#not tagging the ones i said i don't ship LOL

[eirakairos]

Rendezvous Chapter 3

Chapter summary: The girl hears her mother cry many times because of this man who is supposed to be his father. She doesn’t have much information, she just hears a lot that she looks like him. She heard stories of the ships belonging to a bad man, so she thinks her father is bad. But why would her Mama go to a man like him? Why didn't he search for them? Did he forget about them?

A/N: Apologies for the late update, I had a hectic week lol

I was thinking the child would be similar to Anya from SpyxFam in terms of being a bit mature at her age

Words: 3,334

Tags: Hurt/comfort, character death implied!, MC and Sylus' child, don't worry this is angst but with happy ending, Sylus is a girl dad hands down

You are so thankful to the wisdom of the mothers and the healers in the tribe in raising a baby girl. She is now five years old and is a rambunctious child. You are amused sometimes as she looks like a little Sylus running around and playing with other kids. But it is also a reminder that she is Sylus and your child. For five years, you didn’t hear any news about him. You had accepted that he probably moved on to his ambitions, or maybe to another woman. It hurts you deeply, but you can’t bring chaos to your life anymore, especially such violence and desolation, to your daughter’s life.

“Maybe it's a good time for you and your daughter if it is still in your consideration to return, dear,” the old woman said. “But rest assured that if you do intend to stay longer, it is alright as well,”

“Thank you,” you said. “I have heard news from the warriors that the nearby cities in the far end had been seeing large ships similar to the one you arrived in,” she said. Your eyes widened. Why is Onychinus in the far cities other than in the N109 Zone? “The warriors heard terrible stories about those ships, so we are planning to move to a farther place,” she said. “So this is the right time to decide, so the journey back won’t be much further,” Your mind is swirling in thoughts if Sylus is still the leader of Onychinus or if there is a new management. “They heard stories of the ship conquering city by city, making them do allegiance to their favor,” You know Onychinus, everything it touches will go to chaos, intentional or not. You can’t bring such things to the tribe.

“Mama, can I go with the warriors please?” her daughter approached her. You sighed, your little girl has the rebellious and mischievous trait from her father. She wanted to be a fighter and often hung out around and amazed at the trained men in the tribe. She wanted to go with them and watch them hunt food. “They are hunting and going farther today, so I can’t allow you,” you reasoned out. Your daughter pouted in response. “And no usage of Evol, you promised,” you followed. This is the dangerous part of handling her, she retaliates by using it in any form, especially when she gets hurt. Both of you discovered it when she was being teased for having a different hair color. Next thing you knew, the kid was crying because she broke his toy in a dark red mist. ‘Ugh, I carried her for nine months after a literal explosion and deserted in a field, squeezed her out of my body and looked like a spitting image of her father,’ you thought whenever you remember it.

You sat down beside her. Despite her age, your daughter has the trait of being mature and understanding, again, just like Sylus. “I want to ask you something, dear,” you said. The girl looked up to you. “Do you want to go to another place? It is much better there,” you asked. “We going now?” she asked back. As young as she is, you did tell her the general situation of things, but her appearance made her realize that she is different from the tribe. “Yes, sadly. They are going further for safety,” you said. “We would be much safer and have more access to the city,” The daughter hummed and looked at the fields, probably thinking about what to decide. “It’s okay, I’ll give you more time-” you stopped when she hugged your waist. “Okay, Mama,” she answered. You were surprised at how fast she responded and you are always grateful for having a good daughter as you hugged her in return.

“I heard the city people while trading goods… Someone important arrived in the city,” the warrior said. Your daughter is hearing their conversations as she is huddled in a basket attached to a horse. Before the warriors depart for a hunt, she sneaks in the basket while you are sleeping. “There is one ship that landed near our hunting spot, but it looked harmless. There is only one camp there but there is not much activity around it… There it is,” Your daughter peeked and saw a huge ship. It only has one illuminated bonfire beside it.

The warriors did make a camp to rest. The girl remained inside the basket, hearing the conversations. “That ship… I only saw one man going out there,” one of the warriors said. “He has the same color as hers… White-haired and has red eyes,”

“Do you think they are from the same place?” one asked. “We did find her in the same type of ship.” The little girl’s eyes widened as she knew it was her mother. Despite being very young, she was hearing a lot of things from adults that she knew she wasn’t supposed to hear.

The warriors are sleeping when she is able to get out of the basket, put her hood on her cloak on and went to the direction of the ship. The little girl is curious about the stories she has been hearing, but it all started when she accidentally eavesdropped on you and the healer talking.

“I assumed that your daughter looked more like her father,” the old woman said. You chuckled. “Yes, she is so much like her father,” you answered. “We saw a ship that looked like when you arrived here but it was going towards the city,” You were surprised by this information. “The warriors said they didn’t see any white-haired man with red eyes,” You were saddened, it's been many years but you are still longing for Sylus. “I feel you are missing him,” she said. “Oh dear, we can arrange your travel if you decide to go back,”

“I am aware of that but… She is still young,” you said. “I’m just making sure she is well for the journey,” The old woman chuckled. “Well, she has been going with the warriors a lot, so I think she would be one,” You chuckled as well in response. “Don’t underestimate children, my dear. They have huge potential despite their innocence in the world,” the old woman said.

