#love you dilan if you see this

[berryblu-ocs]

one of the notes i wrote on Dilan´s character design scribbles just reads "scrunched up long sleeve shirt under jacket like a MADMAN" akjsdhfhjsmdhfjm forgot i wrote that

[goldenchocobo]

Here’s what I’ve been working on, it’s taken a month, but I’ve finally completed it!

All 13 14 Organization XIII members with flowers!

I did reuse some flowers; but I’ve been wanting to redraw those portraits for a while now, so I can cross that off the list too

Under the KEEP READING are the flowers included, along with why I chose them for that Organization Member.

- You've clicked the 'Keep Reading', so you're in for the long-haul; 14 flower analyses in one! Better get snug!

I. Anemone flowers (also called wind flowers) have a lot of meanings, more negative than good ones; the ones I singled out for Xemnas was death and loss. Flower meanings require a lot of context- like sentences, so in this instance, I’ve used ‘loss’ to mean ‘loss’ in a general sense- Xemnas lost his heart, his comrades, his emotions; and by the end of KHIII; even his motivation; saying he doesn’t really care for his comrades’ demises, and that after he’s gained any kind of sensation back; it’s regret.

II. Knowing Xigbar is keeping all kinds of secrets, and knowing them is his business, Snapdragons are perfect. White and purple denote the spiritual and mystic. Them covering his mouth means that he knows something you don't, and he won't tell you anything.

III. We don’t know much about Xaldin- or Dilan. But with how I interpret him and his actions; he’s someone who has been scorned before- or at least has a lot of jealous dislike towards relationships and is sickened by how love makes people act. Hydrangeas are a flower both used for some wedding bouquets, as well as denoting jealousy, especially in their purple-blue colouration, as it's higher pH that causes the flowers to be that colour.

IV. Azeleas are flowers of two halves. They can mean Temperance and intelligence, but also temptation and caution. This is why I thought it was perfect for Vexen. Not only does he give into the temptation of his (immoral) research- more than once, but also ignored the dangers of it. When he's recompleted, we can see that he's gotten rid of these temptations (or at least I hope so). I made them orange to deeper the 'danger' and 'caution' theme as orange is a colour in nature that denotes it- like toxic amphibians and insects.

V. Lexaeus is a quiet man; so I don't really know much about him other than that he's strong and wants to protect Ienzo/Zexion; as such gladiolus- a symbol of such strength and protection is perfect for him.

VI. Zexion is interesting because I kind of see him as a tragic two-sided character. His scheming, 'throwing morals out the window and toying with people' Zexion in CoM side, and his more naïve, innocent and caring Ienzo side we see in KH3. I gave him Begonias for this reason; the purple in one hand representing mystique and curiosity, whilst white being for a more innocent side to him. I specifically chose Begonia pavonina leaves because they look weird and mystic and kind of match his shimmering hair.

VII. I've already used yellow roses for Siax/Isa, in the same configuration as well; and the meaning remains the same. Yellow roses can sometimes mean jealousy- especially towards friendships. Siax got too into his head about Axel making friends. That was when his jealousy took over, and he was lead by it.

VIII. Axel has had Alestromeas before- as they usually mean strong bonds of friendship; something Axel and Lea has shown over and over again. Like with Siax, I chose to make them a crown to show that, that friendship and keeping those friends safe is what drives him.

IX. It was kind of hard to come up with a flower for Demyx. originally I had him with Geraniums as they can represent folly; but instead, I went with Daisies; with the adage, 'Lazy Daisy'- for obvious reasons. Daisies- or asters- come in a large variety and specie. For Demyx, I chose two for aesthetic purposes; common daisy for around his head, and leucanthemum daisy for his neck- for their size.

X. Finding the right flower for Luxord was difficult. I did originally just have him with clovers, but felt that they didn’t suit. I chose poppies instead, as while they’re known for being symbolic of war & peace, fallen soldiers and death, there’s an under-current of time meaning; time being passed while we sleep, the time we remember the departed, and time marching on until the grave.

XI. For the longest time, Marluxia was going to have roses- it’s his whole motif; there’s rose iconography everywhere. But I chose Magnolias due to their symbolism of remembrance. While not fully aware until the very end, Marluxia was always searching for his sister, not believing that she had gone. The yellow Magnolias represent the joys he shared with her, whilst the purple imply the dignity of being a Union Leader, and Lord of Castle Oblivion.

XII. Marigolds are pretty, but their meaning is not... sometimes. Out of their meanings, I've chosen their meaning for Larxene to be one of cruelty and coldness. Because that's what she is to everyone.

XIII. Roxas keep his Dahlias from his original flower piece. The meaning remains the same; That- even in the face of hardship and despair, he will remain kind, friendly and cheerful.

XIV. I was going to reuse the obvious choice of Forget-Me-Nots for Xion; but honestly, I felt intimidated by how small they are, and- if you've paid attention, kept a strict number limit on my flowers; so that wasn't doable. Instead, I chose a Cornflower, which has a similar meaning of not being forgotten, as well as hope, devotion and love.

-

The stones inlayed in the frames have no real significance other than that they match the character's colour scheme; Here's what each stone is: Xemnas: Pearl Xigbar: Smokey Quartz Xaldin: Amethyst Vexen: Emerald Lexaeus: (orange) Agate Zexion: Lepidolite Siax: Moonstone Axel: Sunstone Demyx: Sapphire Luxord: Hematite Marluxia: Rose Quartz Larxene: Topaz Roxas: Snowflake Obsidian Xion: Obsidian

OK- I lied a little; there's some theming between characters, but nothing majorly deep; I haven't really looked into gemstones and their meanings.

If you've read this much, congratulations! Flower Count: Xemnas has 13. Xigbar has 3. Xaldin has 1. Vexen has 7. Lexaeus has 5. Zexion has 13. Siax has 7. Axel has 7 Demyx has 20 (13 common, 7 leucanthemum). Luxord has 7. Marluxia has 5. Larxene has 5. Roxas has 7. Xion has 13.

