#vast majority of my relationships began because i was “a little strange’�� so i relate falin

[doesephs]

farcille is the only realistic lesbian couple ever. wdym your girlfriend doesn’t explode at mild inconveniences?

[badmusejail]

Ozai (and Iroh) AUs

Since I've started writing in them both on here but never formally wrote up information about them, here we go.

First off, in general, Ozai tends to be a little younger in these verses. He's around 40 at the start of ATLA and usually in his early 30s in these verses. Why? Because I find it a more interesting area for development, that's all. He and Ursa are in a tumultuous but mostly stable marriage, Zuko and Azula are rather young and repeating much of the strife Iroh and Ozai themselves have. Usually Lu Ten is already dead but Ozai hasn't (yet) made an attack on his father to claim the throne nor has he scarred and banished zuko (yet).

It makes sense to have Zuko older when Zuko is the main muse, but Zuko isn't my muse and so I shift the narrative a bit earlier to put more focus on my muses.

There's still a 15 year gap between him and Iroh, putting Iroh around his mid-late 40s. Iroh can, and has, been mistaken for Ozai's father, much to the former's amusement and the latter's annoyance.

Most of these AUs feature similar, but milder, events compared to canon. This is also to facilitate Ozai's growth and allow him to develop in ways that were never an option in canon.

He's still a dick, though.

That, and, to make him easier to interact with, as engaging with him in canon is virtually impossible unless you're Zuko, Iroh, or Azula.

He's still a firebender or equivalent in all verses unless explicitly noted.

As usual, most details and plotting are open for discussion! Just shoot me a message.

Modern AU

Azulon serves as the current CEO of Ember Strokes (畫的餘燼) with his sons serving close behind him. Whether this is literal or metaphorical depends on which son you're referring to, as Ozai tends to literally be right behind Azulon in all things he does, while Iroh tends to be halfway across the world, promoting the company as a loveable and relatable figure.

The history of Ember Strokes is unclear, but the most prominent figure was Sozin, who rocketed the company from being a small and mostly local business to country-wide and then international fame. A lot of the history prior to Sozin taking over the company has been lost, and neither Azulon nor Ozai feel inclined to dig deeper into it.

(Iroh may, yes, but not quite yet.)

Nonetheless, the accepted history of the company is that it started in artwork, traced back to a singular artist who used fire to create strange and unique pieces covering a wide variety of topics. Unfortunately, that original technique has been lost, but Ember Strokes still deals heavily in art and the surrounding areas, such as clothing, furniture, jewelry, and others.

The company puts an emphasis on cultural heritage and respecting history, focusing heavily on traditional pieces and techniques that capture the beauty of nature and yes, fire.

Keeping up appearances is important to them, so much so that Azulon and Ozai regularly wear traditional robes and a vast majority of their primary residence doesn't even have electricity, instead relying on fire and the sun and only using technology when strictly necessary.

Azulon's relationship to Ozai and Iroh is arguably more twisted in this verse; as Iroh grew into a teenager, Azulon began to fear that he'd lose control of the boy or that he'd choose to abandon Ember Strokes and leave them without an heir, and so he had Ozai, making sure to have a stronger hold over the boy.

Ozai is oblivious to any other possibilities--as far as he's considered, his life belongs to his father and the company and he's blind to the unhealthy degree of control Azulon has over him, even well into adulthood.

Ozai's hatred of Iroh developed on its own, however; while it's true that Azulon holds some favoritism towards his firstborn, it's not nearly as extreme as Ozai believes it to be. It's simply that the two have different uses and strengths and Azulon puts them to use as efficiently as possible.

He does, essentially, intend for Iroh to be the face of the company while Ozai handles the financial business in the background. In an ideal world, they'd work together well, balancing each other's flaws, but Ozai hates Iroh too much for it to ever work out. He'd much rather Iroh not have a part in the company at all.

As for the children...Lu Ten sadly passed away in an vehicle accident about a year ago. As well as Iroh is holding together, he's still heavy in his grief and noticeably different.

Zuko and Azula are mostly left to their own devices, usually watched by some sort of tutor, babysitter, or servant as Ozai is extremely busy and hardly ever spends time with them, except for the occasional family dinner or sparring.

Ozai finds Zuko far too soft for the business and has no intention of training him to take it over or even letting him be a part of it. Kicking the boy out is unnecessary, but Ozai doesn't think he has any value there. Azula, of course, is the one he's training to support him and one day take over the company.

Although the company is mostly legal...there is some underground shenanigans going on, mostly on Azulon's level that he hasn't yet revealed to the brothers. The arrangement that lead to Ursa's marriage to Ozai was one of them.

Urban Fantasy AU

Much the same as the above, except the family's rule over fire is well known and respected among human mages.

Kings and Knights (Fantasy) AU

Ozai is one of two princes of Lóngdǎo (龍島), an intensely volcanic region. The kingdom is highly aggressive and there's a general belief that the world would be better under their control.

Much like the other AUs, Ozai has not yet seized control of the kingdom and is trying to prove himself a superior heir to Iroh.

Particularly, he's interested in killing a dragon, an extremely respectable and honorable feat to his people...and something his brother has already done. (Or at least has claimed to do.)

Sci-Fi (Space) AU

(to be added)

[aurorawest]

[this ask contains ep 3 Loki spoilers, please don’t read or answer if you have not seen the episode yet!]

HI! Sorry for that but I’d hate to ruin anything for anyone! I was just curious how many similarities you see between the Loki in your fics (whose characterisation I love!!) and the Loki in the Disney + show? And what are they? I was also curious if you see any traits of your Loki reflected in Sylvie, I know personally during episode 3 when Sylvie lost her temper and just screamed with her magic that reminded me a little bit of the more 2013 era Loki and I was wondering if you could see your Loki doing something like that? Perhaps if he were to get frustrated by Thors self sacrificing nature and he isn’t quite sure how to express his worry so he just feels anger?

SORRY! Super long ask and kinda confusing I hope it makes sense

Oh gosh, so many similarities. Like...to the point where I'm like, are the showrunners reading my fic? JOKE, JOKE, I KNOW THEY AREN'T.