“I just thought that… He would find us sooner or later,” you said, opening up your long-time anxieties.

“Dear, even if it takes long if he indeed loves you, he will search for you till the end of the world. Though I understand your longing,” she said. “The tribe is in a remote place, yet I’m still hoping you three would meet again,”

The girl hears her mother cry many times because of this man who is supposed to be his father. She pouted remembering it again. She doesn’t have much information, she just hears a lot that she looks like him. She heard stories of the ships belonging to a bad man, so she thinks her father is bad. But why would her Mama go to a man like him? He didn’t search for them, she heard he didn’t even know her Mama had a baby, who was her. Her mother got into the tribe because she was taken away by a ship that looked in front of her at that moment.

Why didn't he search for them? Did he forget about them?

As she hides from the distance, she can see a man being illuminated by the bonfire. She was wondering why the man was alone. Upon looking closer, the man is looking at a small item but it was too far for her to see. The man is tall, wears a cloak, has… White hair and red eyes.

In reaction, she accidentally sat down in shock, making the leaves rustle. Before she could go elsewhere, a force enveloped her, and was dragged from her hiding to the bonfire area.

Red eyes stared at her. She was enveloped in fear more. Whoever his man is, he looks mean. “Someone was being sneaky,” he said in a deep voice. Black and red mists enveloped her more, his right eye turning red. “Stop!” she yelled, mists appearing around her. The mists from the man quickly disappeared, making her fall down and instinctively scooting away from him. The man looked shocked and looked at his hand for a second before going back at her. He tried it one more time and the mist could grab her arm. She yelled and glared at him, her eyes emitting a red glow from the covered hood, black and red mists swirling around her, disabling his hold on her. Her eyes gazed at the man intently, suddenly she was hearing something while gazing into his eyes. She is hearing a familiar name and the desire to see her and their child again. Both are shocked as her powers reach the limit and quickly dissipate, stopping the voice and the mists. The man halts his either, being surprised that she can do that.

Sylus was not surprised that the mysterious little girl in front of him had the same Evol as his, he was surprised that she was fast and strong enough to use her Evol against him at her age. Sylus took reigns and used his Evol to grab her, as she seemed to have reached her limit already. “Let me go, you’re the mean man!” she exclaimed. “You are a kid sneaking up in a vast field in the middle of the night. I’m assuming you have business with me,” he spoke. “I would be the mean man if you continue to thrash… Like a hissing kitten,” he followed. Calling this kid like a kitten reminded him of you, especially when you first met him.

The girl quickly stopped but crossed her arms while being levitated. “This ship scares my tribe! Leave us alone!” she said. His eyebrow was raised before he hummed as he gently set her down. “I guess our business aligns then. Why don’t we have a deal?” Sylus said. The hooded girl looked at him. “I’m looking for someone,” he continued. “If you help me find that person I was looking for, I will leave your tribe alone, even offer protection, if you fancy,”

“No, you will just double-cross me or something, we don’t need you to protect, you bad man,” she answered. Well, smart little girl, Sylus thought. “I uphold my deals, sweetie,” Sylus said. “I might be a bad man, but I do the end of my bargain, don’t worry,”

The girl squints her eyes as if she is thinking hard. She doesn’t have much leverage in this matter. “Okay, but you have to tell me who are you looking for,” Sylus looked in the distance, he held the small item he was holding earlier. The crow brooch. “A woman,” he said. “She was in a ship that crashed here many years ago,” he then proceeded to describe that woman. Her eyes widened when he mentioned the crash but covered because of the hood. The girl thought the description he said, there is a certain longing to that and is very similar to what you look like. She snapped her thoughts as she thought she would protect you. “I might know someone,” she answered. Sylus glared. “‘Might’ is not a good retort,” he said. “I am not here to waste time,” he said as the sound of flapping wings and cawing was heard. A black bird landed on his shoulder. It cawed softly beside him and Sylus listened as if he understood him.

“Mephisto is telling me that there is a group of warriors nearby,” he said. “They are the warriors from my tribe,” the little girl said. “Okay, we will leave them be,” Sylus said. The girl was relieved somewhat to hear that. He looked at her slyly. “Let me guess, you sneaked in by them?” The little girl was surprised and looked away, making him chuckle. “They will leave in the dawn but if we follow them, they will notice,” she followed. Sylus hummed. “Don’t worry, he will fly again to see where we will be heading,” Sylus said. “Okay, but I do know how to navigate back,” the little girl said. “I’ll help to find that person you want. The elders might know that crash,” Sylus glared at her but let her be.

