#and I mean. What are they supposed to do? they're two people against the highest authority of the entire nation.

[feroluce]

Belobog was my fave main quest but a lot of it is so. Contradictory. It's like they had multiple groups doing different shit and none of them checked in with each other for consistency. And you see this so much in Gepard's profile.

So in the main quest, they made him unfailingly, unquestionably loyal to Cocolia. Gepard's character arc is him learning to question authority etc etc. And this isn't even a bad thing; that's a story worth telling! It makes good conflict between him and Serval! And I love that we got Gepard as a boss battle and I get to see him all the time in SU!

But then you look at his character stories and it's like. The complete opposite.

According to his profile, Gepard has already HAD this awakening, long before the Astral Express, and he'd already decided Cocolia sucks. Even outside of his stories, there's a pretty damning readable between him and Pela.

He even disobeyed direct orders right in front of her- he has been disobeying orders for a while now!

So I've decided I'm marrying the two different sides of this into a 1.5k fic-ish thingy, because I think there's some fun potential there with Gepard not trusting Cocolia, but still having to pretend to be a good obedient little soldier.

Anyway. I love to think of it as like. Gepard knows Cocolia has sunk into her apathy. He can see it in her eyes every time he looks at her. She doesn't care. Not about him, not about Pela, not about all his soldiers on the frontlines giving their lives to protect the citizens. And that's... It makes him bristle a bit, but ok. Gepard can deal with this. Even if Cocolia no longer cares, as long as she does her job then it's fine. Having compassion behind an action doesn't matter as much as the action itself. If Cocolia's heart is no longer swayed, then he'll just have to care twice as hard to pick up the slack. He considers it part of his duty as a captain of the guard anyway. It's fine. Gepard can deal with it.

And then, Cocolia starts coming down to the restricted zone. Issuing direct orders.

And Gepard realizes he is in way over his head.

Because Cocolia orders him to stay back and issue commands from the ramparts, away from all his comrades, away from where he can protect them.

Gepard had thought nothing could be as bad as watching a fellow guard die right next to him. But the first time he watches someone struck by a killing blow, so far away, it hurts. Every defensive scar across his arms itches, his fingers curl in want of a weapon, the cold cannot numb his hands enough as they desperately ache for his shield. It hurts.

Gepard tries to find any reason to stay. Because surely... He knows Cocolia has lost her love for her people, but surely... She wouldn't...

One day, Cocolia orders for their gunners to advance 20 yards. There are no survivors. She almost looks like she smiles.

Gepard doesn't sleep that night.

Pela brings him the report at the end of the first month; and then the month after that, and the month after that. A significant uptick in losses, and all of it started on that first day Cocolia started overriding his authority and issuing her own orders. The ends of Gepard's pens have all been nearly chewed off. Pela outright calls Cocolia an idiot, and Gepard corrects her. Cocolia isn't an idiot. Gepard had known her through Serval, knew her through all her college years and then some, and he knows how intelligent she is. It's not that she's stupid, and it's not that she's inexperienced, it's nothing of the sort.

Cocolia knows exactly what she's doing.

She must, there's no way she could make such a horrible mess of things so badly by accident. And Pela, quick as a whip, sharp as a tack, always too smart for her own good, catches onto the meaning behind Gepard's correction without any further prompting. The tent goes deathly quiet, nothing but the wind howling outside.

"...She's trying to kill us," Pela whispers, her voice swiftly suffocated by the silence.

Gepard swallows. He can't bring himself to correct her this time. There is nothing he could say that he would actually mean.

His gaze drops, back down to his desk and the reports on it. The names aren't listed, just the numbers, but Gepard knows them, knew them, and there must be something wrong, something he's missing, because why, why would she-? What could this possibly accomplish-?

“Gepard! Focus!” Something snaps right under his nose, and Gepard startles, eyes instantly honing in on Pela's irritated face as she leans over his desk. She holds his gaze for a moment before she huffs and begins to pace, wedges a knuckle between her teeth and bites like Gepard hasn't seen her do since cadet school.

Pela angrily strides from one end of his tent to the other, words hissed between her grit teeth. “What are we going to do?” In the dim lighting, Gepard can just barely see the damp spot of blood weeping under her gloves. “We need a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Wh- Yes, a plan! Unless you want more people to die!” Pela rounds on him then, all the wrath of a blizzard, winds roaring and snow sharp enough to cut.

“We don't even know-”

“What does it matter?! She killed-!!” Pela cuts off with a garbled noise when Gepard leaps up from his desk, hastily shoves his hand over her mouth. The prosthetic, not the flesh one, because he knows better than to assume Pela won't seize the opportunity to leave teeth marks in his skin.

“You're right. I'm sorry, I'm sorry; you're right. But you need to keep quiet.” Pela quirks an eyebrow at him and Gepard can read the question in her face. “Because we both saw what she did to Serval,” he hisses.

It's amazing the snow plains haven't thawed out yet, the amount of heat Pela can put behind a glare. The mere mention of Serval, and the smoking ruins Cocolia had made of her life and career, have her bristling up like a riled cat. The sudden hot breath she takes fans fog across his metal skin, and Gepard wisely keeps it in place until Pela finally sighs and reaches up, taps her fingertips against the back of his hand.

The second she's free, Pela bats him away and then her knuckle is right back between her teeth again, Gepard leaning back against his desk with his arms crossed to watch her resume her pacing. “If we spread the word, she'll have us discharged and make sure we can't even touch the frontlines,” Pela's voice seethes like an open sore. Gepard nods but keeps his silence. He knows better than to get in her way.

“And if you and I are both out of the picture, Belobog is fucked.” A little harsher than how he would have put it, but there's no denying that they're both important to the city's survival. Pela has the restricted zone running as efficiently as ever, and Gepard had become the youngest captain on record for a reason. “We need to keep this tight under wraps, at least for now… It can't leak to anyone higher up the chain.” Another nod. “Serval might know other discontents…” Another n-

Gepard's head snaps up. “No.”

“No what?”

“No. We're not involving Serval in this.”

Somehow, even the same tone that leaves entire squadrons shaking in their boots has never worked on her. “You're not deciding that for her, Gepard.”

Pela hadn't seen the worst of it, though, back when his sister had just been banned from the Architects. Serval's pride hadn't allowed it. Pela wasn't the one to find her passed out bottle still in hand, hadn't been the one to wash the sick out of her hair or carry her to bed. 

Serval still has trouble thinking clearly when it comes to Cocolia, still can't quite bring herself to be objective. And Gepard maybe doesn't want her to be purely objective- but he would worry a lot less if she thought twice before she acted more often.

“At least let me be the one to bring it up to her.”

“Whatever, fine,” Pela gestures affirmatively at him as she paces past, and Gepard sighs. Good, at least that's one thing he can help.

From there, it's a lot of hemming and hawing and frustration. Cocolia has them under her boot, and Gepard and Pela both know it. Even with the way she's been cracking down on freedoms lately, Cocolia is still, overall, liked by the people. It's unlikely anyone would believe them. They don't even have solid proof, because most people don't know Cocolia as well as they do and won't see the clues in the same light. 

The Fragmentum has been ramping up in recent years, too. Everyone is struggling just to survive as is, they can't afford a fight on two fronts. Gepard is a damn good captain, one of the best for that matter. But they're at a massive disadvantage, his experience is narrowed to fighting a defensive battle against monsters, that's all he's ever done. That's all anyone there has ever done. He has no way of finding first-hand knowledge for taking the offensive against a human opponent, and if he goes at this blind, there's no way he'll get everyone out unscathed. He's going to lose people. He's going to lose a lot of people.

He'd never thought before that Cocolia would have it in her to have someone killed. And with this new knowledge, he has no guarantee she won't go after Serval or Lynx if she decides to retaliate.

Gepard has to remind himself to breathe when he realizes this.

Pela writes down every name the two of them can come up with. Lists and lists of names and groups and anyone they can think of who might be an ally in all of this. They memorize every bit of it, make their plans of who to talk to and when. Gepard watches the sparks reflect off Pela's glasses as they burn the evidence together.

Pela finally leaves, far too late to make it home, but says she wants to stay in the restricted zone anyway to investigate. Gepard watches her make her way in the direction of Dunn's tent, watches her back until she's out of his sight and squashes down the urge to follow and keep an eye on her. His tent feels empty.

In the morning, Gepard is up before the wake up bells. He drags himself out of bed, leads his soldiers through their morning training. The same people gravitate to each other everyday. Friend groups and training partners. There's an ongoing rivalry between a few squadrons that everyone bets on. Some of them have lockets around their necks, keepsakes, mementos. Some of them wear wedding rings.

Gepard is suddenly, painfully aware of something acidic clawing at the inside of his throat, of a heavy weight low in his chest that blooms, takes up room until it threatens to spread his ribs. His mouth tastes of bile and blood.

He rearranges the schedules. Puts himself down for every open patrol into the Fragmentum, makes sure he'll be on the frontlines every single time Cocolia visits.

He only hopes that it's enough.

[oneatlatime]

The Desert

Alternate title: Gimme Appa back.

"But I believe, Aang can save the world." no pressure kid.

I had completely forgotten about these two chuckleheads. For once the 'Previously On' segment is useful rather than spoilery.

Ok Aang is going to get the world's biggest pass this episode, because he's in the suckiest of all situations. But even so, how exactly was Toph supposed to come and get them, when she was both actually blind for once and the only reason the library hadn't drowned them yet?

Aang has something of a history of running away. Does going after Appa count as running away from his friends?

Zuko's theatre kid tendencies are genetic.

The way Iroh said "What Now?" you know he was actually saying "fuck's sake."

Zuko's hair seems to grow very quickly. I thought that I could use his hair growth to measure time passing but this is not tracking. He barely had a buzz cut in The Chase and now he's fluffy.

Two things: a) this guy has eyes greyer than Aang this episode. b) He's cocking his hands like that ridiculous Henry Cavill scene from Mission Impossible where he cocks his biceps.

This guy's spear has piercings. And is coming out of a Dragon's mouth.

I don't know that I'd call these guys legendary. They're zero for two against an Avatar in Drag and two starving refugees with three functioning arms.

Doesn't Katara ever change out her water? Or even use it up and have to refill it?

I said it last episode, and I'll say it again: why did five people, a lemur, and a ten tonne sky bison travel into a desert famous for its desertiness with only a single water pouch between them? Admittedly, if they'd brought extra water and left it on Appa, they'd be having the same problem, but still...

Is a kids' show actually going to go there?

They actually went there!

Honestly if you're dying of dehydration in the desert, eating strange plants is absolutely the way to go. I'd rather trip my way into the afterlife than just shrivel up and die.

I love the way Aang's glider shadow moves over the dunes. Another one of those tiny details that the animators could have left out, but they didn't!

