#Merrit

[qlola-dramaluva]

"I am Akram"

that's the post

[infinite-hearts-333]

Bonding of a Family

Days, weeks go by, and slowly, Thorn starts to reach out to the Rangers. They were familiar with most of them- but someone you just meet doesn’t make you friends.

They get use to the uncannily amount of shenanigans the crew gets into, and the crew does their best to accommodate the large, skittish lizard.

But, Oura Thorn is use to living alone, unnoticed and untouched.

They know something bad will happen.

Soon.

They just hope that it won’t ruin the fragile peace they have made.

Credits!

Au belongs to @onyxonline

@novalizinpeace

@north-heats-stronghold

@svetikfandomfrom0902

@moonspiritleaf

@fishy0bishy

[wyldblunt]

they're not tricks dad they're my ILLUSIONS

bonus:

[moth-tea-merchant]

You can run but you can't hide Breath on your skin, I've arrived Here I am Here I am

@wyldblunt 's Merrit

[shadandrews]

graha tia pilled

[adelle-ein]

drew some spring ex outfits for elrica and merrit! in september

[fishy0bishy]

Sneak peek!

Our crew is almost done cooking so here’s a tiny reveal!

Ocs belong to @novalizinpeace @north-heats-stronghold @fandomssvetlanafrom @fanofanythingsblog and @moonspiritleaf 

And Space Riders Au belongs to @onyxonline (also look it’s the headquarters in the back!)

[huariqueje]

Did you check the weather? - Jeremy Miranda , 2024.

American , b. 1980 -

Acrylic on board , 7 x 8 in.

[north-heats-stronghold]

Ranger's Training

Always gotta stay in top shape. And when it comes to the training sessions for the Ranger's crew, it usually involves with the other members sparring with North in a one on one. He is the captain for a reason people.

And afterwards, they all get ice cream as a treat. There's even a added challenge that if one of the crewmembers can beat North he pays for all the ice cream, otherwise they pay for there own.

(Zane is owned by @moonspiritleaf)

(Merrit is owned by @fishy0bishy)

(Zelda and Sparky are owned by @svetikfandomfrom0902)

(Thorn is owned by @infinite-hearts-333)

(Sunny and the art is owned and made by @novalizinpeace, always check her out for cool art)

(Space Rider's au made and owned by @onyxonline)

[infinite-hearts-333]

TW: blood.

THE INTERVENTION CHAP 5 (COMATOSE)

North rushes to Zelda’s aid- a little too late… caught between the beasts teeth, he’s flung into a wall, and concussed. The Beast plows through the wall, and in the process knocks most of it down. Zelda thankfully was saved by the beasts maw, protecting her from being crushed by the rumble that has knocked The Beast out. Exposed for the base to see- rumors of the Beast spreads around the base, but yet, the Beast itself, doesn’t awaken.

BAD ENDING.

- Thorn is now comatose, and for now, trapped in the Beast’s form

- Both North and Zelda has sustained damage- Zelda is scratched from the Beasts many teeth, whilst North has sustained an injured tail, horn damaged and is currently concussed.

- Sparky is fine and doing okay.

- Sunny is stressed and worried for his friend, and teammates.

Infinite notes: Thank you everyone for playing with me during the comic! I hope your all happy with your choices >:3 A special thanks to the Rangers, who I pestered a bit during its running time. And if your sad the polls are over so soon- do not fret, I have a special one coming up for the next part of Thorns story >:)

Other credits!

@north-heats-stronghold

@novalizinpeace

@fandomssvetlanafrom

@poppy-playtime-fan-ocs

@starastarship

@fishy0bishy

@weirdpurpleangel

Au belongs to @onyxonline !!

[wyldblunt]

the gang's varying opinions on metal legion

bonus:

[for-horsemens]

these parallels go crazy

[lauranthalasah]

I'm loving the dichotomy Akram and Carl are creating for me as characters.

On one hand we have Carl, a very rude character with little regard for other people's feelings. In the other one we have Akram, a soft spoken man, quite polite, quite respectful. 

But, if I look beyond the first layer of their perceived personalities, Akram is one hundred percent more disturbing than Carl! Even if I know little to nothing about him.

Carl first! 