“So his name is Mephisto?” she asked, looking at the bird preening beside him. “Yes, I made him,” he replied. The girl was confused and looked closer, he was indeed mechanical. “Whoa… I thought he was a real bird,” Sylus smirked, basking in the compliment. He lets Mephisto roam the skies again as he flies in his order. “The winds will get stronger tonight, he shouldn't roam long,” the little girl said. Sylus looked above and felt the wind, thinking she did have a sense of survival skills. “You better rest, we have a long day of travel back. It’s not that far,” she followed and lay down, her head resting on the log. Out of nowhere, a bag was thrown at her. “What-” she said, realizing it was a sleeping bag. She looked at Sylus, who was already lying down from a distance. Her eyes squinted, making her wonder how her mother fell in love with such a man. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep from the long travel and anxious thoughts.

Sylus wakes up early and looks at the girl, who is still sleeping in the sleeping bag. He has a hunch of why she sneaked up on him last night, far deeper reasons than the tribe. As he packed up his things, he looked at the small trinket attached to his bag, it was the pouch you gave him when you were stuck with him in the grasslands. He always remembered you wherever he went, bringing something that reminded him of you. He wanted to get to the tribe fast to learn if his intel was true. He stood up and reached out to the little girl to wake up. She gasped before doing so and used her Evol to stop his hand.

The girl looked at him angrily. “Sweetie, it is only me,” he said. “I… Okay,” the girl releases his hand. “Please don’t do that. I don’t like people sneaking up on me,” she said. She doesn’t want her hood to be lowered down. “Oh, but you sneaking up on me last night was alright?” he crossed his arms but smirked. She blushed in embarrassment. “I was going to talk to you! I just don’t know the timing!” she defended. “It’s just… I don’t like someone pulling my hood down. My hair is weird,” she said. “How so?” Sylus said. “Other kids tease me of how weird it looks, so I often wear a hood,” she replied, making a half lie. She does get teased but she doesn’t care, she retaliates even. She doesn’t want him to give other ideas as they look alike. “Hmm, don’t listen to them, as far as I’m concerned, you can confront and defend yourself,” he said as he brought his bag. His statement has a hint of truth, she often does it as she wants to show them she isn’t backing down but something stops her thoughts. “That’s…” she trailed off. Sylus stopped as she pointed at the pouch. “Did… Did the person you’re looking for give that to you?” The little girl asked. Sylus didn’t respond, but the girl knew the answer. “I… I’m familiar with that pouch,” she said. “... My tribe does that,” Sylus responded with a hum. “Well, adds more reason to visit your tribe then,”

Despite the windy weather in the grasslands, Sylus and the little girl continued to travel. The two had been walking for a while now and all they could see was seemingly endless grass. The little girl looked at Sylus while they were staying for a break. He was looking a bit uncomfortable, probably due to the heat. “I didn’t know you had encountered my tribe before, they often are remote,” she said. “It was… An accidental event,” he answered. “And that person you were looking for, she gave that pouch, right?” she said. “You said it was many years ago… Do you think she is still-” she stopped as she felt the intense glare from the man. “She is important to me, far more than you imagined,” he said with a rough, pained voice as he returned his gaze to the food he was cooking. “What if somehow you meet her again?” the little girl asked, anticipating his answer. “Then, the world will be much better again,” She felt the yearning in his answer. “I will make sure she will be mine this time and… Not lose her and our child again,” he continued. The little girl internally gasped, she was surprised but masked it quickly. She felt his gaze again. “I believed they survived. It was… A challenge to find her this time,” he spoke. She felt the pain in his voice as if he had been searching for that long.

There were a lot of thoughts in the little girl’s head, especially him saying “Our child”. “You know, I was curious what the city looks like,” the little girl said. “I’ve been hearing stories, I heard it was scary,” she followed. “A bad man was going around, no one knows him but many people are scared of him,” Sylus didn’t answer but listened to her. “My mother was considering visiting and maybe staying there for good,” she said. “Maybe if you hold your end of the bargain, I can show you and your mother around,” Sylus said. “Why only your mother? Where is your father?” he casually asked. The little girl looked sad in response. “I don’t know, he probably had left us. My mother is still waiting for him to return,” He remained silent, remembering luck was not on his side since, he was still searching for the love of his life and his little one.

They continued to walk as the winds were getting stronger. The little girl looked up and saw Mephisto struggling to fly. “He should be getting down, the winds are howling but it would be temporary!” She yelled as the winds were noisy. “He would be fine, I would just repair him,” he said. She sees Sylus started to struggle in walking. The girl looked above again and saw Mephisto losing control to fly and was thrown back and falling. She ran while looking at the trajectory where the mechanical bird might fall. Sylus was surprised that she would still run for the bird. Despite struggling, she jumped to catch Mephisto, bracing for the rough fall on the grass. She opened her eyes and saw herself floating, with an energy holding around her. Looking back, she sees Sylus with his hand out, using his Evol while holding onto the grass. Mephisto cawed weakly on her hold, she fixed herself, making sure she was still hooded as Sylus brought them back to him.

