#the main island is the wings + torso

[blradley]

haha okay so what if

this book was set

on a series of islands

that are basically the remains of an ancient giant dragon that mineralised into igneous rock & several active volcanoes

and this ancient being is both venerated as a creator god and exploited for its resources, all while it is very, very dead and uncaring, and sloooowly crumbling into the sea

hahaha what about that???

[quitefair]

The Temple of Mythal and Greek Sculpture

Or: How Bioware takes from history without any nuance.

--

Picture this. You're me, playing Inquisition for the first time. You get to the Temple of Mythal, the doors shut behind you and you finally get to look around. It's a typical elven ruin for the game, nothing much seems different...

Hold on.

Hold the fuck on.

You know what that is.

You know what that's based on, and for a long time after it tickles you. Oh, maybe that meant something in the grander scheme of things! We've never seen such a blatant reference to a real-life sculpture anywhere else in game (to my knowledge at the time)! Maybe it'll come up later and it'll all make sense!

Here's the deal. I've been bothered by this for years. The more I think about it, the more angry I become. Anger over a single fucking type of statue, you say? There's a lot of other shit to be angry over in this game, and you choose this?

YES! I CHOOSE THIS! AND THIS IS WHY.

--

Picture this. You're me again, aged 14 this time. You're in the Louvre, the first museum of Western classical art you've ever been to. You've grown up in a place where this interest could only be cultivated from extra-curricular reading, and for a kid that age from my country to be ass deep in Greek and Egyptian myth is frankly lmao. Neurodivergent. Anyway.

So we're wandering around the Louvre, I've just taken my parents through the Egyptian section and given them a thorough infodump on everything I know about burial rites.

And then we enter this room. And I very nearly fall to my knees when I catch sight of her.

This is the sculpture the statues at the Temple of Mythal are based on - one Winged Victory of Samothrace.

She is a sculpture from the Hellenestic era, depicting the goddess Nike stood at the prow of a ship. Her head and both arms are missing, save one hand with two fingers (also in the Louvre but displayed separately). She was found on the Greek island of Samothrace, among the ruins of what was known as the Sanctuary of the Great Gods. It seemed like she was displayed at the top of a hill, looming down at all that regarded her.

I’ve had the absolute privilege of seeing her in person twice in my life, both before and after the 2013 restoration. And let me tell you, regardless of which staircase that leads you there, the sight of her will stop you in your tracks.

[Now with people, for scale.]

She is massive. Larger than life, and immediately is the centre of your attention. It's not the fact that she has no head, no arms. No, you will realise the closer you get to her, the more you're able to appreciate the details of this absolutely astounding piece of history.

No. It's because she feels so alive.

The way her robes drape against flesh, wet from sea-spray or rain, yet flowing with the motion of an invisible wind. The wings cast behind her dramatically as her right foot steps forward. Standing tall and proud, unflinching, unbowed against the elements. Even without her arms, you can feel how dynamic the torso and legs are.

You don't need to be an art historian, or even have any knowledge of Greek myth or art history to stand in front of her, as I once did as a young teen, and nearly be brought to tears.

So.

This brings me to the first of the two main gripes I have with the way this sculpture is used in Inquisition.

Compared to the way she's displayed in the Louvre, and also presumably how she was presented to her original audience - larger than life, looming, powerful, beautiful - she is relegated instead to smaller, repeating statues of the same nature throughout the temple.

This diminishes the purpose of the original sculpture, which was to instill a sense of awe and wonder. The singularity that forces you to focus and appreciate the scale and intricacy. The aura, the gravitas of having a single, massive sculpture of such a dynamic figure is completely gone.

And to make things worse, they Mythal-ify her. Adding a helmed head and changing her beautiful feathered wings to leathery dragon wings. They don't even add arms, which is odd because the original sculpture very clearly is missing its arms.

And, may I ask, Why?

It feels cheap, like they saw the Winged Victory and were like 'oh shit this is a cool sculpture, we should add it in game' without giving any fucking thought to what the sculpture means.

Which brings me to the second gripe. The complete disregard for the symbolism of the Winged Victory.

Detail from the Athena fountain, Parliament Building of Vienna, showing Nike the Winged Victory in the palm of Athena's hand [source]

Nike is a minor Greek deity, said to be the daughter of Pallas (a Titan) and the river Styx. Her other siblings by the same parents include Zelus (Zeal),  Bia (Might) and Kratos (Strength).

Yes. That Kratos.

She was one of the earliest gods to pledge her allegiance to Zeus in the Titonomachy, and after the victory of the Olympians, Nike and the other gods that allied with them were allowed to live on Olympus. In her aspect as Victory, she is closely associated with several of the major Greek gods, and in particular, Athena.

There's also her Roman counterpart, Victoria. This version doesn't come with the backstory Nike has, but is more of a general concept of victory. This is the aspect that is present in a lot of the modern sculptures and interpretations of Nike/Victoria:

Left: Detail from the Berlin Victory Column. Right: Detail from the Victoria Memorial, London. Note the similar iconography, of a woman seemingly standing against a strong wind, fabric and cloth adhering and yet flowing against the breeze, wings outstretched.

From this, we can probably extrapolate what our beloved Winged Victory might've looked like. Here's an artist's render of one possibility:

There's some iconography we need to go through before moving on - symbols that are commonly associated with Nike/Victoria.

One is the trumpet as see in the reconstruction above, the sound and symbol of the end of war, of impending peace. Another is the laurel wreath, another Greek symbol of victory and achievement. Famously, laurel wreaths were used to crown victors of the original Olympic games.

This is another conversation entirely, but there’s a discussion to be had about the duality of Elgar’nan and Mythal, in term of vengeance and justice, and how an emotional rage versus a calculated wisdom can be compared to the difference between the two Greek gods of war – Ares and Athena.

If we can compare Mythal to Athena, in the sense of her wisdom in making difficult decisions, then it’s not a stretch to associate Mythal with the symbolism of Nike, and therefore explain the presence of statues similar to the Winged Victory in her temple.

But since Bioware absolutely did not put this in the game for anything other than the Aesthetic, there’s some problems that need to be addressed.

Mainly in the way in which these statues are scattered throughout the temple. If you wanted static, ominous statues to line the walls as your player characters explore, perhaps have like, I dunno. Less dynamic statues that you reference?

Left: Nike of Paionos, Right: Stele 1 of Las Incantadas

Or maybe instead of statues, have friezes lining the walls. Like this one from the equally iconic Pergamon altar, depicting the Giganomanchy.

It’s the same symbolism, the wings, the smiting of foes and victory of good over evil.

And then perhaps, at the heart of the temple... where, y'know Bioware, lay a body of water sacred to Mythal herself, you could've perhaps done something remarkable. You could then have had the most dramatic and beautiful entrance you’d ever seen.

[Nike, at the iconic Daru Staircase, the Louvre]

It was at this moment that Mythal walked out of the sea of the earth's tears and onto the land. She placed her hand on Elgar'nan's brow, and at her touch he grew calm and knew that his anger had led him astray. - Codex entry: Mythal: The Great Protector

Mythal herself strides out of the Well Of Sorrows, the metaphorical tears of her followers that died and kept their knowledge alive in her name. Her (draconic) wings spread out, (restored) hands outstretched to touch her husband, to calm the rage that nearly destroyed this world.

A symbol of victory against the blind rage of a god against His father, the Sun. A symbol of wisdom and grace, against the violence of hatred. A divine sense of something bigger than anything we could imagine.

There's also the lack of iconography regarding victory, instead piling on some cheap representations of what we think of as Mythal. That's another post entirely on the symbolism of the Elven gods, but if Bioware really wanted to hone in on the Athena/Athena Nike parallels, they might have thrown in the trumpet/laurel/palm leaf symbolism with the statues, alongside the dragon wings.

If this were the case, then maybe, just maybe, Inquisition would’ve then earned the use of this sculpture in the game.

Sources not listed above/Further reading if you're interested

https://www.louvre.fr/en/explore/the-palace/a-stairway-to-victory

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1412/winged-victory-the-nike-of-samothrace/https://smarthistory.org/nike-winged-victory-of-samothrace/

https://smarthistory.org/nike-winged-victory-of-samothrace/

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/hellenistic/a/nike-winged-victory-of-samothrace

[tyrantisterror]

At Sea Without a Map pt. 48

"Lord Ironteeth!" you shout to the immense sea monster that could oh-so-easily kill you, and in response its blazing red eyes go from looking at your boat to looking at you, specifically. "You've got something in your eye! I can get it out for you, if you'd let me!"

The vast shark regards you for a moment, then surges forward until its enormous head is right next to your boat. For the second time in your life, you find yourself looking into an eye that's larger than your own torso - this one just happens to also look like it's made of molten lead.

With remarkable courage, you reach forward and grab the harpoon lodged in the shark's eye socket. The... flesh? slag? around the harpoon's tip wriggles from the movement, and you see the shark's eye wince from the pain as you pluck the irritant out. Then that molten metal skin seals up, leaving no sign that it had ever been stabbed. You briefly think about the person who had thrown this harpoon - what kind of maniac would look at a creature like this and think they could take it out with a pointy stick?

Lord Ironteeth continues to watch you, and you feel the literal heat of his gaze as his molten body rests close to your boat. Then, with great care, the shark pushes itself away from your boat, slowly and calmly so as not to capsize you again. As he puts distance between himself and you, the shark hacks out more globs of molten metal into the sea, vomiting a great deal of molten slag before he disappears beneath the waves. The maelstrom seems to follow him, its dark clouds rolling through the sky until you see the sun again and the waves return to a more gentle state.

You stand on your boat, breathing heavily, and realize that you looked a god in the face and lived.

Calibani and Bob approach you on the deck of your ship - you're not sure when they joined you up here, as you've been too focused on, you know, the warship-sized shark that almost killed you. As they wordlessly join your side, you watch the slag that Lord Ironteeth spewed out as it begins to congeal a hundred feet or so away from your boat. The molten metal seems almost magnetically attracted to itself, merging into one giant glob that cools quickly as its surface degrades into coarse black granules. Within minutes it turns into something familiar - an island covered in black sand.

As you take in this odd spectacle, something plummets out of the sky, and again you realize after a short moment of reflection that it's quite familiar to you.

It's that strange bird-thing you saw on the island with the tree storks. Calling it a bird is inaccurate, you suppose - its body is covered in hair, not feathers, and on close inspection it seems more like some sort of nightmarish muppet than any animal, bird or otherwise, that you'd recognize. You shake your head at the silliness of this world and prepare to leave, only to stop when the winged thing opens its trash-can lid jaws and flaps its round, sharp-toothed maw at you.

"You're near the end now, Sailor!" the furry flying beast shouts to you. Its voice is thin and willowy with an almost melodic, singsong quality to how it pronounces words. The creature shakes some glittery powder out of its wings, and when the dust touches the sand of the newly formed island you see plants begin to grow. "Just a deep plunge and a few critical choices left! Why not chat a while first and catch your breath? The big answers can wait, but if you don't get the small ones now, you never will."

You don't know what this thing is or what it truly wants, but you don't need a compass to tell you that you should talk to it. At this point, experience has taught you the value of embracing curiosity, so long as you do it with caution. You do, however, want some direction in what to discuss with the beast, and so you consult your compass.

(It's a discussion poll, so feel free to pose questions/prompts based on our four main topics listed in the poll)

(Next update will be Tuesday, 12/10/24!)

[enchanted-lightning-aes]

Ooooh a writing prompt you say? How about Nishan and Kumari + dancing?? 👀

~ @poetinprose 🩵 (p.s.: thank you for being so patient with me atm!!)

heya there, jay! thank you for this particular request! this got a lil' longer than intended. however, i'm glad i got an excuse to focus on this story. 👏

this particular tale takes place prior to the main Blasted Scorn plot. just the crew chilling in an island village. 🏝🏝🏝

(no problem! i understand you get busy, so it's cool. you're welcome to interact at your own pace. ^-^)

send me a prompt? for any oc, dynamic, fandom characters, concepts.

Word Count: 901

T.W/C.W: romance, i guess

***

After a journey from kingdom to empire, the captain decided to stop by to a small village. Located on a small island, where they didn't have much visitors. They wanted to take the crew to have a night off and a break from their travels.

With the ship by the docks and night approaching, there had been a celebration of sorts. Multiple villagers gathered at the town center. Various lights of different colors and shapes decorated on random places. Attached on a string that connected some poles together. Lanterns surrounding the edges of a large fountain, where water shimmered from it's luminosity.

Nishan's breath caught in her throat at the sight of it all.

A small group of musicians played a jaunty tune and people chattered or laughed. Just clad in a combination of casual and formal.

Strangely enough, the villagers welcomed them with cordiality. One of them even murmured something to Titanarin, who shook their hand and gave a small smile.

Something told Nishan that they either must have done them a favor. Or they had been an old friend of theirs. Nonetheless, this might be one of those rare moments that nobody had a grudge for their thievery or tricks.

Biligan and Kentway were sitting by the table, drinking some wine and champagne. Just getting inebriated within minutes after they arrived.

Ianette joined in a game of cards with some villagers, clutching onto a beer bottle. They wore a black tunic and matching boots, their focus fixed on their valuables. Watching their opponents fiercely.

Eubha was making flower crowns for children, helping them to style their hair. Dressed in a sundress of ocean wave patterns. She smiled, her expression full of fondness.

Captain Titanarin sauntered throughout the area with Moloky following them. Flapping her wings, squawking. They laughed as she perched on top of their hat.

As for Kumari, she. . . She wore something known as a lancha. A green and yellow long sleeved shirt with a skirt flaring around her ankles. Her brown hair cascaded down her back in waves and some braids.

She stroked a sheep's head as it bleeped at her. Other people, children and adults, were accompanying the animals in the shed.

Clearly, a stunning sight to behold, she thought. Her heart fluttered and she coughed, pressing a hand over her tight chest.

She hadn't brought much fancy clothes since she got on board of the ship. She fixed her dark curly hair onto a bun on top of her head. Letting some strands frame her face. She chose a beige long, loose chiffon dress containing a pink and lilac embroidered lines around the torso. She could move easily in it, watching the fabric billow in the breeze.

She only sat by the fountain, observing most of the festivities. She would have brought a book with her if she didn't fret over losing it by accident. So, she settled to be quiet and enjoy the joy from her companions.

Before she could scoot to another spot, Kumari skipped towards her. She scrunched her nose and propped her hands at her sides.

"Hey! Why are just sitting here?" Kumari asked, propping her chin over her wrist.

"I'm okay with seeing everyone else enjoying the night," Nishan answered with a shrug. "I'd explore this village. But I suppose we won't be here for too long."

"Oww, that's a shame." Nishan pouted. "But certainly, you can explore this little square."

"I already did that." She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's alright, you can go and be merry. I won't be bothered."

When Nishan gulped, she nearly jumped at a sudden clap.

"Ooh, I know! Dance with me! It'll be fun!"

"Are. . . are you sure?"

"Very much so. Just one dance, that's all I'm requesting."

Kumari stretched a hand out, her eyes twinkling. Nishan bowed her head, feeling beads of sweat trickling down her face.

