#literally her name is gill

[emuwarum]

LOOK AND BEHOLD

[foreverambrosia]

Watched the Laxus focused episode and just admired Laxus the whole episode. He's the coolest 🌸

[pinkandblueblurbs]

why’s schmidt kinda… why’s he kinda….

[motorsportbarbie13]

What's A Soulmate? Part 4

In which you finally come back home.

Warnings: alcohol use. angst. Pairing: Lando Norris X SainzSister!Reader Word count: 1.9k plus social media posts

- What's A Soulmate? - Part 1 - What's A Soulmate? - Part 2 - What's A Soulmate? - Part 2.5 - What's a Soulmate - Part 3 - Master List

LittlestSainzSis honey, i'm home. user433 isn't it weird she's working for McLaren and not Ferrari??? >>>user3928 nope! hope this helps! user2918 press officer job right out of school? must be nice being a nepo baby >>>user328 she literally worked for Carlos and Lando for two years before going to uni at NYU??? And she has a double degree in PR and business??? >>>usesr322 just say you're jealous next time, it'll be quicker. McLaren So glad to have you back in the paddock!!

LittlestSainzSis fast cars go vroom OscarPiastri so you're who Zak was yelling at to get behind the barrier over the radio??? >>>LittlestSainzSis oops!

LittlestSainzSis that feeling when you wake up and realize it's race day!! user3928: face card never declines user298: blah blah, proper name, place name, back story stuff LandoNorris: don't let that cute face fool you, she was yelling at Oscar and I ten seconds after I took this. >>>LittlestSainzSis neither of you were listening!!! God, this is 2019 all over again, isn't it? >>>user992 ariana what are you doing hereeeeee??? >>>user9383 seriously the first time Lando's in the comments in literal years. tf??? >>>user938 so we're all just going to ignore him calling her cute??? okay???

LittlestSainzSis the boys are ready for race day!!! McLaren best press officer award goes to you bby! >>>user382 admin is unhinged today, I see user0392 i just love seeing Lando back on her feed. >>>user3938 seriously. i feel like mom and dad are back together again. >>>user3844 i'm so glad i don't have to be a child of divorce anymore.

LittlestSainzSis caught someone being a grumpy gills today during the presser. LandoNorris i was probably hungry >>>LittlestSainzSis i think oscar had just told you he was getting sushi with Lily tonight and you got all pouty >>>user948 not her selling out Lando in the comments user938 Chaos Gremlins back to terrorizing paddock! war is over!

Miami May 2024

“Fifteen times Lando Norris has stood on the podium, but never on the top step, until now! It’s a landmark day for Lando! Lando Norris wins for the first time in Formula One! It’s victory in Miami for Norris and McLaren! The British drivers dream is realized and at the 110th attempt, he’s done it! He’s won it! Look what it means to Zak Brown! At long last, Lando is your winner!” 

Tears stream down your face as you listen to Alex Jacques call the end of the race in your headphones, his voice filled with glee and excitement that matches the feeling in the McLaren garage. After yesterday’s DNF for Lando, it had been pretty doom and gloom on his side of the garage. 

Your heart had ached when you caught sight of him that afternoon, sitting in the glass enclosed conference room that the team used to go over race data. He had been all alone, spinning aimlessly in one of the chairs, face drawn and shuttered. You had wanted to go to him then but hadn’t worked up the courage. 

Things were still…delicate between the two of you. After that first night in Australia, Lando had kept his promise to win your friendship back. You more often than not found your morning coffee order sitting at your desk waiting for you during the week with a silly note written hastily on a posit in his chicken scratch writing that only you seemed to be able to decipher. 

A few treats and free coffee weren’t going to be enough to bring back that casual intimacy that you and Lando had though, you both knew that. The walls you had built up so high around your heart designed specifically for the British driver were still solidly in place and you refused to go running back into his arms so easily. 

And then, Miami happens.

The hot sticky humidity clings to your skin as you watch Lando climb out of the car behind the black and white number 1 sign, the first time he’s been able to park his Formula 1 car right in the middle of parc fermi. You’re not entirely sure where the humidity of Florida ends and the tears still falling from your eyes begins, you’re such a mess. 

If you were to think too hard about it, the fact that you were a complete puddle of jumbled up emotion would surely scare you a little. Those walls, they couldn’t be crumbling now, could they? They couldn’t be slowly tumbling down, allowing for the while possibility of allowing Lando back into your life like he had been before? 

You don’t have time to get too lost in those dangerous kinds of thoughts though because soon after he hops off the car, he’s running straight over to the garage crew and leaping into their waiting arms. He’s waited for so long for this, so many poor performances, so many mistakes and problems with the car had sent him spiraling for so many years. There had been too many nights you had spent with him when he was barely more than a teenager, sat on the floor lamenting about how shit his car was, how shit his driving was, and if he was destined to be one of those midfield drivers that never won anything in their career. 

All of those doubts are erased now and your tears are falling again as the weight of what he’s done settles over the paddock. His engineers and mechanics eventually place him back down on the ground and he’s hugging Zak next, the CEO of McLaren more of a father figure to him by now. Will gets a hug too, his engineer since he joined the team five years ago. 

And then, icy blue green eyes snag yours and everything else falls away in a muted hush. He’s smiling at you, that megawatt grin making his eyes crinkle up at the corners. It’s one of those genuine Lando smiles that you haven’t been on the receiving end of for far too long. Your heart stutters to a stop when you realize you’re his next target. What is he doing? You think frantically, mortified that you’re about to be the center of attention if he does what you think he’s going to do. 

And he does. He throws his arms around your shoulders and buries his head deep into the crook of your neck, a move that has camera shutters clicking furiously all around you. You, of course, instantly find your arms wrapped around his shoulders, squeezing him to you despite the metal barrier between you. 

“You’re here.” He sounds surprised that you’d miss this moment. 

“Of course I am. My best friend just won his first Grand Prix.” You whisper into his ear as the crowd continues to grow louder. 

Lando pulls back then, tears shining in his eyes. The weight of your words settle on his shoulders and you don’t think you’ve ever seen him look at you the way he is now. He tucks a strand of hair that’s fallen out of your pony tail behind your ear, looking at you like you’ve hung both the moon and the stars in the sky just for him. “I’m so glad you got to be here for this, pretty girl.” 

God, that nickname. It’s the first time you’ve heard it in years and it does significant damage to those carefully constructed walls. 

You smile up at Lando, a little bashful that everyone is watching you two talk so closely together. He returns the smile before turning around to answer a question from one of the officials. He needs to take care of post race inspections, which he does but not before turning back and tossing a wink at you over his shoulder. 

LittleSainzSis It has been a pleasure and privlidge watching you grow over all these years. Life may have taken us in different directions over the last few years but when I say there is no place I would have rather been this afternoon, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Your friendship means the entire world to me, Mr. Norris. I'm so proud of you. One win down, so many more to go. LandoNorris so glad you got to be there today, pretty girl xo >>>user948 WE GOT A PRETTY GIRL COMMENT. >>>user0383 i can die happy now user0832 i'm sorry but guys, she literally just friendzoned him so hard in that caption. >>>user9383 yeah, poor lando

LittlestSainzSis You're going to smell like champagne for weeks LandoNorris worth it user948 EXCUSE ME WHAT IS THAT FACE. explain yourself lando norris. user928 did we mean to post this on main ma'am??? user9482 @/littlestsainzsis giving us what we all crave: lando thirst traps. >>>littlestsainzsis don't say i never give you guys anything ever again ;) >>>user9482 omg hi queen

LittlestSainzSis find yourself a man that looks at you like Lan looks at that trophy user0382 LANNNN??? >>>user9484 I am unwell CarlosSainz He's sleeping with it tonight, isn't he? >>>LandoNorris who told you that??? user9383 i feel like i'm interrupting something here... user0309 this picture is...a choice...

The music of the Miami night club pulses through your body as you sink deeper and deeper into the VIP booth later that night. Lando hadn’t given you any room for arguments after all the media duties were done. You were coming out with him and the rest of the team to celebrate. You had barely tried to refuse, not giving him much of a fight because you secretly wanted nothing more. 

Now you sat in the leather booth situated high up in the dark Miami Beach night club that had invited Lando out the moment he had crossed the finish line earlier in the day. There were what felt like thousands of people, most of them were there to celebrate with Lando, hoping to get a glimpse of the driver. 

Alcohol burns at the back of your throat, blurring your vision nicely as you wait for Lando to return from the bar. You had insisted that he wasn’t the one who should be making drink runs tonight but he had insisted on getting you another one and hadn’t taken no for an answer. Carlos is sat next to you, nursing a drink while talking to Charles on his other side.

A small glass is set down in front of you, drawing your attention away from the DJ booth, where you had been starting. 

“Vodka sprite for my pretty girl.” Lando murmurs in your ear, the words sending a cool shiver up your spine.  

