#character: ivy sands

[tetragonia]

Masters of the Air characters as aesthetics

John 'Bucky' Egan

Bucky was a golden hour, warm hues of gold and amber casting a soft, ethereal glow over everything. Giggles and banters over a sip of liquor. He was a low hum in a pub, filled with chatter and joy. Bucky was a worn sheepskin jacket, familiar and comforting. Waves crash against rugged cliffs, vivid colors pop against a backdrop of blue skiess. He was gentle and dominating, yet he asked to be taken care of behind closed doors. Back arching high against the bed sheet, hands pinned and left marks everywhere. He was a smoky jazz club alive with the sound of saxophones and clinking glasses, the sound of people laughing so loud until the stomach hurts. Grass stained knees. Running through the rain without an umbrella. He was classical music blasting from a cheap speaker. He was Apollo playing his instruments.

Gale 'Buck' Cleven

Buck was a calm before a storm. A misty forest enveloped in fog, with towering trees draped in moss and winding paths leading to hidden glens and secret clearings. He was both silent movies and thunderstorms that you'd feel inside your chest. Raised eyebrows and cold hands, pinching the bridge of your nose. Watching a painting a bit too long before the gallery was closed. Long walks to the library. Winter winds and freezing hands, subtle glances across the room. He was soft murmur of reassurance and a gentle touch behind the doors. Consensual and always asked if it's okay. Dark red lipstick, chilled red wine. A quaint cottage nestled in the countryside with a thatched roof and ivy-covered walls, surrounded by a garden bursting with fragrant herbs and vibrant flowers. He was Hestia tending the sacred flames.

Harry 'Croz' Crosby

Harry was the swirling feelings in your stomach night before a trip. A vintage typewriter sitting on a weathered wooden desk, surrounded by stacks of yellowing paper and antique books. The soft autumn sun. He was handwritten letters and cracked statues. Silver waves lapping at the shore and seashells scattered across the sand like scattered jewels. The rattling of rain against the window, messy and needed direction. He was scribbles and ink stains, messy notebooks, and the tea kettle whistling in the silent morning. He was urgent and hurry, but comforting afterwards. He was everything about pleasure behind closed doors. A disheveled bedroom with rumpled sheets and discarded clothing strewn across the floor, with posters peeling off the walls and sunlight filtering through grimy windows. He was Poseidon guarding with his trident.

Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal

Rosie was a vintage record player spinning vinyl records, filling the room with the warm crackle of music. He was sweet smiles and clear eyes. Paper planes. Overgrown rose bushes. That one song you always skipped but ended up loving it. He was tweed jackets and loose blouses. A field of wildflowers stretching out as far as the eye can see, with colorful blooms dancing in the breeze and the scent of earth and pollen filling the air. Gentle and nurturing, caring and soft behind the doors. He was a giver and always maintained satisfaction. He was pink-tinted blush. A pair of combat boots scuffed from countless adventures. Smiling at strangers on the street. He was all kind and modesty, but also Athena leading battles.

[veronicaphoenix]

fairy dust series ✨ au — part two: the seducing kitsune | wc: 3.2k

— previous part: the wicked fairy

pairing: fae!oliver x ivy (ofc) x kitsune!noah summary: ivy finally meets noah tags & trigger warnings: age gap, it's implied that the fem. character is a virgin, it's also implied that noah shape-shifts back and forth from his kitsune form into his human one, noah uses his nine tails to his advantage, slightly jealous!noah, noah asks to be pet, noah gets on his knees, noah gets pet, sexual content: oral sex (fem. rec.), voyeurism (if you squint). my works 🌙

The Seducing Kitsune ೃ༄*ੈ

She hasn’t played hide and seek in over a decade. 

            Ivy steps cautiously away from the sand and into the forest, leaving behind the quiet oasis where she had watched Oliver’s mesmerizing, naked form. 

            The air is thick with the sweet, heady scent of blooming flowers and the earthy aroma of trees. Her heart flutters in her chest, a mix of excitement and trepidation. The memory of Oliver’s playful yet dangerous smile lingers in her mind, but now her thoughts are consumed with the search for Noah.

            The forest around her is alive, every leaf and branch whispering secrets while the sunlight filters through the dense canopy, casting shadows on the ground. The air shimmers with energy, and the very ground beneath her naked feet feels like it pulses with life.

            As she wanders further, she hears a rustle among the bushes. Ivy’s heart leaps, a thrill of anticipation coursing through her veins. 

            Noah.

            She catches glimpses of sleek, black fur darting through the underbrush, always just out of reach. 

            At first, her steps are hesitant, her mind clouded with worry and a touch of fear. But with each sighting of the creature she’s chasing, her confidence grows, and apprehension gives way to exhilaration.

            Laughter bubbles up from deep within her, a sound as pure and joyous as the song of the birds flitting above her. She hops after the Kitsune, her movements light and carefree. Butterflies of every color dance around her, their wings glittering. Other tiny and magical creatures scurry at her feet, and sparkling dust falls from the sky as the trees seem to part just for her, inviting her to go on, to dive into the deepest parts of the forest. 

            Ivy’s breath comes in quick, excited gasps as she races through the trees. Her skin tingles with a strange, intoxicating sensation, as if the very air is infused with magic that seeps into her pores, warming her from within. She feels a joy, a pure, unadulterated happiness that spreads through her veins and pulses in her heart.

            She only stops when a wave of dizziness washes over her. She feels lightheaded, almost drunk on the sheer joy and magic around her. She looks around, her eyes searching for any sign of Noah. The forest is silent now, save for the soft rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. A grey rabbit hops away, disappearing into the underbrush.

            “Noah?” she calls out, her voice echoing softly through the trees.

            The air shifts, a subtle change that she can recognize now. It’s the same sensation she felt when Oliver appeared in her room, the sign of a tangible presence nearby that makes the hairs on her arms stand on end. She turns slowly, her heart pounding in her chest.

            Leaning against a tree not far from her, in a pose strikingly similar to Oliver’s from ten years ago, stands a young man. He is taller and slimmer than Oliver. He’s barefoot, and wears black jeans and no shirt. His chest and arms are adorned with a myriad of tattoos, a snake coiling around his neck, intertwining with leaves and a hand reaching for a red apple right on his Adam’s apple. His brown, almond-shaped eyes lock onto hers, and his sensual, soft hair falls in a casual, yet deliberate, layered haircut. A smirk plays on his thin lips, one corner tilted upwards in a way that makes Ivy’s skin tingle.

            “Hi, Ivy,” he says, his voice smooth and inviting.

            Ivy holds her breath, her eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. 

            The intensity of his gaze, the way his eyes seem to see right through her, leaves her feeling exposed and vulnerable. Yet, there’s something undeniably magnetic about him, a pull she can’t resist. Her heart races, a mix of fear and excitement coursing through her veins as she stands frozen, staring at the enigmatic figure before her.

            She’s taken aback by his beauty, a shyness creeping into her heart. Noah is as charming as Oliver, but while Oliver’s eyes held a playful sparkle, Noah’s gaze is different—hungrier, more intense.

            “Noah,” she whispers, almost unconsciously, his name slipping slowly from her lips like a sacred incantation, as if to engrave it in her memory.

            Noah tilts his head to the side, his smile widening. His hair moves with the gentle breeze, adding a touch of wildness to his appearance. She wants to touch it. Badly. “I like the sound of my name on your lips.”

            She stares at him, drinking in every detail of his form. Is she really going to have him just as she has Oliver? All to herself? The thought sends a thrill through her. She takes a deep breath, the scent of the forest filling her lungs, the aroma of earth and greenery seeping into her veins, grounding her.

            “Oliver says you like to play,” she murmurs, her voice barely audible.

            “I do,” he replies, each word dripping with a seductive edge. He takes a step toward her, and then another, closing the distance between them with a predator’s grace. “Are you going to let me play with you, Ivy?”

            Ivy finds herself nodding eagerly, her body betraying her cautious mind. As he approaches, she instinctively recoils, taking careful steps backward until her back collides with the rough bark of a tree. The sensation is grounding, but her heart races.

            “Careful,” Noah says, his voice steady and firm. There’s a sensuality in his tone, a roughness that seems to caress her skin, sliding through her senses like honey dripping from her fingers. “Wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

            “I’m fine,” she assures him, though her breath is caught in her throat and her heartbeat is quick, drumming in her ears. Her hands explore the texture of the tree’s bark, seeking support in its solidity.

            Noah is close now, towering over her. He seems to grow taller and more imposing with each step he takes. Ivy’s body is tingling. 

            His presence is overwhelming, but the more her instincts tell her to look away, to find Oliver, she can’t. 

            The forest around them is watching their every move. The air is thick with magic, butterflies and other tiny creatures flitting around. The trees seem to lean in, as if eager to witness the unfolding connection between Ivy, the human girl, and Noah, the seducing kitsune.

            Noah reaches out, his fingers brushing against her cheek. His touch is electric and it sends shivers down her spine. Ivy’s breath hitches, her eyes locked onto his. The world narrows to just the two of them. The forest fades into the background.

            “You’re trembling,” Noah notices, his voice a seductive purr. Ivy isn’t aware of it until he mentions it. “Are you afraid of me, Ivy?”

            She shakes her head, though she isn’t sure if it’s entirely true. 

            “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, his brows furrowing at the expression on her face. She’s been hurt before. He can see it. “Never.”

            He waits for her stance to soften, for her soul to let him in. 

            Noah gently extends his hand towards Ivy, his palm open and inviting. “Touch me,” he murmurs, his voice a soothing melody that wraps around her. “Feel it.”

            Ivy’s heart is racing and she feels dizzy. She wonders if it will always be like this. 

            Regardless, the warmth and sincerity in Noah’s brown eyes draws her in. 

            She reaches out, her fingers trembling as they approach his. The moment their fingertips meet, a rush of energy courses through her.

            As her hand fully meets his, Ivy feels a wave of emotions flooding her. It’s as if all of Noah’s desires, his yearning to hold her, to care for her, to love her, are being transferred directly into her soul. She can sense his desperation, the ten long years he’s waited, the depth of his need to treasure her, to protect her, to play with her and taste her. 

            Ivy feels her resistance crumbling, the walls she had built around her heart slowly dissolving under the gentle pressure of his presence.

            Noah’s thumb brushes over her knuckles, sending a tingle up her arm. His touch is a promise of the tenderness and passion he holds within. Ivy takes a deep breath, the scent of the forest filling her lungs, mingling with the intoxicating presence of the kitsune before her.

            “Ivy,” he repeats her name to bring her attention back to him. When she looks up, it feels as if she’s known him all her life. Noah is the softness and primal side of her that she never understood, that she always thought made her some kind of weird child. “Ivy,” he continues. “What do you want?” 

            The intensity of his eyes might make her faint. 

            “I want you to play with me,” she confesses. 

            A smile curves Noah’s lips, and he steps closer, his free hand coming up to cup her cheek. “I’ve been waiting forever to hear those words from you.”

            The joy dripping from his words is a balm to her wounded soul. 

            As his thumb caresses her skin, Ivy feels a sense of peace settling over her. She knows, deep in her heart, that this is where she belongs.

            With Noah.

            With Oliver.

            Here.

            Noah’s eyes glint with a mischievous light as he closes the final gap between them. Instead of kissing her, he leans in closer, inhaling her scent deeply. His nose brushes her jawline. He trails his nose along her neck and down to her clavicle, his breath warm and teasing against her skin. Ivy straightens up, her breath hitching, her heart pounding in her chest.

            “Do you live on Oliver’s back?” she asks, nearly achingly, her voice trembling with a mix of curiosity and nerves.

            Noah chuckles, the sound rich and low, the vibration of his laughter resonating through her. “I live in his heart,” he says dreamily, his eyes locking onto hers for a brief, intense moment. “And I can live in yours too, if you’d let me.”

            His nose continues its journey along her bare shoulder, the gentle, intimate touch making her skin tingle. Ivy’s mind is racing with the possibilities that Noah’s words suggest.

            Noah suddenly furrows his brows. He hums.

            For a moment, he doesn’t seem happy.

            “He’s already kissed you, hasn’t he?”

            Ivy’s breath catches again, her thoughts swirling. Ivy nods, her voice lost in the whirlwind of emotions coursing through her and the memory of Oliver’s kiss still vivid in her mind. She closes her eyes, letting the sensations wash over her. 

            Noah’s gaze darkens slightly, a blend of amusement and something more primal flickering in his eyes.

            Noah leans in, his lips brushing against her forehead in a tender kiss. “I’m much more fun than he is, Ivy,” his voice is husky with desire. 

            His words hang in the air, heavy with promise and mystery. It doesn’t matter that her mind is racing; her body responds to his touch as if it’d always belonged to him. She feels herself surrendering.

            “Show me,” she orders bravely.

            Ivy parts her lips, where the memory of Oliver’s pressing against hers still remains. Her pulse quickens, her body responding to the magnetic pull between them. The forest around them seems to hold its breath. She feels the weight of Noah’s promise hanging in the air, a tantalizing mystery that she can’t resist.

            Noah’s lips hover near hers, his breath mingling with hers, and she feels herself drawn to him, unable to deny the magnetic allure of his nature. The world fades away, leaving only the intoxicating presence of Noah and the promise of what’s to come.

            Noah’s lips finally find hers, and he kisses her with a tenderness that makes her want to crumble in his arms, to let him take care of her forever. His kiss is soft and gentle, coaxing out her deepest desires with each delicate press of his mouth against hers. Ivy’s thoughts dissolve, leaving only the sensations of his touch, the taste of him, and the way he makes her feel cherished and wanted.

            His hand slides down to her thigh, fingers slipping beneath the fabric of her dress. Ivy’s breath hitches as his hand moves higher, reaching between her legs. She grasps his shoulders, her fingers digging into his skin as she tries to articulate her feelings.

            “I’ve never… nobody has ever…” she stammers, but Noah immediately understands. His eyes light up with a triumphant glint, rejoicing in the fact that he and Oliver are the first. They will be the only ones.

            “Oh,” he says, and the words feel like a song on their own. “Have you been waiting for me? You, pretty little thing?” 

            Yes, she wants to say, but she’s speechless at the way he’s looking at her, with the same promise that Oliver did—to take care of her, to replace every bad thing, every horrible memory, with something better, something magical.

            Noah’s fingers crawl up to touch her navel lightly, igniting a fire inside her. Her stomach sinks with every breath she takes, anticipation building. His eyes darken even more, if possible, promising to push her limits and take her higher and higher and to never let her fall.

            “What are you going to let me do to you, Ivy?” he murmurs, his voice like velvet. “You’ve already poisoned me. Your wish is my command.”

            “Anything,” she replies quickly, desperate for him, for more. She has just one request. “But—”

            “But?” he asks, rising an eyebrow, amused. He wants her confident, demanding. 

            “Will you let me pet you while you…?”

            “While I what?” His voice raises. “Don’t be shy. Not here, Ivy,” his instructions are clear, leaving no room for hesitation. “Say it. Say what you desire,” Noah urges, his gaze locked on hers, filled with unspoken promises.

            “While you lick me,” she breathes out, her voice trembling with a mix of boldness and vulnerability.

            Noah doesn’t reply with words; instead, he smiles widely at her, maintaining eye contact as he lowers himself to his knees. The anticipation coils tighter within her as he lifts her dress, hooking his slender fingers into her panties and pulling them down. He leans in, so close to her core, his breath warm against her skin.

            “You smell like flowers,” he murmurs, his voice a reverent whisper.

            Hesitant yet yearning, she guides her hand to his hair, feeling the softness of his locks between her fingers, and it’s she who moans at the feel of it. Noah looks up at her, his expression one of pure adoration and hunger.

            “Pet me, Ivy,” he says softly, his lips brushing her navel. 

            With that, he dips his head, his mouth finding her, and Ivy’s world tilts. 

            She gets lost in the sensations, in the tender yet insistent way he explores her, her hands trying to follow his rhythm on his scalp. 

            For this moment, there is only Noah, and the way he makes her feel utterly cherished, utterly adored.

