#which is how soleil feels about zero all the time when she thinks about her | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sieglinde-freud · 4 months ago

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For the ask game: Ophelia and Camillia

HELL YEAHH hi stedy :) starting with ophelia

How I feel about this character

shes so cute. obviously super similar to her dad and while i feel like she doesnt do the chuuni thing quite as well, i think its cute that its mostly in an attempt to emulate her father, the bestest guy in the world to her, which differentiates it from odin’s mannerisms that were formed as a coping mechanism. shes just very happy and i love that for her :)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

i remember really liking her with hisame at one point? i think i still do but i cannot tell you what their support is about. i forgot entirely. honestly, i need to brush up on the fates second gen because theyre a huge blank spot in my mind 😭 but like, conceptually, i also like her with shiro, caeldori, nina, forrest, and mitama. i just have to actually read those…

My non-romantic OTP for this character

i like her little trio with forrest and nina :) theyre so cute in heirs of fate… i wish we could see more of the second gen dynamic like that. in my head i also like her friendship with soleil, but… in terms of whats given to me in the game… its just… eugh.

My unpopular opinion about this character

i dont think she’s a better unit than odin in conquest. i guess it can depend on who her mom is, but odin is generally going to have much more survivability due to his defense and hp + joining you pretty early, making his role as a nostank reliable and costs zero effort. ophelia takes time, and ideally you want to hold off on getting her for skills/offspring seals. any early game build can be done with nyx or elise, to less potency maybe, but with way less effort especially now that the best way of support grinding (mycastle easy seize) is no longer possible. of course, you can use dlc maps but if you take dlc into account conquest is a whole different game.

One thing I wish had happened

how about something i wish didnt happen? her support with soleil is genuinely one of these most uncomfortable things i have ever read in fire emblem which is saying a lot! because the writing in these games suck! for the most part it is soleil’s problem and not ophelia’s, so maybe i shouldn’t be complaining about it here, but i dunno man. its just… its so bad. i cant even read it in game like it gets a physical reaction out of me and not a positive one.

ok camilla now :)

How I feel about this character

i love her lots :) my savior on conquest and she had the best hair in the game. her supports are… pretty unfortunate most of the time but i think the ones that matter are really good and she’s a really sympathetic character when you get over intelligent systems not trusting in her enough to be popular and slapping the gooner bait “big sister” crap on her

All the people I ship romantically with this character

i really dont have a major preference for her? in game, i usually prefer pairings that give her a kid because 1) woag god stats and 2) her hair color is sooo good i cannot waste it. but in terms of just shipping, shes good with like. everyone. some supports are bad but i can get over most of them if i like the ship as a concept. but off the top of my head i like her with selena, beruka, takumi, saizo, peri, laslow, odin, niles, hinoka, charlotte, arthur, reina, probably more but. yeah shes versatile to me. godmilla

My non-romantic OTP for this character

leo!! all the nohr siblings really but i think camilla and leo specifically are just. they give me lots of brain worms. elise obviously wasnt born yet to exeprience the concubine wars, and as the heir and, iirc, the only legitimate son garon had, xander didn’t really get involved as much either. im sure it affected him, but he wasn’t there actually taking part in it. leo and camilla shoulder a lot for their siblings and i think its very interesting that despite it all, theyre probably the only people that can ever really understand what the other has been through. and i enjoy their supports too, with leo wanting camilla’s attention but not being willing to voice it, and camilla understanding that her smothering would probably just piss him off so she tries to avoid it, until they ultimately find a healthy medium and can start to kind of… work on their relationship with eachother after everything. i love them lots :)

My unpopular opinion about this character

im not sure i have one? i feel like opinions on camilla are so all over the place so its kind of hard to have one thats “unpopular.” but i’ll say that i prefer her in malig knight rather than wyvern lord which is probably the worse play in most scenarios but… oohh hot lady on undead dragon… im very simple.

One thing I wish had happened

more elaboration on her past and her mother and some more story relavance for her. she just kinda… fades into the back after leo and xander come which happens with the other sisters too, but still……

#asks #ok i think thats all of them #thanks guys i got through my car ride :)

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kazbrkker · 5 years ago

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Chapter 2: Valley of the Damned

Chapter summary: Alexis and Alex are finally reunited after three long months. Now, their new assignment is to locate the gas. To do so, they have to align themselves with a local militia. Alexis finds herself reuniting with more than one old friend (2544 words)

Warnings: Mention of needles. Weapons and violence.

24 OCTOBER 2019, 1515 “Alexis" CIA BASE, Urzikstan

Clutching his IV stand, Alex enveloped her into a long overdue embrace, exchanging warm words of reconciliation. She smirked, appreciating the humorous view of a 6"1 man dressed in a knee-length surgical gown. It was a feast for her sore eyes, after months of doomsday work, it was liberating to genuinely enjoy a laugh.

"You look like shit." Aside from his flesh injuries and his newly grown scruff, Alex felt leaner under her fingertips. The bags underneath their eyes were darker, heavier with the weight of the dark, frightful world that they had witnessed.

Three months had since passed. While Alexis was tasked with chasing the mess left in Valhalla's wake, Alex was stationed everywhere Command pleased. Texts of good health weren't the same as physically seeing each other. Most of the time, it was a one-way communication with Alex's inconsistent replies, understandable as he was restlessly deployed from one hostile environment to the next.

"And that's the first thing you say to me? How kind of you, Lexi."

"Please. Your nicknames are horrible."

They pulled away shortly after, the hug was enough to remedy for the lost three months. Although his arm remained on her shoulders, which normally would have earned him a harsh jab. Today, the injured man received immunity.

She turned back to face the CIA station chief, who watched their reunion with the faintest of a smile and morphed back into the cold, professional agent that Laswell knew best.

The duo sat down while Laswell started her debrief. There was limited intel on where or who stole the gas. Satellite images discovered only the abandoned trucks five miles outside Verdansk, with intercepted chatter suggesting that they switched vehicles.

In short, the CIA doesn't know jack about the stolen gas.

"Your primary mission is to locate the gas and secure it." Laswell ordered.

Alexis inquired, "How are we transporting the package?"

"Anonymous tip off, zero footprints. Russia cannot know that American operatives have a part in this."

"Third option, then." The young agent stated, scanning her brain for any holes she needed Laswell to fill. Third option was the SAD's motto, representing everything they stood for – when diplomacy fails and military wasn't an option.

"We're on our own." Alex followed, eyes briefly flickering to Alexis.

Laswell shook her head, which surprised them. "Normally, yes. But with the rising situation, we need to locate the gas fast. You will need the Liberation Force on your side, a local militia of 7000 strong. Use Captain Price's name to make contact with the CO, that should get you in."

"Commander Karim," Alexis straightened up. Looks like Alex was not the only old friend she was reuniting with.

"You know Commander Karim?" Laswell asked for the second time for today, pleasantly surprised.

She merely hummed, thinking know might not be the right word. A soft smirk formed at the memory. Without elaborating further, it left the other two to their imaginations.

"Command is not sparing any expenses. Anything you need, radio in. They expect the Aces to bring it home as always." Laswell continued. "Go freshen up. We'll reconvene at 1800 for mission prep."

Over the years, she had mastered the art of reading in between the lines of Command's orders. We expect nothing but mission success, you cannot afford the price of your blowback. She agreed, failure was nonexistent in her books, for the hefty price would be paid by innocent lives. There was always too much riding on every assignment, pressurizing, to say the least.

"Yes ma'am," were the last words she said with a crude nod before exiting, practically bolting out the door.

Alexis mischievously checked her wristwatch as Alex sidestepped down the stairs, IV stand in toll. She laughed, draping his uninjured arm across her shoulders for support, "Jesus, you look like you could sprain a muscle climbing down those steps."

Alex derided, "That's hilarious."

He abruptly halted, earning a confused side glance. His hands brazenly clasped Alexis' face, the rough edges of his thumb contouring her features. A grinned continuously while examining her face, utilizing Urkzistan's pounding sunlight to highlight her sharp features.

His piercing blue eyes took her in. A little tanner, irritated veins hiding shyly in her eyes, cheekbones were more sunken than the last time he saw her.

"Alex... It's like you're begging me to tackle you right here–" She struggled over her words as he tilted her head, calloused fingers tightly squishing her cheekbones to counter her resistance. "You really want to fall flat on your ass, in a surgical gown in front of the Marines?"

He finally released her with a satisfied hum.

"Just jealous that Paris has been treating you so well." He messed with her neat bun, cooing at her irked expression. "Did you get 'em highlighted?"

Alexis peered with a sickly sweet, uncomfortably wide smile for her usual cold and expressionless face. Her fingers traced along where his IV needle was embedded and pressed hard. A pained groan fell from his lips, clutching onto her shoulder blades for silent mercy.

"That's hilarious," she echoed, taking quick nods at his sarcastic smile and nervous laughter. "I'll admit, my target sure knew how to pick his places. Quel beau coucher de soleil! (What a beautiful sunset!)"

She was being sarcastic. Showers were considered a luxury — being tasked on recon all the time, let alone to enjoy the damn sunset.

He scowled in response, hurriedly plucking out his IV drip afterwards. He watched as she observed the scenery in the Urzikstan base, or rather, the lack thereof. She sighed, "Alex, I–"

Alex interjected before she said something self-deprecating. "Our job-"

"Our job never ends. I know..." She recited with Alex, a genuine smile as she looked back at him. It was remarkable how Alex always intuitively knew how she was feeling, a honed skill that he now specialized in when it came to her. "Just wish I could have seen it through the end. To catch Val–"

She quickly apologized for the almost slip. Alex strained his eyebrows at the unexpected mistake, now understanding the true extent of how her Paris mission affected her – for she wasn't one to be that careless.

Unbeknownst to the public, there were a series of bombings in various parts of the world tied to Boucher's MO. The puzzling detail was that Boucher had solid alibis when it all happened. That was enough for the CIA to launch an investigation to find out Boucher had turned contractual.

That was Alexis' assignment, to find out Boucher's buyer.

He wanted to divulge more, but he couldn't. In order for the government to maintain plausible deniability, every SAD operation was clandestine, deniable. Nothing, even in the face of true friendships, people that you trust your life with, would ever change that. Even the closest peas in a pod – the two of them, knew little about each other's assignments.

And sometimes, it really pissed him off. It made it more difficult to keep each other safe.

Alex sighed, pulling her closer against him, injuries be damned.

What he could empathize with, was the pool of helplessness flooding their hearts when they get pulled away from assignments they believe in. Coupled with the fact they never get to choose, it was a cold splash of reality that they could only accept, never protest.

That sentence served as a reminder to anchor the pair, to never lose sight of their beliefs. At the end of the day, whatever you do, trust that you are still for the greater good.

Our job never ends.

The greater good is always calling. Even if it wasn't the one they wanted.

━━━━ 26 OCTOBER 2019, 1300 "Alexis" and "Alex", Codename Aces CIA Assets Liberation Force Base, Urzikstan

The unsightly, plain cement building stared Alexis back in the face. It appeared awfully residential, pieces of cloth hanging loosely from its hinges.

Stationed just behind the corner of the militia's perimeters, arms folded, she watched Alex slid a combat knife in his left boot. "That's overdoing it, don't you think?"

"Empty your right boot, Lexi, let's see it."

"Left boot." She corrected with a wagging finger. He shoved it back playfully. "The right boot is reserved for a handcuff key and some razors– Which I will use on you, if you keep it up with that nickname."

Alex ignored her demands and rolled his eyes, mumbling the same sentiment about overdoing it. Now standing up, he stared down as she held a proud grin, "Not when it breaks you out of custody from the mob."

At this mention, the playful mood disappeared. She pursed her lips and raised her hands apologetically at the sight of Alex's tensed body language, knowing the joke was in poor taste. He had always disliked it when she joked about that. It went silent after that.

It was in the mid-afternoon when the duo intentionally breached the militia's perimeter to make contact, hands raised defensively. It didn't take past five seconds before armed soldiers besieged them, yelling in Arabic at the pair.

Alex took charge, his voice unwavering as he used Captain Price's name as ordered. The two slowly disarmed as a form of sincerity to prove they weren't a threat. Their eyes met as they were slammed onto the rough gravel. With fire in his eyes, Alex stared at the man patting down Alexis' body, daring them to try anything. On the contrary, the female agent was calm and composed.

"I'll follow your lead." His head tilted in confusion at her request. Alexis should take lead, they were her contacts.

"It's been a hazy five years. Plus, you're so handsome. Come on, you'll drop 'em dead." She commented elusively, entering his good graces again when a tiny grin surfaced. "Also, if you introduce me with that God forbidden name, you know what's in my boots."

"Hey. Right boot, don't forget."

"Look who's a fast learner."

They were escorted into a dark room to Commander Karim.

"What is your message from Captain Price?" Commander Karim spoke first. She examined the two intruders, eyes lingering longer on the brunette woman.

"Commander Karim. Call me Alex, this is Alexis." Gradually, the Commander's cautious expression was tainted with a hint of surprise – she remembered. Farah nodded an acknowledgement towards Alexis, arms crossed defensively. The female agent's presence was surprising, so was Captain Price's name drop. But that wasn't sufficient to lower her guard.

"I'm listening."

They requested complete privacy for the classified intel. The commander reverted back to her mother tongue, ordering the soldiers to leave them.

"Forty-eight hours ago, terrorists stole a shipment of Russian gas."

"Only Al-Qatala would do this." Commander Karim stated confidently.

Alexis remained seated, her face expressionless per usual. On the other hand, Alex stood up, confidence radiating as he sauntered around the table. She smirked, confidence was the one thing nobody could pry away from Alex.

The man was naturally charming, easy on the eyes and gifted with a silver tongue to wiggle him out of sticky situations. This trait of his was why he thrived well in hostile environments, due to his natural ability to quickly form bonds with local militias, which Command milked every single drop of it.

She knew Alex had his doubts about the militia group and he wasn't afraid to sugarcoat it. Audaciousness was one of their common traits, they want to know exactly what they were dealing with.

So she lets him get audacious.

"The Russians make no distinction between Al-Qatala and your people." With that bold statement, Alexis leaned deeper into her seat.

"And I make no distinction between Al-Qatala and their army. They are both terrorists." Commander Karim narrowed her eyes, "We would never use these poisons."

