#idk whose been keeping up with my lore

[violettierre]

The last few days of Ramadan are often the most difficult of the whole month for me, but hey! in the bright side i managed to convince my new boss to give me an entire week off for Eid (my former boss usually give me 3-4 days maximum), at least i can enjoy my holiday and the rest of the week quietly :D

[miss-oranje-disco-dancer]

give me your heart, make it real

pairing: javier peña x reader

tags/cw: smut, f! receiving oral, p in v, undercover as lovers, big dick javi, no use of y/n, no reader physical description, gentle lover javi

summary: javi needs a 'date' to a party (where escobar and crew will be idk), and asks reader to help him by dressing up in a 'slutty' outfit (not his words)

a/n: okay, yes, the title is from smooth by santana ft. rob thomas (on my javi-coded spotify playlist even tho it came out post-narcos). i've only made it to s2 ep4 and slept thru s1 ep8-10, so i've been committing the crime of not knowing the lore (i am so down bad for javi it's insane)

wc: 3.8k

"I have a lead, and you're coming with me," Javi says, already ushering you out of the room.

"You can't just whisk me away - I have to ask Messina."

"Messina gave me the go-ahead."

"I still need to-" You try to walk away from him but his hand loosely holds your arm, and before you break free, Messina says, approaching from behind, "Go with Agent Peña."

It must be a good lead if she's so quick to send you off with Peña. He looks you over, and says, "You can't wear that. How quickly can you change?"

"Into my tactical gear?"

"No, into a dress."

"Whose quinceañera are we attending?"

"Funny. I have intel about a party happening this evening. You're going to be my date. I need you in a dress - the shorter the better - and makeup, lots of it."

"You want me to look like a hooker?"

"Something like that."

You expect Javi to drop you off at your apartment, but he follows you in – he tries to follow you all the way to your bedroom, but you stop him. Maybe he’s just running on instinct, not used to having a woman invite him into her home without the intention of sex.

"Go sit in the living room," you scoff, pushing him away. "Make yourself at home." You keep your tone sarcastic to avoid letting any nervousness creep into your voice.

You're not supposed to look pretty, per se. He's expecting slutty, and yet, you still worry about looking too slutty in front of Javi. You've made a conscious effort to keep every interaction between the two of you professional, and you are determined to keep it that way. While you cake your face in cosmetics, you remind yourself that you would not go to such lengths for Javi. This is not for Javi, this is for a nobler cause than landing in his good graces. You’re fulfilling your duties as an agent on a mission to stop a narcoterrorist, and that paycheck better arrive at the end of month or you’ll be forced to get on your knees for your landlord who is not quite as handsome as Javi.  

Yes, that’s right, Javi is handsome, disgustingly so. You loathe him, not for his sex appeal itself but for his awareness of such, not for the fact that he could leverage it against you, but for the fact that he thinks he can. He can.

Javier Peña sees all women the same way - not quite as objects, but conquests. Even if you're someone, rather than something, you're still someone he could have. But you don't bend to his will, at least you haven't yet, and that's the one thing you hold over him.

Your brain is logical, and holds you to a higher standard. This has nothing to do with desire, but simple facts put into an equation that gives you a clear output. Every time the illogical part of you that lives between your thighs begs for attention, your mind reminds you of your current mantra: Javi is a walking, talking, fucking bad idea.

The red lipstick and minidress are going to get you one step closer to catching Escobar, and if it means you have to be Javi's date for a night, then it's a challenge you're willing to take.

Maybe pretending to like him will be easier than pretending not to like him, which is something you've struggled to do every day for months.

It will not be, you realize, when he whistles at you from the couch when you step out of your bedroom, all dolled up.

"I'm carrying my gun in my purse," you say - an empty threat. 

"Good girl."

"Say it one more time, Peña," you warn him, pulling your lethal weapon from a tacky, dated clutch. Your grip on it is weak and the safety is on. He mirrors your gesture, lazily pointing his own gun at you.

But he keeps his mouth shut.

Between the two of you, who's the better shot? You hope you'll never have to find out.

Javi shamelessly flirts his way around the office, but his arm around your waist is purely professional as he guides you from the car, parked a safe distance away, to your destination.

"You don't speak Spanish, you respond to 'chica', and you definitely do not have a gun on you. Got it?"

"What do you want me to call you?"

"As long as it's not my name, whatever you want, chica."

"Asshole."

Playing dumb is more fun than you thought it'd be. The wandering eyes of drug lords make you feel icky, but you don't have to respond when they speak to you. You don’t have to prove your intelligence to every man you encounter, every man who will make you take on any task they can’t handle, don’t have time for, or simply can’t be bothered to do. You don't have to do shit for once.

You keep a drink in your hand as a part of the act. Party girls like you drink, right? Honestly, you’re dead set on keeping your hands full in the hopes that you won’t be given the opportunity to do a line, inevitably refuse such an opportunity, and risk being outed as someone on the other side of this war. Javi doesn't need to tell you to pour your own drink - it's a lesson all girls are taught from a young age. Training as a federal agent may have taught you sharpshooting, but your mother told you how to avoid getting roofied.

You have a tolerance built up thanks to picking alcohol as one of your favorite vices back in college, but you know how to act drunk. While you sway a little, Javi tightens his grip on your waist to keep you grounded. You pretend not to understand when he mentions to a small group of men that you might be down for more than one man tonight, he just needs to get you warmed up first. He sounds a little too comfortable saying those words, and you doubt it's just good acting. Regardless, they seem more than happy to hear about the possibility of getting in bed with you.

"What's everyone talking about?" You slur your words and smile stupidly.

"Don't worry about it, chica," Javi says with a sly look to a man you hope you won't actually have to sleep with.

You swear you see a twinkle of something in Javi's brown eyes as they meet yours.

You realize what that something is when he surprises you by capturing your lips in a searing kiss, daring to slip his tongue in your mouth. His hand sliding downwards says, 'just go with it'. You kiss him back, pulling his hair as he grabs your ass. You know he's putting on a show, but his touch makes you feel something all too real.

You swear you hear a whistle, it's likely directed at the two of you but the hustle and bustle of chatter covers up what the onlookers are saying. Javi hears enough to know that his plan is working.

'Get a room,' they say.

'Do you have a spare?' he asks.

Too drunk for their own good and too horny at the sight in front of them, the leader offers one up.

Your embarrassment is real – you're not hiding a winning smile underneath like Javi is. You're directed to a bedroom, and resisting the urge to scope the room immediately, Javi lays you flat on the bed and climbs on top of you, pinning your arms above your head - and, making you wetter than you'd ever tell him. He's keeping you from pushing him away until the door shuts and he tones things down.

He whispers into your ear when he's sure the man who led you here is far enough away that he can drop the act for a moment, "You're going to do what I say. No questions asked. Are we clear?"

You nod, terrified and knowing he's the only one you can trust in this place. With less shame than one might expect, he shows you what to do, getting you to mimic him. He sucks on his own fingers and you follow blindly, he pulls up the bottom of his shirt and slaps his skin while bouncing on the bed just enough that it creaks, rhythmically, like you're – oh, you understand.

Then, he whispers in your ear, "moan for me," and you do. "Perfect, just like that," he says, and you're no longer praying that you don't get caught by the cartel, but that you don't get caught by Javi. "That's good, keep going," he says, and god, you couldn't stop it if you wanted to.

You've forgotten everything else he's said, so he takes your hand and slides it up your dress, slapping the skin of your thighs and then grabs your hips to bounce them up and down. You whimper at the loss of his touch - all thoughts other than 'Javi' have left your head. He starts searching the room for evidence of anything case-related, and you continue to suck, moan, bounce, slap your skin, pretend to fuck the man in front of you because he wants you to, because he told you to keep going.

You watch Javi's back - as you should. You watch his arms, the way his jeans fit perfectly, the shape of his nose as he turns to his side and you can see his profile, his focused eyes.

You imagine his eyes looking over your body, his nose tickling your skin, those jeans coming off, his arms caging you in while he's on top of you. You hope the bed's not slick with arousal. 

Don't touch yourself. But, he's not looking. Maybe you can pass it off as dedication to the cause. Don't. Don't. Don't.

When he finds what he needs, he takes what he can, receipts and encoded notes, and he shoves them down his pants. You watch him readjust. He sees, and gives you a look of 'what?'. He ruffles his hair, unbuttons his top two buttons, making himself look disheveled. Then, he licks thumb and runs in under your eyes, smudging your eyeliner and with the other, your lipstick. As if he's practiced, he wipes the excess red on his lips.

You look stunned, he looks satisfied. Everyone stares when you leave but for all the wrong reasons. They have no idea what went on in that room. Javi has no idea either. It's your own little secret.

When you make it to the safety of Javi’s car, you sigh, relaxing into the passenger seat, and he says, "Thank you. You did really well back there. I could just kiss you right now - for real."

You know what he means. It's another thank you, maybe even I'm proud of you. But he’s still giving you an opportunity. It has to be intentional. 

"Then, do it. I dare you."

He could make a joke but he doesn't, he smiles and does as he said. He kisses you, and his lips parting slightly is the offer. When your tongue meets his, he knows, he must know.

"We should celebrate," he says. "Wanna come back to my place?"

You agree, even though you should know by now that going home with Javi is risky business at best.

Javi is enough of a gentleman to offer you a drink before suggesting you move things to the bedroom. All he has is whiskey, and while it's not your favorite, you decide the liquid courage is worth the taste.

"To us," Javi says, raising his glass before tapping it against yours. Sure, you're supposed to look into each other's eyes when you tap your glass against his, but the look you share says something beyond the toast. He might as well have winked at you. The tension is palpable, and you become increasingly aware of Javi's experience in this field - he may hold superiority to you in the DEA due to his extra years working for the agency, but what intimidates you is not that, but his body count, which is surely dozens above yours.

But then again, how much of the sex he has is with prostitutes? Is he even a good fuck? Maybe that's why he pays for sex. No, you've heard rumors being passed around throughout the DEA, and unless Javi pays for reviews too, he's good, great even.

"Are you in there, querida?" His head is cocked to the side in a way that lets you know he's been trying to get your attention for awhile.

"Oh yeah, I was just thinking." 

"Anything interesting? I thought I was going to have to shake you."

"No, my mind's just…"

"Elsewhere?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Mine too." He places his glass on the table. "You did very well today. Have you ever acted before?"

"No, not really."

"You're a natural, then, because it was pretty convincing."

You think you've gotten away with it until you see the glint in his eye.

"It helps when you're… inspired," you say with a coy grin.

"Inspired? Is that what they're calling it now?"

"I don't wanna say it. It's embarrassing."

"You don't have to, it was pretty obvious how you felt."

It's good that you've had a drink or two because you'd be running out of the room in embarrassment if you hadn't. You're not as practiced as some of the girls he's been with, and it's probably obvious, but you're not a virgin either. You're also not an idiot. This is going in the direction you've always wanted it to - towards his bedroom.