From a general character perspective, the show matches up really, really well with my version of him in my main fic verse, IMO. Honestly, I should watch the episodes again and make a list, because full disclosure, I've only watched each of them once. Anyway here's what I can think of without watching them all again:

The idea that his villainy is an illusion and a role he feels he has to play

The speechifying being related to playing this part

He doesn't enjoy hurting people

He's actually super sarcastic and funny all the time, and that his sense of humor is quite dark

He's mischievous! And a little shit a lot of the time, too

That he loves his family and Asgard very very much

Related, he has the capacity to care about people, like Mobius

His tendency to start talking and then just like...not stop. I have a number of instances where he does this in my fic

That part where he cries when he finds out about Ragnarok and then goes to Mobius and is like, yeah it's really sad, whatevs—that refusal to let people see who he really is or how he really feels

He's tech savvy. I have a scene in one of my upcoming fics where he works out how to drive a manual car in about three minutes. And just like, generally speaking, I make him capable of figuring out how to use stuff. Tbh this is less of a character similarity and more of a handwave, but it is a similarity.

There are also really specific things, like:

His speech patterns—though he's actually a bit more informal than I write him, saying 'cool' and 'yeah' and whatnot, which I'm now trying to incorporate more, haha

Specific physical mannerisms. When he leans against the lockers with his arms crossed over his chest in episode 2? His feet up on Mobius's desk? His fidgeting with the Tesseract? I write stuff like that all the time. Also: his little wave to the security dude he chucks out the window, that's literally in the chapter I just posted (and it was not something I added, it's from the original draft)

When Sylvie says 'love is hate' and he gets the quill out, mocking her? Wrote something very similar about a month ago:

“‘Not the worst idea.’” Strange smiled. “Put that on my tombstone. Here lies Stephen Vincent Strange: one time, he came up with an idea that Loki thought wasn’t the worst.”

Loki laughed and conjured a notebook and pen from his pocket dimension. Very seriously and laboriously, he began writing, then said, “Sorry, could you repeat that? I want to get it down so I don’t make any mistakes. You can check my spelling when I’m done.”

Loki speaking Latin

Loki's relationship with Mobius so far is very similar to the dynamic that I write between Loki and Strange. And I know I don't have the vast majority of that stuff posted yet, but it's like...yeah. I love Mobius and I love the dynamic between him and Loki but at the same time, it's immensely frustrating, because I want it to be Stephen and it's how I write the two of them, haha

"Love is a dagger" is a metaphor I wrote (full disclosure, not in those exact words) over a year ago in a scene close to the end of The General Mess and Imprecision of Feeling

His teariness

I know I'm forgetting things because I'm constantly thinking, 'omg I wrote that in X fic' as I'm watching the episodes, but that's off the top of my head.

I don't really see a lot of my Loki's traits reflected in Sylvie, no, beyond like, the sarcasm and the sass. She's definitely a much harder character than my Loki, who has, after all, been through his redemption arc in the MCU.

Though, re: Sylvie's scream, I absolutely wrote Loki screaming in frustration recently (before the ep aired, too):

Loki bit his lip. Ah. Right. Yes. He had turned off his phone after the visit to the Sanctum, because he hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone. He’d actually taken The Bifrost off Earth, flown all the way past the twin dwarf planets Pluto and Charon and into the Oort Cloud. There, he’d put the ship on autopilot to avoid any stray ice chunks, spun around in his chair, and screamed himself hoarse.

Had it helped? Debatable. Briefly, perhaps. It had made his throat hurt.

I just noticed the 'Did that help?' language is echoed here too, haha. Swear to god, I wrote this like 2-3 weeks ago.

Thanks for asking!

[terramythos]

TerraMythos 2021 Reading Challenge - Book 17 of 26

Title: The Other Wind (Earthsea Cycle #6) (2001)

Author: Ursula K. Le Guin

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Third-Person, Female Protagonist (Kinda)

Rating: 5/10

Date Began: 7/8/2021

Date Finished: 7/12/2021

The sorcerer Alder is haunted by a recurring dream. Every night he stands at the border of the afterlife, and the dead call to him from the other side, begging him to free them. Fearing that he may unleash evil upon the world, Alder seeks out Ged, a living man who once escaped the land of the dead. Alder finds himself central to a vast mystery; the origin of the afterlife and how it relates to mankind’s ancient connection to the dragons.

“I think,” Tehanu said in her soft, strange voice, “That when I die, I can breathe back the breath that made me live. I can give back to the world all I didn’t do. All that I might have been and couldn’t be. All the choices I didn’t make. All the things I lost and spent and wasted. I can give them back to the world. To the lives that haven’t been lived yet. That will be my gift back to the world that gave me the life I did live, the love I loved, the breath I breathed." 

Content warnings and spoilers below the cut.  

Content warnings for the book: Death, suicidal ideation, references to child abuse, reference to misogyny, mentioned animal death, mention of slavery.

Man oh man do I wish I enjoyed this book more. It’s not horrible, and there’s stuff I liked, but I found it really hard to get through at times. The Other Wind feels different than anything else in the Earthsea series— to its detriment. There are three main issues I have with the book, all of which I’ll get into.  But ultimately I consider it a mediocre conclusion to an otherwise great series. 

First, this book has unusual pacing. The Earthsea books are generally slow, with a gradual buildup and gratifying conclusion that ties the themes of the story together. The Other Wind is more like a reverse bell curve; it has a great beginning and finale, but the middle meanders and stalls. The novel is split into five chapters, roughly the same length, and the middle three are a slog. There’s the barest whisper of an interesting plot, but not a lot happens— and what does happen isn’t very compelling.

The closest thing to a story in the middle is a subplot involving Seserakh, a Kargish princess. She’s sent to King Lebannen’s court with the expectation he’ll marry her to secure an alliance. A stock idea to be sure, but I can see how it might provide political intrigue. But it’s just aggravating. Tenar is in this storyline for some reason, and she feels contradictory and out of character. She wants to live a simple life and leave palace politics behind— but she also wants to push the literal king into a marriage he doesn’t want. Lebannen gets framed as The Absolute Worst because he (1) doesn’t want to get married to a woman he’s never met, and (2) is distracted by other stuff. There’s an implication that the match is a great choice, yet Seserakh and Lebannen don’t have a conversation until near the end. Of course Lebannen falls madly in love with her the moment they talk. No need to… develop their relationship? Normally I can gloss over a weak subplot, but since so little happens in the middle, that’s impossible here. It’s irrelevant to the main story, so it’s a shame Le Guin spent so much time on it. 

