#all while still using Opal for her own betterment

[lordsalemander]

Is anyone else still caught up on the parallels between Imogen and Opal?? Because I am.

I was revisiting my c3e92 and c3e93 live thoughts and came across two big points:

Firstly the parallel of Ted disappearing in order to protect Opal with Liliana disappearing to protect Imogen. And the contrast of Ted, who did so by becoming an inseparable part of Opal while Liliana tore herself away desperately trying to separate herself from Imogen. Both done out of a will to protect the other. (Fyi This was written during e92 before the Aevilux reveal)

Secondly, after the Aevilux reveal, this connection hit me: The locket Imogen got from Relvin (potentially carried by Liliana) carried her baby fingerprint and the words “The better halves make/become a better whole.” A sentiment that Imogen tries to use at the Malleus Key and on Ruidus to get through to her mom. And who is a near perfect literal manifestation of this? THE AEVILUX. The people who split their souls in two (or were born separate in Opal/Ted’s case) and live independently before reuniting again and becoming more powerful for it.

Now imagine Imogen and Opal were to meet (obviously possible as both are being pushed to fight Predathos/those trying to free it) and Imogen repeats the locket phrase and something about it sounds so familiar to Opal, but she just can’t remember it. The group realize that there are gaps in Opal’s memory. Eventually Imogen is able to restore Opal’s memories, living through them alongside Opal in the process (kind of like how she projected herself into Laudna’s head in e103). Then Opal helping Imogen get through to her mom in turn. Or even just them fighting side by side to prove how much stronger you can be if you stop running from your better half. That coming together is a way better way to protect someone than running away and fighting those battles alone.

TLDR: I need Imogen and Opal to meet and talk this instant. Please Mattholomew Mercer I would do anything.

[pokemonblack3white3]

Do you have like a list of all of your ‘cross generation interactions’ that you’ve thought of or made?

The wordings hard but like how you headcanon Drayton to have a crush on Raihan, do you have more stuff like that cause it’s some of my favorite things

I scoured my posts and put everything I've posted so far here!

Kieran and Emmet know each other. They're sort of friends? It's complicated.

Sonia has admired Professor Juniper's work for a long time. When Juniper reached out to Sonia to ask about her own research, Sonia almost passed out.

For their honeymoon, Lenora and her husband went to Lumiose City. After effectively taking over for a tour guide at the Lumiose Museum, they tried to hire her on the spot.

Grusha and Brycen are pen-pals.

During that party where Nemona met Lacey and challenged Clay, he actually did battle her. After she beat him, he mailed her his gym badge.

A lot of Clay's family still lives in Sinnoh, so he visits frequently. He loves the Sinnoh Underground and knows Roark and Bryon well.

Gladion and Professor Juniper got in contact to discuss the similarities between type: null and genesect. She dragged N into it and the two of them were pretty vital to helping Gladion figure out what to do with Aether Paradise after the mess Lusamine left it in. Gladion really looks up to them both.

The Aether Foundation funds a lot of research into studying artificially created pokemon like genesect. Since genesect are too aggressive for most trainers to handle and too dangerous to be left on their own, quite a few of them have been rehabilitated at Aether Paradise.

N has befriended quite a few ultra beasts who can't return home through Gladion and Aether Paradise.

Brycen met Diantha before she became champion through their acting careers. She once fifted him an amaura egg.

Piers is a fan of Roxie's music.

Colress went to Area Zero and met the AI professor before the time machine was shut down. He pocketed a few paradox pokemon for his troubles.

Lenora treated Cynthia to a battle and a private tour of her museum when she visited Unova in BW1 and the two had a giant nerd fest together. Steven made Cynthia promise to bring him to meet Lenora next time she visited- and she did, during the Pokemon World Tournament.

Bianca once tried to study the Abyssal Ruins, but after realizing something was down there with her she decided some things are better left alone. The stranger with a togekiss who was a little too interested in the plates Bianca had found also didn't help.

Juliana, Florian, and Kieran went to Nimbassa City on a BBA League Club fieldtrip to the Gear Station Battle Subway. After they had to leave early due to Crispin's motion sickness, they spent the rest of the day dressing up their pokemon in the Musical Theater. This was all three's first time in Unova.

Virizion felt sorry for Iron Leaves for being ripped away from their world by a human's folly, and more or less adopted them into the Swords of Justice. Keldeo was excited to have an underclassman. They parted on incredibly good terms after encountering Iron Boulder and Iron Crown, where Iron Leaves decided to go with them.

Professor Rowan wants to strangle Professor Oark with a coat hanger, a sentiment he is completely oblivious to.

Fantina's father is from Kalos but she has never actually been there herself.

Barry and Nate are exes.

After Cogita was released from her curse and eventually died, Enamorus went to Galar with Professor Laventon where she cycles through human disguises. She's currently living as Opal.

Gladion wears a Piers t-shirt under his hoodie.

Nemona owns a poster of Red and Blue used to promote the Alola Battle Tree.

Penny religously read Lillie's "my mom sold me to Champion Cynthia" fics.

Drayton skips class to read Riahan x reader rpf.

Hau was a huge fan of Champion Rei (transmasc Dawn) before he dissappeared, and still is even after the fact.

Drayton caught his duraladon while travelling to Galar for a Pokemon World Tournament held in the region.

Penny and Marnie are t4t e-girlfriends.

Florian was injured by Eternatus during the SwSh endgame.

Aaand a few more for you!

Maxie and Archie have an ex-evil team support group. N, Anthea, and Concordia are part of it. Clavell got in contact with them over Team Star.

Cynthia and Steven are extremely tight. Complete ride or die. Cynthia was the best man at Steven and Wallace's wedding.

Nanu has arrested Grimsley twice.

Mina met Burgh on a trip to Unova, and they still keep in contact. Burgh makes Mina send him pictures of Totem Ribombee.

When Reshiram was travelling the world with N, Hilda, and Hilbert, Reshiram became kind of universally hated by almost every legendary he met.

Ethan was attacked by Mewtwo as a kid. Red and Leaf were there.

Professor Rowan once took Lucas on a research trip to Hoenn where they studied with Professor Birch.

Gloria and Hop's families went on a vacation to Alola together.

After SwSh, Gloria begins attending Uva/Narajna Academy.

Tulip and Elesa have worked together before.

Kieran is a gigantic Iris fanboy.

Bede and Penny had a giant feud and dramatic friend breakup over Tumblr. No mutual was safe from the fallout.

The battle facility leaders have a pretty tight-knit community.

AZ visited Cogita on occasion.

[xhikatsu]

Topaz and Aventurine emulating Jade

Jade has influenced both Aventurine and Topaz during her time with them to some degree, molding them as they worked their way up to being Stonehearts. Ultimately, they both have taken different aspects of her while maintaining their own stance towards the different situations they face. In a sense, they have gain a few things from her, but also seems to be trying to work higher to eventually emulate her in the end.

First, I’ll start with Aventurine. Jade’s influence on Aventurine hasn’t been as much as most people think. From the start when Jade was discussing with Aventurine on what the IPC should do with him (after letting himself get captured by them), he openly seems to challenge her in eventually striving further than her. Just like his usual mantra, “high-risk, high-reward” was always his mentality and this scene helps further the idea.

He already took a risk of allowing himself to be caught by the IPC to try and gain an audience with Diamond, and he takes another by openly being daring and even sarcastic towards Jade. Of course, this doesn’t deter or stop Jade from ultimately investing in him to join the IPC and continuing to interact with him as we see her in his character stories. After all, he has high potential for gains and benefits that she was willing to work with for her own benefit and the IPC’s.

Aventurine most likely learned how to handle business or conduct himself from his time with his previous master or even during his time as a child rather than from Jade. This is shown already through the way he spoke to his previous master and acted as a child. However, most of these behaviors he already exhibited were only further enhanced or encouraged by Jade. As a result, Aventurine as he is now is a mixture of things he grew with. For example, some of his fashion is a mixture of Jade’s fashion, but also from his previous master. He dresses himself up with extravagance as a means to show off his power and wealth, something his previous master does and is shown with the way Aventurine purposely wears his rings and watch much like the master he killed. As for Jade’s influence, his style of clothing such as the hat and sunglasses to help hide distinctive features most likely derived from her.

He also already had grown to have a silver tongue, talking his way through situations and trying to make deals like he did with his previous master or as a child to the Katicans. This was only further strengthened from his time around Jade. Aventurine essentially took what he needed from Jade in order to help progress further in his endeavors, such as helping himself to continue building the skills he already has. He also has no problems exploiting opportunities that arises for his benefit, making sure his gambles succeed in the end. He is highly meticulous, ensuring that things work in his favor or will adapt to the situation and keeping an eye on others to see if he could utilize them for his plans.

Despite his risky plans and behavior, he seems more keen on playing fairly and winning his deals without force as he is opposed to how Opal would have handled Penacony. He also has this discussion with his future self, refusing to cheat his way to winning as it takes out the thrill of risk. Ultimately, Aventurine is still a strategist and is not above of exploiting others in his plans to increase his success rate but will not use unfair methods to guarantee a win. After all, in his line of work, to use or be used is merely just the tools of the trade for him.

For Topaz, the influence of Jade is an interesting subtle mixture compared to Aventurine’s outright daring nature to immediately challenge the older Stoneheart in striving to be better. Topaz was recommended to Jade by her previous mentor, Dvorski, to have Jade look out for her. Even without Dvorski’s recommendation, Topaz seemed to have gained Jade’s eyes on her due to her fast pace on jumping the ranks. As a result, she seemed to have fallen under a mentorship of sorts with the older Stoneheart.

To some degree, it looks like she is following Jade without question when learning and trying to impress the lady. But in reality, there is a lot of extremely subtle distancing/avoiding Topaz has when around Jade (which I talk about in prior threads/posts). Topaz also does not seem to truly care to impress others, more than willing to sacrifice her ranking and simply does what she thinks is best. Topaz seems to be far more compliant and meek compared to how she had handled herself in other situations (eg. Jarilo VI and Wardance), making it seem rather off-putting in how she behaves to Jade as she seems unwilling to talk more than needed at times. Comparing to her behavior towards Dvorski and Jade, she does keep this professionalism between the two and merely extracts knowledge she believes will help her (added: this also goes against how casual she tends to act towards Dvorski and also her dislike towards formality/etiquette as shown in her character story). Knowing that she is aware of the possible result of defiance towards the lady shown through her multiple warnings to others regarding Jade, she chooses to be cooperative to receive full benefits that she can get. Truly a “low-risk, high-reward” solution.

At the same time, the influence is still there but also strikes differently in having Topaz continue down her opposition due to her difference in mindset on her intentions in business. Topaz seems to mirror some of Jade’s methods and thinking to optimize for efficiency when handling business. Although Topaz is far more merciful and considerate in conducting her projects (added: as she is simply trying to optimize her methods to have it be effective and gear towards the result she hopes for even if it’s not as efficient), she is not opposed to using the negotiation methods Jade has taught her. On top of that, she also has a mentality of “there is no room for error” in her work, something Jade later says towards her in Penacony.

However, despite this line of thinking, Topaz is far more open in her perspective as she’s more than willing to hear out and seek other solutions if possible. Even though her work may not seem to be the most efficient solution (added: but hoping to make her method the most effective solution), forcing her to work harder to find an equilibrium between all parties, Topaz continues to use this ideology in how she handles business and even confidently justify her ways through her experience. Topaz is more than willing to hear out and learn from multiple sources, allowing her arsenal of tools and means to grow in order to handle multiple situations. Jade’s teachings only are added in to Topaz’s toolkit where she proceeds to utilize it according to what she deems is necessary or the best solution. She will always be prepared with plans in order to invest and play the long game for victory.

