#prowl’s the cool eldest child

[unepersonnelouche]

Rewatched animated last month, it’s better than I remembered !

[love-archon]

A Day With The Genshin Characters: Liyue Edition

Today's going to be a busy day! Check your planner for who you'll be meeting with- as one of the esteemed members of the Liyue Qixing, you cannot afford to be late to any appointment. 

• 6:00, Ningguang: Morning Tea 

Although you say you love your job, waking up at un-archonly hours has to be the part you like the least. Even getting up at five in the morning, the hour when tigers prowl, is still not enough time to prepare for a meeting with the Tianquan. You rush around frantically choosing the best outfit, fragrance, and hair arrangement to present yourself to Lady Ningguang, and you're halfway out the door when it hits you- you forgot to bring a gift with you!

"Right on time," Ningguang says, pleased. You smile, hoping she won't hear your heart beating from anxiety. "And what a lovely present, too... is there any doubt you were appointed as one of the seven Qixing?" (You can't tell if it's her rare praise, or the sheer altitude you're at within the Jade Chamber, that's making your head spin).

• 7:00, Keqing: Business Meeting 

You barely have time to rest before Keqing whisks you away to Yuehai Pavilion. You're very close friends, and you admire the girl for her tenacity and diligence. The conversation flows easily as you walk to your destination under a cloudless sky. It's a wonderfully sunny moment, but the moment the doors lock, you mean business. In the next two hours, you conquer matters that would normally take days to resolve, and the two of you exchange grins. 

"There we go!" Keqing breathes a sigh of relief, pushing away the last stack of papers. She holds up her hand, and you high-five. "You know, I like how easily you keep up with me. You even caught mistakes I would have missed... things like this make me even more certain Liyue is better off in human hands."

• 9:00: Check In With Ganyu

With such a hectic schedule, Ganyu is your saving grace. It's always important to check in with her, just to make sure nothing you have planned catches you by surprise, and sometimes you wonder why others rarely do the same. She's quite lonely, and often mentions how nice it is that you speak with her every day and bring her gifts to help with work. It may be part of your job to be courteous, but... it does help her feel less lonely and conflicted with herself. 

"Qingxin flowers? Thank you so much." She accepts them gratefully, smiling at you with warm eyes. "I still have that new stationery you gave me, too. You're so kind for remembering the things I like!"

• 9:30: Talk to Beidou

The tea in the Jade Chamber was just a front for Ningguang to spring a request on you- meet with the captain of the Crux Fleet to discuss her... recent smuggling habits. But Beidou merely laughs heartily when you arrive. A crewmate tosses her a sack of Mora, and she slits it open, letting the payment shower over you in a spray of gold. And then, before you know what's happening, you're roped into helping them find a treasure rumored to be lost beneath the waves. 

"So, Ningguang though sending her star diplomat would get me to let up, huh!" You blush, wondering how you could be so easy to read under her ruby eye. "I was impressed by your words, and how well you fought by my side. But the annoyance of the Liyue Qixing is of no concern to me."

• 12:00, Tartaglia: TEACH HIM A LESSON!

As the member of the Qixing that oversees diplomacy and foreign relations, it's you that must meet with the Fatui Harbinger. He's quite good at playing pretend- all your underlings believed he was a naive, careless young man, and easily manipulated, too. And all of them ended up suppressing the urge to break something after they were done conversing with him. On your honor as one of Liyue's seven stars, you vow to not make their mistakes. 

"You're asking why I don't try to drive you mad?" he said, setting down his fork. You'd caved in and given him one after watching him struggle with chopsticks for far too long. "You're the only one who isn't a bore to talk to, that's all-" so this was on purpose?!- "and besides, I want to challenge you to a fight afterwards! Your vision's getting quite dusty from neglect, comrade. Let's fix that!"

• 2:00, Yanfei: Discussion of Legal Matters

Yanfei's counsel is an invaluable treasure. Especially when dealing with an opponent as vicious as Snezhnaya's Fatui, who deserve to have her wrath unleashed upon them. You walk to her office with a gleam in your eyes, and are delighted to see an equal fire already blazing in hers. For the next few hours, you two take the "suggestions" Tartaglia passed on from the Northland Bank and scheme on how to best tear them to shreds with the law.

"That man-childe's been giving you trouble again, huh," she giggles. "What did he come up with this time~? I've been waiting for an excuse to bring out the latest edition of my lawbook!" And with that, Yanfei slams it down, and the sheer weight of it nearly cracks her desk. "He won't know what hit him!"

• 4:00: Free Time

Of course, "free time" simply means that you have no meetings scheduled for this hour, which lets you adequately prepare for the next day's events. Tomorrow is your appointment with the Feiyun Commerce Guild, which you already know will require great patience and strength of mind. Because the head of the guild, and his eldest son, the future head, are- to put it mildly- not very bright... it's fortunate, then, that the second son Xingqiu has a good head on his shoulders.  

"Tomorrow, you should go straight to me instead," Xingqiu informs you cheerily, handing you a popsicle. Apparently, he keeps them around for his friend Chongyun, who's off to complete another exorcism. "I'll be sure to set everything in order." His eyes gleam. "And then, I can tell you the latest developments in 'A Legend of Sword'!"

• 5:00: Catch Xinyan's Concert!

Liyue's one and only rock musician isn't hard to find, thanks to the designated performance spots scattered around the city. You stop by at the raised platform where she's rocking out, where other people are listening as well. Xinyan strikes a peace sign in the air, and her vision glows with energy before the stage erupts with pillars of fire; her audience bursts into cheers and applause, and she's beaming as she leaps down to meet you. 

"Wait, seriously? You really changed up the rules a lil' so it'll be easier for me to hold concerts here?" Her eyes shine as they scan the papers- one of the many results of your work today in Yuehai. "Thank you so much! Wait-" she picks up her guitar again, giving it an experimental riff. "Let me think up a quick song for ya as thanks- I insist!"

• 6:00: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor 

Lately, you've been sent particularly determined requests from the other nations about allowing tourists to observe the ancient funeral rites. You already know the answer's gonna be a hard no, but the laws written by Rex Lapis state that you must check with the director anyway. She's not there when you arrive, so a consultant, Zhongli, brings you tea while you wait for her. You sit together in the fading sun, waiting for Hu Tao's familiar song to rise above the hill. 

Zhongli takes a quiet sip from his cup, closing his luminous eyes. "Although it was Rex Lapis who created the laws, they are not meant to be set in stone. Humans must revise the contract as they see fit, so that it will not erode with the passage of time." Something makes you feel as though it's more significant to him than you know. Then, he smiles slightly. "But, just looking at the people leading the way in his absence, like you... there's no need for me to worry."

• 8:00: Dinner; Request Chef Xiangling

The Wanmin Restaurant, run by Chef Mao and his daughter, is a breath of fresh air. While the rest of Liyue is divided between the "Li" and "Yue" styles of cooking, Xiangling pays the conflict no mind. Instead, she's not afraid to be daring and experiment, blazing ahead without worrying about what others think. You can see some similarities between her and Keqing, but it's best not to mention it after that disastrous banquet they organized together... 

"Had a rough day, didn't you?" Xiangling asks, her golden eyes twinkling as she hands you the steaming hot bowl. "Well, for you, I made sure to prepare your favorite dish! I hope you don't mind if I added a lizard or two this time- I'm kidding!" she adds quickly, upon seeing alarm flash across your face. 

• 9:00: Return Home

After everything that happened, you're eager to collect the reports from your subordinates and head home to draft new revisions for Tianquan Ningguang to look over (and then, hopefully, get some rest). But as you're walking on the path to your neighborhood, you spot a little girl sitting in the grass, clutching her head. Alarm rises in your chest as you rush over to see what's wrong, and why she's alone- only to realize with a start that she's the child that returned from the dead.  

"Thank you for taking Qiqi back to Bubu Pharmacy," she says, reading solemnly from her notebook (where the entire thank-you script is written). Even when you set her down, she's still reading the pieces of paper. "Will you tell Dr. Baizhu where I got lost? Please and thank you, again."

• 10:00: Sleep

In the end, you never did get to those revisions. You can hear your fellow Qixing scolding you in your head, but at least you got plenty of other things done; the well-oiled machine that is Liyue will still keep running on thanks to the tasks you accomplished today. Someday, even the adepti will have to acknowledge the ability of humans... you turn in your bed to feel the coolness of the other side. Speaking of adepti... the night air coming in... reminds you of... "Xiao..."

"I thought you were in danger," the adeptus huffs. The moment you said his name, you'd finally fallen asleep, but it still brought Xiao to you- balanced on the windowsill, hair waving in the breeze. "Still... I'm... glad that you're alright," he admits, glancing at you to make sure you're not awake to hear. "Rest well, bright star of Liyue." And then, with a sound like a sigh- or was it the wind?- he's gone.

[tofadeawayagain]

Create for Thra, Day 2: Original Characters (Post 2 of 2)

And now for my “baby gelfs”. I’m very nervous about introducing these to the wider world, so hopefully you all like them :). Once again, these babies are from my Maudra series. I can’t draw, and as such I don’t have any art to share - I hope you enjoy these little word sketches and the short excerpt from a piece I’m working on at the end.

Elidi – Drenchen

Elidi is the eldest daughter of Maudra Naia and Amri. She is the perfect combination of her parents. Her skin is like her mother’s, deep green with a hint of gold. Her eyes are bright blue with gold flecks – in the dark, her pupils get just as large as her father’s, rendering her iris nearly unnoticeable. During the day, her pupils are only slightly larger than a daylighter’s – it’s enough to make her sensitive to light, though, and she often wears clothing with hoods to drape over her head when the three suns are at their highest point. Her hair reaches to the middle of her thighs and is done in the traditional style of the Drenchen maudren with decorated locks and beaded braids. It is silvery-white just like her father’s, except for the streaks of deep Drenchen blue and a lighter Grottan teal. She is petite. She inherits her wings from her father’s side of the family, though they are black, purple, and indigo just like her mother’s. Elidi is cautious – though she is fierce just like her mother, she also has her father’s tendency to investigate her circumstances before charging into them. She doesn’t trust immediately, and she has a knack for reading people’s emotions and seeing through any artifice. Elidi studies vliyaya and healing with her mother and Aunt Eliona in addition to preparing to be the next Drenchen maudra. She is an extroverted introvert and prefers to spend time with family and close friends wherever possible. Although she is good in front of a crowd, being in the spotlight fills her with a nervous energy. Luckily for her, she looks less like she’s nervous and more like she’s on the prowl when she fidgets. The clan knows her to be a competent healer and leader and trusts her in her position as second-in-command to Maudra Naia.

