#talleres vs river

[zanettis]

Dueño de la provincia desde 1913

Talleres 2 - 1 River Plate

[the-ghost-of-a-spirit]

Mha s5 ep 1-12

@maidofdarkness23

Ep 1

NEZU, WHY IS YOU THE "EMERGENCY DRILL" also the "hypothetical villans" is so funny. why is the announcment like that

miriyo the river is so silly

can't stop twinkiling, more like cant stop twinking (i misread it on the screen)

miriyo is a victum, nejire is a villan, whats tamaki up to? hes a vilan too

"i'm going home" tamaki, YOU JUST GOT THERE

also, how come he doesn't have shoes?

"What do you want amajiki- i mean villan" "to go home"

bakugo does not have a hero name. imagine it ends up to be kachan, like with deku

"i was scared of your face" i mean, angry, explosion-y bakugo would scare anyone

"i should have gone home" he has wanted to go home, like, 4 times now

Ep 2

so, rabbit girl is here. and dabi. and endevour and hawks

also hawks is aspec, to me

wait, is hawks the traitor? (still love him)

so hawks is double crossinf lov.

endevour and shoto are scae buddies!

"you care so much you'll be my bodyguard!" "i'll incinerate you" love hawks and endevours dynamic

hawks was an endevour fan as a kid

betting theres ship work on them (there are almost 3000 fics)

i am the same height as hawks (and bakugo) and that makes me happy

aizawa and the cat outside todoroki's house

shoto likes soba (alot i'm guessing)

natsu is shoto's brother so (checks)

ep 3

deku is having a Dream

"metas" i think the "meta libaration front" is gonna become really important

quirks=meta??

"why so loud. did u have enough cheese"

am not enjoying the ofa lore

oh hey! its shinsou (he's important i think)

class a vs class b fight?

i will not remember any of theese people. (class 1B)

also steel guy is called tetsu tetsu

aizawa is tall (183cm)

i have so many questions

froppy has chamofladge

shinsou seems cool

ep 4-6

i am not taller than shinsou but am taller than Kaminari

are all aAvsB fights that long? I hope not. hopefully it's like the exams

tokoyami's arms look weird

"is that a joke" "nope I'm 20% serious" -ltokoyami and hawks. episode 5

aouyama's scream though

i think all fights are going be 2 episodes long

"hey... please don't die"

ep 7-8

ill be doing these per fight instead of episode now

"I finally FINALLY got shoto's contact info" bro doesn't even have his son's phone number. and he needed help to get it.

shoto's ignoring endevour lol

almost everyone is taller than me : (

ep 9

bakugo seems to be getting nicer

ep 10 -11

afo has a brother?

almights ringtone though

blackwhip (qurik and the guy) are pretty cool

aizawa looks so weird in this scene like

he looks different and idk why

also MD I see the resemblance between aizawa and shinsou now

midnight was given the mic cause vlad was too biased

aizawa just straight up choking shinsou like that (i like their dynamic)

"except almight but he doesn't count"

ep 12

Eri!

"do not try to murder your classmate"

kirashima and tetsu-tetsu are besties

whats happening with mineta?

endevour, dont choke your sidekick

aint no way almights over 2 meters tall. maybe when he was buff, but not now

woah, big wave. thats not good

POV: you fight vilans 0.5 hours after you get allowed to

"i need to melt the ice" "i'm not helping"

[blubushie]

sniper headcanons compilation

wheres the fuckin

THERE IT IS

You're not getting any for Sniper because I don't do headcanons for actual canon characters but have all the Mundy characterisations you want! (Had to add a line break because this is so long, oops.)

His middle name is Jonathan, after his dad.

190cm/~6’3”. Taller than Charles, and Charles hates it because it makes it harder to intimidate his daughter’s boyfriend.

Terrified of commitment. This is important later.

Has intrusive thoughts (you and me both, mate). This is VERY important later.

Sniper and Mundy are not two separate personalities. They’re the same person. “Sniper” is the blame-name for the parts of himself that Mundy doesn’t want to acknowledge—the occasional sadism when he’s really pissed off, the quick temper with certain topics, the cold professionalism. Sniper is a persona, Mundy is the person. Mundy’s just convinced himself of this idea that Sniper isn’t him to save himself the blame of his own actions. It doesn’t work.

Mundy isn’t completely unaffected by Australium. He’s immune to most elapid venom (most venomous snakes in Australia are elapids) with the exception of taipoxin, which happens to be the most lethal neurotoxin ever discovered (sourced from the inland taipan, an Australian native and the most venomous snake on the planet). He’s immune to certain toxins including the bufotoxin found in cane toads that can kill you (for example, I have to microdose licking toads because bufotoxin is so deadly. He can consume an entire dose and ride out the bufotenine with no effect from the deadly bufotoxin. In order to get that kind of high I have to smoke the shit instead.) He’s got a keen eye, quick draw, and he’s impervious to extreme temperatures. He has an incredible immune system and can fight off infections that would kill a normal human. He has accelerated levels of healing and can recover from physical trauma in half the time it’d take a normal human. But he wasn’t exposed to high enough levels of Australium where it altered his physiology from a notable distance—his chest hair is normal, he’s lanky, he can’t grow a moustache, and when people think of an Aussie they don’t judge you on your ability to survive, they judge you on your appearance.

Little tidbit about me: I fucking hate autism headcanons with a burning passion. Mundy is a shy introvert with certain obsessive behaviours and I put parts of myself into my characterisation of him. That said, I will never confirm that Mundy has autism. I feel like autism headcanons (and other kinds of headcanons that I won't get into) often depend exclusively on (often harmful) stereotypes and so I’m not going to paint him with a brush of confirmation. Mundy is Mundy, end of. If you see my characterisation of him as autistic, onya mate, I just ask that you ask yourself what about him makes you think he’s autistic and if those things are a matter of nature vs nurture vs his biological heritage as a Kiwi.

On that note: I’ve said it a thousand times before and I’ll say it again, Mundy is fucking Australian and I will die on that hill. It took a lifetime and a death to realise that he’s always been Australian, regardless of the moustache or chest hair or muscles.

Stealing from a previous ask I answered: King of Psychonauts. If it can be naturally sourced, fair chance he's tried it (Mundy does not fuck with anything synthetic). Psychonaut of the team to the point Luddy goes to him for advice. Routinely does shrooms, occasionally travels to Arizona to catch Colorado River toads to source DMT for later. Feral about the DMT and does not share but will share his shrooms with you if you ask nicely. Picks them himself. Has everything from cubes to azzies but hates azzies because (despite being a more intense high) they're still azzies and every time he takes them he ends up paralysed for two hours. ABSOLUTELY HATES CANNABIS. As a bushman and an Australian he has a finely-tuned sense of smell and the smell of cannabis drives him up a wall. Has done everything I have minus LSD and ecstasy. Has done opium in a Bombay den and in Bangkok. The Bangkok one was more fun. Has done ketamine four times (makes it himself) but only once was recreationally. One was to treat pain after he was shot during a job (yes this was the one above his armpit). The other two was accidentally sticking himself with Sleeper darts because he's a dumb cunt. Actually doesn't like ketamine all that much because if he takes a full dose he wakes up with a headache. Probably bumped cocaine off a hooker's arse once and he will take that secret to his grave. Also smokes, obviously. Prefers Winfields (the red pack) but when he has the time he hand-rolls his own durries. Also chews tobacco sometimes. DOES NOT DRINK CAFFEINE. It makes his hands shake. Loves the taste of coffee (he drinks it black with no sugar) but only uses decaf beans so the caffeine level is so low that it doesn’t affect his aim. Also has a surprisingly good taste for alcohol—his favourite beer is VB but the best beer he’s ever had was Emu Export, he can just never find it outside of WA. Favourite cocktail is the old fashioned because he has an affection for whisky. Also spent his life drinking his dad’s bushshine plus is an Australian, so he has the highest liquor tolerance out of everyone on either team and could drink anyone under the table. Despite being VERY INSISTENT on psychedelic safety he's a complete hypocrite when it comes to practice: he never has a trip sitter, he does it when he's depressed or upset, he takes heroic/breakthrough doses even when he's already feeling like shit, and he spontaneously trips instead of planning in advance. Don't be like Mundy (or me). Also a massive adrenaline junkie and this becomes VERY OBVIOUS in Australia.

Womaniser. If I’m honest, he probably would have settled down and been married by now if he’d 1) never met that girl in Rhodesia and 2) hadn’t become a hitman. Does it in an almost classy way, though? He’s not rude about it. Still shy and never approaches first. Most you’ll ever get is him telling the bartender to put your drink on his docket if he thinks you’re particularly attractive.

His job and his wanderlust are the main source of his fear of commitment. That and lingering fears of rejection from his childhood and teens.

His first three “girlfriends” were sheep. He never had a fourth. All three died (two of dingos, one of snakebite) and he didn’t find out that girlfriend didn’t mean “female mate” until he was almost fourteen and that was after he’d already gone around school talking about his girlfriend who had the softest wool you’d ever touch. Was known as a sheepshagger for the rest of the year.

Uses his dad’s name as an alias. Only the first, never the last. For the last name he uses McKay, the surname of the nearest neighbour to his family’s station (hello Kallara) but he always calls McKay “Macca” because in Australia if your surname starts with “Mc” you’re Macca. Still has three mates in Australia: Stevo, who’s Macca’s son, Robbo, the bartender at Daly Waters (best pub on the planet), and Jonno, a bloke who lives up near Kakadu and owns a breeding facility for horses. When Mundy sold his mare, Marree, he sold her to Jonno as a broodmare. Marree is still alive but she’s older, so now she’s retired and works as a trail horse. :]

Had a kelpie/blue heeler cross as a kid named Blue. A quintessential Aussie experience is naming any blue heeler “Blue” and any red heeler “Red.” We’re not very creative. Australian animals (and people) live longer thanks to Australium and Blue was 22 when he died, not due to natural causes. He probably would’ve reached 25. Mundy had him since he was 8 years old. Will absolutely go John Wick if he ever finds out who shot his dog.

Knows African French, also knowns Auslan (Australian sign language). Jacques hates the French because it’s “uncouth” African French instead of traditional French. Mundy also has a basic understanding of it and doesn’t speak it well, just enough to hold a conversation. He gets his pronunciations and grammar wrong and Jacques desperately wishes he’d just not speak it at all. He’s just as bad at Auslan but he routinely signs “cunt” to Charles when Tamotu teaches him. Also knows certain words of Agurrta (this is important later).

That’s all I can think of for now. I’m taking another dose of shrooms so keep the questions coming!