            As Noah’s tongue caresses her with kitten licks, Ivy is engulfed by a myriad of sensations that blur the boundaries of time and space. Each gentle flick and tender exploration sends ripples of pleasure through her body, drawing her deeper into an intoxicating haze. The forest around them seems to shimmer with magic, the trees whispering ancient secrets, and the butterflies hovering in an ethereal dance.

            She loses herself completely, her mind a swirl of ecstasy and wonder. At some point, she becomes aware of a new sensation—something soft and light dancing around her ankles. It feels like delicate tails brushing against her skin, teasing and tickling. The sensation grows, wrapping around her calves and trailing higher, and she realizes it’s Noah’s tails, covered in silken fur that sends electric shivers up her spine.

            It is this feeling, this unexpected caress of fur, that pushes her over the edge. Ivy shakes, her body trembling uncontrollably as waves of pleasure crash over her. She crumbles, her legs giving way, and Noah is quick to rise, catching her in his arms.

            Ivy clings to him, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she gasps for breath, her eyes wide with the intensity of the experience. Her cheek presses against Noah’s bare chest, feeling the warmth of his skin and the steady beat of his heart.

            She has never felt anything like this, a sense of completeness and raw vulnerability intertwining. Tears spring to her eyes, not from sadness, but from the overwhelming joy and relief that floods her soul.

            Noah holds her close, his hand moving up and down her hair in a soothing rhythm. He cooes her softly, his voice a calming balm to her frayed nerves. 

            Ivy’s breathing gradually steadies, and she nuzzles closer to Noah, taking comfort in his embrace. She feels cherished, protected, and above all, she feels seen.

            Noah is filled with a mixture of tenderness and pride. As Ivy revels in the warmth of his arms around her, she feels another subtle shift in the air. Her senses, still heightened from her recent climax, pick up the unmistakable presence of another.

            “Are you done?” a familiar voice asks, cutting through the tranquility.

            Ivy’s heart halts mid-beat. She looks up to see Oliver standing a few paces away, one eyebrow raised in a mixture of amusement and approval. There is no reproach in his tone, only acknowledgment, a silent understanding that Noah has done exactly what was expected of him.

            “No,” Noah replies, his voice firm with a rough edge. “I’m not done.” His arms tighten protectively around Ivy, as if shielding her from a threat that doesn’t exist.         

            She feels safe. Now that both Noah and Oliver are in her line of sight, she feels wrapped in a blanket of comfort only provided by the green of Oliver’s eyes and the brown of Noah’s. 

            Oliver steps closer, his gaze shifting from Noah to Ivy. His eyes soften, a playful glint appearing as he takes in her flushed cheeks and disheveled appearance. He reaches out, brushing a strand of hair from her face with a tenderness that makes her heart flutter as she continues nestled against Noah.

            “Did Noah play with you?” Oliver asks, his voice low and soothing. There’s a possessiveness in his eyes, but it’s tempered with affection.

             “Yes.”

            Oliver’s smile broadens, “Good,” he murmurs. 

            With delicate fingers, he touches Ivy’s pink cheek. 

            Noah shifts slightly, allowing Ivy to extend an arm toward Oliver and place her palm open on his chest. 

            At the touch of both men—both creatures, the overwhelming yet comforting sensation intensifies to a new level. Glitter begins to fall from the sky, settling softly on their skin. Ivy feels a surge of emotions—awe, excitement, and a deep, profound longing that seems to radiate from her very core. This is what she’s been yearning for all along—not just the physical pleasure, but the connection, the sense of belonging that these extraordinary, surreal creatures are providing; who have spent a decade—or even longer—waiting patiently for her. 

            Covered in sparkling dust, Ivy finally feels whole, as if she has found her place in a world that once felt incomplete.

→ next part ✨ | my works 🌙

Taglist is open. Drop a comment or message me if you want to be tagged in the last part :) Taglist:

@somebodyels3 | @respectfulrebel | @poppy-in-the-woods | @blessedwithabadomen | @dsireland86

@bluestdai | @poisongirl616 | @lma1986 | @shilohrosechicken | @fadingangelwisp

@dominuslunae

[brucewaynehater101]

Oh I was absolutely going with them Jason Finds Out During TT route. I think it would be especially funny if he's heard horror stories from Rouges and his own Henchmen that Robin The Third is some kind of demon that Batman summoned on accident. There are some rumors about how the demon feeds off of grief or anger or vengeance because it's illusions of being g a human are stronger when the Bat is there so *clearly* it is taking its power *from* the Bat. Others say that Nightwing summoned it so that it would keep Bruce on a leash without the first Robin having to come back. Some say it was some person in Gothem who did it or that it was the combined form of the many curses on the city.

All Jason knows is that when his replacement turned around, it's head luled to the side just an inch or two, like a puppet on strings that had to much slack on that one string. Jason manages to shoot one of its arms but instead of a spray of blood, it is broken shards of porcelain and sand. His hits feel like he's punching a solid wall but some do leave visible cracks in Tim. This Thing in a Robin Costume could not ever be human. He knows because when he left, he took a handful of sand in a vile to see if he could figure out what it is. Jason still has that vile to this day, the only proof he has that Tim isn't a human. Sometimes he will set it on a flat surface and watch the sand in it make it slowly roll towards whatever direction Tim is in.

As for how he heals, that's to the magic that animates him, all Tim needs to do is hold his pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle and after a few moments the piece he's holding will weld itself back into place. Also his sand will slowly come back to him, attracted like a magnet and he can tell where all his sand in instinctually. He let's Jason keep the vial of it as it's basically an unhacklable Jason Tracker. The sand isn't fast at moving towards him, roughly about the pace of a snail or sloth. It's certainly moving but just getting from downtown to the Batcave could take his sand a week. Also the pull isn't super strong, gaining about as much force as a particularly stubborn ant.

Ras took half a pound of Tim's sand instead of his spleen and Tim would very much like his sand back.

As for Cass knowing, she 100% does. Tim has shown her his true gorm and when she asked why he didn't show the others, Tim replied, "they wouldn't understand. They would worry over things that aren't problems and try to fix things I already fixed and end up breaking those things."

Eventually the Bats must find out though, and when Dick asks if that means they need to do special things to keep Tim from dying to Magic Users, Tim laughs and laughs like Dick has told the funniest joke in the world. When he calms down, he asks a question of his own, "Dick. How could I possibly die if I have never been alive in the first place? I am simply an object enchanted to move and speak. I am no more alive that the AI Babs uses to scan the internet for pictures of us. I am no more alive than a character in a video game. At most, at *most* I can be compared to some of Ivy's plants that she uses to attack us. I can not be killed for I have never been alive. Broken, yes, but that I can fix. I simply have to be put back together like a jigsaw puzzle."

Oof. Poor Dick is going to have to figure out how to feel about that statement. Tim not being alive at all and comparing himself to a video game or AI might fuck with Dick's sense of self, sentience, etc. I would love to see how they all logic, cope, and understand identity after this.

I do love the idea that the sand tries to make its way back to Tim, but he knows where it is at all times. Jason has an estimated location of Tim (N, S, E, W), but Tim has like coordinates.

I wonder if Cass would try dancing with Tim. Since his movements are different, perhaps she would enjoy learning to dance in a way that's similar to how he moves? It could be eerie and fun for her.

I'm curious how Ra's would feel about Tim and his sand in this. Why did he keep the sand? Does it look distinct from other sand? Was it just cause it was part of Tim and Ra's thought he might be able to use it? Also, does he attempt that shit he did with his Nyssa since Tim probably can't reproduce?

[tailschannel]

New zones, customization options, and Emerald Powers: a recap of the Sonic Superstars cover story

Issue 358 of the Gameinformer magazine was published this Tuesday, and its 12-page column on the upcoming Sonic Superstars revealed a new look into its development, and previewed a number of in-game features and zones.

Here's everything you need to know.

Major takeaways

New zone names: Sky Temple, Pinball Carnival, Lagoon City, Sand Sanctuary, Press Factory, and unannounced Golden Capital.

New Emerald Powers: Avatar, Bullet, Water, Ivy, Vision, Slow, Extra, Super.

Expect vast character customization options in the brand new Items shop.

Select stages in a Generations-style World Map.

New zones

Characters have the choice of going through a normal act or a character-specific act. For example, finishing Act 1 of Speed Jungle Zone as Sonic allows you to choose between either playing the second act of Speed Jungle or an "Act Sonic," an alternate act of Speed Jungle where you zoom as Sonic, running away from a terrorizing Fang the Sniper.

There is reportedly a World Map similar to Generations where you run in a 2D-plane to select a stage.

There is also an items shop where you can trade medals in for customizable parts. Apparent, you can customize your "head, body, arms, legs, accessories color, and something called prototype."

The third zone of the game is reportedly called Sky Temple Zone.

In the zone, there is a mini-game similar to the game "Breakout," where you turn into a ball and aim to break bricks.

The climax or the ending of the zone is a massive storm.

The fourth zone is called Pinball Carnival Zone.

As the name suggests, "a giant pinball arena and fast sequences with fireworks setting off."

The fifth zone is called Lagoon City, which is filled with submerged city ruins and water slides.

Act 1 is mostly above water whereas Act 2 has several underwater sequences.

Amy's character-specific act of Lagoon City is fruit-based, with several gimmicks like a fruit based robots and such.

Sand Sanctuary Zone is the sixth zone of Sonic Superstars and a seventh zone reportedly called Press Factory Zone.

Filenames in the newly released screenshots also disclosed the officially unannounced Golden Capital Zone.

Emerald Powers

Emerald Powers were inspired by the Wisps mechanic from Sonic Colors.

Every stage has a giant gold ring and a giant blue ring. Completing the giant gold rings rewards you a Chaos Emerald and the the blue ring rewards you a medal.

Both special stages have the same central gameplay mechanic: swing from floating bubbles toward the moving objective.

Emerald Powers can be used by using the right stick and operate on a cooldown, with each star post checkpoint replenishing your cooldown meter.

Avatar (Blue Emerald)

Allows you to create clones of yourself.

Useful for defeating any enemy that lies on you path.

Bullet (Red Emerald)

Allows you to direct and shoot your character at a specified direction.

"It's an extremely useful action; it's probably the most useful action for this kind of game," Iizuka said.

Water (Cyan Emerald)

Allows you to interact with any body of water, like swimming freely underwater or climbing up waterfalls.

Ivy (Green Emerald)

Allows you to grow upward vines.

Helpful in reaching higher areas.

Can also be utilized to help your teammates in co-op mode.

Vision (Purple Emerald)

Allows you to see hidden objects like platforms, rings, or items found in the level.

Slow (Yellow Emerald)

Allows the player to slow down everything on screen.

Helpful in tighter platforming sequences or boss encounters.

Extra (White Emerald)

Unlocks character-specific actions.

Sonic – Homing Attack: Unlocks the Homing Attack from the modern titles.

Tails – Tornado Spin: Unlocks a devastating tornado attack that can destroy enemies in front of you

Amy – Hammer Throw: Unlocks the ability for Amy to throw hammers instead of the usual Hammer Swing.

Knuckles – Punch: Unlocks the ability to punch for Knuckles.

Super Form (All 7 Emeralds)

Characters can turn into their Super form after collecting all 7 Chaos Emeralds.

Characters won't have any specific abilities outside of being invincible and becoming faster.

Emerald Powers can still be used in Super form.

Development

The concept of Superstars came from a Zoom call by Naoto Ohshima during the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Ohshima and Iizuka held producer roles for Sonic Superstars.

Despite hinting at a short development time than expected, Ohshima was impressed by Sonic Team and Iizuka.

"Though Arzest and Ohshima led development efforts on Sonic Superstars, Sonic Team collaborated frequently, with Iizuka and Ohshima constantly sharing ideas of and production duties."

There were talks between Iizuka and Whitehead's team following the release of Mania where concepts were considered, but the project fell through; however, Iizuka does states that he is "pleased that the next generation of Classic Sonic that we talked about with them has been achieved with Superstars."

Iizuka said that the programming for Superstars "is completely unique and done from scratch by Arzest."

(Story contributed by Spectre and Scarlett from the Tails' Channel Newsfeed)

[gimmethatagustd]

Hi Jaiiii 💕💕 So I wasn't going to send a spooky drabble request since I'm usually super bad at coming up with ideas and you're already writing my one and only wish - weird fairy outfit Jungkook - but theeeen something came over me and I may have made a moodboard...

To me this is giving siren! jimin x human! taehyung but you can totally take whatever element that inspires you from it and do your own thing!! Fluff, smut, angst, you know I'm always open to reading anything from you, so go wild. I hope this gives you something to work with because I had fun making it! Love youuu 💞💞💞

the wind speaks | kth + pjm

Something's living under the dock at the Kim family's beach house.

○ Pairing: Human!Taehyung x Siren!Jimin

○ Rating: Mature/18+

○ Genre: Supernatural, "friends" to "lovers", angst, yandere

○ 2 / 100 Drabble Challenge (Mermaid)

○ Word Count: 2,313

○ Warnings: Emotional manipulation, Jimin is supernaturally alluring so that makes the whole thing very questionable, potential drowning and major character death? perhaps? 👀 it's an ambiguous ending so who knows!

○ Notes: Hi Ivi bby, I hope you didn't think I forgot about your AMAZING moodboard 🥹 I really need to commission you to make all my moodboards for me cuz I'm seriously obsessed with this one. It gave me so many ideas and it fit perfectly with my 100 Drabble Challenge. I hope you like what I've come up with, even tho it's a lil bit intense jhskjdfs 💜 ily

○ Post Date: January 4, 2024

○ Masterlist | Send me ur thots

○ What was Jai listening to? A spooky siren Spotify playlist

“Taehyung-ah! You have two hours before dinner, okay?” 

“Yes, eomma!” 

“Don’t make me have to come find you!” 

“Yes, eomma!” Taehyung calls out before closing the sliding glass door to their deck. 

The Kim family beach house sits just behind the sand dunes separating the beach from the homes lining the streets of their quiet town. The homes are nothing special, just boxy buildings with large windows built on high foundations to protect from flooding. The residents’ real treasures are boats, and the Kim dock is where Taehyung heads. 

Taehyung’s fluffy hair whips in the cool autumn wind during his trek through the cleared walkway between the dunes leading to the beach. Reaching the sand, the toes of his boots darken as he trudges through it. All morning, it rained, making the sand clump like wet dirt. Slimy seaweed and other debris cake the shoreline, so Taehyung carefully walks along the beach. 

The Kim dock isn’t anything fancy. Taehyung’s father built it himself out of wood he cut, sanded, and treated with his bare hands years ago. They keep their small fishing boat anchored to it – Singularity, named by Taehyung. He didn't know what to say when his parents asked him what it meant. He couldn’t outright admit that the word came to him in whispers in the wind when he sat at the edge of the dock, feet kicking in the air above the water. Taehyung has told one too many stories in the past; his parents are tired of hearing about his conversations with the wind. They said he would grow out of it, but Taehyung is freshly twenty, no longer a child, yet the wind still speaks. 

It’s cold without the sun to chase away the rain clouds. Taehyung zips his windbreaker up to the base of his throat and crouches at the edge of the dock to peer out at the ocean. The water is clouded from the rain kicking up the sandy floor.

“Hi,” Taehyung speaks to the wind and hopes it remembers. 

He left his phone at home, so he has no way of knowing how long he waits. The dock is rain-soaked, but his thighs burn from crouching. He opts for kneeling and shivers when his jeans absorb water at the knees.

“My Tae?” 

“Yes!” Taehyung perks up, eyes searching the horizon where the gray sky meets the murky ocean waters. He never sees anything; it’s just the wind. He looks anyway. 

“Where have you been, my Tae?” The wind sounds disappointed, and guilt makes Taehyung shrink further into his jacket like a frightened animal backed into a corner. 

“I’m sorry. I go to college now,” Taehyung admits sheepishly, “Far from here, so I can only visit during school breaks.” 

Waves lap at the legs of the dock. Sometimes, Taehyung thinks he sees things in the water, shadows bigger than the fish he catches off the dock in the summers. His father insists that the water is too shallow for large fish like sharks, but Taehyung doesn’t believe him. 