Sand benders must get crazy high speeds if Aang can't spot even a trace of Appa from up high. He wasn't Appa-napped very long ago.

Everyone go watch the scene where Aang blows up the mushroom cloud. Go right now I'll wait. And pay attention to Sokka's mouth. It does the wave.

His mouth does the wave and his arms do the worm. Someone really had fun this episode.

Zuko breaking the world record for highest number of Fire Nation wanted posters. Despite being the only person on that board who's unquestionably loyal to the Fire Nation. What a nice reward he got for his loyalty.

How is that one wrestler dude's hair so shiny?

Why, other than plot convenience, would Zuko and Iroh be at the Ice Spring?

I see now that the left hand shadow is Sokka with a Momo on his head. But for just a second I thought it was Ramona from Scott Pilgrim.

There are some really beautiful colour gradients in this desert.

"We won't survive without Appa." Well yes, but you have to try.

If this is a normal desert they're going to freeze their butts off overnight.

No comment. Just vibes.

Hey this is a Katara episode! Toph is blind, Sokka's zoinked, Aang's given up, so it's Katara time baby!

This episode has no business being this pretty.

"Sokka. I was there." I'd be very surprised if Katara's voice actress doesn't have an idiot older brother. That line was delivered a little too perfectly.

I'm not going to comment on every Sokka is high joke, but rest assured I'm finding them all hilarious.

Those drinks cost a gold piece each. Where did they get five gold pieces from?

Colour me shocked. The chuckleheads actually had a good idea for once.

Colour me shocked again! I vaguely predicted this!

Zuko. Honey. How are you this dim? He's so very good at missing exactly what's in front of him.

"Gold?"

Big muscles. No brains.

Very pretty. The sand texture is good too.

Well that was mean.

Passive aggressive glider deployment. Also how low is that cloud if Aang can reach it to bend it?

Aang is not shining this episode (understandably) but Katara is going from strength to strength. I NEVER would have thought that she was someone who could keep her cool under pressure like this. Happy to be wrong!

I have no idea if Sokka is going to remember or be aware of this epic trip he's on, but this is probably the best time he's had in months. Certainly since Yue died. He deserves this. Bad timing, but he needed a break.

"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate, and is dumb as shit and incapable of reading the room."

Why is there a flower shop in the middle of the desert? What clients do they have? Obviously it's a front for this pai sho secret society thing, but why did they pick such a nonsensical front?

Toph has so much personality that it's easy to forget how tiny she is. Like a little gargoyle.

Sokka talking like a Greaser was the thing I didn't know I needed.

Poor Katara. Now you know how your brother feels every time he has to save your bacon from your weekly prison break.

I am losing my mind over these colours. Especially after The Library.

"I have a natural curiosity." I'm going to start using that.

Oops they found the circle bird nest.

Hey showrunners, you're going to take Momo from me too? You sure you want to do that? After last episode? Don't give me a pretty sunset with a latte swirl. Give me back Appa, put down Momo, or I'll sic Toph on you.

I do like Toph as a piece of artillery.

Turns out a combined Appa and Momo -napping is what it takes to get Aang to break his no killing rule. I now know how to defeat the Fire Lord.

The Audacity. Going to Ba-Sing- however the hell that's spelled. The sheer audacity. But then what? What's the plan after they get there? Just live the rest of their lives?

Rejected Mortal Combat guy.

You ever have one of those days where you do only your top lip?

Whoever made that door, and that lock - good job!

Nothing to see here, just making a delivery of two giant planters in the middle of the desert. The Owl decided to spruce up his entryway.

Y'all are fucked. Y'all deserve it. Aang has completely lost control. He's spent the whole episode losing it more and more and now he's gone completely off the rails. Has he ever zipped into the Avatar state that fast before?

Never underestimate the power of a woman who's fed up with everyone's nonsense. Just so fed up.

Well that was sad.

Badass name of the day: Malachi Throne, voice of a character whose name I don't recognise.

Final Thoughts

This was Katara's episode. I'm not going to forgive not getting Appa back, but Katara actually keeping a level head for once was an unexpected delight.

This episode was pretty unrelentingly heavy in the A-plot, which is why I don't understand why Sokka and Momo tripping worked so well. It did work, and I very much enjoyed it, but it should have stuck out like a sore thumb and it didn't. The beat up Sokka quota fulfillled from within by chemicals was a nice creative touch.

I am very happy to see Iroh take the wheel, although I'm not convinced there's a long term plan here beyond get food and shelter. Which, fair enough, goals tend to be short term and immediate when you're in dire straits.

This episode really stomped all over Aang. And then stomped some more. I was surprised how negative and shouty he was at the beginning, but by the end I was surprised how long it took him to lose it. Apart from his staff and his clothes, Appa really is all he has left from before he got frozen. That sandbender punk was rotten to the core.

So I guess we're going to the earth kingdom capital regardless of the eclipse information. Is the rest of the season going to be getting there? I also can't help but notice that it's where Iroh and Zuko are headed as well. Zuko could actively run in the direction opposite to the Avatar and he'd still end up tripping over him. The earth Kingdom is ginormous. And yet, like every two episodes Zuko runs into the Avatar. Is it fate? Is it plot convenience?

I should dislike this episode. It's 24 minutes of our faves getting beat down and not finding Appa, with a b-plot of Zuko being more oblivious than usual. I should dislike it, but I don't. This is definitely going on the rewatch list. It was a very pretty episode, which helped. Beyond that I can't put into words why I liked it, but I did!

[tobiasdrake]

This is fine. Everything is fine. All we have to do is put our hands over our heads and submit to the Emergency Pacification Balls as they fly gently towards our faces.

We're armed with knowledge, but that knowledge makes things better, not worse. What are we supposed to do, convince Yomi that Yomi has been conspiring against Yomi all this time?

I guess that's the plan! You got this, man. I believe in you!

Good try! Follow-through needs work.

Fortunately, he's not shot. Yomi whipped him in the face. I'll be sure to ask Halara to take that out of Yomi's hide. They charge interest.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, which is why winners take the nose too.

I'm so glad we left Halara behind to administer CPR to a man we then proceeded to kill behind their back. This was a brilliant use of our Chief Asskicker's time. 10/10 Solid delegation of duties all around.

Says a voice from behind Yomi. If that's Halara Fucking Nightmare then it's a killer one-li--

Apparently it's Makoto's turn to ride in with the cavalry. But. I'm not sure what that could possibly be that's important enough to shut Yomi down in this conversation but not important enough to get Makoto shot.

That's cool and all but we're in an enclosed space and Yomi has two huge guns in his hands. There is no way we solve this by simply rubbing his nose in his crimes, right?

Well. See. The thing about "The military is the greatest threat to the government" is that. Like. That's a thing because of the loyalty soldiers have for their chain of command, especially their leaders. A good military works hard to instill in its men a bond of trust.

The reason the military is a threat to the government is that a soldier's first loyalty is often to the guy next to him in the dugout. When you're at war, you're fighting for your bros. That kind of bond is powerful, and soldiers may come to see the highest military officer as their leader. Not the king.

If your general and your king come to blows, and your soldiers side with your general? What's the king even supposed to do then?

But. Like. Yomi beats up his own guys for funsies. He had his second-in-command crushed into a cube. This is not a man who instills a great deal of loyalty into his soldiers. They respect the position, not the man.

So now when he shrieks, "LAUNCH THE COUP!!!"

Like. Sure. You go launch your coup. Good luck with that.

Wait, why did you give them back their guns? Weird choice, dude.

I don't know if I disagree with Yomi. I mean, I disagree with the clear xenophobia he's displaying but I don't know about Makoto specifically. There's a lot to be paranoid about regarding Makoto.

However, as I've often said about Makoto, the morality of a person is not defined by what they're against. It's defined by what they're for. We know exactly what Yomi's for: Fascism, brutality, aggressive capitalism, and self-aggrandizement.

So maybe he's right. Maybe Makoto sucks too. I'm still suspicious of him. But Makoto isn't the one being interrogated right now. We'll fuck up Yomi today and if Makoto sucks too then we'll fuck him up tomorrow.

Oh hey, Martina! She's back from being cubed! Guess those soldiers he had take her away got five feet past earshot and then went, "Did he seriously ask us to do that? What the fuck, man?"

Look at that. It's almost like mistreating the people on your side only drives them into the arms of the enemy or something. The most valuable problem-solving resource in the world is another human being, and Yomi's out here giving them away.

Get fucked, Yomi.

But. Also. When cops arrest each other for corruption, it only kicks the can down the road. Jackass is going away for a long time but this is still a company town ruled by the best private army that capitalism can buy. Even if the new Director is nicer, the system that created Yomi remains in effect.

Yomi's screaming blood fury at the top of his lungs but all I can hear is

Makoto: CEO go blep.

HA!

They made so much fuss about how much more "Good Police" Martina is than Yomi. Caring about the rights of suspects and all that. Yomi legit had his men saying things like, "You DO NOT have a right to remain silent, you DO NOT have a right to an attorney" to drive home how crooked and evil he is - Which is then contrasted when Martina demonstrates a new philosophy of policing with her--

Martina: I quit. Me and my better philosophy will leave this organization immediately.

Oh, nuts to that, then! Guess all of Yomi's men will have to wing it.

It's funny but I can't really criticize. The most moral thing a "good person" can do as a cop is to stop being a cop. You don't change the system. The system changes you, or it ousts you.

Corporate security strikes again. Like Huesca, Yomi thought he was invulnerable. So he had no need to hide things. Left his diary of financial misdeeds lying around on his desk in his unlocked office.

That was super easy! For Makoto. Not for us. We've had a hell of a ride.

Sorry, man. I know you were angling to get shot but Yomi likes to go for the pain. Better luck next time.

[messinwitheddie]

1: Do the irkens not regret destroying and concurring the lives of other planet species? Is there no punishment for them in the afterlife for this crime?

2: Arugula, what do you look like back in your training days? We’re you always tall or did you grow into it? Also, what got you into keeping the birthing drones in your chamber instead of one for themselves? What started this and how come no one tried to take them way before your death?

3:Dib how did you get from skinny to looking like your dad so quick?😅

4:Soxx you predicted that you Hitz Kii would end up the way you are as control brains. How did you bring this up to her? Did she take it seriously or a joke?

5: Zim….why are you so short?🫤

1. MANY Irken soldiers/ veterans, slave drivers, invaders and even many tallests DO feel a deep sense of guilt and remorse for the people they hurt/ enslave/ bring to extinction. They just have no socially acceptable way to express these feelings or can even find a safe place to discuss these issues.

Commander Poki and Invader Larb struggle to live with themselves after their successful invasions. I cannot find the posts I made about those two discussing this topic to save my life. (I REALLY gotta go through this blog and organize...)

