#our secret alliance spoilers

[strafepanzer]

JAEHA AND SE-I HAVE FINALLY DONE IT!!! THEY COMPLETED THE TROPE AND NOW ALL IS WELL IN THE WORLD!!! THE SKY IS FULL OF STARS!!! THE MOON GLOWS BRIGHT!!! CROPS ARE THRIVING!!! MENTAL ILLNESS IS CUUUURED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[felassan]

The Art of Dragon Age: The Veilguard preview pages Part One, under a cut due to spoilers. Preview pages come from Google Books.

[Foreword]

[Part Two]

Life in the Tevinter Imperium.

Part One: Post-Inquisition

Top: Returning to Rivain with a precious quest object. Middle: Exploring Par Vollen, the home of the Qunari. Text: Halfway through the development of Dragon Age: Inquisition we created a series of illustrations we called “beat boards” (intended to cover a major moment or “beat”, they are more polished than a storyboard). They proved to be helpful as we brought the game together. As Inquisition was coming to a close, and a sliver of attention was being paid to the next game, we wanted to try doing beat boards right at the start of the game, rather than the middle. With a few general ideas like “We’re going north” and “Maybe there are Titans” and a sense of story momentum, we started creating exploratory beat boards, asking ourselves the simple question: “What would be cool?”

Top: On a secret mission in Tevinter. Bottom: Receiving an assignment from the Inquisitor

The Red Bride's grave.

Top: An old Warden that was avoiding the Calling. Bottom: The first attempt at designing Weisshaupt Fortress. Text: Northern Thedas - Designing the cultures of northern Thedas was like a fun speculative-archaeology project. We were starting with fragments. There were occasional props, characters, or journal entries that hinted at these cultures, and we had to reverse-engineer living, breathing societies from those fragments. The most important aspect was to design them in a way that respected our fans’ engagement with the material but also attempted to exceed their imaginations (or at least do them justice).

Top: In an ancient magical city, some buildings that would have collapsed centuries ago are kept frozen in time. Bottom: Infiltrating the Archon’s throne room.

Middle: One of the first ideas for a player base was a secret lair in Minrathous’s forgotten undercity. Bottom: The very first concept art of Minrathous. Trying to capture the elegance and pride of the Imperium.

Top: The Divine sends out ships to hunt Solas in the hopes that his capture will restore peace to Thedas. Bottom: A Tevinter magister, a Chasind witch, and a Ben-Hassrath commander plot against the player.

Top: A war room in the captain’s quarters. Bottom: We explored making the player base mobile. It would give us water access to most of the regions in northern Thedas.

Top: Early on we explored the return of the griffons – in this case, using them as mounts to hunt dragons. Bottom: Something in the depths has scared the dwarves enough that they’re fleeing to the surface by the thousands.

A coastal town in Rivain.

Top: Elves from all over Thedas answer a mysterious call to Arlathan Forest. Bottom: Exploring a possible endgame scenario where Solas has summoned a Titan in the middle of Minrathous.

Top: Solas returning like a regal figure out of the distant past. Bottom: What if we return to the Fade and rescue whoever was left behind? How would their time in that alien landscape change them, and what insights could they offer into Solas’s plans?

Top: The part runs into their Tevinter counterparts, and they have to work together to survive. Bottom: Solas interrupts your mission, wiping half your team off the board and forcing you to make an unlikely alliance.

Top: Your ship is stolen, and you have to sneak into enemy territory to get it back. Middle: Journey to the heart of darkness to find Colonel Kurts… er, Solas. Bottom: We created piles of sketches and line work to explore story beats. We could iterate quickly and throw things away if necessary.

Top: There are multiple factions in Veilguard. To make sure they were always recognizable, from their buildings to their belt buckles, we began with shape.   Middle: We had explored Tevinter’s shape language in Inquisition, so in their case, it was a matter of expanding on what was established. Some shapes just felt right (like Wardens and the pointed arch). Bottom: A residential Tevinter interior.

Various captions on this page: An upward-pointing triangle for the mages’ college. We explored some sturdy shapes for the dwarves. The Wardens’ pointed arch could be turned upside down into a shield. Rivain has a been a neutral faction, so the circle worked well. The Necropolis factions started with a half-circle “crest”. A downward-pointing triangle for Tevinter. Ben-Hassrath started with an X shape language.

[no captions]

A wealthy Tevinter mansion. To show off, most of the house is built on top of a floating stone slab veined with lyrium. Visitors try not to think about what would happen if the magic was interrupted.

Slice-of-life illustrations like this weren’t prescriptive, but they helped to explore the feel of certain regions we had only ever heard references to.

Rivain is a trade center. It’s one of the places where you’ll see the greatest overlap of cultures.

[no captions]

Tevinter is a complicated place. While there are lofty towers and powerful magisters, we also wanted to explore what the daily life of Tevinter might be.

Top: Peaceful beginnings, gentle giant gardeners, and curious spirits. Middle (1): The spirits saw the dwarves as they tended to the Titans, and they wanted to try making bodies for themselves. Middle (2): The spirits made physical bodies for themselves from the “flesh” of the Titans. The first elves were born, and the first war began. Bottom: A brutal war raged on between the elves and the Titans, only ending when one elf (Solas) rendered the Titans “tranquil”, capturing their souls.

Top: The elves brought a powerful war trophy home. Middle (1): With the Titans rendered tranquil, dwarves lost their connection to magic. They fled into the bodies of their fallen homes. Bottom: With the power that came from the captured Titan souls, the elves built the greatest empire Thedas would ever see.  

Top: Solas fought against the self-proclaimed gods, earning the title “the Dread Wolf”. Middle: The gods drew upon the power of the Titans’ souls to gain more power. The imprisoned souls became twisted with rage. This became the Blight. Bottom: To contain the Blight outbreak, Solas performed a desperate blood-magic ritual. He bound up the magic of the world behind a Veil and powered it with the blood of the evil gods. Text: Black Codex – There was a top-secret document on BioWare’s network that contained the objectively true history of Thedas called the Black Codex. Each culture had its perspective, its own emphasis and style, and over time more was added and taken away. It was decided to reveal a lot of truth in this game, so early on we wanted to illustrate the Black Codex. This would help to act as a visual guide to the events that formed Thedas as we know it.

Top: What remained of the elven empire collapsed. The early human empire of Tevinter discovered it in shambles. Bottom: Eons later, the Blight reached out to power-hungry Tevinter magisters through their dreams. They were lured to the Golden City, but the magisters found it already blackened by the Blight.

Various captions on this page: At this stage, just about anything goes. Writers and artists both have ideas for what kind of characters they’d like to try, so we dump them all out on the table. We created some comics to explore the tone of the story. Some of these characters were designed specifically for that purpose. The Heir of Andraste: Finding the last living descendant of Andraste, a rough-around-the-edges warrior living among the barbarians. The Gladiator: A Tevinter gladiator that has earned her freedom. Her arm’s protected by mail made of keys from all the slaves she has rescued. She wears her former shackles as rmor: a reminder and a threat.

Various captions on this page: The academic and the mage college scholar forced into the field. Initially we work from very simple premises, often only a couple of words, like “happy necromancer” or “Qunari assassin”. An awakened darkspawn mercenary. Text: Early on we thought about creating a new set of advisors for your ship. It’s satisfying to revisit characters from previous games, especially if time has passed. It’s a chance to try and make their story visible. In this case, we see a Morrigan that has embraced her new gift, who can offer insights into the mysteries of magic and the ancient elven world. This version of Dorian is like Mathis from Casino Royale, someone who can advise you through all the ins and outs of Tevinter culture. Smuggler Admiral Isabela can get you into and out of just about any port in Thedas.

[stellar-constellations]

An Alliance (part 1)

        Fem! Spy! (Y/N) x Yuri Briar

        Parts: Current part, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten (to be continued when Spy x Family has more Yuri content!)

        (Y/N) is given her own backstory that is important for the story!

        The setting for this story is based off West and East Germany's (because Spy x Family is heavily based off Germany in the 1940-1950) laws (or at least replicated to the best of my abilities since it's unknown what time period Spy x Family is exactly in, we'll go with 1950 for the sake of this story). 

        Historically-accurate women misogyny and mistreatment! Only small comments and historically-accurate laws (replicated to the best of my ability). 

        The story, plot, and settings might not match up to the Spy x Family manga as it's not completed and the manga is still being crafted.

        This series contains spoilers for the manga and anime!

        Almost three months ago, I was caught as a Westalis spy. I found out I was ratted by a fellow spy and because of it, I was in the hands of the Secret Police, where I met the second-lieutenant, Yuri Briar. 

        .

        .        

        “Tell me, what information have you given to WISE?” the man in charge of interrogating me spoke.

        “I told you, I didn’t do anything.” I affirmed, my eyes tired from all the fake crying I had to previously do.

        What's it been? Two hours now? I'm pretty fed up of this.

        “I’m sorry for whatever I did to gain your mens' attention, but I swear I’m not a spy.” I pushed.

        I’m lying. A spy lies all the time. Though I hate to lie, it’s necessary to help create peace between the two sides; or at least to the best of our abilities. 

        “I’ll ask you for the last time... What did you tell Westalis?!” he shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

        I fake-jumped, the handcuffs on my wrists clacking together as my eyes widen.

        “I didn’t tell them nothing. I only lived there for some time, then the war struck and my home was destroyed so I moved here. I was born a (birth country) civilian but I’ve lived here in Ostania since I was ten.” I explained, letting out a cough from how sore my throats been with all this fake crying, shouting, and screaming of my proclaimed “innocence.”

        "I ain't got time for this. My shift was over a quarter ago; I'm going home." The man sighed.

        The man stood up from his chair as did the transcriber in the corner of the room.

        I was left in the room for a good thirty minutes, keeping my posture slightly tense and observant as I looked around the room. 

        If there's any cameras, they'd be looking for any signs of guilt in my body language. Acting too careless or neutral would make it appear that I don't understand the gravity of the situation, or that I'm playing too natural and collected which would be suspicious. Being too tense would give away any signs of anxiety or panic at the possibility of being caught. If I look around the room too much, they'd believe that I would be searching for cameras and microphones which wouldn't look good for an innocent person; but if I'm not checking my surroundings, it could lead them to the impression that I've been in these interrogation rooms before under suspicion of espionage.

        A knock on the metal door was heard, pulling me out of my thoughts as the door opened.

        “Excuse me, I’ll be taking over from here. Your previous interrogator had to go home.” A young man spoke as he stepped into the room. 

        He couldn’t have been any younger or older than me by two years. He had deep black hair and piercing red eyes. He almost seemed innocent with those large eyes, that was until I noticed how the atmosphere in the room changed.

        Suddenly, it didn't quit feel like I was in control of the situation.

        He looks easy to fool. I thought to myself.

        I remained quiet as I watched him close the door, walking into the chair the other guy previously sat in.

        "Hello... (Y/N), right?" he asked, setting his hat down on the table and taking a seat across from me.

        "Yeah." I confirmed, feeling heart raise as I stared at him, stopping myself from sounding meek so he doesn't get any information on me.

         It's just cause he's a new interrogator, I thought.

        I memorized the previous one's body language and go-to patterns, I can figure out this one's too. I'll stick with my same backstory I gave the other man. I need to be calm but angry too, detectives use special techniques such as that new American Reid technique to extract information from people of interest; they'll be studying my body language, tone, words, and mannerisms. Leaving me alone for so long was one of the steps they've used in the technique.

        I'll admit, I was impressed at how young this guy was. I was also impressed that he pronounced my name correctly despite it not even originating from Germany, but instead in (your name’s origin). 

        "It's a pretty name—from (your name’s origin), correct?" he smiled, causing me to internally squirm in my seat, unsettled at his knowledge and hospitality.

        That other man was screaming orders and demands at me, and here this guy is, bothering to know where my name originates from.

        "Yeah... My mom wanted a unique name; I supposed all mothers want something that stands out." I replied truthfully.

        To create a flawless lie, you must also dab in the truth. Be detailed, but not too detailed. Create eye-contact and don't slip up on your words.

        "I see. And where is your mom now?" he questioned. 

        "She's dead..." I muttered, looking away from him, forcing myself to bite my tongue.

        It was a sour memory, my tone was truthful. I'd be seen as peculiar if I didn't show any emotions talking about my dead loved ones, spy or not.

        "And your dad?" he asked.

        "Same..." I muttered dully, taking in a deep breath.

        "I'm sorry about your parents. Do you have any siblings?" he questioned.

        "Well, I did." I scowled, showing my dislike for him and his questions.

        Remember, not too hostile. That was teetering the edge...

        He ignored my glare and smiled.

        "I can assume the same as your parents?" he spoke.

        "You can." I sighed, a weak attempt to cool down.

        I need to control my emotions, otherwise I'll slip up. Remember, no connections to your past.

        "So, you were born in (your country of origin), what brought you to Ostania?" he asked.

