#so could just be residual Magic left in my brain lol

[keeps-ache]

who even wakes up at this hour!!! [<- is awake at these hours]

[thestarseedvisionary]

Get To Know Me: Mystical Version 👽 🔮

I decided to type up a little questionnaire so you guys can get to know me better and then we can tag and pass this around for others to do so we can get to know each other and connect more! ♡ This questionnaire is for Starseeds, Lightworkers, Witches and any other mystical folk 🌙🌟

1. How did you discover that you are a Starseed/Lightworker/Mystical soul?

For basically all of my life, I was interested in the stars, far reaches of space, aliens & UFOs, obsessed really. I always had a spiritual aspect to myself as well, but it wasn't something I understood very much. I got on Tumblr and found a large community of alien/UFO enthusiasts and felt comfortable enough to make my first alien/UFO blog. One day I came across the concept of starseeds and everything clicked for me. I finallllyyyy understood myself so much more! I then had a very intense spiritual awakening involving a astral projection experience in which I left my body and this dimension entirely. I've been on this ride ever since!

2. What star/elemental species do you feel connected to?

Sirians, most of all, but I also have ties in Orion, Arcturus and Lyra (Vega, specifically)

3. Do you feel like you know what your soul mission is or have inklings of what you're supposed to be doing in this life?

Not 100%, honestly. I know that I'm here to help awaken humanity and raise the collective consciousness, but in other areas, I'm so lost! But I know I have big things to do here.

4. Have you ever astral projected or had a lucid dream?

Yes, and I've had some pretty crazy experiences! All of that started after my initial spiritual awakening and it's been one of the most validating experiences of the entire thing.

5. Where do you believe we go when we die?

Back to Source, back to our home in the stars. A place so vast and peaceful that our human brains really can't fully comprehend it.

6. Do you believe you have had contact with an extraterrestrial or any other supernatural entity?

Yes. This includes Greys in my childhood and my spirit guide, Nael, now. I've also seen extraterrestrials in dreams and astral projections.

7. Do you believe in and follow astrology?

Yes, absolutely. Astrology has been one of the biggest influencing factors when it comes to my celestial spirituality. It helped me to understand myself more fully and brought all the pieces of my puzzle together.

8. Do you regularly meditate?

No, actually. I find it incredibly hard to meditate most of the time. My wandering mind is way too much for me to silence, but I do find other creative ways to meditate and find my center, like showering, painting, listening to music, etc.

9. Would you consider yourself to be an empath?

Yes, and no. I think I have more control than other empaths when it comes to switching that part of myself off. Sometimes, it's incredibly overwhelming and other times, I don't feel much at all. I don't know that I would consider myself completely empathic.

10. What are your zodiac signs?

Pisces Sun, Aquarius Moon, Libra Rising.

11. Do you believe in our ability to change and create our own reality?

Yes...and no. I do believe we have an incredible ability to manifest, but I also believe that some things in our reality are just pre-destined. I really do believe in fate.

12. Do you dabble in any divination practices?

Yes! I'm an oracle/tarot reader and I feel like that is a part of my mission on earth, to help people through divination. My Sun in Pisces really shows this, I think! On top of reading for others, I read for myself all. the. time. and it's the way I can most accurately communicate with my spirit guide, Nael.

13. What about magical practices?

I do consider myself a cosmic witch now; I used to not. But I found that I was always doing things like rituals for the moon and it's phases and other things of that sort, so I could no longer really deny that I am a cosmic witch. As a child I had been interested in witchcraft and that fell away for a while, but now it's back for me! I don't go all the way out though, mostly following the moon and the stars and harnessing that energy where I can.

14. What do you think about concepts like extra dimensions, parallel worlds, etc?

I definitely believe in extra dimensions and I'm really intrigued by quantum physics, astronomy, cosmology etc. The Universe is ridiculously expansive and infinite so I think there is a whole lot going on that we don't yet fully understand.

15. Do you believe in ghosts, spirits and demons?

Ghosts/spirits, yes. I've had a lot of different experiences with that realm of the strange and my honest thoughts about it is that a lot of it has to do with residual energy, but some instances are definitely conscious contact. I choose not to believe in demons because the belief fuels and feeds what I believe is a conscious parasite created by overwhelming negative human energy. I don't have experience with demons, nor do I want to.

16. Have you ever had sleep paralysis?

Yes! Many times, actually. I've had a range of scary to good experiences when it comes to sleep paralysis. It's not always a negative thing!

