#in short: a lot more of his siblings would have survived if someone had helped them hatch

[the-imperial-nuisance]

My theory for why so many of Bakool Ja Ja's siblings are stillborn is that the two heads fight over control of the body, resulting in the limbs just weakly jerking about rather than moving with enough strength and coordination to break their shell. The fighting usually gets more intense as the need for oxygen and nutrients increases, which in turn weakens their coordination further until they either starve or drown in their own fluids.

[streetchicken]

Ok, so i have to ask. What is the relationship between the lamb and all the bishops?

Are they natural with each other, or they have some sort of resentment but won't show?

You know, I was WAITING for someone to ask something like that! Lamb lore time- VVVVVVV

So my lamb is actually has a funny little personality. He's the very positive sort, all honey and innocence really. It's a tool he uses to recruit followers and set others at ease! But it's an act of sorts. He acts aloof and silly and cute, playing on the fact that he's a fluffy little lamb with a harmless face, to achieve ulterior motives. So really he's a master manipulator, it's a core characteristic of his.

As for the bishops? They have mixed reactions to that fact. They've seen the lamb's brutality first hand, so to experience the lamb so sweet and docile and aloof is jarring.

Leshy is the most at ease with the lamb. He's easily trusting as a result from being the youngest and not having experienced as many betrayals. He's also a little oblivious, it doesn't help much that Geel (my yellow cat) is a loyal follower and only speaks praises of the lamb. So he doesn't have much reason to not trust the lamb, especially with how he understands the mortal need to survive. All in all, Leshy views the lamb as an ally and even a possible friend.

Heket cannot say she completely trusts the lamb, especially not around her siblings. Arguably the most hostile, but also the most willing to work with the lamb in the long run after the lamb has only shown her and her siblings kindness. She's headstrong and she knows the lamb is showing a front, but she's very much the "I don't fuck with you, you don't fuck with me" type. Like Leshy, she understands the need to protect territories and the things you care about. And even though she won't admit it, she enjoys the simplicities of mortal life.

Kallamar nearly pisses himself if he gets within the shortest distance of the lamb. He picks up on the darkness that kind of clings to the lamb. Call it a sea creature's extra senses, but the lamb scares the shit out of him. He puts up a cocky, fillagree front, but deep down he knows that the lamb is something dangerous. Despite that however, Kallamar still admires the lamb more than fear them. Sure the darkness is still there, curling just at the edges of the lamb's fleece, but they're kind and strong. There's no real reason to fear the lamb.

Shamura is the most neutral of the lot. There's real admiration there, for the Lamb's intelligence and strength. Sure it was an ego hit to lose their crown, but how can Shamura stay resentful when it was done so elegantly through sheer strength, will and combative excellence? Shamura is a sucker for good military strategy and feats of intelligence and the lamb does not fall short of who Shamura expected to eventually usurp them. Shamura always knew that someone would end their reign one day, nothing lasts forever, even gods don't last forever. Shamura just expected it to be one of their siblings is all. That does not mean however that they're completely at ease. Shamura sees the darkness, knows what a cunning mind is needed to overthrow a god, and it's equal amounts fascinating as it is mortifying. The lamb is definitely not an ally or an enemy, but rather a friend and something new to Shamura.

Narinder is the odd one in the group. There's no fear, there is some resentment, but mostly there is pride. When he initially drafted the lamb as a vessel, his idea was to play devil on the lamb's shoulder. His purpose was to mold the lamb in his own image, to play ruthless god until he took the crown back. So really he's proud of all the carnage and brutality the lamb has shed. He's so self satisfied by the way that he made the lamb that he's not even all that mad the lamb betrayed him. He very much impressed they had the gall and brutality to kill a god, even more so that they did it TWICE OVER. Sure he's livid about losing his crown, but he's also so smug about the creature that came of it. Doesn't mean he trusts the lamb though. He's very aware of their manipulative tactics and facades and is very much maaaaybe a little turned on about just how fucked up and cruel the lamb can be. As for my lamb? He knows exactly what they think of him. He just acts like he doesn't. You'll see more about their relationships as I draw them more though!

[fanwarriorfictions]

Help Me, Help You - Part Six

Fenrys x F!Reader

Summary- After their last encounter, Fenrys and Y/n find it difficult to pretend like everything is normal. It’s even harder with certain royals sniffing out their business.

Warnings- This is a long one, Angsty, and I mean it this time

Series Masterlist

Part Six

Fenrys counted his dwindling luck for dinner being a somewhat private affair, he didn’t think he’d survive Hasar sniffing about the fractured relationship between him and Y/n.

Instead of the large dining hall where most in the palace would be eating, Sartaq had invited them into the couple’s private dining room, a vast meal prepared for them.

Fenrys assumed the servants attending them where under Sartaq’s thumb, but he wouldn’t be surprised if his siblings had at least one or two hiding amongst them. Ready to report back to their respective prince or princess about Fenrys and Y/n, taking in every word, every movement.

No doubt his friends noticed for themselves the way Y/n avoided his eyes like the plague, noticed the way he sat rigid in his seat beside her, they at least had the decency to keep their observations to themselves.

They made easy conversation with Fenrys mostly, letting Y/n casually observe, keep to herself like she usually did. It was well into the meal before anyone spoke to her directly.

“How did Fenrys here rope you into his little adventure?” Sartaq asked, his brows raised curiously at Y/n.

Y/n casually sipped from her wine glass, her expression carefully guarded, “We happen to be looking for the same person.”

“Vaughan?” Nesryn looked to Fenrys for confirmation.

“Her brother,” Fenrys supplied, turning back to his third glass, “Apparently I’m not the only one he’s running from.”

He felt more than saw Y/n go still, he hadn’t spoken to her since their moment in the hall, since she’d hissed her warning at him, do not touch me. The words had felt like the final swing of an executioner’s axe.

“Funny,” Nesryn hummed, “How the strings of fate pull people together like that.”

“She surely has a strange sense of humor,” Y/n says quietly.

Sartaq was carefully glancing between them and Fenrys was tempted to tell him to mind his own damn business. He apparently collected busybody friends though, as the prince gave him a knowing look, one that said, we will be speaking of this later. Fenrys only narrowed his eyes at him, warning the prince to leave well enough alone.

“Fenrys mentioned he’d gotten a tip that your brother had stowed away on a ship meant for my father,” Sartaq said, “I assume the tip came from you?”

Y/n nods, “I believe he’s here, hopefully still in Antica, he would’ve only been a few days ahead of us.”

“I’ve got eyes and ears throughout the city, if he is, surely someone will spot him,” Sartaq says, “You will find him.”

“Thank you,” Y/n says softly, the smallest crack in the mask of indifference, bowing her head to the prince.

“Of course,” Sartaq smiles, “Anything for a friend.”

Fenrys couldn’t read her reaction to that, she closed him out to well. He knew there was something about this place, about his friends, that had unnerved her, what it was, he didn’t know. Gods knew she wouldn’t tell him now.

“So, Y/n,” Nesryn spoke after a moment of silence, “Have you ever been to Antica before?”

“No, I haven’t,” Y/n said simply.

Fenrys rolled his eyes at the short answer, stabbing his fork into a poor unsuspecting piece of fruit. He caught her eyes shift to him, to his hand curled tightly around his silverware.

“It is a beautiful city,” Nesryn ignored the slight disrespect, “If you cared for a tour, I’d be happy to give you one.”

“This one acts like she’s melting the second she walks out the door,” Fenrys scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, “I’m sure she’d rather hide away inside.”

Y/n glared at him, turning back to Nesryn, “I’d appreciate that a lot actually.”

Nesryn smiled, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief, “We’ll go first thing in the morning before it gets to warm.”

“Perfect.”

The city truly was beautiful, the Gods City, Nesryn had told her as they walked. The crowds were thick as they strolled through the streets, full of hawking vendors and haggling shoppers, children ran through them, laughing without a care in the world.

“You can find a shop for nearly anything you can dream of,” Nesryn says, smiling at a group of starry eyed kids, “Wares from all over the world.”

She could see that, there were clothes she recognized from back home, and things she’d never seen before. Jewels, cloth, foods, spices, so much of the world she hadn’t seen, all in one place.

“It’s amazing,” Y/n said, “If it wasn’t so miserably hot I’d consider living here.”

Even this early in the morning, the sun barely peaking over the horizon, it was hot, and growing warmer by the second. Y/n was grateful she’d brought her little wooden fan with her.

Nesryn laughed, “Fenrys wasn’t joking, was he?”

“Where I grew up, the snow barely melted for a few months before it started again,” Y/n says, gently fanning herself, “I’m not built for the heat.”

“No it would seem not,” Nesryn chuckled, “You’d do well with the Rukhin in the Tavan mountains.”

“My brother told me stories of the aerial legions when I was growing up,” Y/n laughed, “I think he was jealous of the Ruks themselves. As large as his osprey is, he’s nowhere near their size.”

“Perhaps he may make his way there,” Nesryn ponders, “See for himself just how magnificent they are. I’ll send word to Borte to keep an eye out for a suspicious bird flying around.”

She could imagine it, from what she knew, the Tavan mountains where much like home, though taller and perhaps even colder. Maybe her brother would go there, find somewhere that reminded him of the place he thought he no longer belonged.

Y/n still remembers that last night vividly, even this many years later. It was stupid, so stupid how it began, how it ended. She’d been so afraid, so upset, and as she always did, she lashed out in anger, like a cornered feral animal.

If you leave now, never, ever come back.

I’m sorry, Y/n, truly. The image of her brother walking away flashed in her mind, walking into the snow covered forest beyond their home. For a moment, his dark form turned golden, and when he glanced behind him, onyx eyes met her own.

“If we go this way.” Nesryn turned a corner, her words breaking Y/n out of her mind, “We could stop by the Torre and-“

“No,” Y/n interrupts, her eyes instantly finding the magnificent white stone tower, “No, thank you, I’ve seen it plenty from the streets.”

If Nesryn found her reluctance odd, she didn’t mention it, only smiled and turned down another path. Y/n nearly sighed in relief, turning her back on that looming structure.

They walked through the city, slowly moving through the markets and towards that glorious palace. Y/n found her self caught between relief and dread, relief from the overwhelming sun, and dread of the golden male she’d been able to avoid this morning.

Either he’d let her slip out her door and past his own, just as eager to avoid her as she did him, or he’d still been asleep with a surely awful hangover from his night spent with his friends. It was well past midnight when she’d heard him stumble down the hall and into his room.

There had been a moment where he’d paused, perhaps staring at her door, wondering if she was awake, if he should knock, he didn’t. She’d sighed in relief, but there was the briefest feeling of disappointment.

Nesryn kept her face forward, but Y/n felt the weight of her eyes anyways, “If you don’t mind me prying, there seemed to be some, tension, at dinner last night.”

Y/n was surprised the woman had lasted this long before mentioning it, something told her Nesryn’s eyes did not miss much. From the stories Fenrys told of her, she didn’t miss anything, her mind as sharp as her arrows.

