#and learning to see it as a boon helps him heal

[roughentumble]

also i think it'd be fun if some of the nogitsune rubbed off on stiles. not in a "he's dark and evil now" way but in a "an incomprehensible old spirit beamed its thoughts directly into his head" way, like maybe now he has a latent understanding of japanese, because that's what the nogitsune thought in. and he wasnt privy to its thoughts most of the time, and Understanding what was said was kind of just, forced into his brain, but the latent comprehension is still there. the nogitsune never told him the rules of go, but he still plays like a champ when the pieces dont make him break out into a cold sweat, because he simply Understood the rules. something about its presence forced the knowledge into the subconcious of his brain

he cant write or read japanese, and he's semi-crap at speaking it, but rough comprehension comes innately.

he should have knowledge with no source, further proof that for a while he was not himself and he was not in control

[d34dg1rl5]

Saviour

Opening your eyes you take in your surroundings. You're in Ormond. Quickly you decide to look for a totem since you're running Inner Strength.

After some while of running sround you finally find a totem in the corner of the killer shack. But you weren't alone. Mikaela also just arrived at the shack and started to work on the totem, she probably runs a Boon perk.

"Uhm, Mikaela... Could I maybe have this totem? I have Inner Strength, I could-" She glances at you and grunts. "Why don't you go find another totem?" You tilt your head. She never has been so mean, but maybe she had a bad day. You nod. "Yeah true..." You sigh and decide to work on a gen for now, you're sure you'll find another totem somewhere else on the map.

Just as you work on the gen, Jake rushes towards your gen - he's injured. Quickly you get up and try to heal him, but he backs away. "Don't touch me, I don't need your help!" You raise an eyebrow. "But. You're injured?" He starts to work on the gen and continues to groan in pain. You decide to also continue working on the machine. "Jake, I really hate to bug you, but you really should-" "Shut the fuck up and leave me alone!"

Quietly you let go of the issue and shake your head. What's up with him? Did he also have a bad day? A bad trial? More than one bad trial? Well, you didn't want to push any further... The gen is repaired and Jake takes off, leaving you behind, confused and thinking.

After some time you see a totem behind some crates and you quickly destroy it, unlocking Inner Strength. Well, at least something positive!

After some while the killer had downed it's first victim - Jake. You didn't feel to bad... He didn't want to get healed after all! Soon after Jake got hooked another scream erupted from within Ormond. Mikaela also met her demise. She also got hooked. You didn't meet the fourth survivor yet. Let's just hope they didn't have a bad day aswell...

Just as you were thinking that you run into said survivor. It was David. With a thud you fell on your butt. "Oh David! I'm sorry, I didn't see you-" "Quit the bullshit! Everybody knows you're working with the killer!" Your eyes went wide. "What? What are you talking about? I never worked together with any killer!" How could he say that?? What did he mean by 'everyone'??

He pushed you out of the way and makes his way over to the hooked survivors. You look after him as you could feel hot tears starting to run down your cheeks. "What the fuck..."

You trot over the map. Mikaela and Jake had been saved a while ago but you had lost your fighting spirit for this trial already. And you didn't meet the killer yet.

Let's analyze this! You were friends with some of the nicer killers like Susie, Rin, Anna, Carmina, Trickster and even Danny.

Susie is a nice girl, always listening to you and talking to you about all kinds of stuff. Like the rest of the Legion she is always down for the weirdest shenanigans.

Anna is a big woman, her hugs are almost bone crushing yet she always takes care of you outside of the trials telling you different russian fairy tales.

Even though you were friends with Rin, she is more reserved than Susie or Anna. You love to style her hair and learn more about japanese culture. But most of the time she rather wants to be alone than have any company. In all honesty she is ashamed of how she looks. Poor girl...

Carmina is a nice company. Sometimes you chill in her realm, watching her feeding the crows and paint new pictures. One time she surprised you with a picture of you she drew. You liked it alot and she was happy, letting out a proud croak.

Trickster. A hard case. Yes, you were some kind of friends with him. He LOVES talking about himself, his incredible shows, his murders and everything involving him in general. This man is in love with himself and sometimes it's annoying as fuck but you stick around because you're the only survivor he still kind of tolerates.

And the last person - Danny. Infamously known as Ghostface. He is really something. A deadly and quiet stalker, always there when you need him. He also is narcissistic but not as much as Trickster. He likes to talk about the murders he commited when he wasn't in the entitys world. You couldn't see his face but everytime he talked about this topic you could swear he has a big ass smile plastered on his face. And to admit this you kind of have a weakness for the masked stalker.

Looking around you decide to go for the gen in Ormond. Someone has already started to work on it but the killer has destroyed it. Just as you sit down Mikaela comes running towards you and groans in pain. "Heal me!" You get up and look at her. "You could ask me nicely instead..." Not waiting for her answer you still start to patch her up as she backs away and pushes you back, running out of the house.

You gasp as you fall against a hard thing. Immediately an arm wraps around your neck. "Hey doll... What's up? Didn't see you all trial, it was about time, don't you say?" Danny. Of course. Why didn't you notice that sooner...

"Please hook me. I want this trial to be over." He huffs. "You're no fun." He removes his arm and puts a hand onto his hip, making him look a little bit like a Karen. "Hm... I'll get back to you."

After some time Danny downed Jake, Mikaela and David, having them laying on the floor. You were still working on the gen in Ormond, not able to concetrate. The gen had blown up many times even though you were REALLY trying to make it work. Maybe todays events just got to your head...

Danny comes back and grabs your arm. Without questioning him you follow and see your fellow survivors laying on the ground, whincing in pain losing a lot of blood. David looks up to you. "(Y/n)! Heal- I fucking knew it... You're working with the killer! I fucking knew it!!" Mikaela and Jake look at you with looks of disapproval, annoyance and hate. All mixed feelings, but not good ones.

Danny grins and kneels down in front of David. "Heh.. I'll be right back." He brings Jake to the hook and then Mikaela. They get sacrificed immediately. Like promised, Danny comes back. You were still standing there, not knowing what to do. You WANTED to heal David, but after him being an asshole and just treating you like shit you were starting to question things.

Danny chuckles and hands you his knife. "Now (Y/n)... Why don't you show David what you think about his mean mean behaviour earlier? I think he needs to be punished..." He puts his head on your shoulder. "C'mon... Make me proud..."

You look at Danny and grab the knife tightly in your hand kneeling down in front of David. "David...", you start. David huffs. "You're a fucking traitor... You're the reason we always lose when we're teamed up with you... Sometimes I wish you were fucking dead. Forever."

Those words hurt. Like someone plunging multiple needles in your heart. David was always a guy who loved to brag about his fights but he was there when needed in trials. But now. You despise him. You really do.

