#bal writes

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 5 part 6 thoughts!!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 6 OF THE MAIN STORY!!***

If you’d like to watch a rough part-by-part summarized translation, please check out this archived stream!

Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

Ew, we're starting off with another map segment... TWST REALLY WANTS TO TIMEGATE OUR TEARS, HUH

Yuu and gang are going to follow the night fae soldiers to Black Scale Castle beyond the mountains. They can't stay too far from the owner of the dream, Lilia! (If you'll remember, they're now taking Tamago-sama there for safety while Meleanor stays behind to fight the Silver Owls.)

Silver hasn't seen Sebek use his UM??? Sebek tells us he learned his UM when Silver got into NRC and Sebek was training by himself. He wanted to be able to rush to Malleus's side at a moment's notice. He knows it is able to turn his own body into lightning and then can use it to move and to attack. However, the spell will damage his body while using it since he has yet to reach mastery. Sebek can't use his magic to rush to Lilia and the others because he wouldn't be able to fight by the time he does.

... ISN'T HIS UM SIMILAR TO ROLLO'S.... JUST TRADE FIRE FOR LIGHTNING...

AW, SEBEK WASN'T PLANNING ON USING HIS SPELL UNTIL HE MASTERED IT... BUT HE STILL USED IT TO SAVE SILVER 😭

Oh, they finally asked the question we were all having. If Malleus made this dream with the intention of it being a happy ending, then why do only sad things happen in Lilia's dream??? Also, why did OB Malleus not come after them yet or kick them out of the dream??? Maybe there's a reason why Malleus can't supervise or enter Lilia's dream??

BAUL LEFT THEM MAGIC TO GUIDE THEM THE RIGHT WAY... HE TRUSTS US TO HELP THEM NOW

Baul fights with an axe. IS HE ABOUT TO HAND IT OVER TO SEBEK (Sebek seems to be holding one in his limited time card)????

Lilia "I won't forgive you if you die!" Vanrouge.

Not both grandpa and grandson volunteering to stay behind to fight and then catch up later... Sebek tells Silver to go ahead and protect Lilia, "You go and protect what is most precious to you. I'm going to protect what is precious to me," (Sebek about Baul) 😭 The night fae are so confused why a human would willingly help them... THI S IS SEBEK'S CHARACTER ARC

SEBEK PROVES HIMSELF A CAPABLE FIGHTER TO HIS GRANDPA!! His hair gets all messy like what's shown in his new SSR. It's raining as well (like in the card art), so this is likely the context for the illustration. The groovy artwork is of Sebek being knighted!!!

adgkuvaodv8yfefvyyeft8wen Sebek makes a big speech about wanting to be their strength!! BAUL ACKNOWLEDGES SEBEK BY NAME INSTEAD OF "HUMAN" AND GRANTS HIM A SOLDIER'S UNIFORM, SEBEK'S BEING OFFICIALLY KNIGHTED FOR THE BRIAR COUNTRY'S IMPERIAL GUARD AND GIVEN A NEW WEAPON... BAUL EVEN GIVES SEBEK HIS OWN CROCODILE MASK

Zigvolt family lore!! Baul doesn't get along with his human son-in-law, but never distanced himself from his grandchildren. When Baul's only daughter wanted to marry a human, they argued so much about it. To this day, he still doesn't particularly care for humans. Even so, Baul's house has a lot of storybooks and candy prepared for his mixed grandchildren. He won't open them warmly, but it's clear he loves his family.

Silver saves Lilia!! And then Lilia asks Silver to take the egg to Black Scale Castle in his place. There are too many human soldiers on their trail, and Lilia cannot fight them while holding the egg (plus he's already injured from previously protecting Silver at the easternmost fortress).

Yuu has to hold Tamago-sama...

Silver proceeds to carry Lilia like a baby in spite of Lilia saying he'd stay behind and distract the Silver Owls 🤡 NOT SILVER USING LILIA'S OWN TEACHINGS TO TELL DREAM!LILIA THEY STILL HAVE TO TRY AND SURVIVE

The mountains are called the "Forbidden Mountains" and it is said that this is where Maleficent once lived. If you are not blessed by the dragons, the lightning (according to legend) will strike you down. Beyond the mountain is Briar Country's capital city and Black Scale Castle.

Surprisingly, Silver suggests an ambush method (hide and strike at soldiers from behind when they've let their guard down). I guess NRC really did teach him how to be backhanded after all/j

Silver says maybe Malleus can't follow them since he wasn't born yet in Lilia's dream. Magic relies on imagination, and since Malleus cannot imagine what life was like before he was born... that's probably why he can't monitor these circumstances.

Would you look at that 💀 The first real time the story acknowledges that Yuu is in bodily danger; Silver Owls shoot arrows at Yuu because they're holding the egg. Grimmu protects us!! Baby... Best buddy...

SEBEK ARRIVING TO SAVE SILVER (aksldnbaksdbaydasl lol at Sebek being smug about his knighting and trying to act cool even though the lightning is definitely still hurting him...)

Silver Owls retreat!

Oh wow, so they see creeping black thorns similar to when Malleus OB'd; everyone suspects that maybe Meleanor Overblotted too.

Silver mentions that he lives near the Forbidden Mountains but has never climbed them before. The rocks there are very sharp and dangerously jut out. AW, Lilia gives Silver and Yuu his cloak to protect them from the rain and cold. Lilia says the mountain range is full of magic, so its restorative to fae, who draw power from nature.

The way they came from was sealed off by rocks... but Lilia fully intends to go back and help Meleanor...

THEY MADE IT TO THE CASTLE!! It's called Maleficia's castle; we have an official English spelling for Granny Draconia's name. Something, something, Lilia wants to prepare something called the "Cradle Tower".

WE CUT BACK TO WILD ROSE CASTLE

Like father, like son... The Dawn Knight seems remorseful and wonders where they went wrong, if everyone could have been friends if they had chosen some other way. He wants to dream of a world where all races can live together in peace. "One day, it won't be just a dream, it will be reality." It's phrased very similarly to the wish Lilia made in Wish Upon a Star!

The stormy weather clears up and the dawn makes way... IT'S A SIGN THAT THE DAWN KNIGHT PREVAILED AND MELEANOA'S MAGIC HAS DISAPPEARED... Lilia just lets out the most guttural cries... He says if he were stronger, he would have taken Meleanoa with him against her will, HE WASN'T ABLE TO KEEP HIS PROMISE TO PROTECT MELEANOR FOR HIM

I still want to see Mallemom's on-screen death though.

Side note: they force us to play through a scripted loss battle between the Dawn Knight and Meleanor 💀 Sick fucks on the dev team…

This is delicious content :)))))))) We're eatin' well, boiz

Uhhh okay so there are greenish spirits floating around; they're the senate??? Apparently they've already died but their spirits linger and serve as advisors.

… Idk why doesn’t Mallemom do this too???

NAUR, NOT THE SENATE BLAMING AND SHAMING LILIA, SAYING HE RAN AWAY AND LEFT HER TO DIE IN BATTLE... THEY CALL LILIA A MUTT AND BAT, JUST A DIRTY ORPHAN WHO CAN’T BE TRUSTED… AND THAT HE ISN'T FIT TO SERVE, THAT HE'S USELESS (this must really sting seeing as Lilia has insecurities about not being wanted 😭)

Baul defends Lilia's honor but Lilia still resigns from the Imperial Guard. HE'S TELLING THE SENATE T HEY CAN PUNISH HIM SO THEY FORBID HIM FROM STEPPING INTO THE CAPITAL AGAIN

The senate uses magic to take the egg away from Lilia AND LILIA SAYS GOODBYE TO MALLEUS BY NAME

"I'm not an Imperial Guard anymore, I don't need to follow orders" — Lilia (when Baul tells Lilia he still has a duty to hatch the egg). LILIA HAS GIVEN UP and that seems to have summoned the darkness of the dream to them. Lilia thinks Meleanor and/or Levan are in the darkness so he wants to "go there too".

When a general retires, they are gifted a lavish home near Black Scale Castle. Sebek says it now makes sense why Lilia lived humbly in a forest cottage far away from the capital. Silver says it must be why Lilia dislikes the atmosphere of the capital and why he never took Silver there.

In a flashforward, Lilia is asked to come back 10 years later. At this point, Tamago-sama has developed more sentience and is actively rejecting the love magic from everyone, even his grandmother. He has only been receiving magic for the first 5ish years or so. Maleficia had Baul act as a messenger to bring Lilia back for a special mission BECAUSE OTHERWISE MALLEUS WILL DIE WITHOUT IT.