“There was,” Y/n nods, “Nothing to be concerned about.”

The woman simply hummed, “Fenrys said the same thing to Sartaq after you left for bed.”

She’d left as soon as she could, being that close to Fenrys for so long had made her anxious, like he’d reach over and touch her again, and she’d ignite, burning everything, everyone in her path, worst of all, she’d burn him.

“In the time I’ve known him,” Nesryn says when Y/n doesn’t respond, “Which, granted, hasn’t been much more than a year now, Fenrys has been struggling. He doesn’t like to show it, but we knew, we all went through hell during the war, we all fought like hell to drag ourselves back to the light. I don’t believe he has gotten there yet, I don’t know if he ever will.”

Y/n remembers his dream, the one that had shaken him so badly that he could hardly speak to her. He’d lost his brother, the other half of his soul, watched his friend, his queen, tortured, had nearly died himself. Those days still haunted him, no matter how much he pretended they didn’t.

“When you two arrived yesterday,” Nesryn continued, “It was the closest I’d seen him to that light.”

Fenrys felt like he was being interrogated, only he wasn’t tied to a rickety chair, no tools of torture laid out, only a plush sofa and a glass of the strongest liquor the palace had to offer in his hand.

“How old is she?” Hasar was perched on the edge of the loveseat across from him, sweet Renia smiling at him over the rim of her own glass, “Is she-“

“My gods,” Fenrys groaned, “I’m sure they will be back soon, you can grill her yourself then.”

The woman’s eyes were lit with their usual fire, if only she’d been fae, she may have had fire to rival Aelin’s. She’d been at it since the moment Fenrys had finally emerged from his room, one of her own servants waiting to drag him to the very seat he sat in now.

“It’s not every day someone surprises me with a guest I know nothing about,” Hasar snarked, “Not to mention a fae, does she have any powers we should be concerned about.”

Fenrys groaned again, “She shifts into a damned cat, unless you worry about hair on your clothes, I think you should be fine.”

“Oh? Is that where all this brooding comes from?” She smirks, “Did she get hair all over your favorite cloak?”

Fenrys only glared at the woman instead of answering. That seemed to be a mistake, he could practically see the wheels turning in her mind, the dots connecting. Renia beside her only smiled at her wife, throwing Fenrys a sympathetic glance, it would seem he had no allies here.

“Trouble in paradise?” Hasar cooed, “Awe, did the kitty reject you pup?”

He held back his snarling and snapping, it would only prove her right. Instead, Fenrys took a long drink from his glass, finishing off the burning liquid.

“At least tell me how you found the girl,” Hasar continued.

“More like I found him.”

His heart lept in his chest, from the wide eyes of the princess and her wife across from him, he was sure theirs had as well.

Y/n had snuck up on them all, silent as ever, Nesryn nowhere to be found. One would think that someone would have seen her in the vast open room, but the female seemed to have a way of moving through the world unseen.

Maybe she had magic similar to his own, jumping through the world in the blink of an eye. He hadn’t seen any powers from her, only her other form, maybe her ability was in the way she moved, that feline grace.

“You must be Y/n,” Hasar said, her razor sharp focus finally leaving Fenrys to lock on to the famale, “Please sit.”

Y/n held the princess’s gaze, her own stare piercing, like the keen eyes of the cat that had stalked him for days in that little Wendlyn village. She circled the small couch, sitting directly next to him, close enough for him to feel the heat of the day still lingering on her.

“You must be Hasar,” Y/n said, voice flat and even, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, princess.”

Nesryn must have done the female a kindness and prepared her for the onslaught of the royal family. Y/n didn’t balk from Hasar’s intense gaze, she met it head on, and she even smiled sweetly at the princess’s wife.

“And you must be Renia,” Y/n nods her head to the woman.

“The pleasure is all ours,” Renia says, placing a hand on her wife’s knee, “Fenrys here was just telling us about where you grew up.”

He hadn’t been, she may be sweet compared to her wife, but Renia was just as cunning.

“Oh?”

Y/n looked at him then, the first time she’d truly met his gaze since the moment in the hall.

Do. Not. Touch. Me.

He didn’t see any of that rage, didn’t see much of anything really, she was carefully blank, hiding beneath a mask.

“He was telling us about your mother,” Hasar continued.

If he hadn’t been looking so closely he might have missed the flicker of emotion, pain he realized quickly, something he recognized all to well.

“Was he now,” Y/n said softly, “I hadn’t realized I’d told him anything about her.”

She really hadn’t told him much of her home, much of anything about her, he realized.

“Stories from Vaughan, I’m sure,” Hasar responded easily, a skilled liar.

Y/n hums, “Strange, he hasn’t spoken much of her since she died.”

A silence fell over them all.

Fenrys definitely hadn’t known that, the few things she’d told him was about her brother, gods knew Vaughan never talked about his family.

He’d known her father had been a sore spot for her, she’d shut down any mention of the male the first night they’d spent together, he hadn’t pushed the subject after that.

“I’m sorry,” Renia said at last, apologizing for the loss and for the prying.

Y/n waved it off, “No need, I was a little girl when it happened, I barely even remember it.”

A lie, he could hear it clear as day, he wondered if it was so obvious to the women across from them. Perhaps not, as they swiftly moved on, asking Y/n all the questions they’d been pestering Fenrys for.

How old was she? Only a few years younger than Fenrys. What was her home like? Cold and boring. How’d she find Fenrys? Tracked him down in her cat form.

“Why do you shift into a cat?” Hasar asked, her brow raised, “I hear Vaughan is an osprey.”

Fenrys was ready for the cool dismissal he’d received when he’d asked.

“My father was a writer from Terrasen,” Y/n said simply, “A small, insignificant family from the Oakwald that had only a few shifters among them, they took the forms of the wild forrest cats that hunted through the woods.”

Fenrys turned to her, his brows raised in shock. She was already looking at him, her expression seemingly relaxed, unbothered by the admission, but Fenrys saw through it. The crack in her mask, pain, self doubt, fear.

“Did your tour with Nesryn give you any ideas about where your brother slipped off to?”

Fenrys asked the first question that came to his mind, anything to change the subject, something he’d already been wondering since she’d snuck out of her rooms early that morning.

Her eyes flashed with gratitude, “Maybe, I know my eye was caught by the multitudes of markets, I’m sure his was as well.”

“Does he care for shopping?” Hasar asked over the rim of her glass, her eyes narrowed.

The princess knew he’d changed the subject, now she’d be relentless in figuring out why.

“Gods no,” Y/n scoffed, “Quite the opposite really, he’s not very fond of crowds.”

She had a lot in common with her brother it seemed. The few times they’d been in crowded places, Fenrys always caught her scanning the streets, he’d assumed she was just observing, perhaps she’d simply been uncomfortable.

“There are very few places in Antica that aren’t crowded,” Fenrys said.

“Maybe that’s where you’ll find him,” Renia chimes in.

Fenrys saw the hope fill her eyes as she echoed the word, “Maybe.”

Someone was knocking on his door.

The light tapping was barely enough to pull Fenrys from sleep, almost completely drowned out by the trickling water of a fountain somewhere beyond his open window.

Based on the moonlight shining through the room, it was still early in the night, dawn far off.

The knocking was a quick, soft pattern, stopping for a moment before hesitantly trying again. He was surprised it even woke him, he’d passed out as soon as he’d fallen into bed, so exhausted from his lone search through the city earlier that evening, Vaughan still nowhere to be found.

Fenrys threw off the light sheets, searching the floor for his discarded clothes to at least slip on his pants.

By the time he reached the door, the taps had stopped completely, maybe the person had given up, assumed he was fast asleep. He still reached for the handle, still gently pulled the door open.

Her fist was raised as if she was about to try a knock one last time, frozen, staring at him with wide eyes like Y/n hadn’t expected him to be there at all. Those eyes fell, for only a moment, enough to tell him she realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt, only clothed by the pants he’d been wearing at dinner.

His own eyes dipped involuntarily, and he cursed the faceless servant who had, no doubt laid out the gown for her. The pale blue silk and lace looked nearly silver in the moonlight, cascading down her body, stopping high on her thighs.

“I didn’t think you’d be awake,” she whispered, eyes shining with self doubt.

“Are you okay?” He kept his voice low, kept his eyes on her own.

Y/n wrapped her arms around herself, “Can I come in?”

Fenrys stepped back, opening the door wider for her. She walked in, passing close enough to him that he scented the lavender oil on her skin.

He took a deep breath as he closed the door, turning to find her standing in the center of his room, arms still wrapped tightly around herself as she looked around the room. Her eyes locking on his rumpled bed sheets, his clothes littering the floor.

“Y/n,” he kept his voice soft, stepping closer to her, “Kitten, are you alright?”

She whirled to him, as if remembering he was still there, “I had- I’m sorry, you were sleeping, I- I’ll go.”

She tried to slip past him, but Fenrys caught her, his hand gently wrapped around her arm.

Do. Not. Touch. Me.

The words echoed in his mind but he held on, tethered her to him. She was completely frozen, staring at that hand on her bicep like it was the strangest thing she’d ever seen.

“Talk to me,” Fenrys pleads, “What’s going on.”

Her gaze found his, wide and terrified. Fenrys felt his heart shatter, felt the tears that welled up in her eyes like a knife to his gut, felt her trembling beneath his palm. He couldn’t help himself, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest, despite those four words screaming through his head.

She didn’t sob, but he could feel her violently shaking, like she was desperately holding the tears back. She clung to him, her nails digging into his flesh, it hurt but Fenrys didn’t care, he just held her tighter.

It took several long minutes for her to calm down, to stop shaking, to relax her grip. Fenrys found himself reluctant to let her pull away.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly, staring down at the floor between them.

He couldn’t stop his hand from reaching out, his fingers catching beneath her chin to gently tilt her face towards his. Her eyes were red and tired, full of whatever anguish had drug her from sleep and into his arms.

“Talk to me,” he pleads, his hand moving to her cheek, his thumb brushing away stray tears.

Her eyes shuttered, he wasn’t sure if it was from his words, or his touch.

Do. Not. Touch. Me.

“I had a nightmare,” she whispers after a moment, “I- I didn’t mean to come here, I-“

Her voice cracked and she paused to take a deep, steadying breath. She didnt pull away, and neither did he.

“I’m sorry I- just didn’t want to be alone,” she continues, “I don’t want to be alone, anymore.”

“Okay,” Fenrys says, still caressing the side of her face, “You’re okay. I’ve got you, kitten, you’re not alone.”

Like the words finally unlocked something in her, unlocked the chained up gates of the walls around her mind, Fenrys saw it all wash over her. The anguish, the fear, the gratitude, all on display like she was a book ready to be read by him.

“Do you remember that first night one the boat?” Her words we’re hesitant, like she was fighting to get them out.

“Yes,” Fenrys said gently, “You couldn’t sleep.”

He’d teased her for it, assuming the rocking of the ship was to blame, he’d seen the strongest warriors crumble to seasickness.

“The water brought back memories,” she says, her eyes gaining this far off look, “I knew they would bring the dreams with them.”