There’s a lot of talking in this book, but little action. Dialogue-heavy characterization isn’t necessarily bad. Le Guin is usually great at that kind of writing. But here, it emphasizes my second problem with the book: there’s too many major characters. Previous books focused on 1 or 2 people, allowing for intimate connection and character growth. LeGuin clearly tries for that here, but there’s so many people and relationships that everyone is underdeveloped. Perhaps this would come off better with a single perspective character, but Le Guin instead chose a shifting POV between 5+ characters. An alternating POV isn’t inherently bad, but it wasn’t a good fit for such a short book. I found myself wishing for focus on Alder (the protagonist!), who’s a genuinely compelling character. Alas. 

My third problem with The Other Wind is exposition. This book resolves several plot threads from previous entries. Obviously, there needs to be some context from the series to tie everything together. But the sheer amount of recap is unreal. So many scenes boil down to a character explaining something that happened to them in a previous book, then connecting it to the current plot. It’s not subtle and sometimes happens with the same event multiple times. It genuinely feels like Le Guin didn’t trust the reader to infer ANYTHING on their own. Having just read the rest of the series, this was especially irritating. I can cut a little slack here; this series began in 1968, and perhaps some returning 2001 readers wouldn’t recall key events. But regardless, The Other Wind is one of the most over-explained things I’ve read in a long time. It’s especially odd because the previous books aren’t like this.

There are things I genuinely like about The Other Wind. On a prose level, Le Guin's a great writer. Even the plotless parts of the book are full of interesting writing choices and philosophical observations. One nice thing about Earthsea is the characters age over the course of the series. Ged started A Wizard of Earthsea as a young boy, but as of The Other Wind is a seventy-year-old man. It’s cool to sit back and see just how much each character developed over time. Earthsea itself changed with them; each book’s events have serious repercussions for the world as a whole. And this book has the most significant change of all. 

When the The Other Wind’s plot is relevant, it’s one of the most interesting in the series. I think it’s a fascinating way to tie up two disparate plot threads. As much as I love The Farthest Shore, it does present a glaring conundrum regarding Earthsea’s core themes. True immortality is only obtained through death— not because of an afterlife, but because the dead become one with the rest of the world. So why does the Archipelago have an afterlife at all? Why is it so bleak and depressing? Why are there no plants, animals, or dragons there? Speaking of, there’s the revelation that dragons and humans were once the same species. Tehanu introduced this idea with various folktales, and the eventual reveal that Tehanu/Therru is a dragon. This idea is newer to the series and thus more malleable, but I like the idea of an entity being two creatures at once, and the mystery behind that.

I think the integration of these two ideas is interesting. Dragons and humans were once the same, but decided to split into two species to pursue different goals. They formed an ancient bargain to rule different aspects of the world. Fire and air represent the dragons’ realm, freedom— and water and earth represent the humans’ realm, ownership. But some humans learned magic and broke that covenant, binding everything to its true name. This established a form of freedom— immortality via one’s name. The afterlife is a result of that; it shouldn’t exist, which is why it feels wrong. Everything links back to the desire for immortality without change as introduced in The Farthest Shore. On a meta level it’s weird that none of this came up in that book; the explanation that dragons suddenly remembered this great wrong is a little retcon-y. But I understand Le Guin probably never intended to expand on these ideas, and it’s nice to see the contradiction of Earthsea’s afterlife resolved in the end. I went into this book expecting the titular “other wind” to be the other side of Earthsea, not another plane of existence; and I think that surprise is pretty cool! I like the metaphysical aspect of this other realm and how it connects to the  dragons. 

Even though I didn’t love the book, I do think it works as a series conclusion more than Tehanu did. Tehanu drops such a huge, unresolved bombshell in its ending that I’m surprised Le Guin intended it to be the final book of the series. The Other Wind does create some open-ended mysteries, but they’re the kind that don’t need a resolution. 

Despite that, I find myself wondering if this book was necessary. The Other Wind ties together some threads, but I wasn’t a fan of the execution overall. If the dragon and afterlife plot was a heavier focus, maybe I’d like the book more. Instead there’s a bunch of filler and extraneous detail. The book feels forced, like a novella stretched into a full novel— yet also like something’s missing. Perhaps The Other Wind works better on a reread, but I’m inclined to skip it in the future.

[thefragileblackdahlia]

Heaven: Part one

Chapter Summary:

Anna recalls her past and Sam and Dean understand why Castiel and Uriel want her dead. Anna recognizes Ariel from 'work' but doesn't remember her as the new and improved angel she is now. Ariel and Dean finally steal a moment for themselves

Character(s): Ariel, Dean, Sam, Ruby, Anna, Castiel, Uriel, Lucifer, Michael

Pairing(s): Eventual Dean x Ariel, Ruby x Sam, (former) Lucifer x Ariel

Warning(s): MAJOR Angst, Little bit of Crack, Angelcest??? Typical SUPERNATURAL Violence, Mild Language

A/N: I've been struggling to write this chapter since I have to write more than 3 characters than what I'm used to. Writing for Sam, Ariel and Dean is easy peasy but Ruby, Anna, Pamela, and the others are very difficult. I am publishing this chapter into two parts since I feel like that would be the easiest and because it's very long.

Also, I have no idea how Angel relationships work. They don't share the same DNA at all but only the same creator so under that, they are somewhat 'related' but not technically. Ariel and Lucifer have a strange, toxic, codependent relationship to begin with because of the bond- so I can expect them to be strange and touchy but with Michael and Ariel, she shuns it.

Please feel free to leave feedback.

Beta'd by Zoe (a friend)

Word count: 2,480+

PREVIOUSLY ON HEY JUDE

The jaded man took a leery step forward as her wings were now projected onto him for the others to see. They were wrapped around Dean at the time she was standing near him. His breathing hitched in his throat as a bright light engulfed the room, and when it died down, all three angels were gone.

Dean brought his hands up to his head, "No..." He ran his digits through his hair and shook his head in denial.

"Where's Ariel?" Sam breathed.

NOW

CABIN 

NIGHT

This shouldn't be happening to them, not again. Though they only knew Ariel for a couple of months, the boys considered her family. And to have that person constantly ripped from you; It hurts.

Sam straightened at the sight of his older brother nearly close to breaking. It was nice to see Dean smile so much in a small span of time and then to have that reason for his smile disappear, it gutted Sam.

