#i dont actually have any power here at aether :/

[ara-the-great]

One call away

Tw: slight reference to lores, slight gore (if you squint) fever and delirium, abandonment issues

(here is the request I got for Zayne and Sylus angst. I didn't know what to write so I added my own trauma. I HAVE NOT PROOF READ THIS)

You don't remember most of your childhood. Not that you cared much. The oldest thing in your memory that you could find was screams, the screams staying with your Grandma and Caleb but that too was well into your mid or late teens.

Even then you didn't have many friends, actually you had no one except Caleb. All of them either bullied you or abandoned you, they didn't care about you . You were desperate for any sort of connection as a child and as a adult.

Your dating scene was similar. Though you only had one relationship before you joined the hunters association. Even that was far from a good one. And now when you look back at it you couldn't remember much there either, you had cried so much, so damn much but still he left.

It's only after joining the association that your life started to look up. It was a new start for you. A new environment, new friends do you think they like you? and new opportunities.

You always kept your problems to yourself. You didn't want to make others worry for nothing. It's not like anyone was close enough to tell these problems anyway.

When this mysterious fever started developing you thought you could ignored it, just power though it, right? Wrong.

You could barely stand up. Slipping in and out of consciousness. Your body felt like it was being baked from the inside out. Yet it felt like your limbs were freezing off. You needed help to at least get to the hospital.

Even thinking of the hospital made you feel worse. You could practically smell the antiseptic scent of the sterile rooms. What if something is really wrong with you and you need surgery? Under the harsh flood lights and white coats and screams and they'll kill you this time. They'll hurt you. They will cut you open with a knife.

Sylus

You jolted awake shaking, you can't stop shaking. No one can save you this time. For all you know that kind-hearted boy who helped you is dead. For all you knew his body was stained as red as his eyes.

He answered "look who it is, I didn't think I'd be fortunate enough to get your call today kitten". You weren't sure when you had called Sylus but you already had. You didn't know what to say let alone why you called him. Could he even help? Suddenly you remembered the aether core. Maybe this fever was related to this. Maybe-

"kitten are you alright?" His voice sounded gruff but gave you so much comfort. But you wouldn't want to disturb him. He probably would hate you for it.

"I'm sorry i- I mistakenly called you" you managed to rasp out. Still shaking

"you don't sound well. Are you sick? Where are you?" He spoke cautiously. You weren't sure how he knew. Not sure that you cared because before you could answer a calm swept you into unconsciousness.

You woke up to someone opening your door. Shit shit shit shit shit shit . Someone was here. An intruder was here. You could barely get up and out of bed before stumbling onto the ground, your gun was nowhere to be seen. You kept trying to think where you kept it but you came up blank. You rummaged through your bedside table trying to find something to defend yourself with but your cold shaky hands weren't making it easier. The person outside had started to open your bedroom door when you found a blunt craft scissor which you held up towards whoever was inside. Your sight was blurry and your heart was beating in your ears like a war drum but you could recognize a tall figure approaching. You weren't going to let them take you back. you have to fight. You have to

"DONT COME ANY CLOSER! GET OUT IM NOT GOING BACK I WONT HESITATE TO KILL YOU DON'T YOU DARE TAKE ANOTHER STEP!" You screamed as loud as you possibly could. Tears ran down your face as you shook with what can be only described as pure terror. Scenes from the past kept flashing in your head. You could practically feel every damn cut they cut into you as a child.

You were sobbing and shaking curled up in a corner from fear and yet you kept the knife held up. It tore Sylus's heart apart to see you like this again. In the blink of an eye he was kneeling in front of you cowering form trying to reach out.

"Sweetie, Y/N please it's me. Calm down it's ok you are safe. Look at me. Shh look it's me Sylus. Its ok I won't take you anywhere, I won't hurt you." He held you in his arms even though you were wildly trying to stab him for a second. His normally smooth voice wavered and cracked.

"S-sylus? I- someone is in the house!" You deliriously mumbled from the high fever.

"kitten it was me. I came over because I was worried when you stopped talking over the phone. It seems like I was right to worry. You are burning up what happened?"

"I think I have a fever. It's ok though, I'll be ok" you said calming down. You leaned into his touch as he held you against his chest. His heartbeat was almost as rapid as yours.

"my love, I don't think you will be fine your fever feels well over 105. Why aren't you at a hospital? Why didn't you call anyone? Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"i didn't think you would come"

"all you need to do is say my name and I'll be there for you. Now come, let's get you to the clinic"

You shook your head trying to insist you were fine but the worry in his eyes only made you reconsider your choice

"Can you tell me why you don't want to go?" His eyes and his voice were lulling you to sleep again

"scared" your voice was barely a whisper. You could feel yourself slip into unconsciousness yet again.

When you came to you weren't in your house. Just before you could panic you felt sylus talk. His arms still around you like a shield from everything you were afraid of.

"it's ok you are with me. I'm here. I bought you to the N109 zone. You needed to see a doctor so I called one to my house. So no hospital, don't worry." Sylus explained without you even asking.

"thank you" you said quietly, feeling ashamed of the scene you caused earlier.

"For?" He asked with a brow quirked up.

"For not asking what all that was, and for bringing me here and also for taking care of me."

He laughed softly "You don't need to thank me for taking care of you. I always take care of what's mine." His eyes were ever so soft as he brushed away your hair from your face. "Now sleep. You are still sick"

"but I feel a bit bet-"

"Sleep kitten. I'll take care of everything else" he said softly kissing your forehead.

Zayne

You stared at your phone contemplating whether or not you should call Zayne. Though you were in a relationship you couldn't just disturb him. He was a busy guy. He had surgeries and more serious patients to take care of.

Your phone began ringing. Speak of the devil.

"Y/N? This is zayne. Are you alright? This is the second time you missed your appointment this week." His cool voice sounded across the phone.

"zayne, ah I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just have a bit of a fever."

" A fever? That gives you more reasons to come over to the clinic does it not? Do not worry about the appointments. I'm coming to pick you up. Are you at your apartment?"

"Zayne its truly not necessary I don't want to burden yo-"

"Rubbish, I was already headed out. So do not worry about burdening me. Worry about taking care of yourself" he cut the call before you could try to persuade him that you were fine. You were just grateful that someone was there. Even though zayne had abandoned you before. He didn't care about you. It was his job as a doctor to care for his patients.

You didn't realise when you had slipped into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

But by the time you had woken up your skin felt like it was burning from the fever. This wasn't normal. Glancing over at the clock you saw it was around 1 am. Zayne wasn't here yet. Why did you expect he would be here? You knew not to trust in what people say so why was your eyes tearing up?

As your fever kept increasing it became harder and harder to move around, it was painful to even sit up. He had abandoned you again. Your ex was right. You were annoying and in the end everyone would leave you. Nobody could ever love you.

The memory of zayne flashed across your mind. He had promised to always look after you. To be there for you.

You gritted your teeth kept mumbling "it's ok. I'll be ok" to yourself like a mantra as you somehow got a coat on your back to head to the hospital. You weren't sure how you'd reach there but the first step was to get out. Every promise that has been made to me has been a lie why would this one not be?

Just as you were about to get out of your room, your door softly swung open, revealing Zayne with an apron and a tray of soup in his hands. He seemed taken abac. But perhaps not as much as you.

"And where are you going? You shouldn't be up with such a high fever." He said as he kept the soup on the table. His cold eyes were filled with worry. Even seeing him had you breaking down into tears.

He scrambled to hold you as you collapsed on the floor crying. "What happened, where does it hurt?" He hurriedly measured your pulse and fever trying to find any sort of answer from your incoherent sobbing.

"Wh-when, when did you get here" you managed to croak out once you had calmed down a bit

"I got here long ago but since you were sleeping I didn't want to wake you. I was in the kitchen making soup for the fever, knowing you, your stomach is empty." He said as he slowly settled you into your bed.

As he turned around to bring the soup he meticulously made for you, you grabbed the back of his finely pressed shirt, "don't leave. Please don't leave, please stay. Please. I would die if you left me." you kept begged in your fever induced delirium. It broke Zaynes once frozen heart to see such fear and pain in your eyes.

He slowly leaned over to kiss you on the forehead "I won't. I'm just getting your soup. You need to eat something if you want to get better. You can't have medicine on an empty stomach"

Throughout the rest of the night Zayne diligently fed you and took care of you. And when you found it hard to sleep he would cradle you in his arms and read out his medical papers to distract you from your thoughts.

"I'm here, I'm here sweetheart, it will be ok. I'm not going to leave even if the gods demand me to" he comforted you every time you jolted awake. He would be whispering words of comfort to you till you fell asleep again and continue telling you how much he would give up for you. This treatment would go on for days, till you recovered. And even though you didn't remember how you begged him to stay, he would reassure you that he'd be there for you whenever he could.

[makersruin]

I hope this doesn’t come across as weird but do you have lore about mori I can read??? I absolutely love your wol …. he looks so wet and pathetic and i would love to read about him

this is not weird at all i love any excuse to talk abt my loser conman necromancer catboy!! i should consolidate all the lore/facts/history about him at some point since theyre scattered across like 4 different platforms + documents but you can find a rundown of his deal on his carrd!

im gonna put a quick bullet list for his timeline pre-arr under a read more. it's basically summarized in the carrd if you dont wanna read all that but i'll go into slight more detail here. ty for letting me rambleee <33

-mori (not his real name) was born as the 13th child and first son of a doman hyuran priest (japanese) and keeper miqote shaman (korean). theres a lot of cultural baggage in how his dad courted his mother but he married her for her spiritual powers (echo). they lived in a really remote town in othard that was basically built around their family shrine.

-his echo is so oversensitive that it's basically on all the time. his mom, who was severely mentally and physically ill, couldn't deal with him as an extremely difficult infant and so often drugged him into sleep out of fear of his father. he found out anyway when mori was taken from her care for training.

-since religion is outlawed in garlean territories, his dad took on a lot of debt to bribe officials into allowing them to keep the shrine. there was a lot of politics behind this but eventually the pressure mounted. this included sending some of his sisters away for the war effort, making a public spectacle of their family, and eventually, a public execution of his parents.

-he became head of the house despite being way too young for that sort of role and inherited his dad's debts. he plotted his revenge by offering to sell their shrine and all the artifacts within to the various illicit organizations that lent his dad the money in the first place (which was of great interest to them for either cultural reasons or its aetheric properties). once he had them all in the shrine, he evacuated his family and burnt it down, killing a number of major players in those groups. the incident devastated the trees in the area and the town eventually was abandoned.

-sidebar, this is why he's called 'memento mori'. the garlean government censored talks of what actually happened, resulting in the native residents referring to the incident as 'the forest' aka 'mori' and so garleans who remembered it would remind each other of who he was by asking each other 'memento (remember) mori (the forest)?'

-with the money he stole from those groups he evacuated what little remained of his family to eorzea and they landed in the black shroud. before the fall of dalamud, some surviving members of said various illicit organizations managed to find him, but he managed to escape by falling into a gelmorran ruin. unfortunately that happened to be the palace of the dead and he ended up trapped there until the end of arr/heavensward

-while he's in the potd he basically becomes the jesse to nybeth's walter white LOL the reason nybeth looks like a freaky floaty monster when you reach floor 100 in potd is because mori messed with his necromancy experiments in his last (and successful) escape attempt.

-also while he's there he entered like a 5-6 year period of survival mode which means he didnt eat/sleep well and was constantly paranoid + in the dark, something that he just pretends didnt happen at all once he gets out. combination of stress, poor eating, and aetheric fuckery in potd results in him 'losing color' in his hair and eyes (which were blue-tinted before). he never gets these back even when he makes it out (and he unfortunately had to leave edda behind. which sucked because she was basically a little sister to him)

-when he gets out of potd, he finds out that most of his family scattered to the winds. some remain in eorzea but under the protection of various groups with the muscle for it (eg. lotti, who is a hearer in the conjurer's guild and beni, who is a minor scion). kan-e-senna and minfilia manage to find a way to suppress his echo through a seal so he can actually live among people for the first time in his life. unfortunately, his sisters have since figured out that the reason they're being persecuted by various scary guys is because of him so they're really upset with him, especially because they assumed he ran away from the responsibility five/six years ago

from here on he figures out how to apply his time with nybeth in the overworld to scam the bereaved by botching resurrections order to pay off that debt he incurred. he does still return back to potd because part of his necromancy requires herbs from the bottommost floors but overall he avoids his family while hes doing illegal shit. he's not an actual warrior of light despite the echo because he simply does not have the moral principles for it. and also god would sooner turn her gaze from him than choose him as a champion LMFAO

[xwiedzmax]

Rae lore goes bonkers

Spoilers for "Shards of his Mind" lore, be warned So uhhh, how we feelin about that lore? Fable messing with Raes memories, Perix and Fable working together, Fable killing Alerion, small eye duo house. i suspected for a looong time that Fable was bad, but having confirmation just gives me even more thoughts. first, we can see how much better Fable treated Icarus than Rae when they were younger. Rae lived in the basement after Fable came along. before he shared a room with Icarus, when Isla was around. when Fable came, Icarus got an expansion, while Rae got kicked out to the basement. now as much as i can understand them not wanting to share a room with a 7 year old, Rae couldve easily gotten a room of his own. now, the memories Rae was able to see. first, Fable taking Isla. it was my theory he took her, but 1 thing i do not understand is why he took her to the end. "Lennarius and Soul could not keep us apart forever" "it is time for you to return home my love". we know Soul and Len helped Isla get away. but if Fable wanted to take Isla home, the End doesnt seem like the correct place, which is curious. i think Fable mightve used Isla as a.. i dont know the correct word, sacrifice? proof? wanted to show Enderian what hes capable of, if she doesnt give him what he wants. Isla didnt want to go with him, knew he was dangerous, knew he was evil. other memory, from Perix' shard, was when she got pulled by Fable into Purgatory in a dream. it was his first time actually using Enderians power. he recruited Perix to help guide the others to free him, Perix getting Rae as her new temporary vessel in return. he also offered her a place in his court, but we can see how Fables promises go. and the last.. Alerion. he wrote a book we saw before, Sontariv. i believe it was censored before? the full book says "im writing to you with urgent message. Fable is almost here and hes not leaving survivors. i need to be sure you get Will out of here safely. i know we arent on best terms but please, do this for me". Alerion knew Fable was coming for him, yet he did not run. he knew Fable was going to kill him and didnt even protect himself. i think he knew Fable wouldnt get his power? somehow transferred it to Enderian before? theres also the thing of, Epros watched Alerion get killed. Epros saw, knew how Fable acted. the primordials dont seem to like Fable, Epros stuck with Enderian instead of him (or Netherum) after the Aether fell. Alerion knew Fable was evil. and an important thing.. Alerions death didnt start the war. the war was already going, before Alerion was killed. personally i think the war started because of Fable wanting power, Alerions power. maybe after Fable took Isla to the End? dont have any theories on that yet- anyways me when the lore thats been happening, its so gooddd

[yveltalreal]

People in "evil" teams — the more serious ones, anyways — often have immunity from law enforcement due to various reasons. Team Rocket, for instance, has its fingers in both the government and police. If I was arrested, I'd be in and out with a clean record in a day.

fascinated by most of your evil teams still having their fingers in the police. if you got arrested for being in rocket here thats a permanent stain on your record. while a lot of evil team events absolutely probably have some covering up going on with them ( I REFUSE TO BELIEVE CYRUS JUST. DISSAPEARED. CHAMPION CYNTHIA WHERE DID YOU PUT HIM WHAT DO YOU MEAN HES "GONE" DID YOUR GARCHOMP GIVE HIM FUCKING CEMENT SHOES WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED THEREEEE) team rocket no longer has much influence. none of them really do. at least not the real well known ones.

rockets still around but its remnants who are desperately trying to keep it alive moving from abandoned warehous to abandoned warehouse every time theres a bust. tried a second radio tower take over a couple years back, literally didnt even make it past the front desk before cops were called on suspicious individuals attempting to break in. team plasmas in a similar boat of like. tiny remnants skittering around with no real leadership or influence anymore. like theres technically 3 or 4 rockets and nowadays and i think its a similar thing with plasma because they just are people who dont want to let it all go and have no real plan or leadership. they cannot pull strings with the government anymore tjere is no strings.

flare, macro cosmos, and galactic were like. corporations. theyve kinda fizzled out. i think lysandre labs is technically owned by the rotomphone company now actually but dont quote me on that. galactic had a major reformation, changed their name, rebranded and everything and now theyre working to improve sinnoh infrastructure as an apology and to "realign with the original goals of the galaxy expedition team which we are named after, but with a new modern and progressive twist" and theyre doing pretty well i think. nothing super shady yet mostly cause i think theyre afraid to get blown up by the public if tjey fuck up again. macro cosmos still exists its just most of its companies and departments, and whatever were all sold off to other places or are under completely new management. while flare and galactic mighta pulled the company connections card i dont think macro cosmos ever did anything outrigjt that made it so they had to with any employees?? that i know of at least.

aether is also doing like. new shit. trying to fix their mistakes and stick mostly to conservation stuff while continuing some research into ultra space but like. monitered by the alolan government this time. i dont think people knew enough about it to ever need to pull the government connections card.

team skull, yell, and star are all officially disbanded and now its mostly just people hanging out and working to improve their communities or whatever the hell. these are less evil teams and more mild annoyance teams though. they never had that kinda power over the police anyways

magma and aqua are like. also gone mostly because after seeing what happened to hoenn in just a few hours after waking up a few gods i think they all kinda came to their senses. maxie and archie sure did so. didnt have too much connection with the government either they were literally some freaks.

theres OTHER evil teams but these are the main ones i always see get brought up as evil teams even though theres more??? like orre is still a shithole at times with corruption. depending on the group there you probably would get what ur describing. some weird shit that goes on in the ranger controlled region id have to ask my father about too.

