#sethos was amazing too

[ceniwen]

Cyno sq was so cute he is so loved

[marragurl]

Sethos: *seeing Alhaitham and Kaveh interacting and immediately clocking them as a couple*

Me: one of us. One of us. One of us. One oF US. ONE OF US

Bless Sethos’s entire existence and every one of his voice lines (I see the Wanderer potential too, happy pride guys??? Ignore that I’m posting this like 2 days before June ends shhhhhhhhhhhh)

Alright, I now need Sethos to show up in every patch in every region and immediately clock every gay ship.

He steps into Liyue, sees Ningguang and Beidou do their weird flirting, and immediately thinks they're married.

As soon as he gets to Inazuma and has one convo with Yae Miko about how the war ended and her part in it, he just hits her with the “So glad you saved your wife!” and leaves while Miko just gets the weirdest feeling that she was played.

Gets to Fontaine, hears everyone say that Neuvillette is very cold and has no personal relationships, then just hears Neuvillette say he has a personal relationship with Wriothesley and goes “You’re kidding me right??”

He hears about Clorinde and Navia playing DnD together as well as that whole drama and gives Navia his condolences, saying “So glad to see you’ve worked it all out with your girlfriend” and Navia just freezing because what?? She hasn’t gotten to that point fully yet!

No hesitation, no beating around, he just congratulates everyone on their amazing relationships, no one is able to tell him they aren’t together, and so instead Sethos accidentally kickstarts every gay ship in every region just by calling everyone out. We love a fellow fudanshi, hail Sethos

Can’t wait for Sethos’ life-changing field trip to Natlan XD

[smilingangel582]

Hiiii I just finished Cyno's second story quest and it's beyond amazing! I love it! The best story quest so far for me... seriously!

I really really want a Sethos and Cyno fic now... bjt at the same time I want a Lisa and cyno too...

Eh, I'll just write both. Man it's been a while... since I wrote for genshin impact.

Hehe

Warning spoilers for Cyno story quest 2 and his lore about his powers.

Ler!sethos, Lee!cyno

Summary: Sethos really wants to beat Cyno. Tcg is out of the question... what can he do? He really needs to find his weakness... nonetheless, a certain Fennec decides to spill a little secret.

Temple of laughter

Ugh... again... Cyno, the general of Mahamatra, beats him again.

That'd thr seventh time in a row.

"You really need to brush up on your strategic skills." Cyno casually states, his tone serious anf genuine regardless of Sethos mentality.

Sethos has his head lowered on the table. Utterly broken and defeated. He looks up with fatigue, "Seriously Cyno, isn't there any other way that I can best you in?"

Cyno thinks, actually wondering to what he can help with Sethos. How's your sense of humour with jokes? I've known to have the best puns in Sumeru... perhaps from Teyvat"

"Don't go spouting puns on my watch, Cyno," Tighnari intervenes as he joins them briefly after a rain forest mission.

Cyno sigh, "Just admit that my jokes are superior and you can't hold in your laughter..."

Tighnari rolls his eyes, sarcastic now, "Oh yes I'm gonna die laughing every time he says a pun joke..."

Cyno, naively believing him, folds his arms proudly, "See, even the most serious ones know how great my -Ah!"

Tighnari poked him on the side, looking sassy, "How about try a tickle fight?"

"That's dumb..." Cyno scoffs but flinched defensively when Tighnari threatens to poke him again.

Sethos blinked. Could that be it? The general mahamatra can't possibly lose to something as simple as that...

Tighnari, seeing Sethos who's also curiously watching Cyno, smirks with an idea popping to his mind. His ear twitched in excitement as he swiftly began, "You know Sethos, you and Cyno can wrestle and see who's stronger."

Cyno, unaware of his ulterior motives, looks up in confusion, "That's unexpected... why suddenly?"

Tighnari cheekily points out, "Oh? Are you afraid that you might actually lose to someone younger than you?"

"N-no, of course not... geez, fine, I'll play along!"

Green eyes brightened at the thought of how Tighnark set him a perfect chance to get Cyno back. However he should be careful when Cyno retaliates. He's pretty ticklish too... perhaps even more than Cyno.

It's too absurd to think Cyno is ticklish... it might be a path to death if he attempted it. Still it's worth the risk.

"Fine Sethos, ready whenever you are," Cyno says, his hands up against his chest to a defence stance.

Sethos takes his chances, inhaling and exhaling. Praying thar Cyno will be at least a bit ticklish...

"The ribs and armpits... and pretty much his back and thighs are bad..." Tighnari whispered to him on his way out from the room where they've been duelling TCG.

Sethos looks back, tearfully and gratefully. He should remind himself to treat Tighnari to a meal sometime.

He lunged, and as expected, Cyno dodged most of them. After keeping up the charade, Sethls strikes by throwing himself on the general, grabbing his waist.

Sethos swiftly tickles his ribs causing Cyno to jolt on surprise, "H-ha! Wait... what a-ahahare you...?"

Getting more confident by that reaction, Sethos began to tickle up his armpits, causing Cyno to jerk again, more violently, he giggles in a low voice.

"Ah... I never knew the general Mahamatra to be this sensitive..." Sethos responds fondly. Seeing the uncontrolled movements of Cyno, squirming and rolling to the side to avoid his sensitive spots but Sethos was already on to him, his tickles nimble and effective.

"H-hahaa cohohohome on! Thihihihis isn't fahahahair!" Cyno squirms now, trying to figure back but Tighnari had give away all his worst spots to Sethos and luckily he can't even tickle him back properly. Every time Cyno reached to tickle him back, Sethls tickled his armpits.

"But you weren't fair when you tried to make me play a game. I never had a chance to win..." Sethos said, feigning hurt, "Oooh but general... you look more ticklish than me... what if an eremite finds out?"

Cyno was not prepared for Sethos to switch him on to his stomach, and scribble his fingers on his back. Unable to defend himself, Cynl writhes and laughs, more like cackling like a madman, "AhaHAHAHA NOHOHO MORE! AHA!"

"Do you yeild Cyno?" Sethos grins, expectantly but Cynl cackles. Not responding...

"In that case..." Sethos and Cyno both hears a voice, Tighnari leaning by the door frame, watching fondly, "Sethos aim for the back of his thighs... its so bad that he will scream like a girl"

"Ihihihi dohoho nohohot screeeheheheam like a gihihirl -EEEEK!"

Tighnari shakes his head amusedly, and he did...

Sethos freeze by that sound when Cyno lets a shrilled, high-pitched cry as his fingers swiped the back of his thigh.

"O-oho wow... I didn't expect that..." Sethos somewhat feels bad, but... he couldn't help lightly run his fingers over the thighs, causing Cyno to yelp now, "N-NOT THERE!"

Maybe just a little longer...

Sethos teases him, "Wait... are you really begging me Cyno?"

Cyno grits his teeth, but giggles angrily when Sethos, merely used to tap the sensitve spot, and even his hips making him flinch again.

"Cynoo~ which funny bone will it take to break you?" Sethos had to make a joke as he squeezes his hip, Cyno shrieks and that made Tighnari laugh, "Well I can guarantee Sethos has a better sense of humour than you..."

"Nooohooohoo"

Sethos didn't know if it's the tickling or the fact that Tighnari said he was funnier than Cyno triggered him.

"So tough but ticklish..." Sethos murmurs, now Cyno reached his limit when he got his knees.

