#crystal revamp lets go

[therealdesastr]

"GO BACK TO SLEEP!"

OOC: Hey all! This is a screenshot of one of my newly revamped OCs, Loki, and the Beginning of my plot for their faction, House Glaceil. These are vampires I made lorewise (Permafrost Vampires) that are somewhat more accurate to traditional european vampire lore.

This was fun write and I hope you enjoy it! Vampires can be brutal :)

CW: Blood & heavy gore in the writing!

======================================

“A new dawn, bathed in blood, is upon us, my brethren!” 

He may as well be the God of Chaos with how he stands behind the lecture, gazing out at all of his loyalists. Those loyal to him know what’s happening, twisted, excited grins evident as fangs are flashed. Oh, they want to see blood. 

After centuries of cruelty. Centuries of fixation on the old ways. They’ve had it. THEY’VE HAD IT.

Several elezen are bound by expertly-tied rope, courtesy of the House’s now-true Lord. Muffled screams and whimpers emit from the victims of this twisted sermon. 

Lord Loki de Glaceil is bathed in a deep red from the crystals to his sides, with the endless void seemingly behind him. Very little light is in their Temple here, and the voidsent frozen in time, emerging from the murky depths of the dark, seems to stare out sleepily at the cult members. 

Loki continues, unable to help but let a joyful cackle spill from him. “With Ishgard changing, it is time for our House to embrace change as well. No longer will we hide in the shadows. No longer must we fear mortals and bow to their commands.”

A low, hissing cheer rises up from the crowd, glowing serpentine eyes locked on the Lord. 

Raising his claws and slamming his fist on the lectern, Loki gives another wild cackle, some strands of his ebon hair falling into his face. His ears twitch back, and he runs his tongue over his sharp teeth. “The world is our hunting ground. We need not abuse blood slaves for our own gain. We need not bury what these fiends before me consider ‘lesser’ under layer upon layer of bodies and blood. NO! That practice ends here, and now.”

The cheers intensify, along with the growls and whimpers of those tied up, who sound out in protest, not like they can do a damn thing. It seems they’ve been sapped of power and beaten to a pulp in some fashion. The House had been undergoing change slowly, and the serpents have finally struck… 

Leading to this now extremely *rapid* change for it as a whole.

“Our prey will fear us, along with the rest of the world. Whether they remember we are their hunters, or not… We can tear through memories and minds oh so beautifully, just like flesh, with our claws and teeth.” 

His eyes darken, and yet another mad laugh escapes him. “And if… perchance… someone gets a touch too aggressive with us, we can dine on their hearts, now can’t we.” 

The Permafrost vampires need not kill their prey, after all, and would rarely do so unless they deem it necessary. They would sometimes wipe the memories of their prey, but at times, not even bother. Especially now, with the wider world being deemed as necessary to fear them. 

While this shift in hunting method is generally progressive and trending less toward ‘morally absent’ and more toward ‘morally grey’, it’s clear Loki has no qualms with slaughter should he deem it necessary, or striking fear into his prey. 

He is a bloodthirsty monster, after all…

…moreso than most, really. He loves tearing the life from his victims, truly. Just as much as he enjoys his ‘precious’ treasures, those he takes as lovers. War, love… blood, sex. All the joys of life, to him, an art, really. Something at the top of the roster of his many talents. 

Lord Loki Glaceil is unhinged like his father, even if initiating real change for his House. 

Nothing makes that as abundantly clear as when he crouches and leaps over the lectern, splattering blood everywhere, including over the victims tied up in a fetal position a few yalms from the lectern. He straightens up, more strands of his hair falling into his face, turning him from a well-kept and esteemed Lord into a wild monster. 

His magic swirls around him, a miasma of red and black. A man of many talents, he’s got bardic magic in the bag, as demonstrated…well, now. Even if it’s just for show, and not something he uses in combat, typically.

When he begins to hum, background instrumentals begin. Not to mention very, very eerie distant background screams and other such similar noises. He addresses his people as he approaches his father, Lord Zimant de Glaceil. 

“Don’t fret precious, I’m here… step away from the window. Go …back to sleep. Safe from pain, and truth, and choicccccce… and other poison devils…. See they don’t give a **Fuck** about you, like I do…” 

As his voice now echoes, he grabs his father by the throat with one hand and hoists him up. Cackling, he screams, “COUNTING BODIES LIKE SHEEP… COUNTING BODIES LIKE SHEEP…” 

Then, Loki raises his other hand thrusting it toward his chest and slashing through his fancy suit and flesh. 

All the while, letting out roar-screams of excitement that echo endlessly through this odd void.

He literally begins peeling away the flesh as tears spill from the enemy Lord’s eyes, cries of sheer agony slipping from the muzzle over his mouth. That process done, Loki’s hand returns to his father’s chest and tears through the chest muscle, bloodied while seeking out the rib on the left side… ah. 

Perfect. 

SNAP!

“GO BACK TO SLEEP!”

The distant sound of war drums indeed rises up the more and more Loki mutilates the still living body of the (very soon to be) former House’s leader.

With that sickening noise, it’s torn from the rest of the ribcage. CRACK! Then another… CRACK! Then another. 

Screams rise up from Lord Zimant’s chest, though that definitely won’t be the case for long. They turn garbled and unclear as it becomes hard for him to breathe… but that’s not what kills him.

Loki’s hand wraps around his heart and begins pulling. With an intense, wet tearing noise, the heart is dislodged from its owner. Loki drops the limp body of his father to the ground and opens his jaws, sinking his fangs into the heart. 

He doesn’t drink it. 

No, that would be silly.

He tears off a chunk and begins to chew. Hungrily, starved, as if this is the most delicious treat in the world. Loki even gives a moan-like growl as he does so, as if in some sort of intense ecstasy. His eyes even roll back a little, this twisted ritual caressing him in all the right ways. 

When he finishes with the heart, he licks his lips and gives a hum. 

His eyes gaze out at the excited stares of his followers. Some do look upon him with a healthy dose of fear, but inspiration, nonetheless. Those tied up look up at him in sheer horror… knowing their fate. 

Indeed… Loki kneels down beside one of the vampires, a male who had been very loyal to his father. He grabs his chin and removes the muzzle of the victim, tilting his head. What an unusual event. Loki, covered in blood, seems to want to hear what this one has to say. 

A desperate, pleading voice rings out. “M-master, my love… w-what… please spare me, after all we’ve been through…” gasps Orlault. Loki had fallen in love with this loyalist to his father, but had never quite been able to convince him to leave those twisted beliefs behind. 

So when Orlault killed one of the ‘prey items’ Loki had taken a fancy to - that is, offered a home in exchange for blood - Loki dismissed this and seemed to not care. 

In reality, Loki never forgot. 

Her name had been Evelyn, such a pretty little thing in mind and body. She thought she had a second chance here in the House, willingly providing for *some* of Lord Loki’s blood needs and eventually falling in love with him.

Orlault didn’t like the attention she got from the Lord, though he was fully aware of the Lord’s polyamory and accepting of it. But…with a blood slave? Livestock? 

Even if Loki didn’t see her that way… Orlault did. 

And so, one day, he ‘took care of the problem’, begging the Lord’s forgiveness and professing a deep love for him. Loki, the snake he is, accepted this for a long while, keeping the charade up for years that he still loved him.

Which marks this moment as… particularly important. 

Orlault, for his part, is taken off guard completely. 

Loki leans into his ear and whispers, “But of course. You are so skilled with your tongue, and such a romantic lover, my precious. This is merely a …punishment for listening oh so well to my Father when, truly, I wished you would listen to me. Alas, now that can be mended.” 

Loyalists to Loki look on, intrigued if not…confused. Normally, the Lord truly does have no mercy. Perhaps love has him blinded? They can hear what he’s saying with their enhanced hearing, after all.

Orlault appears very relieved, tears falling down his cheeks. “Oh.. oh thank you… I–”

His words are cut off by Loki aggressively locking lips with him, stabbing his tongue into his mouth and greedily exploring. One arm supports the tied elezen’s back, and the other begins tearing through his robes. Is this about to be a very tense demonstration of public affection?

…Hm…

Muffled, choked screaming begins to sound out as blood begins pouring from the side of Orlault’s lips. Oh… as it turns out, Loki had bit his tongue off. Loki lets go of the kiss right then, tongue still in his fangs, turns his head, and spits it to the side. 

Cheerfully, Loki turns his eerie gaze to his followers. 

He tilts his head, wearing the sweetest of smiles.

“Cannot end this without a touch of dramatic flair, can I?” He licks his lips while garbled screams still emit from a thrashing Orlault. Loki’s grin only widens. The chanting of ‘GO TO SLEEP’ sounds out behind him before he says the next part of his twisted speech, entwined with ‘counting bodies like sheep’...

Loki sings softly. “I’ll be the one to protect you from… your enemies and all your demons… I’ll be the one to protect you from… a will to survive and a voice of reason… I’ll be the one to protect you from your enemies and your choices son, they’re one and the same, I must isolate you… isolate you and save you from yourself.” 

He appears to be mocking the notion, mocking his father. Wild laughter emits from him, and he adds, “DO TELL! How well did that work out for you, O Lord Zimant? Or you, my *love*, Orlault?! Oh you taste so delicious. Allow me to send you off, then. One last taste, mm?”

Just like with his father, Loki raises his clawed hand and plunges it toward the other elezen’s chest, tearing through it and ripping his heart out. He drops the still corpse and begins devouring it as his most devout in attendance let out snarls and cheers of glee. 

Kneeling there in a puddle of blood, Loki gives low, growling cackles. Eventually, he stands up and takes his place behind the lectern, cracking his neck. 

“Feast, my brethren. Partake in this glorious feast, this glorious ritual in honor of The Fury… Halone… the Ouro. She watches over us with the widest of grins. CLAIM YOUR DESTINY!” 

Several more Elezen are slaughtered in The Ritual of True Crimson via the excited Devout of Loki. Those loyal to the former Lord Zimant who had avoided being rounded up would be hunted down and slaughtered - with a few escaping.

Much to the excitement of Lord Loki, as they could be hunted down and devoured.

Oh, what fun. 

Blessed be The Cult of Ouro…

========================================

Song Reference:

[anthurak]

Crystal Wind Rin AU/Yugioh Arc-V Rewrite Ideas: Part 1

Because I still have this wild idea of Rin getting Clear Wing Synchro Dragon on the brain, I thought I might as well dive headlong into it.

So here’s what I have dubbed the “Crystal Wind Rin” AU for Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V and the many ideas and headcanons that have spun out of it.

Though one bit of clarifying preamble before diving in: While I’ll pretty much exclusively be discussing Rin and her revamped character and journey here, she’s actually far from the only character or plot elements to be changed. Rather than one simply change to this one character rippling through the rest of the story, this really represents just one part of a much broader revamping of ARC-V as a whole. What I’ll be discussing here simply focuses on Rin’s part of it, plus Yugo and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.

So with that out of the way; let’s start with the big deviation that kicks off Rin’s new story:

What if Yugo got kidnapped by Acadamia forces instead of Rin?

The impetus for this is pretty straightforward; when Yuri and the Obelisk Black Ops portal into the Synchro Dimension, Yuri happens to run into Yugo and feels this strange connection to this other boy that just FASCINATES him and decides he’d MUCH rather kidnap this guy instead of the weird random girl that his boss is so interested in for some reason.

So Yuri and his goons all jump Yugo and knock him out, with Rin showing up just in time to see her childhood friend get carted off through a portal much like how Yugo saw her getting carried off in the original show. However, in all the scuffle with the Academia goons, Yugo ends up dropping Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, or perhaps he oh so conveniently forgot the card at home. Either way, Rin is the one to find and pick up the card.

And so with no idea what the hell just happened and determined to rescue her closest friend, Rin takes up both Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, and the Duel Runner she and Yugo built together, and maybe Yugo’s helmet if that also got dropped. And just like with Yugo, Clear Wing resonates with Rin’s desires and portals them to the Xyz Dimension.

