperarascalparty @zaffrenotes

[modernlcve]

*  —  stats —   scott levy !

* — basics !

full name:   benjamin scott levy. nickname(s):   goes exclusively by scott. age:   thirty - eight. date of birth:   october third. place of birth:   rockport,   maine. gender:   male. pronouns:   he / him. sexual orientation:   gay. level of education:   high school graduate. bachelor’s degree in business administration.

* — physical !

tattoos:  none. piercings:   used to have an earring but.   he gave up on that a hot minute ago. notable features:   his broken spirit. weakness(es):   he has a bad knee :/ scar(s):   two short ones on his forearm.

* — domestic !

occupation:   district manager of the superstore. residence:  he’s got a small apartment about 30 minutes outside of whatever city Superstore HQ is in. social class:   middle class. parents:   howard levy,   age 65,   very practical & dry.   for every bit awkward scott is,   his dad is twice as bad.   deborah levy, age 58,   she means well,   but in looking for the past of least resistance,   comes off as a doormat. siblings:   caroline levy,   age 31,   his younger sister and,  quite frankly,   the only person in the family to have a real personality. extended family:   he’s largely out of contact with his extended  family.   his grandparents are all deceased,   his father has one brother,   scott’s namesake,   but they’re not on great terms.   he tries to stay decently involved in the lives of his nieces,   caroline’s two daughters,   addie (7) and ella (4).

* — personality !

positive traits:   amiable.   solicitous.   reliable. negative traits:   insecure.   mistrustful.   awkward. myers-briggs ( x ):   infj;   the advocate. temperament:   sanguine. moral alignment:   neutral good. horoscope:  libra,   the scales. hogwarts house:  hufflepuff.

* — favorites !

movie:    wayne’s world. tv show:   saturday night live. book:   the outsiders. drink:   diet coke Fuckers food:   a good italian sandwich animal:   goats. color:   green. song:   freedom ‘90! by george michael. artist:   counting crows. celebrity crush:   i’m not saying leonardo dicaprio in romeo + juliet caused his first notable gay panic but.

* — impressions !

first impression:  he’s boring.   like,   plain and simple, he’s a bit of the stick in the mud and a little awkward. he obviously wants to be liked,   which sometimes just amplifies the whole Awkward thing. self impression:   he’s a little self-deprecating.   he was the weird kid growing up,   which lead to a decent amount of bullying,   and then on top of it,  he spent most of his life trying to just Repress basic facts about himself,   which doesn’t make for the most positive self image. lover impression:   he’s really still figuring this out.   just in  general,   he craves validation in case i haven’t said it 200 times yet,   and that would definitely track into his relationships. he’s a little needy and insecure,   but he really is well meaning.

* — et cetera !

turn ons:   kindness.   confidence.   a little bit of Weirdness enough that he doesn’t feel like a complete freak u know turn offs:   rudeness.   pda.   selfishness. drink/drugs/smoke:   yes/no/no. dominant hand:   right. clean or messy:   clean. early bird or night owl:   night owl. hobbies or special talents:   he’s logged enough hours doing sudoku puzzles that i think he’s technically a master.   also weirdly good at skiball,   as if he will ever play it again.

* — QUESTIONNAIRE !

01. where was your character born? what brought them to boston? what do they like most about the town?

scott was born in rockport,   maine.   he comes to boston on work.   he likes it well enough.   he likes the anonymity in a city of its size and the fresh start it’s given him.   especially since he’s not steadily living there,   he feels like whenever he’s in town he’s getting another fresh start,   a little break from his reputation in his hometown or his isolated way of living at home.

02. who are your character’s friends and family? who do they surround themselves with? who are the people your character is closest to?

scott’s most consistent family has been his younger sister,   caroline,   her husband jarrod,   and their daughters,   addie and ella.  even during the span of time he wasn’t in contact with their parents,   caroline did her best to include him on holidays and milestones,   even if it meant celebrating an extra time.   scott spent a solid few years nearly estranged from his parents before he reached back out to them,   and they started working on patching things up.   they were Less than thrilled when he came out in his late twenties after a year of being engaged to some girl from another Nice Respectable family,   but they’ve worked on getting back to an Okay place in the best few years,   which has meant a to him.   he doesn’t have many friends,   mostly work acquaintances and buddies from school he links up with every now and then because weird kids stick together.