You desperately tamp down the way that being called his makes you feel. You cannot be going down that road. Not now when the friendship between the two of you is so fragile. You knew what it was like to lose him in your life and you weren’t sure if you were willing to risk losing him again. 

The same worries you had back before it all went sideways worm their way back into your consciousness. He was too important to you, too integrated into your soul that when he disappeared, it left you broken in a million pieces. You couldn’t risk that again. This had to be strictly platonic between you if it was going to work. You couldn’t afford to lose your best friend again. Those walls around your heart needed to be reinforced and brought back into working order because there was no way you could let this happen. 

“Dance with me?” The question is a husky one, whispered in your ear so no one else is privy to it. 

You know it’s dangerous. You should say no. But the vodka already in your system convinces you that it’s fine. It’s just Lando. So against your what your sober self would consider the best judgement, you feel yourself nodding, allowing Lando to tangle his fingers with yours and pull you out onto the dance floor. 

If you had been paying better attention, you would have seen the looks Carlos and Charles exchanged behind your back. They were well aware of the frosty relationship that Lando and you had over the last few years and this was a development no one had seen coming but everyone had been hoping for all the same. 

The EDM beats are strong and sensual as Lando leads you out onto the floor, hand firmly gripping yours. He finds an open spot and pulls you towards him, the heat of his body radiating off of him in waves. His hands land on your hips, fingertips gripping at your skirt a little harder than really necessary. You shouldn’t want this. Shouldn’t want his hands on your hips, his breath mingling with yours, his curls so dangerously close that you could easily rake your fingers through them. You shouldn’t and you can’t because he’s left you before and he could do it all over again. He’s abandoned you and didn’t come back and every sane thought in your body is screaming at you that this man is dangerous. He is dangerous to your heart and your head is thrashing around so loudly but it’s drowned out by the music. 

You simply can’t fight it when he pulls you impossibly closer, hands sliding from your hips lower, lower, lower until it’s almost indecent. The alcohol blurs the edges of your usually sharp judgement and it’s not helped by the fact that this man seems to have cast a spell over you. You can’t want this. Can’t love how the weight of his hands feel on your skin. Can’t adore how his lips tick up at the edges when he sees you walk into the garage during a race weekend. 

This is Lando after all. Your best friend. Your best friend who abandoned you once and had only barely just come back begging for forgiveness. You can’t allow him to knock down those walls so quickly, can you? 

His lips flutter over the damp skin at your temple, dusting the slightest kiss there, almost as if it’s a test. A test to see if you push him away or allow him in. 

A test that you fail. 

Because the moment his lips touch your skin, it feels like a bucked of ice water has been splashed over your head and you realize what the fuck you’re doing. Its too hot. Too close. Too much and you simply can’t have him touching you anymore. No, this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. Panic races through you as you stumble back out of his arms, logic finally winning out over your own heart’s stupidity. 

The delicate balance you had struck with him shatters in an instant because you both knew there was supposed to be more between you but you’re desperately scared and Lando is so wretchedly full of regret he can’t stand it. 

“I’m sorry.” Is all you manage to choke out before fleeing. 

Tag List: @anilovessadbooks, @shelbyteller, @formulaal, @martygraciesversion381, @longhairkoo, @samantha-chicago, @stelena-klayley @dark-night-sky-99 @luckylampzonkland, @chlmtfilms , @inarabee @aykxz98 @forensicheart @cheer-bear-go-vroom @lieutenantchaos @willowsnook @sltwins @linnygirl09 @powerfulmess @technicallypleasanttree @meglouise00 @mixedstyles @strawberryy-kiwii @secret-agents-stole-my-bunnies @unknownmystery22 @mrosales16 @charlesgirl16

(Some of the tags aren't working? LMK if you want to be added/removed but I'm like 99% certain I have everyone!)

[coffeeghoulie]

Mushy May Day 19: Confessions

Aether doesn't know much about fire or water courtship rituals. Ifrit's there to knock some sense into his head.

Thank you to @forlorn-crows for putting Mushy May together, and thank you to @ghuleh-recs for the divider

this one is a doozy, I wrote this in pretty much one sitting yesterday and it's like four pages? turns out i have a lot of dewther feelings. Contains some (resolved) miscommunication, water/fire hybrid Dew, the first time I've ever written Ifrit, and some of my fire ghoul lore

Aether is, admittedly, not used to other ghouls. Quintessence packs run small, a tight-knit family group at the largest. But this is something else. Ghouls of every element, even some hybrids, all of them mostly cooperating and coexisting as a larger pack than Aether's ever known. He spends a lot of his first few months close to Omega's side, seeking comfort in his fellow quintessence ghoul.

There's one ghoul, however, who's intrigued him from the moment he was pulled from the summoning circle. Quite literally too. There had been hands on his wrists, pulling. One had been Omega, hands that felt familiar even as a stranger. But then the other wrist, fingers almost dainty, barely able to wrap all the way around.

He had looked up, and if the summoning had knocked the breath from his now-corporeal lungs, Aether found it impossible to breathe.

There was a water ghoul standing above him, silver, pin-straight hair falling over his shoulders, almost obscuring the teal gills that line his neck. He's slight, and was staring with wide, bright blue eyes down at him, a hazy lavender coloring his cheeks.

Aether had swallowed hard, tried to shut his mouth because he knew he was staring. But the water ghoul was staring too, and Aether was helped to his feet by the others. Omega had asked his name, draped a purple, starry blanket around his wide shoulders, and with one more glance at the water ghoul, had lead him from the summoning chambers.

He sees him around the pack den, standing alongside a water ghoulette and a fire ghoul who's almost as broad as Aether himself. He learns his name is Dewdrop, that Mist is teaching him bass so he can go along with the Ghost Project to support the third Emeritus brother when they leave on tour again. He watches the way Dew's fingers fly over the fretboard, the way steam curls from his gills when he's stuck on something frustrating. Dew's beautiful, and Aether feels eyes on his back when he's pretending not to stare himself.

They dance around each other for weeks, sharing glances and brushed touches between the den and the practice room, the uniform fittings and Masses.

And then things start to change. Dew actually starts approaching him, asking to practice together, rhythm guitar and bass. Aether's a little too quick to agree, anything to spend a little more time with the little ghoul he's way too infatuated with.

Aether still remembers the first time Dew cornered him after practice, grabbing his hand and unfurling his fingers, intense eye contact as he pressed something hard and smooth into his palm, closing his fingers around it before darting off after Mist. The ghoulette had glanced between the two of them, a smile that was a little too smug and knowing for Aether's taste on her lips.

He looked down into his palm, finding a pretty piece of stone, so dark it's almost black, glittering with quartz all throughout, worn down smooth by water. Aether furrowed his brow, turning the pebble over in his fingers, before taking it back to his room, setting it on a shelf above his desk.

The pebble quickly became part of a collection, various colors and shapes decorating just about every surface in his bedroom. They're all beautiful, and Aether finds himself turning them over in his hands, wondering why Dew's only giving them to him, not sharing them with the rest of the pack.

This continues, even as the Ghost Project sets out to tour. Dew keeps giving him little gifts, pressing them into his hand. The first time they get to stay overnight at a hotel, instead of cramming themselves into tiny bunks on the bus, he and Dew are assigned together. Or maybe, Dew bat his lashes at Terzo and got him to reassign keys. If he did, Dew will never tell. Regardless, they head up the elevator together, bags slung over their shoulders.

Aether slips the keycard into the lock, pushing open the door to a room with two queen beds. Altogether, not a bad hotel room, but he's nearly dead on his feet after that night's Ritual.

"May I make you a nest, Aether?" Dew asks, setting his bag down on the hotel dresser, beginning to rifle through it for a clean set of clothes.

Aether yawns, jaw popping with the force of it. "That sounds great," he says earnestly. "How about I strip my bed and we use both sets of bedding? Make it extra comfortable."

Aether just barely catches the way Dew's eyes light up like neon signs at his words, and the little ghoul nods eagerly. "Go shower, and I'll get it taken care of."

"Thank you, waterlily," Aether says, unable to stop himself from tucking a strand of silver hair behind Dew's finned ear, watching fascinated as that lavender blush spills over the ridge of his nose, the sharp lines of his cheeks.

Aether rushes through his shower, exhaustion bone-deep. He doesn't know how Omega did it for so long. His body aches to flop down into a nest, and he's honestly excited to not have to sleep alone.

He gets out of the shower, roughly toweling off and changing in his haste. Aether steps out of the bathroom, the mirror foggy with steam, and watches curiously as Dew weaves sheets and blankets and pillows together methodically. Eventually, Dew seems satisfied with his work, curling up in the pile of bedding, patting the mattress next to him.

"Come on, big guy, get in here," he demands, but his finned tail is wagging behind him, mussing up the blankets.

He chuckles, climbing into the nest next to Dew, who's quick to curl up against his side, purring like a storm. It's very comfortable, and Aether's happy to have an armful of ghoul, the two of them quickly succumbing to sleep.

