#lycheejellytea

[justanartsysideblog]

What’s Bre’elu favorite kind of food and does she have any allergies?? How’s her spice tolerance

Bre’elu’s favorite foods are types of seafood. She loves fresh, raw fish as well as it cooked in a multitude of dishes. She LOVES spices, her favorite dish is a spicy seafood soup. She doesn’t have any allergies, but she isn’t terribly fond of cheese. It simply wasn’t a staple growing up and she doesn’t eat it very often.

Thanks for the ask!

TMI Tuesday

[feynites]

Also banana for 86 or 87 >;3c

Oooh, I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On and Aroused by Your Voice, you say?

I feel like this would fit in really well with the HWRC Banana AU, where Taz is a fish and Ana and Vena are trying to figure out how to look after him. Lots of phone calls. Maybe Vena has been known to frequent some phone sex hotlines, when he’s caught in a dry spell, and so he’s got some… associations. Going on there.

*cough*

So he and Ana talk on the phone a lot, especially when they can’t manufacture excuses to meet in person. Vena’s trying to work up the nerve to ask her out, but for some reason it’s harder than usual (and every time they get too close around the fish pond, a certain exotic rescue splashes them and somehow manages to convey the ‘get a room’ look). But Vena’s got a thing for voices and Ana has a nice one, especially when she laughs at his terrible jokes, or fires back with some of her own.

Inevitably he maybe ends off a few of their evening phone calls with a… reaction. Going on. And he’s not totally sure if they’re flirting or if it’s just kind of pavlovian now, but it’s whatever.

Until they meet up in person again and Ana wants to tell him something quietly, so she leans over and whispers in his ear, and suddenly Vena’s pants are getting a bit too tight and his skin feels hot and oh no it’s not pavlov. 

Ana has no idea the power she’s just unlocked. X3

[selenelavellan]

so out of all of your characters, who would go to an ABBA singalong party and know all the lyrics?

Definitely Darevas. He probably knows a good chunk of the choreography too, and he’d be the first to try to get into one of those outfits.

TMI Tuesday

[wolftraps]

@lycheejellytea replied to your post “I read such a lovely dark Assassin’s Creed fic yesterday, and i’ve...”

which fic was it??

Living to Die by Cards_Slash

Altmal, based on the idea that only your soulmate can kill you. Altair and Malik are soulmates, have been alive for forever, and are so very, very, very broken. And poor Desmond gets caught in the middle, as always.

When I got done reading, I had to tell @uswe and @ereborne about it, which was followed with

uswe: This is very fucked up. No wonder you look delighted me: i aaaaammmmm uswe: Why are you like this 

It and Immovable, unbreakable (also by cards_slash) are probably my favorite AC fics I’ve read so far. definitely not for you if you are a huge fan of fluff, but if you’re like me and love fucked up things with a not-terrible ending, i highly recommend.

[palindromes-art]

Banal’ras 14??? :o

Banal’ras for the Halloween palette challenge. Featuring @justanartsysideblog‘s vallaslin design for Melarue, the Clever One. 

[first-flower-of-my-house]

@my-beautiful-thief THANK YOU! @lycheejellytea THANK YOU!

[captusmomentum]

pros/cons of dating tace?

PROS

he’s HILARIOUS

secretly cares a LOT

secret cuddle monster

u now have a personal attack dog when needed

he will wrestle all the chores out of your hands so he can do them

UPSETTINGLY ATTRACTIVE 

like, a phd level education but not an asshole about it

a ride or die bitch

fun and flirty

CONS

he’s an asshole

kinda fucking mean

LOSES HIS MIND OVER PETTY SHIT

night terrors and sleep walking

UPSETTINGLY ATTRACTIVE

no really he will flirt w/ pm everyone

dead inside

a shambling mess pretending he’s a functional person

orelsian 

[jahaliel]

Turkish tea and kombucha for the tea asks?

Turkish tea: What is your favourite cake? Tricky tricky tricky XD  I would say it’s a three way tie between the Choc-Raspberry Ice-Cream Cake, the Orange Mars Bar Cake and Grandma Bickley’s Fruit Cake (with a full bottle of brandy - she made it for our wedding cake.)Kombucha: What do you order on a pizza? Depends on my mood and if I’m ordering to share because I really love the classic margherita (fresh tomato, cheese, herbs) or the potato variant  but the hubby can’t eat tomato so if we’re splitting we’ll do a BBQ Chicken (BBQ sauce, roast chicken, capsicum, pineapple, bacon) or a Meatlovers (salami, ham, bacon, pizza sauce).thanks for the ask lovely

[vargonautic]

4, 5, and 9 for Mirlen?? :o *whispers companion Mirlen and inquisitor Vara*

:O What have you doNE LYCHEE OH MY GOD

Why didn’t this though hit me omg this isperfect?? Can you guys guess what I’ll be thinking about for a week straight XD

Answers under cut still~

4. Whatwould their romance route look like? Would they be romanceable?

She would be romanceable! :D She’s bisexualand she doesn’t really care about races, so anyone can romance her

What wouldit look like..?

She is an extrovert, she’s very open about herfeelings and sometimes she’s… intense. She’d definitely flirt without shame tosomeone who shows interest, but denying her doesn’t really make her upseteither. At least not while she’s just playing around.

With Varawell as Inquisitor she’d probably comeon strong in the beginning, flirting recklessly at every chance she gets. Oncethey’ve been on some adventures together, though, and she starts getting toknow him, she’ll tone it down; starting by aiming to be a good friend for himnow when he’s in such a tricky situation.

She’ll slowly grow more attached as time goeson, finding herself making up a lot of excuses to bring him reports and tagalong when he leaves Haven. Her flirting becomes more stumbly and blushy themore she hangs around him.