Not just dreams, Fenrys knew, nightmares, like the one she’d had tonight. The one that had her racing into his arms despite how much she loathed him.

Fenrys felt the moment she started shaking again, her mind already deep into the past and the pain. His hand dropped from her cheek, catching her hand by her side to gently guide her to the sitting room. She numbly let him, sitting down on the golden fainting couch.

Fenrys sat down beside her, a healthy distance between them, “You don’t have to talk about it, but I’m here to listen if you do.”

She’d done as much for him, silently supporting him while he struggled through the words.

She was silent for a moment, still staring off into the past. Fenrys was almost sure she wouldn’t speak at all, until she did.

“Vaughan’s father was is Maeve’s army,” she said, catching Fenrys off guard, “When Vaughan was old enough, he was forced to join, forced to leave our mother alone in that tiny, frozen village, with only his letters to keep her company.”

“For three hundred years, they left her, alone.” Her voice cracked on the word, like it was choking her, “Until he showed up, a traveler from Terrasen, a writer, collecting stories from every corner of the world to bring home to the libraries of Orynth, to become a scholar.”

Fenrys knew where this was going, this was her story, the very beginning.

“My mother fell for him, enough to finally give up the dream of seeing her husband and son again, and he fell for her, enough to stay.” Her eyes shone with fresh tears, “I was born not even a year later, the spitting image of my father.”

Those tears fell and Fenrys desperately wanted to reach for them, wipe them away. He didn’t want to overstep, he’d already done more than he should have.

“I was five when it happened,” she whispered the words, “We had a small lake behind our cabin, it was frozen over for a majority of the year, I spent nearly every day on that ice, my father teaching me to skate, my mother teaching me to dance. I was there when I saw a male, larger than any I’d ever seen, coming from my home.”

“I didn’t know what was happening. Didn’t know who he was, why he was marching towards me, what the dripping red object was in his hand.” Her voice shook, and Fenrys felt dread rise up in his chest, “I didn’t know that I should have ran, should’ve shifted and left as quickly as I could, he was already before me when I figured out the red object was an axe, and it smelled like my parents.”

His heart shattered in his chest.

“He grabbed me before I could run,” the fear was thick in her voice, “Threw me across the lake, till I was at the thin center of it. The ice cracked beneath him as he followed, it shattered beneath his bloody axe as he opened a wide hole, it cut me as he shoved my body into the freezing water.”

Gods, holy fucking gods.

“He held me below the surface, I remember the feeling of his hand on the back of my head, I remember clawing at him, I remember darkness, I remember the ice in my lungs.” Her tears flowed fast, “And then there was light, air, someone hauling me out of the water. I’d never met him but my mother had told me many stories of my brother, I knew who he was instantly, he held me as he brought us back to shore, told me it was going to be alright, told me it was over, told me his father would never hurt me again. Over his shoulder I saw the male laying on the ice, a sword through his gut.”

Vaughan had killed him, he’d killed his own father after the male had killed his mother and nearly drowned the sister he hadn’t known he’d had.

She’d nearly drowned, had nearly been murdered by a male simply for existing. A child, gods she was only a child, and he’d tried to kill her.

Fenrys saw red for the male who’d long since fallen, for the male who haunted her dreams so many years later. His hands clenched in his lap, torn between swinging at the ghost of the male, and reaching out to hold her, to comfort her.

She looks exhausted, leaning heavily on the back of the couch. Her eyes swollen from the tears and the lack of sleep. Fenrys didn’t even try to stop himself, his arms moving forward to scoop her up, cradling her to his chest.

Y/n didn’t fight him as he walked her to his bed, as he laid her down atop it. Her eyes fought to stay open, to look at him as he pulled the sheets over her, her mouth open like she’d finally protest.

“Hush,” he says, “It’s alright, you’re alright, just get some sleep.”

Fenrys steps back, he’d sleep on the couch, it was big enough for him, even if it wasn’t, he’d slept in much worse conditions.

“Fenrys,” she says softly, he turns back to look at her, “I don’t- I don’t want to be alone.”

He looked at the large bed, the spot beside her. Do. Not. Touch. Me. The words were at odds with what she asked for now, completely, utterly confusing, but he could not deny her, not now, possibly not ever.

“You’re not alone, kitten,” he promised, reaching out to trail his fingers across her cheek, “Never again.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes closing as she drifted off to sleep.

Fenrys stayed there for a long time, watching over her, looking for any sign of another nightmare. He only allowed himself to rest when he was sure she was alright.

Tag List

@emma-andrea1 , @mgchaser , @anxious-study , @lees-chaotic-brain , @girl-math-aint-mathing , @mali22 , @nikt-wazny-y , @theworthlessqueen , @cynthiesjmxazrielslover , @lethargicluv

[bonefall]

Better Bones Profile: Sedgecreek

RiverClan's first Lake deputy, and world famous cutie pie!

[ID: The BB version of Sedgecreek from Warrior Cats. She is a wood-brown tabby with short, comma-shaped stripes of a darker brown. She is short and her body is long, with a chunky tail.]

Clanmew Name: Kyyrakoshu, nickname Kyyko. (Kyyra = Sedge, a type of lido grass + Koshu = Creek, a small, shady river)

Alignment: RiverClan

Relations: Ex-Mate - Greenflower Children - Swallowtail, Beechfur Nyams - Loudbelly (littermate), Duckfur (Sib-in-law) Education - Crookedstar (mentor), Grasswhisker (apprentice)

See Also: The Dragonkin Family, and the RiverClan Family Tree

Mistyfoot realized at the end of BB!TNP that Hawkfrost was not the tiger that lurked within RiverClan. He didn't choose himself as deputy while she was captured, breaking the code in the process. It wasn't his call to defy StarClan's will to delay the Great Journey. It was up to Leopardstar to punish the surviving RiverClan mercenaries who served Mudclaw's insurrection, and overrule the false sign that exiled three cats from her Clan... and she didn't.

Seated atop the stump with the sun setting behind her, Leopardstar's black silhouette invoked Mistyfoot's memory of a powerful cat lording over a pile of bones. Her eyes flashed-- Tigerstar amber, dark forest red. His ideas were an infectious sort of immortal; they will not die unless they are killed.

So with Leopardstar's sudden, 'mysterious' death to a "rogue", Mistystar realized she would need to make a strong, tactical choice of a new deputy. Someone who would be able to help her navigate the tense situation she was in, to balance out the harsh choices she was about to make, to be the honey to her sting.

The choice was obvious. Now, she would have to prepare for the hard work ahead...

[ID: BB!Mistystar and BB!Sedgecreek leaning back to back. Mistystar grimly explains, "someone will die." Sedgecreek interjects, "of fun!!!"]

(Lots more below the cut!)

Personality and Trivia:

She is CHEERFUL! It takes a lot to make Sedgecreek upset!

Always smiling, never loses hope, always tries to see the bright side of every situation.

"A mistake is just a chance to learn what NOT to do!!"

People like her. She's just a super likeable person, the sort of cat who gets along with people you'd never expect.

She has learned that you should listen twice as much as you talk. She's always there to comfort her friends, family, and clanmates. Very approachable personality.

I imagine a lot of RiverClan warriors are "stocky," longer than they are tall, Sedgecreek especially.

She's also got a very thick tail, making her an excellent and sturdy swimmer.

Her favorite food is pike meat, which Greenflower once wooed her with. Not very many RiverClan warriors are bold enough to tangle with pikes.

Imo, Sedge is a super underrated background character. Her apprenticeship under Crookedjaw is super cute and no one ever talks about it!

and BOY OH BOY has her role been expanded in BB!!

Long before the Great Journey was even a consideration, back during TPB…

Sedgecreek was mates with Greenflower. They welcomed their kits, Swallowkit and Beechkit, to the world just before RiverClan and ShadowClan moved to form TigerClan.

Greenflower's sibling, Duckfur, was the honor sire for the couple. Under the Queen's Rights, you don't have to explain where your kittens came from. Sedgecreek gave birth and that's that.

But supporters of Thistle Law do not respect the Queen's Rights.

When Greenflower announced openly that their kittens had been sired by Duckfur, Sedgecreek was uncomfortable, but believed she was keeping their family safe.

But... it turned out to be worse than that.

Greenflower was a true believer. She had been holding a lot of her 'worst' ideas back, but felt emboldened to speak openly with the alliance between Tigerstar and Leopardstar.

Sedgecreek knew Greenflower went to the execution of Stonefur... but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to.

She couldn't watch an old friend die like that, or stomach the thought of Greenflower reacting to it.

They stayed together for the children, as Sedgecreek staved off the dawning realization that her mate wasn't the cat she thought she was.

It was easy to put it off a little longer, when their next common enemy was BloodClan and RiverClan "returned to normal."

Though they nearly had a blow-out argument over RiverClan refusing to join in with the trading that WindClan and ThunderClan were doing with BloodClan... Sedgecreek apologized, and held her tongue. Suddenly, their roles had been reversed, with Sedgecreek staying quiet to "keep the peace".

Normally very cheerful and outspoken, with friends in other Clans and open-mindedness to cooperation, Sedgecreek spent almost two years of her life just trying to save her mateship. She thought that maybe Greenflower would return to the bold, loyal cat she used to adore, if she just loved her enough and made her feel heard...

But then, during the Great Journey...

Their baby Swallowtail fell in love with a ThunderClan warrior, Rainwhisker.

Greenflower "warned her" about loving cats from other Clans, "Don't make me do something I don't want to, Swallowtail."

Sedgecreek knew how powerful love can be. Rainwhisker was big, handsome, and sweet. She saw a lot of herself in him, and would have approved of him as her son-in-law in a heartbeat

Even though Swallowtail was trying to hide it after that confrontation, Sedgecreek KNEW that Rainwhisker was perfect for her. She knows her daughter better than anyone-- Swallow would never be able to fight it.

But all journey long, Greenflower was growing more and more critical of Swallowtail. Comparing her to her brother Beechfur, constantly questioning her whereabouts, making up stupid tasks to keep her busy.

Sedge and Green were fighting over it, again, but this time Sedge was starting to care less about making up afterwards.

Then, the worst possible thing happened... during the WindClan Civil War, Rainwhisker was killed in battle.

Swallowtail was inconsolable. That brought them all together, for just a little while longer.

But then, Swallowtail discovered she was pregnant. She didn't say anything about the father, and yet Greenflower LOST it. She flew into a frenzy, shouting their daughter down and threatening to disown her. The line that finally broke their mateship was simply,

"Just when it seemed like the problem was solved--"

Sedgecreek didn't even let her finish. How DARE she?? To treat their baby's painful loss, their coming grandchildren, and Swallowtail's right as a Queen, like the continuation of a problem???

So she told her to get out. Quietly at first. Greenflower refused, so she said it louder. Then she shouted it. And then she SCREAMED it, and when THAT didn't work, she THREW her out of the Cleric's den. For SEASONS she had sacrificed for the sake of her children, only for it to end in a choice between her wife and daughter.