The habit keeps, Dew worming his way into Aether's bunk on the bus, insisting they're roomed together for each hotel night.

Dew gets clingier after they start sharing a bed. Aether's not complaining, not by any means, but Dew's always been a little aloof, a stoic little thing. He's close physically, but Aether can feel the way his friend is beginning to drift away mentally, even as they sleep pressed together from torso to tailtip.

It takes a couple of weeks before Ifrit raises an eyebrow as he takes note of their sleeping arrangements, the way Dew's plastered to Aether's side for what feels like every waking moment, every unconscious one too.

He pulls Aether aside backstage one night, and Aether goes willingly. "What's up, big guy?" he asks.

Ifrit scratches at his undercut, his shoulder length hair tied back so he can shove it into the balaclava later tonight. "Aeth. Aether. What do you know about fire ghoul courting rituals?"

Aether's brow furrows hard, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's a little out of nowhere," he sputters. "I mean, nothing, really. I mean, are you asking?"

Ifrit throws his head back in a laugh. "No, I'm not asking for myself, if that's what you're putting down. Me and Zeph are good, not looking for a third quite yet," he chuckles, clapping Aether's shoulder before his expression turns serious, a rare occurrence for the fire ghoul. "Okay, how about this. What do you know about water ghoul courting?"

"Courting?" He can feel the blush spilling across his cheeks as a face flashes in his mind out of his control. Silver hair, teal fins, bright blue eyes. Aether swallows hard, meeting Ifrit's expectant gaze. "Nothing. I barely met any water ghouls in the Pit, wasn't really in a position to learn that part of their culture."

Ifrit nods to himself, taking a deep breath through his nose. He settles both of his hands on Aether's shoulders, leveling him with a look. "Aether, I'm gonna be blunt and I need you not to freak out on me. Dew thinks you're courting him, and he's trying to court you back."

Aether's heart stops, trying to form words but just sputtering. "I didn't- I'm not- How?"

"He's not just water. He's a fire hybrid. I don't know too much about the water courting, but I'd be willing to bet he's been giving you stones?"

Aether blinks dumbly at him. "Yeah, he has. They're all over my room in the den."

"Yep, that'll be it, I think. But the part I know more about are fire rituals. Did he offer to make you a hearth?"

"Dew's never mentioned anything about a hearth, Frit," Aether says, feeling the warmth of his palms as they hold his shoulders still. "I don't know what that is."

"It's a courting nest, Aeth," Ifrit sighs again. "Did Dew offer to make you a nest?"

He blinks up at Ifrit, realization beginning to dawn on him. "He did."

"And you offered your bedding in response, didn't you?"

"I- I did. I offered to strip the other hotel bed to make a nest with," he says, suddenly finding the skin around his glamoured nails incredibly interesting.

"Aether, listen to me," Ifrit says, tipping Aether's chin up to make him make eye contact. "You need to talk to Dew. Tonight. Clear this all up. He's upset because, to him, you reciprocated his intent and now you're giving him the cold shoulder."

Aether opens his mouth to reply, but then there's a call of a half an hour until places. They glance at each other, nowhere near ready, panic filling both of their eyes. "Talk to him," Ifrit stresses as they part, scrambling to the dressing room.

The Ritual, all things considered, goes fine. Aether knows that Dew knows he's looking at him, sees the glint of blue eyes behind the silver mask that obscures the rest of his features. He can't look away. Aether hits his marks, plays his part, but he's staring at Dew, with everything Ifrit told him swirling though his mind like his quintessence.

They step off stage, the ghouls all filing back to the dressing room, sweaty and exhausted. "Dew," Aether says, just loud enough to be heard. The water ghoul whips back, eyes shining through his mask.

"Aether?"

He takes a deep breath through his nose, trying to steel himself. It smells like metal, the mask humid with his breath even through the balaclava. "I need to talk to you. Could we find somewhere quiet?"

Dew blinks, the rest of his expression hidden, but Aether, in tune with these kinds of things, can almost smell the apprehension. "Sure. What about?"

"Just-" Aether stops himself. "Not here, come with me?" He holds out his hand, still so strange looking under human skin. Dew's chest heaves as he breathes, considering, before placing his hand in Aether's.

Aether finds an empty room, dark and quiet, herding Dew inside before shutting the door behind them. He finds the light switch, old fluorescents flickering to life. Aether reaches up, grabbing the chin of his mask and pulling it up and off of his head, shoving his balaclava down.

Dew's quick to follow, and once his face is revealed, Aether gets a good look at the almost nervous expression written there, on the most beautiful ghoul he's ever seen, even soaking wet and ruffled. Locks of silver hair stick to his forehead with sweat, and he aches to reach out to tuck them back in place. "Aether?"

His shoulders rise and fall as he takes a deep breath, stepping heavily into Dew's space, guiding him to stumble quickly backward until his back hits the wall. Dew's expression hardens, but Aether can taste the undercurrent of fear of being cornered by a much bigger ghoul, caged in by his big arms.

"Hey, Dewdrop," he whispers, voice as gentle as he can make it. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Dew's brow furrows, staring up at him. "You didn't know wh- umph!"

He gets cut off by Aether's mouth on his, the bigger ghoul lunging down to catch Dew's lips in a desperate, hungry kiss. The smaller ghoul squawks in surprise, before melting completely into it. His arms come up and wrap around his neck, clinging to him, human nails digging into his shoulders even through the cassock.

They part, vessels aching for air, eyes wide as they stare at each other. Dew starts laughing incredulously, narrow chest heaving. "You're fucking kidding, Aether, thought you were leading me on."

Aether leans in, pressing his forehead to Dew's. "I didn't know you were trying to court me. I didn't know I had accepted a hearth."

"I mean," Dew stammers, that lilac blush flooding his cheeks again. "If you didn't actually want me to court you, you can forget it happened, I can-"

"Dewdrop," Aether whispers, taking the point of his chin carefully in his fingers, making him meet his gaze. "What about the last five minutes says I don't want this?"

He shrugs, still pinned to the wall. Instead of answering, Dew tangles his spindly fingers in his mohawk, pulling him down into another kiss. And Aether is happy to indulge him.

[toadslug]

I FINISHED IT!! Here are my silly opinions for the silly dragon series 🥰 Character names, explanations, and template below the cut:

★ Favorite character: Clay

Clay has been my favorite character since I read his book!! I think his character goes a lot deeper than how some of the fandom treats him (his character arc is amazing), and he's also just a really nice guy.

★ Liked by everyone but me: Queen Ruby

I have no idea why I don't like her 😭 I think the way she treated Peril just kind of pissed me off when I was a kid, and I've never been able to shake the grudge. It's not her, it's me. I almost put Bumblebee here instead (I can't fault her for acting her age, but her screaming can get tiresome).

★ Didn't like at first: Fatespeaker

I considered putting Glory here, but I only started to hate her when that was the popular thing to do (I'm back to liking her now). I immediately didn't like Fatespeaker... Probably because I was rooting for Sunny x Starflight at the time 😬 I PROMISE I'm not like that anymore omg, I was, like, nine. I've come to value Fatespeaker a lot more; her character is surprisingly interesting to pick apart.

★ Would like to know more about: Hailstorm

There's so many characters I want to know more about!! Gill!! Tau!! Riptide!! Moray!! Osprey!! Sora!! Literally any MudWing character!!! But I went with Hailstorm. I adore the cool, supportive big brother energy he radiates, and seeing him trying to fit back into IceWing society (and maybe go through a teensy identity crisis) would be interesting.

★ Least favorite character: Sky

Honestly, I don't really have a least favorite character...? There's Whirlpool, of course, but that's too easy. I ended up choosing Sky 🤷‍♀️ I liked him enough in Dragonslayer, but he annoyed me in The Flames of Hope. I feel like he became a lot louder and more brash.

★ Like the design, dislike the character: Vulture

His dragon skull tattoos and the gimmick for them is so sick?? Why is this grandpa more stylish than me and everyone I know??? His design is great, but everything to do with him and his crime ring felt a little out of nowhere to me. It's been a while since I've read Darkness of Dragons, so maybe I'm just not remembering everything? But yeah. I wish he was introduced better.

★ Like the character, dislike the design: Luna

I like Luna!! And I like how she looks on her book cover, too (the rendering on her is drop-dead GORGEOUS). But the rest of her appearances in canon art... ehh.

These shades of green are making me feel things. And the spots on her wings look kind of awkward to me.

★ Favorite ship: Jambu x Pineapple

I was really close to putting Clay x Peril here because of how OBSESSED I was with them as a kid (shout-out to the Demons Peril PMV by Echosplash Animations that saved my life); however, Jambu x Pineapple is the only ship in the series that got me kicking my feet. The flashback to them cuddling in the hammock melted my heart 💖 Luna x Swordtail, Tamarin x Anemone, and Mangrove x Orchid are also my beloved. Honestly, though, I'm not that involved with shipping anymore.