After the attack of Haven she’ll most probablybe a sobbing mess when they find him in the mountains. She wears all heremotions on the outside x3

Even though the romances in game (at least theones I’ve played) have their first kiss before the Winter Palace, Mirlen wouldtake her chances there, I think. At the balcony, after everything has gone down…She’ll ask for a dance, and if yes the kiss happens there. If no, she’ll waittill they get back at Skyhold, saying she wanted to do it before but shechickened out

An Inquisitor would be able to ask her aboutsex after that; cue angsty talk about endometriosis and a lot of pain, also no children,no cure, lots of crying and apologising she didn’t say earlier. I’d say anInquisitor would be able to break the relationship off there, or just tell herthey loved her anyway. Breaking it off would lead to a bit more crying but hersaying she understands and she treated them unfairly by not saying. Her dialoguebecomes short after that, both because of guilt and she’s certain theInquisitor doesn’t actually want to talk to her after it

Good times

 5. If theyromanced someone as Inquisitor, would they still fall for that person as acompanion? How would that play out? How would they react to that person beingromanced by the “new” Inquisitor?

I’ve never played DA:I with Mirlen, but if I didI think she’d romance Sera. Just as I answered with Ela and Cullen, the romancewould play out as it does in game if neither of them are romanced by theInquisitor.

If Sera is romanced by the Inquisitor Mir willbe a little sad for a few days, but it’ll pass. There are plenty of fish in thesea, and she quickly accepts she and Sera just weren’t meant to be together.

 9. Wherein Skyhold would they be found? (e.g. Cole is in the tavern rafters, Leliana inthe top of the tower, Varric in the throne room, etc.)

She can be found by the big stairs leading upto the main entrance. Mostly she sits and doodles, as she likes to draw andthat spot gives her many objects and angles to work with. If you choose to makea training ground later on she’s close to that as well, which she definitely enjoys!

Thanks for asking!!

[scurvgirl]

Tonlen meeting Laurent for the first time?

Laurent belongs to @justanartsysideblog

Rissa hasn’t dated anyone since that little maggot bitch in high school, which is both good and bad. Good because there hasn’t been anyone to hurt her, but bad because no one has been really lovin’ on her either. While it’s not necessary, of course, to have a romantic partner, Tonlen’s aware that Rissa’d like one. And she is so smart, and so gorgeous, and so incredible that it’s a bit of a mystery to him why people aren’t just falling over themselves to get with her. Though there was that one guy in high school who admitted to Tonlen that the reason he didn’t ask Rissa out was because she intimidated the shit out of him with all of that brain power. 

It wasn’t a huge loss though, the guy was an idiot who refused to believe Isabela is in fact Rissa’s older sister and Tonlen’s cousin. 

So it’s pretty interesting when Rissa starts talking about her neighbor. An older guy who apparently likes to star gaze with her. A man who has taken her out on several dates, hasn’t pressured her, and is in fact not intimidated or threatened whatsoever by Rissa’s intellect. 

He’s also apparently easy on the eyes, which is a little harder for Tonlen to believe because then he’d be too perfect. Entirely too perfect, perfect people like that just don’t exist…right? 

He arrives at Rissa’s apartment for their usual Sunday brunch, only this time this new man will be there in all of his supposed perfection. Tonlen knocks on the door and it quickly opens, a man shimmies as close to the door jam as possible and shuts it behind him, making Tonlen step back.

“Excuse me?” Tonlen says, leaning back, his eyebrows lifting at the admittedly handsome man in front of him.

“Sorry, but Rissa said that you have issues with your lungs and she was cooking -

“You let her cook? Are you daft?!” Well there it is! He’s an idiot! He is in fact not perfect, ha!

“No, it wasn’t exactly that. I just got here about fifteen minutes ago and there was all this smoke because she wanted food, I thought we were going out,” he explains and Tonlen sighs. As smart as she is, Rissa can make odd choices, and stress over a situation tends to exaggerate the tendency. But cooking? Of all things - she knows damn well that she shouldn’t. 

Tonlen pulls his hair back into a bun, revealing the shaved sides of his head, and pulls up his shirt to cover his mouth. His hands move, slowly casting a chilling and control spell before he heads into the apartment. Most of the smoke is gone, but there is some lingering as Rissa bats at the main flume over the stove. She’s coughing and sputtering and otherwise compromising herself. He narrows his eyes and directs the water in the air to coalesce around the smoke, then freezes it, making it all disappear at once. Dirty snow falls around Rissa instead of the smoke and she turns around, eyes wide.

“I told Laurent to keep you outside!”

“Which was stupid, I can help with this,” Tonlen replies matter of fact. Rissa narrows her eyes.

“The last time you did this, you ended up in the ER and needed an endoscopy,” she shoots back. Tonlen rolls his eyes.

“That was different, that a lot of smoke -

“Wait, this has happened before?” Rissa’s beau asks. 

“Not exactly, a bonfire went astray, I wrangled with it - that was much more intense, Ris, you know that. This was nothing.” Though he says that and his lungs do feel a little…itchy. 

Nonetheless, Rissa puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head, “You’re so stubborn!”

“Like you’re not!” He snips. 

“I think we’re all a little hungry, so how about we go to IHop and eat some pancakes?” New man interjects making Tonlen and Rissa pause.

Tonlen crosses his arms and shakes his head, making his shirt return to its intended spot, “Yes. Let’s go, we can throw the ruined pan away later.”  He takes his cousin’s arm and practically drags her out of the apartment, allowing her just enough time to grab her keys. New guy follows and they pile into Tonlen’s car. Now way is he letting some new guy drive him and Rissa. 

“Rissa gets car sick so she rides in front,” Tonlen says. Rissa gives him a look but the guy doesn’t complain as he slides into the backseat. 

Tonlen puts on music he knows both he and Rissa like and again, no complaints. He makes small talk and talks about his fencing career and how he’s very excited to meet Tonlen. Rissa blushes again. 

They make it to IHop and end up ordering quite a bit of food. Rissa gets a heart healthy omelet while Tonlen decides to treat himself with a stack of pancakes. Rissa’s date orders eggs and Orlesian toast. 

Talk starts up about space and science and while Rissa’s neighbor is clearly not as proficient as Rissa is (which is not to harsh on him, nobody is really as proficient except for maybe Maibrit) and Tonlen throws in bits and pieces about his neuroscience studies. 