At this point Rin has essentially taken over Yugo’s role as the main Synchro Dimension representative/protag of ARC-V.

--

Rin’s initial journey is fairly similar to Yugo’s at first, driven by much the same motivation of tracking down and rescuing her kidnapped friend.

She even still has a duel with Yuto just like Yugo did, though it ends up going both quite similar AND quite different.

At the climax of the duel, Rin does summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon much like Yugo did, though perhaps after Yuto summons Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, and it does still cause a reaction between Rin, Clear Wing, Yuto, Dark Rebellion and maybe even a sedated Yugo a couple dimensions over in Academia.

Except Rin’s and Clear Wing’s reaction is quite a bit more… EXTREME.

As in, less ‘unhinged lust for battle’ and more ‘total fear-and-anger induced berserker rage’. Like Clear Wing, Yuto, Dark Rebellion and Yugo are just starting to resonate similar to what we saw originally when suddenly Rin and Clear Wing let out a SCREAM of terror and anger before being consumed in swirling auras of power. Which even breaks the previous resonance and leaves a now-fully lucid Yuto and Dark Rebellion pretty much fighting for their lives against a Rin and Clear Wing fully consumed by a berserker fury. Which could be made all the more difficult by Rin perhaps having summoned Clear Wing with both Windwitch Snow Bell and Ice Bell, making her pretty much unkillable.

Basically, turns out a fragment of Ray Akaba summoning one of Zarc’s Dimensional Dragons makes for an extremely VIOLENT reaction.

And to add yet one more interesting wrinkle to all this; before all that shit goes down, Rin actually hears Clear Wing’s eagerness to be summoned just like Yugo did. Implying that Clear Wing didn’t actually know what was going to happen and likely didn’t even know WHO Rin actually was yet.

Needless to say, the duel ends about as badly, if not worse for Yuto. With his dragon ripped apart and himself defeated and badly maimed by the berserk Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. With both Rin and Clear Wing looking about ready to go after Yuya next when Rin has a brief moment of clarity and orders Clear Wing to stop before falling unconscious. With Clear Wing notably also looking ready to collapse from exhaustion and using the last of her strength to portal both of them away. Leaving a mortally wounded Yuto to perish extremely homoerotically in Yuya’s arms and merge with him.

As for Rin, while unconscious she is beset by strange and unsettling visions of fighting a mysterious pink-haired girl (who happens to look a LOT like White Wing Magician…), wild and enraged in a way that terrifies Rin.

And when Rin finally awakes, she finds yet more oddities. First, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon’s card now bares a strange, subtle yet distinct marking on its back; a strange square-cap symbol. Second, Rin discovers to her shock that she herself also now bares a mark of her own on her right arm; a strange mark vaguely resembling a wing, almost like one of those on Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.

Basically, Rin and Clear Wing inadvertently ‘marked’ each other with their respective powers. Rin marking Clear Wing with the symbol of the ‘En Winds’ nature card, and Clear Wing marking Rin with a very Signer-esque dragonmark.

Obviously, this will be VERY important later XD

--

Rin spends a lot of time after this grappling with some very conflicted feelings about Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Confusion, anger and fear about what exactly is going on with the dragon and what happened to them both. Which is only compounded further by reveals that Rin always felt a combination of both wonder and awe at Yugo’s dragon, yet also an underlying apprehension and discomfort that she could never explain and thus buried and pretended didn’t exist.

All this leads to Rin being VERY reluctant to summon Clear Wing for some time unless absolutely necessary. And when she does Rin has to actively fight against the fear and rage driving her to go berserk. All while Rin is further beset by more tumultuous dreams of fighting the other mysterious girl, feeling nothing but fear and anger towards her in a way she can’t explain.

This also leads to Rin being a lot more proactive in trying to get information/answers from others, or at least is quite a bit more focused and intelligent about it than Yugo was. Which is further helped by Rin obviously not being a Yu-boy and thus not inadvertently setting off Yuzu’s bracelet-teleporter and thus giving Rin more time in the Standard Dimension with the rest of the cast and get at least some answers.

Unlike Yugo, Rin is a fair bit less single-minded in basically only being focused on saving a kidnapped childhood friend. She still wants to save Yugo, but is also driven much more to stop the Fusion Dimension, as well as driven to figure out just what is going on with both her and Clear Wing. This potentially even leads to her being inducted into the Lancers by Reiji alongside Serena.

Though no one is really able to give Rin any answers as to what’s going on with her and Clear Wing.

--

More ideas to come soon XD

[gwen-ever]

Chapter 2: The Traitor

Hey there, fabulous readers! 🖤 This is not your usual Chapter 1—it’s the remastered, deluxe edition! 🎉 I’ve sprinkled in extra details, hidden gems, and juicy insights that I think you’ll absolutely love. Think of it as the director’s cut of this fic! While you’re diving into this revamped chapter, know that I’m also hard at work crafting brand-new, never-before-seen chapters (exciting, right?!). These will hit your screens on either Saturdays or Sundays—so mark your calendars and keep an eye out! ⏳ A little extra fun: I’d love to hear your thoughts! What do you think is going to happen between Thorin and Geira? 🤔 Do you have any spicy theories or suspicions about where the story is headed? Drop your predictions—I’m dying to know! 🔮 Thank you so much for your incredible support—it means the world to me. If you enjoyed this chapter, consider leaving a review or reblogging it on Tumblr. Seriously, every little bit helps this story grow! 💖 Now, let’s jump back into the action and explore all the new twists and turns. Enjoy! Huge thank you to @lathalea to being my beta reader and tell me when I am messing up! <3 Mashkil: Dirt 'Angûna: Filth

Summary: When Smaug arrived, he not only killed the dwarves of Erebor, but he also destroyed the lives of the few who survived… whether he did it on purpose or not.After a hundred years, a part of Thorin’s past will come back to haunt him in the form of a dwarf who last knocks on the door of Bilbo Baggins’ house, resurrecting old grudges and the pain of a life no one wants to talk about. Geira, daughter of Geiri, is anything but an open book, an exiled who no one wants around, a warrior who has no one to fight for, but only an oath she must fulfil.

Relationships: Thorin x FemaleOC Rating: M Warnings: none. AO3 LINK: HERE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What is she doing here?” roared Thorin Oakenshield, pointing an accusatory finger at the newcomer, who had just set her wooden bow down in a corner and removed her heavy black travelling cloak.

She felt the king's gaze burn into her like fire but avoided looking at him, even as he stepped closer, like an animal poised to attack. Instead, she raised her eyes towards the tall figure of the wizard, who smiled at her faintly from the corner of his mouth.

“My dear Geira, allow me to introduce our host, Bilbo Baggins,” Gandalf announced in a composed tone, ignoring, like her, the dwarven king’s question.

With small steps, Gandalf moved to one side, gesturing towards the small hobbit standing in the centre of the hallway.

“Good evening.” The hobbit tilted his head slightly to get a better look at her.

She guessed that he probably didn’t like being surrounded by so many intruders. Now that another one had arrived, he was likely in complete panic. She understood, as she could imagine how bewildering the scene must be for him.

For a brief moment, she felt sincere sympathy for him. But she herself was not in the best of moods, and maintaining that façade of indifference was becoming increasingly difficult.

Maintaining her composure, she offered him a small smile, inclined her head slightly, and touched her chest while clutching the edge of her red tunic. “Geira, daughter of Geiri, at your service,” she introduced herself.

“Traitor to her people!” Dwalin added scornfully, shouting at the top of his lungs.

She tried to ignore the dwarf’s words and continued smiling faintly at the hobbit before her. But then another voice, one she could never forget even in a thousand years, spoke.

“What are you doing here, filthy mashkil ?” Thorin growled, his voice reverberating through the house.

Her resolve to stay calm shattered like a crystal glass thrown to the ground.

Geira lifted her eyes, finally meeting Thorin’s. His icy blue gaze bore into hers, cold as a winter’s night during a snowstorm. Yet what she felt was... nothing.

She felt nothing. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.

“No one asked for you to speak, King Under the Mountain,” she spat.

The moment she finished speaking, several elderly dwarves around the table erupted with exclamations. In an instant, some of them stood up, shouting at her.

One dwarf in particular kicked over his stool and slammed his two iron fists onto the wooden table, making it groan under the force.

“Filthy traitor, say that again!” Dwalin roared. “I dare you to say it again!”

Her eyes were drawn to the muscles of his arms, rippling with anger, and to the scars on his forearms, which seemed to take on a life of their own. She needed to extract herself from the situation—for the sake of the promise she had made to herself.

“Sit down, Dwalin...” Geira murmured.

“Don’t you dare tell me what to do, angûna . Just breathing your air disgusts me. You should die for daring to show your face here!”

“This is not dwarven territory...”

“As long as I am under this roof, everything around me is dwarven territory!”

At this, however, Geira couldn’t suppress a sneer. “It’s ironic that you’re so preoccupied with noticing and acknowledging my presence instead of thinking about how to reclaim your territory,” she shot back, staring him down.

The dwarf roared, stepping away from the table with a swift movement.

“One word from you, Thorin, and I’ll make her regret it bitterly! Damned traitor!” he bellowed, consumed by rage.

Geira turned her gaze to the Dwarven king, who remained standing. She locked eyes with him, waiting silently for his response to the warrior dwarf’s demand. And she got it.

The frown on Thorin’s brow deepened, but his gaze remained cold—icy and terrifying, like the last look he had given her long ago.

Thorin opened his mouth to issue a command, but both were interrupted by the most unexpected voice, which, to her surprise, came to her defence.

“Excuse me, but I don’t believe that’s the proper way to speak to a lady.” All eyes turned to the side of the corridor—to Bilbo.

The hobbit stammered under their scrutiny, adjusting his stance with his feet planted together.

“Although, I mean... If she’s what you’re saying... or what you think you’re saying,” he added, glancing at Thorin. “But not in my home. No, sir!” He tugged on the straps of his trousers, more out of irritation than anything else.

Geira released her grip on the sword hilt at her side, startled by the hobbit’s boldness towards Thorin. That small gesture of courage piqued her interest, a rarity for her these days.

She noticed Gandalf’s amused glance at the hobbit, who rocked on his heels, likely expecting Dwalin and Thorin to return to their seats—but they didn’t.

Instead, the clatter of dishes and a few chuckles from the adjoining sitting room broke the icy silence that had descended upon them, dispelling the tension that had thickened like frost.

“Uh-oh! Someone’s angered Master Dwalin! Take this pint, brother, and tread carefully.”

“Watch it yourself, you’re the one stepping on my foot, Kili!”

“Well, then move over! We’re missing all the fun because of you!”

The entire room quickly turned towards the source of the noise—all except for one dwarf: Thorin, who kept his eyes fixed on the dwarf woman without a moment’s distraction.

Before Geira could wonder what was happening, two young dwarves appeared from the kitchen, each carrying two pints. One had hair as golden as molten gold, and the other sported dark and curly locks that were painfully familiar.

Geira held her breath for a few seconds.

“Oh, shut it, Fili! You’re always in the way. If you’d just step aside, I might figure out why they’ve all stopped shouting too,” said the younger dwarf, lifting the pints to take a seat.

“Surely Uncle has finished,” the other replied, mimicking his brother’s movements. “Or the other... burg... lady... has arrived…”

The blonde dwarf didn’t finish his sentence as his blue eyes landed on Geira.

His jaw dropped, causing the twin braids of his moustache to sway.

The hazel-haired dwarf tilted his head to the side as he observed his brother in confusion, slowly lowering himself into a seat.

“What’s a burg... lady?”

Finally, his gaze also fell upon her. But unlike his brother’s stunned expression, his open mouth soon curved into a warm smile.

“SO YOU’RE THE NEW MEMBER! WELCOME!” he shouted, throwing his arms in the air, pints still in hand.

Geira said nothing, remaining impassive, all while feeling the other brother’s gaze still upon her.

“WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? SIT DOWN! I EVEN HAVE AN EXTRA PINT FOR YOU IF YOU WANT IT!”

“Kili...” Thorin growled a warning.

“Why were you all shouting like that? And why are you still standing? We were about to explain to Mister Baggins how...”

“Kili,” the elder of the two brothers interrupted, motioning with a glance towards Geira’s sword hilt.

Geira noticed Fili’s eyes and quickly covered the visible seal on the pommel of her sword with her hand. Yet his blue eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re a...”

“Fili, Kili, silence!” Thorin stopped them, but Kili persisted, seemingly unaware that they were only making matters worse.

“Oh, come on, Uncle, it’s wonderful! It will be all...”

“Silence, I said!” Thorin’s roar shook the room, his fist slamming against the table.

Both brothers froze, mouths agape, stunned by their uncle’s sudden outburst. Yet they obeyed, remaining silent as instructed, although their eyes cast accusatory glances of the room. They instinctively knew something wasn’t right.

Geira’s hand slipped away from her sword hilt, her fingers falling as if pulled by an invisible force. Though she avoided meeting the two brothers’ gazes, she felt the weight of their silent scrutiny. They sat back down quietly, their eyes fixed on her.

The dwarven king, however, narrowed his eyes, his expression hardening as he shifted his focus back to Gandalf.

A heavy silence once again filled the room, laden with unspoken words.

“I want her gone,” Thorin declared emotionlessly.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Gandalf replied calmly as he returned to his seat.

“I won’t allow her to stay here. I won’t permit her to remain near my company and endanger it simply with her presence,” Thorin growled lowly. “I don’t trust her, and I don’t trust anything she says!” he snapped, refusing to look at her.

Geira clenched her fists, struggling to remain calm, though it was becoming increasingly difficult.

How dare he speak of trust? Him, of all people—he who had betrayed her.

How dare he!

She gritted her teeth as a blind fury clouded her vision.

“You’ll have to, for I have done what I thought was right, and recalling her from exile is the right choice,” Gandalf interjected.

“The right choice?” Thorin’s voice rose, his piercing blue eyes glinting dangerously. “And how would we know that?”

Gandalf gestured towards Geira, encouraging her to speak with a slight nod of his head. Thirteen heads turned towards her, and even Thorin finally rested his cold gaze upon her.

For a moment, his mere glance made her falter, causing her to choke on the words she had not yet uttered. Yet she had to say them—for herself, for her father, for her 120 years of exile, and for all the pain she had endured because of the cursed dwarf staring at her.

Swallowing her anger, her vision slowly cleared.

“I am here to fulfil my oath,” she said, looking the dwarven king straight in the eyes.

A subtle shiver swept through the room, penetrating to the bones of those present.

A dull thud echoed through the room—the sound of a cup slamming onto the wooden table.

“This is too much!” Dwalin roared, rising to his feet again. “Thorin, just say a word and I’ll take her head off her shoulders, as I should have done years ago!”

Thorin didn’t respond to Dwalin, keeping his attention fixed on her.

“Your oath?” he asked, his tone unnervingly calm.

With a few strides, he closed the distance between them, his fists clenched, his jaw tight. “Your oath holds no value anymore. It was broken long ago. Your words, your oath, are nothing but a heap of cold ash!”

She almost dug her nails into her palm. “An oath is for life. You were there when I swore it.”

Thorin’s jaw clenched again, his breathing unsteady.

“And I was there when you broke it,” he growled lowly. “Right in front of my eyes...”

A pang of pain tore through her chest, memories of that day rushing back to her. She could see his look again, feel the tears streaking her face, feel her heart being torn from her chest. She could see her world burning before her eyes, her life reduced to ashes—and then... exile.

The exile he had condemned her to.

“I have no intention of fulfilling my oath for you , if that’s what concerns you, King Under the Mountain,” she spat.

“I don’t care why you want to keep it. I don’t need you to keep it!” Thorin roared, enraged. “Your words mean nothing to me, a'lâju Mahal !”

His words were followed by the screech of a chair being pushed back.

“Thorin...” Balin whispered, but Thorin was unstoppable, like a raging fire.

“You have no place among us, no honour, no name, no clan! You are nothing! Your oaths were broken the moment you turned your back on us. Your blood is tainted, just like your father’s!”

For Geira, this was the final straw.

She approached him with a few steps, glaring down at him, her words pouring out like an unstoppable torrent.

“Then let Dwalin take my head now, this instant, for I assure you, Thorin, son of Thrain, that I would rather be buried in the ground than keep the words I once swore to your family!” she retorted mercilessly. “If I could, I would take them back one by one!”

“Silence, traitor!” he shouted at her, slamming his fist against the wall beside him.

“ENOUGH!”

Darkness suddenly descended over everyone present, enveloping the room in a dense, almost tangible shadow. Before Geira could respond, a profound silence fell around them, broken only by the power Gandalf had just unleashed.

Gandalf looked down with an intensity that seemed to shrink them, as if the darkness itself sought to break their determination.

Almost. For as sure as the sunrise, dwarves were not easily intimidated—even when the shadow’s power belonged to a wizard.

“You dwarves and your stubbornness! You’ll ruin us all before we even begin our journey! Geira will come with us. If I say her presence is essential, then it is essential! Her reasons do not matter to me, nor should they to any of you!”

“It does matter,” Thorin’s deep voice rose from the silence that had gripped his companions. “You cannot ask us to trust her, Gandalf. What she did is...”

“I know, but I ask you, for the sake of this mission, to set aside old grievances. Otherwise, we won’t get far if you keep quarrelling. When we reach the Lonely Mountain...” Gandalf paused briefly, taking a deep breath. “Geira will accompany us there and help us reclaim it, and then...”

“Then I’ll leave, if that’s what you wish, Thorin Oakenshield,” Geira interrupted, glancing at Thorin’s hand still resting against the wall beside her.

Thorin raised an eyebrow and slowly stepped back, returning to his seat. “That is what I wish for now—that you leave—and that will not change,” he stated, casting a glance at her hair, so short that it revealed her neck, shoulders, and part of her ears.

The same length it had been when he last saw her.

“I don’t want it to change...” she replied, ashamed of those short locks once more after so long.

The cut he had given her.

And with one last disgusted glance from Thorin at her head, the discussion came to an end. Geira bit her tongue, lowering her gaze. After that long exchange, she accepted the chair that the hobbit kindly offered her with a smile. Meanwhile, the company resumed the conversations they had been having before her arrival.

But the grave atmosphere continued to permeate the room, even as everyone’s focus shifted back to the hobbit.

Geira observed him as Gandalf began explaining the mission to him. It seemed suicidal, at best. The hobbit’s brow furrowed with each new detail, each wrinkle reflecting a small, desperate question. He glanced back and forth between Thorin and Gandalf, his wide eyes almost pleading, as though hoping one of them would reveal that it was all just a cruel joke.

It wasn’t hard to imagine the storm of thoughts swirling in his head. She felt an odd kinship with him. She knew the instinct to flee, to turn around, and slip out through the round door, pretending none of it had happened.

But she remained rooted in place, her feet practically sinking into the floorboards.

She had given her word to Gandalf and, more importantly, to herself. This time, she wouldn’t run. Her father’s voice echoed faintly in her memory, reminding her that she was more than the whispered stories people told about her. Enough hiding , she thought, steadying her heart.

It was time to face whatever was thrown at her.

A long scroll, resembling a contract, appeared in Gandalf’s hands, drawing her attention back to the room. She watched as the hobbit examined it, his brow tightening, his shoulders slumping with every line, his fingers twitching faintly. Every word seemed to weigh him down, dragging him deeper into the journey that awaited them.

“Incineration?” he asked incredulously, unfurling the parchment further. “...I’m going to faint...” he whispered.

“Think of a furnace with wings: a flash of light, searing pain, and puff! You’re nothing more than a pile of ash!” quipped Bofur, peering out from the doorway where he sat.

Bilbo lost all colour in his face, becoming alarmingly pale. To Geira, it looked like an alarm bell; she held her breath until he fainted, collapsing onto the green carpet like a sack of potatoes.

So his courage in speaking to Thorin earlier had been a fleeting spark of bravery?

Chaos erupted in that moment. Everyone leapt to their feet, the floorboards creaking under the sudden commotion. Hands reached out, voices shouted over one another, a frenzied attempt to help—but all they managed to do was create more disorder. The room seemed to come alive with confusion.

“Out. All of you. Now,” Gandalf’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. With a wave of his hand, he ushered them outside, sending them stumbling into the open air.

Dwalin and Nori stayed behind, carefully lifting Bilbo with their strong hands and helping him sit upright. They murmured soft, reassuring words to him, though Geira, already heading to the kitchen, barely noticed. 

It had been years since she had worked in a proper kitchen, and the delicate dishes felt foreign to her now.

Her fingers brushed the edge of a blue-and-yellow cup, its smooth surface almost startling her. She picked it up carefully. After what felt like an eternity, she finally brought a steaming cup back into the parlour, her hands trembling slightly from the effort.

Bilbo was seated in a deep armchair, his gaze distant and unfocused, his posture rigid. The moment he heard her steps, his eyes darted to her, following her every movement with quiet intensity.

As soon as she approached, his eyes remained fixed on her, watching each of her gestures until she broke the silence, offering him the cup of aromatic tea.

“Your eyes haven’t stopped following me since I stepped through your door, Bilbo Baggins. I get the feeling you have many questions to ask me,” she said, forcing a smile and trying to appear as friendly as possible.

It was so difficult.

“Well, I... uh...” he stammered, unsure how to continue, perhaps embarrassed to have been caught staring.

He watched her silently as she found a spot near the lit fireplace, leaning her back against its side. “Well, you... you’re like them, aren’t you?”

“A dwarf?”

He nodded, shifting the warm cup between his hands. “But, well, I’d heard that dwarf women... had long...” The hobbit trailed off abruptly, glancing quickly at her hair.

She sighed, deciding to tell him a half-truth.

“I cut them a long time ago,” she explained hurriedly, though she tried not to offend him. “As a sign of... mourning,” she murmured.

It wasn’t the whole truth.

Bilbo’s eyes lingered on her, as though trying to read the story hidden in the dark, tormented depths of her gaze. For a moment, his curiosity took root, growing like a vine left undisturbed for too long. When was the last time anyone had intrigued him like this?

The silence between them grew, filled only by the crackling of the fire, until at last, he spoke, unable to resist.

“May I ask another question?” he ventured, watching her eyes gradually lose themselves in the flames. “Is it true, what they said about you earlier? Those names they called you—are they true?”

“Are you afraid I’ll stab you in your sleep?” she retorted sharply, raising an eyebrow.

Bilbo cursed himself—cursed his Tookish curiosity.

“N-no... no...”

“I am exiled, yes. But a traitor... that...” She hesitated, staring again into the fire that crackled silently before them. “That I am not. Never...” she said softly, her voice trailing off. “I am here for one purpose only: to fulfil a promise I made long ago, too long ago...” she murmured, turning towards him. Grey, curious but respectful eyes met dark, deep, tormented ones.

“All of you have a purpose, a mission in all this. I... I’m just a hobbit. I’m not what you all think I am...”

Geira watched the hobbit’s fingers tighten around the cup, and her gaze clouded momentarily.

They were good questions he was asking. Yet Gandalf believed in him, and the dwarves in the other room trusted him far more than they trusted her, someone of their own kind.

For a moment, he reminded her of a young dwarven lady in a grand, luxurious room in a distant mountain, years and years ago, questioning what she wanted to do with her life.

Slowly, she moved closer to him, kneeling beside his green armchair and resting her hands on the armrest.

“I believe you’ll only find out if you come with us. There’s much more to you than meets the eye, Bilbo. I saw it before, and... even if you can’t see it, it’s there. It always is,” she said gently, surprised at her own words.

