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thecandywrites · 3 years ago

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Burn Without You Chapter 33 Finalle

Ok, so top Row to the right, Queen Audravienne and to her right Clan Chieftess Benyana who are BFF’s.

The row under then, blue guy- our guy- Crown Prince Ahi-Shumai Azurah and the lovely lady next to him is Benyana’s eldest daughter Brillanni and the two are one hell of a power couple and will be really fun to work with in the future. To the right of Brillanni is Crown Princess Jahaline and Jahoel might as well be Ahi’s twin because they look so much alike except Jahoel is slightly more purple and pink where as Ahi is much more blue.

Third row is Princess Monrhi- Queen Audravienne’s eldest daughter and next to her is Brive! Benyana and Brock’s eldest son. So handsome and they are so in love. And then next to them is the jewelry that Ahi gave to Brillanni and then all the way to the right is Dastrin’s daughter Ararila, who is in love with Jahoel. Then bottom row, that pearl jewelry is what Brive made for Monrhi and then the girl all the way to the right is Monrhi’s younger sister Assahnnah.

Just so you guys know. I suck at drawing so I manipulated THE HELL out of a bunch of pictures from Pintrist and now I know why digital artist’s very rightfully charge as much as they do because their art is worth ALL THE MONEY because I just about lost my sanity trying to get these pictures right because what is in my head- all my stories are like movies and miniseries that play out in my head and I can see all of it so clearly in my head and I try to describe what I see to add rich details and I probably end up choking the hell out of the pacing of my stories- and trying to find anything even remotely similar to what is in my head? Practically impossible so like any fanfic writer who is unhappy with a media that whole ‘fine I’ll write it/do it myself’ kind of attitude and that’s what I did to these pics. I did my best. I’m not great but I tried and I was/am too broke and impatient to actually commission any artists to draw my characters.

Look most of my “fun money” goes to Momolady on her Patreon which is an investment that has been worth every penny and if I could give her more, I would in a heartbeat. And she and Monstersandmaw are the reasons I’m in the EXO community to begin with. First it was the Rakshasa, then the Werewolves then the Orcs and Orcs have stuck with me the longest and strongest because my inspiration just goes haywire whenever I just think about them. And WHAT COULD BE thier wonderful, rich, intricate, varied, and steeped in tradition cultures. I mean I have an entire section on Pintrist just dedicated to orcs and bead culture. And I have SO MANY HEADCANNONS about the beads especially. To me, there is SO MUCH MORE to them than just furs and skulls and weapons and being fighting warring machines. You can blame my childhood and my facination with Klingons. Because to me? Orcs more or less are like Klingons in a lot of ways, at least to me.

Anyway, enjoy the last and final chapter and epilogue of Burn Without You. Enjoy.

Burn Without You

Chapter 33

Epilogue

It was only two month’s later when Noe’s wife Hasbi gave birth to their son- Dursin.

Then it was only a couple months after that when Harashu was born then a month later when you and Lukher welcomed Ahi-Shumai into the world and then only a couple months later when Maisarra gave birth to Jahaline and Jahoel, Jahaline coming out first only several moments before Jahoel did and only a couple months after that, you helped Seyda give birth to her son- Emrah and her sister Hayati gave birth to Senol only a couple of weeks later.

However, you barely had time to show Ahi-Shumai to Avalise because there was something serious going on in Suchi and Suchi’s Council of Elders were all embroiled in the most horrendous scandal and she was flying in to serve as a judge on the most distressing case since she was seen and needed as a neutral and objective judge in the case.

There was an entire clan on the West Coast of the continent that had interbred with orcs, creating “Auric Orcs” or gold orcs, because many male councilors in the west coast colonies had been infertile in the heavenly realm and even in the colonies and for the last hundred years, had taken advantage of a few clans of orcs, being reborn in the ashes and despite their “infertility” apparently there was only kind of womb where their seed could take root- in an orc woman’s womb. And the male councilors had done everything they could to cover it up and coneal it because of their own hypocritical prejudice and they had talked a Fae Prince into stealing the orc’s moura collars that were the orc’s proof of mourakind.

It was absolutely sickening that such lofty elders would be guilty of such heinous crimes as Avalize assured and reassured you that nothing of the kind had ever happened on the east coast and all the colonies that were in alliance with Yekmeni had never engaged in such horrific behavior but there was an issue, a seperate court case that was in a way, tied to this about another orc enslaving a moura with a silver cuff. Like the way Rasime and Haydar had done with your sister Maisarra and Daon.

For you it was hard to believe, because you had met that moura. She did not view it was an enslavement at all and you had befriended her even! Her name was Benyana Auksa at that summer solstice, and her mate Brock- while you were still pregnant with Ahi since you had gone to that summer solstice celebration at Suchi and had seen the cities made in the clouds by the mouras and the angels trying to court her.

She had readily befriended you too. Especially since seeing another moura woman with a male orc husband, she was drawn to you- and you to her- and she had been interested in your story as you had been interested in hers. And when she explained what had happened and why Brock had done what he did and how she felt about it- it was rather easy for you to accept him and Lukher and Brock had gotten along really well and had become friends rather easily and you gave them a wedding present of a messengerari so that you could keep in touch in the future.

But to hear that Brock was now on trial for enslaving Benyana in the beginning of their relationship, had you feeling very conflicted about it. Avalise advised you and Lukher to stay out of it and simply see how it would play out. But that for now- that all these matters needed to be attended to by other elders and other councilors from other colonies but thanks to the messengerari in Benyana’s house, the two of you kept in touch and while legally you couldn’t help her, you tried to offer her comfort and support while she went through this trial of having her own husband being prosecuted.

And when Avalise came back a few months later and gave you the official update- that Brock had been found guilty and been put to death by dragonfire. Only to be reborn in the ashes and when he awoke, his memories had brought him back to the Lunar New Year and thus- way before his attempts to get in touch with Benyana and he had no memory of Benyana, or their relationship or how he impregnated her. Avalise was absolutely sure that something was wrong but she couldn’t put her finger on it when Brock rejected Benyana over it. It saddened you immensely to continue to talk to Benyana as she tried her best to deal with this new “Brock” that was nothing like the man she fell in love with and he didn’t even remember you or Lukher and was in fact- quite rude to both of you. Which upset Lukher that the Brock that came back from the ashes was not the Brock he had befriended either.

Lukher and yourself tried to offer Benyana any support you could but she insisted that your friendship and your proof that such a relationship could work and be successful was helpful support enough and when Brock officially rejected Benyana to the point that she had no choice but to move her house to Suchi- it was a deep blow to everyone as you officially left things with the skyport build in the hands of your foreman and Irelu as Lukher, Ahi and yourself flew your griffins to her in Suchi where Matae was with her as was the rest of Brock’s family. Lukher, Ahi and yourself were not there as King, Queen and Crown Prince of Yekmeni but simply as Benyana’s friends and Mr. and Mrs. Azurah yet again as Benyana put you and your family in a guest bedroom in her house for your stay.

“I don’t get it. I thought when moura’s are reborn, they usually don’t have this much of a personality shift. This doesn’t make any sense. Brock loved Yana so much he risked his life just trying to be with her and while I agree, his methods were wrong and a bit extreme. Doesn’t honor, even among any and all clans push males to take responsibility for their actions? Like if someone got black out drunk and did some damage, they should still pay for the damages right?” You murmured to Lukher as you stayed in one of Benyana’s guest bedrooms as you nursed Ahi who was only three months old as Lukher curled himself around both of you protectively.

“I agree, his honor as a warrior and a clan member, especially a Clan Chief’s son- should have pushed him to accept her and her son, his rejection of her doesn’t make any sense at all. Do you mind if I leave you tomorrow to fly to him and try to talk to him?” Lukher asked.

“Go for it, I doubt you’d get very far with him if he’s as awful as his family makes him out to be, but I know I would feel better about it if you tried. You two connected like long lost brothers when we met them at the Summer Solstice festival, maybe if you go alone, you’ll do better. I’ll stay with Benyana.” You urged him.

The next day Lukher flew and found Brock in the woods.

“What do you want?” Brock asked Lukher when Lukher landed his griffin nearby and began to approach him, with his griffin Atlas, who was Panacea’s mate- walking behind him as Lukher walked with his bridal in his hand.

“I just wanted to talk.” Lukher said as it was clear that Brock was in a very bad mood.

“I recognize you, you’re one of that bitch’s friends. The ones from the east coast, aren’t you like a king or something? Where’s your crown? Don’t you have a kingdom to attend to?” Brock sneered as Lukher had to take in a deep, steadying breath to not easily take offense because getting angry and arguing would not get them anywhere.

“I left my crown at home, I’m not here as the King of Yekmeni, I’m just here as Lukher Azurah. No titles, no honorifics. Just another orc, another eldest son of a Clan Chief. I’ve heard you lost your memories from the last few months. Which is a shame because at the summer solstice, we met and we became friends, so I’m not here as a king, I’m just here as someone who used to be friends with you. Besides, Yekmeni is perfectly fine in the hands of my half brother Irelu while I’m gone, do you remember meeting him? Do you remember meeting me? Being friends with me?” Lukher asked, still in his dragon scale armor and weapons just in case Brock got violent as Lukher stopped just out of weapon’s range.

“No I don’t. Like I keep telling everyone. One day I woke up and it was the Lunar New Year and then I remember waking up the next day and it was like three, four months later, I don’t remember anything in between, I don’t remember that bitch, I don’t remember a colony and I certainly don’t remember being burned to death by a dragon. And if we met at a moura festival, that means you’re friends with them and no one who is friends with mouras is any friend of mine now.” Brock insisted.

“Wow, ok then, sorry you feel that way. But could I just talk to you orc to orc for minute?” Lukher asked.

“Sure, why not.” Brock grumbled.

“As an orc, who didn’t grow up with mouras either, and only heard whispers of legends about them. It is hard to believe anything you hear. Especially when you meet them in person and they don’t seem any different than anyone else.” Lukher sympathized.

“Does your clan treat your wife like she’s a goddess and actually build a shrine to worship her?” Brock questioned.

“No, I take it that’s what’s happened in Stormbreaker.” Lukher answered.

“Yeah, she’s no goddess, she’s just a person and it’s like everyone is so convinced that she’s this…goddess that needs to be worshiped and adored and they treated me like I was the crazy one for not believing in her and worshiping her when I didn’t see any signs that she was worthy of such treatment.” Brock grumbled.

“Well, having met her, I would agree, she is really just a person. Just like my wife, Audrey, she’s just a person too. Granted they are both extraordinary people, and while my wife is adored by my people, my family, and myself. She’s earned that adoration by earning not just their respect but my own as well.” Lukher nodded in agreement.

“How’d she do that?” Brock asked.

“Well Audrey did it by being honest and forthcoming about everything. She showed me all the ways she was imperfect, all her shortcomings, all her flaws, limitations and vulnerabilities. Granted, I had to earn her trust and respect to the point that she felt comfortable showing me all of that in the first place. But she showed it to me all the same. But that also helped me do the same with her and what helped was that we were both willing to accept the other as perfectly imperfect as we were. Willingness in attitude to adjust to each other and humility to admit our own and each other’s imperfections and did our best to work together did go a long way too.” Lukher confessed.

“Well at least your Audrey was willing to do that much.” Brock realized and felt bad because Benyana had tried to do the same but he had not accepted her and her efforts.

“Yup, it meant a lot to me. You know, only a year and a half ago, I too was only the son of a Clan Chief, trying do dodge advances from other women who only wanted my status but weren’t genuinely interested in me, while also fighting off enemies and trying to protect my home from invadors. So in that respect, you and I were equals then.” Lukher began, trying to find some common ground with Brock to at least try to reason with him.

“Then you know how frustrating it can be, to always be looked at for what you have and not what you are.” Brock nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I do. Having to grow up so guarded about every woman around you, wondering if the only reason they’re being nice to you is because they think they have a chance to use you to get power.” Lukher sympathized.

“Thank you! Exactly my point, now wouldn’t you be weary if you were me and you woke up one morning and all of a sudden, everything is different? Everything changed and everyone around you changed and yet everyone looks at you and thinks you’re the crazy one for not remembering any of it because of something crazy and completely out of yoru control? Like waking up from a coma? And a woman who you have no memory of, is not only not an orc, not even from a clan, not even from a culture that has anything in common with your own. But she something completely different and yet everyone acts like she’s this perfect angelic being and you’re the asshole for seeing the fact that she’s not perfect? At least not as “perfect” as everyone claims she is?” Brock questioned.

“I would.” Lukher had to admit.

“So wouldn’t you call bullshit when that same woman claims that you’re the father of her child when everything about her- you find repulsive?” Brock pressed as Lukher tried not to laugh because he knew for a fact that Brock couldn’t really be repulsed by Benyana, Yana was universally gorgeous.

“You know, honestly, I would be suspicious, considering that viewpoint. But at the same time, if my own father, who was the Clan Chief before he appointed me into my current position, insisted that he knew for a fact that I was the father of the child, even if I found the woman repulsive, I would trust my father and his word about it. Now the woman who birthed me? The woman who was technically my mother, when she was alive? I wouldn’t trust her word so much.” Lukher admitted as they both decided to sit down on some rocks near the little creek that was running nearby.

“Why would you trust your father and not your mother?” Brock asked.

“Because my mother and your mother are two very different people. Because my mother was that woman that did everything she could to woo my father because he was the eldest son of the Clan Chief and therefore next in line to be Clan Chief and did everything in her power to become Clan Chieftess and gain and then hold as much power as she possibly could.” Lukher admitted.

“What happened?” Brock asked curiously.

“She was a two faced bitch. Anyone who challenged her and her power- she pugged them. She used every bit of cunning and two faced, lying trick she could. She was the very kind of woman- both of our fathers have always tried to warn us about. The woman who birthed me who was technically my mother- when I met my wife and got to know her, in the process of revealing her own imperfections- she in turn exposed my mother for being the treacherous woman she was. And in response- the woman who birthed me tried to kill my wife for it.” Lukher admitted.

“But she failed right?” Brock asked.

“She did, only because my wife was smarter and more cunning than she ever could have been and saw the trap my mother tried to lay for me and for her and exposed the trap. Like a snare you set on an animal’s path.” Lukher confessed, still ashamed for what Auralu had tried to do to him and his family.

“And she didn’t stop there, she tried to kill me and my half brother and his wife, even though my wife and my half brother’s wife were both pregnant at the time. The four of us had to go into hiding to get away from her. Because the woman who birthed me- loved her own power more than she ever loved me or my dad or anyone or anything else and could not accept the fact that she had been exposed for being anything less than perfect in front of anyone, especially the clan. She was a monster and I’m so happy that she’s dead now and can’t hurt me or my wife or our son ever again. He is now only a month old and the very idea of having him being interested in that kind of woman has me shuddering at the thought and I too will be warning about the kind of woman who was technically his grandmother. So I’ve seen what it’s like when power hungry bitches actually win and take control. Do you honestly feel that Benyana is that kind of woman?” Lukher explained.

“Yes.” Brock insisted.

“Well, personally, I’ve met Benyana, I’ve known her for a while now and she doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who is that way. But how I or anyone else feels about her, doesn’t really matter. It’s how you feel about her. And if that’s the way you feel then that’s all there is to it I guess.” Lukher shrugged.

“So you didn’t come to coerce me into accepting her?” Brock asked.

“Nope, like I said, I just came to talk as a friend, orc to orc.” Lukher maintained.

“Well then you’re the only friend I have, everyone else has forsaken me and cast me out, my own dad pugged me for refusing that woman, even though he knew I hated her and was repulsed by her.” Brock complained.

“Yeah, I heard. But you didn’t have to choke her, you have to admit that was a line too far.” Lukher insisted.

“Yeah, it was, I regret that part. In the moment it was like my temper got the better of me and I acted without thinking or caring about anyone or anything and just let my temper consume me.” Brock admitted.

“Well at least you haven’t lost all sense.” Lukher nodded in agreement.

“Well everyone acts like I have. Especially when I feel like it’s the other way around, I feel like I’m the only one left with any sense that hasn’t been put under that bitch’s spell that makes everyone around act like she’s this perfect goddess.” Brock insisted.

“Then getting distance from her and everyone who feels that way will be best for you.” Lukher mused.

“It is.” Brock adamantly insisted.

“Well, personally, I can say with absolute certainty that I’m grateful that my wife is nothing like the woman who birthed me. She’s not a power hungry bitch who feels she needs to have everyone else’s stamp of approval to be happy or have all the control of everyone else to be happy. She’s the opposite actually.” Lukher smiled proudly as he thought of you.

“How is the opposite? Isn’t she a queen?” Brock questioned, rather disbelievingly.

“Because all she cares about is how I feel about her and what I think about her and that’s all I care about too. What I care about most is what she feels and thinks about me. And because we are happy and content with each other, makes everything else, no matter how complicated or mundane- seem enjoyable because we work together. It’s why I’m happy and grateful that my wife and I actually, really, truly love each other. And what I love and appreciate the most is my wife couldn’t care less if I was a King or a Warchief or the son of Clan Chief. She would be just as happy with me, if I was a single orc, alone in the woods- as she is with me in a palace.” Lukher insisted.

“And how I know that is because when we had to go into hiding as commoners from the woman who birthed me when our lives were in danger- we got to spend three whole months, just being man and wife and in those three months, my wife was actually happier and more content with us being on our own than she ever was being in a palace and all it’s trappings. We got to live like normal people, no servants, no cooks or maids or anything like that. We just had a humble house with a garden that we harvested food from and had barely just enough to get by to get the necessities but nothing lavish. We didn’t have everything we wanted but we had everything we needed. Humble food, humble clothing, humble shelter and each other. We got to cook all of our meals together, we got to wash our clothes together and do just about everything else together. All the menial tasks the common man does. It was actually really nice and both of us were rather reluctant to return to our previous lives because we had gotten so used to the simplicity and just being man and wife for a while because being in hiding meant we depended on each other completely and if we had a really close relationship before, it got to grow even stronger and closer than ever before during that time and we’ve only gotten closer ever since.” Lukher revealed.

“I’m sorry the woman who birthed you did that to you.” Brock offered.

“Me too. But when I said my wedding vows, my wife and I became one, so every attack against her, was like an attack against me. So when my mother turned on my wife, she turned on me too and it was easy for me to not feel any kind of sadness when she was put to death for treason and attempted murder of me, my wife, our son, my half brother, his wife and their son. If anything, all I felt was relief, relief that she was dead and couldn’t keep trying to trick me or anyone else or try to hurt me or my wife or my son or anyone else in my family.” Lukher confessed.

“Well, in that case, I can understand why you wouldn’t trust your technical mother.” Brock realized.

“Well that’s why I adopted my father’s other wife, the mother of my half brother, she adopted me and I adopted her because for her- she never cared about whether my dad was the Clan Chief or not, she was just always genuinely liked him for who he was as a person. Which is why she and the woman who birthed me never got along. Because she too could see that my mother was a monster. But she couldn’t say anything for fear of her own children and what my mother would do to them. My former mother ruled through fear. And my current adopted mother and my wife don’t, they lead by example.” Lukher admitted proudly.

“So are you just here to rub my nose in the fact that you have everything while I have nothing?” Brock asked, irritated to see and hear how happy Lukher was.

“No, my point was, that if I was in your place and what happened to you- happened to me- even if I didn’t remember my wife, and felt differently about her and felt the way about her the way you feel about Benyana, I probably would have swallowed down my disgust for her and my honor and my own respect for my father and the rest of the clan would have pushed me to accept her and her claim anyway because it would have been the right thing for me to do and I would have tried to get over it and try to make it work anyway. But I’m not you and you’re not me. Obviously you felt so strongly about it that you rejected her and you hate her so much that you can’t even bring yourself to say her name.” Lukher realized.

“I would rather be an orc without a clan that be married to that bitch.” Brock insisted.

“And that’s exactly what you are, Brock. You didn’t want her, and you separated yourself from her, even at the cost of losing your family and your clan in the process. And so now- that’s how you’ll live. I hope you find peace with your decisions and their consequences. Because that’s what I’ve had to do too.” Lukher offered before he got up and dusted himself off.

“Goodbye Brock. Thanks for the talk. I wish things could have been different for both of us. But I hope you will find the happiness you seek in your decisions that I have found in mine. Because they were your decisions to make and yours alone.” Lukher offered before he got into his saddle and clicked his teeth so his griffin would stand up before Lukher flew away as Brock could only sit there and contemplate his conversation with his former friend.

“And?” You and Benyana asked when he landed back in Suchi at Yana’s house a short time later.

“He is very stubborn and I tried to reason with him but he refuses to listen even to me. I’m sorry Yana, I tried my best. Even I couldn't get through to him.” Lukher apologized.

“I’m sorry Yana.” You offered to her as you hugged her from the side with Ahi tucked into the mother’s sling on your chest.

“It’s ok, I knew it was probably a lost cause but thanks for trying Luke.” Yana thanked him.

“You’re welcome, if there’s anything else we can do or any way we can help you, don’t hesitate to let us know.” Lukher offered.

“Will do.” She nodded in agreement.

You stayed as long as you could before Yekmeni needed for you and Lukher to return to attend to things with the skyport and Wakanear.

But by the time things calmed down in Yekmeni and Wakanear, and Wakanear especially had been built up and the traditional ports and the skyports were built and were getting put to use after the invitation for the sky shipping companies to start using them, you flew back to Stormbreaker to find that Brock had reunited with Benyana and were there when Brock officially proposed and then immediately married Benyana as he had welcomed you and Brock and thanked Lukher for trying to be his friend and talk some sense into him even when he was senseless for a while.

Brock explained to everyone present what the full story had been about what had happened to him after he was executed and came back in the ashes and the remarkable journey the two had been through as you got to hold their one month old son Brive who was just so handsome.

Meanwhile Benyana got to hold your 7 month old Ahi and you were so happy and relieved when Brock seemed to have returned to “normal” so to speak as he was the first to come out of the house and hug Lukher tight when you had first arrived as you were both happy to invite Brock, Yana and Brive to Yekmeni if they ever wanted a break from being Clan Chief and Clan Chieftess of Stormbreaker for a while because you enjoyed having breaks, visiting the colonies where you were looked at like a friend, instead of a Queen as it was the beginning of a life long friendship, your kids and thiers growing up together.

Then when Ahi turned three, the most remarkable change happened, slowly but surely, his dark olive green skin turned a royal kashmir blue and the brown splotches turned a royal purple color and a dark peacock teal was between the blue and the purple and when Ahi’s younger sister Monrhi did the same thing at the same age, as did your sister Maisarra’s children, it was as if Maisarra and yourself were the mothers to a new subspecies of orcs.

Meanwhile Benyana and others from her colony who married into the Stormbreaker clan, their children were the most beautiful light aquamarine color as your family and hers got to see each other not just at the solstices but a lot more often than that through the years, each time your family and hers got together, you both seemed to have more kids, and the kids you already had were growing bigger every time you blinked and because Benyana was so fair and had almost white, platinum blonde hair, that got passed down to all of her children, who had just the prettiest bright gold blonde hair and that beautiful aquamarine skin and were of course quite beautiful themselves, as you could see bits of both parents in each one.

And for all of your children and Maisarra’s children, all had the same phenomenon, when they were newborns up until they were toddlers, they all had their father’s coloring, but then just as they were three, between three and four, all of them had the same transformation from dark and drab olive green turning kashmir blue, the brown turning purple with hints of pink and dark peacock teal between the blue and the purple while Ashurah’s kids kept the rich dark brown the but the olive green turned a beautiful kashmir blue as well. And and when your kids, Maisarra’s kids and Benyana’s kids and the other kids from the other moura and orc pairings were grouped together it was like new subspecies of hybrids had been created as you were grateful that they all got along, and could all speak the common tongue and marinai with each other as even Brillanni and Brive learned nadasi so they could speak with your kids and Maisarra’s kids better and it made it easier for them to visit Yekmeni.

