adara-of-the-flame

[adara-of-the-flame]

Elf cooking show: First person helmetcam of a an elf hunting and killing a deer with their bare hands. They sing a lullabye to the deer before they snap it's neck and prepare a side salad.

Dwarf cooking show: America's Test Kitchen but even more rigorous. 20 minutes of discussing how to maintain precise heat just to boil water.

Halfling cooking show: Great British Bake Off with soap-opera levels of internal drama. Everyone is stoned off their ass.

Orc cooking show: Edible mythbusters. The contestants must make bbq with a live dragon. People straight up die sometimes.

Goblin cooking show: Goblins don't really understand the concept of restaurants, but they have a show like Diners Dive ins and Dives for rooting through people's trash.

[adara-of-the-flame]

thehouseofivo

The machine mind simply did not respond, the light on the cameras slowly blinking to signify recording. He continued to wonder why she was bothering with this. Why she was spending time with him....

And he was wondering why the Acorn Kingdom wasn't looking in on him to see why he was suddenly active again.

adara-of-the-flame

"Oh, little bots. It makes me sad that you were all built without tastebuds--you were made without tastebuds, weren't you?" These were the first and only robots the flame woman had ever met. She'd only had movies to go off of beforehand; and machines on the silver screen weren't known for eating. Unless it was some kind of psycho horror story, a scenario which seemed unlikely here, all things considered.

"Annnd....oooh! Butter! Butter steak!" A golden stick was added to the sizzle. "Hey, Mister Julian, do you have tastebuds? This steak'll be done soon."

Robotropolis looked rather abandoned. There was nobody here. Power seemed... spotty at best. And dust seemed to cover everything. The Fortress loomed over as usual, but it seemed.... abandoned. For the most part.

"I'm just gonna stop going to grocery stores. That's all there is to it." How many times has this happened now? Bag full of groceries, open the door, not look where she was going, and...boom! Just somewhere else all of a sudden.

That sky...was not the sky. Oh, it was trying, realisitic as heck, were it not for the glitches.

"Am I on a spaceship?" Dust puffed up under every footstep. Several of the buildings around the flame woman seemed on the verge of collapse. No breeze. The air itself felt....stagnant. "Am I on an abandoned spaceship?"

Or, some post-appocolypticy zombie-future? Adara's mind inevitably switched to George Romero and 'Omega Man' mode. "Oh, boy..."

[adara-of-the-flame]

Mars shaked the leaves out of her long hair and gave Hoggle a thumbs up. "I'm okay!' From this angle on the ground, some of the dwarf's physical changes since embarking on the quest caught the half-Urru's eye: the faint, sparkle of sunlight on his lengthening hair. She wondered if he'd change anymore the more they continued on in the Seasonal domains.

...Did this mean the other Seasonal Archfaes didn't always look as they did?

She turned her snout skyward to the gargantuan Summer Queen: The Uber-Fiery. The thought of Hoggle suddenly sprouting to the proportions of a kaiju amused her.

Dusting her knees off, the half-Urru stood to her feet, and obediently began picking some of the new bounty. "How'd you know I liked roasted corn?"

"Lucky guess." Selva Roja shrugged. She turned to Hoggle, her face taking on an air of bemusement. "What 'sheers'? You tell the plants what to do, and they do."

A large pepper plant shook at the slight gesture of her hand, it's random bunching of leaves and branches taking on a shape more angular. A square-shaped plant, with little, square-shaped peppers for good measure. Another plant stretched itself out like a vine, plucked a ripe bunch of grapes from a nearby bush, and dropped it neatly in front of the dwarf.

"It's all at your command. Can you do this?"

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

Iced berry juice had proven to be adictive to Yumika, who was now on her her third glass. Next to her, Dumpling sipped a smooth, mango concoction through a straw. How the hundun could sip anything without a mouth was beyond the kitsune; she'd learned not to question such things.

A slice of mango was also given to their courier fairy, who no doubt would have much to brag to her sisters later about tasting things few Labyrinth fairies had ever even heard of.

With a pang of sympathy, the kitsune could since the uneasiness in Beetelglum's writing. She wished she could be there for him. But she had her Duty, and he had his.

'Info was bartered. The Gate traded in gossip. Jareth's past offered.

Hoggle heard from you. Stolen Babe is thief of time? No one knew the truth.'

