#magical or involved with plants or animals lmao

[reverieaudios]

do you have a favorite Harvest Moon title and favorite marriage candidate/character?

Ahhh I've played so many that's it's hard to choose! Island of Happiness was the first one that I really played (technically I had played the original on the super Nintendo but I didn't play it a lot until I got older) so that one will always hold a special place in my heart. I also really like Animal Parade, A New Beginning, and Light of Hope.

I've got so many favorites that it's impossible for me to choose one. Any witch or wizard character is immediately at the top of the list though lol

I also really like Vaughn from IoH, Neil from ANB, just about everyone from Animal Parade, and Dean and Jeanne from LoH

[superconductivebean]

#1076

As promised in #1074, a quick rundown.

Tags: @mrs-sharp @gothic-lottie @ladyofsappho @boxdstars

So today's morning, @phinik asked me if a hair from a person alive from ~15 years ago gets added to the Polyjuice potion, will you turn the person from their 15-years-ago self -- or into their modern self.

I said, yes, but it may not be that easy to conclude as it may seem.

I must warn, there're bodily horrors under the cut.

The books and the games don't explore or delve too deep into areas of magic otherwise dangerous. We know adding animal fur wouldn't turn you an animal, perhaps there's another potion recipe for that or for anyone willing to try, the animagus preparation ritual. But we're also given a hint: Polyjuice Potion alters your body fully.

Crouch JR hadn't a leg. Harry's sight improved; in DH, the Seven Potters needed glasses. MC engorged into Black, no problem there.

So theoretically speaking, we can conclude that a hair taken from a younger Moody should have the leg and the eye in place; Harry's sight will remain as is but everyone will shrink to his younger self's height. Black certainly had a few boils on the existence of which MC -- strangely -- doesn't comment any other way than lmaoing at him.

But then we went further. Every single case of drinking the potion involved physical alteration but was it really explored how the one's consciousness changes? Brain is an organ, too, the damage it has ever sustained may have lasting consequences. Will you be able to think or act as usual if you've turned into someone with dementia? epilepsy and schizophrenia double shot? And other conditions that affect brain or nerve development, or are results of a trauma. Just how will it feel when you've turned back into your regular self; not to mention cases of the radiation pollution, or rabies, or idk anthrax. Phinik suggested an idea outstanding in wickedness: what will be of a toddler gulped on a Polyjuice potion? A simple question turned into horrors beyond our comprehension.

It is therefore possible to die being turned into someone dying? or experience and not sustained a deadly condition, such as radiation? Will it be even possible to turn into a person dissolving alive; their hair may turn you into a sentient blob of bloody mass, will you survive it?

But if you're still alive, what will it be for the brain aka consciousness?

Is it what they study in the Department of Mysteries under the Mind alias? Wicked scenarios taken from sci-fi novels except it's something very real in their world and can happen to anyone?

Sickeningly frightening as it all sounds, this aligns with my greater theory for magic as an ability to stop the reality and take a snapshot of it, if you will; because magic is, strictly speaking, a manipulation on a body of Information pertaining to the objects of the universe.

Sources of information can't be reduplicated. Bodies of information are subjected to the entropy as over time parts of the bodies wither away or get lost in and through any kind of manipulation. Begiven a source, you can reduplicate its outputs, hence you can copypaste a dish full of food but not make food itself out of the thin air, or make new peapol by just spamming the Minecraft Steve magical button, or have no garden at all, and especially for potions ingredients, because you can't appear a plant, something living and ever-changing, out of nowhere.

You can't produce a seed but you'll need at least one to have a silo full of the same exact seed that will yield the same exact pumpkin; or you can have a silo full of different pumpkins and then just reduplicate the crop. It effectively solves the hunger problem although doesn't eliminates it wholly.

You will still require at least one seed that must produce a seedling and then grow a plant to have you a pumpkin. Which you then copy and paste to use; it also explains why the community garden is rather small, the one in Hogsmeade I mean, or why Hogwarts doesn't need a lot of livestock and game and gardens to feed its population.

I also came aware pumpkin seeds aren't stored in a silo but for this argument's sake, let's pretend they are. Also, what if you throw a pumpkin into the Polyjuice potion, will you b̴̳̿e̷̯͊c̸͎̋ò̶̧m̴͍͒ȅ̶͙ ̸̿ͅr̴̡͋ö̴̰́t̵̩̊?̶̞̽ ?

So to answer the initial question, it is possible to turn into a younger version of the same person, perhaps a still living one. But the hair can dissolve or otherwise lose crucial information about its wearer. The potion made out of such an unpredictable ingredient must be a luck.

[vacantgodling]

since I am having a pills day perhaps you could tell me more about healing and medicine in tcol 👀

~ @void-botanist

M E D I C I N E

thank u for the ask, but also i hope that ur pill day today goes well <3

so in tcol there is essentially 2 kinds of healing: subortus and sana inanem. both are technically forms of magic however they operate in slightly different ways.

to make this make sense i will quickly explain the concept of the "soul" in terrae - aka, how you exist. so. in tcol, the soul is broken into 3 parts (most of the time), sana which is health and vitality. an excess of sana is necressary for someone to heal others, but i'll get more into depth in a second. cava which is primal instincts and a twinge of chaos energy. the more cava you have, the more monster like you are or can become. finally ars which is related to sentience and magic. the soul isn't exactly a perfect 100% every time; and each amount can be split into differing percentages to determine a soul's make up. for MOST (but NOT ALL) terraneans, their souls are made of 50% sana and either 20% ars and 30% cava or vice versa. in order to use ANY magic at all, you need a threshold of at least 30% ars. if you don't have that threshold, any magic just will not work for you.

so, with that out of the way, how does healing work?

well sana inanam is sana based healing and it is the act of the user depleting their own inner reserve of sana (which replenishes with rest or with certain potions but we'll get to that) to heal someone else. basically, like how you see in any fantasy show a healer just kind ago over to someone and make cuts and bruises disappear with the wave of a hand; in tcol, that's sana inanem, baby. how much "excess" sana you have will determine how far you'll be able to take someone with this healing. plus you need a base 30% of ars in order to heal because sana inanem is magic after all. most mediocre medics are somewhere around the 50/sana to 30/ars range, and those are like your run of the mill small town doctors. when we start getting into guild healers who usually need to heal more drastic wounds, or doctors who work in larger cities, you start seeing people who are like 60/sana vs 30/ars and the like. and then you have the absolute powerhouse which is, karenza hawkins, who has 80% sana, 20% ars no cava. and i know you may be like "but ren! you just said that you need 30% ars to do magic!" and technically you're right but exceptions always exist. karenza is an exception because she has so much excess sana that it literally is just constantly tumbling out of her. she doesn't need the threshold of magic to use sana because she's damn near fully sana as a person LMAO. it's also why she is the only person who has been able to perfect the phoenix maneuver, which is a special healing art which can revive the dead up to 30 minutes after the heart stops beating.

but that's getting into the weeds.

the point is is that for sana inanem, you need magic potential and some excess sana you can play with. if you don't have a lot of excess sana, using healing magic will drain you (which is why mediocre medics and doctors who only have like 50/sana tend to do well with small injuries but struggle with larger ones). having multiple healers take on the same patient is another way to conserve sana--like how you can have a team of surgeons to do an operation, its a similar concept. the more healers you have working on someone, the less sana everyone has to use overall to heal.

so with all of that being said--the second way of healing is called, as mentioned, subortus. it involves taking the sana from plants (which are made of 100% sana) and animal/monster parts (which can be made of varying combinations of sana) to create potions, salves, pills, remedies, you name it, in order to heal. subortus healing is honestly better for colds and illnesses as well as for minor injuries and wounds or to help nurse someone back to health after a dosage of sana inanem because that can also take a toll on the body if its done too much. its less hell on the body and because everything has been cooked, blended, or beaten out into a more consumable form its much more accessible for ordinary folk to use, or for those with little sana.

so tldr its herbalism LMAO. different plants, animals, and monsters can do different things so yknow depending on what you need depends on what you'll want to use. there's some sort of remedy for anything you can think of, even delving into the drug or aphrodesiac realm.

so this was a bit of a long explanation BUT ik A LOT about the healing in terrae (thankfully) and i've worldbuilt it out for a bit bc its part of the magic system and for a key plot poit lol :DDD

[muffinrecord]

Tsuyu’s Transformation

Tsuyu’s transformation did a lot with not that much animation and I wanted to talk about it, plus some of my thoughts on what her character could be like as a person who knows next to nothing about her lmao

First we start off with Tsuyu looking at withered crops. The orange sky is really striking here-- it brings to mind a barren landscape and it contrasts well knowing that she’s going to become a blue meguca (aqua type). 