It would be one dance and just that. She wouldn't. . . she wouldn't do so terribly. She had learned how to dance from her father back at her home land.

Nishan's cheeks heated as she clasped onto Kumari's hand. She laughed and brought her along to a circle of people by the fire.

The lights glimmered around them in a bright golden glow as if a part of a different place. A smooth and cheerful melody resounded the area as the musicians performed another song.

To Nishan's surprise, she saw Kumari waved at a villager. They offered her a hand and someone else did the same for Nishan, who nearly didn't notice. They moved into a circle, going around slowly.

Compared to most dances she witnessed at a ball or gala, it wasn't people paired off together. Yet rather a small group of people, linking their hands and throwing a small kick forward.

Yet it could be just as intimate as a dance between two people. In terms of proximity and the amount of holding hands.

With their fingers entwined and Nishan's heart rate going between erratic and steady, she probably could faint. However, warmth engulfed her while Kumari threw her head back. She laughed, her expression brimming with pure mirth.

Just dazzling like sunshine in a clear sky. And utterly precious.

Nishan smiled, squeezing her hand tighter onto Kumari's. Just breathing in, relishing in her warmth. Sharing a wild laugh with her, grateful to know her.

***

[ilargizuri]

Three Things in One Creature - Part 1: Dragons, Harpyies and Sphinxes

In my introduction, I tried to explain why I consider prophecies in the world of ice and fire to be warnings. Now I want to talk about another constant that appears in all books. The beings from the legends and stories of ancient mythology. All representatives from this book series have been taken from Greek mythology and two of them are slightly changed. Dragons have a fiery breath in Greek mythology, but mostly no wings, in addition, they are mostly the antagonists and always the reason why the hero moves out to save a princess. Incidentally, this motif of the noble knight, who frees the princess from a dragon, originates from antiquity. The Greek dragon from antiquity often has several heads, due to the little evidence from this period, only two examples are known by name, the hundred-headed Typhon and the nine-headed Hydra. The idea of a dragon with several heads is also directly from this time. The harpy is in Greek mythology a bird being with the body and head of a woman. In the books, however, the harpy has alongside the human torso and head, bat wings, eagle claws and the tail of a scorpion.

»In the center of the Plaza of Pride stood a red brick fountain whose waters smelled of brimstone, and in the center of the fountain a monstrous harpy made of hammered bronze. Twenty feet tall she reared. She had a woman’s face, with gilded hair, ivory eyes, and pointed ivory teeth. Water gushed yellow from her heavy breasts. But in place of arms, she had the wings of a bat or a dragon, her legs were the legs of an eagle, and behind she wore a scorpion’s curled and venomous tail. « - Daenerys 2, A Storm of Swords.

The last character from our mythology is the Sphinx and here it gets more interesting. Because both the dragons and the harpy were changed by Martin to fit the realities of the story he wrote, why one has to give the tail of a scorpion to an ancient wind spirit, which was under the command of the King of the Gods Zeus, I do not know and I do not care. The dragons were led by the obstacles of the hero, to the allies and the harpy to their enemies, which is especially interesting because the harpies in many stories are destructive wind spirits and according to Hesiod these harpies were the descendants of the hundred-headed dragon Typhon after Zeus imprisoned Typhon. It makes Harpies the sisters of the nine-headed Hydra and the Sphinx. The sphinx was not changed at all, but if you search for sphinxes in Google, you first get to see the Egyptian sphinx. Which is important, because this sphinx has no wings. Unlike Martins.

»It had been Lazy Leo who dubbed Alleras „the Sphinx.“ A sphinx is a bit of this, a bit of that: a human face, the body of a lion, the wings of a hawk. Alleras was the same: his father was a Dornishman, his mother a black-skinned Summer Islander. His own skin was dark as teak. And like the green marble sphinxes that flanked the Citadel’s main gate, Alleras had eyes of onyx.« - Prologue, A Feast for Crows.

Just like the harpy from our mythology, the original that Martin was probably inspired by, the Sphinx is a daughter of Typhon, so also a kind of dragon. Later Sam mentions that the sphinxes that Lazy Leo mentioned in the prologue had snake-headed tails. This is not from Greek mythology, but an interpretation of archaeologists who dug up statues of sphinxes and recorded descriptions of them in writing. And the rods were described as they looked like serpents; which is not wrong, the pictures of such statues show, that due to erosion and the way the artists shaped these, the snake comparison is quite comprehensible. As in our mythology, sphinxes in Westeros pose riddles like Roone mentioned in the prologue of A Feast for Crows.

»“The day you make them all is the day you stop improving.” Alleras unstrung his longbow and eased it into its leather case. The bow was carved from goldenheart, a rare and fabled wood from the Summer Isles. Pate had tried to bend it once, and failed. The Sphinx looks slight, but there’s strength in those slim arms, he reflected, as Alleras threw a leg across the bench and reached for his wine cup. “The dragon has three heads,” he announced in his soft Dornish drawl.“Is this a riddle?” Roone wanted to know. “Sphinxes always speak in riddles in the tales.”“No riddle.” Alleras sipped his wine.« - Prologue, A Feast for Crows.

It also suggests that the Sphinx in the stories of Westeros also has a guardian function like the Sphinx in our mythology. The figure of the Sphinx was thus not changed in any way by Martin. But then Maester Aemon makes an interesting statement in A Feast for Crows, which many fans take as a reason for speculation. This is this passage.

»When he woke he’d call for Sam, insisting he had to tell him something, but oft as not he would have forgotten what he meant to say by the time that Sam arrived. Even when he did recall, his talk was a jumble. He spoke of dreams and never named the dreamer, of glass candles that could not lit and eggs that would not hatch. He said the Sphinx was the riddle, not the riddler, whatever that meant.« -Samwell 4, A Feast for Crows.

Many fans think that this is an indication that Alleras is not who he pretends to be, but Sarella Sand, one of Oberyn Martell’s bastard daughters. Especially because Alleras mentions in the prologue the sentence which is otherwise only said by Targaryens and the Undying of Quarth. In addition, Sam meets him at the end of A Feast for Crows and Alleras is very interested in what Sam has to say about Maester Aemon. In my opinion, the enigmatic Sphinx is not Alleras, but a reference to the heroes in this story, which is not Azor Ahai. Several times we are reminded by the Targaryens in this story that the dragon has three heads and Aemon regrets that he is not younger to help Daenerys.

»„Daenerys is our hope. Tell them that, at the Citadel. Make them listen. They must send her a maester. Daenerys must be counseled, taught, protected. For all these years I’ve lingered, waiting, watching, and now that the day has dawned I am too old. I am dying, Sam.“ « -Maester Aemon, Samwell 4, A Feast for Crows.

Aemon also says in this chapter that he and Rhaegar always misunderstood the prophecy. This is a motive that we have more often in the story, people who receive a prophecy, try to interpret it and make mistakes. In addition, their obsession with this prophecy leads them to overlook the things that are happening just in front of their eyes. The best example of this fact is Daenerys and Cersei, not because they are both women, but because they are the only characters who really receive a prophecy. Cersei searches all the time for the woman who, according to the prophecy she received from Maggi the Frog, is responsible for her downfall. Daenerys constantly searches for the three traitors announced to her in her prophecy. Both overlook the obvious, what is happening right now. Daenerys always worries about the traitors, while there is a Civil War happening around her and escapes a poison attack, only because she does not eat those sweetened locusts that are offered to her. Cersei tries to disable the younger and more beautiful Queen, who she believes is Margaery, and does not realize that she has a far more dangerous opponent with the High Sparrow, who she believes to be her ally. Prophecies are warnings, but the figures in the story are obsessed with them and see the fulfilment of their prophecy all around them. And the reader follows the thoughts of the characters and takes them for bare coins although we as readers should see the bigger picture and therefore assume a less biased position than the figures that concern the prophecy.

But the Sphinx and the Dragon with the Three Heads are not prophecies only images, and analogies that put the characters before puzzles that misinterpret them or answer them incorrectly. So Sam asks Alleras if he knew what Maester Aemon meant by his pronouncement.

» Sam fumbled for a penny. „Are you a novice?“ „An acolyte. Alleras, by some called Sphinx.“ The name gave Sam a jolt. „The sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler,“ he blurted. „Do you know what that means?“ „No. Is it a riddle?“ „I wish I knew. I’m Samwell Tarly. Sam.“ « Samwell 5, A Feast for Crows.

This scene and what happens afterwards is often seen as an indication that the riddle that addresses Aemon must be Alleras. However, any attentive reader of these books, already noticed in the prologue that Alleras is the disguised Sarella sand. After all, Doran Martell mentions that Sarella is in Old Town and he can do nothing to get hold of her. In addition, we learn that she is the most curious and read by Oberyn’s daughters and we know that the citadel does not accept women. So if Sarella wanted to study in the citadel, she has to dress up as a man. Moreover, Aemon has never met Alleras or even heard of him, so why should the pronouncement refer to him?

[itcamefromthetoybox]

You Can Run, But You Can’t Glide!

Almost everyone has seen the original “Jurassic Park,” and if you haven’t, then do yourself a favor and go watch it right now. Are you watching it? Isn’t it great? Alright, so let’s carry on. NOW almost everyone has seen the original “Jurassic Park,” and I think we can all agree that it’s glorious. My wonderful wife, knowing my love for this movie, recently got me a toy from it. So today, we’re looking at the “Jurassic Park Dr. Ian Malcolm Glider Escape Pack!”

Quick rehash about the plot of “Jurassic Park,” in case you need the refresher: a rich dude finds a way to bring back dinosaurs in modern times, which everyone tells him is a bad idea, and decides to open a theme park with them, which he cuts some important corners on. He invites a group of scientists to the park to confirm it’s safe, so that the insurance companies will sign off on it. Thanks to the aforementioned cut corners and the actions of the single IT guy who worked there (“We spared no expense” my ass), the park’s power and security craps out during a storm, trapping everyone on an island now roaming with dinosaurs, including velociraptors and a T-Rex, because bringing those back from the dead in a world where they have no natural predators was a great decision. Now, there’s some room for debate on how much of the park’s failure is from the owner cutting essential corners and pouring money into things like presentation and ice cream, and how much of it comes from intentional sabotage from the IT guy, who it’s implied put in a very low bid to get the job, but it’s my blog and I’m blaming the rich guy.

The main focus of this set is my favorite human from the franchise, Dr. Ian Malcolm, as played by the always-delightful Jeff Goldblum. Malcolm is a snarky mathematician who specializes in Chaos Theory and is brought in to mathematically predict the odds of the park going to Hell in a handbasket. Once he sees the dinosaurs in person, he quickly goes from “oh wow, the dinosaurs are alive” to “oh dear God, this is gonna be such a disaster.” Spoiler alert: he’s right, and a bunch of people die. Malcolm’s such a delight in the first movie that he was made the star of the sequel, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” and would go on to appear in two of the “Jurassic World” movies.

The toy we’re looking at today, “Jurassic Park Dr. Ian Malcolm Glider Escape Pack,” is part of a Target-exclusive line of “Jurassic Park” toys meant to homage the original movie toys from 1993, when the movie first came out. And the fact it came out 30 years ago makes me want to go drink and cry. The different toy sets in this line are based off the original toys, but, unlike other toylines that have done similar things, such as the “Star Wars Retro Collection” and “Transformers Vintage G1 and Beast Wars,” the figures in this line are modern toys with details and accessories inspired by the originals, instead of rereleases of the orignal figures. They’re also not modern versions of the original toys, like how Hasbro released updated versions of Greedo, a Jawa, and Obi-Wan Kenobi as part of the “Star Wars Black Series.” Instead, the sets here are original sets based off different ideas from the original line, which makes for some fun and interesting toys.

This set features Dr. Malcolm wearing a winged jetpack, which the packaging calls a glider,” and swooping in to rescue a baby dinosaur from a larger dinosaur by shooting the larger dinosaur with a gun bigger than Malcolm’s own torso. This toy takes a lot of inspiration from the original “Ian Malcolm with Launching Tranq Missile Dart” toy. The Ian Malcolm figure in this set is a smaller version of the original, with better detailing and articulation. His glider pack looks almost identical to the original’s, just with the addition of wings, and his gun’s large enough to make an NRA member feel emasculated. He’s even got a large, translucent green missile, which is very similar to the original figure’s missile, just without the grey part the original’s missile had. In terms of being a solid homage to the original, this toy passes with flying colors. Plus, I do really like how the figure took a lot of inspiration from the original and then added on. It’s not the same toy from ’93 and successfully stands on its own, but you can still see where it took from that first toy. It’s a successful modernization of a toy from the early 90’s.

Not pictured: me desperately trying to clean all this before my wife needed to sit down.

Ian Malcolm himself is really articulated. He’s got articulation in his head, shoulders, elbows, legs, and knees, which makes for a lot of fun posing. In terms of looks, he’s fantastic. The sculpting is really on point with this toy. There’s a few buttons undone on his shirt, his clothes have some wrinkles, and even his boots have a lot of sculpted details. Where he really shines, though, is his head. His head does a terrific job of capturing the character from the big screen, from the rocker hair to the cocky smirk. One detail I especially love is what was done with his eyes. Malcolm has eyes behind his glasses, which are a separate piece that was attached to his head. Behind the glasses, and visible through them if you look close enough, are actual eyes. It’s an added detail to this toy that I really like. Just be careful, because since the glasses are a separate piece that the makers attached to Malcolm’s head, there’s a risk of accidentally breaking them off. It’d be hard to do, and I haven’t done it, but a small piece attached with glue or pegs will always have that risk.

Malcolm has two main accessories: the aforementioned glider pack and large gun. First, let’s talk about that sweet-ass glider. The glider pack comes partially disassembled, so you need to attach the wings to it yourself. It’s a super easy process, as the wings peg right on and stay on securely. From the back, it looks almost identical to the backpack accessory from the original toy, just with wings. What that means is that it’s a black backpack with translucent green parts on it. It almost looks like Jeff Goldblum is wearing a nuclear jetpack to fight crime with, and I am definitely into that idea. 

Because if you’re gonna be a scientist, you should definitely have giant guns and jetpacks

Now, getting the backpack on Dr. Malcolm is a little bit trickier than it used to be, where you would just peg it onto his back. For this toy, you have to pull the bottom of the left shoulder strap out of the little slot it tabs into on the backpack. Then, you slide it over Malcolm’s right arm until you line the peg up with the hole on his back, which will let you attach the backpack. Now, put the left strap tab back into the slot. It’s a little more complicated than I like, and the tab feels a little loose. Also, putting the backpack on wreaks havoc on Malcolm’s ability to stand. He WILL fall over, and it IS because of the giant jetpack on his back.

The other accessory is the large gun with the green missile. I love this weapon. Between the absurd size and the green missile, it feels less like something you use to tranquilize a dinosaur and more like something you use to kill Superman. It’s pure 90’s glory, and I love it. The missile is spring loaded and does have some power, so keep that in mind. Don’t aim it at anyone’s face, or there’s gonna be issues. My only problem with the gun is that it’s so big that Malcolm will fall over if you put it in his hand. Rule of thumb: big accessories mean little balance.

