#like there is a purpose to why everything is the way it is in talos 1.

[precalamity]

the talos principle 2 will be out on november 2nd. what will I even do. what will become of me. you will not hear from me for three days at least.

[the-blood-tide-rises]

oblivion crisis dashboard simulator

📜black-horse-courier-official Follow

Assassination! Emperor and heirs assassinated, and the Elder Council named as regents. Read this article at our blog.

☀️no-dawn-is-too-mythic Follow

#rip bozo #rest in piss you wont be missed #tamriel ae queue

13,784 notes

💨chapel-climber Follow

even in death, the papers love to remind the public that old uriel took an L when jagar tharn pretended to be him for a decade 💀

mans being slandered in death

#not climbing #vlinorposting #rip uriel though

13 notes

💙justyouraveragepriest

Some affirmations:

Today, I embrace the infinite flow of time guided by the wisdom of Akatosh.

I trust in the divine plan of Akatosh, knowing that every challenge I face is an opportunity for growth and transformation.

I surrender to the divine timing of Akatosh, trusting that everything unfolds according to His will.

I am a reflection of Akatosh's divine essence, radiating love, compassion, and wisdom to all those around me.

Each day is a gift bestowed upon me by Akatosh, and I vow to make the most of every moment, living with purpose and intention.

Above all else, be good to one another. 💙😊

#sundas affirmations #akatosh affirmations #the divines #nine divines #daily affirmations

972 notes

⛪priory-of-talos Follow

Tell me why some random person just so happened to show up at an ungodly hour in the night, just to have the Amulet of Kings? I told them to find the Emperor's bastard heir in Kvatch, or whatever. Will be keeping the Amulet in my sock drawer.

🩸dagonenjoyer433 Follow

Interesting

4 notes

🐺kvatchi-kvetcher Follow

omg i cant sleep wtf is that noise

🐺kvatchi-kvetcher Follow

THE DAEDRA????

#kvetchings #kvatch under attack

40 notes

✨daedraphobic

didn't expect to enter the gates of oblivion, save a city, and retake a castle just to find this Martin fellow

✨daedraphobic

by the NINE he's hot

#i'm ashamed but also kinda not #also got the title of hero of kvatch

2 notes

⛪priory-of-talos Follow

Don't tell anyone, but the Amulet was stolen.

💙justyouraveragepriest

😓

✨daedraphobic

tamriel's smartest tesblr user

#so you're telling me #that you lost the amulet #that you promised to protect #maybe stop LIVEPOSTING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND YOUR LIFE #AND WE WOULD NOT BE IN THIS SITUATION

15 notes

🤢bravilhater9000 Follow

#dank memes #offensive memes #memes #funny memes #anti bravil

7K notes

⚔️baurus-the-realest Follow

Going on a book hunting quest with @daedraphobic down in the sewers was not on the agenda today. Another day alive though, bless the Nine 🙏

#personal stuff #daedraphobic

11 notes

☀️no-dawn-is-too-mythic Follow

Had a #great speech in front of my devoted Dagon worshippers today. A new arrival joined mid-speech. Glad to see that more are seeing the #truth.

🩸dagonenjoyer201 Follow

Someone saved that argonian, slaughtered everyone, and stole the Mysterium Xarxes :/

☀️no-dawn-is-too-mythic Follow

It has been brought to my attention that the new arrival mentioned earlier infiltrated my group and stole my fucking book.

#at least i still have the amulet #take that you bitch #tamriel ae queue

301 notes

🎨truepainter-rythe Follow

some bosmer cunt stole my paintbrush, entered into the canvas, painted trolls to protect himself and the trolls killed him. someone please help me.

#the great forest #help

415 notes

🗺️jemane1 Follow

no fucking way rythe is stuck in a canvas

📚give-me-my-book Follow

Talk to me by the Great Oak, I have need of you.

🗺️jemane1 Follow

i don't live in chorrol

📚give-me-my-book Follow

What? I saw you, in the evening hours of yesterday. I ask of you to retrieve a book for me.

🗺️jemane1 Follow

I don't live in chorrol

#i have had about enough of people gaslighting me #i have never stepped foot in chorrol leave me alone #going to start blocking weirdos

5 notes

✨daedraphobic

apparently he was a sanguine worshipper?????????????

#okay so like i was told to get a daedra artifact weird ik #i found the sanguine shrine and crashed a noble party to obtain it #gave it to him and he reminisced about it #???? #y'all think he would be a freak in the sheets or nah

99 notes

💙justyouraveragepriest

Due to recent events, I cannot keep up with posting daily affirmations. I cannot speak more about where I am or what I am doing, but I am doing alright as of now. 😊

🩸dagonenjoyer427 Follow

coc cloudrulertemplegreathall

💙justyouraveragepriest

Hmm?

#nonaffirming #offtopic

148 notes

[therese-lokidottir]

It's Thanos and Mobius that are cut from the same cloth. Listen the thing that pisses me off so much about Mobius is the framing. He is framed as good and nice even while delighting in torture. Torture that was his call and and he choice to let continue out of spite. Mobius doesn't treat the things he does as necessary evils. He treats them as okay things to do as long as it's him doing. There is no sense of doubt, guilt or most people importantly a desire for something better.

There is a character in film Serenity that is how I think is right way to portray

The Operative knows he is doing terrible things. He truly believes those things are necessary, but he knows he is still terrible for doing them even if they are for a greater good. He doesn't act like he's morally superior to anyone and he's not happy about having to do those things.

Mobius is a Fascist. In practice and in ideology. He turns against the TVA not because he sees a parallel universe existing without trouble there for providing the TVA wrong. But because he finds out he is a Variant. Which doesn't actually mean that diverging timelines won't cause problems. It just means he wasn't created by the timekeepers. He didn't even find out the Timekeepers were fake until after he turned. He didn't want to think for himself.

One of the strongest redemption arcs in fiction is Zuko's from A:TLA. A very important part of what makes it work so well is him taking responsibility for his actions. Zuko was a child who was abused and no doubt heavily Indoctrinated in the fire nations propaganda, but he never hid behind it. He saw the wrongs and when he changed he didn't disassociate himself from the nation he just admitted.

I do not care if he thought he was made for a purpose because the problems go deeper than that. Mobius said he thought he was good, but when he is challenged on the obviously not good things he moves the goal posts says end justify the means.

Listen I am no fan of Sylvie. I have criticized the character plenty. I really don't think she's any better than TVA but she's not worse. At most she's just a different kind of terrible.

Mobius does everything for the same reason Thanos did. Because he thinks he's saving people and he wants the credit for doing so. He is a manipulative, two-faced lying abuser and that abuse he displays goes farther than what the job required.

Again why brought up Carol. She truly believed the Skrulls were evil even after learning the Kree lied to her. That belief has still been instilled in her. But once she sees they are not, she just apologizes. It doesn't matter how much she truly believed they were terrorists once she sees they are not she is horrified. She doesn't go up to Talos and his family and say "I only did what I thought was necessary" while also bringing up his wrongs.

My problem with Mobius is he's not portrayed as a fanatic with a warped broken sense of morality. He's portrayed as a nice guy who was just following orders.

Was completely unaware she was hurting people

Knew full well he was hurting people

All Carol needs is to see the people to know it's wrong. She needed to be lied to and have the truth about the refugees hidden from her because otherwise she would have never been apart of the Kree empire even if she believed she was a Kree. For Carol what's most important is for others to know not only that she never meant to harm but she is sorry for what harm she did cause. She's sorry, no one needs to prompt her to say it.

Mobius can't stop hiding behind the same excuses. He thought he was the good guy. Confronted with the clearly messed up things which good guys don't do he just says he thought ends justify the means but he never denied what he did was wrong. For Mobius what's most important is that Sylvie know he thought he was right and that she also did bad things. He has to be cornered into an apology.

[simlit]

2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25 for Yehl

What architectural or design aesthetic would best suit them?

rococo; especially light or pastel colors, grandiose designs inspired by nature and the pure drama of baroque architecture: one | two | three

If your OC likes art, talk about which piece they would love best.

The Kiss by Klimt is my personal favorite as a representation of Yeryn. Something about the pose just gets me. Both firm and tender, and there's a desperation to the way they hold each other, as well as a deep romance I adore. As for what Yehl's personal favorite would be, I ordered up something sensual, preferably with nudity and lots of drapery and The Cryptid led me to these: Sleeping Hermaphroditus | Undine Rising from the Fountain

What character from myth or fairytale best represents them?

Rapunzel; There are a wide variety of "maiden in the tower" stories, but share similar themes. A young, beautiful woman locked in a tower, usually due to the selfish purpose of others or to keep her virginal. Yehl's younger years are contained. He's only able to go as far as his father allows, making him feel perpetually trapped. Even though he lives well and has everything he needs provided for him, he lacks freedom and agency. As cliché as it is, his story follows the damsel in distress trope, and like Rapunzel, he doesn't really earn his strength and independence until the arrival of the prince. They also both have incredibly long hair.

If your OC was a character in a novel from literary canon, who would they be?

Narrator | The Yellow Wallpaper; Yehl is my favorite character, and it's only fitting that I would choose my favorite short story for him. It's a very feminist piece of literature, but I think its themes are universal in today's world. In the story, the narrator is a woman likely experiencing some form of postpartum after the birth of her child, and her husband, following doctor's advice, takes her to a vacation house and keeps her there. It's more of the same thematic that led me to choosing Rapunzel, but The Yellow Wallpaper focuses in on the woman's deteriorating mental health as she is forced to stay locked in a single room. I relate this to Yehl's numerous unhealthy coping mechanisms for dealing with his life, which he feels he has very little control over. So, the things he can control are generally all just desperate cries for attention. As he grows older, that desperation becomes more pent up and corrosive, more self-destructive, to the point where he verges on the edge of a "snap" on more than one occasion, and in a constant battle with himself as to whether he should give up entirely or to carry on miserably just to spite those that wish him gone. By the end of the short story, the narrator does eventually suffer that mental break, and I just think it's a really tragic and all too real and human depiction of what happens when someone is deeply oppressed by a toxic environment.

If your OC were to live in some other time period, which era would they be best suited for?

Act I Yehl 1920s for sure. First taste of freedom and the falling away of old traditions and restrictions. An endless whirlwind of partying, breaking rules and peak luxury. Post-Taryn and Celaedian Yehl, would probably be 30-40s. The 20s, but more mature.

What piece of moody poetry or novel quote best encompasses your character?

"He wanted all to lie in an ecstasy of peace; I wanted all to sparkle and dance in a glorious jubilee. I said his heaven would be only half alive, and he said mine would be drunk; I said I should fall asleep in his, and he said he could not breathe in mine." - Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

What is their character theme song and why? If it has lyrics, which line best fits them?

Why'd you lie in the carnage with me? Why'd you gift me your fallout? You were right, it was on us to see we were holding out."Let Go" - Talos

Talos is one of my favorite artists because of his lyrics. They're not straight forward and he doesn't explain himself, which leaves so much up for interpretation. One of the things I think he does best is embody a feeling of pain and struggle in his music. "Let Go" is Yehl's theme because of how well it personifies that struggle. To me it reads as two people who stay together despite one suffering from extreme mental anguish or fatigue. Maybe it's depression, grief, guilt, who knows. But I think at the core of Yeryn's dynamic, Yehl is such a broken person and Taryn knows it deeply. Though at the beginning he wants little more to exploit that, he begins to take on Yehl's feelings, not internalizing, but simply in a state of constant awareness. Even though Taryn has struggles of his own, this one thing was true early on. He found Yehl's suffering beautiful and wanted to save him in the only way he knew how, by fighting his demons for him. And that line "Why'd you lie in the carnage with me?" resonates with me as Yehl trying to understand that Taryn could love him enough to bear his problems alongside him, regardless of their consequence.

Who is your muse’s muse?

Judine; Yehl always admired his eldest brother. Even from a young age, Yehl emphatically adored Judine. To him, Judine is the epitome of both kindness and strength. In his mind, he puts his brother on a pedestal, believing him to be perfect in every way, and worthy of love. I think the latter, most of all, is why Yehl wishes he could be more like him. As if, if he was just like Judine, he, too, could be loved.

What is a common misconception about your OC?

That he is flawless. As Celaedian, he doesn't lose any of the inner struggle or turmoil of his younger years, he simply matures to a point where he can better cope with them, and prioritizes things besides himself. Even his own son fails to recognize that Yehl isn't perfect. It's such a stark difference to his earlier life when everyone believed him to be a complete fuck up. Outside the context of the story though, I always think it's funny when people see pictures of Yehl without having read the novel, and assume him to be this fragile, precious little bun and Taryn as the dark, menacing force, when realistically their personalities were the opposite of expectation, though nuanced. Yehl has always been mentally fragile, but so many of his behaviors were more of the typical "villain" traits than Taryn's.

What sort of role do they take on in relationships, either familial, romantic or platonic. i.e. are they a defender, protector, nurturer, etc.

Nurturer, even though it takes him a long time to feel strong enough to do so. In his relationship with Taryn, and even with Zehel, he is a constant source of open, unconditional love, and will tell them so even if they can't. He is the softness and the emotionality they lack. They provide him with a safe place to be who and what he is, and he offers his love freely.

What is one thing that they only let those closest to them see?

How hurt he really is. Yehl denies for a long time that he suffered emotionally at his father's hands. He wants everyone to believe he didn't care, and that he was fine. He went out of his way to earn a reputation of being wild and reckless and carefree, but it wasn't who he actually was. He's incredibly fragile, but to him, letting others see him break was an act of surrender. He didn't want his abusers or the people who hated him to have the satisfaction of knowing what they did affected him. Taryn, Judine and Linaea were the only people who could see through him, but Taryn is the first and only person he finally lowered the mask for, and is still the only person he feels safe enough with to openly admit it to.

How would their life be different if they had never met their partner?

I think the sad part is that Yehl really would have been worse off if he'd never met Taryn. He sort of did need someone to come along and save him, because he really couldn't help himself, and even if he could, he'd been so beaten down he'd more or less given up. He would have wasted away on the chain his father had given him. Never loved or been loved, never seen the world. He would have lived his false charade of a life until he faded away, and very few people would have ever known him well enough to miss him.

What was the moment at which they knew they were in love, or was it a slow buildup?

It was a slow buildup, but he felt the physical attraction first. It wasn't until much later when he realized Taryn had the capacity to be gentle with him that the emotional attraction began.

What was it about their significant other that made them fall in love with them? Was it a single eye-opening experience or many gestures over time?

It was Taryn's willingness to listen and actually hear him that Yehl fell in love with. Taryn was the first person he could truly talk to, and honestly, Taryn is a really good listener. Being able to confess things openly was both terrifying and deeply liberating for Yehl. And when Taryn begins to offer more in the way of protection and defense, giving Yehl the space to be weak and vulnerable, as well as a strong force which Yehl could rely on, he can't help but to fall for him.

Which “tortured artist” does your OC share the most similarities with?

Virginia Woolf; Virginia suffered several severe depressive episodes, eventually leading her to take her own life. I think, unchecked, Yehl might have met the same grim fate. Like Virginia, I think what Yehl was passionate about, keeping his mother's memory alive, tending to her garden, and keeping up his walls in spite of everything, kept him going, allowed him an escape, and he was able to outrun his own distress until he found his "cure", so to speak. Unfortunately in the real world, it hardly ever works that way.

What does your OCs handwriting look like? 

[wingsofanillyrian]

A Calculated Game (Nessian)

@fatimafares123 asked: “ Jealous cassian?? Where nesta knows exactly what she’s doing and how it affects cassian lmao 😂 “

Clearly they know writing a jealous nessian is my forte. Here you go friend! I haven’t written in forever pls be nice

Nessian Masterlist

Send me prompts!

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

Nesta had come to the bar with one specific purpose: making Cassian jealous. He had pissed her off during their training today, but damned if he hadn't gotten under her skin. Hair pulled back in a bun, golden skin glistening with a sheen of sweat as they had sparred under the midday sun... just the memory as enough to make her shiver.

But no way in hell would she be making the first move tonight. Cassian had knocked her down one too many times. So at the end of the day she had washed up, gotten her sexiest dress out, and headed to the tavern.

The long sleeved green velvet dress was always a showstopper.  A slit reached high on her thigh, showing far too much skin to be proper. It hadn't taken long for a male to notice her. She had barely taken a seat at the bar when a well-muscled Illyrian shyly approached.

"Hey, you're Nesta, right?"

"Depends who's asking," she murmured, ordering a drink. She surveyed the male, who was nervously bouncing on his heels. He was young, but good looking. No visible scars except for a small, thin line on the edge of his chin. She couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him. But when Cassian showed up - and she knew he would, at some point - he would suit her needs perfectly.

"I'm Talos. I just started training a few months ago."

Nesta had thought those eyes were familiar. "In that case, yes I am."

"Thank the Cauldron," he sighed, sliding onto the stool next to her. "Can you give me some advice?"

She blinked, sizing the young Illyrian up. "What about?"

"About your mate." Nesta's eyes narrowed, not liking where this was going. Was he stupid?

"Oh no, not like that!" He chuckled nervously. "I just haven't been able to impress him. I was hoping maybe you could give me some pointers."

Nesta pursed her lips. "He isn't easy to impress."

"I know. But I really want to be part of his legion someday. Your form is impeccable." He gave her a tentative smile. "Maybe tomorrow night you could come by and-"

Someone shifted their weight nearby, enough to grab Talos' attention. Nesta didn't need to turn to see who it was; she already knew. Had scented him the moment he walked through the door. Nesta casually sipped her drink as Talos paled.

"I was-"

"Oh no, please, by all means. Continue."

Arms crossed and wings flaring, the challenge was evident in his wicked grin. The other male swallowed thickly, looking back to Nesta.

"No thanks. I'm good. I'll just-" his chair scraped against the floor as he fled.

