#she respects other races' magical abilities for what they are so much

[possamble]

Actually sorry coming back to this to amend it a bit bc I had a late realization. I think Marcille absolutely sees herself as an elf, just a unique kind of elf, and that plays into why she's not actually that bothered about it. The crucial thing to remember is that being half-elf definitely makes her completely unlike other tallmen, but being half-tallman doesn't seem to make her less of an elf, functionally speaking. Again, impossibly long lifespan, big ears (even if they're slightly different), and the highest capacity for mana and precise magic among all the different races.

And that actually. Makes her line about elf supremacy being embarrassing SO funny to me. She's really like... She has all the elf features that supposedly make them superior, and she really just doesn't think it's All That. She legit thinks it's so cringe that other elves are so hoity toity about it bc she also can do everything they can do and it's like... It's not that big of a deal oh my god stop,

do you have any particular thoughts regarding marcille being a half-elf? its interesting to me considering the fact that she seems self-conscious about being a half-elf, but denies it when its brought up

i remember marcille looking visibly uncomfortable over laios simply asking her how old she is, which i think the only reason she might feel nervous about this is because it might reveal her as a half-elf to him.

she's never corrected anybody whose called her an elf either.

never mind the circumstances of the reveal, in which thistle goes on about how half-elves are inferior and accusing her of wanting to become full blooded elf, she seemed particularly upset like he struck a nerve-

i wish the half-elf thing was built upon more. also, underrated marcille line:

okay so i revisited this sequence just to make sure I could back myself up and it's just... man. there's a lot going on.

the first reaction we get from Marcille is this huge panel that takes up half of the page

she is viscerally affected. flushing to the tips of her ears with the intensity of it. and we see it again, a few pages later

so it might seem like she's embarrassed about it and lying to herself, but... I really think it's just that Thistle is accidentally hitting sore spots. If you really look at what he says to get these reactions

"you'll live out your entire life [...] and die that way too"

"a hundred years from now, nobody will be there"

Hear me out. I think, if he stuck to harping on about her inferiority without bringing up how terrifyingly long-lived she is, she wouldn't have been as bothered. But right now, Thistle is accidentally hitting all the marks on Marcille's deepest fears-- and this is after the Winged Lion promised her that her dreams could come true in an extremely vulnerable moment, so it also hits her slightly guilty conscience as well.

I do truly believe that Marcille isn't bothered about being a half-elf the way that people assume she'd be bothered by it. To her, the biggest problem with being a half-elf is that it's isolating.

On one hand, it's not hard to imagine why she'd distance herself from elves in the west. A lot of them can clock her as a half-elf on sight, unlike other races, and therefore she's always branded with this weird stigma of being Othered -- I would even say that she considers herself lucky for being born outside of elven culture instead of having to grow up in it. I mean, just... look at the way elves talk about her.

Skipping past the uncomfortable implication of what 'not tolerating the existence' of half-elves would actually entail, this is incredibly fucking annoying. You can see why she wouldn't want to be around elves much. You see a lot of Marcille reacting badly here, but honestly, almost all of it can be attributed to her freaking out that her bluff completely failed. She's honestly more paying attention to Izutsumi's footsteps and trying to coordinate an opportunity to escape.

And in the end, you see her built-up frustration at being asked if she wants to be a full-blooded elf like 2-3 times in a row.

Yeah, yeah, "the lady doth protest too much," and all. But we know Marcille. We know that she's a lot more embarrassed and horrendously unconvincing when she's being prodded about something she's actually self-conscious about.

Moving onto the flipside of things, it might seem weird that she "pretends" to be a full elf around other races, but it's not really that strange if you think about it. Again, people are weird about her being infertile or whatever, and a lots of them don't even know much about what sets half-elves apart from everyone else. I mean, look at how uncomfortable Laios is just asking her about it

and look at how exasperated and resigned she looks

And like... she's right. Where would that come up in normal conversation? Why would she go out of her way to tell them? She's functionally a normal elf to other races anyway -- got the ears, the abnormally long "childhood", and the huge mana capacity. Unless it's directly relevant or important for people to know, I don't think it's all that strange or indicative of insecurity that she prefers not to bother with it.

(This combined with her sense of being an "outsider" to elf culture also explains why she thinks elf superiority is embarrassing. She sees the way elves treat short-lived races from the "outsider" perspective nonetheless, and thinks it's obnoxious; especially more so because she usually has to play the elf around short-lived races and deal with the reputation of arrogance that elves have built up.)

The sad thing is, this all means that... she doesn't actually fit in anywhere. She doesn't like going out West much because of how elves treat her. But she's also an outsider in the continents she was born in, treated like this exotic long-lived alien choosing to live among short-lived races for some reason. She is always an outsider, the Other, no matter where she goes. Add in the fact that she'll live longer than literally anyone she knows, and it's honestly kind of heartbreaking.

And I think that's the crux of it. Marcille really doesn't act like she's at all self-conscious about being a half-elf because of any feelings of inferiority or being half-made or whatever. She considers herself a perfectly legitimate being and might even, in some ways, consider herself superior to normal elves because she's not blind with elf supremacy or whatever. (And whatever "elven biases" she displays, all of them are born more out of the fact that she's kind of bad at conceptualizing how other races age and mature compared to herself, not that she actually considers herself better or more mature simply for being an elf.)

I think that whatever self-consciousness Marcille has about being a half-elf is, instead, related to terror and loneliness. The reminder that it ensures she'll never truly belong anywhere for the rest of her very long life. The reminder that, in truth, even she's not actually sure how old she is by other races' standards (hence the discomfort when asked how old she is). She doesn't want to not be a half elf, or be a full elf or full tall-man-- in her ideal world, she's still a half-elf. She just gets to live out her life at the same pace with the people she loves and doesn't have to say goodbye again and again and again until she dies.

and one last very important panel, right after Mithrun tells her that all her desires would be devoured

In her ideal world, she's still a half-elf and reality magically starts marching at her pace. But failing that, the second best thing is that she's still a half-elf-- but one who is able to accept reality and let go of her fear.

(But the rest of the story pans out the way it does because, to Marcille, taking reality apart and reshaping it was less scary than simply and fully reconciling with it.)

[nymphbroadcast]

Savanaclaw x MC! like Carmilla Carmine

⊹Sinopsis⊹ೃ🐾⋆ The Savanaclaw boys with a MC! Or Yuu like Carmilla Carmine.

⊹Relationship⊹ೃ🐾⋆ fall in love/ Free of interpretation.

⊹¡FEM! MC/Yuu/Lector ⊹ೃ 🐾⋆

⊹Clarifications: Instead of the reader being a trafficker like Carmilla, she will be the inventor/creator of ''angelic'' weapons, she will not have daughters as in the series, however it will be said that she acts as a mother to those who are younger than her. Again, I don't specify MC's age! so that you are free to think about the race of MC! as you like, I'm also relying on the theory that Carmilla is a demon inspired by a Swan and scissors, just because I think it's a good idea :³

⊹Carmilla's Analysis⊹ೃ 🐾⋆

• She is someone physically and mentally agile, she is protective of what she loves as she is with her daughters and even with a close friend like Zestial, she is serious in her work, everything she does is motivated by love since she knows that it is the best way to motivate herself and win, she is extremely skilled in physical fighting, she is intelligent as a skilled weapons engineer, she respects her superior and elder figures as shown with her fellow Overlords however she does not tolerate disrespect from anyone even if it is someone with the same or higher status, she does not like to be involved in other people's problems, however she is willing to help without getting directly involved, she does not believe in mediocrity or people's ridiculous excuses, she has a strong maternal side, she is capable of everything only for those she really loves, apparently she likes dancing and especially ballet, she usually motivates with some harshness but it is always necessary, she is imposing and inspires respect without necessarily being aggressive, she is observant and can easily identify weaknesses in others, Despite her temperament, she is a good leader and is wise in her decisions.

Leona Kingscholar

🦁 Leona is terrified, we know that the women of Sunset Savanah are much stronger than the males, and even though you are not from Sunset Savanah but from "another world" it is obvious that you can kick his butt if you want.

🦁 (Ch 2) When Leona enters overblot and uses his magic to attack fortunately you are fast and strong enough to dodge and block all his attacks and use your ballet slippers made of angelic steel to cut parts of the Phantom from his Blot.

🦁 (Ch 2) At the end of the fight, you agree to help Leona even if he doesn't want to, so do us a favor and pull him with you and teach him that he should do things for himself and not to seek the approval of others.

🦁 Leona begins to compare you to a swan, your elegant but strong movements remind him of it, not to mention your elegance even in combat with someone, sometimes you remind him of Vil, the difference is that you don't irritate him... not that much.

🦁 You say you are an inventor? Well, it's nothing new... and what things do you invent? weapons? weapons capable of killing immortal beings with different celestial abilities and almost incalculable powers?...

🦁 ...okay now Leona is not considering, you can create weapons that kill celestial beings... would you make one that can hurt a Dragon Fae?... oh don't give him that look! It's just curiosity.... maybe that skill of yours will come in handy sometime.

🦁 Leona sees your interactions with the ''juniors'' and doesn't know very well how to react, you are protective and agile in caring for and correcting them, you instruct them with love and discipline, you may be reminding him of a strong and dedicated mother... he thinks that maybe when you have your own children you will be great as a mother.

🦁 Leona sees you dance and can't help but admire you, your movements are precise and elegant at the same time, you are so beautiful dancing when you think no one is watching, maybe he makes fun of you a little with that characteristic smile of his.

🦁 Are you signing up for Magift? If you are interested, join the club and kick their ass, I guarantee that most of them will be more captivated by your elegance and skill than in the game itself, and if you look at Leona you can see him totally in love with your legs. (No joke, now he's sure he won't get mad if you ever kick him)

🦁 He is still lazy, so every time you get to wherever he is sleeping, pick him up and take him with you to class, don't let him rest until he gathers fruits of his efforts, only then can you caress his soft hair while he rests on your lap.

🦁 Speaking of Leona's favorite ''activity'', you are now this lazy lion's soft swan feather pillow, your hands work magic on his head and your whole body is soft even with your well exercised physique, now he could even roll his tail on your leg or waist depending on what is closest to him, you are a comfort to this man.

🦁 You become his supervisor, his lover and his motivation, you at his side as a beautiful, strong and talented woman, they become the king and queen of the board, you help him to improve and grow at his side, you also take care of him and you correct, please this man begins to think that everything can be worth it if with this he can build a new pride with you by his side.

🦁 So you take the opportunity, when you see the servants who compared Leona as a child with his brother you definitely use your sharp words against those idiots, almost as sharp as your slippers and when you take them to ask Leona for forgiveness, you have this man kneeling and with a ring just for you.

Ruggie Bucchi

🍩 I don't know much about Ruggie, appreciate my effort 🥲

🍩 Ruggie sees you as an authoritarian figure, similar to Leona but without his "demotivation."

🍩 Ruggie sometimes needs your seriousness, you may have to be the one to correct him for his questionable attitudes.

🍩 You have to motivate Riggie to work honestly, assign him to do some work, whether it's yours or your colleagues', and thus earn rewards honestly.

🍩 It doesn't take long for Ruggie to realize that you are what he needs, your rigidity and discipline clash with his harmful habits and they already have a little laughing hyena accompanying you in everything you need.

🍩 Sorry it's so short, I repeat that I don't know much about Ruggie nor am I a big fan of him 😭

Jack Howl

🐺 We know what Jack is like, personally I'd say you'd get along well with him.

🐺 You and Jack have a lot in common, you are both serious about what you do, physically strong, etc...

🐺 I would tell you that you have officially become the owner of this adorable puppy, you are perfect for him and he is totally in favor of taking care of you when you can't do it yourself.

–(Moment of Carmilla's mental breakdown, after the Overlords meeting and the "fight" with Velvet)

🐺 You and Jack organize to have a good training schedule together, it's funny because you're perfectly capable of matching his pace, the others in the background wonder if you're really human.

🐺 Jack never gets bored of seeing you in action, against Overblots or not, you always look amazing, your movements are strong and precise, you can see him wagging his little tail but don't mention it to him or he will deny it... Clumsily but still.

🐺 You are Jack's versatility, he has a tendency to be stubborn and too straight at times, fortunately you are there to remind him that the anus vine is squared and he will thank you, not out loud of course but wait for his actions to tell you, this little wolf appreciates you so much.

Nymph's Note:

Sorry for the delay, I have been going through a small anxiety crisis and I have tried to reduce what I can consider as a trigger, however here I finished a little of what I had committed to!

I Hope you enjoyed!

Remember to tune in, end of this broadcast!

Savanaclaw Dorm x MC! like Carmilla Carmine Done!

Next: Diasomnia Dorm x MC! Like Vaggie???

[jime777]

For day one, I chose to draw “a missing scene” from the games! Micaiah and Soren supports that would very probably have existed if there were supports in Radiant Dawn <3

Both Micaiah and Soren are my favourite characters from the duology, the fact they have so much in common and it's left unexplored is a little sad. They had so much potential!

During the RD epilogue, we learn that the two of them were supposed to be the rulers of their respective countries, Soren being the crown prince to Daein (and a prince of Goldoa as well) and Micaiah, the future empress of Begnion.

Not only that, but they also descend from two of the legendary heroes that fought Yune during the Great Flood and defeated her; Dheginsea and Altina. And they are the ones that more than 1000 years later join her instead to stop Ashera.

But for different reasons, they end up growing up far from court. Though they both are raised by a woman early in their lives, the treatment they receive differs greatly and doesn't impact them in the same way. The motive for this being they are “one of the Branded”, laguz and beorc blood alike flow through their veins, granting them special powers and marking their body with a “brand”. Plus, Micaiah and Soren´s laguz side come from herons and (black) dragons, the laguz who live the longest amount of time.

Micaiah´s “mother” raised her more or less as anyone would raise a kid, but she led a reclusive life to keep her safe. She explained what her heritage means too, telling Micaiah that she should hide it to be safe.

Soren´s caretaker was disgusted by him and displayed a very abusive behaviour towards him, going so far as to sell him to an old mage who mistook him for a spirit´s charmer. This led to Soren not realising what he truly was until he was 19 years old!

Growing up, both of them had one person, specifically a beorc, that they trust with their secret and their life. I personally think that Micaiah and Sothe´s base conversation is a little of a parallel to Ike and Soren´s A support in Path of Radiance.

Micaiah: Yes, I’m sure of that. Muarim seems very trustworthy. But, what about everyone else? What would they think if they knew all of my abilities came from the mixed blood running through my veins? Blood they consider cursed!

Sothe: Micaiah, stop…

Micaiah: Right now, when they look at me, they have love and affection in their eyes, but would they look at me the same way if they knew? I don’t want to find out, Sothe. I don’t think I could bear the truth.

Sothe and Micaiah base conversation in chapter 8

Soren: It’s a cross between a beorc and a laguz. Such a taboo union violates every teaching of the goddess. And of society. We are untouchables. Abominations. Condemned to a life of hatred and shunning from both races.

Ike: Wait, wait. Hold it a second. Let me make sure that I follow you… You’re part laguz?