What I think is particularly interesting in this henshin is that Tsuyu is very passive in it. She’s just standing here in the middle of the field with her arms up and bunched around her chest. It’s the stance of one on the sidelines who desperately wishes she could do something but is unable. All she can do is watch.

She begins to cry. This leads into tears going down her face...

plopping onto the ground...

and from a small trickle becomes a large pool, able to feed the thirsty plants

There are a LOT of interesting little things you can read into this btw. 

The first would be how it could potentially set up Tsuyu’s character. Again, I know almost nothing about her, so this could all be wrong-- but going off of the video, it makes me think she’s going to be very... pro-meguca, in a sense. As in, being a magical girl is a good thing. Look at this miracle she was able to make. All it took was her pain. She went from a person on the sidelines to a person who could save her home.

Additionally, I think it[’s a very good choice that it’s her tears that water the crops. This doesn’t actually require any effort on her part besides being in a rough situation and having a reasonable emotional response to it. It gives a potentially interesting push-pull-- on one hand she saved their village by caring, on the other hand it was her miracle/magic, not really her own actions that did so.

If this is the right direction of her character and I was a writer, I’d like to expand on her by involving her in situations where magic can’t solve anything. Caring and suffering are the start of change but not the end. What will she do if she comes across a problem that magic can’t solve?

Lastly, I think it’s also interesting that this last shot emphasizes the hot sun and the orange sky. The plants will survive and so will her people, but the actual problem that caused the drought still exists. It’s very ominous.

The yellow crops are so overpowering and magical in this image. Look at her shocked little face! She can’t believe what just happened-- or maybe she can’t believe that her miracle worked. Maybe she can’t believe that she was able to do anything at all?

She surveys her miracle. I like the satisfied little smile on her face. Then she turns,

and transforms into a magical girl, stepping away from the field.

This little bit is also very interesting to me. The yellow crops still overpowers Tsuyu and she’s relegated to a small space in the upper top-- the glow from the crops even outshines her own color scheme. This blue magical girl is very orange and yellow for the first part of her henshin. 

I think it is also interesting that she looks at the miracle and then leaves, never interacting with it at all. It gives the impression that this is something sacred to be protected and that her work with it is done-- now she has a new job... as a protector of the miracle.

I’m not surprised by the end that she has this stoic little face and that she seems to be taking this ultra seriously. It looks like she’s going to be a stickler for the rules. It’s only now that she’s surrounded by blue.

Another interesting thing to consider is that she starts off in her purple kimono and then becomes blue through her transformation. Pretty standard, right? But... Blue like her tears? The implication is that she is water for the ground. A sacrifice to keep the place turning. After all, the focus isn’t on the tear-water pool. It’s on the field that magically stays alive. The water and the source of the tears can’t be seen after that.

--

I find the henshin as a whole pretty ominous. That overpowering orange sky is a great choice, and I think some of the shots look really nice. A lot of the recent transformations have been really, uhhh, showing how bad their budget is for this sort of thing. But imo you don’t need swimsuit mami-level quality to make a good transformation video, you just need to work with what you got. I think this tells a good story of what her character could be and I’m really really curious to see how much I got right.

[peonyblossom]

feel free to answer for both brooklyn and kalani as well as any other mcs, ocs you'd like! <3

let's say your character is transported to a fantasy-esque realm where they've got a shop in a marketplace selling all kinds of unique trinkets and objects. Describe their inventory for us- do they sell herbs and useful plants? perhaps magical weaponry? handcrafted magical swords? pretty art? and how are they as a salesperson? are they welcoming to customers who bargain? are they the stoic "this is the final price" person? or are they more encouraging, insisting the members of the Party to buy more things? as an added bonus: how do they procure their inventory? i'd like to think in kalani's case, he goes into the forest and picks out the perfect plants or in brooklyn's case, he might have his own backyard garden or a workshop next door (or break into people's houses as per canon but that's besides the point lmao)

your character develops their own board game, with a lore, stories, whatever you'd like to add. what's their inspiration like? (for example, Settlers of Catan was inspired by the history of Viking settlers in Iceland) do they have a certain demographic in mind? what are their main areas of focus? for example, are they the type to focus a lot on the lore and worldbuilding? perhaps they're more of a design and game mechanics person? do they have mechanics for currencies, dice or do they want to keep things simple?

thank you so much for answering! <3

ooh these are such fun questions!!!

Kalani would definitely sell food stuff that he would get himself

he would gather herbs and vegetables, but would also hunt animals for meat and whatnot

he would be a pretty kind salesperson, but would also know when to put his foot down about a price

Brooklyn would probably sell plants, like vegetables, herbs, and flowers

he would have a veggie garden as well as a flower garden for his respective plants

he would be an inquisitive salesperson to make sure he's selling everything at a fair price for both parties involved

also i very much headcanon that Emmett would have a shop right next to Brooklyn's where he sells wood carvings and furniture

that's not part of your question i just think it's fun lmao

Kalani's board game would definitely be inspired by werewolf lore

I think he would focus a lot on the lore and world building

I think he would also use it as a way to learn more about werewolves himself since he's so new to the community

Brooklyn's board game would be a mystery game kind of like Clue, but instead of wealthy socialites it would be about suburban families LMAO

I think he would focus more on gameplay than world building but he would have a lot of fun with the world building

[quinn-in-hell]

Hello! I'd like to request for headcannons where the dorm leaders have to deal with a reader who is just really detached from reality, kinda like Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter? They go around touching potentially dangerous things, reading weird books and saying omnipotent stuff. Have fun~

A/N: Haven't even read Harry Potter but I can already relate lmao. Anyways let's fuckin goooo

🌹Riddle Rosehearts🌹

Lord help this boy-

He's going to start putting rules down for you so you can be safe

"You have broken S/O Safety rule no. 19 "Don't eat magical plants that you don't know""

Anytime there is some weird tome, he keeps it on a shelf you (and him) can't reach so you don't accidentally summon something

He loves you but please don't drink that potion you just made, that's a horrible idea

🦁Leona Kingscholar🦁

Finds you very interesting

After all, what herbivore eats magical plants and almost summons eldritch entities?

You. You are that herbivore.

If he knows it won't be a huge threat to your safety, he'll let you do it.

Fuck around and find out, he says

But if he knows it's dangerous, he pulls you away, lightly scolding you for doing something stupid and making him get up from his nap

He'll keep you in his arms while he sleeps so you don't accidentally get your ass killed

🐙Azul Ashengrotto🐙

*IMMEDIATELY Writes a contract*

"Now, our deal is you don't do anything dangerous and your rewards are affection"

Of course, he'll still give you affection even if you aren't safe but his point still stands

Once he caught you almost cursing yourself because you were reading a book of literal death curses

How did you even get that?!

Yeah, this contract is for your own good and to keep Azul from having a heart attack

🦦Kalim Al-Asim🦦

Is very worried and Jamil is ANNOYED

Kalim will sometimes get involved but only when it's not dangerous

Jamil scolds you two frequently

Every Wednesday is Jamil Lecture Day

Luckily at Scarabia, there isn't many cursed tomes or magical plants you can touch so Kalim prefers to keep you here

Will sometimes ask Jamil to watch you

He will get sad if sometimes happens to you so be safe!!

🦚Vil Schoenheit🦚

You are going to cause him wrinkles, I swear to god-

Once he sees your detached self in action, he fucking magic proofs pomefiore.

Any potions can't be opened without vils permission

Any magical plants are locked in a green house away from the dorm

Basement is off limits.

While you are in his dorm, you are safe from yourself.