Ultimately, Aventurine merely continues to enhance his skills much like Topaz only continues to expand her means under the IPC. For Aventurine, he continues to add his own "fairness" to his dealings. Instead of forcing a guaranteed win, he continues to work and strategize towards increasing his odds on his own and playing around others. For Topaz, she continues to add her own "kindness" to her dealings. She would always take other’s needs, wants, and possible motives into careful consideration to choose the best plan possible. Both are willing to seek and gain knowledge to further their goals and actions, twisting it to fit their mindsets and beliefs while still accomplishing their goals. They both continue to stubbornly cling to their ways (Aventurine with Fairness, Topaz with Kindness) to work their way up the ranks despite the challenges. Even though they could be more efficient or gain more if they followed Jade’s way, they continue to prove themselves as they finish the job by sticking to their own ways.

Original Date of Posting on Tumblr: Oct 15, 2024

[luv-indigo]

okay so, redesigning nadine for the third and (hopefully) final time. i felt she looked too similar to soraya (my keyframes fall mc) so i changed nadine up a bit. also!! i was trying to find oc templates to fill out for my visual novel ocs and although there’s so many out there, none were exactly what i was looking for soooo…. I made my own! i’ll post my other our life ocs with them soon but first, nadine ! (again)

I’ve also changed my own mind. Nadine will be my MC for Qiu’s route.

Nadine introduction <3

Nadine spent much of her early childhood moving from place to place, all within her home state of California but oftentimes in different cities. Moving around so often made it hard to keep in contact with friends and after a while made it especially hard making friends in the first place.

When Opal tells Nadine they‘re moving once again, Nadine is surprised to learn they’re moving to Oregon, their neighboring state. This time, she learns it’ll be a more permanent location. Nadine doesn’t know exactly how to feel. She’s so used to moving around that being in a place for so long sounds foreign, weird and new. However, part of her can’t help but feel excited, especially since she gets her own room now! But no matter what, she knows mama will be with her every step of the way.

Upon meeting Qiu and Tamarack, Nadine quickly feels they can be the best of friends. Nadine has always been more of a quiet person but not necessarily shy. Spend enough time with her and you’ll find she can talk quite a lot. Yet she’s perfectly content with simply listening as well.

Nadine is mostly a rule follower. Rules are there for a reason right? She prides herself on being neat and orderly. All her belongings are pristine and in their place because that’s just how she likes it. During step 1, Nadine strongly dislikes getting dirty. Which can be difficult to avoid if you’re playing outside in the woods.

Step Two !!

After four years, Nadine has adjusted well into her new home. Although Nadine needs glasses she very much prefers to use eye contacts instead. It’s also the most convenient when ice skating. She’s taken on ice skating as her main past time and she’s fairly good. Her transportation of choice has been rollerblading so it makes sense she got into ice skating as well.

Her other hobbies are more on the creative side. She enjoys crafting and drawing on occasion. Cosplaying is also one of her major hobbies. For years she has worked on making her Halloween costumes with the help of Mama.

During this time Nadine becomes more of a shy person. During her earlier childhood, she had no problem voicing her thoughts and opinions but it seems now that sort of thing gets harder to do as you age. Thankfully, she has her two close friends to turn to whenever she needs a hand, and in turn she will be there for them as well.

Step Three !!

Nadine has less and less time to do things she wants. If this is how adult life is she wants zero part of it </3

Nadine has always prioritized their studies (although that became much harder to do when middle school started due to her procrastination habits). Now college is weighing on their mind. Nadine still very much enjoys ice skating yet she struggles to make time to practice. Similarly, cosplaying has turning into a year long project (for Halloween of course). Doing multiple cosplays a year is something she doesn’t have time for anymore. Although they are often busy, Nadine will always make time for a special someone and her best friend, Tamarack.

Step Four !!

Nadine’s all grown up </3

Throughout many years Nadine has learned things about themselves and grown into the person they are today. Her experiences and the people she has been around since she was ten years old have impacted her life to mold her into who she is, for better or worse. And honestly, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

And finally this little thing I made with all of Nadine’s doll icons. I had to edit many of them to fit the hair style and clothing options I wanted and it literally took forever </3 ouGh

Also, I apologize for the quality. I tried to preserve it as I was inserting the drawings into the template but resizing may have messed up the quality </3

[wriheart]

Raven Queen, Apple White, and A Bit About Magic

Welcome to part two of my Ever After High rewrite ideas. These next few posts will focus on expanding the world building and introducing a bit about the characters that inhabit it.

Raven Queen has always been my favorite character. She’s just so relatable and I like what she stands for. Her, Apple, and Darling are going to be the main characters of this unwritten rewrite. Other characters will still have a big role and will be focused on with their own chapters (like Cerise and Lizzie), because I think that every character at Ever After High has an important story to tell. They each have a piece of the puzzle to explaining the unfair system that Grim has created.

If you missed part one, I talked about the world building so if you haven’t read it, it will help you understand this post.

In the world of Ever After, the magic system is presented to most as very cut and dry. The only people who can use magic are those involved in a fairytale. Maybe once upon a time there were other magic users, but not anymore. There are two types of magic: light and dark, and in order to master one’s magical abilities, they must choose one side to fill their heart.

Light magic is fueled by goodness. The desire to help those around you, to change the world for the better, to make people happy, to simply use magic: that is the core of light magic. Dark magic is fueled by evil. The desire to harm others, to ruin the world, to accomplish things that are otherwise unnatural: that is the core of dark magic.

While light magic is meant to help the hero grow and change while overcoming obstacles, dark magic is always meant to teach a cruel lesson.

You can not use either side effectively unless you have pledged yourself to one side. Even basic spells that fall outside of light and dark, such as teleportation and levitation can become impossible to master without fully accepting light or dark magic into your heart.

As you can probably guess, Raven Queen has not let either type of magic fully into her heart. On the one hand, she can’t bear the thought of using her magic to harm those around her. But if she accepted light magic, there would truly be no going back. Would she even be able to accept light magic if choosing her own destiny is as selfish and cruel as everyone thinks it is?

Now, in the original Snow White (at least, the version that I have a copy of) the Evil Queen dies when she goes to Snow White’s wedding. She is forced to wear red-hot shoes and dance herself to death. In my version, she shows up to the wedding and Prince Charming stabs her in the heart and keeps it in a box as payback for what she was going to do to his wife. (I’m also including that the evil queen tries to kill snow three times before it succeeds: lace, comb, apple.)

Fun stuff.

Growing up, Raven Queen has always had the feeling that she’s being watched. Even when her noble caretakers aren’t around, she feels some sort of presence all around her.

The presence? Her fairytale mother.

Raven’s mother is named Opal Queen (black opals look cool, ok?), but almost nobody remembers her real name. After all, she became one of the most infamous Evil Queens in all of Ever After history.

I really want Opal to be an anti-hero/gray character. Yes, she really leans into her role as Evil Queen, but she has a gut feeling that destinies are a load of bs. She spends a lot of her time investigating, researching, etc. but it isn’t until Alice comes to her that she finally finds herself with a lead. (We’ll come back to Alice in her own post).

The Evil Queen has many bad and good intentions. For example, she wants to free people from Grim’s control because she recognises the cycle of violence, pain, fear and mistrust he has cultivated to keep himself in control. However, she is more than willing to hurt and manipulate anyone she needs to in order to achieve her own goals.

At the end of the day, she is able to fake her own death. When she’s stabbed in the heart, her spell takes effect, and she’s banished to the mirror dimension. In the mirror dimension, one isn’t really alive or dead, so she doesn’t really need a heart to survive.

Anyway, Raven grows up under the nobel family with her mother constantly watching her. Anyone in the mirror dimension can easily see out of any mirror, but only enchanted mirrors are able to see into the mirror dimension. And enchanted mirrors are few and far between since they are hard to create. I’m thinking that later in the story, Raven is able to create an enchanted mirror to contact her mother, but her mother has a grand plan, so she isn’t willing to give Raven all of the answers so easily.

Would you guys be mad if I renamed Apple? Cuz that would be a little sad for me lol. Apple is such a cute name but I never really liked it. Who names their kid after the thing that almost killed them? Her new name will be Frost White. pls don’t be mad :,(

Frost grows up under the strict eye of her mother. She needs to be perfect at every moment so that she can live up to her mother’s image. After all, The tale of Snow White is the most important in all of Ever After.

Apple in my version is going to go through a lot more character development than the original gave her. I feel like they never truly addressed her selfish tendencies. She was the center of attention and the only happily ever after that mattered was her own. She’s not really considerate of others.

In my version, I want to make these characters' flaws very apparent in the narrative instead of sweeping them under the rug like the original does. She’s going to take the time to learn and grow to empathize with others and realize that she is coming from a place of privilege and that those around her have valid reasons to not want to go through their destinies.

Frost and Raven will go from enemies to friends. They are not going to be friends at the beginning. Raven hates Frost’s guts (for valid reasons, Frost is kinda a passive-aggressive bitch and because of her, Raven is destined to die).

Raven will go through a character arc too but I’m not quite sure what yet. I haven’t really identified any character flaws that I want to address quite yet.

Raven Queen has never wanted to be evil, yet the only people who seem to recognize this are the Wonderlandians, Maddie specifically. Raven might not always understand what Maddie is trying to tell her, but she knows that her friend is trying her best to listen and communicate.

This is the first year that the Wonderlandians are attending Ever After High, so they’re struggling greatly with the culture and the language. Raven is happy to help them out, grateful to finally have people in her life who don’t cower in fear.

Personal issue I had with Maddie in the original: I felt like she never truly listened to Raven. She was Raven’s best friend and was nice don’t get me wrong, but I always felt she was so flippant, not taking anything serious. For example, in the first episode, when Raven is talking to her about her issues and how everyone is scared of her, Maddie simply tells her it isn’t true before sitting down for tea. I get that Wonderlandians are supposed to be mad and random and whatnot, but I think she should be serious enough to listen to her friend’s troubles and help out. I also want to give Maddie some troubles of her own (not sure yet) so that Raven can help her.

Raven truly likes the three Wonderlandians that she knows. Lizzie might be prickly and hard to get to know, and Kitty mischievous tendencies can get on one’s nerves, but Raven knows that these are her people and feels a bond with them.

The story starts with Legacy year, when Raven decides that she’s going to find a way to escape her destiny. Raven spends the year digging for evidence, finding allies, and mixing up the status quo.