Alex nodded, the delay between nods still suggested doubt. "Then help us track it, before they–"

"Before they what? Take it to Europe? Or America?" Farah chuckled bitterly, side-eyeing Alexis. Unspoken tension circled the air as the two women's gazes met. "We live like this every day."

Alex glanced at his partner suspiciously.

The door swung open and a younger man entered the room. "Commander, it's time to go–" He halted at the presence of new company. "Who is this?"

"Alex, this is my brother and lieutenant, Hadir. Alena, you already know him."

"Unfortunately." She replied without missing a beat, feeling Alex's perplexed gaze burning a deep hole in her side profile.

Despite knowing better, he was futilely searching for a tell that he wouldn't find. He asked himself, what is she not telling me?

Farah Karim shrugged, humored. The hostility in Hadir's eyes washed away instantly upon recognizing the brown-haired woman. "Alena! What are you doing with the CIA?"

"Alexis." She rectified. "I work with the CIA now," The brunette rosed from her seat, a small nod in her first act of mutual acknowledgement to the familiar faces.

Their eyebrows raised at the revelation. "A lot has changed," Farah stated as a matter of fact.

Alexis recognized the wary looks in their eyes. Her palms rippled in reassuring waves, "I still work with Captain Price. So does Alex."

"Then you still kill Russians, yes?"

"We have friends who can help us. But, your sister decides what's next." Alex replied, tactfully using the situation to deliver this sole sentence that demonstrated their respect for the militia's authority and established the CIA's usefulness. Alexis stared with admiration, looking at the skilful agent doing what he does best.

"Of course. My sister is in command...and their army is still here." Something about how Hadir said it did not sit well with Alexis.

"This occupation must end. That we can all agree on, yes?" The two agents nodded, carefully observing a map of the Urzikstan capital.

"General Barkov's men control the city. We have plans to change that."

"We have no missiles, but we have our ways," Hadir added eagerly.

"If you stay, we can help you, but if you stay... you fight."

Alexis shrugged, her answer was crystal clear. Her lips curved upwards, simply crossing her arms and left her other half in charge. She observed his thinking face, unknown to the world but subtle to her. A small shift of his lower jaw, his tell. After years of experience, they could read each other like a book.

"Then, let's fight." He answered in Arabic, pushing himself off the table just in time to catch a rifle that Hadir tossed to him.

She broke into a small grin, catching her weapon with her reflexes.

"Welcome to Urzikstan, Alex. Alena– Alexis, welcome back," Hadir said with an equally delighted expression.

"Follow me." Farah nodded, arming herself with an AK-47. Hadir, Alex and Alexis followed her lead to the militia's secret tunnels. It was pitch black until a red flare illuminated it.

"We have intel Russian troop commanders are in town today. We're going to ambush them."

Alexis eagerly squeezed her partner's shoulders. Adrenaline flowed through their veins and their stomachs twisted in a sign of anticipation. Anticipation for trouble, for blood, for faith.

This marked the start of the duo's assignment.

"Let's seize the day."

a/n: hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. masterlist here. want to be tagged? let me know!

#call of duty x oc #call of duty x reader #alex modern warfare #john price #kyle garrick #kate laswell #farah karim #oc: alexis #hadir karim #ysr writes: kl #killer instinct #fanfiction #alex cod #modern warfare

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csichick-2 · 5 years ago

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I'm semi-plotting a Lashton Mpreg AU in my head that may never end up on paper because I get nervous about sharing RPF.

So in this potential story, shortly after Ashton joins the band, he passes out after a gig and at the hospital they find out that Ash has been physically and sexually abused and also that he's pregnant, which Ashton himself didn't even know yet. He's also malnourished cuz he was trying to lose the weight he was gaining from his pregnancy because he just thought he was getting fat. Liz conveniently has a sister that's a social worker who conveniently also happened to be at the gig. She works her social worker magic and Liz and Andrew get emergency custody of Ashton and his siblings. Lauren and Harry weren’t abused - Ash took it all and never said anything to keep them safe. Ashton almost has a miscarriage because of the abuse and malnutrition, but the baby's a fighter and pulls through. He considers having an abortion because the pregnancy resulted from rape, but ends up deciding to have the baby. He's nervous that Liz and Andrew will throw him out when he turns 18, but Liz reassures him that they'll never force him to leave, but that if he chooses to, they'll help him find a place of his own and help him out financially until he's able to support himself on his own.

Ashton's first night home from the hospital, he has a nightmare and Luke - who's room is right across the hall - ends up crawling into bed with Ash and comforting him. This happens several nights in a row and eventually Luke just stops starting out in his own bed and is all "yeah Ashton and I share a bed now, deal with it." Andrew thinks it's a bad idea cuz Luke and Ash are 15 and 17, but Liz is all yeah Ashton's already pregnant and Luke can't get pregnant, so let's just roll with it.

Luke and Ash and Cal and Mikey keep doing their thing with the band and they start getting comments on YouTube asking if Lashton is having a baby cuz Ash has started showing and Luke is always fussing over him. Luke, Cal, and Mikey do a video without Ash so he’s not forced to talk about it and address the abuse situation as tactfully as they can and leave a link to an article about the trial related to the abuse.

Ash finds out he’s having a girl and the first time Luke feels her kick, he refers to her as “our baby” and Ashton falls in love with him right then and there. Luke’s also been reading pregnancy books and has pretty much decided that he’s helping Ashton co-parent this baby whether his parents like it or not. Liz and Andrew aren’t thrilled cuz Luke’s still only 15, but there’s not a whole lot they can do about at this point.

I haven’t worked out the details, but Luke manages to convince Ash, Liz, and Andrew that his name should be on the baby’s birth certificate as her second father. Liz is also in the delivery room when Ash goes into labor - like a week after a gig cuz the band isn’t letting Ash’s pregnancy stop them - but Luke is the one holding Ash’s hand and supporting him through giving birth to Baby Hemmings-Irwin. Ashton names her Lucie after Luke and her middle name is Elizabeth after Liz. The night they bring Lucie home from the hospital, Luke says that since he and Lucie share a first initial, their next kid’s name has to begin with an A and Ash is all “I literally just gave birth so we’ll talk about that much later.” A few week’s later, Ash turns 18 and Luke proposes to him and Ash is all WTF because Luke still is only 15, but he says yes cuz they’re stupid in love, but he figures it will be a long engagement until Luke’s 18. Except in New South Wales, you can get married at 16 with the consent of your parents and the court and Luke’s a persistent bastard and pulls it off, so when the boys - with baby Lucie - head to London for songwriting, Luke & Ashton Hemmings-Irwin are married.

Around when it’s announced they’ll be be opening for 1D on the Take Me Home Tour, Luke starts talking to Ash about having a second baby and has already figured out the timing to make sure the baby’s not born until after the tour. Ashton doesn’t know how to say no to Luke, but says they can only start trying if Cal and Mikey are okay with it in case another pregnancy ends up ruining the band. Mikey's all "wait you mean you're not already pregnant?" cuz he figured they started trying their wedding night. He and Cal give their blessing and by the end of 2013, their son Avery is born cuz Luke won the A name argument. Their management throws a hissy when they find out Ash is pregnant and threaten to kick him out of the band and replace them, but Luke, Cal, and Mikey all say they’ll quit if that happens, so management begrudgingly puts up with it. There’s some backlash from fan parents thinking two irresponsible teenagers having a kid is a bad example for their children and Luke is all “Excuse me, my husband and I planned the timing of this out very well thank you very much” on twitter and the internet explodes cuz Lashton are married. But generally the reaction is positive and the boys have fun with it letting fans guess when the Lashton baby will arrive and the gender.

Early 2015, they have twin boys who's names begin with C and M cuz they're nerds like that and then have another boy a year later, which is how they have five children before Luke's 20th birthday. Ashton pops out three more boys in 2017, 2018, and 2019 with no plans of stopping with the babies because Luke desperately wants another girl and Ashton at one point foolishly told Luke that he can get his pregnant as many times as possible up until Ash's 30th birthday and Luke ofc was all "challenge accepted." Luke's also become an expert at planning pregnancies around their tours so while a few times a show has started late because of Ash’s morning sickness, they've never had to cancel one.

Ash gets pregnant again right before the World War Joy tour starts, but because I'm evil, he miscarries, which they find out at the first ultrasound when there’s no heartbeat. And Luke blames himself. Because if he hadn’t insisted on using every available baby-making opportunity - the largest age gap between kids is the 17 months between Lucie and Avery - and given Ash’s body more time to recover between pregnancies, then maybe they wouldn’t have lost the baby. And also wonders if maybe it was God’s sign that they’re only meant to have 8 kids. Ashton tries to give Luke some space, but he’s hurt that Luke is withdrawing from him. Luke confides in Mikey a lot and Ash goes to Cal and both of them are all “dude, I love you, but I’m not your therapist.”

When the window that would have a kid be born during the gap between the North America and Australia legs of No Shame passes by with Luke making zero effort to actually make a baby, Ashton decides to take matters into his own hands. So the whole shirtlessness at Fire Fight is totally baiting Luke into wanting to have sex again cuz they haven’t since the miscarriage not even with Ash topping, cuz Luke only tops when they’re trying to conceive. They’re also asked in an interview if there are any plans for more kids and Ash is a cheeky bastard and says that he fully expects to be pregnant by the end of the year because Luke loves how he looks pregnant. And Luke is giving him “WTF did you really just say that?” looks. And then finally have an adult conversation and Ashton tells Luke that the miscarriage wasn’t his fault and that sometimes that shit just happens and dammit they’re going to keep trying until Luke finally gets his second girl. They start the baby-making process once they know the due date will be past the Australia shows, and Ash knows he’s pregnant with multiples even before the ultrasound because the only previous pregnancy where he had really bad morning sickness was with the twins. That still doesn’t prepare Luke & Ash for the doctor telling them that heartbeats 1, 2, AND 3 are all nice and strong and Ash immediately turns to Luke and tells him he’s a dead man. Cal and Mikey were baby-sitting while they were at the doc’s and are all nervous because Cal, Mikey, and Liz are the only ones that know about Ash’s miscarriage. But all is good and they find out that all three babies are girls and two of them are identical. Ash does go into labor early after the last Australia show, but they’re able to stop it, but he’s on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy which makes him really crabby. They’d been planning to stay in Australia until the babies were born anyway, their families are able to help out with the rest of the kiddos. Liz & Andrew Take them for Christmas because Ash doesn’t need that chaos and he ends up going into labor in the middle of the night on Christmas morning. They realize they won’t get to the hospital in time so Luke ends up delivering the first baby in their bedroom but the paramedics get there in time to deliver babies two and three. During the delivery, Ash informs Luke that he’s going to be getting a vasectomy, but Luke’s not sure if he actually means it given that 20 minutes later he also threatens to castrate Luke with a rusty spoon. They name the babies Soleil, Luna, and Astra - as in sun, moon, and stars. Mikey’s all wtf you guys are weird and Cal’s all “you’re only just figuring that out now?”

I haven’t decided yet if they’re done after the triplets or if Ash sticks to his original promise to let Luke knock him up until he’s 30 because they’re already at 11 kids and that’s a lot. If they do have more they’re going to wait a whole year before even thinking about trying because they’re gonna be more short on sleep than usual because three infants. Lucie is a mini Ashton in girl form, but the rest of the kids all have Luke’s hair and Ash’s eyes or Ash’s hair and Luke’s eyes. While the kiddos all know what their daddies do cuz they drag the kids on tour with them and hire tutors instead of sending them to school like normal people, they never push the kids towards learning any instruments. But Lucie starts banging about on Ash’s drums when she’s five and he starts teaching her and his heart grows about 50 sizes that she’s taking after him and it’s the cutest thing ever. Haven’t decided what level of musical talent any of the rest of the kiddos have but Luke does make the mistake of leaving one of his guitars out while Avery’s teething and it ends up with tiny tooth marks. He also ends up taking the lip ring out because baby number 5 is a grabber and pulls on it and Luke decides it should go before the kiddo is strong enough to rip it out and cause a lot of damage and pain. I haven’t done the research on hair dye and pregnancy, but might be losing out on Ash’s hair color evolution. And his earring because again tiny grabby hands, though it can always appear later once they’re done having babies.

I might do Malum as a side pairing - I haven’t decided yet. And since Ash is pregnant both times they open for 1D, that might facilitate Larry and/or Ziam coming out but that wouldn’t be a major plot point.

I did make a Sims save with teenage!5SOS last night to play this out. I was too lazy to make their families so it’s just Cal, Mikey, Luke, and Ash sharing an apartment and then I used mods to immediately make Ash preggers. The guy in the next apartment was having loud sex when they were trying to go bed so I sent Ash over to go yell at him since he can blame pregnancy hormones. This same neighbor also tried to invite himself over to eat their food after Ash made dinner so this guy is going to be one of those neighbors. I’m trying to avoid using the money cheat as much as I can, but they’ll need a bigger space by the time Avery’s ready to age up to toddler. I might move them into the swanky penthouse apartment with an indoor basketball court because it’s the only lot where I’ve found a place to put a rock climbing wall where it doesn’t get rained on and break every timer the weather’s wonky. Eventually Cal & Mikey will have to stop living with them but I’ll worry about that when there’s no more room for them. My mods let me do household sizes up to 25, so that part’s not an issue, it will just be a no more beds problem. Mods will also help me make sure that the right number and gender of kiddos are born each time. I’ll just have to force myself to not age up the babies the second they’re born because Sim babies are the world’s biggest pain in the ass.

#lashton #lashton hemwin

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muthaz-rapapa · 5 years ago

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StarPre: Zodiac Forms

Now that I’ve got the good quality official art, c’mon, did anyone seriously think I would not ramble about the zodiac forms in another long post? :P lol

Crap, I should be studying my Japanese since I’m traveling to Tokyo next week (GONNA GO VISIT THE PRECURE STORE, WOOOOT~!) but I want to get this post out first cuz I know I won’t have time or internet access to do it later.

So let’s do this!

Taurus form – BRAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDSSSSSSSSSS

This one I like best out of Star’s two forms (but Pisces is awesome too!) for that reason but I also love how they changed her short tutu-style skirt into an asymmetric, flowing one. And that cow pattern is to die for~! <3

The butterfly earrings and horns are a very nice touch as well! *chef’s kiss*

Pisces form – I can’t explain why or how Hikaru pulls off the mermaid look so well…but she just does, okay?