[forlorn-crows]

Hi im so here for hypno ghouls, im like super normal about the idea actually.

A friend and i toss around the concept that Swiss has the ability to hypnotize others (mainly because the idea of him abusing this ability is very fun, and lets be real he would use it deviously)...and i mean, hes a multi ghoul, theyre meant to be versatile and adaptive! I never considered where he might have picked up the technique until now, but oh i adore the thought of it being from Aether.

Theres a clear difference in the way they both do it as Aether's comes from deep at the core of his power, he puts his entirety into it to clear away each idea, but Swiss is a mimicry...not that what he does is any less effective, but he fills the gaps where one thought ends and meets another. He slips in and methodically plucks away at whatevers bouncing around in your head until theres nothing left.

Aether carries you under while Swiss walks you deeper, floated down as opposed to being led further...

Yeah....

Like i said im Super Normal, you can trust me just open up the the door to my enclosure :)

-@divine-misfortune

(Apologies if i dont make much sense i just woke up, it is the middle of the night, and this was rattling around in my head)

at this point its just a chain of passing on quintosis knowledge from ghoul to ghoul.

i know many of us like to think of sunny as a multi ghoul as well, do we think her powers would be strong enough to do it? itd probably be so lulling from her, like a cool summer breeze that makes you turn up your head and close your eyes in gratefulness.

i think aether is the talker. his powers are enough to take you under, but he's always been afraid of taking it too far. talking gives him more control, so he uses that to his advantage and comfort

swiss is allll feeling. he can probably feel a little bit of what the other is experiencing, being more susceptible to its pull; he ends up too loopy himself the first few times he tries with aether (who has enough experience to pull them both out if he has to). he has to remind himself not to be too eager, because his powers are stronger than you think

also, omega teaching aether the skill? chew on that

[aether-anonymous]

Oh dear, it seems it's not just my companion with some negative things to say. I completely understand, I'm all for the goals of Aether but our president is... well she sure is an individual. Quite the character.

I do hope someday things become a bit more organized and you all can more efficiently focus on your goal, you seem like a lovely group despite everything! I suppose us lower ranking team members have to support each other regardless of team huh?

(@totallyaplasmagrunt) aether foundation? i Haven't Heard of that organization before. where are you located?

Good evening! The Aether Foundation is an organization based in Alola, we have multiple goals and departments from Pokémon rehabilitation to extraterrestrial and interdimensional studies. I myself am assistant branch chief of the xenobiology department.

Now you may be asking which island of Alola we're based on. The answer would surprisingly be none of them! Aether Paradise is a manmade floating island between Poni and Akala and beneath Melemele geographically. There's some rumors that Aether Paradise is built atop a small privately owned island, though I'm not actually sure if this is true.

I hope to do business with you in the future, and I hope this was at all helpful.

[malachiexists13]

Just saw a genshin theory that in the most recent Archon Quest, the Caribert Quest, Dainsleif was actually manipulating and using the Traveler, or us. And im just- Dainsleif, if this is true, its on SIGHT next time I see you.

Spoilers for the Caribert Quest if you have not played it yet. Also potentially spoilers for Raiden Shogun's Act 2 Story Quest and Tighnari's Story Quest.

The theory has to do with the whole situation of what happens with the Ley Lines are messed with. I dont think this has ever been talked about in Archon Quests? Only ever in Story Quests, specifically Raiden Shogun's Act 2 and Tighnari's.

Essentially, if the Ley Lines are messed with in any capacity, bad things happen. As in Tighnari's story quest, draining power from the Ley Lines caused a disturbance within the forest and anyone who stayed in that area for too long would fall ill and eventually die if not treated. But thats not exactly what happened in Caribert as the Ley Lines were not damaged.

But in Raiden's story quest, the Ley Lines WERE damaged. Or more specifically, the Sacred Sakura which drained the waste from the Ley Lines, and so the Ley Line waste was flowing out. This caused the memories of the deceased to manifest as they once were in life, before fading within a few minutes.

This is very similiar to what happens in Caribert. In Caribert, there's abnormal activity so Dainsleif believes there must be something off with the Ley Lines so he goes to investigate. Paimon follows him, leaving Traveler alone. (From here on, Im going to say Aether but thats because I picked him on my account)

Aether wakes up alone but soon meets Eide, a clearly mentally unstable individual desperate to save his son who has become a Hilichurl. Eide puts us through a bunch of bullfuckery like most do, including us hearing the voice of a "sinner" who Eide claims cannot be a sinner but rather a God greater than the Archons as he may have been the cause for Caribert, Eide's son, regaining his conscious.

When Eide and Aether return to the Hut to check on Caribert, he's gone. And panicked, they follow his trail. Things go wrong and Caribert takes off his mask, something Hilichurls are said to NEVER DO as the sight of their faces are enough to drive them mad. Its assumed after this that Caribert dies, but we're never told.

In a fit of insanity, Eide says that he knew who Aether was all along. And begins saying that the people of Khaenr'iah (oh right, Eide is from Khaenr'iah) believed Aether would protect and lead them. That to them, he WAS the Abyss before calling Aether "Princess." Eide also reveals himself to be named Chlothar Alberich, and Eide was just a name of one of his former servants. Chlothar is the Founder of the Abyss, and assumed to either be Kaeya's ancestor, or Kaeya's father.

Aether realizes what Chlothar just called him, and runs to check the broken mirror. Only to see that his face has been replaced by that of Lumine. Then, he's woken up by Paimon and Dainsleif who he tells what happened. Dainsleif points out that due to the Ley Line damage, he could've been seeing one of Lumine's past memories from her journey in Sumeru. But then says that he has an idea who this "sinner" was before leaving.

Some speculate that Dainsleif purposely messed with the Ley Lines just so the Traveler would see that memory. His reason being curiosity. Dainsleif didn't know why our twin sided with the Abyss, and so he used us to find out. Great 😒

Another theory I've seen is that this journey we're on will never end. But maybe I'll explain it another time

[thedevillionaire]

Where The Heart Is

So first there was this lovely scenario by @stealthy-sneezing and then I received this insanely flattering prompt from @you-dont-look-so-good and only, uh...three weeks later (LOL, speedy turnaround is an unreliable thing in these parts, I'm afraid) here's my attempt at a little fic based around it. --- Kia doesn’t greet him with her usual kiss good morning as she joins him in the kitchen; she does not, in fact, acknowledge him at all as she passes by. What sleep she’d managed to get had been restless and broken, for a start, and she’s still more than a little out of sorts over last night’s…

Fight?

She’s reluctant to use the term, even to herself. But there had nevertheless been some tensely exchanged differences of opinion, whatever term she gives it. They hardly ever argue and it weighs on her heavily, disproportionately.

She busies herself with breakfast-preparing activities, pointedly avoiding the dining bench where her bonded sits wrapped in a plush burgundy dressing robe and an almost tangible aura of bleariness which suggests that he didn’t sleep particularly well, either.

And there’s no question that he’s…not sounding his best.

Cerberus takes a sip of his steaming coffee, sniffles sharply and rubs his nose with firm frustration against the itch that’s been bothering him since waking, flicking his gaze momentarily across to Kia in a cursory attempt to ascertain her mood.

She very deliberately looks away.

Maybe, she thinks with more than a touch of snippiness as he sniffles again,you should have come home when you said you would. It’s totally possible to delegate sometimes, you know. Like, just once, even, maybe? And while she doesn’t Mindsend him her thoughts, she certainly wills them into the aether. Just a touch.

It’s not even about being late, though, she continues internally, making her point to herself with conviction as she peers into a second cupboard for the blackberry spread she can’t seem to find, I don’t care if you’re late, really, it’s about promising me for the third time this week that you wouldn…

The hitch in his breath severs her sentence momentarily but she doesn’t intend to…

“Huh-TSCHH-uu!”

Kia’s own breath catches a little, too, although she keeps her focus resolutely fixed on the cupboard’s interior; she does not want to engage right now and she’s not going to…

“Hh-TSCHH-uu! Ah-TSSCHHhuu! hh-hhH… Hh-AAHTSCH-uu!” Rapid and forceful, urgent, an increasing desperation evident, and she chances a peripheral glance at Cerberus, her ability to concentrate on anything else hijacked into a weighted anticipation almost as singular as his, despite her not wanting to…

A deep inhalation scissored and insistent, a frozen expectant moment and he gives in again to the maddening itch twice over. “Hhh… hh-TSSCHH-uu! Ah-hh-TSSCHH-uu!” Several sharp sniffles follow; he excuses himself reflexively, habitually, another sniffle following in short order, accompanied by a faintly exasperated sigh and snarlwhispered fuck’s sake.

“Bless you,” Kia says quietly, downplaying her usual heartwarm tone a touch but she doesn’t have it within herself to not acknowledge him. And she can’t help the twinge of concern she feels – or indeed any…other sort of interest – but she doesn’t want her resolve to weaken any further. Not yet, at least.

I’m still mad at you. Stop it.

He nods a perfunctory thankyou for the blessing; she hasn’t turned around so doesn’t notice.

The blackberry spread seems determined to remain unfound and she decides that muscat will do, or whatever’s in this jar, she thinks it’s muscat, it’s not important, really, whatever, does she even want toast, she just needs to…

The sound of a hurriedly claimed fresh succession of tissues being pulled from the box, and her focus dissolves anew.

“Hh-TSCHH-uu!”

And she can sense the expectation of recurrence in his shaky not-quite recovery, his breath unsettled, irregular, and god getting breakfast should really not take this much effort, maybe she’ll just have a cup of tea, this is ridiculous, and from the urgency of gasped inhalation she knows doubtless that he’s going to…

“Huh-AHSSCHuu! Ah-TSSCH-uu! Goddamn it, what the hell is…” Another series of sniffles follows and Cerberus blows his nose, wetly and ineffectively, and with no pause save for a suddensharp gasp, stifles a further sneeze immediately thereafter. “HXTchu! Ugh…” He groans and coughs convulsively from the effort, pushes disarrayed midnight from watering eyes, and growls an undertone of vexation. As if this morning wasn’t uncomfortable enough already.

He coughs again and clears his throat. “Excuse me,” he murmurs, wipes his nose several times, and sniffles again.

“Bless you,” Kia says again, only this time the words come true, sincere, empathic. There’s a resignation in her bonded’s voice that she’s unable to ignore, and her brow creases – something is clearly wrong, and her residual anger over yesterday’s events begins to fall aside in the face of genuine concern, and now she turns to face him.

He sighs heavily as his eyes meet hers. “I, um… *snf!* I don’t mean to disturb you.”

“You’re not disturbing me.” Well, you are, but… She closes the cupboard door, leans back against it, any remaining thoughts of breakfast forgotten. “What’s going on?”

“I have n…” His breath catches, but with controlled if shaky exhalation he manages to fight off the urge and stay on course. “I have no idea. Just can’t seem to… *snf!* Can’t seem to stop.” He looks at her with an expression somewhere between irritated chagrin and cautious detachment. “It’s alright. You don’t need t…to… hpt-XCH!” A quiet groan as Kia blesses him again and gently tells him not to stifle; he nods in agreement with her point as he returns to his own. “You don’t need to worry,” he finishes tiredly, taking another handful of tissues and blowing his nose again.

“Huh. You know,” Kia says, “I was actually trying not to, but… I don’t know, you’re not exactly making it easy or something.” She sighs quietly, not unkindly, and crosses the distance between them. “Okay, though, for real. What’s going on?”

:Karmic debt, perhaps?: Cerberus Mindsends, and offers her a darkly rueful smile as he vaporises the latest clutch of used tissues. “You didn’t secretly burn birchbark in here as revenge for last night, did you?” The sniffle following is intentionally pathetic; he runs an index finger along the underside of his nose and glances at his bonded with eyebrow arched in enquiry.

“Oooh.” Kia shakes her head, narrows her eyes at him as if in consideration, and smiles wryly. “You sure you want to give me ideas like that today?”

Cerberus manages a brief chuckle before his focus dissolves unstoppably stolen, relentless urgency returning and he capitulates to cresting need posthaste and absolute – powerful, emphatic, desperate. “Huh-hhAHTSSCHhuu! Ah-TSSCHH-uu! Gods! *snff!*” With a deep sigh, he pushes ebony heaviness from his eyes again, looks up to meet his bonded’s gaze in dishevelled and somewhat hazy self-deprecation. “And thus my brilliant plan to be as unobtrusive as possible this morning continues its wild run of success,” he remarks dryly, claiming a new couple of tissues with purposeful emphatic flourish and another sniffle.

And the last of Kia’s resistance falls away, her heart melting, any remnant vestiges of irritation and indignance cracking, fading, and none of it is important anymore. “It’s okay,” she murmurs, gentle, kind. “You know, I do still love you even when you’re totally wrong about stuff and it’s all your fault,” she adds playfully, then rolls her eyes with a light scoff and affected exasperation. “Wow, I really did mean to be mad at you for a bit longer than this, though.”

She smiles at her bonded, open and affectionate, and Mindsends him a tenderwarm :Bastard.:

Cerberus laughs quietly, sardonically, and wipes his nose. “Well, I’m certain I’ll not be coming home late tonight, in any case.”

Moving to stand behind him, Kia strokes a gentle hand through his hair, touches a kiss to the top of his head as he leans back into her embrace with an enervated soft hum of pleasure.

“Maybe just…maybe just stay home today, sweetheart.”

---

[glitterrosesnz]

Xiao finding out his allergic to some kind of flower while with lumine/ aether 👉👈

you: Xiao with Aether or Lumine

Me: did you mean, Xiao with Aether AND Lumine?

dont think too hard about how they’re both there hdkfjslkdslj also. *(chanting)* flower crowns, flower crowns, flower cro-

---

Spending the day with the twins seemed, at first, to be a relaxing idea. Aether and Lumine had finally convinced Xiao to spend a day in Mondstadt with them, not really doing anything serious like commissions or anything like that, just hanging out and having fun. Xiao had, for the most part, resigned himself to simply following the twins around as they showed him to random places.

It was when the two of them decided to take a break in a flower field that a problem started to arise.

Xiao was usually fine with flowers, in fact he rather liked them. They'd never given him any trouble.

The tickle that had been forming in his nose ever since they'd stopped there was clearly going to argue against that.

To be fair, there were some flowers there that Xiao had never seen before. (Aether and Lumine had called them 'Windwheel Asters' and 'Dandelions'.) It was entirely possible that he was, actually, allergic to one or two of them.

That didn't mean he was going to admit it though.

He sniffled as discreetly as possible, rubbing the back of his hand against his nose in an attempt to alleviate the tickle before it could grow stronger. He'd sat down a short distance away from the flowers, far away enough that he'd hoped their affect on him would lessen, but close enough to not draw the twin's suspicion. The two of them could be very intuitive when it came down to it, but Xiao really didn't want to bother them with a small problem like this.

He rubbed his nose against his hand again, which turned out to be a mistake, as the tickle suddenly spiked and Xiao pitched forwards, barely stifling the sneeze in time.