Their food arrives but the conversation continues…and continues and continues. And the longer things draw on, the more he relaxes. Laurent is not just a good guy, but a good guy. He’s the kind of guy that you want sweeping people of their feet, the guy who can. 

Good, he thinks, smiling at Rissa, she deserves it. And it’s nice to see that there are these people out there, not necessarily perfect because no one is but so close, people’s whose imperfections fit well against another’s. 

But the best part about it is Rissa is actually happy. Their romance is slow, steady, but natural and she is glowing with it. She steals a bite of his toast and he snags a piece of her omelet and giggles when she pokes his bicep. 

It’s so cute, Tonlen may gag. 

By the time they get back to Rissa’s apartment, Tonlen has just about made up his mind, though it is subject to change should anything happen. He stops Laurent just outside of the apartment and hugs him. 

“Be good to her, she’s worth more than all those stars you look at,” he whispers. Laurent hugs him back.

“I know.”

[lillotte17]

The Sword

Next part of the SPOP AU!! It didn’t end where I wanted it to, but this got real big REAL quick, and this was a good place for a break. 

Uthvir, Tasallir, and Venavisimi belong to @feynites

Elana belongs to @lycheejellytea

~

More than ten years pass, and in that time the Horde grows, and Aili grows, and yet somehow the war keeps dragging on. No matter how hard their soldiers push the rebels back, the Princesses keep finding ways to stir up trouble. Harassing their outposts, destroying supply lines, and instigating fights in territories already under the protection of Lord Dirthamen.

Disturbing the peace.

But not for much longer.

Aili is a senior cadet, and her team is an exemplary unit. Her squad is fast and efficient, and once they graduate and start getting real assignments, they are going to turn the tide. Monstrous amounts of magical firepower against them or no, they are going to wipe those Princesses off of Etheria once and for all.

And at last, the world will be safe.

For now, though, it is just another day of fighting drills.  

She pulls her hair back into its customary ponytail as she trots out of the locker room and down the hall to the simulator that her team has been assigned today. The rest of them are already geared up and in position. Elana is focused, fiddling with the specs on her training goggles. Venavisimi is eager, shifting on the balls of his feet. Tasallir looks…like he does not want to be here, which is typical. And, of course, her best friend is…

Aili groans internally.

"Pst," she whispers at Ana, "Have you seen Uthvir?"  

The redhead shrugs.

"They're your shadow, aren't they?" Vena snorts.

Aili runs a hand over her face in exasperation. Uthvir has dealt with a lot of trials and tribulations growing up in the Horde. Not least of which was trying to live down the moniker 'Applesauce', once they had realized that it was, in fact, a ridiculous name for a child. She gets that they feel a need to press boundaries now and again. Not in rebellion, precisely, but as a means to test the limits of how far they can reach in any particular direction before someone shoves them back in line. She gets it. Maybe better than anyone else.

But she still wishes they would try to show up to training on time.  

"Uthvir is missing again?" the drill sergeant frowns is disapproval, scribbling something down on the clipboard in their hands.

"They're just running a little behind," Aili assures them hastily, "They'll be here any second now, I'm sure of it."

The officer hums in disbelief, rolling their eyes.

"Alright cadets," they continue a moment later, "Today you'll be on a stealth mission through the treacherous Whispering Woods that surround the Rebel fortress Bright Moon. Keep your guard up! The terrain shifts at random intervals, and the Princesses will attack you without warning or mercy. Your mission is defeat the Queen, and liberate Bright Moon in Lord Dirthamen's name."

They turn to press a few buttons on the keypad behind them, sending the door to the simulator open with a hiss.

"Begin!"

The team moves into the room the same way the always do. Aili rushes ahead to take point. Vena and Ana slide into their usual positions behind her, each one covering a flank. Taz brings up the rear, a ranged fighter by both preference and necessity. A rare mage in the Horde. Typically, Uthvir is her right hand. Scouting ahead so that Aili can safely lead the others through their intended course.

But today it looks as though she is going to have to do without.

She grips the staff in her hands. Annoyed.

Still, things move along smoothly enough. They have all done this before. Her squad sticks to the relative safety provided by the cover of 'trees', keeping a sharp eye out for the bots designed to play the part of rebel insurgents. A bit of the scenery shifts, but nothing too drastic. Vena steps on a floor tile that blinks red and falls away, but Ana catches hold of his arm and yanks him back to safety. No harm done.

And then everything goes quiet.

Aili holds up a hand to halt the rest, sensing something shifting above them in the shadows. It does not seem like a bot. Or at least, not like any bot they have encountered before. She narrows her eyes at the fake metallic canopy, weighing her options. There is something oddly familiar about the way the thing following them moves. If she could just-

A laser blast fires behind her, followed by a loud shriek.

"Tasallir!" Vena exclaims, exasperation and worry mingling in his voice. "Why are you always the first one down?"

"It is hardly my fault we were just standing around waiting to get shot!" Tasallir protests, glaring down at the blinking red X on his chest plate.

"Oh yeah?" Venavisimi grins as Ana helps their comrade back to his feet, ever careful to only touch him where his skin is covered by armor, "And what was your excuse the last three times it happened?"

"I do not-" Taz begins before Aili cuts him off, her eyes still fixed on the trees.

"Guys! This is really not the time for-"

The laser fires again, and Aili barely manages to raise her shield in time to block it. The others turn to see a swarm of spider-like bots descending from the branches, each one projecting the twisted snarl of a feral princess. There is a general outcry of dismay.

"Run!" Aili shouts, leading them further into the room and away from the barrage of gunfire.

Ana turns and tosses a grenade at their pursuers. Vena manages to get a grappling hook around the leg of one bot and tug it down out of the trees at Aili's feet. Their de facto leader promptly jams the end of her staff into its core processor before kicking the wreckage to one side.

"We're almost there!" Ana pants out.

Sure enough, a clearing opens up a few moments later and a huge robot descends from the ceiling, the cackling face of the wicked Queen of Bright Moon leering down at them.