17. Have you ever had any contact with your spirit guides or guardian angels?

Yes, I know one of my spirit guides pretty well. He told me his name is Nael (not quite sure how to pronounce this even still) and he is a 6th Dimensional being from the Sirius star system. In my experience, Nael is actually an alternate dimension version of myself that aids me in my earthly life. I think of him as a separate entity but at the same time understand that he is essentially my higher self, or a version of it. Hope that makes sense!

18. Do you believe in conspiracy theories?

Yes, quite a few of them. Some of them are much too out there for me, like the flat earth theory. But I definitely believe the government knows about and hides the truth of the existence of extraterrestrials interacting with our planet. I also believe that the government has done and continues to do some pretty fucked up things. I could go on about this for days lol.

19. What triggered your spiritual awakening, or was it something always within you?

So, for me, it was a little complicated. I always had this knowing that there was more to life than what immediately met the eye. I always knew I had and was a soul and that there was something after death. But, I went through phases of atheism and trying to ignore that part of myself. I had always been obsessed with space and aliens and came to figure out in later years that I've probably been abducted by aliens. It never once occurred to me that there could be anything spiritual behind that. I was also always very interested in the afterlife. All of this culminated in one day, about 5ish years ago, when I sat down and randomly watched the documentary DMT: The Spirit Molecule. As cheesy as it sounds, this is what triggered my awakening. The blending of science, something tangible like this substance found within the human brain and nature, and the spiritual realm really opened my eyes. I had always been very scientifically minded and never could make those connections between science and spirituality. As I listened to the experiences of the people within the DMT study, tears filled my eyes. They spoke of strange and wonderful alien dimensions and communication with entities. And it was possible to say why, because of the most potent psychedelic drug known to man, and it's found in our BRAIN. While it is not 100% scientifically confirmed that DMT lies in the brain, it has been found in the brains of rodents, and I have my own theories and proof as to why I do believe it is within the human brain as well.

At the point that I watched the documentary, I had already been tiptoeing into this spiritual life. I had already come across the concept of starseeds here on Tumblr and started to wonder. Everything made complete sense to my life but I still resisted claiming the title of starseed. Hearing the truth about DMT, extra dimensions, the entities people experienced and what can only be explained as a much different afterlife than I had previously imagined, nothing else could be false in my mind. If the Universe is that expansive and multidimensional and I'm a part of it and can access those dimensions as well, I could no longer deny my reality of being a starseed.

Not too long after, I had my first real endogenous DMT experience, triggered by conscious intent. This experience occurred within deep REM sleep paralysis that I achieved by sleep deprivation. I had done a bit of research on this and heard this was a way to cause astral projection. I stayed up for a little over 24 hours and as I was falling asleep, repeated a mantra in my mind that I would have an experience during my sleep. I went to another dimension, that much I am sure of, and that is basically where this all began for me.

20. What is the biggest spiritual epiphany you have had during the time you've been awake?

For me, the biggest realization was understanding why I am the way I am. Coming to terms with the person I was meant to be and embracing that despite thinking it's weird or too out there. Not only that, but fully understanding my life and the bigger picture of it. Why things happened that way, why that person did that, and how I ended up to where I am now. And not to mention, the complete validation of all the deeply held beliefs I always had involving the strange nature of reality, and finding out it is far more fantastical than I could have imagined before. Knowing deep within my soul that my spirit will not die on this earth and will go home back to where it came from, the place I often times feel homesick for. That my loved ones and I will never be separated even after leaving our physical bodies. Realizing that I'm one with the Universe as we all are. And that we have so much good to do here. ♡

Okay, guys, your turn! I tag ANYONE who wants to do this! Tag me in the post you make and then tag all your mystical friends! Go here for the unfilled questionnaire!

[furederiko]

Countdown Counter: 10. Kyuranger 39 is calling for a Hero, in order to save a 'Princess' in need! It's my first post for December 2017 too...