"Fuck," Dean muttered through clenched teeth. He inhaled deeply, uncertain if he should pray. What would be the point? The broken man wiped the blood from his cheek as he pivoted on his heel and started for the backroom.

Once he reached the door, he opened it, seeing blood drip down the woman's arms. "Anna!" Dean shouted, rushing over to her and pulling a bandana from his pocket. He began wrapping it around her cuts.

"Are they- are they gone?" Anna inhaled sharply as she sank down into the chair. She glanced at Dean with a small smile, hoping that the offending angels had vanished.

Sam and Ruby blocked the door, peering in to see what had been going on in the room. Sam furrowed his brows in confusion, studying the sigil on the mirror.

Dean pulled the scarf tight to cut off circulation and tried his best to collect himself before speaking, "What did you do? Did you kill them?"

Anna shook her head and let it fall back as she gazed up at Dean, "No. I sent them away...far away"

The hunter took in her words and just let out a heavy sigh, "Yeah, Well you sent Ariel away too...so wanna tell me how?" Dean tore himself away from the girl, a bit upset that he couldn't check on Ariel. She didn't particularly have a cellphone.

"That just popped in my head. I don't know how I did it," Anna began to panic. "I just did it." She added with emphasis.

Dean shut his eyes and dragged his hand over his face before nodding his head. "Alright," He muttered. The righteous man turned out of the room and slipped past Ruby. He inhaled and glanced over at his brother who spoke in a breathy tone.

"So where did she send Ariel?" Sam asked, a bit concerned.

"Don't know," Dean sighed. He then turned around to face his brother and recommenced, "But she'll be back- So, what do you think?" He gestured to the backroom, presumably Anna.

Sam huffed, "I think Anna's getting more interesting by the second."

"Yeah, I agree." Dean stepped around Sam and brought a hand to his jaw and massaged the area where Uriel hit him. He glanced at the floor and furrowed his brows. "And what did they mean by 'She's not innocent'?"

The long-haired hunter shrugged his shoulders, "It seems like they want her bad, and not just 'cause of the angel radio thing. I mean, that blood spell-- some serious crap, man." He whispered the last part.

"Something's going on with her," Dean added while shaking his head. He looked off to the left before bringing his eyes back to his brother, "See what you can find out."

Sam raised his brows at that command, "What are you gonna do?"

Dean nodded his head toward the back room, "Anna may have sent the angels to the outfield, but, sooner or later, they're gonna be back." He shifted before he resumed speaking, "We gotta get ourselves safe now, and we can't depend on Ariel to save our asses each time."

EMPTY FIELD A FEW STATES AWAY 

NIGHT

"FUCK!" Ariel shouted as she pulled herself out of the hole that was made when she descended. The archangel peered over her shoulders at her crooked feathers with a glowering look.

A car drove by with its headlights stealing her attention and blinding her before she returned it to her disheveled wings.

"How annoying," Ariel grumbled to herself. Whilst bringing a filth covered hand to her copper tresses and pushing a few strays behind her ear, she let out a defeated sigh. "I had it under control."

No, she did not.

As she fixed the crooked feathers, a gruff voice reverberated through her vessel's skull. Someone was praying; Specifically Dean.

His voice was low, almost as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to pray or not. His next words confirmed her suspicions. 'Uh...I'm praying-'

Ariel snorted as she shook her wings and gave them one strong flap before starting down the highway. "Get on with the prayer." She thought. Dean resumed talking, almost as if he heard her remark, 'We're uh... heading to Bobby's just to see what we can find to protect ourselves. Sam's gonna do some research and see what he can dig up- anyways,' Dean sighed. 'Be careful. See you when we get there.'

The archangel let out a heavy sigh. She couldn't let all of the arguing get to her. Yes, things were much more serious now than in the past but she had to address the situation with almost the same mentality. Saving Anna meant potentially having more allies, having more allies meant more connections and possibly to finding out which seals Lilith will break next.

Ariel took in a considerable amount of air before giving her wings a sturdy flap and flying to Bobby's empty home.

BOBBY'S LIBRARY

NIGHT

A soft fluttering of wings meant that Ariel had arrived. It was quiet, quaint, and...lonely.

"This isn't quite how I imagined the rest of my night to go-" Ariel murmured to herself before browsing the vast wells of knowledge that sat on the shelves in Bobby's library. She traced her fingers on the dusty spinal columns of each book before hovering over a particular book.

A book of the five archangels.

"Interesting," She brought her fingers to her face, nibbling on her nails and debating whether or not she wanted to know what humans thought of her. It wasn't like she already hadn't known but there were different variations.

In some, she was called The Guardian, in others, she was mostly labeled 'Dilzmo obza' which meant 'Other half' in Enochian. She preferred the title not associated with her homicidal mate. It was hard to discern whether she was still shrouded in his darkness or was brought out of it- telling by how comfortable she felt in her own skin, she assumed she no longer needed to worry about Lucifer manipulating her emotions from the cage.

The Guardian pried the book from the shelf and took a seat on the orange couch that wasn't too far from the bureau by the fireplace. She flipped to a random page in the book and began reading. As if the universe wanted to shove it down her throat, there, beautifully painted, sat a portrait of Lucifer; An image before and after his exile.

"Drilpa esiasch" Ariel murmured instinctively. Eons had passed yet whenever she saw anything remotely resembling him she always said those two words. Big brother.

The ginger ran her fingers across the aged paper, trying her best not to retreat deep into her mind.

'You know sometimes we could try making our own Universe.' A disembodied voice echoed through the room, startling the young angel. Her eyes darted around the darkness, searching for a face to match the voice to but they soon just fell on the watercolor painting of Lucifer.

Ariel realized that it was all in her head. She stared at the book with a veiled expression.

"Think of the things we could create together. Me, the idealistic God, you, the tiny but strong angel that is very supportive." The voice whispered into her ear, the hot breath making her vessel shudder.

Ariel's brows snapped together as her eyes glossed over in white. A flashback clouded her mind.

It was an unusually quiet day, her other three brothers were doing their usual tasks, either helping Father create or training the fledglings; This left Lucifer and Ariel by themselves most of the time, stargazing.

This happened to be a few days after a heated debate between Lucifer, Michael and Ariel , which put the three archangels in an awkward predicament.

Ariel followed after her bonded, Lucifer, but never left Michael's side. Ultimately she was torn between the two. In the end, she felt compelled to choose the rebellious angel. Always.