        "I was born in (your country of origin), then my family and I moved to Westalis when I was six. Then the war broke out, the bombs and all, and my family died except for me. I was found in the rubble, then I made my way into the Westalis army. During the war, I got injured and was forced to step down. Eventually, I made my way here to get away from the war since I heard there wasn't any bombings going on, supposed to be more peaceful." I explained, forcing myself to avoid eye contact since it wouldn't help me think.

        "You have to understand though, that doesn't make me a spy! I came here to get away from the war, the bombings, the threats, and all this crap here. I just want to live a peaceful life in Ostania for as long as I can." I concluded.

        "That's very unfortunate." The man frowned. "I'm sorry you had to go through something like that. How old were you when your parents died?" 

        "I was seven." I explained. 

        "And you're...?" he paused, waiting for me to verify. 

        "Twenty." I confirmed.

        "We're close in age." He smiled. "How come you decided to stay inside of Europe? Move into Ostania whilst in the middle of a war, nonetheless? You could've went to the United States or something." he questioned.

        "I didn't want to learn a new language. Since I was young when I moved here, it was easier for me to adapt to the language since I was growing up and learning it with other kids my age trying to write and speak it too." I explained. 

        "I see. I'm sorry for what you've had to go through growing up, I really wish it wasn't as bad as it is here; however I'm afraid I cannot do much on my own." The male flashed an empathetic smile, like he lived what I lived. "It's sad for you to have gone through so much so young." 

        "You're around my age and you're in this type of business." I pointed out. 

        He smiled, his eyes too squinted and his smile too big to be friendly. It was dangerously sinister, too sinister even for me.

        "This type of business? You make serving and protecting our country sound distasteful. What negative things have you heard, Miss (L/N)?" he questioned, leaning his head on his gloved-palm.

        He opened his eyes and lowered his smile, yet the smile was still present. 

        This lighting makes him look absolutely terrifying. I thought, suppressing the urge to swallow my fear, yet I had no control of how my hands and legs started to tremble. But also...kind of attractive, I supposed...?

        "You're the Secret Police, right? I hear you guys torture anyone who doesn't give you what information you want. Anyone can report someone as a suspected spy at any time, and they'll be brought here to be tortured for 'treason' and such. Even women who aren't married after 25 are suspected to be spies and that's completely ridiculous! You do know that the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 happened to have many innocents meet their demise, just because they were blamed, because some people didn't like them or were jealous? Some even put others to their death for entertainment! Do you see a pattern?" I questioned.

        "And where did you hear this? About the Secret Police?" he asked.

        "You hear it all over. The new gossip in the office, what's on the daily newspaper, and even on our TV's. It's happening right now, in this very room." I sneered. 

        "That's just word on the street." The man spoke, doing his best to keep his poker face as he ignored my last comment.

        I could tell he wanted to get mad, frown at me, maybe even yell, but he kept up his good-cop act. 

        "The war was originally word on the street too—look where we are now." I retorted. "And you wanna know something else? Despite all the bad things I've said about Ostania so far, Ostania is just as bad as Westalis.

        "How so?" he huffed, a scowl on his face as his manipulatively cocky smile was immediately wiped from his face, losing his composure.

        "I've been on both sides of this war. I can guarantee to you that Ostania is censoring its newspapers and screens so their people don't know what it's really like—just like Westalis did. Hell, probably even still doing. You work for the State Security Service, but the SSS works for the government—you're not the ones getting information when it first comes out. You gobble up what lies and little white truths they give you." I explained, leaning closer to him on the desk to further emphasis my point. "You're just a pawn in this game of chess. Me and you hold no power to the big guys up there, but just as the word on the street says; once you get captured by the SSS, there's no coming back. Guilty or innocent, the scale is rigged."  

        His fingers drummed at the desk angrily as he closed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows. I savored the sight of this. The frustration of a Ostanian officer, weak and forced to believe my words for this interrogation, but doubt them too. All the second-thoughts flashing through his face as he wonders if I'm right or if I'm screwing with him.

        "If that's how you see it, then I supposed I'd have to accept it." He sighed roughly, intertwining his gloved fingers together. "Enough of that. Tell me all the jobs you've worked."

        "I worked at a bakery when I was six, then the Westalis army at seven, moved here and had a mix of delivering newspapers and working in pet shops as an assistant when I was ten. I got a waitressing gig at eleven and kept it until I was nineteen. Finally, I started working at a local bakery down my street." I explained. 

        "So, why did you accept being recruited into the Westalis army?" he questioned.

        It seems like we're running in circles. I thought to myself, mentally sighing. We've already gotten past that bit.

        "There wasn't really anywhere I could go without needing money. I also wanted to give justice to my family and siblings; you would too, wouldn't you?" I questioned.

        "Yes. I have an older sister and I love her dearly. It's why I do this job, so I can understand where you're coming from. Do you have an older sister too?" he asked.

        "Yes. An older sister, an older brother, and two younger brothers. Believe it or not, but we were at each others' throats every chance we could get. But I never did get to tell them that despite all of our fights and bickering, they were my family and I love them." I explained, forcing myself to look away from the male as tears started to distort my vision. 

        "It's always important to tell them that when you still have them, yeah?" he smiled.

        I nodded, not having the strength to look up. There's no way I'm going to cry in front of this bastard.

        "Yeah, and—fortunately for you—the files we've been given have matched up to everything you've been saying and more. There's really nothing left." The second-lieutenant spoke. "I'm sorry for having my co-workers drag you here, but it's protocol." 

        "It's cool. I can understand." I sighed, not exactly believing that the interview was over.

        There's no way it's over. Every spy that's been captured by the Secret Police has never been seen again, even innocent people on the streets haven't been seen again either! I really doubt I'd be the first (guilty, but even if I was innocent [that'd be an accomplishment itself]) person to actually walk free from the SSS—as much as I'd like for that to happen. 

        I waited for any movement from him, waited for him to grab his hat and walk out, waited for him to speak again, anything really. But he just sat there, smiling at me, like he knew something I didn't, and I'm starting to become pretty certain he does. 

        "Are you going to uncuff me?" I questioned.

        His smile seemed to brightened yet darken at the same time, how he did that, I have no idea.

        "I'm glad you asked; but you see Miss (L/N), unfortunately I can't let you go." 

        I sighed, knowing that I was going to get caught one way or another.

        "And the reason why is...?" I paused, impatiently waiting for the answer.

        Luckily, he didn't let me ponder about it for long.

        "While you're innocent, you're still guilty." He answered.

        "But you just said I'm innocent. Innocence until proven guilty, correct?" I huffed, getting frustrated. 

        "Yes, but that's not how it works around here. See, I'm going to have to leave soon for my next interrogation, but I know there's more to your story." He spoke, no smile on his face. 

        "You said my backstory covers everything!" I exclaimed.

        "I did—from what you told me, that is." He explained. "(Y/N) (L/N) age twenty. A spy from Westalis. Code name is Vixen. Moved from (country of origin) to Westalis for your father's promotion at six. Served for three years in the Westalis army at seven. Got recruited to be a spy at ten, then went on missions for a decade—until now, that is." He explained. "Very impressive how WISE can implant work reports in company files, but the calligraphy is wrong. We would've never found out if the store owner didn't drop dead halfway through your employment at that local bakery you speak of. The owner's daughter took over and started writing the work reports, yet your reports remained with the same handwriting from the previous owner." 

        Damn it, I really can't fix that at all. Some in the letter forgery department was lacking—or slacking—information for the bakery. I thought.

        "I don't think you understand what type of spy I am. I'm a peacemaker spy! I stop terrorist attacks, threats from Ostania and Westalis, assassination attempts for the government. Hell, I even helped stop another nuclear bomb that would've killed at least 500,000 people in Hugaria!" I shouted. 

        "So you admit to being a spy now?" he taunts me with a smile.

        "I—" I paused, realizing what I said.

        Well, no going back now.

"Yes!" I groaned. "You were right, ya happy?" I aggressively huffed.

        "I'm glad we could come to an agreement, but you know, I'm a little sad now." The man spoke with fake sadness. "I was starting to develop a soft spot for you since you were so honest... for the most part." 

        "Bite me." I rolled my eyes. 

        "We don't usually do that in our sessions." He stood up from his seat and stalking towards me.

        Torture sessions... I thought to myself, feeling a sense of dread creep up me that I tried to push down. 

        My heartbeat's rhythm became louder and irregular, it boomed in my chest and as blood rushed past my ears, hearing a slight ringing in them.

        "If you're planning on killing me, I don't think you'd find much pleasure in it. I'm trained not to give reaction to punishment, no matter how severe." I claimed, fighting the urge to wiggle in my chair for a fruitless attempt of escaping, but it'd just make me look more pathetic then I do already. 

        "I have a few tricks up my sleeves." He smiled. 

        "It doesn't matter if you kill me or not. Westalis will still prevail just like Ostania will. My death will have no meaning to Westalis' or your victory to this war." I stated. 

        "I'm aware. We weren't really looking to killing you—or locking you up in a cellar either.... even though I believe we should..." he whispered that last part to himself like I couldn't hear it.

        "This isn't gonna turn into a low-budget porno if that's what you're thinking." I deadpanned.

        "I wasn't thinking of that either; but I'm flattered." He chuckled.

        I rolled my eyes, my skin flushed yet I was thankful that he agreed with me. 

        "So what are you planning on doing with me?" I questioned.

        "Well since you're so curious, I guess I can ruin the surprise." He spoke. "You were right when you said you're a peacemaker spy. In fact, there's not enough reasons for me to even put you in jail or on death sentence since your good deeds outweigh the bad. I was told to make a deal with you for my boss. I can keep you out of the troubles of being a spy (or ending up dead) if you become an SSS agent." 

        "And if I don't accept?" I questioned.

        "Death sentence; but that's not exactly favorable, now is it?" he smiled.

        "Okay... What exactly am I doing?" I questioned, a slight distaste in my mouth. 

        "Well. It's always nice to have information on the Westalis spies. It'd also be nice for someone to listen to bugged rooms and watch interrogation videos. I could finally get the sleep I've been needing—it's hard when your coworkers are being killed off by spies or quitting." He sighed dramatically. "Oh, you'll live with a SSS agent too, supervision 24/7 so you don't try any funny business."

        "You never mentioned I'd living with someone." I huffed, crossing my legs since I couldn't cross my arms with my hands still in cuffs.

        "We have to make sure you're not getting into any trouble, remember?" he smiled triumphally.

        I'm starting to realize that I hate this guy's stupid smile.

        "Who will I stay with?" I questioned

        "Eh, who knows." He smiled, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.

        I resisted the urge to grit my teeth and come up with something sarcastic to say. Instead, I bit my tongue and dug my nails into my palms as I sighed and huffed out a "fine."

        "Good! I know we're going to get along just fine around here." His smile deepened as I resisted the urge to run away.

        He leaned down and unlocked the handcuffs on my wrists, his eyes just daring me to do something stupid and see the consequences.

        “When you say information on the Westalis spies, are you referring to me committing treason on my own job?” I questioned. “I don’t see how that’s any different from treason on the country. I’m quite confused on your views of morals and justice.” I sighed. 

        “Then let me dumb it down for you.” He sighed. “I want to make this country a better place for my sister to live in, but with scum such as yourself and the Westalis spies, it makes it harder to do so.”

        “Are you sure insulting me is going to make me want to cooperate with you? Because I don’t work in places with workplace abuse.” I deadpanned.

        “You’re a spy; it’s nothing you can’t handle.” He smiled.

        Yeah, I want to punch that damn smile off his face.

        “Follow me, we’re going to go to the Director and inform him of our contract. Stay close to me and don’t wander off. If you try anything stupid then our contract will be breached and you can say goodbye to your ‘peaceful Ostanian life.’” The man explained.

        I clicked my tongue get nodded my head, showing that I agree. We exited the interrogation room and started walking down a dim hallway. The hallway had other doors connected to it with windows and I could see other people being interrogated. Some were being yelled at, others were being either punched or tortured.

        I’m surprised I didn’t get that kind of treatment. It’s probably since I’m a woman. 

        Living in 1950 in Ostania, it hasn’t even been 40 years (32 years, to be exact) since women officially gained voting rights, and even then, we don't even have equal rights! We can't work outside of our house without our husband's permission. With the war going on now, our rights have been pushed to the side and the main focus for women now is to take care of the kids. Even with our husband's permission, it’s still rare for women to be working in "men dominated" places such as the military, police, mechanic shops, and more.

        “Take your hands out of your pocket; you look suspicious.” The man spoke. 

        “Like I don’t already look suspicious, I’m the only woman here and I’m not wearing a uniform.” I spoke, rolling my eyes. “You boss me around a lot. If you’re going to be lecturing me, at least tell me your name, sir.” 

        “That’s not an option at the moment. If you want to find out, you’re going to have to earn it.” He spoke.

        “So what do I call out when dinner’s ready?” I spoke, sassy and sarcastic at the same time.