Outside the dorm, he has Rook watch you and report to him every so often, even having him stop whatever you were about to do

And here and there, he checks on you himself

Because he loves you but oh boy you are a challenge

💀Idia Shroud💀

Oh my God you are just like this one anime character-

While he kins asigns you that character, you are a constant worry

While he's always in his room, he sets up a second tablet so he can watch you during classes and tell you what not to do

If by some slim chance, he's out and about, he'll join you to make sure you're ok and not doing anything deadly

You worry him a lot, give him a break

🐉Malleus Draconia🐉

You're a strange one, aren't you?

Fearlessly picking up ancient tomes that could kill you? Almost touching magical plants that would destory your bones?

He's very intrigued

But he does stop you because he can't let his child of man get hurt because of how far your head is in the clouds.

He's always watching, even when you think he isn't!

If he can't watch you for some reason, he'll send either Sebek or Silver to monitor you

Note: sebek yells a lot.

A/n: Thanks for requesting! I hope you like it! Also I've been busy with work but that means I'm buying a vil plush soon!

[memento-morri-writes]

yo for the wip title tag, i'd love to know about 'We Only Know Their Name For Certain', it's a great title and i have so much curiosity!! whatever you'd like to share about it

also 'COW writing'? is it truly about bovines or does COW stand for something? [@rodentwrites]

Ahh, thank you so much for asking!!! (and for giving me the change to ramble about We Only Know Thier Name For Certain!)

We Only Know Their Name For Certain is, actually, a terrible title, given that it's the first line of the story, and also that I didn't write it. That single line was a writing prompt that I found I don't even know where, but it stuck in my head. Around the time I found it (holy shit, that was 4-ish years ago???) I was assigned to write a short story for a state-wide short story contest as a class assingment.

My original idea was a short story told only in transcripts of messages left on an answering machine, and I'd like to revist that someday as well! But I hated it every time I tried to write it. And that writing prompt, those few magic words, was stuck in my head.

So, I opened my "fragments" document (aka, the google doc where I write down all the tiny little snippets that pop into my head and that never become more) and I started writing. I though I'd be lucky to get a paragraph. But, nope, I ended up with just over a thousand words. Just pumped them out in one sitting.

I showed it to my teacher, who is a harsh critic, and she loved it. I submitted it. It didn't even get close to winning, which was sad.

But I haven't even told you what it's about!! It's a weird little speculative story about humanity. Aliens have found Earth, some time in the future. But there is no life here. No people, no animals. Only plants, and some very strange graffitti. Here's the opening lines:

We only know their name for certain.  It was found, carved into every cliff face, written on every wall, visible everywhere we turned.  “We are Human”. We can only take it to mean that was their name.

Spooky shit, right? I haven't even figured out myself what happened to "us", but it can't be good....

Anyways, the rest of the story is basically this essay written by an alien, trying to explain, to understand humanity. They talk about the things they've found (airports, the University of Michigan's Big House, the Titanic, the Great Pyramids, Mt. Rushmore, etc.) and they make assumptions about us. Not really assumptions, but thoughts about who we were as a species.

It's obviously not my best writing, given that I wrote it at the age of 14 or 15, but I love it dearly, and now I really, really want to go back and revisit the idea!! So, thank you for the inspiration!!!

I'll talk about COW under the cut because this is already really long. (TW for injury and death (also child death) under the cut!!)

So, COW sadly has nothing to do with bovines. I love them, but that is not what this was. COW stands for "Creative Original Writing", and was a requirement for my, you guessed it, creative writing class.

At the end of the class (~12 weeks because my school was weird), we had to turn in 20 pages of our own writing, all of which was supposed to have been written during those 12 weeks. We had all of class every Friday to work on it, though.

My COW Writing is actually several things, the vast majority of which involve superheroes, because I loved (and still do) superhero fiction!! (Hence why I can't stop recommending the Villains series to anyone I meet, lmao.)

The first few pages (7 of them, to be precise) deal with Adrian St. Clair, a character that I made up for that very class. Most of my writing with him was really bad, and the only part that really matters is the first 235 words.

They're a re-written version of something I wrote 5-6 years ago, and that I don't have the original version anymore. But it's this little thing that talks about "the hero" and "the villain". They're taunting eachother, chasing. And the Hero jumps up on the railing of this pedestrian bridge, and is running along it, and somehow, he falls.

Well, then you find out that "the hero" and "the villain" are two children (brothers to be precise) who were playing in the park near their home. Yes, the one fell. Yes, he died. That was real. The last line is "How was I supposed to tell mom?" Because that poor kid (Adrian) is in shock. And of course, as a child, you screw something up and you think "shit, I need to either come clean or come up with a lie." And so that's where he's going. (Side note: what was up with my 7th grade brain when I first came up with that scene??? This version is from 11th grade, but it's almost verbatim from the original.)

The next part of the COW document was also something that started out on my "fragments" doc. I had written the original years previously, so I decided to rewrite it for this project.

This one has to do with a teenage vigilante named Ash, who has at some point prior to this scene been cut with a poisoned blade. She's trying to get to "safety", but very much out of it. (Side Note: how the hell did I write a better Poisoned Blade Disorientation Scene over a year ago (and also like, 6 years ago) than the 3 times I've tried to write a similar scene for ATQH??? HOW IS THAT FAIR???)

She imagines the headlines surrounding her death, and also the reaction of her younger sister, who she has apparently been caring for.

She makes it to "safety", but collapses on the steps, unable to reach the doorknocker. She thinks it's laughing at her.

(In the original version, in my "fragments" she is only rescued because her rival (the person she went to get help from but also the son of the city's most infamous villain), Nik's cat is meowing and trying to get his attention. He's like "what?" and then he sees A Leg out his window. Thank the cat, not him.)

The rest of the 20 pages is Adrian's real supervillain origin story. His mother works in a not-great part of town, and he visits her after school, even though she told him not to. He overhears these guys planning a robbery of some kind, and on the way home, he debates wether or not to report it. In the end, his goody-two-shoes side (or maybe his naivity) wins out, and he calls a tip line.

The woman on the other end is clearly apathetic, and seems to think it's a prank, but she assures him that the tip will be passed on to the proper authorities.

Later, his mom never comes home from work. Turns out that the robbery was planned on her work place, and she was killed in the crossfire. (It's mentioned earlier that her boss is a real shady guy, and probably some kind of drug dealer.)

Adrian is furious with the authorities (aka, the superheroes) for not doing anything, and thus begins his path to villain-hood. (Although I never got to write that far.)

Also, he spends some time after his mom's death with his elderly lesbian neighbor. Idk why, that's just what happens.

I'm SO sorry for the monster that this ask became. But I hope you find some part of it interesting?? Maybe??? If anyone read all the way to the bottom, you deserve a cookie and a hug, and please tell me what you think of my (kind of cringey) superhero shit. (Be nice about WOKTNFC, because I like that story, and I'm going to rewrite it.)

[calpalsworld]

Got A LOT of asks about Wu and Garmadon and their shapeshifting in Ninjago Respun so heres a BIG answer instead

[spoilers for canon Ninjago lore, and minor spoilers for Respun lore since I’ll gradually explain this all in canon anyway. Only read this if you are DYING to know I guess?] [Whenever I say “we’ll talk about that later” that basically means I won’t talk about that further even if you ask, sorry D: Gotta wait for the comic to address that.] CONTEXT: The First Spinjitzu Master was SOOO strong. He was NOT supposed to exist, not just because of the eternal war between Oni and Dragon, but because sex between the two does NOT usually yield any Baby?! (Plus some other reasons ill talk about later). So like. Woaaah wtf? So.... that one baby? The First Spinjitzu Master? Yeah, he is a god! All the powers that dragons and oni have? He has them, and more.

SOME FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER DETAILS:

Dragons usually only have titles for names, so “First Spinjitzu Master” is literally his name.

He is immortal.

Oni are shapeshifters with no defined form. Dragons are shapeshifters too, but to a lesser extent (we’ll talk about that later). So the First Spinjitzu Master is a shapeshifter too. And so, humans are literally the fursona of the FSM.

He can create shit like its no big deal. He made the land, the plants, the animals, the people, the elements -- he made *almost* EVERYTHING in the realm of Ninjago (we’ll talk about that later).