[fabianandresruiz]

River vs Talleres por octavos de Final Copa Libertadores 2024

[zoras-river]

You can definitely have swamps that transition into marsh! Where I am it tends to go the other direction, with swamps close to slow-moving fresh water and then trees getting sparser and grass getting taller as the water gets closer to the coast and turns more brackish. There's a really pretty national park that has duckweed and dense forest along the banks of a bayou. A boardwalk follows the course of the bayou (more or less), and as you get to the end of the walk it has an elevated platform that looks out on over the forest back in the direction you came, and looks out over an expanse of water in the other direction so covered in floating grasses it looks like a flat plain stretching as far as the eye can sea.

Cypresses here don't really have a visible change of color in fall, they kind of just drop their leaves, but every now and then a handful of leaves will turn bright yellow before they drop. And a giant mix of cool plants is the best possible use of fanfiction! I'm really excited to see all the orchids and duckweed appear in the fic. I spent a lot of time last week thinking about what sorts of vines grow in Lorule and decided that it's covered in liana, even though they're usually tropical and Lorule is very chilly.

And I always kind of thought the whole Ocean Zora/River Zora distinction from OoA seemed kind of... off? Like, that's how land-dwellers might frame it but probably not how the Zora would frame it themselves. I kind think the distinction for Zoras is probably more about what the water feels like to be in? Clear water or turbid water and salt vs fresh? The swamp itself probably has very different levels of salinity depending on whether you're in the more forested parts or the brackish water marshes, so it might be a situation where different kinds of Zora are more at home in different parts of the swamp/marsh?

How's Swamp Link's ecology doing? I know you previously weren't sure if he was really in a swamp or maybe a bog or fen. Did you settle on an environment, or think up more about his adoptive Zora family? I have one of these growing in my back yard and their leaves always remind me of what I think the swamp of the Zora King in LttP would look like.

I hope your stomach feels better!

Yeah, so I think I’ve sort of settled on a bit of a mix? Like it’s mostly a swamp, but it has some areas that have less vegetation and more just grasses and water more like a marsh. I’m thinking maybe there’s a big river or lake or something where the marshland starts, and then the deeper in you go it gets swampy or something like that. I need to do more swamp research and figure out if that’s possible or not XD

His environment overall I’m sort of cheating with, since I’d like for there to be lots of colorful plants interspersed with the green of everything. I want there to be orchids and water lilies and Venus flytraps and mosses and duckweed and pickerel rush and all kinds of things, most of which don’t live in the same conditions/zones. But I want them anyway so I’m putting them in together. I also saw a picture of some cypress trees in a swamp that change color in the fall and they were SO pretty, I’d love to incorporate something like that somehow too.

*ahem* that was a lot about plants XD Anyway I don’t have much more about Link’s Zora family yet, but I have a few options I’ve thought of. I’m thinking they look more like River Zora than anything else, but maybe also there’s some “normal” Zora too? Maybe the swamp Zora are a mix of the two, and they can handle more varieties of water acidity? Maybe.

[dskimages]

The Pacific NW is known for its waterfalls. The largest waterfall in the United States by flow rate (how much water) is the famous Niagra falls between New York and Canada. But the 2nd largest water falls are these, the Willamette Falls on the Willamette river in Oregon City on the south side of Portland. For the record, the 1st and 2nd biggest water falls in the United States by flow rate used to be within a few hundred miles or so from these ones. They were the 5th and 6th largest in the world. But The Dalles and Grand Coulee dams submerged them in their lakes of the Columbia River. The tallest waterfalls in the USA are in Hawaii, but the tallest ones in the continental US are in the neighboring state of Washington. Even the Multnomah Falls not too far from these falls are 3 times taller than Niagra (but no where near the volume of water). So Niagra is impressive, but we really like our waterfalls here in the NW! The flow for these is regulated by a hydro power system, dam, dike. This gives it the sharp line from the river / lake to the cascade. It's been many, many years since I stopped to see these falls but I had occasion in early October to be in the area. They used to be more visible from the highway on the far side but I found the trees and brush have grown up quite a bit. Besides, it was always a view more from the back side than even this so it wasn't the best. This overlook on the south side of the river gives this slightly better view. . Oct 2022 . Nikon D610, f6.3, 1/160s, ISO-100, 42mm, Tamron SP 24-70mm f2.8 Di VS USD G2 with Polorizer filter Adobe Lightroom enhancements . #DSKImagesNW #mydailypic #mydailyphoto #myphotooftheday #mypicoftheday #InstaDaily #InstaPic #myshots #myphotography #PicoftheDay #PhotooftheDay #PhotographyDaily #BestoftheDay #natureinthecity #BytheWater #AtThePark #inthecity #throughmylens #JustGoShoot #NikonPhotography #whatISee #AlongtheRoad https://www.instagram.com/p/CmB72nfOppf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[animentality]

Have you heard about the brain chip elon's working on and has been inhumanely testing on animals?

It can record memories/dreams, stream (ads) music to your brain, the ability to change your mood, and connect to bluetooth and so much more. It also has an app for it to share memories with other people as like a video online.

But he's claiming it's to help the disabled who are paralyzed completely but when you look at the website for it it seems to cater to anyone but the disabled who cannot move.

I'm scared he's going to test this on the disabled community and people are going to be tricked into thinking this will help others when he's lying.

He's also making robots with the same tesla car technology. Like taller than a human robot. Which look exactly like the PAL robots from Mitchells vs the machines movie that poked fun at him. Um. Uh.

Heh i'm uh terrified.

If it makes you feel better, he likes to talk a big game when it comes to his "futurism" technology, but so far it's been nothing but smoke and mirrors.

He was claiming the other day that his stupid cybertruck could serve "briefly as a boat."

Like he meant that it could go through rivers or whatever.

But first off no, it cannot.

Second, though, actually it can, the same way any fucking car can serve briefly as a boat...before it fucking sinks in the Hudson.

Elon Musk is a fucking idiot.

If he can't make cars that don't crash, then you don't need to worry too much about his fucking brain technology.

I'm pretty sure he just likes to play dress up. Pretend to be a scientist. Iron man.

A character from star trek.

But he doesn't have any real practical knowledge of his own. He relies on science that he steals and patents as his own and fires real scientists in favor of his sensationalist scientists that are more like influencers and journalists.

Smoke and mirrors, anon.

That fucking bullshit chip probably doesn't work at all and he's just toying with it to make himself look smarter than he really is.

[feyredarlinq]

here’s the thing about azriel’s pov and extra scenes/chapters in general. they’re just a bonus made for the not-so-casual readers. their content is not supposed to add anything to the overall plot (such as a “break up” or a new love interest) and change the dynamics that we’ve seen in the books themselves.

this will be a pro elriel post, i’ll be using the anti tags but just in case i’m still warning you before you keep reading.

what we see in azriel’s pov is a further confirmation of two things already hinted at in acosf: elain is still his love interest, azriel is hurting because of the bond with lucien (1) and gwyn might be a lightsinger/something else we’ve got yet to discover (2) and before some people try to twist what i’m saying here, no i don’t want gwyn to be evil nor i think she will be evil; my theory is that she’s unaware of her powers/abilities and someone else -koschei? merril?- might/will be taking advantage of that. anyway, back to the book/pov:

point (1): acosf vs azriel’s pov

ACOSF (i can’t include everything because of the ten images limit)

chapter three

chapter nineteen

chapter twenty-one

chapter twenty-two

chapter forty-four

chapter fifty-eight

AZRIEL’S POV (again, can’t include everything)

point (2): acosf vs azriel’s pov

ACOSF (a few suspicious moments, lightsingers + nesta’s reactions to gwyn) 

chapter nine 

The priestess drew up to her full height, which was slightly taller than average for Fae females. A crackling sort of energy buzzed around her, and Nesta’s power grumbled in answer.

chapter thirteen

Gwyn’s hair seemed to glow brighter with her song, skin radiating a beckoning light. Drawing any listener in.

chapter thirty-two

Nesta winced. Cassian went on as she scanned the bog, “There are lightsingers: lovely, ethereal beings who will lure you, appearing as friendly faces when you are lost. Only when you’re in their arms will you see their true faces, and they aren’t fair at all.”

chapter fifty-two - it’s mentioned that the priestesses function (? if that’s what it’s called) starts at seven, i know it seems useless to point this out, but keep it in mind for later.

A bell rang seven times somewhere nearby, echoing through the stonesm through Nesta’s feet.

Nesta could only gape at the lovely melody, the voices from the front of the cavern leading it, lifting higher than the others. Gwyn sang, chin high, a faint glow seeming to radiate from her.

She’d never heard such music. Like a spell, a dream given form. The entire room sang, each voice resonating through the stone.

Something beckoned in Gwyn’s song, in a way the others’ hadn’t. Like Gwyn was calling only to her, her voice full of sunshine and joy and unshakable determination.

AZRIEL’S POV (meeting with gwyn at one of his lowest moments and his shadows not warning him *coughs* lightsinger *coughs* + parallels with nesta’s reactions to gwyn + az acting weird with the necklace at seven, coincidentally when the priestesses function starts)

Azriel tucked in his wings and left without another word. (....) Until he felt nothing. Was again nothing at all. (...) He found it already occupied. His shadows had not warned him.

“How was the party?" Her breath curled in front of her mouth, and one of his shadows darted out to dance with it before twirling back to him. Like it heard some silent music.

Azriel entered the warmth of the stairwell, and as he descended, he could have sworn a faint, beautiful singing followed him. Could have sworn his shadows sang in answer.

He slept as well as could be expected, but when Azriel returned to the river house to gather his presents before dawn, he found Elain's necklace amid the pile. He pocketed it (...) with every intention of returning it to the shop in the Palace of Thread and Jewels.  

But when he returned from the cabin in the mountains, he didn't go to the market square. Instead, he found himself at the library beneath the House of Wind, standing before Clotho as the clock chimed seven in the evening.

Something sparked in Azriel's chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. He could picture it, though, (...) Gwyn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason... he could see it. (...) Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.

[takeonmetakemeon]

As I try to compare the Columbia to the Danube and the Cascades to the Carpathians it is difficult but they end up looking somewhat similar. The Columbia River carries more water and its elevation drops more quickly. The Danube is longer, starts higher and drains a larger area. They seem to be about equally deep.

None of these differences are enormous and the two rivers are clearly in the same category.

The Carpathian range is longer than the Cascades, but the Cascades are younger and taller. They also seem to be in the same broad category even if they aren't quite as similar as the rivers that pass through them.

The Columbia carries more water on average, but that is deceptive because of the dramatic difference in rainfall between winter and summer months, something Europe does not experience. The Columbia River at its largest carries more than twice as much water as the Danube does at its wettest time of year. During summer it shrinks to a stream in comparison.