Soren: Yeah. This mark on my forehead is the proof. I learned about it while researching ancient books at the Mainal Cathedral. I always thought it was a birthmark. Others thought that it was the mark of a Spirit Charmer.

Ike: What’s a Spirit Charmer?

Soren: Magic comes from interaction with spirits. If you let one into your body, it will give you tremendous power…for a price. That’s why the old sage was so interested in me. He thought I had struck such a deal. But instead, I was just a filthy Branded.

Ike: All right. I understand. So?

Soren: …What do you mean, “so?”

Ike: So, you have laguz blood in your veins. So, you have a mark to prove it. So… What’s the problem?

Soren: What’s the problem…? Don’t you find me repugnant!? I work beside you, eat beside you. I’m nothing! I don’t belong anywhere! Doesn’t that sicken you?

Ike and Soren´s A support in Path of Radiance

Micaiah and Soren have very similar thoughts about what it means to be Branded and how others perceive them, though Soren´s tend to be much darker especially in PoR due to his childhood.

The distinction is that, while Soren has already met two other branded characters (Stefan, and Petrine if you make them fight during chapter 23 of PoR), Micaiah still hasn't met anyone she can relate to.

This is the reason she is so moved after encountering Soren for the first time, and why she is more upset to be forced to fight him than the others.

Soren: …Ah, that explains quite a bit about the stories that surround you.

Micaiah: Who are you? You’re… You’re just like me!

Soren: Yes, they call our kind the Branded. As the years pass, I understand better and better how others see us.

Micaiah: You are so… cold. It’s like you’re cloaked in frost. Is there even blood in your veins?

Soren: There is. Blood very similar to yours, in fact. Blood that teaches us what it means to be rejected and alone.

Micaiah: Your heart is frozen, but I feel a warm core trying to melt through that ice. I see… You have someone you cherish very much. Someone you rely on.

Soren: Do not presume to understand me, you ridiculous girl. You have no idea who I am and what I can do. None at all. Daein has no business in this war. I will defeat you swiftly and send you and your army back to Daein.

Micaiah: I finally meet my own kind, and he is an enemy…… I will not retreat. I won’t let you go any further!

Micaiah and Soren battle dialogue during Part 3 - Chapter 7 of Radiant Dawn

Micaiah is also the first person Soren tells he is Branded out of his own volition after Ike. Having passed 3 years since then, he feels more confident about it. And knowing she is the same as he, he's not scared anymore. In this scene, Micaiah openly uses her power to read his heart too, the power that comes from her mixed blood and that he has as well.

Not many people know this since this conversation is actually impossible (in my experience) to get in game, but they have another dialogue if you make them fight during Part 3 - Chapter 13!

Soren: Our last battle, in the valley. Was that your strategy?

Micaiah: …

Soren: That was impressive. You killed thousands of beorc soldiers with your little ambush. Well done.

Micaiah: I…

Soren: The Maiden of Dawn… What are you? One of the Branded, that’s for sure. But there is something else about you… Power. Yes, I can feel it in you. You possess great power.

Micaiah: Yes, and you would know. There’s something very different about you, too. Your energy feels so…ancient. You and I seem to have so much in common.

Soren: That doesn’t matter in the slightest. The only thing that does matter is that you are a dangerous adversary. You are also in Ike’s path, so it falls to me to remove you. It’s almost a shame. Farewell, Maiden of Dawn.

Micaiah: So, you fight for someone, as well. So very much alike… But I will defeat you. I will protect the ones I love!

Micaiah and Soren battle dialogue during Part 3 - Chapter 13 of Radiant Dawn

This one is even more surprising, Soren is PRAISING someone! Micaiah brings up how much alike they are and actually hints to Soren´s heritage with that “ancient energy” meaning dragon blood. They both are able to feel the other is not only Branded, but that there is something deeper.

This interaction also shows a slightly softer Soren with him regretting having to kill her, be it for how capable she is or the secret they share.

They have one more interaction during the RD Voice Drama that took place in the 2019 FE Expo, but it is more of a funny moment intended to be comedy than actually exploring them. It always takes me out though!

Micaiah: Around this arm, it will grow thicker and stronger.

Ike: Ah, no, please don't touch-

Soren: Wait right there. You don't need to touch his arm to do your fortune-telling.

Micaiah: Eh? You have some deep scratches right here...

Ike: Ah, come to think about it, just now...

Micaiah: Please do not move. I will heal it.

Ike: Eh?

Micaiah: Get healed-

Soren: Step away from Ike.

Micaiah and Ike: Ah?!

Soren: No healing allowed from amateurs. Hmm, that's right. Tell MY fortune.

Micaiah: Oh, um, okay. Then, your hand, please. Huh? You... You are... The same as me!?

Soren: Huh? What are you say-

Sothe: Micaiah!

Soren and Micaiah during the Voice Drama stage (“Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Voice Drama Converging Radiance and Dawn: An Interlude Tale” Eng subbed in YouTube by “Fudgenuggets”)

This is placed somewhere between PoR and RD, just when she is about to read Soren´s future she realises he is Branded as well and is shocked by it, which results in Sothe escaping with her and not developing it further.

During the Tellius CD Drama that takes place in Part 3 - Chapter 7, they appear in the same scene but sadly they do not interact.

Now, going back to what I started with, the way they approach learning about their past and their family is vastly different too.

Micaiah on one hand, as can be seen in the epilogue, seeks a relationship with her little sister, Sanaki, and wishes to have a talk with Sephiran as well during endgame.

Soren on the other hand is hinted to understand that the “random lady” who asked for his name is his mother (Almedha <3, I could talk about her for hours too), but even then he completely ignores it and treats her as he would treat any other person. And then, leaves Tellius with no intention to come back. With how smart he is, he probably connected the dots to when he felt so uncomfortable in Goldoa back in PoR.

“As far as Soren was concerned, his past as the prince of Daein among other things was not really of any interest - because he had forged and travelled his own path.”

Soren´s profile in Tellius II recollection book (Translated by “Kantopia”)

Fits his character a lot, and makes me feel SO proud of how far he has come!

Although Micaiah had the same idea as him, she ends up deciding to stay on Tellius and becomes the new queen of Daein instead.

Ike: You mean the blood of the laguz?

Micaiah: So you knew. Did you find out from the boy who’s always beside you?

Ike: Soren. Yeah. I guess you both know how to recognize people with a similar nature.

Micaiah: Yes. He and I are both Branded.

Ike: …Don’t use that word. You and Soren are both people. Just like me and everyone else.

Micaiah: People. You’re just like Yune. You call both laguz and beorc people.

Ike: Why should I care about the colour of your hair, eyes, and skin? Or your ears, wings, or tail? No matter how long you live or what powers you possess, we’re the same. At the end of the day, we’re all people.

Micaiah: … Sothe talks that way, too. His time with you changed him. Thank you, Ike. I’ve made up my mind.

Ike: About what? I didn’t realise we were doing anything but talking.

Micaiah: I thought I might travel to a far-off place after all of this was over. But I won’t. I’ll go back to Daein. No matter what happens, I’ll have Sothe by my side. I have nothing to fear as long as he’s with me.

Micaiah and Ike base conversation in Endgame - 3

And in this base conversation, she mentions Soren too!

It is definitely a shame that Radiant Dawn was rushed in the end and they did not have enough time to implement all that was planned. The Branded are barely talked about in PoR, and though expanded much more on during RD, I always think there was much more going on with them.

Writing this was something I had always wanted to do and very much enjoyed. Hope it makes people more curious about the similarities between these two!

[bluetortoist]

Time for another Batman OC! Again not too awful original, but this one is my own take on the Brave and the Bold character Scream Queen.

She was Crane's star student, who became obsessively hopelessly in love with him enough to follow him down his path of a rogue while also both, harboring a complicated romantic relationship together. This one's a little dubious sooo

CW: Stalking, Student/Teacher descriptions down below

Name: Kathleen "Kathy" Holloway

Alias: Scream Queen

Age: 27

Gender: Cis Female

Identifies: Bisexual

Race: Human

Ethnicity: White

Nationality: American

Birth town: Gotham Heights

Current Living: Grand Avenue

Allegiance: True Neutral- Neutral Evil

Powers/Abilites:

Cursed hooded dress - Her magically cursed dress hoodie gives her many different abilities, such as below:

Flight

Invisibility

Sonic Scream - one of, if not her only, means of attack. It let's out powerful screams enough to blast through concrete and even metal to an extent. Every scream she emits is different sounding than the last; She hypothesized that the different screams it omits are most likely the screams it's collected from all of its past victims.

Life Force Draining - This ability is what helps power her Sonic Scream. It emits a different colored beam that is used to literally take the breath away of any living thing until the victim is drained completely of their life force (their breath per se), leaving them as a completely immobile, breathless husk. This, remarkably, is also collected by the cloak and stored as another victims scream to add to the ever-growing collection. This can and WILL kill the victim if not treated right way.

Medical/ Pharmaceutical Knowledge - Her family background and her Major in college has made her very knowledgable in the ways of treating illnesses, injuries, and even some knowledge in drugs/medicine. Even though she never got licensed, they are skills that absolutely do in a pinch and help with Crane in the lab sometimes.

History: Kathy Holloway was born into a wealthy family who does business selling medical technology. Perhaps not as wealthy and as influential as names like Wayne, but were still known and respected fairly well by those around them since they help contribute to some of the hospitals in Gotham. In her childhood, Kathy was determined by teachers to be intellectually smart for her age. However, she was als considered "the creepy weird girl" that her peers hated to be around or bullied her. It also didn't help that she had little interest in what other people her age liked and would sometimes get into arguments and fights with other kids. She was bothering a lot of her peers to the point that word got around and even her family couldnt help but think she was a problem child. But in response to her high intellect, they made her spend a few years of her childhood studying, then counseling at school and then taking finishing lessons at home as a means of keeping her in line and shaping her to be "normal" enough. It put a lot of pressure and hurtful abuse on her self esteem. She still wouldn't break from her usual self, but she tried her best to play along just so it could stop. When Kathy became 13, it started to feel pointless to her parents, and she was then considered "not to be bothered with anymore" and focuses on furthering her younger brother's growth instead.

Later on in highschool, it was at least a little less restricting than it was at home. Kathy was still ostracized among peers who grew up with her, but still managed to become friends and eventually a relationship with a senior year boy. However, she quickly became infatuated with him to the point of stalking him. She was caught and had a restraining order put on her, she was suspended from school for a time, which isolated her even more. She managed to graduate highschool with relatively no troubles, but as soon as she did, her family kicked her out of home, and cut her off after feeling too much shame from their failed and disturbed child. She hasn't made any attempt to contact any of them since. Luckily, Kathy had some money to her name, enough to find a place to stay, found a job at a nearby metaphysical shop, which was then when she found the cursed hooded dress that she decided to keep. When she discovered its frightening abilities, she quickly begun figuring out how it works and, taking inspiration from her favorite horror movies, uses its powers to commit small, haunted robbery's that left police and detectives baffled at how this is even happening. Gotta pay the rent and food somehow.

After a while, after finally scraping and stealing enough, Kathy uses said money to finally get into Gotham University. It was there she met Proffessor Crane, taking one of his Psycology classes. She didn't think much of him at first, but as soon as he acknowledged her intelligence and in her assignments (considering her one of his star students), how she saw how he revelled in his obsession with fear, and his phobia experiments on other people, she felt a kinship to him and his dark eccentricities and fell instantly in love with him. She would stalk him for a few months after that, trying to get his attention in any way subtle way she could. There was reluctance, but Jonathan gave in and thus begun having a relationship with his star student, albeit brief. She still stalked him, even finding out that he has taken on the Scarecrow persona after hearing how he was fired and kicked out of the school for his horrible experiments.

She continued her schooling after his attack on the University until she eventually got her masters, but continued keeping tabs on his whereabouts and activities. Even taking on her Scream Queen persona to help him out of a jam or two (much to Scarecrows confusion and uneasiness at first). She was finally caught one night when she got a little too brave sneaking into one of his secret hideouts and they found out both their identities. Scarecrow honestly thought that he would never see her again, let alone all that she has been doing without him noticing OR she was the reason behind a few of his close calls. Nonetheless, he couldnt take that risk no matter how fondly he thinks of her. But in response, Kathy insisted that as a compromise, she stay by his side and work alongside him in whatever he needed; She was more than willing to take this chance to be near him as much as she could. Scarecrow was both reluctant and distrustful at first. She knew his hideout and, apparantly, more so about him than he thought and could use it however she pleased. But on the other hand, she would've done so anytime but didnt and already said she is loyal to him (definitely stroked his ego). He definitely thought her strange abilities could be useful and knew how capable she was already. They, at first, agree to work together in the sense that they could both ruin each other at anytime, but Scarecrow soon starts realizing that they work together a lot better than he thought. Thus begun a complicated, twisted, slow burn romance that he never thought he'd get into with his right hand in fear, "Scream Queen".

Notes/Quirks:

Its typical, but she likes horror movies from all range of subgenres, but has a personal love for the ghost/haunting genre; she knows a very good amount of horror trivia; Some of her favorite directors are Dario Argento, James Whale and Wes Craven.

While in school, Kathy minored in Film/Acting because of her love of horror media and the means of producing and acting in them. Taking much inspiration from the actresses and female characters is what made her borrow the term "Scream Queen" as her alias.

While working at the metaphysical shop. She learned a few things like tarot reading from a former friend/employee of hers. She didn't entirely believe it (at least not at first before she found a literal magic hoodie for crying out loud!), but she thinks it's all very interesting to learn about.

She prefers to be called by her shorter name "Kathy" because she doesn't like her full name or when other people use it. Jonathan is one of the handful of people whom she let's call her "Kathleen".

The only family members that Kathy can say she remembers fondly or indifferently towards to was her little brother, and her estranged Aunt on her mother's side. Her Aunt being the one person she felt connected to due her Aunt also being seen as an embarrassment by her family. She unfortunately passed away when Kathy was 11. Kathy and her little brother, sadly didn't spend much time together. Her brother would be constantly away in his own schedule their parents made and was 7 when Kathy was kicked out. He doesn't remember much about her.

[idalenn]

Lillian Kyo - Lore Details

Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to talk @elliewiltarwyn!! One day I'll write my way to some of these.....someday.

Under a read more because it's, uh, long.

--B A S I C S--

Name: Lillian Kyo

Nicknames: None given, unless you count "hero" and "kit" (though that last one is a bit of a Gridanian slur)

Age: Late twenties in ARR, just considered early 30s by the end of Endwalker. Stormblood takes up a good chunk of this time. (She's a year younger than she should be: Seat of Sacrifice and time spinning out of control because of Elidibus/The Crystal Tower/the flow of time between shards cause her to miss a year on the Source. The Scions' bodies sure don't, though)

Nameday: 16th Sun of the 1st Astral Moon

Race: Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te

Gender: Transwoman. Will never outright state so

Orientation: Pansexual, though more in theory than practice

Profession: Member of the Conjurers' Guild, member of the Botanists' Guild (on indefinite, and unpaid, sabbatical). Warrior of Light and current holder of the Soul of the White Mage

--P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C  T S--

Hair: Grey as storm clouds. Starts off short and unkempt in ARR, growing to her shoulders in Heavensward where it stays that length until Stormblood where she quickly learns combat and longer hair do her no favors. Once Temulun cleans it up, it goes to about neck length. However, Lillian has no experience in maintaining the Xaela-influenced appearance, so she keeps the general shape but leaves the beads, complex braiding, and oils out. She keeps this look until her story's end.

