#i started making a list of all the things it introduced me to or otherwise reinforced my love for and it's actually wild

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

you reblog that post about jareth. i reblog it from you with a tag mentioning that i've been meaning to reread roommates. i click open your tags. you mention roommates. i am immediately struck with a sense of delight.

that comic was WEIRDLY formative for me i swear to god

oh my god same. literally LITERALLY rewired my brain and introduced me to so much other excellent/formative media. need somebody to hit me over the head once a week so i continue archiving it bc if it disappears i WILL be inconsolable.

[fatphobiabusters]

Hey, I wanted to ask if you maybe have any book recs about nutrition that aren't steeped in fatphobia? my friend is trying to learn more about nutrition and change her eating habits, and i want to give her a gift

We spoke separately on this, sorry for the late reply but I can now officially recommend a book for your friends next birthday!

Gentle Nutrition: A Non-Diet Approach to Healthy Eating

Absolutely 10/10 would recommend. It's from a registered dietician, has plenty of sources!

I can't summerize or even list all the topics covered. Here's just a sample:

Introducing intuitive eating, recognizing diet culture, the thinness obsession, the types of hunger we feel, what factors actually contribute to health, diet cycling, hunger cues, why BMI is BS, how to make small changes gradually, the effects of weight stigma and stress on the body.

And so much more.

It introduces so many concepts and issues we touch on here on the blog and questions people have about health and some fat issues. (Not every single issuse but it does tackle the health based fatphobic arguments just by the process of tearing down diet culture. Even mentions medical neglect/fatphobia. Other literature is out there on the full scope of fatphobia and its harms.)

I'm particularly interested in this section. I'm delighted by graphs and then the explanations for them!

Theres so much I want to directly beam into people. My primary complaint is I wish there was MORE advice for people with body cue reading problems. There is some advice but more would be nice.

I also appreciated this:

Im someone who has good textures and bad textures (mild compared to some) but ask me which ones and I'd be stumped because I tell you dishes I like but otherwise ??? So this helps me think.

While flipping through it I keep finding more things to gush about this really is such a good starting point because it will touch on so many weight and diet culture topics.

This is disjointed because this book covers so much I want to try and encourage peopleto check it out but my brain go Brrrr from excitement. It's not perfect, nothing can be but it's just so nice to have a book I can recommend that covers both what you want and doesn't shy away from the complex web of diet culture. It tries to met a new reader where they are and I just Brrrrr. You know?

-mod squirrel

[phantasmicfish]

Long ranty list of stuff that majorly Sucked in s4 of tua:

- number one thing I loathe is the convenient way tua got their powers back. We get this brief vignette of them without their powers in episode 1, and then by the end of the episode they conveniently find the marigold and *voila* have powers. Where were the stakes? The consequences? Show me TUA struggling to adjust to powerless life. Five annoyed that he has to use the stairs to climb a four story building. Diego failing to chop expertly w knives. Luther struggling to open jars idk give me something. Don’t just do a six year time skip and ignore the mundane!

- Adding onto ^ that I feel like it would make more sense to me if we saw TUA without their powers for maybe 3 eps in s4, and they go through a mini Journey to get them back. Instead it’s like the entire hook of the s3 finale is immediately resolved in episode 1, it annoys me to no end

- Five working for the CIA I sorta get… cuz it’s sorta what he did with The Commission. So now unmoored and powerless he’d probably go back to that lifestyle. But Five, paranoid violent genius in the room Five, not noticing the completely obvious umbrella tattoo on his boss’ wrist?

- Jennifer being introduced, immediately shrugging off the fact that her entire town was murdered/a Truman Show sham, and joining Ben with basically zero questions

- Jennifer getting no character arc beyond she was born in a squid and she loves Ben

- Getting zero recognition that Reginald is an alien. Like. Hello?? You just found out your pos father is AN ALIEN! Are the siblings seriously not going to talk about this

- Also what year is s4 set in. Why do they always dial rotary phones but mention cryptocurrency? What is this universe where everybody knows Reginald and he’s colloquially referred to as “the elite?” Are Reginald and Abigail the… President and Vice President? King and Queen? Just some people who started a massive corporation and got rich?

- No mention of Grace is criminal. It would have made waaaaay more sense if the lady who played Abigail was actually played by Grace. And it would add some heart to Reginald as a character too. Otherwise, instead of secretly loving Grace his alien wife, Grace is just some woman who was alive in the 60s and Reginald made a replica robot mom of her in 2019. For some reason. Idk I feel like the puzzle pieces were all laid out and for some reason TUA writers did not assemble them

- No mention of Pogo or Ray is also incredibly disappointing. Allison betrayed her siblings in order to be with Claire AND with Ray in one universe, but he’s not even in s4. Why even included him in the end of s3 then

- Okay maybe I’m pulling a blank but who tf is Quinn? Why does he know Klaus? Why does he hate Klaus so much?

- Why does Claire know Klaus is immortal? Why is all of sudden cool w her mom having eye glowy powers? You have no questions about that Claire huh…

- It also made sense to me that Lila and Diego would hate domestic life… and to me it seemed like even introducing their kids (not one, but three) was sort of silly. We only really saw Grace at the birthday party and then it seemed like Lila and Diego would forget and then remember the kids existed at weird parts

- Five and Lila giving up searching for a way out of the subway stations six years in seemed sus. Yes, take a break/eat strawberries but why would you stop searching for a way back? You’re supposed to be the best agents in the commission so like… where did that grit/determination go

- Ben dying and being mutated with zero understanding of what was happening to him… just sucked

[strawbuddy-luv]

Tim Drake would love video games sm tho, and I do not see that represented enough.

He'd be a total nerd about it to. He'd rant and rant and rant about all the games he's played and all the cheats and the secret cut scenes and the hidden lore. He'd be a game theorist for sure, probably has a YouTube account dedicated to it since he's such a little detective. He knows the true lore of FNaF.

He'd definitely speed run minecraft, rp to probably. First person shooter? How about first hand experience. FNaF fanatic oh my God he'd LOVE that game so fucking much. Absolutely a Sonic kid, like you cannot convince me otherwise. Mario less so but you knows hes probably played every single game anyways. Pokemon? Every single one memorized down to their exact coloration. Stardew valley? Do i even have to ask. Animal crossing? Perfected his village, villagers and all. Zelda? I cannot prove it but he has a lino Cosplay somewhere and he's worn it for under cover missions. He'd slay in DTI, have like 5 different mansions in Bloxburg, defiantly played Royal High until the capitalism became to close to the real world, probably has hundreds of avatars to. An expert at games like fnf has played half the mods to ever be made for that game. He's been playing fortnite since it's release. He'd have one of the top scores ever in subway surfers. He'd download those "complete your restaurant" type games and finish them in two weeks and it'd only take that long because the game forces him to wait sometimes. Candy crush is his bitch 100%. He'd download mobile games and finish them in a day and then keep redoing them till he's perfected his method. He has played and replayed countless driving based games, can learn almost any new one in 6 minutes. Going back to the speed run thing I think he'd just enjoy speed running games in general, and gridning. He'd love minecraft so much omg-. Last of us? Played. Iron Lung? Played. Cuphead? Played. Detroit Become Human? Played. Kindergarten? Played. Sallyface? Played. Splatoon? Played. He'd love small games to I just am not that into video games to know any to list- :').

I mean think about it. Going off the "Tim's parents are never home" version of him, he'd have so much time to just sit around and play video games. He has the money to buy them and the time to spend getting ungodly good at them. He'd have amazing equipment, and it'd give him some sort of community even if he doesn't really interact with it personally. Like if he's not out stalking Batman or at school, he's playing a video game. Even after he starts working for Batman, he'd overwork himself to the bone and he'd STILL find a way to go pro gamer in-between. Probably for like 0.5 seconds whenever he's got to stand up to get himself another energy drink.

Like please, video game nerd Tim Drake on my knees begging you add this to your stories and headcanons. Have him introduce other batfam members to video games. HAVE HIM INTRODCUE BRUCE TO CANDY CRUSH AND MAKE THEM GET INTO A COMPETITION ON WHO CAN GET TO A HIGHER LEVEL FASTER. He shows Damian animal crossing. He gives Jason a gaming console and like 50 different shooter games and one copy of stardew valley as a joke and did not expect Jason to get so into it. Him Cass and Steph would love those Roblox horror games. He'd force the whole family to start having game nights and they'd have a world on Minecraft that has the most insane lore you've ever heard. Like please give me more video game nerd Tim and tell me your headcanons on what games he'd like and what he'd introduce different batfam members to in the comment I am begging you.

[moonbaby26]

As we know, Oda made the original seven warlords all animal themed. With Doflamingo -duh- being a flamingo 🦩💖. But in this post I wanted to add the additional reasons I find it funny that my favorite warlord is indeed, a bird. Because most birds are chaotic, evil trainwrecks if you didn’t know! Do not be fooled by their elegant propaganda of the American bald eagle, peacock, and such.

Far more bird species are of the hissing/unpredictable/possessive/oversexed/homicidal/drama queen variety.

And as part of my example, I will be introducing my pet cockatiel! He is a male, lutino color variant. I took him to the avian vet recently to get a quick nail trim (he treats my arm like a bloodied ski slope with his little feet razors otherwise).

The likeness is uncanny, right? Spiked up blond hairdo and all. 🤣

But here is my rambling list below of why Doflamingo fits the bird theming beyond just his aesthetics. Note, all species are different. These are just generalities.

1. Birds are needy, attention whores. Realistically, this comes from wanting the attention and safety of their flock. And my bird gets plenty of out of cage time with us. But oh my god, sometimes if he hears me so much as sneeze and he can’t see me…WHY AM I IN THE HOUSE, BUT NOT WITH HIM!? WHY!? RED ALERT. He starts flock calling for me, and I must respond with at least a whistle or he will begin screaming. Because surely, someone must be murdering me if I don’t come to him immediately.

2. They are complete horndogs. Seriously, everyone thinks humping inappropriate things is a male dog exclusive problem. Nope. There are professional bird behaviorists that people literally pay to come teach them how to calm their pet birds’ sexual aggression and the nightmare that can become. You have to be mindful of how you interact with them, lest they start thinking YOU are their mate and begin attacking anyone else in the house who is not you. Because they are jealous. So jealous. I only pet/preen my bird on his head. As that is perfectly platonic flock behavior. But touching anywhere else (back or chest for example) can make them think it’s sexy time. Male birds will hump the utter hell out of “favorite” objects. Birds kept with others must be monitored that no one is getting ganged up on. But it happens in the wild too. Female ducks need pepper spray or self defense classes. I’ll just leave it at that.

3. They are murderous/violent, and easily overstimulated. So my bird weighs around 80 grams give or take. As an adult human, he’s not going to take me down anytime soon. But if he wanted to, he likely could bite me hard enough to go to the bone. He never has truly bitten me, but I watch his body language. He runs up wanting to be petted. Or sits on me long enough that he falls asleep. He likes to be together, but always on his terms. If I touched him too much, or when he didn’t want it, he’d definitely bite me. People have lost eyes to larger birds. People have had to have reconstructive surgery from parrot bites. They can crush whole nuts in their beak. So what do you think they’ll do to your face when they are sitting on your shoulder and suddenly get triggered (which they very easily are)? Humans have been drowned by swans. And forget it when it comes to something like the Cassowary. You’re already dead if they really wanted you to be.

4. They are opportunistic. Oh look, more murder! People think only birds of prey are the true meat eaters. But a pelican would eat you if it thought it could swallow you. Even the smallest birds have been observed killing other birds and small mammals if they can. Food is food. They are not cute to their victims. They are survivalists. No mercy. Ever. Some baby birds actually eat their own nestmates if one sibling is stronger than the others (sorry Rosi, there really was a precedent for that 😰).

5. They are territorial. And still more murder! In my own yard we have birdhouses made for Eastern bluebirds. They’re a species that legit benefits from human intervention as bluebirds will only nest in cavities, which they have less of now because of deforestation and competition with non native species taking said cavities. Non native species (for the US anyway) of the European house sparrow in particular. House sparrows are tiny. Smaller than a bluebird. But they will slaughter a bluebird family. All over territory during breeding season. They enter the bluebird nest and will peck even the adult bluebirds to death if they can catch them on the nest. They killed a male bluebird of ours this way. Now we put up “sparrow spookers” on our active bluebird nests once eggs are in the box. It’s just mylar streamers that blow in the wind, and the sparrows are afraid to fly through it. But every breeding season we have to go through this again. Basically Riku dynasty versus Donquixote dynasty in our backyard with the invading house sparrows.