But even then, Sedgecreek felt hot with shame that she'd caused such a scene! The whole camp saw her toss Greenflower like a rotten fish!! Sweet, cheerful Sedgecreek!!! It was mortifying, she'd never lost her temper like that, the entire Clan was surprised!

Mistyfoot saw this just like everyone else in RiverClan... and it stood out in her mind, as she shuffled home considering who her deputy would be.

It had to be someone as uncontroversial as possible... Mistyfoot's reputation had been dragged through the mud by Hawkfrost's constant challenges. A sizable portion of RiverClan did not respect her anymore.

So Swansong, her brother and greatest ally, was out of the question. He didn't have a diplomatic bone in his body.

Mosspelt was her sister-in-law, and she needed a deputy who could ward off accusations of nepotism.

Reedwhisker had Skyheart as his mentor, who kept him in an apprenticeship nightmare for over a year. He was too young on top of being ineligible.

But, she needed someone who would understand the threat they faced, and take it seriously. It, hopefully obviously, couldn't be one of her enemies.

And THAT was when she remembered Sedgecreek standing up to Greenflower. How she's everyone's friend, patient and enthusiastic, and yet how she still snapped at her long-time mate.

While no one knows EXACTLY why she snapped except the little family itself, Mistyfoot had a good hunch it was related to Swallowtail claiming Queen's Rights for her litter.

And that is exactly the sort of principled cat she needs by her side.

So... Sedgecreek was perfect. She was diplomatic, friendly, and yet, able to stand up for herself, ready to fight for the Clan they deserved. Her upbeat personality would be a perfect compliment to Mistystar's dour, serious one. This was the best possible choice.

During BB!OotS, Sedgecreek was targeted for replacement by the Dark Forest demons. While they managed to kill several of their targets and even cause ShadowClan to fall, Sedgecreek managed to escape an attempt on her life. But, before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, she took it as a sign to step down so that someone younger could take over. By this point, she had become a great-grandmother and was beginning to feel her age.

Reedwhisker takes her place as deputy, and she's able to live out the last of her days in the Elder's Den. She peacefully passes away at some point in AVoS, surrounded by the family she chose to stand beside.

[one-annon]

Hi!! Just wanted to say your writing is amazing:D

What do you think the Sawyer brothers were like in middle school or high school (if they even went there, lol?) If you don’t like this request feel free to ignore!

i love this question!! ill do it sawyer by sawyer to keep it all organized :) also thank you so much for your kind words! i try my best with these..even if they take 3-5 business days.. this is also rather short..i apologize..

DRAYTON

due to the way drayton spells sex (scex) i imagine he didnt get a great education. i think he was either homeschooled or was pulled out of school early on in his life.

hes the eldest and i think he was heavily affected by his family's money issues after the slaughterhouse was shut down. maybe he was pulled out of school afterward? i just know he probably didnt get past middle school.

even if he did, i dont think he would survive in highschool. let alone stay in it for long. since his family needed help with their whole cannibalism act plus grandpa and grandma needed someone to care for them, he wouldve dropped out and stayed to help out.

once they got older and the twins were born, drayton tried his best to help his family make a little bit more money for his brothers to go to school. he genuinely cares about them, he just doesnt admit it nor does he know how to show it

most of the english he's learned is from his grandmother teaching him and his work in the gas station! she also used the gas station to teach him math :)

CHOPTOP

hes either a choir kid or a theater kid. probably a theater kid. as a theater kid i can confirm i in fact act like choptop

during highschool he was in his emo/goth/all american massacre phase. when he was a freshman he would help out just a little with his family's money issues - giving kids weed in trade for money.

him and nubbins were troublemakers - always having to be seperated. the only problem is how bad their separation anxiety gets. the twins never stay apart for long. both of them will kick and scream if theyre seperated and highschool wasnt any different.

out of all the brothers, i think choptop is the smartest. his experience in the military really helped him with his education and he was able to learn so much. i think he had a pin pal at some point and that definitely helped him with his writing!!

he wasnt able to fully complete highschool because of the draft but he was at least about to get to 11th grade :)

NUBBINS

nubbins was definitely a struggler in school. he didnt really understand what was being taught no matter how he was taught. teachers have tried to tutor him and he just never understood it

choptop helped him a lot with getting him to understand. he would sit with nubbins at the dining room table and help him through their math homework, help him with english essays, anything he needs. he would explain it in a way nubbins could understand easier!

he was very dependent on choptop throughout highschool. they were always seen together

i dont know how to explain it but nubbins really likes comic books. theyre a lot easier for him to read, especially with the pictures

grandpa also read him a lot of books when he was younger! according to nubbins, he's grandpa's favorite

BUBBA

there really isnt much to say about bubba? his parents didnt really see a use of sending him to school

he was mostly homeschooled by the twins..who would always try to get him to say words

at the very least he knows how to write his name and he can understand what his siblings ask of him. he tries! really he goes off of tone of voice for how he reacts

[doodleferp]

Cara and Miguel Starter Pack

So let me start from the beginning one last time. Once upon a time, Cara was yeeted into Earth-928 thanks to some fucky Lovecraftian nonsense from her fucky Lovecraftian dimension. After meeting Miguel, who was a baby Spider-Man back then, Cara was denied access back to her world thanks to some sibling disputes. She spun a little web of lies for Miguel’s then-fianceé Dana, and they took pity on her and decided to help her out. I’m pretty sure you know the rest. They moved her in with Dana, saved the city, humorously acclimated Cara to the city, buried Dana, got married to get Cara a green card, and ended up actually falling in love.

This works off of a timeline of events that I established myself and it's subject to change if more information from the films comes out. General consensus is that Miguel was born in 2070, so he was 29 when he got his powers IN 2099. But since he’s 35 in AtSV, that means about six years have passed since then.

Cara is five foot even. She’s a tiny little thing who has the love of a fucking giant. As the tall one, Miguel is often asked to help get things from places she can’t reach. But instead of grabbing the thing like a normal person, Miguel grabs Cara under her arms, lifts her up, and holds her up so she’s the perfect height to grab the thing herself. He does this everywhere. The apartment, the Spider Society, the grocery store, his office at Alchemax, etc.

Cara likes to wear a helmet instead of a mask because she’s being tossed around constantly and feels safer with that kind of head protection. Miguel, however, fucking hates the helmet and takes every opportunity to show Cara his Pepe Silvia board about why she should trade it out for the mask he made her. Cara will sit patiently through all of it, and then she’ll go “Would you like me to crack my head open?” And he shuts up for another week. (Oh, he also made her current suit all by himself.)

These two are like...so gossipy Mostly Miguel, but Cara indulges him a lot. Ofc they have those bedtime pillow talks where they're both reading or Miggy's on his laptop and they'll go on about something someone did that day. They'll be swinging through the city and talking shit about Internet drama or some dweeb from a restaurant. Miguel will hit her up on his lunch hour and give her all the Alchemax tea, complete with examining his nails like the mean popular girl from a Disney Channel Original Movie. If he thinks someone's eavesdropping, he'll start talking in really fast Spanish so they can't get what he's saying. Needless to say, Cara had to learn Spanish really fast just to keep up with him.

They both adore snuggling. Miguel is like Cara’s weighted blanket and she can’t sleep without him anymore because he just envelops her (Fig 1). He’ll spoon her, he’ll let her sleep on his chest and hold her there. He’ll do everything short of actually sleeping on top of her (Fig 2) and he does that at least once a month. However, he always wakes up at 4 AM to use the bathroom, and Cara always wakes up because she no longer has her big warm blanket man. Thankfully, she goes right back to sleep once he comes back to bed. It’s to the point where they have trouble sleeping without the other in the bed because Cara needs the weight on her and Miguel needs something to cuddle.

Since Cara and her sisters got some fucky eldritch nonsense going on with their blood, they…I guess a bit more compatible with other dimensions. They can’t travel between them at will, of course, but they don’t glitch because they got that interdimensional cosmic horror in em. When Miguel somehow starts monitoring the ItSV movie, he’s flabbergasted when he sees the other Spiders glitching and he goes to Cara like “these people are literally dying and it hasn’t been a week, how the shock did you survive SIX YEARS”.

Cara’s actually good at a lot of household chores, so she offers to help around the apartment when she isn’t working. And thanks to Spider nonsense, she can get really thorough with it. Miguel has come home multiple times to see her standing on the ceiling changing light bulbs or cleaning something on the ceiling. It saves him tons since he got to opt out of the building's cleaning service, but it still gives him a heart attack every now and then.

They have had long arguments about whether or not killing spiders counts as murder since they’re both half-spider. Cara scoops them up on a piece of paper and puts them out the window or something. Miguel just puts them out of their misery.

As I’m sure everyone reading this has deduced, these two are a very...hands-on couple. They have been banned from being in the Spider Society’s gym at the same time because of it. As in "when one of them goes in, the other is automatically locked out" kind of banned. Thank Peter B for that -- as in, genuinely thank him because he's saved a lot of minors from seeing a couple spider mutants getting freaky.

Not exactly shippy, but Miguel and Cara's sister Cadence do not get along. At all. They hate each other with a burning passion. Cadence is positive he's that archetypical dudebro who's going to drag Cara down, and Miguel is rightfully pissed that she's hostile to him for existing. Cara unfortunately has to get in the middle of them and keep things calm, and thankfully Miguel is willing to make an effort. Cadence is less than accommodating though, so the occasional cross-dimensional family visits are always interesting.

c. doodleferp, 2024. do not steal or repost.

[thefandom-casserole]

Dndads Teen Headcanons

(It got kinda outta hand, and these aren’t even the angst ones…)

Hermie curls their hair and Taylor straightens his (but because of the adventures neither of them have been able to do it so they’re slowly reverting back to their original state)

Hermie uses they/them pronouns when not in a roll and Dood uses they/it

Normal and Hero have watched Adult Swim shows from a really young age (Lark, Sparrow, and Rebecca either didn’t care enough to turn off Cartoon Network, or just didn’t realize)

Linc and Hermie were PBS kids

Taylor is always playing games on his Chromebook at school (coolmathgames rules)

Taylor has a ton of pins on his jacket and hat

Scary has a TON of birthmarks, freckles, moles all over her body. It’s gorgeous

Dood‘s Teen body rotates between four outfits that all seem too large and slightly too old for it… (it’s Hildy, Robert, Meryl, and Stud’s outfits) (even if It never technically met Meryl)

FUNFACT: none of the Teens have a nuclear family

Hero’s first language is Spanish (Lark and Sparrow decided that forcing her to go through an almost entirely English-speaking school without knowing English would help “toughen her up”)

All of the Oak’s are fluent in Spanish and English

Scary is afraid of going under tunnels (when she was Terri she’d close her eyes and squeeze someone’s hand)

Linc types like an old man but can game really really well

Hermie does cosplays and posts them on the future equivalent to TikTok

Everytime they go to a mall of something Normal tries reallllly hard to convince them to all squeeze into a Photo Booth (it has not happened yet)

Hermie loves Starkid

Taylor really likes FNAF

Scary’s favorite season is winter

Linc’s favorite is spring (even though soccer season is autumn)

Normal likes all of the seasons (he takes after his grandpa!!)

