#Generation 1 : Garnet

[geminipixels]

Trading legacy tips and secrets with the Heiress.

As generation 1 comes to an end, Georgino spent the day before the twins aged up with his daughter Azura.

[fishnapple]

CRYSTAL READING: What would bring you good luck?

This is a general reading meant for multiple people. Take only what resonates and leave out the rest.

Feedback is much appreciated ❤️

Masterpost

Buy me a drink or book a reading with me - KO-FI (Read this post : personal reading)

1. Trolleite group

There is a contrast of two sides.

blue vs. red

personal vs collective

A hidden fire underneath a calm blue surface.

Wearing or using white and blue objects during travelling, especially long journey, dealing with a large crowd or going to public institutions, religious or spiritual places, the banks etc. would help you navigate the surrounding environment more smoothly.

It could be the colour of the clothes, vehicles, bottle, backpack etc.

Bringing a book and a notebook with you while travelling is also very beneficial.

Going near a large body of water, the ocean, the seashore, fish, and shells will help calm and ground you.

But for your private home, planting lots of flowers, paint the wall in warm pale tones of pink or pale orange, yellow will bring wamrth and vitality.

For harmonious communication, you could use a pink phone or a pink phone case, a pink notebook and pen, and pink accessories.

As I have said above about a hidden fire, intimate connections would stoke a creative fire within you, bring in more inspiration and life force to your projects.

Show a more vulnerable and soft side of yourself to the world and see how that would lead you on an unexpected, lucky journey.

2. Citrine group

There is a sense of an overall blessing draping your life. It's soft and jubilant.

You should surround yourself with soft, pastel colours and oceanic motifs.

Having a kaleidoscope and occasionally looking through it can unwind some restrictive thought patterns.

Travelling will bring lots of luck and valuable lessons. Schools and learning are also very important steps.

The more you study broadly but also deeply, the more depth and value you will find in life and in yourself. There is a calling from the depth of the ocean. To go deep, your life is not meant to be spent in a light, breezy, superficial way.

Have an exercise routine, not necessarily something vigorous, but just move your body around, writing or practising something with your hands daily will also assist you in this journey.

A teacher with masculine energy would also help you transform your fundamental way of thinking, building a more solid and vibrant inner core.

I also see that keeping yourself warm and monitoring what you eat closely would bring positive changes to you.

Bright red, orange, soft purple and blue, black would be your lucky colours.

3. Garnet group

Some period of wandering by yourself, away from familiar faces and environment, would do wonders to you. Especially when you feel quite lost, confused, or aimless.

Allow yourself to be guided by your intuition.When the urge strikes, just pack your things and go without too many thoughts and concerns.

It would be like a spiritual cleanse.

Things that relate to cleansing would also help you. Soap, salt, something smells of lavenders, lemon, rose, and water.

After some long walks or runs, taking a shower with soap or shampoo of these scent.

Take good care of your hair. Our hair is one of the most visible signs of life growing, of progression. I would usually imagine it as inverted roots of the tree that is our body.

A healthy root system would make a healthy tree.

I'm also see that some objects with cradle-like shapes are quite beneficial for your financial and physical growth. A bowl, a basket, a candy dish, something that can hold others.

The colours to bring you luck are jade green, sky blue, lilac, and dark red.

4. Rose quartz

When I saw your spread, I immediately heard the sound of wind chimes. More specifically, a brass wind chimes, the one with no frills, just simple tubes of brass swaying gently in a place with lots of dark trees. The place feels simple, quiet, serious, and solitary.

Hanging some objects like wind chimes, dream catchers, or something light, delicate by the door or windows. Or wearing earrings with that kind of shape would bring good luck to you.

Even more so if it was made by your own hands. I even saw some kind of transparent panel make of glass or acrylic with painting on it, dangling in front of the window, sunlight striking through, making rainbow dance in the room.

Light and sound would affect your energy profoundly.

When things feel unstable, difficulties arise, you could go to places that are old, with lots of history, have big, strong, square structure, or anywhere that has 4 walls surrounding you to feel more grounded.

Number 2,3,4 would show signs of blessing.

Things or beings that come in pair, in groups of three or groups of four.

Consider using things with contrast, a combination of complementary colours ,

dark and rich colours combine with light, soft colours such as green and pink, light blue and brown black, lilac with dark red, orange with cold grey.

5. Carnelian group

For this group, it's not really about something physical like a place, an object that could bring you good luck. It's more about words, thoughts, and emotions.

When dealing with others, sometimes not revealing yourself entirely would actually achieve more peace and honesty in that relationship.

You have an intense inner world, you see clearly the hurts, the vulnerability, and the darkness in yourself and others. Your words would have a heavy , serious trigger. It's not easy to always bring that heaviness out into the open because it would create misunderstanding and anger in others.

So, not showing yourself too much, wait and observe, until you and the other person reach a certain understanding of each other.

An outward elusiveness and detachment sometimes would help balance out the inward gravity.

Having a psyche like that would manifest as sensitivity in the physical body such as allergies, so avoid eating too much spicy and hot food or strenuous activities so as not to aggrevate the body further.

A healthy bridge between bodily nourishment and the psyche should be established. Observe how some food would affect you.

The biggest message is to take good care of your health. No amount of blessings is enough if you are not actually healthy to receive them.

For colours, dark earthy and creamy tones would make a nice comfy blanket for you.

Love.

[clockys-soul]

Some (new?) Male wof ocs, they’ve got nothing to do it’s the story I’ve abandoned, but I’d say these guys also life like maybe 6000 years after the main wof storyline.

Canyon is a Sandwing bandit, he’s cocky, clever and overall pretty good at what he does.

Hoverfly is a Hivewing Prince, he’s arrogant and mean, though he loves his older sister, Sawfly, very much and would do anything to keep her safe.

Monsoon is a Seawing noble, he’s extroverted and smug, he’s had more girlfriends than he himself has kept count of.

Nightfall is a Nightwing student, he is observant and clever and sometimes a bit of a know-it-all, he’s very close with his father, who is a nightwing General.

Hibiscus is a Rainwing healer's apprentice, he is very friendly and calm, everyone is pretty sure he’s never been mad in his life, he agrees.

Garnet is a Skywing noble, he’s mean and egotistical at times times but completely calm and kind towards his blind younger sister Spinel.

Violet is a Silkwing, Tailor/Seamster in the Lilac Hive (previously Jewel Hive), he’s kind and softspoken, he loves what he does and is very proud of it.

Copper is a Mudwing Sculpter and Potter, he is kind and likes to help where he can, he hatched from a blood-red egg and has 4 brothers and 1 sister.

Alder is a Leafwing mercenary, he is impulsive and reckless, the jewel around his neck is a gift from his mother whom he loves dearly.

North is an Icewing noble, he is Prideful above all else, but he is also very knowledgeable in all kind of things.

[wickjump]

ok so. i talk a lot about how cross is a swap sans, and his au is a mashup of a classic and swap timeline, right?

well. xpapyrus also acts like a swap papyrus too i feel. obviously he’s not entirely a swap pap, given how he’s in the royal guard and has a lot of energy and more outgoing personality. he’s a blend of a classic and swap papyrus. given the outgoing ability and efficiency while keeping some swap papyrus traits. notably, how willing he is to harm others. obviously he’s not going around beating the shit out of people, but unlike classic papyri, he would hurt or even kill people. this includes cross, his brother. “he remembered the cruelty of xgaster”, classic papyrus in underverse after remembering all of the resets didn’t dare harm frisk, the person making his universe’s resets happen.

crazy how xpapyrus says this given he completely had the intention to kill cross. like he was 100% willing did you see those blasters. also stop deadnaming your brother :(

he’s also generally been a fairly snarky kid compared to cross. cross fears xgaster as a child (because xgaster is implied to beat the shit out of his kids. crazy how we ignore that one), and still does as an adult, but as a child it’s. it’s obvious yk? but papyrus never really gave a shit. xgaster can mistreat him all he wants but he’s going to call him out whenever applicable. in the ‘looks like we have to kill this guy steven’ meme, he would be garnet. he and 1-S would be friends as kids because both would most likely let their gasters die under certain circumstances, whilst 2-P and cross would be more similar (both want approval and acceptance from their fathers/gasters, and both defended him despite how there is literally no reason to not let him die, etc).

also, compared to classic papyrus, xtale papyrus is more laid back at times. there’s this comic jakei made ages ago which shows it really well and i’m trying to find it but god it’s so old and also deleted i think. i have it saved somewhere hold on. WDYM I DONT HAVE IT SAVED. hold on. wow ok 2 hours later and i have no idea where it is. but he’s chiller than the other papyri and more comparable to swap papyrus at timessigh

idk just thinking

[tobyisave]

Peridot regeneration timeline! Just so i could dress her up a little hehe

(Headcanons I made while drawing this under the cut)

1. Along with not being able to shapeshift, Era 2s can’t do much more with their regenerations than change the color of their skin, which is why all of her outfits are skintight. (Except her visor because I don’t know fuck me I guess).