"Don’t let her pin you down!" Aili commands, leaping into the bot's direct line of sight in order to distract it from her squadmates. As instructed, the other two fan out, doing their best to flank it. However, the bots from the fake forest burst into the clearing behind them shortly afterwards, drawing Ana and Vena away.

Aili grits her teeth. Right. Up to her, then.

She targets the bot's numerous spindly legs, ever the weak point on this model, and continues to dance just beyond where its turret lasers can fire on her. Several of the tiles beneath her feet begin blinking a warning that they are about to fall away. Darting past them, she quickly uses her staff to vault up on top of the robot's head.

With all her strength, Aili kicks the turret closest to her, snapping it off from the rest of the bot's body and sending to crashing to the floor below. Then she turns and jams her staff into the groove where the head pivots from, prying away armor and wiring as she goes. The robot falters. Sways. Makes a few sputtering beeps as though it might be in its death throes.

And then a spear comes flying out of nowhere and hits the robot dead-on in its optic's unit.

There is an angry crackle, followed closely by an explosion that tosses Aili halfway back towards the trees, yelling and cursing all the way.

She hits the ground hard as the bot crumples in on itself. A dozen of the tiles on the floor beneath it begin flashing red. Gasping and sore, Aili scrabbles away from them on her hands and knees as they begin to fall away, taking the 'Queen of Bright Moon' with them. Her hand tightens one her staff.

The bot might be down, but she still has some butt to kick.

"Uthvir!" Aili growls in irritation as a figure in red jumps lightly down from the simulated canopy, "You dirty cheat! That was a cheap trick and you know it!"

The dirty cheat in question saunters over to her with a smirk that speaks of anything but contrition.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Aili demands, struggling to get back to her feet.

Uthvir merely grins wider, revealing a mouth full of very sharp teeth, and points at the tile she is standing on.

Aili looks down just in time to see the lighting flashing beneath her feet right before it vanishes. She turns her staff at the last second, propping it against the edges of the pit to catch herself, but it is a near thing. She curses under her breath.

Uthvir laughs. Delighted. Coming to the edge of the hole she has fallen into and peering down at her with an expression of unabashed amusement.

"Aw, look at you hanging down there like a little bat," they snicker, leaning over the edge and looming over her. "Hey Aili."

"Hey yourself," she grunts. "And just how long were you lurking in the shadows while we did all the real work?"

"The entire time, naturally," they smirk, inspecting the sharp points of their nails. Nonchalant.

"Hmph. Typical." Aili frowns.

"Always such a sore loser," Uthvir tuts, still smirking unrepentantly.

"I didn't lose," Aili insists loudly, "You cheated. You waited until I had it on its knees, and then you stole the kill shot!"

"The ends justify the means," Uthvir shrugs, "Isn't that what they're always teaching us? It doesn't matter how I got the shot, only that I did."

"It was supposed to be a team effort, Uthvir," Aili rolls her eyes.

"And you all played your part as my distraction marvelously," they commend with a chuckle, extending a hand to pull her up, "Now come on and get out of there. You look absolutely ridiculous hanging down in that hole trying to scold me."

Aili snorts.

"Ass."

~

Back in the locker room, Aili puts away her gear and wipes away traces of sweat with a damp towel. Uthvir tosses her jacket at her face, and she catches it with one hand. Still frowning at them in disapproval.

"How long are you going to sulk?" Uthvir wonders smilingly, walking over and playfully poking at her cheek. "If it is any consolation, I was prepared to step in and assist you all, if the situation had called for it."

"Oh yeah?" Aili says, folding her arms across her chest, "You mean like when Taz got shot?"

"Tasallir is always getting shot," they reply with a dismissive wave of their hand.

"You can't just throw people away like that!" Aili insists.

"It was just another dumb training exercise," Uthvir says with a roll of their eyes, their amusement draining away at her tone, "Besides, some people are expendable. Others are not. That's just how the world works."

Aili sighs.

"You're right," she concedes, "I shouldn't get so worked up about a drill. I know you wouldn't abandon us in a real fight."

She lightly shoves them in the shoulder.

 "Don't start quoting things the Commander says, though," she sticks her tongue out in mock disgust, "It's creepy."

"Maybe I want to be creepy," Uthvir grins.

She laughs, and they join her.

"Well, Creeper, the shot you landed on that bot was awesome," Aili beams at them, "Your aim just keeps getting better all the time."

Their chest puffs up a bit. Clearly pleased by the praise, but not quite willing to admit it.

"Well, of course it is," they say with a proud tilt of their chin, "Someone around here has to carry this team."

"Psh, good luck carrying us when you're hiding in the treetops," Aili snorts, throwing an arm around their shoulders and mussing their hair a bit, "Besides, we both know that in a fair fight, I'd totally beat you."

"Perhaps," Uthvir hums, their expression verging on mischievous as they lightly push her away, "But if that were true, it would hardly be an incentive for me to fight fairly, would it?"

Aili takes note of the gleam in their eye and preemptively begins backing away from them.

"No," she tells them firmly, "No, no, no. Uthvir, don't you dare-"

But it is too late, they have already surged forward, grabbing her about the middle and tossing her over one shoulder like a bag of flour. Aili squeals in protest. Uthvir laughs, running the length of the locker room with their prize as she attempts to wriggle her way to freedom.

"Argh, when are you going to stop doing this to me?!" Aili complains, reaching down and pinching their waist. Uthvir jerks slightly, but only tightens their hold on her. They start another loop around the locker room benches.

"Maybe I will stop toting you places when you stop being so absurdly small," they snicker.

"You're only two inches taller than I am!" Aili reminds them hotly.

"Two whole inches!" Uthvir agrees happily.  

"Aili," a soft cool voice calls from the door.

Uthvir immediately drops her on the floor and goes rigid.

"Ow!" Aili grouses. Then she sees the person who has come through the door and leaps to her feet, right hand automatically rising in a crisp salute. "Commander Ghinan'nain!"

"You are a senior cadet now," Ghilan'nain reminds her, gliding further into the room, "You did well today. I heard you completed your course in record time. But you should curb your penchant for indulging Uthvir's childish antics."