The Danube is longer (2850 km vs 2000 km), starts from higher elevations (1078 m and 940 m vs 820 m) and has a larger drainage area (800,000 km2 vs 670,000 km2). The Columbia River drops a little more per kilometer on average (.41 meters per kilometer vs .38).

Wikipedia says the Danube is at most 300 feet deep, but some online sources claim a depth of 100 meters. Wikipedia doesn't have the depth of the Columbia River. The deepest place I could find in the Columbia River Gorge on this site was 264 feet (80 m), just upriver from The Dalles Dam, but this US government pamphlet (pdf) says depths up to 300 feet (91 m) have been measured near The Dalles.

Wikipedia says the deepest spot in the lower Danube is 112 feet (34 m), while I found a couple of spots near the mouth of the Columbia that were just over 120 feet deep (37 m) and the US Geological Survey pamphlet says depths up to 200 feet (61 m) have been measured there.

Given the difficulties of measuring depths and how much those can vary let's just say they're the same.

Considering everything, the two rivers are clearly in the same category and are roughly comparable.

Comparing the mountains, the Carpathian range is longer (1500 km vs 1000). The Cascades are younger and its peaks are higher than those of the Carpathians, but the volcanic peaks of the Cascades tower over the rest of the range and don't help you understand the average mountain height.

Apparently at the Banat Mountains section of the Carpathian range, where the Danube passes through them, the mountains never exceed 5,000 feet, but that is still an unhelpful statistic if you're comparing how high you have to climb to cross the range. And that is the number that really matters to your average human being.

A difference shows up when you compare the valleys of the Iron Gates to the Columbia River Gorge. Unlike the Carpathians, the Cascades don't offer rainwater a lower section where it can pass through more easily.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica article on the Cascades, the Gorge is about 4,000 feet deep (1219 m). The valleys of the Iron Gates are less than half that deep (around 500m). Looking at pictures of the two, there is no comparison. The Columbia River Gorge is clearly deeper. In size, it resembles the deeper (6,000 feet), narrower and more famous Grand Canyon more than it does the Iron Gates.

But the geographical situations are similar enough to say, yeah, these are kind of the same.

One of northwest tribes' longest-running battles. Saying this out loud is a big deal. The region has relied on irrigation and cheap clean electricity from the dams for generations.

The pictures in the article are nice, but they alone cannot tell the story of how they changed the river.

So here is one.

and here is another of the same location

The Columbia River is one of the largest in the United States. It is roughly comparable to the Danube in Europe. It cannot compare with the major rivers of Asia, Africa or South America, but it is still big.

It also drops quickly, and as it passes through the Cascade mountains it is forced through a fairly narrow gorge. Some of the effects of that can be seen in these pictures. The river is not at its largest here, but it is still not small. It was a violent and dangerous waterway. The Columbia River Gorge might be roughly comparable to the Iron Gates of the Danube.

The mouth of the river is still dangerous, even if it looks placid.

It is now a series of deep, fast-moving pools.

The dams allowed the region to enjoy cheap electricity and easy river commerce for generations, while once bountiful salmon became endangered.

[beliefscontagious]

Water Ghoul Identification Guide

i get more into detail as we get further down the line of the seven water ghouls we’ve had so far since there isn’t much info on the older ones. putting this under a cut bc it’s gonna be pretty long

Water #1:

era 1, 2010-2011

he wears a chain as a belt bc he’s an edge lord and we love him for that <3

just a dude, nothing much to say. there aren’t many photos of him unfortunately

in the server i’m in where we love and appreciate water ghouls, we let him keep the original name water

(source)

Water #2:

era 1 and 2, 2011-2013

he’s a little harder to tell apart from water #3. if his eyes are completely black and/or if he’s wearing a huge ring on his pinky, it’s this guy

but he isn’t always wearing the blackout lenses or ring so checking the date the picture was taken helps

moony ( @melioraz​ ) named him lake!

(source)

Water #3

era 2, 2013-2014

he used to be called old water, he’s the one that uh. does that thing. with his bass. you know

moony named him river!

(i’d say i hope the gif works but do i really?)

(source)

Water #4

era 3, 2015-16

he’s the new water ghoul to river’s old water ghoul

very sweet ghoul

shorter than everyone but small earth, he’s around 5′5. he’s a very sweet ghoul, doesn’t like crowdsurfers, doesn’t look like he’s paying attention sometimes but it’s okay

i named him delta bc delta is the fourth letter in the greek alphabet and he’s the fourth water ghoul, it matches alpha and omega’s names, plus a delta is a water structure so it’s just a good name all around

he played bass from 2015 to summer 2016, covered for alpha in fall 2015 and for omega in early 2016, then he became rhythm guitarist in fall 2016 after omega left (he’s very skilled)

he was also called aether in fall 2016, before we even met era 3/4 aether

since he was officially the bassist and rhythm guitarist, i headcanon that he’s a water/quintessence ghoul

he and alpha first started that headbutting/ending with a kiss thing during the solo in year zero

he’s my favorite ngl, i could go on about him forever!

(source)

(source)

Water #5

era 3, 2016

everyone knows her, she performed in fall 2016 with air, small earth, alpha, and delta

i think this is when people actually started naming the water ghouls, her name is mist

a lot of people confuse her with dewdrop but she’s smaller (5′1-5′2 vs 5′8), doesn’t stomp, her nails are usually painted, she has a tattoo on one finger and a ring on the other, her bass looks huge on her, and also she has boobs

you can also check the date the photo or video was taken, she was only around for 2016, dewdrop first showed up in 2017

(source)

Water #6

era 3, 2017

everyone also knows him, he stomps, he headbangs, but he’s also very sweet to the other ghouls and likes to cuddle up against them on stage

he’s not as short as everyone acts like he is, he’s around 5′8, or about as tall as papa is (meaning he’s taller than both mist and delta!)

first named dewdrop when he arrived in 2017, he went on to become lead guitarist in era 4. a good amount of people (including me) headcanon him as being a water/fire ghoul. i use ember as a second name to refer to him in era 4

most of the era 3 ghouls wear long sleeves under their cassocks, but dewdrop does so in both era 3 and 4

(source)

(source)

Water #7

era 4, 2018-2020 (as of 2020)

he fell on stage a few times so he was named rain pretty early on

it’s not hard to differentiate him from other water ghouls bc of his costume and mask

some people think he’s short for some reason? he’s around 6 feet tall, possibly a little taller than aether

when he isn’t holding his bass, i pick him out from other era 4 ghouls by his mannerisms. he holds his hands in front of himself and tends to stay off to the side. he didn’t start taking off his jacket on stage until about 2019, he has a tattoo on his wrist, and he later starts wearing two rings on his right hand

he lifts one leg like a flamingo sometimes, it’s really cute

he used to be shy but he’s much more confident on stage now, i’m very happy for him!

(source)

to conclude, my emotions towards all of the water ghouls is: i care they :’^) i really do, and i wish more people did too! they’re all so fun and good in their own ways but delta will always be my favorite

that’s it, if y’all have any questions my ask box is open! also i draw, my tag is #my art, it’s been a lot of delta lately

[paperanddice]

The legend of the Tigerclaws says their first leader, Hota Swiftstripe, was hunting near a glacier when he encountered a sabertooth tiger larger than any he'd ever seen before. Taller than a dragon and more fearsome, the tiger immediately challenged Hota with a roar and the battle began.

Hota was a strong warrior, but he was no match for the tiger's might. It tore out the warrior's eye and left him with four long scars down his face. He was a clever warrior as well though, and lured the tiger onto ice too thin to carry its weight so that it plunged into the freezing cold water of a mountain river. Watching the great cat thrash about helplessly Hota felt pity for it and knew he could not let it die, and so used his spear to help the tiger back to shore alive.

The great cat spoke to Hota. "I am the spirit Hunter of Winter, whom no mortal has ever bested. Now we are kin, for you bear the mark of my claw and live. As long as you roam free and hunt the wilds, the strongest of your descendants shall bear my spirit within them so that they might overcome all challenges as you have overcome me." Thus the shifters of the Tigerclaw caste came to be, and so long as the Tigerclaw remain free Hunter of Winter's spirit will continue to grant them power.

Originally from the 4e Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I'm working on, consider backing me there!

5th Edition

Tigerclaw Scout Medium humanoid (shifter), chaotic neutral Armor Class 15 (leather) Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20) Speed 30 ft. Str 14 (+2) Dex 18 (+4) Con 15 (+2) Int 10 (+0) Wis 17 (+3) Cha 10 (+0) Skills Athletics +4, Perception +5, Stealth +6 Senses passive Perception 15 Languages Common Challenge 3 (700 XP) Charge (1/Turn). If the scout moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a melee attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage and must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or lose 3 (1d6) hit points at the start of each of its turns due to a bleeding wound. Each time the target takes this extra damage, the damage dealt by the wound increases by 3 (1d6). The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending all bleeding on itself on a success. Any creature can take an action to stanch the wound with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The wound also closes if the target receives magical healing. Razorclaw Shifting (1/Short Rest). As a bonus action, the scout can shift to a more bestial apperance. The scout gains 12 temporary hit points, and its speed increases by 10 feet and opportunity attacks against the scout are made with disadvantage. These effects last for 1 minute, or until the scout dies. Actions Multiattack. The scout makes two melee attacks. Light Pick. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) piercing damage. Reactions Wild Instict. When a hostile creature moves into a position where it is flanking the scout, the scout can move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

13th Age

Tigerclaw Scout 3rd level troop [humanoid] Initiative: +9 Light Fang +9 vs. AC - 8 damage, or 10 damage if the scout wasn’t engaged with the target at the start of its turn Sabertooth Strike +8 vs. PD (two attacks, each against a different target) - 5 damage Natural 18+: The target also takes 5 ongoing damage (easy save ends). Limited Use: 1/battle, recharges if no target is hit by this attack. Razerclaw Flurry: While staggered the scout gains a +5 bonus to disengage checks. Wild Instinct: 1/round, as an interrupt action, when an enemy engages the scout while the scout is already engaged with another enemy, it can make a disengage check as a free action. AC 19 PD 17 MD 13 HP 42

[remmushound]

Beyond the Bay chapter 1: Omen in the Lights

Authors note: I know I said this was only going to be posted on A03, but I have decided against that and made the choice to expand it to my regular postings on Tumblr; there will be three posts a week; Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