And, this was true. The death of the Owl King was heralded when the Veil called his name. Yet...all these years, no one, not even Cornucopia Sunfall herself knew how...or why. And, then, that new kid, that...Stolen Babe just showed up and took the crown.

No one in the Seasonal Courts liked that. Not even ailing Saisho No Me, and he liked everyone.

Yumika wondered if Jareth knew just how many people he'd offended just for existing? He probably didn't even care...

'If Autumn calls you I will be there if I can. Barrier or not.'

She let Dumpling seal the scroll with a pawprint before sending it off.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the stench of this terrible blog…bleck!”

[adara-of-the-flame]

'Well, look at you. The possibly one chance to be rid of me once and for all, and you jump in to save the day.' Luna tried to speak normally, only to find moving her jaw to be very painfull. She wondered if it was broken.

Still unable to see, she let Bradford's mind do the seeing for her.

Mostly shadows, even Bradford was stealthy. Good to see he wasn't the sort of man that went in 'guns a' blazin'.

She felt the steel presure on her wrists lighten. 'I don't think I can stand up.'

⛓️

This certainly hadn't happened in awhile.

Someone had done their research. Luna was not an easy woman to capture, skilled as she was in 'seeing' possible outcomes and futures. She was not stupid, and past experience had taught her to be alert. Her gifts were honed in her old age.

They must have drugged her. Groggily, Luna tried to open her eyes, and found one painfully fused shut. The other, through a haze of red, could make out only the darkness. Cold steel cut into her wrists; someone had bound them too tight. The floor she layed on had the feel and smell of sheet metal.

Dried blood. How long had she been here? Who had she offended? To her knowledge, Luna didn't recall anyone in this world who'd want to cause her this much harm.

Focusing through a pounding headache, the Seer let her mind 'search' outward. Past the room, past the building, past everything. It didn't take long to find who she was looking for.

Her 'voice' in his head would be tired and distorted. 'Bradford? How long have I been gone?'

[adara-of-the-flame]

I made a mistake on Bluesky and now my notifications won’t stop but hey i’ll post it here too!

Anti-Prime sale on bookshop.org until the 11th

[adara-of-the-flame]

What Is This Prime Day Shit

Go over here. Get cheap ebooks, direct from the author.

And OWN THEM ALWAYS. Because we're not funding a space program.

Just stories. :)

[adara-of-the-flame]

Happy B-day to @adara-of-the-flame !

I gift you the twins, Mars and Moon

[adara-of-the-flame]

"If I pass that flippin' rock one more time---!"

Not for the first time, Adara had the tremendous urge to violently separate a Poe from it's precious lantern. The darn thing had lead her through feild, stream, and valley only to circle her back again to the place where she'd started. Xan hadn't mentioned they were tricksters.

Speaking of Xan...

It has long been said that you don't steal a child from it's Mother. Okay, Adara wasn't Xan's Mother--heck, the little guy was probably older than she was. But, in her mind's eye, the small, burning skeleton fit the criteria enough to fill her with a Mother's rage when he'd been taken.

She placed a hand on a nearby to steady herself, only to feel the bark move. "Wh--" Oh, the whole tree was moving! So slightly twisting--more than just this tree, the whole patch of woods around her were slowly shaping themselves into a visible path!

With a...building in the shadows...or a door...!

"I'M COMING, XAN!!!" Suddenly, there was a burning, woman-shaped canonball hurtling in the door's direction...

⛓️

Dammit. Xan had been around so long, he had forgotten about Ganondorf. The Darkness... Ganon. Deep inside the Forest Temple, Xan was shackled to a wall, ectoplasm dripping from his form. Ganondorf's forces had attempted to get him to join them, to reawaken his hatred, his evil. But Xan refused. He had managed to resist.... If only because of the few people he had grown to care about. His Fairy. And Adara. They didn't see him as a monster. And that was what made him into a Spirit of Rebirth, rather than the Charred Forest Spirit he used to be...

[adara-of-the-flame]

In response, Selva Roja gave a regal, aproving nod. "Very good, Hoggle Primavero. It looks like you're already ahead of the curve in this lesson."

A squeek of dismay was all that exited Mars's long lips. A finger poked at the dead flowers dejectedly.

"Don't feel bad, Mars." The Summer Queen responded. "Even the flowers in your world wilt. The lesson here is to let things go."