The only outlier is Xaldin; but Hydrangeas are hard to draw and only had the motivation to draw one.

[perseusx42]

did a little small update for my first ever baby Zamir!!!! finally getting back to working on the band which is exciting!!! can't waitto see heem wiith his gf Dilan!!! @x22bby

I was actually to find time again to open my game, cause whewwwww its been rough in college bruh but yeah!!! anwayzzz he looks so mf good got my biting my fist and shit!!!!! love you guyssss!!!

thanks to all the cc creators!!!!!

[phenixa]

machine heart (Ienzo & Even)

No, this wouldn't do.

Staring at the screen in front of him, Ienzo let another long sigh escape him. He had just spent the last day on this specific program, trying to run it smoothly, to no avail. It was as if the program was making fun of him.

And why wasn't he able to program something as simple as that ?

Human emotions were hard, sure, but some people were able to decipher them with one look at the other person's face, so why couldn't Ienzo be able to program something as simple as a program that would be able to decipher human emotions as easily as, say, Aeleus was able to decipher Ienzo's emotions ?

It wasn't fair, to be honest. Aeleus was able to discern every shift in Ienzo's look and understand what said shift was for. And on the other hand, Ienzo had been at a loss for words when Dilan told him that his words had been hurtful.

Emotions were hard. That was it.

Machines were easy to understand, at least. Their program was able to foresee every possibility available and predict a field of action. Sure, machines weren't able to understand what wasn't instilled into their program, but Ienzo was sure that if he was able to write a few more lines of code, his program could understand basic emotions.

And maybe love too.

This one would take more time to program, but the young man was certain that he would be able to code that. After all, his coding was what led Riku to Quadratum in the first place. And if he was able to send a teenager into a un-reality, he would be able to code something to decipher human emotions.

Right ?

Moving his hand to grip the coffee mug that Even had brought a bit earlier, Ienzo left his gaze wander from the screen in front of him. A five minute pause, that was all he'd allowed himself before diving back into this mess he lived through.

Emotions were hard. And maybe that has to do with the fact that he grew up as a Nobody. Maybe he truly was the master of the machines around him, the only one in this darned castle to really understand the beeping and the long lines of green on black.

Maybe he didn't need those emotions after all.

No. No, he couldn't think like that. Zexion died that day in Oblivion, he was what remained, or rather, what was recompleted after that faithful and horrible day.

"You're thinking too much," a voice rang, clear and composed. "I can hear you from the corridor." A cup of coffee was placed beside the one that Ienzo had been gripping like a madman. Great, now even Even was able to read him like a open book.

"What's on your mind, boy ? It's rare to see you struggle with lines of code." "It's just a small program of mine," Ienzo answered quickly, "something to pass time on when I'm not monitoring Riku." The lie sat heavy on his tongue, even if it was just a half-truth.

Even eyed him suspiciously, trying to read and understand the code in front of him, leaving Ienzo antsy. What would Even say if he suddenly understood what was the goal of that program ? Would the man make fun of him for how stupid the idea was ?

Because, let's be honest, the idea itself was pretty much stupid, even Ienzo knew that. A part of him knew that machines couldn't understand human emotions, but he still wanted to hope. Because asking for help would scream on top of the castle's roof that Ienzo was lost, so lost. It would be screaming that Ienzo had not evolved from childhood regarding emotions ; he was still a child on that subject. And Ienzo refused to acknowledge that. He was the child prodigy, the youngest apprentice of Ansem the Wise ! He couldn't show a sign of weakness in any department, that would be saying that he wasn't that child anymore, he wasn't that prodigy everyone admired back then anymore.

But he wasn't that child anymore, he had grew up.

"Stop dithering, boy." Even interjected, placing a cold hand on Ienzo's shoulder, bringing back the young man from his own mind. "If this program brings you to that state, stop working on it for some time. It won't fly away."

Emotions were hard to understand, that was a fact that Ienzo was painfully aware of. And this show of affection from Even, the young man had trouble understanding it. Even was as cold as the ice he controlled, so why was he acting that way ?

Why was it so hard to understand ?

That was the main reason why he chose to try running a program that could understand human emotions, because emotions were so hard to understand for him.

"Do you think I'm broken ?"

Even looked at him, puzzled. There it was, the feelings that were stuck in his throat all this time. Ienzo felt broken. Everyone around him seemed to understand emotions so easily, why wasn't he, the child prodigy, able to understand that as well ?

"You're not broken boy, far from it." Even moved from his side to behind him, placing both of his cool hands on his shoulders, relaxing Ienzo a little. "You're a great scientist, and we all have our speciality. If you struggle with something, just come to us, we can surely help you."

Ienzo smiled a little, his vision becoming blurry. Why was he crying now ? Was the small show of affection all he needed to become this crying mess of a person ?

"Why are emotions so hard to understand, then ?" He finally muttered, leaving a tear or two fall freely on his cheeks. The cold feeling on his shoulders was grounding, and he thanked Even for that in his head. "Why can't I understand them as easily as you all ?" "We don't really understand emotions. We live through them, but most of the time we don't understand them. Well, I don't." "What ?"

Even let a small laugh escape, applying more pressure on Ienzo's shoulders, calming the young man a bit more. Ienzo turned his head to face the blond, studying the ageing features of the man.

"No one really understand emotions, stop thinking about that." The blond started after a small while, "most of us just skim through life not understanding why we feel one way or another. We much less understand the emotions of others." The man marked a pause, turning his gaze back to the young man, "you're not broken for not understanding your emotions, Ienzo. You grew up as a Nobody, we instilled into you that you had no emotions, so living with them now can feel like a burden for you. And I'm sorry for that." "It's not your fault, you believed Xemnas' lies too. It's just, compared to Aeleus I feel like a child that hasn't grown up." "Aeleus is an empath, he struggle less than the common people on that subject. You're not under-evolved for not being at his level of understanding."