2. To cut costs, Era 2s also emerge knowing literally nothing except how to do their job (hence "touch stumps" "gravity connectors" etc). During “corrections” she gets her first uniform, which is a physical object they glue onto her - you can tell because her doll joints still show underneath. This is the only outfit that hangs off her body.

3. The first outfit also includes a mass-produced visor that doesn’t have a hole for her gem, so she suffers some energy deprivation having to absorb light through the glass. In her next regen she produces her own visor with a hole around her forehead, then by the next she figures out how to make it perfectly cut around her gem. The visor is what blocks you from seeing the facet edges of the gem (except I forgot to draw them again in the last design lol).

4. Her first limb enhancers are high quality and match her skin tone and everything. At 250 when she’s basically just an intern, she gets into an argument with a higher-up, who destabilizes her and revokes her fingers for a while --- this is when she becomes an obsessive rule-follower. After she gets exploded at age 2000 (rip) she gets these more generic enhancers that don’t match as well (the same kind of ‘spare’ enhancers Amethyst wears later on). They have a slightly different UI she doesn’t completely figure out until 3000 when she’s fighting the CGs.

5. Her feet are formless blobs because they were never supposed to see the light of day. She turns them into boots at the end because it’s the first time she’s really needed shoes. She still has fingers, though, because they figured she needs those in order to put on limb enhancers.

6. In canon, the fact that she stays the same before and after Garnet poofs her probably proves that she's just had the same design her entire life? But I will point out that for some reason, when she got put in a bubble it prevented her from experiencing the passage of time while poofed (right down to her continuing her own sentence when she regenerates this time).

[dailypersonamodding]

Saturday, April 15th, 2023

[ Sorry for the prolonged absence! Life got complicated for both of the admins and for the time being you'll need to deal with me! ]

ANYWAY, Goro Akechi Time

So, as is considered nearly common knowledge by now, data present in P5 and P5R points to the existence of a scrapped Akechi Palace for our ✨lovely pancake boy✨, but how much is known about it *really?* Here's a data breakdown of the scraps left over!

Every field in Persona 5 has a Major and Minor Field ID, and the game is programmed to assume Major ID's between 150 and 200 are Palaces. The final game uses IDs 150 to 162 for each Palace like so:

f150 - Prologue [ Casino Duplicate ]

f151 - Castle Pt.1

f152 - Castle Pt.2

f153 - Museum

f154 - Bank

f155 - Pyramid

f156 - Moon Base

f157 - Casino

f159 - Cruiseship

f160 - Holy Grail Path

f161 - Mementos Depths

f162 - Labratory

As you can see, there are missing Fields between 157 and 159, but how can we prove this is Akechi? We look at the dialogue for negotiating with Shadows!

When knocked down, Shadows occasionally mention whatever Palace Ruler is currently active. This data is stored in BATTLE\TALK in various .BF ( Binary Flowscript ) files that are run based on the enemy type.

Inside the BMD ( Binary Message Data ) chunk of these files, there's some unused dialogue:

Flee while you still can! Ahahaha! It is futile to oppose Lord Akechi! You would do well to tread carefully. Lord Akechi is a man possessed of immense desire. Hmph… I wonder if your power would even pose a threat to Lord Akechi… I give up… *sob* Lord Akechiii…

There are 27 lines in total from Shadows referencing "Lord Akechi", all of them localized! Normally, this is where most investigation ends. There was a planned Akechi Palace between Sae and Shido, but all data was scrapped and any attempts to load into the Palace by force fail due to an intense scrub of all related data.

( Generally this is a sign things are not going well )

This, however is not the end of things just yet—Atlus was not entirely diligent in the data wipe. One of the things left behind is a single .ENV ( Environment ) file. These files—among many other things—specify properties like texture color, color grading, light effects and so on for every field.

ENV\ENV0158_001_000.ENV is found in this folder, corresponding to the missing 158 Palace ID. However, since there's no meshes left over, we can only see ENV 158's effects by placing it on another field. Here is the front hall of the Bank Palace as seen in-game normally:

Here is what Akechi's Palace would have looked like, at least the ambiance, had development continued:

( I'm sure someone can make some kind of argument about how this represents Akechi thematically, lord knows I can. )

One other aspect still remaining is found in FIELD\FTD\FLDDNGPACK.FTD, a list that specifies what encounters can be found in any Palace, along with loot in Chests and Search Objects. Akechi's DNGPACK List is not entirely empty!

We can see by parsing this file that Akechi's Palace would have had around 21 different Fields, about the standard for every Palace in P5R, though this excludes Safe Rooms. While the Encounter Entries sadly lead only to default Kamoshida Castle battles, his list references a unique Random Loot Table 7! At the time of writing, it appears no other part of the game references Random Loot Table 7. While it lacks unique items found in other Palaces, the data is indicative of what could've been found inside Akechi's Palace Search Objects.

Jades and Garnets are placed at surprisingly high priority, along with the Marble Chessboard. Of note are the items such as the Marble Chessboard and Brass Pocket Watch, those specific Item IDs cannot be found in any other location in the ENTIRE Random Loot Table .FTD file.

Until more info about how Palaces function is uncovered, it seems like our Detective Prince will continue to elude us in his heavily fog-covered ways, this subject clearly needs more research to find any more remnants!

That’s all for now, see you soon!

[tiredwitchplant]

Everything You Need to Know About Crystals: Bloodstone

Bloodstone (The Blood of Purification)

Color: Green with bright red splatter. Some have white mixed in

Rarity: Easy to obtain

Hardiness: 7

Type: Chalcedony

Chakra Association: Root, Heart, Solar Plexus, and Sacral

Deities: Brigid, Dione, Persephone, Christ (believed to be his blood in Christian mythology)

Birthstone: March

Astrological Signs: Aries, Pisces, Libra

Element: Fire

Planet: Mars

Origin: Australia, Brazil, China, India, USA

Powers: Open Doors and Remove Walls, Prosperity, Strength, Courage, Purification, Vitality

Crystals It Works Well With: Red jasper, Black Tourmaline, Hematite, Amethyst

How It is Created: Bloodstone is a variety of chalcedony quartz with a distinctive dark green color combined with specks and clumps of red jasper inclusions

History: The distinct blood red marks within the stone are often used for talismans because it is believed that the stone protect one from evil spirits. In medieval times, it was believed the blood specks came from the blood of Christ while he was being crucified as his blood dripped down onto the rocks. Legends such as the tale of Percival, one of King Arthur’s knights who went on the quest for the Holy Grail, illustrate the combined qualities of bloodstone. Percival was a knight trained in the physical aspects of combat, but his quest took him into the spiritual realms, teaching him lessons about illusion and the power of unconditional love. In ancient times, it was believed that this stone could heal, banish negativity, and guide people who were lost. It was worn by warriors on their arms to help heal wounds during battle and to stop the bleeding quickly. It was also worn on the breast of a warrior to feel them with courage and strength. It was said to keep their morals high, even after very heavy casualties.

What It Can Do:

Banish evil spirits and negativity

Heal wounds and one’s mental state

Used to draw money and increase wealth

Clams fear and anger

Ensures victories in legal battles

Balances and ground the energy in one’s heart to promote action

Gives courage and teaches on how to avoid dangerous situations

Heal the ancestral line

Benefits blood-rich organs, regulates and supports blood-flow, and aids in circulation

Egyptians believed it shrank tumors

How to Get the Best Out Of: Wearing it as a bracelet or something on the arm area and a necklace near the heart is a great way to utilize bloodstone to its full potential as it works well near the bloodstream and blood-rich organs like the heart.

How to Cleanse and Charge: Cleanse it by running it under water or bury it in your garden for a deeper clean. Charge it by placing it under a full moon or using green and red candles around it.

Crystal Grid:

General Well Being

Layout: Lemniscate

1 clearing crystal

1 light-bringing crystal

1 immune-balancing crystal

Crystals to Use:

Bloodstone

Green Aventurine

Que Sera (Llanoite)

Quantum Quattro

Cherry, Rose, Smoky, or Emerald Quartz

Hold your crystals in your hands and state your intention for the grid.

Lie down.

Place a clearing crystal beneath your feet (sit up to do so).

Place a light-bringing crystal above your head.

Place an immune-balancing crystal halfway up your breastbone over the

higher heart chakra.

Use the power of your mind to connect the lemniscate over and around you.

Remain in the grid for five to fifteen minutes, focusing your attention and breathing gently

into the immune-balancing crystal. If you become aware of energy that needs to shift out of

your body, send it down to the crystal at your feet for transmutation.

Remove the crystals in the reverse order in which you laid them, then cleanse them

Heart and Immune System

Layout: Lemniscate

1 grounding crystal for the feet

1 pinkish-burgundy crystal or immune stimulator

1 emerald-green crystal or immune soother

Crystals to Use:

Emerald

Emerald Quartz

Fuchsite

Cherry Quartz

Rose Quartz

Ruby

Garnet

Green Aventurine

Lepidolite

Bloodstone

Que Sera

Quantum Quattro

Hematite Quartz

Hold your crystals in your hands and state your intention for the grid.

Sit down on the floor.

Place a grounding crystal at your feet.

Lie down fully.

Place one crystal above the heart on the higher heart

(thymus) chakra.

Place one over the heart seed at the base of the breastbone.