Malleus’s egg is being kept in Cradle Tower! It keeps the egg safe and essential incubates it for the royal family.

Land of Briar becomes Briar Valley? The queen cannot always be with the egg because Briar Valley and its surrounding are lands are left in chaos after the war. Briar Valley fae specifically are not allowed in human territories.

Lilia is sent off on to find a way to fix the situation. He says he will see where dragons live in other continents and research. Omg, this must be how he started his travels and learned more about other races and their cultures 😭

“Don’t you dare die, Malleus” — Lilia (AND THE LOVING DEATH THREAT ACTUALLY MAKES THE EGG GLOW)

We see some of Lilia’s travels AND HE WAS IN THE CITY OF FLOWERS ON TOPSY TURVY DAY... The people there were friendly at first and worrying for his health until they realize he's a fairy, then they chase him out.

During one of his routine reports, Lilia is convinced by Baul to speak with Malleus's egg (which now glows green sometimes). Lilia shares stories of his travels with Malleus, trying to keep it positive for the baby to not make Malleus sad.

NEXT LILIA TRAVELED TO THE SCALDING SANDS, A MERCHANT IS ASKING IF HE WANTS TO BUY A MAGIC LAMP... Lilia learns about the importance of souvenirs as keepsakes from that merchant.

Okay, so it looks like between travels we're getting scenes of Lilia reporting back and telling Malleus about the place he most recently visited. He says that the Scalding Sands used to be such a small civilization but has since grown into a sprawling city. It's amazing what kind of progress humans can make.

Malleus is fussy and some days accepts magic, and other days he doesn't. Meleanor was also a really picky eater. Levan carries himself like an honors student but was the type to hide his veggies.

AW, HE SINGS MELEANOR'S LULLABY TO MALLEUS

Next Lilia visits some ruins...? It looks like a background from the Spectral Realm seen in Endless Halloween Night. Lilia says no one lives here, there is only furniture. No ghosts are mentioned though! He uses his UM for the first time here. Far Cry Cradle is probably going to be very useful for investigating ways to hatch a dragon's egg!

Lilia tells Malleus to come out of the egg, it must be boring just sleeping. He offers to read stories and change his diaper, tells Malleus his dad wants to meet him. Oh, and of course Lilia shares about his UM too! He tells Malleus that he went to the Land of Crimson Long.

Lilia ventures to Harveston!! An old man mistakes Lilia for a kid and takes him in, showing him warmth and kindness. He says he'll leave soon, but the old man and an old woman say he should stay until spring because the weather is harsh.

The lady notices Lilia is fae (but since time has passed, relations between fae and humans have improved a bit). No one is afraid of him here!! They apologize for mistaking him as a kid and want to share stories.

(Not confirmed but it could be interesting if these were Epel’s ancestors Lilia met… Rollo’s ancestors can be the ones running Lilia out of the City of Flowers www)

ABSHDBYOAFVYFAIAEUQRQEOUBFQ LILIA IS 430 AT THIS POINT BUT THAT NUMBER IS SO CLOSE TO 420 IT MAKES ME LAUGH

His feelings are changing... At 450 years old, Lilia tells Malleus that the world has changed so much and he has had the chance to visit many places. ahbyoaybadadB APPARENTLY PEOPLE USED TO THROW STONES AND ROCKS AT HIM.

Lilia says that fae may become things of the past, just creatures of fairy tales. But he doesn't want Malleus to be the main character of a fairy tale, forgotten by time. He wants Malleus to be able to see the world his parents weren’t able to see for themselves 😔

Another time skip, and it's come to a point where the egg is in critical condition. For 3 whole months it has been rejecting Maleficia's magic. The egg has since erected a lightning barrier to protect itself, even though its own heartbeat is growing weaker and weaker. (Malleus throwing another tantrum lol)

Lilia heard weird sounds but no one else could??? Is that a baby crying???? He tries to approach, but almost gets struck down many times.

Lilia realizes Malleus is crying because he's lonely. "Wait for me. I'm coming to you right now!" He gets hit by lightning, but perserves!

Lilia says he will offer his magic, even his lifespan (many fan theorists squealed now that this is confirmed), to Malleus if he needs it, and finally embraces the egg. (Physical contact like holding the egg is said to encourage magic absorption.)

TAMAGO-SAMA??????? 😭 HE SOUNDS LIKE A POKEMON… and he’s already blowing fire even though he’s freshly hatched???

WTF THOUGH BABY MALLEUS IS 1000000000000000000000x CUTER THAN GROWN UP MALLEUS 🫶 (I don’t like modern day Malleus’s looks at all www)

Silver understands why the dream is how it is, because it was all worth it for Lilia to finally meet Malleus. The moment of hatching has to be the happiest moment in Lilia’s life.

The senate shows up and starts praising Lilia as a hero.

OH????? Lilia seems to be waking????

HMMMM? this implies there’s limited suspension of disbelief each dreamer has 🤔 and if pushes past that threshold, then the dreamer is in a confused half awake state. Idia had these little moments of questioning his dream’s reality as well.

The senate’s voices distort, and they start shouting at Lilia for touching the prince, how it will be a scandal if a bat (… is Lilia a bat fae???) “dirties” the Draconias, etc. Mmmm, maybe this is the real reaction and the praising was part of the dream?? Since Lilia seemed to react strangely to being extolled. (I’m still over here wondering why their opinions hold so much weight compared to the queen; surely she would invite her friend Lilia back?? And doesn’t seem to blame him for the death of her daughter?)

Levan has a voice similar to Malleus, but lacks horns.

DVSUBILADUP9FFQEQFFAHAFBFEYBN OB MALLEUS JUMPSCARE, HE FINALLY MANAGED TO BREAK THROUGH INTO LILIA'S DREAM

Okay 😭 Lilia did in fact use his own life span so Malleus could hatch, and then Lilia had Maleficia swear to secrecy because he was concerned Malleus would blame himself. But it also feels like the senate purged or edited the records to hide the fact that Malleus hatched with Lilia’s love??

Malleus tries to convince Lilia to go back to sleep, to not feel pain. He says he can give Lilia a dream where the Draconias are still alive, a dream where Lilia can live peacefully, just take Malleus’s hand—

SILVER COMING IN CLUTCH, he and Sebek vow to break Malleus’s “blessing”. It’s this word that allows Lilia to fully awaken!!! ⏰ He’s so proud of Silver and Sebek…

They fight (well, Lilia distracts Malleus), then Silver uses his UM to hop into another dream.

They run into Ortho?! And then everyone is dropped off in front of Ignihyde.

FINALLY, SHROUD BROTHERS RETURN RIGHT AT THE VERY END!! I was wondering what they were doing while all this shit went down in Lilia's dream... It sounds like the next book 7 update will start off with Idia and Ortho, most likely told via flashback. I assume Ortho was able to help Idia wake up somehow?

This update felt like we got a lot of new lore!! But many of the events that played out were things we already had an inkling about prior to all of this (Meleanor dying, Lilia going on his travels eventually, Lilia helping Malleus hatch, etc.). It's nice to get the confirmation and to have the gaps of time inbetween filled in.

I really appreciate the story showing us just how hard Lilia's life was and then showing us just how important a nugget of happiness after all of that was so worth it for that moment. His VA did a stellar job with the voice acting this update, particularly the sobbing once Malleus hatched. I loved seeing Lilia's travels and how they gradually affected his own mindset over time... how he learned many different things from the people he encountered, and how he passed on that knowledge onto Malleus.

I liked seeing the origins of Lilia’s UM (he’s on a journey to find an answer)! Hearing about Sebek’s was also interesting; seeing as he’s a late bloomer with his magic and how he’s always competing with Silver, his UM manifested when Silver had been admitted to NRC and Sebek was training alone. I wonder if the UM also (in part) rose out of a feeling of inadequacy or feeling like he has to “catch up” to where Silver, Malleus, and Lilia are. No matter how hard it may be, he wants to push past his limits and serve as a knight. Maybe that, too, is why his UM prioritizes power and speed at his own body’s expense. It’s great seeing Sebek open up a little more and insist on fighting alongside fae; in modern day, Sebek has had to fight alongside humans. This is bridging the two sides of himself and helping him to reconcile with his own prejudices 😭

THE WHOLE DRAMA WITH THE SENATE MAKES ME UNDERSTAND WHY LILIA DROPPED THAT LINE ABOUT HISTORY BEING ALTERED OR REWRITTEN. It all makes so much sense now... Lilia himself (at least him hatching Malleus) was written out of history even though he did so much to help his country. He was so disliked, shunned, and shown animosity from the powers that be, and now he doesn't wish for that to happen to others, especially not to Malleus, the one good thing in his life and all that remained of the friends he lost along the way. You really see his teachings coming through in Silver and Sebek when they face off against OB Malleus towards the end. And the way I screeched when Lilia finally woke up after that...