Some aspects of Ninjago’s many cultures came from the First Spinjitzu Master -- from Oni and Dragon -- but other parts developed independently. In the Oni-Dragon language, “he” is a pronoun referring to Oni, and “she” is a pronoun referring to Dragons. There are other things too but that would take A LONG TIME to talk about... moving on...

HISTORY OF WU AND GARMADON’S SHAPESHIFTING AND ONI-DRAGON HERITAGE BIRTH | YEAR 0: So, the immortal Oni-Dragon named the First Spinjitzu Master, aka: God, decided to create people for his cool awesome realm. He wanted humans to be different from himself, but he also wanted a couple people who were just like him that could continue his legacy. He wanted people who could forever defend what he created. So he just mpregged himself and made two kids! Lying: He summoned them into existence, no pregnancy involved, sorry. Cries. The first he created was named Garmadon (named by himself), and the second he created was named Wu (named by his dad like a loser HAHA). Garmadon was born (created) in late winter, and Wu was born (created) in early summer. Wu and Garmadon are biologically identical to their father, half Oni, half Dragon, and immortal. But they are not as powerful as him. Beings equally strong as himself would be impossible for the FSM to create. His sons don’t have the same creation powers as him, but they have the same Oni and Dragon abilities. When Wu was born (created), Garmadon instantly chose to look almost identical to Wu. He previously had a different form that the First Spinjitzu Master designed for him, but fuck that (we call this becoming the realm of Ninjago’s first transgender person). At birth they looked and acted like they were around 3 years old. CHILDHOOD | YEARS 0-30: Wu and Garmadon’s physical forms are a conscious decision, but are also affected by their subconscious mental states. This caused them to age like MOSTLY like a normal child would... just a BIT slower. They also interacted mostly with people the same age as them, and chose to age like they did (we’ll talk more about this later). Garmadon got bit by the Great Devourer when he was 7. His eyes would look like he is really high sometimes (glow red) because of the curse, unrelated to shapeshifting. He also has a scar on his arm from the bite and the venom. It is usually very hard to scar an Oni/Dragon, but it was a powerful, long-term, magical wound. The bite caused him to become soooooooo angry and evil that he made up a Oni-persona because Onis look evil and cool. The two of them were always distracted by exploring the world, rather than questioning who they were. They just knew their father was from “outside the realm” and “half oni, half dragon.” They knew he and they could live forever, while others couldn’t, and knew they could shapeshift, while others couldn’t. But they never questioned him further, like.... they didn’t really care lol. Around 30 they looked/acted like they were around 15 years old (around 30 is when they met Aspheera btw). TEENAGE YEARS/YOUNG ADULTHOOD | YEARS 30-70: More adventuring and not caring about who they are. On one adventure, Wu got “crucified” by a village of people, Breaking-Wheel-Style on a Dharmachakra, while Garmadon watched and laughed. Eventually Wu and Garmadon met this woman on their adventures. [[Ninjago spoilers, cough cough --mystaké, --cough cough]]. She cryptically explained a few things: Dragon and Oni were at war in the past, Dragons create, Oni destroy, and currently the two species are dispersed across the realms. Wu and Garmadon’s father got mad at this lady for spilling all these beans, so she shut up about the dragon and oni shit, but still guided them in other ways for many many many many many many many many years to come. Around age 60, Wu and Garmadon looked about 30 years old. Their father passed on when they were 60, and the brothers began to diverge in the way they physically looked. Prior to this, they were near identical and relatively normal looking. My dearest apologies to those of you who love sexy 30 year old sensei Wu, buuuttttttttt, over the next decade, Wu became eldercore and wisdompilled as fuck. Meanwhile, Garmadon became a ripped 7′0 hottie (smh), who SLOWLY got older over centuries, paralleling Misako’s age. We’ll talk about Misako later. CENTURIES GO BY | YEARS 70-450: Btw, despite being really hard to scar, Wu got scars on his arms from another “crucifixion” at some point. (we’ll talk more about this later). .......More stuff happens.... not related to onis or dragons shapeshifting...... At age 450: -- oh crap GARMADON YOURE EVIL AF *banishes him*. We’ll obviously talk a LOT more about the banishment event later, ofc. Garmadon gets #pissed and so #fuck #anger #kill that he turns into his four-armed oni-persona. Wu and Garmadon know dragons. Wu hid the four golden weapons so Garmadon could never get them, and had dragons guard them. He is actually pretty tight with these dragons. They’re his friends. They were friends with Garmadon too. In the “Pilot”, “Weapons of Destiny”, Wu could’ve stopped these dragons from fighting the Ninja, but he wanted to test his students lmao. As for Oni, Wu and Garmadon (believe they) have never met a full-Oni. UP TO THE CURRENT DAY | YEAR 610. Most of Ninjago’s people know nothing about Oni and Dragons. Oni and Dragons are just mythological, often dismissed as fake. They don’t know Wu, Garmadon, and the First Spinjitzu Master are related to Oni and Dragon at all. Their origin doesn’t need explanation to most citizens. People just think, “Oh, The FSM, Master Wu, and Lord Garmadon? You mean God, Jesus, and Evil Jesus?” (Of course, the “Jesus” part is COMPLETELY non-diegetic, and they don’t actually call them that. They don’t know wtf Jesus is). I could go off about religion in Ninjago, but don’t get me started lol XD So, in conclusion, we got two immortal half-dragon-half-oni idiots that are worshipped by the average citizen. Wu is purposefully eldercore, and Garmadon is purposefully a ripped 7′0 oni-persona hottie. Post that explains rules of oni-dragon shapeshifting. That’s the lore at the moment. Any thoughts? Criticisms? Any other questions?

[bottomvalerius]

Rosemary for all three please! I want to know their fondest memories 🥰

IM SO SORRY IT TOOK. SO LONG TO ANSWER THIS LMFAO

But!! This is from these asks here! Thank you for sending, this is sweet 🥺

Rosemary: What's their fondest memory?

Donna:

Ooh, Donna has a few, but the one that really holds a very special (and bittersweet) place in their heart is the first time their Aunt Dominique showed them how to use green magic. Donna doesn’t really use this themself, but as a child, they viewed all magic as dangerous due to their parents. Dom really showed them that there’s an equal opportunity for all magic to be healing and harmful, and she showed them by reviving a little patch of their garden with her magic. It’s a very vivid memory for them, and it’s one they reflect on often as without it, they probably would have never studied magic at all. They often think on it when they miss her, but it’s never enough for them to go home 🥺

Sam:

For Sam, I would say it was when his old patron, Mara, cut his hair short for the first time. It was one those subtle, life changing moments. Mara was always able to tell just exactly what Sam was thinking or feeling before he ever really said anything (or realized it himself), and she could tell he was really struggling to accept every part of himself. She opted to cut his hair short for the first time herself as opposed to hiring someone else; it was a very intimate moment, and she was very caring but silent the entire time. She just kinda let him soak up and dwell on all of his feelings, and he could really see himself for the first time as a person he wanted to be after a lifetime of repressing it. (Obviously, Sam presents much differently than he did as a younger man, but that just came about with age LMAO)

Damien:

Like everything with Damien, he has two very impactful memories, but they oppose one another. The first mirrors Donna’s in that it was the first time he showed he had almost a natural affinity towards magic (it also involved plants). Donna took a moment to really just sit and explain to him what it was he was doing, how wonderful it was that he was already casting such powerful spells, and all the good he could do with it. They were extremely ecstatic, and the two spent the rest of the day going over very basic spells together. On the opposite end, he had a very similar experience with Valdemar; the two had hit a wall in his training, and in the heat of the moment, he was able to reanimate a large (dead) animal right as Valdemar was losing hope he could. It was the first time Valdemar showed a real, genuine happiness towards his abilities since the first time they met and he really hangs onto their happy expression as they praised him. Both of these events are very motivating to him; he wants to make both of his “parental” (Valdemar is…. A weird figure in Damien’s life LOL) figures proud of him, and he wants to show them both how powerful he can be.

[peridaniel]

Ok so Luz studies all the tracks at Hexside, we all know that, but I've never seen any discussion on what she, as a human, actually does in each of the tracks, or what tracks are her strong suits and which ones she's a little weak in.