They continued walking when the winds calmed down. She held Mephisto, who had his wing broken. Despite being mechanical, the little girl is still worried. “I told you, I can fix him later. He is fine,” Sylus reassured. Mephisto cawed in response and was calm under the girl’s hold as if he were grateful for catching him.

Sylus looked at the girl again, remembering the time she was running towards the bird. Her hair was white, and her eyes were red, just like his. But she looks so much like you. Her face, her powers, her personality, her past… He remembered his dreams of holding his little girl. He had the intense urge to protect her in realization, using his Evol to make sure she was safe.

“Look!” she yelled as she pointed at the distance, seeing huts and goats roaming. “We have arrived!”

[mezamun]

In relation to another post, I think I'd like to give my basic thoughts on ships; Ash ships in particular to start with because that's easy.

Poké- Childhood mutual crushes. The sillies. AU Notes — Ash got burned by Misty leaving and ignored love for a while. Misty moved on. By the time the subject came up again, she gently rejected him. They tried dating as adults but it felt awkward and weird. They think the other is attractive but it just does not work. They'd rather give each other noogies and dead arms than date.

Advance - Not my favorite, but charming and cute. AU Notes — They're both committed to their primary partners, but they do casually date as adults. They grow up to have a lot in common and have nice chemistry. That said, you'd hardly notice that they're not just BFFs unless you see them kiss or something.

Pearl - OTP! They're so perfect. Made for each other. Endgame. AU Notes — Endgame. They're married. Ash and Dawn start dating a year after Diamond/Pearl and they support each other more and more; Dawn is the perfect emotional confidant for Ash and vice versa. Lacking a lot of his inhibitions for sharing his grief and worries, and not one to criticize him much, she's a great match for him. Likewise, Ash is a bit more emotionally in-tune and is good for her!

Negai - Conceptually great, but canon sours this one for me hard. The mean-spiritedness of BW makes me resent a lot of their interactions. But on paper, I think it's a great ship with some tweaks! AU Notes — Their friendship is a lot closer to my ideal, here. Fellow hard-headed trainers turned Champions. There's just a touch of chemistry here; they comfort each other and hug things out in private and share a lot with each other emotionally. But, as far as most of the world is concerned, they're just tight friends.

Amour - My second favorite ship for Ash in canon. I do wish it got more buddy-buddy moments in the vein of Pearl, but I really appreciate their story and influence on one another, it's very cute. AU Notes — Part of my OT3! Serena and Ash become quick emotional confidants in Kalos, with Ash in heavy denial about his budding feelings. Dawn's arrival throws them for a loop, and only wants what makes all three of them happiest, once she too falls for Serena. They all date, and later get married and have a family.

Auriela - Not a fan whatsoever. Feels very much like Ash is just there to coddle and rescue her. Does nothing for me at all. AU Notes — Even more of a no; Ash meets her as a young adult when she's 10 or 11; he's damn near a parental figure to her, while co-boarding at Kukui's lab after she runs away from home. During my later USUM arc, Ash is the experienced mentor to her and Selene.

Aloha - Who picked that name. Anyways. It's fine. Shrug emoji AU Notes — Not a thing in my canon, though Ash and Mallow are friends from when he took part in her trial.

Blueangel - It's the one S/M ship I liked. Super cute chemistry! AU Notes — It's canon to my AU. They hit it off during/after Ash participated in her trial. They have similar senses of humor, wanderlust, and strong personalities in general. Ash ultimately introduces her to Misty, who she ends up marrying. Misty likes to joke that he has visitation privileges in their prenuptuals.

Bloombolt - I've seen people make it work! That Ash isn't even really Ash to me anymore, so whatever. AU Notes — Absolutely not. Ash is Chloe's godfather in this canon. They mean a lot to me platonically. He was friends with Prof Cerise growing up, and ended up being asked for that blessing. He's a major source of encouragement and wisdom for Chloe, despite the window of estrangement they go through when she closes herself off.

Pallet - I can definitely see why people ship this, it's good. AU Notes — While there's nothing that really makes this impossible, I don't see it in my canon. They're BFFs, it's not like that.

Coma - I like it. They're just kind of funny together. Disaster gays. AU Notes — I definitely could picture Ash having some feelings for him that he didn't realize or vice versa, but it doesn't end up happening. That window of time that'd set it off never happens. Paul would never care to entertain all the noise and relationships in Ash's life, and they work just fine as friends, anyway.

Z-Ring - I can see why people ship this in canon, it's cute. AU Notes — Nah. They're friendly rivals. Kiawe strikes me as very stern and do-it-by-the-books. He's monogamous with Mallow.

Journeys - Again; that Ash isn't the Ash I know. In isolation, it works. AU Notes — Very similar big no to Chloe; Ash is a mentor to Goh and actually encourages he and Chloe to pursue each other when they both confide in him separately. They're close, platonically.