Check your heartbeat—it will quickly indicate which crystal should be placed above, and which below. If your heartbeat feels too rapid or is pounding heavily, or if it feels too slow and heavy, switch the crystals around.

Use the power of your mind or a crystal wand to trace the lemniscate, crossing the circles over your heart.

If dizziness results, breathe deeply and send the energy down toward the crystal at your feet for transmutation.

When the layout is complete, remove the crystals in the reverse order in which you laid them. Stand up slowly and ground yourself by stamping your feet.

Sources

[forgwater]

Late Night

(general) Lilia Vanrouge x Reader

part 5 part 4 part 3 part 2 part 1

gender neutral reader

a/n: it's been 84 years. I am so sorry to everyone that's been waiting for an update for the past almost 2 years 💀. Things have been happening.

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"Did you really think I'd let you back out of this commitment?" the general inquires, a smirk evident on his features.

You gulp as he fixates you with his piercing gaze. Mischief and… something else dance within those garnet colored eyes of his. You find yourself staring, unable… or unwilling to remove your own gaze from the fae.

However, feeling the growing warmth of your cheeks prompts you to act.

It’s the fire, you placate yourself.

It must be the fire. There’s no other explanation. No. Nope. Nothing else.

While you were preoccupied trying to and failing at controlling your racing thoughts, your companion finally loses his battle with laughter, startling you at the loudness of it.

“Oh?~ are you finally falling for my good looks and enchanting personality?” he barely manages to get out. There’s a hint of proudness in his voice, slightly masked by his maniacal giggling.

“NO-!” Great. Now you’re embarrassed too. You just made a fool of yourself in front of the enemy-… was he still an enemy…?... you’re working together for now….

“That’s so cute!” placing an elbow on his knee, he sighs “you’re so cute…”  

“…”

“…”

Considering his face right now, you’re sure the general would’ve preferred to have had a brick hit him squarely in the face. But no, he does not get that privilege. Instead he gets to see the smirk growing on your face, followed by a dreaded, teasing:

“Did you just call me cut-“

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” he looks positively desperate to cover up his slip up. A triumphant smile takes its place on your lips at that.

“Sure, if you say so.” You card a hand though your hair, batting your eyelashes at him in the process. You don’t believe him in the slightest and he knows it.

With an exasperated groan and hands covering his face, the fae falls on his back.

Might as well pretend he’s not here. Not like you’d give him that luxury, but it’s good to hope.

“So…” You sit next to him.

Goodbye hope, it was good knowing you.

“Hmmm?” the muffled sound urges you to continue.

Feigning ignorance will have to do.

“What’s the plan?” throwing a glance his way, you continue “Do we keep traveling together or are we splitting ways?” there’s a feeling in your eyes the general can’t quite make out and you’re not sure you can either.

How can you continue working together with him? Where would you go? What would you do? It’s… dangerous.

Bringing him before your peoples troops doesn’t feel quite right. And you hope he wouldn’t do that to you either.

After what feels like ages, Lilia opens his mouth to speak:

“I still don’t know where we are…” he finally meets your gaze “and I suppose you don’t either. So I propose we stay together until we find a village or an outpost… or something.” he offers “….We can split ways then.” If you didn’t know better you would’ve said the general sounded disappointed, but that can’t be.

...Right?....

You decide not to comment on it either way.

“That sounds like a good enough plan.” You finally add. “…We should rest.” You decide.

“I’ll take first watch.” Lilia offers, only to be met with your distrusting gaze. “OH COME ON!” the offended fae shouts. “You literally freed me! You’re the one that suggested it to begin with too!” the disbelief is clear in his voice “And now you’re worried I might kill you??!?”

“…” you pause “Force of habit.” you finally counter.

“…”

“…”

“Valid point.” He gives, throwing his hands in the air in mock surrender. “I promise I won’t kill you this time.”

You give him a blank stare.

“Okay! FINE! I’m sorry I killed you the first time! Does your capturing of me counts for my atonement and your revenge yet?” he gives you an almost pleading look. Almost.

“Hmmmm…” your mischievous smile greets the exasperated general. “Not yet.” you grin.

“NOT YET?!?!” his face is completely indignant “How much more must I suffer for you to forgive me?!” he huffs.

“We’ll see~” you tease, only to be met with another groan.

“I’m going to sleep!” seems like he’s had enough of your playfulness.

“I thought you were taking the first watch?” you poke again.

“Correction. You’re going to sleep.” And with that you decide it’s time to retreat, smile still on your face.

The fae takes a seat by the campfire opposite of you, moving to curl up next to the flames, the light feels warm and welcoming against your weary bones. Before drifting off to sleep you look at your companion and whisper out a tired “Goodnight, Lilia.”

You almost miss the softest tone you’ve ever heard: “Goodnight, Y/N.”

………

……

….

You awake to the morning light shining on your features….... and something burning.

“Lilia?!” you shout in panic. Jumping from your laying position, you are met with the fae turning to you from… whatever had the poor fate of running into him.

“Can’t say I wouldn’t love to hear you screaming my name, but I’d rather you have a different tone while doing so.”

“I- You- WHAT?!” He did not just insinuate what you think he did! Did he?!

You keep opening and closing your mouth in disbelief. How do you even respond to that?!

Lilia’s smirk does not escape you and he looks far too pleased with your reaction.

“You’re so unfair!” you settle on.

“Oh? Am I?~” he teases “I let you sleep the entire night… or what was left of it, and you’re still upset with me?” he sighs “Look!” I even cooked for us!” the fae smiles proudly, showing off… the thing.

“…Should I ask what that even is?” you attempt to get answers.

“Rabbit.” he pauses briefly “Have you never eaten rabbit before?”

“Ah! That’s not-… It looks.... interesting!” you force a smile.

“Why, thank you! Now, you can have half.” He pushes some of the charred poor creature towards you. “Go on! Dig in! I’m sure I can catch us some more, so don’t be shy!” he urges you.

.....You’re not gonna be able to get out of this one, are you…?

“I’m not really that hungry…” you try anyway.

“Don’t be shy!” he pushes it more into your hands.

Oh… you’re so gonna regret this.

“Or… perhaps you’d prefer that I feed you myself~” the fae smirks.

Never mind. You'll take your chances with the.... "rabbit".

“Fine!” you relent “I’ll eat some!” you take the rabbit meat from him. “And no, I prefer using my own hands to eat.” You glare and he laughs.

Ugh, he can be so insufferable at times.

......

…….Now, how can you eat this without dying?

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Masterlist

taglist: @kimura-uzuri  @desertlilie  @strawberry-cheezcake @anonima-2 @oreochococheesecake @justeclem44 @hat3yo0 @debo1701 @aloodonut

@haru-tofuu @vivianstar-blog2

[haphazardlyannotated]

Steven Universe Weapons Graded by Practicality in Actual Combat

Garnet:

There's a reason gauntlets aren't a standard weapon of warfare, and that reason is range. If you want to hit someone with your gauntlets, you have to let them get pretty close. Which might easily be closer than they even need to get to hit you, if their weapon gives them any range at all. Just remember how Jasper got Garnet with the Gem Destabiliser in The Return before Garnet had a chance to get a hit in.

That being said, Garnet's gauntlets have two points in their favour that I wanted to talk about: 1.) They protect her gems, which would otherwise be extremely vulnerable. When in combat, you'll all but certainly have to use your hands to attack, deflect or even just catch yourself when you fall. Garnet's gems would be at a constant risk of cracking without her gauntlets. And 2.) Garnet's gauntlets can be launched like rockets, which at least partially negates the range problem.

Overall assessment: 5/10, saved by the special features

Amethyst:

Like gauntlets, real life whips don't fare too well as implements of war. Unless you can get it around your enemy's neck, the best thing you can hope for is that you'll be able to hit them hard enough to make them drop their weapons. Also, it would be pretty difficult not to hit your allies with it by accident.

However, the way Amethyst's whip works negates all of these problems. Not only can Amethyst get her whip wrapped around her enemy and then squeeze them until they poof, she is also strong enough to either slam a wrapped up enemy into the floor or walls hard enough to take them out, we see her grab a boulder several times her size and use it as a flail in Steven vs Amethyst. Her weapon also has the additional perk of being useful to restrain an enemy, and just as a little cherry on top, can apparently also produce electric(?) shocks.

Overall a ridiculously good weapon, easy 10/10.

Pearl:

Spear: Spears are (well, were) the most commonly used real life weapon for a reason. They can be used both one- and two handed, both to stab at mid range and to throw at long range, and Pearl's seems to be suitable to all four. She also uses it to slash at her opponents like a glaive, and can shoot energy balls(?). However, Amethyst's whip is still more versatile, so I'm going to rate Pearl's spear 9/10.

Trident: I'm sorry, Bismuth, but the two extra stabs per attack aren't worth losing the slashing and making the throws more difficult in my eyes. 7/10, one point deduced for each.

Swords: Also popular for a reason. I don't think I need to explain why swords are good, so I'm just going to say that since Pearl's swords don't have any magical properties, I'm going to give them a simple 7/10 and move on.