And I could go on and on really, about greed, mood swings, vanity, etc. But you get the idea now. Murder, sex, and bright plumage. Heavy emphasis on the murder especially. He really is a bird in every sense of the word. 😅

Edit: Oh! And I forgot grudges! Some birds will hold a grudge for ages. Just ask a crow. I thought my bird would be over my betrayal of the vet visit by today. Nah. He’s still pissed. He won’t come to me right now. He fakes me out to offer my hand to him, then says, nah, bitch! And opens his mouth like he rather bite. It’ll be a few days I guess. 🤣 Never betray a Donquixote!

[adventuringblind]

(●’◡’●)ﾉ, I'm in loove with your Oscar Piastri x autistic!reader series, it gives really beautiful perspective on navigating relationships while being neurodivergent. I was wondering if you do a imagine/headcannon for Oscar and reader and how they navigate sexual intimacy in particular, like do's and donts, emotions during it stuff like that. If ur not comfortable writing that then it's ok, I just thought it would be interesting ♡

Bedroom Procedures

Oscar Jack Piastri x Reader

Genre: spicy things ahead but not smut

Request: the way I ran to write this... send me more ideas like this please they are my favorite to write!

Summary: Oscar and Reader navigate through intimacy

Warnings: again... spicy things. However there is no real depiction of anything happening!

Notes: aight, so this is again how I navigate because that's what I know. This is not a depiction of how every autistic person is when it comes to being intimate. Remember that autism is a spectrum and everyone is different.

Masterlist

Being intimate with each other actually took a long time

At least longer than what is probably average

And that's in opinion

She wants to have sex with Oscar

It's just that it's difficultt and there are so many different feelings that is gets overwhelming quickly

It doesn't help she's trying to dive straight in whenever they try it

Oscar pays attention however

Her body language is how he can understand her feelings

So he knows exactly what he's doing even if she doesn't get it yet

The next time things get a little heated, Oscar slows them both down

"Why are you stopping? Did I do something wrong?"

"Absolutely not, just thought we would try something different."

In her head, different is strange because there is usually an order to these things, and it should become routine eventually

Oscar has other plans

He starts taking their intimate moments incredibly slow

Introducing her to different sensations and letting her tell him what she likes and doesn't

Soon, he has a comprehensive list of dos and don'ts

Like how sometimes she prefers to keep on a loose shirt because otherwise the skin on skin is to much

Not all the time

He always asks before they do anything if she would like to wear one of his shirts

Or how her biting him is usually a good sign because it means she's happy

(Something she does even when they aren't having sex)

Oral is a grey area for her

Sometimes, she'll suck him off for hours, and others, she gets overwhelmed just thinking about it

Oscar doesn't care, though, because he loves her no matter what she's feeling up to

One thing he was not expecting was for her to be relatively kinky

Experimenting is everything

Hard yes and no things but down to try before deciding

Oscar got a bit experimental after he got a general idea and their bedroom communication was good

Again... communication is a key point

He's always asking questions and reading her body just as she is with him

The fact that it's a vulnerable state and both of them are connecting in a way with emotions that even sex itself can't give is incredibly intimate

They don't even make it there sometimes because the emotional ties are just so deep that they simply spend time memorizing each other

Another thing is vocals

Oscar is usually composed and level-headed

Sex however is completely different

It's where he is able to express himself in ways he couldn't before

Also, listening to his voice is something that helps her know if she's doing okay

She also experiments with her voice

Vocal stimming during sex happens often, and it happens when she is on the edge

Her parroting is endearing ad well

Sometimes Oscar will moan or hum in a way and she will copy

A non-verbal agreement to keep going

Can go for maybe two rounds maximum

Maybe three or four but that's on a good day

Follows a routine of how things go down and there is definitely communication beforehand

Even if both parties are in the heat of the moment, he will not start anything without giving an idea of what will happen

It's like an unwritten rule so that she isn't trying to read the situation and get frustrated with herself if she can't understand what's happening

Clear cut yes and no

There is no maybe

All communication is cut and dry, and there is no beating around the bush

Because of her willingness to touch, but only from those she's allowed, Oscar is a teeny tiny bit possessive

If anyone touches her who she's not comfortable with he won't hesitate to bite her in reciprocation

She bites him, he bites her, it's a pattern they keep going because he knows its her love language

Also, it creates some fun on other places

Really the two are very good at setting boundaries and communicating

It makes things fun for both of them and there is never any feelings hurt

[takamimami]

takamimami Celebrates 100 Followers!!

EVENT CLOSED: RULES AND PROMPTS UNDER CUT (event end Oct 11th)

What better way to celebrate a milestone than with these three goofballs?!

Seriously though, I want to thank everyone who has liked, followed, reblogged, and interacted with any of my works I've posted on this blog. Let me start off by actually introducing myself:

Hi! My name is Tia/Angel/Princess/any pet name you want to call me :3 - I am a 27-year-old loser who shamelessly obsesses over people I will never meet. I pride myself in trying to be an open book, so I am always open to chatting about anything from anime, video games, music, books - but I need to come with my own CW because I am unhinged 87% of the time (srynotsry). I once saw this post that said something like 'Create pieces that you are the target audience for' and that is 100% my motto when it comes to writing, so the fact that anyone enjoys what I create is amazing bc it means I'm not as crazy or alone as I once thought I was <3 (ew that was oddly sappy). This blog is technically a side blog where I post my writings, so if you really wanna be friends, consider following/interacting with me on my main page @limitlesstildil

EVENT RULES UNDER THE CUT - PLEASE CONSIDER LIKING/REBLOGGING THIS POST TO SPREAD THE LOVE :3

Supernova Captains 100 Follower Event:

RULES:

The rules are pretty easy: submit an ask here and choose a prompt from the lists below, and then let me know which of our lovely captains you want me to write about for you!! ALL WILL BE WRITTEN AS X READER FICS - SO PLEASE SPECIFY IF YOU PREFER F!READER, M!READER, OR G/N!READER!!

Be mindful of what prompt you are choosing - Smut prompts will be NSFW - Fluff Prompts will be SFW - and Angst will be SFW unless you request otherwise :3 NOTE: you can select choose for me to write a prompt for all three captains, but the blurbs will be smaller (5-600 words each) than if you just choose one of them. Single character pieces will be roughly 1.5k words - give or take (and also depending on my self control :3) ALSO: please feel free to include any ideas/pet names/headcanons you would like me to include/lean into - I want to personalize them for whoever is asking as much as possible so do not hold back when it comes to letting me know what you're in the mood for :3 HAPPY REQUESTING <3

PROMPT LIST:

SMUT 🔞

“Don’t act innocent when we both know where your mouth was two minutes ago.”

“We should probably leave, before we start a scandal.”

“My tongue still remembers the way you taste.”

“Jealousy seems to be a great motivator for you.”

“I could make you feel better.”

“I know I should care about the reason why you’re naked in my bed, but I will just enjoy it for a moment.”

“Your hand feels so much better than mine.”

“Your moans will wake everyone up and I’m oddly fine with that.”

“Your eyes are already saying yes, now I just need your mouth to tell me the same.”

“How about we get really dirty before we shower, so that it’s actually worth the effort?”

“Oh, you’re such a tease!”

“Hmm, is that a threat or a promise?”

“I want to ruin you.”

Our bodies fit so well together.”

“Make me shut up then.”

FLUFF🍬

“How come you always end up under my blanket?”

“Have I told you I love you today?”

“I would like my good morning kiss now.”

“You getting so flustered is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.”

“I think I know what that smile means.”

“You give the best hugs.”

“You’re enough for me.”

“Wait, we have a few more minutes.”

“You’re just the cutest.” “You’re the only one who is allowed to say that.”

“Do you think they will like it?”

“Sweet of you to think of me.” “I always think of you.”

“You make me a better person.”

“Everything alright?” “I just missed you.”

“I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.”

“Come on. Let’s go home.”

ANGST🥀

“I shouldn’t have left.”

"Please don't talk about yourself like that."

“No, this can’t be real!”

“We tried our best.”

“Please, let me in.”

“Can’t you understand why that hurts me?”

“I asked you not do this, but you did it anyway.”

“Don’t touch me!”

“I’ve always been alone.”

“It hurts, but I’ll live.”

“Please, tell me you're ok.”

“Sleep doesn’t come that easy without you.”

“I don’t really care anymore.”

“No, I’m actually not ok.”

“You just can’t help it, can you?”

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Top Shelf Love: Chapter One

A/N: yeah, yeah, I know! This is super exposition-y, but we have to set it all up, besties! I promise Cassian and Nesta actually interact again in the next chapter 🫡 Also, for anyone who's nerdy like me, the Athletic has a really great article about just how complicated things get when a player gets traded. It's a fun read!

Read on AO3 // Chapter Masterlist // Previous Part // Next Part

Cassian

Cassian groans, tossing his phone on the coffee table, the device skittering across the wood without a care. He drops his head against the back of the sofa, digging his hands into his hair and dragging his fingers against the curly strands. He still can’t quite wrap his mind around it, and he half wonders if he’s imagining this entire phone call, but the tinny voice continues through the speaker even if he’s no longer listening.

Seattle.

He got traded to the Seattle Kraken.

The words continue to crash and echo in his mind, even as his agent goes through the usual spiel when trades happen. Expect a call from the coach, maybe even a few players will reach out once the news breaks. The Kraken’s director of team services will reach out with the finer details for a smooth transition. Reminders of the CBA mandates. Meetings with the trainers, the equipment team, and the coaching staff to look forward to. Practice schedule. It’s like information overload, a hurricane swirling through his head with hundred mile per hour winds.

It doesn’t help that his phone has already started to vibrate against the table, almost excessively. With a quiet huff that thankfully his agent doesn’t pick up on, already plowing forward into the exciting potential for re-signing with Seattle, Cassian snatches his phone back up. He minimizes the call screen and looks at his notifications. Of course. The news has already broken on Twitter. Damn ‘insiders.’

“Any questions for me, Cassian? Anything I can do for you?”

Cassian has to shake his head, clearing his still spiraling thoughts, before he finds his voice. “All good, Eris. That’s how the off season goes, right?”

Eris is quiet for a moment. “I’ll send a car to take you to the airport. A nicer one than the team would send.”

With that, the line clicks, and Cassian tosses his phone away again, this time face down. He doesn’t even want to look at what’s being said, at the speculation. Sure, the Rangers hadn’t had the best season, the ending more heartbreak than anything else. Sure, he only has one year left on his contract. Sure, the front office wants draft picks to help build up the farm system with young blood.

But still, Cassian never expected this. Never expected this was how his time with the team would end. Never expected this was how his time in New York City would end.

Sighing softly, he glances around his apartment. The high ceilings, the modern, open kitchen, the tall windows and the amazing skyline view that the thirty-first floor offers. He really did love this place, a far cry from the streets he’d grown up on, and a reminder of how far he'd come from those very streets. He supposes he’ll have to sell it now. Is it worth keeping just for the off season?

The sound of Cassian’s phone ringing is loud in his otherwise quiet apartment. It seems to echo off the walls as though taunting him. He’s half tempted to ignore it all together, but despite the unknown number displayed on the screen when he checks, the location is listed as Seattle. Not the best first impression to send his new team to voicemail. Another sigh and Cassian squares his shoulders, sliding his thumb across the screen to answer.

The man on the other end of the line introduces himself and exchanges a few pleasantries, but then he’s diving right in to more specifics. The nitty gritty of a trade. Flight details. Financials and reimbursements. Rental car when he lands. Taxes.

Cassian only half listens, making sure he makes the affirmative sounds at the appropriate breaks in conversation. This isn’t his first rodeo. Although, he had still been in the farm system when his last trade happened. This is certainly different, but Cassian knows he thankfully won’t have to deal with most of this. He’ll give the director of team services Eris’s number, and let him deal with all the numbers and everything. It’s why he pays him the big bucks after all.

As soon as the call ends, Cassian’s phone lights up and starts ringing again. He wants to pull his own hair out as that incessant sound fills his apartment. He knows how this goes, but he’d give anything for just a moment of peace, a moment to really sit with his thoughts and everything that’s just happened. He considers turning his phone off, letting all the calls go to voicemail, at least for a few hours, but then he sees the name displayed on the screen.

