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princess-leaorgana · 7 months ago

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Summary: After the takedown of The Absolute, Zelphie finds her city in need of more help and her home destroyed. She won't stop helping, but who can help her?

Rolan x Tav (Zelphie; ~30y.o AFAB, Sorcerer, Tiefling, not really described physically on purpose <3)

M/F

Author's Note: I fucking love tielfings. Along with this being a budding romance/smut/fluff/word vomit fanfiction, it's also my case study in DnD 5e tieflings, how they act, what sets them apart from humans and devils and elves. That being said, I have a few artistic liberties in here as well where I couldn't find a straight answer, if you'll amuse me.

Warnings - Spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3, no smut in this chapter, just angst and fluff. I was inspired by a bit of Rolan fanart for this chapter, Rolan's lil outfit created by the phenomenal Blue Sky Artist La Bordelière

Chapter One Two Three Four Five

Four months in the tower and the four tieflings were flourishing. So was little Lajy, who wasn’t very little anymore. Lajy had made himself very useful in the tower, trapping mice and other vermin from all of its large floors. Lajy really did take to Zelphie, who spoiled the little gray kitty rotten with treats and attention. Business at Sorcerer’s Sundries had picked up considerably, now that the Upper and Lower Cities had been almost fully resurrected. There were still buildings that would more than likely never see life again, like Zelphie’s old home, but something else would be built. The people of Baldur’s Gate were evolving people.

The store was mostly run by Rolan’s unperson. As the master of Ramazith’s Tower, he found himself meeting with people from the city quite a lot. Deals he could help with and Zelphie was usually by his side. She would volunteer to work, to help in any way that she could. How could she not? Those that asked for help were the Council of Three, mainly. Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard, Counselor Florrick and the newest appointed member, Duke Wyll Ravengard. Zelphie was always very happy to see him, though she did notice the change of Wyll’s demeanor, from legendary hero to politician. He had become a little more…Duke-like in his speech, which Rolan found easy to navigate. One such meeting was less a request for funding from Rolan or protection from Zelphie and was just a formal invitation to a ceremonial ball held at the Ducal Palace, High Hall. The ball was in celebration of the end of the end of the world, and Zelphie was timidly excited about the prospect.

‘Please note that this invitation is to guests of honor, this isn’t some place you will have a job to do, Zelphie.’ Wyll stood in the Tower’s formal meeting room, a room where Rolan had defeated the last master of the tower. The room had been completely redone to fit Rolan’s more honest and logical style. Reds were changed to blues and purples, magical artifacts were out for the public to see. This room was open by appointment of course. It was the only one in the tower that was. Everything else, Rolan, Lia, Cal, and Zelphie considered their home. Wyll was dressed as regally as he always was, tailored suit dresses with medals detailing his rank, his hair had grown very long and was kept back in twists, silver clasps kept them together and his horns were decorated with similar metals.

Zelphie stood next to Rolan, who was also dressed very finely. He wore green robes with a silver collar piece and a black leather belt. He always dressed his best when meeting with any guest in the tower. He was reading the invitation and had a smile on his lips as he listened to Wyll.

‘I’m glad you said that, she won’t hear it from me,’ he said and glanced at Zelphie who smirked. Zelphie was attempting to match Rolan, wearing robes of yellow and green with a gold collar and belt. He handed the invitation to Zelphie and smiled at Wyll. ‘I’m honored to be invited, is there anything we can do before the event to help?’ Wyll grinned and shook his head.

‘No, you have already been a very generous friend, Rolan. All we ask is that you all attend and enjoy yourselves,’ he said and Zelphie spoke.

‘You will also be enjoying yourself, I do hope, your grace?’ She asked and winked. Your grace would be the correct way to address the duke, but it always felt silly to. Wyll smiled warmly at her.

‘If my father allows it, then you can count on me to have one hand with a goblet full of wine, while the other leads our guests in a dance,’ he said and Zelphie smiled.

‘I’ll keep him busy then,’ Zelphie said and Wyll chuckled.

‘I must be off, but thank you for seeing me, and I’ll be very excited to see you and your family ten day next,’ Wyll said with a bow to Rolan, Rolan and Zelphie matched his movement. His family. Yes, Rolan’s family did still include his unmarried wife, Zelphie. She had stopped correcting him months ago. Everywhere they went, she was the mistress of Ramazith’s Tower. She had gotten used to it, and accepted it. Tieflings did recognize the institution of marriage, but a tiefling wedding was something someone like Rolan liked to avoid. They were boisterous and violent affairs. Zelphie was also not a fan of being the center of attention, and that usually came with one’s wedding ceremony. No ceremony, but Zelphie had Rolan’s commitment. That was what mattered to her. Wyll excused himself and left and Rolan turned to Zelphie.

‘I suppose this means you and I have a date with our tailor,’ he said and she smirked. Ah, here it was, another gift.

‘Mmmmm…for you?’ She asked and he bared a grin at her.

‘For us, as are all things, my darling,’ he told her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. ‘Mmm, and a jeweler, we cannot have some duke out dress the mistress of Ramazith’s Tower, absolutely not,’ he told and walked over to a small desk in the room. She sighed and followed him.

‘Rolan, I don’t need-‘ he held up his hand. This was always their fight. Rolan kept true to his word, he spoiled Zelphie. Every few days, without fail, she woke up to some sort of present. They were generally small items, more flowers, little treats, and on two occasions very flattering underclothes. Though Rolan debated, those had been more for him than anything else.

‘No one needs anything that you and I have, we are very lucky. But what is all this,’ he waved his hand as he wrote something down on parchment. ‘If not things we don’t need?’ He asked and folded up the parchment and casually chucked it, the parchment went off to fly to whatever destination Rolan desired. ‘Zelphie, I have more than what I need, more than what I want, let me share all of that with you,’ he told her and tipped her chin so she would meet his eye. She was very happy to be spoiled, but she did fear he might begin to think she loved him for his position and money. She would still be with him if the only thing he had was a bedroll in the dirt to share. And she didn’t want to be spoiled. As quickly as he received his position, he could have it taken away. She looked into his eyes for a moment more and sighed. ‘And I think gold and rubies would look very fine webbed into your horns,’ he said and her eyes widened.

‘Rolan,’ she whined and he just smiled.

‘Fine, sapphires then,’ he said and winked, letting go of her chin. ‘And a new dress, because if you think for a moment I won’t also be fitted into something new for such an event you are wrong. Besides,’ he spoke quickly and she opened her mouth again. ‘It will be good for the economy,’ he said and she wrinkled her nose.

‘Oh Rolan,’ she said and he chuckled. ‘Surely then Lia and Cal will also be fitted with new regal costumes?’ She asked and he nodded. ‘I’ll go tell them, I’m sure Cal will be VERY happy to know one of the other members on the guest list,’ she said and began to walk and Rolan cleared his throat.

‘You are really still encouraging that?’ He asked and she nodded.

‘He deserves joy, Rolan, just as you and I do,’ she said and continued to walk.

‘Zelphie,’ Rolan called and cursed under his breath when she slipped from sight.

Much to Rolan’s annoyance, the little crush and mild flirting between Cal and Astarion had continued. Rolan still forbade Astarion’s entrance to the tower so Cal was gone a lot at night and was always very tired during the day. Zelphie told Rolan he was being very immature, Cal was an adult and could make his own choices and from what she could see, Cal was very happy, and so was Astarion. He even wrote to Zelphie about how grateful he was for introducing him properly to the tiefling; she thought it was very sweet. Rolan would try to fight over this daily, but Zelphie would ignore him, saying exactly what she just had, that Cal deserved happiness. One day he would give in.

‘I would do anything to change this into a pair of trousers.’ The night of the ball, Lia and Zelphie were getting ready together in Lia’s room. Lia had been excited for the night, but not for what she was going to wear.

‘You can’t wear trousers for one night, I think you’ll live. Besides, Vanminar did a wonderful job making this dress economical.’ Zelphie said, helping Lia into the dress and tying the strings to the dress in the back. Vanminar was a tailor in the Upper City, he was a horrible snob and never had anything nice to say, but had been outfitting the little family for months and always did a splendid job.

‘I just feel naked,’ she muttered and Zelphie nodded.

‘You can wear something underneath,’ Zelphie told her. Lia’s gown was a deep red, her favorite color, with bronze accents. For her comfort, it was a lighter dress than what Zelphie had, made of chiffon. Commissioned by Rolan, Zelphie wore a royal purple gown, charmeuse and velvet with golden accents, along with a cape to cover her shoulders as the dress did not have that on its own. ‘I have a tight pair of stockings I’ve grown out of,’ she said and Lia sighed.

‘Thank you. Don’t tell you-know-who,’ she said and Zelphie laughed.

‘For what it’s worth, Lia, you look fantastic,’ she said and smiled and Lia smiled back at her.

‘But I won’t upstage my brother’s wife,’ she said and Zelphie snorted.

‘If he gets to call me his wife, you can call me your sister,’ Zelphie said and Lia stared at her for a moment. Lia smiled a little, a genuine one. That made Zelphie happy. To call Lia and Cal her siblings would be an honor. She loved them. She wanted their love back. She was jealous of their little family, but would never push her way in. Lia was just as happy. She hugged Zelphie tight and Zelphie grinned.

‘Alright, alright, enough of that, come on, it’s your turn for torture,’ Lia said and let go of a very happy Zelphie. Zelphie removed her night robe as Lia grabbed the heavy gown. She helped Zelphie step into it. She helped with Zelphie’s tail and Zelphie pulled up the fabric and groaned a little, getting it past her hips. ‘Are you going to even be able to dance in this?’ Lia scoffed.

‘Yes, I’m just getting too hippy, I need to do more at the shop, I don’t do anything anymore except for standing and smiling. I think I’m well past my pre-illith weight,’ she muttered. It was true. Going from living in poverty and eating maybe twice a day, to practically starving on the road and fighting for her life everyday, to eating a true full tiefling diet and just hanging about a tower all day proved to change Zelphie’s figure. All four of them had gained a little weight, but it seemed to Zelphie her body was in its own little competition.

‘You look fine, I think Vanminar shrunk it,’ Lia said and Zelphie sighed, sucking in as the unforgiving fabric was pulled up over her chest.

‘Oh this is going to be a very short night,’ Zelphie muttered, relaxing a little. ‘Between my cinched waist and your fear of free legs, we are going to be the worst party guests,’ she said and Lia laughed, helping Zelphie with her cape. Hair was brushed and braided and Zelphie delicately attached a beautiful set of horn rings Rolan had gifted her. No ruby or sapphires, but amethyst and gold. He insisted the purple gem went better with her skin tone. Purple just happened to be his favorite color. What a coincidence. She felt incredibly delicate, as if one wrong move and she and her lavish clothing and jewels would break. She helped Lia back comb her hair but kept her long straight locks down. A knock at Lia’s door came as they were almost finished.

‘Come in,’ Lia called and in came Cal who looked incredible. His broad shoulders fit into a yellow jacket, detailed with gold in his lapels and buttons. The jacket was long over a pair of black trousers and his hair was down and swept back.

‘Wow! Cal!’ Zelphie said, not being able to help it. ‘You look incredible,’ she said and Lia stood up.

‘Thank you,’ he said a little bashful and bobbed his head. ‘You really think I look alright?’ He asked and Zelphie giggled.

‘I do, you fill out a suit so nicely,’ she said and Lia snorted.

‘Yeah, like a great big bee,’ she said playfully and Cal glanced at her.

‘Awww…Lia dressed like a little doll,’ he said and held up his hand to pinch her cheek. She slapped his hand away and he laughed. ‘You look great Lia, really. You should wear stuff like that more often,’ he said and Lia huffed. He looked at Zelphie and grinned. ‘You look stunning, though,’ he said and Zelphie smiled.

‘Ah, thank you, maybe that compliment will be worth not being able to breathe all night,’ she joked. Rolan walked in as she was speaking and Zelphie was not too proud to say he took her breath away. He wore a decadent shirt of lilac, a gray vest and a long purple belt. Like Zelphie, he had a cape and Zelphie could not help staring. He looked majestic and the tailoring of the suit was incredibly flattering, especially on his shoulders and chest. ‘Wow,’ she whispered and Lia honked a laugh. But Rolan was just staring right back at Zelphie. He was just as captivated. He had seen her in armor, covered in blood, in cute little tunics, in a dressing gown, completely naked, all of it. Seeing her dress so regally made his brain wipe clean of all sense.

‘You look…phenomenal,’ he said and walked over to Zelphie and took her hand, kissing it. Zelphie, on top of also being taken away by his attire also found it very hard to breathe while he looked at her as he was. His yellow eyes on her like a lion before the feast. Yes, this little party would be a short one.

‘Don’t slobber all of my sister, Rolan,’ Lia said and Zelphie was taken out of her trance and blinked quickly. ‘My sister’ Lia had said. She grinned at Zelphie.

‘Oh! Are we doing that now?’ Cal asked and Zelphie laughed and nodded.

‘Yes please,’ she said and looked up at Rolan, almost for permission. He still had his lips on her knuckles, but he was smiling.

‘Meet us downstairs,’ Rolan said, finally lowering Zelphie’s hand. Zelphie’s heartbeat a little, not sure what was about to happen, but whatever it was, it had better not entail her removing that dress. Or bending over. Cal and Lia took their cue quickly and left. As of late, Rolan had become very handsy with Zelphie. Everything was still private, as Rolan never allowed for anything more than a little handhold to go before the public. People who passed the two in the street might have assumed them acquaintances. Even in front of Cal and Lia, Rolan would give her a little peck and they might be caught holding hands, but that was it. Privately, especially lately, Rolan had not held back. Even during their little magic lessons, he always found a way to touch her or even get in a nibble. He would even just hold her, hold her close, anything. Any excuse to touch her, sexually or otherwise, he took. Zelphie had, like most people, assumed this ‘honeymoon’ affection would be over, but no, with Rolan it planted itself and was growing vibrantly. She wouldn’t complain for a second.

‘Am I in trouble?’ She asked and he shook his head.

‘No, but you are about to get very cross with me,’ he said and reached into the pocket of his vest for a small bag. She frowned.

‘That had better not be another gift,’ she said and he cleared his throat.

‘Get over it,’ he said and she huffed. ‘This one is different,’ he told her. ‘This isn’t a present, it’s…it’s a promise,’ he said and from the small bag he produced two golden rings, both with matching emeralds. One was smaller and thinner, the other was slightly larger and the band was thicker, but they were clearly a set. Zelphie was no idiot. ‘I was…going to…I’ve been uhm-‘ he cleared his throat and gave himself a little shake. Zelphie felt her palms sweat. What was he doing? She knew what he was doing. Two golden rings? Her stomach was in knots. ‘I know…zurghan,’ he cursed under his breath and looked at Zelphie. ‘I know what I want. I know what I need. My family is what I want. My family is what I need,’ he began and Zelphie nervously played with her fingernails. ‘Five months ago, that was Cal and Lia. Four months ago, you were added to that,’ he said and Zelphie swallowed hard. She kept eye contact with him. This was it. She knew this was it, he wasn’t ever shy about his feelings for her. Day one he introduced her as his wife to a stranger. His wife she was not, but she slipped into the pretend role very easily. ‘I mean it when I call you what I call you. At first, yes, it was a slip-up. Possibly. But after that, I couldn’t take it back. I know what I want now. I want you. I want everything there is to have with you by my side. With me by your side. For the rest of my life. I know I forced it on you before, but…now I’m asking you, officially,’ he told her and her breath shook and she swallowed hard, trying to concentrate on eye contact and standing up straight. ‘Would you be my wife? Sister to my siblings? Make my family whole?’ He asked and Zelphie opened her mouth and a hard sting rang through her face. She was burning hot. A wave of nausea hit her and her body felt clammy. She couldn’t seem to open her mouth, but she nodded furiously. Rolan looked equally unwell. He gasped out a happy little laugh and leaned down close to her.

