#without adding much to it

[claire-starsword]

Bloodline of the Sacred Dragons - Chapter 4-4

The one who volunteered to guide them was a centaur named Eric.

He had been traveling throughout the whole continent. Right now, he was searching for a treasured sword of light of the centaurs, rumored to be in the Fire Dragon's Tail.

"I have been living here under King Ponpei looking for clues on where the sword lies."

Eric spoke with a calm tone. His manners were far more elegant compared to the simple and big hearted king. He did not speak of where he was from, but perhaps he was of some noble lineage.

"That sage, what kind of person is he?" Karin asked.

"A shrewd one," Eric laughed bitterly. "It's because of that old man that I'm stuck here. His knowledge is certainly worthy of the title of sage, but he's an odd one, in any case. He hardly tells me what I want to know, even though I suspect he knows the sword's true whereabouts."

As they talked, the group arrived at their destination.

Odeeruc's mansion stood tall, almost as big as the king's.

Eric asked Odeeruc's servant to call for his master.

Finally, an old man appeared, wearing a lustrous reddish purple gown, the eyes on his bony face open wide in surprise.

"What, a Sacred Dragon? My, my, what a thing to see in my doorstep."

Odeeruc stared absentmindedly at Bleu as he listened to them. His eyes then moved to each of Bleu's companions, in order. Once he had gone through all of them, from Karin to Camallia, he raised an eyebrow with a huff.

"Oh, sorry. We should talk comfortably inside. Don't be shy and come right in."

Odeeruc brought Bleu and his group to inside the mansion. Eric announced to the old man that he would come by again later, and went back to the king.

"Goliath, guide our guests to the table," Odeeruc ordered, pointing the table of the living room with his bony fingers.

As he sat down on his designated chair, Bleu took a second room through the room, with curiosity.

There was perhaps something as too much decoration. The inside of Odeeruc's mansion was crammed full with many kinds of furniture and equipment, with no rhyme or reason to them. There were things like an eastern-style partitioning screen dividing the room, an armor made of black frosted glass, and a mechanical clock by the wall tracking the time.

Perhaps by themselves each one was an artistic masterpiece, but thrown together in a chaotic manner like that, they looked like mere trash.

The servant picked up an unfinished game of chess atop the table, and took it somewhere, being careful to not ruin the pieces' placement.

"Were you having a chess match with someone?" Bleu asked Odeeruc, who had sat in the furthest chair.

"The king enjoys it. He comes to play with me quite often. Sometimes I also go over to his place for a match," he answered, his disheveled hair wavering from under his purple bicorne. His hair was silver in color, but looked faintly purple from the reflected light of the clothes and hat.

"Speaking of, that chessboard is a work of the finest class. The black parts are obsidian from Mount Volcano, and the white ones are from the same white marble of Mitula's shrine. After all, it is made by a certain dwarf expert, and I got my hands on it when…"

Bleu realized his mistake too late. For the longest time, Odeeruc kept bragging on and on about his chessboard. A prime example on why you should never ask a collector anything about his collection.

Saying that he just had to run his mouth about stuff they didn't need, Karin lightly kicked Bleu's leg.

He took a glance at her, and asked Odeeruc about the Sacred Dragons.

"Before I answer, I want to ask you too, you actually came from another continent, didn't you? You aren't one of the dragons that live here in Fire Dragon's Tail." Odeeruc looked for confirmation. Bleu answered yes.

"Then, you didn't come all this way empty-handed, did you?" he asked Bleu, briefly running his eyes through Camallia. "I believe you brought the Manual with you, am I wrong?"

"We can't hide anything from an old man, I see," Randolf grumbled. Tyrin chastised him for the lack of manners.

What's the point of hiding anything any further, the dwarf laughed.

"The dwarf is right. It's useless to try to hide anything in front of me. Well, putting aside that bluntness of yours, perhaps I too should speak without hiding anything I know."

Odeeruc snapped his fingers, and his servant came bringing black tea.

He invited them to all drink the tea first.