“I miss my Tae when he isn’t around…” 

Is it possible for a voice to be addicting? Taehyung swears the wind’s voice calms him. It’s silvery and alluring, a lullaby he could find himself falling into. He imagines himself falling asleep on a note, riding the soundwaves of the wind’s voice, ringing pure and cutting through the splash of waves meeting the dock. Sometimes, he wishes the wind would sing to him, knowing it would be a kind of heaven on earth if it did. 

“I miss you, too. It’s hard making new friends. I can’t just talk to them about anything like I can with you.” He closes his eyes and feels the wind kiss each eyelid.

“You are my only friend,” the wind whispers, sounding so close that Taehyung thinks he can feel the wind swirl against the side of his face. 

The air smells stronger now, a mixture of saltwater and petrichor. A cold front must be approaching. Taehyung worries it may rain again, but he doesn’t open his eyes to check. Something tells him not to, that it’s safer if he keeps them closed, though he doesn’t know why he’d need to be kept safe. Safe from what? The wind? 

“Open your eyes, Taehyung,” the wind whispers softly, alluring, a temptation so sweet that Taehyung feels himself falling into it, “See me.” 

“I’m scared,” Taehyung whimpers with a shiver. He tucks his hands between his thighs and holds his breath when he feels something caress his jaw, a light pressure like an index finger trailing from his earlobe to his chin. 

“Why are you scared? I love you, my Tae.” The light touch sweeps back along his jaw and then trails down Taehyung’s throat until the collar of his jacket stops it. His wind loves him. “I would never hurt you. Now open your eyes.” 

Cold hands gently cradle Taehyung’s face, palms to his cheeks. The hands are soft, slightly damp, and very much real. The wind can’t have hands, he tells himself. The wind is just wind. Taehyung’s stomach churns, tumbling like it does when his father’s boat hits a patch of rocky waves, sending fish flopping onto the bed of the boat and making Taehyung’s boots slide against the aluminum. 

With his heart fluttering like a caged hummingbird, Taehyung slowly opens his eyes. 

The wind is not air, but a young man with eyes a murky green like the sea who stares at Taehyung with parted glossy lips. Taehyung catches a glimpse of sharpened teeth behind those luscious lips, but he can’t focus on only one thing when there is so much of the man to take in. His shockingly white hair is messily braided with strips of seaweed and strings of pink pearls and draped over his shoulder – his naked shoulder – and Taehyung realizes the man is shirtless. Little jewels, pearls, and other shimmery gems decorate the man’s chest, outlining his sides until they reach his waist – covered in green scales that gleam despite the lack of sun. Taehyung inhales sharply when his eyes finally land on the sparkly fishtail draped over the side of the dock. 

“I–” Panic swells in Taehyung’s chest. He gasps as though he’s been pulled underwater, the moisture in the air like the ocean in his lungs. “Who, who are you?”

“I am your wind, Taehyung,” the man says with a small smile. When he slides one hand up Taehyung’s face to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear, he makes a sound like a cat purring. “But in the water, I am called Jimin.” 

“Jimin,” Taehyung whispers. Jimin. It is such a soft name; Taehyung likes how his lips pucker when he says it. “Why didn’t you ever tell me your name? Why didn’t you show yourself to me?” 

Jimin gives Taehyung a sad smile. “I was scared, too.” 

Taehyung’s heart still beats frantically in his chest, but he calms down as Jimin plays with his hair, caressing and running his fingers through the strands. Jimin calls out Taehyung’s name, whispering it like a secret only they know, “My Tae, my sweet Tae, my precious Taehyungie, so happy to finally touch you.” 

Taehyung finds himself closing his eyes and leaning into Jimin’s touch, letting out a quiet whimper when Jimin lightly scratches his scalp. Hypnotizing – the word bubbles up to the surface of Taehyung’s mind, his thoughts murky like the water beneath the dock. The wind, Jimin, is hypnotizing. 

“Why?” Taehyung asks without explanation, but Jimin knows everything. 

“I want to keep you.” 

“Hmm?” Taehyung lifts his head, realizing he has rested it on Jimin’s shoulder. It’s comfortable in Jimin’s embrace, even though Taehyung’s pants are thoroughly soaked from rain and ocean water, and Jimin’s scales feel strange under his fingers when he skips them along Jimin’s waist. 

“I want to keep you, my Tae. I can’t let you go.” 

“Keep me where?” Taehyung asks with glossy round eyes. He points to the waves lapping at the dock. “In there?” 

Jimin licks his lips, and Taehyung feels his stomach churn and dip like the climax of a rollercoaster or a freefall from a plane. 

“Yes.” Jimin runs his thumb along the apple of Taehyung’s cheek. His touch is just as soothing as it is terrifying; Taehyung can’t comprehend how that is. “Will you come with me?” 

Taehyung can’t. He can’t survive in the ocean; doesn’t his wind know that? 

But there’s still the pull. The source of it sinks lower until it’s tugging at Taehyung’s belly, making him heat up despite the temperature quickly dropping around them. It’s almost night; he’s unsure if he has already missed dinner or if his mother is searching for him. Looking over his shoulder, he sees nothing– hears nothing but the chirp of gulls and the crash of waves. 

“Taehyung.” 

Jimin’s fingers curl around Taehyung’s chin and force Taehyung to face him again. The color of his eyes seems to have darkened with the sky, a light gray now when it was once green. 

Taehyung’s name sounds so pretty, coming from Jimin’s pillowy lips, lips glossy and pink like the pearls in his hair, and the gems decorating his body. 

Taehyung feels the pull, and he wonders if it’s Jimin giving him sealegs, even though they’re both sitting down. Something is terrifying about his beauty, something uncanny, like an android that looks a little too real, or the feeling you get when you realize a photograph is actually a painting – still beautiful but deceptive. There’s something scary about Jimin that Taehyung can’t fully understand before it slips through his fingers like sand. 

Taehyung wants to kiss him. 

“I want to kiss you,” he says, not knowing why he admits it out loud. He can’t stop himself from leaning into Jimin when he pulls Taehyung against him. 

“My sweet Tae,” Jimin murmurs into Taehyung’s mouth. 

Jimin’s tongue is slippery and tastes like saltwater, but it’s warm and deft as it flicks against Taehyung’s lips and slithers along Taehyung’s tongue. His hands tangle in Taehyung’s hair, yanking his head to the side to deepen the kiss. It’s fast and desperate, Taehyung moaning and gasping into Jimin and Jimin taking it with bites to Taehyung’s lips and groans of his own. Taehyung has never been kissed like this, held so gently but ravaged. His lungs burn as he drowns in his wind. 

Taehyung groans when Jimin releases his mouth to suck on his neck, just above his jacket’s collar. Taehyung can do nothing but let Jimin pull his head back, and he watches the stars come into view when he’s laid flat on his back. Water soaks his hair, making the strands turn black, and Taehyung’s body shivers from the cold. Only his torso is relatively dry. 

“Jimin,” Taehyung calls out, voice gravelly, nearly stuck in the back of his throat. “I can’t.” 

I can’t survive in the ocean, he thinks, and can’t speak because Jimin suddenly straddles his thighs. 

“Stay with me, Taehyung,” Jimin pleads, but it’s spoken with an authority Taehyung can’t imagine disobeying.

“Your legs,” Taehyung chokes and tries to push himself up on his elbows. 

Gone is Jimin’s elegant tail. He has legs now, pretty legs with a smattering of green scales at his hips and along his calves. Jimin grips Taehyung’s hips with fingers that are greenish at the tips. His nails are sharpened into points and dig into his skin, even through his jacket.

“If you will not stay with me, let me give my Tae a gift,” Jimin whispers, his eyes sparkling like the ocean under the moonlight. 

Taehyung nods quickly and squirms beneath him. “Something to remember you until I can visit again?”

Jimin licks his lips, eyes boring into Taehyung’s, and Taehyung gets another glimpse of sharp teeth. He rakes his nails down Taehyung’s body, from his hips to the tops of his thighs. Taehyung hears the denim rip and fray, but Jimin’s nails don’t break his skin. 

“You’ll never forget me, my Tae.” 

“Of course not,” Taehyung pants with a heaving chest. He feels wild, an animal taunted by the rattle of his ribs when Jimin suddenly shakes him. 

“Your gift,” Jimin whispers as he leans forward, walking his green-tipped fingers up Taehyung’s torso until they’re hooked around his shoulders. 

“My gift…” 

Taehyung watches Jimin’s eyes change, shifting from gray to bright white, and his pupils turn into pinpoints. 

“My heart is pierced by Cupid; I disdain all glittering gold,” Jimin sings softly as he yanks Taehyung into a sitting position and straddles his lap, “There is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold.” 

The song sounds familiar, but Taehyung doesn’t know why. The memory sits on the tip of his tongue and dances to the haunting tune of Jimin’s cadence, just out of Taehyung’s grasp. He finds that it doesn’t matter – not the memory, nor anything else. 

“His hair, it hangs in ringlets, his eyes as black as coal. My happiness attend him wherever he may go.” 

Taehyung’s head lolls to the side. He no longer holds it up, just lets Jimin’s warm palms squeeze his cheeks to keep him upright. He goes where Jimin moves him, tips his head backward when Jimin wants to stare into his eyes. 

“From Tower Hill to Blackwall, I'll wander, weep, and moan, all for my jolly sailor, until he sails home.”

Jimin’s nails puncture Taehyung’s jacket. He hooks his fingers through the material as he wraps his legs around Taehyung’s waist. Before Taehyung has the chance to do anything but let out a startled gasp, Jimin falls backward into the water, taking Taehyung with him. 

There is no splash when their bodies slip past the ocean’s surface, only bubbles that pattern the otherwise still waters. The waves no longer lap against the Kim family’s dock. The wind no longer speaks. 

@jooniesxbby @taegeum

Disclaimer: All my writing is fictional and for entertainment purposes only. None of these characters are meant to actually represent the real people mentioned in the stories. 

All rights reserved © @gimmethatagustd​ - Do not copy, repost, modify, or translate any of my writing. Do not use my writing for any AI purposes whatsoever. Do not use my fics for anything aside from reading and commenting on them. My fics will only be posted on this Tumblr and on AO3 (gimmethatagustd & daddytaehyungie). Request an AO3 account here.

[the-fiction-witch]

You Know You Don't Have To Ask

Media - The Maze Runner Series Character - Newt Couple - Newt X Reader Reader - Y/n Rating - Adorable +Sad Word Count - 3125

I stood and gazed out at the haunting scene before me. The skeletal remains of buildings jutted out from the barren landscape, surrounded by the decaying hulks of cars left to be swallowed by the shifting sands. The relentless sun beat down, baking the world into a dry, desolate desert.

I watched with a twisting tightness on my chest, at Newt.

He perched precariously on the edge of the rooftop, taking in the desolate panorama that stretched out before him, a stark contrast to the bustling activity of the nearby encampment. His worn boots, caked with layers of dust and grime, barely clung to his feet, the laces frayed and loose. The sun-bleached cargo trousers, once a deep shade of khaki, now bore the marks of countless journeys through harsh terrain, their fabric worn and faded. His once pristine white t-shirt had become a muted shade of grey, a testament to the passage of time and the rigours of his environment. The threadbare green button-down, missing several buttons, offered limited protection against the elements, while the thin red jacket, its collar turned up for added defence, shielded his neck from the unrelenting sun. His skin had tanned somewhat since our escape as if the sun was trying to bake him too. But I suppose we all had a bit of that. His blonde hair in desperate need of a trim seemed to glow gold in the sunlight.

I wanted to give him his space, he clearly wanted to be alone. I couldn't blame him after all, even after all this time together we still need our time alone. And given all we had lost of late... I didn't want to disturb him.

But he spoke up, "Hiding in the dark doesn't mean I don't know you're there love," He chuckled,

I let my smile break and went over sitting beside him, "Hi Newt,"

"Hi Y/n," He forced a smile back,

"Can I?" I asked my Y/e/C eyes peering into his brown ones,

"You know you don't have to ask," he smiled more genuinely and closed the gap between us letting us share a sweet soft kiss. When we pulled back his eyes flicked down at me and back up again, "Excuse me?"

"...What?" I feigned my innocence,

"That's my coat," He complained, "What are you doing with it?"

I looked down at Newt's fluffy aviator coat around me and blushed, "Wearing it,"

"Don't get smart with me," he chuckled kissing my forehead, "Is it keeping you cosy?"

"Mhm," I nodded,

"Alright, then you can wear it," He rolled his eyes, "But I want it back after dinner,"

"Fine," I sighed, "What are you doing out here?" I asked after a few moments of silence,

"...Thinking, Breathing, Existing I suppose,"

"Don't get smart with me,"

"Sorry," he chuckled, "It's complicated Y/n..."

"Do you want to tell me or..."

"I... I need to,"

"You don't have to tell me anything Newt,"

"I do. I really do." He nodded, "I... I can't hide this anymore,"

He sighed and slowly pulled up his sleeve, and there it was. Not a single word needed to be spoken. His forearm had grown pale, the veins below his skin in various stages of darkening, some only a pale grey, others black as night. Some of the more prominent veins had even raised up out of his skin, the infection crawling growing through him like ivy crawling into every crack and crevice. It reached his wrist and I didn't know how high on his arm it went as he only rolled it up to his elbow but it was clear it went beyond that.

"I've been thinking... maybe Wicked just put me in there, so they could tell the difference between immunes like you and people like me."

"Newt... don't say that," I took his hand,"

"But it's true... it has to be, if some of us weren't immune what other reason were we there?" He asked his voice getting choked up, "That's all I ever was. All Winston ever was. The moment we came out we both got infected... We were nothing but controls."

"Newt." I stopped him taking his cheeks in my hands, "You are not a control. You are not an experiment. You're Newt." I remind him, "You're newt. No matter why you were in there, no matter what reasons they might have had you're still you. You still did what you did, became the person you did, made the friends you did... Because you're you." I told him, "And you know I love you,"

"I love you too," A tear slipped from his left eye tumbling down his cheek so I wiped it away with my thumb, "You- You always know how to fix me, Y/n," He smiled, "... But I don't think even you can fix this." He said looking down at his arm, "I'm going to die, Aren't I? Just like Winston, like Ben and Alby. I'll turn into a vicious, mindless crank. I- I won't be able to stop myself from hurting you."

"... You might, but that's a long way off." I told him, "For now we'll work together trying things to slow it down. Hopefully, we will find something soon that will help."

"I hope so," He nodded, "Y/n..."

"Yes, Newt?"

"You know I love you, so much," he batted his nose against mine, "Since the moment I met you."

"I know Newt, I love you too." I cooed, "You know that don't you?"

"I do, I just... I want to make sure I tell you every day from now on. Just- Just in case I-"

Silence lingered,

"Okay," I nodded, "Come on let's see what the med tent has that might keep you from feeling so sick."

"Okay," he nodded, "Y/n?"

"Yes, Newt?"

"Can I?"

"You know you don't have to ask," I chuckled giving his lips a soft and sweet kiss, this kiss was longer than most of our common kisses, he was savouring it and I suppose I was too. But when we pulled back I kissed his forehead and took his hand to help him up and back towards camp.

I sat in the back of the jeep, my feet up on the seat a blanket over my legs, I hadn't gone to sleep with it but I know Newt must have put it over me while I was sleeping. Newt sat in the back with me too, when I had gone to sleep he was sat with his back against the door and his feet up against the centre console between the front seats, my head had been on his chest while we got some sleep. But he had since moved sitting with his back against the seat back, my head on his shoulder as he tapped the small metal box with his fingertips.

"Medicine time?" I asked sitting up and rubbing my eyes,

"I-" He tried to begin,

"It was medicine time twenty minutes ago," Fry spoke up from the front seat where he was driving, thomas asleep in the passenger seat, "He's avoiding it."

"I'll avoid you in a minute," Newt protested kicking Fry's seat,

I just glared at him,

"Sorry..."

"It's alright, you should have woke me anyway,"

"I didn't want to, you were sleeping too soundly,"

"Doesn't matter," I told him, I took the metal box from him and opened it up revealing everything we had packed for our trip to the city for him. Glass ampules full of what little medication seemed to be helping him, needles, and bandages and anything else we may have needed. I grabbed the ampule and snapped it to open it up, I grabbed a new needle and took up the dose, all while Newt sat and watched me.