Why was she speaking to him like this, in that tone, as though she knew him? As though she cared about his opinion? Perhaps it was because she hadn’t spoken to anyone this way in years.

“The journey would be fraught with danger—both from outside and within the Company. It would require courage, but also a deep fear of the unknown, to achieve what we need to do. Because what awaits us on the other side of the known world could be everything—or nothing. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to come with us.”

“Danger... within the Company?” Bilbo repeated.

Geira was about to respond when the moment was interrupted by approaching footsteps. The wizard entered, his gaze immediately falling on Bilbo as he checked on the hobbit’s condition.

“Excuse me,” Geira murmured, stepping back and preparing to leave, understanding that it might be better to leave the hobbit with the wizard.

She adjusted her cloak, her fingers brushing the fabric as she approached the door. Just as her hand closed around the handle, Bilbo’s voice called after her.

“Thank you, Lady Geira.”

She paused, glancing back over her shoulder with a faint smile. “You may call me Geira,” she replied, her voice soft and unexpectedly warm.

Bilbo’s gaze lingered on her, wide-eyed, before quickly shifting back to the cup in his hands. He gave a small nod, his expression a mixture of surprise and gratitude.

Geira caught the subtle smile that curled at the corners of his lips—hesitant, but present. She returned the gesture with a slight smile of her own. With one final look at the hobbit, she opened the door.

The cool night air brushed her face as she stepped out into the darkness, the gentle rustle of leaves accompanying the soft creak of the door closing behind her.

She needed to calm her nerves, to regain the composure and cold detachment that the evening’s events had so thoroughly shaken. From an inner pocket of her cloak, she retrieved her long white wooden pipe. From another, she pulled out her pipe weed pouch.

Before long, she was peacefully smoking, seated on the bench just outside the door. Each long puff released small clouds that dissipated into the air; she watched them with her eyes until they disappeared, her mind wandering into the labyrinth of her tangled thoughts.

From the moment Gandalf had appeared before her in that human village, she had known this would be anything but a stroll in the woods. She knew how the others would see her, how they would treat her for the entirety of the journey. What she had experienced earlier was merely a taste of it.

She shook her head, taking another long drag from her pipe to clear her thoughts. She was here for a good reason—she had explained it to Bilbo. She just needed to focus on that and nothing else. It didn’t matter if they ignored her, refused to speak to her along the leagues they would travel, or treated her with suspicion and indifference. She would let them. Their stares would have to slide off her like water on stone.

What Gandalf had told her had haunted her for weeks. The possibility of hope—that if she fulfilled her oath, perhaps, if she survived, she could reclaim her name and return... home.

But did she truly want to go home? Why was she still clinging to a broken oath?

“Are we interrupting?”

A young voice pulled her from her thoughts. Turning, she found herself facing not one, but two young dwarves. They were the same two who had tried to persuade Thorin to include her in the group—Fili and Kili, if she recalled correctly. They had recognised what she was and who she was. 

Thorin’s nephews.

Two princes.

Removing the pipe from her mouth, a mix of emotions swirled in her chest—the desire to send them away battling against the impulse to ask them to stay.

“That depends on what you want,” she replied cautiously.

Kili sat beside her without waiting for an invitation. Despite sensing Geira’s wary gaze on him, he paid it no mind.

He pulled out his own pipe and, after lighting it, leaned back on the bench, exhaling small clouds of smoke.

“We just wanted to share some tobacco with you, that’s all,” he insisted, offering a brief smile.

“But perhaps I don’t want to share.”

The younger dwarf widened his eyes and looked at her, almost apologetically.

Geira reproached herself—perhaps that wasn’t the right way to proceed. They were her companions now, and she should at least try not to quarrel with them. Yet the situation was proving so complicated, and the blue eyes of the other brother weren’t making it any easier.

“You should, if you don’t want to isolate yourself before we even set off...” Fili interjected.

Even in the moonlight, his piercing blue eyes gleamed—so familiar it hurt.

She forced herself not to let the sting in his words seep into her voice. “I thought I was already an outcast before we set off, Master Dwarf. And forgive me, but I don’t yet officially know your names, which seems unfair given that you already know mine.”

The dark-haired dwarf sitting next to her laughed, throwing his head back. “You’re right, forgive us. But the earlier circumstances didn’t allow for introductions. I’m Kili, and this is my brother Fili. We’re the sons of Vili.”

Sons of Vili, this mean that they were also Dís’s sons.

A pang in her stomach made her grip her pipe tightly, and suddenly her chest felt incredibly heavy.

The sons of Dís, Princess Dís.

How many years had passed? Had it truly been so long? Had time around her slowed so much that she didn’t even know how many years she had lived this life?

They had been children, but they were older now—older than she had been when everything had changed.

Geira remained silent, trying to calm her racing heart after the revelation. She took another puff of smoke only to realise she was out of tobacco. She cursed silently, cleaned her pipe, and placed it back in her pocket.

Wrapping her cloak more tightly around herself, she braced against a gust of wind that cut through her heavy travelling clothes.

“You’re not very talkative, are you? Yet you spoke to the hobbit. I heard you!” Kili teased, sitting far too close.

“You’re talkative enough for the both of us, young prince,” she replied.

His eyes widened for a moment before narrowing suspiciously.

Geira explained herself before the situation could escalate. “You called Thorin ‘uncle’ earlier. I don’t possess magical powers, if that’s what you fear.”

“That wasn’t what I was thinking. But I am surprised you called me young. You don’t seem as old as Balin, or Dori, or Master Óin...”

This time, it was Geira who smiled. She barely lifted the corner of her lips, but it was enough for Kili—even if he didn’t know it.

“Appearances can be deceiving. To me, you are certainly quite young—mere boys.”

“How old...”

His brother Fili interrupted him sharply, his glacial eyes again fixating on Geira’s sword, just as they had before.“The sword. Where did you..?” “Lads, come back inside, please. The hobbit has decided,” Balin’s voice interrupted Fili’s question as he appeared in the doorway.

This allowed Geira to avoid answering a rather uncomfortable query.

The old dwarf cast her a brief but penetrating glance before retreating indoors with the two brothers, not bothering to check if she followed. Geira chose to remain outside a little longer, alone.

Balin left Bag End’s door slightly ajar, and from the ensuing murmurs and heavy sighs, Geira deduced that Bilbo had refused to join them on their quest.

A part of her felt a deep sadness and regret. She had resigned herself to embarking on this journey with dwarves who despised her, but the burden seemed less heavy knowing that a face less hostile than the others would have been at her side.

She let out a deep sigh, straining to catch snippets of arguments, angry exclamations, or stubborn remonstrances from inside, but her ears were met with an unsettling silence.

Then, softly, a melody hummed through the quiet; Thorin’s voice, deep and warm, filled the air like an intoxicating scent.

Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old, We must away, ere break of day, To find our long-forgotten gold.

Geira froze as the melody swelled. The words were different from what she remembered, but the song struck her deeply.

A powerful grip seemed to seize her chest, as though an invisible hand had wrapped around her heart. The words carried a bitter flavour, nostalgia for something lost long ago—a longing for home, for family.

Soon, Thorin was no longer the only one singing; the others joined in.

The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread, The trees like torches blazed with light.

The song ended, but the sorrow lingered.

Geira quickly retreated further into the shadows of the night, her old and familiar companion, to hide the sadness gripping her chest.

She blinked rapidly to stop the tears from falling and took a deep breath, forcing herself to listen as Thorin gave instructions for the next morning’s departure.

“Get as much rest as possible. Gandalf will guide us to our lodgings...”

The room stirred with movement, signs that everyone was gathering their belongings. Not wanting to be seen in such a pitiful state, Geira decided to wait outside. Perhaps, under the cover of darkness, no one would notice her.

As she expected, the others emerged, their faces grim. They cast her fleeting glances before disappearing down a path leading to a small inn. Once the last of them—Ori—had vanished from view, Geira entered the hobbit’s home, looking for her bow. She found it where she had left it, leaning against the small kitchen wall. She cast a quick glance around, noting how clean and orderly everything was once again, as though nothing had happened.

It was a beautiful home, one that belonged to someone who loved their life and wouldn’t change it for all the gold in the world.

Securing her bow across her back, she picked up her quiver and slung it over her shoulder. She moved briskly through the hallway but stopped when her eyes fell on the long contract Thorin had signed, countersigned by Balin, resting on a stool in front of the chair.

Bilbo’s signature was missing—untouched, blank.

She sighed again, brushing her fingers lightly across the parchment.

When Bilbo had thanked her, had he already decided in his heart not to take part? Running a hand through her short hair, she touched each lock from her forehead to her nape.

“You’ll see. He’ll come,” Gandalf’s voice echoed as he approached, his hands clasped behind his back and his usual sardonic smile playing on his lips. He regarded her for a long moment, those piercing blue eyes seeming to delve into her very soul.

Geira, deep down, feared them.

“The contract will be signed very soon,” he insisted.

“You’re so sure? That young hobbit wasn’t convinced. I’ve seen that look far too often—in young soldiers, recruits, even captains of the guard.”

“Oh, I have hope! But, as usual, my hopes tend to be correct!”

“Like the hope that I would come?” she retorted sharply, raising her gaze to meet his.

Gandalf took a deep breath, tilting his head slightly to avoid hitting the ceiling. “That is the uncertainty that, whether you believe me or not, has tormented me for weeks,” he explained softly. “I won’t hide that I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“I didn’t want to,” Geira admitted. “I waited in Aldburg as long as I could,” she added, smoothing her travelling bag with a swipe of her hand.

The wizard nodded before speaking again. “I understand. What changed your mind?”

At that unexpected question, Geira stiffened. She had spent weeks in a small inn room in the village of Aldburg in Rohan, mulling over the wizard’s proposal. Until a fortnight ago, she had been more than certain that she would not participate in the expedition.

Why should she? Why should she believe what Gandalf had told her outside that inn? She had known nothing of what lay ahead, yet the future he had painted for her had been too much even for a hardened soul like hers.

He could revoke your exile, Geira. You could return home, fulfil your oath, and be free. Isn’t that what you want? To be free again?

“ I don’t want to die like this—in the filth of a human village, with an invisible chain wrapped around my chest... I don’t want to be bound to him any longer,” she replied hastily, reciting the words as though they were a well-rehearsed chant.

“And it’s not about him?”

She raised her eyes to Gandalf. “Would you ask that of a victim at the executioner’s block? Or the wife of a soldier killed in battle?”

“That depends on how much the victim cared for the executioner—and vice versa,” he answered quietly.

For Geira, it felt like a punch to the chest. A surge of frustration and anger overwhelmed her, and she fought the urge to shout, to release the fury she had held inside all evening.

She trembled, furious, and finally asked the question that had been gnawing at her for months.

“Why did you want me to come? You have warriors, smart and capable dwarves. Why did you come to me? And don’t tell me it was for me !” she nearly growled.

As he had done throughout the evening, Gandalf remained silent for several seconds. He didn’t show anger or displeasure, but the way he looked at her made the world around her feel cold and heavy. For a moment, she felt the same.

“Because you must fulfil your oath,” he finally said.

"I never intended to honour it! That oath was broken long ago, just like the one he made to me! You know i just want to get this thing away from me and the only way to do it is to cut any connection with him. Stop lying to me!" she insisted, pleading with her eyes.

She was owed an answer, a simple answer, nothing more. She just wanted to know why Gandalf wanted her to suffer, why he wanted her so badly in that Company, why he cared so much that he forced Thorin to accept her as a member of his Company.

Gandalf sighed gently, smiling sadly at the corner of his mouth. "I didn’t do it for you, I did it for the executioner, the warrior, the king..."

Geira unexpectedly smiled, a sad smile, without the slightest hint of joy on her face. "You know Gandalf, now I understand why you lied to me, because if those had been the true reasons, you know, I’m sure I would have rejected your invitation."

And without saying another word, she turned and exited through the rounded green door.