Lex Luthor’s latest weapon to kill Superman

There are two dinosaurs in this set, and each have their own accessories. So yeah, this is a longer review. I just waited to bring it up until now because now you’re trapped in this review and have to see it through! Trapped! TRAPPED, I SAY!

Anyways, the first dinosaur is a baby triceratops. She has no articulation at all, which is alright with me since more articulated figures in this set would drive up the price. She looks very pretty, though. I love her colors, especially the facial markings. They draw attention to her surprised expression and match her horns, which, again, look very nice. I also really like her sculpted details. They add some texture to the figure and also really add to her appearance. Without them, she’d look like a cheap, dollar store toy. 

Soon to star in about 15 “Land Before Time” sequels

She has one accessory, a harness that fits over her back. It’s a nice little accessory that fits pretty snugly on her and has a handle so Dr. Malcolm can carry her away. Getting the handle in his hand can be tricky, though, so you might have to fiddle a little with it.

It turns out that, even as a baby, a triceratops weighs a crapload.

The other dinosaur is a dilophosaurus, which, as a carnivore who needs to eat meat to survive, is our villain for this set. Because the Great Circle of Life can kiss our collective asses. She looks pretty good, too, with her dark green body and the leaf green markings. It really draws in the eye without clashing and sells the idea that this is a jungle predator. She has a little articulation, which is nice, since it lets her pose a little and chase her prey. Her mouth opens and her limbs can all move, but be careful with the legs. They’re a bit stiff, and I’ve heard some people worry about damaging them from moving them too much. She also has a tab in her back you can pull up that has a code you can scan as part of an app meant to go with the toy. Now, her tail looks like it should be able to move. It can’t. Don’t be tempted. It’s not stuck, it doesn’t need a little force to move, and it’s not a factory error. The tail does not move, and attempting to force the issue will not end well.

Ugh, she’s making a face. Now we gotta take the picture again

Her accessories are a set of restraints: a muzzle for her head and a set of cuffs for her limbs. The cuffs clip onto her limbs nicely, and the muzzle fits snugly onto the head. The end result is that you really get the feeling this is a dangerous animal being transported in a zoo. I really like how it comes out.

The all-dinosaur version of “Silence of the Lambs” was a smash hit

“Jurassic Park Dr. Ian Malcolm Glider Escape Pack” is a Target exclusive set that normally goes for about $25, but my wife got me this one for about $17 because it was on sale. The set’s aimed at ages 4+, but keep in mind that the giant missile does have some kick to it. Would I recommend this set? Very much so. The figures all look great, the accessories are fun, and it’s got everything I loved about the original toys as a kid in it. It’s a solid addition to your collection, and who could say no to the seductive looks of Plastic Jeff Goldblum? Next time, we’ll be looking at some more fun stuff in the lead up to our next series of theme reviews. For now, this is JS signing off and wishing you Happy Toy Hunting!

[ezra-iolite]

The O'Murchadha-Mutheru Kids: Conduit, Sira and Bori

Because I can't draw for shit, and I'm too scared to...... Have some bios of Asya's main kids. Along with some cringey Picrews to help with visualizing them..... ART IS HARD, OK?! ;A;

| Conduit (The Eldest of all the kids- Adopted by Asya) |

~ Brief Description ~

He/Him pronouns. Gay/Achillean orientation.

Voice Claim: Hanta Sero- My Hero Academia (Japanese voice) Singing voice: Stratovarius

His full mortal name is Natori Siwatu O'Murchadha-Mutheru. He prefers to be called Conduit due to the comfort the nickname brings, though his adoptive mother Asya usually calls him "Little Bird", which is what his first name actually means.

Conduit is a curse-made Gargoyle just like Fort Max (link here if you need a visual reference), but while Conduit should turn into stone during the day, the crystals that grow along his back and wings (sometimes his arms, legs and tail, if he uses his powers too much) are shards of moonstones that save him from the curse's stone-form effect. They are what prevents his ability to speak from being stolen and keeps his head and chest from becoming fully gargoyle in appearance, aside from his horns and fangs, and allow him to be active during the day and night.

If the moonstone shards are all removed, the grey scales will creep further up his human skin and he will become a statue at dawn, which will continue until a new crystal patch grows on his back again. But if he cannot regrow the crystals at all before the end of a week.... he will become a full gargoyle and lose his human side forever.

The appearance of his human side only consists of his light tan skin on his upper-torso area and head. But, from his shoulders to his hands, his hips to his feet, his tail and his wings down along his back... Conduit has dark grey scales befitting a gargoyle. He also has scraggly blonde hair and baby blue eyes, with short, straight-arching, dark grey horns. He got his scar across his face long before he met Asya, when he was a feral child struggling to survive against the Deep Dweller sirens constantly attacking him.

Those constant attacks from the Deep Dwellers are the reason why Conduit has a fear of going into the ocean and of sirens, other than Elbent, Ferrous or Indi. Starstrike (@dimorphodon-x's OC) does unnerve him for this reason, but also because of his infamous stare reminding him of a Deep Dweller, but Conduit instinctually masks his fear and does his best to not react to it around him, to ensure he isn't rude or hurtful towards Strike. (He's a very polite little man, even in the face of his PTSD, ok?!)

He quickly grew to reach 8 feet tall by the time he turned 19, making him a full foot taller than Verglaust. But for a while, he was considered the shortest on the ship due purely to his malnourishment, so as soon as he gained some pounds and healthy chonkiness, he quickly gained muscle and size thanks to the healthier lifestyle and care Asya and the gang gave him... Making both Conduit AND Asya late bloomers that gained their growth spurt at the same stage in their life.

He's around 27 years old by the time he arrives at Joka Ardhi, making him the oldest kid on the ship by six years. Once Ferrous becomes captain of the ship, Conduit will take over his father's role as the Immortal Sun's main doctor, helping Nicole even after her retirement.

Overall.... Conduit's a very good boy, kind-hearted, well mannered, and always eager to help. Also very protective of his siblings, especially his sister Sira and Bori.

~ Backstory ~

Asya and her two husbands had spent only five years living on the Immortal Sun, when they came across an island full of pearlescent shards of moonstone crystals, with some growing as tall as trees in towering clusters. Upon landing on the island to investigate, the crew found a cave full of different veins of crystals, a majority of which were magical in nature and could therefore be used for medical or practical purposes. And with Asya's childhood being spent studying the magic of crystals, as is commonly used in Jokani culture, they began to mine for them and bringing back barrels worth of them, a majority of which could be sold for a great fortune.

During their excavation adventure, Asya stumbled across a hut made of palm leaves and crystal shards, as well as a crowd of Deep Dweller sirens flocking at the shore of the hut. There, being pulled down by the sirens and frantically trying to escape their bloodthirsty hunt, was a young boy. A gargoyle somehow moving about in daylight, and being pulled down under the water by the Deep Dwellers. Without even a moment to hesitate, Asya jumped into the water and fought off the sirens, before she pulled the boy to shore and helped him catch his breath.

Weak, malnourished, riddled with injuries, old scars and crystals just like the ones on this island covering his back and wings, the boy looked to be no older than seven, but by his gargoyle features and face, Asya knew he was physically older but was too weak to develop into his teen body properly. And despite her feeling the sting of trauma from a child she previously rescued long before she met her husbands (a purple Dragonkin toddler she named Hyacinth who died at the hands of his captors despite her best efforts to save him).... Asya chose right there and then to take this boy in and raise him to be stronger, healthier and adored, to never face his struggles in life alone ever again.

After checking to be absolutely certain that he was the only one on this island, Asya marched right back to the ship with the boy in her arms, and without even looking back or saying a word to anyone she passed by, despite the obvious confusion and questions of the crew and her captain, Asya brought the boy below deck and nursed him back to health, making him the first child on board the Immortal Sun. The moment he regained consciousness, the child began to act defensively feral, hissing and swatting at anyone who dared come near him, with the only real way to treat his wounds being to wait until he was asleep or wait for him to trust Asya, Nicole or Kevin to touch him while he was too exhausted to fight back, and only then could they fully patch him up. Not even Max during his nightly rounds brought the fellow gargoyle any comfort, but no matter who came and went out of the cage room... Asya was always there, spending every moment she could by his side, patiently waiting for him to lower his guard and simply spoke to him with a soft, maternal voice to soothe his worries, oftentimes calling him "Little bird" affectionately, all without realizing just how suddenly she was adopting the role of a mother.

Four months later, the now healed up and less frightened boy finally began to explore the ship, curious yet timid but in a way a child should be. No longer did he show his feral side, but still he preferred to walk on all fours and move or act like a beast, not that Asya minded as she encouraged him while also showing him how to rely on his hind legs (a secret she had yet to reveal to the crew about her own childhood habit of walking on all fours and learning to transition onto her paws). And after another month, he finally began to speak but with very few words, like a toddler learning how to grasp the concept of speech. It was, however, more than enough to learn his story...

Of how he lived with his human father and mother, a Primus fisherman and a Unicronian weaver, on a tiny ship that relied on the sea for all they needed. Of how the ship suddenly crashed on a small island that was home to a mage, and how the mage angrily cursed Conduit, the only survivor, for stealing from his trash for food, and thus cursed him to bear the appearance of a true beast scavenging to survive. The moment the curse took form, it went rogue from the boy's fear, trauma and anguish, and thus the island became completely surrounded by crystals born of his body and power, killing the mage with it on accident. And since then, the boy grew up surviving on his own, until he was attacked yet again by the same Deep Dwellers who caused his family's ship to crash and killed his parents.

Since that faithful day, Asya has since taken him under her wing and raised him with all her love and praise, and with a healthier lifestyle he immediately shot up in size and grew physically stronger and bigger as a result, reaching well above Ferrous's height when he reached twelve years old, while the gargoyle child was twenty and already surpassed the average human height easily. Nowadays, rather than going by the name Asya chose for him in place of the one he can no longer remember from his parents, he usually goes by Conduit, in reference to his crystals being conduits of the elements.

~ Appearance ~

Present day Conduit (during the timeline of One Last Wish) is a 27 year old cursed Gargoyle who stands at 8 feet tall, with a wingspan of 7 feet. He has light tan skin with more human features than gargoyle ones, with his wings, entire lower torso down to his digitigrade legs and tail, and his hands up to just below the elbows, all being grey like a gargoyle. From the middle of back and the arms up to the thumb of his wings are all covered in small moonstone clusters, which aid in his ability to stay unfrozen during the day and grant him his powers over the sky-based elements (air, heat, water and lightning). He also has short, scraggly, golden blonde hair and blue eyes, nearly the same hue as his adoptive mother's, a large scar right across the bridge of his nose and under his eyes, and short, straight, grey horns.

Clothing wise, Conduit normally just wears grey, baggy shorts or haram pants, due to the sheer thick size of his digitigrade legs, and a sleeveless yellow top that must have no buttons due to how large and beefy he is naturally as an adult. More often than not, he's usually shirtless when he doesn't feel like struggling with his clothes.

When he uses his powers, the crystals glow the colour of what element he uses (red for heat, light blue for air, yellow for lightning, sapphire blue for water) and he can use up to two elements at a time. However, the more or longer he uses his powers, the more the crystals grow along his body, which mainly gather along his back and wings. But if he uses them too often during a battle, they'll begin to creep more and more along his body, starting with his spine area on his back, down to his tail, and then along his arms and the back of his legs. The more crystals that grow, the more unstable his powers become, until he'll start losing control entirely and lighting or heat begin to spout from his crystals and body against his will. The only way to stop this is to break the crystals off and bring them down to a minimum amount at least on his wing tips.

Growing and trimming the crystals always cause him pain since they pierce through his flesh and grow directly from his bones, but Asya's white fire always helps to soothe it a little during their removal.

~ Personality ~

Conduit is a very sweet, empathetic, kind and patient gentleman, and the older he becomes, the more polite and patient he ends up being through experience and age. Even as a man in his late 20s, he's still the kind of person who helps anyone and everyone, even animals... With such an example being his habit of picking up snails when on land, and putting them in the grass or somewhere safe and hidden to keep them safe from a human path. Despite him understanding that he lives a safe life, however, he always excessively worries about his parents due to their collective trauma. And despite Asya's best efforts in making sure Conduit lives a good and happy life, he still worries about his Mama's wellbeing every time she plays the role of the hero for her family. This has resulted in him developing constant nightmares and insomnia.

... Which led to him becoming close with Blue Heron, Max and his adoptive father, Verglaust, when they're all out and about during the night. Once he becomes a doctor, Conduit will grow even closer to Max and Blue Heron, considering them his uncles.

| Sira (Second child of Asya, Third born on the ship- Biological Daughter of Asya and Kevin) |

~ Brief Description ~

She/Her, Lesbian/Sapphic - Asexual

Voice Claim: Yasha- Critical Role Campaign 2 (she IS mute and literally has no means of talking vocally... but Indi does find a crystal that can grant her one, so this is what she would sound like, after a long while of training to relearn how to speak) Singing voice: Lethabo Mello

Her full name is Sira Citrine O'Murchadha-Mutheru, but like most on the ship, she gained a "pirate" name later on in life, based on her assassin skills and lack of voice... Whisper.

Sira is the shortest of all the kids, with her being just two inches taller than her adoptive mother, Elbent, and only reaching below her closest friend Divot's nose when facing them. On average, she can only reach below the chest of the majority of the Immortal Sun's crew, and can very easily sit on Solclave and Verglaust's shoulder without feeling heavy on them, even as an adult, mostly thanks to her lanky build.

She's known as the "smartest" kid on the ship, due to her analytical and quick-thinking nature, so she usually always knows what to do to solve a problem. She inherited her high intelligence and beauty (alongside her height) from her father, but learned her fighting skills and wit from her mother and Uncle Blue Heron. However, she's often considered a know-it-all due to this, and is often teased when she tries to infodump any exciting new thing she's learned.

On that note, she also inherited her Mama Asya's autism (as well as the Mutheru aquiline nose), which only adds to her struggles due to her being born mute and becoming more reclusive as she grew up. She often hides in high places hidden from view to read and stay away from everyone, mostly due to her being so frequently ignored because of her mutism or teased for her book-smarts but lack of knowledge on how to properly express her emotions. This developed into her "cold and stoic" reputation and masking method, even though she is an emotional and highly empathetic person thanks to Asya teaching her and Divot comforting her.

Sira is one of the only two Dragonkin of Asya's lineage living on the Immortal Sun, after Asya and her poly-fam move to Joka Ardhi. But despite Asya being a Ruby breed of Dragonkin, Sira and her younger brother Bori are both Opal Dragonkin, due to them both not being Sun Blessed or bearing the traits of their mother's pedigree. This is because specific conditions must be met in order for a Ruby Dragonkin to be born, and thereafter are considered their own species or breed. (But without these conditions tampering with Asya's firstborn or any child afterwards, every child born of Asya's blood are therefore all Opal Dragonkin (But only Njeri, Asya and Elbent's child, is a Ruby Dragonkin like Asya, since they were born on Joka Ardhi, and has since become the only one of Asya's species to be born during her reign as Dragon Queen)).