‘On one condition,’ she said softly, her voice cracking. His jaw tensed a little and she took the larger ring with a shaking hand. ‘You’ll be my husband,’ she said softly, her voice still not strong as she asked a terrifying question. In hindsight, it was an easy question, but it still made her insides squirm. She hadn’t called him husband, not once this whole time of him playfully calling her his wife. For Rolan to hear that meant everything to him. Her face contorted when his face did, she cried and he held back tears. Stubborn. He nodded his head.

‘I promise to be your everything,’ he said with a very shaken voice and she leaned up to kiss him. He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her right up against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed happily. Her stomach lurched again. Oh no. She let go of him quickly and ran into the washroom in Lia’s room and slammed the door. She was going to be sick. No, no no no not now! Not now! She’d been up against everything possible in the last year and this made her so nervous she was going to vomit? She very quickly emptied her stomach and shook on the floor. Rolan came in, no knocking like he normally would have. ‘Are you alright? Oh, I’m sorry,’ he told her and walked right to the cabinet and wet a towel for her to wash up. He knelt down next to her and she shook her head.

‘No, no, I’m sorry…this dress is so tight and then you…’ she said and took the towel from him, cleaning her face. He rubbed her back gently. ‘My stomach just got all jumbled,’ she said and looked up at his concerned face. ‘I’m okay, I’m sorry,’ she said again and he shook his head.

‘Don’t apologize, my dear, are you alright to still go? We can cancel, we can absolutely cancel, what do you mean your dress is too tight?’ He asked her and she laughed a little into the towel.

‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I promise. I want to go, especially after…that,’ she told him and took his hand. She was still holding his ring. She slowly placed it on his left forefinger. She gave the gem a little rub with her thumb and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. ‘I want to show off my husband to the city,’ she said and he lifted his head to look at her and he placed his hands on her cheeks.

‘Say it again,’ he told her and she blinked quickly. ‘Call me your husband, just one more time,’ he said and she grinned.

‘My husband, Rolan of Ramazith’s Tower, he’s my husband,’ she said and he laughed, kissing her cheek, wanting her lips but knew better than that. ‘He’s my everything,’ she continued and he sighed happily. He helped her off of the floor and took her hand.

‘With the grave fear that your stomach will churn again,’ he said and slowly placed the smaller emerald ring on her left pointer finger. She laughed as she watched the ring slip on her finger and fit perfectly. She held her stomach and laughed again and he looked down at her, making sure to be careful. He really hoped she wasn’t unwell.

‘I used to pray to the gods every day since I can remember for a family,’ she said and her nose stung once more. She looked up at him. ‘Please tell me which sent you so I can give thanks,’ she said and he laughed loudly down at her.

‘Not a god but the arch-devil Zariel I think can take most of the credit,’ he said and she laughed with him.

‘Long live the devil,’ she said and Rolan nuzzled her face. ‘Oh I don’t want to go now, I just want to be with you,’ she whined a little.

‘We can cancel,’ he told her softly and she shook her head.

‘We’ll be selfish after,’ she told him softly and she smiled. ‘This can count as our secret little wedding,’ she told him and he smiled. ‘And then we start our honeymoon,’ she continued and his hands found her hips.

‘Don’t flirt with me,’ he growled and she laughed, looking up at him.

‘I…I mean it though, I don’t want a real wedding, I just want…this,’ she told him and he looked down at her and nodded. He was in agreement with her. If she had wanted one, he would have given it to her, but he didn’t. He liked his calm privacy very very much. He knew she liked hers as well.

‘Your desire is my command,’ he said softly.

Finally after another little wash, Zelphie and Rolan made their way to the first floor of the tower where Lia and Cal were waiting. They, and only they, would get the news delivered. Lia hugged Rolan tight against most of his wishes and Cal gave Zelphie a big kiss on the cheek, which she loved very much. The four stepped through a portal that would lead them to the steps of High Hall. A wizard and his family needed to make an entrance, after all. They were announced to Dukes Ravengard and Florrick. Once the formalities were over, the tieflings could enjoy the great hall of the palace. Zelphie was immediately taken with the architecture of the room, Lia went to find something to drink, and Cal went off to find a very specific guest. Astarion was already present and Cal had no issue in finding him. Zelphie watched the two for just a moment and smiled to herself while Rolan talked about the histories of the stories in the stained glass window of the hall. He wasn’t oblivious to what was happening, just refused to give it attention. Astarion made quick eye contact with Zelphie and a flash of a fanged grin as Cal spoke. His red eyes and attention went right back to Cal.

‘I’m going to say hello,’ Zelphie told Rolan who sighed, but followed her. Good, he needed to get over it. Cal was mad for the vampire. The vampire, ironically, was very good for Cal. Astarion looked at Zelphie again and his smile grew once more. ‘Hello Astarion,’ she said and he bowed his head a little.

‘Good evening my darling,’ he said, sounding very cheerful. Cal looked down and smiled at Zelphie and then glanced up at Rolan. Well, he was at least there. ‘Cal was just telling me the good news, congratulations,’ he said and leaned down to kiss her cheek but stopped. She heard him sniff and then his ice lips kissed her hot cheek.

‘Thank you,’ she said and Astarion stood up straight and looked her up and down. She felt Rolan’s hand on her shoulder. Astarion looked up at Rolan, his face a little colder than it was before.

‘Congratulations, Rolan. I trust you will take care of her,’ he said.

‘With everything that I can give, yes,’ he said and Zelphie swallowed hard. This moment was a little intense. Cal, the hero, broke the tension.

‘I think Lia and I were replaced months ago with Zelphie, we couldn’t be happier,’ he said and Zelphie smiled up at him. Astarion looked at him and fixed a little hair behind Cal’s ear.

‘Replace? Oh I doubt that my love, a family like this only grows,’ he said and Zelphie’s smile grew. ‘And may it keep growing,’ he said and glanced down at Zelphie for a moment. Cal went bright red.

The evening went on, a gallery of patriars from Baldur’s Gate came to eat and dance and gossip. Zelphie was quickly getting very tired, faster than she had expected. She had promised Lia a quick evening, but Lia had made a few friends and Zelphie’s energy was fading very quickly. As the stars began to shine above the city, Zelphie excused herself to the balcony for some air. Rolan left her side only to fetch her something to drink. She wasn’t alone for long. Without making himself known, Astarion stood beside her.

‘You seem incredibly happy,’ he said and she jumped, no longer used to him sneaking up on her. She gave his arm a little whack.

‘I am,’ she told him and he grinned down at her. ‘And though I haven’t seen you in a while, Cal has been very happy, so whether you are or not, thank you,’ she said and he laughed.

‘Mmm…I uhm, I don’t really love to gush about…feelings, but you make it easier for me to be honest. That silly feeling that makes my unbeating heart beat. I thought we had that for a while you know,’ he said and she nodded.

‘We have something different, better I think,’ she told him and he smiled very happily.

‘Of course, I’m only saying that, yes, I am happy. Cal is…a light in my life now that the sun is gone for good,’ he said and Zelphie’s smile only grew. ‘You need to come down to The Underdark, bring your guard dog with you,’ he said and she nudged him. He laughed and she sighed.

‘Husband, not guard dog. I’m his guard dog,’ she said and Astarion laughed loudly. ‘Please be nice to him and patient. He’ll come around, I promise,’ she said and Astarion smirked at her.

‘For you, I will. For Cal, I will. But yes, I’d much rather talk about the other thing. All of a sudden, you are married. Hmm, one might be suspicious,’ he said and Zelphie shot a look at him.

‘Suspicious of what?’ She asked him. Before Astarion could answer, Rolan had caught up to them, two wine goblets in his hand and he cleared his throat. Zelphie turned to look at him and smiled. She took a goblet from him and sipped a very sweet wine.

‘Nothing, nothing, I’m only teasing,’ Astarion said, a little less casually now that Rolan was present. The elf turned to Rolan and gave him a little glance over. ‘I know Vanminar’s handy work when I see it,’ he said cheerfully and looked down. ‘The boots though, delicious as they are, I can’t pinpoint them,’ he said and Rolan glanced down at his boots.

‘Ah, my uhm…my mother was a cobbler,’ he said and Astarion’s eyes grew quickly.

‘Oh yes, oh don’t tell me she fastened those,’ Astarion said and crossed his arms. Zelphie smiled at her friend and looked at Rolan, who seemed a little less daunting.

‘Yes, yes she did. I’ve had these for ages, I can’t seem to replace them,’ Rolan said, and Astarion nodded.

‘A beautiful classic,’ he whispered. ‘Anyway, I won’t keep you two, I’ll be back after another little mingle,’ he said and Zelphie mouthed a little ‘thank you’. Astarion exited and Rolan walked over to the bannister of the balcony.

‘Wyll is a little drunk and requested a light show,’ he said and Zelphie looked at him. He looked out to the sky. ‘I know you wanted to head back soon, but one more hour, darling, I promise,’ he told her and Zelphie nodded.

‘It’ll be worth a light show from you, and…maybe with the price of a dance,’ she said and Rolan looked back at her with a large grin.

‘I’ll try not to step on your toes,’ he said and she laughed.

The music played loudly inside as Rolan guided Zelphie to the dance floor. Her hand in his, she loved when their rings clinked together. They danced with light grace, as they would half to, neither were fantastic dancers and their capes were terribly heavy and hard to control. Rolan didn’t take his eyes off of her once.

‘You do look ravishing in purple,’ he mentioned, once the dance brought them close. She laughed and shook her head.

‘So do you, and we best have, since we are both drenched in it,’ she told him with a smirk. ‘You were very kind to Lia, not making her purple,’ she told him and he nodded.

‘She might not have come unless I yielded to that. But Cal was also insistent on his yellow, so who was I to stop her. I can’t believe she’s made it this long in a dress,’ he said and Zelphie laughed. He glanced around to see Lia chatting with Wyll and he leaned in closer.

‘First a vampire, now a devil is seducing my sibling,’ he said softly and Zelphie turned to look.

‘Oh! Well, that’s not exactly expected,’ she said and shrugged it off. That could easily be friendly chatter. ‘And thank you for being nice to Astarion earlier. Before you walked over, he was gushing about Cal, I promise you there’s nothing bad going on there,’ she said and Rolan sighed.

‘I know, but…you know Cal. Once he promises something, he follows through with it and takes up any burden he can to make others happy. I want him to be happy.’ Zelphie nodded and understood. ‘He’s not like me or Lia, if something is bothering him, he won’t say it, he’ll just sweep it under the rug.’

‘I know, but Astarion is the opposite. He’s like a house cat, any minor inconvenience and he’s on the floor whining. He’s more annoying than dangerous, but because of that, he’s fantastic at knowing when someone is upset. He’ll force Cal to advocate for himself, he’s very persuasive,’ she explained and Rolan sighed. ‘The four of us should spend some time together, invite him to the tower,’ she asked softly and Rolan shook his head.

‘I will promise to be kind and spend more time with him, but I can’t, I can’t. Just picturing him in the tower again, I think of walking in on you bleeding out,’ he said and she frowned.

‘Well, that’s my fault, I didn’t warn anyone about how bad that looked,’ she told him and he shook his head.

‘That doesn’t change anything,’ he told her. ‘Please understand that for now, I cannot,’ he said and she frowned, nodding. She hated it, but she knew if she was gentle enough about it, he would come around. ‘And if we could go the rest of the night not speaking about him, I’ll be very grateful,’ he said and she nodded again. Maybe it would take a lot longer to have him turn around.

‘Of course, I’m sorry,’ she said and glanced around the room and then back up at Rolan. He was frowning.

‘Don’t give me that look,’ he said and looked up. That only made Zelphie frown harder. ‘Like a kicked kitten, it’s killing me.’

‘I’m not doing it to kill you, I’m upset, I’m allowed to be upset,’ she said and he looked back down at her.

‘Be upset then, but you can’t expect me to pity you. You can’t change everything to fit into your perfect little world, Zelphie. Stop trying to guilt me into something that makes me uncomfortable,’ he told her in a sharp, hushed tone. It certainly wasn’t the worst thing he had ever said to her, but on the dance floor at a formal gala, she didn’t like being scolded.

‘I’m not trying to guilt you-’

‘Listen, I get it. I know how I can be, I’m fully aware of what I am, everyone tells me, including you, every single day. But pushing and pushing me isn’t going to get you what you want, Zelphie,’ he continued and she shut her mouth and looked down. He let out a dramatic sigh. ‘Zelphie, stop it,’ he said and their feet stopped moving to the music.

‘Why are you so angry with me?’ She asked him and looked up a little.

‘I am not,’ he spat, and her eyebrows knit together. ‘Why do you insist on telling me what I am?’ She stared at him for a moment and glanced around. One or two people had noticed the tension and she shook her head and looked down.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said and without knowing what else to do, she let go of his hand and walked away. She didn’t want to fight with him ever, nevermind in a room full of people. She also didn’t want to cry, either. She was feeling her face sting and she walked back out to the balcony, hoping to be alone for a moment while she processed that little argument. She was usually very good at controlling their bickering, but Rolan was angry with her, regardless of whatever he said. She heard him call her name but she kept walking. She was not going to keep fighting with him in the middle of a dance. She hated to ignore him, but she respected him and herself too much to do that. She got outside and counted to ten, trying not to cry. Why was she crying? It wasn’t that big of a deal. She felt guilty, and she hated to anger him, and she was tired. Why was she so sensitive?

‘Hey you,’ a voice called from behind her, poor Cal. She glanced at him as he placed his hand on her back. She sniffed and looked out at the sky. She knew tears were welling up in her eyes and she didn’t want Cal to see.

‘I want to go home,’ she said, her voice cracking a little. Cal nodded and rubbed her back gently.

‘Alone?’ He asked and she shrugged. She wanted Rolan to come with her. Or Cal or Lia, but Cal and Lia were having a good evening. They didn’t need to halt it completely because she was being so sensitive. Rolan made a promise to Wyll that she would like him to keep. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’ He asked and she shook her head.

‘No, I should just be alone,’ she said and sniffed. ‘It’s very stupid, please, you three stay, I will be fine, I’m just being stupid,’ she said and Cal nodded, taking her hand.

‘You and him both, then,’ he said and escorted her out of the palace so she could go home.

