#made this very quickly hence the quality but if I did not draw it out immediately I’d explode | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dwellordream · 3 years ago

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“Doubtless many reigns have begun amidst an atmosphere of jubilant expectation; but this beginning had an especial lustre. For the new king, accession to the throne brought deliverance from a long, probably oppressive subjection to a stern father and grandmother, and released him into the bright, cloudless warmth of gaiety, freedom and power. He stood now on the brink of manhood, suddenly clad with the full panoply of kingship. He ascended a throne which his father had made remarkably secure, he inherited a fortune which probably no English king had ever been bequeathed, he came to a kingdom which was the best governed and most obedient in Christendom. Shortly before his death, his father had granted a general pardon to his people. The new king confirmed this - in ampler form.

His father left him a body of accomplished ministers, most of whom would continue to serve him. But those two men, Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley, who had served Henry VII's money-gathering and law-enforcement so assiduously, and whose 'unreasonable and extort doing noble men grudged, mean men kicked, poor men lamented, preachers openly at Paul's Cross and other places exclaimed, rebuked and detested' - these would be cast aside. Within a few hours of his accession Henry had been so roused to wrath by tales of their wrong-doing that, even as he came to the Tower amidst the trumpets and rejoicing on that 23 April, the second day of his reign, they were seized and brought thither as prisoners, where they languished until their execution sixteen months later.

'Heaven and earth rejoices; everything is full of milk and honey and nectar. Avarice has fled the country. Our king is not after gold, or gems, or precious metals, but virtue, glory, immortality.' So wrote Lord Mountjoy to Erasmus in a celebrated, and, as it proved, somewhat inaccurate, outburst of enthusiasm. There had come to the throne the very perfection of Christian kingship - gracious, gifted and enlightened - and with his coming, it seemed, bleak days must give way to bounteous prosperity. The new king quickly married; and, after all, he married Catherine. He himself said that he did so in obedience to his father's dying wish, but it may well be that his story of Henry VII's deathbed change of heart was invented shortly afterwards to placate the Habsburgs whose daughter, Eleanor, had just been jilted.

Fuensalida believed that it was the young king himself who brought about the change of plan, and this may be the truth. Five days after Henry VII died, the ambassador was still convinced that Catherine's cause was lost and quoted two members of the Council to the effect that the dying king had assured his son that he was free to marry whomsoever he chose. Then the situation changed radically. Fuensalida was suddenly called before the Council and, to his astonishment, not only assured of the king's fervent goodwill towards the princess, but told by the bishop of Durham, Thomas Ruthal, who had at that moment emerged from a meeting with Henry in a nearby room, that such matters as Catherine's dowry were trifles and that the king looked to him to settle quickly all the details concerning the marriage; whereupon he withdrew in some bewilderment and set about recovering the possessions of the princess which he had already begun to transfer to Bruges.'

Six weeks later, on 11 June, the marriage between Henry and Catherine was solemnized in the Franciscan church at Greenwich. A little while before there had been some talk of a possible scruple about his marrying his dead brother's widow, and many years later Bishop Fox recalled that the archbishop of Canterbury, William Warham, had disapproved of the union, apparently because he doubted the sufficiency or validity of the now six year-old bull of dispensation - though on what ground he did so we are not told. Warham's qualms were to be of consequence nearly two decades hence when the lawfulness of this marriage became a matter of impassioned debate; but for the moment any doubts there may have been were brushed aside as a proud king undid the protest he had made at his father's command three years before and finally (and freely) ratified his union with a princess who, though five years his senior, was probably still beautiful and certainly of a quality of mind and life which few queens have seriously rivalled.

At least outwardly, her husband was, and had been since childhood, immensely striking. Ten years before, Erasmus had strolled over to Eltham in the company of Thomas More to meet the royal children and been much impressed by the grace and poise of the eight year-old Duke Henry. By the time he came to the throne he had burgeoned into a full-blooded seventeen year-old, upon whom Nature had showered apparently every gift. 'His majesty', wrote a dazzled Venetian shortly after the new reign began, 'is the handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on.' He was tall and splendidly built, with glowing auburn hair 'combed short and straight in the French fashion' and a pink round face so delicately cut 'that it would become a pretty woman'.'

He was 'extremely handsome. Nature could not have done more for him,' one said a few years later, in 1519. 'He is much handsomer than any sovereign in Christendom; a great deal handsomer than the king of France, very fair and his whole frame admirably proportioned.' His was a superlative body. He was a capital horseman who could stay in the saddle for hour after hour and tire out eight or ten horses; he exulted in hawking, wrestling and dancing; he excelled at tennis, 'at which game it is the prettiest thing in the world to see him play, his fair skin glowing through a shirt of the finest texture'. He could throw a twelve-foot spear many yards, withstand all-comers in mock combat with heavy, two-handed swords, draw the bow with greater strength than any man in England.

In July 1513, while at Calais on his first campaign, he practised archery with the archers of his guard and 'cleft the mark in the middle and surpassed them all, as he surpasses them in stature and personal graces'. Above all, he delighted in prowess in the ring and at the barrier, the sovereign sport of princes. Through the summer of 1508 the prince of Wales, still only just seventeen, had hurled his keen, tireless body into the fury of the tournament and excelled all his opponents, and his accession to the throne would inaugurate a festival of apparently endless jousting and tilting, at which the king ever carried away the prizes.

When Erasmus first met him on that day in 1499 - standing with his sisters Margaret and Mary and his infant brother Edmund, soon to die - he 'sent me a little note, while we were at dinner, to challenge something from my pen'; whereupon Erasmus, unable to perform extempore, spent three anxious days composing an ode entitled 'A Description of Britain, King Henry VII and the King's Children' and a eulogy of Skelton (who had doubtless been the true author of the boy's message), to which he added some odds and ends scraped together from the bottom of his trunk to form a literary nosegay worthy of the young duke.'

Seven years later Erasmus wrote to Henry and received so accomplished a reply that he was convinced that someone else had had a large hand in its composition. But Lord Mountjoy, his patient patron, showed him a number of letters from the prince to various people in which there were so many signs of corrections and additions that Erasmus was forced to abandon his scepticism. Presumably Skelton and Hone pushed Henry's pen to paper, for in later life Henry was never an industrious letter-writer - except during those months twenty years or so later when romantic passion got the better of sluggishness and drew from him some rather heavy sighings for his absent beloved, Anne Boleyn. But Henry was undoubtedly a precocious, nimble-minded pupil.

He knew Latin and French and some Italian. He is said to have acquired some Spanish, and about 1519 had a sufficient (if passing) interest in Greek to receive instruction in this fashionable language from Richard Croke, a minor English humanist who had hitherto been at Paris, Louvain, Cologne and Leipzig, and was now to teach at Cambridge. His grasp of theology may have been less assured than he supposed, but it was remarkable for a king; he showed himself an apt student of mathematics; and it was his custom to take Thomas More 'into his private room, and there some time in matters of astronomy, geometry, divinity and such other faculties, and some time in his worldly affairs, to sit and confer with him, and other whiles would he in the night have him up into the leads [i.e. the roof] there to consider with him the diversities, courses, motions and operations of the stars and planets'.

Above all he was a gifted, enthusiastic musician. He had music wherever he went, on progress, on campaign. He scoured England for singing boys and men for the chapels royal, and even stole talent from Wolsey's choir, of which he was evidently jealous. Sacred music in the Renaissance style - the work of Benedict de Opitiis and Richard Sampson, later bishop of Chichester - was introduced into the royal chapel in 1516 and sung by a choir judged by an Italian visitor to be 'more divine than human'; and between 1518 and 1528 the king acquired a collection of French and Netherlandish music. Henry had many foreign musicians at court, like the violist Ambrose Lupo, the lutenist Philip van Wilder from the Netherlands, as well as trumpeters, flautists and two Italian organists, de Opitiis and the famous Dionisio Memo, organist of St Mark's, Venice, who was lured to England in 1516 and would sometimes perform for four hours at a stretch before the king and court.

There were twenty-six lutes in Henry's collection of instruments, together with trumpets, viols, rebecs, sackbuts, fifes and drums, harpsichords and organs. The king himself played the lute well; he could manage the organ and was skilled on the virginals (which perhaps John Heywood, his virginalist, taught him). He had a strong, sure voice, could sight-read easily, and delighted to sing with a courtier like Sir Peter Carew 'certain songs they called "freeman's songs", as "By the banks as I lay" and "As I walked the wood so wild" '. His court was a generous patron to composers, headed by the great Dr Fairfax, if not Henry himself - for the king wrote at least two five-part Masses, a motet, a large number of instrumental pieces, part songs and rounds. 'Pastime with good company', 'Helas, madam' and perhaps 'Gentle prince' are his work; so too the motet 'O Lord, the maker of all thing' - no mean achievement for a monarch.

Henry has traditional.ly been seen, alongside James IV of Scotland or the colourful, versatile Emperor Maximilian I, as the archetype of resplendent Renaissance monarchy; and the praise which Erasmus and other humanists heaped upon the zeal for learning and the arts of this king who had been so generously endowed in mind and body seemed to justify this picture of him. But, though Erasmus could speak stern words about monarchy and wealth, he was a shameless flatterer of kings and the wealthy, and we should treat his outpourings with caution. If anything, Henry was the last of the troubadours and the heir of Burgundian chivalry: a youth wholly absorbed in dance and song, courtly love and knight-errantry.

He was to grow into a rumbustious, noisy, unbuttoned, prodigal man - the 'bluff king Hal' of legend - exulting in his magnificent physique, boisterous animal exercise, orgies of gambling and eating, lavish clothes. 'His fingers were one mass of jewelled rings and around his neck he wore a gold collar from which hung a diamond as big as a walnut', wrote the Venetian ambassador, Giustinian, of him. He loved to dress up and his wardrobe, ablaze with jewels of all description and cloth of gold, rich silks, sarcenets, satins and highly-coloured feathers, constantly astounded beholders. He was a man who lived with huge, extroverted ebullience, at least in the earlier part of his life, revelling in spectacular living, throwing away money amidst his courtiers on cards, tennis and dicing, dazzling his kingdom.

Many readers will have their chosen picture of him - Henry, cock-sure and truculent, astride one of Holbein's canvases; Henry, dressed in dazzling richness and with a huge gold whistle, crusted with jewels, hanging from a gold chain, dining with his queen aboard Henry Grace a Dieu on the occasion of its launching; Henry walking up and down More's garden at Chelsea for an hour with his arm round More's neck;' Henry showing the Venetian ambassador his fine calf and demanding to know whether it was not a finer one than the French king boasted; Henry, at Hunsdon, over twenty years later, holding his precious son Edward in his arms and bringing him proudly to a window 'to the sight and great comfort of all the people'.

He was a formidable, captivating man who wore regality with splendid conviction. But easily and unpredictably his great charm could turn into anger and shouting. When (as was alleged) he hit Thomas Cromwell round the head and swore at him, or addressed a lord chancellor (Wriothesley) as 'my pig',' his mood may have been amiable enough, but More knew that the master who put his arm lovingly round his neck would have his head if it 'could win him a castle in France'. He was highly-strung and unstable; hypochondriac and possessed of a strong streak of cruelty. Possibly he had an Oedipus complex: and possibly from this derived a desire for, yet horror of, incest, which may have shaped some of his sexual life.”

- J.J. Scarisbrick, “The New King.” in Henry VIII

#henry viii of england #tudor #history #j.j. scarisbrick #jj just had to throw that freudian psych in there

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willow-salix · 4 years ago

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FabFiveFeb Alan!

Finally got this bugger edited, so here it is, my offering for Alan week of @gumnut-logic FabFiveFeb. Once again I’ve written what my daughter plotted with a few of my own tweaks thrown in.

“Is there really nothing else to do around here?” Alan whispered to Selene, jolting her awake from the sleepy doze she was enjoying stretched out on a sun lounger. “How can you just lay around here all day?”

“Like you don’t do the same every day at home?” she grumbled, stretching out in an effort to wake up. She'd never admit it, but she was getting a bit bored with having nothing to do, hence the impromptu nap time.

“That’s different, I’ve got things there to do.”

“You mean you have technology?” Selene grinned evilly. “Whereas here it’s-”

“Like I’ve gone back in time to 2015 and the graphics suck, " he groaned.

“Come on, it’s not that bad, don’t you like the peace and quiet?” Selene’s family home was indeed very quiet, set apart from the other houses on the street, it backed out into a small but flower filled garden that held nothing but the sun loungers they were currently occupying, the picnic table their drinks were on, a slightly rusted BBQ, some yoga mats and a bird bath in the shape of a frog on a lily pad.

Alan looked towards Selene's cool, but rather weird, younger brother who was currently doing some kind of yoga crossed with Tai Chi that seemed to have a little of that 1970’s disco type of dancing thrown in for good measure.

“Adam, help me,” he begged, trying to invoke the bro code.

“Chill out, little dude, it’s all good," Adam said, his sleepy tone the perfect accompaniment to his snail like movements.

“Nothing about this is good,” Alan huffed, feeling dismissed and beyond frustrated. He was seriously regretting offering to go with her for a visit under the mistaken belief that time spent away from his brothers with his cool sister-in-law would be awesome. But no, he’d been stuck there for three days and they’d done nothing but talk about boring things that he couldn’t really join in with because he didn’t share the same memories that they did and watch TV in the evenings. The only positive thing was the quality of the food on offer.

“How did you grow up like this and not die of boredom?”

“We made our own fun, we’d read, draw, do arts and crafts, go on days out and-”

“Days out? Where did you go?” Alan jumped on that information like John on a double cheeseburger after a month in space.

Selene thought about it for a moment or two. “The seaside?” she offered. "That was always our favourite place to go and somewhere we always looked forward to, a rare treat really."

“The beach? Yes! Can we go?” he gave her his best pleading puppy eyes and she was, as he well knew, powerless to resist.

“Well…” she dithered, caught between spending time in her family home with her mum as it came up to what would have been her parents 30th wedding anniversary and the need to do more than sit around and mope, especially if that moping meant that her littlest love had a crap time. “Ad’s, are you up for a road trip to Southend?”

Her brother paused in his Night Fevering to look at her. He seemed to think about it for far longer than was necessary before nodding.

“I could go for that. Wanna take my car?”

***

“I’m never getting in a car with your brother again,” Alan shuddered, still looking a little stressed out by the whole experience.

“Yet you’ll get in a jet with Scott?”

“Scott goes faster than 25 mph and he knows what road signs are,” Alan explained in the same tone that John adopted whenever he was explaining to her why she actually needed an investment portfolio.

“Road signs are all part of the conspiracy, man, they just want you to follow blindly and never question where they are sending you.”

“To the beach, they were sending us to the beach,” Alan continued to bitch. Selene couldn’t blame him, two hours in a car with her brother's sitar music, cloud of vape smoke and tendency to lose track of their destination was enough to make anyone a little antsy. Maybe now he'd stop complaining when she took too long to fly them to her flat.

They left the car park and headed towards the seafront. Thankfully, with it being a weekday and term time, there weren't too many people about. As always the sea was a dirty grey colour, nothing like the clear blue they were used to on the island and Selene could tell that Alan was looking at it with thinly veiled disgust.

Southend had been promoted to a historic seaside town back in 2038 and hadn’t changed since. The lights of the out of date arcades still flashed in welcome, drawing Alan’s attention almost immediately, the little beach huts still offered deck chair rental and the amusement park with its clanking, clunking kiddy rides and its ancient roller-coaster still drew some crowds.

“See that there?” she pointed out towards the sea. “That’s still the longest pleasure pier in the world.”

“Pleasure Pier? Did you have to make that sound so dirty?” Alan groaned.

“Sorry, but that’s what it’s called, there are different classifications and one that has no purpose but for leisure activities like this one, is known as a pleasure pier.”

“I didn't know that, but it still doesn’t make it any better,” he muttered as she slipped one arm through his and the other through Adam’s to tow them across the road.

The air was filled with a mixture of freshly fried donuts, fish and chips and the unmistakable scent of the sea and Selene was immediately hungry.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve been here,” she sighed happily, relaxing into the atmosphere of what had once been one of her favourite places in the world. She could vividly remember how exciting it had been to hear the announcement that they were going to the seaside for the day. That meant an afternoon spent playing on the beach, splashing in the sea, eating dinner out of a paper tray with a little wooden fork and, if you were really lucky, a trip around the sealife center and a floaty helium filled balloon to take home with you.

Looking out down the length of the beach she easily conjured up images of childhood days gone by, seeing her father chasing Adam down the beach as he attempted to make a break for freedom or tried to eat a clump of seaweed while her mother screeched at Rufus to run faster and catch him.

Maybe coming here had been a good idea in other ways too, she pondered. Her mother tended to favour being miserable if it was an option, and often when it wasn't, and had been mooching around the house sighing like she was a Victorian ghost haunting the place. She’d gone out to visit friends for the day, leaving them alone and that had been when Alan had seized his chance. And Selene for one was glad he had, he was always good at sensing when she was in need of cheering up and this time had been no exception.

“Can we start at the arcades?” Alan asked, looking more excited than he had in days. Who was she to disappoint him?

“Sure, lead the way!”

***

Two hours later and Selene had finally dragged her brothers away from the bleepy, shiny, flashy machines and back into the fresh air. Alan, it transpired, was almost as good on a claw machine as John and she was now lugging along a whole new family of stuffed toys, all slightly moth eaten and smelling a little suspect but cute nonetheless.

“I’m hungry,” Alan announced.

“Good call, little dude.” Adam, surprising Alan no end, had joined in rather enthusiastically at the arcade, being more active and alert than he’d ever seen him before, displaying a competitive streak that rivaled a Tracy's. But, now that the excitement of gaming had died down, he was back to his chilled and slightly lethargic self.

“Fancy some donuts?” Selene suggested.

“Sis…” Adam drawled.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Selene giggled, shoving the stuffed toys into her brother’s arms as she headed to the donut stalls. “I'll get them, you two meet me on the beach.”

Her arms now free of their burden Selene quickly ordered three dozen of the delectable little morsels, something the English called Dinky Donuts, small little ring donuts, freshly fried and drenched in a sprinkling of sugar. Knowing that they’d need them she bought some drinks too and took her bounty back to the boys, proudly displaying her prize.

“I got them!” she yodeled, but no excited sounds were heard in return. “What’s up?” she asked, nudging Alan as she reached his side.

“What the heck is this?”

“The beach, duh. What else could it be?"

He scuffed a toe into the stones at his feet. “This is not a beach, this is all stones. Where's the sand?”

“It’s a pebble beach, most of the British coast is,” she shrugged.

“It’s wrong.”

“If you say so,” she wasn’t in the mood to argue or defend the virtue of their beaches, she had hot donuts to eat.

“This is not a beach, there’s no surfers, no sand, no lifeguards, no nothing.”

“This is England, we take things at a more chilled pace,” she soothed, dumping a bag on each of the boys' laps.

She took her own and opened it, inhaling the rich scent. Oooh yeah, that hit the spot. She reached in to pluck one out, studying it from all angles, marveling at it's perfection. She lifted it to her mouth prepared for the taste explosion that was about to assault her mouth in the very best of ways…

“Sel!” A sharp Alan elbow embedded itself in her side, making her drop the donut. She watched in horror as it hit the pebbles and rolled away.

“You had better have a good reason for making me sacrifice a donut,” she warned him.

“Over there!”

Selene turned, following the direction in which Alan was pointing.

“What? I don’t see anything?” All she saw was the relatively empty beach, nothing but a few seagulls pecking around hopefully, one coming close enough to snag her lost donut, racing off in triumph with it in its mouth.