He is a closed and hard to open book with a lot of warnings to "no open, danger inside" in a purposely ugly cover. He is rude, he is emotionally stunted and that affects all his relationships, with people he knows and people he crosses paths with. BUT! He is loyal to a fault, his loyalty is why he stays in Edinburgh, his loyalty is why he visits Hardy every single day. He cares! Despite the years of seeing the worst of humanity and what happened to him, and the way he seems to be, he still cares. He cared for William to the point of taking him to a safe place with people that genuinely cared for him. He cares for how Jasper feels about him, enough to try to communicate with him in other ways that could  tighten their relationship. He cares so much for Hardy that he starts connecting again with a case to give his friend the chance of doing so as well and therefore getting out of his depression. He threatened the man who  threatened his son in order to try to protect a girl that is soon to have a second chance in life and who suffered because she tried to do the right thing. He cares for Akram and finds a way to give him the job and position he deserves. He gives Rose a chance. 

He might look arrogant, but I think it is more an expression of his frustration (and that he REALLY doesn't care about people's positions/titles/etc. only what they do with all of that). He lacks patience, and yet he is DAMN GOOD TEACHER! He is always teaching! Is not just that he gives the people around him his observation and that's it, no! Most of the time he guides the others so they can see for themselves what HE sees, creating on others the habits of observations he has. He lets people give him their own reasoning and THEN creates counterarguments if he feels they are needed. And he accepts other people's contributions if they are relevant. He is NOT A GENIUS, he is smart, he has great observational skills, and he knows his work, but nothing he sees is impossible for other people to see, and he teaches them to do so if it is not something that comes naturally to them. He works well with Akram and Hardy because both of them are very good at their jobs!

The other important thing for this thinking piece is his reaction to his dream, the one in which he kills someone because he is angry. It worries him! The lack of control, his anger, it worries him, is not something that he just has or is and that's it, no, he cares that he is losing control, he doesn't like it and it is one of the few times in which he shares his concern, he asks for help somehow. While he might be on a self destructive path he doesn't want (at least so far) to take anyone with him.

Now Akram!

He is a closed and hard to open book under a nice and boring cover that reads "Boring and proper, nothing interesting to see here, look at the other books in the shelf" (I know little of this character so I might be waaay off mark here). But there's something about him, guilt or shame or something dark coming out of every pore. His control over himself is outstanding, but that control doesn't mean that he won't hurt other people, it means that he will hurt them exactly as he deems necessary. The coldness when he tortured the driver, the efficiency shown in getting into private spaces, torturing, fighting and weaponry... even if he was one of the "good guys" back in Syria, I've the feeling that he wasn't necessarily a "good person", that he did quite reprehensible things, and he is still fully capable of doing them if he wants to. 

Akram, to me, feels like someone that WANTS to care but not necessarily does, he is TRYING. Carl seems to me like someone that DOESN'T WANT to care and does despite himself.

I have this idea that Akram sees those aspects of Carl quite fast, like Akram knows he is not a good person so he can see the "goodness" in Carl behind his rudeness and also the full stent of his struggle, (while the rest know Carl is hurting and guess the extent of it, it is Akram the one that witness the full loss of the mask). Carl on the other hand sees Akram competency and that he clearly is trying to do something meaningful with his life and work despite the secrecy around him, and respects and supports that.

The dichotomy they create is that while one of them is at first glance much more tractable and easy to relate to than the other, there's a considerable chance that the easygoing one is actually the darkest of the both of them. Like the worst thing Carl has done might be a children's game over what Akram might have done.

Once again, I could be way off mark here, I don't know much of these characters yet (planning on reading the books), so this is what they make me feel so far with what I know.

[infinite-hearts-333]

Credits:

Au by @onyxonline !!

Zane: @moonspiritleaf

North Heat: @north-heats-stronghold

Sunny: @novalizinpeace

Zelda: @svetikfandomfrom0902

Merrit: @fishy0bishy

Halt thou beast, bare your scales waxed with sins.

Bare your neck.

Here you’ll perish.

Ouroboros.

Ouřa Thorn’s feet barely made a sound as they walked, head hung low as they trailed slow circles around the kitchen island, into the lounge, in front of the tv, before looping back around into the kitchen.