        “Sir has been working so far.” He hummed. 

        “Whatever…” I rolled my eyes, ignoring the heat on my face as I followed him without question.

        He opened a door, at least having the human decency to hold the door open for me. I stepped aside and waited for him, ignoring the stares of the men in uniform. The man lead us to a dark oak door and stopped in front of it. He knocked on the door, then waited.

        “Enter.” A voice from behind the door called out.

        The man opened the door again, letting me walk in before closing the door behind us. A man was seated at a desk, the Ostanian flag standing next to him as I looked at the man. He was old and wearing sunglasses…indoors?

        Weirdo. I thought.

        He stood up straight and saluted, “Director.” 

        “Second-lieutenant. And this is…?” the boss spoke, waiting for the questions to be answered.

        “(Y/N) (L/N). Otherwise known as Vixen, the Spy from the West.” He spoke.

        “Ah, yes. So, you’ve agreed?” the Director questioned.

        “Yeah...” I muttered hesitantly, shoving my hands in my pockets.

        It was short-lived as the younger man next to me quickly—and roughly—smacked my arm, making me sigh and take my hands out of my pockets.

        “I see. Come sit down in front of me.” The Director invited, but I could tell it was an order.

        I bit the inside of my cheek yet obliged, crossing my legs and arms. Second-lieutenant walked over and stopped at my side, side-eyeing me as he made sure I wouldn’t do anything bad. 

        I mentally rolled my eyes and waited for the Director to speak.

        “Sign this contract here on the line.” The Director settled a heavy packet in on the desk as he flipped three pages and pointed.

        “What am I signing it for?” I questioned.

        “Just to show that you’ve agreed to our contract.” The Director smiled.

        I glared daggers at him, rudely snatching the packet from the desk, flipping back to the first page and carefully reading each line to make sure I’m not signing something I don’t agree to.

        “I don’t agree with this.” I said, pointing at a line in the packet.

        “What aren’t you agreeing with?” The younger male asked. 

        He bent down and got in my personal bubble to read the page. I rolled my eyes at his closeness, ignoring the anxiety of my heart as I moved the paper a little closer to him. 

        “I don’t agree with ‘disclosing all of the Westalis secrets, including names, locations, meet-up places, and missions.’” I spoke.

        “Hm, and why is that? Are you expecting to return?” The Director's face darkened as did the unknown male.

        “No.” I rolled my eyes for what seemed to be the billionth time.

        Maybe...

        “I’m in debt to some of the people there, so there’s some information I can’t spill.” I explained.

        “Is your life worth those secrets?” the young male spat out harshly.

        “I wouldn’t be here discussing this contract with you if it wasn’t for them.” I spat back, twice as passionate in my anger as he was with his.

        His red eyes rivaled my own as we glared daggers at each other.

        The Director chuckled and spoke: "Okay, we can cross that line out." 

        "What? We're the ones making orders here!" the second-lieutenant complained.

        "You can't expect someone to cooperate with us if they don't get any benefits. This can't be two-sided." The Director spoke. 

        "They get to live!" the second-lieutenant hissed through his teeth. 

        "She's not the only person that could die from this contract too." The Director chuckled, then rested his face on his palms. "Our contract will be built on trust and communication. We'll give you information from the Secret Police that we see fit to give you, and you give us information about WISE that you see fit to give." 

        The second-lieutenant spluttered nonsense, exaggerating hand and body motivations as he tried forming words to complain.

        "Do we have a problem, second-lieutenant?" the Director darkly spoke.

        "Ack!" the second-lieutenant jumped in the air. "N-no, sir." He muttered, looking over to side-eye me. 

        I stuck out my tongue at him, proud of my small victory (if you can even call it that). In response, he glared at me again, fire in his obnoxiously vibrant red eyes. 

        "Here, sign this." The Director spoke, grabbing a different paper. "This one is our agreement that you're under our—the SSS'—care and protection for as long as you don't break our contract." The Director pointed to a blank line. "Make sure you add your full first and last name."

        "Okay..." I muttered, writing my full legal name down on the paper. 

        "Great. Now, second-lieutenant, you write your full legal name here." The Director pointed to a line next to my name. 

        The second-lieutenant hesitantly signed the paper with no questions.

        "Great. Here's your marriage certificate." The Director spoke.

        I choked on air as the second-lieutenant screamed at the top of his lungs in distress and rage.

        "NO WAY! GIVE ME THAT PAPER!" he screamed, lunging over the desk in a fruitless attempt to grab the packet and rip it to shreds.

        "YEAH MAN! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM TRICKING US LIKE THAT?" I screamed. 

        "Calm down. It's a cover for you two." The Director calmly spoke.

        "COVER FOR WHAT?!" We both screamed, slamming our hands on the desk.

        "(Y/N) is still legally a spy, and you, second-lieutenant, are still a member of the Secret Police. The government doesn't know that our methods are... frowned upon. And she previously lived in Westalis, so she's already in danger from just that. If (Y/N) is exposed to be a spy to our government, we may just be able to dig her out of that hole. And by we, I mean you, second-lieutenant." The Director spoke, using the lieutenant's low rank in a harsh mannerism. 

        Of course they're frowned upon, you're forcing innocent people to admit to being spies by beating the crap outta them. I thought, resisting the urge to roll my eyes as I bit my cheek instead to keep quiet.

        "Whose gonna find out?" the second-lieutenant deadpanned.

        "Traitors." The Director sighed. "Do you think that all of the members of the SSS are really focused on keeping our country safe? For all we know, me or you could be a spy too."

        I feel attacked. I thought to myself.

        "Wait. There's spies inside of our forces?!" the younger male exclaimed, shocked.

        "Are you stupid? 'Course there are!" I spat out harshly. 

        "Shut it!" he hissed.

        "Of course there is, just like there's members of the SSS in the Westalis spies." The Director spoke.

        "What?!" I exclaimed in my own shock.

        "What are you? Stupid?" the second-lieutenant mimicked. 

        "You shut it!" I hissed back.

        "Now, now. Let's not try to kill each other just yet. We have many things to discuss about, but let's save that for later. For now, let's get the living situations settled." The Director spoke. "Second-lieutenant, follow (Y/N) to her home and help pack her things. She'll be living with you." 

        "I never consented to this marriage." The second-lieutenant deadpanned, looking at the Director, then me.

        "What wife would she be if you two didn't live together?" The Director smiled.

        The man mumbled grips under his breath, another one being "still didn't consent."

        "I have the papers right here with your signature in permeant ink." The Director smugly smiled as I chuckled in disbelief. 

        Me and this guy? We're not going to get along at all.

        "Aw, don't be too happy about it, sweetheart. To be honest, this will be my first time too." I sarcastically cooed, blushing as placing my hands on my face to add more of a dramatic effect.

        "DON'T CALL ME THAT, YOU TRAITOROUS WITCH!" he screamed loudly, pointing a finger at me. 

        "OI! DON'T CALL ME A TRAITOROUS WITCH! I'M BEING FORCED TO WORK AND LIVE WITH YOU!"I screamed back.

        "I HATE YOU, BRAT!" he screamed.

        "DON'T CALL ME BRAT EITHER, YOU MUTT!" I screamed back. 

        "You guys are acting like me and my wife already." The Director happily—and depressingly—sighed, causing me and the mutt to look at each other. 

        "The day I call him my husband is the day I get executed!" I exclaimed. 

        "The day I call her my wife is the day a nuke drops on Ostania!" the second-lieutenant exclaimed.

        "Well, then get ready you two, because that day may just come sooner than you think." The Director sighed, causing the two of us to go quiet and stare at each other hatefully.

        Parts: Current part, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten (to be continued when Spy x Family has more Yuri content!)

        Want more Yuri content? Check out the Yuri Briar Masterlist!

        Have any requests? Check my masterlist to see the characters I write for: Masterlist (Please request, I have too much free time and too little fics).

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Yves' Sequel Spoilers

This is simply a fan translation and is not intended as a replacement for the game. Expect grammatical errors.

In an ordinary mansion in a certain city of a certain country一

Matthias: ".........."

Matthias: ".........."

Matthias: "You're late."

Kagari: "You're just too early. Weren't you here 10 minutes before our appointment?"

Matthias: "30 minutes."

Kagari: "You're such a good student. Stop being so uptight."

Kagari: "I brought you something nice."

Matthias: "What's this?"

Kagari: "Dorayaki. It's delicious. You'll be amazed."

Matthias: "Hmm. It's certainly delicious."

Matthias: "It's exquisitely soft and sweet. This must have been made by a delicate, sensitive, and beautiful woman."

Kagari: "I don't get what you're saying."

Matthias: "By the way, why did you suddenly decide to bring me a gift?"

Kagari: "We've met several times, but I haven't given you anything."

Kagari: "I was just imitating you since you always give me coffee. Eat more."

Matthias: "No, I appreciate it, but I'll refrain."

Matthias: "Consuming any more sweets would go against the 15th precept of the Åsbrink family."

Kagari: "You're so uptight. You should relax a little."

Azel: "Oh, that smells nice. The scent of sweets is always delightful."

Azel: "I'll have some."

Kagari: "Here comes the greedy god."

Matthias: "Azel, you're always late. At least learn from Kagari and arrive five minutes before our appointment."

Azel: "I'm not late. Look, the bell just rang. I'm actually right on time."

Azel: "But this is delicious. Does this dorayaki have red apple filling in it? And there's Achroite coffee, too."

Azel: "I always return the favor when I receive gifts. I have the utmost respect for your kindness."

Kagari: "I don't care about that. Do you have any gifts? I bet you don't."

Azel: "Kagari. You shouldn't judge people or gods based on their appearance."

Matthias: "But you don't have any, do you? It looks like you're empty-handed to me."

Azel: "Offerings aren't limited to things that can be seen."

Azel: "It seems that the dark calamity (Gilbert) has started to move."

Kagari: "Obsidian, huh? That was quick."

Matthias: "But that's to be expected. That's not enough for the dorayaki."

Azel: "Now, now. Let the God finish speaking first."

Azel: "It seems Obsidian had a secret meeting with Rhodolite."

Azel: “They likely intend to use Rhodolite to gather information about the alliance we formed.”

Matthias: “A wise decision. That small country won’t pose a threat to our country, let alone Kogyoku and Tanzanite.”

Matthias: “They’ll receive a warm welcome anywhere they go."

Kagari: “If someone who can withstand Kogyoku’s ‘hospitality’ comes, I’ll personally take care of them.”

Azel: “I agree. We should gladly welcome them. Tanzanite’s way of welcoming might be a bit stimulating, though.”

Matthias: “You two, make sure you don’t break the law.”

Matthias: “But what do you think Benitoite and Jade will do?”

Azel: “Those two countries are in the same situation. They will surely start moving to find out our intentions.”

Kagari: “Will I get to see Keith? I just got a new sword and want to test it out.”

Azel: “Keith would probably be thrilled. I miss Prince Silvio. He’s rich, you know.”

Matthias: “All the law-breaking stuff you guys are trying to pull is really giving me a headache.”

Matthias: “So I guess the important thing now is how we work?”

Azel: “Good point, Matthias.”

Kagari: “Shall we kill them?”

Azel: “No, Kagari. That should be the last resort.”

Azel: “We each formed alliances with specific goals in mind. However, it wouldn’t be in our favor if the princes of each country figured that out.”

Kagari: “.........”

Matthias: “..........”

Azel: “Whether to take a defensive or offensive stance is up to each of us.”

Azel: “Now, let’s begin. For the sake of our respective ambitions.”

[beaulesbian]

I was only today years old when I realized that Trafalgar Law's names are probably references to two battles that led in our real life history to a certain emperor (Napoleon)'s defeat.

*arrives 10 years late with a meta post because of a realization*

uhh Dressrosa spoilers, I guess.

Trafalgar and Waterloo... Water Law.

In One Piece world that emperor being Doflamingo, who suffered two major loses thanks to Law's existence:

First being cca 13 years ago from the main storyline - at the Minion Island where Corazon managed to get the Op-op devil fruit for Law and saving his life from Doflamingo. On that island, Doflamingo lost both Corazon and the devil fruit he wanted to much to get his hands on, as well as Law, someone who he wanted to use as the sacrifice to get the immortality via the devil fruit's powers.

Tbh I haven't really heard about the Trafalgar battle before today. When I first heard about Trafalgar Law as character while I started to read One Piece only cca 5 months ago, I only thought "huh, isn't that a square in England, I was there on a trip once" but didn't look more into it now.

So I just skimmed throught the wiki pages of those battles, I don't know all the details, I don't want to compare it too much, but some maybe similarities/parallels that piqued my interest:

The Battle of Trafalgar were the spanish-france forces against english navy, and Donquixote/Dressrosa arc including all those spanish themes, as well as Law being from the North Blue (where Sanji and Mont Blanc Noland are/were also from) being a bit influenced by France, plays interesting role when this happened in North Blue as a prelude to what would 13 years later happen in Dressrosa (the birdcage, Doflamingo's rule, the puppets, etc).