The more I see OB Malleus, the more I get this skin-crawling feeling around him. I know the other OB boys have done arguably worse things (attempted murder, for example) but there's something so awful and insidious about the way Malleus speaks. He's intentionally gaslighting and manipulating others to just give in to his control, taking advantage of even Lilia at his lowest moments to dominate his thoughts. That's scary to think about... especially the dark inversion of Malleus urging Lilia to take his hand, when the game started off with a much more light-hearted and inviting "take my hand" offer.

Anyway!! I've been wondering for a long time what the Shrouds have been up to, and I'm so excited to see their story next update!!

[nicasiosilang]

obsessed with the idea that baby Ballister's locker door was probably plastered with ripped-out magazine pics of Ambrosius' famous knight parents. he knew personal details about them that Ambrosius never did because Bal watched every single interview and Ambrosius only saw them when they were off duty on holidays and injury leave. Ambrosius mentions in the mess hall that he's allergic to olives (he is not, he just thinks they're gross) and Bal is like "oh, yeah, just like your mom" and Ambrosius is like wait she's what. the whole situation delays his inevitable crush on Bal for years until they're finally banned from decorating their lockers anymore and Ambrosius has to feign indignation.

[thetimelordbatgirl]

The portraits of younger heroes and villains in totally-not-EAH-and-SFGAE-rip-off Merlin Academy, if anyone's curious. And like, before anyone goes at me for that nickname for Merlin Academy: the villains group portrait literally has 'V.K students' under it, implying they themselves are children of villains, which just opens up the idea that these kids basically became evil like their parents before them and the only ones to not be evil are the prior Descendants main characters, aka, similar to main characters in EAH and SFGAE. At this point, Disney is losing their right to complain if EAH does ever return because the only one copying right now in Disney.

[athina-blaine]

His own breath ragged, Ambrosius leaned in again, just close enough for his lips to graze against Ballister's.

“Let me take care of you.”

-

Ballister loses track of the time and gets caught in the rain. Ambrosius rises to the occasion.

Rating: Explicit Relationships: Ballister Blackheart | Ballister Boldheart/Ambrosius Goldenloin Chapters: 1/1 Chapter Word Count: ~5k Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, Pre-Canon, Service Top Ambrosius, Ballister Acts Like a Sad Wet Cat, Explicit Sexual Content

Inspired by @sefarlen's art here (NSFW), and a very happy Valentine's Day to you as well 😉😉😉 haha what do you mean it's apri

-

Closing the door behind him with a soft click, Ambrosius slipped off his running shoes before stepping inside the apartment. His heart still raced with exertion as he pulled down the hood of his rain-slicked jacket, sweat cooling on the back of his neck and face. The rain had brought down the temperature to a crisp, sublime briskness, and it had been perfect for his evening run (even if his hair could do without the humidity).

Hanging his jacket on the coat rack, chin bobbing to the beat of his music, his eyes passed over the row of shoes, lingering on the leftmost shelf. He paused. The black boots that usually occupied the space were still absent, the same as they were when Ambrosius had first gotten home.

It wasn’t often Ambrosius beat Ballister back at the end of the day, with Ballister usually having long since buried himself in his academy reports. Even rarer for Ambrosius to finish his run and still see that shelf empty. Perhaps he’d gotten carried away with his research project in the archives. Still, why not give Ambrosius a heads-up?

Ambrosius pushed down his growing anxiety. It’s not as if Ballister has never been this late coming home before, especially with their development reports due soon. Ambrosius would just need to call, that was all. Nothing to worry about.

But first, Ambrosius desperately needed a drink. Bending down to open the refrigerator, he retrieved his water bottle and took a slow sip, eyes surveying the inside of the fridge. His fingers tapped to the beat of his music against the fridge door. They haven’t already eaten through all of those strawberries, have they …?

Through his earbuds, he heard a muffled thud behind him. He glanced over just in time to see Ballister shuffle into the main room, his gait sluggish as he dragged his hand down his face. He didn’t seem to notice Ambrosius as he let out a tired sigh, running his hand through his hair.

Ambrosius straightened, letting the fridge door close, and Ballister’s eyes snapped upwards. When their gazes met, Ballister faltered. For a fleeting moment, Ambrosius could see him attempt to mask the fatigue in his eyes, but Ambrosius’ concern must have been obvious as he quickly gave up the charade. He raised a hand, a weary smile tugging his lips. “Sorry I didn’t call.”

[Continue on AO3]

[intriga-hounds]

to celebrate me finishing my draft, one of my writing group friends made me my very first fan art out of modeling chocolate 😭 i was so touched. i couldn’t stop looking at it. it’s sitting in my fridge bc i can’t bear to eat it.

[wizardsimper]

One of my biggest fears for tes6 is if they flanderise Sheogorath (and the other daedric princes too)

[walrus150915]

Okay Google how do I write a smut fic short n sweet with a sprinkle of angst, which criticizes transmedicalism and ends on a bittersweet note yet still shows how gentle and genuine and raw the feelings between those two characters are despite them not really understanding each other in that one particular moment bc of their different life experiences

How do I make this heartfelt and NOT silly bc every fic I wrote includes some sort of a joke

[sona1adim]

[house-of-mirrors]

Echo Bazaar Publishing: NOW HIRING. Independent, family owned publishing house seeking passionate and driven employees for our creative team. We offer flexible hours, paid training, and a highly competitive benefits package. No degree or experience needed. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis. Urgently hiring. Click here to APPLY NOW.

In which the Bazaar is a modern publishing company. A tale of tragedy, triumph, and uncountable unethical and illegal business practices, told from the perspective of one of its board members.

This idea has been in my head for years. I interned at a publishing company recently and it was time to write this up and post this

[withthewerewolves]

I have to cut a ton of the second chapter of my time travel fix-it fic because it resolves the emotional issues too soon but I'm mad about it so I'm gonna post most of the cut stuff here

Bal is quiet for a long moment. Then he says, “In that case, do you think you can tell me what happened? In your version?” 

A part of Ambrosius knew he was going to have to do this. If this is some sort of chance to atone, an opportunity for redemption, like in the novel series that was popular when his parents were kids and that Ballister had found battered copies of one harsh winter, it has to include acknowledging what he did wrong, telling Ballister the whole sorry tale and doing whatever penance he decides is necessary. Maybe that’s what he was doing wrong before. They haven’t talked about any of it, Ballister doesn’t seem to want to, but maybe what he’d told himself was respecting boundaries was actually cowardice. And Ambrosius Goldenloin isn’t a coward. 

So he tells Bal all of it. Every detail he can remember. Everything he did or didn’t do. He doesn’t linger on his mistakes, but neither does he leave them out. They were trained in mission reports, so that’s how he formats it, a neat outline of actions, reactions, and consequences. It isn’t enough, he knows, but it’s a start. Bal doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t ask for clarification. He barely seems surprised, though of course Ambrosius babbled out the worst parts this morning. 

When it’s over, Ambrosius watches Bal carefully for the anger he’s been waiting for since he and Bal fell through that arena floor. Or maybe since the first day they met all those years ago. For Bal to look at what he’s done, look him in the eye, and tell him he isn’t enough. 

Bal doesn’t do that. He’s still holding Ambrosius’s hand in his. He lifts it to his lips. Then he says, lips still pressed against his knuckles, “Why did you think I would have killed the Queen?” He shakes his head quickly. “Not in the moment, you were just reacting to a threat. But afterwards.” 

Ambrosius says, quiet. “I don’t think that was the right way to react to a threat.” It’s not what Bal is asking. He’s asking the big question, the one that goes to the heart of the problems between them, and Ambrosius is going to have to come up with an answer for it. But he’s had a lot of time to think, lying awake in his lonely bed, and he thinks this is maybe a deeper question, the rot at the heart of the Institute. Maybe the heart of the whole kingdom. 