"Hi-h'txch!" He sniffled, eyes watering. The sneeze had hardly been relieving, in fact, it hadn't helped at all. He glanced up, checking to see if either Aether or Lumine had heard. They seemed oblivious, their backs turned to him as they picked flowers and weaved them together, making flower crowns for each other. Xiao sighed in relief, only for his breath to hitch. Quickly, he pressed his hand against his nose and closed his eyes, trying to focus on breathing, and not sneezing again.

He was focused on this, that he didn't notice Lumine walking up until she had already put the flower crown on his head. He startled, instinctively switching from deep breathing to holding his breath as he glanced up at her. Lumine's expression was that of a soft smile, but it quickly swapped to a slight frown once she actually saw Xiao's face.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked, "Your nose and ears look kinda red."

Xiao didn't answer, instead giving a glare that he hoped conveyed 'I'm fine' as well as 'I am definitely not allergic to the flowers you just put on my head'.

Lumine hummed in contemplation, and suddenly Aether was there as well, staring down at Xiao with narrowed eyes.

"Have you been crying?" Aether asked, and oh, Xiao could not allow the two of them to think he'd been crying of all things.

"No, I'm fi-heH.....fine." Xiao said, instantly regretting regretting speaking as he stifled two sneezes into his arm. "Hih-h'NGXt...-'tchi!"

"Ah." Lumine and Aether said, coming to the same realization at the same time. "Allergies."

"It's naht-" Xiao cut himself off, gritting his teeth together as he pressed his tongue to the roof his mouth to try and hold back.

"It's not allergies?" Aether guessed, and Xiao nodded, only to wish he hadn't, as moving his head jostled the flower crown Lumine had placed on him, sending a bit of pollen down into his face.

"Heh....hIH! H'txch! hEH! H'NGXT-iu!"

"What would you call this then, if not allergies?" Lumine asked as Xiao sniffled, trying to get a hold of himself.

"A...heh......sens- sensitivity- hIH! H'txch-ii!" Xiao barely managed to stutter out before stifling another sneeze. Neither Aether or Lumine looked very impressed.

"Mm....The flower crowns probably aren't helping huh?" Aether said, gently removing his while Lumine took off hers, throwing it to the side, before reaching to take Xiao's off as well. Xiao winced. He knew the two of them had put a lot of work into making those.

"S-sorry- h'ngxt-ii!" He muttered. Aether reached out and helped him stand up, steadying him as he continued to stifle sneezes into his arm.

"It's okay, you can't help being allergic." Aether said.

"Being out here probably isn't helping much." Lumine said, gently rubbing circles on Xiao's back. "Come on, lets get you back to Wangshu Inn."

The twins focused, drawing on the power of the waypoints, and with a shudder, they were in one of the empty rooms in the Wangshu Inn. Using their anemo abilities, they gently blew the pollen off of themselves and Xiao, but Xiao still continued to stifle sneeze after sneeze into his hands.

"You're not ever going to stop if you keep holding them in like that." Lumine said, grabbing hold of one of Xiao's hands and pulling it away from his face. Aether, following her lead, took hold of Xiao's other hand.

"W-wait, hold on-hIH!" Xiao started, trying to pull his hands out of the twin's grip as his breath started hitching again. He knew he could probably over power them and get his hands free but-

He didn't want to hurt them.

"C'mon, it's okay." Aether said, both he and Lumine gently rubbing circles on the back of Xiao's hands. "Let yourself sneeze. We don't mind."

Xiao knew that neither of them really cared, but he still turned his head away from them as he-

"Heh...H'ITCH-ii! H'iTSHH-iu! Hih...hIH- H'ISHH-ii!"

"There you go!" Lumine said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "Doesn't that feel better?"

"Snf....Marginally." Xiao said, gratefully accepting the tissues Aether proceeded to hand to him.

"Marginally is still better than not at all." Lumine said, Aether nodding in agreement with her.

"Which flower was it that you're allergic to anyways?" Aether asked, "All of them?"

"....Dunno." Xiao muttered. "This....has never happened before."

"Hm. Well we can test it later, if you feel up for it." Lumine said, "It'll be better for us to know specifically what sets you off after all. Then we can make allergy-free flower crowns for you!"

[genshin-djinn]

genshin impact: how I feel so far

I’ve just finished the prologue! Here are all of my thoughts on Genshin Impact thus far presented in a very confusing and non- linear manner.

My first and most resounding opinion on this game is that it’s amazing. The graphics are insane— the lighting, the weather, clouds passing by. All of the characters have designs so ridiculous it’s hard for me to draw them and it makes me feel like the game is just flaunting the flawless animation of all these characters’ extremely convoluted designs.

places

I love the locations sO mUCH. My favorite places so far are the two major cities— Mondstadt is just so cheery and fits the vibe of the early game (by early game I mean the dvalin quest line). It’s presented as large but in a very linear manner that you learn quite quickly. It has plenty of places to buy stuff from and just genuinely feels like a cheerful, bustling, fantasy city. fantastic and I’m in love. Liyue Harbor is presented in a completely different architectural style and it’s excellent. Mondstadt makes me feel safe, Liyue Harbor makes me feel like I’m in a wild metropolitan center.

And importantly, both of these cities feel genuinely alive. All the romantic hullabaloo in Mondstadt, Yi Zhu trying to cheer up his little sister Yi Xian after their mother’s death, the mysterious locked door in Mondstadt, Anna making wishes to recover from her illness at the well and her brother going there at night to collect all the coins so he can pay for her medication.

Besides the main cities my other favorite location has been Qingce village. The walk over to it is very nice and the town has an incredible vibe with the scale- like terraced fields. And even beyond that, the town is filled with old citizens and children— showing how all of the young adults in the town have left and decided to try to find a new and more exciting life in Liyue Harbor.

I’m having a hard time thinking of something I don’t like about the locations and honestly I’m drawing a blank. I really love all the set design/ map design. I know I will never finish that “collect every geoculus and anemoculus” quest because that’s just not the kind of dedication I have to this game (unless I get really stuck at an adventure level, though.... then things are a wild card.)

adventure ranks

this is my biggest problem with Genshin Impact.

You can’t progress the main quest (which honestly I enjoy more than a lot of the side quest because of my sheer attachment to these characters and their stories, which I’ll talk more about later) until you hit a certain adventure rank. And it’s a real pain getting them. I’m the type of person who gets freaked out when fighting a level 1 ruin guard with a set of level 39 characters and an inventory full of honey chickens. I do sometimes go into this state of bloodlust when fighting hillichurls and I feel like actually seeking out their camps to return them to dust myself but then I find one of them dudes with a shield and remember that my one pyro unit is amber and uhh.... that feeling goes away real fast.

I hope that the game does what they did with adventure ranks 18-20 more often— my next quest in Liyue is locked until rank 23 (I am not looking forward to increasing my world level can I please just play on easy difficulty until forever) but I get this cool new Darknight Hero quest that I’ve been looking forward to to tide me over until I hit level 21 and can go on another bookworm date with Lisa. Yes, spacing out the main quest line is okay, but I really like having a lot of side quests in between as well so I can gain adventure ranks organically rather than specifically hunting for geo/ anemoculi.

characters

I love the characters in this game maybe as much as I love the locations in this game. Maybe more.

My favorite character is Kaeya because I am a sap for antiheroes with attitude problems. More on him later.

I’ve also become very attached to Amber. She’s just such a positive soul and she so genuinely wants to do what’s right and she’s so useful for lighting things on fire which is something I do not have any other character to do (holding out for Xiangling at level 20....). But she’s just not a great character fighting wise. She takes a while to load arrows and they aren’t super useful compared to any of the other seven characters I own. But she can light stuff on fire and I don’t have anyone else to do that so she must remain on my team for the time being.

next up is Lisa. I like Lisa. I know she’s there for the perverts who want to see anime women’s chests but I genuinely do like her. Her personality is, well, very different from all the other characters’ and I kind of like her constant over the top- ness. Her ability is useful but I switched her out for Chongyun in my team and I can’t bring myself to get rid of Aether or Kaeya yet.

I rolled Xingqiu, Beidou, and Noelle but haven’t used them much. All I know about them is “water bookworm young master whos closet good at fighting”, “pirate who stopped me from getting that fecking file folder I was trying to get”, and “maid whose voice I like in the english and Japanese version”. (Side note, I mainly use the Japanese voiceovers because I prefer them. Downside is I sometimes can’t understand a word the characters are saying but it’s worth it for the voice actors)

I also got Chongyun who seems like a nice boy. I rolled him after I started playing with Japanese voiceovers, though, so I don’t understand most of his idle dialogue. All I really know about him is that he’s super positive and he loves ice cream and that’s good enough for me

Next up is my somewhat problematic fave Kaeya. It’s morally bad that you can’t tell whether he’s lying or telling the truth but all it does is make me like him better as a character. I can 100% see why he’s paired up with Jean and Amber as the most visible characters in power in the Knights of Favonius— they all sort of fulfill different roles. I really want to see more of him in the main plot, not when he’s lying about his grandpa hiding pirate treasure. Also we know nothing about his real motivations and actual past besides “diluc’s step brother, maybe like saw diluc kill his dad or like saw diluc upset after his dad was killed wE dOnT kNow”. and I want to know.

Can’t talk about Kaeya without talkin about his bro Diluc. I can’t wait to see him in this next quest line. I really want Diluc on my team. Same with Jean. That is all.

Penultimately I’m gonna talk about my personal favorite god of freedom whose powers just got stolen, maybe god, definite good bard Venti. I really like Venti. He’s got a lot of charm and he just fits perfectly as the easygoing free god of Mondstadt. I started yelling when that signora gal nabbed him. don’t worry venti we will kill her for you

Annnnd finally here’s my opinions on Aether (I chose him to be my protagonist) and Lumine (the Princess, I think). I do kinda enjoy them. They’re a bit of the typical blank protagonist type (can be sassy, can be cruel, can be honest, can be kind) but Lumine’s dark turn is just fascinating and I want to learn more about their relationship and how it’s changed since they were separated. Where even is Lumine? What will Aether do when he learns that his entire purpose in life has been in charge of the ones who’ve been hurting his new friends? It sounds like a fascinating situation.

(also Venti refers to Lumine as Aether’s “imouto”/ little sister— does he call Aether Lumine’s “otouto”/ little brother if you chose Lumine as your protag? which twin is older? is it determined by your choice of protagonist? hmmm)

least favorite things

Besides my problems with adventure rank, I have two other main issues with Genshin Impact.

Firstly, basically all of the female characters are dressed in outfits that seem designed to show as much skin as possible.

annnd secondly it’s extremely difficult to roll five star characters (Jean, Venti, Diluc) without paying money. this is a good way for the company to make cash but it’s also kind of annoying.

wrap- up

Ok! Those are all my main thoughts for now, at the end of the prologue and before chapter 1! I’m off to play the darknight hero quest (probably gonna post some of my mishaps here too). also I want more primogems we should be able to pet dogs npcs excitement bye

[realityhelixcreates]

Lasabrjotr Chapter 57:Travails of Royalty

Chapters: 57/? Fandom: Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Warnings: none Relationships: Loki x Reader (There We Go) Characters: Loki (Marvel), Thor(Marvel), Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff Additional Tags: Post-Endgame: Best Possible Ending (Canon-Divergent), In Which Thor Has Regrets, Loki Tries To Be A Good Brother In The Harshest Way, Sometimes One Has To Point Out Painful Truths And Loki Has Done That Before

Summary:  Beneath the crown there sits a man, with the heart of a man, and the fears, determination, and regrets of a man. The measure of the man is the measure of the king. Thor Odinson knows this, and still worries that he measures poorly.

Loki stormed back into the main banquet hall, ready to give the annoying little twit a piece of his mind, but Thor had already intervened, detaining Gloa and lecturing her fiercely. Most of the Asgardian nobles had vacated the hall by now; those that remained were not among Gloas friends. They watched smugly as the Allfather himself had to take her into hand, and Loki knew she would be prodded about this for some time.

You had fallen back into a little knot of Avengers; Loki could see your hat among them. He headed to you first.

“Are you harmed, my dear?” He asked. Gloa was not a warrior, but she was still Asgardian. If she struck you, it could hurt you very badly.

“No, I'm just super mad!” You snarled. “I don't know where she gets off-did you know she doesn't even have a job? Andsvarr's a noble, and he has a job! He does something useful, instead of just sitting around and leeching off everyone else like a fucking parasite!” You raised your voice on that last part, and Gloa looked away from Thor to glare at you, even though she could not understand your words.

“Loki...Loki.” You clutched at his robe. “I need to go stab something. Can I head to the training area for a little while?”

“Oh. Yes, of course. Please do, go vent your frustrations on something that is not a subject of mine, whom I am obligated to protect, despite how vile I personally find them to be.”

“Didn't you chop off a guys hand?” Natasha asked. “I'm sure I heard that somewhere.”

Loki turned away, nose in the air. “He broke the law.”

“The law of Dont Fuck With Loki's Main Squeeze?” Bucky asked.

“Yes. Now get her out of here before someone else tries anything.”

                                                                          *****

You strode through he halls with Natasha, Mr. Barnes, Steve, and Mr. Rhodes at your sides, You could only imagine what you must look like to those you were passing; A storm on your face, and the king's friends for an escort. But room was made for you in the general training area.

“Okay, come on kiddo.” Mr. Rhodes said. “Show us how it's done in Asgard.”

You showed them all your knife, explained what it was, where it had come from, and how you'd gotten it. Natasha nodded slowly at the explanation.

“Yeah, sounds appropriate that you should have it.”

“I've been training with the Valkyries, and with Loki when I can.” You said. “Got a long way to go though.”

You showed them your drills, how you took on the training dummy, how you compensated for your smaller-than-Asgardian size. Your entourage watched as you went, ignoring the stares from the other trainees. They were probably used to stares, and even you were beginning to become numb to them.

“...So...” You panted, coming to a halt. “That's basically what I know...Haven't had to actually use any of this though...”

“That's probably a good thing, kid.” Mr. Rhodes said. “Did they teach you to just rush in like that, or is it because you're mad?”

“Huh?”

“What he's saying is that this style is...very Asgardian. Even the way Loki fights is very Asgardian.” Natasha said. “Meaning that, while he does add a bit of misdirection to it, he still fights like an Asgardian. Fast, hard, and very aggressive. That might not be the best technique for you, though. You don't have the same kind of physical power and durability. What you do have, is the element of surprise. Would you let me show you how to use it?”

Personal training with an Avenger? You leapt at the opportunity.

“She's gonna regret that.” Mr Rhodes said.

“Gonna regret it.” Steve echoed.

“I'm not.” Mr. Barnes said. “I get to watch.”

“You get to participate. Get over here and prepare your insteps for pain.” Natasha commanded.

Mr. Barnes approached, sighing in defeat as the others jeered at him.

                                                                         *****

“We can't just imprison people for saying things, Loki.” Thor insisted. “We'd run out of room in a day.”

“A public flogging then!” Loki said hotly.

“Loki!”

“I am beyond done with that little twit, Thor! She's been like this for centuries, but she's been crossing greater and greater lines lately. We've seen what happens when we allow these things to escalate. _____ has seen what happens, and it landed her in the healing wing with a broken face! I'll not risk it again!”

“Do we make insults illegal then? How will you keep yourself from prison, were that the case?”

Loki glared. Of course he knew he was powerless in this. What Gloa did was wrong and petty, but not illegal.

That was all too familiar.

“I understand your ire, brother. The things some of Jane's peers would say about her...and just because she was a woman and in an experimental science...it still raises my fury. But the best thing you can do for her is stand by her. Your mortal is resilient, but you can be the mighty oak on which she leans when she is weary.”

Loki liked that image. Of being strong, and steady for you. The powerful mast and billowing sails of the ship that carried you on your life's journey. The cloak around your shoulders that kept you warm when the winds of life threatened to chill you. The-

“We can forbid Gloa from talking to her.” Thor said, interrupting Loki's dreamy reverie. “But I wonder what precedent that will set. It would probably look like you were just throwing a tantrum right back at her.”

“Surely I'm not that unbecoming.”

Thor shrugged. “Not all the time.” He teased.

“I can be worse.” Loki mock-threatened.

“I know.” Thor said. “But could you put off your worseness for a few years? Just until we get a few more buildings up?”

“I'll think about it.” They both chuckled. “I'm not just going to let this go, though. Alarr has seemed quiet for now, but those who agree with him are not so restrained. You've been having to deal with them yourself, haven't you?”

Thor sighed, a long gust of exasperation. “I didn't want to bring it up. I didn't want to distress you, or her. Gloa isn't the only one, she's just the most directly vocal about it. There are several of the highest noble families that have made her the symbol of their opposition to human assimilation. Several have made attempts to trick me into passing legislation that will limit or harm her, and any other humans within our borders. Some of it was so broadly worded that it could have been used against our Vanir citizens, or even those whose ancestors intermarried.