Steven:

A real life shield is not really a weapon, but we've seen Steven's shield be thrown like a boomerang, and it seems to be pretty effective. That being said, this attack is at the very least much more difficult in mêlée, by which I mean if you're holding something off with it, you have to wait and pray that someone else will help you out, because you're not getting off any attacks now.

4/10 with the caveat that I'm unsure if this should have been rated here in the first place.

Connie:

We already did swords. 7/10.

Peridot:

Limb Enhancers: They're not solely weapons, but they have weapon functions, so I decided they count. Mainly, I think her blaster should be rated 8/10, as it seems to be much more destructive than Pearl's energy balls, but can only be used to either directly hurt your opponent, or collapse structures on them.

Metal Spike: Well, it worked, I guess? In all seriousness, if she got good at impaling people with it, that'd be a 7/10 for a regular spear equivalent.

Soda Cans: Look, Peri, if you were going to throw human metal objects, you should have picked the cars. 1/10 for comic relief.

Lapis:

I'm pretty sure "The Ocean" doesn't generally count as a weapon, but if it did, it'd be a 1000/10. There's a reason Lapis had to be kept away from the main plot.

Bismuth:

I don't know how to evaluate the shapeshift weapons, but the Breaking Point has hilariously low ratings. It's very short range, can not be used to block or parry, and needs to hit one exact tiny bullseye on a moving target. 2/10, and we don't even need to debate the ethics of war.

Jasper:

Helmet: Congratulations, we've found a weapon that requires you to get even closer to the target than gauntlets! In all seriousness, Jasper's helmet is a very impractical weapon. Not only does it have a small range, Jasper also has to lower her head and thus limit her field of vision when attacking. It does protect her gem, but not as well as Garnet's gauntlets protect hers, seeing how the visor thing is broken in Jailbreak, but Garnet's gauntlets never have been.

0/10, I honestly believe she'd be better off fighting with her bare hands

Destabilizer: This basically comes down to how many times you can use one of those. If it's unlimited, your opponents' only chance is to fire at you from a distance, and I'd rate it 11/10. If it's a one or two uses and then you need to recharge or get a new one, it's still an 8/10, but you'll want to have another weapon on hand.

Opal:

Opals bow is ridiculously good. It can hit a bazillion targets at a time and auto bubble them! And it satisfies my inherent bias for long distance weapons! What more could you want? Basically, Opal took a bow, which is already a great weapon, and then buffed it by a thousand.

12/10, the real reason we see so little of Opal is that she's too powerful.

Sugilite:

Flails were pretty rare weapons historically, probably because a weapon that will hit either you or your ally like a cartoon boomerang if you miss is too much of a liability. Also, momentum makes swinging it slower than everything we've seen before. Overall, I agree with the historical judgment. 3/10.

Sardonyx:

War hammers are much better documented as historical weapons than flails, and much more effective than I initially assumed. Apparently they were useful because they can knock you out through a metal helmet. If Sardonyx' hammer had a pointy end instead of two flat ones, it could also be used for grappling, but as it is, I'm afraid the lack of versatility will keep the score at 6/10.

Smoky Quartz:

I can't reasonably use real life yoyos as a comparison for Smoky's yoyo, so I'll treat it like a more controlled flail: A weapon that can hit around obstacles up to the longer end of mid distance and be recalled easily. Also, it can grapple and create tornadoes. Overall, it's to Sugilite's flail what Amethyst's whip is to, well, real life whips.

10/10 weapon, no notes

Rainbow 2.0

We never see Rainbow fight with their umbrella, but we do see him use some sort of telekinesis with it. If we assume that the umbrella can be used to stab an opponent (if it can't, I don't think it can be classified as a weapon), I'd give it a reluctant 4/10, since it's still not very good at taking anyone out, but the telekinesis could be pretty useful defensively.

Sunstone:

I have no earthly, or indeed alien idea as to how one would go about fighting with suction cups. I'll grade this one not applicable.

Obsidian:

All the advantages of a regular sword, but it can also easily cut through metal, and, if the lava is to be taken seriously, stone, so it can also be used to dismantle your enemies' fortifications. 10/10

Ruby:

Basically the same points as Garnet's gauntlets, except she's more limited due to having even shorter range and only one gauntlet. We don't have proof as to whether she can launch hers, but I decided to assume she can, on the basis that it has to originate somewhere.

3/10

Rose and Stevonnie:

I'm going to guess that the sword and shield combo is probably better than just a sword, and definitely better than just a shield, but I don't want to give it a 10/10, because it can't compare to the versatility of my other 10/10s, so I'll give it an 8/10 and call it good.

Eyeball:

A handheld knife strikes the lowest step on the weapons ladder. It heavily skews the odds in your favour if your opponent is unarmed, but doesn't have the range or damage output to do much against anything on this list(except Peridot's soda cans, and technically Jasper's helmet, but 1.) Jasper could beat Eyeball barehanded and 2.) Eyeball would never attack Jasper).

2/10

Topaz:

A fairly common weapon for a while, but it can't do anything other than smash things. I'll give it the same rating as Sardonyx' war hammer for the same reasons. 6/10.

Aquamarine:

Look, I know it's kind of a grey area whether this counts as a weapon, but that little staff was scary. It can freeze any number of opponents? Of seemingly any power level? With no apparent time limit? 20/10, how are you supposed to fight this?

Bluebird:

A cutlass is a sword. 7/10. 9/10 if I count the barrage of ice cutlasses. Very good weapons, it's just that Steven and Alexandrite are vastly more powerful, so the quality of her weapon didn't end up mattering.

[luminetti]

𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒖𝒆 𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒚 ༺♡༻ Chapter 4

༘⋆Notes: i am back!!! so sorry again for the giant gap but chapters should be coming out faster now that my finals season is coming to an end! sorry for the slight cliffhanger but im so excited for the plot to be picking up finally! hope you enjoy!

༘⋆ Chapters: ┆[1] ┆ [2] ┆[3]┆[4]┆[5]┆[6] ┆[7] ┆

ao3

Your scalp throbbed as another pin slid tightly against your neck, fastening the ribbon to your updo.

“Stop fidgeting, you’ll make it come loose,” Euphemia muttered from behind you, intently focused on threading the ribbon into a bow. Her nimble fingers smoothed and secured every hair into place, finalizing her work with a soft pat on the head. “How’s this?” She asked, spinning you around in the chair and holding up a hand mirror.

A soft breath escaped you as you observed your appearance. Balls were rarely something that generated excitement anymore and the prospect of love somehow garnered even less. Despite your past experiences, something churned within your stomach, suspiciously resembling the fluttering of butterflies. And to your growing surprise, it was almost as though you had missed such a feeling. “I think it’s lovely, Phemie.”

She pursed her lips and whipped you back around. “Lovely? I need gorgeous, I’m restarting.” 

Her fingers barely graced the top of your head before a particularly loud and jarring cough resounded from the doorway.

“I refuse to be late to the Duke’s ball because of hair,” Sebastian drawled, dressed clad in black and lazily leaning against the doorframe.

Euphemia groaned and spun you once more to face your brother. “What do you think then? Is this good enough?”

Sebastian stared at her blankly. “I’m not sure what you want me to say here. It is hair.”

She scoffed and turned back to the dresser, rummaging through the countless drawers. “Of course you wouldn’t know. You don’t even know how to tell the difference between a black and navy tie.”

Turning back to face him, she held up two necklaces. One adorned with tiny rubies along a thin silver chain, and the other a single garnet pendant. “Which?”

Sebastian looked up from undoing his dark blue tie. “What?”

She rolled her eyes and held the necklaces higher.

He looked between the two over and over again. “The…The red one?” He asked, hesitantly.

Sebastian swore as a hairbrush flew past his shoulder, dodging just before it collided into him.

“They’re both red, you absolute clod!” 

Throwing the hairbrush back to Euphemia who caught it easily, Sebastian stalked out of the room and down the hallway. “I’ll be seeing red if we don’t leave soon!”

Euphemia glared in the direction he left. Putting down one of the necklaces, she leaned over you to drape the other across your neck. “Oh? When did you get a new necklace?” She paused, reaching out to examine the small crystal necklace Gale had given you.

“A couple nights ago.” You pulled your hair back to let her fawn over it. “From Gale,” You added sheepishly.

“The Viscount?!” Her eyebrows rose to her hairline and she leaned in, reducing her voice to a whisper. “You’re officially courting?”

You whipped around in your seat, “No, of course not! It was just a parting gift.” Your mind slipped back to the night he gave you the necklace. He was so close that if you just shivered your lips might’ve touched. Of course, however, they did not. And when you mistakenly brought up the topic of courting–to your absolute horror–Gale couldn’t even form a proper sentence in response. Surely courting was out of the cards regardless of the thrill in your heart that pounded whenever he was mentioned.

Euphemia stared down at you in disbelief as you finished explaining the interaction. “I don’t quite think his reaction was…as you interpreted.”

“I’m sure he just wanted to let me down easily,” You replied

“Courtship doesn’t need to be elaborate displays of affection, dearest,” She began. “It is often accompanied with spending time with each other, like promenades, or lunch.” Her eyes dropped to the pendant around your neck. “Among those, gifts are also quite common.”