This Bal has only just heard the whole story. He didn’t watch the damage the knights did to the city trying to stop Nimona. He didn’t hold Nimona on the tip of that giant golden sword only to see her die to defend that same city from the woman who was sworn to protect it. He hasn’t been beyond the Wall. And, to be fair, that isn’t a good answer to the question he’d asked. So he says, a little hurt in his voice, “Ambrosius. You know me. Why would you think I would do that?” 

And Ambrosius, despite having known this was coming for months, doesn’t have a good answer. So he says, shame hot in his veins and thick in his throat, “I shouldn’t have. I should have known you wouldn’t. You were the best of all of us - all the knights - not just at the stuff we studied but at being a knight. We were supposed to be brave and honorable because it’s in our blood, but I knew that was bullshit! I’ve met Todd! And you were brave and honorable - you still are. Even after everything. And I - I knew that. I knew that,” he says again, quieter. 

They aren’t facing each other. They’re between a tree and the boulder, looking out over what used to be the clearing around the tower, before the forest started creeping back in. Ambrosius doesn’t think he could say any of this if he had to look Ballister in the eye. 

Ballister still hasn’t let go of his hand, though he’s let their joined hands fall into his lap. The hurt is gone from his voice, but it’s been replaced by steel when he says, “If you knew that, then why didn’t you believe me?” 

“Because I saw it!” His voice has gotten too loud again, but there’s nothing nearby to startle. “I saw you kill her, or I thought I did. And then you ran off, and everyone was acting like they’d known all along you were a traitor. Like they were justified for treating you the way they did,” he spits out. There’s a prickle behind his eyes but he isn’t going to cry, not this time. This is what the earlier hysteria was for. “And I’d always thought I was the only one who got to see the real you, but what if that wasn’t true at all? What if you’d just created a different persona, designed just to draw me in?” He has to swallow around a lump, but he isn’t going to cry. “I’d thought I was so lucky, to get to be with you, for you to put up with all my - my shit. Doesn’t it make more sense? For you to have some other agenda? For me to just be - be duped.” He pauses to take a couple of long, slow breaths, but when Ballister opens his mouth Ambrosius shakes his head. “I couldn’t trust myself. I couldn’t trust my own judgment. I couldn’t be sure that loving you hadn’t made me blind. So I trusted the Director and - and fucking Todd - instead, and I’m so - so - sorry for that.” 

Ballister’s grip has been tightening around his hand, as if he thinks Ambrosius is going to run off, unable to face the consequences of his actions. But his voice is calm when he asks, “Have you told the other me - the future me - that?” 

Ambrosius swallows another lump and shakes his head. “I knew I’d have to at some point, but you never brought it up and -” he huffs a laugh that isn’t a laugh, “- I guess my blood really doesn’t mean I’m brave.” 

Ballister scoffs, then uses his bandaged hand to tilt Ambrosius’s head so he can meet his eyes. They’re not hard and cold, like he’d been expecting. They’re sad, which is maybe worse. “You are brave,” he says, then, “Thank you for telling me. If - when you get back to where you came from, you should say all that to the other me. I think it will help.”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 part 5 thoughts!!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 5 OF THE MAIN STORY!!***

If you’d like to watch a rough part-by-part summarized translation, please check out this archived stream!

Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

Starting off strong with some lore on magic! Teleportation magic involves breaking oneself down and reconstructing elsewhere. If the distance from point A to point B is too large and/or the caster is in poor health, the magic may fail or be difficult to perform.

Hmmm... Lilia is reacting very emotionally to the situation, but it is Baul that is (mostly) rational and reminding Lilia to keep calm. I'd anticipate it being the other way around, so that's quite interesting.

HUH... Even Sebek is staying calmer here than Lilia is; Sebek recalls training with Lilia and how they were taught that they have to stay calm to think and plan effectively in tough situations. Ironic that the old Lilia was the type to go against the advice he would later give and instill in his pupils. Again, it goes to show how much he has changed since then.

AH, BAUL'S BEING A TSUNDERE AGAIN 🤡 He's telling the kids to stay behind because the situation has changed... "Don't foolishly discard the life Lilia-sama protected", "humans shouldn't be fighting alongside fae anyway", etc. (And, of course, Silver's the one to step up and tell him fae or human, it doesn't matter and he still owes Lilia his life all the time.) NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO TALK, GUYS... MALLEMOM'S GONNA BE GAME ENDED

Weird sounds downstairs? SILBEK KICK DOWN THE DOOR and we find some chefs in hiding. adhbasvfvuvfqeilfe;o THEY MISTAKE SILVER FOR THE DAWN KNIGHT... More sussy behavior implying the Dawn Knight must be his ancestor.

They ask for brooms to transport the injured faster. Silver's negotiation skills come in clutch again, he convinces the chefs to direct them to the brooms even though it would be helping the fae, the humans' enemies.

Not Sebek's stomach growling now of all times... NOT SEBEK DENYING IT SO MUCH (it's okay, they get pity and some food from the chefs!)

Found a room full of birds; they seem to be for transporting messages. Silver feeds them some of the bread they got from the chefs. Wow, Sebek's actually being sneaky/clever (?). He tells Silver he's loved by animals, so time to use that now so they can use the birds.

AKHBBGSKUVYEQFBI NOT GRIM WANTING TO EAT THE BIRDS

Bleh, we have another time-gated, character-limited map segment. Silver and Sebek take up 2 of the 5 slots. Again, the cards' health does not regenerate unless you land on a special square. Luckily for us, there is only a single path forward rather than a larger, sprawling map.

NO KIDDING, THE BIRDS HELP THEM FIGHT THE SILVER OWLS... Literally they're swooping in and tugging on the knights' cape and stuff... the squirrels nibbled away at their catapults' rope too... chucking rocks at them... THE BIRDS POOPED ON THEIR ARMOR TOO???????? Imagine training your whole life to put your life on the line for your home country, only to be literally shat on and defeated by woodland creatures...

Lilia: I hate children. Also Lilia: *rushes into battle to protect the children and gives them head pats for a job well done and asks them to be safe*

Silver continues to be a Disney princess!! They find some horses tied up and he's like "let's free them". Sebek drops some club lore; Silver is one of the better students in Equestrian Club when it comes to soothing the horses. True Horse Girl at heart, huh??

Silver and Sebek are surprised that what they learned in school is actually helping the in a "real world" sense. Man, I wish that was true of irl high school education too...

The Silver Owls recruited mercenaries from other countries to help them seize Briar Country's resources??? The others pitch in because they live in fear of a dragon attacking them.

They're going to teleport into the castle, but they can't teleport out since they can't guarantee the safety of Tamago-sama... They're going to use the underground waterways to escape!

There's a mountain range that protects another castle of the royal family, Black Scale Castle. Malleus's mom is currently in an unprotected castle, Wild Rose.

Wow, what a peaceful vista straight out of Sleeping Beauty. I sure hope it doesn't become tainted by blood being spilt and bodies dropping or anything craaazy like that/j

DAWN KNIGHT INCOMING???? Silver's ring starts??? Going off??? When he sees the Dawn Knight...

Heinrich reveal too! He seems like just as much of a scumbag as all the rumors say he is (he wants a dragon to ride, tells the Dawn Knight he's only good for his swordsmenship, etc). BRO JUST STRAIGHT UP SAYS HE WANTS TO TAKE MALLEMOM'S EGG AND RAISE IT TO BE HIS STEED... 💀 WTF THAT'S SO DARK

This asshole reminds me of Jack Horner from Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish, who is another irredeemably evil man with a small face and a generally grotesque design.

Heinrich is after the castle and some very powerful magestone called "Princess's Glow"? Not sure, did not hear the second word well.

He's giving them 30 minutes to send the princess out for a one-on-one duel with the Dawn Knight. If she wins, they'll retreat (I DON'T BELIEVE THAT FOR ONE SECOND).

NOT THE CASUAL FAE RACISM... Heinrich calls Mallemom a "witch". If you'll remember!! In book 6, Lilia says that mages were once called witches, but implied that those terms are now outdated and considered derogatory.

The Dawn Knight is like Silver! He tries to tell Heinrich this isn't right, but Heinrich tells him that since his father took the Dawn Knight in as an orphan, the Dawn knight "owes" them. It's a twisted parallel to Silver and Lilia's relationship (because Silver says he feels like he "owes" Lilia and has to repay him).

Okay, so to review the family tree??? The king of the human faction is sick and they want the Princess's Glow to heal him. The king is the dad of Heinrich and Leah; the king would also later take in the Dawn Knight. Leah and the Dawn Knight are in love.