03. what is your character’s biggest fear? who have they told this to? who would they never tell this to? why?

scott is just genuinely afraid of not being likable.   and it’s linked to a lot of things,   and just the fact that he’s never felt like he fit in or like things have clicked together and been Right for him.   he wants to find connection with others,   he wants to feel like he’s finally found a spot in the world where he can be himself and be accepted and not have to worry about stuff like that anymore.   he hasn’t told this to anyone,   because one of the few things he’s picked up on in interacting w/ others is that telling them you want to be liked doesn’t make them like you.   he absolutely wouldn’t mention it to felix because part of what he admires about him is the fact that he’s so sure of himself and set in who he is,   and he doesn’t want to go drawing attention to the fact that he doesn’t have that.

04. has your character ever been in love? had a broken heart?

i don’t think he’s ever Really been in love.   things tend to fall apart for him,   but since he’s never had that Big Love feeling,   there’s no big brokenhearted drama when things are broken off.   he’s probably had a couple significant boyfriends but he can’t bring himself to be the type to hold grudges,   because even though he got dumped,   they were mostly not dicks about it,   and he walked away from the splits mostly blaming himself.

06. it’s saturday at noon. what is your character doing? give details.

depends on where he is.   if he’s at home,   he’s taking care of all the chores and errands that have gone neglected while he was gone.   if he’s out in boston,   it’s more likely that he’s doing something more Fun,   soaking up staying in the city and getting to see the people he knows there.   he likes a good brunch,   so he could be wrapping that up around noon.

07. what is one strong memory that has stuck with your character since childhood?

the year is 1990.   scott has planned the perfect performance for the fifth grade variety show.   yeah his ass got out there and gave his rendition of ice ice baby his very best.   yeah he tried to muster up as much swag as he possibly could.   and yeah he got made fun of for it in high school.   but you know what?   for the moment at age ten people cheered for him for the first time and he felt like he was a fucking rockstar and yeah maybe every soft joke at the opening of store meetings is a vain attempt to get even 1/100th of that feeling but.   it just stands out to him as one of the last times he was unabashedly himself and made to feel valid for it.

09. what is something that upsets your character? where do they go when they’re upset?

again that general feeling of Placelessness is a big deal for him,   which like,   way to take a job that requires travelling that makes that worse moron.   loneliness is a Big thing that’ll bum him out.   when he’s upset,   he likes to go see a movie,   or go to some buzzed about restaurant,   and just treat himself to an afternoon out or something,   as if trying to make a point that he can be perfectly happy and live an exciting and rich life all by himself.

10. when your character thinks of their childhood kitchen, what smell do they associate with it? why?

his mom was a strong believer in cleaning with vinegar.   they were prone to ordering food out for a lot of his childhood,   or everyone fending for themselves,   but even when there wasn’t much cooking going on,   the room still stenched of vinegar,   no matter how many candles were lit.

[studentsofshield]

A Rambling Chronicle of Marvel’s Western Comics

By Vincent Faust - November 27, 2018

Marvel Comics is the most prolific comic book publisher of the Western genre. Despite their near ubiquity in today’s culture with billion dollar box office receipts, even their diehard fans may not know this part of their past.

I may be missing a few scattered things, but by my count Marvel has published 1,192 issues of Western comics through their history. Marvel had published Western stories from their very beginnings with the Masked Raider in 1939′s Marvel (Mystery) Comics 1-12. Though the genre didn't explode until the late 1940s following the war, while superheroes were declining. Timely (Marvel’s name at the time) launched 7 western titles in 1948. 

The "Big Three" of Marvel westerns are Kid Colt Outlaw, Rawhide Kid, and Two-Gun Kid. Each lasting an impressive 229, 151, and 136 issues respectively. 

The star artist of Kid Colt was Jack Keller. Who drew most of the character's stories from 1953-1967. An impressive run. Some have argued he has the honor of drawing the most individual stories for one specific Marvel character. Many of these books had 3-5 short stories per issue, so I wouldn't argue against that. If we only count full issue stories, I'm not sure who would take that title. Probably Mark Bagley for Spider-Man, combining his lengthy 1990s run on Amazing and his history making 2000s run with Bendis on Ultimate.