Irkens are similar to humans in the sense they want to be good. Unfortunately you really can't BE good or bad, only do good or bad things. What defines an act as good and bad is subjective to the culture you're raised in.

Irkens, like humans and pretty much ALL lifeforms are also are driven by a need to survive. Irken morality doesn't always align with human morality. Human morality differs from culture to culture and across time periods. I try to keep that in mind as I develope my aus. Not to claim my drawings/ writing isn't biased in any way, it most certainly is. I'm just one human, not a worldly one at that.

ALL actions have consequences and every Irken will experience the consequences of their actions; sometimes sooner while they're alive, sometimes later after they pass on. It's a case by case basis.

2. Arugula "I was always slightly above average in height. I experienced my first massive growth spurt sometime midway between my 3rd and 4th decade. I was still working as an on-call foot soldier and a full-time sanitation drone at the time.

When I eventually was measured tallest of my hive, I started keeping birthing drones in my chambers out of tradition.

A tallest is expected to house and provide care and snacks for the hive's birthing drones during the fertility festivals until at least the day of the birthening. The tallest's chambers is supposed to be the most secured area of an Irken hive and large enough to accommodate a small legion of drones.

I grew to enjoy the company of my birthing drones via interaction. Who would not become entranced by such loveliness and primal strength? Any tallest worthy of their stature would house, protect and cherish the drones who replenish their workforce and military.

SEVERAL other tallests declared war against me and launched heavy raid attacks on my hive in an attempt to steal my birthing drones; including my sister, Jamjam.

She was experiencing an alarming population decline. Perhaps I could have... should have been more willing to give her or sell her a few of my birthing drones, but... she could have been more willing to agree to my terms of a proper alliance. Politics can be so UGLY. Power changed JamJam for the worse. She would say the same about me, I'm sure.

At the time of my second measuring, my hive had the highest population of fertile women. My personal chambers were a prize intensely sought after by my enemies and apparently my allies alike. My faithful soldiers and sentry drones bravely fought off such raids many times. It only took one successful raid to destroy everything.

At this point I can only hope present and future tallests may learn from my mistakes as a ruler.

3. Dib "Uh... I would like to blame genetics. I mean, I AM technically Dad's clone and he's a big guy. It wasn't an overnight transformation either. As a teen, I went through several HUGE growth spurts. I was well over six feet by the time I turned 17. I had, well, still have stretch marks on my hips and shoulders to prove it.

My senior year of high school is when I really started to bulk up. I played football and joined the wrestling team for a while. Dad enjoyed me playing football more than I did. I kind of miss wrestling though. Had to drop it to focus on Uni work. Then, you know, I packed on the freshman 15--"

Zim "And an additional 15 every semester after. Next he'll blame trying to quit smoking and the "medication" his "therapist" prescribed him-"

Dib "I haven't gained THAT much weight."

Zim "Your tits are bigger than Reginald's birthing monkey and the May-Bell's combined."

Dib/ Reg "ZIM!!"

Zim "WHAAAT??!"

Reg "Don't mention my mom's tits o-or ANY of those 3 sets of tits ever again, or you'll have a new mortal enemy."

Zim "Pfft!! You don't threaten me, Dab-monkey. Try again when you grow into a big meaty urth ape like the big meaty urth ape who sired you.

*coughs* Where was I? Oh! The Dib! He grew to such proportions because all he does is "work" and "study" and in between, stuff his face with disgusting Urth food instead of facing off against his greatest enemy."

Dib "I WILL choke slam you, Zim."

4. Soxx *exhales a deep, spooch-centered wheeze; the closest thing to a laugh he can muster*

Kii indeed wrote my vision off as a flight of fancy... at first. To my dismay, it took some... active convincing on my part. So much unnecessary bloodshed. BUT, she eventually shared my vision.

My predictions are NEVER wrong."

5. Zim "Why are YOU so smelly?!"

(I'm sorry for the lack of illustrations; I feel like these answers would work so much better with illustrations. I'm just dealing with some landlord drama here recently and trying to finish up some other completely un-related WIPs that desperately need finishing.

I have no idea if all these asks are from the same person or from different people because most are left anonymously. (Which is perfectly fine; I almost always leave asks anonymously.)If I'm neglecting your asks, I assure you, it's not intentional. So many good questions; I appreciate all of them. Please be patient; I'm trying.)

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Lodge Gladion

Oh holy shit.  A dude with 100% Toxic rate, boosting defenses via trainer move, Haze, AND he gets to run Synchro Healing?  This is a Stall unit if ever I've-

"We're increasing CS parameters to 3k points per stage!  Nothing new is being added!"

...you give the boy an incredible stall alt.  And you kill him on the spot.

General Overview Yeah if it's not obvious I'm kinda pissed.  Lodge Gladion is bizarre all around.  Golbat instead of Crobat feels like "We had too many Crobats," but that's the main series' fault.  Gladion has incredible tools for stall, which is taking a massive L this update, but is frankly atrocious for offense, which is what's left.  It's incredibly depressing, because like...this could've been something.  This could've been such a good pair, and it's now just a mess.

+1 Def/Sp Def/crit on TM and X Atk All is horrendously slow for offense.  Every criticism I've levied against Lodge Blue and Lodge Giovanni applies here.  The difference is, Giovanni has some 3/5 tools to kinda compress, and Blue has a 60% flinch rate.  Gladion has...Poison Fang.  Which I guess is something, but this does put him in open competition with BP Janine.  If you need Toxic to land right away, just reset with her.  It's not like Gladion will do you any better.  His oddities directly result in him working only with the best possible pairs, acting as a means of topping off their offensive needs and, hopefully, not dying immediately.  Because fun fact, his Endurance is Safety Tether, which means unless you EX him, there is no endurance. I’ll always sing the praises of Haze, given its AoE stat resetting properties, but it’s not exactly a trait you want your support doing, since it takes away from setup.

I'm so irritated on his behalf.  People clamor for Gladion for ages, and he finally gets something that's aligned to a playstyle they're taking a bat to.  Delightful, very well done DeNA, claps all around.

EX and Move Level? Support and has Safety Tether, so it's not the worst EX investment you could make I suppose.  Move Level really is 3/5 or nothing.  Synchro Healing for stall, HE1 for status support, MPRs are hilarious 3/5 gated.

Team 1: Lodge Gladion, Emma, Colress/Kukui This is about as good as it's getting. Gladion helps Emma quite well, topping off physical attack and providing Toxic turn 1 for her Buddy move condition. In longer fights, she has Potion to heal him up as needed as well. Colress or Kukui work on spread defense debuffs, which are pretty much all Emma's ever needed anyway. I could mention Oleana, as another pair that just needs the +2 Atk, but since she already handles Toxic it makes Gladion redundant and easily swapped for someone else.

Team 2: Lodge Gladion, Janine, Wallace All my grousing aside, Stall isn't dead, it's just on the back foot again. The meta changes in place have been relatively unkind, sorting us back to a sort of 10k meta where more points went into offenses than you'd like. But Gladion has exceptional tools for the job. Guaranteed Toxic, buffs defenses on TM, First Aid 4, Safety Tether, and Synchro Healing, all on the same guy. That's some excellent Stall compression. Janine is the standard Venom Drench debuff bot, while Wallace is the highest passive Trap damage that isn't Bertha. Who, don't get me wrong, I love. But Wallace has Recuperation, so if Gladion drops you have someone else ready to take some hits.

Final Thoughts Gladion really feels like someone built for Stall, but Stall is bad now. I will give credit for Haze, which allocates 100 points to an effect that now cannot threaten you. That's great. But aside from that, Gladion places himself in an awkward position as a terrible buff bot, whose stall compression is having a lot of effects but not doing any two of them at the same time. Inflicting Toxic means not buffing means no Haze-ing. So the decision of what moves to use in a moment are a little rough. The +1 defenses instead of +2 just to facilitate some slight crit bonuses is...cute, but ultimately not functional enough in my opinion.

[supernaturalworldsofsecondlife]

Running From the Hills;

We were rooting for you.

It's time to take off the rose-tinted glasses as the honeymoon period has worn off. I've given myself enough time to appreciate the beauty of the build and the lore of the setting of the sim, yet all of that faces a problem that doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Lazy admins. Too much open smut in public channels. Cliques everywhere. When I first joined the sim, many had high hopes based on the build that we could expect quality over quantity. Running multiple sims aren't cheap, after all. Yet here we are, watching the same thing happen yet again because admins can't seem to get it right. On the grape vine, there's at least half a dozen missing stairs. This count is not including the two that were recently ejected within the week, but several have been documented of their sexual abuse. Victims of these people are finding it hard to log into the sim because their abusers are in very public positions. If I had a piece of advice for the admins there, it would be this; just because it happened outside of your sim doesn't mean you should keep them. Part of the job of an admin is protecting your community, yet you are openly fostering people who not only abuse, but also stalk others. One of them has a body count of four, yet you're allowing them to continue to walk free despite the evidence stacked against them with multiple accounts all pretending to be different people. There's simply no excuse but lazy administration here. Giving someone a 'chance' when they've got that much of a body count is not the look you think it is. For that matter, one of the recently ousted was combative towards moderators repeatedly and immediately, taking almost a month for them to get the ban hammer. Sims have banned for much, much less. Everyone wants to be the 'lax' sim, but when you leave problematic people in your community, it's anything but that. Not to mention one of your "AHHHD-MIN"s has a racial slur as their pronouns, I'm simply not impressed. You guys should know better. You say that the sim is supposed to be free of any form of discrimination, slurs, and the like, yet you can't bother to right click and check someone's Discord profile? Don't worry, I've already reported it for you. Maybe Discord will get to it when they're not busy trying to dodge subpoenas. Then we get to the high thirst and obvious and cliques that are openly forming. Do you guys not communicate with your members at all? And more than just superficial, face value conversations. I mean actually communicating. It took months to get rid of the person abusing the RDA. Why? Also why are you not vetting players through significant amount of roleplay before placing them in positions of in-character power? People are treating those organizations like special clubs and while you got rid of one weaponizing the RDA, you might want to start paying attention. I may have not run a sim, but even I know this is not what to do. The idea was wonderful to start, having things open for interpretation and having a wide array of different types of supernaturals running around. However the execution of maintaining a healthy roleplayer ecosystem seems to be low priority. Right now you're the highest ranking sim traffic wise across all three of your sims. You still have time to change and become something greater than what you are now. However I'm also not holding my breath. If anything about what I've been seeing has told me anything? History repeats itself. If you don't clean house, it's only a matter of time before the spotlight turns away from Howling Hills and onto a newer sim. Good luck. I really do hope you fix things because I'd hate to see all of that build go to waste.

