#mer!sinclairs

[dumb-gay-shipping]

For mermay day 11 but also for some femslashfeb that didn't get finished. I give you Wednesday and Enid betta mers.

A courting display is a lot of communication

They are based on a alien (wild hybrid) betta and a rainbow half moon betta

[femmeslash]

various advice tidbits on writing limbus company fic

from my own personal notes 👍 i will likely add on more to this later. this is all based on the official english translation.

Vergilius seems to refer to everyone by their full name. He calls Faust "Ms. Faust" in the prologue and "Miss Faust" in the Dante's Notes mini episodes. He calls Dante just "Dante" most of the time, but sometimes uses "Manager Dante" to make a point. I don't speak Korean so please correct me if this is wrong, but I think Faust is the only one he uses an honorific for.

Charon calls Vergilius "Verg" and the bus "Mephi". It stands to reason that she would similarly shorten others' names if she were addressing them directly.

Regarding Don: "Don Quixote" is her full name. "Don" is a title in Spanish, but seems to be part of her name here. She is never referred to as "Don" or "Quixote", only "Don Quixote". Hong Lu and Yi Sang are similar in that both parts are the full name.

Meursault is pronounced "mer-SO". There's two u's in his name, just like in the word vacuum.

Heathcliff most likely does not have a surname. In Wuthering Heights, he is raised alongside the Earnshaw children but is notably not considered an Earnshaw. He has one name, like Cher and Michelangelo. This can be seen in Limbus in his icon, which reads CE ❤️ HC (Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff).

Rodya's name in her source material is Rodion Raskolnikov. Since she is female in Limbus, her surname becomes Raskolnikova.

Gregor is Jewish; this shouldn't need to be said but it does bear repeating. Please do not have him celebrating Christian holidays. He would not fucking say that.

Sinclair canonically said the word "legit" to Kromer which is something I think of often when trying to figure out if a word seems too informal for him to say. He's well-educated and polite most of the time, but he did still call her a bitch too. Sinclair can say rude words.

Ryoushuu's SANGRIA usually spell out a word. She sometimes uses two- or three-letter ones that don't spell anything on their own (like RB, EC, CIH), but four or more letters will spell a word (SYNC, TRANCHES, NOUN, etc). She will not say HMFTDIHTST or anything of that nature. Rule of thumb: if it's more than three letters, it spells something. (The one exception I have found is her W Corp ID, which has a skill called DDEDR.)

Reading the character's source material can give you incredible insight into why they act the way they do, even if we've already been through their Canto. I strongly recommend looking into the source works as part of a well-rounded analysis.

[gregorsamsaautism]

more mer designs!!  sinclair (blue-ringed octopus), ishmael (dumbo octopus), hong lu (Blue dragon sea slug) and yi sang (manta ray)

[manybcdthings]

felix's apartment

felix ranstrom and isabella belcourt @rviner

After enduring what could only be described as the world's most horrendous escape room attempt, Felix was happy to be home. And of course, happier that Bella was home with him. "I suppose it still counts as an achievement." he chuckled to himself about their evening but just as he tossed his keys and wallet into the bowl by the door, every single light through his space dimmed into a dramatic low glow.

Felix blinked, watching as Bella emerged further into his apartment that was suddenly dropped into a romantic atmosphere. Immediately, the gentle piano keys of La Mer filled the air throughout the space. "You're not going to believe me, but I absolutely didn't plan this. This is really not...my style of romance." Felix claimed, immediately seeing amusement in her eyes and unable to fight his own chuckle. "It's this new...home mod thing from the Sinclairs. Phina wanted me to try it out but it has a mind of it's own. I can't disconnect it from my phone." Felix continued to explain, his chuckles growing as he moved to the console on the wall.

"I've had a theme tune every time I get home for a week but I thought I fixed it." he trailed off, tapping away in a rush but unable to control his laughter. Despite his best efforts, the music only grew louder and the lights adopted a romantic flickering mimic of candles. "Oh, oops. No. Jesus." Felix muttered with complete amusement, trying another tap over the console which only cast a deep red hue across his apartment. "Oh God." he laughed again. "Not the prostitute lights. This is terrible. Isabella, please. Witchy it."

[laurie-stark]

Chapter IV: Billy Eichner

A/N:

thank you again for all the love and support. with this chapter, we wrap up act 1 of cherry bomb volume 1! how exciting.

Word count: 5.5k

Cherry Bomb Masterlist

Friday afternoon rolled around fast, and before I knew it the final bell rang through the school halls. A buzzed energy vibrated off the shuffling groups of students who were all eager to begin their weekends. I was eager to get home and pack my overnight bags, desperate to get out of the city. Brianna was leaning against the locker next to mine, talking at lightning pace about the musical she and her family were seeing that night. 

“Wait, you’re seeing Hamilton again?” I asked. I sifted through one of my binders to pull the notes I needed for studying. 

“Have you not been listening to a word I’ve said for the last three weeks?” Brianna rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am seeing Hamilton again.” I could have bet money that this would make it her seventh or eighth time seeing the show on Broadway that year alone. I used to think that I was a crazy musical theatre nerd until I met Bri.

“You are so lucky,” I said. I had heard such great things about the show from her and still hadn’t gotten to see it myself.

“Don’t tell me you still haven’t seen it Laur, it’s practically old news by now!” Brianna laughed, tossing ringlets of fire over her shoulder. 

“I know, I know!” I said, head thrown back against my locker as I shut it. “I keep trying to get my dad to buy us tickets but he has all these work trips and truth be told I think he forgets to buy them on purpose.” 

“Okay, but your dad like, hates musicals, right?” she asked. I nodded and she gave me a genuine look of apology. “Well, I’m sure he’ll just love our show. Maybe Mer and I can finally meet him!” 

I grit my teeth and grinned falsely. The Dalton’s school musical was set to happen in June, and my father wouldn’t miss it for the world. But the world had no idea that his daughter was in it, let alone that he had a daughter at all. When we found out I’d be performing, he arranged for a huge donation to the school so that he could attend the show under the guise of “funding youth’s artistic endeavours.” And it was a real kind gesture, I just wished he could come for me without the spangled banners and flashing bills. 

“Yeah, maybe!” I choked out. It was a running joke in our friend circle that my parents must be Russian spies or royalty, because neither Brianna nor Meredith have met them. At first, the jokes made me laugh, like the one time Meredith created the elaborate rumour that my parents died in a tragic accident when I was a baby and I was actually raised by my robotic nanny. But with the school year end approaching, and three more years left to go, I was getting stressed about having to maintain the facades. 

 I pulled my body away from the lockers, signalling to Brianna that I wanted to start moving. We walked side by side through the halls and out to the street. She and I both spotted her dad’s car at the same time. It was parked a few buildings down the block. Mr. Sinclair stuck his head out of the window and waved at us. 

“Oh my God, he is so embarrassing.” Brianna covered her eyes with one hand and spun us around with the other. I laughed at the way she shrunk into me. I pulled her into a quick hug to say goodbye. 

“You’re lucky that your dad can pick you up though, not everyone gets that,” I said. She pulled back from my embrace with a quizzical look on her face. I realized how what I just said sounded and quickly recovered. “My dad’s still on that damn work trip, I gotta walk today.” 

Brianna peered at me through narrowed eyes but resigned to not say anything. She stepped forward and threw an arm around my side to say goodbye, then turned down the street and got into her father’s car. 

The straps of my backpack weighed heavy on my shoulders, pinching the skin at the base of my neck. I tightened the straps and turned on my heels to begin the treacherous journey home (all twenty minutes of it). 

When I was younger, my dad used to say that the longer the days got, the shorter they felt because everything fun happens when it’s warmer. But back then we split our time between Miami and New York, so it was always warm for him. It wasn’t often that I asked Happy to disregard his unpaid childcare duties, especially in the winter when the streets of New York were covered in slush and mud. The people were always angrier during the cold months, always desperate to get wherever they were going. But God forbid I ever took the bus. Gross. 

Today, the sun was beaming down on my face, surrounded by the perfect array of puffy white clouds. It was lucky that my school got out in the early afternoon, I thought. The rush hour wouldn’t begin for another few hours and that meant the commotion on sidewalks was lessened. I made my way south down Park Avenue. This part of the Upper East Side was never all that exciting; mostly a residential area paired with blaring horns and car fumes. 

I beelined my way around nannies with strollers, kids on scooters and vendors looking to scam unknowing tourists. The people were the most interesting part of the city. I’d always been good at blending in, at keeping the attention drawn to a minimum. Even when I’d sit at the back of press conferences my Dad was at, nobody batted an eye at the six-year-old in a freshly pressed suit. I fit in well along a people-lined street, where everyone around me was hyper focused on their own lives to pay me any mind. To them I was just another city girl. 