It was late September, the heat of summer waning to give way to the autumn chill that had started to sweep its way through the city. The first snowfall had yet to arrive, but with the cold settling over New York, it wouldn’t be long before the city was blanketed in white. The moon reached its peak in the night sky and was beginning its downward descent into the west; if anyone had been looking up at that moment, they would have seen something miraculous. A falling star, illuminated brightly in the inky purple sky. Falling to earth on a mission from the stars and crashing into the Hudson river, sinking below the surface, a blinking white light pulsating all the way down

~~~

Deep in the undersewers of New York, in the old tunnels that even the most experience sewer workers didn't dare to enter, was a world forgotten by all but the rats and the creatures unseen. The steady drip drip drip of distant, decaying pipes were to this world like bird calls were to the surface. A constant, steady drumming that ceased not night nor day. Sometimes, the soothing drips would be jarred by the rumble of something old, far beyond its best days, giving a groaning complaint of its age. Rarer still would be a crash that told of one of those ancient structures living its last moments before succumbing to the fate of collapse.

Other than that was the pitter-patter of tiny rodent feet as rats, this worlds most plentiful residents, went about their days searching for scraps on which to feast upon. Sometimes they’d come in swarms, all seeking to indulge in the same noxious smell that invaded their senses. Other times they came alone. But they were always there, mostly unseen, some were bolder than others. 

This day there was a noise other than the drip and scuttle and groan of everyday sewer life. There was the sound of motion, the steady echo of rubber bouncing off stone. The powerful strike of muscle against muscle, shell against shell. The sound of the biggest creatures to call the undersewers home, crashing against each other as they all fought over the basketball. Leo and Mikey vs Donnie and Raph.

The game went on for hours. Longer than any human game. Longer than any crash of giants on any continent. It went on for nearly eight hours before the self-set timer ran out and named Leo and Mikey the winners. The win, of course, was taken with very little modesty by the youngest brother. Leo was glad that, in his twenty-two official years of life, he had learned to tune out the incessant bickering of his two youngest brothers as Mikey boasted of his glory and Raph simmered in his defeat.

Still, even someone with as much patience as Leo Splinterson could only let the bickering go so far until he decided to intervene.

“Okay, okay, you both did well.” Leo got between his brothers, pushing Raph back just slightly. Mikey was more than happy to start hanging over Leo’s shoulders, still running that motormouth of his.

“Don’t feel bad, Raphie!” Mikey put extra emphasis on the childish nickname, “You may be a foot taller, but I gots an extra foot in the game brother!”

“Extra foot in the— that don’t even make sense!” Raph almost snarled.

“You don’t make sense!”

“That don’t make sense either!”

“Cool it.” Leo said finally, “The game was a good warm up for tonight's patrol.”

Those few words made the three younger Splinterson brothers melt into groans.

“What?” Donnie complained.

“No way!” Mikey groaned.

“Seriously?” Raph threw his arms out and then slapped them back down against his thighs.

“What?” Leo said, and then again louder, “What? We go on patrol every night!”

“But Leo, it’s our mutation day!” Donnie groaned. “And we’re exhausted! Plus, April made us that cake—“

“Which we can pick up after patrol.” Leo said simply. 

“But what about dad?” Donnie frowned. “You know he likes us to spend our mutation day together.”

“It’s just three hours.” Leo said. “We’re ninja first, always. You know that. Dad will understand.”

Leo turned to leave, the frustrated mutterings of ‘no fair’ and ‘just had to ruin a good thing’ falling on his deaf ears. He didn't turn around; he already knew his brothers were following him, no matter how they dragged their feet or complained. This was their duty, mutation day or not. He couldn’t stand the thought of missing even the smallest occurrence that could cost them greatly in the long run. Shredder hadn’t been seen since Krang’s very temporary control over the city, but that didn't mean the Foot Clan wasn’t still active and preparing to strike. They had to be ready.

The patrol went by with little difficulty. Everything they saw were the same, normal things they’d seen in the weeks before. Men and women stumbling drunkenly home after a night out; the brothers, of course, would follow the latter to ensure she got home without trouble before going on with the patrol. Other than the women they escorted home, they also witnessed the average amount of drug deals taking place and teens sneaking out of their bedroom windows, and homeless trying to keep warm as they prepared for another long, hard winter; Donnie made sure to slip every single one of them a twenty. Whether they would use it for drugs or food was up to their discretion. Donnie didn't care either way. Who was he to judge?

Raph’s whistle stopped the brothers. Two sets of blue eyes and one set of green turned to him as the team fell to still silhouettes. Raph jerked his head toward an alleyway across the street, and four silent shadows passed over the lamp-lit road. Leo’s eyes scanned the area in its entirety searching for anything that could tell of trouble. Anything out of order. He heard three sets of breaths, not counting his own. No voices. No scuffling that didn't come from his brothers. Still he took in all the tiny details that tied together like an intricate spider web. 

Down in the alley, he saw, was a woman, her hair grayed and wearing a sleeping gown. There were no shoes on her feet and no caregiver in sight, and every step of the elder was slow and shaky. Her voice came through the alley in a language he couldn’t understand, so he turned to Donnie for further confirmation of what he was sure he already knew. Donnie listened to the words carefully.

“Guys, I think she’s lost.” Donnie said, flicking his goggles down over his glasses, “Her vitals are stable, but its freezing.”

“What’s she saying?” Leo asked.

“Uh… she’s asking for help.” Donnie said. 

“Should we go down there?” Mikey asked innocently, looking up to Raph.

“What, and scare her outta her skin?”  Raph asked, showing his canines.

“We can’t just leave her!”

“We ain’t gonna, doofus!”

“Donnie—“ Leo started.

Donnie held up his finger for silence as he started to pace the length of the rooftop, speaking into his headset. “Hi, yes, this is Donatello. You know, giant turtle, four eyes. There’s this old lady here…” He went on to relay their location and explain the situation further. His conversation with the authorities lasted only a few minutes before he ended the call. “Police are on their way.”

Leo nodded. His eyes had never left the alley or the wandering lady as she continued to call out. They stayed there waiting, watching her until the police arrived and even after that, making sure the old lady was safe in the police car being driven home. Only then, sure of the lost woman’s safety, did they continue with their patrol. They didn't get very far however before Mikey stopped and gawked at something.

“Woah!”

“What is it?” Leo asked. He followed Mikey’s gaze into the night sky and felt his jaw drop. 


Donnie looked up next, and then Raph; the former took a long, wheezing gasp while the latter remained silent in his awe.

“What in the fabric of time is that?” Donnie asked.

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!” Mikey beamed, “And I’ve seen April!”

“Glad we came out now, aren’t ya?” Leo smirked, elbowing Mikey in the side.

“Yeah…” Was all Raph was able to say.

It was like all the painters in the world had gotten together, pallets in hand, to pain the sky in streaks of gold and pink and cerulean. Colors bright and bold, melting into each other like a mixing bowl of everything beautiful in the world. A field of flowers woven into the heavens. The lights over the sky rivaled the brightness of the city itself, and in beauty, New York could never compare.

After their night of patrol and a quick stop at April’s to indulge in delicious, homemade cake, the brothers returned to the lair. Long strides carried Donnie past his father, Splinter’s words of welcome met with a mutter and quick departure. The rat only laughed and shook his head, for of course the first thing his second oldest would want to do after a night of work was to head immediately to his lab for more work. After all, when Donnie’s thoughts hardly let him sleep, it was always good to get some extra studying in. He had to keep up to date with all the latest news, even if it had only been a few hours since he had last checked. Raph stayed around just long enough to give his father a half-hearted hug before hurrying off to his room, and Mikey jumped over the old rat like he were an obstacle on the way to the kitchen. Leo was the only one to return Splinter’s welcome home greeting with a greeting of his own, immediately sitting lotus-style before his master to give a report on the night's events.

Pulling up articles to scan for anything interesting, Donnie was immediately flooded with several dozen headlines on the same subject: the beautiful light-show currently swallowing the New York City sky. Some of them were calling the lights a second Aurora Borealis, while other papers said that rockets or satellites were to blame. In fact, most every paper had a different story! A different theory of origin for the sudden glow. When the turtles had witnessed it on their patrol, it had taken such a long time for them to pry their eyes away from the beautiful canvas; even Leo had fallen victim to the painting in the sky! Along with the headlines, Donnie pulled up an influx of videos and pictures documenting the strange occurrence from all angles of the city, some even joined with reports of a meteor crashing into the harbor. Donnie had seen no meteor, but that didn't mean there wasn’t one!

“Hey.” Mikey, as air-headed as he could be, never failed to somehow always sneak up without Donnie hearing him. The box turtle leaned his full weight on his brother's chair, shoving handfuls of Cheetos into his mouth and crunching loudly in Donnie’s ear. Crumbs fell from his open maw as he chewed enthusiastically. “S’mething cool happen?”

Donnie growled and yanked his chair out from under Mikey, snickering as the youngest brother was just barely able to catch and right himself. 

“You know there is Mikey; we saw it!” Donnie said, scooting his chair back in while dusting it free of crumbs. “Every article here is talking about those lights we saw! No one knows what they are!”

“They’re cool is what they are.” Mikey said, nodding his head and swallowing his mouthful before saying, “Do they have a cool name yet? Bet they have a cool name.” He pointed at the screen with his pinkie finger as he cracked open an orange energy drink and started to chug it.

“Everyone’s calling it something different.” Donnie reported, “But whatever they end up calling it, it’s beautiful. Something like this is a once in a life time experience!”

“Isn’t everything in our lives?” Mikey asked, followed by a burp.

“I guess.” Donnie snickered, “But there’s no telling if these lights will be there tomorrow night! I… I really wish I’d documented it, but I was just… too busy thinking of all the possibilities!”

“I know what that’s like.” Mikey nodded.

“It could be a solar event, or a chemical reaction, or a whole new phenomenon—” Donnie whined as his fingers worked quickly to pull up the most recent reports. “According to these, the lights are still there… and it’s just barely four-thirty.” He pressed his lips tightly together and tapped a pattern on his desk, “M...maybe if we hustle, we could still get some decent pictures before day breaks.”

Mikey nodded and smiled. “We totally could, dude.”

“Yes!” Donnie stood up, rushing past Mikey and started to reassemble his gear, pulling cameras and recordings and notepads— he brought three, just in case— and his goggles too. He could never leave home without his goggles! “We could and we are!”

He grabbed his good camera, a big bulk of a thing the size of his head, and pushed his way past Mikey.

“Are we going somewhere?” Mikey asked.

~~~

They were cutting it close. Very close. But Donnie couldn't pass up the opportunity to get at least a few decent pictures. The ones already posted to the internet by awed humans were one thing, but to get the pictures on his own, from the vantage of the highest buildings, was something else entirely. Donnie could only hope that the solar event would take well to the filters of his camera.

“Just a few more pictures.” Donnie promised Mikey as he set up his camera for another great angle. “Then we can head home.”

“Okay.” Mikey’s response was automatic, the words little more than jargon to the younger brother. No doubt Donnie thought the other turtle bored out of his mind, but it was the exact opposite really. Mikey was so focused on the lights in the sky that his mind wouldn’t let him think of anything else. 