You look at the knife in your hand, knuckles white from gripping the knife so hard. David grins. "You're weak... I knew you-" Before the brit could finish his sentence you plunged the knife in his neck, making him bleed even more. He gurgles for a few seconds before closing his eyes. Now he was really dead. Not sacrificed and not mori'd... At least not by a killer.

You slowly get up and look at your now bloody hands. From behind you you could hear slow claps. Slow claps. Just like a villain in a superhero movie. You turn around.

"Damn... I really didn't think you would be able to do that... Yet you proofed me wrong. Interesting..." He smiled and takes the knife from you, cleaning it from Davids blood. Danny sighs. "Saw how they treated you earlier... I couldn't let that go 'unseen'." He sits down on one of the benches, manspreading. Quickly he pats his thigh. Not even knowing what you're doing you sit down on his thigh and let your head fall against his shoulder.

"I didn't even see you.." Danny nods. "Of course. I am Ghostface, I am a master at staying hidden." He sighs and puts his hand on your head soothingly caressing your hair.

"I didn't think survivors could be like this... Y'all are supposed to stick together when a killer is trying to. Well kill you." You sigh audibly. "I was confused and then I thought they were referring to my friendships with some of the killers including you... I didn't even know you were the killer until Mikaela pushed me into you."

"Yeah, what a move."

The wind is blowing and you shiver. Danny notices this and holds you closer to him. "Cold, are we?" He move his free hand to his mask and. Removes it?! You have never seen Danny without his mask and he looks really pretty... You look at him.

"You must trust me a lot to remove your mask..." He smiles a cheeky smile. "Think whatever you want about this. You should get the hatch as a little reward. For killing David and basically doing the dirty work for me." You just nod and get off his thigh. He grabs his mask but isn't putting it on just yet.

After a while of looking for the hatch you finally find it in the killer shack. "I'll see you around. If you want it or not."

With that he pushes you into the hatch grinning. Just before you get engulfed in the black fog, you see him putting his mask back on.

What will the others think?

[logan-bear-bear]

This is just a post talking about how much I adore Kate Carter and Tyler Owens and didn’t things I’ve noticed in my (several) rewatches of this show. Enjoy my many ramblings. <3

There’s something so special to me about how Tyler and Kate had little to no physical contact through the movie. Like you can tell that they’ve learned to care about each other throughout the one week they knew each other (possibly an extra week if Kate had taken extra time off to heal from driving into an EF5 tornado) and they never even hugged or anything. Most of their interactions were through playful banter, the looks of absolute entrancement, and like two, maybe three scenes where he was comforting/helping her after tornadoes. Aside from those small moments, nothing. I think it really helps double down on the fact that this is a relationship that is built more on knowing each other rather then a physical relationship.

During the airport scene when Kate tells Tyler “if you feel it, chase it” after he talks about not knowing when she’s coming back, it almost seems like (to me, and I’m bad at interpreting things) she’s acknowledging that they both have some sort of connection. But the fact the he takes this advice!! He drills his truck into the ground!!! To run after her! Taking her own advice that she took from him!!!!! They make me crazy honestly.

Also thinking about a scenario where later on if/when Kate ever comes back and goes tornado chasing with the Wranglers again and during a scene where they just tamed another tornado their all like cheering and being excited over it, Tyler picks Kate up by the waist and spins her around like the scene from Frozen where Kristof spins Anna around. Bonus points if this is where they’re still in the “will they won’t they” stage of their relationship and owns them jabs and immense teasing from the rest of the wranglers… honestly wheres my fic?

Break from Tyler and Kate to talk about the wranglers. I need a whole movie focused on them. I want backstories, mire of the dynamics, seeing how they interact with each other. They are my current favorite found family. The scene after they all find Kate after the El Reno tornado and they run up to her, you can see Dani hug and wrap around Javi in the excitement, and Boone telling Kate he’s in love with her (real), they are just so important to me I need everything about them.

Okay, I think I’m done for now

[sealz888]

Arcade gannon

ARCADE GANNON! MY GOAT!!! ARCADE! OF COURSE!!! Sorry I don't know if the amount of hcs I have made him look like one of my favs he is lol. Please enjoy!

Feels immense guilt for being born in the Enclave, despite barely remembering it. So he tries to help out whenever he can, and it's his main motivation for joining the followers.

Often has nightmares about the Enclave regaining power and returning.

Also has nightmares about his older ties being associated and him being driven out of the Followers, stoned or imprisoned by NCR.

Big Sci-Fi fan, definitely grew up loving those old Jangles the Moon Monkey show re-runs or hearing some radio shows on Sci-Fi. War of the Worlds is his favourite.

Often feels out of place, especially considering his height.

Growing up, he excelled in chemistry and maths. They put him in a special course designed to form Enclave Scientists.

Only recently got transferred to the Mojave. He was previously researching how to make more efficient sanitiser and anti-microbial solutions for surgery from Eucalyptus oil (Yes, Eucalyptus trees grow in Cali).

Now researching how to cross-bred Broc Flowers and Barrel Cacti and grow them more efficiently. He's also studying their chemical make-up to help create more effective stimpaks and healing powder.

Learned quite a lot from Dr Henry. Would often pester him to teach him about medicine. Quite close, consider him an uncle.

Is very open about his sexuality, unless you're one of the remnants. He tends to avoid the discussion of partners.

Has been really vague about it to Daisy and is slowly coming out to the others, a bit worried what Moreno would think.

Moreno literally doesn't care that much.

They all love him regardless, and it works out well. Daisy welcomes all of his boyfriends with open arms. Threatens them in case they break his heart, lol.

Considers Veronica to be a younger sister figure. Also pretty friendly with Cass and Raul.

Very worried about Lily and often corresponds with Dr Henry about her and ways for the Followers and himself can help her. Lily sees him as another adopted Grandchild.

Also corresponds with Dr Henry about Rex.

Has also offered to get help for Cass' Alcoholism and Boone's Grief. Both declined.

Favourite colour is blue! His favourite number is 18.

Has a whole library back at his room in the Boneyard, but eventually decides to permanently stay in the Mojave under an NCR ending.

All other endings, he tries to get the others to go back to the Boneyard with him and Veronica does. Cass gets halfway before decided to move somewhere else. Boone does move to the NCR, and they keep in contact. Lily stays in Jacobstown, but also exchange letters. No clue what happened to Raul.

If the Kings die, he ends up with Rex.