“Them,” he pointed again.

“Them? What about them?” The them in question turned out to be a small group of school age boys, the oldest no more than ten years old. They were all holding a number of balloons from the pier, which were bobbing along above their heads and looked perfectly innocent. “They’re just having a day out, could be an inset day or something at school.”

“No, look what that one's holding,” Alan insisted, nodding towards the oldest looking boy who was carrying a small box with holes in it.

Selene squinted closer. “Is that an animal box?” She was amazed that Alan had even noticed such a thing, she hadn’t looked twice at the boys, just seeing a happy group of friends at the seaside on a rare day off school. Alan always seemed like he was paying little attention to anything, more absorbed in his games or phone, but here was the undeniable proof that he was just as good as his brothers and had inherited their danger seeking sense.

“Looks that way,” Alan agreed.

“It could be innocent,” Selene argued lamely. “Maybe they are just taking their pet on a day out too?"

“Sure, that’s what it’ll be,” Alan said, rolling his eyes.

“Honestly, it’s something I’d do,” she retorted, feeling the need to defend herself and her wish to believe that there was good in everyone.

“We’ll keep an eye on them,” Alan decided, finally reaching into his own bag for a donut.

As was usually the case, Selene was easily distracted by talking to her brother and just enjoying the novelty of being in a different place to one she was used to. She’d finally grown accustomed to hearing the sound of the ocean at all times of the day and night after so long in a city where traffic was the only ambient noise. b

But here the sound was different to the island, here the waves lapped gently over the pebbles rather than crashing against rocks and she was surprised that she could tell the difference.

She’d worried, when Alan had suggested going out, that this little beach from her childhood which stood out so bright and shiny in her memories, would look pale and dull in reality. Life was often that way, your memories and imagination creating a perfect picture that was rarely obtainable in the real world and she didn't want her memories tainted by the truth. Thankfully she had been worried over nothing and was finding it just as charming as she had remembered it to be.

“Not bad are they?” she asked, turning to Alan to see how he was enjoying his donut feast but the space next to her was empty.

“Allie?” she called, looking around like he might suddenly pop out of nowhere. Surely she hadn't ignored him for too long?

“Alan!” she yelled, trying again. He was a big boy now, an adult in his own right, but she got just as panicked when she lost Scott, which was actually easier if you could believe that. Alan was usually happy to hang near her and chill, Scott was always dashing off to look at something or other and would just vanish into the ether without a second thought.

“Ad’s, have you seen Alan?”

“Yeah, little dude, cool shirt, strange hair.”

“Thanks for that lovely description. I meant did you see where he went?”

Adam nodded, pointing further down the beach to where the small group of school boys stood, Alan beside them, waving his arms violently, clearly yelling at them though she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

“Shit!” Selene was up in a second, grabbing Adam's arm and towing him along in the process, forcing him to abandon his stuffed animal squad to the mercy of the seagulls as they barreled down the beach after Alan.

"Al," she panted, finally catching up, "what…doing?"

In answer the small box that the boy had been carrying was thrust into her hands, a disgruntled rustling noise along with a manic scrabbling, coming from inside.

"Oi! Give that back!" a boy yelled, his piggy nose turned up to the sky in indignation. "We 'ad ta catch that thing ourselves. Ain't no way you're gonna snatch it."

"You're not getting it back," Alan insisted, his arms folded as he firmly stood his ground.

Selene passed the box on to Adam who was standing there doing absolutely nothing to help, his attention on the balloons floating above them. Once her hands were free she immediately flanked her little brother, knowing that he wouldn't be doing this without a very good reason.

"What's going on?" she demanded to know, her hands on her hips. "What are you boys up to?"

"This idiot won't give us it back," the oldest boy and apparently the mouthpiece of the little hoodlum brigade, continued to yell. Selene had seen boys like him before, usually ones with overly aggressive parents that taught their kids that you got what you wanted in life by being obnoxious, rude and threatening. Well not on her watch and apparently not on Alan's either.

"You're right , I won't," Alan agreed. "Because that is a living creature that you were about to tie to a bunch of balloons."

"Weren't doin' nothin' of the sort. Yer lyin'."

"You were what?" Selene hissed, her attention fully engaged now that there was the potential for injury of an animal. "You were going to send an innocent animal into the sky on the end of some balloons?"

"Nah, we weren't," the little bully boy continued to argue, elbowing one of his friends when they opened their mouth to speak.

"We ain't doing nothin' wrong, were we lads? Nothin' at all. Just a little experiment for school, jus' like teacher said."

"Experiment? What kind of experiment?" Selene asked, narrowing her eyes in warning.

"Why should we tell you?" the mouthy one sneered. "You ain't nothin'."

"We were just seeing if he could reach space, like. Teacher said that people would send monkeys up in rockets a hundred years ago," another boy piped up, sounding pleased with himself. "Figured we'd try the same out ta sea like a note in a bottle."

"You are so not doing that!" Selene yelped.

"Yeah, 'ow you gonna stop us?"

"You wanna say that to the police?" Alan threatened.

"Police? Yeah righ', like yer gonna jus' call up the police like they actually care. An' then wot, 'ave em come running on the say so of a nobody? Fer this? I don't think so, mate. They don't give a crap."

"Listen up you little shit," Selene started, rapidly losing patience. "You're not getting that…Whatever that is-"

"Rat," one of the kids helpfully offered.

"Rat," Selene continued with a little shudder of horror at the fact that they had gone to all the trouble of capturing a dirty rat off the street just to do something cruel to it. "You're not getting it back and you're not going to hurt it. What's wrong with you all?"

"He's been to space," Adam suddenly piped up, like he was only just catching up to the conversation but still missing the main point, pointing at Alan helpfully.

"Space, yeah right," another of the boys, a weedy looking string bean that had previously been hiding near the back of the pack, looking at Alan judgingly. None of the boys looked particularly bothered by their threats or the fact that Selene was practically spitting, she was so angry.

"Al," she demanded, determined to win the little shits respect. "Show them that clip you took last Saturday, the one on your board."

"We can all board, you ain't nothing special," the mouthpiece sneered, not impressed in the slightest.

Alan pulled out his phone, fiddled with it for a second then showed them the screen where a video was playing, taken from his vlogging drone as he boogied around outside Five on his astroboard. The dark heavens were clearly visible all around him while the earth spun quietly below, and there, if you looked closely, was John, in the background, sitting on the outside of the gravity ring, clearly doing all the work while Alan filmed for Brandon’s channel. The Alan on screen zoomed in a loop the loop, the drone following, the camera angle changing to show Three securely docked to Five.

“That actually is space!” one kid gasped.

“And that’s...that’s…” another stuttered.

“Thunderbird THREE!” someone screamed in excitement.

“Still think I’m a nobody that the police won’t listen to?” Alan asked casually as he pocketed his phone. "Maybe I should skip the police and go straight to the GDF? What do you think, Sel?"

"Yep, sounds like a plan to me. They take animal cruelty very seriously, you know."

The ring leader visibly deflated before their eyes, but he valiantly tried to hold on to his ‘couldn’t give a shit’ attitude.

“So you know some people, what’s that got ta do with anythin’? You ain’t the boss here.”

“Knock it off, Wendle, it’s over,” one boy ordered, rolling his eyes.

"Wendle?" Alan mouthed to Selene who shrugged in return. Never had a kid looked less like a Wendle in the entire world.

“Yeah, I never wanted to do this in the first place,” another joined in.

The first one to have spoken walked away, followed by another, then the other that had spoken. Others trailing after them until the small group had dispersed as if it had never existed, all of them hurrying off down the beach with calls for getting donuts or having to head home.

Wendle managed to stand his ground for less than a minute before he gave in.

“Keep the stupid rat then!” he yelled, taking off after his friends.

Adam, being Adam, waved goodbye like it was the most normal thing in the world, still holding the rat filled box.

Alan let out the breath he’d been holding, visibly shaking, either from anger or adrenaline. He had never been one for confrontation no matter what form it took or who it involved.

“You did good, babe,” Selene praised, giving him a hug.

“Yeah, good, little dude,” Adam agreed, “here, have this, I insist,” he handed him the box with the rat in it like it was some great prize.

“Erm, thanks,” Alan said, gingerly accepting the box of rat, which rustled as the creature inside shifted around. He held the box for a second, looking completely bemused and a little disgusted, suddenly having a very real feeling of compassion for John when he walked in on Selene and Scott doing something weird.

“What are we going to do with the rat?” he finally asked Selene, who was the only one there since Adam had wandered off to rescue the stuffed animals they had abandoned, snatching up Alan’s dropped bag of donuts and picking one out to munch on.

“I don’t know,” Selene admitted, “I guess we should take it somewhere to release it. Not around here though, maybe back at Mum’s.”

“I guess,” Alan reluctantly agreed, not liking the idea of sitting in a car with a wild rat in a box.

Since they had gained another tag along, even if it was in a box, they decided to cut the day short, knowing they couldn't drag the rat around with them all day. It had clearly suffered enough, what with being caught and stuffed in a box and having survived a narrow brush with death. It would be better for them to take it straight home and let it go in the relative safety of the garden before it got even more stressed out.

"I'll drive," Selene insisted, leaving Alan to hold the rat in the back seats, Adam calling shotgun so he could 'pick the tunes, man'.

With Selene in the driving seat it was a far shorter, not to mention less frustrating, journey back to Casa de Tempest.

To Selene's intense relief their mother was still out when they got back. She would have pitched a fit if she'd seen them releasing a rat into her garden, she'd never go out there again.

Adam wandered off the second they got home, muttering something about a tofu log, leaving them alone to release the beast.

"You can do the honours," Selene smiled, nodding at the box he still held. "Since you were the one to perform the daring rescue. Seriously, you did good today, sweetheart, but I'm really starting to think that I need to stop taking a Tracy with me whenever I go places, you're all the same, nothing but trouble."

Alan blushed at the praise, as always finding it slightly uncomfortable to be the center of attention in such a way, but still happy to get the validation that he'd done the right thing. With so many big brothers who had all been there and done that before he had a lot to live up to and often felt like he couldn't quite match up to them.

Taking the box over to the bushes near the fence where Selene had indicated, he opened the flaps and stepped back to give the little guy some room.

The rat didn't move at first, staying inside the box, obviously scared by its experiences. They stayed quiet, giving it time to make up its mind. Finally they saw the box wobble as the rat made its tentative way out.

"Shit!" Selene yelped, launching herself off her seat so fast Alan barely saw her move.

"Sel, what are you…doing," he finished, stunned to see her hit the ground, the rat cradled protectively against her chest.

"Help me up," she wheezed and he did as she bid, helping her to her feet as her hands were occupied.

"What's wrong? Why did you catch it?"

"Allie, look," she carefully opened her hands, just a little. A small, pink nose poked out, followed by a pure white snout, a grey face and perfect pink petal ears.

"Is that…?"

"A domestic rat, yes. This was either someone's pet or it's come from a store. We can't let him go, he'll never survive in the wild."

"Wow, he's so cute. Can I hold him? He won't bite me will he?"

"I don't know, he seems tame enough but he's had a fright today so I can't promise anything." She carefully placed the rat in Alan's outstretched hands.

The rat, far from looking terrified, seemed to be perfectly fine now it was out of the box. It sat down on its haunches and began to wash its face with its little paws, one grey, one white.

"Aww, he's great," Alan cooed, cupping the rat in one hand so he could stroke it gently with the other. "I've always wanted a pet."

Selene sighed, knowing exactly what was coming next, there was no escaping it, it was going to happen…

"Can I keep him?"

***

"We gotta move fast," Selene instructed. "I've got the cage and the bedding. Have you got the food?"

"Yep," Alan held up the bag with the food, treats and water bottle they had purchased on their way home. The rat was curled up in his new travel bag, which was hanging from Alan's shoulder.

"Right, we make a break for it, we go straight to your room, don't look back no matter what happens and avoid John and Scott at all costs. Got it?"

"Got it," he nodded, grinning happily.

"They're gonna kill me," she sighed, not that there was much she could do about it. "OK, let's go!"

They raced up the back stairs from the hangars, straight to the upper floors of the villa where the bedrooms were situated, bypassing the more populated communal areas and managing to avoid any and all Tracys.

They dived into Alan's room, Selene struggling a little, burdened as she was with a three storey cage. Alan cleared a space on his desk and took the cage from her.

While Alan set up the cage, filling it with fresh bedding and tasty foods, Selene made herself at home on Alan's bed, the rat happily perched on her chest, enjoying an ear fondle.

"I didn't know you were back," a voice called from the hallway, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

Selene and Alan both jumped, their heads turning guilty towards the door they had neglected to shut where a suspicious looking spaceman stood.

"Hey, gorgeous husband of mine, I've missed you!" Selene chirped, trying to divert his attention as she quickly grabbed the rat and stuffed it in the pocket of the hoodie she'd stolen from Adam.

John gave her a look that said he'd seen everything.

"What's that?"

"What's what?" she answered, trying to look innocent.

"That tail sticking out of your pocket."

"Tail? What tail?" she poked the tail gently back inside.

"Why does Alan have a cage on his desk that he's trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to hide by standing in front of it?"

"To put Gordon in?"

One sleek ginger eyebrow rose and they both knew they were wasting their time. They were well and truly busted.

Alan held out his hand and Selene passed over the rat, who was none the worse for its impromptu expedition into the depths of her pocket. It sat quietly in his hands, happily nibbling on a piece of cereal bar that had already been occupying his hiding place.

"Where did that come from?" John's foot tapped out a rhythm as he waited for them to spill the beans, leaning against the door frame, his arms folded.

"Have I told you how hot you look when you're all grumpy and intense like this?" Selene tried.

"Where did you get the rat?" he repeated ignoring her blatant attempts at distraction.

"The beach," Alan admitted, caving immediately under the big bro gaze.

"The beach?"

"Yep," Alan looked at Selene for backup, cradling the rat who didn't seem to care about any of the drama he was causing.

"Some boys had him in a box and they were going to tie it to some balloons and let it go but Alan spotted them and stopped them," she explained.

John glanced at the rat, who was looking very adorable and fat.

Ever the master of managing her husband, Selene got to her feet and crossed the room to wrap her arms around John's middle.

"Alan was great, he sprung into action before I even knew what was going on. He rescued him, and really, isn't that what International Rescue does? Rescue people?"

"That's not a person, that's a rat," John argued, but she could tell he was weakening.

"Did I mention that I missed you?" she grinned, standing on tiptoes to place a little kiss on his chin.

John's sigh of surrender was epic.

"I'm banning you from ever leaving the house again with any of my brothers. What next, a dolphin with Gordon?

"No, don't be silly. We couldn't bring a dolphin home in my car."

John rolled his eyes ignoring his wife to face his brother.

"Does that thing have a name?"

"Yep," Alan answered, grinning proudly as he moved closer, holding the rat out for inspection.

"John, meet Fuzz Aldrin."

#alan tracy #selene tempest #adam tempest #John Tracy #fabfivefeb #seaside #day out #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirdsarego #thunderbirds #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds fanfiction

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mysticsparklewings · 3 years ago

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Unidentified Feline Objects

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What are those things? 🙀👽

UFOs—Unidentified Feline Objects 🛸 Also known as some little alien cats from my backlog. 😆 I dreamt them up for fun and to practice some more with acrylic paint pens. They’re not super special, but I like them. 🎨😺

⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

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If you've been paying attention, Sparklers, you may recognize these extra-purr-estrials from this little update I post back in April. If you've been paying extra close attention, you may also remember I mentioned this drawing is, out here in the real world, on the front side of The One For Me. 😉 For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to just call them "alien" or "space" cats even though they do have names (Sardonyx and Tourmaline). But these cuties were "born" shall we say out of just a genuine desire to make...well, just that really. Some little alien cats that could be strange colors and have three eyes. I'm not really sure where the impulse came from, but wherever it was, it emerged right around the time I'd also picked up a cheap set of acrylic paint pens made by FineLife (In March, if you can believe that!). I already had one sketch of just the pink alien cat (Sardonyx) that I'd used to develop the design, but when I realized it might translate well into the lineless style that I think suits Acrylic Paint Pens well, that's when I had the idea for almost exactly the image you see here. I busted out a thumbnail sketch at about half this size just to get the general positioning and stuff down, and then I did as I exclusively do with acrylic pens and started sketching right on the "final" paper. I've said it before and I'll definitely say it again, that is one very convenient perk of this medium. What is not a convenient perk of this medium I've also mentioned before is how acrylic pens and gouache don't mix, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. 🙃 Fortunately for me, I'm getting to a point where drawing cats is relatively easy for me, and I did mention I'd already figured out the "alien" additions I wanted to make beforehand, so sketching went fairly quickly. The thing that took the most time there was just figuring out how I wanted to handle the eyes, and as you can see I opted in the end for the "main" eyes to be closed and each cat's third eye to be open. There's not really a reason beyond I just thought it looked cuter this way and I wasn't sure how to draw the third eye closed. 🤷‍♀️ Then I could jump straight into the acrylic pens. This isn't really a review of the FineLife ones (hence the lack of anything saying such in the title) because I didn't actually end up using that many (the pink for the alien cat body, the black for their faces, and that luxurious purple for their bows--which were a last-minute addition solely so I could use that color!). But, I have to say it terms of quality they don't feel that different from the Ohuhu Paint Pens I tested a while ago. Their tips are the tiniest bit smaller and their paint/ink formula seems to be a bit different, but overall I didn't have any issues using them the same way and in combination with the Ohuhu ones. Haven't tried them on the wooden panels I've used the Ohuhus on yet, but I should get around to that eventually. 😉 Now, one thing I did struggle with was consistent color payoff, but that goes for both brands of pens and is partially up to me, too. Acrylic paint pens seem to always need a little warming up (after you shake them) to get going, and if you don't warm them up enough (or shake them enough) you'll run into consistency issues regardless. When you started layering the pens over anything that isn't pure white, you'll start to notice some are more transparent than others. So that means I ended up going over some areas on the cats multiple times. The shadows in particular--and the shadows on the green cat are no longer a color straight from a pen because of this. Because I had somewhat set colors in mind for the cats and the 52 or so acrylic paint pen colors I have feels oddly limiting at times, I had to more or less guess what was going to work. I actually started with this really dark green (in comparison to the mint, anyway) and then realized how much more dramatic the shading looked compared to the pink one, so I had to pivot. I tried layering the mint over the green, but that was way too subtle, so I circled back to this tealy-blue for a topper, and if I remember correctly I think I had to layer it twice. I also think somewhere in there I tried a hot pink for the shading on the pink cat, but obviously, I still had a negative reaction to how bold it was. Colors in mind aside, I really did want something that was overall soft in contrast to the dark (I don't think I settled on black right away but I don't remember) background I had planned. Speaking of that background...🤬 Some of you may remember when I posted The One For Me and said the following: "Let me make this loud and clear to save others some pain: Attempting to use Acrylic Paint Pens over Gouache is a Bad Idea. It does work, but it takes so long to make it work when other methods would be much faster and less painful, you're really better off trying something else. I don't know about oil-based paint pens since I have none at my disposal and thus can't test it, but I believe the problem with both acrylic pens and my beloved Gelly Roll Moonlights is the liquid/water in the ink formula. It appeared to partially reactivate the gouache, which causes it to stick to the pen tip, and then you're smearing the color into the color of the pen and just making kind of a big mess." I even mentioned this very drawing a few sentences later. Now, two my credit, I did try to do the background with the black acrylic pens first, but for reasons I can't fathom, both the FineLife and Ohuhu black pens just wouldn't work for more than a few strokes! I'm still baffled, as I've used them both a few times since then and not had that problem. And I truly wasn't doing anything different than how I otherwise use them. My movement speed was the same, I'd shaken and warmed them up beforehand...I just don't get it! 😵‍💫 But because of that and my bad streak of being too lazy to pull out my acrylic paints (I really need to get a more easy-access storage system/location for them so maybe that won't be such a problem...) I went with black gouache, apparently having forgotten how much the acrylic pens seemed to not like going over gouache when I tried it on an Artist Trading Card (and I will post another batch of those eventually, I just think it's best to stick to groups of ten and I've been stalled on 9 for a while now for the next group). Or I may have chalked it up to the pink pen I used on the ATC, and incorrectly thought maybe the white Ohuhu (or, since I had it now, the white FineLife) would miraculously work better. So there's your answer to why the stars in this don't look...great. 😅 The borders around the cats only look decent because...well, I could just go around them and leave the white of the paper. I did have to touch up a few spots, which wasn't fun, but it saved me a little bit of trouble anyway. Oh, and the border around the black blob? You can thank Photoshop for that. 😉 It was either that, or have a plain white background, and unfortunately for me, the edges of the blob weren't very clean with little I could do about it (considering how swimmingly the white touch-ups were already going 🙄) which means white digital border it was! 😃 I could have touched up the stars digitally, but I got carried away with just how many are there and at this point, I don't really feel like it would be worth it. And besides, if I do that, the stars will be super smooth while nothing else is...I may redo this piece digitally so everything is smooth (and the cats are proportionally identical) one day, but in the meantime, I think the lesson about gouache and paint pens not mixing is enough to warrant letting this version go up. So, I'll say it one more time to hopefully really hammer it home for me and all of you: Acrylic Paint Pens do NOT work well over Gouache! Still, at least this does mean I finally get to show the little cat creatures to you Sparklers. 😊 I know they're not really anything exceptional, but I like them, and hopefully you'll be seeing more of them in the future. 😁 Oh, right. Future. I was hoping to get another watercolor piece up before the end of the month and that's not ready yet...I'll go get back to work on that now! 👋😉