Eyes: a soft golden hue, often called "piss yellow"

Skin: a brownish-grey

Tattoos/scars: Oh boy. Lillian's most noticeable set are the ones across her face, the edges of her face, and striping her throat in service to some purpose others can't discern - the result of attempting facial feminization before the events of ARR with a knife, a hot flame, a basic grasp of healing magic, and a book on anatomy she could barely read with diagrams interpreted increasingly wrong as the night went on. The end result was mostly a success, though.

Other than those, she collects several over time. Notable ones include burns from dragon fire, being impaled on Zenos' sword at Rhalgr's Reach, being skewered on his sword again later but - unable to pull it out - instead pulling her body away so it cut it's own way out, and another across her front from shoulder to hip in their final fight (somewhat mitigated by a timely application of Benediction)

Healers can take a lot of abuse. No tattoos though.

--F A M I L Y--

Parents: Being a Keeper of the Moon, she has no knowledge of her father. Her mother, however, taught her child what she needed to survive in the world beyond the reach of the tribe knowing the day would eventually come where she'd walk that path and explore the wide, open world. Not seen since the day of Lillian's leaving.

Siblings: Grew up among a litter of siblings in which she was the youngest of all. Hasn't seen a single one since leaving the tribe.

Grandparents: The closest person to a grandparent was her Elder Mother, whom she much respected and loved and continues to be a source of inspiration. Taught Lillian the ways of the Conjurer and of faith in Menphina and the elementals. Likely found the same fate as the tribe.

In-laws and Other: Scions count, right?

Pets: Scions count, right?

--S K I L L S--

Abilities: Being born and raised in the wilds of the Twelveswood have made her specially attuned to the elementals to the point that she's often confused for a Hearer. While naturally a Conjurer/White Mage, the events of Rhalgr's Reach encouraged her to learn from Lyse in putting on some muscle and to take on pugilist training.

Hobbies: Dancing, but moving in general. Tribe life didn't allow her much freedom to dance in general and she was never allowed to take part in the rite of passage other girls enjoyed in which they sang and danced to a certain enchanting tune. Enjoyed playing the flute while living with her tribe, but hasn't done so since leaving.

--T R A I T S--

Most Positive Trait: Will always try to seek the best possible solution to any given problem, even at cost to herself.

Most Negative Trait: The most petulant woman you'll ever meet in her worst moments; absolutely taking pleasure in your pain. Uses the idea of "the logical choice" and removing herself from emotions as a defense mechanism, simultaneously confuses the believed results of these choices with the "greater good".

The decision she makes in Ktisis Hyperboreia is THE nail in the coffin for Meteion's outlook on life.

--L I K E S--

Colors: Different shades of greys and blacks with splashes of blue. The white associated with healers and White Mages does not appeal to her.

Smells: Overpowering floral scents. Lillian uses these to keep herself sweet-smelling in place of showering (unless forced) until Shadowbringers. Also enjoys the aroma of burning and ash in small amounts.

Textures: Woolen clothing and thick, inflexible metal plates. The heavier, the better.

Drinks: Spiced strawberry wine

--O T H E R    D E T A I L S--

Smokes: Not at all. The colored smokes of Radz-at-Han are appealing at first, but she can't be around them for too long or her eyes start to water.

Drinks: None at first, but she picks up the habit during celebrations at the end of Stormblood, which becomes a bigger problem at the end of Shadowbringers as she tries to cope with being a woman out of time and seeing how much the world has progressed and how much she's lost (The resolution of the Bozja conflict, peace with those formerly known as the "beast tribes", the twins' comatose bodies being carried off back to Sharlayan by their father, Y'shtola's being taken by Matoya to better care for her, etc.) By Endwalker she's thinking about picking up a glass of water and tasting wine before she knows what's happening.

Drugs: Not a whole lot of interest.

Mount Issuance: Unicorn babbyyyyyyyy

Been Arrested: Charged with regicide and, later, heresy; they didn't stick.

---------

For tagging (apologies if you get double-tagged by me) the OCs I haven't seen yet are @zoroarkthief @viiioca @candycryptids @sylaurin @reconditerune @amalthea-felsblood @arinaxiv @dreadwyrmz and YOU reader for making it this far!

[fairyqueenfleur]

What do you think Ben and Holly’s dynamic and personalities look like?

My opinion:

Ben is usually calm, laid-back and chill and often the only brain cell left in dangerous situations. He is a good observer (in the woodpecker episode when he taught the chicks to fly by mimicking the flying poses despite not knowing how to do it himself), pretty handy and good at fixing things (like all the elves do) and a bit ambitious and a good animal tamer (I’m not sure is it the right term to use, but the successfully ride Speedy the Snail (one of the hardest to be tamed.) and forgives quickly (the elf games). But he can be a teaser (in the elf joke episode, with no ill intent), lose his temper quickly and occasionally dismiss fairies' abilities (such as magic and flying, but he learned from it and never did it as often). And talking about the “Ben’s birthday party” episode, he just asked Holly about his birthday card and either she remembered his birthday (I know the writers used that for plot purposes (reminding Holly to make Ben’s birthday card to get the episode going) but I feel that’s a bit insensitive from Ben’s side, so I would make it his flaw. And he's a bit of a power illusionist (in Superheroes when he cosplayed into Elfman, but his friends just called him Elfboy which is very humourous though)

Holly is outgoing, girly and sometimes pretty bossy. She has a kind personality and is naturally curious about everything (especially elf culture, like she always asks Ben what he’s learning at school or go to his school to experience herself). If she loved someone (familiarly, platonically or possibly romantically), she would be attached to them very much (eg: Nanny Plum, King Thistle, Ben, etc). And in my opinion, she’s one of the smartest fairies in the series (she nearly guessed Barnaby’s fairy disguise (she asked him “Have we ever met you before?” - simple to us the audience but considering how dumb the fairies are, this deserve applause). She compliments other people a lot (especially Ben). However, she is often overconfident of her own abilities (eg: her magical skills and the possibility of it going wrong), sometimes looking down on elven customs (but like Ben she fixed that quickly and may be one of the few fairies in BAHLK treat elves with respect (the other are the fairy kids and Mrs Fig)). She can be cruel with her magic when she’s angry (the elf joke day episode), and has a really scary death glare (the wand factory to Strawberry and to the Wise Wand 3000 in the new wand episodes).

I think both of them are optimistic, love adventure and cared deeply and concern for each other when one of them is in trouble, and treat each other as equals despite of class and race divisions (also deserve another applause)

Regarding to romantic shipping (when they are teens/ adults), they would fit into the “Childhood friends to lovers”, “Interspecies romance” and “Forbidden love” tropes ( considering the class and race difference, segregation and we never see a hybrid or a proper elf and fairy romance in the series )

=> Dynamic: (In the series) Very platonic and sibling-like (Ben and Holly treat each other like siblings that they never had since Ben is an only child and Daisy and Poppy are fucking hell spawns)

@columba1234

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @mysticstarlightduck and @happypup-kitcat24!

Character Profile Tag

Now, I know I just did a popularity poll for the ghosts, so you might think I'd go with the winner of that so I can hype that cast up a little more. You'd be wrong, though! I'm gonna go with the loser of that poll and hopefully let you guys get to know her a little better :)

Name:

Kaulakri Ondohuroata

Nickname:

Kri (only Nyda calls her this)

Kind of being:

Halawemavish selkie. In her aquatic form, she resembles a leopard seal mermaid creature. On land, she's more humanoid, with triangular ears, gray spotted skin covered by fine fur, and pointed teeth.

Age:

31 when she died, so chronologically... 32. Yeah, she just got here.

Gender:

Cis woman

Appearance:

Kaulakri stands at about 5'3" and is slightly overweight, with sleek dark gray hair she keeps tied back and and a generally dour expression. Her hooded eyes are a brown so dark as to appear black and surrounded by leopard seal spots. She appears as she did on the day she died, so she is dressed in warm traveling gear with a sealskin cloak over top. Her eyes are bloodshot, and her skin is clammy as a result of the illness that took her life.

Occupation:

Cartographer and ecological historian for the Yunin College of Natrual Philosophy

Family members:

Selkies don't care much for parents, instead placing far more value onto teachers. Kaulakri apprenticed to her enclave shaman when she was young and even though she decided not to follow that path in the end, she still thinks of Lishvan as how a human would think of a father.

Pets:

None, but she kept lots of plants when she was alive.

Describe their room:

Neater than you could ever imagine. Her faculty quarters at YCNP are small, but classy. The floors are spotless and the bed is perfectly made. Miniature trees and hothouse orchids line one shelf, while perhaps a full hundred books on mapmaking line another. Indeed, maps hung with an eye for precision decorate the walls. Old maps, new maps, ocean maps, and star maps. They are pops of color in an otherwise neutrally toned place. The only piece not matching with the clean, soft aesthetic is a small mantlepiece alter made from bone and leather - a reminder of another place and another life below the waves.

Way of speaking:

Very direct, very blunt. Kaulakri is polite but she doesn't mince words. She also tend to go on long tangents the moment anything to do with cartography is brought up.

Physical characteristics (posture, gestures, attitudes):

She's not a touchy person at all, and will indeed go out of her way to avoid contact. She's very mindful of safety precautions, so she'll always keep one hand on a stair railing, or wait for a cup of tea to cool before picking it up. She also has an utterly terrible case of RBF.

Hobbies:

Cartography! Not only does she love making maps, but she loves to explore new lands too, and catalog what flora and fauna she finds there. She reads about the history of the trade in her spare time and researches the new Illari field of evolution. Her other hobby is horticulture, and she has quite the green thumb.

Favorite sports:

Most people would assume that Kaulakri hates sports due to her persnickity nature, but she actually grew up doing a lot of whale racing as a kid and still enjoys it as an adult. This halawemavish sport is pretty self-explanatory - you grab a whale by the fin and hang on for as long as you can, with extra points for maneuvering them into doing tricks.

Abilities/talents/powers:

Like most scientists of her day, Kaulakri knows a few runes, but they aren't her specialty. Her only innate magic is the ability to shift from an aquatic to a land form.

Relationships (interaction with others):

Faalgun (Respects him for his experience. Sees him as a sense of order within the crew and looks to him for orders, which she follows obediently.)

Nyda (Understands that she's a brilliant scientist and wants to learn from her, but she just makes Kaulakri so incredibly angry by sheer force of shitty personality. Also, Kaulakri still hasn't forgiven her for not publishing the notes for the Burningrock Method.)

Pash (Sees him as older than he probably is and tends to judge his selfishness more harshly than the others, which is what he needs sometimes. She does enjoy his music though.)

Anarac (Not sure what to make of him, really. He gives her the creeps.)

Fears:

Kaulakri has a thing about rats. They freak her out, they're unhygienic, and they eat her notes. If she sees a rat, she'll kill it on sight. She's also not overly fond of heights. This is a more nebulous one, but Kaulakri is especially afraid of situations where she doesn't know what's going on. If she knows she doesn't have context or the whole picture, her mind gets stuck on that unknown and can't move on until it's revealed.

Faults:

She can be very judgy and unshakable in her conclusions about people. People in general, she's just not very good with. She's overly concerned with small details and can miss the big picture problems. Emotions she's basically blind to and will often assume that people can always see a situation as objectively as she can.

Good points:

While her detail oriented mind can be a detriment in some places, it's a boon in others. Kaulakri never forgets a thing, be it a birthday or a crucial detail about an enemy. She's undeniably intelligent and though she can come across as callous, all of her actions suggest a deep compassion for the world around her. Her bravery is obvious when she's able to be excited about the adventure of almost any bad situation, and out of the whole crew, her pursuit of their goal is the most selfless. She wants to map the solar wheel not for fame or redemption, but to expand the knowledge of the world for no other sake expanding knowledge for all.

What they want more than anything else:

To map that goddamn solar wheel. The rest of the crew might be fighting to get into heaven, but Kaulakri and her cartographer's heart are already there.

I'll tag @mk-writes-stuff @eternalwritingstudent @imsoveryveryconfusedatlife @wolfsbaneandotherfunactivities and anyone else who wants in :)

[wraithwars]

remake of my first post using @arisenreborn's wonderful arisen & pawn questionnaire. both characters changed enough that i felt like i had to redo this & will possibly be posting a more detailed character sheet for them in the future. <3

♛ THE ARISEN:

NAME: Valkyrie AGE: 22 RACE: Human PRONOUNS: She/Her/Hers PREFERRED VOCATION: Warfarer FAVORED GIFTS: Anything handcrafted, practical items & books FAMILY: Likely Deceased Parents, Sid (Adoptive Father)

POSITIVE TRAITS: Loyal, Determined, Curious, Willful NEGATIVE TRAITS: Reckless, Impulsive, Nosy LIKES: Exploration, Sunny Days, Learning new things DISLIKES: Uncontrolled Fires, Rich People (the self-serving, greedy kind), Goblins

1. What was their life like before becoming Arisen?

At ten years old, Valkyrie was found hiding in the recently razed village of Great Oak by a traveling merchant named Sid. She doesn't quite recall her life before, flashes of it sometimes reaching her, but whether she was repressing the memories or simply couldn't process them, she finds herself unable to stay fixated in the past. With Sid's help, she soon leaves it behind entirely and begins to forge a new path.

Perhaps it was because people knew of the tragedy that befell Sid before meeting Valkyrie, how goblins had taken the lives of his wife and son, but no one questioned the girl's arrival and welcomed her to the village with open arms. There she was raised by the community. She learned to cook, to hunt, and even to run Sid's shop while he was away. And as she grew older she developed a penchant for magic and even herbology.

By the time she was thirteen, she felt fully acclimated to her new life and even began to refer to Sid as her father. Though she still startled at the sight of flames and suffered from the occasional nightmare, she now felt safe. And for Sid, he made peace with the losses he suffered, knowing they were guiding him every step of the way as he raised this girl.

As she got older, Sid's health began to decline. Apothecaries and doctors were baffled, unable to find a cause or a cure, and as time went on Valkyrie found herself filling more of his roles within the village. By seventeen, she was running his shop full-time by day and at night, taking care of him. Were it not for the community of people helping her, they surely would have lost the shop and fallen into poverty.

At age eighteen, she finds Sid had passed in his sleep.

She shortly after relinquishes ownership of the shop to a trusted friend and leaves the village behind, unable to handle the reminder every nook and cranny held. Instead, she decides to travel like she always dreamed of and learn more of the world, hopefully finding purpose along the way.

Four years later, she finds herself in Melve enveloped in flame and a stillness in her chest.

2. How do they handle being Arisen, and the responsibilities that come with it? A gnawing preemptive guilt follows Valkyrie on her journey, no matter the amount of days that pass by. She's afraid she won't be able to save everyone, that her adventure will be packed with perilous missions and insurmountable obstacles. Despite this, she's still determined to try, unwilling to fail as Arisens before her had.