Personally, I think her best track is, of all things, construction. I started thinking about this when I remembered what Dana said in her AMA about how she said she'd probably join the Construction Coven because of the strength training and creativity involved- Luz probably has a good brain for coming up with creative/innovative architecture and good drawing skill to get it on paper! And she probably has a lot of ideas that would fit right in with the vibe of the Boiling Isles. So in my mind, she mostly takes classes in and generally works with the more creative/design side of the Construction track, but she still occasionally gets her hands dirty and builds with them (and hey, those power glyphs probably work on humans too...). Perhaps the more physical aspects of it are what got rid of her "weak nerd arms". anyway the construction teachers love her and think she should join that coven if she sticks around on the isles (not that she would limit herself like that lmao)

Aside from that, potions really don't seem to use much magic but might be enhanced by it? She got a bad start in that track, but once she stopped being distracted, she probably does ok in it. Bard, Beast Keeping, and Healing are probably tracks that are also more enhanced by magic than running on it (maybe some sort of siren abilities that can be activated and deactivated for the Bard track, and ability to speak to animals with the Beast Keeping track), but she manages without those abilities, especially with Beast Keeping. Girl definitely loves her animals and can work with them well, magic or not.

Plant, Illusions, and Abominations are three tracks that use proper/more direct spell casting, and she's already learned the glyph for plant magic. Honestly, I'm excited for her to learn the glyphs to summon illusions and abominations, but in the meantime, she probably just learns about them and what she needs to do to control them, which is particularly easy with abominations, since she can likely work with someone else's (and by someone else's I mean probably Amity's) and train theirs. That way, when she does learn the glyphs for them, she'll already have a good grip on how to control them.

oracle she probably doesn't do too well in purely because she just fucks around with ghosts instead of doing her work

anyway I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this so feel free to add some

[fullyfunctionalapprentice]

🌊, 🎈, and 🍵 for both. - vesuvian-disaster

Driftwood (sea-savviness):

Aleis travelled quite a bit, from their late teens through late 20s; quite a bit of this was by sea. They and Lua racked up years of sailing experience, on both small and large craft, and proved a force to be reckoned with, between Aleis's weatherworking and Lua's shapeshifting, both of which give them a strong affinity for the sea. I'm not saying they've been a pirate...but I'm not *not* saying it either.

---

Turel travels by sea with some regularity; it isn't his favourite means of transport, because there's no such thing as privacy aboardship and because ships are, quite literally, a pain in the neck for someone his size. Like many very tall people, he's highly coordinated and graceful - but there's a vast difference between not knocking into things and actually being comfortable.

When he travels by sea, he pays his fare at least in part by working, even when he can afford it with cash alone, because he hates sitting idle, loves physical work, and finds that crews are understandably more at ease with him as a temporary co-worker than just...a giant who never talks? He's quite a competent sailor, but wouldn't want to make a career of it, including piracy.

Balloon (oddest possible happy relationship):

I'm not sure, really, because I don't know what standards of odd to apply. Aleis and Turel are themselves both Highly Peculiar People, so anyone compatible enough to be in a relationship of any nature would have to be pretty eccentric themselves. If it's the relationship itself that should be odd, what makes a relationship odd? They're both bisexual and polyamorous. Turel doesn't have a fixed abode; he has lovers in different locales, a fact about which he is open. Aleis lives sometimes in Muriel's hut with him, and travels to the South with him, and sometimes lives above the shop with Lua and Asra.

I guess Aleis's oddest relationships would be their friendship with Vlastomil and their...friendly rivalry? Nemesis-with-benefits? thing??? with Vulgora, because Aleis is a martial artist and helps Vulgora readjust to being human(ish) and they consensually beat the crap out of each other, which frequently turns into a far nakeder sort of strenuous physical activity lmao

Gonna just say Turel's oddest relationship is all of them because the man's a fucking cryptid? He isn't an apprentice and I don't have any set ideas for his relationships with canon characters aside from Muriel. He's been rattling around my brain for seven-ish years and I want to put him out there for other people to interact with, I suppose.

Tea (magic focus items or rituals etc)

Aleis's magic works through a combination of mental focus and physical movement, specifically a fusion of dance and martial art, much like bending in the ATLA universe. They move energy through their bare hands and feet, or through a blade, for which they favour a hand-and-a-half sword, preferably some variety of long sabre. As a weatherworker with an affinity for storms, their sphere of influence is wind currents, precipitation, and water; before their death, they were a master storm-worker, capable of influencing continent-wide weather systems and making lightning dance to their whim - though not at all given to the former, being quite restrained in any use of power with such wide scope due to the many, many factors involved and the corresponding potential for catastrophe. During canon, they're getting back in touch with their magical affinity, and, with their new and odd start, exploring unconventional ways of using its components.

---

Turel's magic runs very very deep and is very subtle - less an overt thing than a heavy weight on the fabric of reality. If it has a focus at all, that focus would be his hands: broad across the callused palms, the long fingers flecked with little scars, a few knuckles wider or offset from the others, nails kept short, earth and ink ground too deep into the deep copper skin to scrub out. Builder's hands, gardener's hands, craftsman's hands. The plants he grows have strong roots, their fruits are delicious and nourishing and in the gardens he plants anywhere he settles more than a few weeks there is a peace and a clarity, and they flourish long after he has left. Animals will go to those gardens, to whelp or to die in peace and safety. Items he makes hold up well, are seldom lost, and grow in beauty as they age. Often you will find one to hand when you need it most, even if you had thought it lost.

But that's just because he is an excellent craftsman, right? You can show the little knife he made you to a magician, and they'll examine it and hand it back to you with a faint bemusement that you thought its nature magical. Just a well trained eye and a careful, skilful hand; just a love of the work and an eye for beauty. And the fruits of the little kitchen gardens are just that, just good food, from healthy plants in good soil (even if the house is built on clay.)

[maxrev]

Traditions for Tradition’s Sake

Thank you @nightmarestudio606 for the help with a title, as I was just too happy to write something to think so far ahead lmao

Anyway, have some Niall and Kaidan at Christmastime (a bit late) 

“So, where we off to?” Niall asked. 

“It’s a surprise,” Kaidan told him. 

“I hate surprises.” 

Pausing in the act of pouring hot chocolate into two large travel mugs, Kaidan smirked, “Do not. You love surprises.” 

With a look worthy of the Grinch himself, Niall huffed in annoyance. “Fine but only when they involve you,” he conceded.

“Good thing this one does then. It means you’re sure to love it.” 

Niall slumped against the counter, defeated, and watched Kaidan move around the kitchen in a continuous rhythm, packing a basket full of goodies. Of course, the hot chocolate was not complete without a can of whipped cream for topping and cinnamon to taste. He was also pretty sure he’d seen a flask of whiskey make its  way into the basket. When he’d questioned Kaidan, all he’d gotten was ‘something to make them toasty.’ Didnae need whiskey for that. 

However, it meant wherever they were going was sure to be cold. Although, snuggling up with Kaidan had many advantages and was worth braving the temperature and snow outside.  

He was currently packing small snack bags of pretzels dipped in yogurt and chocolate, frosted Christmas cookies, and Niall’s personal favorite, shortbread. Though the last was only added recently, just for him. Each goodie Kaidan and his mother, Grace, had made by hand, their own little tradition since he’d been a boy. And while he and his mother baked, he’d go out with his father to cut down a Christmas tree, something the three men had done together this year, walking all the way out to the back plot of land which had never been cleared for planting fruit trees and boasted a forest with all different sizes of evergreens. 

The Alenko family traditions had now become a part of Niall’s life, though he chose to help only minimally in the kitchen. He’d didn’t mind cooking but baking was too precise and he nearly always messed something up. 

He reveled in being part of such a close, loving family and how they celebrated, missing the ones he’d had with his own family, now all gone. 

Once the last item made it into the basket, Kaidan stopped, hands on hips,  brown eyes checking every inch of the kitchen to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Walking towards the pantry, his tousled dark head disappeared inside. Niall looked at the basket, thinking it probably weighed more than the St. Bernard, Riley, currently snoozing by the fire. 