This part of the Trafalgar battle describing the british was at first outnumbered, that the spanish had more ships along with one of their biggest one:

reminded me of how Corazon himself faced with the whole Donquixote family, including Doflamingo:

and some more interesting similarities how the "hero" of the battle died even before it ended:

but thanks to his informations, the Navy later arrived, and Law got away.

(even on the wiki of the Trafalgar battle there were mentions of some false informations, previous pursuits of the ships and admirals etc, so that vibe kind of fits.)

I haven't read much about the Waterloo battle, except how known it is for being the final defeat of Napoleon, by Coalition armies - which would nicely parallel to Law and Luffy starting their own Alliance during Dressrosa, and thanks to that it caused for Luffy to be there to beat Doflamingo once and for all.

Some other small details I noticed:

The Don Quixote book was apparently first published in two parts, one in 1605 and the other in 1615.

The battle of Trafalgar happened in 1805, and the battle of Waterloo in 1815.

I found one person even connecting the date when was published the chapter of Doflamingo's deafeat in Dressrosa - 18th of June, 2015, which is the same date only 200 years later after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.

I love that in some sense both battles have in common water, and for the One Piece world that is connected with pirates and ships - with the historical aspects the battle of Trafalgar being a naval battle, and Waterloo for the Water in Trafalgar D. Water Law - he concealed his full name from Doflamingo for all those years, his secret name as well as the will of the Ds. - for our world a possible reference if one looks more that he really was meant to be Doflamingo's downfall.

There's just something beautiful about Law's whole existence to be a sort of a foretelling of the fall of one of the emperors of the sea, just by having these names. And it's not just the names of his, but the parallels to the situations and results of the incidents taking place at those locations.

It's literally a middle finger to Doflamingo:

[barracuda-shark-games]

Hii!!! First i want to say congratsss for ur demo, i already played it and i really like it ❤. It's really good and i can't wait for the next update!!! But really, when i checked the list of ROs. I'm actually little sad because our spouse is not there. So i want to know why??? We need to marry our royal spouse, but if we want to have romance then we need to cheat on our spouse right??? Oh how old is our spouse again? That's all! Well, have a nice day and pardon my english. ❤

Hello! Thank you so much for your feedback. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. (Also, your English is perfectly fine <3)

Now THAT is a good question, and I'm glad you asked. The MC's spouse is 29 years old, so a year younger than the MC. In their world it's controversial for nobles, especially rulers, to go unmarried for that long, so that will definitely come up in the narrative.

The rest of the answer is a bit of a spoiler, which I will supply below the cut. It will be revealed early in the story, so it's not necessarily a major spoiler, but some readers might prefer to be kept in the dark. It is also quite central to the story I'm telling, and it's related to why the player's gender is restricted to male or female. ;)

I wanted to tell a story that explores the various nuances of what a "loveless" political marriage could look like -- both the positives and the negatives. In this particular case, a romantic relationship with the spouse is not possible because the spouse is gay; this is part of why they have put off marriage for so long, but the pressure has been real. You will soon also discover that they have a secret lover, and you are able to develop platonic relationships with both the spouse and their lover. Through your choices and interactions, you get to decide whether those relationships are close or distant, positive or negative.

You'll even be able to, for instance, pursue a friendship with your spouse's partner but a rivalry with your spouse. You can mix it up! It's up to you and what kind of character you want to play.

Due to the spouse's own relationship, they are completely fine with the MC pursuing relationships elsewhere... on the condition that it's kept under the radar, like the spouse's relationship.

Another note: While homosexuality and bisexuality are not criminalized in this world, and same-sex couples are allowed to marry, that freedom doesn't extend to those of noble birth due to the expectation of preserving bloodlines and securing political alliances via marriage. This will also be explored more in detail, and an MC with enough power and sway may be able to change things... it all depends on how you play!

[melon-wing]

Don't [Scar/Grian]

[[Masterlist]]

Based on Grian's Secret Life Episode 4. Contains heavy spoilers.

That episode was just too inspiring, I couldn't stop myself

~*~

Grian heaved a sigh as he looked at the small hut, but that sigh was quickly followed by a fond smile. Well here he was again, going to Scar to team up with him. It was really becoming a thing. Their thing. He almost giggled to himself at that. No matter how much he had protested being Scar’s soulmate, he had actually never minded. Sure he had hoped for Bigb, but then listening to Scar’s heart race alongside his own had become one of the best things that had happened to him in that world.

And there had been something there between them. They had shared some special moments in the deep of the night. And it might have gone somewhere if there had just been more time. But then Grian had made the stupid mistake with the Warden and they had both been ghosts for way too long, unable to see one another let alone talk. And back on Hermitcraft he had been far too busy to think about Scar and the moment had passed without them ever being able to work out what had been there between them.

But maybe now… Maybe this was their time to continue where they had left off. Unlike last time where they had been on opposing teams they could work together and share those soft nights again. They had almost kissed so many times… or at least Grian thought that was what had happened.

One thing was certain though, Scar would never turn him away. With the others he couldn‘t be this sure. They had already formed alliances, and even with those on their own Grian was afraid they might decide to turn him down. And he didn’t want to face that sort of rejection right now. He opened the door, smiling at Scar. “Scar?”, he called out in a sing-song voice and he heard hurried steps right away and a second later Scar was standing in the doorway, smiling brightly at him. And seeing that blinding smile made him forget all about his plan on pretending he had to sing, so lost in those deep emerald eyes.

“Hey there.”

"Hey, Grian."

There was a moment of silence between them as they just looked at one another over the small wooden counter. And it was the most comfortable silence there could be between two people. They were just too relaxed around one another to get awkward silences between them. Him and Scar just clicked from the second they had met one another.

“So”, Grian started, looking down at the counter and then up at Scar again, tilting his head slightly to the side in a way that he had been told looked quite adorable and he knew from the way the corner of Scar’s mouth twitched upwards that he thought so as well. “How have you been doing? I heard you have settled here all alone so far.”

Scar nodded in confirmation looking around the small hut that barely seemed big enough for him. “I have been rather busy so far. It is very different from the last few times, but I do enjoy the changed pace. It feels less dangerous and more fun at the moment. And I’m not the first at yellow, that’s always a bonus. Maybe I‘ll actually win the game of life this time.”

He laughed at his own joke and Grian couldn’t help it but laugh along as it was just too infectious. “I know what you mean. I have been meaning to build something nice. You know. Something iconic like our desert home.”

They both shared a look full of emotion and it was as if he could see their memories reflected in Scar’s eyes. 

“But oh well. So far I’ve burned down two of those… ‘bases’ I’ve begun building. My mind is just too occupied with the tasks and having fun with everyone else to even think about doing some more elaborate building than a wooden egg.”

“I mean… uh… It was a pretty egg?”

Grian giggled, lightly hitting Scar’s shoulder over the counter. “Oh hush. It was not and we both know it. It was the weirdest thing I’ve done in all of our Life Games. And that’s okay. I’M enjoying the building break. My base back home drives me crazy enough with everyone getting on my case about the back.”

“I mean… The pestering did wonders to the back of your base. I quite like your backside.” It should have been an innocent comment about his base, but the tone in which Scar said the last sentence, his voice lowering ever so slightly, becoming more rumbly. It was quite clear it was not the backside of Grian’s base he was talking about, but another backside belonging to Grian.

He decided not to humour his friend, pretending not to have noticed the double entendre. 

“Anyways. I’ve come here with a question. A favour really”, Grian said. He was smiling hopefully up at Scar. But as he did he saw the smile slowly fade from Scar’s face.

“A- A favour you say? Maybe now’s not a good time to do that. I feel like I couldn’t be of any help right now. And I really need to get my task started. Yep. I really need to focus on that. No time right now. I mean tonight would be good, yeah? After we handed in our tasks. After I got my hearts, yeah?”

Grian frowned. It was unlike Scar to not even ask or be curious about what Grian had to ask. Him so blatantly trying to gently let Grian down was weird.

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t take much of your time. I just need a quick answer.” Grian looked down again and he felt his heartbeat quicken a little. He took a deep breath and then smiled. “I know I might have not given this impression in the past… But I really did enjoy the time we spent together as soulmates. And we make such a good team-”

“Grian. Whatever you want to say, please-”

But Grian wouldn’t stop now. If he stopped now he just knew he wouldn't dare to ask again in fear of being turned down. “Scar, do you want to team up with me?”

He gazed up again, expecting to see Scar’s face light up or see his cheeks blush, just like back then, when Grian had told him they were soulmates. Maybe this would be the perfect moment for their first kiss to seal that deal of them becoming a team once again. Three times was the charm after all is what they said. And it had all started with three lives as well.

But the moment he saw Scar’s face, his heart sank. Scar looked… Sad. Almost heart broken and Grian really had no clue what he might have said that deserved such a look.

And for the first time between them a silence felt uncomfortable.

“Scar? Say something please. Talk to me.”

Scar’s face fell even more, a look of guilt and regret washing over his features as he simply turned around, walking to the backdoor without a single word being spoken.

“Scar! Don’t leave!”

He could hear something that sounded like an annoyed whine and the steps got even more distant as the backdoor opened and Scar just walked out of the little hut.

Grian felt frozen for a moment. Did Scar hate being on a team with him that much? It was true that Grian had gotten him killed through their soulmate bond. But he had apologised many times and Scar had to assure him constantly that it didn’t matter a bit. Had that maybe just been Scar being nice and not wanting to hurt his feelings? But how could he turn around then and just walk away. A simple explanation that he wanted to work alone or team up with someone else would have hurt, sure,  but it would have been easier to accept than this cold shoulder.

Grian hesitated another moment, but then he decided to act, rushing out the backdoor after Scar, who hadn’t really gotten that far yet, walking at a very slow pace, so he was quickly closing the gap between them. “Scar stop! Just tell me what’s going on? Is this your task? Do you have to run away? Or do you just hate me? Tell me!”

Scar only let out another frustrated sound as he kept walking.

And it stung so badly to not even be acknowledged by the man he had grown to love so deeply and who he had thought loved him just as much. He felt a whirlwind of emotion hit him all at once. Hurt, betrayal, pain, anger.

When he finally caught up to Scar he grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Fine! Run away! Don’t talk to me anymore! If that makes you happy!”

Scar’s eyes widened and he put his hands on Grian’s shoulders. “No! Grian! You don’t understand. I- This is difficult. I’m so sorry.”

“You’re hurting me, Scar”, Grian admitted and he hated how small his voice sounded. How vulnerable and full of emotion it felt.

“I know. And I’m sorry. But we really should not be having this conversation now. It’s not a good time. I can’t-”

“I love you!”

Grian didn’t know why he had said that. It was dumb. Scar clearly was in a weird headspace and didn’t want to be close to him. He should have obliged, but the words had just come straight from his aching heart.

Scar seemed surprised, taken aback even, his eyes opening wide, his mouth opening a few times as his brain must have been catching up with what Grian had just said. Sure, they had been getting closer and closer, but they hadn’t even been dating yet and Grian had already dropped the big L.

He lightened his grip on Scar’s arm, letting his hand drift down slowly to grab a gentle hold of Scar’s fingers. “I know you feel the same, don’t you? Please tell me you do.”

And again Scar’s face fell. He went through a myriad of emotions, his features changing so quickly it was hard for Grian to get a good read on him. Though when the whirlwind stopped, the emotion Scar apparently decided on was determination. “Wait a moment”, Scar simply said and started walking away again. Grian looked at him in confusion for a moment, but then walked after him. When he was next to Scar he opened his mouth to say something, but Scar glanced at him, holding up a finger to his own lips and the unusually serious look he had made Grian want to obey the unspoken order.

Though he didn’t wait, silently walking after Scar, watching him in confusion, still feeling a slight pang of hurt. He didn’t even know aht was going on. Sure, they all behaved strange on this server due to their secret tasks. But those tasks were mostly funny and didn’t involve emotionally hurting one another. He wanted to keep asking. He wanted Scar to say something. Say anything. To not leave him hanging like that, his feelings out in the open.

But he didn’t ask.

He just followed Scar, soon realising they were going in the direction of the rock formation of the secret keeper. Had Scar just managed to succeed in his task? But why would he? Surely there was no task that had you try and get a heartfelt love declaration from someone else. That just seemed far too cruel even for otherworldly beings that used them as a form of entertainment. 

“Scar…”, he started when they had almost reached the buttons, but Scar sharply turned around to look at him, vehemently shaking his head and making a shushing sound. And Scar had never shut him up as forcefully as that. Usually Scar blabbed out any plan he had. He had even told them his first task after all. 