[provendermalkin]

Zionists and Jewish fascists eagerly and hysterically cheering on genocide and using exactly the same rhetoric against Palestinians that were used against us throughout history makes me deeply ashamed of my heritage and I have thought about self-harming multiple times in the last week or two just due to the unbearable guilt and self-disgust of being associated with them. Because I am Jewish, the beliefs and behavior of Zionists are going to be attributed to and associated with me and my culture as a whole whether I like it or not. The mindset that we are a monolith universally culpable for the actions of the worst of us is so pervasive that even I struggle not to internalize it. My point isn't that I or people like me are "the real victims," just that Zionism is that toxic.

Israel is unquestionably wrong, and insisting they aren't is the height of willful delusion (as in a lie they've convinced themselves of, not as in the involuntary psychological symptom).

There is literally nothing, nothing at all, that Palestinians can do "right" under the present conditions that will make Israel stop abusing them to death at best and murdering them en masse the rest of the time. They're wrong if they stay because they're "illegally intruding," they're wrong if they leave because they're not fucking allowed to, they're wrong to hide in hospitals schools or mosques because they should have known there might possibly be Hamas nearby maybe (according to Israel), when they do believe evacuation orders they're gunned down or bombed on the road or they're allowed to reach the "safe zone" and then Israel bombs that, too. If they surrender it's a trap and they should be executed, if they resist they're a terrorist and should be executed.

So, what? They're malnourished and sick and impoverished and trapped and being carpet bombed at one of the highest rates in history, but somehow, even though Israel itself is struggling against Hamas, the ""good"" Palestinians are supposed to root them out from within, disarm them and hand them over to stop the slaughter and prove they don't deserve to be killed by the hundreds just in case one Hamas agent is nearby? When Israel sets out lawn chairs for Israelis to spectate and cheer on the bombing of buildings with children inside like a sporting event, or takes potshots with live ammunition at children playing soccer too close to the border of their open-air prison, it's "self defense," but when Palestinians see their genocide coming and resist by any means available, it's "terrorism"?

If we had had a well-armed and determined militant organization like Hamas around to fight for us during the Shoah, we would have used it, and we would have been right to do so. All other considerations become irrelevant in the face of absolute extinction and despair. Figuring out how to keep that extremist faction from enforcing bad conditions afterward is a secondary consideration in the face of the fact that if you don't act now and fight as hard as you can by any means available, neither you nor any of your people will be alive soon to HAVE that problem to fix.

[herherteartear]

blanket kick

précis— Peter's not the suave man he would hope to be in front of his crush. instead, he's a blushing mess that haunts his memories and causes him to take out his frustrations on his blanket. luckily, you prefer cherry cheeks over smooth lines any day.

pairing— Peter Parker x enhanced!maximoff!reader

a/n— this is my first standalone written story and my first time writing for marvel! i hope you guys enjoy thisss<3 i'm also open to creating drabbles to continue this if anyone's interested????! pls enjoy and pls comment and let me know ur thoughts!!!

there are many ways to describe Peter Parker, but none could ever wholly capture the true essence of the boy

besides the obvious stuff,, his intelligence , his insanely good looks , his teenage awkwardness,,

it was a hard feat to string along words to describe the way he carries himself , the way he is with others , the way his heart loves with the same ability a sponge soaks up water and soap

Peter's had crushes before

perhaps more than he'd like to admit

(can't blame the boy, who gave Ty Lee the right be that cute!?)

but when he sees her, his heart begins to swell and suddenly, he forgets how to breathe..

or how to think... talk. y'know normal human stuff

in all honesty, Peter has tried his absolute hardest to block out their first meeting from his memories

he doesn't regret meeting her, of course not! never would he even repent that embarrassingly wonderful day

he only wishes it would've gone a little differently

let's set the scene, shall we?

the sun was shining brightly, the sky was a Carolina blue, the clouds were the prettiest porcelain color, rimmed with lace

Peter was riding in an awfully silent car that Happy was driving to the airport. despite being terrified of what's to come,, the fight Mr. Stark had recruited him for,, the boy was thoroughly enjoying this adventure.

the car came to a stop, which did little for Peter's nerves. he gathered his courage before stepping out, eyes squinting at the brightness of the yellow sun. once his eyes adjusted, they landed on the prettiest head of hair he had ever seen

(although he did think the same for Hermione Granger)

Peter had never been on a plane before that day. but even then, his sparkling eyes stayed trained on her,, completely ignoring the brilliant private jet behind her

"oh? Happy, i thought it was just us?" her voice made Peter's ears burn. he swallowed thickly. you blinked at Peter, curious but also intrigued , you smiled.

to which Peter choked. on air. your eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"a-are you okay?"

"god, kid, get ahold of yourself."

"i-i'm okay! it's– i'm– i'm fine!" Peter quickly stuttered out.

"well, Yn, this is– uh,, what's your name again?" Happy turned towards the boy who's cheeks were now redder than a firetruck.

"oh! i'm Peter– Peter Parker. it's nice to meet you- not that i don't know you. well i don't, y'know not personally. but like from the news.. not that i believe the news! they're awful to you, but i mean i guess i do sometimes– but never about what they say about you–"

"i'm Yn Maximoff. it's nice to meet you too, Peter." you cut him off before Happy strangled the cute boy. you had an amused smile

he was cute

finally getting on the plane, Peter had hoped he would be able to sit far away from you and wallow in his embarrassment,

maybe sneak a glance or two.. imagine a couple of scenarios where he wasn't a doofus,

but that's not quite what happened.

after witnessing just how much the new kids was able to ramble,, Happy was not about to spend a whole ass plane ride remotely close to him

so he took it upon himself to make the kiddies sit together.. much to Peter's dismay.

like!!? did Happy not see how Peter crashed and burned in font of you?!

you, on the other hand,, had the opposite reaction.

being the youngest avenger, you don't get to be around people your age too much,, which isn't something you're complaining about!!

you totally made the decision to be an avenger and you happily welcomed the consequences..

that didn't mean you didn't get lonely at times. especially now with the accords and the team breaking up., things got a whole lot more lonely

your sister, Wanda, had made her choice to leave the compound. you completely understood why, but a part of you had hoped she would've taken you with her

although, staying at the compound did ensure your safety.

it was a weird time for the avenger's , it felt wrong for you to say some of your teammates were criminals

it left a sour taste in your mouth

you glanced from the window seat to see Peter nervously wringing his fingers. you frowned.

"are you okay?" you asked, gently. Peter's eyes widened and his heart jumped to his throat. he wanted to say something, something cool or aloof, something that would make up for his ranting earlier

"i've never been on a plane before." Peter squeaked out. he dropped his shoulders, rolling his eyes at himself. that was the highest pitch he had ever heard his voice. you took in his clearly anxious posture.

"lets switch seats? maybe looking out the window will help you." you stated. before Peter could quickly shake his head, because how rude would it be of him to take your seat?, you were already stood up.

"oh god!" Peter breathed. he quickly shifted over to the seat you once occupied. he wanted to put up more of a fight, but the way you were swaying due to the turbulence, made his palms sweat in fear for your safety.

"you, like, swing from buildings and stuff, right?" you asked. he turned to you with a nod. "are you afraid of heights? or do you just not like planes?"

oh god. oh. no. you thought– you thought he was scared of being on the plane. Peter wanted to shrink in a hole and hide. you probably thought he was such a baby! that he could handle swinging from hundreds of feet in the air, but a plane is where he drew the line?

but what else is he supposed to say? 'oh, no! it's not the plane I'm scared of. it's just your beautiful smile and the way you smell like cocoa that gets me sweating'

wtf.

that was so wrong in so many ways.

"um, no, no. i'm okay, just– just a little nervous, is all." Peter tried to force out a chuckle. but it come out more like a cough. you mouth formed an 'o.'

"ohh, okay." you paused before your eyes lit up. "how about we play a game? to distract you?"

"o– okay.."

"can you talk with spiders?" Peter lifted his eyes from looking at his hands hovering above yours,; he let out a much more relaxed laugh than earlier.

you took advantage of his distraction to swiftly bring your palm from underneath his and slap the top of Peter's hand. he jumped.

"ouch!" he playfully pouted. you eyes glanced down at his lips. you giggled nervously. your hand went to hover over his, him now being the one to do the slapping. "of course i can't talk to spiders! i– i feel like i should probably be able to shape-shift into a spider in order for that to happen, y'know?"

you nodded thoughtfully. "that's true.. you didn't hear this from me, but i heard there's an Ant-Man going around." Peter looked at you with wide eyes.

"no way! that's crazy! does he like turn into an ant?" you bumped his hand with yours in order to get his attention back to the game. his hand burned at the feeling

"i don't know-" you said in a singsong tone. "it's just what's being said around the compound." you quickly slid your hands to avoid Peter's attack. he huffed.

"how are you so good at this?" he knitted his eyebrows to focus on how to attack quickly without hurting you.

"it's a game i used to play with my brother and sister." you answered. Peter finally took his chance to slap your hands, to which you squealed excitedly as you had tried to move in time. Peter and you fell into a fit of giggles.

you both leaned against your seats, still facing each other. your hands fell on top of Peter's.

the brown haired boy quickly slid his hand out from under yours, not because he didn't enjoy the contact, but because he was worried you'd feel how clammy his hands were

you frowned slightly at the loss of contact.

"a– are we really fighting your sister?" Peter wondered out loud, without a second thought.

you shifted uncomfortably. Peter quickly noticed; his heart sped up and he mentally scolded himself for being so inconsiderate.

"not because i think she's evil! i mean,, i know that's what the news says.. but they also think Spider-Man's like thirty. and i'm not thirty! its just everything's crazy right now.. with the accords., i can't even imagine how you're feeling! probably terrible.. oh, g od wait, not terrible, i'm s–"

you had been watching with an endearing look in your eye. you had come to find that you enjoy watching Peter ramble.

his eyes would become unsettled and shaky, his body would begin to become more and more animated, but his voice

gosh, his voice was something you wanted to listen to for the rest of your life

but you could tell he was getting more and more skittish. so you put him out of his misery

"terrible probably wouldn't be my go-to word, it's up there though.. at least i got to meet you." you smiled softly.

Peter's eyes ran over your soft features. night had fallen, so the windows of the plan displayed an almost picturesque display of the moon and stars. the light hue of color the moon provided painted your face in a way that clouded Peter's thoughts.

with your comment of being grateful to have met him, Peter wasn't in control of his mouth for much longer.

"so pretty." he breathed. both of you guys froze.

Peter's face quickly morphed from love-sick to mortified. you blushed violently.

deciding you didn't want Peter to fall into another rant-like apology (because if you got to listen to him talk for that long in this setting, you might just drop the 'L' word) , you said,

"let's watch a movie?"

the two of you sat, shoulder to shoulder, watching Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, but being too hyper aware of their thighs pressed together and brushing hands to actually pay attention

upon arrival, both teenagers walked off the plane, sleep deprived , but with thumping hearts and dazed grins.