They were so beautiful, flashing and blipping in and out of reality with a mind of their own! Mikey rubbed his eyes. He wanted the lights to stay but they kept leaving. He was desperate to reach a hand out, believing he could touch them the little blips he tried, but his arm refused to listen.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Donnie asked. He snapped another picture of the lights, glad they hadn’t left yet; even with the brightening sky they were just as vibrant and visible as ever. Mikey didn't respond, but that went unnoticed by Donnie being too focused on his current task. “Wonder what it looks like from space!”

Mikey laughed. He laughed but he felt tears on his cheeks. The shinobi whined and lifted his left hand to rub his opposite arm as he felt goosebumps start to dance up the length of his body; at least the left one still listened, he figured, unlike the right one that was like dead weight. But the lights were too beautiful to care, and they were getting brighter too! Closer it seemed. Mikey forgot about his goosebumps as he reached up to touch the colors that started to dance all around him. They felt solid and hot, like burning metal— like he was touching the same stars that started to dance in his head!

Mikey’s lack of response was finally noticed by Donnie. The mutant peeked up from his work to glance at Mikey, groaning with the belief that the turtle had wandered off after a cat or another pizza pigeon. The belief was unfounded and replaced with confusion when he found his younger brother still there, right where he had been when Donnie last checked, still staring. His eyes seemed glassy and that made Donnie tilt his head. The technician’s eyes trailed downward to Mikey’s arm, which looked uncomfortably stiff, muscles bulging and veins defined as if he were under great strain.

“Mikey?” Donnie asked, setting his camera down to take a step closer to his brother. “Are you alright?”

Mikey smacked his lips together as pure heat flooded his mouth, like he had just swallowed a handful of peppers. Shadows were around him, speaking words he couldn’t hear, but they were so familiar to him that he tried to respond.

“Fer��� repub… not… don’t like....” Mikey tried. His words came out wrong— that wasn’t what he wanted to say! He tried it again. “Great...er...ggg…”

“Mikey!” Donnie ran forward, wrapping strong arms around the ninja’s shell when Mikey began to slump forward, almost enough to fall off the edge he was standing on. Donnie yanked him back, pulling Mikey to fall back onto the roof instead; Donnie’s body worked to soften the fall for the other turtle as they both went down, the older cradling the younger.

The lights were still there, still overhead, and still blinking their toxic song.

[x-authorship-x]

On his chakra system compared Kakashi with his implant since it’s more natural and he already magically knows the limits and how it works. Theres also a giant parallel with Minato, another genius who Obito (probably) admired and aspired to be like. Kamui is such a broken ability, aside from Kks, it would be impossible to infiltrate or find. Now, Mokuton. It’s half plant matter, so he photosynthesizes lmao? Just soak in the river for a few minutes and then take a nap in the sun and thats his food for the day. It’ll also be pretty difficult to somehow get food stuffs during a war without being found out or appearing suspicious especially since Madaras would only be able to send out the zetsus so photosynthesizing would probably solve that issue. And having half of foreign substance substituting for actual body parts might put trauma/pressure on organs (I know nothing medically related so this is just wishful logic) and bodily functions. I reject cannon Obito appearance bc it makes zero sense for him to be that TALL with how his growth plates were maybe altered and honestly a short compact ball of rage appearance suits him more. I think it’ll be if he was suddenly distinctively shorter than Kakashi when he’s always been taller. Obito also manipulates plants more than wood, and it seems he has free control over what the plants he can make does. This is such a good technique for traps??? Especially in terrain like Konoha where trees and shit are everywhere. He can plant (Fuck year hallelujah) vines and trees n shit and just KNOW when someones coming through. Also going back to your fic lands there Hashirama chakra everyone in the forests, so does that mean Obito can kind of tune into that???? Like some sort of sensor abilities with trees n shit??? Plant hermit Bito. Oh shit I almost forgot about the fucking HEALING FACTOR. In the kks vs obt fight his cheek scratch thing closed in three seconds so he has an unnaturally fast healing factor, but I don’t thats necessarily a good thing since if he got like a blade stuck in his arm or broken bones it’ll just automatically heal around with that intact? Ouchie. That’ll be so annoying to have ot treat later. think that’s all I have to say on Kamui and Mokuton. Also, unrelated but I just realized theres a word cap on words per PARAGRAPh not the entire ASK hahaha i’m not intelligent enough to understand this website. Plus the amount of sense in this ask has marginally degraded, so I’m taking this as a sign to Stop. Thank you for listening to my rambles and responding to them. :D

TEA 🍵 ITS THE TEA 🍵🍵🍵

(I'm gonna go on tangent here) i have... Such *tosses hands so hard i fly into space* URGH with what we know about Minato. Minato, Minato, i love your ideas (no one hate me please) but you make no SENSE. Minato is super fast? I'm sorry but, in the anime especially, everyone moves faster than light so Kishi really shot himself in the foot. Logically, we're supposed to know that Minato is the fastest Shinobi alive but all Shinobi have a speed that is WACK so??? Also the Rasengan, that's all we really see Minato use and, when Naruto masters it, it's seen as THE power up but... Look at all the other characters??? The Bijuu's fighting is literally just PURPLE RASENGAN??????? i wanted to see FERAL ANIMALS i wanted Kurama to act like a goddamn raccoon fighting for dumpster turf!!!! WHERE IS THE TEETH?!! YOURE TELLING ME THAT OBITO, WITH UNDETECTABLE TELEPORTATION AND CAN BECOME LITERALLY UNTOUCHABLE, COULDNT JUST SHOVE HIS HAND THROUGH SOMEONE'S CHEST AND REFORM TO GRAB THEIR HEART ETC??? make it make SENSE

Yessss, also the trees and shit should all love him, i said what i said, i want the flowers to TURN towards him 😤 grass grows where he steps and the trees sway

The healing etc.... It could be that Madara somehow, without a lab or a scientific background or ANYTHING, actually genetically ALTERED the rest of obitos DNA to behave in a more mokuton-ish way? Like the regeneration, growth, etc etc etc but then would that make Obito less fire resistant, would he stop eating over photosynthesis, would it affect his aging.... This is very very bad science lmao

[zanettis]

Talleres vs. River... who you got? I instantly thought of you 👀

Hahaha Talleres papaaaa

[jesussavedevenme]

I wish for the ficlet of Garreth vs overdramatic and overprotective Bracken and Seth. It’s totally okay if you can’t/don’t want to, but I found your post about it from Sep. 2019 and really loved it. You’re one of my favorite authors, but please don’t feel any pressure to fulfill this wish! I’m so sorry if I’m bothering or stressing you out!

**For an incredibly kind and polite anon with an amazing prompt!!!

Also real quick warning: Garreth's actions in this are very manipulative and borderline creepy so if that is going to bother you then, please don't make yourself read it**

The Festival of Unity. Also known as the cesspool of rumors and fake smiles

and the bane of Bracken's existence. Honestly he would rather face Ronodin or even Gorgrog instead of attending this gathering. The Festival of Unity took place every twenty years and lasted about three days. As its name suggested the festival was centered around unity. It was a time where all the creatures of light as well as every ally of the fairy realm joined together. The first two days were full of meetings and negotiations such as the discussion of the treaty with the Naga, the newest problems with the river trolls, and even a change in rules pertaining to the Centuars. Something that many of them were not happy about. The last day of the festival was spent finishing up negotiations and preparing for the huge ball that would take place to signify there successful unification. Bracken supposed he could see the logic and even the need for such a festival but that didn't mean he had to like it. This year though it wasn't just the snide remarks and stuck up dignitaries that made it awful, no this year Bracken had other worries. Because this year, Kendra was with him.

Kendra and Bracken had gotten married mere months ago and Bracken had tried everything he could to get her out of this festival. Several of the attempts had been quite comical if he was being honest. However, as she was the now princess, she was expected to attend and participate in the proceedings. Especially since this was the first festival she would be attending as princess. In fact the only other time that she had been before a big group as their princess had been right after they had gotten married. Kendra had been stressing about this festival for weeks, wanting to be absolutely perfect and, in Bracken's opinion, she had been. She handled all negotiations with grace and wisdom. She handled every snide remark and underhanded insult with a smile on her face and a calm but firm voice. She made it clear that she would not be walked on while also preventing an interspecial incident. Bracken felt nothing but pride as he watched her stun the different dignitaries and nobles with her never-ending grace and charm.

The reason for Bracken's stress was not that he thought Kendra wouldn't do well, quite the contrary, he was worried about his ability to protect her. There was a multitude of different species and thousands of creatures in attendance. Bracken couldn't ensure her safety in a crowd of that size especially since he couldn't be by her side all the time. There were times that he, as the prince and the leader of the Astrids, was called to a meeting to discuss tactics and such. Logically, he knew that Kendra was constantly surrounded by Astrid guards and that anyone would be a fool to attack the Princess of the Fairy Realm during the Festival of Unity. However, these things did nothing to settle his unease. The unease was worsened by the fact that he felt he was at a disadvantage.

The Festival of Unity was one of the few gatherings of its kind that were not held in the Fairy Realm. This was because of the few creatures that were not technically considered creatures of light or even those who didn't come often. Holding the festival outside the Fairy Realm symbolized the fact that they were all equal and no one was at an advantage. It made sense in theory but it made his job of protection even harder. The only comfort Bracken had was that he wasn't the only one looking out for Kendra.

Seth had been asked to attend as an ally of the Fairy Realm and a representative of the human Knights of the Dawn. It was the first time in history that a shadow charmer, technically a creature of darkness, had ever been in attendance. Seth was also one of the few people Bracken trusted to keep Kendra safe, even if she was pretty good at doing it herself. Bracken knew that if he wasn't with her Seth was and on the few occasions that neither of them were with her, she was with his mother or sisters. Bracken had planned it that way so it left little to no opportunity for someone to harm her. When Bracken had told Kendra his plan she had rolled her eyes but thankfully didn't protest too much.

Of course Seth wasn't the only one making an unprecedented appearance. For the first time since anyone could remember the Fair Folk had joined the festival. The Fair Folk were still sticking firmly to their neutrality however, they had decided that after the disastrous dragon uprising a few years prior , that it was best to be up to date about the goings on in the world. It was their attendance that added to Bracken's hatred of the festival. Bracken had no problem with the Fair Folk as a whole but, the representative they sent seriously got on his nerves. If Bracken had been the one to choose he would have chosen Eve. The girl was a natural leader and knew more about these things than this buffoon but, Lord Dalgorel had decided that she could not represent because she no longer believed in neutrality. Ironically the representative he had chosen was Eve's brother, Garreth.