When he was sure Grian wouldn’t keep talking he turned back around towards the buttons. Grian expected him to walk towards the button that indicated they had managed to finish their tasks. He didn’t. Instead he walked right up to the button in the middle - the one for the harder quests - and hit it. The rocks lit up around them, making a multitude of eerie noises and finally the red light lit up below Scar’s feet and an equally red glow seemed to surround him. And a moment later there was a brand new book in Scar’s hands. 

Scar heaved a sigh of relief and with a twist of his wrist that book disappeared into his inventory.

“You don’t even want to read it?”

Scar finally turned to him, smiling softly. “No. I don’t care right now. I just didn’t want to do the other task anymore.”

“What was your task?”

“I- It would have broken your heart, Grian. I had to disregard anything you said. Do you know how painful that was?”, Scar asked, his voice shaking ever so slightly. He stepped up to Grian, putting a gentle hand on his cheek. “Do you know how happy I was when you asked me to team up? I thought we’d never team up like that again. It was never by choice anyways. Not even becoming soulmates. And now some magical taskmaster wanted to deny me a shot with you… I just couldn’t…”

Grian leaned into the touch, looking up at Scar with bated breath. “Then… You changed that task because of what I said?”

Scar’s smile only got brighter and he nodded eagerly. “Say it again, Grian. Please. I want to be able to answer this time. I want to be able to have this moment and not have it taken away by anyone.”

Grian swallowed, now slightly nervous. It had been a spur of the moment thing earlier. To be put in the spotlight like this now made him so unsure about his words. “But what about your new task? What if you’re failing it by doing something you shouldn’t be doing?”

Scar shook his head. “If my task would hurt you again I would fail it anyways. No need to read it. Now say it please.”

Grian cleared his throat, giggling nervously. “You want to team up with me?”, he said in a joking tone, both of them very much aware that hadn’t been the thing that Scar wanted him to repeat. But Scar humoured him, not calling him out right away and it helped him calm down. “Of course. I’d love nothing more than that. Teaming up with you makes me happier than anything else does.”

They both smiled silently at one another and as Scar put his other hand on Grian’s other cheek, he finally felt brave enough to repeat those words. He didn’t have a reason to be nervous after all. It was pretty obvious by now what the answer would be. There was no doubt about their feelings. There should have never been any doubt in the first place.

“I love you, Scar. I’ve loved you through all my lives, ever since I met you. I loved you as the charming boy next door. I loved you during our little war. I loved you in those desert nights below the starry sky. I loved you in that ridiculous fancy hat of yours. I loved you every moment I heard your heart beat alongside mine and love you now and in every future world.”

Scar listened to him silently, his smile becoming even softer as his eyes filled with adoration and love. And when Grian finished instead of answering he pressed his lips gently against Grian’s. And it was perfect. Scar’s body was warm against his. He could feel Scar’s shaven beard scratching lightly against his chin, a stark comparison to those unbelievably soft lips and hands that were slowly caressing him. And he in turn put his arms around Scar’s body, pulling them closer together.

Grian didn’t know how long they stayed in their embrace, lips moving against one another, breathing in each other’s scent. When they moved apart both of them smiled and they were so close he could see his own reflection in Scar’s eyes.

“I love you too, Grian. And no task could ever stop me from being by your side, no matter what.”

[hughjidiot]

Thoughts on Episodes 7 and 8 of TDI Season 2

Well I got to see the two newest episodes, and I have quite a few thoughts on them. As always spoilers below the cut.

Well it looks like Axel and Ripper are our double eliminations. And in a... really stupid way if I'm being honest. Axel gets voted off, Ripper freaks and grabs on as the Drone of Despair flies away with her and Chris just calls them both eliminated? Kind of an ass pull, won't lie. Oh well, that's Total Drama - you gotta take the good with the bad.

At least Axel lasted longer this time and we got some more depth to her, like that she has an artistic side being into painting and poetry and is somewhat of a romantic. And as I mentioned previously I found Ripper's character to be greatly improved over how he was last season, I found him way more likeable.

Also out is Zee. Not sure how exactly he knew everyone's secrets like that, it felt kind of out of nowhere. I'm gonna miss how hilarious he was, but at least he set up some drama before he left...

Caleb and Priya's subplot has taken a sharp turn: Caleb finally acknowledges he actually likes Priya as more than an alliance partner, they had their first kiss... and Zee goes and spills Caleb's original plan of only being nice to make an alliance. I can understand how some fans aren't happy that Priya is part of another major subplot after she was already one of the main characters of season one, but again this isn't a new thing for Total Drama. All I can say is I am interested in seeing where this goes, but it's not the subplot I'm most interested in.

Wayne and Raj didn't do a whole lot these episodes so I don't have too much to say. I like them well enough but still hope one gets eliminated so we can get some solo development for whoever remains. My guess is that Wayne will be going home at some point, and him getting separated from Raj in episode 8 was foreshadowing of that.

Damien has already found the immunity idol! Will be very interesting to see how that comes into play, especially with how Julia sent anonymous letters about the idol making Damien paranoid.

And speaking of which, Julia continues to increase her villain cred by messing with Damien's head and wearing down Zee until he spilled those secrets. She even messed with MK during episode 7; something MK wasn't surprised by and doesn't seem to be too upset about, but we'll see what comes of that.

And speaking of MK, holy fucking shit the start of episode 7? MK flat out teasing Julia for "liking her"?? And the way Julia awkwardly tries to deny it??? At this point I'll be genuinely surprised if Mkulia doesn't become canon.

Oh yeah, and Owen was the special guest star of episode 7! And apparently he has some great genes since it looks like he hasn't aged in 15 years. And he's now canonically the winner of season one. I always preferred to think of Gwen as the real winner (she was one of my faves in Island) but oh well.

And that's everything. Wasn't crazy about a couple of things in these episodes, but overall I still really like this season. Somewhat interested in what happens next with Priya and Caleb, and very interested to see what will go down with MK and Julia.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1106 - Initial Thoughts

And we are back

Things are looking dire, but somebody's on their way, ally or foe, it may not matter in the grand scheme, everyone needs off this island

Let's see how they get out of this one

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release

Oda really has been hitting bangers with the cover page, this time Robin dressing a crocodile which works in multiple layers because 1. Robin <3 2. Robin with the thumbs up 3. Crocodile Surfer Dude 4. Reference to Robin and another Crocodile's past alliance and 5. Lacosta being a riff on the clothes brand Lacoste which has a crocodile on it (the logo used because René Lacoste's nickname) but also is loosely meaning 'the coast' in Spanish

But to the chapter, the Buster Call is raining fire on the Future Island

Luffy however stops being a little uncharacteristic, instant digestion and Gear Fifth back on the board, the marine grunts stood no chance

Luffy at least gave the courtesy of sending them flying off the island so they won't be burned to death

Back to the Bonney situation though, the Pacifista are ordered to kill all who are falling

'Shoot down this pathetic family' - choke to death why not Saturn?

Vegapunk however seems to have one more thing up his sleeve, having Atlas relay a message to Bonney

Bonney asks her father to stop shooting and help them escape

Bonney has higher authority over the pacifista! She has the army of Kumas!

The Mark IIIs are back on our side, thanks to Vegapunk's secret and admittedly selfish act of defiance, but one he knows will be costly

Saturn impales Vegapunk, though for someone who was all 'I'll know if you try to deceive me' he's been deceived thrice over

It's a pretty gnarly stab, but the heart is more on the other side so it might have just missed it, pierced lung for sure

Rough arc for Franky too; almost eaten by a mecha shark, his hero barely acknowledges him and tried to rob the crew, then there's more versions of his hero but they're all getting killed off, man didn't even get a chance to properly shine

Kizaru once again sticking to Saturn's orders, sending a flurry at the perpetually falling characters

Kuma's shot, while Atlas and Franky are grazed, Sanji given how he wasn't falling and was Sky Walking to Bonney has the positioning to block a hit with his foot

It clearly caused him some discomfort since all are shown in pain

Kizaru then goes for the close combat attack, ready to slice Bonney and Kuma down the middle in one fell swoop assuring her it'll be painless

But Luffy laughs back into the battle, giving Kizaru a giant hook punch

Luffy's DF also rubberized the ground, allowing for a safe, albeit bouncy landing

Bonney tends to Vegapunk as the ground shakes, the sound of the Drums echoing around the Buster Call, the sleeping giant stirs once more as Bonney recognizes the rhythm

She finally sees it, and connects the dots, as Vegapunk confirms that Luffy is Nika

Hearing that also causes Kuma himself to glance

But then, we see a very big ship, not one of a Blackbeard variety though

The Marines are scared, since the sailors are ones believed dead a hundred years prior

Dorry and Brogy have come! And are likely the 'they' from last chapter

And they've come to pick up Luffy, who they also know is the Sun God

Break next week but we can live with that one

When things are dire a small glimmer of hope reappears.

Luffy back in action for Round 2 is good and expected, we're just now gonna have to wait for Zoro to snap outta it and finish off Lucci like he should've done a while back, or at least explain why it's taken so long - like he already won but got lost or Hattori had a DF or Kaku also attacked or the Seraphim also attacked because they did kinda fall off given how they were defeated off-screen. Get Robin back on her feet and the Sunny safe, and also get Vegapunk and Kuma safe.

Bonney having higher authority on all the Pacifista is a good way out, albeit very drastic considering that it means the Navy's entire peacekeeping force is now under the whim of a 12 year old girl. And I must confess, while I enjoy it I can't deny that this twist was very similar to Tama turning the SMILE users against Kaido, small criticism though.

Dorry and Brogy coming is a surprise, but it definitely will help to bridge the arc from Egghead to Elbaf, given the giants' friendliness with Shanks and wasting of Kid's ship it can lead to some surprising dynamics down the line for the Land of Giants. Plus we can't rule out the Blackbeard ship still.

But for now it looks like Luffy is set to fend off Kizaru, which still leaves Saturn to be dealt with, but it is looking more and more like the island may in fact survive the Buster Call.

[secret-origins-crossover]

Lore Dump + More

Well, I'm back at it again- with more hyperfixation brainrot and nonsense. I realize I haven’t actually started writing anything; at least in the form of a fanfiction because most of the ideas are larger projects and will take time to complete. Though I know people are interested- the fandom hasn’t died, so I figured why not treat the audience?

To summarize again, Secret Origins is the five-part series ft. the first interactions with the main fandoms of this idea. Before their alliance, they weren’t even aware each other existed- that is until a vacation trip by the Fenton’s to Paris, France changed everything. And that is where our story begins.

Fair warning: I’m going to try and avoid spoilers- as I want this to be a new experience, even though obviously I’m not the first creator of the Secret Quartet but where’s the fun if I just reveal everything in one go?

The Lore Dump

The Kwamis have been there since the very creation of the universe. Each of them represent a different core concepts and abstracts, and work alongside a selected hero to protect their chosen home. They are divine beings with special powers, to say the least; currently not all of the Kwamis are in use- the active heroes are predominantly in Paris, France, but what they don’t know is that another world is hidden under their very eyes

Unlike Amity Park, Paris does not have as many ghosts- though none have ever seen one to begin with; this might have something to do with the fact that the Miraculous can’t cause any damage unto the ghostly population - only to humans - at least as far as anyone’s concerned

Natural portals have been known to appear around the world, but not everyone knows where to find them. Normally, they’re harmless- but at the same time, it’s entirely possible something unwanted comes out through the other side

Ghosts do have haunts and obsessions; normally their obsession is based on unfinished business they didn’t complete in life- other times, it’s more based on a duty they feel obligated to complete

Haunts however, are areas they have claimed as their own. While it isn’t as commonly known, ghosts are considered to be territorial- they will defend their haunt no matter what (author’s cut: in Danny’s case, since he’s only leaving for a week- Sam and Tucker are being left in charge of watching over Amity Park; also i do feel that because Danny’s still human, he doesn’t fully need a haunt- but he is still protective of his the city)

(implied spoilers!) there are safety mechanisms (of sorts) in place when a hero with magical abilities is gravely injured- do with this what you will for now

Akumas can’t affect ghosts! It wouldn’t transform them- it can however, work on other things (iykyk- leaving this vague for the time being)

Character Dynamics + Headcanon Dump

I’m honestly excited for the first meeting between Danny and our Parisian heroes- (without giving away too many spoilers, let’s just say there’s going to be a bit of miscommunication at first)

Due to plot-related reasons, the characters in Paris can speak English. There would be classes to teach English at the high school-

Phan Noir is not a ship tag- at least not for this AU. Danny and Chat Noir however, will be close friends- not only because of their share of puns but honestly I feel they would understand each other’s, well, problems. Is this a bit self indulgent? Maybe, who’s to say

Marinette is not stalking Adrien in this; she’s still pining on him a little bit, and does keep the occasional tab on him but she’s not chasing his every move- however, she’s still young and a bit inexperienced which brings me to my next point

I haven’t figured out the full timeline- but I do think that Mari’s either already the guardian, or her responsibilities are increasing with her status as Ladybug; now the deal with this is Mari’s proven to be a bit anxious- she takes her role very seriously, and honestly this will hinder her at first

Gabriel Agreste is not written to be a good person. Does he love Adrien? I’d say yes, he does but at the same time- he’s not meant to be likable. His pursuits aren’t done with anyone’s best intentions, and this is going to be addressed (of course this is fanon- and this is my au, so… in short, don’t take this wrongly-)

As mentioned before, Phantom Planet does not exist in this timeline- this does happen sometime between mid-season two (maybe somewhat later) of Danny Phantom. Danny has his experience but he is still a teenager- and not all of his powers have fully developed. After all, not much is known about halfas

Danny is getting something of a makeover- is it a bit self indulgent? Yes- I honestly liked his style from Phantom Planet, though I’m mostly referring to the white streak in his hair. His eyes also appear a bit more… bright even as a human; though I’m going to spare the whole redesign/makeover rant for now-

I feel Marinette and Danny might take a while to warm up to each other, but they’re not exactly enemies- the differences in personality sort of hinder their dynamic at times, though at the end of the day, they would protect each other

For the time being, i can’t say anything on the villains- as this is a big thing that will affect the full team of teen superheroes. Hints and revelations are going to be made as the series progresses

Danny struggles a bit with his emotions- the more emotional he becomes, the worse his powers get out of control. He’s still adjusting; he’s gotten better but at the same time- he’s also a teenager and this will show with his behavior

Adrien is not a sentimonster. Will sentimonsters be a thing? Potentially- though as of right now, sentimonsters aren’t inherently canon to the Secret Origins lore

(author’s cut: I’ll update this later! Of course- right now this is only limited to Danny Phantom and Miraculous Ladybug; as more gets developed with later parts and arcs, I’ll add more details)

There is definitely a lot more where this came from but as I’m out of the house and currently having lunch! See you on the flip side!