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Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings

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⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

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wormtrain80 · 4 years ago

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60+ Tarot Card Analysis Ideas

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Kasamba has been supplying tarot readings on the internet for two decades now. There are several tarot card decks available, and also each deck and visitor are one-of-a-kind. The viewers will establish the cards out in different patterns using differing varieties of cards. Hence, if you do select a expert love psychic analysis, youll be able to come close to the next events in your life with even more guts. You can discover every information you need to find out about your existing and future love life. Likewise, youll learn to make the ideal choices and depend on the right people. What you really need in order to utilize the power of a tarot reading to the optimum, is a very intuitive and experienced overview. The interpretation offered by a actual psychic is the result of experiences given from generation to generation. According to many psychic sources on free love tarot details, you must ask open-ended questions. This is since tarot cards can help you clear up the topic, not tell you what to do. Lots of people suggest the Rider-Waite deck for newbies, as the cards' significances are so typically instinctive-- as well as when they're not, plenty of interpretation guides exist in books and online. Several decks, including the Rider-Waite, included a little sheet of paper specifying each of the card's most typical analyses. Though tarot card cards have actually handled a mystical meaning in the cultural imagination, they were originally intended as even more of a party game. The cards have actually been used because at the very least the mid-15th century; the earliest taped decks came from numerous parts of Italy. I think I can assist you comprehend the covert significance of things. Our totally free tarot card readings should enable you to recognize your future better as well as comprehend what awaits you. Tarot card readings are a powerful form of prophecy that utilize an old deck of cards to aid you discover response to your crucial questions about love, connections, your career, financial resources and also more. Psychics as well as foreteller have actually made use of Tarot cards for centuries, and also Trusted Tarot card will certainly provide you an accurate analysis that's personalized based the cards you choose and also the order you select them. Every card has a various meaning relying on its placement, so you will get a one-of-a-kind as well as in-depth viewpoint on your current situation. To prepare for your reading, I suggest that you listen to this grounding excercise - then scroll down as well as select your cards. The tarot card deck includes 78 cards, each of which is associated with its very own particular imagery, meaning, as well as tale. Out of the 78 cards, there are 22 significant Arcana cards that stand for the karmic as well as spiritual lessons of a person's life. The 56 Minor Arcana cards represent the tribulations and also trials that we, as people, face in our day-to-days live. Among the Minor Arcana cards, there are 16 Tarot Court Cards which represent 16 various personality type that we reveal at various times.

#tarot reading #tarot card reading

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landeg · 4 years ago

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31 Days of Apex: A Retrospection

I participated in the incredible #31DaysOfApex challenge hosted on Twitter, where fans created new content for every day of July based on a one-word prompt. I’ve signed up for/started lots of similar challenges in the past but always ended up having to drop out or trail off before the end... but this time, I managed to complete something for every day of the challenge!

My only goal was to make something by each day’s deadline, and it was a really interesting exercise both in technical skill and also in my management of not only my time, but my expectations and energy. Below, I go into more detail behind each piece.

To preface; the beginning of this challenge coincided with the beginning of a new personal time-management exercise where, for 5/7 days a week, I would only go on the computer at night. Combined with the deadline, this had an interesting effect on my time management and the quality of certain pieces.

Day 1 - Memory

From the start, I wanted to use the challenge as an opportunity to do more studies and to push myself wherever possible. This was the first piece I did and I had more time to work on it, so I used it as a digital painting study. I still think it’s a strong piece and it’s probably my favourite of the month. Symbolically, this character’s backstory doesn’t match up with her own memories, so the idea is she’s missing information she can’t quite place or remember, and this both scares and comforts her.

Day 2 - Blood

Another digital painting and lighting study that didn’t work out as well as the first, mostly due to time constraints meaning I couldn’t scrap it and start again. While I don’t like how it turned out, I did learn a lot. The character on the right is a field medic, and my intent was to show the calm after a successful rescue.

Day 3 - Mercy

Some days I relied more on the humour of a piece’s concept than the skill of its execution, though I also liked how this piece turned out artistically. After two days of intense studies, though, this was very quick and easy for me to turn out as it relied on existing skills.

Day 4 - Prize

This one thankfully came together very quickly, which I credit to the two previous painting studies making it much easier to achieve what I wanted. The character is searching for the disembodied head of the man who killed her parents, who is now acting as a robot, hence the vaguely half-machine-half-human silhouette in her hand.

Day 5 - Family

Another quick, simple illustration under a time crunch. The character framed by the nameless foreground figures has no memory of herself or her family.

Day 6 - Noise

For some pieces where I was under a time crunch, I experimented in an opposite direction; instead of studies, I played loosely with different techniques/brushes/etc to see what came out. This was a lineless style I ended up employing a lot when short on time. The piece pictured here was just one of four alternate colourways, presented in a pop-art style. The character is almost always depicted with thick coverings over her ears, so I thought she might be sensitive to auditory overload. This particular piece was retweeted by the character’s voice actress!

Day 7 - Mask

More relying on humour for lack of time/a better idea. A fun experiment in colour, though.

Day 8 - Healing

Another technically “easy” piece but with a stronger concept. It was actually pretty hard to get the reflection & condensation elements balanced right. The character pictured has a narrative thread relating to an old ex he has trouble moving on from.

Day 9 - Weapon

While obviously another joke, and made to be finished quickly, it was surprisingly difficult to get the duct tape and knife to read clearly without over-cluttering the lineless image. This little ‘bot is a drone used by one of the playable characters to hack areas of the map; it’s not NORMALLY an offensive weapon. This image was promo’d in a video stream by the character’s voice actor!

Day 10 - Truth

I only had less than an hour to finish this one by the deadline, but I still tried to experiment with silhouette and colour. It was surprisingly hard to get the interior silhouette to be legible. The outer silhouette is a playable character (not easily readible unless you’re familiar with his design) and the inner silhouette is his sister, whose disappearance he is trying to investigate.

Day 11 - Shield

A fun, self-indulgent one. Had a blast simplifying the game’s characters down into little caricatures. The character in the centre has abilities related to shields and protection, so many other people were drawing him for the prompt; I wanted to try and flip it, so I picked other characters he would be friendly with, and picked a non-lethal, lighthearted setting.

Day 12 - Ruins

Short on time so did a quick lighting study. A recent game plot has changed one of the areas of the map, submerging it in water and leaving it to “ruin”.

Day 13 - Hero

Another painting study. Really didn’t like how this one turned out, but had to turn in something, and I did learn a lot in the process. If I’d had more time I probably would’ve scrapped it and started again. This characters had recently been revealed to have been manipulated by another character who used gas-based offenses, whom she admired.

Day 14 - Rest

I was going to be away from mt computer until after the deadline, so I decided to make a traditional piece. I ended up enjoying it so much I tried to take the time to do a few more traditional pieces later. This piece was sort of a comedy of errors; I had to do it while I was out, and the pen I had brought with me to ink my sketch ran out, so I had to make do with a blue ballpoint pen, and I was missing several colours of coloured pencil. I think the finished piece reflects how rushed it was, and it did’t meet my concept, but I do still like it.

Day 15 - Skull

Another quick one but I wanted to experiment with a different line style. Wanted a sort of “graffiti” effect. One of this character’s skins includes a skull-shaped mask.

Day 16 - Growth

Extremely quick play on words because I didn’t have the time to work on anything meaningful and couldn’t think of anything better!

Day 17 - Home

Another traditional piece, this time by choice and with more time. Markers. It looks extremely like some janky art school homework on 2 point perspective because it extremely is. Perspective and backgrounds are very difficult for me - they just don’t “click” - but I had a lot of fun with this one. I kept my mistakes intact because I didn’t want to edit it too much. A lot about the technical perspective is wrong, but I think I achieved the “mood” I wanted. This location is a bar owned by one of the player characters where many of the other characters are shown to meet.

Day 18 - Sky

Very happy with how this one turned out, even though there are still lots of problems. Markers again. There’s a lot I would fix next time, and I think technically it’s lacking, but there are some specific areas I feel happy to have achieved, such as the almost brushed texture of the curved metal above his shoulder and the values of the shadow/reflections on the underside of the head piece. I’m also happy with how I was able to draw from my shoulder rather than my wrist when inking the curved lines, something I struggle with.

Day 19 - Target

An experiment in pushing the lineless style I’d already been playing with for a stronger likeness. The pose and expression in this could both be pushed more but I like the result. This character had just learned that one of the other players, whom she had trusted, was actually sharing her secrets with her enemy, and she didn’t know which one it was.

Day 20 - Friendship

I had this one concepted from when I first looked over the prompts. It was a fun challenge trying to simplify all the elements into the lineless, blocky style while being legible. This character has a strained relationship with one of his friends, and finally pushed her too far with his selfishness, and she now no longer responds to him.

Day 21 - Scar

Quick joke. This character was introduced briefly as a red herring for another character before being killed off. He was stabbed through the chest by another character’s hand, hence the scar pattern.

Day 22 - Dream

I wasn’t sure about this one while I was making it but I ended up liking how it turned out. I wanted to capture the character’s robotic legs bent at an unnaturally straight 90 degrees, like a Barbie doll. The flat background and lighting make it feel like an indoor stage. The little “electric sheep” are inspired by iDogs.

Day 23 - Meal

After a few days of not having time to really spend on any piece, it was fun to get to spend time on concepting and composing this. I always admired these kinds of watercolour-like food illustrations and this is the first time I’ve had any success in creating one myself. I concepted and sketched out the individual items traditionally before working out the composition within the box digitally. Each food item/utensil is inspired by the different characters’ design elements. Only two of the now-current characters are excluded due to plot reasons. In particular, I like how one of the character’s dome-shaped shields acts as the base and cover of the box.

Day 24 - Hobby

Wasn’t a fan of how this one turned out. I think the likeness is a bit off, and his facial anatomy is skewed. But I also like how the general composition, tone, and bee turned out. This character’s concept art originally imagined them as a beekeeper who would use smoke to fight.

Day 25 - Fear

An incredibly rushed piece that I intended to go back in and add more detail to, similar to day 4, but I actually took a step back and decided I liked the blocky, flat-colour version. This character is the youngest of four, all of whom are MIA or worse, along with his father, and his mother is losing her memory. He’s talking to her through a handheld holographic device. This piece gained more traction, most likely thanks to the subject matter since this is a popular character.

Day 26 - Holiday

I didn’t want to do a religious holiday like Christmas or Easter. A lot of other people also interpreted the prompt as a vacation, but I had already done a sort of “beach vacation” piece for day 11, so I instead went for a “public holiday” and chose NYE/NYD. This was fairly quick but the lighting was an interesting experiment. I knew this one wouldn’t be as popular because it wasn’t as “flattering” but I personally really like it. The girl on the left is kind of goofy and completely un-self-conscious and I think it’s captured here.

Day 27 - Music

Really didn’t like how this one turned out. I don’t think the likeness is good at all, the lighting is poor, and the gold detailing feels lazy. But I liked other elements, such as the pose and the clothing.

Day 28 - Treasure

This is my least favourite of the entire month, but I also had the least time available to work on it before the deadline so I had no opportunity to scrap it and start over, which I sorely wanted to do. The likeness is terrible, but more than that the base anatomy is off, the pose is stiff, and the lighting/colours are cheap. I wish I could’ve done better by this character; but, I am glad I had something finished at all.

Day 29 - Skin

This was probably my third attempt at this picture and I’m still not happy with it, but again, I had to finish something. I almost considered scrapping the concept entirely and choosing something easier but ended up seeing it through. The concept itself is actually recycled from an older piece of mine for an entirely different fandom, because I didn’t think I did it justice then, either. Would still like to revisit this concept with this character and take more time.

Day 30 - Trust

After a few days of feeling really dissatisfied and uncomfortable with the art I’d been making, I finally more time to dedicate to a piece, and I’m overall happy with how this one turned out. I decided to go for a different medium entirely with pixel art, which also gave me the opportunity to try and animate it. I started off confident and then started to get worried towards the end, but all the elements came together when I added the portal colour effects. This is an alternate reality version of one of the player characters, who appears through a portal and allows that character to escape the facility she’s being kept in, encouraging them to trust the “voices” she hears which are actually versions of herself trying to help her. This piece was retweeted by the official Apex Legends Twitter account!

Day 31 - Freestyle

I had this planned out early in the challenge and I’m really, really happy with how it turned out. It’s probably tied with my favourite along with the very first piece (how fitting). I was worried about how I was going to capture the movement without over-complicating the lineart, having so many people in one image, etc. before I realised the focus was entirely on gesture, and then everything clicked. I went for a thicker brush, which forced me to conserve my lines, and tried to simplify each character down to the bare minimum needed to recognise them. They’re also all wearing new non-canonical outfits so I used their familiar colour schemes for the same purpose. It’s not perfect, but I love it, and it’s everything I’d hoped I’d be able to end the challenge on.

I really, really enjoyed the entire month and the way it tied in with my new time management schedule. It gave me some achievable short-term goals which added up to this long-term achievement I can now look back on; I learned a lot both about balancing my energy and about technical skills, I found ways to stay motivated, and most importantly I learned to not get caught up on the individual slip-ups and pieces I didn’t like as much and to instead focus on the bigger picture. Thank you to everyone involved in organising and supporting this event! I found so many other incredible fanartists, writers, and content creators through this challenge and I can’t wait to see the bonus content released over August!

#31 Days of Apex #31DaysOfApex #highlights

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whitefoxed · 4 years ago

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Little Wonders

Thread with @algrimthestrong | Written to this | Chapter 2

Algrim flashed Lise another smile, nodding encouragingly at the boy as the little one followed the elder’s lead and began to eat. Foxes, as Algrim knew, were de facto omnivores, though it was hardly a surprise to him that young Lise favoured meat over vegetables. In fact, it pleased him to see that the boy did not hide his preference, yet made an effort to add some variety to his meal. As Algrim was eating, he watched Lise carefully from across the table, hoping the familiar taste and textures would help ease the child’s fears a little.

Noticing Lise’s wandering gaze, Algrim helped himself to a second serving, eating slowly and in silence to grant his young guest an opportunity to study the room and his mentor-to-be in peace.

“I hope the food was agreeable?” Having cleared his plate at last, Algrim rose from his chair and rounded the table to stand by the seated child. When he noticed a smear of gravy near Lise’s chin, the elf reached out a hand and gently dabbed at the stain with his sleeve. “There.” He smiled down at the boy then held out his hand to help Lise hop off the chair; Algrim could feel elven magic saturating every cell of the small body, shackling him to the realm.

“Perhaps you would enjoy a nice, hot bath?” he suggested, locking his gaze with Lise’s. “And then we can get you fitted with a more appropriate attire.” He nodded towards the bed where a set of finely-tailored clothes had been laid out for Lise, a grey tunic embroidered with intricate, ornamental flourishes of silver thread at the hem, sleeves, and collar, a pair of matching cotton trousers, and soft leather slippers.

Being shy, Lise never did directly stare at Algrim but started with focusing on the minor details he previously missed in the room. Details such as the more intricate designs rather than what the furnishings were, the carvings and style of abode. Then very carefully, he peered at the elf’s white hair to the make of his dark robes, stealing glances at Algrim’s face as if he was trying to figure out the other’s age. For most part, he did so while hiding behind his pretence of drinking water.

When Algrim spoke again, Lise’s reply was as quiet and clear as a brook’s babble. “Yes, I liked it.” He answered as he watched the elder walk to his side, surprised momentarily by the dabbing before realising something must have smeared on his face. Still, Algrim’s smile was disarming and the child took his hand without hesitation, hopping off the chair onto his own two feet. Feeling heavier than he was before the meal, Lise only assumed it was because he overate, rather than magic binding him to the realm.

Innocently meeting those dark eyes, Lise nodded to the bath, before following Algrim’s line of sight to the set of new clothes on the bed. Instantly his eyes lighted up with interest, recognising its quality and beauty that would surely match himself. But a moment later, those bright eyes became blinks as a hesitant expression crossed his face. His hand in Algrim’s tensed and he turned his head to look up at the elf, tightening his little grip with the faintest, most careful tug for attention and sympathy. “Can I keep my clothes?…” They were, after all, his last belongings from home.

At Lise’s question, Algrim fell silent for long moments, his face turning pensive, sombre even, as he considered the boy’s request. With Lise having passed over into the world of the dark elves, all ties to his former life were to be severed. Memories, or the longing for a life irrevocably lost, would only hamper his assimilation into Svartalfar society. His clothes he would outgrow eventually, though Algrim understood the child’s wish to keep a memento of his old life - of the family he would have no choice but to leave behind. He could feel Lise’s wish resonate within himself, a poignant echo of his own past, and Algrim, who cherished and treasured what little material keepsakes remained of his beloved wife and dearest children, could not bring himself to deny the sweet boy’s request.

“Yes,” he told Lise, squeezing the child’s small hand softly in return, “you may keep them. But,” he added as a condition, holding up a single, slender finger, “this must remain a secret just between the two of us. Sentimentality is not something the king approves of…” For the briefest of moments, his expression wavered, the solemn look on his face slipping away to reveal but a fraction of the pain and hurt he carried within his heart before another smile, this one being flat and strained, quickly took its place.

The bathing chamber, like the rest of Algrim’s quarters, breathed subtle elegance, dark, muted colours dominating the room. Drawing a bath for young Lise was a matter of minutes, and soon a tub of hot water was waiting for the boy with the soothing scents of lavender and lilac filling the air.

“Will you be fine on your own,” Algrim asked, stepping back from the tub and motioning for Lise to come forward, “or do you require assistance?”