"Thank you, Commander," Aili replies with a nervous grin, face flushing with pride, "But you know, I can't take all the credit. My team worked really hard, and Uthvir landed the kill shot on the Queen!"

"Oh yes," Ghilan'nain drawls narrowing her eyes at them, "Believe me, I was informed of the way they neglected to arrive on time for their training session and then proceeded to disrupt your team's entire battle plan in some misguided attempt to earn themselves some shred of glory. Pathetic."

"That was not my intention," Uthvir insists in a low voice, eyes on the ground, "I was just thinking that maybe if we implemented a different strategy, we could-"

"Silence!" Ghilan'nain hisses, the dark coil of her magic curling around Uthvir's wrist and twisting painfully, "You were doing what you are always doing- impeding Aili's progress! I have been generous up until now, but do not be so foolish as to think that my patience with your floundering is without limits."  

They wince as the magic tightens further and they begin to lose the feeling in their fingers, but they know better than to cry out.

"…I apologize, Commander Ghilan'nain," Uthvir says, bowing their head, "It will not happen again."

"See that it does not, little thing."

The magic recedes and they stumble a half step away.

"Aili, walk with me," the Commander beckons, turning to head back out the door.

Aili looks uncertainly between her mentor and her friend for a moment. Uthvir shrugs. Despondent. She reaches out and takes hold of their uninjured hand, squeezing briefly in apology and commiseration before trotting out the door after their commanding officer.

"You wanted to speak with me, Commander?" Aili asks once she has managed to catch up.

"Lord Dirthamen has been watching you," Ghilan'nain informs her with an air of cool pleasure as she continues down the hallway, "He sees what I have always seen; that you are an exceptional cadet with great promise. A perfect candidate for Force Captain."

"Force Captain?" Aili gasps in surprise and delight.

"That's right," Ghilan'nain replies, golden eyes crinkling in what might even be a smile, contorting the odd star-shapes of her pupils in a most unpleasant way, "He has decided to grant you the honor of leading the attack on the Rebel fortress of Haven."

"You mean…my team is finally going to see real action?" Aili presses eagerly, grinning from ear to ear. "That's so great! I know they're all going to be so excited. Just you wait, Commander, you won't regret giving us this chance to-"

"Aili," the Commander cuts off her chattering, "The chance is for you. Not your team."

"But…I have been training with them my entire life," Aili frowns, caught off guard by the revelation, "With all due respect, Commander, how can I be expected to lead a squadron full of soldiers I barely know?"

"You will adapt," the Commander shrugs, "Your team is not ready. Hardly a training session goes by where Tasallir is not incapacitated in some fashion. Elana and Venavisimi are loyal, but sloppy. And Uthvir… Well, their litany of deficiencies are hardly worth listing."

"I know Uthvir could do well in the field," Aili assures her, "They just want a chance to prove themselves. I think it's just that they're just so smart, and they get bored doing the same drills all the time, so…"

"If they were really so clever, they would have worked harder and proven that they were capable of following orders," Ghilan'nain says dismissively.  

"But…" Aili frowns.

"Is this promotion not what you have always wanted?" Ghilan'nain asks, reaching out and carefully brushing a few stray curls back from Aili's face. "Have you not been striving to reach these heights for as long as you can remember?"

"Yes," Aili admits with a long exhale of breath.

"You have earned this, my child, " the Commander coos, pulling a badge with the symbol of the Horde on it from one of the many pockets in her robe and holding it out for her to take, "Do not allow Uthvir, or anyone else, to stand in the way of reaching your full potential. If you hold on to a sinking ship, it will pull you down to the depths with it. Do you want to drown?"

For a moment, Aili wavers. Her face blanches slightly with uncertainty. But then she glances out of a nearby window, taking in the twisting maze of smoke and hulking buildings of the Fright Zone. Her home.

Her expression hardens with resolve.

"No," she says, taking the badge in her hand and gripping it tightly, "I will not drown. I'm going to become a force captain, and help Lord Dirthamen save Etheria."

"Good girl," Ghilan'nain nods in approval, "I knew you were special from the moment I took you in as a baby. I knew you would be the one to rise up through the ranks. I knew you would make me proud."

Aili smiles, still a little unsure, but some of her earlier excitement beginning to bleed back through.

"Report to force captain orientation tomorrow morning to be briefed on the details of your mission," Ghilan'nain orders, starting off down the hall again. Heading back in the direction of her labs. "And do not disappoint me."

Aili salutes her retreating form.

"Yes, ma'am!"

~

A half an hour or so later, Uthvir finds her out on one of the numerous balconies. One of their favorite haunts. She is leaning out over the railing and into the wind, blonde curls blowing gently about her face. Pensive and silent.

"So…what did the Commander want to see you for?" they wonder.

Aili starts a little, but turns to flash a grin at them, looking a bit sheepish.

"Well, it's kind of crazy but-"

"Is that a force captain's badge?" Uthvir cuts her off, plucking the item in question off of her jacket and holding it up to the light. Their eyebrows shoot up towards their hairline. "Did you get promoted?"

The guilt on Aili's face seems to increase.

"Well, yeah. I guess…but-"

"This is so great!" they exclaim, taking her by the shoulders, "We are finally going to leave the Fright Zone! See the world! Beat the shit out of all those Rebel Assholes!"

Aili hangs her head a bit, not meeting their eyes.

"Commander Ghilan'nain says…I'm the only one moving up," she confesses.

"What?" Uthvir balks.

"She told me that the rest of you still need more training," Aili says, her expression apologetic.

"More training?" Uthvir scoffs, "I could train for a hundred years, and she would still insist I was not good enough. My time was just as good as yours today, and I even got the kill shot. But it just wasn't enough. …It will never be enough for her. She hates me."

"She's…hard on all of us," Aili tries, reaching out and putting a hand on their shoulder, "She wants us all to be the best that we can be. She just expects a lot from you because-"

"She wants me to be you," they snap, swatting her hand away, "She does not want me to be my best, she wants me to be your best! Little miss perfect!"

Without another word, they turn on their heel and beat a hasty retreat, carving a long sweep of claw marks across the walls in their wake.  