- Can't believe it's December already! As in, there are only 2 months left for us to enjoy a rollercoaster ride with Kyuranger. Aaaaawww... -_-. This recap-view was initially planned to be the final post of November, but evidently so, that's not the case. Well, things tend to run off track every now and then, and delaying this one eventually became a conscious decision. I DID watch the episode when it aired last week on November 26th, but I've decided to wait for the fansub in order to get a more accurate view. And I have only been able to catch the subbed version this morning, due to health and internet. - Last we saw the Space Rebellion, the team was divided into two. Tsurugi/Xiao led one half to clear out the wacky Cepheus trials, while Lucky's unit went to Planet Ghem to locate the Perseus Kyu Globe. In case the name and shape of the planet (with joystick and directional pads) aren't obvious enough, it's clearly a pun for the word 'GAME'. - Madako has been converted into Mecha-Madako, and become the Menaster of Perseus System. She wastes no time to trigger Champ's berserk. Worse, she and a Bovine All Purpose Weapon Unit-00 deactivate Champ and snatch him away. How can she accomplish all of these? With the help of one not-that-surprising figure: Professor Anton. Yes, as has been speculated by many and later rumored and reported, Champ's creator is NOT dead. The creepy mad scientist is still very much at large, and has been the brain behind the Vice-Shoguns 'revivals' and continuous modifications. Fun fact: In the mythology, the tale of Perseus is famously connected to the Greek monster Medusa. Madako might be an octopus, but her head design does resemble a woman with snakey hair, am I right? So her being the Perseus Menaster sort of fits the bill. - The world around the team is then altered, and Lucky, Stinger, Spada, and Kotarou suddenly find themselves turned into... RPG characters. Well, duh? Planet GAME, anyone? Kotarou gets to be the 'Hero', Spada gets to be this unit's fan-service master as the shirtless 'Warrior' (he's skinny, but IMO in better shape than Tsurugi LOL), Lucky is entrusted to be the episode's crossdressing master... a magical gir- I mean female 'Mage', while Stinger also uncharacteristically becomes the 'Jester'. Of course, we also know how melancholic Stinger could have been. Prof. Anton created this alternate space with the Alternate World Projection Machine so he can trap them for good. - With the Kyu Globes being rendered powerless, their personalities are also slowly altered to fit their new... ugh 'Jobs'. Wait... WHAT?! Yep, this is... as Hammy notes it perfectly, HILARIOUS. Singing and dancing Musical-Stinger totally steals every attention with his performance outbursts (seriously TOEI, make a Kyuranger Musical already!!!). Macho-Spada allows his actor to play a dumb brute jock (those blank expressions! LOL), while Brave-Kotarou gets to be the COOL leader. And surely I'm not the only one who thinks Feminine-Lucky actually looks pretty convincing as a girl, right? His inner-Eris, perhaps? *wink-wink* - Their mission, should they choose to accept it or else, is to rescue... beautiful Black Cow Princess, from the evil clutches of Demon King. Ouch, so Champ's the 'Damsel in Distress' in this situation, huh? LOL. Demon King is obviously Prof. Anton. He used to be gentle and kind in Champ's memory, so this time his actor gains the chance to ham up his performance into a twisted maniac intent on turning the fighting robot into a weapon of destruction. Sure, it looks campy and exaggerated, but unlike that other show this level of weirdness feels natural and makes sense. And surprise, surprise! Prof. Anton... isn't really 'alive' in the flesh. Great goodness, creepy Anton is CREEPY. He has become the Super Sentai version of Marvel's Arnim Zola!!! That scene with the TV head is a great proof of this homage. Just like Zola, he had uploaded his consciousness to a machine to gain immortality. - But it gets better! The professor was NEVER good, and has been Jark Matter's devotee for hundreds of years. Good-Anton was merely the undesirable benevolent 'residue' left behind in his mortal body when the real one decided to go full-pledged machine. Problem is, Good-Anton acted selflessly by taking Champ away, turning him into a robot of justice. That means the one Champ knew was indeed good, eventhough that was merely a 'defect version'. That's the reason why Scorpio was sent to eliminate Good-Anton. How I love this twist! Did you see this coming? I sure DON'T. Again, Kyuranger keeps on surprising us. - Champ has always been a weapon of destruction, and the 'Berserker Circuit' located next to his heart is the key to all this. Dang it, the Rebellion technicians must have done a FINE job rebuilding him to NOT have noticed this utter crucial thing. This chip explains why Champ occasionally gets out of control. Anton has unlocked its function now, reverting Champ back to his natural purpose. So the team needs to destroy it if they ever want to bring their friend back. But can they do it without blowing away his heart in the process? Do they need to sacrifice one of their own to protect the universe? - That's where Musical-Stinger plays a vital part. Unable to transform, he is defeated very easily by Champ. But following Feminine-Lucky's advice, Musical-Stinger uses the thing he does best to revert Champ's missing heart: SING! And goodness grace, what a tearjerking moment it becomes. Sure, the silly flamenco dance bit at the start made me rolled my eyes, but halfway through the performance turns into very melancholic and deeply emotional. Don't be surprised if out of the blue, smoke gets in your eyes! Fun fact: The song Stinger is singing is none other than his image song that could be heard during Scorpio's death, and was also featured prominently in his V-Cinema. But he deliberately alters the lyric to Champ's condition, that it's no longer about the loneliness of the Scorpius System warrior. This one is about his bromanc... I mean, partnership with the Taurus System hero. Similar to the Dark-Naga conclusion, we get to see glimpses of Stinger and Champ's moment together. A perfect touch for an already strong scene. - Champ partially wakes up from his berserk, and asks Stinger to do whatever it takes. There's a faint glimpse of Good-Anton in a neat metaphor of 'Angel vs Devil', as Stinger succeeds in liberating Champ's heart. Gotta love how the partners play it cool afterwards, with Champ teasing how 'bad' the song sounds. Just hug it out already! We all know you both want it. LOL. - Stinger's strike also short-circuits the lab, causing Digital-Anton to lose his hold. Alternate World no more (which is sad, because I want to see more role-playing... -_-), it's time to duke it out in battle. We get really cool action sequence too! Leo Red Orion, Dorado Yellow, and UrsaMinor SkyBlue take on Mecha-Madako, while the duo of Scorpius Orange and Taurus Black deals with a pair of Unit-00s. Scorpius Orange utilizes his special power up using the #27 Monoceros Kyu Globe, and Taurus Black can send his fist flying now! Being freed from the Berserker trigger seems to have granted him some kind of power up. Meanwhile, Leo Red Orion uses his 'Gate of Babylon' attack to summon projectile weapons for him and the other two. Neat move! - In the end, Mecha-Madako retreats alongside Digital-Anton (along with his mechanical brain, of course). She had sacrificed her regenerative ability so her days is pretty much numbered, while the mad scientist must have forgotten that becoming a machine isn't any better than having a mortal body. Looks like these two will play important roles ahead. Could it be, Digital-Anton is behind Don Armage's secret of long lasting life? Highly likely. But that's the story for the final arc in the remaining 9 episodes. For now, the other Kyuranger's unit arrive just in time during the mecha battle, reuniting the team to goof off locate the prize in the 'palace'. Naturally, it's the BN Thieves who discover one... in a treasure chest: the #36 Perseus Kyu Globe. Only one more left! Next stop, Cassiopeia System...