“I take it you saw the news?” Cassian says by way of greeting.

“Need a drink?” Rhysand’s voice carries down the line.

Cassian chuckles, already pushing up to his feet. “You have no idea. But you better be breaking out the good shit from your fancy cellar.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just get your ass over here.”

Just the short conversation, the teasing tone of his chosen brother, has Cassian feeling lighter already. He grabs his wallet and shoves it into his pocket, tugging a ball cap down over his curls. Summer still clings to the city despite the first day of fall barely a few days away, but the breeze that dances between the buildings promises cooler temperatures to come. Cassian takes the subway up toward Central Park, the rocking of the car over the tracks strangely a lulling balm over his nerves.

The doorman offers Cassian a nod and a friendly hello in greeting when he arrives at the building, holding the door open for him to stroll inside. The receptionist at the front desk does the same, barely casting Cassian a cursory glance as he heads for the elevators. He quickly punches in the code and steps inside, riding up and up and up, all the way to the penthouse.

Feyre is waiting for Cassian as soon as the elevator doors open, stepping forward and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. “I’m so sorry.”

Cassian chuckles but he wraps his own arms around Feyre’s shoulders nonetheless. “I’m not dying, Fey. I just got traded.”

“I know, but traded across the country,” Feyre continues, pulling back enough that she can peer up at Cassian with an overdramatic pout. “I’m losing my partner in crime. Who will join me in bullying Rhys now?”

“You’re right,” Cassian tells her, nodding his head with faux solemness. “I’m so sorry you’ll be stuck on the east coast all alone with Rhys’s stupid face.”

“Stupid face? And here I broke out the good wine for your sorry ass.”

Cassian tosses his head back and laughs. He steps away from Feyre and walks over to Rhys, clapping his brother on the shoulder. “I expect nothing less.”

Rhys rolls his eyes, but he leads the way into the kitchen, three wine glasses and a bottle already arranged on the large kitchen island. He pours the wine into each glass, but Cassian grabs the bottle, examining the label with an appreciative hum.

“I don’t know why you’re making that sound,” Rhys comments dryly, taking a sip of his drink.

“Who cares about that?” Feyre cuts in, waving a dismissive hand at her fiancé and leaning against the kitchen island, her attention solely on Cassian. “Are you excited for Seattle?”

Cassian hums, swirling his wine around the glass. “They’re definitely building a good team out there. Strong top line. And I’ve heard good things about playing under Miller.”

“But…?”

“There’s no but, it’s just…” Cassian sighs softly, pulling his cap off to run his fingers through his hair. “It just sucks because everyone’s here, out east. You guys are always here or in Montreal. Mor’s here in New York. Even Az isn’t that far in Nashville. I won’t know anyone out west.”

“Yeah, but you’ll have the guys on the team. You know they’ll have all the best spots in town to recommend,” Rhys reminds him.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“My sister lives out in Seattle!” Feyre jumps in to add, blue eyes bright.

Cassian frowns. “Doesn’t Elain live in Toronto with Lucien?”

“Not Elain. My other sister. Nesta. You’ve met her.”

Nesta.

Cassian is sure he’d remember if he met Nesta Archeron. He still remembers when Feyre had posted the photos from Elain’s wedding last month to her Instagram, the way his mouth had slackened at the sight of who he was sure was the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. With the purple, silky fabric of the bridesmaid dress clinging perfectly to her every curve, golden brown strands of hair swept away from her face in an intricate updo, she was breathtaking.

But it was her expression in the photos that had really drawn Cassian in. There was something about it. Something about her. Something about the way that even though she was smiling in the photo, there was still a challenge, a dare, burning in her stormy blue eyes and the pinch of her brow. And Cassian had never backed down from a dare. He was sure one look from her had sent many men to their knees, sent them fleeing for the hills before she could cut them down where they stood, but Cassian? Cassian wanted to drive head first into that fire.

“I don’t think I’ve met her,” Cassian offers, but he doesn’t tell Feyre just how much he wishes he had.

“But she was at our engagement party in May,” Feyre continues, but when Cassian only shrugs in response, she merely sighs. “Whatever. The point is that she lives in Seattle. I can give you her number if you want. Then, you’ll at least know someone out there when you get there. And I’m sure she’d be more than happy to show you around.”

Cassian thinks about it. He thinks back to those photos on Feyre’s Instagram, thinks about the photos he had seen when he stalked Nesta’s own Instagram after he clicked the tagged account. Thinks of those stormy blue eyes and the tilt of her lips in a smirk behind the rim of a wine glass. Thinks of the stories Feyre has told him, of the stubborn and fierce older sister who all but eviscerated Feyre’s ex, Tamlin.

“Yeah… yeah, that’d be good. Just so I know someone out there.”

~ * * * ~

Nesta

Nesta sighs softly, but she reaches down, fingers curling beneath cardboard. Her arms protest at the weight, but she hefts the box up, shuffling the few steps to add it to the organized chaos that’s their backroom. For a moment, her attention dances back toward her phone where she left it on another box, but she pointedly left it face down for a reason. She doesn’t need to look at the text messages waiting for her again.

Feyre 1:18pm Remember Cassian? Rhys’ brother that I told you all about? 😉 He’s coming to Seattle! I gave him your number. Show him around for me? Please?

Unknown number 4:43pm Hey, Nesta. This is Cassian. Feyre gave me your number. I’m moving out to Seattle soon. Maybe we can meet up?

“So, let me get this straight. The Cassian is moving to Seattle?”

Nesta snorts softly, peering toward where Gwyn is sprawled across the floor, iPad balanced against her knees. “We’re calling him the Cassian now?”

“I prefer to call him the douchey hockey player,” Emerie comments idly, placing the box in her own arms down. She swipes up the box cutter from the metal shelf to her left, making quick, efficient work of the tape keeping the box closed.

“And are you imagining douchey hockey player’s balls there?” Gwyn teases, looking meaningfully toward the box cutter in Emerie’s grip.

“So what if I am?” Emerie fires back, leaning forward to open Nesta’s box too. “He’d deserve it.”

“I never said he didn’t,” Gwyn laughs, turning her attention back to Nesta. “So, what are you going to do?”

Nesta sighs softly. “I don’t know. Feyre asked me to show him around the city.”

“Doesn’t he have teammates to do that?”

“Ignore him and the request,” Emerie suggests dryly.

Nesta snorts quietly but it quickly turns into a sigh, even as she keeps her hands busy pulling books out of her box. “I didn’t exactly tell Feyre what happened that night.”

She hadn’t told anyone about that night, save her two best friends. She still cringes sometimes when she thinks back to it, the embarrassment burning bright low in her gut, twisting and squeezing between her ribs uncomfortably. She’d sworn that night that she would never give a single thought about Cassian Valdarez ever again, and until today, she’d kept true to that.

She’d spent her remaining days in New York City solely with her sisters, even doing one of the touristy bus tours with Elain to see all the classic sights. And thankfully, Feyre had been more interested in excitedly talking about wedding plans and ideas than continuing her busybody meddling. If either of her sisters noticed anything different with Nesta, they didn’t say anything.

After Nesta had flown back home to Seattle, Emerie and Gwyn came over to her apartment. Drinking a bottle of wine between the three of them, it all had come spilling out of her. Her friends had allowed her to pace and rage, and then that was that. Nesta had washed her hands of the whole thing. Never again did she dare to check the sports news out of curiosity. Never again did she dare to stalk his Instagram. Never again did she think of the stupid face and the stupid smirk of a smile of that hockey player.

“What if you give him a tour of all the worst places in the city?” Emerie suggests, brown eyes practically lighting up at the idea. “Then, maybe he’ll want to leave the city.”

Gwyn’s laugh is bright, red hair tumbling down her back when she tosses her head back. “That is definitely not how sports teams operate.”

“Worth a shot,” Emerie mutters, tossing aside the box packaging in her hands and reaching back in for the books hiding beneath. “Holy shit. We got the new Sellyn Drake novel already?”

Emerie holds up the book in her hand excitedly, showing off the cover. Like so many romance novels these days, it features a faceless, cartoon style couple. The man is shirtless, though, rocking a kilt, while the woman is drawn with a yellow sundress. Looping script above the cartoon characters declares the title, The Scottish High Lord and Me.

“It’s official release date is…” Gwyn starts, squinting down at the iPad and scrolling through whatever is on the screen. “Tuesday, so we’ll want to put them out Monday night after we close.”

Gwyn reaches over toward the metal shelves, swiping up the sticky notes and sharpie sitting there. She scrawls out a note, a reminder of when they’ll need to stock the books, and peels the sticky note free. She slaps it right over the cover of the book in Emerie’s hands, but Emerie is quick to peel it right back off, placing it instead on one of the other copies still in the box.

“Hey!” Gwyn chastises, narrowing her eyes.

“What?” Emerie asks, her tone overly innocent. “This is my copy.”

“Gwyn just said the book doesn’t technically release until Tuesday,” Nesta points out, snorting softly.

“What’s the point of owning a bookstore if we don’t get to read all the best releases early? Besides, it’s not like I’m going to be posting all the spoilers online or anything.”

“Good point,” Nesta agrees, reaching forward as well to grab another of the Sellyn Drake books.

“You both are terrible.”

“Oh, come on,” Emerie teases with a roll of her eyes. “You know you want to read it too.”

“Seriously, Gwyn,” Nesta adds, not even bothering to bite back her smirk as she points to the cover. “It’s a Scottish love interest.”

Gwyn huffs, seemingly determined to hold her ground with her crossed arms and narrowed gaze, but it barely lasts a few seconds. Not quite meeting either of her friends' eyes, the barest hint of a blush beginning to pool in her cheeks, she reaches forward into the box, plucking out another of the books.

Nesta and Emerie glance toward each other, sharing a knowing look, before they both burst out laughing. It feels good to laugh, to have that lightness twining around her limbs and swelling through her chest. It feels good to be squeezed back in this tiny stockroom with her best friends, her chosen sisters. She doesn’t know what she’d do without them.

They were there for her when she hit the lowest point of her life, when she well and truly felt like she hit rock bottom. They were right there beside her in the trenches, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to rage and scream at, a voice of reason and comfort. They didn’t flinch when Nesta snapped and released that swirling storm of emotion within her. They didn’t balk from her every scar, every dark crevice of her soul.

And when Nesta was ready, they helped pull her out.

“And what books are in your box?” Gwyn asks Nesta, pulling her out of her thoughts and back into the present.

Nesta shakes her head before peering into the box at her feet, pushing aside the packaging. “It looks like it’s our restock of that baseball romance that went viral.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Gwyn comments, tapping away at the iPad screen. “We should definitely put those out tonight so they’re ready for tomorrow.”

~ * * * ~

Nesta slumps back against the blankets and pillows of her bed with a soft sigh. She sinks back into the mattress, letting her arm fall over her eyes. There’s definitely a soreness lingering in her biceps from lifting all those boxes, but it was worth it.

When they finished inventory of the latest deliveries, the three of them had moved back into the main shop. Emerie had taken to restocking the shelves while Gwyn took to rearranging the table displays at the front. Nesta had taken to the registers. Math had always been a strong point for her, even when she was back in school, so it was always her job to balance their books. They all worked in perfect tandem until everything was good to go, finally closing up the shop and heading their separate ways back to their respective apartments.

Nesta allows herself another moment to simply lay in bed before hauling herself back up. She grabs the newest Sellyn Drake novel, resituating her pillows and settling back comfortably against them. Her fingers skate along the cover, down over the spine. There’s always been something about holding a fresh book in her hands. The crisp pages, the scent of parchment and ink.

Sliding her palm down the cover once more, Nesta turns to the first page, but her gaze dances away from the words and over to her nightstand. To her phone sitting there. She knows she shouldn’t, but her fingers itch with the urge all the same. With an annoyed huff, Nesta snatches up the device, navigating to her message app and the unread texts there.

Unknown number 7:12pm Did I type in the wrong number? This is Nesta, right?

Unknown number 7:37pm Feyre says this is the right number. Did she tell you I’m moving to the Seattle area? It would be really great if we could meet up!

