#[DERRICK.] “THAT PERSON CLOSEST TO HIS HEART.”

[hunterisnearme]

Silly Warframe x TTCC crossover stuffs I have brewing in my mind since I now have accidentally opened the gates of both my interests and seeing that people actually unironically enjoy the rambles, here is the list of all managers that I associate them with Waframes and what Zariman Focus they'd major in. (Spoiler free! Just saying which warframe they'd use as operators/drifters)

LET'S GO!

Derrick Man | William Boar

William in my honest opinion would be a Lavos. Lavos in itself is a mish-mash of defense and support, given that William gives off the vibe of someone who would use his body as protection while using potions (or oil in this case) to boost his team mates. William's focus, however, is Naramon. Tactic and whimsical, despite how stern he is as a person.

L.A.A | Alton S. Crow

Alton aka Mr. BIG STEPPY is going to HAVE to be Rhino. While he's a twig, 100% would go for the build of a Rhino JUST BECAUSE of how strong and powerful his steps are. I'm sure if you bonk his Rhino enough his true body will flop out and you can just kick the guy around like a nerd. (I say this with affection.)

An Unairu by heart. He'll assume the best of himself and believe you have what it takes to take down his economy build.

P.R.R | Winston Byrd

Nyx by the automatic. Mind games? Absolutely. There is no way you wouldn't put him in the position as the psychological warfare. Unpredictable, cunning, and uncertain, Winston would definitely use his mind game at the max. (Maybe he's gotten thrown out of existence due to the void overtaking his sanity from the get-go too, honestly. Maybe that's why he's a little looney.) Madurai is what he would be, though with a twist. While most Madurai are known to be brawns over brains, he actually uses that exact brain to demolish his enemies from inside-out.

Duck Shuffler | Buck Ruffler

Zephyr! Mostly because Zephyr is a bird-related Warframe. He'd be the kind of person to swoop from the heavens and raise the stakes of piercing down his enemies with either the beak or talon. He's all about being unpredictable, and of course risking a lot to gain far too little. Another Madurai, simply because he's going in head on!

Deep Diver | Mary Anna

Hydroid, of course! Just like the Warframe itself, she's all about being in the deep-levels of things. Of course, this was a match made in heaven, especially given that they both would enjoy the aquatic life in things such as Neptune's water ecosystem! A vazarin as well, given Mary's need to learn her opponents and as well understand the weak points of an enemy.

Gatekeeper | Holly Grayelle

Styanax, the embodiment of protection and being the knight of everyone's story. Although a different time frame, I'm certain she'd still pick this Warframe simply because of the fact that it represents a true warrior. In her eyes, she believes she is no different. An Unairu for the fact she doesn't step down her place.

Mouthpiece | Belle Dama

Trinity! A supporter, but also a hefty fighter. She can help aid her allies while absolutely DEMOLISHING her enemies. She is wise, given her more in-depth experience in combat than most of the others. And Vazarin, for sure!

Firestarter | Flint Bonpyre

Ember, specifically. He, of course, is far more passive in this team comparing to most. Though at the same time, if it comes to the safety of those he care for, then he will absolutely smite his enemies in the burning hell fires to make sure no one gets killed. (Even if it means he himself gets into the crossfire.)

Naramon, mostly because he's anxious at times but still very much studies what he can against his enemies.

Treekiller | Spruce Campbell

Closest I can say is a Vauban. I would've said Loki, or Oberon, but he is NOT a nature fella. And plus, he can come up with useful tools all while using up materials when necessary. Perhaps he may be on good terms with the Grineer for his hatred of nature? Steel Meridian is definitely buddy-buddy with Spruce. Another Madurai!

Bellringer | Benjamin Biggs

I'd like to think maaaybe a Banshee? It's a mish-mash, honestly between either a Banshee for him always being a loud speaker on gossip, or Ash to "go rogue" and eavesdropping on people. I can confirm though that he is Zenurik!

Featherbedder | Tawney C. Esta

Surprisingly, I see Tawney as a stone-hard Atlas. I'm not sure about them yet, honestly! But I'm sitting on the fence of Atlas, mostly because of the leer that Atlas possesses. A petrifying gaze of Tawney is possible enough, and they have the guts of an Unairu!

Prethinker | Brian [REDACTED]

Xaku! Xaku is the possession of multiple Warframes alike, thinking in one mind much like how Brian does with his jockeys. With the abilities of a mind hive, Brian is a Zenurik!

Rainmaker | Misty Monsoon

You would think I'd pick Yareli for Misty because of the water abilities, but I see her as a Wisp! Yareli is more of an attack-goer, but Wisp suits best in Misty's supportive and skittish behavior. Vazarin by the automatic!

Witch Hunter | Prester Virgil

Harrow! Even if he is meant to sacrifice his own defense for the sake of others, Prester would do it for the sake of defeating the greater evil in which he seeks as filth. Another violent and hostile Madurai, if you ask me.

Multislacker | Cathal

Grendel is what I see as best-choice for someone like Cathal. I'm certain Cathal also happens to be the type of Operator that prefers to work best at his own pod, hidden away while his Grendel is out and about consuming his enemies. He is an Unairu.

Major Player | Dave BruBot

OCTAVIA! It's obvious that as a Warframe of music, of COURSE Dave would aim for one as such. Just even hearing smooth jazz in the dark hallways has never felt so much more dangerous when it comes to the skill of Dave's combat. Dave gives me a more Zenurik vibe.

Plutocrat | Cosmo Kuiper + The Satellites

A man as cold Cosmo, you're destined to see him with a Frost at hand! His strong wield of ice within his hands is what brings him the best strength. And not all, but he has a Railjack that has The Satellites as his crewmen that manage around the ship. While they do not possess their own Warframes, they are useful in defense and attack as Corpus crewmates. Cosmo is a Vazarin!

Chainsaw Consultant | Chip Revvington

Chroma is as versatile and hostile as Chip himself can be. A Warframe difficult to adjust to, but Chip tries his best in order for him to maintain his own inner rage as a Tenno. An Unairu, if you squint real hard despite the Madurai elements.

Pacesetter | Graham Ness Payser

WE ALL know this because of the fact I have been drawing him nonstop in this AU, but he's a GAUSS CERTIFIED USER! A Madurai as well! And of course, because he's also got them Sellbot elements, he half-works with the Corpus.

[dexterousred]

SURPRISE?!

WHAT IS GOING ON??

“Why me again?” “Because no one else can do it, come on it’ll be great.” “Why am I here?” “Uh! You guys are so exhausting.” “I’m with you girl!” “At least someone has by back, now go and hurry we don’t have much time!”

-the door to Ty’s room burst open a tall and looming but familiar roommate lingering in its frame- Surprise!!! -the voices of three other people, two females who were the most exaggerated, and an awkward third male- Happy… -derrick began to speak, but his mouth was abruptly covered by Rachel- 

Not yet, big guy! Oh. Well go on grab him! 

-derrick’s eyes returned to Ty and he looked nervous but with a slap on his back from Rachel he barrelled forward and grabbed Tyson to heave him up over his shoulder- We’re kidnapping you! -Rachel declared and the five of them in total Ty included now began to rush out of the area-

The door to his room suddenly flew open, and there was Derrick; and-- Rachel and wait, what the hell--

“What-- Derrick, Rache--” He was cut off, suddenly and immediately tossed over Derrick’s shoulder. Tyson’s eyes widened considerably, and his palms scrambled, fingers gripped tightly to the backside of Derrick’s shirt. His heartbeat hammered, and Ty’s face certainly looked a nice shade of red.

“You’re-- what? Where are we going, exactly?” there was clear amusement in his voice; some, confusion too, still, Tyson smiled. He settled in, trying to get comfortable while just sort of dangling over Derrick’s shoulder.

Leave it to his friends to confuse him, in the best way possible.

[savagc]

floukru ;; notable mentions

there are anywhere from 50 to 75 members of floukru at any given time, so i thought i would make a post to list some that luna may reference in threads with others.

notable members acknowledged on this blog are as follows. [ like bring me floukru people and you have our hearts ]

luna. - formerly trikru, leader of the boat people. luna fled her conclave at the age of thirteen and upon her arrival at the rig, was looked up to first as a natblida and then for her beliefs, caring for children as a child herself, caring for her people.

cap. - formerly delphikru. cap is floukru highest ranked scout. he is the eldest of those luna calls ‘the brothers’ (cap, thatcher, lincoln) cap handles all shoreline signal fires and containment upon arrival at the rig.

thatcher. - formerly delphi, thatcher was cast out for being mute, hearing impaired, following a blast by the mountain men that destroyed his home. he is luna’s personal scout. sign language was taught by thatcher from the moment he arrived and met luna, formed between the two, and then luna taught it to the children on his behalf from there on. he is the closest to luna at all times and in ways is her body guard and big brother. thatcher is luna’s most tenderly close friend and confidant, protector.

lincoln. - formerly trikru. nuff said. lincoln’s home is the rig, more than it is anywhere else.

adria. - formerly louwoda kliron. adria is luna’s second for intents and purposes, raised as her daughter to lead floukru in the event that luna should pass.

koda. - formerly azgeda. two years of age or older verse depending.

river. - formerly ingranronakru. infirmary. the head floukru healer.

shay. - formerly louwoda kliron and like a sister to luna, shay teaches lessons with the children when luna is not and is known as a floukru seda alongside luna.

derrick. - formerly trikru. mostly works fishing and netting and i don’t really talk much about him here bc he just doesn’t vibe well with me, with how he comes off around luna sooo…if you know me you know a fair bit about how i feel about derrick. [ i’ll keep that abusive mess in other past posts where it belongs. feel free to just ask. ] 

arthur. - rig-born. luna’s ambassador in polis. given that it is the floukru ambassador who first stands to call for a coup, luna had heard plenty to be unhappy with lexa as commander and challenged her from afar. with hearing about the azgeda ambassador being kicked from the tower just prior, luna gave orders to her ambassador to voice her displeasure with lexa. arthur is great basically and is the grandfather within the clan, don’t fuck with arthur he will tattle to luna and you’ll end up with a coup de grâce. just hug him and braid shells into his beard.

animals on the rig. floukru harbors dozens of chickens as a second source of protein to the sea life pulled in with nets. three dozen are laying hens, and two dozen are there to hatch chicks. their numbers are closely monitored to keep a balance between meat and eggs. aside from the chickens all other animals found on the rig are companions and there are not many. a rabbit calls the rig home and goes where it likes.

notable animals on the rig.

Nox. - dire hybrid. as a pup nox was found and cared for by lincoln, but upon lincoln aiding luna in fleeing to floukru at the age of thirteen, the female wolf pup was left in luna’s care as a comfort as she adjusted to her new home. nox has grown at luna’s side and though mellow in demeanor, is known to snap at those who invade luna’s space, should luna feel threatened or uneasy. nox submits to luna when the command is given for her to lay down at luna’s side, but if luna does not give this command and is made to feel uncomfortable nox will defend her. derrick is the only person among floukru to have been scarred by the wolf’s bite.

[goddessofeternity]

Love Amidst the Darkness

Chapter 1: Budding Feelings and Future Responsibilities 

“Princess! Princess! Please open the door!”

 Althea covered her ears as she hid in the back stairwell of the palace behind the locked door. She had done it once again…embarrassed herself in front of a crowd of dignitaries. This had to be a reoccurring thing in her life, she was always so clumsy and not graceful at all. She was nothing like her mother. She could never be the perfect picture of elegance and grace. Oh, but she sure did try her hardest to be. She was frustrated with herself for being so clumsy. Her ladies in waiting were starting to get on her nerves. It was bad enough she had embarrassed herself, but the glances she received from the ladies made her feel worse. It seemed as though everyone expected more from her...and she wasn’t doing enough to meet their expectations.

 “Go away! I wish to be alone!” She yelled in anger, tears running down her face.

 “This is impossible….she won’t come out,” one of the maids sighed. The ball was still going on and people were starting to wonder if the princess was going to come back. If they couldn’t bring her back…then the king and queen would be very upset with them. And they wouldn’t want to incur their wrath.

 “Is she giving you trouble?”

 The ladies jumped at the sound of the voice and turned to see their queen standing behind them. They all dropped into deep curtsies as she gazed at them. She was smiling at them, not angry in the slightest, although she had an expression of slight worry and concern on her face.

 “N-No My Lady…I-I mean yes she’s hiding in the stairwell and she won’t come out.”

 “Hmm…I shall speak with her.” The ladies step aside as the queen steps in front of the door and knocks.

 “Go away! I don’t want to talk to anyone!”

 “Not even your own mother?”

 A hushed silence fell behind the door. A moment later Althea peeked out the door and looked at her mother. She didn’t look upset at all as she smiled at Althea. She sighed and moved aside to let her mother in. Althea sat down on the steps as her mother sits beside her.

 “Mother…I…I have made a fool of myself once again and embarrassed you and father.”

 “My princess you did no such thing,” the Queen laughs. “Lord Derrick isn’t upset with you…no one is my daughter.”

 “Sometimes…I wish I could be just like you mother…so regal and beautiful,” Althea sighed. “I wish I wouldn’t trip over my own two feet.” Hestia smiled and holds her daughter's face in her hands and shakes her head.

 “Althea, my sweet, beautiful daughter…I want you to be your own person. I want you just to be yourself…never change…ever.”

 “Y-Yes Mother.”

 “Now come and rejoin the ball…I know how much you love to dance.”

 Althea smiles and walks out the stairwell with her mother down toward the ball. Her mother always knew how to make her feel better, to always encourage her to be herself. As they got closer to the ballroom, the sounds of music and laughter of the people made her feel a little better. Although, she felt a bit antsy getting closer. Her mother nodded at the two knights standing near the closed doors and they opened it for their queen and princess. As they entered the room, it suddenly became quiet as they entered. Althea could feel her face become red at the glances she was getting from the people. She looked down at the floor as she followed behind her mother, only looking up to see her father sitting at his throne. Sensing his daughter's glance, the king looked over at her and gave her a warm smile. Althea felt a bit better seeing her father not angry with her. Not that he was ever angry at her, but still.