Garreth had seemed nice enough in the beginning but as you looked deeper you found a pompous, overconfident man who showed great dislike for Bracken and a even greater liking to Kendra. It had obvious since the first time they ran into one another that Garreth knew Kendra. Bracken had heard the story of course but had never been able to place the face. He was sure that there had probably been a time in the past that he had seen him but seeing and remembering were two very different things. From the moment he laid eyes on her, Garreth had made it a point to seek Kendra out, generally when he wasn't around. Bracken had the utter most faith and trust in Kendra and therefore, that is not where his troubles laid. The problem was Garreth's persistence, it was beginning to get annoying and Bracken could tell that he wasn't the only one getting frustrated.

Seth had agreed with him on the fact that he had about enough of it. Kendra herself was determined to handle the situation as she had handled everything else during this festival. Firmly but gracefully. Unfortunately, Bracken and Seth had no such patience. Both of them were fiercely protective of Kendra and so the behavior bothered them. As the festival reached its end, Bracken had grown tired of the passive approach that obviously wasn't working. When he pointed this out to Kendra, she had chewed at her lip nervously and changed the subject. He knew that she worried about messing up or making the Fairy Realm look bad, but Bracken was not about to let her be a doormat to someone who obviously didn't hold women to the esteem that they should be held to. It enraged him to think that someone viewed Kendra as nothing more than an object instead of the beautiful, brave, and just all around amazing person that she was. Bracken knew that if Garreth pushed hard enough he would find out exactly why more than half of the magical world held a healthy dose of fear towards her. However, Bracken refused to let it get to that point.

Perhaps Kendra was right, and the prince of the Fair Folk would grow tired and quit, it was nearing the end of the festival after all. Though, unfortunately, Bracken's gut told him that it would not be the case.

†††††

Bracken listened keenly to the sounds of laughter coming from his sisters room as the women, sans his mother, got ready for the ball. He had opted to do all the preparations by himself and now sat waiting in the main room of their rather elaborate tent. The tent was of course enchanted making it roughly the size of their living quarters in the palace. The decorations were also much the same but on a smaller scale. A door opened towards his left revealing Seth in a Fairy Realm style, pitch black suit, a stark contrast to his own silvery one, and neatly done hair.

“I swear if one more person touches my head, I’m going to snap.” Seth announced, ducking away from one of the palace hairdressers that had joined them at the festival, though he still wasn't entirely sure why. Bracken honestly could blame him. He remembered those dreaded days before he decided to do it himself. The harsh tugging, the scrutinizing looks. Bracken gave a nod of dismissal to the hairdresser who huffed and stomped out of the room.

Bracken smirked and reached up in order to flick the younger boys ear. Seth sent him a deadly glare that would have sent anyone else running but Bracken simply raised his eyebrow. However, he could see the reason people would fear it. Seth was well known as a powerful shadow charmer and the aura he often gave off when annoyed or angry was unsettling to say the least. The effect was enhanced by his height. The young shadow charmer had hit a major growth spurt not long after the Dragon War. Seth towered over most people and seemed to almost grow larger when he was angry. Seth didn’t technically tower over Bracken but he was still taller then him by a fair amount. The effect of his glare was quickly lost when Seth began to tug at the collar of the suffocating jacket and messed with the overly fancy tunic that was underneath. Bracken felt like doing the same but he held off, the setting causing him to fall into the princely habits that had been ingrained into him since childhood. Seth's suit was much less extravagant than his own which held certain details that marked him as royalty from the fairy realm. Seth's suit coat was of course black but it was lined with silver embroidery along the cuffs and edges marking him as a close ally to the fairy realm. Of course that wasn't the only thing that marked him. Draped across Seth's arm was a grey cloak. The cloak wasn't long, just reaching Seth's knees but its served its purpose. The ends of it were meant to be gathered together at his left shoulder and clasped with a crest that belonged to the the Knights of the Dawn. On the crest was a picture of two swords making a peak, almost like a mountain, with the sun rising up from behind them. Surprisingly Seth didn't have a problem with the cloak, in fact it was the one article of clothing he didn't complain about, a fact that Bracken felt the need to bring up.

"So you hate wearing a the fancy clothes of royalty, not that I blame you, but the annoying cloak you're ok with?"

"You call it annoying I call it useful. A cloak like this does more than just keep away the chill," Seth replied and Bracken caught the hidden meaning behind his words. Weapons were technically forbidden at the festival but Bracken knew Seth well enough to know he had at least three knives, one in a holster on his hip which was hidden by his cloak and one tucked away in each of his knee high leather boots, currently on his person. It was something the Knights had pounded into his head and honestly, in their line of work, it was definitely a needed detail. "Plus," Seth continued with a lopsided grin, " It makes me look cooler." Bracken laughed at the response and from there the two easily fell into their normal back and forth banter. About thirty minutes later the girls emerged just as Bracken, for perhaps the tenth time, ran off the persistent hairdresser attempting to sneak up and tame Seth's unruly brown hair.

His four sisters emerged first wearing almost identical dresses. The tops had thin straps and were a shimmering silver color. The dresses were all fitted until the mid waist. The distinguishing trait between these dresses was the color of their flowing skirts, each of the colors matched the personalities of the princess that wore them. Mizelle was a light pastel purple matching her strong personality and the way that she radiated power and royalty without being overwhelmingly so. Next came Odette who was wear a soft pastel blue that matched her calm and gentle aura as well her patient nature. After Odette came Iredessa. Iredessa's dress was brighter than the rest of her sister but could still be called a lighter pastel yellow. The color perfectly corresponded to her bright, bubbly, and almost sunny, personality. Finally came his youngest sister Celeste, wearing a very muted pastel pink. Bracken thought that this fit his youngest sister well seeing as she tended to be very quiet and shy. She tended to keep to herself and when she was in a large group of people, she tended to stick to the people she felt the safest with. That was generally him, Odette, occasionally Mizelle, and surprisingly Kendra. Kendra and Celeste had a but of a rocky start. Bracken had always had a close relationship with her , despite her young age, before he was captured, something he was pleased to see hadn't changed when he returned. It was because of this that Celeste had originally disliked Kendra. Because in her mind, it was someone else trying to steal her brother. Plus her inherent shyness didn't help matters. Thankfully though it hadn't lasted long and Celeste had come to like and trust Kendra almost as much as himself. Not much was thought about Celeste's tendency to cling to her older siblings, mostly because of her age ,but also because people feared facing the wrath of the four oldest children of the Fairy Queen. Celeste still very young by unicorn standards . She had only been a few weeks old when their father was captured and because of the way unicorns aged, she had only just fully developed her first horn when he was captured. At the moment Celeste had yet to lose her second horn, though Bracken was sure it was just around the corner, something that somewhat saddened him. Finally ,as his sister moved away from the doorway, he spotted Kendra and his jaw dropped with how beautiful she looked.

She was wearing a long dress that held the same silver bodice as his siblings except hers had off the shoulder sleeves that puffed out in small ruffles instead of thin straps. The neckline of the dress was lined with light blue flowers made of lace while the rest of the bodice had beautiful leaves and stems embroidered along the sides in golden thread. Once again, like his sisters, her dress was fitted until her waist where it then flowed towards the floor. However, her dress flowed more outwards instead of flowing straight toward the floor. it wasn't so much to be overwhelmingly big but just enough to look nice. The waist line was dotted with a few more of the lacy blue flowers that were on the neckline with a couple dipping below onto the beginnings of the skirt. The skirt was a thing in of its own. The skirt itself was the sane pale pink as Celeste's if not a but lighter but over top if that pink was a deep blue shear covering, giving the illusion that the dress was changing colors as she moved. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a half up hairstyle with the sides in a subtle French braid that lead to an intricate, loopy braid. The rest of her hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back in soft curls. The few escaped pieces of hair perfectly framed her face accentuating the shape drawing attention the her bright green eyes. All and all, Kendra looked gorgeous.

All the outfits were brought together by the circlet crowns that they wore. Mizelle's was a simple silver crown that made indricate loops and patterns of it twisted around her head. The only jewel on her crown was a singular diamond that acted as the center piece of the circlet. Odettes crown was bolder than Mizelle's but not by much. Her circlet dipped down almost between her eyes and had a pure white pearl in the center of the points The points circled around her head in a relatively straight line but they were bedazzled with diamonds that sparked in the light. On either side of the pearl started a thin silver wire that arched up across her forehead and twisted around the rest of the crown forming loops and curls. As per usual, Irredessa's was the boldest and most noticeable. Unlike Odette's, her crown arched upward toward her hairline and into a soft point.From there the crown rose and fell in small waves as it circled her head. What drew attention was the large round diamonds that covered the entirety of the crown. Celeste's circlet was a combination of all three. it dipped low onto her forehead and the middle and had the same pearl and arching silver wires like Odette, she had the same indicate loops as Mizelle, and she had small diamonds that covered everything but the wires curling around the circlet.

To no ones surprise, Bracken's favorite circlet sat on Kendra's head. Unlike the rest of them her criclet was gold, showing her royal status while also separating her from the Fairy Queen's children because she had entered the family by marriage. Her circle was very simple with A bright emerald as a center piece that sat right in the middle of her forehead. There were thin gold wires that formed loops framing the emerald itself and branching off to form lose loops around part of her head. occasionally the loops would be interrupted by small light blue gems that were a bit darked and more silver tented than Odette's dress. The colored jewels of the symbolized the combination or the joining of Kendra and him and maybe that was why he loved it so much. Of course the girl who wore it impacted that as well. Bracken was pulled away from admiring his wife when Seth spoke,

" Does anyone remember where we keep the wrench because, I think Kendra broke Bracken again," Kendra and his sisters laughed causing a silver blush to creep across his cheeks and ears. Looking at the crowns the girls wore made him consciously aware of his own which was very simple and plain, just the way he wanted it. It was made with thin silver wire that came to a sharp point at the center of his forehead. There were two other wires that crossed and formed two large loops at the front of his head before coming together to form a straight line around the rest of his head. Despite its simplicity, Bracken still found it to be uncomfortable and he envied Seth because he didn't have to wear one.

Now that everyone had entered the main room, they began to make their way out the door and to the reception hall where the ball would take place. His mother had gone ahead much earlier as the main leaders were expected to arrive before the rest of the guests. His mother had always liked to be the first one to arrive at any given place as it gave her time to analyze her surroundings. Plus it tended to make the other leaders and nobles somewhat uncomfortable and nervous at the thought that the Fairy Queen had been waiting for an unknown amount of time. Bracken knew his mother found their squirming to be amusing, seeing as their was really nothing to squirm over. He was pretty sure that was as much of her reason for arriving early, if not more so, than analyzing the scene. And she wonders where he gets his mischievousness.