Malleus's mom's official name is "Meleanor" (a location name is written in English with this)i. The castle's halls really resemble those in Diasomnia dorm (I think it's a reused asset). (Now that I think about it??? Didn't they also reuse the VDC backstage background for the eastern fortress?)

SHE'S SINGING???????? A lullaby for her baby, it seems. Bruh... Malleus sang like a line from this lullaby before he game-ended everyone with his UM... HE REMEMBERED HER SONG FROM INSIDE THE EGG SHELL??????????

MALLEMOM REVEAL AW YEAH (she starts zapping Lilia with lightning lol; she's mad at Lilia for showing up late to defend her and her egg) SHE'S THE HOT GOTH GF

OMG EGG REVEAL TOO... UNBORN MALLEUS... (The egg looks like it has blot running down it too, which is insane)

ADBLIsfiablfa IT'S SO WEIRD SEEING HER SIMP ON MAIN, she says he knows her unborn child will grow up to be a beautiful man just like her husband... (Sebek is practically sobbing from happiness that he gets to witness Meleanor name Malleus.)

The ear shape is really coming back to bite them; Mallemom noticed them and now her anger is turning to our group. She forces us to kneel with magic... Jafar energy fr

"Princess Glow" is the green orb in Mallemom's staff!

Lilia tells some embarrassing stories of the princess's tomboyish youth; "And though you always scolded me, you never failed to join me in my mischief" -- Mallemom to Lilia

She agrees to duel the Dawn Knight while the others escape with her child... Now Mallemom and Lilia are fighting because Lilia refuses to follow through with her order.

NOOOOOOO SILVER JUMPED IN TO PROTECT LILIA FROM MALLEMOM'S LIGHTNING 😭 EVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS IT'S A DREAM, HE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE HIS DAD HURT

Lilia trauma time :)) "I can't lose both you (Meleanor) and Levan (Malleus's dad)".

IT'S LIKE WE THEORIZED, LADS. Mallemom says that if anything happens to her, then it's up to Lilia to help Malleus hatch with the POWER OF TRUE LOVE... BUT LILIA THINKS HE CAN'T HATCH IT BECAUSE HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND A PARENT'S LOVE

OH MY GOOOOOOD THE PIPING HOT TEA, MELEANOR SAID LILIA PROPOSED TO HER WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG... OVER 200 YEARS AGO

sdhbfbiyoaifofi Mallemom says that Lilia "also loves Levan" and that those two spent more time together than a "married couple". You could interpret this as Lilia being bisexual or just as them being really good friends, as Meleanor never specifies if Lilia “loves” Levan romantically.

Suddenly, Lilia's special card name makes sense! Lilia is the "Right General", and Levan is the "Left General".

The weather shifted according to Meleanor's anger. Like mother, like son... This woman also quotes Maleficent so much...

OOOOH we get to watch a battle between Mallemom (dragon form) vs the Dawn Knight. Mallemom uses all null/cosmic magic, just like Dorm Uniform Malleus. The Dawn Knight uses light type null/cosmic magic just like Silver does too!

Dawn Knight face reveal?! He's basically Silver copy-pasted but long blonde hair. Dude's really out here looking like a Sonic OC recolor/j

The Dawn Knight also has a crown-like ring on a chain. It's an item that was given to him by guardian fairies when he was young; there is no other like it.

YASASHII... The Dawn Knight notices our group has the egg and tells them to run. He doesn't want Heinrich to get his hands on it either... Crowley, takes notes 😭

UHHHHH SILVER'S CRYING AND SHOUTING... I think he realized that he's descended from the Dawn Knight, serving on the faction that's brought so much harm to his loved ones and home country. "Am I family to the enemy?!" His denseness is truly to his detriment here.

Uh-oh, Silver's being pulled into the "darkness" of the dream, thinking it would be better to just stay here than face reality... He's losing hope, DOING THE THING HE FORESHADOWED LAST UPDATE... IF HE EVER FALLS INTO THE DARKNESS, THEN PLEASE PULL HIM OUT... (Another map segment with Silver required; you have to find your way around in the dark.)

NOOOOO NOT SILVER SEEING HIMSELF AS THE DAWN KNIGHT THAT HIS DAD'S STRIKING DOWN IN VENGENCE OTL WHAT IS THIS, IT'S SO SICK AND TWISTED

400 years after conflict, the peace treaty was signed between fae and humans. Wild Rose Castle is now left in ruins; the rumors say it is haunted. The diurnal fae casted a spell on Wild Rose to keep humans away.

HUH???? LILIA FOUND BABY SILVER IN THE ABANDONED WILD ROSE CASTLE?????

Uhhh so apparently after the war we saw, another conflict broke out for territory and the Silver Owls got their asses handed to them.

LILIA UNIQUE MAGIC REVEAL... HE CAN READ THE MEMORIES OF THINGS HE TOUCHES????? (Reminds me of "Dimensional Scream" from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of TIme/Darkness/Sky!) "Far Cry Cradle" is the name! We also get the chant: "As if it were a day. Everywhere I go, it will be in a blink of an eye."

BABY SILVER?????

Silver was magically put to sleep for hundreds of years by some small (guardian) fairies?!?!?!?!?!?!? Because conflicts were still going on and his parents wished for him to live in a world free of war. When Silver meets someone who "loves" him, he will wake up from his magic-induced slumber. NOW THE BABY IS AWAKE AND CRYING

... Wait. Doesn't that mean. Silver is technically older than Malleus... since Malleus is only 178 years old and Silver's been sleeping for like 400 years????? OTL SILVER OLD MAN ERA??????

NOT (PAST) LILIA BEING TSUNDERE, he says he thinks the guardian fairies' magic is fading with time... he doesn't even consider that he'd ever love the baby...

"I'm not someone who deserves your love" - Silver, casually cuing all of our tears

Silver's hair was originally blonde; It became silver when he received a fairy's blessing (Lilia's). LILIA SAYS "May the Night bless you" and says that the day he found Silver is his new birthday. So the Dawn Knight has gold hair because it's blessed by a diurnal fae, but with silver hair like moonlight, Silver won't stand out in Briar Valley.

I CAN'T WITH LILIA, SILVER SAYS HE WAS NAMED THAT BECAUSE OF HIS HAIR COLOR IN A BIRTHDAY VIGNETTE... Yet here we see Lilia actually named him Silver as in silver moonlight to guide people in the darkness...

"Even if I have to give up my own life, I want to protect my child", that's a sentiment that both Lilia's princess and the Dawn Knight expressed. I think this kind of thinking probably helped Lilia put everything into perspective and better understand that humans and fae are actually very similar.

SILVER/LILIA HOME REVEAL, we're seeing some point later in time but before present day when Lilia is still raising baby Silver.

Lilia is singing the same lullaby as what Meleanor sang for Malleus in the egg!! Malleus pays them a visit and still doesn't really seem to understand humans (HE SAYS SILVER LIKE A MONKEY????) but also helps watch baby Silver... He even hums his mom's lullaby for Silver, but cannot seem to remember where he heard the song before.

It's so weird thinking about how fae take 30 YEARS TO LEARN HOW TO WALK... What do you do for those 30 years, just lie on your back????? OTL

LILIA READS SILVER BEDTIME STORIES

Oh, Lilia's understanding humans and fae a little better (around the time Silver starts to eat pureed foods). Both human and fae babies cry and sleep, etc. BHFABIYFVQIQEFL hE'S FEEDING SILVER RAT MEAT???????? Malleus has to have the castle prepare baby food for them...

WAHHHHH THAT ACRON BRACELET LILIA TREASURES IS SOMETHING KID!SILVER MADE FOR HIM... Squirrels helped him gather the acorns and woodpeckers helped him string the acorns together. The acorn amulet is meant to bring Lilia a long, healthy, and happy life (something Silver was told by forest fae). Even as a kid... Silver was hoping for Lilia's health... and now that I think about it, the acorn amulet is like a representation of Lilia's own deteriorating health over time... OTL

"I feel like I can live a thousand years with this (amulet)..." LILIA EVEN KEPT IT ALL THIS TIME AND CALLS IT HIS MOST PRECIOUS BELONGING... shUT UP, SHUT UP IM CRYING

ASKHBLIDIBIFIA WE'RE SEEING THE RAINING SCENE LILIA TOLD US ABOUT IN ONE OF HIS BIRTHDAY VIGNETTES???!?!?!?!????!? It's the day Silver realized he and Lilia aren't related by blood...