 “Father,” Althea curtsied at him.

 “Althea…I was beginning to think your mother wouldn’t be able to convince you to come back.” He chuckles and smiles at his queen. She in turn rolls her eyes and smiles back at him.

 “Yes because you could have done a better job my king?”

 “Why of course my queen.”

 Althea smiled at her parents playful banter and can’t help but think if she’ll ever get to experience such love in her life. The thought made her daydream not noticing Lord Derrick walking up behind her.

 “Ahem, Excuse me Your Majesties.” Althea jumped away startled and her parent’s chuckled.

 “Ah Lord Derrick…perfect timing…I believe my daughter has something she wishes to say,” the king says pushing Althea forward. Althea looks at her hands and goes red.

 “Ah um….L-Lord Derrick…I-I deeply apologize for dropping my drink on your robes…i-it was an accident.” Althea curtsied at him. Lord Derrick smiled and laughs.

 “Think nothing of it Your Highness…everyone makes mistakes, even a princess.”

 “See princess…all is well. Now go and enjoy the rest of the night,” the queen tells her. Althea released a breath of relief and walks onto the ballroom floor to dance. The queen and king sat at their thrones, and smile at their beautiful princess dancing around the ballroom. The king looked at his wife and sighed.

 “You haven’t talked to her about it yet have you?” He asks, holding onto her hand. The queen also sighs and holds his hand tighter.

 “No I haven’t…I want her to enjoy herself a bit longer,” she looks at him. “I just have a feeling she’s going to be upset about it.”

 “Yeah she will, but it’s for the benefit of the kingdom.”

 “Yes, yes it is. I…will speak to her after the ball.”

♛

Althea huffed as she stared into her vanity mirror as her handmaiden and closest friend brushed her hair. The rest of the ball had gone well…despite her clumsiness. Her parents seemed to be having an important conversation when she had walked away from them. Probably important things for the kingdom.  Althea huffed again glad that she didn’t have to worry about running the kingdom for quite some time. 

 “Is something wrong princess?”

 Althea pouted and looked up at the woman’s reflection in the mirror brushing her hair. The woman in turn smiled at her.

 “I’m fine Marina, just thinking about what my parents could have been talking about. I also said you could call me by my name.”

 “Of course Althea.”

 Althea felt her mind wander and leaned her head on her hands. She glanced back at Marina and smiled. Marina had always been a great source of advice for her. Marina was a few years older than her, but Althea always felt close to her. She didn’t treat her like a princess at times, but just like a regular person. Althea really appreciated it too. As she gazed at her, Althea couldn’t help but take in her beautiful features. Her full pink lips, her soft looking skin and bright blue eyes, which look as if the sky itself were trapped in them. Also her red hair that was soft to the touch reaching the small of her back. Althea couldn’t help but think Marina was just so beautiful. Althea felt her cheeks get hot as she looked at Marina’s reflection. It was an odd feeling for her, a new one even. Lately she felt her heart speed up whenever she was around Marina. Her stomach felt as if she had butterflies. Her mother often told her it was how she felt when she fell in love with her father.

 Wait? Love? It wasn’t possible for her to be in love with Marina. She couldn’t fall in love with...with a woman. It was insane, ridiculous, stupid, absolutely imposs-

 Marina looked back at Althea through the mirror's reflection and smiled at Althea so beautifully, Althea felt her entire body react. Althea jumped a bit, knocking the brush out of Marina’s hand and sending it tumbling to the floor. As Marina bent down to grab it, Althea looked back at her red reflection in the mirror. What was she just feeling right now? Sure Marina was beautiful, but…the thoughts that just ran through her head were just…they were just thoughts….right? It’s…not like she was attracted to her. Then again…it’s not like Althea was around any boys her age, just the knights around the palace. They were much older though and she barely was around them either. She had never even been in love before. Was…was she attracted to women or something? Or…maybe it was just Marina? Either way…it wouldn’t matter; it was just a fleeting feeling . Althea couldn’t help but wonder about it more as she failed to hear her name being called several times.

 “Princess, Princess!” Althea turned around and saw her mother standing next to Marina. Althea blushed and quickly stood up to greet her mother. Marina shakes her head and smiles. She curtsies to the queen and Althea and leaves out of the room. The queen sits on Althea’s bed and pats the bed next to her. Althea fixes her nightgown and sits beside her mother.

 “My princess, I must speak to you about something very important,” the queen says very seriously. “It’s about you and the future of our kingdom.” Just hearing her mother talk like that made Althea very nervous. Her heart started beating incredibly fast. If this was about the future of the kingdom…then she had to listen and be ready for whatever it was.

 “Althea…your sixteenth birthday will soon be here next year,” the queen begins. “And during your birthday ball, the many lords and ladies from all over the kingdom will be there to attend.”

 “Of course mother, I know that.” Queen Hestia holds up her hand and gives her a stern look and Althea quickly shuts her mouth. 

 “There will not only be the people of our kingdom there, but also other royals. My daughter…your father and I have neglected to tell you something important about your birthday ball. I have no doubt it will make you upset.”

 Hearing her mother say that only made her more nervous and scared. Althea nervously twiddled her fingers and took a deep breath. Her mother and father had been keeping something from her, she didn’t know if she felt hurt or not. 

 “Althea…on your birthday…you will meet your fiancé.”

 And then…Althea felt her heart stop. Her fiancé? So…her parents had an arranged marriage for her? She was going to marry someone she had never met before. And was expected to marry this person. Her dreams of finding love and happiness had all but shattered at her mother’s words. Her fairy tale image of happiness, love and marriage just disappeared. The hurt in her heart was intense and painful; she couldn’t even look her mother in the eyes anymore. Seeing the look in her young daughter's eyes the queen reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear.

 “I’m so sorry for not telling you sooner my princess,” the queen says softly. “Your father and I just weren’t sure how to tell you. We just want the very best for you my daughter. Even if this isn’t what you had imagined for yourself. This isn’t something we wanted either, but the council has spoken about it for quite some time. It's…for the kingdom my daughter.”

 Althea just sighed deeply and crawled under her blankets and buried her face in the pillows. Her mother sadly looked at her and stood from the bed. She lightly touched her daughter's head and kissed her soft hair.

 “Think about it…goodnight princess.”

 As her mother blew out the candle next to her bed and closed the door, Althea could think of nothing to stop the tears from running down her cheeks. The sadness in her heart was too much to bear. All she could do was just go to sleep and hope and pray that it was all a horrible horrible dream. This was all a nightmare she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Thanks for reading!

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[randbwrite]

La Comtesse Chronicles Chapter 4 Part 3

Words:1179

TW: Death, Graphic Violence, Blood CW: Vampires, Assassins

B: Her use of a term of endearment had Cal turning several shades of coral, a curious expression crossing his face, one neither were used to seeing...or feeling...on him. What’s this, someone’s feeling bashful? Would certainly make for good teasing material later, Derrick tucking away the information as ammunition for payback. About time someone could affect his friend like that. All the painted ladies of the court had never gotten that reaction out of the supposedly scurrilous assassin. 

Things turned serious much more quickly from then on. This “Comtesse” called Cal a young man and he was again feeling like a lad being reprimanded by his schoolmarm, something he’d left behind ages ago...in the future. Oy, this difference in years was going to take some getting used to. Speaking of, Mr. Nothing Can Bother Me About This Whole Affair. Yes...long name. But called for, given the circumstances. One floating and the other walking behind, Cal had some questions for his buddy. Like, a lot of them. Especially while he tried to pretend watching Ernest and Armand being tossed around like rag dolls was an everyday occurrence.

“So...anything you wanna tell me?” 

“Like what? M. la Comtesse said questions would wait till we were out of here.” 

“Questions for her. You on the other hand have some answering to do.” Cal paused for a breath and gawped at fire spreading over an invisible shield. CGI could only hope to capture the incredible show he was watching. “How much of this were you already aware of?” He gestured broadly at the display, shuddering involuntarily, recognizing the snap of a man’s mind broken.

Derrick’s eyes never left the scene playing out; knowing exactly how both elements played out when combating for dominance and being caught in the crossfire. Being invulnerable and watching someone else at the mercy of one stronger was...a unique experience. Give it enough time, they’d have exhausted each other before one won out. The same sire, no particular style or finesse bothered to be learned, neither had a leg up. Soon it was over, permanently.

“All of it.” 

He could list every ability the Citadel full of assassins carried and which ones didn’t have any. He knew their limitations, their quirks. Watched them spar, experiment, seen the aftermath of things they’d thought to keep secret. Cal didn’t need more of an explanation than that, knew well enough by the dearth of questions. To cut off the one his friend for once was trying to decide how to phrase diplomatically, he did Cal a favor and answered it anyway. 

“Yes, I am one. Figured out yet I haven’t exactly aged since you got here?” 

“Naw, assumed you were one of those blokes with great genes. This makes more sense I guess. ...Thanks.”

A look exchanged the words that went unsaid. Gratitude for keeping an eye out for him, in ways Cal hadn’t been aware could’ve been an issue, fishing his sorry behind out of a battlefield, whole lotta things that wouldn’t be spoken aloud. 

That was all they had time for, as the dreaded doors all too many had walked through and met a gruesome end were right in front of them. Cal’s fight or flight was kicking back in, self-preservation typically meaning staying as far away from these chambers as possible unless unequivocally summoned. His poker face wouldn’t reveal it, but the lack of his signature grin told all. 

Derrick might as well have been carved from stone. He’d never once entered these chambers, instead experienced with each and every member on the council under different circumstances. Still, with every confidence in la Comtesse, he paced after her, head held high before them for the first time in centuries. They wouldn’t be forcing him to take a knee, not today. 

Whatever they’d expected to happen, neither of the pair accompanying the pure blood could have anticipated what she did next.

Would seem none of the assassins did either for that matter, which was almost more surprising. Centuries-old tacticians, strategists, generals, and rulers, people who held the whole of Europe in their merciless thrall, and together they proved defenseless against the fury of Comtesse.

Silence had greeted them upon their entry, and silence reigned in their absence. Shock? Plotting? Acceptance? ...All of the above? The council had known going after her was risky, but perhaps had become too complacent in their invincible dynasty of power. She had unequivocally proven them wrong. 

No one would mourn their leader’s fall. Hyenas had more respect for the dead than would be shown a man who’s tenure had sown nothing but fear and contempt. He had until Comtesse and company left the Citadel’s gates before an eternal vengeance began. Never again would his name bring fear into the hearts of those who heard it. The threats promised died with his enhanced abilities. 

The halls were abandoned, any echoes purely in the imagination of the ones remembering. The foyer too, devoid of life. If not the bodies of their fallen comrades, then the spectacle witnessed in the council room deterred any from considering an approach. 

The pair offered new life did not hesitate. There was nothing about their past that could have any hold on them and...hey, the one person who had treated them with a speck of decency had given invitation. Even though she was also downright terrifying. It didn’t seem real, despite everything pointing to the obvious conclusion. How could it be anything but? Imagination had never conceptualized this outcome. However, it may take time before the implication, the reality of it all sank in. Course, seeing the leader who was the symbol of their subjugation to the Assassin’s League dethroned certainly solidified the situation. 

Their answer was a unified yes. Though phrased differently. 

“You will have my unwavering loyalty for the rest of my life, this I swear.” 

“So dramatic! But yeah, what he said. Obviously, I don’t have an issue not fighting on the side of the angels, but if there were any such thing I’d say you come the closest. Avenging angel, maybe.” 

Cal bounced on the balls of his feet, ever antsy. Better look on him than the lethargy from earlier; the waxen sheen was a mite bit concerning, however. Contrarily, an aura of tranquility radiated off of Derrick, relief hanging around shoulders pulled back as if freed from some oppressive weight. It was at him that Cal was caught gawking this time, though the typical crazy grin was soon to replace it. Aww and here he’d promised he wouldn’t get emotional. Not sure when, but eh. 

“Guess you’re stuck with us, Lady Comtesse. To the ends of the earth and back, if this one’s beatific mug is any indication.” 

A thumb was jerked in Derrick’s direction, only to have surprise replace the scamp’s cocky expression. Derrick used his enhanced reflexes to catch and muss up Cal’s already wild tangle into a rat’s nest, the pair behaving as bickering brothers do. Where’d he been hiding that speed?!? Ach...so much to learn.

[danceworshipper]

Kestra Fernera - HPMA Profile

(same universe as Lori)

Identity

Name: Kestra Alessa Fernera

Gender: Female (cis)

Age: Roughly 2000 years in total

Birthday (originally): August 23rd (leo)

Last Regeneration Date: June 18th

Species: Human, Phoenix Blood

Blood Status: Halfblood (originally)

Sexuality: Panromantic Demisexual

Alignment: Neutral Good

Ethnicity: Roman

Nationality: British

Residence: A modest townhome in a busy city

Personality Type: ENFJ - T (the protagonist)

Phoenix Blood Explanation

In her very first life, Kes was a ten year old girl walking the streets of Ancient Rome. She came across a strange, brightly colored bird that appeared to be made from fire itself. The bird had a deep gash in its stomach, and was dying (it was actually dying, not going to regenerate, as it has been stabbed). Kes thought this bird was some sort of godly creature, and tried everything she could to save it. On a last attempt, Kes forced all the magic she could muster into this bird's wound, nearly killing herself in the process. The bird was healed, and in turn, healed her. Kes was suddenly filled with the knowledge that the bird was a phoenix. It flew away for a short while and returned with a small, beautiful dagger that looked as though it was still molten. The knowledge of her immortality entered Kes' mind, as well as her immunity to fire. The dagger was the one thing that could kill her for real. As she took it, she burst up into flames, and when they died away, the phoenix was gone, leaving only a single feather behind. From that point on she had the mark of the phoenix on her chest, and could control fire as though it was part of her. This event occurred on her birthday, which just so happened to be the Vuncanalia. Many people took notice of this and declared her blessed by Vulcan himself, and brought her to live in his temple. She was protected and praised as the chosen one, and each regeneration after was treated similarly until Rome fell. The only two items she was able to save when her city fell were the dagger and the feather.