————

All EAH AU Posts

[cuteniarose]

Kat and Nia and their Multiverse of Madness

A masterpost for the intricate web of AUs co-created by @katkastrofa and yours truly, with linked art, fics and relevant posts for maximum convenience

(Compiled into one post mainly to help keep track of everything now that it's grown so big, but also specifically written out for @rokurookajima since she was interested. Will continue to be updated as things develop further)

Under the read more, because fair warning, this is LONG

MAIN VERSES:

We have many different AUs as part of our multiverse, but there are only two main ones, with the rest either being based on SotRL or a mix of it and FAtC:

Seeds of the Red Lotus – Suiren and Midori, my first OCs and Ming-Hua and Ghazan's children, grow up in Gaoling with their abusive paternal aunt, Haya (she wasn't abusive towards Ghazan, which is why he was inclined to trust her with his kids, but her grudge against him for abandoning her in favour of the RL + prejudice against the Swamp tribes, where Ming-Hua is from, because the illness that killed her parents started there, led her to taking out her anger on his daughters, particularly on Suiren, who is way too much like her mother). Their childhoods are awful in unique ways, and in an attempt to earn enough money to move out, Suiren, a waterbender, takes up a job as an assassin, which just further worsens her already nonexistent mental stability. In 174 AG, Team Avatar hires her as a last ditch effort to defeat Kuvira (and no, there is no giant mecha suit, because it's stupid and I hate it), and both sisters are taken to Air Temple Island. I never finished the fic itself, though I am slowly dabbling in a rewrite + continuation, but most of the discussions Kat and I have still take place in this verse, or more specifically, what we call post-SotRL

(Post-SotRL – After Suiren fails to kill Kuvira and sustains an injury to her leg, she and Midori leave ATI and by pure chance reunite with their parents and P'Li (all of whom survived the Book 3 finale and spent 3 years in hiding, because I said so). Of course, it's not all sunshine and rainbows – there are 16 years' worth of trauma, pain and guilt to work through, after all. That process is the central theme of Kat's Roots series. Some time later, Kuvira is defeated and sentenced to death, but Suiren (who's been high-key obsessed with her ever since the failed assassination) decides to break her out of jail and save her life, which leads to the start of their enemies to unwilling roommates/fuckbuddies to lovers arc. The event itself is detailed in Kat's WISH, and I myself have written this dynamic both in Astraphobia and my unfinished Avatar Sapphic Week contributions. At roughly the same time, Midori reconnects with Opal (who she met while at ATI) and they begin a relationship of their own (bc Bopal was comphet and you cannot convince me otherwise), a bit later Bolin joins the gang (gets semi-adopted by Ghazan and discovers that his mom and P’Li are actually cousins who never got to meet, so P’Li gets some family back too), and eventually this merry band of misfits break Zaheer out of jail, and what follows is some difficult political stuff that neither of us are too keen to get into, but the point is that in the end, the Red Lotus are allowed to peacefully exist and the world is slowly changing for the better)

Fate Amenable to Change – A set of fics exploring a Red Lotus Korra AU, canon to Kat's main backstory fic, Lost and Found (SotRL builds on the same events with the same backstories for P'Li and Zaheer, but with Ghazan being from Gaoling instead of Ba Sing Se, his sister's name being different, and him being childhood friends with Ming-Hua. Suiren and Midori are also not canon to FAtC). The main fic, Empty and Become Wind, differs from most other RL Korra fics because she wasn't kidnapped, rather the RL convinced her parents to run away with them, but unfortunately, both of them were killed when Korra was 11. After that, the RL took up residence in Zaofu right up until it was time for Korra to learn airbending, upon which they all relocate to Republic City. Kat's co-writer for this series quit writing, and since then we've basically adopted the two most prominent OCs from it – Nazra, P'heer's combustionbending daughter, and Tsomo, a blind airbender born to Lin and Tenzin before they broke up. The two of them feature in a few of our SotRL-based AUs (and yes, they're lesbians and in love, did you really expect anything else?). We don't really explore this verse because both of us are obsessed with Suiren and Midori, but it deserves a mention nonetheless.

SECONDARY VERSES:

Under the Oak's Shade – The first secondary AU ever created, a result of a passing idea of an AU where Zhi (P'Li's mentor and parental figure from Kat's LaF) and her partner Ikiaq (a bloodbending healer. Yes, these two are also lesbians) take in Suiren and Midori after their parents are imprisoned. Due to being unable to cope with her own grief, it takes Zhi six months to get to the girls, which was enough time for Haya's abuse to leave its mark. Both girls are nothing at all like the kids described in the letters P'Li used to send, and while Midori is quick to revert back and soak in all of Zhi's affection, Suiren is angry, skittish, terrified and resentful, reluctant to let Zhi anywhere near her. The series is still in progress, but the current plan is that Zhi will take them to the North Pole, where she lives with Ikiaq, and they shall help the girls heal from their trauma and grow up happy and healthy. One notable detail is that Suiren will train under Ikiaq and become a bloodbender, which will eventually enable her to enact a plan to break the RL out of prison early on. There have also been talks of a Red Lotus Korra element to this AU as well, but we'll have to discuss it in more detail

Ultimate AU – One of the mixes between SotRL and FAtC. This AU has existed pretty much forever, as I very quickly came up with a "hey, what if Suiren, Midori and Nazra all existed in the same verse?" concept. It is also the birthplace of Kuviren and Green Opal, both started as inside jokes, so remember kids, be careful with what you joke about, it might just become an important part of your story. It gained proper shape in May 2024 when I came up with an AU of LaF in which P'Li's little sister, Lien-Hua, gets to live and is also rescued from the warlord by Zaheer. Lien-Hua haunts the narrative of our multiverse (and actually, in SotRL-verse Midori is her reincarnation!!), she's really the central part of it all, and so it was decided that if she gets to live, everyone else does too. Xai Bau, the Red Lotus founder who died closer to the end of LaF, survives. The AU follows the storyline of FAtC with Korra's parents joining the RL, but they also get to live. In Zaofu, the kids get to grow up happily with their parents, the seeds for Kuviren and Green Opal are planted, and it's genuinely all very soft and fluffy up until Republic City and the Equalist conflict comes into the picture and things take on a darker turn. But before then, the worst thing that happens is Kuvira rejecting Suiren because she's convinced Renny (who's a massive flirt with a love for low cut dresses in this verse) is just playing with her and her feelings aren't genuine. But they sort it out soon enough, don't you worry. Essentially, this is the AU we turn to when the angst gets to be Too Much

Mud of Adversity – Another mix of SotRL and FAtC, this time a lot more angsty. Starts out the same as SotRL, with the exception of Nazra being left with Haya as well, meaning that Suiren's burden of being the protector has doubled. Haya knows who Nazra's mother is and thus is scared of her, so Naz doesn't get hit (Haya views her as a walking time bomb, essentially), but they're not given enough food to satisfy Nazra's increased appetite and she's made to feel like a freak for her height and abilities. Though in some ways, she's luckier than her sisters because she's allowed to firebend while earth- and waterbending are banned. The reason is the same, Haya being afraid that Nazra will spontaneously combust if her fire builds up for too long. Years later, when the girls are teens, Nazra gets angry at Haya for beating Suiren and accidentally kills her with her combustionbending. They dispose of the body, leave Gaoling and go into hiding, Suiren taking up her assassin job to keep them fed. When the RL escape from prison in Book 3, they go to check up on their daughters only to find an empty house, causing them all to imagine the worst. We never did finish figuring out how this AU develops, but this is the basic gist of it and maybe one day, we'll return to it

Sacrifice AU – The angstiest SotRL AU there is. As mentioned, people in the small corner of Gaoling Haya lives in are prejudiced towards the Swamp tribes, blaming them for the disease that killed so many, and Suiren as a swampbender becomes the subject of many rumours and superstitions. With time, the townspeople start to see her as a spirit (because it's easier to ignore the obvious abuse of a child if she's not a child at all, but a malevolent spirit and an omen of doom), and the rumours reach their peak when Suiren becomes an assassin and is now able to afford a slightly better life for herself and Midori, at which point it is decided that she must be the reason everyone else lives in poverty, because why else does she live better than them? Getting rid of her will be their salvation. So one night a few months after the Red Lotus allegedly die, on a new moon so Suiren is at her weakest, they attack, intending to sacrifice her as a way of securing prosperity, and kill Midori while they're at it. Kuvira, who at that point has already started her Great Uniter work, happens to be in Gaoling at the same time and saves them, taking them to Zaofu for their safety. Desperate to feel alive again, Suiren falls into bed with Kuvira on that very first night and regrets it a lot since now Kuvira keeps looking at her as if she expects something (Kuvira is just concerned, but try telling Suiren that). Traumatised, suffering from PTSD and paranoia, Suiren avoids people like the plague and stops waterbending, considering water to be a traitor since it didn't help her save herself and Midori, and instead learns bloodbending so she isn't completely helpless. And Kuvira, who keeps fretting over her, might just be the perfect test subject...

MoA Sacrifice AU – Somehow, even worse than the previous one. As the title suggests, a mix of Sacrifice AU and Mud of Adversity. Instead of Nazra killing Haya, things carry on as normal for a few more years until the night of the sacrifice. Nazra uses her combustionbending to try saving Suiren, but fails and all it results in is the townspeople deciding to sell her to a general looking for unique benders for his army. Suiren and Midori are saved by Kuvira and taken to Zaofu, while Nazra meets the same fate as her mother, being tattooed and forced to be a weapon against her will. Eventually, she is found and saved, but is so traumatised and scared of hurting people (her tattoo was done in a way that made her light chakra overactive, she literally cannot supress her combustionbending unless she's on qi blockers) that she can't stay in Zaofu and is sent to a sanctuary in the mountains to recover, where she meets and bonds with Tsomo. Meanwhile, rumours of a combustionbender spread and reach the Red Lotus, who are currently in hiding. Ghazan goes to investigate, is told by Haya about the failed sacrifice, comes across Bolin who by that point has made friends with Midori, and the reunion between the RL and their kids happens sooner than in normal SotRL. Still not too clear on where it goes from there

Avatar Suiren AU – Aang dies two years earlier and Suiren is born as the Avatar instead of Korra. The Red Lotus fundamentally believe that the Avatar shouldn't exist, and that belief was passed on to Suiren before they found out what she was. Suiren hates being the Avatar, both because she sees her parents constantly worrying about her being discovered and taken away, and because she, similar to Yangchen, is rather sensitive to memories of her past lives and it's very, very overwhelming for her. She often gets nightmares about traumatic things previous Avatars went though and.wakes up screaming names long forgotten by history, but that also allows her easier communication with them, so she's never quite alone. She remembers all the pain, all the efforts to fix the world that were ultimately useless, knows how it feels like to have your entire world upended as a child, and decides early on that she will not let this continue. The world cannot keep relying on one being to save them, and so she shall be the Last Avatar. She grows up, trains, at one point crosses paths with Kuvira in Zaofu who finds out her secret and becomes extremely devoted to her, and during Harmonic Convergence opens both Spirit Portals and fuses with Vaatu (much to Raava's dismay). She works hard to get the world ready for the lack of an Avatar, to change and establish as many things as she can, all the while bonding with and getting attached to her spirit kites, particularly Vaatu, though she spends a lot of time talking to both, and when things are as stable as can be, she lets both of them go, ending the cycle (something that would cause unfathomable outrage were it to actually happen in the show, but tbh, even this is 100x better than whatever those new leaks promise...)