Nesta rolled her eyes. Just once, she wished someone would have enough of a spine to stick around once Cassian showed up. It was hard to actually make him jealous when her prey kept fleeing at the sight of him. And besides, she genuinely would have helped him if he had actually finished his question.

"Can I help you?" She asked, annoyed.

Cassian took the now vacated seat. "Who was that?"

"I don't know," she lied. "Some Illyrian. Said he could show me a good time if I wanted."

The scent flooding over her was enough to tell her her little ploy was indeed succeeding. Cassian was definitely riled up. She smirked at him, egging him on.

"Oh, did he? Better time than I could show you?"

Nesta shrugged, stirring her drink with a long, pointed nail. "Guess I'll never know."

A growl rumbled in Cassian's chest and he shot a dangerous look in the other male's direction.

"Oh, would you cut it out?" She swatted his arm, dragging his attention back to her. "He wanted asking about you, you ass."

"About... me." His brows drew together. Nesta could see the gears turning in his head. When his expression changed, she knew the recognition had clicked.

"Ohhhhh..."

"Yes," Nesta drawled, finishing her drink. "Talos. You know, one of your new recruits? He was trying to figure out how to impress you. I was simply giving him some pointers."

"And you went along with it because... why?"

"Cause jealous sex is always better." So she had a thing for him when he was jealous and dominant; sue her.

"In that case, I will not be sleeping with you tonight." Cassian turned to the barkeep, signaling for a drink.

She waited to speak until he was served and had raised his drink to his lips. "You will when you see what I'm wearing under this dress- which is absolutely nothing."

He paused mid-drink, slowly setting the glass down.

"Is that so?" He murmured. She smirked, shifting so her bare skin shone through the thigh-high slit in the green velvet. A tiny shiver went through him as he scented her.

"Time to go," he said abruptly, slamming some coins on the counter without counting them. Considering he only had one drink, it was more than enough.

"But I haven't finished mine," she purred, indicating her still full glass. "I think I'll take my time."

Before she could blink, Cassian had snatched the glass and downed its contents in one gulp.

"Whoops, looks like its gone! Let's go." He grabbed her hand, leading her out the door. Nesta smiled, everything working in her favor.

"You're always so predictable."

[mdelpin]

The Red Dragon - Chapter 35 (Final)

Cover Art by @khaoticvex​

AO3 | Tumblr: Ch1 | Ch34

And here we are at the end. 2 years and 10 months and a little over 200K words later.

It's been a long time coming and I want to thank you all for your patience as this was not an easy story to write. I hope you enjoy this final chapter, I tried to get in everything I reasonably could.

Chapter 35

Gajeel gazed at Wendy as she watched the huddled figures of Natsu and Gray sadly. He could tell she was about to go over there, and he held out a hand to her.

“Don’t,” Gajeel warned. He’d directed it at Wendy, but he meant it as a warning to the others as well. “I don’t have the first clue what the hell all that was about, but I do know Natsu doesn’t need us all over him right now.”

“But-” Wendy protested, seeing as Happy had crept closer, but even he was giving them some space, content to rest near them.

Gajeel could hardly blame her. He felt the same urge to comfort Natsu. He knew exactly what it felt like to have your parents ripped away from you unexpectedly. Could relate to the emptiness and shock Natsu was undoubtedly feeling, which was why he also knew that his friend wouldn’t want anyone but Gray and Atlas near him at the moment.

It had been a long, exhausting battle, and it left him feeling battered. It all felt so anticlimactic. They’d finally put an end to Acnologia’s carnage, but he could find no joy in it. His heart felt heavy in his chest and all he wanted to do was collapse on the ground and avoid moving for a while, maybe thinking too.

Whatever they’d just witnessed, and Gajeel understood precious little of it, Igneel had been someone he’d cared about deeply. The fire dragon had always taken an interest in all the dragon slayers, chatting with them and making them feel at home from the first moment they had met him and the rest of the dragons. And he’d always seemed larger than life. Gajeel was still having trouble accepting he was gone, but with Natsu out of commission for the moment, it fell to him to once again be the leader of their little band of misfits.

The battle had taken a lot out of all of them, especially Natsu and Happy. They wouldn’t be flying home for a while. The best thing they could all do for now was to get some rest and recoup some of their energy.

Gajeel moved away from the three dragons, nudging Wendy to follow. He found them a spot where they could sit somewhat comfortably and wait for Atlas to return with Irene and Oliver.

“Do you- do you think he’ll be alright?” Wendy fretted, as was her way.

Gajeel could only shrug, “I’m sure he will, but he’s going to need some time. We all will.”

Wendy nodded and Gajeel changed the subject for both their sakes. “Rogue handled himself pretty well out there, don’t you think?”

“Yes!” Wendy immediately perked up. “Those legs you made him work really well. He fought just as well as he did before.”

Gajeel was about to say something about it to Rogue when he noticed the Shadow Dragon slayer and Sting were still locked in an embrace. “Ugh, you’re all disgusting. I seriously need to find a girlfriend. I’m so tired of watching all of you.”

Wendy smiled, “Well, you should definitely have better luck with that in Talos than you did in Drak Aast.”

In his defense, it wasn’t like there had been that many female dragon slayers in Drak Aast to begin with, and the few there had been were not overly fond of him.

“Oh great, here comes yours,” Gajeel groaned as he noticed Atlas approaching.

The hellfire dragon landed near them and as he crouched down, his tail swished, yeeting Acnologia’s corpse several yards away from them, where it slammed to the ground with a terrific thud.

Atlas looked completely unrepentant.

“Holy Shit! What did I miss?!” Oliver asked, sliding off Atlas’ backside and studying the remains of the clearing in dismay. Irene followed him down in a more dignified manner.

“Everything.” Sting rolled his eyes at the lightning dragon slayer before sitting down near Gajeel. “As usual.”

“Hey! Don’t say that like I do it on purpose,” Oliver complained.

Gajeel had to snort at that. Oliver had always been slightly accident prone, but once they’d arrived at Drak Aast, hardly a day had gone by without him coming to see Wendy for healing. They had soon come to realize he had a massive crush on her and had gone to splendid efforts to make his life a living hell until Wendy had made them stop.

“Oliver!” Wendy rushed over to her boyfriend, using what little magic she had left to check his injuries.

“I’m fine, and even if I wasn’t, you need to rest.” Oliver scolded, wrapping Wendy up in an embrace and kissing the top of her head as he looked the others over. “Wow, you all look like death warmed over.”

“Yeah, well, not all of us got to sleep through the fight,” Gajeel grumbled from where he sat leaning against a downed tree trunk.

Wendy took Oliver by the hand, leading him back to the others.

“Is it really over?” Rogue wondered out loud as he collapsed tiredly next to Sting. He set about removing his metal legs, seeking to ease some of the pain in his stumps after all the running he’d done.

“Yes, it’s finally over.” Atlas assured him. “I’m so proud of all you kids. You put up one hell of a fight.”

“I don’t know about that. If you and Gray hadn’t shown up when you did, we would’ve been screwed,” Sting said, “I know I sure as hell didn’t have much left.”

Gajeel grunted his agreement. His clothes were in tatters, his body covered in bruises despite being as hard as iron. “Tell me about it, I think I’m gonna sleep for a week once we get home.”

“I know you said there wasn’t time to explain before, but-” Wendy glanced over at Natsu and Gray again. “How is any of this possible?”

The dragon looked as tired as they all felt, making Gajeel think he wouldn’t answer, but after peering over at Natsu, Gray and Happy, he launched into an explanation.

“It was Igneel’s idea. When Gray didn’t set off the warning sigils we’d placed in the cave, he became determined to figure out why. He had this theory that dragon souls were being born in human bodies. That was how it all started.”

What followed was a story as shocking as it was tragic, and Gajeel had to admit his estimation of Gray improved greatly in the telling. He’d certainly seen how love made people do all sorts of crazy shit, but he would never have expected Gray to go that far, especially given how much he’d always hated dragons. It filled him with a strange sense of pride, like what he imagined Anna felt when she looked at all of them.

“So hang on, does that mean we have dragon souls too?” Rogue asked while pointing at himself and Sting.

“There’s a lot we still don’t know, but I think it’s likely, given that you’re soul bonded. As for the rest of you, it’s possible? Maybe that’s why some dragon slayers took to the enchantment better than others. If you really want to know, I can check all of you when we return.”

Gajeel let that idea sink in for a minute. It was certainly interesting to consider, but he doubted it changed anything for any of them.

The sound of heavy, unsteady steps alerted them to Gray’s approach. He tottered towards them with a sorrowful expression on his face. Once he reached them, he nudged Atlas.

“Natsu wants you.”

Atlas closed his eyes briefly and nodded. “How’s he doing?”

Gajeel knew the dragon well enough to know that he was really asking.

Does he blame me?

All eyes were on Gray as everyone waited for his response.

“He’s doing better,” Gray said, although his eyes never strayed from the ground. “Still a little shell-shocked, though.”

“What about you, how are you doing?”

Gajeel could see the concern in the hellfire dragon’s eyes and it made him wonder just how difficult this entire experience had been for Gray.

“I’m fine.”

Atlas frowned at the response, and for once he seemed to be at a loss for words. But he tried.

“We always knew he wouldn’t take it well. How could he?” Atlas nuzzled Gray’s head gently. “But as much as I hate to admit it, Igneel was right. We needed to do this. If we hadn’t, Acnologia would have killed them all. Remember that.”

“Yeah.” Gray said, although he didn’t sound very convincing. He watched Atlas walk away towards Natsu, the frown never leaving his face.

Gajeel noticed Sting watching Gray thoughtfully and got a bad feeling. Oh gods, he wasn’t dumb enough to bring that up, was he? Now of all times?! Rogue must have had the same idea because he grabbed on to Sting’s hand like a vise and shook his head.

It was Wendy who got up and approached Gray. She wrapped her arms around him as best she could and cried.

“Wendy?” Gray gawked at her. “What's wrong? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m just so happy for you guys!” She smiled through her tears, “Now you can be together, just like before.”

“Well, not exactly like before.” Gray didn’t really feel like smiling, but he tried for her.

He was glad to see them. He’d missed all of them so much and had spent the last few years worrying about them. As he gazed from one to the other, he noticed all the changes with his newly enhanced eyesight, which he was slowly getting used to.

Gajeel looked to have changed the least, at least outwardly. His hair was a lot longer, but the biggest difference, as far as Gray could tell, was in the way he held himself. He exuded an even tougher air than he used to. Wendy looked nothing like the young girl she’d been when she’d left, although the war didn’t seem to have affected her sweet disposition any. Natsu had told him about Rogue’s legs, but it was still jarring to see it. And Sting, well, Sting looked like he had aged the most out of all of them.

“You all look so different.”

“We look different?” Gajeel scoffed, “That’s rich coming from the guy who turned into a dragon.”

“What kind of dragon are you?” Wendy asked. “You don’t look like any ice dragon I’ve ever seen.”

“We don’t really know. Atlas thinks I might be the equivalent of a hellfire dragon for ice dragons.” Gray shrugged his shoulders.

“That magic of yours sure came in handy,” Rogue chimed in, “Although it almost gave me a heart attack at first.”

“Sorry about that, I wasn’t sure how it would work.” Gray admitted, “To be honest, I was kind of winging it.”

“That was you winging it?” Sting finally spoke, peering at him in awe. “Damn! Those soldier dudes were badass.”

Gray nodded absently, becoming distracted by a scent that wafted towards him. It smelled familiar, but also different. He sniffed the air and searched for the source until determining it came from the red-haired woman that stood by Acnologia’s corpse, which had reverted to its human form after releasing all the souls he’d held captive.

“Is that Erza’s mother?”

“Yeah,” Wendy glanced over at the woman sadly.

“Is something wrong with her?”

“Not exactly, she began to dragonify, so she’s worried about how Erza and Anna will react to her appearance.”

“Dragonify? You mean like one of those renegades? Is it going to get worse?”

Wendy must have seen the distress on his face because she shook her head vehemently and immediately said, “No, no, nothing like that. Natsu removed her magic, so it won’t get any worse. But she has some red scales on parts of her body, kind of like Natsu did after-” Wendy’s voice drifted off and she looked away.

“Oh.” It was funny how his guilt over his past actions still lingered, but he chased it away. None of that mattered anymore, and he knew in his heart that neither Anna nor Erza would care one bit about what Irene looked like. They just wanted her back.

“I’ll go talk to her.”

He said that, but it was easier said than done, given the distance between them. Moving was getting easier, but he still felt so awkward. He made his way over to Irene slowly, gasping as she turned to look at him curiously.

She looked just like Erza!

Her hair was styled into two thick braids, and Gray couldn't help but notice that her outfit left just as little to the imagination as Erza’s requips. It was more ribbons than clothing, but that wasn’t even the most striking thing about her. That would have to be her face, or rather the large patch of torn skin that began just below her left eye and covered most of her cheek, revealing bright red scales underneath.

“You must be Gray, it’s nice to meet you finally. I have to say you look a little different from what I expected,” she said with a slight smile before turning back to the corpse and doing something that shocked him so much he forgot all about Erza and Anna.

Kneeling down, she closed Acnologia’s eyes and whispered, “May you find your way to peace.”

“How can you-” Gray stopped himself, realizing anything he said would only sound rude.

“How can I say that after everything he did?” Irene sighed. “I suppose it's because he wasn’t always like that. He was a good man once, before a dragon destroyed his village and killed all his loved ones. It changed him.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t agree with any of the things he did, and I would have killed him myself, given the chance. But even so,” she bowed her head. “I’d like to remember the good that once lived inside him.”

Gray sucked in a breath at her words, causing her to look up at him inquisitively. She stared at him for a moment, recognition suddenly dawning on her face.

“That’s right, Natsu mentioned something like that had happened to you as well. I’d like to say that the dragon slayer spell played a large part in what happened to him, but the truth is, Acnologia’s hatred was boundless. He fed it every chance he got, and in doing so, he created a literal monster.”

Her mouth curved up into a soft smile. “I’m happy to see you chose love instead.”

“I chose Natsu,” Gray said simply, not wanting to get caught up in a discussion of his past and how it may or may not compare to Acnologia’s.

He’d set his hatred aside once he’d finally understood how much pain it had caused Natsu over the years. Deliora was dead, and now Acnologia- who had devastated their lives in even more ways- was gone as well. Gray was content to let his hate die along with them. All he cared about now was being there for Natsu and helping him get through Igneel’s death.

He stepped closer to the body, curious to see what the man had looked like, but his nose instantly rebelled at the overwhelming stench of blood and guts the body exuded. He was about to leave when another more subtle scent caught his attention- a familiar one that was mixed in with the man's. It smelled of rain and those blue flowers that grew at the base of their mountain.

Juvia?

But what would Juvia be doing with Acnologia? He shook his head at the thought. That was ridiculous.

But was it?

Why else would her scent be on him? And what did they really know about Juvia’s mystery boyfriend? What was it she’d said?

Gray tried to remember her exact words, and he let out a groan as soon as he did.

Then Juvia met Logan, and he was very interested in Juvia and Juvia’s friends.

That sonofabitch!

He must have been using Juvia to spy on them all along!

A maelstrom of emotions engulfed him at the realization - rage at Acnologia for using Juvia when she was already vulnerable, guilt for telling her when Natsu was returning, and pity for the loneliness she felt that caused her to get into these situations.

Whatever the renegade had told Juvia to explain his absence, she would await his return.

And Gray knew exactly what it felt like to live in constant wait. Hoping and praying that the one you loved would come back to you. Standing in place while everyone around you went on with their lives. He couldn’t just sit back and let that happen to her. Not when he knew damn well “Logan” was never coming back.

He wanted to scream in frustration, knowing Natsu was holding on by a thin thread as it was. But as much as he loathed the idea, he knew what he was going to have to do, and just how much it was going to piss everyone off.

“Is something wrong?” Irene peered at him with concern.

Gray could only look back at where the slayers were sitting, and past them to where the red dragons were talking to Natsu.

Fuck my life...

0-0

When Erza woke up that morning, she’d barely been able to contain her excitement. After so many years spent worrying about her mother and childhood friends, her wait was finally over.

Lyon had teased her as they’d gotten ready, but he’d taken her to her favorite bakery for breakfast and then they’d gone for a walk around town before work. It was a beautiful day, with nary a cloud in the sky. A soft breeze played with their hair and clothes as she chatted about the welcome home party she wanted to throw for their family and friends.

As excited as she was, it took her a few minutes to realize Lyon had gone quiet, even longer to understand why.

“Oh gods, I’m so sorry!”

“You’re fine.” Lyon chuckled, squeezing her hand. “I love to see you like this, and I am excited, too. I’m just feeling a little conflicted. It makes me glad to know Gray is happy. The gods know he deserves to be, but he’s my little brother and it makes me sad when I realize he won’t be a part of these things anymore.”

“I’m sure we’ll still see him.” Erza rested her head on Lyon’s shoulder, smiling when she felt him wrap his arm around her waist. “Honestly, the idea of those two being dragons is terrifying.”

“And just think, you won’t be able to keep them in check anymore,” Lyon said.

Erza stopped in her tracks. Oh gods, Lyon was right! She’d been the only one able to keep those two under control. Who was going to do that now? How much destruction would they be capable of during one of their squabbles now that they were both dragons?

“Relax, I was joking!” Lyon laughed, “They’ll be fine.”

Erza wasn’t as sure of that. She knew that while it would make Natsu happy to have Gray at long last, it would also devastate him to lose his father. She wished, not for the first time, that Natsu would have confided in her over the years. That she could have helped him through some of the things he’d held inside for so long. And more than anything, she hoped that he’d come see her so she could make him understand how much she still loved him.

But maybe it was time to take matters into her own hands. Now that everyone was coming home, she was done with worrying and waiting. If he wouldn’t come to her, then she would just have to go to him.

0-0

“Watch out!” Sting yelled as Gray came within a few inches of colliding with Happy.

Again.