Once alone, she quickly undressed, dying to get out of that dress. She had sweat horribly in it and it took a lot of effort to remove it. Once she was out, she bathed quickly and cuddled up on the balcony with Lajy. She was very happy for a cuddle outside and Zelphie allowed herself to just cry. She had had a big day, proposal of marriage, been sick, and a public fight with her husband. She knew forcing a cry would calm her down, and being completely alone, a mile up in a tower, she could cry and howl all she wanted. Selfishly, she was dressed in Rolan’s clothing. She wanted to smell him and had picked out one of his long sleep shirts. She cried into the sleeve and into Lajy’s purring fluffy neck. She only stopped when she heard loud bangs coming from beyond the balcony. She sniffed and hiccuped and looked around the night sky. Above the Ducal Palace was a radiant light show, greens, yellows, purples, shining like a prism in the night sky, with a series of fireworks. She sniffed and watched the show, knowing it was Rolan. He was phenomenally talented. All that beauty after she left him high and dry at the gala. She felt guilty for being a horrible guest, but even more guilty for just leaving him. Leaving poor Cal to deal with him as well. If anyone could deal with Rolan, it would be Cal, but it didn’t make it right.

Once the show was over, Zelphie was feeling incredibly tired and walked back into her bedroom for her book, one given to her by Rolan on illusionary magic. Her homework. She sat on the floor of the balcony, Lajy in her lap, and began to read. As she began reading about the component of tuning to one’s imagination for prestidigitation, the bedroom door opened. She turned but he wasn’t visible from where she was sitting. She heard him sigh and she stood up, Lajy jumping off her to greet his master.

‘Hello,’ she heard Rolan speak to the cat and she heard a grunt. ‘How’s your mummy?’ He asked and Zelphie made herself visible to him. He looked right at her and opened his mouth, but took in her comfy little outfit, his, and sighed.

‘It was a very pretty show,’ she said softly and Rolan frowned, putting Lajy on the floor and walked over to her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said and her dam burst once more and she cried, bringing her hands up to her face. Rolan tutted and walked closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. She was so happy about that. She let go of her face and wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘I’m really sorry,’ she told him, sobbing into his vest.

‘Shhh…this is too much, Zelphie, shhhh…’ he tried to soothe her, kissing the side of her head. He rocked her gently. ‘I was vicious, I am sorry, I just hate being told over and over to stop being angry, or stubborn, or grumpy, or whatever it is. All I do is feel like a villain,’ he told her and she nodded.

‘I’m sorry that I’ve done that,’ she told him, in between sobs. ‘You’re not the villain, you’re my hero,’ she whimpered and he laughed a little.

‘You are no damsel in distress,’ he said and looked down at her, pulling away a little. She looked up at him with blotchy skin from crying and he laughed hard. ‘Well, maybe you are,’ he said and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. She whined and buried her face back in his chest. She was still upset, but at least he was laughing, at least he was holding her. He held her close and ran his fingers through her wet hair, letting her calm down.

‘I’m sorry Rolan, I shouldn’t have walked away from you like that, but I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of everyone,’ she said and sniffed. ‘I don’t like dealing with conflict like that,’ she said and he nodded, pulling away a bit.

‘I shouldn’t have acted like a threatened viper, or sent my little brother to comfort you,’ he said and sighed. ‘And I’m sorry I didn’t come home with you.’ She shook her head.

‘No, it was good, I was able to just think…because that was really silly of me. I still don’t know why I’ve been so sensitive today,’ she said and he smirked, holding back something. She sniffed and frowned. ‘What’s the look supposed to mean?’

‘Hm? Nothing,’ he said and she huffed.

‘Rolan,’ she scolded him and he wrinkled his nose.

‘You’re incredibly sensitive,’ he told her and she huffed again. ‘Two days ago, you had to hold back tears because Lajy couldn’t figure out how to get down from the ice box,’ he told her and she bit her bottom lip.

‘Sorry,’ she said softly and he grinned.

‘No need for that, I like you just as you are. Who do you think I asked to marry me today, hm?’ He asked her and she smiled a little. ‘You had time for a bath,’ he said, stroking her hair again and she nodded.

‘Yes, and before you feel guilty again, it’s best if you hadn’t been here to watch me get out of that dress,’ she said and he laughed again.

‘Once more, you’re telling me how I feel and you couldn’t be more wrong,’ he told her with a cheeky smile. She shook her head and wiped her face.

‘I promise you, it was less than graceful,’ she told him and he nodded.

‘You were complaining all night about how tight it was, why didn’t you tell Vanminar?’ He asked and she shrugged.

‘It fit fine in the shop. I think I had a big breakfast,’ she said and he nodded. ‘It is a beautiful dress though, thank you,’ she told him and he smirked.

‘Beautiful because of who was in it,’ he said and took a step back from her and gave her a little look. ‘Right now, stunning,’ he said and she laughed, shaking her head.

‘Stop it, no flirting with me, my husband is a very jealous man,’ she said and his eyebrows shot right up.

‘Oh? Is he? He sounds obnoxious,’ he said and she grinned, biting her lip and shook her head.

‘Protective,’ she said and Rolan’s face softened. Lajy meowed up at them. Zelphie looked down at the cat and back up at Rolan. ‘Let me help you undress,’ she said and Rolan removed his cape and she unbuttoned his vest.

‘So, you did see the light show?’ He asked and she nodded.

‘It was beautiful! I’m sure the whole city saw it,’ she told him as he shuffled his vest off. Rolan walked over to his wardrobe for a pair of lounge pants and removed his shirt. Zelphie took his soiled clothing and put them away over a hamper.

‘I’m only glad you saw,’ he said softly and she smiled a little.

‘Liar,’ she said and he grinned. Of course Rolan, the showman he was, liked to think that most of the city saw his show. He was an incredible show off. Good for him, he was very talented.

‘I could have done better, the finale wasn’t exactly as I’d like it to be,’ he said and she shook her head, walking over to the bed and Lajy followed her.

‘Only you have that opinion,’ she told him as he changed out of his trousers. She leaned over to her side table and took her brush from inside the drawer. Rolan walked over to the bed and she patted the space in front of her. He raised an eyebrow, but was absolutely not going to object. He would never ask for it, but being pampered was a treat for him. Though, living with Zelphie, it had become a very regular occurrence. The moment he sat down, Zelphie inspected her canvas for the evening. Rolan’s hair was half up in its little twist knot and she quickly pulled it free.

‘Do you think it’s getting too long?’ He asked her as he got comfortable, sitting cross legged. Zelphie smiled at his question and ran her fingers through it. It barely went past the nape of his neck.

‘Not at all, is it bothersome?’ She asked and he shook his head.

‘No, I just…I didn’t know if you…liked it,’ he said softly and she gave a soft laugh.

‘My fingers are in it enough, you really think I don’t like it? No, the more the merrier, you wear it with grace and it’s always so neat,’ she told him and he sat up a little straighter. ‘But even if I didn’t, that’s none of your business, hm? Wear it how you’d like,’ she said and her fingers danced through his hair and down his neck. Lajy curled up in Rolan’s lap, ready for his due.

‘Still, I’d like to know if you like it. I know, I know, it’s my hair and all of that, but does my wife think it’s attractive?’ He asked her and her tummy did a little flip.

‘I love my husband’s hair,’ she said softly and traced her fingernails, her claws, down his neck and shoulders, inciting a shiver from him. His tail shook a little and hers curled around his, grounding him. ‘I love my husband’s shoulders, and his arms…’ she continued, once more, like most nights, memorizing his back. She traced along the sharp ridges of his back. Finally, she gently took the brush to his hair and gently began to groom out his locks. She heard his exhale, his shoulders relaxing at her touch and the feel of the brush. ‘So, are Cal and Lia back?’ She asked and he shook his head.

‘Cal won’t be back tonight and Lia wanted to stay,’ he said and she nodded.

‘Oh I’m happy she is having so much fun! She was really not looking forward to tonight,’ Zelphie spoke, not bringing up Cal. ‘The way she was snickering and skulking while we got ready,’ she said and tutted. ‘But maybe city life will suit her,’ she continued and Rolan nodded.

‘Just don’t tell her that. If you think I’m stubborn…’ Rolan said softly, just trying to relax under Zelphie’s pampering.

‘Oh I know! God forbid she likes something normal,’ she giggled and parted Rolan’s hair. He never needed it brushed really, but who didn’t deserve a hairbrush? ‘She was horrible at Vanminar’s, perhaps you could let her go there and have him design something she would like? Let her design it?’ She suggested and Rolan just moaned in agreement. No more talking from him, it seemed. Zelphie placed the brush down and used her nails to comb his hair and rub his scalp. She inspected his scalp and grinned. Right there, almost in the middle of his scalp, was a thick white hair. She had a new plan. There was never ever only one white hair. She would pick through to find more, but she would keep it to herself. They were so far away from his hairline, she doubted he would know about them.

‘Find something interesting?’ He asked as she was just picking now.

‘Lots of little bugs,’ she said playfully, but he flinched and she laughed. ‘I’m joking, I’m joking, sorry, just inspecting,’ she said and he sighed and leaned against her. She laid back on the bed and continued to pamper him like this. She struggled to lean over to grab oil from her table, but he went heavy. ‘Rolan,’ she giggled and he grunted. ‘Don’t you fall asleep on me,’ she warned him and he chuckled a little.

‘You’re a wonderful bed,’ he said as she rubbed oil in her hands. She began with the tips and he sighed out.

‘I’ll be a wonderful bed after you give me a kiss goodnight,’ she told him and he very carefully looked up at her. She smiled down at him. He was so beautiful, his freckles, his eyes, his nose. He sat up quickly and scooted away from her. ‘Hey! My work is not done here!’ She scolded him, but he ignored her and turned around, crawling over to her. ‘Rolan…’ she said softly, but she knew that look. His lidded eyes and a half smile. Four months of this and she still got shivers. His hair untidy, falling around his face and horns.

‘I was hoping,’ he began to speak, crawling over her. She tried to hide a giggle. ‘We could consummate our new union,’ he said and she grinned, blushing a little. ‘I hear it’s terrible luck if you let it drag on for too long,’ he said and she wrapped her arms around him.

‘Oh, well, you know best, my love,’ she said, just as playfully and he leaned down to kiss her.

The couple laid in bed, tangled in each other's limbs, both spent, very happy and very tired. They had switched positions, Rolan was against the pillows and headboard, and Zelphie had her back to his chest. He was kissing a little bite mark he had left on her shoulder. She loved his love bites. Whenever she had a cut of any kind, she healed it quickly. Not Rolan’s bites, however, those she kept and let heal. He seemed very proud of them and he never bit her in an area she couldn’t easily cover up. She loved his bites, she loved anything he did to show her how much he needed her, when he held her close, if his tail wrapped around her. Anything, but the love bites were exceptional.

‘If I had any sense, I would have taken advantage of having the tower alone with you tonight,’ he said and kept kissing her. She traced the lines in his palm gently, happy as could be and her mind wandered at his words.

‘Oh? What would you have done, hm?’ She asked softly. She felt his tail coil around her leg. He chuckled and kissed behind her ear. She shivered, she was terribly sensitive right then.

‘I still have these…fleeting memories of what happened in the public chamber…what you and I did to him, what he used to do to me,’ he said and she turned her head a little. Lorroakan. They never talked about him. Lorroakan, the late master of Ramazith’s Tower, who was crushed to death by Rolan, Zelphie, their companions and an enraged aasimar. He was Rolan’s master for a short time, and used to beat Rolan day and night for his own ego. He was a fraud of a wizard, who was known for rising to the top with money and connections, not power or talent. Rolan had succeeded his fallen master, his abuser, and then it was like the man had never existed. Zelphie would never, ever bring him up, but the moment Rolan did feel like he would talk about it, he would have Zelphie’s comfort and support.

‘Do you think about him often?’ She asked softly. He sighed and nodded.

‘I try my best not to, but his face or voice will flash in my mind and then I just start…fixating on him. What he would do, why I should have fought back sooner, how stupid I was to not listen to either you or Gale when you told me the rumors about him. I was so blind..I,’ Zelphie turned a little and placed a hand on his cheek.

‘I wish I could take that away from you,’ she told him and he nuzzled his forehead to hers.

‘You took the reality away, my love. That was the worst part,’ he said and sighed out heavily. ‘Everything awful…everything awful that’s happened, you’ve taken it away from me,’ he said and she heard his voice crack. ‘If only I met you sooner,’ he continued and she closed her eyes, leaning against him.

‘I’m here now, and I’ll never leave you,’ she whispered back, and his grip on her tightened.

‘I know,’ he whispered back and leaned down to kiss her again.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 rolan #holy rolan empire #rolan bg3 #rolan x tav #rolan #bg3 fanfiction

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blinddreams24 · 7 months ago

Text

Revenge

A Mermay Prompt

(Note: there is blood and an aggressive wound in this chapter. I tried not to go into too much detail, but it’s there. You have been warned)

Masterlist

Prev / Next

You made it to the coral reef before Cross showed up. It was weird not seeing him but you figured he was an orca after all and probably had things he needed to do. Like eat. You hadn’t seen him eat since the barracuda incident. Or maybe he was busy with something else. You wouldn’t know until you asked.

Something moved.

Smiling, you turned to greet Cross.

He wasn’t there. Nothing but water and coral. Though, he could be hiding.

Oh, Cross.

You swam up to the boulder you thought he was behind and peeked around it. Nothing.

Huh.

Where did that movement come from then?

Something big, but not Cross big, sped past and brushed your legs. You spun around just in time to see something gray dart behind a boulder.

“Mm?” You questioned into the water. That wasn’t your Cross but maybe they were friendly too?

If it was a siren, that is, and not a shark.

A skeletal head peeked at you from behind the boulder, its eye sockets empty. “You’re a bold one, aren’t you?” His voice, similar to Cross’s but with a little more gravel, questioned you.

You shrugged at him. You weren’t fearless, this new siren definitely had you nervous, but his size didn’t compare to Cross. Which made him far less intimidating.

A grin split his face and he slipped over the boulder like an eel, his shark half moving gracefully as his belly faced the ground as if hiding his move vulnerable part from you. “Have you met a siren before, human?”

You nodded and gestured ‘big’ with your hands. You couldn’t get over the fact that Cross was so much bigger than this shark siren. Also, moving your hands kept them from shaking.

“Big guy, huh?” His face drifted up to be level with yours. You tried not to shrink back or show fear. “Orca, maybe?”

Nod.

He laughed. “Heheheh! Cross is gonna be in trouble~!” Black ink-like fluid drifted out of his eyes as he leaned close and whispered. “Those scars were supposed to stay, little healer.”

Before you could move away or process what was just said, sharp teeth sank into your arm. All hell broke loose as you screamed and fought to get him off your arm. His clawed hands batted away your attacks and dug into your suit.

Bubbles and blood filled the water.

“KILLER!!!” Came a roar that your mind clung to like a lifeline.

The teeth left your arm. “There he is.” Your attacker sounded almost happy.

Cross’s huge form tackled the shark off of you and into a violent scuffle that you could barely keep track of with your tired, foggy mind. Subconsciously, you realized you were bleeding out and needed to get the your first air asap. So you started swimming in the direction you hoped was home.