[starshapedspider]

bloodhound only you could be the child of 2 scientists who died by their own creations they helped be part of and unintentally added onto the destruction of your planet and people and then be adopted by your uncle who looks down on the very thing you were born into, only to have him die by a creature that you unintentionally brought into your village

bloodhound only you can run into an adventurer who owns a ship and hunts for sport named boone and fall into a complicated relationship and travel with as you continue leading ur people as well, and help hunt for a specific creature that hes been looking for, and then be offered the chance to explore and experience new things outside of the culture you grew up in when you two capture the animal together and boone traps it and tells you his actual plan. and then rightfully deny him and tell him to basically fuck off only to wake up the next morning to find boone, only to find out he brought the creature with him to a place you've never been to and so you have to travel across space for the very first time. and when you try to stop him while he's in mid battle with the same creature you two looked for together he just smiles at you like an idiot and gets torn from shoulder to torso and dies so you kill the creature out of revenge and for boone's honor

bloodhound only you can carry on the guilt of your loved one's death on your shoulders for decades before going into a violent blood sport to fight in boone's honor and to see him in Valhalla when you die and for your people. and as you work and fight for that reason you fall into yet another complicated relationship with an australian pansexual grenadier with one eye named fuse that reminds you of boone and be stubborn in your ways that result in self sabotaging tendencies as you struggle to accept the changes in your life and the death of your home, and then as you learn to heal you learn it's okay to love fuse and to not go through the changes alone

bloodhound only you could be a nordic hunter who's nonbinary and fights for the justice of your people on the daily while accepting new love and happiness and restfulness in your 40s

[vagonca-rigo]

top 5 games?

Okay kinda tough but let's see

Felvidek Okay, kind of an obvious choice given my recent obsession with it, but it's so great. It's an RPGMaker game where you play as Pavol, an alcoholic knight whose wife left him, who is at first tasked with finding out what struck the old castle, to later joining an emerging cult that has been recruiting the locals and making them disappear, accompanied by Matej, a priest from Debrecen, who's original task was trying to get Pavol off of alcohol. You don't need to level up, you just need good equipment and strategy to win all battles you encounter(and there are optional ones too, but they're not worth it unless you want more crowns). The ending is also extended as you help certain NPCs.

Kynseed Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley kinda farming game where you inherit your uncle's farm, have a little fight with your sibling you gotta make up with later, and some mysteries to uncover. There's wayyy more to the game though, for instance you have to have good reputation with the villagers in all villages to initiate certain quests or buy certain shops to maintain AND if you are particularly nice to some villagers and their family members(even in later generations!) you get to piece together a code you get bit by bit as you talk to them after a certain friendship level for a locked chest with money or resources. You can get boons from some sort of hare time fae in exchange for some years off your life, there's also combat regions and the combat mechanics themselves are really neat. You can also gather notes to find out how to grow high quality crops, learn recipes, and read journals for additional lore about the world.

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight Okay so, Momodora is a game series(I'm almost through 4 of them!) and playing all will give you some lore, but the 4th and 5th entries are the best. The 4th, RUtM honestly made my jaw drop, especially after seeing the previous games. You play as Kaho Reinol, a priestess from Lun who seeks the queen of Karst to combat corruption, but the queen has been cursed along with her country, and it's up to you to fix it. The visuals are absolutely stunning and the combat is really great, and along the way you can collect items to apply modifiers to your weapons or gain a certain ability, as well as for healing and damage boost(some of which get permanently increased as you find more of them, and every time you hit a bell to save, all restock). You also get boons for defeating bosses without taking damage, which is difficult, but worth trying (note: if you do wanna attempt, quit to the menu and reload to the last save if you get hit or die). There's also a spider at the beginning of the game that if you don't kill, it will sell you great items later(and is the reason i had to make an entirely new save T_T). I can't tell more, as it would slip into spoiler territory, but this and the last game in the series(Moonlit Farewell, that btw, has notes in a menu about lore you might be missing out on) are absolutely worth checking out.

CrossCode You play as Lea, a girl who lost her memory, wakes up in an MMO(CrossWorlds) as a rather rare choice of fighter class(spheromancer)among players, who also happens to have her mic broken, so with the help of Sergey(who got you into the game in the first place), you get basic lines as you progress, like your name, greetings, questions and basic answers(so her talking is often just "Hi! Lea! Yes! Lea! Lea!"). There are many regions in the game, most of which you can only access if you acquire a certain elemental extensions to your Circuit tree(these you can get in select dungeons full of puzzles). The combat is really interesting and you get to have fun with elemental modes, but you have to look out as you can get overheated using one mode for too long, so you have to switch frequently. There's also a wiki and plenty of guide videos from the editors of it.

Moon Remix RPG This is an anti-rpg, so it parodies common tropes present in the genre and doesn't take itself seriously. You play as a little boy who, at the beginning, is seen playing some generic RPG about a mighty knight who defeats evil. He is told to go to sleep, but in the middle of the night, the TV mysteriously turns on with static, and takes him in, right to the world of the game he was playing. He is invisible, and only after visiting his...grandma(?) does he get clothing items he is able to be seen in(which looks real reminiscent of Rayman as his arms and legs are not covered by any in-universe item). Your mission is to learn about love, expand your heart, and sleep. Speaking of, as you level up your love, you can stay awake longer and explore more. You can do this in many ways, like quests or finding creatures according to hints in a book. If you "oversleep", it stacks, and you can also recover sleep by eating certain items. Along the way, you also get to observe the knight the boy played as in his game, which reveals that the guy's just a big strong idiot, not giving a single shit about his surroundings and using his fame to not hold responsibility for his actions. One thing I love in this game is the "voice" of characters. You are mute, but everyone else has some sort of 'yap' or 'wobble' or 'eh eh' that vaguely sounds like a voice and they vary a lot. From what i know, the game has only recently been translated to english and released on steam, so you might not find much about it if you're stuck somewhere.

[calebwittebane]

when i have time i wanna make a. fallout new vegas post-canon Thing regarding the companions. idk a little design sheet? short illustrated fic? for my idea of an independent ending (so, no gods no masters but with more of a followers of the apocalypse involvement/presence, which afaik was part of the original vision for fnv and was one of the many things that were cut due to time constraints). and some like, headcanons of how things turn out for them. test descriptions for the four human companions below the cut, i need to think about raul and lily some more. and i wanna give them all some Epilogue Designs. They Change. the journey changes them within and without.

Arcade Israel Gannon ended up staying in the Old Mormon Fort during the Second Battle of Hoover Dam and the unrest that followed the NCR's retreat. He made full use of his medical expertise where he knew it would be needed the most. With his direct involvement he saved many lives; that in turn caused him to see some of his wider-picture ideals through a new perspective, strengthening his belief in solidarity and community. He found a large stash of high-quality medical equipment and supplies in the Remnants’ bunker; he found it very appropriate, that from the history that used to weigh so heavily on him, he salvaged tools of healing and mending. He also decided to dedicate a lot of his time to teaching others. Through all the hard work he managed to overcome the need to isolate himself; with his hands full as they were, there was little time or need to maintain a barrier between himself and others.