Just as I was about to turn the corner and cross the street, a flash of cerulean blue stopped me. A middle-aged man holding a microphone and his camera crew had stopped me in my path. The man was shouting loudly but I couldn’t make out any of the words. He moved with such purpose, so much vigour, I felt like I just been hit by a tornado. 

“What?” I yelled back at him. He stuck his microphone in my face. The cord, which was attached to nothing, swung between us. 

“I said ‘Miss, for a dollar, who is the worst Avenger?’” the man repeated his question impatiently. A ridiculously giddy smile crept across my face as I realized who he was. 

“Iron man.” I leaned into the microphone and smiled cheekily at the camera. 

“Wonderful, here!” Billy Eichner thrust a dollar into my hand and took off to his next victim. I struggled to grasp the bill, still reeling from the encounter. Oh, the things that happen in New York. After a moment I shook my head and crossed Park Avenue, wondering if Billy’s segments were live or pre-recorded these days. 

The side street I lived on was beautiful, with classic brownstone townhouses and trees lining the sidewalk. Dad and I moved into the new house maybe a month after the Battle of Sokovia. After Dad decided to sell his beloved Stark Tower, we became a couple of regular, townhouse-owning Joe’s…apart from the several other properties he owned. 

The house itself was packed tightly between buildings on a street reminded me of a sardine can: two neat rows of houses with absolutely no space to wiggle. Dad picked it because it stood out from the rest; smooth white brick contrasting the surrounding muddy browns and reds. There was something very Roman about the architecture. Dad said it had to have been Italian, and therefore the best on the block. He really liked pulling the Italian card when it made him look cool. 

I stepped up to the front door and grasped onto the handle, placing my thumb directly onto the latch. A faint vibration buzzed beneath the pad of my thumb. The door was scanning my fingerprints, a security measure I was all too familiar with. I don’t think there was ever a house, a car, or a bedroom of mine that didn’t require some kind of bodily scanning. The door clicked and I pushed down on the latch, swinging the front door wide open. 

I kicked my school shoes off on the entryway mat and padded into the kitchen. Setting my backpack down onto one of the island bar stools, I made my way straight to the fridge for a snack. I settled on a small bowl of strawberries. They were my favourite, and I always missed them dreadfully when they were banned from the house to keep Pepper safe. 

A familiar ringtone to the tune of “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift cut the sounds of my chewing. It was muffled by my backpack; I’d left my phone in one of the pockets. 

“Who’s calling?” I asked out loud to the empty house.

“Your father,” A.P.R.I.L. responded over the house’s loudspeakers. “Should I answer?��

“Yeah, throw him onto the surround sound.” 

“Hey there, little miss.” Dad said after A.P.R.I.L. connected his call. His voice came down right above my head. “How was the rest of your week?” 

“Hi Daddy.” I smiled. He had called me after the fiasco that was Wednesday and I cried for an hour about my history test, but he got so busy with M.I.T. that I hadn’t heard from him since. “It was good, glad it’s over. How’s Boston?”

“Oh you know, it’s no tea party,” Dad joked, laughing at himself like he was hilarious. 

“You are so lame.” I rolled my eyes and popped another strawberry into my mouth. 

“You love my jokes.”

“Yeah, the one’s that are funny,” I laughed staley. 

“See? Ha, made you laugh.”

I rolled my eyes at the phone. 

“I heard that,” Dad said. I snorted and shook my head, glad that he couldn’t see what I was snacking on. Sometimes when he called he could project a hologram of himself, like a larger-scale FaceTime. “Anyway, more about me. It has been way too long since I’ve been to MIT. Did you know they redid the entire Edgerton Center?”

“I don’t even know what that is, Dad.”

Dad sighed dramatically. “I did not culture you enough growing up.”

And he wondered where I got my flare from. “Were the students happy with your visit?”

“Well, seeing as I am personally funding each and every one of their research projects for the rest of the year, yeah, yeah they were.”

“Very generous Mr. Stark,” I said in a posh British accent. This was one of our bits that originated when we made fun of a British delegate who wanted to buy STARK armoury way back in the day. 

“Why thank you, Miss Stark.” Dad’s British accent was not nearly as good as my own. 

“Are you still coming back on Sunday?” I asked. 

“Yes I am, so don’t throw any ragers while I’m not there, okay?”

“Dad I’m not going to throw a party-”

“But if you do, take a shot in my honour.”

“Dad! You are such a bad influence.”

“You turned out fine,”

“Yeah, thanks to Pepper.” The joke came out faster than I could catch it. Dad went quiet on the other end of the call. I cursed myself for saying anything at all. Silence fell around me like a sheet on old furniture. Silence that reminded you of how distant a father and daughter could be. “Sorry.”

I heard static on the other end, the sound of my father shifting around uncomfortably wherever he was sitting. 

“It’s fine, Laurie,” Dad said apprehensively. “It’s fine! Actually no, it’s grand even. You and I haven’t been on our own since…ever, and I’d bet that your psychiatrist would want us to take this time to bond.” 

“I’m not even gonna be here this weekend.” I rerouted the conversation, deciding it was probably better for Dad if I didn’t tell him I saw Pepper earlier in the week. His Arc reactor would go out.

“What? Where are you going? Are you seeing a boy?”

“NO!” I slapped my hand across my forehead. There was no way in hell that I’d ever tell my father anything about a boy. 

“Last minute spa getaway with the girls? Do tell Mer and Bri that I miss them dearly.” I heard some shuffling in the background as Dad spoke. Voices asking when Mr. Stark would be ready to go. 

“You’ve never met them,” I reminded him. 

“Eh, bygones. But spill, where are you going? Not that I won’t be tracking your location anyway.”

“I just undid that code in A.P.R.I.L.,” I groaned. The one downside to constructing an artificial assistant using my Dad’s old foundations was that he could get inside her systems almost effortlessly. “Relax. I’m just going up to the compound.”

“Why?” Dad’s tone was sharp. It caught me off guard and I felt myself sink down in my seat. 

“I dunno,” I shrugged. “Steve offered the invitation when I was there on Wednesday and I’ve got nothing better to do. Plus, this house is six floors of ‘too big for one person’. I’m lonely.” 

“It’s seven floors of really frigging cool! Go swim in the pool, go watch a movie. What do you mean you’re lonely?” Dad exclaimed. The last question came out all jumbled up, like one big word. “You’re not lonely, you got Happy!”

“Happy is a grown man. With a job, and a life,” I retorted. I had gotten up from my seat to put my now empty bowl into the dishwasher.  

“He’s our grown man.” 

I shook my head at nothing for the hundredth time during this call and picked up my backpack to take to my room upstairs. 

“Dad,” I drawlled. “It’s not a big deal, it’s just the compound.”

“Okay, well I just don’t see why you need to go all the way up there.

“Is ‘I want to’ not enough of an answer for you?” I shot back, more harshly than I intended to. 

The truth was, I knew that my dad was weary about me still having a close relationship with the remaining Avengers. He didn’t like that I was training at all, he thought it would put ideas in my head about wanting to become an agent again. But I knew deep down it was just for fun, and to get a handle on the powers that were growing more uncontrollable each day. I never wanted to become an Avenger, and I only liked being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. because I liked being a part of something bigger than myself. With everything that happened in Sokovia or Washington in the last few years…I was happy to be rid of it all. But I was not happy to be rid of my family. 

“I am going,” I started, “to spend time with people that I love, okay? That’s all.” 

I heard Dad sigh into the phone. “Okay. Fine. But do me favour when you’re there.”

“What’s that?”

“Grab one of those stink bombs we made for April Fools Day and plant it in the old man’s office.”

“Oh my god, shut up!” I shook my head in embarrassment, but couldn’t help the smile that crept across my lips. “I need to pack a bag, and you need to go take care of whoever has been calling your name for the last ten minutes.” 

My father said goodbye, but not without shooting another joke across the cell line. I disconnected the call the moment I stepped into our elevator, pretending that I lost reception. We both knew that wasn’t true, Tony Stark would never stand for a reception-less elevator.

…

An hour and a half later, the train I was on pulled into an Upstate station. I funnelled through the sea of people making their way through the station out onto the streets. I wasn’t sure who was picking me up today. I had sent a message in our team groupchat about my arrival time and I hoped someone had seen it. 

I repositioned the duffle bag on my shoulder and sought higher ground to scope out the parking lot. There was a small garden surrounded by stones near the station’s entrance. I climbed up onto it. The sea of cars all looked the same to me and the sunlight reflecting off the metal was nearly blinding. To my far right I noticed a Black Corevette. Natasha’s car, I thought. But the tall figure leaning against it was definitely not Natasha. 

