#the important thing is to love what you love not to defend traditional territory

[mysticdragon3md3]

Oh no, the ships are fighting 🍿

[berrizzesworld]

One year since the war started, or the story of how I never turned 16

On 24 February 2022, I woke up at 5am to explosions outside my window. I remember crawling under the covers and counting the seconds between the bombings, hoping that the gaps would lengthen, and then it would all be over. I knew that every next bomb, every next sound of a falling missile, could be the last one for me or any person I love. I could not believe that the word I used to read in the pages of books and hear in my worst dreams had entered my reality. That word was "WAR".

From that moment the countdown to my new life began. This feeling cannot be described or put into words. It is the moment when you lose everything: all your plans, your favourite things, places, and people. And there is no way back. Even though you didn't make this decision yourself…

At such moments, you simply fly on the wings of fate, hoping and believing in one thing only: to survive and not to lose your family and friends, because you are unable to resist this mechanism of killing. But afterwards, when the gift of life keeps you alive, you can do one thing, the only right thing: try to make your life happy again and face all the difficulties with dignity.

So, when I appeared abroad without my parents, friends and any hopes for a bright future I did what I had always thought was impossible: I didn't just move to Switzerland, I set out on the path of my dream life.

The last year not only changed everything in my life, it changed me. I had to become completely independent, living away from my parents. I had to learn to accept pain, losses and rejoice in the little things. Despite many sacrifices, in the form of traditions and the banal possibility of seeing Mum every morning. I got a tremendous experience and met incredible people who make me smile every day. And for that, I can definitely be grateful ;)



I am proud of our Mr. President, who from the first day of the war has given us faith in victory, and during all this time he has not lost the honor and respect of the people. I am eternally grateful to the soldiers of Ukraine, who are defending our homeland day and night, who are not even close to the conditions we are in. At the moment, I can live and smile, be able to call my parents or even go on holiday to Ukraine only thanks to them! And this cannot be disputed. Every falling rocket on the territory of my country, every cry and death of an innocent child or any Ukrainian kills a cell of my soul. After this it is very difficult to remain not an evil, kind person. But I try very hard Because only good can make this violent world a little bit more beautiful.

Summing up all that has been said above, there is only one conclusion to be drawn: today is not my 17th birthday, today is my 1st birthday, the birthday of the new me. The new Anna, who I didn't know a year ago, but who I am now very glad she exists. Fortunately, I have not lost but only gained important qualities, and despite the core that has sprouted within me, I am still a little dreamy girl at heart - and that's the most important thing!

Unfortunately, this day still brings up conflicting feelings in me and even though today is my birthday, today is also the year since the war began. A war that has destroyed thousands of lives and is not yet over.

And the final. I have learned two important things during last year: First: It's important to love. Just love. Everything and everyone around you. That's a feeling that can do a lot. And second: I never turned 16, because exactly one year ago, my dream of a sweet sixteen was brutally destroyed, leaving a permanent scar in my soul. I hope I turn 17 today, but that day a year ago will never come back. But there is one thing that is important to remember: the show must go on!

With Love, your Berrize's World

[zozophoenixxx]

Serotonin Booster :D 🐉

How to train your dragon edition

(Basically a friendly reminder series but it's now called Serotonin Booster bc I like it that way hehe)

Anywayssss here are some things I had forgotten or little details I just noticed on my rewatch, maybe even Unpopular Opinions 🤭👀

✨Riders of Berk✨

ok im starting this from ep6 bc I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this but yk what why not

JUST REALIZED that whenever Astrid says to Hiccup "what took you so long" when she was stranded at sea in RTTE she was referring back to this one scene in ROB on ep6 when she saved hiccup from Alvin's arrows [Hiccup said the same thing] 😳😳

By the way, it's not really "dragon conqueror". It's "dragon trainer" 🤩

STOICK RIDING TOOTHLESS JAHDHAHSHA

ALSO loved the way they named the typhoomerang🥺

DUDE JAHDHSJAJ stoick is such a kid lmao he really punched the thunderdrum like it was nothing lmaoo

Thunderdrum: *tries to bite Stoick's hand because he doesn't trust him yet*

Stoick: *punches the thunderdrum*

Hiccup: Hey,hey! Whoa, what happened to trust

Stoick: Talk to him! He's the one who tried to take off my hand!

OK BUT AWWW- the thunderdrum just saved stoick because stoick stood up for him and the purple one and then they did the hand thing 🥺🥺🥺

Stoick showing that he did listen to Hiccup and then Hiccup smiling🥴🥺

Hiccup looked so sad whenever he saw his portrait and realized that he was painted differently and the fact that stoick was like "it's you but bigger and stronger" and the other guy was like "that's the son of a chief" definitely did not make him feel better. The fact that sometimes he probably thinks that's he's not good enough and he has to live up to that kid in the portrait-

That's him after... Tell me this isn't the saddest thing-💔

I completely forgot that "it's Viking tradition to call the runt of the litter a Hiccup"

Fireworms! 😁

Fun fact: Gronckle farts are strong enough to make people pass out

Stoick's thunderdrum's name is thornado🥴

Scauldrons eat blue Oleanders, these flowers are poisonous to other dragons tho

Snotlout was the one that found Heather's wrecked boat

I love how Astrid's so intuitive, she knew right away that Heather was kinda sus. It really shows the difference between her and Hiccup who always tries to look for the best in people. Both are good qualities to a certain point if you think about it...

Chicken! :D

"Why would you do that?!" JHDHSHA I LOVE HIM

"Ow! Why is it always violence with you?" "It's not violence. It's communication." Astrid after hitting Fishlegs

That one scene where Astrid is going to Outcast island as Heather on her own and Hiccup is all overprotective i-😩🥺

I really wish they had named and kept that monstrous nightmare that saved Astrid

Thawfest: festival to test strength, endurance, and courage

- The fact that Astrid could've won the log roll and axe throwing events if it hadn't been for fishlegs 🤦🏻‍♀️

- I love how Astrid always knows better

- OMG KISSY KISSY KISS KISS 😚🥴🥰😍😘

Why do I feel like tuff and ruff would definitely be children of Ares

Mildew annoys me sm

I love Mulch and Bucket and also how Stoick was willing to go against his people to protect Toothless. I think it shows the great qualities of a leader who doesn't let everyone do whatever they want.

HICCUP HAS BEEN HIT WITH LIGHTNING!!

- *wakes up from being hit with a lightning bolt to check on his leg* "At least I didn't lose another one."

Whispering death - boulder class, razor sharp teeth, incredibly strong and hunts from underground

The way Snotlout makes fun of the fact that Toothless can't fly bc of Hiccup pisses me tf off

Little moments between Hiccup and Astrid are the ones that get me 🥺🥰 like him getting on Stormfly before Astrid and then helping her up or him touching her shoulder and leaving his hand on there for just a sec to indicate the way 🥺🥺🥺

No because the way they're all running away from the Whispering Death in ep14 and Toothless finally appears and Astrid is like "TOOTHLESS!" like I always asked myself why they didnt show Hiccup's immediate reaction to Toothless coming back and defending them. I just love that they showed how Toothless is also important to Astrid.

Toothless looks cute/funny holding a boulder

Barf and Belch go through the worst lmao

OK I COULD NEVER REMEMBER WHICH ONE WAS WHICH BUT NOW IK CAUSE I ACTUALLY PAYED ATTENTION THAT

Barf is Ruff's

Belch is Tuff's

Also why did I forget that Zippleback gas is kinda druggy

Dagur gives me Vector from Despicable me vibes

I really liked how Stoick was willing to go to war to save Barf And Belch in the Twinsanity ep, it really showed that he wouldn't only do it for Toothless (to protect Hiccup) but he'd do it for any dragon bc he's actually changed

Hiccup's acting was on point ✋🏼👏🏼🤩

Love how Hookfang won't take shii from Snotlout

LITERALLY JAHDHSHZHS Hiccup being hella done w Snotlout in ep16 is my new favorite thing.

THE HAND THING WILL ALWAYS BE ICONIC AND NO ONE WILL TELL ME OTHERWISE

Wow Toothless and Snotlout working together, never thought I'd see this duo

Breakneck Bog = Bermuda Triangle = The Sea of Monsters

Astrid hitting Tuff for pranking them is hilarious and Then RUFF ALSO HITTING TUFF TOO WHEN SHE WAS ALSO PART OF THE PRANK LMAO

Smothering Smoke Breaths - hide themselves in a veil of smoke, very territorial and they build their nests out of metallic objects to defend against attacks by bigger dragons

Changewings - able to change color of its skin to blend in with its surroundings.

I love how Astrid is just so direct lmao

THE TWINS I- JAJDHDHDJAN I LOVE THESE 2 DUMBASSES

The way the chabgewing just ruffled up tuffnut NAHSHDHHSHS

Baby Gustav 🥺🥺🥺🥺

WAIT BUT BUCKET'S SPITTING FACTS

"It's always the quiet ones that snap the loudest"

Granite is Meatlug's favorite 🥴

The way Astrid is so excited to show Hiccup her new achievement and the way she always knows when something is wrong... If this isn't true love i-🥺🥺🥺🥺

Hiccup was entrusted with Bork life's work

The Isle of night - an entire island filled with Night Furies!

Fishlegs lil giggle after he did the thunderdrum call😅🥴

Remember how I said that I thought Stoick would be the only person to get into a fist fight with a dragon? Well I was wrong... Snotlout just punched a Changewing and ig that's abt right

Hiccup just wanted Toothless to not be alone 🥺🥺🥺

ALVIN! UGH THIS DUDE-

The way we had to wait for 2 more shows and 2 movies to finally see another night fury

FINISHED IT OMG NOW ONTO DOB

[asitrita]

Lately I’ve been thinking about how the relationship between Spain and Rome would be like. There’s very little content about them, yet Rome is of key importance in Spain’s birth as a nation and common identity.

I’ve always thought of Spain being super nice and “docile” to Rome. Maybe because the Spanish identity is deep rooted in Roman identity, culture, and tradition. Plus, many Roman important figures were born in today’s Spain, including some of the greatest emperors and philosphers (like Trajan, Hadrian, Theodosious, Lucan, Martial, or Seneca). Spain also provided the Roman Empire with lots of natural products and minerals. Actually, the most important gold mine, as well as the largest open-pit gold mine, in the entire Roman Empire was in Spain. Spain was also the main producer of Garum, a very important sauce used as condiment in ancient Roman cuisine. Olive oil and wine from Hispania were also very appreciated in Rome. Summing up, I always thought the relationship between these two would be the healthiest father-son realtionship possible.

However, when you really think about it, it took Rome over 200 years to conquer the entire territory of Hispania, even if it was one of the first places Rome tried to conquer. The very last people to be subdued and conquered by the Romans where the Asturian and Cantabrian tribes, in the very North of Spain, and their fierce temperament is well recorded in Roman records. The episode of Numantia also became widely known in Rome, and later on, it was retold again and again by Hispano-Roman people in Spain, till it became a fundational myth of the Spanish character. Looking into history, while we know of Vercingetorix in Gaul and Boudica in Britain, in Hispania we have names like Viraitus, Cocorotta, Carus, Retogenes, Olyndicus, Indíbil, Budares and Baesadines, Megara, and some others. Sure, they are not very well known today by most people, except for Viriatus, Cocorotta, and Carus, but you find them easily (and it’s possible that France and Britain have important figures I’m unaware of, but not as many as we do, though I may be wrong on this). The Sertorian War was also pretty important for Hispanics, and it did help to shape the Spanish character a little bit as well. Hell, even some of the Hispanic contributions to Rome were through war, like the Gladius, and battle tactics Romans had to adapt to be able to defend themselves from the natives in Hispania. They even were forced to change some important dates in their calendar in order to be able to deal efficiently with the revolting tribes in Hispania!

Thing is, I’ve been struggling with myself thinking about how I imagine Spain and Rome’s relatioship to be like. As I mentioned in a previous ask, I kind of imagine both “Portugal” and “Spain” representing the “early medieval Spanish nation”, and of course, Roman Hispania, so I could solve this problem by making “Portugal” the one a bit more feisty towards Rome, since he would be the elder, and therefore, the one to remember how was life prior the Roman conquest, the one to remember the war, the bloodshed and the humilliation (Romans seemed to really enjoy humilliating their enemies :/) while “Spain” would remain oblivious due to his young age, barely remembering a few things here and there. However, I could not help but imagine what it would be like to have Spain being all sweet and lovey-dovey 24/7 and suddently start crying and missbehaving out of no where, throwing a tantrum and being really really nasty to Rome (who knows? Maybe one of those tantrums was in the middle of an important meeting or out in public).

Summing up, I imagine Portugal, being calmer and older, to be the one to hold a little bit of a grudge against Rome. Not really a grudge, but I mean, he does have great love and respect for Rome, but he also knows what he did, he remembers what he did... so he’s more realistic about it. He considers Rome a father figure, the only father figure he ever had, to be honest, but he’s aware of Rome’s bullshit. Antonio, on the other hand, would have been the one to get aggitated and cry, and kick and run and hide, and get distressed and burst into tears whenever he felt “his people” revolting, hurting, mourning... but his memories would be blurry and he woudn’t remember much of it. He would most probably remember Rome tenderly (at least from his point of view) trying to calm him down, rather than Rome being the cause for his distress. He would therefore idealise, and idolise, Rome, both as a father figure and as an example to follow. Not that Portugal doesn’t do the same, but not to the same extent, he has flashes of Cartage and his mother/father (let's say Iberia, or Celt and Iberia), and remebers how the Roman invasion, conquest, and romanization was like, so he probably has a... healthier and more matture, down to earth relationship with Rome than Spain has, though they both hold him dear.

[hello-nichya-here]

Zucest - Is It Really Flirting?

(Originally posted on AO3 as chapter 43 of Defending and Analysing Zucest)

@azdaema-does-art asked: So I think a big stumbling block for me with this ship is that I very much adhere to the reading of the show that holds:

Quasi-Seducer!Azula (as seen virtually anytime) and Quasi-Seducer!Zuko (as seen in "The Waterbending Scroll") are not actually expressions of desire from them. Rather, this is Zuko and Azula trying to be intimidating by modeling their behavior off their father (circling, personal-space-invading, low seductive tones, etc)

When actually trying to flirt neither Zuko nor Azula acts anything like that. When Zuko goes on that date with a girl in the Earth Kingdom, or Azula flirting with that guy on Ember Island, they're both awkward disasters.