The butterflies stirred giddily in your stomach. “You really think he’s trying to court me?”

Euphemia glanced towards the doorway where Sebastian had been before turning back to you. “The Viscount was a pleasure to host, but I think the ball would be the perfect chance to meet new potential suitors.”

You looked up at her. “New suitors?”

She bit her lip as concern briefly settled over her features. “You’ve never met the Viscount before because he rarely attends the balls.”

Something twisted in your chest. Something different than the butterflies that were now suspiciously silent. “But why would he skip them if he’s looking for someone to court?”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her soft hand pulling you out of the seat. “Just give the other suitors a chance.” She pleaded, gathering both your dance cards. “Sebastian is hoping you get a chance to talk to the Marquess.” Euphemia gave you one final pointed look before retreating down the hall and out the front door.

✣ ✣ ✣

The Ravengard estate was, to put it lightly, exceedingly glamorous. Arriving a tad late, the ball was already in full swing with a lively quartet and couples dancing lined the dance floor. The ballroom’s ceiling was patterned in blocks of intricate red and gold. The details trailed down walls, wrapping and weaving around the onlays ceremoniously. Draped against the back wall was a single red banner, thick in width and clad in deep red. Painted on the front was a silver emblem, picturing a knight’s helmet and a crimson fist, the familiar symbol of the Flaming Fist.

From what you remember of Euphemia’s ramblings, the Flaming Fist are the pride and joy of the Ravengard family. It was what elevated Grand Duke Ravengard to, well, the Grand Duke. The Sword Coast was the mother of Baldur’s Gate and the Flaming Fist their shield. It was customary for Baldurians to attend a ball hosted by the Ravengard, that much was certain. But for the citizens of Waterdeep? For such a long distance, many were only in attendance for their Duchess Mystra, and the now Late Duke Elminster. Some Waterdhavians may have pulled from the ball, opting to attend a more local event and perhaps mourn the loss of the Late Duke. However, there was sure to be at least one Waterdhavian in attendance.

“Not looking to dance?”

You whipped around to come face to face with Gale. Gone were the old clothes you had found in Sebastian's closet, instead replaced with a dark velvety tailcoat and golden buttons that fastened the fabric tight against his chest. You never considered Gale to be scruffy or anything of the like. Quite the opposite in fact. But with the ballroom lighting and a refreshed appearance, you admit your heartbeat quickened. You nearly reached out to him, catching yourself last second.

“Lord Dekarios,” you began, curtseying lightly as Euphemia taught. “Pleased to meet you.”

Gale's face fell and he stared at you as if you had just taken a dagger to his chest.

You cleared your throat, glancing around the busy ballroom and speaking lowly. “Was my discretion the past couple months all for naught?”

His brows furrowed until a relieved smile broke out across his face and he smiled nervously. “Ah yes! Pleased to meet you,” Gale said, almost over confidently. “For the very first time,” he added. “Never before.”

Gods, he really was terrible at this.

“Now that I’ve met you, I’ll ask again. No dancing?”

You pursed your lips as you recalled your previous attempts to dance with potential suitors. Despite your sour performance you really were trying your best. Unfortunately, your suitors seemed to have as much patience as a teacup and moved on as soon as the set finished. At least they had the etiquette to stay until the set finished. A feat as such deserved a mental applaud for their resolve.

You fiddled with the small dance card strapped to your wrist. “I’m an expert, I promise. But I wouldn’t recommend seeing it for yourself.”

Gale raised an eyebrow, a surprised chuckle escaping his lips. “I can’t help but be curious now.” He eyed the slip of paper between your fingers. “May I?” he asked, reaching for it.

You grimaced but relented and handed him the attached pencil. “Truly horrid you are doing this to me.”

He grinned in reply, happily writing his name into the one of the blank spaces. “Will you be as good a dancer as you are a chess master?”

Scoffing, you rolled your eyes. “Will you talk about dancing as long as you did about chess? Horses and knights and bishops and kings. Tell me more about the knight’s opening, I’m sure it’ll be riveting.”

“It was the bishop’s opening, actually,” he said absently, still scribbling on your card.

“More like the bishop’s eye-closer, I’m surprised I didn’t fall asleep– what are you even writing that’s taking so long?”

Gale stifled a laugh as you pulled the pencil away from him and looked at your dance card. With surprisingly neat cursive, various versions of Gale Dekarios’ name sat in at least seven of the spots. The names ranged from his actual name in the first slot to the last which barely held any resemblance in the slightest.

‘Who the hells is Gray Delargo?!” 

“That would be my alter ego,” he snorted, rather pleased with himself.

You scanned the card again. Glais Dalglish, George Dowey, even Dale Gekarios. Ignoring Gale’s laughter, you quickly counted each name.

“Ten?! You added ten of these?!”

“I said I would, didn’t I? Unless you’re asking for an eleventh.”

You snickered as you read through all the names. Skimming the rest you noticed a gap between the sixth and eighth dance. “I don’t suppose this is where you flee after seeing my dancing capabilities?”

He shook his head, seemingly recovered from his laughing fit. “That’s for when I talk to the Marquess. I can only hope he’s available for at least a moment tonight.”

You hummed and nodded, biting back the grin growing across your face. “I’m sure he’d love to dance with you.”

As the music died down, couples began to disperse from the dance floor in search of their next partner. In a flash, Gale had pulled you to the center of the ballroom. Before you could even understand what was happening, the band burst back to life with dignified intensity. His fingers pressed up against your hand and gently wrapped around it. With a push against your palm, Gale stepped towards you, forcing you to stumble backwards.

“What are you doing?” You questioned in a frantic whisper, thankful none of the other couples had noticed your jagged movements.

Gale tugged your hand again, this time pulling you closer as he took a step back. “Is this not the purpose of a dance card? I wrote my name for the third dance, it is the third dance, so we are dancing.”

You glowered at him as he took your waist, lightly spinning you perfectly in sync with the other dancers. “And you truly expect to participate in all, what, six trillion dances you’ve put yourself down for?”

“It was ten,” Gale commented, “And yes, all of which I quite intend to be present for.” He pulled you close with a prolonged grip on your hip and a far-from-modest keenness. “Unless you intend to imply you are not interested?” His eyes darted to the necklace hanging just below your collarbones with a glance so quick you questioned if it truly happened. “Though,” Gale continued, locking eyes with you once more and lowering his voice to a gravelly murmur. “Something tells me that is not the case.”

Warmth bloomed from the pit of your chest and you made no effort to refute it. Satisfied, he pulled away and continued to lead through the dance. With Gale, dancing felt natural; a sentiment you never thought you’d have the pleasure of having. For one single instant you could’ve sworn the other guests disappeared from the ballroom and only you and Gale remained. His eyes are brown, you note. A deep brown like the bark of burned firewood or an oversteeped early morning cup of tea. A brown that made his irises resemble that of clockwork and oh, how easy it is to see yourself spending the rest of your life with that brown.

His hand reached for yours once more and time is suddenly restored, the piano quartet jovial as ever. Through all the alacrity of the dance floor, you only momentarily caught a glimpse of Euphemia through the crowd, peering at you with large anxious eyes. In the midst of all the chasséing, waltzing, spinning, and turning, words of the Marquess and her concern merely flitted through your mind, effectively becoming null the second she left your sight. Your heart thrummed vividly against your chest, desperate for something, anything. Your bodies departed as the women shifted down the line to their new partner but his presence never fully leaves. Even as you moved two, then three people down the line, his eyes never left your form for a second. You couldn’t help but do the same and Gale grinned a bit wider when you returned to his arms.

Your heart thrashed dramatically, deciding that if something was to be done, it was this very instant. With hands moving on their own accord, you clutch the collar of his suit and lean into him. Instinctively, his hands cling to your waist. Letting your eyes fall closed, you pull him down and–

He freezes.

Gale’s form goes rigid under your touch and his grip tightens. Glancing up at him in confusion, you realize he’s staring directly beyond you looking as though he’s seen a ghost. All of a sudden you feel like a fish out of water but the ball doesn’t stop for just you. The couples beside you continue to soar across the dancefloor, the womens’ dresses brushing against your stationary body. Pivoting, you see nothing out of the ordinary other than Euphemia and Sebastian’s prying eyes.

 Then all of a sudden Gale frantically pushed past you with wide eyes and a pale complexion. A cursory ‘one moment’ was all you were offered before he vanished into the crowd and out to the seemingly empty balcony.

You stood there for a couple moments, unable to process what had happened nor able to escape from the dance floor. You’ve had bad seasons before, that much was undeniable. But to your credit, never in all your life had someone fled from the ballroom without as much of an apology. Did you do something wrong? If you did, you certainly didn’t realize.

As the music surged to it’s finish, you realized tears brimmed in your eyes, blurring your vision. As the dancers left the floor and new ones began to take their place, you hurriedly searched for a place to escape. You took a couple steps forward and immediately got shoved out of the way by an incoming couple who looked you up and down strangely. A younger woman pushed around you to find her partner while another couple prepared to take the place behind you. Chest heaving, you desperately spun in place, searching for a route off the floor.