I staggered down from my rock and headed over to greet my mystery chauffeur. The sun was beginning to set behind them, casting a dark shadow that hid their face. It didn’t take long for me to recognize the shortly cut hair and tall physique. Steve Rogers was leaning against the passenger door of the car. He had his cellphone up to his ear talking to someone. I thought it was silly that he refused to upgrade from his little flip phone. 

“I will talk to your dad, kid. I promise. You know how much is going on for him.” I overheard the end of his conversation as I approached. “No, I know. I’m not excusing his behaviour, I just want to give him a break…Yes, you are, Theo, you are so smart.”

As I got closer Steve caught a glimpse of me and I heard him cut his phone conversation short.

“Listen Theo, Laurie just got here so I’ve got to run. I’ll talk to you later.” Steve paused, listening to the response on the other line. “Okay kid, goodbye now.” 

“Everything alright?” I asked as I approached him.

“Oh yeah, I was just calling to say hi.” Steve smiled, flashing perfect pearly white teeth. “How was the ride up?”

I shrugged. “Good. There was a baby sitting across from me.”

“Cute,” Steve said as he leaned down to open the car door for me. Seven decades in  the ice couldn’t knock the gentleman out of him. The commute to the compound was only fifteen minutes, of which I spent thirteen filling Steve in on the raunchy relationship drama between the kids who sat in front of me during math class. 

…

Unlike my room at home, where the sunrise poured in through the windows in the morning, I could always sleep in at the compound. The floor to ceiling panels here were west facing, which gave me the well-deserved rest I craved, and a killer view of the sunset over the lake. On this bright Sunday morning, I woke up just before eleven like a tried and true teenager. 

I sat up in bed, stretching my arms above my head while an exorbitant yawn filled the room. The muscles in my shoulders and arms ached. Natasha hadn’t been kidding when she said I was going to make up for my behaviour in our last training session. I spent all of Friday night and most of Saturday running drills and practicing the same old fighting techniques with her. It was safe to say that the relaxing weekend I had planned made me even more tired than the week I had before. 

I padded down the hallways of the west wing, past the closed doors of the other dorms. Eventually the walls opened up to the wider living space of the compound. I stepped into the kitchen to pour myself a much-needed cup of coffee. Resting against the island counter, I looked out towards the sitting room as I took my first few sips. 

Despite midday creeping up, the place was almost a ghost town. Usually the compound was buzzing with Avengers in the kitchen or trainees chatting in the living room. There was always the commotion of life echoing off the walls, with family-style dinners and comradery. But for whatever reason, the last weekend had been anything but warm and friendly. 

I was certain that something terrible had happened during the last mission my team went on. The night before during dinner, Natasha and Sam hardly said a word to me, let alone to each other. I was sat across them, watching nervously as they avoided any sort of eye contact with each other. To my side, Steve had been parading around as his typically cheery self, but it felt performative. He was overcompensating, but for what I couldn’t tell. And I hadn’t seen Wanda once. 

In the corner of my vision I noticed one of the throw pillows on the couches move. I leaned further over the counter to investigate, only realize that it was not a pillow, but a head. Steve was sprawled across one of the couches, his head propped up against the armrest as he was reading a book. I must have completely missed him when I walked into the kitchen. 

I hopped off the stool I was sitting on and trudged over to the living room. Steve heard the gentle thump of my footsteps and looked back. He smiled warmly when he caught my eye, sitting up to make room for me on the couch beside him. I plopped right down, tucking my knees under me so we could sit shoulder to shoulder. 

“Good afternoon,” Steve said with a grin.

“It is not afternoon,” I said from behind my coffee mug. “Yet. Where’s everyone else?”

Steve inhaled sharply. I felt his shoulder tense. “I’m not sure. We’ve all been doing our own thing the last few days.”

The muscles in my jaw clenched. I couldn’t figure out what happened to the team I started out with, the team that saved the world in Manhattan. Ever since Ultron, ever since Sokovia fell to pieces and took me down with it, the balance felt off. Maybe it was because we still had no idea where Bruce or Thor were. Maybe they were the glue. Steve opened his mouth again as if to give me another glimpse into his world, but he shut it just as quickly.

I decided enough was enough. I was fed up with walking on eggshells around what had happened on that mission. 

“Okay, that’s it.” I sat up straighter so that I could stare Captain America down. “Cut the crap, please.”

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“I’m done with your propaganda-style acting. It’s bullshit-”

“Langauge!”

“Sorry.” I inhaled shallowly. “But seriously, what the hell happened on your last mission?”

Steve brought a hand to the back of his neck and sighed. “It was rough. We thought had all the information but we didn’t, and some bad calls were made.”

I waited silently for him to go on. When he didn’t, I leaned forward with an expectant face. “Okay, so what happened?”

He looked around like he wanted to make sure no one else was listening. “I don’t think I’m at liberty to say, hon.”

“Come on, dude! It’s me.” I felt frustration bubbling up and burning behind my eyes. Fingernails dug into my palm to keep gravity in place. 

“Laurie, we are all okay,” Steve said earnestly. He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, but it felt more like a warning. “That’s really all that matters.”

“No, of course,” I held my hands up. My word were laced with sarcasm “Because having zero information about what happened or about the wellbeing of my team is incredibly helpful Steven.”

Steve ignored the nickname. “Well, you aren’t a part of the team, Laurie,” he said slowly.  

I blinked. My head ricocheted backwards, the words firing like a slap to the face. I pushed Steve’s hand off my shoulder with so much force I almost thought I’d accidentally used my abilities. I must have been showing everything on my face, because Steve rose to his feet as I scrambled onto mine. 

“Laurie, hold on. You know that’s not what I meant,” Steve said, waving an imaginary white flag. 

“No, no.” I kept my hands up, creating a gap between us. “You’re right. I’m not an agent anymore. I’m not S.H.I.E.L.D..”

I walked backwards as I spoke, towards the dormitory hallway. I turned my back to him and sped down the hall to my room. Steve did look genuinely sorry, but I couldn’t get over how easily he had said it. As though he had it hidden underneath his tongue the whole time. He wasn’t wrong either, my affiliation with S.H.I.E.L.D. was revoked after Sokovia. I wasn’t an Avenger anymore.

Ultron was all the worst sides of my father put into one entity. Obsessive, controlling, and dangerously powerful. He took what he wanted, and also took the things he needed to get his way. I knew that my father felt completely powerless when Ultron managed to capture and use me like a chess piece. 

It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for me either. After Sokovia fell, Dad wanted me as far away from imminent danger as possible. He told me his decision was final because I had already lost so much of my childhood. I never felt like I’d missed out on a normal life, but I opted to let Dad think he knew better than me.

As I sulked my way down the long hallway, I noticed one of the doors was cracked open. Wanda’s room was painted grey, with accents of purple and teal throughout. Light from her windows spilled onto the floor beneath my feet. I could hear muffled voices coming from behind the door, but I knew she was alone. Before I had a chance to think, my feet had turned to the right and I was in her doorway. 

My body nudged the door slightly, giving me a better visual of the room. The TV was on and playing the news. I had stopped keeping up with the news after everything with the Mandarin; I always got the heebeegeebees at the thought of a newspaper. Wanda was sitting on her bed, knees tucked under her chin and arms wrapped around herself. I knocked gently on the doorframe, not wanting to startle her. 

My heart seized when she turned her head. Wanda’s eyes were masked by dark bags and it was obvious now that she had been crying. The sight of her made me so uncomfortable, the way anyone would get when they see their role model in shambles. 

Wanda blinked slowly at me before drawing her attention back to the TV. I took that as my invitation. Gingerly, I took a seat beside her on the edge of her bed and listened to what the newscaster had to say. 

In a matter of minutes, all of Steve’s backhandedness, all of Natasha and Sam’s distance and Wanda’s swollen eyes made sense. I held my breath as images of bruised and bloody citizens flooded the streets of Lagos. One video in particular kept playing on a loop. An office building on fire after a detonated explosive had been thrown at it by none other than Wanda herself. The death toll ran along the bottom of the screen, along with the headline, Have the Avengers gone too far?

Wanda had the remote in her hand and was re-running the program over and over. I knew I should have taken it from her, I should have turned the television off. But just like I did in the gym, my body felt frozen in place. I told myself there was nothing I could do that would relieve Wanda from her grief, so there was no point in trying. I shuffled closer to her, leaning my chin on her shoulder and bracing one arm behind her and holding the hand in her lap with my other. 

We watched the segment another three times, and each time I morphed my body more and more into Wanda’s. I thought that knowing what happened in Lagos would answer all the questions I had, but I found myself getting more and more confused. I could not wrap my head around how Natasha or Steve let the fight get to that point. If I had been there I could have helped, if they had just let me help…

Our heads turned synchronously when the TV screen turned black. Steve stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. He leaned against the doorframe, eyes glassy. The muscles in my jaw twitched when I held his gaze, still reeling from the offhand comment he made earlier.