Your racing heart was the only thing keeping you awake and in motion. You were suffering from blood loss. The sooner you patched yourself up into something resembling stable the better. Just count the coral boulders on your way back. There were… seven between you and the shore. The orange one. You pressed your right hand against the top as you floated over it. It wasn’t all orange. There were greens and grays and reds and pinks. But it had an orange… thing on top. Like a flag.

Six left.

Keep your mind stimulated.

Keep moving.

Stay calm.

The blue boulder. Big ol’ blue tubey thing on top. Like a crown. ‘The Blue Prince’ you’d called it. Mostly green with a few reds and yellows. Very pretty.

You almost bumped into the next boulder, your left hand dragging across the sand.

No. Stay focused. Get to the shore. It wasn’t that far. You’d already made it halfway…ish. You could do it.

“Y/n!”

Hands gently wrapped around your torso and suddenly you were moving much faster. You couldn’t even look at the coral on your way back.

Cross burst out of the water and twisted midair to land with you on top of him. “Y/n! Where’s your healer box? Which one is it?” His hands were gesturing at your stuff.

Right. First aid.

You reached for the correct box but it was further away than you anticipated. Huh. That wasn’t good.

Cross lurched forward on the beach and grabbed the box. With a few heavy shoves, his front was back by your side. He opened it and immediately looked lost. “What do you need?”

You slowly pulled the nozzle out of your mouth. “Tourniquet.” At his confused look you added; “Strap lookin’ thing.” He yanked out the correct item and shoved it in your good hand. After wiggling it up your arm and getting help tearing away the rest of your sleeve, it was tightened and your arm started going numb.

“Now what?”

You sighed. “I need to clean the wound. Do you remember those alcohol wipes?”

The wipes came into view. “My turn.” He gave you a goofy, halfhearted grin.

A breathless chuckle left you. “Yeah, your turn.” You pulled the rest of your sleeve off your arm, avoiding looking directly at the wound.

Cross shuffled closer. “I… I’m gonna start now. Uh… what exactly do I need to do? Just wipe?”

“You need to make sure nothing stays in the wound. Anything that’s not attached to me needs to go.”

“Okay…” A wipe touched your bite mark.

You hissed through your teeth at the pain. Your arm wasn’t completely numb yet and you could still feel pain but it was slowly fading away. It still hurt.

You turned and leaned into Cross’s chest, seeking comfort and safety in the pain. He froze for a moment. Then his free arm wrapped around your back to hold you still as he continued.

“I’m sorry, y/n.”

“Not your fault.” You mumbled into his chest.

“Mmh.” He didn’t sound convinced.

You sighed. “Cross. I don’t have the energy to argue with you. It’s not your fault. End of discussion.”

His chest shook slightly when he chuckled. “Yessir.”

The sharp pains of the wipes slowly turned dull as your arm numbed. It felt more like he was petting you and you melted into him.

“Thank you, Cross.”

“For burning your hide with these cursed wipes? Sure, no problem.” He snarked.

You laughed. “Well, yes. But also for saving me. Twice. Who was that?”

“Killer. He’s… unstable. From what he said during our fight, he was upset that someone tended to my wounds yesterday after our fight. He wanted to get back at you for it.” He curled over you. “I shouldn’t have gotten you involved.”

“Not your fault.” You glared up at him. “It’s Killer’s fault for attacking you in the first place. And it was my choice to help you. You were kinda telling me not to.”

“Heheh. You’d make a good siren.” He poked at your forehead. “Stubborn.”

“Hey. You have to be nice to me. I’m hurt.”

His lopsided smirk was paired with a raised brow. “Oh, yeah? What about the akohole wipes?”

“Alcohol. And I can’t feel it anymore.”

“What?!?” His hand left your back to grab your shoulders and hold you away from his chest. His panicked gaze searched you. “The adrenaline should have already worn off! Why can’t you feel pain?? Y/n! That’s not okay!”

You gestured to the tourniquet. “Tourniquet. It stops blood flow and also numbs the limb. It was the only way to keep me from dying. I can still feel pain. Just not in that arm. Don’t touch it.” His hand whipped away from your arm.

“Lucky. Why didn’t I get a turniket?” He gestured at the still healing scars along his spine.

“Tourniquet. Because it would kill you? Also, I don’t have one big enough.”

“It can kill you?!?”

Laughing, you shoved his worried hands away. “Only if you’re stupid with it!”

“…Ow. So now I’m stupid?” Cross looked down at you with mirth in his eyes.

“Mmm. Maybe just a little bit.”

“Hey!”

#undertale #mermay 2024 #cross sans #killer sans #blood

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raedear · 1 year ago

Note

Hozier lyric: i’d suffer hell if you’d tell me what you’d do to me tonight + shibari/body worship ? 👀

Joe had promised himself his entire artistic career he'd never be the type of man to make a model uncomfortable. He'd never look too long, or in the wrong way, or say anything untoward. Never.

He still thinks he's kept that promise, mostly. He's not bringing his fantasies to the model, he's not making the ropes that twist in his mind's eye the other man's problem. He's even started sitting further away during N's sessions to better hide his pad from view. It's just proving impossible to resist.

It's not like there's that much of a power dynamic, he tells himself as he spends three minutes of their ten minute pose outlining N's beautiful broad shoulders in his vision of red jute. It's a voluntary course in a bar on a Tuesday night, it's not a class in uni, N isn't an employee, just someone with time to kill.

(Ten minutes end. Joe finishes his pattern with a star sketched out in rough red across N's broad chest and hungers.)

N kneels for the third pose of the night, legs spread at the knees and heels neatly together under his ass. He faces straight at Joe and Joe sees the spill and twist of green and blue down his chest, webbed between his legs, tight around his cock before he even fully registers the pose.

He doesn't even bother going for his pencil. He sketches the shape of him quickly in charcoal, leaning into the smudge and smear of it before he gets his colours out.

N's eyes are bottomless grey in the dull yellow lights of the bar. Some minor effort has been made with portable spotlights, but N's features are too strong for them. The light pools under his eyes, makes cliffsides of his cheekbones.

Joe twists roses to hold his shoulders still. Makes a ladder of his thighs; loses himself to the strain of them, the strength against his knots, his ties. Would he fight the rope just to feel it hold, or would he soften in its grip, trusting Joe to hold him up, hold him still, give him what he needs? Joe adds the trailing edge of a slipknot around his wrists to give him the freedom to do either.

'You're very talented,' says a calm, deep voice in Joe's ear and Joe would be grateful for his practice in keeping his hands steady if he wasn't busy sinking into blind panic.

More time has passed than he realised. All around him are empty stools and vanishingly few people lingering in packing up. The bar is noisy with people buying a post-session drink. N wears a blue robe tied so loosely at the waist that half his chest is still bare, and blinks placidly at Joe's shoulder. He's somehow even more arresting up close, where Joe can see the imperfections in the symmetry of his face.

'Is this possible?' asks N, either uncaring or blithely unaware of Joe's horror and guilt. He very carefully taps the paper just beside where Joe has delicately detailed in thin ropes around his (imaginary) hard cock.

Joe nods, slowly, feeling faint.

N hums, and lifts the pad from Joe's unresisting hands.

'You should show me,' he says, and gives Joe a tiny, filthy smile.

Breath comes back to Joe, and nervous excitement follows on its heels.

'I should?' his voice is raw with nerves and something slightly more.

N's smile grows wider.

youtube

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thecentrium · 4 months ago

Text

What are the Elliott from Earth characters’ eye colors? An investigation

Another wordy investigation into minor character details, it’s the spiritual sequel to my height estimates post…

The default eye color for most EFE character renders is the same: a dark reddish purple pseudo-black (or sometimes just actual black), used generally for the lineart of features on nearly every character design. But beyond that stylization, what eye colors do they have, and where can we find a hint of it?

The best/most direct approach here is just to find and base it on some official visual source where the characters ARE shown with actual, distinctive eye colors in some way or another. And since there’s nothing that does that in the show itself, probably concept or production art.

Indeed, the only available visual that wasn't just the same usual render images using either black or that dark red-purple color, and that gave them unique individual eye colors at all, turned out to be this production art gif, a run cycle animation test with the early designs:

The eye colors there are based on unique outline colors for each character—and although it’s still a situation of matching eye and outline colors, I think these can be considered legit and not just like the stylized black pupils in the regular character renders, since

1. in this animation the eye color is something unique and different for each character rather than the same for everyone, and both eye color and lineart color are features that are often chosen to reflect or match the rest of a design (like they do there) so those features could easily go hand-in-hand and overlap like that anyway

and 2. in this case there’s actual colors for the eyes being indicated at all rather than it just being black or a purplish substitute for black, so it’s the most direct thing we’ve got for an eye color reference

So there’s a deep green for Mo (technically his earlier version Martin there, but design-wise they're similar and have the same colors), and a warm brown for Elliott. BUT, there’s one more thing. That’s not the color palette Elliott has now, so it's questionable if this should even apply to him for his eye color still!

But we can still use this—if we just adjust what we've already got here to match his current design.

The warm brown and deep green lineart/eye colors in the designs above seem to have come from the overall color palettes of the characters, since like I mentioned both those features are ones based on the rest of the design here. There’s a green used for the mostly-green Martin, and warm reddish brown used for the warm reds and yellows that define Elliott’s palette there.

So if a warm-colors palette gets a warm brown outline color, a palette with its main colors split between warm (e.g. red-orange hair) and cool (e.g. blue clothes) gets a more intermediate hue. Orange and blue in particular can even mix to make a warm (brown) or a cool (green) color…

So an intermediate outline/palette color like that is probably best matched by or interpreted as an intermediate human eye color, like hazel, a mix of warm (brown) and cool (green and gray) colors! Like these:

(Plus, a warm hazel like that is visually rather close to brown and kinda has the same overall feel to it, so even then this color is still akin to the original brown eye color we got from the gif earlier and it isn’t too drastic an “adjustment” from it)

So, with that development art as our closest official indicator of eye colors: Mo has deep green (fitting for a reptile?), Elliott has warm hazel, what about Frankie?

Although it took a few extra steps to bring things up-to-date and find our conclusion for Elliott, with him there was still some sort of source material to start from. But Frankie isn’t in that development art gif, and while maybe we could do that “based on palette colors” method again, that was really only done to follow the pattern of the designs from the gif for the characters there in it and slightly adjust it to the new palette; and besides, repeating that method for more characters might not keep working as fittingly anyway.

But that’s all really besides the point. There’s a simpler way for Frankie. Assuming she and Elliott are genetically related (which is material for a whole other post, but long story short I have my reasons and evidence to think that they are), we can just extrapolate from Elliott for her!

If Elliott has hazel eyes, it’s likely he got them from Frankie, especially considering Frankie’s warm/reddish but darker natural hair color—see below—that makes a hazel or even light brown eye color fitting for her. So it’s likely she’s also got a warm hazel, maybe even more of a light brown (the lines are kinda blurred with defining eye colors anyway).

The end! A bit of a long read for what should have been a simple question, but if you made it down here I hope you enjoyed it, I love making pointless investigation posts like this they’re so fun

#I’m glad I found that gif for some sort of official source depicting eye colors for them in some way #seeing as it’s the most direct evidence we get #since this is a topic I’ve actually been curious about for a while #elliott from earth #elliot from earth #cartoon network #cartoons #animation #character design #eye color

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distant--shadow · 1 year ago

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get to know meme

lil thing where I'll give a bit too much detail so it fills its purpose, honoured honestly to be tagged by three of my favourite writers in this space @sharkodactyl, @unicyclehippo , and @astoriacolumnstaircase - anyone reading this should be reading their works instead.

favourite colour: brown(s), like a mid to a dark tone, i like them to have a bit of red involved. like our old-boy chet, I love the wood. my dream home would be all wood-panelled with built in inlayed and set back shelves and nooks a plenty and yeah just full of brik-a-brak. otherwise my favourite colours are navy blue and greens that are more mixed with blue than yellow, teals and emeralds and once again generally around the mid tones. green makes me very happy. moss and outdoors and all that.

currently reading: fic. haha. (suss my recommend reading tag) I did venture out to my (very) local queer bookshop and asked them for something that won't send me on a spiral if I'm already on one/provide some escapism and they reccomended river of teeth by Sarah gailey. anyone I've said about it to seems real enthusiastic about it, I am not well read at all when it comes to published things, tend to just get really into a few fandom authors works and picking them apart (rereading a lot) . still haven't started it but maybe I'll try take it out to the park in the next week or so. I'm dabbling in reading (and unfortunately writing) poetry thanks to @picturesofthegoneworlds and @blorbotomy 's influence, those mini books are fun to keep on you when out and about, poem or two on a tree stump or boulder with a grand vista and a brain that wants eyes on a phone screen.

last song: last song I consciously (not background music) listened to was:

youtube

I went on an early lord snow stint the other night because the air smelt crisp and there was a nice chill. they have remained my favourite heavy (as a broad term) band for a decade now.

I used to have music on all of the time, whether that be cd's at home or in my mp3 player (that I still take out with me) but these days I find listening more of an intentional activity and I prefer to have people just nattering when I'm at home and want background noise. think it's where my heads at and I've just got more sensitive to being overstimulated I guess. I was also pretty good at going to a live gig at least once a week before I did my back in, looking forward to getting into that habit again.

last series: I don't watch much stuff outside of critical role, least other than YouTube videos I'll put on whislt I'm drawing. oh wait yeah I ordered 3 seasons of xena on ebay because it's like a couple of quid a season and it is a real good comfort show and fucking amazing. I hadn't seen it since I was pre teen and it was on day time TV and I'd catch it on sick days. the amount of people I've brought it up to these past few months who've been so stoked to be reminded of it/eager to watch it with me is actually hilarious.

last movie: uhhhh God movies I watch even less. I haven't been to a cinema in over 12 years now, just not my thing, and it's funny caus my mum used to work in the film and TV industry and we had shelves and shelves full of VHS growing up (mostly bootlegged) and she can just ramble about pretty much any early era film up to the stuff from the 80s (when she was working on em) for days. never could sit through em, never felt satisfied with how the story went. guess that's why actual play appeals to me. but saying all this I did rewatch Bound for the first time since I was like 15 last month or so, enjoyed it a lot more than I did back then.

sweet/savory/spicy: savory all day. I am a salt fiend. I used to think I'd be fortunate enough to die from my salt intake. I'll put it on anything. cereal, toast, fruit. I think the other day I noted the one thing I wouldn't put it on, but I can't recall that right now honestly. it's gotta be decent salt too, sea salt or rock salt that has some texture and delicious flavour, I'm not fucking with that table salt shit. I carry salt with me in a mini mason jar everywhere I go, saves when you only have access to bland cold supermarket food. one of my earliest memories is when I was like 6 I had had my daily 1 glass allowance of squash/fruit cordial in my white Tom and Jerry printed beaker with the accordion bendy straw and so when I was pouring myself a glass of water from the tap I put salt in it caus I wanted flavour that would not show through the white translucent container. it's all been downhill from there, although I also, luckily I guess caus otherwise I would be really fucked, do drink a lot of water.

currently working on: myself and healing. hah. I never realised how much paperwork and phone calls came with this maintenance shit. I'm still out of work, and my mental health has taken a huge hit from not being able to do the things I usually would. so right now I'm just trying to keep everything together. I can draw again though, so sorry about that.