Craig Boone became permanently disabled from the injuries he sustained when defending Bitter Springs from the Legion raid. Though unsatisfied with that resolution at first, he came to realize that protecting others was the right path for him all along, and what truly mattered: not retribution for harm already done, whether it be his or someone else's doing, but stopping harm and preventing harm. Having spent some time in and around New Vegas learning to live with his new condition and doing some odd jobs, he ended up as a sniper guard for the Followers. He maintained a close friendship with Arcade and Veronica. He also began receiving proper help for his mental health issues—something that was unthinkable back when he thought his suffering was necessary.

Veronica Renata Santangelo left the Brotherhood of Steel long before the battle. She fought alongside the Courier and witnessed first-hand the victory of the independent New Vegas. With all the new possibilities that came with that, and filled with newfound enthusiasm, she refused to wander aimlessly and decided to put her skills to good use. Despite initial reluctance she attempted once more to join the Followers of the Apocalypse, and found that she fit right in. She excelled at preserving data, fixing equipment, restoring technology, and supervising the transport of supplies. Though she missed the Brotherhood, and had many regrets, to her surprise the main one was that she hadn't done this much sooner. She was well aware that the Brotherhood would one day retaliate against the robot army protecting New Vegas, and that it would be a desperate hopeless struggle of a failing, conservative ideology. Knowing she had done all she could to prevent it, she decided she had to move on from feeling responsible for the future of those who refused to listen. Her gifts were needed elsewhere, and she got to make a real difference through her own decisions.

Rose of Sharon Cassidy felt deeply conflicted about the NCR's retreat from the Mojave, and was initially quite skeptical about the future of the independent New Vegas. In the Second Battle of Hoover Dam she fought alongside the Courier and lost her arm in a brutal attack by a centurion. It felt, at first, like a price she paid in someone else's name; a punishment for someone else's mistake, all in the name of allegiance she'd never really asked for. For a time she considered returning to California, following the NCR back to its territory with its relative stability she could count on, and figuring things out from there. It took her a lot of soul-searching to make the final decision to stay and join the Followers to work with Veronica in distributing supplies across the Mojave. She had always admired their idealistic approach, though she used to find it hopelessly naive. To see it actually working out in building a proper new society, free and more equitable than ever—she just had to see for herself how it would all turn out.

[solitaireships]

How about 28 from those writing prompts? Gor whomever you feel like writing for!

~ 🪻

28- surprising them with their favorite treat

This one took a little bit to get done, but here it is! I ended up doing this with Boone and kinda spun it out from the prompt so it's less like. Fun little treat and more treat within the context of the setting.

Rating: Gen

Genre: Fluff

Words: 1519 words

Divider by saradika

Mentions: references to death

If there is one thing that Courier has learned from trying to make dinner tonight, it’s that she wouldn’t have been a very good homemaker if she were alive Pre-War. It’s not that she’s not good at cooking— she’s far from the best chef, but she knows how to take what she can find throughout the wasteland and turn it into something that’s at least a decent meal. But attempting to make a more traditional meal ripped out of an old cookbook is uncharted territory for her.

At the very least, she’s pretty sure the dinner she’s been working on will come out alright. It won’t be nearly as good as the meals that Boone manages to make for the two of them from these same cookbooks, but he’s always been the better cook. A benefit of growing up on a farm— he knows how to put everything together in ways that Courier can only half get right, and he knows how to grow their own produce so they don’t have to deal with any side effects of the radiation that taints practically everything here.

There’s never much that can be done for meat, though. Even Brahmin meat tends to have at least a hint of radiation to it, it being a constant of almost every kind of life in the wasteland. It’s not exactly healthy for anyone, the animal or the people eating it, but strategic use of a mix of Rad-X and Rad-Away is usually enough to prevent any unfortunate side effects. 

Tonight, though, they won’t need to worry about any radiation. Because tonight, Courier took advantage of one of the only good things the brains at the Think Tank ever invented— a purifier to remove radiation from meat. It was a surprising find on her last trip to the Big Empty, one hidden away in a corner of the Sink and not given the personality that other devices in the room had. But Courier’s not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and from the quick tests she did on it, it doesn’t look like using the machine will have any long term effects. Still, it’s a pain to get properly powered, and she’s sure she’ll have to spend months if not years studying it to have any chance of being able to introduce it to the public. 

Still, what she can do for now is make a meal for herself and Boone. Something about the process of cooking is apparently soothing to him, but he’s been out of the Strip for the past week helping a caravan make it to the 188 trading post. Courier’s missed him more than she thought she ever could miss someone. Making him a welcome home meal only feels right, like some kind of quiet expression of love for him. The Lucky 38 only truly feels like home when Boone is with her, and an old fashioned meal that would have been a staple of Pre-War family life only feels right to have when he’s at her side. 

Courier wonders sometimes if Boone thinks about marrying her as much as she thinks about marrying him. It’s never something they’ve talked much about— for all of their talks about what the future may hold for them, they’ve never discussed if that would mean the two of them remaining boyfriend and girlfriend forever or being husband and wife. 

She never wants to push Boone into talking about that though. He may have started the process of healing from Carla’s death in the time that Courier’s known him, but she can’t imagine it’s easy to just move on from the death of your wife. If he wasn’t eager to marry someone again, she wouldn’t fault him for that. There are some wounds that can never truly heal, only stop hurting as much as they once did, and this is a wound she could see cutting too deep for him. She's content to be with him in any capacity that would have her either way. Marriage isn't a necessity, but still it would be nice to be able to call him her husband.

So she finishes plating their meal, bringing both plates to the table and hoping that Boone won’t be too far off from getting home. It’s a simple dinner— steak and potatoes— but still it’s one that took a lot of time and effort to get made properly. 

Courier’s sure Boone will like this. He’ll probably be tired when he gets back, and not having to make dinner will be a burden off his shoulders. And he knows how much of a luxury it is to have food without any radiation tainting it— if nothing else, he’ll appreciate a truly clean meal. 

The sound of elevator doors is cue enough that Boone has made it home. He’s not the only person with access to this floor, the others who used to travel with Courier still come and go to visit, but he’s the only of them who would come in without saying anything. It’s not as if you need to announce yourself in your own home. 

“I’m in the kitchen,” Courier calls, setting down utensils at the table. She can’t remember the specifics of table setting— that’s always been something the people at the White Glove society cared more about than she did as she had to scrounge up what she could to eat. She settles on the fork and knife on the right side of the plates, giving the table one last look over before she turns back towards the fridge. All she needs now is their drinks and dinner will be ready. 

“You made dinner,” Boone says, drawing Courier’s attention to where he stands in the doorway to the kitchen and dining room. 

“I thought you could use a nice dinner as a welcome home,” Courier replies. She closes the distance between the two of them, pulling Boone into a hug. He’s sweaty and still wearing his sunglasses, but it’s still nice to have him back home with her. 

He gives her a quick kiss. “It smells good.”

“And it’s a true Pre-War style meal,” she replies followed by a kiss of her own. “Radiation free.”