She left the hobbit’s house behind, following the same path the others had taken, passing more green mounds— the hobbits' homes— and finally stopping at the inn where the entire company was already lodging, though still awake. And she knew that tonight, like many others, she would find no rest.

Was she really doing this just for herself? Yes, that was the answer, because if it had been otherwise, she would rather have died at his hands than relive all this. To feel it again. To be betrayed again.

—————-

"I told you coming here would be a waste of time!"

"Hiring a hobbit, where did he get such an idea?!"

"I didn’t think such a small body could possess so much..."

"Stubbornness, Oin?"

"Well, why would he help us if he doesn’t even know us?" Bofur observed, relighting his pipe with a flint and sitting more comfortably on the windowsill."Gandalf promised us the hobbit would come with us; an’ if he said so, we must trust him."

"How about a bet then? Come on, Nori! What do ya say?"

A long conversation began, involving everyone, and bets were placed on whether Bilbo would arrive by the next morning.

The hustle and bustle filling the small inn room, where they were to sleep, allowed two dwarves to slip into the corridor, out of sight and earshot.

"What do you think, lad?" Balin asked, smoothing his long white beard.

The other dwarf sighed wearily, the inevitable frown between his brows speaking louder than words; even after removing his heavy cloak to reveal the long blue tunic covering his trousers, his figure was imposing and commanded awe and respect.

No matter how hard Balin tried, he still struggled to believe that this dwarf, once a child, then a young man, would become king so soon, facing two great battles that had taken everything from him and with which he had to reckon every day, every night.

The old dwarf knew with certainty: even in his dreams, Thorin Oakenshield had never been free, safe from resentment and regret.

"I think this mission began under the worst of omens: I wonder if..." Thorin paused, not quite sure how to continue.

"If we should continuewith the quest?"

The king nodded, but his gaze was far from convinced, lost in thoughts unknown to most, but perceptible to Balin; or, at least, for most of the time. But, for safety's sake, he decided to approach the subject calmly, one step at a time.

"Don’t trouble yourself about the hobbit: if you hadn’t given me a sign and brought me here, I would have placed a bet in his favour, you know?" he gave a half-smile.

Thorin made a dismissive sound, somewhere between scepticism and despair.

"Dwalin was right: coming here was a waste of time. It was madness to believe in his help; but even without him, we must go on. No, it’s not his presence that concerns me... no... not him."

There it was, the exposed nerve, the sore point. Just as Balin had imagined: it wasn’t the thought of the failed thief that troubled him.

"Thorin..." Balin began, placing a hand on Thorin’s forearm. But as soon as he did, the muscles beneath the shirt tensed, and the old dwarf was stopped by a raised hand and a fierce look.

"No, Balin. I don’t want to talk about it," came his abrupt reply; and no matter how much the older dwarf insisted, he would not be listened to. The pride of his king was stronger than reason, which struggled to prevail: if he had even tried to think, Thorin would have understood; but stubbornness and rage blinded him.

Balin sighed deeply and shook his head, but in his heart, he hoped this journey would bring victories beyond the dwarves' lost pride.

———————-

Dawn came too soon, and the continuous yawns surprised Geira as she splashed her face with cold water and then fastened her sword to her side, but first, she drew it from its scabbard, inspecting the blade for new scratches. The daylight broke across it, sending blinding glimmers along the walls: her hand caressed the finely crafted hilt.

That sword was her past, her present, perhaps her future. Everything she still possessed was that sword, all that tied her to who she had been was that sword.

She had allowed the two princes to know who she was and what she had been.

She had managed to avoid their questions, but she was sure, having seen the two princes, they would ask Balin, Dwalin... or Thorin for confirmation. And what would they hear?

She returned the sword to its place and stopped losing herself in pointless thoughts; she took one last quick look around the room, tracing the outlines of the simple wooden bed, the chest against the wall, and the windowsill, where a vase of fragrant lilac and yellow flowers stood: perfect, she hadn’t forgotten anything.

She adjusted her travel pack on her shoulder and closed the door, descending to the ground floor; she nodded to the innkeeper and handed him a coin, then stepped out into the warm morning air. Outside, a riot of colours and scents overwhelmed her, leaving her stunned: everything was so wonderfully green, and as the previous evening, she wondered what life could be like there.

"Good morning!"

Kili’s sunny, mischievous smile interrupted her thoughts, just as it had the evening before. He was standing in front of her, chewing a piece of dried meat with his usual nonchalance, while Fili joined him at his side, wearing the same roguish grin.

"Come on, we’ll show you your pony."

"My pony?" she asked, incredulous.

With a nod, Fili invited her to follow them, or rather, to follow his younger brother, who had already begun walking with his hands crossed behind his neck. They took her to the back of the inn, where three animals stood in a large pen. Kili opened the wooden gate and pointed to the pony, a female with an entirely white coat, calm and gentle: Geira approached her, gently stroking her; the pony neighed, appreciating the gesture and making her new mistress smile.

Yes, she liked her, she admitted: she would be a good travelling companion.

"Thank you, lads," she said, offering a grateful smile to the two brothers.

They lowered their heads in response, still focusing on the straps of their bags before leading their horses outside, where the others waited in silence.

Geira followed them without receiving a single greeting from the other members of the company: only a deep and penetrating silence that reminded her of everything they thought of her.

Even her smile slipped from her lips like a shadow chased away by the light.

Silently, she mounted her pony, preparing for the long road ahead. When they were all ready, Thorin looked at each of them, including Gandalf and Geira, with a solemn and distant look, as though he was searching for an ancient strength or perhaps a hint of fear in their faces.

He did not say a word; there was no need. Each of them knew the task that awaited them, the risks and dangers that accompanied it. Yet, nothing would dissuade them: their hearts belonged to Erebor, their promised land, and nothing would deter or stop them from claiming what was theirs.

Thorin led his mount along the paths of Hobbiton, and the others followed in silence. Geira did not look back, keeping her gaze forward while her heart balanced between the weight of memories and an unexpected relief.

They left the town and entered a clearing bordered by ancient trees, whose branches bent under the weight of past ages.

"Wait!"

"Wait!"

"Wait!"

A familiar voice stopped them, and Geira turned in the saddle, almost incredulous.

Bilbo Baggins, the little hobbit, was now to their left, panting after the long run that brought him there. With an awkward smile, he handed the contract to Balin, claiming his decision with the pride of one who has crossed a threshold. When the old dwarf confirmed the signature, Geira smiled at Bilbo warmly and sincerely, a look that erased any doubt from the hobbit’s face.

[sketch-shepherd-art]

Alright so I’ve finally finished all of Make Your Mark on Netflix (I have no interest in Tell Your Tale) and, well… I certainly have thoughts. Unfortunately I felt MLP G5 (even including A New Generation) was pretty weak. I don't HATE G5 of course, but it certainly has problems. Not counting the ton of continuity errors and plot holes and retcons from G4, most of the episodes + specials on their own I found flat and boring.

And yes I KNOW that G5 deserves to be its own thing and shouldn’t rely 100% on G4’s popularity but come on… a sequel series still needs SOME connection to its predecessor, and G5 has so little of it?? And the worst part is that the super sparse FIM references were for legal reasons, which makes me even wonder why bother setting it in the same universe as G4 instead of just making a complete reboot. And yes I’ve heard that the G5 comics actually go deeper into the lore, but important worldbuilding details should be included in the show proper, not in supplemental materials. 

So yeah, that only inspired me to make even more changes for my MLP next gen AU. Starting with a bunch of different ideas I have for Opaline. More details about my revamped design and backstory for her under the cut

First off, her canon design is way too gaudy and takes away a lot of her intended scare factor, so I redesigned her with multiple variants. For all versions I removed her blue eyeshadow and the braids around her ears (too ridiculous-looking and difficult for me to draw), and made her hair a bit more asymmetrical. 

As for my version of her backstory, rather than Opaline being over a thousand years old and having known Celestia and Luna when they were fillies, I made Opaline a former student of Twilight who became her successor as the next Alicorn Princess. Only Opaline didn't do a great job as a ruler which caused Twilight to drain her of her magic and banish her to the outskirts of Equestria.

But after Twilight died of old age (don't ask me why Twilight didn't find a new successor, still working that out) the magic shield locking Opaline outside Equestria faded and allowed her back in. So she was the one who caused disharmony between ponies all over again (yeah kind of a repeat of the Nightmare Moon situation but), and additionally kidnapped Misty as a filly to use her as a spy and do tasks to help Opaline get her powers back, including her wanting to steal dragon fire to become a fire Alicorn like in canon.

Made this change for two reasons 1) the whole “ancient villain who knew Celestia and Luna back in the day escaped now and is planning to wreak havoc on modern Equestria” has been done a hundred times already in FIM, let a new villain form literally during Twilight’s reign 2) it would keep the rejection aspect of Opaline's canon backstory but give her more personal beef with Twilight which is why Opaline targets her

so my AU wouldn't just have all ponies restore unity and then have Opaline just come as a threat right after like A New Generation + Make Your Mark did. Achieving harmony between pony AND non-pony kind would be done over the course of a series and not just one movie, with Equestria being restored + Misty being freed after Opaline's defeat. The Unity Crystals still play a role in my AU, with Twilight having created them as a new alternative to the Elements of Harmony rather than just a macguffin to stop Opaline specifically.

Also if it were up to me I like my #3 redesign the best, the blue hues would probably fit the best for a fire-based villain (fire being blue when it's hottest and all) but that depends on if/when I wanna draw my AU Opaline in the future

[coloredscribbli]

Hey, it’s been 5 days and I hope you know you can’t run from me forever (/s, I’ve been inactive lately bc I don’t wanna get Doctor Who spoilers and also I’ve been busy trying to keep myself occupied while not burning away my summer without being productive; anxiety meds can’t start working fast enough)!

Anyway, I wanted to tell you I’m starting something new that kinda isn’t new for me but it totally is for you.

Ever heard of such “friendly faces” as Darkiplier, Antisepticeye, or say, the crazed Phone Guy role that MatPat played in FNAF: The Musical that occasionally gets christened “MadPat”?

Pause to let any probable 2018 flashbacks sink in…

Ok, so yeah, I used to have a real-person fic with a shit ton of YouTubers where them mfs were the villains. There were originally 5, then one died and got replaced with another one. Of those 6, one was basically my OC, but the others were adapted from “evil YouTuber thingamabob”.

But then I realized it was kinda weird to write fanfiction about ACTUAL PEOPLE and stopped doing it.

BUT the villains were SO FUCKING FUN.

TW, this description gets a little gross in a couple of parts, heheh

So, now I’m starting a new universe where this pair of schmucks who live in an apartment building, Crimson and Cerulean (they go by Crim and Leon, and it’s a not-so-subtle reference to Red and Blue of the YT channel Overly Sarcastic Productions), discover a secret, chained-up door behind their wallpaper that leads to a ritualistic room of 6 stone hands (they’re not actually made of stone, they’re petrified severed hands from the bad guys’ victims!), each holding a different jewel.

They look into the gems, they see visions and fucked-up origin stories of people getting corrupted by cursed objects, long story short, they just stumbled upon the waiting hideouts of the villains.

Yeah, all of them. All 6 of them picked exactly the same room to store their power source jewels. (They, like, kinda know each other, but it’s in passing, like college roommates who all have jobs on the weekends so they don’t really have time to hang out or consider it important to do so.)

And even creepier? The crystals aren’t the only things stored in that room. The cursed objects are there, too.

A cracked mirror, a blood-stained knife, a jug of mysterious yellowy liquid, a microchip thrumming with a sinister virus, a crown that looks like it was buried at the bottom of a lake for decades, and a staff of black wood topped with a clear orb.

Here’s the funny part - Crim and Leon are, like, desperately trying to not get swamped by their rent, and have no problem with dealing with these demons if it means they won’t have to beat the landlord back with a broomstick.