Divot (@cuppajj's OC, the child of Drillburst and Fort Max) is the only one who can truly understand Sira on a personal level. For even with them learning how to fluently use sign language, Divot has always been able to "read" and deeply understand Sira since they were kids, and as they grew up together to become warriors and wiser people as a whole, Divot can now read her body language just as clearly as her hand sign. To Divot, Sira can speak a thousand words with just a mere shrug, or say all that she needs to say with just a glance or glare. Deep down, Sira considers Divot her soulmate, thanks to their deep understanding of the mute Dragonkin, and deep down she feels drawn to them in a certain way~

~ Backstory ~

After the troubling birth of Elbent's second-born daughter Indicolite (in which Asya aided in the delivery, but when she was born blue and deathly still, she used the forbidden Soul Fire magic and gave up a piece of her soul to revive Indi), Asya immediately knew deep down that she yearned to bear a child of her own. The baby blues hit even stronger the moment she held the crying and lively newborn siren in her arms, now bearing a tiny shard of Asya's soul for the rest of her life.

There was just one problem with her wish... She was still stuck with the remnant parts of a man, despite her hormone replacement therapy granting her the physique of a woman.

So, it was decided, after much discussion and argument between Asya, Kevin, and Elbent, that until a more permanent solution could be found, they would craft a potion to temporarily grant Asya the full form of a woman, with her first love, Kevin, being chosen as the sire of this child. And for the first few months of her pregnancy, despite all the sickness and aches she felt... Asya finally felt whole. The dysphoria was gone, for the first time in her life, and Asya had never felt so happy since that day.

But the joy did not last... For when she reached only her seventh month, Asya began to bleed and knew something was wrong. The baby was coming. And she knew, despite the constant reassurance she gave to her spouses through her agony... She was dying. The potion was wearing off too soon, and Asya's body was reverting to its old state, with her womb slowly disappearing and the labor now starting to tear Asya apart from the inside.

Working quickly and efficiently, they finally delivered a healthy baby girl, but... Asya couldn't wake up. And while the newborn never cried her first breath, the screams that echoed from Elbent rang across the ship marked the event for all to remember for the rest of their lives, as her spouses soon ran in to witness Elbent slowly turning feral with grief, as she held her dead wife. Kevin and Conduit quickly worked together to patch Asya up and used Conduit's electricity to shock her back to life. And even though it worked... the new mother remained sleeping, too weak to wake up or even move. And upon checking on the premature infant, Nicole discovered why she was so eerily quiet....

The baby was born without a voice. Not even a voice box could be found in the newborn's throat, despite her having everything else she needed to breathe, drink, eat and live without any issues.

So, when Asya finally healed and came out of her coma a month later, the new parents worked during Asya's bed rest to learn sign language and form a curriculum for their mute daughter and all their kids and the crew of the ship to learn, in order to grant their youngest child the right to communicate as she grew. And as she did grow up strong but silent, Asya finally figured out a name for her now three month old, based purely on the appearance she inherited...

Sira, after her late grandmother, Gasira Mutheru, and Citrine for her middle name, after Apophis's daughter, the dragon who was meant to become the next Dragon Queen were it not for the Founders.

....... Growing up on the ship soon became a challenge all on its own for Sira, as without a voice or a clear way to communicate, the young Dragonkin was easily ignored due to how chaotic and loud everyone else was, despite their love and care for her. So, instead of trying to stand out to be seen, Sira opted to simply hide and be patient, wait for her turn for attention to get the things she needed, or simply go to Solclave, Blue Heron, Hawk or, more frequently, Divot for help.

Her visits to Divot and Drill to get away from the frantic lifestyle of her family grew more and more common, even more so when Sira became fully fluent in hand sign alongside her parents, her brothers and sister, and of course Divot, the only person quiet enough to listen to Sira who aided in helping her learn. Now with a more visual way of communicating beyond being dragged around, pointing and writing to show Sira's needs, the blue Dragonkin and the child of the bard quickly became a common sight around the ship, as they grew into mischievous teenagers and eventually witty young adults, masters in the ways of a warrior and seafaring pirates.

Mastering her icy blue flames and the ballet-like grace of her steel barbed whip, a weapon she hides as a belt under her sash while her leather corset protects her skin, Sira grew up into a formidable warrior due to the speed of her attacks and the range of both her fire magic and her weapon. However, Sira's greatest strength lies in her stealth and silence, alongside her quick wit and the trust she has in Divot.

~ Appearance ~

As she grew and neared her pre-teens, Sira looked almost entirely human during this phase of her childhood development, were it not for her sky blue hands and feet (aside from her soles and palms, which were the normal pale brown befitting a person of colour) alongside the very tiny stumps for horns hidden in her afro of dreadlocks. But as she reached her mid-teen years, she developed the traits befitting a blue Opal Dragonkin, with clawed draconic feet upon scaly legs, sharp clawed hands and fangs, a long tail with a short black tuft of fur at the tip, and short, slightly curved, gazelle-like horns. She hated this form of puberty since Dragonkin grow their scales through pimples, just like a human teenager with acne, but are extremely itchy as they emerge and become scales along the skin, which is also oily to help the scales develop into strong, vibrant and hard armour... but it stinks like rotting fish, unfortunately for Sira.

Fashion wise, Sira wears dusty-pastel blue, shoulderless blouses with long draping sleeves, all of them being made of silk or any soft fabrics she can find due to her finding cotton and linen too rough for her comfort. This is normally paired up with simple navy or dark blue pants that only reach her knees, to accommodate for her digitigrade legs, held up by a scarf belt Asya weaved for her 18th birthday, made of dark green and yellow cashmere... The colours of her crush, Divot, which she started wearing as a belt on the day Divot explained their pronouns to show her support for her She/They friend. (Yes, Asya knows this, and she excitedly ships them... She already has a golden cow statuette ready to give to Drillburst, as it is Jokani tradition for a parent or partner to give the family of the betrothed a cow as their dowry) And due to her constant reading, Sira developed bad eyesight and at the age of 12, earning her rectangular glasses that she cannot take off for anything other than baths and sleeping.

Sira inherited her mother's ebony skin tone, but due to her half-black genes, she's just one hue lighter than Asya but is still MUCH darker than Blue Heron. Alongside the Jokani completion, Sira also inherited her mother's long curls, and so keeping in her half-Jokani tradition and for easier hair maintenance, Sira has skinny and tight box braids that only reach below her chin and jaw, styled in a side-swept bob, with a few colourful beads to decorate the very ends of some of her braids in the colours of her parents:

Orange for Asya, Red for Kevin, Dark Blue for Brynjolf, Sky Blue for Elbent, and Emerald Green for Verglaust.

Two pairs are on the first two braids framing her face, to represent all four parents evenly, and two more pairs are on either side of her ears....... And yes, when it's windy, they do tend to whack her glasses.

~ Personality ~

Due to her growing up surrounded by loud, energetic and constantly busy family members, and an even louder ship full of crewmates constantly arguing, bantering, singing and fighting monsters of the sea or other pirates, Sira grew up feeling invisible for most of her life, finding comfort in books and solitude. But because of this lifestyle, she never felt the need to be emotionally expressive to make up for her lack of a voice, for who would even see her expressions or emotions when no one can hear her or remember to look her way?

As such, Sira doesn't speak, or rather sign, as much as she'd like to, simply because she rarely has much to say knowing she would just end up being talked over or not given attention in order to communicate at all, due to her mutism and her need to have someone who knows hand sign to speak to. So, when she does hold a conversation with someone, she often has a chilling and stoic aura around her, almost like an inability to use any of her emotions, which surprisingly aids in showing just how intelligent she can be.

However, Sira is actually very shy and introverted, and oftentimes finds herself acting rather awkward in most social situations due to her solitary lifestyle. This is where Divot comes in as her saving grace and her advocate.... For without them, Sira would be even more antisocial and outright afraid to even approach people, due to the huge barrier her disability causes.

When she's with Divot, Sira is much more expressive, relaxed and happy, to the point that no one on the entire ship, other than her parents, have ever seen her smile without Divot being there. It's gotten to the point, now that they are all older and have formed their adult lives on the ship, that every time Divot enters the room, Sira immediately brightens up and her fire magic flares due to her magic being fueled by her emotions and her literal heart. They usually show up as a smoke-filled sigh that comes out in the shape of a heart, or her tail tip catching fire suddenly. Divot has yet to realize this, much to Sira's relief in her hope of revealing her fiery heart's desire to them one day~

| Bori (Third child of Asya, Last child born on the ship to Elbent's family- Son of Asya and Verglaust) |

(Art belongs to PammyJammy117 on Twitter... I'm just using it as a placeholder cause HE EERIE LOOKS JUST LIKE VERGLAUST AND ASYA BUT WHITEWASHED, LIKE DAYUM)

He/Him, Pansexual

Voice Claim- Lon'qu from Fire Emblem Heroes Singing Voice: Rengoku's part in this... Bori would most likely sing this with Flora (Nicole's daughter) for a karaoke night of drunken fun.... but also I just really like this song ;3;

His full name is Borealis Kaito O'Murchadha-Mutheru, and instead of gaining a badass pirate name like the rest of his family... his appearance and the teasing from his much older siblings led to him earning the nickname "Panda". But, when he's finally treated more seriously, he bears the proud moniker of his name, Bori, after the adoptive albino Dunefarer that Asya considered her true father in her past.

His usual reaction to being called Panda is to immediately snap/spin to the one who called him that (usually just his siblings) and yell at the top of his voice "YOU..... Shut your face!!" and then just as suddenly return to whatever he was doing, including speaking at a calmer and quieter tone, as if it never happened. It's become an inside joke to the O'Murchadha-Mutheru siblings, to see just how far away they can be to see how loud Bori's voice can get.

Bori became the strongest person on the ship, in order to inherit his father's role as the protector of the Immortal Sun. And thanks to the crystal magic Asya discovered during her battle against her father, Bori soon gained the ability to transform into a 35 foot long white Lindwyrm.

Because he's the youngest on the ship, Bori was half raised on Joka Ardhi until he was around 20 years old, when he felt ready to live on the Immortal Sun away from his parents. During his time on land, he discovered his orientation and became a bit of a playboy amongst the Jokani. He did meet and eventually fall for a Dragonkin transwoman with lavender scales named Djamila, whom he visits once a year when the ship returns to Joka Ardhi for their annual family meeting to keep in touch. He hopes one day to bring her with him for the year to see the world beyond the southern kingdom's shores.... and marry her~

Should anything happen to Njeri or her future heirs when they becomes the next Dragon Monarch after Asya, Bori has given his consent to come back to Joka Ardhi and step in as a "stand-in" Dragon Lord until a suitable heir can replace him, be it his own children or someone he feels can bear the mantle of the crown. So, despite his Opal Dragonkin birth and his lack of coronation as crown prince, Bori is a real prince, and a cautionary heir apparent to the Throne of Crimson Sands. And should he actually become Dragon Lord, none would dare to oppose him due to his strength and kindness.

~ Backstory ~

Once again, the baby blues hit a now fully transitioned intersex Asya, only this time she was more severely warned by her husbands and wife that she cannot, under any circumstances, carry a child. Not until they were truly sure of her body being capable of undergoing such a taxing event and survive.

So, a deal was struck... Kevin would carry the child by undergoing an upgraded and longer lasting gender-bending potion, and through a mix of science and meticulous magical aid, a piece of Asya's DNA (her "seed") was altered to ensure she was the biological mother of the child. And, with Verglaust chosen as the sire, Kevin would henceforth be their gender-bent surrogate to the very first Half-Fauna dragon-hybrid, that being a half Desert Lindwyrm Dragon - half Sea Dragon.

Despite their worries of Kevin possibly facing body dysphoria and pain from carrying a child, let alone one bearing a plethora of sturdy genes (of both an increased dragon bloodline instead of a half human one, and Verglaust's dominant giant-size gene), Kevin had no issues and instead experienced a surprisingly pleasant pregnancy and birth... At the result of him realizing that he was genderfluid and loved appearing as masculine or as feminine as he felt each day, to the point that he and Elbent now have daily arguments over her dresses that he steals borrows.

When the baby was born, there was no question on what to name him, especially after the shock wore off from the fact that the infant's ebony skin had white Dragonkin traits. The white scales of his Dragonkin features would soon lead to his parents deciding on the name Borealis, after Asya's father figure who often wore a white wolf pelt to cover his pale, albino skin.

However, because of his literal "black and white" appearance, as well as his early growth spurt making him as tall as Elbent by the time he was ten, his siblings and most of the crew started calling him "Panda". This, however, would be a name that he'd greatly benefit from as it perfectly described him in personality too... For when the day came that his parents decided to leave the Immortal Sun and live in Joka Ardhi, bringing Bori with them after consent was given to let him be raised by his parents until he was ready to return to the ship, many of his now adult aged siblings were given the roles of their parents, be it by the child's choice or inherited by birthright.

And so, Bori grew up for half his life in the royal palace of Joka Ardhi, a designated prince by blood as he grew in both size and power, while also growing up hearing the tales of his parents' heroic deeds during their decades at sea. And as he grew to be just as big as his father, Bori was inspired by him and so chose to inherit the role of the "guardian" of the ship, once he was old enough and felt ready to leave. During his final month in preparation for his departure, his mother Asya revealed to him the secret of her family, of how she won the war against her father for the crown... The crystals that bore the ability to change a dragon from before the Founder's War into humans could also allow humans bearing their blood to turn into titan sized dragons.

Immediately, Bori took his chance to fully embrace the old mantle of his father and gained the ability to turn into a giant Lindwyrm at will, just like his mother could, but one capable of rapid speeds through both air and sea thanks to his inherited White and Yellow fire magic allowing him to hop and glide through the air, while his father's sea dragon genes allowed him to swim faster than the wind... Even though he requires a potion to grant him gills.

~ Appearance ~

Bori is the only one so far to be JUST as tall as Solclave once he's fully grown, all thanks to his father's tall genes and his mother's Dragonkin size boosting genes adding onto it. It certainly doesn't help that he's also huge in a physical way, due to his training to tone his growing body and prepare it for his chosen role as guardian of the ship, a mantle he eagerly wished to gain to honour both his father and maternal grandfather-by-choice.

As such, Bori usually wears armour that mostly consists of leather pants, metal knee pads and boots, leather straps crossed over his bare chest (that constantly creak with strain when he crosses his arms) that hold his twin sinmalayat swords at his hips, and a metal pauldron covering the entirety of each shoulder down to his bicep, one cut in the shape of a wolf skull, the other of a dragon.

...... He refuses to wear a shirt or coat.

Beyond that, he mostly inherited his father's looks, but he has his mother's ebony skin tone, though his is a bit lighter and towards a bronze hue. He also has central heterochromia, with his father's sunset-orange eyes being in the center while his mother's aquamarine-blue hue surround the rings of orange... And sometimes, when his eyes are half-lidded, they appear just like a golden sun on the sea horizon. He often wears his black, wavy curls half-up in a messy bun to hide them, while the rest of his hair reaches just past his shoulders, with three beads (green, orange and red for his father, mother and surrogate carrier) in a single row woven into the hair-tie, as is tradition of a Jokani child.