"Fohohor thehehehe love ohohof teheheyvat y-yohohou win! You whihihihin!"

Sethos looks happy, suddenly whooping as he got off of Cyno, "Finally! I beat Cyno!"

Tighnari giggles now, proud, "Nice one, Sethos... Cyno is finally put to his place"

Cyno groans, trying to sit up despite his fatigue and flushed face, "J-juhuhuhust don't think I'll not get rehehehevenge on you and Tighnari"

Sethoa merely grins.

Worth it...

Ignore the grammar pls thanks

[erabu-san]

Hello!!I want to start off with the fact that i ABSOLUTELY LOVE your art!!The way you draw characters is amazing,you draw them nearly the same as i hc them

I was scrolling through your blog (the art is beautiful please dont ever stop) and i saw some anons complaining and insulting you for drawing some characters (mainly characters from natlan and sumeru) with different shades of skin.While i dont know much about this topic i just wanted to share my opinion.

Sumeru is based off of middle east,the majority of which has tanned skin (but its very mixed from what i know!).Natlan is based off of a lot of places (which is honestly another sign of racism in my opinion)I myself am from Turkey which can count as both middle east AND Europe (even turkish people dont know what we count as).I have a lot of middle eastern friends as well (Iran,Iraq,Sauda Arabia,Syria…) and they are brown or tanned and one of them is white!

i saw a lot of people say that “not every character needs to be black/brown” and i answer this with not every character has to be white.White,brown,black,asian,native american and every other race exists and every race deserves to be respected.No race should be insulted for wanting representation.No race should be seen as outcasts either.Wether that be white or black,no one deserves to feel like they are not fine the way they are.

I myself hc Zhongli as pale as a ghost to indicate that he is a god (as being pale is associated with being a superior being in chinese culture).I hc Xiao as tanned due to him spending all his time,day and night,fighting monsters.I hc Neuvilette has slightly blue-ish skin bc hes the hydro sovereign.I hc as black bc i like him that way.I hc Alhaitham as brown and so many more characters.Nobody would want to play a game in which there is no diversity.Diversity helpes the characters feel more real and gives them character depth.Diversity helps make Teyvat feel more real,like Earth itself.

But anyways this is just my opinion,i would love to learn more and hear everyone’s opinions.And if someone doesnt like your art they should just block you if they dont want to see it🤷‍♀️ Your art is amazing though so please dont mind those buffoons 🙏

Sorry it this got too long or complicated.English isnt my first language and im still learning

And dont even get me started on the body shapes of the characters

Hii !! Thank you so much ! 😭😭🙏

Yesss I completely agree with you !

And if I can be honest, I wasn't aware of this question of representation and diversity before Genshin Impact. Once, I saw a fanart with someone making a white character black, and in all of my ignorance, I was wondering why (a genuine question). So I asked my friend her thought (because I love hearing her opinions) and she makes me aware about representation in media, and issues they are facing to. And, wow, I learnt a lot ! Maybe it is a bit silly but, I always tend to focus on canon content, and all my HC was around interactions or their behaviour, and I never thought about their body appearance HC. And since I learnt that, my creativity developed a new skill ! So it is only recently I put HC on their physical appearance (like Sethos with dimples KKGEKDJS it ain't that much but it is fun, I guess HC on physical appearance is not my domain)

But it is thanks to Genshin, a game about exploring a whole world with diversity lore in each region, and what representation Hoyoverse used for making their game that I started to be into it. So yes, there is a lot of problem in genshin, making some rep worst. But without this, I wouldn't be able to learn more about SWANA culture with a thread I read on Dehya Nilou Tighnari Faruzan, Japan with Wanderer, Chinese with Yun Jin or recently on Hawai'i with Mualani and even on France United Kingdom with Emilie (i think I also read a thread about GaMing too...?). And what a surprise, I am close to France and UK but I never knew about Emilie's inspiration. Not only on character but also lore, and how some desert name in genshin is also part of culture (I don't remember where I read it tho !! Gosh i wish to reread it again).

I love genshin for its diversity whatever on region or lore but even on gameplay it offers us in our adventure. But I also agree on those who complain about character design ! Not only about representation, but about storytelling in character design (for example, you can't guess Xilonen is someone who forges ; her nails, accessories and hair would be on her way). And it happens that I receive some hate message (on tumblr and twitter. Mostly twitter) saying "this game is not for you, just leave" with some insults that I prefer to not share lol

I agree and also disagree. What do you mean this game is NOT for me ?? Searching our lost sibling, tragic lore, wholesome encounter, satisfying gameplay, vivid color landscape, with great characters, ALBEDO ??? Not for me ?! 🤨 My love for genshin is immense. But, I agree on the fact that.. yes. Indeed, I am not the target for genshin character design. I played a lot of gacha game, and it is mostly based on collectioning waifu with big boobs and big ass (you were a great game, Epic Seven...). When I look at hater's account on twitter, there is a pattern : throwaway account, account full of problematic opinion, or full of porn 2d woman with the basic hourglasses morphology big boobs big butt even on characters who are flat. It is undeniable that most of genshin characters are sexualised, and this, for sell them better. And, making them white is one of criteria to sell them better to those type of client 🙂‍↕️

I study sociology (i am a newbie tho, nothing deep) and I can extend this light analyse on what I learn : the success of Genshin, why there is such a contrast between Genshin players and their different profiles, the benefits Hoyoverse do and how difficult it is to satisfy all players (and so sacrifices are made, like characters design). It is all supposition tho BGKEJGJS but maybe if I do my last year of sociology and still into genshin, why not making my essay on it bahahaha

BACK TO THE TOPIC !!! (SORRY I HAD A LOT TO SAY) don't worry, since this anon hate, I tend to block everyone who try to argue or insult 😭 and just mostly shock how people are openly racist when they are behind a screen WOW lucky me I am not affected by those words ☠️ and all of this just because I draw Kinich black skin or Xilonen with a bit more textured hair...? That's so crazy ! Anywaaaay diversity is great and it works also on creativity too !! World is boring if everything looks the same, and it is also the same in Genshin ! Imagine in 4 years, genshin only released mondstadt 1, mondstadt 2, mondstadt 3.... I believe the game would be dead sooner if it was the case bahaha

And thank you again for all your compliments about my art anon !! I love drawing so much, and it is my source of fun and happinness <3 There is in some drawings I thought "wow !!! I improve !!" And i am so happy when people notice it too! 😭🙏

Don't worry abt your english, mine isn't the best neither BAHTVZJHGJZGAA

[persicipen-archive]

just look at sumeru cast. i love sumeru cast. everyone loves sumeru cast. they’re amazing and interesting characters with multi-dimensional personalities. but you know who else is like that? literally every other character in genshin impact. where is the difference then? ah, it’s so easy to guess. sumeru cast had enough time to show their strong and weak sides, to build bonds and engage not only with the player, but also with each other.

i don’t miss them when they’re gone — they will always show up after a short while. their lovely interactions did not stop after completing the archon quests in sumeru. we had an event hosted by akademiya, exploring kaveh’s character in depth, and also having many smaller scenes with the others. and cyno received a second story quest! and you know what? other characters were there, too, not only him, sethos and some npcs. nilou played a significant role during the summer event and we could also invite sumeru cast to simulanka and talk with them! guess who was involved in emilie’s story quest? tighnari! and now we’re returning to sumeru to celebrate the real birthday of nahida during another sabzeruz festival! they’re always somewhere there!

i love that! i don’t want them to appear less. the more the merrier. what i want is that other characters and nations also received the same amount of care and recognition. itto is such a fun character! what is not fun is that he’s been involved in so many events and so few of them had anything in common with the rest of the inazuma cast or nation. i enjoyed seeing him meeting new characters, but i need more relationships developed on screen between those that meet while walking on the streets. events and stories featuring a totally random mix of characters can be interesting and silly, too! just like… balance. i want for every character and every nation what genshin is doing with their sumeru cast. i want them all to be cherished and loved :(

[alectocarrowx]

where: Rosetta's Restaurant who: @emmasvanity, @thorfinnrowlex, @ggathena, @sethosflint

It amazed Alecto how easily it was to influence those to do her bidding. She acquired a table for five, tucked off into the corner whilst another for two would be in eyes and ears of the larger one. One might have suggested she handled the matter in a different manner, but all she knew was chaos, and this was the most fitting way to achieve it.