SO YEAH! That’s the premise for the slice-of-life series, “All Manner (Manor) of Evil”, or AMOE. Yes, the name is a pun because the apartment is also a manor, mwahahahah

And for clarification, the villains are Darkiplier, Antisepticeye, MadPat, Dawktrap (computer-hypnosis-virus version of a British FNAF YouTuber named Dawko), Calataph (OC; sea-monster blue blood version of The Living Tombstone, or at least one half of them), and NateMare (suave, devilish entertainer/rock lover version of the music artist NateWantsToBattle).

MADKOWJROAJFNWPQB I love these stupid villains and these stupid protagonists and OH GODS does it feel good to just write about it being GOOD TO BE BAD!

(Oh, would you like to also read the two-part intro of finding the crystals? It’s like a text adventure thing from the 80s, written in 2nd person for no reason other than that’s fun!)

Five days it may have been, and I shall keep running nonetheless. You fiend /j

That said, while I do find the revamped concept you made to be cool, I'm personally not interested in seeing more about it. That said, don't let it stop you from being unashamedly creative and such

[eric-the-bmo]

Starbound time! I played a few short sessions, so think this will be a summary of around.... three game sessions? Anyway!

Kit and Yam explored the sewer dungeon to find, well, not a lot of things? But while exploring the Crystal ice biome, we stumbled wayyy far down and found two of those weird doors. One day I'll decide to see what's up with them.

I also did a lot of quests for the inhabitants of that planet. Notably, I escorted a cool-looking human named Gale to their friend, and I had to try and rescue a Floran who had the best name I'd ever seen in this game

(rest in peace, Tit)

During some quest runs, I got a tailor! It's a floran lady whose name i think is Nispin, and while I'm excited about her, I cant help but wonder that by changing the uniform of the crew, will that make Riko and Kit get rid of their hats/helmets? :-(

Yam also ran into Teal again! They checked out a Novakid's ship and he gave them a quest, and they also decided to explore a Barren planet. I'm not quite sure what I expected, but yeah that planet sure is barren.

I also discovered that while Yam can do facial expressions based off certain emoticons in his speech, Teal can't do that. She lacks a face.

After a few shenanigans, we checked out a planet! And oh boy. I don't really remember what the hell Teal was doing, but after checking out the marketplace Yam accepted two quests to rescue some birds that got lost. They couldn't have gone far, right?

Wrong! My god I went so far I was beginning to think I should've went the other direction at the village, maybe i wouldve gotten there quicker since the planet wraps around. But finally, Yam found the two birds and began the challenge to take them home. I was so determined to not have a repeat of Tit. And we finally made it back! Yam took the cash and left, byee-

Teal had gone back to her ship at some point and was reordering everything- Yam decided to eventually hire her to make his own ship look nice.

Yam had also bought a beach ball from an Avian merchant and kept asking Teal to let him hit her with it. I didn't know if it was a one-time use thing, or what it would do- so we were both pleasantly surprised when we found out we could toss it back and forth!!

The duo then decided to try and revamp the Barren planet later to be some kind of sports place, like idk let's get a volleyball court going. How can we manage to play bowling in a 2d world?? Idk but we'll figure it out :-)

[turboacek-blog]

BDSP was fine, y'all just mean

Kinda kidding but not really as I know it's a hot take

Written Feb 6th 2024

Not saying some of the dislike wasn't worth it

But the problem wasn't with ILCA it's the base game of Diamond and Pearl

A lot of people's complaints basically sum up that they didn't incorporate Platinum into the game

Mainly from Pokemon available, with some mentioning the Giratina distortion world and such plus other changes that platinum had from DP like battle frontier differences

On one hand yes it would have been nice if they did make some more changes like implementing more Platinum story elements making it more of a definitive Sinnoh experience

But also it's DP remakes not Platinum remakes

Similar with ORAS and FRLG they had some new stuff and revamped stuff. But it's not like FRLG had Yellow elements (that's lets go) and ORAS had a lot of Emerald. At most the Delta episode for ORAS was their workaround for no Emerald so if you want to group that as the full game then sure BDSP needed some DLC but then you have the DLC dilemma is getting the platinum stuff worth an extra $20-$30 dollars and have that dlc debate

The underground solved a lot of the issues imo

The underground having Pokemon down there personally solved a lot of the Pokemon availability problem

For example, I picked Turtwig so I wasn't just limited to Ponyta for a fire type since I didn't pick Chimchar I had options as Magby and Houndour were now available, which fixes the fire type problem imo

And I think people overreact about the changes to the bases and flag capturing as yes it would have been nice if they were the same but I think the changes outweigh it greatly. Plus if ORAS showed anything people really didn't care to have the secret bases as secret bases and just liked it for nostalgia mainly

Not saying BDSP was perfect but I do think in a lot of aspects it is the definitive Sinnoh experience as you're basically just missing the Giratina story which isn't as necessary to the plot imo

As it kinda just seems like Yellow, Crystal, Emerald and Platinum were seen as definitive because they don't have the dual version conundrum so they seem more complete in compariso. But when the dual version games get additional content is the additional usually third legendary plot really worth it?

Maybe maybe not

And I know a lot of rumors about potential Johto or Unova remakes have been going on and people are worried as they didn't like BDSP

But if for example ILCA makes the remakes and has the chibi style and etc

But they fix the level scaling in Johto or something like Pokemon availability for Unova I think those would be better even if minimal changed

I do have my own hopes and wishes for potential remakes but I will wait until they are officially announced

[ivyprism]

Horrorswap and Horrorfell Skeleton Boys (Info Dump: Revamp)

Warning: Blood, death, famine, etc.

Chai - Horrorswap Sans

Personality: He's a sweet skeleton man, but he has problems. He is a self-assured and compassionate man who enjoys sugar. He's a touch apprehensive and keeps his lovely confidence to himself unless he's with someone he trusts. He is a massive cuddler who will defend everyone he loves. He might be a touch rough while defending someone. He is also concerned about your health and ensures you eat properly and drink lots of fluids. He enjoys assisting others whenever possible. He has also learned self-care. He tries not to stress himself out, so he learns how relax when working on the farm.

Appearance: Chai has a scar on his left eye that is jagged and looks very painful. He has a small scar on the edge of his left eye. He also has sharper canines than average. He wears mostly blue!

Ceylon - Horrorswap Papyrus

Personality: He is a lovely, hilarious skeleton trickster with trauma. He tells jokes, but his sense of humor is off, and he is aware of it. He's always tense and angry at first, but as you get to know him, he's actually rather kind and friendly. When you first meet him, he's a little antagonistic, but as you get to know him, he's extremely lovely. He has a significant scar on his eye and dislikes it when others point it out to him. If he believes you are underweight, he will feed you. If you hug him when he's happy, he'll never let you go. He is an excellent farmer and worker.

Appearance: Ceylon looks like Stretch and he has a scar from the top of his skull through his left eye socket and down his cheekbone. Ceylon also has a white eye light on the right and an orange one on the left. He also had sharper-than-average canines. He has two small scars on the edge of his left eye.

Chive - Horrorfell Sans

Personality: He's a feral cat bone guy who's been through a lot. He is exceedingly guarded and aggressive to individuals he does not trust or like. If someone is genuinely pleasant to him, he will soften and relax enough to joke with his new acquaintance. He doesn't hesitate to protect his loved ones and is very loyal to them. When someone threatens his companions, he becomes furious and must be kept from tearing the individual who harmed his family limb from limb. He is very affectionate but difficult to get to purr, but with the appropriate training, he will.

Appearance: Chive has a large crack in his skull that runs across his skull leaving a nasty crack from the top of his skull to his right cheek. It is incredibly jagged. He has two red-eye flights. He is a skeleton with a scar on his left eye and two golden teeth. His jacket is red and black.

Cassia - Horrorfell Papyrus

Personality: He's a feral cat bone man who's seen a lot. Anyone who believes they have the right to insult his or his brother is confronted with hatred and contempt. He will be compassionate and kind to those he trusts, as well as protective, frequently shielding his loved ones with his arms. He is a very affectionate and loving individual. If his brother or loved ones are threatened or harmed, he is not scared to break the threat apart. He doesn't back down and is willing to do anything to keep his loved ones safe. He's the hardest of the brothers to calm down.

Appearance: Cassia has sharper canines compared to his already sharp teeth. He also has four scars on his right eye and each is jagged. He also has a cane or an optional wheelchair.

--------

@kioko-noodles / @kiokodoodles @miscneilleaneous @und3rwat3r-a5tr0naut @hearty-dose-of-ranch @underfell-crystal @rainbowut

[hrodric-blackthorne]

Announcement: Blog Revamp

Right so, bloody hell, a whole lot in a time of stagnation. So let me catch folk up. Some shite happened last year of a personal nature, which I won't share because it's damn private. Short answer is I'll be avoiding certain things as the plague and revamping the entire page ro serve me FFXIV OC in th Crystal Data Server. If that ain't yer cuppa tea, feel free to unfollow. Tis your right.

Going ahead thr focus of this page will be a combo of potentially things I find amusing, but mostly telling me OC's story.

I hope those of ye who stay find it enjoyable. Posts will be bloody irregular. I've been working Grave over five years and energy varies day to day.

Looking forward to trying to tell something compelling.

Hoping ye all will have a good day.

- Hrodric

[aphroditestearsofjoy]

#𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Although I am (extremely) new to the self improvement community on tumblr. I have seen the #𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 challenge from @dreamdolldiary come by a few times amoung self improvement creators. Because of my curiosity, I have finally read the challenge and I immediately knew that this was the ideal challenge for me to start my self improvement journey! The "goal" of this challenge is to start with holding yourself accounteble and to build healthy habits.

1. Pick a number of goals (3-4, both small and large) for every aspect of your life. 🩰 Physical I follow my weekly work out-plan. I eat healthy. I use my skincare consistantly. I go to bed before 10 pm. 🩰 Mental I make time for self love. I plan out my day and follow my plan. I journal daily. 🩰 Emotional I do the things that bring me happiness and fulfillment. I write the things that bother me down. I allow myself to feel my emotiong fully. 🩰 Studies I plan out all the work i am supposed to do. I do schoolwork daily. I keep up with all the tests & assingnments. I am productive in school. 🩰 Personal I compliment the people around me. I spend more time on crochet, knitting & sewing. I start dancing again. I have strated learning how to lay tarot cards. 🩰 Spiritual I do more reserch on my crystals. I make nature walks. I meditate daily. 🩰 Finance I plan out my winter warderobe (+budget). I sell my old clothes. I learned more on healthy spending habits. 🩰 Habits I start following my morning & night routines. I practise gratefullness. I read more often. 🩰 Skills I am able concentrate longer. I learn to let go of anything that doesn't serve me. I learned to speak up about my preferences.

2. Setting up reasonable time blocks for these goals. Revamp your schedule to fit your goals around your life. Morning: 6.10/ 7.00 am - Wake up and drink a glass of water. 6.15/ 7.05 am - Meditate and stretch. 6.30/ 7.20 am - Journal and make a to do list. 6.40/ 7.30 am - Make my bed. 6.45/ 7.35 am - Put on my clothes on. 6.50/ 7.40 am - Brush my teeth and skincare. 7.00 / 7.50 am - Eat breakfast 7.30/ 8.20 am - Go to school This is the morning routine I will be doing on school days and sundays. Waking up at the same time very day isn't something that helps me accieve my greatest good. So, i would rather sleep for an extra 50 minutes when it's possible. On saturdays i will wake up at 4.45 am (for work) and i won't meditate, journal or make my bed. I will make my bed and journal when I get back from work (1 pm).

Night: 8:30 pm - Clean my room 8:40 pm - Put together a cute outfit for tomorrow. 8:50 pm - Pack my bag for tomorrow. 8:55 pm - Journal. 9:05 pm - Cleaning myself up. (Skincare Toothbrushing, ect.) 9:20 pm - Do some yoga. 9:40 pm - put my pajama's on. 9:45 pm - Read, if I feel like it.