God, there are so many of the map portions... This time, Sebek is the required character!

The rest of the gang are transported to the darkness where Silver is wallowing?? Sebek sees some of his own memories which intertwin with Silver's (since Baul sometimes took bare of Silver or visited Lilia). It's also confirmed that Lilia went to Sebek's dad to ask for advice on how to raise Silver.

Back then, Baul asked Lilia to train Sebek since he's part human (and therefore "weak" in Baul's eyes). However, Baul still values his grandson and wants him to have a good education 🥺 (Sebek's older brother also graduated from NRC??)

Lilia tore up his invitation to NRC???? But it was his friend Levan who came to him with the invitation pieced back together and kept it safe for the future in case Lilia reconsidered. It seems like Levan really is a diplomat; he stresses the importance of humans coming to understand fae + vice versa, and how it's things like learning a common language that can help bridge these gaps.

Lilia confirms that Levan must have "become a star" by now BUT UNTIL I SEE A CORPSE I'M NOT BELIEVING IT

Sebek's trying to get through to Silver, who's slowly being swallowed by the darkness... HE UNVEILS HIS UM, "Living Bolt"!! "Thrust through the clouds, o' lightning!" It seems to summon a powerful strike of lightning, but I'm not entirely sure what it does because the visuals of the game are a little confusing??? (Like it shows a white silhouette of Sebek moving around, so it makes me think he can... control the lightning??? Or he... becomes lightning itself to move around??? DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT.) Sebek says he hasn't mastered it yet so maybe even he doesn't know what it can do.

With Sebek's UM, he's able to snap Silver out of it!

THE GIRLIES ARE FIGHTING... There's literally a battle between Silver and Sebek, which resolves with Sebek smacking some sense into Silver. Sebek calls him an idiot and tells him to stop saying he isn't loved, because it's rude of Silver to be this weak when Lilia raised him to be strong (ie "IT'S AN INSULT TO LILIA-SAMA", "IF HE SAW YOU BEING THIS PATHETIC HE'D BE SAD", etc). Way to go with your words of encouragement... 100/10 motivational speaker, Sebek.

Silver realizes that he has had Lilia's love and support all this time... "It's true love", Silver says. The true love that his guardian fairies said would wake him from his sleep... 😭I really appreciate how it was Silver who first snapped Sebek out of his dream-induced despair, and now Sebek is doing the same for Silver.

WAIT THAT'S IT?????? THAT'S THE UPDATE???? ?? ??? ? ????????? 🤡 TWST really said, "I'm coming for everyone's throat and I'm taking no prisoners" AND THEN DIPPED ON US AFTER DROPPING SO MANY BOMBSHELLS... This is just the fate of every book 7 main story update now, isn't it???!??????!?

asidoavyfqevofb I know a ton of really exciting and shocking reveals happened this time around, but while my mind is still racing to process everything... the one thing that sticks out to me is "Ace is the only one without a UM now". IT'S SO FUNNY HOW HE THOUGHT HE'D GET HIS UM BEFORE DEUCE BUT HE ACTUALLY ENDS UP BEING THE LAST OF THE ENTIRE MAIN CAST TO GET IT................. .. . . . .. ....... .. .. . .. ... . . . .. THERE IS SOME CRUEL, SICK IRONY HERE.

I pretty much said all my other thoughts as they cropped up along with the corresponding story beats!! But overall, I loved learning more about the characters and their shared history. Part 5 confirmed many theories, such as the Dawn Knight being related to Silver (and not his ancestor, but rather his actual dad), Silver being put under a sleeping curse that requires true love to break, how Lilia came to raise Silver, etc. It also recontexualizes lore we already knew, such as how Silver got his name, the Zigvolt family's involvement with Lilia, and how Lilia changed from his old self to his current self.

khbhasdsbkuavuofafabf I ALSO CAN'T BELIEVE LILIA X MALLEMOM IS A THING, THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST SHOCKING REVEALS THIS ENTIRE UPDATE😭 All this time we were joking about Lilia x Mrs. Spade... turns out, Lilia was into someone else's mom... HE'S JUST INTO MOMS, I'M CALLING IT NOW/j

I'm surprised that we didn't get to catch up with the Shroud brothers whatsoever this time??? Not a single peep about Ortho (who has 'woken up and is actively working to help everyone) or even Idia (who is still stuck dreaming)... I really hope the next update addresses how Ignihyde is faring, cuz I miss them and want to know how they contribute to saving the day!!

As book 7 progresses, it progressively calls the image of a spinning wheel into my mind... This is the case especially for the flashback segments we see, which shows us how the various members of Diasomnia are related to each other, and, by extension, their other family members. Lilia is raising Silver, the baby of an old foe. Malleus is visiting Lilia, who is implied to have helped hatch him after his parents died and/or went missing. Lilia asks Sebek's dad for help raising Silver. Baul asks Lilia to help mentor his grandson, Sebek. It really harkens back to the "individually, we're threads on a spinning wheel, but we come together to make something far stronger" line that Lilia dropped at the end of book 6, proving that the spinning wheel and the threads of Fate within it are an important motif for book 7 🥺

I'm fine.

This is fine.

It's not fine

[acanvasofabillionsuns]

IT'S STILL VALENTINE'S DAY, HAVE THE PROMISED VALENTINE'S DAY FIC

Summary: Nimona's got a girlfriend, and her family insists on meeting her. Warnings: uhhh none? Wordcount: irdk man. probably between 1-2k

Nimona didn’t spend all of her time in the kingdom. That would drive her crazy, with all the people who hated her, specifically, with a single-minded intensity. She found herself drawn to the place, never staying away for very long (she’d managed a decade, once, and then whatever drove her back to Gloreth’s kingdom had kept her there for a couple centuries afterward until she got itchy enough to leave again), but she did leave every now and then. It might’ve been more often, if not for the intense regulations and constant patrols that made slipping out and back in again so very difficult.

She’d actually gone to explore just a little under a year before everything went down with Ballister and the Director and people starting to Actually Not Hate Her. And though this change was definitely something that Nimona wanted — needed — to see play out, she had a very good reason to leave the city again so soon.

Someone was waiting for her, after all.

At the thought, Nimona stretched and rolled into a stand. She trotted away from her sunspot to find Ballister, enjoying the patter of her little cat feet against the ground.

She found him in his workshop, tinkering away at something she didn’t care to examine as a peppy tune cheered out from his radio. She leaped and landed delicately on top of it, one paw gently pressing the stop button.

“Heya, Boss, got a question for ya.”

“Nimona?” Ballister squinted down at her. Even after a week, there was still some mush in his eyes when he looked at her, like he still couldn’t believe she’d come back. “You didn’t have to pause my music. What’s up?”

Nimona shot him a catty little smirk before asking, “Do you know what the security for the wall is like these days? Like, if I left, would it trip any alarms or anything?” She’d heard something about them opening the wall, but as she’d spent all of her time here, it was only scant mentions.

Ballister turned to face her fullywith a look of alarm. She had his full, serious attention now, but, like, why? Was it because she’d (indirectly) referenced her sacrifice and what she’d missed while reforming? Because she was totally fine now.

“Is everything okay?” Ballister asked, flashing sad eyes at her. And Nimona was the cat here, geez.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.” She batted a paw over her ear so she wouldn’t have to face Ballister’s sad look, even if for a few seconds. “I just wanna go visit my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?!”

“Girlfriend??” came Ambrosius’s echo, even more bewildered than Ballister. He peeked his head around the doorway. “Who has a girlfriend?”

“Nimona!” Ballister turned to him, and they shared incredulous looks.

“Since when??”

“Now, apparently!”

“Since before I even met either of you two bozos,” Nimona interjected, tail lashing in annoyance. What was so shocking about her having a girlfriend? They were partners, clearly they were familiar with gay people.

“Why haven’t you mentioned her before?” Ballister asked, turning back to Nimona with another sad look.

“I don’t know if you remember,” Nimona drawled, “but we were kind of going through a lot of things. Not much time for irrelevant stuff like my relationship status.” Also she hadn’t been in a great spot mentally, spiraling over all the negatives in her life, and good things like her girlfriend had been hard to think about. But that was also irrelevant.

Ballister’s face fell a bit in realization, and Ambrosius snorted.

“She’s got you there, Bal.”

“Oh, hush.” Ballister flapped a hand at him without looking. “Who is she? Would we know her?”