After some sips of the very sour beverage of strong taste, suddenly the cups above the table began to dance. The ornament within the mansion shook wildly with clattering sounds.

Bleu and his group all looked around worried, trying to figure out what was going on.

The floor was moving. No, the earth itself was shaking.

As they weren't familiar with earthquakes, they had no clue of what was happening, panicking while still sat on their chairs. The only one who remained calm was Camallia.

There was a sound of something crashing down. Karna hurried, wanting to ran to the outside.

"Don't panic. It's a small quake. They have been happening now and then recently."

Paying no attention to the shaking, Odeeruc took a loud gulp of his tea.

Finally, the earthquake stopped, as suddenly as it began.

"You mean something that scary has been happening here aaaall the time?" Karna asked the serene old man, having come back fearfully to her chair.

"The Fire Dragon's Tail is full of volcanoes, as the name implies. It's not like they never happened before. However, a while ago, these small earthquakes became incessant. And they have become increasingly strong as the one just now."

"Why is this happening?"

"The girl over there should know very well the reason."

At Bleu's question, Odeeruc pointed out to Camallia.

"The Power of the Earth has begun to run out of control. That's what I believe."

"Indeed." Odeeruc nodded sharply to Camallia's answer.

"The Power of the Earth that the Sacred Dragons protected is now in the hands of the devils. But, right now, that power cannot be used to create nor destroy anything. That means they couldn't get the Manual to control that enormous power. Or perhaps, they lost it along the way."

Camallia answered that it was the latter.

"From what God Volcanon said, the Manual the devils stole was destroyed during their battle with the Sacred Dragons. Because of that, the unsealed Power of the Earth is accumulating in a defective way. The earthquake earlier was a sign of that."

"God Volcanon, huh? That's another big name you bring up."

Odeeruc tilted his head a bit, as if trying to recall old memories.

"In any case, the Power of the Earth is acting out. And so you're headed to the mountains where the dragons live to stop it."

"That's where the dragons are, right?"

Bleu leaned forward. The chair he sat on creaked from the sudden shift of his weight.

"Is more accurate to say they were there. If they fought the devils, they might have driven them away, or they might have been wiped out. Seeing how the Power of the Earth is running amok, it's more likely that the devils have destroyed them."

The old man's answer was a punch to Bleu's face. If his brethren had died out, why did he cross a whole ocean to get here?

"Isn't that conclusion unbefitting of a sage? Hasty, I would say," Tyrin contested. "Couldn't it be like this, instead? The dragons are still fighting to protect the unleashed Power from the devils. Because the Manual was lost, they cannot stop it right now. In fact, hasn't Camallia seen the dragons still alive?"

He threw that last question at her.

"Yes, when I received the revelation, God Volcanon showed to me a vision of the Sacred Dragons. They have continued to protect the Power of the Earth from within the mountain," she answered with confidence.

"You don't need to look me in the eye like that. That doesn't prove anything."

"Do you doubt the messages of God Volcanon?" She retorted sharply.

"I don't doubt Volcanon. However, that doesn't guarantee that the situation remains the same now."

Bleu grew more and more distressed as the back and forth with Odeeruc continued. He came all the way there with the determination to see his brethren, but now that felt like a sandcastle wiped away by the waves in an instant before his eyes.

"Then, we have to confirm things. We will never know until we go there, so we should go."

Karin's words blew away Bleu's confusion.

"The devils may be waiting for you to go that way," Odeeruc warned. "If you leave things be, the Power of the Earth will destroy itself. There will be some damage, but it is far better for it to rampage at once than to be used by the devils. Reach for the fire and you'll get burned, that's common sense. It's best to not meddle if you don't know what you're doing… That's what I think. This is a town full of nice humans. Living here hasn't been bad. Maybe it's better to just go back to your home country with some souvenirs of Parmecia."

"You say there'll be some damage, how much are we talking about?" Randolf asked.