“I’m doing my best.”

Sting held on to one of Gray’s fin spikes for dear life, even though it made him feel like his body was going to turn into a popsicle. He didn’t understand how Irene could remain so calm, and he honestly wished she’d stop interrogating Gray about Lyon so that he might at least focus more on his flying, which sucked royally.

To be fair, the guy had only been a dragon for a couple of hours, but still. Sting had lost count of how many times they’d almost crashed or suddenly lost altitude, and while Gray was apologetic, it did nothing to improve the feeling of impending doom Sting felt.

Although he knew a lot of that had more to do with the fact that they’d be home soon. As much as he’d tried to prepare himself mentally for any outcome, he still dreaded the disappointment he was sure to see on Anna’s face once she learned what he’d done. And he could only imagine how furious Erza and the other guards would be.

Sting knew he deserved all of it. After all, he’d put everyone in danger. He didn’t even want to consider what might have happened if Natsu hadn’t been there to fight Acnologia.

His biggest fear, though, was that the Talos village elders would decide to exile him. If that happened, he didn’t know what he’d do. He didn’t want to take Rogue away from his home, but he also knew his mate would refuse to stay without him.

Please, please let them forgive me. I will do anything…

Rogue’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Everything’s going to be fine.

He turned his head to glance at his mate, who along with Gajeel rode atop Natsu, and flashed him a sheepish smile.

How did you know?

I don’t have to read your mind to know what you’re thinking. I know you… They’ll understand.

I hope you’re right.

I know I am. Have faith in them.

He could feel Rogue’s love pouring into him and it calmed him down some, right until Gray dropped a few hundred feet all at once. It was terrifying enough that Irene finally stopped with her questions.

“Gray!”

“Sorry! I’ve never flown holding anything before.”

“Yeah, well, no one asked you to bring him along.” Sting snapped, thinking back to the tense fight that had ensued when Gray had made his bizarre request to bring Acnologia’s body back with them.

All of them had been against it, but no one as much as Atlas. The fighting had only ended when Natsu came out in Gray’s defense. No one was about to argue with him in his state.

Sting sighed in defeat. Really, who was he to judge about doing the wrong thing for what felt like the right reasons?

“I’m sorry. I get what you’re trying to do, and it’s nice and all, but it burns me up that we’re bringing him home like some kind of war hero.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do.” Gray hissed. “I just want Juvia to move on.”

“I know. But have you given any thought to how she’s going to feel when she realizes she led him straight to us.”

“It wasn’t her fault, she didn’t know!”

“Do you really think that’s going to make one bit of difference to her?”

“It doesn’t matter. What’s past is past and nothing is going to change it.” Irene joined the conversation, peering back at Sting with a knowing look. “If this Juvia feels guilty, she’ll just have to work through it while she grieves. Just like everyone else.”

“That wasn’t exactly subtle, Irene.” Sting grumbled.

“Wasn’t trying to be, dear.”

“Ugh, I don’t know if I can handle having two Erzas around again.”

“Oh Sting,” Irene chuckled, “You never could.”

“We’ll land in front of the village gates,” Natsu announced, and the dragons grunted their assent.

All but one.

“Hey, Gray?” Sting called out, trying not to let his sudden panic show in his voice.

“Hmmm?”

“You do know how to land, right?”

“Sort of?” Gray’s nervous chuckle in no way made him feel any better.

Oh well, he’d lived a good life. At least he got to see that fucker die before he bit it.

“I’m not worried at all,” Irene said as she patted Gray’s neck. “And I have to say if your brother is half the man you are - well, uhm dragon, I guess - then Erza is a very lucky girl.”

“He’s better,” Gray said. “I’d have never gotten this far if it hadn’t been for him. But I will forever deny having said that.”

Irene laughed. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

“So, uhm, Wendy mentioned you were nervous about Anna and Erza seeing your scales.”

“I was, but almost dying earlier made me realize how silly I was being. I think everything will be okay.”

“Good, because I saw them last night, and they were really excited to see you.”

Sting tuned them out, paying more attention to their surroundings. It had been quite a while since he’d been home, but he recognized their mountains up ahead. They would be at the village in the next few minutes. He knew he was right when he felt Gray tense beneath him and Natsu appeared next to them.

Not a word passed between them, but as Gray made adjustments, Sting knew that Natsu was talking to him through their bond.

He reached out to Rogue through their own bond.

Nice knowing you!

Stop being so dramatic, he’s doing fine.

Sure, for someone who learned to fly in the astral realm, whatever the heck that is.

The sound of Rogue’s laughter was exactly what he needed to hear to relax.

I love you.

I love you too, dork. Might want to hold on now.

In the end, Gray mostly glided down, with Atlas and Natsu on either side of him. It wasn’t a bad landing overall. There had been plenty worse during the war, but Sting still felt the need to kiss the ground after he jumped down.

The village gates stood in front of him, looking slightly different from what he remembered, but still familiar.

Behind him, he could hear everyone else dismounting, as Natsu teased Gray about his flying skills while Happy and Atlas laughed along.

The rest of the dragon slayers joined him in staring at the doors, None of them making any effort to enter. Then Wendy grabbed onto his left hand, while Rogue took his right. One by one, they linked hands and squeezed tightly before taking that first step together.

They were home at last.

0-0

Erza didn’t know how it was possible, but this day felt longer than all the years she’d waited put together.

She’d managed to keep her good mood for most of the morning, but as the hours passed and there was no sign of the dragon slayers, she began to worry. Her mind filled with all sorts of worst-case scenarios, and no matter how hard she tried to dismiss each and every one as ridiculous, another would rear its ugly head to replace it.

She attacked her work with vigor, hoping to distract herself from her thoughts, and that worked for a time, until she ran out of things to do. Lunchtime came and went, but she remained in her office, too worried to be in the least bit hungry.

Where the hell were they? Why was it taking so long?

That sense that something was wrong was stronger than ever. But what could she do? She didn’t know what direction they were coming from, so even if she sent some guards to investigate, what would she tell them? Well, she could always-

A knock on her door interrupted her planning. She looked up from her desk to see Juvia standing at her door.

“Is Erza okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she lied, plastering a smile on her face. “How can I help you, Juvia?”

“Lyon was called away to deal with a disturbance in town. He asked Juvia to make sure Erza ate lunch.”

“Lunch?” As riled up as she was, the idea of food was unappetizing, so she tried to placate Juvia with another lie. “Oh, yes, thank you. I’ll be sure to grab something later.”

Juvia crossed her arms in front of her chest, and studied her, “Lyon said Erza would say that, and to not take no for an answer.”

“Did he now?” Erza made no attempt to hide her irritation. She’d never enjoyed being babied or handled. It was one of the quickest ways to ensure her wrath.

Just who did Lyon think he was, anyway? She’d taken care of herself just fine for years before meeting him. If he thought he could just come in and-

“Lyon also said to tell Erza he’d asked the cook to make strawberry cake for dessert today.”

Strawberry cake?!

She wanted to laugh at Lyon’s blatant attempt to manipulate her. Like she was so simple that she’d submit to his whims just because he’d asked the cook to make her favorite dessert.

It was just cake.

Sweet, moist, delicious cake with frosting and luscious fresh strawberries on top…

She tried to resist the temptation, but her stomach had already broken rank, grumbling its opinion on the matter, and whether she meant to or not, she was already walking towards Juvia.

“I suppose a quick break for lunch would be fine.” Erza ignored Juvia’s knowing smirk as she fell in step beside her.

“Erza’s friends will be home soon.” Juvia said, putting her arm around Erza’s shoulders and giving her a side hug. “Juvia just knows it!”

“Let’s hope so.”

The dining room was mostly empty, as everyone had already eaten. Lyon was true to his word. There was indeed a strawberry cake, and even better, the cook had saved two slices for her.

“Mind if I join you girls?”

Erza looked up from her dessert long enough to nod at Anna.

“I thought you’d be in your office,” Anna smiled.

“Can Juvia get Anna anything?”

“No, thank you. I was just going crazy waiting at the orphanage, so Andrius offered to watch the kids for a few hours.”

“Didn’t you get any sleep?” Erza asked, noticing the dark circles under Anna’s eyes.

“Not really, I started worrying about Gray, and that got me thinking about Igneel and Porly, which then led me straight to Natsu.” Anna sighed. “That poor boy, I can’t even begin to imagine how he’ll take it.”

“Yes, I thought about him this morning as well.”

“Why is Anna worried about Gray?” Juvia peered at Anna with obvious alarm. “Did something happen?”

“Oh, uhm, I-” Anna bit her lip, clearly not knowing how to respond to Juvia’s question.

Erza wasn’t doing much better. How much could she tell her? When he’d resigned a few days earlier, Gray had told everyone he and Natsu were moving away. She should have realized that meant he had no intention of telling Juvia about his actual plans.

“Anna worries about all of us. She can’t help it. After all, she raised most of us.” Erza tried to defuse the situation by acting purposefully obtuse. She cringed internally at her words, knowing how lame they sounded, but couldn’t come up with anything better.

“Yes, but it sounded like it was more than that.” Juvia insisted.

One of the younger guards, a woman by the name of Alyssa, chose that moment to run into the dining room, slamming into a table and cursing out in pain. All three of them winced in sympathy, but before Erza could ask her if she was alright, the girl yelled out.

“CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN!”

“There’s no need to yell, Alyssa. I’m right here. What is it? Do you have something to report?” Erza kept her composure, but she was tense. Could this be what she’d been waiting for?

“IT’S DRAGONS, MA’AM!”

“Dragons?” Erza jumped out of her chair, quickly followed by Anna and Juvia. “Where, how many?”

“FOUR DRAGONS, MA’AM, HEADED TOWARDS THE TOWN FROM THE NORTH.”

“Do you know if they were red dragons?”

“YES, MA’AM, THERE WERE-”

Erza didn't know what else Alyssa might have said because she ran out of the dining room as fast as she could. If they were red dragons, it had to be them!

She sprinted down the long hallway until she reached the doors, stopping only long enough to pull them open. She heard others running behind her and hoped the door didn’t hit them when she raced outside.

However long it had taken Alyssa to find her was enough time for the dragons to have landed in the grassy area in front of the village gates. Erza could see them clearly now. There were indeed four dragons, three red ones and a blue one with wings and horns made of ice that had to be Gray.

However, she filed that away for later, for as majestic as the dragons were, they were nothing to her when compared to the individuals who stood in a line in front of them. There was one among them Erza didn’t recognize, but once again, the details meant little to her at the moment.

Her eyes filled with tears as she watched them take a step forward together.

“You’re home,” she whispered.

And then, as if a spell had broken once she’d said the words, she yelled them out with all her might, wanting everyone to hear the joy that was in her heart.

“YOU’RE HOME!”

She lunged at them, not paying any attention to which one of them she tackled. Not that it mattered, as they all fell to the ground in a chorus of grunts and laughing complaints.

“Well, it’s nice to see you’re as impulsive as ever.” The sound of her mother’s laughter left her reeling, and she pushed herself up to search for her, taking a moment to see who was underneath her.

She could feel the blood rushing to her face as, to her dismay, she’d landed on the one person she didn’t know. She scrambled to get off him, and in her haste, landed back on the grass. “Oh gods, I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t even worry about it.” the man said, waving at her with an amused grin. “I’m Oliver, by the way. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Erza nodded at him, too flustered to say anything else. There was a light tap on her shoulder and she looked up to see her mother offering her a hand up.

She grabbed hold of it and found herself pulled into a familiar embrace.

“I missed you so much,” Erza cried, holding her mother close.

“I missed you too.” Irene ran her fingers lightly through Erza’s hair, playing with it as she’d done when Erza was a child. “I’m sorry I was gone so long, sweetheart.”

They separated, and Erza got her first good look at her mother. It horrified her to see a patch of red dragon scales on her cheek, not because it marred her beauty, but because of what it could mean.

“Mother, those scales- are you?”

“Turning into a dragon? No.” Irene assured her. “I used a lot of dragon magic during the war, but Natsu removed the dragon slayer enchantment. It won’t get any worse.”

“If it bothers you, Atlas said he could create some sort of illusion spell-”

“No, you’re perfect!” Erza was so relieved to learn she wouldn’t lose her mother again that she crushed her to her chest in a violent hug.

“I’m not going anywhere, Erza. I promise.” Irene said once she’d regained use of her lungs.

All around them there were sounds of people laughing and yelling greetings and as much as she wanted to hold on to her mother for a little longer, she knew that there was someone else who had been awaiting her return just as anxiously.

“There you are!”

She turned at the sound of Lyon’s voice and saw him hurrying towards her, looking entirely out of breath. “I came as soon as I heard. Did you see your mom yet?”

“Indeed, she did,” Irene answered, moving to stand next to Erza and stopping Lyon in his tracks.

He gawked at her for a moment, seeming uncertain of what to do next, but Erza rescued him. She stepped forward and grabbed his hand, pulling him to her side.

She felt a little anxious, remembering how intimidating her mother could be and knowing how easily flustered Lyon could get when he was nervous.

She really wanted him to make a good first impression.

“Mother, I’d like you to meet Lyon Vastia.”

Erza wanted to tell her everything wonderful about Lyon, but to her horror, she got tongue tied instead.

“I’m pleased to finally meet you,” Lyon said, bowing his head briefly in a gesture of respect before offering his hand. “I’m Erza’s husband,”

Erza watched her mother’s face nervously. It stunned her when Irene merely shook his hand with an amused smile. “The pleasure is all mine. A little dragon told me all about you on the way here.”

“A dragon?” Lyon sounded puzzled, and Erza could almost work out the second he figured out Irene was referring to Gray.

“You mean it really worked?”

“See for yourself,” Irene said, pointing at the blue dragon that Erza had noticed earlier. It stood some distance away from the crowd of people, along with the red dragon that had become their town’s protector.

The dragon they now knew was Natsu.

Erza tore her eyes away from the dragons to focus back on her mother, and she saw Lyon do the same, but Irene waved them away.

“Go to them, I’m not sure how much longer they’ll stick around.”

“Are you sure?” Erza hedged.

“Yes, we’ll talk more later. There’s someone else I need to say hello to. Assuming the kids let me anywhere near her, that is.” Irene said with a laugh.

It didn’t take long for Erza to sight Anna surrounded by Sting, Rogue, Wendy and even Gajeel. All of them were talking at once while Anna laughed at them and asked them to slow down.

It reminded Erza so much of their younger years, though back then she and Natsu would have been in there too, demanding their own slice of attention.

“She’s even more exquisite than I remember,” Irene mused.

“Aren’t you going to go to her?”

“In a bit, let them have their moment. I’ll have her to myself soon enough.”

She shooed them away, turning to greet one of the village elders.

0-0

“That really is him, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’d know that resting bitchface anywhere.”

“And I suppose yours is better?” Erza taunted, but Lyon only snorted in reply.

It didn’t take them long to reach the dragons. Lyon wasn’t all that surprised by Gray’s appearance, having seen the ice sculpture his brother had molded weeks earlier. Although even that paled compared to the real thing.

Lyon found himself mesmerized by the ice that made up Gray’s wings, horns, talons, and the tip of his tail. It was flawless and he couldn’t help but wonder what creations made of it would look like. But he shifted his focus to Erza as she slowly approached Natsu.

He could see the uncertainty on her face, and he couldn’t blame her. He knew how much she loved and missed Natsu. There was a lot of guilt mixed into her feelings as well, but he knew she’d face it as she did everything else.

Natsu relaxed slightly in their presence, but his expression remained guarded and he inched closer to Gray.

“Hello, Natsu,” Erza said, reaching her hand out tentatively. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Hey Erza,” Natsu leaned into her hand for a moment, allowing her to pet his snout.

“I know this isn’t the time for long conversations, but,” Erza touched her hand to her heart. “I’d like to talk with you sometime, if that’s alright.”

Lyon watched with bated breath, waiting for Natsu’s response just as much as Erza.

“He wants to talk to her,” Gray told him. “He was just afraid of how she’d react. Now that he’s seen she’s not angry or scared of him, I think they’ll be fine.”

“Well, that’s good. I know she’s missed him terribly.” Lyon said, switching his attention to his brother. “I want to apologize to him for our last meeting as well, but I doubt he’d want to hear that now.”

“Probably not.” Gray agreed, “He’s been doing a little better, but I want to get him home.”

“I can hear you, you know.” Natsu complained, sounding much more like his usual self than Lyon had expected. He refrained from responding with one of his usual put downs, regardless.

Instead, he studied Gray and Natsu closely, pleased to see they already radiated that same bubble he’d always noticed around them. He was sure whatever happened next, wherever they went, they’d be alright. And that was all he’d ever wanted for them.

“Well then, we won’t keep you, there will be plenty of time to talk later.” Lyon backed away and tripped over something. He looked down at it with a puzzled expression.

“Just one thing before you go, though. What’s with the corpsicle?”

“Oh crap, I almost forgot about him.” Gray groaned. “That’s Acnologia. He ambushed them some miles from here. Atlas and I barely got there in time to help finish him.”

“You were in a fight already?!” Lyon sputtered.

“So that’s what happened,” Erza said, “I was wondering why Sting and the others looked like they’d been in a fight.”

“How can you sound so calm?!” Lyon protested, peering at Gray more closely in search of injuries.

“Don’t be such a worrywart. I’m fine. You realize I’m a dragon now, right? Plus, all of us fought him together.”

Lyon wanted to ask more about what had happened, remembering how terrifying that black dragon had been, but quickly realized it was better for his sanity if he didn’t.

“You’re trying to tell me that man is the black dragon that attacked the village?” Lyon examined the body again, feeling decidedly skeptical about what he was being told, and wondering what on Earthland would have possessed them to bring the corpse back here.

“Yeah, he was one of the renegade dragon slayers. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing he was.”

“I don’t follow.”

“I think he might also be Juvia’s mysterious boyfriend. Her scent is mixed up with his.”

