#valiant ros

[valiant-if]

What would the ro’s do if a stranger went up and started flirting with the mc crushing stage

Hi, anon!

My lack of proclivity toward jealousy is being exposed with these asks. 😂 I've always found (romantic) jealousy to be a bit odd. I can never relate to it, and when I try to break it down with critical thinking, I always come to the conclusion that it's an emotion borne of a conception of possession (over a person's body or attention or love or etc), which has never made me particularly comfortable. I'm not saying this is necessarily the case for anyone, I just can't imagine experiencing jealousy myself without the other criteria being true, and it never will be. I understand that people feel it, of course, and I can understand other reasons why a person might feel it, but it's not en emotion that I've ever been able to personally feel myself.

And this bleeds through to my writing a lot because my characters are rarely ever the jealous sort. (Maybe it's because I'm poly... or maybe I'm poly because I don't feel jealousy. Could not tell ya.)

So having said all that, I'm really not sure what each of the ROs would do if a stranger started flirting with MC. I can tell you this: the characters that are most likely to feel jealousy in this scenario are Yulia and A2. (Path might get jealous over MC, but only in a deep romantic stage.) In the crushing stage? I can't imagine they would do much of anything about it besides perhaps putting their best foot forward when they interact with MC. It's MC's choice who they wish to accept or reject flirtation from, and it's not their business to get in the way of that. All they can do is try to make themselves seem like good options.

Now, if a stranger was flirting with MC and it was clearly unwanted, that might be a different matter...

Thanks for the ask!

[blue-thief]

LMAO @getosugurusbangs @satosuguhastakenovermylife

[ahoyimlosingmymind]

i think Sophie's personality took a nose-dive when Shannon over 'girl-bossed' the entire narrative surrounding all the girls in the books.

does this make sense??

I loved Sophie books 1-5. She had a fierceness and heroicness and a willingness to do what she believed was right from the get-go. But then somewhere along the line her already existing personality traits were shoehorned into this cringe label and over-saturated by characters like Ro who are always like "Girl power! and glitter!"

Sophie had so many great traits from the start-- but lately, her character almost feels like a caricature of those traits.

and I am NOT saying there is anything wrong with empowering women and girls-- however, the writing comes off as weak when it's spoon-fed to you that THAT is how you're supposed to perceive the character. Sophie was cool and smart and empowered way before the narrative decided to become "aware" of it in a textual sense. She was cool as hell before the books ever went "NOW THAT'S A STRONG AND POWERFUL GIRL!!! SEE THAT STRONG AND POWERFUL GIRL??? SHE"S SUCH A STRONG AND POWERFUL GIRL" like??? mf?? I READ the books. I ALREADY KNOW.

She was a leader from the beginning. She was a leader because she cared enough to do something about something. Way before the Black Swan named her the moonlark, and the leader of Team Valiant.

And she continued to develop those leadership skills over the books, until at some point, the writing became too aware of her development and shoved it into your face, instead of it being a subtle arc that spoke for itself.

but also... the way Shannon seems to want to sell her development doesn't exactly match with what she's written. There are moments in the books where characters shower Sophie in compliments that come off as generally untrue...

One of the defining aspects of Sophie's personality is her insecurity and secrecy. Which are traits that can be annoying at times, but are realistic. Regardless of those traits though, she still had dimensions and was willing to stand up for what she believed in from the beginning. The thing is, her insecurity never quite went away. If you read any of the later books, she has crippling self-doubt and identity issues. But then you have characters like Ro coming in and saying things like "Ur so confident!" and it just comes off as a very strange cognitive dissonance in the narrative.

No, Sophie isn't confident in her ability to lead, regardless of what the books say in small tidbits, when the whole of the books show that she is quite insecure, but believes in her values enough to do something to protect them-- which automatically shoe horns her into a leadership role.

What was admirable about Sophie's character was not her confidence. And is not her confidence. She's admirable because she's deeply insecure and flawed and not an amazing leader, but that she still tries. Sophie is a leader because she tries, because she steps out and says "this isn't right!" not because she's actually good at it. She does not have a lot of the typical qualities that make good leaders. She's not very outspoken most of the time, she's insecure, she's more introverted-- she's just a character who is justice oriented, so she rises above those feelings. WHICH IS A BETTER NARRATIVE CHOICE THAN "No Foster, ur actually a perfect leader <3"

I boil this down to:

TWO CONTRADICTING TRAITS CAN EXIST AT THE SAME TIME.

Sophie is insecure, and lacks confidence. But she's also moral, and therefore does her best to be a leader.

She's brave. Not confident.

am I making any sense??? I feel like I have a point and it's getting lost a bit here. Maybe I'll come back and clarify things another time. rn I'm tired.

ALSO: I fear the same thing happened to Biana and Linh.

I deadass think the introduction of Ro is what began it all. She's a try-hard character for female empowerment, that comes off as very forced and shallow.

[moriaarts]

ARC Trooper Corporal Jaig

Blorbo the second, Jaig the ARC of the 343rd. In house mother and bleeding heart in disguise. With the text under the cut.

CT - 8407 “Jaig” has proven herself to be a survivor. Calm, collected and aloof, Jaig comes across as a cold and unapproachable soldier. But its a mask of a hunter observing the world for signs of danger.

The name “Jaig” was given to her early in the war when a B1 droid got in close and disarmed her. It’s not in Jaig nature to go down without a fight. It’s not in her nature to go down at all. All clones are trained in hand to hand combat, made stronger and more agile than base humans. But these are necessary against unyielding mechanical fists. Knocked off her feet by a metal backhand, she remember the raw of the wind across the sands, of the LAAT’s, of blaster fire.

She registers the B1s flooding in and going for her batchmates, her squadron, helmet forgotten she goes for the nearest one and shreds out the wires in its neck. It’s a valiant effort. It’s luck. The droid reaches back, grabbing her by the face to pull her off. It’s joints seize and all thats left as it turns on her is the command prompt to shoot and keep shooting. The fucker took her eye. Tore the skin off around it.