Unknown number 9:21pm I guess you’re just really busy. My flight gets in Saturday morning, but the team is picking me up to show me around the practice facilities and locker rooms and introduce me to everyone. Maybe we could meet up in the afternoon? I’d be more than happy to buy you dinner 😏

The last message has Nesta rolling her eyes hard. It’s exactly the sort of response she expects from someone like Cassian. All the arrogance and presumptuousness that comes from being a professional athlete. She half wonders how he even fits his ego inside the locker rooms.

Nesta tosses her phone aside and returns to her book. She hasn’t broken her promise yet, and she has no intention of breaking it now. Besides, who needs a hockey player when she has a fictional Scotsman, anyways?

—

Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added or removed): @moodymelanist @nesquik-arccheron @sv0430 @talkfantasytome @bookstantrash @eirini-thaleia @ubigaia @fromthelibraryofemilyj @luivagr-blog @lifeisntafantasy @superspiritfestival @hiimheresworld @marigold-morelli @sweet-pea1 @emeriethevalkyriegirl @pyxxie @dustjacketmusings @hallway5 @dongjunma @glowing-stick-generation @melonsfantasyworld @lady-nestas @goddess-aelin @melphss @theladystardust @a-trifling-matter @blueunoias @kookskoocie @wolfnesta @blurredlamplight @hereforthenessian @skaixo @jmoonjones @burningsnowleopard @whyisaravenlike-awritingdesk @ofduskanddreams @rarephloxes @thelovelymadone @books-books-books4ever @tenaciousdiplomatloverprune @that-little-red-head @readergalaxy @thesnugglingduck @kale-theteaqueen @tarquindaddy @superflurry @bri-loves-sunflowers @lady-winter-sunrise @witch-and-her-witcher @fieldofdaisiies

[yuriisclumsy]

𝖯𝗋𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗎𝖾, 𝙰𝚌𝚝 𝙸: Start Anew

Last Chapter | Next Chapter

𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗈𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌 𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗅𝗒. 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 3,083

Authors note: Hope everyone's day is good. I have been working on the story for a while -- it takes time to write a chapter -- getting inspirations and tidying up the plot a bit. I really love were this is going! Side Note: If you want to ask more about the story, or want to clarify somethings, my ASK! is always opened! I think I will also be accepting request from this fandom as well. So, don't be shy. PS. This is the longest chapter so far.

It’s been a while since I arrived here; a place filled with unknowns and mysteries.

Not knowing where I was…frightening to say the least. Being far away from my home, into a land of magic. 

If I hadn’t tried pinching myself every time I encountered a creature right out of a fantasy anime, I would believe I was in a dream, crazy even.

When I awoke, I found myself inside a big hole with cecilia flowers blooming in the dark. It was deep in measure, as I couldn’t see the surrounding area. As confused as I was, I decided climbing was my best option to take.

A few hours went by as I tried getting out the ditch.

Out of all the places to spawn in another world, a hole isn’t on the list.

If not for the fortunate encounter of a blonde haired boy, I would have still been there as I speak. He rescued me, helping me reach the top of the pit. Afterwards, when I thanked him, he understood nothing. He spoke to me, and I understood nothing.

And so, my second problem since coming to this strange place began: language barrier.

With the limit of communication between the two of us, we attempted to introduce ourselves. The boy pointed at himself and said Sirius… It meant the brightest star in the night sky in Greek.

I followed suit and copied him, pointing at myself, and said my name. It’s nothing special so I won’t waste my time saying it–mother would have said otherwise giving me a frown in disapproval.

We smiled. We solved the problem of how we could get each other's attention. The happiness didn’t last long hearing rustling in the bushes. In defense, Sirius took out his sword. The sight of it made me freeze, though not much the sword, but the way it appeared out of thin air.

My mind twisted, frustratedly trying to grasp logic to reason the sudden appearance of the sword. There’s just no way a sword can just materialize out of nothing. Was I going insane? I would've believed myself to be if not for the thing that came out the bushes belonging to imagination.

I think I passed out after seeing it because when I woke up again I saw Sirius' worried face. What I saw was a smile. A cute, yet very dangerous, slime. If this place could give me more to think about how stupid this all was, it would be the weird fashion of these clothes.

At that point I noticed that I wasn't wearing my school uniform. I wore a cloak. It’s not all I had–I think anyone would notice if they were buck naked, but that is the only noteworthy item I wore; the rest is plain and simple, except for the hair piece on the left side of my hair; It’s a crystal, surrounded by gold with engravings on it.

My thoughts at the moment reflected my confusion. Perhaps, I had miraculously found myself on the other side of the globe! …but that’s just hopeful thinking. I knew monsters weren’t meant to be real, nor these gravity-defiant clothes we wore existed.

Reality Dawned on me a few days later being graced with the same routine: Waking up thinking it was all a dream, greeting Sirius, eating, moving on in the plains to who-knows-where, encountering monsters, repeat.

That’s how it was, up until we fished out our third party member.

She is…something. At first, I worried the poor thing had drowned in the pond, but after making sure she was alright I discovered she could float. That killed my sense of urgency. 

How could a fairy, who literally floats, drown?

The fairy, who later gave us her name–Paimon, teached Sirius the language of this planet. Apparently, I was speaking a different language than the one I’m using right now. Sirius pointed it out after he learned to formulate sentences, albeit broken, but understandable nonetheless. 

Two months passed since then. 

We were sitting on a beach enjoying its offerings. Sirius and Paimon–the fairy we helped–were closer to the shore drawing images in the sand. I relaxed under the protection of a palm’s shade, not wanting to get a heat stroke from the scorching sun.

But this peacefulness did not last long.

A loud sound played, akin to that of a classic German symphony, short but loud enough to make my eardrums ring. It made me dizzy when I heard it. 

Some sort of vision, screen-like, projection, showed up in front of me when I heard the sound.

“So…what you're trying to say is that you fell here…from another world?” I heard Paimon speak.

Two shining stars, traveling from an unknown place onwards to the sky itself.

“But when you wanted to leave and go on to the next world, your path was blocked by some unknown god?”

A space between the clouds and stars was shown to me; there was Sirius, and someone that looked exactly like him in the opposite gender.

Then I saw her.

The god that Paimon mentioned; she was tall; her clothing were fit for the divinity she is; with her beauty, she’d be capable of killing the careers of hundreds of models if she were to join the modeling business.

“Outlanders, your journey ends here!” I shivered. Her voice was colder than any ice-cream that could give me a brain freeze on a winter’s day.

“Who are you?!” Sirius’ look-alike questioned.

“The sustainer of heavenly principles. The arrogation of mankind ends now,” the god summoned a red cube expanding its domain in the ground. It almost captured the outsiders, almost.

Jumping away from her attack, they each manifested a pair of glorious crystalized wings and swords; the sun shone through its glass making the wings seem like they were glowing; their swords–matching in style–live for the protection of their masters, and ready for battle; launching forward, they meet tentacles made of the same cube which tried to take them down. Every slash made by their opponent was evaded by them. They looked like butterflies dancing a duet; so serine and gorgeous.

But just like a game of chess, the enemy’s turn is finished, it is their turn to make a move. Readying their attack with all the power they can muster; they do a combined strike. Unfortunately for them, the god shielded their attack, rendering them hopeless to her.

The Queen eats a pawn.

With only a glare at the boy made him recoil. But to his dismay, his counterpart wasn't so fast. She was swallowed by the god’s swarm of red-and-black cube.

In a desperate attempt to free her, Sirius charged an attack with some power that is unknown to me. As fast as lighting, he was behind the god. The force of the power collided with the god making a big explosion.

Pawn moves.

Smoke was everywhere; Sirius catches his breath thinking the god was defeated.

His eyes widened, the fumes of the aftermath scurried off to reveal the god intact. Not even her clothes were affected. Intinctly, Sirius backed up, but found himself unable to move: the god had trapped him as well.

Queen moved, blocking the pawn from advancing. The game paused momentarily.

“Wait, don’t go!” His eyes looked desperately at the god, “give my sister back!”

In that instant, I could feel his emotions radiating through his voice. They barreled onto each other, it made me want to crawl into a ball and cry; anger, worry, sadness…the worst one of them was the feeling of separation–loss.

The scene continued, ignorant of my feelings.

“And just like that, the god took away my sister.”

I discovered Sirius had a sister; a twin intertwined in the stars.

“Some kind of seal was cast upon me, and I lost my power. So while we used to travel from world to world, we are now trapped here.”

“How many years ago was it? I don’t know… But I intend to find out,” the scene changed back to the sunny beach and the call of the ocean.

“I was completely alone from the time I woke — Right until I met you and [Name] two months ago.”

“Yeah, Paimon owes you guys for that. Otherwise Paimon likely would have drowned… So, Paimon would do her best to be a great guide for you two!” She vowed to be our travel guide across this unknown world.

Sirius looked out into the horizon with hopeful eyes for the future.

“We should head off.”

When the scene ended, Paimon and Sirius came to me to continue our journey.

“[Name] stop relaxing, and let’s go!” Paimon took me by the hand and lifted me up, dragging me to wherever we were going.

 I didn’t share what happened, or what I saw. It's a secret for now.

Currently, we are on our way to our next destination: Mondstadt City.

The city belongs to the nation of Mondstadt–funnily having the same name. According to Paimon, it is the closest civilization from our location. Before going further we stop atop a hill looking out into the plains and what awaits us in the future.

And that is where we found ourselves. Standing idly at the edge of a mountain looking out into the wilderness….

Wait…. Did—did I just have an internal dialogue? I stopped enjoying the view questioning my sanity, before being rudely interrupted by a certain gluttonous-fairy.

“Woaww! This is certainly something Paimon could get used to waking up to see each morning!” She said happily. “What do you think, Sirius?”

Oh, so we’re just going to ignore me, are we?

“I also like the view…” I glanced at her. She looked at me with a sorry-d face.

“We like it, Paimon. Thank you for ask,” Sirius responded calmly.

“See, Paimon? It wasn’t so difficult to include me.”

“Oh look!” she pointed at a lake in the middle of the valley, trying to divert the conversation. “That’s a Statue of The Seven!”

I was unimpressed, but Sirius followed her enthusiasm.

“What is it?” He asked, looking at what looked like a pillar in the middle of a pond.

“They are statues showing The Seven’s protection over the world,” she said proudly, “you can find them scattered all over the place. Among the seven gods, this one belongs to the god who controls the wind.”

“And that is important to know, because…?” I found the information useless. The gods in my world are practically non-existent, or hard to contact unless you're a devoted follower they’ve shown favoritism to. The gods in this world are no different.

“Because! It can help Sirius find information on his sister and clear up if that’s the god he’s looking for, and help you remember who you are!”

I nearly forgot. I made an excuse of losing my memories when Sirius became suspicious for knowing the language but not the places a while back. I need to keep that in mind. 

Darn you Sirius and your keen senses.

“...you’re right.”

“Of course Paimon is right!” So presumptuous she is. I’ll play along for now.

“Oh, what would come of me if not for the number-one-in-the-whole-world’s travel guide not being here with me?” I sounded overdramatic, yes, but she bought it and became even prouder.

“You would be a lost little Seelie, that’s for sure!”

Sirius giggled at our shenanigans. “Okay, Paimon is best travel guide. But, we need go. Will be late when arrive in city.”

“Oh no! We can’t have that. If we’re late, all the restaurants will be closed, and Paimon won’t be able to eat!” She was more worried about her empty stomach than monsters attacking us.

“*sight…* I guess the only thing inside that head of hers is food," I commented.

“Haha. Don’t let Paimon hear, she will eat you at night,” Sirius said with a jokingly-creepy voice.

“Ha-ha-ha… Getting eaten by a flying child is not on my experience list,” I said with sarcasm. “Anyway, we should follow her. We don’t want her drowning in another pond…”

The only response I got was him giggling. We ran after Paimon. She is not to be left alone for a second, lest you want your rations to go poof.

But nothing would have prepared us for what we would see in the sky that day.

“Are you confident we’ll be able to meet this god?” I said.

We managed to catch up to Paimon before she ran into any trouble. Now, we were closer to the statue we saw on the hill. 

“Paimon’s not sure… Paimon has never meet any of The Seven in person, so Paimon doesn't know if they’ll answer. But, it's worth a try!”

“Better than nothing,” Sirius looked at me for confirmation.

“It’s progress,” saying that earned me a smile from him.