“Her scent? Okay, first of all, that’s creepy. How do you even know what she smells like?”

“I just do. I know what you smell like too.” Gray replied crossly, “Would you like me to describe it?”

“Oh no, poor Juvia! She was crazy about him.” Erza interjected, trying to keep them from derailing into their usual pointless bickering.

Lyon searched for any sign of the water mage and found her by the village entrance, watching along with a few of the newer guards.

This was going to break her heart.

“I had to bring him back once I caught her scent on him.”

Lyon immediately understood what his brother was getting at. Gray had wanted to shield Juvia from suffering through what he’d felt while Natsu was off fighting, even if it hurt her.

Erza also looked in Juvia’s direction and sighed. “Just get out of here. We’ll deal with it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you’d never planned on telling her about any of this,” Erza gestured at Gray’s body. “Besides, if he really was her boyfriend-”

“Well, that’s a lot to handle already.”

It took Lyon a moment to grasp everything Erza hadn’t said, and he couldn’t agree more with her assessment. He remembered Juvia joyously telling him about how Logan was so interested in everything to do with her, especially her friends.

“Off you go,” Lyon made a shooing gesture. “We’ve got this.”

“Won’t she know about the dragon thing, anyway?”

“No, the slayers have always kept any information about the dragons to themselves.” Erza reminded him, “Even I knew very little, and I grew up with them. I see no reason for that to change, especially now that the dragons want to be forgotten.”

Gray peered at Natsu, who nodded his agreement with Erza.

“I’ll leave it to you then,” Gray said. “Can you tell her- can you tell her I’m sorry?”

“Sure.”

“Natsu,” Erza implored, “Don’t be afraid to call for us if you need anything. We’re still your family.”

Natsu’s expressions softened slightly, and he offered a half smile in response.

They watched the two dragons fly off, Lyon snickering when he saw how sloppy Gray’s flying looked compared to Natsu.

Maybe he should hold off on getting that ride.

His thoughts turned to Juvia. He’d always been suspicious about the man’s refusal to cross the lake to come see her, but she’d seemed so happy. And he’d been glad that she’d finally put her obsession with Gray behind her, so he’d turned a blind eye. And that had almost proved fatal to their friends.

He intended to be a better friend to her while she mourned.

0-0

While they had flown the short distance home, Gray had worried about how Natsu would react to seeing the remnants of the spell, but Atlas had obviously expected that. He’d already removed all vestiges of it from sight.

He’d also dispelled all the furniture in their room save for the bed, which was now large enough to fit both of them comfortably. Natsu’s scarf lay folded neatly on top of it. Gray couldn’t tell if the temperature spell had been removed, as the cave’s heat didn’t seem to bother him anymore.

He was grateful for Atlas' actions, but it was also a tad disconcerting. It felt like his previous life had been erased, and he didn’t know how to feel about that. Natsu hadn’t said a word since they’d left and that worried him a bit as well, but he’d left it alone knowing he shouldn’t expect anything different. He had no idea how many memories Natsu had of Igneel in this cave, but Gray was sure he was thinking about all of them.

He could still recall how he’d felt immediately after Deliora had killed his parents, and while he knew Natsu had grieved for his mother, he’d never really known her. This type of grief was different. It would take time to heal, but that wasn’t a huge deal. After all, time was something they now had plenty of.

Natsu made no remark about their room being different, just walked in and curled up on the bed, with his head resting on the scarf. It would have been adorable if it wasn’t for the sadness in his eyes.

Lie with me?

It had been a long, emotionally draining day, and Gray had to admit he was exhausted as well.

Always.

Gray joined his husband on their bed, smiling happily when he felt Natsu coil their tails together. He cuddled him, murmuring sweet nothings and reveling in how perfectly they fit together. They soon fell into a deep sleep.

0-0

Gray woke before Natsu and, deciding to let him sleep a while longer, he ventured out of their room in search of food. Hearing an unfamiliar noise, he tracked it down to a room he’d never entered before. Inside it, Sting was packing up his and Rogue’s belongings into boxes.

“You guys are moving out?”

“Oh, hey man, you’re finally up.” Sting said, looking up from the box he was working on. “Yeah, it’d be kind of uncomfortable for Rogue to make the trek every day, unless he went, you know, shadow form.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Sting waved away his apology. “Anyway, we found an apartment to rent in town, close to that bakery Rogue likes and to the Guard Headquarters. We moved in a couple of days ago.”

“Wait, days? How long were we out?”

“About three days. It's been raining, so I hadn’t been able to grab our stuff yet.”

Three days?!

Gray knew they’d been tired, but damn. “Well, I guess that explains why I’m starving.”

Sting laughed, “You’d better get used to it, you have a dragon’s stomach now.”

“I have a dragon’s everything now,” Gray pointed out smugly.

“Including their sense of humor, I see.” Sting rolled his eyes.

“So what else did we miss while we slept?” Gray asked, leaning against the cave wall.

“Oh plenty. Let’s see,” Sting began counting off on his fingers. “Anna was reinstated as a Village Elder, and she and Irene got engaged. Gajeel and Wendy also rented apartments in town, they’re right next to each other though, so Oliver’s screwed. Speaking of which, he took over your spot in the Guard and Erza moved him into your old apartment.”

“That’s fine, it’s not like I'm ever going to use it again. Did everyone else go back?”

“Most of us did. Rogue is going to help Erza part-time while he figures out what he wants to do. Wendy will help out in emergencies, but she’s mostly going to work at the orphanage with Anna and continue to train as a healer. Talos hasn’t had a powerful healer since Natsu’s mom died.”

“Hey, uhm, how is he?” Sting was still looking at his hands when he asked, but Gray could hear the worry in his voice.

“He’s still asleep. He didn’t say much when we got back.”

“I’m not all that surprised by that. He’d already run himself ragged even before we left. Plus, you know- everything. He must’ve been exhausted.”

“He was.”

It touched Gray to know that Sting still cared for Natsu, but he didn’t like discussing his mate with him. It was awkward, and he didn’t want to get caught in the middle of their fight. He’d already tried to get Natsu to talk to Sting before he’d left, and that was as far as he was willing to go. This was something they’d have to sort out for themselves.

So he tried to change the subject.

“Do you happen to know how Juvia’s doing?”

“Well, like I said, it rained nonstop for the past couple of days, but the sun came out today, so I guess she must be doing better. You should ask Irene or Erza. I heard they talked to her.”

That was something, at least, although he wasn’t sure if learning more about who Logan was would help. Gray just hoped that whoever she set her sights on next would be someone more deserving of her affections.

He wondered what they’d done with Acnologia’s body. He knew Atlas had wanted to incinerate it personally, he’d made that much painfully clear during their fight.

“Do you think we could talk for a minute?”

Gray blinked at him blankly. “I thought we were talking.”

“Yes, no, I mean talk about what happened. You know, what I did.”

To his credit, Sting didn’t look away, even though he was obviously uncomfortable.

“Sting, you don’t have to.” Gray tried to wave him away. He’d already forgiven him.

Now that everything was over, he didn’t see the need to carry a grudge. And if he was being honest, if it had been Natsu who had been in danger, he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to do anything different.

“Please, I need to apologize to you.” Sting begged, “I understand Natsu may never be able to forgive me, but I feel so terrible about how I fucked up your lives. Gods, and after I gave you that if you hurt him speech, too.”

“I honestly don’t think that there was anything else you could have done, and I know Natsu understands that too. If you need to hear it, I’ll be happy to say it. I forgive you. And who knows, maybe with time Natsu will too. But even if he never does, you need to stop torturing yourself and just move on from this whole fucking mess.”

“I know, I’m working on it. I already told Erza and the Elders about what I did.”

Gray sucked in a breath, “Oof, how did that go?”

“About as badly as I’d expected. The Elders wanted to kick me out of town, but Irene and Erza came out in my defense. So, I’m not the most popular guy in town right now, and I’ll be pulling the crappiest job details indefinitely, but I can stay and that’s all I could have hoped for.”

“That’s great.” Gray gave Sting a knowing glance. “This mate stuff is brutal, huh?”

“But it’s worth it.”

Gray couldn’t agree more.

“I’m gonna go figure out something to eat before you start looking edible.”

“Oh, one last thing!” Sting snapped his fingers. “The town is throwing a big celebration tomorrow night, and they wanted to invite the dragons to take part.”

“I’ll let them know.” Gray said, and with a wave he left to check on Natsu, smiling at Sting’s whispered Thank you.

It felt good to let it all go.

0-0

Rogue looked up as Sting entered their apartment, looking sweaty and disheveled and carrying far too many boxes. He got up to help, but Sting shook his head, holding the door open for someone Rogue couldn’t see as they were behind a stack of boxes.

It turned out to be Oliver, looking just as flushed as Sting. He uttered a cryptic ‘Don’t forget what you promised’ to Sting before waving goodbye to Rogue and heading out.

“What was that about?”

“Oh,” Sting chuckled nervously, “I sort of bribed him to help with the promise of distracting Gajeel so that he could spend some time with Wendy without him hovering. So I guess we’ll be having him over soon.”

He put the boxes down and collapsed on their sofa, and Rogue hurried to bring him a glass of cold water.

“You got the fridge working?”

“No, Lyon stopped by earlier and molded an enormous block of ice to keep in there for now.”

“This place is a shithole,” Sting sighed.

“It’s not so bad, and it’s close to the bakery,” Rogue reminded him.

“I’m sorry, love. It’s all my fault that no one would rent to us. I’m sure this place is nowhere near where you imagined us living.”

“Sting,” Rogue said, in fond exasperation. “We’ve lived in a cave for longer than I can remember. We’ve either slept on the ground or on magical furniture designed by a dragon who had zero concept of human comfort. This is fantastic. Besides, I told Erza how much the guy was charging us and I’ve never seen her leave a room so fast. I expect our rent will go down shortly.”

Sting gaped at him and then erupted into a fit of giggles, “Well, when you put it that way.”

“There is only one thing I require anywhere I live, and this place has it in spades.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

Rogue didn’t know if Sting was being purposefully dense or not, but considering how rough the last couple of days had been for him, he didn’t mind boosting his ego a little.

“You, stupid. You’re all I need to be happy.”

“And wine?”

Rogue snorted, “Yes, you and wine. Speaking of which, Lyon dropped off a few bottles as a housewarming present when he came by. Would you like some?”

“Fuck, yeah!”

Rogue opened the fridge and pulled a bottle out quickly, not wanting to let too much warm air in. He didn’t bother with any cups, just removed the cork and brought the bottle back to the sofa with him.

Sting had already shifted on the sofa so he was lying on it, his legs slightly spread so Rogue could lie between them. He handed the bottle over while he got comfortable. Sting took a swig and handed it back.

“This is good.”

Rogue agreed once he’d tasted it, although given how little wine he’d been able to get his hands on since they’d left, he wouldn’t have been all that picky about quality.

Lyon, however, had always had excellent taste. Something Rogue had learned during nights spent sneaking drinks in the barracks while riding out some punishment or another.

It became a tradition of sorts for them, and it was one he hoped they could pick back up again, minus the punishments, of course.

Sting ran his fingers through Rogue’s hair, tugging on it and massaging his scalp as they continued to pass the bottle back and forth. It felt wonderful and the combination of that and the wine were making him feel incredibly relaxed.

“You know, it feels kind of strange.”

“What does?” Rogue murmured.

“Just lying here like this,” Sting said. “Not having to worry about being attacked, ambushed, or even seen. I like it.”

“Hmm, I do too. We can do anything we want now. Gives me a few ideas.”

“Oh yeah? Any in particular?”

Rogue heard Sting put the bottle down on the floor and grinned. He turned until he was facing his mate and leaned in for a kiss, sucking gently on Sting’s bottom lip before delving inside his parted lips.

Sting wrapped his arms around Rogue’s waist, pulling their bodies closer as they kissed.

“Hmm, I like that idea.” he said, chasing Rogue’s mouth as he pulled back to peer down at him mischievously.

“Yeah? Well, I’ve got plenty more,” Rogue assured him. “And a lifetime to try them out.”

“I’ll be right here with you.” Sting promised solemnly, pulling Rogue back down for a kiss of his own.

0-0

Natsu stood at the entrance to Igneel’s room.

Atlas had told him his father had left him a letter, but he hadn’t worked up the courage to read it until now. He could see the long parchment on the desk, along with the writing supplies his father had favored. Natsu had so many memories of Igneel in this room, working away on a spell or writing messages for the dragons to take with them to the war front.

Knowing he’d never see him there again, well, it was crushing, but he couldn’t hide from it any longer.

“Do you want me to go in with you?” Atlas wandered out of his room and eyed him with concern.

“No,” Natsu said, after giving it some thought. “This is something I need to do by myself.”

“Alright, but I’m right next door if you need me.”

Natsu knew that both Atlas and Gray were walking on eggshells around him at the moment, both worried about how he felt about them going along with Igneel’s plan and it saddened him to see it. He wasn’t quite feeling like himself, that much was true, but he loved both of them deeply and he knew that anything they might have done, it had been for his sake. And how could he really fault them for that?

To be honest, he wasn’t sure what he was hoping to find in that letter, but it felt like he was drowning in his loss and he wanted to find the strength to move forward.

And Igneel had always been good at giving him direction.

That wasn’t fair, though. At some point, he had to grow up and decide his own path, beginning with easing the minds of those he held dearest.

“I don’t blame you, you know.” Natsu said, “Although I wish you had told me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Atlas’ fire dimmed, reflecting his mood, and he moved to enter his room.

“Hey,” Natsu called out, suddenly worried by how meekly Atlas had been acting. “You’re not planning on doing anything stupid, are you?”

“Always, kid. But I have no plans to go anywhere, if that’s what you’re asking. You’re stuck with me.”

Atlas’ smile was but a shadow of his usual one, but it heartened Natsu to see it.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” Natsu grumbled, hugging his uncle as hard as he could, just to feel him against him.

Atlas hugged back just as hard until finally pulling away and gently shoving Natsu towards the entrance. “Get in there, already.”

Natsu took one step, then another, and everywhere he looked, the ghosts of his memories comforted him with their warmth.

0-0

“I thought I’d find you here.” Gray huffed, catching his breath from having climbed up the mountain.

“Did you seriously just climb up the mountain?” Natsu gawked at him. “Why didn’t you just fly?”

“Cause I suck.”

To his chagrin, Natsu didn’t disagree with him, but he laughed out loud and that made Gray’s hardship worth it.

Natsu patted the ground next to him invitingly. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

Gray plopped next to his mate and gazed up at the sky. It was indeed beautiful to watch as the sun’s last rays mingled with the stars. But he was more concerned with Natsu and he studied him, trying to figure out what was going on. He didn’t feel any of the sadness that had been present earlier.

“Are you okay? You’re acting-” Gray struggled to find a word that wouldn’t be misconstrued.

“I take it Atlas told you I read the letter?”

“Yeah. Do you want to talk about it?”

Natsu nodded, staring off at the sky as he collected his thoughts.

“He told me about everything. Your struggles in the astral realm, how you and Atlas both fought with your decisions, and all the guilt he felt over his mistakes.”

“There was so much I didn’t know about him, and some of it hurt because I never understood how truly lonely he felt over the years. But most of all, what I saw in that letter was how much he loved me and how determined he was that I have the life that he only got the barest glimpses of.”

“And that’s what I want too. I want to live that life with you.”

Natsu rested his head on Gray’s shoulder. “I love you, Princess.”

“I still can’t believe you gave up everything to be with me. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been.”

“It wasn’t as hard as you might think.” Gray admitted, and it was true. Once he’d let go of his fears, it had been a simple decision to make. “I love you too, Natsu. So much it scares me sometimes. If there was any chance we could be together like this, I had to take it. I was just worried you’d hate me for it.”

“I could never hate you. You’ve always been everything to me.” Natsu lowered his head. “That’s why I could never really let you go, even when I knew it was what was best for you.”

Gray wasn’t having that. He lifted Natsu’s head so that he could look into his eyes, and see how serious he was. “And now, you’ll never have to.”

Natsu frowned, looking uncomfortable with his next words. “You know we can’t stay here forever, right? We’ll have to move to the island.”

“Is that what you’re worried about? I already figured as much, dummy.”

“We can come visit during the summer solstice, though. I’ll have to leave the island anyway.”

Now that he hadn’t counted on, and it pleased him to learn he’d get to see his friends at least once a year.

“Hey, do you think I’ll change too?”

“We won’t know until then, but it could happen.” Natsu grinned just thinking about it. “That'd be pretty fun. But we’ll definitely need to work on your flying just in case you don’t. That would be a pretty pathetic way for me to die.”

“Jerk,” Gray grumbled at Natsu’s teasing. “You know, I seem to remember you were pretty ticklish as a human, I wonder…”

He pounced, attempting to catch Natsu off guard.

Dragons, apparently, weren’t ticklish at all, but Gray didn’t care because soon they were wrestling around, nipping and scratching as they each sought to pin the other down. It was more difficult than he expected, but that was probably because neither one of them could seem to stop laughing.

And all Gray could think about, besides gaining the upper hand, was just how much he’d missed this. Playing together and just having fun, without the weight of the world constantly on their shoulders. For the first time since Natsu had left him to go fight, he finally felt like everything was going to turn out alright.

They continued until they were both laid on their backs, spent and out of breath.

“I’m so going to get you next time, Flame Brain.” Gray panted, repeating a taunt as familiar as it was empty.

“In your dreams, Ice Princess.” Natsu said with his usual fanged grin.

Gray rolled onto his belly, his attention caught by a movement in the sky. “Hey, is that a shooting star? Hurry, make a wish.”

“I have nothing left to wish for.” Natsu said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he righted himself and gazed at Gray with awe.

Stupid romantic dragon!

He’d never tire of the way Natsu always knew exactly what to say to make him feel all flustered.