The scar that it left was triangular shaded, the skin too smooth for the rest of her face. A jaig eye, Jai’galaar’la sur’haii’se, a shreik-hawk eye, they said. Said her quick thinking took out a platoon of clankers when the droid she hardwired mindlessly shot a downed LAAT, blowing it, sending it crashing on top of the ones storming their trench. She just remembers being pissed because they knocked her bucket off and didn't finish the job. So she gets to trained as an ARC. It’s an honour. And she agrees but it doesn't feel real. Even assigned to the 21st Nova Corps, under the command of Commander Jet, Clone Marshal Commander Bacara, and General Ki Adi Mundi.

She never really like red. Liked the long kama though. She also had not like General Mundi. The rumour was that he had ten wives. The number changed depending on the battalion they were bunking with. It was more like four. But knowing the jedi’s no string policy she's even less of a fan. Even less in the coming months before. Jaig would be with the nova corps for few campaigns. Used to smile when Block chased her around with hair shears. How Duke would always grumbled getting dirt off his armour, and asked how she kept hers so clean and not smelling of wet bantha. But besides that she hadn't known much about herself until they had met them. Two of General Mundi’s wives met them at a medical station one a doctor the other visiting from a relief mission. Pamania. She was lovely. Covered in simple jedi cream robes all except for her eyes. Eyes of deep pools of dark purple, nebulas set in russet skin. They creased when she smiled. Lashes fluttered when she cried. They visited the medical base often. Pamania was gentle with them. Patient and kind, and fierce as a forests fire when they came back in a state. Jaig thinks she liked her. The first one to call her sister. The first to run fingers through her hair rather than playfully pull it when she gave her some self sacrificing crap. The first person to kiss her on the cheek and tell her she had a right to live in this world. War or no war.

Jaig had been younger then, Naive and unsure what to do with such gentle treatment. Who knew an innocent kiss to a clothed cheek would do such damage? Jet had scolded her and within a week she was decommissioned for improper behaviour, officially. Unofficially reassigned in shiny armour to the 343rd.  

Bonus:

Jaig loves the twins like her own. Especially Lash, whose quiet sarcasm is a family brand of deflection. She wants more with Ro, but Ro has a whole host of issues to make up with before Jaig is next in line. Doesn’t stop her having the ARF troopers back though. They both got on best, both being recon troops and with her 3rd in command and Ro in 2nd, they often share looks of exasperation and concern at the expense of Kiss.  

Here is Captain Kiss x and the rest of the company.

WIP Playlist

[007-nightfire-yakuza-agent]

@horsesource

gosh such a big question. a ship is so much to the sailors she holds. more than just a home - shelter, conveyance, workplace, friend, protector, confessor, and so much more. every ship is different, has her own quirks and traits and personality. some ships are truly on deaths door and you feel bad for them - you feel like they're begging for rest in the way that an old blind and arthritic dog is. like let it sleep bro. be loving. some of them are formidable seawise giants that seem to conquer the waves, but they often lack charm. the favoured ones to me are the smaller ships, like this, the ones that go up against the odds, the ones that need the love and need the affection but will see you through for it... i think it'd be best if i gave a brief account of some notable ships from my time, i shant name names as it's impolite to kiss n tell.

The Ro-Ro - a roll on, roll off vessel that also had capacity to take containers. was enormous - over 300 meters - with a terrifyingly large engine. built around 2015, it was fresh, new, the machinery never really had problems, the engine room was spacious and well laid out, it was pretty, capable, endured rough seas... the ship herself didnt leave much of an impression, but i remember feeling the heartbeat of her engine, dread and terrible, and feeling so small, and so honoured to be held so tenderly by something so colossal.

the tanker- a plucky ship if ever i knew one. not too old, but with many problems - especially the main engine, which destroyed a piston not once but twice - and with many machinery problems due to dealing with tropical heat constantly. the ship was designed with cargo capacity in mind, but unfortunately was a product tanker which meant she often sailed from port to port unloaded by cargo... meaning she floated like a cork in rough weather. her main engine was small, 6 cylinders compared to the ro-ro's 12, but the engine room was laid out in a smart, intuitive way which meant that even with these issues she was pleasant to work on. probably my 2nd fave ship and the only one i wish i could go back to.

the cruise ship - hell on earth. a bloated, sickly beast brimming with sin so mighty it poured out of her continously. like the passengers she carried, she was old, ready to die, but unlike them she embraced death eagerly. EVERYTHING that could fall apart fell apart. she even overflowed sewage while in port. she had, in her midlife, some work done - an extension that made her able to carry more passengers- an act that left her forever scarred, forever limping, like some pitiful chimera dreamed up by an inhumane melder of flesh. i worried abt staying onboard that ship, because i had the feeling that if we did not end her service, she would do it for us.

every ship has her own personality and history and feel, though its interesting how they can grow on you. my current ship felt so meek and in bad condition when i joined. i know now how badly i underestimated her. she's a fighter, a valiant one at that. if i could, i'd sail with her forever.

[darkfictionjude]

Referring back to the jealousy asks, how would the ROs react if someone is flirting with the MC but they're oblivious to it?

I got the impression the MC might not be familiar with flirting since they're anti-social and have a reputation that scares people off, or they just wouldn't believe someone would flirt with them.

You’re exactly right anon. Mc cannot tell if someone is flirting, it’s very much if someone winks at them they ask them if there’s something wrong with their eye. Just complete cluelessness I love it.

Imre:

Imre is not the type to laugh out loud but watching the valiant attempts of the cashier to get your phone number is quite a sight. He keeps watching as the cashier attempts to ask you on a date by mentioning Fredericos pizzeria and you taking that to complain about inflated up prices. You take your things and come over to where he is.

You notice the grin on his face “what?”

He shakes his head and puts an arm around your waist “nothing cariño.”

Νia:

At first she thought you were trying to test her but as she watches the painful conversation the bartender is trying to have with you about trying his special “ingredient” you keep telling him how this establishment has some audacity to charge six dollars for a shot when you know they water it down. She looks away from the spectacle when she sees you making your way over.

“You are really unbelievable” she says with a snort.

You quirk an eyebrow “what did I do now?”

She smiles and kisses your cheek.

Lorcan:

He flexes his fingers as he watches that fucking idiot trying to creep his hand over yours. The only reason he hasn’t gone over there is because every time the kid helping you chose a book — all romance —and offering to meet up to discuss you tell him that all his book choices are kind of ass.