“I doubt it,” Nimona snorted. “She’s outside the walls. That’s why I asked about security.”

“Outside the walls?” Ambrosius and Ballister echoed in identical concerned tones.

“Yeah.” Nimona rolled her eyes. “So…? Am I going to have to sneak out? Do you think I could just guilt trip them into letting me? Would I set off any alarms if I just went for it? What’s the situation here?”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Ballister spread his arms and shook his head. “Back up. You have a girlfriend?”

“Yep.”

“Outside the walls.”

“Yes.”

“That you’ve never mentioned before.”

“Like I said, never really seemed like the right time.”

Ballister stared at her for a moment, then put his head in hands. “Nope. Not computing.”

This was starting to get annoying. “What, do you want to meet her?”

“Yes, actually.” Ballister raised his head to stare at Nimona almost challengingly. “I do want to meet her.”

Nimona shifted to human to cross her arms at him. “Fine. You can come with me to visit her.”

Ballister crossed his arms right back. “Fine. We’ll do that then.”

“Good.”

“Awesome.”

“Incredible.”

“Glad we’ve got this sorted, then!” Ambrosius cut in, looking between the two of them hesitantly.

Nimona rolled her eyes and left the room, calling, “We’re leaving tomorrow!” over her shoulder.

—

“Nimona, how far away is this girlfriend?” Ballister asked for the third day in a row. He should be grateful they’d managed to secure a ship large enough for the three of them and supplies, or it would’ve taken a lot longer. Humans and their easily-tired legs — they’d already had to stop multiple times each day just for them to stretch. Because not-walking all day was apparently also a strain. This was why being Nimona was 100% better.

“Not far now,” she acquiesced.

She wasn’t actually entirely sure, having taken a much more leisurely, wandering route last time. But she’d gotten back to Gloreth’s kingdom in about three days, and Nimona going slowly was probably about equal to a ship making frequent stops. So it couldn’t be too far off.

An hour or so later she stiffened in excitement as she spotted a familiar crumbling skyscraper poking up through the trees. Ballister and Ambrosius both noticed, looking up from their books.

“What is it?” Ballister asked. “Are we there?”

“We’re close,” Nimona grinned, and then jumped out of the ship and twirled into a HummingBomber (minus the bombs, unfortunately), zipping ahead of the ship to look around. The city had changed radically since she’d been here last, with destroyed buildings made over to useable and what looked like a neighborhood with people in it.

Nimona swooped low, distantly registering the ship behind her scrambling to follow suit through the trees. Once she was close enough to the ground, she tumbled into a jaguar and roared with joy, sprinting towards the city.

There was an answering, much louder roar and a Mega Jaguar emerged from the city. Nimona pushed herself faster.

When they were only a few lengths apart, they both shifted back to human and ran the rest of the distance.

“Kipooooo!”

“Nimonaaaa!”

They collided, spinning in a hug and sinking to the ground to hold each other. Kipp began peppering her face in kisses and Nimona hugged her tight, trying to crystallize this moment in her memory.

There was noise behind her, electronic whirring and footsteps rapidly approaching, and Nimona almost bit at them before remembering who it was. She swallowed down the shark teeth and turned to give a nonthreatening grin to Ballister and Ambrosius.

“Guys, this is my girlfriend.”

Kipo had also tensed at the sound of them approaching, hugging Nimona closer to herself protectively. She relaxed when Nimona greeted them.

“Hi! I’m Kipo!”

“Hi,” Ambrosius said, taking over introductions. Ballister was examining the two of them, a thoughtful frown on his face. Nimona raised an eyebrow at him. Immediately the expression cleared and he shot her an encouraging smile. Nimona rolled her eyes and turned back to bury her face in Kipo’s shoulder, soaking it all in and letting the others’ words wash over her.

“Mona,” Kipo called quietly, tapping her shoulder. Nimona hummed and dragged her head up, smiling at her. “Do you want to show your friends around Las Vistas?”

“Sure!” Nimona stood in one fluid motion, pulling Kipo up with her. “I mean, you should really be the one to do it, it’s your dream and I haven’t been here in ages and I can see there’s so much new stuff and everything, but yeah, let’s go!”

“Oh my gosh, there’s so much to catch you up on,” Kipo gushed. “We’ve set up a couple new neighborhoods, and we’re figuring out a public transport system, and— oh, I can’t wait to show you!”

“I can’t wait to see!” Nimona grinned. Kipo’s joy was always so infectious.

Kipo’s grin widened and her arms shifted into paws. “Wanna race?”

Nimona crouched at the ready, shifting to match Kipo, before she remembered Ballister and Ambrosius and glanced back at them. Ballister was particularly wide-eyed, though they both seemed startled. Did they not realize Kipo was the Mega Jaguar? Or just that she could partially shift? They didn’t seem repulsed, either way, so it could wait. She stood back up and faced them.

“Would you guys want to be riders?” Nimona offered. It would complicate things a bit — Kipo would have to shift fully, and so Nimona would have to find a form to match her — but she wasn’t just going to leave them. If they really didn’t want to, they could all… walk. (Nimona really hoped they were fine being riders.)

“…Sure,” Ballister agreed, exchanging glances with Ambrosius, then repeated it more confidently when Nimona grinned in excitement. “We can do teams. Nimona and I and then Kipo and Ambrosius. If that works for everyone…?”

“Sure!” Kipo chirped. She shifted into her full form and bowed to allow Ambrosius to climb on.

Nimona beamed at Ballister. “What do you think we should do, Boss?” They could always go for a matching Mega Jaguar, though something with wings might be faster. There were also the other Mega Mutes to consider, though Ballister wouldn’t be familiar with them to pick one. Though… Ballister probably wouldn’t be familiar with anything big enough to compete with Kipo. “Bunny or dog? I guess I could do something else, but those are what I’m most familiar with, so they’re our best bet for winning.”

“Dog?” Ballister said, looking confused right up until he was scooped up onto a giant setter’s back. “I don’t know I’m ever surprised anymore,” he muttered fondly, patting a bit of Nimona’s head that was within reach.

Nimona barked instead of responding, because she didn’t think Ballister meant for her to hear that. And because mutes were a bit weird—she could shift into them, of course, but something about their changed physiology made shifting into a Timbercat feel different than a regular cat. It wasn’t hard or bad, more like stretching a stiff limb, a kind of pleasant strain. Mega Mutes amplified this feeling. Something about the “changed but still dumb” aspect made it easier to communicate nonverbally in their forms.

Kipo growled in response, a smooth rumble that grew louder until they were both vibrating with tension. Nimona barked and they both took off.

Nimona had picked her form for speed, but Kipo knew the area inside and out, and that won her the race. Nimona shifted to human, making sure Ballister landed safely on the ground, and pouted at Kipo. She let Ambrosius clamber off before shifting back. Nimona immediately pouted harder once she was back to human and Kipo giggled, coming over and kissing her.

“How do you like your second place prize?” Kipo murmured, placing another kiss on her cheek.

“I don’t know,” Nimona copied her low tone. “What’s the first place prize?”

“This.” Kipo kissed her again, slow and sweet. Nimona’s form rippled, near bursting with emotion. Her new bunny ears flopped on either side of her head and Kipo broke away to huff a laugh as they brushed against her. “Oh, these are cute.”

“Not as cute as you,” Nimona argued. Kipo blushed.

“Thank you.” She gave Nimona a soft smile, then put her hands on her hips and looked over Las Vistas. “Okay, I’m thinking we should start with a tour of the shopping district, and I can show you all the new stuff, and Ballister and Ambrosius—“ she glanced over for confirmation. Nimona nodded “—can see everything for the first time. And then I can take you home and show you the new neighborhood stuff on the way and you can see everyone.”

“Sounds good with us,” Ballister agreed, he and Ambrosius coming over at their names.

“Awesome!” Kipo clapped her hands together with a bright grin and began the tour.

—

Later, when they got a moment, Ballister pulled Nimona aside.

“Okay, so I know the animal people, mutes, aren’t really like you, but, Kipo?” He looked so hopeful for her. “She’s done human and jaguar stuff, is she— y’know? Like you?”

Nimona smiled at him and tried not to make it sad. “Not really. She’s got the two forms, and she can kind of half shift, but that’s it.”

“Oh,” Ballister’s face fell. “I mean, I’m happy for you, of course, but… I know how important finding someone like you can be.” He looked over at Ambrosius, who was chatting with Lio.