When Kes regenerates, her memories are lost and the mark disappears. On August 23rd of the year she is/will be ten years old for that regeneration, she enters a "memory fever" where her hands light up with fire, her eyes turned molten, and she goes back for a moment to her first life when she saved that phoenix as the marks burns back into her skin. She remembers key elements from some of her previous regenerations, but the only clear memory is the day she was blessed. The power that runs through her knocks her out for days, and in that time, the fire powers given to her redevelop. Her chosen goal is to learn the one answer that seems impossible: what truly is the purpose of life? Besides for this, she just wants to remember everything. The loss of her memory is the one thing that consistently haunts her through regenerations.

The Mage

Wand: Pine, phoenix, 13 3/4 inches, pliant. The feather is the one from the phoenix she saved in her first life, formed into a wand after the use of them became more wide spread. The wand itself is very light colored, smooth and strangely sharp at the end. It's the only wand she has ever owned, though she's not always sure how it gets back to her. After she wakes up from her memory fever this time around, she is able to unlock the chest her past self locked both it and the dagger in

Animagus: none yet, will eventually be a (you guessed it) phoenix

Misc. Magical Abilities: Strong fire magic. She does not need spells when dealing with flames, and fire will not hurt her

Boggart Form: A pile of ashes. Her worst fear is dying before she's ready

Riddikulus Form: Confetti

Amortentia (what they smell like): a campfire, herbs, and cinnamon

Amortentia (what they smell): currently parchment, old books, and metal. This will change as she gets older, as these are simply nostalgic smells

Patronus: Phoenix (duh)

Patronus Memory: One of the only memories from her first life she clearly remembers every regeneration: the day the phoenix blessed her. She could feel her own soul separate from her body, which felt absolutely euphoric - the most intense sort of pleasure she had ever felt

Mirror of Erised: Herself, looking tired and happy, holding the dagger in her hand. She's remembered everything, learned everything, and she's finally ready to pass on

Specialized/Favorite Spells:

- Aguamenti: not a favorite, but she had to perfect it because she's a hazard

- Expecto Patronum: she knows her patronus is that specific phoenix, long moved on from the earth. She misses her sometimes, and casts the spell just to see her and feel reassured

- Fiendfyre: it can't hurt her, so once she finds the Room of Requirement that's the first spell she's going to practice. Eventually, it will be as easy as snapping her fingers

- Reparo: for accidents

Appearance

(art by @kathrynalicemc , who originally created Kestra and then gave her to me)

Height: When done growing, 5'11"

Weight: When done growing, 146 lbs

Physique: Thin with visible muscles, long legs

Eye Color: After her memory fever, bright golden/orange like fire. Kinda scary to look at for most people. Originally hazel, and when she goes out she sometimes glamors them back so as not to draw attention

Hair Color: Black, thick and wavy

Skin Tone: Tan and absolutely covered in freckles

Body Modifications: the mark from the phoenix just below her left collarbone, multiple ear piercings

Scarring: Faded slashes across her back from her first life. They were given to her by her muggle father, who raged and whipped her when he discovered her mother's lies. After Kes became "chosen" he was burned to death as a sacrifice to Vulcan, and her mother was protected for the rest of her life at Kes' request. These scars will never go away, but they're only barely noticeable. They remind her who she was, and the magic seems to know how important they are to her

Inventory:

- her dagger, in its sheath and wrapped in silk

- her wand

- pomegranate lip balm

- loose change

- raw crystals to fidget with

- a snack of some sort

Fashion: When not in uniform, Kes likes to look good. She wears mostly autumnal colors and prefers fitted clothes to loose ones. As she gets older she starts to toe the line between school appropriate and not school appropriate as much as possible. She much prefers pants to skirts, and she loves high heels. She likes to have a subtle elegant tone to her makeup, in contrast to whatever the hell is going on with her hair, which is usually kept in either a low ponytail or a messy bun. Kes also wears flashy jewelry constantly, and likes to have her nails short, neat, and painted

Allegiances

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Allegiances/Organizations:

- Fernera Family

- High Priestesses of Vulcan (the group is all gone now, of course, but Kes keeps up a few traditions as a tribute to her past self)

Professions:

- Student (currently)

- Rescuer (future)

- Musician (future)

Hogwarts Information

Class Proficiencies:

- Astronomy: O

- Charms: E

- Defense Against the Dark Arts: E

- Herbology: A

- History of Magic: O

- Potions: E

- Transfiguration: E

Electives: none yet

Quidditch: she plays in her free time, but never joins a team

Extra Curricular:

- Music Club

- Yoga Club

Favorite Professor: TBD because idk who's in the game yet

Least Favorite Professor: TBD

Relationships

"Mother": Sarina Penelope Fernera

- is actually the youngest of Kestra's great grandchildren. When Kes regenerates it's the duty of the youngest (adult) living member of her family to raise her again

- Sarina was only just an adult when Kes regenerated, but family tradition demanded she take over

- She's one of the few people to have watched Kes die and come back, as Kes normally likes to be alone

- It scared the crap out of her

- She got help from her older brothers raising Kes so that she could pursue a career in Healing

- A year before Kes would remember who she was, Sarina fell in love with a muggle named Derrick Credian

- She had some explaining to do when her "daughter's" hands caught on fire and she started screeching about a dying phoenix in the middle of breakfast

- He's a nice guy though, and he's open to learning more about the wizarding world

"Uncle": Harold Atticus Fernera

- Five years older than Sarina

- Historian

- Has been researching to see if there are any other known Phoenix Bloods, but there seem to be no record of them

- Took on most of the extra babysitting for Sarina

- Married with a young son

"Uncle": Sebastian Noah Fernera

- Eight years older than Sarina

- Cursebreaker

- A bit less of a decent dude, jealous of Kes' power, you know how it is

- Even if he did find a dying phoenix to bless him it probably wouldn't. He's not pure of heart enough

- Divorced, no kids

Love Interest: possibly Lori, but subject to change

Best Friend: TBD

Rival: TBD

Enemy: TBD

Dormmates: TBD

Pets: a fire salamander named Spark. He's not technically allowed but who's going to stop her? She's the most qualified person to handle a creature like that

Closest Canon Friends: TBD

Closest Noncanon Friend: Oleander Loris

- They really don't get along at first

- Lori is TERRIFIED of fire, so that's inconvenient

- Kes actually wants to be friend with this girl, but Lori isn't having it

- Lori attacks Kes outside once and gets three months detention

- She's just afraid

- They don't become friends until the summer after third year, when Lori gets trapped in a burning building that Kes just so happens to be passing by

- Kes hears screaming and runs directly into the building past the muggle firefighters (she's glamored, so they all try to stop her)

- She finds Lori, and she uses her fire powers to keep the flames away while they get out

- The glamor fades away, the muggles freak out and need to be Obliviated

- Now, instead of someone to be scared of, Lori sees Kestra as a safe place, the one person that instead of Lori protecting them, it's Kes protecting Lori

- The professors are very confused by this development

- It's this incident that makes Kes want to be a rescuer

Closest MC Friends: None yet, but they're welcome!

Storyline

Pre Hogwarts:

- Kes can't remember how many lives she's had, but she knows it's been a lot

- Her childhood this time around was fairly quiet. Her and her mother were very close (it almost felt as if she'd already known her)

- She would have strange dreams at night, and she knew things she shouldn't be able to know

- Her mother would sometimes stare at her chest, and Kes didn't understand why

- Then on August 23rd when she was ten years old, she saw her mother fully panic

- Kes looked down at her chest, saw the phoenix mark, and it triggered her memory fever

- After she collapsed, she didn't wake up for a week

- Now that she knew, Sarina gave Kes the previous regeneration's old diary, thinking that Kes would be the best person to explain to Kes what was happening fully

- Even with her new memories, it took Kes a while to wrap her head around the concept

- Now she's ready to figure out as much as she can in order to use this life to the fullest

1st Year: TBD

2nd Year: TBD

3rd Year: TBD

4th Year: TBD

5th Year: TBD

6th Year: TBD

7th Year: TBD

Post Hogwarts:

- Directly out of Hogwarts Kes offers her services to the Ministry as a Rescuer. She's sent in whenever there's an issue related to fire, including important muggle rescues

- In her spare time she plays piano for random groups and performances. She never sticks to one place because of her Rescuer job, but she loves to perform whenever she can

- She gets married and adopts some kids. She's birthed many kids in previous regenerations, but this time around she doesn't want to be unavailable for a rescue while pregnant

Old Age and Death: Unfortunately, Kes hasn't done all that she's strived for, so her 'death' is only a regeneration. Once she considers this regeneration over, she locks her important things in her chest, makes arrangements for her new self to be raised, and slits her own throat to burn away. Someday she'll be able to use her dagger, but not this time. She doesn't have to kill herself to regenerate, but she's been feeling sick this time around and would rather choose when to burn instead of having it happen at a bad time

Personality

- extroverted

- optimistic

- confident

- compassionate

- can also kick ass

- goal oriented

- trusting

- it seems as though she daydreams a lot, but she's actually trying to remember as much as she can from her past lives in order to make this one the best it can be

- has a hard time apologizing

- surprisingly she has a bad temper, but she controls it well

Misc Information

- Kes discovered her attraction to girls way before her attraction to boys

- Like, regenerations earlier

- As one of the high priestesses, no man was allowed to touch her, so she spent most of her time surrounded by other women that were kept away from men... you can see where this is going

- It wasn't until Rome fell and they all had to scatter that she first fell in love with a man

- There wasn't really a good word for it back then, but she knew she loved men, women, and everyone in between

- Her favorite color is a dark red - in fact, she wears so much red that people often mistake her for a Gryffindor

- She's been in each of the Hogwarts Houses many times

- She can't remember it, but she was sorted into Hufflepuff her first time around

- Kes found her salamander, Spark, when she got lost in Knockturn Alley

- She stumbled upon a poacher selling rare and dangerous creatures

- She did not buy Spark. She melted the bars of his cage and stole him, and then reported the poacher to the authorities, selfishly keeping Spark to herself

- He loves her so much, and she loves him

- Sometimes she conjures fire without even realizing it, which is part of why she keeps crystals in her bag to fidget with

- Fire is kind of a hazard in a library after all, and she can't risk being seen playing with fire by a muggle when she's out in their world

- She still sometimes has nightmares of when her first father whipped her and her mother

[askshivanulegacy]

A, C, E, I, L, O, R ...Valentine's alphabet for Blakk, of course!! (If Blakk!fox varies significantly from regular caffeinated Blakk, please give details!! >.>)

A   :   AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection? 

Blakk is incredibly awkward when it comes to emotion, and there are a lot of emotions he doesn’t handle or express well.  But he has a good heart, and even when it’s impossible for him to express in words or physical contact (which is most of the time) he will look for the occasional nice gift he thinks the other person will like (most of them tend to be practical items).  He also really, really tries to act normal, and he usually fails.

C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?

He loves chocolate!  He doesn’t have a favorite he could name (more due to lack of experience than anything), but he favors the darker chocolates, paired with spices or with intense bursts of fruit filling.  He also likes pralines.  He will never turn down good, thick, spiced Hoth chocolate.

E   :   EMBRACE.   does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?

Blakk does not normally initiate physical contact.  He’s very aloof.  It doesn’t mean he doesn’t like it a lot from the right person, but it’s hard for him to get past his hesitance or to drum up the confidence to touch someone affectionately, especially if he’s not absolutely 110% positive they want it - which is all of the time.  A “hug” from Blakk tends to be more like … standing closer to someone.  Or not moving away if someone comes close.  In a quieter setting, he might sit on the floor right next to someone sitting on the sofa - he doesn’t like to presume that person feels comfortable sharing the sofa and he doesn’t want to invite himself in, but sitting on the floor is his way of saying he wants to be close and he’s open to the other person reaching out.

When he is hugging someone, he likes to wrap his arms around their middle and bury his face in their chest or shoulder or neck, depending on height (which he doesn’t have a lot of). He likes hugs to be warm and long and tight. X3

I    :   I LOVE YOU.   does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

It’s ridiculously hard for him to say it!  He’s afraid he’ll be rejected, he’s afraid he’ll have interpreted their feelings or his feelings wrong, he’s afraid of accepting the fact that he loves someone, and he’s afraid of what it might mean.  So he waits to hear it, waits to be sure, and if he doesn’t hear it from the other person, he assumes it was never meant to happen.

L   :   LOVE.   who does your muse love?

Oh man, asking the big questions. :P Blakk loves several people, in different ways.  His canon love is Saare-ha, the Sith who knew him as a child after he was taken to Korriban, and who he forgot, but who moved the galaxy to find him and save him.  He has a huge crush on a Zabrak bounty hunter, Seran-vin.  He also loves @kaosstar‘s Ziminder, and maybe that pans out in an AU or two. ;)   In another AU, he maaaabye falls for a certain arch enemy who somehow can’t get over the fact that Blakk accidentally murdered his parents (Derrick).  Also, in another AU, he might be developing feelings for a certain were-Bothan, although that might have “star-crossed lovers” written all over it. :’D  There are a number of other people in other flavors of AUs that Blakk loves, but those are the main ones, who (somehow) play a role in his main storyline.