Overall: This episode was another solid example of how brilliant Kyuranger handles the tone shift. What started out as humorous and ridiculous comical-fest, eventually evolved into a dark emotional turn, while still able to slip in exciting action sequences. Eventhough many including yours truly expected this would be a Kotarou's focus episode, it ended up becoming an excellent conclusion to Champ's story arc instead. In that case, it confirmed that both "Episode of Stinger" and its coupling web-series "High School Wars" took place after episode 34 and before 35. Admittedly, those separate features were rather inconsistent with this fact (the V-Cinema's ending, among others), but I guess we'll just have to take it as is. It's the only plausible and logical placement anyway... *sigh* Nevertheless, the show continues to pull off all kinds of sci-fi plots in general. And that is nothing short of impressive! The Mecha-Anton twist might not be original, but it was also unexpected. And those RPG-nods, they instantly reminded me of the crazy fun "Yuusha Yoshihiko", to the point that I was disappointed we didn't get to see more. And I'm not kidding. Two episodes in a row, and the show has left me wanting more. So just the thought that the series is going to conclude pretty soon, is giving me all kinds of mixed feeling... Next week: Aim for the Big League! Baseball Spada strikes!!!

Episode 39 Score: 8,1 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: December 2nd, 2017 - Version 3.07. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

[actuallymollyweasley]

Writing Ask: POV?

+ Anonymous asked: POV?

Well, I’m about four months late with this response (yikes), but here you go! Sorry this took so long - choosing a scene to do was difficult and then I honestly forgot to finish it haha.

To anyone who doesn’t know, this is an alternate POV of something that has already taken place in my fic kids of the in-between, a pynch college au featuring artist ronan and a fair amount of canon-compliant magic. (This technically transpired between chapters in no one’s POV originally, but whatever, I do what I want lol.) I’m not sure if this will make sense if you read it without reading that fic first, but I guess you could if you wanted to? Either way, this takes place just after the end of ch. 9. :)

Warning for: implications of abuse, description of (mild) injuries resulting from abuse, and mind-reading that kind of unintentionally violates people’s privacy

I'm going to fuckingmurder him.