Maybe it’s the twintails.

Anyways, super cute! Adding a touch of blue and deep magenta to the overall light pink theme really makes her look more tropical.

Then there are the sea accessories and ugh! Sometimes when I look at this, I’m reminded of Mermaid Melody except the way Star is designed here looks a lot more fun.

Before I get into this, I just want to say that we can now celebrate Lala’s bubble shorts blooming into space dresses! Aaaaaahhh~ <D

Leo form – Y’know when I saw Lala go “RAWR!” in the movie trailer, I was like “This is it, if this is the last thing I see, I’ll be happy I lived”, hahaha!

Lion imagery is just so cool, y’know? (as Gelato can testify)

The wild hair, the crown.

Yeap. This pretty much confirms it. Lala is Space Queen. ;D

Cancer form – I’m simultaneously gushing over her crab hair, how much I love this shade of yellow green and giggling mad that she resembles a jellyfish more than a crustacean. xDD

*sigh* Really, I think Lala’s forms turned out the best. They faithfully captured the aesthetics of the Star Princesses while retaining Milky’s original design and without making it overly gaudy, too.

Lala, you are perfect! <3

Libra form – Normally, I would say that’s too crazy for even crazy magical girl hair but then I remember Felice’s Alexandrite form and how extra that was in all its Mother Nature floral glory…

…and I just shut my trap.

Still, it seems like Libra form had the least effort put into it.

I mean, yea, they moved some colors around (more like seeped the orange into the ombre of Soleil’s hair) and extended the reaches of her dress but it’s practically the same thing save for Libra’s hairdo…which looks more like a wig she put on that anything.

That’s just it. The dual cornucopia there catches your attention right away on how…fake it looks that it’s as if the rest don’t matter as much. Which is sad cuz the Libra Star Princess is perhaps one of the best Star Princesses based on what little personality we did get from each of them. And I just wanted to see something more creative for her form, that’s all. :(

Maybe it’ll look better in motion? We’ll just have to see if that happens in the movie. As of right now, this still picture isn’t really helping my impression of it.

Scorpio form – Much better. Absolutely adore the slimmer cut and my, does Elena look downright gorgeous with a ponytail! <D

I’m always reading about how “full of passion” Scorpios are and while I don’t let those descriptions get in the way of appreciating their characters, have to admit that “passion” was the first word that came to my mind when I saw Soleil in this form.

She literally looks like a goddess of sunsets. Beautiful.

Capricorn form – Still not sure if I’m the type of person who favors something just because I so happen to share a quality or trait with that one certain aspect of a character…

And I freely admit that the Capricorn form is not the best of bunch (though it’s definitely not the worst)…

…but it looks unarguably lovely regardless and I love it with all my heart because me is a Capricorn, after all~ <3

The tiny hearts themselves may be a bit much but it’s part of Capricorn Star Princess’s design so honestly, I have zero problem with it. They’re adorable~

Then I kinda squealed because Selene traded her umbrella/lamp shade skirt for a fancy bed canopy! LOL xDD

But most of all, it’s simply wonderful to see Madoka with wavy hair (AGAIN WITH THE HAIR!). Ooooo, gotta love that transition from light purple to fuchsia! X3

Like I said before, they made the Cures’ respective color schemes and the Star Princesses’ color schemes quite compatible. But that’s a given since they’re within close range of each other anyway.

Sagittarius form – Ok, I may have said Lala’s forms looked the best but I believe the Sagittarius form alone can blow everyone else’s out of the sky.

I mean, look at her! Isn’t she friggin’ STUNNING?!

The long side pony tail (*SCREAMS*), the mature vibe the long gown gives off and most of all, MADOKA HOLDING AN ACTUAL BOW AND ARROW AND LOOKING LIKE A WARRIOR MAIDEN DESCENDING FROM THE HEAVENS TO PURGE THE EVIL FROM THIS WRETCH WORLD!!

HAAAAAA……I dunno why I get so emotional over form changes, I just do.

Alright, first things first. This is not the place for me to spill my grievances about Cosmos in general so rest assured, I won’t do that. But I am allowed to say one thing.

Toei. I don’t understand your incomplete logic.

Cure Cosmos is a rainbow Cure. You either give her all twelve differently colored forms or you give her none at all.

Seriously, it makes no sense that she gets four zodiac forms, leaving the other girls with only two when we could have had:

1) the original starters with three zodiac forms each

2) Cosmos with either twelve (because SHE’S THE CURE OF EFFIN’ RAINBOWS!!) or one exceptionally glorified rainbow super form (with seven cat tails because RAINBOWS!!)

This is less about midseason Cure privilege (which Cosmos has heaps of) or the fact that they won’t be able to fit so many forms in an hour long special (it’s movie budget so piss off!) and more about not doing your math right to get the best, maximum output! xP

*sigh* Ok, petty raging done (for now). Moving along…

Aries form – As some of you may know, I’m not a fan of Cosmos’ rainbow skirt but I find I can easily overlook that (along with the cat ears, the flat top hat décor, the weird braids and the dorito clips) to appreciate the full picture.

And the Aries form may just be my most favorite out of Cosmos’ forms. Since Aries is the ram constellation, the white wool trim looks appropriate, especially against the crimson of her outfit. Frankly, I think Cosmos looks better in this red design than her normal blue-rainbow Cure form.

Then there’s the poofy (kyaa~!) hair that just acts so well as a backdrop to the ram horns.

Mm, yes, definitely my favorite. *nod nod*

Gemini form – Again, where the fuck were you when Met Gala was happening this year?!

Like, this would not only fit right in with the camp theme but could’ve won best dressed that night!

The only thing I’d consider getting rid of is the rainbow but then it’d probably look less campy so maybe not.

Anyways, I was the least fond of this form when I first saw it but the more I look at it, the more I’m learning to like it…??

The red cape (and cherry earrings) provides a sharp contrast to all the green going on, too.

Virgo form – Azure blue complements light pink and white in a very angelic sort of way. Pretty~

Cosmos’ hair also looks delightfully charming when it’s curled and has a flower decoration in it.

…That’s all I have to say, really.

Oh no, wait.

It’s extremely odd to me that Cosmos gets two zodiac forms that correspond to other Cures’ birthday signs and she doesn’t even get the form of her own birthday sign.

Hikaru’s is Aries and Elena’s is Virgo. Look who got those forms.

Yuni’s sign is Libra. That form went to Soleil instead.

…WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?! >:/

Aquarius form – Is it just me or do the rainbow pleats actually work here?

We’re dealing with water and the droplet beads attached to the ends really reminds me of the rain so that’s probably why.

Cosmos’ hair also looks mega good in waves, too.

And the stars~! Exquisite!