Wanda stared off into space as she spoke. “It’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“That’s not true.” Steve and I spoke at the same time. I tightened my grip on Wanda’s hand. 

“Turn the TV back on,” Wanda replied, her tone disheartening. “They’re being very specific.” 

“I should have clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it,” Steve said. He moved forward, taking a seat beside me. I scooted backwards a bit, giving him more room to sit and myself more distance from him. I could tell he noticed, because he faltered as lowered himself down. He was expecting to lean on me. “Rumlow said ‘Bucky’ and all of a sudden I was a sixteen year old kid again in Brooklyn,” 

I cocked my head at him, puzzled. When I found out they were going away, I got A.P.R.I.L. to steal the pre-mission reports. It said that they were going after Rumlow because he had biological warfare. What did Bucky Barnes have to do with anything? I fought the urge to ask. 

Two years ago when James Barnes had resurfaced, my good friend Steve began the wildest of goose chases. And of course, Nick Fury had found a way to get me tangled up in it all. Despite all the stories Steve had told me in the time between, to paint his friend in a better light, I could not shake the memory of the masked man who threw a car at me on a thirty-foot-high bridge. Next to Ultron, Bucky had been the closest anyone has ever been to killing me. 

“And people died. That’s on me.” Steve continued to offer support to his fellow agent, but his words fell onto deaf ears.

“It’s on both of us.” Wanda’s voice was so quiet that I almost missed it. Steve glanced back at me. His face was painted with a slurry of emotions. It made the room feel so heavy.

“I’m sure you both did your best,” I squeaked. It was a strain to get the sentence out; it felt so artificial. My brows furrowed and I clenched the fist that wasn’t supporting my weight. Steve offered me a trying smile.

“This job…we try to save as many people as we can,” Steve said quietly. “Sometimes that doesn’t mean everybody. But if we can’t find a way to live with that, then next time maybe nobody gets saved.” 

Wanda nodded along to Steve’s words. We resigned to sit in silence for a moment, as Wanda leaned her weight back against me. A pulse of energy in my core kept me centered. Steve brought a warm hand to my back, and this time I did not push it away.

All three of us jumped when Vision appeared, his body moving seamlessly through the solid wall. I had had very minimal interaction with it…him, since he was created. Vision was a mystery to me, a complex tangle of life and code that I both felt drawn to explore and terrified to touch.

“Vis! We talked about this,” Wanda reprimanded her red and blue counterpart. Unbeknownst to me, walking through walls must have become a regular occurrence. 

“Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that…” Vision trailed off when he saw the disapproving look on Wanda’s face. “Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving.”

That certainly caught my attention. My dad, here? He wasn’t supposed to be back from Boston until tomorrow. 

“Vision, what are you talking about?” I sat up a little straighter.

“Thank you. We’ll be right down,” Steve said. It was as if I hadn’t even spoken. Typical. 

“I’ll use the door,” Vision said lightly. “Oh, and apparently he’s brought a guest.” 

In a flash, my heart leapt and came crashing down with the hope that it would be Pepper. Foolish thinking, I knew she was long, long gone. Even still, the question still remained: What was Dad doing here, and more importantly, why didn’t he tell me that he was coming? 

“We know who it is?” Steve asked. 

”The Secretary of State.”

[pleasuremostcarnal]

Hi! Could you tell me about the similarities between Sinclair and Meursault that you've found? I'm interested to see what overlaps the sinners have with each other. Thank you!

Oh yay another mystery guest! :D

Well I thought I had already posted it and I could just copy paste it but oh well.

Someone brught up that each of the sinners passives actually give insite into them as a person with some exceptions. One of these exceptions is Sinclair who beares the passive "Determined" the unique thing is that mersult of also has this passive even if it does something different.

There is then the connected path of Sinclair being wronged by N corp and mer working for them (admittedly it was only cause of convenience).

The fact that of all the sinners so far they are the only two to reveal a different side to them. Gregor, Rodion and Yi Sang all revealed depth and through their canto who they already were was made clearer and they followed it more truly. Sinclair however showed a bloodthirsty, brutal and malicious side that you wouldn't have expected, and you have the point were merusault reveals that he isn't actually silent cause he doesn't have anything to say or because he doesn't care but rather because no one asks and that he actually has a very detailed and thoughtful response to everything (we also learn that he is fantastic at wordplay as you see yi sang is constantly making puns off of his name because in Korean his name can mean other words as well and his "thing" is forcefully interjection when someone uses one of the other versions meaning he is constantly making really bad puns, when merusault does his whole rap thing and gets to Yo sangs but he actually uses all versions of the word in that part.)

One could also argue that there are similarities between how merusault is used as a tank to take attacks for others and how Sinclair is based around winning clashes and thus both of them representing the two ways of defending yourself.

And these are just what I noticed there are probably more, I hope this helps!

Good bye.

[multicolorhairswagtournament]

Meet the Contestants for the Multicolor Hair Swag Tournament!

64 characters will fight to see who is the best at having hair that is more than one color at the same time! (WHOA!)

There were not many repeat submissions overall, so almost half the characters here qualified with only 2 submissions.

I will post 4 polls at a time, so round 1 will have 8 parts in total. Don't forget to vote for your fave multicolored blorbos!

bracket template by @mad-scientist-showdown

Round 1 Matchup List

Part 1

Yugi Muto & Yami Yugi (YuGiOh) VS Michiru Kagemori (BNA) - Yugi Muto & Yami Yugi

Sigma VS Yumeno Kyusaku (Bungo Stray Dogs) - Sigma

Akutagawa Ryunosuke (Bungo Stray Dogs VS Lucy/Wyldstyle (The LEGO Movie) - Lucy/Wyldstyle

Draculaura (Monster High) VS Glimmer (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) - Draculaura

Part 2

Yamato (One Piece) VS Aoyagi Toya (Project SEKAI) - Yamato

Gwen (Total Drama) VS Creepella "Creepie" Creecher (Growing Up Creepie) - Gwen

Cure Summer (Tropical-Rouge! Precure) VS Alice Yabusame (Your Turn to Die) - Cure Summer

Mitsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer) VS Yuu Nishinoya (Haikyuu!!) - Mitsuri Kanroji

Part 3

Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia) VS Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians) - Cruella de Vil

PAREO/Nyubara Reona (BanG Dream!) VS Cure Sky (Hirogaru Sky! Precure) - Cure Sky

Kamishiro Rui (Project SEKAI) VS Amanita Caplan (Sense8) - Amanita Caplan

Stocking Anarchy (Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt) VS Madeline Hatter (Ever After High) - Madeline Hatter

Part 4

Harley Quinn (DCU) VS Peri (Fire Emblem) - Harley Quinn

Enid Sinclair (Wednesday) VS Tenma Saki (Project SEKAI) - Saki Tenma

Natsume Sakasaki (Ensemble Stars) VS Alear (Fire Emblem) - Natsume Sakasaki

Penny (Pokémon) VS Diana Cavendish (Little Witch Academia) - Diana Cavendish

Part 5

Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) VS Lemmy Koopa (Super Mario Bros.) - Rainbow Dash

Jason Todd (DC comics) VS Ryuko Matoi (Kill la Kill) - Ryuko Matoi

Princess Celestia VS Princess Cadance (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) - Princess Celestia

Jolyne Cujoh (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) VS Marina Ida (Splatoon) - Marina Ida

Part 6

Kozume Kenma (Haikyuu!) VS Sadie Kane (The Kane Chronicles) - Sadie Kane

Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way (My Immortal) VS Ruby Rose (RWBY) - Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way

Nendo (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) VS Gyorik "York" Rogdul (Drawtectives) - Gyorik "York" Rogdul

Cure La Mer (Tropical-Rouge! Precure) VS Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) - Cure La Mer

Part 7

Ibuki Mioda (Danganronpa) VS Eridan Ampora (Homestuck) - Ibuki Mioda

Death the Kid (Soul Eater) VS Rem (Death Note) - Death the Kid

Lucy Kushinada (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) VS Hibiki Morishima (Healer Girl) - Lucy Kushinada

Amanda O'Neill (Little Witch Academia) VS Kayla Knowles (Percy Jackson) - Amanda O'Neill

Part 8

Iono (Pokémon) VS MAYU ( VOCALOID) - Iono

Yuusuke Makishima (Yowamushi Pedal) VS Senkuu Ishigami (Dr. Stone) - Yuusuke Makishima

Frankie Stein (Monster High) VS Saki Nikaido (Zombieland Saga) - Frankie Stein

Piers (Pokémon) VS Simon Blackquill (Ace Attorney) - technically Simon won but we teamed them up because they were so close. This is my bracket I do what I want LOL

[small-sinclair]

It’s May…

🧜MER-MAY!!!!🧜

Get ready to see the Sinclairs interact with A LOT OF MERMAID READERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hcdahlem]

Dire Babylone

Dans un premier roman étonnant de maîtrise, Safiya Sinclair raconte comment elle a réussi à s’émanciper d’un père violent qui entendait imposer les stricts principes rastafaris. Un parcours de vie qui est aussi un portrait de la Jamaïque.