3. What are their thoughts on Pawns in general? Valkyrie only met a few pawns in her lifetime, but Sid always described them as a helpful people. Even when she loses her memories, she still holds them with the same respect she would anyone else and never treats them as less then. She even becomes a bit overprotective of them after learning how they are sometimes treated by others. Also, the scholar in her is just generally fascinated in their existence and ability to travel to other worlds.

4. What's their relationship like with their main Pawn? Valkyrie is a bit awkward with Nolan at first. She had never been a leader nor felt the inclination to be one, so when she was suddenly forced into the role it felt out of place. There wasn't much confidence in her decisions, and she felt rather guilty that he was stuck by her side.

As her confidence and abilities grow, she sees Nolan as her rock and her perfect counterpart, in fighting style and personality. He keeps her grounded, and she gives him purpose. Soon she finds herself unable and unwilling to be without him.

5. Do they have any interest in being Sovran? What are their opinions on the politics of the world in general? The idea of being Sovran makes Valkyrie throw up in her mouth, but when she sees how shady those in charge are, she's willing to fill the role if it means protecting the people. But she secretly hopes Sven takes up the mantle. Politics had never been her favorite.

6. Who are their love interest(s) and/or closest friends? Ulrika is the first friend Valkyrie had made after leaving her home, and though she no longer holds any memories of her prior to the fell curse, she still finds herself feeling calm in her presence. In the beginning, a lot of her will to move forward was powered by Ulrika's own dedication to protecting the people of Melve and her aid in nursing Valkyrie back to health.

Occasionally, Valkyrie stops by Melve solely to visit Ulrika and they often talk for hours. Ulrika is by far her biggest supporter, and their bond is only strength when she takes up the mantle of Arisen.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Valkyrie didn't really think of Sven when she first met him, the newfound role of Arisen dominating her thoughts, but after she discovers he's the regentkin she grows rather curious of his intentions. At first she's skeptical, assuming the worst and that Sven was simply there to lay out another trap for her. But as he shows himself to be genuine, she slowly lets down her guard and opens up to the prospect of being allies.

He inadvertently becomes one of her advisors, offering support and any aid he's able to provide without drawing his mother's attention. And sometimes a shoulder to cry on when she feels overwhelmed and not up for the task set before her. On occasion, she also takes the time to tell him tales of her adventures and frequently gifts him little bits and baubles she acquired along the way.

She feels very grateful to consider him a friend.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Valkyrie would be bit embarrassed to admit that she was enchanted by Srail at first sight. Initially, he had rescued her from a rampaging minotaur that had taken out her entire party. She attempted to flee and right before the strike of the club, she was yanked through a thin crevice between the crags and led to the village to recover. Though he was still posing as a traveling merchant, his untimely rescue had her flustered, something she chalked up to nerves.

The second time she meets him, she knows it isn't just nerves. While she felt like a fool for not seeing through his act, she couldn't help but see him a positive light. For one, he had believed she was the true Arisen with little convincing (the driving force behind his rescue), and then he aided her once again with information on Darragh. His helpful nature only served to amplify her captivation.

Perhaps, it was due to everyone demanding her help, yet for the first time someone had been helping her. And even when Srail later appears in Vernworth requesting her aid with a heist, she doesn't hesitate to agree, eager to repay a debt. After this event, they remain in contact, and she truly values his company.

Although she had good people in her corner, he was one of the few that didn't judge her for thoughts that often wracked her with guilt. Thoughts of abandoning her quest, letting someone else assume the mantle (they both knew she wouldn't let that happen), her developing distaste for always being the one at the rescue. He understood, sympathizing with her plight, and occasionally, he would simply offer comfort.

Valkyrie winds up developing fairly potent feelings for the thief, but fearing what's to come prevents her from taking the first step. She does let the truth slip after rescuing him from the dragon though.

(Has other important friends/bonds such as Brant and Glyndwr but that may have to be a separate post.)

7. What drew them to their preferred vocation? Do they have history with it? Valkyrie was already an eager student, so learning bits and pieces from different vocations simply came natural to her. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

8. Do they have any hobbies? Any way of relaxing between all that monster-slaying and traveling? Aside from reading, Valkyrie is an avid lover of music and sometimes will visit the pub simply to listen. She also enjoys writing, often detailing her adventures within journals and even wrote, and continues to write, a comprehensive guide on survival and fighting beasts.

♟︎ THE PAWN:

NAME: Nolan AGE: ???? RACE: Humanoid Pawn PRONOUNS: He/Him/His PREFERRED VOCATION: Fighter FAVORED GIFTS: In love with almost anything gifted to him due to never receiving any, but has a special fondness for baked goods and new armor/clothes INCLINATION: Kindhearted

POSITIVE TRAITS: Alert, Kind, Dedicated, Compassionate NEGATIVE TRAITS: Naive, Socially Awkward (often comes off as intimidating despite being a teddy bear), Self-destructive LIKES: Animals, Sculptures/Statues, Victories in Difficult Battles DISLIKES: The Cold, Sleeping in Beds, Bandits

1. What was their life like prior to being summoned by their Arisen? If he had access to the emotional range he gained after the fact, he'd say his life prior was bleak. Wandering aimlessly until an Arisen had need of him was a given. He would often travel along main roads, engaging in battles he'd happen upon with a near-unusual vigor. But otherwise, he felt positively neutral about his day-to-day.

But then he happened upon bandits. It was so strange to him how, despite it happening so long ago, it came back to haunt him just as he was slowly developing emotions. He remembered being captured and toyed with for amusement, the bandits possessing a clear distaste for pawns. And whenever he would get back up they would strike him down just as hard. If he could have felt anything back then, he thinks he would have felt fear and rage. Both at knowing there was nothing he could do stop them.

2. What is their opinion on the Arisen? How do they view their relationship? Valkyrie was the first to ever to provide him comfort, to speak to him so kindly, and support his ambitions even as they became different from her own. She was the first to drape a blanket over his shoulders, to call out his name in a worried panic and fret over his wounds while tending to them.

So it doesn't take long into their journey for Nolan to find himself entirely devoted to her. And while true in more fate-bound a sense, he feels as if she is his other half. Similar to her, the idea of being separated is not a pleasant one and she often finds herself with an imposing shadow at her heels.

The original intention of their dynamic was meant to be master and their pawn. However, Nolan feels as more of an equal to her and is treated as such. But he still feels a beaming pride at being her chosen.

3. Is there anything about the Arisen they find troublesome? Be it a small quirk or bad habit? (Or are they obviously flawless?) While Valkyrie is smart, she's not much of a planner so as battle-driven as he can be he finds himself in them before he even realizes it. He often chastises her recklessness and frequently finds himself reigning her in before she gets into trouble.

He also notices she doesn't have the best view of herself. Knowing it's something she can only truly fix herself, he still offers daily encouragements and compliments. Even if they leave her flustered.

4. What is their specialization and is there any story behind how they cultivated that skill set? Surprisingly, Nolan takes to learning Elvish rather easily. Outside of Valkyrie, his first non-fate guided friendship was with Glyndwr. The elf is one of the few that can handle his constant barrage of questions and is often met with inquiries in return. He already knew a bit of the language but practices it more intently in order to converse with his friend in their mothertongue.

5. Do they have any thoughts on the politics of the world and their place in it as a Pawn - or how Pawns are treated? Politics generally confuse and hold little interest to him, but as he gains access to a wider arrange of emotions, he does develop certain views on how pawns are treated. He mirrors his Arisen's disgust at the mistreatment in areas such as Bakbattahl and generally finds himself confounded as to where the hatred stemmed from.

He often thinks about that day with the bandits and during the coronation of the false Arisen, and he would not wish that on any pawn, no matter the morality of their master.

6. Does their journey with the Arisen change them in any significant way and how? Nolan was virtually mute before meeting her. He had no reason to speak, so he simply didn't. She helps him find his voice. There's no pressure to do so, but she often gives him little reasons, such as asking his opinion on something or simply engaging in small talk. Soon, he finds himself speaking without needing a reason, and that oddly provides him comfort.

7. Is there a reason they chose their preferred vocation? Nolan is very battle-driven and finds his biggest thrills come from downing imposing foes. And to inflicting as much damage as possible. Though a warrior may be better suited, he likes the ability to protect. (So he protecc and he attacc.) His favorite combination. Also, sliding down hills is easier with a shield.

8. Do they have any hobbies or preferred past-times? Nolan will try every hobby at least once while on his path to self-discovery, but he finds whittling to particularly relaxing and a source of pride for him as his skill increases. He often gifts little whittled creatures to friends he makes along the way. Were they to have the resources, he dreams of making a sculpture. For now though, he's content with smaller projects.

He also finds himself taking in the sights when they stop in major settlements, struck by the beauty of it. Really, he's an artist in a fighter's body. Aside from that, slowly transitioning into the more social one, he enjoys meeting and befriending new people--especially if he had no help from the Arisen in doing so.

[katetheworm]

Naud Bui Amarth

Note: hi hi hi, welcome to another part in this lovely adventure with Cefrey and Aragorn. I was planning on adding a whole other scene to this but it would have made it very long and kinda unnecessary, so here we are! I hope you enjoy and please feel free to chat or send in asks! Also! A little while ago I commissioned another piece of Cefrey, go check it out!! Reblogs, likes, comments, etc are always welcome, but please remember reblogs >>> likes Other Sites: Ao3, Quotev Pairing: Aragorn x Original Female Character/Reader Warnings: none for this chapter Rating: T Words: 3748

Part Six (Masterlist)

The morning after Cefrey and Strider’s conversation was quite eventful. Elrond had summoned many people from all across Middle Earth to discuss the fate of the Ring, and, much to the mage’s surprise, she had been invited as well. Gandalf assured her that it should not have come as such a shock since she was there, protecting the Ring from falling into the hands of evil. And while Cefrey understood his train of thought, she still was not sure what to think of it. She was simply a human, yes she was a human with magical abilities, but she rarely spoke to others and… The mage sighed. Her mind was just trying to get her out of going to the meeting, a meeting which she had every right of attending. 

Gathering herself, Cefrey rose out of bed and donned another dress that was gifted to her by the elves. This one was a two piece with an off-white chemise and a forest green cover, it had a corset like top and flowed down the sides and back of the chemise. Fixing her hair by pinning it on the sides with two beautiful elven clips, the mage took in a deep breath. This was a meeting to decide the fate of Middle Earth. Cefrey was not used to such grand undertakings, preferring solitude and the embrace of nature compared to civilization. But this was different, she decided, this was important beyond her regular comforts. 

She finally moved to leave her room, glancing at herself in the mirror one last time before setting off to join the Council of Elrond.

The room where the council was to take place had many chairs surrounding a white pedestal in the center, most likely where the ring would be placed, as well as a larger chair at one end where Cefrey noticed Lord Elrond resided.

She walked up to him as she seemed to be the first one there. “Good morning, Lord Elrond.”

The elf’s countenance shifted from one of deep contemplation to one of soft care at the sight of the mage. “Good morning, dear Cefrey. I see that you are quite early to this meeting.”

Cefrey laughed. “Yes, well it is nicer to be early rather than late, don’t you think?” 

Before Elrond could respond, more people funneled into the room, taking their respective seats. The mage bowed her head at the elf, leaving to take her seat as well. Much to her joy, Frodo had decided to sit between her and Gandalf. She smiled down at the quite anxious looking halfling, resting a hand on his shoulder to try and ease his nerves. He looked up at her, grateful for her support. 

Once everyone had been seated–Cefrey caught the eye of Strider as he sat across from her–Elrond stood and began the meeting, “Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom.” He glanced over at Frodo, nodding his head, “Bring forth the Ring, Frodo.”

The young hobbit hesitated a moment, gazing up at Cefrey and Gandalf who both gave him a firm movement of their heads, encouraging him to do as Elrond said. He stood and walked over to the plinth, carefully placing the Ring down on it before turning and going back to his seat. 

Cefrey gave him a quiet look of consolation as he sat back down beside her. A tight feeling wound its way around her heart as her gaze moved away from the hobbit and towards the tiny piece of metal before her. It… it seemed as if it was trying to speak to her, attempting to twist her morals and her thoughts into more sinister and evil things. Furrowing her brows and inhaling a sharp breath of air, the mage pushed those thoughts away. Those thoughts of power and greed, of using her magic to make all in the land bend to her will. She was stronger than that, she would not let him win.

Thankfully her thoughts were interrupted as the man with dirty blond hair that Cefrey saw the other night stood and walked closer to the Ring, “In a dream,” He paused. “I saw the Eastern sky grow dark, in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, your doom is near at hand,” The man took another step closer to the Ring, Cefrey’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Isildur's bane is found.” Cefrey glanced over at Elrond, then at Gandalf as the man neared the Ring, his hand reaching out, “Isildur's Bane…”

“Boromir!” Elrond jumped to his feet, his voice filled with rage and fear at what the man might do.

Cefrey’s hands gripped tightly at her dress. The fear in the elf lord’s voice and the desperation in Boromir’s, scared her. This evil was stronger than she could ever have imagined. And she knew at that moment that this evil ring must be destroyed, lest it destroy them all. Before anyone could do anything–or perhaps before Boromir could continue his cursed train of thought–Gandalf stood quickly, the air around them growing dark and cold as he spoke.

“Ash nazg durbatuluk,” His deepened voice caused all around him to wince in pain, the man staggering back to his seat. “Ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.”

Sighing in relief once Gandalf finished and the light returned to the room, Cefrey looks at Gandalf, her brows furrowed, emotions running haywire. Lord Elrond then spoke the very words that were running through her mind, “Never before has anyone uttered words of that tongue here in Imladris.”

The talk continued as Gandalf warned the entire council of the Ring’s evil. Cefrey understood that none could wield it except for Sauron, but decided to not say anything… yet. Boromir disagreed. He believed it to be a gift, a tool to use to save Middle Earth, to protect Gondor from harm. 

Cefrey had half a mind to stand up herself and tell Boromir how idiotic he was being, she instead tried a softer approach as she knew men like him, men that would not care to listen to others when they are so set in their ways. She sat up straighter then, her eyes locking with Strider’s once more as some unspoken words passed between them. 

“None here can wield the Ring, my lord, not you, not I, none but Sauron.” Her voice held a conviction she had never experienced before, and yet it felt right to say such things to this man. 

Boromir narrowed his eyes at her, unsure of what to fully make of this wandering mage, but still displeased at her outright argument towards him. “You are but a maiden, unaware of the hardships of life around you, why should I believe what you say?”

A certain ranger spoke up rather quickly to Cefrey’s defense and she could hear the annoyance in his tone, “Cefrey is right, Boromir, and I believe you know what she says to be true as well. You cannot wield it. None of us can.” Strider’s voice slowly lost its anger as the knight of Gondor turned from the mage to face him, a deep scowl on his face. “The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master.”

Boromir scoffed at Strider’s remark, his glare intensifying. “And what would a ranger know of this matter?” His words reflecting what he had said to Cefrey just moments before.