~ Ace (They/Them)

[accirax]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 13)

After last week's results, I feel like I could finally be getting into the rhythm of these post merge episodes. However, I'm not sure if this episode's elimination will wind up being something my rankings like...

In case you haven't seen my previous power rankings ( 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 ), the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. So, in essence, this is a long form way of predicting who I think will be eliminated from the competition in the next episode. There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - Yul's Elimination

Current Score: 58 acquired/82 total

(Points versus @venus-is-thinking: 9 acquired/9 total)

I FINALLY DID IT!!! I FINALLY GOT A PERFECT ELIMINATION SCORE!!!! It's about damn time. I was so right to not gaslight myself into thinking that Yul wasn't about to be eliminated anymore.

I think that Yul had essentially worn out his welcome in this season. He worked really well at the beginning, in definite part to being part of the plotline with Emily which pushed extra bullying onto him. But, once that ended, he wound up in a neutral/power position again, which made him way less likeable. Grett was obviously going to get her revenge on Yul at some point during the season, and while I initially thought it might be via sabotaging him in the finale, I think it was a good choice to get him out sooner rather than later. Not to mention, having the villains overpower the heroes three times in a row might have been stale in the short term.

Trailer Analysis

Oh, is that Riya/Ally thing actually going to be relevant? I thought I was overstating things again. I guess now that Riya has been... sort of? separated from her number one, she might need to look into other alliance options to get her further. Ally doesn't have anyone else, and Riya already laid the seeds for a teamup with her, so it makes sense!

Alec and Connor are on speaking terms again (for now). And fishing terms.

This is probably either Aiden struggling to keep the secret of Alec and Riya's kiss in, or him regretting telling it to everyone after he does.

Grett and Gabby are continuing to hang out, and hopefully getting along.

Alec is losing it. I wonder if he sees the burgeoning alliance between Riya and Ally, and is trying to stop it.

Oh, I see! The challenge will be about retrieving a flag from a hidden location behind super dangerous obstacles like sharks and bears!

Yeah, and they have phones that can GPS lead them to the flag, and maybe provide some puzzles along the way!

... Or it's a TikTok challenge? I guess? Seems like the challenge might be more about doing viral dances in dangerous locations, although I have no idea what the flag means in that case. Maybe you can only get the flag once you do all the dances? Or, could it be an immunity totem?

I would imagine that Aiden would have somewhat of an advantage here, given his TikToker boyfriend. Grett also knows a lot about social media, but I don't get the sense that she does many challenges like this. Yul would've known...

Relevantly, this seems like a team challenge, which will probably grant double immunity. Pairs who appear together frequently in the trailer seem to be Alec and Connor, Grett and Gabby, Jake and Ally, and Riya and Aiden. If Riya and Aiden are together, then the pairs are definitely staff-assigned.

"... The things we do for money."

Nothing too serious here, as I imagine this is just about Alec being embarrassed to do viral dances. It did get a laugh out of me, though.

Power Ranking

#1: Ally

From what it looks like, Ally has wound up in a really nice position in the game. (Such is the way of the gamer girl.) She has a working relationship with all of the heroes, and after last episode, might be considered Connor's number one. I suspect that this episode will bring Ally and Jake closer together as opposed to further apart. And, it looks like Riya might be trying to hit her up as well. I don't see any particular reasons why Grett, Gabby, or even Alec would be particularly interested in getting her out.

So... truly, which people would be the ones to want to cast their votes on Ally? Or, even further, who's the one pitching her name in the first place? Pair this with the fact that she's still the only female hero (although that status is more dubious given Grett and Gabby's recent actions) and I would be pretty surprised if Ally went home this episode. It's true that she doesn't really have any plot lines going on right now, but I find it more likely that she's about to be swept up into a new one than that they've left her alone for this long just stalling out before randomly pulling together an elimination.

#2: Grett

and

#3: Gabby

I truly did not know which one of these two to place first, because I find it pretty unlikely that either of them will be eliminated, for a couple of reasons. First of all, they could totally win dual immunity here. Like I said earlier, Grett does have extensive experience with social media, and, just on the surface, Grett and Gabby are the only pair that don't currently have some level of beef with each other. If the moral of the episode is "people who are actually friends work better together," then I could totally see Grett and Gabby winning by virtue of actually being a functional pair.

Secondly-- and this is ultimately the reason why I placed Grett slightly above Gabby-- I don't think they would want to eliminate Grett or Gabby immediately after they eliminated Yul. I felt the same about Jake and Aiden last episode following the Tom boot. I think the writers will want Grett and Gabby to have at least one episode of peace post-Yul before either of them are eliminated. I believe it more strongly for Grett, just because I think it would be awkward for Grett to finally triumph over Yul and then be tossed straight into the Loser's Motel with him again just one episode later. But, in either case, they need some room to breathe.

From a gameplay perspective, they're also in somewhat of a swing position together. To the extent that the heroes versus villains rivalry is still a thing (which, granted, I think that phase will be fading out), Alec and Riya will want to win them back, while the heroes would want to solidly win them over. In either case, no one wants them out.

And, finally, back to meta stuff, I think either of them could be plausible and deserving finalists. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons to justify either of them going home, but I find the reasons to keep them here more compelling.

#4: Connor

Well. Connor goes here because he is still, hypothetically, the villains' number one target. So, in the theoretical case that this vote is still a plain and simple heroes versus villains vote-- I guess one that ends in a tiebreaker?-- Connor could at least be eligible for elimination, assuming he loses the challenge. The villains could also try to entice... I don't know, Aiden over to their side? Yeah, I don't find this argument particularly strong either. Unlike Connor's superpower.

Another big reason why I don't think Connor will be eliminated yet is what I said before: that the narrative will want him to triumph over Riya this time after losing twice before. Or, at the very least, they'd want him to go out in a more dramatic fashion than "I guess Grett and Gabby are totally working with the villains again, along with random person C."

He also still hasn't done anything that critical since returning to the game, in the sense that he hasn't done anything particularly Connor-centric. He did definitely unite the heroes in the Tom boot episode, but Ashley, Lake, James, or even Hunter probably could have done the same. Why bring back Connor specifically? Well, to expand upon his relationships with Riya and Alec. He's definitely going to interact with Alec this episode, but talking with Riya seems like it may not yet be in the cards. For those reasons, I think Connor will survive this episode... even if his ass is NOT winning this challenge.

#5: Jake

RIP Jake, I think this is the lowest I've put him in a while. Although, I still don't have him that close to the bottom, obviously. He's still my current winner pick of the season.

Actually, let me take a quick moment to diverge and share a theory I've been cooking on, as inspired by Venus putting some full-game theories at the end of her last rankings. I think that, to commemorate this large-cast series of All Stars, the finale will have each finalist choose not one, but two assistants. Assuming Jake is there, I think he'll pick Ashley first, and be convinced to take Tom second (given how established it is that Miriam has had medical issues). And, assuming Jake wins, I think he'll split the shiny new prize of three million dollars between the three people on the winning team. After all, the show has already made a point to tell us that Ashley will use the money to rebuild her farm, and that Tom will fund schools in his neighborhood. If either of those virtuous causes went unfunded, it'd be pretty sad.

Anyways, that's the main endgame I'm imagining now, but I obviously don't want to be such a slave to it that I fully disregard the possibility that Jake could be eliminated prior to the finale. It is definitely possible he could be nearing the end of his run soon. He's come a long way in his character journey, so if he got eliminated now, we could be satisfied that he truly grew from this experience.

However, I don't really know who would be voting for him. The villains don't have the power to just executively eliminate whoever they want anymore, so they would have to crowdfund additional votes to (presumably) get up to a dominant five. I think the most plausible scenario is Alec/Riya/Gabby/Grett/Ally votes for Jake, in the case that Ally and Jake grow to hate each other even more over the course of this challenge.

Overall, though, I don't really see why the folks in-game would want to eliminate Jake instead of Aiden. Riya still hates Aiden way more, and that'll probably only increase if Aiden shares the secret of Alec and Riya's kiss. I'll elaborate more on my thoughts on that in Aiden's section, though, so just know that that logic partially contributes to Jake winding up at #5.

#6: Riya

Despite putting Riya this low on the list, I think she'd have to fuck up pretty badly over the course of this episode to be the one getting the axe. She does potentially have negative momentum going for her, though, with the truth bomb that Aiden's about to drop. If that causes Connor to truly, fully lose faith in Riya, it could lead him to strongly push getting Riya out now.

The problem is, I don't know who the fifth is. Possibly Alec, if he were trying to escape his shame, but that seems kinda counterintuitive if he likes her and likes spending time with her. Grett probably has an overall favorable view of Riya, given how she helped her with the Yul situation. I guess the fifth would be Gabby, then-- maybe if Riya goes on to insult Gabby and/or Grett and/or Ellie (somehow?), Gabby would feel okay turning on her? Seems a tad random, though.

A big part of the reason why I put Riya this low is because, as I said in Connor's part, I'm expecting Riya to be eliminated before Connor, so I kinda feel obligated to put her below him. But things are happening with Riya this episode, which could plausibly lead to her elimination. I get the sense that she'll be sticking around for a bit longer yet, but we'll see. Maybe she'll be victimized by a kiss of death.

#7: Aiden

For all those who read my initial thoughts on last episode, you know how confused I was by how revealing the secret of Alec and Riya's kiss was meant to benefit Aiden in any way beyond "get revenge on Riya by blowing up her relationships." It really seems like it could backfire, and, backfire it may.

I could see it as sort of a cautionary tale. While Riya robbing Rosa and sharing James' private messages didn't directly get Riya eliminated, it did make her worse, and ruined the end of the game for her. If Aiden starts exhibiting similar behavior-- being cruel to others on a personal level to "help his game" by really stirring up drama-- I could see it (and an elimination along with it) being a wake-up call and moment of growth for him.

Granted, it's not a moment of growth that's been particularly foreshadowed throughout the season. We saw how strongly the writers chose to demonstrate Disventure Camp worsening Ellie before that was the reason why she was eliminated. If Aiden was eliminated for similar reasons, especially after starting on the same tribe as Ellie, I would imagine that would have been more strongly highlighted.

I also don't really know who the fifth vote would be, again. I could see all the (former?) villains being on board if they want to protect Riya, but... would Connor really be so mad as to fully flip on Aiden? Jake and Aiden seem to be friends now, so I don't think it'd be him. I guess that leaves Ally, if she felt more aligned to Riya now than she does to Aiden? Props to Riya's acting skills if true.

It definitely feels like Aiden's story will be coming to an end soon, but I'm not sure if the cards are in place just yet. Still, I wouldn't be too surprised if this is Aiden's last dance.

#8: Alec

Okay, this time I think it might finally be Alec's time to go. As you can probably tell, I've been operating under the assumption that we won't be heading into a tiebreaker again, and therefore have been trying to figure out how various people would be able to manage receiving five votes this episode. This is not a problem for Alec, because I can genuinely imagine everyone voting for him.

Jake, Aiden, and Ally would certainly jump at the chance to get out a villain, especially their crafty leader who's won a bazillion immunities. Connor would have that rationale as well, even furthered by the fact that Alec has betrayed him twice now (voting him out and kissing his "it's complicated"). It'd be pretty easy to see how Alec is dragging Riya's game down now with his awkward behavior, and given how quick she was to cut Connor for that conduct before, I'm sure she could be ruthless again. As for Grett and Gabby... well.