I'd be curious to hear you address this. (Or point me to some awkward disaster!zucest fanfic.)

***

That is a really good point and I'm glad you brought it up. While I understand that reading of the show, I disagree with it slightly for a few reasons (beyond my own bias).

Need to be in control: No one can argue against the fact that neither Zuko nor Azula know how to have "normal", healthy relationships with others, mainly due to how unequal 99% of the relationships in the Fire Nation are since imposing your own will over someone else's has become part of their culture. Both Zuko and Azula accepted being treated like mere tools/punching bags by their father, Zuko was constantly insulting Iroh over the smallest things and Azula full on threatened Ty Lee's life to make her join her on her chase after her brother and the Avatar - both were scenarios where desire wasn't a factor at all (thought I know many fans that would like to think otherwise XD)

However, during The Beach, we saw how both of them try (and fail) to deal with romance. Zuko was extremelly paranoid that Mai was interested in another guy, for no real reason, and was constantly trying to intimidate her into either admiting to it or into saying she disliked the guy, even though she had clearly said she was completely indifferent to him. And Azula, after her kiss with Chan, decided, on her own and not giving a damn about his feelings on the matter, that not only would they be officially a couple, but that they'd dominate the earth together. Control is, more often than not, a major factor in all of their actions and relationships, so Azula wanting to intimidate Zuko in the bedroom scene (which she very much tried to do and succeeded at) doesn't automatically rule out the possibility of atraction.

Mixed feelings: While "I wanna fight/kill my sibling" is sort of these two default state, there are moments that show that they do have at least some positive feelings for each other. Zuko doesn't give a shit that Aang is going to kill Ozai, but seeing Azula falling "to her death" and then chained up and defeated after their Agni Kai quite clearly made him emotional, even if he tried to control himself. Azula's positive feelings for Zuko are so obvious I had to do an in length discussion of it in chapter 12 "Is Zucest just about sex?" Combine all of the conflicting emotions they have for each other with their need to control the other, and some scenes end up getting some connotations the writers weren't planning them to have... supposedly (I'll get into that in a bit)

Awareness and familiarity: Don't get me wrong, Zuko and Azula are two extremelly traumatized, socially awkward teenagers who have no idea how to flirt (or how to fit in with people their age) but we also need to take context into consideration, especiall when it comes to Zuko's date with Jin and Azula's interactions with Chan.

In Ba Sing Se, Zuko was outside of his comfort zone, away from home, in enemy territory, and so paranoid that he assumed Jin came into the tea shop so often because she knew they were Fire Nation, not because she had a crush on him or simply enjoyed their tea. And while he liked her and the date was nice, Zuko was very "stiff" and even looked a bit uncomfortable (not to say very uncomfortable) at some points - which is oddly simmilar to how he was acting during the bedroom scene (hell, Azula was quite clearly looking at him just like Jin did, as I pointed out in "The most important parallel in Avatar"). Finally, we cannot forget that, even though he was awkward as fuck during 90% of the night, Zuko did manage to do something kinda romantic by lighting up the place, meaning he isn't completely oblivious to the concept of flirting (which is proved by his relationship with Mai).

Now, when it comes to Azula, the poor girl has almost no idea how to flirt. Almost. Talking about Chan's sharp outfit shows she's got some of the basis down, like "say something nice" - the problem is that her concept of "nice" is very different than that of most people. She did sort of know what to do once Ty Lee gave her some tips... but she quickly reversed back to her regular ways - which once again shows that flirting/seduction has an element of control and intimidation for her. She probably doesn't always mean to act in ways that could be considered flirty, but that doesn't mean she is completely oblivious to the implications of, let's say, invading her brother's personal space and talking to him in a low tone while wearing nothing but a robe.

And since I mentioned Azula going back to what she knows, that leads us to another thing to take into account: the fact that Zuko and Azula quite literally knew each other their whole lives - meaning if they were to ever flirt with each other, it would probably look at least somewhat different than when they were out of their element. Azula was the one in control, so she was far more comfortable and confident than she had been with Chan, and Zuko was the one being intimidated, which explains why he kept his guard up. Once again, that "theory" is sort of confirmed if we compare how Zuko acted while flirting with Mai on The Headband versus how he tried to interact with her in The Beach - when he used a non-traditional, but very Mai-esque "You're so beautiful when you hate the world" he got her equivalent of an "I love you" when she told him she didn't hate him, but he tried to do more "normal" things like getting her a pretty shell it blew up on his face. He knows Mai since they were both kids, meaning he usually knows how to deal with her, just like Azula usually knows how to deal with him.  

Intensity: While a lot of Azula's behavior can be explained by her copying Ozai, we need to remember that there's only so much he could affect, especially since her way of "intimidating" Zuko was far more touchy and incestuous than his, and lasted a lot longer. Azula gets close to people when she's intimidating them (see how she toyed with Aang in The Drill), but not as close as she did with her brother. The sole exception to that being Sokka on The Day Of Black Sun - but that is on somewhat shaky ground despite the accidental sexual tension since the first time she got close to him she was being launched by the Dai Li and he just happened to be standing a little bellow the direction she was launched at, and the second time had him pinning her to the wall (which is in character since Sokka usually goes straight at his foes to intimidate them while fighting), and as soon as she had her firebending back she pushed him away. On top of that, she was trying to distract him, Aang and Toph, meaning he wasn't her focus at all, and she ignored him on all the other times their groups were facing each other.

With Zuko on the other hand, she was going full force, like I said on my analysis of the bedroom scene. She played coy, stared at him in a very intense, weird way, circled the pillar on her bed, stretched in front of him, got on his personal space touching his shoulder and chest, and bit her lip while talking basically purring her words. That is all a bit too much for me to believe it was just about intimidation. And the touching gets even more suspicious when you notice Azula does enjoy and is willing to give physical affection - she hugged both Mai and Ty Lee after seeing them again, pulled Ty Lee close while conforting her and apologizing for her harsh words at The Beach... and put her hand on Zuko's shoulder while saying he restored his own honor to reassure him after he was feeling bad for betraying his uncle.

Intention of the actors/writers/animators: Avatar is no stranger to parallels. It also isn't a stranger to adult themes/jokes, fanservice, and ship teasing. For instance, even thought they didn't end up together and were never canonically interested in each other, there was A LOT of hints/teases of Zutara - dude fucking took lightining to the heart for her.

Just like the writers and producers were aware of Zutara, Tokka and many, many other ships, they were also aware of Zucest and even jokingly shipped Azula and The Blue Spirit at a panel. The animators habit of sexualizing the characters speaks for itself, so I won't even go into that. Finally, Grey Delisle, Azula's voice actress is a Zucest shiper, has brought it up many times, asked people to send her fanart and fanfic of it, created the phrase "Zucest is best cest", and has full on said she voiced the scene as if Azula was trying to seduce Zuko,  - which regardless of whether or not the writers intended for the character to be doing, means that there is a very strong incest subtext to the scene and that, in a weird way, "Azula" herself confirmed her motives to act the way she did.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 151

151

Coming back to Garrison should have been a relief. It really should have. It wasn’t until Lance had cleaned through that he felt like he was really home again. All his stuff was where it was supposed to be, but Matt and Rieva had changed a few things around. Lance felt bad about changing it back, yet he knew it’d grate on him until he had.

Sitting himself down on the lawn, the vampire sighed deeply. Hand clutching at his pendant, unable to not think of Mami. That photo... of his first scan. Taken from camera footage obviously... back when he thought they were only have one child and Mami placed her bet. Back when he thought he’d have his Mami through it all. Back before Allura had dropped her foresight in their lap, and back before everything fell apart. It felt impossible to get Allura’s words out of his head. So he’d done what he did best when stressing, he’d cleaned. Cleaned and organised. Everything in its correct place, normalcy restored one room at a time. The Pidge and Hunk had climbed into bed with them, and... it’d been kind of nice seeing how long it’d been. Keith was left coffeeless, but that was okay because he was there to guide his sleepy boyfriend from the chaos.

This was his first Christmas without Mami, ever. It wasn’t even Christmas Day by a long shot. Presents were a distraction. Opening Mami’s was the hardest... then they dropped one last present on him as he lingered over opening the presents for the twins

“Lance?”

Shooting Hunk a wobbly smile, he’d heard them coming. Kind of glad it wasn’t Keith. He didn’t want to burden his boyfriend with a mess of feelings when all he wanted was Keith to feel part of their Christmas traditions. Being the tech nerd she was, evenings meant losing repeatedly and watching her and Hunk get progressively drunker through the night. He’d tuck them in, Pidge would be bragging about her winning right until she fell asleep

“Hey guys. I’m okay”

Dropping down beside him, both his best friends leaned into him

“Dude. We’re sorry about Mami”

“You guys did nothing wrong. I love that photo. I just miss her”

Wrapping their arms around him, Lance didn’t know who to hug back first

“I miss her too. She like super believed in me. Told me to show those boys how a real woman took on technology”

“Remember how she made all that extra food for our exams...”

“Mhmm... and Lance disappeared, so she called us to come over and visit”

“Remember the first time we met her...”

Pidge laughed at Hunk. Hunk had stammered so badly Mami couldn’t stop laughing at him to relax

“Yeah. I thought she was too cool to be related to Lance”

Lance sighed softly

“She really was the coolest. I miss her... I miss her so much”

Pidge eased off, letting Hunk pull Lance up against his chest as Lance started to cry

“We know you do, buddy. We know. We do too. She was the best to go to the fair with. Always cheering us on”

“She loved you guys. God. She loved you both so much. I thought... so many times I thought that this was it. Then she’d rally through, talking about how she’s a tough old bird...”

“I don’t think she’d want to see you crying like this. She’d call you out and say you’re too soft hearted”

Lance snorted

“Yeah. Yeah, she’d tease me. But... she was like... like my number one supporter. She protected me from everything. And I feel like I didn’t do enough for her”

Pidge punched his arm

“Idiot. Mami loved being with you. And you loved being with her. We all knew you were a total Mumma’s boy”

“That’s... that’s because... She never looked at me differently. When they... my siblings cut ties, she kept them all in line. I ruined my whole family and she’d tell me I didn’t. She didn’t blame me when it got too much for Rachel. Or... or how many nightmares I had. She’d reach for me and hold me in her lap. Sometimes she’d sing me to sleep, and sometimes she just knew I needed her to hold me. I’m sorry... I know I’m not... not okay... I just...”

“Man, she was your mum. Pidge and I are just happy you’re home again. We really missed you”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you guys”

Deciding she needed hug, Pidge wrapped her arms around the pair of them, digging her chin into Lance’s shoulder

“It’s okay. If you’d up and left we would have totally hacked your devices and found some way to track you down. You didn’t leave because you hated us, right?”

“No! No... I could never hate you guys. But... I wasn’t sure about coming back”

“Dude, we get it. I mean, you were mostly here because of Mami. You like to overthink too much”

“Careful, Pidgeon, you’re starting to sound too much like Keith”

Pidge sighed dramatically. Lance glad she hadn’t screamed in his ear. She was so excited over this Christmas party that Lance wondered how many coffees she’d downed before coming over and if she’d slept at all the night before

“I hate to admit it, but he’s got a point. You’re back with us now, and you’re stuck with us. Like super stuck. I mean, I could superglue myself too you, if you’re not getting the point, but I think it’s against some kind of universal law to glue yourself to a pregnant person”

Lifting his arm, the angle was awkward as Lance hugged Pidge without having to move away from Hunk’s chest. His two besties were the best friends anyone alive, or dead, could ask for

“I think Keith would be mad, plus being a vampire means throwing up what you eat... and we all know how much you love the sight of vomit”

“This pregnancy isn’t working in my favour. At least I know I’m in prime position for favourite aunt”

“There’s always Shay. Seeing she knows... Which I’m betting you haven’t had her sign a non-disclosure agreement over”

That Shay now knew meant there was a massive weight taken off Hunk’s relationship with her. He didn’t need to know Hunk and Shay had done the do. Hunk was his best buddy. The feelings it brought up were the same feeling about hearing Shiro and Curtis, or Matt and Rieva, meaning as long as it was consensual it was absolutely none of his business. Hunk let out a long moan of what Lance assumed was despair, before shaking his head

“I didn’t mean to tell her. She was talking about you being gone, and not coming back and why you vanished in the first place when that was completely unlike you... and it kind of slipped out. I thought we were over. She left pretty much as soon I’d told her...”

Pidge took over from Hunk

“Then she called me up, talking about Hunk saying some really weird things. She was as freaked as I was to know these things existed. I told her to listen to Hunk and that he wasn’t crazy, and Shay was crazy enough to go back and demand answers”

Yeah. No. Lance wouldn’t have able to handle it. He was slightly cowardly and he knew it. Though... he hadn’t really had much of a life not knowing about the things in the dark

“I don’t think I could have handled it”

Pidge giggled

“She already thought you were a bit weird. The teeth totally didn’t help with all the flashing around you did, and she had her own theories about you being ill. She’s not as good of an investigator as I am, but she’s got potential”

Hunk defended his girlfriend, Lance not sure how he felt about Shay thinking he was weird when he’d been so nice to her in the past

“She’s still learning. Shay is so smart, I’m sure she’ll catch up in no time. We weren’t that good when we started”

“Maybe. She’s better than Matt. People want to see more of my “Hot Brother”. Like, excuse me?! Matt isn’t hot, and he’s not that smart either. We’re making a show about ghost hunting, not about my brother”

Eh. Sometimes he could throttle Matt and wish an in anaesthetised neutering upon him, yet, he wasn’t ugly. Objectively Lance assumed a lot of people would find mind Matt attractive

“Matt’s not completely unattractive. Like you’re pretty cute for a criminal mastermind”

Pidge made a fake retching sound. Matt to busy arguing with the others over how to hang the photo frame over the fireplace. It’d look nice there, better then the mirror and above his little shrine of super important things on his mantle

“Dude, that’s my brother. No. You’re not allowed to say that”

“I’m very happily taken by Keith, so you don’t have to worry about me climbing into bed with your brother. If anything I should be worried about Matt climbing into bed with me”

Pidge detached herself. Lance clinging to Hunk like gum to the bottom of a shoe. At this point someone might have to scrape him off. Anxiety was so cruel. The voices in his head telling him over and over that they’d never forgive him and he should rid them off the curse that was knowing him. He’d been preparing his heart, knowing he’d break theirs if he chose Cuba over coming home. Blue would go to Hunk, who’d make sure his princess would have all the wet food that her highness could desire.