The mage raised a brow at that. Yes, Strider was a ranger, but he was invited to the council just as Boromir was. Once again, Cefrey wanted to speak up but was interrupted as an elf – Legolas from the Woodland realm if she recalled correctly – stood abruptly.

“This is no mere ranger.” That was interesting, Cefrey thought. “He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.”

Cefrey’s eyes widened. Isildur’s heir? Heir to Gondor? That was who she had been traveling with, who she had grown close to, trusted with her life? Her green eyes landed on his gray ones, confusion and shock laced in them. It took him a minute to return her gaze, after he told Legolas to sit and Boromir’s disdain for the ranger only grew. His eyebrows were furrowed, a look of… guilt, or perhaps regret on his face. It was not Cefrey’s business to know exactly who he was, and she understood that, but then why did it hurt her so? She had not divulged all of her past to him and there was no reason for him to do so either. And yet she still felt saddened by the fact that she only found out his true name from someone else, at a time where neither could speak to each other about it. 

Changing her expression to one where she hoped to convey that they would talk about it later, Cefrey's attention was then quickly switched over to the dwarf as he stood and smashed his axe onto the ring, only for his weapon to break rather than the Ring itself. Lord Elrond told Gimli then that there was only one way to destroy the Ring; by bringing it back to the very place it was forged. Mount Doom.

Boromir interrupted after that, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the great eye is ever watchful. Tis a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this." He shook his head. "It is folly."

Soon practically everyone stood from their seats and began arguing. Cefrey’s eyes landed on Aragorn again, a thousand words passing between them as they listened to the commotion. The mage was surprised as even Gandalf joined the fray, her green eyes widening only to fall onto the quiet hobbit beside her, his voice barely being heard.

"I will take it."

Frodo glanced at the sorceress, his countenance filled with doubt. She gave him a sad yet reassuring look before squeezing his hand and nodding. It wasn't that Cefrey wanted the halfling to go on such a perilous quest, but she also knew that anyone else–including herself–would be too easily corrupted by the Ring's power.

Emboldened by Cefrey’s encouragement Frodo stood taller, his words rising over the din of voices around them. She noticed Gandalf’s resigned look then, as he heard the hobbit too. 

“I will take it.” He took a step forward, hands clenched in a tight fist by his side. “I will take the Ring to Mordor.” The entirety of the hall stopped and stared at Frodo, looks of fear, suspicion, confusion, but mostly awe, all focused on the young halfling and his strong choice of words. Cefrey noticed his eyes go over each and every person who stood, staring at him, making his previous courage dwindle a bit before he spoke again, “Though, I do not know the way.”

A soft smile spread across the mage’s face as she stood as well, stepping forward until she was in front of the hobbit. Gandalf came up beside her, his eyes still conveying a deep sorrow, yet he did not convey it outwardly. The grey wizard spoke first, “I will help you bear this burden Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear.”

On any normal day, under any normal circumstances, the mage would much rather have simply gone back into nature, enjoying her simple life. But these were not normal times, they were dark times, trying times, and she knew that she had to help anywhere she could. She already swore to protect this young hobbit and she would not back down now. Perhaps it was because she had grown to feel rather protective of Frodo, or perhaps there was something else drawing her to do so, either way, she knew she had to. Cefrey felt, in the deepest parts of her being, that this was what she must do, in spite of the dangers, of the hardships they will all face, the stark difference from her previous life to this, she will help him. 

Kneeling down and taking his small hand in hers, Cefrey held Frodo’s gaze, a resolute look on her countenance. “I, too, will aid you on this quest, young Frodo, my magic is yours to wield.”

As soon as she began to speak, she heard a rustle behind her as Strider… as Aragorn stood as well, causing the sorceress to rise from her kneeling position and move to stand behind the halfling. Seemingly without even a conscious effort, Cefrey’s eyes landed on the ranger’s, and while his gaze was fixed on Frodo, for a brief moment it moved to her, an emotion behind his grey eyes that she could not understand. 

“If by my life or death I can protect you, I will” Aragorn walked up to the hobbit while talking, kneeling before him as he spoke again, “You have my sword.” His words echoed the ones Cefrey had uttered before.

Legolas took a step forward as well, his countenance grim yet determined, “And you have my bow.”

Another came forward beside the elf, “And my axe,” said Gimli, son of Gloin.

“You carry the fate of us all, little one,” Boromir spoke and took a step forward. “If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done.” Despite his previous misgivings, the mage felt as though he would be crucial to their journey and deemed to hold no ill will towards the man.

Cefrey smiled at the group that was forming as a thought graced her mind; perhaps this quest did have a fighting chance–

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, as out from the bushes came a shouting Samwise Gamgee as he ran up next to Frodo, “Mr. Frodo’s not going anywhere without me!”

With a glint of bemusement in his eyes, Lord Elrond shook his head at the headstrong hobbit, “No indeed. It is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not.”

“Wait!” Two more hobbits burst forth, completing the group of four halflings that Cefrey helped guide to Rivendell. “We’re coming too!” Exclaimed Merry, Pippin not far behind, much to the elven lord’s astoundment. “You’d have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us.”

“Anyway,” Pippin spoke, with much conviction and confidence in his voice. “You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… thing.”

Merry shot him an unamused glance, “Well that rules you out, Pip.”

The mage chuckled at their antics before stepping in line beside Aragorn, and with the rest of their interesting group.

Elrond’s gaze wandered over each person standing beside Frodo, a faint, proud smile curling on his lips, “Ten companions…” He nodded resolutely. “So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!”

“Great!” The youngest hobbit spoke yet again, “Where are we going?”

.

The meeting having ended, the recently formed fellowship disbanded with their respective groups to gather their things, to say goodbyes, and to prepare for the upcoming journey. Cefrey was amongst those ten companions, a fact which continued to astound her. Her, a wandering mage of unknown origins, who spent most of her life simply living, especially after all that she had been through. A woman, in the end, a simple woman who lived longer than other women she knew, who aged differently because of what? Her magic? Some outside force? It couldn’t all have been fate that created her, that led to her having such a strange life. 

The woman sighed heavily, those thoughts had been running rampant through her mind for the past few days as one strange occurrence after another continued to happen to her, around her, because of her. Cefrey rounded a corner, the trim of her dress brushing against the stone floor as she walked through the halls of Imladris. Her mind still going a mile a minute, the mage came to a stop as her eyes focused on a man just ahead of her. His back was turned slightly, but she could tell it was him almost immediately. Strider… well Aragorn as he should be referred to as now, stood a mere distance away, hands clasped tightly behind his back, from what she could see of his expression, it seemed contemplative, in a way. Perhaps he, too, was dealing with troublesome thoughts that refused to go away. 

At the sight of the ranger, Cefrey was reminded of how his identity was rather abruptly thrown in her face at the meeting just hours before. They had not been able to speak about it since, each having their own duties and ministrations to attend to, but the desire to was definitely there. At least for Cefrey it was, she could not speak for what Aragorn thought.

Approaching Aragorn, the mage clasped her hands in front of her, a few ways of broaching the topic of his identity ran through her mind until she settled on one, “I wondered why you had looked upon those shards of that forgotten sword so despondently before, and now, I suppose, I know why.” Her tone was not one of displeasure or hurt, she did not hold his secrets against him. “The heir to Gondor, and here I thought I was merely traveling with a common man.”

The ranger sighed but did not seem displeased at her company nor her comment, simply resigned to it. “That sword and those titles carry a burden I am not sure I wish to bear.” His grey eyes lifted to look into her green ones, and Cefrey could see the pain and the guilt he felt, all because of men he was distantly related to. “How can I, a common man as you say, hope to repair the mistakes made so long ago, mistakes that are coming back to light, mistakes that I feel the need to help rectify.”

“Mistakes made by men you have never met, by men that are not you, Aragorn.” The mage furrowed her eyebrows, sympathy and kindness in her face and voice. She did not understand why he carried such guilt for things he did not do. “Do not let those who came before you dictate what you will do in the future. Your fate is in your hands to do with what you will.” 

She wanted to say more, to say that she saw his kindness, courage, his empathy for others. That he could never be like his ancestors, that she knew, in her heart and soul, that he was better, and that he would change the world in such wondrous ways. But she felt that it was not her place to say such things, at least not yet. They knew each other for mere days, and she also believed that these were things he must figure out on his own, that he would not believe them yet as he has not said them to himself.

Aragorn huffed a quiet laugh, “You are wise beyond your years, Cefrey the Green.” 

His comment held some underlying meaning to the mage, he took her words to heart, yes, but she did not think that he fully believed them yet. Perhaps they should switch to other topics, she thought, ones that were not so melancholy.

“Wise beyond my years, you say?” Her tone and body language shifted to a more playful disposition. “I suppose that depends on how old you think I am.”

At that, she saw the ranger’s expression change as well, he definitely knew that she was trying to switch the tone of their conversation, but he was also curious at what she meant by that. “Is this some trick to get me to stumble over trying to guess your age?”

Cefrey laughed openly at that, “I would never do such a thing, I would never make you guess a lady’s age in such a way, nor do I think you would get it right.”

“And why is that?” The ranger questioned.

“Because… I am seventy eight.”

Aragorn’s eyes widened slightly and it was not difficult to guess why. While the Dunedain aged slower than most men, and the mage was certain Aragorn was older than he appeared as well, she was most definitely not one of the Dunedain, which made her age peculiar, to say the least. However, somehow, due to her magic that flowed within her, she was also able to age much slower than others. There was not much else she could explain as to the reasonings or the science behind her aging other than her magic. She explained as such to the ranger and he took it rather easily–in spite of his earlier surprise.

Cefrey hummed, her eyes glancing at the scenery around them before landing on the man before her once more. “We both have held secrets from one another, ones that, I hope, have not ruined what trust we have formed between us.” She placed a hand on her chest, “I hold no ill will towards you for not revealing your true identity, we both have things we wish to keep close, and I respect that.”

Aragorn bowed his head towards her, a silent showing of that same respect he has for her. “You are much too kind, Cefrey the Green, and while your kindness is your virtue, I still feel as though I should have been the one to tell you who I am, not have it be revealed to you in such a manner.”

A small smile graced her freckled features, “And your chivalry and wisdom is your virtue… Aragorn.”

Saying his true name felt right to her for some reason unbeknownst to her. Cefrey bid farewell to the ranger then, unsure if their conversation should continue even though she wished it to. As much as she wanted to simply sit and talk to him, this man she met not days before, she knew that they did not have such time to do so. There was a darkness looming on the horizon, a darkness she was afraid would soon consume them all if they did nothing to stop it.

[corcnaiism]

INSIDE LOOK TO PANDORA: DAWN OF GRAVITY FALLS

Pandora’s reign spread across the entirety of Dimension 34, otherwise known as Earth. However, due to her distrust of the human race after a civilization wiped out more than half of her creations, she minimized the chaos influence to a more concentrated part of the planet which the natives have promptly named Gravity Falls — her little corner of property she rightfully claimed as her own. This section of the dimension happened to be the most adaptable when it came to unleashing her creations, so Pandora thought it was the perfect spot for her to use as the “launching pad” whenever it was her time to shine. It also appeared to be the sweet spot that most of her “children’ enjoyed thriving in and those who wanted to live elsewhere could easily migrate. 

And what sealed the deal for her was how respectful the natives were.

It was without a doubt that the human inhabitants were terrified of her creations and all the chaos she would sprinkle in between, but they never tried to kill them off like other humans have. Instead, they built their homes away from the thick forest where her “children” resided and learned to live in unison. Things were strangely balanced for a good while until Bill entered the equation.

For centuries, the one-eyed triangle served as the biggest menace amongst all of her creations, which Pandora couldn’t be more proud of, however Bill’s actions went against The Natural Order’s laws thus forcing her hand to stop him every moment he went overboard. It wasn’t a fun thing to do, and it pained her to have to restrain him and seal him away for a time, but she hoped that one day he would learn and cooperate. 

But it seemed the humans were not too thrilled whenever Bill began causing mayhem either, so they sought guidance and strength from the god of prosperity and wisdom — offering prayers and gifts in exchange for knowledge on how to prevent the triangle demon from overtaking them. The humans were given runes and magic in order to manifest a strange, magical shield around the small town that prevents the chaos residing within Gravity Falls from escaping and lessening their aura presence within. Alongside this, they also learned how to seal Bill momentarily away using that same power granted to them, which became a ritual that was passed down from generation to generation in order to keep the triangle in check. 

Because of this, Pandora’s creations were to remain within the confines of Gravity Falls, and her other creations roaming outside were to never enter. This put a dent between her and the god of prosperity and wisdom’s bond, and there came a lot of arguments and fights because of this. Ultimately, it was the cycle of life, and not all gods were going to get what they wanted, so the only thing that came out of this was that the two gods were never going to see eye to eye, unless they wanted to grab the attention of The Natural Order but neither were too keen on that idea.

However, this rivalry was not the only thing that rendered the gods. It had also immensely affected Bill who now had two gods keeping tabs on him, one in the form of his creator and the other in the form of humans using an ounce of another god’s power to put a chain on him. It made things so much more complicated for him and because of that, Bill learned to hone his powers to where they were more hidden than before, turning himself into a dream demon where he can haunt the minds of others instead of always physically attacking them. He also picked up on making deals with humans who were foolish enough to fall into his trap and use their bodies and mind to inflict damage. It was better than nothing though he knew that Pandora would be able to catch up either way if he got too cocky, considering she had those same abilities herself. So for a long while, Bill worked in the shadows and away from his creator’s eye as best as he could while also dodging humans that knew all too well on how to keep him locked down. 

Time passed on, and the state of Gravity Falls remained the same — peace was kept by the humans and the anomalies coexisting with one another without death involved whilst chaos remained the variable that kept the overwhelming tranquility at bay. Nothing worth mentioning occurred for some long time until one day, Pandora received an alarming signal from deep within Gravity Falls that made her skin crawl.

Her “children” were being threatened again.

Not wanting to go through the same amount of blood-shed as before, the god of chaos made haste to the small town, shrinking her planetary size to accommodate her, albeit being 10ft in height. She walked amongst the planes in her true form as she found the target of aggression being directed towards her unicorns, the colorful horses chained and squealing for release. Pandora released them and set them on their way, but her attention quickly changed towards an individual who had raised a crossbow from amongst the trees.

She did not flinch as such a mundane attack could not hurt her, but she did growl and tense up to show disapproval towards the action. The individual in question wore a dark beige trench coat with dark slacks and disheveled hair. Eyes like coffee beans looked up at her behind “nerdy’ glasses, and it was obvious he was trembling in his boots. Yet he stood his ground with that weapon aimed right at her, hesitant on shooting an arrow right at her stomach. 

" I’m not afraid of you. ”

He spoke.

And Pandora laughed.

Never in her long life had a human stood right up to her and told her such silly words — if only he knew who he was talking to. But she played along, mocking him by picking him up with all of her four arms as she taunted his very appearance. She toyed with him and encouraged him to shoot her all while showing him glimpses of what her powers were capable of. Pandora had hoped to riddle him with fear enough to where he would run away with his tail between his legs, but as soon as she put him back down to the ground and allowed him to do whatever he wanted, the human stayed. Not frozen like a deer in headlights but with awe and wonder decorating his face. 