Study routine: 1. Clean up my study space. 2. Grab a drink. 3. Make a plan. 4. Study. This is what i will do to motivate myself to start with studying. On Ater i get back from school on Monday to Friday, I will do this and study for about 3 hours, after eating a healthy snack and drinking some water, while writing my thoughts down. On Saturday and Sunday I will follow this when I plan to study.

In the Weekend I will get bigger tasks done and focus on my hobbies and selfcare. Saturdaynight will be a selfcare night, where I go on a walk, put on a face mask, take a bath (I love them), paint my nails, reflect on my past week and do an extra long yoga session (and maybe a studio ghibili movie night 💗).

While I make a studyplan and make sure I am up to date on schoolwork on Sundaynight.

3. Setting up a system so you can actually stick to those goals. I will journal daily, and reflect on my day and smaller tasks. I will write weekly updates, where I will refect on my goals and set up new ones for the week. You can view my updates when you click on the following links:

🌷 Week 1 🌸 Week 2 🌷 Week 3 🌸 Week 4 🌷 Week 5 🌸 Week 6 🌷 Week 7 🌸 Week 8 🌷 Week 9 🌸 Week 10 🌷 Week 11 🌸 Week 12 🌷 Week 12 🌸 Week 13 🌷 Week 14 🌸 Week 15

[ladyirisreviews]

Final Fantasy 4 3D Remake - Review

The first time I played Final Fantasy 4 I wasn't impressed, I played the PSP version, and I thought the plot was way too simple and lame, and that the combat was incredibly easy throughout all of the game, except for the final boss.

I was also still in the phase where I wanted to find flaws in the series to be a contrarian so it's fair to say I was pretty biased at the time.

This time I tried the DS version of the game to change things up, and that was probably the best thing I could have done in this series of replays.

The plot is simple, you play as Cecil, a black knight heading back to his castle after stealing a crystal from a mage village, filled with grief over what he had to do to take it from the peaceful villagers, Cecil starts to doubt the king, but his loyalty stops him from doing anything about it, he is then sent to the summoner village to deliver a ring, alongside his childhood friend Kain, a dragoon, who is also starting to doubt the king and his actions and wants to support Cecil as much as he can, but they are still loyal to the king.

After a short journey and slaying a mist dragon guarding the entrance to the village they arrive, only to discover that the ring they were tasked to bring carried monsters inside, who immediately start wreaking havoc, setting the village on fire, At that moment Cecil swears that he will stop his king, as his actions are unjustifiable.

The plot remains mostly the same but it feels better to experience in my opinion, the different wording from the PSP version makes lines have a bigger impact, and the voice acting in scripted scenes along with accompanying music make the set-pieces pop up a lot, I got chills on the scene at the start of the game of Cecil looking at the night sky.

Also, some of the scenes I remember being lame are actually impactful on this game, these scenes might have not been as bad as I remember them, but they for sure have a bigger impact in the 3D remake.

Visually it follows the ideas of the 3D remake of Final Fantasy 3, but it refines the style a bit. It also revamps the map layouts a bit, giving the caves and castles a more organic feeling.

I prefer the enemy design on this game compared to Final Fantasy 3 3D remake, they are very well stylized, but I do have to mention that the pixel art in the PSP version is nothing far from delicious to look at.

Something else I really appreciate the 3D remake did is that it gave all of the player characters thought bubbles when you open up the menu, which makes you able to know the characters and their feelings further.

Also as a side note, there's a character named Namingway who offers to change your name, but the game doesn't let you change it, which discourages the Rabbit and makes him travel the world, you can meet him multiple times and the character has a long sidequest that nets a very good reward, so while it's sad I can't name my characters Bald, the character is pretty fun.

The biggest changes in the game when comparing it to Final Fantasy 3 are in the gameplay, it was the first game in the series to introduce the Active Time Battle system, or ATB for short, both enemies and player characters have a timer that when it's up, allows the character to act, this timer is visible through a bar for the player characters, but not for the enemies. Also, depending on the mode you pick, timers will stop while you are selecting a target, item, or spell in Wait mode, or go on no matter what in Active mode.

The system is made to make it feel like battles are taking place in real time, and add a sense of urgency, but personally, I am not the biggest fan of the system.

While you can take advantage of the system, like say, your best attacker's turn is next, you can wait a little bit so another character can act, so you switch to that character to then buff your attacker, optimizing damage, or wait for an enemy turn before healing the whole party, situations where this is needed are quite rare.

How the system feels to me most of the time is: Acting as fast as possible to make the enemy act as little as possible, not much strategy is required, just attack with your best stuff and heal when needed.

At least that's how I felt with the PSP version of Final Fantasy 4, the DS version is considerably harder, and also counting with some additions to the gameplay. Also, as a note, other ports of the 3D version count with 2 difficulties, normal and hard, people say that hard mode is close to the DS difficulty but having both versions at hand I can confirm that the hard mode on the Steam version is considerably harder than the DS difficulty.

The 3D remake follows the same base, each character has only one class, spellcasters learn spells as they level up, and the battles follow the ATB format, the difficulty, like I mentioned, is turned way up compared to the PSP release, you need to pay attention to what enemies do and what their resistances are, or else you can game over pretty easily.

An addition to this version is the augment system, over the course of the game you will get special items called augments, that teach the character you use them on a command, normally exclusive to other characters, or passive skills, but they only have one use so you really need to think carefully on who to use them on.

Also, you can only have 5 actions or passive abilities equipped at the same time, so it doesn't really break the game, but there are some that play well with each other for pretty killer combinations.

There are requirements to get them and you might miss some if you don't follow a guide, but the ones you do get carried over to new game plus, and if you used it on a character, they retain the skill as well, which is helpful since you literally can't get them all on a single playthrough.

And yeah, this game has new game plus, unlike almost every mainline game in the series, the main purpose of it is to get the ideal combination of augments to tackle the super boss, which I didn't get to try because I didn't want to burn out on the game, but I will definitely give it a go in the future continuing from my current save.

So adding this layer of customization to the characters, and with the difficulty being higher, it makes for a good combination to try and come up with both builds for your characters and strategies in the middle of combat.

The only issue I have with the combat has nothing to do with the combat itself, but with the fact that FPS is capped at 15, which I could understand to a degree on the DS version, but this carries over to all ports of the 3D Remake, which makes no sense to me, you will have smooth gameplay on the overworld and in cutscenes, but slow framerate on battles, even the summon animations run normally, and then it goes back to being 15 FPS, which makes them quite jarring. .

Exploration is the best in the series so far, there is still not many puzzles, but the environments feel organic and the game also comes with a map for the dungeons, on the DS the map is always at the bottom, which makes that version the most comfortable to play in my opinion, on other ports you can pull the map up with the press of a button, and if you move while it's up it will become transparent so you can explore while looking at the map. In both versions, the game rewards you with items when you complete a map, which makes exploring really satisfying.

Something else I want to mention is that the 3D remake addresses all of my criticisms of the Final Fantasy 3 3D remake, it properly utilizes the 3D environment to its advantage in all cutscenes, and goes a bit further than that by adding voice acting to important moments, and it also improves upon the original gameplay, both with its difficulty and customization.

The only drawback is, as I mentioned, the low FPS battles, and also turning on auto-battle mode doesn't speed up battles at all, like it did in Final Fantasy 3 3D, I promise it doesn't make the game unplayable, I played it to completion on a DS, but it is disappointing how one of the best Final Fantasy games didn't get the treatment it deserved.

There is a mod out there that increases the FPS in battles for the Steam version, which I will be trying the next time I play it, that is if I decide to play it on Steam instead of DS.

I really can't describe how much better the 3D remake felt to play compared to the original, it has been a while since I played the original but the joy I got from playing it is one I get only for my favorite games, especially with the challenge it had, while at the same time not feeling frustrating.

I know not everyone is down for difficult RPGs so it's nice the DS difficulty is optional in newer releases.

I wish big studios kept making games like this, with this type of graphics, the games can still look appealing without costing the studios millions in high-definition graphics, the many indie games with success stories are proof not every new game needs expensive graphics to be beloved.

So yeah, I really liked the game if that wasn't obvious, so much so that I'm already thinking of replaying it in the near future, it's a highlight of the whole series and I would recommend it to anybody who wants to try a Final Fantasy game, it's a very good starting point, especially if your interests lie in the ATB style of Final Fantasy games.

[spiritsncrystals]

GX FAIRY TAIL/GUILD AU REVAMP POST

since my ass was bad at properly compiling this stuff and I'm interested in doing something with this au again sooo this post just serves as a reintroduction to the concept and with a list of the assigned Magic, there are a few characters i never really settled on their magic even now so if there are any exclusions that'll be why some also have a combination which I'd chalk up to it's an au I can mess around if I want. Anyways! THE CONCEPT/GENERAL OUTLINE: While i call it a fairy tail au it doesn't really follow the plot of fairy tail mostly just borrowing it's magic systems and world-building (not to bash on the plot it's more just a personal decision) hence the alternative name for this au just being the guild au instead of a school Duel Academia is a guild, instead of duellists they're magic wizards and so on and so forth the plot's similarities lean toward certain important gx events but play out a little differently. like you'd still have stuff like SOL and Haou but the way they happen changes. if anyone wants further clarification feel free to ask and i'll go in-depth in a separate post. with that ot of the way let's get to the magic assignments and with a small explanation to why if applicable

REQUIP MAGIC - JUDAI (and Haou too) - I Figured this was the best parallel for the Elemental HEROs what with the many combinations and whatnot considering there are SEVERAL different requip armours it felt right. I say Haou too for the obvious reasons as there's not really much reason to change it other than the sorts of armour used. DRAGON SLAYER MAGIC - MANJOUME (Lightning) RYO (METAL) FUBUKI (FIRE) - Manjoume might seem like a little bit of a weird decision but cmon he's Manjoume Thunder it'd be fun (also in the time between this new post and the old post we now have armoured thunder dragon lvl 10 so that's pretty cool incentive) Ryo seems the most self-explanatory what with the cybers. and foobs getting fire bc of red eyes ICE MAKER MAGIC - ASUKA - This takes more from her manga deck n all but there's also just the fun dynamic of Fubuki being fire and her being ice MEMORY MAKER MAGIC - MISAWA - you could argue about something else being more fitting but idk i kinda enjoy this for him SATAN SOUL - EDO - mostly because some of the Destiny HEROs have that demonic kind of appearance (Dogma, Bloo D, ect) and idk there's something fun to it as a ploy to E HEROs being the requips CELESTIAL GATE MAGIC - JOHAN - this just makes sense. 7 keys for each of the CB an extra special one for RD and you can even throw in Crystal Protector and Vanguard too for some fun dynamics

YUBEL: i had a lot of different ones down for yubel due to plot reasons for the original but mostly crash and black magic i'm still hoping for it to be an amalgamation of stuff but what hasn't been really landed on yet just like the kind of magic where they're powerful enough to decimate someone but yet still have some sort of believable innocence (since part of their plans in the au does involve them infiltrating the guild at some point) PEOPLE I HAVE IDEAS FOR BUT NOTHING SOLID YET: SAIOU - I would imagine it to be something similar to Kana's cards but with Tarot cards instead not exactly sure of the ins and outs yet KENZAN - something of a mix between beast soul and animal soul take overs?? just with a more reptilian focus bc gotta keep the Dino DNA in tact O'BRIEN - gun requip might be an option but just a hard maybe atm I'll write more on bits later down in separate posts but that's basically it for now again feel free to ask for more if there is anything od interest

[amaiguri]

Rewriting the Saegen Folk, a Chinese-Viking Fusion Culture (WIP)

So, you've seen what cultures look like when they're DONE -- when multifarious stories could live in them. But what about when they're not?

Here's my Saegen culture. They were originally just German-ish Viking-esque peoples and they were BORINGGGGGG and also, I built this whole culture for a different world YEARSSSS ago and then imported it into Yssaia. And at this point, my interests have just shifted at this point and I want to add more of my Chinese heritage (from which, I am very distant but I am interested in getting back in touch!) So, let's start looking at a revamp, shall we?