O   :   ODE.   does your muse have a way with words?

Oh, Blakk has a way with words, all right.  Not always a good way, but definitely a way. :’D

R   :   ROMANCE.   is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

Blakk is closest to a romantic.  Being a cynic demands that he actually recognizes his feelings, and he usually doesn’t.

[dollwithavolleygun]

God, forgive me if I cry. Ticking time is running out.

Thanksgiving had been a success. A portion of Derrick’s extended family along with Elizabeth and Tyrgen gathered in the living room and dining room to feast. Leftovers were eventually placed into Tupperware containers and put in the fridge. Dishes piled in the sink. Relatives slowly but surely made their exits and Casey wandered upstairs to the guest bedroom for a tryptophan induced nap. 

Only thing I’ve ever done

Tyrgen and Derrick sat sprawled out on the sectional sofa occasionally nibbling on a piece of pumpkin pie while an old episode of Last Podcast on the Left played quietly on Elizabeth’s phone placed in the middle of the coffee table. She’d momentarily disappeared upstairs and finally emerged wearing one of Derrick’s oversized hoodies, her light pink hair tied back in a messy braid. 

“Did you bring it?” Derrick asked curiously.

She pulled her hand out of the front pocket of the hoodie to reveal an envelope. 

Closest I’ve ever come

“You ever find out what happened?” Tyr chimed in.

“Dad said it was a heart attack. She sort of recovered and then I guess backslid. She wrote this during her recovery period as a just in case kind of thing.” 

“Shit.” Tyr said quietly.

Oh so tired on my own

Elizabeth sat on the edge of the coffee table across from the boys.

“I still don’t know if I want to read it.”

“Do you want me to do it? I can read it out loud for you.” Derrick spoke up, his brow furrowing slightly as he sat up from his spot on the couch. 

Elizabeth bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. She finally took a deep breath and reached up to push stray strands of hair behind her ear while the other handed the letter to her boyfriend. Tyr also sat up from his spot on the couch as the only sounds that filled the room in that moment were crinkling paper and laughter from Marcus Parks. 

Best days I’ve ever known

“You sure you’re okay with this?”

Elizabeth nodded. Derrick started reading. 

Elizabeth, 

I'm not entirely sure where to start but I'll try to make this as to the point as I possibly can. 

I know things ended poorly the last time we spoke. I don't expect you to forgive me but I do hope you can find some sense of peace from this.  I didn't mean to make you feel the way I did and I should have been more supportive. Your father and I are from a different time. We were stubborn. You didn't deserve that.

I'm sorry. 

Jason has told us so much about what you've been up to. You've matured into a beautiful young woman and I wish we could have come together one more time so I could say this to you in person. You've worked so hard and have put so much effort into a career you've always loved. Please don't ever lose that fire.

I'm so proud of you. I love you. - Mom

Yesterday I found out the world was ending

He lowered the letter. The trio momentarily sat in silence.

A little more every day

She had pulled both of her hands inside the sleeves of her hoodie and placed them over her chin as she listened. They emerged and reached up to remove her glasses, setting them on the coffee table before covering her face.

Falls apart and slips away

“Liz?” Tyr spoke up first. 

“How could she do this to me??” She spoke up. Her voice breaking. Her hands removing themselves from her face and falling into her lap.

I don’t mind

“Why couldn’t she tell me any of this when she was alive? All I wanted was my mom.”

I’m okay

Derrick leaned forward and pulled her close as she began to sob. She hid her face against his shoulder and he placed his hand on the back of her head as a comforting gesture. Tyr leaned forward and gently took her hand, both men silently offering reassurance as she let everything she’d been holding back out. 

Wish it didn’t have to end this way

“I just want my mom.”

[shawnstoriesx]

Cup Confessions

“Venti Iced Green Tea Latte for Lily” YN yelled out from behind the counter.

It was a busy afternoon in the campus Starbucks. Finals week was just around the corner and people were getting their coffee fixes to help them stay alert and concentrate on their studies. YN should’ve been doing the same but she also needed pocket money. And that’s how she found herself picking up extra shifts.

YN took a quick glance around the shop, looking to see if whoever this Lily person was coming to pick up her drink. The shop was too crowded to tell so YN just left it on the counter and went on to the next drink. There was a line of about 7 drinks so YN had to get a move on it.

“Grande Cold Brew Coffee for Shawn!” she yelled before leaving it on the counter and rushing back to prepare the next drink.

“YN?” a deep voice called out.

She turned around and her eyes widened. A tall, handsome stranger was standing on the other side of the counter, holding his coffee in one hand and a textbook in another. His curly hair was pulled back with a headband and a backpack was slung around his shoulders. He was dreamy...and he was staring right into YN’s eyes.

“Um...hi. Yes, can I help you?” YN stuttered. She could feel her cheeks getting red.

“You really don’t remember me?” the stranger laughed.

YN smiled to herself. His laugh reminded her of an old friend’s laugh. Wait...

“Shawn? Shawn Mendes?” YN gasped incredulously. “No way!”

He shot her a dazzling smile and YN’s heart started to race.

Shawn and her had been neighbors when they were younger and were inseparable. They hung out every day and were the best of friends until Shawn and his family suddenly moved away the summer before high school. Shawn didn’t even give YN a heads up about it or anything. He just knocked on her door the morning of to say goodbye and that was that.

“What...what are you doing here?” YN blubbered.

Shawn was just about to respond when one of YN’s coworkers yelled at her to come back and help.

She shot Shawn an apologetic look. “Oops. Sorry! Look if you can just wait for another 10 minutes or so, I’ll get off my shift and we can catch up” she yelled as she walked away, not bothering to hear Shawn’s response.

15 minutes later, YN walked out from the back and looked around the shop. It was even busier than before but she figured that Shawn would be pretty easy to spot. He’d changed a lot from when they were kids. He was definitely a lot taller, his hair was longer, his shoulders broader. The only remnants of the geeky little boy that YN knew from the past was his face (sure it was a bit leaner now) and his laugh. But she wasn’t complaining. He looked good.

YN had walked around the shop twice now and still no sight of Shawn. She couldn’t help but let her disappointment show. Did he leave already? Frowning, she took one last look before walking out.

***

Several days had passed since then and YN had yet to run into Shawn again. She was back to working her regular hours in the morning and figured that Shawn probably only went to Starbucks in the afternoon. YN made a note to herself to try to pick up another afternoon shift after finals were over.

The mornings were always very busy at the Starbucks so YN was speeding through the drinks, absentmindedly calling out the orders before returning to make the next drink.

“Tall Hot Chocolate for Katie! Grande Cold Brew for Shawn! Grande Caramel Frappucino for Laura!”

Wait...Shawn?

YN’s eyes darted back to the counter where all the drinks were. Shawn had just grabbed his drink and was now sipping from it while staring right at her. He was wearing workout clothes and there was a slight shine to his face. Whether it was sweat or whether Shawn was just glowing, YN couldn’t tell. But she was awestruck.

“Hey YN” Shawn greeted her cooly, flashing her a smile while she stood there with her mouth agape.

“H-Hey Shawn!” YN responded, eyes suddenly quite fixated on a scuff mark on her shoes.

“Sorry about last time.” he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “I had a class afterwards so I couldn’t wait up. You free after this?”

YN looked up at the clock. God bless. “Yeah! Get off in 5 minutes!”

“Great, I’ll find us a table!” he said cheerily before turning away.

***

“What are the odds of running into you again after all these years?” Shawn laughed as YN sat down in the chair across from him.

“This is literally the closest college to where I live. The chances of me going here are pretty high. What are the odds of YOU going here?”

“True. Guess I just missed my old neighbor too much.” Shawn joked.

YN couldn’t help but blush.

“So what have you been up to?” Shawn said, quickly moving the conversation on and the two old friends.

They both talked nonstop for over an hour and before YN knew it, it was time for her first class of the day.

“This was nice. Catching up and stuff. We should do it more often.” YN said as she stood up and swung her backpack on.

Unbeknownst to her, her backpack was unzipped and wide open so all her notebooks fell out.

“Shit.” YN muttered before leaning down to pick up her books. Shawn crouched down too, handing her a notebook that had landed near his foot.

She shot him a thankful smile but a part of her hair was covering her face so it wasn’t very noticeable. YN tried to blow the hair out of her face as she was stuffing her books back into her bag.

Shawn chuckled and leaned towards her, pushing the hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

“Uh bye.” YN quickly said before rushing away, hoping that he didn’t notice the blush creeping up her face.

***

“Venti Green Tea for Catherine! Tall Coffee Frappuccino for Derrick! Grande Cold Brew Coffee for Shawn!”

YN couldn’t help but smile as she called out his name. It was a surprisingly slow morning so she waited at the counter with his drink until Shawn walked up.

“Hey stranger!” he laughed as she handed him his drink.

It had been over a week since YN and Shawn both caught up with each other and since then, Shawn had been coming everyday during YN’s morning shift and waited for her to get off so that they could keep talking.

“You doing anything tonight?” Shawn asked.

“No I don’t think so. Why?”

“Wanna go to a party with me?”

“A party?” YN squeaked.

“Yeah. We haven’t hung out in a long time. It’ll be fun.” he said nonchalantly.

YN wasn’t into parties. She couldn’t control her alcohol so she didn’t like to drink. And she couldn’t dance so what else was there for her to do at parties. But the prospect of hanging out with Shawn was too good to pass up on.

“Yeah! I love parties. Seems fun.” YN lied.

***

Loud music was pumping throughout the house as YN and Shawn walked past the door and they were instantly handed drinks by the hosts.

Shawn downed a shot right away, which was met with cheers from everyone in the surrounding area.

Then, their attention was focused on YN and she blushed as everyone stared at her, urging her to copy what Shawn had just done.

Sensing her uncomfortableness, Shawn grabbed the shot from her hand and downed it for her and was met with even more cheers than before.

She shot him a thankful smile and they made their way through the crowd.

“You don’t drink?” Shawn asked as he guided her around.

His hand was placed firmly on her lower back and YN found it hard to concentrate. Her heart was beating faster and her skin tingled. “Uh yeah. Drinking isn’t really my thing. I can’t handle my alcohol at all.”

“Aight. Just checking. I think there’s soda in the kitchen. We can stop there-“ Shawn started before he was cut off by a friend tapping him on the shoulder.

He quickly became engaged in conversation with that friend and YN sneaked away to quickly get a drink.

The kitchen was just as crowded as the rest of the house and YN couldn’t find any soda. However, she did spot a bowl of fruit punch. She poured herself a small cup and tasted it. This’ll do.

YN then poured herself a larger cup and steadily sipped on it as she made her way back to Shawn.

***

“What are you drinking?” he asked as they sat on the empty pool deck outside. It had gotten too hot inside the house and they both decided to get some fresh air.

Shawn’s face was now slightly pink, the effect of the 2 earlier shots was now coming at him.

“Some fruit punch. Wanna try?” she offered. Her cup was almost empty but there was still a little bit at the bottom.

Shawn took the cup and drank the rest. As he swallowed the drink, a look of realization crossed his face and he widened his eyes and looked at YN.

“This isn’t fruit punch...this is jungle juice.”

***

The party was now in full swing and more people were out on the pool deck with them.

YN was finally feeling the buzz of her earlier drink. A little nauseous and dizzy, she leaned her head against Shawn’s shoulders.

“You okay?” he asked worriedly.

“Yeah I’m fine” she giggled.

She looked up at him and suddenly felt the urge to play with his hair. With the alcohol affecting her inhibitions, YN reached up and combed her hair through Shawn’s locks before giving it a playful tug.

Shawn let out a sudden moan that caught the both of them off guard. Several seconds of silence passed between, both of them embarrassed at what had just happened, before they broke into a laugh.

“I don’t know why I did that.” Shawn blushed before draping his arm over her shoulder.

“Me neither.” YN responded, bringing her arm up to hide how profusely she was blushing.

“Woah there. Don’t hide your pretty face.” he slurred.

YN turned ever more red than she already was. ”You think I’m pretty?”

“I mean yeah. Always thought you were pretty. Had a pretty big crush on you yknow? Back then.” Shawn slapped a hand over his mouth. “Uh...I don’t know why I admitted that just now.” he blushed.

“It’s all right!” YN responded. “I think you’re pretty cute too.”

The alcohol was definitely getting to the both of them.

***

Someone had brought a speaker out to the pool deck and YN started to awkwardly sway to the music.

Shawn laughed before letting go of her shoulder and dragging her to the more crowded area of the deck where people were dancing.

“No no I can’t dance.” YN giggled but her body kept moving with Shawn’s, eyes fixated on where his hand was holding onto hers as he led her to the crowd.

They had made it to the middle of the crowd when Shawn finally let go of her hand. He turned around and shot her a smile and YN’s heart started to race.

“It’s all good. I can’t dance either.” he joked and then broke into a horrible rendition of the broken robot.

YN let out a loud laugh but it was cut off by her being shoved from behind by the crowd. She fell into Shawn’s body and he quickly wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from falling anymore.

Her head was pressed to his chest and she could’ve sworn that she could hear his heart beating faster. But then again, it could’ve been the alcohol.

“Uh...forgot how crowded the middle is. Oops.” Shawn whispered into YN’s ears.

“It’s okay.” she slurred. “I like it here.” and she wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing tightly.

YN and Shawn stayed like that, arms wrapped tightly around each other in a warm embrace, until the end of the party.

***

“Tall Lemonade for Helen! Venti Coffee Frappuccino for Ally! Tall Chai Latte for Steven! Grande Caramel Frappuccino for Laura! Grande Cold Brew Coffee for Shawn!”

YN broke out in a wide grin as she called out that last name. She was picking up one of her friend’s Sunday afternoon shifts and wasn’t expecting to see Shawn today.