~ Personality ~

Upon first impressions, Bori appears stoic, intimidating and a terrifying presence to be near, which certainly fit his overshadowing appearance and height. However, once someone gets to truly talk to him without showing him any fear, Bori finally reveals his true personality...

A kind, mannerly, sweet and caring guy who tends to be rather sheepish and easily flustered at the simplest of compliments.

He is very playful with his siblings, since they rarely saw each other before he joined the crew once he was of age, and to make up for lost time they constantly prank each other. In turn, he is very protective of his older sister Sira, the only other Dragonkin on the ship, and the two form a close bond as they celebrate both sabbatic and religious traditions of their Jokani culture together, to honour their mother and family when they miss them.

And when the day comes that he finally brings his girlfriend on board, they celebrate their Jokani ways as a new family to help Djamila (often called Millie for short) settle in and enjoy her time on the ship... just as the crew did when Asya first came on board~

And to finish this off.... here's everyone's heights, with Asya (in her true Dragonkin form), Verglaust, Elbent, Kevin and Solclave for comparisons.

[moodymelanist]

Summer Days (Drifting Away)

Happy @nessianweek​, everyone! I’m so so so excited this is finally here and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things everyone creates<3 

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Summary: After pulling some strings and promising not to break another building, Nesta and Cassian spend their honeymoon in Summer. 

Word Count: 1125

Warnings: None

Check this fic out on AO3 as well!

✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵

Nesta

Nesta sighed happily as she relaxed further into her beach chair, the Summer air delightfully warm against her exposed skin. 

“May I interest you in any refreshments, my lady?” Nesta peeled open one eye to see a slip of a blue-skinned girl before her, offering an impressive array of sea-themed drinks. Nesta didn’t hesitate before choosing two drinks with a tiny umbrella, tipping the girl generously before she walked away. 

Nesta looked up at the sparkling sea, finding her husband easily amongst the waves. Cassian was sunning his wings as he floated in the peaceful waters and looked so at ease that she didn’t want to disturb him, but he had a strange talent for noticing when she was looking at him, and this time was no different. 

“What?” he called out as he stood up. Water dripped deliciously down his torso, and she had to suppress the urge to show him just how much she appreciated that as he walked closer. 

“Someone came by with drinks,” she answered once he was close enough. If she’d thought watching him before was hard, seeing him up close was the best kind of torture. “I got those little umbrellas you liked before.”

Grinning, her husband — Gods, she didn’t think she’d ever grow tired of calling him that — reached down to take his drink and snuck in a kiss with it. He tasted like the ocean and sunshine and she never wanted to be away from him.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Cassian said with a little smirk. “There’s plenty more where that came from.”

“I would hope so, husband,” Nesta replied, pretending to ignore the way his eyes darkened at the word. 

They’d been married last month in an ornate ceremony that even she had barely been able to wrap her mind around. Rhys had paid for everything without batting an eye, even when Nesta had asked for increasingly outlandish requests just to see how far he’d go. Feyre had caught on rather quickly, but she was content to exchange secretive smiles with her sister instead of letting Rhys in on the joke. 

It seemed like all of Prythian had been in attendance to watch Nesta and Cassian promise themselves to one another, but she would’ve married him even if a priestess was the only person in attendance. Gwyn had been the one to marry them, her invoking stone settled gorgeously against her blue robes as they repeated her words after her, and Nesta would never forget the way Cassian had practically shone with love and adoration in his dress uniform. 

She’d also be hard-pressed to forget the way the mating frenzy had gripped them both, but things had settled after a few weeks. She still didn’t know how his home in Illyria was still standing, but she supposed it was best she didn’t ask questions. 

“Join me in the water?” Cassian asked once he’d taken a large sip of his drink. “I promise I won’t let you get your hair wet.”

Nesta considered for a few moments before accepting his outstretched hand. “If you insist.”

Once he’d extracted multiple promises from Cassian about not causing more destruction, Tarquin had been gracious enough to allow them access to one of his private villas. It was tucked away on a tiny island just off the main coast of Adriata, and it seemed they were the only ones here other than a handful of servants. They’d come here after the mating frenzy was over, and Nesta had yet to see the same fae twice even as their visit approached a fortnight. 

Cassian scooped Nesta into his arms before making his way into the water, both of them sighing happily as the warmth of it hit their skin. “This is nice.”

“You’ve said that every time we’ve both been in the water,” she teased, tilting her head up to look at him. 

“Doesn’t make it any less true, Nes,” he responded. He shifted all her weight to one arm so he could use the other to gently flick her nose. “I won’t apologize for enjoying spending time with my wife.”

“And you won’t, if you know what’s good for you,” she told him with a smile. 

“Doing what’s good for me has never been my strong suit.”

Cassian grinned at her a moment before he let go of her altogether, sending her splashing into the water with a surprised squawk. When she resurfaced he was laughing, and his laughter grew louder at the scowl on her face. “Cassian! That wasn’t funny!”

“Maybe to you,” he said, still laughing. 

Nesta reared back and splashed a wave of water at him, a laugh of her own slipping out as she used some magic to help get it high enough to hit him right in the face. 

“Maybe to you,” she repeated, dropping her voice as low as she could to mimic his deep register. 

“Oh, it’s on,” Cassian declared. She barely had time to turn around before he was using his wings alongside his hands to push a truly ridiculous amount of water at her. 

Nesta let him get in a few hits before winnowing behind him and splashing him from behind. Cassian whirled around and got in a good hit right in her face, making her splutter as she tried to shield her eyes. 

“I yield! I yield!” Nesta shrieked with laughter as she failed miserably to protect her face. 

Cassian grinned, victorious, as he gathered her into his arms and kissed her, their faces sliding easily together from how wet their cheeks were. “I love hearing you laugh.”

“You make me actually want to,” Nesta said honestly, her wide grin settling into something much softer as she looked at him. “You make me want to do a lot of things I never wanted to before.”

She reached up to cup his face with her left hand, her engagement ring and wedding band glittering almost obscenely in the Summer sunlight. He’d given her a piece of the siphon that sat over her chest to make her engagement ring — along with a ridiculous number of diamonds to surround it — and she swore she could feel his magic rumble in response every time she touched him with the ring. 

Cassian leaned into her touch with a private smile of his own; the one he reserved just for her. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” Nesta murmured. 

This time when they kissed, it was sweeter, softer, but no less all-consuming. She would’ve stayed there forever had the moment not been broken by the aggressive rumbling of her husband’s stomach. 

They both stilled before Nesta erupted into giggles. “Let’s get you something to eat, my love.”

“Who said I was hungry for food?” 

“Food first.”

“Fine.”

tag list: @perseusannabeth | @bookstantrash | @nestaspegasus | @a-court-of-valkyries | @rowaelinismyotp | @live-the-fangirl-life | @sv0430 | @brieq | @positivewitch | @sayosdreams | @nesquik-arccheron | @talkfantasytome | @simpingfornestaarcheron | @vidalinav | @swankii-art-teacher | @that-little-red-head | @secretlovelybeauty | @starksravings | @dustjacketmusings | @katekatpattywack | @claralady | @gwynethhberdara | @duskandstarlight | @arinbelle | @vanserrass | @mrs-shadowsinger04 | @houseofcalores | @imsointobooks | @silvernesta | @planet-faerie | @teagoddess99 | @champanheandluxxury | @catplayinvioline | @flora-shadowshine | @nerdperson524 | @story-scribbler | @vasudharaghavan | @dealfea | @snickerdoodlechittybangbang | @charming-butt-insane | @highqueenofelfhame | @julemmaes | @oversizedbats | @readingismyonlyhobby | @milkkand-honey | @wildlyglittering | @thewayshedreamed

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #1: Delayed Gratification

Prompt: foster || Master Post || On AO3

IT BEGINS.

The Jewels and Java cafe is the brilliant brainchild of my friend @catpella and was used with permission. :3

--

“Again, I am so sorry,” Synnove hissed, mortified, as they walked down one of the many hallways of the Arcanists’ Guild.

“It’s perfectly all right, my love,” said Aymeric fondly, squeezing her hand. “If we miss the ferry, we can simply teleport.”

His lady sighed heavily and muttered, “But I like the ferry ride…”

He laughed and raised her hand to kiss her knuckles, and satisfaction purred in his chest at the way Synnove’s golden cheeks rosed with pleasure. Galette, in her usual position draped around her mama’s neck, didn’t bat an eye. Ivar, behind them, made a disgusted noise, followed soon after by Tyr’s annoyed elder brother huff; he ignored them, well used to Synnove’s sons’ idiosyncrasies.

It was not the first time one of their getaways had been temporarily delayed by a work-related emergency; their friends and colleagues were normally keen on ensuring the pair of them got to take vacations, but sometimes matters arose that absolutely could not be handled by anyone else. This one, thankfully, had occurred while they were still in the city and easy to reach. Very easy; they’d been merely around in the corner from Mealvann’s Gate in the Jewel and Java café, enjoying sweet treats before they planned to wander over to the ferry quay for the journey to Bloodshore and the cabin, when Thubyrgeim’s emerald carbuncle, Din, scurried in with a note from the Guildmistress.

“Oh, she’s playing dirty,” Synnove had muttered as she read the note. Din had twitched an ear in her direction, but he had clearly been in the midst of gossiping with Galette and Tyr, their noses and ears and tails moving in the way of creatures who didn’t need sound to communicate.

(Aymeric had, not for the first time, suspected that Synnove’s carbuncles’ aetheric harmonic matching capabilities were nowhere near as common as his lady implied they were. Certainly, he’d never ‘heard’ any other carbuncles speak, but he also knew Synnove’s quintet limited their direct communication to Synnove’s immediate social circle, and it would not be out of the realm of possibility that other carbuncles had similar preferences…)

Aymeric had peered over his shoulder, setting down his fork with its piece of rolanberry shortcake on his plate, and shook his head in amused exasperation at the sight of the Guildmistress’s shorthand, which was as atrocious as Synnove’s. “What seems to be the problem?”

“One of the fourth-years needs final approval for her thesis project’s spell changes,” she had said, refolding the paper, then pinching and dragging her nails along the crease to sharpen it. A chip of her bronze nail lacquer ended up left behind. “Yamomo—” the chair of the aetherophysics department, he had recognized the name immediately, “—had to ‘port out to the Range. It’s either an unscheduled detonation or one of the Squadrons fired on a part of the island they’re not supposed to, Thubyr’s writing got a bit sloppy there.”

A bit sloppy?

Pointedly ignoring his look, his lady had continued, “Solkthota’s presenting her thesis project at the next conference, and guess where that is?” Her voice had turned as dry as the Sagolii.

Aymeric had giggled even as he had fished Roksana out of her bowl of melting ice cream and absently began cleaning her face with a napkin as the white carbunclet had purred. “Does it start with ‘Radz’ and end with ‘Han,’ by chance?” he said.

“Oh, you’re good,” Synnove had said with a rueful laugh, and waved down one of the café’s waitresses to get their desserts packed to go.

Now, they approached one of the warded workrooms in the Guild’s north wing. As they did, Synnove carefully smoothed out her expression from huffy and annoyed to professional interest. For all that she did want to be vacation right now, enjoying the lazy trip around the southern coast of La Noscea to sightsee or nap or cuddle, she would never take out that frustration on one of her students.

She dropped his hand—reluctantly, though she quickly skimmed her thumb over his knuckles first—and opened the door to the workroom, stepping inside, with Aymeric following just at her heels.

The workroom was large and well-lit, the early afternoon sun streaming in through the many windows. The part they immediately walked into was a small observation area, with a setup of desks similar to a small amphitheater leading down to the main floor; this must be one of the practical demonstration workrooms, then. Two students were off to the side, a dark-skinned Highlander lad and a tiny grey elezen girl who had yet to hit her growth spurt and could have been anywhere between sixteen and twenty-one summers old. At the front of the workroom, pacing nervously, was a gangly Sea Wolf young woman, skin the color of storm clouds and hair such a shocking shade of daffodil yellow he would have thought it was dye if her eyebrows hadn’t been the same color.

All three students’ head whipped up and around when Synnove entered, and Aymeric saw the two sitting ones’ jaws drop as he took a seat at one of the other desks, Ivar and Tyr jumping into seats next to him as the twins tumbled down his arms to the desktop. The presumed Solkthota paled and stammered out, “Professor Greywolfe! You’re supposed to be on vacation—”

Synnove waved a hand and closed the short door on the partition between the observation area and the presentation area. (Briefly, as the latch on the door clicked into place, he felt the faint snap of a ward activating.) “Hadn’t left yet, Solk, and an emergency means Professor Yamo has to put the fear of the Twelve into someone,” she said absently. Her voice had gone from her usual faintly Ala Mhigan and Lominsan accented lilt into the crisp tones of a Gate arcanist on duty. “Remind me of what your thesis was covering? Professor Yamo hasn’t given me a copy yet.”

The young Sea Wolf took a deep breath and launched into a technical diatribe that almost immediately had Aymeric’s eyes glazing over. He recognized a few words and phrases—Shotamian manifold, harmonic oscillation—and knew just enough from listening to Synnove’s explanations over the years that this project didn’t seem to be carbuncle focused, but otherwise it was all Allagan to him. Instead, he made sure Amandina and Roksana hadn’t taken a page out of Galette’s playbook and hadn’t gotten into the bag of treats sitting beneath the desk at his feet, and leaned back in his seat to observe. Faintly, he could hear the other two students murmuring to one another, but about what, he was too far away to tell.

(They weren’t looking at him as they did, at least, so if he was the subject of their conversation, they at least had better manners about it than most Ishgardian nobles.)

Solkthota finished quickly, nerves clear as day on her face, and Synnove nodded, reaching up to pet Galette’s tails. “All right, no time like the present to test this.” She gestured towards one of the person-shaped targets at the end of the room. “Let’s see what this modified Ruin can do.”

The student took another breath as she unhooked her grimoire from her belt, opening it and quickly turning pages to the correct one. Solkthota removed her channeling stylus from the strap on the grimoire’s back and held it up in the air, the tip pointed towards the target, and began to cast.

The bolt of power had barely left the stylus before Synnove was roaring “DOWN!” and tackling the Sea Wolf to the floor. Aymeric grabbed the twins just as the word began to leave Synnove’s lips, and was on the floor beneath the heavy ironwood desk, the shrieking carbunclets tucked close to his chest, just as the echo of it was overtaken by the roar of an explosion. Tyr was on top of him and his little sisters as a bright light blinded him, blocking it out, but having an enormous topaz carbuncle atop him did nothing to muffle the sound or the feel of the room trying to shake apart.

The silence in the aftermath was nearly as deafening as the explosion had been.

Tyr rolled off his head, shoving past Ivar, who hung from the desk, chittering in excitement because big boom and, of course, he had watched. Aymeric crawled out after Tyr, and as he stood, the girls immediately pulled themselves up onto his shoulders and tucked into his neck, shivering. He absently stroked first Roksana, then Amandina, and hurried to the other end of the observation area to where the other students had been. As he walked, he noted that the ward on the partition was flickering oddly, like cracked glass, but the spell still held—barely.

The Highlander boy had covered his elezen classmate’s head with his torso, and she was shoving at him now, her voice muffled by his bulk, saying, “Tyon, gerroff, you’re heavy!”