I never know who to tag in these things caus I don't think everyone wants to do them. so I'll go with this being open invite as always. hope anyone who read this far is having a good week, and sentiment is still there even if you didn't read this (unless you don't deserve my well wishes, then fuck you.)

#Youtube

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brightonpages · 3 months ago

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Ashes (Index) Chapter 2 Part 2

Garrett was lost inside the library when the evacuation started. He was sitting in a shadowed nook, deep within the depths of shelves and shelves of books, buried beneath the words. Which was why he almost missed it.

His phone was blowing up, which was unusual. His limited friend group didn't account for all the buzzing and it pulled him out of his reading.

He had taken to reading philosophy to expand his world view, especially after enrolling at the Academy, when it became obvious that he would need a better understanding of society and life to thrive.

When he turned on the screen on his phone, he had several messages and missed calls. Not only from his friends, but from the Academy officials. There were few details, only that everyone needed to get off Academy grounds immediately. Garrett sat there, in his dark corner, and wondered how important it could possibly be. He sighed and pushed himself off the floor. His primary motivation was the fact that a full evacuation of the Academy had to mean something big was happening, and he wouldn't want to be left out. No matter how perfectly comfortable he might have been. He liked to read in the tower, and even though he rarely made it to the top floor of the 12 stories, he had climbed quite a bit to find a quiet place. At the bottom, he had to cross though one of the greater study halls, spectacular with its stained glass and domed roof. He was briefly tempted to stop in the middle of the large space. It was never empty. Ever. Except now, when everyone but him seemed to have evacuated the building. It was stunning in its silence, in its echoing grandeur. He reminded himself that there was some sort of emergency, and made it outside.

He felt no less alone, when the heavy metal door slammed shut behind him. It was starting to feel like a ghost town, like being briefly alone in the world. He moved towards the back gate, since it was closer, not realizing it would take him right past the action. There were no Agents to guide him, and they must have thought everyone had gotten out. Or just decided their time was better spent elsewhere. He spotted some, when he walked past the hospital, just seconds before he saw the blue glow coming from the narrow courtyard behind it. The courtyard was mostly walled off, a small space that was meant to create respite for any patients that were forced to remain longer than the usual day or so. It was paved with smooth stone, with a fountain in the middle, and small grooves in the stone to lead the water along the path. The fountain was uninspired; some sort of abstract steel construction that had likely cost a fortune.

The larger point, of course, was the big glowing dragon floating above it, and the four students circling it.

A couple of Agents were watching them, but stood back from the creature.

One of the Agents became aware of him, and backed towards him. "You have to get out of here," he said in a stern, but lowered voice. As if the dragon would turn its attention on him of he spoke too loud. "Now," he hissed, and turned his attention back on the display in front of them, apparently not overly concerned with whether or not Garrett would actually do as he was told.

He watched the dragon, of course, but his attention drifted to the four people standing around it. Students, all of them. One was in gym clothes, lined in bright red. He had dark hair and pale skin, but Garrett couldn't tell much more than that. The others were in uniform. Two of them were neat, perfectly straight ties, dark socks and short-sleeved shirts tugged into their pants. The third was just barely wearing it; his tie wasn't tied, his shirt was only partly buttoned and his socks didn't match. Their clothes was lined in blue, yellow and green. A perfect set.

His eyes kept drifting back to the first guy, the Healer. He was closest to the creature, facing it. He was saying words, but they were unfamiliar to Garrett, or maybe he was simply too far away to make them out. The creature was trapped and trashing against invisible bonds. It didn't look like whatever was holding it would last.

Garrett took an involuntary step forward. He had no illusions about stepping in, about helping. He knew that whatever they were doing was way out of his league, but he wanted a closer look.

Since he wasn't paying attention, he made the mistake of stepping into the path of the Agent.

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and his magic immediately flared, before he could make a conscious decision to quell it. He stopped himself from striking the Agent, from knocking him out.

"Come on," he muttered, leading Garrett away, oblivious of the force Garrett held at the ready. He was still keeping most of his attention on the dragon, and didn't seem pleased that he needed to prioritize some kid's safety over the event playing out in front of him.

Garrett tried not to care about the hand on his shoulder, but the man wasn't gentle. He spun out of the grip. "I can walk myself out," he assured him.

"Obviously, you can't," the Agent said.

The man put his hands on Garrett again, and put him all the way on edge.

"You may want to take your hands off me," Garrett said. "Headmaster Bailey might not appreciate you manhandling his son." He didn't want to invoke his father, but it was either that or getting into a fight with a trained Agent.

"I swear, all you brats think you're so fucking important," the man muttered, but at least he removed his hands.

Garrett still wondered if he could take him, if maybe it would be worth it to try, but he understood the uselessness of violence. He knew that it was a poison rather than a cure. In his experience, fighting back with force was never worth it. So you took the beating, you took the abuse, because the alternative could be far worse. Especially if you weren't able to follow through, which, prior to his eighth birthday, prior to feeling safe and happy for the first time, he never had been. The Agent kept his hands to himself, at least until they reached the gate, when he apparently couldn't stop himself from pushing Garrett through. The gate slammed shut behind him, and he turned, caught the man's gaze, and held him there. He carefully memorized his face. Not because he was plotting against the man, no. He wouldn't run to his father, least of all because he doubted he would care. No, he merely wanted to make sure to avoid him in the future.

He shifted his glance, catching one last glimpse of those four students, of the dragon. They were nothing but silhouettes now, dark spots in the distance, glowing under the blue light of the creature. The Agents were letting students fight in their stead. That part wasn't lost on Garrett, and he tugged that knowledge away, keeping it close to a memory of pain, of electricity crackling around him, of Agents arriving far too late to make a difference.

He turned away, tugged his phone out of his pocket to attempt to locate his friends, but his thoughts stayed with those four students, of that final image of them. The dragon had been fading, he was pretty sure. They were doing something, something the Agents failed to do.

#tiny cameo from the quad squad #original story #neon lights #ashes #original character #garrett bailey #writeblr #writers on tumblr

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orioo · 2 years ago

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Detailed Visuals for Main6 + New Character Announcement!

i. am. uncontrollable.

okay. i know i told myself i’d stop hunting for picrews to mess around with and design main 6 over and over again. but i just... it’s an uncontrollable urge for me to play with them and customize them like dolls.

i could’ve done so many other things with the time i wasted spent hunting down picrews and then procceeding to design each and every one of my characters. like schoolwork, some stuff i’m procastinating in genshin, read something interesting... so many things that could have been done but yet haven’t, because i’m me and i never stick to my self proposed schedules. ugh

well, anyway. what’s done is done. i have yet another set of picrews for the main 6, so i’m obviously going to post them here. why else would i have done them, really? and while i’m at it, i’ll also write down some details about the characters designs and visuals once and for all. i have pushed doing this way too far, dammit.

without further ado, let’s begin! ^^

Filip

has a warm skin tone

dark-ish brown, shoulder lenght hair

gentle and round brown eyes, matching the color of his hair

strong jaw and eyebrows

has a beauty mark below the left corner of his lip

dresses in a “dark academia” style - mostly dress shirts, outer layers and bottom half of any shade of brown

no piercings, wears jewelry sparsely

Kaji

fair skin complexion

sharp jawline

has a scar that begin from the left side of his jaw and runs all the way up below his eye

amethyst, almond shaped eyes

burgundy hair, almost the same lenght as Filip’s - he ties it in a low ponytail at his nape, with a few strands framing his face

mostly wears dark turtlenecks with tops colored in any shade of red

has a sword strapped to his waist - his amulet is tied to its sheath

has many ear piercings, mostly black or silver

Shreya

chocolate dark skin

round face shape but strong jaw

jade green eyes with a fiercer look to them (caused by her personality)

slicked back, dark brown hair - reaches her shoulder blades

has a scar running through her left eye

mostly wears whatever clothes she finds comfortable for travel and combat. prefers them in any shade of dark green if she were to choose

only has a pair of silver earrings and adores wearing silver necklaces

wears a silver upper arm cuff on her right arm to which she attached her amulet

Milo

tan skin tone

cheeks sprinkled with a few freckles

large, expressive, blue eyes

short, white hair

wears a thin, blue headband to keep his bangs out of his eyes (courtesy of Piper)

wears white studs and his amulet as a necklace

dresses very casually and comfortably, mostly in light colors - white and blue are his top choices

Piper

very fair, pale even, complexion

large and light yellow eyes

short, light blonde hair - could be similar to a mullet

round face with soft features

wears a white hairdband atop her bangs to which she attaches her amulet and 2 white feather from her parrot familiar

wears round glasses

mostly wears very light and warm colors, she especially loves yellow. nothing formal, just unrevealing, comfortable and cutesy clothes

has a small bowtie wrapped at the front of her shirt

Phala

warm and slightly tan skin tone

has a beauty mark below her left eye

pink, straight hair that reaches her shoulder blades, with a few bangds framing the sides of her face

expressive eyebrows matching the color of her hair

silver eyes with a comforting and warm look

has a normal pair of dangly earrings but wishes to get more piercings in the future

wears a white bowtie at the back of her head to keep her hair from getting in her face

likes formal clothing, but, due to constant travelling, resorts to wearing slightly elegant and comfrtable clothes - mostly in cutesy colors, such as white, pink and purple

New Character Announcement

now this is exciting news! a brand new character? when we aren’t even close to scrapping the surface of our main6 yet?

yes

i’m guilty of having a very active and creative mind when it comes to making up new ocs, but never seem to be able to give them a full backstory and characterization (which is somehting i’m attemtping to fix by devoting myself to this project :D). as much as i might encourage myself to use my creativity in making up a stable plot for this story, and give my characters a proper and detailed backstory already, my brain goes nope! and initiates the process of making up a new character.

i’m not upset about it though, not this time. this character will appear later in the story and will play a major role in Shreya’s individual character arc, as well as Piper’s. i won’t go into any details regarding her. i’ll leave that for later, when the plot has actually gotten to the point where she will be introduced.

everybody, say hello to Maple !!

i briefly mentioned in a previous post that Piper will be revealed to have witch heritage. regarding that, so will Maple, as Piper’s older sister. on the contrary to Piper’s obliviousness on this matter, Maple is fully aware of her race and resides alongside a small grouping of witches. she grew up learning about and training her magic.

she has a very fair complexion, similar to Piper’s

she has waist lenght hair that she ties in a ponytail at her nape. she has 2 fringes framing her face that are held compact by golden rings - they reach her collarbone. her hair color is apricot orange

she ornates her hair by wearing a purple clematis pinned on the left side of her head

golden eyes, the same shade as Piper’s. she likes to wear make-up - handmade from pressed flower powder

dresses elegantly, in mostly white and purple shades. most oftenly wears a light purple himation that wraps around her shoulders and goes all the way down to her knees.

hi. hello. hey guys

hahahaha

been a wonderul full week since ya’ll have heard from me, ay? i’m absolutely, utterly sorry for completly disappearing like that. funny thing is, i had this draft all written out and done for posting aside from this end note and the link to the picrew with which i designed the pics above... and i still didn’t post it ToT

i don’t even have something to blame other than myself and my barely-existent free time (and motivation).

so yeah, nothing to add here. hope you enjoyed!

link to the picrew: https://picrew.me/image_maker/614903

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flyingisabetterwordforfalling · 2 years ago

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until we meet again - color symbolism (episode 1, 2 and 3) long post ! I'm probably years late to this but I love the red thread of fate that is shown in this series through so many tiny details, especially through colors. By now people seem to know that Win and Team have their respective colors, which are red (for Team) and blue (for Win) - it's even more shown in their own series, Between Us.

(episode 1 of Between Us) Though, speaking about the characters having their own colors, I think the same goes for Pharm and Dean because I think Pharm's color is yellow while Dean's is green based on it seemingly being In's and Korn's colors as well.

(sorry for using this scene and picture as an example)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(here we've got Pharm with his yellow backpack; episode 1)

(Pharm in his room, wearing a yellow shirt, with yellow in the background and also with yellow-ish glowing string-lights; episode 2)

(Pharm once again in his room, this time with yellow triangles on his blanket and him smiling brightly because Dean and him just exchanged phone numbers; episode 3)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - finding what I think is Dean's color was a bit harder but I think that's mostly because whenever Dean's color appears Pharm's own is already a part of it or at least part of the scene as well...

(here's the faculty's banner which has more green than other colors and yet there's a hint of yellow incorporated into the flower design, this also happens to be where Pharm sees Dean for the first time; episode 1)

(this, I think, happens to kind of mirror In's and Korn's first meeting, in which Korn is reading a book with a yellow and green cover; episode 3)

(however, it happens again, shorty afterwards, when there is this scene with two of the couples, there's Win surrounded by blue, the water, the blue and white swim teams' robes etc. and there's Team with his red goggles but there's also Manow's green bag right next to Pharm's yellow one while Dean notices Pharm, seemingly for the first time; episode 1)

(let's just ignore In's attempt at making his boyfriend an omelette... because look at the colors, there's yellow and greens everywhere even the pots are both green and yellow; episode 2)

(I could write so much about these two scenes... Dean dreamt about In and Korn having breakfast together and the first thing he wanted after waking up was an omelette with rice, he seemed even slightly disappointed that the one he got wasn't burnt as well... and even here there's yellow, the egg and green, the garnish on the side and on top of the other food and just a few minutes later, I assume, there's Pharm sitting down in the same spot where Dean was just sitting... he's got his own color with him, aka his yellow backpack, and he's also got omelette with rice (also once again yellow and green) but the difference here is that he's literally surrounded by the green of the plants, indicating that Dean was around just minutes prior; episode 2)

(this scene takes place right after Pharm sees Dean sleeping in the library, there's once again Pharm's yellow backback but there's also a chair in the background with a green backrest; episode 3)

(this iconic scene shows greens and yellows on the packaging of the products on the shelf, indicating that Pharm is already thinking about and/or in the presence of Dean and of course, just moments later Dean comes to help Pharm and they face each other, finally having their first real chance to talk, which of course doesn't happen quite yet; episode 2)

(here's also the first message Pharm, accidentally, sends Dean, which happens to be a sticker with mostly yellow and green as its main colors; episode 3) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

though, I believe In's and Korn's main connecting color to be light green aka a mixture of yellow and green, I think there's also a second color that shows their connection.

(In's star-shaped luk chup which he made for Korn; episode 2)

(I think there's a color that connects In and Korn but more so Pharm and Dean even when they're apart and when they are still unsure about why they feel connected. I think it's tones of greenish blue, aquamarin and turquoise (or like Shawol me would say pearl aqua green).