Javi leans in, and whispers into the shell of your ear, "I didn't give you the tour of my apartment, did I?"

His hot breath on your skin sends chills down your spine, but you pretend to be barely-fazed. "Mm-mm, you haven't."

"Do you wanna see my bedroom?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

He takes your hand and helps you up, and though you’ve felt his hands before, you notice the way one of his can envelop yours. He kisses you, soft and sweet, he kisses you, passionate and feverish, he kisses you with purpose, walking you backwards in the direction of his bedroom. He can tell you're nervous about the possibility of knocking into things so he assures you, "Don't worry. I know my way around. I won't let you get hurt."

"You come here often?"

You get a laugh out of him, light and genuine, but most of all rare. "Not as often as I should."

You find that his grip on you is looser than it was in public. There's nothing to protect you from here. It's just Peña, your colleague. It's just Javi, the man you've seen in the risque dreams you have too frequently to write them off as a misfire in your subconscious.

If someone had asked you with a gun to your head if you thought Javier Peña would be a gentle lover, you'd be dead. And if you are, then you made it to heaven.

He slides your zipper down carefully and lets you slip out of your dress, insisting on abiding by the rule of 'ladies first' when you try to unbutton his shirt. Your fingers shake as you restrain yourself against the urge to rip the fabric, so he replaces your hands with his own. His belt is gone too by the time he sits down on the edge of the bed, hands holding yours while he gazes at you in your bra and panties.

"Do you dress like this under your work clothes every day or was this for your 'costume?'"

"I wanted to do a good job playing my part. I didn't know if I'd need to take off my dress."

"But you were willing to if I'd asked you?"

"You told me to do whatever you said."

"But you could've told me to 'fuck off'. Did you want me to see you like this? Is it possible that you wanted to look pretty for me?"

"You're very good at interrogations, Peña. You would make a good cop."

He keeps his laughter contained, but there's a hint of a smile on his lips when he says, "You're going to call me, 'Javi' when you're in my bed. Are we clear?"

You salute him just to push his buttons, and it works, he pulls you into his lap and holds you there. You love his tight jeans for the way they allow you to feel how hard he is right now.

"So fucking gorgeous," he mutters as his kisses trail down your neck. He undoes your bra with one hand and you brace yourself for impact, dying to feel his mouth on your newly-exposed skin.

You would never have expected his skin to be so soft. His hands are calloused and he has wrinkles between his eyebrows, but his broad shoulders are perfectly smooth. You feel like apologizing preemptively for the marks you might leave.

But Javi flips you onto your back and you see a flash of hunger in his eyes. He's wanted this for a long time too.

"When you were moaning for me earlier, I couldn't stop wondering if that's what you'd sound like if I touched you like this."

'Like this' means one hand slipping into your panties and playing with your clit while the other thumb runs over your nipple. You take a sharp inhale of breath and try not to moan loudly but end up letting out a whimper that must sound awfully pathetic.

"Even prettier," he says, as his voice gets further away and you realize he's getting on his knees.

You must be dead. You must've died at that party because this is too perfect to be true.

He places gentle kisses on the inside of each of your thighs before slipping off your panties.

"Javi." Breathy and urgent, it’s an admission of your arousal. 

"Querida?" 

Your voice trembles as you tell him the secret you've been keeping. "When I was 'acting', I had to stop myself from saying your name."

"You were such a good girl."

His lips ghost over your clit before he presses a light kiss to your skin. You're so desperate you could cry. You let his name slip out now that you're alone.

"You're still a good girl."

One finger slips inside you like a reward and his tongue circles your clit. You swear he can hear your thoughts - "I'm sorry I pulled a gun on you earlier when you called me that. You make me feel flustered all the time, so much that you piss me off". He groans into your core as if to say, "It's okay. I already knew that".

But then your brain turns to mush and all that's left is, "Javi, Javi, Javi." And his response is to put your legs over his shoulders and slip another finger inside you. He can tell you're struggling against the pleasure, gripping his bedsheets in a desperate attempt to avoid tugging his hair. His unoccupied hand finds one of yours, coaxing you into holding it. The tenderness only heightens the pleasure.

"I know, cariño, just let go for me. I've got you."

The safest you've ever been is with Javi next to you. Safe enough to keep you alive, safe enough for you to cry out his name without fear. You come down from the most intense orgasm of your life, panting with Javi's hands stroking your sides before lifting your legs so he can climb into bed beside you.

Without a thought left in your head, your eager hands reach for the button of his jeans, but he stops you. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course. I'm in your bed, aren't I?"

"But your legs are shaking, querida. You need a minute to relax."

"I want you."

"I'll still be here in five minutes."

He comes back with water and a condom and you understand why women sleep with him.

He bargains with you - you drink some water and he takes his pants off. He doesn't intend to make a show of it, but you marvel at his body, now fully on display in front of you. The dryness in your mouth reminds you of the cold glass in your hand, which you down, equal parts nervous and aroused at the sight of his cock.

Javi notices the genuine concern in your eyes – surely women have looked at him with the same hesitant desire. In response to the unspoken, he strokes your cheek with a sweetness that makes you blush. "We'll go slow."

He sinks into you slowly, incrementally. His length strokes a particularly sensitive spot inside you that makes your walls tighten around him, and you can feel his hips jerk in response, self-restraint wavering as he holds himself back from fucking you roughly.

Once he bottoms out, he stops and lets you savor the feeling of being full. His lips still red and puffy from their time spent between your thighs, find yours and he kisses you with a fervor that cannot be sustained when you're both breathing so heavily.

"Javi, I need you," you whine.

"You have me."

"I need you to f–" he starts thrusting in and out of you while you speak, forcing you to cut yourself off with a moan.

The way he groans is gorgeous. He sets a steady pace and gets lost in the feeling. The urge to be closer to you takes over and he has you sitting in his lap within seconds. His hands cup your ass and allow him to move you as he pleases.

Your words in his ear are less than coherent when you bury your face in his neck. His teeth graze the skin on your shoulders and in the back of your mind you know you should worry about the marks he might leave, but the desire to be his, to remember that you had something even for a moment overtakes you. So, you throw your head back and give him access to a greater expanse of your skin.

Arousal fills you with a jolt of energy, giving you a boost in stamina, and you leverage yourself on Javi's shoulders and take over the work of sliding his cock between your wet folds, hips erratic and faltering. 

You don’t need to tell him how close you are, he can tell. He’s seen you cum before, he’s tasted it. 

"Me too," he says. It's more intense than the first one - you keep your eyes open with sheer willpower because you need to know what he looks like when he cums. There's a fair chance you won't see him like this again and you need to keep his beautiful 'o' face in your spank bank.

But what slips from his lips is not a string of curses or a wordless groan, but your name. It sounds even better when you hear it again during round two, and even better when it follows ‘good morning’. 

[lafaiette]

Gods I feel you I'm only 10 hours in after having received the game as a gift and I REALLY try to like it but it just ... doesn't feel like Dragon Age. Characters know stuff they shouldn't know about, the game keeps talking down to me, nothing I did in the previous games mattered, the tone is completely different, the mature storytelling of the previous games seems to be missing so far & what I heard so far of how the lore and the characters from previous games have been handled is honestly the worst part and breaks my heart. idk even if i wanna finish the game at this point anymore, I'm just kinda ... sad.

I'm so sad and disappointed, too, I remember our conversations, fics, and headcanons about DA! We were so excited and happy, because Inquisition, DA2, and DAO were genuinely well-made and aimed at pleasing the fans, despite their faults.

DATV is a good action game, no doubt about that. The combat is fun, there is a lot to explore and discover, and many locations are beautiful, even though some are terrible to navigate (Dock Town's structure makes no sense). But that's it - it's a good action game with the name "Dragon Age" pasted on it. It doesn't feel like it's part of the series, it constantly treats the player like an idiot, some references to past games and characters are literally hidden in the brief descriptions of the mementos, and there is even a Glossary to make sure the new players don't get frustrated.

Everything is safe and aseptic, cleaned of every deep piece of lore that could have scared new fans into buying or continuing the game. Even the banters lack the depth of the previous games.

A good game company should lure new players in not by rejecting their past entries, but by making them look even more interesting with their sequels.

Bioware wasn't afraid of offering piece of lore after piece of lore in Inquisition - it was a game set in a precise moment, whose prologue was directly tied to the events of the previous game, and new players had to accept this if they decided to buy it and play it. If they liked that premise, all that information and those details, then they were more than welcome - they were encouraged! - to go back, try the older games, and see how it had all started. It was a game made for the fans the company had already managed to win over, not for possible fans who may or may not bring new money in.

In DATV the new players can jump right in after quickly learning who Solas is and what he's trying to do, and old fans are left with an empty shell, with minor references that are supposed to make us feel happy and accomplished peppered here and there, while all our past choices and our favorite characters are forgotten or brought back with a terrible case of amnesia. It's lazy, infuriating, and very sad, and it smells of reboot, because the new devs probably realized they couldn't keep up with the amount of lore and choices the series contain, and they needed to start anew.

[alacants]

the juanki/rafa lore is fascinating omg

ISN'T IT WILD. today felt like. scripted. backstory episode dropped just in time for the narrative climax.

but their relationship is really SO fascinating. there's all these little tidbits the round-up didn't have space for, stuff like--juanki's asked about their relationship at a cincy presser and is like haha it's fine we're meeting for golf today. and then the next day he's back on message like, stop talking about rafa. rafa is speaking up in juanki's defense when he's left out of the madrid main draw, and then they're barely talking next time they're both at davis cup. even nowadays they are so clearly on the same page cheering for carlitos! …as long AS they are cheering for carlitos. i want a timer to know how long they can hold a conversation before one of them says something that breaks the get-along spell.

idk i just keep thinking that--i mean what IF that hideous run of bad luck (chicken pox, broken rib, maybe some poor decision-making) hadn't destroyed juanki at his peak. i would be so curious to know if rafa's approach would have been different if juanki had been more of a threat on the court in those first formative years on tour--more like he felt about moya or roger. instead he just leapfrogged right over him and i think that's what got under juanki's skin so bad, not just that this kid usurped his place but that he didn't even like. notice him there.

(i was just talking with my friend whose take on rafa's side of this is that the obvious bad feeling probably bothered him a lot more coming from a spaniard than it would have otherwise. like if it was… i can't think of a good example. marat safin? a former world no. 1 who was never much of a threat to him on court. --if it was marat safin who got snippy in the media and cold-shouldered him in person then lol whatever. but at home he wanted to be loved. and juan carlos did not love him.)