In 1960, right before the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby reinvented Rawhide Kid. After a publishing hiatus the title was brought back with issue 17. The character was now Jonathan Clay and his costume changed. Over two and a half years, their run was revered as the cream of the crop in a waning genre as their own superheroes began to explode. 

As Kirby was needed more and more on the superhero titles selling like hotcakes, a tiny run by Jack Davis followed. Davis was an EC Comics legend who took a pit stop at Marvel before becoming even more of a legend at Mad Magazine. Unfortunately, practically the only classic Marvel Westerns to be reprinted in collections is this span of Rawhide Kid. With issues 17-35 reprinted across two hardcover Marvel Masterworks.

Here is Stan Lee talking to Jack Davis and fellow EC/Mad/minor Marvel contributor Harvey Kurtzman. For Marvel, the legendary Kurtzman did 150 episodes of a one-page filler strip titled Hey Look! from 1946 to 1949. 

Especially as Marvel was finally able to publish more titles, Stan Lee's efforts were being stretched too thin as well. So, Rawhide Kid was handed over to his younger brother Larry Lieber to write and draw. Which he did for almost a decade, to minor acclaim from genre fans. Sounds very reminiscent of the hidden gem Gary Friedrich/Dick Ayers/John Severin run on Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos.

"I don't remember why I wanted to do it, particularly. I think I wanted a little more freedom. I didn't do enough of the superheroes to know whether I'd like them. What I didn't prefer was the style that was developing. It didn't appeal to me. Maybe there was just too much humor in it, or too much something. I remember, at the time, I wanted to make everything serious. I didn't want to give a light tone to it. When I did Rawhide Kid, I wanted people to cry as if they were watching High Noon or something." - Larry Lieber

Lee and Kirby also reinvented Two-Gun Kid for the early 60s, but didn't stick around as long on that one.

Other artists who made a mark on Marvel's western titles include Fred Kida, a notable Golden Age Japanese-American artist known primarily for Airboy. Also Russ Heath, who passed away only recently, and the frequent collaborators John Severin and Dick Ayers. Most of these artists were also prolific in the war genre. The genre is also to thank for the introduction of Herb Trimpe, who would go on to become the definitive Hulk artist.

The true star of the show though was one Joe Maneely. Who Stan considered his best artist before Jack Kirby returned in 1958. The Philadelphia native was skilled and fast, pumping out tons of westerns as well as the Black Knight and Yellow Claw titles, which retroactively tie his work to Marvel continuity. Unlike Kirby, Keller, and Lieber he was not particularly linked to one western title, but his most consistent would be Ringo Kid.

Meanwhile, outside of the genre one of Stan Lee's other top artists was Matt Baker. Considered to be the first African American professional in the field. Also there are reliable reports from friends and family that Baker may have been a gay man. He was one of the primary innovators of the "good girl" art style on Fox Feature Syndicate’s Phantom Lady and countless romance titles. Another milestone was drawing arguably the first graphic novel - It Rhymes with Lust.

Due to some business factors in and out of publisher Martin Goodman’s control, Marvel (at this point known as Atlas Comics) nearly imploded in 1957. The bullpen was completely disbanded, leaving Stan Lee in an empty office. They went from regularly publishing almost 70 titles to only 16. Many of which were filled with inventory stories and reprints as long as Stan could manage not paying freelancers. This situation was further complicated by their new distributor having way too close of a relationship with market share leader National (now DC Comics).

Joe Maneely stepped in front of a train in 1958 at only the age of 32. It may have been a suicide. Matt Baker died of a heart attack in 1959 at 37. As stated above, Jack Kirby comes back to Marvel right around that time and Steve Ditko was quickly growing as an artist. It's tragic how close these two masters were to being on the ground floor of the Marvel Universe as we know it today. What heroes could Maneely and Baker have drawn or created?

The 1970s sees lots of reprints of classic genre comics. An exception is the original title Gunhawks (though an unrelated The Gunhawk title predated it). Though only lasting seven issues, Gunhawks has an interesting distinction. Originally starring Kid Cassidy and Reno Jones, a good ol’ plantation boy and his buddy slave. Who fought willingly for the Confederacy because some Yankees kidnapped his girlfriend. That makes sense... In the sixth issue, Cassidy is shot and killed. The finale was technically retitled to Reno Jones, Gunhawk. Making that 1973 comic book only the second at Marvel to be named after a Black protagonist, following Luke Cage. Black Panther had ongoing adventures, but had taken over the anthology title Jungle Action and wouldn’t get his own series until later. DC lagged behind Marvel in this regard.