Bracken and Kendra had fallen behind of his sisters as they walked, hand in hand, towards the reception hall. The sky was a mural of pinks, oranges, purples and more as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The walk was fairly quite seeing as it was still early and most people were still getting ready. Bracken gently swung his and Kendra's hands as they walked and he couldn't help but turn his head to admire the way the sunset cast a golden glow on her skin in addition to the brilliant light that radiated from her. She had gotten a lot better at controlling the brightness of the light but it could never be contained completely. Bracken didn't realize how slow they had been walking until he could no longer see his sisters in the front of him. He could hear their laughter and light conversation but even that was getting faint. He had also lost sight of Seth but he was sure the shadow charmer hadn't strayed to far. He was most likely living up to his name and walking amount the shadows.

Bracken was enjoying the slow quiet moment that they were enjoying. It was perhaps the only quiet moment they had enjoyed since arriving at the festival, so it was very welcome. Unfortunately the calm didn't last long as they were stopped by an astrid, probably about twenty feet from the entrance of the reception hall. Bracken narrowed his eyes, getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach that let him know that he probably wasn't going to be pleased with what he was about to hear.

†††††

Kendra had been incredibly worried about the Festival of Unity ever since she found out she would be attending, despite Bracken's valiant efforts. Like most things she makes herself sick over, it ended up being nowhere as bad as she thought it was going to be. Sure she would much rather prefer being curled up next to Bracken on their living room couch while watching a movie but this was a good experience. She was able to build credibility among the various nobles, leaders, and magical creatures that had been in attendance. It allowed her to show them that she deserved to be where she is and that she had what it took to handle the responsibilities that came along with her position. So all in all it hadn't been that bad of an experience. Of course having Garreth there complicated things a bit. Especially since he was as persistent as the hairdresser that had tagged along with them. However as annoyed ,and borderline angry, as Bracken was about the whole Garreth situation, Kendra honestly didn't care. Sure it was annoying and at times she wanted to deck him in his perfect jaw but she also knew that it wouldn't help anything. She felt assured in her safety here at the festival and knew that Garreth wouldn't likely try anything here. Especially with Bracken and Seth so close by. Besides it wasn't as if she was helpless, A fact that most people often forgot. Though that lapse in memory had given her an advantage many times over the course of her life.

She had been enjoying the walk to the reception hall with Bracken when the Astrid showed up. The ball was something that Kendra actually looked forward to, despite the nerves she felt. It wasn't so much the party she was excited about but more the fact that the spotlight was off of her. It was easy to fade into the background during a gathering of this size. logically she knew that there would still be people that approached and interacted with them but it would most likely just be typical conversation. She also took comfort in the fact that she would not be doing this alone. Not that she ever had been but this time she would be surrounded by people who were willingly to take the brunt of the conversation. Seth had enough outgoing nature for the both of them and She knew that Bracken's sister Iredessa was likely to talk everybody's ear off.

Kendra loved Bracken's sisters as if they were her own, and they kind of were in a way. She thoroughly enjoyed being able to get to know and experience each of their personalities. Much like her and Seth, they were all vastly different. Mizelle was a born leader, much like Bracken, but she tended to analyze and observe a little more than he did. She was also more graceful in the way she handled certain situations. Kendra loved her husband dearly but he had a tendency to speak before he thought, especially when he was angry. Odette was always calm and collected. Her mere presence calmed Kendra, especially in times of great stress. She was a very gentle soul and also very wise. In a lot of ways, she reminded Kendra of the Fairy Queen. Odette was also a very skilled healer as Kendra had ,unfortunately, witnessed many times. Iredessa was bright, bubbly and loud. she brightened every room she walked into and was always the first person to start a conversation. However, when placed outside of her element she became very timid and quite as she observed. And finally there was Celeste. The two of them had gotten off to a but of a rough start because Celeste had thought that Kendra was with Bracken because of the title or the power. Eventually the two of them had ironed out all of the misunderstandings and actually become quite close. It filled Kendra with joy and pride to know that Celeste felt as comfortable with her and she did with Bracken. Celeste was by far the most timid of the siblings and was uncomfortable in any kind of social setting, not that Kendra could blame her. Kendra originally had been taken aback at how young Celeste was compared to her siblings. And even to some extent how young Odette and Iredessa were. For some.reason Kendra had been under the impression that all of them were similar to Bracken in age even though she knew that they were younger. Being in the midst of a groups such as this ,adding in Bracken, Seth and the Fairy Queen, gave her a deep sense of security that she had carried throughout the entire festival and continued to carry as they made their way to the reception hall.

Unfortunately, that sense of security was shattered when she noticed the Astrid waiting impatiently at the entrance of the hall. She felt Bracken tense up beside her. He squeezed her hand slightly before letting go and walking confidently towards the Astrid, easily falling into his role as leader. The Astrids were here in order to provide added protection to the royal family. They had stayed out of sight, as silent protectors, for most of the trip. Only emerging when she was left alone or they were needed for some sort of task or meeting. So to see one in plain sight, obviously waiting for them- well it was unnerving to say the least. Her stomach churned with anxiety and she bit her lip as she tried to focus on what Bracken was saying and not her own racing thoughts.

"Why was this meeting called? The Festival of Unity is all but over," Bracken said.making Kendra realize that she had missed the beginning of the conversation.

"I am unsure, Your Highness. I was simply asked to deliver the message," The Astrid, Kendra is pretty sure his name is Haldirn, looked nervous. Kendra guessed she understood why. Most of the Astrids were still nervous around the royal family. They had not forgotten their past failures and they did not wish to disappoint them again. Apparently Haldirn felt like this missing information was a failure of his. Kendra could see how tense his shoulders were and the way he avoided Bracken's eyes. He was ready to be scolded and berated but, Bracken was as kind as he was brave. Because of this, though he didn't sound particularly happy, he replied with,

"Its not your fault, you are doing your best with the information you have been given," Bracken shot a look at Kendra, guilt and confliction flashing in his silvery blue eyes. Kendra knew that look all to well and while she hated it, she knew it couldn't be helped. Kendra was about to reassure him when she felt a presence behind her.

"What's going on?" Asked the deep voice of Seth, causing her to relax her shoulders. Seth moved to stand by Bracken, crossing his arms as he stared at the Astrid. Seth was shorter than the Astrid but was no less intimidating. Haldirn, startled by the sudden appearance of the Shadow Charmer, attempted to stutter out an answer.

"Apparently, there has been a last minute meeting called that requires the both of us," Seth raised an eyebrow.

"But isn't the Festival over?"

"It's supposed to be. This kind.of thing isn't completely unheard of hut it certainly is rare," Bracken replied, sounding slightly grumpy. Kendra searched his face, knowing him well enough to be able to see through his infamous poker face. Kendra could see the worry and the skepticism in his gaze. Kendra would be lying if she said that she didn't agree with him. This whole situation seemed off leaving a pit in her stomach. However, it was impossible to know exactly what was going on without investigating. Kendra could also see the war raging in his mind as he weighed his options. Kendra knew that he would not only over think it but, he would also feel guilty with either decision he made. So with that thought in mind she decided to make the decision for him. She squared her shoulders and tried her best to walk confidently up to his side. She placed a gentle hand on his arm, gaining his attention, and pushing all her feelings aside she said,

"Go," The answer was simple but she said it firmly leaving no room for argument. Nevertheless she could see the response building in his mind and she cut him off as he opened his mouth, knowing what was coming next, " Go. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," She raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge her on the subject. She didn't want him to leave, quite the contrary but she also knew it was unavoidable. Besides, she had taught and one two wars, she could handle a ball and it wasn't as if she would be alone. She could tell that he still wanted to argue but luckily he simply turned back to the Astrid.

"Fine, take me to the meeting," The relief coming from the Astrid was almost tangible and turned to lead them away. Bracken quickly reached for her hand and linked their pinky fingers. It was a silent form of communication they had established long ago. A quick and quite way to say I love as well as a promise that everything would be alright. The exchange last less then a second and then Bracken was pulling away and following behind Haldirn. Seth had scowl on his face and a look of suspicion in his eyes. Kendra expected him to protest or demand more information but surprisingly, he follow Bracken without a word. He sent her a look over his shoulder and nodded his head in a way as to tell her to call him if she needed him. Kendra couldn't help but roll her eyes at how overprotective the two of them were.

She stood there until she could no longer see them and then turned back towards the entrance of the gathering hall. She resolved to try and find Bracken's sisters amongst the crowds but she had barely made it past the entrance before she was ambushed. Garreth had seemingly come out of nowhere, suddenly emerging in front of her. He sent her a dazzling smile which she returned with a half hearted, fake smile. She was getting tired of pretending this didn't bother and any other time she probably would have snapped. Tonight, however she just reminded herself that the Festival was almost over. A few more hours and she would have to deal with him anymore. For a second she was secretly grateful that Seth and Bracken weren't there, as she was pretty sure one or both of them really would have snapped.

" Good evening Kendra. Might I just say that you look amazing. " Kendra gave him a tight smile and fought the urge to squirm at how uncomfortable his gaze made her feel.

"Thank you," She replied stiffly attempting to turn and move away from him, hoping to get lost in the crowd. Unfortunately, he seemed to have no trouble walking along side her. She could tell he wanted her to return the compliment but, there was no way she was giving him that kind of encouragement. She avoided eye contact, focusing instead on searching the crowd for the Fairy Queen and or one of Bracken's sisters. She hoped that by ignoring him, he would lose interest and leave. Garreth, however, was not deterred by her actions. Instead, Garreth grabbed her arm, none to gently, as she attempted to turn away. He led her off somewhere to the side away from the bustle of the ball. He shattered excitedly the whole way but Kendra couldn't make out the words over her raving thoughts. She wasn't sure what was going on and she wasn't sure how she would be able to gracefully exit the situation. Kendra knew logically, that she was very capable of putting an end to this situation and getting out of it without a scratch. She had done it plenty of times before. People often forgot that , despite her power being centered around light, she was just as dangerous as Seth. She had years of experience and training in her abilities, courtesy of Bracken. And she wasn't bad with a bow either. She had come a long way from relying on a storm of arrows to protect her. In fact her arrows rarely missed their mark. However, right now she didn't have a bow and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to use it. Violence was forrbidden as it would undermine the entire purpose of the Festival of Unity. As well as cause people to question the loyalty of the Fairy Realm. It was definitely not the impression she wanted to leave. Use of her abilities would end and apply much the same way.