YN and Shawn hadn’t seen each other since the party so YN was excited. She had a massive hangover the next day and most of the party way a blur to her but she still remembered how Shawn had basically said he used to like her and her heart fluttered at the memory.

She held onto Shawn’s cup and drew a little smiley face on it with a Sharpie, waiting for Shawn to come up to the counter.

“Excuse me. I heard you call out a cold brew for Shawn. Where is it?” a girl asked rudely.

YN looked up at the girl who was already holding a Caramel Frappe before looking down at Shawn’s drink in her hand. “Um...it’s right here” she said as she lifted up the cup. “Are you Shawn?”

“No, he’s my boyfriend. I’m just picking it up for me. Can I please have it now?” the girl retorted, she was running out of patience.

YN dropped her Sharpie out of shock “You must be mistaken. I’m friends with-“ she started as she crouched behind the counter to pick up the pen before a familiar voice called out.

“Laura!” Shawn yelled from across the shop. He walked over and gave the other girl a big kiss. “Where’s my drink?”

Laura tilted her head in the direction of the counter as YN slowly got up from behind there. A look of shock was completely evident on her face but that paled in comparison to the look on Shawn’s face when he recognized the barista as YN.

His face went white and he froze, his arm still slung guiltily across the other girl’s waist.

“YN?” he stuttered. “Wh-when did you start working at this time?”

[dexterousred]

"Fine, no kissing. At least, like, hug him or SOMETHING, love. Anything! Hold his freaking hand!"

“Alright! Alright, I get it already, sheesh…” Weren’t like he hadn’t planned to do something, but– it just felt weird to be teased about this kind of thing. She was supportive, but Tyson couldn’t shake that feeling of fear. Even now.

“I was going to give him a hug anyway. You don’t need to go all match-maker on me.” he was teasing her back, sort of, but part of Tyson did feel, almost possessive, of that information. Whatever he did with Derrick was, private, between them.

As much as he trusted Amy, she didn’t need to know everything.

[savagc]

floukru ;; notable mentions

there are anywhere from 50 to 75 members of floukru at any given time, so i thought i would make a post to list some that luna may reference in threads with others. 

notable members acknowledged on this blog are as follows. [ like bring me floukru people and you have our hearts ]

luna. - formerly trikru, leader of the boat people. luna fled her conclave at the age of thirteen and upon her arrival at the rig, was looked up to first as a natblida and then for her beliefs, caring for children as a child herself, caring for her people. 

cap. - formerly delphikru. cap is floukru highest ranked scout. he is the eldest of those luna calls ‘the brothers’ (cap, thatcher, lincoln, and nolan) cap handles all shoreline signal fires and containment upon arrival at the rig.

thatcher. - formerly trikru, thatcher was cast out for being mute, hearing impaired, following a blast by the mountain men that destroyed his home. he is luna’s personal scout. sign language was taught by thatcher from the moment he arrived and met luna, formed between the two, and then luna taught it to the children on his behalf from there on. he is the closest to luna at all times and in ways is her body guard and big brother. thatcher is luna’s most tenderly close friend and confidant, protector.

lincoln. - formerly trikru. nuff said. lincoln’s home is the rig, more than it is anywhere else.

nolan. - formerly sankru. nolan came to floukru with his father at the age of four, a thief fleeing sangeda’s capital punishment of stoning for stealing food for his son. nolan works trade ports most frequently and barters keeping the rig in strong supply of nourishment from outside clans.

emil. - formerly azgeda, emil sought out floukru for refuge after fleeing. like a brother to luna the two are very close. emil has taken fondly to koda and though luna has raised the little boy for a year now...it’s becoming apparent to her that the bond between emil and koda can not be denied.

adria. - formerly louwoda kliron. adria is luna’s second for intents and purposes, raised as her daughter to lead floukru in the event that luna should pass. 

aspen. - formerly azgeda, aspen is cousin to echo kom azgeda and was brought to luna by echo upon the death of her parents in the trikru allied war against azgeda to be raised in safety. she has been raised by luna since the age of two weeks.

koda. - formerly azgeda. two years of age or older verse depending. 

zane. - formerly ingranronakru. infirmary. the head floukru healer.

shay. - formerly louwoda kliron and like a sister to luna, shay teaches lessons with the children when luna is not and is known as a floukru seda alongside luna. 

derrick. - formerly trikru. mostly works fishing and netting and i don’t really talk much about him here bc he just doesn’t vibe well with me, with how he comes off around luna sooo...if you know me you know a fair bit about how i feel about derrick.

arthur. - rig-born. luna’s ambassador in polis. given that it is the floukru ambassador who first stands to call for a coup, luna had heard plenty to be unhappy with lexa as commander and challenged her from afar. with hearing about the azgeda ambassador being kicked from the tower just prior, luna gave orders to her ambassador to voice her displeasure with lexa. arthur is great basically and is the grandfather within the clan, don’t fuck with arthur he will tattle to luna and you’ll end up with a coup de grâce. just hug him and braid shells into his beard.

raven reyes. - is so home within floukru i shouldn’t even have to put this but i will bc it’s the tea. the show denied us a lot.

animals on the rig. floukru harbors dozens of chickens as a second source of protein to the sea life pulled in with nets. three dozen are laying hens, and two dozen are there to hatch chicks. their numbers are closely monitored to keep a balance between meat and eggs. aside from the chickens all other animals found on the rig are companions and there are not many. a rabbit calls the rig home and goes where it likes. 

notable animals on the rig.

Nox. - dire hybrid. as a pup nox was found and cared for by lincoln, but upon lincoln aiding luna in fleeing to floukru at the age of thirteen, the female wolf pup was left in luna’s care as a comfort as she adjusted to her new home. nox has grown at luna’s side and though mellow in demeanor, is known to snap at those who invade luna’s space, should luna feel threatened or uneasy. nox submits to luna when the command is given for her to lay down at luna’s side, but if luna does not give this command and is made to feel uncomfortable nox will defend her. derrick is the only person among floukru to have been scarred by the wolf’s bite. 

Lux. - the newest animal on the rig, Raven rescued the male pup, small for his age an abandoned, as a gift for luna to mother. 

[bloodline-rpg]

DERRICK FALCO  // 39 // WOLF

❝ In the shadow of a steeple, I saw my people. As they stood there hungry, I stood their asking... ❞

_______________________________________________________________________

BIOGRAPHY

Derrick Falco grew up the oldest son of a well respected wolf. His father had a huge family, several wolf children with several different wives, all of whom adored him. Father Falco, as the pack knew him, was a wolf who was traditional in his values, and understood the importance of servitude and soliders. He instilled in Derrick all that he knew about being a wolf, about the honor it was to protect the power witches possessed. He taught Derrick about family, about pack, about doing your part and towing the line. To this day, Derrick can recall the way the moon seemed to light the night of his father’s funeral, his body blessed by the witches he’d served, the entire pack at the gravesite. It was that night, that Asheligh Irving placed her hand on his shoulder and named Derrick the Beta to take over his father’s place. And he’d accepted, without hesitation.

As long as Derrick  remembers, his closest confidant was the pack’s young Alpha, Ashleigh Irving. As they both grew into their roles together, Ashleigh was a graceful, stern, powerful Alpha who lead the Devereaux werewolf pack for decades. Her tense but respectful relationship with Brigid kept the pack safe, happy, and comfortable. And her force of strength and compassion had earned the respect of her pack long before she was ever voted to be Alpha. Derrick ran with her for years, in the woods, watching the pack, watching her back. Until the hunters took her away. Ashleigh's youngest daughter had stood between a witch and a government agent and was shot and killed in front of her mother’s eyes. Derrick watched the grief turn Ashleigh’s grace and dignity inside out, until she killed two government officials only to be murdered herself. While her daughter was heralded as a heroes, Ashleigh’s legacy was marred amongst the witches and wolves alike, leaving the relationship between all of the groups more tense and confused than ever.

With Ashleigh gone, all eyes turned to Derrick. The vote was nearly unanimous. Nearly except for Ashleigh’s son, left behind in the wake of the tragedy that wracked his family. To keep peace, Derrick named Elias Irving his beta, promising to train him in the ways of an Alpha and pass on the legacy that Ashleigh passed to him. Having always taken his role as Beta seriously, Derrick had never had much time to think about love, romance, family. His work and his pack were his family. And that didn’t change after Ashleigh’s death. Seeing the way her daughter’s death turned her inside out, Derrick never wants a chance to suffer loss of that magnitude. He understands his role as a wolf but never wants to give that responsibility to a child, and doesn’t want to bring more young wolves in the world that will be asked to give their lives for witches.

But his closest friend wasn’t the only thing that the witch hunts cost Derrick. He was horrified, when one government attack in the city revealed to him that his long lost closest sister, Amaya was among the ranks, a government official, gun in hand, taking captive witches into the back of an armored vehicle. Derrick never spoke of it to anyone. It had been years since Amaya had left the pack and the family and the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to her place. He never saw her again, and has not spoken to her in years. But it keeps him up at night, wondering if she’s alive or dead, if her choices have cost her her conscious, if it was her bullet that killed a member of his pack, or if she’ll ever return. 

Now, three years after Ashleigh’s death, the pack loves and respects Derrick the same way they respected her. But Derrick can feel dissent brewing, not with him but with the witch leadership around him. He trains Elias, but feels the young boy he views as a second son falling quickly out of his grip. Derrick can’t be sure he blames him. He can see the faults in their system, even in the morals his father valued so much when he was young. Derrick isn’t sure if the best route is to maintain the old ways or embrace some kind of revolution. All he knows, is that he doesn’t want more wolf blood spilled on his watch, whether that means partnering with Brigid to keep the wolves in line or helping the wolves to turn and bite the hand that feeds them. 

______________________________________________PERSONALITY/TRAITS

Derrick was always a jovial kid, who ran the woods with his friends and lead as beta with strong shoulders and a warm smile. Since the death of his closest friend, he’s become quieter, more stern, and a little more heavy hearted. He is much more involved in the politics of his pack than he is the politics of the witch world and tradition. He values loyalty, hard work and purpose but has recently begun to question where his loyalty is owed and where it isn’t. The most important thing to Derrick is being a good leader and keeping his people safe. 

DETAILS

STATUS: TAKEN

Related bios: Amaya Falco, Elias Irving

Species/Family info: Werewolf, Devereaux Pack Alpha

Faceclaim: Oscar Isaac

We may consider alternate faceclaims for this character

[derrickperegrine]

@hpwritersnet august event: draco ships

lost and never found | a draco/blaise fic

... But Blaise somehow knew exactly how to get under someone’s skin; a talent that Draco both loathed and loved. It was as if no one else knew him better than Blaise did; yet, on the other hand, Blaise seemed hellbent on using this knowledge against him.

The first time Draco Malfoy felt intense apathy was when he first kissed Blaise Zabini.

Blaise Zabini was something of a fascinating figure to Draco Malfoy. He was one tall bloke, handsomer than the Devil, and did not even have a single fuck to give; Draco admired his satirical, irreverent humour, envied the nonchalance with which he carried himself, and craved the impossible calm that exuded from Zabini’s person.

How could someone remain so carefree and indifferent in this day and age? Draco thought; he himself was always on the verge of mental collapse, with the threats of the Dark Lord heavy against the back of his neck and the Dark Mark burning forebodingly on his forearm. He longed to be like Zabini, on whom worries seem to slide off like water on a duck’s back.

He fancied Zabini, in away. Amongst other boys. In a way.

But out of all the boys Zabini was particularly special to Draco. He was everything Draco was not -- a bright personality, charming and magnetic; confident in himself; comfortable with himself; a joker and a critic in one person. However they were also achingly similar -- well-off heirs, ambiguous figures, haughty personalities, dark princes ... it felt like they were on the same playing field.

Many of the other boys felt, on a certain level, alien -- Pucey was otherworldly in his exuberance, and Draco sometimes felt burnt by his bright, winsome grins; Montague had a statuesque air to him, seemingly cold and unmovable, a puzzle waiting to be solved; Derrick was all sharp points and glinting like metal, his lopsided smile often nicking at Draco in an instigative manner; and Potter.

He honestly shouldn’t even talk about Potter, with his hatefully green eyes stark against brown skin, unruly black hair crowning him as the Saviour. And who was Draco? Unworthy of even being termed a nemesis. Merely a pawn in the greater picture. He could never take out the queen in this game of chess.

But Blaise seemed more ... feasible. He was something familiar and ... nonthreatening, agenda-less. The thought of how the world was fitting together right now bothered Draco -- as much as he enjoyed the influence he had, the stress of all everyone demanded out of him gnawed at him disquietingly. He was always trying to figure out how he should next play the game in order to ensure his importance and continued survival; he appreciated that Blaise was brazenly refusing to play the game. When all the other boys fell on one side or the other of this conflict, Blaise firmly stated that he was perfectly happy with sitting on the fence.

And in that way he was more approachable than the other boys Draco half-fancied.

But perhaps this made Blaise Zabini the most dangerous of them all. Draco was not prepared to deal with anyone with a greater motivation in the approaching War; he would not fraternise with the enemy, and he didn’t trust any of the Dark Lord’s greedy supporters who would use his Malfoy influence to better their own lot. But Zabini was not interested in the War, and thus stood to gain nothing out of Draco; and because of this Draco was actually willing to take a gamble with Zabini. He was willing to let Zabini get close to him.

And it seemed to Draco that Zabini was very close. He and Zabini had been dancing around each other for a while.

But in a sense they all were, a nest of snakes that struck half-playfully, half-testingly at one another. You have to be prudent in choosing friends in this kind of conflict. They were all good at this game, out of necessity.