Wine was re-poured into the five chalices, a few drops of something special in four prior to her guests arriving. This evening was about confessing the truth and perhaps these mortals may come to their senses before decisions were made damn the consequences.

Alecto rises from her chair, spotting the first two to arrive, Athena and Sethos, the utter shock on his face amused her.

"Athena, darling, so happy you made it." The brunette hugs the other, placing a kiss on both cheeks, her attention turning to Valeria's brother, who was too tall for his own good. "Sethos, pleasure. Why don't you both have a seat."

[baeshijima]

THE CYNO SQ OH MY????? it was so so good and all the cyno lore and content we finally got on top of tighnari lore???? actually loved it so much wtf 😭

like the whole quest was amazing but everything from the duel??? top tier. esp the cutscene and where cyno basically helps sethos not necessarily break free but guide him a step towards discovering himself?? i guess?? idk but man that part and the callback to it after the fight made me so :(((

BUT LOOK !! THE SILLIES !!

but yeah this part basically and when they stopped using hermanubis powers from their ba fragments and fought with their polearms, bc that was their quote-unquote "true selves" without the association of being the vessels of hermanubis and ourghrgh ;w;

ended up liking sethos way more than i thought i would tho?? bamoun too :(( but i do hope we see sethos and the temple of silence again in future events !! maybe one where we help them out or its abt establishing a connection between the akademiya and the tos 😩

BUT DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON CYRUS AND NAPHIS??? sobs we finally get to see them and i love them sm 😭 but also when reading their thoughts after we return from the tos and naphis has a go at cyrus for going off on his own, i love how cyrus is just being a menace while naphis regretted not swamping him in work to prevent him from going off in the first place ;w;

sobs

AND THEN THAT WHOLE MOMENT IN THE TREE AND CYNO BASICALLY CALLING US ONE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS WHILE WE WATCH THE SUNSET??? i cried.

but also the fact its canon that lisa just took mugshots of cyrus and cyno back in the day sends me 😭😭

MANIFESTING A FUTURE MOND EVENT WITH CYRUS AND CYNO BEING WITH LISA PLS I NEED NEED NEED TO SEE LISAS INTERACTION WITH CYRUS ESPECIALLY 😭😭

also love how its confirmed cyno got his humour from cyrus 😭

and then just... just this...

cyrus being a little sentimental and cyno being head empty, just joke.

[chilapis]

i’m so in love w coming to visit ur blog every few days bc i’m always like hmm i wonder what lapis is up to and it’s always some post abt childe w the funniest tags imaginable keep up the absolutely amazing work boss

It is literally always such a delight to have you around, thank you. I hope you’ve been taking care? And that you aren’t being too hard on yourself for the disrupted sleeping schedule. It happens to the best of us, I just hope you’re seeing to the rest of your needs; medication, hydrating, stretching, nourishment, etc. Also, I always find it so heartwarming to visit your blog to new Sethos musings as well; your affection for him feels so genuine and soft, it’s so lovely. The Sethos mutual to ever exist.

What is Lapis up to on this lovely Thursday afternoon (2.5k word Tartaglia analysis on main)

[cynicalmusings]

hiii how are you??? i'm really curious if you did cyno's story quest 2 (I'm so sorry if you already talked about it. I can't find anything myself). I've been really enjoying your writing and as another cyno lover I would like to hear your thoughts!!! Also what do you think about Sethos? Cos he really climbed up my ranking of fav male characters for some reason... His eyes have hypnotizing power I tell you lol

hello! i posted a little about his story quest here, but to reiterate, i think it was really fun, and it was great to finally get some cyno lore after so long. the cutscene was really well-animated, and the parallels between sethos and cyno’s characters were cool. also, the little cyno pictures at the end of the quest were impeccable. beautiful. amazing.

from what we’ve seen of him, i really like sethos so far! his confidence as a leader and the humbleness he shows when he loses the duel are admirable, and it’s always nice to see character experiencing on-screen emotional beats, too.

his eyes are very pretty… i agree.

[cinnella]

7,14,15,16 for all of them

7. What’s their handwriting like?

Eris

Syro

Morana

Calyx

Libelle

Sethos

Mungo

Neith

14. Favorite fruit?

Eris

Green apple!✨

Syro

Kumquat!✨

Morana

Clementine!✨

Calyx

Honeydew melon!✨

Libelle

Passion fruit!✨

Sethos

Watermelon!✨

Mungo

Lemon!✨

Neith

Strawberry!✨

15. Favorite vegetable?

Eris

Lettuce!✨

Syro

Cherry tomato!✨

Morana

Cucumber!✨

Calyx

Carrot!✨

Libelle

Hates vegetables.✨

Sethos

Pepper!✨

Mungo

Also hates vegetables.✨

Neith

Also pepper!✨

16. Do they have any mental illnesses? If so, what are they and how do they make everyday life harder?

Eris

General anxiety, depression and slight paranoia. None of them are to the point where it makes her life difficult, but she has her days when she breaks down. And her paranoia gets worse when she's in the dark alone. She's got nyctophobia, and she's not proud about it either.✨

Syro

I would say mild PTSD when it comes to the things he fears and has lived through. Like almost getting killed by a bear, those things stuck with him and he doesn't deal well with anything that reminds him of that incident.✨

Morana

Depression, considering there's been so many times she's doubted herself emotionally, physically and ability-wise. It took her a while to get over it and it isn't as severe anymore, but there's still times when it gets to her.✨

Calyx

Depression and anxiety issues, and slight ADD. With him, his anxiety is more severe than his depression, but it can get to the point where he wants to be completely alone, and try to calm down. And there's days where he simply cannot concentrate on anything, and fumbles his words a lot.✨

Libelle

Depression and anxiety which led to suicidal thoughts and tendencies. In the beginning, it was less about the way she looked and more about her personality, being too naive and soft hearted which almost got her killed one too many times.✨

Sethos

Mild depression. He grew up with almost no friends, he lost his father and his mother at the age of 5, both a couple of months from each other, his sister two days after being born, his aunt to suicide and then his sister AGAIN to the plague. It's amazing how he's still alive, but it's gotten better the past 3 years.✨

Mungo

Severe PTSD which led to anger issues, severe depression, abandonment issues, suicidal thoughts, tendencies and attempts and disassociation. He went through 8 years of emotional neglect and 5 years of physical trauma. It makes almost every day hard, but with the help he's been getting, he's slowly letting go of the past.✨

Neith

Mild anxiety and ADHD. Although she's been getting help and medication on both of them, they can sometimes get out of control and give her panic attacks or simply render her unstable and unfocused, which leads to slight deppresive episodes.✨

[crawling-crawly]

Favorite color: teal and carmine red

Currently reading: The Fowl Twins. I used to love the Artemis Fowl books when I was young and my mom recently got me this because it's related to those. It honestly hasn't captured me too much so far, but we'll see.