"Uthvir!" Aili calls after them, "Come on, you know that's not fair!"

There is no answer. She wraps her arms around herself and sighs. She knew they would take this badly, but she had not expected them to lash out like that.

The Commander has always singled them out for punishment and criticism. Aili knows that they deserve more credit than they get. They might not be suited for a command position, but they are certainly a capable fighter. It is no wonder they got so frustrated.

They always expected that they would get their first assignment together. They always do everything together. Ever since they were little.

Aili is just as disappointed by the prospect as Uthvir is, but…

She cannot give up this chance.

She will impress Lord Dirthamen and Commander Ghilan'nain. She will earn the right to ask to use her own squad on future missions. And then she and Uthvir can fight together again. Run the Horde. Save the world.

Just like they always dreamed.

But for now, the best she can do is try to think of a way to ease the sting of unavoidable separation and upset.

She smiles to herself as an idea strikes her, turning and heading out to one of the garages.

~

This time, it is Aili who comes looking for Uthvir. Climbing up to one of the highest perches in the Fright Zone, were the city sprawls out below in every direction. The sickly red and yellow lights from the buildings blink through the ever-present haze of smog like fireflies.

Not that either of them have ever seen a firefly.

Still. It is about as scenic a view as one is likely to find in the Horde. And hard to get to besides.

It has always been one of Uthvir's favorite hiding places.

Aili looks at them for a moment. Sitting out on a ledge with their bare feet swinging in the open air. Curled in on themselves. Miserable.

Not so different from how they looked when she first met them.

"Hey," Aili calls out to them softly, "Mind if I join you?"

"I suppose there is not much I could do to stop you," they reply, still sounding bitter, "After all, you are my superior officer."

"Look," she begins, walking over to sit beside them, "I agree with you. It sucks that I'm the only one who got a promotion. I wanted to move up with all of you. Really. But…this is what I've been working for my whole life. I can't just turn it down. I understand why you're upset, but…I was hoping you could try to be happy for me, too?"

Uthvir glances over at her, brows furrowed. Considering.

Then they sigh.

"Fine," they grumble, shoving the badge they stole earlier back at her, "It is not as though I was really gunning for promotion, anyway. I don't care about that stuff. It would just be nice to get out of this miserable dump for once in my life."

"And you will!" Aili exclaims, "This is a setback for our plan, but it's not too bad. I'll just have to move up by myself for a little while, and once I've earned some clout, I'll request you on my team specifically. Then it'll be you and me against the world, just like we always planned."  

She leans over and playfully nudges her shoulder against theirs.

"Think you can live with that?" She smiles.

"Well. I guess it's not the worst idea you've ever had," Uthvir smirks, still not looking completely happy.

"Oh, I can come up with a much worse idea than that," Aili laughs, holding up the keys to a skiff, "See?"

Uthvir blinks.

"Are you crazy?" they wonder, "You want to bust out of here after they just made you an officer?"

"Oh, come on," Aili shrugs, "One little joyride is hardly a reason to demote me. Besides, we'll only get in trouble if we get caught."

Uthvir snorts.

"Okay," they agree, "But I get to drive."

~

Uthvir is a terrible driver.

It isn't even that they are particularly bad at handling the skiff. Aili almost thinks she could deal with that. They are just moving unbearably slow.

"Come on!" Aili complains, "Open up the throttle on this thing or we're not even going to make it half a mile outside the Fright Zone before daybreak."

"I will go faster once there is nothing around for us to hit," they promise.

"There's nothing around us right now!" Aili points out, gesturing to the badlands surrounding them, "There's just sand and rocks! And more sand! It's not a joyride if you're not having any fun!"

"I am having plenty of fun!" Uthvir retorts sourly.

"Yeah, well, if I'm getting demoted for this, I'm going to at least take this thing faster than five miles an hour," she declares, snatching the steering rudder away from them and pressing down on the accelerator.

Aili screams in delight as the skiff speeds off across the deserted landscape.

Uthvir screams for a very different reason.

"What are you doing?" they demand, trying to grab the rudder back from her.

"I'm living my best life!" Aili replies with a manic sort of giddiness, still struggling to keep control of the skiff to herself.

"You are going to get us both killed!" Uthvir hisses, finally wrenching the helm back from her.

"Uh…Uthvir?" Aili says, sounding suddenly nervous.

"What now?" they snap.

"TREES!" Aili shouts, ducking down to avoid getting hit full in the face with a branch.

Uthvir curses, just managing to turn the skiff in time to keep it from running headlong into what seems to be an enormous forest.

"What is this place?" they wonder aloud.

"It must be the Whispering Woods," Aili gasps, sounding just the slightest bit afraid, "No Horde Patrol that has gone in there has ever come back out again…"

"The what now?" Uthvir frowns.

"Oh, come on, Uthvir," Aili hisses out in exasperation, "This is why you shouldn't skip out on the orientation before the drills. We just had a review on this place this morning."

"Well, who knows what all they make up for those stupid things," they retort defensively, "All those Princess names sound way too dumb to be real. Sparkle Palace and La-la Land. Right."

"Dumb name or not, we should probably stay out of this place," Aili says.

Uthvir shoots her a grin.

"I thought you wanted to have fun?" they ask, grabbing hold of the controls again and steering the skiff into the trees.

"And I thought you wanted to stay alive!" Aili shrieks back at them, trying to wrestle the steering rod back under her control.

The skiff veers wildly back and forth through the trees as the two of them squabble and try to get the other to yield their hold on the driving mechanism.

It is, perhaps, less than surprising when the skiff makes a sharp turn to avoid one especially large tree trunk, and Aili catches a vine across her throat that tugs her violently from the relative safety of their vehicle and sends her plunging down into the dark shadows of the foliage below with a terrified scream.

"Aili!" Uthvir yells back to her in a panic, still trying to get control of the skiff as it rushes through the woods haphazardly.

She does not know how much time has passed when she opens her eyes again on the forest floor, but the soreness in her limbs and a egg-sized lump on her head would suggest that she likely hit several objects on her way down.  