On another note, again she always comes as a strange package because if cats in general hate water, then pairing Cosmos up with Aquarius is the biggest mismatch of them all, them both having a blue theme be damned. xD;

~~~~~

*SIGH* Finished!

…Or not. One last thing. There’s always one last thing.

It’s just a real shame that these forms are exclusive to the movie. I mean, I know we all have our opinions on whether or not Form Changes are actually useful in the tv series (I don’t care, I just like looking at them and that’s reason enough for me)…

But the stock footage was severely underwhelming for StarPre so having these in the show may have done some good to alleviate that feeling.

Also, the Zodiac forms have a much closer relation to the space motif than the Twinkle forms do. Seriously, the most noticeable things about the Twinkle forms are the tiaras and it’s weird because we already have the Star Princesses. So WHY do we need to put tiaras on the Cures? They’re not aiming to become princesses themselves, they’re channeling the powers of the stars (aka the Zodiac princesses!) so they should take on appearance respective of the star signs!

Again, I really don’t understand Toei logic.

……AND ONE MORE THING! OMGODD

Is there anyone out there who tried to draw what the first four Cures would look like in the forms that went to Cosmos? And if there is, may I see them? Please, pretty pretty please please please?!?!?

#i can't art so i'm desperate #alrighty after sunday's ep post i'm off #will post about the Precure store later if I manage to find the time #wahaha if i'm lucky and/or not jetlagged i might even get to watch Precure Sunday morning in my hotel room #we'll see #star twinkle precure #cure star #cure milky #cure soleil #cure selene #cure cosmos #star princesses

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borisbubbles · 5 years ago

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Eurovision 2010s: 245 - 241

245. Amaury Vassili - “Sognu” France 2011

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Ah, the elusive ~actual opera~ entry (not to be confused with it’s cousin, Pop/Opera). You may not know this about me but I’m actually a frequent patron of the Flemish Opera and have a pretty good understanding of how opera should be brought live and ... “Sognu” is not it lmfao.

You see, the main reason why opera can be amazing live is because it’s a very BOMBASTIC, over-the-top spectacle. If done right, it’s Cirque du Soleil with words. “Sognu”, which in itself is a VERY average composition, offers the visual of stuffing George Of The Jungle in a LesMis costume and calling it a day.

Don’t let those date rape bugs bite, mr Vassily...x

However, I do enjoy Amaury’s arc in that *everyone* apparently thought he was winning? Which is just baffling (I didn’t follow the 2011 preshow but I instantly knew Azer would win once I heard "Running scared” in the first Semifinal lol.), but hey, I always support my lovely underdogs and conversely when a contenderbeast falls flat on their face at the last second, I’m all in for it. And now it’s time to close this entry, which I’ll do with this A+ piece of Graham Norton commentary:

“Awwww something to cheer him up right at the en- it hasn’t really cheered him up, hasn’t it?” 🤔😬😶

________________________________________________________________

244. Aurela Gaçe - “Feel the passion” Albania 2011

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BLEDAR SEJKO <3333333456789 Oh wait, it’s the OTHER entry that features him, in a mute role NEVERMIND.🤭

Obviously, I have some ~fondness~ for "Feel the passion” but it’s mostly academic: I like the Albanian Screechy Harpy and Aurela Gaçe is a decent interpretation of the archetype (she’s without question the NOISIEST of the lot, if not the screamiest). I like how “Feel the passion” also showcases the typical Albanian sound, tiptoeing well between quirkiness, moodiness and datedness. There’s even an eagle backdrop!

Overall, “Feel the passion” showcases “Albania in Eurovision” pretty well. Too bad it’s not very good though, WHOOPS. ________________________________________________________________

243. Niamh Kavanagh - “It’s for you” Ireland 2010

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Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

I want to BELIAMH IN NIAMH as much as any self-respecting insane eurofag, but bringing back a great winner to give her THIS song, no, it’s not to my tastes at all. 😠

However, I kind of appreciate it on an academic level? As much as “Feel the passion” is a showcase of Albania, so much is “It’s for you” one of Ireland: Talented vocalists, a pleasant/inoffensive sound, a faint charity angle. Oh, and all in the package of a really boring song/non-act. 🤭 Yup. Sounds very Irish to me. 🤭 ☘

And now Mum is Dad, you’re gorgeous too, come and soar, I owe you.

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242. Nadine Beiler - “The secret is love” Austria 2011

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If “What if Whitney Houston were white 🌚” were ever a question anyone would want to be asking, well, Nadine provides the answer anyway! She’s perfectly servicable! She sings well and doesn’t drag out her song needlessly. Not bad for an tribute act. 🙃

________________________________________________________________

241. Sergey Lazarev - “You are the only one” Russia 2016

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That’s right, I don’t even like original Sergey entry. Are you in tears? Well, too bad for you, I’m not changing my mind. 😊 RIP at least 74% of my follower count as a result of this update~

I’m kind of struggling how to even tackle this write-up? Humorous? In-your-face? Sassy? Smug? I suppose I’ll keep it honest and academic, because “You are the only one” is fairly good on the surface, but nevertheless, it has... problems.

“You are the only one” is, in my opinion, the most overrated entry in this entire decade. You see, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. It’s very competent.

However, I... don’t care about competence? I care about real humans that do *really human* things, by which I mean the Tamaras, the Elenii, the Månses, the Polinae: Talented actors who are able to sell their great songs through the sheer force of ~*P E R S O N A L I T Y*~ instead of pure technical singing ability.

“You are the only one” couldn’t be further away from that ideal for me. It misses something I hold very dear and that thing is authenticity. It lacks quirkiness. It is too perfect and that I find very unsettling. Russia’s entries lack that genuine disarming charm that many winners have and that is why they fail so badly at winning Eurovision, despite always being well-liked.

(ofc Russia being political assholes and shamless hypocrites and colluding blowhard bullies also factors into that, but I believe Eurovision is mostly apolitical in its decision making. If Eurovision were a political game, I’d imagine Russia would do significantly worse, in every year) Besides this, I think the staging is... really not that great either, WHOOPS. The act itself is a spectacle, but (1) it’s very clearly trying to impersonate “Heroes” and fuck that lack of creative direction (2) “You are the only one” is actually a well-composed song. It’s a clear hit. It sells itself. Especially when in the hands of Sergey Lazarev.

However, because the act pulls *VERY* hard into these tryhard visual effects it doesn’t need, the song becomes background noise facilitating the act, instead of the other way around and this I think is a really bad take on staging. Songs, not staging, are what wins Eurovision, but only if they’re good. Staging, not songs, is what can cause losses, but only if it’s bad. I don’t believe ‘Staging’ and ‘Song’ should compete with each other for attention, no matter how effective that strategy is as drawing in an audience. They should compliment each other and if a song is great, the staging should be simple.

So yeah overall, I am ranking Sergey right *here*, in the anonymous spot of 241st, with zero regrets. I have no emotions about him whatsoever beyond the academic “he is competent”; Russia tried way too hard to win and the overal result kind of sucks. And you know what else sucks? THUNDER AND LIGHTNING IT’S VERY EXCITING. 😈 Yes! That’s right. I dont even like that STUPID CATCHPHRASE!! HA! HAHA! HAHAHA! HAHAAHHAA! HHAAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAAAA!!!

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Russia #Sergey Lazarev #You are the only one #Austria #Nadine Beiler #The secret is love #Ireland #Niamh Kavanagh #It's for you #Aurela Gaçe #Feel the passon #France #Amaury Vassili #Sognu #Albania

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naturessoleil-blog · 8 years ago

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To the One I Love //Ghost Sprite\\ //Ghostly Letters Redux\\

Left in the hollow of their favorite tree, a letter on yellowed paper is nestled, hidden from view from anyone except the one who knows what to look for.

@the-witch-ghost

My Sweetest Zero,

It is nearly that time of the year in which love blooms as wildly and freely as the Spring does. And perhaps it is because winter is slowly loosening it’s grip on the Earth. But for the first time in so so long I have felt the need to share that love with something other than the forest and all that reside within.

But this year.. This year has been so very different. How could I ever think that one night among the Mundus would gift me with someone as special as you. Especially when at first you seemed to care so little for anything that grows from the ground. Least of all pumpkins. I am so very glad that I was able to sway your way of thinking.

I must admit that I was repelled by you in those first few moments of our meeting. But I am, again, so very glad that my own way of thinking was changed. That evening with you, despite the terrible storm that soon followed, was one of the most enjoyable I had had in such a long time. And it brought us even closer together by giving us Alfred.

But this is not a letter meant for beginnings, even though ours was so unorthodox and out of the norm. But that is us. We are both part of this world and not. Which would mean that the rules of this world, this time, both apply and do not apply to us. We are separate entities brought together by fate or the cosmos. In fact, it reminds me of the stories you tell me. Of great Greek heroes and heroines. I only hope that our end is not like theirs. I could not bear being without you at this point. You have become so ingrained into my being, like your name and your presence has been etched so deeply into my being.

There are not many things that can claim my attention and my emotion so wholly as you. I had thought that before you my life was as it should be. Taking care of the forest and helping the Prince in whatever way he may need, those were what I needed, all that I needed. And then you came along and you.. Well you changed all of that when I wasn’t even aware that was something that I wanted. With you I have braved going into town alone, I have interacted with the Mundus despite my reservations about them, I have opened myself up in ways that I did not think possible.

And I only have you to thank for that. For knowing you I have been made better, more whole. And I only hope that I have done the same for you, my night sky.

My one hope is that I have been able to bring some light to that darkness that had so consumed you. The one that you had told me you thought consumed you. Because I do not see it in you, my sweet Zero. I have never seen that darkness in you. The flame of hope burns bright within you and all that meet you can see that. You are so much more than what you think, so much more than just a ghost, or just a girl.

You are my Zero. My night sky. My everything. Just as I am yours. And will be yours for as long you will have me. And I do hope that is for as long as the sun continues to rise and fall. As long as flowers continue to bloom in Spring and wilt in Winter.

After all I feel as if this was fated to happen. Things do not happen for no reason. Or at least that was what my mother told me when I was young. The things that happened to us happened so that we would be able to meet now and become this. Whatever this is.

Regardless, sweet Zero, I love you. More than can be put into words or even actions. But that is fitting for us, is it not? For we are not something that came be easily explained. At least not with any words these Mundus have been able to come up with.

Tha gaol agam ort barrachd is barrachd gach latha a tha a 'cur seachad maille ribh. Agus iadsan anns a bheil e comasach dhuibh a bhith còmhla rium Tha an Loneliest làithean a bha agam riamh. Tha gaol agam ort chun na gealaich agus air ais, mo milis Zero.***

Yours, for an eternity,

Soleil

***translation:

I love you more and more every day that is spent with you. And those in which you are unable to be with me are the loneliest days I have ever had. I love you to the moon and back, my sweet Zero.

#x;ghost sprite #x;ghostly letters redux #x;to the one i love #bdrptasks #bdrptask #otp: you are my moon #otp: my night sky #x;zero #x;sweet zero #this is all over the place #which is how soleil feels about zero all the time when she thinks about her

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tink-bell · 6 years ago

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Name:

Jaby/Mom

Characters:

Tink Bell (closed rip), Rita Saluki-Sykes, Duchess LaBlanc, DeSoto Sykes, Adam Best, Soleil (closed rip)

Pick one of your characters and talk about their growth (we recommend choosing an older character, but it’s up to you!) What about their story has surprised you? What are you proud of? How have they changed from their original inception to now?

Tink Bell: These three years have been one hell of a roller coaster for Tink. It seems like just yesterday I was writing my town alcoholic hell-bent on having a good time even though inside she was a mess. When we first saw Tink, she was your typical punk-rock rebel without a cause. Her idea of a good time was a good lay, a bottle of tequila, and whatever drugs she could find. She was an absolute mess. And as the years progressed we saw Tink sort of lose herself. She got lost in the bottle and the drugs and the dark spiral that was her mind. She lost some good friends (Simba) in the process and made some unexpected ones (Copper, I’m talkin’ about you). But like a phoenix she rose from the ashes and repaired herself and those friendships she lost. She got an amazing girlfriend who literally went through hell and back with her (pun intended). And now as the year closes, so does this chapter of Tink’s life. Her life of adventure with Sophie is starting and it’s the ending I always wanted for Tink. Cue girl walking into the sunset with a bag slung over her shoulder ready to take on the world.

Adam Best: My babe I’ve had the second longest, not counting the time I dropped him for personal reasons. He’s also a character that has been through a lot. We’ve seen Adam be the surly young man who only wants to punish himself for all the death and destruction he’d caused. He was grappling with the loss of his parents and the loss of his first serious girlfriend. That’s a lot for a dude. He made mistakes, hurt people he grew to care about. Then he got himself a best friend and then a boyfriend and things were looking up for our dear Adam. Then Jaby had an existential life crisis and all that went to shit. Adam found a journal that said you could get rid of the curse by killing the wolf that killed you and guess what? Adam went to Greece and got his ass kicked. But it was a brand new starting point for me and my boy. It allowed me to delve into Adam’s need for a normal human life and try to figure out a way to reconcile it with the fact he will never have that. I expected Adam to remain very surly when I picked him back up and to an extent he has. But he’s also moved away from that. He’s no longer filled with the same angst. Instead it’s changed and evolved into something so much more. He’s no longer mourning his parents and Jennifer but instead mourning the life he’ll never get to have. It’s something I never expected from him and I’m honestly very excited to see where it takes us.

Pick another character and talk a little about where you WANT them to go. What are your plans for them going into the new year?

DeSoto Sykes: Ugh man, I have so much planned for DeSoto. Lauren and I have actually talked out a lot with these brothers and where we want them to end up. I know he’s going to stay a big presence in Swynlake. I’d love for him to become one of the big kingpins in town. It would be hilarious because that’s what his father was back in New York and it’s what he’s been running from for nearly three years. I want him to grow and realize that having people you care about isn’t necessarily a weakness. Des has a long long way to go and his story is far from over.

Rita Saluki-Sykes: It’s no secret that Rita has become my loudest muse, slowly taking the place of Tink if I’m honest. I’ve only had her for a year or so but she’s already been put through the ringer. Her marriage went from one of necessity to one that was almost over to finally something that resembles what she’s always wanted. Even more so now that she’s got her own little kiddo on the way. I’d like to see Rita settle into that mother role. From what we’ve seen she enjoys the night life, partying and eating up all the attention she can get. But with her little one all that is going to change and she’s going to have to become that mother figure. And she’s going to have to balance care and attention for Ollie with the new baby. It’ll be interesting to see how she juggles being a businesswoman, wife, and mother.

Pick a thread or a plot that you’re proud of and talk about why you loved it.

UHM HELLO INTO THE FOREST. Two years ago I did one of these and said how I wanted Soleil to tap into her powers and channel her rage and this is the result of that. This plot was hands down my favorite plot I’ve ever done. It gave me a chance to break Soleil down to her darkest depths, fueled by the loss of Zero and then the fact KNIGHTS or whatever were hurting things in her forest. It was a slow burn plot and one that took a lot of work from everyone involved and it culminated into the best thing I’ve ever witnessed.

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 strengths and talk about why you think it’s one of your strengths.

Voice. I still think voice is something that I have a good grasp on when it comes to my characters. From Rita’s and DeSoto’s New York accents to Duchess’ French lilt and prim and proper upbringing, I think it’s something that shows distinctly in my writing.

Villains. I love my villains, I love devling into their minds and figuring out what makes them tick. And I’m tooting my own horn when I say that I’m pretty damn good at it. From Taka to Oogie (however brief he may have been), I’ve brought some pretty interesting villains to BDRP and I hope to continue to do so. I’ve got a few character ideas at the ready that I am more than eager to bring to life.