Last movie: I watched the last Men in Black movie on new year's eve

Last series: Arcane. Amazing show.

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: depends on my mood

Craving: instant ramen noodles

Tea/coffee: cocoa

Currently working on: A selfmade TCG card deck for my friend, a painting for another friend, a blanket I started years ago and never finished and an idea for a Sethos-centric fic

NPT: whoever wants to

rules: tag nine people you want to get to know better

Tagged by @indrid-hot - thanks a bunch!

Favorite Color: A nice, warm, sunny orange - but also honestly most other colors of the rainbow and then some.

Currently Reading: The Tevinter Nights Dragon Age short story collection.

Last Song: L'appuntamento - Ornella Vanoni

Last Movie: Ah, gosh. HM. I haven't watched anything that's not a TV show in a while. I semi-voluntarily caught the last fifteen minutes of Scrooged over the winter holidays I guess?

Last Series: Last series I watched any part of is, as always, "Emergency!" because I will never not be stuck in 70's paramedic hell. If we're talking new-to-me shows, a friend's making me watch Grey's Anatomy (early seasons) once a week, probably because observing my growing despair about the characters' poor life choices is fun. I don't even normally watch medical shows, and yet here we are lol

Sweet, Savoury, Spicy: Savory if I had to pick

Craving: Some good spaghetti with olive oil and obscene amounts of lightly toasted garlic.

Tea/Coffee: Yes please, lol

Currently working on: OH BOY WHAT A QUESTION.

Spinning: Gotland on my spindles (4-ply, one single per spindle, for funsies - except I accidentally mixed up which bits of fiber go with which single on which spindle, so that'll be fun to sort out...), 7oz/200g of red Merino on the wheel (for a crochet hat, followed by 9.5 oz of red and black Merino for a woven scarf). But also 24.5oz/700g of grey Merino. And cotton on the supported spindle. And I've got some laceweight viscose on the mini turkish spindle that I should really work on...

Crocheting: Half a dozen things, including a lacy collar that needs buttons and blocking, a gigantic star-shaped wrap-around shawl, an incredibly boring granny square top for my little sister, and too many others to count.

Art: The Emergency! tarot as the eternal never-ending WIP; I also have some Dragon Age Veilguard related plans revolving around the Grand Necropolis and irl Catacomb Saints and I'd love to get some DA-style tarot cards done for all my player characters.

Writing: I still have a couple unfinished fanfics that need another chapter, as well as two deeply self-indulgent OC/Emergency! crossovers that friends are making me write, and I also have some Dragon Age stuff in the works - though if anyone will ever see that is another question entirely.

Music: Practicing various stuff for LARP; also slowly chipping away at Hozier's Work Song because my partner asked nicely.

With no pressure, I will tag: @geminyde, @caseyscraftycorner, @swords-n-spindles, @alpacazappa, @rosesonneptune, @rose-of-pollux, @zooarchaeologyatdinner, @kalikatze aaaaand I can't decide on a 9th person to tag so whoever wants to do this: You're It!

[hizzalot]

Sethos: 02. My Butler and I by @SecretlyClawed

Driving into the city of Aberdeen usually took us a good couple of hours, us being Gerald and myself. It was a trip we took at least twice a week sometimes more if business or boredom required it. I did have a nice apartment in the city and it wasn’t completely uncommon for me to use it, but being who I was and living in the city with people everywhere wasn't that good of a combination. Besides the city was too noisy and wouldn’t allow me as much freedom to do as I please which my country living did. If you asked my alter ego he would snort and huff you in the face hard enough that you thought a tornado just winded by at the mere idea of living full time in the city because no matter how gullible and unaware many humans were when it came to the existence of other beings, most people would still notices the difference between a large bird and a 10 feet tall dragon, and no matter what you think they don’t scream like they do in movies and runaway. No today the little twats with all their technology want pictures, film clips, autographs and all other sorts of things. I'm being serious, they want it all if they could they want a goddamned interview and any of that is just a big no no. 

I do have full control of my animal, well at least as much control as one can over a partly wild beast. In most cases I can stave him off if I have too but he is a demanding son of a bitch. Unlike me, I'm the least temperamental person you can meet, but don’t tell Gerald I said that because he will most likely get a heart attack he doesn’t like bent facts. Anyway, my dragon if he is denied his time to fly, hunt and play for too long he will eventually force his way out no matter where I am or what I'm doing, he can’t be stopped in those situations. In the early days that happened quite often because I had refused to accept what I had become. Gerald was many time forced to clean up my messes for many years, until one day about 25 years after my dragon first appeared. One day he had enough and sat me down for a talk, if that's what you want to call it. 

After having to use every trick in the book to get me to listen even Gerald patience ran thin. He'd ended up taken me by the ear, and when I say by the ear I mean by the ear. Imagine being a 45 year old man in human years being dragged away by his ear, it was horrifying let me tell you, humiliating and nothing I care to experience ever again. He made me see sense so to speak even if he had to do it while I kicked and screamed like a child. Yes, it wasn’t one of my finest moments. I was young, childish and still blamed my unknown father for making me into a beast and in the end taking my mother from me, so I had cursed him off and refused to take my fate serious. When I still wouldn’t listen and had cursed Gerald too he had left me to my fate. 

Trust me when I say don’t piss off the hand who feeds you especially if it runs your household, take care of all the nitty details that you never have to bother with because if you do you are left to tend to them yourself. It took me a lot of groveling and a hell of a lot more begging to get Gerald to come back, many years later he told me he never really left he just wanted to teach me a lesson, I should have seen it coming but didn’t. I didn’t dare chance it by cursing him off again but I might have grumbled about it for a while. Today Gerald is my one and only true companion, living side by side with me and as long as he does we are linked together. He was my father’s companion for many years and he is linked with both of us by blood. He is this ordinary human, if you can ever call Gerald ordinary, as anyone else but with the benefit of being linked to me by blood he is what you would call my human servant. He can feel me as I can feel him, we have a bond and as long as I live he will live too.  

Gerald as my butler and personal adviser love to drive that was why we never invested in a helicopter to take us to the city. No he wanted to do it the old fashion way, the long way and he even drove an old Classic Alvis, the love of his life. I think he even loved that car more than me and he said he was pretty damn fond of me, but not more than that car. Gerald was the father I never had, no matter if the man who went under the name of Lord Stravos had father me. The irony being that it was not Gerald I was now going to have to save. Gerald said driving calmed him and gave him time to think how to work out the latest mischief I gotten me, us into, as for me well I enjoyed the quiet. If I got too bored I would fired up the laptop and do some work, work being searching for the next object for my personal collection. I both sold and collected antique goods and being 250 years old with more money to spend than I could find things to buy it was a good job and hobby. My money came both from the inheritance my mother had left me in property and money that had been well invested and my own personal wealth.