"Maybe one of the mountains, or maybe all of the Fire Dragon's Tail will be gone. I can't say exactly, but it's something along those lines. And then, the devils' ambitions will be stopped. A small loss compared to the whole world," the so-called sage answered calmly.

"Are you kidding me, there's nothing small about that!" Karin yelled. Her words reflected everyone's feelings.

"That's the big picture. A disaster is much better than obliteration."

Odeeruc's expression remained unwavering. Everyone understood that he truly believed that.

"With all respect, sage, I cannot agree with your advice to just go back home. If my brethren are still bravely fighting out there, I want to help even if but a single one of them. And if they have already been destroyed, then I believe that it's my job as Sacred Dragon to carry on their will and seal the Power of the Earth."

Bleu declared that with complete determination. Even if the Sacred Dragons were nothing but ghosts anymore, he had to get over that, or he'd be haunted forever.

"Your job as Sacred Dragon, huh?"

Odeeruc sighed.

"Well, I question how much meaning there even is on being a Sacred Dragon. An idiot about to throw food at the jaw of an expecting beast. Good grief, you should cool your heads down a little."

Odeeruc moved his hands horizontally at if pointing at the group, while wiggling his fingers.

At once, a strong feeling of drowsiness came over them. In an instant, they all fell asleep, helpless to stop it.

"What did… you…"

Bleu tried to get up, but fell over the table.

"The Sleep spell. Sleep a bit and rest from your journey."

Odeeruc stared down quietly at the group, trapped in their sleep.

Translation notes:

A bicorne is a type of hat, much like the one Creed wears in SF2. I didn't know that word, nor does my browser spellchecking apparently.

[starlingfawn]

through starless sky to blackest ground

[arabella-s-arts]

Scenes/Things in Supernatural that genuinely don't make sense to me if Dean was straight:

The confession booth scene.

Sam just rolling with the fact that Dean's siren is a guy while still thinking sirens infect people through sex.

Dean being flustered by several men: Gunner Lawless, Aaron, Doctor Sexy, etc.

All the parallels between Destiel and other couples. (A big one being "last night on Earth" bc how do you do that accidentally.)

Having all the gay jokes be on Dean instead of Sam.

Paralleling Sam meeting his childhood celebrity crush with Dean meeting Gunner Lawless.

The boner Dean got when Cas cleaned up.

Dean gulping after Cas does an impression from a Western movie.

Charlie, a lesbian, calling Castiel "dreamy."

The way Mary looks at Dean and Cas when they hug.

Dean wondering why everyone assumes he's gay, while Sam not caring.

The logic that Charlie can't flirt with guys because she's only attracted to women, but then having Dean flirt with the guy for her.

Dean seeming disappointed when learning that Aaron's flirting was fake.

The amount of time Dean and Cas spend staring at each other.

Dean canonically having an orgy with Crowley.

A woman saying that she knows when someone's pining for someone else to Dean, just for us to learn that Dean was never in love with Amara.

The set design and script choices that lead to a cross in the background while Dean said "I do." to Cas after he came back to life.

That time when Dean wanted to say something and Cas was like, "It's okay, I heard your prayer." But Dean still looked like he wanted to say something important.

Amara: [about Dean] "I can see inside your heart. Feel the love you feel. Except, it’s cloaked in shame.”

If you want to have a more expansive list, @destiel-is-real-idgaf added to this one quite nicely.

[forgettable-au]

FORGETTABLE-AU (Page 53-56)

DELIVERED.

[BEGINNING] [PREVIOUS] [CONTINUE]

[keferon]

Still in the hospital but bored af so here's Part Two of fish dad

PART 2 of A Family can be A Fish and his Foster Kids

—-

Trailbreaker watched the mer approach their dock of concrete and broken cars, long tan body cutting through the water like butter. Soundwave held his hand tightly, Ravage curled around his shoulders. The twins and Windcharger were pressed against Trailbreaker’s back, the twins holding onto an arm each, Wrap on his left and TC on his right. Buster, TC’s service dog for his seizures, stood in front of his boy. Damus held Soundwave’s other hand in a vice grip, the cloths around his mangled hands dripping slightly, Skids behind him holding onto his shoulders.