★ Would never befriend IRL: Sundew

I like Sundew as a fictional character, but I would be slightly scared of her if she was real. She probably wouldn't like me.

★ Would befriend IRL: Umber

He just seems chill. I don't think he'd prod me to do stuff or talk, and I like people like that... People who can just let you exist. I feel like he'd tolerate my cringey humor, too.

★ Similar personality: Clearsight

I am NOWHERE near as girlboss as her, but I can relate to constantly worrying about future situations that may or may not happen 😁😁

★ Least favorite ship: Burn x Scarlet

Sorry toxic yuri ☹️ I just don't ship Burn with anyone.

*This template wasn't my idea; I took the original template and modified it to my liking.

[faislittlewhiteraven]

Been having some ISaT tech level and timeline (as in 'when backstory things happened') thoughts and want to ramble a bit:

Tech

ISaT's setting is based on your classic sword and sorcery fantasy JRPG so its easy to assume that tech wise everything is 'fantasy medieval' and call it a day but consider:

Body Craft is at bare minimum is magic sex changing surgery (earliest known equivent in our world dating to 1930) that any old person can learn to do safely on themselves in only a few months, and more likely has many many broader applications like regular old surgery, the 'combat healing' Mira and Sif use, etc.

Cameras and photos are rare enough that Odile comments on it (namely she's happy the group get a photo in the House due to them being 'so rare') yet are also common enough that everyone in the party knows about them and doesn't question the existence of a camera beyond being surprised that the mirror was one. (In our world cameras date back to the 19th century, with the earliest manufacturing of them being in 1839). 

Printing presses and ways to make plenty of paper to feed those presses given absolutely everyone in this game can read, expects everyone else to know how to, and both mass produced book series and newspapers are a thing. (Note: Printing presses have existed since waaaay back but it's the mass paper manufacturing that makes newspapers and The Cursing of Chateu Castle possible that really has my eyebrows raised here, especially since neither Siffrin or Odile find either odd in any way, indicating such things are common everywhere, and while newspapers have been around since 1604 in our world, mass produced fantasy books didn't really take off until the start of the 20th century).

Food production and storage: despite being in the middle of a national disaster that almost certainly cut off trade networks and access to most suppliers for literal months now, Bonnie, a small child, is able to easily get their hands on fresh Pineapple, curry ingredients (for samosa), potatoes, plantains etc with no issues or anyone commenting on this being unusual or lucky. Oh and the only character who even brings up the concept of potential starvation is the Fishing One, and only in a sort of 'we're not at risk now but sooner or later...' kinda way due to noticing that the fish they fish up for fun are disappearing and likely being frozen. So yeah, that heavily implies Vaugarde has very good food storage tech/Craft (possibly better than ours), and likely also good food production and harvesting tech/skills also.

The Island's incredible knowledge of the stars: while the oldest known orrery in our world is dated from around 205 to 87 BC (ancient Greek, earth centric model), the fact Sif -who would've learnt this as a child/teen- is so very certain that stars are big balls of fire made up of gas is interesting as that's something our world couldn't prove the theory of until around the 1900s (note: it'd been theorized a LONG time but Sif talks like its complete facts to them . Additionally the earliest existing record of a telescope in our world dates to a 1608 patent and we see one of those in game.

Post posting EDIT: A wonderful user qds-place pointed out that Mirabelle has anti-anxiety medication in her room. This is in both ISaT and SAaP and though we're not sure what form the medication takes (pills? Valium? Megitech esc Craft boosters???) the fact they specifically have 'anti anxiety' medication at all (as opposed to idk dragging Mira off and drugging her through the gills) is kind of impressive and if it IS modern anti anxiety pills those could be as recent in creation as the 1950s! So um. Some high levels of tech implied in chemistry there <3

So... yeah. All this, plus the fact that the highest tech implied area, The Island, literally specialised in the study/Craft of turning wishes into reality (for a long enough time period that Wish Craft is culturally so ingrained in the King and Sif that they do it without thinking and it seems intertwined with their nation's religion) has been completely erased from memory to the point anything heavily associated with them has been forgotten, and also we only ever see Dormont aka a little village well away from the cities, it's not hard to conclude that you can basically justify giving the ISaT world any level of tech you want, so long as you lock any of the truly 'setting breaking' stuff like planes and rockets behind The Island's forgetting curse (I would've said trains too but thinking about it trains were invented in 1802 so it's honestly easy to imagine that they totally exist in the ISaT setting/Vaugarde but aren't ever on screen because rail is way too dangerous to consider using while the Curse is active and potentially time freezing things on the tracks).

Side note: We know absolutely nothing about Vaugarde's transport system but as a fan of fantasy RPGs it is honestly a travesty I have yet to see a fic that has flying dragons/wyverns or other fantasy mounts in setting. Like, ok yes, the party would probably have wanted to use those but maybe they don't like the Curse and fled? Maybe the King's Curse targeted them first? Maybe all their handlers dropped the heroes off in Dormont and said 'Well Saviors it's been fun, but well me and Scales here are off to Poteria until things wrap up so best of luck to you' before buggering off?

This isn't really a serious complaint just. Me reminding myself/potentially other fanwork writers out there that there's a lot about the setting we just don't know about and limiting all travel to walking, horse drawn carriage and boat is not actually required. (Also please mix up travelling to the Island. Boats are a wonderful classic and have great thematic vibes for Sif's original leaving of the Island but like. Imagine the sheer in-universe wtf of the memories of The Island suddenly coming back and people on the north coast suddenly realising there's a massive bridge, subway or underwater tunnel leading there that everyone just forgot about - potentially filled with all kinds of Sadnesses that need taking down. Or Warp Panels in a House of Change, idk XD).

Timeline

Canon notes first:

Bonnie is a preteen (8 to 12), Mira and Isa are in their early to mid 20s (with Isa slightly older), Sif is late 20s to 30, and Odile is 40+ Nille is stated to be around 18 to 20.

Siffrin ran away from home when they were a teenager (13 to 17? 18?) and this is heavily implied to be when the Island was Forgotten.

Bonnie (in ISaT specifically*) says that Nille told them that when it happened all the adults were talking about it, hence why they think The Island is close to their village. *In Start Again a Prologue, Bonnie says that they themself remember the adults talking about the Island disappearing, which er. Is a bit impossible given they likely weren't even born yet when that happened but that can be explained away by AU differences, InsertDisc5 still finalising details between SAaP and ISaT, and/or OG Siffrin having been in the loops so long they weren't actually listening when Bonnie was talking and just 'scripted' in their head something 'close enough' to what Bonnie was saying to get the idea (note: mentioned that idea before in my post here on the differences between the House and King in Start Again vs In Stars and Time for anyone curious so er please feel free to give that a read if you haven't already).

Odile mentions remembering 'when it happened' as well and has been 'travelling for years'.

The King 'appeared out of nowhere' sometime in his adulthood, and lived in the city of Corbeaux for a few years before he became the King.

The King became the King as was freezing people in time long enough before his attack on the House of Dormont that everyone inside knew he was coming, there were a wall's worth of newspaper articles about him, and everyone was expecting Euphrasie to defeat him.

Mirabelle's quest began 'almost a year ago' and Sif lost their eye 'recently'.

Thoughts on the above:

Calculating when The Island was forgotten:

Sif being mid 20s to 30 and having run away from home as a teen means that The Island has to have been forgotten somewhere between 9 to 17 years ago with nine only possible if he ran away at age 17 and is only age 26 now, and seventeen being the far opposite if he ran at age 13 and is currently 30.

To narrow down the timeline: Given Sif ran away from home because he 'didn't want to eat his veggies' and 'just wanted to scare [his] parents a little bit' it's probably safe to assume Siffrin was likely on the younger end of the teen spectrum (teens run off all the time sure but with loving parents and over veggies? That screams 'kid who has not yet learned that freaking out the parents will get their ass grounded and/or yelled at a LOT and is therefore best saved for doing fun forbidden stuff that ideally the parents will never find out about' XD) Additionally given Siffrin can't remember his age/birthday etc but Isabeau outright says near the beginning of the game "But you're older than most of the people here?" meaning Sif must be visibly older than Isa or Mira, so he's probably closer to 30 than not.

Those alone would imply the Island likely disappeared closer to the '17 years ago' side of things BUT Nille (tops 20 years old) told Bonnie that "[the Island's disappearance] was all the adults would talk about for ages" and kids usually can't remember anything prior to 4 years of age so with that in mind...

I'd say The Island most likely disappeared between 13 to 16 years ago.

Nille stuff:

This is more a general mention but. Nille is tops 20 years old. Bonnie is between 8 and 12 and doesn't remember their parents at all.

This means Nille ran away with Bonnie and gained emancipation and custody of Bonnie (if Vaugarde has formalised that kind of legal stuff) while she was at most 12 years old herself and could have in theory been as young as 6..!