You pick out a book finally and walk over to him slightly annoyed “what’s the point of working at a bookshop if you don’t know anything about books?”

He smiles gently at you and takes your hand, throwing a glare over his shoulder at the kid.

————-

There you have it anon 💜

[qqueenofhades]

One of the great tragedies of human history, in my humble opinion, is how Christianity was originally good before Constantine got ahold of it. In its early years of 33 CE-313 CE, it was a good and kind and just religion built around uplifting the marginalised peoples of the world and the New Testament is explicitly a socialist text. Yet I look at the Christian churches of today and see nothing about them any of the First Christians would even remotely recognise.

There are a lot of complex and delicate arguments to be had (and indeed, scholars have spent several literal millennia having them) about whether Christianity was totally good before the corrupting influence of those bad Romans aligned it with one of the largest and most culturally significant empires in history -- in which case, of course, its interests became about imposing and maintaining imperial control, often brutally, rather than any fidelity to founding precepts about love and care for others etc etc. In my opinion, this is a considerable oversimplification. From its founding, Christianity was subject to major internal crises and schisms, bitter arguments over what counted as "orthodox" (literally, "true") and what was describable as a heresy and for what reasons. The first few centuries of Christianity pre-Roman Catholicism are hardly a picture of peaceful coexistence, and Christianity was also unusual in the ancient world for its intolerance of competing theologies. The Romans were fairly lax about which local gods their subjects worshiped, as long as they also made sacrifices to Roma, Jupiter, and the other Roman pantheon, as that was felt to be an essential civic duty for the welfare of the Roman state. Thus, the Christians' refusal to honor any gods but their own was viewed not just as a religious defiance, but as a threat to public order and Homeland Security, and of course, it's always easy to scapegoat those kinds of people.

Even before the Romans, however, groups of Christians were viciously attacking other Christians, heretics, Jews, "pagans," Greeks or Hellenes (this was before medieval scholars such as Aquinas embarked on a valiant project to "Christianize" Aristotle and otherwise make the Greek philosophers acceptable to the Catholic canon) and definitely not constantly engaged in pure neighborly philanthropy. There are many options for how it could have developed, whether as a local sect in opposition to the Romans, a religion originally specific to a group of people and geographic region like Judaism, or just merely fractured into competing groups that all viewed each other as the enemy and eventually died out. However, it was additionally unusual in antiquity for its aggressive focus on conversion, and its spread beyond traditional tribal and ethnic groups. It was previously felt that each racial or national group of people had their own gods and those were the ones they were expected to stick with, but since the first few generations of Christians were all converts rather than being born into an established tradition, they were seen as "relinquishing" their previous gods, and this was unusual and possibly dangerous.

Constantine is often positioned as the establisher of Christianity in the Roman Empire, but this is also not quite true. He officially decriminalized Christianity after the increased persecutions of the late second and early third century CE, and may have personally been baptized on his deathbed, but this was also debated and he remained cagey about it during his lifetime. It was also not a straight line of uncontroversially Christian emperors from there; there was a guy named Julian the Apostate in the 360s, who rebuked institutional Christianity and tried to make a return to the Roman gods. However, the tide was generally moving toward Christianity, and in the 430s, the emperor Theodosius II issued the Theodosian Code, one of the original comprehensive legal-civic codes that mandated Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire and viewed non-Christians as the same kind of civic threat that Christians themselves had once been. Eventually, after the breakup of the western Roman Empire in 476, Rome -- while no longer the seat of major secular power -- was retained as the seat of religious authority, and became home to the Pope.

As I have written about many times, the legacy of medieval Christianity and medieval Catholicism is very complicated, and takes that reduce it to "the all-powerful church brainwashed everyone everywhere and they always did what it said" are wildly incorrect. It is a deeply flawed institution embedded into deeply flawed human society, and its control was never universal or complete. Indeed, the Catholics would love you to think it was, but the Great Schism of 1054 formalized the split between Greek Eastern Orthodox and Latin Western Catholic rites after centuries of acrimony, and the thirteenth century in particular was a hotbed for challenging and questioning the church (and the growth of new "heresies") in a way not really seen since the original first few centuries. Even in Europe, conversion was slow and patchwork and happened in different regions at different rates, and was always syncretic with local beliefs and magic/folklore traditions. So yes, even as one of the major inheritances of Rome, as Chris Wickham would put it, Christianity was not automatically or unquestioningly superior in medieval Europe. Though of course, it did become so, and allied itself with projects of institutional and generational religious warfare such as the crusades.

Anyway, the minutiae of the early church notwithstanding, it's true that almost invariably, the institutional Catholic church has found itself on the wrong side of history for the past 1700 years or so, and like all religions whose claim to universal and permanent truth means that any attempt to change or modulate its teaching is an existential threat, it has resisted any attempts to scrutinize, analyze, or acknowledge that. Because of Christianity's eventual permanent supremacy in European legal and religious worlds, and its violent exportation to the rest of the world via colonialism and imperialism, its truth-claims have been used to inflict immense systemic and individual suffering. The archconservative elements in the church (of which the recently late Benedict XVI was one), have doubled down on those claims and taken their refusal to modernize as a point of pride, and this is only in regard to Catholics. The churches that I suspect you're talking about, i.e. American evangelical/fundamental churches, owe their intellectual genealogy to Protestantism, and that is a whole OTHER can of worms.

[tangledstrings-if]

——Tangled Strings——

Demo: TBA

Current TWs: Violence, Falling from heights, graphic content (gore, sex, etc.) 17+

You fell from the heavens and hit the ground hard.

Your home, a series of islands in the sky far above the snowy clouds that cover the human kingdom of Yalkasana, was paradise to you. The sun shone, the wind always blew, oh, and you still had your wings. Big fluffy things that were once taller than you, emerging from between your shoulder blades.

Paradise it might have been, utopia it was not. Cut- throat (or in your case cut-wing) politics are just part of life. Everyone must play the game, and you were a poor player. Or maybe you were just unlucky.