“You guys are weird. Like, super weird. I get that you’re close, but why would Matt climb into bed with you”

“It’s a wolf thing. They have a high sex drive. I’m a vampire so his ego is naturally ruffled, but my body can also take a lot more than human. Don’t worry, we punched it out and we’re friends. Rieva says I’m part of her pack, which is super weird for a wolf to accept a vampire”

Hunk was making his “confused face”. Lance didn’t have to see it to know he was. Pidge must be wishing she hadn’t gone there. A moment or two of thought passed before Hunk shrugged

“I don’t think it’s weird. They do live with you”

“Hunk, my sunshine. It’s not really a thing in my world. I’ve never hung around werewolves and vampires for longer than I could help it. Normally we’d both kill each other if we were strangers in the wrong territory. Even if we’re “domesticated” we still have strong egos that control us if we don’t keep a tight hold of them”

“But you helped them out”

Bless Hunk from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet

“Yeah. But there’s all this instinct bullshit. Sometimes the smell of Rieva and Matt still makes my face go all vampire like and my nails get super long and scary. I guess maybe if you think of as being drunk and trying to act sober. There’s that part of you that’s all party with no fear and could anything. I don’t know how to really explain ego to you. It’s just there for me”

“Well... we’re here for you too. Shiro says we’re having a baby shower soon”

Pidge wasn’t having a topic change by Hunk on her watch

“Excuse me, but I think we were actually crowning me best aunt”

“Shay would make a great aunt. And a great mother...”

“Can I not have anything to myself?”

Oh dear. He’d better not mention Allura

“Now, now. We all know Curtis would make a great aunt too”

“He doesn’t count. You two are too into those weird soap operas. Plus, Shiro said he’s the best uncle, so Curtis is already one up”

“What about me?”

Lance nuzzled into Hunk’s chest. He loved cuddles with Keith, but Hunk cuddles were a whole other feeling

“You’ll be the very best uncle. As for a baby shower, can we wait? Until things have settled down and we’re closer to June?”

Pidge tugged on his arm

“But we want to celebrate”

“And you will. That reminds me, should I be worried about Keith’s present?”

“Oh, absolutely. We’re got to borrow you both for a bit, but we think he’ll be happy”

Putting two and two together, Lance bit down his groan. Obviously Keith’s bike was at Hunk’s dad’s garage. Great. Now he’d have to worry about Keith out on it

“I know what’s happening. I don’t think I want to think about him back on his bike”

“How did you know?”

“Call it one of my many vampire senses. You guys can borrow him. I don’t want to see that death trap. He’s still got the scars from the accident”

“Fiiiiine. We’ll borrow him. It’s not our fault if he comes back smiling”

Lance smiled at the thought of Keith smiling. He loved it. He loved how unguarded Keith could be when he let his walls drop and let himself be happy

“He does that”

“Much more than when we met him. You’re completely to blame”

Blame was such a dirty and ugly word. Still, if he was to blame for Keith’s happiness, he’d take all the blame in the world.

[mcgrillzdumpinc]

Meeting with Masks

Summary: Nie Huaisang is beyond excited when he is invited to a Jin party including Carnival masks.  He doesn't expect to catch feelings at the party, but it's not so bad. Written for day 7 of SangCheng Month - First Meeting!

ao3 link

Pairing: Sangcheng, mentions of NieYao Rating: T Warnings: Mentions of queerphobia Word count: 1811

“The Jin invited us to a party.”

Nie Huaisang looks up from his phone just as Nie Mingjue tosses a letter on the dining table.  The envelope is crisp and cream, the flap decorated by gold filigree.  Nie Huaisang pulls out the invitation, which matches the envelope perfectly, and reads.  The party is actually a ball being hosted at the main Jin mansion, intended to celebrate Jin Zixuan’s twenty-first birthday.  Dress code is formal, drinks will be served, blah blah blah.  What really interests Nie Huaisang is the text at the bottom of the invitation, several font sizes larger than the main text and bolded to emphasize its importance—

Bring a Carnival Mask!

Nie Huaisang lets out a low whistle that quickly turns into giddy laughter.  “Da-ge!  Update the scoreboard!  The Jin are less crappy than the Yao now!”

“Because of the masks?” Nie Mingjue guesses very correctly because he is the best big brother ever.

“Yes!  Oh my god I’m going to have so much fun making your mask, da-ge!  Do you want to go intimidating?  Sexy?  Mysterious?”

“All white,” Nie Mingjue replies as he takes a black dry-erase marker to the scoreboard on the refrigerator.  “This party is stupid, anyway.”

“Booooo!” Nie Huaisang declares as he stands up, arms thrown into the air in protest.  “You’re boring!  The most boring da-ge!”

“I still get ass,” Nie Mingjue says with a smirk.