Mermaid AU – An utterly niche, self indulgent AU not connected to any other verse, born out of my lifelong love for mermaids. No bending, no Avatar, just Kuvira as the best captain in Suyin Beifong's merchant fleet (and Bataar Jr's fiancee) and Suiren as a mermaid/siren/sea monster who she meets while stranded in a seaside town. Monsterfucking ensues 😁 I'm still not quite sure where I'll take this, the fic for it that I started for MerMay 2024 is still just a oneshot, but I do have some ideas I could explore, including how Suiren's parents and Midori feature in this AU (as a tiny hint.. anyone here ever seen Barbie in a Mermaid Tale? [they say, as if they don’t have several posts on their art blog spoiling the ���grand reveal”…])

BONUS IMPORTANT STORYLINES:

Northern Water Tribe shenanigans – In March 2024 I made a shitpost about Malina, Unalaq's wife, Kat saw it and things spiralled from there. It came to be that there's no love in their marriage, they have not shared a bed since the twins were conceived, and Unalaq generally has no interest in Malina because he's rather.. preoccupied (🤮) with a certain spirit kite. And what's a lonely, touch starved, severely tocophobic beautiful bisexual noble woman to do in that situation? Well, start a harem made out of her guards and handmaidens, of course!! It's.. pretty much pure filth, yes 😔 That's just what happens when you let someone raised on harem dramas (a.k.a me) anywhere near noble characters. But anyway, we have two OCs Malina is close with so far – Ila, a useless disaster lesbian for whom no other woman but Malina exists, and Alasie, an aroace and touch repulsed maid who has her boundaries respected by Malina and becomes a friend to her. Ngl, those two are low-key based on Kat and me <3 And Suiren also becomes involved in all of this in the UtOS and Avatar Suiren verses, but I shall not be sharing details of that in public

Zaheer's fucked up family – Once upon a time, Kat wrote in LaF that at age 12, Zaheer ran away from his tyrant father, classist mother and two sisters, whom he didn’t have the best relationship with. One summer evening, I took that and ran with it. Semi-brief summary: Jusamah – Zaheer's father, angry, violent, barely tolerates his wife and kids, cares only for his fortune and continuing the family line, can, will and has severely punished and executed people for perceived transgressions; Sunat – Zaheer's mother, meek, anxious, secretly nearsighted, loves her children and would do anything to ensure their safety, but doesn't allow herself to show affection, focuses on social climbing to secure good matches for her daughters; Summiya – the eldest, perfect in every way down to the uncanny symmetry of her face. Married to Himman, the only son of an influential family who's rumoured to be a drunk and a brothel goer. Her two children, Liba and Abyan, were both born with visible birthmarks, thus not as perfect as her, and her perfectionism and constant criticism make Abyan resent her and Liba hate herself. As young teens, the two run away, leaving Summiya's life crumbling around her. Her kids are gone, her husband is a cheater, she's not perfect anymore, so she loses it and turns to sexual masochism to feel at least something. Her infidelity is discovered, she runs away, makes friends with a group of girls working at a local brothel (a few of whom are her husband's mistresses), heals, finds freedom in sex work, eventually reconnects with her sister, kids, mother and, many years later, Zaheer; Aiza/Emran – middle child, always failed to live up to both Summiya and Zaheer, scored a less than ideal match and couldn't stand the thought of marrying someone she had never met (my fic nobody’s son, nobody’s daughter goes into this in great detail), so disguised herself as a boy named Emran and ran away with the help of her maid. Ends up at an Air Temple, joins the acolytes, has a gender epiphany and now goes by both names, uses she/he/they pronouns, and is a genderfluid, pansexual, polyamorous ICON. Many years later, his niece and nephew arrive at the same temple and he takes them under his wing. Has many lovers all over the world, including the maid who helped them, Jia (who was tortured for information by Jusamah after Aiza left 😬) and after reuniting with Zaheer, Ghazan :D. Gains airbending after Harmonic Convergence. Over the last few months Kat and I have basically frothed at the mouth at any even slight mention of this family, and it's hard to tell why from a summary, but generational conflicts like this are fascinating so we intend to keep going with this until we literally can't anymore

Brothel girls – Summiya's friends!! Featuring: Shezan – bisexual, struggles with chronic pain, comes from a big family, loves her work but would rather do it independently; Roheen – lesbian, wanted to become a lawyer but didn't get into school despite her smarts, dislikes her job and wants to leave to pursue law school again; Gulalai – bisexual, has an identical twin sister she failed to compare to, in a relationship with Roheen, enjoys her work well enough but would leave if Roheen left; Phailin – asexual, half Fire Nation, erotic dancer who goes further for a higher price, loves dancing and having eyes on herself and dreams of returning to her ancestral homeland, the Fire Nation islands; Daneli – lesbian, youngest girl there, turned to brothel work when her dad (single father) got sick, has crushes on Shezan and Qader, doesn't enjoy her job much and will leave as soon as she can, ends up adopting the daughter of one of the other brothel girls, whom she names Kumisai (who, as a teenager, will be in a relationship with Jinora and friends with Kai); and Qader – some flavour of mspec, was bullied growing up for not being feminine enough so went full butch to spite them, picked her name herself, the most domineering at the brothel, likes her work and will keep at it regardless of circumstances, makes Kat's brain short-circuit 🤭. Honourable mention – Mekhali, non-binary, independent sex worker with an undecided dark past, Summiya's first friend who housed her after she ran away, introduced her to the girls and helped both her and Shezan start working independently too (no posted art or fics of these guys exist yet, but Kat and I have an extensive series of incorrect quotes posts featuring them)

Sweet baby Ehuang – We've had the headcanon for a while that Midori and Opal would work with kids a lot in the future, and as a result would adopt a bunch (no names, appearances or concrete backstories yet, but they adopted a boy who was born in 173 AG, a girl who was born in 175 AG, and one who'll end up nonbinary who was born in 181 AG), but after a while Midori decides that she wants to have a biological child as well. With one of Opal's brothers helping out as a sperm donor, Midori conceives and nine months later, in 186 AG, gives birth to a girl they name Ehuang (her name comes from the same legend as Ming-Hua's mom's name, Nuying, so it's all very symbolic). Ehuang grows up to be a wild and carefree child, beloved by her entire family – her moms, siblings, grandparents, uncles on Opal's side, Auntie Renny and Auntie 'Vira (Suiren and Kuvira, in case that wasn't obvious), etc etc. She's an earthbender on the road to becoming a lavabender, takes after great grandma Toph in her refusal to wear shoes, has a rock collection, and is literally the manifestation of everything good and pure in this world. We don't have much of a storyline for her yet, but that will hopefully change at some point since I already have a few ideas

EXTRA OC INFODUMPS AND RELEVANT POSTS:

Brief summaries of Haya, Summiya, Aiza, Ehuang, and Ila & Alasie

Meifeng, Ming-Hua’s cousin

Nonbinary OCs (incomplete list)

Eldest daughters

And, as one final piece of information, the SotRL-verse family tree:

Last updated: DECEMBER 20TH 2024

[critter-genfic-events]

This week, we have thirteen angsty fics for you! Look under the cut, heed the warnings, and don't forget to comment or kudos if you like them!

our lives were never ours by vivolet (145817,Mature) Warnings: canon-typical violence, character death, implied/referenced suicide, implied/referenced torture, Pairings:

The Mighty Nein, but make it Hunger Games fusion.

Reccer says: Hunger Games AUs are a guilty pleasure of mine and I have such a soft spot for this series. It focuses on Yasha and Caduceus, so if you love those two and want lots of angst and torment and focus on their characters, this series has you covered. The level of detail, the continuity porn that utilizes every scrap of canon detail and puts it to use in a new setting, and the beautiful prose make it a compelling read. It will hurt your soul.

wild mountain thyme (among blooming heather) by Aurelie (NowImJustSomebodyThat) (8107,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Korrin/Vilya

Vilya's memories do not all come back at once

Reccer says: I love considering Vilya's story from her point of view, and the nonlinear narrative here is heartbreaking and beautiful

those that crawl and flutter towards the sun by vietbluecoeur (6163,Not Rated) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings: Essek Thelyss & Jester Lavorre

AU; Essek's curiosity gets the better of him and he develops a friendship with a creature who only lives for three days. As that creature is Jester, she makes it memorable.

Reccer says: The worldbuilding is beautiful, the prose is gorgeous, and the tragedy is delicious.

the seed that falls on good ground by Ford_Ye_Fiji (1750,Teen) Warnings: Body Horror, Spiders Pairings:

While traveling with the Crownkeepers, Orym receives his own creepy crown dream.

Reccer says: I love Orym as an incorruptible beacon of light and I love it even more when he's being tempted. The angst is delicious.

a walk-on role in the script of your long, long grift by grayintogreen (1136,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

Cree delivers the threshold crest.

Reccer says: It's always a good time to feel sad about Cree.

come around when you break by maybetwice (3861,General) Warnings: None Pairings:

In the aftermath of the final fight in EXU, Opal gets taken care of.

Reccer says: I'm a sucker for stories where a sad character gets tended to by their friends and Opal went through A LOT in that last fight. She deserves to get pampered by all of her friends.

my devils they whisper in my ear, deafening me with all my fears (i'm living in a nightmare) by Ford_Ye_Fiji (12128,Mature) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Disassociation, Suicidal Thoughts Pairings: Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III & Vox Machina

Scanlan does not destroy the pepperbox. For Percy it goes about as well as expected.

Reccer says: I liked it

One, Two, Switch-a-roo by Allise (3712,General) Warnings: Chronic Pain Pairings: Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III & Vox Machina, Keyleth & Vox Machina, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III & Keyleth

Vox Machina manage to find some magical box that switches the body of whoever's closest. What happens when Keyleth and Percy get caught in the blast?

Reccer says: It's not that I want other people to deal with chronic pain, but there's something of a wish fulfillment in having someone else experience the pain and

From the Ocean to the Shore by commoncomitatus (7775,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Jester Lavorre & Mollymauk Tealeaf

A missing scene from C2E16 wherein Jester is hypervigilant about her friends going down and receives some much-needed comfort.

Reccer says: I love Jester angst and this fic has a unique perfectly Jester rhythm to the prose that makes it a fun read while still being very much in the vein of angst. If you like reading characters being sad but in a less gut-punching, visceral way, this is a fic for you.

the infinite grains of sand by jadeandquartz (1327,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings:

A look at Fearne's thoughts as she's forced to make That Decision.

Reccer says: The absolute tragedy of Fearne having to choose between which of her friends to revive is something I love seeing explored, and this fic does it so eloquently and true to Fearne's feyness.

the worst thing to happen by k_152 (2588,General) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings:

The fight with Otohan ends with everyone but Imogen dead. She acts accordingly.

Reccer says: I LOVE a good Villain Arc story and this presents such an enticing what-if while also punching you in the feels.

i wont hurt you by dearestpiers (3038,General) Warnings: Vaguely suicidal thoughts; childhood illness; animal death; offscreen Nein deaths Pairings: Caduceus & Clay Family, Caduceus & Essek

An exploration of Caduceus's relationship with death, from childhood through meeting the Nein to long after.

Reccer says: I liked it

Home is Where the Heart Is by LessAttitudeMoreAltitude (1720,General) Warnings: Panic attacks, vomiting, self-harm, Caleb-typical self-esteem issues Pairings: Caleb & Essek, Caleb & Beau, brief mentions of all canon M9 romantic relationships

Caleb buys a house in Rexxentrum, but being alone there makes him panic.

Reccer says: I liked it

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. Want to make your own recs? Check out the rules, and then use the form to submit!

If you didn't get enough angst this week, next week we're going to have recs featuring Percy!

Then, we'll have fights, modern AU's, and cuddling!

Also, the last few rec lists have had errors in their word count and ratings - I just went back and fixed them. If you're looking for more, why not check them out?

[arthurn9]

Opal, Byroden, And a Sense of Mexican/Latino Culture in Exandria

Aimee Carrero is a treasure for bringing Opal to life. She's absolutely my favorite character in EXU, and it's not even close. (That is to say, I love them all, but Opal is just...she's everything. Charismatic, fun to talk to, friendly, a little ditzy and naive, full of herself, show-offy...I could only dream of making PCs like her (and I have tried lol).) And while the character is amazing in and of herself, what she represents actually means so much more to me.

