#untold mage of ice and fire

[loz-untold-myths]

ML Ganondorf sketch because I need to figure out a way I actually want to draw him

The Story:

REBLOGGING IS ENCOURAGED, BUT DO NOT REPOST

[thewalkingfishttrpg]

HEY THERE FISHSTICKS!

Today I will talk about "In the Blood" our survival mountain climbing campaign! So take a seat, grab your eyes, and dive in!!!!

In the Blood is a survival campaign where the characters face certain death from practically everything on the great "Bauhaus Mountain" every session. The Mountain is filled with folk tales of ancient gods granting wishes, animal deities awaiting resurrection, and horrors unknown to the rest of the world. So let's talk about the characters and why they're climbing the mountain!

Characters! (All level 6 currently)

Soleil Wylde, She/they, Fire Genasi, Druid. Climbing the mountain with Shelby because of a job they picked up for "Untold Riches".

Played by @witchxrydnd !

Shelby Arcturus, They/he, Winter Eladrin, Astral Self Monk. Climbing the mountain with Soleil because of a job they picked up for "Untold Riches".

Played by @theccrowsnest !

Oleander Malachi Fink, He/They, Aereni (Wood Elf), Rogue. To see "Her".

Played by @leanne729 !

Leiþ ‘Coyote Eye’ Ræsbora, He/They (Goliaths kinda just point in the direction of the person and grunt), Goliath Palabard. The guide; Leith climbs the mountain for a job and to bring "Velja’s" praise to the mountain through hunting chaotic beings.

Played by Roan!

Eldrion Veren, He/him, Owlin(Barn owl), Sorcerer/Dragon Mage. See if a dragon lives on the mountain, make new friends as well, and power.

Played by Soully!

Beatlanna "Beetle" Sylhice, they/them (or fey/fem), half-elf, Cleric Order of the Light (professor at the Verne Academy), seeking answers from a dead colleague's letter (also lost someone important to them immediately before meeting the group)

Played by BluJ-1!

Lacuna, any pronouns (commonly She/her), Aberrance, Primitive Warrior. Seeking answers about what the forest creatures whisper about. Is a part of "Chaos".

Played by @mothmangled !

Hodunn, He/They/Any, Silver Dragonborn Druid. Climbing the mountain to seek out the "Mother of All Creatures" and restore peace to the monsters of Vundabar.

Played by @readysetgargoyle

Previously with the party also was

Harper, He/they, Simic Hybrid, Fighter. wants to reach the mountain's peak to wish for the return of his fallen crew.

Played by @readysetgargoyle whose character sadly died session 7 saving Leith from a collapsing cave filled with lava.

Now you know the characters let's talk about the..

Setting!

The year is 1007(link to its calendar) on Vundabar(link to its world history) while the rest of the world is advancing in technology, magic, etc, Bauhaus remains a mystery to most and a danger to all who dare climb it. A desolate wasteland of ice and snow filled with monsters, lost gods, and spirits. No one escapes the mountain.

Everyone in the party has their reason for climbing and hope to make it to the top but will they survive the endless trials that await above? The ice is so cold it curses those who dare challenge it, the creatures who have lived on the mountain have evolved to be terrifyingly powerful, the land shifts and cracks every day making a trail impossible to track. Thankfully you can hire a bard guide to help with travel (if they survive). There are also people on the mountain who have formed small villages, they usually accept trade as a form of currency or "Dabloons" (gold) which can only be mined in Bauhaus. These villages are small and mostly made up of people who tried climbing. Most often they will collectively worship some god or deity out of fear or hope. This is our next topic...

Gods/Deities!

Vundabar is no stranger to enormous godlike beings of pure energy or animal deities that whisper to the trees but some are special and have made their mark on the mountain! Let's talk about some...

"Her".

Known simply as "Her", she is the creator of the universe, often represented as a crescent moon.

She arrived ten thousand years ago and sat on the top of Bauhaus with nothing but wrath. She had an army that laid waste to any and all who defied her, but thankfully "The Miracle" managed to stop her and save the world. Though it's said she still remains at the top of the mountain trapped till this day because of a certain "heretic". Some people on the mountain have told stories of those who manage to make it to the top and see her, with their deepest desires getting granted. These stories have found their way out of Bauhaus to Vundabar with dozens traveling up every day in the hopes that all their dreams come true. This has torn the mountain in two with some believing that worship to her is key to survival while others fear her and claim that worship to such a god is chaos. The ones who do are blessed with cosmic power and an affinity to space. They call themselves "Star Callers" (link to homebrew class not my own but I recommend checking out). It is important to note that one can be born a star caller though sadly they are often exiled due to Her's reputation.

The Heretic.

Also known as the "Mother of All Creatures" she is an ancient deity of Vundabar depicted as a bird with thousands of feathers each one belonging to a different creature. She is said to have made every species in the universe with sticks and her own blood. Worshipped by druids and the source of their magic she brought peace to all until her death.

Ten thousand years ago when Her arrived declaring war on Vundabar the Mother climbed the mountain for reasons unknown and died to her hand which caused "The Great Crack". A cosmic event that split the sky in four, and tore the continent in half, and every day since no one except for the giants has been allowed to leave the mountain. Most blamed the mother for this claiming she cursed it, her name and history tainted, forever known as The Heretic. But some know better. Some believe she is not the reason for the mountains curse and that instead another third party is responsible but no one has been able to figure it out. Alas, the creatures of the mountain sing for her return in the hopes of salvation for all creatures trapped on Bauhaus.

"Mother, mother.

Are you here?

Mother, mother.

Are you near?

Mother, mother.

Where have you gone?

Mother, mother.

Save us all." - A nursery rhyme told by all creatures on the mountain.

Chaos, The beast of the mountain.

An example of the creatures you'll find on Bauhaus but this one in particular is "special". Chaos. A symbol of "The Dark" a malevolent entity that thrives on evil. It created 6 symbols also called "Aberrances", each possessing supernatural abilities like no other. Each is a nightmare on their own, a warning to those who venture too deep into the unknown. Chaos has lived on the mountain for thousands of years, living deep in the forests it survived by consuming anyone who dared defy its home. Seen as a guardian to the animals and trees be wary of stepping foot in its woods for the roar of the beast is said to uncover your deepest nightmares leaving one a shell of their former self. The few that escape are gripped by hysteria, drowned in terror, they’re said to have gone mad in the depths of their own mind. It’s worth considering that the ramblings of a “lunatic” might be more real than most want to admit. Despite all this Lacuna who is the beasts "better half" has traveled with the party for the last couple of days though if emotions were to arise it may be the parties last.

"The elk grieves in its grove.

Spilling black blood.

The trees are all it's ever known.

A beast.

The Dark awaits to take it home.

It continues to spill.

The snow is all it's ever known." - a poem by a stranger submitted to the Vundabar Chronicles.

Velja.

In the book of the L1ght its said that before there was anything, there was nothing, and after that, everything was born. From everything came chaos and from chaos came order. When order could no longer hold, it swallowed chaos whole.

Born from a shard of glass, Velja the god of choice was made. It exists on Vundabar as an immobile hybrid between a carcass and a stone bust, only communicating through thoughts. The existence of this god is to seal the choice path that remains unchosen. Giants will often worship this being through the act of hunt, they see the mountain as unbridled chaos that must be tamed. In the hopes that one day the curse will lift.

The Great Gig.

The first giant on Vundabar who built the mountain as a gift, mysteriously disappeared when Her arrived. Some say she killed him, others say he ran, some claim he resides deep inside the mountain awaiting the day he can return. It's believed this is the reason why giants are allowed to leave the mountain, his final gift to his kin. It is also said that the dwarves living inside are the maggots of his body, with an affinity for digging they have been mining out gold and minerals for hundreds of years. They believe that one day they will free the great gig (in about a million years). Wherever the giant may be one fact remains true, his work will carry on as a tribute to strength and innovation.

So yeah this is In the Blood, if you enjoyed reading all this do watch us live on twitch.tv/pixiesdirt and if you have any questions feel free to ask but for now have a great day!!!! My next post will be about the Black Sabbath campaign and if you thought this was long oh boy.

[scarletbellatrix]

Untold Chapter Who will be there to mourn me?

tw: mentions of death, slavery

A funeral.

It was her first time attending a funeral. Erza didn't know what a funeral was until the guild master explained it to her. A good friend of his had died, and he had decided to bring her along. Apparently, it was a time where people grieved over their loved ones. The time when one commemorated them, remembering them before their death.

It was a solemn gathering.

Being enslaved by the Tower of Heaven, the young Erza had been desensitized to death. Living through that hell, a kid or two had always died everyday. And when they died, they were disposed like garbage. There was never a funeral. They had no time to dwell on the losses. They had been led to believe that there had been no need for it. They would all go to heaven for contributing to the great cost. They had to move on and do labor like nothing happened.

But now that she had gotten out, she had realized that they were wrong. They had been deprived of a funeral. None of those dead children had ever gotten the opportunity to be commemorated and mourned. They had no parents, no siblings, no friends, no family to grieve them.

It had the young redhead wondering how it would be if she died. She wouldn't be any different from them. She was part of a guild, but she doubted any of them would mourn for her. She wasn't great and spectacular like the guild master's friend.

The thought that she'd die without anyone mourning for her fueled her need to be strong. Added to the list of reason why she had to work harder to become a powerful mage.

I want to be great, or nothing.― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

The day after the funeral, Gray and Natsu had challenged her to a fight, starting a bet. Whoever was victorious would be able to ask the two losers whatever they wanted. Erza usually didn't entertain the brash and uncouth boys' caprices. Not because she was scared, but because she had always found them silly and nonsensical.

However, in a rare instance, she had taken them up on the challenge. She was determined to win against them, and she did. Gray and Natsu were incredulous and displeased by the results. They fought over who could have won second place.

Intervening in their bickering, she shushed them. ❝You two! Sit down!❞ She pointed at the two of them and glared. Both of them finally obeyed went silent afterwards. ❝Good, good. We made a bet, and now your lives are in my hands.❞ She lifted her fist, clenching and unclenching them, in a seizing motion.

❝You'll do whatever I want.❞ Towering over them, her hands on her hips and her arms akimbo.

Their eyes widened, seemingly nervous. ❝Yes ma'am!❞ Natsu and Gray said unison. It was probably the first time she had seen the two in sync.

❝What I want is for the two of you to mourn me when I die.❞

Their jaws dropped, clearly perplexed by her odd request. There was a look of confusion on their faces, followed by apprehension.

❝Are you dying, Erza?❞ the young fire mage asked dramatically, tearing up, which turned into a full sob shortly.

The young ice mage, on the other hand, looked shaken. ❝No, she's not. You're wrong, you idiot!❞ Gray gave Erza a questioning look. ❝Ask us something else. Not this.❞

She had always thought of them as foolish. But despite that, their response had stirred something inside her, growing a soft spot for them. ❝No, not yet.❞ She pulled the two of them for a hug, occupying each of her arms to accommodate them in her embrace. ❝I'll be here for a long time. I'll be the thorn in your sides, beating you in every duel.❞ Words were spoken softly despite how threatening they were.

She smiled fondly.

Maybe when the day of her demise came, she could count on the two of them to grieve her.

