#considering how much drawing energy this took that might not happen

[cordycepsbian]

the collective noun for a group of moths is an eclipse

[mokulule]

The Number You Have Called Cannot Be Reached - Part 16

First | Masterlist

Ship: Dead on Main (Danny/Jason) Fandom: DP x DC Summary:

Danny is just trying to build a portal home, becoming a thief was just an unfortunate side effect of that goal. Now if only this vigilante family would just leave him alone. Especially Red Hood - the semi retired crime lord whose ghost-like presence keeps drawing Danny to him.

Part 16:

Jason carefully kept his writing legible as he wrote down the heating instructions. Considering Ghost seemed to be living off granola bars he was not taking any chances. 

There were signs Ghost had returned a few times. The bag and calibrator was gone of course, and the sandwiches were disappearing. It wasn’t good enough. Ghost needed more than sandwiches, it was better than living solely on granola bars, but it was not enough. He needed something more energy dense - hence the meat and vegetable stew and the mashed potatoes he’d made, packed in portions for easy reheating. But he had to make sure it was easy, he didn’t want to risk it being too bothersome and him not eating any. 

Slowly, deliberately he put the pen down so he didn’t break it and laid his hands down flat on the kitchen island. Jason was in control, not the pits. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, counting the seconds… 

…seven… eight…

Carefully he pushed the voice away that insisted he just lay a trap instead of all this tip-toeing around. It would be all too easy, Tim had found out how to short-circuit his powers. It hadn’t lasted more than an hour or two, but really there was no reason they couldn’t just attach some sort of device to him and repeat the small EMP charge every hour - it would be easy.

It would be horrible.

It was not how Jason wanted to go about it. Fucking Pits. Fucking intrusive thoughts. He hung his head taking deep breaths. He just wanted a little bit of peace of mind, was that too much to ask?

A half-choked gasp sounded behind him and he spun around wide-eyed. There, across the living room section of the open plan apartment was Ghost halfway through the far wall. His eyes were wide and looked as shocked as Jason felt. 

Jason didn’t dare breathe as he slowly raised his empty hands. One wrong move and he could ruin everything. He swallowed dryly and ever so slowly he stepped to the side around the kitchen island and backwards, away from Ghost, deeper into the kitchen, cornering himself, leaving all exits free - even if Ghost didn’t technically need any. Ghost followed his movements warily only moving his head, his body completely frozen, still only halfway through the wall. 

Jason’s back hit the cupboards. It was as far as he could remove himself. It was all he could do. The ball was in Ghost’s court. 

Please don’t run.

Jason didn’t think he could handle that one more time. 

Oo o oO

Danny kept his eyes locked on the currently helmet-less not ghost. His heart rabbited in his chest and his whole body felt coiled like a spring, torn between running or going forward. He was terrified, but he also yearned-

Danny had become complacent. He wasn’t sure how it happened, but he cursed himself for it now. He’d just moved thoughtlessly through the wall and his ghost sense had only had time to warn him when his eyes could do just as well. The barely there mist had fizzled uselessly out of his mouth when he gasped. 

Helmet moved carefully away from Danny, as far away as he could in the kitchen. His hands were raised as if in surrender. He looked as harmless as a six foot tank could, which to be fair, it wasn’t the size of the man, that scared Danny. No, it was the fact that his entire body screamed trap. Danny was not keen on a repeat of his powers being gone, and the risk, the knowledge of it, it threatened to tear apart his painstakingly assembled composure. 

Red Helmet might have taken him away from the other vigilantes, but he was still one of them. Danny just could not let himself trust him and it hurt, deeper than his still fucked up ribs. It hurt just to keep his core in a chokehold to stop it from calling to him. Never mind the near irresistable longing; Danny wanted so badly to go to him. 

Danny couldn’t let himself. 

Yet it was Helmet, not Danny, cornered right now. Caught in the act of something at the kitchen island. There was a small piece of paper on the island and Danny was curious. 