But Blaise knew exactly how to get under someone’s skin; a talent that Draco both loathed and loved. It was as if no one else knew him better than Blaise did; yet, on the other hand, Blaise seemed hellbent on using this knowledge against him.

Not maliciously or threateningly; only a symbol of trust wrapped up in a warning of sorts. I know how to make you uneasy, make you dance ... this power is mine, but I won’t use it. It warmed Draco up with some sick trepidation -- the only logical strategy to this was to just play along, some fucked up game of emotional politics that took Draco’s mind off of more tormenting obligations.

So he played his game with Zabini. Hands that lingered upon shoulders for a moment too long; eyes that settled on a wrong spot, or perhaps stared almost rudely; snide remarks that rode the fine line between friendly and predatory. It made Draco’s head pound when Zabini flashed those stark-white teeth at him and intoned, ‘Nice posture at practice today, Malfoy.’

Something that any other member of the Quidditch team could have said somehow niggled at Draco; the pleasant feeling of words weighing much more than they look, the potential of something enticing. Something simple that he could throw himself into; rather than a stressful, nearly cosmic conflict that he was beginning to feel more and more disillusioned with.

And just then his good mood soured, and he felt envy shoot up his heart like acid; would that his life were not centered around that blasted War. Would that he didn’t need to worry about his neck day in and day out, concern himself with the exact details of the plan that all depended on him; would that he were given a choice to say no, to say that he wasn’t his parents and just allowed to live like an ordinary boy like Zabini --

No, he stopped himself, and forced down the malice in his gullet. Even if he had a choice, he would have chosen to do the same bloody thing.

That’s just the kind of fucking idiot he was.

By November he could hardly stand it anymore. It was eating away at him, slowly, a carpenter ant chewing through a foundation until the house finally collapsed over him. The farther along he was with this enterprise, the more he feared its conclusion. He could not yet clearly see its significance for him, but he feared his ‘disposal’ as soon as his task was completed and his purpose -- served.

And he didn’t want to die just yet; Merlin, he was just sixteen, let him live. Let me live and let the whole world be damned, he thought, sour guilt building up his chest as his knuckles whitened around the book he was holding. He was filled with a sense of confused unease; the sort of aching knowingness of an outcome, but the refusal to contemplate its actuality.

‘You alright, Malfoy?’ Nott asked, his gaze hovering about Draco’s hand. Clever Nott, always quiet but observant, Draco thought with a sinking heart. Theo was always close to him, and he feared that perhaps Theo knew him to well. It troubled Draco that, this essentially meant that he could never hide anything from Theo. Regardless, he wouldn’t drag Nott into his ... business.

‘Yeah, I’m alright, Theo,’ he replied as he dropped his shoulders and loosened the death grip on his Transfigurations textbook. ‘Come on, let’s go to class.’

Draco wished that Theo would get out of his business. Unfortunately, Theo was a good friend, which meant that he was a terrible friend for someone like Draco Malfoy. After shooting concerned looks at him for two weeks and failing to evoke a response from Draco, Theo sent Draco’s next closest ‘friend’ to him -- he sent Blaise bloody Zabini.

Draco was half a metre into the blasted essay for Slughorn when Zabini entered the empty common room. Most of the other students had left for dinner, but Draco did not feel like eating recently. He felt as if everything were a sort of vague, bad illusion that he could sort of fade out of if he just acted like he wasn’t really there; wasn’t really a human being. But eventually people always notice when you’re starting to become a ghost.

‘Nott told me you weren’t yourself recently.’ Fuck Nott and his considerateness. Fuck Nott and his concern, Draco thought as Blaise settled down on the chaise beside his armchair and spoke in that cool, unruffled manner that ruffled Draco’s feathers in as many directions as possible, lately.

‘-- And I happen to agree,’ he continued, and Draco wanted to push him away for caring, to push all of his friends far, far away from himself, because he didn’t want them to see him at his weakest.

He glared at Zabini, composed and collected in his pressed Slytherin robes, his face kept artfully neutral -- just the way Draco liked it. Everything about Zabini was almost clinical, orderly, logical; and Draco was nothing like that now, with his crumpled robes, dull hair, and heavy eyes. And he desperately want to plunge into Zabini’s calm.

‘Really, mate, if there’s anything I can do --’ Zabini began to offer, but Draco had already begun to move.

He reached out and grabbed Zabini’s face -- and the other boy fell silent. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck -- ‘Just shut up, Zabini,’ he managed before he kissed Zabini furiously.

Zabini’s shock shattered his composure and Draco felt him jump beneath his touch. It disappointed him that his composed, ever-statuesque friend could be caught by so mundane an emotion as surprise. But on the other hand it pleased him in a terrible way to know that he had been the one to cause it.

After a moment of startled stillness Blaise kissed him back, his movements blurred still by bewilderment. But Draco kissed him like this was the surest thing in his life for months, like he desperately needed it, like if he didn’t, he would implode any moment. But he felt like he was imploding right now.

He kissed Blaise like he wanted to be sure of what he wanted.

And Blaise simply gave him what he wanted. He didn’t see a good enough reason to say no to Draco, and besides he was bored. That was the worst part of being Blaise Zabini -- the cost of his indifference to everything was his devotion towards anything. It wasn’t so bad a price to pay, in his opinion.

So he kissed Draco like he was killing time.

‘Fuck,’ Draco muttered when he came to a moment later. Now he’d mindlessly threw himself at Zabini, he can’t take that back again. Confusion chilled his bones like he had just leapt into the Black Lake, and shock clung to him like wet clothes.

He was not confused nor shocked regarding his emotions towards Zabini -- it was more so the manner that he had executed the idea he had been toying with for the past few months. He acted on impulse, without judging the circumstance and weighing the consequences before hand; he was fearful of what this lack of control reflected of himself.

‘What?’ Blaise drawled lazily, his eyes still hazy like a cat's, part-open in interest, part-narrowed in perplexity. Draco knew that now he owed Zabini an explanation. But he disliked all manners of explanation.

‘Why did I do that?’ He muttered aloud whilst kicking himself over mentally. He’s just thrown in all his cards in, and now he needed to back out of the game. He couldn’t maintain this whilst worrying about the Dark Lord’s orders, he didn’t have the energy -- but oh Merlin, did he need to find some sort of release, somewhere to pour all the human parts of himself into in order to survive the monstrous thing his life was becoming.

‘Shouldn’t I be the person asking that question?’ Blaise cocked an eyebrow cooly, and Draco tried his best to look apologetic; although he never got much practice in that department.

He wanted to say something but the words only floated disjointedly around his head, and Draco found it difficult to find an excuse that would not compromise his ... position. A silence stretched out between them like a spider’s web, except Draco felt more like the fly who flew into it than the spider who spun it.

Zabini merely looked at him with the same detached interest that Draco had come to find enthralling. The corner of his mouth was crooked in an easy smile, utterly blasé in a way that was comforting and insignificant. ‘Fuck it, who needs a reason, right?’ he hummed as he leaned towards Draco. ‘I’m too bored to care,’ the words dropped liltingly, lazily from his tongue.

‘That’s good enough for me if it’s good enough for you,’ Draco swallowed back the burning apprehension that had been sloshing within him for months. He reached out and gripped Blaise as if he were a lifeline.

‘I only need you to be here,’ he told Blaise, his demand heavy in the air, his meaning not exactly what it must have sounded like. No, Blaise was not a lifeline. He was merely the a piece of driftwood, something to keep him afloat but not help him find his way. Draco Malfoy was doomed to be lost, but at least that’s better than drowning.

‘I’d gladly oblige,’ Blaise slid a hand around the back of Draco’s neck. Draco looked into his eyes and found no emotion. It quelled the uneasy flame within him.

He lunged at Blaise; and the sinking feeling of insouciance spread within him, cool and opaque as stone.

Everything be damned. Let him have this before it all sinks.

[loveinthe-ice]

all’s fair in love and war | derrick & eleanor

@angelcravingchaxs

As skeptical as the Australian was, he found himself speed walking along the beautiful European streets on his way to Eleanor’s, a place he didn’t think he would ever be so eager to go to. At least, not ever since they had stumbled upon each other in the gym he worked at in Venice. They were not childhood best friends anymore, but they were not particularly enemies, either. Quite honestly, he had no idea what they were. She irritated him to no end, yet for some bizarre reason, here he was was walking towards her instead of away from her. He could have dropped this whole engagement act any time he wanted to, couldn’t he? It was a mystery even to him why he was not. Perhaps because his friends were the only people Derrick could find in his heart to care about, and at one point, Eleanor had been his closest one. Granted, they had been children, but it was a special type of connection nonetheless. One strong enough to have even made him think about her from time to time, wondering where she was and how she was doing. 

Now, as he took long strides to her home, he could not care less. However, if sex was on the table (something he would gladly accept both figuratively and literally), there was no stopping the personal trainer from even the slightest bit of delay. He was ninety-nine percent sure that Eleanor had not been even the least bit serious about her claim, but still-- what did he have to lose?

Arriving at the house, he was about to check his watch to see if he had actually made it within five minutes, but something else caught his eye. Leaning forward, he picked up the letter that lay on the doorstep, looking at the toy gun next to it before letting his brown eyes skim over the words written in his “fiance’s” elegant handwriting. Scoffing incredulously, though in amusement, a smirk barely crossed the man’s lips when he finished reading, picking up the gun with his other hand.

 “Oh, you are so going down, sweetheart,” he murmured to himself, stuffing the paper into his pocket and opening the door, walking inside. “And you call me childish?” he called out playfully, shaking his head to himself as he closed the door behind him. “I hope you’ve prepared just exactly what you’re going to say to your mother, love, because there’s no way you’re winning this fight.” Holding his gun out, ready to fire at any second if needed, he started scanning the living area suspiciously before going into the hallway, entering the first room he saw and looking around thoroughly.

[junker-town]

9 quarterbacks set to be free agents in 2020, sorted by likelihood

Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, and Marcus Mariota could all technically hit free agency in 2020.

These are the quarterback contract situations to keep an eye on this season.

The 2019 quarterback free agency class had a severe lack of star power. Even with Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles and the one and only Blake Bortles, there weren’t many click-worthy quarterbacks available at the start of the new league year. Things could be different next offseason, however.

In 2020, several marquee quarterbacks could hit the open market. In a position as important as quarterback, teams will either have to shell out some cash to keep their starters, or hit the reset button on their offense. Sometimes it’s a no-brainer, but it’s not always an easy choice to make.

Let’s take a look at the top quarterbacks currently set to be free agents after this season, though several of them will likely get new contracts before that happens. We arranged the list into tiers, from the guys least likely to leave to the ones who are most likely to find a new team.

No chance he’s leaving

Tom Brady

Fresh off another Super Bowl win, Brady is continuing his quest to keep playing until the end of time. A day after his 42nd birthday, Brady signed a two-year, $70 million extension with the New England Patriots. He will be making $23 million this upcoming season, but the contract has some interesting stipulations attached to it.

The final two years of Brady’s deal become voided after this season, hence making him a free agent next offseason. The terms of the contract free up cap space for the Patriots, which isn’t something new: Brady has been taking discount deals for a while now.

While the new contract helps New England this season, Brady carries a $13.5 million cap hit next season, whether he’s on the team or not. That means the Patriots will want to get him signed to an extension before free agency starts — not that they need the extra motivation.

In 2018, Brady didn’t show any signs of slowing down, throwing for 4,355 yards and 29 touchdowns while maintaining a completion percentage of 65.8. He’s been in New England for the entirety of his 20-year career and has delivered six championships.

Still, the structure of his contract won’t stop speculation about Brady moving on from New England, especially since he put his house up for sale:

Tom Brady and Gisele have indeed placed their Brookline home on the market for $39.5 million, I’m told. His closest property, at Silo Ridge Field Club, is nearly 3 hours from Foxboro. They also own in NYC — and reportedly have been looking in Greenwich, Ct and Alpine, NJ. (1/4)

— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) August 6, 2019

However, the chances of him leaving are cosmically small, unless he decides to retire after the season.

Drew Brees

Like Brady, Brees technically could be a free agent after this season. In fact, they have a lot in common:

Tom Brady and Drew Brees now have almost the exact same contract. Both will make $23m in 2019. Both will see the last two years of their deals automatically void on the last day of the 2019 league year (March 17). And both have No Franchise Tag clauses.

— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 5, 2019

And like his counterpart in New England, Brees reconstructed his contract to clear up cap space for a team that’s a Super Bowl contender. The biggest move the New Orleans Saints made was locking down Brees’ favorite target, Michael Thomas, with a massive five-year, $100 million deal right before the preseason began.

Brees is coming off another stellar season. In 2018, he led the league in both completion percentage (74.4) and passer rating (115.7), and threw for 32 touchdowns. But at 40 years old, retirement isn’t that far off for Brees.

If he keeps playing at a high level, the Saints will want to reach an agreement with Brees quickly, as he will have a cap hit of $21.3 million next year if a new deal isn’t done. They’ll need the space, too. The Saints have other major contract decisions coming up in the next two seasons — both Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore will soon be due raises.

While the Saints have kept Teddy Bridgewater around as good insurance — and possibly as their next starting quarterback — it’s hard to see Brees going anywhere else as he enters the twilight of his career. Just like Brady.

Philip Rivers

Rivers is the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Chargers. In his 13th year as starting quarterback, Rivers had 4,382 passing yards, his sixth straight season with 4,000 or more. He led the Chargers to their first playoff appearance in 2013 and will make a run at the AFC West title in 2019, his final year under contract.

Extending Rivers isn’t the only contract LA has to deal with soon. Melvin Gordon has spent the summer holding out for a new deal. The contracts of safety Adrian Phillips and center Mike Pouncey expire next March too.

Rivers doesn’t seem too worried getting an extension, though. When asked about his contract situation in July, Rivers told reporters, “The expectation and hope is to be here again next year, but it doesn’t need to be done right now.”