In 1979 the western genre at Marvel was basically declared dead, with Rawhide Kid and Kid Colt finally canceled. The latter after over 30 years of continuous publication. Two Gun Kid had been canceled two years earlier. Though for a few years already, almost all of Marvel's westerns (and war books) had been turned into reprint titles.

Of those aforementioned 1,192 issues, 1,146 of them are from 1979 or earlier. Leaving less than 50 across the last 40 years.

A 1980 tryout issue with a new character (and a Frank Miller cover) goes nowhere.

A 1985 miniseries by genre veterans Trimpe and Severin depicts the Rawhide Kid now as a middle aged man, as the West is in its final days. It is kind of depressing.

Backpedaling a bit. As the Marvel superheroes dominate, the western heroes occasionally make crazy guest appearances through the means of time travel. Most notably the Two-Gun Kid becomes an all-but-official member of the Avengers and a close friend of Hawkeye. He gets tied up with time travel generally for years to follow. Later becoming a She-Hulk supporting character and Avengers Initiative leader circa Civil War

With that cover, let's now take another aside to untangle Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider is not originally a Marvel property. The vigilante was created by Gardner Fox (Justice League of America) and Dick Ayers for Magazine Enterprises in 1949 as a horror themed western character. The feature spent time as a backup in Tim Holt and eventually broke out into its own short lived title.

Magazine Enterprises went kapoof alongside the slump in the industry around the implementation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954. The regulation agency set up by industry leaders to avoid government intrusion following moral panic. The over-cautious guidelines severely neutered the crime and horror genres, while superheroes were already dormant, gutting many publishers. The Ghost Rider trademark expired. Marvel picked it up in 1967 for a series drawn by original creator Dick Ayers. Motivated in equal toxic parts by Martin Goodman's obsession with securing trademarks (practically every character Stan Lee created can be traced to an earlier one) and then rising writer Roy Thomas's history nerd leanings.

Obviously the name would be repurposed for the more recognizable Johnny Blaze in 1972. Marvel retroactively renamed Carter Slade as the Phantom Rider. The modern demonic versions of Ghost Rider do rarely touch on western themes. Johnny spent some time as a nomad and Garth Ennis brought in some western connections to expand the GR lore.

The western genre is basically passed over through the whole 1990s.

In 2000, John Ostrander and Leonardo Manco come around for a miniseries integrating all the Marvel western heroes together. Followed by a 2002 sequel. With revelations and deaths. The kind of lore retconning series that tickles the fancy of comic history nerds like yours truly. Ostrander also did Justice League: Incarnations around this time, tracing through the history of the JLA.

2003 comes around and it all that heavy lifting revitalization goes in the toilet. Ron Zimmerman writes a Marvel Max Rawhide Kid series. Zimmerman is some kind of comedy writer and Howard Stern regular. Well, within comics he wrote this and the god awful Ultimate Adventures - the only wholly original Ultimate Universe book, a Batman and Robin parody that was part of the U-Decide bet with Marville and PAD's Captain Marvel.

Marvel Max was a new imprint established in the early 2000s to break away from the aforementioned Comics Code and tell more daring, mature stories. Occasionally this resulted in gold like Jessica Jones. However, most of the time it was cringe inducing dreck.

So what's so bad about Rawhide Kid Max? He's now gay. Umm...OK, as long as it's handled well, maybe? Nope, constant cringey sexual innuendos which border on the protagonist coming off as a sexual predator. Some idiot gave it a sequel years later too.

Since then, we've gotten a bunch of one-shots in 2006, a weird Andy Diggle miniseries in 2012, and then the surprisingly great Marvel 1872 from Gerry Duggan during the patchwork reality crossover event Secret Wars. Which set up the Red Wolf series which was doomed by bad optics surrounding the writer and Marvel's spaghetti on the wall strategy of the time.

One of those 2006 one-shots ended up being legend Marshall Rogers's final published work. He and longtime collaborator Steve Englehart did it while waiting for DC to greenlight Dark Detective III, the second spiritual sequel to their influential 1970s run on Batman.

Here’s hoping we get to see some of these legendary heroes on the trail once more. At the very least we will get another tiny snippet in 2019 with a Gunhawks one-shot being brought back in celebration of Marvel’s 80th anniversary. Written by crime comics duo David and Maria Lapham.