Some artifacts should stay dusty, and weapons with enough power to level the planet’s surface are definitely one of such things. When the artifact was revealed, a key to the island’s mythologized past of victory and conquest, of course someone would want to use it. To relive the glory days of your people and bring the surface world below to its knees once more like in the ancient scripture.

The thing is, the artifact? A piece of junk more likely to explode and crash the islands out of the sky than to actually aim at the ground and destroy some kingdom or city there.

You spoke out. It was only right. You had to protect your people, your friends, your home. But you failed, miserably. Labeled a traitor to your history and islands, they ripped out your wings, cauterized, and sewed the wounds shut before they threw you from the islands with one objective. If you survive the fall and you still want to stop the restoration of the artifact? Destroy the kingdoms below before it’s done.

Welcome to the human Kingdom of Yalkasana. Your home awaits.

———————————

Tangled Strings is an Interactive Fiction game made in Twine. You follow a cast of unlikely friends, who all want the same thing as you. To save their home.

Meet the ROs. Your friends. Your victims.

The Princess (She/Her):

- Maira Yalkansanas is the darling of the court, her place secured by being the second of the dead King and Queen’s children. With a noble heart and gentle air, people part like the sea before her path. Her grey eyes mirror the clouds above her beloved kingdom, with a sharpness that glints like a knife in the dark. She has everything she never wanted, and three people who allow her to call Yalkasana her home, her twin brother, her falcon, and her life long friend.

The Prince (He/Him):

- Hylens Yalkansanas is the people’s sword and shield, his place secured by being the first born of the dead King and Queen’s children. He is valiant and brave, an aspiration for every guard and soldier in the kingdom. His grey eyes mirror the cold metal of his father’s sword, with a softness of the clouds above them all. He cradles his duty with the awkwardness of someone being handed a babe as the parent walks away without a word. But still, he holds it steady, there is no one else to hand it off to anymore.

The Diplomat (They/Them):

- Morn Lyfes is the first, and youngest, Elven diplomat to walk in Yalkasana in over a century. What an honor. What a burden. A clear-sighted and fire-eyed beauty with a light footstep. They were born in bloodshed, raised in ruin, and came of age in the restoration of their kingdom. They are the closest anyone in Yalkasana will ever get to seeing a star.

The Healer (He/She/They):

- Rhayen Thurm is a steady and well reputable healer in the castle. One of a dozen, almost completely interchangeable with the rest, aside from their close relationship to the princess. With hair as white as their gloves and eyes red like rubies, they stand out with their mediocre skills and status. Their smile is soft, despite having a twist like they know what kind of stuff your spirit is made of before you even speak.

The Baker (He/She/They):

- Gullen Wasy is a cook in the castle. Their mother was incredibly skilled, but died with the plague before she had the chance to teach them her secrets. Now they feed the servants of the castle, and occasionally get to help with feasts or parties when any extra pair of hands with even half a wit will do. They are stubbornly kind and well-meaning despite how much trouble it always gets them in.

———————————

[[Build the story with a multitude of choices ranging from who to murder to who to date. There will be choices in sex, gender, sexuality, background, morals, skills, and personality.

I am working on: Chapter One as of 10/19/24 and plan to have it published before 01/01/25 as the demo.

There are twenty chapters planned, but they'll be separated into three arcs to make the game load easier on Twine as I write them.

I might have a second book/sections of arcs, but I'll cross the bridge when I get to it.

Any questions or suggestions are welcome, most of my posts until I drop the demo will be art of the ROs/Friends and world building history/tidbits that I think is cool but cannot find a way to fit into the story organically. Full disclosure, I am a senior in college right now and work a part time job while also doing research, so while I have full plans to finish this book/game, it will be slow going on progress until I graduate. Most deadlines will be tentative, but I fully intend to meet them.]]

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Treasure in You

(( collab. drabble w/ @ro-valerius [Tofu]! [also credit to ro for gpose shots] ))

And so the world seemed to start to slow down again. After all that had happened with the pirates — and all that had happened directly after — Miyu was finally settling into what felt like some semblance of normalcy. Whatever that really meant. At the very least, they didn’t feel like they were on the brink of panicking at every given moment. Well, it was less frequent that this occurred. Time could only go on further. And with the celebratory gathering coming up, they hoped they’d be able to adjust further to this new normal. Perhaps, one thing that could kickstart that was to finally engage in prior plans. 

They came up behind Tofu as he worked at his desk, resting both hands on the sides of the back of his chair as they leaned forward to look at him from above. 

“Hey. I think you might owe me a date,” they casually greeted him with a proposition. “Come join me for a beach walk tonight? I have snacks… and plenty of firestarters… packed up.” Tofu looked up at them and tilted his head - not in confusion, but in thought.

“...I will apologize in advance. I do not know what exactly it is that people do on ‘dates’. Kore’d be your better option, if you want a good one,” he said before getting quiet and averting his gaze. “Though…if my ineptitude doesn’t bother you, I’d be more than glad to.” 

“You are perfect as you are. And I asked for you, after all,” they hummed, leaning down to playfully brush the tip of their nose against his own. “Good that you’re free. I already bought an airship ticket to get there.” Last thing they wanted to do was force Tofu through a magic portal, anyways.

“Take your time finishing up what you need to do,” Miyu hummed before skipping off to finish preparations. Tofu considered the stacks of papers in front of him, only half filled out, and groaned. There was a valiant attempt to try to bring himself to finish them, but in the end, he stacked the unfinished ones in one pile and the finished in another and got up to find where Miyu had gone.

Daen Lad grabbed him by the ear before he could make it very far, dragging him towards his room. 

“If you’re going to the beach, you can’t be going looking like that!” they exclaimed, fluttering over to his dresser and opening up drawers until they found what they were looking for, ignoring his protests. They threw his beach trunks and the light jacket he used before at him before fluttering to the shoe rack and throwing his sandals at him.

“D-daen Lad I don’t think…”

“Good, don’t think at all, just change!”

--

Miyu had planned ahead and filled a bag with various items — even if Tofu had declined, it seemed they had early intentions of taking themself to the beach alone. Most of the time Miyu spent preparing was them preparing themself. Maybe the makeup and attire was a bit flashy for a beach walk, but they needed the extra boost to mentally prepare themself. It has been awhile, anyways.