Oria – Drenchen

Oria is Naia and Amri’s second child and is two trine younger than Elidi. She’s only a few inches shorter than her father. She inherited her intensity and her Drenchen wings from her mother, but the rest of her is all Grottan. Oria’s hair is the same silvery-white as her father’s. The humidity in Sog makes her hair slightly wavy, but by mid-day, it is almost always straight and heavy. She keeps it long, though not as long as Elidi’s, and she only keeps a few braids in her hair as a marker of her status. As her father’s star apothecary and alchemy apprentice, Oria can usually be found in the workshop, her hair messy and tied back away from her face, and goggles strapped over her eyes. Her eyes are bright gold, and her gaze is so sharp that she can intimidate people easily. Like her sister, her pupils can expand and contract depending on the ambient light. She doesn’t look much like either one of her parents, but she is a spitting image for Amri’s mother. Though she inherited her wings from Naia’s side of the family, they are a bright teal blue and glistening silver. With high cheekbones and skin that is closer to gray than green, Oria’s unique looks in the swamp of Sog make her stand out – and she loves it. While her older sister is uncomfortable in the spotlight, Oria lives for it. She’s the life of every room, and she wears her emotions on her sleeve. People know where they stand with Oria – she doesn’t wait for the invocation of hard-talk to express her feelings. She loves the water, and if she’s not in the workshop, she’s likely exploring the lakes and waterways of Sog. Oria is likely to get herself into trouble at any opportunity, and she treats rules more like guidelines. She is fiercely competitive with her younger brother, and though she is happy in her chosen career, she longs to see the world – but she can’t leave the swamp. No one can.

Zain – Drenchen

Zain is Naia and Amri’s third child and is only one trine younger than Oria. Zain is mostly deaf (except for low tones like thunder), and he uses the Dousan sign language to communicate. He is a carbon copy of his father, and during his younger years, he even wore the same hairstyle. As a young adult, he changes his style, shaving both sides of his head and keeping the rest secured back in a braided tail or bun. Zain’s skills with healing vliyaya rival those of his oldest sister, and he trains alongside her to become an advanced healer. Like Oria, he is extroverted; however, he keeps his emotions on lockdown. He values his family above all else, and though he is fiercely competitive with Oria, they have an intensely close bond. He also has a close bond with his baby sister, Zenna, and is the one Elidi goes to for advice due to his level head and calm demeanor.

Shiri – Grottan

Shiri is Deet and Rian’s second child. She was born only months before Oria, and they grew up as the best of friends. Shiri is very shy and doesn’t make new friends easily – as such, her circle is very small. Shiri’s childhood is marked by periods during which her mother is overwhelmed by grief at the loss of Shiri’s older brother, Jen. Shiri never gets the chance to know him, but she feels like she is always in his shadow. Though she is raised to follow in her mother’s footsteps as the next Grottan maudra, Shiri isn’t sure she wants to be a maudra at all. She’s got an ear for music, and she’d much rather become a song teller. She learns to play her father’s old lute in her spare time. Shiri’s got Rian’s tan skin and blue coloring, but she has Deet’s messy hair and long ears. Her eyes can adjust to the ambient light, and they are a deep blue color like her father’s. Her hair is a dirty brown with streaks of Stonewood blue, and her wings have the characteristic bright blue and orange coloring common among the Stonewood. She is the same height as her mother, and she’s quiet most of the time – unless she’s singing, that is.

Koa – Sifa

Koa’s parents are both Drenchen; however, they left Sog long ago to join the Sifa. Koa grew up on white sand beaches and on the decks of ships, but he’s always wanted to see the mainland and explore the swamps where his parents grew up. Koa is tall for a Gelfling, and he’s also bulky from his days manning the sails and loading/unloading cargo. He’s got Drenchen locks, but they are covered with Sifan bells and golden trinkets. As a young adult, Koa gets a job working on Elder Onica’s ship, which docks in Sog’s port city of Seaside, only a day’s kayaking distance from the Great Smerth.

Zenna – Drenchen

Zenna is Naia and Amri’s youngest child. Born ten trine after Zain, she is the baby of the family. She looks like her mother, though her eyes are Amri’s dark honey brown. Like her Uncle Gurjin, she is usually unruffled and steady of temperament. Though she isn’t yet sure what she wants to become, she knows she loves the ocean.

 And now, an excerpt from mah girl Elidi’s POV:

“She watches the ripples on the surface above as she drifts in the current. The water is cool along her neck, crisp in a way she isn’t yet used to. She knows the concept of cold, though she’s never felt it herself before. The water isn’t cold, yet, but it has certainly changed.

The rains have not stopped for three days. The waters surrounding Great Smerth have long-since spilled over the edges of the Glenfoot, and the islands Elidi grew up knowing have vanished beneath the surface of the swollen lake. It is almost as if they never existed at all. Like her people, they are hidden away, waiting for the storm to pass.

Has it passed? She looks at the line of crystal embedded in the bluestone on the lakebed. Though the vein went clear three days ago when the suns burned as one, Elidi still hasn’t touched it. She doesn’t think she ever will. She tried once when she was a childling. Her mother had been nearby and tugged her away. Naia had clung to her when they’d surfaced, and she’d shouted at Elidi as she never had before or since. She hadn’t been angry – she’d been terrified. It’s a sound that’s never left her. 

There is a great splash at the edge of the Glenfoot, and Elidi rights herself in the water column as her sister plunges to the very bottom of the lake. Oria’s at her side with two pumps of her wings, and she raises her hand immediately. Elidi presses her palm to Ori’s, and her sister’s anxious voice fills her mind.

They’re waiting for you in Mum’s chamber. They’ve been telling everyone that we need to leave Great Smerth.

Elidi’s brow wrinkles, and she looks past the ripples at the towering heights of her home. Her mother’s balcony is only three levels up. She’s accustomed to seeing her mother standing there, proud and wild. But the balcony is empty, save for the wind and the rain and stray apeknot leaves knocked loose in the deluge.

We’re not leaving Great Smerth. It’s just a bit of rain. Elidi kicks for the surface, and Ori stays with her, hand in hand.

Aunt Pemma is with them. She’s trying to keep them from starting a panic. She thinks we’re fine here in Smerth, but she wants to evacuate New Domrak.

Have they found Deet, yet?

Oria pulls her hand away. Her expression is all the answer Elidi needs, and the two girls continue to the surface surrounded only by the muffled silence of the water.

They glide over the submerged Glenfoot and toward the stairs that lead into the Great Smerth. Elidi plants her feet on the lowest stair and as soon as her head clears the water, her sense of peace is shattered. The glade is louder than she’s ever heard it. People are calling out to one another on the rope and wood pathways strung through the canopy above, and as Gelfling move their belongings out of the residences on the ground floor, the Stone’s Way echoes in a cacophony of anxiety.

She takes a deep, steadying breath, and then she climbs the staircase, exiting the lake and entering the great tree. She keeps her head high, attempting to project a sense of confidence that she doesn’t feel. When will Mother come back? she asks herself. Perhaps they’ll stop panicking when Mother comes back…

Oria remains at her side, only one step behind, all the way to the third floor landing. Elidi can hear the council members bickering all the way in the hall, and she exchanges a frustrated glance with her sister before entering the room.

She stands tall and says nothing until they all look at her and come to a silence. It’s something her mother taught her long ago, and with her short stature, it’s a technique she depends on to gain attention. Her Aunt Pemma gives her a firm nod of approval, and she can feel Oria standing behind her, tall and firm. She’ll hug her sister and her aunt later. For now, she has a job to do.

She catches every eye in the room, then raises a single eyebrow. “Which of you are responsible for all this huff-puff, then?”

[okageshadowkingfannovel]

Book 1. The Boy Meets the King

Chapter 1.

In a normal unsuspecting kitchen, a former adventurer stands before a stove, stirring the contents of a pot and humming to herself. In her early forties, she’s a warm, pleasant looking woman with pony-tailed reddish brown hair and soft brown eyes. She might have been the hero of this story about two decades ago, but her adventures are long since passed. The only adventures for her today are those of being a devoted wife and mother, and that means preparing dinner.

It’s just after lunch and suddenly, the younger of the woman’s two children bursts into the kitchen. She is a slender pretty girl with strawberry blond pigtails and vibrant green eyes. She is Annie, a teenager, but also, not the hero of this story. In fact, she has very little interest outside of keeping herself popular amongst the teenagers of Tenel village and finding a satisfactory boyfriend.

“Hey Mom, what’s for dinner?”

“Oh Annie,” Mom starts while casting a smile over her shoulder, “you just had lunch not too long ago and you’re already thinking about dinner?”

Annie twists a dainty finger into the strands of one pigtail. “I was just asking. It smells so good. Tell me, Mom. I wanna know.”

At this moment, the woman’s eldest child enters the kitchen, but it takes her and Annie a too long moment to notice him.

“Well, I’ll say that- Oh! Ari!”

“See? Ari’s come to find out too.”

The boy called Ari is 16 years old. He has a sapling like frame - slender, scrawny, almost seeming bendy. Shaggy red hair falls in long locks around his face and across his forehead, and his large eyes are emerald green. He’s wearing a blue striped sleeveless shirt, a black vest with gold clasps and a skull patch on the chest, and long khaki trousers. He doesn’t speak up much for himself and the whole town of Tenel agrees that his most notable quality is how unremarkable he is.

That being said, this quiet ordinary boy is the hero for this peculiar tale.

“Come on, Mom! What is it? It smells like stew … or steak?” Annie carries on.

“Well, what do you think it might be, Ari?”

Ari courteously sniffs the air, shrugs, and answers. “I don’t know.”

Mom looks slightly disappointed that her son gave no guess, but she smiles anyway and says, “well, tonight’s dinner is … a secret!”

Annie rolls her eyes. “Mom! That’s so unfair.”

“Oh! That reminds me, Ari. Your dad found a funny bottle on his way home last night. It’s right there on the table.”

She gestures towards the kitchen table where, seeming very out of place upon the normal white table cloth and next to the three branched candelabra, there indeed sits a strange looking bottle. It is a gaudy purple with an intricate green pattern necklacing the thinly tapering opening. Two handles spring out and curve down to the bottom to make for easy carrying. Four large, candy like turquoise gemstones are embedded into the bottle’s curves.

“We can’t get the cap off,” his mother admits, “don’t you think it’s strange?”

Observing more closely, Ari notices the cork very firmly shoved into the opening.

He reaches out a finger and pokes it.

A low muffled moan sounds from deep within the bottle.

Ari leans in and sniffs at the cork.

All he catches is an overwhelming waft of mold.

Finally, he firmly grasps the neck of the bottle and pulls at the cork.

But it won’t budge, not even a wiggle.

“See?” says his mother, abandoning the stove to draw closer to the bottle, “I wonder what’s in there.”

There’s a sparkle in her eyes, a far off wandering look, a hint of the curious adventurer she used to be.

“Mom!” Annie breaks her mother’s reverie, “it’s pointless to keep a bottle we can’t open. Throw it away.”

To strike her point, Annie flips a pigtail on the last word.