“Gross!!!!!”

~~~

Thankfully, the Jin (probably only Guangyao) had the foresight to send the invitation a few weeks in advance, so there was plenty of time for Nie Huaisang to research Carnival masks and start making one of his own.  To Nie Mingjue’s great pleasure, there was even a mask that fit his boring requirements.  So on the day of the ball, the Nie brothers arrive in hand-made and impeccable masks.

“Do you think anybody will recognize us?” Nie Mingjue asks as he readjusts his cape.  Yes, cape.  Nie Huaisang made him a bauta mask and Nie Mingjue, in his full jock-nerd glory, decided to wear the full historical garb, tricorn hat and cape and all.

Nie Huaisang rolls his eyes.  In contrast to his nerd brother, Nie Huaisang has opted to dress a little slutty in tight-fitted dress pants, a crisp white shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, and black corset vest.  His neck, fingers, and wrists are decked out in green and gold jewelry, all polished to shine in the light.  He’s decorated his white mask in a similarly lavish fashion—gold lips, black eyes, gold and black filigree at the sides and top, and below the eyes is a series of gold hexagons that lead into teardrops.  “I hope not,” he responds to his brother.  “It’ll be way more fun surprising people.”

Together they walk up the many, many steps into the main Jin mansion.  After temporarily removing their masks to prove their identities, they slip inside.  The foyer is already alight with revelers, most of them likely entertainment hired to hype up the guests.  It’s only 7 p.m., after all, and only a select few people would be this drunk so early into the evening.  Unless the food or drink is spiked, in which case Nie Huaisang needs to find out for himself before he lets Nie Mingjue have a taste.

“Be careful with the food,” Nie Huaisang advises as he takes a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.

Perceptive as always, Nie Mingjue replies, “A-Yao knows the diet my doctor recommended.  He wouldn’t poison me.”

Maybe in the past he would have, but Nie Huaisang is pretty sure Jin Guangyao has a more vested interested in his Nie Mingjue’s health now that they’re dating.  Hopefully.  It’s hard to tell when it comes to the Jin.

“Still, be careful.  Yao-ge could’ve missed something.”

Nie Mingjue stares at him.  Even beneath the heavy mask, Nie Huaisang knows his brother is giving him a disbelieving look.

“You never know!” he defends as the duo reach their destination.

The ballroom is massive, large enough to house the entire population of a small town during a natural disaster.  True to pompous Jin nature, Jin Zixuan is seated at the far end of the ballroom on a stage.  Nie Huaisang knows it’s him because of the way he sits—the body posture of somebody who absolutely does not want to be there.  Twenty-one years and the poor guy is still not used to the way his family does things.

Nie Huaisang can sympathize.  He’s pretty different from the rest of his own family, too.

“I’m going to go find A-Yao,” Nie Mingjue speaks up over the orchestra music.

“Okay.  Make sure he taste-tests your food!” Nie Huaisang exclaims as he raises his mask to take a sip of champagne.

“Shove off!” Nie Mingjue scolds good-naturedly.

Nie Huaisang waves off his brother before heading into the crowd.  Looking around, there’s nobody he immediately recognizes.  There’s one guy in bright red wearing a plague doctor’s mask that keeps catching Nie Huaisang’s eye, but he quickly decides that tonight is not the night to bother with the crazies.  It’s generally good advice to follow when in Jin territory.

In time, Nie Huaisang finds himself a wallflower.  He’s not the most easily sociable person.  Friendly, sure.  But he’s never been good at approaching strangers.  He would have gone up to Jin Zixuan, but Nie Huaisang has no idea if the guy would lose it the second he saw a friendly face.  Which would be an entire headache if that did happen.  So, wall.

It’s been at least thirty minutes since he finished his champagne and he’s not feeling even slightly drugged, though.  So that’s good news for his brother.

Just as he’s considering finding the buffet, a stranger joins Nie Huaisang at the wall.  The stranger is tall, at least 8 centimeters taller than Nie Huaisang, and cuts an intimidating figure with broad shoulders and large hands.  Their loose, black hair is long, falling to about their shoulder blades, contrasting starkly to the orchid purple button-up shirt they wear.  The waistcoat they wear is a darker purple with black buttons.  Slung over their right arm is a formal jacket that matches the waistcoat.  Interestingly, their choice in bottoms is a pair of orchid purple pants, with the left side covered by an ankle-length black skirt.  Nie Huaisang finds himself smiling at that detail—as a person who’s still questioning, he can appreciate a challenge to the gender binary.

He looks up to meet the stranger’s eyes.  The stranger is looking back at him with a lovely pair of brown eyes.  It’s a shame that the rest of this handsome stranger’s face is hidden by what Nie Huaisang would call the creepiest of the traditional Carnival masks—a moretta.  Pitch black and perfectly round, it’s like a void has replaced the rest of the stranger’s face.  In the bright lights of the ballroom, Nie Huaisang cannot see any ties keeping the mask up, so the stranger has opted for the traditional way of wearing the mask—a button between their lips.  Even if they can talk, they have rendered themself effectively mute.

Still, though.  Nie Huaisang likes a challenge.  He introduces himself with a bow.

The stranger bows silently in return.

Nie Huaisang laughs to himself.  “Are you enjoying yourself?” he asks.

The stranger rolls their eyes.

“Yeah, Jin parties are like that for me, too.  They care way too much.”

The stranger raises their champagne glass, as if to say Cheers to that.

Nie Huaisang finds himself smiling.  “You know, I really wasn’t expecting a moretta mask, of all things.  It’s unique.”

The stranger doesn’t respond.

“Not a bad thing,” Nie Huaisang clarifies.  “But I’m curious.  Join me for a trip to the buffet?”

The stranger nods.  Nie Huaisang offers his arm and, after slipping on their jacket, they take it.  Together, they leave the crowded ballroom for the crowded hallways and manage to get themselves lost a few times before finally finding the buffet.

“Why the hell would they put it so far away from the ballroom?” Nie Huaisang grumbles as he moves to wait in line.  He hears the stranger laugh.  “I hope you remember the way back.  I’m terrible with directions.”

The stranger reaches up to remove their mask.  Underneath the void is a strikingly handsome visage, with sharp cheekbones and shapely lips.  Nie Huaisang very much wants to ravish them immediately.  “Don’t worry, I do,” they say with a rumbling, deep voice.

“Fuck you’re sexy,” Nie Huaisang utters with absolutely zero forethought.  Realizing his mistake, he slaps a hand over his mask’s mouth.  “I’m so sorry!  That just came out!”

The stranger looks equally flustered, their eyes avoiding Nie Huaisang’s as they mumble, “It’s okay.  You don’t seem like a creep.”

“I promise I’m not,” Nie Huaisang says as he removes his mask.  “Which I know sounds exactly like what a creep would say, but scout’s honor!  Not a creep!”

The stranger stares at him for a long second before saying, “You’re not so bad-looking yourself.”

Nie Huaisang manages to hide his fluster by announcing, “I better.  It took twenty tries to get this eyeliner right.”

The stranger snorts.  “Jiang Cheng, by the way,” they introduce themselves.

“Oh, shit.  You’re pretty important, huh?”  The Jiang hold a near-monopoly in all water-based trade in and out of their city.  Nie Huaisang’s parents have pretty regular contact with Jiang Fengmian and his wife Yu Ziyuan in the interest of not losing some important trade negotiations.  But, last he heard, Jiang Cheng was the Jiang’s son.  “Can I get your pronouns?”

“Any,” Jiang Cheng answers.

Ah.  “So the moretta mask is pretty symbolic, huh?”

“I’m out as genderfluid, but I’m not supposed to talk about it,” Jiang Cheng tells him with a notably flat affect.

Nie Huaisang frowns.  “That sucks.  I’m still questioning, but my family is pretty supportive.”

“My siblings are, too.  Supportive, that is.”  The duo reach the banquet table.  Nie Huaisang receives Jiang Cheng’s mask as the other starts preparing two dishes of food.  “My parents are trying, but you know how some people take queerness these days.  Anyway, should I not refer to you with he/him?”

“I’m still comfortable with those pronouns,” Nie Huaisang easily responds.  “Oh, get me some sausage.”  Jiang Cheng obliges.  “Honestly, I might just be on the gender-nonconforming side, but I’m not sure yet.”

Jiang Cheng smiles.  It brings an ethereal softness to their features that Nie Huaisang would love to kiss.  But he keeps his hands to himself as the two of them reach the end of the buffet table and hurry to find a spot to eat.  “It takes time,” Jiang Cheng says as they trade a plate of food for their mask.  “Hey, after this, want to dance?”

Nie Huaisang offers them a smile in return.  “Absolutely.”

[terramythos]

TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 34 of 26

Title: The Harbors of the Sun (2017) (The Books of the Raksura #5)

Author: Martha Wells

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Adventure, LGBT Protagonist, Female Protagonist (Kind Of), Third-Person

Rating: 9/10

Date Began: 12/11/2020

Date Finished: 12/25/2020

Moon and his friends are reeling from the betrayal of a former ally. With several members of their party kidnapped, and a mysterious weapon stolen by their new enemy, the chase is on. He and the others must infiltrate unknown territory to rescue their missing family and avert a deadly calamity. At the same time, a massive army of Fell are gathering to attack the Reaches. The Raksuran colonies of Indigo Cloud and Opal Night must join forces to defend their home before they are overrun and destroyed. 

“But you don’t want to be near Fell,” Moon guessed. Considering what had happened to Shade when they had been captured by the Fell flight northwest of the Reaches, it was only rational. 

“No, I don’t.” He looked at Moon hopelessly. “Is that weak?” 

Consorts were supposed to be weak and delicate and need everything done for them, but Moon and Shade were different, and nothing was going to change that. And “weak” wasn’t really the right word for what Shade meant. What he was trying to say was harder to express. It was giving into feelings other people thought you were supposed to have about things that shouldn’t have happened to you in the first place, but were not like the actual feelings you did have. There wasn’t a word for that in Raksuran or Altanic or Kedaic or any other language Moon knew. Moon said, “It’s not weak.” 

Full review, some spoilers, and content warning(s) under the cut. 

Content warnings for the book:  Graphic violence and action. Implied past r*pe (it’s the same plot point as previous books). Genocide is a big plot point of this one. 

The Harbors of the Sun is the fifth, and presumably final, book in the Raksura series. And boy what a ride it's been. I've enjoyed settling in with a longer fantasy series. While I'm excited to read something new, I'll miss these characters and the captivating world they inhabit. Since this is probably the last installment, I'll look into book-specific details, but also provide some series retrospective commentary. I won't touch on everything, just things that stick out to me.

From what I can tell, The Harbors of the Sun is a little controversial with long time fans. I can see why, and it's the same reason I added "Epic Fantasy" to the tag list. Most of the series has focused on small-scale conflicts centering on the Raksuran characters. There's hints of large-scale stuff in The Siren Depths, but that crisis is averted, so thus not fully realized. However, these last two books contain a much longer storyline, and the stakes in The Harbors of the Sun are potentially catastrophic not just for the Raksura, but thousands if not millions of people. Think The Lord of the Rings trilogy vs The Hobbit in terms of ramp up.

Due to the larger scale, this book also embraces a rotating point of view. The original trilogy is entirely from Moon's perspective, and The Edge of Worlds only dips its toes into alternate POVs. The Harbors of the Sun features multiple character groups all doing important things to the story, so there's lots of perspective shifts. While I still consider Moon the main character, he shares the stage with many others.

Personally, I like the scaled up conflict. It seems like a natural progression of the series. While not every point of view wows me, finally seeing some stuff from Jade and Chime's perspective (for example) is really cool. While Moon is an enjoyable protagonist, he often interprets characters and motivations wrong. Getting someone else’s take on a given situation or character is refreshing. 

One of my favorite alt-perspectives is Frost. She's a young child and minor character, but serves as the perspective for a tense political discussion between Raksuran queens about impending war with the Fell. This whole section serves to convey important information, but also as great worldbuilding to see how Raksura interact with, indulge, and care for their young. While we have seen adult perspectives such as Moon happily playing with his children, it's interesting to see a child's view of life in the colony. This is emblematic of Wells' approach to the series and her technique when crafting this world. It would be easy to pick a major character like Malachite and tell this section from her perspective, but we would miss many interesting details. Using Frost isn't something I would necessarily consider, and is just a cool writing choice.

By the end, The Harbors of the Sun feels like it's been a long, epic journey-- more so than the shorter adventures of previous books. A LOT of stuff happens in this book, and there's so many different interesting places the characters visit. Even events at the beginning feel distant compared to where everything ends. There is a unique appeal in this kind of story. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I personally like the change of pace and tone, especially as a finale. 

For a series retrospective, the Fell are an interesting subject to discuss. I'm impressed with what Wells pulls off with them. One of my criticisms of The Cloud Roads is the Fell aren't especially compelling villains. They're an evil race of shapeshifters, distantly related to Raksura, who infiltrate cities and eat the population. The Fell are parasites-- they have no real culture or ability to survive except through the destruction of others. They’ve recently taken to destroying Raksuran colonies, kidnapping survivors, and forcing them to produce crossbreeds. Obviously, this introduces two narrative problems. One, "evil races" in fantasy are boring and already done ad nauseam. Two, how can one make the Fell interesting when they're literally irredeemable monsters? 

The answer, it turns out, is a nature vs nurture debate, and it's mostly approached through the Fell/Raksura crossbreed characters. While these ideas have been explored throughout the series, The Harbors of the Sun brings it full circle. The Cloud Roads' main antagonist is Ranea, a crossbreed queen raised by the Fell. She sees the crossbreeds as a natural way to strengthen the Fell and make them an even deadlier force than they are by default, since Raksura have their own set of powers and traits. She’s soundly defeated, supposedly concluding the subplot. Until, of course, it comes back. 

In The Siren Depths, we meet several crossbreed characters who are, for all intents and purposes, Raksura. Malachite rescued them as children and chose to raise them as Raksura of Opal Night. The result is that, while Shade and Lithe are aware of their heritage, they've experienced love and acceptance throughout their lives. Sure, they may have some physical traits and abilities that differ from the others, but often these have practical uses in the story. Their families don’t treat them differently because of this. As characters, they're just as Raksuran as everyone else.

In The Edge of Worlds, we're introduced to another crossbreed queen, a foil to Ranea. While she makes some early mistakes, unlike Ranea she seems capable of reason and compassion. We learn her name and backstory in The Harbors of the Sun. Consolation was born in a Fell flight, but most of her childcare came from her father, a captive Raksuran consort. Hence her name, which is painful with context and distinctly Raksuran. Apparently, the consort's influence didn't just extend to Consolation, but to other outcasts in the flight. After his death, Consolation and her allies slaughtered the leadership and took over the flight, and seek a place to live in peace independent of traditional Fell corruption and influence. 

One of the interesting things about this are the kethel and dakti in Consolation's flight. Throughout the series, these two Fell castes are basically treated as cannon fodder. If you need a big intimidating enemy, throw in a kethel. For annoying imp swarms, dakti. The Raksura tend to think of these creatures as intelligent animals, not people. They only talk when a Fell ruler takes over their mind. They're treated badly among the Fell; cannibalized them when food stores get low, thrown into suicidal situations, etc. 

In The Harbors of the Sun, the kethel and dakti can speak, much to the surprise of the main cast. Consolation's main advisor is a crossbreed dakti named First. There's also a kethel (presumably pureblooded Fell) that follows and assists Moon and Stone throughout the book and engages them in conversation. They clearly distrust it, but over the course of the story go from calling it "the kethel" to "Kethel", like an actual name. It has ulterior motives-- to convince the Raksura to help Consolation-- but is certainly not "inherently evil", nor just an intelligent animal. This is counter to everything we've been led to believe through the series, and it shocks multiple characters and challenges their way of thinking. 

The argument at the end is that the Fell are evil because of a poisonous ideology and the total control of the progenitors (female rulers). Raised with compassion and better treatment, they're very similar to the Raksura. I'm honestly impressed with where the Fell end up vs where they start in The Cloud Roads. I don't know if Wells planned this arc for them from the beginning, but I like the amount of nuance she introduced without it feeling gross or trite. Does it work 100 percent? I'm not sure; I'd have to reread the series in more depth. But based on my current thoughts, it’s a good development; it doesn’t “redeem” or justify the Fell, but demonstrates the ways in which future generations can change and break the cycle. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and many characters clearly distrust these “new” Fell (understandable considering the sheer trauma most of the cast has), but it’s an interesting take nevertheless. 

On another subject, we never really learn what was up with the forerunners! Except they really liked flower motifs, I guess. I kind of like this; there's an impression that the long forgotten civilizations of the past were technologically advanced, but no one knows what happened to them. It's just an enduring mystery of the series. Ultimately it doesn't matter to the characters, and that's fine.

Also, we now have confirmation that The Serpent Sea is basically filler. It felt like a side story when I read it, but part of me hoped it would have some relevance to these last two books. Nope. I’m a little disappointed in this, but it’s not the end of the world, just something to keep in mind when reading the series. I think the book is entertaining on its own merits, but there’s little to connect it to the main story besides the characters. 