This concludes a rambling chronicle of Marvel's history with the western genre and considerable tangents touching more generally on the history of Marvel and the comic book industry.

[coeurspire]

// just another day.

at the tender age of ten, the most interesting thing for sherry was whenever she was told that over the weekend, she could go on a quest --- on a real, actual quest --- with jura  ( amazing, powerful jura )  and eva  ( familiar and beautiful eva )  as they had been hired for an easy enough quest. most of the time, sherry's practical lessons were restricted to lamia's training areal, but since jura was  jura,  the master sometimes allowed for sherry to accompany the advanced corps mage.

it meant to sit in the train, eva on one side and jura and the other and feel safer than usually. it also meant to have the front seat to eva's muttered reaffirmation that she  would  be advanced corps, soon, too, while jura offered that he could train with her in the mornings, only for the brunette to grow paler than the moon and reply that she was not in that much of a hurry. like sherry, eva did not like getting up early and everyone knew that jura got up  very  early.

for a moment, sherry wondered what jura would do if eva would ever accept his offer, before she realised that he would do just what he had promised all along --- this was jura, after all, and he did not say things he did not mean.

“ so, this is gonna be a classic find the monster that threatens the village and ... take care of it kind of quest, jura? ” eva asked as she stretched her legs and looked at jura while she raised an eyebrow. he was, after all, the one master ooba had assigned the full responsibility to.

on sherry's other side, jura nodded slowly before he rose, retrieving their bags from the overhead compartment. “ from the way the master described the quest, it's an easy one, ” he said, handing them their respective bags. “ just a quick quest before the month ends ... maybe i'll be able to afford the book i've been eyeing for a while now. ”

“ i told you that you can tell my mother that we are friends. she'd give you a discount, jura, and you could stop eyeing the book and start actually reading it, ” eva grumbled and from thereon out, they fell into their usual bickering about the book. jura still said that it felt wrong to take advantage of his friendship like that --- “ i am not just friends with you because your parents sell things i am interested in. ” --- while eva retorted that this was precisely why she kept urging him to just accept her offer. if sherry had to place a bet, she would bet on eva; her roommate seemed to be wearing jura down little by little.

( in another week or two, he would surely board the train and do as eva had said. or maybe, eva would drag him to her parents' store by his ear. either seemed realistic. )

the closer they got to their employer's office, the quieter the bickering got and as they stepped through the heavy wooden doors, eva had fallen entirely silent. instead of being a teenage girl --- pushing her friend and trying to get what she wanted --- she was a mage of lamia scale, now. the transformation was something sherry had witnessed many times, but it was always so fascinating. because outwardly, not much changed. sure, shoulders were squared and clothes were tugged on, but it was not like eva suddenly wore different clothes. and yet --- the difference was just like that, just as if she had slipped into a different side of her personality like a pullover. right now, she was the calm before the storm.

if the mayor was surprised that the mages he had requested came in company of a child, he was good enough a politician not to let it show. instead, he welcomed them in his office and offered them drinks and snacks which they accepted before they listened to the explanation of the quest. while the outline had been known to them since they had been assigned to the quest by their guild master, some things had changed.

apparently, the creature that had been a problem for the town for a month now had moved out of the forest and was now hiding near the port. the area had been locked off since, but it did not change that their original plan was worthless now. sherry could see it in the way jura's brows were knitted together as he stared down at his hands --- he was not happy about this, especially since the rules ooba-sama had placed upon them would keep him from going all out. eva, on the other hand, did not seem to be particularly discouraged if the way she was still smiling was any indication.

“ eva-san! ” jura's voice was a hissed warning, but the brunette did not even seem to hear him as she moved away from them, approaching the mayor without hesitation before taking a sharp left and tapping her knuckles against the glass, dark amber eyes aflame even in the dim light of the office. this was the side of her --- guardian that sherry loathed and loved at the same time: focused, fearless --- and bold.

near the desk, the mayor stumbled over his own feet as he rushed to the woman's side. “ these warehouses are scheduled for deconstruction next month, miss, ” he said as he nervously rubbed his hands as he shifted his weight from one foot to the next.