Boone pulls back from the hug a little at that, still holding onto Courier but better able to look at her. She can see the questioning look in his eyes even past the tinted gold lenses of his glasses. 

“How?” he asks, only sounding like he half believes her. 

“A postmortem gift from our friends at the Think Tank,” Courier replies. Friends is a title she doubts that the now dead brains would have appreciated from one of their experiments, but that’s another thing that should make this meal all the sweeter. 

“This is… nice,” Boone says. He’s fumbling for words, something that’s never been uncommon for him, but still goes to show that he appreciates this gift from her.

“You deserve a treat after your hard work,” Courier says.

Boone gives a dry laugh at that. “Says the woman keeping the Mojave up and running.”

“I’m not the only person that’s getting things going. And I’m not having to travel outside of the Strip to have to deal with raiders and assorted other creatures out and about,” she replies. She squeezes his side with one hand. “But it’s not a competition. And what matters is that dinner’s ready if you’d like to eat.”

“I am,” he says. 

“Then give me one minute to grab our drinks.”

Boone gives Courier one last quick kiss before parting, this time on the tip of her nose. As he makes his way to sit at the table, Nat King Cole’s voice plays over the tinny speakers of the kitchen’s radio. She goes over to the fridge, grabbing two bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla. She pops off both bottle caps with the edge of her knife, double checking out of habit if either has a star printed on the bottom. Finding nothing, she joins Boone at the table, placing one bottle by his plate before sitting down at her own seat.

Courier lifts her soda up, offering it for a toast. 

“To an old world style meal,” she says.

Boone clinks his bottle against hers, then takes a swing of it. “To my partner, who’s better than anything the old world could have made.”

Courier can’t help the smile that comes to her face at that. Boone has never been the best with words, but still he always manages to make her feel good about herself. 

As they cut into their steaks, the radio keeps playing in the background. It’s a gentle soundtrack to their meal, only furthering the feeling that this must be what it would have been like to have a family dinner before the bombs fell. As Courier takes a bite of steak— which tastes cleaner than any meat she’s ever eaten before— the song comes to an end in a way she can only feel is fitting for how she feels for Boone. 

“Oh, my darling, love me, don’t ever let me go.”

[inferentialdistance]

Marche Did Nothing Wrong!

An essay I've been meaning to write for years, now, about Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance, its deeply misunderstood protagonist.

So, first off, the default name of the protagonist is Marche. This word has a lot of cognates: to march, to mark, marshlands, edge, boundary, fairytale. Soldiers march along the border of a nation; the march marks the edge; marshlands were often the dividing biome. Marche is the hero, he walks the world of Ivalice, he marks the world in his passing. He hunts for the edge between Ivalice, the fantasy realm, and his home, the real.

Marche marches the marshes to mark the Marchen.

Ivalice is a fantasy realm crafted by the Grimoire based on the children's wishes. It gives them each what they desire most: Mewt gets his mother back, Doned is cured of his disability, Ritz has a "good" hair color, and Marche gets Montblanc (a friend to accompany him). And none of them are actually happy.

Mewt spends all his time terrified in his room crying. Doned still obsesses over his disability. Ritz is still self-conscious about her hair color. And Marche, the lonely boy who his parents don't have time for (because they have to help Doned), desperately misses his family.

This is not the story of a killjoy. This is the story of the responsible older brother, who makes do with less because his little brother needs more. This is the story of a neglected kid so desperate to love and be loved he shakes the very foundations of the world.

THE GRIMOIRE STOLE HIS FAMILY FROM HIM!

Marche's wish was for a friend, and the Grimoire gives him Montblanc. And that was enough for March beat everyone else. Because he's been carrying bigger burdens than any other kid: he's had to actually be responsible where the others could be childish.

But here's the secret: the Grimoire doesn't only give you what you want, but also what you need. Ritz doesn't just get new hair, but makes friends with the Viera, who revere her original shade. She learns, from them to accept herself.

Doned finally gets to be treated as an equal instead of a cripple, when Marche whoops his spoiled ass, and learn it's not all it's cracked up to be. And Mewt finally comes to terms with his mother's death, when faced with Marche's determination. And, upon granting these boons to his friends (Marche is the catalyst that provokes their self-reflection), Marche is finally allowed back home.

The Grimoire is a tool of healing. It provides shelter from the pain of the world, giving you space to breathe and recollect yourself. It is a place of the dead to rest until they live again.

Marche is not merely the hero, but a Shaman, walking the realm of the spirits to rescue the lost but still living from their torment.

Do you know why Marche is depicted holding the so-called "pizza cutter", despite it not being obtainable in-game? Because that is the Judge Sword, and Marche is the True Judge of Ivalice. He witnesses it, he assesses it, he measures and weighs it, and he speaks his verdict:

FOUND WANTING!

(Where is my family?)

Marche carries the Judge Sword is his heart. He is the edge between right and wrong. He walks the world, experiencing all that it is. He dispenses justice as he sees it. He teaches his friends responsibility by example. He arbitrates. And the world is left better in his wake. Even Mewt's father, Cid, begins to heal.

Marche marches the marshes to mark the Marchen, and in so doing, mark good from evil, and health from sickness. What beauty, what elegance, in a story about the fragile hearts of children. Does it not move you?

[pwnyta]

I was thinking about if LOST characters had powers... sorta like HEROES or XMEN or something... So heres what I got-

Jack- Healing touch. Obviously. Its not like super POWERFUL healing but it does fluctuate with his emotions. Like the more stressed he gets the better his healing is. I think that fits Jack real well. Also its only his hands & he cant heal himself if he cant properly reach the spot (like his back)).

Kate- Shapeshifting! OBVIOUSLY. At first its limited to people similar to herself (thin white women) but as time goes on she starts learning to go crazy. But its still limited to humans.

Sawyer- Anger Empowerment! Hulk-like but without the cool transformation.

Juliet- Time Acceleration (by touch). Hear me out... she CAN heal as a doctor but if she's not paying attention the time acceleration could go so far as to even ROT whats in her hands. So shes mostly scared to use her powers.

John- Danger Detection. The trouble is hes more confident in his power than himself which causes problems(see Ben).

Ben- Mental Manipulation (voice activated, sorta like the persuasion power from HEROES). OBVIOUSLY. Ben's mental manipulation can also override Johns Danger Detection which is why John keeps getting clowned on by that gremlin. However he has a far harder time dealing with people with stronger wills.

Hurley- Empathetic Mimicry. He can use others powers with an associated feeling. Like Hurley getting pissed at Sawyer and kicking the shit outta him using his own rage based power enhancement.

Sayid- Absolute Superpower Opposition. From defending himself against Sawyer, to surviving all of Rousseaus nonsense to outplaying Ben... I think it works for him. However he can be hurt by like... guns and be regular manipulated by Ben if hes sad. But since the mundane is still a threat itd give a reason why hes still the hyper prepared little freak he is.