Alto - Heroes made me a big fan they are so CUTE. AU Notes — They're together. They reunite some years after Johto, during a time where Ash is pretty down on his luck and could use the company + support. He reciprocates Latias's feelings after spending their short journey together and she joins him for good. She continues to use her human form to blend in alongside him.

Poffle - I really just believe Miette was using Ash to get Serena's goat, but it's an amusing thought anyway. AU Notes — She's something of a package deal with Serena. I think they're funny as a throuple.

That's it, for now!

[local-diavolo-anon]

as said, i watched one punch man again, and remembered why i liked saigenos as a ship, so have a pretty genos, and a story in 3 parts

[chloecherrysip]

Mario, why do you look like a bear? What is this!?

[butterflysonnets]

yes i'm rooting for m*leven breakup because byler is neat but mostly? i'm rooting for m*leven breakup for the sake of el and mike.

to me, their romance was always a puppy love born out of a combination of social pressures, naïve curiosity, and a lack of true understanding regarding intimacy and romantic love and what it really is. it was real in that they do truly, deeply care about each other and they are close friends, maybe even shared an attraction, but a maturing romance is so much more than that. they've grown up and out of being boyfriend/girlfriend, and that's okay! i think television/film needs to show more often that most of us don't have definite "soulmates" or first childhood loves that we spend our whole lives with. it doesn't mean these relationships meant nothing and didn't impact us, it just means they've run their course and that something else is in the cards, and this is part of life!

i've always felt el was at her best and most confident self when broken up with mike, discovering who she was and what she liked alongside another girl her age instead of just relying on mike for mentorship on how to live in the real world. she deserves more of an opportunity to find herself, her autonomy, and her independence, and to love who she is, and she's made it clear she's felt insecure in the relationship with mike because she isn't being loved and understood the way she wants, needs, and deserves from someone who is her partner.

also, it's okay if mike doesn't love her in "the way he should". he is not obligated to love her romantically and stay in a relationship with her just because she's a girl, because she "needed someone", or because he cares about her a lot. he shouldn't be pressured into a romance if it's not truly coming from his heart. he deserves freedom to find out and honour who he is, too, instead of just staying in his non-functional first relationship — one he got into as a child, essentially — and defining himself that way because it's what's expected when a boy and a girl are close. he loves her in some way, yes, but it's okay if he doesn't feel comfortable or secure being her boyfriend anymore, for whatever reason that is. he's felt insecure too, and that's valid and it matters.

they are their own people and are steadily growing and changing every day. they need time to figure out who those people are, and it's become clear (at least in my opinion) that those people aren't meant to be a couple at this stage.

they deserve freedom. they deserve to grow up and be authentic to themselves and not feel like they need to lie for the sake of a relationship. they deserve to move on from this version of their relationship that isn't making them happy and rekindle the best part of their bond: their strong, beautiful friendship. they don't have to be a couple if it doesn't make them stronger and better and happier people.

i think it would be healthy and wonderful for a show, especially one consumed frequently by young adults, to show a relationship starting, progressing, and ending on good terms in this way. sometimes things don't work out, and that is okay.

[bluemew-theturtle]

Still absolutely obsessing over Runa and Cyril's character development in TNC.

Like the book itself was... A little off in terms of other plot lines and pacing, imo? Iykyk. But the Grand Three absolutely stole the show imo and I'm SO excited to see how things between them play out.

[acourtofquestions]

Boots crunched in hay, and then he was knee to knee before her.

Aedion.

There was nothing kind on his face. No pity or warmth.

For a long minute, they only stared at each other.

Then the prince growled softly, "Your plan was bullshit."

She said nothing, and couldn't stop her shoulders from curving inward.

"Your plan was bullshit," he breathed, his eyes sparking. "How could you ever be her, wear her skin, and think to get away with it? How could you ever think you'd get around the fact that our armies are counting on you to burn the enemy to ashes, and all you can do is run away and emerge as some beast instead?"

"You don't get to pin this retreat on me," she rasped. The first words she'd spoken in days and days.

"You agreed to let Aelin go to her death, and leave us here to be slashed to bloody ribbons. You two told no one of this plan, told none of us who might have explained the realities of this war, and that we would need a gods-damned Fire-Bringer and not an untrained, useless shape-shifter against Morath."

Blow after blow, the words landed upon her weary heart. "We—"

"If you were so willing to let Aelin die, then you should have let her do it after she incinerated Erawan's hordes!"

"It would not have stopped Maeve from capturing her."

"If you'd told us, we might have planned differently, acted differently, and we would not be here, damn you!"

She stared at the muddy hay. "Throw me out of your army, then."

"You ruined everything." His words were colder than the wind outside. "You, and her."

Lysandra closed her eyes.

Hay rustled, and she knew he'd risen to his feet, knew it as his words speared from above her bowed head. "Get out of my tent."

She wasn't certain she could move enough to obey, though she wished to. Needed to. Fight back. She should fight back. Rage at him as he lashed at her, needing an outlet for his fear and despair.