The small celestial being gazed at the passing comet, wishing it were her.

Ariel tilted her head at the second eldest, "I would just be a supportive angel? Why not help you create and be a Goddess?" She scrutinized him with a raised brow.

Lucifer shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Sure- Goddess, supportive angel... Whatever you want." The male let his icy azure eyes fall on his sister's skeptical grimace, searching her eyes for some kind of response but silence fell over the room.

The silence gnawed at him. What was she thinking? Why didn't she respond to that? It was clear that maybe she had other ideas.

"I have something to confess-" The both of them spoke simultaneously, shocking the other.

It brought a smile to the woman's face, "You first."

"I have a confession...I don't really think father's creation deserves our love, at least not more than he deserves it." Lucifer murmured. His tone of voice was soft, almost if he was uncertain if he should be telling her this, but he didn't really have anyone else to tell BUT her.

Ariel gawked at the blonde sitting not too far from her. She wanted to ignore everything that just came from his mouth but it proved to be difficult. The main question that came to the front of her mind was 'Why?' but she decided that she didn't want to know his reasoning.

"They can be a bit strange...yes," Ariel whispered.

Lucifer picked up on this mood change almost instantly. Maybe he should have saved his thoughts for another time. "It's more than that." He grumbled.

Ariel shut her eyes. "We cannot talk about this," She hissed.

"Why can't we? Are we going to be cast out?" The testy angel laughed at his own joke, showing he didn't particularly care about being caught for talking bad about Father's creations.

There was a beat.

The clairsentient being let out a heavy sigh and pushed himself to his feet. He shook his wings, ruffling out a few feathers before giving them a soft flap. They were encompassing his muscular build, soft and pink. Lucifer made no effort to turn his head completely as he spoke to the youngest archangel, "No matter what happens to me, or where I'll go, I'll always come for you."

Ariel immediately rose from her seated position, "What does that mean?"

His vagueness nipped at her, peaking her inquisitive side. He sauntered over toward the exit, his large wings draping on the floor behind his feet. And before he turned down the hall, he turned half of his body and gave his twin flame an inscrutable look.

"It'll make sense to you, when you're older..." Lucifer's words trailed off near the end before he continued. "G'll uran, G'll uran."

Ariel stared after her mysterious brother, contemplating whether she should follow after him or not.

She chose the former. She always chose the former.

Ariel blindly followed after Lucifer.

KITCHEN 

MORNING

The sound of birds chirping filled the crisp morning air, the crickets seceding and quieting for the day.

Ariel stared blankly into the brown paper, her mind elsewhere. Why did she always find herself reminiscing about old times when it was clear that version Lucifer was long gone.

A loud slam caught Ariel's attention but she didn't bother to turn her head once she heard the familiar thud of Dean's boots. She heard mumbling and the steps drawing nearer.

"So you hunt things like demons?" Anna's voice could be faintly heard over the sound of buzzing in the back of Ariel's mind.

Dean's voice was deep and clear, "Yup, vampires, ghouls, demons, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters-"

Ruby cut in, "Dean." She casted him a sardonic look.

"Hey, she asked- don't look at me like that," Dean grumbled, rounding the corner and halting once he caught a glimpse of red locks.

There she was, alive, sitting on the couch and reading a lore book like she didn't just almost bash in an angel's head hours before.

Dean's breathing hitched in his throat once he studied her relaxed physique. Large black and golden wings were draped across the couch, like silk. Her trench coat was dangling on the armrest, her legs crossed and lips pursed. She seemed to be in deep thought or maybe disassociated.

"You're here," Dean breathed, his voice coming out higher pitched than he intended. He cleared his throat, embarrassed.

Ariel took a small peek through her sheer curtain of copper strands at Dean who had a constipated grimace. The angel inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, "Well, an angel banishing symbol isn't going to kill anything." She gingerly marked the page for later and closed the lore book.

After setting the book aside, the angel stood to her feet and sauntered past the three beings and into the kitchen, looking for something to snack on. Angels didn't need to eat, but she liked the taste and texture of food. Eyes followed Ariel as she rummaged through the refrigerator. When she turned to face the group, she spoke with her mouth full of chicken., "It's just really annoying."

Dean raised a finger to protest Ariel shoving the chicken in her mouth but lowered it once he realized that it may have been a few weeks old.

"Sorry, I uh...ruffled your feathers?" Anna giggled at her pun which earned her a pointed look from the archangel.

Ariel chewed the last bits of chicken and swallowed, licking the leftover crumbs from her lips. "You think it's funny but it's pretty disorienting. Imagine getting on a rollercoaster and the drop is an immediate 90-degree angle."

Anna pulled her lips into a tight smile, giving Ariel her best poker face. Dean and Ruby mimicked her.

"Yeah, not so fun, right?" Ariel derided.

The male hunter clasped his hands and rubbed them together, "Right, well, Let's get you into the panic room, Anna." Dean motioned his arms toward the hall that led down into the basement.

PART TWO

SERIES MASTERLIST

[subfunctions]

Horizon Zero Dawn OC: Yara

Inspired by 1) my theory that at least one other subordinate function has probably found a human to buddy up with and 2) my theory that MINERVA will be the first subordinate function to emerge as an ally to Aloy.

Loosely inspired by these lines of “The Mountain Poem: Words Spoken in Contemplation” by Ibrahīm Ibn Khafāja, following the lines you can find in Metal Flower Mark II (F):

And through the night, that tongueless mountain uttered marvelous things: "How much more time in space? How long have I been the assassin's safehouse And sheltered hermits from the human race?"

But mostly just an exercise in character creation, as in: if I had the task of creating a character to be the human partner and counterpoint to a subordinate function, what would that character be like?

My other self-appointed parameters were to create someone who’s a bit of a foil to Aloy and Sylens both, so: someone who chose isolation rather than being subjected to it, and someone whose interest in knowledge is specialized rather than general, while maintaining a moral compass.

--

(face claim: Grace Mahary)

Name: Yara Gender: Female Tribe: Utaru Age: 23 at time of main game

Notable Physical Traits: Though Yara keeps prominent Utaru elements in her attire, her usual outfit is a practical mixture of Utaru and Banuk styles, something she’s put together to guard against the months of cold in the home she’s settled in. Due to contracting polio as a child, her right leg is stunted and partially paralyzed; she walks with a cane and wears an adjustable brace made of machine parts on her leg.