I looked away from him admiring the species of animal I’ve never seen before. Even the fruits were different. Reminds me that I need to try all the food I can. When in a new world, try all you can, especially food.

I’m thinking like Paimon now…

Approaching the statue, I stopped and looked at it from a distance. My mouth was left agape at the stone’s craftsmanship; from far it looked rather plain, but on closer inspection it was as complex as understanding chess; it was large, having angel wings in the back; the silhouette was that of a person, with braids and a good figure.

Was this the god of wind?

Paimon went in front of us before I could marvel at it any longer. I’ll have time to gaze at it later.

“As we all know, poetry and language flow like the wind…” she began.

“Wowww, Paimon. Didn’t realize we had a poet in our group,” I clapped.

“Oh, for goodness sake! Leave Paimon alone!” her tiny legs stumped the air, showing our companions annoyance.

I raise my hands to shield myself from her wrath. “Fine, fine. I'll leave you alone for now.”

“What do you mean ‘for now’?!”

Before Paimon’s anger flowed out, Sirius decided it was the best time to take a dip in the pond, splashing Paimon and I.

“Ah!” Paimon tried to take cover. But a little too late, she was as wet as I was.

“Was that really necessary?” I asked, looking at myself.

He smiled at us. “You two stopped,” He swam to the minuscule island in the pond where the statue was.

Paimon shook like a wet puppy, splashing even more water on me.

“OI.” I was ignored.

She flew right above the pond joining Sirius, leaving me behind. Thanks Paimon.

Do I really have to go there? I’m already wet, so I might as well.

I took my shoe and socks off, I didn’t want them smelling bad later after they dried. My right foot was the first to make contact with the water. Nope. It was iced cold. Not going. No, with a little spice of Nuh-huh. Sirius could get all the attention from the statue all he wanted because, I. Ain't. Going.

“[Name]! You coming?” Sirius got my attention.

“No, I’m good! I’ll just…look around the area!” I told him, quickly putting my socks and shoes on.

“Okay, don’t go far!” He told me before focusing on Paimon and the statue.

Now. what to do, what to do?

I walked around the pond finding nothing of my interest. Then, a sound came into earshot. It was the same one I heard when the vision appeared back on the beach! Was I going to get another one?

I see as Sirius touches the statue, and a ball of…air? Leaps into his body. The star in his chest and his wrist that were previously black, are now filled and glowing with teal.

My perspective comes back to the spot I was formerly.

What was the thing that went into Sirius’s body? I wondered.

Suddenly, a zephyr flowed in my direction. It was playful, messing with my hair. Then it became strong and lifted my cloak. I was amazed at first, right before the little demon made it fall, slamming it against my face. I yelped in surprise. I could hear soft giggles in the breeze.

The wind was mocking me.

I won’t forget this, you little…

“[Name]! There you are!” Paimon shouted as she got closer to me.

“You don’t have to yell for me to hear Paimon, I’m not deaf,” I winced.

“Oops, sorry.”

“It’s fine. So, did you two discover something interesting?” I asked, pretending I didn’t just see an orb go into Sirius’s body.

They both nodded with big smiles.

“Yup! Sirius resonated with the statue, and is now able to control the power of Anemo!”

“Excuse me?” I said dumbfounded.

“Uhmm, Sirius resonated with the statue?” Paimon tilted her head in confusion.

“No yeah, I heard that part. What do you mean he can use the power of Anemo?”

Sirius put his hand out and concentrated. Then a small ball of air was formed.

I was gone for two seconds, and Sirius is already getting powers??? How is that fair? I want powers too!

To say I was mad would be an understatement. I was furious.

Couldn't it have been me instead? All those times where I dreamed of having cool magic and powers have been shattered. They’re so close, yet so far away. Darn you Sirius!

“Now I’m the only one without powers… Great.”

“In his defense, he didn’t know he would get them,” Paimon defended. “Maybe the gods didn’t give you any powers because you are mean, [Name],” Was she trying to provoke me? She is reminding me of someone annoying I know.

I gave her a nasty glare before letting it go. “Now, can you please show us the way to Mondstadt city. I’m getting hungry and tired of this day.”

“Oh, Paimon is too! Paimon can’t wait to taste the sweet delicacies of the nation of freedom…” her mouth watered at the thought of her stomach being full, “Let’s move then!”

Paimon took the lead down a path to a forest. If there was a way to avoid forests I would tell Paimon to make a detour, but it seems this is the only way to the city, so I stayed shut. 

From what I saw on the hill, the city is built on an island in the middle of a gigantic lake. It’s a good idea. It keeps enemies and monsters at bay. With only one entrance to the city, regulating who comes in and who goes out is as easy as pie!

Guess I was daydreaming about the city for a while, because before I knew it, we were approaching the forest. I could see a few signs from here.

 I always get fascinated by old methods of engineering cities.

“Wow! What is that!?” I heard Paimon ask, “There’s something huge, in the sky!”

“Woww…” Sirius let out in amazement. 

I turned to see what all the commotion was. Honestly, what was so amazing that both Paimon and Sirius were amazed.

“Huh?”

My eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

It was a dragon….

 A damn dragon.

“HUHHHHH???????????”

𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚜: @udretlnea, @taurus-caeli, @humongousoperatorhairdoopera. Re-blog or Comment if you want to get added into the Tag section for The Divine City: Story. Back to The Divine City: Story Master-List.

Go to Arcs, a related series.

ᘻɑ𝘚Ե୧Ⲅ⧿ℓἱ𝘚Ե

Authors note: Found any mistakes? Leave it down on the comments and I'll change it! If you have not been tag, please leave another comment about it, I can forget from time to time!

[martialartslover7]

Why I think Kishimoto isn't sexist, but just VERY tonedeaf and an idiot

Boy, will I have some venting to do today. I mean, at this point, it's not a secret, that Kishimoto has consistently stated that "he can't write women", to save his life. And to this day, for as long as I was a fan of the series, I am going to be absolutely real: This statement is so full of shit. Why? Simple. And allow me to express it in very big capital letters, so that even the last giant mental invalid can understand:

WOMEN ARE HUMAN-BEINGS WITH BREASTS AND A V BETWEEN THEIR LEGS. WHAT TYPE OF "NUANCES" IS THIS GUY TALKING ABOUT? THERE IS NOTHING "COMPLICATED" ABOUT THEM. WHAT NONSENSE IS THIS?

Like, this entire statement is bullshit for a completely reason altogether: Why even reduce his own point to the fact that the shinobi just so happen to be female? This just sounds like excuses on top of excuses, especially considering the competition like One Piece and Bleach, who all have badass, memorable and sometimes, quite well-written characters, that just so happen to be female.

Let's count up a few IPs that I am aware of, written or directed by males, that has some of the most badass, and most memorable females in all of media:

One Piece

Bleach

Soul Eater

Kill la Kill

Jujutsu Kaisen

Code Geass

Persona

Tekken

Street Fighter

SoulCalibur

Fire Emblem (not all of them, some of them, from what I have seen, can be insane jokes)

And so on, and so forth, the list goes on. And you know what all these IPs have in common, that make them stand out, compared to what Naruto does to its females?

THE FEMALES AREN'T GETTING BOGGED DOWN BY IRRITATING, REDUNDANT AND DOWNRIGHT OFFENSIVE TROPES, THAT FLAT-OUT RUIN THEIR POTENTIAL AND APPEAL AS STANDALONE CHARACTERS!

Like, allow me to list up all the tropes, that Kishimoto made use of, while writing the manga, or being involved in the process of writing / directing the anime, along with the movies.

1. Making the women overtly dependant on the male characters

This one, is not as egregious, but it's a good kickstarter. In the context of the world these characters operate in, to me, it does make sense to show that, like in the Edo period of Japan, women were always seen as second-class citizens, always needing to be tied to men somehow, otherwise they are "worthless". Considering the corrupt, militarized system that most of the girls work in, mostly operated by wrinkly, old farts, who enjoy playing god too much, it does remain understandable to me, that they would be hesistant to be 100% committed to the job, and just ask for normal lives...

...BUT...

...it does leave you asking: Why did they choose to be ninjas in the first place, then? To get smitten with the boys (not counting Hinata, by the way, because she was literally forced into this role)? Just applying as literal child soldiers in a war, that they didn't even start to begin with? And yes, I get it, kunoichis excel in areas that male shinobi struggle with, like silent reconnaisance, charming other men, or sometimes women, to tickle information out of them, being healers, but here is the thing: As the Naruto progressed as a story, this pattern kept repeating, every time a female character got introduced, it would fall back on the following checklist:

Is this woman a healer?

Is she obsessed with looking for a boyfriend / a husband?

Is she lacking in combat-based strength, to the point where she needs protection from either of the male characters?

Because, except for the healer bit, which is more of a specialized field, I just brought it up, because I felt it to be awfully noticeable how often the girls requested to be healers, as if they have to fit into such a mold, or they aren't capable as shinobi, the other two questions get repeatedly answered, for pretty much 98% of all female characters, especially by the end of Shippuden.

And don't get me wrong: This is NOT a negative, per se, that they desire a boyfriend, or someone to spend the rest of their days with, this is not what I am complaining about. In fact, a good chunk of ships in the series are hella cute, and I don't want them to go away. Because to an extent, the romance aspect feels genuine, especially between Naruto and Hinata, or Sasuke and Sakura (yeah, fight me on that, I will defend these two as a ship, until I die), or hell, especially Shikamaru and Temari, which are the GOLD standard, of what a good ship needs.

What I am complaining about though, is that, the series kind of uses this romance aspect as a shield, or excuse, to undermine the female characters, in the long run. Think about it, when was the last time when Sakura, in spite of all the grueling training she had to suffer through to become this strong in the first place, not wanting to be a hindrance to anyone, legitimately kicked ass, after killing Sasori? Not counting the war arc, because this arc is frankly, an inexcuseable mess, and Kishimoto should be ashamed of himself for making it suck this hard for how many asspulls this arc had. Nope, the moment Naruto goes berserk, and Sasuke just... appears... she is reduced to a whimpering mess, who can't stand on her own two feet, and has to be saved by someone. And this happens. ALL. THE. TIME. That's all that happens with her, sure, she heals countless ninjas during the war, but again, healing isn't the only specialty she got:

SHE IS A SHINOBI! SHINOBIS FIGHT! THEY DON'T JUST STAND AROUND LIKE IDIOTS, AND EXPOSING THEMSELVES TO ENEMY FIRE! GET! ON! WITH IT!

I swear, man, this just frustrates me beyond any reason, and the worst part, even someone as awesome as Hinata, who kicked so much ass in Part 1 (especially the filler arcs, don't get smart with me, I watched the anime, suck a small one on that), who had a whole, potential story arc hinted at with Neji, and the issues regarding their entire clan, was reduced to a simple Naruto #1 fangirl for the entire duration of Shippuden, not even the filler could salvage her in any way, and for someone like me, who relates to Hinata on a spiritual level, I find this just so damned pathetic. And whenever I watch The Last, all I could think about was this one coherent thought: You. Had. ONE JOB. Kishimoto. And you failed her. As a standalone character. Causing the entire movie to come off as if you were just shoehorning everything together, as if we only liked Hinata, because of the NaruHina ship. Well, newsflash, it couldn't be further from the truth. So, screw you, and the entire The Last movie.

Plus, I am sure I am speaking on everyone's behalf here: Anko Mitarashi and Tenten were done the MOST dirty by Kishimoto. Nuff' said.

On that note, that brings me to my next point:

2. The angry Karen housewife stereotype

I swear, this meme right here...

And Kushina's entire existence truly proves my point that, Kishimoto is really not doing himself any favors, whenever he says "I don't know how to write women". Oh, but then THIS is your answer? Is this how you see them all, the very second they get married and have kids?

So let me get this straight, the moment a woman, in the Naruto universe, gets married, has kids, and takes care of them, they become:

Aggressive, to the point of physically assaulting their own kids (Kushina definitely would have done so, let's not lie to ourselves, I love her, but this behavior of hers, combined with Sakura's general attitude towards Naruto, would have definitely made him suicidal after a while, if it weren't for the fact, he accepts it in his mom's case, because she doesn't know any better, considering her childhood)

Unpleasant to be around for their husbands (as if, we get guilt-tripped into thinking, the wives are the ones being selfish, wanting their lovers to be home with them, which, by the way, is a serious piece of shit way of thinking, because, they are married for a REASON, and not to stay apart all the time, THEY ARE FAMILY, at least, from how it gets painted as, in Boruto, from what I have seen so far)

Becoming total sociopaths, as if their genuine worries and concerns get painted as something so abnormal and "creepy"

...and this is how you see them all? THIS is your answer? Again, I know, we have ZERO evidence to prove that Kishimoto himself, is sexist in real life, it would be irresponsible of me to put that out there, because I just don't know the guy. I am just saying that, with how the housewives were all written thus far, and how, from Naruto's POV, he began having a fear of angry moms, calling them "scary", and how the females got seriously underrepresented in the course of the story...