[legitimatesatanspawn]

"Oh right I forgot the Etrian Odyssey games got a port. Shame they're not the Untold versions but-"

"... hello Fantasy AU Aizawa."

For the record: he's a mage. His potential skills aside from Fire/Ice/Thunder magic include Poisons, an active skill that helps you see hard enemies roaming on the map, and a Warp ability.

My idea on Fantasy AU Aizawa was more in what job he has than him as a specific class but the image of him as a grumpy mage is hilarious.

[wangxianficrecs]

Fic Finder

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1.  Hi, I'm looking for an Untamed fic, maybe you'll be able to help. It's a canon divergence AU in which WWX doesn't lose his core, Jiang Fengmian lives and it's implied that his core was transferred to JC (heavily implied; JFM retires as the Sect Leader after that). This is absolutely not the most important part of this fic but it's a paragraph that I've got stuck in my head and now I'm searching for the rest @_@ Thanks in advance! ~ @otemporaetmores

FOUND! by @notsobabblespace, who was reminded of  I’m aching and I know you are too by edenwolfie (part 3 in series, M, 23k, wangxian)

FOUND!  by @jim-is-spocks-thyla, who suggests ❤️ to arrive late is better than not to arrive at all by Moominmammashandbag (M, 35k, wangxian) [ETA:  Oops, not this one.  JFM has no core, but he didn’t give it to JC]

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2.  Hi Mojo! I’m in need of you/your followers help in finding a fic that I read a little while ago. It was a fic where Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi lived together in Cloud Recesses and their children were Sizhui and an OOC that was younger than him. I remember SiZhui faced a lot of criticism for not being the chief cultivator’s real child? And they were happy he had a younger sibling that would be sect leader in the future because he was blood. Come to think of it, this is probably an ABO fic too. Thanks for your time 💜

FOUND! @andidontmeanto believes this is Blue Blood by PotterheadAvengerDemigod (T, 91k, wangxian, my post)

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3.  Aksks it's like 3 am but I just remembered a fic and I can't find it?? I'd really, really appreciate your help. It was a wangxian fic, maybe a oneshot idk, and lwj was kind of a nerd and wwx a badboy? So basically lwj has a massive crush on him and dresses up like wwx etc. (i think he even got an undercut) and after a party they sleep with each other at lwj's place?

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4.  i’m looking for a fic set in the where lwj’s mother killed his father? i don’t think that was a main plot point but it did show up in his backstory - any idea what this might be? ~ @thehype

FOUND!  @rentslirott thinks this could be ❤️the best of you by sysrae (E, 42k, wangxian, my post)

FOUND!  @castaways-logbook offers  The Right to Care by travelingneuritis (E, 39k, wangxian, WIP)

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5.  ... same as #6 ...

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6.  Hello friend, sorry for the inconvenience but I wanted to see if you could please find me a fic that I lost but I only remember more or less the final part, it goes more or less like this, lan zhan and wei ying are kidnapped by jin guangyao and lock them up if not I'm wrong in some cells next to lan xichen after the fights jin guangyao dies but lan xichen did know how bad jin guangyao had done and he didn't care and then to get revenge he wants to kill wei ying but lan zhan kills him and sizhui gets scared It was more or less like that, please help me ~ @isa0123lol

FOUND!  by @wangxiansfics who says that tragically it’s no longer available, but @dulachodladh found it on WaybackMachine here: Thread and Needle by haysel (M, 86k, wangxian)

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7.  Hi, Mojo! I'm glad that you're back but I hope you enjoyed your time off tumblr! Can you and/or your followers help me find a fic? I think the summary was talking about wwx and somehow they were asking mingjue for help since he's the only one who can help. The summary was in italics and it's a dialogue from some guy? And a shorter summary below. Sadly this is the only thing I can remember but I hope you can still help me

FOUND!  @alwayswenning suggests love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, has it’s own fanfic here, I just finished this last night!, my bookmark)

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8.  Sorry to bombard you as soon as you're back, but this one's driving me crazy--a modern AU where they met online. WWX thinks LWJ is an old man from how he talks. I don't remember much except the excerpt made it seem like he still was amused by/enjoyed talking to him, and Wen Qing was telling him it was a bad idea and to stop. It's not How to Fall In Love With a Catfish, tho that one is brilliant! (Also any top notch identity porn would be great) Hope your break was restful, you deserve it! Thanks

Here’s my #identity porn tag, but I’m not sure about this exact story.

I'm the anon for #8 on the fic finder. Though I'm excited to read it, the suggested fic isn't the one I was looking for. I swear I thought I saw it on here around a month ago or slightly more, but searches have failed me.

FOUND!  Rating: General Audiences by Mishaa (T, 18k, wangxian WIP) -  mysterious author LWJ (speculated to be an old man because of his formality) and infamous artist WWX paired up for an Untamed Big Bang (in an AU where JGY was the series’ antiheroic protagonist; this fic was written before the release of CQL.)

FOUND?  could you be looking for  Something Real by Latios (G, 5k, wangxian, my post) - wwx thinks lwj is an old man, but there’s no WQ.  There are many pictures of bunnies.

SIMILAR! @emilysidhe thought of ID Bro Saga by Bowandtie (T, 39k, wangxian)

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9.  Hey, how are you? Could you help me please? I've read 3 fanfics once, but I can't find them anymore. 1 - Nanny Problem, Wei is going to be the babysitter of A-Yuan, he is an omega and Lan is an alpha. 2 - Doctor Perfect, Yibo is an omega nurse and Xiao is an alpha doctor. 3 - The Baby of my Omega, Yibo is omega and Xiao is alpha, both of them are bodyguards, but Yibo has to protect Xiao in the beginning. I think they were at ao3, but I really can't find them. Can you help me please? Thank you!! ~ @weallmad

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10.  Hi! Im happy you’re back. I hope you had a good break. I missed your recommendations, but at the same time i got a break from fics and actually studied to my tests haha.  [Ah!  I’m glad to hear your time was spent productively!]  I’m looking for a fic like Linger in the Sun by etymologyplayground. In the fic im looking for wangxian slowly lose their senses instead of all of them at once. Like they lose their hearing, then touch, sight etc, They can’t see each other or hear each other. I’m sorry i can’t explain very well.

FOUND?  Could you be thinking of  ❤️shadows in the sun rise by Yuu_chi (E, 25k, wangxian)?  Only lwj losese his senses one by one in this one, though.

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11.  heyyy im trying to find this fic where wwx died the first time he was thrown in to the burial mounds then 10 years later he gets resurrected or something. I can't find it on AO3 and it's been bugging me for days. Thank you!

FOUND!  Well, @moku-youbi offers both of these as possibilities:

Did I Not Explain Why the Sunset Turns Red? by 3988Akasha (E, 100k, wangxian)

we're starting at the end by Miss_Enthusiasimal (M, 95k, wangxian)

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12.  Hi I am looking for a fic where wwx is a witch (/mage?) in a world where magic is being persecuted (especially in Gusu) except for Yunmeng/Lanling I think but they're still frowned upon nonetheless. Then after accidentally hurting Shijie, wwx runs away, and ends up hiding in Gusu pretending to be a servant to lwj (lwj is a prince, lxc is the emperor) but lwj actually knows of his identity and tries not-so-discreetly to protect him from being caught. Thanks!

FOUND! by @bibliobasilisk who gives us Witchfinder by misbehavingvigilante (E, 86k, wangxian)

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13.  Hi! Firstly, I'm glad to see you're back, and I hope your break was a good one! I'm trying to find a LWJ/WWX story that I had planned to read and ending up losing before I could. It was set in the immediate aftermath of the 33 lashes, LWJ is in the Jingshi recovering when a healer(?) discovers he's pregnant (by WWX). It may have been a/b/o verse, but I'm not 100% on that. Part of the story was a flashback to when WWX was still alive. Thank you!

FOUND!  by nonny themself.  It’s Unexpected Surprise by Glucose_Gremlin (E, 4k, wangxian)

SIMILAR! @mondelgel suggests my heart is kept as pure as ice in a jade vase/一片冰心在玉壶 by Daledesu (M, 21k, wangxian, WIP)

SIMILAR! from @impending-cuttlefish:  something new, something white, something blue by ariskamalt (E, 140k, wangxian, WIP)

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14.  I'm trying to find this one fic where Jin Ling finds this diary that Wei Ying wrote as the Yiling Patriarch that basically reveals everything, including the golden core reveal and it even has training tips that helps Jon Ling improve. When Wei Ying comes back, he tries everything to keep him there because he is THE best uncle now. I need to find it because it is a N E E D.

FOUND? by @theladypeartree who says, “The Truth (Untold) is jl reading jyl's journals, not wwx's though. And mordant is jl returning wwx's journals that he found, not grew up with. Neither fit #14 properly, but I seriously could not find anything closer after two solid days of searching. Good luck!“

The Truth (Untold) by anxiouswreck0_0 (g, 3k, wangxian, jin ling & wei wuxian)

or this one on ffn:

mordant by tennisnotensai (M, 18k, wangxian, here’s the link for mobile)

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15.  I have heard tell of a Sizhui/Jingyi fic where the boys end up going to Wangxian for advice about how to be intimate. Can you help me find it?

FOUND!  @manaika-chan says this one is On Advisement by LaMachina17 (M, 19k, wangxian, zhuiling, chengyi)

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16.  nm

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17.  Hi! Sorry, do you happen to know that nsfw fic where wwx is still studying in the cloud recesses and he’s reading a novel (im not sure if it was from nhs) that features a cultivator couple and there’s a scene in the book where the woman was pegging her husband? Basically wwx got curious about this and tried fingering himself. I remember he was hiding in the back mountains and then lwj eventually caught him

FOUND?  Could you be thinking of  Deep in the Woods by malkinmalkout (E, 5k, wangxian, my post)?

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18.  Ahhh I'm going crazy trying to think of a fic that I've read where Lan Zhan killed Wen Chao in a locker room and nie huaisang stood guard outside the door! Then lan zhan went to lan huan and said I killed someone and he said did they deserve it? Then it's fine. And I can't remember the name of the fic! Have you heard of it? ~ @uchihaautumn

FOUND! @artemisisdiana offers So Full Of Love (Wouldn't Know Where to Start) by witchupbitch (M, 54k, wangxian, WIP)

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19.  Hi, I was wondering if you could help me find a fic. I read it a while ago and I don't really remember all the details but it was a modern au where Lan Wangji was a police officer in this small town and Wei Wuxian comes back after years, having left the town due to some stuff. Thank you in advance.

Btw love your blog. I live for your fic recs.  [Thank you!]

FOUND?  Could you be looking for medium blues by dark_and_terrible (E,193k,  wangxian)?  It appears to be taken down atm, but it might come back (it’s done it before).

FOUND! by @grannyweatherwaxshat who offers When a Bird Flies, It Leaves Feathers by Bem_Kofi (not rated, 75k, wangxian)

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20.  Hi mojo!! First of all I luv your blog Thank you so much for all those ficrecs.  [You’re welcome!]  Actually I’m looking for a fic I read months ago. I probably found the fic from your blog. But I can’t seem to find it now 😢 it was a modern au wangxian fic (inspired by call me by ur name?) wwx was like 5 years older than lwj. (And lwj was like 16?) Wwx lives in another city but he spent around a year in cloud recesses with lwj in the past. And wwx yanli and jc visits cloud recesses again and wangxian gets 2gether

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[My ko-fi.]