(it's even shown in In's and Korn's first meeeting, behind In on the wall, alongsite yet more greens and yellows shown on posters on the wall; episode 3)

(Pharm's anonymous sticky note addressed to Dean; episode 2)

(Pharm's star-shaped luk chup which he made in this shape for Dean only; episode 3)

(Pharm using his highlighter while he gets a text from Team, who sends him pictures of Dean - and Win, but we're not talking about Team sneakily taking pictures of both their crushes right now; episode 3)

(Pharm getting startled by the sudden loud noise and Dean noticing, with the poster behind Pharm; episode 3)

In a nutshell: These colors seemingly being connected to these characters is really interesting in my eyes because neither yellow and green nor blue and red are each other's respective complementary colors. I think this shows perfectly that not just Win and Team but even more so Pharm and Dean literally chose each other as soulmates, the main couple of the series even despite the odds having been against them in their first life. Maybe I'm just interpreting way too much into this but I really, really like the symbolism and usage of colors, especially in this series.

#until we meet again #uwma #uwma pharm #uwma dean #deanpharm #uwma color symbolism #teamwin

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outofangband · 3 years ago

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Flora and Fauna of Ard-galen

I originally had only the flora posted separately but I wanted to post this together for convenience and to add to the flora!

Flora and fauna of Arda masterlist

Originally requested by @polutrope

Disclaimer: I used both what we can extrapolate is likely indigenous to the region based on descriptions of the landscape and climate as well as my own headcanons and inspirations and reference books on similar habitats as well as books like The Atlas of Middle Earth and The Flora of Middle Earth

I really love working on and researching these! and as always feel free to ask more, even if I've already done a place I'd always enjoy going into more detail of tacking a more specific kind of life there

Ard-galen was the vast, green plains south of Angband and North of Dorthonion. It translates to Green Region in Sindarin. Little description is given to the details of its climate or biodiversity but based on its location and proximity to Dorthonion, it was likely a temperate region with cold seasons especially due to the proximity of the mountains.

The grasslands would be made up of a variety of grasses and other plants and would probably include fens, other areas of more moisture. Timothy grass, green foxtail, windgrass, larkspur, blue grass and other meadow grasses, sedge, cow vetch, yarrow, various brambles, wood reed, meadowsweet, marsh yellow cress, meadow rue, wild mustard, clover, and dog violet are all possible examples.

Dotted throughout the region there are probably streams including those that originate in the mountains. Wood sorrel, floating sweet grass, marsh bedstraw, soft rush, and various reeds may be found closer to the water

A variety of wildflowers also probably grow throughout. Goldenrod, certain species of lilies, summer pheasant’s eye, mayweed, cornflower, poppies, campion, and pilewort are all possible examples

Amphibians are likely more abundant than in Hithlum or Dorthonion due to the milder climate. Possible species include the moor frog, stream frog, marsh frog, perhaps a species of small tree frog (though of course these wouldn’t live in trees mostly, more likely smaller shrubs), smooth newt, brook salamander and alpine newt. Reptiles are less common. Pond slider turtles, common wall lizards, meadow lizards and perhaps small green grass snakes are among the few species.

Birds also differ than in surrounding regions because of the different type of landscape. Some examples include quails and peasants, stone curlew, kingbirds, gray, brown and woodchat shrikes, grasshopper warblers, yellowhammers, buntings and red footed falcons.

Larger mammals are uncommon though some do pass through along migration, grazing or hunting routes. Perhaps the fields of Ard-galen are included in the migration routes for woolly rhinos or another large, prehistoric creature.

Common rabbit, a species of badger, field mice, hazel dormouse, swamp cat and (European) wild cat, common genet, roe or fallow deer, and black foxes are some possibilities.

Even short lists of insects can be overwhelming but there are definitely pollinators like honey and bumble bees, wood white and small copper butterflies, etc.

I do like to think that perhaps creatures do adapt to the landscape once the worst of the toxins clear including creatures that have previously favored Angband for the volcanic landscape. I think life adapting to the destroyed land fits very well with other themes, including the Haudh-en-Nirnaeth regaining plant life in the middle of the desert.

note: of course this is just an overview as a complete list would be thousands and thousands of species! as always feel free to request more specific areas!

#The Silmarillion #Beleriand #musing and meta #can reblog!

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aiweirdness · 5 years ago

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How to begin a novel

Last year for National Novel Writing Month I trained a neural net called torch-rnn on 10,096 unique ways to begin a novel. It came up with some intriguing possibilities, my personal favorite being “I am forced to write to my neighbors about the beast.” But many of its sentences used made-up words, or had such weird grammar that they were difficult to read, or meandered too erratically. (“The first day of the world was born in the year 1985, in an old side of the world, and the air of the old sky of lemon and waves and berries.”) The neural net was struggling to write more than a few words at a time.

This year, I decided to revisit this dataset with a larger, more-powerful neural net called GPT-2. Unlike most of the neural nets that came earlier, GPT-2 can write entire essays with readable sentences that stay mostly on topic (even if it has a tendency to lose its train of thought or get very weird). I trained the largest size that was easily fine-tunable via GPT-2-simple, the 355M size of GPT-2. Would a more-powerful neural net produce better first lines?

One of the parameters I can tweak when I’m getting a trained neural net to generate text is temperature - this controls whether the neural net chooses the most likely next bit of text as it writes, or whether it’s permitted to use its less-likely predictions. At a default of 0.7, a relatively conservative temperature, the neural net’s first lines not only make grammatical sense, but they even have the rhythm of a novel’s first line. This is DRAMATICALLY better than torch-rnn did.

I am, or was.

At the mid-day meal the sun began to set and the quiet dragged on.

There was once a man who lived for a very long time; perhaps three thousand years, or perhaps a thousand million years, maybe a trillion or so, depending on how the scientists look at it.

He had the heart of a lion, and the fangs of a man-eater.

"I am Eilie, and I am here to kill the world."

The old woman was sitting on a rock near the sea, smoking a pipe.

I have just been informed, that the debate over the question 'is it right or wrong to have immortal souls' has been finally brought to a conclusion.

When I was a boy, I was fond of the story of the pirate god.

He had a strange name, and he was a very big boy indeed.

The purple-haired woman came to the clearing in the plain, and without looking up from her book, said, "It's too late to be thinking about baby names."

The village of Pembrokeshire, in the county of Mersey, lies on a wide, happy plain, which, in a few years, was to become known as the "Land of the Endless Mountains."

I don’t think the neural net plagiarized any of these? They are so good that I’m suspicious. But others of the neural net’s lines are even weirder, yet in an effective way that opens with an intriguing premise.

The moon had gone out.

I was playing with my dog, Mark the brown Labrador, and I had forgotten that I was also playing with a dead man.

The black stone was aching from the rain.

The short, dirty, and dirty-looking ship that weighed three tons and was three feet in diameter landed on a desolate and green plain.

How many times have I had the misfortune to die?

The first black dog in the park had been captured alive.

Behold the Sky Rabbits!

In the belly of the great beast that was the bovine Aurore there lived, upon the right hand of the throne, the Empress Penelope; and she had, as it were, a heart of gold.

The moon stood on its own two feet.

The reeking maw of the blood-drunk ship, the enemy's flagship, was silent and empty.

The first day I met my future self, I was aboard the old dirigible that lay in wait for me on the far side of the moon.

The child of two cats, and a tiger, a clown, a horse, a bird, a ship, and a dragon, stood on either side of the threshold of the Gatehouse, watching the throng of travelers who came in from all around the world, before he had any idea what was going on.

I think it’s probably doing this accidentally, stringing likely words and phrases together without understanding what any of them really mean. It’s not that it’s good at science fiction or magical realism; it’s that it’s trying and failing to predict what would have fit in with the usual human-written stuff. Some of the neural net’s first lines really betray its lack of the understanding of the laws of physics. It really likes to describe the weather, but it doesn’t really understand how weather works. Or other things, really.

The moon was low in the sky, as though it had been shipped in from the farthest reaches of the solar system.

The first star I saw was a blue one, which became a scarlet one, and then a gold one, and green, and finally a yellow one, which for some years afterwards seemed to be an ebony one, or even a bubbling mass.

The sun rose slowly, like a mighty black cat, and then sank into a state of deep sleep.

The sea of stars was filled with the serenity of a million little birds.

The great blue field was all white, swept away by the blue-gold breeze that blew from the south.

The sky was cold and dark, and the cold wind, if it had not been for the clouds, would have lashed the children to the roof of the house.

The morning sun was shining brightly, but the sky was grey and the clouds aching.

The night that he finally made up his mind to kill the dog, the man was walking home from the store with his wife and child in the back seat.

Arthur the lion had been pretty much extinct for some time, until the time when he was petted by Abernathy the old woman, and her son, Mr. Popp.

One of the disadvantages of having a neural net that can string together a grammatical sentence is that its sentences now can begin to be terrible in a more-human sense, rather than merely incomprehensible. It ventures into the realm of the awful simile, or the mindnumbingly repetitive, and it makes a decent stab at the 19th century style of bombastic wordiness. I selected the examples above for uncomprehending brilliance but the utter tediousness below is more the norm.

The whites of my eyes shimmered, as if my mind were dancing.

I once went to a party where the dress code was as strict as a chicken coop with no leggings and no boots.

A black cloud drifted by, a mottled mass of hydrogen, a black cloud of hydrogen, with the definite characteristic of being black.

I say I am at sea, because I am standing upon the ocean, and look out across the barren, vast throng of the sea.

It is, of course, a trifling matter in the ordinary course of things, if a certain writer were to write a novel, which is a book of stories, which is a book of characters, wherein every detail of the story is stated, together with a brief description of the theme which it concerns.

There was a boy with blue eyes, with sandy hair and blue eyes that looked at all times like he had been pushed through a million compartments.

The Sun, with its rolling shaft of bright light, the brilliant blue of the distant golden sun, and the red glow of its waning corona, was shining.

The man who was not Jack the Ripper had been promoted four times in the last two years.

Felix the Paw was sitting at the table of his favorite restaurant, the "Bordeaux" in the town of Bordeaux, when his father, Cincinnata, came in to say good-by to the restaurant.

It, sir, gives me the greatest pleasure to hear that the Court be not too long in passing away: but that I may have leisure to prepare a new work for the publication of my friend and colleague, the renowned Epistemology, which is now finished; and in which I shall endeavour to show, that this very point is of the highest importance in the subject of the philosophy which I am about to treat of.

It was a rainy, drizzling day in the summer of 1869 and the people of New York, who had become accustomed to the warm, kissable air of the city, were having another bad one.

Repetitiveness is also common, especially at this conservative temperature setting. Once the neural net gets itself into a repetitive state, it doesn’t seem to rescue itself - it’s a problem that people have noticed in several versions of this algorithm. (It doesn’t help that I forgot to scrub the “title” that someone submitted to the dataset that consists of the word “sand” repeated 2,000 times)

The sky was blue and the stars were blue and the sun was blue and the water was blue and the clouds were blue and the blue sky was like a piece of glass.

At the end of the world, where the tides burst upon the drowned, there exists a land of dragons, of dragons, which is the land of the dragons.

It's the end of the world, it's the end of the world, it's the end of the world, it's the end of the world, it's the end of the world, you're dead.

There was once a land of sand, and sand, sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand sand

Increasing the temperature of the sampling would help the repetitiveness problem, in theory, letting the neural net venture into more interesting territory. But at a temperature of 1.0 the text tends to venture out of everyday surrealism and into wordy yet distractible incomprehensibility.

The praying mules on the top of the hills sounded the final klaxon, lifting their spiked front hoofs as they crept the last few feet of desert landscape past the crest of the enormous swathe of prehistoric sand.

In the glen of the Loch is a ladder that winds way up through a passage to a ledge with soft, moss-laden environmental standards.

Someone whipped a dead squash gibbet across the room, like some formidable war lord unleashing a heavy hunk of silver at home.

One blue eyed child stood up and cried out: "Douay, saurines, my Uncle – Fanny Pemble the loader!"

Jud - an elderly despot, or queen in emopheles, was sitting across the table from the king, looking very thoughtfully into the perplexions of the proceedings.

Oh, you're a coward little fool, as if you couldn't bear to leer at a Prunker or white-clad bodyguard quickly emerging from a shady, storm-damaged area of the city.

Hanging presently in his little bell-bottomed chamber on the landing-house, early in the morning, the iron traveler sat on a broad-blonde sandbricksannel blanket outside the gate of a vast and ancient island.

Long, glowing tongues trailed from your mouth as you listened to what was being said across this kingdom of ours, but growing a little more somber since the week that caused us to proclaim general war.

The night I first met Winnie the Pooh, I had sat in the Tasting-House and heard the Chef unpack the last of the poison upon his quiet dinnertable.

There is, of course, no perfect setting at which the neural net churns out sensible yet non-repetitive first lines. There are just varying shades of general awfulness, interspersed with accidental brilliance.

No matter how much you’re struggling with your novel, at least you can take comfort in the fact that AI is struggling even more.

I generated all the neural net sentences above using a generic “It” as the prompt that the neural net had to build on (it would usually go on to generate another 20-30 sentences at a time). But although the sentences are independent in my training data, GPT-2 is used to large blocks of text that go together. The result is if I prompt it instead with, say, a line from Harry Potter fanfic, the neural net will tend to stick with that vein for a while. I've included a few examples as bonus content for subscribers.

Update: I now have a few thousand unfiltered examples of neural net-generated first lines at the GitHub repository where I have the original crowdsourced dataset. Themes include: Harry Potter, Victorian, My Little Pony, and Ancient Gods.

My book on AI is out, and, you can now get it any of these several ways! Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Indiebound - Tattered Cover - Powell’s

#neural networks #you look like a thing #nanowrimo #gpt-2 #writing #first lines #gpt-2-355m

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whitleyschn33 · 3 years ago

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Color in RWBY’s Designs

I’ve been trying to reblog this post for a good 10 minutes, and Tumblr just refuses to let me, and I don’t think I’m blocked, so @strqyr , have a reply

...

Okay, ignoring the out-of-left-field (hah) pivot to politics that cropped up in the comments -

I’m not an artist, but I do follow a few that discuss character design and have attempted some recolors myself, and when it comes to the various designs and colors of the RWBY girls, it’s not so much about the in-universe importance of color, it’s about the more meta principles of character design. Once again, I’m not the most qualified person to talk about this, so excuse me if I get something wrong or ramble.

In visual mediums, a character’s design, more specifically their silhouette and their colors, is what makes them stand out and memorable to an audience; in a lot of cartoons and anime, you’ll likely be able to recognize characters by their designs long before you remember their names, and even if you don’t know their names, seeing the silhouette or even color palette of that character can bring their image to your mind. For example, I haven’t seen an episode of Sailor Moon in my life, but show me Usagi’s silhouette, and I can tell you exactly who that is. I can show you this, and I would bet that 99% of you can tell me what character this is meant to represent despite it literally just being 5 rectangles.

(On a slight tangent, in action shows, colors and the smart placement there-of are doubly important, as they help with keeping track of a character as they move through a cluttered environment and interact with other characters, and keep track of how they move their bodies in that space. To use a specific example from RWBY itself, check out the Nevermore fight from Volume 1 - despite all the debris flying around the screen and the amount of wide shots, it’s easy to keep track of how the characters move around the screen. Yang’s gauntlets help direct your eyes to her punches, and the splash of red in Weiss’s collar makes sure she doesn’t turn into a white blob moving around the screen.)