You know, I realize that I have been irresponsible in the past, but I'm not sure why they all think I didn't get the same education they did. Do I truly seem like there is nothing but air between my ears?” He caught the twinkle in his brother's eye. “Don't answer that.”

“I believe the greater problem is that they cannot fathom the change that has come upon us, so they are pushing back without much thought as to how it might effect even other Asgardians.” Loki said, then shrugged. “That's if I'm being generous. Long-standing prejudices are not unfamiliar to Asgard. The high families may be taking this chaos as a chance to rearrange Asgard to their liking. I've heard of humans doing this many times. They call it an 'ethnic cleansing'.”

Thor shuddered. “I won't allow it.”

“I know.” Loki said. “But they will continue trying, nonetheless.”

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, wrapped up in the challenge laid out for their future.

“I have other bad news...” Loki said, then shook his head. “No, more like...potentially uncomfortable news.”

“Ugh, lay it out.” Thor said.

“The Vision tells me that he has been sensing occasional disturbances that might be someone utilizing the power of one or more of the Stones.”

Thor shook off the malaise of the previous conversation instantly.

“What does he mean? What did he tell you?”

“Very little. Mostly that his connection with his stone is making him aware of vague fluctuations in the power of the stones. We have attempted to narrow it down: Space and Time are secure, and have not been used recently, Mind is secure, and has not been used...that Vision is aware of. I do not personally believe that your pirate friends currently have the capability to use the Power stone between them, but if you can contact them, perhaps you should. The specter on Vormir has not contacted anyone, but perhaps one of us should speak with Miss Romanoff about it.”

“Oh no.” Thor said.

“However, that leaves only one.”

“Oh no.”

“Therefore, we need to contact Dr. Foster.”

“Oh no. No, I can't. I can't do that, you know I can't do that.”

“I know, but we are still going to have to do it.”

Thor drooped. “I told her I would leave her alone.”

“And was she happy about it?”

“She wasn't happy about anything. I destroyed her life.”

“I disagree.”

“I dragged her back in to all of this!”

“She flung herself into this of her own accord.”

“How can you say that?”

“Years ago, she saw a cosmic anomaly out in the desert, and drove towards it with such joyous abandon that she ran you over with her vehicle. Years later, she stuck her hand into a glowing void, heedless of what might be there. Years after that, she enthusiastically threw herself back into the battle for cosmic safety, and she would have done so even if you had not asked. You think you 'lured her into danger' or 'tricked her into coming into contact with the Aether again', but it had already chosen her. Her very personality guaranteed that this would be her fate, with or without you. This is less about you than you think.”

Thor grumbled unintelligibly. Loki knew he'd thought about these things before but didn't want to accept them. No one wanted to accept that they might not be the most important thing in a loved one's life; he certainly didn't. But that was how it had always been between Thor and Jane, to Loki's eyes at least. She just wasn't the type to mope about men, not when there were cosmic mysteries to pick apart.

“In any case, I am going to contact her. You are free to skulk about and hide if you wish. You are the king, after all.” Loki continued.

“All right, all right, stay your stinging tongue. Perhaps I have misplaced my backbone, when it comes to her. It's just that I adore her still...” Thor sulked.

“And you are not used to being scorned.” Loki pointed out.

“I'm already down, must you keep kicking?”

“Oh dry up, brother. Stand tall instead of wallowing in assumed guilt, and she may even talk to you again.”

“Do you think so?”

Loki rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “I'm going to go find _____, and get into contact with Dr. Foster. If you will not extend a formal invitation to her, then I shall.”

                                                                               *****

“I didn't even know elbows could bend that way.” You mused.

“They can't!” Mr. Barnes griped. “Go easy dollface, I've only got one good one left!”

“And what do we do when our opponent tries to solicit sympathy from us?” Natasha asked.

“We go harder!” You exclaimed enthusiastically. Mr. Barnes groaned.

You knew he was just putting on a show. He was at least as tough as Steve, but he worked well as a foil for Natasha's teaching, not making things easy on you, but not making them impossible either. If you did it right, the things she taught you worked, so you knew for sure when you were nailing a new technique.

You'd been going for some time, and you were simultaneously energized, and worn out. These exercises were very different from the ones you had been performing, working different muscles, forcing you into a different headspace. They were very good-natured about your inexperience. It wasn't that your Asgardian tutors weren't patient with you, but they didn't show the same camaraderie.

Still you were flagging, your initial anger long since waned. Gloa could go step on a Lego, for all that you cared, but you probably should bring up with Loki that almost-threat she'd made.

Funerary boat? What did that mean? Was that what Adgardian funerals were like? How did Asgardians address death, anyway? Surely they couldn't have made graveyards! You had seen Loki's projection of Asgard: it was tiny, far too small for graveyards, even for the long-lived Asgardians.

You really needed to ask Loki about Asgardian customs surrounding death. As a Seidkona, and Loki's Seidkona specifically, you might be required to be present or even participate in a funeral, if any Asgardian actually died during your relatively short lifespan.

A glint of light caught your attention, and a dozen things rushed through your head in less than a second.

A knife! Gloa had threatened you. There were assassins within Asgard. You did not want to get stabbed again, not for anything. You had magic. Practically the instant you saw the gleam, you had turned the object back on the person who had thrown it.

It bounced off Steve Rogers chest and clattered to the ground.  

[obsessed-lepus]

Avengers: Endgame

My thoughts during the movie

Plus some extra notes

oh hi Clint

Your daughter is adorable!

the next Hawkeye!

wait

oh noooooooo

nooooooo

That's so saaaad

Please don't go Ronin. Just go find the Avengers. Please! I love you

Oh shit Tony you look like a skeleton

Honey please eat

Wait its been 22 days? oof

Nebula and Tony interacting is adorable

oh no Tony don't you dare die

no

N0

oh shit CAPTAIN MAAARRRVEEELLLL

YAAAASSSSSS

oh shit Tony is even madder than he was at the end of Civil War holy shit

he’s so skinny holy shit

oh shit Tony don't do that

Steve you don goofed

SHit TONY-

oh wow okay

Thor finally aimed for the head I guess

Wait 5 years?! HOly shit

oh look Steve is finally going to group theraphy

Natasha’s hair is gorgeous

I love her necklace

oh shit he’s gone Ronin

nooooooo

oh Carol your new haircut is amazing!

It looks so gooooodddd!!!!

oh shit that rat is the one that ultimately saved the world 

the rat brought Scott back

good job

oh they’re gonna mess with time travel?

like back to the future?

HOLY SHIT TONY HAS A DAUGHTER

SHE’S SO CUTE HOLY SHIT

she’s so small!

tony is an amazing parent

look at her!

she’s adorable

“I love you 3000″

that's so cute!

Scott is me if I ever meet any of these actors

wait...

is that Bruce?

NOOOOOOOOO

he looks so bad!

MY BABIIIEESSS

NOOOOOO

WHYYYYYY

TURN IT BACK TURN IT BACK

he sounds so dumb!

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

ok so this sucks

ok

ok

The band is almost complete

just Thor and Hawkeye

Thor first I guess

OH YASSSSS VALKYRIE YOU GO GIRL

oh wait what? why is there so many cans of beer- 

OH MY GOD

OH NOOOOOO

WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE THAT?!

MY BABYYYYY

HES SO DEPRESSED HOLY SHIT NOOOOO

HIS ABS 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

oh shit is that Japanese?

oh this looks like a scene from an anime

yes Clint it does work

probably

oh shit 

ok ok

it works

so sad he could not see his daughter though

OK LETS GO

This suspiciously sounds like the plot from back to the future

ok so group 1 goes to New York in 2012 to get the Space Stone, Time Stone, and the Mind Stone

Group 2 goes to 2014 to get the Soul Stone and the Power Stone

and Group 3 goes to 2013 to get the Aether Reality Stone

ok that's good

good plan

man that old outfit looks horrible on cap

shit hulk is so aggressive and its...

really fucking funny

professor hulk is bad at being hulk

YES THAT IS A FINE PIECE OF AMERICA’S ASS

hail hydra?

shit dude that's deep

y’all are busted

wait so Natasha and Clint are going to get the Soul Stone? 

oh noooooo

one of them is gonna die-

oh look cut to Thor now

Thor its ok bab calm down

Rocket you’re on your own buddy

awww Frigga

yes Frigga and Thor interacting! Im all for this

YES HIS HAMMER IS BACK! FUCKING FINALLY HOLY SHIT

oh cut to Professor Hulk

be careful with that woman bruce

shes weird

oh nevermind

so let me get this straight, this whole time travel thing is like in Dragon ball?

yes?

yep.

ok so that's bad

they didn’t get the Space Stone

Loki just grabbed it and went bye bitch on all of them

oof

Steve... fighting… Steve?

oh shit that's awesome

hah Steve is annoyed at Steve

OH SHIT YES

gg no re

that ass thou

that’s a fine piece of American ass

OMG THERE HE GOES

MY LITTLE IDIOT

COME AND GET YOUR LOVEEEEEEEE

OH YEAH

oop and there he goes to the floor

wait is nebula dead?

oh no

wait what?

ok so lemme get this straight, nobody thought of upgrading Nebula, so now tHANOS CAN USE PAST NEBULA TO SEE OUR NEBULA’S MEMORIES?

NOW HE KNOWS

THIS IS DUMB

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Cut to Tony and Steve in the 1970′s

man they both look gorgeous

oh shit. is that Howard?

no

get away

fuck this guy

no

oh wait

he’s being nice to Tony

FUCK I LOVE THIS

oh my god PEGGY!

:(

is that JArvis?

THATS JARVIS

HOLY SHIT

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Cut to Clint and Natasha

oh nooooooo

one of them is gonna have to die

OH SHIT NO CLINT

NAT STOP

No

NO

NO

N0000000000000000

IN THE SAME POSSITION AS GAMORA TOO

THATS GAY

*starts crying a bit*

MY BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

she’s dead

I cant

I CANT

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

well... at least they got the stones?

lets go bbs

yes

Yes

YES!

wait shouldn't Tony do it?

oh wait no he would die

you go Bruce!

COME ON DO IT BEFORE YOU DIE

OH SHIT NO THANOS

THEY’RE ALL BACK!!!! ANSWER THE PHONE CLINT!

WAIT NO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

RUN RHODEY!

oh wait...

RUN CLINT

WHERE THE HELL IS CAPTAIN MARVEL?!?!

you go Gamora do the right thing!

yes Nebula kill yourself!

wait no don't actually kill yourself just the other you

wait no-

ugh

you know what

just-

good job.

STOP TALKING AND GO GET THANOS

THOR YOU LOOK AMAZING BB

WAIT WHERE DID STORMBREAKER COME FROM?!

oop there goes Tony

WAIT SHIT DONT KILL THOR

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

YOU GO STEVE

YOU’RE WORTHY!!!!!!!

THIS SCENE IS FUCKING EPIC

OH WAIT NO HIS SHIELD

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

SHIT

NO

STOOP

THATS SO UNFAIR

wait-

what was that?

*crying starts again*

YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSS THY’RE ALL BACK HOLY SHIT

SHURIIIIIIIIIIIIII

PETEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER

HOLY SHIT

GO BEAT HIS ASS 

“AVENGERS!”

“ASSEMBLE.”

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS

THATS FUCKING AMAZING

WIFE AND HUSBAND FIGHTING TOGETHER IS AMAZING

OH MY IRON DAD AND SPIDER SON MOMENT

HOLY SHIT

THIS IS AMAZING

LOOK AT VALKYRIE ON HER PEGAGUS! 

RUN BLACK PANTHER

HOLY SHIT QUEEN

WANDA GO KILL HIS ASS

YAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS

MY TWO BABIES ARE FINALLY GETTING BACK TOGETHER

GO GET HER QUILL

oh wait...

nevermind

OH THERE SHE ISSSSSSSSSSSS

YOU GO CAROL GO GET HIM

BEAT HIS AAAAASSSSSSS

QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN

OH SHIT THATS FUCKING AMAZING YOU GO GIRLS 

I AM SO FOR THIS TEAM UP

GO GIRRRRLLLLSSSSSSS

PETER AND CAROL INTERACTING IS ALL I’VE EVER WANTED 

I’VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS SHIT

SHIT

NO

NO

N0

NO

GET IT TONY

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

oh wait

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS

“I am Irom Man”

WE WON

HOW DOES IT FEEL YOU NUT SACK OF A FACE?

HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA

OH WAIT

WAIT NO

no

Tony?

wait...

no

stop

StApH

*starts ugly crying*

MY FAV BABY NOOOOOOOOOOO

HE’S DEAD

“Mr. Stark we won”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

mY hEaRt

“its okay you can rest now”

“we’ll be okay”

WELL NOT LIKE I NEEDED MY HEART Y’KNOW

*continues on ugly crying*

they put his old arc reactor on a bunch of roses and just let it float on the river?

what a send off 

im crying cause it hurts

this is so sad

this reminds me of the scene where Tony throws the arc reactor to the sea

fUcK

shit not like I needed my heart

everyone is here?

oh yeah

WAIT IS THAT HARLEY????

*cries even harder*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

well at least…

everyone got a happy ending...

man tony stop talking you’re making me cry harder

“I love you 3000″

THOSE WHERE HIS LAST WORDS TO HER WHEN HE LEFT TO GO SAVE THE UNIVERSE AND NOW IN THIS RECORDING

MY HEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRTTTTTT

wait Steve is the one that is going to return the Stones?

cool

just please come back

son of a bitch

wait who’s that?!

IS THAT PRE-SERUM STEVE?

nevermind

shit he looks so old

HE GOT MARRIED TO PEGGY HOLY SHIT

THEY GOT TO HAVE THAT DANCE

AWWWWWWWWWWW

*continues on crying*

wait...

what is that?

HOLY SHIT

YES 

YES

YESSSSSSSS

Sam is now Captain America and I could literally not be happier

cut to Thor

wait Thor is not going to e King anymore

VALKYRIE IS???

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaS

YOU GO QUEEEEEEEEEEEEN

wait he’s going to go live with the guardians?

cool

no matter how many jokes you throw at me I’m still not gonna stop crying

shit is that Ned?

HOLY SHIT

MY LITTLE BABIES RE-UNITED

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

THIS IS SO CUTE

cut to Morgan and Happy

she’s so cute

AWWWWW

just like her dad!

she wants a burger.

oh and here come the end credits

and I’m still crying….

Notes!

I loved the ending. It was Satisfying and wrapped up phase 3 really nicely. I literally don't see how someone is going to be mad about it. I LOVED IT. It was amazing. Everyone got a happy ending.

But my Fav Baby died

and my other baby also died

and one of my babies got old

one of my main babies one was depressed but only used for a pathetic excuse of comic relief

the other main baby got ugly and green....

I’m so sad

I am kind of intrigued about what will happen next in the MCU

I know Far from home is the ending of Phase 3 and I really want to see what will happen in Phase 4 now that Disney has ownership of Fox

Honestly all I want to see is Morgan Stark either becoming the next Iron Man/Woman or her own superhero called 3000

that’d be adorable

I’m so sad

I still cant believe Tony died

I cant believe they did Thor like that

I cant believe its 2023 in their universe like what?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

goodbye phase 3! lets hope phase 4 (and the rest to come) is as good (or even better) than this one!

Lets see where the story goes.

[moonstruck-ffxiv-blog]

(ft @drakenblut)

Warning: long post

[19:10]Louis Chamberlain || How many moons has it been since that fateful day deep inside the Children of the Dawn’s ritual chamber? Six moons. Yes. It has been at good six moons. Louis’ injuries -that had almost killed him- took a long, *long* time to heal. The first week had been a constant battle against a nasty infection that kept cropping up. Pus and necrosis eating away his flesh at an alarming rate (cursed those denizen of the Void!), and if the young man barely survived his encounter with the Lady, --

[19:10]Louis Chamberlain: that week had come very, very close to permanently end him.

[19:10]Louis Chamberlain || For now, he was stable. He has been for the past three moons. On his chest, where previously there was bone showing, only a faint scar was left. Muscles had been mend, bones had regrown and skin regenerated. He was still asleep. Still asleep and refusing to wake up. At least he was alive.

[19:10]Louis Chamberlain opened his eyes. “Alveus! T-The Lady! It’s a trap!” Quick! He had to warn him! If he was to get him, it was the end of all! It has been a ploy all this time! And Abigail! Oh, Echidna, Queen of Monsters, help him! Where was Hawk? He had to find him!