[wolf-feathers12]

An idea

Angron as sanguinius's bodyguard/protector!au

( I have very limited knowledge of the books/am still slowing making my way though the warhammer lore and most of my understanding comes from fandom interactions and this is very crackish indulgent idea that probs doesn't make too much sense if you apply some logic to it but hush ಥ_ಥ)

Angron but they find a way to get rid of his nails but he's still very angry ect >:O

Him and sanguinius interact and sang suggests therapy ala blood angel style. Cue a montage of him slowing being shown how to paint, draw and appreciate the fine arts ect. Plus he starts to really bond with sang. (Aparently depending on who u ask sanguinius might have started out as a slave?? So even more sorta bonding over trama type thing? Also i love sanguinius whump/hurt/comfort so yeah boi)

Angron starts spending more and more time with the angel and consequently finds himself near sanguinius when he wakes up screaming and sang comforts him. Maybe sanguinius expirenceing his own nightmares becaue of his visions and angron becoming less and less awkward when he pets his hair and tells him its ok that it was just a dream.

Regardless they both become really close (maybe even ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) close if that's what Ur into hehehe). sanguinius is one of the first people to show him any sort of kindness or understanding appart from his brothers and sisters. He still hates the emperor but he'll endure it if it means he gets to be with his brother.

Cue the horus heresy.

Everything is more or less the sameish with angron hesitating a little to join horus but his hatred for the emperor wins.

(I know that sanguinius and angron fight but er maybe they don't in this au?? Idk just skip to the fight on the vengeful spirit)

Sanguinius is completely exhausted and can barely keep himself upright when he confronts horus but confront him he does .

This is it. This is where he dies.

But just before horus deals the killing blow angron bursts into the room.

Seeing the person who has helped him become something more then a monster, more then his nails, who showed him how to correctly load paint onto a brush, how to read music, who's been there for him in the middle of the night, whose held him when the cries of his fellow slaves grew too loud being literally tortured to death, body broken (flashback to one of his gladiator friends being beaten to death maybe?) Angron realises where his true loyalties lie.

Horus is confused.

"You would protect him even though he is loyal to the same man who let your people die? You serve him even now by keeping the angel alive."

"The only emperor I serve is at my feet now."

"You would defend and obey a broken shell of a man?"

With determination in his eyes, clutching his weapon he looks horus straight in the eyes.

"To my last breath."

Shout out to @heuldoch7b for their post

https://www.tumblr.com/heuldoch7b/762780929429323776/would-your-no-nails-au-angron-look-any-different?source=share

That inspired this au :O

[browneyedartist01]

My thoughts during the final hour of acomaf:

(Bare in mind that I notched up the speed to 1.5 then 1.75, and these thoughts are not in order)

-"You don't need proof that it works, I'm proof that it works-"

Weren't you made by high lords?

-"I will destroy your court."

And I will hate you. More so than I already do

-"He held out his hand like I was some pet."

"Come home."

My thoughts:

"Come home with me."

"Who are you?"

"The man whose gonna marry you, I'm Orpheus."

"Who am I?"

"Eurydice, *laughs* the girl who makes me wanna sing, the women I'm marrying."

-Why dose the evil man sounds like a radio announcer?

-Lucian really setting the bar higher already in how to care for your mate, as expected. (Go little Rock star)

-He broke through the bounds that a high lord couldn't break through just to go to her?!?!

-And he gave her his coat to cover her??

-"There were different kinds of torture I realized, there was ones I went through, what Rhys went through and then this."

Yeah, now you know how Tamlin felt utm.

- Did Nesta just give the evil king the middle finger? Ew, sarah cringe stop it.

-Cassian just keep dying sweetie, don't touch Nesta.

-Nesta be nice to your future brother in law.

- Freye unlocked a new power, somehow.

-Cheesy, this is all so cheesy.

- "his green eyes met mine, the sorrow and tenderness in them was the most hideous thing I've ever seen."

Wow, ok...

-Tamlin acting like Ryhsand though with Tamlin it's justified/understandable

- *me counting down the final 22 minutes while freye is dying*

-"I nerely gagged on his scent."

Freye darling, I get your upset about his deal with evil king. But he literally tried to save your sisters, stop being so dramatic.

- "my family."

It's been 3 months girly.

- "Tamlin ignored Lucian, so I did too."

Sums up Freye and Lucain's friendship

-Of course all the queens' want is eternal youth,

- Lucian naturally being the smartest one in the room.

-Noooo, not Ryhsand pov. 😭 this better not be the last 17 minutes.

-Holy crap, I just realized how similar this ending is to season 2 of lore olympus ending.

-Don't worry, the bat boys plot armor is thick. Sarah loves you monsters too much.

-Mor don't rip out the arrow it will only make it worse.

-Ryhsand please think, do you really think Tamlin would actually partner with evil king? He didn't even trust evil fae women when she first appeared, what makes you think he would actually help him beyond getting freye back?

-"she is my mate, my wife, the high lady of the night court."

BANG, CRASH A LIGHTING BLAST! (no joke there was thunder after he said this in the dramatized version)

I have 2 thoughts on this one:

1. There was a fan theory during the court trial in lore olympus (persephone was on trail for mass murder, long story) where hades and persephone got married before the trail started because at one point he called her his wife. This wasn't the case because she was 20 and he was in his 2000 (aka 40's) Idk if Rachel was a fan of acotar and wanted to steal from it (since acomaf was released in 2016 and the trial was released in 2020) but because people guessed it she dropped it. Idk that's just a my own theory.

2. How can she be the high lady when the mother is the one to give out titles? Do you realize what you just start Ryhsand? This could lead to more war against the more religious courts, this could lead to the end of the night court if the mother finds out... oh wait, this is acotar. Not real high fantasy, there's no real religious world building.

-"I've forgotten how quiet it was here, how small, how empty"

You do this every time freye, anytime your some where "better" you always just stick your noise up at your old home.

-Freye acting high and mighty towards Tamlin as if she wouldn't had praised Ryhsand for doing the same thing.

- Lucian, you are truly the best character.

-"My sister mate, the mother did indeed seem to have a sense of humor."

What do you mean? He would be a great mate. But then again you're suffering because of it...which makes it so much better.

- "as if he could do that to anyone."

But- but he did freye. And tbh I think he would have done worse to you if he deemed it necessary.

-Freye is really giving evil queen vibes. I wish I could enjoy it, but I know sarah is going to make her the "hero"

And that's it, Thank Saints.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

hii i recently started reading your work, cyanide narwhal, and am honestly really hooked! i love your characterization so much and find the story you built around the lore really, really interesting!

i’m not deeply familiar with the intricacies of the lore in genshin impact, but i’ve been fascinated by it for a while—and reading your story made me realize how much depth i was missing out on…is there any sources or ways you can reccomend as a primer/introductory to genshin lore? i really want to learn more and understand the theories better! thank youuu

aaa thank you! and this is actually a really interesting question

obviously my first thought was just play the world quests and pay attention, but not only is the info in the world quests sometimes incomplete, but i understand perfectly that some people just skimmed the dialogue at best and now cannot replay them but the fact of the matter is that the best way to get into some parts of the lore is via the world quests

still, there's plenty of people on youtube who do timeline and lore recaps without theories - as in, just telling you the lore that one can learn from the quests in a more streamlined manner. they're always a great choice!

there's also the artifact and material lore, which does usually contain a lot of info, but is usually kinda cryptic. the good thing about those is that you're not locked out of reading them, so as long as you have the necesary pieces, you can just go into the in-game archives and read up there. as with the world quests, though, there's also plenty of people on youtube doing full analyses on the lore of those

i think once you have a rough idea of some of the relevant names and lorebits, that while daunting at first, the wiki's timeline page is rather helpful when it comes to trying to get the bigger picture of when exactly everything happened in relation to other things. reading the little annotations and notes they put on where they got their info and when they've had to make extra calculations for some things' placements also goes a long way.

once you've started to understand more of the out-of-the-way lore, going to theorists is also a great way to catch the more interesting ways this game is built. as in- real-world references and inspirations.

because telling you 'oh you can find it on youtube' still sort of leaves you having to figure out how to even look for it, here's a little list of the youtubers whose videos i've watched at least once for these things. not a comprehensive list of course, but from there some of them shout each other out and you can navigate the recommended section for more videos, so!

as with all things lore-related in this game, keep in mind when the videos were made in relation to the game's patch version. the ones that are more just strict lore read-throughs are less vulnerable to later patches sort of- changing some of the context? (looking at you remuria) but still. and obviously theory videos are even more dependant on that. so:

for lore analysis (most of these are strictly just the lore with little speculation, but there's probably some extrapolation here anyway): - Ashikai has a great beginner's guide series on region lore, but it only covers up to sumeru so far. still, might be a great place to start! there's also some quest recaps and lore details here and here - Francis Lee Arthur has a great series of very concise videos of world quest recaps, though they sadly don't have mondstadt and liyue quests, and only a handful of inazuma quests. still, they're great videos, and there's a ton of sumeru and fontaine quests (and one chenyu vale quest i think) - SiliconOneFour has a bunch of videos on artifact and weapon lore, and some recent ones on stuff like the remuria timeline, mondstadt's aristocracy, the history of the temple of silence, etc - KlemenTime has a bunch of videos on pieces of lore that aren't really laid out explicitly on world quests, but that you sort of learn through exploration? idk how to describe it. they also have artifact lore, and while not in the playlist, if you go to their profile they also have some more borad sumeru and natlan timeline videos - Minsleif has archon quest and world quest recaps, along with other lorebits. there's also their massive 1-min reel lorebit video collection on much shorter things

for theories (some of these have a mix of lore+theory videos so i'm putting them here bc i wanted ot keep the 'just the facts' videos to the section above): - Ashikai is my favorite theory nerd in the community so forgive the bias, but there's the incredible project:teyvat series and the world structure series, which are two massive theories about the way teyvat as a world functions. i think you might want to save these ones for after you've familiarized yourself with the lore. other than that, there's plenty of other theories to sift through (though bear in mind these are ALL the theories, so there's project:teyvat and world structure stuff here? but the titles will help you know which they are if you want to save them for later) - The Laughing Man has a ton of videos on lore and theory/speculation on like- a ton of stuff, along with character analyses - roozevelt has a bunch of videos on lore and theories, mostly revolving around the traveler and khaenri'ah, but there's plenty of other stuff there also - My Name For Now has a very interesting massive khaenri'ah theory, theories on the descenders, on the elemental system, and a bunch of other lore theory videos - Minsleif does have theories also (but i personally can't remeber if i've ever watched one. still, they're there if you want to check them out!) - Wei has theory videos that look like shitposts and sometimes feel like shitposts, but god, there's some interesting stuff there. i wouldn't know how to even describe it though, most of it is traveler related but still (also this is a general theories playlist, but like all their theories are from genshin with the exception of one jjk theory so like- i mean yeah, just letting you know why that's there lmao)

And here's the wiki's timeline page

so uhhhh yeah! hope you have fun if you decide to watch any of the videos from anyone there. of course there's probably a lot of other theorists and recap channels, but these are the ones i've watched at least once, so, pick and choose which ones you like best. have fun!