They exited their room, nearly bumping right into Tofu in the hall. They flashed him a small smile.

“Right! Ready?” they inquired as they set their bag more comfortably on their hip. They gave a quick look over and sounded a faint ‘awe.’

“Looks ready. Funny, we’re both dressed like we were at the festival,” they mumbled aloud in thought. Well, hopefully this didn’t end like the festival. 

Tofu pulled the jacket more closed as they looked him over, averting his eyes. 

“D-Daen Lad made me change…” he grumbled, hoping the still-healing arrow injury was well obscured by the jacket. He didn’t need to be fully wrapped around his torso anymore, but both injuries still had slabs of gauze taped over as they healed.

Plus, he kind of didn’t like having his chest out. Felt odd. 

“A-anyway, ready when you are?”

---

You’d think that after all the hell that has gone on out at sea, they wouldn’t want to go anywhere near a beach. By the time they arrived, the sun was barely peeking out from the ocean. The bonfire was set up first. Once the fire was going, they wandered closer to where the waves rolled along the shore.

Miyu glanced over their shoulder to Tofu and gave a small smile.

“Sorry to pull you away from work. I figured some… nice outside time was needed. I know this isn’t exactly your thing, so I appreciate you coming out,” Miyu thanked him. Tofu rotated his wrist briefly and pressed a hand to his head.

“A break was probably warranted, in any case. Besides, when was the last time we got to do anything…nice?” he said, offering a brief smile in return. He pulled his sleeve further down on his arm, trying to obscure the bandages as much as possible.

“You…deserve for good things to happen,” he murmured. 

“It really has been awhile, huh,” Miyu mumbled with a sigh. They kneeled, sinking their hand into the water. They wiggled their fingers as the sand and water washed between the digits.

“Well… I’d say that happened the moment you entered my life,” Miyu said as they stood up straight once more. They brushed their hand against their dress to dry it off, then clapped their hands together to get rid of the sand.

“Ah…” Tofu stared deeply into the fire, and though he tried to keep a neutral expression, his eyes betrayed his thoughts. Every single thing that had gone wrong because of him, everything that had been his fault… Because he wasn’t observant enough, fast enough, strong enough. His hands clenched in his lap as his brow furrowed. 

“I’ve caused…so much grief…” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Miyu frowned. They sat down beside him on the blanket they had set out, then rested both hands atop of Tofu’s own clenched ones. They lifted one hand and leaned their cheek against it.

“There is a lot to grieve for, but not by your doing. Even when there is so much to grieve, my heart hasn’t broken yet,” they said as they craned their head one way, and they rested two of his fingers at the pulse beneath their jaw. “Because you bring so much for a heart to beat for.”

Tofu’s face flushed as he looked at them before averting his eyes. He could only hope they could not feel his own pulse. They were supposed to be there for a good time, yet he struggled to get his mind to let go of his faults and fears. Instead, he defaulted to his usual response when he was too flustered to think, but wanted to assure them that he had heard them.

“R-right…” he murmured. 

In the flickering firelight, they could just barely make the flush that collected in Tofu’s cheeks. 

“Of course I’m right. I chose you,” Miyu agreed, turning their head to give the back of his hand a peck. As they released his hand again, they turned their attention back to their bag. Miyu hummed faintly to themself as they set out an array of finger sandwiches, meat and vegetable skewers, cherries, and two cups. 

Miyu took out a wine bottle and poured themself a serving. Then, they took out another bottle – this time water – and poured it for Tofu.

“I know you don’t drink, so…” They glanced up at Tofu and flashed a cheeky grin. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to carry me back home.”

“Ah, yeah I just…prefer to be ready in case something happens. Can’t do that impaired, I think,” Tofu mumbled sheepishly. He couldn’t meet their eyes, instead focusing on their hands. He reached out and brushed his thumb against the ring he had given them some time back. 

“I think…he would have liked you. Would be glad that I met you,” he whispered.

It was now Miyu’s turn to turn red in the face. A blush bloomed across their face, though there was a bittersweet pang they felt in their heart as they recalled memories of Tofu’s past.

“You think so, huh? I’ve never exactly been the first choice for taking home to meet the family,” Miyu said with a sheepish chuckle. “...Thank you. I’m really glad I met you.” 

Miyu peered down at the ring they had won in a silly little staring contest, a fond smile crossing their features. “I’ll always treasure this gift, just as much as I treasure you.”

“Anyone would be impressed by the one who made a person out of a weapon,” Tofu said softly, pulling his hand back and holding both hands palm up in front of him, taking in the barely visible scars once more, though with only the light of the fire, finding them fell more to habit than sight. “You truly are brilliant enough to fit in amongst the stars, quite why you decided to instead use your radiance to guide a monster out of the dark is beyond me but… I’m glad we met. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Darling Tofu, your humanity has always been there. And frankly, I find it to be quite beautiful,” Miyu insisted. “You’re skilled with weapons, but you’ve always been more than that. So much more.”

A faint ‘oh’ sounded from them when they caught a glint of the firelight shimmer in the ring that they had given Tofu, which it appeared that he still wore. They wrapped their hand around his again and drew it close, this time to inspect the ring.

“You still wear yours! Hm… I think you deserve a better one than this one sometime,” they remark with a soft smile. “Someone who also shines as bright as you do deserves a ring that compliments that.”

“This one is perfect, because it came from you,” Tofu objected, a light frown across his features at the way Miyu spoke of the ring. 

“You do make a good point there, but…” Miyu began, only to trail off at the sight of a sudden divebomb.

From behind them came a fluttering of feathers, followed closely by a soft *thud* as Joy did as close to a tackle as a bird could do against Tofu’s head before nestling on his shoulder against his neck.

“Joy, you’re going to give us both a concussion doing that…” Tofu grumbled, rubbing his head where the bird had collided. 

“Awe… adorable,” Miyu cooed as the little bird cuddled up to Tofu’s neck. “Maybe that’s just his way of giving you a smooch. I know I would do the same – head bashing aside,” Miyu giggled, discreetly wiping their eyes with the other hand, as they still had one grasping at Tofu’s. 