Lysandra opened her eyes, peering up at him. At the rage on his face, the hatred She managed to stand, her body bleating in pain. Managed to look him in the eye, even as Aedion said again with quiet cold, "Get out."

Barefoot in the snow, naked beneath her cloak. Aedion glanced at her bare legs, as if realizing it. And not caring.

So Lysandra nodded, clutching Ansel's cloak tighter, and strode into the frigid night.

"Where is she?" Ren asked, a mug of what smelled like watery soup in one hand, a chunk of bread in the other. The lord scanned the tent as if he would find her under the cot, the hay.

Aedion stared at the precious few logs burning in the brazier, and said nothing.

"What have you done?" Ren breathed.

Everything was about to end. Had been doomed since Maeve had stolen Aelin. Since his queen and the shifter had struck their agreement.

So it didn't matter, what he'd said. He hadn't cared if it wasn't fair, wasn't true.

Didn't care if he was so tired he couldn't muster shame at his pinning on her the blame for the sure defeat they'd face in a matter of days before Perranth's walls.

He wished she'd smacked him, had screamed at him. But she had let him rage. And had walked out into the snow, barefoot.

He'd promised to save Terrasen, to hold the lines. Had done so for years. And yet this test against Morath, when it had counted ... he had failed.

He’d muster the strength to fight again. To rally his men. He just ... he needed to sleep.

Aedion didn't notice when Ren left, undoubtedly in search of the shifter with who he was so damned enamored.

He should summon his Bane commanders. See how they thought to manage this disaster.

But he couldn't. Could do nothing but stare into that fire as the long night passed.

[heartbeetz]

Carrd update. Added those dragons to my f/o list aaaaaand added rough anniversary dates for different f/os. If anyone is into that kinda thing.

[synthshenanigans]

there’s one on here currently and they’re bringing back up old controversy (jashshipping)

Yeaa I saw that. They also seem to post a bunch of CJ related things, so I might make the daily photos one since there isn't one for just CJ screenshots/photos

[ednaeflowers]

mikleo comes up behind edna, gently grabbing hold of the girl and easing her back onto his chest. the seraph manages to avoid her umbrella and breathes in the scent of her hair, “ ednae flowers always smell best on you. “

dropping her umbrella, she bristles and immediately knows he is trying to spite her. he knows that she is unsettled whenever he is overly-affectionate with her, and the jerk knows how to annoy her with this knowledge. he's such a pain. an unbearable pain. ( she is still trying to get used to it. after all, she is not used to loving gestures that are not brotherly. )

edna is hitting his arms with her fists, trying to free herself—but again, this stupid jerk is amazing at his job of being annoying. it makes her deeply regret that impulsive urge to decorate her hair today with those ednae flowers some humans offered at the shrine. she wanted to touch up her hair differently for once, and they're her favorite flowers, and she had mentioned it to him once, and he just said that they smell the best on her—

❛  you're being super gross right now, meebo!  ❜ she complains, grimacing at the stupid skips of her heartbeats. this is so not fair. not fair at all. he must be lying. that must be it: she's onto him! his comment about ednae flowers not looking 'thorny' and 'poisonous' like her still makes her feel resentful. it used to be so ridiculously easy for her to get a rise out of him! she never asked for a change of roles! really, his audacity!

frowning, she reaches up to take a fistful of his ponytail. ❛  cut it out! i'm this close to ripping your hair off.  ❜

[winter-spark]

I notice that even though Citron's my fave, I spend more time here talking about Orange and Navel.

I think it's fear of being wrong.

[hua-fei-hua]

tagged by THREE PEOPLE on INDEPENDENT OCCASIONS to fill one of these out (@lotus-pear @stardust-make-a-wish and @yongnep) even though i'm very obviously like a child with a singular taste bud.

anyway some notes + blank under the cut:

i'm honestly very much this "once a hater always a hater" kind of person, so i honestly wasn't sure what to put for 'didn't like initially' until nat was like "well we were kinda wary of cynonari n kazuhei before their release n then we got into it" n i was like "yeah that's true"

i got sent too many thirsty tiktoks abt thomato by my college friend that's all lol

bennefischl/yantao were also considered for fave rarepair, but ynt was already gonna show for more attn, n i don't rlly think too much abt bennefischl outside of, like, rotating them both in my head transgenderedly

idk if there's still chlm discourse out there. star tells me there is. i have no idea bc very pleasantly, i live under a rock w/genshin discourse

"isn't beiguang already basically canon" i need them to get married in front of us w/the traveler as the officiant in order to force player participation. i need for mhy to give us a flagship event about their wedding and then reference it in the archon quests

anyway i feel like i don't have too many genshin mutuals bc i go out of my way to only rb things/not put original posts in the tags, so if you wanna do this just pretend i tagged you or smth

[girlyliondragon]

Alright...

Time to start reblogging stuff again.

(I've been on a Deltarune kick so it'll mainly consist of that)

[acourtofquestions]

No. No, it couldn't have been a dream The escape, Rowan, the ship to Terrasen—

A dream. An illusion. Her escape from him, from Maeve, had been another illusion.