In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 areas of improvement.

Plotting! I am the absolute worst when it comes to coming up and approaching people with plots. And I think a big part of that is because I really love for things to develop organically. I’m not one to nudge my characters into something I’m not sure of. I need to break out of that so that I can actually accomplish some of the things I want to for my characters.

Direction. It’s easy for me to lose direction when writing. A reply will start off as one thing and then before I know it it’s shifted to something else entirely. It makes writing an arduous process and often irritating.

Pick one of your plots, or even just a character, and come up with a list of 3-5 “mentor texts” where you can look for inspiration or research, then write a short (2-4 sentences) why you picked those texts. (For example, if I picked Apollo, reading “Akata Witch,” “Children of Blood and Bone,” “Trials of Apollo” series, and Homer’s Iliad might provide inspiration for different reasons– the former two for Nigerian culture and magic and the latter two for a deeper look at Greek Mythology. No, you don’t have to have read these books– maybe you just want to read them!)

Okay so picking Soleil’s forest takedown these are the things I’d look into:

Batman comics featuring Poison Ivy - Mainly because Poison Ivy is one of the few female baddies that have the same sort of magic that Soleil has. And she’s gone down Soleil’s path of wanting to take over the world with plants. It’d be a way to get inside of angry Soleil’s mind.

BtVS s6ep22 “Grave” - This is actually the episode of Buffy that sparked this desire to have Soleil go down that path of evil. It was a possible ending for Soleil in which she didn’t turn into a tree and feed her magic to Enchantra as a way to make amends. This episode showed the power of true love (even if that love is platonic) and how it can stop evil. And it was something that I had wanted to experiment with in Soleil.

The Master Book of Herbalism - Okay this book would give insight to what Soleil did. How, even before she was the spring sprite, she had a vast knowledge of plants and how to use them.

And now, a wishlist! Jot down a few themes or stories or genres etc that you want to maybe pursue in the upcoming year! (i.e. a good ol’ fashion forbidden romance, maybe you want to dig deep into racial identity etc) This doesn’t have to necessarily be attached to any characters or stories you have now– it’s just meant to help you see for yourself what kind of stories call to your heart.

F O R B I D D E N RO M A N C E- like please guys, you don’t know how badly I want one of these. What’s more drama filled than two people who should not be together at all? C’moooooooooooon Drugs- I have always always been involved in the drug scene in Swynlake. Taka, Lock, Tink, and now Des. I love fucking people up with drugs and exploring those motivations. Coffee shop au type romance/bromance Slow burn, something that starts as nothing and then sooooo slowly turns to something more Friendships Frenemies

OPTIONAL: Why do you RP?

I RP because it’s still my escape. I enjoy it more than I enjoy most things. It gives me an outlet to channel whatever it is I’m feeling and don’t we all need that. Not to mention Mk and Lauryl own my soul at this point and there is no hopes of me ever actually leaving this place.

#bdrptask #it only felt fitting #tink was the first one i did the questionnaire on #she should be closed with it

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nadashead · 3 years ago

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Stage 3: Junior High

Click here to go to the Second Stage

My life started to slide down a little from this point. I still am a beautiful girl that everybody adores, The Helena Smith. The school is still the same one, but the friends are not. Sure, there's still some kids that I know, my friends from elementary, but most flew away from The Kalu Island. Why? I don't know.

All I know is that now, boys and girls classes are separated. Right, religious school. All the things they do just makes teenager want to commit a sin more. Don't talk to boys! Don't date anyone! Don't do this! Don't do that! And what did we do? The complete opposite.

This is such a hormonal, disgusting phase that ironically is my last stage of life where I feel confident and proud of myself. The last peak, the last victory.

It all went well. I'm still popular, still pretty, still smart, even act as a basketball captain for some games. I even got a taste of romance, even if it was a puppy love.

The first one was a sweet guy, which my mom approves because he's so obvious with his move. Greeting her, shouting my name, denying school rules that boys and girls aren't supposed to talk. It was easy for him, he was loved by everyone.

But love does expires. A year with him, he doesn't even remember having me. He flirted with so many girls all year long, and when the new years eve struck, he texted me saying 'Happy New Year. I love you."

But it was done. I broke up with him afterwards, he loves someone else. I can't say he cheated, since it was just a puppy love, but he kind of did. Oddly, I don't feel heartbroken at all. It was weird and stings a bit, but I was still that bad bitch that walks confidently down the hall.

Which brings me to the next guy. I was skeptical at first, since he was my best friend's ex. Me, Soleil, Maya and Jane are best friends since elementary school. We misbehaved a lot, and must face the principal multiple times because other kids didn't approve our gang, saying that they can't be friends with us because we're too close together.

A stupid reason.

But we're now in separated class. I'm with Jane and Soleil with Maya. But lets go back to the Soleil's ex being close to me.

He's a shy kid with glasses that surprisingly sweet. He started from zero because I was absolutely disgusted by him in the first place (no reason), and being head over heels in only three months. We're a sweethearts, and everyone love us.

Sadly, it all must end because... I don't remember why. I remember it got all rough, he's not checking on him anymore, all the flirting with another girl, and my mom doesn't like him. She said that he's too discreet in everything he does, which I like. I like quiet guys.

I cried a couple times after he and I broke up, but I get over him in no time. But I bounce back to craving him when he caught another girl in just a damn week. Bitch! How?

But he called a few times even after he's with that girl, saying he couldn't stop thinking about me. Laughing at the girls back, I finally moved on thinking I wasn't easy to forget. Don't underestimate me.

And that's where I met another guy. No, I'm not a whore. And if I am, none of your fucking business to judge me. But this guy is crazy over me since the first time we met. He likes me, his mother likes me, his whole family likes me, even my mother likes his whole family.

But I didn't like him. Not at all.

Have you heard of love at the first sight? This is the opposite. You saw a person, and you promised yourself, vowed that you will never marry that kind of guy, which has no reason why. Because he's handsome, tall, rich, and adores me, but I just can't accept him. No, I can't even think of being on a place alone with him. Ugh.

I actually asked myself, why? Why didn't I like this guy? He's great! But I just can't accept him, so I concluded that he's not the one for me.

Then, the truth is revealed. He told his friends that I rejected him, and told them to bully the shit out of me. Which is confusing, because his gang is all goody-two-shoes and religious as hell. But I am more powerful than all them combined, so I don't give a shit about what they say about me.

On the other hand, I split ways with my old gang. Now I have new gang, with nine girls included. Too much, I won't confuse you all with their names. We used to be so close together but that lasted like a year, and we split again. Now that I look back, friendship are crazy when I was children.

Overall, I can say that my junior high is pretty well. Not bad, not really great, but people still look up to me.

Next, Fourth Stage

#sad #short story #short fiction #sad story #sad thoughts #depressing #depressed #depression #tw depressing stuff #interactive story #suicide #suicidal

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dazombi3fari3 · 5 years ago

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Like I’ve said before Tati Westbrook is one of my all time favorite YouTubers. When I saw she came out with a Beauty Blender alternative I just had to jump on it. It’s called the Bendiful and it retails for $18 on the Tati Beauty website. From first glance it is so soft and it’s much bigger than I thought it would be. I can’t wait to try it out. I’ll be doing a review on it on Saturday.

I purchased so new J Cat Beauty makeup that I will review for you tomorrow what I got is as follows ….

Primer & Glow Face Illuminator Primer … retails for $7.99 on the J Cat beauty website and you get 1.05 fluid ounces. This primer is offered with 2 different extracts…. Licorice (which is the one I purchased) and Coconut. I tested it on the back of my hand and it’s a velvety smooth primer that adds glow to the skin with out looking greasy … I’ll be testing it out tomorrow for a better knowledge of how it makes the skin look but I noticed that the back of my hand had no glitter or too much shimmer.

HD Perfection Skinsealer Foundation …. $7.99 for .85 fluid ounces on the J Cat beauty website. It comes in 10 shades with 4 shades for darker skin tones. It’s billed as having a flawless, full coverage foundation that gives the skin the most beautiful natural finish. The shade I chose is 1 shade too dark, I chose Warm Honey and I should have chosen Sweet Buff… If I end up liking the foundation I think I will purchase the correct shade if I can’t get this shade to work for me with my foundation mixer.

Staysurance Water-Sealed/Zero-Smudge Concealer…. Retails for $7.99 for .33 fluid ounces on the J Cat beauty website. It’s billed as a light-weight, yet, long lasting concealer that combats dark circles, redness, and any imperfection for a flawless look. It comes in 16 shades with 7 shades for deeper skin tones. Again I chose the wrong shade…. I went too light. I chose Custard when I should have chosen Buff…. This concealer on the back of my hand felt thick like the Tarte Shape Tape… but it felt hydrating. This one is so thick that I have a feeling that I am going to have a problem with creasing …. we shall see tomorrow.

Aquasurance Compact Foundation …. Retails for $13.99 on the J Cat beauty website and is billed a having a finely milled luxurious, silky texture that minimizes the appearance of pores. That absorbs and balances excess oil without creasing & looking cakey. As having innovative technology with water lock system to maintain moisture within the powder and that it provides medium to full coverage for a natural flawless complexion. This powdered foundation comes in 13 shades with 4 shades for deeper skin tones. Finally I picked the right shade, it’s in the color Natural. From the swatch I can tell this is a silky smooth powder and I only swiped my finger through it 2 times to get this coverage.

Golden Soleil Baked Bornzer … Retails for $7.99 for .35 ounces of product on the J Cat beauty website and is billed as being multidimensional and light as air, this velvety SOLAR baked formula wears all day and won’t transfer onto clothes. The smooth texture blends effortlessly with any powder brush for buildable, customizable coverage that wakes skin up and delivers a lit-from-within luminosity. The non-dusty and non-drying color stays true and even for hours without oxidizing. It comes in 4 shades and I picked the 3rd shade in the rang, Cancun Golden Tan. This is a super shiny bronzer… I’m nervous about trying this one out all over my face … we shall see….

Blush Mallow Soft Blusher… Retails for $4.99 on the J Cat beauty website and is billed as a buildable formula with a marshmallow texture that transforms into a weightless. soft-matte powder finish for a healthy flushed cheek. It’s offered in 16 shades. I chose the shade Tutti Fluffy (a deep pinky coral). The texture is a creamy texture similar to the formula of the Chanel Soleil De Chanel bronzer. I don’t know how this will layer over a powdered face but I’m sure it will be OK.

You Glow Girl Baked Highlighter …. Retails for $8.99 for .30 ounces of product on the J Cat beauty website and is billed as a multi-dimensional baked formula that brings instant GLOW all day long due to high intense shimmer pigment. It is designed to complement all skin tones and all skin types. The smooth texture blends effortlessly and gives the perfect luminous finish that complete your look. It comes in 9 shades and I chose the 2nd tone in the range called Twilight. When i swatched this on the back of my hand I didn’t notice any glitter so I’m excited to try it…. I think it maybe a tinny too deep for me but I’m sure it will work with a light hand.

Hakari Cream Pigments …. Retails for $15 on their website, however I purchased mine on Amazon for $12.00 each and you get .14 ounces of product. I was running out of my Honey Dew so I picked up a back up and also wanted to try the shade Fairy Tale … in the swatches above fairy tale is on the left and honey dew is on the right.

I ran out of my Hand Skin and Nails supplement so I needed a new one and I have a friend on Facebook that sells for a company called It Works… they sell body wraps and dietary supplements and detox teas… I figured I give her some business and she gave me a discount for $35 for a 60 capsule bottle. I’ll keep you updated on how well it works once I have used it up.

Lights Lacquer Nail Polish…. Each bottle retails for $9.50 for .40 ounces of product in each bottle…. I purchased 2 single shades … Rosie and Cold Turkey and I purchased a 6 bottle bundle for $52 in the colors …. Alexandrite, Amethyst, Citrine, Emerald, Ruby, Smokey Quartz. I’ve mentioned this before but Kathleen Lights’ polish formula is my all time favorite and I am so happy to have these 8 shades to add to my collection… new Mani Mondays will be coming soon….

Well that’s all for now dolls… Stay tuned tomorrow for my full complexion review of J Cat Beauty products. Until then remember save a spoon for a bit of makeup.

XOXO

Makeup Haul Like I've said before Tati Westbrook is one of my all time favorite YouTubers. When I saw she came out with a Beauty Blender alternative I just had to jump on it.

#Beauty #Haul #It Works!#J Cat Beauty #Lights Lacquer #Makeup #makeup review #Product Review #Swatches #Tati Beauty

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mind-racket · 5 years ago

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Mama Judy.

Coffee.

Every morning, I wake up and go through my usual routine. It varies ever so slightly depending on whether it is a work day or a home day, but one thing remains constant. At some point, there will be a cup of coffee in my hand. And, again, depending on the day, it may be followed up by another shortly after. This was not always the case.

For the longest part of my life, I had zero desire to drink coffee. Well, to be more accurate, I had a DESIRE to drink coffee...I just thought it tasted like shit. The smell...oh...the smell was pure magic. The intense and dark smells from a newly-opened can of Folger’s were amazing. Sometimes I would just pull that plastic lid off and take a whiff. But on any occasion I had to take a sip of brewed coffee, I found it lacking.

I always found myself wanting to EAT the coffee, actually. To me, the intense, rich smell of the ground beans was done a disservice by the liquid product that ended up in the cup after the Mr. Coffee machine was finished with it. It seemed to me that eating the coffee might be the only way to really create the flavors that the smell promised. I can remember telling someone at my Geology field camp that, to me, coffee tasted like it was siphoned off of something that tasted WAY better. I just didn’t know what that something was. That was...until I got a job at a coffee shop. The Kentucky Coffee Company.

I am horrible with remembering years, but I am pretty sure I started there in the summer of 1999. I had just spent three years as a teaching assistant at the University of Kentucky and had started working with my thesis advisor to start a web design company. We only had one real client at the time, and I needed to make some money. Enter my Aunt Judy.

Judy owned the Kentucky Coffee Company, which was located in the Civic Center at Rupp Arena. A few years prior, she had employed my mom there, as well, so I was familiar with it, even if I didn’t really know shit about coffee. Judy said they could teach me to be a barista...and pay me...and that was all I needed to hear.

On my first day there, I explained my feelings about coffee and how I had always found it underwhelming. Judy understood and explained to me that in addition to probably never really having had GOOD coffee, I had probably never tasted coffee that was properly prepared. She talked about water temperatures and extraction and roasts and how most people used WAY too little coffee in their brew.

I also shared my feelings about how it seemed to me that coffee had so much potential, but the product in the cup just didn’t live up to the smell from the ground beans. In response, she explained, and made for me, an espresso. As she made it, she explained how the beans were roasted...how they were ground...and how they were brewed to make this intense drink. As I watched her tamp down the grounds, lock in the handle, and start the brewing process, I was truly fascinated. When I tasted the magic inside the cup, I felt like my quest to taste coffee’s true potential had been fulfilled.

Judy explained to me the different kinds of drinks...we steamed and frothed milk...we made drinks and talked and made more drinks and talked, and by the time Judy and her son Tommy had finished with me, my head was overflowing with knowledge and appreciation of all things coffee. All of this for someone who had walked in that morning thinking that coffee was not at all worthy of the high reputation it held among so many.

The time I was able to work with and for “Mama Judy” was one of the best times I had ever had. My years working for my dad in one of his shoe stores had already given me a new level of appreciation for people who work in customer service positions, but my time at the coffee shop added to that another layer of appreciation for those who own or work in the food service business, an empathy I still feel to this day.

Judy even hired our fledgeling web design company to create a website for their sales division. The company, called Judith Starling Coffee, was one of our earliest creations and was a blast to create with Judy. She had such a flair for marketing and description. And even though I’m not sure how many pounds of coffee ever ended up being sold through that site, she was always so proud of what we worked to create, as was I.