A realization came to Tofu. His face warmed again as he reached over with his free hand, tilting their face to look at him and briefly brushing his lips against theirs. 

“There. A proper one, this time. No blood involved,” he murmured. 

Maybe Tofu wasn’t coughing up blood, but all the blood in their body rushed to their face.

“I… um...” Miyu began, but trailed off as they sheepishly glanced down. They touched their fingertips to their lips and flashed a little smile. “I… hope you know I didn’t not mind.. I mean, did not mind.”

Tofu looked at them with a tilt of his head, his expression one of curiosity and oblivion. As they fumbled with their words, his confusion deepened. They were usually so coy and confident, even with Kore, from what he could tell. He settled his hand on their forehead.

“Are you…alright?” he asked, his voice full of concern. 

Tofu’s concerned actions only flustered the miqo’te further. If it weren’t for the fact that it was cold out, they might just rival the fire with the way their face burned up. And in regards to being cold, they shivered and scooted closer.

“I’m fine, darling. Didn’t think you’d make someone blush before?” Miyu explained with a chuckle, despite their slight embarrassment.

“T-that’s not… I just mean that you seem more…comfortable? When it comes to interactions with Kore. Did I…do something incorrectly?” he asked softly. “I’m sorry, I’m not…very good at this.”

“Not at all incorrect!” they quickly spoke up. Miyu’s lips formed into a pout. “You.. you’re perfect.”

Their eyes lowered, Miyu now fidgeting with the ring on Tofu’s finger. 

“I guess... I was flattered. An honor to receive such a treat when it's rare to come by, at least from you,” Miyu awkwardly explained with a nervous chuckle. “And I mean, plus there was the fact that I was… worried that I was doing too much to overwhelm you. Especially early on, when I knew I had feelings for you, I tried to be discreet. And then I tried to catch your eye, but I wasn’t sure if I would even be capable. I know my actions can be a lot, maybe even confusing. So to get that affirmation… it's nice.”

Tofu was quiet for a long moment, taking in their words and processing them. Joy pecked lightly at his jaw, eliciting a small ‘h-hey!” and a gentle nudge to make him stop. He turned his gaze to Miyu, a soft, contemplative expression on his face. 

“I…wouldn’t call it an honour,” he said with an awkward chuckle. “I definitely had a hard time understanding what your intentions were early on. It was…new, having someone care about me that wasn’t family. I didn’t know what you expected, what you had hoped to gain from it. But it became clear that you didn’t care for the sake of gain, you just… did. I… couldn’t tell you when you started to matter to me, because it caught me by surprise, too. That someone had managed to get through the walls I built…”

He was quiet for another short moment, his next words coming out in a near whisper. “I just knew I wanted you to feel safe. Every time you looked to the entrance with such fear…” 

“Absolutely fair, I didn’t have a full understanding at first – I mean, wasn’t looking for anything but then... I started to see you. And you were strength… warmth… safety,” they said as they idly traced the rough lines of his knuckles. “I think honored is the perfect word to use. You and Kore have brought me something special, something I want to treasure in my life and keep.”

Tofu looked away, another touch of warmth colouring his cheeks. The words ‘I started to see you’ played over and over in his head, an echo of assurance that…he was a person. Right…?

“I am…glad. To bring you safety, to be your strength,” he murmured. 

Miyu smiled and scooted in closer.

“Claiming this shoulder, pardon me, Joy,” they said as they rested their head against his shoulder. “Well, I’m glad you let me be a part of your life.”

Miyu turned their head, resting their chin on his shoulder as they stared up at him. They were quiet for a long while, ruminating over their thoughts, or perhaps just silently admiring him.

“I… I love you, Tofu,” they said after a long moment. 

Tofu’s face further warmed, the thoughts that had been swirling in his head came to an abrupt halt, and his breath caught in his chest. A familiar panic bubbled in him, but he took a deep breath and centered himself. He wanted to say the words back, because he did, but it scared him. 

“I-I… You will always be my most precious treasure. You and Kore,” he stammered.

Even when they didn’t get the same exact words back, the message came across well enough. Their eyes softened, tail giving an excited flick behind them. Miyu parted their lips to speak, but paused when a glimmer in the water caught their eye.

“And that makes you a precious treasure too. One second, something shiny over there,” Miyu said, giving his cheek a peck before they stood up and skipped over to the water.

They stepped into the water, not seeming to care as they wet their dress, while searching for what caught their eye. A faint gasp escaped them before they ducked down to grab something at their feet, managing to wrap their fingers around it just before the wave that washed over them pulled it away. 

Tofu tilted his head at their sudden interest in whatever it was they had found in the water, watching with curious eyes as they scooped something up. 

“What…did you find?” he asked.

Miyu spat out ocean water as they stood up straight. They squinted down into their hand to ensure they had grabbed the object their keen eyes had spotted. Miyu gave a chirp of delight and hastily trudged out of the water.

“Sea glass! It was glowy, for some reason,” they hummed, taking a seat beside Tofu again. They lifted the smooth treasure up to peer at it with the light of the fire. It was red, and looked to be in the shape of a… heart? Diamond? Well, it was really up to interpretation.

Miyu shivered as the cold air washed over them, but an excited smile remained prominent.

“Here, yours,” Miyu said, holding it out for Tofu to take. Tofu smiled and shook his head.

“You found it, it's yours,” he said, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over their shoulders - forgetting what it was for in the face of their shivering.

Miyu gave a little pout when Tofu declined the sea glass. They were about to attempt to hand it back to him once more by tucking it into his hand, but paused as an idea came to mind. Their pout disappeared, and they smiled once more. Without saying another word about it, they tucked the sea glass into their bag. Their hand freed up, they occupied it once more with a clasp at Tofu’s hand. 

It was a cold night, but all they could feel was a comforting warmth.

[jennycalendar]

The Star :D Dealer's choice for which character.

The Star (hope, faith, purpose, renewal, spirituality)

Marigold likes the stray cats. That's one of the first things they learn about her in the early days: she has a particular soft spot for animals. Norie and Ros have to team up to ensure that Thea doesn't just start showing up with wheelbarrows of cats, of course, because whenever Marigold likes anything, Thea will go out and get five of it and then get ten more and then contact Jaheira and ask if there are any back-alley Harper channels that can get even better versions of whatever it is. Ros doesn't overly love the thought of the Tasty Pastry getting shut down due to back-alley alley-cat trading, which is possibly the worst sentence ever and also not a sentence she'd ever thought before all this.