Aymeric bent over to help Tyon keep his balance as he pushed himself up and crawled out from the desk. “Are you all right, you two?” he said.

Tyon rubbed at one ear, and accepted his proffered hand to get to his feet. “Ears’re ringing,” he said while also blinking rapidly. His tiny classmate popped up next to him, patting her dark blue hair back into place and scowling faintly.

Synnove, meanwhile, was lowering her arm; the right one, upon which she wore the ring denoting her as a master arcanist. The glimmer of a shield fell away as she did, and then she was standing upright and helping Solkthota to her feet. Galette’s ears were pinned back and her nose was twitching, but otherwise she seemed utterly unperturbed.

“I am so, so sorry,” the Sea Wolf was saying, her whole body shaking and her eyes wide with mixed shock and horror. “I know I did the math right, I know I did—”

“Honey, take a deep breath,” Synnove interrupted, hands on Solkthota’s shoulders and her voice firm as she looked up at the young woman. “In for seven, and hold, hold, hold, little more, and now out for seven. That’s it. And again…”

As Synnove calmed her student, Aymeric and the other two began righting chairs and wiping plaster dust from the tops of the desk. Tyr came over to headbutt Tyon’s thigh, and the Highlander gave his head a firm rub; as he did, an emerald carbuncle that appeared more vulpine than the standard manifested, yipped what was likely a hello, and then went to sit on the elezen girl’s foot. She immediately bent down and scooped the creature into her arms, tickling under its chin.

Soon enough, Solkthota’s breathing was under control, and Synnove gave her a grin. “There we are. Now, what’s the first rule of science?”

Solkthota’s answering grin was shy and watery. “It’s not science until you write it down.”

“Very good,” said Synnove, her green eyes glittering. “So let’s do that first. Next, we’re going to go through your arrays page by page; your working theory is sound, but the math fell through at some point.” She suddenly pointed towards the young elezen, without looking. “And no helping her, Atreanne!”

“Oh, come on, Professor G!” Atreanne said in a high, nasally whine. Her carbuncle added its own whine as emphasis. “I’m the best at it!”

“And Solkthota will learn better if you don’t feed her the answers,” Synnove said, her voice wry in the way of someone who had. “But you and Tyon are welcome to stay and observe, both of your physics work could do with some polishing.”

Tyon and Atreanne exchanged looks, wide-eyed, and then bolted for the partition.

“I’m glad now it wasn’t Professor Y today,” Aymeric heard Atreanne whisper to Tyon. “Professor G’s way more patient with screw-ups.”

“Professor G likes screw-ups,” Tyon whispered back. “They’re more fun, she says.”

“They are more fun, now hop to it, kids!”

Solkthota was dragging over the desk that had been pushed up against a wall, and Tyon and Atreanne grabbed chairs from the observation to bring over and sit with their classmate and teacher. Synnove, meanwhile, looked at Aymeric as she walked backwards towards the slate chalkboard.

“Can you get me some fresh chalk?” she said, a rueful grin on her face.

Aymeric laughed and gave her a sweeping bow, the twins peeping excitedly as they held on. He righted them as he straightened, and turned to head to where he knew one of the storage rooms were.

It was a good thing he had remembered to pack a few books to read.

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

Okay SO trailer dropped here are first thoughts

-Like we’ve theorized before, it looks like Link’s hand gets turned into ancient tech where we can use the old runes during this gameplay poor bby can’t get any rest

-GADGET ARM ATTACHMENTS TO FIGHT (dungeon) BOSSES ???

-can’t climb??? Just casually shoot yourself up through the ground and act like you’re Mirio from BNHA

-permeation y’all permeation

-paragliding is still a thing thank the good lord almighty but I wonder if we’ll be able to paraglide back down to the mainland?? Or if we’ll have specific points of entry and fall to our deaths like we did when we boarded the Divine Beasts and fell if it’s not the right area??

-speaking of falling and dying… loftwings? Can we please get loftwings again?

-I just want my loft wing back 🥺

-I REALLY want my loft wing Nintendo GIVE THEM BACK

-YES it is in the SKY and we HAVE ISLANDS TO EXPLORE

-skyward sword vibes but you can actually see the ground

-no thoughts just admire how amazing the ground looks I mean cmon Seres Scablands is honestly one of my LEAST favorite places in BOTW but it looks fabulous from up above :)

-Funny how Zelly falls deeper into the earth and we don’t see anymore of it besides Ganon’s corpse also dramatically falling, cuz the man can’t stand sharing the spotlight but whatevs

-now I’m not saying we’ll get to play as Zelly, it’s totally up in the air and at this point I dunno 🤷🏻‍♀️ HOWEVER not seeing Zelly again, the two being separated, the two being in two drastically different places… something seems sus

-(heaven and hell, really Nintendo? Because you can’t give my over analyzing fan girl mind a break huh? Do you KNOW how long I’m going to theorize about THAT SYMBOLISM???)

-Master Sword is conveniently gone. For both Ancient Link and Ground Link. What a shocker

To summarize this first part— a few new tricks with the runes, gADGET ATTACHMENTS LKKE THE CONCEPT ART, becoming Mirio 101, no Zelly gameplay that we have seen (keeping hope tho), and no Master Sword!

And now the VISUALS

The SKY THE SKY THE SKY

We have ISLANDS PEOPLE

But the real question is where these islands came from. It SUCKS because from the perspective we are given (see photo above) we’d be looking southwest from above Ludfo’s Bog. We see the edge of Seres Scablands and can see Illumeni Plateau&Washa’s Bluff in the distance. Both are elevated pieces of land and they are boxed in my Tamio River and Tabagar Canyon

Please ignore quality I get it but I couldn’t get the screenshots to upload from my switch leave me BE

So we don’t see the ground itself in the trailer because it’s at such a low level :/ I don’t think the islands in the sky are from the main land at all which begs the question of HIW THE HELL ARE THERE ISLANDS

— the answer is Zonai and Zonai don’t play by the rules

-side note, I’ve just noticed the lamp thing on the island Link lands on in the first picture. Specific points of entry? Confirmed.

- continuing the analysis, let’s just note the stark differences between Sky Link and Ground Link.

—Ground Link has his ponytail, he is wearing the champion/Hylian tunic (blessed be)

— Ancient Link has markings on the right side of his torso/shoulder, Ground Link … doesn’t? Unconfirmed need more data

—both do have ancient arm tho so… same Link?

-is it like a clash between ages??? And Link must travel both the sky and land to bring peace back to Hyrule and stop the spread of malice? But he also changes w the terrain?

— I have so many questions literally just on the nature of the islands and Link’s changed appearance between the two like I want SS lore and connections people I want to KNOW

-Hyrule Castle being lifted by straight malice and being set in the sky with the sunset behind it was so visually appealing that I’ve rewatched it at least seventeen times in the hour ish I’ve been analyzing the video

-Oh let me just say that there are 0 islands when Hyrule Castle is first lifted which tells us that the islands come from whatever Link does after

- The Talus w a Bokoblin encampment on its head. Nuff said.

Additional notes—

Ancient Link’s hair 🥺🥺 isn’t in his ponytail and I just want to thank Hylia and Nintendo for this decision. I love em both

Zelly and Link get separated… how did we know

The Sky and Ground have Skyward Sword vibes but the cave/underground has majors mask vibes. Ganon and Zelly give off Twilight Princess vibes.

The piece of Hyrule Castle that falls off as it starts to lift into the sky is the same part I paraglide to during speed runs and I’m honestly a little hurt by that fact

This gameplay trailer really gives us Skyward Sword vibes and I’m HERE FOR IT!! Y’all should know I absolutely adore Skyward Sword and seeing all the little parallels and things in Botw 2 makes me SO HAPPY and I just want to put skyward sword back into my Wii and play again (but alas imma wait for the switch version). I want to see connections!! I want to see if the Zonai were perhaps a race thAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON THE GROUND oh my Hylia

I’m just. So. Excited. Thank you Nintendo for reinvigorating my soul. Just. Thank you.

[redqueen-hypothesis]

private getaway ➳ victor li (mlqc)

➳ PAIRING: reader x victor li (mlqc)

➳ WORD COUNT: 3665

➳ GENRE: slightly suggestive, fluff

➳ SYNOPSIS: victor abducts you in the name of a holiday and is more nostalgic than you’d expect.

➳ REMARKS: tbh i feel like this was badly written, no smut but we all know victor li wouldn’t just let time alone together go by without doing the dirty. i hope the fluff is enough to make up for it, nonny!! i’m also sorry if you wanted a headcanon and i ended up writing a fic instead. i forgot i can’t write fluff akdjfsdk.

“Are we there yet?”

“No, but we’re almost there.”

That conversation has been repeated for hours now, ever since Victor whisked you away (more like abducted) you from the main entrance of your company building after a long working week and announced that the two of you would be going on a short holiday. Much to your shock, Anna had simply smiled politely at Victor as he bundled you into his car, wishing the two of you an enjoyable vacation and assuring you that your work would be taken care of. It was only later that you discovered that Anna had been roped into Victor’s schemes from the very beginning - the betrayal!

“You’ve said that for a while now.” You mumble, clutching onto Victor’s hand tightly as he leads you down a windy pier. You’re blindfolded with one of your silk scarves, Victor has been careful in ensuring that you haven’t been able to find out the slightest clue about where the two of you are headed. “Are you sure you’re not trying to kidnap me?”

A small snort. “How much money would I earn from doing that? Not enough to make the attempt worth it, I would say.” Victor’s voice is warm and deep, and when you strain your ears just a little, you can hear the sound of waves washing over a beach. Somewhere near the sea, perhaps?

“I’m priceless.” You answer indignantly, pulling at his hand and nearly stumbling when you trip over Victor’s feet. Wood creaks beneath your feet with each step. “I would be worth a lot of money.”

“But I’m the one who’d have to pay if you did get kidnapped.” Victor retorts, and you almost tell Victor he’s actually being romantic... almost. Before the words escape you, however, Victor is suddenly pulling the blindfold off your eyes. “We’re here now.”

When Victor had mentioned that he would be bringing you on a short holiday, you hadn’t expected this.

“Victor, this is... this is amazing!” You gasp, looking over at the view before you. The white sand of the beach runs into crystal clear water that stretches on as far as your eye can see. Connected directly to that strip of untouched beach is he open air villa that the two of you are currently standing in, watching the waves lap gently at the shore. “We’re going to be staying here?”

“No, we’re just passing through - of course we’re staying here, idiot.” Victor answers bluntly from where he’s inspecting the kitchen. It’s luxurious and fully stocked with fresh tropical ingredients, some of which are colorful fruits you’ve never seen before. You hope this means Victor is going to be the one cooking for you. “This place is a holiday beach resort.”

You can’t wait to change into some more comfortable clothes and go splashing in the sea. There’s a small jacuzzi pool carved from shining blue stone attached to the villa that you’re dying to try, but right now the blue of the ocean is much more enticing. It’s been so long since you’ve last seen the ocean for non work related reasons, you think. “This really is the perfect holiday location! And here I thought you didn’t understand the meaning of the word ‘vacation’.”

“My vocabulary is sufficient, thank you very much.” Victor sounds mildly amused as he steps up next to you, one hand shading his eyes from the orange light of the sunset. “I take that you like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” You laugh excitedly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight. Victor lets himself smile at your enthusiasm, if only a little. “It’s a beautiful place, really! Why isn’t it more popular? I don’t see anyone around.”

He turns to look at you with an amused expression, as if the answer is the most obvious thing in the world. “This is a private resort, dummy. Of course there’s no one else here.”

“Private resort?” Just how much money had Victor spent on this so called small holiday? The sounds of dollar bills flying away echo repeatedly in the back of your mind and you almost feel dizzy just trying to imagine how much this must have cost. “Victor, call an ambulance.”

“There aren’t any roads here, dummy, we’re on an island that’s untouched except for this building and the staff quarters nearby. I thought you should have been able to see that.” Victor looks at you like you’re the silly one. “The resort uses private helicopters in case of emergencies. Why, are you feeling unwell?”

“I just might faint under the weight of all this extravagance.” You mumble, but wrap your arms around Victor’s torso and stand on tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. He shivers ever so slightly in your hold. “Thanks, Victor. I appreciate it.”

“You should.” Victor mutters, but there’s no real bite behind it. “Let’s go see the sunset down by the water. I heard it’s a good view.”

>>>

You’ve missed the feeling of having sand between your toes and splashing about in the shallow water near the shore. Swimming pools have nothing on mother nature, you decide, picking up a seashell and admiring its silvery shine.

“Don’t you think it looks like a small fish?” You ask, holding it up for Victor to inspect when he stops next to you, bare feet in the water. He peers at the shell in your hand, looking like a debtor trying to discern the validity of some assets.

“It looks like a shell.”

“You have no creativity. Some things don’t need to be expensive to be pretty.” You huff, pressing the seashell into his hand anyway. His fingers wrap around it, holding it tightly in his palm. He’s about to open his mouth to reply when you tug excitedly at his hand. “Victor, look! The sun is huge!”

Your eyes are wide with wonder as the setting sun touch the horizon. Liquid orange ripples across the water’s surface, setting the sea alight with flames and washing it in a warm glow, until you can’t tell where the sea meets the sky. The corners of his mouth pull up at your tangible happiness, he’d let you see a thousand sunsets more beautiful just to see you smile like this again. “The sun is always the same size, dummy.”

“Yeah, but it looks big now.” You retort, fishing out the camera that you’re wearing on a strap around your neck. “I need to take a picture and upload it on Moments. Gosh, Lucien would definitely love to see something like this.”

The expression Victor eyes you with almost makes you laugh. “The shady scientist?” If you didn’t know him better, you’d think he’s angry, but you know he’s just sulking. You giggle, a little amused at his obvious dislike for the other man, and decide to tease him just a little.

“Hey, don’t call my friend shady! He’s a very renowned neuroscientist and an important consultant for Miracle Finder.” You correct, taking a few snapshots of the sky before you. You’re no photographer, but you know enough from your experience in filming to take a good photo. “Ahh, the pictures look great. Victor, it’s your turn!”

“My turn? What for?” Victor looks mildly confused, but you tug him to the end of the walkway by the hand. There, the sunset glow washes over his face, the soft light diffusing the sharpness in his eyes, the usual cold set of his jaw. “There, just right! Now, smile!”

“Wha-”

Click!

“God, Victor, I said to smile, not look like I handed up a late report.” You laugh, peering at the bummed out expression that you’ve captured with your camera. Victor looks just a little flustered when you raise the camera to him again. “Come on, smile for real this time!”

“I don’t just smile for pictures.”

“But you look handsome when you do.” You tease, and see Victor’s face soften in response to your words. It’s not quite a smile, but it looks warm, almost happy. “Don’t say stupid things.”

Just before you can take the picture, however, there’s a loud flapping sound and you flinch back in surprise at the flurry of wings. When your eyes blink open, you’re greeted with a totally unexpected sight.

A seagull is perched on top of Victor’s head, squawking loudly. Meanwhile, Victor looks like he’s frozen himself in time with his own Evol, lips firmly pressed together in a thin line.