[19:18]The Hawk had been taking care of the other man the entire time , it had been tedious work and at some point he had thought about merely discarding Louis. But it had been only for some minutes before that thought was put away , no. He had some piece of humanity still in him. So Potions he gave him , checked up upon him daily and tried to ignore Zaz  most of the time. But even despite his best attempts progress was slow , even with how time easily flew by for Alveus due to the repetition of everyday >

[19:18]The Hawk | work. Even today was no else , he had checked up upon Louis after waking up and tended to his work and own source of food. And after all that he had returned back home , took a long bath and dried off his hair with a towel. He had just barely put his clothes back on when he heard the sudden scream of Louis. With a decent pace he made his way upwards , the mask discarded in the safety of his home and long strands of brown hair , that had grown a lot in the past months draped over his >

[19:18]The Hawk | shoulder and face. "You are awfully loud." , the voidsent spoke , the gaze of those golden eyes seemingly stronger than before. In general he had changed , his aura had too.

[19:21]Louis Chamberlain: “-W-What?” He tried to sit in the bed he was left in. He couldn’t. What was going on? He couldn’t move? He wiggled his fingers: they obeyed, albeit very weakly and very slowly. “But, but, but… But.” (He shivered. There was something… different about his friend.) “We have… Abigail. It’s.. we can’t stay here. And I can’t move!”

[19:25]The Hawk merely watched the struggle of the other before he shook his head. "Stop panicking." , it sounded more like a command than actual concern , feet carrying the taller voidsent besides the mans bed and settling down there. "Abigail is dead , so is most of the cult." , it was the sad reality Alveus had been faced with , and even if her dead still weighted heavy on him there was nothing he could turn back time with. His words were oddly cold , lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at Louis.>

[19:25]The Hawk | "You were out for months. Are you in any pain?"

[19:29]Louis Chamberlain flinched at the news and this was akin to a slap to the face. He quickly calmed down, confliction emotions passing on his face.  “N...No. I feel okay. No pain.” Silence. He had no idea what to say. “You don’t look okay. You’re… um. I don’t know. Not like you were before… Was it really moons? I slept all this time!”

[19:29]You express your worry with The Hawk.

[19:34]The Hawk tilted his head at him , listening to the concern in Louis voice. "Six - and you should rather be concerned about your own health." Golden eyes looked him over , the other seemed fine enough. No bleeding , no sign of sudden death that could occur. It would be a loss if Louis would now die after the work he had put into him. "I am most well , unlike you." , Alveus hums softly - the hint of violet swirling in his eyes , hidden away like the sheer power of the brown haired.

[19:40]Louis Chamberlain wiggled his fingers again, trying to close his fist. He couldn’t do it. That. That was very concerning. Will he ever be able to hold a bow ever again? “I-I’m so sorry.” (He wasn’t sure why he was apologizing.) “You took care of my all this time… It must… and Abigail is dead. I couldn’t do anythin’. We got played like a g-godsdamn fiddle. And all of that for the Heart of Sammy that wasn’t even existin’.” (He bit his lower lip.) “I can’t sit.”

[19:43]The Hawk stayed silent , only letting out a gentle sigh at the end of Louis speech. "Its not your fault. I agreed to come with them." , it was the truth. If he had merely denied and killed them off right at the spot and would have told Abigail this would have never happened. Yet the fear of her discovering what he is brought this all to an bloody end. "You're pushing yourself too quick. Dont rush it."

[19:46]Louis Chamberlain: “How can I hunt if I can’t move? Do you think I’ll ever…” (He let his voice trailed off.) “...be like before? Or did I change forever? I-I don’t want to change!”

[19:49]The Hawk | "Youre panicking again." Brown hair falls into the mans face as he shakes his head at the concern of Louis. It is a concept that was hard to grasp for him , emotions are a thing he is still learning. Yet the basic understanding is what he misses. "I cant tell you if you do or not. Besides - " , he eyes him. " - you only need Aether to survive."

[19:52]You ponder over The Hawk.

[19:52]Louis Chamberlain || Oh. His predatory nature. Aether. That was a subject he didn’t wish to get into so he didn’t. Then, he realized. A bit *late*, but he realized. “You’re not wearin’ your mask anymore. I… I can see your face. Where did it go?”

[19:56]The Hawk | Louis wasnt very fast when it came to things , especially how Alveus had been looking at him the entire time. "Its downstairs." , he  nods his head towards the general direction. "We're at my home , so I have no reason to wear it." , that seemed like a good enough explanation the voidsent could give the other. Overall the assassin looked - well , different. Of course he would with the lack of a mask. Black Tattoos curving under the intense golden eyes that were also adorned with slight >

[19:56]The Hawk |  dark circles , a ruffle on the mans chin and a large scar spanning over his face - by the looks of it it was very old.

[20:02]Louis Chamberlain ‘s lips made a soft “O” shape. “Oh, yeah. That would explain this.” (He looked toward the sky.) “Did you know I thought you had Moonrot and this why you were wearin' a mask all this time? People say it’s not a real disease and even it doesn’t exist but I don’t agree. It’s just very rare. Even if I never personally saw anyone with it. Uuuummmh, in any case… It’s nice to see your face.” (There were more attempts of him wiggling, none were very succesful.) “You have-

[20:02]Louis Chamberlain: a scar.”

[20:07]The Hawk | Just slightly did a eyebrow rose at the  mention of Moonrot  , it was something he had never heard before.  But Alveus also didn't care much for mundane illnesses. As long as he can remember he never had them since the change of both body and mind. "Yes." , a hand reaches out to graze fingertips against the scarred skin before letting the hand drop once more. Just sometimes he bothered to look into a mirror. "It is from the ritual." , he answers before Louis can ask , he knows the other>

[20:07]The Hawk | will most likely.

[20:13]Louis Chamberlain: “The ritual…” (Something dark passed into his eyes.) “I remember… My chest. It hurt. I could see my bones.” Awkwardly, Louis managed to look down, examining himself. Everything was there. Everything except for this scar, zigzagging all over his torso, ending at the base of his neck. “Can’t believe I saw what was inside of my this day. T-That was scary.”

[20:13]Louis Chamberlain || It was at this moment something pink and  m o i s t decided to come visit. It was Zaz, squishing itself under the door little interstice. That Voidsent had no bone, or if it had, they could collapse at will. <We sensed you, rousing from your slumber, big brother. We come. For you. We should partake in live flesh to celebrate your awakening.>

[20:18]The Hawk | "No. Not that Ritual." , he hums once more - looking at the scar that Louis now had. He had seen it first hand , how flesh was eaten away to reveal bone. Seconds later without Alveus acting and the other would most likely be dead by now. "They are right." , the voidsent muses at Zaz's words. "You need to get aether into your body , it could help with your movement issues." He eyes the companion of Louis , never knowing what it was up to most of the time. "I can bring you some."

[20:22]Louis Chamberlain lied, as usual, it wasn’t a subtle or natural: “Oh? No, no, no I’m not hungry. D-Don’t get too bothered by that. I’ll, um… Spoken food is fine.” Zaz made a strange sound, something akin to a “tut-tut”, Voidsent version. <Stubborn and dumb. This experience has not changed you. No, it has. You are as helpless as a Vilekin larva>

[20:26]The Hawk | For once Alveus could agree with Zaz , if only Louis would mature some and realize that he needed Aether to survive. "I will bring you some later , or would you rather want to die and never move again?" , it sounded almost cruel how the voidsent said it , yet it was a truth that Louis had to accept at some point of his life. "Im sure your friend is hungry to feast upon your body once you are dead."

[20:29]Louis Chamberlain: “I-I-I…” He tried to say something no argument could come out of his lips. He was starving. He hasn’t eaten, Aether that is, in six moons and the itch! The Hunger! It was so painful! “Bring someone… mean. A killer. A killer just like me.”

[20:34]The Hawk sighed , eyes closing for some seconds , of course Louis wanted someone not innocent. But a Murderer he could find , Eorzea had many of those. "I'll bring you somewhere better to eat." , he muses. He liked to keep most of his nonspoken food somewhere better to clean. Immediately arms wrapped around the much smaller body of the man , picking him up was easy and the assassin already made his way downstairs.

[20:37]Louis Chamberlain had one reaction: panic. “H-Haaah, y-you’re carrying me! Oh Scathach q-queen of the night! We’re really going! But, um… Aah, my horns! What if people see me!”

[20:41]The Hawk rose an eyebrow at Louis and his - well , colorful palette of words. "We're not going outside." , he answers the others question. In fact , this room was one of the few of the many that Hawk seemed to possess , and moving out of the door just revealed stone corridors , easily noticeable to be from Thanalan. So that meant that they were still somewhat hidden. The cave system was slightly intricate , but easy to recognize if one walked often along here. So Hawk merely brought him to another >

[20:41]The Hawk | room , leading stairs down to a place somewhat darker.

[20:43]Louis Chamberlain: “Oh…” This, however, was bringing more questions than answers. “Do you keep people in caves or…? Where are we, exactly?”

[20:47]The Hawk shook his head slightly. His hair was finally starting to dry after the bath and shower he took. "The entirety is build into a mountain. I live here. It is more convenient." And in fact he did use this room quite frequently , the harsh smell of umbral Aether and his own scent lingering heavy in every crook and cranny. Here and there were the hint of something red , claw marks lining the wall. It is obvious that Hawk spends the time he is here not how he looks right now. Slowly he moves to >

[20:47]The Hawk | the Chair close to the fire , setting Louis down and making sure he wouldnt fall.

[20:51]Louis Chamberlain: “That place smells like you. My home just smells like wet dog and dirt. All the gil on the ground is, um, it’s cozy,” He slumped into the chair, having no muscle tonus whatsoever. That was what being in the coma for six moons doing to one’s body.

[20:56]The Hawk watched how Louis slumped into the chair. At least he wasn't falling onto the ground  and laid there. Which was already more than what he was expecting. "Then you should be more clean -- and kill more." , its a weird tip he gives the other but it is what made the place smell like him. And well , of course rubbing his scales over the furniture. But he wouldnt say that. One had to get dead skin off <somehow>.

[20:58]Louis Chamberlain smiled awkwardly. “Ah, uum, I’ll keep that in mind.” <And do it,> screeched Zaz, that followed them. <We wish to see the day you rise above, dear brother. You have the potential for darkness. A pity of what you do with your own skin.>

[21:03]The Hawk nodded towards Zaz , he was right. Louis surely could be much stronger - he had potential for more. Yet how scared he was he just held himself back. "Ill go and bring you your food." , he said with that usual monotone voice of his. Alveus didnt need to tell Louis to stay here and wait , the possibility of the other voidsent even moving to the door was very low.  "In the worst case you can still eat your companion , shall your hunger be more." And with those words he was already out of the >

[21:04]The Hawk |  door  , the soft steps of his boots upstairs echoing against the stone walls.

[21:07]Louis Chamberlain sighed, sinking into deeper in the huge chair. He felt it was eating him; will he still be there when Alveus was to return or would he has disappeared in the leather of the recliner? “Y-You guys…” He didn’t finish his sentence. If he had the strength to shrug, he would have. “Nevermind.”

[21:10]The Hawk returned soon after , perhaps it took around half an hour or more till Alveus boots were easily heard , the sound of the man dragging something behind him clear in the cavern walls together with the clink of metal of his own armor he had put back on. When the voidsent entered the room he was wearing his old armor again , hints of blood on it. His hair was dry now too , tied together at the back ,and facial features once more hidden by an onyx mask. The man he had dragged in , a bit older >

[21:10]The Hawk | than Louis seen by his facial features was definitely a thief , judging from the worn clothes and scars. He was unconscious , so it was easy for Alveus to drag him in front of Louis - holding him up by his collar. "Here."

[21:14]Louis Chamberlain was STARVING and that time he didn’t hesitate. If he could, he would have jumped on that man, to tear his Aether from his body. Instead, slow, awkward, weak, he took a while to finally clutch his prey. When he did, no remorse. No second thought. Lips against lips, he sucked every bit of lifeforce out of that poor sod. Aaaaaah. He could feel it. Aether rushing thought him. It *was* making him better. “D-D’you think it’s weird I kiss so many guys on the mouth?”

[21:21]The Hawk only watches with mild interest how Louis takes the  life of the man without much hesitation like he had done so before. It was only natural after the lack of Aether how hungry the other voidsent was.  "Its how you survive. Why would it be weird?" , the tilts of the masked face hides the slight confusion on his features. Yet it is a genuine question Alveus asks Louis  , interested why he thought it would be weird to survive.

[21:24]Louis Chamberlain: “I… Y-Yeah, you’re right. I wonder why it has to be this way it’s… It’s embarrassin’, don’t you think? K-Kissin’ strangers all the time.” (Somber.) “And killing them. I guess it means I’ll never kiss someone I love. They’ll die if I do.”

[21:27]The Hawk  | Its an interesting thought , yet love was something Alveus himself had never thought of much. It was a concept even harder than normal emotions for him to understand. Was he even capable of such? Yet loving a monster - none would or could. And Alveus was fine with spending the rest of his life utterly alone. "There is plenty of other things mates can do , shall you find one."

[21:33]Louis Chamberlain tensed up, feeling heat flushing his cheeks and his ears. Did Alveus meant…? OF COURSE HE MEANT THAT. “W-W-W-W-Weeeeeellllll, uuuuuuuuum, y-yeaaaaah,  I’ll… When… Y’know… Stuff. Erm.” He scratched the tip of nose. Ah! His arm! It moved. Was Aether all he really needed? Looks like Hawk was right. Feeding was accelerating the healing process. “Have you seen that?!?”

[21:36]The Hawk head was still tilted towards the side , watching the color on Louis face spread. "Or do you gain aether trough that way too?  , genuine interest lingered in his voice. He knew not much about other voidsent , never truly meeting them or trying to stay out of their way , living his own life. "If I have seen it? Yes , the process of mating is not unknown to me , I come across the sight often." , he answers - taking the question Louis gave him in a other concept.

[21:43]Louis Chamberlain blinked. By the Abyss! Him wanting to change the subject for something less… squishy and it was back on the table. “I-I don’t know if I take Aether that way, I never tried it. I… I have no one to try anyway and I guess I’ll never know. But if my kiss kills I don’t see why my… um m-mating wouldn’t either.”  Oh! No! He didn’t wish to know how many times Hawk had sexual encounters! Ah, too late he had already imagined it! Cast away the cursed picture in his brain! Some-

[21:43]Louis Chamberlain: sweat beaded on his forehead, he tensed his jaw. “H-Hah, did you? You had many lovers then? Good for you, hahaha…”

[21:48]The Hawk | "So certain bodily contact drains Aether from your prey." , its not a question , more of a statement born from Alveus interest and Louis answer to that. "Perhaps you can simply control it." At the talk of his own lovers a brow rose beneath the onyx  mask. "No. The Hunger I would have would easily kill any mate. And there is nothing beneficial that comes from me mating." He was none to go out and find someone to mate , it seemed pointless for the Hyur like voidsent. "I can gain mine Aether>

[21:48]The Hawk | merely by eating alone." , no need in pointless acts of sex.

[21:53]Louis Chamberlain looked away, brow furrowed in confusion. “Maybe I can control it. Maybe I can’t. What I know is I never managed to do it so far. If I touch someone, I’ll kill them. N-Not immediately but I will. I find kissing is the most efficient and, um… That’s what my instinct tells me to do.”

[21:57]The Hawk could see with the lack of Louis being able to turn into something more monstrous that it was easier for him to take Aether by a kiss , Alveus on the other hand could not do so. "Perhaps it is one of the things you should train if you want to find a Mater later on." , the brown haired suggest , not minding talking about it. For him it was like talking about the weather.

[22:01]Louis Chamberlain tried to smile but the only thing he managed to do was cringe. It was that grin-wince on the lips, he said: “Haa-aah? M-Maybe?” (There was tensed, nervous laugh.) “I don’t think it will happen but I-I’ll keep an eye out. For a, um, *mater*.” (He exhaled loudly.) “Weh! What an a-amazing discussion! I should get back to Amdapor, I guess in six moons, everything had regrown around the camp...” He focused all of his strength to get up. Which he did. Then promptly fell flat on-

[22:01]Louis Chamberlain:  his face.

[22:06]The Hawk watches Louis fall onto the ground with a thud , and there he lay face first. A gloved hand reached out towards the back of the others shirt to pull him back up and push him back onto the plush chair. "In your condition you can not return if you want to survive. Ill bring you back to the bed." Or what Alveus considered a bed , it was more a comfortable pile of many pillows and blankets. A nest almost.