“Ah! Well, let’s see … What should we do?”

Their mother hesitates a moment in thought. And then, she lights up with realization.

“Oh! That reminds me! I forgot to pick up bread! But I can’t leave the stove. What should I do?”

Before Ari can make any sort of suggestion, his sister steps over him.

“Oh darn, I wish I could help you out, Mom, but I have a test tomorrow and I really need to study. My future is on the line!”

With that, Annie turns around and makes a dash out of the kitchen.

Unsurprisingly, Ari notices the sounds of her footsteps are heading out the front door instead of up the stairs to her room where her school books lay waiting.

“Well then, Ari,” says his mother, “go down to the bakery in the village and pick up a loaf of bread for me. They’ll just put it on our tab, so you can just run in and grab it. Thank you, dear.”

His mother turns back to her stove and her humming. Ari is about to leave the kitchen when she whips around again.

“Oh! While you’re out, why don’t you stop by Town Hall and see your father.” She turns back to her cooking, wistfully, “ah, my love, hard at work. If only I could see your father in action. Such rapture …” she trails off to herself.

Feeling repulsed and uncomfortable with his mother’s personal musings, as teenagers ordinarily do, Ari finally leaves the kitchen.

The family home is a mansion that lays like a sprawled out reptile just south-east of the village of Tenel. It sits fatly in a clearing of pine trees, just a stone’s throw from the village road. It wears jagged stones in various states of grey, reaches tall, dizzying pointed towers up to mingle with the tree tops, and caps itself with crooked blue shingles. It keeps itself company with a dried up fountain in the front courtyard, a tiny, but ancient ancestral graveyard, and a huge, thick, wooden gate at the entrance to keep all of it in.

Ari steps out into the courtyard, shielding his eyes from the sunlight already beginning to sharpen through the trees as afternoon slips into evening. He notices Annie waiting for him at the top of the stone steps that snake down to the front gate.

“So, did she tell you what’s for dinner?” she asks, blocking his path, “come on, tell me.”

“What happened to your homework?”

Annie starts to tease her pigtail with a wiggling finger.

“Well! I’m going out on a twilight date with Morris before dinner. To polish my feminine airs, I have to build up experience while I’m young. My book says so too …”

“What kind of book says that?”

“It’s one of Mom’s old books. What was the name again? … Oh! ‘Controlling Guys Made Easy.’”

Before Ari can protest, Annie spins around and skips on down the stairs.

“Anyway, enjoy your errand, Ari!” she calls before disappearing through the wooden gate.

Ari sighs, figuring there was little he could have said or done to make things play out differently.

With hands in pockets, he lazily makes his way over to the small graveyard by the pathway. He likes to say hello upon passing the three residents. The stones are so old that most of the lettering has been worn away, but Ari makes out what he can and makes up the rest:

‘RIP Nameless Hero - Well, we think he must have a name, but nobody asked him.’

‘Man who drank, gambled, and died from poisonous fish - just as he planned. RIP’

‘Person who touched the knowledge of the Library.’

After 16 years, Ari still knows nothing beyond these half-deciphered inscriptions, but he gives his regards all the same. When satisfied, he heads on through the big wooden gate that leads him to a meandering dirt path. It winds through the grass, between rotted logs and small rocky hills, untangling Ari from the clusters of trees until it finds the main road. A nearby sign helpfully points out to any casually passing tourist:

‘North: Tenel Village/Church

West: Tenel Field & Madril

East: Nameless Dwelling’

Ari wonders if his family will ever decide to name their house so the sign could be a bit more specific.

“Hmmm, Nancy? Or Connie?”

At the crossroads stand two boys about Ari’s age, Levi and Nathan. Dark haired Nathan is the pudgier fellow, while Levi is lanky and alight with flaming orange hair.

“Huh?”

“Whoa!” Nathan exclaims, his fat frame jumping, “Oh! It’s you. You scared me, Ari! When did you get here? I didn’t even notice.”

“Ari, you look real gloomy,” says Levi, “hey, you know what? The circus is coming to the field over there tomorrow night!” He gestures vaguely in the direction of Tenel Field.

“Really?” Ari replies noncommittally.

“I, I, I’m definitely gonna ask Julia out this time! I, I, I will do it! And me and Julia are gonna go out on a romantic date!”

“I wonder who I should ask out,” Nathan muses in the face of his friend’s determination, “Ari, why don’t you ask somebody out too? It’s the circus!”

Ari chuckles and shrugs his shoulders in what he hopes is a ‘cool, but not caring too much’ display. “Sure, I’ll just narrow down my list a bit and ask one out.”

It doesn’t come off as cool as he hoped.

“Ha!” Levi bursts, “I bet he doesn’t have the guts to ask a girl out! Ha ha ha! Chicken!”

The skinny boy goes the extra mile and begins flapping his arms and clucking.

“Anyway, I better get on over to the village,” says Ari before the soul crushing embarrassment can descend, “got an errand to run.”

“You’d better go quick then,” says Nathan, “they’re closing the town gates earlier and earlier. The ghosts and monsters from Tenel field have been wandering closer to town, I heard.”

The hauntings and prowlings of Tenel Field are nothing new to Ari’s ears. All his life, he’s heard the townspeople complaining about the beasts and deadly things that roam wild and how it’s getting worse every year. Ari hears most people, especially the older ones, blaming it on something evil going on out West in Madril that’s driving the wild things nutty. It’s gotten to the point where Tenel’s posted a sentry on the path between Tenel and the field to keep kids and the like in town and to warn everyone if something should wander in. Ari never gives the matter much thought, reasoning that interesting things like monster encounters only happen to interesting people. And it’s so rare to see ghosts come floating in out of the field.

But the sun does seem ever so slightly lower than it was when he first stepped out of the house.

“Right, I’ll be quick.”

With that, Ari leaves them to their great girl debate and heads toward the main gates of Tenel. For now, the entrance is wide open, yawning its welcome to any passerby bored enough to visit the little town. But later, as it gets darker, the gates will eventually be shut and locked, as Tenel residents cling to the illogical belief that doors and locks can keep out ghosts.

As he enters, he notices a pretty blond girl in a white dress standing by the inn and looking absentmindedly off into the distance. Further putting his errand on hold, Ari walks up to her.

“Hey Julia.”

She doesn’t respond.

Ari waits patiently.

It’s alright. I’m used to being ignored.

Julia looks on for another moment or two. Ari continues waiting.

Any day now …

“Huh? Oh, Ari!” she says, her gaze finally shifting onto him, “I was daydreaming. Sorry about that. Hey, did you know the circus is coming tomorrow night?”

Julia and Ari have been friends since childhood, and though time and puberty have pulled them in different directions, they still consider themselves at the very least good friends. Typically, Julia isn’t so spacey - it’s just an ‘Ari thing.’

“Yeah, Nathan and Levi mentioned it.”

“Isn’t it great? It’s the circus!”

“Yeah, it’s pretty great.”

She looks at him, blue eyes wide and expectant.

“I mean,” he continues, “really great. Very exciting.”

She still says nothing. He waves a hand in front of her eyes, wondering if she’s sunk into another daydream. He does have that effect on people sometimes.

“So, aren’t you gonna ask me to go to the circus with you?” she says suddenly.

“Oh! Well, yeah,” Ari stumbles, “um, I mean, I need to check in with my folks, but … would you … would you like to …”

Before Ari can finish his bare minimum of a question, Julia takes a step back and giggles.

“Sorry, Ari.”

Without even knowing the rest of the sentence, Ari can tell she doesn’t seem very sorry.

“Somebody else already asked me. If you’d have asked me earlier …”

Ari thinks about maybe saying something in protest or in his own defense, but decides it’s not worth it as she makes her way past him.

“Um,” she says, pausing before she walks away completely, “Some time soon, Ari, I … I need to tell you something important … so … see you.”

She takes off running, disappearing fast into the town - an impressive feat given its small size and even smaller populace. Ari isn’t sure what to make of Julia. Teenagerdom is difficult enough to navigate for himself without the complex enigma of teenage girls thrown into the mix. As with most problems, puzzles, and peculiarities, Ari shrugs and carries on with his business.

As he passes it, Ari notices the sign on the Parm Inn door:

‘CLOSED due to water shortage - not that we get any guests anyway. Ha! - Parm Inn Landlord.’

The posting has been there for several weeks. Similar notices decorate the doors of ‘Tinkers,’ the blacksmith and ‘Gulp,’ the bar:

‘Can’t do business without water. I’ll be sleeping. - Tinkers Owner’

‘Closed due to shortage! And for those who owe me money, PAY UP QUICK! - Gulp Hostess.’

Ari can only wonder how much longer before these places will have to close for good. Tenel is already pretty small. Any smaller and they’d have to start calling themselves ‘a small cluster of houses and shops’ instead of a town.

“Ah! Ari!” someone suddenly exclaims.

Ari turns to see the butcher standing outside his shop, just across from the inn. A man with an egg like figure and neatly parted brown hair, the butcher breathes out a heavy sigh as he clutches at his chest.

“You gave me a fright, Ari. I didn’t notice ya standing there at first.”

“Sorry, Mr. Kellogg.”

“Shame about the water shortage, isn’t it? Thankfully, we’ve got some stored up for emergencies like this, but we’re getting mighty low. Can’t say how much longer we’ll be able to stay open.”

“Yeah, I wonder what’s caus-”

“You like beef, Ari?”

He is a little startled by the question.

“Oh, well, I don’t dislike it, sir.”

“I’ve got a great deal on ground beef. One pound, 20 sukel. Figure you might not be able to get any tomorrow - if we can’t open, I mean.”

A few minutes later, Ari walks out of the butcher shop with a wrapped up pound of ground beef under his arm and his wallet 20 sukel lighter.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” calls Mr. Kellogg as he locks the door to his shop to leave for the day, “get home safe.”

Ari waves as the butcher turns to make his way home. He doubts he’ll have business there, but Ari hopes the butcher is open tomorrow. As he makes his way towards the bakery, he passes by two men deep in conversation and nervousness.

“Oh dear, this just won’t do. The water supply has stopped and almost all the stores are closed. It’s under investigation now … do you think it might be related to ghosts?”

“All I know is they’re saying there are tons of ghost problems in Madril. And they’re a big, machine town. Totally different class than Tenel. If they can’t handle the ghosts and monsters, we don’t stand a chance.”

The other man nods weakly, looking very pale. “We’ll be in big trouble.”

Ari remembers his mother’s suggestion couched in wifely affection and decides to go visit his father. He passes Gulp, Tinkers, the miscellaneous shop known as ‘The Other One’, and several homes. All the way in the back of town, atop a small hill, is the church and right beside it the Tenel Village Office. The church sits quietly and patiently, having been unused and unvisited for several weeks now. Ari thinks the cream color of the tall rounded church towers is starting to look like spoiled milk. Green stains are creeping up the sides and the forest surrounding Tenel is starting to reclaim it.