“You know,” he mused, “if ya keep feedin’ me like this, I’ll be looking like St. Nick verra soon.” 

Kaidan emerged from the pantry, a wicked grin on his face. With a wink, he sauntered over to Niall, arms wrapping around his waist as he leaned in close and whispered in his husky voice, warm breath tickling Niall’s lips, “Then I guess I’ll have to sit on your lap and tell you exactly what I want for Christmas.” 

Eager to hear more, Niall countered with, “Dinnae keep me waitin’. Tell me now.” 

Kaidan chuckled, low and soft. “Don’t worry, I will. But,” he held a finger against his lips, “we have things to do first.” 

Much to Niall’s dismay, he turned and hefted the heavily laden basket with ease and walked towards the front door, a smile on his lips as he looked over his shoulder. “Come on, Santa, let’s go. I have a surprise for you.” 

“I do love surprises.” 

“I thought you didn’t.” Kaidan had stopped by the door to bundle up warmly. 

“Changed my mind. Ya did say the surprise involved you.” 

“Oh, indeed it does.” Kaidan gave him a heated look before bundling up and headed out the door. If he kept it up, Niall would be shedding layers all the way to -- well, wherever they were headed. With a sigh, he slipped on his boots and gloves, donned his pea coat, and reached for the toque and scarf Grace had knitted just for him in his favorite colors; black, red, and white. An early Christmas present. 

He stepped out onto the porch to find a winter wonderland scene straight from a painting; multicolored lights swayed from the eaves in a soft puff of wind. The porch railings were wrapped in the same lights, twinkling merrily, their colors muted, reflecting against the pristine snow. The railings along the porch and steps were wrapped with lights and garland, intertwined. 

A large pine tree off to the side of the porch was also wrapped with lights, both multicolored and white. As he closed the door, a thick, beautiful evergreen wreath decorated with assorted Christmas decorations and bells, jingled softly. The foggy windows along the porch were gently lit from within by battery operated candles, shedding amber light out onto the porch. 

Hearing a noise, he turned, mouth dropping in an O of surprise. Kaidan stood in front of his parent’s beautiful black Friesian, Warlock, coat glistening in the light of a half moon, whispering to him quietly while one hand played with the forelock. The horse nudged him in the chest, making him stumble, and he laughed in response before pulling a carrot from his pocket. Niall felt green with envy. As the horse happily munched on the carrot, the bells around it’s neck rang in the air. 

Behind the horse sat a beautiful sleigh, adorned with intricate designed scrollwork one might find in days gone by. It was a deep red, the designs painted a shimmering gold. The runners waxed and ready to glide effortlessly over the snow. Inside the bench seat was covered in red velvet and piled high with warm woolen blankets and at least a few afghans he was sure Grace had knitted over the years. 

Walking down steps cleared of snow, Niall appreciated the sight of Kaidan’s dark head resting against Warlock’s, kindred spirits. 

Kaidan looked over as he approached, “Ready for an adventure?”

“Oh, 'tis an adventure yer plannin’? I thought ‘twas a surprise?” 

“It’s a surprise adventure.” At Niall’s look of skepticism, he amended, “An adventurous surprise?” 

Niall couldn’t help but smile, “With you? Always.” 

Leaving the horse, Kaidan walked over to wrap Niall’s scarf snuggly about his neck before tucking it inside his coat. 

“What, am I wee lad of five?” 

Kaidan tugged on the scarf, before smacking Niall lightly on the shoulder, “Sometimes, though there’s truly nothing wee about you. Now, climb in and let’s get going.” 

As soon as he was settled, Kaidan flicked the reigns and called out, “Time to go, Warlock. Let’s show Niall some amazing sights.” 

The horse neighed in response and with little effort, pulled them forward and on into the night. As if powered by holiday magic, the sleigh glided effortlessly over the mounds of snow like it was floating along in the air. Niall remained quiet, taking in the peaceful moonlit scened around them. The trees in the orchard, all lined up in rows, and the evergreens scattered haphazardly about, wore their winter coats with refined elegance. 

The air was sharp, crisp, and fresh; completely unlike the salty sea air they had living on the beach. It was brisk and cold, clearing Niall’s head from the usual doubts and anxiety which always seemed to follow him around, though less and less as the months went by.

Above them, a dark, velvety canopy was the backdrop for millions of twinkling lights, the stars on gorgeous display as if the whole galaxy was a Christmas tree. 

As if no time had passed, Niall realized with a start the sled was slowing to a stop in a small, sheltered alcove amongst the hills, a windbreak of evergreens behind them to keep the chill winter breeze off their skin. Kaidan climbed out and whispered to Warlock while rubbing his neck. Going back to the sleigh, he reached behind the seat and brought out some hay, spreading it out on the ground for the horse. 

It was just like Kaidan to always make sure everyone, animal or person, had what they needed. 

He climbed back in and reached inside the basket to hand Niall his mug and the flask of whiskey. 

“Tryin’ ta get me drunk and take advantage of me?” He dangled the flask in the air. “Take more’n this ta do the trick.” 

A dark brow shot up in response, “I need to get you drunk to take advantage of you?” 

Without waiting for a response, because they both knew it wasn’t true, Kaidan dug around in the basket and pulled out some of the goodies he’d packed and handed them over. He then shook out several blankets and layered them on their laps before wrapping two of the afghans around their shoulders. A nice, toasty cocoon of warmth. 

Niall added a bit of cinnamon to their mugs and Kaidan followed it with a dram of whiskey and topped them with whipped cream. The two sat side by side in this quiet little world, munching contentedly on Christmas snacks and drinking hot chocolate. The whiskey warmed him from the inside out and while it was cold, he wasn’t too uncomfortable. Besides, their body heat warmed him up quite well. 

Following a bite of cookie with hot chocolate, Niall swallowed them down and asked, because he was really curious. “So, is there any particular reason we ventured out in weather cold enough to freeze my bollocks into bags of ice? Is this a strange Canadian passtime or something?” 

Kaidan nearly choked on his drink, coughing and sputtering with laughter. “Um...no. No, it isn’t. But, there’s actually a very good reason we’re doing this. Just enjoy the surroundings - and the company - and be patient.” 

“‘Tis no virtue of mine, patience, as you well know but aye, the company is verra enjoyable.” 

Leaning over, Kaidan softly brushed their lips together. “For me too.”

Wherever Kaidan was, Niall wanted to be there. It didn’t matter the circumstances, just as long as they were together. With Kaidan by his side, he could face anything head on. 

They sat in the sleigh snuggled side by side, eating, drinking, and talking. Eventually, despite the cold, Niall began to drift off. He was happy, warm, and full; the perfect recipe for a nap. 

Kaidan nudged him lightly, “Hey, sleepyhead, wake up.” 

Niall blinked open his eyes, “What’d I miss?” 

“Well, my stellar company for one.” Niall snorted and Kaidan glanced at him in mock indignation. “Are you saying my company isn’t any good?” As Niall shook his head no, yet didn’t stop laughing, he sighed and crossed his arms. “You also missed the moose who came up and asked for directions.” 

Struggling for breath at the statement, mentioned so seriously with no hint of amusement, Niall managed to spit out a retort, “Must’ve been a female. A male wouldn’t ask for directions.”

“Very funny, Niall.”

“Ya know ‘tis true.” 

“You didn’t miss anything yet,” Kaidan assured him. 

Mouth cracking open in a wide in a yawn, he waited, then asked, “Hey, d’ya have anymore shortbread? Oh, and whiskey. My bollocks really are goin ta freeze off.” 

“Those wee things? I doubt it.” Niall glared at him. “So I’m not keeping you warm anymore? That hurts.” 

Niall nudged him, “Stop. Ya know I just want more.” 

Kaidan chuckled, “Yeah, I do.” He handed the flask over along with a bag of the shortbread, pulling it back when Niall reached for it, eyes narrowing in thought, “Although, you did say you were worried about becoming St. Nick. Maybe you’ve had enough?” 

“Well, you dinnae seem upset if I did, so why should I worry? More of me tae love, aye?” 

“Ohhhh, aye.” Kaidan eyed him up and down as if he was a popsicle and the weather was dangerously hot. Might end up there at this rate. 