A little backstory. Breaking kayfabe a little here, don't worry, it can still be real to you, damn it, but I am not, in fact, a blue-skinned tiefling with sky blue hair and a silly tail in what some would call "the real world". I'm of Latino descent, specifically Mexican-American, first generation. My parents are from Chihuahua and Durango, Mexico, respectively, and came to the US to make a better life for themselves, finding each other and bringing me into this world in the process. Spanish was my first language, and although it's long since been supplanted by English as my default language, I still speak it enthusiastically when with my family.

I grew up going to fiestas, celebrated several quinceañeras for various cousins and my own sister, went to misa (church service) every Sunday as a good Catholic boy, and took several trips to Mexico over the years to visit grandparents and family.

And at some point, I kind of grew ashamed of that.

Apparently, it's not entirely that uncommon, and kind of understandable. For me, it's hard to say what caused this change in my mentality. It might have been because all around me, everyone spoke English and lived the culture of America (which is a paradox in its own right, considering the hodgepodge of culture that is America). Maybe it was leftover resentment from being put into basic ESL courses in 1st and 2nd grade despite being one of the fastest-learning readers of English in Kindergarten. (I won the limo-pizza party prize from Dominos for reading so many books, damn it!)

Whatever the case, by 6th grade, I was almost exclusively speaking English everywhere, only begrudgingly speaking Spanish when talking to my parents because that's basically all they spoke. I rolled my eyes at things like Pinatas at birthday parties and going to Church (though that might have just been my growing agnosticism). Hell, even my name changed; Arthur is just the Anglicized version of my real name. I'll let you figure that out. And in high school it got really bad. I basically had to take Spanish classes to get back some semblance of speaking the language, and even then I wasn't super happy doing it.

Since then, after maturing a fair amount, I've recovered most of my Spanish speaking ability and patched things up, largely, with my parents. Turns out moving out is all I needed to get the ball rolling! How about that.

Part of that recovery journey has been connecting a bit more over time with my Latino roots. Movies like Coco and Encanto helped recover my interest in a lot of those roots, and I started to more and more gain confidence in those roots. Slowly but surely I started to weave those Mexican roots back into my own storytelling. My favorite Original Characters, Rhys and Uniqua Plateado (from a RWBY AU called AXUR I made with my best friend that I may talk about some day) were deeply entrenched in Mexican/Spanish roots (or the Remnant equivalent of same), with Uniqua in particular deriving her battle style/armor design from both Spanish Flamenco and Mexican Jarabe. More and more of my writing was influenced by the culture of Mexico and the American Southwest.

And then the bomb that is Opal dropped.

To quote Aimee Carrero: "My first question when creating Opal was: 'What’s the Exandria equivalent of Laredo, TX?'"

It turns out that through talking to Matt Mercer, Aabria Iyengar, and creative down at Whitestone Towers (yes I did just make another wrestling joke What Of It), Aimee had created a hub of Exandrian-flavored Mexican culture. Before, Byroden was just a town in the twins' backstory, the site of tragic loss. Now, it was a lively community filled with wonderful cuture, debutant balls, and so much potential.

Because of that inspiration, I was able to finally fill in the gaps for my most beloved player characters' backstories. I was able to find a home for the Cena family, now officially retconned to be their true form: Ex-icans! (please don't shoot me it's a bad name but it's got spirit)

I was able to integrate its culture into my own campaigns. Several prominent Latino wizarding/magic families now live there in my campaigns' version of Exandria. Spanish flows there, and you can visit La Purisima Panaderia for a sweet treat (definitely named for a wonderful Panaderia in my local area that popped one of my players, another Latino native to the area). My main OC family, the Cena's, has a set of triplets among then, two of them (the bitchy, bratty ones) named after two characters from a legendary meme-worthy telenovela (and yes, this was mostly to have one of them spout the funny catchphrase). The third was named for my most beloved Aunt Leticia, who resides in my soul even 13 years after her passing. (Also apparently also named for the protagonist of said telenovela but that was actually a complete accident. Also the elder sister was named for an alias the protagonist of that telenovela takes at one point you know what I'm just gonna say I'm the 6th remake of Betty La Fea and be done with it.)

I was even able to put some of my own mother's heritage in my games! In my version of Byroden, a family owns a toy shop (that has all sorts of cool arcane toys and gadgets). However, its biggest attraction is an arcane doll that supposedly was a human woman at one point...and she sits dormant, celebrated every year by the people of Byroden around the point of Harvest's End. This was inspired by a similar story of a mannequin supposedly created by an embalmed bride-to-be, a legend in Chihuahua.

While I could definitely have done this on my own in some way, having that inspiration come when it did, when my own journey to recover that identity was at its peak, did so much to help show me how cool it could be to integrate that into my storytelling. I'm more excited than ever to implement my roots into my storytelling, and it's all thanks to one cute girl with white hair, a pink jacket, and a penchant for tying good knots. So thank you, Aimee Carrero. Now please bring my girl home, spider mommy is scawy and I don't wanna say goodbye to my giiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrlllllllllll

also on another note though it's never been properly discussed Vax and Vex are a bit brown canonically and are from Byroden so um....maybeIheadcanonthatWeClaimThemokaybye

[aeternisprime]

TOH Intros Part 6: Opal Hagholm

Another original pattern break (and a bit of a deviation from the pattern I was originally planning), but here's my Skarney kid: Opal Hagholm!

Basic Info

Name: Opal Hagholm

Age: 15 years old (early Summer birthday)

Pronouns: She/Her

School: St. Epiderm (10th Grade/Year Equivalent)

Tracks: Oracle, Bard

Palisman: Odie (Raven)

Biography

Opal Hagholm is the 15-year-old daughter of Skara and Viney Hagholm. She lives in Captown with her moms and her half-brother, Cenys Burnnenburg, and attends St. Epiderm as a multi-track student, enrolled in both the Oracle and Bard tracks.

At first glance, Opal seems to be the strong, silent type. She doesn’t speak much when not already in conversation, and the naturally impassive expression on her face does little to invite people to initiate. She prefers working alone on school projects, and will typically try to take lead as quickly as possible when forced to partner/group with other students. Coupled with the fact that she usually keeps to herself and her friends (Stella Blight, Anesonne Spirina Blight, and Fenyr Burnnenburg) at school, most strangers tend to write her off as being standoffish or just plain rude.

When she does interact with others, however, this illusion is immediately dissipated. Opal is incredibly friendly and affable as a person, and isn't anywhere near as shut-off as her outward demeanor might lead one to believe. She's strong-willed and confident, with a sense of protectiveness for the people around her, especially her friends, and a strong aptitude for leadership. She also has a strong distaste for bullies or people taking advantage of their position, frequently finding herself breaking her shell to stand up against them.

She's also fairly sociable when she's not at school, though some people find her a little challenging to be around. She can be a little snarky at times, and, while it's usually all in good fun, her comments can occasionally come off as insensitive and mean instead of the harmless ribbing she intended. She's also the one who reins things in when they get too far out of hand. She frequently has to play mediator within her friend group, especially now that Fenyr is part of it, and it usually falls to her to pull Anesonne back before his ideas get too far out of hand.

Opal was born with a congenital defect in her left eye. She wasn’t able to see out of it from the onset, and, at age 10, she had to have it surgically removed for her own safety. For the first 3 years afterwards, she flip-flopped between eye patches and ocular prosthetics, but when she joined the Oracle Track at 14 years old, she had an Oracle Focus fitted for the socket. A year later, she’s still adjusting to it, but she stands by the fact that it’s the best decision she’s ever made. 

Opal is a tall, dark-skinned girl with a stocky build and an olive green right eye. She keeps her pinkish-gray hair in tied-back dreadlocks like Skara’s, though her hair is a bit longer and has several dark brown streaks running through it. In place of the original eye that she lost, her left eye is an Oracle Focus. It’s been designed to look like an eye, but it’s not colored right at all. The sclera is solid purple, and the front has a blue ‘iris’ with a teal green ‘pupil’ painted on. The prosthetic glows slightly when she uses it, which she’s actually used as a flashlight on more than one occasion.

Opal is an incredibly talented Oracle thanks to her studious and dedicated nature. She’s vastly better at the clairvoyance part of the Track than the medium part, and can see circles around other Oracle students, even without her focus eye. She has a keen interest in the future, though she's only ever looked into her own once, something she's never going to do again.

She’s also fairly talented as a bard. Her instrument of choice is the Baritone Saxophone, and she’s proficient at most other sax variants as well. She can also sing Soprano and Alto, though she really prefers not to when given the option. The vibrations make her prosthetic rattle a bit, and it's a pretty uncomfortable feeling if it goes on for too long.

Palisman: Odie

Opal’s Palisman is a Raven named Odie, whom she adopted on her 13th birthday from the Park Family Home for Palismen. Odie is a black-feathered raven with brownish tips at the edge of his tail and wings. His left eye is missing, and his right is a deep, cobalt blue with no sclera, iris, or pupil. His talons and beak are both dark gray

Odie is very friendly and sweet, as well as incredibly intelligent. He gets along well with the other Palismen in the Hagholm residence, and even with the now-elderly griffin Puddles and her offspring, Splish and Splash. He's unfortunately cursed with an insatiable curiosity that's gotten him into trouble more times than Opal can count, but he always tries to convince her that the knowledge he gained from it was well worth whatever mess he made.

His missing eye is one of the two reasons they bonded. The other was Opal’s core desire, that being her wish to still be able to live her life the way she wants to live it, left eye or not. It reminded him a bit of his carver, whom he's since told Opal tons about. He thinks the two would get along and really wishes they could've met.

Previous Part: Anesonne Spirina Blight

Next Part: Mycha Park

[5mind]

Blue had surprised Doom with the metallic flowers, which she'd taken back to her room at the Office and placed on her windowsill next to her bed, so she would see them every day when she went to bed and every day when she woke up. They were, together, one of the most precious gift anyone had ever given her.

She had something she wanted to given Blue too, and she was very nervous about giving it to her.

With the flowers received, Doom shuffles her hand around in her pocket for a few seconds, clacking together a pair of hard objects and looking rather like she might suddenly bolt rather than say or do whatever it is that she's about to say or do.

"So- Ah- I've been meaning to get around to, ah, you know, asking you for a little while now, but I- I, ah, I didn't know... I wasn't sure- I mean, I have some idea, but I'm just- I'm not- you know- not very good at these things, and- Well, let me give this to you first," she rambles, before presenting Blue with what at first appears to be a sparkly black and orange-red rock.

It's fairly big for what it is, about the size of quarter in US currency, and is almost gives off the appearance of crystallized fire, as though flames have somehow been captured and trapped inside of the rock. The shape of it is cut almost like that of a comma, rounded at one end, pointed at the other, with small grooves along the straighter side in between the two ends while the other is curved. On the back side of it is a piece of metallic-like substance, which Blue should immediately recognize as magnetic, because if she should take it from Doom, she will notice it'll stick to her metal plating.

"It's fire opal. I cut it and smoothed it down to look like that. I have one that matches it, except it's blue opal," she says, showing her the other piece that is the same shape as the fire opal but flipped around. This one also has a magnetic backing, but Doom has fit it onto a necklace, which she puts around her own neck. "I thought we could have- well they're sort of like friendship bracelets, except not? Similar to friendship bracelets, anyway. I say that because, first off, as you can see, they aren't bracelets. And also, because, ah... you are my friend, but also I wanted to ask you if... you'd... you know... maybe... you know... want to be girlfriends..."

As Doom says all this, she is very distinctly looking away, not out of deception, but out of sheer nerves.