He was growing disillusioned with it all, but I can't blame him. The Virus was growing fast, and the cure moved slowly. But We couldn't just do nothing.

I held his hand softly in my own and made him pull back his sleeve to see how it crawled so violently through him. I slowly gave him the injection finding it hard to meet his eyes when I did, I made sure to strike the centre with my needle even if it filled me with rage. The exact spot where Wicked had injected him when we first arrived at the compound, was the centre of his virus. We all wished to believe it was just the only fresh open wound that just happened to be where the virus found its way in... but part of me couldn't avoid thinking they had done this on purpose to him. But the medicine did its job and already had taken some of the smaller grey veins away as it began its work.

"There we go, all better." I smiled as I packed everything away,

"I think I'm a bit far from all better Y/n," he said sadly,

"Better," I told him rubbing his nose with mine which forced him to smile,

"Do you think... as I was a very big brave boy... Can I?"

"You know you don't have to ask," I smiled giving him a soft kiss before we cuddled up on the backseat once more,

"Still as adorable and annoying as in the glade," Fry said as he drove,

"Jealous," Newt kicked his seat again,

"Newt?"

"Yes, Y/n?" He looked down at me,

"Can I?" I asked,

"You know you don't have to ask," he chuckled giving my lips another soft kiss.

I felt the weight of the world as it crumbled around me. Both literally and figuratively. The last city had begun to crumble, fires raging and glass-shattering, buildings tumbling down like sandcastles. The dark shy lit by the light of destruction, of red flame rather than the cold blue light of wicked.

It was over. Wicked was over.

But then... where does that leave us?

Brenda and Fry had gotten out everyone they could from the Wicked labs everyone who could and wanted to be saved. Minho and Gally ran ahead to meet up with them to get us out of the city before it came down on our heads. And ... to fetch the last of the serums.

Thomas and I carried Newt in our arms, the two of us forcing him to walk as he argued and protested every step of the way, screaming and crying at us to leave him behind.

In the city the virus had spread in him faster than anything we could do to contain it, I had been giving him every medication we could find but nothing had worked. Now all that remained was his own willpower to fight against it, but even that was failing him. The pain was too much for him to even walk.

The last serum, the only one we had yet to try was with Brenda across the city, but that was a long walk away.

For a moment we had to stop, putting Newt down on the cold pavement as thomas caught his breath, But I still tried.

"Leave me. The two of you get out just leave me here..." he begged,

Thomas didn't answer for a moment,

"No. I am not leaving you here..." I told him as I tried to carry him and drag him by myself, but I wasn't strong enough on my own. "No. I am. Not. Leaving. Without. you." I said as I tried and failed to drag him a long,

"Y/n." Thomas grabbed me by the shoulders, "... We drag him out and then what." He asked tears in his eyes, "We... we can't keep this up forever," He said but my eyes never left Newt's body as it gasped and cried, "Even if we do... how long will he last? how long would it give him? Where does it end Y/n?"

"Long enough." I snapped kneeling beside him and holding his hand so tightly,

"Please... please... just go, I want you to be safe Y/n..."

"I am not leaving you, not now. Not ever."

"Even if I'd kill you..."

"Even so." I nodded, "I love you too much to let you go,"

"I love you too..." he muttered,

"Alright. Come on Newt lets go." Thomas agreed trying to pick Newt up but the virus took hold once more and he screamed out forcing thomas to the floor,

"No! Take her. And go. Get her out of here Tommy."

"She's not leaving you and neither am I." he nodded, "I'm sorry Newt, but we have to get you out of here."

"Fine..." He screamed out as he grabbed the gun from Thomas' hip,

"No!" I screamed,

I jumped on his back and forced the gun out of his hand tossing it away so he couldn't get it,

He turned and screamed at me but it was so horrifically inhuman, no trace of his voice, only of a crank, his eyes black, and the dark bile dripping from his lips as he came at me trying to bite me, grab me, anything he could to hurt me, I had no choice but to fight him off until thomas forced him away from me, but that only made him attack thomas. I did what I could to separate them, Thomas and I doing our best to keep him off each other in the hope he would calm down and regain some humanity or at least it would give us long enough to get the serum.

But He had enough of us, he grabbed the knife from his ankle holster and went for his own neck but I grabbed his arm, screaming at him in the hope he might listen to us, but he came at me trying to attack me with the knife and he managed to cut the top of my arm, making me hit the floor and scream clutching my bleeding arm.

"Y/n!" Thomas yelled out to me,

"Na-Y/n..." Newt regained some of his mind, his eyes filled with tears as he saw what he had done to me, "no, no no no..." He cried dropping the knife to the pavement, "Y/n... I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay, it's okay." I tried to comfort him, "You didn't mean to,"

"Please Tommy... please," Newt begged, offering him the knife. "I can't hurt her again."

Thomas came and took the knife from him, "I'm not gonna do that Newt. Come on. It's not far from the Berg. You can make it and we can-"

"NO!" Newt screamed as the crank took hold once more, "I. Can't. I won't..." He battled with himself the crank wanting to scream, bite attack, and Newt begging to die before he could hurt me again, but thomas wouldn't do it, and Newt's willpower gave out.

Newt attacked him clawing and trying to bite him like a rabbit animal until ...

it was over.

Newt had run into him forced him to fight, and the blade found its way into Newt's heart.

His body dropped, and his blood flowed onto the cold pavement stone.

For a moment there was nothing but silence.

Until an uncontrollable scream came from my lips, tears flooding down my cheeks, my voice echoing through the city, it wasn't even words, just screams of utter agony.

"I- I didn't mean to... I -" Thomas tried to explain,

But I just moved as close as I could kneeling at the side of Newt's body, taking his hand in mine, watching the life leave his eyes, and in those last few moments he regained the last of himself, he stroked my cheek.

"Y/n... I... I love you,"

"I love you too... I've always loved you, from the moment we met in the maze I love you, never once have I ever stopped or even doubted it. And I swear I will love you for the rest of my life. And beyond if I can."

"Don't." He said, "Please... be happy without me,"

"I can't you know I can't, you know I never will be! not without you!"

"Then say you'll still smile for me sometimes... at least,"

"I promise," I cried,

"Y/n... Can I?" he begged,

"You know you don't have to ask," I whined,

With the last of his strength, he kissed me, our final kiss.

When we pulled away, thomas pulled me back.

"Take care of her tommy..." His last words. and he was gone.

I cried hysterically unable to even stand,

"Brenda..." Thomas gasped,

I looked up and saw her there, serum in hand. Gally and Minho are behind her. It would have only taken another two minutes...

I sat by the sand watching the waves kiss the beach, hugging my arms as I wore Newt's jacket around me.

"Hey Y/n..." Minho came and sat beside me,

"Hey," I wiped my tears,

"You okay?"

"Doing better... slowly," I answered rubbing my scar,

"I didn't mean your arm..."

"Much the same, things are slow."

"I can't imagine how this must be for you,"

"It hurts, but I suppose he's happy. Not trapped as a horrible crank."

"Yeah, he'd have hated it." he chuckled,

"He would," I nodded, "What did you just do?" I asked looking at the dust on his hands,

"Put Ben up on the rock."

I nodded but didn't speak,

"No one's put Newt on there yet." he said, "it should be you. Y/n. He'd have wanted it to be you."

"I know... Just hard to... have it be set in stone that he's gone..."

"Would you rather you forget?"

"No. never."

"Would you rather everyone here forget? Given everything he did for us. For them. None of this would be here without him."

"You're right," I nodded,

"Come on girly, the sunset is beautiful tonight."

I slowly got to my feet, and walked with Minho back into camp, almost like everyone knew what I was doing and where I was going, those who knew Newt followed, thomas, fry, gally, Brenda, and even those from group B and right arms camp who had met him.

When we reached the stone it felt so... large and endless. All the names are written on it.

I took the knife and stepped up on my own, I picked a spot a nice one, where everyone could see it, and letter by letter I carved his name. Each one took time and effort, and I went over each one a few times. To make it deep, and prominent, and to make sure my letters were straight.

When I was done I brushed off the dirt seeing his name in the stone felt so final, I ran my fingers across the letters and found that even his name had a view across the water like he could watch the waves with me forever. I brushed a few tears from my face and whispered that I loved him before I returned the blade and gave everyone a small smile likely the first since his death.

Everyone cheered and Thomas gave me a tight hug, which I returned, Minho and Fry joining in too.

And when I dried the last of my tears we headed to the bonfire to try and enjoy paradise. 

[mousetoe-wc]

I Got bored one time awhile ago and made a list of every prefix plus some into organised sections so I thought I might as well share.

All the ones that aren’t cannon to warriors, yet at lest are bold

Describing names

Colours: red, russet, copper, golden, amber, yellow, green, blue, violet, pink, white, gray, black, ebony, dark, pale, silver, brown, tawny, fallow

Pattern, Texture + Size: spot/ted, dapple, speckle, freckle, brindle, patch, mottle, ragged, tangle, kink, bristle, fuzzy, curl/y, wooly, soft, sleek, little, tiny, small, slight, short, tall, long, big, heavy, crooked, broken, half, stumpy, shred, torn, jagged

Actions + Character: flip, pounce, bounce, jump, hop, crouch, down, low, drift, flail, strike, running, fidget, mumble, whistle, snap, sneeze, shiver/ing, shining, flutter, fallen, lost, rush, fleet, quick, shy, sweet, brave, loud, quiet, wild, hope, wish,

Other: claw, whisker, dead, odd, one, spike, fringe, echo, song, hallow, haven

Elements

Time + Weather: day, night, dusk, dawn, morning, sky, sun/ny, moon, storm, lightning, thunder, cloud/y, mist/y, fog, snow, blizzard, ice, frost, dew, drizzle, rain, clear, wind, breeze, gale, shadow, shade, bright, light,

Earth/Water/Fire names: stone, rock, boulder, slate, flint, pebble, gravel, sand/y, dust, mud/dy, meadow, hill, rubble, river, ripple, whorl, float, rapid, shimmer, lake, swamp, marsh, wave, wet, bubbling, splash, puddle, pool, creek, fire, flame, flicker, flash, blaze, scorch, ember, spark, ash, soot, cinder, smoke

Plants

Trees: alder, aspen, birch, beech, cedar, cypress, pine, elm, willow, oak, larch, maple, bay, rowan, timber, bark, log, wood, twig, acorn, cone, seed, spire

Berry/Nut/Fruit/Herb: juniper, elder, sloe, holly, yew, mistle, bramble, hickory, hazel, chestnut, nut, apple, cherry, cranberry, olive, pear, plum, peach, chive, mint, fennel, sage, basil, mallow, parsley

Flowers: aster, poppy, primrose, rose, bluebell, marigold, tansy, pansy, briar, cherry, daisy, dandelion, daffodil, tulip, violet, lily, myrtle, thrift, yarrow, heather, lavender, blossom, bloom, flower, petal

Other: leaf, frond, fern, bracken, sorrel, hay, rye, oat, wheat, cotton, reed, pod, cinnamon, milkweed, grass, clover, weed, stem, sedge, gorse, furze, flax, nettle, thistle, ivy, moss, lichen, bush, vine, root, thorn, prickle, nectar

Animals

Mammals: mouse, rat, mole, vole, shrew, squirrel, hedgehog, bat, rabbit, hare, ferret, weasel, stoat, mink, marten, otter, hog, wolf, hound, fox, vixen, badger, deer, doe, stag, fawn, sheep, cow, pig, lion, tiger, leopard, lynx, milk

Birds: robin, jay, cardinal, thrush, sparrow, swallow, shrike, starling, rook, swift, dove, pigeon, crow, raven, duck, goose, heron, wren, finch, swan, stork, quail, gull, lark, owl, eagle, hawk, kestrel, buzzard, kite, hoot, feather, bird, egg, talon

Fish, Reptiles + Amphibians: pike, perch, pollack, trout, tench, cod, carp, bass, bream, eel, minnow, fin, snake, adder, lizard, turtle, frog, toad, newt

Bug type Names: bug, lady or ladybug, moth, spider, ant, snail, slug, beetle, bee, wasp, dragon or dragonfly, bumble, worm, maggot, cricket, fly, midge, web, honey

Skyclan + Warriorclan: Bella, Billy, Big, Harry, Harvey, Snook, Ebony, Monkey

[flubnuggetpurple]

Dove Cameron’s Alchemical album is so fucking bat coded I feel like a conspiracy theorist.

(This went off the rails at one point, so WARNING: vague mentions of sexual assault and being drugged without consent)

First song: Lethal Woman.

Cass, all over, right? The bridge is “she walks like a saint, floats like an angel, sharp like a knife under the table”

c o m e o n

Second song: Still.

“Man on the screen, they only see whatever you want them to see” and “Supernova self-erasing, hourglass is always draining”

Could be either Tim or Bruce, but I lean toward Tim because of “how dare you, dare me to love you, if you jump I will too” because whenever Tim decides he loves someone, he’s the ride or die, ends of the earth type, even if they don’t even know who he is. A) how and why he became Robin in the first place, B) The Cloning Thing, C) an argument could be made for the Captain Boomerang thing (but now that I think of it, I think I’m mostly basing this off fanon oh well ontotgenextone).

Song Three: Breakfast.

I will admit out the gate that this one’s a reach, so I’m just going to leave Selina here.

Song Four: Sand.

For this I’m thinking Tim or Jason, for different reasons.

For Tim;

“I saw the end when we began, you couldn’t love the way I can, I tried to bargain with the stars, for more than half your heart but you have more pieces of me than the dessert has sand, and I have less pieces of you than I could hold in my hand” and “our love’s misaligned, ‘cause you’re on my mind every night, I stretch out the time, and now I know why.”

I’m just making it obvious I read the Red Robin run, aren’t I?

For Jason:

“What's worse, being wanted but not loved, or loved but not wanted? What's worse, hearing what you wanna hear, or hearing what's honest?” And “What hurts, is the one thing that you wanna do, is the one thing that you shouldn’t do”

Pre-death Jason, but like, right after the Garzonas thing.

Song five: White Glove.

Okay hear me out.

This is part one of the Dick Grayson saga; the persona he shows to the public. This is Richie Wayne. This is every honeypot mission he went on too young, every woman he’s had to seduce for information (it’s one hundred percent happened before don’t fight me) every source of sexual trauma (that one I’m ninety percent sure is canon) that keeps him up at night.

And this guy’s been a vigilante for over twenty years, he can absolutely recognize drugs by sight, smell, and how they feel when he’s too late to notice something slipped in his drink. He’s felt nearly every strain of fear toxin and every one of Ivy’s pollens. If anyone knows their drugs it’s pretty boy Richie Wayne and Robin.

Song six: God’s Game

This one I’m definitely taking some lines out of context, but for Jason, “Just a boy with a man's face, playin' God's game” is when he’s taking over Crime Alley, pit-mad and trigger happy. “I prepare with so much care, I was runnin', it was stunnin', I am desperate from delusions, not much of a solution, never knowin' what the truth is, oh, God” is when hid plans start to fall apart, when Bruce slits his throat with a batarang, when eventually the pit-madness eventually starts to wear off and he realizes what all he did to Tim, who was a child at the time, not to mention Robin.

He nearly became what the Joker was to him to the next Robin, and I feel like at some point that would occur to him.

Song seven: Boyfriend.

(…Admittedly, I don’t think this one has any grounding in canon and if it does, feel free to educate me.)

So, obviously I could mention Kate Kane at this point, but I know basically nothing about her, so instead I’m going to talk about Steph.

So Steph has definitely had some shitty experiences with guys, right? Like, her dad to begin with, but also the guy who got her pregnant (at like fourteen? Maybe I’m just sheltered, but I don’t think anything about that relationship was heathy—again, I haven’t read many of the comics, so correct me if I’m wrong), then Tim, which, I love him as a character, but didn’t he date her in the mask for like, months, and I have some vague recollections of some dickish things he said (i know i know i need to read more comics)—whatever. Men are shitty.

I have a scene in my head. Like, Steph’s in college, at a bar with friends or something, maybe it’s an under cover op, idk, and there’s this girl she’s been lowkey watching all night. She doesn’t quite know why, but she just keeps catching her eye, and okay, it’s not like she’s never questioned her sexuality, she knows Cass. There have been Extensive conversations with Babs on the subject.