Ienzo nodded, understanding the older's words. The feeling didn't leave him in peace though, leaving the young man at a loss for words. Even just reassured him, why was the broken part inside of him not mended ?

"The more you will tergiversate on that matter, the more broken you will feel, take a breath and stop thinking about that. It'll do you more good than anything."

He nodded, standing up, and walked away from his computer, grabbing the cold coffee mug with one hand. He felt Even's eyes on him, following his every step. Once he was at the door, Ienzo turned his head towards where Even was still standing. The man was already looking at him, a small smile grazing his lips. Ienzo returned the smile, taking the doorknob in his free hand.

"I'm going to clean this mug. Do you want a cup of coffee ?" "I'm planning to work a bit, so I won't say no to a cup of coffee."

Ienzo smiled, before leaving the room, leaving Even alone in front of the open computer filled with lines of code. The man surveyed the lines in front of him, smiling at the future program without real reason. His eyes scanned over a specific line before they stopped on the next one. Grabbing a sticky note and a pen, Even scribbled something before placing the note on the screen, before he went to his side of the lab.

"There's an error on that line."

[zakariaxwolfe]

Location: St. John's Hospital Status: Closed: @dilansahin

"Can't say I expected to see you at my bedside," Zak mumbled, his eyes still closed as he came out of his nap. He knew she wasn't a part of the gang life and what she saw must have shaken her. "Are you doing okay, Dilan?" While things between them didn't end well, he always cared for her. She was too sweet for this world, too good for him, at that point in his life. He has all he could ever dream for now, his one true love, Oxana. She was every way his soulmate. "I'm sorry you had to be there for that."

[ohhicas]

Hey dude, after seeing your last response to an ask, I also wanted to say your KH art was also my favorite when I was 13 (graduating high school next year). You give so much love to what are supposed to be background characters, they're all so full of personality, and the Radiant Garden characters (like Aeleus, Even, Dilan, etc.) became some of my favorites because of it. Keep doing your stuff, you're amazing!!

ddhfhen?? dHN??MwN

I'm so happy!! Thank you! I love Radiant Garden a lot (even when I remove my silly headcanons and focus only on what Canon gave us), so I'm very happy I can make more people interested in them.

[catboymoments]

Ok- ehem hi!!! :D

I'm just here to leave two drawings that I made based on the fact that a few days ago I found your more adult version of Hunter and Hyacinth in Character AI and I proceeded to use two fanchilds who are not Huntlow, they are more like crackships of Hunter and Willow (in the context of the..eh…rp??- they weren't Hunter's or Willow's children, they were meeting Hunter and Hyacinth-)

Hunter made Dilan a palisman and Hyacinth proceeded to ask Carnation 10271 questions for being a vampire and it was really cute <3333

(The thing is that the fact that Dilan is a copy of Hunter with yellow eyes and a red magenta lock, and that Carnation has Willow's hair and eye color seems funny to me, I had to draw this😭)

Stupid scenario that I thought of and I'm not going to draw because I spent two days doing those other two drawings:

Dilan: “…What are you two doing??-”

Carnation just lying on a table: “I'm going to let Hyacinth open me to see what's inside me!” (He can survive it-)

Dilan: “You WHAT”

(I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE IF THIS IS TOO LOONG, I JUST DON’T WANT ANY MISUNDERSTANDING AND I LIKE TO EXPLAIN THINGS SO MUCH.

AND NOW YES, I LOVE YOUR ART SO MUCH, IT’S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL AND AJAKSHSQ✨✨✨✨ DRAWING HYACINTH AND HUNTER WAS REALLY FUN <333)

WAHHH SO CUTE!!!!!!! I LOVE THESE 🫶🫶🫶🫶 THANK YOUUUUU

[lunarcovehq]

Your Council held a meeting after the Campfire Retreat. The meeting happened a week after the event on Friday, July 26th. The Council sat down together to discuss the following:

Poppy brought to the agenda the issue of Rangi hitting Altan as it was the one interspecies physical altercation that occurred during the event, not at a scheduled game.

(Known to the Council Only/Redacted from Public Records for Privacy Reasons) Aiyla brought to the agenda Billie being an ex-hunter and making a deal with the Catalyst. Billie was a hunter before coming to Lunar Cove and has been a loyal member of the town since. But, during the Fae Ball, Billie made a deal with the Catalyst to save some of her loved ones, offering up her hunter skills in return for them getting out safely.

(Known to the Council Only/Redacted from Public Records for Privacy Reasons) Aiyla would also bring up how Poppy and JC made deals with the Catalyst. Though, JC’s favor has already been fulfilled as JC offered himself for the pack to leave, trapping them all at the ball.

Aiyla also brought up the issue of Dilan pulling the knife on Rangi now that Dilan has left the Fae Court and is unaffiliated. Dilan pulled a knife on Rangi during the event when she was still a member of the Fae Court. Aiyla wanted to punish her for it as a member of the Fae Court, but Dilan chose to leave the Fae Court and become unaffiliated instead, which is why Aiyla is bringing up the issue of punishing Dilan to the Council.

The Verdict from the Meeting is as follows:

For Rangi Hitting Altan: Rangi will have 6 months of conflict resolution (with the option for a shortened period to 3 months after a 3 month evaluation by a professional for progress. If no progress is found, Rangi must finish the full 6 months). Rangi must also complete an anger management course, grief counseling/grief meetings and have monthly check-ins with the Council for overall progress. No further legal action will be taken. (While the overall votes from the Council were for a shortened punishment, Aiyla & Poppy both were for 6 months and Aiyla had the final say, deciding upon the above).

(Known to the Council Only/Redacted from Public Records for Privacy Reasons) For Billie being an ex-hunter and for those who offered favors to the Catalyst: Poppy disclosed what he favor was to the Council being an open favor saying that she would do anything the Catalyst asked in return for Linden getting a seat. If Billie and Poppy are reached out to by the Catalyst, they will be asked to come forward so the Council can create a game plan. The Council will also be issuing a statement to the town about not negotiating with the Catalyst.