    En deux mots Voici l’histoire d’une famille au bord de la mer des Caraïbes. Un père musicien, sévère et adepte des principes rastafaris, une mère sous son joug, mais qui cherche l’évasion dans la littérature et une fratrie obéissante, mais qui va peu à peu vouloir s’émanciper. Ce sera notamment le cas de Safiya qui trouvera sa voie loin de Babylone. Ma note ★★★★ (j’ai adoré) Ma…

[knivezdotcomm]

“ Welcome. „

✦ About Jae ✦ Hashtags

⟡ Jae’s Rules

I should start this blog off by introducing myself. Hello, I’m Jae Couteaux— a third year in Pomefiore and student of Night Raven College. I believe that’s all you’d need to know but if you’re curious, ask questions. Now allow me to set only a few ground rules.

Do not be disrespectful. I have little tolerance for rudeness, and I absolutely will not take any disrespect towards me or others. If I deem any asks or comments as insolent I’ll delete it. Just be a decent human being or fae, or mer or.. you get what I’m trying to get across.

Don’t be inappropriate. I don’t mind flattery at all, I’m delighted with it if anything but if I do receive asks slash comments that make me uncomfortable I will simply delete it.

If I’m slow with replies or miss your messages, don’t take it to heart— It may have just slipped my mind. Have patience with me, I assure you that I’ll respond.

That is all I ask for. Abide by these rules and I won’t mind your presence. Enjoy your stay, I suppose.

⟡ Owner’s Rules

Hai hai!!!!! OOC I go by the names Vil or Mp4, but I don’t really care what you call me ^_^ my main account is @froehner-mp4 go check it out I post art and other ocs there, anyway, a few other things I want to clarify

Though my oc is 18, I am a minor so no NSFW or anything explicit, I don’t mind light jokes or whatever but this is strictly a SFW blog!

Character and Oc interactions are WELCOME & ENCOURAGED !!!!!!:3 Platonic or Romantic, I don’t mind as long as it’s like talked about with me beforehand??? I love hearing about other people’s ocs too, feel free to infodump about them!

This account may contain Oc x Canon! (Jae x Rook) so if you aren’t a fan of that content, you can easily block me ^_^

That’s all I wanted to add but I’ll edit this if I remember to add anything else

⟡ List of Accounts ;

main — @froehner-mp4

Lux Froehner — @ravenfeathrs

Jae Couteaux — (you’re here)

Lola Sinclair — N/A

Zerah Malice — @notabrute

+ more arriving

[sanctuns]

@gachabastard Sorry for the delay, I was checking the units! First off, beside raising their level to at least 30, I would change Yi Sang and Hong Lu to their LCB sinner identities. They will remain outside of the team for their passive. Second, the N Corp Idea will work best if you either have N Faust or N Mersault, as they are the only ones that give the fanatic status to the N units (minus Rodion and Sinclair. They can apply it to themselves) The important part of their passive (Faust and Mer) is the 15 SP heal Faust gives every time it activates, and Mersault's attack power up. Out of the two and only judging by the passive, Mer is the less important one, but he IS another N unit that Faust can affect, which translates to a little bit more than half of your team being in good shape to clash, leaving Yi Sang and Hong lu to take care of the units that can't take advantage of the passive. The rest of the team should be Lust and Wrath oriented to guaranteed activation, with debuff applying units being the first priority.

If you can't get N Faust, then building a team around gloom and Sloth absolute resonance may be a good choice. A lot of the units you have in the picture are good candidates: you will need a couple of good clashing units that not necessarily have to synergies with the active characters, but both Hook Gregor and Seven Outis are ideal (hehe) as they have Gloom and Sloth respectively. N Sinclair can be gloom boosted to assure a win, Shi Ismael is also good to fuel Sinclair's passive, but Molar Boatworks have both gloom and Sloth sins. You would have to try and see which one works best. Liu is also a good option to both fuel N Sinclair and take advantage of the burning he applies. For Rodion, LCCB has a couple of debuffs that are useful, but Dieci is a better option if you have Molar Ishamel since the sinking stack can mend the lack of discard since you don't want to be with the bloom status. For Heathcliff, N is good for the gloom and coin drop. Hong lu would be better as his LCB sinner identity. Mersault... Rosespanner would be best. If not, then I think it would be best to bench him for this one. Ryoshu is another though one, as I don't have kurokumo and don't know how good her clashing is, I'll leave that one to your judgment. N Corp Don is good if you have consistent nail applications. Outside of that, I think you can bench her as well. W Faust is a good choice and Yi Sang should be as a LCB sinner.

Gloom/Sloth team:

1st option: LCB Yi Sang (bench), W Corp Faust (active), Cinq Don(bench) N corp Don (if Heathcliff), Ryoshu (your decision, but mostly bench), Rosepanner Mersault (switchcheable with Heath), LCB Hong Lu (bench), N Corp Heathcliff (switcheable with Mer), Liu Ishmael (active), LCCB Rodion (active), N Sinclair (active), Seven Outis (active) and Hook Gregor (active).

2nd option: LCB Yi Sang (bench), W Faust (active), Any Don (bench), any Ryoshu (bench), Rosepanner Mersault (active), LCB Hong Lu (bench), Any Heathcliff (bench), Molar Ishamel (active), Dieci Rodion (active), Any Sinclair/Mariachi (bench), Seven Outis (active) and Hook Gregor (active). This one has a clear spot, so you can choose one that gives tremor or sinking.

The team I used was the N corp based one, so it is up to you to tweak as you go and see what works best. They might sound good on paper, but engaging in battle is the only way to realize what is lacking. I suggested gloom to fuel Yi Sang and use the clashing, but sometimes the speeds won't match, others the Sins aren't the ones you want, and so on.

Hey, it's me, the guy who got stuck on 4-48

I'm still stuck :')

[calibri-crossies]

Sorry for the delay, ahhhhh, I really racked my brain to write this, I hope you like it :)

Just a "tool".

Being a night watchman in an aquarium wasn't exactly your dream job, but you needed money and that's what you had available to you. Walking through the dark corridors, you wouldn't imagine ending up finding a secret passage in one of the offices that would take you to a place underground that looked more like an aquarium with deep-sea creatures.

"What the hell is this all about?" You wonder, as if the answer is going to come from somewhere.

When investigating deeper into the place you were, you saw a huge tank that looked more empty. Getting closer and closer you almost gave a startled scream as a creature, a merman came out of the shadows and crashed into the part of the glass where you were looking, he looked pissed. He stared at you with a menacing aura, as if he could go through the glass of the tank at any time and put a more painful end to your life, but you remained calm, his gaze was piercing, they looked like blades that could pierce you, but you continued there thinking it could somehow calm him, maybe? You just talk but you didn't expect him to understand your language.

You looked at him again and now paying more attention, you saw that the merman had scars on both of his wrists, indicating possible torture or perhaps an attempt to escape while in handcuffs.

"I won't hurt you, I just found this place by chance." You noticed how he frowned, then seemed to understand you, he then walks away, leaving you confused, and then returns with two more mermen, one of them being quite similar to him in body and tail, but different from him, this one mernan wore a mask and had long dark hair, the other one seemed to be a little younger than the two, but still slightly similar to the first one you met.

"Brothers?" You question them, and all three of them agree at the same time. "My name is Y/n, I'm just a night guard, I found this place here by chance, what are you doing here? Have you been captured or something?"

The first one you met nods, as his supposed twin tap on the glass to get your attention, and move their hands in what you understand was sign language, he asked if you understood him, you say yes, what seemed to make him happy, then he starts talking to you in that language.

"We got stuck in the sand because of the low tide, they captured us and put us here, but they are hurting us more and more."

Oh god that made something in your heart clench, it was obvious they were just afraid of humans for the way they've been treated so far, and you wanted to help, you just didn't know how.

"Maybe there's a way for you guys to get out of here, but it could take weeks, even months...but still there might be a slim chance." You say a little confident.

Vincent puts one of his hands where your hand was and nods in response, that was your way of thanking you, you smiled back.

Looking around, you searched for some possible smaller tanks, maybe the same ones that brought them here, without success, but you knew they were somewhere, you would look for that later.