Had she said it? Had she said where the Keys were hidden?

Then a cool, cultured voice purred, "All that training, and this is what becomes of you?" Not real. Arobynn, standing on the other side of the altar, was not real.

"Even Sam held out better than this."

Fenrys snarled.

You could get out of these chains, if you really wanted," Arobynn said, frowning with distaste. "If you really tried."

No, she couldn't, and everything had been a dream, a lie.

"You let yourself remain captive. Because the moment you are free..." Arobynn chuckled. "Then you must offer yourself up, a lamb to slaughter."

Only hearing the King of the Assassins, unseen and unnoted beside her.

"Deep down, you're hoping you'll be here long enough that the young King of Adarlan will pay the price. Deep down, you know you're hiding here, waiting for him to clear the path." Arobynn leaned against the side of the altar, cleaning his nails with a dagger. "Deep down, you know it's not really fair, that those gods picked you. That Elena picked you instead of him. She bought you time to live, yes, but you were still chosen to pay the price. Her price And the gods'?"

Arobynn ran a long-fingered hand down the side of her face. "Do you see what I tried to spare you from all these years? What you might have avoided had you remained Celaena, remained with me?" He smiled. "Do you see, Aelin?"

She could not answer. Had no voice. Cairn hit bone, and—

Aelin lunged upward, hands grasping for her thigh. No chains weighed her. No mask smothered her. No dagger had been twisted into her body. Breathing hard, the scent of musty sheets clinging to her nose, the sounds of her screaming replaced by the drowsy chirping of birds, Aelin scrubbed at her face.

The prince who'd fallen asleep beside her was already running a hand down her back in silent, soothing strokes.

A dream. Just a dream.

She twisted, setting her feet to the threadbare carpet on the uneven wood floor.

"Dawn isn't for another hour," Rowan said.

Yet Aelin reached for her shirt. "I'll get warmed up, then." Maybe run, as she had not been able to do in weeks and weeks.

Rowan sat up, missing nothing. "Training can wait, Aelin." They'd been doing it for weeks now, as thorough and grueling as it had been at Mistward.

She shoved her legs into her pants, then buckled on her sword belt.

"No, it can't."

A gathering storm to the north had forced their ship to find harbor last night—and after weeks at sea, none of them had hesitated to spend a few hours on land. To learn what in hell had happened while they'd been gone.

The answer: war.

Everywhere, war raged. But where the fighting occurred, the aging innkeeper didn't know. Boats didn't stop at the port anymore— and the great warships just sailed past. Whether they were enemy or friendly, he also didn't know.

Aelin scowled. "What." It wasn't so much of a question as demand.

His gaze was unfaltering. As it had been when she'd returned from her run through the misty fields beyond the inn and found him leaning against the apple tree. "That's enough for today."

"We've hardly started." She lifted her blade.

Rowan kept his own lowered. "You barely slept last night."

Aelin tensed. "Bad dreams." An understatement. She lifted her chin and threw him a grin. "Perhaps I'm starting to wear you down a bit."

His canines gleamed. "You need to eat."

"I need to train."

She couldn't stop it-that need to do something. To be in motion.

No matter how many times she swung her blade, she could feel them. The shackles. And whenever she paused to rest, she could feel it, too—her magic. Waiting.

Indeed, it seemed to open an eye and yawn.

She clenched her jaw, and attacked again Rowan met each blow, and she knew her maneuvers were descending into sloppiness.

Knew he let her continue rather than seizing the many openings to end it.

She couldn't stop. War raged around them People were dying. And she had been locked in that damned box, had been taken apart again and again, unable to do anything.

Rowan struck, so fast she couldn't track it. But it was the foot he slid before her own that doomed her, sending her careening into the dirt.

"I win," he panted. "Let's eat."

Aelin glared up at him. "Another round."

Rowan just sheathed his sword. "After breakfast."

She growled. He growled right back.

"Don't be stupid," he said. "You'll lose all that muscle if you don't feed your body. So eat. And if you still want to train afterward, I'll train with you." He offered her a tattooed hand.

But Aelin said, "People are dying. In Terrasen. In-everywhere. People are dying, Rowan."

"Your eating breakfast isn't going to change that." Her lips curled in a snarl, but he cut her off. "I know people are dying. We are going to help them. But you need to have some strength left, or you won't be able to."

Truth. Her mate spoke truth. And yet she could see them, hear them. Those dying, frightened people. Whose screams so often sounded like her own.

Rowan wriggled his fingers in silent reminder. Shall we?

Aelin scowled and took his hand, letting him haul her to her feet. So pushy.

Rowan slid an arm around her shoulders. That's the most polite thing you've ever said about me.

Elide's eyes widened. Widened further as he opened his mouth, and took a bite. His swallow was audible. His cringe barely contained. Elide reined in her smile at the pure misery that entered the Lion's tawny stare. Aelin and Rowan had been finishing up a similar battle when she'd entered the taproom minutes ago, the queen wishing her luck before striding back into the courtyard.