Sun- Mental Pressure. Her power can cause paranoia and such things. She didnt use it basically at all before the crash... but after returning home without Jin she started exercising that power. Freaking her father out and even screwing with Ben.

Jin- Enhanced Durability. Nothing has ever happened to him. Hes fine guys and if hes fine Suns fine. Guys believe me.

Charlie- Inaudibility (can be completely silent (in an AOE). Ironically (since hes a bloody rock GOD). He hated it before his addiction but then he found it to be quite useful for sneaking around.

Claire- Enhanced Survivability. She was in a house when it fuckin EXPLODED. And also lived in the woods all by herself. Shes just a creature.

Michael- Drawing Creation. Its not something hes ever thought to push. He just creates little animated cards for his son but later uses his creations to torment the people on the boat till they take themselves out.

Desmond- Precognition. Obviously. But his powers are pretty scrambled and especially so after he gets to the island. Weirdly his precog works weirdly on Sayid sometimes he gets absolutely nothing, sometimes he gets visions so clear its suspicious. He doesnt ask(it depends on whether his vision might hurt or help Sayid due Sayids ability. It either completely blocks it or enhances it).

Rousseau- Improbable Weapon Proficiency. DUH. All her weird little traps. Let her cook.

...I could do others but... I think this is good enough. I mean most are either very obvious or... like I HAVE NO IDEA. Frank has flight. Miles can talk to ghosts. Shannon... IDFK? BOONE? Honestly who cares.

[djdiamond18803]

Fun Fact, before Hades 2 trailer came out, I did a few designs of what Apollo would look like. After brainstorming with my sis (who also plays Hades), I decided with this design and make Apollo have a quest. 

So, after reuniting the Olympians, Zagreus would enter a fountain room in Asphodel where he met a god named Apollo. Apollo here would give you 3 choices of healing bonuses (regen, double health, etc). After meeting him a few times and giving him nectars, Apollo would slowly opens up and Zagreus finds out why he was in the underworld. Apparently, his powers of the plagues were getting unstable, and Zeus secretly sends him there since it was away from all living things. 

After telling Hades and with the permission of Persephone, Zagreus plans brings Apollo to the cottage when he mentioned of missing the sunrise (with the promise of staying away from any living organics.) However, Apollo was hesitance, saying that he was worried that his family are trying to find him only to find the room empty. From there, Apollo would stay in the fountain room until certain tasks have been fulfilled. 

full hearts with Hermes, Dionysus and Artemis:  Hermes will give Zagreus a harp to give it to Apollo with a message saying that they missed him. When Zagreus gives him the harp, Apollo will get angry. (remember, his emotions are still unstable at the time)

“Why?! Why go all the trouble of helping another god escaped when they could’ve helped me?!” - Apollo

 Apollo will then accept Zagreus’s offer to go to the cottage. He will then give him a cow plush named ‘Mimi’. Apollo explained that he has placed his essence inside the plush and all he needs to do is bring it to the cottage and he might be able use it as a waymark. During the travel, Zagreus can now call Apollo for help 3 times.

 “The essence inside the plush is only enough for me to teleport outside the Underworld, use it wisely Zagreus.” - Apollo

Apollo’s Legendary Keepsakes: If Zagreus’s health is above 50%, Apollo will go into offensive. However, if Zagreus’s health is below 50%, Apollo will go into defensive.

 After bringing Apollo towards the cottage, Zagreus was about to give the plush back when Apollo told him to keep it. Saying that if he ever needs helped, he knew who to call. 

Unlock excess to the Cottage and interreact with Apollo

After that, whenever you encounter Artemis, Dionysus, or Hermes, they would ask questions regarding Apollo and Zagreus will act clueless through the whole thing. After encountering Artemis, Dionysus, and Hermes a few more times, a specific dialogue will trigger where Zagreus learns the other side of the conversation. Apparently, there is a misunderstanding and it’s up to Zagreus to help the four gods.

 Unlock the quest, “Reunite the Siblings”

 After using Apollo’s call 20 times: Apollo will suddenly change apperance, and his tittle will change to the ‘God of Healing’.

With Apollo’s mindset back to normal and more controlled, Zagreus consults him about what he learned from the 3 gods and what really happening. After listening to him, Apollo will admit to missing his siblings and wishes to return to reunite with them.

If you have Hermes, Dionysus and Artemis boons only along with Apollo’s Keepsakes you will unlock a secret boss fight with Zeus who tries to stop you from fully freeing Apollo. 

After defeating Zeus and reuniting the siblings, Zagreus will gain special duo boons between Apollo and in between Artemis, Dionysus, or Hermes. From then on, whenever Zagreus enters the cottage, you could see Apollo talking with either Artemis, Dionysus or Hermes and sometimes all three. 

also, whenever Zagreus gets a Zeus boon, he will try to hide his annoyance (since he knew what the god had done to his own son). 

So yeah, that was the ideas that I have done for this AU ^^

[theunwellkingdom]

Lore Spotlight #1: Meet Our Heroes

Six strangers awakened in a dungeon cell...

Five years ago, our D&D campaign began! Learn a bit about each of the eight player characters at the forefront of our epic tale, featuring their own hand-drawn art!

Garp Garp, Goblin Bard

Played/Illustrated by Juston - he/him (uppermindink on Instagram)

Garp Garp abandoned his goblin clan when he heard the beautiful music of the Blue-Haired Bard. She taught him the power of thrash before mysteriously vanishing! Now, he uses that power to protect his friends with the help of his flaming familiar, the Level Skull! He's also dabbled into darker magic and proclaimed himself Lord of Bones!

Fable, Catfolk Cleric

Played/Illustrated by Larissa - she/her (royallydivine on Instagram)

Fable is a sweet and caring catfolk with a sneaky trickster side! She hails from the distant kingdom of Eldoris, and is constantly appalled by the terrible things that happen here in Lyrea. She calls upon the cat goddess Xalyn to bring light and healing to this unwell kingdom!

Mishka, Tiefling Fighter

Played/Illustrated by Kelsey - she/her (@kelseesi)

Mishka was once a member of the Royal Guard, but was cynical, restless, and unfulfilled. Adventure was exactly what she needed, and she thrives in the chaos of this group! Even when she ran into a trap and lost an arm, she simply kept the limb to wield as a grotesque weapon, even getting it enchanted and modified for maximum damage!

Eventually, Mishka found a calling where she least expected – training meek wizards of the Unseen Library into adept battle mages. She stayed with them after they were displaced, to help rebuild.