The thought tumbled over the other voices in Noah's head,loud and all-consuming and deadly serious. Noah whipped his head around to findthe source of Blue's sudden rage, and his eyes landed on Adam and Ronan.

Noah frowned. He could read minds, but that didn't mean healways understood people. Why was Blue so mad at Adam? Just for being late? Itwasn't like they'd been waiting for that lon—

But Blue wasn't glaring at Adam, he realized suddenly. Atleast not directly. Instead, she was glaring at Ronan's split knuckles—and the corresponding bruiseblooming across Adam's cheekbone.

Oh.

"Adam!" Blue finally spoke out loud, the forcedteasing note in her voice jarring against the anger still taking up residenceabove Noah's left ear. "Took you long enough."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the worst," Adam said with agrin. "You know you wanted an excuse to get seconds anyway."

"Maybe later," she said. "I piled a lot ofchocolate chips into my last cup. Why don't you get yours first?"

"Sure," Adam said, raising his eyebrows like heknew exactly what Blue was planning to do while he was gone, but he wasn'tabout to try to stop her. (It was a feeling Noah understood well, to behonest.) "Don't give my seat to a stranger."

As soon as Ronan moved to follow him, Blue grabbed his arm,the smile slipping off her face. "Noah," she said firmly, "makesure strangers don't take Adam's seat. Asshole, you're coming with me."

Noah heard "what the HELL did you do to Ad—",and then the door to the ice cream parlor slammed shut.

That was okay, though, because all three of his friends werehigh-strung enough for Noah to read them even above the rest of the people inthe shop. He could taste the residual tang of fear in Adam's thoughts, but theonly coherent sentences running through his brain had more to do with hiscomplete obtuseness when it came to his feelings for Ronan than anything else.

No surprise there,Noah thought with a small smile. Adam was even worse than Blue when it came tounderstanding his own emotions. Noah couldn't wait until his friends figuredout that all that sexual tension they were experiencing didn't have to stayunresolved.

Before long, Adam was settling into the booth across fromNoah, hands wrapped around the smallest cone size that Noah had ever seen. Whenhe fixated all of his attention on that tiny cone instead of initiatingconversation, Noah decided that it was a day for treading lightly. Probably bestto act as if Blue wasn't currently trying to verbally obliterate Ronan justoutside, then.

"So," he said casually. "How are you?"

"Noah, you just saw me an hour ago," Adam said,keeping his tone lighter than the look in his eyes. "Do you really have toask again?"

"Well, yes," Noah said. "I mean, an hour agoyou didn't have a giant bruise on your face."

I can't let him findout about the fight.

The thought tumbled into Noah's head out of nowhere, clearlybelonging to Adam and causing Noah to inhale sharply just as Adam did. So heand Ronan really had fought? But — but Noah knew that Ronan didn't —I can't let him find out about my dad.It's bad enough that Ronan knows.

Noah felt his stomach bottom out, and not just because he'dalready finished two bowls of ice cream and ordered a third. It all added up,suddenly — Adam's deftability to change the subject whenever the topic of family came up, his occasionalmental calculations as he debated whether he could afford to go out to Nino'swith them and still pay his tuition, his deaf left ear that he still refused todiscuss….

"Noah, listen," Adam said, and now that heunderstood his thoughts, Noah could pick up on the hint of desperation in histone. "I just—"

"Ronan also wasn't speaking to you an hour ago,"Noah added quickly, cutting Adam off before he felt obligated to reveal any moreinformation than Noah had already pieced together from his thoughts. Mindreading wasn't the most morally sound practice, he knew, but that didn't mean hewanted to force his friends to giveaway all their secrets.

(Well, except for their giant crushes on each other. Thatwas definitely important information that Noah needed to know. How else was hesupposed to know when to play matchmaker because his friends were too obliviousto matchmake themselves?)

"So," he continued, "what happened in the lasthour? Did Ronan get into a fight with somebody over a parking spot, and youstepped in to defend his honor? That's usually how it works, right? When twofriends stop talking to each other, the only way to save the friendship is forone friend to defend the other friend's honor, therefore proving that they aretruly loyal to said friend and no petty arguments can come between them."