Then when they all became late teens, only six months before the mouras would take their first flight around the supersphere as part of their entrance into adulthood. You noticed that summer solstice as Ahi and Monrhi were talking with Brive and Brilanni there seemed to be something that aired on the romantic side between them now. Which as they were growing up you had a sneaking suspicion that there were at least crushes on either side.

But this was beyond a crush, this looked much more serious. So you waived and got Lukher’s attention and signed to him to look at his eldest kids and see how the four of them were sitting at a table, eating a large platter of food piled so high they could barely see each other over it as you were happy that there were more and more moura orc hybrids every year and it seemed that with every subspecies of moura and orc that interbred, suddenly there was an explosion of color and the children themselves had the best of each parent’s genetics in addition to being universally beautiful, handsome, charming and appealing. Almost all of them were all very healthy, very robustly so and you were relieved and grateful that they weren’t alone, or the only ones of their kind, but were not only accepted but surprisingly popular among their peers.

You continued to watch them and their friends as they all crammed into the space as Ahi had Brillanni sitting in his lap, to “help make room” around the table for themselves but one of his arms was wrapped rather possessively by the looks of it- around her waist. You also couldn’t help but notice she was now sporting a new necklace in a very Yekmenian style. You were certain that Ahi had commissioned to be made just for her. You knew he had spent months since the last solstice at the jewelers helping design and make this particular set of jewelry out of the airstones that matched her skin and matching earrings and a bracelet that really made her stand out and complimented her gorgeously.

So she was currently leaned back against his big, broad and very well muscled chest that had filled out in just the last year or so because Ahi had worked so hard to attain it. She looked happy but not smug, content and quite comfortable there as Ahi was now big enough that his head practically rested on her shoulder as he used his other hand to eat and drink in between taking bites from Brillanni’s hand as the two were grinning like the love drunk teenagers they were at each other as Ahi was wearing a matching, but masculine version of a bracelet that matched hers.

You and Lukher had known that Ahi had practically been in love with Brillanni the moment she was born and when his coloring had changed he had been so embarrassed because he felt like he was wearing “girl colors on his skin” according to Harashu, but Jahoel hadn’t seemed to mind the change one bit but little Bri seemed to even more drawn to him when he did change and Brillanni had always made a point to say how handsome and striking his coloring was ever since.

Of course at the time- your advice to him had been the same advice you had recieved from your grandmother and your mother and was the same advice The Great Vienne had given her children, especially her daughters, her daughters in law and her grand daughters- ‘to be as deadly as you were beautiful’ so that he would never be underestimated. Of course Lukher had told him that if anyone ever made fun of him- he could always work to be strong enough and quick enough and smart enough to either insult them in turn or beat them into the dirt for making fun of him. Which worked to a degree.

But what seemed to make all the difference was that Brillanni didn’t think he looked silly, but that while he was around, she didn’t want or care to look at any other than him. That no one deserved her gaze other than him because not only was he stunning and handsome, but that she could see his heart of gold no matter his skin color and his personality was better than any others. And that she was his friend and he was hers and that’s all that mattered, at least to her and then that seemed to be that all that mattered to him.

And that really boosted his confidence, especially as an awkward younger teen when his confidence seemed to hinge solely on what Brillianni thought of him. He was always calling her “Brilliant Brillanni” which she quite liked and she was the only one who could use “My Shumai” with him and he practically came running every time she said it. But this time, when he had put that jewelry on her and she practically purred ‘Oh my Shumai’ you saw him practically melt and you knew you’d have to protect the key to the treasury and your jewelry room, because he’d try to poach what he could just for her. But he got that part honestly from Lukher, since a jewelry box had never been large enough to contain all of your jewelry. Hell there were jewelry sets from your wedding you had yet to wear, even 18 years later because every year, every anniversary, every birth, you got more and more jewelry. You wondered if half of everything that ever came out of the mines found thier way into the hands of your own personal Royal Jewelers.

But you also knew that Brillanni didn’t like him just because he was The Crown Prince, but because she could also, use that same ‘My Shumai’ on him and tell him exactly when and how he ever tried to act entitled or better or more superior to his peers and kept him humble which Lukher and yourself appreciated the most. Plus Brillanni was very beautiful in her own right. That light aquamarine skin and that gorgeous bright gold blonde hair and equally bright aquamarine eyes and she was a spitfire as far as personality went, a lot like her mother. Which you really liked too because that kept Ahi on his toes and in line and really threw him into his studies to be just as sharp verbally and mentally as she was.

Although most of the time, she was actually really sweet too and you and her got along and because of Ahi’s attraction to her that had never strayed once, you knew it was a strong possibility of the two becoming romantically involved as adults. Although you knew if you ever tried to push, prod or encourage it, it might not happen, so you kept out of it and just sat back and watched how it would play out.

Especially since Brillanni had grown up feeling like he was just her big brother’s best friend and with Brive and Ahi only being six months apart in age- they grew up together and had always been the best of friends. And while technically Ahi was a Crown Prince, Ahi didn’t presume on that, anywhere but at home in Yekmeni, which he was proud to be- when she wasn’t there. And a little embarrassed to be when she was an everyone called him Prince Ahi. He was always happy and grateful to leave Yekmeni and just be Ahi when he was visiting Stormbreaker and even especially Drauch where you took up temporary residence when in Suchi because when you stayed in Stormbreaker, you stayed with Yana and Brock and when Yana and Brock would visit you in Yekmeni, they got to stay in Auralu’s former suite which had been redone and improved so that it was your rooms that you always put your guests of honor in.

But Ahi wasn’t the only one to feel that way apparently. Brive too had something similar to happen to him when Monrhi was born at about the same time as Brillanni. Brive had actually really liked Monrhi’s coloring when she was a toddler because she could play hide and seek in the gardens and always be the last to be found. And then when Monrhi’s coloring changed into a peacock’s colors, Brive thought Monrhi was the single most beautiful girl in the world as Brive did all he could to imitate Ahi, to be the Prince he felt he needed to be- to be worthy of a girl like Monrhi.

Brive had thrown himself into learning nadasi so he could speak all the languages Monrhi did but like Ahi, Monrhi, also liked to leave her title at home and just be Monrhi here, just another moura orc hybrid girl like her peers as she and Ahi both dressed down when they weren’t at home and besides their coloring, no one looking on would have ever thought that they were royalty. It helped them feel more ‘normal’.

However to see that Monrhi too was sporting some new jewelry that was very distinctly Stormbreaker because it was really pretty pearl jewelry that Brive had made just for her. He had dived and shucked who knew how many oysters, clams and mussels just to get the right pearls in the right colors to suit Monrhi. And because Brive had not just designed but made this jewelry all by himself, she was wearing it with more pride than any other piece of jewelry she owned because of who had made this and you could tell that Brive had really poured his heart, mind and soul into it and it showed. The craftsmanship was really good and seeing Monrhi wear it and smile so brightly and proudly gave you a smile in return.

With so many traditionally educated Dorierran brides in Yekmeni, it wasn’t hard for Yekmeni to have an advanced school system, many of the taunstons who had come- becoming professors of one subject or another. Ahi and Monrhi learned right along side every other child in Yekmeni in their age group. Also while you, Maisarra and Ashurah also gave all of your children and their siblings more private lessons on how to successfully run a kingdom, how to engage in business and politics and rule over citizens successfully. So that they could be beloved rulers and in turn, it was Ahi and Monrhi’s secret joy to pass on those lessons to Brive and Brillanni because they too had a clan that was growing into a nation- that they needed to have the confidence to lead as Ahi helped Brive especially with this.

Especially since both of them were moura orc hybrids, they could fly together and do stunts in the air and all kinds of cool things together. And especially when both boys were with Jahoel and Harashu, the four of them together could wreak all kinds of crazy ridiculous havoc together and especially when all four of them were with the moura orc hybrids of Stormbreaker, while Ahi and Monrhi still stood out since they had eye catching colorations, they felt included and to be among peers who actually liked them for their personalities rather than their titles, wealth or privileges.

But to see that Brive had been bold enough to invite Monrhi to do the same, inviting her to sit on his lap was a good sign. While Ahi had possessively wrapped his arm around Brillanni’s lap it was Brive who blushed like crazy when Monrhi practically took Brive’s arm and wrapped it around her and slowly began to lean back into him and the shy but happy and bashful smiles they gave each other were just darling.

Even Jahaline had taken a similar seat in Dastrin and Kallimisia’s son Dahar’s lap while their daughter Ararlia was in Jahoel’s lap too as just about all the boys had different girls in their laps. You could clearly see it wasn’t siblings, like brother’s allowing their sisters to sit in their laps- far from it, most of the siblings were sitting across the table from each other while their crush’s sat in their laps, it was a very clear indicator that they were coupling themselves off.

“Looks like we might have some weddings on our hands.” You murmured to Yana with a knowing grin as the two of you sat side by side with your toddlers in your laps, eating bits of food off of your plates.

“It does.” Yana grinned back as she watched her own older children closely while she was helping to feed her younger children as you were doing the same as Brock and Lukher and the other guys were already laughing and making their own assumptions as to how that was going to go and play out.

“To love, for conquering all.” You toasted to Yana.

“To love, for conquering all.” Yana repeated as you clinked glasses and drank down your drinks with scheming smiles and twinkles in your eyes.

#Burn Without You #Burn Without You Chapter 33 #Burn Without You Finalle #See? Wasn't that fun?#Angst with a happy ending #True love conquers all damn it #Moura #Orc #Orc romance #Orc love story #male orc x female reader #male monster female reader #orc reader insert #orc political intrigue drama #Thanks for reading

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sheyshen · 4 years ago

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My FanFic compilation

I figured I have written quite a lot over the years and especially this year, that putting together something like this, that has everything I’ve written so far in one place all organized would be a good idea! So please! Enjoy!

There’s quite a lot so they’ll all be listed under the read more, They’re all organized by series (fairy tail, swtor, mass effect, dragon age, greedfall, anthem, and smut fics) as well as by pair with a short description, starting with the first fic I wrote (fairy tail) and the latest (fictober 2020 prompts) :D

Fairy Tail: (Leading off with this because it’s my first ever fic) -Shall We Dance, Pair: Laxus/Lucy: 38 chapters, Finished https://archiveofourown.org/works/4351550/chapters/9870611

Swtor: Main fic: -Breaking the Bad News (aka BTBN), multi-pair, main focus is shan trio: currently 70 chapters, Ongoing. https://archiveofourown.org/works/9340892/chapters/21164699

Side Fics: Kara Hawke’s Backstory(s):

Pre-Class story: -A Smuggler’s Tyr, no pairing, intro to Kara’s first crew: Currently 1 chapter, Complete (Might add more eventually)

During Class Story: -Adventure of a Lifetime, no pairing focus but will mention Darmas, meant to build on what we have of the in game class story: Currently 1 chapter, hiatus (plan to work on more with 2021)

Post Class Story: -Hawke Legacy: While Kara Sleeps, mentioned Theron/Kara, focus’s on Koro delivering the news of Marr’s ship being attacked to Theron. 1 chapter, Complete -Downtime, Theron/Kara, Post arrival on Odessen but prior to chapter 9 on kotfe, 1 chapter, complete -Desert Reunion, Theron/Kara, Introducing Kara’s dad and bringing him into the Alliance, 3 chapters, complete -A Moment, Theron/Kara, but starting to poke at the idea of Arcann being involved, 1 chapter, complete

Prompts: -Fictober 2018, day 1: Can you feel this?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-umbara/pre-copero so theron’s only mentioned -Fictober 2018, day 3: How can I trust you?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-Nathema, and a bit on the trio +kids, dealing with Theron’s return -Fictober 2018, day 5: Take what you need, mentioned Kara/Caleb (her first husband from her original crew), takes place before the class stories, short story about a job she had done -Fictober 2018, day 6: I’ve heard enough, this ends now. Kara/Arcann (sometime pre-nathema so sorry Theron’s not really in this one), bit of covering a reoccuring nightmare Kara had for a few months -Fictober 2018, day 7: No Worries, we still have time, Kara/Arcann/Theron (Arcann’s not present tho, just mentioned), little bit of the pair of workaholics +kids taking a break -Fictober 2018, day 12/13: Who could do this/Try harder next time, Kara/Arcann/Theron & Koren/Trey (Will have this in both pairs), sometime post-nathema probably, little adventure with Kara involving having to save her sons -Prompt: I Care about You, Theron/Kara, little bit of a rebuild of their kotfe reuinion -Prompt: Come Cuddle, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Short fluff story of one of their movie nights with some bad jokes -Promptless idea: Arcann Singing, Kara/Arcann/Theron, I’ve always had this idea that Arcann can sing at least as well as Senya does, so here’s a bit of him singing to kara’s boys, and also kara. -Fictober 2019, day 2: Just Follow me, I know the area, Kara/Arcann mainly, post onslaught so Theron’s involved but just not featured in this prompt. Little bit of a romantic night out. -Fictober 2019, day 3: Now? Now you listen to me?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, follow-up to the fictober 2018 day 6 prompt, and resolution to the chronic nightmares Kara was having -Fictober 2020, day 7: Yes I did, what about it?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, post-nathema, small bit of theron and kara heart to heart about a choice she made (involving Valss because I’m still bitter we didn’t get a save option for him) and both prosthetic users in the trio are sore (maybe there’s a storm moving in) -Fictober 2020, day 15: Not interested, thank you, Kara/Arcann/Theron (Arcann isn’t present for this), one of a handful of reminders that Kara and Theron are parents, connor just really wants to make his lightsaber -Fictober 2020, day 18: You don’t see it?, Kara/Arcann/Theron (post umbara pre Nathema so theron is only mentioned), something of a pep-talk from arcann.

Nora Hawke/Mikael Hawke: -That Time Back When We First Met, backstory on how my sith warrior and pub trooper met before they started their relationship: currently 2 chapters, hiatus (plan to work on more with 2021) -Fictober 2018, day 4: Will that be all?, little bit after they first met, can be considered a continuation chapter... technically

Koren Gates/Trey Hawke: -Fictober 2018, day 2: People Like you have no imagination, Koren/Trey & Shey/Torian (will put it for both pairs), little adventure of my bounty hunter squad +sith BF -Fictober 2018, day 12/13: Who could do this/Try harder next time, Kara/Arcann/Theron & Koren/Trey (Will have this in both pairs), sometime post-nathema probably, little adventure with Kara involving having to save her sons -Fictober 2020, day 13: I missed this, Koren/Trey, bit of fluff between my overly caring hunter who could use a day off and his grump of a sith boyfriend. -Fictober 2020, day 28: Do I have to do everything here?, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Arcann and Koth decide to play a co-op holonet game, with only minor arguing. -Fictober 2020, day 30: Just say it, Kara/Arcann/Theron, Kara gets a little time to herself and the trio’s weekly movie night ends up being a bit more than just the three of them.

Shey Shen/Torian Cadera: -Fictober 2018, day 2: People Like you have no imagination, Koren/Trey & Shey/Torian (will put it for both pairs), little adventure of my bounty hunter squad +sith BF -Prompt: I’m Right Where I Belong, Shey/Torian sometime post kotet, a rare time that I bring up the fact that she has amnesia and still can’t remember anything prior to about 2 years prior to the class stories starting. -Prompt: ... out of habit (kiss), former Shey/Koro mention as well as Shey/Torian, because Koro is a mess and while him and Shey have been divorced for years habits die hard. -Fictober 2020, day 8: I’m not doing that again, Shey/Torian & Kurana/Andronikos (will be under both pairs), Little bit of a fun idea of who would win in a fight, our dear pirate or mando

Kurana Knight/Andronikos Revel: -Prompt: One Falling Asleep with their head in the other’s lap, Kurana/Andronikos, I keep thinking of this prompt now and then because writing Niko being soft for his wife is a lot of fun. -Fictober 2020, day 8: I’m not doing that again, Shey/Torian & Kurana/Andronikos (will be under both pairs), Little bit of a fun idea of who would win in a fight, our dear pirate or mando

Lyra Hawke/Doc: -Fictober 2020, day 1: No, Come Back!, Lyra/Doc, little adventure on an unnamed planet that I honestly love the idea of -Fictober 2020, day 6: That was Impressive, Lyra/Doc, Another little adventure of information gathering featuring Kara’s youngest son, Connor. -Fictober 2020, day 22: And neither should you, Lyra/Doc, little bit of fluff and doc trying to get his wife to take a day off

Ren Hawke/Vinn Atrius: -Fictober 2020, day 9: Will you Look at this?, Ren/Vinn, I need to write more of them outside of btbn so this was a start to hopefully more building on my didn’t plan to ship this as strongly as I ended up doing pair.

Ava Reiner/Jonas Balkar: -Fictober 2020, day 20: Did I ask?, Ava/Jonas, Small job featuring a couple of SIS agents, and including a bounty hunter I got attached to in a hurry.

Kyri Dennan/Arn Peralun: -Fictober 2020, day 21: This, this makes it all worth it, Kyri/Arn, little build up for another pair that I didn’t expect to get attached to, featuring some implant maintanence.

Airi/Theron (one off because disaster spy/spy pairing I had to write at least once): -Admittance, 1 chapter, complete

WoW: Aulara Stormdawn/Kieran Grimmarrow: -Lunar Eclipse, (Technically my first fic but I didn’t post it until after Shall We Dance), A story involving Aulara (an orphaned night elf priestess), Koren Haven (her brother from the orphanage, a human paladin), Kieran (a blood elf noble, hunter who doesn’t have much people skills), and the friends they meet including Rokar an old orc shaman and Sen a orc huntress, that navigates through the warcraft story starting with vanilla wow. Currently 7 chapters, on hiatus but planning on picking it up again in 2021! -Fictober 2020, day 4: That didn’t stop you before, Aulara/Kieran, A quest during Legion and a bit of a flashback from one of their first quests together around when they first started fighting side by side during BC -Fictober 2020, day 25: Sometimes you can even see, Aulara/Kieran, The burning of Teldrassil and Kieran deciding he’s willing to risk everything he’s ever known to be with his wife. Koren is there to give him a hand. -Fictober 2020, day 26: How about you trust me for once?, Aulara/Kieran, early BC before they became a couple, Kieran and Aulara get a moment to talk alone in Nagrand, involves something close to an awkward confession. >:3

Shey Wrynn/Varian Wrynn: -Prompt: Are you testing me?, Shey/Varian, post WoD but pre-Legion, little walk through elwynn turning into an adventure between the king and his wife, Shey is not amused when he charges in head first. -Fictober 2020, day 2: That’s the easy part, Shey/Varian, mid to late WoD, bit of fluff while planning the push towards hellfire citadel, bit of fluff and bit of proposal. >:3 -Fictober 2020, day 10: All I ever wanted, Shey/Varian, post-BFA Pre-Shadowlands, proof I can write at least a little bit angsty, some platonic Shey & Anduin. -Fictober 2020, day 16: I never wanted anything else, Shey/Varian, something short around late Cata early MoP involving Shey having a birthday. -Fictober 2020, day 27: Give me that, Shey/Varian, probably what I consider the most ooc i’ve written him but honestly i had a lot of fun writing them being dorks. -Fictober 2020, day 31: I trust you, Shey/Varian, sometime early Cata soon after they started a relationship. The one and probably only time I’ll ever mention Shey’s old house, and a touch on the fact that i’m 100% certain that Varian would try and sneak out of the city time to time.

Shey & Anduin (platonic, it’s always platonic/familial between them) -Fictober 2020, day 19: I can’t do this anymore, Shey & Anduin, because sometimes a girl just needs to sneak her son out of the city to give him a break and maybe check out a ruin or something.

Shey Wrynn/Aethas Sunreaver: -Prompt: By your side, Shey/Aethas. Post legion, a bit of a moment between them early BFA. I started writing them as a potential pair before settling as friends with benefits that might form into more, so this is a possible hinting at them becoming “more”

Mass Effect: John Shepard/Kaidan Alenko: -Prompt: War’s End Kiss, Shenko, Post ME3 when they’re just a couple of retired old soldiers and John’s slowly recovering from his injuries from the final push. -Fictober 2019, day 4: I know you didn’t ask for this, Shenko, Post ME3, a bit of a heart to heart between them and tending to slowly healing injuries. -Fictober 2020, day 3: You did this?, Shenko, Post ME3, Kaidan runs across some old footage of John over the years from before they met to the reaper war. -Fictober 2020, day 14: You better leave now, Shenko, during ME3, short mission against a hold out of mercs, featuring James. -Fictober 2020, day 24: Are you kidding me?, Shenko, during ME3 probably, featuring Kaidan “my headache doesn’t hurt that bad” Alenko and John “please just take a nap” Shepard. -Fictober 2020, day 29: Back up!, Shenko, during ME3, mission to clear out a cerberus warehouse including some battle flirting and James lending a gun.

Scott Ryder/Gil Brodie: -Fictober 2020, day 12: Watch me, Ryder/Gil, Post main MEA story, something short of Scott looking forward to getting out and exploring while Gil (and eventually Sara) work on the Nomad. (Sara is my pathfinder)

Dragon Age: Garrett Hawke/Fenris: -Dawning, Fenhawke, Short bit of fluff and my firt step into writing dragon age. Late or post DA2.

Lia Hawke/Fenris (a one off when I was debating on canon hawkes & romances for them): -Fictober 2020 day 5: Unacceptable, try again. Fenhawke, little bit of teasing and bad taste in books.

Rana Cousland/Alistair Theirin: -Promptless ramble, Rana/Alistair, Set during DAO with Rana reflecting on those she’s lost, worrying for her brother and realizing just how in love she’s fallen with Alistair. -Fictober 2020, day 23: Do we have to?, Rana/Alistair, set post DAO, pre-DAI, little romantic picnic between the king and queen of ferelden before she heads off on her next mission. (hints at Nathaniel being involved with the both of them.)

Greedfall: Lydia de Sardet/Kurt -Fictober 2020, day 11: I told you so, Lydia/Kurt, short bit trying to get my footing writing these two, Lydia thinks she can still climb trees like she used to as a kid. -Fictober 2020, day 17: Give me a minute or an hour, Lydia/Kurt, short bit, and Kurt not being as subtle about his feelings about Lydia as he probably thinks he has.

Anthem: Raya Auren/Matti (1 of the 3 Matthias Sumner) -Fictober 2019 day 1: It’ll be fun, trust me, Raya/Matti, Bit of an adventure involving Raya taking her favorite arcanist out of fort tarsis to see something very special. (also involving me having no clue how they transport people when there’s only one javelin and winging it)

Smut: (all of them are swtor so far) -A Moment Reprised, Kara/Arcann, takes place post-umbara and pre-nathema, and sometime late in BtBN, no plot. -Moving on, Koren/Trey, takes place right before chap 35 of BtBN, featuring my dorks of a hunter and sith setting in stone they’re serious about each other. no plot -Just a short vacation, Kara/Theron, takes place post-nathema pre-onslaught, A moment in Kara and Theron’s honeymoon at a lovely resort and the closest to taking a day off Theron will ever probably take. No plot -Welcome Home, Kara/Arcann/Theron, unlike the other 3 doesn’t have a specific time that it takes place other than post nathema. No plot

#my writing #this took forever i didn't realize i've written so much over the years #going forward i'm going to just add new ones onto this so they just stay connected without me having to redo this

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retroateez · 4 years ago

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Prophecy - Chapter Fourteen

hi my loves! probably the last update of the year so in advance, happy holidays and a wonderful new year to all my lovely readers! i adore every single one of you <3

Prophecy Masterlist wc; 3199

No. Absolutely not. Not a chance in hell.

"We've been through this, Iris." Yeosang sighs. "You have to go!"

You stare up at your mentor, gritting your teeth and trying to contain your rage as best you can. He had found you in the castle gardens, sitting contentedly amoung the radiant blooms to completely ruin your day by telling you Hongjoong was arranging dancing lessons for you.

Because you didn't 'look as though you knew how to dance', apparently. (He was right.)

The prospect of going to the ball was bad enough, let alone have one of his stupid cronies teach you how to dance.

"Why can't you teach me?" you splutter, bursting into your room in an attempt to get away from him.