Gin, Human Monk

Played/Illustrated by Boon - he/him

Gin is an enigma, a wandering drunken monk who is either two steps ahead or three steps to the side. For instance, he's the only member of the original party who wasn't kidnapped... he saw the others being taken and simply hopped along for the ride, to see if he could help. He is fiercely protective of his friends, especially Garp Garp, and will make demonic pacts to prove it! He's also an avant garde brewmaster, for anyone daring enough to try his mixes.

Tourmaline, Genasi Blood Hunter

Played by quinn - they/them (quinnntastic_ on Twitter)

Tourmaline began her journey as a sweet, naïve, young genasi (an elemental daughter of human and genie) who was abandoned by her birth parents and raised by two loving dwarves. However, she quickly fell into bad company and was tricked into drinking the blood of villain Ans Fleurellian. This changed her into a blood hunter, able to pay life for power, and set her on a heavy path of learning the world's hard truths.

Tourmie was whisked away to the Indigo, a mysterious realm of the dead, but while her time traveling with the party may have come to an end, her story is far from over!

Lani, Aasimar Rogue

Played by Riley - they/them (@ratbrick)

Lani grew up in the seedy streets of Crestfall, along with a tight-knit group of other orphans. She's an aasimar, chosen for protection by a divine guardian... but hers was nowhere to be found. Her time with the party was the shortest, as her loyalties stayed with the orphans, but any time our story returns to Crestfall, she remains a stalwart ally.

Unfortunately, sometimes life gets in the way. We had to write a few characters out of the party over the years, but that was also a chance to meet some new faces!

Olly, Gnome Wizard

Played/Illustrated by Vi - they/them (vidraws on Twitter)

Olly spent most of his life studying magic at the Unseen Library, before the Grand Council sent him out to join our heroes and spy on them! He did this, reluctantly, but his travels opened his eyes to where his allegience should truly lie. By the time the party made it to the Library all together, Olly was ready to fight alongside them to the bitter end!

Kornaan, the Cobbler

Played/Illustrated by Zack - he/him (me!)

Kornaan was a half-orc cobbler in the sleepy port town of Loam who marveled at the wondrous tales from adventurers who came to repair their boots as they were passing through. He was inspired, and set off to become an adventurer himself!

Since I'm the one running the campaign, Kornaan serves as a blend of player character and NPC. He travels with the party and offers help, but he'll always take a backseat when it comes time to solve problems (sometimes I even use him to create new ones when needed!). Nevertheless, his arc over the years has brought him from bumbling wannabe to real adventurer!

[comvi]

silver time silver hi silver.

silver does not like any creature (but whisperer and lucky.)

silver's spikes cannot be controled, "standing up" as a reaction to stress and worry.

silver feels calm and safe around whisperer

silver learnt how to wag his tail from lucky

despite not liking chief for talking to whisperer (it thinks scavs are evil, as they are the ones making rumors about it.)

rumors about it are: "It's an alien!" (made silver get sharp claws on its "slugcat paws")) "It's a weapon for someone!" (Made spikes form on it.") "It lures people in with its mimicking!" (Made it learn to "speak") "It's just alive goop!" (Made silver drag its tail.) "Its unbound!" (Made it grab people.) not all of them but whatever.

silver is perfectly fine with whisperer touching them. but calls him off from it cause they dont know what would happen.

silver's pearls are called boons. What do boons do? help whisperer directly. holdon ima paste some things. Voice, you know anything about this thing? Bring it closer to your eyes can you even see? whatever. OH WHAT THE What? whats wrong? what is it? Uhm...throw it away! what happened to being poetic. and why whats it do Uhm... not good! just...dont keep it! i cant trust you, im asking ...it about it. You better not oh yes i will. Little thing, you are bleeding in MANY places. i'd like to see you walk. You know i can walk. You have 3 seeping marks on your chest, leaking blood, you nearly got your foot-paw bit off. Your arms bleeding and infected, You have scratch marks all over you, and your ear is also bit. Yes, and? ...fuck you. You two. I ran outside, pretty sure it would be there anyway. and it was "Hey!" it seemed.. "happy?" to see me? i hopped down and accidently dropped the pearl i tripped over it and fell flat on my face... embarrassing. i sat up and it somehow was in front of me, tail...wagging... when could it do that? "Y-you came back! H-HH-Hiello!hi!" "You said like all those words wrong but hi." "Why are you--B-BB--B" it covered its mouth "Why you back?" "The uhh...gift? what is it?" i felt the ground, still staring up at it... spooky. "O-O-Oh! it..b-bb-boon!" "a what." the fuck is a boon. "P-P-PLEAsENO!-Place... it onsomething!!" why does it seem so happy... good for it? "What will it do..?" "D-DONT!D-Depends, let me see..." Without warning it yanks it from my paw and holds it close... reading it? "Boon: circle of healing." "Why did you." why. "whydid you say that in perfect speech." i dont. "idont like how you did that why didyoudothat." it ignored me and placed it back on my paw. WHAT! NO IT CANT! cant... what? "I-T-Ilike you enoug.h...T-TOM?GGETOU" it covered its mouth again "Ilike youenough,i think it will help!" "Why uhh....thank you?" BUT IM PUNIsHING YOU! IT CANT ! ARG! i stood up quickly, ready to run off but before i could it stopped me "H-hey!" "What..?" "Iliekyour....eyes..." I forgot my eyes glow in the dark at night. thats...nice? "Thank you???" i quickly ran off, scurrying back into my den. Lucky is still sleeping..."place it on something..." hm.. I use a bundle of rocks to stand the goop colored pearl up.

^ from whisperers head

silver kills people by stabbing them. (claws r cool.)

silver loves nudging whisperer

silver is embarrassed by how they speak.

silvers tendrils will randomly grab things beside it.

the only not covered parts of silver are its feet, and half of its face.

silver is happy with this form.

silver is aware and alert about whisperers injuries, thinking he should lay low for a while.

silver has a predatory grin as a smile.

ifyouwanna knowmore about their boons ask.

who nect...

okay finally answering this!!! so so sorry for the delay! I dont have a big answer this time around cuz were not in that kinda headspace to dump a bunch of information on something i like, but ive read this a few times & i really enjoy how mysterious yet, oddly “cute” (?) silvers nature can be :0) love luv that whole thing where popular/known rumors will often become reality in some way!! + that added bonus fact about whisperer where we’ve found out!! his eyes glow!!! neat neat!!!

[eldritch-spouse]

Krill can heal any type of illness, even congenital, but he won’t heal Admin’s poor eyesight because he thinks glasses looks sexy on them

[Everyday someone finds a new way to say my characters' names incorrectly and I'm ever amused. Krill doesn't sound that bad tbh.]

Why should he heal your eyesight anyway? Maybe he'd give you a boon in select moments, but you have to learn to love your dependence on him. Love it as much as he does anyway.

I can see Krulu leaning into this fully and rendering you blind for an undetermined amount of time. Rely on him more, plead for his help, cry to him. Seek comfort from your god even as he strips you of agency further with each passing day.