Elide hadn't seen her sit still for longer than it took to eat a meal. Or during the hours when she'd instructed them in Wyrdmarks, after Rowan had requested she teach them.

It had gotten her out of the chains, the prince had explained. And if the ilken were resistant to their magic, then learning the ancient marks would come in handy with all they faced ahead. The battles both physical and magic.

Gavriel met her stare, and Elide again restrained her laugh.

She felt, rather than saw, Lorcan enter. The innkeeper instantly found somewhere else to be. The man hadn't been surprised to see five Fae enter his inn last night, so his vanishing whenever Lorcan appeared was certainly due to the glower the male had perfected.

Indeed, Lorcan took one look at Elide and Gavriel and left the dining room.

They'd barely spoken these weeks. Elide hadn't known what to even say. A member of this court. Her court. Forever.

He and Aelin certainly hadn't warmed toward each other. No, only Rowan and Gavriel really spoke to him. Fenrys, despite his promise to Aelin not to fight with Lorcan, ignored him most of the time. And Elide ... She'd made herself scarce often enough that Lorcan hadn't bothered to approach her.

Good. It was good. Even if she sometimes found herself opening her mouth to speak to him. Watching him as he listened to Aelin's lessons on the Wyrdmarks. Or while he trained with the queen, the rare moments when the two of them weren't at each other's throats.

Aelin had been returned to them. Was recovering as best she could.

Elide didn't taste her next bite of porridge. Gavriel, thankfully, said nothing. And Anneith didn't speak, either. Not a whisper of guidance. It was better that way. To listen to herself. Better that Lorcan kept his distance, too.

Whether the others knew what propelled her, they hadn't said a word. Aelin sheathed Goldryn and loosed a long breath. Deep down, her power grumbled. She flexed her fingers. Maeve's cold, pale face flashed before her eyes. Her magic went silent.

Fenrys sat in wolf form at the edge of the nearest field, staring out across the expanse.

Precisely where he'd been before dawn.

She let him hear her steps, his ears twitching. He shifted as she approached, and leaned against the half-rotted fence surrounding the field.

"Who'd you piss off to get the graveyard shift?" Aelin asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Fenrys snorted and ran a hand through his hair. "Would you believe I volunteered for it?" She arched a brow. He shrugged, watching the field again, the mists still clinging to its farthest reaches. "I don't sleep well these days." He cut her a sidelong glance. "I don't suppose I'm the only one."

She picked at the blister on her right hand, hissing. "We could start a secret society-for people who don't sleep well."

"As long as Lorcan isn't invited, I'm in."

Aelin huffed a laugh. "Let it go."

His face turned stony. "I said I would."

"You clearly haven't."

"I'll let it go when you stop running yourself ragged at dawn."

"I'm not running myself ragged. Rowan is overseeing it."

"Rowan is the only reason you're not limping everywhere."

Truth. Aelin curled her aching hands into fists and slid them into her pockets. Fenrys said nothing didn't ask why she didn't warm her fingers. Or the air around them. He just turned to her and blinked three times. Are you all right?

A gull's cry pierced the gray world, and Aelin blinked back twice. No. It was as much as she'd admit. She blinked again, thrice now. Are you all right?

Two blinks from him, too. No,

They were not alright.

They might never be. If the others knew, if they saw past the swagger and temper, they didn't let on.

None of them commented that Fenrys hadn't once used his magic to leap between places. Not that there was anywhere to go in the middle of the sea. But even when they sparred, he didn't wield it. Perhaps it had died with Connall. Perhaps it had been a gift they had both shared, and touching it was unbearable.

She didn't dare peer inward, to the churning sea inside her. Couldn't.

Aelin and Fenrys stood by the field as the sun arced higher, burning off the mists.

Aelin shook her head. Another dream, or hallucination. "If she's on our heels with this army, I'm just ... trying to understand it. Her, I mean."

"You plan to kill her." The gruel in her stomach turned over, but Aelin shrugged. Even as she tasted ash on her tongue.

"Would you prefer to do it?"

"I'm not sure I'd survive it," he said through his teeth. "And you have more of a reason to claim it than I do."

"I'd say we have an equal claim."

His dark eyes roved over her face. "Connall was a better male than—than how you saw him that time. Than what he was in the end."

She gripped his hand and squeezed. "I know."

The last of the mists vanished. Fenrys asked quietly, "Do you want me to tell you about it?" He didn't mean his brother.

She shook her head. "I know enough." She surveyed her cold, blistered hands. "I know enough," she repeated.

[theymightbegeorge]

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[slimey-wallz]

Melly is still flabbergasted that Groovy actually said said yes 💘 (RAHHH you made him so cute 😭💕)

He wishes he said "permanent" instead of "temporary" 🥲

Of COURSE!! Melly can absolutely Join Groovy for a fun Valentine's Dance!! Don't mind if he takes the lead!