For Dilan pulling the knife on Rangi: Given that Dilan pulled the knife while she was still a Fae Court member, the punishment that Aiyla tried to give Dilan will still be honored (majority of the votes was for this). Aiyla also was allowed to up it (with the Council turning a blind eye to whatever Aiyla decided) given Dilan tried to rage quit. Dilan’s punishment is: A year (12 months) of conflict resolution (with the option for a shortened period to 6 months after a 6 month evaluation by a professional for progress. If no progress is found, she must finish the full 12 months) and an anger management course. She will have to get sign off of her hours by those running the course. No further legal action will be taken.

ANNOUCEMENTS

The above is a record of the past Council Meeting. We will be posting records like these moving forwards so all of the members can see what went down in the meeting.

All Council members are in the know about all of the above, but as for non-Council members, you would be aware of all of the above except for what favor Poppy offered & that Billie is a hunter. After the meeting, the Council would issue a statement about not negotiating with Lorelai Cavanaugh if Lorelai reaches out.

Feel free to react to the above in any upcoming threads or starters you wish!

[abbertionaldyke]

to rebuild—4

ch. 1, ch. 2, ch.3

*places a kiss on sevika’s and shoola’s heads*

sevika makes her rounds to the construction sites, checking the progress made while ensuring that nothing withheld the workers’ progress. the team assigned to aid zaun’s infrastructure are far from unfriendly, their attitudes excited to provide support to the community. upon sevika’s request, some of zaun’s own talented engineers were implemented into the groups, not only to quicken the work done, but to keep an eye on their piltovan co-workers. 

adjusting the hardhat on her head, sevika tears her gaze away from the trio above, sufficed with the fact that there is no issue with elayne, a zaunite, leading this particular effort. she clears out of the area and walks down the street, taking off the hard hat while she tracks down another site to visit. greetings come her way, bright eyes and smiles pointed her way and casting over the leers and judging stares. she knows her seat taken at the council is seen as a hypocritical move and her own doubts are still highlighted, floating at the forefront of her mind. yet in the same instance, she doesn’t give a fuck. or more so, she can’t. 

right before sevika’s eyes, things are happening. what was fought for, bled for, finally put into action after so many attempts to be merely acknowledged. of course she is far from being satisfied, but the sentiment is making progress to be fully attained. the moment she was appointed to the position she now holds, an encasement felt like it wrapped around her, spiked innards waiting for her to make the wrong move. but seeing what has happened within days, though the phantom cage remains, sevika is offered a smidge of the weight off of her shoulders. she stands firmly in the belief that it will all last. it will. 

hearing the giggling before the sudden clash of tiny bodies against her legs, sevika breathes in through her nose with shock, looking down to see pieces of paper waving in her face. sevika’s expression softens. “these for me?”

a wave of excited confirmations are the response. 

plucking the papers lightly, sevika looks at each image of an interpretation of herself, a soft fond huff of a laugh emitting. “i love ‘em.” with each paper collected from the paint-colored hands, sevika’s smile widens, before her gaze meets the bright eyes looking at her with anticipation. “now you guys know you’re not supposed to leave fei’s side. you shave years off of her life doin’ that.” she looks in the direction the kids came from, seeing the worried caretaker looking frantically around the area. bringing her focus back to the kids, sevika makes sure they’ve all stayed put, before she returns her gaze to fei, her whistle splitting through the air as her left arm lifts, the soft glint of the prosthetic finding fei’s sights immediately. 

fei’s braided, high ponytail swings, the concern on her face slowly dissipating as all the kids come into view. she is breathing heavily through her chrome respirator, frustration evident as she puts her hands on her hips; blotches of a cream hue pepper along her cool brown skin. “that just cost you all tomorrow’s paint time,” a firm decision relayed by a light voice. 

the complaints are immediate, various whines emitting; but the actions are met with a knowing and tired expression. her caretaker assistant, macks, stayed home sick with something nasty, so the shift alone was more of a mess than usual. a needed bathroom break took place during paint time, excitement already high with the topic being councilor sevika. one child had mentioned they were going to draw her, then another, and another–so that’s how fei imagined the little escapade was thought out. 

“we just wanted to give sevika our pictures,” is an excuse from a child named dilan, her short red hair coiled tight on her head. 

another adds, “yeah! dilan said she saw sevika walking past in the window. i just followed.” a remark coated with innocence from ayree, their hand quickly brushing the dark and wavy bangs, that they definitely didn't cut theirself, away from their maroon eyes.

sevika interjects, “can’t go running on the street because you saw me. how about we set a time for me to visit you guys?” she glances at fei who is still reprimanding the kids with a silent stare. “if fei agrees–she is in charge.” 

fei takes in a breath, heart still pumping from the panic and chase. a small visit once a week would simmer the antics of the children who had become fanatics of sevika after the caretaker had narrated the war with truthful accounts, wanting the little ones to know exactly what events had taken place and what followed. she purses her lips, gaze meeting sevika’s for a moment before turning her golden sights toward the children. 

“paint time is still taken for tomorrow, but yes, sevika can come once a week to visit.” fei winces as the excited shrieks come from the kids. she holds out her hands to beckon them to quiet. “alright, alright. now say bye to sevika. it's time to clean up and eat lunch.” 

sevika almost stumbles when the smaller frames crowd her legs again, arms wrapping around while multiple farewells come her way. “bye. treat fei well–she’s doing her best without macks.” 