Dood loves everything (all the seasons), though they absolutely despise the mosquitos and gnats…

Taylor’s favorite season is probably summer

Scary was diagnosed with ADHD at a very young age (not autism though), but when she started being Scary she tried to stop taking her medication (she started taking it again)

Taylor used to LOVE dinosaurs. He had every Jurassic Park movie, the book, everything. He still has the anime and the original downloaded for bad days

Scary is tall without shoes (only shorter than Linc and about the same as Hermie) but she wears platforms to make herself taller (queen <3)

Hermie has a younger brother and a younger sister (like, 6 years old) who were not born by Scam and Jodie, and Hermie has no idea where they’re from

Hermie’s two favorite people are their siblings (they would do anything for them)

All the Teens but Dood and Linc had Amino at some point </3 (but for completely different fandoms/communities)

The only class Normal has consistently had an A/100 in has been GYM

Normal, Scary, and Linc are very very athletic

Hermie is more athletic than people would think they are (you run a LOT in theater, and singing takes a ton of energy)

Normal constantly plays the Zip Game throughout their travels (everytime you see a horse you yell ‘zip’ and keep track of how many horses you’ve called, everytime you see a cemetery you yell ‘cemetery’ and everyone else loses their horses)

Normal and Hermie know a ton of car games (though Hermie wouldn’t admit it) because of looong car rides with their sibling/s

Hermie works at a Haunted Attraction during Autumn

Hermie is freakishly worried about their siblings after coming home and not finding their parents (has not mentioned it to anyone though…)

Scary uses her notes app for everything (song lyrics, poems, reminders, etc.)

Dood is the shortest out of them all, then Taylor

Taylor has a ton of stickers on his cane (anime, survival, etc.)

They’re all autistic and queer <3

Scary has a vent notebook and a lyric notebook

Linc doesn’t really get cold, which is why he always wears shorts and tanktops

Scary only eats the Oreos with the orange filling

Taylor either sleeps with a TON of blankets or with only a sheet. No in between

[andreal831]

Do you think it would have worked with Antoinette in non-memory loss circumstances

Short answer is no, I don't.

I've seen people say they were "good" together because they are similar but we do not know enough about Antoinette to know this. They are similar in how they dress and both play piano but that is not enough to create a relationship.

Elijah and Antoinette had met when he was his whole self with memories and he did not pursue her. There did seem to be chemistry between them but Elijah Mikaelson is a very different person than the Elijah who fell in love with Antoinette. And even in this relationship, we see very little of Antoinette as a character on her own. I do think they have some sweet moments, but there were also a lot of moments where Antoinette felt less like a character and more like a plot device.

She and Elijah had been together for seven years but he seemed to know nothing about her. Elijah is learning everything as we are, mostly for the audience to understand her back story, but still, Elijah should have already known all about her family drama.

But here's what we do know about her:

Antoinette says she loves her brother but doesn't lift a finger to help him. Elijah burns himself alive and she rushes out of the room instead of trying to help support him emotionally. She has been lying to him the entire relationship about knowing him and who he was. All of these things, to me, are things Elijah wouldn't like in a person.

Whether it is healthy or not, the most important thing to Elijah is putting his family first. Antoinette doesn't understand this. In season 5, she wants him far away from them. Sure, this may be healthier for him, but he wouldn't stay with someone who wants that. Antoinette may be healthier in detaching from her toxic family, but Elijah wouldn't respect that in her. Instead of trying to help her brother, she has abandoned him.

Antoinette also seems to not like confrontation. She runs instead of facing Greta or Greta's army. She runs instead of helping Elijah emotionally. She wants to run from Klaus. They try to create a parallel of her running from an abusive father, but Elijah only runs to save his siblings. In fact, he stands to confront Mikael when his family needs him too. The Mikaelson family is always about confrontation. Yes, they are always running, but Elijah's relationship wouldn't survive with someone who couldn't handle the family confrontations. He would want to protect her and likely end the relationship because he would see how unhappy she was with his family. Elijah tends to be attracted to very combative women because that is what he knows of love, that's how his family has always been.

A lot of people say that Elijah with no memories is still Elijah, so by that logic, Elijah Mikaelson would still feel the same way about Antoinette that no memory Elijah did. But I vehemently disagree. Elijah Mikaelson would never have done the things no memory Elijah did. Sure he seemed happier and more free, but even Elijah before all of the trauma wouldn't have behaved like him. And I think a big part of how no memory Elijah turned out is due to Antoinette's influence. She was essentially able to shape him into what she wanted him to be since he had no memories or connections with anyone. It always just felt very manipulative to me. Even after a seven-year relationship, nearly as soon as Elijah gets his memories back, he ends it with her. Yes, he is grieving Hayley, but he was not willing to try and fight for Antoinette or even stay alive for her.

More evidence that NM Elijah was not Elijah Mikaelson is that when Hayley goes to France, Elijah clearly approaches Hayley (Andrea) at a bar and spends the night flirting and dancing with her. This is years into his relationship with Antoinette. Elijah would never have done this to any of his past relationships. While I love the haylijah moments, I didn't like that Elijah was essentially emotionally cheating on his girlfriend, something Elijah Mikaelson would never do. Antoinette and Elijah are actually one of my least favorite Elijah ships because I don't like how either of them treated the other.

Antoinette and Elijah felt very forced. Again, I loved seeing happy and free Elijah, but I would much rather see it due to character development and growth, not erasing everything that he is. And everything that Elijah Mikaelson is would not be compatible with Antoinette.

[spellbookss]

DISCLAIMER

Although I've gone through numerous YouTube videos covering practically all of Rolan's dialogue options, the story of this NPC is pretty vague and leaves a lot of room for creative interpretation. While I try to stay true to Rolan's character as portrayed in the game, I'll use headcanons to add depth to him.

BACKSTORY

Rolan's early years in Elturel were tough. He spent his early childhood in an orphanage where he endured neglect and abuse because - you guessed it - he was a Tiefling. He eventually fled, finding himself struggling to survive on the streets.

Fortunately, not for long.

Rolan's luck turned when he was taken in by the mother of Lia and Cal. Embraced into their family, Rolan, Cal, and Lia formed a close bond; they’ve been thick as thieves ever since.

It was a loving home, but a poor one. They struggled to make ends meet. 

Despite the family's financial struggles, Rolan harbored aspirations of becoming a renowned wizard - he always has. He wanted to be someone. However, the cost of arcane education was way beyond their means. Still, whenever Rolan got his hands on a spellbook, he’d study relentlessly (Lia probably stole books for him whenever possible). What he lacked in knowledge, he made up with ambition.

Over time, the family's situation improved, and they attained a solid middle-class status. 

Things were looking promising, for all of them. Especially when Lorroakan answered Rolan's letter and accepted him as an apprentice! Oh, he was overjoyed. This was a dream come true!

Unfortunately, that happiness was short-lived. When HELL broke loose in Elturel, literally, everything they had worked for was lost in an instant. 

Their mother died before they could flee.

Rolan didn't handle it well. He latched onto the idea of becoming Lorroakan's apprentice; it was a means of escaping the harsh reality of his situation and despite facing the same hardships as other refugees, Rolan convinced himself that he was somehow “better”, superior. It was easier for him to play pretend than to confront the painful truth that he was just as broken.

PERSONALITY

Due to his past, he is a very guarded person. He doesn't like to rely on others and asking for help is a struggle for him. Rolan is very ambitious, would take an arrow for those he loves, and his heart is bigger than he lets on because oh boy, we don't need more emotional pain and being a prick is a great defense mechanism.

He struggles with feelings of inadequacy hello childhood trauma and neglect, so behind all that ego is actually a very vulnerable man who puts way too much pressure on himself and is terrified of disappointing or losing those he loves.

VERSES

(pre-) ACT I ; Refugee

During or before the Emerald Grove. Having been through so much suffering, he will try to mask his fear with a cold, arrogant demeanor. Despite his apparent indifference towards others, he genuinely cares, but he suppresses it because the well-being of his family is paramount. He cannot risk losing them.

ACT II ; Lost in the Shadows

During the events at Last Light Inn, either before or after the rescue of his siblings.

ACT III ; Apprentice (main verse)

He desperately wants to make a name for himself and provide his siblings, as well as himself, with the life they deserve, enduring even Lorroakan's abuse in the process.

ACT III ; Master of the Tower

Post Lorroakan, maybe even post the events of the game. Aspiring to become the greatest wizard of Baldur's Gate. Scratch that. The greatest wizard of the Sword Coast.

[ziggyturner]

STATS • CONNECTIONS • PINTEREST

GENERAL.

full name: zigmund theodore turner, iii nicknames: ziggy, zig gender / pronouns: genderqueer, he/they age / birthday: 28, january 5th orientations: pansexual, demiromantic previous occupation: sports journalist / photographer birthplace: nantucket, massachusetts status: quite attached to beau clary family: zigmund turner, jr. (father, deceased), amelia turner (mother, unknown), agnes turner (sister), 1 siblings (1 older, wcs), nacho (ginger tabby cat they treat like a son) strengths: creative, ambitious, perseverant, helpful, hardworking weaknesses: pessimistic, melancholic, cynical, cold, stubborn time in nyc: 10 years time at the wexley: 2 days (new survivor post-outbreak)

PERSONALITY.

ziggy has always had to work hard for everything in life. it’s left him a bit bitter and feeling like he was cursed or something. this has always made them appreciative for what they did have, even if it wasn’t what they wanted. they recognize and have a lot of respect for other people that had to work hard to get where they were in life. he comes off as sardonic to most, occasionally it can be perceived as cold because of the lack of animation or enthusiasm in his demeanor but at the end of the day they are kind. with a couple drinks or a solid smoke session ziggy became downright delightful and quite talkative. when it comes to feelings and emotions, they tend to struggle on how to express them outwardly so it often comes out in their writing and even more so in their poetry.