Personality: Intellectually minded and gifted, Yara’s great love is the sky and what lies behind it - the vast expanse of space beyond the planet, which she has dedicated her life to studying. She is endlessly curious about the greater workings of the universe and how her world fits into it, and with the eventual help of a Focus and later MINERVA, she’s made progress in uncovering a fraction of the universe’s secrets. Because of certain traumatic events in her life and a bloody history that she is not entirely proud of, she prefers to keep to herself and keep only MINERVA’s company, craving solitude and her studies. However, her Utaru roots are evident, not only in her love of the natural world but in a generosity of spirit, from which that bloody history sprung - an inability to sit there and do nothing in the face of the Red Raids and the losses her people suffered because of them. 

Relationship With MINERVA: Yara found MINERVA in the wake of tragedy, and the subordinate function’s eagerness to help and learn endeared her to Yara and gave them a common ground. She feels as if she owes MINERVA for stabilizing her during such a turbulent time in her life and giving her something to live for - a renewed love for the universe and a friend she could relate to. MINERVA, similarly, was able to stabilize developmentally because of Yara’s friendship, finding companionship and purpose in Yara after she had no purpose left, as she is the only subordinate function whose job was completely finished. 

Songs: Inner Space - Apex The Warpath - Conner Youngblood Cover Your Tracks - Young Galaxy

--

Bio: 

Yara was born to the Northland clan of the Utaru in 3017, a clan composed of several extended families, Yara’s among them. In 3020, when she was three years old, a distant mountain exploded, its lingering cloud visible even as far as her clan’s riverside village in the northern part of Plainsong, once known as the Great Plains of western Nebraska. A few months later, in the winter, an illness known to the Utaru as the Strength Eater, and known to the Old Ones as polio, spread throughout the clans gathered together for the annual celebration of the harvest. Many survived its onslaught intact. However, some died, their breath stolen away by the Strength Eater, and a few were left permanently weakened afterwards.

Yara’s father was among those who died, and Yara herself was left with a paralyzed and stunted right leg. For the rest of her life, she would need a cane to walk, and Utaru ingenuity in redesigning machine parts into farming tools saw her outfitted with a brace as well. Over time, the complications of walking with a stunted leg would curve her spine and weaken her bones and muscles as well, and she was never able to participate in the labor-intensive work of farming to the same degree that others did. However, she had little interest in it. She had some talent in hunting with bow and arrow, a less central but still important part of sustaining the clan, but she often had little patience for it.

Her mother often called her a child of the earth with her eyes to the sky. While the Utaru revered the act of tending to the earth and drawing sustenance from it, Yara was more interested in the tableau high above – the stars and the moon in the nighttime, the sun in the daytime, and what it all meant. She could often be found sneaking away from chores during the day to observe the sky and sneaking away from the village at night to make amateur star charts.

The Utaru respected the Old Ones as forebears who lived on in the earth. Yara was interested in them for what they may have known about the answers she sought from the sky. Sometimes, relics of the Old Ones would be found in the ground, when soil was overturned and crops were harvested. These were always buried adjacent to the graves of the Utaru, out of respect for the dead. However, Yara had little such sense of propriety, and when one of her cousins found a still-active Focus during planting season, nine-year-old Yara snuck out at night to dig it up and secretly keep it.

The Focus showed her wonders and helped her to understand much – that the sun was also a star like the tiny pinpricks of the night, that the night sky was richer than she imagined and filled with things that she could not see with her eyes. The Focus couldn’t show the majority of them to her either, however, and though her star charts grew more sophisticated and digitally archived with its help, a vague sense of dissatisfaction grew, a desire to know more.

Meanwhile, both the exploding of the mountain and the sudden onset of illness during a time of celebration were seen as omens, a view that was further reinforced over the next decades as the machines grew hostile, as new machines began to appear, as the already unpredictable seasonal patterns of Plainsong became much more so, and as the Red Raids swept across the land.

In 3032, four years into the Red Raids, when the edges of Plainsong had already been attacked by the Carja and gifts of grain had not appeased the raiders, tragedy struck the Northland clan. A group of raiders hit the village in the middle of the night, killed some clan members, and took others. Among those killed was Yara’s mother, and among those taken were two of Yara’s cousins, and an aunt and uncle.

Fifteen-year-old Yara, however, was not there. As was habit, she’d snuck out of the village as night fell to work on her star charts and stargaze to her heart’s content. She was far enough away that she didn’t hear the attack, but she saw the fires that the raiders left in their wake and raced back far too slow and too late.

Wracked with grief and survivor’s guilt and bitterly angry, Yara realized that her Focus would give her an advantage that others didn’t have and tried to convince the leaders of the clan to pursue the raiders, whom she could easily track. However, the Utaru were peaceful and ill-suited for war, and the clan had lost many that night, both to death and to kidnap. No collective decision was made to go after their taken kin, and so no one wanted to go.

Furious, Yara struck out on her own. Her Focus helped her to track the raiders and find food and game and water along the way; however, her leg slowed her down, and she was only able to catch up with a group of raiders that had parted ways with those returning to the Sundom with their captives. The group was heading northwest towards the Cut when Yara caught up with them.

She was right; the Focus gave her an advantage that seemed almost supernatural without context, and she killed three Carja raiders before they even knew what hit them. However, Yara was a teenage girl with a bad leg, and the other raiders regrouped and turned the tide. Yara found herself fleeing their vengeance. She stumbled through a forested area sheltered by mountain ranges – once known as Medicine Bow National Forest – and she was only able to avoid the clutches of the raiders because of her Focus.

There, a strange signal drew her in – a tallneck wreathed in a deep blue-purple glow, circling a lake in front of the lone mountain jutting out of the center of the area, known to the Old Ones as Libby Lake and Sugarloaf Mountain. From it, a voice spoke, unlike anything Yara had ever heard. It was strangely formal, limited in vocabulary, and difficult to understand, but it seemed excited to encounter a human with a Focus.

Yara asked the voice for help, and it acquiesced. The tallneck broke its circuit and moved to a place where Yara could climb up. With her bad leg, she could only make it to the top of the machine’s back, but even that was high enough to avoid the eyes of approaching raiders.