"Because I won't be dancing." he explains, following you into the room and standing in the threshold. "I'm just a guest. But you, you're an honourary guest."

Honourary guest?! What does that even mean?!

In the end, Yeosang pleads with you to please just do as he asks, and not to cause a fuss. So reluctantly, you agree. He tells you that he doesn't know who your dance teacher will be, and that you should also look for a dance partner to go to the ball with.

"You can't attend a ball alone." Yeosang says as if that is common knowledge.

He turns to walk away, but suddenly remembers something he had forgotten to tell you.

"You also have a dress fitting, by the way. You'll have to talk to Hongjoong or someone about it."

And with that he leaves your room, missing the way you collapse onto your bed with an overwhelmed grunt.

A ball, a dance partner, an elegant ball gown? It was all too much at once, especially for somebody who had never been introduced to anything remotely regal before. How were you supposed to act? What were you meant to say? What if the others could tell you came from a poor background and laughed at you? How were you supposed to dance in a dress? What if-

"Hey, are you alright?"

You snap your head up to the door frame, where the sight of Wooyoung's concerned face soothes your growing panic. He strides across the room and sits down beside you, throwing an arm over your shoulder and pulling you against his chest. He's wearing a billowy white shirt, which you've noticed he likes to leave fairly unbuttoned, plain black trousers and shiny black boots, that you assume have just been freshly polished.

"Are you alright?" He echoes his previous question, knitting his eyebrows together and leaning closer to your face, causing you to flush and rapidly turn your head away.

"Yes," you lie. "I'm just worried about the ball, that's all."

"You're worried? Why? It's going to be so much fun!"

Glancing up at him, you notice how genuinely excited he is, and it settles your worries for a split second. You imagine Wooyoung is an excellent dancer, incredibly graceful on his feet and one who loses himself to the feeling of the music.

"I have no idea how to dance." you shyly admit.

"Really?" The elf shoots up, grabbing your arms along the way. He tugs you roughly so you're standing before him, yet he fails to understand his own strength, and you crash into his chest. Luckily he catches you, with your arms trapped uncomfortably between you both, and he grins, hot breath fanning over your face.

"Then I'll teach you."

"Is that so?" You question sarcastically, wrenching yourself from his grip to hide how flustered you are.

Wooyoung pulls your body back towards him, this time wrapping your arms around his slim neck and settling one his large hands comfortably on your waist.

"Yes." He answers confidently. "All good elves know how to dance."

You glare up at him for a few moments, but you quickly realise his mind is set, and that he isn't letting you go anytime soon. So you yield, relaxing your arms and your legs and Wooyoung grins triumphantly as you do so.

"First of all," he instructs you. "You move your left foot backwards, and simultaneously, I move my left foot forwards.

Hesitantly, you take a step back with only your left leg, and Wooyoung follows suit and moves his left forward.

"See?" He breathes, smiling warmly at you. "Just like that."

He takes you through some more steps, moving your right leg this time, how to move your torso fluidly, and not 'shifting it bulkily from one place to another like an orc'. He teaches you where you should rest your hands, one on his shoulder, and the other clasped firmly, but not tightly, in his own. He scolds you for being too tense, grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you like a ragdoll to loosen you up a bit.

Soon, the two of you are twirling about your shared bedroom. Clumsily twirling, but twirling nonetheless. Wooyoung's grip on you is gentle, guiding and despite how cheesy it sounds, it's right. In the last few weeks you've felt increasingly comfortable around him. He is your comfort zone, your safe space and happy place all rolled into one, lanky, pointy-eared, star-loving, amethyst-eyed living being. It's shocking too, how long it has taken you to realise just how much you care about him.

And it's shocking how you remain oblivious to how he feels the exact same way.

To the way his heart speeds up when he knows you're close, the way his stomach lurches when your hand squeezes his as you spin around the room. His gaze on you growing softer as you both relax into each other's hold. Even to the way he subtley glances at you when you're both attending meeting with the king. Like he knows deep down it's wrong, that the two of you shouldn't be getting close in this way.

But it makes him so happy.

And that's all Wooyoung wants.

And heaven knows what Yeosang would say if he found out about Wooyoung's feelings for you.

But he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it, he thinks, and decides to instead concentrate on not stepping on your toes and not letting his hand accidentally fall too far down your waist.

You both continue to dance in silence. There's a definitive lack of music in the room, but you're both hearing the same melody in your heads, feeling the same beat in your bones and nothing could interrupt the harmony between you.

Wooyoung guides you once more through the room, but this time, in one grand gesture, dips you down whilst keeping a secure hand in the middle of your back. You tip your head backwards and close your eyes, trusting that Wooyoung won't let you fall.

Your eyes pop open to see Wooyoung leaning over you, his face so close to yours you can feel his breath on you.

"See?" He pants, flashing his killer smile. "You're a natural."

You shrug shyly, and he pulls you up so you're both stood facing one another.

"So, about the ball..." Wooyoung begins, suddenly looking nervously down at the floor and beginning to play with your fingers. "Can I tak-"

"Iris!" You and Wooyoung jump apart at Yeosang's bellow into the room. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Where on earth have you-"

Yeosang stops in his tracks, taking in the sight before him; Wooyoung's hands planted firmly on your waist, the deep blush spread across your cheeks.

"What are you two doing?" He asks suspiciously. No answer. "Whatever. Iris, you're late for your dance lessons. And Wooyoung, Hongjoong wants to speak with you."

Wooyoung bows his head respectfully, shot you a half sad smile and quickly hurries out of the room. Yeosang's curious gaze watches after him, then the mage suddenly turns to you.

"Well?" he snaps. "Off you go!"

With a start, you jump and scuttle off towards the grand hall where your mystery dance instructor was waiting for you.

Panic begins to flow through you then; who are they? Do they dance better than Wooyoung? Probably not. Are they going to be a strict teacher? You don't think you could handle anybody barking orders at you today.

You round the corner and discover the giant doors held open, not firmly closed like they usually are. Standing in the threshold, you take in the sight before you.

A collosal hall, stretching so far either side of you, you think it could probably fit double the entire kingdom's population within it. The floors are a pristine, freshly polished beige tile that looks perfect to dance on. You can imagine how amazing the clicking sounds of twirling heels would sound ricocheting off each of the mountain-high, stone walls. Embedded into the walls are multiple stained-glassed depictions. To name a few, you spot a man of impressive stature working away at his glass anvil, smithing something you've never seen before, something both round and spiky. You'll ask Yeosang later, you think. He'll know. On another window, there's powerful bears made out of honey-coloured glass, tearing into their prey; a venison of sorts. Through the years, the crimson dye of the wound had bled through the other panels, making it look as if the venison truly was writhing in pain and trying to escape the picture.

You frown.

The long, mahogany tables are pushed against the wall opposite you, presumably to create space for your lessons. There are benches stacked atop them neatly, and you salute the poor soul who was forced to put them there.

To your left, set proudly on a platform so as to raise its occupant higher than everybody else, is the throne. The centerpiece, the main focus, the pièce de résistance, is Hongjoong's special, reserved seat. Carved out of the richest, darkest wood the entire continent has to offer, you know that there probably isn't a finer throne to be seen. The backrest boasts an intricate design of swirls and stars, which run all the way across the armrests and even down to the bottom of the seat. The ends of the armrests curl inwards, and then curl in on themselves even more like a snailshell. A velvet cushion the colour of Wooyoung's vibrant amethyst eyes sits on the seat of the chair and you can't even begin to comprehend how comfortable it must be.

What catches your attention most though, is the exquisite, intricately detailed fox head, sculpted into the middle of the backrest. The light from the vast windows behind the throne shines through the gaps in the carving, forming the face of the fox in a natural way.

You imagine Hongjoong lounging in the chair, glittering crown upon his head, royal cloak draped over the armrests as he watches his subjects with a bored expression. The king strikes you as somebody who would find balls and banquets just as mundane as you do.

Seonghwa is stood in the middle of the hall, facing your direction and is mid-conversation with somebody else. He spots you and waves you over, extending a long arm well above his head. The other person turns to face you, and you scowl as your eyes meet with-

"San." you growl as you approach the men.

"Good morning, Iris." he smiles at you, but the look in his eyes is pure poison.

The kingsguard doesn't catch on however, and claps his hands togther before addressing you both.

"Great, you're finally here! San here," he gestures to the younger man who is sporting an incredibly unimpressed frown. "will be teaching you how to dance, and how one should conduct themselves at a royal function."

"Lovely." you speak through gritted teeth.

Seonghwa wishes the two of you luck, and informs you he will be back in two hours to check your progress. If you haven't gotten any better, he says, you'll have to keep practising until Hongjoong decides you're good enough.

Brilliant. A minimum of two hours being stuck with an-

"Idiot." San snarls. "You're holding your arms completely wrong."

You glance at your arms which are rung hesitantly around his neck.

"Shut up, clown. My arms are perfectly fine."

"I'm a jester, not a clown." He seethes. And no, your arms are too heavy. You need to relax them, or you'll crush the poor soul who has the misfortune of dancing with you."

You glare furiously at him, but relax your arms nonetheless. As much as it bruises your dignity to listen to him, you don't want to spend any longer with this insufferable human being than you have to.

"Fine." you huff, and let your arms hang more loosely.

"Better." San nods.

Luckily, your training with Wooyoung proved extremely helpful. You could see on San's face he was impressed with the way you moved your feet less clumsily than he had originally anticipated. Of course, he wouldn't ever admit that to you. Dancing with San was fairly straightforward, but it felt totally different to dancing with Wooyoung.

Probably because you couldn't stand San's guts. But whatever.

San's hands on your waist were easy to ignore, the fact that his face was ridiculously close to yours didn't bother you in the slightest. Almost the polar opposite to the way your heart would race and your palms would sweat when Wooyoung even breathed near you. All you could hear was the echoing of shoes on the polished tile floor and San's steady breathing in your ear.

The jester was in the middle of teaching you a new step when Seonghwa entered the room, tailed by a certain, nervous looking elf.

"So," Seonghwa looked at San. "how's it going?"

"Well. She seems to know what she's doing." San replied simply.

You shot Wooyoung a knowing, shy glance and his heart lurched up into this throat.

"Satisfactory enough for the ball?"

"Most likely, your time will be better spent teaching her royal manners rather than dancing."

You glare at San, about to berate him for insulting you, but you're interrupted.

"What exactly are you implying?" Wooyoung spits, his pupils narrowing in anger.

"The pigs in the courtyard have more elegance than she does." San retorts. "Step down, elf, I wouldn't try anything. I'm sure you're more than aware of what your fate will be if you even dare to start anything."

Wooyoung grits his teeth, knowing full well what would happen to him. He growls lowly in frustration before falling back to your side, and you can almost feel the anger radiating off him.

"Anyway..." Seonghwa's gaze flicks between the three of you, awkwardly trying to defuse the situation. "I think we'll leave the dancing lessons at that for now. San, join Mingi in the music room. There's a new routine for both of you to go over."

San nods, shoots both you and Wooyoung an irritated look, before hurrying proudly out of the hall.

"Apologies for him." Seonghwa addresses you both, straightening his posture and fixing the black strand of hair that hangs over his left eye. "He doesn't take to newcomers very well, I'm sure he'll warm up to you both in no time."

He adjusts his pristine uniform, bows shortly to you and follows San out of the room, leaving you and the elf alone in the hall.

"How stra-"

"Go to the ball with me."

"W-what?"

Peering up at Wooyoung, you notice his pupils are still dilated in fury. His nostrils are flared too, yet he speaks in the same calm tone he always holds.

"Go to the ball with me." He repeats, this time grabbing your hand tenderly in his and bending his head down a little to match your height. "Nobody has asked you already, have they?"

"No, but-"

"Then, I would be honoured if you would accompany me to the dance."

"Wooyoung I-" you lock eye contact with him, searching his amethyst eyes for any hint of malice or intent to humiliate you, but you find none.

He's dead serious.

And just like that, you're frozen. Of course your brain is screaming at you to say yes, and your heart is roaring at you to say yes. In fact, every part of you is blaring 'say yes', but the shock renders you speechless. You could sense something between you and Wooyoung had changed, but does this mean Wooyoung had sensed it too?

Sure, friends could dance at balls together too but-

It was different.

"Yes." you blurt, finally. "I would love to."

His face lights up like a kingdom parade, his eyes practically sparkle in the light and he smiles wider than you've ever seen, flashing a glimpse of his sharper, elfin canines.

"Really?" he grins. "Okay. Okay!"

"You're going to have to teach me more dancing, I'm still pretty bad at it."

"Nonsense." He says, leaning down to kiss the tip of your nose. "You're an excellent dancer."

Wooyoung waves goodbye to you then, stating he has some 'important business to attend to, immediately'

You wave back meekly, stunned from the peck on your nose. He disappears into the hallway and now your worries about the ball have increased tenfold. Now that you actually have somebody to impress? You'll be tripping over your feet and stepping all over Wooyoung's toes. But the thought of Wooyoung wanting to go with you makes you feel giddy.

So giddy in fact you practically skip up the castle stairs to your room. You grab your cloak and sling it over your shoulders, yanking the hood up and over to hide as much as your face as possible.

Like a ghost, you pad through the hallways until you're met with a small side-door underneath the stairs that you're convinced nobody knows about. Perhaps only San and Mingi, but they're busy. You steal out the door, closing it silently behind you. Rushing through the dingy stone hallway, you find another door with sunlight filtering out underneath it.

Just what you were looking for.

-----

You push the door open with a determined hand, flinching slightly as the bell above you obnoxiously announces your arrival.

"Welcome to the Ateez Apothecary! What can I- oh, why, long time no see, little lady!"

"Afternoon, Yunho." You respond to his usual, cheery grin with a small smile of your own. He's as tall and baby-faced as ever, this time donning a summery blonde mop in place of the gingerbread hair he had the last time you saw him.

"No Yeosang with you today?" He notices. "You're not doing anything sneaky, are you?" he chuckles playfully, fully expecting you to laugh along.

But you don't. You keep your face kind, but serious as you reply.

"Actually... yes. Kind of."

Yunho's face falls a little, but an intrigued glint flickers in his eyeballs.

"Oh? And am I correct in assuming you require my assisstance? And that you would prefer it if this was kept from Yeosang's knowledge?"

You nod.

Yunho smirks, leaning forward onto his elbows on the wooden countertop.

"Then what exactly can I help you with?"

You adjust your hood anxiously, biting your lip as you watch Yunho's excited demenour. You wonder if this is something that you should be doing. The obvious answer being no. But you refuse to be a pushover. You refuse to blindly follow the rules put in place by other people who have no obligation to follow those same rules. And you know that there's nobody else who would help you. Except maybe Yunho.

It's a chance you're willing to take.

"I want you to teach me magic."

Chapter Fifteen

#hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #wooyoung #yeosang #san #jongho #mingi #medieval!ateez #ateez #kpop #wooyoung x reader #retroateez

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kolbisneat · 4 years ago

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MONTHLY MEDIA: May 2020

Well there’s another month come and gone. TV and books seems to be what I gravitate towards whilst in quarantine. Anyway here’s the month of May in a wordy nutshell!

……….FILM……….

Blockers (2018) I was mostly drawing while my partner watched this but from what I heard and occasionally saw, it was fun! Silly and gross and I’m not reeeeally sure who the target demo was, but it had a modern and more nuanced perspective on sexuality so that’s cool.

……….TELEVISION……….

Mad Men (Episode 1.11 to 3.03) WHO KNEW THIS SHOW WAS SO GOOD?!? The amount of screentime dedicated to advertising seems to be dwindling a bit, but oooooh there’s still so much juicy office drama (something I think I enjoy because of being self-employed and working from home). It looks like we’ll fail at our attempt to finish the series before it leaves Netflix in June but it was fun while it lasted.

Sex and the City (Episode 1.01 to 2.06) Returning to this for something when we don’t have time to watch Mad Men (or need something lighter) and it’s hitting the spot. We’re slowly getting past the era of randos talking to the camera (and mostly past Carrie breaking the fourth wall). I was in college when I first watched this and I’ve come to realize how much I’ve grown as a human as I only now have enough self-awareness to recognize I’m a Charlotte.

Gravity Falls (Episode 1.09 to 1.15) We’ve since slowed down on this a bit but I’m really excited to get back into it as season 2 is just so good!

Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Episode 1.01 to 1.04) The first three eps didn’t really do much for me. The one on the directors was cool as I didn’t realize how many there were, but it would’ve been great if they talked a little more about what they brought to the table or why they took this on. Ep 4 on technology was more my speed but overall this still kinda just feels like surface level stuff. Loooots of time spent on actors and directors and professionals complimenting each other and I am not here for that.

……….READING……….

Illuminatus! Part 1: The Eye in the Pyramid by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (Page 204/304) What a trip. It’s pretty much what I expected from an comedic book revolving around the illuminati/secret societies from the 1970s, though it took me ages to adjust to the writing style. I’m really enjoying it, but be warned that there’s no major break between narrators so it can jump between plots with each new paragraph. It feels, at times, like a tone poem, but maybe that’s me putting more of the generation into the text than was intended. Again, I think I like it, but am pretty sure I’m missing a lot.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (Complete) Such a stellar read. I loved Novik’s Uprooted and while you could read either in any order, they both feel of the same world. Both books are full of fairytale danger akin to the traditional stories. They’re beautiful and uncertain and familiar and new. I realize I’m being super vague and general but it’s because it’s so hard to pin down what’s excellent about this book. It’s just good and if you like fantasy and classic fairy tales with layered characters and a more nuanced approach to good and evil then read this AND Uprooted.

Umbrella Academy Volume 3: Hotel Oblivion by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba (Complete) It’s great to get back to this world but I think I need to give it another read. The first two volumes were frantic, but there was typically a clear drive or sense of what the big picture was. Volume 3 felt like a buildup or segue into the next story being told and that’s...not great.

Satania by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoet (Complete) I’ve rambled at length about how much I love past books by these two (particularly Beautiful Darkness) but this one didn’t connect quite the same. The story only scratched the surface of (admittedly really interesting) themes and I would’ve loved for it to get fleshed out further. The art is consistently incredible and their take on a subterranean world is breathtaking. I recommend if you want to read every book by these two, but wouldn’t suggest this as your first introduction (for that, Beautiful Darkness, or Beauty).

Hellboy Library Edition Vol 5 & 6 by Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo, Dave Stewart (vol.5 and 6), and others (vol. 6) (Complete) A return to form. Fegredo is such a great choice for taking over from Mignola for the main story. The final story in volume 6 is still a weird choice to me (especially since the penultimate one would’ve been much better) but I’m so excited to read the next volume. Such an cool chapter in comics history.

GRRL SCOUTS by Jim Mahfood (Complete) Very late 90s. Like soooooooo 90s. Some of the writing hasn’t aged well, but it’s interesting to see how much things have changed in...oh jeez 20 YEARS!

……….AUDIO……….

Staying In with Emily & Kumail (Podcast) As a dedicated listener to their old podcast, The Indoor Kids, it’s great to listen to these two again. Also weirdly comforting that their dynamic and personalities (at least as far as podcasting is concerned) hasn’t changed over the years between then and now. It’s gotta be at least 4 or 5 years, right? Anyway, this is a good listen if you’re navigating the pandemic (jk, we’re all doing that).

Articles of Interest (Podcast) So I think this is technically a miniseries put out by 99% Invisible but I loved season 1 and season 2 is just as good. Every episode is concise and these latest episodes are really diving into new parts of the fashion industry. Very cool.

Unravel Season 4: Snowball (Podcast) I checked this out on a recommendation since our mutual friend went through a similar situation (getting romantically involved with a perpetual con artist) and it was so interesting to see the overlap. It’s just such a wild story of deception and habitual lying and theft and manipulation. Great listen.

Dedicated Side B by Carly Rae Jepsen Exactly the sort of pick-me-up we need right now. Good stuff. Always a treat. Very happy.

……….GAMING……….

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The latest session had the group spending...maybe 25 minutes sorting out how they were going to approach the Jolly Roger (ship of the dreaded Captain Hook). Their plan is a mixture of stealth and impersonating what amounts to Pirate Ship Quality Control. We’ll see how that goes. Anyway I’m really excited by how the group is exploring the island and for this book to come out in October!

D&D Homebrew Adventure (Menace of Merlin) The group is sorting out a curse/illness plaguing one of the character’s hometown and...the timing of this plot is not ideal BUT everyone seems to be okay with it. They took out some orcs and hopefully will be able to find the hermit that can help with the slow petrification of the village.

Tyranny of Dragons /Gainfully Employed (Wizards of the Coast) I’m not sure I posted about this last month but the party has just sorted out the cause of a failing lighthouse (that’s magical) and brought the culprit to justice! Now to head out of Phlan and sort out some silly rumors that I’m sure are nonsense.

And that’s it! As always, hit me with your recommendations if you have something I should read/play/watch/or listen to!

Happy Sunday.

#Monthly Media #Rambles #Kolbisneat #Andrew Kolb

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redknight3996 · 5 years ago

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The Demon Lord’s Generals 2

Chapter 2 – The Lion’s Bane

Leok earned her name when she was twelve, still a whelp by any standard out there. ‘Sides goblins, maybe? Or summa those other smaller folks out there, though most folk were small to her.

The Ferrus Lion she fought way back then was a very big bastard though, and a hell of a fun match to fight. Its steel fur and solid hide made it practically impossible to wound with any bladed or pointed weapons, and even blunt stuff tended to bounce right off.

So her beating it down, choking it out, and snapping its neck, all with her own two hands, earned her some damn high praise when she dragged the mountain beast’s carcass back, far ahead of the rest of her hunting party. But it also earned her a cuff upside the head from the chief, so goods and bads.

“Ya don’t run off from yer party, brat,” Chief chided later on in her tent as she helped Leok carve her totem for the lion, letting the young, gold-blonde orc sit in her lap as she guided the whit-knife in her hand along a block of yellow-wood, “Even if yer goin’ up a beast alone, yer gonna want yer group ta know where ya are. One good knick and ya could be bleedin’ out fast.”

“Not my fault they're slow. If it were up ta them, we'd still be up there huntin’ the thin’...”

“Cause huntin’ requires patience. If ya keep chargin’ in head first, the beast yer huntin’ will just run off.”

“This one didn’t. I got him quick ‘nough.”

“Yeah, ya got lucky.”

That got Leok to scowl back at her chief, before pausing as Chief gripped her wrist a little tighter with one of her dark hands, keeping her from making a miscut. “...” She looked back at the on-going carving, still frowning. “Weren’t luck…”

“Hey now, no shame in luck. Luck’s important. Let’s ya know the gods like ya.” Chief chuckled, letting Leok carve on her own for a sec as she reached up and pet her short, messy hair down. “Plenty’a stuff facter inta a hunt. Strength’s important, sure, and ya got plenty’a that. Sensin’s also important. Gotta see where it goes, gotta listen close, gotta track its scents, so on.”

“And I‘m good at trackin’!”

“Yer good, but ya ain’t great. Patience is ‘portant, little lion. Sometimes ya get lucky and run inta a big, hungry beastie lookin’ fer a fight, but plenty’a times, y’ll be runnin’ fer weeks tryin’ ta track just one big, angry beastie who’s far too clever fer ya.”

“Hmph...I’m smarter than a beast…”

“Not all beasts, and it’s not always ‘bout bein’ smart. Ya can be the smartest, cleverest hunter out there, but if yer goin’ inta a new place, no idea what’s lyin’ out there, y’ll wind up gettin’ killed by somethin’ that just knows the area better’n ya.”

“...Like Tuzik Spike-Heart?”

“Oh, so ya are listenin’ ta Gran’s stories.”

Leok shrugged then, trying to focus on getting the small totem rounded right. Least that’s what she’d say if asked. Truth was, she was a proud girl, and embarrassment was painful. “...Summa ‘em. The smart ones.”

“Heh. And which ones’re those?”

“Summa ‘em. Ya probably know more’n me since yer listenin’ ta everyone all the time.”

“Probably do. Y’d learn just as many if ya listened too.”