Anyway, so at some point, there’s obviously some sort of argument between the girl and the guy she came with and the girl’s crying, and Steph just Can’t Handle That.

She goes up to her, comforts her, makes a new friend, listens to the whole story.

And at some point, she has the thought.

“I could be a better boyfriend than him.”

She doesn’t necessarily do anything about it that night, but now that she’s had the thought, it won’t leave her alone.

Yeah. So. Maybe I’ll write that story later.

Song eight (last song): FRAGILE THINGS.

Dick Grayson part two; So your mentor (dad) just died, leaving you an angry murder child, another one hanging on by a thread after losing eighty percent of his support system, a grieving butler (grandfather), and a mantle the size of the Most Dangerous City in America. Any direction you move is going to hurt someone, and one kid is more likely to snap and murder people than the other, and hey, if you have to be Batman anyway, might as well let your brilliant kid brother be Nightwing, right? Except, whoops, you forgot to mention that last part and now Timmy thinks you just replaced him without telling him and fuck you knew you were forgetting something and now there’s a goddamned imposter Bruce and—

“Love is like a house of fragile things, where hearts can be broken as easy as antiques, and now there’s glass all shattered at my feet, what we built together, you left in smithereens.”

Anyway. This got kind of incoherent (or maybe it was from the start?)

I accidentally added a poll at the bottom and can’t figure out how to remove it, so.

[bbnibini]

A/N: I wanted to do something I hadn't done before. c: This story is a continuing narrative; all themes for the following days are interconnected and are meant to depict one scene. Thank you so much to @impish-ivy for holding this event! (warning: character death; rapid flashing images) P.S. I like writing Solomon in 2nd POV because it's so much fun to "get into his head".

“Live.”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

They vanish before your eyes.

...and you get to say only a word to them—a word not enough to convey everything you felt; beneath the lightheadedness and the cold air making you shiver as seawater splashes on your feet, you sink, your knees giving out; pain absent in your sensations as the sharp blade plunges further into your flesh. You did not feel anything. Only drowsiness, but you could should not sleep. Not when the stars dotting the night sky reminded you of their eyes. Not when you can finally see it in all its fleeting beauty with the absence of rain.

Seawater entered your ears; your back cold from wet sand. Your eyes stung as waves occasionally hit your face, but you were too tired to walk. 'Maybe later', you thought. Much, much later, when nostalgia couldn’t keep you away from your thoughts anymore. When was the last time you pointed your fingers upwards and connected constellations in the air? Why would you even remember the way they compared your eyes to the night sky now? Why now?

You could not even promise them the stars. It had been another practical joke from the heavens above–when the view was so breathtaking but you had no one to share it with, and there was no downpour to blame for your misfortune. How blessed you are indeed.

You discarded the name He had given you yet his own brand of “parental affection” was as self-serving as it always was. No, you'd rather not think of Him. Not now. Not ever. You decided to focus on what you were feeling instead. The cold seawater. The disintegrating seafoam. The lulling sound of waves hitting your face. The ocean you hated so much. There was beauty in it perhaps—to return to where you came from when your candle is flickering, and the wick that holds its flames is on its very last threads.

You could feel yourself sinking into the sand as the tides carried you back and forth, your vision faltering.

The Big Dipper with two “handles”. Three. Two. Four. You squinted your eyes and finally saw only one.

Saturn on Sagittarius. The morning star in midnight- Aurora Borealis in painted in tropical canvas-no. That can't be. Then, you realised and laughed.

The false sky showed you more impossibilities, perhaps as a way to comfort you. The world in your failing vision is crumbling as much as you were, but it was a great comfort to know that only you got to witness its very last moments. Your sacrifice wasn't in vain. They, after all, lived.

Just like you wished.

Just like you hoped.

Just like you dreamed. .. . . . . .

It should have hurt, but you opened your eyes again, got up, summoned the last ounce of strength you had and kept walking.

----> next

[toomanyfandomstocountlol]

Amphibia DND

Anne: fighter with high rizz.

Sasha: this feels really lazy but basically just Anne

Marcy: She’s a wizard cause she’s big brained. Plus, she uses a crossbow, and wizards are proficient with them

Sprig: ranger, because he’s adventurous and woodsy. Plus, he was kinda a loner before Anne.

Polly: you know when people make gnome/ hobbit barbarians because it’s so funny? That’s Polly. She also has a level or two in artificer because of frobo.

Hop-Pop: me thonkies druid. Does if need to be explained. But he has proficiency in performance as nd the entertainer background.

Ivy: fighter, because I said so

Maddie: wizard, because I think she’s self taught. Might be wrong tho

Grime: fighter, specifically battle tactician or whatever it’s called. Solder background.

Andrias: Man, I don’t even know. Feels like he’s a spellcaster/melee mix? Sorcerer and Fighter maybe?

Lady Olivia: I kinda want to say rouge? She’s pretty sneaky.

General Yunan, Scourge of the Sand Wars, Defeater of Ragnar the Wretched, and the youngest newt to ever achieve the rank of general in the great Newtopian Army!: fighter for sure.

One of the best characters, aka Wally: bard. Duh.

Ugh, is there anymore important characters?

no there is not

[deusvervewrites]

Are you a bigger Marvel fan over Dc? I ask because you have 5* Marvel aus [Captain Midoriya, Flame on, Marvelous, Shifting Sands, and Spider] (*7 if you count Iron Melissa and Symbiosis) vs Maybe 3* Dc aus [Batfam, Solar if that counts, and Wondrous] (*5 if you consider Moss as Poison Ivy and I Am Speed as Flash).

While I am generally more fond of Marvel, I can't help but point out that I have two AUs featuring DC characters and none featuring Marvel

[morally-grey-girlbosses]

Bracket is up! Matchups are in text form under the cut. Reminder that all of these matchups were chosen randomly, and that this bracket will be run in a double elimination style, so a character failing out in round one does NOT prevent them from proceeding into the tournament.

Ursula Boulton (Merge Mansion) vs. Betty Grof (Adventure Time)

Evelyn Wang (Everything Everywhere All At Once) vs. The Coin / Boss (Blaseball)

Morgan Le Fay (Fate) vs. Edelgard Von Hresvelg (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

IMOGEN (Stellar Firma) vs. Amalexia (Elder Scrolls)

Maeby Funke (Arrested Development) vs. Manon Blackbeak (Throne of Glass)

Taylor Hebert / Skitter (Worm) vs. GLaDOS / Caroline (Portal)

Cleo DeNile (Monster High) vs. Nico Robin (One Piece)

Helen Richardson / The Distortion (The Magnus Archives) vs. Calanthe (The Witcher)

Irving Braxiatel (Thieves & Tardises) vs. Nefera DeNile (Monster High)

Alina Starkov (Shadow & Bone) vs. Lady Barbrey Dustin (A Song Of Ice & Fire)

Eclipsa Butterfly (Star vs. the Forces of Evil) vs. Jennifer Check (Jennifer’s Body)

Moira O’Deorain (Overwatch) vs. Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Carribbean)

Iron Maiden Jeanne (Shaman King) vs. Artemis (Greek Myth)

Tomie Kawakami (Tomie) vs. Dame Obsidian (Murdle)

Rachel (Animorphs) vs. Juri Han (Street Fighter)

Shego (Kim Possible) vs. Asajj Ventress (Star Wars)

Tabitha Scarlet (Scarlet Hollow) vs. Morte Asherah (Sands of Destruction)

Theresa (Fable) vs. Morgana Pendragon/Le Fey (BBC Merlin)

Nailgun Sue (IRL) vs. The Witch (Into the Woods)

Chara / The Fallen Human (Undertale) vs. Nimona (Nimona)

Klaasje Amandou (Disco Elysium) vs. Margot “gottiewrites” Garcia (An Unauthorized Fan Treatise)

Prince Ianthe Naberius the First, the Lyctor Prince, the Saint of Awe, previously known as Ianthe Tridentarius, the Princess of Ida, heir to the House of the Third, Mouth of the Emperor, the Procession, House of the Shining Dead (The Locked Tomb) vs. Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade Series)

Anna Croft (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint) vs. Sailor Galaxia (Sailor Moon)

Ms. Pauling (Team Fortress 2) vs. Lady Alcina Dimitrescu (Resident Evil)

Charlie Magne/Morningstar (Hazbin Hotel) vs. Vriska Serket (Homestuck)

Willie Jack (Reservation Dogs) vs. Gretchen Klein (The Wilds)

Rachel (Tower of God) vs. Galadriel (Lord of the Rings)

Charlie (Don’t Starve) vs. Pomegranate Cookie (Cookie Run)

Rose Quartz / Pink Diamond (Steven Universe) vs. Filo (Shield Hero)

Tokiko Shigure (Ai: The Somnium Files) vs. Sandy (TokiDoki Cactus Friends)

Shion Sonozaki (Higurashi When They Cry) vs. Banica Conchita (Evillious Chronicles)

Mima (Touhou) vs. Yūko Ichihara (xxxHolic)

Yuno Gasai (Future Diary) vs. Laerynn Coramar-Seelie (Critical Role)

Riza Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs. Granny Weatherwax (Discworld)

Catherine Earnshaw (Wuthering Heights) vs. Susie Haltmann (Kirby: Planet Robobot)

Lae’Zel (Baldur’s Gate 3) vs. Starlight Glimmer (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Rocky Horror Picture Show) vs. Angela (Library of Ruina)

Miranda Vanderbilt (Monster Prom) vs. Jinx (Arcane / League of Legends)

Rose Thorburn Jr. (Pact) vs. Eva (Umineko When They Cry)

Empress Phillipa Georgiou (Star Trek) vs. Shiv Roy (Succession)

Paige Duplass (The Silt Verses) vs. Akua Sahelian (A Practical Guide to Evil)

Poison Ivy (DCEU) vs. Nickel (IDW Transformers)

Joyce Messier (Disco Elysium) vs. Reagan Ridley (Inside Job)

Kalina (Fantasy High) vs. MegaGirl (Starship)

Sloane Parker (Eidolon Playtest) vs. Power (Chainsaw Man)

Marcille Donato (Dungeon Meshi) vs. Raiden Ei / Beelzebul (Genshin)

Patty Bladell (Insatiable) vs. Remy “Thirteen” Hadley (House MD)

Tanya von Degurechaff (The Saga of Tanya the Evil) vs. Fang Runin (The Poppy War)

Nomi Malone (Showgirls) vs. Han Sooyoung (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint)

Wu Zetian (The Iron Widow) vs. Lariska (Bionicle)

Teresa Agnes (Maze Runner) vs. Emma Perkins (Hatchetfield Series)

Lucrecia Mux / Maligula (Psychonauts) vs. Nadja of Antipaxos (What We Do In The Shadows)

Akako Koizumi (Magic Kaito) vs. Junko Enoshima (Danganronpa)

Blackberry (Chicory: A Colorful Tale) vs. Malva (Pokemon)

Vermouth (Detective Conan) vs. Kumoko / Shiraori (So I’m a Spider So What)

Eleanor (Do Revenge) vs. Bryony Halbech (Red Valley)

Asuka Langley Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion) vs. Terezi Pyrope (Homestuck)

Leliana (Dragon Age) vs. Archbishop Rhea/Seiros (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Grimora (Inscryption) vs. Anthy Himemiya (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

Audrey Redheart (Wandersong) vs. Kyoko Sakura (Puella Magi Madoka Magic)

Fujiko Mine (Lupin III) vs. O-Ren Ishii (Kill Bill)

Anne (WOE.BEGONE) vs. Gwendolyn Poole (Marvel Comics)

Lappland Saluzzo (Arknights) vs. Avrana Kern (Children of Time)

Harley Quinn (DCEU) vs. Cassandra Jones (Rise of the TMNT)

Faith Lehane (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) vs. Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalte / La Signora (Genshin Impact)

Revan (Star Wars) vs Rue Kuroha / Princess Kraehe (Princess Tutu)

Eve (The Bible) vs. Prospera Mercury (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury)

May Angelica Jones Goodwin (It Takes Two) vs. Elle Williams (The Last of Us)

Marina (Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas) vs. Naksu / Mudeok (Alchemy of Souls)

Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) vs. Sucre (OFF)

SHODAN (System Shock) vs. Cocolia (Honkai: Star Rail)

Alana Bloom (NBC Hannibal) vs. Halea Haumea (Phantomarine)

Delirium of the Endless (The Sandman) vs. Arcee (IDW Transformers)

Morganthe (Wizard 101) vs. Wu Zetian (History)

Jude Duarte (Folk of the Air) vs. Miranda Pryce (Wolf 359)

Perihelion/ART (The Murderbot Diaries) vs. Kanamori Sayaka (Keep your Hands off Eizouken!)

Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum (Adventure Time) vs. Anais Watterson (The Amazing World of Gumball)

Croix Meridies (Little Witch Academia) vs. Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)

Harrowhark Nonagesmius (The Locked Tomb) vs. Big Mama (Rise of the TMNT)

Katherine Pierce (The Vampire Diaries) vs. White Gladys the Orca (IRL)

Doctor Carmilla (Doctor Carmilla & the Mechanisms) vs. The Handler (Umbrella Academy)

Catra (She-Ra & The Princesses of Power) vs. Liliana Vess (Magic: The Gathering)

Jasnah Kholin (Stormlight Archive) vs. Liraz (Daughter of Smoke & Bone)

Lilith Clawthorne (TOH) vs. Medea (Greek Myth)

Odin (The Bifrost Incident) vs. Enma Ai (Jigoku Shoujo)

Mordred (Fate) vs. Nana Daiba (Revue Starlight)

Beatrice (Umineko When They Cry) vs. Hester Shaw (Mortal Engines)

Balalaika (Black Lagoon) vs. Any Female Praying Mantis (IRL)

Veronica Sawyer (Heathers) vs. W (Arknights)

Angelica Pickles (Rugrats/All Grown Up) vs. Eleanor Guthry (Black Sails)

Asha Rahiro (Kubera One Last God) vs. Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

The Administrator (Team Fortress 2) vs. Shadowheart (Baldur’s Gate 3)

Noi (Dorohedro) vs. Leopardstar (Warrior Cats)

Sue Miley (Your Turn to Die) vs. Beatrix Kiddo (Kill Bill)

Juliette Cai (These Violent Delights) vs. Rat God (Mad Rat Dead)

Petra Solano (Jane the Virgin) vs. Kycilia Zabi (Mobile Suit Gundam)

Franziska Von Karma (Ace Attorney) vs. Monika (Doki Doki Literature Club)

Anne Boleyn (History) vs. Cinder Fall (RWBY)

Kokomi Teruhashi (Disastrous life of Saiki K) vs. Major Margaret Houlihan (M*A*S*H)

Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd) vs. Enyo (Granblue Fantasy)

Claudia (Interview with the Vampire) vs. Essun/Syenite/Damaya (Broken Earth Trilogy)

Lady Eboshi (Princess Mononoke) vs. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (Bloodborne)

Entrapta (She-Ra & The Princesses of Power) vs. Ilsa Faust (Mission: Impossible)

Princess Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs. Dahlia Hawthorne (Ace Attorney)

Samantha Groves / Root (Person of Interest) vs. Charlotte “Lottie” Matthews (Yellowjackets)

Shanoa (Castlevania) vs. Sally Reed (Barry)

Evil Lynn (He-Man) vs. Makima (Chainsaw Man)

Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls) vs. Raphaella La Coginzi (Doctor Carmilla & The Mechanisms)

Edalyn Clawthorne (The Owl House) vs. Yennefer of Vengerberg (The Witcher)

Toriel Dreemurr (Undertale) vs. Monaco (Hetalia: Axis Powers)

Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Carribbean) vs. Vala Mal Doran (Stargate)

Wanda Maximoff (MCU) vs. Adelina Amouteru (Young Elites)

Mapleshade (Warrior Cats) vs. Amy Dunne (Gone Girl)

Gertrude Robinson (The Magnus Archives) vs. Hornet (Hollow Knight)

Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) vs. PearlescentMoon (Double Life SMP)

Lady Bone Demon (Lego Monkie Kid) vs. Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson Series)

Jung Sun Ah (Devil Judge) vs. Muu Kusonoski (Milgram)

Romanadvoratrelundar (Doctor Who) vs. Electra (Starlight Express)

Rouge the Bat (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs. Akane Kurashiki (Zero Escape)

Wen Qing (The Untamed) vs. Yubel (Yu-Gi-Oh)

Ponyo (Ponyo) vs. Renata Glasc (League of Legends)

Aubrey (OMORI) vs. Menou (The Executioner and Her Way of Life)

Olivia Octavius (Into the Spiderverse) vs. Anna Limon (Mabel)

HG Wells (Warehouse 13) vs. The Shapeshifter (Odd Squad)

Miles “Tails” Prowler (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs. Isabella (Promised Neverland)

Riley Grace Davis / Bonesaw (Worm) vs. The Fairy Godmother (Shrek 2)

Misty Quigley (Yellowjackets) vs. Nami (One Piece)

Olivier Mira Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs. Lucretia (The Adventure Zone: Balance)

[writercole]

If you could pick any HC character to live with you on a desert island, who would it be and why???