TL;DR: you can still access a bunch of lore in-game via the artifacts, weapons, and weapon materials, and any world quests you might not have played yet. but since i recognize that's a daunting task and the info is scattered and incomplete and confusing, watching video recaps might be the way to go. Ashikai's beginners guides are great introductions and refreshers, and there's plenty of videos to catch up on world quests or to have someone explain artifact and weapon lore to you

[meekmedea]

hello!! i absolutely love your time-travel au!! i saw on one of your posts that you said you have a lot of thoughts on the dovecote family- i was wondering if you’d be willing to share any of those thoughts?

Hi!! So happy to hear you've been enjoying the time-travel au :)

I'd love to share Dovecote family thoughts and to hear your (and also everyone's) thoughts as well!

So without further adieu...

Dovecote Family Lore

Some background info - TBOSAS mentions the old guard for some families in the book and I sort of took that idea and ran haha

So within the various families that make up the old guard, I like to imagine a hierarchy exists within them. There's families at the very top and also minor houses

And all these families that are part of the old guard have family crests and even Latin mottos to distinguish themselves from the nouveau riche and the lower classes (both Capitol and District) Is it a bit pretentious? Yes. But that's part of the fun

I see 'Dovecote' as one of the minor houses - old enough for the Latin motto and family crest, but not as prestigious as 'Ravinstill' or even 'Phibbs'

family crest ideas: a dove? a pair of them? idk but I'd like to incorporate the bird into it

motto ideas: I have like way too many, but these are my current favourites (My translations might be a bit rough 😅)

Alis grave nil (nothing [is] heavy with wings)

Ad astra per aspera (to the stars through difficulties)

Amata bene (well loved)