...IT DOESN'T DO HIM ANY FAVORS.

I can't even believe I have to say this, because, newsflash, Kishimoto, and I will say it in caps: NOT ALL MOMS IN THE WORLD, ACT LIKE THIS!

They can get mad with us, they are fully in the right to whenever we do something stupid, no matter how old we get, because they will always view us as their babies that they cradled in their arms. But the problem here is: In Boruto, it gets painted as if the moms are the ones in the wrong here, just for being a tiny bit more concerned than others, because again, the world that they live in, is dangerous. And leaving the Otsu*redacted* aside, I can fully sympathize with them, so seeing someone like Boruto himself taking so many liberties being a spoiled, rotten brat, who never suffers serious repurcussions for his behavior (I know, he lost his headband for cheating, but for someone like him, who wished literal DEATH on his own father, just for him not being around enough, needed a way harsher punishment, you just don't say that your parents, dude, this doesn't take a genius to understand, especially since this is Naruto and Hinata we are talking about her), once again, it undermines the females, as if the kids ALWAYS "know better", and they "just suck, because moms are scary". Fuck off. Seriously. This is just disrespectful. No excuses. It shouldn't be written this way. Even more so, because the POV of the mothers gets never tackled, making this seem one-sided.

3. A few romances fall back on tropes, that disrespect not only the girls, but also the guys

OK, I will probably get some flack for saying this, but, regardless of the explainations in one of the Retsuden mangas, the InoSai ship, is perfectly encapsulating to me, how the romance in Naruto isn't without its flaws, and it mostly stems from how some of the characters just never get the privilege of gaining their own story sections about their own individual struggles as standalone characters.

I AM LOOKING RIGHT AT YOU, CHOJI AND KARUI! THEIR ROMANCE IS SO OUT OF LEFT FIELD, IT'S NOT EVEN WORTH JOKING ABOUT, EXCEPT, IT'S LITERALLY A JOKE, DUE TO THEIR NAMES BEING POLAR OPPOSITES TO ONE ANOTHER. HA. HA. HA.

Personally, to me, Sai is not that interesting of a character to me, I was never able to connect with him in any way, despite the importance he had in the story, alluding to the ROOT Anbu under Danzo's leadership.

But his "romance" with Ino, was seriously pushing it to me, not only because, it just regresses Ino's entire character, pushing her back into this mold that she is only interested in brooding, mentally ill edgelords like Sasuke, which paints her a shallow person, but it just paints Sai himself, as a stand-in for Sasuke, too, which undermines his own character, unintentionally. There are so many things wrong with their overall dynamic, I can't even put it properly into words.

And don't think, InoSai are the only exception to this rule. As much as it pains me to say this, NaruHina and SasuSaku are also affected by this, not as severe, but it's still pretty noticeable.

NaruHina

The fact that, with NaruHina, we needed an entire freaking movie, which, frankly, should have never happened, had they done a better job at utilizing Hinata as her own character, with Naruto present to help her out with her clan, and it all hinged on Naruto himself regressing as a character too, needing to be put in a fucking Genjutsu, just to see how he "truly felt" about Hinata... I am sorry, what is this? I mean, from a writing standpoint, this is just straight-up BAD. It's clichéd, it's painting Hinata as a damsel in distress, needing to be saved by Naruto, and Naruto himself being pardoned with "he is just dense", and overall, you can really tell, this is all just hamfisted into a single movie, because they needed to desperately convince us: Look, this is a thing. They are together now. Now play the emotional music, because that's all it needs.

Listen, I know Naruto never had a clear grasp on his own emotions, but the overall pay-off, to me, is just not there, no matter how hard I try. It just feels hollow, I don't feel happy with this. Because, for this to ship to work, they had to go through all these extra lengths to regress them both first, as individual characters, just so they can shut the lid on the whole thing. Made even worse by how this confession of Hinata during the Pain Invasion arc, was never brought up again to Naruto, until the freaking movie, and I still don't understand why. I know he didn't "ignore" her, but why does he fail to recognize Hinata's love confession, but the moment Sakura drops by to confess to him, too, he immediately calls it BS? Please. Make it make sense.

SasuSaku

Listen, nothing will stop me from loving these two as one, they deserve the peace amongst themselves, but the problem is, like InoSai, it falls back on the trope of, the girl bearing this mindset of "I can fix him", and while Sakura certainly did succeed... hear me out:

This is a purely universal thing now, this isn't just applying to SasuSaku. Otherwise, both ships have a solid foundation, ruined by shit writing. Nothing else to say.

That moment of Ino crying for Sasuke, really made me realize: Kishimoto really is clueless, not just about women, but men, too.

Because, again, for how often some of the girls bore this mindset of "I need me some brooding hunk of meat", essentially, desiring a man that knowingly treats them like crap, just so they can bear the delusion of "I can fix him", while downplaying and belittling the "uncool" guys like Choji, Rock Lee, or hell, even Naruto or Kiba, guys who, for the most part, have a solid grasp on their moral compass and their self-worth, denouncing their advances with "ew, no", is honestly disgusting to me. Like, come on, man, they aren't as cool as the edgelord teammates, but why downplay them so hard in the presence of the girls? Don't they deserve love too? Why belittle them for their eccentricities, it not only paints the girls in a bad light, but it straight up mocks the male "goofball" teammates for being the way they are. In short: NO ONE IS THE WINNER HERE.

Phew, OK, I hope, I made my point, loud and clear now. Because these points have been bothering me for a VERY long time now, and look, correct me if I am wrong. I am never 100% foolproof, so if I left out anything, feel free to correct me.

I needed to vent about this, because I felt so genuinely pissed off for how underpowered and underepresented the girls are, and how unkind and unforgiving the writing was to them, overall.

Peace.

[keplercryptids]

the more i run ttrpgs, especially in systems other than d&d 5e, the less i'm interested in a culture of secret-keeping at the table.

by that i mean, characters can and should have narrative secrets. that can lead to plot hooks, character growth, etc. characters having (temporary) secrets can be a good thing, but i don't think players should have narrative secrets between them, as a general rule.

when the players have more knowledge than their characters, they can make more interesting narrative decisions. they can choose to explore certain themes, start specific conversations or introduce interesting parallels that they simply would not be able to do otherwise.

i started implementing this culture shift with my newest campaign by being upfront with my players that "secret" back stories weren't going to be a thing. in fact, we played a couple sessions for each PC, exploring elements of their back story. these are details that the characters don't know about each other, but now the players do. it's been a blast, everyone is so much more invested in each other's characters and their stories, and there literally hasn't been a single downside to this approach. like. IMO we're just immediately telling a better, more cohesive story.

with PCs, a general rule of thumb i follow is that any secrets the players keep from each other should be: 1) rare, 2) relatively unimportant to the overall story, and 3) resolved quickly during play. meaning: if you do have a secret, you won't have it for long.

as the GM, of course there will be some secrets **i** have to keep from the players - but honestly, i'm finding that with this culture shift, i also have fewer secrets. part of that is that we're playing scum and villainy, where by design a lot more information is shared with the players about the machinations of the world, etc. but part of it is that i am finding a lot of fun and fulfillment in letting my players know more than i might have when i first started GMing.

for example. in our campaign setting, everybody has a shadow signifier, meaning that their shadows take on a unique shape/symbol. my players have access to a document listing a bunch of factions in the world, as well as notable NPCs and their signifier shadows. last session, i introduced NPCs with fake names or completely unknown identities, but visible signifiers. and it was honestly a thrill for all of us once the players caught on and began searching for these signifiers within that document, and gaining meta knowledge of who these NPCs actually were. having this knowledge 1) is much more interesting for the players, and 2) can make it so the characters start exploring areas of the world they may not have known to explore.

i think belligerent secret-keeping is kind of a d&d cultural staple, and this is partly out of fear of "metagaming." but the more i GM, the less and less i care about metagaming, and in fact am starting to embrace it. some of the gameplay is more fun if it's meta. the story is often better when it's one we're telling on purpose. i trust my players not to use meta information in a way that's unfun, they trust me to divulge information in a fair and balanced way, and it feels much more like we're all on the same team and learning things about the world at the same time.

regardless of systems i play in the future, i am going to keep "no out-of-character secrets" as a blanket rule from now on.

[sgiandubh]

It all starts with a smoke alarm

This wasn't supposed to happen like that, of course. It was supposed to happen with an ”allow me to introduce myself”, at the least. But hey, I am playing the cards I've been dealt, and since an anonymous ask on Tumblr does not allow pictures or links, this will have to do. We'll have plenty of time later.

Yesterday, I said that reading that Single Report reaped benefits. I have screen capped and summed up all the things that made me rise an eyebrow, to make things easier. Hopefully, this is going to be short: who would wax lyrical about a septic tank, after all?

I did not use my superpowers to do this, but simply the link provided by a very active Anon on several shipper blogs, in order to properly stir shite, I presume: https://corumproperty.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HomeReport-31.pdf

Armed with my wits and a virtual highlighter, I started to carefully read the whole document. Ownership details aside - this, I discussed yesterday -, I remind you that it should give any prospective buyer a good, detailed idea of the available fittings and current condition of the house put on sale.

In Europe and elsewhere, I guess, inspections of this type are rather a dull and thorough affair. And these people did an excellent job: they checked every single nook & cranny, used binoculars to have a closer look at the roof tiles and listed it all on these papers a good researcher should read, before dropping to conclusions.

This is how we know, for example, that the inspection happened on a rainy day:

.. and that the guttering was overflowing. Does that sound like a well loved, lived-in house to you?

Thought so.

This brought a smile. And the image of a Christmas tree left near a London dustbin in June. Home, sweet home?

Like all properties, this also comes with burglar and fire alarm systems. However, apparently not much has been done, in this respect. Or at least, not recently. Not since February 2022, to be accurate: otherwise, they would have been upgraded. Yet, no such thing: it's up to the buyer to do and pay for the upgrade.

Lived-in? Certainly not after February 2022 and probably even earlier, would be my best guess. But lived-in at some point in time, most certainly.

You see, since I was on the real estate agent's webpage, I also took the virtual tour of the house. It is available to everyone, here: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=AFKibrk8QiD

Now, I don't know about you, but when I visit somebody's house for the first time, I always check the bookshelves: yes, I am a shameless nerd. I am also well aware that the rest of the furniture was staged, it looked that sad, clinical way it does all over the world. Did not expect to find any books in there, to be honest. And yet, there they were.

I didn't bother with the fashion coffee table books, although I thought they were a nice nod to Ms. B's past, and totally the kind of things she might have on her credenza.

A built-in bookshelf in the basement caught my eye. That did not look staged. It looked as she might have left some of her own books in there, like an afterthought, if you want. And people's choices of books are always speaking volumes to me, about who they really are.

It did not disappoint.

More fash-un. And yeah, Tiffany & Co! I knew it!

A Tina Turner bio or memoir. Awww:

Bette Davis and some feminist literature. Her books, I am pretty sure of that:

And, to save the best for last, lo and behold, what do we have here?

Bear Grylls?

That Bear Grylls?

Hahahaha. Of course. I have all the reasons in the world to believe the music producer/PA/whatever is into masculine thrillers written by a world-renowned survivalist, haven't I?

Not a chance in hell, to be honest. I grinned like the Cheshire cat because, ladies, we do know WHOSE book is this, don't we?

Judging by its jacket, well-read. Not a prop.

Belonging to someone with a dry, wicked sense of humor who apparently also left this gem:

A Captain's Duty. At this point in time, I wasn't grinning anymore. I was laughing like an idiot, of course.

Slàinte mhath, ladies. We'll have time for a proper introduction later.