“ eva, ” jura warned, again, and sherry wondered why he even tried to convince their guild mate to fall back in line. eva was an unusual choice for lamia scale, and the young doll play mage had heard others whisper that maybe, eva would be better off in another guild, one that would let her run wild instead of keeping her in check as far as this was possible.

everyone knew that only jura had sometimes the ability to keep eva from going too far. though right now, she barely seemed to hear him even though he had foregone the honorific, something that was quite unusual for him in public. sometimes, sherry was downright baffled by how  easy  it seemed for jura to keep eva from falling off the edge she was balancing on, torn between her free spirit and what it meant to be lamia. other times, she was convinced that the reason why jura could do what most would deem impossible was that eva cared more about jura and what he thought of her than she cared about most others. 

“ relax, jura-san, ” the brunette said as she reached out, gently patting his shoulder. “ but it is like i thought, i think ... would it be very bad if we wrecked the warehouses? ”

this time, sherry flinched. eva was known for her unusual plans, but this was taking it too far. they could not just ask people if it was okay if they broke parts of a city, even it it would force the monster out of its hiding place.

“ i will not let sherry-san leave our side and i will not let her anywhere close to the port area if you desire to bring it all down, eva, ” the massive man said quietly, calmly as sherry clung to his wrist. most would say that jura, aged twenty was a boy, but no boy could be this serious, this mature. for as long as sherry had known him, he had always been this way and to hear that he was only ten years older than her had caught her by surprise.

in front of him, eva shrugged, utterly unconcerned, brushing the territory of disrespect and smiling wide. “ i can work with that kind of restriction, jura-san, ” she replied as she rolled up her sleeves before she pointed towards the hill they had crossed earlier when they had come from the train station. “ i can handle the monster if you bring down the warehouses. ”

now it was jura's turn to flinch briefly before shaking his head. “ it ... it would be out of my range, eva, ” he said quietly, clearly hesitant to share this limitation to his skill with anyone. though at the same time, it felt strange that after all the quests he had been on with eva, he had to remind her that --- surprising as it was --- his power was not limitless.

it was near equally surprising that the element user did not deflate and seemed to grin even wider now. “ i know that, jura-san, ” she said, her sudden use of honorifics just as strange as the absence of them in jura's words. the room seemed to be getting more and more loop-sided, something that made sherry nearly dizzy.

“ then why--- ”

“ they wouldn't be out of  your  range, sherry-chan, right? ” eva asked, her focus suddenly turning towards the youngest mage in the room.

biting her lip and toying with her gloves as she pointedly avoided her roommate's intense gaze, sherry nodded slowly before shaking her head. “ i can see it ... but it's so much... ” she whispered, grasping jura's wrist again. “ it's  too  much. ”

“ i doubt you'd have to do this alone, ” eva said, her voice soft and kind, much like it was whenever sherry had just woken from a nightmare. her eyes had lost some of their heat as well and instead lingered on them both --- on the short girl and the giant of a man --- like a warm blanket. “ if she provided the range, jura-san ... could you do it? ”

sherry understood what it was the older mage was trying to suggest the same time jura sighed deeply, two familiar words falling from his mouth. she had not expected that this day would take a turn like this, but --- she would be a liar if she denied that a part of her was always hoping for this kind of thing. because this was thrilling, because this made her feel useful.

“ unison raid, ” he muttered quietly. “ you are asking for something ... unusual here, eva. ”

the brunette shrugged as she tied her hair into a high ponytail. unconcerned, coolly professional. “ unusual but also a guarantee for immediate success, ” she replied calmly. “ i'd volunteer to bring down the warehouses, but then you'd have to handle the monster and... ”

“ no, we can do this, ” jura said quickly, nearly cutting her off before he lowered himself to his knee, looking at sherry intently. as usual, there was boundless kindness and quiet reassurance in his gaze, something that always made it easy for sherry to believe him anything he could possibly say. “ it'll be just like in the training hall. do not worry. ”

when jura said that she did not have to worry, it was easy not to worry. in the three years she had spent in lamia scale now, jura had always been reliable. he held himself to higher standards than the average person, and this meant that his word had a higher value than the average person's.

“ alright, jura-san, ” she said quietly as she pulled off her gloves and held her hand out to him. “ we got this. ”

it would be --- weird, she could tell already. wielding more power than just her own, amplifying jura's sheer might so that he could crash through his limits. it was a thrilling thought, but it was also just a little bit terrifying because she had never been the cause of such destruction before in her life.