Today, Ros is making strawberry rhubarb pie, which she's been making a lot of lately, because Marigold likes strawberries. The girl's stick-thin and flinches when she finishes her plate, so Ros brings a lot of fresh berries in and says things like, “oh, wow, I think I've got way too many strawberries, oh, no, what'll I do?” for about five to ten minutes until she sees her valiant little helper getting the hint and taking a few.

Norie likes strawberries, too. She's perched on the counter next to Marigold, fingers red. Marigold takes a slow bite of her own berry and watches Norie with that warm intensity that they're coming to learn is her own odd way of showing affection.

Norie takes another berry from the basket and wiggles it in front of Marigold. Marigold's head snaps forward, her teeth closing around the round red heart.

Norie says, “I'm going to be a cleric of Ilmater.”

Ros wasn't expecting this. Isn't sure how they got from berries to Ilmater, and is having more than just a bit of trouble imagining Norie of all people as a cleric. Norie hides in the back of the bakery so she won't lose her patience with the customers. Still, it's an older sister's job to be supportive, so she says, “Yeah?”

“Ilmater protects those who don't have anyone to protect them,” says Norie. “Gives them comfort in times of strife.”

They've learned really quickly that they can't talk about what happened to Marigold in front of her. She gets all blank-eyed and quiet and it gets even harder to get her to eat. She's still just a kid, though, so she's looking at Norie with blank, puppyish affection, because of fucking course she can't figure out why Norie might be saying any of this.

Ros can, though. Her chest goes tight. She says, “You wanna be that for people, then? Ilmater's guiding hand?”

“Person,” says Norie. Her eyes are on Marigold.

Marigold's eyes are on the berries behind Norie. It's never really clear with Marigold whether she ignores the truth or just doesn't want to look at it. Her hand raises timidly, moving slowly forward as if expecting to be stopped.

Ros says, “Lovey, go for the berries, no one's going to stop you.”

Marigold blushes and smiles, as beautiful and delicate as a butterfly's wing. She takes a berry and turns it over, pops it into her mouth, fumbles with juice-stained hands for parchment and quill. In blocky, clumsy writing—she's still learning, after all—she writes GOODBERRY, followed by THANK YOU!

“Strawberry,” Norie corrects, in such a pedantic older-sister sort of way that Ros feels her heart swell. She didn't realize until recently how little it suited Norie to be the baby. “I'll show you how to write it.”

[valiant-if]

What would the Romantic interest do if out of nowhere the mc just playfully bites their shoulder

Hi, anon!

Assuming romantic relationships?

Anton - Probably a little bit embarrassed if MC did this in a public place but pleased by it nonetheless. Might give a harmless tickle or a squeeze in return.

Switch - It might actually make her uncomfortable in the early stages of a relationship, and in the deep stages she wouldn't even react to it outwardly, she would just keep doing whatever she is doing. 😂

Zero - Depending on Zero's mood at the moment of occurrence and whether or not the relationship includes a sexual element, she would either bite back (playfully) or initiate Bedroom Eyes.

Path - Assuming the relationship includes a sexual element, he would tease the MC with sexual tension without actually letting it go anywhere. Otherwise? Well, a little relentless tickling might be in order.

Kiran - "Is that your way of saying you're hungry, or are you looking for something else from me?" (completely serious)

Yulia - If this isn't something MC does very often, as the question seems to suggest, she would 100% interpret the gesture as foreplay.

Hex - Good-natured teasing that start with Hex playfully ignoring MC and ends with him retaliating when MC least expects it.

A2 - In public? Never. She'd be so mad. 😂 She hates PDA of any kind. She'd probably stomp off, but she wouldn't stay mad for long.

Thanks for the ask!

[beezonia]

Was thinking about Momworth again so take my interpretation

Meet Rosalyn Valiant (I took the second name from Eddie Valiant from who framed roger rabbit)

she’s about 22 I’m thinking when we first meet her then 24/5 when she dies potentially

Yeah I gave her Mile’s v shaped bangs because why the fuck not (design is prone to change)

A prosecutor who had a long standing rivalry with her law school “friend” (they were more like acquaintances who met a few times) Gregory

Rosalynn is her agencies sweetheart, she grabs you coffee when you’re low on energy, she’ll tell you shitty jokes if you’re sad

But she’s prone to be extremely blunt and tends to make very rash decisions at times (causing a lot of her old friends to leave her)

but she and gregory reconnect after they were against each other for a case that includes a mutual law school friend who’s accused of murder or something

they fall in love very slowly (Both of them are kinda reluctant) but it happens anyway and they do end up married at some point

that’s all I’ve got rn

For her design I wanted it to be simple because Ros isn’t the type to dress up at all, so simple outfits with small patterns!

[rayniscatstatue]

I have a headcanon that Tam, Linh, Sophie and Biana all wear their Exillium beaded necklaces at Foxfire to show that they aren’t ashamed. Sophie and Biana also wear them with their Team Valiant uniform. It pisses off the council.

Fitz has his hung up on his bedpost on his room. He just put it there after he got back and it has been stuck there. He doesn’t care if his family sees it at reunions.

While Dex has his going across the top of his bedroom door. He also has a bunch of posters on his door like “no triplets zone” and “tech room” along with more.

Keefe on the other hand has his kept safe by Ro. She ends up leaving the necklace on Sophie’s desk. Sophie ends up putting it across the top of her door like Dex.