I had a very large and impressive collection of objects ranging from small coins, rings and bullets up to full warrior armor gear, to swords and my personal favorites, cars. I had built many garages over the decades to be able to store all 150 or so cars that I owned. I had every car that you could imagine a T-Bird original, an Oldsmobile, several different Mustangs; let's just say I have a thing for really old classic cars and Muscle cars especially. I even have a first model ford car, the so-called Ford Model T it was my pride and joy it didn’t race you down the streets but it was the first T Ford ever produced and it was bought by me. It was worth more in sentimental value than money to me. Considering the shape it was in I could probably get a good 100 grand for it but why would I ever need another 100 grand that I had in plenty, First produced T Ford not so much. The most amazing thing with these cars were that they all worked. Then they were all bought by my own hand, most of them but not all hadn’t been owned or driven by anyone but me, family bought and owned. I took pride in that. To others of course I simply let others believe I bought and restored or that they’d been in possession in my family for decades which in itself was impressive enough. Because to claim I bought a car in 1908 when I looked no older than 30 wouldn’t fly. 

Closing the lid on my laptop I put it back in my bag letting the bag rest against the seat next to me. I let out a deep sigh watching the steep mountain of my home disappear before me as we kept heading for Aberdeen. I'm sure you are wondering about this thing with my father. I do too sometimes, it is a story of its own and rather long but for you to fully understand it I better take it from the beginning. My father was the longest living dragon shifter the earth had known. He lived long before what we today call civilization and long before that even existed. Tales of dragons started because of him, and because there were actual sights of him as he flew the skies of earth there were rumors about giant monsters that could fly and had spiky tails. Gerald told me all about it once I had finally come to a stage where I would listen to what he had to say. He told me how my father had pretty much reacted the same way that I had done, but compared to me he was all in alone in dealing with it. He hadn’t met my father until much much later and by then he was all well good and pleasant with his other self, so much in fact that Gerald was the one who had to lure him back into human shape. The first few hundred years alive my father had been so besotted about being this giant powerful creature that he had mostly lived in the skin of his dragon. His dragon so strong that over time he almost completely took over Drake Stravo’s mind and soul. Gerald had found him in the nick of time becoming the man to save my father’s humanity, that was how he had become my father’s butler and human servant. Gerald was the humanity to keep the dragon lord grounded. 

Before Gerald he was a hunter, alone, living out in the wild, surviving day by day the only companion being the smoke that made him high. One night when he'd come face to face with a real life dragon it'd been the stroke of midnight he'd been lying by his campfire fire, and had just finished eating his one and only meal of the day and was high as a kite. That was when all of a sudden the flames of the fire had been shielded by this large shadow and this enormous creature without a name had appeared before him. At this time he didn’t know what a dragon was, and being high as a kite he didn’t even react in fright or other, Drake Stravos lay still on the ground watching the stars while the Dragon spoke to him in his mind telling him that he would be the new lord of dragons on earth, a predator to keep humankind in check and the one chosen to lead the Dragon Clan. That was how he became Lord Stravos 

Some hundred years later here I am, Dragon Shifter extraordinaire, disguised as an antique dealer, the only offspring of the magnificent Lord Stravos his legacy like a chip on my shoulder. It is 2019, leather jacket is on and I have an old fashioned Butler in tow. We look like oil and water trying to mix, me with my 'going with the times' attitude, your average Joe persona. Then we have Gerald who refuse to live in the now with his fancy accent and polite manners that make people look at him like he is from Mars, which to be honest is not to far from the truth. I have a job to do, buying and selling antiques, if you ask Gerald it is to save his Master (I am only Sire) my job is to save a father I never met from the evil Elves in the realm beyond and reunite him with my mother. Because if I don’t his death will kill us all. No pressure!

It all sounds pretty stupid when you say it out loud therefore I almost never do unless it is with Gerald and a dying must to ensure the man I have not forgotten about my real job. Dragons, evil midget elves and heroes saving other heroes and damsels in distress sounds just like a bad Hollywood movie. But for heaven's sake don’t tell Gerald I said that he will have my tail, literary because he takes this hero business very seriously. He takes saving his Master very seriously. My only problem is finding that damn door to the realm where my father is kept and the fact that the damn thing only opens once every decade makes the waiting process a fucking drag. 

“Sire. We are here.”

The window between the driver and passenger was down, Gerald always insisted on me sitting in the back, I was after all Lord Stavos offspring. Do you know how many times I’ve rolled my eyes at this, the legacy of man that is to me unknown is a burden all on its own. 

“Awesome!” I exclaim knowing perfectly well it makes Gerald’s skin crawl using modern slang or words. It tickles me so to tease the man, I mean what else should I do with my time, there’s so much of it to spill. 

“Splendid Sire, Splendid.” He emphasized each word giving me a stern look by using the rear-view mirror. Snickering I get out of the car before he has a chance to get out and open it himself. 

“Sire if you insist on acting like a brat I will have to treat you as such and give you a time out in the corner when we get back home.” He threatens calmly next to me, his exterior never faltering even though I have made him very annoyed. With a pat on the shoulder I turn to him.

“Oh come on Gerald. Take that drivers hat off and dance down the street with me, live a little old man. Who knows you might even get laid.” I say as I hang my laptop bag over my shoulder and start down the street eyes glimmering with mischief. 

“Corner it is then Sire.” Gerald shuts my door with a little extra force to show how serious he really is and all I do is laugh. Life’s good in o 2019. #MyButlerAndI #Eddark

[wearenecromancers]

How did you create your necromancer? Only using Player's Handbook, with some other literature or homebrew? I want to create one but I feel like version from Player's Handbook is a bit thin

Sethos and Anita are both from Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition, including some 3.5 supplementals. The Dread Necromancer class (Anita) is from “Heroes of Horror”, and her ghostly visage familiar is from the Fiend Folio. Sethos is mostly Player’s Handbook (and the Lich template from the Monster Manual), plus some feats from “Complete Arcane” - namely, Energy Substitution + Lord of the Uttercold (it’s an amazing combo). His franken-kitty familiar is Spellstitched (from “Monster Manual II”) and created via Sethos’ Stitched Flesh Familiar feat from “Libris Mortis: Book of the Undead.”

One of 3rd/3.5 editions’ greatest strengths was also its greatest weakness: it had so many sourcebooks. Only the core 3 where needed, obviously, but a common mistake many DMs made was not setting hard rules as to which supplemental books were or weren’t allowed in their game.

5e has taken more of a “make it yourself” stance when it comes to supplemental material, releasing its own supplements at a much slower pace by comparison (or releasing it within its published adventures).

The bottom line is though, the depth of your character is entirely up to your imagination. You can have all kinds of interesting feats and abilities, but if you don’t have force of personality behind them then the character might be little more than a tool box. Your character’s abilities can certainly be a prompt to inspire their character traits, but I wouldn’t worry so much about  acquiring interesting abilities as much as fleshing out an interesting personality.

If you’re still looking for some new mechanical toys to play with, talk to your DM about finding something in a supplement book that interests you, or something from the DMs Guild or some other homebrew. But I highly recommend working out your own homebrew with them too, as it gives your DM the opportunity to integrate a facet of your character into their campaign setting.