Here's another theory of mine: with the potential death of the heroes vs villains alliances, I think we're about to see the dawn of the classic women's alliance. Riya already approached Ally over the fact that they were both women who needed to look out for each other. She also inspired Grett to break up with Yul by telling her that she was a strong, independent woman. I think a secret women's alliance could start as early as this episode, and once Jake, Aiden, and Connor have been lulled into voting out their fourth man, it'll already be too late, and the women will have the majority. If this is the case, don't be surprised to see Aiden at the bottom of my next power ranking.

(By the way, I do have issues with the concept of a "women's alliance" in shows like Survivor, because it's unfair how people are always worried about the idea of a women's alliance when no one would call what would be a "men's alliance" by that name. However, the "women's alliance" is a classic trope in Survivor, so I could totally see them wanting to bring that in for DCAS.)

Alec was at his peak, and it seems like he may now be set up to fall. He no longer has numbers nor power. He doesn't even have his backstory to share anymore! All he has is his personal skills and challenge prowess to save him... but god knows Alec and Connor are not winning the fucking TikTok challenge. If this is your final episode, Alec, know it was a pleasure.

And, that's it! Who would have thought that I'd name drop Ellie twice in this power ranking...? Despite the uncertain state of the game, I feel fairly confident about my women's alliance idea. Then again, I've felt that way about other stuff before, and been totally wrong. Should I really have such confidence that I'll get a perfect score for two weeks in a row?

I can't believe that the next episode is only three days away. See you then!

[velleire]

Text (images removed):

Hey there! This is Indigo, the Guild Wars 2®: Janthir Wilds™ Narrative Lead, and Chloë, the expansion’s Story Design Lead. We’d love to walk you through a high-level look at the Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds story to help set the stage for launch next month.

The story of Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds is a treasure trove of intrigue and lore, both past and present, and we’ll be encountering a variety of allies and enemies as we venture into the long-awaited region of Janthir. We’ll be picking right up where Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure™ left off.

Let’s dive in!

Please note: Light spoilers ahead! We’ll be teasing a little bit about the region and current affairs surrounding the start of the expansion, so if you’d rather go in totally unspoiled, you’d best skip this one!

!!!!!!!!!

Bridging Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure

To get things going, let’s look back at last year. Following the end of the dragon cycle, Tyria had no idea what the ramifications would be. As we learned in Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, Soo-Won’s death caused a powerful blast of magical instability that fractured all sorts of magical forces and barriers within Tyria. Aurene immediately went to work reestablishing herself as a filter for those magics, and stability was quickly restored, but we’ve only just begun to understand the consequences of that transfer of power.

Right at the onset of Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the commander was thrown into uncharted territory. We learned that the World Spire, a powerful conduit forged by the wizard Isgarren, was fractured following that blast. The spire was one of the few barriers sitting between us and potential calamity, and it only took a moment for the denizens of a parallel realm to worm their way in. And thus, the commander was introduced to the long-fought war between the Astral Ward and the Kryptis.

Through the story of Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the commander aids the Astral Ward in rescuing the Wizard’s Court while toppling the malevolent Kyptis king, Eparch. While the fight against the Kryptis was won, there are a lot of stories left to be told about our wizardly new “friends.” The Astral Ward has proven to be a worthy ally with a benign cause, but we’ve barely touched the surface of some of their more questionable choices—not to mention their cantankerous leader, Isgarren. We know they helped in some ways, but why didn’t they get involved sooner? Where do we even start with the fractal fiasco?

Time to pull us back to the present. While the commander—now the wayfinder—was fighting back against Eparch in Nayos, the threat of the Kryptis didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of Tyria. In fact, that threat was very much noticed, and nations started talking. At the start of Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds, the commander will receive an invitation to the inaugural meeting of the Tyrian Alliance—and oh boy, do they have a lot of thoughts about our latest demonic invaders. After everything the world has endured, Tyria’s patience with destruction is limited.

While we want to keep some of the minutia surrounding the Tyrian Alliance under our hats for now (including our lavish host of guest appearances), in addition to providing the player with a new directive, the alliance also gives us the ability to demonstrate Tyria’s growth outside of the main story path. What’s happening in the rest of the world? How are things progressing when we’re in the thick of adventure?

The Greater Janthir Region

One of the results of this first Tyrian Alliance meeting will send the commander and a very small team of allies into the dangerous wilds of the Janthir region—starting due north of Divinity’s Reach, over the Krytan border. The initial focus of our mission is to establish a diplomatic connection with a small faction of kodan. The lowlanders, while hesitant, welcome us into their village—we spend some time getting to know their culture as we explore the Lowland Shore (which we’ll dig into a bit more in a moment!).

Partway through the story, we’ll be pulled even further into Janthir. That’s when we’ll make our way into the isles themselves. The bay is rich with history—bloody, brutal, sullen history. And we’ve never strayed too close until now! We know that Saul and his fledgling White Mantle went to the isles in search of something, leaving with an Eye of Janthir. We also know that other conspicuous figures have ventured into the region, too. On the first island we reach, Janthir Syntri, we’ll begin to unravel the tragic history behind the ruined village of Gavril.

But that’s a good spot to pause because, most importantly: bears.

The Lowland Kodan

One of the most exciting things to dig into has been our new faction of lowland kodan, who have called Janthir home for many generations. Despite the region being viciously dangerous and inhospitable, they are expert survivalists and have carved out a comfortable—even cozy—way of life in these lands. All lowlanders are capable fighters and learn survival tactics from the time they are cubs. The wayfinder will spend much of their time in Janthir learning about—and learning from—the lowlanders, as they have much to teach.

As a population isolated from their northern kodan cousins for so long and living in a much different environment, they’re a little different than the kodan we are familiar with. Perhaps the most notable difference lies in their spiritual belief system. Unlike other kodan, who revere the will and balance of Koda, the lowland kodan hold in reverence the environment, the relationship they maintain with it, and the responsibility they have as stewards of the land. Rather than viewing themselves as enlightened protectors chosen by Koda, lowlanders act out of a duty to maintain necessary balance in a harsh place where taking is easier than giving and survival can be difficult.

These differences trickle down through other aspects of their society. Kodan leadership is typically a partnership between a spiritual mouthpiece of Koda, called a Voice, and a physical protector, called a Claw. However, the lowland kodan have a Claw as their sole leader, a feature of their society that goes back as far as anyone can remember. The Claw is not without balance, though: a council that represents key roles in the village lends the Claw perspective and advice.

As the wayfinder spends more time with the lowland kodan and begins to earn their trust, we’ll gain more glimpses into their lives and their history as denizens of Janthir.

Heading North to Janthir

The inhabitants of Tyria are on the cusp of a new era. It’s time for nations to ally and work together on a more global scale. Those seeds of alliance were planted under the threat of the Elder Dragons, but the need did not end with the Elder Dragons. As new threats rise, it’s good to have friends on your side. What better place to start than with people living next door? The lowland kodan might prove to be valuable allies…if we can earn their trust and convince them it’s worthwhile to join the global conversation.

We’re so excited to be able to give some first looks into the narrative of Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds! There is so much fun existing lore and history to dig into and build upon with new stories and characters. We can’t wait for you to experience it all!

Prepurchasing any edition of Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds before the expansion launches will grant you the “Homesteader” title, the Whispering Serpents Pauldrons skin, and a box with your choice of one Serpent’s Wrath weapon skin.

Visit the official store page for full details on the items included in the Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate editions.

[stellar-constellations]

omggggg i just reread your entire Yuri masterlist after seeing the previous ask! and i thought for a second...the way Yuri acted when yor and loid were about to kiss. how would he react if him and y/n were in a situation like that? i think he'll react like your 😭😭😭 just gulp down some wine and lean in, continuously thinking to himself that it's only to prove that they're a couple heheh

        

        Wordcount: 1,100+ words

        This can be read with or without reading my Yuri Briar x Fem! Spy! Reader series: An Alliance (part 1).

        Beware! This fic DOES contain SPOILERS for the anime + manga and for the Yuri Briar x Fem! Reader series: An Alliance! Even if it's an alternate universe, there's still spoilers!

        Setting is BEFORE the reader rejoined WISE (so the reader isn't a double-agent and Yuri and reader's relationship is developing).

        The whole time Yuri and I have been at his sister's house, Yuri's been skeptical of Yor's relationship with Loid. I might have not known Yuri for long (I've known him for a day), yet I already know he's a pain in my ass. Yuri's suspicion of Yor and Loid's relationship could lead him down a rabbit-hole to where he accidentally discovers Loid's true identity as a spy, and that's not good! The peace between Ostania and Westalis is in grave jeopardy having Yuri and Loid in the same room, and it seems to be my own secret cover in jeopardy too. 

        "Yuri, if you want me and Loid to kiss so much, why don't you and (Y/N) prove you're married and kiss!" Yor exclaimed, her face red and embarrassed from her younger brother's inappropriate requests. 

        "...Huh?" Yuri voiced audibly, shocked at how this whole thing turned on him. 

        "Idiot..." I muttered to myself, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at this male's stupidity. 

        "W-what do you mean, Yor?! You want me to kiss her? In front of you?!" Yuri questioned, shocked as his face was red from all his drinking. 

        "Yes! You know, you never told me about your marriage too! That's very suspicious! If you want me and Loid to kiss, I want to see you and (Y/N) kiss!" Yor explained, a newfound determination on her face.

        Yuri looked shocked while I felt sick inside. Kissing the enemy? I know I just became a SSS agent, but isn't this way too soon for a good old case of enemies to lovers? 

        I turned my attention to Loid, noticing the shocked expression on his own face. Yeah, it would be weird seeing the girl you grew up with and watched become a spy and a woman kiss some dude you've never met in your life. I would be weirded out too if Loid kissed Yor too (since I just met her). 

        "Yor, this is a little ridiculous. They don't have to kiss." Loid spoke, trying to calmly diffuse the situation as he looked at his wife. 

        "What? I'm asking Yuri to do the same thing he's asking us!" Yor spoke, then redirected her attention back to Yuri. "You don't want to be a hypocrite, do you, Yuri?" 

        Yuri looked to be fighting an internal battle. Reject his dear sister's request and become a hypocrite and possibly make her upset, or suck it up and give his fake-wife a peck on the lips. Yuri groaned, taking the bottle of wine.

        "DAMN IT ALL!" he shouted, chugging the bottle, before slamming it back down on the table.

        "Yuri, careful! You'll break the bottle—" I was cut-off as Yuri grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to turn my body to face him fully. "H-hey! What the—?"

        "Yor said she wanted us to prove our marriage, so let's prove our marriage!" he spoke, his face burning red from how much alcohol he drank as he looked at me with a determined fire in his eyes. 

        Okay. This isn't so bad! I'm a spy—well an ex-spy—but I've kissed guys before during missions! Granted, it's never been on the lips, but maybe Yuri will pull one of those fake-out moves where you tilt your head just right to make it look like you actually kissed? Yeah! This won't be so bad!

        Yuri didn't give me any time to prepare as he quickly smashed his lips against mine, shocking me and the other couple as he kissed me. He quickly pulled away, his face more red than a rose as he looked at me, looking almost a bit surprised at his own actions. We both stared at each other, silent before I realized there was still two other people in the room.

        "Welp!" I clapped my hands, smiling as I tried to ignore my pounding heart and burning face from the aftermath of the kiss. 

        This is so embarrassing... My first kiss on the lips with whose real name I just learned today! 

        "There you have it, Yor! Me and Yuri are lovers!" I spoke, doing my best to keep my smile's corners from twitching.

        "Um... yeah... You sure proved it..." Yor spoke, still baffled at the fact Yuri actually did kiss me. 

        Yuri looked like he was about to faint, whether from the fact he kissed me or from how much alcohol he drank. I decided it would be a good time to save everyone in this room the embarrassment and potential war disaster as I placed my hand on Yuri's knee (ignoring how he tensed up under my touch), as a gave him an indirect signal of "let's leave"

        "It was wonderful meeting you, Yor and Loid! I'm sorry to cut off our time short, but Yuri and I have work in the morning and I want to make sure he gets home and ready for bed before he passes out." I excused, standing up from my seat as Yuri followed behind blankly. 

        "Y-yeah... Good seeing you too! Come visit soon!" Yor spoke, doing her best to have a smile.

        I quickly grabbed Yuri and I's coats and suitcases, dragging him out to the car as I resisted the urge to think about our kiss. 

        "What was going on through your head?" I hissed.

        "I don't know! I panicked!" Yuri slurred, his words messy from his alcohol consumption.

        "Do you have any thoughts or is it just wine bubbles fizzing up there?" I questioned, annoyed.

        "Hey, I said I panicked! I'm sorry!" Yuri pouted, his face still red.