RWBY specifically is a show that quite literally advertised itself and its character on the premise of color. The show is named not just after the main characters, but the main characters’ colors. The first trailers were the Red, White, Black, and Yellow trailers. Their original designs, while of course using other colors in the palettes, give an overall impression of red, white, black, and yellow, making the characters pop against the stark black, red, and white backgrounds of the trailers, as well as stand out against the background characters that were literally empty black voids of silhouettes. Their initial character designs are tied completely to them representing a specific color, and this color gimmick also makes the girls stand out as characters. Ruby’s red cloak and ruffles, Weiss’s white side ponytail and dress, Blake’s black bow and tuxedo vest, and Yang’s fiery yellow hair and gauntlets are instantly recognizable from a glance, and that’s a sign of good design that makes them distinct.

So, when you get to the later volumes and suddenly the characters are wearing less and less of their original, iconic colors on top of getting new silhouettes, it makes them start looking less and less recognizable as the characters they were originally designed to be, and more like completely different characters. Lets look at Blake and Weiss as an example. If you’d never seen RWBY, could you tell me if these were the same characters?

Alright, let’s fill in the details.

They look like two completely different pairs of characters. It’s not even the clothes themselves, but the colors and shapes of their clothes combined with the radically different hairstyles make the V7 designs look very much unlike the original designs. The girls got alternate outfits in V2, but they all fit the general silhouettes and color schemes of their typical outfits, and were still very much recognizable as the main team, just with new clothes. Such a drastic shift in what types of clothes and the colors they wear in V7, on the other hand, makes them look like different character designs. If you’re going to change what a character is wearing to something very different, keeping the colors consistent helps with keeping them recognizable as the character they are.

Now, changing the design of your character beyond the specific clothes they wear isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Characters change as they progress through a story, and in visual media, changes to character design can be used to signify how they’re changing or how they’re reacting to their environment and new situations. For example, in the S2 premire of Avatar, Zuko cuts off his distinguishing topknot to represent his fall from a Fire Nation prince to an outlaw on the run, and in season 3, the GAang don red Fire Nation clothes as a disguise, ditching their usual blue, orange, and green clothing. In the Owl House, Amity dyes her hair purple to represent her making her own choices rather than letting her family control her life (and I picked this up from gif sets, without having even seen the show). Design changes, even to hair and color, can be used to represent change - and RWBY has managed to do this fairly well in the past! For example, Weiss’s V4 design is very different from her original design - her sleeves and collar are tight rather than poofy, her colors are muted and overrun with greys and blues, her whites are mostly hidden and her red is nowhere to be seen. This works, though, because it represents Weiss’s current situation - she’s being controlled by her father, her individuality represented by her whites and reds being driven out, and her dress is mostly tight against her wrists and neck, like shackles and being chocked. It’s a good way of showing a character’s changed situation, while keeping her recognizable from her side ponytail and poofy skirt remaining the same.

The latest redesigns of Team RWBY, however, don’t do this. They change radically, in color, hair, and clothing shape, and there’s no clear reason why. Why do they change how they look so drastically? What prompted them to style their hair so differently, to cut it so short? Why have they decided to choose different colors to wear? To circle back to the initial post, what part of their character development has changed them from the color they were representing to the color they’re now representing?

For more specific question/examples - what prompted Blake to cover herself in a heavy white coat in V4, when she was heading to a tropical island to recover? Why does she wear a bright white coat for official Huntress business when she’s meant to be a ninja? Why does she cut her hair so short? Why does Weiss cover herself in blues and greys in V7 when blues and greys were used to show her unhappiness and imprisonment by Jacques, rather than returning to lots of whites? Why does she go from a sleek ponytail to a thick heavy braid? Why does Ruby replace her cape and start styling her hair differently? Why does she go from a poofy skirt with ruffles to a very sleek, low volume skirt? Why does Yang not wear any yellow anymore? Why do none of them seem to wear anything suited for the cold? None of these questions have real answers. We can speculate all day, but at the end, that would still just be speculation.

Why does Lillie in Pokemon change her hair and clothes? To prove that she’s not just something for her mother to control and dress up to her ideal of beauty; that Lillie can make her own choices and is ready to stand on her own two feet and do what needs to be done, rather than relying on Repels and the player character.

Why does Blake cut her hair and start wearing so much white? ....

Why does Persona 5′s Akechi’s palette switch from bright white, reds, and golds to dark blacks and purples? To show the tearing down of the Detective Prince façade to the true darkness underneath.

Why does Weiss start wearing so many dark blues and greys? ....

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. Things just change on RWBY, key aspects of their designs like their hair and colors, and for the most part, there just seems to be no reason given to change. I’m not saying things like colors can never change, clearly they can, but for character design, especially in a show so heavily focused on colors and how characters are represented by their colors, it’s not a thing that should be taken lightly; if a character has grown so dramatically that the manner in which they express themselves as a character has changed, like the original poster is implying it can, it should be clear to see why this character has changed in this manner.

Without a good reason for it to change, it feels unnatural, like the character isn’t the same character - so when RWBY’s colors seem to be changing without good reason, creating designs that don’t look right for the character they’re meant to be in the situations they’re meant to be in, it causes people to want to revert back to the original palettes. Not because they’re denying individuality of the characters, but because the characters are no longer designed like the individuals they once were, and artists want to bring that individuality and striking design back through the use of the colors these characters use to define themselves.

#rwby #art #long post #please my more artistic mutuals #please correct me if i'm wrong #i'm not an artist

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geekgirles · 3 years ago

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Full Disclosure

“I’m sorry for the way I used to act towards you when we were fourteen,” she admitted before softly adding, “especially when you and Danny were beginning to connect.”

In which Sam and Valerie clear the air between them.

Word count: 5176

READ ON AO3

Before we go in, I just wanted to say that I hope I did the characters justice. Really, it’s all I ask because I’m still fairly recent in the fandom (as in, actively participating rather than fangirling on my own) and I’d hate to make a travesty of characters that mean so much to me. Oh, and this one-shot can take place in whatever timeline you want: you hate PP with a passion? Don’t worry, it didn’t happen. You actually think it’s a good finale? That works too. There shouldn’t be anything that indicates this story takes place in anywhere in particular other than Amity Park, so... All you need to know is that Valerie knows.

Please, enjoy!!

As an intense throb manifested itself in her right side, eliciting an involuntary groan to escape her throat, Sam was more frustrated at herself than aching from the hit. It had been two years already since Danny had the accident that gave him his powers, consequently beginning the constant battles against ghosts that made their teenaged life significantly harder, and, as they came to appreciate their lifestyle, significantly more interesting, too. Once Danny gained his ghost powers, she and Tucker took it to themselves to make sure their friend was always supported and aided when fighting his ghostly adversaries.

And with that came the injuries.

They certainly didn’t get hurt as often or as gravely as Danny, since he was usually the one facing the mischievous spirits head-on, but they still had to get used to their own fair share of beatings. The teachers were understandably surprised when they effortlessly completed their first aid training in Health class.

All in all, Sam was used to getting hurt.

Which made the fact that Valerie had landed such a perfect kick that it literally left her breathless all the more humiliating.

Valerie Gray, a.k.a. the Red Huntress. Danny Phantom’s longtime pursuer and Danny Fenton’s one time girlfriend. The once popular girl was now their trustworthy ally. And, as much as Sam hated to admit it, she was thoroughly kicking her butt. Perhaps she should have expected as much from a ninth degree black belt.

“Had enough, Manson?” Valerie taunted with a raised eyebrow.

Getting up slowly, Sam sent her a smirk alongside a challenging, determined look. “Never.” And with that she leaped on the ghost huntress, using her momentum to connect a punch to her face. But Valerie was faster, blocking the Goth girl’s attack with her forearm before sliding her leg under Sam’s to make her lose her balance. Seeing what her opponent was up to, the violet-eyed girl quickly got out of her way, widening the space between the two to give herself some time to think up a new strategy.

Smirking at Sam’s maneuver, Valerie appraised her with pride. “Not bad, Sam,” she said before changing her stance, ready to pounce, “but the extra space won’t save you from this.” Leaping into the air, the Red Huntress didn’t waste a moment to knock Sam to the floor with a roundhouse kick boosted by her movements.

Even if the Goth blocked the attack by keeping her palms up in front of her face, the sheer force behind it was still enough to knock her down. That was gonna bruise in the morning, she was sure of it. Glancing up she noticed Valerie looking down at her with a smug look on her face and her hands on her hips. Sam barely resisted the urge to scowl darkly at her. Panting, she conceded, “Alright, alright. Maybe now I’ve had enough.”

Chuckling at Sam’s proud nature, the green-eyed girl bent down slightly to offer her friend a hand and lift her up from the floor. Once Sam was at her eye-level, she looked down on her watch, now serving as a chronometre. “Five minutes. That’s a full round! Congratulations, Sam. So far, you’re the one who’s lasted the most against me.” She applauded her, but her face betrayed her. She was about to burst out laughing.

Snorting, the Goth girl elbowed her slightly on the arm. “Knock it off! Even if I lost, I still managed to land a few hits myself.”

“Yeah...Trust me, you don’t have to remind me.” Valerie complained with a pointed look as she rubbed her lower back. Early on in the match, Sam kneed her there. Thank goodness she wasn’t tasked with unloading the Nasty Burger’s products that week. “I’m serious, though. Danny without his powers lasts a minute and a half, tops. And Tucker...well, let’s just say that taking one hit without passing out is already a victory when it comes to him.”

“Yeah, he and Danny really should do more exercise.” The two girls laughed at that. These past two years Danny’s skill when using his powers had skyrocketed. Enemies that used to give him a hard time were now more of a headache. He didn’t even have to pay attention to the fight to get rid of the Ghost Box. Now, as Danny Fenton… He’d gotten taller, that was for sure. But he still had the nasty habit of relying on his powers a little too much, which didn’t do his P.E marks any favours. And Tucker was still far more interested in whatever his PDA had to offer than the wonders of physical exercise.

In truth, everyone had changed during that time, if only a little.

Sam was still as Goth and ultra-recyclo-vegetarian as always. Her raven hair was slightly longer, now reaching her shoulders, but she still wore it mostly loose and framing her face, except for the one strand she kept in a high ponytail. Her fashion sense hadn’t changed much either. She wore a black crop top with Danny’s logo on it instead of the old purple ovalーthe town began selling merchandise of its hero to attract, and basically rob, tourists. Since she created the logo herself, she made her own outfits and nobody was none the wiser. She also stuck with plaid skirts, but this time she favoured a purple and black one instead of her old black and green. But her combat boots, accessories, and make-up were sacred. Everybody knew impending doom was near if Sam ever changed even the tiniest detail in her appearance when it came to that.

She was still outspoken and an avid defender of animal rights, individuality, and most importantly, of Danny Phantom. Even though most people celebrated the boy and thanked him for his services, there were still some who criticised him and believed Amity Park was better off before him. Needless to say, Sam was always at the front of the line in any protest to defend Amity Park’s greatest protector. The fact that he was not only one of her best friends but also her boyfriend may have something to do with it. But even if they weren’t together, Sam knew Danny. She’d always known him. She would always defend him from those who couldn’t even begin to grasp just how noble, responsible, and compassionate he was.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly when she remembered she’d just been sparring with what once was one of Danny Phantom’s greatest detractors.

In a way, Valerie had probably changed the most out of everyone she knew while simultaneously not changing anything at all.

In terms of appearance, just like Sam, she’d only modified her look slightly. She cut her long, dark brown curls so they now barely reached her shoulders instead of cascading down her back. According to her, long hair just got in the way with her suit. She originally wanted to get an undercut, but her dad almost had a cow so they compromised with short hair for now and leaving the undercut for when she was a little older. The huntress still favoured spaghetti-strapped yellow t-shirts, but now she completed her outfit with dark blue jeans or shorts (depending on the temperature) and white sneakers. She also dropped the headband due to her hair, but she kept the earrings.

The most obvious change, though, was that she was now an ally rather than an enemy after Danny Phantom’s head. Sam feared for the worst when Valerie found out her ex boyfriend was the very same ghost she’d vowed to destroy (could she really say she and Danny were exes, though? Sure, they went on a few dates and they genuinely liked each other, but Valerie pseudo-broke up with him right when he was about to ask her to make things official... Ugh, the wonders of the teenaged heart... Always bound to give her a headache. This is why she preferred her Goth indifference...most of the time). As much as they wanted to trust Valerie was going to be sensible about it, her track record wasn’t the best, forcing them to keep an eye out in case she decided to send her more positive opinion of Danny Fenton to Hell and shoot him with her ecto-bazooka.

Thankfully, one day Valerie just sat down with them at lunch, and when Danny tentatively asked her if they were okay, she just smiled and said, “We’re okay.” So they ate lunch in peace...until the Lunch Lady showed up and they had to send her back to the Ghost Zone. At least that time the Red Huntress was there to help them out. Ever since then, the girl sometimes fought alongside them, but for the most part she did her own thing.

And that was something about Valerie that hadn’t changed; her hatred of ghosts. Valerie was still hellbent on getting rid of all the spirits that haunted Amity Park, with half-ghosts being the sole exception ーexcept for Vlad, Valerie held a huge grudge against him for having used her as his pawn; not like the team could complain, they all hated Vlad, after all. And that made her ruthless, determined, brutal… More than once Danny had tried talking her out of her grudge against the paranormal, explaining to her that, albeit not as numerous as the troublemaking ghosts, there were still some that just wanted to be left alone. But Valerie would not budge. She believed all ghosts lacked the humanity and self-control necessary to resist whatever crazy obsession that tied them to our world and would eventually attack.

To Valerie, ghosts were ticking bombs.

Seeing as, so far, most ghosts they faced were malicious or seriously causing trouble, Tucker suggested they just let her be, but the moment she actually targeted an innocent ghost (say, Wulf), then they would have to get serious with her.

All in all, Valerie was their friend. A friend who had agreed to help her train so Danny wouldn’t have to worry so much about her safety when they were out fighting spectres. Not like he really needed to worry, she could take care of herself, but the more prepared they were, the better. And Valerie was helping her with that, and yet, the air still hadn’t been completely cleared between them.

As much as Sam would’ve loved cutting to the chase, a part of her still wasn’t prepared to address the elephant in the room. “Not gonna lie, Valerie, I wiー” she stopped mid-sentence. The last thing they needed was to have Desirée roaming free around Amity Park just because she hadn’t been careful with her words. Clearing her throat, she went on. “I mean, I would do anything for your fighting skills. You must have every ghost shaking in their boots...or whatever they have to shake in.”

As Sam sat down on the floor of her family’s private gym, which Valerie still couldn’t get used to being in, the green-eyed girl made her way to the other side of the room far away from the training tatami, where a middle-sized fridge was located. Pulling the door open, she grabbed two water bottles before going back to Sam. “Yeah, what can I say? I am pretty awesome.”

“And don’t forget modest.” Sam replied sarcastically.

“Girl, when you’re as good as me, you don’t need to pretend to be modest.” She joked as she handed Sam her own water bottle, which she accepted gratefully, before sitting down on the floor next to her. “Believe it or not, though, I became a ninth degree black belt long before I started hunting ghosts.” She looked at the floor, a pensive look on her face, “...we couldn’t have afforded the classes otherwise.”