From the look of it, there doesn’t seem too much of a rush from both sides to get this deal done. However, it would be a shock to see the Chargers move on from their longtime quarterback. He hasn’t missed a game as a starter and has settled down in Southern California with his family.

It’d be surprising if he left

Dak Prescott

Prescott finished strong in his third year as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. After a slow start, Prescott led the Cowboys to seven wins in their last eight games and ended up with a career high in passing yards. Dallas won the NFC East and made it to the Divisional Round before falling to the Rams.

His play picked up when the Cowboys acquired receiver Amari Cooper, and with Cooper as his main wideout for at least 2019, Prescott is primed to have another good season.

Prescott has shown he has the potential to be a top-end starter in the NFL, and he remains a solid dual threat, rushing for six touchdowns in each of his three seasons in the league. He’s also a bargain for the Cowboys. This upcoming season, Prescott is only scheduled to make $2 million and unless the Cowboys give him an extension, he’ll become a free agent in 2020.

But Jerry Jones has always had high praise for Prescott and looks committed to him. There isn’t a big possibility that he lets Prescott leave Dallas, though the Cowboys are also facing a decision with Ezekiel Elliott and Cooper. Signing all three would be locking them, and their large salaries, in for the distant future. The Cowboys should be playoff contenders again this season, but have some contract negotiations they have to get in order as well.

Eli Manning

The New York Giants drafted for the future when they took Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick this year. But for the present they are going to be sticking with Eli Manning.

In 2018, Manning put up some of his best stats in years. He passed for 4,299 yards, had a career-best 66 percent completion rate, and his 11 interceptions were his lowest total since 2008. Despite that, New York still finished last in the NFC East at 5-11 and now that Manning is 38 years old, his time as QB1 for the Giants is nearing its end.

With the addition of Jones, the Giants now have a future replacement for Manning. If Manning struggles in 2019, the Giants could turn to the rookie during the season. Either way, New York is set to face an interesting quarterback situation next offseason when Manning becomes a free agent.

New York has some options here. There have been no real talks of a contract extension yet, so it seems he will be playing out this season without a new deal. It’s easy to see the Giants bringing Manning back if he plays well or if Jones shows he’s not ready to be the starter yet.

They can re-sign Manning to a short-term deal like Brees and Brady did, and then use that time to groom Jones some more. Or they can go head-first into a new era.

It’s now or never

Marcus Mariota

Last season was tough for Marcus Mariota. He missed two games and left three others due to an elbow strain and cervical neck stingers. The Tennessee Titans went 9-7 but missed out on the playoffs, losing a crucial Week 17 matchup against the Colts without Mariota. The Titans exercised Mariota’s fifth-year option last summer, so he’s under contract through 2019. But there is still doubt about Mariota’s future in Tennessee.

First off, he needs to stay healthy. In his four years in the league, Mariota has failed to put together a full 16-game season. He’s also been inconsistent — we still don’t know how good he really is. While Mariota can run the read option well and keep defenses on their toes, he hasn’t always been able to make the same plays through the air. He has a 69:42 touchdown-to-interception ratio, including a career-low 11 passing touchdowns in 2018.

The Titans added some players over the past few years to aid Mariota. They have the duo of Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis out of the backfield, and Corey Davis, Adam Humphries, and Tajae Sharpe at wideout. The pieces are there for him to lead Tennessee’s offense.

With no new deal in sight, Mariota’s in the “prove it” stage this season. The Titans traded for Ryan Tannehill, giving them a quality replacement if Mariota struggles out of the gate. If he can’t stay on the field or doesn’t make things click with this Titans offense, Mariota could find himself on a new team next year.

Jameis Winston

Winston was selected one spot ahead of Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft and is facing a similar situation. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up his fifth-year option, but there are a lot of questions surrounding his future with the team.

Winston only started nine games for Tampa Bay last season. He was suspended for the first three games due to violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. When he returned, his play was erratic. Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick alternated starts and snaps as the Buccaneers went 5-11, finishing last in the NFC South.

Starting only half the season affected his stats greatly. Winston passed for 2,992 yards in 2018, the first time in his career he totaled fewer than 3,000 in a season. He also threw 14 interceptions, including four in one game. With new head coach and offensive guru Bruce Arians now in Tampa, the offense should see a step up from last season. Mike Evans is still around, giving Winston a premier pass catcher.

The Bucs went mostly defense in the draft, showing a commitment to Winston for at least one more season. But this is a make-or-break year. There are also a number of prospects in next year’s draft, such as Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, and Georgia’s Jake Fromm. If things don’t start out well early, the Buccaneers could be content to tank, get a high draft pick, and take one of the top quarterbacks in the 2020 class.

Likely to be on a new team next season

Case Keenum

Keenum is currently in a training camp battle for Washington’s starting job. He, Colt McCoy, and rookie Dwayne Haskins will be trying to prove they should be the starter Week 1. But Washington doesn’t have much invested in Keenum — half of his salary this year is being paid by his former team, the Broncos.

His new team likely views Keenum as nothing more than a stopgap. Haskins was drafted to be the future at quarterback, and Alex Smith hasn’t given up hope of playing again. Next season, Keenum’s journeyman career can continue with another team in a similar situation, or he can find himself a nice backup job again.

Teddy Bridgewater

Bridgewater got his first start in three years in Week 17 last season, after the Saints were already locked into a first-round bye. It was a good chance to boost his value heading into free agency. However, he didn’t play so well filling in for Drew Brees, throwing for only 118 yards in a 33-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Without much interest on the open market, Bridgewater ended up re-signing with the Saints.

Though he’s technically a free agent in 2022, the last two years of the deal are voidable, like Brees’. Bridgewater is the same boat once again. He’ll be a backup this year and will try to take advantage of the opportunities given to him. Unless Brees gets injured or decides to retire, Bridgewater’s best bet could be playing for a contract from another team.

[matthew-trs]

Part 6: Various Names

These are all bullet-pointed, and the first part will be translated in Kaga’s own voice, since that’s how they’re written.

I also decided to include my own notes on the origin of various names. This post is also crazy long, and mostly just exists so I can keep all my ideas and facts straight.

Berwick Saga

The “Bren” (ブレン) of Brenthunder (ブレンサンダー) and the Bren Crossbow (ブレンクロスボウ) is from the famous English Bren Light Machine Gun. Military enthusiasts probably immediately recognized this.

Gorzevalus (ゴーゼワロス) was named by the designer who wrote that map’s scenario. I don’t know where he got the name, but he’s a very serious person, so I doubt he intended it to be funny.

A derrick (デリック) is a type of large crane. Since they can be used to lift heavy items as well as help survey undersea wrecks, I wanted Professor Almuth’s first name to give the impression of historical site exploration.

Things like Critical Knife and Wallenstein were simply abbreviated (クリティカルナイフ > クリテカルナイフ, and ヴァレンシュタイン > ワレンスタイン) due to a 7-character limit we had early in development. I must’ve simply missed them when I double-checked later. Similarly, we abbreviated Composite Bow (コンポジットボウ > コンジットボウ).

[Note: this won’t apply to the translation patch, since there’s no character limit.]

Sherpa (シェルパ) are a tribe of mountain guides at the base of Mt. Everest. I chose the name to parallel “Highlanders.” As for Highlanders (ハイランダー), they’re a historical ethnic group from Scotland who were renowned as brave warriors in history. I’ve been told that the Sherpa’s appearance closely resembles the hero of a certain manga, but I’ve never read it, so it’s just a coincidence.

I chose the name Kramer (クレイマー) because it’s close to “climber,” since he’s got a natural gift for climbing cliffs as a skill. I’m on the fence whether it should be to be a nickname or not... I guess it’s probably a nickname he picked himself.

Sapphire (サフィア) and Ruby (ルヴィ) are named after the precious stones, naturally.

Names like Roswick (ロズオーク), Vanmilion (バン��リオン), Shirrock (̪シロック), Quescria (クエスクリア), and the like I just made up. I didn’t take them from anywhere in particular.

[Note: in the patch, “Shirrock” will be Sherlock, which is a real name.]

Faramir (ファラミア) and Olwen (オルウェン) are from The Lord of the Rings. 

[Note: I’m not sure which LotR character Olwen is supposed to be. The closest one it matches is Arwen (アルウェン), but that’s a woman...]

Faramir’s class name Wanderer (渡り戦士) is borrowed from a certain manga. Sorry, Ms. Hikawa!

Sylvis (シルウィス), Larentia (ラレンティア), Pfeizal (ファイサル), etc. are mythological/historical people; I also sometimes used the names of mythological weapons for people, too.

Most other proper names are original or just common names, like Lynette, Reese, Bernard, etc.

TearRing Saga

It’s hardly worth mentioning, but Katri (カトリ) is just a plain ranch girl’s name. Back in the day, a lot of people thought it had something to do with baseball pitching. It’s from an old anime based on a very old children’s story from Finland, so it’s natural people wouldn’t recognize where it came from.

[Note: I have no clue what Kaga means about the baseball thing.]

Ente (エンテ) is German for “duck,” while Möwe (メーヴェ) means “seagull.” In other words, it’s an play on words where if you add eyes (メ) to a duck (カモ), you get a seagull (カモメ), meant to parallel that when Ente awakens to her true self, she becomes Möwe. Naturally, there’s also the added meaning that she wants to fly in the skies freely like a seagull, not be a duck that hides itself underwater. 

[Note: I had these names as “Enteh” and “Maeve” in the TRS patch. The official romanization of エンテ is definitely “Enteh,” too. Oh well...]

Neyfa (ネイファ) was the name of a character in a short story I wrote a long time ago.

Tia (ティーエ) is from Aul Toba Tieh (アウル・トバティーエ), a character from a certain fantasy novel.

Lionheart (レオンハート), of course, means “lion-hearted.” Historically, it was the epithet of the King Richard I of England. While being Lionheart’s name, this was also the source of Richard’s title the Lion Prince of Mahl (マールの獅子王子)... though I will admit now that this was pretty lazy naming on my part.

The mamluks (マムルーク) were medieval Arab slave warriors renowned for their elite archery, who later conquered Egypt and Syria. Therefore, by calling Lionheart’s class “mamluk,” I wanted to convey the imagery of a strong, elite horseman leading his own unique regiment. 

[Note: this was “Nomadic Trooper” in the TRS patch.]

Translator’s Additions

Names of People:

Playable:

Aegina: Αἴγινα, a nymph in Greek myth, the great-grandmother of Achilles and Ajax the Great.

Paramythis: Paramythia (Παραμυθιά, “comforter”) is an epithet of the Virgin Mary.

Perceval: also spelled Percival; knight of the Round Table

Bosses/NPCs:

Cordova: Cordova/Córdoba, a city in Spain that was historically the capital of a large Islamic state, the Emirate (and later Caliphate) of Córdoba.

Arcturus: a star in the constellation Boötes; called the “bear-watcher” in Greek astronomy, and むぎぼし (“wheat star”) in Japanese astronomy. Kaga says these names are meant to represent Arcturus’s character as both strong and reliable.

Zephyrus: Ζέφυρος, god of the western wind in Greek myth. Kaga notes elsewhere that this pseudonym was chosen for Friedrich because of the character’s desire to eventually return home to the west, even though it was impossible for so long.

Rasputin: Grigorij Yefimovič Rasputin (Григорий Ефимович Распутин), Russian mystic and advisor to Emperor Nicholas II, later assassinated by nobles worried about his influence, especially over Empress Aleksandra Fjodorovna.

Red Baron (Richthofen in the translation): Manfred von Richthofen, German lord and fighter pilot from WWI, nicknamed “the Red Baron” due to his status as a Freiherr (”baron”) and his plane that he famously painted red.

Wallenstein:  Albrecht von Wallenstein (Albrecht z Valdštejna), supreme commander of the Holy Roman Empire’s military during the Thirty Years’ War

Krishna:  कृष्ण, god of love and compassion in Hinduism. Also the name of a character from TearRing Saga 1.

Sakhalin: an island just north of Hokkaido, currently owned by Russia.

Shagaal: Chagall (シャガール), king of Agustria in FE4.

Chebyshev: Pafnutij L’vovič Čjebyšjov (Пафну́тий Льво́вич Чебышёв), a Russian mathematician.

Fermat: Pierre de Fermat, a French mathematician and lawyer.

Lebesgue: Henri Léon Lebesgue, a French mathematician

Palitzsch: Johann Georg Palitzsch, a German astronomer

Weyl:  Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl, a German mathematician and physicist

Euclid:  Εὐκλείδης, an ancient Greek mathematician 

Jung: Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychologist

Grimm: possibly from the Brothers Grimm, German linguists and authors of Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Gibbs: possibly from Josiah Willard Gibbs, American physicist and chemist

Rodin: François Auguste René Rodin, a French sculptor

Wagner: possibly Wilhelm Richard Wagner, German composer, writer, and director, most famous for Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Windsor: the currently reigning dynasty of British monarchs, ultimately descended from the Germanic House of Wettin

Pizarro: Francisco Pizarro-González, Spanish conquistador

Eisenhower: Dwight David Eisenhower, general and 34th president of the United States.

Cromwell: Oliver Cromwell, major leader of the Parliamentarian side of the English Civil War

Rockefeller: John David Rockefeller Sr., American business magnate and philanthropist, and inflation-adjusted richest person in modern history.

Goebbels: Paul Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda for the Third Reich.

Goering: Hermann Wilhelm Göring, Vice-Chancellor of Germany during the Third Reich.

Mahatma: Mahātmā (महात्मा, “venerable”), a title most associated with Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Gomorrah:  עֲמֹרָה‎‎, one of the legendary cities destroyed by God in the Biblical book of Genesis.

ha-Yadh (”God Hand” in Japanese): הַיָד, Hebrew for “the hand.”