That has to be Syverson.

A) He's used to the sand.

B) His special forces training gives him unique survival skills including building a raft and carrying a combat-wounded friend with full gear.

C) I get to run my fingers over/through the hair as it grows. Yes, please!

That was much easier than Ivy's!

[nowis-scales]

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

General Warnings: Depiction of Wounds, Minor Depictions of Violence

Fandoms: Fire Emblem Engage

Relationships: Ivy/Timerra

Additional Tags: Childhood Friends, Childhood Crush, Political Alliances, Flower Crowns, Alternate Universe — Character Swap, First Crush, Slow Build

Story Word Count: 9,200 words

Story Summary: If things had gone differently, Timerra and Ivy would have been friends. If things had gone differently, Elusia and Solm wouldn’t be at odds. If things had gone differently, Ivy would not be left to die, not knowing if Hortensia was still alive. If things had gone differently, Timerra thinks. If things hadn’t gone differently in the past, then she would try and make them different now.

[Read it on AO3.]

The hot sun makes Ivy feel as if she is going to die. The blood seeping out of her wound, even more so. It’s like she can physically feel her eyes longing to roll back into her head as she stares up at the blistering warmth, the expanse of blue sky doing nothing to comfort her as her fingers reach for solace in a mess of sand. Sweat drips down her brow as she lays there, completely spent, poised to be reunited with her father once more.

She didn’t even get to find out if it was true – if Hortensia was alive. It was the only reason she came to this godsforsaken place. If there was a chance, even a chance, that her only surviving family was here, she wanted to be with her. She wanted to be at her side, even if it meant abandoning all that her father once held dear. Before all else, she was Hortensia’s big sister and a servant of the Divine Dragon. She would do what she needed to do.

That conviction… it had led her straight into Zephia’s hand. Were she anyone else, Zephia would have used her to do her bidding – toyed with her like a marionette, using her affection for her father as a weapon to push her towards whatever she wanted… but Ivy was a non-believer. As far as Zephia was concerned, she wasn’t even worth being the Fell Dragon’s pawn. That’s what she had said, with nothing more than the way she looked at her, with such disappointment. It was not a foreign sight. People had been looking at her with those eyes all her life. It was just another piece in a puzzle, another link in a long string of perceived failures. She should have done something more, those eyes screamed. But what more was there to do?

The sunlight burns her eyes. She knows she should close them, to at least try to protect them from the fiery Solmic sky, but to do so now would feel like surrender. She doesn’t want to risk letting herself melt into the expanse of crimson she sees when she shuts them, watching her world slowly get darker as she sinks into the bitterness of death. She doesn’t want to think of her corpse being left for the birds.

She doesn’t want to wonder if this is what Hortensia might have felt like, were her final moments truly her last. She wants to die hoping she will not be greeted by her little sister in the great beyond.

Voices whisper at her in the distance, twisting her thoughts and mind away. If she weren’t wounded, scarlet pooling out of her body and staining the sand, she might have thought herself mad. Now, she can just imagine that the delirium is coming from her impending death. That’s all this is.

Even as the voices get louder, the figures standing above her, trying to get her attention… they are delirium. Just angels come to free her from this living prison.

“Princess… certain…?”

“The… she’s… deserter… we don’t know… enemy…”

“It was my understanding… the… way…”

“… stick your neck out…”

As she stares up at the figures before her, blurred to the point of being little more than a couple of silhouettes, she can’t help but listen in as everything start to fade. There is little sense to their words, and little familiarity, but something about being with them brings her comfort. Perhaps it is they who will guide her towards the loving hands of the beyond, back to the arms of her precious little sister once more. With nothing more to say or to see, Ivy’s eyes begin to flutter shut, embracing death as it crosses her shadow.

__________________________________________

Few people saw the prince and princess of Solm. Even fewer got to see the princesses of Elusia.

That day had been a real treat for the whole company, for now an unusual occurrence would be happening in two ways. However, nobody else seemed to be as excited about it as Timerra was. Wherever she turned, it seemed as if everyone else was rife with hesitation – her mother most of all. It was unlike Queen Seforia to worry so much about something. Fitting in with the kingdom of freedom, she tried to approach most things with a nonchalant ease. Despite this, there were some things Timerra supposed she just couldn’t get off her mind – and how easily an attempt to communicate a desire for peace with the Elusians could go sour seemed to be one of them.

Solm wasn’t a country fond of fighting. Most of the time, they preferred to be left to their own devices. It was why it was so easy for them to forge a contract with Firene: they wanted to live in peace and Firene wanted that too, so they struck up a peace deal, offered some exports in exchange for imports, and all was well. People like the Firenese worked well with the Solmic, like senita cacti and senita moths. The Elusians, on the other hand, were something else entirely.

They were not a country of war quite like the Brodians were, constantly attacking and conquering to try to expand their own rule. In a way, one could say that they took notes from Solm on a preference for more isolation. However, the biggest problem that plagued the Elyosian Alliance when it came to matters of Elusia was that they had an indescribable fascination with the Fell Dragon Sombron. While Timerra and many other Solmic children were raised to treat every religion with respect, the Fell Dragon’s followers were ones that always terrified them. Many religions were harmless, but after the Thousand Years’ War, no one had the confidence to say that any sort of worship of Sombron would be more than a thing of evil. Thus, if the Elusians were Fell Dragon worshippers, then someone must have had some bad blood within them as well… or so the adults told them, anyway. Timerra wasn’t so sure that it was cut and dry. She didn’t feel like a good person just because she believed in Queen Lumera and the Divine Dragon.

Perhaps that was why she didn’t have any trouble smiling before the Elusian royal family as they arrived, bowing and bidding them the warmest welcome to Solm. It was why she didn’t have any fear as she looked into King Hyacinth’s face, thin and greyish, yet not unkind. It was why she took the hand of the first princess when their parents agreed to talk, urging her to come along so she could show her around the palace while their parents talked. After all, what fun would it be to listen to adults talk about crusty old politics all day? Maybe she could even help Mom with relations, making Princess Ivy like her enough to talk them up to King Hyacinth.

Surely, she could be of help in that way. Princess Ivy was easily the most reticent flower bud Solm had ever seen, but with a bit of laughter and a good time, maybe she could blossom into the brightest bloom. This is what Timerra told herself: be brave and be kind, for the good of the kingdom. Never mind that she couldn’t help but want to be near someone like Princess Ivy, who was the prettiest girl she’d ever seen.

Princess Ivy was a bit older than Timerra herself by about two years, about ten years old, and you could definitely tell she was moving towards womanhood sooner than Timerra would be. She was almost a full head taller than her, thin and a bit lanky, but Timerra could tell that she would grow into her body. Her skin was pale like the winter’s snow, an uncommon sight in Solm, where the sun burned bright and hot. That must explain the parasol she had carried in – if someone like her even caught a sun’s wink, her flesh would grow red like a saguaro fruit. Nonetheless, Timerra could not help but admire how smooth and pristine her skin was. Not a single blemish or mark rested upon her, apart from the hint of beauty mark that made a home underneath her lips. It charmed her, for it seemed as if the spot would smile just as Ivy did. She didn’t see much of it, only catching a brief glimpse when she tickled her toddler sister’s tummy, but she had a nice smile. She could put a songstress to shame with that grin, especially with the way it made her eyes sparkle. Surprising no one, Ivy had pretty eyes, too. And pretty hair – it was the colour of the amaranths Timerra had seen in Firenese paintings. It was long and flowed down her back, looking absolutely soft to the touch. She couldn’t help admiring her and her grace as they wandered through the halls of Solm’s Palace, though she was reluctant to look at her too much, lest she grew uncomfortable.

“So, Princess Ivy,” Timerra began, eyes focused forward, “Is there anything you want to see first? We have a great palace here, and I’m sure it’s pretty different from what you guys have over in Elusia, so just say the word and I’ll show you whatever you want!”

Ivy walked behind Timerra, trailing her a bit like one might a tour guide, so Timerra couldn’t see her face to know her answer. In fact, Ivy’s voice did not ring out around them at all. Timerra turned her head back to look at her, wondering if maybe she said something wrong, but when she found her… her head was tilted skyward, drinking in the sight of the architecture. The sight made a grin play at Timerra’s lips.

“It’s really pretty, isn’t it?” she said, giggling to herself at how bewildered Ivy looked when she realized that oh, yes, Timerra had caught her in her daze. “This palace is hundreds of years old. We update it every once in awhile, of course, but it’s mostly maintenance stuff. Still, doing that, it blends a lot of past and present architecture in here.”

Ivy continued to not say much in response, only nod. Even when she spoke to Queen Seforia, she had said nothing more than the customary greeting for a first princess to a queen. If it weren’t for that, she might have wondered if the Elusian princess could speak at all.

“The stuff from about two hundred years ago is my favourite. You can sort of see it in the moulding, up there.” she pointed, tracing her fingers along the spot, taking in the carvings of wolves in gold. “They used a lot of wolves in their stuff back then. I like wolves.”

A pause. Ivy didn’t say anything, still admiring.

“Do you have wolves in Elusia?”

Ivy nodded.

“We mostly have a subspecies of grey wolves here. Most people call them desert wolves.” she paused again. “I guess you guys must have all kinds of wolves in Elusia. They like the snow.”

Ivy nodded again. For a moment, Timerra thought that this might be all she would get out of her, but much to her surprise, Ivy finally seemed to have found her voice.

“They do.” Her cheeks seemed to flush at the fact that she had spoken. It was cute. Still, Timerra tried not to giggle at it, afraid that it would make her not want to speak again. “Glacies wolves are my favourite.”

“Glacies wolves?” Timerra echoed.

“The white ones. They eat white hares and muskoxen. They usually aren’t afraid of people.” She smiled softly. “I don’t usually like animals, but I think they are very pretty.”

“They sound pretty.” A pause. “Say, Princess Ivy, have you ever ridden a wolf before?”

Ivy’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “R-Ridden?” She shook her head. “We have no such traditions in Elusia.”

A mischevious smile crossed Timerra’s face. “Oh, you’re in for a real treat, then. I’m the best wolf rider around these parts. I’ll teach you everything I know.”

A flicker of fear crossed the Elusian princess’s face, but she said nothing, opting only to offer a nervous grin and nod. Were she truly afraid for her life, she would have refused. Thus, Timerra did not hesitate in taking her by the hand and leading her out into the arena, eager to show her new acquaintance what it really meant to ride a wolf like a Solmic warrior.

The rush of the wind running past them as they rode on wolfback, Ivy’s arms wrapped tightly around Timerra’s waist, the way she snuggled into the younger girl’s shoulder. Timerra will never forget the sound of her tiny squeaks every time Ashraf, Timerra’s wolf, would leap over obstacles or turn a little too fast. The experience had been magical without using even a dash of magic; it was a memory that Timerra longed to hang on to. That moment when she climbed off Ashraf, extending a hand to Ivy and seeing that genuine, pleased but exhausted smile on her face… She knew she had done a good thing. Heck, maybe even made a new friend. She didn’t hesitate to invite Ivy to a lunch composed of only Solm’s finest meat next.

Braised beef in grape sauce, meat pie, mutton and cabbage stew, minced-meat dumplings, salt pork, veal rolls… The palace chefs prepared every one of Timerra’s favourite meat dishes for the girls to try. No one knew exactly what Princess Ivy liked, so they thought they might just go for everything. They even threw a few veggie dishes on the side, much to a young Timerra’s disinterest. She would never understand how Princess Ivy could so happily chow down on Clover Salad, but she wasn’t going to make any judgments. At least she could appreciate all of the other piping hot foods they’d laid out for her, all while being a bit embarrassed about the decadent juices that kept threatening to dribble down her chin.

“How’s the food, Princess Ivy?” Timerra asked with a smile and a mouth full of blood sausage.

Ivy swallowed politely before even daring to speak. Oh. Right. Timerra always had trouble with that one. Probably wasn’t as big of a deal in Solm as it was in places like Elusia. “It’s lovely, thank you. Your…” she glanced around the spread, “country is fond of meat, isn’t it?”

Timerra chuckled. “Nah, more like our crown princess is. I thought you could try a sampling platter of different meat dishes from all over. I know Elusia doesn’t really get to talk to the other countries lots.”

Uh-oh. Was she supposed to say that? The way the servants around her tensed slightly made her think maybe she shouldn’t have. Carefree or not, everyone knew how important this relationship with Elusia could be. Merely offending Princess Ivy now could be curtains for the connection, even if Queen Seforia and King Hyacinth could get along… that was how royal relations worked, right? The thought of ruining things made Timerra’s heart skip a beat, and for a moment she considered retracting her statement overall, but the lacking twist in Ivy’s expression told her that maybe she should just… take a moment and wait.

“You’re right, we don’t. They don’t…” she paused. “They don’t like us very much.”

Timerra knew she should have stopped herself, but she found it going along anyway. At the time, she thought maybe it was because she was too curious for her own good, too eager to know about the stranger that came from guarded castle walls, but… The older she grew, the more she began to wonder if it was perhaps truly just a fascination with Ivy herself that drew her forward. After all, it was her way of thinking about it that she recalled desperately wanting to understand.

“Why do you think that?”

Ivy’s shoulders rise and fall, her gaze focused down on her salad. She used her fork to play with the droopy, dressing-drenched leaves. Timerra disliked seeing her looked somber once more. “Because we worship the Fell Dragon.”

Timerra frowned. Something about this made Ivy try to retract her statement.

“Or, most of us do, anyway. We didn’t used to.”

“Do you?”

Ivy looked startled, like a hare caught in a trap. Her mouth opened and then closed again.

“I would like to talk about something else, please.” She pushed for an easy smile that did not come. Timerra’s stomach twisted. She should have known better.

“Sure, um…” she swore she could feel the sweat on her brow. “What do you like to do in your spare time, Princess Ivy?”

“Oh, spare time…” she paused again. The Elusian princess seemed fond of pausing. Everything about her just seemed to be… contemplative. “I’m getting less and less of it now. Royal duties and all that. The rest of the time, I… I study. I read. Sometimes.”

“Really?” Timerra quirked a brow, leaning forward on the table. She had to recover this somehow, so she might as well try to take more of an interest, even when her companion did not have much to say. “You don’t have any hobbies other than that?”

Ivy looked a bit offended. “Being crown princess is an important job. You should know that, too. Don’t you have things to learn?”

“Well, yeah, of course. But it sounds like you’re not really free to do much of anything. You seem so busy. When do you have time to spend with your friends or your sister?”

“I have time with my sister.” Ivy answered, half-defensively. “I have some time with all my siblings. I get the most time with Hortensia.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you had more siblings!” Maybe this could be a good out, she thought. “How many?”

Ivy frowned, turning away. “Thirteen total. All half-siblings. I rarely get to spend more than an hour or two with most of them. Their… mothers don’t like me.”

Timerra pushed a kind smile as best she could. “Well, that sounds like their loss, then. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that you must be a pretty good big sister by watching you with Princess Hortensia.”

Ivy seemed to return her grin, if only by a little. She took this as a good sign, even if she could sense that these siblings were a sensitive subject for her. Best to just focus on the one her father brought along, and be empathetic when talking about the others.