However, Yara was still hungry for retribution, and though it might have been safer to wait silently and let the raiders pass, she rained down arrows from above, killing three more before what was left of them figured out where she was. The last few were no match for a colossal machine, and even as they sought to return fire, the tallneck itself stepped in, crushing most of them, and the last raider fell with Yara’s arrow in his neck.

Afterwards, Yara felt empty and drained and small. Though she was glad that some of the ruthless Carja were dead and could hurt no one else, the act of vengeance brought her no happiness. Her mother was still dead, and her other family members were well on their way to the Sundom, out of Yara’s reach now that she was exhausted and already so slow. Her childish thoughts of rescuing her still-living family members were gone, drowned in a horrible sadness.

However, the voice pulled her out of her miserable thoughts. It introduced itself as MINERVA, an artificial intelligence, and though MINERVA was secretive about where she came from and why she was there, it was apparent that she felt lonely and without purpose. She was eager to learn from Yara, as much as Yara was eager to learn from her.

But Yara’s missing family members still weighed on her mind, until MINERVA offered to help her find them. And so began a lasting partnership.

Yara learned that MINERVA could take control of machines, something called override, though machines that weren’t tallnecks would begin to break down and eventually stop working when she did. Yara and MINERVA trekked through the Longroam and past the Sacred Land, wearing out overridden machines and avoiding contact with humans. With MINERVA’s abilities, tracking was even easier, and they made their way into the Sundom, towards Meridian, where MINERVA said that she would be able to scan the city through their Spire, a powerful tool that was actually hers.

However, in the time that it took to reach Meridian undetected and disguised, it was too late. The rest of Yara’s taken family members had died in Sun-Ring days before she and MINERVA arrived, and the bodies of the Sun-Ring’s victims were burned, erasing even Yara’s hopes of burying them.

Despondent, Yara wondered what path to take from there. She considered vengeance, perhaps even against the highest of the Carja, but she was tired physically and emotionally, and though MINERVA’s abilities and existence were a marvel, they were only two people in a land not their own. She considered returning to Plainsong and to her clan, but she found herself with little desire to.

In the time that she and MINERVA had spent together, they’d learned a little about each other – as much as MINERVA was willing to disclose on her part, at least. Knowing that Yara loved the sky and the stars, MINERVA suggested a place for her to visit, a place that MINERVA had found not too long ago – something called an observatory, built by the Old Ones to study everything beyond the borders of the planet, one of the few still standing in the area.

Yara agreed, and as they left to make their way back the way they had come, they stumbled across two Banuk escaping Meridian. Yara did not make contact with them, but - seized by the desire to help - she and MINERVA shadowed them quietly. Yara killed three Carja in pursuit before the escaping Banuk were even aware of the danger, and MINERVA was able to keep machines off of their backs, all the way back up to the Longroam and beyond.

There, Yara realized what she could do. This area, she had learned from what she and MINERVA had overheard in the Sundom, was a common route for Carja seeking to reach the Banuk and Plainsong, a way to circumvent the fierce Nora and the Claim. And out here, without the protection of their land and their army, the Carja were vulnerable.

First, Yara let MINERVA take her to the observatory, a place once known as the Wyoming Infrared Observatory, atop a mountain a little southeast of where she’d met MINERVA, well southeast of the Cut, and north of the Longroam. It was dilapidated and crumbling, but MINERVA believed that with time and effort, enough of it could be restored to bring its system back online and make use of it. Yara asked if it was possible for MINERVA to monitor the Longroam and the area north and south of it as she had monitored Meridian through the Spire. It was possible, MINERVA told her, but only with the proper tools.

So began a years-long effort to restore the observatory and patrol the Longroam. Under MINERVA’s guidance, Yara learned quickly about programming and transmission, and it didn’t take long for her to set up a makeshift monitoring system throughout the area with MINERVA’s help and some recommissioned machine parts and tallneck apparatuses.

Yara was a little more hesitant about the observatory, feeling a deep survivor’s guilt about being far away stargazing when the Carja attacked, but with MINERVA’s insistence and coaxing, the observatory was eventually back up and running, as much as was possible. The night sky opened up for Yara as it never had before, and she was able to discover stars and deep sky objects revealed by infrared imaging and spectroscopy. Her star charts became a study of space, as much of it as she and MINERVA could understand on their own, from bits of data gathered from old sources.

For six years, until 3038, there were rumors about the Longroam and the surrounding area. Some said it was a machine that stalked any Carja who ventured near. Some said it was a spirit, some a person. But many raiders who set foot in that area were killed, either by arrow or strange machines, so much that the Longroam had a reputation for safe passage for anyone fleeing the Carja. Travelers and those who escaped the Sundom would often find themselves unknowingly shielded and watched over by vigilant eyes.

Yara and MINERVA together were known primarily as the Ghost of the Longroam, though some Carja called the mysterious entity who haunted the place the Devil or Shadow of the Longroam, and some from other tribes called it the Guardian or the Shield of the Longroam.

Yara, with MINERVA’s help, made sure that she was rarely seen, and no raider who came looking for the mysterious killer in the Longroam ever found her. She made little effort to reach out to anyone else in the meantime. She made only one trip back to Plainsong, to tell her clan that she was alive and that the others were dead. Although they entreated her to stay, she refused. She was content with MINERVA’s company, with the stars, with her makeshift home in her mountain observatory.

However, the Sundom changed. With the death of the old king and the ascension of the new, there was no longer a need to patrol the Longroam.

So Yara turned her attention wholly to her work with MINERVA, mapping the sky together. There they remained for the next two years, undisturbed, until MINERVA, more alarmed than Yara had ever seen her, registered an unauthorized use of the Spire – a call that was raising ancient machines. It was soon quieted, however, and though MINERVA had remained secretive about her origins over the years, she broke her silence for the first time – mentioning Project Zero Dawn and insisting on the urgency of finding its Alpha Prime, whose existence MINERVA had only just become aware of.

Though Yara was reluctant to leave the peace of her home, she trusted and loved MINERVA more than she loved their solitude, and she agreed to help MINERVA with a new task: tracking down whoever this Alpha Prime was.

[thedragonsteaparty]

Bit of a personal post today. I’ve had a bit of a weird couple of months, lots of big stuff has happened all at once and unfortunately my blog has taken a back seat, with only a few random, sporadic posts being done. What with all the things that have been going on I’ve been struggling to think of content, but I’m finally getting some more ideas coming through. I’ll give you a quick summary of all that’s happened, just for context, and then we can get to the knitty gritty of my post.