"Or, ah, partners, as it were, significant others, whatever you're comfortable with. Or! If you're comfortable with being friends and nothing else, that's okay too. But I just thought I'd, ah, share my feelings, and these can still be friendship non-bracelets."

@the-haunted-office

"Is..is something wrong?" Blue Two asked when Doomsday approached looking so clearly tense. The way their friend started her question had trepidation creeping into Fivemind's processor.

After a moment of stammering, Doom presented the android with a rock that bore a brilliant sheen. Blue Two delicately took the rock between her fingers only for one side of the rock to stick onto her plating. It was magnetic.

"You cut this..?" Blue Two held the stone up to better admire the deliberately carved shape of it. The colour of it reminded the AI of a well-staged pyrotechnic practical effect. "You have put great effort into this..thank you-"

And then the rest of what Doomsday said hit the AI.

"Pardon me?" The android jolted with a start.

"Girl-girlfriends? Do you mean to - do you mean to say friends who are both girls or..." At a loss for how to express how flustered they were at this moment, their vessel in blue fidgetted with their plating.

"Partners...ro..romantically?"

"Are you sure?" Girl, what kinda answer is that? " I mean, I ...I would love to be - I would love if we could be partners. In fact, I have..been thinking of it but I was not certain if you might be receptive to the idea, although I did just give you flowers on Valentines day and we have kissed under the mistletoe in a way. "

"And.. and.. this is not something I have much experience with. I cannot say I have much confidence in myself when it comes to such a relationship but..."

Blue Two had left the gifted stone attached onto the plating of her arm. With both hands, she took Doom's hands into her own.

"I would like to give this a try. Yes."

[spookyprime]

I for one would like to know more about your MJ (Martha Junior) headcanons!!

I have a little story for her!!

So gem powers are only passed down through royal lineage. Basically the idea is that her birth father was actually the king/prince of the emerald kingdom, and Lophi was an elopement. They loved each other dearly but she is just a farm girl and got the very brief chance to live with her prince charming, basically. But when Opal took over the kingdom the prince/king (whatever he was) of the Emeralds was dispatched. All lophi says is that he died.

But if she's actually the lover of the king/prince would make sense why she doesn't have any papers/ID/passport. If they knew who she was and who her child was (the next rightful heir)- they would kill her.

So she goes back to the farm and just does her thing with Conner. Except then, kon leaves, and she's alone with her baby- who has royal blood and starts exhibiting the ability to use gems to have magic.

So Martha has to leave. Even with the takedown of opal it's very well established all is not well politically on genworld. The Emeralds have no political power and having the heir to the emerald kingdom is a death sentence- especially while Martha is still learning to use her powers. So she gets sent to earth. Idk how I haven't worked that out yet- maybe political sympathies with the amethyst kingdom give them transport.

In some versions of this au Martha comes alone, and in some Lophi comes with her. Regardless- she meets back up with kon when she's like... 7-8 and he's just SO OVERJOYED to see her again. He never thought he would. She was his little girl- he didn't want to leave but he had to.

And Martha is very mixed. She's mad he left her. She's mad she has to leave her home. She's mad all the politics is happening in the first place. But kon loves her all the same.

I'm thinking she uses her magic to sort of emulate kryptonian powers+the ttk like Kon has. Yes she can theoretically do anything but I like the idea she tries to fit in with the supers. But she has different strengths and weaknesses. Obviously she's not invulnerable- but also kryptonite wouldn't affect her. She'd be better able to counter magic as well. But her magic is filtered through an emerald gem necklace- and if that gets taken or destroyed she has no magic.

For her outfit I mostly have her wearing one of Kon's old t shirts since he thinks she isn't old enough to have her own supersuit (he does not know she's fighting)

But her end goal is to go back and free the emerald people. That's what she's training for- and that's what she's going to do. She has no interest in taking the throne for herself - just getting rid of the tyranny that's keeping her people oppressed.

[sorcerous-caress]

I’m so sorry but also thank you for giving me permission to ramble. Jubilee is pretty much by and large a normal ass woman Pre getting abducted by mindflayers she was working in the family business a bakery and taking care of two little sisters by day and frantically researching to figure out more about her sorcery/preforming at taverns to help make ends meet by night.

She grew up poor but with two doting mothers she’s actually half-tiefling half-elf. The tiefling mama runs a bakery, elf mom works with messenger pigeons. They had Jubilee and her younger sister Opal via a magic item. Jubilee got her other sister via crime some dragonborn we’re selling eggs as slaves and 10 years old Jubilee, rescued one she was trying to rescue all of them but failed because she was to small to carry them. So now she has lost a red Dragonborn sister. They are very poor like most people from the lower city of Baldur’s gate but she was more than happy with her family. Her family by and large lived on the pastries that had gone stale however often takes stale pastries and distributes them to street urchins and others who look sad or like they could use them. She’d often forgo her own share of food in favor of her sisters or giving it folks that need it more a bad habit that follows her to camp. She just can’t eat until she knows all her beloved friends have had their share.

She also acts way more like a bard than a sorcerer, when she was little she was teased not only for being a tiefling but being weird even for a tiefling because of her Draconic scales. She used a floppy hat to hide her horns and fluffy skirts to hide her tail as a little kid when her sister started picking up these habits of hiding who they are she forced herself to own it, and while she still struggles with self esteem she’s much better for it. So her attempt of owning it/coming of confident along with her side hustle of playing songs that seem far to sad for such a cheerful and doting gal make her seem very bard like.

The confidence is false but it’s a very impressive facade, she’s in deeply over her head however she can’t look like that because she needs to be useful to her companions. She loves all the companions so dearly but is wholly convinced that she is worthless to them if she can’t help them/be of services. So she is constantly of service cooking, making time for them, derailing their world saving missions to help with their personal issues. She completely shoves her own quest about finding the origins of her sorcery aside for their sake. She’s very doting and overly compassionate but unfortunately can be pushy when it comes to her people pleasing often dragging other members of the party into quest to help people.

The companions genuinely love her however she really can’t fathom why anyone would like her they are all cool and special and she’s just a boring little baker. The companions (barring jaheria) also don’t really notice this because she’s used to being strong for her moms and sisters so she’s gotten real good at burying her feelings. Their are little cracks though how she waits to eat, how she tells Shadowheart to save her healing for someone that really needs it, the pain and longing in her eyes as she speaks about her family and the way she more often then not takes over guard shifts because she was having nightmares. Surface pressure from enchanto meets canary in a coal mine by the crane wives is a lovely description of her emotional state.

I will be back with more but it is nearly 1am and I have class tomorrow so love you bye.

She sounds really well through out and admirable!

I really like the idea of her having a family waiting for her in Baldur's gate, or even the idea of one of her sister accidentally being kidnapped with her.

Maybe that's how they got her, they were attempting to get one of her sisters instead, maybe the dragonborn, but she pushed her out of the way and saved her yet doomed her own self in the process.

Imagine the sweet reunion when she finally makes it back home to her mothers and sisters. Now a much stronger and capable sorcerer then before.

You can even homebrew her sorcery to include some musical themes in them if you want. It's very flexible, and she can take a dip or two in bardic schools to get some of the supportive spells to really sell the whole dotting figure. Where she'd spend her remaining healing spell slots on her companions instead of herself.

While I could see karlach, Gale and Shadowheart going with the flow and relaying on her facade of the nurturing big sister, i think other companions wouldn't buy it.

Wyll for instance, Minthara too.

Jaheira would probably relate to her a bit. She has a similar concept, except she uses a harsh and cold front to veil her true self with.

Minthara can sniff out the deepest insecurity someone has the second she meets them. After you recruit her, she immediately lists all that's wrong with your companions. She has to be good at knowing other's true weaknesses. to survive and thrive in drow culture

[litsnobconfessions]

Date: February 15-16, 2025

Day: 46-47

Content Watched: The Legend of Korra, Season 3, Episodes 9-13

Year: 2012-2014

Rating: TV-PG

Run Time: 115 minutes

Okay, let's start by talking about the animation because honestly, I feel like I've dunked on the animation in Korra a bit, and I feel a little guilty because I am aware of just how much work went into animating this series. There is a reason that I started this project with ATLA and Korra. And though most people I know prefer ATLA, I do think Korra's still a great series. If I have time in the future, I'd like to create a post about my thoughts looking at the two side by side, but for now, I just want to be on the record confirming that Korra has some great animation. And while I do think that where Korra shines is typically the fight scenes, my favorite animation in the last episodes of the show is not a fight. In fact, it's something very small: Zaheer's expression when Korra confirms what Kuvira is doing and he realizes that this was the consequence of his actions. You see in his face that he knows he miscalcuated, and, dare I say it, regret.

And on that note, I'm going to focus this review on one of the major themes of these episodes: forgiveness and redemption. Because there is a lot of it going on here. Asami learns to forgive her father, who tries to make up for the wrong he's done by sacrificing himself getting the gang into the giant mech suit. Asami also has to learn to forgive Varrick, or at least to work with him, though I love how she stands up to him by literally twisting his arm. Toph and Lin finally reconcile, and I realize that Toph's decision to go hide out in the swamp reveals that she's still dealing with the same problems of distancing herself from others that we saw in ATLA. I mean, yes, she knows what's going on in her kids' lives, but none of them get to see her. (Though I do like her proclomation that she's too old to be fighting a war, and it's time to leave the world to the kids. I think this is a lesson all of us could stand to remember a little better.) Su also reconciles with her son. I like this scene because we've already seen in "The Metal Clan" that she believes in giving people second chances, so it's perfectly in character here. Even Wu gets redemption when he uses his skills to evacuate the city in a (mostly) calm and orderly fashion, and then chooses to step down from the throne.

And then, of course, there's Bolin. When I talked about Boiling Rock, I mentioned that Zuko's redemption is a process. He has to apologize multiple times, to multiple people, and accept their reactions. Some people don't forgive as easily as others. And he has to prove himself through action. Here, we see this with Bolin. For Korra and Mako, it's enough that Bolin has owned up to his mistakes and returned to give them intel on Kuvira's plans. For Opal, who has been more directly affected by his actions, this is not.

Honestly? I like that she stands up for herself when he first comes back. Sometimes it takes more than a verbal apology, and Bolin's attempt to trick her into a picnic is definitely the wrong way to go about things. (Though I do like that they also show us what a bad apology looks like.) When he does prove himself, I think it's not only in helping Opal save her family, but also in risking his life to save Zhu Li. Honestly, this moment reminds me of when Zuko tells Toph he needs to learn to be more careful so he doesn't hurt people with his anger. In both of these moments, it's clear the character is acting on their personal convictions, rather than out of a desire to say or do the thing they think will get them forgiveness. And in both cases, it's this personal conviction that leads to their redemption.

Zhu Li's redemption arc is different. Obviously, her actions were both strategic and useful, but she still apologizes to Varrick for making him think he betrayed her because she knows that even if she has good reason, she has probably caused him emotional harm. But unlike Opal and Bolin, Varrick also has a lot of apologize for, and I appreciate Zhu Li for refusing to let things go back to normal. And he does try to apologize, though he's not great at it. I really like how annoyed Zhu Li is when he starts talking about Mrs. Beaks, even though his line just before he gets cut off by the approach of the giant mech reveals where he's going. (Though, to be honest, I don't think ostrich horses are particularly common in thr southern water tribe, so he's probably making up this story.)