When I heard last week that Judy had had a heart attack and was facing a quadruple bypass surgery, it was shocking news, for sure, and while it was worrisome, I had absolute faith that she would come through it with flying colors. I have always felt like Judy was unstoppable. In addition to her spirit and personality, she NEVER looked her age. If she had lived to be 120, it would not have been surprising to me in the slightest. And I’m sure she wouldn’t have looked a day over 80.

Then, to find out that night that she had passed...I had no real words. Honestly, for a good amount of time, I felt completely numb. It didn’t quite register. It didn’t sink in. Until it did.

There are so many ways Judy touched or influenced my life, and as I started to recount them, the magnitude of just what this world and this family had lost settled deeper and deeper on my heart and mind.

I thought of Tommy and Sandy...her children...who had always been so sweet to me and my family.

I thought of Sandy’s daughter Savannah and how, even though she was only a small child when I worked at the coffee shop, she had carved a special place in my heart that remains to this day.

Of Tommy’s talented son Dawson, who I don’t know nearly as well but who, according to Judy, shared with me a fondness for the Kings of Leon.

Of the nieces and nephews and cousins and the special bonds that they had all formed, some of them stretching all the way back to their days living in David.

And of the brothers and sisters...all of them so loving and so close to each other...a closeness you couldn’t help but see and feel at any of the family gatherings we shared as I grew up.

I recalled those gatherings at her home...the pool...the siblings dancing...the talent shows in the living rooms...the tales being told in the kitchen...and the jokes about hiding the beer from Toby. There was always so much love. There was a bond...visible...tangible...forged between the siblings in that family.

I had witnessed and felt the loss when my granny, their sister, Peggy passed away. My heart was broken for myself and my sister..for our mom...for our aunt Margo...at OUR loss, but the hurt was made deeper by seeing and feeling the loss that her brothers and sisters were trying to manage. Knowing their lives...their history together...much of it told and documented by Judy...it just added to the depth of the loss. That feeling was revisited at learning of Judy’s passing, and my heart is just broken.

The time spent working at the coffee shop was the most extended amount of time I was ever with Judy, but every visit with Judy...every chat...every message...had an impact. She had a presence...a way to capture your attention and leave an impression.

Judy also had a way of making smart seem cool. As someone who grew up in his head quite a bit and spent a lot of time just thinking about things...and feeling a little weird about both of those things...Judy had a way of making it feel not so weird. I always felt like Judy “got” me, and that was a great feeling.

Even in the days after Judy passed away, it has been amazing, and fitting, how many times and in how many ways her influence and memory has been felt.

We were having supper at a Mexican restaurant a few days after Judy passed away, and Beck and I started talking about Mexican food and our memories of it. I know it seems impossible now, but “authentic” Mexican restaurants weren’t always as available as they are now, especially in eastern Kentucky.

That led to me retracing my history with Mexican food. Of course my first memory is simply Old El Paso tacos and burritos that mom used to make. My knowledge of “Mexican” food was that tacos were in a crunchy shell and burritos were in a soft shell AND burritos had a can of refried beans added to the meat mixture. Pretty sophisticated.

After that, there were a few meals at a little Tex-Mex place in Huntington called Fiesta Bravo, and then ultimately...Chi-Chi’s. Chi-Chi’s was probably responsible for about 90% of the “Mexican” food that eastern Kentuckians ate in the 80’s and early 90’s. Chimichangas and fried ice cream. THAT was Mexican food.

As I tried to recall how it was that I ever came to eat authentic Mexican food and where it was, I realized that it was Jalapeno’s in Lexington...a place mom took us to try...a place she knew about because Judy had taken her there while SHE was working for her at her coffee shop. There was even a time years after that when I had gone to meet someone in Lexington and suggested Jalapeno’s as the place to eat. As we were eating, I looked up, and there was Judy having dinner.

A couple of months ago, Beck bought tickets to a Christmas show in Lexington that she thought our nephew might enjoy. It was by the Cirque de Soleil folks, so we figured that, while not exactly a CIRCUS circus, he might still think it was kinda cool.

As it turned out, the show ended up being the day after Judy passed away. As we entered Rupp Arena to wait for the doors to open, it washed over me that there we were in the Civic Center, a place where Judy had devoted a good portion of her life to her business. A place where she had given me a job and life experience and where I had gotten to know her better than I ever had ever imagined I would.

I don’t know if she knew how much I truly enjoyed working there for her. How much I enjoyed the time shared with her and her family, being a part of something that they held so dear. Talking to her...learning from her...I will always remember it fondly.

And as I stood there in Rupp Arena reflecting on her and those days, I started wondering if I was making those kinds of memories with OUR nephew...whether I was doing enough to make him look back fondly on HIS time with ME one day...whether I was being to him at least some version of what Judy was to me. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, and I know I’ve not quite gotten close to that standard just yet, but I promised myself there that night that I would try harder.

Even as I sit here tonight trying to find the right words to finish this collection of thoughts that I started on over a week ago, I can’t help but feel a connection to Judy. She loved to write, and I always enjoyed reading the words she put together. She had a way of sharing a memory and creating a story that was a pleasure to read, and I will miss not having any more of those stories.

Just one in the list of the many things I will miss about Mama Judy.

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thewidowstanton · 7 years ago

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Tessa Blackman, hand-to-hand and acrobalance artist, Josh & Tess, Living Room Circus

American circus artist Tessa Blackman – who is from Chicago – trained as a dancer from the age of five. She specialised in classical ballet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and also did tap, jazz and contemporary. She went on train at Chicago’s Second City and has also studied holistic energy and worked with InVision, a school of psychic abilities.

In 2016 she graduated from the National Centre for Circus Arts in London with her hand-to-hand partner Joshua Frazer. As Josh & Tess, their acts are an enticing fusion of ballet and circus. They are members of Living Room Circus and appear in its show The Penguin and I from 29 June – 2 July at The Dairy at Springhill Farm, in Forest Row, Sussex. It runs again on 25 July at Jacksons Lane in London, and the duo appear in Simple Cypher’s Cypher Stories on 26 July at the same venue during its Postcards 2017 season. Tessa chats to Liz Arratoon.

The Widow Stanton: Any there any other performers in your family? Tessa Blackman: Yes. My mum, Suzanne Lek, was a prima ballerina. My great, great uncle was Nicolas Legat, who was a really famous Russian dancer. He was kind of like in the beginning of the whole Vaganova technique. Back in the day there was the Legat School of Ballet and the Royal Ballet and they were kind of rivals. So my mum went there from ten to 18. But then Legat got shut down. She worked for the London Festival Ballet and then moved to Yugoslavia and worked in a company there. She also worked at Pineapple Dance Studio and then actually first brought Pineapple to New York. My dad isn’t a performer but he loves the arts.

Is your mother Russian? No. Our familly line is Russian but she’s actually Welsh… well, it’s all mxed up because my grandparents lived in Holland but when the Nazis invaded they moved to Wales, cos we’re Jewish. My dad is from Chicago, born and bred.

Did you always want to be a dancer? Yes. When I was five my mother was teaching and I said, ‘Please can I come and take some classes with you?’. There was never pressure. She never pushed me to dance but it was kind of, ‘If you’re gonna do it, you’re gonna do it well.’ Then she pushed me pretty hard, but in a good way. It was tough at times and I danced from five years old up until 19. I went to North Carolina School of the Arts boarding school for ballet and yeah, I always wanted to be a dancer. That was my thing.

So why aren’t you a dancer? Yes, exactly. When I was 18, I had a really bad back injury; I had a herniated disc and that was the end of my ballet career. I kind of took about four years out. All the doctors wanted me to have surgery but there was something instinctual in me that told me not to do it, and I said I didn’t want it. I did holistic therapies and everything I could and essentially healed myself over time. During that time I went to art school, started painting, did a lot of energy work…

Did you do acting at Second City? Isn’t it an improv place? Yeah, they have a five-level improvisational programme and I did that for a year right after NCSA.

What made you move on to circus? Basically when I was living in Chicago and doing all these crazy things, I started getting romantically involved with a Circus du Soleil performer, who was a dancer in Dralion. [Laughs] I was like, ‘This is awesome!’. I was going to all his different shows around the States and he took me backstage one day and I got to meet all the performers. I was talking to them and was like, ‘How do you do this? This looks insane!’ They were like: “Well, you can train your muscles just like you train your muscles for dance.” They gave me this conditioning programme that I started doing on my own.

Then because I have a UK passport, I decided that I was gonna buy a one-way ticket and move to England. I did that – it worked with our relationship because he was travelling everywhere too – and I researched where I could take circus classes. I found Circus Space, which the National Centre for Circus Arts was at the time. It said, ‘Degree auditons in four weeks’. So I was like, ‘Maybe I should do this’. [Laughs] I trained for four weeks and I got in, which I still can’t believe. I couldn’t believe it happened because I had only really been physically training hard and getting back into shape since my injury probably for six months prior to the audition. I did a dance performance for my audition piece; I’d never done any circus before, I couldn’t even do a handstand. [Laughs]

This is marvellous, almost like running away with the circus… Yeah, I always describe circus to people as like one of those claw machines at fairgrounds that pick up toys. [Makes a claw hand motion] Circus just sort of picks you up and you’re like, ‘Oh, how did I get here?’. Everyone’s story is just completely different. What made you choose hand-to-hand? I was trying a bunch of disciplines and because I had no gymnastics background I had zero upper-body strength. I found aerial quite challenging. Then I started doing acrobalance and me and Josh paired up and started working together. It was really interesting, because we were similar in size and I was basing him a lot and he was basing me, and I realised that actually hand-to-hand was closer to dance than I thought and it felt really good. And we were dating, so it seems as if my romantic life takes me in the direction of my art forms [laughs]. We just dove into it together and started training and we loved it.

Your degree piece, Bound, was so distinctive and really impressive. How would you describe your style? Where we started is kind of like gender neutrality and not being confined to our genders in the way we express ourselves as artists. So we wanted to bring in a fluid movement quality and not have that be distinctly feminine and bring in a raw quality and not have that just be male; how we can both move in-between that language together and display a woman strongly and maybe display a man femininely.

Since our devised piece we’ve developing a lot with the knotted ropes – Shibari – moving more towards this raw, more aggressive style at the minute. I’m seeing that Shibari is getting more incorporated into circus now, which is really cool [see our interview with Hanna Moisala]; the whole self-suspension thing, having it be an aerial apparatus. We haven’t explored that as much but we’ve been using more the harness work.

Would you agree there has been quite a move to having women as bases? Is there a point to prove? Yeah, absolutely. I think for years we’ve been in that space as women of trying to prove a point, but for me I like to think of it, in respect to the feminist movement, that we’re not trying to be men, it’s more that we’re trying to display our strengths. The difficulty is that people are going: “Oh, you’re just trying to do the man’s job.” But it’s like, ‘No, actually these jobs are equal and we’re trying to show you that we are strong as well, that we are just as strong, we are built to do things like that, too’. It’s like: “Female bases, what’s this?” But it’s super-exciting to see and everyone loves to see it. I think it’s amazing that it’s happening.

How hard is your ‘iron-jaw’ move? [Laughs] I think that like with every circus trick, it’s an illusion to a certain extent; you have the strength but there are ways of making it safe for your body. I would say it’s probably more like a neck hang than it is genuinely from my jaw.

You might be interested in the aerialist Miss La La… but tell us about Josh and why you like working with him? A lot of reasons. We’re basically best friends. We’re not together any more in a relationship so that’s been a difficult transition but the fact is that when you work so close with someone you become best friends. We were living together for three years, we saw each other 24 hours a day so I think my relationship with him is unlike any other I’ve had with anybody. It’s probably one of the most special relationships I’ve had.

The way I kind of describe our creative process sometimes is at times I throw up on the table and then he cleans it up [laughs, a lot]. I’m kind of like, ‘Wah, wah, wah, here it is, this idea, this idea’, and he’s like: “OK, but how can we make that all work and structure it together.” It feels like a good balance.

I’ve always loved adagio and hand-to-hand with the woman in pointe shoes. You support Josh on your shoulders while on pointe. It’s stunning but what does it do to your feet… [Laughs] It requires a lot of training with my legs. The strength isn’t all coming from my ankles, it’s coming from my entire leg, so I have to keep up on my physio with my ankles and then also the strength of my inner thighs and glute muscles so that the whole leg is working to lift the body rather than just my feet.

I’ve never really understood pointe shoes. Is the inside shaped to cushion your foot? Not really. It’s a really close fit but they’re made of papier maché and have wood around the block part. You mostly wear toe pads inside. Most people use cotton or little gels, so sometimes there’s a little bit of foam at the tip of the shoe.

What have you done since graduation? I’ve mostly been working with the Living Room Circus, which is run by Elinor Harvey. She won the Deutsche Bank Business Plan Award in our year at NCCA. We did our first performance together last summer in a yurt in Forest Row in Sussex. We’re coining ourselves right now as an immersive experimental circus company. We mix circus, dance, live music and physical theatre, with an emphasis on audience interaction and involvement. We’re working on The Penguin and I, which Jason Dupree is directing.

Tell us a bit about the show… We’ve been creating a series of scenes that we can then adapt into whatever space we’re going into. For the new show we have this bespoke sofa that we can use in different ways, to balance on, to hang from. We actually got the money to make it from a Kickstarter campaign, which was great. This coming week we are performing in a dairy farm again in Forest Row. We have the scenes all laid out and we’re going to see what we can do with the space. It’s going to be really, really cool. It’s Eli’s home town and it’s kind of like our starting place.

Can you pick out a career highlight or two so far? Right off the bat, I’d say how much Josh and I have travelled so far. We’ve been to Corsica, Israel, Belgium and around the UK, and that alone is pretty awesome and exciting. Then just working with the Living Room Circus has been amazing because it feels just like a circus family. It feels like we’re a bunch of kids making a company, because we haven’t really had that much outside help. We’ve had help funding-wise but yeah, we’ve created this family together and we’re trying to make it work and see what happens.

vimeo

The Penguin and I runs from 29 June – 2 July at The Dairy, Springhill Farm, in Forest Row, Sussex and again on 25 July at Jacksons Lane in London. Josh and Tess also appear in Simple Cypher’s Cypher Stories on 26 July at the same venue during its Postcards 2017 season.

Picture credits: Tessa’s headshot, Nizaad Photography; Josh on shoulders/iron jaw, Bertil Nilsson; The Penguin, Miriam Strong

For tickets for The Penguin and I at The Dairy and at Jacksons Lane, and for Cypher Stories. click the links

Twitter: @LRCircus @jacksons_lane @SimpleCypher

Follow @TheWidowStanton on Twitter

Click the links to read our interviews with Simple Cypher’s Kieran Warner and Christopher Thomas

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dailydoseofcolor · 4 years ago

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Taking Stock of Units in Fire Emblem Heroes, Part 3

I’ve already written a small novella at this point, but I have the motivation, so it’s time to keep going. Next is character archetypes in this game that I don’t yet have merged, and would be beneficial to my enjoyment of the game. At this point, I’m in T21 for Aether Raids, and consistently make T24/T25. I do not need to be T27, that’s just too much. On the other side, I’m usually T19.5 in Arena. I just don’t have the resources to keep up with Arena scoring. I actively dislike that mode, All I need are units that will get me through every aspect of the game and keep me from falling to T17 in Arena.

Now for the hard part. I think what I would really love is to, one day, have a +10 character on hand for every combat role in the game across a large variety of weapon/color types. Obviously there’s Player Phase, Enemy Phase, Mixed Phase, and Support. But within those, I feel like there’s more niche roles: Player Phase: 1) Nuke / One Shot (Lilina, Lysithea) 2) Galeforce (OG Eliwood, Tibarn, Raven) 3) Double / Quad Builds (Maybe a subset of Galeforce, but serves a different purpose on maps with inflated stats; Est, Cordelia, etc)