[sebeth]

The World Of Ice And Fire: The Preface

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

   George RR Martin’s recent updates in the last few months have made me optimistic that The Winds of Winter will be released in late 2023 to mid-2024.  Very possibly a foolish hope but hope springs eternal.

I first heard of A Song of Ice and Fire on an old Wheel of Time message board circa 1999. It was a discussion of favorite fantasy books/series.  I first read the series shortly after A Feast For Crows was released in 2005. I was spoiled for most of the major events of the series – Ned’s execution, both the weddings, and Jaime’s loss of hand due to reading multiple threads on the internet but it didn’t lessen my love of the series. A Dance of Dragons was the only book I was completely unspoiled for on my first read and that is because I made myself stay off the internet until I finished the book.

A Song of Ice and Fire quickly became my favorite fantasy series. Rounding out the top five would be:

2) The Deryni novels by Katherine Kurtz

3) The Thieves’ World anthology series by various authors

4) The Power Mages books by Brian McClellan

5) The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

My favorite type of fantasy leans toward low/moderate magical elements with personal/political conflicts that could be inspired by actual history.

A Song of Ice And Fire is the best, and definitely most complex, of that type of fantasy.  A re-read from the beginning is needed to re-fresh all of the characters, plots, and foreshadowing that have happened over the course of the series. My work schedule is pretty hectic so it will take me to late 2023/early 2024 to finish the re-read.  I’m going with a chronological order of events for the re-read as opposed to reading in the order of publication. And not it begins…

The World of Ice And Fire: The Untold History of Westeros And The Game of Thrones:

The book opens with a beautiful two-page spread of Dragonstone. Remove the bottom part of the art and this could easily be post-Doom of Valyria.  Gloom, doom, the sky filled with ash and smoke.

The next page is rows of House sigils. There are a hundred sigils displayed, going on memory alone I can identify:

First Row – Arryn, Baratheon, Mallister, Florent

Second Row – Selmy, Tarth, Whent, Manderly, Fossoway

Third Row – Martell, Frey, Lannister, Mormont

Fourth Row – Tarly, Greyjoy, Brax, Reyne, Reed, Hightower

Fifth Row – Estermont, Tully, Blackwood, Clegane

Sixth Row – Piper

Seventh Row – Bolton, Umber

Eighth Row – Targaryen, Tyrell, Dustin

Ninth Row –

Tenth Row –

29 out of a 100? If that was a test, I would have failed. There were twenty more sigils I recognized reading descriptions of during the series but I couldn’t recall the House it belonged to.

The next page is a beautiful depiction of the Targaryen three-headed dragon sigil. The following page is a gorgeous drawing of Storm’s End during an actual storm. Less gloomy than Dragonstone but still not a place I’d want to live.

Next is a dedication: “To his most esteemed and gracious lord, Robert Joffrey Tommen the First of His Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, Yandel, humble Maester of the Citadel, wishes thousandfold prosperity, now and forever, and wisdom unmatched.”

The dedication gives us the following information: the in-universe author of the tome, when in the timeline it was finished, the rapid-fire timing of the events between Robert and Joffrey’s deaths, and the bias the author will have towards the Baratheon/Lannister regimes. Yandel isn’t going to risk Robert or Tywin’s wrath by being favorable toward Baratheon/Lannister enemies.

The preface begins by Yandel hyping the superiority of the Citadel: “…the dame may be said of knowledge, extracted and compiled by many learned men, each of whom builds upon the works of those who preceded him. What one of them does not know is known to another, and little remains truly unknown if one seeks far enough” and “…the great bastion of knowledge that has been built over the centuries born within and without the confines of the Citadel”.

We are the Citadel, we are awesome and know everything, okay, cool.

Yandel give a recap of his own history:

·         A foundling left on an empty stall in Scribe’s Hearth in the tenth year of Aerys II’s reign..

·         He was taken by an acolyte to Archmaester Ebrose who needed an infant to test theories for a treatise he was writing on the swaddling of infants.

·         Raised as a servant in the Citadel and was taught to write by Archmaester Walgrave

·         Forged the first link of his chain at thirteen years old and took his oaths in the first year of Robert Baratheon’s reign.

·         Began his work on “The World of Ice And Fire” shortly after taking his oaths.

The following page has art that depicts Aegon the Conqueror riding Balerion, the Black Dread.

Up next, Ancient History.

[lornaslibrary]

Fantasy

Last week I asked you to recommend your favourite fantasy books. These are all the books that were recommended!!

Bold = the books I’ve read * = the books I personally would recommend + = want to read/on my TBR

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1), by Leigh Bardugo *

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1), by Leigh Bardugo *

King of Scars (The Nikolai Duology #1), by Leigh Bardugo +

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, Melissa Bashardoust +

Range of Ghosts (Eternal Sky #1), by Elizabeth Bear

Chime, by Franny Billingsley

Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns #1), by Kendare Blake

The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury

Ninth Grade Slays (The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd #1), by Heather Brewer

The Wolf in the Whale, by Jordanna Max Brodsky

Our Bloody Pearl (These Traitorous Tides #1), by D. N. Bryn *

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Spellslinger (Spellslinger #1), by Sebastien de Castell

Traitor’s Blade (Greatcoats #1), by Sebastien de Castell +

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1), S.A. Chakraborty +

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

To Kill a Kingdom, by Alexandra Christo *

The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1), by Rin Chupeco +

The Iron Trial (Magisterium #1), by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black

The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper

London Falling (Shadow Police #1), by Paul Cornell

The Fire Within (The Last Dragon Chronicles #1), by Chris D’Lacey

The King’s Bastard (King Rolen’s Kin #1), by Rowena Cory Daniells

Kings of the Wyld (The Band #1), by Nicholas Eames

We Hunt the Flame (Sand of Arawiya #1), by Hafsah Faizal

Bitter Greens, by Kate Forsyth

The Skylark’s Song (The Skylark Saga #1), by J. M. Frey

The Untold Turn (The Accidental Turn #1), by J.M. Frey

Neverwhere (London Below #1), by Neil Gaiman

The Written (Emaneska #1), by Ben Galley

The Sentinel Mage (The Cursed Kingdoms #1), by Emily Gee

The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern #1), by Shannon Hale

Seraphina (Seraphina #1), by Rachel Hartman +

Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1), by Robin Hobb

Fool’s Gold (The Dragon Lords #1), by Jon Hollins

The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey

Wintersong (Wintersong #1), by S. Jae-Jones

The Traitor God (Age of Tyranny #1), by Cameron Johnston

Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle #1), by Diana Wynne Jones

The Dark Lord of Derkholm (Derkholm #1), by Diana Wynne Jones

Fires of the Faithful (Eliana’s Song #1), by Naomi Kritzer

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening (Monstress #1), by Marjorie M. Liu and  Sana Takeda +

Ash, by Malinda Lo *

First Watch (The Fifth Ward #1), by Dale Lucas

Down Among the Stick and Bones (Wayward Children #2), by Seanan McGuire +

Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire +

Chalice, by Robin McKinley

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1), by Sarah J. Maas

Blood’s Pride (Shattered Kingdoms #1), by Evie Manieri

Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1), by Melina Marchetta

Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood #1), by Juliet Marillier

Heart’s Blood, by Juliet Marillier

The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer #1), by Gail Z. Martin

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1), by George R.R. Martin

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1), by Jodi Meadows

Veiled Intentions (The Dragon’s Blade #2), by Michael R. Miller

The Philosopher’s Flight, by Tom Miller 

Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees +

Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire #1), by Natasha Ngan +

Sabriel (The Old Kingdom #1), by Garth Nix

Uprooted, Naomi Novik 

Here, There Be Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geograpica #1), by James A. Owen

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1), by Christopher Paolini

East (East #1), by Edith Pattou

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1), by Mary E. Pearson

Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson

Forging Divinity (The War of Broken Mirrors #1), by Andrew Rowe

Carry On (Simon Snow #1), by Rainbow Rowell

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter #1), by J.K. Rowling *

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1), Brandon Sanderson

A Living Nightmare (Cirque du Freak #1), by Darren Shan *

The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon

Tantalize (Tantalize #1), by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The Chronicles of Ixia, by Maria V Snyder +

The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1), by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1), by Maggie Stiefvater

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1), by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1), by Laini Taylor *

Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt #1), by Adrian Tchaikovsky  

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien  

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1), by Jessica Townsend 

Dragon Weather (The Obsidian Chronicles #1), by Lawrence Watt-Evans

The Black Prism (Lightbringer #1), by Brent Weeks  

The Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura #1), by Martha Wells

The Happy Prince and Other Tales, by Oscar Wilde

A House of Pomegranates, by Oscar Wilde 

Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicle #1), Patricia C. Wrede

[sinnhelmingrmoved]

a small, spoiler-heavy rundown of the kh au for hel. based on heavy plotting with @andallsoend.

backstory:

In layman’s terms, Hel is old as balls. she has been around at least since the Age of Fairy Tales, before the war started. She has always been tied to the Realm of Death as far as human memory runs, but was not always a stranger to the Light. Her family history runs much the same as in another Disney-owned property, however, in that her grandfather gave her over to her kingdom as a way to protect his own, though in this case it might be more a case of washing his hands of a child so attuned to the darkness. That story is so old that few know it, and she does not speak of it if she can help it -- curious parties will have to really dig if they want to unearth anything about Hel’s family.

But her story in this is never that of her family. It belongs more to early friendships, and the loss thereof.

trio:

Hel is not the only divine creature that was loose in those early days. There was another who had dominion over the Realm of Light, and Hel’s ‘partner’ in the darkness, The King of Dreams. He (fuckin obviously) oversaw dreams the same way Hel has long seen to certain affairs of death, with the edges of their realms touching at the furthest borders.

As a trio, they formed a cohesive balancing act and hit relatively few road blocks in a proper, whole World. They even fell into motifs that would later become recurring across the series. But then one friend crafted weapons to defend the light and was so exhausted by the making that he withdrew from the World, and the Dream King was sealed away by a wielder of one of those creations for untold generations. This, obviously, left Hel alone, and the approaching war and the schism that followed drove her to abandon the light and keep to her own realm alone, seeing it sealed off and left untouched by other worlds until modern events... 

modern:

...When a single fuckass who remembers the good old days is able revitalize old stories and awaken interest in a certain guardian of the darkness. 

In short order, after the lock to her realm having been broken by @andallsoend, Hel is usurped and slowly pushed towards the modern age by the King of the Heartless, towards anaged Master and his own goals. Hel, however, is more than willing to push back, and while she tries to stay neutral, her motivations bring her to side more with our various heroes than the great reformer himself.

She’s certainly a conundrum in the conflict, a creature tied to Darkness but wholly uncorrupted by it. She belongs to a time before the Light and Dark clashed, and can be considered a sort of ‘Sacred Darkness’ in the face of the imbalance that drives the current conflict. 