Enoch: חֲנוֹךְ, ancestor of Noah in Genesis, said to have “walked with God” rather than died. Subject of several apocryphal books.

Gilgamesh: 𒄑𒂆𒈦, a semi-historical ancient king of Sumer and protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Nazgul: Nazgûl, the ringwraiths from The Lord of the Rings.

Manaclir: corruption of Manannán mac Lir, a sea god in Irish myth.

Urbanus IV: Urbanus (anglicized as Urban) has been the papal name of eight different popes.

Arless: Ares (Ἄρης), god of war in Greek myth

Alecto: Ἀλ��κτώ, goddess of unstoppable rage in Greek myth

Names of Places

Berwick Isle: Berwick-upon-Tweed, a historically long-disputed territory on the border between Scotland and England

Altesia (what the Lazberians call the continent of Lieberia): Artesia, the Latin name for the county of Artois, France.

Izmil: İzmir, the Turkish name of the city classical known as Smyrna

Leoglard: corruption of Beograd, the native name for Belgrade, the capital of Serbia

Diana: goddess of the moon and hunt in Roman myth, equivalent of Greek Artemis

Valemtine: corruption of Valentine, anglicized form of the name Valentinus

Mineva: possibly from Minerva, goddess of war and wisdom in Roman myth, equivalent of Greek Athena

Sinon: possibly from Sinon (Σίνων), a Greek spy from the Iliad who helped convince the Trojans to move the Trojan Horse into their city.

Danae: Danaë (Δανάη), mother of Perseus in Greek myth

Ausonia (one of the five marches): Αυσονία, the ancient Greek name for the southern Italian peninsula

Badonia: possibly from Badon Hill (Latin Mons Badonicus/Badonis, Welsh Mynydd Baddon), the legendary location of a battle of King Arthur against the invading Anglo-Saxons.

Lombard (one of the five marches): the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who conquered parts of Italy during the 6th century.

Anatolia (an unidentified location where certain wines are from): also called Asia Minor, an ancient region corresponding with modern central and western Turkey.

Wallachia (mentioned in the description of the Tiger Pelt item): one of the three major constituents of early Romania, alongside Transylvania and Moldavia.

Pyrene: the Pyrenees, a mountain range separating the Iberian Peninsula with the rest of continental Europe

Seydlitz: Frederich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, a general serving under Frederick II of Prussia; or the German WWI battle cruiser named after him, the SMS Seydlitz.

Fort Remagen: Remagen, a town in Germany famous for the Battle of Remagen in WWII, where Allied forces temporarily captured Ludendorff Bridge, one of the last bridges over the Rhine.

Myuhen: possibly from München, the German name of Munich.

Ruan: Rouen, capital of the Normandy region of France.

Ishs: possibly from Isis, goddess of motherhood and nature in Egyptian myth.

Item Names: Original (may or may not overlap with translation)

Knives:

Vespa: Latin for “wasp”

Crotalus: the scientific name for the rattlesnake genus, itself from Greek κρόταλον (”rattle”)

Swords:

Holy Sword Vritra (”Vritra” in the translation): serpent and adversary of Indra in Hinduism.

Sakushīdo/Succeed (”Nothung” in the translation): likely from the English word “succeed.”

Dangerous Blade Albatross (”Albatross” in the translation): from the legend about a sailor shooting an albatross, a bird thought to signify good luck, who was forced by his shipmates to wear the dead bird around his neck to ensure that only he received the bad luck from killing it.

Grimhildr: queen of Burgundy in Norse myth.

Lord Gram (”Gramr” in the translation): sword of the Germanic hero Sigurðr, used to kill the dragon Fáfnir.

Harperia: possibly from harpē (ἅρπη), a type of sickle-like sword in Greek myth, most famously used to castrate Cronus and kill Medusa.

Holy Sword Vajra (”Vajra” in the translation): means “diamond” or “thunderbolt”, the weapon of Indra in Hinduism

Adrasteia:  Ἀδράστεια “inescapable”, the name of two different characters in Greek myth: a nymph who nursed Zeus, and a daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.

Balmung: the name for the sword Gramr (see above) given in the Nibelungenlied.

Spears

Brionac: a spear of the god Lugh in Irish myth

Phalanx (”Doru” in the translation): a type of ancient Greek heavy infantry famous for their battle formation, where shields would be arranged to make a wall lined with protruding spears.

Wotan Spear (”Angon” in the translation): Wotan, Old High German name of the god Odin (Óðinn) from Norse myth

Axes

Gigas Axe: γίγας, Greek for “giant.” Suitably, it’s only usable by Gigas Knights in the game.

Būji (”Bhuj” in the translation): possibly from bhuj (भुज), also called an axe-knife, a type of short- but wide-bladed weapon with a very long grip.

Thorhammer (”Mjollnir” in the translation): Thor, thunder god in Norse myth, who wielded the hammer Mjǫllnir.

Gullveig: a figure from Norse mythology who is killed three times, then reborn the third time as the powerful shamaness Heiðr.

Bows/Crossbows

Holy Bow Rossweisse (”Rossweisse” in the translation): Roßweiße, German for “white horse,” one of the eight valkyries in Richard Wagner’s opera Die Walküre.

Sylph Bow (”Killer Bow” in the translation): Sylph, wind elementals from classical alchemy, invented by Paracelsus.

Magic Bow Apeiron (”Apeiron” in the translation): ἄπειρον (”limitless”), a concept in certain ancient Greek cosmologies and philosophies.

Apollo Bow (”Argyrotoxus” in the translation): Apollo, god of light in Greek myth, twin brother of Artemis, goddess of the hunt

Otinus Crossbow (”Ollerus” in the translation): possibly a faux-latinization of Óðinn

Magic

Pallas Leia/Serenia/Riana: Pallas (Παλλὰς), an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena

Starlight: from Starlight in FE1/FE3

Janura (”Nosferatu” in the translation): from the Japanese words ja (蛇, “snake”) and nurunuru (ヌルヌル, “smooth, slippery”)

Scylla: Σκύλλα, a monster in Greek myth

Bau Crash (”Kishar’s Wrath” in the translation): possibly (but not likely) from Bau (𒀭𒁀𒌑, also called “Gula” by the Babylonians, among other names), goddess of healing from Akkado-Babylonian myth.

Shields

Ajax’s Shield (”Sakos Aiantos” in the translation): the shield of the Greek hero Ajax the Great in the Iliad, made of seven layers of oxhide and one of bronze. Most famously, it could even block the javelin of the Trojan hero Hector, which pierced only the first six layers.

Aspis:  ἀσπίς, a heavy wooden shield used by ancient Greek infantry

Flame Shield Hestia (”Hestia” in the translation): Hestia, goddess of the hearth and architecture in Greek myth

Materials

Celica Steel (”Zerika Steel” in the translation): possibly from Celica, a protagonist in FE2/FE15

Toneriko Wood (”Ash Wood” in the translation): とねりこ, Japanese for the Manchurian ash tree, Fraxinus mandschurica.

Jugud Wood (”Yggdra Wood” in the translation): a reference to Jugdral, itself a reference to Yggdrasil, the world-tree in Norse myth

Tilia Wood (”Linden Wood” in the translation): Tilia, the genus name for linden/basswood trees.

Ichii Wood (”Yew Wood” in the translation): いちい, Japanese for the Japanese yew tree, Taxis cuspidata.

Antilope Skin (”Antelope Pelt” in the translation): Antilope, German for “antelope”

Schwein Skin (”Boar Pelt” in the translation): Schwein, German for “swine”

Stier Skin (”Bull Pelt” in the translation): Stier, German for “steer”

Löwe Skin (”Lion Pelt” in the translation): Löwe, German for “lion”

Tigris Skin (”Tiger Pelt” in the translation): tigris, Latin for “tiger”

Lúkos Skin (”Wolf Pelt” in the translation): λύκος, Greek for “wolf” 

Simurgh Feather: sīmurğ (سیمرغ), a bird from Iranian myth

Ariadne Thread: Ἀριάδνη, a woman from Greek myth who helped Theseus traverse the Labyrinth using a spool of thread

Eye of Balor: Balor, king of the Fomorians in Irish myth, who had a third eye on his forehead that wrought destruction on any it looked at.

Item Names: Translation

Swords

Succeed → Nothung: the name of Gramr (see above) given in Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. “Succeed” is a crappy name for a sword, and it’s Reese’s final weapon, so I wanted a theme naming with his earlier personal sword, Gramr.

Spears

Phalanx → Doru:  δόρυ, the type of spear that Greek hoplites utilized in phalanx formation. Changed, naturally, because “phalanx” is a military formation/unit rather than a weapon.

Wotan Spear → Angon: Angon, a type of javelin used by Germanic peoples. I would’ve used “Gungnir,” since that’s the spear of Wotan/ Óðinn, but the Wotan Spear isn’t a high-tier weapon, or even the strongest thrown spear.

Bows/Crossbows

Sylph Bow → Killer Bow: I didn’t want to use “Sylph,” since there are wind-element weapons in Berwick Saga, but this isn’t one of them.

Magic Bow Aperion → Abaddon: Assuming “Aperion” is indeed a corruption of “Apollyon” (see above), I prefer the sound of the Hebrew name, Abaddon.

Apollo Bow → Argyrotoxus:  Ἀργυρότοξος, an epithet of Apollo meaning “of the silver bow.”

Otinus Crossbow → Ollerus: Assuming “Otinus” is indeed a faux-latinization of “Óðinn,“ I didn’t think that Óðinn was a very fitting god to associate with a bow. Instead, I chose Ollerus, which is the latinization of the name of Ullr, Norse god of archery. As a bonus, Ullr/Ollerus is closely associated with Óðinn: during the episode where Óðinn is exiled for ten years for not being manly enough, Ullr is the one who rules the gods temporarily in his stead (during which time Ullr even uses the name Óðinn).

Gatling Bow → Chu-ko-nu: Following the tradition of the TRS1 translation, since guns aren’t in TRS, and Richard Gatling isn’t a TRS character.

Bren Crossbow → Rapid Crossbow: Similarly, guns aren’t in TRS, so “Bren” is out.

Dora → Espringal: While “ballista” and “scorpio” are both names of siege weapons, I have no idea what a “dora” is supposed to be... so I chose an actual one.

Dark Magic (I wanted the names of these spells to all be mythological references like they are in FE)

Black Meteo → Wormwood: a falling star that ruins the waters of the Earth in the Biblical book Revelation.

Berserk → Lyssa: Λύσσα, goddess of mad frenzy and rabies in Greek myth.

Sleep → Oneiroi:  Ὄνειροι, the gods of dreams in Greek myth

Bau Crash → Kishar’s Wrath: Kišar (𒀭𒆠𒊹), the personified Earth in Babylonian myth. Since Bau (see above) is a goddess of motherhood rather than the earth, Kishar is more appropriate. I chose Kishar rather than the more ancient and well-established goddess Ki (also an earth goddess), since the name Ki is too short for players to reasonably identify.  Even though I’m probably misunderstanding バウ as the goddess Bau, I stuck with it.

Janura → Nosferatu: to fit in line with FE’s Nosferatu; from adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Tumahann → Saehrimnir: Sæhrímnir, the beast killed and eaten--then resurrected--by the Æsir and einherjar every evening in Norse myth. I wanted to use something bestial or related to eating, since this spell drains the EXP of its victim.

Hellworm → Jormungandr: to fit in line with FE’s Jormungandr; from Jǫrmungandr, the serpent surrounding Miðgarðr in Norse myth

Shields

Perushīda → Perseid: I’m not really sure what Perushīda is supposed to be, so I picked something that sounded close. The Perseids are a meteor shower occurring in late summer; named after the Perseid dynasty said to descend from the mythological hero Perseus

Ajax’s Shield → Sakos Aiantos:  σᾰ́κος Αἴᾰντος, Epic Greek for “Ajax’s shield.” Fun Fact: Ajax’s shield in particular is called a sakos (”leather shield”) rather than an aspis (the general word for “shield”) in the Iliad. I didn’t want to use the English words, since I didn’t want to assert that Ajax was a person in the TRS universe. I’m even considering making it just Sakos, actually.

Fire-God Shield → Kojin Shield: Sanbō-Kōjin (三宝荒神, “wild god of the three treasures”), or just Kōjin, a Shinto god of fire, cooking, and the hearth. I used “Kōjin” rather than “Kagu-Tsuchi” (the god of fire in general) in order to nicely parallel the names of the related Fūjin Shield and Raijin Shield.

Accessories, etc.

Sun Charm → Dawn Charm: While the original name is a reference to the skill FE Sol, that name doesn’t fit with what the charm really does. It gives +10 Hit, so it makes it easier to see, hence “dawn.”

Meteor Charm → Dusk Charm: While the original name is a reference to the FE skill Astra, that name doesn’t fit with what the charm really does. It gives +10 Avoid, so it makes it harder be seen, hence “dusk.”

Moonlight Charm → Vanish Charm: While the original name is a reference to the FE skill Luna, that name doesn’t fit with what the charm really does. It activates the skill Hide, hence “vanish.”

Purgatory Bracelet → Gambler’s Brace: This brace lowers Hit and Avoid by 10 but increases Strength and Defense by 2, so it’s risky. I assume “purgatory” was meant to refer to the in-between-good-and-bad-for-you stat bonus given. The thing is, nobody who’s non-Catholic seems to understand that purgatory is a good place; hence, the old name is just plain dumb.

Ligan/Ishian Racehorse: These horses increase your Movement, hence “racehorse.”

Ligan Warhorse: This horse increases your Damage, hence “warhorse.”

Ishian/Sinonan Stallion: This horse increases your Speed, and the word “stallion” evokes an imagery of a wild, quick horse.