Cor aut mors (heart or death)

~~~~~

Also THIS idea that the Dovecote family is well-respected amongst the old-guard, but nobody knows where they first made their money/wealth and where exactly it comes from right now

I think it'd be funny if nobody in the Capitol can agree on how the Dovecotes are part of the old guard. They just sort of appeared one day on records and that was that

Nevertheless there are theories: some say the family is built on blood money (ie. a crime family /mercenaries /assassins elevated to the old guard either through blackmail or some notorious deed). There's some that think they're some vassal house that was elevated to this standing for some good deed or other 

Also Dovecote clementines 🤭 (I keep adding this to a lot of my other AUs)

They're as tied to the Dovecotes as roses are tied to the Snows

The fruit are especially sweet when compared to the average clementine and nobody has a clue where their supply comes from

They have it year round even when they're not in season

It's a semi-recent thing, it started in Clemensia's parents' time as teenagers

For the Dovecotes, the clementines are a way to communicate things - there is no one thing it represents (ie. I love you / be careful / you are dear to me etc. )

Random lore about our Dovecote family members in this AU

Clemensia is an only child

Endymion Dovecote and Aelia Dovecote née Beauchamp have a running joke whose charm Clemmie inherited (it's Endymion, the Dovecote genes are strong here)

like father, like daughter, especially the Dovecote smile. Also both of them seem to be able to befriend anyone, they really do have friends everywhere

Endymion is an indulgent husband and father

I had this in a different AU, but I liked it enough to want to maybe add it here; how part of the Dovecotes being sort of anonymous in their circles is because of their control on the media - unless Endymion approves it, nothing about the family is published. Especially if it's about his daughter

Because the movie promo had Clemmie talk about D1 and D5, I decided to connect D1 to her mother's family.

Her mother (Aelia) comes from a merchant family - so, wealthy but not part of the old guard. The Beauchamp family owns a jewelry business, Lavinium. And pre-war that was THE place for the elite to shop at

Clemensia stands in line to inherit the business from her maternal uncle (family inheritance in the Beauchamp family can be messy hehe. Doesn't help that her uncle has no children of his own and instead has 2 sisters with their own children)

Actually there's this one dialogue I have about Clemensia between Livia Cardew and her own father - inspired by that line in Dune

Livia has a bit of a motive here to be Clemmie's friend and to stay her friend

Livia's mother owns the biggest bank in Panem, there's no way she doesn't hear from her parents about her classmates' family's finances

Livia's father is probably one of the only people to have a semi-good grasp on what the Dovecote finances are like because he manages the accounts

Livia's father: I hear you've recently become good friends with the Dovecote girl. Well done. Make sure to keep her close.

Livia (age 8): Because she's a possible heir to Lavinium?

Livia's father: No. Because she is Endymion's daughter.

Because the Capitol is still recovering, Lavinium isn't earning as much as it had pre-war. And the Dovecote accounts don't have any deposits from them either

Yet the Dovecote family is considered is recovering quicker than anyone can explain

The salary of the secretary of energy pays well, but not that well.

Dovecote family rumours are hard at work again haha

[themildlyanxiousmage]

Loredas at Denny's

Characters: Reader insert, Erandur, Taliesin, Gore, Lucien, Miraak, General Tullius, Elenwen

platonic, but could be read as romantic with Miraak if you want

No plot, just breakfast

GN reader has social anxiety and is shorter than Taliesin and Miraak. Lore accurate heights, so everyone is shorter than Taliesin and Miraak. Reader is vegan. Just suspend your disbelief or pretend you're on a diet or something sorry.

This is my first fanfiction, so I apologize in advance. Also, I started it while drunk, but I feel like the drunk parts might be better, so sorry about that too.

And sorry about how I wrote the custom follower characters. I had a harder time writing them.

Not a modern au, there is just Denny's

Words: idk I wrote it on my phone's notepad

After successfully stopping Potema for the second time, your adventuring party decided to splurge for a celebratory breakfast at the Solitude Denny's. You hadn't been the biggest fan of eating out, but you had hopes that this could be a fun experience for the group. Erandur, the most mature out of your band of weirdos, led the group through the large wooden doors, followed closely by Lucien, Taliesin, Miraak, you, and finally Gore.

Erandur approached the entry counter and greeted the lone server, an argonian woman whose name tag read "Waits-Many-Tables."

"Good morning, my daughter. We would like a table for six, please." Erandur requested in his usual calm, comforting priest tone.

"BOOTH!" Gore shouted from the back.

The exhausted, overworked employee quietly sighed with a gentle eye roll and grabbed a stack of menus. She gestured for your group to follow and led you to a booth clearly meant for four. You could hear a quiet sigh come from General Tullius, who was seated at the booth next to yours. He was not very pleased to have such a large group seated so close.

"Perhaps we should request a table for six instead" Taliesin remarked.

"No tables for six available" Waits retorted.

"Not even in the back room?" Asked Erandur.

"Back room's reserved."

"This will be fine then. Thank you, my daughter."

"I'm calling a window seat." Taliesin said hastily as he slid into the booth connected to the back of General Tullius's.

"I would also like a window seat, please." Erandur politely requested. Everyone unseated quietly gestured for him to take the open seat, so he slid into the space opposite Taliesin.

"I will be on an outer seat." Miraak demanded in his deep, booming voice as he moved to stand next to the booth Taliesin was sitting in. General Tullius side eyed Miraak as he sipped his coffee.

"I wouldn't mind sitting between you two!" Lucien cheerfully stated as he stepped forward to slide in next to Taliesin, only to be stopped by Miraak shoving him away to the other side of the table.

Miraak grabbed your shoulder and pushed you in next to Taliesin. He slid in, sitting half way off the booth, pinning you between the two towering men. They both let out an uncomfortablely annoyed exhale as you scrunched your shoulders to try to make yourself smaller. Lucien quietly slid in next to Erandur, followed by Gore sitting with one leg out of the booth. Waits-Many-Tables placed menus in front of each member of your party, giving Erandur the senior menu and you the children's menu. Before either of you could protest, she was off tending to another table. You realized your hood was still up, and next to the two giants you're seated between, she must have mistaken you for a child. You glanced at Erandur and noticed a slightly disappointed look on his face.

"Are you going to ask her for a normal menu, Erandur?" You asked in a low tone, trying to keep quiet enough to not disturb the general sitting directly at your back.

"No, my child. I was intending to order from this menu when we came in." He responded priestishly. "But, I would have preferred to request the menu myself." he added with a short chuckle, trying to hide his pain.

You didn't want to go through the trouble of asking Waits to bring you a new menu, so you decided to see if you could find anything to order on the children's menu. Unfortunately, the only thing that would meet your dietary needs was a bowl of pre cut fruit for four gold. Disappointed, you thought that maybe you could look over Taliesin or Miraak's shoulders to read theirs. Taliesin was almost as scrunched as you were, so his menu was almost closed. No use trying to read his. You stretched your neck a bit outward to the side to get a better look at Miraak's without moving your torso at all. Miraak let out a mildly irritated sigh and held the menu closer to you, and you gave him a quiet thanks. Unfortunately, none of the meal options were vegan, but you did see a few more side options that you could use to build a nice breakfast. Maybe this meal wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Is that Elenwen?" Lucien asked, looking over his menu towards the entrance of the diner. Taliesin inhaled anxiously as he quickly buried his face deep in his menu. You heard the general nearly choke on his coffee, and you carefully turned as much as your neck would allow to see Elenwen and a party of five other thalmor gather in the entry. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Tullius trying to lower his head and carefully cover his face with his hand. To the relief of both Taliesin and the general, Waits-Many-Tables led the group of thalmor past both of the booths, and through the archway of the back dining room.

"Why are they here?" Taliesin hissed in a whisper tone. Gore leaned out of the booth a bit to try to get a better look through the archway far behind him, but saw nothing unusual. Just a group of thalmor sitting down during the Loredas breakfast rush.

"They're just sitting there, but they're at a pretty big table. Could probably seat a large party." Gore reported as he turned back to face the table. "Hey Blood," he whispered as he leaned towards you, resting his elbows on the table "Maybe the general would know."

All eyes from around the table shot at you like arrows, waiting for you to ask Tullius what was going on. You let out a dreading sigh, not happy to have to be the one to disturb the general during his breakfast, but resigned to the fact that you had the best shot out of anyone in your party to get an answer out of him. You carefully shifted and turned as best you could, slowly spinning around between the two giant men on either side of you until you were seated on your knees. You looked down at the back of General Tullius's head and quietly cleared your throat, hoping to get his attention. When he did not respond, a pain in your stomach grew as you realized that you would actually have to disturb him.

"Excuse me, General Tullius sir?" You asked quietly, voice shaking slightly. The general heard you. You know he heard you. But he did not respond. He took another sip of his coffee, slowly lowering his head even lower to try to deter you from talking to him.

"I'm sorry, General, may I ask a quick question?" You asked a bit louder, but still with a quiver in your voice. Again, no response. You started to shift back around, but you felt a strong, gloved hand grab your shoulder and hold you firm facing the general's direction. Miraak was not going to let you back down. You took a deep, shaking breath and gathered your strength. You shouted down dragons with barely any effort. You could ask General Tullius a simple question. You breathed in, and one more you inquired, "Excuse me general!"

Your voice made a sad, cracking squeak as you spoke. You heard a couple of quiet chuckles from your friends as you prepared to turn back around. But whether from pity at your feeble attempt to be assertive or just from a hope to get you all off his back, General Tullius sighed and turned around to face you, resting an arm on the back of the booth.

"Yes, dragonborn?" The general asked with an extremely apparent annoyance in his voice.

"Sorry to disturb you sir, but I was wondering if you knew why the thalmor were meeting here?" You asked in an anxious, hurried tone, visibility uncomfortable from the feeling of inconveniencing him. The general's face softened as he let out a sigh.

"No, I don't." He responded in much more understanding tone than the group was used to. "I was wondering myself, actually." He looked down with a deep pondering expression. Everyone sat in thought for a brief moment until Waits-Many-Tables brought over the general's grand slam.

"Okay. Thank you. Sorry, to disturb you, sir." You said as you slowly shifted back around to face your table. The general gave a quiet "no worries" nod and hand wave as he turned back to eat his biscuits and gravy.

"Is it possible they're just enjoying breakfast like we are?" Lucien asked. You all exchanged looks as you considered the possibility.

"More thalmor!" Gore warned. Taliesin buried his head again, and you heard the sound of choking from behind you. Six more altmer in thalmor robes walked past to join their comrades in the dining room.

"Taliesin, if you're worried about being noticed, why are you still wearing your old uniform?" You asked after the thalmor had cleared the archway.

"It's not my fault all of Skyrim's clothes itch and don't breathe!" Taliesin fired back.

Before anyone could discuss the new additions to the back room, Waits-Many-Tables walked up with her note pad to take orders. She looked at Erandur and waited for him to give his order.

"May I have the strawberry yoghurt with granola and a cup of canis root tea please?"Erandur asked politely. Waits wrote his order with a confirming grunt. She looked up towards Lucien, and you felt your chest tightening as you thought about how you were going to have to order.

"May I please have a French toast slam with scrambled eggs please? And just water is fine, thank you." Lucien asked in his polite, cheerful tone. Waits took down his order.

"I'd like a lumberjack slam, please. And a coffee and a glass of milk too please!" Gore stated. Waits took his order, then looked at Taliesin. You felt yourself jump with nervous anticipation as you prepared to ask about your order.

"May I please have the apple cinnamon pancakes, with a large glass of apple juice?" Taliesin asked in his song like tone. "And may I substitute the horker bacon for potatoes please?"

"No substitutions."

"I'll eat your bacon Taliesin!" Gore exclaimed.

"It's two gold to split a plate." Waits added.

"Then just keep it on my plate." Taliesin said with an exhale.

"We're out of large on the apple juice."

"Don't you just pour it into a glass?"

"We're out of large glasses. Slips-Often broke the last one this morning."

"Can you put it in two smaller glasses, please?"

"No."

"Okay." Taliesin said with confused acceptance. Finally, it was your turn. You felt your heart race as Waits's eyes met yours.

"Hi, I'm sorry, I was wondering if the hash browns were made with any animal products please? Sorry." You asked nervously as you heard a sigh come from both Miraak and the booth behind you.

"No."

"Okay, thank you. Then may I please order a side order of hash browns, a side of fruit, and a side of sourdough toast with no butter, and ice water please?" You asked quickly with a high pitch and hurried tone.

"We're out of sourdough. We have honey wheat."

"Then, uuuhhh, no thanks on the toast... please. Thank you." You sat back with an exhale, sinking back into the booth.

"Country fried steak. Side of fruit. Black coffee." Miraak asserted as he handed his menu to Waits. She wrote down his order and collected everyone's menus. As she left Gore's eyes turned to Taliesin.

"How're you going to hide now?" He asked. Taliesin's eyes widened at the realization.

"Miraak, may I borrow your-"

"No."

You gently patted Taliesin's shoulder. You stretched your neck a bit as you tried to get a better look through the back room's arch. You couldn't see much, but you could see Waits-Many-Tables taking the orders from a large banquet table. If orders were already being taken, then everyone was probably already back there, and hopefully you could enjoy a bit of peace. Maybe even be finished and leave before they left the back room. You sank back a bit and let out a quiet, content sigh. Yes, you were a bit squished, but you were safely tucked between two of your friends. And in Skyrim's cold, it wasn't so bad to be this close sometimes. As Waits came to set out your drinks, you started to feel a bit calmer. Maybe this meal would turn out okay after all.