A sign before the tightly shut door reads:

‘Until further notice, please do not enter the church. - Tenel Village Office’

Feeling helpless in the face of such a polite, pathetic notice, Ari walks over to the Tenel Village Office.

Inside, the village office is busy and hectic. Immediately, Ari spots his father sitting behind his usual desk at the front, but all around him, people rush and run and flitter about like a swarm of frustrated, inconvenienced bees. Even their talk sounds like buzzing.

Ari carefully navigates his way towards that front desk. Ari’s father is a short, stringy sort of man. He parts his dark brown hair straight and neat down the middle, and he looks at the world through thick, soda bottle glasses. He has the look of a man who believes in aliens and psychic phenomenon. If one were to ask him about such things, he could easily go on for hours. Ari can attest to it. His father stares intently into a stack of pages in the middle of his desk. He stares as if staring hard enough will burst the pages into flames or cast them into an alternate dimension where he doesn’t have to look at them anymore. Ari is sorry to see these efforts aren’t working.

“Oh! Hello there, Ari. Here to see your cool father at work?”

Ari rolls his eyes, but still smiles.

“What d’ya think? Too cool for words, huh? I redefine ‘cool.’ Ha!”

Now the smile is starting to fade. Ari’s father has perfected the art of being too corny.

“Sorry, sorry,” his father chuckles, “as you can see, the office is in a bit of a panic over the water shortage. We’re doing everything we can to find the cause, but …”

As his father trails off, Ari sees his shoulders slump and behind the happy-go-luck dork that is his father, Ari can see the exhausted Assistant Manager.

“On top of that, the Classification Tables will be arriving soon from the Royal City. That always puts the office on edge.”

Ari knows vaguely about the Classification Tables. His father has cursed it multiple times throughout the year. Supposedly, the village office sends a character report of each Tenel resident to the Royal City and then the city sends back a huge packet of tables that identify and categorize each and every citizen. Ari frequently asks his father how he is ‘classified,’ but his father usually responds with some corny joke.

‘The Assistant Manager’s son.’ ‘The eldest child at the Nameless Dwelling.’ ‘Some Shady Guy.’

So, Ari doesn’t really ask about it anymore. He just accepts that the Classification Table causes his father a lot of headache and woe. Once, Ari tried asking one of his father’s coworkers what the purpose was of the Classification Tables. Her response was unsatisfactory.

“Oh! I didn’t see you there! You’re the assistant manager’s son, aren’t you? Well, the Classification Tables, they … well, they … they maintain order of course! They help the town run smoothly. Why else would the Royal City have us do all this? Now, please leave me alone. I’m quite busy.”

So, Ari understands the weight when, on top of the water shortage problem, his father says he also has to deal with the Royal City’s Classification Tables.

“Anyway, what’s for dinner?” his father asks suddenly, the joy lifting his shoulders back up from their slump, “Ah, I wanna go home. I miss your mom.”

Ari chuckles. “No idea. She wouldn’t tell me. Says it’s a surprise.”

“Ha, yeah, that sounds like your mother.”

���She asked me to pick up bread.”

“Oh! Well, you better get moving, son. It’s getting dark out. The town will be closing soon.”

“Great seeing you, Dad,” says Ari as he turns to leave, nearly crashing into a speeding intern.

Ari steps back outside and, just as his dad said, the dark is noticeably beginning to descend on the town. He rushes down the hill to the Bakery, hoping the owner hasn’t decided to close doors early due to the dark looming in. The bell above the door clangs to life as he rushes in. Despite that, the husband and wife who run the Bakery carry on with their personal business, not seeming to notice Ari standing in the doorway. He steps up to the main counter where the wife stands, her back to Ari as she sorts through the baked goods on the back shelf.

The smell of freshly baked bread is intoxicating, filling Ari with warmth until the harsh pang of hunger in his stomach drives it away.

“Excuse me,” he says.

The portly Mrs. Bakster is singing to herself as she counts and pokes at the remaining pastries. It’s not a very good song and Mrs. Bakster isn’t very good at singing it.

“Hello? Mrs. Bakster?”

“Huh?” Finally, she whips around. “Oh! It’s you, Ari! Don’t I always tell you? A boy should speak up!”

These types of reprimands are nothing new. Mrs. Bakster has many opinions and is very keen on sharing them.

“Now, now, don’t harangue the boy, dear,” calls Mr. Bakster from across the shop, “don’t mind her too much, Ari. She’s got a sharp tongue, but a soft heart really.”

Ari smiles good humoredly, simply wanting to get the bread and get home for dinner.

“You’ve come to pick up bread for your mother, right?” says Mrs. Bakster as she reaches over to a shelf and pulls off a fine, golden colored loaf. With speed and finesse, she neatly wraps the loaf in paper and then, gently hands it to Ari. “Here you are. Don’t squeeze it too much. Don’t want to crush it.”

“Yes, Mrs. Bakster, thank you.”

“By the way, Ari, before you go, I wanted to ask - anything bothering you?”

“Now, dear!” chides Mr. Bakster.

“Come on! Keep your chin up, boy!” Mrs. Bakster carries on, ignoring her husband, “girls like the assertive ones, you know? And I know you’ve got a lot of potential, Ari. You can be anything you want. You just got to assert yourself, and girls will be all over you.”

Ari smiles and nods, backing away slowly.

“Alright, alright. Get on home and get that to your mother. I’ve got a dinner to get ready and a husband to feed, you know.”

“Yes … thank you, Mrs. Bakster. You too, Mr. Bakster. Have a good evening.”

Ari turns and whips out the door before the baker can be inspired with another round of opinions. Once outside, Ari is surprised to find Annie waiting.

“Ari, you done with your errands? You’ve been gone forever.”

“Sorry, yeah. I’m done.”

“What’s the matter?” she asks, and then eyes the bakery, “oh, did she lecture you again?”

Yeah, sure, make me relive it, why don’t ya?

The thought translates into a shrug.

“Let me guess,” says Annie playfully, “Oh, Ari, you’ve got to speak up for yourself more. You practically blend into someone else’s shadow.”

Ari gives her a brotherly glare.

“Oh well, at least there are some people around here who see some good in you … Julie, for instance.” Annie giggles mercilessly. “You lucky guy.”

All the way home, Annie teases her brother about the baker woman’s “advice” and Julie’s “affections.” But Ari takes it all without a word, wondering to himself about lots of different topics from that busy afternoon. He thinks about the water shortage and about his classification from the Royal City and about Julie picking someone else over him and about what it actually means to ‘blend into someone else’s shadow.’

Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 • Chapter 11 • Chapter 12 • Chapter 13 • Chapter 14 • Chapter 15 • Chapter 16 - Finale

NOTE: Okage Shadow King is owned by Sony Computer Entertainment and Zener Works. This novelization is purely a fan-work and the writer claims no ownership over the characters, general plot line(s), etc.

[cards-of-the-royal-guard]

+Uli what's the name of your childhood sweetheart?

“My Childhood sweetheart- his name… it isn't a simple thing to speak of.” Uli shifts uncomfortably, glancing to the side, he covers his mouth, the name chokes him as he tries to gather his thoughts.

“There.. Are a few things I would like you to know before I give you his name.. Then you may dismiss me as you will. Though I don't have all of the information.. I do know we were both very fortunate children..” He focuses on something in the distance, lost in thought, flooded with the fond and somewhat sad memories. He closes his eyes and sighs.

“Ama once said the King had fallen from grace.. I didn't really understand what she meant by that at the time.”

Years ago, the sun had just set, armed soldiers with torches approach the tiny town of Atrealia, Uli's grandmother had had some ill feeling all day and tucked her sleeping  grandson into the cellar with many blankets. Though they didn't linger long in this sleepy old town, though, the damage they would cause in their brief search would be felt for decades.

Days away, another small family spurred by a bit of overheard gossip. The matriarch of the family, a heavily pregnant mother by the name of Olena creeps out in the night, her two sleeping children hidden away under the softer goods they could carry with them on the wagon. They travel for days. Talking breaks under the heavy cover of woods. Her eldest, a sweet girl, helps forage and cook eager to help her mother. The boy still very young helps forage as well returning with what he could find. 

And finally after days of travel the mother glances out beyond the treeline, a home, the chimney smoking and windows dimly lit.

A bit of hope flutters in her chest as she alters the wagon's course turning to the home in the distance, then finding a road and setting the rest of the town gradually emerge from the darkness.

A knock from the door makes the elderly couple stand from their seats, Ama scoops up her grandson as Apa cracks the door open before finding relief in the woman at the door opening or wide to welcome her in from the cold evening air. And after a bit of arrangement her two children are tucked into the warm home and their wagon safely stowed away in the shed for protection. With a couple days the new family was accepted into the village one of the vacant homes bestowed upon them.

“At first we were a bit wary, protected by our mothers from any straggling soldiers. though as a child ama simply told me it was typical beasties of the night on the prowl for children.. You know, as Ama would.”

Some years later, the son of Olena was sent to handle their few goods at the market and for a while his trip went well, that is until his cart hit a rock that broke part of the wheel, just his luck he sobs to himself trying for a moment to lift the cart to help his mule along but it was too heavy by himself.

It slips and he cries with a bit of surprise and curls up crouching. Home was such a long walk back and, market was just as far.

After several minutes another wagon rolls up the path, Uli notices. The boy and the wagon he pulls his horse to stop before climbing off letting his curiosity reign.

Uli crouches next to the boy patting his back tenderly.

"Do You need help? I have some rope.. We can probably do something to get your wagon moving again." He says Softly, the other boy, small and fair, his cool hued eyes wet with tears looks up to meet Uli's green eyes before drying his eyes with his sleeves.

Together they get the wagons tied together and ride carefully to market then home chatting the whole time.

 “we were inseparable after that.  We did so much together, we would play in the woods and River. Make trouble all the time! And sometimes.. We Would just lay in the grass in the fields surrounded by the grass and the cows.. Then.. The call to my journey- I wonder.. if I'd had known what awaited me on my journey… if I’d have gone at all..”

“when I returned home to Atrealia, I was so eager to find him I ran to hug him as soon as I saw him, and he seemed to do the same before wavering to something behind me. I slowed pausing to look back, one of the guards from the castle had followed me home only to pull me back to the castle to fulfill my nine year draft..”

“I was never able to tell him how I felt. After being summoned I couldn't bear to tell him only to find out he didn't feel the same.. Ah- Not that it would matter now.. I know he went on his journey not long after I left.. But so much happened it all seems like a blur. Four months after the fall of the king of Embers. My most beloved friend stumbled into the throne room with some help from the guards who'd first seen him. My Vanya.. Holding the staff that claimed his heart.. Dearest Ivan, is the King of Clubs”

“he's better off now, with all the luck in the world and so many interesting opportunities… I hope it all makes him happy…”

[pterawaters]

Stoncy/Stranger Things RP group looking for players

Hey! We’ve got a casual RP group going on our stoncy discord server. We’ve got three games going, and we’re willing to support more! Adults 18+ only, please, as we do have a few nsfw channels. We plan and chat on the discord and do our writing in shared google docs. We’ve got no activity requirements, and it’s a very collaborative, welcoming group. We’d love for you to join us!