Now it was Pandora who was the one flabbergasted. 

Of course, she could taste his fear in the air, no doubt about it, but this human was more fascinated by the things he saw than afraid. He had exclaimed his infatuation with her appearance and her powers, asking her what she was, and other interview-like questions. The god of chaos could only stare in confusion for a while until she spotted something on the human’s body that piqued her interest and had her lessen her threatening aura.

He had twelve fingers total.

Two extra than normal.

He was one of a kind.

Pandora had known of humans being born with oddities, but she had never personally met one before. This was a first for her, and her attitude quickly changed to a more intrigued one as she gawked at the human like a kid in a candy store, the questions now being directed at him. But the man was more than willing to share information with her as he put down his weapon and pulled out a journal from within his large pocket, explaining to her his reasoning behind what he had been trying to do with the unicorns. 

And Pandora’s crown of eyes lit up like saucers.

This human, this strange looking man, had been researching HER creations and making a huge deal about the weirdness and chaos they bring about to Gravity Falls. This six-fingered human being had grown infatuated with her work unlike anyone else throughout her lifespan, and it made her feel . . . special. People would fear her and try to rebuke her along with everything else she had made with her bare hands, but this one . . . willingly invited her madness into his life.

What a strange man.

She liked him.

[loveaetingkids]

Buckle up folks cus me and the @skimpilydressedwithanaxecame up with a new AU- mashup of an Owl house and the Book of Life.

Here’s every characters profile:

Hexide students

(All art was done by @demonofthesouppot) Manolo- son of a famous beast tamer Carlos Sanchez

•studies in bard coven(much to Carlos charging)

•has bull palisman

•favorite pupil of La Muerte

Maria-daughter of a leader of Emperors coven General Posada

•studies in beast keeping(despite her father's wishes to see her in healing coven)

•Chuy is her palisman

•does broom racing in her free time

•favorite pupil of Candlemaker

Joaquin-son of a diseased Guard Captain Joaquin Mondragon Sr(who fell in battle against Chakal-a wild witch who opposes Emperors rule)

•studies in abomination coven;has hawk palisman

•got a pet-griffin named Plata

•competes with Maria on the title of the #1 fastest broom racer

•favorite pupil of Xibalba 

Hexide teachers

La Muerte(or Catrina,as they call her in this Au)-teaches bard magic

•uses bard and potions magic

•has puma palisman

•big history nerd,(puts her at edge with Emperors coven)

•married to Xibalba

Xibalba-teaches illusion

•uses illusion and potions(or in his case, poison) magic

•has a winged serpent as palisman

•collects curses

•married to Catrina

Candlemaker-teaches oracle magic

•uses oracle magic

•collects ancient books,befriended one(aka Book of Life)

•is close friends with La Muerte and Xibalba 

Family members

Carlos Sanchez-comes from a family of beast tamers

•uses cruel methods of domestication believing that he continues family traditions,wants to pass his mantle to his son,who’s against it

General Posada- Head witch of Emperors coven

•being close friends with late Mondragon Sr,he promised him to raise and train his son to go to the Emperors coven

•neglects his daughter and her talents

Plot summary:

La Muerte, Xibalba and the Candlemaker, as most respected teachers in Hexside, have their favorite students: Manolo, Joaquim and Maria.Seeing potential in kids,they decided to take care of them,each in their own way:Catrina helped Manolo with bard magic,teaching him how to put all his emotions into music,so that he would “play from his heart”;Xibalba,despite not having abomination magic,trained Joaquins fast reaction in combat-after all,his abilities are exactly what this morons coven needs; and Candlemaker just spent time with Maria,gushing over books or hiding her from General Posada in his library after two had fights about her coven choice.

These three teachers are often ranting about how their favorite pupil is better then other ones(at least Xibalba and Catrina do,while Candlemaster’s just chilling,knowing that Maria doesn’t need to be warped up into this;she’s the most talented witch without those competitions)pulling up their talents and making non-extreme wagers.But then it got out of hand because Manolo and Joaquin,hearing or at the very least knowing of their status as “chosen ones”, take their competivness more radically.Maria,also being aware of the case,takes Candlemakers stance thinking that it’s stupid; besides,why are these grown ups so obsessed with kids school scores?However Joaquin and Manolo,having not the best influences at home(Carlos Sanchez and General Poasada) take into their heads that in order to “get” Maria,they should push themselves harder.

Before the witch duel of sorts,Joaquin,being afraid of losing(fearing Generals judgement and Xibalbas disappointment) takes one of Xibalbas curses from his collection and uses it on Manolo,making him cursed much like Lilith did with Eda.Manolo would resemble the souls of killed bulls in the last sequence of original film,if not more humanoid.The poor boy,being scared and confused,runs away; Xibalba and La Muerte,realizing where this curse came from,interrogated Joaquin,who bust into tears,saying that he didn’t know that the curse will affect Manolo so badly.

Meanwhile,during her daily tasks at animal shelter, Maria stumbles upon an unusual monster, the like of which she had never seen. Trying to soothe the creature, she came to the conclusion that music has a calming effect on it. But before finally establishing a connection with her “new” friend,Carlos Sanchez bursts into the school grounds with orders from Emperor to capture the bull-like creature.With the screams of Manolo in grasp of Carlos,Maria runs to Candlemaker demanding to free this mythic animal.

Later on,when Catrina,Xibalba and Joaquin meet with Candlemaker and Maria,they embark on a journey to release Manolo,all the while Joaquin opens up about his insecurities,while Maria tells about how shes not the prize to be won.

During the raid of the Emperor's palace, the teachers, out of curiosity (mostly Candlemaker and Catrina,being history nerds) went to the main archive and found out that this whole idea about covens was nothing but a lie, a manipulative tactic to weaken the witches and help the Emperor rise to power.

After the break at Emperors palace was known,Carlos guarded the newly captured Manolo,and after a while,realized with drawing horror,that it was his son.Soon,Maria and Joaquin joined him,and after series of arguing,young Posada showed confused Carlos how to put Manolo at ease.After two parties were reunited,they fought the Coven’s guard,and the end,the Emperor himself(not Philip in this AU btw).During the battle,General Posada tried to shame Joaquin into joining him,threatening with estrangement,but Joaquin held his ground,and later on,kicks his butt with Maria(although he loses an eye during it;the wound is tended by apologizing Xibalba).Afterwards the battle,teachers inform Carlos and kids that the only way to subdue the curse effects is if someone split the burden:Joaquin agreed immediately,wanting to make Manolo’s life easier and apologize for cursing his friend.But then Carlos steps in. He knows that no matter how strong Maria and Joaquin are, these two are still children.So as a way to make amends with Manolo after all he had done to him,Carlos takes the mantle,returning his son to his witch form.

Yadda-yadda,the Emperor is no more,witches are free to use wild magic,Joaquin goes to live with Xibalba,Maria-with Candlemaker,Carlos quits beast taming and apologizes to his son as best as he could,learning the perks of living as cursed,and everything ends well with three main characters being in love.

[pr1ncesspopstar]

Shade - FFXIV Write 2024 - Day 15: Free Day

I cannot wave bigger "ENDWALKER SPOILERS AHEAD" flags if I tried

Ao3

-

‘This is a sick joke.’ Hades couldn’t help but think as he observed the body, the shade he held in his arms.

He should have known better, truly. It was impossible not to feel that battle as it began within the depths. Waves of aether crashing up between each clash of a blade and summoning of magic. Despite the severance of his old seat of Emet-Selch, there was little he could do to break the tie between his soul and the waves of the aetherial sea. He could feel Elea- no, Halditar (he had to give respect to her name now, seeing all that she had surpassed) was trading blows with Hydaelyn at this very moment. That shard and the one he had once called friend could not exist together.

“Did that eikon make you?” He snarled, pushing away the shade he had raced to embrace in a moment of weakness. His betrayal was so great he couldn’t help but use the word he had created to insult the various false gods created by this shattered star.

“No,” its voice was not what he expected. Have Elea’s voice it did, but more than that. Layered upon it, in languages aplenty, were the voices of others. Men, women, children and elderly. They created a strange melody of a voice. Some were oddly familiar. “I am a gift. I was made for Venat just before the sundering.”

“By who?” He demanded, as if the answer wasn’t obvious. Hate as he did to compare himself to her. Hades and Venat were very similar in one aspect. Their respect and knowledge for the wishes of one lost friend was too great to dare make some false idol in their likeness. The only one who would dare to would have been-

“I did,” Elea’s shade nodded. His skin crawled. It was one for shallow imitations like the ones he had made to fill his phantom city to believe themselves sentient. It was another to see one made by a friend in the image of herself, believing that. Then she nodded and displayed another uncanny ability that made Hades despise this creation. “I know I reflect the ancient you once knew, if that will help you feel at ease.”

“Oh, good! She filled you with as much aether as she could so you can read my feelings, too. How wonderful.” The sarcasm and venom was such a dead mix on his tongue, especially as he could hear the words echo around them in the sea of souls.

“How very hypocritical of you, ‘emperor of the phantom city.’” He held back a flinch, both from the sharp words and the shock of its knowledge. The shade had her unrestrained tongue. That was clear enough.

“How do you know about that? And more pressingly, why on this star were you made? Elea despised using creation magic without a good reason.” He demanded to know. She walked across the platform they found themselves on, meandering mid-conversation.

(A habit that hurt his heart to see recreated so accurately. Seemed she was more aware of herself than she let him know.)

“I was worried Venat would be lonely, and without support to the very end. So I made my shade to keep her company through it all.”

“That’s it? Your only reason for pouring so much aether into one shade?” Even from beyond existence, his mind still struggled to wrap around Elea’s thought process.

“Did I need a better one?” She countered. She had climbed onto the railing, balancing upon it like a child might, wandering away. Without realizing it, he followed, chasing after the pale visage of a friend he once knew. “As for why I know about the Tempest, Venat loved my gift so much she gave me the gift to see the lives of my shards. That’s why I talk like this. Whether I meant to, I’ve picked up some of my other part’s traits as my own.”

That explained the familiarness of some of those voices lost within the symphony. They were the other shards of Elea, some he had met and known. A knight that gave himself to darkness to save a princess he loved, dying at a disguised Elidibus’ hand. The whisperings of that piece of her existing in the third, clad in red and ever-humming. An abandoned child of the forest that died when they dropped that shard’s moon into the earth. Some he had made offers to, with one commonality. All refused any offer he or other Ascians made.

“Where are Hythlodaeus and Themis? They are normally with you, are they not?” Elea’s shade asked, looking around as if at any moment they may pop-up.

“They went to go watch your shards fight with Venat. Wanted to bear witness to ‘the battle legends will be made from,’ in their own words.” He truly tried not to sound so bitter over it. He was also championing the red-head, after all.

Upon her soul, he bore her his legacy, more than once now that his memory of Elpis had returned to him once his soul sunk into the aetherial sea. He had watched as she and her fellows raced down to the heart of the world, but could not bring himself to chase them further. Seeing Venat infuriated him too much, he claimed.

(“Of course that’s the only reason,” he claimed when Hythlodaeus asked if that was the only reason he didn’t wish to follow Themis down to the battlefield. The violet-haired man only smiled.

Those purple eyes looked over his knuckles, still white from how tight his fist clenched, hearing a bard’s aria echo through the sea in a voice as haunting as it had been millennia ago. He still furrowed his brow in confusion, wondering how the spells she weaved could still be so potent with only a fraction of aether. He knew Hyth would likely feel the pain still lingering on his inner-cheek from biting back a shout of worry when she had nearly been flung off a ledge by Amon’s assault.

He tried to insist once more, but when it was clear Hades would not, could not, bear to watch that soul so familiar fight, he went on ahead. Loneliness a cold comfort he had been content to swath himself in until they returned.

The phantom in front of him made him wonder if this was his curse. The existence of this phantom made him wonder if it was his curse.)

“You never listened to the words of others well enough.” Those words broke him free of his thoughts. The black mask the shade wore, Azem’s mask, was featureless, a canvas for the golden pain that decorated it so. “I can still feel you, as deeply as I did in the past, even. A skill you have still lacked to learn, to my former self’s worried expectations.”

Even then, the shade should have had no face for him to see. Yet Hades swore he knew beneath that mask Elea’s phantom was smiling at him, tight and sad. Eyes that did not exist boring into him with pity that made his pride flare on his face.

“Enough! Have I not suffered enough indignity and insults from you when you lived? Even beyond the grave, must you insist on haunting me?!”

“I haunt you only as much as you let me, sweet boy.” she tried to reach out to him, with a hand with painted nails and so painfully, endearingly small. He could remember when that hand would graze his jaw line so gently, when he would feel jealousy flicker seeing it tangle with Hythlodeaus’s hands, or Themis’ hair to straighten it. A depth of affection never afforded him, it seemed.

He slapped it way. It was warm and soft in such a fleetingly familiar way. His stomach turned in disgust. Seemed Venat’s affection for the fake gave it some extra power, the ability to feel as Elea once did. It was practically a parasite, existing still only thanks to the aether sustaining it.

“You do not have the right to call me as she once did, shade!” he shouted. Elea’s shade paused, tilting her head like an animal as she processed his action. The seconds of silence were heavy until she dropped her hand back to her side.

“Alright,” it was as if his outburst hadn’t even fazed her. Continuing on as such. “But don’t you remember? You never figured out what I was trying to say that day.”

“How could you? You were ever obtuse. Never saying things as they were.”

“I tried, I promise. To say things so others could understand. But no one ever seemed to change how they would listen. Only Hyth understood, and Themis tried. He truly did, but he was so… Young and none of us had the time. Little did we know.” Her words were heavy, yet fragile. That soft voice quaking at memories of feeling misunderstood, a sadness that washed over him from how deeply such feelings tied to this shade’s composition.

He could feel it in her heart, a tumultuous heat and coldness at odds, humiliation and embarrassment hand in hand with anxiety. The sense of walking on eggshells stressed over the wrong thing slipping out. He felt his eyes go heavy with tears, Elea’s empathy so great it moved his body, whether it moved him him. Hades could only feel conflicted. He never felt such sadness from Elea before, but feelings of this strength could only be true. How did he miss-

“You missed it for the same reason I was the only one to vote against you becoming the seat of Emet-Selch.” Oh, how he could feel his brow twitching in anger now. This shade just couldn’t couldn’t leave his thoughts well enough alone, and he doubted she would if he asked.

“And why was that, Elea? I’d love to know why one of my own closest friends thought me unfit for a position I was more than qualified for?!” He asked.

“Can you finally take my words at face value, as I have always meant them?”

“If it means you will finally be truthful.”

“Swee- Hades, I have always been truthful, especially to you. You just never liked or understood what I had to say. Ever pragmatic to a fault. Unable to understand the ways of others, why they did and think as they might.”

“Is that why you voted against me?”

“No,” she jumped down from the railing she balanced upon. He could not remember her being so… small, having to tilt his neck down quite far to look at her. He recalled someone larger, whose presence could encompass him, and words were much the same for how silently she could move.