She groans as she sits up, spitting out a few leaves. There is no sign of Uthvir, and the trees all look more or less the same to her eyes. She can barely see the light from the moons down here, let alone use them to figure out which direction she should start walking in.

Well. This is not good.

There is another light, though. A blue-white brightness shining through the leaves up ahead.

Aili moves quietly towards it. It does not seem to be making any noise, so the light is most likely not emanating from some huge magic beast or something, but this is still enemy territory. For all she knows, it could be one of those murderous princesses.

Further investigation reveals no rebels or monsters, however. The light leads to a small clearing. For a moment, its radiance is almost to blinding to endure. But then it subsides, and Aili sees the object that must have been emitting the light.

A sword.

A broadsword by the looks of it. An intricate golden handle with a strangely wide crystalline blade. A single gemstone at the base of the hilt the same bright blue as Uthvir's right eye. It is stuck in deep into the ground and overgrown with vines.

"Cool," Aili grins, already thinking about the numerous ways she is going to rub it in Uthvir's face that their stupid prank nearly killed her AND got her an awesome weapon that she has no intention of sharing.

Well. Maybe. If they ask really nicely.

She reaches out a hand to pull the sword from the vegetation that has encased it.

And the world goes white around her.

[feynites]

Funny thought in the hogwarts au! Because I can't dedicate time to my creative endeavors atm so I'm just gonna yell them at you until I can Vena and Ana are rival seekers but I can totally imagine them getting super competitive during a match and then after it retreating behind the bleachers or in a broom closet for makeouts. also cheering for the other at matches when they're not competing like ravenclaw/slytherin Ana's there decked out in ravenclaw gear and vise versa Supportive beans snogging

When Vena emerges into the great hall on the morning of the Gryffindor vs Slytherin match, Tasallir gives him a look that could peel paint.

“What,” Taz says, eyes narrowed. “Did you do?”

Vena grins.

“In what regard?” he replies, as cavalierly as he can, and doesn’t break stride towards the Ravenclaw table. He grins as he hears Tasallir get up, and follow after him.

“Your hair, of course!” he says. Serahlin calls after him, and there are a few snickers from other nearby students. Vena reaches up, and smooths a hand over his currently luscious, atypically wavy locks. It had taken him the better part of four hours to get the dye to take in the right shades, and the end result had somehow amplified some of the volume-adding charms on the potions he’d bought, but the end result was only all the more delightful for it.

Vena’s typical straight, shiny dark hair, had been replaced with a veritable mane of red and gold.

He grins.

“Do you like it?” he says.

Tasallir looks fit to be tied.

“You look like some deranged mascot,” he declares, narrowing his eyes. “I know better than to expect you to display any kind of neutrality with regards to these matches by now, but I would at least hope you might find some subtlety. Most people simply wear scarves.”

Or make do with shapeshifting, Vena supposes; noting that Tasallir’s typically-red eyes have turned a shining emerald for the day, instead. 

“You think I need to be more subtle?” Vena asks.

Taz’s eyes remained narrow. But after a beat, he nods.

“Naturally,” he asserts. 

“I’m afraid I disagree,” Vena counters, and then reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his secret weapon. Something he’s been saving since summer time, when he bought it from the biggest Quidditch store in Diagon Alley. The little folded ball of paper - seemingly innocuous, apart from the shining red foil - hits the floor, and then a thundering roar booms through the main hall. A great red lion, made entirely of flame, goes tearing through the air in a shimmering rush of harmless pyrotechnics, that send most of Gryffindor table into cheers and applause.

It rushes up towards the ceiling, chasing after the candles floating there, and bellowing ‘Go Gryffindor!’ in a deep, growling echo of Vena’s own voice.

He grins, exceedingly pleased, until he looks back at Tasallir and sees his hands clamped firmly over his ears. Face paler than usual, as the sparkles drop down around him. And over at the Ravenclaw table, Dirthamen is covering his ears, too, and a few more students here and there look a bit pained.

...Maybe he should have thought this through better. Especially with the cheering adding to the light and din from the lion.

Vena figures that’s enough to make his point, anyway, and whispers the word to turn the lion back into a tiny paper cutout, which drifts harmlessly down towards the floor in the middle of the hall.

“You alright, Taz?” he asks. “Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

Before he can get any further than that, though, a hand drops onto his shoulder.

He looks up to find Professor Melarue looking back down at him. One perfectly manicured eyebrow raised, and only the faintest hint of amusement tugging at the corners of their mouth. Not a great sign - Vena’s accustomed to much more amusement from them.

“That was quite a display,” they note. “Very spirited. Entirely in violation of several school conduct codes, but certainly sparkly.”

Vena nods.

“Detention?” he guesses.

“Detention,” Professor Melarue confirms. “...With me, after the match. Provided you can restrain your enthusiasm to something more within the bounds of school rules from here on out.”

He nods again, more relieved this time, and then the professor’s hand moves over to Tasallir’s shoulder. They usher him away, scooping up Dirthamen and the other more obviously bothered students as they go. Vena feels another pang of guilt, but it fades somewhat when he is nearly tackled by a familiar blur of red hair and quidditch gear.

“Vena! What were you thinking?! That was amazing!” Ana enthuses. “Why did you do that in the hall you’re supposed to use those things out on pitches, but it looked incredible! And your hair!”

Vena grins, and uses the advantage of his height and her proximity to pick her up a little and do a spin. Ana clutches his biceps and laughs, eyes bright, her own face painted with red and gold stripes.

“Do you like it?” he asks, waggling his eyebrows.

She reaches up, and threads some curious fingers into it.

“Soft...” she notes, before fluffing it around his shoulders, some. Her cheeks pink, much to his delight.

“Want a kiss for luck?” he offers, but Ana gets a gleam in her eye, and presses a finger to his lips.

“No,” she says, to his consternation. She’s smiling, though, and doesn’t seem to be turning him down, if the way she’s leaning into him is any indication. And then she taps his mouth, and winks. Oozing that kind of confidence she only seems to get when flying is on the table.

“I’m going to take that kiss for a reward, when we obliterate Slytherin!” she announces.