"Elenwen." Miraak stated in a monotone voice as he brought his mug up to his face. Taliesin began to panic and tried to look down. Miraak ripped his mask off and passed it over to Taliesin, his arm almost smacking you in the face as Miraak reached across. Taliesin rushed to put it on, and then sat perfectly still, waiting for Elenwen to approach. Miraak calmly sipped his coffee, not looking up as she made her way over to your table.

"Dragonborn, what a pleasant surprise to see you here too." Elenwen spoke in a diplomatic, but assholeish tone. You knew she didn't mean a word of it.

"Nice to see you too." You said keeping your response short, trying not to shift nervously in your seat.

Why she was coming over to greet your group, you had no idea. You watched as she eyed everyone, making mental notes on each of you, stopping with surprised eyes as she made eye contact with the giant atmoran to your right. She did not expect to be met with Miraak's face, with skin almost translucent white from thousands of years of no sun exposure and dark green, glowing eyes that glared back at her. It would be amusing to see her caught off guard and confused if you weren't currently worried about Taliesin's own mental state right now. Her eyes drifted away from him before finally regaining their composure and locking back with yours.

"Dragonborn, it was a pleasure to see you." Her gaze shifted to Taliesin sitting stiffly in the corner. "Oh, and a pleasure to see you again, - "

A crash rang out, drowning out Taliesin's real name, much to the disappointment of everyone but him. You all looked over to see who you could only guess was Slips-Often on the floor surrounded by a pile of broken plates scattered about with some unlucky table's food. When you looked back, Elenwen was gone. Taliesin slowly pulled Miraak's mask off and quietly passed it back to Miraak, not looking at anyone as he sat silently.

Waits-Many-Tables came walking up to your table with a black tray full of plates. As she passed them out, Gore reached across the table to grab the bacon off of Taliesin's plate. Looking at his own plate of food, Lucien commented on how delicious the hash browns looked.

"They are good. They're made with horker fat. Very flavorful." Waits responded.

You put your fork full of hash browns back on the plate. Waits was gone before you could respond. Gore slowly reached for the small plate of hash browns, quietly asking if he could take them, and silently thanking you when you nodded.

As you contemplated whether you should try to order anything else to go with your tiny bowl of fruit, Miraak assertively pushed his side of fruit in front of you. He grabbed your horker grease covered fork from your hand and replaced it with his unused one.

"But Miraak, you ordered this specifically as a side for you. I can't-"

"Eat, dragonborn." Miraak commanded. You looked up at him and saw him look at you with much softer eyes than he usually displayed.

"Thanks, Miraak." For a second, you could have sworn you saw the corners of his mouth almost smile. Maybe eating out isn't so bad, as long as you have your friends with you to help you out.

[bernardellinewsagency]

back with even more trigun x honkai star rail crossover thoughts, this time inspired by @jiinglespurs's veritas the punisher fanart :D though i'm not sure if i can call this just "thoughts" when it's turned into uh... several paragraphs of rambling and then a 2k word ratiorine fanfic about it. it's mostly unedited because i think i wrote most of it in some sort of possessed/fugue state where i was solely consumed by the need to have aventurine as vash, veritas as wolfwood, and for them to hurt my own feelings, but yeah in total this is around three thousand words in one post. i'm gonna hide it under a cut for everyone's sake :)

to start, no man's land is now penacony, of course. instead of seven cities, it's twelve, based on the twelve dreamscapes. now, most of these cities are just there to exist in the background and/or be destroyed. the lore important ones are midnight, sol, and morning dew (idk if the names should be changed to sound more like locations but trigun has cities named after months, names like morning dew aren't entirely out of the question).

midnight is where ships first crashed onto the planet, dooming humanity to a lonesome existence in this new world. however, despite being the vash and nai representative characters, this wasn't because of kakavasha and sunday. no, it was mikhail and gopher wood, the watchmaker and the dreammaster whose actions helped shape the penacony storyline in canon. these days, it's mostly a ghost town, the remnants of the first human civilizations on the planet. and morning dew is the july of this world, the location where shit will be going down, since it's where the dewlight pavilion is in canon so it'd be wherever sunday hosts his currently unnamed religious fanaticism organization.

in canon, sol is the dreamscape known for museums, libraries, and academies. thus, this becomes where veritas is from. to take more from wolfwood's backstory, he would've been an orphan there, brought up in an orphanage and not really able to get a proper education. luckily for him, i feel like he'd be a pretty self sufficient learner- he could've stolen books and snuck into buildings to help teach himself math, science, philosophy, etc. seeing his potential, the orphanage probably would've wanted to help send him to school, but he would insist that if they sent anyone, it would be the other kids who'd need it more than him, or that they save their money for food and supplies. a pity, perhaps if he did go away to school then he wouldn't have been taken and made into a killer rather than a scholar.

remember how i said that things would've been caused by gopher wood and mikhail? well, both of them are dead now. mikhail would've died first, which is rather unfortunate because then gopher wood would've been able to make a power grab and form the currently unnamed organization (though it'll probably be named after smth to do with the harmony or the order) incredibly powerful and influential within penacony. he would've had grand plans, and i think sunday should coup him before he could do much with them. kill his father, take his power, be more ambitious that he ever could.

speaking of this unnamed organization, its members are this au's versions of the gung-ho guns and can really be any character who shows up in the penacony quests. there's veritas the punisher, of course, and it's now led by dominicus, the name sunday goes just like how nai goes by millions knives. very transgender of both of them. then there's gallagher the hound, sparkle the fool, and while i don't have any ideas for robin, those three would be in the upper echelons of this group; both because sunday wants to keep his friends close and his enemies (of which gallagher and sparkle are certainly both possibilities) closer, and because the four remind me of the four harmonic strings, and sunday would definitely love the symbolism of that. i've also got two other ideas for its members: acheron the blade, an accomplished swordswoman known for never unsheathing her sword in a fight, and samuel the cavalry, an unknown young woman cloaked in both brutality and a fearsome armor made from lost tech.

why is kakavasha on the run from sunday and his organization? he's the vash adjacent character in this au, but he's not actually related to sunday, the two don't have any original closeness to utilize. but the glory of an au is that you can put canon into a paper shredder and say things like "maybe the avgins were there before anyone crash landed onto the planet. maybe kakavasha is still the last of his kind. and because i can, maybe he's got some fun powers that i can use to make him get homoerotic with veritas but can also serve as a reason why sunday is hunting him down." really i just need to be able to make him suffer more than jesus for my own entertainment.

and finally, i love the thought of eve being jade's real name, so it's jelena and eve who end up traveling with kakavasha across the world. they're meant to be like the insurance girls, financial sector employees who have ended up sticking with him because of the monetary disasters he keeps causing everywhere he goes.

ONTO THE GOOD STUFF. IT'S FANFIC TIME.

"what the hell were you thinking, blondie?" veritas yells, crouching beneath a half destroyed wall as the top of it gets riddled with bullets, spinning the punisher around and firing backwards without looking. he doesn't have to; they drilled him on trajectories and distances and angles so much he doesn't even need to run the numbers, his hearing helping to pick up on where the bandits are and his hands naturally guiding his aim. it's not a guarantee that he hit where he wanted every time, but he hears the first three bodies drop like apples from a tree, while the fourth cries out in terror and moves in time to flee.

"i had a plan, veritas! no one was going to get hurt!" he's a damn good liar, that kakavasha, because veritas can smell the blood coming from his arm, enhanced senses tuned in to everything around him more than he would ever like to be. now is not the time to be overwhelmed by all that. covering his ears, veritas remains crouched as another explosion sounds off behind the two of them, and then he takes off. keeping the punisher close to his chest, he counts the footsteps he can hear as he runs, the way kakavasha's catch up to him.

he's taller, but kakavasha is faster. veritas has shorter strides despite having longer legs, it's just because of the way he runs while burdened with such a heavy weight. kakavasha barely touches the ground as he sprints though, especially when they aren't yet back to the sand that surrounds the sprawling metropolitan city of blue hour. an ever-growing town situated with a monopoly of the largest body of water in penacony means the people here certainly wouldn't struggle with shitty roads, and it also means it's a shitty place for them to have run into the fool.

ten more steps. five more. two- kakavasha overtakes him, and veritas finishes counting down the beats in his head. keeping perfect time with the fool's rhythm, he spins, firing a single shot at the explosive doll that's launched towards them. it hits perfectly, and even though whatever charge sparkle put in this one is stronger than the rest, it's still within the parameters veritas had set. kakavasha is out of the blast radius, and the punisher absorbs most of the force of the shockwave and the shrapnel from it, leaving veritas to deal with just a piece that nicks his side and the searing heat.

no time to waste after that; he turns right back around and keeps running, easily falling into step with kakavasha as they both time their steps with each others’. "you think you could have a plan to deal with this? you've heard about the fool before, right? you can't predict what's going to happen next, there isn't any game theory about the best course of action you can apply to this!"

"you predicted that bomb!" kakavasha points out, both yelling to be heard.

"yes, as a one time thing, not a broad overview of this entire scenario! there's no strategy to minimize harm!" he tugs kakavasha into a tight left turn, hearing footsteps from the direction they had been headed. "sparkle doesn't play by any games' rules, only her own. the only way we might be able to deal with her is to get rid of her stage and her audience, and that's this whole damn town!"

he'd have to be more of a fool than dominicus' latest assassin to miss the way that kakavasha looks at him, unnatural eyes wide and staring through those obnoxious pink glasses of him. "you sure know a lot about her," he says once they manage to stop for a moment to catch their breath.

veritas very nearly doesn't resist the urge to go and snap those glasses in half. "well, you heard what miss eve has said before. i'm quite well learned, for someone like me. i'm more worried that you don't seem to know anything at all about the people hunting you down!"

laughing nervously, the way kakavasha checks the ammo of his revolver is one of the most obvious tells veritas has ever seen, second only to the way his fist is always held behind his back as he talks monsters out of mayhem to spare others' lives. it's a tell that reminds him entirely too much of this martyr's opposite, and he forces the thought from his mind. "i'd really prefer it if they didn't have to do so, you know, it'd make this whole journey much more pleasant. after all, i've already got you here with me, right? no need for anyone else."

for all that veritas is well versed in practical manners, his body and mind honed to perfection, the heart and feelings continue to elude his grasp. he has no idea what emotion it is that overtakes him- rage? confusion? fear? something else entirely? all he knows is that he looks over at kakavasha, and that idiot is just grinning at him, just smiling as if he isn't hinting at everything that's been threatening to tear down veritas' entire world.

moving without thinking, dust fills the air as he slams kakavasha against the nearest wall, a hand gripped around his neck and not letting go. "what the fuck do you think you know about?" he yells, tightening his hold. "you- you fucking bastard, how long have you known?"

in the split second attack, kakavasha's glasses must have fallen to the ground, because he's met with the full force of that multicolored gaze that always cuts quick to his very core. "since we met," he wheezes, "i've known all along."

veritas drops him, watching kakavasha fall to sit on the ground as something unfamiliar writhes within his gut. "you knew? and you- you didn't do anything about it? how in the world could anyone, even you, make a gamble with such high stakes? just because you think you know me? were you just going to let me get close to you- no, not even you, were you going to play with jelena and eve's lives like that? just bet that i won't kill them, that they won't end up as more innocent casualties because of you, stampede?"

"hear what you're saying?" kakavasha sounds too smug, too fucking sure of himself, like he's already won this argument, and veritas turns around so he won't have to see the same expression on the bastard's face. "you care about them. you wouldn't let them get harmed in a fight, you're not about to go and hurt them yourself. you're a good person, veritas, and i trust you-"

"no," he spits, seething with vitriol bubbling up to the surface. "you're naive, stampede, you're a gambler and a fool-"

"funny," comes another voice, lilting and feminine, "i thought that i was the fool here."

the argument seems to be unanimously paused as both whip their heads around to stare at the newcomer, guns drawn and at the ready. she just laughs at that, raising her hands to show that she's not carrying any of the dolls she's been using to wreak havoc across blue hour. "easy, boys, no need for such hostility!"

veritas makes sure he's aiming right between her eyes. "what the fuck do you want?"

more giggles. "entertainment, of course! and this little lover's spat is more entertaining than what the rest of the town has become. those girls you mentioned spoiled most of the fun for me, taking away my grand audience and actors, so i had to look for something else!"

jelena and eve got the citizens away. veritas sighs with relief at the realization. there will still be piles of bodies and rubble to clean up, but the girls must've come up with some type of evacuation plan after the four got separated. his grip on the punisher loosens slightly, but not enough to not aim to kill. "so, did you get the entertainment you wanted?"