The mer seemed to take them all in, large inhuman blue eyes tracking over one child to the next. It didn't make any more movement, except to lift it's torso out of the water.

Trailbreaker tensed as the mer revealed its true height, torso alone bigger than any human man. He took a half-step back, placing himself a little more firmly in front of the twins.

“He's so cool.” TC whispered softly, voice shattering the tense silence. Soundwave flinched back at the sound, his hat nearly falling off as the red glasses he used for his migraines fell a little off his nose.

“Dude!” Windcharger snapped, glaring at the other boy.

“It's true!” Warp said, voice raising in defense of his brother, his need to defend his twin overriding his fear.

And, in Trailbreaker’s opinion, his Goddamn Common Sense.

“Do…” Skids spoke up, running his hands over Damus’s wet hair nervously. "Do ye think th’ bloke’s friendly?” He asked, looking at Soundwave. “Th’ mers at th’ ‘quarium didn’ seem so bad, y’know. Not ta us kids.”

“Those were orcas.” Soundwave said slowly, squinting at the mer in front of them, still quietly watching the group of boys. "And trained to perform. We have no idea how this one will act.”

There was a moment of silence, before Thundercracker let go of Trailbreaker's arm and took a step forward, Buster by his side.

“I'm gonna go say hi.”

Trailbreaker made a move to grab TC’s shirt, fingers falling short as his brothers who were still holding onto him pulled him back.

“Wait, TC, no-” He called, only to be cut off by Ravage’s fur in his face, the cat having jumped off of Soundwave’s shoulders to follow the boy and dog.

Soundwave made a noise Trailbreaker never wanted to hear again but didn't move, all of them watching as TC walked up to the mer, dog and cat right next to him. Trailbreaker felt like he was going to pass out, heart pounding in his head.

“Hi!” Thundercracker said brightly, one hand on Buster’s head, the other held out as if the goddamn fish was going to SHAKE IT. Ravage wound herself around TC’s legs, sitting down on his feet like she could prevent the boy from moving any further.

Warp was trembling in Trailbreaker’s arms, barely held back from going to tackle his twin and bring him back to the group. Trailbreaker felt like Soundwave’s hand and Windcharger’s grip on his OWN shirt were the only things preventing him from grabbing the kid. (And maybe strangling him a little. He'd deserve it. Warp would have to understand)

A huge hand lifted out of the water, clawed and tan and big enough to crush TC like a fucking twig. The middle schooler didn't even flinch, keeping his own hand held out steady.

Trailbreaker practically felt Soundwave deflate as the mer gently shook Thundercracker’s tiny hand in its own much MUCH larger one.

“Guys, see?" Thundercracker said with a grin, wiping his hand off on his shirt, though that didn't help much. “He's nice!”

The mer looked back at their group, dipping lower into the water and smiling up at them.

“That's great, kid.” Trailbreaker said softly, trying to mentally teleport Thundercracker back to his side. “Can um- can you come back now?” He asked, trying to ignore how his voice cracked.

Ravage meowed loudly and jumped onto the mers head, provoking something that sounded suspiciously like a chirp from the fish itself. Soundwave’s cat, notorious for hating anybody and everybody except for Soundwave himself, settled into a loaf.

Soundwave let go of Trailbreaker’s hand to adjust his hat and glasses, sniffed once, and took a step forward, beginning to walk towards the fish with Skids and Damus in town.

“Ravage likes him.” He said simply in response to Trailbreaker's utter look of fear.

Trailbreaker took a breath, acknowledged that level of logic, and pulled Skywarp and Windcharger forward.

If nothing else, he could make sure the fish ate him FIRST, if it turned out they were wrong.

—----

HELP. Shockwave got cat-approved ahajakdmdmdbKFKDBDH OH THIS IS AMAZING

Just the. The mental image of this giant fish guy with tiny ass cat-loaf on his head??? I had to doodle it hehejej

[realfruittaste]

I saw this post a while ago, where someone pointed out to me, that mike interprets every fight he has with will romantically.