[multitrackdrifting]

"How many f2p online games have you played as a kid?" you might ask, well

Flyff DOMO Dragon's Nest Maple Story BOTS MU Gunbound RO Private Servers Combat Arms Vindictus Grand Chase Rappelz Asda Story Rose Online Dragonica Runescape Adventure Quest Cabal Silkroad Trickster Mabinogi Tibia Perfect World Fiesta GunZ The Duel Lunia Tera Dofus (later following it was Wakfu) S4 League Atlantica Rohan Florensia Audition Cross Fire Rakion Kart Rider Conquer Crazy Tao Martial Heroes Twelve Sky 2 Jade Dynasty Sudden Attack Blacklight Retribution Alliance of Valiant Arms (AVA) The Legend of Mir 3 Dungeon Fighter Online Grand Fantasia Forsaken World Allods Project Torque MicroVolts Legend of Edda Sherwood (most ppl played this at school) Wurm SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online Tribes Ascend Continent of the Ninth (C9) Super Monday Night Combat Planetside 2 Furcadia Habbo Eudemons Fallen Sword Scions of Fate Metin 2 Rumble Fighter Luminary Lunaria LaTale NosTale FusionFall Ether Saga

[iviarellereads]

Harrow the Ninth, Bonus Content, Pronunciation Guide

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

Similar to the one in GtN, titled "Naming Systems", but for this book's new characters.

John Gaius GUY-us NOTE: He's just some guy, you know? NOTE II: Gaius was not the name John was born with. He picked it for himself circa Y100 of his reign.(1)

Augustine - AWG-us-tin, not awg-us-TEEN.

Alfred Quinque - KWIN-kway.

Augustine and Alfred share an arithmonym. The implications of this were present at the time, but not as developed as they were later on.

Cassiopeia - Cass-ee-oh-PAY-ah. Nothing like her namesake in Greek mythology, "as she was honestly just a universally beloved and clever human being who made beautiful meals with the occasional finger error."(2)

Cristabel - CRIS-ta-bell, not "crees".

Pyrrha Dve - PIRRA DVAY (one syllable). Pyrrha has many connotations, but Muir's favourite is the disguise Achilles took in that name.(3)

Nigella Shodash - NYE-jella SHOW-dash.

Valancy Trinit - VAL-an-see TRIN-it. Derived from "valens", the same root as "valiant", an incredible cavalier name. Valancy and Cyrus both supported each other's belief that they were the most attractive people ever born.

Titania Tetra - Ti-TAHN-iya TET-ra.(4)

Loveday Heptane - LOVE-day HEP-tane.

Anastasia - An-ass-TAYS-iya, rather than an-ass-TAHS-iya.

Samael Novenary - SAM-ay-el No-VEEN-ary

Mithraeum - Mith-RAY-em. From temples of Mithras,(5) of course.

Noniad - NO-nee-add.

Enneameter - enny-AM-eter.

NOTE: The metre of Ortus's epic, The Noniad (Matthias hight Nonius his Deeds and Accomplishments), is dactylic enneameter.(6) This is the traditional metre for serious Ninth House poetry (as opposed to light lyric Ninth House poetry, which is written in enneasyllables(7) and doesn't exist). As befits a Ninth House metre, enneameter is long, ponderous, clunky, and sucks. Ortus sticks grimly to some of its most archaic rules.

Apopneumatism - apo-NEW--mat-ism

Admiral Sarpedon - Admiral (as in the rank) Sar-PEE-don.(8)

Abella Trine - A-BELL-uh TRYNE (like "mine")

Epirhoic - EPPY-ro-ic (the end of which rhymes with "heroic"). Here Muir notes "Rhoic, from the Greek "rhoe," stream or flow; epi-, "on top of," so it's on top of the stream."(9)

Mesorhoic - MEE-so-ro-ic. "Meso" meaning middle.

Bathyrhoic - BATH-ee-ro-ic, with a short "a" which Muir says is in "psychopath". "Bathy" means "deep".

Barathron - ba-RA-thron. Greek for "a pit". "Criminals were classically thrown into one in ancient Athens."

=====

(1) So, what name WAS he born with, and where did "Gaius" come from? (2) How much do we believe this? How much of this should we question? Is Muir revealing truths, or red herrings? (3) Given that she's now a woman in a man's body, in a sort of way, that's a rather interesting choice to refer to in this, imo! (4) I suppose I'd have written out a "not tye-TAY-nya" to supplement this, but it's entirely possible Muir's never encountered that one in the wild. (5) Mithras is a complicated but popular god to reference in fiction. And it's true, real-life mithraea survive to modern day and can be visited. We don't actually know much about the Mithraists because they didn't write their religion down, but there's a lot of guesses of varying skeptical-eyebrow-raising quality available to research if you want to see how deep the parallels might go! Or someone's probably made a post about it somewhere on Tumblr, if you dare risk spoilers. (6) Recall that I explained enneameter before! I completely forgot that this was here! So, "enneameter" meant "poetry with nine feet/groupings". Dactylic means poetry in which each foot consists of one long/stressed syllable followed by two short ones, named for the resemblance to human finger bones. No, that's not just a Ninth House conceit, it's our-world. (7) Literally just nine syllables per line. (8) This certainly gives new light to the John/Sarpedon shippers and Muir's restraint in not saying "PEED-on" is admirable itself. (9) Once again I forgot this was in the guide back here, as it wasn't in the glossary part when I checked that. Still, I found it pretty difficult to track down the etymology, though part of that comes down to search engines getting actively worse over the last couple of years. (I have receipts. It's not just your imagination, if you noticed it too, but this isn't the place to rant about that.)

[bamboo72498]

Personal Protector

To reblog just the photo, click here . . .

Bru was a family dog. They all took care of him and loved on him, and he loved them just as much. 

But from the second they brought her home from the hospital, Bru claimed Hayley as his person. 

He needed to be as close to her as possible and growled at anyone who dared to get near the baby girl. He’d spend every night standing guard at her bedroom door, valiant in his efforts to keep the monsters away. 

When she cried, he was the first to go comfort her with slobbery kisses and warm cuddles. He happily ate the scraps she’d drop on the floor from her high chair for him and could make her laugh with a simple chase of his tail. 

So it was no surprise that when Austin went to go check on his napping daughter he found Bru curled up in her tiny toddler bed right next to Hayley; keeping watch as always. 

“Hey, there, bud!” Austin whispers, rubbing the dog between his ears. “You watching over our Hayley Ro? Huh?” Bru replies with a muffled bark and a wag of his tail. “Good boy. You’re such a good brother.” Austin leaves the room to let Hayley sleep, knowing she was safe as long as her puppy was around.