“You have always been terribly callous and unfeeling towards others. Even those you never meant to hurt weren’t immune to that ugly part of your soul and were content to leave it unchanged. Now, I have seen through the eyes of my other lives how cruel you can truly be to both enemies and those you care for. My only regret is I did not fight harder to have Hythlodaeus take that seat instead of you.”

Each word is a dagger straight into his chest. Sharp, vicious, and making him remember the feeling of his body being ripped to shreds by her shard not too long ago. He is sure his face is red now. He can feel it burn as he towered over the shade. His robes and flesh melt as his true form tasks shape, wrapping around him in swathes of darkness as he slammed his fists down on either side of Elea’s shade. She can’t keep her balance from the force of the blow, falling, but unflinching as she stared up at him.

“You dare call me cruel?! You would think me callous after all I have done, all that we have given to save our ways?! Call me the hypocrite while you let our friends and family suffer the humiliation of being ripped apart! All they experience is being lost, aimless, and not knowing rest in this imperfect world! You terrible fake-” He hated how loud he screamed at her. Pushed to the brink by this false idol, knowing what a fool he looked like now. 

Worse as a part of him, felt a twinge of fear. A moment of realization.

Was he not acting as the shade told him Elea saw him?

Something warm touched the metal of his face. Very gentle, very familiar, nails making a gentle clack he hadn’t heard him in an amount of time that had no number. His multiple eyes focused on the figure. Hades did not know sympathy could make a stare burn as bright as anger until this moment.

“Have you finally heard me?” She asked.

His form faded back to the man with white hair that she was familiar with. His towering over her reduced him to kneeling on the ground, hands supporting his torso as he stared down. Those faintly glowing robes of the shade entered his vision. He wanted to speak, spit back words, but he knew they would only be in service to licking his wounds. No, it was his turn to do as she so often did for others. To be quiet and listen.

“It is, as you say, I was cruel, and my reasons were selfish. I will not deny the truth,” she agreed with his words. Another dagger of pain to the heart, cursing his own tongue for being so calloused and loose. Her hand grabbed under his chin, and gently brought his face up to look at that mask he only remembered, not the face beneath. “But I will not regret my actions. We both just did what we thought was right, with no way of knowing what ‘right’ really was.”

“Please, spare yourself. I always hated when you spoke so poorly about your nature.” He begged. Even after all this time, having to see her as an enemy, Hades found himself soft for Elea yet.

“But it’s true.” She said it as if that simple made it okay to say words most would crumple against. How she did not was a mystery, even now.

“... What was it, then? The real reason you didn’t join us in the summoning of Zodiark? Why were you selfish?” he asked. He could feel a weakness through her fingers, something long left behind unearthed.

“I was tired of hating myself, Hades.” There was a harshness in her voice that Hades had never hurt before.

“You said you wouldn’t lie to me.”

“I’m not.” There was a harshness in her voice that Hades had never hurt before. “I tried, I truly did try to be happy despite it all, Hades. But our culture did not love me, who I really was. And you didn’t either. You love the idea of Elea, the adventurer with a quick tongue and wild tendencies. I don’t blame you. She was so fun to play that I loved her too.”

“I desired the ability to change without worrying about the world, as the world deserved to be allowed to exist. Among our kin, I couldn’t accomplish that.” You know I couldn’t do that amongst our kin. Our kin’s perception of us as ‘prosperous’ and their belief that nothing could be better bound us in stagnation, burdening me with expectations, even if it wouldn’t have been better for me.

A blackness filled his chest, tightening in her throat, choking him up. He wanted to insist she was lying, but this despair in his gut and how his thoughts raced. He felt her aether course through where her hand met his skin. It was hauntingly cold now, dragging his brain into a mire of anxiety. He could feel his muscles tense, freezing in place while he heaved for breath to fill his lungs. Even a moment of this self-loathing was more than he had ever done across all his lifetimes. One could not lie about a pain so deep.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” A foolish question the moment it fell from his lips. He knew the answer. She did. She tried so many times to get him to see the real her, and he never did. He swallowed harshly, feeling tears make his eyes dewy. In a moment of weakness, he asked a question he had long wished he did, knowing full well he would dread any answer the shade told him. “Is that why you didn’t love me? That for all that you loved our Hyth and Themis, you couldn’t love me the same?”

“Oh, my poor, sweet Hades,” her words dripped with pity and sympathy. Her other hand came up gently to pet his hair. Those long nails scratched his scalp, how he had once hoped they might should Elea and he ever became more. “How could I have brought myself to love a man that could not love even a shard of my soul?”

The answer was so much worse than he imagined. It was more than a dagger through his heart. A wave of guilt he had long assumed he had stopped feeling wash over his soul. It made too much sense. He refused to take the small, shattered splinters of her, and treat them as dearly as he would hold them full. Especially when she was so happy they were here instead of her, and even if she returned someday, it would not be as the Elea he had known. Perhaps deep down he knew that none of the people he loved, who had been sundered, would not return as they once were. They had changed too much, for better or worse.

“I wish I could steal away all the moments you hated yourself,” he said. His voice was low now, softened by shock and truth and a realization. Elea, this may not have been, but it would be his only moment to speak with this version of her ever again. “If I could do one truly, genuinely kind thing to make up for all that I have done wrong in your eyes, it would be that. To feel and live every moment you’ve felt you hated yourself. So I could finally know the real you I lost.”

Elea’s shade moved her hands, cupping his face. He let his eyes flutter shut and nuzzled into the small palm. Such weakness he thought he would only ever enjoy with Hyth. “And I would want to do the same with you, retrace all the miles that you have, know all that you have learned, and come to do.”

“That‘s a terrible thing to want. You already know all there is about me it feels like, and the things I have done since your sundering are nothing good. Why would you want to know my place in this storied star?” He couldn’t help but scoff. Her laugh was surprisingly loud, and so warm even when weakened by sorrows of the past.

“Because you are still so dear to me! And how could I not want to know all about my friend? And from what I’ve seen, it’s a burden you’ve shouldered alone for some time. To understand it means I could better help you bear it.”

“Helpful to the last, truly. Even your shade can’t rest if she senses someone in need!” he spoke it as if exasperated, when he was anything but. Her laugh, her touch. For a moment, it slipped away that he was in the sea of souls, and this was only a phantom. It felt like home, if only for the smallest moment.

But his home was long gone, and fate saw to remind him the last hour was approaching.

Before their very eyes, the form of the shade shifted. A faint wave of aether wracking her form and then fading. She pulled her hands from his face and looked down. The faint glow was dimming, and they appeared translucent. Small motes of aether drifted off her hood, fading into the surrounding air.

“I won.” Elea whispered. Hades felt it only moments later. A massive wave, practically a tsunami of energy exploding from the center of the aetherial sea. No more could he feel the mass of aether that made up the form of Venat’s primal. This meant that anything that was not crystallized would fade.

Including that which sustained this shade for so long.

Yet, she seemed none the sadder for it. Quite the opposite, jumping up with glee and racing around, laughing and twirling at the victory far below them. “I won! Hades, I won! Halditar, and the Scions won! We’re strong enough, we’ve proved we had the strength to stop Meteion! I… I can save our stars.”

“That’s… wonderful, Elea. Your soul, she sure is something.” However hard he tried not to sound sad about it, about what he was about to lose again, it seemed it wasn’t enough. She stopped her gleeful spinning.

Before he knew it, he was nearly tackled off the edge in a hug. So rough was the embrace. A mask of black and gold sailed over the edge and into the sea, gone forever. Elea was weak, so it was easy to pry himself from her squeezing, but he certainly wasn’t happy about being nearly tumbled over the railing. Just as he was about to voice his discontent, a familiar sight stopped him.

Long, curly hair glowed the faintest ruby, as if no composition of creation magic to make the shade could hide how vibrant the inspirations’ locks had been. Her face was more gaunt than he remembered, as if she didn’t eat as much as she should. And perhaps most to his shock were her eyes. Down-turned and framed with full, soft lashes, there was no light in her gaze. Hollow, dead, and far too familiar. The way the gaze of every body he stole would inevitably look, burdened by the years of his duty as an Ascian. Whether this was how she truly looked beneath the mask, or how her self-loathing made her see herself, he wanted nothing more than to hold her.

Something he would never get to do again after this moment.

“Be good.” The many-voiced shade told him.

And she was gone. Disappearing into several balls of light that drifted around him. All the memories she had been made of and collected, gone. The duty she had given herself, complete.

Hades felt so much at once. Anger, despair, loss, thankfulness. Too much to sort, as his eyes welled. He refused to cry yet and wiped the tears away, especially knowing now that Hyth and Themis would return to rave about Halditar’s success. He refused to let them see him crying.

He had all the time he needed to mourn and recall the version of his past friend. For now, he was to look ahead, and hope that the one he had championed… his friend, could succeed where they had failed.

-

Hello! I normally don't do this but I am putting word vomit here because Cheese and Crackers, I wrote so much of it and I am not just going to leave it on Ao3!

Through much analysis I feel it it safe to say hades was not a good person. While he could be pushed to do kind things, it did not take much to push him to act unkind in turn. Many of nastiest and cruelest acts the ascians can be traced back to that we know of for now are his work or work he was involved it. Pairing this with how he remembers Amarout it's safe to say everyone's favorite grandpa has the biggest rose-tinted glasses of anyone we've interacted with so far in regards to anything, expect maybe Sphene (but that's a different and much more existential can of worms we aren't talking about rn.)

I couldn't help but want to play with that in the way I paint his dynamic with Elea. They love each other, they really do and they want to love each other more. But Hades has his head shoved so far up his own ass he cannot see any of his flaws that are very apparent to Elea, and I think she had the foresight to know interacting with him in any romantic way would have only hurt her more than he already had in different ways in the past. They genuinely believe being apart is the best option, and for then it was. Elea had hoped with time, Hades but sadly he just could never live up to her most simple, human expectations of him. He had to die to finally grow, after proving Elea's point of his cruelty by torturing Halditar and giving her expectations he would have never allowed her to meet, never intending to judge her fairly.

Also how I interpret the shard's of Elea soul, I wanna talk about it. Basically it is a 'both are true at once' deal. Halditar both is an is not Elea. Elea both is and is not Halditar. The Ascian's SAY Halditar is lesser than Elea for being a fraction of her soul, but they are wrong. The only thing that is different between them are their circumstances and their power, and this goes for ALL of Elea's shards, Ardbert, the voidsent for the reaper class, whatever the fuck happened to the one in the Nineth. All these souls carry sort of core 'tenets' they tend to abide by. Curious, explorative, empathetic, a touch stupid in weird ways, so on. All these things are what the soul that happens to be called Elea by the Ancient possessed. Removing bits of that soul maybe creates a small imbalance towards one aspect or another, but nothing drastic enough that renders the soul unrecognizable to the eyes of an Ancient. It is circumstances around those factors that shape how the personality manifests.

It's why Halditar would be both Venat and Elea's favorite shard and the one that is most worthy of carrying Azem's Crystal, because Halditar is everything Elea wanted to be and more. She's worked for and found happiness and freedom to change herself and even her fate. She's free to love, free to roam a wonderful world, she can be light-hearted and serious. She is the proof Elea would have wanted and needed to see to know it would all be okay. She would love herself someday, she'd find the 'her' she always wanted to be and would prove she had a right to exist and live. One comparison I can give is imagine you have a beautiful, huge raw diamond. The only way to cut the most perfect diamond is to slowly but surely work through it to reach the center, and at the end cutting the most beautiful, stone you've ever seen from it. Something that could have only come from refinement upon refinement. That was the process that made Halditar.

Also slightly more derailing I did not realize until writing this how much Elea and Hermes would have gotten along in their ideologies and philosophy of what made Ancient society pretty shit. Shame it manifested in entirely different ways!

Also random list of songs I associate with Halditar/Elea and Emet-Selch: Change Your Mind and Love Like You from Steven Universe. Running Up that Hill by Kate Bush. Through Patches of Violets by mili.

Thank you for reading the word vomit.

[shiawasekai]

10, 13 and 19 for Nela!

Dujour, thank you for these!

10. How does their ancestry (race) play into their class and mythic path - do they overlap, or what dynamic is created from that combination?

Now that's a fun and complicated question right there with enough layers I'm not sure I can't comprehensively take them.

It may seem, from an outsider's perspective, a completely logical outcome for the aasimar to become an angel. Of course, how couldn't it not! But, as far as Nela is concerned, reality is far more complicated than that.

In short, she resents being an aasimar. As far as she's concerned, it's something that has only brought her grief from early childhood. And, as an emberkin, that resentment has fed her darker side in the past and led her to make very questionable choices.

Becoming an angel was, ultimately, the lesser evil, but it wasn't something she desired. And yet, becoming an angel is a positive experience for Nela if viewed strictly through the lens of her troubled relationship with her own race.

First, because it's validation. She finds success as an angel, gains the respect of the Hand of the Inheritor, all whilst being herself. She spent her entire childhood being judged and decried for not fitting people's ideas of who she was supposed to be, and yet actual celestials accept her as part of their own wholeheartedly.

There was nothing wrong with her all along. They were seeking fault where there was none. She was fine, she's fine.

Second, this is completely MY take on it but the Angel powers counter the Fallen Angel ancestry in her. The horrible intrusive thoughts that had been a constant in her life, better or worse but never gone, are no more.

Third, due to her very, very troubled relationship with her aasimar ancestry, she is actually glad being known as an angel is overwriting it. It's hard to say which of physical traits she develops over the game come from being an angel, and which are derived from her aasimar bloodline.

And most people don't know enough about angels to know there is something off about her, they only see a celestial. Nela the aasimar is no more, there is only Nela the angel.

Due to all the aforementioned reasons, and the fact that albeit somewhat subconscious this was a choice she took, that's an identity she feels a lot more comfortable in. It's one of the reasons she stays as an Angel instead of going Legend.

Her body image issues are a different, albeit partially related, matter. So I'll leave that aside this time.

13. Which mythic abilities/spells would be iconic to them, and was it their preference or did they prefer something less iconic?

As I've mentioned before, Nela is strong but what makes her terrifying is the ability to make others exponentially stronger. In that sense, I would say Angelic Halo would be the most iconic: capable of reducing the enemies' spell resistance and damaging them, giving her allies elemental resistances and higher AC simply by being besides them.

It may not be the most powerful part of her mythical kit, but I feel it's what symbolises her strengths the most.

She is more proud of her mythic magic, and that's in a way iconic in its own right. However, I'm almost certain no few people associate her magic with that holy empowering aura even when it's an altogether different thing.

19. What is their favored weapon(s) or spell(s), and why?

For this topic, I'm leaving aside the ludicrous amounts of buffs she uses between her arcanist spellbook and the angel spellbook, as I would hardly call any individual buff "favoured."

I would say Sirocco and Storm of Justice. Sirocco has some strange synergy with the Angel kit. Sword of Heaven's maximized dice apply to every hit so Sirocco does quite the substantial damage for a spell that's sustained and unavoidable. If it manages to knock down the enemy they would be trapped there until they died. Quickly.