You continued to communicate with the three, the youngest one seemed to have an idea, and he pointed you up to the platform where there was the hatch that was the opening of the tank. the first to emerge had been the oldest. He leans up on his elbows as he looks at you curiously, he shows you a sharp, smug smile and then speaks to you for the first time.

"Pretty bold of ya, human..." Said the one with the scars on his wrist. You found his country accent curious and even a little amusing.

"We have to take risks at least once in our life!" Your answer makes him laugh "So... Are you really going to help us?"His blue eyes stared directly at her, and there was something mesmerizing about them, something you couldn't explain, but it felt like two unexplored deep oceans, something that seemed to make you lose yourself in your own mind."Sure." That word seemed to have come out of you, you even noticed just shaking your head trying to come back to yourself.

"Hey, what's matter?" The younger one asks, but his brother just shakes his head and replies "Nothin." You two laugh again. "By the way, what's your name? Or don't you?" You ask.

"Tch!! Don't be silly, of course we have, name is Bo, this is my twin brother Vincent." "And this is the youngest, Lester." Em follows him and points to the other who responds with a cheerful "Hi!" You guys get to know each other a little more, the brothers were a lot of fun, especially Lester who seemed to have a lot of sympathy with you. You also talked about the vague idea of ​​how to get them out of that place, but you asked them to be patient, they listened carefully, and they seemed to agree with your plan, even though Vincent seemed a little worried about what would happen to you next, even though you assured that this was not something to think about right now.

You saw that the moment was no longer for conversation, soon your shift would be over, and you needed to go back to your post, then notifying the three mermen of your departure. They understood your emergency, just saying goodbye briefly, as you walked away and closed the entrance to that hiding place.

After you left, the smile on Lester's face was gone, he knew what Bo had done to you, and he was outraged that he'd hypnotized someone who'd been genuinely nice to them.

"You did that to her didn't you?" Lester looks at his older brother, somewhat outraged that he used you as another one of his hypnotists. The eldest just shakes his head gives a smirk to his brother "She said she would help us get out of here didn't she?We have to make sure she keeps her promise."

"But she'll be okay after that? Who guarantees what her race won't do after they find out she freed us?" Bo shrugs at Lester as he heads towards Vincent who was already snuggling down to rest "That's none of our business. What matters most to us is finding a way out of this miserable place." He turns to face his younger brother who looked worried about the human girl. "Hey, you shouldn't get attached that easy to someone, Ma always said these creatures are just cruel and inferior."

"S'she look cruel to you?" Lester says "And for God's sake, "inferior"? Really? We all know that just as there are cruel and good humans, it's the same for our species!"

Bo rolls her eyes at his brother "And you came to that conclusion in just one night?" Bo laughs "Look, I'm trying to get us out of here, and I won't let anyone ruin our chance to get our freedom." He swims to where Vincent was and gives his brother one last cold look and points his finger at him "And that goes even for you!"

That night Lester slept away from his brothers. He was mad at Bo's intentions for you, it wasn't fair to you, he really thought someone so nice didn't deserve to be manipulated like that. He sighs, deep down he had They had to agree with Bo. The three of them needed to get out of here or they would die soon, and if they had to use you as a tool, whatever, but he still promised himself he'd find a way to compensate you for your help.

***********************************

Mer!Sinclair brothers concept here.

[actuallykiwi]

Inner Dragon  Chapter 5: The Return of Dragons

A long hot bath and a night at the Sleeping Giant Inn later, Annie sat contentedly at a table in the corner of the tavern. The Riverwood tavern was quiet, as early in the morning most patrons had already headed home. She munched on her apple as Kaidan emerged from his room, looking much cleaner and well rested than the night before. “And how are you feeling this fine morning?” She asked as she wiped the apple juice from her mouth.

“Enjoying a warm tavern and a good ale, you’ll get no complaints from me,” he plopped down in the seat across from her and downed the mug she got for him. “Ah, so what about you? How’re you holding up?” 

She thought for a minute. “Feeling much better after a bath. Nervous, maybe? Empowered? I mean I’ve never delved into a ruin like that, let alone to get an artifact as important as this.” She patted the Dragonstone that was nestled safely in her bag. “All in all, I feel... adventurous.” She finished with a smirk. 

Kaidan grinned back at her. “Glad to hear it. Good to get you out of the books, metaphorically speaking.” She rolled her eyes, “Haha, I’m a nerd, I get it.” 

There was a few quiet moments where they enjoyed their breakfast before Kaidan broke the silence. “I am curious about you, though.” Annie looked at him inquisitively. “What did you wanna know?”

“Well, where are you from?” 

“Chorrol, down in Cyrodiil. Not too far from the Imperial City, which is where my brother frequents for the Legion. I was in our city’s chapter of the Mages Guild, so, y’know, hence the nerdiness.” She shrugged. Kaidan scratched his head, “Still unsure what ‘nerd’ means, but I’ll take your word for it. Cyrodiil, huh? You must miss your homeland. I hope the war hasn’t made Skyrim too... unwelcoming.” She laughed dryly. “Yeah, we did get one heck of a welcome party. But thanks. It’s warming up on me.” She smiled at him, and he returned it with a nod.

She cleared her throat. “Anyways, what else did you wanna know?” 

“I know we’re looking for your brother, got any other family out there?” 

“Yup, our parents! Brienna and Jace Sinclair. They’re both back home in Chorrol.” “Do you miss them? Ah, perhaps that’s a daft question.” 

“No no, you’re fine. And yes, I do. It’s only been a couple weeks since I saw them last, but with all that’s happened with Alec, the war, and the dragon in Skyrim...” she trailed off, and Kaidan placed his hand on her wrist. “It must be hard to be away from them right now. But I know they miss you, too. They must be proud of you both.” 

The amount of sincerity in his voice and his grip on her arm surprised her. From the look in his eyes boring into her, she knew he meant every word. It was almost enough to make her tear up, but she smiled warmly at him. “Thank you. It is hard being away from them, but that’s why it’s so important we find Alec. And we will.” “Aye, we will.” He nodded firmly and removed his hand. 

“Sooo, enough about me. Your turn! What brings you to Skyrim?” 

“I’ve spent a long time wandering; this is where my feet led me.” She waited for him to continue speaking. “And...?” He chuckled. “To own the truth, I’ve come back to Skyrim to learn something of my heritage, my bloodline. The few clues I have pointed me here, but it takes time to decode. So, I’m paying my way by collecting bounties.” 

“You have no family to ask?” “No... not anymore. Perhaps I do have blood kin out there, but I’ve never known them.” Annie couldn’t imagine not having a family. Being without hers right now was more painful than she let on, but she was surviving. She studied him a bit more. His skin was a soft honey tan, almost golden like an elf, and somewhat leathery. And his eyes... she had never seen them on men or mer. Sharp, pensive, and a deep crimson-like hazel. The red tattoo that coated the right side of his face was also not familiar to her. “You don’t even know your race? You definitely don’t look like a Nord.”

“No. I was raised as one, by one. But I have no Voice of the Emperor or Dragonskin magic... I don’t even know the race of my mother. All I have is a hunch, but I need proof.” She perked up. “Well, I do like a good mystery! Maybe I could help?” He blinked at her. “You’d do that?” She nodded. 

“I suppose I could use the help. The best clue I have is my sword, but I’m certain we can find out more in our travels.” “You got it. I’ll keep an eye out! And speaking of travels, time to get moving?” 

“Aye. Let’s return that Claw first.” She agreed, and the pair rounded up their belongings and headed out. 

***************************************

The shopkeep was very grateful to have his shiny golden trinket back, and his sister was a little... too grateful. Kaidan and Annie got back on the road before things got too uncomfortable. 

“You’d think with two guys pawning after her already, she wouldn’t flirt with a total stranger, right? She was pretty, though.” Annie thought aloud as they crossed the bridge and started their journey back to Whiterun. “Hey, you weren’t the one getting groped. They can have her,” Kaidan shuddered. “Agreed. She was really forward.” Annie thought about how Carlotta came right out and offered to “pay him back in full” and ran a hand down his arm. “Ohhoho, Miss Annie, do I detect a hint of jealousy?” He grinned slyly and nudged her. “Hah! Not a chance! I’m just using you for your sword.” She teased.

“My sword, eh? That could mean a lot of things...” She turned beet red and punched his arm. “No no that’s not what I meant!! Kaidan!!” He laughed as they trekked on. 

The rest of the trip to Whiterun, they talked more about Annie’s family and shared childhood stories. Eventually, the Plains opened up and they arrived at the city gates around noon. Fog blanketed the land, and the sky cast long grey shadows. By the time they reached Dragonsreach, the fog had mostly cleared, but the sky was still overcast. Annie always loved rain and storms, but this felt... symbolic, somehow. Almost foreshadowing. 