So, I was thinking about this, and yes! He always pushes back harshly “We’re friends. We’re friends!” “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” which to me, either means that he knows Will is in love with him, which his reaction would then just be cruel OR there's some feelings there from his side too, and because of his internalised homophobia he deals with it in this way.

Viewing it from the perspective of a closeted gay/bi guy, he feels the need to enforce and emphasize a heteronormative perspective on his relationship with will, while actually he is the one viewing it from a homosexual lens. He feels this need to point out not only his own "straightness" but also Will's presumed straightness. He views and experiences every fight he has with Will romantically, similar to a fight you'd have with a significant other.

This is why the rinkomania fight remains the best byler proof to date because “We’re friends. We’re friends!” didn't make any sense! Because yes mike, obviously... Will was talking about y'alls relationship as friends... This could mean Mike is aware of his feelings for Will but is actively surpressing them. Which can be interpreted in one of two ways to me personally, namely Mike thinks Will is straight and his feelings are unrequited, or maybe Mike is scared of Will reciprocating?

I feel like that's an overlooked perspective, especially considering the time in which the story takes place, the 80s, during the aids crisis. Most bylers tend to assume that Mike isn't aware of Will's feelings, but what if he is? What if he has known this whole time, or maybe since some time before the rain fight? Or atleast prior to season 4?

In this case scenario, what if Mike is scared of his own and Will's feelings. Not only having the fear of whether Will would reciprocate, but also what if Will reciprocates. Maybe, both could be equally scary... Doubts about what if Will is actually straight and he misread the situation, but also being scared that maybe he is gay and they do indeed both like eachother, and where does that leave them...

Mike having grown up in a homophobic small town, growning up hearing and reading about gay people dying, in the tens of thousands, to aids which was often referred to as the "gay plague", the government doing very little to adress the situation, no gay marriage, obviously. The idea that he wouldn't want neither himself, nor Will to be gay doesn't seem far-fetched to me.

So, yeah… the idea that his internalised homophobia (which stems from fear) extends to not only himself, but also the person he's in love with (aka 'he isn't gay because I don't want him to be gay because if he is then I have to face my own feelings) is a perspective I haven't seen many other byler shippers talk about.

[writer-room]

More or less how Zane was the entirety of Dragons Rising, right?

[vaguely-concerned]

I really really like that lucanis reaches the 'there must be some way through this' realization 'off camera', so to speak, while presumably looking at rook explaining the situation to spite. it just. hits right. he gets that moment to himself after 'this place is a nightmare, why would I want to stay here' to come back into focus, to gather himself and think it through in peace, outside of the demands of anyone’s gaze (including the player’s!), while rook takes care of spite’s confusion and urgency and distress as he can’t himself in this shattered state. they're inside his soul, but he still gets that moment of privacy, with rook and spite there and supporting but not intruding. idk there's just something so good and right-feeling about it. rook's presence in lucanis' mind at its most vulnerable and frozen could have felt SO invasive if the quest wasn't written as skillfully as it is, and I get skeeved out by that kind of thing incredibly easily so it's a testament to how well it's done that it always feels safe and supportive. lucanis has had both his bodily and psychological (slash spiritual/existential) integrity and autonomy violated so brutally and repeatedly, and having even the way the camera perceives him here grant him the dignity and respect and privacy of soul he hasn’t experienced in a long time… it’s a whole thing huh. No wonder it’s taken me a while to put it into words lol 

(also what a contrast to what solas and rook have got going on, and what a sly way to slide the point of comparison in there to build to the thematic whole. the solas version of this IS of course wildly invasive and skeeves me out but in the intended delighted horror movie way. solas, too, was let into someone’s soul through the cracks in the wake of a traumatic event, and he IMMEDIATELY sought to turn it to his own benefit and use that trauma as a weapon against them fhdsja I’m sorry but it’s just such a character-revealing instinct for him to act on without hesitation and I love how terrible he is, it’s all so unforgivably premeditated and consistent.