Enemy Phase: 1) Retaliatory Nuke (Rinkah with Bonfire) 2) Sustain Tank (Aether Builds like Legendary Ike) 3) Stall Tank (Brave Ike and other more niche builds) Mixed Phase: 1) DPS (Special Spiral Builds like NY!Alfonse) 2) Duelist (Ross, Donnel, Itsuki, etc) 3) Omnitanks (More of an AR choice, but the characters that can dish it out either in PP or EP; Again, Brave Ike, Ross, Echidna)

Support: 1) Full Support (Dancers/Healers with zero combat prowess) 2) Tank Support (Tanky Healers that can be on the front lines with Close Counter; doesn’t always require actually high defense) 3) Closers (Those random characters that accompany you on maps that only see combat every now and again due to one very specific niche they handle, or are good at moving characters around the field, and can block an entrance for a hit or two if need be / or support characters with combat prowess, like Dance!Reinhardt and Dance!Ishtar). _____

So if we take those roles into account, the characters I already have fully merged or are Merge Projects are: Nowi (+10): Enemy Phase Sustain Tank Sothe (+10): Player Phase Double Build Ross (+10): Mixed Phase Duelist Lyon (+7): Enemy Phase Stall Tank Micaiah (+5): Enemy Phase Retaliatory Nuke OR Player Phase Nuke (Depending on the enemy type) Mia (+3): Her most obvious build is a Desperation build for a Player Phase Double, but I submit that her Res stat is actually pretty good, and she’d be a decent Mixed Phase Duelist OG Eliwood (+3): Player Phase Galeforce, honestly one of the best ones Joshua (+2): Mixed Phase Duelist (that high Res stat tho) Donnel (+2): His stats allow for so much flexibility: Player Phase Quad with his new Refine, Enemy Phase Sustain Tank, Mixed Phase Duelist....he fits a lot of niches now that I think about it. Rath (+2): Player Phase Double Build Saber (+1): Honestly more of an Enemy Phase Stall Tank, but he can move into a Mixed Phase DPS given the right build. Black Knight (+1): Again, super flexible because of the Fighter skills; but likely a Player Phase Double build with Bold Fighter. I have plenty of Bold Fighter fodder, and would love to watch him delete things off the map. Nephenee (+1): Best niche is as an Enemy Phase Retaliatory Tank with Bonfire/Ignis Altena (+1): Pure Enemy Phase as a Stall Tank, especially against Bows. Even some Green units just can’t touch her Young Minerva (+1): Again, super flexible because of her speed. I like her as an Enemy Phase Stall Tank, though Matthew (+1): Enemy Phase Stall Tank, although magic really kicks him in the ass

____

Okay. Zero support units and very few Player Phase units. I def have a preferred playstyle. Although, I’ll submit that the units I get a lot of use from that aren’t merged helps cover that. Let’s go through and see if I have any options for Merge Projects that are sitting unmerged right now:

Sword: Roy: Roy’s our boy! Roy’s our boy! I have his merges available, but I’ve been waiting to bite the bullet. His Res is just on the underside to make him a full Omnitank, so he’s definitely more of a Enemy Phase Sustain Tank. But he is getting a Resplendent soon... Soleil: Major Player Phase action. Honestly, along with Mia, could be an actually good contender for any future Close Call/Repel fodder I get. Ares: Unlimited Bonfire makes for a strong DPS candidate. I worry that merging him and Eliwood would be too much, even though they serve completely different purposed. I hesitate only because I don’t know anything about him, really. Fallen Ashnard: Fuck. His design is just *chef’s kiss.* I need to build him, and I have time, since he won’t hit the Grail market for another two months at least. But I feel like Ashnard, Altena, Young Minerva, and Myrrh would be a hilariously physically bulky team.

Lance: Valter: Disgusting villain, one you just love to hate. Smaller grail cost than others, since he’s been around a while. And he has to be up for a refine within the next 6 months. He’s high on the list. He could serve as a strong Player Phase Nuke Cormag: Much higher grail cost than Valter, but with a more balanced stat-line. More of a dream than anything. Effie: Is it past time to build Effie’s? She was all the rage a year and a half ago. Although she can still put in work with her attack stat, and her speed is more than covered by Fighter skills. I just really have a hard time with Armor units. Est: I see Est builds floating around and people rave about her. I wonder if it’s time to bite the bullet and build one myself. Ferdinand: Shitty stat line, character I detested from 3H...why did I even put him on this list. Oscar: Before this: WHERE IS BOYD. For fuck’s sake, it’s been years. Boyd deserves to be in 3H if Oscar is. Again, not a character I love, but has a refine that gives a niche(?). I honestly never see Oscar builds around, which tells me all I need to know. Axe: Raven: Easy to merge, great refine, easy to use Player Phase potential. One of the stronger Galeforce infantry units. Worth consideration. Cherche: Similar to above, but as a nuke. I’ve seen her just delete characters off the map. Titania: Super strong support capabilities. Tactics skills are pretty fucking dope most of the time. Bow: Norne: Incredible stat line, and I have a Midori that I could sink into her if I feel so inclined....now I just need merges. Clarisse: Honestly, her new refine is pretty sick, although she’s a very high level Grail cost. Might need to wait and see on this one, at least until her refine is fixed. Claude: I legitimately think that, if I decided this is what I wanted, I could get a +10 Claude. But that would me a LOT of Lull fodder that I don’t use. I’d love this, but I don’t think so. Halloween Rolf: Fucking adorable character and design, Grail cost is too high.

Dagger: Kronya: Stupid character, amazing options. Hard to justify with Sothe and Matthew above her in priority of characters I love. Tethys: I dismissed Tethys way back when she launched, but I actually feel like she’s found a niche with her high Res stat? Again, hard to justify, though. Winter Jaffar: Great character art, honestly. Top Tier. Decent combat potential, but his green coloring hurts him pretty hard. Also he’s armor, I just have a hard time with armors.

Red Mage: OG Tharja: She’s on a similar level as Nino, for me. But has a refine that gives her a really interesting niche. I go back and forth, I need to test her out in combat more. Aversa: Incredible support, especially in large maps like Grand Conquests. Her merges would be mostly about getting that HP stat up. I don’t really need her to be combative. Arvis: I love his character design and he can have some really fun builds with his special B skill. I’m waiting for a refine before I make any decisions, though. Iago: New character that I don’t love in terms of base game, but interesting support potential. Male Morgan: He’s shown up so many times I could build two +10 versions of him (which crosses my mind sometimes). I wish his defensive stats were higher, it would make for a slightly more interesting unit. Blue Mage: Fallen Delthea: I realize that I really do love a lot of the Fallen character’s designs...except for Celica. Delthea has a strong presence and she could be worth the Grails. Brunnya: I’m seeing Brunnya everywhere on Reddit. I should pay more attention to her builds, I think. Why are there so many decent Grail units?? Reinhardt: Not a hot take: don’t love Reinhardt. But fuck if he isn’t super useful sometimes. It’s really remarkable how well he’s stayed either inside or right outside the meta. Still not gonna build him. L’Arachel: I love her character and personality, and I just have this sinking feeling that her refine is gonna suck. So idk, hard to tell at the moment.

Green Mage: Soren: Also capable of the Triple Chill strategy, but with more Combat Prowess. I don’t have enough for a +10 though right now. Definitely on the backburner. Halloween L’Arachel: A person can dream, right? I have one and would love more. Maybe in the future. Staff: Silque: One of my favorite characters from SoV. And I just love defensive healers. I could get her to +2 right now, and I think it might be worth it to have her be a long term goal. Forrest: I don’t have enough to +10 Forrest, but I do love his design. It leans into the aesthetic very well. His stats are pretty lackluster, unfortunately. Mercedes: Pretty sure I could just copy and paste from above. Mercedes is one of the best characters from 3H, but her stat line and a lack of copies at the moment...hard to justify. Brady: Another great defensive healer. Easier to merge than Silque, but his personality is kinda meh for me. Pass.

Dragon: Myrrh: Myrrh was on my “most wanted list” with OG Ephraim for forever. I only pulled an pitybreaker Myrrh a month ago. Her refine is INCREDIBLE, and I would love to try to get more merges for her. She has an upcoming banner coming up, and if I can score a couple of merges, I’ll be a happy camper.

Beast: Reyson: I’m close to being able to +10 Reyson soon. He gets a decent amount of work just as a dancer, if I fully kit him, he’d be able to hold highly with L!Azura in terms of usage, if only because of his weapon effect. Good solid passive healing is always hard to come by unless you use the healing specials. He’s worth a further look.

I’ll analyze the rest of this tomorrow...Part 3, Section 2 will have to wait.

#ddc talks FEH #ddc talks #fire emblem heroes #fire emblem #part 3

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stars-forever-dwell-blog1 · 8 years ago

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Round Two: The Hospital

Okay, so I was going to write the last installment on the whole “Depression Cure” string of posts, but. . .yeah. Instead, I’m going to write about how I was in the hospital on the weekend. Again.

Where to begin? I’ve actually been doing fairly well lately, all things considered. It’s been getting warmer and springier outside lately, which always puts me in a good mood, and I’ve had tons of time to think and ponder and reflect and look forward and dream without the clutter and bullshit of a job that sucks the life out of me, so things were looking up. My boyfriend and I went back to reality for a few days, saw Cirque du Soleil (Amaluna), ate Indian food, stayed in swanky hotels, saw some friends of the human, animal, lakeous and mountainous variety. And I got a puppy, which has been a dream of mine since FOREVER. (Her name is AmaLuna Ruby, and she’s a Newfoundlander, possibly crossed with a black Lab, if you want to know. She’ll be 3 months on February 4th and she’s growing at a ridiculous rate. I love big slobbery dogs.)

So I’ve been on serious puppy patrol for a few weeks now, making sure she’s not peeing or pooping in the house, or chewing or shredding or ripping or tearing or breaking anything, or chasing my cats. I’m up before dawn to take her for a bumble in the woods near our house every morning (this from the girl who loves to stay up all night), and I’ve been saturated with warm puppy belly rubs, slobbery kisses, and general adorableness.

But I’ve had literally zero time for me, as I’m sure all new parents will tell you is the case. And for me, that spells badness. I need some time, every day, when I can just be. (In Chinese it’s called wu wei, the art of not doing.) It keeps my anxiety under control, it gives me time to think, to daydream, to get lost (or found) in a book, to write, to play piano, to breathe. I need to check in with myself daily, to sweep out the corners of my mind, to challenge any lies from that self-hating voice that have built up, to kick their collective asses and send them on their way. To water and nourish the good thoughts and encourage them to grow. If I neglect this, things get ugly fast. And they did.

I should mention here that I have serious trust issues. This is due, in part, to dating some serious losers, but it goes farther back than that. Even my first “relationship”, when I was fifteen (which I don’t really count, cuz hey, I was fifteen) was disastrous. I’ve just never felt comfortable as A Girlfriend. I feel awkward and like I have to be someone/something that I’m not. I make boys uncomfortable. I feel smothered when a guy constantly wants to hold my hand and suck face. I like my space. I’ve always been a tomboy and independent. I walk fast and I don’t like to slow down. And it seems that guys always want me to slow down, be softer, hold onto them, want their advice, stop dancing so hard, stop flirting, need them more than I do. But I hold the Artemis archetype. Turn me loose in the forest naked with my animal friends and a bow, and I have all I need. Sorry, lads.

Maybe it’s because of my parents and their seriously twisted relationship (which I will get into in another post.) It’s weird how nowadays, when someone says “my parents are divorced,” people don’t even really bat an eye. But what does that really mean? Do we feel that our families, our roots, were torn and broken? How has it affected us as kids? During our formative years? As adults? Sexually? Relationally? What do we we believe about love? Do we believe it’s possible?

So how, you might be asking yourself, do I find myself in a long-term committed relationship right now? And the answer is. . .with great difficulty. I have so many issues, fears and neuroses surrounding relationships with guys that it sometimes gives me a headache.

The particular issue that ultimately put me in the hospital this time (among other things) was the issue of me-time. I need a lot of it to feel balanced. But being A Girlfriend, I feel guilty for needing any. I think somewhere in my mind exists this Girlfriend Prototype that wakes her boyfriend up every morning with blow jobs and breakfast in bed, sends him off to work with fresh coffee and kisses, greets him at lunch in a naughty nurse’s outfit (holding a sandwich, very meaty), and when he gets home in the evening the house is immaculate, dinner is ready and very balanced, dessert is mildly dirty, and sex always ensues before sleep. She is always funny and witty but not too funny or witty, always comforting and nurturing while at the same time managing to be one of the guys, and can somehow walk that fine line between wide-eyed please-show-me-how-to-put-this-bookshelf-together-girliness, and I-can-play-poker-with-my-boyfriend’s-friends-and-almost-but-not-quite-win. She smells like vanilla and the dishtowels never have creases; her garden is always flourishing but her nails are never dirty. On the (extremely rare, of course) days she decides to be lazy and not wash her hear or get out of her pj’s, she still manages to look sexy and cute. The sheets are always clean but what she does between them is not; she makes amazing chocolate chip cookies and would be a good mother to his kids. What’s that quote? “A woman must think like a man, act like a lady, look like a young girl, and work like a horse.”

So my super awesome solution to this problem is to take no me-time at all, and then get more and more anxious and freaked out over nothing that I end up actually being in a really bad frame of mind.

In our house, there is a room for my me-time. My piano is in there, my cats love the bed, my altar and books are in there, along with all my art supplies. So it’s not like my boyfriend wouldn’t be cool with me taking time for myself. Yet still I don’t do it. Good girlfriends are supposed to be like a never-ending, gushing fountain, eternally pouring out love and energy and support to their boyfriends. Blah, blah, blah.

So, the end result of all this last Friday was that I needed to go to the hospital to feel justified in taking time to myself. It was kind of a pointless endeavor, since like everything else in this town, the hospital here is ridiculously limited, and there are no mental health people to talk to on weekends, so you basically just sit there and do nothing. And the majority of the nurses there have the bare minimum of training in regards to mental health, so there’s a lot of judgement and impatience flying around. When I got there the nurse said to me, “You either have to promise not to kill yourself, or I’m going to put you in a locked room. We’re too busy to be checking on you.”

And the pancakes. I thought pancakes were something that really couldn’t be gross, even in a hospital. I was wrong.

#depression shitthatsucks hospital

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naturessoleil-blog · 6 years ago

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Spring Leaves //Spring Prince\\

In which Soleil’s emotions are returned and she makes a decision.

Triggers: uhm none? this is just SAAD

Check out this for relevant events

@the-greatprince

SOLEIL

Soleil woke with a start so fierce it caused the wildlife around her to take flight. There was pain. So much pain that it flooded her entire body and made it near impossible to get up. The forest around her was no longer foreign. Each tree leaned towards her with worry, their whispers drowning out any and all thought. Each one thought the same.

Has our Sprite returned? Friend Sprite are you yourself?

For long moments she was confused, her brows knit tightly together as she tried to piece it all together. There had been Zero but then the ghostly girl had left. Mel…. Mel has take her sadness, she’d flourished then. She could remember being elected to the Board, sitting with Hades and Simba and Al and that horrible De Vil woman. The dragon. She’d convinced Soleil to abandon her post. She’d…. She’d crushed the vial that held her sadness.

Slowly it all came back to her. Those unkind words as she sought the destruction of Swynlake. Retribution, she had thought it was. She didn’t recognize it for what it was. Annihilation.

The tears came then as her chest seized with the horror of all that she had done. How many people had she hurt? How many more we’re going to hurt because of the consequences of her actions? That world she had dreamt about, the horrible things she had allowed to happen, the horrible things she had influenced. How could she? How could she have done such things?

The Prince. I need— I must talk to the Prince. Please. Please.

THE GREAT PRINCE:

Soleil’s dark magic had released its hold on Enchantra.

The Great Prince knew at once when he woke from the horrifying spell-dream that had trapped all of Swynlake in its clutches. While the foul scent of District 6’s mines still clung to his nostrils-- all ash and fire, nothign like the fresh flower and grass of his home-- he left the fog at once, rising from where he’d been resting while on his quest to find Soleil.

She’d hidden well. But now, whatever spell...whatever curse, whatever strange delusion had seized Soleil… that was gone too. Because her voice came to the Prince through the roots of Enchantra. It rippled his way, her plea a single pebble sending ripples through the pond.

I need you, said Soleil. The trees echoed her plea. She needs you.

And so the Prince told the forest to take him to Soleil and they did. The trees bent back their branches and the path reopened to him. He walked steadily forward and emerged in the heart of Enchantra. Through the trees, he felt the sun warm the back of his pelt. The dappled lights led him on.