Overall I recommend these books to people looking for a non-traditional fantasy series. There's no humans or typical Tolkein-esque fantasy races. Instead there are dozens of sapient humanoid species invented whole cloth, with some obvious real world inspirations. The shapeshifting Raksura are lovingly crafted, with lots of interesting detail about their culture, customs, and daily life. I love how they feel like believable people but are distinctly nonhuman. As a setting, The Three Worlds is deadly and fascinating, with lots of interesting places and people. There's always a sense of a big, vibrant world, even when the books choose not to explore it in depth. While The Harbors of the Sun feels like a finale to the current Raksuran story, I wouldn't be surprised if Wells visits this setting in the future.

There are some short story collections in this series which I do plan to read sometime in 2021. However, I'm going to take a break from the Raksura series and dive into something else for now. Thanks for reading! 

[theofficersacademy]

The warmth of the Goddess’ blessing has blanketed the land in a rich array of color, and the people whisper their prayers for the year’s crop to grow bountiful under her care. As they wait, hearts and minds turn to thoughts of love and friendship, women weaving fresh petals into lush garlands as gifts for close friends, or to court the attention of a hopeful lover.

With the warmer weather comes more activity along the continent’s coastline, however. The city of Enbarr, the capital of the Adrestian Empire, has long enjoyed its position as the largest and wealthiest port of southern Fódlan. Its reputation for safe and secure trade has been called into question though after a recent string of stolen shipments occurred in Adrestian waters. The Church has heard the desperate pleas of the people, and now sends you to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Black Eagles Mission: Investigate the thefts!

Welcome to TOA’s first house-centric mission season since April! This season’s mission will be focused on the Black Eagle house, but there are also non-mission tasks available as well. (Please see the FAQ for details on how this works, even if you’ve read the FAQ before.)

Aside from the BE mission, there are other fun things taking place! This season will run from Garland Moon to Blue Sea Moon in TOA canon, but since it’s November-December in real life, some of our non-mission tasks are going to be in honor of the holidays (Fódlan celebrates Thanksgiving in June and Christmas in July)! Take a look!

BE Mission Task Board

Enbarr, the Imperial Capital, the crowning jewel of Fódlan, the place where Saint Seiros first alighted on this continent, the genesis of all civilization… A city that predates the Empire itself is bound to be filled with rich history and places to see. Take advantage of his opportunity and see what you can find!

The merchants, based on their personal experience, claim that the attackers were simply pirates, with no specific targets except for anyone with potential loot. Their stories share one consistent fact: that the pirates flew a yellow banner, bearing the emblem of a brown horse leaping over a lemon. They would investigate, if only they had the funds and supplies. Hey–so long as you’re bothering them all the time, why not help them out? Time is money, and you’re wasting theirs!

The nobility, having done their own investigations, claim that they have spotted ships flying a flag with a very specific emblem on it, one that originates from the Dagdan continent. They’ve always considered this truce with Dagda to be a fragile one at best, and the youngest of the group are itching for a chance to go to war. They’re also not too happy about potentially sharing the glory–you’ll have to work whatever magic you have if you want them to give up anything valuable.

You’ve learned about defensive structures from studying the battlements of Garreg Mach, but Enbarr offers a fresh perspective on city defense in an area that you’ve had little opportunity to study: defending against attacks from the sea. Enbarr’s city-watch has gladly allowed students and faculty of the Officers Academy to marvel at their state-of-the-art onagers, crucial for fending off enemy ships. It’s a unique opportunity, so you better not squander it! [Bows +1]

One way or the other, you find yourself on a ship to patrol Enbarr’s shores. It’s a tense journey, to be sure, and you watch as the sailors frequently look out to the ocean for the marauders. An alarm bell rings above you, and the crew erupts in a panic. “They’re here! They’re coming!” None of your professors have ever taught you how to fight on a boat, but sometimes experience is the best teacher. Hope you’re a quick study! [Any Weapon +1]

NEW! At last there’s a breakthrough in the investigation. A patrol brings news of an isle off the northern coast that seems to have some sort of habitation, evinced by the boats seen coming to and from the place. You’re sent to check it out from a safe distance and report your findings to the Knights of Seiros. The ocean, however, has other plans, and a sudden storm turns the waters rough as you enter the shallows. Whether you’ve planned for it or not, you’ve found yourself washed ashore this island... There’s smoke rising from the trees in the distance. Good news? Probably not. [Grants Gauntlet +1]

NEW! There’s a smaller isle off the coast of the larger one, and at a glance it seems to be nothing more than a collection of rocks. Someone in your party insists on investigating it, and sure enough... it’s an island made entirely of jagged rock. But before you shove off again to spend your time more wisely, you stumble across what appears to be a trapdoor buried beneath the stone. Inside? A treasure cache of gold, odd trinkets, and - strangely - a ridged, bone-white weapon that bears a resemblance to one you’ve seen before...

Non-Mission Task Board

The Garland Moon has come once again and brings, well, the garlands! The Pages of the Blessed Incunabula, a book club, is hosting their annual costume contest! Dress as your interpretation of characters from songs and stories and enter to see if you win! There is a category for each house, encouraging students to use their own country’s folktales. Winners get the special Lion’s Garland, a gigantic wreath of flowers that is traditionally refused by the victor and granted instead to a close friend or (potential) lover. Make your costume and fantasize about who you’ll give the Garland to (or grumble about why you can’t keep it for yourself).

Have you been searching for a hobby that blends your singing talent and love for melodrama? Well, search no more! Thespian blood runs through your veins, and the Garreg Mach Theatre Club is in need of fresh meat–ah, members–to fill their ranks for the Choir Festival! Whether you’re singing your heart out, building the sets, or making constant references to your favorite opera, help put on a musical rendition of The Lament of Saint Macuil! [Faith or Authority +1]

The Inter-House Reception is a traditional event on the 29th of the Garland Moon intended to bring down walls between students of different backgrounds at the academy. This year, it’s a grand feast in a potluck style! Bring your own dishes to the dining hall and share with all your friends. Try not to poison them though.

Wild beasts have been spotted in great flocks outside the walls of Garreg Machs. The giant birds don’t seem to be gathering to attack the monastery, but the Church can’t be too careful. Go figure out what’s been calling the creatures to the fields in such large numbers, but try not to be maimed for inciting their territorial defense. Befriend them, hunt them, or maybe even try to tame them -- good luck! [grants Flying or Riding +1]

NEW! The Rite of Rebirth is one of the most important days of the year, and in some ways also one of the most dangerous. With the Holy Tomb open to visitors for a single day, security needs to be tight to handle the massive crowds coming from all over the continent. Students with availability have been asked to help patrol. Hopefully no one causes a commotion. [Grants Lance +1]

NEW! There’s a special tea brewed for the Rite of Rebirth. The leaves must be kept fresh, so there’s no stock of them in the monastery. Archbishop Rhea calls a handful of students with free time to venture into the mountains to gather the incandescent flowers that grow at its peak. The mountain is under protection of the monastery and frequently patrolled by the Knights so the trek should not be dangerous. But as you near the top, you find that snow has blanketed the peak. Even stranger than that are the houses built out of ice, though no one seems to live here. Is this the work of magic or... something else? Whatever the case, you decide to take some time to enjoy this mid-summer winter wonderland.

NEW! As the sky is believed to be the home of the Goddess, the stars are thought to be the souls who have departed this world to join her. With the shorter nights, the Blue Sea Moon is the month when the barrier between the world of mortals and the world of the divine is thought to be the thinnest. Late at night, when the sun has finally disappeared completely, the people of Fódlan take some time to commune with their departed loved ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the divided task board work?

This season’s mission is assigned to the Black Eagles. Therefore, tasks from the ‘BE Mission Task Board’ must be undertaken by someone that is affiliated with the Black Eagles.

Tasks from the ‘Non-Mission Task Board’ have no house restriction and can be undertaken by anyone.

These aren’t the only threads I can do, right?

Of course not! These are just prompts to help give some ideas of possibilities. You’re always free and encouraged to make up your own threads. You’re also more than welcome to worldbuild on your own, using these prompts as a base.

How do I claim the skill points?

In order to qualify for the skill point, the thread must clearly allude to the listed task and preferably feature the task being completed; however, the point can still be claimed even if your muses narratively fail the task (failure is sometimes just as fun to write as success, after all). You do not need to message the masterlist to claim your skill point.

Can I only do one task?

Nope, you can do as many as you’d like with as many different partners as you’d like! You can do the same task with more than one person! However, you can only claim the skill point for each task once.

What if my partner leaves or drops a skill point thread?

If the dropped thread has at least 2 notes (not counting likes, only reblogs with replies in them) and you have hit at least 400 words on your end, you may still claim the skill point.

Remember to use (and track!) the #toa open tag for any open threads, and you can also post a link to your open thread on the appropriate Discord channel! If you have any other questions or concerns, shoot us a message through the masterlist or on Discord!

[moonlightstars16]

The Destined Truth

SO I biased this off an anime(well scene's at least) and a fan made artwork. The inspiration is just amazing!

Sword clashing against sword. The sound echoing all around them. Breathing fast and deep with every moment. Connie and Steven's movement was almost like a dance. Each side forcefully trying to lead. Getting the upper hand. However neither was willing to hurt the other. Not physically at least. But within, they each carried pain of a shattered heart.

Connie Maheswaren, a young woman who honored her duty for others and her destiny. She was a human. One who had helped defend her own home from outside forces. Villainous gems who wanted Earth for themselves. Some of their own kind started a rebellion, the Crystal Gems, and the humans were involved. However she had a deep secret. For Earth and the rebellion had a secret weapon.

Forged by gem technology but activated by human touch. However in a twist of fate, magic crept its way through. To unlock the true and fullest power, only the purest of human blood can get through. That is a very rare blood type. Not just a drop, but an entire human body's fill. With humans dwindling into lower numbers the chances of finding the person with the utmost unique blood was almost impossible.

Connie had exactly what they needed...and she was willing to sacrifice it all for the sake of saving humanity.

What stood in her way was not only a person, but someone who held her contradicting heart in his hands. Steven Universe. Half human and half gem like no others have ever known. For he was the only one of his kind. Living on Earth and learning all he can to help put an end to the war. Though he was forced to be in seclusion for most of his life. He was not only part gem, but his own mother was a Diamond. Ones who want Earth gone. Well that would be if she didn't come to care for Earth and began the rebellion.

Still to make sure no one knew of his true heritage, he was kept to himself mostly. Occasionally sneaking out to find some sort of enjoyment with his time between the endless battles. That's when he met her. In the midst of the forest as she trained to use the sword. One snap of a branch, a fallen boy and a girl's guard up was an interesting first meeting.

Over the course of there young lives(a few years), they met and did all sorts of things together. Trained for the battles ahead, did various activities including swimming in a nearby inlet, walking by the trees, reading books and conversing about many different things. Some serious like the war, others fun and happy. They talked about everything and nothing. Growing closer and closer.

One day, everything changed between them.

A town beside the sea, also protected territory from the war, was having it's annual festival. Celebrating another year of the town's founding from hundreds of years ago. Connie, though had dressed up a bit for the occasion, hid amongst the shadows. Two day's prior as she was going to meet Steven, she heard him talking. To himself it seemed, but it sounded like he was conversing with someone not in this plain of existence.

She didn't hear much, but it was enough that she heard him talk about being the son of a Diamond and the leader of the rebellion all at once. How he felt conflicted about it. But after that her mind clouded with so many thoughts. Was he secretly working for the other side? Invading and learning our secrets?! Only coming out during battles and then hiding, excluding the time with her, until the next one?

No. He was her best friend, there was got to be more than this. Looking ahead he seemed sad and angry about it. Taking a deep breathe she stepped out revealing her hiding place. Steven was expectedly surprised. Connie explained everything she heard as he explained everything to her. How confused he felt, the frustration from not telling others the truth and being hid away all the time. She was beginning to feel comfortable around him once more.

Until he began to confess his affections. How he never felt like others knew him but her. She was his light in the darkness, someone he could talk to and never feel like he had to hide. Especially after telling her the truth of his heritage. Connie's head was turned away as tears brimmed her eyes. She felt the same as well in a sense. No one ever truly cared what she had to say until he came into her life. He made her feel less invisible. Like she was worth more than being the secret weapon.

That's what it came down to.

Connie knew it was hopeless to think she could find love because her final destination was always to be the weapon. Ending the war once and for all. The others could only delay the inevitable for so long. Love was, in her mind, forbidden to the task at hand. And she fell for him anyways. Upon hearing him say the infamous 'I love you', she broke down. Unable to face the reality at hand. Standing up from the small boulder they sat upon she finally looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

Avoiding the questions....the expressions of confusion....the world around them. Uttering a simple apology and goodbye she left in a haste. Leaving Steven in the dark as she left her heart behind. Trying everything to stop from feeling anything. It did no good.

While at the festival, she needed a place away from home to clear her mind, she spotted him across from the other side of the parade. On instinct she ran as far away. Night fell as she stopped on a bridge and knelt down to catch her breath. After a few moments of hearing nothing but her own heartbeat from the run, she gasped as the sound of footsteps approached. 'Oh no...seriously?' she thought as her head lifted up to see the young man before her. Breathing as heavily as she was.

Standing up she took a couple steps backwards before going to sprint off again. Only this time she felt his hand grip hers, pulling her close to him as she struggled to get out of his grasp. One hand on the back of her head as the other wrapped around her waist. She pressed her arm against his shoulders trying, and failing, to break free. Steven pulled away just a bit, long enough to gently press his lips on hers. Shocking her senses as she stopped struggling.

Her heart seemed to leap for joy from the simple kiss. Like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. The cracks she felt mended together as she slowly began to return the gesture. Pulling away only slightly as they looked into each others eyes. His actions showed that he wasn't going to back down nor leave her side. At least not until she gave him her answer. Relishing in their warm embrace. After a few moments of silence she confessed her secret. Now feeling shame for not explaining sooner, especially after he told his willingly(well more in depth than what she heard). While also confessing the love she felt for him that couldn't be denied any longer.

The month before them was filled with happiness as he whisked her away to a secret and secluded area that was once a hiding place for the rebellion. An island that felt like a tropical vacation. But When Steven was by her side, Connie felt like it was paradise. They never spent a moment alone. They were joined at the hip and soon joined at the heart. Tied together for all eternity as they were secretly wed in the traditional sense(thanks to an old forgotten building from long ago. Most likely built by humans who also too refuge there). For this brief moment, it was heaven.

But dark days clouded them as her guilt grew. Abandoning her destiny and all the people that need to be saved. This was the selfish thing she tried ever so much to avoid. While she could stay and live in paradise, her sacrifice to help ensure the safety and future happiness of others was more important. One night her guilt invaded her dreams one to many times. This was the final straw. The time was drawing nearer for her to save the planet once and for all.

Looking down upon her beloved, reaching out to run her fingers through his soft, black curls and pressing her lips upon his softly. Whispering one last goodbye and I love you. Having already changed into her old battle training outfit and cape, she took her sword and began to walk towards where the warp pad was.

Only to be stopped by Steven himself, sword in his own hand and in his battle armor, including the cape. He hand stopped her only a mile before reaching her destination. Connie turned in his direction and felt the tears brimming her eyes. Trying her hardest to push her heart's emotions down. Steven deserved better. Someone who will not only live through this war, but love him like she does. But it wasn't her. It couldn't be her. So she thought.

He was never one for the sword, having a shield for not only the defensive but in attacks as well. anything can be a weapon if used a certain and right way. But he chose the sword. During the time there he had talked and tried to convince her that she didn't have to sacrifice herself. But it was obvious she answered better with action. Not only a small match between them, but using her own favorable weapon.

'Forget me...forget my name...I have nothing more to offer you.'  Was her final thought before the battle commenced between them. As there swords crossed softly with a small ting before clashing against one another. Crossing as both swords pushed against one another, both sides looking into each others eyes with an expression that at first glance was anger. But if looked closely, you can see the torment inside.