Sam did her best to suppress the urge to do a spit-take at her words. Valerie almost never brought her financial situation up. The most she used to do was remember Danny why she hated him back when she still was after him, but the topic was dropped altogether once the secret was out. Looking around her ridiculously lavish house, Sam felt like facepalming herself. How could she have been so insensitive as to remind Valerie of the life she lost?!

“Valerie...I-I’m sorry. I should’ve told you to meet up at the park to train, but I…”

“Sam, don’t.” The huntress cut her off with a stern tone. “Don’t apologise. You have nothing to apologise for.”

“But it was insensitive of me toー” Again, she was interrupted by Valerie, who silenced her by raising her palm up in front of her.

“Please, let me talk. You don’t have to apologise for anything because you’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll admit, it’s a bit paradoxical finding out that while I was mourning my losses you’d been hiding the fact that you’re stinking rich all along. But I’m not offended by it. Actually, I think I understand.”

“You do?” The Goth girl asked in disbelief, her eyes wide open.

The African-American girl just shrugged. “I think so. I didn’t realise it until my so-called friends kicked me out of the group, but having money attracts a lot of fakes and shallow people. People who’ll only be there when it’s convenient for them and who’ll throw you away like a used tissue the moment you have nothing else to offer. I know that better than anyone…” When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to see Sam smiling kindly at her, doing her best to get out of her comfort zone and offer her some comfort. She returned the smile. “Bottom line: you want real friends, so you never talk about your money ‘cause you don’t want to attract the wrong people. I get it.”

“You really do.”

“And I guess I’m also flattered.”

Sam blinked slowly at her. “Wow, Valerie. It usually takes a lot to take me by surpriseーwith the ghost fighting and allーand yet, here we are!”

The huntress just chuckled softly in response. “What I mean is that I understand that it takes you a lot to let people inーand quite literally tooーbut you still invited me. That means you must trust me, if only a bit.”

Sam couldn’t help but blush at her earnest words. It was true, wasn’t it? She trusted Valerie. She would have never invited her to her house if she didn’t. And, now that she thought about it, Valerie had to trust her too if she was willing to show her vulnerable side to her. Somehow, the thought made her smile. Knowing she would have to bring up uncomfortable topics soon, the violet-eyed girl decided to alleviate some of the tension first. “Well, I’m glad you could at least get your black belt first! Otherwise we would be in for a major asskicking from some ghosts.”

That comment actually made Valerie laugh. “Oh, hush, you flatterer! Or I’ll tell Danny his girlfriend has been hitting on me.” She could only snort when Sam gasped in fake shock. “Seriously, though. I personally would love to be as genre savvy as you are. I mean, you always know what to do or have some obscure knowledge about whatever we’re facing. From the Fright Knight’s legend to how to train your dragon ghost.”

Sam merely shrugged with a lazy grin on her face, “What can I say? Obscure knowledge sort of comes with being a Goth.”

The two girls started snickering after that. As their laughter died down, Valerie noticed Sam’s smile fading from the corner of her eye, concerning her. “Sam? Is everything okay?”

“Valerie...I’m sorry.”

That took her by surprise. After a few seconds of shock, the Red Huntress rolled her eyes good-naturedly before gently nudging her friend with her shoulder. “C’mon, Sam. I told you already. You don’t have to feel sorry for inviting meー.”

This time it was Sam who cut her off. She shook her head. “No. No, it’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’m sorry for the way I used to act towards you when we were fourteen,” she admitted before softly adding, “especially when you and Danny were beginning to connect.”

One would think that a semi-professional ghost huntress would have seen it all, and honestly, so did Valerie, but she was genuinely shocked at Sam’s apology. The shock didn't last long, though. “Are you seriously apologising for that? Sam, that was two years ago!”

Of all the things she could be apologising for...She just had to pick that one, didn’t she?

Sam groaned, frustrated and clenching her gym shorts with her hands. “I know it’s been two years, but that doesn’t change that I wasn’t the most pleasant person in the world to you for reasons that weren’t...completely pure.”

“So what?” Valerie insisted. “Neither was I for the longest time! You and Tucker were right when you called me out during Pariah Dark’s attack; how could I expect to be treated like one of the group when I used to be such a brat to you? You still eventually forgave me.” She pointed out.

“You don’t understand…” Sam whined as she rubbed her face with her hands. “While it’s true that part of my animosity towards you came from how you used to treat us, and another good chunk came from your eagerness to vaporise one of my best friends,” the Red Huntress actually had the decency to blush embarrassedly at that, “I really, really disliked you because I was...well, I was jealous. Plain and simple.”

There. She’d said it. After years gritting her teeth and burning with envy whenever Danny and Tucker (mostly because of Danny, obviously) drooled over Paulina or any other pretty girl, she had finally admitted she was mostly jealous instead of simply not understanding what the fuss was about. Hanging out with girls more often, namely Valerie and Jazz, instead of only spending her time with the guys had really helped broaden her horizons. Especially when it came to her opinion on other girls. She was proud to say she was finally moving on from her “not like other girls” phase.

Even if Danny’s crush on Paulina had driven her nuts more than once, it was his budding romance with Valerie that truly pushed all her buttons and caused her deepest insecurities to rear their ugly head. Even if dating her was dangerous, Danny still wanted to be with her! He was willing to throw caution to the wind if it meant they could be a couple. And he was so protective of her when Technus attacked… As much as Sam hated to admit it, as much as she wished (to Hell with Desirée) she could ignore it all and just focus on protecting Danny from being hunted by his new girlfriend, that hurt.

That hurt a lot.

Albeit annoying, Danny’s crush on Paulina was safe. Paulina only liked Danny Phantom. Danny couldn’t really get closer to her as his alter-ego without putting her in danger, and Danny would never put an innocent person in danger. And just like that, Paulina became unattainable. But Valerie…

Valerie liked Danny Fenton. She and Danny often just wanted to have a normal life, away from ghosts and burdens that no 14-year-old kid should shoulder. Even if the Red Huntress wanted to kill Danny Phantom, Valerie genuinely liked Danny Fenton. Despite the danger, she was closer than Paulina. And despite their close bond, she was closer to Danny than Sam herself. Because Valerie wasn’t afraid to admit her feelings, unlike her.

In fact, hadn’t Valerie put her job before her love life, Sam knew without an ounce of a doubt that she and Danny would still be together. Because she had been too afraid to tell Danny how much he meant to her sooner.

Yes, she had been jealous of Valerie.

She had been jealous of the attention she received from Danny. She had been jealous of the fact that they went out on several dates and nothing could embarrass them or ruin their little moment. She was jealous because it would’ve meant things would change.

But most importantly, she was jealous of Valerie’s guts.

And she finally confessed it.

...which made what Valerie said next all the more jaw-dropping.

“Yeah, I know.”

Her jaw hanging low and eyes as wide as saucers, Sam slowly turned her head to look the huntress dead in the eye. “You know?” She asked, completely flabbergasted.

Valerie snorted. She actually snorted at her question! And while Sam was looking at her with the most comically astonished expression on the face of the planet, Valerie just regarded her with a coy smile. “No offence, Sam, but it was kinda hard to miss. I think only Danny wasn’t aware of it.”

Sam had nothing to say in response to that.

“Besides, didn’t I tell you before I even started going out with Danny? When you like someone, if you don’t make a move, somebody else will. What did you think I was referring to other than your feelings, chess?”

“That...is true.” The Goth admitted quietly.

Seeing her usually outspoken friend acting so despondent all of a sudden didn’t sit well with the green-eyed teenager. She sighed, “Look, Sam. I understand that you were...difficult because you were jealous. I can’t deny I once or twice acted petty towards you because I was jealous, myself. But even if I hadn’t decided to just stay friends with Danny, I don’t think we would’ve worked out in the end.”

Not for the first time that day, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last time either, Valerie had taken her completely aback. Furrowing her brow in confusion, Sam insisted, “What are you talking about? You two are the best ghost hunters in Amity Park, you guys would have been the ultimate power couple!”

Leaning back on her elbows, the Red Huntress sent the Goth a smirk, “Ah, but you’re forgetting I would’ve had to know Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were one and the same first. And I…”, for the first time since their sparring lesson began, Valerie found herself hesitating, “I don’t know how I would’ve taken that.

“Sure, I really, really liked Danny, but I had spent far longer hating his ghost half. Ever since the Cujo-related incidents I blamed him for the turn my life had taken. And even when I was growing fond of Danny Fenton, his actions as Danny Phantom still drove me nuts! I mean, he literally unmasked me right before my dad! He forbade me from ghost hunting until I got that upgrade in my suit. Could I really put all that aside in favour of having a relationship with him?

“That’s why it took me so long to face you guys once I learned the truth; I was trying to make peace with it all. I figured I could learn to forgive Danny, maybe even trust him with my life...but never with my heart again. There were too many imbalances between us for me to be comfortable in a relationship with him...and you guys are honestly better together anyways.” She winked at the ultra-recyclo-vegetarian.

“You really think so?” Sam could feel the heat making its way to her cheeks the moment Valerie nodded at her question. “I-I mean!”, ugh, how she hated stuttering!, “Danny’s always been super important to me...obviously! And we’ve always done our best to be there for each other and have each other’s backs, but there are times when I can’t help but wonder if perhaps we’re just making a mistake and we were better off as friends…” She finished with a defeated sigh.

At the sensation of an arm wrapped around her shoulders, she turned to look at Valerie. “Sam, trust me. This is no mistake. You’re one of the very few people who understand there’s no difference between Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom; they’re both Danny and you’ve always known that and done your best to show him just that. And unlike Paulina or me, even if you hadn’t known his secret from the beginning, I’m willing to bet my right arm that you would’ve accepted both sides of him equally either way.”

At her words, Sam could only smile warmly, “You really think so?”

Valerie returned her smile. “I know so.”

Still replaying Valerie’s words and organising her own thoughts in her head, Sam turned to face her, one hand resting on her lap and the other on Valerie’s shoulder, “For what it’s worth, I still think that after a, very understandable, initial bump in your relationship, you two could’ve made a great couple too. I meant what I said when I told you that, if Danny liked you, then we would only have to make room for you at our table. I can’t think of any girl I would be willing to do that for but you, Val.”

Valerie almost gasped at Sam’s words, but she recovered rather quickly, “Thank you, Sam. That means a lot coming from you.” Resting her own hand on top of the one on her shoulder, she winked mischievously at her, “And don’t worry; I don’t go around stealing my friends’ boyfriends.”

The Goth girl snorted at that. “Glad to hear that.”

They remained like that for a moment, just enjoying the comfortable silence that had settled between them and their secret understanding. They were friends. They had similarities and differences. But that would never change the respect each felt for the other.

Finally, getting up from the floor and dusting herself off, Valerie broke the silence, “Come on, there’s still many moves I haven’t used to kick your butt.”

Sam smirked at the challenge, “Oh, you’re so on!”

................

The Fentons’ Emergency Ops Centre had, ironically, become their safe haven.

Whenever they wanted to enjoy some alone time before they had to part ways or a ghost attack took place, they would simply climb up the roof and enter through the door leading to it. Although Danny could just phase or fly them there if they were really pressed for time, which was their usual way of getting there because they were always pressed for time.

The Ops Centre was really just an excuse to spend some time together, really.

It didn’t matter what they did. Sometimes they would make out because they were a couple and couples made out with each other, didn’t they? Especially when said couple consisted of two hormone-driven teenagers. Maybe if they’d been a pair of octogenarians, the fuss of the relationship would have been elsewhere. Like how incredible it was that they’d survived that long in the first place.

Other times they just talked about nothing and everything at the same time. Sort of like what they usually did, but without Tucker. Sam would often talk about the latest hideous monstrosity their parents had intended she wore ー”Oh, you’re laughing now! But trust me, Undergrowth had much better fashion sense than my parents!”ー, or how rapidly the poles were melting and nobody was doing anything about it, or how her latest poetry reading went ー“Kwan’s getting better, actually. This time he wrote about the new scabs he got during the last game”ー, and how they could defeat the villain of the week who was somehow harder to beat than the previous one because, really, they always got harder to beat.

And Danny would recall his parents’ latest shenanigans, or Jazz’s newest psychological experiment with ghosts that she was sure was going to work because it was just flawless; or he’d warn her about the food in his house ー”I know you don’t eat meat anyways, but don’t open the fridge. The ecto-weenies are back and this time they’ve brought BBQ sauce.” He would also complain about the workload of homework Mr Lancer had assigned them; sometimes because he didn’t think he’d have the time to finish it all, and sometimes he just didn’t know where to start because what the Heck is irony anyway? Didn’t anyone realise that what they often called irony was actually more of a paradox? How could they be teaching something wrong in English class?! And, sometimes, in those rare moments where Danny finally realised, only to forget his lesson all over again the next day, that he could count on her, Tucker, Jazz, Val ーand his loved ones, damn it!ー and confide his deepest secrets, he would open up about how being Danny Phantom was taking its toll on him. How being famous was more often than not more suffocating than flattering. How he was getting tired that his enemies only ever came back, or became stronger, or multiplied. How he feared, no, how he felt it was never going to end until he was 100% dead and not just 50%... He even still had trouble understanding what truly happened to him the day of the accident.

And maybe they just would never know.

And then, there were days like today. Days where they would just stay in silence, watching Amity Park since the makeshift observatory his zany but genius parents had built all on their own. Because, sometimes, watching the sunset in silence with that special someone was just enough.

While Danny leaned against the railing, Sam was sitting on top of it, enjoying the soft breeze blowing around her and caressing her skin. “Today I trained with Valerie.”

Perking up at the sound of her voice suddenly breaking the silence, Danny turned his head slightly in her direction. “Oh?” He let out, “How did it go?”

“I managed to last a full five minutes and land a few serious hits myself.” She stated proudly.

The ghost boy whistled appreciatively, “Five full minutes! Now that’s impressive.” He sent her a sly look and a smirk, his admiration turning into amusement, “And how many hits did you cushion?”

Curling her lip in annoyance, Sam muttered, “The fact that I’m even sitting here is a miracle in itself.”

That had Danny snickering like crazy, before a sharp pain in his arm stopped him, “Ow!”

To his surprise, instead of a smug Sam as he expected, he found his girlfriend gingerly rubbing her arm, a pained expression on her face. “Okay,” she panted, “that was so not worth it.”

“Here, let me help.” Gently resting his fingers on her arm, he used his ice powers to send a chilly sensation across her limb, effectively alleviating the pain. “Anything else I should know about? Did the training turn into a battle to the death?”

“Actually, we talked things out and we finally buried the hatchet.” She said seriously.

Danny furrowed the brow in confusion. “Uh, Sam? I was kidding. And I thought you already did that when she found out the truth about my powers.”

Chuckling softly, Sam could only roll her eyes with a smile on her face as she leaned close to leave a tender kiss on his lips before whispering, “Clueless.”

#Danny Phantom #dp #dp fic #dp fanfic #sam manson #valerie gray #danny fenton #tucker foley #jazz fenton #jack fenton #maddie fenton #paulina sanchez #vlad masters #vlad plasmius #most characters are just mentioned though #amethyst ocean #danny/sam #my fic

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