Leok snorted. “Listenin’s fer chiefs. I’m gonna be a warrior, and make my own tribe’a warriors! Maybe unite all’a the orcs out there, make somethin’...big!”

“Ha! Really now? Ya got a conqueror’s heart in ya now?”

“I might!” Chief’s heavy hand dropped right on her head and started mussing her hair, earning a yelp from Leok. “H-Hey! Yer ruinin’ my concentration!”

“Gra ha ha! Bet I am! Can’t help it though, not when yer bein’ this cute.”

“I ain’t cute!”

“Yer a kid, kids are cute, deal with it. Also, speakin’ as an old warrior here, I’m gonna say that ya don’t have a conqueror’s heart. Ya got a warrior’s.”

“Yeah yeah…” Leok would’ve just grumbled and went on as usual, but...some little curiosity made her ask, “What’s the difference?”

“Heh. Big difference.” Chief let out a sigh. “...Real big difference. Startin’...ya remember Harvest-Maker and Harvest-Taker?”

“Eh? That kid story?”

“Yup, that’s the one. What d’ya ‘member ‘bout it?”

Leok shrugged, trying to think as she worked. “Uh...Once there were two orc brothers. Both were strong and tough, but one decided ta guard his tribe and the other turned bandit. The first brother, was the younger one I think?” At Chief’s nod, she continued, “He talked ta a lotta folk and orc as he walked with his tribe and made his people happy ‘cause he brought in food and coin by talkin’ good. Second brother, who was older, was meaner though, and got a buncha other meaner orcs t’gether ta rob folk. He was good at it and got a lot, but got the folks mad at ‘im and they dragged ‘im offa his horse and hacked ‘im ta pieces. His brother though, he lived long and happy ‘cause he made ‘is tribe happy, right?”

Chief grinned. “Close. See, Maker was a warrior. He worked fer his own good, ‘long with his tribe’s good. By bein’ smart and workin’ with folk, tradin’ with ‘em, huntin’ the beasts that gave ‘em trouble, he didn’t get rich, but he got enough. Enough ta live, not just survive. And he was a whole lot happier, cause he had people that loved him and wanted ta see him happy.

“Taker though, he wanted ta take. He didn’t respect folk and he didn’t respect orc; he only cared ‘bout gainin’. Not keepin’, but gainin’. More and more, always more. What he got, he wasted on drink and feasts. He was a glutton, and his new tribe weren’t even a real tribe, ‘cause none’a ‘em really cared ‘bout each other, not deep down. They could pal, sure, but they only wanted ta have their wants. Was why none’a ‘em helped when the folk came after Taker. Real tribe, they keep ya safe and ya keep ‘em safe in return.”

“...” Leok considered that, frowning as she carved the mouth. “So...I shouldn’t make a tribe’a warriors?”

“Ya could. But thin’ is, fighters gotta have reasons ta fight. What would they do if they ain’t got someone ta fight fer?”

“...Huh…”

“‘Sides, wouldn’t ya rather have plenty’a people around ta help out? Gotta have coinkeepers ta keep track’a accounts, and yer little pal there, Bekah, she don’t wanna be a warrior, does she?”

“Nah, she likes cookin’...Sero’s good at axe-throwin’ though. He could help.”

“Ya really wanna trust yer tribe ta just Sero?”

“Nah, he’s kinda shit.”

Chief let out a bark of laughter and ruffled her hair again, grinning wide, her larger tusks almost gleaming in tent’s lantern-light. “Ya see what I mean? Though don’t cuss.”

“Hm...Hyp’crite.”

“Hypocrite, ya little brat. Use yer words right.”

“Yes chief…” So young Leok grumbled, got back to work, and carved her totem. It was simple enough, and worked fine for a belt buckle, but the main, most important thing was that she’d earned her name and it was a big one. Not Leok Lion-Break or Leok Lion-Hunt.

No, she was a Bane of the Beast-Bane tribe. She was Leok Lion-Bane. And every orc out there was gonna know her name.

–2 Years Later–

Chief was a weird orc. Plenty nice to Leok and all the rest of the tribe, but she stood out, partially cause of her attitude and partially cause of her looks.

Her looks were the obvious part, on account of the Chief being a High Orc.

High Orcs were a rare type of orc, like a weird thing. Not a mutation, like Gura Three-Tusk or Lurtol Six-Finger, but like a special type. One way she heard it described was that High Orcs were like Lycans were to humans, but then there were Kapros out there that weren’t High Orcs, so…

To be more clear, appearance-wise, the Chief was taller than the average orc–at around 6’8” instead of the 6’4” average–and had dark brown skin instead of green or gray, or even the pink of Sun Land orcs. Apparently it was a sign of her type being closer to the gods or something, like those old Sun Land Imperials and all.

She also had longer tusks–which, orc-ishly speaking, was a lot more of a sign of status than any skin stuff–and a tail. A longish one, with a tuft of hair at the end that she liked poking at people with to mess with them, or just to play with kids, who liked grabbing at it. Not that Leok ever did that kinda thing when she was tiny.

Oh, and the Chief also had really shaggy white hair–like a ‘platinum blonde’ instead of Leok’s golden blonde–and her eyes were like a kinda...green-amber. Lots a little flecks and looked pretty weird at times, but the Chief was weird in general, so that was that.

And she could also turn into a boar. Like, a big boar, like a kaprothrope. Was interesting and sometimes she’d let people ride on her back if they were having trouble. Chief didn’t have a lot of pride, but she did have confidence.

Least that’s how she explained it to Leok. Apparently there was a difference?

Maybe it was a “conqueror/warrior” thing, where the difference seemed small but meant a lot. She didn’t understand, not at that point, but Leok did give an effort to watch how her chief talked with people, whether they were folk or orc.

She tended to be real polite with folk, speaking nice and polite and offering help and trade, and be a lot more casual and boisterous with other orc, though she was plenty friendly either way. There was more than a couple times she’d sell hides and meat for less than it was worth when she saw a tribe or town was going through rough times, apparently because “gainin’ goodwill’s worth more than havin’ a ton we’ll never use”.

Chief didn’t care about being rich, but it was still kinda a surprise to Leok to see how much worse off a lot of folk and orc were. Gobs especially seemed to have it rougher than most–something about hobs coming from up north looking for territory–and their tribe wound up playing escort to a few of them more than a few times.

It was interesting, talking with folk that’d lost their lands. Some orcs settled in places, but most tribes were nomads, heading to wherever game and grazing were good on the plains, so the concept of outright losing land felt kinda weird to think. It did make some sense though. Gobs and humans weren’t as tough as orcs, so they settled in places and made forts and alliances to keep out the dangers.

Didn’t feel fair though. If the dangers were too much, if folk like hobs or even orc bandit bands came after them, then they didn’t have anywhere to go at all.

Didn’t feel fair at all, and she said as much to the chief as the two rode alongside each other, following the trails to one the eastward towns.

“Yeah, it ain’t,” Chief agreed, “But it is how it is.”

“Yeah, but...why? Ya said folk were tough, right? So why don’t they all join up? Like a big army?”

Chief snorted. “I thought ya said ya were too big fer stories?”

Leok shook her head, her hair longer, but braided nicely. “Nah. The gob grans have interestin’ ones. Lotta stuff ‘bout old builders’n leaders.”

“I noticed. Why ya think I asked that?” She chuckled, leaning back in her saddle and patting Strider’s white mane, earning a whinny from the huge black horse. “Yer listenin’ ta a lotta tales’a leaders then?”

“Yeah, lotta ‘em. Big ones, unitin’ towns and tribes and stuff. Like...Jee-ahnma...Ghian…” She frowned, trying to figure out the unfamiliar syllables.

“Don’t hurt yerself.”

“Ah fuck off.”

“And no cussin’!” Chief pointed at her, then sighed again, still grinning. “They ever mention how most’a those leaders got their idiot selves killed?”

“...Uh...Not really? They aren’t around, so I thought they were gone, but...what d’ya mean?”

Chief shrugged. “Remind me ta talk ta ya about ‘Demon Lords’ later.”

Leok blinked. “What, like the ones in Gran’s old stories?”

“Nah, different. Not ‘Demon Princes’, not ‘Demon Kings’. Somethin’ both better and worse, in a whole lotta ways.”

“...” Leok glanced at her chief again. She was staring straight ahead, and her eyes seemed...more tired than usual. And for a moment, Leok wondered if Chief always had such deep bags under her eyes. “...Why can’t ya tell me now?”

“Easy. Cause town’s comin’ up ahead, and looks like we’re not the only tribe stayin’.” Chief suddenly grinned, then urged Strider into a gallop, leaving Leok and Apple-Eater in the literal dust, blinking after her in confusion.

And sure enough, right outside the town of Dasloh were a number of tents set up, though they were all a bright red instead of the shades of yellow most Hayland orcs tended to use to blend into the plants around. Leok didn’t know of any red forests out in the Dark Lands, so this new tribe would probably stand out just about anywhere.

“Ho the camp!” Chief called out from a decent distance, grinning easily as a couple of the camp’s orcs glanced over, letting Leok get a good look at the noticeably gray orcs–which probably meant they were coming from further east. They were all wearing feathered cloaks and coats over their leathers too, mostly in reds and browns.

“Is there somethin’ you need, traveler?” One of the orcs asked as he raised a hand, returning her greeting. He and the other orcs around had a whole lot of red-orange tattoos across their arms and faces, marking and making it obvious which Ancient they followed.

“Just ta inform ya my tribe is going to be stoppin’ here too. Don't worry, I'll lead them ta the other side of the town.”

“Is that so?” The orc grinned, standing straighter. “Well, if you and yours are in need of some entertainment, we’re more than willin’ to oblige. For a price, of course.”

“That so?” Chief echoed with a smirk of her own, “Never seen a troupe’a all orcs before.”

“In that case, you can consider this a rare opportunity well worth the price of admission!” he replied, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. Real theatric guy.

“Ha! Guess I'll have ta take ya up on that. Try not ta leave before we're done settin’ up.”

“We'll save you a spot in tonight's show,” the orc said as he bowed to her with a flourish.

Staying aways back as Chief returned to her, Leok looked over at the camp itself. Seemed most orcs had gone back to what they were doing once they realized it was just another tribe. Went a lot better than how it usually did there, since most tribes didn't like sharing spots, especially when it came to towns. One orc tribe being nearby was a good trading partner to most folk, but there were plenty who got suspicious, and those paranoid voices got a lot louder the more orcs were around.

Though, before she pulled the reins on Apple-Eater to head on back with Chief, she paused as she noticed an odd orc in particular was staring at her. A small thing, probably younger than her, but wearing full black instead of the browns and reds everyone else had.

“...” After a second, she raised a hand and waved over to the kid, who blinked, staring right back at her. Another few seconds passed, and the kid–looked like a girl, from what Leok could tell–raised a hand in return and waved hesitantly. So of course Leok smiled back at the shy kid, waving again before riding off to catch up with her chief.

And much later on, once they’d got all their tents set up and carriages set, Leok decided to seek out that kid again. She didn’t know what was up with the girl and her black feather cloak, but if she was standing out for some reason, there had to be something interesting going on with her.

The rest of the Fire-Art tribe was pretty amazing already, with all the fancy tricks they were showing off at their carnival. Lotta fire magic going off–made sense, considering the name–in big shows, like plays featuring dragons and monsters made of flames or glass sculptures made easy for folks to buy. Add in the lively music and cheerful feeling the whole place gave off, and it was hard for Leok to keep from smiling as she walked around.

Still, she had a self-appointed mission she was on–though the sight of a big lion made out of flames chasing an equally fiery gazelle through the sky was damn impressive–so she definitely couldn’t afford any distractions. Though barbecued meat at the food stands smelled fantastic…

Eventually, she did manage to catch sight of the black-cloaked kid again while she was munching on a skewer, and for the briefest moment, she felt kinda stupid for thinking the kid might be hanging around somewhere special instead of just sitting with her knees up to her chest and watching one of the fire shows with the other kids, but that moment passed quick and Leok headed right on over, taking a seat beside the kid.

“Hey there!” she greeted, grinning. Then she paused and tried to get some of the beef out from between her teeth with her tongue.

“Heh...hi yerself.”

“Nn...I get it?”

“Most’a it.”

“Nice!” Leok grinned again, moving her skewer to her left hand then leaning over with her right to shake the kid’s. “Name’s Leok Lion-Bane!”

The kid blinked. “Y’have a surname?” Then once that sunk in, she finally shook Leok’s hand, her face turning a little red. “Sorry. Uh, my name’s Crow.”

“I sure do! And nice ta meetcha Crow. Were ya named that fer yer coat or did that come later?”

“Came later. Gramma Col said I was all small and dark when I was born, like a crow.”

Leok nodded, continuing to grin. “Makes sense ta me. My tribe’s Gran named me Leok cause that’s like a lion’s name, and I got all this gold hair like one.”

“Huh...Lions’re named Leok?”

“Nah, they’re named Leo. No ‘K’, cause they’re not orcs.”

“Oohh…”

Leok giggled at the smaller orc’s nod of understanding, then leaned back, watching the show for a minute or so. “So how old are ya?”

“Eleven.”

“Yeah, that makes sense too. I’m fourteen!”

“Makes sense ta me,” Crow echoed, nodding again and earning another giggle from Leok, who really couldn’t help it. The smaller orc was just too serious sounding, it was cute. “Why’d ya look fer me?”

“Cause you were lookin’ at me. Made me curious.” Leok glanced at her. “So why were ya doin’ that?”

“...I got a feelin’ when I saw ya.”

“A good feelin’?”

Crow shrugged. “...Somethin’ like one? Just saw ya and thought…’she’s important’. Jus’ that thought...Might’a saw somethin’ too.”

Leok was trying to seem casual, still leaned back, but her attention was fully on Crow. “And what’d ya see? Other than me, a’course.”

“Nah, was still ya, but y’were...bigger. Adult, I think. And ya had this armor on, all gold and...big, fancy. And I was followin’ ya, along with a lotta other orcs...Not just orc, also other folks.”

“...Like a lord?”

Crow tilted her head, obviously thinking, and apparently not noticing...whatever was in Leok’s tone there. She herself didn’t really know what it was. Eagerness? Fear? Something. “Maybe? Ya were a leader though, that I’m sure.”

“...Heh. Huh.”

“Or could be nothin’, sorry.” Crow seemed to shrink in on herself, maybe mistaking Leok’s thoughtful tone for skepticism. “I’m still just learnin’ from Gram in the fortune stuff, I haven’t-”

Leok clapped a hand to her back, earning an abrupt squeak from the younger orc. Once Crow’s attention was on her again though, Leok grinned wide. “Thanks fer tellin’ me that. Ya just gave me a lot ta think about.”

“...Y-Yer welcome.”

Then Leok studied Crow for a moment, a slow smile creeping up her face. “Hey. When yer older, I’m gonna be even bigger and better than I am now. So when I’m at that point, and I find ya again, do ya wanna become my shaman?”

“...” And with wide eyes, Crow slowly nodded. “Y-Yeah. Yeah, definitely!”

“Good! Then work hard ta be the best ya can, because when I come back, I’m gonna be more than worthy’a bein’ yer boss.”

–Four Years Later–

Even at eighteen, Crow’s words from that one evening burned in the back of Leok’s mind. They stuck in her head, sounding out like echoes in a valley. Sometimes louder, sometimes quiet, but always there.

It’s what drove her to improve. If she was gonna be any kind of leader, she’d have to be stronger and smarter. The type who would never lose in any fight, physical or magical, and smart enough to know how to lead.

Those words–that promise that she’d be great–was why she was sitting on a lake island, completely naked with her legs crossed on the cold grass. Gran sat opposite her, her own darker, scarred body just as bare, letting Leok see the deep blue tattoos that crossed her old, weathered skin. At two hundred and sixteen, she was the oldest orc Leok knew, but she still looked damn strong, her green skin wrinkled and leathery but her muscles as solid as ever, same as her tusks. Though a few of her teeth had been replaced with iron ones over the years.

Sure, she looked all saggy in places and her white hair had thinned to the point that the half-blind elder just chopped it short, but there was no mistaking the power going through her. A different kind of power than the chief though. More...wise, instead of strong.

The tribe had stopped in a nice spot on the plains, nearby Tarkus Lake, some kinda sacred place. She didn’t really know why it was sacred, but when she went to Gran, telling her she was ready to earn her colors, Gran went right to the chief and told her to divert their course thataway. And the chief didn’t argue at all, so it was definitely an important thing.

“...Well I’ll be damned,” Gran finally spoke, her thin lips cracking in a grin as her eyes opened up again, one a deep green, the other a milky white, “Ya really are ready.”

“What, ya doubted me?” Leok almost grinned back, but this was a sacred thing. She had to take it seriously. But one thought did nag at her. “Why’d ya have Chief head here if ya weren’t sure?”

“The mystic thoughts of an elder can only be understood by reachin’ that age yerself,” she replied, closing her eyes and nodding serenely as though that answered things. It didn't mean much to Leok, but since the wisest of her tribe had said it, it probably meant a lot.

“Right, so since I'm ready, come on! Let's go ta the next step!”

Gran shrugged. “Alright, if ya want.”

“Come on, I–Wait, really?” Leok blinked. “Yer not gonna say somethin’ about how ‘patience is good’ or somethin’?”

“Course not. If yer ready, yer ready.” Gran smiled, a few of her iron teeth glimmering in the noon-day sunlight. “Takin’ a step like this means becomin’ an adult, Leok Lion-Bane. It ain’t somethin’ ya get inta if ya really aren’t ready fer it, and everythin’ about yer soul says yer ready. Sure, Rishak would probably prefer if I waited two years so ya get there the same as everyone else, but that’s cause she worries easy.”

“...Ya were talking about the chief there, right? She worries easy?”

“Course she does. Chiefs worry. They need ta. It’s part’a their responsibilities, and I’ve told ya plenty’a stories’a those chiefs that were so confident in themselves, they didn’t even think’a worryin’ when they really shoulda.”

“Yeah, ya have...So...What comes next?”

Gran cracked another grin. “First, yer gonna needa center yerself. Ya remember how ta meditate?”

“Ah, right.” Leok nodded, then took a breath and clenched her hands into fists, pressing them together in front of her stomach, at her core. She took another breath–in and out, slow as could be; five in, six out–and let herself fall into that rhythm.

“Good good, yer doin’ good. Keep up that breath. Now, I want ya ta think back ta my lessons. Not the stories, but the theology. Who are the gods?”

“...” Leok wasn’t sure if she was supposed to answer at that moment, but she gave it a try. “The Ouza?”

Gran chuckled. “Yeah, that’s one answer. But we’re lookin’ fer a more complete one. And not fer the lower ones. Fer the Ancients. Who are they?”

Their creators, the ones who formed all demons, all dragons, all leviathans, all– “They’re the mothers of us all.”

“Right. Now specifics. What are their Names?”

Leok took a deep breath there. She needed it to help focus, to remember lessons she knew by heart, but kept in the back of her mind in favor of more immediately important things. “Rupture, the Ancient Eruption, Grandmother’a Molten Flames. Fathom, the Ancient Deep, Grandmother’a Kaz...Chasmic Seas? Uh, Tempest, the Ancient Sky, Grandmother’a Ragin’ Squalls. Stygian, the Ancient Thought, Grandmother’a...uh...Bound…” She grimaced, sure she knew the answer, then nodded firmly once she got it. “Boundless Minds.”

“Hmmmm...Yup, that’s all’a ‘em. Nice work rememberin’. Now, hold out yer hands.”

Leok did, and tried her best not to open her eyes when she felt heavy weight settle in her open palms.

“Y’know ya can open yer eyes now, right?”

She did not, but open them she did, which let her see the chunk of clear quartz in her hands. “...Huh. What’m I doin’ with this?”

“Yer holdin’ it.” Gran chuckled as Leok frowned at her. “That little jewel there’s gonna help ya figure some stuff out. First, I want ya ta look at it. What color would ya say it is?”

Leok blinked, then stared at the jagged crystal, small points jutting up from a smooth base like trees on a hill. “...Uh, like...white? It’s clear, mostly, but kinda towards the bottom…?”

“That’s a good ‘nough way’a sayin’ it. The white there isn’t exactly white though. It’s more like ‘absence’.”

“...’n that means?”

“Means nothin’s in there yet. Like yer marks.”

Leok blinked, then glanced at the white lines going up her right forearm, connecting straight from the circle around her elbow to the one around her wrist, kinda like a painted bracer. She’d gotten it done years ago as a way to practice magic, like the other kids her age. “Huh? What’s wrong with my marks?”

“Nothin’ wrong with ‘em, they’re just not complete yet. Ya haven’t found yer type yet, yer ‘affinity’. Ya wanna do more’n just make light balls and signals, right?”

“Well yeah, course. Just...How does this thin’ let me do that?”

“Easy. Ya already know how ta make light. Just push that same power out here, inta the crystal.”

And when Leok did exactly that, she saw what was easily the most beautiful sight she could’ve ever seen.

In that one chunk of quartz–which had gone from its pale, clear, white, to a burning, vibrate mix of molten reds speckled with black–she saw the fire she’d felt burning in the back of her head for all those years.

And with that beautiful sight, her fire burst free, and lit her soul alight.

–Eight Years Later–

Leok panted, her breath coming heavier than it ever had before. Sweat ran down her face and mixed with the blood leaking from her busted nose and split lips, soaking down her bare chest like it would mix with the crimson flames tattooed into her bruised and scraped skin.

“C’mon. Get up,” she commanded, like her arms didn’t feel like dead weights at her sides. She’d cut her hair short for this match. It was that damn important.

And about three hours into it, her Chief was lying in the sand, flat on her back for the first time Leok had ever seen. For the first time most of their tribe had ever seen, if she was right.

And everyone was seeing it. All the adults of her tribe waited outside the ring they’d formed, distant enough for respect, close enough to see. To see their Chief, the greatest beast of their tribe, down in the sand of a lakeside beach.

“Come on. Get up.” Little more insistently that time. Even years later, she’d wonder why she was so insistent there. She knew this was a step she had to take. She knew she would have to beat her own chief to reach that point. But a part of her, on that sunny day, had insisted that the Chief never lost to anyone. Not even her.

It wasn’t like the Chief hadn’t fought her hard. For the first time, Chief had let her beast slip in a fight. She’d let that thick fur cover her, let her feet harden into hooves, let her tusks get longer and curved like blades, and Leok had still laid her flat. Not without injury, not without effort.

But one of them was standing, and the other was on the ground, and in the eyes of the world and its history, that was the only thing that would ever matter.

“...hgh…ghh...ghh-hh…” Chief lifted her hand–slowly, painfully, like she was trying to lift the sky–and let it fall against her face, her shoulders shaking as she covered her face.

“...Don’t...Don’t cry ‘cause ya lost,” Leok said. She didn’t beg there. She couldn’t. She was the chief now.

“N’t...d-dun’t...f-f’ckin’ f-fladder yerzelf...b-brat.” Her voice was made of broken things. A broken nose, broken teeth, broken jaw, broken ribs and collarbones, but it all held together strong, and there wasn’t even a hint of a broken spirit in it. “Gh hh hh…’m zo f’ckin’...zo f’ckin’ prowd.”

And that was the breaking point for Leok. Tears fell from her eyes as she fell to her knees, a little laugh that sounded like a sob sounding out over the lake, before strong arms wrapped around her and helped her up, a wide grin on Gran’s face.

“Congratulations, Chief.”

That seemed to be the signal for everyone to immediately start crowding, shouting congratulations, cheering the ‘awesome match’, and helping Chief...helping Rishak up to her feet.

That night, they had a feast to fully swear her in, and Leok Lion-Bane–sitting at the honored spot among all her tribe, all laughing and cheering her name, with Rishak’s voice easily being the loudest–became the newest Chief of the Beast-Bane Tribe.

–Five Years Later–

“Yer leavin’?”

“Yup. Soon enough, I will be,” Rishak replied, grinning at Leok in the lights of her tent. Of Leok’s tent. The Chief’s tent.