        "Give me the keys. You'll be lucky if I decide not to drive us over a bridge." I huffed, watching as he fished in his pocket for a solid minute before handing me his car keys.

        I got him in the passenger seat and made sure he was buckled up, before getting in the driver's seat and driving away, listening to Yuri's terrible directions on how to get back home. Even though the kiss was under stupid circumstances, I do admit it was nice. His lips were strangely soft, and tasted tart and sweet (like the wine he drank). I suppose it wasn't all that bad, perhaps we'll have to prove ourselves again as a couple in the future. I might have to start training Yuri on how to fake a kiss, or maybe just reenact this again...

        Thank you for requesting! I always love doing Yuri's requests, he's one of my favorites!

        Want more Yuri Briar content? Check out the Yuri Briar masterlist!

[ovenstavern]

oh. my. goodness. its like 3am in my area and i just finished a nightlong binge on the manhwa, Secret Alliance by Creator Lero. if i had to put it into a genre, i’d say its a psychological thriller, and…

ho. ly. shit.

i was never a visual novel or “comics” person, but holy fuck. this blew me away. i discovered a tik tok about it, with the nutshell plot of “stalker crossdresses as a girl to stalk his object of attraction, who is afraid of men” and quickly gained an interest. but as i read further into the manhwa, it was so much more than that.

before i get into the details, i warn that the manhwa has dark topics such as stalking, obsession, attempted suicide, assault, sexual harassment, and trauma. the ramble (and spoilers) is gonna be below the cut. stay safe and healthy yall

okay. ho. ly. shit.

so, i don’t even know where to begin. the first few chapters introduce our main characters, eun sian and chae “yuri”. right off the bat, you quickly realize eun sian’s intense fear of men. you can already tell that she has some trauma with men, and as you continue to read, you find that her paranoid mother perpetuates and reinforces that fear; a helicopter parent to the extreme.

not only that, you can immediately detect that something isnt quite right with chae yuri (even before it was revealed he was a guy).

i dont really wanna explain the whole story in its entirety, as i believe its a story best experienced. but what i will go into is the amount of love that was poured into this story. it still astounds me

the characters are complex, and their personalities and actions are deeply rooted in the trauma that they went through. eun sian and chae yuri’s relationship is so toxic and wrought with manipulation and co-dependent, and it was written so well. it beautifully illustrates how two people that come from two different, but toxic households often can find themselves in a toxic relationship for the both of them, as they have no other reference for love.

and speaking of relationships, yujin’s and eun sian’s relationship makes me want to squeal and giggle and they’re just so cute!! i loveee at the beginning, yujin subverts our expectations and ends up being a playboy who loves the feeling of being wanted. it gives him sm room for development, and makes his relationship with eun sian so much sweeter.

yujin and eun sian make a deal that he helps her get over her fear of men, while eun sian helps yunjin get together with chae yuri. in the earliest stages of their relationship, you can tell that yujin was able to ground eun sian and reassure her when needed. even beneath his playboy exterior, his caring nature shone through, especially for her. meanwhile, eun sian makes yujin want to be better for her (and if you seen a very old post, you know how i feel about that). i loved their friendship at the beginning, and i loved their romance at the end. they’re so healthy for each other and im glad they got together in the end

and speaking of the ending?????? sjdkdndkddjjdksjdsknsnz. i loved it so. much. it was just so fulfilling. i won’t spoil it, but it touched my soul to its very core, and i couldnt think of a more satisfying note to leave it off of.

the depiction of trauma felt very realistic and well written too. eun sian’s breakdowns felt so well done, and not once did it feel like the story was calling her “crazy” or “hysterical” even if other characters told her that she was. and actually, all the relationships felt so realistic, its astounding.

and the character development was so… empowering. it was amazing to watch the moments eun sian take back the parts of herself that her abusers took, it was amazing to watch yujin transform from a playboy to a golden retriever boyfriend. i just… love love love!!

i do wish they delved into yujin’s backstory a lil more, gave hyunee (the best friend) a more influential role, and did some more with yunjin’s blackmail when he found out about chae yuri, but all in all, i loved it. i started reading at 11, and kept reading til 3. its an absolute page turner, and extreme kudos to the artist(s) and writer(s)! you have my respect

to those who want to read it, the sites i read the manhwa either has a subscription service, or an insane amount of porn ads and porn pop up browser tabs. just for viewer discretion. if it sounds like yall can deal, please read! you won’t regret it. ill definitely be revisiting this manhwa again and again. its that good

have a wonderful day yall! im finally gonna get some sleep

[the-punforgiven]

Elden Ring Spoilers but I see a lot of people say that Gideon 'betrays you' but tbh I don't really think he does

Like, yeah he attacks you and such near the end of the game but like, one of the very first things he tells you after you've really gained his notice is that he is a tarnished who wishes to become Elden Lord. He knows you're hunting for Great Runes at this point, so him announcing his plans to become Elden Lord really does seem like a declaration that this alliance is temporary.

Even after Ensha attacks you, he says Ensha simply "Got ahead of himself." Again, indicating that he is indeed planning to kill you, and not being secretive about it, almost inviting you to start planning the same.

The game makes it very clear that only one person can truly hold the title of Elden Lord at once, so even on my first playthrough completely blind, I understood quite well that his "We both desire to stand before the Elden Ring, and become Elden Lord. As such, I hope we are compelled to work together." Explicitly meant "We will pool our resources to open the path to the Elden Ring. And once we are there, may the best man win."

[sotwk]

Can you tell us more about Mirion's wife and children 👀

Hello Anon! I believe this is the second time you've asked me about Crown Prince Mirion and his family, and appreciate your interest so much. 🥰 Mirion is my personal favorite of the OC Thranduilions, so any inquiries about him are dear to me.

I have been keeping the details about Mirion's family under wraps for so long, but I no longer see a good reason to keep them secret, so here we go: some basic headcanon info that will hopefully satisfy your curiosity. 😉

For those who might care: some SotWK AU Spoilers ahead!

SotWK AU Headcanons: Crown Prince Mirion and his "Golden" Family

Although Mirion tragically died in his attempt to free his homeland from the Necromancer (his efforts did drive Sauron out of Dol Guldur for a time and gave Mirkwood four centuries of respite), he left behind a beautiful wife and two children to continue his legacy. His son gave Thranduil a new heir and continued hope for the future of their line and kingdom.

Because Mirion's wife was an Eldar of powerful lineage and incredible strength in her own right, she and their children helped Mirkwood to stay strong and protected through the dangers the realm faced in the Third Age.

And when Thranduil's grandchildren took over the rule of Eryn Lasgalen in the Fourth Age, it ushered in a new Golden Era for the last remaining Kingdom of Elves on Middle-earth.

MIRION'S WIFE - PRINCESS ITARILDË

SotWK Fancast: Teresa Palmer (A Discovery of Witches)

Mirion's wife is Princess Itarildë, an elleth with a rare mix of Noldor-Vanyar-Teleri blood with "royal" lineage on both sides of her family.

Itarildë’s mother is Nimeithel (a SotWK OC), the younger sister of Nimloth and niece of Celeborn.

Nimeithel is featured in my ongoing Thranduil x Maereth series, Sins of Our Fathers. She grew up with Thranduil in Doriath, and was the one who introduced him to Maereth.

Itarildë’s father is Maranwon (SotWK OC), the grandson of Glorfindel and his wife Elemírë (SotWK OC), who was the sister of Elenwë, late wife of King Turgon.

Itarildë has a high Eldar "pedigree" due to her lineage, but that was not what attracted Mirion to her. On the contrary, her noble background nearly caused the Crown Prince to decide against pursing her hand in marriage, despite their deep love for each other.

Before ever meeting Itarildë, Mirion had intended to choose his wife and future Queen among the Silvan elves of Greenwood, out of love for his people and his wish to honor the land's native race. (Something Thranduil was unable to do by marrying a Noldor.)

Mirion agonized over this conflict between his duty and his heart until his parents persuaded him to pursue his own happiness.

Itarildë is older than Mirion by a few decades, born in Lothlorien but raised in Rivendell. Her father died in the War of the Last Alliance fighting alongside his surrogate father, Gil-galad.

She takes after her father's side of the family; she is passionate, joyful, strong-willed, and has a radiant presence that commands and captivates every room she enters. She has a compassionate heart and a determination to effect good changes in the world.

She adores her husband's brothers and counsels and cares for them as an elder sister.

She is a fearless and skilled warrior (what else would you expect from the great-granddaughter of Glorfindel), who more than holds her own whenever she marches into battle alongside the princes.

It is later discovered that something about Itarildë’s presence causes the Spiders of Mirkwood to flee; just looking upon her somehow pains or deters them, and so they never attack her directly.

Mirion's death broke Itarildë and very nearly caused her to fade; she was brought back only by the healing efforts and pleas of her daughter. But her joyful spirit never recovered.

MIRION'S SON - PRINCE ARANION

SotWK Fancast: Bradley James (Merlin)

Aranion is the elder child of Mirion and Itarildë, making him the eldest grandchild of Thranduil and second-in-line to the throne of the Woodland Realm.

Upon Mirion's death, Aranion inherited the title of Crown Prince of Mirkwood. (This responsibility never fell to Legolas, which is why he remained free to travel, join the Fellowship, and and even sail to Valinor as he eventually did.)

After Maereth died, Thranduil became very focused on preparing Aranion for the throne, since he was then resolved to sail for Valinor and rejoin his wife--once the future of Mirkwood and his people had been secured with his grandson in place.

The name Aranion translates to "Son of the King" in Quenya, but the prince was actually named after the plant kingsfoil or athelas, also known as asëa aranion. Kingsfoil did not grow naturally in the Greenwood forest, since it thrived in the Western lands.

However, in the year of Itarildë's pregnancy with Aranion, kingsfoil began to sprout in abundance in the lands surrounding their home.

Although the Mirkwood Elves previously had no use for kingsfoil, later in the Third Age the plant became an vital resource in their healing for wounds inflicted by orcs and other beasts coming from Dol Guldur.

Aranion is utterly devoted to his homeland and the Silvan people of Mirkwood, a sentiment that they reciprocate with fierce love and loyalty. While not as politically-savvy as his forebears, he is a "people's prince", spending most of his days working alongside the common folk of the realm.

Although he is often compared to his great, great-grandfather Glorfindel, Aranion's cheerful, energetic, and light-hearted temperament is actually most similar to that of his uncle Legolas, to whom he was always very close.

The Prince is a fearless and naturally gifted fighter, whose innate talents were enhanced by centuries of intensive instruction and training from the greatest warriors on Middle-earth, including Thranduil and Glorfindel.

As the darkness worsened in the Third Age, Thranduil grew extremely protective of Aranion, increasing to paranoia at the loss of his wife and each of his sons. As decades passed the prince's very existence soon became unknown to outsiders, which was what Thranduil had intended.

By the events of the Hobbit, Aranion was forbidden from traveling outside of Mirkwood, and was not permitted to participate in the Battle of the Five Armies.

MIRION'S DAUGHTER - PRINCESS ANARIEL

SotWK Fancast: Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers, Poldark)

Anariel is the younger child of Mirion and Itarildë and second grandchild of Thranduil and Maereth.

Beautiful and sweet beyond compare, she is very much the darling treasure of not only her grandfather Thranduil, but also of her loving uncles who have doted on her since she was a baby (probably because they never had a little sister of their own).

Unlike her boisterous older brother, Anariel is reserved, introverted, and avoids drawing attention to herself. She prefers to listen rather than speak.

Large crowds and excessive noises make her very uncomfortable, and it is possible she suffers from a mild form of sensory overload.

However, she very much carries the courage and willingness to serve that runs in her family, and devotes herself to the welfare of the people of Mirkwood.

Anariel is highly intelligent, much like her uncle Arvellas. Being a voracious reader and learner herself, she grew especially close to the Scholar Prince and gained knowledge and abilities from him.

She lived in Rivendell for periods of long years throughout the Third Age, during which she was mentored by Lord Elrond himself, and became skilled in the healing arts.

Anariel has actually already appeared in one of my WIP fics, although she was not yet named/identified. The first person to comment and tell me correctly which fic/character I am referring to, will receive a special prize from me from the Tumblr Market!

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Tolkien Headcanon tag list: @laneynoir @auttumnsayshi @achromaticerebus @tamryniel @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @blueberryrock @aduialel @glassgulls @ladyweaslette @klytemnestra13 @creativity-of-death @heilith @fizzyxcustard @absentmindeduniverse @lathalea @tamurilofrivendell @jordie-your-local-halfling @ladyk8tie @scyllas-revenge @asianbutnotjapanese @conversacomsmaug @lemonivall @ratsys @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @entishramblings @stormchaser819 @freshalmondpandadonut @beekieboo

Interested in more SotWK AU content?

Introduction to SotWK

My Headcanon Masterlist 

My Fanfiction Masterlist