He popped a piece of shortbread into his mouth and as he chewed, Kaidan grabbed his hand and squeezed, “There! Look up, Niall.” 

Nearly choking on the shortbread, he did and was overcome with awe at the site which greeted him. Across the sky was a giant ribbon of colors in vibrant hues of pink, blue, violet and green. They flowed across the dark sky, lighting it up like a carnival, colors swaying and dancing to the earth’s own music. It was spectacular. Niall felt small in the presence of a wonder such as this. 

He watched for several minutes, mesmerized, at the splendor before him. Turning, he saw Kaidan watching him. 

“You’re not watchin’ them dance?” 

“I’ve seen it a few times and right now, I’m enjoy watching you more. The look of awe and wonder on your face, the colors as they dance across your skin, is much better than watching them in the sky.” 

Voice gruff with emotion, Niall pulled him close, “Ach, ya flatterer,” for a kiss which left them both breathless and hungry for more. Very warm as well. 

As they watched the light a bit longer before they began to fade, Niall spoke softly, “My da told me about them as a wee lad. Said his da had showed him, told him a story they were our kin, gone up to heaven and paintin’ the sky just for us. I remember I could imagine Gilliana doing such when she...well, maybe ‘tis all of them up there now, paintin’ the sky for me. And you now, as well.” 

“What a beautiful thought, Niall. I love it and from what you’ve shared of them, think they would do so, Gilliana spurring them on.” 

Turning, he captured Kaidan’s face in his hands, “Tapadh leibh, mo chridhe*,” he whispered softly against his lips. 

“You’re welcome. Thank you for coming along and enduring the chilly weather just for me.” 

Niall snorted, “Chilly, he says. Aye, I’m happy to be here with ya.” 

Grasping the reigns, Kaidan turned Warlock and headed for home, remaining quiet, leaving Niall to this thoughts who knew he would treasure the memory of this night forever. 

[turning-the-frigging-frogs-gay]

for the animal crossing asks !

1, 8, 30 and 47 :D

1 - when did you start playing new horizons

In May of 2020!! I saw some of the hype around the game here on tumblr and thought it was something I might enjoy!! I also saw people posting about Raymond and he looked a lot like a character from sanders sides (one of my other fandoms) which is why he became my first dreamie :D going into the game he was basically the only villager I knew

8 - fav time of day to play

Sunrise and sunsets for me!! The music at that time is the best and the game does such a good job with the lighting, but if I had to pick between the 2 I’ve always been an early morning gal!! 5 6 and 7am are some of my fav tracks and there’s just something magical about watching the sun come up

30 - least fav villager personality type

I’ve never been able to vibe with snooty villagers. I don’t quite get why, but I think The Eloise Autofill of 2020 had something to do with it. I now have Claudia for the purpose of getting all the snooty reactions and talking to her I definitely don’t mind her, I’m interested in fashion and design like her and I love the sassy energy she has! But I don’t vibe with her in the same way I do with my peppy or smug or jock villagers. It’s probably how formal she is, she doesn’t regularly say stupid things like the others - too smart for me lmao

47 - favorite thing to do in the game

That has kinda changed over time tbh!! Back when I first started playing it was always chatting with my villagers, but now I’ve heard every dialogue so many times that isn’t as interesting anymore, but I still check on everyone at least once every day!! I love chilling and doing daily tasks, planting my money tree, interacting with my visiting NPC, checking out what nooks and ables are selling.

I never used to like decorating but now I’m more involved with the community I can be inspired by others’ builds and I’m enjoying working on my kidcore island so much thanks to the inspiration of the fandom!!

Tysm for the ask and letting me rant haha

Acnh ask game

[bowtied-pasta]

MATCHUP THANK YOU BOW YOURE SO KIND TO US REMEMBER TO DRINK SOME WATER 💖

My name is Cody, ftm and achillean/mlm, I have chronic anxiety and a whole slew of other mental disorders that make me anxious like all the time lmao, I am absolutely in love with nature and love being in it even though I can't be outside for long cause I can't stand the heat but I'm able to last longest on hiking trails in mountain forrests cause it's cooler, my favorite movies are Howl's Moving Castle, Coraline, and Death proof, I love reading and embroidery, I play d&d on the weekends, and I like to cook sometimes! Am an all animal person but prefer pets like cats and snakes!

I match you with Slenderman

Believe it or not, such a dapper, refined and eloquent man such as himself was once an awkward and anxious little bean of an entity that could tell you nothing more than facts about bugs and plant life. So he can relate to the anxiety part, even if he has overcome that part of his life.

You love nature but don’t like the heat? Perfect. He has a small effect on the weather around his area, this is mostly due to some magic he dabbles in, not that he’ll tell you how he does it. Cool, Autumn like weather on all of your little forest walk together. He’ll even get some fog involved if it means setting a mood. 👻

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars LIX (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: This is almost the same as in the book only I added some stuff about Mel’s parents ig lmao -Danny

Words: 2,181

Warnings: This is all drama.

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Chapter Eighteen: The Animagi.

"You're both mental." Ron said in disbelief.

"Ridiculous!" said Hermione.

"Peter Pettigrew's dead! He killed him twelve years ago!" Harry pointed at Black.

"I meant to, but little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though!"

Black threw himself over the bed to reach for Scabbers, hurting Ron in the process. Mel pushed him away yelling.

"Don't touch him!"

A small wave shot off of her then, strong enough to move Black to the other side of the raggedy mattress.

"Sirius, NO!" Lupin yelled, reaching for his friend and sitting him up. Black was looking at her with curiosity. "WAIT! You can't do it just like that — they need to understand — we've got to explain —"

"We can explain afterwards!" Black snapped back, turning to face him.

"They've — got — a — right — to — know — everything! Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry — you owe Harry and Mel the truth, Sirius!"

Black's eyes moved from the rat to her face, briefly meeting her gaze. There was something in the way he looked at her, something close to recognition.

"All right, then. Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for..."

"You're nutters, both of you," said Ron holding Scabbers tightly against his chest. "I've had enough of this. I'm off."

"Don't be stupid," Mel replied, turning to face him. "You can't move."

Ron ignored her, he tried to get up on his own, but Lupin raised his wand again, pointing it at Scabbers. Mel was quick to raise her wand at him.

"You said you weren't going to hurt us."

"I won't. You're going to hear me out," He said quietly. "Just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen, Ron."

"HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" Ron yelled in exasperation. He lost his balance and Harry caught him, helping him back on the bed.

"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die," Harry said calmly. "A whole street full of them..."

"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" Black exclaimed, with the remnants of his old insanity showing up.

"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter. I believed it myself — until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's map never lies. Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."

Mel wasn't looking at her friends, her wand still pointing at her uncle. She was starting to feel a bit drained after her boost of energy. She knew that if she had to, she wouldn't be able to hurt her uncle. She still saw him as her family, the only man that had made his part as some sort of fatherly figure. Yet, he was helping the one that had caused her to live without a father in the first place, and the deafening silence behind her let her know that the boys weren't believing even a bit of the man's story.

"But Professor Lupin... Scabbers can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..." Hermione started.

"Why can't it be true?" Lupin asked.

"Because... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework — the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things... and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list —"

"Right again, Hermione!" Lupin said through a chuckle. "But the Ministry never knew that there used to be four unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus," Black growled. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

"All right, but you'll need to help me, Sirius," said Lupin, "I only know how it began..."

The bedroom door opened. Lupin got nearer and looked out into the landing.

"No one there..."

"This place is haunted!" said Ron.

"It's not," The man replied casually. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted... The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me."

Mel blinked in surprise, her hand slowly lowering on its own while her uncle continued his story. He'd mentioned it before, the Willow had been planted on the year he arrived at school, and it was right above the passageway that led to this place... a place to hide and avoid hurting others.

"My transformations in those days were — were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumor... Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don't dare approach it... But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, five great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and, of course, your parents — James, Matthew, and Emily."

She knew it by now, how close all of them were. Yet, she felt like it was all dream, that soon someone would wake her and say she was imagining things, that she and Harry had nothing in common and those secrets were all product of her imagination. She was tired of all the secrets. When Mel had asked him how'd he gotten his scars her uncle had said 'I was really clumsy as a child'. She had laughed at that, thinking all kinds of fun adventures involving him, now thinking of what really entailed those scars, her heart felt heavy.