Apprehensively waiting for Algrim’s reply, the young pup bore with his best patience in hope of the best answer, despite the elder’s rather pessimistic expression. As fates would have it, his little hope was not disappointed, drawing out a smallest smile from the child. Algrim’s finger however, held his attention with worry, which only eased after he heard its accompanying words.

Watching the elder’s expressions change, Lise followed Algrim into the bathroom and digested what he heard thoughtfully while listening to the clear sounds of water filling the tub. Looking up at Algrim, Lise nodded and shook his head to both questions respectively as he made his way closer to the bath. “I can bathe on my own.”

Then with just a little hesitation, the boy started to undress, folding his clothes as he did so to find a nice place to put them. Somewhere, preferably within his sight. The culture he grew up with was open with bathing among their same gender, especially as a child. But with his mixed heritage, came the slight pause before. In the end, the child figured he would find out if it was appropriate or not if the elder left and proceeded to get in the tub.

Only once he was in, did he quietly speak up. “Was the man who brought me here… the king?”

Stepping back to let Lise undress, Algrim made a point of keeping his gaze fixed on the window until the boy was shoulder-deep in the water. Usually, he would have allowed him his privacy, but he thought it better to remain in the room with him in case Lise needed anything. To all appearances, the child seemed to take well to his new surroundings, though some homesickness was to be expected and would surface sooner rather than later once the full realisation sank in that there was no returning to Midgard. By accepting the food that had been offered to him, Lise had passed over into the realm of the fae, making it impossible for him to leave without their consent.

After taking a large, soft towel from its hook on the wall, Algrim pulled himself a stool to sit on. He folded the towel and placed it on his lap, ready to pass it to Lise whenever the boy was finished bathing. Lise was not the first changeling to grow up in Svartalfheim, and he would not be the last. He was, however, by far the most promising child to have ever been stolen from his parents - which was why the task of Lise’s education had fallen to Malekith’s right-hand man. While Svartalfheim’s natives preferred to fill their need for warriors and mages out of their own ranks, they were not above recruiting outsiders if they thought them a valuable addition to the realm’s forces. As a nine-tailed fox spirit, little Lise was one such addition.

“Yes, that was the king. His name is Malekith - Malekith the Accursed - and he rules over all of Svartalfheim. The Wild Hunt answers to his call. Beware, though, for he is not a merciful king,” Algrim warned, seeking to instill some healthy fear in his young charge. “I imagine you will not see much of him until you are older. He may call for you to be formally presented before the court, but aside from that you will spend most of your time studying and training with me.”

Absentmindedly, Lise started playing with the bath water, although he did so discreetly. It felt nice and warm, and the child wanted to stay in it. Looking up at the elder answering his question, relief flickered over the boy’s face when he heard he would spend most of his time with Algrim instead. The terror Malekith struck upon him by forcefully removing his glamour would not fade anytime soon.

Chewing Algrim’s words, Lise noticed the soap and only began bathing with it as he spoke again. “Is the Wild Hunt like the one on Halloween?” Lise thought the phrase was similar, shampooing his hair and rinsing with a ladle he found. “I thought fae don’t speak of names.” He continued, before pausing and looking at Algrim again, silver orbs flickering to those pointy ears. Obviously, the boy had derailed from the original topic of getting to know Svartalfheim better.

Taking his tails in hand, he carefully soaped the wet fluffy mop. By now his gaze had fallen onto the task at hand, but its lack of focus spoke of how he was lost in his thoughts. There were many different kinds of fae, and though he knew of those from western myths, he was personally more familiar with those of the east. Hence it was a little troublesome not to mix the traits and details of those he learned together, trying hard to recall what little he knew of European fae. After all, tales of the Nine came from the same region.

Algrim watched the child carefully for his reaction. Lise did not strike him as the least bit rebellious or troublesome. The boy seemed as docile as a lamb and as innocent as a newborn pup, accepting Algrim’s guidance with a readiness the elder had not expected from a child who had only recently been taken from his parents, but which pleased him all the more. Of course, there was the possibility that this would change once Lise entered the troubled waters of puberty. For the foreseeable future, though, Algrim was confident that the boy would prove to be a model pupil.

“Samhain, or Halloween as you know it, is the night when the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest and those who wander into the realm of the fae may find themselves trapped forever, never to return to the mortal world,” he explained. “Malekith is the leader of the Wild Hunt, and woe betide those who cross their path as they wreak havoc on humankind. But this need not concern you, young one. You are safe here, with me. Who knows, perhaps one day you may even join them in the hunt,” he mused.

The advisor nodded sagely when Lise pointed out that elves ought not to speak of their names. “You are right,” Algrim confirmed, astonished by Lise’s keen knowledge. “But who said the names we told you were our true names?”

Taking Lise under his care filled him with both hopeful purpose and a sense of underlying dread, for whatever happiness the boy would shine into Algrim’s heart would only last till the day on which Lise came of age and took his intended place among Malekith’s forces. But that day was still far away…

A smile took his lips as he watched Lise soap his tails. Hoping that it would amuse the child, Algrim took from a shelf a small, ornate metal container that was filled with a sparkling grey powder. He sprinkled some of it into the water, which began to bubble and fizz as iridescent clouds of whirling colours started to spread around Lise.

Samhain. Lise recalled reading that too. But it was reassuring to know he wouldn’t have to be close to that scary king, having little interest in joining some kind of nightmare parade. The boy was now rinsing the soap out of his tails in the water, rubbing at his own soft fur.

Speaking of names, Lise looked up again. “Then how does anyone know what their true name is? Eomma said we’re fae.” And he doesn’t have a true name or anything like that. It was something he had always wondered about. “Humans forget their own names if it’s not used too.” Won’t fairies and elves forget? Most people did not have the same capability to remember things like he did, as the boy understood.

Lise’s attention was caught when Algrim took the small metal container though. Its decorative design was enough to entrance a child, much more so when the powder in it sparkles. And upon contact with water, brewed rainbows around him. Distracted from whatever conversation they were having, the young fox’s mouth hung open in wonder and surprise and was soon playing with the water and colours, swirling them with his hands to make patterns. “What is that? Is it a bath bomb?” He had never seen such colours from a bath bomb before, his natural curiosity taking over once more. Then he scooped it up to wash over himself, trying to see if he could get the colours on his body. He had always liked art.

Eomma. Lise’s mother, most likely. Algrim nodded, watching the boy. “That is true – you are fae - as am I - but not all of us are alike. There are many different breeds and they take different shapes and sizes, some of whom are extinct now, others are regarded as mythical creatures, and some are worshipped as gods. True names can be forgotten, though it is a rare thing to happen and all but unheard of. They can also be stolen – or yielded up. Revealing your true name means giving another person power over you,” he explained, his voice turning sharp with warning, “which is something you must never do. As for you, little fox—” He reached out to gently pat Lise’s head, seeking to put him at ease, “—you are still so young. You may yet discover what your true name is.”

As Algrim had hoped, Lise’s reaction to the powder was instantaneous, captivating his attention and holding him rapt with wonder. “It is fairy dust,” Algrim explained, smiling. For the time being, he was content to simply watch Lise absorbed in play as only a child could be as he rubbed the glittering particles onto his skin, turning himself into a living canvas. It would not be permanent, though; the bath water would wash it all away again.

“Well, I think it is bedtime for you,” Algrim anounced after some time. “We do not want you turning into a prune, after all.” Standing up, he put the towel he’d been keeping on his lap down on the stool and went to retrieve a pair of soft cotton pajamas from a nearby shelf, which he set down as well. “Finish your bath. I will be waiting for you outside.” He’d already decided that he would stay the night with Lise, to fend off bouts of homesickness and keep the bad dreams at bay.

Listening to Algrim, the little boy learned more about true names on his first day in the faerie realm. While his mother taught him many things of their kind, not everything was in detail as he was still so young. Lise’s attention was held when the elf’s meandering words turned sharp, and he learned yet another new rule today.

Except, he still didn’t know what his true name is, if he had it.

So he played with the water and colours while he ‘bathed’, enjoying watching the brilliant hues stain on his skin - which made him all proud thinking it looked lovely and showed his favourite parts to Algrim. When the colours started fading back into the water however, and the water itself was cooling from lukewarm, Algrim spoke again.

Looking up, he caught sight of the towel and pajamas, and watched the elf leave the room. The boy dallied in the tub a little longer, he wasn’t afraid of the cold. Rinsing himself with the ladle one last time and washing off the remaining colours (which he was worried about staining the new clothes), Lise climbed out of the tub and began to wipe himself dry. Eomma always used a spell to get him nice and warm again, but he still haven’t learned it. Remembering that brought water to his eyes instantaneously, and a small whine sniffled out as he wrapped himself in the towel. But he still kept in mind that Algrim was waiting for him outside, so he started to get dressed too.

By the time he exited the bathroom with the towel around his neck, his tails and ears had gone ethereal (intangible), with a little red around his eyes.

Letting Lise finish his bath in peace, Algrim went back into the main room to busy himself with his work until the child would be ready to join him. When the boy emerged from the bathroom a little later, his tails and fox ears had vanished, leaving him looking much like an ordinary child. Seeing the tear tracks on Lise’s face, Algrim’s heart ached with sympathy. Other children would have been screaming and bawling until their tears ran dry, but Lise bore his fate with an outward dignity one would not expect from such a young boy. But that did not mean that the separation from his mother did not affect him, as evidenced by his red-rimmed eyes.

Sliding from behind his desk, Algrim crossed to where Lise stood. “Shall we put you to bed then?” he suggested gently. “It has been a long day for you.” To think that only hours ago Lise had been playing in a park on Midgard… It was best not to linger on that thought. Had it been wihin his power, Algrim might have sent him back to his mother, but that was not for him to decide. After consuming the fae food, Lise would not be able to leave the realm unless the king allowed it, and even if he managed to sneak out of the castle unseen, the Accursed’s hounds would quickly track him down.

Algrim scooped Lise up in his arms and carried him to the bed, where he set him down on the fur-covered mattress. He then went to retrieve a silver tray a servant had brought in earlier, on which sat a steaming mug of tea, a herbal concoction that would help calm the child. After blowing on the tea to cool it to drinking temperature, he held the mug up to Lise’s lips. “Here, drink this. It will help you sleep.”

After helping Lise settle in bed and pulling the covers up to his chin, Algrim drew himself a chair and sat in it. In the years to come, he would be both teacher and guardian to Lise. “Go to sleep, dear one. I will stay with you tonight.”

Dressed in a grey tunic and pants that felt very much like pajamas with too long a top, the little boy hugged the damp towel around his face just in case… his face got wet again. When Algrim came closer, he looked up and found some comfort in the adult, especially when he was picked up once more in his arms. Lise clung, even as he was set down on a furry mattress that he wasn’t used to. But he didn’t insist when Algrim moved to leave, letting go and sitting all forlornly on the bed till the elf returned.

The mug that was brought to his lips looked hot and his nose wrinkled at the foreign scent. It didn’t smell bad, just new. Lise sipped at it carefully. It didn’t taste bad either… he drank it all slowly but obediently. By the time he finished, the concotion was already working and he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. A gentle nudge and he was curling on the bed, burrowing into the furs. But still he didn’t want to sleep. The child tried to hold Algrim’s hand when it brought the covers up. He didn’t want Algrim to leave. It was scary otherwise.

If he slept, would he wake up to find himself back at home? If he slept, would Algrim be gone and the scary king be back? He should say good night to Algrim, but he really didn’t want to sleep, even if he was told to. Blinking at the blurry sight of Algrim sitting next to him, he couldn’t fight the tea any longer and soon his breaths became steady rise and falls of the covers.

#algrimthestrong #t.algrimthestrong #t.algrim.little wonders #t

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psychosistr · 6 years ago

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The Third Caballero- Chapter 5

Summary: A decade goes by as José and Panchito continue to search for their missing caballero. Their search (and an attempt to earn some money gone wrong) leads them to stay in a familiar building where they run into an equally familiar face.

Notes: Here’s another link to the sketches by @levtuve that inspired the fic, as those are the outfits they’re wearing in this chapter xD

-First Chapter-

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

Hope, José learned, was a fleeting resource for many people.

While he and Panchito kept true to their promise of never giving up the search for their missing boyfriend, as time wore on, many others did.

The first to give up were Donald’s extended family members and more distant friends. It wasn’t that they didn’t care, per se, it was simply that, after the first year or so, they had to move on with their lives.

Another year went by and some of Donald’s closer family members stopped holding out hope for his return, too. They were sad, but they felt it was time to grieve and move on.

After a few years of searching, and against his will, Scrooge was forced to give up, too. He’d sunk billions of dollars into search and rescue missions, using his company’s money as well as his own for the search. He chartered deep-sea expeditions, set up underwater base stations and labs, and had even bought out entire fleets of ships to find his missing nephew. Unfortunately, his money began to run lower than his board of directors were comfortable with, and they forced him to stop the expeditions and focus on his company.

Giving in to that decision did not help the old duck’s relationship with his niece in the slightest, judging from what Panchito and José heard. She still blamed her uncle for Donald’s disappearance in the first place, and hearing that he was giving up the search for her brother just widened the emotional gap between them even further. She still talked to the other caballeros every now and then, even if they never had anything more than dead-end leads or false-sightings. She still hoped, however distantly, that they would be the ones to find her brother like they promised.

The years piled up, however, and their communications with the pilot became less and less frequent as time wore on. It wasn’t anyone’s fault that they drifted apart from one another, really, they just had different things to focus on. José and Panchito had to focus on finding their dearest friend, as well as a way to restore José’s magic should the opportunity present itself, which would ultimately aid them in their primary goal.

And Della…well…Della had to look after her kids…

After she’d been fitted with her prosthetic leg, Della slowly cut off her contact with Scrooge until she didn’t even speak to him at all. She resolved to raise the kids on her own, using her trusted plane, the Cloud Slayer, as a sort of mobile home. It allowed her the freedom of flight and gave her the flexibility to keep her work-life and family-life together, often working odd jobs delivering cargo for small companies. While she did still hope that Panchito and José would be able to track down her brother, over time, her smile became less and less genuine and more forced. After almost a decade, they stopped hearing from her altogether.

It seemed, José would often think, that time could wear everyone thin eventually.

Well, except for Panchito, that is. The rooster was ever the optimist, always talking about the first things they’d do after they found Donald. No matter how many dead-ends they ran into, or how many leads turned up short, he would just smile at José and say the whole ordeal would be another funny thing they could tell their third caballero about once they found him again.

There were no doubts that, had Panchito not been by his side, José may have also given up hope by now, too. Not because his feelings for their missing comrade had diminished at all over the years, certainly not- if anything, he felt that his feelings had grown stronger due to longing. He knew Panchito felt it, too, from the way he would gaze up at the sky at night and play his guitar while singing all of Donald’s favorite songs (he said he didn’t want to get rusty while they looked for him).

No, if there was any reason he would give up hope, it would be because the sting of loneliness hurt worse the longer they went without seeing the brave duck’s smiling face.

He had Panchito by his side to help lessen the pain, of course. Ever since that horrible night the pair had become practically inseparable from each other. Maybe it was because they both sought comfort to ease the dull, aching pain in their hearts. Maybe it was because they were all they had left to each other and didn’t want to risk losing one another. Whatever the reason, they were by each other’s side every step of the way as they searched their world and any others they could find for their beloved.

Unfortunately, while they could find comfort and solace in each other to ease the pain on their seemingly endless journey, there was one thing that became more and more difficult to deal with as time went on:

Money.

Living as vagabonds was nothing new to the pair, but doing so for such a long period of time with no set location to hold down a job in proved challenging. They would scrape by selling whatever treasures they came across, stretching the little bits of money they acquired out for as long as possible. Thankfully they didn’t need to worry about housing, as Della allowed them to keep Donald’s houseboat to aid in their search (she’d smiled so sadly at them while giving them the keys, saying that Donald promised it as their home, anyway), but they still needed money for food, water, clothes, their phones, and any building supplies and tools needed to repair the boat along the way.

To help supplement their meager income, José had taken up to one of his old methods of earning quick cash- being a con-artist. It was something he had stepped away from many years ago, even before meeting Donald and Panchito. Conning innocent people out of their money always left a bad taste in his mouth, often leading to an overly-guilty conscience that would compel him to donate as much money as possible to the first person who asked him for a few dollars (often leaving him broke). He hated himself for resorting to such tactics to earn money again, and hated himself even more for dragging Panchito into his scams, as well.

Panchito was never a very good liar. He was honest and blunt and trustworthy, all qualities that José adored about the sweet rooster. However, these qualities also made him a good plant in the audience. His genuine wonder at whatever fake product or hokey slight-of-hand trick or rigged challenge that José set up would get peoples’ attention and draw them in. He was also really good at the more physical challenges, so, when he won, people would believe everything was fair-and-square, not realizing that the only reason the rooster won was due to his impressive strength and skills honed by training as a knight and his many adventures over the years.

Some scams went better than others, though, hence their inevitable need for disguises. They would pretend to be foreigner travelers as often as possible (which, depending on the country they were in at the time, wasn’t always far off). They collected pieces of clothing over the years that allowed them to pass as a multitude of cultural stereotypes, helping to further sell the illusion they were creating.

It was why, on the day they ran into someone rather interesting, they were dressed up as Russian tourists in Panchito’s homeland…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Panchito and José ran around a street corner and headed for the beach, a mob of angry people chasing after them. Still dressed up from their last attempted con, which involved “genuine Russian circus bear training courses”, Panchito was wearing a simple pair of black pants with a heavy red overcoat and a black Russian ushanka hat while José had lost most of his outfit in the ensuing chase, leaving him in an opened brown button-up shirt with a white undershirt and a pair of thick dark blue pants.

José spotted a way out of their current predicament and pointed to a ship down by the docks and then to a tall building a few feet away. “I believe it is time we ‘flew the coop’, so to speak.”

Panchito looked up to where his partner was pointing and grinned, quickly grasping what the other bird meant. “Ohhhh, good one, Zé!” He reached into the thick coat and pulled out his trusty lasso. He swung the rope around and tossed it into the air, easily hooking the crow’s nest of the ship and wrapping the end of the rope around his own hand for a little bit of leverage. “Hold on tight!” He said while scooping the smaller bird up into his arms.

“!!” José held on as tight as he could, clinging for dear life when Panchito took off running before leaping into the air.

The momentum and the odd properties of the lasso allowed them to swing through the air, easily crossing over the ship before the lasso released its hold and they rocketed up onto the building. Thankfully, they’d done this sort of thing enough times by now that they knew how to properly roll when they landed as well as how to stop before they reached the opposite edge of the building.

“Whoo!” Panchito laughed and sat up after they stopped rolling. “That could’ve gone better!”

“Agreed.” José said while rubbing his eyes, trying to dispel the dizziness he felt. “What’s worse, we have hardly anything to show for our troubles..” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the few pesos they’d gathered during their last con.

“Aw, don’t sweat it, cariño.” Panchito said while patting the parrot on the back encouragingly. “How were we supposed to know someone would try our lessons out on a REAL bear?”

“Você está certo.” José sighed, putting the money away. “Still, I wish we could have gotten more- this will hardly be enough to patch up the boat, and I’d rather not sleep under that hole in the roof with the storm tonight.”

“Don’t worry about that- I know somewhere we can stay.” Panchito said with a cheerful smile as he stood, offering the smaller bird a hand up.

José smiled slightly in return and took the offered hand, letting himself be pulled up onto his feet. “I am certainly open to suggestions.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This is not quite what I had in mind..” José said while eyeing his namorado’s suggested resting place for the evening and adjusting his overnight bag on his shoulder.