What’s happened then? Well, to kick it all off my boyfriend and I broke up, there was some inevitable drama with that but I moved to a new flat and that’s all sorted now. After that I got made redundant (but that’s a good thing because I was already looking for jobs anyway!), after a few weeks I found a job and started last week. Finally, a couple of weeks ago my gorgeous pet rat Hanzo passed away, and so did my dog Taz who was with me all through my teenage years. Both were quite old and they lived happy lives! So yeah, quite a bit of drama but I’m over the worst of it now!

On with the main part of the post… I wanted to share my experience of dating another gamer because I felt like it was an interesting situation which some may be able to relate to, or it may potentially help someone going through anything similar. After having some time to think about everything I realised that on paper we went together really well but it just wasn’t enough. I used to actively seek out people that were on the geeky side because I thought that that was what I went well with but now I’m not so sure.

On with the main part of the post… I wanted to share my experience of dating another gamer because I felt like it was an interesting situation which some may be able to relate to, or it may potentially help someone going through anything similar. After having some time to think about everything I realised that on paper we went together really well but it just wasn’t enough. I used to actively seek out people that were on the geeky side because I thought that that was what I went well with but now I’m not so sure.

When we first started seeing each other gaming was our big “thing”; we played games together, chatted about them, went to related events… it was great. However, after two and a half years it just got a little stale for me. It turned out he was way more invested in gaming than I was, which was fine but I just like a little variety in my routine sometimes is all. It’s very strange to suddenly have the connection with my go-to gaming friend cut off, but to be honest it’s also quite refreshing in a weird way. A lot of my blog posts were inspired by my ex which is probably why I’ve been having massive writers’ block lately. He introduced me to a lot of games that I’d never played before and that influenced a huge amount of my blog content. Once I was moved into my new place and my PS4 was set up I had no idea what to play. I did eventually settle on pettily killing him off in the Sims and making myself a new, super hot boyfriend (OK… Yes, that’s a bit sad but it made me feel better). Once I had done that though I decided to finish a lot of the games I had bought over the past couple of years but not finished, starting with Doom. I used to have a rule where I would always finish my current game before buying a new one, but it was so easy to get drawn into new ones when we were both really excited about a new game release. Now though, rather than leap-frogging from game to game, I’ve stuck with just two for the past month: Breath of the Wild and Doom. More so Breath of the Wild to be honest, but Doom is a nice break from the open world format occasionally. In fact, I haven’t actually finished the vast majority of games that I have bought in the past couple of years, I was always getting distracted by shiny, new games.

After thinking about it for a while I realised that I had been playing loads of games that he liked from his past, but he had rarely played any of mine, and if he did it was extremely short-lived. When I was playing his games, though, he would be bugging me, desperate to see my reaction even if I wasn’t that keen on it. Once I was finished (or tired of) the current recommendation there’d be an instantaneous recommendation for something else. I totally get that, I have been there myself whether it’s for a game, a TV show, music, a book… Lots of different things. It’s awesome when you get to introduce something you love to someone, and it’s especially wonderful if they end up loving it just as much as you do, but to some extent it does need to be a two-way street.

Final Fantasy was a big franchise he was keen on getting me hooked on. Sometimes that worked out… Other times not so much.

Another thing we started doing, which I was never 100% keen on, was playing different games side by side at the same time. Our two TVs were placed next to each other in our living room and we would sit there side by side playing either the same game or different games. I am not sure why I didn’t like doing this much, I think it was the silence that grated on me and I just didn’t see the point. He said it was because we were spending time together but I didn’t see it as that. I would rather have my own, private gaming time and do something else to spend time together, but he enjoyed it so I did it. Not to say that if you do this it’s weird or wrong, personally I just like my space but this made it seem like I saw him all the time. On top of that I have quite a few hobbies, most days I have aerial fitness classes (some of which I now teach as well), I like to sew occasionally, I have my blog, I like going out with my friends, and of course I have my video games. I like doing a lot of things, but gaming was his sole extra-curricular activity, so if he wasn’t at work he would be at home gaming. I didn’t mind at first but after a while it began to bother me. I actually started to catch myself thinking “could you get off that bloody game and do something else?” I would then have to mentally check myself and tell myself to not be an idiot; I felt like I was being judgmental and felt bad because as a gamer myself I have had a fair few people not just think that when they’ve seen me engrossed in a game but said it out loud as well. I should understand. I put it down to me taking it out on him because I was having a bit of a stressful time and hoped it would go away, but instead it got worse. He seemed to spend even more time gaming than before and eventually it grew to a point where I’d come home from work and see him slumped on the sofa playing something and my immediate reaction would be to roll my eyes and get in a bit of a strop. Again, I can’t believe I did that! I always prided myself on being a “gamer girlfriend” but there I was tutting away…

What was probably the expectation from both of us when we first got together… Very quickly dispelled. You can’t focus properly on the game, what’s the point? Get off me I need to focus.

That’s more like it

For me I see gaming as more of a solo activity (excluding party games like Worms, Mario Kart, etc) that I like to do to relax and chill out for a bit in my spare time. Other people simply may not see it that way. I came to realise it wasn’t a simple case of our initial “we’re both gamers, yay!” but a case of actually being two very different people that had a couple of massive things in common which we enjoyed in different ways.

I never thought that gaming would be a factor in me breaking up with someone, ever. If you had told me before that I would be one of those girlfriends that complained their other half was gaming too much I wouldn’t have believed you but… I was. What started out as our core, shared interest became one of the things that destroyed us. It was by no means the main reason, at all, but it slowly became a habit that contributed to the mountain of built up frustration. You learn something new about yourself every time you go through a relationship and this time I learned that just because you have so many shared interests, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a good match. Next time my main pick-up line won’t be “I have a Playstation”… I wish I was joking but it was genuinely that.

I am happy to say that since we broke up I feel a lot more relaxed. I didn’t realise how stressed I was but I’m taking some time for myself now and it feels great.

Is your other half a gamer? Have you ever broken up with someone because of gaming? How does gaming fit into your relationship?

Being One Half of a Gamer Couple… And Why it Doesn’t Always Work Bit of a personal post today. I've had a bit of a weird couple of months, lots of big stuff has happened all at once and unfortunately my blog has taken a back seat, with only a few random, sporadic posts being done.