“okay!” comes the simultaneous reply.

sevika watches fei lead the children away, before her gaze returns to the papers in her hand, a soft smile on her face as she tucks them away securely before continuing walking down the path to another site under reconstruction. she greets a few more people, engaging in conversations as she walks by, her steps slowing but not stopping. 

whatever focus sevika has on her surroundings sharpens the instance the familiar amber scent sinks into her senses. her search is immediate as confusion builds. following the path of the aroma, an image of shoola composes in her mind and a small spark of heat dances across her brown skin with anticipation. she wonders if she’s here alone, the particular thought speeding up her trek before she slows. she’s grown, she can take care of herself. but then sevika also thinks about her own position in her community and how there are still the individuals adamant on being agitating assholes–people she’s known for years. 

so the trek picks back up. 

in a couple of minutes, sevika reaches another construction site, the glimmer of gold catching her eye before she brings her speed walk to a regular pace, straightening her posture while she swallows to ease her dry throat. her eyes flit to the familiar deep purple locs in motion beside shoola, khane’s pairing with the councilor settling her concerns a bit. taking one last step to close in on the two, sevika’s boot scuffs the ground and immediately earns the attention of the two. 

“councilor sevika,” shoola greets with a small nod of her head, gaze taking her counterpart in. a small flutter builds in her lower abdomen as their eyes meet. “you’ve been well?” 

sevika just finishes her own study of shoola–and she can see the altered demeanor and difference in tone. “i’m alright.” she looks up at the pipe workers and their preparation to handle some tougher tools, her hand already in motion and grabbing what’s hanging at her hip and extending it out toward shoola. “and you two? had enough of topside?” 

shoola takes the metal hat by the tip, golden claws scratching the material with a light screeching noise, before she holds it over her head, the interior hovering just above her scalp. settled into a certain mood while uneasily fitting the clothes already on her body, she lets the hat keep its distance. upon hearing sevika’s words, she exhales a quiet laugh through her nose. 

while sevika gathers two extra hard hats in a bin near the rest of the worker’s tools and hands him one, khane asks, “do you do hugs, sevika?” he sits the hat on his dreads. 

a light grunt comes from sevika as she straightens, setting the metal hard hat on her head before angling it to her liking. “don’t think we’re there yet, kid.” she looks at shoola when she hears another soft chuckle fortunately earned by her words.

khane accepts the response, the promise of the future stark through the words. 

“i thought…or more so khane proposed, and i agreed, that my visits to zaun should be more frequent.” shoola motions to the mix of zaunite and piltovan engineers working on the pipes above. “i hope everything is going well?”

it is then that the features in khane’s face click for sevika, the shape of his eyes and nose with that smidge of similarity in movements matching that of shoola’s character. blinking, sevika processes the words that came her way and nods. “so far.” 

squinting at the work done above, khane shouts out before apologizing and saying, “y’all mind if i come up there?” yet even as he poses the inquiry, he’s already making his way up, entering the multi-perched mechanism and positioning himself in one, fingers swiftly moving over the controls to bring his body up near the other workers. 

sevika watches shoola laugh at his antics, her own lips twitching into a smile as to subconsciously mimic the other. when their eyes meet again, sevika is taking a step closer, unknowing of her reason for doing so. maybe it’s to block the stares her acquaintance is receiving; or maybe it’s to take a closer look at shoola, this particular demeanor piquing her interest. a screech comes from the tools above, bringing a tight jaw and grimace to shoola’s face. 

“got other places to see,” sevika pipes up, motioning for shoola to follow where she’s going. she waits, tracking the rigid motions of the individual. 

shoola is silent as they walk, the hard hat lowered from her head after the vicinity of the construction area is left. she toys with the item, focusing her disarrayed thoughts elsewhere. a muffled noise coming to her ears, her brows furrow and she looks up from the ground, looking to sevika instinctively. 

“you hear me?” the warm depth of sevika’s voice tugs at shoola, bringing her out of her thoughts. as she slowly shakes her head, she is given a repetition of the question: “is this your first time down here?” 

shoola’s figure drifts toward sevika’s absentmindedly, their paces matched. “no. i have family here; my sibling-in-law, rhose–khane’s parent. And some more relatives on that side.”

sevika hums with surprise, looking over at shoola. “having family down here wasn’t enough of an incentive to fight for the people?” she dismisses her query with a shake of her head, not even really wanting to berate shoola like that. after all, she's the only one even looking into the work being done. the only one supporting sevika’s advances for zaun’s stabilization. an apology is at the tip of her tongue, but she takes in shoola’s expression, her own jaw tightening with regret. 

skin hot with a flurry of emotions, shoola’s trek slows to a stop. 

“you weren’t the entire council.” sevika stops as well. “i’m taking out the faults of an entire system just on you–it’s not fair. and it doesn’t help. not the past or our future.” she meets shoola’s gaze and sees the slight distance in the two-toned sights, a furrow coming to her brow as she steps closer, right hand lifting for a moment before ultimately remaining by her side. “shoola.”

lips parting, shoola blinks, bringing her mind back to itself. “i…” she takes in a breath, resuming her walk along the path. “i don’t need softened words–i deserved it. i…deserve whatever you give me.” her golden claws scratch the metal hard hat in her hands before her index finger taps the surface as she thinks, the motion and sound keeping her thoughts centered. “despite having family here in zaun, to be recognized and properly aided shouldn’t have been an afterthought. i knew that then very well.”

sevika stays silent for a moment, her arm bumping shoola’s making her realize how close they are in their trek to nowhere. she could say the self-awareness is a good attribute, but there is a presence of self-deprecating shadowing the words spoken. because, yes, what sevika is saying is what needs to be heard, yet she has a feeling that shoola’s mind is bustling with the true intent that is framing her current demeanor. 

a demeanor that nearly drowned sevika when it had kept her in its clutches.  

[scalacaelumxx]

Who are your top 3 favorite KH characters? ✨

I'm going to try not to ramble on this forever but thank you so much for sending this ask in! I apologize in advance for the can of worms you have opened.

Vidar (Spoilers for Dark Road incoming) Probably the least surprising thing, but currently Vidar is my top favorite. I'm fairly new to the mobile games, and full disclosure, I did not like him when I first saw him. Eraqus was so upset by Vor leaving (even though it was her own choice) that I genuinely felt for him, and therefor didn't approve of Vidar "taking" her away. But continuing the story and learning that he and his friends were so close to achieving what they had been training for for years, only for it to end in the death of not one of his friends, but four of them. And he can't bring himself to strike down what caused their deaths, because Baldr is just a kid and he (presuming that one line was about Hoder) can't bear to face her if something happened to him after she died trying to protect him His character is interesting, he's got a killer design, you can tell how much he cared about his friends, and the tragedy of risking everything to save someone for your friend, only to die by that person's hand trying to protect the friends you have left. I could talk about him for 22 hours a day.