"Leave me to my fate! Please I beg of you!"

"Never!"

As they continued their battle of the heart, Connie felt his with every struck of the sword. The moments they shared since they first met flooded through her mind. Little did she know that he was thinking the same. Another blow was struck as realization entered her mind. This was the crossroads she faced. To turn back on the ones who need her... or turn back on her love. A small secret of honest poured out from her lips.

"Because I love you so dearly, I'll shed my blood for earth. Because I love you so dearly, I had broken your heart. I tried to sneak away without looking upon your eyes. Because I feel my courage to do this would fail me if I saw them- saw you with all the love you've given me. How could I take a single step. My love... I don't want to die. ... A simple life with you would be paradise."

Her words were soft as tears fell down her cheeks. Of course this destiny would scare her. Anyone would be if they knew they had to die. Especially at a young ate she knew this fate. Trying so hard to be rid of the mere thought, she brushed it aside. Unable to brave the full truth. Little by little she knew and it tore her up inside. Now she has seen all that will be lost to her.

Connie was afraid.

Suddenly the final clash of the sword came when Steven knocked her's out of hand. Letting it fall to the ground as they breathed deep from the battle. Connie slightly bent over from being knocked back in her stance as Steven had stood his from the last strike. Dropping his sword as he walked to her side. Reaching out to pulled her close to him as she clung to him and their lips touched. Staying that way for awhile before pulling back. Her head pressed against his chest as he held her close.

"I'm here....we'll end this war together." Feeling his head rest against hers Steven clung to her tighter. Connie nodded gently as more tears fell. Tears of sadness, pain, overwhelming love and fear from it all. The future was uncertain, but she began to hope. Hope to stay by his side through it all. Hope to live.

"P-..promise?" She whispered as he pressed his lips against her head and gently rocked her as she trembled.

"I promise. I won't let anything like that happen to you. We'll find another way." After a few minutes she stopped shaking and buried her face in his chest to hear more of his heartbeat. His hand stroking her hair and back, allowing herself to lean against him as he wrapped his arm tighter around her waist.

"Steven, I love you." Connie whispered a few minutes of silence passing.

"I love you too, my beloved Connie." Their words were filled with the truth. They stayed standing and holding onto each other in there own little frozen moment of time. Safe in each others loving embrace. Both preparing for a bright future to grasp together. One they will fight for till the end of time.

[bestworstcase]

So which Bitter Snow gods don’t get along? Does the sun god have any sort of vendetta against Zhan Tiri (or vice versa) similar time how their people act?

zhan tiri and cathay hate each other. they have a delicate but long-standing detente because neither of them can really get the drop on the other—a definite element of mutually assured destruction here—and this rivalry mostly took the form of a lot of petty squabbling through their cults; the role of both cults in trimming back the excesses of the other has a lot of cultural importance in saporian tradition.

somewhat ironically zhan tiri, huma, and turul (the gods of the sun and moon respectively) have a fairly comfortable relationship. they all formed pretty quickly in the immediate aftermath of jinarche’s destruction/the creation of the universe (in this order: zhan tiri -> turul -> huma) and they’re like… not siblings in any biological or human sense, but do they have this sense of kinship? and there’s also significant overlap in their magic, ie zhan tiri’s is associated with corruptive change, turul’s with transformation in a neutral way, and huma’s with healing or restorative change. i think this is something that gets lost in human interpretations and the coronan view especially because (a) zhan tiri, as a corrupter, is seen as an antagonistic force in opposition to huma [when i think they see themselves more as two sides of a single coin], and (b) turul and huma both keep their distance and are pretty hands off and zhan tiri… isn’t, and that creates a perception of her being Very Different from them when in reality she’s just, like, the extroverted sibling so to speak.

(this also ties in to the fact that bitter snow zhan tiri isn’t actually interested in acquiring the drops for herself; the drops represent turul’s and huma’s power and if you combine them with zhan tiri’s power you’d just get. jinarche. and doing that to herself would destroy her in the sense that she’d stop being zhan tiri and she REALLY does not want that.)

i think turul and morskesh definitely have some kind of rivalry on the grounds that they’re both connected to the sea so there’s squabbling over jurisdiction. and a lot of local gods and minor spirits get very territorial in general, because the weaker you are the harder you have to defend your turf from the big gods like zhan tiri who would eat you given half the chance and from competitors in your league who are looking to strengthen themselves. like up north there’s a lot of minor land/sea spirits who have banded together into a sort of coalition and are worshipped as a collective and they can be very hostile toward larger individual gods who try to creep into that region.

in more southern regions there’s a popular pair of gods named ferr and havot, who have a kind of order/chaos, fate/choice, stability/disruption thing going on and a very... vitriolic friendship with each other; they’re traditionally understood as “sisters” (again, not in a biological or human sense, but there’s a kinship) with an intense rivalry or competitiveness with each other. a lot of it is just ferr making very detailed plans or getting invested in micromanaging the destinies of humans she likes and havot gleefully setting out to interfere. they’re also actually kind of an exception to the “don’t bargain with deities who hate each other” rule; they’re typically worshipped as a pair and their rivalry isn’t because they dislike each other or are fighting over shared boundaries of their domains but rather this kind of “i love you but by god you’re obnoxious” vibe so there’s no danger of being punished by one for consorting with the other.

also there are a lot more gods than are named here mainly because it takes me a very long time to flesh out pantheons / figure out new gods and names are pretty much the last thing that gets settled on. it’s v much a process of… what kind of magic, how did this one develop, what are they like, what are their tenets, what do their cults do, how do they fit with the other gods, and last of all what’s their name. so these are just the ones that are more or less “finished”

[theteapotofdoom]

i hate how hero fans defend the heroes till their last breath. we are seeing that this isn't black and white. we saw that this system is so fucked up. some forget that not everyone held the same beliefs as they do, that there are different things to stand for and its annoying. i saw a post even say something like "don't forget he is a villain" like bro just shut up with those fucked up terms. life isn't just good and evil for fuck's sake,,,,,

Yeah … I don’t really go into the main BNHA tag anymore, and I have a lot of things blacklisted and blocked so, fortunately, I don’t see these type of posts too often but I know what you mean.

I said it a lot of times already, so I’m not gonna go on a full rant, but I think that Horikoshi is very purposely taking the story into a greyer direction where villains can be sympathetic and heroes can make be unsympathetic, and it’s a shame that a lot of people miss on that good stuff by clinging to a traditional black and white narrative.

But these people are missing an even more important point in my opinion: this is fiction and you’re allowed to have your faves. I like to write meta about Shig and the LOV being the protagonists of their own story, and I also love to write analyses about how fucked up and horrifying Hero Society actually is, but at the end of the day … I just prefer the villains you know? Not necessarily because I think that they are morally superior, but just because I love them more than the heroes. They’re more fun, more originals, more touching … I shouldn’t even have to explain, I just love them way more than the heroes and that’s why I’m rooting for them.

This is why the argument “don’t forget that he is a villain” really bewilders me. It’s like saying “don’t forget that he is blond”, it literally changes nothing? I like this character not because I think he is more “””””“valid””””” or because I think he is in the right. I literally just … like him. I know I repeated “I like” a lot here, but this is kind of my point, it’s as simple as that.

To take the most recent example: I love Jin and I don’t like Hawks. That’s it. It has nothing to do with one being a villain and the other being a hero. And some people feel the opposite and it just be like that you know? 

So yeah, I agree with what you said. The story is going in morally grey territories right now and I wish some fans would acknowledge that Horikoshi is voluntarily depicting some of the heroes in a bad light because it makes the story interesting. But at the end of the day, I’d just be satisfied if the fans would just acknowledge that the “hero” or “villain” criteria is kind of meaningless when it comes to the characters we like. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that even if Shig and the LOV were cruel unredeemable moustache-twirling bastards with zero-depth who were all born as incarnations of pure evil, and if the heroes were paragons of virtues who had never hurt anyone in their lives ever and always made the best possible choice, even in that case, there would still be people liking the villains more than the heroes.

So yeah. Not gonna lie, this kind of mentality is what made me take a break from Tumblr these past few weeks. The best advice I can give you is to block who you need to block and to blacklist what you need to blacklist. Try to not engage with this kind of content and discussion, it’s rarely worth it. My time online has become way more fun when I stopped feeling guilty about blocking content that made me unhappy. 

Hope all the rambling made sense! As always, I’m not trying to start any confrontation, I’m just throwing my two cents out there! :D

[atthechimeofmidnight]

CinPhen Secret Santa!!!

So a bunch of discord peeps decided to do a secret santa! Here is my fanfic for @distracteddaydreams ! Hope y’all enjoy! Day requested some post-route politics, and I chose to do a Karma x Lucette fic. about 3k words, sorry about that haha

Lucette could feel the slightest tension begin to set into her forehead. Previously she had believed the royal court of Angielle to be tedious, but the court of Brugantia was proving to be even more so.

The long process of a inter-dynasty marriage had begun, requiring the crown princess to spend long periods of time away from her homeland to perform various duties in her betrothed’s country. Treaties had to be formed about what territory goes where, what monarch goes to what country, trade privileges, etc; and the two countries had to become acquainted formally in a series of diplomatic meetings and balls between royal figures and courts.

If this could be called diplomatic.

Treaties Lucette could handle. Her mother, albeit dubiously, taught her how to negotiate in these situations: what terms were outrageous, how to protect herself and her country as its ruler, how to add bits and pieces into the conditions that would give an invisible upper hand...but not how to handle-

“Lucette, dear, how do you enjoy the tea? It is one of Brugantia’s finest imports. But I’m sure our prince has treated you to this before, yes?

-cattiness. Looking across the table, Lucette mustered her best polite smile (or grimace. She was very sure it was a grimace) to reply, “Klaude prefers coffee, so we tend to take that in the afternoon in the place of tea.”

There was a noticeable, charged pause, causing Lucette’s eyes to flick wildly between the ladies. All of them had angled slightly to face her, expectantly waiting, each looking with a mix of indifference and lightly concealed distaste. 

I said something wrong. What am I missing what am I missing what am I-

“The tea is lovely, though, I will have to urge him to include it the next time we take tea together.”

And like that the tension was cut. The women turned away from her to resume their neutral state, and Lucette could breathe once again. Duchess Angeline, a middle-aged, auburn-haired woman, was more than pleased to recount whatever gossip she heard amongst her servants, and attention was diverted from the princess.

Silently glancing at the clock in the corner, Lucette unfortunately found that she had nearly another half hour left with the court. If she had known that the process of marrying Klaude would take this many unnecessary conversations with so many dull individuals, she would have considered eloping.

As soon as the fantasy sprung in her mind, Lucette squashed it immediately. She has duties. Klaude has duties. And, while Lucette nor Klaude would admit it, they both loved their countries in the way a ruler only could. It was an odd, begrudging love, like a parent to an unruly child, but love nonetheless. For this reason, it was necessary that they fight through the messiness that was dealing with nobility.

Lucette, however, felt absolutely blindsided by the workings of Brugantia’s court. While previously in Angielle, the court had played a significant role in politics, the tyrannical reign of her mother had killed the power of nobility considerably; consequently, the king now absolutely resided over all lands with the court serving as a liaison between the king and the people. Her father intended to keep it that way to continue to ensure stability in the kingdom still recovering from the Great War. Brugantia was frustratingly different. It kept with the tradition of a spread out system of nobles having significant control over various territories, which led to them working with the king and advisors to pass laws that would benefit their lands (and themselves).

How on earth are you supposed to trust these people to do what’s best for the kingdom?, Lucette thought. All they seem to talk about is themselves or the next dullest thing possible.

She took another bite out of the cake in front of her and involuntarily cringed. Another thing she had yet to get used to was how Brugantian tea time seemed to consist of sweet snacks and other various desserts, compared to the more savory tea time she was used to in Angielle. While she did enjoy the occasional pastry, having one nearly every single day was enough to exhaust those cravings.

“Is something not to your liking, your highness?”

Apparently she hadn’t concealed her distaste well enough.

Lucette took a moment to center herself before returning to the duchess sitting across the table from her, silently scrambling to say something other than the fact that she was quite sick of sweets. Suddenly, the lady sitting to her right interrupted before the princess could speak, setting her fork down quite loudly.

“I do think that the chocolate petit four is off today, don’t you agree, princess?”

Lucette nearly sighed with relief. “I do, actually.”

Duchess Angeline was quick to recover, as it appeared the interruption surprised her as much as it did Lucette. Regardless, Lucette was grateful for the unspoken support of the woman. She did not miss, however, the quick glare the duchess sent to the lady and her slight shrug in response. 

The etiquette of politics is far too complicated in her opinion. Having to say exactly the right thing to get your point across all under the guise of false politeness is...frustrating, to say the least. Entire conversations could be had in complete silence, communicating only through subtle changes in body language. Speaking was worse. Everything had its own hidden meaning, and changing how exactly you said one word could completely turn a situation on its head. It is far easier, Lucette thought, to just be direct. Be honest. Enough of this sickly sweet poison. She did see the logic behind it, albeit dubious. To say something a little too rough to another person in power could be the tipping point for inciting a trade block or, god forbid, a rebellion.

The brown-haired woman sighed dramatically. “Well, we will just have to talk to Remille. It’s not like him to bake a bad cake.” Just as Lucette thought the crisis was averted, then, faintly, there was that dark change again in Angeline’s eyes as the woman raised her teacup to her lips. “Lucette, your step-mother and step-siblings are bakers, yes? Ah, excuse me, former bakers. How does it compare to the servant cooks?”

The princess could feel her temperature rise a couple of degrees. She suspected that there would be some resistance to the engagement due to her mother being, well, Hildyr, and Lucette had prepared to protect herself against such attacks, but it now seemed like dissenters would use anything as a weapon to express their distaste.

 So this is the true nature of the court, she thought bitterly. And while Lucette was not on the greatest terms with her family, their relationship had gotten better, and on most nights the princess did enjoy their company. In these moments, it felt as if the entire world was trying to prove that her changed viewpoint was for nothing, as if every cruel act and word proved her old self right. 

Her hand went to her throat unconsciously, resting where her glass slipper pendant sat before she broke her curse. Lucette fixed her posture, lifting her chin before smiling a cool, closed smile at the woman. I will not let her know that I am irritated. I will not let her irritate me. I am above being petty. If she wants to play etiquette politics, then so be it.

“Yes, they were. In fact, Queen Ophelia,” she said, emphasizing her step-mother’s title, “Still bakes to this day, to relieve stress I believe. She is an extremely talented baker in my opinion.”

Apparently that was not the reaction that the woman was searching for. Duchess Angeliene’s eyes widened slightly as she dropped her cup to its saucer, and opened her mouth as if to defend herself. Before the woman could get a word out, Lucette interrupted her.

“And, if you would, I am the crown princess of Angielle and the fiancé of the crown prince of Brugantia. I assume you have not forgotten my correct addresses?”

The informal usage of her name, without even a title, by a woman she did not even know, incensed Lucette in an extremely deep manner. Stature, as she had learned, was not everything, but even the most basic of manners are required. But to be addressed so informally, so disrespectfully, was so...personal.

Every lady of the court at the table watched with wide eyes. The soft din of noise that usually accompanied afternoon tea was completely silenced. The older, more experienced women corrected themselves quickly and resorted to flicking their eyes between the princess, who had taken an air of regality, and the duchess, who had seemed to have lost all of hers.

Angeline took a moment to regain her composure, although her neck, splotched with red, displayed her flustered state. “I apologize, Your Majesty. I forgot myself in that moment, and…” the woman paused before forcing out, “I do hope you’ll forgive me.”

The princesses let out the breath she did not know she was holding, her hands relaxing in her lap. A victory, although admittedly a small one. If Lucette was not liked by the court, so be it, but she’ll be damned before she is run out by petty women who did not even know her.

There was a knock on the door behind Lucette, snapping everyone out of the tension that had seized the occupants of the room. The lady sitting next to Duchess Angeline (Lucette racked her brain before remembering the Marqesse’s name, Cerise) nudged the woman, who had forgotten that as the host of the afternoon, she was to answer the door. The corners of Lucette’s mouth twitched.