And there Soleil was, trembling like a sapling upon the forest floor.

The Prince, in his deerskin, stopped in front of her and then bent his head.

My child, he said gently. I am here.

SOLEIL

She wept. Thick tears that felt molten hot on her cheeks. Where each landed a plot of flowers grew, bright and wild. Beautiful. It didn’t matter that the flowers continued to whisper that it was okay. That she hadn’t been herself. Her actions had not been her own. Enchantra still cared for her.

How could that be? She had used it for her own agenda. Had twisted it into something that was fearsome and terrifying. She had made everyone scared of it.

When the trees parted, Soleil looked up. A fresh set of tears sprang to her eyes as she saw The Great Prince. She remembered his words to her. How could he had sounded when he turned his back to her. She did not blame him.

She didn’t stand, didn’t rush to him. His voice was gentle but… she did not think it would be permitted. She did not deserve comfort. Not after this. Not after the entire town was engulfed in such pain and suffering.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she whispered, not looking to him. She couldn’t stand to see the disappointment in his eyes. The hurt.

THE GREAT PRINCE:

The Great Prince’s heart ached inside him with each thump that it gave. It was like walking with a thorn stuck in the tender skin between his hooves. There was no escaping that pain. It was part of him, as sure as the blood that pumped through his veins and the magic of Enchantra, once again coarsing through him.

He saw that Soleil was in such pain now too. Where had this pain been before? The sorrow, the regret, the kindness that caused her to weep such big tears? The flowers opened their petals around her, their fragrance as new and clean as spring, even though that season was far away.

This was not the season of new things. Soon it’d be the season of old.

And the Prince felt the wear of his age now. He saw it resting on Soleil’s shoulders.

He wished to take it from her and bear it all himself. There was much he didn’t understand but what he could piece together was this: whatever curse had taken over Soleil, the magic of Swynlake had broken with its strange dream. Even Soleil had tears for the ruins of Swynlake depicted there; for the people who had died; for the poverty and pain of the Districts; for the emotionless gamemaker she had been, who orchestrated it all.

This was enough of an explanation for Prince. To know that Soleil had not been herself, and to see the little sprite he loved had returned… it was easy to forgive her.

I know, little one. It’s alright. He nudged gently at her cheek, his large marbled eyes fluttering closed. The forest is as it one was. We forgive you.

SOLEIL

We forgive you.

How could he forgive her? How could the forest forgive her? After all she had done… She could barely forgive herself for the images that came rushing at her again and again.

She leaned into him, his face warm as he nuzzled her cheek. Why did she think that things would be better with the dragon? Why had she let herself be taken advantage by her? More and more questions filled her head as she breathed deeply. This was allowed. Finding comfort in someone she cared for so dearly.

“I should have listened. I shouldn’t— I shouldn’t have gone to see Mel,” she whispered after a long moment. “I should have listened.”

Her hands wiped at her face as she pulled away from him. She had to fix this. To make her wrongs right. She sniffled once, twice, before she was able to look at The Prince. “I’ll leave. If that is what you wish. I know— I know that what I did… it put the forest at jeopardy. I destroyed the balance between Enchantra and the town. I put everyone in danger.”

THE GREAT PRINCE:

At least Soleil did not turn away. She leaned into him instead, her cheek pressed against the side of his snout. The Prince blinked his long eyelashes and wished that he could do more for her. He wondered if his humanskin would be better suited then...if what Soleil needed were a pair of arms to hold her, to sweep the tears from her eyes and to smooth her brow.

But that would not take away the pain she was feeling, eking fresh from inside her, from all the places where she’d shut herself off. The Prince still wondered what had happened. It must be the dragon, he thought, or no, the witch. There would be no telling he supposed, not until Soleil was ready. And even then, there were some things best left unsaid.

And there were some things that needed time to heal. Not hugs, kind words, or company. Simply-- time.

That was a lesson from the trees and the plants as well, and the Prince knew that Soleil must know it too. After a fire swept through, only time could turn the ash into fertile soil. After a hurricane, only time could turn the debris to healthy forest litter and clear the destruction.

She was a creature of spring. A creature of rebirth. It would take time, but even Soleil could be reborn.

You needn’t leave, little one, the Prince told her. No, no, of course not. Enchantra is still your home. You belong here. Despite your mistakes… you are not the sum of them. No one has ever given Enchantra so much as you. He moved forward again and nudged her cheek again, just once. Stay, Soleil. Stay and help rebuild Enchantra. You are home here.

SOLEIL

The tears did not stop falling from her cheeks as The Prince spoke or even as he nudged her. The sadness that had been trapped away for too long was too hard to ignore. It mixed with everything that had been stolen from her. Everything that she had been devoid of in the last few months was there rushing and crashing and overflowing. It was exactly as Mel had warned. As the Prince had warned. But she hadn’t listened. She never listened.

She hadn’t listened when her parents had told her to be careful, to not flaunt her closeness with the forest and her affinity for soft women. It had caused her forest to be burnt to the ground. Everything she loved dearly destroyed because of her actions. Seventy years later she had almost done the same thing. Nothing had changed. She hadn’t learned anything. She hadn’t grown. Soleil was still the same foolish girl that she had been when she was freshly seventeen.

“I don’t want to leave,” she hiccuped. Enchantra was her home. Had been for so long now. The last thing she wanted to do was leave. And the Prince was not telling her to leave. He was telling her to stay. It took only a few more moments for her to move, her arms wrapping gently around the Great Prince’s neck. The action was familiar and warm, giving her a sense of peace as she stood there next to him.

Soleil pulled away from the Prince slowly, her tears having dried for the time being. A thought swirled as she looked at him, his wide eyes full of concern and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. There was only one way to fix what she had done. To make it all better, to reverse it. “Will you come with me, Prince? To--- To Zerophinia? Our home?”

GREAT PRINCE:

The Prince would stay with Soleil as long as she needed. This he decided as she leaned back into him again and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was such a small and slight thing, much like the saplings she helped coax from the soil. But he also knew that she was strong too. Her magic had always been as powerful as she’d displayed in the past few months, even if it had been in service of something darker. She had always had it inside her though. It was even there now.

In time, and maybe with help...not just the Prince’s help, but Clarion, Lord Milori and the support of Enchantra around her...Soleil would come to see that and know that for herself. There would always be next spring, the Prince told himself. Next spring would be a new start.

But her next words confused him as she pulled away. He raised his head again and looked down at her, the confusion reflected in his eyes. But he would not say no to her.

So slowly, he nodded. Yes, Soleil. Wherever you’d like to go, I will come with you.

He would not turn his back on her again. He would not give up on her again. He would not leave her alone.

SOLEIL

She nodded as the Prince agreed. Even with the confusion in his eyes. He was agreeing to go with her, not pulling away from her. Then I can no longer protect you, Soleil. You will be stopped and then you will be removed. There is no home for you any longer in Enchantra. Those words did not need to haunt her. Not that they had. She’d heard them when they had been uttered and walked away as if it were nothing. But coming back from all of that, the words had repeated over and over.

But he was not walking away from her now. He was going to go with her and all would be made right. Her mistakes would be reversed and the forest would flourish because of it.

Her feet carried her quickly, moving through the forest that was so familiar to her. It was home and would always be. The Prince was very right about that. In all the years that she had lived there, she had been a part of it. Even when she had been hellbent on destroying everything around it, she’d had a place. Enchantra had waited, had known that she would come back from it. That things would return. It had intervened at the most pivotal moment to ensure the town and the forest’s survival.

It didn’t take long to reach the clearing in which she had said goodbye to Zero. The large tree that she had coaxed into growing was still there. She could still feel the magic that thrummed around it. It made her eyes water as she moved from the Prince to place her hand to it. The notion that Zero was still there, her soul encapsulated within the tree, was a silly one. Soleil was well aware of that fact. But it had given her solace at one time. And it gave her solace now as she smiled softly and pressed her forehead to the bark.

“I came here for months afterwards,” she spoke softly, letting her hand fall from the trunk of the tree. “It was one of our favorite spots. I’d come in the morning before she rose and she always found me. It’s beautiful in the early hours of the morning. Dew covers everything and when the sun begins to shine it filters in slowly. It’s as magical as the forest itself.”

As she finished speaking, she turned towards The Prince. Her eyes had begun to water again, the emotions filling her again as her thoughts solidified. “I would like to stay here. With Zero.” Her hand again motioned towards the tree. “My magic will still help Enchantra. It will not leave it.”

GREAT PRINCE:

The Great Prince followed as he said he would, the forest peeling back the quickest path to arrive at Zero’s tree. The woods were quieter here...not as many squirrels chattering in the trees or birds trilling to each other from their respective branches. Even the trees themselves did not speak much, simply listened as they arrived here and Soleil moved forward.

The Prince didn’t know what she was doing. He expected to stay here with her for a while. Perhaps this is where she found the most peace, just like, for Prince, he sought out the peach tree in the northeast, where he could sit and eat fruit with little to no disturbances. He could remember Willow there too; though these days, he went less and less, his past no longer as special as his present, with Bambi and Ella to keep him company.

It made sense then that Soleil would seek out her loved one. The Prince only wished he could do more for her. If only he could draw the revenant’s spirit back...but there were some things that no magic, however powerful, could do.

He could only listen. And so he did, until Soleil turned to him after a few moments and uttered something that made the Prince give pause. His head tilted. What could she mean…?

And then it was the trees, as quiet as they had been, who spoke the answer to him now. They whispered what Soleil wished to do and the Prince’s eyes widened.

He was glad for his deerskin now, for in his deerskin, he could not weep.

But-- Soleil. I-- what will I do without you? The Prince said, knowing that saying such a thing was so selfish, knowing that Soleil wished to give all of herself to Enchantra. He should rejoice of her gift.

But he could not think past the hole appearing in his heart. You-- you are too dear to me.

SOLEIL

Just this once Soleil did not want the Prince in his deerskin. She wanted to hug him, wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head against his chest. She wanted his arms to wrap around her as she muttered her tearful goodbyes. She had never gotten to say goodbye to her own father but the Prince… he had become her father in his own right. Her dearest friend and the father figure she did not think she’d have again.

“I will still be with you, sweet Prince,” she whispered softly, stepping closer now. “You will not be without me. My voice will still resonate throughout the forest. My presence will still be here. I would not leave you so totally.”

She did move forward then, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as she buried her face against his pelt. It was easy to recall the emptiness as he had told her that Enchantra was no longer her home. It felt like nothing. There was no fear or sadness. The words hadn’t affected her. Now, though, she felt them. But she also felt him taking back those words. Reminding her that Enchantra would always be there for her. She needed to always be there for it. For the forest and for the Prince.

“Promise me you’ll visit often.” She whispered, not quite ready to pull away from him. “Or—Or send messages. And I’ll promise to always send something back. Some sign that will let you know I am there.”

GREAT PRINCE:

Soleil stepped closer, her slender arms roping around his neck. How often had she hugged him just like this? And brought him flower crowns and necklaces to drape around himself. How many times had they walked through this same forest together, side by side, in whatever form the Prince decided to appear in? With Soleil, he could be either man or beast-- he could be both, he could be neither. He could be himself and she understood him, their friendship transcending the definitions of the Mundus world.

She had always been like him, anyway-- not human now, though once she had been. She knew both worlds and had walked with a foot in each.

Who else would he have now to understand this? Not even Bambi...who might have some of the Prince’s powers but had not grown up in this world, with nothing but fairy chatter and the voices of the trees to keep him company. His son would never inherit Enchantra either, not if he didn’t want it, and the Prince knew that he didn’t. He had bigger dreams. Mundus dreams.

The Prince couldn’t help but feel alone then. Even if Soleil was right and he wouldn’t be.

His heart throbbed as if there was a thorn pressed in its centre. The Prince looked at Soleil’s soft eyes and he blinked his own. He blinked and pushed at the pain. He blinked and tried not to miss her already.

Is this...really what you want, Soleil? He finally said. If it is...then yes, I will promise. I will come every day

SOLEIL

There was a calm that was taking over Soleil now. It swept through her like the Kohaku, coursing steady and sure. This was what she was meant to do. It was how she would fix it all. For every action there was an equal and opposite reaction. Soleil had created so much destruction in the past months. Now it was time for her to simply create. Breathe life back into the forest that meant so much to her.

The trees swayed, silent, as she looked over the Prince. He was so sad, so tired. The Sprite knew how much loss he had suffered, how often he said goodbye. Either to the creatures of the forest or the changing seasons. It was a part of his job, his duty. Of course there were other guardians here; Lord Milori and Queen Clarion, they could help him and would. He would not be alone. Soleil would have never left him alone.

Becoming a part of the forest would not leave him alone. She’d be with him more, she felt.

“It is. What I want and what I need.” She replied after a long moment. “I have to rectify the things I have done.”

GREAT PRINCE:

The Prince knew her answer would not change; there was no reason to hope that it would. There was no reason to waste his own breath and ask her to stay. If not for herself, then for him.

This was not the way of the Prince though. It would be too selfish. And Soleil’s words echoed through his head as well, even if they had been borne from cruelty, from a dark magic that still the Prince had no name for. You have spent too much time with the mundus woman and your son. He felt those words and was guilty for them. He had been a selfish, bad Prince-- he was as much responsible for Soleil’s actions as she was. There was so much he would change this past year, so much that he would do differently…

But at least this once he could put the forest first as Soleil did now. Not her own vision, not revenge, not retribution. She thought only of Enchantra and how it might grow stronger.

The Prince must stand with her.

And so the Prince stepped back and then he bowed his crown of antlers to her, bending one of his slender legs at the knee so he might lower himself in this way. The Prince rarely bowed to anyone. But Soleil’s sacrifice must be honored.

You have my blessing, my respect, and my love, little Sprite, said the Prince. I will stay with you as long as you need.

SOLEIL

The Prince bowed and Soleil knew that this was goodbye… for now. She did not know if she would ever return to this state of being. Aside from the Prince she did not have anyone else that would need her. Gregory and Jim, perhaps. Hades. But they would understand in time why she had done this. Penance was not an uncommon thing. In time they would understand and they would come to accept it. Or at least she hoped.

“My sweet Prince,” she murmured the words as she stepped forward before kneeling in front of him. Her arms wound around his neck again, a soft sigh falling past her lips. “Thank you.” For giving me a home, helping me to grieve, for not turning your back to me so completely. Those thin arms moved from around him after a moment as a soft smile took residence on her features.

It was time.

Her magic filled the glen, the warmth engulfing Soleil so entirely. She could feel Enchantra’s heartbeat, her own becoming a part of the symphony of its life. Legs that had once carried her through the woods now rooted themselves in the soft and rich earth of the forest. Her torso elongated, thickened; soft skin turned to rough bark. The forest filled with her magic, the trees around them swaying and swelling with it as it was released at the root.

It took only a few moments for the large Rowan tree to appear in the forest beside the silver birch. It swayed gently in the breeze, shadowing the Prince, as the residual magic settled. If one looked hard enough they would be able to see the Sprite’s smiling features in the bark of the tree, would hear her laughter as the leaves rustled together in the breeze.

Do not be sad for I am not gone. I am here with you. I will always be with you.

#x;interaction #x;the great prince #x;spring prince #into the woods #this whole thing #has me so emotional

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