BIOGRAPHY.

tw: death

     ziggy was born and raised on the island of nantucket, massachusetts. they were smack dab in the middle of three children. his father, a commercial fisherman, was swept off deck into the ocean when ziggy was young. amelia raised her three kids the best she could after that but it also meant that they often sacrificed things that were not necessities. all three children did their best to help out to make their mother's life easier, however. from her, ziggy learned the importance of hard work but it's also where he got his love for writing and poetry. 

     throughout school, the one thing on ziggy's mind was getting off the island and moving to the city. it wasn't that he didn't love his family and where he was from, but he knew that if he didn't get out when he could— he would never leave, just like so many others. he graduated with high marks and got a scholarship to nyu. while he enjoyed writing poetry and short stories, he wasn't naive enough to think he'd make enough money to survive off those ambitions. instead, he hoped to write for the new york times. that's what made him pursue a degree in journalism and photography with a minor in creative writing. when he graduated, however, the jobs he hoped to get got filled by other applicants and he ended up taking a job as a sports writer and photographer to make ends meet while he searched for something else. unfortunately, something else never came.

     perhaps the job wasn’t as bad as they’d made it out to be, they did get paid well enough to survive in new york city and they met a really great guy at work who just so happened to be a professional football player. they'd been together about a year when the city went to shit. ziggy was on their way to finally put in their notice in at work after getting a deal with a publisher in town. it was early in the morning and they hadn't noticed the rising panic on their way in. it was only once they'd reached their office that they noticed something was off. people were telling them they needed to evacuate and as ziggy tried to figure out what was going on, that was when he saw one of his coworkers attacking someone else. more started emerging and moving towards the crowd. there was no way they were all making it down the stairs and he broke away. ziggy spotted a bat in one of the offices (signed by at least several of the yankees) and ran for it. the sequence of events after that were a blur. 

     there hadn't been much time to process anything, but by the time the day was over he was pretty sure he'd killed two of his co-workers and he was barricaded in an office on the twenty-second floor of what used to be his work. there were clips of news broadcast before the internet and phone went out that helped explain some of what was going on. what became clear is that he would be stuck in that office until he could figure out a way to get somewhere familiar. the wexley was only several blocks away, however that felt like light-years when they looked outside to see the chaos unfolding in the streets. after a few weeks the food from the employee lounge fridge and vending machines was going to run out. by then he developed the best plan he could come up with. ziggy made their way to the top of the building and found a way across to the next one. they started moving building to building, it was a slow process as he had to avoid danger and plan routes as he went. with scarce resources he had to conserve as much energy as he could. 

     by the time he made it outside the wexley ( only to find the front entrance destroyed ) ziggy was running on empty. with the creatures going in on him, he crawled into a nearby delivery truck and latched the back until he figured out what to do next. all but ready to give up, ziggy woke up to a friendly face who got them quickly inside the wexley. after being alone for over four months, they are are just happy to see people and find out they have food. they will deal with whatever comes next later.

HEADCANONS.

had a serious boyfriend before the outbreak, has been trying to get to the wexley to find out if he's okay.

writes their thoughts and poetry down in their notebooks often, feels weird without at least one notebook and their camera

had a ginger cat named nacho that was more like a kid than a pet, has no clue if they are okay.

lost at least ten pounds since the outbreak due to scarce food resources while he was making his way to the wexley

gets pretty severe nightmares if he can sleep at all ever since the start of the outbreak.

for the majority of quarantine ziggy was in and out of sleep as they arrived to the wexley after weeks with little food or sleep and were definitely dehydrated.

they haven't had human interaction since the outbreak started, seeing ashton was the first non-chomper they'd come across for over four months.

more to come...

[akaiuchiha]

Chapter 12: A New Departure

Sanji was standing in front of his “father” with a serious expression on his face and pure hate in his eyes.

“You're not my father!”

Judge watched him and finally agreed to help them and leave Zeff alone. But there was one more thing Sanji needed to know. Even though his guts were telling him he was right, he still needed confirmation.

“I have one last thing to ask.”

The blond cook heard his siblings sigh and he felt Luffy's haki becoming more and more persistent.

“What is it?”

“You talked about someone who left East Blue. What were you talking about?”

Judge stared for a second and finally shrugged.

“Apparently you're smart enough to understand what I meant. But I'm certain you are too much of a coward to face the truth.”

Judge smirked and finally ordered his soldiers (a.k.a his sons and daughter) to help Bege escape. Sanji could feel Luffy staring at him, almost as if he was trying to unfold everything he had kept hidden all this time.

He thought his captain might say something against Judge but silence only greeted him.

 

After that, everything happened so quickly Sanji didn't have the time to think about anything else than making the cake and saving Luffy.

Once they were back on the Thousand Sunny and Judge yelled everything he thought was a failure in Sanji, they were able to breathe again. However, his crew did remember his question from earlier.

“What did you mean earlier about East Blue?” Nami asked after the hug she had given him.

“Yes, I have to agree I am trying to understand too.” Brook added without a joke.

Sanji looked at them for a moment and decided it was something to be discussed with everyone, or at least, the members who were present.

So they settled down near where Luffy was half passed out and half sleeping away his injuries.

“I am not sure Luffy will wake up any time soon… now that Jinbe left to help us leave safely.”

“No, probably not. But it's worth trying.” Nami shrugged before crossing her arms. “Now would you care to explain what the hell was that about or are we going to take a guess?”

“....” Sanji kept quiet while watching them. He seemed to have made up his mind when he started to talk. “Judge had sent someone to take care of the Baratie if I ever tried to go against his orders. They had the mission to sink the ship and kill thz cooks if I disobeyed. But…I heard him talk to someone and from what I understood… the Baratie is on the Grand Line.”

Silence greeted him before Name stood up and looked at him with a weird expression Sanji couldn't identify yet.

“You're saying that your dad went into the Grand Line without a real navigator and the Baratie as a ship?! That's absolutely crazy! If the Going Merry suffered that much, I don't even want to think about the restaurant!”

“Nami-san…”

“Yohoho, Sanji-san, maybe you should call him and then we'll see his answer, even though I don't have eyes yohohoho.”

Sanji did not raise his head to look at his crewmate plus Carrot. With what Brook had just proposed, his anxiety had increased by a lot. How could he face his father? He put him in danger, he gave up on his dreams and he was reckless through the whole ordeal. Maybe Zeff was going to be disappointed, maybe he was going to reject him.

Sanji was so stressed about Zeff rejecting him. He could survive the hatred and disappointment coming from Judge, but if it came from the only man he ever considered his dad? Sanji wasn't sure if he would be able to carry on.

His turmoil was cut short by almost everyone asking for food. Right, he had asked if he could cook them something, he should start preparing dinner.

Sanji stood up, followed by the others. Even Luffy had woken up and was standing.

“Sanji.”

The cook turned his head in his captain's direction and was surprised when he felt a well-known straw hat on top of his head.

“Luffy wha-”

“Don't overthink. He'll understand.”

Honestly, if you had told Sanji three years ago that he was going to dedicate his life and dreams to a rubber teenager full of freedom and convictions, he would have laughed. But right now, Sanji was sure he had made the right decision. The crew was family. Baratie was home. Both were his hopes and dreams.

He was just starting to realise it.

“Yes, captain.”

Luffy grinned and then started to ask for meat as always. Everyone smiled and laughed as they walked to the kitchen.

Once they had settled inside, Sanji started to cook. He had missed that feeling so much. The joy it brought him to feed his loved one, the proudness he felt when someone complimented his cooking. Sanji didn't even realise he was smiling until he felt the gaze of his crewmates looking at him with such fondness his past self would have thought he was in the middle of a huge hallucination.

“It's good to have you back.”

Nami said it with a soft smile and her head resting in the palm of her hand. Chopper nodded furiously with tears running down his face, followed by Carrot who had a lot to cry about, but it was going to be a discussion for later. Brook and Luffy were both laughing and soon Sanji joined them all.

“Yes, I am happy to be here with you guys.”

He put down the plates on the table and sat down next to Luffy.

They talked for a moment while they dodged the greedy hands of their captain trying to steal their food.

They started to leave the kitchen probably an hour after they had finished their meal. It was really late by now, the sun was going to rise in a few hours, maybe even an hour as their escape took them a large part of the night. The entire world was now aware of what had transpired at the wedding ceremony and it was going to be the important event of the day, if not of the week. Sanji didn't want that but he couldn't change the Newspaper by now. So he decided that, instead of overthinking once again, he had dishes to wash.

Sanji took the plates and cutlery to the dink and started to scrub and clean everything. With years of experience, it took him twenty minutes. His assigned dryer was missing but he could do without him. While he was drying a fork, Sanji eyed the den den mushi sitting on the counter. He didn't know if it could reach that far but it was worth trying. However it was something that would have to wait for the sun to be high in the sky.

 

The night ended and Sanji finally went to sleep in the bunkroom with his family.

When he opened his eyes again, some of them were still snoring. Nami was probably up, as she was their navigator so it meant he was late for breakfast, which didn't surprise him.

Sanji took fresh clothes and went to the bathroom. He washed and scrubbed away the sugar and cream he still had on him. Once he was clean and ready, he left his dirty clothes in the laundry basket and went to the kitchen.

There sat Nami with Carrot crying in her arms. Sanji fidgeted nervously as he did not want to disturb but still wanted to help Carrot and comfort her.

Pedro's death had hurt him more than he could have thought but it had happened and now it was something he had to live with.

The chef shook his head and offered a kind smile to the navigator and their temporary crewmate.

“Hello dear, can I get you something to help you?”

They both nodded and he decided to make them hot chocolate with tangerine slices in a plate as an addition.

Sanji didn't want to disturb them more so he quietly started to prepare the breakfast. As he cooked, he mind wandered to his childhood on the Baratie, dodging flying spatulas and kicks from whomever he had messed with. These memories made him smile and realise that he still had a call to make.

The girls had left the kitchen maybe ten minutes ago, leaving behind them empty mugs and a clean plate.

Now was the best time to call the old geezer. They were a week away from Wano, after many naps today most of the crew would get back to their former sleeping schedule and life would come back to normal. Once they reached Wano, peace was going to be difficult and quiet times even more.

He had to call him right now.

Sanji put down the pan he was using and grabbed the poor snail. He composed the personal number of Zeff and waited.

The first time it didn't work. No one answered and Sanji felt his anxiety doubling. The second time neither.

He started to imagine the worst scenarios. What if the Baratie had sunk? What if Judge had not respected his promise? What if Zeff was dead?

No, it couldn't be. Zeff was alive, everyone was safe and no one was going to die soon.

Sanji inhaled and tried to calm his nerves and composed the number one last time, praying to every god he knew (and certainly not Ener) for Zeff to answer the goddamn phone.

The well-known “gaccha” happened and Sanji relaxed. On the other end, the man holding the snail was trying to get a reaction from the person who had called him so early in the morning.

Sanji had to fight the tears from coming out when he heard the typical grunt from Zeff.

The old geezer was alive.

Sanji swallowed down the knot forming in his throat and finally spoke.

“Hi Zeff, it's Sanji.”

Maybe everything was going to be fine in the end.

[sparklebear11]

Rate my ocs!:

☼☽⋆｡°✧ CHARACTER INTROS✧⋆°｡☾☼

✧ BASIC ✧

Name: Ciro Cano

Age: 15

Pronouns: He/him

Gender: Male

Sexuality: questioning

Type of creature: Fireborn (human with fire powers)

Height: 5'7

Camp Position: Camper

✧ PERSONALITY ✧

(Short overview of personality goes here)

Positive: Strong willed, quickly can pick up skills.

Neutral: Extremely protective over his little sister, nondependent.

Negative: Has uncontrollably angry issues, has pretty bad pstd to.

✧ RELATIONSHIPS ✧

Friends: N/A (All dead)

Siblings:(if dead put N/A) Annie (his little sister) rest are all dead.