Though the World is a splintered shadow of what she once knew, her affection for the mortal realms has been rekindled, and she intends to make up for her past apathy in whatever way she can. She certainly has an ‘individuals over alliances’ nature, preferring to give her favor or sympathy to any who earn it regardless of their loyalty in the conflict.

abilities:

A badass and graceful mage-type with devastating lance capabilities as a physical fighter. Also a fragile speedster with immense strength stat and HP that leaves something to be desired. She tries to end fights quickly lest her enemies turn the tables on her.

Darkness-based magics and attacks are a no sell on her. She also has high resistance to ice based spells, being a frost giant and all. If you want to hurt her, high-leveled fire spells and any sufficiently powerful light-based attacks are the way to go.

Three whole Norts have confessed to wanting to ship with her so who knows what kind of pheromone bullshit she is rocking /s

While she is not THE Death, she does have her kingdom nestled deep within that realm and is both a queen and, potentially, psychopomp in this setting.

[ao3feed-lokiangst]

Loyalty and Mischief; the untold story of Sigyn and Loki

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3afFeIr

by MermaidAriel13

This is the story of the only woman who ever loved the God of Mischief. Lady Sigyn arrived in Asgard as the betrothed to the Crown Prince, Thor Odinson. But there was another who sought her out - the second son, Loki. The God of Mischief had meant to use Sigyn in his scheme to shame Thor before all the Nine Realms but something unexpected happened. Loki found himself falling in love with this brother's fiancée. All of Asgard believed their love was cursed, born out of deceptions and lies. Despite their many hardships the love between Sigyn and Loki only grew. Until one faithful day, a terrible secret comes out and Loki spirals down, believing his entire life, including Sigyn's love, was a lie. Will Loki freeze his heart to her and seal both their fates? Or will Sigyn be able to save both Loki and her people from a certain impending doom?

Disclaimer; I do not own anything related to the MCU or Marvel Comics nor any of the characters. This is a FanFiction - The storyline of the MCU will be woven into the chapters and there will also be some details from the original Norse mythology Note that there will be graphic scenes of violent and sexual nature throughout the story.

Words: 33988, Chapters: 7/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel, Norse Religion & Lore, Slavic Mythology & Folklore

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/M

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Loki (Norse Religion & Lore), Sigyn (Marvel), Sigyn (Norse Religion & Lore), Thor (Marvel), Þórr | Thor (Norse Religion & Lore), Avengers Team, Frigga | Freyja (Marvel), Odin (Marvel), Warriors Three (Marvel), Sif (Marvel), Heimdall (Marvel)

Relationships: Loki/Sigyn (Marvel), Loki/Sigyn (Norse Religion & Lore), Sigyn/Thor (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Courtship, Love, Magic, Deception, Loyalty, Mischief, Fire, Ice, Mages, Jotunn | Frost Giant

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3afFeIr

[loz-untold-myths]

UNTOLD MYTHS: The Mage's Lantern

Concepts 2

General Story + Additional Art

Program: Ibis Paint X

Time Elapsed: 2 hours, 33 minutes; 34 minutes; 46 minutes

Story

After years of the Hylian royal family keeping the whereabouts of Triforce unknown to all (including themselves), the dark wizard Ganondorf assembles a group of elemental mages in search for it. They terrorize Hyrule, and, when it becomes clear that they cannot be reasoned with, the King sentences them all to their deaths. Every mage is slain, except for that of ice. At Ganondorf's command, the wizard uses his rage to conjure an endless storm that affects every region of Hyrule.

Princess Zelda seeks a way to destroy this storm in secret, but must hold her own in the frigid wasteland that seeks to hunt and destroy her. However, she soon finds that her own life is not the only one she puts at risk...

Link, a young ranch hand from a village called Darune (built after the storm began), finds himself drawn to the wasteland of ice outside his town. Following the guidance of stories he only halfway recalls, he finds a lantern with a spirit of fire locked inside.

When the two cross paths and find their goals may intertwine, Link and Zelda seek a way to help this spirit reach his full strength and destroy the storm once and for all.

[benito-cereno]

The Further Adventures of Santa Claus, Chapter 2: The Count at the North Pole (finale)

(Chapter 1 part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here. You should definitely read chapter 1 first. Chapter 2 part 1 here.)

Dracula’s fangs sunk deep into the fleshy throat of the exhausted elf he had pinned against the side of a suburban home blissfully unaware that they were to be the site of the apparent death of Santa Claus. But no sooner than the vampire had begun to drink deep of Santa’s veins, he drew back in horror and revulsion.

He pulled his hand away from his hideous jaw, and into his palm dripped a streamy of not the deep, rich red he was expecting, but rather something frothy, white, and cold.

“Milk?” he shrieked in pain and confusion. “MILK???”

But Dracula’s words fell on deaf ears. His shock at the idea that cold milk ran through Santa’s veins was quickly superseded by an entirely new shock. Santa was now standing stock-still, milk gushing out of the holes in his neck like water from a fire hydrant. His knees locked and his arms were thrust straight down at his side. His eyes glowed a bright, incandescent red.

Then an unnatural voice, as if he were yelling through a tin can, blasted from his wide-open mouth, broadcasting, “SANTA DECOY ONE COMPROMISED.”

Santa’s head jerked toward Dracula in one inhuman motion. In the light of his blazing red eyes, a layer of burnished metal showed from under his rent flesh.

“SUNLIGHT BOMB ACTIVATED.”

Dracula barely had time to murmur “what” before this unsuspecting suburban subdivision was lit up like the surface of the sun. Meanwhile:

The South Pole! A tall, candy-striped pole rises high above the snow drifts! It stands as a marker to the southernmost point of this island Earth, as well as the signpost to Santa’s War Room!

Deep inside its tension-filled gingerbread halls, surrounded by gum drop monitors and peanut brittle icicles, stands an enormous snow globe containing a model of the entire planet Earth floating inside, surrounded by a flurry of white flakes. A globe within a globe. At this moment, somewhere in North America, a light begins blinking, knocking an unsuspecting elf on monitor duty out of his sugar-plum Christmas Eve reverie.

“Guh!” the elf shouted, nearly falling out of his marshmallow chair in panic.

Another elf at a switchboard made of chocolate wafers and wooden pegs leaned back and shouted at the other elf, “Tinker! What’s the matter over there?”

With the type of drama befitting only someone who has been staring fruitlessly at a snow globe for untold years, Tinker thrust his finger at the blinking light inside the globe. “Someone’s set of Santa-Bot One!”

Soon a swarm of elves from the monitor room were scrambling and running around in a panic, holding their heads in their hands. “Oh no!” “Oh gosh!” “The decoy!” “Someone call the boss!” “Call the boss!”

Tinker ran over to a phone that sat, long forgotten, under a dusty glass bell jar. The phone’s two eyes stared out over his bulbous red nose and empty smile. The nose began to glow red when Tinker removed the jar and picked up the rounded red receiver. He quickly dialed the number two on the phone’s white rotary dial. He waited for the sound of a click, then shouted into the mouthpiece, “Boss! You’d better get in here quick!”

Scarcely a moment later, a nattily dressed figure burst into the room. He was clad head to foot in black: black three-piece suit, black shirt, black tie, well-shined black shoes, black briefcase, black Bluetooth earpiece in his ear. The only thing not black on his body was his tawny brown hair, combed back slickly between his curved goat horns.

“All right, soldiers!” barked the Krampus. “What’s the sit-rep in here?”

Tinker once again pointed to the blinking light within the globe, somewhat more abashedly this time in the presence of the corporation’s number two. “Er, the Santa-Bot One decoy has activated its self-destruct mechanism, Mr. Krampus, sir. We believe it met its target, sir.”

The Krampus stroked his hairy chin and the tip of his tongue flicked out of the edges of his mouth as he thought. “Well, well, Prince Vlad. We're soon to meet again.” The suit-clad beast strode confidently down a hallway before opening a door to a darkened inner chamber, lit by a roaring fire that cast its sole inhabitant into full silhouette. “Santa, we've found the vampire.”

The figure by the fire did not even turn around as he replied, “Very well, Krampus. Fetch my horse, if you will.” Meanwhile:

Back in the suburbs, an enormous scorch mark covered the cul-de-sac full of identically-shaped and aluminum-sided homes that were once blanketed in a soft layer of snow. Next to the house that was the clear epicenter of this massive event--itself blasted with scorch marks but otherwise unharmed--stood the sputtering, charred shell of the Santa-Bot. Next to him lay the body of Dracula, black and burnt, but somehow still undead.

With a not insignificant effort, Dracula propped himself up on a skeletal elbow and coughed out soot and ash. “Kaff! Hah!” he choked. “I kaff yet live!” Despite his obvious infirmity, he began to drag his crumbling body through the snow. “And now for those two little children…”

His journey was interrupted by yet another flash of light, though this one much smaller and at some short distance away. The loud FWAAAAAASSSSHHH sound it made as it flared up caught his attention, though he had to shield his eyes before the bright blue glow. When the light dimmed and disappeared, Dracula saw in front of him a pair of feet in polished black leather shoes and impeccably tailored black pants stood in front of his prostrate form. The lord of the vampires struggled to lift his head to see whose legs blocked his path.

“YOU?!” he spat in disgust.

“Yeah,” the owner of the legs said, deliver a swift kick to Dracula’s head with such strength that it flipped him over like a vastly overcooked egg. “Me.”

Now lying helplessly on his back, Dracula could not avoid seeing in full who stood before him. In the black suit stood the Krampus, who wiped the soot from Dracula’s burnt face off his shoe before crossing his arms across his chest. Next to him was a figure imposing enough to make the great horned beast of the woods seem slight. He was draped in heavy green robes fringed with an intricate Celtic knot design. At the top of these robes, a dark hood covered a hoary head from which a long, wiry white beard hung down in a tangle. If he turned his head just right, the light struck a small square of leather covering a hole where his right eye had once been. Stitched into this patch was the rune isaz, meaning ice. His one remaining eye pierced the darkness, the cold, pale blue of a winter morning sky. In his right hand he held a long staff of gnarled wood that curled into an uneven spiral at its top. Most terrible of all, this mighty wizard, the Santa, sat astride a fearsome gray stallion, nineteen hands high, with eight legs and snorting fire.

“Gruß vom Krampus und dem Weihnachtsmann,” sneered the Krampus through a cocky, tooth-filled grin.

The soot-covered count looked up at the sorceror upon his horse, coughing out a small cloud of ash with each breath. By now a small crowd of suburbanites unused to such riff-raff in their neighborhood had begun to gather in the cul-de-sac to see what was causing such disruption of their normally quiet subdivision. “So now what, Saint of God? Will you kill me now at last?”

The Santa turned his gaze away from the vampire. “No. Not in front of the children.” He raised his staff, from which an icy blue light like the one that marked his entrance began to issue. “But elsewhere. And very soon.”

As a now familiar FWAAAAAAASSSSH resounded throughout the cul-de-sac, the nondescript American suburb faded from sight, and in its place materialized a twisted cyclopean edifice that looked like an arthritic claw reaching toward heaven in an attempt to scratch out God’s eyes.

Dracula cackled, his legs finally having regenerated enough for him to stand up. “Hah! You bring me here, to Castle Dracula, my place of power?” Finding his second wind, he lunged at the Santa, who had just dismounted from his horse and handed the reins to the Krampus. Despite the element of surprise, the wizard managed to deftly dodge the vampire’s attack, partly because it was preceded by him yelling, “You arrogant fool!”