rook acting out of the desire to make sure lucanis is ok vs. solas going ‘well. When life gives you oops killed my friend, make dead friend poisoned lemonade and make his loved ones drink it. this sunk cost fallacy isn’t going to perpetuate itself’ is such a neat contrast and it’s not in your face about it but it’s still there, deep and solid down in the thematic narrative. rook doesn’t do anything to or in lucanis’ mind, really — they negotiate their way through the layers of defense and are let through, and they help him make the whole thing more explicable, but they never exert any force or go rooting around for anything that doesn’t present itself to them first. solas goes about gathering ammo for when he's going to nothing personel kid this person from like the first moment fhdskh doesn't waste a second before he's on that gaslight gatekeep girlboss grind. the fact that the game goes out of its way to show there IS a respectful, non-selfish and kind version of this process makes what solas is doing even more deliciously awful (glee) and rook and lucanis’ relationship (platonic, romantic, whatever it might be in any given playthrough) all the more moving to me)

[deadtiredghost]

The scuffed Leo post you've all been waiting for

and by you all i mean the 30-or-so followers i have... how? idk. i just woke up one morning and bam. Thank you guys! Glad to have you around. it will only get worse from here :]

[bunnithechubs]

slowly making progress on this house

[leniviypelmen]

love them so much they eat my brain <333

[psink]

Whilst overall I prefer the manga to the anime, there's one aspect that I think the anime does better - the very ending.

Compared to the manga's very compactly shown thoughts of the cast, the anime gives each of them a short scene.

But although that change already is great, what matters to me the most, is this added scene of Saiko.

Despite it being so short, it feels so fitting and important to Saiko's character, making its absence in the original seem wrong. (They also added Rifuta, though comparatively, her scene isn't so significant.)

[thebrainrotsreal]

Literally took so long I cannot find the ask anymore, apologies anon!!! :( But finally did the nicely requested Mark and Kate hanging out! Mark lost a bet Kate couldn't lift him, 'cause she has gotta be buff asf to be out on the field with ZERO weapons :D !! Also just them talking! Forever grieving their potential friendship. Yearnful sigh.

[wardingshout]

I love your designs for them so so so much, your art in general is incredibly appealing!!! Your color works so beautiful, breathtaking honestly!!!

I’m super honored to be mutuals :D

SCREAMING CRYING PUKING THROWING UP WHEEZING HOLD ON HOLD ON HOLD ON OK HOLD ON HOLD THE PHONE THEY THEY THEM THEM!! THEM!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I'm sorry this caught me so off guard but omg they are precious this is so so precious!!!;;;;;; 💖💖💖 I feel like I could look at them forever thank you so much!!;;; their poses are so cute and the colours are so nice and warm and pleasant and the fabrics look so comfy I feel so comfy and full of love I'm;;; it's them I cannot believe it's Them,,,, 💕💕

and what do you mean YOU're honoured, your art is absolutely insane I'm the honoured one !!!!!

all of your works are so incredibly done and you're so full of really cool ideas and concepts and you have Such a nice way of portraying all the characters like everything you post just feels so full of Care !!! ;v; the posing the expressoins the environment and colours and everything is just! a chef's kiss isn't big enough, it's 'blows a massive embarrassing smooch across the earth' kiss !!!! ;v; I'm so excited to see everything you're gonna create !!!!

and omg I am especially in love with your WW designs already I hope you have an absolute blast with the game !!! ;v; 💖💖💖

[a-gay-little-cat]

I feel like everyone always gives their favorite primarch their own little touch when they draw them, especially with Sanguinius, everyone loves to have their own personalized version of him so I wanted to try my hand at a few looks too and I've liked these two the most tbh :}

[bunabi]

there's a point nagging at my brain that I can't really find the words for but mmm the idea of doing only right things and having only good takes instead of really actually developing a selfless love for other people really set us back