Enemies:(optional) The world (he's pissed at everyone and everything right now)

Significant other:(optional) N/A (dead)

Someone they look up to: N/A (dead) (optional)

✧ EXTRA ✧

Voiceclaim: (optional) N/A (can't find any)

Physical description: Ciro is a pretty physically strong 15 year old. He has a massive burn mark by his eye. He has messy fiery red hair. He's usually found in old shirts and a old army jacket with black pants.

Likes: Annie (his sister) training, swimming in the ocean, carving stuff.

Dislikes: His nightmares, talking about his home, his sister getting picked on.

Weakness:(optional) Stuff which reminds him of home will send him in a emotional mess, making his powers uncontrollable which makes a black fire called 'soul fire' this fire burns black and is uncontrollably and extremely uncomfortable it causes massive black scars on the person with the fire powers.

Backstory: Ciro was born in a far away country. He lived in a small fire kingdom with his family. He was extremely close with everyone and he always went swimming in the ocean by the nearby volcano. It hadn't erupted in thousands of years.

Until one day during a hot June night the volcano exploded, hot lava burning it anything it's in path. It quickly wiped out the village within minutes.

Ciro had heard the volcano make sounds. He worried that it was going to explode. He tried telling his family but no one believed him apart from Annie.

She was the only one saved that day. Him and Annie were the only two who survived out of a village of 500.

Both of the kids wandered around. They grabbed a boat which was some how not burned and sailed for days to another village. They both got treated for their burns. Annie was more covered than Ciro.

After getting their burns and shit treated they got send to the summer camp to try help them de-stress from the whole situation.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

☼☽⋆｡°✧ CHARACTER INTROS✧⋆°｡☾☼

✧ BASIC ✧

Name: Annie Cano

Age: 13

Pronouns: She/her

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Doesn't know

Type of creature: Soul fireborn (Human with soul fire. Soul fire is black and uncontrollably and extremely uncomfortable. It tends to burn alot more and a lot quicker)

Height: 5'1

Camp Position: Camper

✧ PERSONALITY ✧

(Short overview of personality goes here)

Positive: good with music, caring, loyal.

Neutral: Quiet, alert,

Negative: Pretty bad pstd, anxious, extremely self conscious (due to her burns)

✧ RELATIONSHIPS ✧

Friends: N/A (dead)

Siblings:(if dead put N/A) Ciro (big brother) N/A (rest are dead)

Enemies:(optional) N/A

Significant other:(optional) N/A

Someone they look up to: Ciro (optional)

✧ EXTRA ✧

Voiceclaim: (optional) N/A (can't find one)

Physical description: Annie is a small 13 year old. She's pretty skinny and full of painful burns, everywhere. She is usually found in long clothes to hide herself so people don't have to look at her burns. She usually wears makeup on her face although it stings her burns badly. Usually is seen in thick gloves to try control her powers.

Likes: Music, Ciro, swimming in the ocean, flowers.

Dislikes: Her nightmares, being away from Ciro, Her burns/ scars, people making fun of her, the dark.

Weakness:(optional) Her powers are getting more uncontrolable by the day. She struggles to control her emotions which lead to the soul fire overtaking her more then it normally would. Annie worries that she's gonna start another fire.....

Backstory: Annie was born in a far away country. She lived in a small fire kingdom with his family. She was extremely close with everyone and she always went swimming in the ocean by the nearby volcano. She also went fishing with her dad and her big brother often. It hasn't erupted in thousands of years.

Until one day during a hot June night the volcano exploded, hot lava burning anything in its path. It quickly wiped out the village within minutes.

Annie had woke up to her brother screaming. She quickly slipped on a pair of shoes before running out. Ciro went to try go save the rest of the family while Annie ran off to their boat. She had took a wrong path in her worry, tripping into the lava which caused her extreme burns. It was lucky she was even alive. She immediately dived in the ocean, trying to stop the burn although it didn't help much. It kept her alive though.

She was the only one saved that day. Ciro and Annie were the only two who survived out of a village of 500.

Both of the kids wandered around. They grabbed a boat which was somehow not burned and sailed for days to another village. They both got treated for their burns. Annie was more covered than Ciro.

After getting their burns and shit treated they got sent to the summer camp to try to help them de-stress from the whole situation.

Faceclaim:

[heavensbeehall]

"Catching Fire", Chapter 19

Part 3: The Enemy

Chapter 19: Let the 75th Hunger Games Begin! Katniss swims to the Cornucopia and gets there first, but is joined by Finnick who has Haymitch's Effie!bangle and says they are allies. They retrieve Peeta and Mags before heading into the jungle as what I consider to be an adorable foursome. Katniss, however, is uneasy with this alliance. Particularly the Finnick part of it. But then Peeta hits a forcefield with his knife, and his heart stops.

Thoughts:

-- At this moment, many of the tributes are going in here with the intention of sacrificing themself, not of surviving. Yet six people will survive these Games, topping last year's record of two which is somewhat good. But I can't help thinking that more should be able to make it since these games only go for three days (spoilers?). We know now that the 10th Games lasted five days. Before that they were over quickly but it's most likely this last Hunger Games was both the shortest of the Snow era, and the last.

-- I have seen people wondering why District 1, 2, 5, 9 and 10 (particularly 1 since Cashmere is mentioned as being trafficked as Finnick was) were not included in the Alliance. Honestly I think that having 12 victors (3,4,6,7,8 and 11) with "varying" knowledge of the plan is already a lot of people and I'm surprised a Totalitarian Dictatorship didn't catch on. At the very least, that's a lot of conversations that could've been overheard. I also wonder, in the particular case of D1, if the fact that they were siblings meant either would've happily reported on the Rebels to save their sibling.

Heroes of the Rebellion! The following Victors were known to be part of the rebel alliance: Unnamed District 6 male Tribute (Morphling), Woof, Cecelia, and Seeder. (please play respectuful music for them in your own head.)

Quotes:

I can't think straight. The image of Cinna, beaten and bloody, consumes me. Where is he now? What are they doing to him? Torturing him? Killing him? Turning him into an Avox? Obviously his assault was staged to unhinge me, the same way Darius's presence in my quarters was. And it has unhinged me. All I want to do is collapse on my metal plate. But I can hardly do that after what I just witnessed. I must be strong. I owe it to Cinna, who risked everything by undermining President Snow and turning my bridal silk into mockingjay plumage. And I owe it to the rebels who, emboldened by Cinna's example, might be fighting to bring down the Capitol at this moment.

I think it's worth noting how Snow uses all the people, including Darius and Cinna, as pawns in the Game. (The whole world is an arena, afterall.) Both of these men will die off the page, with few short lines given to their ends. Darius will again be used as a pawn in an attempt to unhinge Peeta. While Cinna is said to have died while being tortured because he refused to give answers to his captors.

Someone asked me "what did Cinna give to the rebellion?" when I was mad about Gale not wanting Cinna's gloves. That kind of unhinged me, if you haven't noticed by my harping on him. He gave his life, obviously. And his talents. And while his early life was probably much easier than any district kid, I don't think that it's fair to say he had a platform because of the Capitol. He had a platform because of his abilities. It doesn't seem like all Capitol citizens get to be on TV. He had more access, I concede. I don't think that makes his sacrifice lesser though.

Anyway did you guys know Francis Lawrence considered having Lenny Kravitz being executed in the montage of executions in Mockingjay Part 1? ("The concept for the scene was that President Snow's speech would have been delivered during a series of grim executions that were broadcast live, with Cinna's execution being carried out last along with a specific message to Katniss." here)

I'm going to have to cut for length and I've only gotten through the first two paragraphs of this chapter.

[backmaskcd]

(Joseph Quinn) [THE ANALYZER]. Please welcome [REX VALENTINE (HE/HIM)] to Huntsville, WV. They are an [29]-year-old [VISITOR] who lives in [TOWN]. You may see them around working as a [SERVER AT BUCKY'S DINER]. Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive.

Full Name: Rex Edward Valentine Birthday: January 26 Age: 29 Hunter or Gatherer: Gatherer Sexuality: straight Height: 5'10 Relationship Status: taken (dating violet beauregard)

Growing up, Rex was nothing short of completely ordinary. The one thing that was different however was the way he grabbed onto dinosaurs. Most little kids have a phase, but Rex was full blown head over heels. A number of conversations needed to be had about how digging in the back yard was not allowed and he would not find any dinosaur bones back there.

He got the label of class clown early in life; he tried his best to focus and stay on track, but it was much more fun to goof around and slack off with his friends. He was never tested for it, but there's a pretty high chance a lot of that has to do with undiagnosed ADHD. Rex was happier outside of the classroom, taking trips to the museum or getting together with the local boy scout troupe, convinced that these were the real life skills he'd need.

Going to college wasn't something anyone actually expected Rex to do, so his parents were pleasantly surprised when he revealed that was his goal after college. Of course, it was to become an archeologist, but they were just happy he was taking something seriously even if they didn't think it was a particularly lucrative job. Studying and focusing was still a struggle for Rex, but at least he cared more and found tricks to keep himself engaged and on time when it came to deadlines.

College was how he met Violet, even if they didn't meet in school. It was a complete coincidence - but the dance school was close to the museum Rex frequented and he couldn't help but fall for her the minute he laid eyes on her. He liked to think his charm and dashing good looks were what won her over, but he knew he was just a goofy guy that had to be a breath of fresh air for her.

He got lucky - the pair were very drawn to each other, and Rex could see himself marrying Violet as the years went on, but neither of them really felt mature enough to cross that hurtle - not to mention there was Violet's family to consider. However, as time went on, whether they liked him or approved of them dating became less and less of a factor. Violet was happy when he was around - and that's all he cared about. He encouraged her to stop doing things just for their sake and do what actually made her happy - which is part of how he found himself in Huntsville.

Violet wanted to find her younger sibling, and Rex was nothing but encouraging - even when that meant they needed to uproot their current life to go find them. He didn't mind - he was excited even - but then, you know how Huntsville works. It's been a weird and rough transition, but he's just as goofy and cheery as ever, rarely taking anything too seriously (sans the night monsters) and is always happy to lend a helping hand when someone needs it.