[rose-of-pollux]

If Wishes Were Cats (Napollya oneshot)

Title: If Wishes Were Cats Rating: PG13-ish Summary: According to an ancient legend, Napoleon has been granted three wishes from the cat goddess, Bastet.  As he deals with his feelings for his partner, Napoleon must decide just how to use those wishes as he hopes for a way for Illya and him to be together. Notes: Slash.  This fic takes place during various points in the first year of Napoleon and Illya’s partnership, and references several other fics of mine, namely the “Regret Saga,” “Serenade of Water,” “Nocturne of Shadow,” “Requiem of Spirit,” and “The Fundamental Things Apply.”

Again, please note that this is slash, and there is no gen version this time because the plot doesn’t really translate to gen this time...

Also fulfills the prompt “Pining” for my MFU Bingo card.

If you prefer reading on AO3, you can read it here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10746420

Napoleon was on alert as his guide—a local U.N.C.L.E. agent named Karim—led him around the ancient Egyptian ruins near Luxor.  It was a large temple built by the Pharaoh Sethos I near the beginning of the 19th Dynasty.  Napoleon only wished he didn’t have to be here without his partner; Illya, having only just returned to active status after recovering from a long torture session with THRUSH, had just completed his first mission since his return, and Medical had absolutely refused to let him go on a second so soon without adequate rest.  And so, Napoleon had flown solo, hoping to find some leads that would help his quest to bring in the Baron of THRUSH.

“It was right around here,” Karim said.  “Some tourists found several paralyzed cats—it looked as though that they had been given some sort of paralytic.  When I reported it to my section head, he informed me some time later that your Mr. Waverly was sending you here to look in on it.”

“Ah, yes, it’s pertinent to a case that I’m on right now,” Napoleon said.  His quest to stop the Baron of THRUSH and his paralytic gas plot was a secret from most of U.N.C.L.E.—but he was grateful that Waverly was doing what he could to provide him with any new information.  “When was this?”

“Couldn’t have been more than three days ago,” Karim said.  He sighed as cats of all colors and shapes—most of them Egyptian Maus—watched them from all over the ruins.  A few kittens came out in front of them and mewed, looking at them expectantly. “These little ones have no fear of people—most of the tourists play with them and give them food.  Everyone loves them and cares for them, so it was most distressing to learn that THRUSH had been using them as guinea pigs.”

“Are they okay?” Napoleon asked, as one particular kitten, smoky black, batted at his shoe as he walked.

“Yes; I have been looking after them since the paralysis wore off,” Karim assured him.  “Once I am satisfied that they aren’t suffering any ill aftereffects, I will release them here once more.”

“That’s very admirable,” Napoleon said.  “Sounds like something my partner would have done.”

“I felt it was my duty,” Karim said.  “This temple was built for the ancient cat goddess, Bastet.  Local legends say that the cats who dwell here today are her children.”

“People still believe in the ancient gods?” Napoleon asked, interested.

“Well, perhaps not in that sense,” Karim admitted.  “But the legends still persist; they always provide a bit of intrigue, and some will swear there is evidence to support them.  For example, they say that, somewhere in these ruins, there is a large, black cat—it is said that it is Bastet herself, and those who see her can request three wishes from her by phrasing your wish with ‘O, Bastet, I beseech thee…’ and then speak the wish.”

“Really?” Napoleon asked.

“It’s how the legend goes,” Karim shrugged.  “Of course, there is a disclaimer that Bastet decides whether or not the wishes are worthy of being granted.”

Napoleon chuckled.

“That’s clever,” he said.

Karim laughed, as well, but then sobered as they reached a roped-off part of the temple.

“This is where the paralyzed cats were found,” he said.  “We have sealed this place off for investigation and have closed the temple to tourists until we are certain we have combed every inch of it.”

Napoleon nodded, and he and Karim began to search.  There wasn’t much of anything; THRUSH had been good at covering their tracks, but Napoleon finally did find something as the smoky kitten that had been following him now arched her tiny back at something wedged between a small rock and part of the temple wall.

“There’s something back here!” he called to Karim.

It was an empty canister that had once held the paralytic gas.

“There might be a little bit left in there—perhaps enough to analyze and prepare an antidote,” Napoleon said.

“If there is, I will see to it that word gets back to you as soon as possible,” Karim promised.

“Thanks,” Napoleon said. “You can go head on back; I think that’s all we’re going to find, but I’ll do another quick sweep now, rest for a bit, and then head home to New York tomorrow.”

“Very well,” Karim said. “We’ll have our men do one more additional sweep before we reopen the temple to the public.”

“Good idea.”

“You are sure you don’t mind searching alone?  I can stay longer…”

“I’m sure,” Napoleon said. “Those cats are probably hungry.”

“Very likely,” Karim agreed, with a smile.  “Take care, Mr. Solo.  And give my regards to Mr. Kuryakin.  …He has recovered from his ordeal?  I heard he had been a prisoner of THRUSH for some time…”

Napoleon’s heart gave a slight twist, but he nodded.

“Yeah, he’s made a full recovery, but Medical still wants him to take it easy; we just had a mission in Hawaii, and they were adamant about not letting him go again so soon after that.”

“Oh.  Poor man.”

“I’ll try to see if we can both make it next time; I know he’d have loved seeing all these cats,” Napoleon added, gently petting the smoky kitten, who purred in response.

“It’s very inspiring to all of us U.N.C.L.E agents worldwide, seeing the two of you working together so well,” Karim said.  “Some of the other section heads are considering other transfer programs to promote international ties now.  Your partnership is getting along flawlessly—it’s quite admirable.”

Napoleon managed a grin.

“Glad we’re setting an example,” he said.

He said his goodbyes to Karim, who left after that.  Napoleon sighed.  Karim hadn’t been wrong about Napoleon and Illya’s partnership getting along flawlessly—they were truly getting along flawlessly indeed.  So flawlessly, in fact, that Napoleon’s feelings towards his partner were getting very muddled and confused indeed.

At first, Napoleon had thought the butterflies in his stomach had been something that would pass, but as months passed and they became closer, the butterflies never left.

And then Illya had been taken by THRUSH.  As horrific as the experience had been, Illya’s recovery had caused the Russian to open up to Napoleon all the more, causing Napoleon to fall for him all the more; the realization had hit him like a ton of bricks during their last mission together in Hawaii—he was in love with his partner.

He hadn’t said anything; he had no way of knowing how Illya felt or how he would react to such a revelation.  But that was why Napoleon was yearning for Illya to be with him in Egypt now—so that he could look at the joy on the Russian’s face upon seeing so many cats. Illya didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, so such displays of emotion were incredibly rare—but Napoleon loved to see his partner’s face light up.  Truly, there was nothing more beautiful than Illya’s smile…

Napoleon exhaled and drew out his communicator; he was feeling lonely for Illya again, and proceeded to call him on Channel D.

“How’s it going, Tovarisch?”

“How else does paperwork go, Napoleon?” Illya responded.  “It is incredibly boring.  Despite the summer heat, I really do wish I was in Egypt with you.”

“Oh, you’d love it here,” Napoleon said.  As if to prove his point, the smoky Mau kitten started batting at his communicator, meowing.

“…Is that a cat?”

“Plural,” Napoleon said. “These old ruins are crawling with them.”  He paused, and his voice darkened.  “The Baron has been using some of them as guinea pigs for his paralytic.  They’re okay, but…”  He trailed off as Illya swore in Russian.  “…My sentiments exactly.”

“We must stop him, Napoleon.”

“Well, hang in here, Illya. I should be home sometime tomorrow, if all goes well.”  He paused. “…You got any plans for tonight?”