Storm of Justice is... So much damage against demons. So much. Why use anything else.

[daringdoombringer]

HI HELLO YES HERES A RESURFACING CHILDHOOD MEMORY THAT IM OBSESSING OVER AGAIN!

During my last Power Rangers hyperfix (when i was 11-13 maybe?) I made a team called Power Rangers Jungle Thunder. As far as I know, it never went past the initial concept besides doodles on my school notes, as I didn’t know how to draw humans at the time.

Brace yourselves because this is a very rare loooong text post from me.

So here’s everything I remember about it along with some new stuff me and some buddies came up with!

Jungle Thunder was basically a cross between some of Megaforce’s mechanics and the ranger colors along with Jungle Fury’s theming. The Ranger’s attacks were likely magic based.

Their headquarters was this massive temple shrine ish place deep inside a distant jungle.

The colors and Zords were as followed: Red Jaguar, Blue Cobra, Yellow Macaw, Pink Cheetah, Black Lemur. They were kept in what was basically the temple’s backyard/back garden?

The bad guys were this reptilian ailen race called the Sintonians who understandably trying to take over Earth like every other Power Rangers villain. They interestingly used the traits and morphing energy of past Ranger teams to make each episode’s bad guy. The main antagonist was this dude called Lord Fury who I don’t remember a whole lot about. Other than he was blue.

The sixth ranger was this nonhuman White Ranger, who the team affectionately nicknamed “Buddy.” I forgot what animal he was, but he was created by the Sintonians to attack our heroes with. Of course, they end up befriending him. He had feral form that I’m struggling to remember how it worked, if any?

And the Pink Ranger’s name was Emmie. That’s the only one of the human Rangers whose name I can remember.

Ok. That’s all the original stuff 12yo Daring came up with. She got the concept down, now it’s time for all all the new juicy lore and tweaks. :3

The mentor/sensei character is this tree/dryad deity called Mother Gaia. (Kinda basic but it’s what me and the squad on discord decided on) She’s rooted to the center of the temple (name of said temple still pending) and is very curious about modern humanity, as she hasn’t seen humans in over a thousand years. Also she’s like a mom to them because I love found family dynamics ok

Another supporting character will be Esteban, a jungle spirt who is essentially Mother Gaia’s assistant. Basically Alpha-5’s role compared to Zordon. Don’t know what he’s gonna look like yet, but he’ll be a big help to the Rangers by teaching them their new abilities.

The Zords are pretty interesting.They all look like normal animals apart from the fact their eyes are their respective Ranger’s color. They’re actually the Spirt Guardians, who were sent by Gaia to find the Rangers. Each animal can transform into a giant Zord upon their Ranger’s command. Makes the back garden thing much more manageable if they’re not always giant robots.

If Jungle Thunder were an actual show, there’d sometimes be bumpers before and after commercial breaks with cool jungle and animal facts. :)

Buddy will likely have a basilisk or some type of reptile as his animal, being able to run really fast and stick to walls. Basically he’s the fucked up cryptid the team ends up adopting and I love him.

Ok. so here’s what I have of the lore and basic gist of the first episode. It’s still a wip so bear with me here✨

Long long ago, an ancient civilization in the jungle worshiped Mother Gaia and the Spirt Guardians. All was peaceful until Lord Fury (another deity) attacks, as he was very jealous that he wasn’t getting any attention. Gaia, Estaban and the Spirt Guardians managed to seal Lord Fury away deep underground, but not after he and his army had driven away and destroyed most of said civilization in an intense battle. The jungle itself had to be sealed off from the rest of world so Gaia could maintain the sealing spell that kept Fury at bay.

Fast forward to modern day. (dunno if it’s gonna be in 2024 or mid 2000s)

The Sintonian aliens land on Earth looking for a place to stay, and find the chasm in which Fury had been sealed. They make a deal with Fury, agreeing to follow him in exchange for their services, as they knew how to harness Morphing Energy. This pleases Fury greatly, as he may have a chance at getting vengeance on Gaia and humanity.

Gaia gets news of this and sends the Spirt Guardians to find five descendants of the past civilization with pure hearts to be the next heroes. Unbeknownst to five midwestern college students on a hiking trip, their lives are about to change. Their names are Reno, Isiah, June, Emmie, and Braxton.

The Jaguar Guardian steals the soon-to-be Red Ranger’s backpack. They are led by the animal guardians into a cave that is later how they get to and from the jungle. They meet Mother Gaia and Esteban, who explain the whole situation. After learning they were indeed not getting sacrificed, they agree to serve Gaia and protect humanity. Anything to get away from student loans tbh.

Spirt Guardians proceed to beam spiritual power into them via a ritual. Totally not trauma inducing at all. This power is how the Rangers morph, or are alerted to any of Fury’s shenanigans via Gaia’s telepathic power.

After some more debriefing from Tree Mother and her son, the newly formed Rangers get an alert. The Sintonians are terrorizing the local park in their generic midwestern town. The Rangers suit up and use their super cool new magic powers to kick some butt! :D Hooray!

Ok. Wow. That was a lot of words.

There are still some holes and other things I missed but that’s pretty much everything! It’s always so fun to find something I made as a kid and breathe new life into it! As if I didn’t have enough Ocs already :’) will soon be thinking of everyone’s designs.

That was a certified DaringDoombringer infodump about a nostalgic childhood interest. Thank you for reading and have a good day!

[our-reality]

ok im so so so tired and physically cannot draw new art for them but RUBY AND JAVA MASTERPOST BABY!!!!!!!!! (for @smallartistocbracket)

uhhhh im actually not sure what im supposed 2 put here but wtv. uh

ig ill talk about ruby first

full name: ruby kitamura

age: 19

height: 5'8"

gender/pronouns: cis woman, she/her

orientation: panromantic asexual

race/ethnicity: asian, japanese

spark color: coral pink

personality: she's extremely friendly and bubbly, she loves talking to people and can make friends with pretty much anyone she meets. she's also particularly caring and patient, even to the point of self sacrifice. she especially prioritizes her relationships with her family and her girlfriend (who i'll talk about later) and she loves them all so much i cannot emphasize enough how freely she loves. she definitely perfers being close to people and it can come off as her being in your face all the time which. is somewhat true but she's very kind and respects boundaries when she needs to!!! she's also absolutely a romantic and she always sticks to what her heart tells her to do

relationships: uhhh she has a big ass family!!! she has 6 other siblings (ivyn, natsuo, rain, akira, paul, eve) and a mom who loves them all very much <3 she just has to work a lot in order to provide for them all but they make it work!!!!!!! mostly because ruby's like a second mom to all of them <3 uh she's also very good friends with python and swift. who are gods (ish)!!!!!!!!!! so that's pretty epic. she's a bit closer to python than swift since she more frequently trains under python but yeah :o) and then of course she's girlfriends with java!!! their relationship means everything to me

notable abilities: uh under my magic system she's an averager, which basically means she's born with a higher intelligence than most people!!! she's also trained to use a bo staff in combat and generally does extremely well with close quarters fighting that's epic

other: she has adhd cuz projecting and used to be a full time gifted AND sports kid whadda hell. she played tennis and volleyball and still knows how to play them pretty well!!! she has some trauma as well but we don't talk abt that ❤

and then java's next or smth

full name: java collins (also goes by aerith or cosmic sometimes)

age: 21

height: 6'2"

gender/pronouns: trans woman, she/her

orientation: demiromantic demisexual lesbian

race/ethnicity: white, ambiguously european

spark color: denim blue

personality: much more laid back and sheltered than ruby. she very rarely chooses to talk to new people, and if she does, it can take a while for her to really come out of her shell. when she does, though, she's very easy-going and sometimes sarcastic and absolutely loyal. no matter how much of a mess she may be she can and will stick by the people she trusts through thick and thin. she's also much more of a realist, choosing to analyze things from an objective point of view rather than sticking to any one ideal.

relationships: unlike ruby, she tends to prioritize her relationships with her friends over her family. and that's because her family life is kinda shit oops!!!!! won't go into full detail here but she actively resents her father and is not on good terms with her sisters so we're not going to worry about that. but uh instead we're gonna talk about her friends WOOOOO!! she's also friends with afformentioned gods python and swift, except this time she's much closer to swift and lowkey doesn't like python for a while lol </3 but she's also got her best friend from teenhood c+ and tumblr mutual requiem that she goes through weird ass shit with that's awesome (c+ and ruby also know each other btw). and finally like i've said there's her girlfriend ruby and they are so so so madly in love and they make each other better and oughfjdkelah(×[#&=(÷;

notable abilities: she's an averager just like ruby, but she has a bow and arrow as her signature weapon (get it. bo staff. bow and arrow. this was intentional). and as you might've guessed she's more so a long distance fighter which mean that they cover each others weaknesses that's so awesome

other: she's autistic which is also me projecting and also means ADHD AUTISM SOLIDARITY BABY!!!!!!! she's also an artist on tumblr and like. an influential one at that what the hell. she collects art supplies and is a scary jokes + idkhow fan and she also has trauma go figure (if you decide to follow me. which you totally should cuz im sexy like that. all my ocs have issues LMAO)

AND IF I NEED TO ADD ANYTHING MORE I WILL!!!! THIS IS A SKELETON OF A MASTERPOST BUT HOPEFULLY THAT'S NOT AN ISSUE LOL okay bye

[wixelt]

...that thing about players adapting and Anne as the Grimm Reaper got me thinking

Players aren't just effected by their environment. Think about Doc. His drocs were incorporated from fan design, his horns were incorporated from fan design.

A simmilar thing can be said about Rendog's ears. How often do creators add lore pieces to their skins?

Players are very close to deific, even if they have no divine power. They're affected by belief and what is believed about them. Appearance, power, tendencies

Decisions.

The Calamity trio are all probably going to become players. By the time they leave Amphibia, they're probably already at some between stage due to their tutaliges in player magics. They are that much closer to immortal.

So as time goes on, the three main species of amphibians begin to form hero cults to their respective saviors,

The girls had all gained tendencies of their foster races from their stay so nothing is really notices at first, but maybe the girls start getting unnatural highlights in their hair. Maybe Anne can never keep things from getting stuck in hers. Maybe Sasha starts having hers glow and heat up and blow strangely even without wind. Maybe Marcy's gives way to white almost-fur.

Maybe their eyes start glowing an odd color again. Maybe some powers they never expected to get back begin returning.

After all, of the things you let go, you'd be surprised what makes it's way back to you.

But maybe that's not all. Maybe the frogs talk about how good of a Gaurdian Anne will make. About how they know what she'll choose, she simply can't help it with how big her heart is. Maybe they start praying to her because maybe she's already up there, looking down on them and listening.

And maybe that belief becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.

Reaper Anne's her own AU by @wolfinshipclothing that I highly recommend for Amphibia fans. They're really good & absolutely worth a read, but i'm not going to appropriate their ideas.

As for everything else in this ask, though...

Players - as you say - are born partly of not just their environment but also perception. Like some divine beings - though only some players are divine, they definitely border on higher states of being - players self-actualize, their looks - beyond the skin deep aspect of changing clothing - & abilities shifting based on others' views of them & how they in turn view those perceptions.

Doc's the iconic example (though Ren & Stress are also apparent), his form having been augmented repeatedly over time as he chose to embrace perceptions others had of his achievements. That said, something like his robotic prosthetics do not fall into this category, being compensation for getting nerfed after a certain battle he came out on top in.

As may be clear, these changes are only usually by will of the player themselves, & the influence of outside factors can render unexpected alterations, as they would to any non-player.

Regardless, the effect of belief on a player is a cycle. Ideas gain traction - usually factual but sometimes imagined - & if the player chooses to embrace them or is forced to take them on, that change is actualised & feeds back into the belief.

And as their initial adventure in Amphibia draws to an end, this is something Anne, Sasha & Marcy start to learn first hand.

Though the mechanics aren't entirely understood - & the exact final circumstances that led to it for each girl are for now not something we'll touch on - the trio are on the border between non-player & player.

Players beget players, to a certain extent, & each teen's had several Hermits tutor them in one aspect of player skill or another (False's combat for Anne, Scar's magics for Sasha & Mumbo's redstone for Marcy, to name only a few). Past a certain point, those skills become inherent. Ingrained. Something they draw on as easily as breathing.

And around them forms everything else a fledgling player inherits.

The day Anne - months after the invasion - accidentally drops one of her tennis rackets into a weird pocket space & realizes she's "grown" a player inventory is deeply startling for her.

She'll focus on that for now, though - as will Sasha & Marcy.

She isn't quite ready to comtemplate the ramifications of possibly being immortal.

Besides, there's much more to think about in the meantime.

The "hero cults" aren't straight up divine worship. The people of Amphibia recognize these three girls - though their saviors - are not gods. They're mortal - even by the Hermit definition - & flawed. So these "cults" are more a societal idea formed from the gratitude of the folk they saved. A pervasive perception of Anne, Sasha & Marcy that remains in public consciousness. Not idealized, but still given a place of respect & admiration.

And though this doesn't halt physical aging until the girls are much older - actualization is a choice even if its subconscious at times & I imagine the girls would want to grow up - the girls do see the reverence they earned as heroes begin to impact their existence as they take on the mantle of "player" & their forms become malleable.

Things such as the quirks of a given amphibian race are brushed off, at first. These are expected when you spend enough time immersed in a culture & there's a good chance the girls would've picked these up anyway. Regardless, they never really go away.

But Anne does start to notice things, after the initial startling & getting corroborating incidents from Sasha & Marcy. The way she always has leaves in her hair, as when she tries to remove them they come back in similar spots no matter where she is (she barely notices them anyway, as if they're not even there). The way her eyes seem to develop a permanent fleck of blue that grows or shrinks based on her mood, matched by a very subtle highlight in her hair.

And if it wasn't for her opting for sturdier footwear now, she instinctively knows she'd be losing a shoe every other day.

Sasha likewise develops marks of pink in her eyes & hair, & Marcy green. Sasha's hair pulses & dances at times - usually when she's upset or angry - as if driven by an inner fire. Marcy's may or may not develop that highlight of white-ish fur alongside the green (I like the idea, but you'll have to explain the reasoning).

And then, of course, their calamity powers.

The circumstances of the Guardian's "test" are up in the air for now, but coming away from the invasion, Anne notices the power the trio gained in those final moments has - while waning - not entirely faded.

With their new immortality & other factors at play, the Guardian wasn't able to get the successor they wanted, but regardless of whether it was direct intervention (remember what I said about outside forces) or something they simply allowed to happen, these abilities are here to stay, now an ingrained part of their self-image as players.

Because of the things they lost or chose to let go of, they can think of worse things that could've come back around.

Anne decides they need to consult the Hermits over this, & Gem especially in regard to their powers. She's probably the closest match to what they now have, after all.

And as I implied, the circumstances of the finale may not lend themselves well to the Guardian having the ability to easily pick a successor. That said, given the way the offer was presented & shared, is it any wonder at least some of the traits espoused find a genuine place in Anne's outlook going forward, actualization or not?

Because Guardian or not, Amphibia's always going to have someone looking out for them. :)