[northern-passage]

[ID: a banner graphic showing the open water of the sea. The water is dark and choppy, with a gray, overcast sky overhead, and fog obscuring the horizon. Text at the center of the image reads: “The Nothern Passage, Chapter 2: Part 1.” Above the text is a vector of two swords crossed in an X.]

The Northern Passage has been updated!

01.10.23: The first part of chapter 2 is now available to play over on itch.io. This includes the Blackwater route only. To access the new content, ensure that you choose to stay in Blackwater rather than leave for Highfell. Saves should work - though I advise you to still keep a save at the end of chapter 1, since any later updates to chapter 2 will require you to play from the start of the chapter again.

Along with the new content, various edits include:

The companions will now introduce themselves with their pronouns, as well as various other characters - Branwen, Mal, Hawkell, etc.

Edited the input process for hunters that use no pronouns. This should help clean up any clunky sentences where the companions talk to/about the hunter as well as allow for the hunter to properly introduce themself with just their name.

A new codex entry on Magic.

Alchemists can now choose to have hand tattoos (though the continuity for this has yet to be fixed).

New content warnings include animal death. This is only in one path, and it is avoidable, relying entirely on the player choosing whether it happens or not.

As always, please feel free to message me here with feedback or if you run into any typos, errors, or bugs, and I’ll work on getting them patched out for you all as soon as possible.

Play it here!

Project Intro | FAQ | Patreon | Tip Jar

Notes under the cut.

Going into chapter 2, there are going to be a few inconsistencies to be aware of, mainly when it comes to the combat - I’ve overhauled how it works, as well as made some adjustments to the magic and alchemy specializations. I’ve wanted to keep my primary focus on chapter 2, so I have not gone back in to make the more extensive edits to the earlier fight with the wraith, so please just bear with me for now! It’s on my list of things to do - it will either be the next update, or the one following the Blackwater part 2 update.

There also may be some inconsistencies around Duncan, and the way the characters talk about him. I’ve been working a lot on Duncan to make him a bit more interesting, but again, just like with the combat it’s just not something I’ve gone back to edit in the earlier chapters just yet.

And finally, the codex and character page have not been updated (aside from the Magic entry). There are a few other new codex entries visible, however they are currently empty. The codex as well as the character page have been frustrating me for a while, and I’m trying to figure out exactly what it is I want to do with them... so for the time being, the relationship statuses on the character page are going to be inaccurate, though your displayed top trait should still be accurate. It won’t lock in until chapter 3, but you can get an idea of what you’re trending towards by checking the character page. I still plan to add the hunter’s physical description to that page as well, I know a lot of you have been asking for it, and I promise it’s definitely something I plan to add once I sort those pages out.

Otherwise, I just want to say thank you all for your incredible patience waiting for this update! I’m very excited to finally share it with you :-)

[sordidmusings]

Introducing Miss Marv!!

(The shaky cam calms down after the first few seconds I swear-)

Since Moon Moon got some love and people weren’t averse to Spider Content, I want to introduce Miss Marv!! Spiders fit well with Halloween too so what a day to celebrate her. Marv is an Aphonopelma Chalcodes otherwise known as an Arizona Blonde! She is my oldest and one of my biggest and my very first Tarantula. Her name comes from a friend’s children, who excitedly made me a list of names to choose from when they found out I was getting spiders it was so cute 😭 She’s quite calm and lovely and just chills about her space and is the best of all mine to hold on the occasions I do.

I don’t usually bug them like this (it makes me feel a bit bad pestering them too much lol) but I could not resist this time whoopssss It started as trying to get her to eat her damn dinner but then she came out and showed off haha I have a makeup brush I use to gently nudge them when I need and I def shoulda been using that cuz one of the reasons she was grumpy with this thing was probably because she associates it with food. The fact slipped my mind while doing this 🤡🤡🤡

Anyway, please enjoy a good view of my pretty lady 🥰🤍

[ghcstao3]

(scrapped) hogwarts professor!ghost x zoologist!soap very very old draft but :3 also peep ghost with glasses

-

Ghost’s social life has never been anything spectacular to begin with, but when he somehow manages to become the newest potions professor at Hogwarts, he finds it to be entirely lacking.

The balance he requires among work alone is enough to keep him busy nearly every waking hour of his days, and adding his personal life to his list of things-to-do, Ghost would surely end up with prematurely greying hair. 

(And who is he kidding—he’s already just about reached that point.)

So, it is safe to say that Ghost doesn’t get out much. It’s an unfortunate truth for his first couple of years teaching, but honestly, it isn’t much of a bother. Ghost is mostly happy, if a little stressed, and he’s more than lucky to be in his current position—that’s what he thinks, and that’s all that matters. Work gives him purpose.

At least, it’s all that matters until the universe decides it has other plans and introduces Ghost to a mildly bizarre man by the name of Soap.

Soap (real name currently unbeknownst to Ghost) approaches the professor while he shops for ingredients for a personal potions project. Soap is broad, attractive, and looks like he lives off one too many Invigoration Draughts a day. He greets Ghost with a manic smile in an attempt to act friendly, though the gesture isn’t at all helped by a body otherwise buzzing with energy. Everything about the man screams eccentricity, but then again—Ghost is a wizard. He’s always been bound to meet… interesting people.

“How much might you know about potions?”

Ghost blinks, genuinely surprised. Just from the stranger’s odd behaviour, Ghost had feared he’d earn a proposition, or that here, in the safety of the apothecary, the man would push to sell him something most probable to be illegal. 

But alas. An innocent question.

Ghost shoves the wiry bridge of his glasses further up his nose with his thumb, clears his throat. His fingers curl tight around the vial of mistletoe berries he holds as the stranger waits patiently for a reply.

“Well,” Ghost starts slowly, “considering I teach how to make them for a living, I would hope I’d know a thing or two.”

The man beams, eyes bright with gratitude Ghost is not yet worthy of.

“That’s perfect,” he says. “Then do you think you could help me with something?”

Politely, Ghost nods, though he has to wonder why the man hadn’t just gone to the shopkeep for advice first—but then, with a quick glance to the counter, he sees that said shopkeep is nowhere to be seen. His brows dip in a mild frown, not deep enough to be noticeable to anyone but Ghost himself.

“Alright, so—I have this hippogriff that I’ve been takin' care of and normally she isn’t so restless, but for whatever reason nothing I’ve done has worked to keep her calm for very long,” the stranger explains. “Potions are typically a last resort for me so I’m… I’m not sure what I should be making.”

“Uh,” Ghost says intelligently, sifting through his mind for an answer. He knows, he does, only, “I’ve never administered anything to something that wasn’t a wizard, but it should still work the same, with some adjustments.”

The stranger laughs. “‘It’ being…”

“Right, sorry.” Ghost clears his throat. His face warms with a blush, chest filled with passing embarrassment. He’s meant to be good, knowledgeable about these things. “The Draught of Peace. An anxiety reliever. But it’s a difficult potion to brew. You’d have to be experienced in potion-making to be certain nothing goes wrong.”

The stranger’s face falls. Ghost has already come to learn him to be rather expressive.

“Of course,” Ghost adds in a breath before he can stop himself. He isn’t sure why his mouth is still moving. “I could always make it for you.”

It's unfortunate that he can't find it in himself to regret the offer in any regard, after seeing the sheer and open look of hope it instills on the man's face.

[nicoline1998enilocin]

''He's not good enough for you, doll''

PAIRING | Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Female!Reader

WORD COUNT | 3.9K

SUMMARY | You're introducing your boyfriend to the rest of the Avengers, but right from the start Bucky doesn't give him the time of day. When you ask him what is wrong, he tells you that your boyfriend isn't good enough for you, but he doesn't tell you it's because he wishes you were with him instead.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Mention of depression, swearing, jealousy, implied lovemaking.

Likes and reblogs will be very much appreciated 💜

Main Masterlist | Bucky Barnes Masterlist | Read on AO3

Today's the day, you're finally going to introduce your boyfriend, Alex, to the rest of the Avengers. You've been dating for close to 6 months and he wanted to meet them, so you caved and are going to take him to one of Tony's parties. Usually, you didn't attend them, but since Alex was excited about this one, you figured you'd say yes and finally see one of Tony's infamous parties for yourself. ''I'm going to get a dress, babe. I'll let you know what color it will be, so you can find something that matches,'' you tell him before going out the door and to a small boutique where you're going to meet up with Nat and Wanda. ''Alright, can't wait to see it,'' he said and you give him a kiss, which he deepens instantly. When you pull away, you tell him you're not able to get a dress if he keeps doing that followed by a chuckle.

''I'm sorry, can't help it when you're looking like that,'' he said and it makes you blush. ''Alright, I'm going otherwise Nat and Wanda will get mad!'' you say before opening the door and walking towards your bike. You thought about taking your car at first, but it's such nice weather today you opted for your bike instead. You text the girls you'll be there soon before you take off, enjoying the wind blowing across your face, enjoying the moment and the weather. When you arrive, you park your bike near the entrance of the store so you can keep an eye on it during shopping. ''I always forget you still have that thing, don't you think it's incredibly scary to ride it?!'' Wanda says before hugging you. ''Would I ride it if I thought it was scary?'' you ask her and you shrug before hugging Nat too.

''So, what are we looking for today?'' you ask them, and your search begins. All three of you try on numerous dresses before each one of you decides on your perfect dress. Nat goes for a classy black dress, Wanda goes for a light blue dress, and you've set your eyes on a long red dress that accentuates all your curves perfectly. You took a photo of your dress and were planning on sending it to Alex, but you were so deep in conversation that you accidentally sent it to Bucky instead. He texted you earlier and he was on the top of your message list, which is why you sent it to him instead of Alex, which you didn't notice until later. Not long after you get a reply for him.

Bucky 🖤: Wow doll, that dress looks gorgeous on you. Are you trying to make me jealous? 😉

When you see his reply, you gasp and Nat and Wanda immediately snap their eyes up to yours. ''What's wrong?!'' Nat said and you show her the text. ''I-, I accidentally texted a picture of the dress to Bucky instead of Alex...'' you say as your face turns bright red, this is not what you wanted. Sure, you tell Bucky practically everything since he's your best friend, but this was meant to go to Alex, so he could pick out a suit to match your dress. You didn't want anyone else to know until the night of the party, since you wanted to surprise the rest of them by showing up without their knowledge.

The three of you go grab a cup of coffee before you head back, and you quickly send the photo to Alex this time, but you don't let him know you sent it to Bucky on accident first, he was already jealous enough of your bond with him without knowing you did that. Almost instantly you get a reply saying how gorgeous you look, and that he is the luckiest guy in the room with you looking like that. You smile at this text and you feel butterflies in your stomach, if someone was the lucky one, it was you with him by your side. He has never been anything less than perfect ever since you've known him, and you were head over heels in love, much to the dismay of a certain super soldier who feels that same way about you.

~ The night of Tony's party ~

The moment is finally here, the night of Tony's party has finally arrived and both you and Alex were getting ready to go to the party. ''Babe, can you help zip up my dress? You ask and you turn to him. The zipper is low enough that he can see the red lingerie you wore underneath, and he lets out a soft groan at the look of it. ''You like what you see?'' you tease him. ''Oh baby, you keep this up and we will never reach that party,'' he said as he slowly zipped it up, placing soft kisses on your neck and your shoulder as he does so. Soft moans escape your lips as he does so before he traces your arms with his fingertips, leaving goosebumps along the way. ''We have to finish getting ready,'' he whispers in your ear before walking back into the closet to put his suit on.

You put on a red make-up look combined with a nude lip, to match your dress and shoes. You curled your hair before braiding the top, letting the rest hang loose to fall over your shoulders. This all was finished with a nude-colored clutch that goes with your shoes and your outfit was complete, you honestly felt like a million bucks, and Alex couldn't stop complimenting you the entire time. You got in your car and he drove the both of you to the Avengers Tower, where Tony hosted the party, and there was of course a red carpet outside, he could never do anything halfway so the red carpet and photographers weren't a surprise to you. ''Come on baby, let's walk over the red carpet so everyone can see how gorgeous we look together,'' Alex said before wrapping his arm around your waist and guiding you to the carpet.