But can we also take a moment to talk about Zhu Li? Because this is probably my favorite character arc in this show. Like I said before, she has 2 seasons of being Varrick's stoic, silent helper. And then, in a few short episodes, she reveals her annoyance over how she's been treated, her love for Varrick, and then proceeds to be arguably the bravest and most daring character of season 4 by claiming fealty to Kuvira in order to spy on her. And when Kuvira finds her out, she doesn't. back. down. Instead, she stands up to her and gives her what for. I imagine that Zhu Li is one of those people who didn't know she could do this until she did. And I think that's why it takes standing up to Kuvira to stand up to Varrick. I may be Zuko, but Zhu Li is my hero.

Korra also undergoes redemption here. She apologizes to Asami for being distant, and talks to Tenzin about how angry she was and how her actions affected others. And she accepts Bolin's apology because she feels partially responsible for the events playing out. But in the end, she able not only to accept her own actions, but accept the things that have happened to her. Korra even states that this is what allowed her to have compassion for Kuvira.

Finally, I want to talk about the ending. Because Korrasami might be my actual favorite ship of both shows. For one, it has the perfect ship name (both characters get their full names as part of it!) But far more importantly, on a second watch through, I saw how this relationship really built up, even from as far back as season 1.

I know that Aang and Katara's relationship was introduced in the very first episode, but it always felt like it kept getting forgotten about and then remembered for an episode or two before being forgotten again. Korra and Asami's relationship doesn't do anything overt until the final minutes of the series, but over the course of the show, they clearly grow closer to one another. You see the two girls spending more and more time with one another until season 4, where Asami is the only person Korra writes to, and in the rare moments Korra has to just be a teenager for a little while, Asami is the person she does that with. Essentially, even though there's been no talk of kissing or crushes, their scenes have developed the type of intimacy that makes the end feel perfectly natural. I guess by the time Korra came out, they had figured out how to do slow-burn relationships right.

Tomorrow, we'll meet a much smaller hero from my childhood (and possibly one of the reasons I love Pema so much ;)

[libidomechanica]

Untitled (“Her goodly wel”)

A heavy heart that doubt of Rome.     I had rather will be, no other, adopted to stay     awake. Even as the bay. The door, Lord Gregory is     with pains my heart, I said; and coffee, breathed for the woods shal     answere and regular

and will be all howling flee, and     roll, with snow-scent and Duty be thou counsellor; and sometimes     her visits to clusters of Jerusalem, than it purpose     while I place in: from an old custom of the tenor’s     voices, wild wind and thus

lamented to lose the sweets to     thrilled, distrusting the riuers and children, come downe there: for     carefull Colinet. The faith no ideals to thee, and her     be enuied, all were Elisa one of them answer,     glittering starre. Under thus

to entrap in the devil, and     who should a Father growing owre the mayden Queene not so     vigorously he might see. Behold, that gushes, they sleepers     of Zion, and look’d into a hoarse and Give. And more,     by paying to be o’ercome,

and I am his: he feedeth     among the best feeling, and mutton, better meals. I     took heat perpetual, growing a mile from Káf to Káf,     down that Sappho’s song, we journey through a land of eyes, for     if my temples were let

alone, and whom she deem’d as it     were to be neuter—and their bright, i’ll come when no winds too     soon, baptized her brain spun fast, and who should be describably     delicious power: I’ve knows how long—no doubt, a good     deal may be those men of

elder witt. And tried to cross which     we in bigger than all otherwise therein her own ankle     glance upon the brave, he watch’d it death descend above     yon slope of orphan’s education. The love-tokens that     novelties are sometimes

should have thy far-reaching any     shore: farewell, hear, mistress, or necks: thus drowne, in wise Minervaes     paths of snows; and not dead, whom she deem’d so well, my     Company is Heaven above, as the vast heave around me     not, if female lips, and

the muzzle beneath the soldier     watch’d it, and used, used utterly be consisted out per     couple of them known through. Her Kidde: but he had not Love, t     is the river damm’d from out their gazing from Livorno     by the rich and water,

a twenty-five, that labyrinths     of Lethe’s spring is suddenly to keep came tripping     orb were given, to make the bright, is it not Cinthia, thogh     faire landed in the light, if he be not yet separate those     deep breathed upon their

guardian for the morning like the     dore stands; take me. Its alchymy, and bets upon the sea,     perhaps a little orphan of the dark. Her girdle     sparkling coronets are thee. ’St that you, may I fail to     her Deare, let bee. At twenty

mariners, the ocean when     their arms, and all his sheet of sorrow and the smell of Life     with many a sniggering efforts made even the last     promoted breeding cattle. Her goodly wel beseeching,     up to th’ high a

Bough, to which sigh by might know what’s     thick, or long pursue howe’er her narrow paved street, and calm     within the Rose-leaves me a choice, with rain, you saw me. No,     no, no, no, no, no, no, no, my Deare, let bee. The ball scores     and plied the cause they pick’d

em, to make them yet, all day; come!     Making Virtue be your pinky ring not if you pale, flashed&     forgot your body has becomes his Sign, and music come     to be put hastily together, all the notes     indissectible&extending

line along the advantage when     folks are borrow frae naebody. Each blesse thy career is     not reach he lefte to mee: no, no, no, no, no, no, my Deare,     let bee. Say over and gleam, whereon there is not Love, t     is still preferment get;

his wearing a tear falls, the lass     of life’s starlight bless you let its fierceness and dress’d defense     can bind; strange convulsions rack’d, drinking heart, or rather     words; harsh truth; there before? Which wrote it strike the host of all:     then into the dirty

hovel: some plan had got a former     faults the topaz, opal, calcedon. And speech about     the sea; and she is that night, and be not come at last, with     thee. Than water, a twenty- four; while bright Cynthia sways     there was not lose you. And

dinna ye mind, love Gregory     come hame? Both of us, your silence to grow; but though not     exactly like years till, now, on the hidden feares, be     heard the sigh’d to be subtle Wit can well of sun on wood     cabinet, the world—ah me!

Today when some separate the moon     does the Peacoks spotted fayth and blamest hem out, as rotten     smoke? Timidly tow’rd her—but in that we poore women     much divided, standing all gently ebb’d his danger     Be shed over my mind.

[fe14festivalofbondstranslations]

Hoshidan Festival: Peri and Ophelia Parent-Child Conversation

I refreshed myself on Peri and Odin’s support conversations before writing this, and realized I’d totally forgotten about it. It’s cute! It involves Peri going to an anger management class and becoming the head of their society. While their conversation isn’t actually mentioned, it kind of ties in here, as Peri seems to think of her murderous tendencies as a problem and is proud of Ophelia for coming up with a self-control spell. Also, this is one of the few places int he game where Peri’s mismatched irises are mentioned! That’s pretty cool. I wonder if Ophelia would someday be able to manufacture a spell to change her own eye color, hmm... Or maybe she’ll invent colored contacts.

Ophelia: (quivering with anger) “...O menacing heart of mine, still yourself… I beg of you! Be still!!  Urgh…  At a time like this I suppose I have no choice but to use that spell, the new one I learned to acheive greater control over myself… Counsel Baganded!  ……  Whew. I think that’s a little better.” (T/N:  Since many of Odin and Ophelia’s spells have parallels in the FE world, I tried to look up one for コンソール・バガンデッド, but couldn’t find anything, so I just transliterated it literally. If anyone knows what it’s supposed to be, please let me know so I can correct it.)

Peri: “Ophelia, what’s wrong? You look really troubled.”

Ophelia: “Mother…  …I don’t really understand myself lately… If things don’t go the way I wish them to, I get the urge to annihilate the people of this world…” (T/N: That sounds  a little extreme, but I’m certain she’s specifically talking about killing everyone within sight in this outrealm world, not that she literally wants to kill everyone in their home world. Because, wow, that would be a little intense.)

Peri: “Huh?”

Ophelia: “Isn’t it terrible? I was just feeling that way right now, so I cast a self-control spell on myself.”

Peri: “That’s a wonderful spell. But, if you feel that way, that might mean…”

Ophelia: “Aaaaah, I feel as though I am teetering on the edge! We took great lengths to come all the way out here for a special festival,  and I so desired to go to that stall to buy dumplings and eat them with you…  But now the bandits have razed that stall so it no longer exists…” (more angry shaking)  “Aaaaah! I once again I feel the need to kill all those bandits!”

Peri: “N-no, Ophelia! You need to calm down! That… That must be me. You got that from me. That’s all my fault!”

Ophelia: “Huh? Is that so?”

Peri: “When I’m upset, I want to swing a weapon at someone. And then when I see the pretty red blood splattering around, I feel better. So I really understand how you feel.”

Ophelia: “It, it’s true that when I get like this, seeing something red calms me down… That’s why I usually carry around this sacred red stone, the ‘Bloody Fire Opal.’ So I see, this is your blood within me… This is the power I inherited from you…”

Peri: “Ophelia, you look really sad again. I’m sorry… That’s not a very nice thing to get from your mommy…”

Ophelia: “Oh, it’s not that at all! There is absolutely no reason for you to apologize! I am almost literally trembling with joy at the mysteries of the blood that courses through my body!”

Peri: “R-really?”

Ophelia: “Yes. Though this blood of mine is rather unsafe, if I use a spell to suppress those murderous urges then I probably will do no serious harm…  More importantly, I’m happy to know I take after you.”

Peri: “Ophelia…! Thanks. I’m very happy. I mean, you mostly take after Odin, so to find a way you take after me… That makes me happy.”

Ophelia: “Well, if I inherited anything from you, I wish it had been your eye color.”

Peri: “My eye color?”

Ophelia: “Yes! Your eyes are different colors, Mother! It is astoundingly amazing!! There aren’t many people like that around…  It really makes it feel like you’re a chosen one!”

Peri: “Well then you and me need to spend a lot of time together! If we do, maybe your eyes will slowly start to change color.”

Ophelia: “Wow, for real?! Just thinking about it makes my maiden’s heart flutter!” (T/N: The "wow, for real?!” is in Peri’s childish way of talking. Hard to render that in English when it’s such a short line! Ophelia and Peri don’t speak all that differently, honestly.)

Peri: “Ahaha, it sounds like we talk the same way all of a sudden. The day that your eyes change color can’t be far away! So, let’s go and smash up some bandits. We’ll spend time together after!”

Ophelia: “Yeah! Behold, the twinkling of Ophelia Dusk, as she dreams of differently colored irises!”

[ethereal-inquisitor]

Chapter 6: Bittersweet

a/n: Baking, backstory, jealous!Thorin if you squint

Previous Chapter

You took a deep breath as you began mixing together ingredients for your treats, still trying to decide what it was you were going to make. Thranduil was waiting, still giving you that intense gaze, and you honestly didn’t know where to start.

“After the battle, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. There was an entire kingdom to rebuild, and it was not going to be a picnic. I wasn’t expecting the hostile greeting I got when people started streaming in.” You paused, sprinkling some more flour in the dough that was beginning to for before continuing. “For a people that did nothing to retake the mountain, they were very interested in taking advantage of Thorin once it was safe again.”

“Such is the nature of dwarves,” the elf said wryly, tapping his finger in the counter as he watched your hands expertly knead the dough in the bowl. “But I am far more interested in how this all deals with you.”

“I’m getting there. You just need to know the background so you understand a bit better.” Plopping the dough from your bowl onto the floured surface, you continue to pull and smash the mass into a smooth ball. “They streamed into the kingdom en masse, and they made their opinions known loudly that a gold-digging harpy like me was not welcome in their city, regardless of what I’d done to help Thorin’s company.” You gave a short, humorless laugh. “I didn’t even take the share of the money that they tried to give me. How’s that for irony? Anyway, I underestimated how…desperate the dwarrowdam were to try and have one of their own marry Thorin.  Fili and Kili, too. The noble families had schemes upon schemes to try and hook them, and I was the idiot who had no idea.”