Gray draped his body over Natsu’s, hugging him to his chest so that he wouldn’t see the blood he could feel rising to his face. He’d recently discovered that his favorite thing about being a dragon was his tail. He loved how it instinctively sought Natsu’s whenever they touched, just as it did now.

Sitting here, doing nothing more than staring at the stars, it was perfection.

It had taken them years, more than Gray cared to remember. Both of them had made mistakes, but against all odds, they had been granted a second chance to find their home in each other.

And they lived happily ever after…

THE END

Thank you for reading!

[ang-the-referee]

Thoughts on running a combo LMOP & DOIP

Since both Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak take place in the same region in the Forgotten Realms, it's often recommended to run them together. However, doing so requires (at least in my opinion) some alterations to one or both adventures.

LMOP includes a young green dragon Venomfang in the ruins of Thundertree, while DOIP implies the whole region (including Thundertree) is now the territory of the young white dragon Cryovain, whose lair is in Icespire Hold. At the very least, in my opinion, you need to rid yourself of one of the dragons for combining the modules to make sense.

Option 1: Remove Thundertree

This is probably the easiest of your options. Thundertree is a completely optional dungeon, especially if you're using some of the quests in DOIP to fill out LMOP, so the players will have no trouble obtaining the amount of experience they need to continue the adventure.

The players can either gain the druid's trust another way, or find the locations of Cragmaw Castle or Wave Echo Cave in another way than being guided by the druid.

This also allows you, if you want, to completely drop the plot with the Dendrar family if you wish.

Option 2: Rekey Thundertree and Remove Venomfang

This is the second easiest option in my opinion, as it doesn't involve significantly changing either module, but merely rekeying a side quest dungeon.

To do this, you'll need to remove both Venomfang and the dragon cultists in Thundertree and replace it with something else.

This is the option I've been running with (despite really liking some other more complicated options), and I've put in some different cultists, who are working for a potential down-the-line bad guy. They're purposely trying to keep Thundertree corrupted, and there is a corrupted treant in the area to replace Venomfang.

You could do anything with Thundertree though, especially if you're trying to seed the adventure after the current one for your party.

Option 3: Keep Venomfang as written, remove Cryovain

So this is where you'd have to start re-writing the campaigns. This option prioritizes maintaining the plot as written in LMOP, but rewriting significant portions of DOIP.

If you go this route, you need to know why the orcs are leaving their old territory for the area near Phandalin, especially given the goblinoid activity in the area. The implication in DOIP is that the orcs were living in Icespire Hold, but were pushed out when Cryovain arrived and made it his lair. you could keep this basic concept, but then you'd need to replace what took over Icespire Hold with something or someone else.

This isn't necessarily a bad idea, since as-written, Icespire Hold is a bit of a letdown of a dungeon, but it involves more writing on your part as a DM.

Option 4: Keep Venomfang as your dragon, and also she's behind everything

One of the big complaints about both DOIP and LMOP is that the final bosses are something of a let-down. The Black Spider doesn't get built up nearly enough in LMOP, and isn't a particularly challenging encounter, and while Cryovain can certainly hassle the party long before they arrive in Icespire Hold, the dragon makes up very little of the module.

This rewrite (which I would like to run someday), removes the Black Spider, and Venomfang becomes the mastermind behind the Redbrand/Cragmaw alliance, something quite in-keeping for the typical green dragon.

The orcs could still have been pushed out of Icespire Hold by an unrelated threat, or it could be by a related one, or they could still occupy Icespire Hold, and the Talos cultists we meet in DOIP may also be working for Venomfang.

This version is definitely a bit beyond me as a new DM, but it's probably my favorite resolution to this issue, and to the finales of both LMOP and DOIP being a bit underwhelming as written.



[litcityblues]

"Sword & Citadel" --A Review

I don't know how to feel about this book. I want to keep it. Let it sit for a few years and then try reading it again, just to see if the experience is any different. I expect it will be, but at the same time, there's just something about these books that's... inaccessible in a way that I'm not sure I like.

Sword & Citadel (The Sword of the Lictor, The Citadel of the Autarch) was a much easier read than its predecessor, Shadow & Claw (The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator) was. I'm not sure why that is- you still have Severian, the torturer having his adventures and unraveling the mystery of the Autarch and Vodalus and the war and everything. He's still an unreliable narrator. The lines between fantasy and science fiction are blurred to a level of perfection that's almost maddening, but at the same time, I think if you can make it through this first volume and get used to Wolfe's writing style and the world he constructs, you sort of know what to expect and it's a little easier in the second volume.

Sword begins with Severian taking up a position as Lictor in the city of Thrax-- (he was exiled there in the first volume of the book after committing the cardinal sin of a Torturer, showing mercy.) Well, it turns out that his habit of showing mercy shows itself again and he spares another woman he sleeps with and must flee the city. His lover (also from the previous volumes) Dorcas does not go with him. She's fallen into a depression, in part because of her position as his lover- Torturers aren't exactly welcomed in social circles and they're in a strange city, but she's also upset by her inability to remember her past after Severian resurrected her using the Claw in the first book and is determined to figure it out. So, Severian goes alone.

In the mountains, he battles his enemy Agia (bent on revenge for him killing her brother in the previous volume) and an alzabo, a beast that acquires the memories of those it eats. There's a gang of men who opted to become like animals as well and he picks up a mini-me, Little Severian, a boy whose family was eaten by the Alzabo. Little S gets killed when he touches a gold ring on a giant statue, Severian has to figure out a way to kill an ancient King that the ring brought back to life and has one last showdown with Dr. Talos and Baldanders before losing both his sword and the claw- but finds a curved thorn inside the shattered claw that he believes to be the true Claw. Thinking on the events that have happened to him, he finds himself on the edge of the great war in the north.

That leads us to Citadel.

Severian revives a dead soldier with the Claw and attempts to make his way back to the man's camp- which they do, but he's contracted a fever and has to be treated and get better- holding a (random tangent of a few chapters) storytelling contest with his fellow patients. Believing his mission complete, he returns to Claw to the Pelerines by placing it on an altar and attempts to complete a mission for them by getting a friend of theirs in the mountain to safety, as the war is creeping closer to his location. Turns out, the man in question lives in the future and disappears when Severian tries to bring him back as he doesn't belong in Severian's timeline.

Drawn into the war, Severian nearly perishes but is rescued by the Autarch, who takes him aboard a flier as they converse about the Autarch and his role in the Commonwealth. Drifting too far north, they're shot down and this is where it gets weird- but not really that weird for these books- but the Autarch, dying in the wreck, tells Severian to drink the contents of a vial around his neck and eat his brain to become the next Autarch. He does so and then spends the rest of the book making his way back to Nessus and the Citadel of the Autarch to assume his duties. He finds out that the Autarch's purpose is to attempt a challenge that will either create a new sun for Earth and light humanity's way back to the stars or strip him of his manhood leaving him unable to produce an heir if fails.

Severian stops the practice of torture, finds the answers Dorcas has been looking for, and, concludes the narrative, it's hinting that he's on his way to attempting the challenge.

Overall: I don't know how to feel about these books. I expect if I pick them up again in a few years, I'll have a totally different experience with them. The blurb on the front from Neil Gaiman proclaims them as The best SF novel of the last century and I'm inclined to agree with that- to a point. The blending of what reads like a fantasy novel until you figure out its actual science fiction is amazing. I don't know if anyone could pull anything this ambitious off--but Gene Wolfe did.

Worth reading. If you're Catholic, you're going to pick up on all kinds of imagery that will stand out to you. Plus, if you love Pringles, Gene Wolfe started his career as an industrial engineer who developed the cooking process for the stackable chips we all know and love.

This is like The X-Files of books... you know it's great writing. You can see why there's the hype around it, but you want to believe... but just can't quite do it. Both of these volumes are going on the: re-read these later pile. My Grade: **** out of ****

[puppy-phum]

get to know me

am going to mix these two different tag games into one post so thank you a lot for tagging me @jazthespazz and @i-am-just-a-kiddo ♥

it’s somehow funny to do these same games again after a while so let’s see what I come up with:

Part I

name: real name petra but i prefer vish/vishie over here ^^ 

pronouns: she/her

star sign: aries ♈

height: 178cm (which am coming more and more proud of while i realize how damn tall every cdrama actor is lol)

time: 10:37pm as am answering this one

birthday: 10th april!

nationality: finnish 

fave bands/groups: ah well this is always a hard question but let’s go with these: BTS, DAY6, OneRepublic, Hurts, Oneus, Hoppipolla, TXT, Red, Mamamoo

fave solo artists: (forgive me if i’ve assumed any of these wrong) Novo Amor, Talos, Crywolf, Liu Yuning, SYML, EDEN, PVRIS, Joker Xue, NF, Halsey, Sleeping At Last, Nuz, HyunA, Sam Smith, Taemin

song stuck in your head: it’s OneRepublic’s Rescue Me bc of the song tag game i did earlier today :’D that one always gets stuck in my head whenever i as much as see the title lol 

last movie you watched: i think it’s The Yin-Yang Master (2021)? I haven’t watched any movies after that bc am so busy with all of my dramas haha

last show you binged: i think binged would be The Journey Across the Night! I watched that as a whole in 4 days

when you created your blog: in 2013 

the last thing you googled: ummm i think it was “what is a ball of wool called” bc of fic purposes haha as a non native speaker i always get a bit lost with words like this 

other blogs: none, i just dump everything here like the idiot i am 

why i chose my url: dates back to my intense summer of binge reading J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Vishous was my favorite of the brothers haha. i first used this username in some random game on my nintendo ds lol 

how many people are you following: 358 which somehow feels like a lot but also like way too few?? i should probably search for some new blogs with other topics than cql, bts and/or dmbj bc i do love a lot of things at once 

how many followers do you have: over 800 

average hours of sleep: i’d say around 7h

lucky numbers: i remember answering 5 previously? i don’t really have a lucky number but 5 pops into my head

instruments: nope, no. not touching those tyvm. i admire everyone who can play any instrument tho

what i’m currently wearing: black jeans, socks with foxes on them (plus my woolly socks), a gray cardigan (my fave thing ever!) and an orange/brown top

dream job: writer would be ideal but that is very faaaaar into the dream zone 

dream trip: around different parts of asia to taste all the amazing food ;; maybe a road trip of sorts through europe? or inter railing? another trip to london bc i miss that ;; a trip to the very northern part of lapland to see all the auroras etc! i’ve never been that far north :’D 

fave food: if i need to quickly name something then sushi. otherwise am pretty fine with anything spicy 

top three fictional universes you’d like to live in: i remember thinking about this a lot the last time i answered this but hmm. currently i’d say dmbj still bc that world is fascinating AND i would love to talk to the characters. mass effect would be the second one currently bc i miss those games and the space stuff is super cool! and the third one would be assassin’s creed rogue bc that is my fave ac game and i like the northern sea and the places in it AND i could probably be one of abstergo’s employees instead and just test/play those simulation games haha 

Part II

Last Song: am currently listening to my playlist with just everything so i have Andrew Belle’s The Enemy playing right now (also I only just now realized that Andrew Belle also sings Pieces which is one of my fave songs? my bff linked that to me after it played in some tv series she was watching)

Last Movie Last Stream: i didn’t want to mention the same movie again or skip this question and i’ve wanted to talk about this anyway so! i watched Liu Chang’s bday live last night :’D it was so much fun even if i couldn’t understand anything. it was just nice to watch him being himself and have fun and chill with his fans. also the songs were amazing ;; i cried with Liu Sang’s character song as well as the ending. and all the while i couldn’t turn my gaze away from his eyes! he has such pretty eyes and they were absolutely Sparkling throughout the whole stream, it was so nice :’)

Currently Reading: Devotions by Mary Oliver (i adore her poems! they’re a very nice change after Siken haha) and then some uni stuff for a course about culture and mental health plus my thesis

Currently Watching: Douluo Continent, Word of Honor, The Long Ballad 

all of these are amazing and make me feel different things! i started Douluo Continent just a while ago and am now on ep 16 i think? it’s been very pretty and very chill and i watch it during the weekend while i wait for new episodes to the other two :’D it’s nice to see Xiao Zhan again and i’ve enjoyed the rpg game type of feeling in it? the group of seven is doing amazing and it’s interesting to watch them craft their team work! Word of Honor again has reached the ending and i just hold my breath with it. am not too far gone with it so i am not getting as heavy feelings about it as i probably could but i enjoy it  alot still and i do cry at times ^^ and then The Long Ballad has just blown me away! i didn’t expect to love it this much and be this invested in it but everything about it has been such a positive surprise and it keeps making me super emotional! i love the characters and the story and the romances even! it’s a great accomplishment for me. also yes i cry on the daily bc of hao du and bc of ashile sun’s hair haha

(i am also rewatching Ultimate Note kind of and been thinking about getting into rewatching Reboot bc it has been on my list ever since i finished it)

What is antipoetry to you: okay hmm i had to google this too and have to agree with Kiddo here. i don’t have strong feelings about poetry tbh, i wasn’t into poetry that much before maybe a bit over year ago? Siken has really blown me away haha. but i have always loved song lyrics which i never thought as poetry but then Kiddo said to me that they consider them poetry and yeah ok. i agree? so idk poetry can be whatever i suppose. i’ve never seen any rules in it anyway. i know there are many rules for different types of poetry but then again. i feel like poetry has always been just words put together to feel things and i guess that is the core purpose of every written type of art in the end right? 

Currently craving: a drama as good and as personal as The Journey Across the Night. that show really just stole my heart and i want that feeling back. i think about that show every day. i miss Li Jia and his two partners. i miss the vibes. i miss sitting on my floor watching it and just sobbing my heart out haha. also! craving a properly subbed, whole version of Anti-Fraud League. only the first 12 eps are badly subbed out there. wetv has... blocked? deleted? the whole show??? i need it to my life, i wanna see Xiao Yuliang being cute as Mi Ruo and i wanna know where the story goes smh 

thank you so much for these both! i had fun ^^ also am sorry this is so long but haha if you’re asking me to talk about myself and my interests then this is what you get :) 

tagging (to do which ever part you want or both!): @cross-d-a @jockvillagersonly @humanlighthouse @kholran @xcziel @minmoyu and @leonzhng ♥

[acousticcheeze]

Here's my 100 questions for my OC thing!

My OC is Laureli, a 6'2 Altmer trying to make his way in Skyrim

1. What do they smell like?

Whatever alchemy ingredient he’s been working with, really. Lavender is what he smells like most often, though.

2. What is their voice like?

A smooth-ish medium pitch Altmer voice that has elements of calm and irritation.

3. What is their biggest motivator?

Helping others through his alchemy. He wants to improve medicine for Skyrim, as well as all of Tamriel.

4. What is their most embarrassing memory?

He had a whole scientific presentation one year that ended up being completely wrong. He got humiliated in front of everyone.

5. How do they deal with/react to pain?

Winces at it, curses, and then gets to treating the problem.

6. What do they like to wear?

Functional clothes that keep him warm and allow him to carry alchemy ingredients in his pockets.

7. Which of their relationships have impacted them most positively?

The relationships with some of the people he’s helped over the years. It gave him a sense of purpose and fulfillment knowing that he could help people, save people.

8. What’s the weirdest thing they’ve ever eaten?

He’s an alchemist...in Skyrim...I’m pretty sure there are a few contenders… (giants toe, large/small antlers, ectoplasm, the list goes on)

9. Describe the way that they sleep.

Normal side sleeper. Prefers to sleep on his left side.

10. What is their favorite food/kind of food?

Horker stew. It’s actually way better than he thought it would be.

11. What do they feel most insecure about?

If what he’s doing is good enough. He has big problems with perfectionism that still persist with him even after leaving Summerset.

12. How do they like to dress?

Robes with an alchemy enchantment and a hood.

13. How do they react to feelings of guilt?

He tries to shake them off, but has panic attacks and whatnot sometimes as a result of them.

14. How do they react to/deal with betrayal?

Is completely shattered by it. He’s dealt with this so many times before, though, so he keeps his cards close to his chest.

15. What is their greatest achievement?

Creating potions that help much more than the average cure disease potion would, as well as all sorts of other concoctions. Also, he’s created a sort of disinfectant and is working on a hand sanitizer.

16. What are they like when they’ve gotten too little sleep?

Cranky, cranky, cranky.

17. What are they like when they’re drunk?

Drunk? Oh no no no no Laureli does not drink (and even if he did he’d be out real quick)

18. What kind of music do they enjoy?

He isn’t really into music, but he enjoys the songs the bard plays at the Bannered Mare.

19. Are they right or left handed?

Right, but is practicing with his left hand too in case something happens to his right.

20. Fears?

Death and failure, mostly.

21. Favorite kind of weather?

As the sun rises and there’s dew all over the grass, the light reflecting through each drop.

22. Favorite color?

The color of eyes. Or, more specifically, the hundreds of little pinpricks of different colors inside of eyes, It’s really quite fascinating.

23. Do they collect anything?

OH YEAH. So many different alchemy ingredients and random stuff to be used in his next works-

24. Do they prefer either hot or cold weather more?

Cold, which is good since he lives in Skyrim.

25. What is their eye color?

Chartreuse (like most Altmer)

26. What is their race/ethnicity?

Altmer

27. Hair color?

White

28. Are they happy where they are currently?

Yup. Breezehome is small, but manageable, and Whiterun is a decent hold to live in.

29. Are they a morning person?

Yes. He gets tired around 9 and can’t stay up past 12.

30. Sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise.

31. Are they more messy or more organized?

Very organized. Again, he’s a perfectionist.

32. Pet peeves?

People touching his things as well as people inserting themselves into his business.

33. Do they own any objects of significant personal importance?

An amulet of Talos a Nord gave him. He hadn’t gotten the chance to learn much about Talos at home, and he found it very interesting talking to the local Nords about their beliefs. That amulet reminds him of his first day in Skyrim, the first day of his new life.

34. Least favorite food?

Taffy treats, or anything with that sort of texture and stickiness that can get stuck to his teeth very easily.