"But, couldn't they stick around a little longer?" The half-Urru finally spoke.

"Everybody always says that." With a sigh, Selva Roja lifted a massive red-feathered hand. The plants that grew at her bidding sprouted and developed past the fresh, blooming phase. No, these plants grew thick, and sturdy. Flowers burst into bloom only to fade as seed pods and ripe fruit took their place. Leaves, and fruit, and vegitables. "Summer must come before the harvest."

Mars poked her head out of a tree that had spontaneously grown under her in the process. "Are you gonna let these die, too?"

"Eventually. But, pick yoursleves some ears of corn while they're up. They'll go great roasted with butter while you're doing that drinking thing with the dwarves tonight."

Selva Roja returned her attention to Hoggle while Mars half-climbed, half-tumbled out of her tree. "Next lesson then. Make your plants pick some of the fruit and vegitables here. Make them take the shapes you see in your mind--not just at random.

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

Yumika could only sigh upon reading Beetleglum's note. If Sir Didymus had mentioned anything about Hoggle's past before hand, the kitsune had forgotten; having been preocupied with the death of Saisho No Me, and then being completely blocked from her own Realm.

(Honestly, she only half-paid attention to whatever that fox terrier was yammering about, anway.)

...So, the new Spring King had had an adventure before he'd gone on this one. And, played the hero, no less. Not bad for a little, runt of a dwarf. Yumika felt a slight bit more respect for the new Primavero; Jareth was a young, petty creature--to undermine him must have taken great courage.

Dumpling stretched out on a branch beside her now; she didn't care if he read along. He was a better secret-keeper than she was.

'Serendipidy. Fortune favors the bold, then. A gamble paid off.'

'The knight annoys me. I like your story better. Dumpling sends his luck.'

And, this was true. Yumika began to think back. Maybe she should talk to Hoggle when he got back; evidently he had been familiar with Beetleglum---

The kitsune nearly dropped her ink pen. Back at the begining, when the Gate wouldn't open for her...

'Autumn knows you live. They told the gate who blocked me. Don't know her response.'

Oh, how could she have forgotten about that! In all the trouble just to find a way to the Summer Realm, Yumika had put that small bit of information on backburner. After all these years, she wondered how the Autumn Queen would feel about that.

The scroll was carefully handed back to the fairy, who'd been enjoying a frozen cube of berry juice while the kitsune wrote. Yumika promised it more treats forthcoming as it flitted off.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the stench of this terrible blog…bleck!”

[adara-of-the-flame]

thehouseofivo

"Eh, something about the magic of the badges prevents someone from wearing all of them at once. They just don't work if you put too many on at once. To help understand it, we call it a 'Badge Point Limit'. Everyone has their own limit and each badge costs a certain amount of points. It makes sense when you think about it, I know it sounds weird."

"But that is an interesting idea." Interesting, but unlikely to happen.

adara-of-the-flame

"My limit must be pretty high, then." Adara marveled at the several badges already adoring her person. "Well, now this makes me wanna put on as many as possible....you should do that, too, Julian."

Of course she would decide that.

"How do you know when you've reached your Badge Point Limit? Do your powers just go haywire or something?" There was just a little too much amused hope in her tone.

“I can’t sleep” Adara was in her usual sleeping position: On top of Julian's belly. Though, after waking up with a jolt after some fitfull murmering, the flame woman found herself tossing and turning on said stomach in a vain attempt to get back to slumberland. She'd had a nightmare...but was unwilling to admit it. (under Mt. Ruggled starter)

Julian slowly woke, looking down at the woman that he loved with everything he had. "Oh? Do you want me to cast a sleep spell?" He wondered, slowly blinking as his cybernetics began to flood his body with the right chemicals to keep him awake.

[adara-of-the-flame]

"I'm lucky." Adara admitted, leaning back in her seat. "I didn't realize how lucky until I went out into the world. Sometimes, not even 'normal' kids get the right parenting."

There wasn't much on anyone's plate by now. The flame woman's performance dinner had served it's purpose well. Even in winter night's cold darkness, not a single chill crept past her barrier of warmth. Everyone in attendance in the garden remained cozy and comfortable.

"So, have I proven myself to you, Your Majesties? Do Edgar and I have your blessings?"