A dark figure threaded through the hoard of people to stand in front of you. Dressed in a long crimson tailcoat that enhanced his sepia skin, he offered a hand to you, bowing politely. 

“Take my hand, I’ll shield you from everyone else,” he spoke lowly.

The moment your fingertips grazed his hand he pulled you towards his chest, pivoting to where he towered over you. “Breathe,” he reminded you. “There’s still a couple minutes before the quartet begins.”

You nodded, patting away salty beads of tears with the hem of your dress. “Thank you…”

With your vision cleared, you managed to finally get a better look at your supposed savior. His hair was braided to lay neatly against his scalp and concern graced over his soft features. “Of course.” He stepped away, still watching you carefully. “I would ask for a dance but I fear you may be in too much…” he paused as you sniffled. “...distress.”

Shaking your head you fished out your dance card. “I think leaving the floor now would put me in more distress than I began with.”

He snorted in surprise when he opened it to reveal the list of names scrawled onto the paper. “I can’t say I know a Lord Dale Gekarios, do you?”

Your cheeks burned as you handed him the accompanying pencil. “He seems to have fled.”

“Not to worry. I’ll just…” he scribbled into the empty slot and handed it back to you. “There.”

Etched into the card in simple script was the name “Ryll Wavengard.” You stared at the dark writing for several seconds in confusion.

“It’s Wyll,” He explained with a grin, noticing your lost expression. “Wyll Ravengard.”

Your head snapped up to meet his gaze, dropping to a curtsey as quick as your body could move. Marquess Wyll Ravengard, Son of the Grand Duke. “My Lord! Apologies, I– surely I would’ve noticed–”

Wyll quickly waved you off with a smile. “I take no offense. I find it rather refreshing.” The embroidered emblem of the Flaming Fist that you somehow missed earlier shone with silky threads as he bowed. “Would your chaperone approve of this dance? I would have asked for an introduction properly if we weren’t on a time limit.”

As you scanned the ballroom your eyes landed on Sebastian and Euphemia who were watching you intently, their gaze quickly averting when you spot them. “I doubt they have objections,” you told him with a smile, allowing Wyll to take your hand as the sweet violin fills the ballroom.

The dance started off slowly and Wyll stepped carefully as he led you through the beginning. To your relief, you actually recognized the movements as one of the first dances you ever learned. Silently thanking Euphemia for the weekly lessons, you managed to slip into a rhythm, carrying out each step to the best of your ability.

“So, to whom do I owe the pleasure of dancing with?” Wyll asked.

You bit back the third apology of the night, instead opting to just introduce yourself. “My siblings are here as well.” As you gestured to Sebastian and Euphemia–who were getting significantly worse at pretending to be disinterested–Wyll’s smile brightened.

“Ah, Sebastian! I met him earlier tonight and it was quite the pleasure.” He glanced towards your brother, giving him a cursory smile as he continued to dance with you. “Have you been to a Ravengard ball before?”

You shook your head. “I haven’t. This is only my second season.”

“I’m surprised. You seem to fit right in.” Wyll hummed in thought.

Ignoring the initial reaction to disagree, you thanked him anyway. The rest of the dance went similarly. Wyll would ask a question and you would reply, followed by a moment of silence. It wasn’t unpleasant by any means, but you found yourself missing something–or someone.

Before you knew it the dance was over and the Marquess escorted you back to your siblings, bidding them a nice night. After a thorough questioning about the dance, you managed to convince them to give it a rest for now. Until then, you just waited, occasionally checking your dance card.

One by one the dances continued to pass. From the seventh, to the eighth, then the ninth. 

By the tenth dance you had searched the entire ballroom and nearby wings of the estate only to come up empty handed.

At the top of the eleventh dance you finally gave up and begged Euphemia to let you return early, to which she pensively agreed.

✣ ✣ ✣

“I truly just cannot understand,” you whined to your sister as she pulled various pins from your hair. “One moment things are absolutely perfect and the other he vanishes from the face of the Earth!”

“Perhaps he’s–”

“I mean really, is he trying to avoid me? He still hasn’t moved his things from his room– the guest room.” The pin snags a strand of hair making you wince.

“Have you considered–”

You slumped back in the chair, absently rambling again. “Do you think I did something? I’m not much of a dancer but I thought I was getting the hang of it– Ow!”

Euphemia dropped a couple pins in the ceramic tray on your desk, threads of hair winding around each one. “If you just held still and let me reply, it wouldn’t have hurt,” she scoffed. “How much do you know about the Viscount?”

Pursing your lips you stared at her incredulously through the vanity mirror. “I know plenty! He favors the color violet, knows far too much about chess to be that attractive, and…” you decided to keep his mage status to yourself, “...other things.”

The hairbrush bristles made the back of your neck tingle as she ran it through your hair. “Those barely scratch the surface, love. How much do you truly know about him?”

You opened your mouth to protest but she continues.

“Have you ever stopped to wonder why the Viscount of Waterdeep is in Baldur’s Gate? Or maybe why you’ve never met him at a ball before, despite participating in far fewer seasons than him?”

The bundle of nerves twisted ominously in your stomach as her words settled in, “What are you talking about?”

She spun you around to face her, donning an uncharacteristically serious expression. “Please just consider that you may not have the entire story.”

Your heart beat quicker than usual, as if spurred on by her words. “Okay…’

“Get some sleep,” Euphemia said, patting your shoulder and retreating to her own bedroom.

As she disappeared from view you sat silently, staring at where she had been. She was right. There were so many things he never fully explained that lingered deep down in the back of your mind. You had just been so caught up in… well, him… that you didn’t think to question his secrecy.

You found yourself stationed in front of the guest bedroom doorway, hand hovering on the doorknob. Your heart craved answers and this was the only place you figured there might be. He abandoned you at the ball, who was he to care now?

The door swung open to reveal a relatively neat room. You hadn’t been inside since Euphemia fixed it up for Gale, and even then it still looked the same as it had years ago. The only change was the new navy bed sheets and dozens of papers littering the desk.

Along the top of the desk were several stamps and wax seals clearly used for letter sealing.

How odd. Gale hadn’t sent any letters since he sheltered in your manor.

A folded letter tucked into the back shelf of the desk caught your eye with its glittering mauve seal, shimmering with a silver dusting on the details. You traced the circular design with the pads of your fingers, trailing down each point of the star symbol. Where had you seen it before?

Curiosity took over and you couldn’t help but read its contents, unprepared for the violent sickness that overtook your body.

Dearest Lord Dekarios,

Pray tell, how are you faring? I dare admit your correspondence has been missed. The Waterdeep Palace feels colder without your frequent visits.

Sources claim you are healthy. That is good. Make haste and return to me, we have much to discuss.

Yours heartily,

Duchess Aumar,

P.s. Duchess Dekarios has a ring to it, does it not?

Your heart dropped to the floor and the bedroom walls crumbled down around you to join it. The past couple months you had spent with Gale flashed through your mind. Could you have known this sooner? The paper trembled in your grip as you reread it, praying new words would magically appear and confirm he had truly loved you all this time, but no such words manifested. You read it over and over, analyzing each letter.

Perhaps it was addressed incorrectly.

Perhaps there was another Lord of a similar name.

On the fifth read you resisted the urge to shred the paper to tiny bits and pieces. Destroying the letter wouldn’t repair the damage to your heart.

A million thoughts crossed your mind and you gripped the sheet so hard it creased at the edge. The only saving grace was the glimmer of hope that flickered in the cavern of your chest that somehow, someway, there was something you had interpreted wrong.

“Why do you have that?” Gale’s voice cut through the room as he stared at you from the doorway, dreadfully horrified. Whatever hope you had promptly extinguished as a flash of light caught your eye. In the moonlight, plain as day, was the unassuming earring he always wore–the one you had barely given a second thought. Round and silver with a simple star decal, the very same as the glittering sealed letter in your hand. It was her symbol. And he was wearing it.

taglist:

@vhaldren @qiific3 @cryingoverpixelsetc

[ericas-spop-blog]

Politics and Murder

or, "Why Shadow Weaver didn't try to kill Hordak for nearly 20 years"

Let me make an assertion: After worming her way into the second-in-command position, Shadow Weaver could have murdered Hordak at virtually any time (and she knows this).

This would be true even if he wasn't secretly being held together his armour; Shadow Weaver is a frighteningly powerful sorceress, and Hordak's one defensive tactic of "not standing too close to people" would not save him against being ambushed with ranged Shadow Magic attacks.

Which raises the much more interesting question: Why didn't she? If she's so power hungry, why didn't she stab him in the back and crown herself the witch-queen of the Fright Zone?

to which I think there's two answers:

(1) Shadow Weaver is power hungry specifically for princess-like magical power. That's the thing she's always moving towards. While she does pursue political and interpersonal power, it's as a means to that end. She already had unfettered access to the Black Garnet, so naming herself queen wouldn't gain her anything but bonus administrative headaches.

(2) Her ass would get assassinated so fast.

Shadow Weaver would never admit this - and her ego is expansive enough that she might believe she could pull off a Dead Man's Shoes promotion - but her survival in the Horde is entirely contingent on cloaking herself in borrowed authority.