Still felt weird, sitting on the chief’s pillow. It was a simple thing, large and yellow, like the fields of Korikala. Felt comfy enough. Made her seem taller than she was. “...Why? I mean...I know ya weren’t born in the tribe, but…”

“Yer my family,” Rishak confirmed, even though Leok should’ve known it would be her answer, “And don’t get all insecure, yer better than that.”

“Sure, Gran.”

Rishak’s eye twitched. “...I swear ya told the kids ta start callin’ me that. Rulak ain’t even dead yet and yer already settin’ me up ta take her over.”

Leok snorted, ignoring the little pang at the idea of her Gran dying. She was getting older by the day and all… “I can’t help what the kids call ya. Besides, is it a bad thing?”

“Nah, it ain’t. It’s kinda cute.” Rishak shrugged. “Still. I’m thinkin’ yer set here. Y’ve got a good handle on the tribe, y’ve got a good feel fer the folk around, yer good at talkin’, and yer damn good at fightin’. Ain’t lost a fight yet, right?”

“Only ever lost ta ya, and ya know it.”

“And ya won against me.”

Leok nodded. “And I won against ya. And y’still stuck around afterward. So why now?”

“...Yer movin’ the tribe east, ain’tcha?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. I ain’t been keepin’ it a secret. Thin’s sound bad down south. Folk and orc say some crazy shit goin’ on in the swamps.”

“Sayin’ more’n that.” Rishak scratched at her neck, stretching it a little. “Hm...Ya know what they’re sayin’, yeah?”

Leok’s eyes narrowed. “That there’s a Demon Lord risin’ up.”

Rishak nodded. “Last one’a those...think it was back when ya weren’t even crawlin’ yet. Name was Orast. Kinda a prick.”

That was the moment it all fit together for Leok, truth hitting her like a rock to the head. “So why’re ya stayin’?”

Rishak winced, let out a little sigh, and stared at her much more evenly and seriously. “Cause not everyone can just up an’ leave their homes. So someone has ta make sure they're safe.”

“Then-Then we'll sta-”

“No, ya won't. It's yer job as the chief to protect the tribe. So keep ‘em safe, and keep ‘em movin’.”

“...Only if ya stay safe too.”

“Ha! I lose one fight and ya think I'm just a pushover?”

“...”

“...Look, Lee, I'll be alright. I'm the second strongest orc on all’a Estus, I won't go down that easy.”

“Why d’ya need ta do this? Just tell me that.”

“...” Rishak let out another sigh and scratched her head. “... I made a lotta mistakes in the past. Teamed up with the wrong folk ‘n treated my tribe like trash. Eventually, it all caught up ta me, but I was lucky enough ta make it out alive. ‘n once I met this tribe, I made it my mission ta keep them safe. And now that they have you, I'm gonna keep others safe.”

“And what about you? Who’s gonna keep ya safe?”

Rishak snorted. “I am, a’course. Seriously, ya can’t be-”

“I could order ya ta stay here.”

“...”

Leok tried to keep her gaze steady on Rishak. “I’m yer chief. We both know I can beat ya in a fight. I could keep ya here.”

“...” Rishak sighed. “Ya could. Yeah.”

“...Rishak, as yer chief, I’m orderin’ ya not ta throw yer life away.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Lee-”

“I ain’t orderin’ ya ta stay.” Leok took a little breath. “...Ya can go out, ya can protect people. That’s fine. Just don’t die. No playin’ hero, no grand last stands, no old warrior sacrificin’ herself against a stronger fighter. Yer survivin’, ya got it?”

“...” Rishak visibly swallowed, her voice tight. “Y-Yeah Chief. I understand ya.”

“...And when yer out there, rescuin’ folk ‘n all...tell the ones that can go out that the Beast-Bane tribe’s acceptin’ any refugees. Orc or folk, long as they wanna travel with us. Even if it’s just ta the nearest safe town.”

“...Heh. Geh heh…Yer a good...A real good chief, Chief.” Rishak smiled wide. “I’m gonna meet up with ya again. Promise.”

Leok smiled back. “And I’ll be waitin’ fer ya. Promise.”

Despite their big, sappy goodbye there, it took some time for Rishak Folk-Bane to actually leave the tribe. A lotta people needed to be said goodbye to, after all, and Leok was pretty sure her old chief was putting off leaving, at least a little.

Still, the time came, as it had to, and Leok saw her mentor off with a tight hug and a promise that they’d see each other again.

And sure, it would be some time before they did, but it was, thankfully, a promise they both kept.

–2 Years Later–

So Irascagan got fucking dead after two years of being a jackass. Woo.

Some lightlander brats offed him and his band of murdering monsters–good riddance to bad garbage–and with him gone, all the tension of the last two years just melted away.

Leok also met up with Crow again in those two years. Took a little while, lots of travel time, lots of transporting people through all the marshy, rainy lands of Inrapaba–which was a real pain in the ass, especially since it seemed like everybody out there was way into the idea of “taxes” and making sure her caravan “paid their dues”–and a few moments of punching out asshole bandits–or “gangsters”, since apparently they were more organized than the normal sort–but she eventually ran into Crow and the Fire-Art tribe outside a decently-sized city called Lordsgrave.

“Holy shit, y’look awesome,” was how Leok greeted the gal she hadn’t seen in 19 years. Though it was a plenty appropriate greeting, considering how awesome Crow looked.

“Yer lookin’ good yerself,” Crow greeted in turn, her black-painted lips quirked up in obvious amusement and matching the pitch-black tattoos curving all around her taller, broader and much more muscular body. Though she was still at least two inches shorter than Leok, much to her own amusement. “Beast-Bane Chief now, huh, Lion-Bane?”

“Yup. Been it fer a good seven years now, Crow…?”

Crow’s grin took on a smugger look. “Shaman Crow Black-Art. At yer service, Chief.” And then she bowed low, her feathered, hooded cloak almost making her look like the bird she was named for. “If you’ll have me, of course.”

“Ha! D’ya even need ta ask? Welcome ta the tribe!”

And that was that. No dramatics, no big event, just a simple transfer of an awesome shaman from one tribe to another. Sure, there were more big goodbyes and such, but that was mostly the Fire-Arts just saying they’d miss Crow and giving hugs and all, and Leok did offer to join up their tribes, but their chief, Rola Red-Art, declined, saying that he and his people preferred performing and all.

Leok didn’t consider that an issue, so more fond goodbyes were said and the Beast-Bane tribe moved on. And after that, things fell into a pretty peaceful routine, for an orc tribe.

Plenty of things happened, sure. Lots of traveling tended to bring lots of adventures, like hunting down deadly beasts that were bothering towns, having some sporting competitions with other tribes, and punching out some wereshark prick and his weird gang of other therians that were calling themselves the “Menagerie” for some reason, like they were some dumbass zoo, like in the bigger cities.

Speaking of, the Beast-Banes had gotten a decent reputation in a lotta cities and towns, both in Korikala and Inrapa, and that meant plenty of travel, trade, and good opportunities for growing the tribe and making sure everyone was taken care of, to the point that they’d turned into one of the biggest tribes out there.

And really, at that point, then and there, Leok thought she was pretty damn satisfied. Like she’d gotten almost everything settled, and now her life would just be one of peaceful growth, no need to worry about the assholes out there that could never beat her in a fight. Hell, she even fought an outworlder martial artist, using moves she’d never seen before, and still beat him. Granted, it was a slow-going growth, one that took a lotta time and a lotta work.

Maybe that’s why it took so long for Rishak to find them again.

–Around 5 Years After That–

“What the fuck happened ta yer leg?” was how Leok decided to greet her former chief and mentor who she hadn’t seen in seven years. Though it wasn’t exactly like she decided to say that. More like it just slipped out the instant she saw the brass prosthetic replacing her mentor’s right leg all the way up to the thigh.

“Is that how ya greet yer elder ya disrespectful little shit!?” was how her loving ex-chief and mentor decided to greet her back.

“It is when yer damn leg’s gone! And I’m only two inches shorter than ya!”

“Yer still shorter, and yeah, it is. It’s what happens when yer tryin’ ta get folk outta town and ya get pinned by rubble.”

Leok blinked. “...Oh. Ah, sorry. It just…” She paused. “...Is that what really happened?”

“...” Rishak glanced to the side, staring at the lounge’s wall as she scratched at her cheek. “...Well, uh...ya see, sometimes, someone loses a leg when they get pinned and it just gets wrecked beyond fixin’. Other times...they might pick a fight with a beastfolk general and wind up gettin’ their leg torn off by a direwolf when they weren’t lookin’...”

Leok just sighed, then hugged Rishak tight. “I missed ya.”

“...Missed ya too.”

“...Hn.” Leok paused, remembering that there was someone else still in the room. Two someones.

She glanced over at the young, dark-skinned human woman in all white who’d made that small, conflicted noise, who just looked away and took a sip of her tea while her way paler and blatantly vampiric friend chuckled at his own chair. “Oh no, don’t mind us, please! Enjoy your reunion!”

“...Right.” Leok let go of Rishak and took a seat at one of the remaining chairs around the tea table, which was in the lounge–or a lounge–in Bleaksky Manor, which was in Blekhon County, which was a county in Inrapaba. Noble territories worked in some weird ways, but all Leok really knew was that they hadn’t had to pay any taxes while in the county, so she was already pretty damn sure these nobles hosting her reunion with Rishak wanted something. “I think we’ve been ‘reunioned’ enough here, and I’d like ta get down ta business here. Why’d ya put this meetin’ together?”

Turned out, the answer was a really simple one. The young lady, who was apparently Countess Valondrac–which was weird, because the vampire was the actual Bleaksky there–wanted Rishak to join her household as some kinda commander, but Rishak decided somebody else would be better suited for the job.

“...Yer kiddin’, right? Rishak, I got the tribe ta take care of-”

“No no, see, that’s the nice part. In exchange fer becomin’ Claire’s general here, she’s gonna give our tribe free reign ta go wherever we want in the County.”

“That I will,” Valondrac added in with a grin, “No travel tax, no worrying about permits, you’ll have complete freedom to go wherever you feel like, and even settle down if you want to.”

“...Yer willin’ ta give us that much?”

“Yup! It’s part of the price I negotiated with Miss Folk-Bane, so transferring it over your way should be fine, no?”

“No.”

Valondrac blinked. “No?”

Leok shook her head. “No. That’s a good deal, but I ain’t lookin’ ta join up with some noble’s guard. I appreciate the offer, but I’m gonna hafta decline.”

“...” Valondrac studied her for a moment, then smirked. “I’m not looking for a guard. I’m looking for a general. After all, I need strong people by my side if I’m ever going to take over the world.”

“Look, I appreciate what yer-...” Then it was Leok’s turn to blink. “...Take over the world?”

“That’s the plan! Though you may want to keep it a secret for a while. Jonny pointed out that I’ll need to build up my base a lot more before I go all out and declare myself the newest Demon Lord.”

Leok looked to “Jonny”, who grinned and waved, then over at Rishak. “...Did ya know about this?”

“Yup.”

“...I thought ya didn’t like Demon Lords?”

Rishak grinned. “Most’a ‘em. But her honesty appeals ta me, and...well, let’s say she reminded me a lot’a some other proud brat I know.”

Leok paused there, then looked at Valondrac, who was frowning at Rishak for the “brat” comment. “...Hm. Alright, ya got my interest. But. I ain’t workin’ fer someone weaker than I am. Protectin’, sure. Guardin’, sure. But if ya want me ta call ya my boss, my actual, full superior, ya gotta prove yer worth it.”

“Huh...Alright, you’re on.” Valondrac grinned. “Don’t go easy on me. I want this to be fun.”

Leok snorted, grinning back at the arrogant kid and definitely seeing why Rishak liked her. In that moment, the thought crossed her mind that, when Claire lost to her, she might just stick around anyway. She could train the brat up, like her chief did for her… “Don’t go cryin’ when ya lose, ya got it?”

Claire’s yellow eyes gleamed. “Got it~.”

And that’s how Leok met the second person out there who could consistently kick her ass, along with the only one she still couldn’t beat in a fight. Not that she minded. Working with Claire gave her tribe a good chunk of land to live and her plenty of opportunities to try again.

And hey, it wasn’t like her Boss was a bad person to work for. Hell, considering everything she knew about the world, maybe it needed someone powerful enough to take charge.

Still, she couldn’t help laughing when she realized Crow’s vision had come true. Her shaman just made one little mistake about who was actually leading that army.

#writing #fantasy #the demon lord's generals #dlg #story #my writing #orcs

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shoe-sheriff · 5 years ago

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So some friends and I are considering getting a D&D campaign going, and someone else volunteered to be DM, so I get to play a character. Now, I’ve been wanting to play D&D for a few years now and haven’t been able to get my fix, so I immediately start looking at 5th edition books (because I’ve only ever played 4e) and making a character. I landed on a Earth Genasi (from Elemental Evil Player’s Companion) Fighter. Of course, it being me, I also made a way-too-long background for the character.

For the first time in my life, I’d like to share the background publicly immediately after finishing it (I literally just got done like 5 minutes ago). Please, if you read it, let me know what you think. Anything that needs to be changed, added, removed, doesn’t make sense, etc.

My conception came after my parents found an artifact that acted as a gateway to the Elemental Plane, where my biological, dao, father is from. He traversed through the gateway a few months later, seeking to experience all the Material Plane had to offer. He fell for my mother, and tricked her into sex, impregnating her with me. From what I’ve gathered, he was known as Sihu the Powerful, and had a reputation of causing mischief wherever he went. Most of it was harmless, though there was an incident where he crushed a young woman beneath a boulder. After he proceeded to experience many more things throughout the plane, he left, never intending to deal with the consequences of any of his actions.

Being half dao, a quarter human, and a quarter elf, I had quite the culmination of features. My ears were slightly pointed like an elf, broad shoulders like a human, but at the same time more slender than a human. The most curious and out of place feature, however, came from my dao side. I had crystals sprouting from my light gray skin. They formed a pattern following my collar bone and around my hairline on my forehead, with a few outcroppings materializing along my upper arms and legs. Most of the crystals were tourmaline, green dissolving beautifully into pink, though I had a wide variety depending where one looked. I had honey-hued citrine, charoite with magnificent swirls of violet and lavender, and even fiery red opal. My hair was a deep black, with a faint light emanating from it where it was parted. This set me apart from others around me, but because I had beautiful rocks coming out of me, most people looked at me in amazement. I didn’t hate the added attention, but I wasn’t fond of it either, so I did my best to hide them when able.

My early childhood was filled with joy and happiness. My mother and her husband, henceforth referred to as my father, raised both me and my older half-brother. My father came from a reasonably wealthy family, my mother not so much. Together, they managed to raise us into fine members of society. They taught us how to properly value money and be happy with the things we had instead of constantly chasing happiness through the next purchase.

My father was a very experienced woodsman, regularly taking us on hikes and camping expeditions. He worked his days as a tradesman, dabbling in woodworking, metalworking, construction, and fishing. There were not many tradesmen in our town, thus he sought to make himself as valuable as he could to his community. He strived to give to his community as much as he could, while only accepting small payments for his work.

My mother worked as one of the town’s clerics, healing the wounded and spreading divine light across every shadow she encountered. Sadly, her healing magics and devotion to the lawful good divines did nothing to prevent her own illnesses. Several times throughout my childhood, she was plagued by a recurring sickness. After each bout, a different High Priest declared that the sickness would not return, only for it to do just that, poisoning her body and draining her life force more efficiently each time. The scars left by the illness covered her body, the most recent one ripping her stomach from this plane. She gave up her devotion, realizing that the divines would not help her. To everyone’s amazement, however, even through her pain and suffering, she never gave up her dedication to healing others and spreading the most beautiful light imaginable, no matter the willingness of the dark to overcome.

My brother, being older than myself and of a different race, grew up being bold and carefree. From him, I learned more about what not to do than what to do. He was caught several times sneaking out of our home to cause mischief with his friends. When he grew just old enough to be considered self-sufficient, my parents exiled him from the home, not wanting him to influence my actions. They remained supportive of him where they could, offering to pay for expenses he could not or gifting him furniture for his home. My grandparents, from my father’s side, even gave him (and myself) a large sum of coin, under the agreement that we use it to pursue a higher education or to start our own business, before using anything left over as we saw fit. We both used this to pursue a higher education. I sought to learn a series of trades, as my father did, learning the basics from him, applying that to my education, and then bringing everything together again with my father. My brother yearned to study and practice the Arcane arts, wishing to use the knowledge to provide responsible magics for the town’s benefit. Most of the way through his education, however, he had a child and was forced to put aside his education to take care of his daughter. He never went back to finish, unfortunately.

While working on my education, I had decided to learn Primordial, should I ever meet with Sihu or any genie who knew of him. I finished my education and began to make a name for myself as a learned tradesperson, creating great works and teaching even other apprentice tradespeople when they visited the town. My father retired after a year of my entrance to the trades, tired of working all day and knowing I had surpassed him in ability, due to my young, sturdy body, and thanks to the particular form of crafting I had learned, utilizing newer advancements and techniques. Though I loved what I did, especially the smile and gratitude I received from those I served, something always felt out of place. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was wrong, until roughly six years ago when I realized that I felt a part of myself was missing, having gone unrecognized.

For four years, I tried to find that part of myself and become a fuller being. I began to meditate, experience nature more fully and regularly, and used various herbs to seek that which evaded me my whole life. I felt like I had grown much, but that I was still unable to find my true self. Fearing that it may have been due to the fact that I felt obligated to not grow too far from who everyone around me knew me as, I decided to leave town. I spent many months training others to take my place as the town’s tradespersons, until I felt the town was in excellent hands. I set off to seek enlightenment of some kind, unsure of where I was headed or what lay ahead. I may return one day, though I am not sure that would be healthy for me.

Traveling for close to 9 moons, I was starting to feel fuller and more complete. I had decided not long after leaving town, that I would change my name from what the Half-Elves called me. I had been hiding from my dao ancestry my whole life, but no more. I am an Earth Genasi, and I have never been more proud of it. I stopped hiding the crystals that grew from my skin, eventually turning to them as the source of my name: Tourmaline. It was around that time that I met with a tribe of outcasts, mostly consisting of Orcs. They were not welcome in their former homes for being too calm and peaceful. They sought to live a grand life with compassion to all beings and the world itself, focusing on improving oneself to live in harmony with that which is around them. Most of them were from the same clan, but there were some like me who happened by and decided to join their tribe and follow their path.

They taught me to hunt, scavenge, and survive with the land. With them, I visited marvelous new areas and saw beautiful landscapes. To me, they were a new family, one with similar views as my own. For the remainder of two years, I had stuck by their side, using my skills in woodworking to construct whatever we needed, and a few things just for fun, like a lute. A couple of them taught me to play, and we formed a sort of band, playing for the tribe most nights, a celebration of life and our vision. We welcomed a handful of new members and wished old ones a safe journey as they departed for the next chapter of their lives. Nobody was made to feel left out or unwanted, and they were welcome to stay as long as they felt comfortable.

On the way back from a meditation session, I found the camp utterly destroyed. Bloodstained, torn tents flapped in the wind, and the bodies of most of my family lay on the ground, motionless. For weeks, I grieved for them, unable to bring myself to leave the camp, unsure of what I should do. One night, they appeared to me in a dream. I came out of my tent and they were dancing and drinking, merry as ever. When they saw me fall to my knees crying, they rushed over to comfort me. When I finally got a hold of myself, they sat down with me around the campfire and listened to me express how sorry I was that I wasn’t there to help or at least die with them in honor. The two who had been in the tribe longer than I put their hands on my shoulder and lowered their heads. They spoke to me without words, their voices thundering in my head as one. “The time for grieving has been over for some time now. You could not have known, thus it is not a worry you should burden yourself with any longer.” Their unified words of wisdom brought some calm to my nerves, but I still felt like I had been defeated. “The fact that any member of our tribe is still alive is a miracle, and miracles are rarely without purpose. There are others who need you, and a greater destiny which calls your name, Tourmaline. Go now, and bring honor to our tribe. Through memory, we will stay immortal.”

The next morning, as I awoke, I heeded their words. I put on my traveling clothes, gathered some chain mail, a greatsword, trident, and what else I could reasonably carry, and started walking. I didn’t know what destiny I was to fulfill, but I knew I had to make sure the tribe, nor their vision for a more harmonious world, wouldn’t be forgotten.

#writing #dnd #d&d #d&d character #background #feedback wanted #genasi #fighter

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proto-homo · 6 years ago

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Okay I just reread the first chapter of my manuscript and I’m gagged. I don’t remember this story being this good!! I’m definitely rewriting this. Please join me in being stunned

The Slayers

First Inscription

The first thing they taught us at the Bard's college was that the strings of fate connect everyone in one way or another. Slowly turning and tightening on the lute of life, tuning until the right note is produced, the right event takes place. Tuning eternally until all the strings produce a glorious harmony. I thought it was a crock of shit. Though to be fair, one semester wasn't enough to indoctrinate me to their proposed way of life. Especially when my reasons for being there weren't my own. "Become a bard," my parents pleaded. "Please do something with your life." Their words were harsh but they had to be for high elf prodigal wizards with a son who could make a pint of ale disappear quicker than he could a copper coin. I wasn't a complete magical failure, I just had no knack for it like my parents. They had clawed their way up the hierarchical elven ladder in a world that shunned our kind. We were dusk elves, not quite dark enough to be dark elves and nowhere near fair enough to be the prototypical waifish elf. Opportunities were far and few between for our skinfolk but my parents were changing that perception one draconian ritual at a time. I wasn't so lucky and I could tell growing up that they felt the same. So I followed their wishes and attended the college, learning to focus what little ability and skill I had. Unfortunately that one semester came and went in a deluge of offensiveness. Those backwater mages acted as if they'd never met a dusk elf and I developed an eternal scowl. My skin was an autumnal symphony of crushed leaves and my eyes were browner than the deepest of earth's hues. We were creatures of nature and magic. Why wouldn't I look this glorious? My question went unanswered and my need for the school went with it. I was out promptly that solstice break, but not without my books and several stolen silver pieces from the campus vault, using the skills they taught me. Needless to say, I was banned and designated the Rogue Bard. My parents weren't delighted by the news. We don't talk much these days but things are better. Mostly because of the exploits tied to my name. I've played for Kings and Queens all across and below Alstaff, fought bravely against deadly scourges, drank Orcs under the table, and romanced men and women(and Kings and Queens on occasion). All this while chronicling my adventures and deftly avoiding those pesky strings of fate. Or so I'd thought until I received a most auspicious invitation. It was early and I was far from awake when I heard my name being shouted through the halls in a manner I wasn't used to.

“Eonis Everfall of the Highdale Archmages!” boomed the voice down the hall, rousing me from a drunken slumber.

Thin sheets clung to my sticky exposed chest as the sunlight streaming through my window wreaked havoc on my senses. It was summer in the city of Faeron and the sun hung high at an angle above the town that made for astounding harvests and horrible hangovers.

The voice shouted again and I was swiftly reminded that a night of debauchery wasn’t the best thing to do every night. I slid out of bed as coordinated as I could muster. My head swum in dreaming mist as I made my way to the door, only to stop when a realization dawned on me. Nobody knew my full name, hell most people didn’t know my first name, but to call me so boldly and mention Highdale was a sure sign that trouble was brewing.

I staggered to my pack and drew a dirk, trying my best to not be as uncoordinated as the ale was making me. I was never that great at bladed combat but as I inched the door and opened it a crack, I reminded myself that as a bard I was always supposed to be just good enough.

“In here,” I shouted in a half assured tone. Anxiety bubbled in my stomach until the blankets behind me stirred.

“Eonis,” groaned the pile of sheets, “If there’s someone here to kill you tell them to come back later. I’m trying to sleep.” Tavaris emerged from the sheets like a wraith hunting for souls, delivering a glare that nearly made me forget he was naked. His ebony skin shimmered in the light as he stretched, giving off an inhuman glow intensified by his crimson boring into me. He had a predatory gaze, no doubt honed from his decades in the Assassin’s guild but whenever he stared at me, there was a softness behind it.