Still racing to come with a diplomatic solution, Kendra failed to notice that they had fully exited the ballroom until she was face to face with a large silver door. She could still hear the muffled sounds of the party traveling down the hallway that led to the door. Briefly she wondered if Bracken's sisters noticed her absence, but she quickly.brushed off the thought knowing that there was probably too much going on. She was practically forced into the room which, based on the desk, bookshelf, and scattered documents, seemed to be some kind of study. Garreth had placed himself casually in front of the door and Kendra knew that she would have to figure out a way to trick him into switching their positions. A plan had already began to form in her mind as she said,

" So, have you heard from Eve lately?" Miraculously she was able to keep the shake out of her voice. It was a casual question, one that was technically considered small talk. However, she knew that it would rile him up. Eve had rejected neutrality and joined the Knights of the Dawn with Seth, against the wishes of her family. In normal circumstances, aggravating and goading the enemy was not a good idea but at the moment she really didn't care. She just needed him to move. Not much, just enough so she could casually make her way to the door. This was also a topic that should keep him talking. Meaning it was less likely to realize what she was doing. Garreth played his part well a slight scowl on his face as he replied,

" I have not heard from my sister, since she left home, " There was a short pause before when he talked about her leaving home. Indicating that he had changed his wording at the last minute. He wondered if it had anything to do with Seth.

"Well, from what I gather she is making a very good Knight. I haven't seen her in action, but I know Seth has been rather impressed," The mention of her brother brought another scowl to his face. It was pretty common knowledge, to anyone that knew of the situation, that Lord Dalgorel blamed Seth for quote unquote "corrupting his daughter". She expected him to go off on a rant about the topic, as Lord Dalgorel had many times before, However, this is where her plan began to go wrong.

" I don't really care to know the details of Eve's relationships. I would however like to know about yours," He smiled as he said it but something in his eyes made her squirm.

" Well, Bracken and I got married a few weeks ago. It was the best day of my life and I couldn't be happier," The statement was cheesy, true but cheesy. She could hear Seth complaining in her mind but at least it was something.

" Well, a few weeks is hardly anything to judge next years of your life by. Who knows in a month or so, all of that could change," Kendra flinched as he stepped closer, practically backing her into a corner and halting the slow progress she was making towards the door. She reached her hands behind her fingering the button on her bracelet that would bring Bracken bursting into the room to her rescue. Her fingers hovered over the button but didn’t push it, not yet anyway. She felt bad for bringing Bracken into a problem that she could fix by herself. Besides she couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for this situation. She knew that Bracken and Seth would fiercely refute that statement but, that didn’t stop her from thinking it.

At this point it didn't look as if her plan would work the way she intended. Technically she could do a number of things unfortunately all of those ended in violence. She doubted that, anyone other than her family, would count this as just reason to start a fight. And besides, Garreth would probably be able to explain all of it away. He was close enough now that she could feel his breath on her face. Not liking were this was going and feeling utterly helpless. She reached for her bracelet and smashed to button that would send out a distress signal to Bracken and Seth who had a similar object in the shape of a black ring. Garreth was speaking again but she couldn't here it over the roar of the blood in her ears. She reached inside her gut and felt for the magic she knew pooled there. She gathered it willing it to grow until she felt she would burst with it. She held it the best she could, reading it for use should she need it. She was trying to keep her actions under wraps but she could tell by the way Garreth was squinting his eyes that her aura had brightened as the power built. She readied herself to release it but just before she could give the command, the door slammed open revealing and angry Unicorn and an even angrier Shadow Charmer.

†††††

Walking through the abandoned paths where the Festival took place was unnerving. Bracken's senses were on high alert as he scanned the long shadows cast by the flickering lanterns lining the walkways. The pounding of their footsteps against the.cobblestone sounded deafening in the silence. Out of the corner of his eyes Bracken saw Seth. His shoulders were squared, but not tense, his face the picture of calm. The only thing that gave away his nervousness was the way his right arm, covered by his dark cloak, continued to drift and brush against his hip. If Bracken didn't know what was hidden there, he would have overlooked it but the significance of the gesture was not lost on him. Seth was no longer a young boy who randomly swung around a sword, rushing into battle and hoping for the best. While he still held much of the same reckless spontaneity, he now attacked with deadly precision. Years of training had given him close to unmatchable skills. One flick of his wrist would send his chosen projectile thudding home with devastating results. Of course his knowledge and skill with weapons weren't the only thing that made Seth Sorensen dangerous. His mother had once told him that out of all the Shadow Charmers she had come across over her long life, he was by far the most powerful. Bracken wholeheartedly believed that, having seen it first hand many times in the past. Not for the first time, Bracken was thankful that Seth was on their side.

They walked for about another five minutes before Haldirn stopped in an empty courtyard. There was no one else there, not that they could see anyway. The air was silent apart from their breathing and the rustle of the trees in the wind. Occasionally you would also hear the call of an owl but that was it. If anyone was here then they were doing a very good job of hiding. A suspicion that he had been trying to suppress made itself know in his mind. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Bracken asked,

"Who was it that informed you of the last minute meeting?" The question felt sour in his.mouth and the implications, should his suspicions be right, caused his stomach to churn.

" It was prince Garreth of the Fair Folk your Highness " Haldirn replied, not quite grasping the significance of that statement. Bracken and Seth glanced at each other wide eyed and they were already moving when Seth's ring began to beep. Bracken could feel the alert in his own mind alerting him of the danger. He quickly called out a command for Haldirn to start as search as he broke out in a run, beginning to make his way to the ballroom. He could hear the pound if his and Seth's feet against the cobblestone path. It sound deafening compared to the silence left by the people attending the ball. Bracken slowed slightly as he reached the ballroom, not looking to cause a scene, but still kept up a hurried pace. He felt more that saw the concerned glace of his mother as she saw his panic. Bracken, however, didn't have time to think much about it. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind and finding the pull of Kendra's engagement ring, which had been fashioned out of his first horn. It didn't take long for it to lead him through a long hallway and to an ornate door.

Bracken threw open the door and stormed into the room. He didn't take long to survey the situation, he simply noted Garreth's position and reacted. His hands found the collar of his fancy silk tunic and he yanked him back with enough force that Garreth stumbled into the wall and slid down to the floor, looking up at them in fear. Bracken felt the room drop in temperature in response to Seth's anger. And by the way the color drained from Garreth's face, he could feel it too. They stood in silence, both of them struggling not to lunge and attack the prince of the Fair Folk. Technically violence had already occurred when Bracken threw him against the wall but he had been just gentle enough so as not to leave a mark. But only just. Garreth stood up clearing his face of the fear and attempting to regain his previous confidence. Bracken had to admit that he had a decent poker face. though the tremble in his hands gave him away. Bracken tried to avoid looking at Kendra, knowing that seeing her upset would only fuel his fury. Though this approach didn't last long as the waves of panic and distress he felt through their connection, made from both the bracelet and her engagement ring, shattered his resolve. He turned towards her, trusting Seth to keep an eye of the ambassador of the Fair Folk.

Bracken searched her face, he could see any obvious injuries but he could see the way her green eyes began to sparkle with tears that she would refuse to let fall. That was enough to make his blood boil and he found himself standing taller as a blush crept up the back of his neck and along the tips of his ears.

"Take a walk with me ambassador," Bracken said attempting to keep the heat out of his voice even if his words still came out sharp. His tone made it clear that this was not a request. He turned and walked around the gathering hall and toward one of the gardens that surrounded it. He heard that ambassador follow him but refused to turn and look at him as it would only cause him to do something rash.. He hadn't missed the scowl Garreth had sent Kendra as they left ,as he obviously blamed her for the results of the situation ,and it made him want to punch him in his smug looking face. Nevertheless, he schooled his features into his perfect poker face and led Garreth farther into the gardens. There were a few people milling around the extravagant gardens but most of them seemed to steer clear of them, most likely sensing the Fairy Prince's anger. Bracken walked to the back of the garden, where he was met with a hedge wall. This spot was quiet, dark, and gave more than enough privacy. He turned to look at the Prince of the Fair Folk, who looked far less cocky than he did a few minutes ago. He let the tense silence hang in the air a moment longer, enjoying the way it made Garreth squirm before he said,

"Allow me to remind you that harming a member of the royal family, physically or otherwise, is a very serious offense," his hand fell to his left hip searching for a sword that wasn't there and wishing that he had thought to bring a cloak like Seth had. " It would be a shame if the neutrality of the Fair Folk ended at the Festival of Unity. "

"Is that a threat your Highness?" Garreth questioned, a sudden burst of confidence entering his voice.

"Only if you choose to make it one," Bracken said off handedly. He turned his back to the other man and pretended to study one of the flowers that was nearby. The action allowed Bracken some time to regain control over himself and the anger that threatened to boil over.

" Now now, it's not good to make hasty decisions you will regret later," And Garreth had the gall to look back towards the direction in which they had come as he said it. Implying that the statement was directed toward Kendra . Bracken felt something inside him snap as the heat of the anger boiling his blood finally became too much. However, Garreth either didn't sense the shift or didn't care, because he continued before Bracken could say anything. " Of course, you always were known to be a bit quick tempered. You often allow your emotions to cloud you judgement. "

" I have been very diplomatic, very patient, but for some reason you seem to want to try that patience. You want to find my limit. Do you want to know what it will take for me to break? What will cause me to loose my temper?" Bracken asked stalking closer, his words close to a growl. Garreth held his gaze as all of his cocky confidence faded into fear. Bracken slowly pointed toward Kendra, " One tear. That's all it will take. If one tear falls from her eyes tonight I will show you exactly why they call me quick tempered. " And with that he turned and walked back through the garden and into the ballroom.

 Bracken smirked as he entered the ballroom and saw Seth eyeing him from where he stood next to Kendra. The young Shadow Charmer must have taken Kendra there after he left with Garreth. Bracken approached the siblings, placed his arm around Kendra and then , looking at Seth, nodded his head toward the gardens. Seth's gaze darkened further and the air around them seemed to drop in temperature once again . The younger man also seemed to grow a little taller and darkness pooled in his chocolate brown eyes, beginning to consume the whites of his eyes. Without a word Seth made his way to the gardens, people parting , giving him a wide berth, as they glanced upon him with fear. Bracken pulled Kendra closer and leaned down to pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. He couldn't help but smirk as a clock struck midnight, letting out a chime an signaling the end to the Festival, even if people would remain until the next morning. The Festival was officially over as were any vows of complete peacefulness. All bets were off now. If Garreth thought he was bad, then he was in for a real surprise when Seth got his hands on him.

And there we go!!!!! This was super fun to write (Though probably not.my best work) !!!! I hope it lived up to expectations. I tried really hard but I haven't written in this style for a while so let me know whether or not you like or if you want me to use it more often.

I also want to say a quick thank you to all of you who were patient with me. My personal life is very hectic especially right now so thank you so much for your patience. I love getting to post these and I have a lot of fun doing it but a lot of times life gets in the way of my plans to update.

As always let me know what you think and if their is anything you want to see next!!!!