It was a large mansion along the coast, a twin to one that resided in Brazil. And, just like the one in Brazil, this one was in an equal state of disrepair. Originally, the matching vacation homes were set up as a bit of a joke- one located in Brazil and one in Mexico, both buildings located in areas called Veracruz. Well, part of it was a joke, at least, the main reason they were set up in such a way was so Donald could visit his boyfriends in their homelands easily while technically calling it a “work expedition” for his uncle.

Now, though, the unattended building and messy grounds served as a reminder that no one had visited or lived there since Donald’s disappearance. Apparently it was too harsh of a reminder for his family about what happened, so both locations were left to rot. Even José and Panchito had not stopped by to see the old buildings for a long time…

“I know, I know.” The rooster’s voice cut through José’s reminiscing. “But it’s close to the docks, plenty of rooms to stay in that don’t have holes over them, there’s no one here, aaaaaand-” He spun around so that he was standing in front of his partner, almost hitting him with the large hiking pack he wore on his back, and held up a single key that was by itself on a series of keychains. “It’s free!”

José could not help but chuckle slightly at his boyfriend’s cheerful demeanor. “Are you sure Senhor Scrooge will not mind?” He questioned. Even though dark storm clouds were already covering the sky and threatening to unleash their torrential downpour any minute now, he did not want to trespass on the property owned by one of their beloved’s relatives.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Panchito encouraged while opening the gate and heading for the front door. “He hasn’t checked on the place in years. Besides, we’re just spending a night or two- it’s not like there’s any food for us to eat or bills to pay!”

“I suppose you are correct..” José conceded with a shrug, following the other bird to the front door just as he started to feel the air pressure shift- a sure sign of a heavy storm soon to follow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thankfully the lock only stuck a little when Panchito tried the key, allowing them easy enough access via the creaky, unused doors. They were momentarily distracted by the dust their arrival stirred up, and proceeded to open up a few windows to air the building out, forgetting to lock the door behind themselves due to their need for fresh air.

After the air was cleared and they stopped sneezing, the two birds took their time exploring the old mansion. It gave them a sense of nostalgia to finally set foot in such a familiar place after so long- it was almost like coming home after a trip, but with a sense of melancholy and longing that hung in the air.

Each hall they passed contained pictures of the Duck/McDuck family. Every smiling face from various people, most of which they hadn’t seen in years, left the duo with a growing pit in their chests.

A familiar emptiness that had not yet been filled…

José noticed that the unpleasant trip down memory lane was starting to make the rooster’s ever-present smile slip. To distract him, he placed a hand on his companheiro’s shoulder, startling the other out of his thoughts and making him look at the parrot with a curious tilt of his head.

“How about I prepare us some dinner, meu bem? I managed to get a bag of those tamarind candies you like so much.” The green bird asked with a soft smile.

That instantly brought a bright, excited smile to the other’s face, his hands clenching into fists in front of him as he practically buzzed with anticipation. “¡¿Chaca chaca?!” At a nod from his novio, Panchito let out an excited grito and scooped the smaller bird into his arms in an eager hug. “AAAAIIYYHAAA! Gracias, cariño!” He gave José’s face several kisses to show the depths of his gratitude.

José laughed merrily at his partner’s restored cheer and patted him on the shoulders, signaling he wanted to be placed safely back on the ground again. “You can have them AFTER we finish a proper meal first.”

Panchito set him down with a nod, his smile so big it practically split his face. “Okay!” He gave his boyfriend one last kiss on the forehead before finally letting him go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

José was pleasantly surprised to discover both the plumbing and electricity to still be functional in the old mansion (granted, he had to run the tap in the kitchen for a few seconds before the water came out clear, but at least it was working). He spent about an hour preparing an easy but filling recipe of galinhada, deciding he needed a taste of his own home after sampling so many of Panchito’s local favorites. He felt like he was technically cheating a little bit by using freeze-dried vegetables and meat-substitutes, but there wasn’t much else he could do- they traveled better than fresh ingredients, lasted longer between meals, and they didn’t have the money to get anything fresher at the moment. Then again, given that he’d seen Panchito eat a bowl of mud and snails before, he doubted the other bird would notice much.

After spooning the rice dish into two bowls, storing the leftovers in containers, and leaving the pot he’d cooked everything in soaking in the sink (he always made sure to bring some camping-style collapsible cookware and dishes with them, as it made preparing meals easier while they were away from the boat), José carried the bowls back to one of the upstairs guest rooms where he knew Panchito would be waiting.

He prepared to open the door and walk in with the food, but, hearing the other’s voice caught his attention and he stopped to peek in through where the door remained ajar. Inside, he saw Panchito sitting cross legged on the bare mattress (they’d taken the dirty covers off and tossed them in another room already, the smell was unbearable) with his back to the door. Over the rooster’s shoulder, José could make out something familiar that made his heart clench painfully.

It was an old picture of himself, Panchito, and Donald- a photo taken on their first official date to a nice pizza restaurant/arcade shortly after their second defeat of Felldrake. Many of their closer friends joked that the trio had already been dating long before that point, but that was the day they actually talked it over and decided to try going out. They had a fun day eating junk food, playing games, winning prizes, and just enjoying each other’s company. It had been a wonderful experience and a great way to mark the beginning of their romantic relationship. They capped off the evening with a walk to the park where they laid on the grass and looked at the stars. To commemorate the occasion, Donald had decided to take a group picture and, as he held his new cell phone as far out above them as he could reach to fit them all in the frame, Panchito and José decided to surprise him by planting a matching pair of kisses on his cheeks right as he pressed the button. The resulting image involved a rather red-faced duck with his beak hanging open, a grinning rooster, and a pleased parrot all looking at the camera.

José had a copy of the picture as well, framed safely and nailed to the wall in the houseboat. He wanted to preserve the memory as neatly as possible.

Panchito’s copy, on the other hand, was extremely worn and weathered. He often kept it tucked away in one of his holsters so he could pull it out whenever he pleased. This resulted in the once-glossy paper losing its shine, a large crease forming down the middle, the edges crinkling, and blurred patches to appear on the paper from the way the normally happy bird would gently caress the image of his beloved with his thumb, much as he was now.

“What do you think, mi patito?” Panchito asked the photo with a voice trying just a little too hard to sound genuinely happy. “It’s been a while since we had a nice vacation, huh? Don’t worry, though, we’re only staying a day or two, then we’ll be right back to looking for you, mi amor.” There was a pause for a moment, the normally high-levels of energy the rooster gave off draining from him as his shoulders slumped. “…We miss you, Donald…”

José frowned as he listened to the one-sided conversation. This was not an unusual occurrence, sadly. He’d walked in on such moments many times over the past decade. Every time he’d enter the room, Panchito would be startled, quickly scrambling to hide the picture and pretend he was doing something else. It was the one thing he refused to talk about and tried to keep a secret from his partner. José could not fault him for such a thing- it was likely his way of dealing with the constant stress and let-downs they endured as the years wore on.

To avoid startling the melancholy man, José walked back the way he came quietly before turning back towards the room and calling from further down the hall. “Panchi? Could you get the door, meu bem? My hands are full.” He waited a couple of seconds before walking towards the room again.

“Sure thing, Zé!” Panchito called back with his usual enthusiasm. He soon opened the door and greeted the green bird with a bright smile, sniffing the air with a delighted hum. “Mhhh, that smells great.” His stomach gave a loud growl and he laughed before taking his bowl and heading back to the bed. “Looks like my stomach agrees!”

José chuckled a bit as well, taking a seat next to Panchito on the bed. “I am glad to hear it. Your stomach will also be happy to know that there are plenty of leftovers waiting downstairs if it is still unsatisfied after your meal.”

They grinned at each other and ate their meal in relative silence, enjoying the peace and quiet as well as the taste of a good home-cooked meal. When they were done, they spread their spare blanket and pillows out over the bed and cuddled together while watching the rain fall through the window and eating Panchito’s favorite candies. It was a nice, calming way to spend the evening.

That is, until the deafening sound of something being knocked over downstairs echoed through the otherwise quiet house.

“?!!!” Both birds were startled by the loud noise and instantly shot up out of the bed and onto their feet.

“Did you lock the door?” José asked while grabbing his umbrella from where it rested by their packs.

“I thought you did..” Panchito admitted with a slight frown as he drew one of his pistols.

They shared a look that communicated their thoughts to each other perfectly: It was likely some burglar that wanted to ransack the old building thinking it was abandoned. Nothing they couldn’t handle, really- the crook would probably run off the moment he saw Panchito’s gun. If not, the poor fool would be taught a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget…

Armed and ready for a fight if necessary, the pair made their way back down the stairs as quietly as possible. They followed the sounds of things banging against each other and crashing to one of the downstairs master-suites.

They froze momentarily when they noticed which room the noises were coming from: Donald’s old room. At all of the vacation houses Scrooge owned, there were special rooms set aside for himself, Donald, Della, and one or two other close family members they would take trips with on a regular basis such as Gladstone or Fethry.

Righteous fury burned through the two caballeros at the thought of some petty thief rifling through their beloved’s belongings. With his gun raised in warning, Panchito kicked open the door.

“¡No se mueva!” He shouted first in Spanish, then repeated it again in English to cover any language gap. “Don’t move!”

They saw a white feathered duck on the other side of the room, standing in front of a large framed portrait of Donald with his uncle and his sister. The intruder had his back to them and had apparently been in the middle of picking up some fallen knick-knacks and miniature diecast boat figurines from the dresser nearby. He was dressed in a dripping-wet green jacket and a black cap that was sitting askew on his head.

José got an odd feeling looking at the intruder. Something about him felt..different..

“Turn around.” He said firmly, keeping his umbrella tight in his fist and preparing to lash out if need-be.

The intruder slowly turned around to face them, raising his hands above his shoulders to show he was unarmed. Once he was facing them fully, they could see two things.

The first was the rest of his outfit, which consisted of a simple but dirty (and equally soaked) yellow-brown sweater under the coat and a golden necklace with a purple glass center.

The second was that he seemed completely and utterly terrified. His eyes were screwed shut and his whole body was trembling.

Panchito’s previous harshness faded slightly at seeing how scared the duck looked. “Abre tus ojos.” He commanded while keeping an eye on the duck. “Come on, look at us.”

The duck hesitantly complied, opening one eye nervously just a sliver. “……” Unfortunately, that only seemed to frighten him more when he saw Panchito still holding his gun. “!!” He moved as if he was about to try ducking or running away, but he stepped on one of the small boats still littering the floor and slipped, his back and head hitting the wall and his hat slipping down over his face.

José relaxed slightly after witnessing the clumsy display. This intruder was clearly not a threat. He reached over with his umbrella and lightly pressed down so Panchito would lower his pistol. “I think it is safe to assume this one is not dangerous.”

“Yeah.” Panchito agreed while holstering his gun. “The only one he’s hurting is himself.” He looked at the duck across the room again and called over. “It’s okay! We won’t hurt you! Estás a salvo aquí! Can you…stand…uhh…”

Panchito’s concerned questioned died on his tongue as the intruder did just that.

As the duck stood up, his hat fell off to reveal the messy little tuft of feathers on the top of his head. He rubbed at the spot on the back of his head that had hit the wall and opened his eyes in the process. Once he was standing up straight again, he looked at the other birds across the room from him with a raised eyebrow, likely confused over why they were both staring at him with such wide eyes.

They couldn’t help but stare, though. Not with how, when looking at the duck in front of them and the photo directly behind him, they were looking at the EXACT SAME FACE.

“D..Donald..?” José’s voice shook as it left his beak, the grip on his umbrella going slack and causing it to fall to the floor at his feet.

It was impossible…

It couldn’t be…!

It was-!

“Donald!” Panchito shouted with tears already forming in his eyes. “¡Mi amigo!” Unlike José, who was still frozen in place from the shock, Panchito was already running across the room to scoop the duck up into his arms and hold onto him tightly. “AAAAAAH!” He pulled back just enough to look into the confused duck’s eyes, words firing out of his mouth a mile-a-minute. “Where have you been?! We’ve been looking everywhere for you! We got Xandra and the girls to help, and your uncle sent submarines, and me and Z�� traveled all over and-!”

Then, with a confused frown and a voice that was so very different from the one they associated with that face- one that sounded deeper and far more “normal” and with a slight Spanish accent- the duck Panchito had been hugging so enthusiastically asked one simple question that caused their raised spirits to plummet once again:

“Who’s Donald?”

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: Just wanted to put in a quick description of the food here for those who’ve never had any of it before: Chaca chaca is a spicy tamarind candy- when I was little, my friends from Mexico would try to dare/trick me and my sister to eat it because they thought we would find it too spicy (my sister did, but I loved spicy food, so the joke was on them xD). Galinhada, on the other hand, is a Brazilian chicken and rice dish that you can mix in with vegetables like peas, peppers, or whatever you really want as long as it’s got chicken and rice- it’s a really tasty and filling meal that my Brazilian friend’s mom used to make pretty often and share with us as thanks for giving her some fresh saffron and turmeric (my grandfather’s sister’s husband was from India, so they would bring us some spices whenever they stopped by- saved us SO much money because that stuff’s expensive XP).

Translation Notes:

“Você está certo.” - "You're right."

mi patito - my duckling (I just love the trend I see of them calling Donald duckling x3)

“¡No se mueva!” - “Don’t move!”

“Abre tus ojos.” - "Open your eyes."

Estás a salvo aquí! - You are safe here!

#the three gay caballeros #three gay caballeros #the three caballeros #legend of the three caballeros #ducktales #ducktales 2017 #dt 2017 #panchito pistoles #jose carioca #panjose #The Third Caballero #Anastasia!AU

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paladin-andric · 6 years ago

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The Lethal Tag

Tagged by @corishadowfang! Thanks, I enjoy doing these.

Rules: Answer these five questions for whatever characters you want, then tag some people.

I suppose I’ll be doing Blackheart, since nothing else I have on my mind is really tangible at the moment...

(Long post, so answers below!)

1) What is your OCs’ favorite weapon type (and if they don’t have one, then just answer hypothetically, and that goes for the rest of the Qs)

Alexander: Despite spending the entire story using a sword, it’s actually not his go-to! A sword and shield may be his primary pick on the ground, but he’s usually atop his horse (he doesn’t bring her to the infested city due to terrain, cavalry charges aren’t exactly effective in an urban enviornment). As a heavy cavalry knight, Alexander’s usually using a lance. The might of a lance charge atop his steed, Dragon, can fell even the toughest warriors in a single hit. Cavalry supremacy is the way the Geralthin army fights, and it’s led them to victory against foes on all sides.

Senci: He uses a longsword, though being a kobold, his size means he has to use it like a greatsword. He’s really good with it though, and becomes quite experienced in the art of combat during his journey!

Leianna: A spiked mace is her trademark. Though she’s a cleric, she uses it out of personal preference. Cracking skulls is just her style. She also uses a shield with it as well. She’s a pretty balanced warrior, though at times reckless.

Lexius: A short sword and small, wooden shield. Very plain and simple.

Razorwing: The great hero, a famous archer! He uses a longbow, it’s his staple! He also has a dagger as an emergency fallback, though as one of the avian koutu, his maneuverability means he shouldn’t really ever need to use it.

Paul: He’s a bounty hunter kitted out for any engagement. His primary weapons are his miniature crossbows. He also has a broadsword and daggers in case he needs to fight up close. He’s known to use tricky support weapons like smoke bombs and nets as well.

Wurie: The wolfman, and Captain of the Guard Wurie uses an arming sword, and nothing else! He’s spent plenty of time mastering its use, though. The same, old but maintained blade has brought him through many years of service, from his start as a caravan mercenary, through the height of his career as the founder and leader of a mercenary company, and finally to his years as a guard for the city of Palethorn.

Andric: A claymore! He’s strong enough to use it with one hand, though he tends to use both anyway. Having a free offhand is helpful with casting his holy magic though, being a paladin and all.

Tourthun: He’s a red, firebreathing dragon! Soooo...claws and fire.

Charles: Half-human, half-dragon, all magician! He doesn’t use any weapons at all! Not physical anyway, as he has an array of spells to choose from. If for some reason he couldn’t use any magic, he’d probably just use his claws.

2) Do they own such a weapon? How does it look like? (Add drawings or pictures pls!)

Alexander:

Senci:

Leianna:

Lexius:

Razorwing:

Paul:

Wurie:

Andric:

Tourthun:

I guess? That’s the closest I can think of a picture to his “weapons”. (He’s actually really nice though so don’t worry, he’s not actually plundering gold or frying people)

Charles:

3) How did it come into their possession?

Alexander: He commissioned a renowned blacksmith and armorer to forge his equipment.

Senci: A gift from his tutor and foster father, Andric!

Leianna: Granted to her by the Order of God, the religious order she serves.

Lexius: The monk scraped together the tiny bit of personal wealth he had and got his sword, shield and chainmail quickly made by a nameless blacksmith, hence their dubious quality.

Razorwing: After becoming a very skilled bowman, he put in a lot of time learning to how both make and maintain bows and arrows. His current longbow is one he made himself!

Paul: He was careful to have his armaments made by well-established blacksmiths with reputations for high-quality, reliable merchandise. Can’t have a breakage or malfunction in the middle of an important mission, after all.

Wurie: Part of a dual deal, actually. When deciding to become a mercenary, he mentioned his lack of armaments to the caravan company he wanted to sign up with. The head merchant actually pointed him to a company blacksmith, offering a moderate discount. This was to hopefully foster some loyalty so that Wurie would stay on with them for future trips. The wolfman did indeed stick around with them for a long time.

Andric: Meticulously crafted by a master blacksmith, and then enchanted by himself. The top quality steel is deadly and reliable, and the paladin’s own blessing makes the claymore tear through the scales and flesh of demons and evil monsters with ease.

Tourthun: All dragons are born with their claws and breath powers.

Charles: Everyone’s born with magic already innately inside of them. It’s simply a matter of training to draw it out and learn to use and control it...

4) Who taught them to use it?

Alexander: That would be Sir Gabriel Winthorperry! A knight that arrived to the house of Angelus to serve Alexander’s father, he took on the role of tutor when Alexander expressed interest in becoming a knight. He trained the child for many years in the use of knightly weapons, combat and conduct, until Alexander was finally able to set off as an knight on his own. He’s become a great tactician from his time commanding armies as well.

Senci: Sir Andric, the paladin and one who raised Senci! He drilled Senci vigorously. At first he didn’t want to, but Senci begged and pleaded, wanting to become a hero like him. He made sure the kobold would be strong and skilled enough to survive out in the harsh world that Senci still sees as a dreamland.

Leianna: She began training to become a cleric as she reached maturity. As a child, she had to run away from home for reasons. A priest found her out in the forest crying, and took her back to the monastery. There she grew up learning about the holy scriptures, church tradition, and God. After they accepted her request, she started training, and became proficient at channeling holy magic and using blunt instruments.

Lexius: No one! He has absolutely no combat experience or training! He’s totally out of his league...though he IS very skilled at healing magic, and has quite a bit of potential that will become apparent later down the line...

Razorwing: An archery tutor who turned out to be a pretty nasty man, actually. He started a toxic, abusive relationship with Razorwing while he was young and naive. A traveling human helped him break free from that, and Razorwing began training himself after that. He quickly rose to become a master archer in due time. and is pretty famous as an adventuring hero now.

Paul: Self-taught. He started small, but his natural combat awareness, sharp senses and streetwise nature helped him stay alive long enough to become VERY good at what he does.