“Still, I’m sure that’s probably kinda hard. You must wish you could spend more time with them. My brother and I are full-blood sibbies and only a year apart, and even we don’t spend that much time together… Although that’s kind of more of a Solm thing.”

“Solmic children don’t spend time together?”

“No, no. It’s more like we’re pretty free. We’re still pretty little, so Mom won’t let us go out without a couple of castle folks to make sure we’re safe, but aside from that, we’re pretty much allowed to do whatever we want. That means Fogado is usually out… especially when I’m in here trying to do princess stuff. I miss hanging out with him.”

Ivy shrugged thoughtfully. “I hadn’t considered how that might make things different here. Honestly… I’ve been jealous ever since I first heard about how much freedom you have. It’s not like that in Elusia. The court is not a nice place, and I have to be watched everywhere I go, in case someone decides to hurt me. I didn’t realize that a life of freedom could be lonely in its own way, too.”

“It is what it is. I try not to worry about it too much.” She didn’t know what to say to Ivy’s admission about the state of Elusia’s court. With the whole country shrouded in mystery, she’d heard nothing but rumours, but she’d thought they were all unfounded. People had a habit of saying whatever about Elusia just to make them seem scary. To hear that there was more truth to them than she thought, well… a girl of eight wouldn’t quite know what to say to comfort someone about that. After all, she was never actively hunted.

Ivy’s fingers traced a circular pattern against the table. “It must be nice.”

It can be, Timerra wanted to say, but she wasn’t sure she saw a point. The worlds she and Ivy lived in… they were so different. They could come to hear more of what the other had to say, but in the end, could they understand each other? Hm. She wondered if that was maybe the very same problem the adults were having. What were Queen Seforia and King Hyacinth talking about, while the two of them ate and played?

“It really bothers you, what’s going on in your court, huh?” Timerra knew better than to pry, but with that sad look on Ivy’s face… She just wasn’t sure what else she was meant to think. “Do you feel lonely?”

Ivy’s face hardened, clearly hoping to give off the impression of a refined young girl, but once she saw the sincerity in Timerra’s eyes… her shoulders slumped and her jaw relaxed. Did she have to be this on guard all the time, Timerra wondered.

Ivy nodded, licking her lips. She did not say anything else. By now, Timerra had gathered that this princess was far from a talkative one. She would have to be the one to carry things, if she wanted them to talk. That was fine. Timerra could do that. To be honest, sometimes people told Timerra that she talked a little too much.

“I can get that. It must feel pretty weird. You’re busy a lot, you don’t get to see your sibbies at all… Doesn’t sound like you get a lot of time to just spend being with people you like. Do you get to spend a lot of time with your dad, at least?”

Ivy seemed to wince at Timerra’s casual terminology, but did not condemn it. “We have father-daughter outings twice a week. He also visits me during my tutoring sessions to see how I’m doing.” A smile crossed her face. “Sometimes he helps me practice by trying to explain to Hortensia what I’ve learned.”

Timerra smiled fondly. She could picture it – Ivy leaning over a dark oak desk, quill scribbling away until King Hyacinth and Princess Hortensia come wandering through the door. They are welcomed readily by the tutor, all too familiar with the king’s routine, and Ivy’s face lights up with delight at the sight of her father and sister. The little toddler goes running to Ivy, and she picks her up with ease, putting her on her lap. King Hyacinth doesn’t even need to say a word for Ivy to begin recounting the story of Elusia’s founding, and how a great many people came together to build the kingdom that they now call home. That must have been so nice for them.

“That sounds pretty cute. Does Hortensia remember much of these?”

Ivy laughed – a small, insignificant snicker, but one that made Timerra’s own heart grin nonetheless – and shook her head. “Not a thing. She just likes that I’m talking to her. I think she will enjoy it someday, though. She’s very smart. Already smarter than I was at her age.”

Timerra found herself snickering and nodding along. “I get that. I see that in Fogado all the time, too.”

“It’s always the ones who aren’t going to rule who get all the best skills,” Ivy sighed, shaking her head. “Nonetheless, I’m sure you have some skills that could come to inspire Prince Fogado, too.”

“Like talking a lot?”

Ivy let out a nervous titter. “Well, you are…” she paused, trying to think of a nice way to say it. There was no nice way to say it. Timerra knew she never shut up, and she did not have a problem with it. Most of the time, it was an asset, making anxious people more comfortable with her because they did not have to shoulder the burden of first conversations. “-loquacious, but that is not what I meant. What I meant was your kindness.”

Timerra tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“King Morion and Queen Ève would not have had their children greet me as you and your mother have. Queen Ève sees Elusians as wreakers of havoc, and King Morion…” Ivy’s face darkened at the thought of the Brodian king. Elusia and Brodia notoriously hated each other. Considering King Morion had been trying to capture Elusian territory for years, Timerra could understand her hatred – even if she knew she should not voice the disapproval for the actions of one of her country’s allies out loud. “He would not allow his sons within three feet of me, if he had his way. You are different.”

Timerra blinked. “Me?” She didn’t think of herself as any different. She was just being herself. Still, though, she supposed she could see what it meant to Ivy.

“You. You’ve probably noticed by now that I am not well-liked – in my own kingdom and outside of it.” Ivy pushed for a smile, clearly hoping for it to come across as sincere. It came out pinched. “Nobody but my father and my sister are this kind to me.”

Pity swelled within her. Based on what she heard, nobody had a real reason to dislike the first Elusian princess other than their own petty grievances. She was just easy to hate because she was there. The idea that this, something that seemed so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, was Ivy’s first kindness in awhile? It broke her heart.

“I just… I merely…” she paused again. “I want to thank you. It… means more to me than I think you understand.”

It does, I think, she longed to answer. I don’t really know what world you’re living in, not without you telling me, but… If she could tell her with such courage her fears and her sorrows, then was there anything to do but to believe her? She was not so much of a coward that she would assume her companion was just trying to pull a trick working from the inside.

“You’re very welcome!” Timerra tried to chirp back, injecting as much honey into her tone as she could manage. “Honestly, it’s no big deal. People should be treating you nicely. I mean, I know I don’t know you that well, but you seem pretty great.”

To Timerra’s surprise, Ivy’s eyes widened a little. For a second she wondered if perhaps she had offended her, but the rosy shade that suddenly appeared on her cheeks and nose told Timerra all she needed to know. “T-Thank you, I… You are lovely, a-as… as well.”

“Thanks!” She leaned forward on the table, careful to avoid her plates and cutlery so nothing would go flying. She once sent a fork four feet in the air by doing that without looking. “Say, if you want, we could keep in touch after this. What would you say to writing back and forth? Would that be okay?”

Ivy’s face lit up like a firework, a distinct twinkle manifesting in her eye. She clearly thought better of it, trying to recompose herself by sitting up taller, but Timerra found herself giggling at her joy anyway. “I… yes, I would… I would love that.” She smoothed the skirt of her dress, as if it would have somehow gotten ruffled by her delight. “I imagine it would be good for Solm and Elusia’s relations as well.”

Timerra shot a pair of finger guns in Ivy’s direction. “You know it!”

A skip in her step after their successful meal, Timerra decided that the next place she would show the Elusian princess would be the greenhouse. Given Elusia’s snowy climate, she was relatively certain that there would be flowers and plants in Solm that she would never have laid eyes on. Only so many things could survive a climate in damn-near seven months of winter. Plus, if naming conventions meant anything, then the Elusian royal family definitely had a thing about plants. It would be the perfect place.

Ivy felt confident enough in Timerra to let her hold her hand as they wandered the greenhouse. She figured that was a good sign. Ivy did not strike her as the kind of person who felt confident to let a lot of people do a lot of different things, so to be trusted with this was… a compliment. She must have really meant what she said when they were eating. Few people were nice to her in the way she deserved. She didn’t understand why. The sight of Ivy’s smile alone, or even the slightest joyful twitch of her mouth – for Timerra, they were enough to make her want to smile every day. So if Ivy wanted to hold her hand as they wandered through the garden, she would not hesitate to do it.

“Say, Princess Ivy, do you know how to make a flower crown?” Timerra asked, knowing in the back of her mind that she did not directly care about the answer. It was just politest to ask.

Ivy shook her head. “Only with tissue paper.”

Timerra’s head flicked back to look at her. “Whoa, really? I didn’t know you could make them with tissue paper! That is too cool.”

A blush rose in the older girl’s cheeks. “Yes, well… In Elusia, the weather…” her voice trailed off. “It is the easiest to do.”

“That’s amazing! You’ve gotta teach me sometime.” Timerra reached up to brush some strands of hair away from her face. “Hey, how about we make a deal? If I teach you how to make a crown with real flowers, will you show me how to make paper craft ones?”

Her companion graced her with another one of her smiles. “Certainly.”

“Perfect!” Timerra cried, squeezing Ivy’s hand tighter in her own as she began to pick up the pace. “Then I’ve got the best thing to show you!”

Truth be told, the Solmic princess had been making flower crowns since she’d first learned to toddle. Her mother had always had an affection for them, even creating a certain sect of the royal greenhouse that would allow her to create as many as she pleased. When asked, Queen Seforia would tell people that making the crowns was just methodical enough that it allowed her to reflect. It was at this spot that she thought over the main issues that plagued their kingdom, searching for solutions and ideas. When her daughter grew old enough, she would bring her there to do the same. Fogado, only a year younger, would follow not long after. While it was a place of politics for the royal family, it was also undeniably a place of pleasure – some of the greatest laughter they had shared was at that very spot, so Timerra knew that Ivy would like it just as much as they did.

Her belief was confirmed the moment they crossed the threshold from the regular flowers to the crowning ones, for Ivy let out a gasp that could only be characterized as sharp delight. Though the greenhouse of the Solmic Royal Palace had been graced with many extravagant and beautiful plants, the crowning area boasted uncountable collections of flowers, all blended together in the richest soil that they could find. Clusters of phacelias danced not far from clouds of lilies, who complimented the pops of purple and yellow that burst forth from the asters and marigolds. Golden poppies gathered with datura discolor flowers, complimented by the bright colours of the chuparosas. Each and every one of the flowers found in this section of the garden were some of Solm’s best, and were taken care of almost as well as, if not better, than the others that were in the main part of the gardens. The biggest difference between them was that here, they were all for the taking.

“Every flower beyond this little section of fence here is ours to play with. You want to make a flower crown with any of these bad boys, you go right ahead,” Timerra laughed, putting her hands on her hips. “Mom for sure won’t mind.”

Ivy blinked, hesitant. “This is your mother’s garden?”

Timerra nodded. “Yeah, but she lets Fogado and I in here to make crowns all the time. She always tells us to bring our friends, too, if we want. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I taught you here.”

Ivy’s face grew dark again, just as it had at the table before. “Are you certain?”

Timerra crossed her heart. “One-hundred percent. Mom’s not the kind to flip out over little things like this, even if she didn’t want us to do it. Even if she did, I promise, I would protect you!” She puffed her chest up proud, like a warrior. This made Ivy laugh again – that warm, melodious laugh. “I’m a lot tougher than I look. I even win against my training dummy sometimes now!”

This comment made Ivy laugh even harder. Timerra’s heart swelled with pride. Yes, she was doing a very good job of making the Elusian princess feel comfortable. Her mother would be so pleased that she was improving relations, and so pleased that she had made a new friend, too. She knew Mom worried about how lonely she was when Fogado wasn’t around.

“You’re really something, aren’t you, Princess Timerra?”

She shrugged in response. “Better to somethin’ than nothin’! And by the way, you don’t have to call me ‘princess’ if you don’t want to. If we’re going to be friends and flower crown buddies, then you should just call me Timerra. Or Tim. Or Erra. Whatever helps your wyvern’s wings glide!”

Ivy giggled again. “If you say so, Timerra.”

The girls went on to spend a few minutes picking out the different flowers they were going to use. Ivy, Timerra discovered, largely favoured colours that reminded her of home. Anything white, purple, or pink would get snatched up in a second. The roses growing in the foreign flowers section of the garden, she noticed, were also a particular favourite. It was harder to get those out with the thorns on their stems, but they managed. Timerra decided that she would match whatever Ivy tried to make, so they could have crowns that looked the same.

“That way, I’ll remember that it was the flower crown I made when I spent time with you!” She had said. Ivy appeared to like that comment.

The actual act of creating the flower crowns went quickly… Or perhaps Timerra just remembers it as having gone fast. At the beginning, it was peaceful. Ivy was a good student, and took well to Timerra’s instruction. When told to pinch, she pinched. When told to weave, she weaved. Timerra liked leaning into her, guiding her hands where she could. The closeness was comforting, in a way, and another sign that the two of them were making progress. She swore Lady Luck must have heard her thinking to herself about this, about how lovely it would be to have a friend in Elusia, because it was at that moment that fate decided to throw them for a loop.

Stemming from the edge of the greenhouse with a rapid movement in, accompanied by two very nervous looking servants, was Ivy’s father… l

And he didn’t look very happy.

In the distance, she could hear her mother calling out to him, trying to bring him back.

Timerra tried to keep calm, at first, even though she could feel dread flowering in her stomach.

Just because King Hyacinth didn’t look happy didn’t mean anything bad. The man just had that look about him, the resting unpleasant face. He looked much older than he was, with sunken cheeks and sharp amber eyes, but Ivy said he wasn’t mean. In fact, she spoke quite highly of him. Surely, he must simply have come to get a better look at what his eldest daughter was up to. If he didn’t also have Princess Hortensia with him, she could hardly see how it was a bad omen.

All those reasons, and she knew she was lying to herself. The way Ivy rose to her feet and lowered her head at the sight of her father told her as much. To this day, she is not certain that she heard it, but she thinks Ivy muttered an apology.

“King Hyacinth!” Queen Seforia bellowed from further behind the king, pulling up her skirts to try and match King Hyacinth’s quickened pace. “King Hyacinth, just one more moment, if you please!”

Hyacinth continued forward, keeping his eyes locked onto his daughter as he made his way across the greenhouse. Hyacinth was glaring at nobody in particular, only focused on getting to Ivy, yet Timerra felt as if it was her he disliked. Perhaps a cheery Solmic girl was not worthy to even lay eyes upon his precious daughter.

“With all due respect, Your Highness, I believe you and I have nothing more to say to each other.” His tone was flat. It seemed like it would have been sharp, if he had not controlled himself. He didn’t even bother looking back at Queen Seforia. “At this point we are closer to inciting conflict than we are to solving it, and my people already have enough to worry about.”

He stopped dead in front of the two girls, holding out his hand. He didn’t even spare Timerra a sideways glance, didn’t even allow for a moment’s breath. The expectation of Ivy’s response was immediate.

“Come, Ivy.”

Ivy glanced from her father’s hand to the flower crown in her own, a frown etching itself into her features. For a moment, just a flicker of a moment, Timerra thought she might have seen a hint of sadness on King Hyacinth’s face. Like he understood that Ivy actually may have been having a good time, and maybe liked Timerra enough to wish to stay. That must have been why his voice was so much softer the next time he spoke.

“We need to be leaving now. The servants are already preparing the carriage and tending to Hortensia. We must go.”

Ivy looked as if she could cry. Heaving a sigh, she turned and handed her half-finished flower crown back to Timerra. Her eyes grew glassy like a doll’s. “You finish it.” She murmured. “Keep it for yourself, Princess Timerra.”

“W-What? Ivy-”

Queen Seforia’s voice, pleading for King Hyacinth to understand, to just give her a few minutes of his time, echoed throughout the greenhouse. She almost sounded lost, like she wasn’t sure where he was. The place was a bit of a jungle.

The older girl’s voice suddenly grew firm. “I said, you finish it. I don’t…” her eyes squeezed shut. “I have to go.”

“But-”

“I’m sorry.” Her bottom lip quivered. “I have to go.”

Timerra continued to protest, continued to let requests and even demands spill from her mouth, but there was no use. Ivy made quick work of taking her father’s hand and turning to leave, barely able to look back at the girl she had left behind. As she did, she could see the tears wetting her lashes, but she did not dare let them fall. Instead, she merely leaned into her father’s arm, snuggling in when he appeared to whisper her a few words of comfort.

She wanted to go after them. She wanted to scream and yell and beg and demand that they just wait, just for one second! Surely, they could have been friends. Surely, she could have shown Ivy what real freedom was like. There had to be a way out of this! There had to!