35. Least favorite color?

Very pale green. It looks gross.

36. Least favorite smell?

Death. (Yes, death has a smell)

37. When was the last time they cried?

Recently.

38. Were they with anybody the last time they cried?

No. Oh Auri-el, no no no no. He cries alone and he makes sure of it.

39. Tell us about one of the times they got injured?

Was in a fire when he was younger, he has a burn going up the inner leg on his right leg.

40. Do they have any scars?

Only mental ones. (and the burn scar on his leg)

41. Do they struggle with any mental health issues?

Perfectionism, past abuse, self hate, among others.

42. Do they have any bad habits?

Picking at his nails. He knows it makes them hurt and get bloody, but sometimes he just can’t help it.

43. Why might someone dislike them?

He can be very rude if he’s working, but to be fair, it is really annoying to be bothered in the middle of your work.

44. Why might someone love them?

Who wouldn’t love an overworked science boye? But in all seriousness, if he loves someone, he will be very caring towards them and is also just great listener. Tries not to care any more though because of personal trauma.

45. Do they believe in ghosts?

Yup. He’s heard of people’s encounters with them. Honestly, you’d be stupid to not believe in them.

46. Is there anyone they would trust with their lives?

At this point? No. Farkas later down the line? Yes.

47. Are they romantically interested in anyone?

Farkas, but we ain’t talking about that yet~

48. Are they dating/married to anyone?

No

49. Do they like surprises?

No. Please do not surprise this poor man he will stagger back and crash into everything.

50. When is their birthday?

9th of Hearthfire (September 9th)

51. How do they usually celebrate their birthday?

He takes a few seconds to acknowledge it and then gets on with his work.

52. Do they have any family?

Yup! A Mom, a Dad, a younger sister, and a male cousin that lives nearby (he’s in the Thalmor and the whole family has very Pro-Thalmor views)

53. Are they close to their family?

HAH- no~

54. What is their MBTI type?

INTJ (Damn this list for making me look up stereotypes for this. Honestly I hate the MBTI system so much-)

55. What is their zodiac sign?

Virgo

56. What Hogwarts House would they be in?

Ravenclaw

57. What D&D alignment are they?

If lawful chaotic good was a thing then yes

58. Do they ever have nightmares? If so, what about?

Yes, but they are often so tangled up that it’s hard to get any real meaning from them.

59. What are their views on death?

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll be fine-” Hopes that he’ll be fine but is really scared about it.

60. What is something that they’re sure to laugh at?

Bad science puns. He will stifle a chuckle before telling you how bad your joke was.

61. When bored, how do they pass time?

This man does not get bored. He will always find something alchemy related to study or look into.

62. Do they enjoy being outside?

Yes. Laureli loves the Skyrim weather (for the most part. Places like Dawnstar and Winterhold suck)

63. Do they have an accent?

Yes. He has the typical Altmer accent.

64. Upon seeing a slice of chocolate cake, what is their first reaction?

“Why is this here? This isn’t mine.”

65. If they knew they were going to die, what would they do/say

He would probably take too long deciding and die before he could do/say anything.

66. How do they feel about sex?

Sex repulsed asexual.

67. What is their sexuality?

GAY

68. Do they become squeamish at the sight of blood?

Nope.

69. Is there anything that they find really gross?

He’s seen so much it would take a lot to surprise him here.

70. Which TV Trope(s) best describes them?

Grumpy scientist with no people skills.

71. Do they enjoy helping people?

Yes, definitely

72. Are they allergic to anything?

Not really. (Lucky)

73. Do they have a pet?

No

74. Are they quick to anger? What are they like when they loose their temper?

Nope, unless you press his buttons. His anger is pretty much “What in the name of Auri-el is wrong with you?! Don’t touch my equipment!!”

75. How patient are they?

Very...until you hit his limit. Then he gets passive aggressive.

76. Are they good at cooking?

Not really. He can be good at it, he just chose not to learn in favor of working on his projects. Can make enough to live on, though.

77. Favorite insult? Do they insult people often?

He doesn't have a favorite insult (he rarely insults people).

78. How do they act when they’re particularly happy?

Talking fast, pacing, flappy hands.

79. What do they do when they learn about other people’s fears?

Try to avoid bringing those fears up around them and avoiding making fun of them. If their fear is nearby, he will either tell them or take care of it. (which is good because Farkas is scared of spiders)

80. Are they trustworthy?

Yes, but you have to be a very certain kind of person to work with him.

81. Do they try to hide their emotions? Are they good at it?

Sometimes, especially romantic feelings. Romantic attraction? Nope, not possible- (It totally is; he’s in denial)

82. Do they exercise regularly?

With all of the walking he does around various holds, yes.

83. Are they comfortable with the way they look?

Yes. He’s a perfectionist with many things, but has learned to let go a bit more when it comes to his appearance. He still will take ages to get ready, though.

84. What are some physical features that they find attractive on people?

Tattoos, braids, basically everything you’d see on a typical Nord. It’s so different from his home and he’s completely enamored.

85. What kind of personalities do they find attractive?

Himbo nord men. Sweet morons basically.

86. Do they like sweet foods?

Not really. Sweet foods do have their place, but he isn’t wanting to get any cavities, so he tries to limit his sugar. (Especially since Altmer live 200-300 years aprox)

87. What is their age?

52 (~20s for an Altmer)

88. Are they tall or short or somewhere in between?

Tall, but about average for an Altmer

89. Do they wear glasses or contacts?

No, but if he did he would have half-moon spectacles.

90. Do they consider themselves attractive?

Not really. He doesn’t really think anyone is attractive. (Well, except for Nord himbos, but he doesn’t know that until he meets Farkas)

91. What is their sense of humor like?

Practically nonexistent, but when there is humor it’s mostly dry and sardonic.

92. What mood are they most often in?

That sort of focused work mode you get in when you’re really concentrating, as well as somewhat-sociable-but-still-kind-of-tired-and-grumpy

93. What kinds of things anger them?

People messing up his equipment. Oh sweet Auri-el, if you touch his things he will explode. Also, he hates the racism that the Thalmor promote. (He hates racism in general, but he hates the Thalmor’s views the most).

94. Outlook on life?

“It sucks, but I do find quite a bit fascinating and I’ll help where I can.”

95. What kind of things make them sad/depressed?

His perfectionism, how lonely he knows he is, and more.

96. What is their greatest weakness?

Again, his perfectionism, as well as having his work dictate more in his life than he should.

97. What is the greatest strength?

His brain. He remembers small details extremely well, and is practically an encyclopedia when it comes to alchemy.

98. Something that they regret?

How awful he used to be to everyone back home. He got a lot of pushback on his dreams and who he was, so he lashed out. Even though there wasn’t much he could do there, he still regrets hiring his family and wants to try at a relationship again with them (lol good luck).

99. Biggest accomplishment?

How is this different from “Greatest Achievement”?

100. Create your own! (Why is his alchemy so different from the norm?)

Because he’s trying to do something much more along the lines of modern medicine as opposed to just potions.

101. (Bonus!) Why is he in Skyrim?

Because it’s rather lacking in the medicine department compared to the other provinces, so he decided his talents would be best used there. Obviously, his family protested, but he went anyways.

[alexithemandalorian]

I figured I should prooobably get off my butt and finally introduce my characters, so here they are! I apologize in advance for the screenshots, I've never edited anything in my life aside from cropping and i’m using what I have handy.

This is my Sith Inquisitor, Sh’ortii, or as he’s otherwise known, Darth Imperius. My friend came up with the name after I told them that one of my main goals making him was simply for him to be short because the concept of a small Sith is absolutely hilarious. Since his jokey beginnings, he’s taken on a life of his own. 

Very much unlike most Sith, he actually possesses some amount of kindness and morals. He doesn’t hesitate to do what is necessary to achieve his goals, but he doesn’t go out of the way to be needlessly cruel. Be forewarned that that doesn’t mean he wont zap you if you don’t cooperate. Him and Talos get along because they’re both archaeology nerds.

His greatest ally and friend is the Emperor’s Wrath. They met back on Korriban and have been helping each other out ever since. In all honesty the Wrath is something of a dumbass, so Sh’ortii holds most of the brain cells in this friendship.

I’m not 100% decided on what exactly, but he’s somewhere on the asexual spectrum, and bi-romantic.

Fun fact: I use his funds to fill the legacy bank so all my other characters have access to money. This leads to hilarious things like thinking about why a Jedi is getting most of their funds from a freaking Sith. Not sure if i’ll do anything with that tidbit, but considering the fact that I make a lot of decisions based on what I find cool/funny, I might bring it up eventually.

Here we have my Jedi Knight, Lathell! She’s my second character, and I love her a lot, despite not enjoying her story so much. I really hope that the story picks up sometime, hopefully since i’m off Taris now which I've heard a few people say is a bit of a drag.

She had a strong sense of justice and is driven to achieve her goals, but she’s maaaaybe a little more pragmatic than the Jedi like. Definitely not evil, but she’s done a few things that would get her seriously side eyed if they came to light. Her whole battle strategy is “hit them harder and more than they hit you,” so like... maybe don’t come to her looking for insight into Cool Force Stuff.

I haven't figured out how, but she and Sh’ortii know each other, and they somehow get along, despite the whole Sith/Jedi thing. 

Also she’s a big beefy lesbian and I think that’s great.

This is my wonderfully pretty smuggler, Yukca! I made him after messing around in the character creator and finding out that male Twi’leks can wear makeup!!! His name is courtesy of a different friend than the one I play with, who kept insisting that I name him Mr Yuk after the poison control sticker because both him and the sticker are green. I said I wouldn’t name him Mr Yuk, but if I could come up with a decent name with Yuk in it i’d use that.

I don’t have his backstory completely locked down, but he’s childhood friends with my friend’s trooper character. They don’t do their class stuff together, but they keep seeing each other in the same places. They are constantly dodging each other because Yukca is always doing illegal stuff and his childhood friend is in the republic military so that’s really awkward. Nobody wants to arrest/get arrested by a friend. They still meet up in cantinas and hang out on purpose or otherwise though.

He always has a witty thing to say, and he’s pretty resourceful. He also might be a smuggler, but he understands the value of fashion and looking fabulous.

He’s pretty bi and when I finally get the chance to flirt with dudes i’m so going to take it.

also @ bioware can you please let all the guy characters wear makeup im begging you

Last up is my agent, Demyur! He’s my most recent character so i’m still getting a bead on his personality but like all my other characters I absolutely love him. Naming him was a job and a half, but after using a name generator, and a lot of thinking, I finally managed to get him a name. Please don’t ask me to come up with his full Chiss name because I will literally flop over in frustration

Also his name is derived from the word “demur” so its kinda meaningful

Your first impression of him would probably be that he’s a model agent; reserved, clever, and loyal. Underneath that though, you’d find an interesting thing about him: Except for a few exceptions, he hates Sith with a burning passion (theres a story behind that nasty scar). He also hates a lot of things about the Empire, so while he isn’t planning to defect any time soon, that little nagging thought is always there.

He works with my friend’s agent most of the time, who is honestly more feral than he is. FYI, pretty much everything about Demyur is still up to be decided and has a good chance of being changed.

No hecking clue about what I want to do with him orientation wise. I’ll figure it out eventually.

[aerascreamer]

A body without a heart

An Apex Fanfic

Part 2: Equal

Warning: violence and death mention.

(Part 1 )

———

During the cold season, the heating system of the dormitory purred above Bloodhound's room each night, singing them to sleep or keeping them company while they read on the bed.

So it was a surprise for the tracker to wake up on the floor of a building from the arena and not in their quarter until they realized they didn't lose the match.

Pathfinder's motor produced the constant rumble that woke them up while the robot remained in complete stillness in the middle of the room.

As the hunter sat with difficulties, he came back to life and headed towards them.

"How are you friend? He asked with worries.

"I'm fine don't worry. Just not used to run so much, " They replied while taking out a flask,

"Can I?"

"Oh sure pardon me!"

When sure the MRVN looked away, the tracker took off their mask in a hurry and sipped some water before putting it back.

"Why are you fighting here if your body is so weak?"

Bloodhound jumped on their feet, looked back and found Revenant sitting on the edge of a window. Wait...sitting?

"I'm not letting my wounds stopping me from fighting for the Allfather. It is a test to see my true potential." They puffed their chest with pride.

"Guess having a metallic body has some advantages..." The robot considered, his hand scratching his jaw.

"What do you-" The hunter's body tense in reaction to a new but familiar buzzing approaching.

"EMP incoming!! RUN!"

Pathfinder rushed to the exit without hesitation.

Simultaneously, Revenant pushed himself from the window.

But despite their reactivity, both got hit by the wave of energy coming from a tiny drone, the echo of their lifeless body hitting the ground ringing in all the building.

Without losing a second, Bloodhound took their weapon and peaked over the window. Two silhouettes headed into the first level.

The hunter climbed down the stair and aimed at the entrance

Octane broke in by kicking the door.

Easy target. One mag, one down.

Lifeline jumped back, caught off guard. She dashed right away to another direction, probably to flank the building.

The tracker took the main entrance and hid behind a truck.

Scanning the area, they detected the doctor entering by the second floor.

Bloodhound waited for her to walk passed the entrance...

One more magazine and another down. But no ammo.

Leaving the weapon on the ground, Bloodhound approached the door and heard footsteps coming in.

Striking like a panther, they took Crypto by surprise and disarmed him.

The hacker pushed the hunter away and called back his drone, the device hitting them on the back.

Unphased, they leaped on the man, pinned him down before holding a knife on his throat.

Both out of breath, the two fighters glared at each other coldly.

But Crypto ended up sighting and declared:

"Legend Crypto surrendering." The banner on his wrist turned into a sad face with the words better luck next time! highlighted in blue.

Bloodhound let go of their grip and walked away to check on their teammates.

"Hey, take this. It will wake them up."

The hunter caught the small device the hacker tossed to them and nodded, thankful.

Turning around the corner, they saw Revenant shut down against the wall.

They approached him and activated the device.

The silver shadow turned on with a sound similar to a loud gasp.

On his feet, he put his hands around his chest, checking for a nonexistent heartbeat.

"What was that ?!" He questioned with a taut voice.

"An EMP sent by Crypto's drone" Bloodhound stepped back to give him space.

"An EMP?"

The glow of the synthetic nightmare's eye darkened, processing... Before punched the wall with all his strength.

"Why can't I just DIE already!?"

Digging their way in Bloodhound's perplexed mind, the little details he noticed about Revenant came back... like his natural walk, the need to sit or to brush his head, the glares of jealousy he gave to everyone except Pathfinder... Pathfinder who is a true robot.

Then they understood.

"You...you used to be human. Right ?"

He froze

"You're not a robot...but a Simulacrum."

In a blink of an eye, the shadow grabbed the hunter by the throat and held them in the air as if they weight no more than a pheasant.

"One more word... And I'll use your skin as a carpet..."

Despite their heart racing like a mad hummingbird, Bloodhound held Revenant's burning glaze without fighting back.

Surprised by their lack of reaction, the Simulacrum loosened a little.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

One inch separated his face from the hunter's mask.

"I...I don't fear...death." They replied with a chocked voice.

Revenant dropped the tracker who rubbed their aching neck.

He stared at them for a moment, puzzled, and climbed on the roof to watch the horizon with doubt and questions rising like a tide.

Bloodhound scanned the zone and found Pathfinder lying in the middle of a road.

As they activated the device, the MRVN's chest lightened up, bugging between his angry and happy face.

"Everything's ok?"

"Yes, don't worry. I really don't like being hit by the EMP, my system is always feeling weird days after it." He tapped on his chest to fix it, without results.

"Feeling ?" Revenant let go of a sarcastic laugh...or at least a grumble close to it.

****

Back in the temporary house of Talos, Bloodhound groomed Artur with their hand and picked up the feathers falling to the ground without a sound

They sighted with sadness as they counted more and more grey ones than last time.

The clock hanging on the wall displayed 9h00 but everyone already went to bed, leaving the building in dead silence.

Except for the hard stomps of metal feet.

Putting the crow back in his favorite shoe, the hunter walked to the automatic door and bumped in Revenant's chest armor.

"My apologies!"

Only an irritated grunt responded to them.

"Something's wrong?"

The shadow's blank face expressed nothing, unlike his shimmering eyes troubled by questions.

He tried to look beneath the mask of the tracker, searching a reason for them to ask with cordiality and detachment towards him.

"You're a weird skin bag." He declared point-blank.

"Normally everyone would have begged to be spared when threatened."

Thoughtful, Bloodhound didn't reply rights away, their mind looking for the right word to answer.

"I'm always prepared for my end, " They started with a slow pace,

"Death... is part of the cycle of nature.

Everything lives, then everything dies."

"Except for me." Revenant contradicted, bitter.

Artur perched on the hunter's shoulder and puffed his black and grey feathers to intimidate the Simulacrum who didn't even look at him.

"If your spirit is still down here, it means you haven't fulfilled your purpose here."

"So you think I have a spirit?" His anger started to rise.

"When that little brain here is made of scrap and bolts?!"

Revenant hit his metal skull to prove his point, creating a clear sound ringing for a second.

"When I'm a body without a heart?!"

He scratched his chest, leaving three parallel marks.

Bloodhound covered their ears, bothered with the high-pitched screeching.

"You still feel hate. There is a reason that makes you move forward.

And you still have those memories from your past life right? Those are real...

"...And corrupted to the core!"

The shadow's voice distorted in pain, wobbly.

Behind the faceplate, thousand of reflections made their way in his mind.

He shook his head, fighting the thoughts, but his hunched shoulders betrayed his exhaustion.

Noticing the changes in Revenant's behavior, Bloodhound offered him to get in their room.

He hesitated, not used to have someone crazy enough to do this, but accepted.

The hunt trophies and Championship Bookends decorated the walls next to a giant bookshelf full of text from all epochs.