Saix/Isa I know I don't post about him a lot, but Saix (or Isa) has been one of my favorite characters since my friend introduced me to Kingdom Hearts when I was a kid. If it wasn't for Vidar, he'd still be in the top spot! There's just something about how ruthless he was in kh2 and Days. How brutally honest and blunt his deliveries were, and how his boss fight involves catching you off guard with mechanics that don't seem to suit what you've seen of him until you really look at it and realize it does. His relationship with Axel is hilarious on surface level and depressing when you go deeper. His relationship of being Xemnas' right-hand man (next to Xigbar) while also plotting to betray him is so intriguing. And then seeing those sharp eyes and the barbed words and the ruthlessness in him and seeing those compared to the kid who made fun of his best friend and wanted to explore places he wasn't supposed to be in and help someone he had just met is heartbreaking. I loved his redemption in kh3, subtle in the background as it was, and I'm hoping to see more of him trying to be a better person and make it up to Roxas and Xion in 4.

Zexion/Ienzo This one caught me so off guard. I had gotten back into the fandom after a long while and was replaying through the old games to get caught up and Zexion blindsided me in Re:CoM. He was secretive and quiet, but really held no animosity towards Sora or Riku. Which, compared to the rest of the Organization in the castle, stood out a lot. Considering this, he really didn't deserve the death he got, which is still pretty brutal for a Kingdom Hearts death. Then he comes back and immediately throws everything he has into helping the heroes. They were more of a means to an end before, rather than true enemies, and despite their reservations about him he has no problems spending all of his time and resources into helping them stop Xehanort. He was just a kid when he helped start the fall of Radiant Garden but he still feels so guilty and wants to atone so badly. Plus you get extra angst in the "didn't have a heart for 10 odd years and now suddenly has one and is feeling" department.

Runner ups include: Baldr, Vali, Xaldin/Dilan, Vexen/Even, and Terra!

[skellyflowers]

Royal Ball 4

Masterlist

Vessel x reader

Sleep will be referred to as “Queen Jeinnv” 

Vessel will be referred to as “Prince Adrian”

II will be referred to as “Prince Roddric”

III will be referred to as “Dilan, Duke of Elderstock”

IV will be referred to as “ Edgard, Duke of Haverlem”

“Excuse me, my lady, would you like to dance?”

When I look to see who was talking to me I almost faint. Standing right in front of me is his highness Prince Adrian! I’m not sure if the room goes silent but it definitely feels that way. I look between his hand and face. My mouth goes dry.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked again, this time a little louder. Clearly thinking I didn’t hear him. I can hear whispers of the people around me.

“Yes.” I murmur while taking his hand.

The Prince leads me back to the dance floor. I hear the music again, maybe the orchestra did stop. As we bow to each other the music swells and he holds my right hand and puts the other on my hip and starts to lead me. Up close I can really study the mask he is wearing. It is stark white with the royal family crest on the top half. The bottom half is bright red and a delicate lace design.

“I do hope that the Duke of Elderstock didn’t force you to laugh at his awful jokes.” The Prince suddenly says.

“No your Majesty. He was a perfect gentleman.” I respond

“I think you might be the first to say that.” The Prince says. “You can be honest. He has never been very funny.”

“I’m sure he has some good jokes, my Prince.”

“If he does I have yet to hear them.” Adrian lets out a quiet snicker. It was nice to hear that the Prince and the Duke had a mutual relationship. Listening to them make fun of each other was cute.

“You’re a very good dancer.” He compliments me. I feel my face get warm.

“Thank your Majesty.”

Knowing that Adrian is studying me makes me nervous and I turn my head to look away from him. That was a mistake. I’m suddenly confronted with eyes. I knew people would be watching the dance floor but this is a new intensity. My heart is hammering in my chest.

Adrian notices my distress and speaks up. “Are you alright?”

“Everyone is staring at us.” I say, taking another ill advised look around us.

“Yes you’re right.” He confirms “Do you want to stop? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

I want to say ‘yes’ and run away from him. Instead I chose to be brave.

“No it’s okay.”

“I’m not sure if it would make you better, but please know that they are only staring because they are jealous of you.”

“Why would anyone be jealous of me?”

“You’re my first dance.”

Oh! Now everything makes sense. When the dance ends Adrian bows and kisses my hand.

“If I haven’t scared you away, I would like to have the next dance as well.”

I can’t stop the smile on my face.

“I would love to.”

The Prince has a nice smile. We chat a little more and Adrain reveals that this ball was Queen Jeinnv’s idea. Duke Dilan said he didn’t like parties but to know he has not had a hand in the ball at all was odd to me. I guess I always believed no one could command the Prince. No one but his mother it seems.

I’m not sure how long I have been dancing with the Prince but I have learned a bit about him. He is a lover of snakes, his favorite game is chess, he composes music and plays the piano. In return I talked about myself. My recent interest in watercolors, I told him how I learned to swim, my fear of crowds and that I also play piano.

“I should write us a duet.” Prince Adrian says excitedly. His excitement is really endearing.

Then the two of us are stopped when a hand is placed on the Prince’s shoulder. I look over to see that the hand is attached to the Queen.

“Now my son. You shouldn't ignore your other guests.” She says. I feel Adrian tense under my hand. “Princess Emerald of Espera has been waiting all night.”

Adrian lets go of my hip before turning to speak to the Queen.

“Yes mother. I won't leave her waiting.”

Prince Adrian separates from me but still holds my hand. He lets out a quiet sigh before he speaks again.