Peter threw himself on his hotel bed that night,, hiding under the covers

his thoughts replayed your interaction over and over (and over and over) in his head

the boy shoved his head, face first, into the stiff hotel pillow and let out a muffled groan

Peter flipped himself over, stared at the ceiling, before remembering his spouts of unnecessarily long explanations

he thrashed his body, kicking his poor blanket in frustration but most of all, out of embarrassment

he calmed himself down once his memories refreshed themselves over your gentle giggles and how soft your hands were

Peter fell asleep with cherry red cheeks and a blissful grin.

because despite those small mess ups, despite the futile way he beat his covers in humiliation, Peter treasures that day like no other.

[bloededhoine]

world building cause twn doesn't part 9: mages

you probably know a lot about mages on account of them being fucking awesome and super sexy, so let's dive into what exactly makes them that way.

colour code cause i fucking love colour codes - already happened/introduced, probably s2, important background info, stuff that might be in the prequel, extras

series masterpost

what are mages?

put simply, mages are anyone skilled and educated in the use of magic. but, most mages are also incredibly adept in politics, science, and religion

the vast majority of mages serve on royal courts, but others are teachers, researchers, or just kinda hobos

anyone can use basic magic (ie witcher signs), but it takes both natural talent and extensive training to be an actual mage

also important to note that while druids and priests can and do use magic, they aren't usually considered mages since they're not as involved in politics and science

education

mages go to school! a lot! powerful mages tend to track down young potential students and bring them to a school to receive formal training

well, "bring them" is a bit reductive, it's more like kidnapping.

there are quite a few important schools, so let's go!

aretuza is definitely the one you are the most familiar with, mostly because it's just the best. aretuza is an all girls academy located in temeria, a northern kingdom known for its powerful mages

aretuza is led by a rectoress, an incredibly powerful sorceress responsible for training the young adepts. i think there's only been 4 ever, first klara larissa de winter (also the founder), then leticia charbonneau, then tissaia de vries (the milf right there, and rectoress as of twn), and finally margarita laux antille

ban ard is the boys version of aretuza, located in kaedwen. the magicians from ban ard are notably... unskilled? they're just kind of clowns. the rector of ban ard was gerhart of aelle, also known as hen gedymdeith, because there's nothing like a nonsensical pseudonym to up your credibility. gerhart was literally the oldest mage alive until his heart died. after him, dorregary of vole took over as rector

mages in the north are pretty much exclusively trained at either aretuza or ban ard, but nilfgaard has a magical academy too!

the imperial magic academy is a co-ed school in loc grim, one of nilfgaard's two capitals. the emperors of nilfgaard tend to hire mages directly from this school

types of mages

most mages tend to specialize in a certain area of magic, such as illusions, alchemy, divination, polymorphy, weaponry, or spycraft

this is extra useful when assembling a team. not that anyone in particular is assembling a team, it's just good to know.

the brotherhood of sorcerers

the brotherhood is the main organization of mages in the witcher. they basically set the rules of magic for all the mages in the north, which are that demonology, necromancy, and artifact compression are strictly not allowed. the punishment was exclusion from the brotherhood and being locked in dimeritium (mage kryptonite) for centuries, but practically no one followed the rules or was punished

the brotherhood exists on a hierarchy, with most mages in the north making up the lower level, the council of wizards in the middle, and the chapter of the gift and the art at the top

the council is made up of a small group of mages that hold influence over the brotherhood but still need to answer to the chapter, as of twn the members are yennefer of vengerberg, philippa eilhart, radcliffe, carduin, and fercart. sheala de tancarville was part of it too, but she left

the chapter has the highest influence of magic in the north (and possibly the continent). it was founded by herbert stammelford, aurora henson, ivo richert, agnes of glanville, geoffrey monk, and radmir of tor carnedd. by twn, all of them had died or left, so the chapter was made of tissaia de vries, enid an gleanna, gerhart of aelle, vilgefortz of roggeveen, and artaud terranova. narses de la roche was the grandmaster of the chapter in 1245, but wasn't that involved much after.

politics

after mages graduate, the brotherhood usually places them on the court of a king/queen as an advisor. they're supposed to help strategize, conduct research, and just heighten the magical abilities of a kingdom

do they do this? nope

most mages are meant to clean up their king's messes, but usually get fed up and rule the entire kingdom from behind the scenes to fit their own agendas

can mages have babies?

short answer: yeah! although magic can make it harder to have babies, lots of sorceresses would take extra care to make sure they were as unaffected as possible. the forced sterilization was tissaia de vries' idea, and since she trained the vast majority of sorceresses we meet, most of them can't have babies

and yes, it's irreversible. sorry yen

geralt's mum, visenna, was trained as a druid, so she was still able to have geralt while practicing magic

who are they?

we meet a Lot of mages, so let's get to know a couple, starting with the ladies!

let's start with the lovely lovely yennefer. she was trained at aretuza under tissaia de vries, who became a mother figure to her. yen was also the youngest member of the council, as of twn she's 90. yes, that's very young to have a position of that caliber, especially since yen wasn't even an official advisor to aedirn's king

we all know and love hate triss merigold. she's one of the youngest sorceresses we meet, at the first season of twn she's 40 (book canon, she's made older in the show). triss also studied at aretuza and is currently one of king foltest of temeria's court mages

sabrina glevissig. slutty sabrina (affectionate) was yennefer's classmate at aretuza and became advisor to king henselt of her native kaedwen.

fringilla vigo is supposedly yen and sabrina's classmate from aretuza, but she is actually quite a bit younger than both of them and went to the imperial academy in her home country nilfgaard. fringilla specializes in illusion magic and (in book canon) is really not evil. she's a little slutty and stupid, but so is sabrina and dandelion and about half the people we meet!

we see skelliger sorceress lytta neyd, aka coral, aka astrid lyttneyd ásgeirrfinnbjornsdottir, at the battle of sodden hill where she unfortunately dies. coral was also very fond of breaking the brotherhood's rule against article compression (magically turning a person into a jade figurine, a wholly unpleasant experience)

temerian sorceress keira metz is one of the youngest mages we meet, she's around the same age as triss, whom she serves on foltest's court alongside

i mentioned philippa eilhart as a member of the council, and i'll mention her again as the love of my life. philippa is old. like, over 300. she's also one of the only mages to master polymorphism, and spends a solid portion of her time as an owl. philippa is redanian king vizimir's official advisor, but she, along with trusted?? associate lover sigismund dijkstra, really rules the entire country with vizimir as a puppet

sheala de tancarville is yen and phil's colleague from the council, but she left because it got too realpolitik for her tastes. sheala's from creyden (same place as renfri), but very rarely served her country's interests in favour of researching magic and being a reclusive bookworm. i'm serious. her nickname is literally the recluse of kovir

tissaia de vries. easily one of the most powerful and respected mages on the continent, member of the chapter, current rectoress of aretuza, and general badass. like most scholars, she wasn't involved in politics and doesn't even have a known nationality.

francesca findabair, also known as enid an gleanna, is an elven sorceress and member of the chapter. by twn she's easily 150 and very well established, although a sufferer of chronic backstabber syndrome.

assire var anahid is one of fringilla's nilfgaardian besties, although neither are actually nilfgaardian. assire is our good friend cahir's great-aunt, a military expert, and mom to her cat merlin

onto the gents!

let's start with the worst, istredd! i for incel, s for stupid, t for testicle-less (once i find him), r for racist, e for ew, d for dead (again, once i find him), and d for dipshit. in twn he's in cahoots with equally disgusting sorcerer...

stregobor! *vomits* you remember him as the koviri sorcerer who loves tracking down and murdering young girls, many of which have been exiled from their homes and tortured. he's just a lovely guy.

vilgefortz of roggeveen is sort of a walking spoiler, so i won't go too much in depth about him, but we can know he was raised by druids and, when offered a magical education, refused. he then became a mercenary, then a spy, then a wanted man, and finally trained to become a mage. despite his unusual backstory and late start, vilgefortz was insanely talented and, at less than a century old, became a member of the most powerful group of mages on the continent.

i mentioned gerhart of aelle aka hen gedymdeithe, as the oldest mage alive. he's at least 500. and then some. he's also a member of the chapter, but this position is more of a courtesy than a meaningful addition to the brotherhood.

finishing up the chapter, we have artaud terranova. he's not important yet, but will probably be in season two. all you need to know is he's short and a little mean and trusted by vilgefortz

fercart of cidaris is the third (but only male and non-temerian) member of foltest's royal council, and fairly unimportant member of the council of wizards

carduin of lan exeter was advisor to koviri king esterad thyssen and member of the council. he was also one of radovid's advisors, which didn't go over too well as radovid's other advisor, philippa eilhart, doesn't share too well

last and sort of least, we have radcliffe of oxenfurt. he was advisor to demavend of aedirn, from whom he probably met yennefer.

[fayeimara]

Meant To Be Series || One For Every Billion

6. By My Side | Pt 1

- July 20th -

The park is as close to empty as it can be when your group arrives early in the morning. Since you've been staying with the Kageyamas, you drive up with Miwa and Tobio, meeting up with your mutual cousins, Ren and Shin, at the entrance to the park's hotel.

You've all made sure to capitalize on early access passes and are staying overnight to make the most of your time, so everyone drops off their things first before deciding what to do in the time you all have before the park opens to all regular pass holders.

The rest of you are just waiting on Miwa to meet you all back in the lobby from her room (she takes the longest, honestly) and you're pulling on the thigh-length sleeveless cardigan you grabbed to wear over your shorts and tank combo, when you finally hear her voice as she crosses from the elevator bay to your group by the doors.

"Okay kiddos, I'm off to the adults only section of this place so call me if you need anything. But try not to, you know?"

Well, Miwa is the eldest of the group here and you're sure she only came along because her best friend decided they could make a mini girls' vacation out of it and brought along her own younger siblings as an excuse.

Tobio looks a little frustrated when he replies, "Neesan, it's way to early in the morning to find a bar."

"Are you kidding me? Of course I'm not drinking. Yet. We're just going to the theme spa!" She happily exclaims, waving her hand in the air delicately, "So you know, try not to get lost or get hurt, because I don't want you interrupting some serious r and r."

Ren rolls his eyes at his cousins' interaction, as if he's any better. You're well aware he also already has plans to ditch the rest of your group when his friends arrive. Thankfully Shin interrupts before Tobio's easy temper is tripped.

"Hey let's hit up the new coaster! I want to see Tobi throw up!"

Okay, not helping. But you do want to try the new roller coaster, as well, you're a huge fan of any adrenaline inducing activities and there are only so many times you can try the ones back home before you're used to all the dips and twists. This new one is supposed to have the highest drop record internationally so far.

"Tobio you won't throw up, right?" You try to coax him to agreeing, "I think you'll enjoy it!"