"of course! and even though you're entertaining, i know that you won't kill me, punisher, and your little blond puppy over there definitely won't, no matter how thrilling that would be to see! so, i'll see myself out, as i'm getting rather bored here. toodle-oo!"

even he can't see where she got the last doll from, considering he hadn't seen any with her, but maybe there is something to how lucky kakavasha seems to be when it only explodes into a cloud of colorful dust and bright lights. by the time he turns back, sparkle the fool is long gone. "damn it," he curses, lowering the punisher as reality sinks in. "damn it, damn it!"

kakavasha's touch is what snaps him out of it, a palm placed right over where he got hit earlier. he hisses at the sting, already reaching for one of the vials he keeps within the punisher. no more need to hide it if blondie's known all this time. "wait," he hears, and he pauses despite himself, unable to stop himself from indulging kakavasha's gentle request.

a warm sensation spreads from where kakavasha touches him, soothing his aches as it spreads through his nerves and veins, through to where blood has already started to clot now that he's no longer prolonging the healing by moving around. the pain was already negligible and nothing compared to what he's faced in the past, yet suddenly it's gone entirely. if he were to look, veritas is sure that he would be faced with the familiar sight of his flesh stitching itself back together until there's not even a single hint that he had been injured remaining. he doesn't look though, keeps his eyes trained away from the man next to him. "i- you-"

"we should meet back up with the girls," kakavasha says. he draws back after a few more seconds, his work apparently done. he picks something up from the ground; his sunglasses, veritas realizes, and it's only once he's got those back on that veritas can face him again.

grabbing onto his wrist as soon as he can get an opportunity to, veritas takes a few seconds to wait for words to start working for him again before speaking. "what the fuck did you just do?"

"oh, that? that's nothing! think of it as just a token of my appreciation, mkay?"

however fast kakavasha can run is not going to help him run away from this. "that's- you know that's not what i wanted to hear, blondie. you just healed me with nothing but a single touch. the only thing i know of that can do anything like that is the healing serum that asshole has been able to cook up for people like me. even someone like you could understand how suspicious that is, and i know i've got no leg to stand on for this, but you-"

"veritas." kakavasha doesn't want to leave him any room to disagree with him on this. "i said, we should meet up with the girls."

"they're safe, they can wait- wait." pieces click into place within his thoughts. they're still hasty and disorganized, but they show him the steps to take through the right method. "heal yourself first, you damn gambler."

"who, me? i'm not hurt, veritas!" he snatches his arm away the moment that veritas makes a move to yank his sleeve up, as if the two of them can't see the blood staining the outside of his jacket anyways.

it's a reaction he had been expecting. "you infuriate me, do you know that? i was going to ask you what you are, considering your little special ability, but i already know the most important answer to that. you're a martyr, and you won't heal yourself even though you can."

"it's just not effective on myself?" kakavasha tries to counter.

"you and i both know that isn't true, but if that's the way you want to play this, fine. let's go back to the girls, and i'll make sure that jelena guilts you into letting me bandage you up properly."

a faux gasp. he's brought them back to more familiar territory. playful sounding bickering that still holds its edge, conceding to his wants while using them against him. half casual conversation, half the strategy of a hostage negotiation. "you wouldn't dare!" kakavasha exaggerates. "i'm her favorite, you know."

he grabs ahold of the unsaid conversation. "no, you're eve's favorite. jelena likes me more than you, she says that i'm more reasonable." in bickering about the two of them, it's what goes unsaid that means the most. they can talk like this because nothing is going to change between the four of them. kakavasha isn't going to tell them anything, for better or for worse. "listen, gambler-"

"no need to say anything, veritas." his eyes don't look as odd when they're accompanied by a genuine smile. "we've all got our secrets, right?"

he looks away first, hauling the punisher back over his shoulder and letting the weight dig in uncomfortably against his back. "yes" he whispers, knowing kakavasha would still hear him, "yes we do."

[xx-psych0-rabbit-xx]

idk if this is the type of question u wanted but how do u see the individual relationships between zan and flamberge vs zan and francisca? what is the sister lore according to u

YIPPEE TYSM FOR ASKING I WAS THINKING ABT THEM EARLIER

from canon we have that implication theyve drifted apart from what they used to be, theyre supposed to be a glued together trio but in game we hear all abt francisca n flamberge being close but no dialogue or screens regarding them n zan, meanwhile zan herself does show a lot of affection w the diabetes inducing "my darling franny and berge"

so going off of that, in general, i think zans enthusiasm for hyness no matter what hes doing started causing a drift between them, francisca does still hold some care for him n their faith but knows smth has been wrong for a long while n flamberge is getting spiteful abt it bc she has what r called standards, but zan is.a lot.its v hard to keep a positive opinion off someone whose standards r "he can hurt me if he wants i just dont want to be forgotten by him" n defends someone hurting you like its breathing no matter what hes doing, i dont think they dislike her tbh? but started just leaving her to her thing bc shed easily become upsetting to talk to, be it abt how hes treating them or how hes treating her, zan on the other hand is mostly unaware of this drift bc she spends sm time on work n thinks theyll accept his right to do anything to them since he saved them someday+shes the kinda person who after a fight just.acts like it didnt happen.she picked this up from hyness n again they just need to learn to accept it ! she believes theyre fine n clings into pretending nothing is changing they just need little reminders from her

but you didnt ask for general info so lets go into more detail !

zan n flamberge naturally butt heads even in a good day, zans the loyal devoted worker while flamberge can n will slack on the job bc its boring, zan follows rules while flamberge breaks them, lots of petty fights the jammerjabs cover their ears while walking nearby, but already prior for a long while n during KSA its.bad.very verrry bad.nearly all of the time they talk they start fighting abt smth regarding hyness, hes overworking them, hes being violent, hes clearly unsafe to be around, flamberge doesnt think any of his sad excuses work for hurting them (frankly her biggest concern is how its affecting francisca) n that drives zan absolutely insane.they WILL start screaming at each other over it n then solve nothing bc zan wont take anything for an answer.and part of their fights start bc berge is actually.v concerned abt her.like yeah shes RLY pissing her off w her apologism specially when frans safety is involved but they grew up together n zans just sad to watch.she cant help but bring up hes hurting her bc god why does she just accept it? so ultimately.zan thinks shes kind of stupid and is being stubborn, but still thinks of her as being close to shes just in denial, while berge ultimately focus her hatred on hyness instead of zan, who she just pities.bc zan says all that hes allowed to hurt them if he wants to yet when hes mad she pushes her sisters behind her to protect them.so odd.

francisca on the other hand, again, seems to have some passive acceptance of the situation, she wont defend hyness like zan, but she stays devoted n attached to their past together, so zans.fine w her.i think shes actually quite soft, reminding her the Dark Lord Will Reward Them With Paradise For Their Efforts ! while patting her on the head, fran on the other hand.is also uncomfortable around her, like yeah hyness used to be kind but god the stuff she excuses and justifies is just.a lot.but she hates seeing her and berge fight as well someone just give this girl the version of her family she has in her head back

tl dr fucked up in here ! youd assume theyre latina or smth from all the abuse apologism n issues caused by irresponsible parenting

(also its late if this doesnt make sense sorry </3)

[somecallmejohn]

would you prefer a wish 2 or a wish series?

Honestly, I’d love a Wish series that focuses on Asha helping the people of Rosas make their wishes come true. Like… just a simple episodic show where Asha has to figure out how to help with an overly complicated and specific wish or she grants a wish and it goes wrong or sumn and she and the teens have to solve the issue somehow. A pretty basic show about the wacky adventures of Rosa’s very own fairy godmother.

Idk if anyone remembers or has even seen it, but there was this show on Disney XD called 7D, that focused on the 7 dwarves before or after the Snow White story (it’s never clarified when I think) and each episode was about the 7D helping the Queen with some wacky situation she’s in, usually because of the show’s villainous couple (a witch and a wizard whose names I don’t remember cuz it’s been like 5+ years since I last watched it). So my ideal Wish series would be pretty much like 7D, but maybe with a little more.

Other stuff I’d add would be more focus on the Seven teens, like maybe each one could have one or two episodes focused on them, definitely some world building, some more info on Asha’s backstory(Rosas is relatively new so maybe she and her family moved there when her father first got sick in hopes of the sickness getting cured at the kingdom where wishes come true), some Amaya lore as well, I’d also personally add a romance subplot focused on Asha and Simon and maybe a subplot on Simon making his wish, becoming a noble knight, come true the right way and maybe him dealing with the guilt and trauma that he might have from betraying his friends and also being possessed/brainwashed, but honestly that’s just me being biased.

Despite the show being episodic for the most part, I wouldn’t mind if it evolved the characters more and even had like a continuous storyline in the background about Magnifico trying to escape the mirror which could either end up in his complete demise or even redemption, maybe they could flesh him out more and show more of his backstory. In the novelization it’s implied that he’s bitter towards Star because it showed up for Asha when she needed it about Saba’s wish, but not for him probably when he lost his family, I think it’d be interesting if they explored that too.

For the animation style I would have liked either something similar to the classic 2D Disney style or something like the Tangled the Series style(although not as stylized). Actually I would want this style for the show (Art by Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay)

And if they are to keep the movie’s musical aspect they better ditch whoever did the movie’s soundtrack(even if I liked it) and bring those who worked on the Tangled the Series soundtrack.

[new-tella-us]

We got outfits! I call these the “Kiss outfits” as they would appear the day of the kiss scene.

Now I could look you in the PFP and tell you that there was a super important, lore reason why each run has a different outfit. And I would be LYING to you. The main reason I did this was that I realized that my drawings of the Matthew and James kiss scenes had different outfits and I just went “Fuck it, why not?”

But this wouldn’t be a Tella drawing without some form of logic so here we go!

James- Now I made this outfit before I came up with a reason however the plaid skirt was kinda giving academic so I threw in some stockings for a semi-mature but still stylish vibe and now she looks like she could be going to the library to study then going out with some friends. I also put strategy into the placement of her iconic blue bow. For James (and Sam cause I ran out of ideas) the idea was that it’s on the neck because he would take the bow off to get to the neck. Also I made the top half of the outfit easy to just slide (or in the case of the shirt, zip) off to keep in line with the canon of James being so horny that he takes off your entire shirt. Idk, the idea of keeping that bit of canon sounds funny to me.

Erik- The outfit I gave Mika in the Erik is a cute, flowy but also kinda short and sexy outfit. Again, they are playing a vicious flirting game but Mika’s actual flirting is piss poor in comparison to a literal sex demon whose mother has been training him in the art of seduction. The only ammunition this woman has are the clothes she has in her closet so she is going all out. The top is easily removable by simply undoing the rope around her neck from the back and pulling the top down once again to keep in line with the canon that Erik is the second brother so horny as to take off your entire top. The blue bow was placed in her hair (Same with Damien but serving a slightly different style purpose) so when he’s trying to run his fingers through Mika’s hair, he takes the bow, keeping it in line with canon.

Sam- I went with the custom character trait that I gave Sam, that he appreciates when someone can pull off a simple look rather than having to rely on heavier makeup or fancy clothes to look pretty. As for why Mika chose to wear this; after she made food for the boys, instead of directly looking for one, she decided to go work out and took a plate of food since she saw Sam going in a similar direction. Unlike the other two, the top is not easily removable, I didn’t have to make it that way because Sam really only sticks to the neck and chest. For the bow placement, it is exactly like James’s Route once again because I ran out of ideas.

Matthew- This is outfit number two that I technically made before thinking of this stuff. And it’s extra old because that outfit was an alt outfit I made for Mika back when I first designed her. Matthew just happened to be the person who got it as I drew his kiss scene first and used the alt outfit. But it still fits when you think about it. Matthew likes cute things but his whole arc is being cute and optimistic but not childish. That outfit is similar, it’s a cute outfit but a child wouldn’t wear it. As for the bow placement, it’s a two in one! Cause that bow is keeping the top together. Untie it and b o o m, the top gets a little undone, making to true to canon.

Damien- Now my boy Damien probably got the sweetest looking dress. I imagine that Damien would be a fan of the “simple but cute” style so long, flowy dresses and light makeup. It also is giving “cinnamon roll” dress so very fitting for the cinnamon roll route. The other reason is that, as I’ve said before, my version of Damien likes to copy his brothers and this outfit got a little bit of everyone, it’s simple like how Sam likes outfits, it’s cute like how Matthew likes outfits, the bow is in the hair like the Erik Route and the color is yellow which is James’ color. So it just seemed like the perfect outfit.

[storyofmychoices]

Blades 2 Inside Choices Blog: Blades of Light and Shadow 2

We’re so happy to be back in action with the gang we know and love! Where does Blades of Light and Shadow 2 pick up after the first book’s ending?

Emi: I will say that we don't pick up where you're expecting. 

Kathleen: Unless you were expecting to get hucked out the back of the plot truck and onto the action highway at 80mph. (Fury Road theme plays)

Lil: (is overtaken by the Two Towers theme)