Regardless, it's very likely the original home situation was that bad, Nille deserves a ton of credit for raising Bonnie as well as she has and I'd say it's very VERY likely she had a lot of help from villagers in Bambosche and/or the local House of Change in doing so. ...But also Bonnie is very adamantly 'my sister and village' and not 'my sister and [specific names who live with us]' so there's clearly by the time Bonnie was 4 or so they were living in their own place so... Yeah. Lotta drive for independence there too it seems (so the party might have more trouble adopting Nille into their group post ISaT than Bonnie might expect).

King stuff:

Already an adult 13 to 16 years ago so at bare minimum 33. Given his vibe probably much older though.

Newspapers get printed pretty quick though for there to be so much speculation and research done into his background so quick, either Vaugarde has some form of fast messaging system (something like a Chappe telegraph on top of the Houses of Change? Odile I think does mention that they'll have a message sent to let Nille know they'll be returning Bonnie...) or the King was freezing stuff for IDK around a month or two before reaching Dormont? Alas can't find out how long it takes to walk across all of France out very easily (I'm sure the numbers are out there but my brain is pudding rn) but if we had those numbers we could probably make some guesstimates based off the rough sketched map of Vaugarde InsertDisk5 did... Which I would link but apparently the tumblr post I had it linked on has been deleted???? 'wails at this very unhappy development'

Mira's journey and Sif's eye:

We really don't know a lot but almost a year ago gives us somewhere around 9 to 11 months to spread the journey out along and after eye removal surgery the patient can out and about as soon as 2 to 6 weeks after, maybe sooner with magic healing (though full recovery/growing used to the changed spacial awareness -which Sif clearly does not have- probably can't be sped up and takes around 3 to 6 months) so um. I'd guestimate Sif's eye injury is really recent; like two months ago tops recent. ...Which sorta explains a lot of why Bonnie is not dealing with it right now and also why the others might be trying to avoid bringing it up (since Sif clearly loves avoiding the issue but they haven't yet realised that maybe they really should bring it up even if it annoys them anyway?)

Odile with some Ka Bue speculation:

When it comes to The Island, how did Odile, presumably living in Ka Bue at the time, remember 'when it happened'? Was the Island well known enough even on the other side of the world that it's disappearance made waves? Or was Odile herself or someone she's close to paying attention to the region? (Like maybe her dad or a friend is/was into politics or trade, keeping up with overseas news and got concerned it could happen to Ka Bue? I'd say 'I remember when it happened' line implies it was more immediate knowledge than being informed by a messenger much later though...)

As for Odile's 'years of travel' I have to wonder, what's left behind for her in Ka Bue? She brings up going back there quite a bit, might just miss home and possibly her father if he's still alive, but given it took her years to get here for something so personal rather than idk 'materially rewarding' I think Odile might have some kinda family estate or something back in Ka Bue... Something she wasn't worried about potentially losing while far away, but solid enough to want to return to, beyond her father who she'd definitely want to see again if he's still around. (...But given how open she is to chilling about Vaugarde a few more months with the others, I really don't think he is alive, since well, given their respective ages and travel between Vaugarde and Ka Bue apparently taking years, there'd definitely an uncomfortably high chance of him passing away while she's gone and that seems like the thing that'd stress Odile out so... Yeah. Probably got an estate in Ka Bue she'd like to take the Family to visit/possibly sell off if she decides she'd like to live with them in Vaugarde so... Just my off the cuff headcanoning here and hoping that gives others ideas or something).

---

Anyway that's all the ramble I've got in me so... yeah! Hope this was interesting and useful for those needing a bit of a 'possible tech'/timeline calcs breakdown for the Island + a few more vague things and um. Probably will post a long winding ramble about my attempt at a ISaT Selkie AU fic I've been working on next <3 (Not to be confused with looped-140-and-counting's already existing and quite wonderful Selkie Siffrin AU which already has a completed oneshot fic, a snippet of sequel, two snippets of prequel/Sif flashbacking and I believe a comic too, all of which I highly recommend <3)

[contentloadingandstuff]

Drinking with Rosaria & Eula!

CW: Male!Reader, swearing, reader and character are drunk to some degree, not proofread, ignore the implication of Disney existing in Teyvat okay?

Rosaria doesn't stray from alcohol, not by any means. She never gets drunk, or at least that's what she claims. Not in public anyway. If the drinks pour a little too fast for clarity of mind to remain, the notoriously horny sister becomes a literal succubus. No five minutes may pass without a dirty remark of some sort, suggestive gestures or not-so-restrained touching. She also tends to cuss a lot. But who cares, if all of it is contained within your own four walls? Your drunk self certainly doesn't. 

The fifth anniversary of your dating was upon you, so you and Rosaria thought that a few drinks wouldn't hurt. Well, Rosaria has a different definition of 'a few drinks'. By now, two bottles of Dandelion Wine are completely dry, with a third one already open. The wine glasses are halfway full, the two of you already blushing heavily. Rosaria is sitting on your lap, placing sloppy kisses all over your neck. You playfully push her away every now and then, but she dives right back in no time. 

"R-Rosie… Your wine will get warm, you know?" You mutter, barely keeping composure under the barrage of kisses she delivers. 

"Pfffffffffffft. Who cares… You're alllll I need baby~" 

"No, seriously. Who wants to drink warm wine?" 

She pulls away, seemingly considering your words. It takes a while, but she finally nods her head. 

"Yeah. You're right." She down the entire glass in one go, and sighs loudly. "Mmm, That's the stuff…" 

You look at her. Despite the river of alcohol clouding your mind, you see clearly. You see her, your beloved, your chosen, your girlfriend. Her pale skin, her delicate yet sharp features, her slim, painted lips, her slender fingers, her rich chest… The wine turns your awe into obsession. You grab her jaw and turn her face to look at you. 

"Rosaria… you're… the most beautiful woman I have ever seen…" You mutter. So beautiful, mysterious, so unique, so enchanting, so tantalizing… 

Like a vampire. 

"Like a vampire…" Your thoughts escape your mind. Rosaria draws a smile. 

"Hm?" 

"Are you one? A vampire, I… I mean. You gonna suck my blood out, Rosie?" 

Even if you are drunk, your mind still works. It has some merit. She has pale skin, she goes out only at night, she likes red fluids… and those teeth… your neck, your hands, your arms, your thighs, your stomach and your… other bits know the sting of those canines all too well by now. 

Rosaria chuckles. "Nah, s-sorry. I'm not gonna drink your blood, but I will gladly suck something else, hehe~" She leans down and makes a small growling sound. 

"Rosariaaaaa!" You both laugh. She pulls back and wraps her arms around your neck. 

"I talked to a four-eyes once, you know? About my skin."

"Ah, I see… What did he tell you?" You finish up your glass of wine. 

"He told me that my ancestors may have come from Wat… Watsu…Tsu.. Watsumi Island, was it? Eh, close enough." She sniffs. "Fuckin' fish people, anyway."

"You are looking fishy sometimes, that I will give you…" 

"I never found any scales, gills, fins or whatevers on me. Sad." She hics. "I wanted to be a mermaid when I was a teeny tiny girl, you k-know? I wanted to swim below the waters, a-and sing songs, a-and play with my fish friends… I always wanted a crab, you know? I would name him… Sebastian."

You sit in silence for a minute, smiling like children at each other before the lyrics can no longer be contained. 

"Under the sea, under the sea, darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from meeeeeeeee, up on the shore they work all day, out in the sun they slave away, while we devotin', full time to floatin', under the seaaaaaaaaaaaa…" You sing in drunken unison, ending the broken auditory mess of a cover with a hard burst of laughter. When Rosaria calms down, she leans into you, her lips pressed right against your ear. 

"You know what else he told me?" 

"Hm?"

"H-he told me that young men need to have sex to be healthy… And, baby, I will make you the healthiest man in Teyvat, heh~" She sloppily kisses your ear, sending shivers of excitement through your body. She pulls away, and pushes up her chest proudly. "D-doctor Rosaria prescribes you her tight, warm, wet cun-" 

"Rosariaaaaa stoooooooooop!" 

As expected, neither of you remembered the conversation in the morning. 

Eula got drunk sometimes - during free days, of course. She was doing that more often before, mainly due to stress and soul-crushing loneliness. She would often cry herself to sleep after returning home, but now that she has you, that's no longer an occurrence. Since she tends to get very sad when drunk, she allows herself to be tipsy at most. Not to spoil your fun, since you tend to be quite entertaining to be around when you had too much to drink. 

"Are you sure you want another one, my dear?" 

Eula stops herself from pouring you another round from the bottle but you just wave your hand. 

"Go for it. I'm still standing!" 

She smirks, letting the liquid fill the cup. "Well, as you wish."

You grab the wooden vessel and instantly lift it to your lips. The cool taste of wine reaches your lips and the warmth spreads through your body oh so pleasantly. Mondstadt's wine never had low alcohol content. 