[hexoskeleton-anonymous]

H-hi, everyone! You can call me "M." Rotomblr is my home away from home! (...and the Camphrier Academy Hex Maniac Club.)

Blog header source (warning for spider web imagery)

Blog background source

I made my icon myself, with images from Bulbapedia and Canva!

But enough about me! You all want to hear about my cute Pokémon, right? Well, um, have no fear! Heheh...

My team of cute little buggies!!!

Cuddlepie the Burmy!

Cuddlepie was my first real Pokémon! We don't like to battle much, so she's only level 12, but she already learned Struggle Bug in addition to Tackle and Protect, so that's some healthy progress! Her Overcoat ability makes her so soft, and she likes to gently rub it on my face. She's somewhat clownish about it, but that's a boon in and of itself! I keep her by my side in a Heal Ball for when I'm away from other people and in need of emotional support!

Floof the Spewpa!

Floof used to be a household pet, but he recently hit level 9, and the sassy little boy kept shedding his skin in the most inconvenient places. Since I'm the one who caught him for my dad in a Premier Ball long ago, I'm technically his trainer, so he stays with me at boarding school! I'm always finding him shooting string everywhere, but he always likes to fight about it when I try to discipline him. He's a very special boy, though! For instance, he already knew Iron Defense when I caught him all those years ago.

Bebe the Ledyba!

Pronounced "Beebee," my cute widdle Ledyba's only level 3! I found her outside in the berry gardens recently, using Supersonic to wail for help. I couldn't find her parents, so I put her in a Poké Ball. Oddly, she's normally quiet, which can cause some trouble since she's highly curious. Sometimes, the room'll be so quiet you can hear a pin drop, only for her to knock something off the kitchen table. She also knows Tackle, and sometimes I see her using a mysterious move that I don't recognize. It worries me, but I'm told it's normal for baby Pokémon to do that. I sort-of watch from afar, since I don't want to coddle her.

[puckwritesstuff]

🎵 4

4. "Running Up That Hill" - Kate Bush

“Tell me, we both matter, don’t we?”

I am living for the Kate Bush renaissance.

Thank you for the ask!

---

Sigyn made her way towards the edge of the land that New Asgard had been given by Norway. The surrounding hills and mountains made it relatively secluded from the main town that was Sigyn’s kingdom. Sigyn knocked on the door before entering.

Wanda was in the kitchen area, her magic pouring a second cup of tea while she looked through a book Sigyn had loaned her. She looked up as Sigyn walked in.

“Nice to see you,” Wanda said. “It’s been a while.”

“I had some things to take care of,” Sigyn said, sitting down and accepting the tea. “Running even a small nation takes a lot of work.”

“Especially considering the influence you’ve managed to gain on the world stage,” Wanda said.

“Well, I won’t take all of the credit for that,” Sigyn said. “Fandral is very good at his job.”

Wanda smiled, laughing softly.

“How have you been?” Sigyn asked.

“Better,” Wanda said. “I’ve learned so much being here, it’s… nice to be in a place where what I do is not the strangest thing people have seen.”

“I understand,” Sigyn said. “This world is very different from what it was when I was younger. Different from how Thor described it.”

Wanda nodded.

“I understand you have a cat now?” Wanda said.

“Oh, yes, Eris,” Sigyn said. “He’s Nari’s cat, really, though I’m the one who ends up taking care of him.”

“Well, Nari’s young,” Wanda said. “He’ll grow into it.”

“Learning responsibility is something his father and uncle took much longer to learn,” Sigyn said. “I’m hoping that starting earlier will help.”

Wanda considered this.

“Eris…” she said. “Interesting name.”

Sigyn paused. “How so?”

“It’s Greek, isn’t it?” Wanda said. “Goddess of Discord?”

“Yes,” Sigyn said, deciding not to give any more information.

Wanda shrugged. “It’s just interesting.”

“I see,” Sigyn said.

There was a brief pause.

“How did you know?” Sigyn asked.

Wanda raised an eyebrow. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I’m a chaos witch, Sigyn. The return of one of the Gods of Chaos is not something that can be ignored.”

“Wanda, please,” Sigyn said. “You don’t know what happened. You can’t—”

“I can’t, what?” Wanda asked. “Tell anyone? Who would I tell? Who would believe me? Loki of Asgard was taken from another universe and brought to ours as a refugee from a police force that claims to be in charge of time. What did you think I would do?”

“I don’t know,” Sigyn said. “I am not as familiar with psychiatric medicine, but I imagined that this could prove a trigger for you.”

“Could it?” Wanda asked. “I suppose I did wonder how it was fair. How the universe could chose to give him back, when Vision never did anything to hurt anyone.”

“It’s not fair,” Sigyn said. “I didn’t really know Vision, but he seemed like a good man. I wish I could have done something— something different, something faster. The Mind Stone was a bane for me as much as it was a boon for you. While it gave you Vision, it took Loki from me and turned him into something horrible that he never recovered from. He can heal now. Now that it’s gone. Now that he’s gone. I’m sorry I could not do the same for you.”

“Why not?” Wanda asked.

Sigyn paused. “Wanda, his universe was destroyed, he has nowhere to return to. Even if we went and found a Vision in the Void, he would by no means be one that is safe to bring here. More likely than not, he’d be Ultron.”

“I’m not saying we do that,” Wanda said.

“What are you saying?” Sigyn asked.

Wanda got up and went over to a side table. Opening the drawer, she pulled out a book that made Sigyn’s heart clench. As Wanda paged through the Darkhold, she walked back over to the table.

“There are spells that allow you to walk in another universe,” Wanda said. “My children are out there. I can get them back.”

“You can get them back?” Sigyn said, standing. “Wanda, what has that book been showing you?”

“So many things,” Wanda said. “About the power that I wield, about Chaos Magic and the Scarlet Witch, about—”

“That book is evil,” Sigyn said. “You shouldn’t even have it, let me—”

Sigyn reached out to take the book and Wanda stepped back.

“Why shouldn’t I?” Wanda asked. “This book was written for me, for the Scarlet Witch.”

“It’s corrosive magic,” Sigyn said. “The kind that changes who you are, what you think. It grips you in the thing you want most and uses you to do its bidding and destroy everything you care about.”

Wanda shook her head. “Not for me. It is showing me the power that you refuse to teach me.”

“You were never trained by someone who wields magic!” Sigyn said. “The things I show you are the fundamentals of what we do, and you are flying through them at a pace no child would! And still you have no patience!”

Sigyn’s magic floated around her hands.

“I cannot allow you to jeopardize yourself and everything else,” Sigyn said. “Surrender the Darkhold, or I will be forced to take more drastic measures.”

Wanda laughed as her magic washed over her and the Scarlet Witch armor appeared.

“I would love to see you try,” Wanda said.