Click the read more for information about our current games and what roles are open in each. (**New game opened 5/21**)

Superpowers/College AU

It is the fall of 1987. Classes at Indiana State University – St. Arden began three weeks ago. The campus is a medium-sized state school, with classical brick and stone buildings. Columns decorate several of the buildings, including the main campus library, Hayes library. The weather is still sunny, but starting to turn crisp, especially in the early mornings. The leaves on the trees adorning campus are just starting to change. St. Arden is a typical midwestern college town. Normal to a fault. Of course, no one knows about the experiments being performed by Dr. Martin Brenner in the bowels of the Psychology building. No one knows about the girl he calls Eleven, who is about to open a portal to another world.

Open roles: Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Tommy Hagan, Carol Perkins, Billy Hargrove, Barb Holland, Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, and lots of minor characters. We’re also open to OCs!

Werewolf AU

November 1986. Hawkins, Indiana. Werewolves organize in extended family packs, and there is also a power hierarchy that is determined primarily by wealth and influence (or mafia-like force). The pack leader is the head of the family, and leadership usually passes down to the leader’s eldest child. When two pack leaders, Mr. Harrington and Mrs. Hagan, are brutally murdered (along with Nancy’s best friend, Barb), the werewolf community finds itself in an uproar. Then, young Will Byers goes missing.

Open roles: Eleven, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Tommy Hagan, Carol Perkins, Billy Hargrove (there might be a really cool antagonist role here), Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, and more. OCs are welcome here too!

ABO/Modern college AU (nsfw)

Present day. The students of Hawkins University are busily finishing up their school work before break, and the start of the spring rutting season. The cherry trees on the quad are in bloom, and the days are mostly sunny, if still a little cold. The classrooms and dormitories of Hawkins U. are starting to fill with pheromones, putting everyone on edge. While the betas of the university are making plans for a relaxing spring break, the alphas worry about building the perfect nest for their omega partners. If they’ve managed to find an omega partner, that is. Single alphas are on the prowl, trying to find a compatible omega before the rutting season hits. The omegas of the campus are likewise preparing, making sure to choose not just the best alpha, but the best alpha for them.

Open roles: Robin Buckley, Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson (omega), Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, and more!

Vampire AU - New!

Hawkins, 1987. Several residents have been attacked, and Barb Holland has been found dead. When those that have been attacked start having violent dreams, they start to wonder: are these just dreams, or are they committing violent actions in their sleep? (More setting details TBD)

Open roles: Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Eleven, Max Mayfield, and more!

Want to play as Steve, Nancy, or Jonathan? Want to play one of the Stoncy subships (Jancy, Stancy, Stonathan)?

We’d love to support more games! We’re always workshopping new ideas on the discord! Come talk to us about the game you want to play and put in your dibs on your favorite character!

[yukiwrites]

The Heart of Immortals

Thank you so much for the support and patience as always, @breeachuu! I had a blast writing this, I hope you likey!

Summary: Wolfram had been specifically chosen by Naga to undergo a very special mission -- to travel to another world by the name of Fódlan and help one of the many suffering children that inhabited it. Someone who bore something very special and key to that world’s salvation.

Commission info HERE and HERE!

_______________________________

It took less than a minute for the then-empty kitchen to pack itself with manaketes, all jostling one another with Nidra at the front, facing Wolfram.

The mother felt her mouth twitch in nervousness, the faint holy presence Naga left in her wake making her youngest's words ring even louder in her ears.

"Your... 'destiny's call', my son?" Nidra gulped, taking uncertain steps in Wolfie's direction.

As though leaving a trance, the boy blinked, finally focusing his gaze on his mother, seeing all of his siblings hustling behind her. "Was that as weird as it sounded now that I saw it through in my mind?" Wolfie's shoulders sagged as he chuckled, his hands slightly trembled from having probably (he'd never be sure about that, even years later) touched Naga's very skin once She made her contact.

Both Cynthias exchanged overly excited looks as their big brothers opened their arms in unison. "This is SO EPIC! YOU HAD AN UNPRECEDENTED VISIT FROM NAGA HERSELF-" The older Cynthia leaped from under Nidra's arm, set on pouncing on her little brother.

"No!" Nidra clenched her fists and stomped her foot on the ground, a very timely and most likely intentional tremor shaking the house in response.

Cynthia's pigtails deflated along with her whole body as she fell flat on the floor. "Uh, Mom-"

Cyn reached out for her mother from behind as Meli glanced from Wolfie to Nidra and Meliodas placed a hand on Cyn's shoulder. Henry peeked his head out of the door to Wolfram's left, carrying the bag of herbs he had stepped out to get only a few moments previous.

"I guess I didn't feel this whole holy presence 'cause I'm not a manakete, huh? Nyaha!" He dropped the bag loudly on the floor, clapping the dust out of his hands right after. "Aight, guess it's Mom and Dad time, yeah? Everyone but Wolfie, out!" He clapped cheerfully, walking towards Nidra to steer her towards their youngest son, her body shaking slightly.

As the youngest opened his mouth to continue, Nidra's swaying in front of him made he reflexively reach out for her, though Henry was the one who caught his faint wife. "Ohh..." Nidra took one hand to cover her forehead, her eyes spinning. "Not my little baby..." Her voice got weaker and weaker until it turned to incomprehensible mumbling as consciousness slowly left her.

The children all turned pale in the face as Henry never lost his smile. "Whoopsie, guess that was too much for good ol' Ni-Ni, huh?" He teased, adjusting her in his arms. "This has been funsies and all, kids, but now we really gotta talk just with Wolfie, alright? C'mon, kid." He gestured with his chin for the boy to follow him towards the stairs. "We'll be at the nest and don't worry about your Mother, 'kay? She's gonna be fine after we talk a bit. I'll call you guys over when it's time."

Cynthia hugged both Meliodas and Cyn, her eyes so wide they almost bulged out of her skull. Meliodas himself shook slightly, not wanting the memories of a future past to shadow the excitement they were just experiencing.

Noticing his older brother's lack of color, Meli immediately caught on the reason Nidra's fainting shook his eldest siblings so much, taking it upon himself to take their minds out of it. "Hey, Brother? Big Sister?" He softly took their hands in his, feeling them tremble. "While we wait, I wanted to show you two something."

Following Henry through the corridor, Wolfram didn't have time to wonder why only his eldest siblings turned silent so quickly, his mind much too focused on the vision he had seen.

A field bathed with blood. A battle so fierce the red never left its soil -- a massacre so brutal the ruins still remained to ever remind the people of what had transpired.

Memories of a distant past mingling with the present, though its bloody history remained unchanged.

A single survivor of a tragedy, the dead haunting their every step.

A lonely soul, the last of its line, tortured to the mind-breaking point.

An outcast, forced to survive inside a den of enemies.

A life that wasn't supposed to survive, yet by joining with Immortals it was given a second chance.

The setting sun bathes the full winter coat of every wolf in a foreboding scarlet glow. Hunters spread the word that the red wolves are back on the prowl.

A voice, one that felt so familiar, so intimate -- as though a mix of a Mother's and his own inner voice --  a sound one could only stop to listen and appreciate. The voice rang, not actually speaking, but simply delivering the message, as though the words were always in his mind to begin with.

"Help the one with the Heart of Immortals. The fate of a long lost child is finally within our grasp. Go, my champion, and aid the one that's forgotten their purpose, but who has never been forgotten by those they left behind."

"Heart of Immortals, huh?" Henry mused, one hand over his chin in thought as he petted Nidra's hair with the other. Nidra, on her part, rested on her husband's lap, all wrapped around the blankets of their nest as Wolfram sat in front of them.

Pouting, the matriarch fought back the tears she had finally managed to quell. "Hasn't our family suffered enough? Our firstborns fight an impossible war, turn back time to save their parents, fight yet another war and now- now the only one who knew nothing of fighting-!"

"There, there, Ni-Ni." Henry pinched Nidra's cheek, making the pout deflate. "Well, this might be an inevitable prophecy? Is that what is it? Welp, anyway; this might be an inevitable prophecy and all, but what I wanna know the most is: how're you feeling about all 'a this, Wolfie? You're the one who has to choose and I actually mean 'choose' it, you know? I don't mind it at all to fight even your god if it means to protect you from it." His usual smile faded for a split second, a dark shadow covering the mage's face. It soon shifted, however, "nyaha! We already overthrew one ancient overgrown lizard, after all!"

In the face of her husband's blatant blasphemy, Nidra did one thing and one thing only: she nodded in accordance, slowly getting herself to sit up. Manakete as she might be, she was now a Mother; and would topple her own Mother to save her children.

Overcome with emotion, Wolfram could only clutch his chest lest he burst into tears right there and then. Nidra had always followed Naga's words down to the T and yet, there she was -- ready to throw hands at their god just to protect him.

Oh, gods, how he was going to miss them!

"I... I wanna go." He said finally, a lump forming in his throat just by thinking about leaving. "There're people who need help, Mother, Father. And Naga said that only I could save them! But honestly, even if I were only part of the rescue party or something, I'd still be raring to go! I don't wanna see someone in need and turn my back to them."

Nidra sniffled, her eyes once again full of tears. "Oh, my boy... Come here," she opened her arms, welcoming her small (who towered over her by at least 15cm, but he'd always be her little baby) bundle of joy into her chest. She kissed his white hair, so alike to his Father's. "You truly are your sister's sibling, aren't you?"

"Nyahah, and your mother's son, no?" Henry patted his wife's back, making her chuckle as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She simply squeezed the boy in her embrace further, digging her face into his hair.

"I'll have a long talk with Naga about all of this and come to a compromise." She declared after a few moments of silence. "I am warning that I will not allow you to stay away for too long! We are to stay together as a family for all eternity!" She tugged on his shoulder, making him chuckle.

"I wouldn't want to stay away for too long, Mother! Our family means everything to me!" He grinned, pulling away to look Nidra in the eyes. "Though I'm really really nervous, I can't wait to see how this is all going to turn out!

To give Nidra the space to talk to Naga, Henry and Wolfie went downstairs first instead of calling the horde to their nest. Once they reunited, Wolfie disclosed everything about the vision and the message to his siblings, receiving equally high amounts of excitement and joyful yells.

"Do they have dragons there?!? Will you be able to transform? Or hide yourself? Ohhhhh, being an undercover manakete in the works would be so cool!" Cyn struck a pose, though quickly hopped where she stood.

"You'll obviously take Aquilo with you, yeah? OOooh I wonder if they have more wyverns on the other side? What are their pegasi like? You gotta tell us everything when you come back!"