Now enraged, Dracula leapt again in attack at the Santa, this time from behind. Again, the mage simply stepped to the side and evaded the bat’s talons, though this time the vampire managed with his swipes to rip some snatches of fabric from the hems of Santa’s robes.

With Dracula now having rushed past him, the Santa blew a small breath of cold air across the open palm of his own hand, which then became an enormous wintry blast that knocked Dracula back into the wall, leaving him pinned to the castle wall by giant icicles through his sleeves and cape.

Dracula sneered. “So the saint decides to finally show his true power, eh?”

Santa walked patiently toward the captive beast. “There is more to see yet, prince.” He drove the point of his knotted wooden crozier hard into the mildewed stone floor of the castle. A bright flash of light sparked up from where the staff struck. The next moment, the entire top of Castle Dracula was blown off by an incalculably large explosion of light and sound.

The vampire prince was shocked to see his ancestral home destroyed. The entire roof and all the upper floors that had, a moment ago, been above him, were now simply gone. He struggled in his rage, but impotently so, as he was still powerfully affixed to the wall by the Santa’s eldritch icicles. “You—you fiend. You exploded my castle.”

The Santa turned his gaze away from Dracula. “Don't worry, prince. You won't miss it long.” He pointed to the horizon, where the first sliver of sun was beginning to peek out. “The sun is rising.”

“It is, isn't it?” Dracula began to cackle again, until he got caught in a coughing fit, hacking up ash and soot again. “AH AH AH AH AH! Even in my death, I've beaten you again! Just as in our last encounter, you've been so troubled with me, you haven't completed your annual duties! The children, saint!  Won't you think of the children?”

Santa smiled grimly. “You think me such a fool that I wouldn't learn from our last encounter? Do you think the decoy you encountered was the only robot my elves built for me? You, prince, are the fool” Meanwhile, in Japan:

Santa Kurōsu happily eats Kentucky Fried Chicken with his wife over candlelight, a hogtied namahage lying next to his table, begging for a bite of chicken. Outside his rocket-powered bison sleigh idles.

Meanwhile, in France:

Père Noël unloads some escargot and baguettes from the wicker hampers on the back of his donkey, Gui, and places them in the shoes of a gently snoring family of mimes.

Meanwhile, in England:

Father Christmas descends from his home in the Northern Lights to enjoy a spot of tea with the guard outside of Buckingham Palace, who manage to drop their professional facade for just this one moment, because it’s Christmas.

Meanwhile, in Italy:

Babbo Natale and his braying donkey Dominick careen through the winding streets of Rome on a Vespa scooter, shouting expressions of love at a crowd of young women, themselves on scooters.

Meanwhile, in Finland:

Joulupukki welcomes a crowd of children to his reindeer farm, his long, goat-like beard hanging down from an irrepressible smile.

Meanwhile, in Catalonia:

The Tió de Nadal happily defecates nougat and Nintendo Switches into the welcoming hands of children whacking him with sticks.

Meanwhile, in Transylvania:

Santa stood next to the dying Dracula, who hung limply dying on the wall. In the distance, a carol rose up from the distance.

Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings; Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth

“Listen to them, Vlad,” said the Santa as the sun began to rise fully over the snowy peaks of Transylvania. “Children of the light. What music they make.”

Dracula’s eyes went wide, as the source of centuries of fear, at last, knew fear himself. Silently, dispassionately, the Santa drove the sharpened tip of his crozier through Dracula’s heart. As Dracula turned to dust, he breathed his last breath: a green, bat-shaped cloud of vampire bacteria.

THE END

....OR IS IT????

*****

The child beamed, proud of her story.

The tutor was not impressed. “What.”

“What what?”

“What was that cloud of stuff flying out of Dracula's mouth at the end?”

The child explained, glad to finally be the one speaking down to a knowledgeless fool in need of instruction for a change, “It's the Dracula virus! See, to continue on with undeath even after death, the viral vampirism that caused Dracula in the first place--”

The tutor cut his student off mid-sentence. “VAMPIRISM ISN'T A VIRUS.  That is stupid!  It is enormously stupid!” He got to his feet, dumping a stack of math papers to the floor. “And Santa-Bots! Santa at the South Pole! The Krampus in a suit! Those moderately racist Santas at the end!” He grabbed at his hair as if it was the only way to anchor his sanity. “And don’t think making your story a pseudo-sequel to mine endears it in any way! This story is NON-CANONICAL.” He stormed out of the room, seemingly forgetting his grading duties or even what planet he was on. As he walked out the front door and toward his car, shouts of “NON-CANON” could be heard with each step, and, in fact, for the first several miles of his drive away.

Anyway, that’s how the child got to see the last half of the Shelfy Elf Christmas special. Mele Kalikimaka, everybody.

[qcdastuff]

Carding the Veil - Chapter 1

Holy Chant and Ink

Alexander Trevelyn was having a very bad day.

It was part of a bad week, in a bad month, in what was shaping up to be a bad year. And he’d known very bad years. He’d first shown signs of magic at age thirteen (which apparently was a late bloomer somehow). That year was filled with dread and horror and secrecy and just an untold amount of panic on his parents’ parts. The next two years were filled with, if possible, more of the above as they tried to keep his magic a secret. Closing him up in his own wing of the manor and using only the most trusted servants. Or so they thought.

The year he was fifteen, his secret was betrayed to the Chantry by a maid they’d had serving their family all his life. Apparently, she’d been perfectly okay with all the fire and ice and levitating and fever fit dreams, but the minute that Alexander had expressed doubts in the Maker. Oh that was a step too far.

He’d been taken to ‘one of the nicer Circles’, given that his parents were nobles, his name carried weight, and (as he later found out) their money was still good for something. He tried to think of it as an extended summer camp, or maybe boarding school. But it didn’t take that whole, terrible, no-good year he was fifteen to realize this was a prison. A nice prison...but a prison nonetheless.

The next two years (in his opinion) were too much Chantry service about resisting demons, and not enough instruction on everything you could do with magic. His fifteen year old self sort of thought it was bullshit. His seventeen year old self, however, would’ve liked a little more practical advice on just how to resist demons. It turned out it would’ve been pretty useful. What with the Harrowing. Either way, he lived and didn’t get possessed. Barely. And didn’t get axed by a Templar. Again: barely.

Despite what people say, mages still got mail from loved ones - well - if you had loved ones to send you mail. Apparently the whole magic thing was a dealbreaker for some people. Not Alex’s parents, obviously, thankfully, and not for his sisters either. He wasn’t exactly having a fun time at the Circle, but it wasn’t as bad as other places he could’ve been sent. If the tales of those Mages who’d been transferred to his Circle were any indication. (Transferred ‘on good behavior’. If that wasn’t prison speak, Alex didn’t know what was.)

But despite the fear of the unknown at thirteen, the pain of betrayal at fifteen, the terror of demon possession at seventeen, and the just, general unpleasantness of being somewhere you didn’t want to be in all the years that followed, it was this year that was likely to be the worst. Some asshole had blown up a Chantry. Some magical asshole, to be precise, had blown up the Kirkwall Chantry, and now apparently it was every Mage’s fault. Far as they were from Kirkwall, both physically and in spirit, Alex’s circle wasn’t much affected by the news, except…

...

“What do you mean, representative?” The younger of the two mages flailed, belled sleeves flapping uselessly up to his elbows as he gestured overhead, as if to invoke the opinion of the blessed Maker in the conversation. He was a little taller than the other man (once he stood up, that is), but that was to be expected. The Grand Enchanter was nearing a hundred years old, and walked with a cane. Alexander Trevelyn was only in his twenties.

“I assume you are familiar with the definition of ‘representative’, Young Master Trevelyn.” The aging mage made a show of hefting his weight up from behind the desk, a smile playing mostly around his eyes. It was an endearing name he’d used for the young man since the start, and never failed to get him back in line. Not even now, when faced with the prospect of traveling across leagues of wilderness.

“Right. Yes.” Alex huffed a breath and put his arms down, straightening out his robes. Wouldn’t do to cause a scene. Even with such a small audience. He flicked a glance behind him, to the two Templars flanking the door, and wanted to hex the both of them for their smirking grins. Well. He was sure they were smirking. He wouldn’t know. Their visors were down. Twats. “I just meant...why would you pick me for that, Grand Enchanter? And for that matter, why should we go at all?!”

“Because, my boy…” Enchanter Phineas shuffled around the end of the desk and over to a podium with a ledger on it. “...we are one of the few Circles not overthrown in riot and cooler heads need to be present at this meeting. You - and a Templar I am about to choose - shall make the journey from here to Haven and represent the illustrious Ostwick Circle in these proceedings.”

“Yes, but-”

“Do you have a preference?”

“Yes! It is not to go!”

“I meant about the-”

“I know very well what you meant.” Alex snapped, and then paced in the other direction. He needed to get his annoyance under control. The Grand Enchanter didn't seem to notice the level of his distress, fat finger running down the ledger page. Still. Alex could already feel the magic bubbling up hot and irritated under the palms of his hands.

It was funny. He thought about what it would be like to leave the Circle all the time. But he’d always pictured returning home. He did not picture himself trekking across the wilderness with Mage and Templar rioting washing across the countryside. Maybe he could...maybe the Templar would let him...no.

“We’re not even going to make it there, Grand Enchanter. We’re going to get waylaid. By Templars or Mages or Bandits! ”

“Oh my.” Came the whispered, tinny voice of one of the Templars. Alex whirled and glared at him. The other coughed, and the mage thought he might’ve been trying not to laugh.

“There, there...now. It's not bad. Not bad at all.” The old man started up again, and Trevelyn turned around, hopeful he was going to allay his fears. Instead, Phineas tapped a name on the page and said, “Templar Lucius Cane. He’s a fit fellow for the job.”

Alexander groaned and hung his head. There wasn’t going to be any talking his way out of this. He instead tried to block the old man from leaving his office. “At least send another Mage and- and- two more Templars. Three! You know, for when half of us get killed!”

The Grand Enchanter only shuffled by the distressed Mage, patting him on the shoulder and gesturing to one of the Templars to get the door. It was well open by the time the old man had made his way to it. “Come, come, Young Master Trevelyn. Don’t be dramatic...and keep up. We’re going to tell your escort about his new assignment... but maybe a stop to the kitchens first.” The old man muttered under his breath.

The Templars were definitely trying not to laugh now. A trip to the kitchens, and then the Head Templar’s office, and then to find Cane. It would take all day at his snail’s pace. On the plus side - he might be dead of old age by the time they got to tell Cane anyway.

...

In spite of being taken from his home and almost being possessed by demons, he was going to insist that this was his worst month on record. Mainly because most of it so far had been spent trekking across the Maker-forsaken wilderness, and, just as he told the Enchanter, dodging rabid Templar patrols and insane camps of Mages with their hired thugs. He’d tried not to think of how the mages had got the money to pay these mercenaries they’d hired. He still pictured whole Circles burned to the ground and these assholes rummaging in the cinder for the master’s lockbox. He shuddered to think of himself caught in the crossfire. Or, Maker forbid, Templar Cane - who’d been very nice to him the whole time and put up with (more than) his fair share of complaining from Alex.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on what kind of mood the young Mage was in) he hadn’t died of old age before they got ‘round to telling Cane about his new assignment. And the man had been strangely eager to go on this little mission, too. Alex couldn’t figure it, but he supposed it was better he wanted to be there than not. They’d left on horseback days and days ago, and made fairly good time, all things considered.