There was a word for this in animals, they vaguely remembered.

Zoochosis. Some form of stress disorder that made them do repeated things to soothe themselves or deal with a problem that they can’t solve.

Ouřa Thorn growled, a low rumble in their throat that echoed in a quiet cackle they heard the birds make back on their planet, stopping beside the door that led them outside to the halls.

Their scales prickled up, sharp, sharp,,

Having to mind how they stood, being careful around those smaller than them, constantly being aware of their large spines and tail..

Ouřa hissed, chomping down on their spiny arm, grinding their sharp teeth into the hard plating. They huffed through their nose, quivering, inhaling and exhaling.

Too unreliable, too dangerous, they really were just a monster.

The thunder of rage from the Beast as their eyes had landed on Zelda- who was not at fault for being infected with red smoke-

Ouřa gritted harder, little drops of blood welling to the surface.

“Thorn?”

Ouřa’s eyes snapped to the movement in the hallway, their back hitting a wall with a thud as they stared.

It was just Merrit.

It was just Merrit.

Why weren’t they breathing?

The Ferret’s brows furrowed, and she slowly lifted her hands. “Thorn? You don't look to good, buddy,”

She started to move over, and faintly Ouřa could hear another door open form the hallway.

No… no, no, they couldn’t let them see them like this.

Ouřa made a muffled panicked noise, jerking away from Merrit, they had gotten close enough to touch (they were SHARP, don’t get CLOSE).

“Merrit? What’s going on?” Came Zane’s voice, half awake and dazed as he flicked on the light.

It was like a flare gun went off.

Ouřa shrieked in agony, tearing their arm from their maw to claw at their eyes- the bright blinding light stunning them as they stumbled back, feeling the edges of their consciousness being tugged at.

And like any frightened animal- Ouřa reached out.

——————————— Zane’s POV ——————————————

To be frank, Zane wasn’t sure what was worse, Ouřa Thorn screaming, or when the howl of agony was suddenly cut off, the large lizard’s voice cracking a little at the end, their body jerking, their head hitting the wall once as they stumbled back.

Merrit was perfectly still, her eyes flicking in concern, as if she was trying to figure out what was exactly happening. She winced at the thud of Thorn hitting their head, reaching out to help again.

Ouřa Thorn must have seen the movement, cause they yank their hands from their face to snarl like a cornered animal, their snout pulled back to bare all their teeth.

Their three large spines catches the light- as Zane jerked a little, just fast enough to yank Merrit back a little at the snap of the lizards teeth - wait- when did Ouřa Thorn have more then three spines?

“Thorn!” Merrit called, worry lacing her voice as fumbled with her hands, half between reaching out again and raising them as if to calm an aggravated animal.

And then something snapped.

Zane froze, feeling his breathes start to quicken as Ouřa Thorn began to change- the lizard they had come to like as a friend rapidly changing, their bones breaking and voice wailling in hoarse crying screams, their spines splitting and growing into skewers, as if the humanity was being drained from them.

Zane couldn’t help but be reminded of Asta- when he had injected himself with the red smoke and had turned into a monster.

“Ah, shit,” Merrit said, seeming familiar with this, as Thorn snarled overhead, now far too large for the room, seeming determined to back themselves into a corner, their tail lashing uncontrollably behind them. It hits the couch, sending it sliding across the room just in time for Sunny, followed closely by Zelda to come into the living room, probably awoken by the noises.

“Oh dear,” Sunny said in a rush, before dashing back down the hall, yelling for North. Zelda watched silently, her eyes wide as the Beast taking up half of their living room, growling and snapping at Merrit every time she tried to get close to calm them down.

“Thorn, Thorn, please, calm down-” Merrit pleaded faintly, as Zane continued to stare, unmoving.

He’d been right.

He knew, from the get go- the staying over, the panicked nature, the weird occurances around the lizard-

He knew something was up with them, and he’d been right.

Zane startled a little at the sensation of something clambering up his arm, jerking and nearly knocking off the large blue spider frantically clambering up his arm. He paused- he’d seen it in Thorn’s room, or occasionally nestled in Oura Thorn’s spines.