[22:08]Louis Chamberlain: “I’m sorry to be a bother. I-I’ll do my best to get well and leave as soon as I can.” (A moment.) “I-I’m tired. I think I’ll nap. For a little bit. If you don’t mind…”

[22:10]The Hawk | "I dont mind. And you are no bother , no more than the other people that have stayed here beforehand." Or should he rather say the people he had kidnapped? Perhaps not. Louis was no prisoner here. So scooping the other voidsent  back up into his arms he moved back to the main room with him and up the stairs.

[22:14]Louis Chamberlain wanted to answer but he had nothing to say. Except, maybe, one word. “Thanks. I’ll make it up for you, I swear. I can do stuff too. Y-You’ll see.”

[22:16]The Hawk sighed once he had set Louis down in the nest , even pulling the blanket up over his body and grabbing a nearby floating Zaz - squishing him beside Louis like a weird plush toy. "Rest , I can take care of my own."

[kieranoruadhain]

Intermission

(I wrote this drabble in response to a prompt and thought it’d be fun to come up with how Khyran met Toviel, plus it helps to dip my head back into XIV-Khy’s mindspace so this was fun to write! its also a little self-indulgent i’m sorry

It’s super long. I dont expect anyone to actually read this but if you do i love you) Starvation was such a familiar feeling, Khyran Oisin rarely considered it a burden. No matter where he went, no matter what he was doing, willpower was all he needed to be useful and he had that in abundance. Shouldering his travel bag and adjusting its weight, he continued on down the cobblestone road and through a haze of rain, limping on his bad leg. He would’ve taken the Aetherstream if he could. His soul, however, hadn’t attuned to the aetheryte on the mountain past the Gridanian border. He didn’t want to leave his client waiting, so he opted to travel alone without waiting for help from any of his friends or hiring an escort. (He was sure Defiant would come along if he asked, but the last thing he wanted to do was inconvenience her, knowing how insanely hectic her schedule tended to be.)

 It had been a long time since he ever travelled such a long distance on foot- he had been around Eorzea long enough to have familiarize himself with aetherytes all over the country. His poorly-fitted peg leg wobbled with nearly every step he took, and his grip on his walking stick slackened in the rain. The forest road inclined steeply as he neared the edge of the mountain pass and his footholds on the rocks became precarious. He hiked onward and upward. He saw the sky darkening through the canopy and hastened his pace, but the trees above him failed to shield him from the encroaching downpour. Rain cascaded down in torrential sheets. With each step he took, the stump of his bad leg chafed against the leather socket of his peg leg until it was agonizing. He walked until it became too much to bear, willpower fading in the face of exhaustion. He tried to find a dry spot against the face of the cliff, but the wind was blowing the rain directly into him. He pressed his back against the edge of a tree, using it as a shield against the rain, but the wind changed moments later. He didn’t get back up. He tucked his knees to his chest and rested his forehead on them. It was the middle of Gridania and the air was mild, but the rain felt bitterly cold as it soaked through his clothes and stuck against his skin.He allowed himself only a few moment’s rest before he pulled himself up again and continued his uphill struggle.

 He snagged low-hanging branches on his way up the path and stepped as carefully as he could. Water cascaded beneath his feet and thundered down the cliff’s face- it was a wonder he managed to keep his footing for so long. The worst part about this was that he had no idea when it was going to end. He checked a map before he departed, and a traveller he met along the road told him it took only two bells to climb the mountain pass on foot. That advice probably applies to good weather, he thought as he was forced to stop and rest once more, leaning his back against the cliff face.

It continued like this for at least three more bells. He’d start, then he’d stop. He’d start, then he’d stop. By the time he reached the top of the cliff, his leg burned, his head pounded and his shoulders felt like they were about to pop out of their sockets with the weight of his sodden travel bag. His toils were rewarded by the sight of a small village nestled against the forest and cliffs, smoke puffing from chimneys. In the center of the town, the blue glow of a crystalline aetheryte penetrated the thick fog that hung around the mountain. It was dinnertime and Khyran could smell spices in the air. His empty gut twisted as he noticed his hunger in earnest, but he ignored it. The job he was here for was best suited for an empty stomach. He limped towards the first building he could reach and knocked on the door. He didn’t know where his client lived, but the place was small enough that he was sure he could be pointed in the right direction. Moments later, the door opened a crack and he could see a red-headed child peeking through a sliver of an orange glow. “Momma!” The little girl called, closing the door, but Khyran easily heard her. “There’s a weird man at the door!” “Does he have an eyepatch?” Khyran heard a female voice reply. “Yeah!” The child replied. “Let him in, Jana. That’s the voidhunter.”

The door swung open again and the red-headed girl stepped aside to let Khyran pass. She fixed him with a distrusting stare, her brows furrowed and her upper lip curled in an obvious pout. Khyran stopped in the threshold, dripping wet, noticing how heavy his boot was with mud. Looking into the common room of the house, he could see a Hyur woman standing at a cooking stove, stirring a pot. He saw a wooden table and chairs, a couch in a corner, and a rug on the floor. A stairwell led somewhere else. The woman looked over her shoulder at Khyran and said, “one moment! I can’t let this sit or it’ll burn.” She beckoned him. “Come in, have a seat.” Khyran stood there awkwardly, settling both his hands on top of his walking stick. “Ah… sorry, I don’t want to track mud through your house.” “I have three kids, sir. It’s nothing I can’t deal with.” The woman responded over her shoulder. “Besides, you’re here to help, aren’t you? I’m just glad you made it here through all that rain.” She tossed a handful of herbs into the pot and called, “Jana, go and get the nice man some towels.” The little girl started to walk backwards with a defiant stare. Then, she turned and retreated up the stairs with a patter of bare footsteps. Khyran was not left waiting long. The little girl returned with two patterned towels, holding them out to him. He reached out to take them, and she dropped them at his feet and bolted. He stooped to pick them up, trying to dry himself off the best he could. He lowered his travel bag to the floor, propping it against the wall, unlatched his boot, and pulled it off his foot. With that done, he finally felt more at ease to sit at the woman’s table as he was bidden. “You must be Claire?” He asked as he lowered his aching body into a wooden chair. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner. I haven’t ever been up here before, so I had to walk.” “You found the right place, aye.” By now, Claire was spooning stew into bowls. Khyran smelled pumpkin and fish. She raised her voice and called, “boys, come on down!” Footsteps thundered down the stairs as two wiry boys rushed into the room. They looked exactly alike, right down to their clothes. “Hey, the void guy came!” One of them said, and the other nudged him with an elbow. “He’s a voidhunter, not a void guy.” The other rolled his eyes. “Shut up, know-it-all.” Then, “you shut up.” “Boys!” Claire barked, cowing them into submission. As Claire presented Khyran with a bowl, he refused politely with a shake of his head, raising a hand. “I don’t eat before a job.” He explained. “Thanks for the offer, though.” With all the kids presented with bowls, the woman finally took her seat on the other end of the table, tucking in to her dinner. “Thank you for coming, Mr. Oisin. I was contacted by others asking for details about the case, but you’re the only one who actually showed up. I thought someone else might be coming, too, but I haven’t heard from him.” As she spoke, her expression betrayed discomfort: clearly the subject ahead wasn’t something she was looking forward to. Khyran squinted. Another voidhunter found her job posting? “No need to thank me. This is what I do.” He folded a hand atop the other and watched her impassively. “As I understand, you have a haunted well?” The woman nodded, failing to pick up her spoon. “It started two weeks ago. Every time someone goes to draw water, a monster, or a force, something tries to pull them in. We’ve had to go all the way down the mountain to get water from the stream.” “Yeah,” one of the boys chimed in, “Carter, from next door, he went out to the well just to see what was there, and it nearly dragged him all the way down! He told me he wasn’t scared, but I saw him! He peed himself!” The kids around the table chuckled, but Claire gave them a stern look, which silenced them. “Carter could have died. It’s not something to laugh about.” Khyran, too, didn’t find it funny. “Do you know if anything was done to the well? Have you had any strange visitors two weeks ago?” He asked, keeping his gaze focused on the woman. “Not that I remember. Everything’s been the same up here.” Khyran nodded, his hand lifting to rub at his unshaven jaw as he thought. “Sometimes voidsent just appear. They find weaknesses in the veil and come through at their own volition. Natural forces, erosion, Hydaelyn weakening… it’s not always a cultist responsible for these things. Has anyone felt the force elsewhere, or just the well?” “Just the well.” “The voidsent must be attached to something inside the well. It must be too weak to travel far from where the veil tore. There’s some source of aether down there keeping it fed so that if it goes too far away, it loses its power. An anchor, so to speak.” Khyran continued. “Do you know how to get rid of it?” One of the twin boys asked. Khyran leaned his back against the chair, drumming his fingers on top of the table. “I’ll have to look at it to be completely sure, but from what little we know, I can see one of two things working. I find some sort of bait, draw the voidsent away, then kill it once reveals itself. Or, I find its anchor and destroy it.” His fingers kept drumming, faster as he thought. “The first option might not work because it sounds like our voidsent doesn’t have a physical form. Normally they create bodies when they pass through to our plane, but sometimes they don’t. The only way I could kill it is if it possessed something physical and that’s a bit of a gamble.” “Wait… you’re not saying the best way is going in there!?” One of the boys blurted. “That’s crazy! You should do the bait thing!” “James,” Claire said, “this man is a professional. He knows what he’s doing.” She looked back to Khyran and added, “you have quite a reputation among voidsent hunters, do you not? Can’t you… leech the power out of things you touch?” “My reputation’s not wholly deserved.” He said with a lopsided smile. “I had a lot of help. And that aether leeching thing I do is just a cheap trick.” He gestured loosely towards the boy that spoke last and said, “your kid has a point. Going down there is probably going to be rough. But it’d be the fastest way to kill the voidsent. Not only is the second option not guaranteed to work, baiting voidsent isn’t always a good idea. They don’t always behave predictably.” “How do you think you’ll get down there in one piece?” “Does it still have a functioning bucket and pulley?” Khyran asked. “Yeah.” “The voidsent probably won’t target me. Someone can just lower me down.” “It’s targeted everyone else, why wouldn’t it target you?” Questioned one of the boys. “It’s something I’m born with. They can’t sense me, so that makes hunting them a little easier for me than others.” He thought for a moment. “But that would pose a problem for anyone lowering me down and pulling me back up again, as it would probably attack them, so… we’re going to have to extend the pulley system so it can be done from a greater distance. And I’ll need a bell or something that I can ring once I need to get back up.” 

“That can be arranged.” Claire said, looking a bit nervous. “Is that all you think we need to do?”

Khyran nodded. “If I can’t figure out what the voidsent’s anchor is, I’ll be surprised. But if I don’t find anything, at least we’ll know what not to do.” 