The forced smile on Adam's face turned more genuine. "Yeah,Noah. Something like that."

Noah gave himself a mental pat on the back. Not only had hesuccessfully allowed Adam to avoid the truth, Adam didn't even feel guiltybecause he hadn't actually been forced to lie. Now, if he could just find a wayto casually stop Blue from killing Ronan, things would be perf—

"Choose two flavors, Lynch."

Noah could have read the confusion on Ronan's face evenwithout reading his mind. "What?"

"I'm buying you ice cream," Blue said. Her voiceheld no trace of inflection to betray the swell of begrudging affection forRonan that Noah noticed in her thoughts. So she'd bullied him into telling thetruth, then. Or, more likely, Ronan's desire not to lie had won out over hisgeneral surliness and reluctance to engage in meaningful conversation. Good for you, Blue, Noah thought. And good for you, Ronan. He must have realizedthat Blue was far too nosy to be kept from the truth.

"You too, Adam," she added suddenly, raising hervoice. "Get over here."

Adam narrowed his eyes, clearly not a fan of the sympatheticgesture that he mistook for pity. "Blue, I already ate."

"Yeah, but I got paid this week," she said,shrugging. "Figured it was about time I did something nice for my friends.Who I am friends with. And care about."

Noah could tell from his thoughts that Adam was about toprotest again, so he said, "What about me, Blue? Am I a friend who you'refriends with and care about? Do I get free ice cream?"

When she actually hesitated for a moment, he winked at her.

Instantly, Blue relaxed and rolled her eyes. "You would if you hadn't already consumedenough empty carbs for six people. Really, I'm being a friend who you'refriends with and who cares about you by not enabling your sugar addiction."

"Well." He flashed her a grin. "Worth atry."

"Blue," Adam interrupted.

"Adam,"she responded, rolling her eyes again. "If you don't get over here andstart looking at the menu in the next twenty seconds, I'm going to buy you BirthdayCake and Cotton Candy, mix the flavors together, and make you eat it untilyou're puking rainbows."

"I'll take a video," Noah volunteered.

Adam let out a deep, long-suffering sigh, as if getting freeice cream was the worst torture he could be forced to endure, but he got out ofthe booth and went over to examine his choices.

Noah noticed that Adam stood between Blue and Ronan, eventhough staying by Blue would have brought him closer to the menu.

He also spent at least as much time looking at Ronan as theice cream.

When they all came back to the booth, Noah quickly scootedto the inside and dragged Blue with him before she could slide in next to Adam,insisting that they needed to be next to each other to share his brownie sundae.Adam and Ronan were significantly taller and lankier than either Noah or Blue,which meant that they kept bumping elbows as they ate their ice cream. Inexplicably,even Ronan didn't complain about the seating arrangement.

Noah spent the remainder of the afternoon using all hiswillpower not to point this out. It was too soon, and neither of them were in themood to be called out right now.

There were times when being a mind reader came in handy,Noah decided.

After all, matchmaking was a delicate art.

[sarnehthelostboy]

The Sovereign vs The Sunborne

(I dunno, I couldn’t think of a very good title. Literally just a fight-scene word dump that I thought of last night ‘cause I need more practice with combat writing, and felt inclined to write a mini-throwback to my LoL RP days with Arinwei. Comments and criticisms are welcome, but don’t be a douchenugget. Also keep in mind this fresh off the... Keyboard, and hasn’t really been touched up much; sorry for any typos).

-

-

In Skyrim, a conflict between the mages of Winterhold was settled in the dueling ring. Stationed in the lower reaches of the college in one of its largest chambers, it had been installed after a number of rivalries occurred within its ranks, and those involved wished for a means to settle the matter. Arinwei was, of course, in favor of the idea, after having been snubbed more than once by some posh Altmer, but her presence had been constantly denied by the college, due to her rather open alliances.

On the Fields of Justice, however, that meant nothing.