[cjcarpenter1]

My Review Of The Johto Series aka Filler With A Dash Of Plot

So the Johto Series of the pokemon anime starts off with “Don’t Touch That Dile” and ends with “Hoenn Alone” even though “Gotta Catch Ya Later” seemed more like an ending and “Hoenn Alone” a beginning for Advanced just with no May.

Anyways long story short Ash, Misty, Brock, Togepi, and Pikachu all get lost on the way to Professor Elm’s lab and stumble upon the silhouette of Suicune. Meanwhile Team Rocket steals a Totodile from Professor Elm’s lab. Fast forward a bit and Ash, Misty, Brock, Officer Jenny, and a Nurse Joy all go to find the Totodile, they battle Team Rocket, rescue Totodile, and the world is back to the way it once was. Ash registers for the Johto League and Professor Elm & Nurse Joy have a few cute moments that I would have liked to see play out in future epsiodes.

-MY FAVORITE PARTS-

So my favorite parts of this filler heavy series were The Whirl Cup, The Baby Lugia, and The Larvitar. The Whirl Cup took the focus off of Ash for a few episodes and Misty was on center stage. The Baby Lugia arc was right after the Whirl Cup and Ritchie came back as well as Butch & Cassidy, it was a cool few episodes and I like to think that the father of Baby Lugia was the one from 2000. And the Larvitar Arc, bless this little thing, it was so cute and precious. Larvitar should’ve stayed with Ash, being better developed in like 8 episodes than the rest of the Johto Team were to this day, and it was a bittersweet goodbye.

-MISTY-

Okay Misty was great btw. The show ever since maybe the Togepi episode started treating Misty like a character rather than just “the girl” of the group. They always had her do things but she didn’t really make a difference like her next incarnations do. Johto however gave Misty several episodes and she actually made a difference and did things to progress herself and others. The Whirl Cup arc was basically hers and she did beat Ash, showing just how good a Water Pokemon trainer she had become. Her episodes with Sakura were so good and I truly do wish she would have also joined the group. She really did shine for me in in “Whichever Way The Wind Blows” when she gave that speech to the Bellossom and Vileplume that they were meant to be that way and that it was up to them what they did with that. She was so great, but alas, I knew what came next. “Gotta Catch Ya Later” oh that episode will always break me, it was the end of the Trio and the resolution to Pokeshipping as the forefront and those flashbacks and her goodbye song killed me. Most people saw that as Ash friendzoning Misty but they way I saw it was he said “Ours wasn’t coincidence. I don’t believe it could be just a coincidence that I met you out of all people. I guess what I mean is even though that happened I think that we were meant to meet and become friends.” He has never said that to anyone else to my knowledge and this goodbye was only rivaled by that of Sinnoh. Misty may have been the only companion other than Dawn (I guess she had that thing with Buneary modeling) that didn’t want to leave, but she did and I do think that it was a good thing for her and showcased just how much she had grown. She literally left as an angry child proclaiming to never come back until she was a Water Pokemon Master. In the end even though she wasn’t a master this lead her on the right path just look at Chronicles and Sun & Moon. She progressed just fine without Ash and even though I will always have a soft spot for Pokeshipping, Misty left to take care of her gym and she progressed because of it.

-BROCK-

Brock returned after the Orange Islands because for some reason we all really like him. He really didn’t do much in Johto though. He had a few episodes here and there, but he really was just kinda there for the most part. They honestly didn’t seem to catch him up like they did in Advanced and Sinnoh. His moments in “Just Waiting On A Friend” & “The Little Big Horn” we’re wonderful. But the one thing I couldn’t stand was that he just gave Vulpix back to Suzie! Like excuse me I don’t care about Suzie and I don’t care that Vulpix spent the half a season being brushed and doing nothing else! I loved that Vulpix just as much if not more than Pikachu, it was like Brock’s little carry Pokemon! Like it was so great and he just gave it back like it was nothing! Like if you want to give it away just wait a season and give it to May for contests! That being said Brock really didn’t do it for me this season.