Swords and knives waited on a table for the owner to choose them, glowing coldly under the candles.

In contrast, the fur carpets softened the atmosphere and gave the room an old but relaxing look alongside the handmade hammock.

Revenant instantly noticed the broad window facing the outside.

The stars shined bright on the deep mantel of the night.

Even with the latest discoveries made by scientists, secrets still lied in the distant galaxies.

This powerful sense of mystery called the human more than once, letting them dream since the beginning of time without any exceptions.

Not even a soul locked in a lifeless body.

"Being in peace with who you are will be a challenge. But once you get over it, you will finally be able to rest."

The silence fell little by little like a leaf plummeted by the autumn wind.

Bloodhound fell asleep despite the "synthetic nightmare"'s presence, this one gazing at the stars, knees wrapped in his arms close to his chest.

[vokriid]

in-depth tes oc questions

some world-building and character-building questions.

It’s a little unreasonable for everyone in a Middle Ages-esque fantasy to be perfectly literate, and writing with quills was considered legitimate labor! How well can your oc read and/or write? How detailed is their quest log/journal, if they keep one at all?

How educated is your oc? Did their parents teach them, did they have a tutor or were they apprenticed to a master, or did they attend a university? What university? What are they educated in? How long did their education take? (Learned skills like blacksmithing count here too!)

Does your oc have any kind of crafting skills that either aren’t in-game or don’t have as much importance in-game as they would in real life? (For example, can your oc sew or weave, etc? Are they skilled in any kind of art? Can they make jewelry or work glass? Are they musicians? etc)

What pantheon does your oc worship? If they worship the Cyrodiilic/Imperial pantheon, does that include Talos? If they secretly worship Talos, how do they justify hiding it?  

How religious is your oc? Do they come into conflict with others over their beliefs? If their patron deity told them to do something extremely undesirable or against their moral compass, would they do it? Would your oc sell someone’s soul for a corn chip?

Does your oc have a family of origin? How many members of their FoO are still living? Do they have a good relationship? How much contact does your oc have with their FoO? How in-the-loop is your oc’s FoO about your oc’s being Dragonborn/HoK/Nerevarine?

What social class was your oc born into? Did they change classes at all? How?

How politically active is your oc? Are they obviously influential, or is their influence more subtle?

What unplayable faction would/did your oc join, if any? Why?

How trustworthy is your oc? Would they ever change opposing factions?

What is your oc’s main source of income, if they have one besides plundering tombs and adventuring? If they’re mercenaries, are they part of a company? Does your oc own their own business, and if so, what is it?

Is your oc good with finances? Bartering? How long can they keep the money they make? 

Does your oc have any particular rivalry or mutual dislike with any NPC?

How well-liked is your oc? What is their reputation, if they’re well-known? Are they simply liked/disliked, or are they respected but feared, or personally liked but not taken seriously, etc? Do major factions consider your oc an important player? 

Does your oc have a horse/other mount? A pet? How did they get this animal? If they were given the animal, do they have the money to maintain it? How careful/careless are they with their animal? What do they do with their pets while adventuring, especially on dangerous quests?

Does your oc take their time as they travel, or are they purposeful? How do they survive in the wilds, especially if they aren’t hunter-types? How dependent is your oc on civilized society?

What does your oc like to eat? How much food do they eat? Can your oc cook, and can they do it well?

If your oc is a vampire, do they go outside in the daytime? Does the daylight affect or hurt them in any way different from in-game? If they interact with society, how do they justify looking half-dead and hating sunlight? How good is your oc at blending in? Do they even like dealing with society?

If your oc is a werebeast, how much control do they have over their transformations? Have they ever lost control? What happened? If not, why do they have such strong control? Does Hircine ever call on them, and do they answer?

What does your oc wear in the city/settlements? In the house? When travelling, but not adventuring or expecting combat? Do they vary their clothes depending on what hold/city they’re in? If they don’t, why not (e.g., if your oc wears the same outfit to tend their garden or lounge around the house as they did to meet Ulfric or Elisif, why?) Does your oc have a good or bad sense of fashion? How many clothes does your oc have?

How picky is your oc about their gear? Do they have different equipment for different adventures, or is it the same suit of armor for everything (not counting upgrades like from steel to ebony)? 

How does your oc acquire their clothes, and from where/whom?

Can your oc swim, and how well? Have they ever swam in the ocean, or only lakes/rivers? Remember, it’s much harder to swim in the ocean than in a lake! If your oc is an Argonian, do they take special advantage of it somehow (e.g., do they go diving for fun/for profit, do they instinctively hide in the water, etc)? If your oc is a Khajiit who can swim, how do they get their fur dry?

How easy/difficult is it to rob your oc? Pickpocket? Bribe? 

If your oc is part of one of the more morally questionable or outright evil factions, how do they justify it to themselves? Do they still consider themselves as morally good? How well known is their affiliation to these groups? Do they have separate personas (e.g. Dragonborn to some people, Listener to others)? Do their family/friends know? If they have separate personas, how do they keep their less than righteous activities secret?

How helpful is your oc, and why? Are they helpful or kind even during difficult situations? Are they pragmatic, or do they have a hero syndrome?

[smolbeandrabbles]

What I Never Knew I Always Wanted - Science & Faith Epilogue - Talos (Captain Marvel: AU)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 Author’s Note: Surprise! I told you, I thought the end of Science & Faith was too neat... And the more I thought on it, the more I thought it needed something a little more. Well. This is it. With this - Maliyah and Talos’ story together is officially complete. BUT - you can still see them feature in Out of Nowhere Girl! Can I just quickly thank @3134045126 and @mandy23b for getting me through a tough spot today. Honestly, thank you...  & Jax, without you I probably wouldn’t have bothered with this Epilogue... So... there’s THAT. Disclaimer: MCU Characters not miiiiiiiiiiiine.  Lyrics By Ms.Carrie Underwood. That, just basically went with the WHOLE scenario. Including what was going on in S&F. So... Yeah! All in all a fitting end. Premise: Maliyah has a home. She finally has a home. And after Thanos’ “course correction” of the Universe, she needs that home more than ever...  Words: 3424 Warnings: N/A / Avengers Infinity War & Endgame slight spoilers

                                                        _________

Thought I was happy on my own 'Til you came and proved me wrong I finally found what I never knew I always wanted I couldn't see, I was blind 'til my eyes were opened I didn't know there was a hole Something missing in my soul 'Til you filled it up with your love Never pictured myself singing lullabies Sitting in a rocking chair in the middle of the night In the quiet, in the dark You're stealing every bit of my heart with your daddy's eyes What a sweet surprise And now I'm holdin' what I never knew I always wanted I couldn't see, I was blind 'til my eyes were opened I didn't know there was a hole Something missing in my soul 'Til you filled it up, oh, with your love Life has a way of showing you just what you need And who you were made to be...

---

Maliyah was watching the look on his face very carefully. He wasn’t asking this just because he was interested in the information. He was asking this because he saw a future in her. All she’d done was run from him, and he still saw a future in her... for a second she looked back out across the planet. And her smile was reassured. He was waiting for her. All he’d ever done was wait for her. He didn’t chase her to Xandar and he could have - he’d given her space until politics and war had meant he’d had to go. And of course, he’d expected Garthan in her place. He’d let her use him... because of Keller... and his suggestion she come with him was nothing more than that. She was here by choice. He’d waited for her to make that decision. And she was here. So she had.

“It’s usually held at Weddings. Because by that point if you didn’t want to be connected with someone there’s no hope is there...!” She laughed “although my race doesn’t NEED to connect like this to have children it’s still... there’s a lot more that comes with it than just kids...” she pushed her feet forward, relaxing her position “…Whatever is in it is meant to strengthen the bond but honestly that’s just crap...” She shrugged “as long as your blood is in my system and vice versa and my genetics recognise all the markers, life can be created.” She laughed again “Dumb. Right? Going through all that. Like you need to really be sure you want someone and want kids with someone before you think about doing that...”

Talos held the small bottle of purple liquid close to his heart for a second. This wasn’t just a big decision for her. Maliyah knew that; what she wouldn’t know about him after he decided to take that leap with her wouldn’t be worth mentioning. That’s why he had waited for her to come back from Xandar. He obviously would have hoped for happier circumstances…

“Does… Does your race ever reject DNA? Can… that happen?” She was surprised that that was what he was worried about. And not her previous hostility to the idea. She thought back to the first time he’d mentioned their races could be compatible. A lot had changed since then, but, her absolute conviction that them having a child together would have been no good thing would have done that too him alright. “... Sometimes. Not every molecular structure can possibly support ours. That’s just an impossibility. But you better not be worrying about YOURS you’re gonna be fine; your race is built on pulling it’s DNA apart... all my DNA is going to do is pulls itself apart and add yours to it. And in your body... well I guess it’ll distort your DNA to a point where it could be unrecognisable, but they are just markers. It won’t attack it and neither will it pull it apart. And as long as my genetics read yours and think everything correct and in order well then... yeah. Half-Skrull Half-Auron things are gonna happen. I wonder if that’s already a thing...” she thought on it for minute; it was possible... “So.” He processed this information very fast. Because she was hiding behind a lot of genetic babble he didn’t really understand other than; if the blood of your significant other is ingested to fuse with your DNA, her body would give the A-OK and babies could happen. But that wasn’t what she was SAYING. “So you’re really sure about this…?”

She paused, and turned back to him. The way his eyes were suddenly sure and confident – at the smile he was giving her. Maliyah wasn’t sure whether she was impressed or terrified that he could cut through all that to figure out what she was really telling him. The complicated genetics of her race hadn’t served to confuse him enough to not ask any questions - just nod along as if he understood - but here he was asking the exact question she wanted him to. Still, Maliyah was as like to hide behind her own answers, and she gave a mysterious little smile; “I’ve thought about it enough. After what I’ve just witnessed…” She looked away from him with a small shrug “…I don’t think my future has ever been more clear than it is right now.” She turned her eyes back on him; that pleading sincerity that begged him to see everything she couldn’t say.

Her future was him. And that was all she could see. *** In the aftermath of what Thanos has done, and had now been undone, it was hard for Maliyah to catch a break. When she had got to Xandar it was too late. The planet was gone. Thanos had destroyed it for the Infinity Stone. Everything she had ever known and loved. For those lucky enough to be off planet at the time, Maliyah and Carol had taken time to relocate. Just as many Skrulls had. Thankfully Maliyah could name Denarian Day, Yoel and her adoptive parents among those who had survived. She didn’t think she could take losing any more family… What hurt was, with all that was reversed with the effects of the snap, it didn’t bring Xandar back. That had it’s own silver lining. With no way to contact Xandar, a planet that no longer existed, Maliyah’s race had no way to trace her. And for that she was thankful. It allowed her a life. But, as their Supernova, the Xandarian’s needed her now more than ever, and every time she rocketed across the galaxy to check on things it tore her apart a little more. She hated not being home.

* There was not a point in her life Maliyah thought she would tire of re-entering the atmosphere here. She already knew the smile crossing her face as the fading sunlight glittered across the lake; she’d been home within 5 minutes. She’d be back with him in 5 minutes… Even now it made her pulse quicken. She dropped her speed as she swept through the city buildings. She no longer had to report everything she did straight away. After Thanos, that wasn’t surprising. Everything came into real perspective when half the damn population of the Universe was suddenly halved. She was selfishly grateful that she had the good fortune to lose no one else. …Well… She supposed, she did lose everything she had ever known since she was six. And that was far more than just enough. She could have sprinted those last few corridors if she’d wanted to. But she kept control of herself. Just a little longer. What was a few more seconds? Then she’d be back in his arms. And not just his arms. The door unlocked automatically as she walked towards it. She still wasn’t sure of that as a safety feature on a planet full of shapeshifters. Talos assured her every single time that it WAS. Maliyah was still cautious – now she was positive you could never be too careful. Also she felt it defeated the purpose of making a surprise return home. Whoever was on the other side of the door would know someone that lived there was approaching. Maliyah scoffed at her own thought – as a Supernova, she was a literally shooting star crossing the sky. There’s no way you couldn’t notice her returning home. She pushed against the door and was surprised herself to be met with relative silence. “Hello?” Her voice echoed for a few seconds, making her frown. But running footsteps made her turn just as someone skidded into the main corridor. She was startled for a second to be faced with a boy of six. Dark hair (a mess as ever) and hazel eyes; wide. He was breathing heavily as he started down the corridor towards her. Her son always changed his form. She wasn’t sure why. His ‘human’ one always unnervingly reminded her of Garthan at his age, and more than a little bit of her was scared of that prospect. Garthan wasn’t blood, so that wasn’t genetics. That was a choice her son was making… She wondered if that choice had something to do with Garthan being his namesake. It was the only thing she’d really insisted on. “MOM!!!” She stumbled a little at the force of his hug; sometimes it was just too obvious which half of him was Skrull. “…Garth-! Careful-!” She wound her arms around him with a smile, and his skin flared up to match hers. His natural colours a strange mix of greens and purple-blues. She liked it. It was like combining her and Talos into one. Which, she guessed Garthan was anyway. She ran her hands through his hair, with a raised eyebrow; “You’re getting good at this…” she looked him over “It’s actually a little scary.” “I practice. A lot.” “Too much.” If she’d heard Talos tell him he’d wear himself out once she’d heard it a billion times. “Where’s your father…?” “That’s what I was coming to TELL you!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her – again, unaware of his own strength “Come on! We need to GO-!” and my trip was great too, Garthan, thanks for asking-! She couldn’t help but laugh. He got his impatience from her, and it drove Talos crazy. ‘I thought one of you was enough!’ He would grumble half in jest. Maliyah would just smirk ‘Would you have him ANY other way?!’

She continued to let her son drag her through the building, then outside and into another one. She’d managed to pull him back with strength of her own to a more sensible pace, and it was then whilst studying him that she realised that his shifting wasn’t yet perfect. There were still little flecks of purple in his eyes every time he would turn to answer her questions, patches of his skin were shades of green. She wondered more if that was because he couldn’t completely hold his shift yet. He’d mastered it quick – but Talos had said TOO quick. ‘No kid should be that natural’ ‘He’s not exactly just any kid though. Is he?’ ‘Still. If he doesn’t exercise caution, he’ll burn himself out. Then he won’t be able to do it!’ Then the little nudge came Maliyah would always give him now, because she could. She’d married him. ‘He just wants to be like YOU.’ ‘That’s why he wants to look so much like you, is it?’ Then she would tell him to shut up, without saying it. And he knew the one thing on her mind was Keller. Eventually she realised where they were going, and Garthan let her hand go to walk in-step with her. He could almost match her strides now. He was tall, for a six-year-old. And he ALWAYS tried to act like he was much older. The way his back straightened and the smile all but disappeared from his face. Far too much like my brother. They rounded the last corner towards the circular room with the highly decorated domed roof. The first time Maliyah and Talos had had a real conversation about their future here was that very room. Skrulls practiced shapeshifting here and she’d watched Garthan take lessons many a time. But Gathan had stayed home to wait for her. So that could mean only one other thing.  They both slowed significantly, so as not to interrupt the moment that was clearly happening. And stopped. Quiet. Garthan touched his hand to hers for reassurance but did not hold it. Talos was crouched down; one knee on the floor to support himself; “-Taliah.” His idea. But the mix of their names suited her too. “…What’s wrong… Sweetheart… You’ll get the hang of it. It’s okay.” If Garthan was the child prodigy of shifting, his sister was the exact opposite. At four years old that was totally fine, she was just starting out. But the problem was she knew that at four Garthan could already do so many complicated things “I can’t do it…” “Baby… you can…” Her blue-purple eyes (gifted with Maliyah’s instead.) flicked to the ground defeated and disbelieving. So Talos took her tiny hands in his. “You can do this. I know you can… All it takes it practice… Just a little bit of practice…” “But Garthan said-” “Hey- Shhh! Forget what your brother said. You’re going to be better at this than him one day – you know that?” “Really!?” That automatically brightened her mood, and she smiled. Just a little more and he’d get those colours going again he knew. Maliyah smiled to herself and let her eyes flick down to her son. He was quiet, but the look on his face clearly read as if! She nudged him with her hip and he looked to her in surprise for a second. Like he knew he was caught thinking something he shouldn’t be – it made him look guilty. She gave him a wink and ran her hand back through his hair. If she knew what she thought she did, in a few years’ time this boy would be what Garthan Saal had always been for her, to his own little sister. He tried to act like he wasn’t right now. But he was. “I promise.” He touched his forehead to hers. And the gentle purring coming from both of them made Maliyah’s skin ignite gently. She had to press her fingers to her lips for a second to stop herself from crying. “Thank you Daddy-!” Taliah threw her arms around him now, and he reciprocated. Enveloping her in his own. Maliyah often wondered if her children would have a significant height different too. Taliah was tiny in comparison to her older brother. It wouldn’t surprise her... “That’s… Ok… sweetheart…”   Hugs were a different kind of affection. This had come from Maliyah. Because everyone that visited that wasn’t a Skrull was greeted with the biggest hug imaginable. Both her children observed this as abnormal behaviour. But… in time it was just something that became second nature. Affection; in the way it was shown by the two races they were made from. “MOMMY!” She squealed it – letting her father go and running the short distance as Maliyah too sunk to her knees; “Tali! My sweet girl!” The embrace was tight. And her daughters usually purple skrull markings lit up pink – the same colour Maliyah harboured – and blue. This particular shade of blue was an unusual addition. She didn’t like to think on Keller too much anymore… But she couldn’t help it when she saw that blue… “How was practice?” “…Oh… okay…” She sounded a little disheartened, making Maliyah tilt her head “Aw, now, I’m sure you were perfect.” “-I- I think you were pretty good when I saw earlier-!” There it was. Maliyah turned to her son; the smile on his face as he tried not to think about the fact he was trying to rebuke his fathers statement. Forget what your brother said. Hoping Taliah wouldn’t forget this. “-before I left! It…! It takes time! I---I could help! I’m sure!” Maliyah let her little girl leave her arms as she rounded on her brother, eyes wide in awe. And then watched the way they relapsed into her husbands language. Leaving them to it, whilst also touching her sons hair – to let him know he’d done the right thing, she turned to the man now walking slowly over to her. “Did she?” “…Do well?” “Mmm hmm…!” “She’ll get there…” He smiled “I missed you too.” She knew she was washed with purple and green – bright. It told him all he needed to know. “I worry more about them than I do YOU, y’know.” “I don’t doubt.” Talos inclined his head to usher his family out of the room and back home. Their children running eagerly ahead. “Garthan-!” He turned; expecting Talos to ask him to shift back. “-Careful! Don’t get too far ahead.” This once, he wouldn’t. Just this once. By the time they reached home Garthan would be back in his normal form by the looks of him right now. Still, the fact Talos didn’t made his sons face light up. And he was glad of that.  Maliyah and Talos walked close. Millimetres between them, but they never quite touched. If there was conversation at all it was nothing more than a few words. Both of them were preoccupied with the two running in front of them.  The real conversation would happen later – when they were tucked up safe in bed and dreaming – and between their parents, it might not even be a conversation then either. * Talos breathed a sigh of relief as he finally closed their bedroom door “I swear. That boy…” “He just wants to be you…” “Yes. Maybe. But he’s just you.” She chuckled gently, pushing herself away from the balcony and walking back inside “Asleep though?” “Ha!” For now. “I don’t know where he gets that energy. I used to think that maybe if he could shift as well as he can that it might balance itself? That he’d use it all up doing that. I’m now starting to think he’s got his own sun-based powers.” He shook his head “Our children are by and by though. How was the trip? What did I miss?” Maliyah shook her head “…Not a lot. Just checking in. Rebuilding… It just takes so long. They may have homes, and Carol and I checking in every so often but… Rebuilding as a community?? It might take generations. And watching that is hard for me.” He nodded because he knew, the same thing had happened here. And it was still hard for him even though he had her. Talos took Maliyah gently in his arms and she was glad for his embrace. She wound hers around him and pushed her head into his chest with a satisfied sigh; “I’m just happy to be home…” “I’m happy you are home… Would… you like me to begin accompanying you again?” Sometimes when she left the planet she wouldn’t leave alone. On rare occasions Talos would share the journey. But it was hardly the same as being back home. And it meant leaving their kids. He also had to occasionally leave for military reasons, and Maliyah didn’t like the fact the children would be left without either parent. Eventually they agreed; only one of them off planet at any given time. He knew what she was thinking; “We could bring them with us…” He murmured it; rubbing her arms gently. That 8-point star ringing gently on his wrist as he did so. It made her pull from his arms and take his hands. It had never once let her down. Before their children, and their marriage – if you could call it that. She guessed it was; but it didn’t come with rings or vows. – she would often return to find him already gone. Finding that star was easy, and it meant she could find his embrace too… “No… They should stay. It’s important they stay…” She gave a smile “But. Maybe I could stay now too.” He tipped his head “…Why? Are you not due back? When are you next due out?” She laced her fingers with his and gave a knowing smirk; “I’m grounding myself. I think.” There was a good few seconds of silence before he spoke again; “Think. Or know.” She smiled at the smile breaking across his face; “Knooow?” “Oh my god-!” It was such a human expression. Everything he’d carried over from his previous life. “Three?!” He took a deep breath that made her laugh. He couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice; the instant rush of joy. “There was one point I wasn’t even sure we’d get to have one! But three!?” “…Well, thankfully, I’m not that girl anymore. Am I?” Talos didn’t even answer her, just pulled her back into him – into a kiss. His colours illuminated the room – vibrant, pure, full of Maliyah’s own happiness. And he didn’t dare let her go. They both moved at the same time to touch their foreheads together – sharing that same sound, even if she could only imitate it – she kept her hands locked with his. This time she couldn’t help but voice it. Even if it didn’t need to be uttered. Even if she’d already said it enough with actions. “I love you.” He pulled her body into his; and he couldn’t help but kiss her gently again; “I know you do. Supernova.” ____ @mfolcore 😘😘😘