Yet even a child’s mind knew just as well as that of the full-grown queen that they had lost their chance at connecting with Elusia. And Timerra, she had lost her chance at ever seeing Ivy again.

Or so she thought.

__________________________________________

When Ivy’s eyes first peel open, she believes she must have become a ghost.

The last thing she remembers is the feeling of sand between her fingers, grasping at the nothingness, the stickiness of her blood mixed with the fine grains creating strange sensations on her skin. By that point, her vision was darkening and her ears were ringing, and though she faintly remembers the sound of voices filling her ears as she faded from consciousness, they seem to have been nothing more than a fable.

Her eyes blink lazily, waiting for her vision to clear. Unless, of course, it is that ghosts always see things in a haze? She hopes not. She has never needed glasses, but she has heard what a nuisance it can be from numerous people. She remembers how one of her brothers used to be tortured by the other siblings for wearing them.

Hm. Her heart aches at the thought of him. He’s been dead and gone for quite some time… Perhaps now that she’s a ghost, the two of them can be together once again. At least… she thinks they can. Do ghosts’ bodies usually ache this much? That stinging in her side…

Grunting, Ivy lifts her head from the pillow, desperately trying to ignore how much everything hurts. Probably not a ghost. Even the slightest twitch of her muscles reminds her of just how tight everything is, absolutely pushed to her limits from the battle with Zephia and the struggle for survival against the elements. Hot, white pain sears into her side as she moves, and she winces, longing to lie back down. She cannot allow herself that. Even though her head is spinning, she can only let out a hiss of pain as she tries to regroup and tries to get herself into a better position. Her body might ache and her throat might be as dry as the desert she was lost in, but she needs to know. The more she comes to, the more she wonders if perhaps this is not the afterlife, but perhaps somewhere else entirely. After all, she doesn’t remember any of Elusia’s tales of death containing a palace soaked in this much gold. Gold and… wolf décor?

Ivy’s chest heaves from the effort of sitting up. Nonetheless, she is able to stand somewhat tall against- against a cot? She blinks, clutching at her head. Nothing about this feels familiar, yet at the same time everything does. It’s almost like she’s lost in a dream, off in a distant past, a memory she had long tried to forget she had. This palace bathed in yellow, the animalistic décor, and the sounds of those… those voices… Were they not angels after all?

She curses under her breath as the realization hits her. Of course she couldn’t be left to die a semi-dignified death. The enemy had to find her, had to drag her away from an honourable demise so they could slit her throat and throw her out for all of Elusia to see themselves. Zephia was right about her. If she’s been caught by Solm now, then there was no going back – unless the rumours were true, which at this point, Ivy doubted they were. She would have recognized Hortensia’s voice if she heard it. None of those angels – no, those girls – had a voice like that. They were all lower, more even, more… Well, one of them may have been at least a little familiar, but she was no Hortensia.

She has no idea what is to become of her now. Surely she will be put to death, right? She almost longs to call out, longs to demand that they just get it over with and rip her side open again. Just get it over with.

It’s a strange thought, that one, because it’s almost like someone can hear it. The moment it pops into her mind, a set of footsteps comes wandering towards the door. Her blood runs cold. She swallows hard. No matter what, she must keep a stiff upper lip, but she won’t lie and say that she doesn’t fear what lies beyond that door. As it swings open, Ivy’s heart thunders, and even as the figure comes into full view, it does not stop.

It has been nine years since she last saw the crown princess of Solm.

And of course, she has aged just beautifully. From what she can recall, Timerra was undeniably a cute little girl – all pudgy limbs and sparkling eyes, her skin the same rich shade of sepia that it is now. She is taller now, much taller, and has a build that seems a reasonable cross between thin and muscular, showing that she hasn’t been slacking on her training all these years. Looking at her, Ivy feels soft in comparison. Magic doesn’t build muscles. She never did ask Timerra’s preferred weapon of choice, but just looking at her arms, she imagines it must be something like a spear or an axe. She tries not to linger on them impolitely. Instead, she drifts her eyes towards Timerra’s hair. It was much shorter when they were little, just kissing the top of her shoulders, but now she has it tied up in this glossy ponytail that reminds her of darkened cedar bark. She builds contrast in her hair by wearing a hair tie and headpiece that just scream colours: rich turquoises and bright yellows, cheery pinks and proud oranges. These colours seem to spread from her head to her toes in her outfit, accented by golden jewelry from her neck to her shoulders. She is the picture of Solmic beauty, and somehow even prettier than Ivy remembers her. Just looking at her, she is struck dumb by the sight of her old friend. It takes her a minute to even realize that her mouth is hanging open slightly.

“Long time no see, Ivy,” Timerra giggles, striding into the room with all the confidence of someone who knows exactly where she’s supposed to be, “It’s been awhile.”

Ivy tries desperately to come up with something clever to say, some cool retort, but all that comes out is sputters. Ugh. What is it about Timerra, where she always finds herself nearly silent every time she wants to talk? Sighing, Ivy allows her hand to graze her injured side, holding it almost protectively. She’ll have to find a way to talk to her somehow.

“Princess Timerra.” She says, sharp and cold in a way that is so undeniably false that even she does not believe herself. “Why are you holding me here?”

The Solmic princess blinks at her. “Well, I wasn’t just going to leave you there. You were bleeding out.”

Ivy grits her teeth. She only came out here for Hortensia. She does not want this. She is not here to rub elbows with Brodia or Firene or Lythos or even Solm. Believer or not, she… she couldn’t just abandon her sister. Ivy had lost far too many brothers and sisters already. She would not lose Hortensia, too. She cannot let petty, insignificant feelings from years ago stand in her way. She has to protect her sister. She has to protect her country.

“Am I not your enemy?” Ivy quirks a brow. “You should have been glad to find me there, inches away from death. Less trouble for you.”

Timerra frowns. It doesn’t suit her. She has one of those faces that is just destined for a grin. Somehow, it brings relief to Ivy to see that hasn’t changed. “You’re a lot different, huh?”

She shrugs, non-committal. She cannot say much of anything when she knows what position she must take. There is only one way to play this, only one way to even have the hope of keeping her dignity alive. As it stands, she struggles to believe Timerra will allow her to leave alive. She might not ever see Hortensia again. The least she can do is not be put to death disgracefully. “I’ve grown into my princess shoes. I understand that anything that may have happened in the past is just that – the past. You and I have no connection to each other.”

“We were friends,” Timerra counters.

“For a day,” Ivy fires back, stopping to cough. A fit overtakes her, squeezing her sides uncomfortably. Timerra waits until she is done before she speaks again, her tone pointed.

“And that day mattered.” Timerra steps further in the room, shutting the door behind her. “Even if we didn’t get to be friends like we wanted to, it proved that we could. It proved that… that connections are bigger and stronger than centuries-old feuds.”

“Our parents could not repair the rift between our two countries, and look what is happening now. Are your eyes even open? Nothing that is happening right now is proof of your claims. A war thousands of years old has reignited, as has a bid for power over the Emblems, and you want me to believe that years of hatred can be forgotten in a moment of affection?”

Timerra falls silent. She does not look away, does not try to hide her face or any sense of shame she has from Ivy. Instead, she just stares, her chestnut-coloured eyes boring into Ivy’s core. She could almost shiver from the intensity of her stare, but she refuses to back down. Stiff upper lip.

“To be honest with you, Ivy-”

Why does she have to keep calling me that?

“I don’t. I don’t think that… that just because we were friends for a day when we were kids, that means that everything is going to be okay. I don’t know if it means that I need to worry about you, or anybody else. Solm has its own problems. We don’t need to borrow someone else’s.”

This may well be the first time that Ivy has ever seen her serious about something. It’s a mixture of unnerving and awesome at the same time; something that makes her heart beat faster. It startles her that it almost seems like a blend between shock and a hint of attraction.

“Pannette and Merrin, they told me I shouldn’t stick my neck out for you. They told me you would only hurt Solm in the end. And to be honest, I felt like I had every reason to believe them. But when I remembered that day I spent with you, and all of those things you told me… how you said I was the first person outside your family who showed you unconditional kindness and respect… I realized what that meant. You believed in me without even really knowing me that well, and I thought to myself, ‘if I can’t believe in Ivy, without really knowing her now, who can I believe in? If I can’t trust my friends, what kind of queen will I be?’ That’s why I saved you. That’s why you’re here. Because I know my friend Ivy.”

Her throat feels like someone has stuffed cotton down it. “I could have hurt your kingdom. I could have hurt you.”

“What, lying half-dead on the ground with magic wounds?” Timerra’s frown deepens. “The Four Hounds crossed through there. I know it was Zephia who attacked you.”

Ivy swallows, her gaze flitting to her lap. “I just… wanted to find Hortensia.” She blinks back tears. “They t-told me she’d… but I heard that she might have lived, so I… I went to find her myself, to bring her home.”

Her arms fold across her chest. “But you don’t want that. You don’t want to go home.”

Ivy’s face reddens. Gods, it has been ages since she last saw Timerra, so why does it seem as if it is so easy for her to read her like a book? It’s not fair. She couldn’t read her like this if she tried, which only made her more jealous.

“My duty is to Elusia.” She says each word slowly, carefully, with deliberate emphasis. “I must.”

Timerra sighs and shakes her head, taking a few more steps towards Ivy and kneeling next to her cot. Her voice, once loud and clear, softens to something that almost feels akin to a whisper in the ear. If the intensity of her eyes had struck Ivy before, they feel even more intense now, but in a different way — a warmer way. It’s all she can do not to blush harder.

“Your duty is right here, with your sister. With us.” She reaches up to brush a strand of hair away from Ivy’s face. It feels strangely… intimate, given their current position, but she does not find it unwelcome. “The Divine Dragon, she believes we can stop this. She has vowed to keep fighting until the very end, with all of us at her side. The others, they want to believe in you. Hortensia definitely does. And me, I know I do, too. You’ve always been misunderstood, Ivy, but… this is your chance to do something that you know is good. You don’t have to answer to anybody else.”

Tears wet Ivy’s lashes. “I’d be betraying my father. I’d be betraying everything Elusia knows.”

Timerra shakes her head once more. “I disagree. Your dad, he… he didn’t know. He was blinded, but he trusted you to take care of Elusia. So even if you weren’t doing what he would have done, I think… I think he would have tried to believe in you. The people of Elusia will too.”

Ivy reaches up to wipe at her eyes, hating that this is the second time she’s fallen to tears in front of Timerra. She’s going to get the idea that I’m some weepy-eyed schoolgirl. She tries her best to sniffle and snicker it away. “You’ve grown awfully mature in our time apart.”

To her surprise, her companion lets out a small giggle. “Y-Yeah, not as much as you’d think. Most of this stuff, it’s a pretty recent revelation.” She shrugs. “But I did mean what I said. Even if I couldn’t believe in anything else about this, I knew that I could believe in you. I know you have a good heart.”

Heat rises in Ivy’s cheeks once more, even more intensely this time, and she finds her gaze darting away again. The last thing she needs right now is the feeling of warmth that is spreading through her chest, so she would really rather ignore it… Even if it did feel strangely good, to hear about how special she was to Timerra. It was a comfort, really, to know that she had spent just as much time thinking about her as she had after all of these long years.

“Alas,” Ivy sighs, taking her turn to shake her head, “You are still far nicer to me than anyone else.”

Timerra laughs again and puffs up her chest. “Well of course! I’ve gotta keep up my title. Stick around and I’ll butter you up some more. Whaddya say?”

A warm smile graces Ivy’s lips. “I’d say… against my better judgement… it sounds like a reasonable plan.”

[2ofpentacles]

Characterizing Ivy, Zelkov, and Kagetsu

Someone asked me my thoughts about writing these characters that I love so very much, and that was all the excuse I needed to absolutely go off. These are just my interpretations of the characters, (although I do feel like they're pretty rooted in canon). Everyone is going to see them a bit differently, but these are some of the aspects I think about when writing them.

Zelkov is a big bucket of emotions; he just doesn't realize it. He's purposefully tried to cut himself off from his emotions so much that he can't see he's the most dramatic person in the universe. He wants to distance himself from others so that he doesn't have to deal with the pain of losing someone close to him again. He does this by being cold, formal, and mysterious. Despite that, he has a desire to take care of others that he can't suppress. He constantly goes out of his way to help people. Beneath that is possibly a need to be needed. If someone needs him, then he has a purpose and reason to keep living. (I don't think it's a coincidence that I find all of this exemplified in his supports with Ivy...) Two traits that I assume he's always had are his perfectionism and his honesty. He doesn't just casually do things to kill time; he has to master them. And he's not falsely modest about his abilities. He does have pretty low self esteem when it comes to his, like... worth as a human being, though (He considers himself to be a "wretch.").

Bonus headcanon: He purposefully avoids learning people's names if he can get away with it.

Ivy is a big bucket of emotions with the lid held on very tightly. She knows that she has all these strong feelings, but refuses to allow herself to show them. She is fixated on presenting herself as her ideal of the perfect princess. Showing strong emotion would be a sign of weakness. What this means is that she can't bend, so under great enough pressure, she breaks, and all those pent up emotions come pouring out. Despite this, she's completely committed to carrying out what she believes is her duty, no matter the personal cost. Because she was raised in an unstable environment where she couldn't trust the people around her, she is naturally suspicious and has a hard time taking anything at face value. (This is why she has such a hard time understanding Kagetsu. And the first thing she compliments Zelkov on is his honesty.) Due to her upbringing, she (perhaps unconsciously) wants people to like her for who she is. Trust is a key element in several of her supports. Once she does begin to trust someone, you can see that she has a sense of humor and enjoys teasing people.

Bonus headcanon: She likes to wrap up in blankets when no one else is around because it makes her feel safe.

Kagetsu is completely in touch with and at peace with his emotions. He feels his feelings and is not afraid to express them. So the complete opposite of the other two. He's extremely curious. He left behind his family and responsibilities as the prince of Pale Sands in order to experience all of Elyos (and spar with strong opponents). He feels guilty about this and thinks he needs to do something extraordinary in order to justify leaving. He wants to be friends with everyone he meets. Again, this is just my interpretation, but my impression of Kagetsu was that he was aromantic (but not asexual. He likes quizzes.). To paraphrase something my friend said, he's not in love with anyone because he loves everyone (although Ivy and Zelkov have a special place in his heart). He is basically a big puppy dog of a person.

Bonus headcanon: He pretty much becomes the therapist for the group because Ivy and Zelkov are so bad at feelings.

Honestly, I could go on and on (and I also have thoughts about other characters) but I'll stop here. The brain rot is unreal. I can't help but think about this stuff (and the 14 and counting fanfics I've written about them) when people say Engage's characters aren't that deep...

[letusberandom]

New naming system for my warrior cats rewrite

So... I really liked how in the beginning there were names which felt clan-specific, but the series was never very consistent about it. Therefore, I created my own "base" of clan prefixes and suffixes to draw from! In this post, I'll be going over Thunderclan, the first clan we really get to see. Enjoy :) Thunderclan

Common prefixes Sun(ny)- Thorn/y- Ash(en)- Ivy- Fern- Cinder/Soot- Dust- Frond- Mouse- Sand-

Rarer prefixes Wood(y)- Bramble- Bracken- Berry- Squirrel- Chip(munk)- Maple- Red- Fire/Flame- Spark(y)- Ember- Blue- Moss(y)- Lichen- Rock- Red- Rose- Poppy- Lightning- Flash- Jay/Jade- Lily- Lynx- Snow- Icicle- Spot(ted)- Speckle(d)- Sweet- Willow- Holly- Sorrel- Fast- Mistle- Leaf- Brindle(d)- Thistle- Sharp- Honey- Thick(et)- Rodent- Raven- Cone/Conifer-

Common suffixes -fur -ear -heart -claw -storm

Rarer suffixes -light -glow -shade -flame -dawn -petal -shard -sharp -frond -thorn -nose -rumble -stone -rumble -sight -spark -vine -chill -crouch -bark

Example names, not of canon characters: Mouseear Sunnyfur Woodheart Chipclaw Mistlestone Thornspark Mossybark Flamestone