"Oh!" Meliodas gasped loudly, making all eyes turn to him. "We were going to teach you how to make your friendship jewel before your 16th birthday, right? Maybe we should just teach you right away..."

"Oh, yes, I learned when I was 16 as well..." Meli pondered as Cyn nodded beside him.

"That will not be necessary. Well, the teaching part will be, of course. But no need to make haste in your teachings." Nidra's voice surprised all present, all of them too focused on their little brother to notice their mother's presence approaching.

"Mother!" They said in unison, expectant.

"Hah," Nidra sighed, still not used to the idea. "Come here, my boy," she reached out to Wolfram, who promptly got up from his seat to hug his mother. "My little boy, my baby..." she kissed his cheeks, getting on her toes to do so.

"Um, Mother? How was the talk?" Unbothered by his mother's smothering, Wolfram tried to look down at her under her kisses and hugs.

"I've spoken with Naga," she sighed once again. "And we have come to an agreement: you will depart on your 16th birthday to this foreign land."

"One year to prepare!" Cyn mused, "whoa, one whole year!"

"We'll be able to get you ready for anything!" Meli puffed his chest, exchanging winks with his eldest brother.

Nidra bobbed her head to the sides. "This is a truly foreign land, not unlike the one our three friends delved into for five years."

Cynthia opened her mouth to ask if Rammy was going to Valla, but Nidra kept talking.

"There are no manaketes there, or at least they do not want to make their existence known -- so you will have to hide your dragon half to the most of your abilities. Perhaps the reason you were chosen was because you resemble a human the most..." She whispered the last part, being heard only by Wolfram himself, who smiled brightly.

"Thank you for giving birth to me just the way I am, Mother! I wouldn't be who I turned out to be otherwise." He bended down to engulf his short Mother in a big hug.

"Oh, you silly boy, what are you doing -- making me cry at a time like this? I haven't finished!" She sniffled, patting his back so he would let go. Once he did, she dried her eyes before speaking. "I have also given a deadline... You must be back no matter what after seven years pass. So do your utmost to save everything that needs to be saved within that time, you hear?"

Henry burst into laughter beside his wife. "Wahaha! What? And the Almighty Naga just said 'yeah, okay, don't worry, he'll come home before 10pm in seven years, stat!'?"

Nidra stepped on her husband's foot, "she did say that whatever was afflicting that world wouldn't last the decade -- if it wasn't resolved within six or seven years, then it would be too late."

"This keeps getting better and better..." Cyn said under her breath, her eyes gleaming. Cynthia nodded beside her sister, almost drooling.

"Yeah..."

Wolfram giggled, the excitement his family felt somehow melting away any nervousness he felt. "I just need to stick to the one with the Heart of Immortals for seven years? Easy!" He laughed.

"Say that again, short stuff!" Henry arm locked his son, pulling him away from Nidra. "One year seems like a lot, but it passes by so quick you barely notice! We're gonna work you to the bone, so get ready!"

Meliodas made some sort of math in his head, lifting one finger for each point he remembered. "Yes, there are quite a few things we need to get ahead of schedule to teach you."

"Also flying tricks!" Cyn hopped as Cynthia nodded.

"And we'll have to procure a headband for your ears... Maybe get in a sewing crash course or two just in case, as well."

His heart full, Wolfram couldn't hold back a loud laugh. "I can't wait to learn everything! Don't go easy on me!" He said, his face red with anticipation.

Watching her children and husband get along made Nidra shed a tear before shaking her head in acceptance.

True to Henry's words, the year went by so quickly it made Wolfram's head spin. His siblings and parents truly didn't go easy on him -- they crammed so many survival tips, battle techniques, flying tricks and even some melding and crafting into him he felt ready for quite literally anything!

The time and place for the crossing would be once the clock ticked midnight of the 30th of October -- Wolfram's birthday -- at the Mila Tree.

"To think we will not be able to spend this precious day together," became Nidra's signature complaint during that short year.

The entire family made the trip to the Mila Tree in a never seen before event: five manaketes flying mixed with a wyvern in their midst. Henry rode on his wife's back, though he and Wolfram laughed the whole time, finding the scene too amusing not to.

Once at the Mila Tree, Nidra refused to let go of Wolfram, even as the hour approached. Tiki, Nah and Nidra herself would serve as bridges for Naga to channel her power through them and open the portal at the roots of the Tree -- so it was of essence that Nidra took her spot by one of the roots instead of staying with her son the whole time.

"It's gonna be okay, Mother. I have the locket you gave me right here," he pulled out said locket from his chest, a proud smile etched on his face.

"Oh yeah, kid," Henry rummaged through his pockets. "And this here is from Dad here," he placed a pocket watch with a badly designed crow inside his son's hand. "The hour's prooobably not gonna be the same when you cross over, so maybe change it up when you arrive? Nyaha!"

"Father... It's the crow I've always asked you to draw when I was young..." Wolfram choked with emotion, finally feeling that the separation was real. "Thank you so much... I'll never change the hour so I'll always know what time it is here, back home, where I belong."

The moment Nidra was about to be even more emotional, she felt it. A strong current of power, almost sweeping her away. "Oh... Oh, it's here. Get ready, my Son." She squeezed his hand before stepping away to go to her spot.

The wind blew, the leaves sounding as though they whispered. The voices of the elements conjoined as the space in front of Wolfram seemingly distorted itself inside-out. A faint light glowed from the three manaketes standing side by side as they channeled the power of a god through them towards the spot their hands reached out to: Wolfram.

The light ebbed away from the women to the boy, enveloping him in the warmth of a Mother's embrace. He felt his fingertips grow numb as the spot in front of him grew larger and larger -- a door of some sort, engulfed in light, called to him.

Instinctively did the boy reach out to it, his entire body being attracted to what lay behind it. Hypnotized, he walked towards it, barely hearing anything around him, his hand grasping Aquilo's reins simply because they were already inside his fingers.

"Bye-bye, Rammy!!" Cyn and Cynthia yelled atop their lungs, waving as though their lives depended on it. Their screams echoed with Meli, Meliodas and Henry, all wishing him safe travels and health.

Blinking, still out of it, Wolfram simply smiled to his family. "See you later!" He said and in the very next moment, as though he were never there to begin with, he disappeared.

He felt the not-quite touch once again, guiding him through the countless pathways he saw flickering all around him -- from above, below and beside him, paths leading to Naga-knows-where stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Yet, in the next moment, he opened his eyes, startled. "Wah!" He huffed, his lungs so tight he felt as though he had been drowning on dry land. "Where- is this that other world? It's just a normal forest for now..." His mind raced.

Aquilo was nowhere to be found, but through their bond Wolfram could feel that the wyvern had also made the crossing. "Calm down, Wolfie, you might be on your own, but your family's with you." He forced himself to breathe until he could do so normally. "It seems to be nighttime here also, though this cold- it's... a lot more than I expected." He quickly turned to his oversized backpack, taking out the warmest coat he could find and bundling himself up with it. "It's also winter here, it seems, though it's a LOT colder than Ylisse's..."

Looking around and finding nothing but leaves, Wolfram looked up in search of the sky. "Should I give the forest a sweep from above?" He reached for the locket whence he kept his dragonstone, but stopped himself before even giving the idea much thought. "No... it's better to avoid transforming until I know for sure no one's gonna see me. For now let's look for Aquilo, then the both of us can look for shel- oh!"

The moment Wolfram tapped into his dragon half to assert Aquilo's location, he felt the presence of not only one, but two Ancient Blood, much like the manaketes from back home, yet bearing a fundamental difference he couldn't quite pinpoint at the moment. There were another two presences of the Blood, but they were weaker... Perhaps halflings just as himself? Either way, Wolfram knew which way he had to go after fetching Aquilo.

But for now, he had to deal with the human presence he felt approaching rapidly from behind. Assuming attack stance, Wolfie reached for the tome in his waist, ready to throw around some magic if need be.

"Show yourself!" A dignified voice shouted from someplace at Wolfie's right. "I will not hurt you if you simply come out peacefully!"

"Oh, is that right? Then okay." Wolfram's shoulders sagged. "I'm a bit lost, actually, maybe you could help?"

"H-huh? Oh, um, that is... not what I was expecting a stranger in the woods to say in the middle of the night, but..." The voice approached, as did the rustling of leaves towards Wolfie's direction. From the spot emerged a tall, blonde young man dressed in some kind of uniform. "I shall do anything in my power to help." He bowed politely. "Who are you, stranger? And how does one get lost so late into the night in Garreg Mach?"

Oh, he looks friendly, thank Naga, Wolfie thought as he sighed in relief. "Um, I'm actually not sure myself... I was about to go thaaaaat?" He pointed towards the presence of the Blood, remembering the fake setting he and his siblings came up with, "that, yes, that way? And then I got lost and that's... basically all I remember, honestly."

The young man gasped, quickly approaching, his face painted with worry. "Poor thing; to get lost in this dense forest while having no memories! Were you perhaps about to enroll at the Officer's Academy?" He pointed to the general direction Wolfram had mentioned.

"I... was? I suppose I was, yes. If the Academy's that way, then I probably was going to enroll, but... yeah." He kicked some dust, feeling rather guilty from managing to convince the youth so readily, but not about to let his disguise fail out of pity.

The young man sighed with empathy. "Do you remember your name? Or what you were doing around here at all? The school year already started quite a while ago -- were you lost around these woods all this time?"

"School year? So it's a literal Academy? Whoa," Wolfram mumbled to himself, squinting. To the blonde young man, it looked as though the strange boy was simply searching his memories for something. "I don't think I was wandering around for that long, no? I know for sure that I'm not from here, otherwise my muscle memory would activate, right?"

"An outlander? It is a wonder you managed to come so deep into Fódlan territory relatively unscathed; though judging by your attire, there is no mistaking that you are not from here... Maybe you were supposed to be the other exchange student we never got once the year started? I, myself, only saw Petra, but I did hear we were supposed to get more students from outside Fódlan..."

Wolfram clapped, as though he remembered something. "That's it! Maybe that's what I am? But I can't recall this Academy at all... Ugh, this is so frustrating!"

"You poor thing." The young man shook his head, his expression full of pity. "Please, allow me to help -- I will guide you to the monastery so you can speak with the headmaster and archbishop, Lady Rhea, and sort it all out."

"That would be a delight, um-"

"Oh, how boorish of me! I'm Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and I am a student at the Officer's Academy. A pleasure to meet you, stranger-"

"Wolfram- ah, um, I'm pretty sure that's my name, anyway. Nice to meet you, Dimitri! Thank you so much for all you're doing... to someone you've only just met, too!"

Dimitri shook his head, changing the weight of his body to another leg, "please, think nothing of it. If I see someone in need, it is my duty to help them, whether they are in Kingdom territory or not."

"Duty...?" Wolfram tilted his head to the side. "Oh, well, duty or not, you're trusting me while I have nothing to give in return! And yet, I still must ask something of you..."