...

“You don’t have to say it!” Trevelyn shouted as he ran full tilt back to the horses. Cane was right on his tail, or was, last he checked, and Alex could still hear the ping! ping! of arrows bouncing off the Templar’s shield.

“OH YES-!” The warrior roared, hefting and pushing his charge up into the saddle of one of their mounts, over the man’s squeaked protests, “-I DO!” He tugged at the tied reins, and, seeing it a lost cause in his hurry, chopped them free.

“Are you mad?! How am I supposed to steer this thing!?”

“Just grab it by the mane!” Cane turned to face his enemy and was bowled forward when the mage followed his direction and the horse wheeled in a full circle, shoving the Templar into the charging mercenary with its hindquarters. Both warriors nearly went down in a heap, but at the last moment Cane used his tall shield as a brace and the man’s neck as something to push it off of. The mercenary gargled in pain once, and a second time when the Templar’s sword pierced his breast easy as roast duck.

“DON��T JUST SIT THERE!” Cane roared again, trying to snap the little Mage to his senses, “Set them on fire!” He needed backup.

Alex, honestly, was just trying to get his horse under control. The thing didn’t like any of this fighting. And it surely wasn’t going to like fire springing up around it. And he’d never been in a fight before. And he’d never been told by a Templar to do magic. And- AND- HE PANICKED. Alex kicked his horse’s side - in a whinny of fright it bucked and charged forward - right through the little group of mages.

He could hear the Templar yelling something behind him, but he couldn’t figure out how to wheel the beast around. Looking over his shoulder, he could see it didn’t matter. He’d provided enough of a distraction and Lucius was atop his charger - looking mad as a rage demon and charging after him. He honestly couldn’t think that face was for him, and shouted, warning the knight of his predicament, “I can’t stop it! Hurry up!”

When they’d finally gotten away - when Cane had finally stopped both horses - he nearly shoved Alex off onto the ground and then didn’t stop laughing for what felt like ages. Eventually, he helped the Mage down properly, shaking his head. He sighed, clapping his mailed hands heavily on Alex’s shoulders, “For a moment there, I really thought you were leaving me to die, Alex.” He shook his head again, “I forgot you’re an idiot.”

“Hey!” Came the immediate protest, even as the Templar walked away, “I’ll have you know I’ve been riding horses since I was five! Well. Until I was thirteen...but that’s not the point! You don’t ride them without reins, Lucius! You- look!” He pulled at the stumpy bits of leather hanging from his mount’s bridle. “You’ve ruined it! You’ll have to get me another.”

Cane stopped where he’d been leading his horse to unsaddle her and turned, tucking his fist to his middles and giving a full bow, “A thousand pardons, your lordship. I’ll talk to the stablemaster right away for a replacement.”

A beat. Two. Alex burst out laughing, and Cane started up again, though his hand stayed on his stomach from the pain of so much laughter recently. He started digging through the saddlebags. “Well, at least we- Maker’s beard!”

The Templar never cursed. And Alex didn’t know if he liked it. “What? What’s wrong?!” He looked around wildly, thinking someone had managed to follow them.

It took Cane a moment to answer, but when he did, it was with an air of defeat. “They attacked after we unpacked the food. It’s back at that camp.”

Alex, on the other hand, was a fair hand at this cursing business. “Pissbucket.”

...

Again, it would be hard to say for certain, but he thought he had it pegged to this week. This very week was starting to look like the worst in his life, if only because they were now close enough to Haven that they were traveling with everyone else wanting to attend this summit. Which meant Templars and Mages and nobles and peasants and people from all walks of life who were, in Alex’s opinion, to a man (and woman) assholes. Every single one of them. Cane was the only rational person left on this planet beside himself, and he’d shown it by being the only Templar not to get into a fight every five seconds. Even when he’d wanted to.

...

Alex didn’t know what had been said originally, because he’d been too preoccupied trying to figure out how he’d lost a button, but now he was holding Lucius’ sword arm. Trying to keep the man from drawing his sword against three other Templars. “It’s not worth the trouble.”

The three of them laughed to see the mage worried for his travel companion. One of them - he reminded Alex of a fat badger - elbowed his buddy (who looked more or less like you’d bred a frog with a stork and turned it human) and said, “Lookit ‘im! Tryin’ t’hold ‘im back! What a proud little defender you are.”

Cane glared, but took his hand off his sword hilt.

“That’s right, shiney, listen to the little missus.” Sneered the stork-toad, ignoring Alex’s outraged squeak of protest. “Never thought I’d see a mage try’n save one of ours.”

The third chuckled, and when he spoke, Alex could only think him a snake, “Boys, boys...don’t make fun.” Any illusion that the man was trying to diffuse the situation broke on his next words, “Mages can be quite loyal  if you train them up right, and not to mention…” He gave Alex a leering once-over, “...oh, so useful ...once you break them in properly.” He turned to Lucius, “My congratulations, brother, on a job well done.”

“You’re no brother of mine,” Cane snarled, at the same time Alex let go of his arm.

“I changed my mind." Alex drew himself up to his full height, "You can kill them.”

“I’d love to.” Cane muttered, hand back on his sword hilt. But he didn’t draw it. It was still three to one, and Alex would be out of the running the instant the three of them laid down holy smite.

“Oh ho!” Badger laughed, pointing and ribbing the stork-frog again, “Maybe we’ve got it the wrong way ‘round! Maybe this one has his little Templar on a leash! Playing at magister, are you, boy?”

Alex really, really resented when people called him boy. It happened a lot with mages. And, he supposed, happened a lot with him because he was so young. Or at least looked it. He was three-and-twenty in a couple of months’ time, and while he thought that was well far enough into adulthood...apparently there was some contention about it. Mainly from grizzled or at least jaded Templars. And master Mages. And just veteran Mages. Okay, everyone. It didn’t help that he also looked  like one would expect a teenager to look. Forever five minutes late - a scruff of a couple of days’ beard, and robes that were in need of mending at the elbows, some bit of parchment or kerchief or something always sticking out of a pocket.

While Alex had been having his own internal monologue, it had happened. The thing that would make tomorrow the very worst day ever. And he’d missed it. Some throw-away comment Lucius had made about Tevinter magisters. Something no one there should have disagreed with. Except. Except one person did, and instead of airing her grievances like a normal person, she decided to bottle that right up and turn all of her hate for sweet little Lucius Cane into an ambush.

As it was, presently, it took a sister of the Chantry noticing the commotion to resolve anything. The good sister scolded the lot of them (excluding Alex, whom she took pity on, mistaking his wandering mind’s silence for fear) and sent them off in separate directions. She had even given him a candy. Maybe looking young did have its perks.

...

So in the end, it shouldn’t have come as any surprise to him that a Tevinter Magister was here. Now. On the road to Haven. But it did. And it shouldn’t have surprised him that she’d taken offence to whatever Cane had said (which it didn’t). And it further, given what little he knew of Magisters, shouldn’t have surprised him that she had guards (and it didn’t). But what did surprise him was the number of guards that she had. Or maybe he was better off saying the amount of guarding that was possible.

Alex had put up protective spells and gotten in a shot of arcane bolts or a flame blast where he could, but he wasn’t made of mana, and he certainly wasn’t good at offensive spells. Not in the least. He was better at healing. Which he became infinitely grateful for at the next turn of events.

“Enough!” The Magister had called from inside her carriage. She hadn’t deigned to step foot outside it from the start. They’d stopped because they thought her stranded, from the terrible tilt of the wagon and the way the three men milling about seemed to be scratching their heads. Obvious, now, that it was a trap.

The three guards - for the coachman had stayed atop - stepped back, clearing space. Alex thought, at first, the Magister herself might be coming out now to duel, but no. Worse. A man unfolded himself from the cabin, drawing himself up to his full height once clear of the coach’s apparently low ceiling, rolling his neck, amid pops, across those massive shoulders. He had to be seven foot tall. He just had to be. Barely armored and wearing furs - still only half dressed in the cold. He had swaths of blue paint across his chin and cheeks and bare chest.

Dainty, dark-skinned hands, bedecked with gold chain, passed a large club from inside (and Alex did not see how the owner of those hands could have been hefting the giant, wicked thing).

“Ravnir...kill them both.”

Alex caught the barest hint of white hair, more furs, and the jingle of more chain from inside before all he could focus on was the monstrosity in front of them. He poured healing energy into Cane and, for the first time in many years, actually prayed to the Maker they would live.

...

Prologue | Chapter 2

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23582437/chapters/56582473#workskin

[nalufever]

Memes

‘Since Forever’ Nalufluffweek 2017: read on FF.net - ch 1   ch2   ch3   ch4   ch5   ch6   ch7   ch8   ch9  (don’t be afraid to leave reviews - the lifeblood of every writer ever)

Prompt: Memes. Success! Kind of. Confession articulated - and now to see if Lucy understands. Is she going to accept? Now, if Natsu can just stop rambling - that would be great. Lucy's about to write herself a note giving herself permission to do whatever she wants - and right now, it's to kiss Natsu silent. Win - win.

Lucy feared her heart would break free of her ribs. Had she ever felt so nervous before? Why was she standing still like this? Shouldn't she say or do something?

"Lucy, this is something I never expected to find or even want - a person who means more to me than anything else." Natsu nodded slowly, his chest rose and settled with a deep breath. "I want us to be more than friends. But if you don't feel the same, I'd learn to accept it." He shoved his hands into his pockets, swaying a bit side to side, eyes trained with intense focus on Lucy.

Aware Natsu was waiting for a response, Lucy gulped. She stared back at Natsu, the cold railing against her back at best a mild distraction. "Why'd you call me fat?" Aghast at the involuntary question, Lucy clapped her hands over her mouth.

"You still on that?" Natsu laughed. "How long ago was that? And I didn't say you were fat - I said it was a good thing you weren't too skinny! That costume on our last mission would never have fit you right if you were a bone-rack." He pulled his hands free, dislodging Mira's letter. It fell unnoticed at their feet. Natsu made an exaggerated hour-glass shape motion and then gave Lucy a wink and thumbs up sign.

"Too skinny?" Lucy felt colour rise higher on her cheeks. "So you don't think I'm fat?"

"Even if you were - which you aren't -" Natsu stepped close, breath tickling Lucy's bare collar. "- I fell in love with the girl who wants to be a writer. A person who battles beside her spirits, who trusts deeply and has learned to forgive. My partner, who happens to have a brilliant mind. Lucy, I love you."

Lucy felt like she and Natsu were in a suspended cocoon. This intimate moment was insulated from reality. Just inches away the real world threatened to intrude. The lights floating on the water continued to bob and spiral into new patterns. Lights across the harbour flickered on and off. Pockets of noise; conversations from other balconies in the hotel and music could be faintly heard. The stars watched in silence and the wind brought fresh scents of the sea.

Now that the moment was here - the moment Lucy had daydreamed about for untold years - she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think, where to look. Didn't know if she could trust her voice to work - was she going to laugh or cry? And in that desperate instant, Lucy cast her eyes down and spied the dislodged paper from Natsu's pocket.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Crouching down and picking up the letter was the work of an instant. Rather than answer Natsu, Lucy flipped the pages open.