“Yeah, but she can still relate to some things,” Nimona told him. “I’m not totally alone.”

“That’s true.” Ballister smiled at her, a fond thing that always made Nimona’s insides squirm happily. “And you’ll always have us.”

“Yeah,” Nimona agreed, then darted in for a hug.

[totes-tubulardude]

Little Shadow

I do read your comments I swear 🙏 and I saw that a few people were wondering about Howzer and how his size shifting ability was revealed to the Sydullas :) (will be expanding on this when I actually write this in a fic format 🤞)

Howzer had been a little skeptical when he'd learned that he was being promoted from an ARC trooper to a clone captain. However based on the message he received from Rex, he figured that all those hours training with the Command Batch had really payed off.

While Rex was being placed under newly knighted General Skywalker of the 501st battalion, Howzer was being sent to the outer rim. The battalion he was joining didn't have a set Jedi general, instead operating within the 237th Sky Corps. He was happy he was with Bly at least.

That changed after it became clear that Ryloth was going to continue to be an osik show. Howzer and his men were shipped to serve under Cham Syndulla, a formidable freedom fighter. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect, serving under a natborn officer that wasn't a Jedi. He knew that so far, the few of his vode that had revealed their modification to their Jedi, the Generals had been relatively receptive to it. However, each time Howzer thought about it, he was reminded of Andin on Kamino. That woman's words still haunted his dreams. He knew Rex had yet to inform his own general, so Howzer didn't think it was a pressing issue to inform Syndulla.

The Twi'lek freedom fighters had been wary fo them at first, not sure if they could be trusted or if they were even sentient. Soon enough though, tensions dissipated as they grew to know each other. As it turned out, Cham had a rather charming family, including the little trouble maker who always had her eyes on the sky, Hera.

He wasn't sure what had really started it all, but soon enough he found that he had a constant shadow in the form of the little Twi'leks girl. She was happy to teach him some Ryl to communicate with some of the older fighters, and in return he helped her improve her basic.

The longer Howzer was on Ryloth the more he realized that if he kept pushing off informing General Syndulla of his size shifting ability, it was going to be an even more rough meeting. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, even though at times he knew that he could have, Howzer feared that bright eyed and excited look in Hera's eyes would turn to fear. That she would see him as a monster, just like he'd been told he was all through his cadet years.

That all changed when he found himself and Hera tumbling into a deep cave water reservoir with no easy way out...

[abstract-moth]

Last Rites

Also on ao3

Queen Valerin knows she only has seconds to live. The pain spreading across her chest is unmistakable, icy death drawing near. Her body hits the floor with a jolt.

And all she can hear is screams. 

The panic reminds her of the look on Ballister’s face as the sword unfurled. As if he didn’t know what was happening. As if he didn’t even know the weapon was there. 

It’s an expression she is certain only she had glimpsed. 

“He wouldn’t do this,” she rasped, her lips struggling to move. “Ballister’s innocent.”

Staring down at her, the Director nods. 

“I know.”

[ego-osbourne]

The Flight of Velehk Sain

Written as if it was an in-game book to be found in any of the TES games, here’s my jab at presenting Velehk Sain’s backstory (as seen in TDI/SITw) as if viewed by other Coldharbour kyn. The complete accuracy of this book is debatable, but it was eventually caught by dremora from other realms and mortals alike, and the prideful dialogue about the well-known pirate captain became a laughing stock to throw back at Bal dremora.

The legend has been rewritten with more and more inaccuracies, like naming Velehk Sain as a power kyn, or conflating the details of the death of the summoner; or has been parodied to expound on the pride of the author. However, the truest stories are only held by those who experienced them, and Velehk Sain isn’t keen to speak about his past.

This is the first document regarding Velehk’s name (not including criminal charges due to his pirating). Enjoy :]

//also I wrote this forever back and just have forgotten to post it since, my bad

Word Count: 700

Status: Complete Mock-Book

CW: Fantasy Slavery, Implied Sex (specific to Molag Bal), Molag Bal in general

Summary: The account of Velehk Sain as written by a power dremora.

Dated: 20th of Last Seed, 2E 631

Authored: Pehricach the Blood-Scribe

In the glorious plane of Coldharbour, kyn reign with authority over all other lesser daedra, coming only after the Prince of Domination himself. However, even a great people must have its squalor. The greatest of us are named power kyn, who serve loyally, faithfully, and without mercy under the name of Molag Bal. For our glory we are given many gifts from our Generous Master, one of the first being a personal servant. These serving kyn are created specifically for the purpose of use — they are given great beauty, no intellectual talents, no physical skills, and no names. The best will perform their duties to their superiors faithfully, while those who rebel deserve a punishment no less than erasure from our Great Prince.

This punishment was escaped by a traitorous serving kyn who ran from his master. The master, Kyrahk the Dominator, treated his server with no more cruelty than deserved, and yet the runaway insisted on rebelling throughout his existence. Despite this, Kyrahk showed mercy to the server and did not wish for his termination. This kindness, which was a pleasantry of the rarest variety, was wasted.

Dating 2E 582, Kyrahk left Coldharbour for battle, leaving his server without a watchman. That day, a mortal wizard entered Coldharbour. He longed for a serving kyn to call his own, but since servers have no names, none could be summoned. The arrogant mortal planned to approach our Lord of Schemes to trade for a server to take back to Nirn with him, but he was intercepted before he could bask within the Prince’s presence. The traitorous server presented himself to the wizard and asked to be summoned, and the wizard was keen for a moment, telling the server that he could not be summoned because he had no name. The server, ever-devious, lied to the mortal, naming himself Velehk Sain — he justified this in saying that very few serving kyn have names, but those that do are highly coveted and are cherished by Molag Bal himself. The server instructed the mortal to summon him a week from then, and the foolish wizard happily turned back to Nirn and prepared himself for the summon.

The detestable server then traveled through Coldharbour until he reached the throne of our Great Prince, asking for a trade. In exchange for his services, the kyn asked to be named by Molag Bal. Unaware of his devious nature, our Powerful Lord agreed and asked the kyn what he should be called. The server replied, “Velehk Sain,” and the Prince of Schemes made it true, assuming no harm could come from such a small-minded gesture. However, now that the server had a name given by the Lord of Domination himself, he had more power than ever deserved, and his plan was falling into action.

The serving kyn exchanged pleasantries with Molag Bal for five days and five nights, undeserving of our Prince’s warmth. On the sixth day, the server was returned to Kyrahk the Dominator, who rightfully punished the rebellious kyn for leaving his care by cutting his face, thus damaging the beauty that servers are blessed with. However, Kyrahk was unaware of the server’s plan, and was left painfully alone when the seventh day arrived.

By the week’s end, the damnable mortal summoned the server to his home on Nirn. He asked the mortal to assist in freeing him of his chains that bound him to Coldharbour and promised to reward the wizard in his efforts. A mortal fool, though, is but an insect to even the most useless of kyn, and after the chains were broken, he was killed by that who he called Velehk Sain. The server then fled to the sea, pursuing a life of material thievery that should be detested by all faithful power kyn. This account is written after his false name has made great strides on the disgusting mortal realm. Should he ever be seen on Mundus, let him be cut down swiftly so that he may return to Coldharbour and be punished for his atrocities.

[sigma-el]

"Have you ever wished to be Something else..?"

"This is one of Sigma-El's recurring questions, when we are not rested enough for me to be able to mask my boredom. Often I pause to feign reflection and whisper to him that I'm fine with what we are. I use a soft voice to caress his ears and drive the ugly thought from his mind.

He falls silent - a silence that becomes more and more sepulchral. I feel his eyes on my neck, on my back, on my hands, I know he is here but he does not wish to show himself to the world. I feel him around me in such a palpable way that I often forget that he is not really there. That doesn't stop him. He contemplates me, examines me, the years make his gaze more piercing. Lucidity often acts on the soul, makes those who know more empty than the ignorant… I have been worried about this ever since I realised that something was going to break in us, very soon. Something I'm trying to push away in vain. He is growing up, this child - and my face is falling apart. I can no longer hide my dissatisfaction, my frustration, as they guide so many of my steps. My patience, which I try to make unquenchable, is wearing thin with time. My voice trembles when I see myself reflected on the water.

I desire something else. I am hungry for something else. Dreadfully." [I hope this will encourage @caliblorn and @lokorum to write a little, i will post a lot more bc I have MANY texts but hey, don't be scared to do the same, I know many people will enjoy it as well (at least I will do)]