Catra is probably not entirely correct here - again, Shadow Weaver isn't primarily interested in political power - but it probably is an accurate read of the general sentiment in the Horde; SW is not well liked, and killing Hordak would not fix that. All it would do is (a) remove her ability to invoke a more respected and powerful boss to justify her actions and (a) establish the precedent that murder is a valid path to the top.

That's...not a great combo.

[geminipixels]

Luther aged up that Saturday morning (Because I have Babies and Toddler lifespans set shorter), sharing a birthday with his mom. He looks exactly like Lyric and it's adorable.

[fishnapple]

CRYSTAL READING : The part that you neglected. What needs your attention?

This is a general reading meant for multiple people. Take only what resonates and leave out the rest.

Feedback is much appreciated ❤️

Masterpost

Buy me a drink or book a reading with me - KO-FI (Read this post : personal reading)

1. Moss agate group

Have you ever thought that your home is your greatest treasure?

Do you feel really at home ?

with the physical place, with the emotions?

All the striving for material security, for beauty, for a stable life,

wanting to transform, even altering your appearance,

it would actually get in your way

of achieving a sense of safety in the world.

Too much focus on society, the other people, the community you're living in,

would strip you the joy of just being an individual, an individual with their own way of thinking, their own way of feeling things.

An imaginary barrier has been placed inside, distancing you from true intimacy with life.

A faraway ideal would push your own light into a forgotten closet.

2. Moonstone group

A bow points towards the sky,

an arrow ready to be shot.

Your life's trajectory is rising straight to the highest height.

You would feel overwhelmed,

or in the dark.

Am I the one that shot the arrow,

or just a leaf caught in their flying path ?

While your life is jetting ahead, fortunes are falling in,

you might forget the simple pleasures

of being with friends and families,

of relaxing and just sit back for a while.

Too much force would break the bow string.

3. Garnet group

Relationships with others,

especially romantic love

would be your greatest teacher.

Every time you entered a relationship,

you are transported to this school of heart

to learn again and again.

But somehow, some lessons were always avoided.

The feeling of falling in love makes you become the character in those fairy tales,

where the main character is taken to an enchanted place,

staying there and forgetting about the mundane life,

which is the actual relationship itself,

and the work it would take to make the relationship last.

4. Smoky quartz group

You would put so much effort into making others feel comfortable.

Creating a beautiful environment for others to thrive.

Always try to say nice things,

be helpful to others,

over thinking the smallest detail.

Would they agree with me ?

Would they accept me into their circle ?

How would I be without my friends,

without the people around me ?

There is a well hidden fear inside that you my not really aware of.

A fear of the unknown,

of the misty path lying ahead,

of losing control of your life.

Clinging to the small details would make you blind to the overall path you are walking on.

Love.

[red-black-aesthetic-bout]

RED AND BLACK TOURNAMENT: ROUND ONE UNDERWAY

Polls will be released every hour throughout the day (10 am - 7 or 8 pm EST) for the next week

Submit character propaganda or descriptions at any time via ask box or reblogging

Tags

redblack tournament (poll tag)

redblack propaganda

round wrapup

round 1 (etc.)

mod speaks

ask answered

character info post

lightning round (prelim tag)

winners

redblack reblog (reminders to vote at one day left)

About the poll, info, and guidelines

Round one matchups under the cut!!

Bracket 1

Ruby Rose (RWBY) vs. Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)

Mello (Death Note) vs. Rhaenyra Targaryern (House of the Dragon)

Kuga Yuma (World Trigger) vs. Kiki (Kiki’s Delivery Service)

Clifford (Clifford the Big Red Dog) vs. Dracula (Castlevania)

Kai Satou (Your Turn to Die) vs. Ladybugs/Ladybirds (real life)

Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender) vs. Kuro (Katamari)

Kate (Shadows House) vs. The Cat (Ghost Trick)

Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Marvel comics) vs. Red X (Teen Titans)

Elric of Melniboné (The Elric Saga/Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion Multiverse) vs. Naomi Armitage (Armitage the Third)

Alucard (Hellsing Ultimate) vs. Keith Kogane (Voltron: Legendary Defenders)

Lance (Sym Bionic Titan) vs. Panpeus (Gitaroo Man)

Six-Eared Macaque (Lego Monkie Kid) vs. Flick (Animal Crossing)

Watchdog (Jupiter-Men) vs. Crowley (Good Omens)

Eye of Sauron (Lord of the Rings) vs. Ylfa Snorgelsson (Dimension 20: Neverafter)

Razer (Jak X: Combat Racing) vs. Kieran Valentine (Monster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love?)

Wei Wuxian (The Untamed/MDZS) vs. Giant Horse (Breath of the Wild)

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs. Black Sonichu/Blake (CWC’s Sonichu)

Sailor Mars (Sailor Moon) vs. The Toy Soldier (The Mechanisms)

Ada Wong (Resident Evil) vs. Jack Spicer (Xiaolin Showdown)

Tophat (The Nightly Manor) vs. Marceline the Vampire Queen (Adventure Time)

Parr Family/The Incredibles (The Incredibles) vs. Pioneer 9 (17776 and 20020)

Guilmon (Digimon) vs. Julian Devorak (The Arcana)

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) vs. Sundancer (Worm - Parahumans)

HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Oddyssey) vs. Eas (Fresh Precure)

Harley Quinn (DC comics) vs. Itachi Uchiha (Naruto)

Scorpia (She-ra and the Princesses of Power) vs. Redcloak (Order of the Stick)

Scarlet Kingsnake (real life) vs. Hornet (Hollow Knight)

Maka Albarn (Soul Eater) vs. Toa Tahu (Bionicle)

Thorn (Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost) vs. Litten (Pokémon)

Maned Wolf (real life) vs. Orko (He-Man)

Rebecca Rubin (American Girl Dolls) vs. Lucifer (Obey Me)

Death the Wolf/The Wolf/Lobo/Death etc. (Puss in Boots: the Last Wish) vs. Joker (Persona 5) Bracket 2

Miles Morales/Spiderman (Marvel comics) vs. Cynder (Spyro)

Edelgard von Hresvelg (Fire Emblem franchise) vs. Sanguine (The Elder Scrolls)

Artegor Nexus (Galactik Football) vs. Beidou (Genshin Impact)

Barb (Trolls) vs. Mao Mao (Mao Mao Heroes of Pure Heart)

Wrathion, the Black Prince (World of Warcraft) vs. Vox Akuma (Nijisanji En)

Romeo (Minecraft: Story Mode) vs. Hua Cheng (Heaven Official’s Blessing/TGCF)

Sharkface (Red vs. Blue) vs. Ashley (WarioWare)

Carmen Sandiego (Carmen Sandiego) vs. Beatrice (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)

Claire Stanfield/Felix Walken (Baccano!) vs. Deathgripper (How to Train your Dragon)

Default Mii Brawler (Super Smash Bros Ultimate) vs. Silver (Pokemon franchise)

Joui Jouki (Ordem Paranormal) vs. Banica Conchita (Evillious Chronicles)

Dreadking Rathalos (Monster Hunter Generations) vs. Black Widow Spider (real life)

Celestia Ludenberg (Danganronpa) vs. Gira/Kuwagata Ohger (Ohsama Sentai: King Ohger)

Garnet (Steven Universe) vs. Black Knight (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Scott Summers/Cyclops (X-men) vs. Heather Chandler (Heathers)

Lon (Sendokai champions) vs. Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Darth Maul (Star Wars) vs. Defective Turret (Portal 2)

Easthies (Witch Hat Atelier) vs. Grim (Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy)

Zagreus (Hades) vs. Freddy Kreuger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)

Black Rose Dragon (Yu-Gi-Oh!) vs. Marian Hawke (Dragon Age 2)

Michael Burnham (Stark Trek franchise) vs. Mapo Tofu (Food Fantasy)

Flapjack (The Owl House) vs. Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug)

Red-winged Blackbird (real life) vs. Pucca (Pucca)

Overblot Riddle (Twisted Wonderland) vs. Quattro Bajeena (Mobile Suit Gundam franchise)

Pyramid Head (Silent Hill) vs. Lord Hater (Wander Over Yonder)

Sigmund Sinclair (The Reckoning) vs. Vash the Stampede (Trigun 98/Trigun Maximum)

Ranma Saotome (Ranma ½) vs. Valerie Gray (Danny Phantom)

Mephone 4s (Inanimate Insanity) vs. Regina (Doki Doki Precure)

Mordecai Heller (Lackadaisy) vs. Sideswipe (Transformers G1)

Satan (Lil Nas X’s Montero music video, and also Christianity or something) vs. Zealot Carmainerose (Epic 7)

Zero (Code Geass) vs. Yor Briar (Spy x Family)

Vincent Valentine (Final Fantasy franchise) vs. Ryuko Matoi (Kill la Kill)

[lolahauri]

✎ Introduction ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

5/9/24 Update: This is a strictly smut/nsfw fic blog only, my fluff and angst stuff are being deleted and reposted to @lolahaurisfw - I've also expanded my character list a LOT, so check that out before you request!

I do take requests. I don't have an anon list but I can start one if anyone wants to be labeled and become a regular anon.