He gives you a dry look as if to say, You didn't put any effort into that. So you shrug and decide to bribe him, "I'll buy you milk after."

He contemplates it for a moment before nodding. Success, as usual.

Miwa claps her hands together in excitement, "Perfect! Okay, so I've given Y/n the contacts for Eiko's sister and brothers. They're around here somewhere so please take some time to say hi. Tobio already knows Hikaru and Hiroshi so I'm sure you'll all get along great!"

Before any of you have time to respond, she's bounced off, presumptively towards the waterpark and spa area. Okay then, you turn back to your cousins with a big smile that only Shin returns, making him your favourite of the day. You're all for the deadpan look when you're bored or annoyed but you're actually so happy to be here, you love amusement parks.

"So... let's hit some coasters?"

"Yeah!" Surely, you can all guess who answers.

After spending about an hour hitting up several of the most popular rides and possibly traumatizing Tobio before the main rush of people arrive in the park, you get a buzz from your phone, sitting tight against your waist in an inner zippered pocket of your cardigan, with your cash and cards. It's really a pain to have to carry bags and even more so to have to stress about having it stolen so, being an avid coaster enthusiast, you like to keep your items simple on days like this.

Quickly moving out and to the side of the exit line to pull out your phone, you see a notification from Hana, the girl who is Miwa's friend's little sister.

, You look up and find your cousins also stopped when you @sakusasimpbot anding right by you. Thank god, you didn't want to have to drag them back here if they'd wandered away to the next ride.

"Hana and her brothers are on this ride so I told her we'd wait for them here."

Ren is typing on his phone but speaks up, "I'm about to head out to meet up with my friends." Finally finished with his own chat, he looks up at the rest of you, "Will you guys be okay from here? We can meet back for lunch."

Tobio just shrugs while you nod, Shin speaking for everyone when he tells his brother, "Yeah, yeah. Just go already, the 'real' adult already ditched us a while back so no need to act all mature here."

"Shut up, Shin." Ren returns his brother's smirk with a glare, which slides back into his expressionless gaze after he rolls his eyes and faces you and Tobio.

"We'll be fine, Ren, we're all in the same place and can call if anything." Your turn to reassure him where Shin clearly failed to even try.

Ren studies you for a moment before turning and throwing a casual, "..'kay." over his shoulder. You're sure you, Tobio, and Shin all share a mutual eye roll at that.

Shin has pulled up the park map on his phone, looking for a place where your group might want to grab a snack or drink, when the next line of people exit the ride.

Linking your arm with Tobio, you scan for a girl and two guys that look around your age. It's not hard because there really still aren't many people in this area of the park yet and the guys in question make an immediate beeline for the three of you when they lock eyes with Tobio. Right, since they know him already.

Hana is a pretty brunette with a bright smile on her face and you can immediately tell she's a fellow coaster enthusiast, if not adrenaline junkie, because of that wild happy look in her eyes.

Just as their group reaches yours, you smile back at her and say, "It's a really good one, right?"

"Yes!" She happily exclaims, "I felt like I was flying off the seat!"

You laugh at her enthusiasm, "Exactly, completely weightless."

Tobio introduces you and Shin to Hiroshi and Hikaru, who immediately tell you both to just call them Hiro and Karu. The two brothers have a relaxed vibe to them as well and, you swear, Karu and Shin click instantly. Not surprising, since they have a very similar outgoing and playful vibe, although you can attest from personal experience that Shin is probably the more mischievous and troublesome one. Karu has more of a happy and fun feel, if you're reading him correctly.

Hiro is equally nice and outgoing, with a slightly more chill personality that offsets Tobio's quiet intensity pretty well.

Hana is amazing and your first impression of her is only improved as you all sit down and talk over refreshing drinks at an outdoor café. She reminds you a lot of one of your friends back home, Aspen, in that down to earth and cheery kind of way so you immediately feel a sense of familiarity with her.

You find out that the siblings are each about a year apart, which coincidentally lines them up with Shin, you, and Tobio respectively. You had a feeling Miwa and her friend were pushing all of you to hang out here together for a reason. You definitely think she wanted her brother to spend time with a friend, especially after how tough things had been for him at school and with his club lately.

You look over at him when Hana briefly interjects into his and Hiro's conversation, completely relaxed for now with a bottle of cold milk in his hands. Yeah. He catches you looking and blinks in surprising, honestly shocking you when he returns your smile to him with a very small one of his own. You haven't seen him smile for quite a while, at least not the past several weeks you've been staying with his family. Probably not since the last time you saw him about a year and a half ago.

Oh, Tobio, you think as you look away to study the people passing by, I hope you're okay. He was always serious and direct, even as a little kid, but he never hesitated to smile when he felt happy. Does that mean he hasn't felt happy lately? For how long?

You have to shelf your concern away so you don't dampen the mood of this trip for everyone. Looking back to the others to make sure they're all finished up, you ask, "What do we want to do next?"

"None of us have tried these ones across the park," Shin speaks up, "So maybe make a circle this way back around?"

You catch Hana's disappointed expression just before she wipes it away and says, "I was hoping to try the new one, it's supposed to be exhilarating!"

"They already went on it, Hana." Karu gently replies but you shake your head and say, "Sure, but I loved it. I'd be really happy to go again!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Why don't we split up? If the guys actually start from the other side of the circuit they planned, we should catch up to them in no time and group back up."

Karu and Hiro exchange looks and shrug, Karu stating, "I'm okay with that if you guys stick together and message us updates so we know you're safe and also don't miss each other as the park fills up more." He looks to your cousins and asks, "What about you guys? What do you think?"

Tobio's still looking at where you pointed out your plan of action on the map displayed from Shin's phone but it's really Shin who you have to make sure agrees. After all, Tobio is younger than you by a year, but Shin is older than you by that same length. Even though it's never something you think any of you typically consider, you remember the little incident last summer where he got chewed out by Ren and hope he's not decided to be a little more strict with you.

You catch him looking at you with a sardonic gleam in his eye and realize both your thoughts are probably very aligned. If he does decide to veto your idea, it won't be because he believes he needs to be strict, it'll be purely out of his innate need to torment you. Ugh.

"Okay," What? Ahh, now you're even more suspicious but it sounds like he's accepting your plan, "keep the sound on your phone high though, and call immediately if there's an emergency."

Yeah, sure, at this point you have a line of people who've told you to call them right away but if he hasn't considered that, you're not saying it.

So instead, you brightly agree, "Of course!" earning a doubtful look from him.

Oh well. You reach for Hana but she's already grabbing your hand instead and you both rush away to the new ride calling over your shoulder, "See you later!"

You both ignore whatever they call out after the two of you, giggling and debating where you want to sit on the ride instead.

"Y/n!" You hear a familiar voice call out your name in excitement just as you both reach the line up for the first ride and you feel butterflies take flight in your stomach, spreading electric tingles through you with the flutter of their delicate wings. Wow. Well, you know even before you turn around who it's going to be.

Prev | Next

Masterlist

Behind The Scenes!

-Y/n and Toru can really dance around the things they really want to talk about, even when some things are called out directly by both...

-Y/n doesn't always catch herself calling him 'Toru' out loud (or over text even), clearly that's what she calls him in her head <3 but she usually is aware of what name she's using when she speaks it out loud, or she just avoids calling him directly at all

-But much like when she says 'I'm sorry Toru' in that 4th panel, it happens... she didn't realize it, it was just a heartfelt apology that she was trying to genuinely express

-She won't say she wasn't expecting him to ask to spend his birthday with her, even if they've messaged constantly for the past year

-Which is why she felt so bad when he reached out about it early in the month... and why she wasn't focused on how she addressed him... but then calls him Oikawa in the next panel

-He notices all the slips, whether he teases comments or not

-Tobio and roller coasters... :'D

A/N: Hmm, I wonder who this new person could be... lmao, hope you guys have liked part one so far, the ride only gets wilder from here ;)

Taglist: @delusivist, @prettyinblack231, @kac-chowsballs, @sakusasimpbot, @hawkthekinnie

[magic-is-something-we-create]

happy wbw (or thursday or whenever i suppose)!!! i'd love to hear about rillian warrior traditions :D what do they look like and when/how often are they performed?? are any considered lucky? or are any to avoid bad luck?? how does religion affect these traditions?? and if there are variations to how they're carried out, what are they??? hope your day is splendid~

hi, rose!!! happy super-belated wbw to you, too!!!

I got another ask about the warrior traditions this week, so the basics of them are here, if you’re curious about those! I’ll dive more into these specifics here, though :D

SO I’ll start with the religion aspect of your ask, since it plays heavily into all of this!

We’ve got six Goddesses overseeing the Ehlverse, which I’m in the slow process of introducing! Among these Goddesses, Luma, also known as The Daughter, holds domain over Battle, Siblinghood, and Entertainment, and she’s basically been the patron Goddess of Sieril since the Rillian Decay. I could get more into that, in how all of the others contributed to the decay that was supposed to wipe all Ehlves and Sharali of Sieril out, and thus have been either shunned or desperately worshipped ever since, but that’s a post for another day,,

So, Luma! Protector of Sieril! She’s got a lot of warriors devoted to her over there, especially considering the whole “a family always needs 1 warrior and 2 mothers (gender of both irrelevant)” expectation. Traditions most people follow are related to proving their ability or winning favor from their leader or Goddess, but the official Warriors of Luma and their highest subsect, the Whiptail Knights, have their own good luck traditions!!

The Warriors of Luma are mostly a religious thing, and a solid two thirds of all Priestesses you meet in Sieril are going to be among them! (Again, Priestess here is used as a gender neutral term; there are men and nonbinary people among the Warriors) One of the most important traditions to them is the one that represents Siblinghood: you must learn the names of each and every WoL you fight alongside, and you must share a meal with each one at least once a year, and you must choose a special few to let into your soul. This generally means that every Warrior knows their closest Siblings like they know themselves, every gritty and unpleasant detail included. It’s an exercise in trust; you are not allowed to spill the secrets of your Siblings, no matter how damning, just like you are not to spill their blood unless asked.

Generally, though, that tradition is done only once; you still have to remember names and eat with people often, but once you let your soul into another’s hands, those chosen few don’t often multiply.

Now! On to the Whiptail Knights and their more situational traditions!

First off, to become a Whiptail Knight, you have to tame a Rillian Whiptail. Not an easy thing to do, really helps to pare down the applicants, whether by them refusing to do it, or by them getting killed in their attempts.This is done once, when you enter, and hopefully never again. If your steed dies, you need to get a new one the same way you did the first. Many older Knights just choose to retire or die alongside their dragon. Many fallen Knights are sent off with their dragon in a canoe, to feed the cycle of life and return to Erra and please Lib.