“Thank you for your time, Baroness of Hazelwood.” he is suddening very formal. He kisses my knuckles before walking away from me and towards who I can only assume is Princess Emerald.

The rest of the night is a haze for me. Prince Adrian doesn’t approach me again. That is for the best given my mother hounded me with questions the moment she got close. But at some point the ball ends and I am back in my bed.

I can’t believe I was the Prince’s first dance at the ball meant to find him a wife!

[kenxmatsui]

for: leyla @cantfightmoonlight location: hospital

He had not stirred from the chair he had sat in, muscles tense from no movement, but he couldn't. How could he leave her? But he did leave her. Alone for fucking Hande to find her, falling right into the trap that had been set, blinded by rage and shock, sense had not settled at any point as he thought he was keeping her safe, by volunteering, by asking Dilan to take care of her in case he never came back. It hadn't been easy to leave her, but the willingness to offer up himself came easier than breathing. Fucking lot of good that did. He tried not to think to last year, to the scene where anger had grown to a point where he felt nothing seeing her on the ground, seeing her fall out of the sky, the blood, the broken bones, it was like history repeating. He had done nothing to stop it, nothing to keep her safe, not then, and failed again now. Failed on a worse note too, the damage done to her wings broke him in ways he did not expect, the ones that made him fall in love all over again each time she unfurled cruelly and sickeningly cut to make way for a horrific message.

He watched the slow rise and fall of her breathing, monitors beeping and keeping him sane by telling him that he was alive at least, hope was not lost, but hope had ceased to exist a long time ago, what was the point of this? This was not the way it should've gone, not the way this should be. Fists clenched to keep temper in check, to not let it spill over, craving for a release that he could not allow himself. She shifted in that exact moment, and he was right there when her eyes fluttered open, "Hi sweetheart," he said, his fingers so careful with hers as he held her hand, "I'm here. You're ok- I got you."

[jasonmacavoy]

A beautifully wrapped box with red candy cane wrapping paper sat on Jason’s bed. Inside is a new pair of back timberland boots, two tickets to a main event fight at madison square garden, and two round trip plane “tickets” on an airline called ‘Cavalier’ (aka a private plane named after a character in the nutcracker bought by Mr. Sahin himself for family use).

A note was tapped to the top of the box that said:

Dear Jason,

This Christmas you deserve something as amazing as you are.

How fast can you pack a bag?

P.S. Don’t lie and pretend your boots aren’t falling apart at the seams.

- Love, Dilan

Jason dialed Dilan’s phone number immediately. Her giving him the time of day was the only gift he ever really needed, yet he couldn’t stop staring down at the tickets, both sets of them. “Babe, you really didn’t have to get me anythin’. This is way too much.” He told her machine, the excitement in his voice betraying his words. “You know that’s the friggin’ match of the year, right. Makhachev’s gunna break a shit ton of records. The guy’s a beast, best pound for pound fighter there is.” Jason shadowboxed the air, rambling on into the machine for a couple of seconds until he caught himself, heat creeping up the side of his neck at the realization, and he pulled himself together — quick. 

“But um, yeah, you were right about the boots, too. Mine were shit.” He stepped outside his apartment testing out the new Tims en route to his Camaro. “I’ll see ya at dinner. Thank you, baby.”

[agrippinaes]

books I read in 2024

i read 185 books in 2024. it was an odd year for me, and though i know that this number of books is really impressive, reading often felt like a struggle this year. i set myself targets to read more out of my comfort zone but struggled with this, in particular to try and read more physical books, and ended up not meeting my target.

i think the big thing i'm taking away from reading this year is to read more of what i enjoy and accept dnf'ing books more, to be honest; i think i wasted time this year trying to get through books i wasn't enjoying and, ultimately, i'm not sure what the point of doing that is. next year i want to read things i enjoy, and though i still want to read more out of my comfort zone, i'm not going to set myself targets to read more physical books this year because i don't think format matters that much to me.

some other stats:

cassie mint was my most-read author for the second year in a row - thank goodness for her novellas!

my most-read genre was romance

i read 154 fiction books and 31 non-fiction books

i read 126 ebooks, 54 physical books and 5 audio books

i mostly read contemporary romance, with 81 books on my list

my most-read trope was, again, forced proximity, followed by hate-to-love

below is a list of the books i read this year. rereads are italicised, 5 star reads in bold.

great and horrible news!: murder and mayhem in early modern britain by blessin adams

temp by noelle adams

the rule book by sarah adams

the player in new zealand by liz alden

son of prophecy: the rise of henry tudor by nathen amin

well bred by adriana anders

breaking the ice by amy andrews

known to the victim by k.l. armstrong

northanger abbey by jane austen

fangirl down by tessa bailey

the au pair affair by tessa bailey

gathering of strangers: why museums matter by maria balshaw

a reckless match by kate bateman

fix the system, not the women by laura bates

the ruin of evangeline jones by julia bennet

a christmas spark by diana biller

bloom by e.j. blaise

welcome to the hyunam-dong bookshop by hwang bo-reum

lady audley's secret by mary elizabeth braddon

the devil is a marquess by elisa braden

small game by blair braverman

hawk o'toole's hostage by sandra brown

regarding the duke by grace callaway

underneath it all by kate canterbary

hard pressed by kate canterbary

the killing kind by jane casey

keep me by sara cate

don't swipe right by l.m. chilton

in too deep by jade church

breathtaking: inside the nhs in a time of pandemic by rachel clarke

a natural history of ghosts: 500 years of hunting for proof by roger clarke

what katy did by susan coolidge

manchester at war, 1939-45 by glynis cooper

ashes of you by catherine cowles

fragile sanctuary by catherine cowles

at first spite by olivia dade

do your worst by rosie danan

cinderella is faking it by dilan dyer

rapunzel is losing it by dilan dyer

passenger princess by morgan elizabeth

taming rafe by suzanne enoch

london's perfect scoundrel by suzanne enoch

good earl hunting by suzanne enoch

the black duke's prize by suzanne enoch

after the kiss by suzanne enoch

the fake mate by lana ferguson

the diary of a young girl by anne frank

wives and daughters by elizabeth gaskell

dust storm by maggie gates

what heals us by maggie gates

being mortal: medicine and what matters in the end by atul gawande

nanny for the neighbors by lily gold

make her stay by ella goode

come closer by sara gran

the wager by david grann

the reno by maggie grant

don't look back by rachel grant

their last resort by r.s. grey

britain's ghosts: a spine-chilling tour of our most haunted places by anna groves