DNI: Map, Zoo, Pro-Para, Pro-Ana, TERF, Zionist, Bigots, Minors, Discourse Blogs. Block me if you don't agree. ❤️🖤🤍💚

Things I Won't Write:

Sex crimes of any kind, super extreme kinks, violence/abuse used as a kink, anything most would consider "gross/weird" (ex: puke, shit, ddlg, pet play, age play). no exceptions, and no hate to dead dove writers, i'm just personally not willing to write these.

Things I Will Write:

Pretty much everything else i guess? Daddy/Mommy kink, Cheating, CNC/Dubcon, Sex Pollen, Legal Age Gap, Yandere, Power Dynamic (Prof/Student, Boss/Employee), Foot Fetish, Piss Kink, Breeding, Any regular/non-extreme kink (ex: Cock Warming, Dry Humping, Voyeur, Orgy, 3somes, Sex Toys, etc...) *if you aren't sure, just ask!*

Hc's, one shots, short multi-chapter fics, imagines/drabbles.

Canon-friendly, Au's, Canon Divergence, Out of Character.

Ch x Ch / Ch x Reader / Ch x OC / Poly Ships of any kind.

F/F, M/M, F/M, GN/F, GN/M, Poly Ships of any kind.

Fictional Other (F/O) Imagines: +18, no names.

Now that that's out of the way, here's the list of fandoms and characters i'm familiar with and will happily take requests on! (you can request others from these fandoms, but it will prob take me longer)

FNAF Movie: Vanessa, Mike, William/Steve. Turning Red: Ming Lee, Jin Lee. YOU: Joe, Love, Beck, Peach. Encanto: Isabela, Bruno, Dolores, Julieta. Regular Show: Mordecai, Margret, Eileen, CJ, Benson. (Human Ver) Attack on Titan: Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Sasha, Levi, Hanji, Annie, Historia, Reiner, Erwin. BNA: Michiru, Shirou. Stardew Valley: All Adult Humans. (Including SDVE & RSV) Total Drama: All season 1 contestants, Chris, Chef, Blainley. SheRa: All Adults (Except Rogelio) King Of The Hill: Hank, Peggy, Luanne, Nancy, Dale, John Redcorn, Kahn, Min. Shameless: Lip, Fiona, Kev, V, Tony. Riverdale: FP Jones, Jughead, Veronica, Hiram, Betty. Creepypasta: Ben, Jeff, Jane, Eyeless Jack, Laughing Jack, Slenderman, Masky, Hoodie, Toby, X Virus, Nina, Clockwork, Splendorman, Kate. Gravity Falls: Stan, Ford, Soos, Giffany Steven Universe: Jasper, Amethyst, Blue Diamond, Peridot, Lapis, Garnet, Rose, Bismuth, Greg. Adventure Time/Fiona and Cake: Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Marshall Lee, Winter King, Candy Queen, Simon, Ice King, Fiona. COD: Konig, Ghost, Mace, Keegan, Krueger, Valeria. Desperate Housewives: Bree, Gabby, Edie, Mike, Lynette. DC: Batman, Harley, Joker, Ivy, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenburg). Slashers & DBD: Brahms, Ghostface (general), Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, Pyramid Head, The Spirit, Wraith, Huntress, Trapper, The Trickster, Pearl, Carrie White, Jennifer Check, Stu Matcher, Billy Loomis, Tiffany Valentine, Thomas Hewitt, Bubba Sawyer, Bo Sinclair, Vincent Sinclair, Eric Draven. Nintendo: Link, Zelda, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Luigi, Waluigi, Bowser. Squid Games: Gi-Hun, Sae-Byeok, Ali, Sang Woo. Rick and Morty: Rick, Beth, Jerry. Stranger Things: Robin, Billy, Eddie, Chrissy, Hopper. Bee & Puppycat: Bee, Deckard, Cass, Toast. Princess & The Frog: Shadow Man, Tiana, Lottie, Naveen. Ratatouille: Collette, Linguini. The Nanny: CC, Fran, Maxwell. Full House: Danny, Jesse, Joey. BigBang Theory: Raj, Leonard, Amy, Penny. Spiderverse: Miguel, Jessica Drew. Black Dynamite: Honeybee, Black Dynamite. Breaking Bad: Skylar, Jesse, Walter. National Treasure: Benjamin Gates, Riley Poole. Superstore: Jonah, Amy, Dina. Spongebob: Man Ray, Dennis. Tangeled: Flynn, Rapunzel, Mother Gothell. Lisa Frankenstein: Lisa, Creature, Taffy. Jane the Virgin: Jane, Micheal, Rogelio, Petra, Xiomara, Rose, Luisa. Young Sheldon: Mary, Connie. Twilight: Edward, Carlisle, Alice, Charlie. Bistro Huddy: All Staff Members, Poppy. WWE: Rhea Ripley, Roman Reigns. American Animals: Evan Peters (Warren), Barry Keoghan (Spencer). The Batman (2022): Batman, Riddler. Little Mermaid (2023): Ariel, Eric. Bob's Burgers: Linda, Bob. Avatar: Jake, Neytiri. Frozen: Elsa, Anna, Kristoff. My Hero Academia: Dabi, Hawks, Aizawa. Futurama: Leela, Amy, Fry, Bender. Earth Girls Are Easy: Mac, Wiploc, Zeebo, Valerie. Supernatural: Dean, Sam, Castiel. Sherlock (2010): Sherlock Holmes, John Watson. Silverado: Slick, Rae, Mal, Paden.

Nani Palekai (Lilo & Stitch) Paul Cable (Last Stand at Saber River) Ramona Flowers (Scott Pilgrim vs The World) Peter Mitchell (3 Men & A Baby) Randy Marsh (South Park) Charles Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie) Master Chief (Halo) Ian Hawke (Alvin & The Chipmunks) Poe Dameron (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) Linda Gunderson (Rio) Bruce (Beyond Therapy) Jack Harrison (Transylvania 6-5000) Peggy Bundy (Married… With Children) Kitten (Breakfast on Pluto) - M Reader Only Scarecrow (Batman Begins) John Wick (John Wick 4) David Levinson (Independence Day) Jackson Rippner (Red Eye) Stevo (SLC Punk!) Mike (5lbs of Pressure) Santa/Babbo Natale (Violent Night) Dan Conner (Roseanne) Tate Langdon (AHS: Murder House) Lt. Robert 'Bob' Floyd (Top Gun: Maverick 2022) Francine (American Dad) Beverly Goldberg (The Goldbergs) Fujimoto (Ponyo) Thomas Magnum (Magnum, P.I 1980) Doug Remer (Baseketball) Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park 1993) Rose Tyler (Doctor Who) Moe Doodle (Doodle Bops) Astarion (Baulders Gate 3) Trevor Phillips (GTA5) Shaun Murphy (The Good Doctor) Georgia Miller (Ginny & Georgia) John Doe (John Doe Game) Paul Blart (Paul Blart Mall Cop) Fezzik (Princess Bride)

[best-element-poll]

(the 3 most voted elements will advance onto the next round)

since there are a lot of unfamiliar faces I'll introduce each one under the cut:

(disclaimer: most if not all of these descriptions are copy-pasted or rephrased from Wikipedia. tell me if I miss anything or get anything wrong.)

YTTRIUM is used in the red component of CRT TV color displays, in gas mantles for propane lanterns, to make synthetic garnets, and in some cancer treatments. It is also a key ingredient in a type of superconductor.

ZIRCONIUM is refractory, hard, and resistant to chemical attack. It is often used as an opacifier (to make something opaque) for ceramic materials and is sometimes used in space vehicles where heat resistance is needed. You may know him from the ZrO2 that is used for your laboratory crucibles. personally, I love crucibles. i will be kind of mad if zirconium gets no votes. crucible lovers unite.

NIOBIUM is considered a technology-critical element. It is used mostly in alloys, and even in various superconducting materials, which are widely used for MRI scanners. and also they called this thing columbium for a while, and then confused it with tantalum. I'm glad they settled on niobium.

MOLYBDENUM is apparently an important mineral for the human body! Apparently, you should eat around 45 micrograms per day. Wow!!!!!!!!!

TECHNETIUM is the lightest element whose isotopes are all radioactive! It is often used in nuclear medicine, or generated as a fission product. They also took real long to find this guy, with 6 erroneous discoveries.

RUTHENIUM is also involved in many nuclear fission reactions, sometimes as a product of fission of uranium or plutonium. It's also used a lot in electronics due to its non-volatility.

RHODIUM is a precious metal primarily used in catalytic converters for cars. It is also used for various other industrial processes. It is also used in jewelry, e.g. sometimes white gold is plated with rhodium to give it a shiny layer.

PALLADIUM is primarily used in catalytic converters for cars. Palladium is also used in electronics, dentistry, medicine, hydrogen purification, chemical applications, groundwater treatment, and jewelry. Palladium is also a key component of hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells.

SILVER: it's everywhere. it's even a whole color on its own. I've been using the word silver to describe the colors of every other element here. it's probably going to win.

CADMIUM: apparently this thing is toxic and carcinogenic despite having great potential in anticancer drugs. ah well. it was also used in batteries scarily recently.