Winter Breakfast being a sweeping success, Adara moved onto lunch. A light yet filling affair for the season: warm, fresh-baked crusty breads and a thick, creamy chicken stew with winter vegitables. Like the first meal, this was served outside, prepared in mystery.

For the final dinning experience, the flame woman made sure to set up early, and that's all she did. A glorously huge cut of meat sat raw in the center of an equally large baking pan. Veggies and herbs chopped but unmixed and uncooked. All out in the frozen Palace gardens, away from the warmth of an oven fire.

This was her performance peice. It was to be special. Tonight, Edgar's Kingly brother, and the Queen, and anyone else in attendance would see what this mystery woman was made of.

Edgar cleared his throat upon seeing his King and Queen later that day. "Adara has also prepared dinner for You," he stated before leading Them deeper into the palace gardens where there was a table and chairs set complete with a huge cut of meat and the fresh smell of herbs.

[adara-of-the-flame]

thehouseofivo

"Technically, I suppose. It also emerges from grass when it's cut... It's all over the place." Xan explained. Then she asked something he should have explained a long time ago. "So, gods exist here. Hylia is one of four gods that I can remember that are actively worshipped, alongside Din, Farore and Nayru, the goddesses of Power, Wisdom and Courage."

"....I don't remember much other than that though. They aren't active participants in history. Though there are a few things close to gods, like the Deku Tree, that ARE active parts of history. Kinda. The Deku Tree lives in the heart of the forest you found me in."

adara-of-the-flame 

Well. What a way to drop a bomb on someone. Adara's mouth practically hit the floor. "What, gods? Like, not speculative, or metaphysical, but actual, visual, talking gods? How the heck does...."

Oh yeah, this was a fantasy world, complete with ghosts and a fire-skeleton. The laws of what can and cannont make up reality here were pretty far beyond questioning by now.

Adara sighed. "I guess there's some things about world-hoping you just don't get used to." She patted Xan on the head, similar to ruffling the hair of a little kid. "I think I'll take a heart, please."

A certain pyromaniacal skeletal forest spirit of rebirth is singing 'Spooky scary skeletons' while putting up decorations in his cave.

[adara-of-the-flame]

That brought a laugh out of Adara. "Well, yeah. But, who's to say mermaids don't migrate--like some types of fish? Or, that there are racial variants all over the world, like us humans?" This was all mentioned good-naturedly. "But, yeah...who knows where Mr. Anderson got his information. Maybe French mermaids are an evolutionary step up from Danish ones."

Beyond the book, what reference did they have, anyway? Besides asking a real, live mermaid? And, how on Earth were they going to do that? "There were a lot of books in that secret room. I just grabbed this one because it...looked the least fragile." Adara wasn't even going to think about touching any of those other tomes. "This book was hidden for a reason. Like, they were trying to hush up a peice of your history. Why would anyone do that?"

It had all been planned in advance: the menu, the venue, even the candles to be lit at their table.

Adara chuckled as she looked herself up and down in the mirror. It was almost like Edgar had two birthdays: the extravagant ball of yesterday, and the more private event for just the two of them tonight. Twice the fun.

Her gown trailed behind her as she met Edgar for their carriage. "Ready, my Star?"

Edgar looked at Adara before answering her question. He grinned and said, "Of course, Hitteje."

[adara-of-the-flame]

ask-a-fallen-zamasu

Yami: yes and also many things were founded by the egyption wolrd so many wonderful and honorful things *as he smiles with genuine hope* another is that mummifications isnt a punishment but a preservative to the body and sending one heart away is to ascend to the heavens

adara-of-the-flame

"And, they made beer and paper, too." Mars added. "Well, it was papyrus, but that's like a prerequisite to paper. Everyone else at the time was still using stone and clay to write their stuff down."

Moon finished laying out rows of yeast rolls on a few baking pans. There should be enough for everyone. "And, so pretty good medical advancements for the time. We learned about this in school."

"Come to think of it..." Mars paused. "If we didn't have bread, we might not have stuff like, I don't know...cupcakes?" She tapped the bowl of batter Yami was stirring. "Just think of this as continuing a tradition."

Somewhere, in a Castle in the sky, Moon lights a candle in the kitchen. At least it was something.

"I still don't get why the ponies down there don't count down the New Year by dropping a giant disco ball. But, whatever. Happy New Year, guys."