***

Rigging the well’s pulley system was an adventure in and of itself. Khyran was at the ready while some of the village men came out to assist in the task, and Khyran was able to see first-hand exactly what sort of problem he was dealing with. As soon as someone precariously approached the well to grab the existing bucket rope, he was tugged full-force and nearly launched down the mouth of the well by an unseen force. It took three people scrambling forward all at once to pull the man back out. By the time everyone had gotten the rope system extended, Khyran was handed an extraordinarily long roll of twine, the end of which was attached to a silver bell and set to dangle over the frame of someone’s door. He attached the twine to his belt and was given a small lantern as a final preparation. Everything was tested and deemed sufficient, but Khyran couldn’t help but to feel nervous as he stood at the mouth of the well, staring down into a black abyss. He hadn’t felt anything tugging at him, which confirmed his theory: the voidsent in the well couldn’t sense him. He let out a breath he had been holding. Doing this sort of work was never easy, but he was one of the few people in Eorzea uniquely equipped for the job. Someone had to do it. He straightened, steeling himself, then called to the people waiting nearby, “I’m going in. I’ll ring the bell once when I’ve hit the bottom, and I’ll ring it again when I gotta come up. It’ll be three rings, in rapid succession, in case I accidentally jingle it or something.” He paused. “Oh, and if I ring it a lot, I’m in trouble.” One of the men waiting by the end of the pulley system gave him a thumbs-up. Khyran nodded. He attached the lantern to his belt, feeling its weight hang against his hip. He set one foot in the bucket, grabbed the rope with both hands, and waited for the villagers to lower him into the darkness. His descent was unsteady and jarring. Several times he nearly lost his balance and fell out of the bucket. At last, it lowered into the water with a plunk. Gingerly, he stepped out of the bucket, trying to feel how deep the water was. He didn’t feel anything at first, so he jumped in, holding the lantern above his head and praying he could keep it from going under. The water came up to his chest, but at least he could feel the bottom. He rang the bell. At least, he thought it rang. He couldn’t hear it from down here. By the lantern’s warm glow he could see the underground passage continuing on into a cave. The rocky walls were lined with moss and were slick to the touch. He didn’t immediately see anything strange. The air smelled clean. He waded towards the passage where the walls closed in around either side of him. He was a very thin man, so it wasn’t an extremely tight fit for him, but he could see it posing a problem for someone else. The passage opened up into a second chamber and the water became deeper. Khyran was up to his neck in it, struggling to hold the lantern up. He realized, moments later, that he didn’t even need it anymore. There was one more passage ahead of him, and an ominous red glow was pulsing from around the corner. His heart lodged in his throat as he felt an oppressive force coming from beyond the corridor. He knew he had to go onward, but he didn’t know if he could keep his lantern up anymore. He searched for a place to put it where it wouldn’t drop into the water, and gratefully found a shelf of stone and moss where it could rest. With his hands freed, he swam through the frigid water, towards the source of the red glow. He went slowly, so as not to cause a ripple in the water or accidentally ring his bell. He had no idea what was waiting for him on the other side of the rocks. The water deepened all the more as he swam. Anxiety swelled in his chest. Of all the things he truly feared in this world, it was drowning. He was in too deep to abandon this mission now. He saw what the problem was. It was below him. A red glow came up from beneath him, bright enough for him to see its outline. An aether crystal. It was a natural formation, and he could only guess all the rain these past few weeks had caused shifting in the underground tunnels and revealed it. It must have been giving off enough power to feed weak voidsent, allowing them enough strength to cross through the void. Khyran was no stranger to dealing with such crystals, but he wasn’t entirely sure how deep it was, and he still hadn’t seen the- Something struck his head. Stunned, he grabbed on to the wall and looked up. The whole tunnel rumbled and rocks rained down. A few pebbles bounced off his back. He heard a low moaning and his skin crawled. “Get out. Get out. Get out.” Something hissed in the midst of the red glow. “You’re not what I want. You have nothing. Nothing.” More rumbling. Khyran kicked off the wall and dodged another cascade of rocks. “You’re right,” he said between gasps, exhausted from treading water. “I don’t have any aether for you.” “Hungry, so hungry…” the moaning voice continued. He couldn’t see its source. It was possessing the ceiling above him and he couldn’t reach it. “That’s right. And without that crystal, you’re going to starve.” Khyran said back. The creature sounded like it was screaming, but inside the rocks. Khyran gulped a breath and dived. Dust kicked up all around him and he could hardly see where he was going. He swam down towards the crystal with all his might. The cavern rumbled so much it felt like he was in the middle of an earthquake. His fingers were inches away from the crystal. A heavy stone plunged into the water with the force of a cannonball. Khyran jerked back just before it would’ve struck him, and it landed on top of the crystal. He was running out of air. He grabbed the rock and pulled, but it didn’t budge. More rocks fell. He pushed and shoved. Nothing happened. Desperately, he stuck his peg leg between the rock and the ground and pushed against it. Somehow, that worked. He was able to leverage it up enough to roll it out of the way. He grabbed the crystal. His lungs burned. He kicked off the ground and broke the surface of the water, choking. As the voidsent in the cave screamed and shook the very earth, Khyran’s fingers tightened around the aether crystal. He didn’t have to think. It just happened. The power within his hands sapped the aether crystal of all its raw power, the energy swirling in the air around his hands. It couldn’t enter his body- he had nothing to hold it. With nowhere else to go, the aether compressed, crystallized, and took on a different form. Something the voidsent couldn’t eat. As the energy left the aether crystal, reducing its red glow to nothingness, the rumbling in the cave waned and the voidsent’s voice whimpered and died. Khyran grabbed the newformed materia crystal with his free hand, shoving it triumphantly in his pocket. Then a rock smashed his head. * * * He woke with a start and coughed up a mouthful of water. The first thing he saw was the unfamiliar face of a pale Elezen man hovering over him. He saw more people gathered around, worry and relief on their faces. He recognized the village around him, and he was lying in wet grass. Khyran felt bewildered, and the back of his head hurt so bad it was like somebody lodged a hatchet in his skull. “Thank Menphina, he’s alive.” The Elezen breathed, his gentle hands reaching down to scoop beneath Khyran’s back, helping him sit up. The sky ended up somewhere below him and the buildings pitched and tilted. Khyran’s insides flipped. He couldn’t remember what he was doing here. There was a red glow… materia… a voidsent underground, but where was he now? How did he get here? He swallowed thickly and his head flopped forward against his volition. “With all that rumbling, there was no way in hell we were gonna wait for that bell to ring.” A burly man said where he stood next to the Elezen. “Mr. Oisin? Are you alright?” Khyran teetered. “Never been better.” He croaked. “You look like hell. Took a hit to your head down there. Can you walk?” Khyran started to stand. Even with the supporting grasp of the Elezen, his bad leg quivered and he dropped back down to the ground. “Don’t push yourself, Mr. Oisin, you’re badly hurt.” The Elezen said gently. “I’ll carry you.” “Bring him with me, please. Let’s get him dried off.” Said the burly man. Khyran felt the Elezen’s arms scooping under his back and beneath his knees. His head swam with vertigo as he felt the ground leave him. The Elezen brought him through the doors of the house from earlier. Khyran was vaguely aware that those kids from earlier were following, but their mother, Claire, told them to go play quietly in their rooms. The woman hurried ahead of them, disappearing into the house, followed by the man at her heels. Up the stairs they went. Khyran felt himself gently lowered into a chair. He was in a room now- someone’s bedroom, by the looks of it. Claire brought fresh clothes and laid them out on the bed. “These are my husband’s clothes. They might be a bit big on you, but I’ll have your old clothes laundered for you soon as I can. Just leave them outside the door, alright?” Claire told him. Khyran squinted in her general direction. He saw three of her. He blinked. Good, now there were just two of her. “Can you get dressed, Mr. Oisin?” Asked the Elezen. Why were they all acting like he was suddenly an infirm old man? “I’m fine. I think I just…” He couldn’t think of the word he wanted to say. He sat there in complete silence. The others waited for him to finish his sentence in vain. Claire then bowed and left the room. Khyran felt the Elezen unbuttoning his jacket, undoing his belt, pulling off his boot and peeling off his soaked clothes. He didn’t try to stop him. His eyelids drooped and his head sagged against the back of the chair. Moments later, he felt completely bare and exposed, and the Elezen was patting him dry with towels. One by one, fresh clothes were returned to his body, tugged into place. He was lifted from the chair and laid into the bed in such a way where he was seated upright. Heavy, warm sheets were pulled up to his lap. Moments later, someone knocked on the door. “It’s Onyx,” a male voice said. “Is he dressed?” “Yes sir,” said the Elezen, and the man entered the room carrying a tray. He set it down on the bedside table. Through the blurs in his vision Khyran could make out a cup, a bowl, a few jars, and a roll of bandages. “Thank you,” the Elezen said, and began to lift some things off the tray, applying the contents of a bottle to a cloth.  The next thing he felt was a horrifyingly painful sting as the Elezen touched the cloth to the back of his head. He inhaled sharply through clenched teeth. “Sorry!” The Elezen said. “I have to clean it, sir. You’re bleeding everywhere.” The stinging abated a few moments later, and he endured it. Khyran watched the Elezen open the jar and dip out a green paste. He felt the other man’s fingers pressing the cool, green gel into the back of his head, spreading it around. He shivered. Bandages rolled around his forehead, across the back of his head and around again, layer after layer, until they were finally affixed in place with a small pin. “You think you’ve got it from here?” The gruff man’s voice asked. The Elezen nodded. “I’ll watch after him. If I had arrived sooner maybe I could have helped him before this happened.” “It’s not your fault.” The gruff man said. Khyran heard retreating footsteps. “My wife and I will be downstairs. Yell if you need us.” A door opened and closed. Khyran drew in a deep breath and tried to think, but his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Every time he opened his eye, the world pitched and twisted and it felt like there was a blurry film over his eye. “I’m Toviel.” The Elezen introduced quietly. “I saw the job posting in Gridania and I offered to come help, but I was very late. I’m sorry I didn’t show up in time to help you, Mr. Oisin.” “My name’s Khy.” He replied. “No need to… be. Be formal like that. You know.” He said between breaths. The effort of speaking made his stomach twist. Toviel chuckled. “Alright, Mr. Khy.” He gently patted his hand. “I know you must want to rest, but please try to eat something first.” He wasn’t even remotely hungry. “No, thanks.” Toviel picked up the bowl from the tray and brought it into his lap. “You’ll heal faster if you have some food in you.” He offered the bowl out towards Khyran. He didn’t want it at all, but he reluctantly reached for it. He missed. He couldn’t see straight. The look on Toviel’s face was empathetic. “I know this might be embarrassing, but you’ve got a terrible concussion, sir. Please allow me to feed you.” Khyran stared at Toviel with a grimace. Then, his head drooped, and he chuckled. It came out like a wheeze. He didn’t say anything. The situation alone was funny enough. Toviel scooped up a chunk of fish in the creamy pumpkin soup on the wooden spoon and held it out towards his lips. “I have heard stories about you. You go by Vulture, don’t you? I heard you killed a voidsent on the second tier.” Khyran reluctantly ate the mouthful of soup. “Now look at me, reduced to this.” Toviel smiled sadly at him. “I quite admire you, actually. This is nothing to be ashamed of. You’re only human.” He ate a few more mouthfuls of the soup, but it wasn’t settling well in his stomach. By the next offered spoonful, he lifted his hand in silent refusal. Toviel set the bowl back down on the bedside table. Khyran wilted like a dying plant, sliding down the headboard of the bed until he was resting on his back. The back of his head burned when it fell against the pillow. “Rest, Mr. Khy. I’ll be here if you need me.” Toviel promised. Khyran drifted into a haze. As night fell outside the grey sky blackened. The sounds of the family of five in the house below faded as everyone went to bed. Khyran had trouble sleeping under the watchful eye of a stranger. With his eye closed and breathing slow, he could only pretend to be. Even the slightest creak in the house or wind outside his window was enough to keep him wide awake. In the back of his mind, he felt a little sick. It must have been a few bells, lying there like that in complete silence. His insides started roiling and he tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. He couldn’t deny the nausea anymore. He was sweating and salivating. He didn’t know if he’d be sick or not, or where to go if he was. He couldn’t see a bucket in the room. Looking over at Toviel, he found the man still seated upright, but asleep in his chair. Khyran didn’t want to wake him. He peeled back the bedsheets and pushed himself upright with his elbow. His stomach lurched. Did this family have a lavatory somewhere? He didn’t want to risk opening random doors. He’d just go outside. Mapping out a plan in his mind, hastened by the rapidly worsening nausea, he slipped his foot to the floor. He gently set down his peg leg next, careful not to make a sound. He counted to three in his mind and stood up. The bed creaked as he did, and he stumbled with overwhelming vertigo. He grabbed the edge of a bookshelf to steady himself. He stuffed a hand against his mouth, breathing heavily, horribly sick. Toviel stirred in his chair and woke with a start when he saw what was going on. He went to Khyran’s side and rested a hand on his back. “Are you going to throw up?” Khy nodded, his breaths quickening. Spit pooled in his mouth. “Just let it out, I’ve got you. Don’t worry about the floor.” He was worrying about the floor. He wanted to go outside. He took an unsteady step towards the door, but Toviel was holding him in place, one hand brushing against his forehead and the other bracing his stomach. Khyran stood there, leaning forward, feeling caught between falling over and standing upright. His shoulders shook with each breath he took. His grip on the top of the bookshelf felt slick with the sweat on his hand. He peeled his other hand off of his mouth and rested it against his knee. Khy inhaled sharply and coughed. He felt Toviel’s grip tightened around his abdomen. Khy’s breaths quickened to a retch and his body lurched involuntarily. The contents of his stomach surged up his throat and spilled to the floor. A disgusting bastardization of fish and pumpkin soup mixed generously with bile. It smelled sour. He gasped for breath and heaved again, feeling Toviel’s hand squeezing his middle as he did. The nauseating puddle of vomit expanded. “Good job, Mr. Khy. You’ll be alright. I’ve got you.” Toviel reminded him in a soft voice, the cool hand on his forehead brushing back his hair. Khyran tried to respond, something about how embarrassing this was, but he spluttered instead and threw up a thin trickle of bile. He spat out the bitter taste and gagged dryly but nothing else came up. His dry heaves soon abated and he slumped, held upright by Toviel’s supporting grip. He felt exhausted and embarrassed. Slimy drool clung to his beard. He couldn’t spit it away, and he didn’t want to soil the other man’s clothes. “Can you stand on your own?” Toviel asked him. Khyran nodded miserably. Toviel left him there, moving to the bedside table, where he soon returned with a damp rag. He must’ve dipped it in the cup of water. Toviel wiped his mouth and chin for him, then gave his back a few comforting rubs before guiding him to sit down on the edge of the bed again. Toviel gave him a once-over, as if making sure he hadn’t puked on himself. As far as he knew, he hadn’t. Khyran started to say something, but somebody knocked on the door. He pressed a hand to his face. He wanted to disappear. “You alright in there, Mr. Oisin?” Claire’s voice called, sounding concerned. “He vomited on the floor,” Toviel answered. “I may need some things to clean this with. And do you have a bucket for him?” “I’m sorry.” Khyran croaked weakly. “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Oisin. I have three kids, remember.” By the sound of her voice, she didn’t seem too angry about this. “I’ll be right back.” Toviel sat down beside Khyran and rested a hand on his back. “I’m sorry you’re feeling so ill. I should’ve thought ahead. This can happen sometimes, when people get a concussion.” Khyran just shrugged. He didn’t want to risk speaking, when every breath he took still felt like it wanted to be a retch instead. When Claire returned, she had her husband, Onyx, with her. He helped her carry some things- a mop bucket, lye for cleaning the floor, a bunch of rags, and a spare bucket which was placed at the side of Khyran’s bed. He watched as the three others cleaned the floor, and none of them complained. “I feel terrible about this.” He found his voice a few moments later. “If- if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you-” “You just killed a voidsent that was terrorizing us for weeks and nearly drowned for it.” Onyx interrupted, barking a laugh as he tossed a handful of soiled rags into the mop bucket. “You don’t owe us anything.” Khyran laid back down, feeling horribly guilty as everyone else cleaned up after him. His hand was still pressed resolutely over his face. Here he was, the legendary voidsent hunter, Vulture, felled by a pebble and puking all over a stranger’s floor. He felt ashamed of himself. He didn’t remember falling asleep. It was dreamless and silent. When he woke again, he didn’t know how long it had been, but dawn’s light was outside his window and he was feeling pathetically sick all over again. Toviel was still there, sitting in the same chair. “Good morning, Mr. Khy.” He said when they made eye contact. He passed a glass of water towards him. Khyran still had trouble taking it. His head throbbed. Toviel kept a hand steadily on the glass of water as he drank. He took a few sips and passed the water back. “You still look rough.” Toviel commented. “But you should try to eat, anyway.” Khyran shook his head, grimacing as a headache pounded behind his eye sockets. “It won’t stay down. Please don’t make me try again.” “You’re very weak. If you don’t eat you’ll never get better.” Toviel hovered over him, his expression some mix of concerned and stern, “I want you to keep trying until it stays down, alright?” He realized, with a growing sense of dread that rivaled the tunnels of the well, that there was no arguing with the Elezen. - - - Khyran had a reputation among his friends and co-workers of having an extremely poor constitution. Normally, however, he could keep to himself and care for his own problems so he could avoid involving others. Now, however, he didn’t have the luxury of that. It was either Toviel or Claire and her family, all hovering around him, constantly checking on him, cleaning up after him, bringing him food (which only stayed down less than half the time), and never leaving him alone for too long. He was miserable the entire time. He hated feeling like such an inconvenience, so he kept to himself as much as he could. When he wasn’t shut away in the borrowed bedroom (which he learned had belonged to Claire and Onyx and wondered uncomfortably where they were sleeping instead), he ventured outside with the help of Toviel to get fresh air and clear his head. The family was extremely kind and understanding. Their three rambunctious children had the presence of mind to be tame in his company, and asked him all sorts of questions about all the voidsent he had hunted throughout his time. (He answered less than half of their questions honestly.) He was stuck there for a week before everyone deemed him well enough to travel back home- on the condition he would rest more until the lingering symptoms of his concussion faded. In that time he had come to learn about Toviel. The Elezen called himself a travelling problem-solver: though he didn’t specialize in hunting voidsent like Khyran did, he had the magical knowledge and skills to encompass a variety of fields. He admitted to reviving Khyran when the village had pulled him out of the well, drawing the water out of his lungs with a spell. Khyran left a linkpearl with him, as well as a separate one for Claire and her family, promising that if they ever had a problem with voidsent again, he would help them free of charge, and in good health. As he walked towards the village aetheryte, readying himself to attune his soul to its power, Toviel walked with him. They were silent until Khyran reached the precipice of the powerful crystal. Turning to face the Elezen, Khyran tilted his head back to look at his face. “I never got to properly thank you for taking care of me.” He said. “I insist you come visit me at my company’s headquarters soon. It’s called Ark. We’re a collective of voidsent hunters.” He held out a small card, and Toviel took it. He turned it in his hands, examining both sides of it. There was an address on one side, and a symbol of a bird on the other. “Thank you, Mr. Khy. I would love to come and visit, when I’m able.” “If you’re interested, I want to offer you a job.” Khyran continued, resting both his hands on top of the bird-shaped head of his walking stick. “You saved my life back there, and you’re quite skilled with first aid. If you find yourself hurting for work, Ark could really use someone like you.” Toviel gave Khyran a bucktoothed grin. “Why, thank you very much for offering such a thing, Mr. Khy. How about we discuss it more when I’m able to visit? I’m sure it won’t be too long.” He tapped the linkpearl that Khyran had given him. Khyran tried to smile back. He hoped it passed as one. “Aye, I’ll see you again soon.” He pressed a hand to the hovering crystal. “Twelve bless you, Toviel.” “And you, Mr. Khy.” “You can lose the ‘mister’ part, you know.” He didn’t hear Toviel’s response. All he could see was a blue glow, and all that he heard was a humming in his ears. The aetheryte was working its magic. He left this place behind him.

[greentrickster]

@someoddmix  #ya boi!!! #hello Guzma! #and at least there's neat bug conversation happening to pass the time

Yeah, he’s on the way to becoming a better part of the community and gaining acceptance for himself and his adopted family (who are definitely Not ex-members of Team Skull, because they disbanded, for real, yo! They just... had a lot of old uniform pieces lying around the old base is all. This is a completely different group of pink and blue hooligans looking to Guzma and Plumeria for a place to belong. Honest.), but it’s still nice to get acknowledged by someone important in the field.

@someoddmix #haha fuck you Lysandre! AND YOU GHESTIS #GO LILLIE! #small but full of protective rage!! #wrecked by four 12 year olds!!

(My biases are showing here, but I will not apologize because it’s my AU, so.)

@someoddmix #rrrrrgh dont like how Giovanni got what he wanted and got away in the end... #but oh well. least he's gone from HERE

Unlike Ghetsis, Giovanni knows when he’s beat, how to lose with grace, and how to retreat while making it look like he’s still in a position of power and holding all the cards. Knowledge is power, after all, and Giovanni enjoys having power.

@someoddmix #oh no! ;A; Archie and Maxie are gone!#I assume Galactic Boss Cyrus also disappeared... #if they were all sent back to their own dimensions... #giovanni really just summons new team leaders every time? #he must have a robust presentation in place to bring them up to speed quickly #=( now what?

Perhaps he summons new leaders, perhaps he doesn’t who’s to say? He’s a smart guy, I’m sure he has lots of different plans (though also, yeah, a killer enrollment speech as well).

As for what happens next... well, first off, it’s time to regroup outside, now that all that’s finished!

Next, it’s time to go bail Cyrus out of prison again! But Trainer Cyrus this time, not Galactic Boss Cyrus. Because the Aether Foundation reappearing like it did meant he was now absolutely somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be inside a secure facility and on top of that he’s almost instantly recognized as having been with the Rockets. Fortunately having Sun, Moon, Hau, and Lillie all testifying for his innocence is enough to get him released without any extra fuss. Once he’s released he also gets to (only somewhat awkwardly) comfort the kids that Archie and Maxie might not have expected to be leaving just yet, but they were planning on returning to their home dimensions to try and fix the messes they’d made. This might not have been how they wanted to leave, but it’s something they were planning on doing.