Before she could read, Natsu caught her wrist. "I'd rather you didn't."

"I don't know what to think." Lucy gave a longing look to the letter before turning her gaze back to an anxious Natsu. "You're asking me to be your girlfriend, but before we left on this vacation,” Lucy gulped and forced herself to keep speaking. "You said you didn't consider yourself boyfriend material."

Natsu have a half-hearted chuckle. "No, what I said was that I'm not hung up on labels - meaning 'boyfriend' isn't enough to describe what I feel for you." He took the rustling papers from Lucy. Jamming them into a pocket, he placed her now empty hand over his thumping heart. "Feel my shirt - it's totally made out of boyfriend material!"

She ignored his feeble joke. "Why ask me to be your girlfriend now?"

"Because I've finally figured out that's what you want - and I want the same thing." Natsu took encouragement from Lucy's hand - still on his chest and gently rubbing. "Yeah, I asked for help. I needed it - there's no shame there. I'd ask a thousand people for help if it meant you saying yes."

Lucy felt the heat radiating from Natsu surge and drop. "Are you nervous?"

"Duh."

For Lucy, at that moment, Natsu seemed like his usual dorky self. Casual. At ease with himself and any situation, even if he'd just admitted to being nervous. Lucy ran her tongue over her drying lips. Interesting. Natsu seemed truly tense now. This was very important to him. No room for pretending or evading how she felt. "I'm nervous too."

"Y-you are?"

"I like you too. I've been scared to admit exactly how much." Lucy edged closer. Her hand still pressed over Natsu's heart, the rhythmic thumping soothing. "I don't care what we call this new stage in our relationship - but I want you to know I'm always gonna be yours."

"Is this a yes?"

Lucy smiled wide - lips stretching with a burn. "Yes."

"So, this means you do want me to be your boyfriend!" Natsu almost crowed, jubilant and relieved in equal measure. "Ice Princess can suck it!"

"..." Lucy gave Natsu a gimlet stare.

Slightly shamed, Natsu shrugged. "I went to Mira for help after Gray said I was out of my depth. Stupid bastard is gonna eat his words when we get back to the guild."

Lucy wet her lips again, raised her eyebrows slightly and tried her best to hand Natsu a telepathic clue - time to kiss.

Natsu leaned closer to Lucy, his breath tickling. "A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he confesses and kisses his Lucy exactly when he means to."

"Yes?" Lucy couldn't help her involuntary reaction - fluttering her eyelashes, trying to say wordlessly 'kiss me!'

"I need to go over there to see and hear for myself exactly what they're doing!" Mira tossed down her binoculars. "Let go!"

Laxus held Mira tight and shook his head. "Let the two idiots figure it out for themselves."

The she-devil almost twisted free, hissing at Laxus, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

"Damn girl." He grinned at Mira. "Let's go work off some of your passion."

"Let me check on them later?"

Laxus winked. "Do you really think I'm gonna not give you my all? If you're able to walk later - that's gonna be surprising."

Mira giggled and clapped her hands. "I happened to bring a few new toys with me."

"I have all the time we need for that."

Natsu slid one arm around Lucy's waist and the other around her shoulders, his hand plunging into her hair. His voice was low but steady, "Lucy, you're -"

Lucy closed the distance between them - giving or was it taking - Natsu her first kiss. Lips slid over lips, mouths opened in exploration and tongues played without reserve. Passion rose, wild - like fire. Hot insistent desire made the two mages press their bodies closer.

Out of breath, they ceased their lip-lock. Natsu grinned foolishly - as did Lucy.

"Wow."

Natsu echoed Lucy's sentiments and then said, "Why'd we wait so long?"

"Not sure." Lucy looked dazed, but somewhat coherent. "We should make up for lost time."

"Hells yeah." Natsu kissed Lucy again - never more glad he'd admitted he needed help.

Mira's Letter:

Natsu, you need to read ALL of this letter - no skimming or you'll miss important information! Don't you shake your head and say, 'yeah, yeah!' You came to me for expert advice - so LISTEN!

You want to confess to Lucy your feelings - and that's a good thing - but just saying 'I like you' isn't enough. Girls like romance and emotions. Do you even know about all the different kinds of love a person can feel?

Physical Love (that would be insert tab A into slot B or whatever orifice works for the both of you) ~ Love of the mind (brotherly or platonic) ~ Playful love ~ Longstanding love ~ Love of the soul ~ Love of the self (fyi - not masturbation)~ Love of the child (you and Lucy should have 30 babies!)

You can have more than one type of love feeling for another person - and you don't have to nail down exactly to what degree it exists - admit it like a responsible adult and consult Lucy on how she feels.

Ooh! Here's an important definition! Soul mate: kindred soul, a person with whom one has a strong affinity, shared values and tastes, and often a romantic bond. That's what all the smart people are betting on. Do not make me lose my bet.

Affection can be giving thoughtful gifts at the right time - especially when your significant other isn't expecting anything. (Let's face it, for a long time I thought you were asexual - then I thought maybe you liked guys (nothing wrong with that!) and then Lucy showed up and you couldn't leave her alone - but let's not assume heteronormativity - the world is a large place and there's no call to discriminate.)

I think Lucy'd look great in frilly undies - she might like edible body paint, (I know a place that sells spicy chocolate flavour!) or some new bras (If in the heat of the moment, you burn off the one she's wearing - then she'd already have a replacement!) - ooh, and candy 3 There's a saying, 'candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker' - alcohol lowers resistance - but it might leave one or the other of you with regret. Keep a clear head and save drunken shenanigans for after you break each other in.

Natsu, tell Lucy how you feel. Give her the information she needs to sort her own emotions - wait for an answer and accept it graciously. Though I tell you what, if she runs away, I'll have Laxus send me over there through his lightning travel magic and 'talk' some sense into her.

You need her consent for any decent fun things you two can do once you confess. I know you have a cosplay kink - or else you wouldn't have held onto that maid outfit from Everlue Mansion. Matter of fact, I know the perfect little boutique that has silk scarves, feather dusters, padded handcuffs and all the gadgets take the same kind of batteries! Saves on keeping five kinds on hand!

You and Lucy have been best friends for a loooooong time. I expect some pretty vanilla sex between you two. (At the right time of course - but it's inevitable!) You're lucky you came to me, Erza would either have murdered you for daring to want to besmirch Lucy - or - forced you to read some of her favourite erotic novels. But just say the word, I can get you a near mint copy of the Kama Sutra.

Let Lucy know all the little things she does that you enjoy ~ and later you'll get to enjoy how bendy she is. Don't be afraid to try new positions and actually TALK about what feels good and be honest about what doesn't. Neither of you are mind readers - ooh, and don't ever ask Warren about what's on Lucy's mind (or anyone else for that matter) - he'll take great delight in telling you in horrific detail all the things you NEVER wanted to know - and there won't be enough bleach to wipe your mind clean.

So if you wanna show Lucy affection, be sure to compliment her lots and lots. Tell her she's pretty - say you like her outfit - admire her smarts - bring up something she did on a job you two did and say exactly what she did that you thought was awesome! Don't skimp on the details - those are what prove you pay attention.

Confess! After Lucy admits she loves you too - give her a big smooch! Try not to slobber - but a judicious amount of tongue is to be expected. No groping unless she touches you first! And I know I said you two should have 30 babies - you might want to give yourselves some time to enjoy running around your house naked. ^^ So for now, you should keep a stash of birth control with you at all times. You never know when you might get the urge.

Sex is a great headache cure btw ~ orgasms release endorphins. So if you're driving Lucy batty, all you have to do is seduce her pain away. Also! Lube! This will benefit the both of you. Make sure your lube and condoms are compatible. Don't be embarrassed to experiment. Don't be embarrassed to talk about safe words before getting your freak on.

I'm proud of you for reading all this, Natsu. :D It takes a mature person to admit when they need help. And face it, I'm the best help there is. Last, but not least - my best tip: ask Lucy with confidence - don't waffle. Wear your big boy pants and put all your best effort into showing her your sincerity. Tell her you like her. I know it's scary. Admit it's grown stronger the more you've gotten to know her - all sides of her. The good and the bad. You like her because she's Lucy.

The whole guild knows how you feel about her. You've managed to clue us in before you realized it for yourself - and now you've got to convince your partner. Ganbatte!

P.S. I call godmother once you and Lucy start popping out babies.

xoxo Mirajane 3

Thanks to everyone who's put in the time to read all these chapters - Don't be too shy to comment on what you'd like to see for the nalulovefest coming up - I'm not sure if people would like to see more high school shenanigans or if I should revisit my Officer Dragneel and Journalist Heartfilia AU? Comments, suggestions, critiques and reviews are extremely welcomed. My special thanks to @impracticaldemon for urging me to write for the fluff week. Without her, this story would not exist (or the title ~ lol). Go and check out her writing - it's excellent. Also, a warm thanks to @eliz1369  and @shell-senji  - also both excellent writers and active in the Hakouki and FT fandoms. I have deeply appreciated your reviews.

Tag Squad!! Just say the word - I can add or drop you from the list, no worries!

@rocktqueen @unashamed-shipper @ftfanfics @fic-writer-appreciation @celestialgeekmage @soprana-snap @celestialspiritqueen @nalu-fluff-week

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“This engaging anthology is a terrific way to meet some of the best fantasists for those unfamiliar with their works and for returning vets a chance to enjoy fun short stories.” —Midwest Book Review

For more info on THE SWORD & SORCERY ANTHOLOGY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Jean-Sebastien Rossbach Design by Elizabeth Story

[curiouslich]

Falling Stars

It had been many years since Eridrain had been issued a challenge, even more since the time he accepted one. The memories of his last match were seared into his memory and body. His ruby tipped cane was a constant reminder of that fact. Entering the grand stadium under the magic city was a bittersweet memory, rows of stands and a single light that allowed all who gathered to witness the matches, and many had shown up to see this one.

A young upstart was looking to make a name for themselves, and they say if you kill you hero, that is a good place to start. Encendius hadn’t been seen in the arena for years, but there was still his record, that as a member of the three stars, they never lost a match.

But by himself he was not so lucky. While the mage was never unmasked, the brawls took many turns against him. Long ago in a masquerade match a particularly brutal strike of ice and rage pierced his leg. Despite healing the limp never left and as he stepped into the arena the tapping of his crutch this was evident.

Stumbling along his robe kissed the ground with gentle scrapes. Blacks, reds, and golds where his normal colors which led up to the most striking feature. The mask. A bisected line of black and ivory cleaved his face with a long orange circle adorning his forehead. Unlike his other partners in the Three Stars he was the one that stood out, a tall man specialized in summoning the heart of a small sun. He was “Encendius, the Blazing Star.”

His opponent however had been eager, far too eager to face him. The man once known as Encendius was a famed pyromancer with quick spellblade. Defeating him would make a name for any would be in the underground of Dalaran, on top of untold riches. A mountain of gold was put on the return of this legend to win, and for a few copper he could beat the odds.

Tap….tap….tap…

With slow methodical time Eridran marched, and now at the handful of stairs that lead up to the arena floor he came face to face with his masked advisory.