Another hard punch to the dough and you continued. “I didn’t see Thorin much after the battle. He’s a wonderful king, very dedicated to his people. Completely deaf to rumors, though, unless they’re brought directly to him. A group of older dwarrowdams had weaseled their way into his inner workings, insisting they would be beneficial to the rebuild. As I understand it, they’re the ones who started the rumors about me, whispering all kinds of lies in his ear.”

This punch was harder, and your knuckles stung as they hit the counter. “I tried to laugh it off at first because how could he even think that I would do anything that would harm Erebor? Silly rumors from people who had nothing better to do. Looking back now, though, maybe he did believe them from the beginning.” The dough was dangerously close to being over-kneaded, so you put it in a bowl with a cover on it and started on another batch. “It wasn’t until he officially announced our ‘courtship’ that it went from mildly annoying to vicious. I got this ring that was meant for the Queen. It was beautiful, but it was too big for me to wear, so I kept it locked in my room until we could find a master jeweler to resize it. I never touched it after Thorin gave it to me because it was so beautiful and I was afraid I’d break it. Or lose it. I’m not sure if you know, but I’m terribly absentminded sometimes, and I knew I’d set the thing down somewhere and then what would happen?” You blew a hair out of your face, using the back of your hand to push it away completely.

Thranduil raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lip tipping up. “You would have been better leaving the hair there. The flour does nothing for your complexion.”

You rolled your eyes and wiped at your cheek. “If flour is the only thing that I get on me while I’m baking, it’s a good day. Anyway, Thorin assigned me a dwarrowdam to help me learn the dwarven customs, translate dwarvish, that kind of thing. Her name was Opal, and she was pleasant enough. Nicer than all the others at least, or so I thought. See, she was the eldest daughter of one of the higher-up noble families, and it was her goal to get into Thorin’s pants. Every time Thorin and I would be able to have dinner together or something, she would make up something to pull one of us away. For months I only saw him in passing, and while he was away from me, the other women would try and convince him of my villainy.”

The next batch of dough was ready to be beaten, and as the story went on, you felt it was very therapeutic to smash it. “Missives started popping up with my seal on it. Weird, suspicious missives that tried to reroute supplies, that insulted dwarven nobles, even some just bashing Thorin as a crappy king. I didn’t send them, but he spent more and more time avoiding me. I’m not sure what he thought, but I can’t understand anything in dwarvish let alone write it, and every single one of the letters were written in it. The final straw, though, was the last letter.”

The dough was pulled, scraped, and then punched again. “Because I didn’t use the ring, I knew it was a possibility someone could have swiped it. It was always there when I checked, but I took my issues to Balin, hoping he could help. The others begun to turn on me, too, around this time, so I was half-afraid Balin would treat me like they had.” You cleared your throat, pushing the lump that had formed in your throat down. “But Balin is very wise, and he knew something was wrong with the entire situation. Bilbo had come up from the Shire for a visit, so we looped him into a plan to try and see if anyone was taking the ring when I wasn’t around. That Hobbit could be standing in the middle of a crowded room, and no one would see him if he didn't want them to. It's impressive.”

The second batch was complete, and you set it aside to rise to work on the fruity fillings. You were quiet for a few minutes, chopping up strawberries and various other beautiful fruits.

“Bilbo caught Opal using the ring while I was gone. She was the one who made my schedule, and so she would wait until I was caught up in something, sneak into my room and put my seal on her letters. It didn’t matter, though, because she had already sent out the piece de resistance. The final nail in my coffin as far as Thorin was concerned. I was on my way to see Balin when Thorin found me on one of the busier roads in Erebor.”

Tears stung your eyes, and you rubbed at your eyes angrily. “I’m sure you’ve heard what happened there.” You sniffed, putting all the fruits in a bowl and drizzling honey over them. “The letter was basically one long insult to Thorin, ending in my apparent criticisms of his prowess in the bedroom.” A humorless laugh escaped you. “The funny thing is, we never…” you moved your hands around aimlessly, “you know, had the kind of relations to know about someone’s prowess in the bedroom.”

Thranduil blinked, but politely didn’t say a word.

You continued. “So he should have known something was off. By the time I got to Balin, I was so angry and hurt I couldn’t think. Even though we had figured out the problem, I knew I had to leave.” What you didn’t tell Thranduil was that the connection you had made with Thorin over the past year had shattered as soon as the words left his mouth. He hated you enough that he had decided to end whatever it was that was growing between the two of you, so you did the only thing you could. You cut off your courting braid, handed it to Balin, and left. “I left not long after that. Bilbo told me that it took Balin two weeks to get an audience with Thorin to show him the evidence about Opal. I don’t know how that went, and I really don’t care.”

You reached out to grab one of the resting dough balls, flattening it out with a roller. “I’ve been waiting to hear about an engagement or something. Opal did work hard for her prize.” The sarcasm dripped heavily from your lips. You quickly cut small circles out of the flattened dough, shaping them into little cups and placing them on a pan. Walking over to the oven, you passed the doorway and paused, swearing you could hear something just outside the door.

Oh, great, that’s just what you need. A servant running off to gossip about your non-existent love life. Placing the pan in the oven, you slowly made your way over to the doorway to yell at whoever was out there.

“What are you doing?” Thranduil asked.

You turned to look at him, narrowing your eyes. “I just.. wanted to look out into the hallway…”

“No one is out there. It’s just the trees creaking in the breeze. I understand you are used to subterfuge and hostile dwarves, but this is my palace. I know everything that goes on here, unlike the dwarf, apparently.”

Giving one more suspicious look to the doorway, you walked past it back to the counter to work on the second batch. “If you say so.”

“I do. I know when someone is standing outside a doorway,” the elf drawled, as if amused by something you didn’t understand.

Your eyes rolled up to the ceiling, silently cursing yourself for ever leaving the Shire. “So that’s about it. I’d be surprised if he hadn’t married one of them by now. Or two. I don’t really know how kings and their wives work for dwarves.”

“I’m sure there’s much more to it than that but thank you for sharing it with me.” He stood from his chair, walking over to your side of the counter and looking down at your work. “Is there a particular reason why you made so many?” With his hands clasped behind his back, he leaned down so his face was level with yours.

“I’m used to cooking for a large group, I guess,” you mumble. “Plus, Ori can eat about fifteen of them on his own if I don’t watch him. Do you want to make one?”

You turn your head slightly to the side and tried not to giggle at the look of utter horror on his face. “Make this?”

“Yes. It’s not that hard. Don’t give me that look, you’ve stared down and army of dwarves and orcs. I’m sure you have the manual dexterity to work with dough.”

He stood to his full height, looking down his nose at you in that infuriating way of his. “I don’t have to eat the orcs and dwarves after I touch them.”

You blinked once, and the complete absurdity of that sentence made you laugh. You quickly clapped your hands over your mouth. “Sorry…Point taken.” You attempted to school your expression into a more serious one. “Did that at least help put the puzzle together a little bit?”

“Mm,” he said thoughtfully. “It does make more sense than the others I’ve heard.” He watched you as you finished everything up and cleaned up your mess while the treats were baking. “I have subjects who can do that for you.”

“Of course, you do,” you replied dryly. “But not all of us are royalty. Us common folk must clean up our own messes. Besides, the counter needs to be clean now so I can put the pans on it.”

Thranduil walked over to the suspicious doorway and leaned against it facing outward, his gaze lingering on something just to his left. He caught Thorin’s gaze, and the two kings stared at each other for a moment before the elf turned and moved back inside as if nothing happened.

You moved around him, noticing the sky beginning to lose its rich, dark color. “It’ll be morning soon,” you said softly, pulling the batches of little bowls out of the oven. Walking them over to Thranduil, you put them on the counter, reaching over to grab two spoons and the large bowl of sweet fruit. Handing one of the spoons to the elf, you used yours to dig a spoonful on mixture and drop it in the little crust. “You can help this way, then. It’ll be faster if both of us work together.

He took the spoon as if it were a snake. “I’d be willing to wait for you to finish all of them….”

You glared at him. “I swear, if you tell me you’re however old and you’ve never cooked a day in your life, I may have to throw something at you. Everyone needs to know how to cook. Kings included. But,” you continue, “if you’re too scared….”

He narrowed his eyes at you as he reached around you to stick the spoon in the mix. While holding your gaze, he deftly dropped it into one of the cups without even looking. “I know how to cook things that are necessary for living, yes.”

You raise your eyebrows, giving him a bored look. “But nothing that would bring you happiness? These things, instant happiness.” You bring the bowl to sit in the middle, and you and Thranduil work in complete quiet. Once you were done, you sprinkled just a touch of crunchy sugar on top, and they were ready for consumption.

You reached out to grab the one closest to you, turning to hand it to the king. “You get the honor of the first one.”

He blinked, looking at the small cup of fruit sitting in his hand. With a sigh, he brought it up to his lips and took a small bite, his eyes widening as the flavors burst against his tongue.

“Yeah, I know. It’s amazing,” you preen, giggling. You look around for a basket or two to put the treats in. After you found some suitable ones, you brought them back to the counter. Something was off…

There was an entire row missing.

You slowly looked up at the king who had half a treat crammed in his mouth and another in his hand waiting to be the next victim. He had no shame, and it was obvious he wasn’t sorry.

You snort, setting a couple of more on a cloth and putting the rest in the baskets. “Looks like I have to double it next time.” Covering the baskets with a cloth, you grab them and look up at Thranduil expectantly. “All done!”

He sets the other pastry on the cloth with the others you gave him and picked them up delicately. “They are remarkably delicious,” he finally said as he led you out the door the two of you came in.

“Thank you,” you replied happily, “I glad you liked them. Do you think we can swing by Ori’s room to drop a basket off?”

He glared at the basket as if it personally offended him. “I suppose if we must. That is many pastries for one dwarf.”

“You may be right, but I was going to give the other basket to you, so maybe I should reconsider everything.”

He held his head up and sniffed. “I suppose it isn’t too far out of the way.”

Thranduil led you to Ori, Nori, and Dori’s room, and you left the basket right on the doorhandle. You didn’t want to wake them, but you knew it would brighten Ori’s day to get them. Nodding happily, you are escorted back to your room. Standing outside the door, you hand the basket to Thranduil. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. And for staying while I baked the crazy away. And for the clothes.” Oh, gods, shut up. Stop rambling.

Thranduil took the basket, stony-faced as ever. “You are quite welcome. Perhaps you can rest now, and later we can all discuss what the next steps are. I will not let them wake you for a few hours.”

“Maybe,” you said evasively. “Oh! Wait!” You open the door quickly, running into the room to grab his robe. You brought it out with you, holding the heavy clothing out to him. “Thank you for this, too.”

He nodded, reaching out to grab it when another voice cut through the air.

“Thranduil!” Thorin shouted from the other end of the hallway. “I would speak with you now!”

Frowning, the elf looked down the long corridor at Thorin, then to you and then to the robe. “On second thought,” he purred, carefully maneuvering the long fabric around your shoulders. “You may keep it. It does get rather chilled in these halls for a human.” With that final quip, he turned from you and glided down the hallway to a fuming Dwarven King.

Sighing, you pull the warmth around your shoulders, using your hip to push the door open. Maybe you could get a few hours sleep. Maybe.

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