“Plans?  Me?” Illya scoffed.  “Were I but braver, I would probably attend the office party that Agent Avalon is throwing.  But I am not. No, Napoleon; it is a nice evening at my flat for me.”

Napoleon had to confess to himself that he was glad that Illya didn’t have a date; even if he didn’t have the nerve to admit his feelings.  He then immediately chided himself for being so selfish; if he couldn’t find the courage to speak, then he had no right to think about Illya’s love life one way or the other… did he?  Was it fair to want Illya to be alone each time Napoleon was on a solo mission?

Napoleon sighed.

“Chin up, Tovarisch,” Napoleon said.  “With any luck, Medical will clear you for missions without breaks soon.”

“I certainly hope so,” Illya said.  “Take care, Napoleon.”

“You too,” Napoleon said, and he closed the channel with a sigh.  He glanced at the smoky kitten.  “…I should tell him, shouldn’t I?”

The kitten mewed and then, suddenly, followed some of the other kittens to a small set of steps nearby, where a large Mau, smoky black like the kitten that had been playing with Napoleon, sat, glancing at Napoleon with a regal expression as the kittens meowed around her.

Napoleon stared back at the large cat in amazement, recalling Karim’s words from earlier—

“They say that, somewhere in these ruins, there is a large, black cat—it is said that it is Bastet herself, and those who see her can request three wishes from her…”

Napoleon let out a quiet “Hmm.”  The legend was probably just that—an old story.  But how tempting it would be to wish for Illya to fall in love with him!

He shook his head. No…  Even if the wishes were real, he had no right to make such a selfish wish. And they probably weren’t even real. But, still… it couldn’t hurt, could it?

“Oh, why not?” Napoleon said, glancing at the cat.  “O, Bastet, I beseech thee, I wish that my partner doesn’t have to spend all his time alone whenever I’m not there.”  Hopefully not a date, but at least a way for him to keep his mind off of being alone…

The large cat continued to stare at Napoleon for a while before meowing loudly.  She picked up the smoky black kitten by the scruff of the neck and then bounded off somewhere.

“…Oh well,” Napoleon said, with a shrug.  “Didn’t help, but it didn’t hurt…”

His sweep of the area turned up nothing else, and Napoleon returned to his hotel room and left for New York the next day after checking in with Karim one last time.

It was evening by the time he had reached; a rainstorm in New York had delayed the landing, and it was still pouring as he left the airport.  Deciding not to have Illya drive out in the rain to pick him up, Napoleon took a taxi back to their apartment building.

Ever since Illya’s time as a prisoner of THRUSH, they had keys to each other’s apartment; Napoleon used the key to let himself in to Illya’s apartment to check up on him.

“Hey, I’m back…” he began, but then trailed off as he saw Illya sitting on his couch, cradling a small bundle wrapped in a baby blanket.  His mouth dropped open.  “What happened while I was gone!?”

Illya let out a quiet “tsk.”

“Napoleon, you’ve gone and woken her!”

Anything Napoleon was about to say was cut off by a small “mew” coming from the bundle.  He facepalmed.

“Napoleon, you didn’t think--?”

“Shush, you,” Napoleon said, his heart beating normally again.

Illya smirked at him.

“I found this little one abandoned in a small basket.  The rain was coming down; I could not let her suffer…”

Napoleon walked over to see the kitten—and froze again.  The kitten was a smoky black Egyptian Mau—looking exactly like the one he had seen in Egypt, before her mother, allegedly Bastet, had carried her off…

…Just after Napoleon had made his wish that Illya didn’t have to be alone when he wasn’t there.

“Her name is Baba Yaga,” Illya said, proudly.

Napoleon let the kitten play with his finger as he gently gave her skritches.  She was purring away, and Illya was absolutely captivated. Napoleon chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Congratulations on your new daughter,” he said.  “I’m going to go unpack, and then I’ll whip up a dinner for all three of us.”

“That would be wonderful, Napoleon,” Illya said.

Napoleon just smiled and moved to head back to his apartment next door; he paused as he headed out, watching the rare look of genuine happiness on Illya’s face as he doted over the little kitten.

He wasn’t sure how that kitten had gotten from Luxor to New York before him; whether it was a coincidentally similar kitten or it really was the same kitten, he would never know. And, he supposed, it didn’t matter; Illya was happy, and seeing that smile on his face was stirring up those muddled feelings in Napoleon once more.

…Well, assuming it was the wish, I’ve got two left, he silently said.  Maybe I’ll try them out if I still can’t sort things out…

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

Napoleon soon found himself on the opposite side of being separated from his partner due to an order from Medical.  After a run-in with the Baron in Germany and being subjected to the paralytic gas firsthand, Medical had refused to let Napoleon go on another mission until they were certain that he would be suffering no aftereffects.  And so Illya was off to gather intelligence on where the Baron’s grand demonstration of the gas was to be.

There were numerous things on Napoleon’s mind as he remained at home, looking after Baba Yaga while he waited to hear back from Illya.  The first was that Illya had been slightly reserved ever since their last mission; he had been under the impression that he was no longer a useful asset to Napoleon’s endeavor.  It had taken a lot of convincing to get Illya to agree to one more mission together. Napoleon had to worry that if Illya settled back into his routine of working alone on this case, it might not be enough to convince him to stay longer.

Baba Yaga was more concerned with playing, and was happily using Napoleon as a play mat as he lay there on his couch, thinking about what to do.

“So, let’s say that I do have two wishes left…” said, speaking to Baba Yaga.  “I suppose I could wish for Illya to stay…  Think your old Ma Bastet would go for that?”

Baba Yaga mewed at him in response.

“…Well, look at it from my side, huh?” Napoleon defended.  “I’m not really asking for that much--”

He was cut off as his communicator whistled.

“Illya?” he asked.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Solo,” Waverly responded over the channel.  “I do regret being the bearer of bad news--”

“Did something happen to Illya?” Napoleon asked, now sitting at attention.

“Hopefully not,” Waverly said.  “But we’ve lost contact with him; he was on his way back to New York on a freighter, but we lost contact with him when the freighter was attacked by a THRUSH submarine. His last communication was that they were going to try to outrun the submarine.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Approximately three hours ago,” Waverly informed him.  “I’ll keep you informed of any change in Mr. Kuryakin’s status.”

“Thank you, Sir…”

Napoleon put the communicator away, trying to ignore the familiar grip of fear upon his heart. Anything could have happened to Illya in three hours…!  And the thought of Illya dying horrified him—it always had.  But for Illya to die now, when they were so close to achieving their goal of stopping the Baron…  …When Napoleon had now realized that he was in love with him…

…That thought was too much to bear.  And there was nothing he could do, confined to rest, unable to go out and search for his partner…

“Okay, a wish won’t hurt,” he murmured.  Swallowing back the lump in his throat, he concentrated.  “O, Bastet, I beseech thee, I wish that Illya will return to New York safely.”

There was silence.

“…Do you think she can hear me?” he asked Baba Yaga.

The kitten meowed.

“…I hope so, too.”

Neither he nor the kitten moved; it was another hour before the communicator whistled again.

“Solo here,” he said, immediately.

“Napoleon?”

Napoleon slumped over in relief.

“You’re alright,” he said.

“Da—but barely,” Illya said.  “It was starting to look very bad for a while.”

“What happened?”