It was waving it’s little feeties toward the large beast that was Thorn, chattering frantically. Zane paused, before looking up at Ouřa Thorn, hesitating.

They looked scared.

Sure, they were big- but they were just scared.

Inhaling, Zane offered his hands to the spider, who looked up at him for a second silently before clambering into his hands. Now armed with a blue spider, Zane marched straight past Merrit, to Ouřa Thorn, the spider held out in front of him.

North Heart had finally made it to the chaos of the living room, bed ruffled and confused, before spotting Ouřa Thorn, and then Zane, flaring his wings in slight panic.

“Zane, Merrit, back up NOW,”

Ouřa Thorn had whipped their head to Zane and snarled, their maw opening to reveal a blood red maw of razor sharp teeth and large pointed spines. Their breath still smelt of the mint they had been eating before Zane had headed off to his room for the night.

He smiled faintly, willing all of the fond memories he had of his time with Ouřa Thorn, as the spider made a soft, vibrating purr.

“You're okay,” He mused slowly, shifting the spider into one hand so he could slowly start to reach out to touch Thorn’s large scaled muzzle.

Ouřa Thorn snarled a little, but it was quieter, weaker.

They were just scared, Zane reminded himself, gently rubbing his hand over the scales.

The sharp slits that were Thorn’s pupils slowly started to dilate, their breathes becoming slower, and therefore easier to hear each shaky inhale and exhale.

The spider clambered across Zane’s body so that it could reach his arm on Oura Thorn and nestle in between their eyes, purring with all their might that their abdomen was practically rattling.

Thorn’s eyes flickered over Zane, before their eyes close with a defeated, exhausted huff, pressing their head into the wolf’s body, nearly knocking them over.

The living room was dead silent, before a low, trembled whimper emitted from the larger lizard, their spines quivering as their defences slumped.

Zane looked over to North Heat, who was staring in bewilderment, relief, and pride. “I guess this is their power?” He murmured softly, stroking down the side of the beast’s face, getting a gentle rumble.

“Yeah, how did you get them so calm?” North mused, taking a step closer. Ouřa Thorn’s eyes opened, and they made a low, defensive thunderous growl, one large claw hoarding Zane closer.

Zane squeaked a little, mindfully watching the sharp claws. North took two steps back, hands in the air.

“Unsure, Cap. Um. I think I’m gonna be here a while, could someone get my pillow?”

Sunny snorted, nodding a little. “Sure. I think for safety were all gonna stay out here to make sure spikey here stays calm.” He chimed, nodding at the large lizard, who had settled back down, tail coiling defensively around them.

“Well, I'm gonna get some popcorn then. Doubt anyone will be sleeping for a while.” Zelda huffed, already moving to the kitchen, pulling Merrit with her.

Zane smiled a little, his tail flicking as he got comfy, looking up at his now larger than usual friend.

I wont let you be scared, Thorn. Not anymore.

[wyldblunt]

assorted viper squad dynamics

[nellasbookplanet]

I know that after Downfall the perspective of 'the gods are a FAMILY' has permeated fandom on both sides of the kill-all-gods argument, but frankly that isn't all they are and acting as if it's suddenly their only motivation flattens both them as characters and the narrative they (and bells hells) are in.

The Wildmother and The Raven Queen didn't 'let' Lolth get away with nabbing Opal and killing Cyrus because she’s their sister. Come on man, we've already seen that the primes are plenty capable of opposing and fighting their siblings on the side of mortals (is the calamity a joke to you??). I'm not saying the primes aren’t capable of picking the lives of their betrayer siblings over mortals (downfall showed as much) but that's not what the situation with Opal and Lolth was about in the slightest.

They let Lolth 'get away with it' not because she’s family, but because this is the very rare instance of them not only having the same goal, but of them actively fighting for their lives. As far as we know that has only happened once before on Exandria, and that time they also entered a truce to defend themselves. The vast majority of the time, the primes picking their siblings over mortals won’t happen because mortals can’t actually threaten the gods (normally), making the 'they're family argument' a moot point. The primes won’t necessarily agree with Lolth's methods, but they won’t go throwing away both hers and their own champions in a meaningless struggle when they need all their strength to stop the fucking apocalypse.