As the fires of the sun left her fingertips, there was an almost gleeful glint in the vampire's eyes. It had been too long since she was able to show such a display of power, and the golden flames that incinerated the wave of oncoming minions warmed her heart as much as it did the air. Burning bits of cloth and armor crumbled around the scattered arcane dust, which Arinwei strode through without a pause; she had a much more threatening target to deal with. Syndra had arrived just in time to catch the tiny, insignificant creatures beating away at her tower, and the sight put a visible kink in her brow. A sharp, brutal wave of her hand cast them all away, and they dissipated as they as always had, under the assault of her power. Eager for something worthier of her time, dark violet eyes flicked down the length of the lane. A grin split her lips, and the Sovereign pushed herself forward, the ground evidently unworthy of being graced by her touch. “Have they finally sent me someone worth my time?” she called out, a sphere of dark energy forming in her palm. “I was just wondering the same.” Unlike her opponent, Arinwei did not reserve her first attack to be shown off, and sent out an immediate burst of sunfire, the bolt splitting off into two flares that sought to strike Syndra from either side. This time it was a frown that marred the pale woman's features, and the orb that had been formed was broken in two, each half warping into a solid plate-like form that was directed to intercept the flames. “Try harder, next time!” Just as quickly as they moved to defend her, Syndra's creations returned to their initial form, with one flying high overhead to try and crush Arinwei beneath it. There was as much fire in the vampire's eyes as her spells, and those glowing lights traced the orb as it flew in, brief memories of Kate and Vi “shooting hoops” coming to mind. A burst of light filled them as a gloved hand rose to the sky, a a singular beam of sunfire cut down the center of Syndra's orb, driving through and splitting her creation in half.

As arcane residue fluttered down from above, alongside glowing cinders, the two women paused to bear down on the other with their gaze, neither faltering. It seemed to be tradition, this tendency to merely test the other before truly fighting. Both Arinwei and Syndra could have cast multiple spells in the time spent so far, but neither one did. They were testing waters, but as the next wave of minions passed by either one, they both strode in, waist-deep. Arinwei was forced to leap backwards as a sphere of magic formed below her, tearing at the ground and removing a minion that had wandered too close to her. An immediate response came in the form of whirling ball-and-chain of sunfire, either end crashing over the other as it tore a line through Syndra's minions. The sovereign ground her teeth together and pushed herself aside, the heel of one foot licked by the flames of Arinwei's spell, but otherwise remained untouched. “Try harder next time!” she called out, lifting the sphere from the earth and sending it rolling towards Arinwei.

A burst of fire from her feet propelled the vampire into the air, and both hands came together to send a torrent of fire down onto where Syndra stood, dark, bat-like wings briefly bursting into existence to hold her in the air. Silver hair glowed with a similar fire, and Arinwei's fangs flashed into existence as she flew to the side, prepared for a return attack. Syndra took the brunt of her enemy's assault, forced to draw up a barrier made from the dark orbs that circled her, but feeling plenty of heat even through them. A quick wave of force was sent upwards in order to disrupt Arinwei's flight, and hopefully buy a few moments of time.

The magical reply forced Arinwei back onto the ground, but it deterred her little, quickly rising to her feet a distance away from where Syndra hovered, surrounded by smoke and cinders. As she ran, the mage hurled a trio of spheres in rapid succession, deep and golden in color, and trailing heat as they honed in on the other sorcerer. “Pick the pace, Sovereign!” she called out, showing her fangs with a grin as she leaped above two minions that battle away.

Syndra handily deflected the first two fireballs, but the third managed to strike her shoulder, sending her tumbling with enough force to break her levitation. Perfectly white hair splayed out onto the grassy dirt below, and for a split second, she remained there, eyes blinking as if she hadn't quite registered the blow. The burn set in soon enough, though, and with a cry of fury, Syndra pushed up from the ground, sending out a shockwave across the ground. “Come here, plaything! Let's see you dance faster than that!” From each hand she drew up two spheres of violent magic, and just as Arinwei had volleyed her fire, she sent the spheres chasing after the vampire.

Dropping her offensive, Arinwei rolled to the side as two orbs struck where she had stood, burying two feet into the ground and send out cracks all around them. The third struck close enough to take her feet out from under her, and it was only a hastily-formed barrier of intense flame that kept her from being crushed by the fourth. The force of the blow left her winded, and Arinwei dispersed her shield in order to blind the Sovereign, a burst of light coming from the vampire's shield. Without breath to reply, she rolled her body to the side and clawed back onto her feet, dashing into cluster of shrubs at the side of their little battlefield.

“'Plaything'...” She muttered the word like it was the insult of a child, stooping low as she moved towards the other side of the flora that shielded her from view. Much like a nerve sending messages of pain to one's brain, a sudden spike flared up in the mage's sensory field of magic, and she lunged to the side as a massive force crashed into the bushes, leaving a deep mark of impact where she had just stood.

“Hah! You move, but you are not yet in motion!”