[wits-writing]

Captain Marvel (Movie Review)

Captain Marvel, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck with a screenplay co-written by themselves and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, follows the story of Vers (Brie Larson), a noble warrior hero of the intergalactic Kree Empire with the power to project photonic energy blasts. After a routine mission goes wrong and she’s captured by the enemy, she escapes only to find herself stranded on the planet Earth. While seeking a way to contact her superior officers and protect the planet she’s on from her enemies, Vers starts finding evidence that her life wasn’t what she assumed.  She discovers hints towards a past as Air Force Pilot Carol Danvers, leaving her to struggle with what that means for her mission and whether she’s fighting for a just cause. It’s a personal journey in the form of an unfolding mystery that makes a compelling origin for the newest hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

[Full Review Under the Cut]

Everything in Carol’s story gets imbued with the idea of the purpose behind her power. Kree society tells her the photon energy she’s able to channel was a gift they gave her, but always couched in the reminder that they can take it away. While she still believes herself to be what they made her as “Vers”, she gets told repeatedly that her emotions and interest in rediscovering her past are weaknesses she must overcome. Her superiors assume that discovering her best self means making her the best soldier possible. When she arrives on Earth and more memories start returning, we see that people in her life trying to limit her didn’t start with the Kree. Since she can only remember them as the people that gave her a life after her amnesia, she doesn’t question what they think is best for her at the start of the movie. The difference in her old life came down to the how she had a real support network of people that cared about her in her past, acknowledging her strength without couching it in any backhanded compliments about where her strength “really comes from.”

Seeing her reconnect with that support network in her journey into the past makes the best material in the movie. After discovering some files on Earth about who she was in the past, Carol goes to meet Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), her best friend and fellow Air Force pilot in her old life. The time spent on Maria’s farm in Louisiana stands as where the movie brings Carol’s humanity back to her as more comes to her. Her interactions with Maria’s daughter, Monica (Akira Akbar), deserve special mention. While Maria is near devastated that her old friend has returned after six years with no memory of who she is, Monica takes it as a chance to bond with “Aunt Carol” all over again. The kid excitedly brings out all the photos and mementos of Carol they kept since her disappearance and explains each in an adorable sequence. Maria and Monica happily refer to Carol as part of their family and support her even though she can’t remember her old life. Since Maria and Carol always supported each other, they take each other’s skills and strengths being their own as a given.

Carol manages to tap into her full power for the first time by going against everything the Kree taught her about how they’re meant to be used. She embraces the emotional bonds of her life on Earth and stops doubting where the source of her power lies. Larson’s performance in the scenes where Carol gets to cut loose on her enemies displays the exuberance of someone finally understanding themselves and putting it to good use. She glows, literally and metaphorically, as she kicks ass left, right, and center through the movie’s third act. Accepting that she has nothing to prove to anyone makes her a force to be reckoned with willing to protect the innocent.

The science fiction trappings surrounding Carol’s development are centered on the conflict between the Kree Empire and the shapeshifting Skrulls. What we see of Kree society from Carol’s perspective as “Vers” consist of the militaristic side of their culture, a hierarchical, hard-edge environment focused on locating and eliminating Skrull infiltrators on Kree planets. Carol takes on this task as a member of the Starforce, a Kree black-ops team, under the command of her mentor, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). In contrast to the tightly structured Kree society, the Skrulls are presented with an affable mannerism. Skrull commander Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) gets some of the movie’s funnier moments thanks to the way he reacts to certain situations. Carol’s rediscovery of her past and revelations concerning the mission she’s on in the present makes her humanity the key to bringing this conflict to an end.

Alongside Carol for the ride to finding Skrulls, why they came to Earth and her role in it is young Agent Fury (Samuel L Jackson, digitally de-aged). This movie details the first time he encounters anything extraterrestrial, making him the reaction point for all the bizarre happenings in this movie. While he gets some amusing bits in that capacity and in interacting with Goose the Cat, his part of the story also ties into one of my problems with Captain Marvel. Fury meeting his first superhero turning his arc into a prequel to his role in the Phase 1 MCU makes sense, but occasionally the awkwardness of the nods to the future feel forced to the point of annoyance. However, Jackson and Larson’s chemistry as they both start off navigating the rules of their respective agencies to get information before developing into true friends works in both characters’ favors, keeping the prequel-isms from dragging this part of the movie down.

The gradual build to Carol’s rediscovery of herself and paying that off with the themes of accepting her power as her own makes Captain Marvel a strong origin story to serve as her introduction. Boden and Fleck using that as the movie’s core makes it something I can see heavily resonating with people. The Earth-based bonding moments are the strongest parts of the movie, since those character interactions have the most warmth to them. The 90s set dressing and shout-outs are fine mostly for what they are, with one on-the-nose song insert in the climax that I won’t give away as a highlight. This is a solid movie with some standout moments once it gets going and I look forward to seeing what else is in store for Carol Danvers in the MCU.

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Okay I filled out that character thingy I reblogged

It’s a little unreasonable for everyone in a Middle Ages-esque fantasy to be perfectly literate, and writing with quills was considered legitimate labor! How well can your oc read and/or write? How detailed is their quest log/journal, if they keep one at all? Imogen took to reading quite readily. She can read high level material and is well read. Her vocabulary is decent. Her journal is fairly detailed, though mostly just emotions shes feeling.  Kalo has dyslexia, so reading can be tricky for him. He would rather read novels than textbooks, but it takes him a while to get through a book. He doesn't keep a journal at all. He just reads his sister's. How educated is your oc? Did their parents teach them, did they have a tutor or were they apprenticed to a master, or did they attend a university? What university? What are they educated in? How long did their education take? (Learned skills like blacksmithing count here too!) Imogen had tutors, and when she was old enough, she attended the Arcane University to study Conjuration and Mysticism. She will never consider herself good enough to stop learning. Even with the war going on, Imogen makes it a point to visit the Mages Guild to keep up with her studies. She also studies history and linguistics.  Kalo had tutors, but the war interrupted his studies. Behind his father's back, he took up swordplay, and he continues to practice. He is over confident in his skills, though he picks up how to fight rather naturally.  Does your oc have any kind of crafting skills that either aren’t in-game or don’t have as much importance in-game as they would in real life? (For example, can your oc sew or weave, etc? Are they skilled in any kind of art? Can they make jewelry or work glass? Are they musicians? etc) Imogen can sew, but not very well. Enough to patch holes. She learned to sing when she was younger, but she's too shy to ever do it in public.  Kalo is really good at making makeshift tools. Give him some sticks and some string and he's good.  What pantheon does your oc worship? If they worship the Cyrodiilic/Imperial pantheon, does that include Talos? If they secretly worship Talos, how do they justify hiding it?  How religious is your oc? Do they come into conflict with others over their beliefs? If their patron deity told them to do something extremely undesirable or against their moral compass, would they do it? Most iterations of Imogen worship the Daedra, but this one is fairly dedicated to Akatosh and Mara. She, however, questions her beliefs often and feels conflicted. Her mother was the head of a cult that worshipped Sanguine. It makes her wonder if Daedra are bad. would be tempted by Hermaeus Mora. But she holds to her moral compass. Kalo is agnostic. Mostly doesn't care about gods or things like that. Never really paid attention to it. But shows interest in some of the Daedra, much to his sister's dismay.   Does your oc have a family of origin? How many members of their FoO are still living? Do they have a good relationship? How much contact does your oc have with their FoO? How in-the-loop is your oc’s FoO about your oc’s being Dragonborn/HoK/Nerevarine? Well, Immy and Kalo are siblings. Their father is still alive but they are not sure where in the world he is because of the war. Haven't seen him since they fled to Glenumbra. Imogen never felt like she met her father's expectations. While he has a hard time showing it, though, her father does care for her. He tends to be colder towards Kalo, as he isn't convinced the boy is his.  Kalo tried to hide the fact he was the Vestige to Imogen. He didn't want her to know that he was soulless because she would have blamed herself. He's bad at keeping secrets though. What social class was your oc born into? Did they change classes at all? How?How politically active is your oc? Are they obviously influential, or is their influence more subtle? Mildly high. Niece and nephew of the Count of Leyawiin. Imogen tries to be politically active, but her emotions run too high. Kalo thinks politics are a waste of time. Especially now with the war. Blames political agendas on it.  What unplayable faction would/did your oc join, if any? Why? I'm still mad I can't be loyal to the empire... How trustworthy is your oc? Would they ever change opposing factions? Both are trustworthy. If they promise something, they mean it. Imogen is fiercely loyal to the empire, though meeting those outside of Cyrodiil makes her question it. She is learning that the empire might not be as good as she believes. Kalo is loyal to individual people. He allies himself with those he considers good.  What is your oc’s main source of income, if they have one besides plundering tombs and adventuring? If they’re mercenaries, are they part of a company? Does your oc own their own business, and if so, what is it?Is your oc good with finances? Bartering? How long can they keep the money they make? As the two take refuge in Glenumbra, they have no connections and no money. Imogen takes up odd jobs as a maid, scribe, bar wench, whatever to get by. Kalo takes odd jobs for people in town, which is how he gets roped into becoming the Vestige in the first place.   Does your oc have any particular rivalry or mutual dislike with any NPC?How well-liked is your oc? What is their reputation, if they’re well-known? Are they simply liked/disliked, or are they respected but feared, or personally liked but not taken seriously, etc? Do major factions consider your oc an important player? Imogen, surprisingly, has reservations on most of the NPCs you deal with in ESO lol. She doesn't trust anyone with the war going on. This makes her come off as cold, which probably makes her hard to get along with. She forms a small bond with King Emeric for helping out alongside Kalo (and for being the one to kill Septima oops). She sort of treats him as a father figure.  Kalo is definitely personally liked but not taken seriously by most people. He's young and reckless. But damn if he isn't loyal. I'd say the Covenant likes him for helping out.   Does your oc have a horse/other mount? A pet? How did they get this animal? If they were given the animal, do they have the money to maintain it? How careful/careless are they with their animal? What do they do with their pets while adventuring, especially on dangerous quests? Imogen has a shadow horse she conjures up. His name is Auferte. She has a stone that she uses to summon him.  Kalo doesn't have any pets but he would love a dog. Or a cat. Or anything really. Imogen won't let him. She doesn't trust him.  Does your oc take their time as they travel, or are they purposeful? How do they survive in the wilds, especially if they aren’t hunter-types? How dependent is your oc on civilized society? Imogen is purposeful; she feels like she's on a timer. Kalo takes his time unless he is on a mission. Imogen relies on her magic to protect her, and she doesn't do well outdoors. Gets tired easily. Kalo seems to be an endless bout of energy.  What does your oc like to eat? How much food do they eat? Can your oc cook, and can they do it well? Kalo eats like Goku from DBZ. Like dear god. Loves potatoes, meat, and bread mostly. Imogen eats like a bird, sort of picks at her food. Enjoys sweeter things like fruits...and actual sweets. Kalo can roast things over a fire. Imogen can't cook. It was not a skill she was taught, though now she's forced to learn to provide for herself and Kalo. She's okay at it, but she gets nervous while she cooks. Makes a mess. If your oc is a vampire, do they go outside in the daytime? Does the daylight affect or hurt them in any way different from in-game? If they interact with society, how do they justify looking half-dead and hating sunlight? How good is your oc at blending in? Do they even like dealing with society?If your oc is a werebeast, how much control do they have over their transformations? Have they ever lost control? What happened? If not, why do they have such strong control? Does Hircine ever call on them, and do they answer? NA What does your oc wear in the city/settlements? In the house? When travelling, but not adventuring or expecting combat? Do they vary their clothes depending on what hold/city they’re in? If they don’t, why not (e.g., if your oc wears the same outfit to tend their garden or lounge around the house as they did to meet Ulfric or Elisif, why?) Does your oc have a good or bad sense of fashion? How many clothes does your oc have?How picky is your oc about their gear? Do they have different equipment for different adventures, or is it the same suit of armor for everything (not counting upgrades like from steel to ebony)? How does your oc acquire their clothes, and from where/whom? While Imogen works in Glenumbra, she tends to dress the part. But once she joins in on the adventure she wears more Cyrodiilic clothing. Typically a tunic and tights. The sandals man. No matter what, she wears the sapphire circlet her mother gave her before passing away. She panics if she can't find it. She sold any other jewelry she had with her after they fled Cyrodiil. Occasionally, Imogen will wear Imperial armor. But that is rare.  Kalo dresses to match the domain. Not so much because he wants to but because he tends to destroy whatever he is wearing. As far as armor goes, he travels light. Prefers leathers to protect him.  Can your oc swim, and how well? Have they ever swam in the ocean, or only lakes/rivers? Remember, it’s much harder to swim in the ocean than in a lake! If your oc is an Argonian, do they take special advantage of it somehow (e.g., do they go diving for fun/for profit, do they instinctively hide in the water, etc)? If your oc is a Khajiit who can swim, how do they get their fur dry? Imogen has always felt a connection to water. She loves to swim in lakes and rivers. Kalo, surprisingly, is afraid of water (though he denies it). Poor dude can't swim. How easy/difficult is it to rob your oc? Pickpocket? Bribe? If your oc is part of one of the more morally questionable or outright evil factions, how do they justify it to themselves? Do they still consider themselves as morally good? How well known is their affiliation to these groups? Do they have separate personas (e.g. Dragonborn to some people, Listener to others)? Do their family/friends know? If they have separate personas, how do they keep their less than righteous activities secret? Imma be honest I'm tired and cant think for this one lol How helpful is your oc, and why? Are they helpful or kind even during difficult situations? Are they pragmatic, or do they have a hero syndrome? Kalo has hero syndrome. Imogen, while she considers herself a good person, has trouble agreeing to help others. Again, she is too cautious. Thinks people have ulterior motives. Will help those she cares about in a heartbeat