The blonde young man had begun to lead the way, "if it is within my power, I will be glad to help, Wolfram."

"Could you tell me more about this place as we walk? Maybe that'll trigger some memories..."

"Oh, is that all? Gladly! Perhaps starting from the date and year would be more appropriate..."

As they talked, Dimitri led Wolfram out of the woods that surrounded a place called Garreg Mach Monastery -- and the more they approached it, the stronger the presences of the Blood became, so Wolfram was glad he was on the right path.

"Normally I wouldn't have the authority to meet with the Archbishop without an appointment, but perhaps if Professor Byleth is with us, we can get you to talking to her in no time."

"It's the middle of the night, though? Won't it be a problem?"

Dimitri chuckled, "I would not say 'middle' of the night so much as 'a bit past sunset', but I do understand that the sun setting so early might look strange in outlander's eyes."

"Oh, so it's not midnight or something..."

"Quite the contrary," Dimitri said, the laughter still in his voice. As they passed the gates for the monastery, they turned left after the little bustling market. "This way; let us meet my- ahem, our professor first before heading to the audience hall."

Wolfram looked all around, finding everything as amusing as it was mysterious -- the way the monastery was built somewhat resembled the castle in Ylisse, though the very stones felt as though they were imbued with some sort of power he couldn't quite pinpoint.

Distracted with the scenery, Wolfram didn't realize they were walking straight towards one of the strongest presences of the Blood, only realizing it once Dimitri came to a full stop. "Wolfram, this is our professor, Byleth. Professor, I would like to ask something of you..."

Wolfram felt as though a sudden gust of wind blasted him away so sudden was the surge of power he felt emanating from this Byleth person. He felt a magnanimous presence lurching around her, as though protecting her from any and all influence, good or bad.

The Heart of Immortals!

Opening and closing his mouth like a fish, Wolfram used every ounce of power inside of him not to leap around and laugh like a mad man, yelling "I found her! I found the Heart!" at the full capacity of his lungs.

I found her, everyone! His mind blared, a smile escaping through his lips. Now I just need to stick to her!

[sea-and-storm]

CHOOSING (pt.1) :  Backstory

OOC :  So I actually kind-of wrote this scene already a few months back, but I just.. really wasn’t happy with it. I’ve been wanting to re-write it and change it but hadn’t had the inspiration to do it until I read @afreesworn‘s writing about Nabi’s parents and got the lizard itch. :v

Decided to break it down into 2 parts though since this first part ran long with more context than content. But the last part is full of sweet drama and angst, so there’s that.

                                       [ Roughly Eleven Years Ago ]

Two days and two nights had passed since the band of Kharlu envoys had arrived at the far edge of the coastlands, to the camp of the Shuurga. Fresh off the back of a resounding victory in the annual battle against the Jhungid, their coming had spurred the small clan of Mankhadi into celebration. The days had been filled with music, feasts, and friendly competition, with the proud warriors of Kharlu as their honored guests.

Perhaps other tribes would think it a strange custom, to not only welcome outsiders but to celebrate them so. Yet other clans weren't so small and ill-suited for conflict as their own, whom had relied upon an alliance with a far stronger tribe for protection for generations beyond count.

Yet such protection did not come without a price that praise and gratitude alone could not repay.

The coming of dawn on the third and final day of the envoys' stay saw the entire clan gathering together. However, no music or laughter filled the air as every last man, woman, and child made their solemn march out to the center of their camp. Only the low rumble of anxious whispers rose from the gathered crowd, mingling in the cool morning air with the sound of waves crashing against rocks at the foot of the cliffs. By the time the sun had fully risen above the horizon, their guests had joined them, standing at the head of the gathering alongside the Shuurga's khan and elder udgan.

Once all had arrived, the blaring call of a horn brought the crowd to complete silence and all eyes forward. The expressions worn upon their faces varied -- nervous, angry, afraid, unsure -- but not a single one was smiling. The celebration was now officially over, and it was time for the Choosing to begin.

Ghoa had already been present at seventeen Choosings, though the earliest that she could recall in any great detail had come in her eighth year of life. Before then, she hadn't really understood in any concrete sense what was happening. But that year, she had watched the normally quiet and sobering event erupt into chaos as a woman, stricken with grief and fear and anger, had lunged at the men who had tried to take the only son remaining to her.

'No! You can't have him!' she had screeched and sobbed as she fought against the clansmen desperately trying to hold her back and calm her down. 'You've taken them all! My husband, my children! You've taken them all from me!' Even as she was dragged away, the wailing cries of 'Not my boy!' had continued to carry back to them eerily over the wind.

Though the incident had been smoothed over with the Kharlu, it had stayed with the young Xaela for weeks after. It had plagued her with nightmares of being dragged away from her home by leering, gnarled monsters and of the echoing cries of a desperate mother. The fitful rest had worn on the apprentice, robbing her of her focus during the day until one of her exasperated mentors had finally saw fit to ask about her distraction. Only then had she reluctantly admitted to the fear.

That was the first time anyone had truly explained the Choosing to her. The price for their protection was to surrender their own people as offering, to do their part to swell the Kharlu's ranks. Though their people made for poor warriors, the Shuurga boasted a number of skilled craftsmen. Others were taken for labor. Others still, to stick a weapon in their hands and set them upon the front lines of the next coming battle. Those that proved themselves would perhaps be allowed to rise above their lowly station one day. But it was no secret that most did not live long enough to see that goal to completion.

Their lives and their sacrifice was the price that they paid for their clan's continued existence and autonomy. It was an alliance that none relished in, but bereft of any other choice except subjugation and extinction, there was little that could be done.

There were laws in place that were meant to keep the agreement balanced and sustainable, at least. Only so many could be taken each year, depending on how many children had been born and the number of able-bodied adults that remained to them. Other laws prevented certain individuals -- chiefly children, mothers with child or a babe still at the breast, and the clan's leaders -- from being chosen.

Yet it was not a law, but an unspoken agreement that had given Ghoa the most peace in her early years and chased the night terrors away at last. Though only the eldest udgan was immune to the Choosing by technicality, the Kharlu had long tended to avoid the rest of the udgan and apprentices as well. It certainly wasn't for lack of skill. Among their modest number were mages who could mend with the life-sustaining power of the sea, and those who could call upon the might of raging tempests. They were the keepers of their people's traditions in herbalism and poisons. And still, despite their apparent value, their protectors turned a blind eye to them year after year.

It could have been simply an abundance of caution, a desire not to potentially tread on the toes of the gods who, in their tradition, had set them upon their path. There had been stories in times long past where an udgan of Shuurga had been taken only for misfortune to follow after. Some pointed to the stories as evidence that the gods would not suffer one of their chosen to be stolen from them, and superstition had always been a powerful force upon the Azim Steppe. Others claimed it was only because their magicks grew weaker the further inland and away from the sea that they traveled.

Whatever the reasoning behind the avoidance was, it gave Ghoa confidence as she stood there among the others in waiting. This was her eighteenth Choosing, but the first that she had come to as a woman grown. Others her age huddled with their families, their apprehension clear. Most were pale in the face, their gazes distant. Some trembled with nerves. A few wept silently in fear. Unlike her, the threat of being separated from their friends, their families, and their homes was a real and immediate threat, and her stomach twisted itself into sympathetic knots as she watched them.

The khan spoke only a few words of duty and sacrifice, the elder udgan offered a blessing to those making the next leg of their journey, and then the members of the Kharlu envoy started forward to begin making their way through the crowd. Watching them weave through the tense, fearful throng of bodies, Ghoa could help but wonder if this was how a flock of sheep felt when a hungry gedan leapt into their unwatched pen. Afraid, helpless, and with nowhere to run or hide.

One by one, their protectors began to make their selections. This year, it seemed that their focus lie on young men that appeared sturdy and strong of body even though they knew that very few among them knew how to wield anything other than a blowgun. They didn't have to. These men would end up placed in the frontlines where number of bodies mattered more than skill at arms.

Ghoa's heart sank each time one was chosen, unable to stop herself from picturing them thrown into the middle of a chaotic battlefield, swallowed up by a war that wasn't theirs, dying so far from the sea that called for them. She had to fight the tears that threatened to spill over and roughly push her mind away from the dreadful thought in the struggle to maintain what poise she had.

By the time that the Kharlu had made their way to the back of the crowd where Ghoa stood with the other udgan and apprentices, only one selection remained to them. A few of the young men nearby grew visibly nervous the closer they neared to them;  yet curiously, she noticed, the warriors' attention passed right over them. It seemed that they were on the hunt for something -- someone -- different now.

Confusion settled over Ghoa as she tried to puzzle out what they were after. Confusion turned to worry as they grew nearer still, until they finally came to a halt directly in front of them. Worry turned to fear the moment that their leader's eyes found hers and lingered there, holding her gaze.

His hand reached out to take her chin in his fingers with surprising gentleness, turning it to give her face a closer look. Soft whispers of shock and questioning began to rise from the crowd around her, but none reached Ghoa's ears. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat like a stampede of wild horses, practically tasting her racing pulse on her tongue. Any shred of confidence that she had held onto going into the Choosing had fled her the moment the warrior had fixed her with his attention. She was no longer just another sheep cowering in the corral as the gedan prowled;  she was the lamb staring straight into its snapping, slavering maw.

It seemed an eternity to her before he released her, broke his stare, and turned away. For just a moment she felt relief wash over her like a wave, almost feeling silly that she had let herself panic so. But then, he spoke up to the others and her blood ran cold as ice in her veins.

"This one," he stated, voice firm and decisive. "The last we'll take is the girl."

[krakensofpyke]

Among Wolves, Part I

Young Victarion is given over to the wolves.

Victarion had never been so far inland in his life, and he hated it.  There was no appeal to be found in the dry chill of the wind, nor in the endless expanse of unmoving rock and tree.  Their party covered miles on horse and on foot, passing villages and castles, yet the young kraken gave little attention and less regard to any of the structures which were so different from those of the Isles.

He had not begun the journey in such a sour spirit.  His father had introduced the idea as a grand adventure to the North, following Victarion’s 15th name day.  They were to sail up the Summer Sea, passing the Stony Shore, Sea Dragon Point and other coasts of the North before making port outside of Deepwood Motte.  It was to be an opportunity to improve his knowledge of the waters outside of their island home, as well as one to gain experience aboard a longship.  He had jumped at the chance, seeing it as yet another sign that he was to be groomed for the position of Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet.

It was not until they were three days at sea that Lord Quellon had revealed the true motive of the voyage.  “I did bring you out so that you would have more time aboard a ship, though you have acquitted yourself well under the Anvil-Breaker’s command already,” the elder Greyjoy admitted.  “I mean to give you one of your own when you return to Pyke as well, but this was not the whole of why I brought you to sea with me.  You will be Lord Captain one day when old Lord Stonehouse passes into the Watery Hall...”