Wurie: Trained by a barbarian tribe as a warrior at first. He ran away and fled to Geralthin, where he became a mercenary. He got a lot of training and firsthand experience with kobold raids on the caravans he protected. After becoming the head of his own company he set off on many missions against all kinds of monsters. By the time he became a city guard he was a seasoned veteran of war. In that time he became skilled in the art of mediation and diffusing volatile situations as well, since the job required it.

Andric: Trained by the church, and forged in the crucible of war. He’s spend decades fighting cults, monsters, and even slaying dragons. He’s one of the most battle-hardened and highly-skilled paladins in the world at the moment, and his mere presence can turn the tide of war.

Tourthun: He doesn’t fight, nor was he trained. He’s borderline pacifist, though certain events will force a change soon enough. As a great, mighty dragon though anyone but a great wizard or hero would be hard-pressed to defeat him if they wanted to...not that most would. He’s developed a fiercely protective attitude towards humanity, and wishes to defend them from other, more evil dragons.

Charles: He went to college for the magical arts. He’s still young, but his natural ability, great mind, and fast learning along the powerful desire to become better means it won’t be long before he’s a master sorcerer.

5) Does your OCs’ have a special boss-killer move? What is it?

I like to imagine this question as making a “Finisher” or “Ultimate” move from a videogame, so I’ll try my best to use that as inspiration.

Alexander: He’s just a knight. A good one, but still a knight, having no magic or superhuman abilities. I’d imagine his ultimate move would be him using a rallying horn, and an army of knights appearing and running down his foe in a crushing cavalry charge full of lances.

Senci: Some sort of reckless and wild flurry of swings, ending with a front-flip cleave.

Leianna: Beating the stuffing out of her enemy, knocking them over, and slamming her mace into their skull.

Lexius: The spell Destroy Evil! I’ve written some lore on magic before, so here’s an excerpt about the spell:

“Caster creates an aura around them of pure good, destroying anything evil, both physical and in concept. This will spell destroys not only beings born of evil, like demons, and tears the corruption from tainted objects, but also seeks out and destroys evil within normal beings. Selfishness, hatred, greed and jealously are burned away from people in the aura. This process is extremely painful, amplified by how “bad” of a person the target is. Even good people will feel great pain, but the truly wicked will be wracked with such horrific suffering that they will likely die of shock before the process is complete. Once these thoughts of darkness and wickedness are burned away, those affected will feel different, calm and at peace with themselves. They might no longer feel temptation to do bad, or may begin to see the faults with their old ways. Stripping away free will is a huge taboo in human society, so this spell is generally only cast on either the willing, on defiled objects, or in groups where demons are suspected to be hiding in human disguises, the holy person gauging the reactions of those affected. Demons will screech in horror before burning away completely. Sometimes used by holy men and women to purify themselves of temptation and sin. An extremely difficult spell to cast.”

Razorwing: A flurry of arrows fired while he’s flying in the air, followed up by a cinematic headshot.

Paul: A smoke bomb and him dancing around the enemy unseen, landing hit after hit, ended with a shot to the back while the enemy’s trying to find him.

Wurie: Rallying the Silver Shields, his mercenary company, to come in and overwhelm the enemy!

Andric: Calling down a pillar of pure divine energy, smiting his opponent and enveloping them in holy flames.

Tourthun: His *SPOILERS* appears and the pair drown the enemy in a sea of flames.

Charles: Probably the spell Ritual of Pain. Here’s a description from the lore excerpts again:

“The caster, before casting this spell, must draw blood. The more blood, the more powerful the spell. Generally, the sorcerer will stab their hand or arm with a knife, dig into the wound to let blood pour freely, and then hold up their hand and cast the spell. A torrent of acidic blood will pour from the caster towards the intended target, drowning the victim in boiling acid. This extraordinarily powerful spell costs the caster dearly, who will be terribly wounded afterwards. Anyone casting this spell is either desperate enough to risk death, or has a healer handy. Use of this spell is frowned upon in many places, though in antiquity it was one of the powerful death spells used to defeat the dragons.”

Tagging @lady-redshield-writes, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword and @sheralynnramsey!

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vaporcleaningxyz-blog · 6 years ago

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Review: Ladybug Steam Cleaners - Clean My Space Reviews

Some of you may know just how deeply I love steam cleaners, and being a ‘cleaning expert’ certainly has its privileges, because over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to try out several of them.

Then, not too long ago, the friendly folks over at LadyBugSteamCleaners.com emailed me and said ‘Melissa, if you love steam cleaning so much, we have something just for you’ so, I replied and said ‘bring it on’ and then, they sent me these..

So, for those of you who have ever wondered – what’s the difference between a $200 steam cleaner and a $2000 steam cleaner, keep reading.

The Ladybug brand is known as the gold standard of professional steam cleaning (or vapour cleaning)– these 4 units may be expensive, but they are worth every penny – let me show you why.

The most exciting part of steam, or vapour cleaning, is that you can clean using nothing more than plain old tap water, yet it’s incredibly powerful and actually disinfects surfaces while you clean.

Because of how hot the Ladybug’s water gets, it produces vapour, which is even hotter than steam, and that draws out the dirt and bacteria and it kills microorganisms which live on the surfaces of your home.

Steam Cleaning vs Vapor Cleaning

So, what’s the difference between steam cleaning and vapor cleaning you might be wondering? Good question. Steam cleaning sounds amazing, and the concept is. It works for general, basic in-home tasks but its efficacy is nowhere near as high as vapour cleaning. Here’s why:

Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning obviously uses steam to clean; steam being loose, large water droplets formed from hot water contained in the boiler chamber of a steam cleaner. As the water gets hotter in the boiler, the droplets of steam get smaller. So the ability for a steam cleaner to perform depends on how hot the boiler can get. For an average machine, the water boils up (usually to temperatures in the high 100s or low 200s) and then creates steam, which once blasted out of the boiler, immediately drops in temperature and hence, in efficacy to remove buildup and sanitize, let a lone disinfect. The temperature of the boiler water or the temperature of the steam directly at the tip are often the marketed temperatures, not the surface temperature of the steam once expelled onto a surface, which is the true measure of how effective the steam cleaning will be. Further, Because of the bulky size of the steam droplets, the towel used on attachments becomes drenched quickly and often times, is warm to the touch.

Vapour Cleaning

Enter the professional solution. Vapour, as the folks at Ladybugsteamcleaners.com taught me, is superior to steam when it comes to cleaning. Vapour is like a tighter, smaller, drier version of steam and this is why it is so much more effective when it comes to cleaning. What happens is, the boiler temperature in a Ladybug gets so hot (about 305 degrees), that when the vapour blasts out of the tip (about 265 degrees), it’s hotter, therefore drier, smaller and tighter droplets that break down and disinfect with ease. Heat is the functional cleaning agent, not steam which is why these tiny, dry vapour droplets are superior to those of steam. Your cleaning towel will be much drier as well as much hotter (so proceed with caution). The surface temperature of the Ladybug gets up to 230 degrees!

Now that the difference between the two is clarified, it is clear that because the vapor is so hot, it does all the heavy lifting for you. In fact, it kills bacteria (you need to hit 180 degrees to sanitize a surface) as well as dust mites, larvae, eggs, bedbugs and a number of other unwanted household critters. But more about that later.

Why does the Ladybug website use the term ‘steam cleaning’ you may be wondering? Well, it’s such a popular term and essentially defines this style of cleaning, so that is why the name was chosen. However, since vapour is the key player in this cleaning process, it is important that we differentiate between the two and explain why Ladybug uses vapour as opposed to steam.

What’s TANCS?

We didn’t get too into this in the video, but TANCS (that bright yellow label on my unit) is a proprietary feature of the Ladybug, it’s a steam vapour disinfection system which stands for Thermo Accelerated Nano Crystal Sanitation. What that means in English is this machine can now kill bacteria and disinfect almost any surface a thousand times better and quicker than chemical disinfectants applied topically, all with no dwell time.

Basically, a TANCS-equipped boiler creates nano crystals as well as vapour. When vapour is expelled, the nano crystals are carried out via the vapour and when they come into contact with bacteria, they immediately puncture the cell membranes and expose the cell to lethal temperatures, therefore killing them. That’s the why and how behind TANCS’ ability to disinfect.

All you need is plain tap water, nothing special. Without TANCS, the unit can sterilize a surface (essentially, more can be killed with TANCS due to this patented process).

For the past month, I have used the Tekno 2350 with TANCS, so I’ve been cleaning and disinfecting every surface I can and let me tell you, it is a fantastic piece of machinery….wow.

Firing Up the Ladybug Tekno 2350 with TANCS

You have to take the time to learn how this machine works and acclimatize to it’s lights, hums and purrs. Once you know how to make it work, magic happens.

It’s easy to get started. Plug it in, power it up and fill it with plain tap water. It takes around 4 quarts of water; 1 for the boiler and 3 for the reservoir (more on this later). Once the water is in, the machine takes about 6-9 minutes to initially heat up, and you’ll see the second light pop on meaning it’s ready to use. Now, with other steam cleaners, there is no reservoir for cold water, just a boiler. If you open the machine while in use to refill, you can become injured. Because of the reservoir, you can keep the machine powered on and hot and refill with water as needed, which is especially handy for large jobs or cleaning professionals! Ladybug recommends carrying around a refillable water bottle and using that to add water to the machine while you’re on the go, which is a terrific idea and saves time while working.

Before using it, I had to burp the system to get rid of the built-up condensation, which means I pressed the trigger a couple of times and squirted out some water. Once that was done, I held the trigger down and let the dry vapour flow.

Neat Design Features and Build Quality

Before I get into some of the fun we had with the Tekno 2350, I want to discuss some of the features, because every inch of this machine is deliberate and carefully designed.

Materials

The machine has been carefully built with polycarbonate plastic, which is even more costly than stainless steel. I was told the reason this was chosen as the housing material was because of course it is extremely strong and is lighter than stainless steel, not to mention it won’t conduct much heat nor any electricity, which is a safety feature. This was a hand selected plastic which they are quite proud of.

Attachments and Tools

I’ve seen a lot of steam cleaners and their associated tools and extension kits. The Ladybug’s are really something, they are sturdy, well-built, and designed to last. Further, the clips on the brushes are very strong and have great grip for the towels, which is something I didn’t find with some of the other units I’ve tested out. The multitude of brushes, sizes, and brush materials (they even have a horse hair brush for stainless steel appliances!) are also useful for a number of different cleaning applications. I really like the easy lock and twist feature for replacing tools, it made working with the machine a breeze. When you hold the tools and the nozzle, you feel the difference in comparison to the popular consumer options. When I held the machine and started playing around with the nozzle, I got really ramped up to start using it because I just felt it was a stronger, more powerful and sturdier machine.

What I learned is that the tools can last very long, so long as the user understands how to use them. Pushing hard, scrubbing vigorously and bending the bristles will ruin the attachments. The vapour is strong enough to do the work and simply leverage the tool’s feature, not have the tool do all the work. So when a user picks up such a powerful tool when they are used to using a less powerful one, they may feel the need to press really hard. However, this is not the case. The tools are to be gently used and the results are impressive given the lack of effort on the user’s part.

Continuous vapour output

Now one thing I will mention is that there is no lock for continuous vapour output and when I first learned about this, I was somewhat disappointed because I had used other machines and found this to be a particularly helpful feature. When I asked why this wasn’t part of the design, I learned a very important lesson. Vapour is so hot that it is not safe to have a continuous vapour function, in case the user dropped it, or falls unconscious while cleaning to avoid burning the user. I had never thought about this, but once I used it, I was indeed glad to know that if anything did happen to me, the vapour would stop immediately and not harm me.

Other safety features

The machine does come equipped with a safety lock for changing out tools, which allows you to get a great grip on the hose and trigger to change and secure a tool without running the risk of accidentally blasting your hand with vapour. When I learned about this, I felt that a lot of care and consideration went into this design.

Settings

The unit offers 3 settings which allow for various volumes of vapour to pour out. Select setting 1 or the ‘low’ volume setting for most jobs (the driest vapour), setting 2 or the medium volume setting for jobs involving large floor areas and setting 3 for short lived – or intermittent applications, these would be very specific jobs, like cleaning a greasy vent.

Testing the Ladybug Tekno 2350 with TANCS

The kitchen sink

I used the nozzle head with nylon brush to clean inside of the sink, I could have also attached a cloth with an elastic band to ‘wipe’ the sink

The nylon brush did not scratch my sink

The vapour is so strong that it literally lifts soil out of the surface, meaning all I need to do is wipe and shine

The nylon brush scrubbed the crevice between the drain and the basin, removing that difficult brown ring with ease

After getting groceries, I like to soak my vegetables in the sink for 10 minutes and then place them in bags or containers to make them ‘ready to eat’. I always feel a little grossed out because I wonder just how clean I am getting my sink (yes, even me – or at least that’s what my mind tells me), but after doing this, I had no doubt in my mind as to how disinfected and clean my sink was. It sparkled and felt cleaner than ever, I could have eaten out of it!

Cutting board

On the cutting board I used the triangle brush with a thin cotton cloth

Again, this is where the heat is important and the Ladybug gets up to 325 degrees in the boiler and 260 degrees at the tip

Wood cutting boards are porous and can trap bacteria in the board, when using this tool, the vapour pulls out the dirt and bacteria, absorbs it into the towel and leaves the cutting board clean and instantly dry.

I don’t cut meat, poultry or fish on the wood cutting board, but the kitchen counter is a catch-all for everything. I do clean my cutting board with soap and water after each use and leave it upright to dry and clean it with a lemon occasionally. I’m pleased to say no one has gotten food poisoning in my house, but even with that, I felt that I cleaned it better than it’s ever been cleaned before, and it took me about 20 seconds to do.

If this were to be used on countertops (which it is safe for – laminate, granite, marble, etc), the surfaces would be completely void of microorganisms as well as product residue. That’s a truly healthy kitchen in my books. I feel the best cleaning method would be to clean surfaces with the machine every week or two with touch up cleans using soap and water with a good cloth in-between to manage the bacteria count.

Oven & oven racks

These are so hard to clean – awkward size, greasy build up and tiny ridges make this a challenging cleaning job

I use the steel wool pad to clean and I am not scrubbing, just holding and moving slowly over the soiled area

Then, to lift the grease off, I attach a cloth to the steel wool and wipe the grease away; it sticks to the towel

The same process can be repeated for a self-celaning or non self-cleaning oven

Cleaning the oven and greasy oven racks are two of the most challenging cleaning jobs in the kitchen, just look at the chemicals designed to conquer these messes. I was really impressed and actually amused to watch the grease come up off the racks and oven with such ease. It did take time, but it still takes less time to do this than the ‘old’ way of oven cleaning. This task also demonstrated the concept of ‘no scrubbing required’, because I saw how using a gentle back and forth motion was extremely effective which helped me conserve my energy and get the job done without ruining the attachment. I think about the challenges in our cleaning service company and how many times this Ladybug Tekno 2350 would come in handy and make us look like magicians, not to mention how much time it would save my staff.

Dishwasher

The build up around a dishwasher can be downright disgusting – and mine was embarrassing – how’d that even get there?

With the nozzle and a cloth over it, it’s easy to get rid of this build up

The presence of this build up can lead to odours and even mold growth

I used the nylon bristle brush to agitate the gunk and then added a towel to the attachment secured with an elastic to lift up and trap the gunk

I can’t even believe I captured that crustiness on film, it was downright gross. Considering how hot the water gets in a dishwasher, it’s no wonder that once the water and debris cools, it clings to any surface it can find. No one really thinks about it until it’s brought to your attention and then boom, you can’t bare to look at it. This took care of that grime in no time, it was easy and impressive.

Overhead exhaust filter

Mine is so filthy, I haven’t cleaned this in forever

I placed the filter on top of a towel and changed the trigger setting to ‘3’

I blasted the filter section by section with a plain tip and watched the grease splash off

These are so challenging to clean otherwise, the grease makes it difficult and often times it’s easier to replace with a new filter

The Ladybug is used in restaurants to clean their greasy kitchen equipment, so if it can work in an industrial setting, it can work in my kitchen

This was a very impressive demonstration of the power of vapour. I really enjoyed watching this, it was obliterating the grease on that filter. Setting 3 allows for more vapour to pour out therefore creates a wetter vapour. It is only recommended for very particular jobs, like this one. Setting ‘1’ is the most common.

Toilet hinges

Catch-all for urine, which saturates the pores of the plastic and leads to bacteria build-up, discolouration and odours

To clean, place a towel behind hinge (to catch the blow back) and blast clean with a nozzle

I typically recommend using a cleaning toothbrush for this task. However, many folks either don’t do it or can’t get over the thought of using and re-using a cleaning toothbrush on the hinges, even with cleaning the tool. When using the Ladybug to clean a toilet, I know that there will be nothing left on the surface by way of colour, odour or bacteria once the Ladybug has done it’s thing. This is great for under the rim of the toilet bowl as well, it blasts out bacteria and build-up with ease.

Toilet tools

I also used the Ladybug on my bowl brush and the most disgusting thing that is in your home….the bowl brush holder

I used it on my plunger too, I can pretty much disinfect anything in my bathroom by just spraying for a few seconds

Grout lines

Grout can be cleaned with baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and a cleaning toothbrush or sturdy scrub brush but we know this takes time, especially for a large floor area or shower

Grout is porous, meaning it absorbs and hangs on to anything that befalls it

Body oils, dirty water and cleaning tools and ground in debris all contribute to the discolouration of grout over time

The Ladybug makes this easy to clean; for one stain it can be blasted with a small nylon bristle brush, gently agitate and then wiped clean with a cloth

For larger areas, it is recommended to work with the larger floor brush and go over the grout, then wipe area clean with toweled brush attachment

Soap scum

Soap scum can be stubborn and work intensive, that’s why some of the most powerful chemicals are used in bathroom cleaning

The triangle brush and towel made the soap scum on my tiles just melt away

I worked slowly and watched the tiles become spotless, steak and scum-free

This took a very challenging and time consuming job and made it a lot easier. Further, if there is an area that is high up in the shower, the extension poles are available as opposed to the person cleaning having to reach. This also works well on glass shower doors, although I don’t have any to demonstrate it on.

Sinks and Faucets

Cleans sinks and shines faucets with ease

No scrubbing required, just a toweled brush or small nozzle brush to clean the areas and a cloth in your free hand to polish and wipe dirt away

I liked cleaning the bathroom sink with the Ladybug Tekno 2350, because it broke through scum and toothpaste build up that otherwise requires scrubbing. Also, it left a uniform shine to the sink and faucet, which is something you have to work at for a couple of minutes when cleaning without vapour. The results with this were almost instant.

Carpet

Vapour cleaning on carpets is awesome because it not only loosens dirt, but removes soil and most dirt while sanitizing and deodorizing the carpet

Use a towelled floor brush and placed on setting ‘2’

It kills the little critters that may be in the carpet, and the eggs and larvae that may be in the carpet as well, so pet owners should take note of that

Once you are finished you simply vacuum to remove particulate matter

I’ve done several things to my carpets over the years to clean them, and I loved the idea that the vapour was getting hot enough to kill anything my cats and other cleaning equipment has left behind. Even the best vacuums can only get about 80% of the dirt and other carpet dwellers out, and using vapour is a great way to kill the remaining ‘problematic’ 20%. Before vacuuming the carpet, you can use the floor brush on its own to lift the carpet pile, and then vacuum. My carpet was dry within a minute, which is amazing considering that deep cleaning carpets can take up to a day to dry.

Mattress & Pillows

This machine *kills dust mites* – using the toweled triangle brush, keep dust mites, larvae and eggs out for up to 8 weeks. Wow.