“You’re the only one who knows I’m here and I doubt you’d let somebody else take up a hit on me. You like a good challenge.”

He snorted as he looked me up and down, saying, “Your stance is terrible. You’d be flayed alive in seconds.”

His eyes darted to the ground and my focus followed to an envelope shooting from under the door. I turned to open it only to be greeted by an empty hall and my unease increased.

“Calm down, it’s just mail,” groaned Tavaris before slumping back into bed. I closed the door and picked up the letter, tearing it open with my dirk.

He was right. It was just mail. Stamped with a royal seal, the letter disclosed information about a formal event taking place in Balethorn, just two cities away. It was to be a splendid debutante's ball and the young miss had requested the presence of the fabled ‘rogue bard.’

I sighed in slight relief. Requests like this were routine but the fact still stood that they knew my name. I sat on the edge of the bed and read the letter to Tavaris as he wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled his face into my side.

“Sounds kinda like a trap,” he said, gnawing at my exposed skin. “Your music’s not that great anyway.”

I nodded along before he said his last line, falling back on him in retribution. He was right though, he had to be in his line of work. Traps, tricks, and treachery were all in the assassin’s handbook and if not for my dashing good looks, I’m sure I would’ve fallen to his blade when we met.

A simple quest made our paths cross; recover the children from the Sin Eater demon and find the one who summoned it. It was all fine and dandy till Tavaris dropped out of the sky on me and strung a garrote around my neck, letting me know there was far more going on than I thought. That day I learned that not everybody wanted to be saved. Some people enjoyed feeding sheep to the wolves to keep them at bay.

It wasn’t all bad though. I at least picked up a few new skills and a new murderous lover.

I looked back to Tavaris and shrugged. “I’ll do it. I haven’t been sucked into a primordial evil soup in months. Could be fun. I’ll let you know when I get back.”

I hopped off of him and began to gather my things before he said, “I won’t be here when you get back.”

I rolled my eyes. It was the same message he repeated every time before he vanished. Sure enough, before I got a second to say anything, he was gone. If there was anything of his I coveted, it was his mode of travel. I shook my head and began to gather my things, bemoaning the burden of the bard.

Lute, flute, sword, bow and arrows, lockpicks, small shield, chainmail, magic totem, magic tome, magic wand, and dirks. I ran through the list of my supplies as I suited up and gave my room the thrice-over before leaving. I carried the letter in hand as I strolled out of the inn. I read it again for good measure.

The insignia was nothing I’d seen before and that was saying something. I was a walking compendium of knowledge, a seeker of truth and historical lore, but as I brushed a finger over the wax stamp closing the envelope, I felt out of my element. I could see the strings of fate winding slowly but this was a new note being played. My only choice was to finish the song.

Faeron was unbearable when I stepped foot out into the sun. Quick cooling incantations were my only solace in the face of summer’s embrace. Out in the world, people were hustling and bustling around the town. Harvest was fast approaching and with it came the panic of superstition and the festival fervor.

There was a tale that traveled through agricultural circles around this time of year, the tale of Lady Amoundour. A lowly farm maiden with the blackest of thumbs prayed to the heavens for a healthy harvest. Her prayers were answered by the Sun with a hefty bounty but the Earth grew spiteful that she didn’t pray more to the dirt and so by way of winding roads, it sent bandits to raid her farmland. Luckily, she held fast in her beliefs of equal reverence and the Sun aided her, bringing its fiery rays upon the bandits and scorching them to dust.

The farmers took it as a parable about having equal deference to the components needed for a healthy harvest. I took it as a sign that the gods were petty and enjoyed us dancing for approval.

Regardless of my beliefs, Faeron was far into the festivities. Wood-carved Sun plaques hung from every home and business. Fresh dirt was tracked all across the ground of the city, ruining my new boots. Bakers yelled for people to come sample their Sun cakes and Dirt puddings, bringing a deluge of child patrons and sending a twinge of disgusted intrigue up my spine. Knowing these people, there was definitely dirt in those puddings.

I snatched up a Sun cake, tossing a few copper pieces to the vendor before making my way through the shops to the square. While my romp with Tavaris had been a great reason to stop in Faeron, I had a real reason for being there.

A huge crowd filled the square, cheering at a man dressed in robes of spun gold standing high up on a stage. He wore a bronze crown painted gold and revelled in the crowd's cheering before urging them to be silent.

“Welcome to the Amoundour Festival!” he shouted and the crowd’s cheering picked back up. I crept through the droves of people lining the square.

Every year the festival was held all across the world but Faeron was special. Only here, they held a very real reenactment of Lady Amoundour’s struggles, much to the dismay of the local farmers. For decades, one farmer would be chosen at random to act as the Lady of this year, devising ways to rescue their crops from very real threats. For decades, they would endure this trial or watch their crops be decimated and their land destroyed thanks to a magical artifact these fools should never have possessed.

I watched in silence, arms folded as the faux-Sun made his way across the stage to his throne and took a seat, gesturing for his servants. Dressed in drab, gray robes resembling clouds, a pair of sullen kids carried a gilded case containing the artifact in question.

It was called the Eternal Sun Rod in certain circles of collectors, a powerful gift from the gods on high. With it, the ruler of Faeron held a tight grip over farmland production, instilling fear into the hearts of any who would try to amass enough wealth to escape his rule. Every decade, he would wipe away the status of one family and every decade the people would cheer because it wasn’t them that time. This would be the last time.

I looked around at the painted on smiles and forced laughter as the faux-Sun did his dance up on stage. Sprinkled in the crowd were the broken faces of the farmers who banded together to hire me. Their offering had been a pittance but I wasn’t in this for the money. I was there to cut the strings of fate wound tightly around this town’s neck.

“The time has come, everyone!” decreed the tyrant as one his clouds dropped to one knee and presented him with a gilded box.

The crowd fell deathly silent when he reached into the box and began to rummage through it for the latest target. All I needed was a name. A name and I could start to put an end to this. I watched the people and saw the pain etched into their faces. Tyrants like this weren’t born in a day, not even a year.

They told me their festival used to be one of peace and joy, that at one point their lives were normal, but slowly it all unraveled until this was their way of life. I knew struggle, I lived it, and there was no way I’d let this happen to anyone else.

I felt the tension skyrocket as he withdrew his hand from the box and I began creeping back out of the crowd.

“Gilda Gletch!” He shouted, “Age sixty-two, childless widow. Oh this will be a quick one. Gilda, pray to the Sun for mercy and beg the Earth for forgiveness!”

Gasps rang out from the crowd. I raced to the edge of the town and hummed a bardic tune to myself. Song of Swiftness, spell number thirty-two in the overpriced pamphlet they gave me. With it, I was off, racing through the trees at breakneck speeds.

I could hear my father’s voice in my head. He’d told me to do something with my life and since that day I resolved to do everything I could.

I broke through the trees and out onto Gilda’s small corner of a farmstead. She was across the small field, sitting on the porch of her home in defiance.

“So it was me,” she called out as I approached her and delivered a strained smile. She nodded in return and waved me over. “It’s fine. Don’t be dismayed. I’ve lived through six of these festivals, seen them grow into something vile. I’m just happy it will all end today.”

Her tone was far from joy in the face of this impending raid and I could tell she had little trust in my ability. I didn’t blame her. We bards were seen as performers, consultants, skilled workers. Warriors were far from our image but that never stopped me.

I drew my sword and knelt at her feet, saying, “You’re right. It will end today. I’ll make sure of that.”

She looked into my eyes and for a split second I saw hope until fear snatched it away. I turned sharply to a band of six masked men emerging from the trees.

“What the hell is this?” asked one of them as he threw down a hololense crystal to project our images back to the town square.

They drew their weapons slowly, whirling them for effect. I stood and raised my sword, drew a wand from my belt and said, “Retribution, damnation, I honestly don’t care what you call me.”

They crept closer to me, closing the distance between us and I said, “Gilda...you might want to get in the house for this.”

A swordsman on my left charged as those words left my lips. I met his blade with my own, parrying the blow and leaping back before daggers sailed through the air. I traced their path to the slow moving Gilda and made a sharp dash to my right, blocking the daggers with my sword.

One by one they came at me, slashing as I leapt out of the way and blocked their strikes.

“Fancy dancer, are you gonna fight back?!” shouted one of the men as he swung his greatsword in an arc.

I ducked below his blade and raised my wand to his stomach, chanting, “Retch.”

He froze instantly, dropped his blade and grabbed hold of himself. He doubled over and emptied the contents of his stomach.

“Never fancied myself for much of a dancer. Playing music was much more my thing!”

I whistled and tapped my sword. Like a tuning fork, it vibrated, sending sonic waves cross the field. The men dropped their weapons and clutched their ears as I drew daggers from my belt and launched a shower of blades.

I sheathed my weapons as they cried out in pain and drew my magic tome, chanting, “Sleep.”

The words drifted through the air, heavy with arcane intent and the men collapsed. I let out a quick sigh and wiped my hands clean. I walked over to each bandit and drew my blades from their sleeping bodies, making eye contact with the hololense crystal.

I held my breath, waiting for the searing light of the sun to crash down on me. When nothing happened I could tell the sight of me dispatching these goons left at least one person in shock.

“I take it by the lack of death rays you’re still stunned at my assault. No matter, I’ll be making it back to the city in just moments for a face to face. Ah, and don’t worry about your little sun trick. This arcane barrier I’m erecting will block out the sun.”

I smirked and raised my tome, chanting once again. My blood was ice water and my breath frost as the tome began to float before me. Waves of ice emanated from me, encircling the little farmland in their icy grasp. I looked up to the sky as I began to run back to Faeron and had to stifle a laugh when nothing attacked my barrier. I’d bluffed to high heavens and he believed me. That barrier of hoarfrost wouldn’t even survive a warm dinner roll bumping against it.

The streets were deserted the second I stepped foot into the city. The tension was thick in the air but I held fast to my defiant image. These people had been pawns in the hands of a mad man for too long. They needed a rallying point.

“Little early to be ending the party!” I shouted as I approached the town square. “If I remember the tale right, the Sun and Earth have a special bond, right? Well maybe it’s time you two got more acquainted.”

The faux-sun sat atop his throne, looking down at me as he lazily turned the rod in his hand. His expression read unimpressed but I was well versed in reading people. My little stunt on the farm had shook him. He had sent his men as bandits to raid a defenseless old woman and met the swiftest resistance. Now he was alone.

“You know nothing of the tale, boy,” he said with a sigh, rolling his eyes in a dismissive manner, “But you will learn the Sun’s power today!”

He slammed the staff on the ground and I chanted a Swift Song before the blazing beam burned through cobblestone. Beams of light followed my every step as I ducked and dodged the blazing energy, much to his frustration.

“Why won’t you stay still?!” he shouted as he jumped up from his throne.

I drew my wand and totem, raising the little symbol to my mouth and chanting, “Solaris”

He slammed the staff again and I froze, letting him hit me head on. The totem chimed when the light hit me, exploding and reflecting a portion of the light back onto the stage. Chainmail singed my flesh but I bit my lip through the pain and focused as the faux-Sun staggered back.

“Larghissimo,” I chanted as I raised my wand and the explosion on stage slowed to a halt.

The faux-Sun froze with a look of horror on his face. I approached, tapped my wand on his nose, and whispered, “Allegro.”

Instantly his head returned to normal speed and his anger came with it. He thrashed in the slowed mass of light, grumbling as he shouted, “Release me at once! I will have your head for this!”

I ignored his blustering and took a seat on his throne before asking, “What’s wrong? You’re supposed to be the sun, no? I’m just helping complete the effect.”

I watched him float their helplessly and thought of the Bard college’s teachings. Our spells were to help, not hinder. Our voices were to be a guide in time of need. Even the spells I’d used on the faux-Sun were non-combative. I couldn’t have hurt him if I wanted and boy did I want to. I let him float in stasis for a few seconds until his anger melted into existential panic.

“I could leave you floating here forever, a ball of light untouched by time,” I whispered into his ear, telling blatant lies.

Most people never studied our power or our limits and the dread in his face showed he was one of these people.

“P-please,” he cried out, sweat pouring from his face. “I-I’ll stop it, I swear. I’ll stop it. I’ll never attack another person again.”

He pleaded before I tapped my wand on the throne. He dropped out of the air as the light dissipated and I grabbed the Eternal Sun Rob, saying, “Not without this, you won’t.”

I waved my wand over the length of the staff, whispering ‘shrink’ into the ether until the Sun Rod complied. It shrank to the size of a quill before I slipped it in my pocket and stomped on the stage.

“People of Faeron, throw open your doors and enjoy your harvest. Now your festival can really begin!”

I shouted and slowly the people took notice. Windows slid open and doors with them before cheering rang out. Finally, their town had been set free. I was greeted with gracious hosts and deep vendor discounts but I couldn’t stay long. Not with the party on my heels.

I refilled my supplies, rented a horse, and I was off. Travel between Faeron and Balethorn was quiet. It seemed I had fulfilled my karmic duty as neither bandit nor bandersnatch attacked me on the road.

In fact, nothing seemed to make its presence known to me along the road. The silence became palpable the further I rode from Faeron but I soldiered on. Curiosity got the best of me and trap or not, I needed to know how they knew me.

The sunlight began to wane and for the first time since I set out, I felt a pair of eyes following. Monstrous trees cast tall shadows all around me, threatening to swallow the path before me. Even the horse felt the tension, straying off the road in fear.

“Shh, it’s okay. I won’t let anything happen to you,” I whispered into the ear of the horse, thankful no one was around to see me trying to console him.

A few people see you talking to animals and rumors quickly spread. As if druids are the only ones in touch with nature.

His whining stopped for a second and as I leaned back, I caught sight of a light in the distance, beckoning my presence. This was it, had to be it. The closer I rode the more grandiose the building presented itself.

Dirt roads turned to pristine cobblestone, clacking evenly beneath my horse’s hooves. The mansion was a bulwark of civility in the middle of a savage forest. Gold lanterns lit the path before me, shining bright against solid red brick walls. A low overture began to fill the silence of the forest as a pair of stablemen greeted me at the door.

I dismounted and nodded to them both before they took my horse. Laughter spilled from the opening doors, making me immediately regret coming here.

Haughty laughter and sour notes filled the pauses in forced conversations between noble men and women. There were people of power and influence littering the room, keeping their political rivals at arms length and I began wondering just what I walked into.

“I see I’m not the only one lost here,” said a voice to my left.

I turned to see a young woman smirking at me with plump lips and a viper’s gaze. Thick coils of jet black hair encircled her head, covering one lavender eye. She folded her arms over the low-cut black dress that hugged her more than ample curves, letting the light bounce off her deep umber skin.

Our eyes met and at once I felt like the prey staring down his predator. She stood barely up to my chest but there was something about her that made her presence monstrous.

“S-seems that way,” I stammered before she made her approach.

“Iris Glaive, explorer extraordinaire who’s apparently been tasked with teaching a brat how to go spelunking. And you are?” she asked before looking away from me.

Her eyes scanned the room, continuously reading and assessing the gathered partygoers. There was something dark about her, a sinister air threatening to choke me. I could tell she knew and relished it.

“Eonis...Everfall and yes, I am quite lost. I believe I’m to be the party’s entertainment but it seems they already have a musician.”

Sour notes and uncoordinated key changes threw the entire overture away, leaving nothing but its crumbs behind but no one seemed to take note. I glanced down to Iris and she smirked, saying, “That’s a shame. I would hope your playing doesn’t make my ears bleed like this current amatuer.”

I smirked back to her as she took notice of the talentless talent and felt that predatory gaze soften. She tapped my arm and my heart skipped a beat when she said, “Come, there’s mead, and it’s far away from this sound.”

She turned to walk away and I followed but even a few steps behind, I felt her eyes hard pressed on me. She shared that she had received the same strange invitation as I did and intrigue got the best of her but the idea of her being a plain old adventurer didn’t sit right with me. There was something dark lurking beneath the visage before me and it could tell I saw it.

She turned on a dime, handing me a glass of mead before giving my glass a light tap in toast and saying, “So you’re a bard, I see.”

I swallowed my mead and nearly choked when she made her quick assessment. I squinted and she raised a hand before saying, “How can I tell, you ask? There’s a little arcane trick they’ve taught you kiddies for centuries and it always makes my nose itch when you try it on me. Don’t you worry. There’s no need to read me. Our meeting won’t matter after tonight.”

She took a slow drink from her glass, smiling softly and I stared in silent contemplation. Who was this woman? What was she?

She smirked as if she’d heard my thoughts before delivering a sly wink. She leaned in close and stood on the tips of her toes, whispering, “Don’t worry bout a thing. Nothing sinister was meant. I was just saying it’s back to adventuring after this. Besides….even if it were sinister, there are plenty of guards here to stop me.”

She tapped my shoulder as she leaned back and her eyes darted around the room. Sure enough, there were several guards covertly stationed around the room at several windows and doorways. At a gala such as this, it wasn’t a strange occurrence to see a slew of guards spread around the place but Iris’ wicked tone seemed to suggest something sinister.

“Enjoy the party,” she curtsied and walking away.

I watched her disappear into the party, greeting high society types as if she’d entertained this sort before. She seemed right at home in this atmosphere of glitz and glamour. Neither gold leafed hors d’oeuvre nor jewel encrusted finery could dismay her sense of status. I found myself unable to take my eyes off her until a guard stepped in my path, causing me to stagger back in alarm.

“Sir Everfall, yes? You’ve been invited to a private dinner with the guests of honor,” he said through the iron helmet covering his face. I stood straight up and shook away my nerves before he said, “Do not worry about the entertainment. You will be compensated for your time here. Please, follow me.”

The guard spoke in a monotone voice, not once waiting to see if I was taking in anything he said. He turned and walked away with the suggestion to follow. I scanned the room for Iris to ask what she’d make of this new private invitation but she was already gone.

By now the room was lost in its revelry and as I passed through the dance floor at a brisk pace behind the guard, I could hear nothing but a string of sour notes being played. I could tell fate was giving me a sign but curiosity got the better of me. If only to see the guest of honor, I followed the guard into a large dining hall separated from the dance floor by a set of towering oak doors.

Inside I was greeted by an assortment of new faces and sure enough, Iris sat among among them. She raised a glass to me with a smirk before turning back to a heated debate between political rivals, instigating their argument.

The guard closed the doors and walked ahead to pull out what had to be my assigned seating. I followed, taking a seat only after noticing the ball of nerves dressed in ornate robes seated next to me. A lithe young man with cheekbones sharper than than the edge of a claymore fidgeted in his seat with his head down. He was a statue carved of red granite, moving incrementally before returning to his starting position. Tendrils of coarse black hair hung loosely over one side of his head while the other side was pinned back, revealing an elven ear.

“Nice to meet another elf here. I’m Eonis, Eonis Everfall,” I tried my best to start up a conversation without having him die of shock.

He nearly leaped out of his skin when he heard my voice, turning slowly to look at me with amber eyes through thick lenses of glasses. He cracked a smile that quickly faded to a grin before he looked back down and nodded.

“R-right. Yes, nice to meet you as well. I’m B-belia, Belia Borfin,” he stuttered before wincing and saying, “S-sorry. I’m nervous. I’ve never been to an event like this. I attended with my Professor and other students but it seems I’ve been separated from the lot.”

His voice rattled worse than his body did and I attempted a grin to ease his nerves, asking, “So you’re a mage?”

He inhaled a sharp breath before looking up and nodding quickly.

“Y-yes, well, I’m attempting to be...I’m not that good right now but my Professor says it’s to be expected of apprentices. I just hope to do my best”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head. At least your not the son of archmages who can’t even make a coin disappear. You’ll do just fine.”

I winked to him as he looked into my eyes and he let out a nervous laugh that seemed to ease him a tick.

“Thank you.” He looked around the room, mouth agape in awe, asking, “Any idea exactly who’s party we’re attending?”

I shrugged at his question looking around in awe just as he did before taking another sip of mead. The room seemed to be filled with a hodgepodge of guests. An armored knight sat next to a cobbler and a craftsman on one side of the table while a drunkard, political figures, and socialites sat on the other side of the table. I spotted another patron, masked and lost in prayer before the grand doors slid open and gasps abound from all gathered as a familiar face made his presence known.

“Welcome,” said the tall high elf, dressed in extravagant robes of gold painted moons as he strolled into the room. Whispers spilled from the crowd as he tapped his staff on the ground before taking a seat at the head of the table.

“I’m not sure if an introduction is needed here but I will make one either way. I am Moridon Highwater of the Rolling Glens, Grand Magus of Alstaff.”

He nodded and closed his eyes as the crowds whispering grew but I could only stare in shock. Of course there was no need for introduction.

Moridon Highwater was known throughout the lands. Advisor to the King of Alstaff, Moridon’s power was unparalleled in the field of sorcery. Not even my parents held a candle to his might. He had been born the son magicless vagrants and quickly became the most powerful self-taught mage of our time. He was my mirror.

He opened his eyes slowly and I could feel his gaze brush by briefly as if he’d heard my thoughts. He looked around the table and grinned to the gathered before saying, “I must apologize for the lateness of our young miss. She has asked me to continue the dinner in her stead. It seems her dress was not quite right so we’re having the Modiste Magus conjure up a new dress.”

He chuckled and the room exploded in laughter but I watched in silence at his strained laughter. There was a venomous aura about him, a power he tamped down just to be around the gathered mundane. I could hear Belia’s dinnerware clatter as he put a hand on the table before pulling it away with his other hand.

He was pouring sweat and no doubt trapped between shock and horror at the power before him. I placed a hand on his and looked him in the eye, breathing slowly and nodding for him to follow. He took a few deep breaths before nodding quickly and I let go of his hand. It seemed he had yet to be trained on refining his aura and at his current rate, he was only seconds from being devoured.

My focus darted to Iris and from across the table I spotted her cold intentful stare focused squarely on Moridon as she sipped from her glass. As I looked around, it seemed the whole room was unaware of the power we faced, all except the three of us and the masked knight lost in prayer.

I turned back to Moridon and caught a fraction of a grin before he tapped his staff on the ground. Light flickered from the rose quartz crystal atop an angelic pair of wings that gilded the top of his staff before filling the room.

“Shall we feast?” he said with a smile before the doors opened up and several waiters poured into the room.

A buffet of the finest meats and cheeses littered the table as they brought out more and more entrees and desserts. People began jumping at the food before placing could even finish. They were ravenous, insatiable, and I couldn’t help but lose my appetite at the display.

My focus drifted to Moridon who sat stone-faced, watching the carnage without taking a bite to eat and I swallowed hard before asking, “This is nice and all, but who exactly is this ‘young miss’ we’re here to meet?”

His eyes darted to mine and I nearly collapsed in my seat from his predatory gaze. I could feel him, wriggling through my thoughts, through the entirety of my being before Iris cleared her throat.

“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” she said in defense of my questioning and the room seemed to take a break from eating all at once.

Moridon delivered a strained grin and I tried to hop out of my seat to no avail. I was paralyzed in fear.

“Oh you may know of her. Prestigious royalty from a land far from here,” he began to say as his voice lilted. “She was once the Queen of an entire realm, you see, but as you know, not everything lasts for everyone. Not even the eternal.”

He cut Iris a sharp glare before his face returned to a grin in seconds. I could see her shaking slightly but not once did she move to put down the glass in her hand. The mead vibrated with her nervous energy before Moridon continued.

“It seems not everyone was satisfied with her rule and so, under the cover of darkness, like the spineless wretches they were, her royal court committed a heinous act. You see, the young miss couldn’t be killed, no, not with the power she possessed. Her court knew it and to see her deposed, they hatched an ingenious plan. A crystal was forged with the power to capture a god and on that night they did as such, ensnaring her and shattering its pieces….Only, they thought this would be the end of the young miss but as the crystal shattered into endless shards, so did her essence, dispersing into the world and finding homes in the oddest of places. Knights, cobblers, craftsmen, and bards.”