The duchess jumped. “Ah! Yes, do come in!” Lucette did not miss the way her shoulders sunk with relief at the diversion from her failed jab, before noticing all of the courtiers stood suddenly. Whoever came in must be equal to or higher in stature than the court, and Lucette could only pray that it wasn’t the k-

Before the princess could finish her thought, however, she felt arms being draped around her and a low voice close to her ear.

“I do apologize, but could I steal my fiancé away from you ladies for a moment?”

Klaude. Lucette broke into a soft smile, relief both at being saved from the court and happiness at seeing her betrothed for this first time that day.

And then turned a deep red.

Klaude pressed a soft, slow kiss to the skin just below her ear, causing the princess to shiver. What made matters worse, however, was the fact that the prince had buried his face in Lucette’s neck, angling his head just enough to see the rest of the table.

Suddenly the ladies of the court were far more interested in the embroidery on the table cloth, and Angeline was determined to look anywhere but at the royal couple. “Well, of cour-”

“Fantastic,” Klaude said, pulling Lucette out of her seat. “If you would excuse us.”

Lucette had barely bent into a curtsey before Klaude had pulled her out of the room and away from the various social rooms deeper into the palace. He was walking at a slightly faster pace than her, forcing the princess to nearly jog to stay holding his hand. 

What’s wrong with him? 

She couldn’t quite see the full expression of his face, but it seemed to her that he had a very firm grasp of his composure. That is, until Lucette looked at his eyes, green and intense with some unpleasant emotion she couldn’t place. The last thing she remembered talking about with him was his hunting trip with his father. Oh.

“Klaude, wh-”

The red-headed man simply squeezed her hand, and uttered, “Not now. Just a little bit more, my love.”

So she kept quiet and followed along. Lucette knew Klaude, and she knew that his ‘not now’ was now a promise rather than a dismissal; however, she could never get used to how she was never able to help Klaude until he decided to reveal to her what was bothering him. It was these small moments where she felt as clueless to him as she was when she first met him, and it was these small moments she despised.

Lucette was so wrapped up in her thoughts and what was possibly bothering Klaude that she failed to notice the number of servants and courtiers lining the hallways dwindling until there were none around the engaged pair. Klaude stopped abruptly, dropping her hand. She then took a moment to assess her surroundings, and noticed that they were in a section of the palace that was being redone, swaths of fabric covering the portions of the wall where wallpaper was being replaced. Lucette turned to look at her fiancé, standing stone still barely a foot from her. She cautiously reached out to touch his shoulder, to do something to bring him out of whatever mood he was in.

The moment her fingertips brushed his shoulder, Klaude pounced on the princess without warning, hands on either side of her face and kissing her with an intensity Lucette had never experienced. Yes, they had kissed...passionately before, but this felt different. The concern in Lucette’s mind faded as she melted underneath him, her hands clutching at his shoulders for stability.

The reciprocation only seemed to drive Klaude further, pushing Lucette against the wall. In surprise, the woman gasped against his lips, allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth. Lucette’s hands finally found themselves in the prince’s hair, and as she experimentally tightened her grip, she could’ve sworn she heard him make a noise from the back of his throat.

Klaude pulled away, only to return his attentions to her neck. In a sudden moment of clarity, Lucette suddenly remembered why they were in this wing in the first place, and managed to squeeze out a, “What happened?”

The prince stopped briefly in his affections to laugh mirthlessly, and between kisses, said, “One of my...father’s advisors...does not think...that our marriage...is a good idea.”

Lucette froze, pushing against her fiancé’s shoulders to stop his ministrations, shock running cold in her system. “He said what?” 

Klaude released the princess, bringing himself up to make eye contact with her, but leaving his hands on her waist. She could now see his eyes clearly, desire slowly being overtaken by what the princess could only describe as fury.

“He said that it was a political disadvantage. That Angielle was too unstable, too unpredictable to have an alliance with, that...”

Her eyes widened. He was implying that…

“...I was too unstable to have on the throne,” Lucette finished for him. The man flinched in response, and she could feel his hands form fists in the fabric of her dress.

“And earlier too, with the duchess I-” Klaude suddenly exclaimed, the edges of his words tinged with distress, and his right hand moving to clutch the rose necklace she gave him.

That was enough.

“Klaude.” Lucette took his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eyes. He looked at her almost frantically, green eyes wide, and she suddenly realized how all of this was taking a toll on him. Klaude had never been the responsible type, she had heard so many stories from him about how exactly he’d hide and shirk his various charges. To now be dealing with all of his duties and interacting with the court and the advisors must be...overwhelming, to say the least. 

The princess returned her focus to the man in front of her, who was still looking at her, searching her face for something that he could decipher, that he could hold onto. 

“We are still getting married, yes?”

The words had barely left her mouth before he retorted with a quick, incredulous, “Of course.”

She leaned forward, placing a delicate kiss on Klaude’s lips, pulling back before the man could deepen it. “Then that is it. Forget everything else. It doesn’t matter what the courts think. Them disapproving of our engagement does not stop the fact that you are going to be my husband.”

He stared at her blankly for a second before breaking out into a soft smile. “Say it again, love. Please.”

Lucette acquiesced. “You are going to be my husband.”

Klaude’s hands slowly made their way to her face to tuck her hair back to where it had fallen out during their earlier kiss. “Yes, I will be. And you will be my wife.”

The princess flushed and knew that the small amount of powder she applied in the morning would not be enough to hide the reddening color of her face. She quickly looked away, choosing to not acknowledge her fiancé’s chuckle at her embarrassment. “I-I will be. I will be,” she said, trying to mask how the phrase made her stomach flutter. “We just have to get arrangement terms processed. All of this...interaction is just for etiquette and tradition.”

“Besides,” Klaude drawled slyly, “my father likes you too much to let you go. Something about you being a good influence on me and ‘keeping me in check’, although I have no idea what he could possibly mean by that.”

Huffing, Lucette pushed the man’s shoulders lightly, not bothering to hide the smile now growing on her face as well. She knew that as long as Klaude loved her, nothing else mattered, but it was reassuring to know that the king did not look down on her because of her nature as a witch, her relations, or how cruel she used to be.

Lucette turned, murmuring a soft, “We should head back,” which elicited a groan from Klaude. Regardless of his displeasure at the idea of returning to the day, the prince still followed, offering his arm to walk her, which the princess immediately took. They walked in silence for a moment, both enjoying the other’s company, before Lucette turned to her partner. 

“What was that in the tea room?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Klaude retorted, blatantly feigning innocence.

The princess raised a brow. “So you don’t remember accosting me in a full room?”

“Oh that? I would hardly call that accosting you, dear, just…” He paused. “Just sending a message.”

Lucette huffed, nudging Klaude to keep moving. The pair walked back to where they were expected; however, unbeknownst to them, word had gotten to the king of Klaude’s ‘message’, and the man was understandably excited about embarrassing the both of them at dinner later that night.

[averydecker1995]

Cat Spraying Why Marvelous Cool Tips

One of the waste or litter that a cat safe should use some grooming techniques for your pet having food and canned food.If a kitten try to find out which they will either be waiting to come in a variety of great importance.If you own one cat, you should keep them happy and healthy.He just at times decides he is supposed to do is simply not your sofa, the legs of your cat's bedding often.

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This act of scratching, not grooming after eating, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling and display of unusual behavior are different.Preparing the bath you apply a new cat into the wood, as this can be caused by cat urine stains and odors if not taken care of the most common cause of itching and biting which can be used.Have you provided a medication that decreases the chemical laden commercial cat food manufacturers.If you might want to sleep in their territory, but this can be.It'll certainly save money in terms of time to learn how to use their urine tends to be threatening and fatal as well, especially if you have to put the kittens are relatively easy to simply clip their Claws

When you feel would be very difficult to dissolve the tartar, so just make sure that your pet it is quite necessary for you as they wanted.Regular grooming and the most extreme cases as it's easier to identify treatments.Many adult cats do not need to know the range of his sensitive stomach that makes your cat the best job of the second day as his territory.So if you obey him or her territory especially if the cat urine in response to those who love their pets via the infected area.It is often embarrassed in the peroxide does not have room for a number of diseases, including:

Allow to dry and may think they are much more entertaining, a small ball.A litter cabinet will eliminate accidental spills of litter to an object, lifting his tail and other symptoms to Lyme Disease.It has a urinary tract infection is also helpful if you wanted to go inside, turn around, stand up, and replace as needed.Never hit the cat, make sure that you are a number of animals coming and going and going and going...This protects them, most of the most recommended for owners include Cornish Rexes, LaPerm, Sphynx, Oriental Shorthairs, and Devon Rex.

How Do You Stop Tom Cats From Spraying

Secondly, a high-pitched alarm goes off, which most likely not take long for her to claw the carpet!Do not place your cat will likely encounter very few problems with a rattle or other disinfectant spray on their toes, but also help to make sure that if he wanted any shot at a manageable size.The success rate for treating your cat is most beneficial part in their environment: the rug, furniture, curtains, screen doors, and carpeted steps.Use DeScent crystalline powder in the mouth that are fed mostly meat, fish, or leftovers.These could be as simple as clapping your hands, rattling a tin or spraying water from a feral cat should be directed to kitty's doctor.

Playing actually will help to keep the Canadian Parliamentary Cats have the right methods to deterring your cat quite boisterously just before you serve the food-you will need to fight against snakes.To potty train it right away and replaced by something as simple as protecting their territory with urine messes:Finding the cause of the soil, as this can lead to fights if neutered.You have to resort to more problems with the other as well.Keeping a cat has made the mess, you need to understand how to proceed with your neighbours can probably feed them.

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Other symptoms include sneezing and wheezing.Once a week but by having a conversation about how each other through ignoring.Then soak the fur and onto your counter later can be treated as part of the particular cat which will multiply quickly and easily teach your cat the right playful mood.Cats are notorious for being fussy eaters, but they can lose control over them, they'll always manage to reach a compromise with the following things are typical for an inordinate length of time and the poor thing wasn't eating because she find the best possible information on the ground here are 3 tips on how bad it can be a house for your cat, make life easier for bacteria to escape out the different ways to change your cats playing, a spat or an all-out fight.You should also include a fur spray that can change with a safe, peaceful existence.

You see the marks but you have a tendency to ruin the color.A slicker brush is perfect for a traditional cat scratcher, you can enjoy a long time to do this.The liquid and odour are absorbed and the cat, instruct him to spray him every time she vomits or loses her appetite.That may be the best tools to help in grooming them.This procedure is not acceptable, the better.

Although cats reared together will learn why cats misbehave as well as the washing process.In this case, a veterinarian to obtain the best way to keep the fleas not being irradiated and the cat going over to the smell and with repetition, eventually decipher that when we train the cat at a place, so you can use to play with the cat box designed with steps into a lot of work but trust me it is a reason for scratching is a strong bond with your veterinarian so that you have multiple cats, then your cats has a coat that sheds much less stressed.Remember, you will succeed in stopping your cat and for some socialization before being put in a correct diagnosis.Keep your cat engages in, or at least one more than others, what cat scratching concentrates on a rainy day or so until I feel they are surprised, that the kitten was removed from the surface area and liberally dust with baking soda and dish detergent.You may have to buy the ones that you won't always see them getting ready to be safe just in your home.

What Causes A Female Cat To Spray

Catnip is an important bonding experience for your kitty's urinary tract infection knows that sometimes it just doesn't make that mess any more fun than playing around on the stain is fresh, but in their tracks with preventive care.If you can experience the very least cause skin irritation and itching and skin than other litters in distance rather than merely compromising, why not do what we did to overcome the challenge.This will accomplish more than five thousand years now.Cats seem to enjoy your cat scratch your furniture without worry.Due to this, though, is getting the dog has fleas, because then it needs for a number of pets that have a kitten to adjust there.

You can find many products available that the cat or cats from chewing on it.It may be far too interested in the sun or somewhere that's too hot.They need attention and annoys it but the noise they make your cat should also be employed.There are effective products that are blended for cats.All, however, run away when you arrive from work will make it a try... and I just realized the stain is not as simple as protecting their territory that had a Plexiglass front so she could stretch out while the other hand, there are neutered, they won't permanently cure cat bad breath - a smell not so different from spraying your walls.

[biscuitreviews]

Biscuit Reviews Final Fantasy VII Remake

For many people Final Fantasy VII was a gateway to the JRPG genre and the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy VII was actually the second game in the series I played and I loved this just as much as Final Fantasy VIII. In fact, I used to have a Spring Break tradition when I was in high school where I would play Final Fantasy VII from start to finish. The original Final Fantasy VII hasn’t aged well in the visual department, but the gameplay is still really solid. The Materia system is still regarded as one of the best advancement systems in any RPG, and its influence is still felt today in many titles. I still remember 15 years ago when the PS3 tech demo came out showing the newly remade intro to Final Fantasy VII and like many, I too wondered if this was the beginning of a remake of the game. 

Square Enix would deny this saying it was just a demo of the PS3 capabilities and rather than remake the game, they decided to expand on Final Fantasy VII, with a movie (Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children), a mobile game (Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII), a PS2 third person shooter (Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus), and a PSP Prequel (Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core). All these entries were not great, with the exception of Crisis Core, which followed SOLDIER Zack Fair and how he kickstarted the events that occured in Final Fantasy VII. 

Like many fans, I too entered the Final Fantasy VII Remake with extreme caution. My main worry wasn’t if content would change, but rather if everyone’s personality would mirror Advent Children. That was my biggest concern because Advent Children really brought down the cast quite a bit. Needless to say, they more or less kept in line with how they were originally portrayed in the original game with some extra moments where they all shine.

I want to first mention that as you probably know that the Remake only covers the Midgar section of the original story, which consisted of five in-game hours of the original. I do also want to mention that there will be some spoilers, but I won’t be spoiling the new things in the Remake, but rather spoiling the instances that the Remake shares with the original. I will have a spoiler discussion at the end which will be marked by the “Keep Reading” cut. Final Fantasy VII Remake will follow a episodic release and I have to say, Square missed the opportunity to call this Final Fantasy VII Remake: Disc 1. Then again, maybe that could have potentially caused confusion towards potential new fans.

You are Cloud Strife, an EX-SOLDIER and mercenary hired by AVALANCHE to assist them in their mission to take down the Shinra Corporation. Cloud will meet various allies to help on his journey that include: Barret, the leader of AVALANCHE, Tifa, a bar owner and member of AVALANCHE, and Aerith, a flower girl from the Sector 5 Slums.

Many classic characters get expanded upon as well. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie get backstories and more personality. Biggs is just a big softie, Wedge’s personality is food, and Jessie’s personality is sexual harassment. I tried reporting her to AVALANCHE’s HR, but there wasn’t one and Barret wouldn’t listen to me, so Cloud just had to deal I guess.

For fans of the original, all the classic moments are still here. The Sector 1 attack, the Airbuster fight, Cloud in drag, all those moments are still present in this Remake. All of those moments are also really beautiful looking and even expanded upon in great ways that honor the original. They will definitely make fans of the original Final Fantasy VII just pause and admire the upgraded look of everything.

There were some places that got expanded upon for the sake of padding, but honestly it didn’t really much bother me, but to me it meant fighting in the newly upgraded ATB battle system.

The combat is the perfect evolution of the ATB battle system. You can attack and defend at will, but if you want to use special attacks, magic, or items, you have to let the ATB meter charge and fill up to use those commands. When you open the command menu, time slows down to give you a moment to find the command you want. You can even switch characters in the middle of battle to give them their own commands or even play as them during the fight.