alive and wells by bailey hannah

seeing red by bailey hannah

small town swoon by melanie harlow

ten things about writing: build your story, one word at a time by joanne harris

you're the boss by emma hart

say yes to the boss by olivia hayle

womb: the inside story of where we all began by leah hazard

bride by ali hazelwood

cruel winter with you by ali hazelwood

taken by a sinner by michelle heard

beauty tempts the beast by lorraine heath

the woman in black by susan hill

queens consort: england's medieval queens by lisa hilton

keanu reeves is not in love with you: the murky world of online romance fraud by becky holmes

the ornithologist's field guide to love by india holton

tame the heart by ava hunter

if you hate me by helena hunting

untie my heart by judith ivory

say yes to the duke by eloisa james

river kings: a new history of the vikings from scandinavia to the silk road by cat jarman

the plantagenets: the warrior kings and queens who made england by dan jones

twisted deeds by mila kane

bound to submit by laura kaye

the unraveling by vi keeland

my wrong number by r.l. kenderson

body check by elle kennedy

the graham effect by elle kennedy

homestead by claire kent

the hollow places by t. kingfisher

a dark and secret magic by wallis kinney

the skull by jon klassen

marrying winterborne by lisa kleypas

the halloween bet by abby knox

a date with demons by abby knox

yellowface by rebecca f. kuang

trail of the lost: the relentless search to bring home the missing hikers of the pacific crest trail by andrea lankford

there are no sinners by sophie lark

there is no devil by sophie lark

the catch by amy lea

filthy rich vampire by geneva lee

knot the one they want by hannah lennox

my roommate is a vampire by jenna levine

love and other scandals by caroline linden

fortune favors the viscount by caroline linden

what i did for a duke by julie anne long

uproar!: satire, scandal and printmakers in georgian london by alice loxton

empire state enemies by rosa lucas

love to loathe him by rosa lucas

power play by maria luis

sin bin by maria luis

play with me by becka mack

assistant to the villain by hannah nicole maehrer

above the shop by chloe maine

father of the bride by chloe maine

dominated by marni mann

hate mail by donna marchetti

relight my fire by c.k. mcdonnell

attack warning red!: how britain prepared for nuclear war by julie mcdowall

kenna's dragon by leigh miller

tangling with the boss by cassie mint

grump gone bad by cassie mint

guarded by a broody biker by cassie mint

fight dirty by cassie mint

hard knocks by cassie mint

mistletoe mobster by cassie mint

zeta rodgers needs to relax by elanna moon

crave by monica murphy

the bossy one by leslie north

a rivalry of hearts by tessonja odette

every wrong you right by j.e. parker

failure to match by kyra parsi

dark matter by michelle paver

dining for love by valerie pepper

where the dark stands still by a.b. poranek

desire by amanda quick

match point by katherine reilly

reckless by stella rhys

buried: an alternative history of the first millennium in britain by alice roberts

into the uncanny by danny robins

white holes by carlo rovelli

the scenic route by katie ruggle

swift and saddled by lyla sage

the catcher in the rye by j.d. salinger

the worst best man by lucy score

fake law: the truth about justice in an age of lies by the secret barrister

who owns england? by guy shrubsole

off to the races by elsie silver

a photo finish by elsie silver

touching the void by joe simpson

forty years of murder: an autobiography by keith simpson

the bossy billionaire by samantha skye

for the record by juliana smith

almost pretend by nicole snow

a history of the roman empire in 21 women by emma southon

silver fox by stevie sparks

the white ship: conquest, anarchy and the wrecking of henry i's dream by charles spencer

slumming it by sabrina stark

one good crash by sabrina stark

when grumpy met sunshine by charlotte stein

everyone on this train is a suspect by benjamin stevenson

everyone this christmas has a secret by benjamin stevenson

dead rinker by ruth stilling

the lamplighters by emma stonex

mine to take by jennifer sucevic

the shadow network by deborah swift

you shouldn't be here by lauren thoman

nero by s.j. tilly

hans by s.j. tilly

latte darling by s.j. tilly

spurred by vanessa vale

hannah and the hitman by vanessa vale

misadventures with my billionaire boss by vanessa vale

ultra-processed people: why do we all eat stuff that isn't food...and why can't we stop? by chris van tulleken

the suffragettes by various authors

possessive heart by brighton walsh

playing the field by becky ward

run posy run by cate c. wells

the tyrant alpha's rejected mate by cate c. wells

the wild wolf's rejected mate by cate c. wells

secret santa by kati wilde

bourbon and lies by victoria wilder

think again by jacqueline wilson

oranges are not the only fruit by jeannette winterson

p.s. you're intolerable by julia wolf

iron flame by rebecca yarros

beyond the thistles by samantha young

[moonglowmagic]

Where: The Selvi House

With: Dilan + Leyla (@cantfightmoonlight)

Dilan finished putting on her white dress and walked out into the hall of her house to see Leyla’s door open. Walking into the room with a knock on Leyla’s door, she gave her sister a smile. “Hey,” She greeted the other as she moved to sit on the bed. “You here getting clothes or stopping by for a visit?” Dilan questioned with a laugh. “You know if you wanted to see me you could just have lunch with me again like you do everyday.” She teased. “So….” Looking down at her white dress that was like the elephant in the room. “Are you coming to painted love tonight?” Asking nervously, she started to fiddle with her necklace. “I was going to go since well I’m required and all.” Shrugging it off as if it didn’t matter. “Part of the whole event planner thing, you know?”