The seagull peers down at him. Victor looks up to meet its eyes. It squawks again and Victor winces.

“Wow, Victor, I didn’t know you brought me here just to introduce me to your mistress.” You can barely keep the giggles out of your voice. The glare that Victor shoots you is positively deadly. “Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not.” You say, but your voice shakes. “You know, I can see why it took such a liking to you. The two of you are very much alike.”

Victor looks bewildered. “What? How am I similar,” he gestures at the bird nesting on his head, “to this thing?”

You only pause for dramatic effect. “You’re both known for shitting on people.”

Victor groans in exasperation at your grin. “I do not shit on people.”

Unable to resist, you turn the camera to him, hands almost shaking uncontrollably with suppressed laughter. Victor’s expression goes flat when he realises what you’re intending to do. “Don’t you dare-”

Click!

“That’s it, get back here.” Victor brushes the seagull off his head and bears down on you, while you shriek with laughter and dash back down the beach as fast as you can. Try as you might, however, Victor’s strides are far wider than yours and in no time at all he’s caught up to you, wrapping his arms around you from behind and lifting you clean off your feet.

“Delete that.” He demands, trying to reach for your camera, but you hold it over your head with both hands, still giggling breathlessly. “No! Do you know how much the paparazzi would pay for a picture like this? I can imagine it on the front pages of the newspapers already, ‘Victor Li finds true soulmate at last’!”

“If they’re smart, they wouldn’t. The LFG has shares in majority of the news outlets in Loveland.” Victor retorts as you wave the camera about. “And so should you, since your company is funded by the LFG as well.”

“You’re too fair to drop us over something like this.” You laugh breathlessly at Victor, who simply sighs. “Don’t think that praising me now is going to get you a bonus. Hand over the camera now, before I make you.”

You arch an eyebrow, still giddy with adrenaline and excitement. You haven’t laughed this much in a long time. “Oh yeah? How are you going to do that?”

“How am I going to do that?” Victor repeats after you, voice suddenly dropping to a husky whisper. You swallow at the near predatory look that flashes in his eyes, hesitating for a moment. “Uhh, I mean you could just ask nicely, and if I were feeling generous, I might give it to-”

Before you can so much as finish your sentence, he’s pulling your head down to meet his lips in a hungry kiss. Your eyes fly wide open with shock before you melt against his mouth, camera long forgotten. His teeth tug at your bottom lip, urging his tongue into your mouth and fingers stroking at the bare skin along your ribs. Gasping at the searing heat of him, you try to break away for air, but Victor’s fingers only slide up the back of your head to press you more firmly against him, unrelenting.

All consuming.

It’s only when you beat against his chest with your fist that he releases you, your lungs heaving for air and mouth drunk on the taste of him. “Just like that,” Victor murmurs, his voice a raspy baritone as he plucks your camera out of your boneless hands. You can’t even find it in you to argue, all the fight sapped out of you. “I’ve missed doing that.”

“What are you-” You gasp as Victor lowers the two of you to the ground. Your back is pressed against the sand of the beach, waves lapping at your feet, but before you can say another word Victor’s mouth is back on yours again, hot and wet and desperate, like he can’t wait another second to taste you. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, drawing him as close as you physically can, the hard planes of his body pressed against yours through the thin fabric of his shirt.

“Mmn...” You breathe against his mouth, legs wrapping around his waist, grinding subtly against the hardness in his shorts. Victor lets out a low sound at that, eyes filled with an emotion that you can only describe as hunger as he hovers over you. Just as he tilts his head down to press kisses down your neck, however, you’re interrupted by a strange grumbling sound.

The two of you still at the sudden noise, and your cheeks burst into flames.

“Pft...” You look up to see Victor trying to stifle his own laughter and scowl, slapping both your hands over his mouth. “Hey! Stop laughing!”

“Let’s head in for some food. I have some new recipes I want to try.” Victor is still wearing a smile and damn, because you won’t even get enough of that expression on him. It softens his face, brings out a gentle light to his eyes that is far too rarely seen, and makes your heart stumble in your chest. Still blushing, you grab his hand and pull him towards the villa so he won’t see the colour on your cheeks.

“Hurry up then, I’m hungry.”

He laughs, a clear, boyish sound that doesn’t suit his business persona at all. “I could tell.”

“Oh, shut it!”

>>>

Dinner is a lavish affair of delectable fruits and local spices that you’ve never tasted before. Victor does something along the lines of a hibachi restaurant, cooking right in front of you and serving the food fresh from the pan. It’s clear he’s been practicing in secret, there’s no hesitation to his movements even with all these foreign ingredients. Your heart warms at the knowledge but keep your mouth shut about it, knowing Victor would be embarrassed if you were to call him out on it.

Gods, you love this man so much.

As the sky falls dark, you sit at the kitchen island in the dim candlelight, washing down your dinner with a tropical fruit juice mix that Victor had blended for you while scrolling through a list of activities available to you here on your phone.

“You decide.” Victor had shrugged simply when you’d asked him about your itinerary. You couldn’t be more excited.

“We could go snorkeling tomorrow, oh, or fishing!” You tell Victor brightly as he washes the dishes at the sink. Hopefully in one of these options, he’ll just have to go shirtless, you hum to yourself contentedly. Best vacation ever. He turns around to raise an eyebrow at you, looking dubious. “I doubt you have enough patience to hold a fishing rod for a few hours.”

“I do too.” You pout, setting down your phone to watch him work. The simple white button down he’s wearing only accentuates the strong lines of his back and the broad shoulders he has. “And besides, it won’t take that long for the fish to bite unless you scare them all away with that glare of yours.”

“Maybe if we throw you in as bait we’d be more successful and catch a big white shark.” Victor flicks you on the nose and you whine, rubbing it ruefully as he keeps the pans on the shelves. “Fine... I’ll think about what to do when tomorrow comes. What do you want to do right now, though?”

Victor ponders this for a moment, leaning against the kitchen island next to you. “Hmm... you brought your bathing suit, am I right?”

“I didn’t know we were going to the beach, wait... this is why you were asking for my measurements awhile back, weren’t you?”

He shrugs, although there’s a playful glint in his eye. “You don’t have any evidence. Either way, there should be a bathing suit in your luggage. Put it on and we can go down to the jacuzzi. Or if you want,” the look in his eyes darken ever so slightly as he looks down at you, tracing your body, “you could always go naked. There’s no one to see... but me.”

“I’m going, I’m going!” You beat a hasty escape for the bathroom before your face can spontaneously combust. “You better not have bought something weird for me!”

As you disappear into the bathroom, Victor lets out a low laugh, running a hand over his face. “Ahh... that silly girl.”

There’s a fond smile on his face.

>>>

You sink into the water with a contented moan. “Ahhh, this feels good.” When you look above, head tilting back to look at the night sky above. The stars twinkle back at you, like handfuls of diamonds scattered across the heavens above. “This has been a great start to my holiday.”

“It takes very little to make you happy.” Victor observes as he steps into the water next to you. He’s dressed in nothing but a pair of black shorts, strong arms and well honed physique exposed for you to appreciate. You grin, lacing your fingers with his and pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. “I think I’ve already been given plenty. Thank you for this holiday, Victor.”

“It was nothing, really.” Victor replies, his voice a low rumble in his chest next to you. When you glance up at him, he’s looking at the stars overhead, seemingly lost in thought. “I don’t really enjoy holidays much, except when I visit France, but today with you... wasn’t so bad.”

Victor must be in a nostalgic mood, you think, enjoying the warmth of his body next to yours. The holiday brings that out in him, the fact that there are no paparazzi around and there is no LFG to worry about. You like having him all to yourself.

“Just admit that you like my company.” You laugh, resting your head against his shoulder. The water is pleasantly warm and scented with rose petals, something that you’ve come to realise is his signature touch during your time together. As unromantic as Victor’s mouth is when it isn’t on your body, the rest of him is surprisingly adept and careful when it comes to setting a romantic mood, sparing no expense when it comes to bouquets, scented candles, silk sheets. It’s something that you would never have quite expected from him, and yet it’s part of what makes him so lovably humane.

“Well, I think the fact that I married you says quite enough about that.” Victor snorts. You feel him run a thumb over the wedding band on your ring finger and you grin, lifting it out of the water so that he can see it. “I’m so glad I didn’t swallow it together with your proposal souffle. I might have backed out of marrying you if I had more time to think about it.”

“You must have been in shock when you agreed.” He looks at your joined hands, and suddenly lifts it to his mouth to kiss away the water droplets clinging onto the back of yours possessively. The two of you are already married, and yet it still sends heat burning at your cheeks. “You’re stuck with me now, though. You can’t just break a marriage contract.”

“You mean a wedding vow. You were so handsome on that day I must have forgotten my plan about running away from the altar.” You giggle, and Victor’s eyes soften, scooping up a flower from the water’s surface - a peony, and tucks it behind your ear. “I would have chased after you even if you did.” His eyes sweep over you, painfully tender. “There. Beautiful.”

It’s only then that you realise how close the two of you are, his breath dancing along your cheeks and nose, his cheeks flushed from the warmth of the jacuzzi. He looks so open in that moment, his usual stoic walls down for you to enter and so you do, cupping his face and pulling him in for a kiss.

Victor’s a possessive lover, always has been, and the way he takes your lips for his own is no different. He doesn’t just claim them, he ruins them, tasting your mouth like you’re one of his sweetest deserts, tongue probing every corner and crevice of your mouth so that you know that you belong to him. You sink into his embrace, water swishing around you, and Victor groans, lightly nipping at your bottom lip with his teeth.

“I’m the most fortunate man in the world to have met you.” He says, hoisting you into his lap. In the pool, it takes almost no effort at all, and you’re left straddling his rock hard thighs, bracing your palms on his firm chest. His gaze lands on your bruised, swollen lips, running the pad of his thumb over it gently. “Beautiful.”

“Stop saying cheesy stuff and make love to me.” You laugh, grinding down teasingly on the hardness you can feel against your thigh and your grin widens when Victor lets out a hiss. He pinches your ass in retaliation and you squeal. “Here I was trying to set the mood and you went and ruined it. You had better be prepared for what you’re getting into.”

When he kisses you under the heavens once more, so fiercely it steals your breath away, one last thought crosses your mind before he takes even that away from you: that everything to do with him, you regret none of it at all.

[enderprtl]

various tangotek hcs because tangotek my beloved

this took all day beacause i have tangy brainrot... help. 

heads up that it gets angsty as HELL when it gets to the civil war because i’m a fan of watching myself and others cry over silly minecraft men <3 yes i plan to write a fic using my little hcs, its the brainrot.

His clothing colour palette changed when he swapped bases with Falsie, his coat and shit got turned all blue and the red streaks in his hair slowly faded to a steel blue. He kinda… camouflaged with the surroundings? His eyes and nails and ear tips stayed red, those really can’t change.

He’s some sort of undisclosed redstone beastie meets fire demon? He’s very, very warm, like literally, his bases are cold as hell to cool him down when it’s particularly hot on the server.

Netherborn! He’s got family in the Nether but doesn’t really know him, since he was primarily raised by piglins (implied angst, yes.) He was raised by a back of piglins and piglin brute and basically became techy to protect his home bastion from protection.

He left for one day to help the Hermitcraft server and then later learned he could live with them.

He left his family in the Nether (he lived pretty far from the main HC portal) to go join them in HC, he still misses them and visits them every Nether holiday, which he observes a little more than Overworld holidays.

He almost froze half to death in the Overworld (drastic temperature differences baby) but thanks to Zedaph and Impulse, he warmed back up again via lava dumping.

He’s partially immune to lava? It still hurts him but  it takes him longer to die unlike other hermits.

May or may not have wings? There’s a metal panel over his back that he uses as a power source when testing redstone since his body is so hot that it creates a power generator from whatever… is under the plate.

His parents abandoned him at the bastion for whatever reason (he was a wee youngun) and acts and looks more piglin in nature. He’s got big front teeth like boar tusks but don’t protrude out.

He was primarily carnivorous in the Nether and switching to a golden carrots only diet made him sick on multiple occasions till he adjusted, which is why he switches between pork chops and golden carrots.

He wears elbow length gloves under his coat because his hands are fucked up from work for Tek to the Skies and Iron Foundry. They’re usable but he has burns and scars all over it, his claws are long too so he hides them under gloves.

He has fingerless gloves for when he’s working on redstone contraptions, allows him to wiggle wires around with his little claws.

Water hurts like a bitch. He can take baths in boiling hot water (with help from Impulse to heat the water), but traditional river or ocean water will burn him.

His headband has ZIT stitched into it, each done by a member in their colour from their shirts; a red T, a black I, and a brown Z. It’s not even, it’s not pretty but it means the most to him.

The costume when he pranked the Stock Exchange was in fact makeup, he learned traditional Nether makeup from his piglin guardians, using soul sand, netherwart and bone blocks to make pastes and powders. He offered some to Grian, but he was a scaredy cat and declined.

Even though both he and Impulse play off the fighting during the Civil War, it did genuinely cause a rift in their friendship, and being raised by hostile mobs didn’t do him any good. He’d throw himself into work to counter Impulse’s contraptions and without Zedaph (inconveniently banned from the main island), their friendship grew a rift until the end of the war.

Tango tended to target out Impulse and vice versa. It was the first time anyone genuinely saw the more Netherborn/piglin side of Tango, he’d spend hours in his hot forge working away at expanding the base, counteracting Impulse’s contraptions, being generally a little cold for the demon.

He has a permanent scar from Impulse during one of the skirmishes going across his torso horizontally. They got into a massive field fight in one of the craters and basically ended up just, it started as a fist fight and then ended up with blades and potions and shouting. Scar swore up and down he saw a fire start in the pit even though none of them had flint and steel. Impulse respawned crying and Tango respawned bleeding and hoarse from screaming.

Without Zedaph around during the war, both of them got colder than usual. Tango kept blabbing about how “Zed’s our rock, our glue even.” to any of the other members of G-Team, he kept to himself the entire war after getting the scar. 

He, Zed and Impulse, after making up, had a week long sleepover where it was basically ZIT pillow pile with Tango as the heat pack for them all. 

Didn’t support (totally supported) Impulse giving himself a stick-n-poke tattoo of ram horns, a red eye and an I for team ZIT. 

For the Turf Wars, there was less beef, but they still got extremely into it, luckily with Zed there, they didn’t get as fighty as in the Civil War.

Cub thought he heard insults being thrown, but he kept his mouth shut after a shulker at Concorp changed his mind. 