The young man beamed at his sire.  “It is all I have ever wished for,” he interjected with gratitude.  “I will work tirelessly to bring honor to you and to my bro-”

“I was not finished,” Quellon reprimanded.  “You will be Lord Captain one day, but I will not have Balon make a shark of you, constantly prowling the seas for blood.  We have strength in numbers and gold again, almost as much as we did in the days of my grandfather, Lord Dagon.  I am doing all that I can to see that our people to continue to grow, rather than be squandered on another hopeless rebellion.  To do this, we must nurture alliances with the mainland and our people must learn to put aside the Old Way, or at least refrain from inflicting it upon their fellow Westerosi.”

Victarion’s brow furrowed; he had had no notion that there was to be more to their outing.  “What sort of alliance do you intend, father?  The Northmen are fighting no wars that we might join them in.  Why did you not simply send ravens and have them come to us?  And why bring me instead of your heir?”

The Lord Reaper gave his son a serious glance.  “I have exchanged many a raven with Lord Rickard, son.  Perhaps more than any Son of Pyke has ever exchanged with a Son of Winterfell.”  He put a calloused hand upon Victarion’s shoulder.  “I did not bring Balon precisely because of the nature of this alliance we have planned.  You see, your brother has already been wedded to the Lady Alannys...”

“You do not mean...”

“I do, Victarion.   I intend to have you stay at Winterfell until the beginning of autumn so that you might become familiar with the Starks and they with us.  Additionally, in time, you will be wed to Lord Rickard’s daughter.  Our houses are to be merged, the power and prosperity of both made better in doing so.  It is a fragile prospect right now though, for our people have given the lords of the mainland little reason to trust us.  I am expending every effort to change that, but I need you to help me, son.  I need you to obey me.  You will obey me.”

The adolescent Ironborn rose from his seat, letting his father’s hand slip from the shoulder it had perched on.  He was of a height with Quellon, and the pains he had at night hinted that he might eventually overshadow the mighty man.  Victarion’s eyes flickered with mute disgust.  He wanted no part of this pact; he needed only to consider his stepmother, the lady Piper, to know that the women of the green lands were all soft, pampered quims.  They are fit only to be taken as salt wives...

However, he was nothing if not obedient.  The man who laid this duty before him was both his lord and his father, and he would need to show loyalty if he was ever to take up the mantle of the Lord Captain.  “Very well, my lord,” he replied, his face dark with brooding.

The days passed slowly and without savor afterward.  They reached the raised fortress of Deepwood Motte in little more than a fortnight.  There they had been accepted with chilly spare welcome, with little more than thin stew and lumpy porridge before being urged on to Winterfell.  Lord Quellon did not seem to begrudge them their inhospitality, but Victarion found it insulting.  Be glad we did not bring fire and sword to your pitiful keep, he thought bitterly, though he did not voice it.

The small party of Ironborn made camp on nights when no town was nearby.  There, the young Greyjoy enjoyed the only small consolation offered him during their trek.  Quellon had allowed Maron Botley to accompany them, providing Victarion someone to practice at arms with in his free time.  He was a man in his prime, stout and quick, with two long whiskers that made him look like a catfish.  They sparred twice on most days, at daybreak and past dusk, to the cheering and hooting of the other men in their party.  Quellon seldom emerged from his tent to observe them.

This, however, was not enough to push down the feelings of discontent that hulking young man felt.  One night, when they had made camp outside of an abandoned watchtower in the wolfswood, Victarion had gathered the courage to tell his father that he would not be so easily abandoned in the green lands.  “If I am to be Lord Captain, then I will become a poor one should I be left to languish a hundred leagues from the sea.  And the girl, she will be no more than a salt wife to me, fit for naught but-”

Quellon cut his son short with a stinging slap to the face.  It was easy to forget that his father was unafraid of violence, and the surprise made the blow hurt all the more.  When he looked into the lord’s eyes, he saw weariness rather than fury.  “Son,” he sighed, “when you open your mouth, see to it that your brother is not speaking in your stead.  I will strike you for every time you parrot his thoughts on my actions.” 

Victarion opened his mouth to respond, but his father gestured his silence and continued to speak.  “It is good that you admire your brother, a captain should believe in his lord.  However, if you follow your brother blindly in all things, he may lead you and the rest of the fleet into ruin.  You must think about your situation, rather than reacting as Balon would like you to.  Have you considered that you know nothing of this girl you have so vehemently spurned.”

Chastened, the young Ironborn felt his cheeks redden.  “No, Father,” he replied quietly, “I had not.”  Reflecting on his actions, Victarion realized he had been acting like a petulant child.  He did not like the situation, nor the way he had been swept impotently into it, like driftwood on the tide, but who was he to go against his lord father?  This is the cup that has been passed to me, he brooded, and I may drink the sour wine and be refreshed, or cast it away and succumb to thirst.

“Her name is Lyanna,” Quellon informed him, the tension in his voice slackening.  “She is only thirteen, but already a great beauty, if her father is to be believed.  A fierce and lively girl, more like to pick up bow and arrow than needle and thread.  And look at this.”

The Lord of Pyke rummaged through a small stack of papers and produced a partially rolled missive, indicating a passage in the middle.  “...she is the wind itself when ahorse, so keen is her speed and agility...”  His father read the line aloud as Victarion followed with his eyes.  “Quite a young lady, no?  Just the one to show you that not all women of the mainlands are as soft and dull as Balon would have you believe, I have no doubt.”  

She sounds willful and vexing, he thought saltily, and horse-riding is no fit sport on the Isles.  He knew he would be struck for voicing his contentions, however.  The captain-to-be tried to imagine having this she-wolf as a wife with an open mind, yet all he could picture was his eldest brother, gazing at him with stony disapproval.

After the ponderous days of traveling by land, they had finally crossed the wolfswood.  The small party of Ironborn had barely found the Kingsroad before a company of men in Stark garb had met them from the south.  They had been expected, and were meant to act as an escort to Winterfell, but the looks they gave the Greyjoys were grim and very nearly hostile.  Victarion might have welcomed their naked steel if the journey had not worn him so. 

The sun had crept past its zenith by the time Winterfell’s North Gate came into view.  Their guides shouted a greeting to the guards at the wall, and the gates creaked open.  Within, a drawbridge was slowly swinging into place.  The soldiers of House Stark had known better than to voice any insults to their lord’s guests, but the look on each ones’ face seemed to say behave yourselves, Ironmen, you are not welcome here.

 For once, Victarion’s mind was not consumed with distaste for his surroundings.  The immensity of the castle had robbed him of his reproach.  It was one of the great old fortresses of the Age of Heroes, just as Pyke was.  A labyrinth of walls and walkways greeted him as he crossed over the moat, and a structure made entirely of clear glass sprawled out to his right.  Many of the towers and keeps poked up from the south, but he was also able to see the tops of trees swaying in the cool summer wind.  A forest within a castle, he marveled, this is their godswood.  Septs had profaned the surface of the Isles for centuries, but no Ironborn lord had succeeded, or ever properly tried, to raise a grove for the Old Gods.  There was something both beckoning and terrible about the spray of red leaves that he could see just beyond the wall.  A ship made of weirwood would be the terror of the seas from the Arbor to Asshai.  

A chuckle broke Victarion’s silent inspection.  “Awed by the castle, are you son?”  His father offered a wry grin.  “Do the mainlands still hold no interest to the great, proud son of the Kraken?”  

He scowled at the man.  “It smells like dirt here, there is no tang of salt in the air.”  

Quellon made as if to strike his son as he had promised, but instead merely patted his cheek.  The condescension of the act was more infuriating than any slap.  “Aye, I’ll admit that I prefer the scent of the sea, my boy.  You’ll get used to it though.  You’ll have to.”

Drowned God preserve me and forgive me...

[pterawaters]

Stoncy/Stranger Things RP group looking for players

Hey! We’ve got a casual RP group going on our stoncy discord server. We’ve got three games going, and we’re willing to support more! Adults 18+ only, please, as we do have a few nsfw channels. We plan and chat on the discord and do our writing in shared google docs. We’ve got no activity requirements, and it’s a very collaborative, welcoming group. We’d love for you to join us!

Click the read more for information about our current games and what roles are open in each. (**New game opened 5/21**)

Superpowers/College AU

It is the fall of 1987. Classes at Indiana State University -- St. Arden began three weeks ago. The campus is a medium-sized state school, with classical brick and stone buildings. Columns decorate several of the buildings, including the main campus library, Hayes library. The weather is still sunny, but starting to turn crisp, especially in the early mornings. The leaves on the trees adorning campus are just starting to change. St. Arden is a typical midwestern college town. Normal to a fault. Of course, no one knows about the experiments being performed by Dr. Martin Brenner in the bowels of the Psychology building. No one knows about the girl he calls Eleven, who is about to open a portal to another world.

Open roles: Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Tommy Hagan, Carol Perkins, Billy Hargrove, Barb Holland, Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, and lots of minor characters. We’re also open to OCs!

Werewolf AU

November 1986. Hawkins, Indiana. Werewolves organize in extended family packs, and there is also a power hierarchy that is determined primarily by wealth and influence (or mafia-like force). The pack leader is the head of the family, and leadership usually passes down to the leader's eldest child. When two pack leaders, Mr. Harrington and Mrs. Hagan, are brutally murdered (along with Nancy’s best friend, Barb), the werewolf community finds itself in an uproar. Then, young Will Byers goes missing.

Open roles: Eleven, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Tommy Hagan, Carol Perkins, Billy Hargrove (there might be a really cool antagonist role here), Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, and more. OCs are welcome here too!

ABO/Modern college AU (nsfw)

Present day. The students of Hawkins University are busily finishing up their school work before break, and the start of the spring rutting season. The cherry trees on the quad are in bloom, and the days are mostly sunny, if still a little cold. The classrooms and dormitories of Hawkins U. are starting to fill with pheromones, putting everyone on edge. While the betas of the university are making plans for a relaxing spring break, the alphas worry about building the perfect nest for their omega partners. If they've managed to find an omega partner, that is. Single alphas are on the prowl, trying to find a compatible omega before the rutting season hits. The omegas of the campus are likewise preparing, making sure to choose not just the best alpha, but the best alpha for them.

Open roles: Robin Buckley, Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson (omega), Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, and more!

Vampire AU - New!

Hawkins, 1987. Several residents have been attacked, and Barb Holland has been found dead. When those that have been attacked start having violent dreams, they start to wonder: are these just dreams, or are they committing violent actions in their sleep? (More setting details TBD)

Open roles: Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Eleven, Max Mayfield, and more!

Want to play as Steve, Nancy, or Jonathan? Want to play one of the Stoncy subships (Jancy, Stancy, Stonathan)?

We’d love to support more games! We’re always workshopping new ideas on the discord! Come talk to us about the game you want to play and put in your dibs on your favorite character!