I slowly went over the mattress with the attachment

The mattress dried in under a minute and I was able to make up the bed

For people who struggle with dust allergies, there is no better way to deal with it than to treat the mattress and pillow with a Ladybug. I know that these treatments can cost hundreds of dollars if done by a professional, so if you can do it on your own, the machine will pay for itself. It can also kill bed bugs – which is ironic given it’s name!

I also cleaned my diamond rings (wow, do they sparkle), my sunglasses AND I even sanitized my toothbrush – you can also use the Ladybug on hardwood floors, tile floors, wallpaper, windows, clothing, dental instruments, boats, RVs, vinyl flooring, and plenty of other surfaces. It’s very versatile!

Test results and final impressions

What can I say – it’s an amazing machine. It’s like being given the keys to an exotic sports car and being asked how it feels to drive.

It does take some getting used to and there is a learning curve, but I think it’s well worth it. When you experience how well it cleans once you know how to use it, the time spent learning its ins and outs will be a great investment. It’s not difficult by any stretch, but you do have to take the time to understand which attachments are to be used where, how to change the attachments, how to manoeuvre the machine and how to maintain it. The Ladybug Tekno 2350 came with a 45 minute instructional DVD (awesome) as well as a laminated card that explains the tools, techniques and settings to use on virtually any setting in the home. Also, I’ve found the company itself to be extremely dedicated to ensuring customers are educated and completely in love with their machine. It’s nice to deal with a company that cares so much.

The cleaning that the Ladybug does is far beyond superficial cleaning, you clean to make your space look shiny and kill bacteria. This is all accomplished using no chemicals and leaving no chemical residues behind. It’s a healthy way to clean. I also love how there is no ‘wait time’ really, the vapour works almost on contact, not only to break down dirt and grime but even to kill bacteria.

But, there is the elephant in the room..

This is a professional product or at the very least a prosumer product – and it comes with the associated hefty price tag – the Tekno 2350 is a little over $2000 and even though Ladybug have units starting at about $1000 – it’s still a lot of money.

But, we live in a world of you get what you pay for, and that holds very true to Ladybug – if you are willing to spend the money, you’ll get an amazing machine.

For those of you who are professional cleaners – or business owners looking for a quality cleaning solution like me, this is a great option for you. As a cleaning service owner myself, I can see how this can save on product costs, save time for cleaners and create happier clients.

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yugirl-with-dragons · 7 years ago

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OK SO FIRST OF ALL THANKS TO THE SUPER UBER TALENTED @aceyugiohdreamer WHO WROTE THIS AMAZING FANFIC. KY YOU’RE SO GREAT. The sketch is obv related to the fanfic below here, I HIGHLY suggest you to read and find out more details!!

[In the plot here, our dear gang (Yusei, human!Stardust, Aki, Jack, Crow, Archfiend- has already met Black Rose Dragon, but they haven’t found Divine yet. Hence, Yusei isn’t blind yet]

Lessons

Aki wasn’t sure why Black Rose had wanted to speak to her privately, or what about, but she didn’t hesitate at all to accept the invitation. With the way their last conversation had gone, she was frankly surprised the dragon had been interested in ever seeing her again at all, let alone so quickly.

But here they were, deep in Black Rose’s forest, an ancient dragon in her elegant human form and a young human witch, face to face.

Alone.

Aki deferred to her hostess and waited patiently for her to speak first.

Black Rose stared at her with arms crossed, her eyes not friendly, but not disdainful either. She seemed to be evaluating her in some way, though Aki had no idea by what measure or for what qualities. So, not knowing what she could do to better present herself, she simply stood still.

Finally Black Rose tilted her chin up slightly and commanded, “Tell me your name.”

Aki decided to not point out Black Rose’s rudeness. Getting fussy over her proud attitude would get them nowhere since she hadn’t earned the dragon’s respect yet. She would just have to accept it if she was going to see what this meeting was about.

“Aki,” she answered simply.

“Aki.”

Black vines began rising up like snakes from her hair, winding forward through the air. Aki held still, thinking she had no choice but to trust that Black Rose didn’t mean her harm. She had a feeling it might be disrespectful to flinch away from those vines, which were literally extensions of her body, and the last thing she needed was for Black Rose’s anger to flare up from an offence. So she let the vines come and feel around at her aura like a curious dog sniffing at a stranger.

“I haven’t met many witches over the years,” Black Rose said, her eyes narrowing somewhat in thought. “But I do sense something familiar in you. I suppose the magic that some of you humans have isn’t unlike that in us dragons.”

Aki started.

“What? You mean . . . you’re saying you can sense magic in me?”

“Why is that surprising? Didn’t you tell me yourself that you’re a witch?”

“Well yeah, but . . . that can’t be,” she said, shaking her head. “Divine . . . he . . . he took my magic from me. He took it, so, there’s no way you should be able sense it.”

“Hnh! What a stupid thing to say!” Black Rose scoffed haughtily. “If you’re like us, then your magic is a part of you, as integral as your bones or your blood. If he had taken all your magic, you would be dead. Just like how we dragons die when you humans steal our magic. Honestly, you don’t even know that much?”

“But I—I can’t feel anything! Not like I used to!” Aki insisted, feeling her emotions rise up. “The world feels dead to me! I can’t connect to anything, I can’t draw out the life and magic that used to come so easily to me. I feel like I’ve been cut off from everything, even myself—I’m not fully me anymore! It’s like you said, magic has always been a part of me, but I can’t . . . I can’t feel it anymore.”

“Hmph, well, that certainly sounds troublesome,” Black Rose huffed, shifting her weight onto one leg. “But the fact is, there is magic in you, just as surely as there is a heart beating and pumping blood. There’s no mistaking it—though, I suppose it does feel faint,” she conceded as the vines wandered along her limbs and body and hair.

“Then,” Aki began, feeling her heart flutter—excited, anxious, desperate—“if I still have magic in me, how do I use it?”

She had to know! She had to know how to tap into whatever was left, how to be useful to Yusei!

Black Rose raised an eyebrow.

“How should I know?” she asked. “I’m not a master or a teacher or anything, I just know something obvious when I see it.”

Aki’s heart sank. She couldn’t even work up the energy to be annoyed with Black Rose, she was just too devastated by fallen hope.

Then Black Rose sighed.

“Though, it’s not just the magic I sense,” she added softly—so softly she might have even been talking to herself. “There’s something about it that’s . . . resonating.”

She had a confused look, her head tilted and eyes scrunched as she considered Aki like a puzzle.

“I don’t know why that would possibly be,” she muttered, as if being confronted with something confusing irritated her, or perhaps it was that the idea of feeling any connection to a human was repulsive. “But . . .”

She drew closer, her vines losing length as her hair consumed the excess. She was slightly taller than Aki and looked down into her eyes.

She had nice eyes, Black Rose had to admit to herself. Earthy. They looked rich enough for her roses to grow strong in. And the magic she could feel in her—the light vibrations of it meshing harmoniously into the great waves of her own enormous power—it had a sweet flavor. Like ripe, wild berries. Sweet with a little snap to it.

It felt like this tiny human was actually part of her forest. It made her . . .

Made her want to . . .

Help her grow.

Nourish her, like any other precious living thing whose life and vitality she protected here in her ward, whose presence she noticed, feeling when it was born and when it died like it was part of her own body—her own soul.

This Aki.

Aki, whose aura was the colors of changing autumn leaves.

It was like she was seamlessly becoming part of this place—or perhaps, more like, she had always been, by nature, but Black Rose was only now able to notice it. Now that she was open to feeling the way her presence resonated, like it belonged, rather than clashed.

Like that hotheaded blond and even his Archfiend companion—despite the one being a dragon, his vibrations were jarring against hers. She felt the discord in their natures, striking and sour.

Black Rose had rejected Aki automatically at first, without thinking or feeling, so perhaps it was no surprise it had taken her this long to notice. Now that she was considering her properly, she couldn’t help the feeling, which came as naturally for Aki as it did for any other plant she nourished.

She lifted a hand and gently caressed a lock of Aki’s hair between her fingers.

Vibrant, red hair—not unlike her own plumage.

“I like your hair,” she said at last.

Aki blinked, more than a little stunned.

“What?”

Black Rose exhaled sharply and dropped her hand.

“Never mind. Listen.”

She may have felt a natural desire to nurture this young, little sapling—even acknowledge to herself that she did—but that didn’t mean she would so quickly change her attitude.

“I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help you in your situation, but I suppose it would be pretty amazing of me to find a way, wouldn’t it?”

She smirked and gave her hair a quick flip before turning around.

“Yes, I think so,” she confirmed to herself. “It’s been quite a while since there was anything new for me to learn, so that might be interesting.”

Aki stared at Black Rose’s back—at all the sleek, thick hair that draped over it down to her hips—still feeling like something had happened just now and she had no idea what.

“Hey! Are you spacing out on me? What’s wrong with you?” Black Rose snapped, looking over her shoulder.

“What?”

“Move already! Come here—come with me. Jeez.”

Aki wasn’t about to refuse yet another invitation from Black Rose to get closer, so she sprinted forward to her side.

“Where are we going?” she asked as they continued on together.

“Just to a place with some particularly rich soil.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Why not? I like rich soil. It gives me good energy. And it smells nice.”

Well, Aki had no argument against that.

“Ah. I think so too,” she said thoughtfully, remembering back to all the gardening she had done at the house where she had lived with Divine.

“Of course you do.”

Aki thought Black Rose just meant it in the sense that of course her opinion was correct—how could a magnificent queen like her be wrong? She didn’t know she meant it in the sense of, You’re one of mine, of course you feel energy from rich earth.

After that, Aki wondered if she should try to make conversation—how long would it even take to get to the place anyway?

“Does this mean you have an idea?” she decided to ask.

“Hnh, well, I’m at least feeling motivated to experiment,” Black Rose answered, lifting her chin just a little.

Experiment, huh? Aki thought. Well, I guess that can’t be helped, how else are we going to find out anything?

“Are you nervous?” Black Rose looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Do you want to back out? You had better tell me now before I waste any time.”

“No, it’s fine,” Aki answered quickly. “This is just a little sudden, so I wasn’t expecting it. But I want to do this. I want your help.”

“Hm,” Black Rose hummed with approval then turned her eyes back forward. “Just so you know, I can’t guarantee there won’t be any pain. I’m just going to be trying out a few things, so if you’re really willing to do this, you should be prepared for anything—and for possibly nothing to come of it.”

Aki nodded, her chest going tight with resolution.

“Right. No guarantees. I’m still in.”

Black Rose glanced sideways, feeling the way her aura firmed up decisively, and smiled to herself, feeling approval again.

“Very good.”

“It’s only natural, right?” Aki asked without turning. “If I don’t have magic, I don’t feel whole. So of course I’d do anything to get it back.”

“Hm, yes, that would be natural,” Black Rose agreed. She would certainly do anything too if she found herself in a similar situation—and of course rip to pieces whoever would have done such a thing. Such a crime deserved instant death.

Hm, no, perhaps a slow, agonizing death, for daring to cross her so offensively.

In any case, there would be no forgiveness.

“And I’m sure your body is naturally longing to get it back.”

“I hope so. I know my heart is.”

“Well, let’s see what we can do, shall we?”

She pointed up ahead, and beyond another stretch of trees, through the cracks between their thick and crooked bodies, Aki could just make out what looked like a clearing with some kind of lake. The forest was dimmer than the world outside it because the canopy was so densely packed that little light managed to pass through, but when they reached the open area, Aki saw that light glittered on the surface of the lake, the ripples catching every little ray and casting it about playfully. It wasn’t a large lake by any means—possibly more of a pond—but it was clear and pretty. It was fed by a stream coming from ahead and led into another that continued off to the side. The sound of the running water made her skin feel cool, as if she had dropped her hand in it. Besides the stream, there wasn’t much other ambient noise—just leaves rustling occasionally, the snap of twigs. The space seemed deeply quiet and undisturbed.

“Here,” Black Rose said, stepping toward the water. Her hair began to stretch again into black vines and dug into the earth right at the edge. “This water is sourced from a mountain not too far from here. It’s quite pure and fresh since it runs straight from the mountain into my forest.”

Aki approached too and knelt down to watch the vines wriggle their way deeper into the earth. As they took root, Aki dipped her fingertips into the water. As she expected, it was quite cool. She waved her fingers back and forth a little, then pulled them out and flicked the excess water off.

“There are more creeks and rivers throughout the forest, but this one is the closest.”

She held out her hand to Aki and beckoned her with a few quick waves of her fingers. Aki took hold of her hand and stood up, and then Black Rose twisted her arm and used her other hand to push Aki’s long sleeve up her arm. She lightly ran her nail from Aki’s wrist to the crease in her elbow.

“Since I don’t know what you do and don’t know, I’ll just explain some things,” she announced. “First, there’s no particular spot in your body where magic resides, like an organ. It’s in every part of you, all over. Which means there’s no place to target in any of this. It could be that any part of your body will be as good as any other, or perhaps it might mean that your entire body will need to be affected all at once. Or maybe there is a trigger that I’m not aware of. Like I said, we’re just going to be experimenting, so starting off at least might be rather random attempts to get a reaction.”

Aki nodded.

“Ok. I understand.”

“Good. And just so you know, I’m being serious here. Don’t think I’m just playing around.”

“That hadn’t even crossed my mind.”

“Hnh, well good. Now, let’s see . . .”

She ran her nail back to Aki’s wrist from the inner elbow.

“This would probably be easier if you had roots,” she muttered to herself. “Hmm, how am I going to . . .”

Aki wasn’t exactly sure what she was thinking, but she kept quiet to let her concentrate.

“Hmm,” she hummed with her lips pursed and pushed to the side, then she mumbled, “I guess I’ll start off non-invasive.”

Aki wasn’t against that choice.

Black Rose put her palm against Aki’s while cupping the back of her hand in her other. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, and Aki watched as a kind of faint glow appeared around the vines that were rooted into the earth. Like sap, it traveled slowly up the length of the vines, into Black Rose’s hair, saturating the whole of it with a soft light. And then her hair rose, as if lifted by a breeze, though Aki felt none. And then her dress began to flutter, though it didn’t seem entirely like a dress—it looked like it was transforming into a collection of flower petals, deep red and thick.

Black Rose’s nails went black and sharpened as they extended slightly. And then finally, Aki saw the same glow appear within Black Rose’s hands, and then she felt it sink into her own. It was warm, comforting. And she felt it spread from there, as if it had gotten into her blood and was being circulated throughout her body. It was a gentle warmth, like the sensation of a hot drink filling her up on a cold day while the steam brushed against her face.

It was nice. Nostalgic, somehow, as if it connected to all the warm, cozy feelings she had ever had and brought them back like a vague memory without any actual image to go with it. It was just . . . nice. And made her smile.

She wouldn’t have minded soaking in that sensation for a while—it was a welcome reprieve from all the chaos and misery that was going on—but after a minute, all the light faded and the warmth receded with it, leaving her with a sudden chill that made her shiver.

Aki’s eyes also had to adjust a little to the sudden dimness. Once she could see Black Rose’s face clearly again, the dragon asked, “So? Is anything different?”

Aki paused for a moment to take a mental stock of her condition.

Then shook her head.

“No, I think I’m still the same.”

The space still felt too quiet and still from what she would expect of an earthy haven she knew was alive with running streams of life and magic.

“I see,” Black Rose said, not sounding too disappointed.

“Can I ask what you have in mind?”

“Hm? Oh, I just thought I’d try running some magic through you, to see if that would jolt what little you have left in you back to its full life. Like giving your body a refill to replace what was drained. But it looks like you weren’t able to hold onto it: it went in and then passed right out.”

“Hm, I see.”

“But, I can try again, go a little . . . deeper.”

“How do you mean?”

“When I feed the plants, they soak up the magic right into their inner bodies through their roots. They drink it like water or any other nutrient from the soil. It might be worth trying something like that with you.”

“I . . . see.”

“I’ll try to be careful,” Black Rose said, probably trying to sound reassuring but instead sounding rather cocky.

“Thanks.”

Black Rose looked carefully at her exposed arm again and hummed thoughtfully to herself, turning it over a few times and spreading her fingers and pressing into Aki’s palm with her thumb.

Eventually she just shrugged to herself.

“Well, here goes.”

Aki took in a deep breath in preparation for a vague “anything” that might come next.

She looked down at her hand, as did Black Rose, and saw that her nails had returned to their human style. But then the nail on her right first finger extended again, turning black as it did, and the way it transformed slowly and threateningly right next to Aki’s skin gave her an ominous feeling.

Black Rose set the sharp tip of her nail at a soft spot in Aki’s wrist, and the next second, slid it right into the flesh.

“Shhhhhhhit!” Aki hissed as blood pooled up around the nail.

Black Rose held her arm and hand firmly in place, because even though Aki tried not to struggle, that nail hurt, dammit! She clenched her jaw while the light reappeared—in the earth, the vines, Black Rose’s hair, even her eyes which were open this time, and her hands—and that warmth began washing through her.

Warmer this time.

Like summer sunlight shinning under her skin, threatening to burn if it stayed too long.

But she didn’t mind, because it distracted her from the pain in her wrist. The nail seemed little more than a tiny papercut in that moment, making it easier to hold still, especially when that warmth coaxed her muscles and mind to relax. But she tried to focus on it, now that she understood Black Rose’s intentions. She didn’t know if her own conscious will could have an effect, but it seemed better to try. So she set her mind on that flow of the magic as it coursed through her, tried to map out all the internal crevices it touched, tried to notice if there was anything, any part of her that responded with a life of its own rather than just passively allowing the magic to pass through.

A minute went by, and Aki felt disappointed when the warmth withdrew, leaving goosebumps in her skin against the cool forest air, but otherwise no substantial change in her body.

Although now the pain in her wrist grew much more noticeable again.

“Hm,” Black Rose said, taking her nail out of the wrist and its blood and waving her hand in front of Aki’s scrunched face. “No, you don’t feel any different. Ah!”

She looked down to see that some blood had spilled over the side of Aki’s wrist and onto her sleeve.

“Oops, excuse me.”

She lifted Aki’s wrist to her mouth and licked up all the blood—much to Aki’s surprise—before setting her lips against the wound and giving it a suck. Aki tried not to let out any sound of gagging, and then a second later Black Rose lifted her face to reveal the wrist completely healed, with no sign of a puncture at all.

“Thanks,” Aki said tightly.

“What’s with that face?” Black Rose asked curiously.

Oh, was some of the queasiness leaking out into her expression? She had tried to hold that in.

“Oh, uh . . . I guess I just didn’t know you . . . drink blood.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked, sounding confused. “When things die, they go into the earth, don’t they? Flesh, bones, blood and all. I am the substance of the earth, it’s the nature of my being. So if the earth can eat such things, so can I.”

“Ah, I . . . see.”

“Does that bother you?”

“No—well, not really. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it so suddenly.”

“Hm, seems like there’s a lot you don’t know,” she observed condescendingly. “If you had a teacher, they didn’t do a very thorough job. You’re going to have to do a lot of learning on top of just trying to get your magic back.”

“I don’t mind learning,” Aki replied. “I want to know more. But your right, my teacher kept a lot of things from me.”

Black Rose didn’t miss the dark tone in Aki’s voice.

“Why?”

Aki’s eyes were hard.

“Because he was using me. He only wanted me to know what would be useful to him. He didn’t want me to know too much, that way he could turn on me when the time was right.”

Black Rose narrowed her eyes.

“Turn on you,” she repeated. “Does that mean . . . Are you saying your teacher . . . ?”

Aki nodded.

“Was Divine.”

Black Rose met that hard stare directly for a moment, feeling her vines twitch with displeasure.