And, finally, that leaves the question of what the heck to do about Galactic Boss Cyrus. When asked, he declares, “...I will return to the world I left. Whatever is waiting for me there... I will not run from it.”

But how to get him there?

Turns out, as things began at the Aether Foundation, so will they end there. Because Giovanni might have taken himself and his people away, but he’s not actually the one who turned the RR Castle back into the Aether Foundation - Colress did that after Wicke contacted him for help with the situation. He’d been working on a machine to get all this interdimensional nonsense sorted out all day, and was considering tagging along after the kids, but the gadget he was going to use to go unnoticed did an unexpected release of magic smoke, so he focused on getting the dimensions sorted out. This is also why Galactic Boss Cyrus is still here - he wasn’t in range of the device when it sent things back to their own world. Colress was planning to enlist some help from Sun and Moon to round up any RR grunts that were outside the area of effect of his machine and send them back to their proper dimensions, so them showing up on their own like this is actually very helpful! And it will be easy enough to send GB Cyrus back to his own dimension.

But before he goes, he has a question of his own for Trainer Cyrus. “Why a sylveon?”

And Trainer Cyrus flushes and looks away, embarrassed, “I wasn’t planning- I got her as an eevee and planned to let her choose an evolutionary stone when she was ready.” he looks down at where sylveon is out of her pokeball and sitting politely leaned against his side, and smiles slightly. “I didn’t think I was capable of raising a sylveon. Friendship... isn’t something I come naturally to.”

Galactic Boss Cyrus nods. “I see.” Then he turns to Colress. “I’m ready to depart now.”

A short nod to the group over his shoulder, a warping of time and space, and he’s gone.

Sun and Moon head off with Hau and Lillie to track down any Rainbow Rocket stragglers, with promises to meet up later for some battles, Red’s managed to convince Guzma to show him around the island (and, fun fact, guess who’s the one who’s been teaching Moon sign language because a few members of his old team had hearing difficulties? That’s right, it’s ya boi!), and Cynthia, Blue, and our remaining Cyrus acquire a case of chilled drinks, then go sit on the beach and stare at the ocean a bit while pondering how much screwy stuff happens in their lives and do a little processing of their own.

(And, a little to the left of ‘here,’ there are three doors - red, blue, and grey. Where do they lead?)

Okay, been thinking about the Rainbow Rocket confrontation, and here it is!

So, Archie, Maxie, and Trainer Cyrus are in place, and Sun, Moon, Lillie, and Hau head in to face Rainbow Rocket. They fight a decent number of grunts, Lillie has a couple pokemon now (she’s been through a lot, she can have more than one, though she’s still a relatively new trainer and thus is still the one focusing on healing everyone else’s pokemon more than battling), and eventually make it to the first checkpoint. Sun goes to the left, Moon goes to the right, and they battle against Maxie and Archie at the same time while Lillie and Hau guard the main hall to make sure no one can sneak up on them.

(While this is happening, our team of foreign ex-Champions on look-out duty spot another of our favorite Alolans heading towards the Rainbow Rocket Castle with both purpose and a full roster of pokemon - it’s ya boi, heading in to help get these creeps off his island! And normally this would be great, but this plan already has a lot of moving parts, and Guzma’s not read in on any of them, so Red and Cynthia run interference and manage to get him over to their table with Blue, where they fill him in on the plan. Guzma’s not happy about having to sit this one out, but grudgingly agrees to wait on the condition that he gets to lead the charge if the kids call for help.

On the plus side, he does end up having a really interesting conversation with Professor Blue about bug pokemon (there aren’t a lot of them native to Kanto, so he doesn’t have as much experience with a wide variety of them as other types, and it’s interesting to talk to a bug-type specialist).)

Back in Rainbow Rocket, Sun and Moon move to the next room with Lillie and Hau, the latter two once again staying at the doorway to prevent any Grunts from trying to interfere, while the twins ‘confront’ Cyrus, who manages a vaguely decent speech about why he needs to stop them and recreate what he did in ‘his world’ in this world (Maxie and Archie honestly did so much better, they have so much practice and are a pair of drama llamas to boot), puts up a good fight, and then hands over the key they need once he’s beaten. A bit more exploring and the group finds Lysandre’s room, again, guards at the door, and a confrontation with the Team leader.

Fun fact: a ‘which door will you choose’ challenge is far less effective when you have two chaos twins run past you and each press one of the two buttons one at a time, turning on and turning off your doomsday machine in quick succession. The leader of Team Flare is extremely miffed and gives them a very hard match as a result, but is eventually defeated an the group moves to the final room, where they’re confronted by Ghetsis. Again, speech, battle, we win!

Except Ghetsis is Ghetsis and does not lose gracefully, instead taking Lillie prisoner and demanding Sun, Moon, and Hau throw down their pokeballs and surrender to him if they don’t want their friend to die.

This is the point where Ghetsis learns the error of tossing the timid little girl behind him then focusing all his attention on the sturdier-looking kids in the room, because Lillie summons that resolve to be stronger that she gained during the whole Aether Foundation fiasco, and also her legs under her.

You ever been full-body tackled from behind at exactly knee height by a girl with every ounce of protective rage her small body can muster? Because that’s what Lillie just did to Ghetsis. It makes an impression, both of them, because he goes down and Lillie ends up getting kind of squished as a result.

Fortunately a moment’s weakness is all the rest of the group needs to decide that violence is the answer and get to work grappling with Ghetsis to get any weapons and pokemon he may have away from him and also to get him off of Lillie. After some very thorough tussling, Ghetsis is left tied up in his own cloak with Hau and Lillie sitting on him for good measure.

He may return to his dimension where he’s in charge, but he’s going to have to spend the rest of his (hopefully short) reign with the knowledge of how thoroughly he just got owned by four twelve-year-olds.

Anyway, on to Giovanni! Again, it’s another speech, another battle, and another victory. Which Giovanni responds to with a shrug, a smirk, and the comment that he’s gotten as much as he probably needs of the Aether Foundation’s tech from this dimension anyway - there are other dimensions to see, other worlds to loot. Lights start flashing, he types a few things into a keyboard, and the castle vanishes like it had never been, leaving the Aether Foundation in its place. Victory! Celebration high-five and strike a pose, yeah!

This is when Lillie and Hau come running in after Sun and Moon, with the revelation that Ghetsis just vanished out from under them, and all there weren’t any grunts left in the hallway when they unlocked the door and checked, either. It’s back to normal, yes!

Moon’s phone buzzes a text alert.

Cyrus: I assume the building changing means you won.

Cyrus: Archie and Maxie vanished with it.

[captainshyguy]

so uhhh...i finished ultra sun/moon’s main “story” and here are my Thoughts 

all im gonna say above the tline if you want a good gameplay game, both sun and moon and ultra sun and ultra moon works 

if you were looking of a game with genuine emotion/one where lillie and gladion get any further development and their characters dont feel tacked on and cheap...play sun and moon lmao

ok im gonna go good first bc unfortunately i have a lot of bad stuff to talk about and i mean i ALOT which is annoying since i spent 40 fucking pound on this game 

good

god the top screen graphics were really nice like it looked so much more vibrant and the water and grass looked BEAUTIFUL 

the ultra recon squad were great, especially when phyco wanted to throw down with lusamine like same binch 

poipole is SO CUTE AAAAAAAAA 

more ilima content?? THANKS GAMEFREAK AAAAAAAAA literally like??? you see him at the trainers school, then in hao’oli city, then again in hau’oli, then for his trial, then after hala’s and then he’s a part of mina’s??? and he shows up for the festival and he also has 2 sidequests where you get to talk to him and stuff??? and you get some backstory? NICE 

also seeing him with more than 2 pokemon was nice thanks 

like honestly when i asked for more ilima content i didn’t think i’d get it bjdgkdsgkdfs 

mina being more prominent was nice 

TOTEM RIBOMBEE THANK YOU FOR SHOWCASING THIS AMAZING POKE 

mantine surfing is cute 

as someone who only played moon and not sun, im glad i got to fight kiawe this time around! 

gong up to pokemon on the street and getting to like play peekaboo with them? incredible 

elite 4 molayne was pretty damn cool

the sheer amount of cool little sidequests was really fucking cool, i still haven’t done them all/found them all probably???? i like how they’re more extnsive than in sun and moon, like the letters, the dugtrio girl, the hypno thing with ilima

speaking of ‘THEY STOLE MY NUGGET’ BNKJDSGNDSKJGDSG

also that tiny sidequest on route 15/16 where there’s a sandygast and if you talk to the kid he’s all ‘look what i made!’ and then the sandygast turns round and its like ‘SAND!!! DEE!!! GAST!!! with like a zoom in on each pause JKSDGDSKGSDG 

hau really comes into his own in this game, honestly he and guzma are the only characters from sun and moon that actually get any significant character development, and i love hau a lot bc he’s super sweet so?? getting to see him more and see his motivations, and show how close you and him are was a delight, like it almost, almost saves the game for me like hau....thank u b without you i WOULD have thrown this game out the window

o yeah speaking of YOU HAVE TO BATTLE HAU FOR THE TITLE OF ALOLA’S CHAPMION AAAAAA now i’m kinda mixed abt this bc honestly i loved fighting kukui, which y’know, doesnt happen in this game (unless he’s gonna challenge you when you redo the elite 4) and it felt like more was at stake?? like the music was better and kukui was harder so???? idk it still gave me chills fighting hau tho 

the rotomdex was sweet overall, though i do have my problems 

the music that plays when necrozma comes out of the ultra wormhole was incredible, it took my breath away 

bad 

this game took away almost every ounce of charm and emotion that sun and moon had and i’m absolutely furious, i get this game was more about the gameplay, but emotional highlights in sun and moon just didn’t happen, lillie and gladion and nebby got COMPLETELY shafted, and everything that made sun and moon so great story wise was gone

what i mean by that is the main driving force behind sun and moon was lusamine being the evil fuck that she’s supposed to be, and gladion and lillie’s absolute defiance to that, growing, tearing away from their mother and becoming their own people!! it was amazing, inspiring, especially in lillie’s case, seeing her go from quiet and timid to defying her mother to her face, shouting and making her point!!! that didn’t happen here, like yeah they run away, but bc of what they did to lusamine’s character, it felt nowhere near as impactful, and i really didn’t feel for lillie and gladion at all?? or nebby???? 

they tried to keep some things the same, but with lusamine’s character suddenly being all over the place, like the whole ‘oh she has good intentions, but she thinks she knows the best for everyone and does stuff no matter if it’s what people want or not’ but then they kept juxtaposing this, she calls lillie and gladion wretches, then she calls nebby gallant for loving lillie, she still has pokemon frozen in her fucknig hidden room, yet hau calls her a good person like???? what???? it doesnt work?? her characterisation was all over the place, and having her be good and stay at the end pissed me off SOOOOOO MUCH because like....i don’t like lusamine in sun and moon, she’s an evil fuck who was awful to her kids, but what she did made me adore lillie and gladion, and lusamine was a good character, not from a moral standpoint, but from a written standpoint, she was written so well and SOOO EVILLY and they just took that away, and it made none of lillie and gladion’s stuff make any sense??? which really pissed me off bcsun and moon was such a story driven game, it wasnt really about the protagonist, it was about lillie and nebby and their journey!

speaking of, watching lillie get forced down to a side character in this game was the worst, she doesnt go with you to exeggutor island and have tat amazing speech, she doesnt go through the ultra wormhole with you she’s just...there...and her changing into her z powered form in this game felt so forced bc like...what has she been through really, like she run away with nebby yeah, then her mum was like?? being kinda reasonable then not, and oh she went in the wormhole???? that whole aether scene felt so underwhelming, the music didn’t even change when nebby was getting hurt, unlike the other one, with lusamine’s characterisation being all over the place, it made lillie and gladion’s “arcs” in this game seem so weak and cheap 

oh yeah speaking of the aether scene what the FUCK was up with gladion like ‘oh take me with you null was made to be a beast killer!’ are you TELLING ME that after gladion says cosmog will bring disaster and they have to save it he’d REALLY try to go with, which obvious would fucking HURT NEBBY??? WEAK GAME FREAK WEAK 

can’t you tell they REALLY forgot to add anything on type null/silvally it was just...there 

gladion just randomly leaving at the end was fucking insulting, it was insulting because you can TELL they tried to add a tiny bit of emotion by paralleling lillie leaving in sun and moon but??? it doesnt work??? gladion barely has any development in this game/a big amazing arc like lillie did, you arent there to see him off, so it just genuinely feels insulting, especially since gladion actually had no reason to fucking leave lmao 

lusamine’s not obsessed with nihilego anymore?? TERRIBLE that was like her defining fucking trait??? 

also like...what was the point of nihilego coming through the wormhole at paradise, that scene has no fucking relevance/the same impact/foreshadowing or anything, it was literally just to be like ‘oh yeah that’s an ultra beast’ that was IT

now like what they COULD have done was have lusamine obsessed with NECROZMA this time around, she wants it so she can take away alola’s light, so she can catch it and use it WHY WASNT THAT THE STORY, AND SHE COULD STILL BE AWFUL AND EVIL AND CRAZY AND IT COULD MAKE LILLIE AND GLADION’S DEFIANCE ACTUALLY FUCKING MEAN SOMETHING, AND NEBBY GETTING ABSORBED BY NECROZMA HAVE SO MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANCE, IT WOULD PARALLEL THE CONTROLLING/ABUSIVE WAY LUSAMINE ACTS TOWARDS HER CHILDREN and they had SUCH A GOOD OPPORTUNITY HERE THAT THEY MISSED 

there wasn't that amazing set of credits with the photos of all the characters you’ve grown to adore in this??? and that picture that rotom snaps of you in sun and moon you dont even fucking see it in this, despite rotom still taking it?? fuck this 

my 5 FAVOURITE QUOTES WERE TAKEN AWAY ALL OF MY FUCKING FAVOURITES rotom calling ilima a dreamboat, that bit where lillie says ‘ Whenever I feel like there's nothing I can do, you seem to show up and...you do something. Every time, you've shown me that it's possible... to do something.’ that AMAZING bit where she goes off at her mum like ‘Children... Children are not just THINGS that belong to their parents! Pokémon are not just THINGS that a Trainer can do whatever they want to! I am alive! Cosmog is alive! We are not things for you to collect!, that bit right at the end where she's narrating the credits  ‘ Everyone's smiles shine so brightly. Those smiles led us to so many other people. And those meetings will lead us to a bright future. I'm so glad I got to meet everyone. I'm so glad I got to meet you.’  and the last one is Plumeria’s incredible line which really made me like her when she was like ‘no one can make up for what they've done if they're gone’ ever SINGLE ONE OF THESE WAS GONE basically they took lillie’s best lines, and they took plumeria and rotoms best lines

despite everything, we didn’t... actually learn where necrozma, solgaleo and lunala actually...come from/their origins like??? we’ve learnt there’s multiple lunala and solgaleo, seemingly only one necrozma, but like?? are they ultra beasts or not?? why dont beast balls work then lmao??? 

i’m sorry i love lillie but....i’d 100% rather have this amazing strong incredible lillie in sun and moon leave and make my heart wrench and make me cry bc it was so emotional and beautiful, than have this usum lillie stay around, this one who hasnt been through everything, who hasn’t had this amazing beautiful arc, who just randomly gave me nebby, with the whole catching nebby scene completely tacked on with none of the emotional impact that the sun and moon catching nebby scene had, who was reduced to such a side character that i cant possibly feel the same emotion for her

i just...i know pokemon games have always been about gameplay, and sun and moon was an exception but,....sun and moon was the first mainstream pokemon game i’ve ever played, and it blew me away, it was breathtaking, incredible, it was the best fucknig game i’ve ever played, it has the best fucking story i’ve ever had the honor of playing, it was complex, deeply emotional, and still so so wholesome, despite all the awful stuff that happens, it was beautiful, heartwarming, heartbreaking, i loved it and it will forever have a place in my heart, so playing this...and watching the characters i love being forced aside, with everything i love about them being gone was the most disappointing thing i’ve ever had to witness and it’s made me furious to the point where i barely even want to play through the post game rainbow rocket shit (if hau comes along then i will, if it’s just lillie and guzma, then....i dont know) because what’s the fucking point honestly