[llycaons]

ep38 (1/3): that which resembles a romance but is in fact a horror short film

lsz is eager to help ofc, but wwx doesn't know who he is yet

wwx asking for jl and the jiang bell matters - his connection to his old home and family. and apparently the jiang bells are powerful? they were more described in the book. I actually forgot they were even in the show since they're barely talked about

THERE SHE IS!!!!!!!! I love a-qing, such a strong personality, her own goals and motivations, curious and intelligent and out for herself and brave. it is shitty to pretend to be disabled, but I'm going to blame the author for that instead of a 16 yr old orphan girl living on the streets. it's not like it doesn't backfire on her anyway

also she's so funny. 'why do men dress nice when they're poor, this is an attack on me specifically'

FIRST MEETING!!! that blindfold is alarming but the blood looks a little pale (fake)

ohh I could swoon. saints and heroes don't really exist in this world, it's too complicated and brutal for them to survive. but xxc was as close as anyone else ever got and I think a-qing knew she'd never meet someone as special as him again

not to say he doesn't have flaws - his naivete is disastrous for all of them and he overlooks her concerns out of a patronizing dismisiveness when he should be respecting her instincts, which helped her survive all her life on the streets. also, it's admirable of him to be nonjudgemental but xy just has odious vibes and it's a tragedy he was so charmed by him that he didn't pick up on that. sort of a xxc jgy situation except xy was fully in love with him or whatever approximates love for him and I still think jgy was mostly using lxc to survive. so another dark foil to wx just as songxiao are a lighter (but still tragic) parallel

anyway he thinks a-qing is funny and is clearly endeared by her, and she clearly likes him a lot despite lying to him. their dynamic has so much chemistry and potential for being great family, it's a shame they're not more popular to write about. this is probably one of the only reasons he's had to smile since he and SL parted ways

smart girl! this guys sounds like bad news, so get outta there

ah! curse the hyperdeveloped senses of a cultivator!

unlike the tragedy of wwx, this could literally have all been avoided if not for a single person - there are many ways to rewrite this and just have them never cross paths. of course, that misses out on the richness of this story and the themes at play, not to mention their significance for the wider narrative, so I don't particularly like yi city fix-its before the fact. but they're definitely easy

christ he's bleeding like craxy. what did they do to him. and why didn't they do it better

of course as soon as he sees xxc he's like FUCK

yeah and if xy lets xxc touch his hand he'll know he's missing his pinky

...not that I like to think about them having a relationship but IF they had sex I wonder how he managed that

god this is so kind 😭 why couldn't it have been wwx that xxc found and they just had a nice little family time (they're cousins or something) for a decade or so before wwx was comfortable enough to leave. MAN

a-qing sleeping in that coffin then hopping out is so cute I love her

it's only been a day and already he looks perfectly groomed clean robes clear skin fully hydrated etc. the man knows how to look good I gotta say

and he starts right off by being a piece of shit to a-qing. I think the siblings dynamic can be really funny but lbr in canon he terrorized her and she hated him for it

I thought this was kind of dumb. like even if she was blind anyone would feel a SWORD. and if he learns she's not really blind, what, xxc is disappointed? I suppose it means he's less careful around her. bc she was able to witness a lot of his crimes bc he wasn't as watchful, assuming she couldn't see (and therefore could never understand what was happening? ableist of him)

a-qing: please don't leave me alone with this scary stranger we picked up by the side of the road, he's really aggressive and he's lying about who he is and I think he's dangerous

xxc: oh you silly girl. he'll be leaving soon *immediately starts flirting with him*

actually xy comes at this with a very specific angle. it's almost like he's emulating wwx - he presents himself as someone hardworking, uncomplaining, and good-hearted despite the hardships he's clearly gone through. of course xxc was taken in

haha no big deal! I'll just casually drop this little fact! it's definitely not something I want you to know about me so you can sympathize with me while admiring how blase I am about it! MAN

on the one hand I can see why xxc is being so open-minded and I appreciate his kindness. on the other hand he IS misled by his own feelings and she is also literally right. she gives him good reasons not to trust him and he's like *pats her on the head* we'll be fine

the head-pats are sweet when coming from adults to their kids (or jyl to wwx) but it just feels patronizing here

literally this is blatant flirting. a-qing off to the side going 😭 he has a crush what I am supposed to do now!!

and THIS??? I was so shocked the first time I saw this I was like THIS is allowed but wwx and lwj can't hug??? huh??? idk the exact specifications of the censorship but in some ways xy/xxc hits you harder with the gay subtext than any other couple including wx which is so wild to me. and also deeply tragic obviously

I think it helps that the writers have a very solid idea of what this relationship is and exactly how each character felt at every moment of it. meanwhile for wx interactions can be very inconsistent and confusing. anyway GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM YOU FREAK

so yeah overall super eerie and frightening to see xxc fall so readily in love with someone you KNOW is cruel and sadistic and lying to him and deceiving him. like this could have been a cute second-love kind of deal with a new family in a new city. fresh start. but then again, no it couldn't have

[soulsuckrrs]

Becoming the lethal weapon that he was had been painful, more than that, it had been traumatizing. Juliova Markov hadn't wanted sons she had wanted soldiers. Tiny beings she could mold into the exact thing she needed and wanted them to be. Viktor had fallen into line, Boris soon followed but Cristov, he had always been the rebel. Contrary to usual sibling dynamics, it was the youngest that had always caused the problems and Cristov had paid for it dearly. He wasn't good enough, he was weak and still a child when his mother taught him that death came for everyone, even little boys. Learning to fight hadn't been a lesson forced on him, some additional curriculum he learned alongside schooling, no, learning to fight had been out of survival for all the Markov boys. If they hadn't then they would have died, if not by their mother's hands then surely by one another.

His body was covered in the scars from his childhood and time thereafter, how many times he came close to death was too many to count and at the very hands of his eldest brother. Viktor had done his brother's a favor in that he did spare them every chance he got, missing vital and lethal blows by inches, centimeters, the smallest fractions that their mother either didn't notice or didn't care enough to check her children's bloody forms. The one time she did find out they all had suffered, beaten and left in the cold to drag their broken bodies back to the hell they called home. That was the last time Viktor had ever stood up to their mother. And the last time they were truly brothers.

Cristov's stance was reckless and open, body relaxed as Eris stood and readied herself, his eyes were anything but. Blue and sharp, like the knife Eris pulled from the table he'd lodged it in. Calculating and analytical, his eyes flashed around the room and as Eris started towards him on prepared and experienced feet, Cristov opted not to send the coffee table flying her way with a kick, although he did shove it out of the way just as she reached him. Body reacting on instinct, hands still at his sides as he avoided her initial jab and dodged the swipe at his legs by stepping back.

She was laughing and it almost sounded genuine, thrilled even and that made something swell in his chest that was more than amusement. So he laughed as well, the sound throaty and deep, breathy as he moved to continue to avoid her attacks, finally moving his hands up more to block. Cristov knew better than to underestimate Eris and he really couldn't remember the last time he'd sparred or fought with someone so lithe and agile, ordinarily it was big blokes that threw their strength around more than actually fighting. But this.... this wasn't exactly fighting either and although he moved with the expertise of a very season fighter, killer to his very bone, Cristov couldn't help how his body flared at each point where Eris made contact with him. This was foreplay. His own blows weren't lazy, like he had been a moment ago, he wasn't going to let her think he was underestimating her, because he wasn't. She was a professional and yeah, he might not have liked her on most days but he wanted to see her work for it, draw some blood, make him squirm.

She was trying to take out his legs, smart for a shorter person and something he expected, if she could get him on the ground then there were a lot more advantages for her but Cristov never had minded wrestling with pretty women that could kill him. Her body drew close to his and he smirked, pressing in against her in return, his heart already pounding but it wasn't entirely from their fight. "You talk a lot of shit for someone so short," like he was one to fucking talk, the biggest shit talker of them all just chuckled again and wrapped an arm around her to restrain her against him. "-- and you're not even that good at it either." If she wanted to be so close then he'd get close, not that she couldn't break away or alter their stance, for every attack there was a counter, always. Cristov worried for the furniture as he ran his other hand along Eris' hip, touch rough but sexual nonetheless as he moved it to also restrain her against him.

"Tick-tock-tick-tock, time's flying byyy," Cristov breathed in a sing-songy, mocking tone, he wasn't even using his powers on her yet and he could feel the buzz of attraction there beneath the annoyance, the discourse, and maybe even a little hatred, but it was there all the same and it wasn't just Eris. Cristov licked his lips, her mischief mirrored in his eyes, grin haughty and confident. "Please, don't hold back on my account, we've been cooped up for days, I know you're as restless as I am." The last bit of his sentence was nearly growled, feet shuffling to keep purchase and in place against her pressing body and to keep her there were she not to break from his hold, which he hoped she didn't do for at least another second longer, thrilled to feel her against him.

There wasn't a single flinch when that knife went in to that furniture beside her, but then she wouldn't flinch... she didn't flinch for anyone anymore. There'd been a time in her life she flinched, when she was frightened of anyone putting a hand near her and if you caught Eris with her walls down she still would, but when it came to pain? Most people would tense, brace, not her. She'd felt too much of it to bother.. but if someone got soft handed with her? That unknown was terrifying to her. Eris only knew violent hands, punches, jabs and grabs.. she didn't know assurances, she didn't know the soft stroke of fingertips and she'd been hardwired now to expect the firmness, the cruelty.

That's what made her tough, it's how she learned to fight... there came a day when she was tired of feeling defenceless. Her Father was the main blame, but her Mother shared it. Both drunks, one an addict, both uncaring as the other but her Mother never laid a cruel hand on her.. or any hand, anything, she was far too wasted to offer an ounce of care. Her Father though? A cruel drunk, a violent one.. so squaring up and sparring with the muscle man? Not a problem, she'd done it before, she'd braved the impact time and time before.

This was different though, wasn't it? It was Cristov and whilst they both had their snarky attitude... after their weeks scoping and awaiting this, she wasn't convinced it was about proving who was best, who was more violent... she wasn't sure it was about the fight more than the fire fuelling the feelings. "I'm not sure that table deserved that you know." she sighed softly and reached to yank her knife free of it before placing it down.

"Oh? Probably explains why you're so bad at it." she couldn't help herself, the giggle was small and the airy nature of it was actually.. somewhat delightful. "Maybe I was being a bit too generous.." she commented and slowly, purposefully slowly, she rose up from her seated position, brushing down her outfit. You'd never catch her in something that restricted her movement, she'd said it before how women often leave themselves compromised by their ability to fight by a silly choice of clothing. When she was working she wore black skin tight leggings, a black long sleeve t-shirt, though whilst it gave her freedom of full movement, it clung to her body, the dip of her waist, the curves of her trained body.

She moved her hair tie from her hand and raised her arms up to gather up all of her auburn waves and secure them into low bun quickly. She was readying up. "I think eight seconds would be plenty." she tilted her head, her eyes scanning over him to weigh him up but that.. wasn't what she was doing. She was thinking of how and where this was going to go. "Maybe even five." her shoulders shrugged when she moved around to stand just a step away from him. "Deal though, but remember, begging me for... any form of release, that's all on you darling." she purred that at Cristov before taking her own readying stance.

It was simple. Eris didn't like people, most annoyed her but she didn't mind him, that was apparently enough. She was little in her stance but you'd be a fool to mistake that for a weakness. She was small and fast, nimble, and though her stature wasn't muscular she knew how to throw her weight, for most fighting her was like fighting smoke. "Scared?" she laughed. "More like excited to hear you say please Crissy." her smile was so mischievous but she made the first jab and then a drop to try and swipe for his legs. She was giggling, it was fun, to be matched by someone. She dodged a throw easily. "Big boy, is that all you've got for me?" she swirled, angling to get behind Cristov so she might be able to get her foot behind his knees and then she thought about it some more.. and when she couldn't get behind him pushed her body up against him, after all how could he throw a hit without room to move? Definitely what she was doing this for.