"You know, I don't get it." You speak, eyes barely ajar. 

"What exactly, Y/N?" Eula eyes her own cup carefully, trying to hold herself from filling it. Again. 

"I don't understand w-why they hate you… You didn't do anything wrong." You look up at her, your eyes filled with sadness. "You're a good woman, Eula. You do great w-work, you keep the people safe, you kill monsters…" 

She looks down, unsure of what to say. After a moment, she speaks quietly. "It is what it is."

She suddenly feels your hand move over hers. It's warm, so pleasantly warm, enveloping hers. She gasps quietly. "No, Eula. This cannot continue. I won't let you be sad anymore."

She looks up at you, straight into your eyes. This time, they are overflowing with kindness and love, the purest form of it. She frowns, trying to hold back the prickling feeling in her eyes. Why does she get so sensitive each time alcohol and you are involved? 

"I love you, Eula. I love you so much, I-I want you to be happy, and I will do my best to make up for all the hurt they have you. I… I never want to see you sad again, alright? I… love you, Eula. I love you so much."

She smiles at you, tears slowly falling from her cheeks. She doesn't deserve you.

"Go home, Y/N. You're drunk." Her lower lip trembles slightly. 

"H-home? But I am home, my love." 

Eula smirks, looking down at the bar table for a brief moment. "How so?" 

You reach over the table, and place your hand over her heart. Her skin is cold, but you feel the warmth radiating from within. 

"Home is where you are, Eula."

She blushes and covers her eyes with her gloved hand. She can no longer hold back the tears. She chokes back a sob. 

"I l-love you too, Y/N. I d-don't deserve you… truly…" 

"Hey, d-don't say that! And I told you t-that I don't want you to be sad, Eula… If you want to, we can go home a-and cuddle. Does that sound good?" 

She sniffs. 

"Yes, let's g-go home, Y/N."

Thanks for reading!

[wilcze-kudly]

So @follow-the-compass-home made an interesting point about how all the other victors are specific celestial bodies and Scott is just... stars. And that's not fair so here's an idea:

Scott is Venus

Now, he still gets to keep the star imagery because Venus is often known as the Evening/Morning star. It is the third brightest thing in Earth's sky (the other being the Sun and the Moon).

Venus is of course often associated with the goddess Venus, the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite which also fits quite nicely with Scott's character.

Aphrodite is primarily the goddess of love, which can easily translate to Scott's strong loyalty and devotion to his allies. I mean, he literally rejected the boogeyman curse because it would make him harm his allies. He was also probably one of the only people who could pull off the 'love you' task without being suspicious. As he said himself, it was very on brand for him and barely anyone questioned it. This connection can also apply to how Scott plays the social games if not pushed, gathering allies and IOUs left and right. And the theme of love stays relevant as Scott's very first ally in the series was his 'husband'. Also there being a carnivorous flower named after the planet Venus is a cute little nod to the proverbial flower husband.

Aphrodite is also the goddess of beauty and he is the pretty Scott after all. Scott's love for making pretty and aesthetic bases while in a literal death game is another good example of this connection.

One of the biggest aspects of Aphrodite is her rejecting the husband Zeus assigned her, kinda like how Scott rejected Pearl in Double Life.

Limited life also has a lot of symbolism that could touch on the Venus ties. Aphrodite was said to be born out of the sea and Scott was a Mean Gill that season. Also one of Aphrodite's most famous lovers was Ares. Ares' was known by the Romans as.... Mars.

Aphrodite most likely originates from Ishtar/Inanna, an ancient Mespotamian goddess. One of her symbols is an eight pointed star. She is not only the goddess of love, but also of warfare, which fits into Scott being pretty good at PVP. Sometimes she is referred to with the epithet Irnina, which means victory and Scott is one of the Winners.

In Islamic tradition, Venus is associated with a beautiful woman who managed to get into heaven by tricking a pair of angels, but she became trapped there. Kinda like how Scott became the first victor other than Grian, the watcher.

In Turkik mythology, the god Erkliğ Han is associated with Venus. He is responsible for shooting stars which are called fiery arrows. Scott is very good with a bow, after all.

Tldr; make my boy an actual celestial body he desrves it

[lordmartiya]

Another reason for me to be pissed at Astruc's treatment of Jeanne d'Arc is Bertrand de Poulengy.

You're likely to be asking "Bertrand who?", and for a good reason: this French knight appears in the chronicles only twice and in minor capacity, first as one of the knights that tried to convince Robert de Baudricourt to get her an audience with the Dauphin, thus earning the job to actually escort her to Chinon when her ability to predict the outcome of a battle she couldn't know would happen convinced Robert to give her the audience, and later as a witness at her rehabilitation trial. He's so little known I even had trouble spelling his name correctly.

So, why am I bringing this gentleman up? Because the show did. In her first on-screen appearance, a time displaced Jeanne calls for Gilles (the far better known Gilles de Rais) and Robert, and since the only known things about Bertrand are that he was an early supporter of Jeanne and spent enough time with her on campaign to serve as a witness at her rehabilitation trial (and that during said trial he was 63) he was the perfect choice to be the Black Cat holder. But instead Astruc had to come up with his INSULT to Jeanne that portrays a man with little power on the verge of just giving up (the Dauphin Charles, who only trusted Jeanne because he was already sending what little troops he still had to Orleans and this bloodthirsty peasant that said to be on a mission from God couldn't literally do things worse, and only became King Charles VII of France because Jeanne not only lifted the siege but opened the way to the coronation city of Reims) and a literal child (Henry VI of England. Who was six during the Orleans campaign) as warmongers that were destroying Europe out of ambition.

I would have some choice words for Astruc, but I'd rather tell them to his face.

[evolutiononthebrain]

Playground Life Games

I love the idea of Limited Life being a big game on a playground with school children. Not based on anything specific, just little bits i thought would be cute

***

Grian glances at the watch on his wrist. It’s Spiderman-themed, which is really cool, but not the most important part. The watch’s time display is the most important thing about the watch on his wrist.

3 hours from now, at 9pm, Grian and the rest of them had to go back to their houses. Curfews were so dumb, Grian thought, but his mum would kiII him if he was home late, so he didn’t argue much.

“Okay!” He shouts to his circle of friends. It quickly gets all of their attention. “Everybody’s watches set?” He checks.

It’s a few moments of everyone checking their watches, before Jimmy pipes up. “I don’t know how to set mine!” He whines. Groans come from the group.

Tango, standing next to Jimmy, grabs his wrist and tinkers with it for a moment before exclaiming, “Done! We’re ready, G-man!”

Grian nods seriously, glancing around the circle. “The boogeyman will be randomly chosen by whoever finds the piece of paper I’ve hidden first. When you’re the boogey-“ He’s unceremoniously cut off by Pearl shouting, “We know about the boogeyman! Can we go play now?” She asks.

To his utter shock and surprise, everyone else starts nodding and agreeing with Pearl.

Grian pouts, “Fine! Go!” He yells, throwing his hands up in the air. Everyone scatters like rats.

***

“Oh, Lizzie,” Joel sighs the girl’s name dreamily. He clutches his chest, leaning against the metal leg of the playground jungle gym the Bad Boys have claimed as their base.

Grian rolls his eyes, flicking the boy on his arm. “Lizzie,” He mocks the dreamy tone, high pitched, “thinks you’re lame.” He says. Joel glares at him, flicking Grian right back on the forehead.

Poor, oblivious Jimmy looks between his two teammates, utterly confused. “What about my sister?” He asks.

“Lizzie? Oh, I love Lizzie!” Scar interrupts their conversation. Grian really should stop rolling his eyes, or he really will get them ‘stuck like that,’ like his mum says.

But he can’t help it, not when Joel glares so hard at Scar that it’s shocking that Scar doesn’t light on fire and explode in front of them.

***

“They want to be known as the Mean Gills?” Jimmy says, again in his, seemingly, default state of utter confusion.

Cleo laughs loudly, “Mean Girls?” She asks, curious amusement on her face.

“No, no, Mean Gills!” Martyn chimes in, walking over. “A very clever pun, if I do say so myself.” He says, self-satisfied.

“It’s your team name, then?” Cleo asks, “Like, Jimmy’s whole ‘Bad Boys’ thing.” She snorts.

Jimmy makes an affronted sound. “I am the bad boy of the playground!” He says insistingly. Cleo laughs, verging on cackles, and hunches over as she puts her hands on her knees to support herself.

“Aww,” She giggles, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye, “Aww, of course you are, Jim.” She says, nodding patronizingly.

***

“Why can’t Ren play with us?” BigB pouts. He’s been asking that for the past two hours they’ve been playing. Grian hands him a stick, which they’re gathering for weapons.

“Because, BigB,” Grian starts, exasperated from having to explain this again, “Ren is at summer-camp all summer. It’s for werewolves or something.” Grian explains, crossing his arms.