So, the above is basically what I had from my old world. I mean, I also had a whole law codex that was the equivalent of Hammurabi's Code as well as a Nobility Etiquette Handbook and the start of a story that got re-molded and re-written... But yeah. Here's what we're working with.

I started with the fashion (because Fashion parameters = easier new character design) and reworked it... barely. A little.

As you can see, the men barely changed but women were more changed (also yes, something something, clothes don't have a gender, etc.) One of the biggest things that changed was they now have a hanfu-style undershirt.

But this was a few months ago and I think an aesthetic change isn't the actual problem here... the problem is that the culture doesn't have a good emotional core to which I relate AND the story I wrote about Ymver, their hero, just doesn't resonate with me anymore either.

SO let's start at the basics: Geography & geopolitics. As you can kinda see on the above map, they live near the artic and, in part, under the Upper Continent. Here's another (admittedly, sketchy) map to help illustrate:

That means it is cold and dark. The only sun they get is in the mornings and maybe evenings, with that sliver in Selkie Territory that also gets some sun. So, fashion-wise, I have the right idea with the furs and multiple layers. Food-wise, they're going to probably be pretty reliant on the ocean and that breadbaskety area, since Nouveau Thuille took the river valley... Unless...

Right now, in my head, Saegenheim is just a normal city with brownish pallisades around it... But what if it had underground agriculture? Underground agriculture with some kind of fungi that thrived in the Permafrost? What if there's a whole ecosystem built on these fungi with insects and semi-aquatic animals and such? Now there's an a city that sounds interesting...

A while back I started a story for a class that was loosely inspired by Saegenheim, where Demons were being murdered but no one cared because Demons... I feel like that could work even better with a vertical "class divide" in the city. Very Arcane upper-city, under-city...

You know who else has upper/under cities? Hoyoverse games -- Belobog and, very soon here, Fontaine.

And you know what I just started on? A pre-emptive Fontaine fix-it fanfic called "The Sunken City" lol... Maybe I should take some ideas from that for my Saegenheim re-write....

Also, with how close to the North things are, I think they must see the Endless Ice to the North of them as like... a holy relic of the God of Winter, Asarlai. And given that he is the Father of Humanity in their eyes -- and also, the source of their magic/Sages, it makes sense to live nearby...

So maybe the North Pole of Yssaia is just a giant Ysse Crystal... "Asarlai's Throne"

^^^ This is all just me spitballing from my analysis. Like, you saw, I LOOKED at what I had and then started going "What does this need next? What ideas are inspiring me right now?"

Also also, the Chinese influence is easy to see where it goes now: Chinese culture is a lot about respecting your place in society, respecting authority, the responsibilities of authority, and harmony. (Obviously, it is more complicated than that, but now it's time to go research more!) BUT the way I can still give them the individualism that is the downfall of the North is to have the focus be on families and villages, while being distrustful of Outsiders...

Now, I just gotta look into how the Chinese handled the cold historically and implement some of those techniques...

So now it's research time! But this post has gone on long enough with me rambling. More of this as I do more of this rewrite!

[transcuratorsblog]

Freelancer vs. Agency vs. DIY: Which Graphic Design Option Is Best?

Whether you’re building a brand from scratch or revamping your marketing assets, one question always comes up—who should handle the design work? Should you hire a freelancer? Sign up with a design agency? Or go the do-it-yourself (DIY) route with online tools?

Each option has its pros and cons depending on your goals, budget, and timeline. But choosing the wrong one can lead to inconsistent branding, wasted time, or even costly redesigns down the road. That’s why more and more businesses are opting for professional, reliable Graphic Designing Services that balance creativity, scalability, and brand consistency.

Let’s break down the three most common routes—and help you figure out which one fits your needs best.

1. Freelancers: Flexible, Affordable, but Risky

Pros:

Budget-friendly: Freelancers are often cheaper than agencies.

Quick turnarounds: Ideal for one-off projects like a logo, brochure, or social media post.

Flexible hours: Many work on weekends and evenings.

Cons:

Varying skill levels: Quality is inconsistent; portfolios don’t always reflect real-world performance.

Limited capacity: One person means bandwidth issues for large or fast-moving projects.

Dependency on individuals: If your freelancer disappears mid-project or is unavailable, your timeline suffers.

No built-in quality control: Revisions can be endless if communication isn’t crystal clear.

Best for:

Startups or solopreneurs with tight budgets and basic, low-volume design needs.

2. Agencies: Scalable, Strategic, and Reliable

Pros:

Team-based approach: Multiple experts (designers, strategists, illustrators) work together.

Brand consistency: Agencies build style guides, templates, and systems to keep your visual identity unified.

Strategic thinking: Good agencies bring creative direction aligned with business goals.

Project management included: No chasing updates or revisions—everything is handled professionally.

Cons:

Higher cost: Agencies charge more due to overhead, team, and scope.

Longer onboarding: More time may be needed upfront to get aligned.

May feel less personal: Communication can sometimes pass through multiple layers.

Best for:

Growing businesses, funded startups, and established brands that need consistent, strategic design support across multiple platforms.

3. DIY Tools: Fast and Cheap—But at What Cost?

Pros:

Free or low-cost tools: Canva, Adobe Express, and others offer thousands of templates.

Full control: No waiting for a designer—you do everything at your own pace.

Accessible to beginners: Drag-and-drop interfaces make design easy to learn.

Cons:

Generic visuals: Your brand might look like everyone else’s.

Time-consuming: Learning design basics takes time—and even more to do it well.

Limited creativity: Templates can’t replace trained design thinking or brand storytelling.

Inconsistent branding: With no central design system, visuals often lack cohesion.

Best for:

Bootstrapped entrepreneurs or early-stage content creators who need simple visuals fast.

Which Option Is Right for You?

Here’s a quick rule of thumb:

Choose a freelancer if you have a specific, short-term design task and don’t need long-term brand alignment.

Go DIY if you’re just testing the waters or working with a tiny budget.

Go with a design agency if you’re looking to scale, maintain visual consistency, and elevate your brand across platforms.

But increasingly, hybrid models—like subscription-based design services or dedicated agency support—are giving businesses the best of both worlds. These services offer the flexibility of freelancers with the professionalism and consistency of an agency.

Conclusion: Your Brand Deserves More Than a Quick Fix

No matter how small or new your business is, your design speaks volumes. It’s the first impression people get of your brand—and often the one they remember. Choosing the right design partner isn’t just about saving money or time. It’s about building something lasting.

So, whether you’re done with DIY fatigue, juggling unreliable freelancers, or ready to scale confidently, explore the value of professional Graphic Designing Services that blend strategy, creativity, and consistency.

Because great design isn’t a cost—it’s a growth tool.

[kanalcoin]

🚨 Big News Alert! 🚨

Hey, crypto aficionados! 📈✨ Gather around because OKX just dropped a bombshell! 💣 Starting October 2023, they’ve announced a shiny update to the MAGICUSDT perpetual futures funding rate interval! Why does this matter? Well, if you’re trading MAGICUSDT, it could mean major shifts in your trading game! 🧙‍♂️💸

That’s right, my fellow crypto wizards, it’s all about optimizing those trading conditions. The whispers among the traders suggest it might just turn the MAGICUSDT pair into the belle of the ball! 💃📊 Market reactions are already buzzing—think caffeine-fueled squirrels at a crypto-conference! 🐿️☕

“But wait, there’s more!” This adjustment isn’t just a slight nudge; it’s a whole strategy revamp! The good folks at OKX are aiming to enhance market behavior and liquidity. Yes, please! 🙌💧 So grab your crystal balls (or your charts) and start preparing for a wild ride—because history shows that funding rate adjustments often lead to trading volume skyrocketing like it's New Year’s Eve. 🎉🚀

Curious about how this might affect your trades? Check out the full scoop and be the first among your friends to flex those new insights! Hit the link to dive deeper ➡️ Kanalcoin's detailed guide.

“In order to mitigate risks and improve your trading experience, OKX will adjust the funding rate interval for MAGICUSDT perpetual futures.” - The OKX Team, Official Announcement

So, are you ready to embrace the changes, or are you going to stand on the sidelines sipping your overpriced latte? ☕💔 Chime in below with your thoughts! Let’s keep the convo rolling! 💬👇

#CryptoCommunity #MAGICUSDT #OKX #PerpetualFutures #TradingStrategy #InvestSmart #CryptoUpdates

[aisharoy16]

Top 7 Vastu Tips Every Homeowner Should Know Before Renovating

By Aunkar Vastu – Your Trusted Expert in Vastu Melbourne

Renovating your home is an exciting opportunity to enhance comfort, functionality, and aesthetics. But did you know it’s also the perfect time to align your space with Vastu principles? Whether you're remodeling a room or revamping your entire home, incorporating Vastu Shastra can bring balance, prosperity, and peace to your living environment.

At Aunkar Vastu, we believe that a well-renovated home is not just about beautiful design—it’s about harmonizing energy. As a trusted consultant in Vastu Melbourne, we help homeowners create spaces that support health, happiness, and abundance.

Why Consider Vastu During Renovation?

Vastu Shastra is the ancient Indian science of architecture that aligns your home with the natural elements—earth, water, fire, air, and space. Renovation is the ideal time to correct any existing Vastu doshas (imbalances) and ensure your home supports your well-being at every level.

Top 7 Vastu Tips to Keep in Mind Before Renovating Your Home

1. Entrance Direction Matters

The main door is the gateway of energy into your home. Ideally, it should face north, east, or northeast. Tip: If your entrance is not Vastu-compliant, consult a Vastu expert to implement directional remedies without changing the structure.

2. Kitchen Placement is Crucial

The southeast corner of your home is governed by Agni (fire) and is ideal for kitchens. Avoid placing the kitchen in the north or northeast. Tip: During renovation, shifting the kitchen to the correct zone can significantly improve health and relationships in the family.

3. Bathrooms and Toilets Need Strategic Positioning

Improper placement can disrupt your home's energy and cause health or financial issues. Tip: Place bathrooms in the northwest or west direction. Avoid the southeast or northeast zones.

4. Avoid the Cluttered North-East Zone

The northeast corner should be clean, light, and clutter-free as it governs clarity and spiritual energy. Tip: Use this area for meditation, prayer, or a water feature during renovation.

5. Master Bedroom in the Southwest

For stability in relationships and personal life, locate the master bedroom in the southwest corner. Tip: Reconfiguring rooms during renovation offers a chance to correct bedroom placements.

6. Staircases Should Be in the Right Direction

Staircases in the northeast can lead to health problems. The south or southwest is the best zone for staircases. Tip: If you're rebuilding or modifying stairs, ensure they move clockwise.

7. Use Vastu-Friendly Colors

Colors influence mood and energy. Opt for light shades like white, cream, and pastels for balance and peace. Tip: Avoid dark colors in the northeast and use earthy tones in the southwest for grounding.

Bonus Tip: Don't Ignore Vastu Remedies

If structural changes aren't possible, many Vastu remedies (like mirrors, crystals, plants, or pyramid yantras) can be used to balance energy without altering the layout.

Aunkar Vastu – Your Guide for Vastu in Melbourne

Renovation is the ideal time to invite positivity and eliminate past imbalances from your home. Whether it’s room reallocation, layout changes, or energy balancing, Aunkar Vastu offers personalized, practical, and highly effective Vastu solutions tailored to modern living.

With over 25 years of experience in traditional Vastu and contemporary applications, we are the go-to consultants for homeowners seeking Vastu in Melbourne and across Australia.

Ready to Renovate with Vastu Wisdom?

Don't miss the chance to create a space that’s not just beautiful, but energetically aligned. 🔹 Contact Aunkar Vastu for personalized guidance before you start your renovation journey. 🔹 Let’s turn your home into a space of health, harmony, and abundance.

📞 Schedule a consultation with a trusted expert in Vastu Melbourne today.