A silver face atop armor of steel and iron looked back. “Well well, so the ‘fallen’ Star has returned.” The voice was that of a youth, brash and looking to stir up his enemy. “I didn’t honestly think you would accept my challenge, or be this easily goaded into combat. I mean after all you denied so many before me?”

The silver mask brought met Encendius’ gaze. Pacing away he tsked as he chuckled. “Though I doubt this will be much of a match, a cane? You can barely walk,” Spinning to face Eridran he thrust out his finger in an accusing jab.”You should have stayed in retirement.”

The sneer on his face was apparent, he had already won this match in his mind, and finally bringing down this ‘star’ would bring untold glory. “But seeing as you felt the need to accept, I will return you to that state, shamed, and all the gold richer.” Throwing his hands up in the air those that had gathered cheered. Everyone wanted an upset, against the odds to watch a legend come back and fall, that would be worth paying.

Encendius gave his head a shake at the showboating. pushing off the ground he climbed the trio of stairs. Now on even ground with the man he rested both hands on the cane. His own mask hanging over his face. A disguise to hide emotion, thought, and identity. The hallmark of the duelists down here, and his was a reminder of what he had lost. One lover wearing the opposite of his design with a blue orb to mark the entropy, the other in a field of white to show the infinite of the stars.

“Shaking your head at me? You arrogant fool, can’t you see you lost already, you are in no shape to fight. You may have been decades ago, but you have lost that edge. You lost it when my father pierced your leg. You lost your edge the day you killed him.” The Silver youth hissed and boiled, the sight of his enemy so close was electric.

Eridran shook his head a second time. “I didn’t come here for a tale of your family problems.”

“Oh now what!? Going to posture at me you relic? You took my father, so I don’t want to be regaled with anything from you! Why don’t you remind us all of the tale of three stars.” There was no emotion given from the orange starred mask. “What was it? One Arcane, One Frost, and You. Never lost a match down here, not even once.” the crowd could hear the next jab coming. “That was, until your partners vanished. What was it that drove them away? Your rage? Your behavior with the mask gone? Maybe they were just tired of your shit? Watching you kill a man in cold blood creates rifts you know.”

Pacing closer and closer the silver mask taunted him, the slits of eyes gave away nothing but the sound of disdain and hatred. daring action from a crippled old elf. “Or was it something else, people found out who they were under the mask didn’t they?And with all those background bets and upsets that  got back to you. What do you expect happened to them? Left alone to defend for themselves…. I bet they screamed for you, you caused their death after all”

And here was the point of it all. A challenge for a fight was one thing, to insult him, his family, his work, none of that mattered. What did matter though, was the memories, of Vae, of Ara. closing his eyes for a moment he recalled their smiles. It was a pleasant thought. Against the claim that his hands held their blood. Truth was Eridran couldn’t say what happened to them, they both… just vanished.

“Ha~ I knew it! You are going to cry aren’t you! Weak old man clinging to the same that was stolen from me! Rumor was you were all lovers and once they were gone you were left a pathetic shell. The three of you were nothing without your tricks, and I plan to unmask you here, once and for all! So that everyone here can know the final star, and the identity behind everything!”

“You have committed a grave mistake. You brought up some memories I had long put behind me. And so yes, I accept your challenge. But I think we should give the crowd a real show. How about this, we fight to the end. Not of mana starvation, not of exhaustion, the final end. If you are so sure you can beat this ‘pathetic shell’ and his tricks, then why hide behind the safety of a mask?”

A chill ran down Silver’s spine. A fight to the death? It must have disturbed him, but it didn’t matter, he was injured, crippled by his father. And his tricks, a pair of flanking fire balls, that was far to played out, what could he do? This would be easy, and the bets quadrupled in a death match, he’d never have to work again. “So be it Encendius, I’ll enjoy killing you.”

A third shake of his head and the warlock tapped his cane. Raising a hand to the mask he pulled it away from his face, forfeiting the match before it even began. Tossing the concealment away his cold fel eyes fell on silver. “No, not Encendius, I accept the challenge under my name. Lord Eridan Dawnblade, Second in line for the Throne of Dawn. This is your last chance to surrender, go home with your tail between your legs before I have to teach you a lesson.”

Plated gloves clenched, the man’s face was all too familiar, this man had taught him in Dalaran, learned the basics of magic, and when his father was killed and he was left with no way to fund his education he even confided in this bastard. He was a role model, a mentor, and now, he was the enemy. He didn’t back down. “I accept this challenge, no way I can give up when justice and glory are in my hands.”

A final shake of his head, this was too much. “So be it then, I would say I like to teach my students lessons, but you won’t learn from this one.” Meeting the blank eyes of the Silver mask, “But you will be an example of your mistakes.”

Anger brimming inside Silver’s chest he practically spat out his thoughts. “Time to put you into the ground you relic!.”

Bringing a hand up to his glasses the former teacher threw them out of the ring, it forced him to squint at his rival.. Quickly following he tossed away the cane, a wobble came to his injured leg. Finally he pulled away at his robe, the cloth would hinder him, but it came with a brief shiver.

“You might want all of that… Oh, oh that’s it then, this is a death wish, unmasked, unequipped, and ready to die… what a treat, thank you ‘My teacher’.”

Eridran rose his hand to the officiator and with the cast of a barrier the match began. Saying nothing to the other gladiator as he danced his fingers in the shame of an 8, two loops binding and twisting.

Narrowing his eyes Silver started to channel his own spell, this was the same trick as always, and he had the perfect counter..

A faint voice and a memory of silver blonde hair whispered to him “...we’ll always be here for you Eridran!”

“Now don’t forget we love you…” the second just as melodious. Frost and stars danced around him, cold and warm, distant and close, just out of reach, but always around him.

A brief pair of tears fell down his face and with a smiling nod. “I’ll be there soon.”

His spell complete he thrust his hand forward and as predicted the pair of blazing orbs sprang to life. Quickly growing in mass they orbited around one another. Tossing each other in a helix before true to his name the suns were upon Silver.

“Pffft, same old tricks.” He know it, and clenching his plated gloves once more Silver shimmered against the spells and a cloak of purple white crept over him. A barrier to protect him from the heat, from their wrath, it was such an easy counter. What was he thinking this would neve…

It was sudden, it was quick, and it was over. The glimmering fel blade erupted from his back and streams of blood started to stain the steel armor. With the stars fading away they had never touched him. The sword though, that had hit his mark. Coughing up more blood his blurring vision once more fell on his old teacher “....how?”

Dismissing the spellblade Eridran let the dying boy fall to the ground. His smile unwavering even as his clothing was saturated with blood. He looked, at peace as his student bleed out.

“....Because not all masks are physical.”

@stormandozone @brothersemberfell @thesunguardmg

[vinjecrystaltusk]

Deepcrystal Dark Troll Background.

Culture: As a tribe they are drawn knowledge, magic and mysticism. They have more mystics than hunters or warriors. Of those Mystics a large portion are a form of mages (most being frost and arcane, with tiny minority of fire), then shaman, Loa Priests and Witch doctors. It is said they gained the knowledge of how to wield magic and the arcane from their chief Loa but also from watching the Children of the Travelers (Titan keepers). They protect their caverns using stone golems and pacted Ice elementals as sentries and fist line of defense guards. Compared to most other trolls they prefer silver, true-silver and titanium jewelry to Gold, they will set most of their jewelry with gemstones. It is a very common practice for them to inlay or replace their tusks with gems or crystals, even the arcane crystal of the roots of the trees of Crystalsong Forest. They have an artisan level of skill with jewel crafting, working stone, enchanting and inscription. They carve their tunnels and caverns both using tools but also with magics such as shamanism as well as driving magic icicles into cave walls and expanding the ice to crack and shatter the rock. Other professions (aside from engineers which they do not have), they are capable but not masters. They write using vellum made from animal hides, carving stone tablets and walls, beating it into metal tablets and binding sheets of metal etched with the acid from jormungar. For food they hunt animal both below and above the surface as well as farm cave fungus and what few plants can grow with the little light that reaches some caverns by cracks and shafts. They will practice cannibalism at great need, during the war on the Nerubians they had eaten the corpses of their enemies till the War of the spider when they enemy had become undead. Very few Deepcrystal trolls practice voodoo as it is largely frowned upon, those that do as witch doctors who use local reagents such as crystals, underground fungus, Northrend herbs, parts of local animals. Saronite is considered a taboo substance, in the past after the sundering they had some run ins with it and members of their clan using it which lead them to ban its use. In the past using it would result in exile for life, to be killed if they ever returned to the caverns, these days they will be killed outright. Where they come across it while expanding their tunnels or caverns they will either destroy it or cast it into bottomless cracks. Religion: The Deepcrystal tribe have similar religious beliefs to mainstream troll culture, including their own hierarchy of Loa. The Matron Moon loa is the highest of their pantheon, they worship her as a loving mother, guide and teacher. They worship her on the surface in night time trips but also in underground caverns where her light reaches through cracks and shafts to reflect on pools of water.

Their second highest Loa is Hi’reek, whom they view as a protector who watches over them when they venture to the surface. They also feel a kinship with him as they both sleep in caves and underground during the day.

They also worships an array of other Loa including many of the same local Loa as the Drakkari but also Loa they brought with them on their migration north such as Bwonsamdi and Jani. Other lesser Loa they worship include Veranus the blue proto-dragon. Clothes and tools: They cloth themselves in cloth, leather, hides/scales of beasts, and furs. They have a preference for icy blues, whites, light grays and in rare occasions darker grays and blacks.  Their tools are a mix of stone, crystal, enchanted ice, metal of which cobalt or titanium is the most common. Their tool and weapon craftsmanship is sophisticated but usually appears rough rather than beautiful. A few Deepcrystal families will have Highborne weapons, jewelry and items made of metal and gems that they keep as relics, these items were originally scavenged from the surface of Crystalsong forest formerly belonging to the  Shandaral Highborne who all died and turned the forest to crystal trying to fight off the Blue dragonflight whom they had stolen from. Languages: Their native tongue was once a dialect of Zandali that has evolved over untold generations of isolation into its own distinct language, its name not known to outsiders. They also make sure to learn true Zandali though speak it with a distinct accent. As a people they tend to pick up other languages easily with practice. Relations/Diplomacy: Trolls: The Deepcrystal clan has a mixed relationship with other troll tribes. Towards the Drakkari they have hostility because when they sent a party to beg for aid, their envoys were ambushed, with most killed and some captured. 

Towards the major tribes of the Gurubashi, Farraki and Amani they feel a coldness because they did not come to their aid. They feel the same coldness towards the Zandalari, but they also feel a grudging respect towards them because of their role in the Empire of Zul and continued existence as the heart of troll culture. They might find individual Zandalari arrogant. Minor troll tribes it is a case by case basis. Other races: They have a great respect for any race who has a love for knowledge and history. They do not take well to any race that treats them as inferior, unintelligent or as savages.They do not on a whole have hostility towards elves instead seeing them as distant relatives. In Northrend they on neutral/friendly terms with the Earthern, Frost dwarves, Furbog,Taunka very really meeting and trading with them. Briefly after the War of the Spider they formed an uneasy truce with the still living Nerubians as a matter of survival, though now they are safely in Storm Peaks, they will kill them on sight as quickly as any undead.