"Now, my friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her. I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, worked out the truth... Your parents were quite clever, Mel. They could sense a lie from miles away, but the really impressive thing was that they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."

"My dad too?" asked Harry in amazement.

"Yes, indeed," said Lupin.  "Your mother didn't, Mel. Emily decided to stay out of it, she wasn't eager to turn into a bunny –She always joked about how she was sure that she'd turn into one of those fluffy white ones..." Lupin laughed quietly. "It took them the best part of three years but your fathers and Sirius were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong — one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James, Matt, and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."

"But how did that help you?" said Hermione.

"They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals," said Lupin. "A werewolf is only a danger to people. They sneaked out of the castle every month under James's Invisibility Cloak. They transformed... Peter, or Matt, as the smallest of our group, could slip beneath the Willow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would then slip down the tunnel and join me. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them."

"Hurry up, Remus."

"I'm getting there, Sirius, I'm getting there... well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. Matt's had sharp claws and a strong beak, he could hurt if he wanted to. I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did... And that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs and Ruddy..."

"My dad," Mel frowned. "Why?"

Lupin smiled.

"The bird he turned into was covered in Scarlet feathers– we thought it was funny, back then many things seemed funny to us."

"What sort of animal — ?" Hermione cut Harry's question.

"That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?"

"A thought that still haunts me, and there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless — carried away with our own cleverness. Matt and I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course... he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and Matt had been almost a son to him, and he had no idea that we were breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led four fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventure. And I haven't changed..."

Her father was an animagi and he felt just as guilty as her for betraying Dumbledore's trust, she thought that maybe all of the Dumbledores would always feel a burden to carry out their name proudly, even if they didn't have anything special.

"All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me... and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it... so, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."

"Snape?" said Black, suddenly he was just as interested in the story as the rest of the kids. "What's Snape got to do with it?"

"He's here, Sirius. He's teaching here as well." He turned to the children. "Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me —"

Black scoffed.

"It served him right," He replied dryly. "Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to, hoping he could get us expelled..."

"Severus was very interested in where I went every month. We were in the same year, you know, and we — er — didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field... anyway, Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be — er — amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it — if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf — but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life... Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was..."

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," said Harry. "because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"And that's why he treats us like rubbish?" Mel asked bitterly. "We just remind him too much of his old bullies?"

"That's right,"  A cold voice said behind Lupin.

Severus Snape was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing directly at Lupin.

Next Chapter —>

Taglist. 

@tiphareth2018​ @vampiregirl1797​ @siriuslysirius1107​ @celestialhayi​ @mikariell95​ @omiwashere​ @thesuitelifeofafangirl​ @reverse-hxlland​ @steve-thotgers​ @kylosleftbuttcheek​ @tomshollandz​

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

Gotterdammerung Thoughts

I’m going to pen down my thoughts on LB2. Be warned this is likely to be long and its going to be very spoilery. 

I think this was a pretty fine Lostbelt. It wasn’t amazing by any means, but I do think the story was done well. Part of what kept me from 100% appreciating the story is already knowing a few of the big twists: the first being that Surtr is involved in the Lostbelt and second being that Ophelia dies. I couldn’t really help that since I played this LB on JP, and even though I can’t read Japanese very well, the CG and the Surtr fights make it pretty clear. 

I really enjoyed the twist that Ophelia’s true Lostbelt Servant was Surtr, and that it was connected to her Mystic Eyes. It did solve a longstanding question I had about the Lostbelt: “How exactly did Surtr become involved? How is he a part of Sigurd?” 

I think if I had any major criticism, it’s that Napoleon can be a little much at times. I don’t really think he’s a bad person, just very uncomfortably forward at times but it really does seem like his actions are motivated by a sense of wanting to do right. It’s more an annoyance than anything else because some parts of his dialogue were genuinely uncomfortable to read, but I don’t think it ruined his character. 

Sigurd & Brynhildr along with the Valkyrie sisters really were the highlight of this chapter. The former are just adorable together and the latter are tragic. It hurt seeing Thrud and Hildr commit suicide, to see Ortlinde stand there not being truly able to understand why they did that, and to see the pain it caused Byrnhildr. 

Sigurd is a good partner. Even when his girlfriend is driven to murder him he’s like “Well I won’t die, and I’ll just love and cherish and accept you”. Need me a freak like that. 

I feel like any discussion on LB2 should go over a couple of controversial points:

Do I think the discussion of “We have to have kids at 15 or we die” was inappropriate?: The answer to that is no. I will give it was never explicitly condemned, although I believe there is a line by Mash talking about how its a shame kids aren’t given the time to grow up, but it’s pretty clear from the framing that this isn’t a good thing. It’s not fetishized or taken lightly really. The character designs are a really good indication of this! Nobody is sexualized and they really don’t dwell on this point too much beyond Goredolf’s and Mash’s horror that Gerda doesn’t seem anything wrong with her lot in life. 

I don’t think that lacking that explicit disapproval somehow makes it implicit approval. It’s all about framing. 

Do I think the justification for Scathach-Skadi’s population control is poor?: No, absolutely not. I’m only addressing this because this one complain particularly annoyed me because it was argued in complete bad faith. We need to talk about two things: the first being who Skadi is and the second being who Surtr is. 

Skadi is the Goddess of a number of things, but the most relevant here is winter She’s not a goddess of fertility or harvest, or summer. Winter is inherently antithetical to crop growing. Just as I think it would be unfair for us to expect Ereshkigal to somehow lead the world back to agricultural healthiness, we really shouldn’t expect Skadi to be able to do that well. It’s worth noting that in the Ragnarok myth that we know of, it’s not Skadi who leads the remaining two humans, but its Baldr who notably is a God of summer, along with light and purity. All good things to have when repairing a world destroyed by Surtr. 

Surtr is notable for being on the arguably strongest beings in Norse Mythology. He’s the final hour of Ragnarok. He kills the God Freyr (to my recollection, the head Vanir God, although I might be mistaken) and he completely destroys the world. In Fate, since it’s trying to balance multiple mythologies, his role was redefined to ending the Age of Gods in the Norse world. There are a couple of really notable things that Surtr has inherently: the first is that his sword, Leagjarn Loptr, was a sword forged by the planet, which puts it in the same category as Excalibur and probably other weapons like Rhongomyniad, and its notably a sword of destruction. This means its really, really good at what it does! Just as Excalibur is really good at guaranteeing victory and defending the planet! 

He also burns away an entire layer of reality which is a pretty big deal in the Nasuverse. It’s why its speculated there is so little evidence of Ragnarok: there just isn’t any left. In the Lostbelt, he decides to do our version of his job, which is to destroy the world. It’s important to note there is a lot of language in LB2 that does a good job describing what he’s like. He’s called “a destruction God”, he’s compared to the incineration of Humanity, with it being noted he’s only different in respect that he can only burn away the present, and he’s compared to the bleaching of the Earth. Surtr being able to destroy the planet because of his connection to the tree isn’t just for show. Surtr is stronger in the Lostbelt than he is in Panhuman history thanks to absorbing Fenrir’s Authority. 

He’s equivalent to a violent volcanic eruption, but here’s the thing with volcanoes. The soil they often leave behind is rich in nutrients, but it also wouldn’t be arable if it wasn’t for life. A lot of plant life is specifically adapted to taking advantage of this. But Surtr is more like a giant asteroid, because he leaves nothing left. His sword is much, much hotter than a volcano, which means its going to burn away everything. Plants, animals, the life in the soil, everything. Surtr damaged the world so much that its barely capable of sustaining life. He’s not meant to do this: it is specifically for this reason that this is a Lostbelt. 

Is it really surprising then that Skadi isn’t able to recover the world, having to keep the magical energy up for wards, giant control, her envoys, in just 3000 years? No, not really. End rant. 

LB2 was a really entertaining story, although the little felt a little slow. The story really picks up once Napoleon comes along, which is good and kept me interested. .

Maybe an 8/10? 7.75? I dunno numbers are stupid lmao