-ASH KETCHUM-

Oh little Ash, why must you be so you. I really was spoiled by growing up with Mentor Ash & Strategist Ash, I liked him but he was kind of still growing into Mentor Ash (which I loved btw). He was definitely better than he was in some seasons but his team was struggling. By the end his “Johto Team” consisted of Pikachu, Heracross (whom he barely used), Bayleef (I hated her), Cyndaquil (my fav), Totodile (should’ve been Misty’s), Noctowl (how shiny), & Phanpy (bless this little thing). It wasn’t the best team, it wasn’t really even a great team, but he still had Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Muk, & Snorlax on the back burner when things got serious. Unlike Unova, Hoenn, Kalos, and so far Alola, Ash brought back his older Pokemon for some gym battles and the League. That being said his “Original Series” Pokemon should probably all count as 1 consecutive team instead of like 2 1/2. Overall Ash was still kiddish but he matured greatly as Johto progressed.

-THE RIVALS-

There was really only 1 rival. Gary. Like Casey, Ritchie, Sakura, whoever else. Like they didn’t show up in the League. So oh well I loved Sakura, Ritchie was okay, Casey was a bit irritating at times, and Gary was still great. Gary, even though his character kinda did a 180 was so great. Like I don’t know why but I love Gary and him being nice and respectful was so wonderful in the end. Also that 6v6 league battle with him and Ash was so good!

-TEAM ROCKET-

They were so, meh. Like they got so much better in Advanced, Sinnoh, & Unova. Like it was just episode after episode of filler with their schemes that always were foiled and they blasted off again. They were just so stagnant after a while. Episode after episode scheme after scheme. Like I get why they were struggling with Johto. Not gonna lie though I kinda wish they got rid of Team Rocket instead of Misty. Like give them a good ending with a bomb ass whole Team Rocket plot and keep them in Kanto & Johto and have them come back in Battle Frontier when they actually went back to Kanto where Team Rocket is based. I’m just saying at least in Unova Team Rocket wasn’t in every episode.

-THE ENDING- (the 1st half is how you end a generation btw)

“Gotta Catch Ya Later” messed me up and to this day I’m never ready for that episode even when I know it’s coming. So basically the group arrives in Viridian City at the Pokemon Center that Ash, Misty, & Pikachu all blew up in like episode 2. And they learn that Misty’s bike was fixed by the Nurse Joy from that episode but she’s gone (not gonna lie Episode 2 Jenny & Joy were my favorites) and Misty’s sisters call her to tell her they won a cruise (please tell me it’s the same cruise from Sun & Moon) and they’re bouncing so she’s gotta get back. Misty then gets sad because she’s gotta leave the group (aka you love him Misty). Then she gets a flashback which we won’t even get into how much flashbacks effect me. And then Ash with his duncey self says it’s great which upsets Misty and she runs off. She then walks all sad and shadow faced and then runs into a trio of awful people and they antagonize her for a battle which she accepts. She beats them in 1v1 but then they cheat and just when it seems like Misty’s luck has run out Ash & Brock arrive to help and they all prove just how much of a team they are and how much they respect Misty as a Water Type Trainer. Then Team Rocket shows up for some reason (cue basic Team Rocket plot). Turns out they hired the trio to beat the gang. Team Rocket blasts off and then Misty thanks Ash for being such a good friend and the mood once again hits the feels. On the road again Misty has FLASHBACKS AND A SONG (it will always kill me and I could sing that song anytime anywhere.) and I’m hit with THE FEELS. And she talks about coincidence meeting Ash which he corrects (see the last part of Misty’s section of the review). Really wonderful love it so much but then there’s Brock ruining the mood cause he’s back in like 4 episodes and they all decide that they’re best friends and they split up which is only the 1st HALF OF THE EPISODE. The group parts ways and Misty finally knows how Ash feels about her and departs for Cerulean where her Chronicles episode picks up. And everyone cries while they go their seperate ways. Ash gets home meets up with Gary and then gets caught in the reliable pit trap by Team Rocket. Ash then uses the cloth and utensils that Brock and Misty gave him to escape proclaiming “I am not alone. My friends will always be there for me.” And he escapes. Proclaiming once again “I always have my friends with me!” And Team Rocket goes blasting off AGAIN. Ash thanks Brock and Misty and that night decides to leave for Hoenn.

-RATING- 6/10

To be honest it was long and filler heavy but the focuses in the plot oriented episodes and having Brock & Misty do things in the fillers helped a lot. Honestly the ending helped a lot to boost this up so it’s probably tied with Best Wishes for me.