When the photos were taken the both of you walked inside and the room was beautifully decorated in white and silver decorations, giving the room a bit of an ethereal vibe. The both of you were barely inside before you spotted Nat and Wanda, so you immediately walked up to them. ''Hey guys!'' you said and all three of you hugged before you introduced Alex to them. ''So, I would like for you to meet my boyfriend, Alex. Alex, this is Natasha and this is Wanda, two of my fellow Avengers,'' you said and they both happily shook his hand. ''Wow, you lucked out with him,'' Natasha whispered in your ear, making you blush. ''I know right?! Do you happen to know where the rest is? I would like to introduce everyone to Alex,'' you say and Wanda points to where everyone is standing.

First, you find Tony and Pepper who were just done with a conversation, and they were very glad you did attend a party for once. ''I know, but if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here,'' you told them with a wink. ''This is Alex, my boyfriend. Alex, this is Tony and his wife Pepper,'' you told him and they were happy to meet him. The four of you made some small talk before you excused yourself to go to the bathroom, you ran into Sam on the way there. ''Hey trouble, it should honestly be illegal for you to look this good,'' he said before pulling you into a hug. ''Oh Sam, stop it!'' you say with a laugh. ''When I come back from the bathroom I have someone I'd like you to meet,'' you tell him and he looks forward to it. ''Can't wait!'' he said and you took off so you could finally do your business.

When you got back you spotted most of the Avengers together, so you retrieved Alex from his talk with Tony. ''Don't worry, I'll bring him back later! Right now I'd love to introduce him to the rest of the Avengers or I'll never hear the end of it!'' you say with a wink, earning yourself a little protest from Alex. ''Just kidding babe,'' you said before lacing your fingers with his and giving him a small kiss on the lips. When you finally reach the guys, you introduce him to Sam, Clint, Bruce, Peter, Vision, Thor, and Scott. They were all happy to meet him, and Sam commented on how happy you looked around him. ''It suits you, this happiness,'' he said and you gave him a big smile. ''I haven't been this happy in a long time, especially after everything that happened the last few years,'' you tell him and he understands.

Alex was well aware of your depression and how bad it got, but he was extremely proud of you for getting out of it with lots of help, and he is happy to have you by his side. ''You're one lucky guy, Mr. Alex,'' Thor said and Alex agreed. ''Lady Y/N is the best Avenger any of us could wish for,'' he said and it made you blush. ''Oh Thor, we both know that's not true!'' you said in response but he didn't want to hear it. You stood there talking with all of them for a while longer before you decided to go to the bar for a drink, you could use one by now. ''I'll be right back, babe,'' you said and you kissed him on the cheek before heading to the bar. When you arrived, you suddenly heard a very familiar deep voice behind you.

''Doll, I think you're trying to kill me right now by looking that damn gorgeous,'' Bucky said and you turned around to give him a big hug. ''Hey Buck! I think it's the other way round though, I almost fainted when I saw you in this suit,'' you said with a wink, and you were taking him in from head to toe. He looked very handsome in a purple suit, his hair was half up in a bun, the rest of it grazing his shoulders. ''Can I get you something to drink, too?'' you offered and he gladly accepted when you got him a beer. Even though he couldn't get drunk off of it, he still enjoyed the taste. ''I just have to bring this to Alex, I'll be right back,'' you tell him holding another beer, and a glass of white wine for yourself. As soon as you mentioned your boyfriend, his smile fell and a dark look overcame him.

''Buck, you knew she would probably be here with him, all you need to do is be nice to him,'' Steve said beside him, just coming back from the bathroom. ''He makes her happy, so the least we can do is say hello and not act like we want to kill him, just because he happens to be her boyfriend,'' he said, but Bucky only groaned in response. A few minutes later you walked back to the bar with Alex, and you introduce him to Steve and Bucky. ''Alex, these are the last 2 Avengers, then you've met everyone! This is Steve and of course, I've told you about Bucky before,'' you told him and you gave both of them a smile. Steve reached out his hand, shaking it and saying it was nice to meet him. Alex holds his hand out for Bucky but he doesn't take it, instead just giving him a grunt and walking away, which honestly broke your heart.

''I'm sorry Alex, I'll be right back. I don't know what came over him, but I'm going to see if he's okay,'' you said and Alex wished you good luck before talking to Steve about what life as an Avenger was like. ''Bucky, wait please!'' you said as you ran after him, but it wasn't as easy in a long dress and heels. ''Please, Bucky!'' you tried again, and this time he stopped. ''What is going on?'' you ask him but he doesn't even look at you when you talk to him. ''You know you can talk to me, right? Is there something wrong, because I'm worried...'' you tell him and he snaps. ''He's not good enough for you, doll!'' he said before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, he immediately regrets lashing out towards you like that, it isn't your fault.

''N-Not good enough? Why would you say that...?'' you said, tears starting to form in your eyes, it hurt to hear him say that. ''Because, you know what, never mind,'' he said before he turned around. He wasn't going to admit his feelings for you like this, he wanted to do it more romantically, when you were single. But that isn't the case, and he overstepped now, after being so careful this whole time. ''No, not mind, you started this so you better tell me what's going on, Bucky. I deserve to know at least that much after you told me my boyfriend isn't good enough!'' you raise your voice at him, the tears now trickling down your face. It didn't feel right that your best friend didn't like your boyfriend, and your heart is racing like a maniac.

Before you can catch another breath, Bucky turned around and grabbed your face in his hands, kissing you with a feeling of an insatiable hunger he was finally giving into, but you didn't kiss him back. As if that wasn't bad enough, Alex happened to walk in right at that very moment and he saw the two of you kissing. ''What the hell is going on here?!'' he raised his voice and the two of you quickly break apart, the tears now coming down your cheeks in a steady flow. ''Alex, I'm sorry, I can explain,'' you started, but he didn't want to listen to you. ''I should have never believed you when you said he was just your best friend...'' he shook his head before turning around and walking away. ''Alex, please-'' is all you said before he turned around again, a dark look falling over his face.

''No, Y/N, you don't need to explain anything to me anymore, we're done. I can't fucking believe I didn't see it sooner, that you were fucking him behind my back. I don't ever want to see you again Y/N,'' he said before walking away, and as much as Bucky didn't like him before, he downright hated him after what he did. You sank onto your knees, your face in your hands as you let out uncontrollable sobs. Bucky quickly rushed to you and wrapped his arm around you, but you didn't want him to be anywhere near you now, it was his fault this happened. ''No, get the fuck away from me! This is your fault!'' you yelled at him and Bucky was taken aback by this, but he wasn't stupid, it was indeed his fault. ''Sorry doll, I-'' is all he said before you pushed him away. ''GET AWAY FROM ME!'' is the last thing you said before he got up and walked away, his heart shattered.

He went back to the party where he found Sam, and he sent him to take care of you. ''She's in the hallway, but she doesn't want to see me right now,'' he explained and Sam immediately went to you. ''Hey Trouble, it's okay, I'm here with you now,'' Sam said as he said down beside you, slowly rubbing circles on your back to calm you down, and giving kisses in your hair to reassure you he was still there. ''I- I lost everything,'' you said between soft sobs and hiccups. ''Alex left me because Bucky kissed me, but I didn't kiss him back and now I've lost both of them,'' you said and you threw yourself in Sam's arms, sobbing onto his shoulder while he kept comforting you. ''It's okay, you didn't lose Bucky. He was stupid, yes, but you didn't lose him, don't worry about that,'' Sam said and it did make you feel a little better.

The both of you sat there for another half hour before you got really tired. ''Want to sleep at the Compound tonight?'' Sam asks and you nod, only soft sniffles leaving your body now. He picks you up bridal style before walking you to his bedroom where he grabbed a shirt and some pants for you to wear to bed before going into the bathroom and changing there himself. ''Thank you, Sam, for everything,'' you said when you lay in his bed, he decided to sleep on the couch. ''Don't worry about it Trouble, I'm always here for you,'' he said and with that, you fell into a deep sleep, and you had a dream about Bucky this time.

~ The following morning ~

''Good morning sleeping beauty,'' Sam said when he walked out of the bathroom, just finished with his shower after his run. ''You slept okay after everything that happened?'' he asked. ''Surprisingly enough, I did sleep well. Thanks again for everything, Sam. You didn't have to do this, but I appreciate it nevertheless,'' you said before getting up. ''I'll go freshen up in my room now, so I can prepare myself for seeing Bucky again,'' you sighed as you walked out of the room. ''Good luck!'' Sam said and you closed the door before making your way to your bedroom. ''Good morning sleepyhead!'' Nat said as she came out of her own, right when you walked into yours. ''Mornin' Nat,'' you said and you left the door open as an invitation for her to follow you.

''Something happened last night, so spill,'' she said as she closed the door. ''It's a long story, don't feel like talking about it,'' you sigh as you let yourself fall onto your bed, you haven't been here in a while since you spent most of your time over at Alex's apartment. ''Well, we got all day,'' she said shrugging before letting herself fall next to you on your bed. ''Fine... Everything went great last night when I introduced Alex to everyone, but when I wanted to introduce him to Bucky, he got mad and walked away. Naturally, I followed him to see what was going on and then he said Alex isn't good enough for me, which I found weird to be honest, but when I wanted to know why, he kissed me and that's when Alex happened to walk in and now I'm single,'' you said, the tears coming down your face again at the thought of what Alex said to you, you didn't believe it.

''Oh my god...'' Nat sighed and you rubbed your eyes, smudging your make-up all over your face, but you didn't care right now. ''And the worst of it all is that I've probably lost them both now because I yelled at Bucky and I feel so stupid for doing that,'' you tell Nat and she agrees. ''I'm sure you didn't lose your best friend, he kissed you last night because he's been in love with you for years now, Y/N, literal years. He was there for you when you went through your depression and it broke him when you got together with Alex, but he stuck by your side regardless. So I'm sorry, but I don't think you yelling at him once - which he deserved by the way - is going to drive a wedge between the two of you. You just need to talk it over with him,'' she said and you agreed.

You put on a comfortable outfit as well as your glasses after you took a shower, so you're ready to get some breakfast now. It's a quiet Sunday morning in the Compound today so you weren't too bothered with running into anyone other than the Avengers at this point. When you were in the kitchen you found Steve, Bucky, and Sam there, all three of them having breakfast after their run. ''Mornin' guys, how was your run?'' you asked and they all said it was a good run. You got some yogurt out of the fridge and put it in a bowl, then you grabbed 2 apples and sliced them up into another bowl for you to enjoy. ''Bucky? Can we talk in private?'' you asked and he nodded, ''Of course, doll,'' he said, and hearing the nickname made you smile softly.

The living room was empty, so you sat yourself down in a big armchair whilst Bucky made himself comfortable on the couch. ''Buck, I'm sorry for last night. I didn't mean to yell at you like that,'' you started, nibbling on your apple slices. ''You caught me off guard and when Alex ended things, I wasn't in a good place,'' you told him with a sigh. There was silence in the living room whilst Bucky was thinking about what to say whilst you ate your yogurt and apples. ''It's okay, doll, I crossed a line I shouldn't have, and for that, I will always be sorry. But the reason I kissed you-'' he said, but you didn't let him finish his sentence. ''Is because you've been in love with me for years, yeah. Nat told me all about it earlier,'' you finished his sentence.

''Yeah... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner,'' he said, not being able to look at you. ''It's okay, I honestly would've done the same if I were in your shoes. Well, not kissing someone when they're still in a relationship of course, but not telling them, I mean,'' you said with a chuckle, but Bucky was less happy about it. ''Doll, stop,'' he said but he didn't mean it, he could never be mad at you. ''Can I tell you a secret?'' you said and he nodded. ''I've been secretly in love with you for a long time too, but I was always afraid to act on it in case it would jeopardize our friendship. What we have is special and I didn't want to lose it...'' you said and you put your bowls down on the table and got up to walk over to where Bucky was sitting on the couch.

You sat down with both your knees on the sides of his thighs, straddling him before grabbing his face in your hands. You looked deep into his eyes before you said something else. His hands found their place on your waist, but the longer you looked into each other's eyes, the further down they slid until they were both cupping your butt cheeks. ''But now that I'm single and I know you've been in love with me too, nothing is stopping me from kissing you,'' you say as you lean in and place a soft, slow kiss on his lips and he squeezes your butt when your lips touch, earning a soft moan from you. ''I love you, Bucky,'' you say when you pull back. ''I love you too, doll,'' he said before grabbing your waist and standing up, your legs wrapping around his hips as he walked you towards his bedroom, where he's going to show you just how much he loves you by making pure love to you for hours on end.