Emi: But rest assured, our original four love interests are back and dealing with their own challenges. 

Lil: And they’re definitely going to need help with those challenges whether you’re romancing them or not. Though we support all variations of ‘mancers here. Mono-, multi-, and necro- . 

Emi: Also they get some new looks that can best be described as "sleeves are B.S."

Jay: Don’t forget “badass pirate coat important”.

What kind of new main characters will we meet in the sequel? Or perhaps, any new love interests?

Jay: There is a strange but familiar hooded figure…whose hotness level was of great discussion.

Lil: He’s very constructive with his feedback. And a monster from Book 1 returns, but not in a way you expect. 

Emi: I think we all know I'm obsessed with Valax. I mean, she's a badass purple lady who only has one sleeve. Obviously that makes her my wife.

Tom: EMI YOU HAVE TOO MANY WIVES!!!

Kathleen: Idk I'm still mad that hot scorpion lady didn't win the monster contest.

Lil: Sky whale supremacy how dare. 

Kathleen: Okay I am excited about the dwarves and goblins though. New dwarf friend is just A+ chaos babe and I love her.

Emi: Honestly though, my fave character is the one who's "head empty, no thoughts, falls over a lot."

Making this sequel has been a labor of love. Does the book team have any must-tell stories/bloopers during production?

Jay: There was an accidental floating dwarf? And too many battles with code. Writers, please don’t do it to me again. I cannot take it. The while loop will win.

Kathleen: During one of my editorial passes I had to give Emi a note like "Okay when we first meet the Big Bad maybe we should use that moment to establish that she's really imposing/scary instead of just going off about how hot she is."

Emi: I may have made too many Aerin memes that are now weekly traditions for our team.

Danielle: I was instructed to design a character with “Vision as a hotness bar” as a guide, I ignored them and used Jeff Bridges instead 😏. 

Jay: Danielle also came up with some incredible filenames, my favorite being “tentacle_monster_buff”.

Danielle: It’s accurate, is it not?

Are there any elements that you are particularly proud of?

Tom: The Shadow Realm was fun to make! Think the Upside Down, but more purple. And to make all the awesome new weapons and armor work with the outfits took 150 unique assets! You’re welcome.

Danielle: My first full book!

Lil: The lore guide for Blades was 60 single-spaced pages before we started adding things that came up during active production. I’m really pleased with how much actually ended up being discoverable in the book itself, so be sure to explore every nook and cranny of Morella and beyond! Because they are filled with beauty and chaos. 

Emi: I cannot tell you how many spreadsheets we made to keep track of things. I mean, the outline alone was 100 pages!

Jay: My code built 😭. And that my production planning got it to you a little earlier than y’all had anticipated hehe.

At the end of the first book, we seemed to have wiped out the forces of evil for at least a day or so. What kind of dangers will we face in the second edition?

Lil: Evil never sleeps y’all. It gets its coffee from Aerin. 

Kathleen: (Aerin, walking up to the counter): "I have a large non-fat birthday cake latte with caramel drizzle and four shots of espresso for (squints at label) ...Emile?"

Lil: In all seriousness, you’re really getting it from all sides in this book. There’s rival factions, shifting leadership, societal upheaval, and monsters. So. Many. Monsters. (Thank you for giving us the Shadestalker, by the way. Can’t wait for you to meet the beefy boy.) 

Kathleen: One cool scary thing about book 2 is that THIS TIME, IT'S PERSONAL (like instead of you and your buds racing against bad guys to collect the magic things, you've now got a villain single-mindedly hunting you down so she can steal your <REDACTED> for use in her evil plans).

Emi: Kathleen may have called me out for it but our Big Bad is hot! Both literally and figuratively!

How much do you love QA?

Lil: SO MUCH.

Emi: Pour one out for our poor QA folks who have had to test what is the most complex book we have ever done! You are the real heroes!

Jay: QA peeps are my saviors!! Their work alone cures my anxiety.

Kathleen: Gawd I would be lost without QA my grammar is a disaster

Erin: Everyone on the Blades team is so wonderful to work with. I also tested Book 1, and to be able to contribute to Book 2 means everything to me. It’s absolutely a labor of love.

We know that years of hard work and passion went into this book. What would the Blades team like the readers to take away from this sequel?

Emi: So Kathleen and I actually helped to brainstorm the entire Blades world back when it first came into being, so it felt like coming full circle to be back and expanding it in new and fun ways. I was already in love with all of these characters and they're even closer to my heart now. I can't wait for you all to see what we've come up with!

Jay: Y’all better like it! This book has taken years off my life. *lies down on floor* (But seriously, we’re as excited about Blades 2 as all of you and hope that it brings as much joy to you as it did for us to make. I think the best word to describe the team as we wait for September 1st is giddy.)

Danielle: I hope you like our art :).

Tom: If you don’t, please keep it to yourself, artists are fragile :’} 

Lil: I was one of the few people who was new at Choices when I began working on this book, and it was truly an honor to see this thing come together. These are the minds that brought you The Crown & the Flame, The Cursed Heart, Wake the Dead, and the first Blades. It was amazing to go from watching them work as a fan to taking this epic journey together. 

Kathleen: THE REAL VILLAIN WAS THE IMPERIALISM WE MADE ALONG THE WAY

Lastly, how much does the team love Aerin?

Kathleen: I DON'T love Aerin he KIDNAPPED my WIFE.

Danielle: Which one…

Emi: Aerin is my sweet baby boi with a little dose of evil. He should be protected at all costs but also really needs to go to therapy. I live for the angst of him and Raine though. It's so juicy.

Danielle: Aerin has caused me, personally, a lot of pain.

Lil: Really, one of the fun things about the book is you can decide how much pain Aerin causes you. Unlike us.

Jay: He haunts my dreams and my Wednesdays.

Danielle: Livid and sad and livid and sad

Thank you team for taking us through the fantastical production journey of the Blades of Light and Shadow 2! We can’t wait to dive in and meet up with the gang. Launch day is so close!! 

Thank you, readers, for supporting us and our book teams!

<3 The Choices Community Team

[crispn-n]

the girl on her first errand the mysterious [beast] who craves finer things. the young man whose role to keep the village safe. The moment the girl stepped in、that's where it all began an in·tro·duc·tion

Hapiharo au excitement!!:DD I'm so happy to draw this ideas that been roaming on my mind since last year! Allow me to ramble about the working process of this set

— 01/10/2024

As an opening to October... Initially I wanted to make animation out of this Wolf drawing. Like the classic scene whereas the wolf were caught doing her thing (re : munching her brunch). Yet she immediately noticed your presence few meters away. By the sound of your feet stomping on the leaves? Or perhaps your smell?

I figured out animations would took too much time. 😓 Regular illustration would be good enough with this time restraint!

Took a quite a while before I decide how the final art would end like. Asked my risma pardner for the wolf's eyes treatment. I decided to go w/ the 1st version this time. That eerie feeling... looks nice. At least to give an intimidating first impression before the truth unfolds >:)

This wolf drawing could be seen as her first encountered either with the red riding hood and/or the hunter. The prologue, for sure.

================

— 03/10/2024

Gun down or gun up?

I asked few friends' opinion on my sketches... Most vote went to the 1st one a.k.a gun down! I personally like that one too, i want to draw the hunter as hot cool as possible (trying! my best)

I like how the 1st choice got interpreted as "The Hunter is appearing cautious--all skeptical--as he searches for the feared beast. He lowered his rifle as soon as he realized something is off. Well, it's still the prologue after all!"

So I proceed with that first sketch. My only concern was that his holding-the-riffle pose wasn't clearly visible when cropped to the composition. I still keep the other two version of the sketches, I could still use it for something in the future. Also IDK how to draw riffle for real. JKSDAJKFS BUT thanks CSP gallery for having that free 3D asset. Huge lifesaver!!! I can draw hapiharo doujinshi!!!!

This Hunter drawing was finished and published 5 days later, irl coming in the way @ most of part oof.

================

— 11/10/2024

Finally getting the time to start working on Mikakazukin!! he he he. I came up with various sketches (there are 5 of them but I decide to only show these two!)

As usual, asked my risma pardner to vote again.. The 1st one has a pretty good composition and pose! I like it... but the foreshadowing-lore-accurate sketch was the winner. 😇 (aka the second sketch)

The Red Ridng Hood seemed like she was caught off guard. Looking down, realizing that she might've stepped...onto..something. That led to her first encounter with the wolf.

I thought the second one also has a matching vibe with the rest of the set. The first one is like.. good for aesthetic-purposes.

Writing "Red Riding Hood" takes too much space on the ribbon. So I decided to stick with "The Villager" title for her. It matched the whole set better 🤝😉 Since lil red riding hood wasn't the main focus on this AU, villager suits her too story-wise hehehe

The Red Riding Hood drawing completed the quickest among the other two. I didn't spend too much time pondering what to add or what to fix. It was posted on the next day.

===============

Ok maybe thats all the rambles for this set! Crosses finger I could somehow draw the stories as comics. I feel like I've been cooking quite well for this AU ^_^ if not this month, definitely next year.

Hopefully i'll be able to cook one more thing by the end of october :D

od im so slow... but thats okay i'd like to take all the time i can to pursue what i passion for. Commissioning someone else for this AU been a very hard to achieve due to lot of reasons. So i'll try to cook it myself!!!!

I'd like to thank all my friends that helped me going thru artistic indecisiveness in this creating journey <3 see u on next ramble

[brionysea]

soooo vale of shadows on mike's playlist

Type 6 and insane

this line made me wonder if they were talking about the enneagram personality types and if that one specifically applied to mike, so i looked it up and...

yes. i'm gonna take that as an immediate yes

like. these could literally be from the personality section of a mike wheeler wiki page

i'm lowkey convinced that the duffers must have looked at enneagram types when making these characters just like i do

and then there's this bit...

which, if the manifestation theory is true (which the rest of the song heavily supports but that's a different post), explains everything

They are often filled with a nameless anxiety and then try to find or create reasons why.

do you ever notice how much better mike is in situations where he has something to fight against? he's not drifting. he's solid. he has purpose, he has the necessary intelligence and strategic capabilities and leadership skills, he has constant opportunities to prove his own bravery and importance to the people whose opinions he values (and therefore himself)

in normal life, he flounders. he can't convince his parents to let them play their game for 20 more minutes. he doesn't have anything productive to channel his grief into. he avoids his friends. he caves in on himself

that's just an interesting contrast, isn't it?

the annual tragedy coming to hawkins every year also serves to make him feel more like the person he wants to be - a brave knight, fearlessly fighting against the forces of evil - and he can carry that reassurance with him back to the mundane, suburban life that never makes him feel anything but trapped and worthless

but it never sticks, because his insecurities keep getting ripped right back open again, so the monsters keep coming back

this exchange from "the source" (👀) is also particularly interesting in this new context

Mike: They're conspiring against me.

Will: That's what you're concerned about right now?

Mike: It's not my main concern. It's just a sub-concern.

the implication is that mike's being ridiculous for worrying about the made-up idea of max "corrupting" el, but wouldn't it be fucked up if the main problem that he's supposed to be worrying about was made up too? if he's been the titular source the whole time?

idk, i think about the character consequences of a reveal like this all the time. and how obvious it would be in hindsight

but back to enneagrams:

once they establish a trustworthy belief, they do not easily question it, nor do they want others to do so

and this just. makes me a little bit crazy. intelligent late-comer characters like robin and erica aren't allowed to work with mike when he's making those bizarre leaps in logic that match up perfectly with how the UD works and what its weaknesses are, because their tendency to ask smart person questions -> "hey, how the fuck does he know that?" -> the whole game falls apart (and crushes mike with guilt in the process)

seriously, imagine a research scene like the one robin had in the library with nancy, but with mike instead. there wouldn't be an "i don't know" response to what they're looking for, there would be a dead-on response that turns out to correlate exactly with the magic answer they find half an hour later - if they even need to do research in the first place, because mike tends to just make shit up on the spot that's immediately accepted as the show's lore. robin would find that so weird and she would not keep it to herself, especially if it's backed up by a million other instances of mike knowing things he shouldn't like he does every season

the lack of familiarity with mike and how he operates is exactly what would lead to those weird patterns being questioned, because there's no instinctive "well, that's just mike" response to fall back on like there is with the core cast

this paragraph pretty much single-handedly convinced me that the show will end when mike's internal world comes into balance (that or when he dies, which i do and don't like thinking about in equal measure)

think about it: if this whole thing has just been one teenager's insecurities unknowingly being brought to life so that he can beat them back with a stick, when will it stop? when will it end? when he gains the type of self confidence that naturally comes with growing up and growing into himself, or when they die with him

mike might be okay with his death in those circumstances, because he thinks everyone else will be better off without him on an objective level of "the horrors will leave my friends alone forever", but characters like dustin and will and lucas wouldn't let that happen in a million years, no matter what their reactions to mike creating the horrors otherwise are

this makes me even more convinced that the season 4 threat - the one that's the perfect opportunity to tell the internal voices that don't think you have what it takes to make it in the real world to go to hell, if you have the kind of danger-induced determination and self-belief that he does - came from, and was meant for, mike

it would be interesting to determine what level he's at each season, with 1 being the healthiest and 9 being the unhealthiest, but i can't wrap my head around it. if anyone else wants to, please go ahead!