[bm-pacific]

Drum (Garamut), 19th century, Brooklyn Museum: Arts of the Pacific Islands

A light brown wooden drum of the horizontal slit gong type resting on two carved separate rests. The drum is decorated with relief carvings on both sides and two separate handles. White lime is rubbed into the background of the reliefs, making the raised brown wood portions stand out in contract. One side of the drum has the rectangular area banded by a meandering line ending in a scroll at the top and the bottom with rows of circles along the sides. Within this large area are two smaller rectangular areas. Horizontal concentric ovals center these smaller panels with a dotted triangle above and below them. At the sides of the triangles are tows of a rake-like design: left side: 6 each above and 8 & 7 below, right side: 4 & 5 above and 7 each below. The main panel is divided by a vertical pattern of concentric ovals with two large wing-like scrolls radiating from it. A row of smaller opposing scrolls and rows of larger and more varied scrolls above completes the design. One side also has the large rectangular panel bounded by a meandering line above and below and a row of circles at each side. Within each smaller rectangular area are two L-shaped opposing curving patterns: one side with a row of dots in the top left and zigzagging line in the lower left. The other side has a row of dots in the top left and a solid form in the lower left. The main panel is divided by a vertical pattern of concentric ovals. At either side are two large opposing wing-like scrolls. A row of opposing scrolls below and two large opposing scrolls with a long triangular pattern in back of each containing 8 rake-like designs on the right side, and 6 on the left side completes the patterns. One handle is carved as a full male figure in the round. A snake form is attached to his back and comes over the top of his head. There is a triangular forehead and brown ridge with eyes of concentric circles having traces of red paint, and a hooked nose, which is attached to the stomach. His hands rest on his knees which are flexed. The ears have pierced earlobes. Some cord wrappings remain around the figure. One handle is carved as the head and torso of a woman. She has an attached- outside spine for cord wrappings like the other handle. A headdress is shown above the triangular forehead and brown ridge, and hooked nose. The septum on both the male and female figures is pierced. The eyes and mouth are made up of concentric ovals. The resting hands are on the drum as no legs are clearly indicated. Braided cord wrappings remain. 52.126A: A drum rest carved as two opposing wooden masks separated by a gouged wedge for the drum's support. The triangular forehead and browridge patches are shown. Two tilted concentric ovals form the eyes beneath over-hanging brows. The nose is continuous with the forehead and is hooked with a pierced septum. A notched ridge surrounds the entire mask. Both masks are the same type only one is darker in color. 52.126B: A second drum rest carved as two opposing wooden masks separated by a gouged wedge for the drum's support. It is slightly narrower than the rest. It also has the same type of masks. The triangular foreheads and browridges are shown with continuous noses which are hooked with pierced septums. The oval tilted eyes and mouth are formed by concentric ovals. A notched ridge surrounds the faces. The shape of the masks is more triangular. Traces of red paint and lime remain around the eyes. Size: 17 x 55 x 8 3/4 in. (43.2 x 139.7 x 22.2 cm) Medium: Wood, coir, pigment

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/66604

[mudwingpropaganda]

(Princess) Kinkajou of the RainWings

I want to believe that Kinkajou is actually a biological descendant of Grandeur, but it doesn’t truly matter because she was supporting Glory for the throne and heritage does not equal merit. Kinkajou is fascinating character who took so many punches yet shes never properly thanked or appreciated for them? I think Kinkajou ought to be more painfully optimistic. As a partial foil to Sunny. She’s not optimistic because she NEEDS to be the one keeping the group optimistic. Kinkajou remains happy because of somewhat emotionally stunting double standards in the RainWing queendom and the act that tears only get you so far. Confidence and energy is what people respond to.

Kinkajou deserves so much more than what canon gave her. Tui might have said “her story is over,” but I seriously disagree. Let’s open her book in the first place.

Design headcanons

I may have leaned a tad far into the idea of her design being physically representational of my ideas for her, but let’s just say these are her comfort colors. The default! They spontaneously flicker with pink and yellow patterns but her default is a banana yellow and bright pink combination, with intruding grey scales on the edge of her torso. (I imagine her underbelly is also similarly melting into pink colors, as her wings are. I just didn’t have the foresight while drawing this.)

I referenced a kinkajou in designing Kinkajou! As a result, her paws seem a little too big for her and she has little ears as opposed to Glory’s more serpentine/bird appearance. Kinkajou’s frill is an example of a feathered RainWing that have plumage similar to a bird of paradise that is also susceptible to the color changing pigmentation.

Her eyes are a striking jungle green, the most natural color on her.

I believe that her time under the NightWing’s grasp definitely should have a more visual representation on her. It may be exaggerated but... art is such. She retains indents where cuffs and chains essentially squeezed on her scales and snout. Her scales tend to dull and turn grey if she is not consciously keeping control over these body parts, yet she has more trouble changing the color of her afflicted indents. 

Her wing is illustrated with the venom wound she suffered from the accident she had in the Queen competition. Her wings struggled to fold back into her sides after the event and regardless if she had these scars removed or not through “magic,” she finds it awkward trying to put her wings back.

I imagine she had more of a full mane of plumage in store, but due to the stress on the island, they struggle to grow healthily behind her ears. 

A personal headcanon of mine is the most noticable circular scales on a RainWing is the clearest indicator of their current emotions. Glory’s was an angry red-orange. Kinkajou’s tends to default, like her indents, to a grey if she doesn’t pay attention. A numbness.

Miscellaneous thoughts

Kinkajou could have been a fascinating case study about the flaws of the RainWings’ lifestyle. Rather than their flaws being a foolish, uneducated, lazy tribe, the RainWings could have been at fault for putting too much trust in their young, making subjects feel obligated to put on a happy face, and their violently isolationist tendencies. Dragonets may be obligated to reach out to adults for help if they need it, not the other way around. That’s why she self isolated to personally focus on her venom practice lest infuriate Bromeliad further. It’s why she maintains a bright yellow and pink coloration rather than subject other dragons to her emotions. It’s why Kinkajou never quite thought she would be able to escape the NightWing island. 

When she was young, Queen Grandeur also realized that Kinkajou was one of her own descendants, making Kinkajou a princess. Grandeur may have been the only one concerned catching wind that Kinkajou went missing, but her perception of RainWings as lazy beings was a personal bias that took away any sympathy she had for her offspring, assuming the dismissals were true that she simply went lost in the woods.

Kinkajou’s upbringing really affected her! She begins dropping her ideals of being an ideal RainWing due to her trauma chipping away at her. Especially the fact that she now realizes the extents of what the Queen, her friend, Glory, goals mean when it comes to a symbiotic shared queendom between the RainWings and those who experimented on her for months, or maybe even longer, until Glory finally took action. 

Kinkajou retains scars from the NightWing island, both physical and mentally. Scars from her bonds and greying scales from a jarring transfer from a flourishing environment to something significantly harmful for her body and color shifting scales. And aside from that, she developed PTSD from the events on the island. Between nightmares, the occasional flashback if someone jostles her... she herself has compartmentalized the experience so she herself doesn’t fully remember the events of the island. But she remembers things at extremely inconvenient times. Especially around NightWings.

Her friendship with Moonwatcher was initially based on the mental note she makes that Moonwatcher isn’t a “real NightWing.” Originally, Queen Glory asked that Kinkajou, as her friend, made the effort to connect with NightWings attending the school, which panicked her. But Moonwatcher didn’t have anything to do with it. In fact, she spent as much time and she did in the rainforest! If not, more. And there’s an envy that Moon never faced any of the ugliness of the NightWings! But a disconnect that maintains their friendship. It isn’t until they begin to bond on their across the world adventure that they begin to trust each other outside of the fact that they were supposed to. It’s difficult! Of course! Especially when Chameleon (another great victim of the RainWing culture), taking the form of Shapeshifter to incapacitate her. Yet it was Moon’s face that greeted her when she woke from her coma. Who had been by her side intent on her recovery. 

A lot of what Kinkajou does is to try and reinstate normality and an environment she finally feels comfortable in, essentially! She feels out of touch with other RainWing dragonets, not enough to be around them, and inevitably confides her self worth mostly to the Jade Winglet, as they don’t know what a RainWing is supposed to be like. She assigns a crush to Winter to make her childhood feel more normal, even if she doesn’t really feel it. 

Kinkajou has internalized a LOT of the shit that was thrown at her. To the point where she doesn’t consciously recognize that she’s been putting on a happy face for so long, aside when she needs to put her scales back in their classic pink and yellow. Even when Moon sees her mind, she struggles to recognize if those thoughts really belong to her or not, assuming the ash and glow of lava is that of a NightWings’, not hers. 

Queen Glory is the main dragon that teaches her how to read. Her and Moonwatcher were both somewhat or basically illiterate when they started their educations. But are both are passionate about literature. Where Kinkajou becomes an avid writer and attempts to to become a journalist for kingdom specific and international news for the continent! She assists Starflight in the library of Jade Mountain occasionally. But she also helps establish libraries and such in the Rain Forest! She helps Glory develop an education system that doesn’t sacrifice culture for secular curriculum.

LGBT+ headcanons

I would say that Kinkajou is a questioning genderqueer individual and still uses she/her pronouns but is growing partial to neutral they/them and doesn’t object to other terms used to address her. She is generally flexible with how she is perceived as long as she is perceived respectfully.

Kinkajou is also panromantic but also on the aro and ace spectrums! She muses the idea of finding a partner eventually, but finds platonic relationships easier to establish and grow than the prospect of a romantic one. Like how she simply plays with the idea of Winter being her crush for the sake of personal normalcy in her childhood and, honestly, Anemone’s little innocent emotional manipulation spell? Yeah. That never happened. Kinkajou’s oblivious to Turtle’s feelings. Attractions fly RIGHT over her head, from others or her own self. She also may have queer platonic partners perhaps? I don’t make the rules. Love is love! uwu

[earthnashes]

do you have headcanons about places of questionable existence like koholint island, termina or the realm of the ocean king?

No to Termina as I’ve answered in an ask a few... minutes? An hour ago? It was today and it was recent but yeh, no headcanons on Termina I’m afraid!

Now, the Realm of the Ocean King and Koholint island however... I got plans for both! I was gonna wait a bit until I thought more about the idea since I hadn’t sat down and brainstormed anything yet, but I may as well throw what I got off the top of my head thus far:

-The Realm of the Ocean King and Koholint Island will exist as both one kingdom and on the same plane of existence.

-My idea is that the Great Sea will exist in the same plane as the other kingdoms as vast expansive sea, in which legends say it is the sea of the gods and is never-ending. Those who try sailing it are either forced to turn back by an unseen, unknown force or, if they are too stubborn and try to continue on, will be lost to the sea forever. However, there are tales and legends which say that the sea does end, that it is stopped by a huge wall of water that leads into an ocean in the sky. This acts as a portal that will lead to the floating oceans of The Realm of the Ocean King (otherwise known as simply The Ocean Kingdom OR maybe even The Land of Dragons?)

-This kingdom is probably the most elusive and hardest to get to, so much so that many believe it to simply be a legend. In line of my thinking of this AU as if it were an actual Zelda game, I think this would lend very well to Tetra in my headcanon and her seemingly unattainable dream to sail and actually see the fabled oceanic kingdom in the sky. Like the main mission being Link and crew having to go to every kingdom and Tetra would be your way to this one, and so on. owo

-There will be at least 4 main races that inhabit The Ocean Kingdom. Still very much in development  and subject to tweaks and changes, but what I have thus far are:

Parella: A primarily aquatic race who have the unique ability to float in the air, due to the air-sacks they harbor. The often live in the shallower straits that connect the vast seas to smaller bodies of water within the realm’s islands.

Watarara: A race of peoples who largely inhabit the islands scattered throughout The Ocean Kingdom. The Watarara are human-like and greatly resemble Hylians, though their pointed ears are way shorter. A characteristic that completely separates them from Hylians, though, is their wings. The Watarara are unique in that, upon their backs, are elaborate, tattoo-like markings that are in the shape of stylized wings. These markings allow the Watarara to call forth a pair of wings of which they use to fly at will.

Kulu: A race of aquatic peoples who inhabit the deep dark depths of The Ocean Kingdom. They’re characterized by having the face and torso of a human, but the tail of a fish in place of legs. They are essentially mermaids, however they are much larger in size, typically reaching about the average size of a great white shark. The Kulu occasionally take trips to the plane Hyrule exists in to explore their oceans and see the strange inhabitants of the realm. Its through brief sightings of them that has started the legend of the “fishmen”, no relation to the Zora that is.

The forth race I’ve yet to decide because I really wanna flesh these out first, especially the Watarara. Trying to decide for sure if their wings can be called upon to make a reference to The Wind Waker’s version of Rito, or if they’re a permanent feature they can’t call forth and such. Hmmm....

But yeh! That’s what I have so far! owo

[bayalexison]

Rainbow Writing Meme

Ack, so this is one of several tag games that I got tagged by @blindthewind Sorry for the lateness as I got distracted by other stuff! I'll try to respond to the other tags hopefully this week.

rules: find all 7 colors of the rainbow in your wip(s)

For this one all of them will be from Foul Play as that's my main WIP at the moment. Also will only mention one instance of color for each one.

RED (from Ch 12)

Ula’ula Meadows was one of the few areas on this island that Nanu thought was beautiful. The red flowers that bloomed all year round swayed with the breeze. A cool mist rolled in, thin enough for him to see clearly. The Baile-style Oricorio danced and sang in the mornings, attracting the attention of anyone passing by. There were two paths ahead: one towards Po Town and Route 17; the other towards Lake of the Moone, where the mist came from.

ORANGE (from Ch 23)

He remembered how the sun was low and the sky a swirl of orange and purple. How light Anabel was when he picked her up. How the smell of her blood clung inside his nostrils.

YELLOW (from Ch 17)

A pair of yellow wings with orange blades sprouted out of Tassel’s back. The spikes on his pincers grew, and his eyes were the same color as his wings. Tassel flapped his wings, lifting himself in the air. Guzma crossed his arms, a wide grin stretching across his face.

GREEN (from Ch 24)

It was still bright and sunny outside, the warm air being offset by the ocean breeze. Grimsley flipped his coin as he glanced around his surroundings, moving from the barren farmlands of Ancient Poni Path and into the lush greenery of Poni Wilds. Several Pokémon like Gumshoos, Exeggecute, and Inkay roamed around the tall grasses and trees while the Pelipper flew high above.

BLUE (from Ch 5)

Just then, a large crab-like beast burst out from the cave. It opened its jaw, which was stuck in the middle of its torso, and screeched. Both the bigger eyes on Glutton’s face and the tinier ones on its much smaller head glowed the same blue color like its insides. Two tendrils with large pincers sprouted out, one of them grabbing Sana’s waist. Nanu urgently called out her name despite his voice being drowned out by Glutton's roar.

INDIGO (Soooo funny mention about that. In Chapter 8 of Foul Play I have two instances of the word Indigo but it's not of the color but instead the Pokemon franchise's Indigo League. So I'm not counting that one here lol)

PURPLE (from Ch 3)

“Heeeey guys, we’re home!” another voice said, distracting Grimsley’s thoughts. He rose out of his seat and turned around to see two people entering the building. One was a teenage girl dressed in a tattered dress and a golden bracelet on her arm, her unruly purple hair barely above her shoulders. The other person she brought with her looked to be several years older than Grimsley from his grey hair and sunken face. He was dressed like a police officer with a badge attached on the sleeve of his shirt, and a small stone hung around his neck that sparkled with the lighting in the hall. For some reason, he couldn’t stop staring at the man and his presence made his skin tingle in electrical spurts.

Tagging: @jellyjay, @2ndltbraeda, @bleedingcoffee42, @illustrious-rocket, and anyone else that wants to do this!