His voice boomed as he said his last line and the room was frozen in horror before one of politicians screamed in terror and leaped from her seat. The whole room erupted in a panic and screams could be heard from the hall just beyond the doors. All the while, Moridon remained seated, smirking coyly.

“Oh there’s no point in running. Now that you’ve ingested the flesh and blood of the young miss, you won’t make it far,” he said before one of the guests jumped from their seat and doubled over, grabbing his stomach in pain.

He grabbed his throat as figures moved up it and tendrils shot out of his mouth. I leaped from my seat as Iris grabbed her stomach, brandishing my wand and shouting, “Wretch! Wretch! WRETCH!”

In rapid succession, I fired several spells around the room before my stomach rumbled and the doors flew open. I turned the wand on myself and fell to my knees as the searing pain of bile raced up my throat.

I pulled Belia under the table and grabbed a dagger from my boot as the marching of the guard’s feet filled the room.

“Don’t move!” I shouted before several hands pulled me away.

I turned my dagger on the armored hands of my captor, shouting, “Allegro!”

The spell took off, sending my dagger hand rocketing through the air with enough force to pierce metal but the guard barely registered the pain. My eyes darted around the room and I spotted Iris’ blood covered mouth before I looked to the still seated Moridon. Stoned faced and silent, he watched as the guards swarmed everyone before tapping his staff on the ground.

Darkness filled the edges of my eyes and then before I knew it, I was gone.

#my writing

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brazenautomaton · 4 years ago

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I just can’t stop myself, both from pointlessly posting creative things that mean nothing and go nowhere instead of being productive, and I can’t stop myself from making a better setting for Shadowlands as I play it, like, every time I see something I go “this would be much better and more sensical if”

so instead of trying to get someone, anyone to talk about chapter 4 of the Kyrie fic, or trying to get someone, anyone who said they would help on PCSM to help me with that, you get huge-ass paragraphs of exasperated text that’s verging on stream of consciousness

okay so you sit down all the writers and you say:

Let’s hash out what the deal with the Shadowlands is. It’s the afterlife, something with great symbolic importance. None of our zones are just locations, they are About Something. Also, since this is the afterlife, we can’t have death work the same may, that fucks everything up. When you die in the Shadowlands, you come back minus some anima, or you get sent back in front of the Arbiter and re-assigned. Souls are eternal, but most people’s souls kind of, like, attenuate over the eons, absent a specific role and desire to hold on to identity, and they achieve peace and one-ness with the fabric of the universe blah blah blah.

This means you cannot use the basic threat of death as the motivating factor. Death doesn’t mean the same thing to them, even if now because the Arbiter is knocked out if you go to get reassigned you go straight to the Maw. Storylines need to be interesting for other reasons. When you get an objective to kill an NPC, it needs to be in order to get them out of the way for something you need to do, or quest chains need to involve setting up so that they won’t come back for a while or will go to the Maw. Because of this, you can have the same NPC be the objective of multiple quests to kill them in the same campaign. Do that. Especially, you, guy writing Bastion. We can’t say “oh no you need to care about this because people are going to be killed”, that’s old, that’s boring, that makes no sense. The player needs to have an emotional connection to the characters so that the threat of fucking up fundamental pillars of reality has personal relevance and reality. So the characters need to have emotions.

Okay, so, Bastion guy. Your story fucking sucks. It’s walking around and doing chores while you wait on hold with the Archon, and everything that makes it interesting and not generic as shit is all hidden behind their covenant quest chain after you join them. The single coolest and most interesting thing about Bastion and the Kyrians and the Forsworn is laid out in the Afterlives trailer for Bastion, and you know most people didn’t see the trailer, so put this in the game, well after the player has joined their covenant. No! Fuck you! Seeing this is the end of act 1 of Bastion’s story. You remember all that hassle you went through to get this memory crystal thingy from a Forsworn and read it and then you see, oh no, here’s a generic scene of joining a generic bad guy? No. You see Uther in the first attack of the Forsworn, you go “dude what the hell”, you get a memory fragment, you look at it, and you see that video. Now you know what is going on and who is involved and why you care. Instead of being a nothing sandwich on a nothing bun, your companion Kleia is someone who was friends with and idolized Devos, the turned champion of the Forsworn, and no matter who your PC is you fucking know who Uther the Lightbringer was, and now the story is about the two of you trying to figure out why these people you know to be heroic champions are doing so much fucking crazy shit and trying to tear down the world, and you fight them several times and you try to get through to them and you can’t and they have the same sense of frustration because both of them respect the hell out of you (Uther damn well knows how much cool shit you did for Azeroth) but they don’t know how to say what they want to say to make you believe them instead of freaking out. Bastion is a place for heroes. Even the bad guys are heroes. It is not just a threat, it is a tragedy that this is happening.

Maldraxxus. Maldraxxus is the eternal skeleton war you are drafted into if your gravestone doesn’t say “rest in peace”. Maldraxxus is a constant war for people who love war. Maldraxxus is there to defend the Shadowlands against incursion, but they also constantly fight and kill each other because it doesn’t harm them and it’s fun and it’s what paradise is for them! Why are there skeletons? Because every time you die you come back right away missing more flesh as you discard everything about yourself that isn’t the pure experience of Skeleton War. Maldraxxus is just the Scourge Aesthetic again, but you can say “no this doesn’t look like the Scourge the Scourge looks like this because this is that higher Platonic ideal of eternal warfare looks like” but for fuck’s sake it can’t be ACTUALLY the Scourge because that makes no fucking sense! You have NECROMANCERS RAISING THE DEAD! OF PEOPLE WHO DIED AND WENT TO THE SHADOWLANDS AND DIED AGAIN! FUCK YOU! The Scourge had plague because that was how they killed you and make you undead, but you show up to Maldraxxus ready to be undead, it makes no sense why they would have plagues as an element! Constructs, those are on thin ice too, but you can make it something about those who are on their last legs but don’t want to fade into an eternal feeling of triumph, subsuming their individuality to become part of a War Machine With Greater Purpose. To drive home this is about more than “abominations”, you give them a leader who we repeatedly see, and it’s not Professor Putricide, it’s Rend Blackhand because his Thing was turning the orcs into an industrialized war machine!

So you have Honorable Warriors, Cunning Warriors, Warriors With Superior Firepower, Warriors As Expression Of The War Machine, and something else that might have plague as an element it isn’t just “all about plagues”. It was about something else and then plague blew it up or something! War as inevitability! War as endlessness! War as that which drives Progress! So then Why did these Houses go bad and start invading? Because of the drought, the leaders are like “okay how about if we stopped with the fun endless skeleton war of valiant combat, and we held down the guys we killed and sucked the juice out of them”. They were allies and friends with all Maldraxxians until push came to shove and now they’re turning on and cannibalizing each other oh no that’s bad!

Ardenweald guy, you’re next, but this post is too long and the self-hate is boiling out of my throat!

#fixing stories #world of warcraft

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oraclesoftime · 5 years ago

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Futures Known But Unspoken

CHAPTER 30 Missing 2014 They rode the horses late into the night, but after a while Thorin finally deemed it was okay to have a break. Belle practically fell off the horse, it was tad bit bigger than the pony they had rode during the beginning of their journey. Lane snickered as she got off the horse next, “Still don’t have a grasp on how to ride a horse?” “Hey, Benny is taller than Spirit…” Belle grumbled, “At least my butt doesn’t hurt.” “Why do you keep naming every horse we ride?” Lane said as she rolled her eyes. “Because I like too!” Belle stated patting the horse’s nose, “It helps me relax around the animal… ”“And this is why I think you’re weird,” Lane countered. As the company settled for the night, Belle asked Lane how she was feeling. “I’m fine, Izz.” “Are you sure? I could make you more tea…” “If you make me drink more of that nasty grass water, I will punch you. In your wounded shoulder,” Lane growled. “You wouldn’t dare, like come on Lane!” Belle groaned, “Just cause your stitches are out, doesn’t mean you’re a hundred percent!” Ori was tending to the fire as the two woman bickered, Dwalin bringing more wood for the fire. Belle continued to pester poor Lane, only for the taller woman to shout, “I’M FINE IZZ, NOW LEAVE IT ALONE!” At the moment the fire they were sitting by popped and crackled loudly as Dwalin added more wood to the fire. Belle jumped in her seat, making Lane snicker, “Well, that added to the atmosphere.” Belle took in a deep breath, “That scared me…” Lane laughed softly as she stared into the fire. Belle leaning her head against Lane’s shoulder. As the night continued, Belle felt an itch in her shoulder, but couldn’t reach it. She frowned, just before Oin appeared, “May I have a look at your stitches Lass?” Belle made a face, she hated having someone touch her wounded shoulder, considering she was super embarrassed at how much of clutz she had been and any slight touch hurt a lot. She sighed though when Lane gave her a pointed look. It was a look Belle was familiar with, especially after their time at Beorn’s and Lane had to hold Belle down at least twice for more salve to be applied. Belle nodded tiredly as she allowed Oin to unwrap her shoulder. Belle couldn’t see it, but Lane watched as Oin went to work, the taller woman whistling at the sight. “It’s really inflamed Izz…” Lane commented, “Are you feeling any pain? Fever?” Belle shook her head, “No.” “Just means she’s healing lassie,” Oin said as he placed more salve along Belle’s wound, “It is healing nicely...but I fear it will scar.” Belle sighed heavily, “Oh well. Not the first scar, I have kind of come to terms with it…” “It’s your little badge of honour,” Lane said as she gave Belle a smile, “You could always say that you got it fighting a troll or something, saving a damsel in distress.” “Damsel in distress?” Belle repeated, cocking her eyebrow at her friend, “Who the heck would that be? ”“Your future husband?” “And why would anyone in middle earth need me to save them?” Lane snickered, “You said it not me…” “I’m just saying, I don’t see me playing the prince, not to mention almost all the people we know are badass,” Belle stated as Oin finished wrapping her shoulder. “Ye be more a Princess,” Dwalin commented then cleared his throat. Lane laughed, “Princess Izz, this isn’t Disney.” “Dis...ney?” Dori questioned curiously. “It’s a term we use to call the stories of all sorts of Princesses and Heroines…” Belle explained, “The man who used to tell these stories was named Disney.” “Strange name,” Bofur commented.Belle giggled, “It is…” Lane gave Bofur a shit eating grin, “Not as weird as someone else’s I know,” she gave the dwarf a look. Bofur made a face at Lane as the taller woman laughed and Belle rolled her eyes at her friend as she said, “Besides, I’m not going to marry a prince or anything, so I’m no Princess.” “Well, what about that Mr. Leggles fellow?” Bilbo commented, “I thought he was a possible suitor? Or does he not know you fancy him?” Lane busted a gut as she leaned over laughing, holding her sides, “Oh man, Bilbo…” “What? What did I say?” Bilbo asked as Belle looked at him with surprise. “I can’t believe…” Lane gasped for air. “Bilbo...I think you’ve been hanging out with Lane too long,” Belle explained gently trying not to be angry with the Hobbit for slightly making fun of her ability of wooing men. Bilbo blinked in surprise at Belle’s comment, while Lane continued to snicker, “Who would you recommend Bilbo? A Dwarf?” Bilbo looked around the large groups of dwarves. He looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, “That is not my place...I am not Lady Isabella’s father.” Both women started laughing at the serious tone of Bilbo’s, even some of the dwarves joined in the laughter as well. At the back of Belle’s mind though, Bilbo mentioning that he wasn’t her dad, caused her to miss home a tiny bit, a sense of longing taking over. Balin gave Belle a gentle smile, “Lady Isabella would make a fine wife, she has a lot of good qualities.” Bilbo nodded, “Yes, she is quite the amazing cook. Lane would make a fine wife as well,” Bilbo was trying to include Lane, “She’s got a talent with needle and thread.” Belle burst out giggling as Lane replied, “Yeah, that’s not happening. Not interested in marrying anyone.” Bilbo gave both women a confused look, as Bofur chimed, “Don’t ye’ want to wear a weddin’ gown like all the lassies?” Lane threw a rock at Bofur as she answered him, “I’m not like all the lassies. If I end up in a committed relationship with someone, why should a piece of paper be so important and change anything? It’s redundant in my opinion...” Before the situation could get out of hand, Belle looked over at Bombur who had a spoon in his hand. She smiled at him and asked, “Bombur, how’s supper coming?” “It is ready,” Bombur replied. Everyone grew silent as Belle helped Bombur hand out the bowls of stew. The topic of marriage and gowns lost in the sound of everyone eating the stew. Later that night as everyone began to relax and set out their bedrolls, Belle’s longing for home grew. They’d been in Middle Earth for so long now, Belle was beginning to wonder if her family missed her or did they give up on searching for her? And what about Lane’s family, were they worried? Or did they think she was off galavanting with someone? To be quite honest she wouldn’t be surprised if they thought she was with Doogie, the man had a habit of randomly running away with the taller woman for long stretches of time. Belle stared up at the sky, they weren’t far from Mirkwood now and aside from the excitement of seeing Mirkwood Elves, Belle’s heart couldn’t bear the fear of seeing a giant spider. The ones back home, which were much more smaller in comparison, always gave her quite a scare when she saw them. She was not ready nor thrilled about possibly meeting the giant ones in person, officially. Belle tried to clear her mind, tried to focus on something aside from eight-legged creatures. She tried to focus on memories of home. Of her Grandfather’s homemade stew, of her mother’s loud voice calling for her to do a small chore. She tried to recount the number of different flowers she had helped place in her Grandparents’ garden - the garden she cared for even after her Grandma had passed. At some point, Belle completely drifted off into a deep sleep. She knew she was dreaming and yet it felt so real. It was quiet around her as she turned in circles, looking at the large trees surrounding her. She was in a forest area, perhaps this was from all the travelling. It had happened to her in the past, her dreams would sometimes take on the images of the world within her reality. All of a sudden, the sound of running water could be heard in the distance. Belle realized she was standing on a path, and the sound of water drew out her curiosity. She followed the path, the ground feeling almost like soft sand on a beach - it seemed her dreamself didn’t have a pair of shoes. The path opened up and lead to a small shore line, where in front of Belle was a gorgeous waterfall, cascading into a fairly large lake. Belle couldn’t help the small grin spreading across her face as she stuck her bare feet in the cool water. The lake was crystal clear and listening to the waterfall was sending a soothing feeling through Belle. Out of the corner of her eye, Belle noticed something moving in the water. She squinted trying to get a more focused look on the thing moving. Belle didn’t feel frightened although she wondered why, she wondered why she felt calm and at ease? Something rose from the water, Belle blinked in utter surprise. Shaped from the water was a version of Belle, expect younger? Why did the water turn into a younger version of herself? Why was at least five year old her standing before her? The water waved at Belle to come forward, Belle mindlessly stepped forward and then the small her disappeared. Belle looked down at the water and an image of Legolas appeared. Belle felt her face heat up at the sight of the elven prince, she knew she might meet him in person, but this image made her nervous. How would she act in front of him? The image continued to play, like a video, it showed Legolas speaking with his father as Thranduil killed the orc who would have spoken about the darkness. Belle couldn’t believe as the images on the water continued. Belle watched as Legolas found Tauriel and spoke with her about not getting involved. Belle knew that in the books Tauriel didn’t exist, but she was glad she had been in the movies. Tauriel talked sense about being part of something bigger and that spoke big in Belle’s core. She had always wanted to be part of something. The water rippled and small Belle reappeared, she smiled and Belle spoke to her smaller water self. “Do you remember what being home felt like?” The water Belle didn’t reply, but showed Belle one more silent image - Belle was beginning to think her dreams were messed up - showing her family and the times they had fun. Belle smiled happily and turned her gaze back to the water Belle, “Thank you…” Belle whispered gently, before her dream world began to fade. “Lady Isabella?” Bilbo spoke gently as he shook her shoulder slightly, “It’s time to get up. We’re heading out soon.” Belle groaned, rubbing at her eyes and then began to stretch. The sun was just appearing in the sky, birds singing loudly and Belle couldn’t help but want to pull a Fiona from Shrek. The birds seemed so loud this particular morning. Maybe it had been the comment Kili had mentioned a few days ago about Lane and her performing for them. She should have gotten over it, but it was still on the back of her mind, she had grown quite fond of the group and the knowledge she had hurt her. Belle sighed heavily as Lane grumbled and groaned next to her, “I hate mornings…” Belle yawned before saying, “You would think we would have gotten better at mornings…” Bilbo chuckled, “You both really don’t like getting up.” Lane grumbled as Belle spotted Bombur packing up the pots and pans. She had finished packing her things and walked over, “Bombur, can I help you?” Bombur looked surprised, “It’s alright My Lady, I am almost done. Thank you for the offer.” “Okay,” Belle said and returned to where Lane and Bilbo were sitting. Belle rubbed at her eyes and Lane cocked an eyebrow, “Didn’t sleep?” “I did...but I just feel like I walked a thousand miles or something,” Belle shrugged, “Or I’m slipping back into old habits of hating mornings.” Lane shook her head at Belle and snickered as Bilbo offered Belle an apple. Belle took the apple giving the Hobbit a gentle smile, “Thank you Bilbo.” “You are most welcome,” Bilbo replied giving Belle a smile back. Thorin began to bark orders at everyone to get on their horses and Belle sighed, “Time to get going I suppose?” Lane nodded as the women headed to their horse, Belle patted Benny’s nose, “Ready to go Benny?” The horse snorted and Belle giggled as the breath warmed her face. Belle heard a chuckle, she turned to see Gandalf already on his horse, looking down at her, “I recall when you once feared a certain pony that you had to ride, and Lane here made you walk…” Belle was about to comment when Lane snickered, “I’ll do it again if she bitches about being on this horse.” “We don’t have time for you to kick me off a horse because I complained,” Belle pointed out before sticking her tongue out at Lane. “Better be careful Izz, I’ll bite that off,” Lane threatened with a wink. Belle’s eyes grew wide, “You wouldn’t dare!” “Don’t tempt me…” Lane grinned, shooting forward and giving an audible snap with her teeth. Chuckles echoed around the women as Belle took Lane’s hand and got up on their horse. Belle patted the back of the horse’s neck as Lane took the reins and moved Benny in the direction they needed to go. The group began to pick up the pace, Belle closing her eyes and just enjoying the damp air. A light mist of rain began to fall, not enough to make everyone soaked, but enough to hear Lane grumble, “Why can’t we have one nice semi-cloudy day.” “Because mother nature loves getting me soaking wet,” Belle replied. “Kinky,” Lane chuckled as Belle elbowed the taller woman. “Me next~” “Not in that way Lane!” Belle sighed and allowed her gaze to look around. She pondered for a moment and then said to Lane, “I wonder how close Beorn is...he’s out there or supposed to be right?” Belle couldn’t see Lane but she nodded, “He’s supposed to be at least…” “I hope he’s staying safe,” Belle stated gently, “I wouldn’t want to see him get hurt.” “Beorn is a badass,” Lane stated with a small laugh, “He’ll be fine Izz.”

#Futures Known But Unspoken #Tolkien fanfiction #The Hobbit fanfiction

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nemrut · 7 years ago

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Web-Series Novel: A Practical Guide to Evil by Erraticerrata

Title: A Practical Guide to Evil Author: Erraticerrata Status: Work in Progress

Link: wordpress

Summary: The Empire stands triumphant.

For twenty years the Dread Empress has ruled over the lands that were once the Kingdom of Callow, but behind the scenes of this dawning golden age threats to the crown are rising. The nobles of the Wasteland, denied the power they crave, weave their plots behind pleasant smiles. In the north the Forever King eyes the ever-expanding borders of the Empire and ponders war. The greatest danger lies to the west, where the First Prince of Procer has finally claimed her throne: her people sundered, she wonders if a crusade might not be the way to secure her reign. Yet none of this matters, for in the heart of the conquered lands the most dangerous man alive sat across an orphan girl and offered her a knife.

Her name is Catherine Foundling, and she has a plan.

Words from the author: A Practical Guide to Evil is a YA fantasy novel about a young girl named Catherine Foundling making her way through the world – though, in a departure from the norm, not on the side of the heroes. Is there such a thing as doing bad things for good reasons, or is she just rationalizing her desire for control? Good and Evil are tricky concepts, and the more power you get the blurrier the lines between them become.

Updates every Monday and Wednesday, as of the latest Patreon goal.

So I burned through this in 4 days or so and yeah, there is a lot to love about it. Guess the initial similarities in its premise to Worm can't be denied, what with being a teenage girl who joins the villains in the hopes to do good and is pretty ruthless in order to reach her goal, while she befriends people on the side of the villains where some aren't that unreasonably while the people on the side of good aren't necessarily all nice or good either. Still, make no mistake, it very much does its own thing. The concept with the Names is just fascinating and really, really cool. The way the rules of storytelling influence the world and characters and the different ways the various characters have found to interact with them is really creative and interesting

I love the setting. It's a an awesome fantasy setting with the familiar faces that I want to see, like Roman legions, orcs, goblins, dwarves, gnomes and so on but also given a creative fresh spin that it doesn't feel like an unimaginative D&D or LotR rip-off. The fact that the dwarves and gnomes seem to be by all accounts the heavy hitters of the setting with whom no one dares to fuck with is a nice change, for example. The geopolitical snippets that we see where the different nations, cultures and coalitions clash and unfold has been one of the stories bigger strengths. The racial and cultural clashes between characters hailing from different nations and social classes has also been explored in a rather good manner. It also has a certain anime feel to it, in a good way, that just makes it even more enjoyable to be me. I also love the fact that gender barely plays a role in this. Whatever role, job, class or function, in all facets in nearly all cultures, everything basically has a roughly equal split in terms of genders, with the goblins being the sole exception with their matriarchal society, which in turn was already alien enough, being goblins and all. No token girl or token boy characters in anything and no "you can't because you're a girl" story line either, it's rare to see it like that. Just enjoyment of the journey the character is on. Same with sexuality, it doesn't matter to anyone in the setting which way you swing or if you swing at all, so various things can be explored without taking over the plot. The lead girl is bisexual, btw, with a leaning towards girls. One of my favorite things have got to be the quotes at the beginning of the chapters. They can be hilarious and many of them have this distinct Magic the gathering flavor text feeling to them. I love them. Quotes like “Always mistrust these three: a battle that seems won, a chancellor who smiles and a ruler calling you friend.” – Extract from the personal journals of Dread Emperor Terribilis II

“I’ll be honest, Chancellor – revenge is the motivation for over half the decrees I’ve made.” – Dread Empress Sanguinia II, best known for outlawing cats and being taller than her”

or “Now kneel, fools, and witness my ascension to GODHOOD!” – Last words of Dread Empress Sinistra IV, the Erroneous

They generally crack me up and I am genuinely impressed that the author managed to come up with so many of them that are honestly lough out loud funny, well, at least to me. The dialog and witty banter has been consistently funny and energetic. I have laughed countless times and a lot of the side characters are lovable because of it. The good lines are not reserved for the main character alone but virtually everyone gets at least a few, it's rather balanced on that account. And it never becomes muddled enough that it makes the characters indistinguishable from each other, even if they share the same type of dark humor. By seeing when and on whose accounts they make the jokes, their characters still shine through. The fight scenes are decent, and the quirks and strengths of the setting and the dialog allow them to punch outside their weight-class. The meta aspects of the story itself are worked very well into the scenes and I believe that that is a very difficult thing to do. Here is a scene relatively early on: “We can get to that later,” I dismissed. “Evidently you’re the gritty type, but how far up the antihero scale are you?”

“As far as I need to be,” he responded gravely. I pushed down my urge to make something out of that. Crossbow Tamika had already finished reloading, and the pair of them seemed to be considering their next target. I really wasn’t liking the way Spear Tamika was beginning to angle towards me. �� “Are you the kind of gritty that works with enemies?” I probed. “You know, for the greater good and such.” A lesser author would have made me hate this but he pulled it off and made this fun.

More after the break but for anyone who wants to avoid even minor spoilers, give it a read, it’s awesome. Not perfect or anything as it does have its weaknesses but very well worth the read.