She didn’t dwell on it for too long as they entered the keep and made their way towards the court wizard’s chamber. As they rounded the corner, Annie heard voices. She put a hand up to Kaidan as they stood against the wall. There was a voice she didn’t recognize speaking to Farengar. 

“You see? The terminology is clearly First Era or even earlier. I'm convinced this is a copy of a much older text. Perhaps dating to just after the Dragon War. If so, I could use this to cross-reference the names with other later texts." Farengar rambled. 

"Good. I'm glad you're making progress. My employers are anxious to have some tangible answers." The other voice was female. She sounded impatient.  

"Oh, have no fear. The Jarl himself has finally taken an interest, so I'm now able to devote most of my time to this research." He rifled around some papers.  "Time is running, Farengar, don't forget. This isn't some theoretical question. Dragons have come back." The voice was not quiet. Annie and Kaidan shared a look.  "Yes, yes. Don't worry. Although the chance to see a living dragon up close would be tremendously valuable... Now, let me show you something else I found... very intriguing... I think your employers may be interested as well..."

They shared one last nod before Annie gently knocked on the wall and they peeped around the corner. The source of the voice glared up at them from beside Farengar. A woman in leather armor pinned Annie with her glare, her pale blue eyes narrowed in suspicion and shadowed by a hood. She nudged Farengar without moving her gaze. “You have a visitor.” 

 It took the wizard a moment to drag himself out of his notes.  "Hmm? Ah, yes, the Jarl's protege! Back from Bleak Falls Barrow? You didn't die, it seems.” Annie glimpsed down at herself. “Uh, yeah, it seems not...? Here you go.” She shook her head and handed him the artifact. “Ah! The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow! Seems you are a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends my way. My... associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork. She discovered its location by means she has so far declined to share with me.”  He looked pointedly at the hooded woman, "So your information was correct after all. And we have our friend here to thank for recovering it for us." She now eyed Annie and Kaidan with surprise. 

"You went into Bleak Falls Barrow and got that? Nice work.” With a nod of approval, she turned back to Farengar. “Just send me a copy when you've deciphered it." They exchanged a few more words and the hooded woman began to leave. As she exited the room, she almost ran right into Irileth, who was sprinting into the room. The woman evaded her and scurried out into the hall. Irileth was panting and looked agitated. 

"Farengar! Farengar, you need to come at once. A dragon's been sighted nearby!” She glanced at Annie. “You should come, too." Annie blinked at her and was about to reply, but Farengar quite literally jumped from his hoard of papers and approached Irileth.  "A dragon! How exciting! Where was it seen? What was it doing?" The elf shook her head.  "I'd take this a bit more seriously if I were you. If a dragon decides to attack Whiterun, I don't know if we can stop it. Let's go." She gestured for all of them to follow her, which Farengar excitedly obliged.

Annie looked back at Kaidan. “Fighting a dragon? I’ve been face-to-face with one before but there’s no way I can-” “Let’s just see what’s going on. We’ll go from there.” He reassured her. She nodded, and they followed Irileth up a flight of stairs. 

Jarl Balgruuf was standing in what seemed to be a small war room behind the throne room. He was speaking to a guard that was covered in scorch marks, and seemed worse for the wear.  "So, Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?" The guard nodded. “Yes, my lord.” Irileth approached them. “Tell him what you told me, about the dragon.” The guard seemed nervous, scared.  "Uh... that's right. We saw it coming from the south. It was fast... faster than anything I've ever seen."

"What did it do? Is it attacking the watchtower?" Balgruuf seemed to be in deep thought.  "No, my lord. It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life... I thought it would come after me for sure." The Jarl patted his shoulder.  "Good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it.” The guard nodded and limped back down the stairs. “Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there." Irileth stood at attention. “I’ve already ordered my men to muster near the main gate.” 

“Good. Don’t fail me.” Irileth bowed and stepped to the side as Balgruuf’s attention diverted to Annie, who was watching timidly but stood straighter as he approached. He seemed almost remorseful for what he was about to ask.  "There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friend. I need your help again. I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon.” Annie eyes went wide. “But, Jarl, I’ve never-” “You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I instructed Avenicci that you are now permitted to purchase property in the city. And please accept this gift from my personal armory." 

The Jarl picked up a scabbard from the table and handed it to Annie. She reluctantly took it from him and unsheathed the sword a few inches. The blade of an iron sword gleamed up at her, with a slight fiery glow. “It’s enchanted.” Kaidan noted from over her shoulder with a nod of approval. She looked back up at the Jarl. “Sir, just because I’ve seen a dragon before doesn’t mean I can fight one! In fact, that same dragon almost took my life!” She thought back to the moment the dragon Shouted at her, sending her and several others flying. Her head still sometimes ached from the impact of hitting the wall. 

 Balgruuf placed his hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s scary, but you will not be alone in this fight. From the moment I met you, I knew something was different in you. I still haven’t pinpointed what, but I know that you can do this. Trust your instinct. Trust your friends.” With this, he glimpsed at Kaidan and backed away. Kaidan gripped her shoulder as well and gave her a reassuring look. She glimpsed back at the sword, hooked it onto her belt, and took a shaky breath. “Okay.” 

Annie and Kaidan made their way out as Farengar approached the Jarl.  "I should come along. I would very much like to see this dragon." "No. I can't afford to risk both of you. I need you here working on ways to defend the city against these dragons." Farengar seemed disappointed, but did not argue. "As you command." Balgruuf called out to his housecarl. "One last thing, Irileth. This isn’t a death or glory mission. I need to know what we’re dealing with.” She bowed again. “Don’t worry, my lord. I am the very soul of caution.” With that, she gestured to Annie and Kaidan, and the three of them ran out of the hall. 

By the front gates, Irileth was giving an inspiring speech to her men, who all seemed just as nervous as Annie. Kaidan watched her as she had a death grip on the hilt of her new sword, trying her best to listen to the speech. “You okay?” He asked gently. “Kaidan, I’m not a warrior. I’m not even a soldier! I’m just a mage that loves studying, learning- I-I mean I know destruction spells, and I can hold my own in a fight, but a dragon?? Back in Helgen, I’ve never been so scared in my life, and now I’m being asked to go through that again...” She was biting her nails, but got a nasty shock when she realized her hands were tingling with electricity. “Listen, Annie.” He stood in front of her so she had to look up at him. 

“Remember what the Jarl said: You’re not alone in this. Trust me. I’ll be there the whole time. I swore to protect you to repay my debt to you, and I’m standing by that promise. You can do this.” Annie stopped trembling and met his eyes. He wasn’t grinning, wasn’t frowning. His eyes were filled with fierce determination. He truly believed in her. 

“...The glory of killing it is ours, if you're with me! Now what do you say? Shall we go kill us a dragon?" Irileth finished off her speech with rallying cries from the soldiers. Kaidan held up a hand to Annie. She glimpsed down to make sure her anxiety-driven Sparks had worn off, and when she knew they had, she gripped his hand. He firmly squeezed it, and with a heartfelt, possibly excited grin, he took off running with the group, Annie close behind him. 

*******************************************

It was a short run to the Western Watchtower. But what lie in its place was not a tower, but still-smoldering ruins. The tower was half crumbled to the ground, nowhere near its original height. A walkway and barricades were torn down and burning with still-roaring flames. Worst of all, charred corpses lie scattered amid the ruins. The dragon had definitely left its mark. 

Irileth led the group up to a short hill across from the carnage. “No signs of any dragon right now, but it sure looks like he's been here. I know it looks bad, but we've got to figure out what happened. And if that dragon is still skulking around somewhere. Spread out and look for survivors. We need to know what we're dealing with." She and the soldiers brandished their weapons and charged onto the scene. Annie and Kaidan made their way toward the tower and quickly found something. 

A guard, scorched like the other was, crouched by the doorway inside, trembling. His eyes grew wide when he saw them enter. He shakily stood and shooed them out.  "No! Get back! It's still here somewhere! Hroki and Tor just got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it!" Irileth, who was nearby, came to investigate.  "Guardsman! What happened here? Where's this dragon? Quickly now!"

He shook his head. “I don’t know!” As they approached the bottom of the tower, he froze. His head turned slowly south and he fell to his knees. “Kynareth save us, here he comes again...” 

Everyone turned toward where he was facing, and listened. Sure enough, Annie heard it. It was in the distance, but she knew the sound all too well. A roar. A dragon’s roar. The clouds were still thick and blocking the sky, but they could faintly see a shadow move from the mountain top and disappear overhead. “Here he comes! Find cover and make every arrow count!” Irileth found a spot by the crumbled walkway and readied her weapon. Kaidan pulled Annie over behind the tower where a small outcropping covered them. 