“I miss him.” BigB frowns.

“You were literally cheating on him with me last summer. We were secret soulmates and you want to go back to your other soulmate?” Grian squints at him, almost offended.

BigB is silent. Grian throws his hands up in the air and walks away.

***

It has to be the hottest day of the summer. Scar fans himself uselessly with his hand. He starts to pull off his shirt.

Cleo turns around from where she was organizing their lunchboxes-turned-chests. The shirt is halfway pulled off as she shouts, “Scar!”

“What?” He asks.

“Keep your shirt on!” Cleo says loudly. In the distance, Scar hears Bdubs laugh from their farm. He sighs, pulling the shirt back on.

“Okay mom!” Scar chirps, just because he knows it annoys her and the heat is putting him in a gremlin, mischievous mood. Cleo groans, glaring at him as she heads off toward Bdubs at the farm.

Jokes on her, Bdubs thinks calling Cleo ‘mom’ is even funnier than Scar does!

[foreverambrosia]

Watched the Laxus focused episode and just admired Laxus the whole episode. He's the coolest 🌸

[mintydotdoodle]

spoilers up to the most recent events of riptide (ep115)

I don't know what possessed me (the spirit of Meryl Streep maybe???) but "The Winner Takes it All" works so well with the current state of Chip in the black sea. Like the idea of Chip eventually just coming to accept his loss and losing this inherit hope he's been holding so close. (which I don't think we would fully reach in cannon, but possibly something similar to how he broke down post Gillion drawing the card in the feywild with him talking about giving up in pirating to Jay) BUT LIKE STICK WITH ME HERE BC IM GONNA CONNECT TO SOME LYRICS first off : The winner takes it all The loser's standing small (Chip being physically smaller or emotionally smaller due to literally losing part of his body and some of his sanity from the black sea) Beside the victory That's her destiny (as a foil to Gillion beginning to move away from his destiny thing, him coming to accept that he was meant to lose himself in the black sea)

I was in your arms Thinking I belonged there I figured it made sense Building me a fence

Building me a home (home being both the black rose ship and albatross) Thinking I'd be strong there (Thinking is the key word here I feel, because every time Chip thinks he finds a home it can't help be swept away from him both in losing physical home and people) But I was a fool Playing by the rules

The gods may throw a dice (concepts of the whole group being pushed around by the supposed destiny and will of the gods) Their minds as cold as ice And someone way down here Loses someone dear (THIS SPECIFIC PART LIKE WOAH because it could work as both Chip's loss of his first family in the form of Arlin and Capt. Rose, and Jay and Gill losing Chip to the black sea)

The winner takes it all (takes it all) The loser has to fall (has to fall) It's simple and it's plain (it's so plain) Why should I complain? (Why complain?) (this is where those feelings of hopelessness and helplessness would come in)

But tell me, does she kiss Like I used to kiss you? Does it feel the same When she calls your name?

Somewhere deep inside You must know I miss you (Chip opening up for this moment of absolute unabashed sincerity about missing so much. Missing Arlin, missing who he once was, who he could've been, missing the life he could have with Jay and Gill) But what can I say? Rules must be obeyed

The judges will decide (will decide) The likes of me abide (me abide) (could possibly connect to Niklaus and his heart) Spectators of the show (of the show) Always staying low (staying low)

The game is on again (on again) A lover or a friend (or a friend) A big thing or a small (big or small) The winner takes it all (takes it all)

I don't wanna talk If it makes you feel sad And I understand You've come to shake my hand (i supposed final goodbye for Chip [Which I can't see actually happening])

I apologize If it makes you feel bad Seeing me so tense No self-confidence But you see (just this whole section in this self pitying apology to Gillion that he isn't who he once was, especially after Jay leaves)

The winner takes it all The winner takes it all (this part in the song and the way it's sung is so heart wrenching and I just get massive Chip vibes I cannot explain)

So the winner takes it all And the loser has to fall Throw the dice, cold as ice Way down here, someone dear Takes it all, has to fall And it's plain, why complain?

This could also just be my continuation of my obsessive Chip and musical theatre agenda, who knows?

[gnomey22]

Failtopia Full Name Headcanons

Canon Kind Of Canon Made The Fuck Up Secret Additional Option

Daniel Failboat Robert "Simple Bob" Thompson Smuk Nightwerke Erica Claire / Erica Terra DEK-0, formerly Izuku Midoriya Chin "Chi" Kid Lanc Caurde Rose Alina Pirahnyawn Ren "Joker" Amamiya Mar Marr Orion Oopsie Friend Shrimp Gill Bo Chat Failboat William "Big Bill" Gargan

Explanations below the cut:

I've heard that Daniel Failboat is what C!Fail's canon name is, but it's never mentioned in Failtopia specifically, and he's never once called Daniel, but I'll roll with it

Bob should have a basic-ass surname, I think Thompson fits

Nightwerke is a combination of "Dreamworks", because Shrek, and "nightmare", because dreams, and misspelled to match with Smuk

Erica Claire is the name she has in FHBM, but before that, I came up with Erica Terra, for a similar thematic reason. Claire is based off "Erica Clerica", and Terra is based off "Erica Terrorca"

DEK-0 is a headcanon I've mentioned before, that he got his new name from his experiment label. As for the Midoriya thing, that would logically have to have been his name, though it's never stated

Her full name is Chin Kid, and she goes by Chi, that much is entirely canon, though it isn't clear if "Kid" is a surname, or an extension of her first name

Caurde is based off of Kaard, a Deltarune surname (though unrelated to Lancer). Both are intentional misspellings of "card." I did not come up with this one

Rose Alina sounds like Rosalina. That's why everyone makes the mistake. I also did not come up with this one

Petunyawn having the "yawn" naming convention implies that the Yawn family doesn't have an actual surname, it's just an extension of their first

Same as with Deko but even moreso, this is just what would logically be the case in the lore

It's like Mario Mario, is the joke. I didn't come up with the idea, but I did add the second r myself

Literally just canon, I have nothing to add

I mean, that is what we know of their name in canon. We don't know if she has a surname, my headcanon is that he doesn't

Again, literally in the text of the series

Same as with Friend, but I do like to headcanon that she eventually takes Erica's surname, whatever it is

If we roll with the idea that Failboat is C!Fail's surname, and that he adopts Chat, this is what would happen. But neither of those are fully canon, as far as I'm aware, and this obviously isn't either

Gargan is based off the word "gargantuan". Because he's big

For most the characters I headcanon as trans, I guess they should technically have deadnames, but I'm not too fond of coming up with them, so I just won't

[uncharismatic-fauna]

A Big Round of Applause for the Chinese Giant Salamander

The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is one of the largest amphibians in the world, second only to the South China giant salamander (Andrias sligoi) which was only recently distinguished as a separate species. This species typically weights 25–30 kg (55–66 lb) and is 1.15 m (3.8 ft) in length, although It can reach up to 50 kg (110 lb) and 1.8 m (5.9 ft). Its anatomy is well-suited to its aquatic lifestyle; the broad, flat body allows it to creep along riverbeds, and its wide mouth allows it to gulp down any prey it might come accross. Their eyesight is very poor and as a result the eyes themselves are small. A. davidianus‘s skin is typically dark to blend in with its surrounding, and the excess wrinkles provide more surface area through which it can absorb oxygen from the water.

As their name suggests, the Chinese giant salamander is found only in China; specifically fragmented areas from Qinghai to Jiangsu and south to Sichuan, Guangxi and Guangdong. This species is entirely aquatic, and thus is most often found in the basins of the Yangtze, Yellow and Pearl Rivers. A. davidianus lives in caves or freshwater crevices, although they are also seen along lakes or open rocky riverbeds.

Part of the reason this species is so large is because they grow throughout their entire lives. Chinese giant salamanders start out as eggs, which are hatched in groups of 400-500 laid in slow-moving underwater cavities. The eggs are quite large, at a maximum size of 14–16 mm (0.55–0.62 in) after they’re laid and habe absorbed water. They take 50-60 days to hatch, and larvae emerge already resembling their parents, albeit with external gills, and are already 3 cm (1.2 in) long. The young are independent, although they typically stay in the stream they were hatched in until they’re fully grown. The gills are lost at 3 years old, although sexual maturity isn’t reached until 5 to 6 years and a length of 40–50 cm (16–20 in).

Mating occurs between mating occurs between July and September, when the water temperature reaches 20 °C (68 °F). During this time, males push sand and gravel out of their dens to clean them-- a process that can take up to a week-- and ‘shower’ regularly by moving under fast-moving currents. Females are attracted to clean dens, and once she chooses a mate the pair engage in a number of courtship behaviors including knocking bellies, leaning side-to-side, and cohabitating. After the female lays her eggs, she leaves and the male guards the eggs until they hatch. Individuals as old as 60 have been recorded in the wild, although few individuals survive past the larval stage.