Then, good luck traditions: the Knights have a battle cry that they use to both find each other, and to seek a blessing from Luma. It’s used during their routine scouting into the bayou, and also in the direst situations of battle. It’s essentially a rhythmic screech that’s weird enough to sound like an animal to the unknowing, and distinct enough from any creatures to be recognized by the Knights themselves. They do a few rounds of it before heading out, usually.

There’s also this idea that getting blood in your hair is an omen of Lib, and can mean a couple of different things. Whiptail Knights tend to believe it’s one of Death; whether it’s their own, or a loved one’s, or an enemy’s. Washing it out quickly is seen as a fight back against the inevitable, and can help give yourself or the other person more time. Most people would use the same water they would drink; Whiptail Knights are gone from civilization often enough that they just use the bayou water immediately after battle.

--

Thank you again for the ask!!! This was super fun to delve into, and it’s something that’s quickly gaining relevance in Firebreathers, as they move on from Aree in the draft :D

I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to drop my worldbuilding taglist on here!!

Ehlverse Worldbuilding Taglist (ask to be +/-):

@charles-joseph-writes ; @violetcancerian ; @phiwrites ; @rhikasa ; @writeblrfantasy ; @talesfromaurea

[taxicabinmemphis]

Gossipy Janus and Roman in theater together (they're friends, it can be romantic if you want but not necessary) and they love to talk about everyone else in the class (they can also be doing a play or auditions if you want more interesting stuff)

apparently I am unable to write anything without insecurity and romance so here we have pining janus. I think it’s a hs au but idk up to your interpretation.

(tw swearing, food mention, insulting made up people’s dancing and singing if that's a thing, minor injury on a background made up person)

Roman crossed his legs, putting his arm on the armrest and leaning his chin on his fist. He was thankful to be seated at the very back of the theater, so he could talk without anyone hearing.

He watched his fellow actors rehearse their scene. It was one of the few scenes Roman wasn't in. His friend, Janus, wasn't in it either.

Roman, momentarily distracted by his own shifting, didn't see exactly what had happened, but Janus let out a quiet whistle.

"Claire needs to watch her steps or she's gonna break her feet," he commented.

"Oh dear," Roman sighed, "what did she do?"

"She's learning the choreo today and she's already being so confident about her leap off the chair? Her foot barely positioned itself right in time for the landing, not that she cares of course."

"Just because sis knows ballet doesn't mean she's immune to all other types of foot injury."

"You know it, hon."

They watched as the dance continued. Half of the guys had to do a series of dances. At noticing one guy's clumsiness, Roman hissed.

"Oof, Alfredo is going to pirou-out of consciousness if he doesn't straighten out his directions. Homeboy's gonna hit the wall hard."

"Mm. And Dustin has to point that toe if he doesn't want to stand out like bright pink on a white wall," Janus added.

"Look at Sasha. He's slouching."

"He can't afford to do that after today," Janus said in a sing-song, judgemental voice.

Next, the women and the other half of the men were supposed to run through their singing, so they could put it with the choreography.

"Janine, honey, you're not a helium balloon."

"Marco is slacking on that vibrato so hard."

"You're right, Roman, he sounds flat-out bland. He's even turning the heads of Quique and Carter."

"They know what's up."

Roman's eyes widened at someone else on stage. "Theo is killing that note."

"Yeah, but it's not supposed to be a solo."

"Sure, but he's leading all the other voices to sound better and much less bland. They'll catch up."

Janus nodded and continued watching.

"Damien's flat."

"He's a bass, Janus, his highest note is an F#. It ain't his fault Mr. T is forcing him to sing an A."

"He is?"

"Yes," Roman said enthusiastically. "He has a killer, deep, moving voice but Mr. Someone just cares about being able to sing tenor. Just let my man sing what he's good for."

"It'll become a problem in a day or so. Mr. T will pull him aside and he'll remind him he's a bass and he'll sing the low harmony. Don't worry for him."

Roman hummed in acknowledgement and continued watching.

The people switched roles, and half the guys were singing and everyone else was dancing. Three people then collided and Roman and Janus made various sounds relating to "ewwwwfff".

"Ow."

"Must've hurt," Janus mused.

"Look, Sienna's resisting the urge to clutch her side."

"Marty kicked her there," Janus told him.

"Did they?" Roman made a face. "Ow."

The number continued like nothing happened, and the two friends were transfixed on the performance.

In one dramatic beat, the number ended and the front row held a pose.

"Oh, look at Ryder," Roman gasped. "That...everything. He is so sexy, just look at that. The leg, the arms...he could step on me and I'd thank him."

Janus scowled. "His head is tilted too far back."

"No. This way we get a better look at that glorious chest."

"You're such a slut, Ro."

Roman put a hand to his heart in offense. "You wound me. All I am is someone who is very gay and can recognize beauty when he sees it."

Janus rolled his eyes. "So am I, and I don't thirst after Mr. Straight Boy."

Roman huffed. "You cannot recognize beauty."

Janus tore his eyes away from the stage to glance at Roman. "I most certainly can."

Janus returned his glare to the stage before Roman could notice his line of sight.

Roman’s phone vibrated, signaling that someone texted him. He opened it to find that his friend Remy had canceled on them.

“Remy canceled our Starbucks get together,” he said with a frown. “He was gonna drive me to the one near my house after rehearsal.” Roman sighed. “Oh well. Emile asked him out so I guess I understand.”

“Emile asked out Remy?!” Janus exclaimed in shock, turning in his seat to face Roman. “They’re finally together?!”

Roman nodded. “Yes. Emile is gonna take Remy to the new sushi place on Main and 4th.”

“Oh my god.” Janus put a hand over his mouth. “They’ve been pining for four years. And they’re finally together.” He paused, then furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought Remy would be the one to ask Emile out.”

Roman smirked. “It can seem that way to the untrained eye, can it not? But alas, Remy is too insecure about whether or not he’d be good for a relationship and too scared of his feelings for Emile to be the one to ask him out. Patton owes me three dollars because Emile asked, by the way.”

“I owe Logan five.”

Roman snorted. “I thought I told you to never bet against Logan.”

Janus rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. He texted Logan. “Why aren’t you reacting in any extreme way?”

“Emile has been asking me about the best way to ask out Remy for a couple days now. He told me he’d do it this morning.”

Janus nodded, putting his phone away. He went back to watching the rehearsal.

“I never should’ve relied on Remy,” Roman said sadly. “Oh well.”

Janus frowned. “The closest bus stop to your house is really fucking far, right? That’s why you wanted Starbucks, ‘cause it’s closer?”

Roman nodded. “I can walk it though, it’s just a couple miles.”

“Nonsense,” Janus said with a wave of his hand. “I can drive you home.”

Roman’s eyes widened. “Oh! Um, you don’t have to, really. It’s okay. I don’t want to trouble you-”

“You’re no problem, Roman,” Janus dismissed. “No trouble at all.”

“My house is really far, though.”

Janus shrugged. “I don’t have anywhere to be.”

Roman slowly turned away from Janus, returning his eyes to the rehearsal. He immediately winced at a terrible pirouette.

“If you really think it’s such a bother for me to take you home, you could treat me to dinner at that wonderful Chinese place that’s on the way tonight.”

Roman choked on air.

~

Hope you liked it! Yes, it was supposed to end there, and yes, Roman treats Janus to dinner. I know I’m taking for. ever. on these prompts but I have like three wips and school. I love writing Roceit and haven’t in a while so this was nice and fun, thanks for sending it.

[beinscorpio]

Hey honey cakes! What's up? How are you doing? Can I interest you in an idea where Sirius and Remus both have a crush on the same girl, a shy Ravenclaw muggleborn. They're trying to impress her, Sirius actually studying and tricking their professor to assign him as her potions partner while Remus becomes her study buddy. It's all fun and games until she discovers their secrets and shows her animagus form and patronus too and it's a (white) wolf meaning she's in love with Remus.

                                                      The Wolf 

Y\n is a beautiful shy girl, but most importantly, she’s smart, too smart for her own good according to the people she is friends with so none of them was surprised when in her first day at Hogwarts the hat sorted her in Ravenclaw, and it wasn’t a surprise that Remus and Sirius both had a crush on her as well, normally when two friends have a crush on the same girl it ends up with a huge fight sometimes it might even affect their friendship beyond repair, but that’s not the case with Sirius and Remus they both decided to respect each other and her, of course, so it was only appropriate to make the choice hers,  that’s if she even wanted to be with one of them in the first place.

The plan that Sirius had in mind was to use intelligence, so he studied extra hard in the class she has the highest grades in, potions, at first he wasn’t sure it was going to work at all, but it all changed in one day during potion class.

“ you’re really doing good so far Mr black, continue like this and you might actually achieve outstanding, ” said Professor Slughorn, and after that Sirius catches her staring at him, which made him consider the first part of his plan a success, so it was time to move to the second one, sitting next to her and become her potion class partner.

As for Remus, things were going well with him without even trying. He was at the library looking for a book that he can use for an essay he was supposed to write when he heard her talk to one of her friends.

“ this defense against the dark arts class is going to kill me” y\n complained, but what her friend suggested next is what really caught his attention, “ you can ask Remus to help you he has very high grades in this class ”  

“ you know what I might actually have” y\n said to her friend,  that’s when he noticed their voice getting closer, so he decided to look for the book in a place far from y\n and her friend and just when he thought he succeeded in avoiding her, she appeared next to him and picked a book, and from the title of it, he knew that she wanted it for defense against the dark arts class, he has no idea where he got the courage from but he picked a book, went to her and said  " you might actually find more information in this book “

To her, it was as if God answered her prayer and it was definitely happiness that made her ask him ” hey can you help me in this class? I know you’ve been getting good grades and I’m struggling here “

” Yeah, sure “ he answered her, and she could already tell that the class will become much more fun.

The second part of the plan Sirius succeeded days later after making the perfect luck potion, but his real reward was when y\n told him that he did a good job at doing the potion and that’s when their friendship started. Y\n became really good friends with both Sirius and Remus with her doing a lot of potions with Sirius and Remus helping her with defense against the dark arts, thanks to  Remus , she stopped thinking that the class is complicated in facts she now thinks it’s interesting, she waited for him and expected him to show up mid the defense against the dark arts class, but he never showed up which she found strange until she heard the whispers on her way to the Ravenclaw common room about the student that Madam Pomfrey is trying to heal, she immediately knew it was him and before she knew it she going to Madam Pomfrey to see him, she saw James as he was about to go to class after he made sure Remus was ok.

” Hey, how is he? “ she asked James, and he could tell from her voice that she was worried so he was glad that what he was about to tell her is good news.

” Yeah, he’s fine just a lot of scratches you know how clumsy he is" James tried to explain.

“ James I already know ” y\n  immediately said, but honestly James wasn’t surprised after all she is a really smart girl.