Yami: oh how fun yet these things are rather dull due to the fact each year can get worser and worser for some Hog: i dont know what you mean blingy i like new years it always a good way to celebrate another day of being alive~ Skektek: this is my first time celebrating such a festivity of course back were me and the girls come from year is actually called trine Tori: but dont you guys celebrate the new year draining life form the crystal Skektek: that..........i do regret still tori Zamasu: to me its a normal day i delt with so much pain and misery i think of holidays to be..........................blan

[adara-of-the-flame]

⛓️

This certainly hadn't happened in awhile.

Someone had done their research. Luna was not an easy woman to capture, skilled as she was in 'seeing' possible outcomes and futures. She was not stupid, and past experience had taught her to be alert. Her gifts were honed in her old age.

They must have drugged her. Groggily, Luna tried to open her eyes, and found one painfully fused shut. The other, through a haze of red, could make out only the darkness. Cold steel cut into her wrists; someone had bound them too tight. The floor she layed on had the feel and smell of sheet metal.

Dried blood. How long had she been here? Who had she offended? To her knowledge, Luna didn't recall anyone in this world who'd want to cause her this much harm.

Focusing through a pounding headache, the Seer let her mind 'search' outward. Past the room, past the building, past everything. It didn't take long to find who she was looking for.

Her 'voice' in his head would be tired and distorted. 'Bradford? How long have I been gone?'

[adara-of-the-flame]

send ⛓️ to find my muse bloody, bruised and restrained

[adara-of-the-flame]

thehouseofivo

"Well... looks like No just decided you're his favorite person." Julian chuckled, calming down somewhat as he heard that Luna wasn't planning on going anywhere any time soon. "I'm sorry we got off on such a rocky start. I swear, I'm spending every day of the rest of my life trying to make up for the things I did at PoryCorp." If she invaded his mind, which he seemed to be inviting, she could see that he was serious.

He had been on survival mode for so long, Adara had finally awoken his need to be kind, useful, rather than his survival instinct and only caring about himself....

adara-of-the-flame

"...I think it's more like, he's just really happy we're all together again. We were all there when he was found. He remembers that." Luna gave the strange fusion a gentle nudge. "You're really not moving anywhere are you?"

No settled himself further into an immovable loaf position in response.

Outside, the last rays of dim, winter sunlight vanished in favor of thick, heavy clouds. Snow, like cotton, began to fall lightly. "We're supposed to get a heck of a snowstorm tonight." Adara observed. "Below average temperatures, too." She turned a gentle, grateful smile on her long-lost sister. "I'm glad you're here. Now, I don't have to worry about you freezing out there."

"This trailer is...much warmer than the places I've been staying in lately."

"I got a lot a lot of food made up, too. It'll be a good Christmas."

"Yeah..." Luna turned her gaze back to Julian. She could sense his emotions, along with everyone else in the room. Human and Pokemon. The human-turned-Mewtwo could tell he was sincere. "I...never got to thank you, Dr. Robotnik." Calling the man, 'Julian' still felt a bit much. "For taking care of my sister after she got out of that lab."

Eventually, Summer withered into the brown crunch of Fall, and that soon crystalized into the white freeze of Winter, and still there was no sighn of the woman trapped in a Mewtwo.

...Why couldn't a Mewtwo turn invisible? They were made from Mews, they should share in the same powers. The best Luna could do was psycically disrupt minds enough to go unnoticed--and, she'd learned from experience that didn't work on some Pokemon.

She shivered, hovering a ways away from Ryme City. She needed to get in there. There were people who might know....

But... There were too many. Too many people, too many different kinds of Pokemon. And, the ones she needed to speak to would be too heavily-guarded.

A huff of frustration exited Luna's nostrils in a puff of steam. She needed a hacker, she needed--

No. She wasn't ready.

So lost in her thoughts as she was, the Mewtwo failed to notice she wasn't alone. A red bird, with a red bag, and a bright smile had somehow found it's way into her personal bubble.

"HI." The nice thing about being a Mewtwo, despite only really needing to communicate with psionics, was the fact that you could understand pokespeech.

The Delibird, calling itself 'Deliborb', was finding every single living thing it could and giving out presents. "Give. Givt." It paused, staring down for a moment. "....Gift." It smiled again, looking up as it stuck its wing into the bag and began rummaging around.