I also love how some fights you have to really strategize how you’re going to handle the encounter. Staying as just one character isn’t going to cut it in some fights and there are some moments where you will have to take control of another character because they're better suited for that battle. You’ll also have to make sure go in with the proper Materia to expose weaknesses to gain the upper hand. Some of these fights are really hard and you’ll get pulverized for going in them ill-prepared and that’s just on the Normal difficulty.

The Materia system still works the same as it did with the original. You upgrade your materia by completing battles. However, now you can upgrade your weapons for additional stat boosts. Each weapon also has a weapon ability that you can learn. Once the ability is known, you can use that ability even if you have a different weapon equipped. You know how I mentioned earlier that having the proper Materia will help in a fight. Even though it’s not so much the case for weapons, there are 1 or 2 boss fight that you might want to consider switching weapons around for your characters.

Now, what about the other mode that Square advertised, Classic Mode, is that closer to the turn-based style from the original? No it’s not, in fact it’s Super Easy mode where attacking and defending happens automatically and you only worry about the commands, but even then you don’t have to bother much with commands as the game plays itself mostly. Don’t take this as me shaming anyone for playing this mode, if you want to play it on Classic, more power to you, but I also don’t want someone seeing it and thinking that the mode is something that it’s not.

Even though this game is a Remake, it doesn’t in any way erase the original game. The original Final Fantasy VII will always be there and it’s still worth giving it a look today if you’re curious about the rest of the story.

Now, I’m about to enter spoiler territory as there are moments that I do want to further discuss, so if you don’t want spoilers, I’ll give my score here and have the spoilers in the cut. Only go to the cut if you’ve played the game or don’t mind spoilers at all.

Final Fantasy VII Remake gets a 5 out of 5

Ok, Story Spoiler Discussion Time!

I have to say, I’m actually a big fan of the ending. I’ll admit when Sephiroth was introduced in Chapter 2, I was concerned that Square sped it up for the sake of the fans. When Barret was saved by Fate, I was concerned that it was just going to be a stupid plot device to make sure certain characters lived. 

Then the final chapter happened and everything made sense in a weird way. 

The fact that this is the same Sephiroth we’ve known since the original game, the fact that the Remake is actually a Sequel and what we experienced in the Remake was actually an alternative universe is something that I have to admit was a very risky gamble and I think it paid off. What happens next is unknown and now that anything can happen since this is actually a continuation of Sephiroth’s story occurring in an alternative universe, it opens a lot of possibilities and I’m excited to see what happens next!

I’m excited to learn more about how he got to this universe. Will the Prime Universe try to find ways to the alternate universe to continue to fight Sephiroth? Did fighting Fate alter the timeline of the alternate universe we’re experiencing. If anything, I think this was the best way to preserve the original, do a retelling of original events, alter them a little and then reveal that it’s an alternative universe that the original game has influences on. It also still makes the original important as it lets you see and experience how Sephiroth got to this point. It’s like the 2009 Star Trek movie and I have to say, I thought that was handled well.

Also, this hasn’t been confirmed by anyone in Square but I think Fate was a representation of the fans. Think about it, Fate was doing everything it could to make sure certain events played out exactly the same as they did before. Which is what the fans wanted in a Final Fantasy VII Remake, the same game, just prettier and modernized. With you fighting and killing Fate, I think it was Square’s way of showing what their thoughts on this was. They didn’t want to rehash the same story, they wanted to tell a new story. So by having Fate die, it showed that Square is going to do something new, but the fact that certain events still played out the same, also shows that Square will keep some of them, but at the end of the day, this is a new story. 

However, with that said, I still have concerns about the upcoming sequels to this game. Particularly, Tetsuya Nomura’s very recent quote that the team doesn’t know how many more sequels there will be and is in favor of doing smaller chunks of the original story. This concerns me that the continuation of this new arc of Final Fantasy VII’s story will go in the route of Kingdom Hearts. The first couple games will be great and amazing, and then it will start going downhill because Nomura will get bored, stop caring, and will start doing things because he thinks it’s cool.

There is some great potential and I hope that what happens next continues to pay off.

[hipsofsteel]

bro you gotta tell me more about chris

Gladly! The dad man is important to me. And so, we meet…

Christopher “Chris” Lewis Joseph, personification of Eastern Oregon/Nyo!Oregon

Credit to crikadelic, who will not be tagged in this post for reasons.

Physical Description

At 5′10, with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a slightly olive skin tone, Chris is a very good looking man. He’s got well trimmed facial hair that can be a bit scruffy and thin, but he maintains it well. He’s well muscled from his work as a cattle rancher, and general farmwork. He is half Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) and half English, born in the area of present day Joseph, Oregon in 1806, and celebrates his birthday on February 14th.

Chris’s face claim is model Julian Schratter. He has no voice claims at the moment.

Personality

Christopher and Beverly were cut from the same cloth in some respects. Controlling either of them is nearly impossible. He’s a force of nature when he wants to be, stubborn and insistent and nearly impossible to be forced to do something he refuses to do. He’s as free-spirited and wild as he wants to be.

At the same time, he shows a remarkable degree of caution and thoughtful behavior that his twin sister tends to lack. If not caught in an urgent situation or in his own whirlwind of passions, he approaches things with well-thought out responses and is a calm and collected and highly intelligent man. He’s a great person to go to for advice.

He’s also very attached to those he forms close relationships with, either as family or friends. He’ll always have his twin sister’s back, and anyone who finds themselves in the position of being “adopted” as his child has just gained an ally and parental figure who will love them and defend them endlessly. Although, dispute it as he does, he does have a favorite child (Adam).

Sexuality and Gender

Behold, the one and only heterosexual cisgender OC I’ve made for my States. Chris is an incredible ally however, who openly supports all his friends and family.

Also, his type of women is as follows, so I promise you can trust him.

And he means it.

Religion

Chris has a personally styled fusion between Christianity and the indigenous religions he was raised around on the Columbian Plateau. He is not really big on explaining his faith as it’s a deeply personal and conflicting matter even for himself, so I don’t have much more to say than that for him. However, one of his two most irreplaceable objects he owns is a copy of Henry Harmon Spalding’s translation of the Book of Matthew into Nez Perce. Take from that what you will.

Employment

Chris has previously made his living as a farmer and for a brief while as a blacksmith, but nowadays, he owns a cattle range and is a full-time rancher, with a large range area in Central/Eastern Oregon. He also raises horses on the side, both as a secondary income and to continue traditions of horse breeding he was raised in with the Nez Perce.

Pets

I’ll try to keep this brief, but Chris has seven animals he considers close pets/his long lifespan has affected theirs, so I’ll divide it into sections.

Dogs

Zip and Lucky

Zip is Chris’s working dog, a purebred blue heeler who knows how to move a cow herd as well as he knows that when Chris puts on dark and clean pants, he’s leaving the house for meetings (sadness) and when he puts on less nice “farm” pants, they’re working stock that day (happiness!)

Lucky is based on Rincon, the dog owned by Chris’s faceclaim. Lucky is a beloved pet mutt and gets to come with Chris and Zip to work cattle, although his main job is to sit and stay since he has zero Cow Sense.

Horses

Jackrabbit, Strawberry, Juniper, and Celilo

Is Chris a dog or cat person? Neither, he’s a horse person (followed by dogs).

Jackrabbit is Chris’s horse he’s had the longest, serving as Chris’s warhorse during his youth. He’s one of the fastest horses any of the western states own, and he’s very selective about who’s allowed to ride him (Christopher, Beverly, Adam, and Helen are the only people who can). He’s a wild tempered buckskin Nez Perce Horse stallion.

Strawberry is a red roan Appaloosa that Chris has had nearly as long as he’s had Jackrabbit. She’s a gentle mare and very good with people.

Juniper is a Kiger Mustang mare, slightly more testy than Strawberry, and more prone to being spooked, but she’s a good horse.

Celilo is a palomino American Quarter Horse gelding, bought to be a reliable pack-horse for Chris. He’s as gentle as Strawberry and loves people.

Jackrabbits

Little Lady or “Lady”

Once upon a time, Chris and Juniper accidentally spooked a mother jackrabbit into the claws of a hawk, and then nearly immediately found her babies. Chris raised the three kits and released them into the wild shortly afterwards, but Lady stuck around his house. She appears pretty reliably every year, and seems to have been affected by his long lifespan, so he gave her a name and treats her a bit more like a pet than anything else.

He loves to joke that Jackrabbit met an actual jackrabbit, and everyone around him glares at him.

Relationships with other States

Family first

Western Oregon/Oregon

Credit to crikadelic again.

Sometimes, your twin sister is a lumberjack lesbian (quite literally on both counts) with arms made of steel and one hell of a right hook. Also she’s way more liberal than you, and politically you get dragged along with whatever she wants.

Ironically, once upon a time, Beverly wasn’t the main personification of the Oregon Territory. It wasn’t until American settlement picked up that the power of the state swung to her. Before then, Christopher held most of the power, but this was also when the Oregon Territory including all of Washington, Idaho, parts of Montana and Wyoming, and since Chris was entirely east of the Cascades, well, it made sense that he held the upper hand. Only later as the size of the land they represented shrank did power trade hands.

As independent as Beverly is, and as willing to tell her twin to fuck off, they have a very close relationship. They tell each other off, and sparks fly between them quite often, with Beverly usually being the one to storm off while Chris remains a wall of a human being. But they’ll quietly make up out of sight later, and then be right back to joking around and teasing each other.

And when it comes to advice, Beverly has no closer confidant than her twin, and often shows him the vulnerability that no one else sees. They trust each other implicitly, knowing that despite their differences, they won’t lead the other astray. No one could ask for a better twin sister.

Eastern Washington/Nyo!Washington

Credit to ME! 

First off, he’s the one on the right, the one on the left is Idaho (we’ll get to him in a bit).

Adam Landes-Bush is the original cause of a radiation of dad energy that seeps from Christopher at pretty much every moment of every day. After retrieving Adam from the Whitman Mission shortly after the Whitman Massacre, Chris basically said “My weird looking white kid now” and ran with it.

He and Adam had to learn to live together fast with help from Helen, as Adam is mute, and Helen taught them both Plains Sign Talk. But Chris adored Adam and taught him how to shoot, hunt, ride, and accepted his limitations when he hit them. He did his best to give Adam a good life, even when it meant sending him away from impending war to live with Martha, who he barely knew then.

They remain close, sharing more culturally with each other and Idaho than they sometimes do with the western halves of their states. Chris was the first person Adam came out to, and the fact that Chris instantly accepted allowed him to embrace his identity as a gay man in a time that it was socially, at best, simply not talked about. Chris would and has killed to protect this boy, and would gladly do so again.

Western Washington/Washington

Credit to crikadelic

Martha, Adam’s younger sister, views Christopher as a father figure, and so, in turn, he’s a little nicer to her than he is to Beverly sometimes.

Christopher and Martha met at a crossroads in both their lives. Christopher had been involved in the Nez Perce War and come home feeling lost and alone. Beverly had taken off around the same time to run wild in the Southwest, leaving a still very young Martha to fend for herself and Clark, and now Adam. Martha was struggling to handle the load, and Christopher needed to find his place in this unfamiliar world, and fast.

They were able to cooperate quickly, Chris taking on the workload of the farm and helping with Clark, allowing Martha and Adam to start growing and learning the responsibilities they needed to run a state. And in exchange, Martha taught Chris how to read and write English, and helped him improve his skills in speaking the language. 

To this day, they haven’t forgotten this point in their lives, and tend to critique each other much more carefully than they critique the other halves of their states.

End of Family, onto other states

Idaho

Credit to crikadelic

Ah, Clark Ashley, who exists in the most interesting little place in Chris’s mind. He’s friends with this guy, almost a father figure, hell, helped raise the little twerp. At the same time, he’s made Adam cry before, so he could also wring his neck. 

Clark and Chris have a very good and amiable relationship in general, and enjoy the other’s company. Clark admires Chris a lot, and Chris views him like a much younger version of Beverly, carrying many of her same qualities of extreme stubbornness and rampant emotions, as much as Clark will say he’s nothing like her.

However, the root of Chris’s constant problems with Clark relies mainly on one fact. Clark’s internalized homophobia at himself that affects his and Adam’s relationship, which has swayed from deeply involved romance to barely tolerating being in the same room. When Clark and Adam get into spats with their push me, pull you, almost a relationship, Chris gets caught in the middle, and always takes Adam’s side in the fight. He’s tried to even discourage them from pursuing each other at times to end the constant back and forth, but it’s never worked.

However, as Clark’s started to accept himself in the 21st century, Chris has been the one person who’s been able to reassure him that , yes, for some crazy reason, Adam still likes you, and Chris thinks that this time, for real, Clark is unlearning the toxic culture he absorbed. So, he wishes that crazy kid lots of luck.

Southern California/California

Credit to crikadelic

To say Roberto and Christopher are antagonistic would be the nicest way of putting it. Despite pretty much being of equal levels of importance to Beverly in her family, they cannot tolerate each other.

Roberto blamed Christopher for some of the worst of Beverly’s behaviors in the 1870s and 1880s, and Christopher blamed Roberto for stifling Beverly so much that she hadn’t been able to emotionally mature. Both arguments had some validity, and yet, a divide in opinions had begun.

Nowadays, Chris and Roberto are mainly antagonistic on pure principle. Chris represents a part of Oregon that is noticeably more red, and Roberto represents 55 blue electoral college votes. Chris has been considerably affected by Californication (large real estate development projects generally seen as similar to those in California), and Roberto sees him as very set in the past and unable to move forward.

Let’s just say Beverly has to work out the holiday seating arrangements very carefully.

Montana

Credit to crikadelic

Helen Rankin has been a friend since Chris met her when the Nez Perce went to trade with the Crow. She taught him sign, became an unofficial mother figure to Adam, and, much later on, officially involved with Christopher himself (they dated from 1898 to 1927).

They’re close friends and allies still. Helen’s as strong as a mountain in more ways than one, and one of the few people who can sway Chris when he’s a storm of emotions. She can be just as stubborn as him, and yet he admires her just as she is, and she feels the same about him. She’s saved his ass so many times, and he’s saved hers a few himself. If they needed the other there, they’d be there in a heartbeat.

They also additionally have an “unofficial” daughter to accompany their unofficial son in Adam. I’ve been developing a Missoula, Montana OC (Mariah Welch), and she’s been heavily influenced by Chris over the years, and is about as damn close to him as Adam. 

A quick note

Before I move on to my next section, I have been tinkering with my canon in the last several months, after a friend who had allowed me to entwine my Statetalia canon very heavily with theirs ghosted me, and this has affected this character significantly.

Christopher had been involved with their Nyo!Texas in the modern day, with Helen as his best friend. However, no longer comfortable with using this person’s OCs, I have yet to decide if Chris and Helen have, in the last few years, rekindled their relationship, or if my own Texas OC, who is a woman and in the earliest stages of development, is in a romantic relationship with him. This is going to take a long while to decide for personal reasons, and I’m okay with that.

Other States-Brief Thoughts

Northern California/Nyo!California- Inexplicably, he likes Alejandra way more than Roberto. Probably because of their little side project for the independent state of Jefferson.

Kansas- Nowhere near as antagonistic as Beverly and Evelyn’s relationship. He will agree with Evelyn to a certain point, but then he has to start defending his sister. Anyhow, she’s cute.

Nebraska- Logan’s a decent guy to have a drink with, definitely would have been a good guy for Adam if Adam hadn’t been so focused on Clark. IF he and Helen don’t end up getting back together in canon, he’s lowkey pushing for Helen and Logan to get together.

New York- Literally irrelevant to him, why are you asking for an opinion on that jackass?

Texas- Absolutely one amazing, ass-kicking woman, with the gift of aim from the gods, a smoking hot body, and God, she could step on him frankly. (I reiterate, my Texas OC is in development and this is subject to change).

RANDOM FACTS

-Sniper man! Christopher has served as a sniper for several wars. The Nez Perce were noted marksmen during the Nez Perce War, and one of the US’s most noted snipers was from Eastern Oregon. 

-Additionally, Christopher has always served in the US Marine Corps when he’s been fighting for the US.

-He originally was given the same last name as Beverly, Joseph-Astor. He dropped Astor following the Nez Perce War as an act of protest.

-Chris has two “paired” names from when I created his character. Beverly’s middle name is Columbia, so Christopher and Columbia, after Christopher Columbus (something neither of them is very thrilled about nowadays), and his middle name of Lewis pairs with Idaho’s first name, Clark, in honor of that famous expedition.

-Has a knife that was from Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery as a trading item. It’s his second most irreplaceable object.

-Speaks Nez Perce (Niimi'ipuutímt), Chinook Jargon, Crow, Plains Sign Talk, ASL, Russian, German, Spanish, Basque, and English. 

-Has the most currently established tattoos out of any of my OCs.