They all waited. Listened as one last roar, much closer this time, echoed just overhead. It was quiet. Still, as everyone held their breath and watched the skies. 

Then the dragon dropped from the clouds and snatched up a guard from the walkway in his mouth. With a sickening crunch, the dragon flew back above and flung the guard’s body back to the ground. Annie was going to be sick. 

A war cry rose from the brave troop as they unleashed all they had upon it. Arrows and spells sprang up from all directions. Kaidan unsheathed his own bow and landed a few himself. Annie stayed behind him as he crept around the tower and followed the beast wherever it went. The dragon made a few laps around the premises, then landed with an earth-shaking crash. It took a breath, “Everyone get down!!” and Shouted. 

Flames roared out across the ruins as everyone ducked for cover, some not so lucky were still out in the open. Kaidan yelled and covered Annie behind a broken wall. Even through him, she could feel the immense heat that surrounded them. Once the fire stopped, everyone brave enough emerged from their hiding and began to strike it again. Annie found herself hyperventilating on the ground as Kaidan stood up from shielding her. “Stay here!” He shouted, and went back to attacking. 

She was doing everything she could to calm down. Her pulse was racing, her vision was blurry, she couldn’t breathe. She watched from behind the wall as men began approaching the dragon and attacking head-on, but the dragon’s strong jaws had them quickly, and they were gone. She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down again. 

Suddenly, everything went quiet, and time seemed to slow. The sounds of the battle were muffled. The fire that raged from the beast roared around her, a distant rage. Her gaze found Kaidan, who was rising from his cover and launching another assault. Kaidan, a stranger fast becoming a friend, who believed in her. Her brother Alec, somewhere out there, probably looking for her too, believed in her. 

She was terrified. The sparks igniting her whole body at this point proved it so. But now was the time to use that fear, and prove them right. 

Something burned within her. Something shifted within her, and she found herself standing up from the rubble. 

The dragon paused, very briefly, and made eye contact. Its face registered something which she would later realize was recognition. The guards were doing a number on it, but it wasn’t enough. 

With her body still running on pure adrenaline, and whatever fire was now raging inside of her, she mustered all of her magicka into her hands, and struck out towards it. 

An amount of electricity that could instantly kill a man was pouring from her outstretched arms. She was screaming, but you couldn’t hear it over the shock. 

It wasn’t killing it, but it certainly caught the dragon’s attention. With it distracted for just long enough, the other men moved in and hit it once again with everything they had. It was Irileth that dealt the final blow, with a sword through its head by way of its eye. Its other eye met Annie’s again, this time with fear. And then she heard something she never expected. She heard it speak, to her. 

“Dovahkiin!? No!!!” 

Irileth removed her sword, and the beast collapsed, lying still. Annie fell to her hands and knees, all of her magic drained from her. The handful of surviving men were already rejoicing. Irileth approached the body. “Now let’s see if this overgrown lizard is really dead.” The guards approached with her, but froze in their tracks. 

The body was igniting. Flames appeared from inside it and engulfed it. “Everyone, get back!” Someone yelled, and they all ducked for cover. All except Annie, who was still too weak to stand. Kaidan rushed over to her and tried to help her up. “Annie!” 

She was barely standing when the body was fully ignited, and then a strong wind moved through. Something was coming out of the dragon, and into her. The shock of the absorption knocked her out of Kaidan’s grasp, but she was still barely standing. This power flowing into her was blindingly burning, but felt... natural. It wasn’t forcing its way in, although the force was strong. The dragon’s body dissolved into nothing but bones, as if all its life force was now moving into Annie. 

After a moment, it finished, and all the wind and fire faded away. Annie dropped to one knee and began panting. “By the gods... what just happened to you?” Kaidan knelt next to her and placed a hand on her back, but quickly snatched it back. She felt like she was on fire. 

“I don’t.. I don’t know...” All the others were gathering around her, silent with awe. One guard stepped up, his mouth agape. “I can’t believe it... you’re Dragonborn!” Annie used Kaidan’s shoulder as a crutch to help herself stand. She was cooling off and touching the metal of his armor, which he was quietly grateful for. “I’m a what?”

“Dragonborn. In the very oldest tales, back when there still were dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power. That's what you did, isn't it? Absorbed that dragon's power?" The guard explained. Annie felt her chest. She was warm, but not burning anymore. That roar and power that she felt earlier was louder now. Whatever just happened, it definitely awoke something within her. “I mean... it certainly felt like it...” 

“There's only one way to find out. Try to Shout... According to the old legends, only the Dragonborn can Shout without training, the way the dragons do." The other guards began debating the legend. Annie looked down at her hands. They were still hers, but they felt... different, somehow. Stronger. She felt stronger. Kaidan was watching her intently. “How do you feel?” She looked up at him. “Honestly? A little freaked out.” He chuckled. “But... I feel stronger, somehow. And really, really warm. And my chest kind of, burns? Not like heartburn, but like... something is... alive. Am I making sense?” Kaidan chuckled again and shook his head, “Not really, but after what just happened, who knows?”

The men had dragged Irileth into the debate. They finished arguing, and looked back at Annie. "If you really are Dragonborn, like the old tales, you ought to be able to Shout. Can you? Have you tried?" She looked at Kaidan. He shrugged. She sighed and walked a distance away, facing away from the handful of survivors. 

She definitely absorbed something from the dragon. The burning in her chest was working its way up to her throat while she thought. Okay, Shouting. I can do that? Think, Annie. If dragons can Shout, that means it’s in their language, right? What do you know about their language? Nothing really. Except... one Word... from the Barrows... The burn sat dead center of her throat. She envisioned the physical form of the Word she saw, how it engulfed her vision, how she heard and felt it through her entire body. She gripped her fists, and took a deep breath and, 

“FUS!”

The volume of her Voice shocked her. She couldn’t help but cover her mouth out of surprise. She Shouted. “I did it...” She whispered. 

The others gasped and murmured. The same guard from before approached her.  "That was Shouting, what you just did! Must be. You really are Dragonborn, then..." Annie turned to face Kaidan, who was right behind her, his shocked face matching hers. “Well, I’ll be damned... I’m traveling with a Dragonborn...” She couldn’t help but nervously chuckle. 

"That was the hairiest fight I've ever been in, and I've been in more than a few. I don't know about this Dragonborn business, but I'm sure glad you're with us. Jarl Balgruuf will want to know what happened here. I'm taking command here for the moment. You head back to Whiterun and let the Jarl know what happened." Irileth seem unperturbed by the discovery, but impressed nonetheless. Kaidan nodded and gently guided Annie back to the road and towards Whiterun.

“This... changes everything, doesn’t it?” She asked aloud. “It only changes what you want it to. You’re still Annie, just, a little louder now.” She chuckled. “I never knew I could get that loud.” He shook his head. “Quick way to win an argument, though.” 

Annie was beginning to feel a little weak by the time they reached the city stables. It felt like the heat was wearing off, and she was back to feeling the drain of her magicka. She stumbled a bit, and Kaidan caught her arm over his shoulders. “I’ve got you.” 

They had just made it past the first gate when a loud clap of thunder shook the earth, sending them tumbling to the ground. But through the rumble, Annie heard the unmistakable Shout, 

“DO-VAH-KIIN!” 

Her head was ringing. She couldn’t hear anything, even Kaidan who was shouting something in her ear. The world was spinning and everything was fading away. Somewhere, she heard Kaidan call her name, and then all went black. 

Previous

[goddessyonakuromatoki]

Is it just me or is La Mer worrying about Summer having a quite cinematic parallel to the one of Yaz and 13? I mean, look at the similarities yet in different ways! 🥺

[erasrheadbby]

PERFECT PLACES (a playlist abt isolation, love, and drugs) // [listen]

[koolboobanned]

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

"A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis."

Disney's Lost Classic SciFi! Seems that every popular studio had a ' hybrid' addiction back then, like this adventure cult classic. Atlantis: The Lost Empire retells Jules Verne's Vingt mille lieues sous les mers, or internationally known as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, with a struggling linguist offered to join on a quest to find the lost mythical city: Atlantis.

Milo Thatch longs to go on an expedition to find Atlantis, but has failed time and time again with his proposal on said expedition to the Smithsonian. Disheartened, he comes home only to find a mysterious woman, Helga Sinclair, who is apparently there on behalf of her employer with a proposition. After asking who her employer is, He finds himself in the estate of millionare Preston Whitmore, and offered that he assist an expedition he is funding to no other than Atlantis.

An action adventure filled with wonder,eccentric characters, uncomofrtable real world truths and the nostalgic 2D animation of the 90's, its a film that you'd be reminded of the numerous adventure films to ever exist.

Sources: IMBD,Disney Wiki,Wikipedia

links: bilibili.tv