Chinese giant salamanders have few predators as adults. The most common are otters, red foxes, weasels and hog badgers, although juveniles can also fall prey to large fish or even adult salamanders. To deter predators, A. davidianus secretes a white acidic, sticky substance from its skin. For the most part this species is the apex predator of its ecosystem, and feeds on insects, smaller amphibians, crustaceans, fish, and the Chinese water shrew (Chimarrogale styani). Individuals detect their prey by a combination of detecting chemicals in the water and a series of nodes along the sides of their bodies that sense vibration. When prey is located, the salamander creates a vaccum with their mouths, sucking in water and their meal.

Conservation status: The Chinese giant salamander is considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Primary threats include habitat loss, disease, and over-harvesting for meat. National and international conservation programs and zoos are working to raise awareness, conserve habitat, and raise captive-bred salamanders for re-release in the wild.

Extra fun picture for Chinese New Year:

This picture is from a series of paintings by artist Frankie Huang, who depicts a number of Chinese words literally. In this piece, the Chinese giant salamander is shown as the literal translation of its name in China: Wawayu, or ‘Baby fish’. This name comes from the salamanders’ distinct vocalizations, which can often sound like crying babies.

Photos

Theodore Papenfuss

Egon Heiss

Ben Tapley

Frankie Huang (Instagram)

[siunytoons]

guys guys guy

(reblogs r appreciated btw)

What if the life series went backwards

Enter secret life:

tame, people just milling about, doing tasks and stuff, making friends (except scar). The watcher, the secret keeper is the surrounding aspect. The closest the watchers have EVER been to the players.

People start dying, starting with a girl with no allies and a pumpkin themed house. Falling into the endless void. She can't share her secrets there.

Alliances stay steady. People begin killing each other, until only 4 remain. Two out of three of a band with no songs, one who lost everyone, and one who had nobody until the end.

Scott, inherently loyal, thinks "gem deserves this win more than I do" and sacrifices himself.

The two defeat the final band member, a note of melancholy in the air as they stare each other down. How could they betray each other?

Pearl, having lost her alliance, her mounders

Scar, who never had anyone

Both finding kinship in their loneliness

Pearl falls, scar wins

The villainy he was forced to commit means nothing now. What's the point of being victor with nobody else to celebrate

The clock strikes twelve, and suddenly

Tick tock

Everyone wakes up with a clock in their heart and only enough hours to get them through a day.

Scar remembers. Of course he does. How could he forget the secret he kept? How could he forget that it got him nothing?

He joins a family, their namesake becoming the very thing that ticks, every second inching towards their doom. The clockers.

Scott, who sacrificed himself, has a vague feeling in his heart. A feeling that maybe something came before this, before this endless tick tock.

Martyn comes along, they band together. Become the 'mean gills'. Martyn, who tried to kill him. But Scott is ever forgiving, isn't he. Always kind. Perhaps that's why the watchers do not like him. How could he have sacrificed himself previously? It makes no sense, this was a death game! He didn't follor the rules of red.

Strange how martyn and Scott teamed up, the one who was all bark and bite in a previous life, and the one who's final act was one of loyalty.

TNT falls from the sky, raining down like almighty retribution. Alliances are strong, and yet so subject to change.

Kaboom

And then there were three.

Impulse, the band member who perished before he could help his friends.

Scott, the fourth placer, who sacrificed it all for another

Martyn, a man plagued by visions of watchers. Whispering in his ears. Telling him secrets.

Scott calls for sentimentality

Martyn has another idea

And then

Tick tock

And then there was one

The tug of a string, hearts tied together.

Soulmates

People begin searching immediately. Searching for the one they've been bound to by the threads of the universe.

They all find each other.

"but why didn't pearl stop taking damage?"

Scott wondered. Why should he be with someone so careless? He would be vulnerable! And she had no regard for his own safety when she paraded around the server. She didn't even look for him!

Scott ran off with martyns soulmate. Perhaps there was some lingering resentment towards the man. Lingering from what? Scott didn't know.

Pearl was lonely. Pearl was so, so lonely. Ostracized by her soulmate, and the rest of the server, she became the 'scarlet pearl'. A witch who lived in a tall tower, torturing her soulmate who had cut ties with her all but literally (the string of fate still wrapped around them, their health symmetrical).

Pearl finds some solace in Scar, who's soulmate, a strange bird man named grian (who always introduced the games. Why was he always doing that?) ,was cheating on him with another. Two lonely people.

One with an alliance that fell apart.

And one with nothing at all

Strange how the roles had reversed since a previous season.

Scar still remembered.

The ranchers were out first, it seemed that after Lizzie died that first season, a canary named Jim took the brunt of death's grasp. He was out twice in a row first! In double life too. That's got to mean something, right?

Chaos followed that. People dying left and right, pairs of them.

And then there were four.

Cleo, a zombie who's soulmate wasn't her favourite man.

Scott, a man who felt uncared for by his soulmate, and cast her out, condemning her to loneliness

Martyn, a man who remembered his previous life, who messed things up with his soulmate after being the cause of her first death

Pearl, a lonely, slightly crazy woman who's only friends were wolves. They were her soulmates, she said.

Pearl was ruthless, killing martyn and Cleo with her army.

Scott was heartbroken. His soulmate, his true soulmate, Cleo, had died to the hands of his literal one.

Heartbroken, disguising his squalor with a self sacrifice, lit the TNT below him

2nd place again. In double life. How funny was that.

Pearl only saw the tnt until it was too late.

"tilly death do us part" and ode to Pearl's first wolf

Kaboom

Pearl awoke. She remembered everything. She remembered scott, how he'd sacrificed a win. For her. Maybe, she thought, maybe he still cared for her back in a previous life.

Maybe he could care for her in this one

They teamed up. Scott felt a connection to pearl, a melancholy one. It was as if she was literally tied to him by a string. Weird.

Scar followed another path of loneliness. Perhaps his family back in the land of ticking time was a fluke. Perhaps his was a face only a mother could love.

With 6 lives under his belt, and nobody to call a friend.

Martyn joined the southlanders, their name quite literal, having built their base in the south corner of the map. He was still plagued by the watchers voices, telling him what to do. They spoke in riddles. They spoke of Scott, a previous ally, of grian, his latest one.

Last Life was the bloodiest of them all. With so many lives to lose, people began treating them as a resource. Trading them around, destroying them.

A wither here, steady alliances crumbling to the ground. Blood, betrayal. Even greens and yellows weren't safe, having been inflicted with the curse of the Boogeyman.

And then there were 4. There always seemed to be. Limited Life was an exception. It always seemed to be.

Perhaps Scott knew in his heart that this had happened before. Perhaps he was tired of sacrificing himself for others. His closest ally was dead, and he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

And he finally won.

Only to be taken out by an otherworldly force

The same one that plagued martyn. The one that told him to kill, that told him to destroy. The one that spoke of Scott with venom, as if he had wronged them.

And then came third life.

Scar was prepared for another lonely season. Of course he was. It would be no different to anything else. He was cursed to remember all the games.

And then grian, the one who had stolen his first life in Last Life. His soulmate in double life. His (lame) gang member neighbor in limited. Grian, who ran the games, who always treated scar strangely.

He killed him on accident.

Swearing his loyalty, grian promised to be in scar's service until he lost his first life.

They went to the desert, and monopoly mountain was born.

Scott teamed up with the resident canary. Perhaps it was pity, perhaps it was love. He wasn't sure. But maybe Jim wouldn't be out so early.

Pearl wasn't there.

Martyn swore his undying loyalty to a king.

Scar died a second time. Grian did not.

And so grian served the first red life on the server

Scar and Grian quickly became the villains. A lifestyle scar was woefully familiar with. It reminded scar of his time during the first season. The one where he was dragged along by a statue into becoming the villain, only to win.

Death after death after death. Red winter. The desert blew up. grian blew up. The flower husbands died.

Soon enough, it was only Scar, Grian, and Bdubs left.

Bdubs had killed someone for a clock. Perhaps it was for old times sake. Something about bdubs holding a clock reminded him of the bdubs he once shared a brothership with. Perhaps that's why he killed grian, knowing he wouldn't be fast enough to grab the 'no kill slip'.

He murdered bdubs soon after. Brothers by everything but blood. Blood that now stained the sword he held.

Grian was livid. All that time serving scar, and for what? To get murdered by him over a piece of paper?

"you may slay me and take the enchanter"

But he couldn't. He couldn't just do that.

The two walked to the desert.

A ring of cactus.

Scar was tired. He had won once before

He pulled his punches, bumped into the cacti on purpose.

And in the end, covered in poppies and lilacs. Just like the beginning.

Grian wept.

Scar smiled. He died smiling. He died knowing that grian would win.

The desert winds whipped at grian's face as he buried scar. The poppies and lilacs at his grave, a testament to his partner.

The desert winds that accompanied him on his fall down monopoly mountain.

And thus the cycle begins.