A roll of Arinwei's eyes, and she quickly scampered back towards her tower, pushing off from the earth with a short burst of fire as another crash sounded from behind her. “Vaex, she is supposed to be your problem...”

Moving in to stand alongside Syndra was a giant of a woman, dark skin shining brightly with sweat, as well as a bit of blood. Her lips were split with a wide grin, clearly enjoying herself, and the massive weapon she hoisted onto her shoulder oozed magic the same hue as the markings upon her skin, a bright sea-green. “Where is your ally, the lizard-man?” she asked, gesturing towards the empty lane behind Arinwei. “He has not returned to our field of battle, and I grow tired of waiting!”

“An excellent question,” said Arinwei, bringing an orb of sunfire between her hands. She slung it with a curve, the sphere spinning outwards and around towards Illaoi's left side, threatening to strike her across the face.

The woman's golden-bronze idol swung in to intercept it, flames spattering around it as they tried to lick at her fingers, a few tongues finding their mark. Illaoi's brow furrowed as the pain began to register, but she merely wiped her hand against her side. “A good shot! But not enough, little one.”

In most circumstances, Arinwei would find her quite alluring... And, technically speaking, she still was. But as another tentacle came crashing down, sending the recently-arrived wave of minions scattering, the vampire had to consider a few other factors.

“FO-KRAH-DIIN!”

As a wave of ice washed over Illaoi and Syndra both, Arinwei drew both hands back, and then crashed them into the earth, golden flame surging across the battlefield and encircling her opponents, a slowly-shrinking wall surrounding them and creeping inwards with the threat of an imminent collapse.

“Must you always be late to these engagements, Dragonborn?”

With dragon-bone armor spattered in discolored blood, sword dripping with a swirling frost, Vaex exited the bushes on the opposite side of their lane. “You're welcome to fight that tentacle-worshipper next time, Arinwei.” Black scales glinted in the light of Arinwei's fire, and-

A bellowing laugh came from within the flames, and out came Illaoi, fire trailing from her body as she crashed onto Vaex with her idol, smashing the argonian into the ground. “HAHA, LET'S BEGIN AGAIN!” Before either Arinwei or her friend could react, Illaoi swung her weapon low and sent the reptilian man flying out of the lane, stomping after him with heavy steps.

“... Perhaps if Karma was here, she could offer a better distraction...”

An orb of dark magic exploded just a foot away from Arinwei, hurtling her backwards and into the body of her first tower, crashing against it with full force. A pained groan rolled up her chest, eyes dimming as they sought a focal point through the daze her mind had been thrown into. How stupid of her to forget that Syndra was still present.

“I will not be restrained! I am LIMITLESS!” A trio of dark spheres already circled the mage, and now three more joined them, one of which was torn from the earth where it had struck Arinwei. With arcane energy streaming from her eyes, the sovereign vanished from existence, then reappeared just a meter out of the range of Arinwei's tower. Her hands rose into the air, directing the weapons she had created, and then giving them their target.

On her feet just as the incantation had finished, Arinwei met the determined gaze of Syndra with an inferno in her own eyes, and as those orbs flew towards her, a bubble of solar magic formed around her, burning as bright as the sun. Syndra's attack tore away at the vampire's defenses, dark spheres drilling themselves against the conjured barrier until they disintegrated. With teeth grinding together, flakes of skin being torn away by the onslaught of magic, Arinwei began to draw her hands skyward, sunfire running across her skin like water. The sovereign's reckless use of her summoner's power had left her exposed, and with all the remaining power she could muster, Arinwei dropped the sun upon her.

A pillar of flame poured down from the sky above, centered directly on top of Syndra, in the midst of a follow-up attack. For the briefest of moments, the other mage was able to see what was to come, and she snarled in outrage just before it struck.

With her body dripping both blood and fire, Arinwei managed a final, satisfied smirk, and fell to one knee, crumpling to the side as she watched the sun eradicate Syndra through lidded eyes. The sounds of the waking world began to grow much quieter the closer she was to death, she had found, and the approaching footsteps of an ally were barely noticed by her. Toting those massive fists of hers, Piltover's best enforcer knelt beside the fallen vampire, a wry grin on her lips. Arinwei gave a weak, fading wave to send her off, the light finally beginning to leave her eyes, and Vi met it with a quick wink, before she charged up her weapon and flew down the lane with a punch.

“Into the embrace of the sun, I go... Before returning to the field of battle.”