A few nearby Slytherin students throw toast at them. But Victory, who is close by, starts up another cheer; eager to stoke his team’s confidence. Vena’s lips tingle, and his heart skips a beat, and Ana pulls back after a moment with another laugh and a blush. Bashful again.

The lion might have been a bit much - especially without warning - but the hair, at least, was definitely a good idea.

[wolftraps]

@lycheejellytea replied to your post “yay casual sexism on my bday! just what i always wanted”

Ugh I’m so sorry.. I hope the rest of your birthday is as amazing as it should be. HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Thank you :)

I don’t really have much hope for the rest of my work day, except maybe the hope that nothing else really comes up. But when I finally get home then I can have cherry beer and watch Thor: Ragnarok for the first time, so at least there’s that to look forward to.

[empresstress13]

Ask Game

Tagged by: the wonderful @thevikingwoman , the fantastic @idrelle-miocovani , and the awesome @solverne-02

rules: answer 20 questions, then tag 20 bloggers you want to get to know better.

name:  Tress

nickname: Tress, Empress, Squid, and others nicknames! 

zodiac sign:  Virgo/ Sheep

height:  5′4″

languages:  English, Conversational Japanese & French but my French accent is amazingly bad 

Nationality: American

favorite season: Autumn

favorite flower: I love flowers, but choosing a single favorite is difficult! I love sunflowers, wisteria, honeysuckle, irises, and lots more! 

favorite scent: I enjoy spiced scents, woodsy scents, fresh scents, some citrus. I enjoy some floral scents but it depends. 

favorite color: Blue, Purple, Dark Red

favorite animal: Dogs, Bats, Wolves, Deer, Magpies

favorite fictional character:  Lirael, Princess Leia, Merrill, Felassan 

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Yes, please and thank you! ;P  I love coffee and tea A LOT, and drink a lot of both 

average hours of sleep:  Recently it’s been really not good, about 5-6 hours per-night 

cat or dog person:  I love them both! I’m probably slightly more of a dog person, but I really love both! 

number of blankets you sleep with:  It depends on the season, but I always sleep with at least a sheet if it’s hot, but as it cools down between 1-3 blankets 

dream trip: World-trip with my friends!!! 

Broadway shows seen: So I am not sure if this means how many shows I’ve seen literally on Broadway - which seems like an extremely specific question that would apply to lots of people - or if this means like . . . “Broadway Tours”?  I’ve only seen one show literally on Broadway; I saw “Once On This Island” when I visited NYC and it was fantastic. I’ve seen a number of “Broadway musicals” on tour: Waitress, Wicked, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Dear Evan Hanson, Avenue Q, Spamalot, The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast     I’ve also seen video recordings of the Broadway productions of: Into the Woods, Sweeny Todd, Rent, and Pippin 

favorite breakfast: . . . . This is difficult, but pancakes and home-fries would be high on the list.  

a random fact:  Most of the birthdays on the maternal side of my family are chronological month and then day ( for example my birthday is September 10th (9, 10), my mother is December 13th (12, 13), etc) 

Tagging: @palindromekomori  @zanidragon @scurvgirl  @ellstersmash @roguelioness @wardsarefunctioning @arfaise @minionripley @shiftyarchfey @winsbuck  @theladypirate @fibrochemist @playwithdinos @lavellanlove @lillotte17 @lycheejellytea @nordxz @dndapothecary-backup @buttsonthebeach @katalyna-rose

[first-flower-of-my-house]

⭐ thank you for always being so sweet

Thank you! You’re wicked sweet, too! I absolutely love your art and your writing, even though I need to get caught up on all of it

[captusmomentum]

1-5 for inan and A and B for you~

1.What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

hhhhhooooooooo not long actually like a half hour-ish tops. but the anxiety about getting up or asking for something to do or like, to do anything but sit there can trap them in that spot for an UNHOLY amount of times, like hours. Just sitting there stewing in anxiety over whether or not they should get up or nah.

2.How easy is it for your character to laugh?

answered~ =w=

3.How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

generally by going through a series of rituals and mediations and such to help keep them safe while dreaming since inan is a dreamer mage with bad luck and poor hobbies. the process of doing all of it has kinda created a pavlovian response in them so they konk out p easily after which is GREAT bc left to their own natural inclinations they’d just have a huge melt down very night bc they thought too much and too deep.

4.How easy is it to earn their trust?

it’s.......Mixed. overall they like, work-trust people generally but not friend-trust. getting them to actually trust someone can be difficult and take a WHILE since it also involves them allowing people in which is Rough. but then again they also INSTANTLY TRUSTED THE IRON BULL W/ THEIR LIFE THE SECOND HE TOLD THEM HE WAS A SPY SOOOOOOO.

BE SKETCHY AS FUCK AND UR GOOD?????????

5.How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

SUPER EASY. fucking wear a shirt and they’re convinced ur a murderer. they start off assuming everyone is a possessed templar kidnaping murdering assaulter and then scale back from that when they actually meet them. fear and anxiety are Fun.

QUESTIONS FOR CREATORS

A) Why are you excited about this character?

honestly bc i don’t let myself write this kind or at least, hold back bc it’s a bad setting for the type of character. 

there’s just a lot going on in inan which is fun to juggle, and i’ve always really liked character that struggle with duality which i’ve notice w/ 2 of my Top Faves namor and kylo ren and inan struggles w/ that a lot too. it’s the reason patience and action are drawn to them, they’re constantly caught between being paralyzed and going for it hardcore. which is a interesting challenge to write. 

i’m also excited to like actually let a character be fucking op, like i always feel bad no matter how well thought out and logical it is in canon i always feel bad when i make a character an expert or more which is just ????????? so it’s excited to finally say nah, fuck it, inan’s shredded and can kick most people’s asses easy they just don’t bc they’re noT AN ASSHOLE. like it’s fucking cathartic to just let myself write the shit i wanna, like a psychic medium in fucking dragon age. i wanna write a psychic medium and i will kick da in the dick until it just Accepts this.

B) What inspired you to create them?

answered =w=~