“ How? ” he asked her because he wasn’t surprised, but he was still curious.

“ He disappears only when the moon is full and appears days later with scratches,  and the way he reacts when he hears werewolf with all your werewolf puns come on, it doesn’t require a genius to figure it out, ” she told James which made him laugh.  

“ I have a class now, but he’s awake inside you can talk to him, ” James said and started to walk towards the class while y\n went inside and there he was, he looked way worse than fine to her.

“ This full moon was definitely way too rough on you, ” she told him, but he still continued to stare at the ceiling not asking her how she found out or saying anything, “ what’s on your mind?  talk to me ”

“I hate this it makes me feel so abnormal ”  he finally said, and it broke y\n’s heart that he felt this way but if there’s anyone that can make people feel better about themselves it’s her.

“ Fuck normal, you become a wolf scratch the hell out of yourself just to not hurt anyone and still manage to be fine and go to classes with a smile on your face the next day and get good grades in every single one and no one even knows about it, who wants to be normal when they can do all that ” y\n told him and when she’s done, she noticed that he was staring at her, her words were definitely enough to make him feel better, so they talk to each other until y\n had to go to potion class.

She was late, but Sirius was still in his regular place next to where she’s supposed to be, and it was a good thing for her that they still didn’t start doing any potions yet. Professor Slughorn was talking about a potion that every two students sitting next to each other have to do alongside an essay about the potion itself which was due two weeks after this class, but Sirus could tell that y\n’s distracted and her mind is somewhere else.

“ you’re ok? ” he asked her.

“ Yeah just thinking about stuff sorry, ” he told him, but he was sure that she won’t be able to concentrate during the class.

“ I’ll do the today’s potion you can go to your room and rest if you want” Sirius offered.  

“ No, I’ll stay with you and do whatever I could to help, thank you so much for the offer though, ” she said, and they both started to work and Sirius did most of the work, of course, they still meet many times after that class for the potion and its essay that they had to do together till all that was left was for y\n to add lavender to the potion. She went to the Gryffindor common room to give Sirius the potion after adding it, but what she heard was something she definitely did not expect.

“ come on you like y\n! ” screamed Sirius.

“ You like her too! ” Remus screamed back, and that was enough for y\n to decide to wait for Sirius before class and give him the potion instead of interrupting, besides it’ll give her time to think about the perfect way to the thing she was about to do. Both Sirius and y\n sat in their usual places after she gave him the potion before class and they both got the grade outstanding.

“ Hey, can I talk to you in my room for a second, ” y\n said to Sirius after class, he followed her to her room and started talking, “I heard you and Remus talking this morning when I was supposed to give you the potion ”

“ Oh, ” said Sirius, his eyes really showed how nervous he was.  

“ You’re a really good man Sirius, and the girl you’ll end up with is a very lucky girl I’m sure you’ll make her so happy, but that girl is not me ”  y\n told him, and his reply to her really confirmed what she just said, he really is a good man.

“ Listen all I want is for you to be happy with me or without me and if it’s Remus just tell him because he really likes you. He became much happier after he met you, you two would be amazing together, and I’ll move on I promise”  Sirius assured her. She hugged him and thanked him, now it was time for her to do the right thing and tell Remus, and she knows exactly how she’ll do it.

It was the last time that Remus will help her with the defense against the dark arts class.

“ So I want to tell and show you something and before I start just remember I talked to Sirius about this ” y\n spoke, “ remember how the first thing you taught me was the Patronus charm and mine was a raven, then you told me that a Patronus could change when a person falls in love, well I was practicing the spell three days ago and this happened”

y\n cast the spell, but this time instead raven a white wolf appeared and suddenly there was a huge smile on Remus’s face, he was so sure that this is going to be the start of something very beautiful, all his insecurity and his condition he’s going to have someone that loves his despite that, someone who will be with him through the good and the bad.

[sidon-reader-support]

I don't know if you take these types of requests, but could you maybe do Sidon with a spirit s/o? Maybe something along the lines that their body only solidifies enough at night, and they're some sort of spirit guardian for the area around the Zora's Domain? I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while now. PS: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR BLOG!!! IT GIVES ME LLIIFFFFEEEEEEE.

(I am so, so, so sorry that this one took as long as it did, I hope that this will be worth the wait though I didn’t get to cover everything that I would’ve liked. Perhaps I can do a part 2 if you do end up liking it and want more. Enjoy!~)

Spirited Together

Word Count: 1544

(warnings: none)

One hundred years Sidon had traversed the rocky terrain thatbuilt up Ruto mountain; he had swum up and down every river or stream, walkedon and off every trail, and scavenged through every single nook and cranny thathe was almost certain he knew everything there was to know about the mountain. Yeton this night, where the full moon was raised high in the sky and not a singlecloud around it to block out its dazzling silver rays, he had stumbled uponsomething he had never seen before.

There, on the edge of the Southern cliff, stood a sort ofpodium or statue that was likely made from stone or some other sturdy materialbut he could not properly tell from his current position. He was too far away tomake out any specific details but he couldn’t tell that it had likely stood onthis mountain for quite some time because a cloak of greenery and plant lifewas growing on top of it. Something as old as that must not have had anyattention for years but if that was true then that made the sight of the personsitting on top of it even more mysterious.

When he first spotted this foreign figure, on instinct theZora Prince had wanted to rush forward and confront them not out of anger butout of curiosity; it was not often that anyone came to visit the Zora Domainlet alone to this statue that he had only discovered moments ago.

The figure was perched on top of the podium so casually thathe was sure they had visited this place many times before or, dare he say it,like they belonged there. Although he knew that this idea was preposterous,Sidon felt that somewhere deep inside of him this had to be the answer. Youroutfit of pure white cloth was soaking up the light of the moon beans givingyour entire body an almost heavenly glow while your hair was lightly tussled bythe cool evening breeze. You seemed completely in your element.

Sidon was so caught up in his observations that the ZoraPrince didn’t even realize that he had begun sneaking closer to you to get abetter look until he suddenly heard your soft gasp and he met your eyes. He hadonly a split second to duck behind the rocky edge of the cliff to hide himselfalthough he knew that it was futile to try and hide now, you had already seenhim and it seems that he had startled you with his presence just as much as youhad with your own.

Taking a deep breath, the Prince attempted to regain hiscomposure before going to properly introduce himself to you. He stepped outfrom behind the rock and made his way carefully to the edge on the pathway thatgradually grew narrower and narrower until he had to side step with his backpressed against the cliff to reach the ledge.

When he finally stood on top of the ledge he looked aroundexpecting to see you still sitting on top of the stone statue - it was stone,he could say that for sure now that it was so close – but instead you werenowhere to be found. Now it was just Sidon standing alone with the statueprotruding from the rocky ground as well as two tall trees on either side of itand various wild flowers and other flora that formed a circle around the mossystatue with their pale blue petals standing out against the green.

Sidon scanned every inch of the ledge bewildered as he evenwalked to the edge to look at the area below it wondering if you had jumpeddown before he got here even though he knew that was impossible. Just a momentago you had been sitting on the statue you couldn’t possibly have scaled theentirety of the cliff to get to the bottom where stone met with the water; evenif you had jumped he would have heard a splash or some other indication ofwhere you had gone.

Yet, there was nothing. The only things left were him andthat statue.

Curiously, Sidon approached the moss covered stone and kneeledbeing mindful not to crush the flowers surrounding it sensing that they heldsome strange significance. The statue itself looked like it had been carvedwith patterns of curved and straight lines that connected to outline a picture;he could not tell of what exactly because the moss was blocking out most of it.

The Zora Prince raised his wand to try and scrape some ofthe greenery off but a voice startled him right before his palm could evengraze it.

“Don’t touch that!”

His gaze turns upwards towards the direction of your voiceand his eyes widened seeing that you were now sitting on top of the highestbranch of the tree. An amazing feat in the eyes of the Zora Prince. How in theworld did you manage to get up to that height so fast?

“I-I’m sorry,” he didn’t know why he stuttered but hecleared his throat and stood up taking a step back, “it just looked so fascinating;I had to see what secrets that it held.”

You seemed to be visibly surprised by his answer and youstared back at him curiously as you stood up putting your hand against the treetrunk for support. “Why would you want to unravel the secrets of an old statue?”

It was Sidon’s turn to be surprised; he wasn’t expecting youto ask him such a question. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a handto cup his chin as he thought debating why he was so curious about this stonestatue. “I suppose I am curious about its story. How it came to stand on thisledge so far from civilization? How long it has been here? Who built it? Whatis it for?” He said staring down at the figure of sturdy earth with his goldeneyes shimmering curiously.

“Would you like to know about it?” Sidon jumped when yourvoice suddenly spoke up but it was now very close, in fact, it was right besidehim. He jumped, startled by the sound but he quickly tried to recover and thenstared at you his tail giving a small wiggle of excitement.

“Oh, I would very much like to know. You are familiar withan artifact as ancient as this?”

“…You could say that yes.”

Gracefully, he watched you walk up to the stone and put yourhand against the soft wet moss that covered the surface of the stone. For amoment, you just stood there with Sidon watching your every move; he still hadno idea who you were but he absolutely wanted to know more about you and the significanceof this statue.

“This statue was built as an altar a long, long time ago whena village was built down in that valley below. The people would climb up hereto seek the help of the spirit that resided here; they would pray for abountiful harvest, for their sick and injured to get better soon, for the villageto be safe and the spirit did everything they could to help because they wantednothing more than their beautiful village to flourish,” Sidon notices how yourvoice is laced with bliss as if you are reliving these moments though your wordsbut it quickly shifts when you continue. “Then came that tragedy. The spirithad foreseen the imminent demise of the village and when they attempted to telltheir people about the danger they were-” Your voice breaks and Sidon feels hisheart shatter unable to stand the sound of anyone in distress.

“I am so sorry, I did not mean to press you on suchsorrowful memories,” He placed a gentle hand on your shoulder giving it areassuring squeeze which surprises him because you feel so cold against hispalm. “You do not have to continue.”

Sidon notices your other hand move up to your face and hearsyour soft sniffle before pulling away from the stone, “I want to continue, butI cannot bear the thought of those memories tonight.”

Sidon thought for a moment then turned you gently around toface him so he could smile at you reassuringly, “Then what if I come backtomorrow night? I will not press you on anything and you can move at your ownpace. Does that sound alright?”

You look up at him with tears in your eyes and then give hima sad smile, “You would come back to visit me tomorrow night just to listen toa story?” Sidon nodded which made you laugh softly. “Then I will see you tomorrownight Sidon.”

“Tomorrow night it is then!” He exclaimed happily as heturned to leave only to realize something that made his eyes widen in shock andhad him instantly whipping around to confront you. However, you were nowhere tobe seen.

On his way back to the Kingdom, he could not stop thinking about howyou had known his name.