The side cast is funny and interesting. The 15th legion has some fun characters who are likable and enjoyable throughout. When talking about the Calamities and some others, things become downright amazing. The way they are introduced and then explored in their interludes on how they've built their legends meshes wonderfully with the more intimate and casual moments they share with each other when they just bicker and enjoy their company. I always hated the "if you lose you are dead to me" kinda villains and even though they are all very much villains, they also love and care for each other and generally having a personality allows for characters to have more depth, to have them care for more than just power. The Calamaties are larger than life, fun and epic. Which kinda flows into one of the not so much strengths of the story. Heiress is, as far as villains go...not exactly top notch. It doesn't help that while I do believe that she is a serious threat and annoyance, and that her plans are appropriately “oh shit” level, I still can't respect her because in her core, she is the stupid kind of villain, the short sighted backstabber who, as a character archetype, just isn’t that interesting, at least to me. The clash of ideologies that very much defined books 1 and 2 between the Lone Swordsman, the Heiress and the Squire suffered under the fact that both the Lone Swordsman and the Heiress upheld positions that, well, sucked. It wasn't a matter of who was right because it was abundantly clear who was and that's the main character. The Lone Swordsman was a partly mindfucked/brainwashed zealot with few redeeming qualities and the Heiress just wants to be properly evil and hates all this efficiency, stability and success that the villain faction had for a while now. What is there to ponder? I guess I would have preferred antagonists who also had good paths/plans rather than just being flat-out wrong/evil. Heiress especially, who at all times has been the bigger danger simply because she cares only about being evil in the right way and is unable to prioritize anything else. Still, she isn’t terrible, she has interesting/fun aspects, it is fun to hate her even if I roll my eyes a lot and her dynamic with her father is fun, even if only for the inevitable scene where Cat will do something horrible to him in order to punish the Heiress. Catherine is a character who has some weaknesses but in general she is fun to follow, entertaining and someone who knows how to end a fight. She has good lines, one gets a good feel for her as the story goes along and it’s interesting if a bit frustrating when her own, culturally biased morals shine through. Like her inherent dislike and condemnation of human sacrifice despite the fact that she has about committed nearly every atrocity but since she is from Callow, that kinda thing is a no-no. It’s the arbitrary if not contradictory moral position of a true person. I enjoy her journey and character and appreciate the way she deconstructs several conventions that are typical to the "want to save a society/nation/people" archetype. The story contained several digs at other stories, like this quote when they learn that the Heiress set her slave soldiers free. Nominally granting the Stygian war-slaves their freedom meant absolutely nothing, when they’d been indoctrinated from birth to obey their orders of their owners without fail.

Which is basically the biggest "take that" I've seen in a while, directed at Dany's freeing of the Unsullied who in turn then moved by her actions chose to follow her nonetheless. And of course, Cat is absolutely correct. That one act of liberation probably didn't really mean that much to those who, in her words, had been indoctrinated from birth to obey and fight. Later on, when the Lone Swordsman comes upon them, he is also aware of this dilemma. His solution was to not ask them to fight, to give them that freedom but that more than anything was what convinced them to fight for him anyway, and thus he unwillingly manipulated them into doing it anyway. I really loved that touch, especially since it was a plot point that was well set up in advance, touched upon over several chapters and then had a rather satisfying resolution. Or the general theme of the shonen protag/hero of the story taking umbrage with the lesser methods of his enemies and saying that's not the right way because it's wrong. It's a conversation that that crops up all the time, and that the hero will find a better way, only never saying what that better way is, mainly because he hasn't one until he pulls unlimited power out of his ass. Cat isn't like that and hates people like that and this inherent struggle against story conventions, especially with regards to the Black Knight is fascinating to me. Having the Calamaties and the Empress scheme and work around these inherent story elements is just cool. The romance in the story was rather lowkey which isn't bad per se, but Killian didn't exactly leave a big impact so far but I'm hoping this will change with the recent developments. Either strike out with someone more interesting or have Killian become more interesting and defined. So far, it was pleasant and cute but not exactly much substance. One more minor point of complaint would be the relatively steady amount of typos, missing words and the like, which happen about once or twice per chapter. Nothing tragic but definitely noticeable. Author also uses adverbs a bit too much, especially the "-ly" modifiers for the verbs instead of showing it through action and dialog how they feel but it works for the most part. Think that’s about it. The writing is overall rather good and I enjoy the story format, what with the interludes and all. So yeah, really loving the story. Story got its hooks in me and I powered through and it was a blast from start to the latest available chapter. Supposed to be five books, and we're in the first third of the third one so, this story will be going on for a while and I'm looking forward to it. 4/5

#a practical guide to evil #apgte #quotes #erraticerrata #webseries #webnovel

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comicteaparty · 6 years ago

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April 11th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on April 11th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT. The chat focused on Kitty Kitty Bang Bang by Moe.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Kitty Kitty Bang Bang by Moe~! (https://tapas.io/series/kkbbcomic)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Superjustinbros

Hello!

RebelVampire

hey super~!

Superjustinbros

Coming in and I'd like to give a big shoutout to that header image on the comic's Tapas(edited)

I dunno, I thought it looked badass

RebelVampire

it is a nice header image. although what sells it for me is the logo design. its a really nice logo.

for favorite scene, hmm. ya know, i cant not pick it. the convention scene. that scene legit almost made me cry at how touching it is both with its message about how anyone can cosplay whatever they want regardless of how they look. not to mention the themes of reaching out to others. all wrapped in a nice package of no dialogue so that its the emotions at the center forefront.

Superjustinbros

Yeah.

Also this guy's hair.

RebelVampire

i like his hair and his smile combination. like both scream cocky little shit design wise and i love it cause he kind of is a cocky little shit. XD

Superjustinbros

Oh yes XD

Cocky little shits are my favorite

RebelVampire

another scene i want to show some appreciation too is the scene where we first meet kit's mom. like, i knew it was coming from the chapter title. but i enjoyed the twist it was her step-mom and theres a deeper issue going on. it turned what was easy to guess to something surprising again just by how the story plays out the reveal

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1370747 This is a pretty good page.

Hm, Doug McClure sounds a awful lot like this chap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUg6e072vgA

RebelVampire

anything in particular you like about it super?

Superjustinbros

The last two panels.

And the followup

https://tapas.io/episode/1371714

dat backside

RebelVampire

i really love the back shot composition. like what a great way to show overwhelming odds

mathtans

Evening. Made it as far as the start of the Bully arc, so late 2018.

Superjustinbros

Yeah. Also ello

I love also how Doug's got like, a million pouches on his belt

I dunno it's a detial I like

mathtans

Yeah, the convention stuff was good. Some of those real-life scenarios that made you want to shake people are good when done right.

Superjustinbros

Yes

mathtans

I'm not sure if I have a big favourite moment, but I have some little ones. Like when that "pinball wizard" thing played as Kit was taking on that nozzle in the gaming store, and it turned out it was the coworker.

The guy at the school in the knight suit, who had the fascination with corndogs. Weird background detail, added some humour to an otherwise tense scene.

RebelVampire

i love the corndog knight

i want a spin-off comic of just them

cause i want to know about them

why are they a knight

why corndogs

so many questions

mathtans

Heh. Made me think of that other bounty hunter, pointy-ears, who also couldn't speak.

Also, did not expect the female reveal there.

And I liked how the scientist flipped out over his research having the higher bounty than himself. Like, that trumped everything else he was in the process of dealing with and he went on a rampage. Amusing.

RebelVampire

yeah the scientists in general was fairly hilarious in everything he tried to prioritize. although i enjoyed that at the end of the mission the crystal wound of broken anyway. cause i felt it was fitting given everything it had been through

mathtans

I thought it was really clever how the rock was used to blind the scientist. Kitty is this weird mix of hyper competent (like when she used the snack habits of that one guy to track him down) and absent-minded (like when she then didn't make a grab for the compound).

I'm not saying that's unrealistic or anything, I can totally see it.

Very "living in the moment" with a dash of forward thinking.

RebelVampire

nah i agree shes a really interesting character. like at first i wasnt sure id like her but some of her plans have been pretty spot. and to be fair a lot of the absent-minded ness you could write off as it her being a kid. so of course shes expected to be a kid and not always think through with her actions.

a more comedic moment i liked was at the end of Mor where Kit and Mary both have to stand there awkwardly making their false apologies to the whole school. this page especially cracks me up just cause of the sheer height diff between the two. i think that makes it extra hilarious https://tapas.io/episode/1215017

mathtans

It's true. And I'm still wrapping my head around the kid thing.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. One of the comic’s focuses and highlights are the action sequences found within. Of the characters Kit has pursued so far in her bounties, which has been your favorite? Why is that? Likewise, which bounty did you think had the best fight choreography? What do you specifically think makes the choreography the best one? Do you think we’ll see any of the criminal characters again? If so, what could that mean for Kit? Considering many of the villains parody stereotypes and similar things, what other sorts of characters do you think or hope we might see? Lastly, do you believe Kit will encounter more of her professional rivals? If so, what do you think will happen?

its okay i had my struggles wrapping my head around but the convention scene really cemented it for me for some reason. but that might just be personal association of conventions being largely for the youth.

mathtans

Incidentally, I wondered initially about the use of "der"... and then when Kitty used the term "Hoser" I thought she was Canadian. That proved incorrect, what with the Norwegian thing.

Ahh... yeah, I went to a certain convention for 20 years straight soooo...

Like, I want to ship, but it feels wrong. Normally if they're young I just think of it as cute, or picture them as older, and neither of those things kinda work here.

I wonder how big Kitty's gonna get when she's 20.

RebelVampire

i didnt start going to conventions till i was an adult but at the same time my experiences is that theyre largely dominated by the youth. not to say there arent older adults there. but the youth are the ones always around drawing attention to themselves being loud. but i digress, just wanted to give context for why it worked for me

mathtans

That's fair.

RebelVampire

tbh i just assumed she was full grown. cause i was actually only an inch or two shorter than my full height at 13 cause i sprouted up early

mathtans

As to the question of the moment, I admit I'm not huge on seeing action and choreography, tending to be bigger on characters anyway. Which is probably why that scientist one sticks out so much, since we got his whole backstory and everything.

I am gonna be in for such a shock when my little one grows up, aren't I.

That short gangster guy who stole the boat might return. It was implied.

RebelVampire

and i legit cant imagine kit taller cause she literally towers over everyone. although is she still shorter than her dad? cause if she is, shell probably be his height.

mathtans

I think she is. I'm equally bad at noticing that sort of thing.

RebelVampire

id have to look again just cause it wasnt something i was looking for and her dad was only in so many scenes XD

im torn on my answer to this question of the moment. i think i agree i like the scientist the best cause he got a lot of backstory. not to mention when kit was doing their dialogue for them from the roof i was like "nah shes gotta be exaggerating" then we meet the scientist and nope, he really is just that arrogant and she was spot on. so overally he was definitely the most entertaining

but for fight choreography, im picking the first bounty with the spin off kool aid man. i really enjoyed the use of the environment and just the sheer level of destruction that was visited upon that grocery store

mathtans

She knows her business. I wonder how long she's been at it.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about that one. I liked when Kitty roped the random customer.

RebelVampire

i liked when after the fight ended, the old lady asked if the employee who was buried under rubble basically could get her a new box

MoeAlmighty

And that was most difficult one to come up with

mathtans

The one with the orcs going after cows was also good, not for the fight (which I think was offscreen) but world building. Until then it was sort of, like, what's reality here anyway.

Oh, hello creator.

MoeAlmighty

Hello there all ^^\

mathtans

Rebel: That was a good scene for setting the tone.

Superjustinbros

Hello Moe!

MoeAlmighty

Thank you. It's always a challenge to come up with a beginning for a series.

Superjustinbros

Thanks for this cool comic of yours.

MoeAlmighty

Howdey

Thanks

Superjustinbros

No probs

And yeah all this talk about conventions is reminding me of all the ones I've been going to lately. Comic focused ones and hugely commercial conventions are easily the most populated-by-youth ones.

mathtans

"Annie" con was a clever name.

MoeAlmighty

It was a little play on words. I always like to make those little puns when I can(edited)

RebelVampire

i did enjoy the orcs with the cows. probably just cause of the extreme accent going on in that dialogue. but i also just love this concept that someone would think clearly humans are only good cause they drink milk. like someone really watched those got milk commercials too much.

mathtans

I very much approve of puns. Also Senshi Kitty.

The head orc was milking his time in the spotlight.

Superjustinbros

Puns are always good

RebelVampire

i do agree with you math that i got the impression well see the gangster who got away from the scientist again at some point. what it means for kit? i could see her being extra determined to catch him since he got away last time. but then maybe thats when well see buff elf chick again who is out for revenge.

MoeAlmighty

Defintely. Orcs have always been my favorite fantasy race to play around with

mathtans

biab

RebelVampire

i do appreciate orcs getting some love in a way cause in my experience theyre really underutilized in a lot of fantasy settings. can find elves everywhere, but nobody wants the orcs.

MoeAlmighty

Well nothing is off the table.^^

Orcs have always been treated as the bad guy or the henchman merely due to their monsterous appearence.

RebelVampire

speaking of not elves, i really like that this guy turned out to be the real villain from bully bully https://tapas.io/episode/1348464. partly cause it was a good twist that it was a bully victim becoming the bully. since that is very true to life. but also, selfishly, i noticed this character immediately in the background one time and i was like "ah man what an interesting looking side chara too bad well never learn about him" and then we learned about him.

QUESTION 3. Even in Kit’s dynamic world, she still has some unique mysteries surrounding her. Why do you think Kit is the only female in her family to receive Freyja’s blessing/curse, especially after it’s been so long it’s almost a myth? What do you think the story is behind Kit’s rage modes that seem to take over when she gets mad? What do you think happened to Kit’s mother, and why is Kit so sensitive about the subject of her mother in general? Additionally, why did Mary calling her mother a whore set her off in particular? Lastly, how do you think Kit got involved with being a Bounty Killer? Why do you think her family lets her pursue the career given how dangerous it all is?

MoeAlmighty

Oh yeah the Goblin. I thought it was a perfect opprotunity to not just introduce the Goblins , but I was also playing around with laying out clues in plain site for the reader to notice.

Superjustinbros

That's smart thinking/writing

MoeAlmighty

There are plans for future stories that are straight up mysteries Kit will have to sovle.

RebelVampire

that sounds exciting and like a good challenge for her character too.

in regards to the current question, i want to dissect the fact that kit's specific phrasing about her mother was that mary hadnt even cared who her mother was as a person. and to a degree, i kind of feel like it was projecting that set her off. that kit herself didnt know a whole lot about her mother. so it might not be so much that her mom was called a whore that did it, but that someone would make a bold claim about her mother when kit herself didnt even know her that well and has since lost the chance to get ot know her. but thats just me theorizing.

mathtans

Back, little one's asleep in the crib again. For now.

MoeAlmighty

Mm hm, It would show that Bounty Killers in the world aren't used for just nabbing a bad guy with a hefty sum on their head. Sometimes folks need someone to investigate with the police's involvement and not ask any questions

mathtans

Was Kitty maybe given up for adoption? (Is that what makes her worthy of the cat ears?)

The police were handy against the scientist too, for a little while.

Superjustinbros

That's a good way of expanding upon bounty hunters.

RebelVampire

i dont think given up for adoption fits cause mor said shes the step mom which implies kit's father is her biological dad. that and there is one pic where the dad is with the mom

mathtans

Oh, right. We did see her biological mom in that holiday special though, didn't we? And Kitty must remember enough to have taken up violin playing (on the roof). So... yeah I dunno.

RebelVampire

thats interesting to know that the bounties arent just for nabbing bad guys. although makes me wonder what kit is going to do when shes told to do something shady and just not ask questions

mathtans

Or was that not the biological mom, was that a younger Dar?

I can't see Kit not asking questions.

RebelVampire

that was her step-mom. her bio mom we only see briefly in a pic

https://tapas.io/episode/1279607

mathtans

I wasn't sure if it was her dad remembering another time in that scene though. Like, the previous stuff was a memory.

(I also don't get enough sleep these days.)

RebelVampire

i could see how youd get that interpretation but pretty sure it was the step-mom and the bio mom was just in the picture

MoeAlmighty

There are a lot of things I don't want to say because of spoilers and I'll be answering those kind of questions down the road. But to answer the question pretaining to Mary, they do indeed have some History as hinted.

mathtans

Mary is actually the younger cousin of the short boat-stealing gangster.

It's why her dad went into law.

MoeAlmighty

heh. that is a pretty interesting theory.

mathtans

(I need to have at least one insane theory and one ship per comic chat. I think it's in my contract.)

RebelVampire

puns are also in your contract math. although you already fulfilled that one.

mary's dad kind of spooks me. like hes a really domineering presence and idk if i want to believe hes good or bad.

MoeAlmighty

Truth is, when I created Mary, she was developed as just the rich girl who presented herself as Ms. Perfect while also having the spoiled brat persona as well

Superjustinbros

lol

mathtans

Oh right. Well, those come naturally. I wonder if her dad is part orc.

Superjustinbros

That's one of many ways to describe that

MoeAlmighty

Best way to describe him is that he's a Lawyer... a very wealthy lawyer.

Oh no, he's part Dutch lol

mathtans

Incidentally, I kind of like that Kit's got both cat ears and human ears, it tends to be how I draw my characters too (even if mine are just headbands). But it does make me wonder how the curse might have rewired her brain to deal with the extra input.

Oooh, a flying dutch man.

RebelVampire

all the dads just drink lots of milk

Superjustinbros

What about Doug.

RebelVampire

to be fair if kit's cat ears are more sensitive than her human ones the extra input probably doesnt matter cause one would hear it better than the other anyway. at worst i imagine things just sound even louder XD

mathtans

It's that special beer.

Maybe it's partly why Kat's so on edge at times.

Superjustinbros

mm, beer

Wait, what kind of beer we talkin

MoeAlmighty

It's kind of a mix bag with it comes to her ears. Internally they do connect to her regular ears and she can hear through them, but only if she concentrates. Mostly they just act like a short range radar or a sixth sense. Something like spidey's spider sense.

Ah yes, I've notice some folks like our esteem adventurer. Others not so much

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Besides the action, there is still a lot of slice-of-life material to be had in the comic as well. Do you think Kit will eventually tell Bia about her career? How do you think Bia will react to finding out about it? What challenges do you foresee awaiting Bia and Kit as their relationship continues to develop and secrets reveal themselves? Further, how do you see Kit balancing her school life in general with her job? Will she manage to maintain her grades and everything, or will things prove tougher than she expects? In terms of Kit’s regular life, what things are you hoping to see be explored in how she lives her day-to-day life? Lastly, are there any themes (like bullying) that caught your eye from the slice-of-life segments? What about them did you enjoy?

mathtans

It's cool that youv'e thought about that.

Honestly, the bounty-hunters clashing, while not necessarily slice-of-life, felt realistic and added depth to the idea of the job. Also revealed how their methods are non-lethal. And was the first ship I considered.

MoeAlmighty

Ah yes, I had a lot of folks doing a double take when I revealed her age.

RebelVampire

unrelated to the current question, i really hope we get to see more bounty killers in the story just cause they cant all work out as well as buff elf chick. also id really like to get a feel for the age range cause its concerning the gov was like "nah a 13 year old bounty killer? thats fine"

mathtans

That's a good point. Did she register under an assumed name?

Superjustinbros

Seconding Rebel.

MoeAlmighty

Well due to Kit's size, she may or may not of lied about her age when she took the job

mathtans

Also, I feel like the construction job field gets a lot of work in this universe. We only see Kitty's exploits but there have to be other incidents in the world as well.

Actually, magicians too must be a thing. And mimes.

Did not expect the mimes.

MoeAlmighty

Their are plans to explore other parts of world. One in particular is the Bounty Pick Up units sent to pick up the bounties and make out the reports.

Yes, beware the mimes ^^

I will be exploring a lot more of the Magis and how the magic works as well.

mathtans

Silent but deadly.

MoeAlmighty

very

mathtans

That short magic comic did a good job, I thought.

And I liked the money van guy critiquing the pun.

MoeAlmighty

Hm Hm, well not everything can be a homerun for our little cat girl

RebelVampire

yeah i really liked the short magic comic. cause it was funny and really did some good world-building

i also loved the cowboy bank robber

just cause he was a cowboy

and that was ridiculous

mathtans

Oh yeah, forgot about him.

I wonder how Kitty practices her quick draws.

Where do they lock these guys up, anyway? Regular jails seem like they wouldn't be sufficient.

MoeAlmighty

Yes, you don't see that many cowboys these days. But it was a perfect nod for one of the inspirations of the comic

Superjustinbros

Cowboys are fun.

MoeAlmighty

Um, they go to regular prison and go through the same process as the law provides^^

Superjustinbros

Always love one with an appealing design when one shows up.

MoeAlmighty

Very much so

RebelVampire

what sort of lawyer is mary's dad?

mathtans

How do you lock up an orc so that he doesn't just bend the bars?

MoeAlmighty

He's a defense lawyer

mathtans

He lawyers der fence.

RebelVampire

ah so i can say maybe mary's dad defends all these criminals kit tries to send to jail.

MoeAlmighty

Booooo

It's a possibility and her dad is very much against the Bounty Killer and the Bounty Board in general

Superjustinbros

ooh, is that so(edited)

mathtans

Circling back to Bia, it'd be amusing if someone in her family was also a bounty hunter. Kitty admits it and she's like, "oh, okay, I can see how you'd be good at that too".

RebelVampire

just to talk a bit about the current question, i do feel its inevitable kit has to tell bia about her job. cause i mean...kit isnt the most undestructive. just takes one time of showing up burnt to a crisp to school to give it away. but i think bia is gonna take it better than kit thinks shell take it. cause tbf, if i was bia i would not be surprised.

tbf i kind of agree with mary's dad. they might be catching criminals, but holy shit that property damage

mathtans

I feel like Bia might find out not through Kit though. Like maybe even via Kit's brother. Which could strain the relationship.(edited)

RebelVampire

especially the property damage caused by the scientist

cause even if they have the money to fix it, it still takes time

mathtans

Or magic.

MoeAlmighty

Bia finding out Kit is a Bounty Killer is inevitable, and it might happen happen sooner than you think

RebelVampire

it could strain their relationship too. though for some reason i feel for bia itd be more about the age thing than the danger thing if that makes sense. cause the career suits kit. just maybe not when kit is still 13, in school, and all that

mathtans

'Cept her dad is okay with it.

I feel like I'd totally be that dad by the way. Who makes concessions. Then ends up in trouble with mom too.

MoeAlmighty

It is going to a very unique exploring the relationship Kit and Bia have. In many ways, Bia will act more like the straight man of the relationship

Well Edward looks at it more like she's hunting game. expect the part of gutting it and cleaning it for food^^

RebelVampire

i just want to say i really love kit's dad and i hope we get to see him more. he seems just so utterly likeable. like a gentle giant

mathtans

Just want to give a shout-out to the school nun badass. Possibly like the opposite to dad.

MoeAlmighty

He is indeed^^

Superjustinbros

Since the CTP is wrapping up in a bit, I'd like to wish @MoeAlmighty the best of luck with Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, it's got a great artstyle, story, and some good humor.

mathtans

Oh right, pretty good stuff done with only black and white too.

MoeAlmighty

Yes, Beatrice is indeed a beast^^

Thank you so much^^

Superjustinbros

You're welcome! ^^

RebelVampire

yeah i loved the nun. especially her epic entrance and this page https://tapas.io/episode/1188530

like everything about that page is perfect

"Keeper of the Lunch Period"

MoeAlmighty

God help the guilty

mathtans

Indeed.

Probably a bumper sticker on her car.

MoeAlmighty

I'm sure everyone here remembers that one teacher that kept everyone in check at lunch period

best bumper sticker ever

mathtans

Kitty has some nice exclamations too.

Superjustinbros

lol

Anyways, cya till next time, and thanks for dropping by @MoeAlmighty

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Moe, as well, for making Kitty Kitty Bang Bang. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Moe’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/kkbbcomic

Moe’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MoeAlmighty

Moe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/theMoeAlmighty

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