“So,” she said softly, “he didn’t just steal your magic. He betrayed you.”

Aki nodded again.

“Yes. He took me in when I was very young and promised he would teach me how to control my magic. I trusted him. I relied on him for everything. And he did teach me a lot of things that helped me develop my skills, but . . .” Her free hand flexed at her side before curling into a fist. “All that time, he was making sure to keep me close by so that I’d be convenient for him, whenever he was ready to make his move.”

It wasn’t magic, but Black Rose could still sense the anger burning in Aki’s heart. How much more intense it would have been if she had had her magic to give it form! Black Rose’s anger was torrential wind and thorns—she found herself very interested to know what this witch’s was.

Deception, betrayal, stealing . . . this Divine was sounding more and more wicked the more she learned. And she couldn’t forgive anyone who would harm one of her own.

“It could very well be that the only way to get your magic back is to reclaim that which was originally yours in the first place,” Black Rose advised, and then her voice went low and serious. “But if there is another way, even if just a temporary one, I’ll help you find it.”

Aki’s anger lifted enough for her eyes to brighten with awe.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Black Rose nodded.

“Well, shall we try again?”

“Yes, let’s.”

A few more attempts were made, some less pleasant than others, but Aki bore it without complaint. She had entered into this willingly, and whatever she had to go through would be more than worth it if it restored her magic—in any capacity. But even if it didn’t, even if after everything she was still exactly as she had been, she was still happy that Black Rose would try to help her. That in itself was a gift, more than she would have expected after their first few encounters. It was hard to understand exactly what had changed in the dragon’s mind, but Aki wasn’t going to press. Whatever happened, she would let it bloom naturally.

“Hmm,” Black Rose hummed, holding her chin between her fingers. “I think I need a little break to think. I’ve run out of ideas for the moment.”

“Ok, that’s fine.”

“Come here.”

Black Rose snatched Aki by her wrist and tugged her along by the edge of the water until they arrived among a widespread, tangled mass of roots that belonged to a tree so big it probably would have taken ten people to wrap their outstretched arms around it completely. The roots were black and gnarled, rising up from the ground and curling back into it through the water, and Black Rose pulled Aki among them, climbing to the highest arches, and guided her to sit next to her on one so that they could look down at the water below their feet. Aki wished she could feel the energy from the tree, feel the texture of its life that flowed within rather than just the sturdy and rough exterior. She rubbed her hand back and forth over the root longingly. The tree was so beautiful, and she was missing the full experience of its character. She couldn’t help but feel her heart sink just a little.

“You know, I’ll give you some credit,” Black Rose said, leaning back a little so that her glossy hair hung loose behind her. “You’re actually taking this whole situation pretty well, considering how precious what you lost is.”

Aki smiled and leaned back too.

“Well, you didn’t see me when it happened,” she replied softly. “I was devastated. It felt like I had practically died. I didn’t handle it well then at all.”

“Hmph, well that’s no surprise, who wouldn’t be devastated by that? And of course you would feel like you had died. Considering how little magic there is in you, you quite literally almost did. But that’s why it’s surprising you’re in as good a condition as you are. Usually, I would expect such a drastic loss of magic to leave you incapacitated, possibly comatose. But physically, you seem to be doing fine. And even mentally, you seem to think pretty clearly. You haven’t succumbed to despair. So I’ll admit, I’m impressed.” Then she added with a narrow, sideways glance, “Don’t take that lightly, understand?”

Aki turned her head and nodded.

“Right, I won’t,” she said, smiling. “Thank you.”

“Hm.”

Black Rose looked forward again, following the path of the stream until it disappeared among the trees. She thought for a moment, then without turning to Aki, she asked, “Tell me, what do you feel an affinity for?”

“Affinity,” Aki repeated.

“Yes. Everyone has something—maybe even several somethings—that they feel drawn to. Like it represents them in a way. Especially for those of us with magic. It almost always is related to the basic substance of our magic.”

Aki looked down at her lap for a moment.

“Hmm, I don’t think I ever thought about it too much before,” she began slowly. “But, I always liked being out in the garden. I liked taking care of everything there, monitoring their life, listening to them through the magic they had in their aura, learning what kinds of properties they had. I liked being around so much life.”

Black Rose laughed softly to herself.

“I knew it,” she whispered. “You really are one of mine.”

“What was that?” Aki asked.

But Black Rose waved her away.

“Nothing. So, you would say you feel an affinity for plants?”

“Generally, yes, I think so. But, I’d say I have a special affinity for anything that’s . . . a bit dangerous. Plants that are prickly or have thorns, or some kind of poison. Plants most people don’t want or avoid.”

Black Rose considered her for a moment, then held out a hand while a lock of her hair resting against her shoulder began winding up into the air as a vine. It circled around her arm like an affectionate snake all the way to her palm, while sharp thorns grew along its length in the opposite direction of her skin.

“I too feel drawn to such plants,” she said, her voice unusually kind. “If I won’t care for them, if I won’t love them, who else will?”

Aki watched for a moment in wonder as Black Rose stroked down the length of a particularly long thorn with her fingertip, then nodded.

“Exactly.”

All those years, she had wanted to show the same compassion Divine had shown her—had wanted to be as compassionate as he had been. He had inspired her deeply, engraving that desire in her heart to care for the unwanted, the unlovable.

Even though it had been a false lesson, a lie on his part, it still rang true to her. Even if he had been lying, her feelings had always been sincere. And she would be better than him. She would absolutely be better than him in every way.

“Tell me,” Black Rose said while watching her vine recede, winding backwards around her arm until it fell down as hair once again. “That Divine, when he was ‘teaching’ you, did he explain what the flow of your magic is? What you do when you’re connecting with the plants, communing with them?”

Aki blinked, rummaging through her memories for a moment to find such a lesson.

“No, I don’t think he did,” she answered. “I think, maybe . . . our styles of magic are a bit different. Because . . . I sometimes felt maybe there were some things he didn’t know. Things that seemed natural to me but he never mentioned.”

“Hm, well good,” Black Rose muttered contemptuously. “I would hate to think he could be of the same substance as me.”

Aki thought she hadn’t even known there were different substances when it came to magic, she had always assumed it was all the same, simply because she had never been told otherwise. But magic was apparently a thing with great variety, a great number of sources and attributes. Aki felt like her true education could finally begin—and she didn’t even have her magic to train with. What bitter irony.

“Well listen,” Black Rose continued. “I’ll explain how it works—for me and you. In essence, I’m redirecting magic from the earth through myself to where I want it to go. Normally, I do this to give extra life and vitality to whatever needs it—and since any single plant is so small, it’s no problem. The earth has plenty of magic in it to spare. It might be a different matter to try to heal an entire forest if it burned down, but I can’t be sure since I’ve never had to do something of that extent. Anyway, the point is that all of this redirection involves magic that is basically the same element. The earth, myself, the various plants—our life forces are very similar and we feed off of the same quality of magic.”

She looked at Aki directly.

“So, I would expect that when I direct magic from the earth and me into you that you would gain a similar vitalization that anything else I target does, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It certainly harmonizes with you, but it slips out quickly like water in a sieve. Now, though I can tell your magic is similar and that you are compatible in spirit to me, it might be that out bodies are too dissimilar for my magic to take root in you.”

After letting that idea sink in, Aki said softly, “I see.”

“That’s just a possibility that I’m thinking of based on how things have been going. It could also be based on the fact that the plants are not magic users in the same way we are. They have it in their life force, but it’s not like they have any consciousness, they only do what their nature enables them to do. We are different. We have consciousness, we can do more than just the basic functions natural to the design of our bodies. And that means that any individual’s magic is unique to them—it’s a natural part of their very soul and body. If I redirect magic from the earth to plants, it’s the same magic they feed off of anyway, but if I pour my magic into you, even if it’s of the same basic substance, it still isn’t the unique magic that is yours. So your body and soul don’t accept it fully.”

“Wow,” Aki breathed. “I had no idea it was like that. I didn’t learn that from Divine.”

“I seriously wonder what exactly you did learn,” Black Rose huffed. “But anyway, that is also why I don’t understand how this Divine can be stealing magic from others and actually be able to use it. Naturally, he shouldn’t. His body and soul should reject any magic that isn’t his own.”

“Well, from what I understand, he needs help from magic objects to channel it.”

Black Rose looked at her, then looked down with a thoughtful frown.

“Hm, that makes sense. If he tried to take in that kind of magic directly into himself on its own . . . I can’t imagine the result would go well. If their substances aren’t compatible, I would expect it to tear his body apart.” She grinned maliciously. “I’d like to see that.”

Aki agreed.

“Maybe if I can break whatever it is he has that’s keeping my magic under control in him, he’ll break apart too when my magic rushes back to me.”

Black Rose’s teeth seemed to grow a little sharper in her grin.

“Delightful.”

Then she rose to her feet and grabbed Aki by the arm. Before Aki could stand, a gust of wind rose around them, Black Rose’s dress began to bloom with large red petals, and soon there was a whole cloud of them that caught the wind like sails, and Black Rose pulled Aki in close so that she could carry her to the ground, floating gently down with the petals keeping them perfectly balanced. When they landed, the excess petals scattered in all directions while the smaller ones on her dress stayed in place.

It really wouldn’t have taken much time to climb down, but Aki had to admit that the dramatic flair had been rather exciting.

“I just had a thought,” Black Rose announced without making any visible acknowledgment that she had done anything out of the ordinary. She released Aki and used both hands to pluck just a few of the smallest petals from her body. Aki watched curiously as she did, and looked down at them as Black Rose held them out delicately in her palm while the rest of the petals recoiled and smoothly transitioned back into their dress form.

“Here,” she said.

Aki looked up to Black Rose’s eyes, then back down at the petals, and slowly, carefully, reached out to pick them up. These had come right from Black Rose’s body, there was something sacred in that she had to honor.

“Eat these.”

Aki’s eyes snapped back to hers again.

“What?”

Black Rose rolled her eyes.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I . . .”

“Are you going to refuse? When I gave you something of myself?” Black Rose asked challengingly with a raised eye brow.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Aki answered quickly. “I just . . . it did come from you. I’m just . . . honored, that’s all.”

Black Rose’s eyebrow lowered, and she looked down at Aki with an expression that was approving, but still haughty.

“As you should be. Now go on, eat.”

Aki looked at the petals again. She had never just eaten rose petals before. She had used them as ingredients in mixtures, but never just plain like this. She wondered what it would be like.

And then she wondered, was there a specific etiquette for eating flower petals?

She felt too silly to ask, so she just laid them on her tongue. They were soft, and their flavor was light at first, but as she continued chewing, it grew and eventually filled her senses so fully it felt like she was breathing in the scent of an entire rose garden.

When she finally swallowed, Black Rose nodded, then held out her hand again. It was empty this time, and Aki filled it with her own. Black Rose set her other hand on top, and then light and warmth began to flow from her body into Aki’s through the channel their hands created. It was so lovely, like being surrounded by roses in the summer sun. If Aki closed her eyes, she could picture it so clearly.

After a minute, the heavy flow of the magic stopped, but this time . . .

This time, there was something left behind.

Aki’s eyes widened just a little.

Black Rose smiled.

“Ah, there we go.”

Her hand passed in the air over Aki’s face, down her chest to her abdomen, while Aki felt something like candle lights glowing dimly in the inner depths of her self.

“Well, it’s not a solution,” Black Rose admitted setting her hands on her hips. “But it’s something, I guess.” Then she smirked. “Heh, it actually worked.”

She gave her head a little triumphant toss.

“What is this?” Aki asked, setting her hands on her abdomen, though the lights she felt weren’t anywhere specifically linked to her body. They were just . . . there, inside her.

“Like I said, our own magic is tied to our body and soul. So, I gave you a little piece of my body, so now the magic I’ve given you has a little anchor it can latch onto. I doubt it’ll stay inside you for very long, but as long as you’ve got a bit of me in you, you can carry a little bit of my magic, too.” She pursed her lips. “I’m sure that only works because we’re so compatible though. I wouldn’t want to try the same thing with any of those others.”

And then Aki realized it wasn’t just the lights inside her that she could feel. There was . . . there was light outside as well. Light and life and magic flowing through the millions and millions of earthen arteries right there in that one little space. It was faint, like the candle lights, but it was there! She could feel it!

She felt tears well in her eyes as her body vibrated with the joy of reuniting with something familiar, something necessary. And she turned toward the tree and its tangled web of black roots and reached out. She felt the hum of its life within the root—it was old, and against her senses, it felt like a rich, deep bass, making the hair on her neck rise.

Her heart couldn’t decide if it wanted to sing or scream or sob.

She suddenly whipped around from the tree and launched into Black Rose, wrapping her arms tight around her and squeezing. Her tears fell into her hair as she buried her eyes against her shoulder.

“Thank you!” she whispered, overcome with emotion.

Black Rose looked down at her, a little stunned to be touched so suddenly and with such familiarity.

“Well, like I said, it’s only temporary,” she said awkwardly, unable to decide if she was comfortable with the embrace or not.

Aki shook her head.

“I don’t care,” she insisted. “I needed to feel this! I needed to feel . . .”

She lifted her face, and Black Rose saw how bright her eyes shined, even in the dim light—how beautiful they were.

“You’ve given me hope,” Aki said, her voice breaking, and the tears ran heavy down her cheeks, past her smile.

Hope?

From her?

Black Rose had never felt hope, not since that day. She had only felt anger and hatred. How could someone like her be the source of hope for anyone?

But there it was, shining in Aki’s face, along with relief and joy and gratitude.

Black Rose stared, not knowing how to respond.

Finally Aki unwrapped her arms and wiped her eyes clear, still smiling. Black Rose watched as she breathed in deeply and tilted her head back while lifting her arms at her side, basking in the beauty of all the life she could once again feel all around her.

Yes, she had to get this back. She had to make her soul complete again. She had been so hopeless and devastated, but now, somehow, that had changed.

Now she felt determined.

This was a taste of what was waiting for her when they defeated Divine, when she and Yusei and Stardust and all the others finally had their victory. She would be restored in full, as would Stardust and any others that Divine had hurt, and Yusei would be acknowledged as the hero he was.

Yes, yes, she felt so much hope now! With just a little reminder of how it was supposed to be!

“Well,” Black Rose spoke up after a moment, still feeling uncertain about her own feelings, “why don’t we use this as an experiment and see how long this lasts? Then we can go from there.”

Aki lowered her head and, still smiling, still shining, looked at Black Rose and nodded.

“Ok, good idea.”

Black Rose didn’t even have it in her to give her usual snappy retort, “Of course it is,” because she just . . . had forgotten how beautiful someone could look when they shined with that much joy.

Just like . . . she always had.

Black Rose caught the lump in her throat before it went any higher and pushed it down, along with the sting in her eyes.

“Ehem, right, well, I’m done for now, so just let me know later.”

“Right.”

Black Rose forced herself to turn away and wander on her own away from that light.

It was just . . . too much for her.

Too much after being in darkness for so long.

——

“Oh, really?” Yusei asked softly after Aki had told him the story of her session with Black Rose. “That’s great, I’m glad you finally have someone who could tell you so much.”

“Yeah,” Aki murmured back. “Actually, I’m surprised she would, you know? It’s not like she’s one to open up to new people . . . or maybe any people.”

Yusei put a hand on hers. Everyone else was asleep in their camp space, but the two of them were sitting side by side on the soft forest floor against the trunk of a tree, and her hands were resting in her lap.

“You probably got through to her.”

Aki looked up from his hand to his eyes.

“She seems like she’s been lonely for a long time, and you were the right person to reach her heart.”

Aki looked down again, biting her bottom lip. Could she have really been something like that? Could she have been anything like what Yusei had been to her?

“I . . . I hope so,” she said under her breath. “I don’t want her to be alone . . . if she doesn’t really want to be.”

Yusei gave her hand a squeeze.

“If you do what feels right, if you just be yourself, you’ll be good for her, no matter what happens. You’ll let her see something good and honest and beautiful.”

Aki felt her stomach knot tightly and her chest burn. She couldn’t look at him at that moment, not after he had said something so touching, and sounded like it was such an easy thing for him to say.

No one had ever said something like that to her.

She stared hard at her hands—at his still on top of hers—and mumbled, “You’re saying . . . I can be like you.”

She heard him laugh quietly.

“You think I’m like that?”

She only glanced at him—caught the sight of his smile—before looking back down.

“You are like that,” she insisted. “You’re always honest, and yourself. Everything about you is good and . . . beautiful. You’re . . . the best person I’ve ever met.”

He didn’t say anything, but she could feel him looking at her.

And then it wasn’t just her chest that was burning. She felt it in her face too.

And in the rest of her.

It was rising up, an aura of warmth and light, like a halo around her body.

Yusei’s hand looked dark in contrast, and surprised, she pulled her hands away to look at her open palms.

“Aki?” he asked quietly. “Are you ok?”

She looked up to his eyes, which were somewhat concerned, but also shining with the glow reflected in them. She found herself staring for a moment, before a few tiny lights suddenly flickered in the air between them.

Aki blinked and shifted her gaze to the lights—to realize they were fireflies.

Yusei too shifted his gaze to them as they bounced and flickered around, whirling around Aki and her soft glow. Her face lit up—not just from the light, but from the wonder that bloomed in her heart. She lifted a hand, as if she couldn’t help herself, as if she wasn’t even thinking, and quickly several of the fireflies gathered around it.

“I can feel them too,” she murmured, a smile spreading across her face.

“Yeah?” he said, captivated by her expression more than anything else.

“Yeah,” she confirmed, slowly waving her hand through the air—first one way, then another, and the fireflies followed, their little bodies growing brighter and dimmer in waves. “They feel like buzzing.” She put her other hand over her chest. “In here.”

Yusei could only try to imagine what she was feeling, what the experience of her magic was like, but to him, seeing the way she experienced it was beautiful enough.

And then she rose to her feet, keeping her hand out in front of her as a beacon for the fireflies to dance around. And more were coming. He didn’t know where they all had been all this time until now, but wherever they had been, they must have felt her aura and been drawn to it immediately. Aki took a few steps, and she looked magical, with her own body emitting a soft, warm glow and what seemed like hundreds of tiny lights flickering excitedly as they spun around her, each in its own chosen pattern. She lifted both of her arms, and the fireflies moved with them, making way and then finding a new orbit around them.

Yusei heard her laugh to herself, watched her tilt her head back and spin on her feet freely in delight, and he felt a tight grip in his chest.

He was fighting for this.

This.

To bring this beauty and light and joy back to her.

This was her natural state, he felt, he knew. He couldn’t let her continue living emptied of this anymore. He felt his determination as naturally as he felt his awe.

To his mind, the fireflies looked like hundreds of shooting stars circling her, and she had become the sun, spinning and laughing as she lost herself in the magic that coursed through her.

Aki, he thought, feeling a buzz in his own head, too.

And then he felt something push up against the bottom of his chin, closing his mouth, which he hadn’t even realized was open.

He looked over, and there was Stardust, glancing sideways with a smirk while he kept holding two fingers under Yusei’s chin.

Yusei blinked. He hadn’t even noticed Stardust slip up beside him. Had he been that entranced?

Stardust raised an eyebrow, a silent, You ready to handle this yourself now? And Yusei nodded, with gratitude to his companion for having prevented such a face from being seen by anyone else.

So Stardust pulled his hand away and crossed his arms comfortably, and Yusei returned his gaze to Aki, who was holding one arm fully outstretched and drawing waves in the air as she rotated, creating a fluttering trail of fireflies behind her hand.

And yes, of course.

Of course he had been that entranced.

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