“THRUSH very nearly sunk us,” Illya said.  “The captain of the freighter got our boat moving as fast as humanly possible enough to pull away from the submarine.  It was almost a fluke, Napoleon—this freighter shouldn’t have been able to reach the speed it had.  But, nevertheless, it did.”

“Where are you now?”

“Very nearly home, Napoleon; I can see the lights of the city from here.  You can prepare dinner if you like; with any luck, I shall be home immediately after my debriefing with Mr. Waverly.”

“Right.”

“I hope my daughter behaved herself…”

“Oh, she did,” Napoleon assured him.  “She is a perfect angel.”

“Of course she is. Tell her I shall be home soon.”

Baba Yaga mewed, and Napoleon grinned.

“She heard,” he said. “I’ll see you soon, then, Tovarisch.”

“Da.”

Napoleon put his communicator away and reflected on what had just happened.  Had it been a fluke, as Illya had said?  Or had his second wish just come true?

He still wasn’t sure.

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

Napoleon wasn’t one who blindly believed in things, yet the coincidences of his first two “wishes” seemed impossible to ignore.  And as the weeks went on with Illya seemingly preparing to return to Europe after their final clash with the Baron, Napoleon was considering the use of his final alleged wish.

He did not want Illya to go.  He wanted Illya to stay—to fall in love with him, as he had fallen for Illya.  And as they headed to Niagara (Baba Yaga being cared for by George Dennell in Section IV) and had another disagreement about whether or not Illya was better off going back, Napoleon was seriously considering making that his final wish—that Illya would fall in love with him, unable to tear himself away to return to Berlin.

Two of my three wishes were selfless, Napoleon rationalized.  Assuming this whole thing is true, then let my final wish be something for me—what I want most…

But, again, guilt stopped him.  It wasn’t right, assuming it was real.  It wasn’t right to effectively control someone’s thoughts for something like love. Even if it was granted by a wish that Illya would love him, it would never be pure, true love; it would be always tinged with deceit.

As much as Napoleon pined for him, if Illya loved him back, Napoleon wanted it to be because that was how he truly felt—not what a wish’s magic was making him think he felt.

Fine, then; perhaps I can just wish for him to stay here…

But his mind chided him for that, as well.  If he made that wish, how different was he from someone trying to keep Illya captive?

He couldn’t do that—not to someone he loved.  Trying to summon the courage to beg him to stay because of love wasn’t happening, clearly. If he didn’t say anything, then he had no right to force Illya to stay.

He would have to let him go, if that was what Illya decided in the end.  It was the right thing to do.

Napoleon sighed, deciding that his final wish would, like the others, be selfless.  There really wasn’t anything else he had wanted, anyway…

“O, Bastet, I beseech thee, I wish for Illya to find the happiness and love he so rightfully deserves.”

That was it, then. His three wishes were gone.  And Illya…  Illya would likely be out of his reach soon.

One thing was for certain, though; Napoleon would never, ever forget him—the partner who had stolen his heart.

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

It had seemed at first, however, that Napoleon’s final wish wasn’t going to come true.  In a struggle against the Baron, Napoleon and the Baron had fallen off of the Horseshoe Falls.; the Baron had been killed by the fall, while Napoleon had been rendered to a catatonic state of shock from it. He had been in a bizarre state between awareness and unresponsiveness, but he could still hear a grief-stricken Illya pleading with him to come out of his stupor—even vowing to stay with him in New York if Napoleon did so.

And then, to Napoleon’s utter amazement, Illya had confessed that he had loved him, and then had kissed him.

It was as though it had been magic—a curse breaking by true love’s kiss.  But Napoleon had come out of the stupor and had returned to awareness, much to the relief of Illya.  And Napoleon had been encouraged slightly after hearing Illya’s confession—despite the fact that Illya hadn’t specified what kind of love it was that he felt for Napoleon.

A shared duet some weeks later led them to opening up their feelings for each other—and a post-mission dinner that turned into their first official date.  The weeks turned to months, and as their relationship grew, things changed—for the better.

Illya and Baba Yaga had moved out of his apartment to live in Napoleon’s—they had given the excuse of U.N.C.L.E. budget cuts, vowing that the real reason would have to remain a secret from everyone—at least for the time being.

And it was early one morning, as Napoleon held his still-sleeping partner close to him, waiting for him to awaken, that Napoleon took note of the contented, happy expression on Illya’s face as he slept.

Gently, he brushed some wayward hairs out of Illya’s face.  Though still asleep, Illya smiled in response to his touch, nestling even closer against him, and smiling again as the scent of the bay rum cologne that Napoleon wore reached him.  …And Illya claimed that Napoleon used too much of it?  Ha!  Napoleon knew the truth now—caught him red-handed, enjoying it!

Napoleon merely chuckled to himself and kept his hand on his partner’s back, acting as a silent sentry against nightmares or any real threat that might come their way.  But, at that moment, he wasn’t thinking about threats; Napoleon was thinking about how lucky he truly was.

His final wish to Bastet had come true, after all—Illya had found the happiness and love he deserved—with him, which was something that Napoleon had thought too good to be true.  Despite the temptation, Napoleon had not used any of the wishes on himself directly, yet had ended up getting what he had wanted most—his true love by his side, and even a “daughter,” Baba Yaga, for them to raise together.

Napoleon couldn’t have asked for anything more.  And he would forever cherish what he had now—the blessings and gifts of Bastet.

[fukounaboy]

YES THEYRE FINALLY PUTTING HIM IN GENSHIN HES COMING SOON AND HE IS LITERALLY ME FRFR RHGRHRHRJSHRGRH,,,,

Also his silhouette doesn't look too different from the leaked version so this is amazing because I was so nervous they'd change him sm (like they did with Sethos and his leaked design...I will never forgive them for that...) BUT NO HE LOOKS VERY SIMILAR SO IM HAPPY FOR THAT AT LEAST EYGAHSGSHAGA !!!! (I mean I can immediately see one difference but yk what it's fine...I am just being nitpicky bcz I'm worried...)

CRISPIN I JUST WOKE UP AND I LOOKED AT TWITTER AND I SAW THIS AND THIS WAS IN THE GENSHIN 5.3 STREAM AND THIS IS A LINEUP OF UPCOMING CHARACTERS AND LOOK AT THE GUY SECOND ON THE LEFT. DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS. CAN YOU GUESS WHO THAT IS.

HINT.

HE'S COMING HE'S COMING HE'S COMING HE'S REAL AND HE'S COMING.

HOLY SHIT THEY'RE PUTTING HIM IN GENSHIN ????????? AND HE'S LITERALLY YOU WAUGH ???????????

[faustinaaurelia13]

10/10 would love again

Tagged by the amazing @chemicalcrush to name 10 favorite characters from 10 different fandoms

1. Twin Peaks - Log Lady

2. Ronin Warriors- Touma (Rowen) Hashiba

3. Gundam Wing- Chang Wufei

4. Amelia Peabody Series- Sethos or Ramses (too hard to pick)

5. Dice, Camera, Action- Strix

6. High Rollers-  Jiǔtóu Zhìjī Jīng (Close behind: Elora, Trellimar, Reynard, DM, Jasmina)

7. Marvel Cinematic Universe- Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes, Scarlet Witch

8. Sailor Moon- Sailor Saturn

9. Old Kingdom Series- Disreputable Dog

10. Cardcaptor Sakura- Yue/Yukito Tsukishiro