And there were also still so many unanswered questions. How could he hear Danny but not respond? What was that thing about the anger he’d mentioned? Why had he given Danny back his backpack and the spectral calibrator? The calibrator in particular, because that one strictly speaking didn’t belong to Danny. Why was he stocking up food in an apartment he clearly didn’t live in? For Danny?

All were questions he couldn’t get answers to by running away. 

Danny just had to keep his instincts on a tight leash. 

Watching warily for any sudden movements, Danny slowly phased the rest of the way into the apartment. His beat up sneakers barely made a sound as he touched down on the wooden floors, but still Danny flinched. 

Their eyes met and both held their breath.

Helmet looked away first. In fact he pointedly looked anywhere but at Danny now, seemed very intent on studying the counter now picking at non-existent dirt. 

Somehow him not looking made it easier to walk closer and he carefully did. There was a whole kitchen island between them - that had to be enough for Danny’s paranoia. 

He now stood where Helmet had stood when he came through the wall, he could pick up the paper. 

It was heating instructions - for him.

His resolve crumbled and the paper crinkled as he clutched it like his life depended on it. Such a little detail. Not just the food left here, but instructions. When was the last time anyone had cared like this?

“Why-” His voice broke and tears prickled at his eyes. He cleared his throat and swallowed before trying again. “Why are you doing this?”

He looked from Danny to the note in his hand, seemed to mentally discard something, before admitting quietly, “I know what starving is like.” 

Danny balked. “I eat.”

“I took a backpack full of protein bars off you.”

Danny grimaced. Just eating the sandwiches left for him here had been a vast improvement. So what if he didn’t eat well, he ate enough to survive. The fact that Danny could cling to existence through force of will was something he didn’t want to examine - his human half was still alive that had to be what mattered. 

“So this anger thing,” Danny forcefully changed the subject like a bull bursting into a China shop, “tell me about it.”

Helmet tensed and that in turn made Danny tense. He might have overstepped. The moment was long and drawn out as Danny waited for the other shoe to drop. Slowly, Helmet let out a long sigh and forcefully relaxed his body. It didn’t put Danny entirely at ease, but it helped.

“There’s not much to tell,” he faked at nonchalance but there was something tightly leashed in his voice. 

Danny didn’t buy it for one second. “Try again.”

There was a grimace and it looked almost like there was some sort of internal fight going on, until eventually he spoke. 

“I got exposed to some nasty shit, ever since then I’ve had anger issues. I only realized once they were gone how pervasive they were.”

He looked away.

“I have hurt people - killed people - I thought they deserved it, but I’m not so sure anymore, not for all of them.” And there was pain there, in his voice, in his face, this was a hard thing to admit, not just to himself, but out loud to someone else. 

Danny’s heart ached for him. The silence stretched between them and Danny prompted gently, hesitantly, because he didn’t understand this part himself: “And I make it better?”

“For about two days, give or take.” There was an affected casualness in the tone, but Danny noticed the way his hands clenched into tight fists. It had been about two weeks since Danny had last been in a room with the man. Two weeks since Danny had had any physical contact. He harshly clamped down the projection of longing before it could escape his grasp. 

It was, Danny realized, no wonder that Helmet had chased him so vehemently. He could not only hear Danny’s call for him, but he had something of his own he struggled with. Something that Danny could apparently do something about, or rather his core song, if Danny was putting the pieces together right.  

But Helmet wasn’t chasing now. It must have been two torturous weeks.

“You have found a way to nullify my powers, why not just use that?”

Helmet’s jaw clenched. “It’s not exactly nice.”

“Didn’t stop you two weeks ago.”

“I had nothing to do with that!” He snarled taking a step forward eyes glowing ectoplasmic green.

Danny took a step back at once cautious and intrigued. Not a ghost, but definitely something. 

It looked like it took great effort, but he stepped back, plastered himself back against the cupboard and his eyes were blue again. Softly, he whispered “I only ever wanted answers.”

He wanted help. Danny’s breath caught. He was asking Danny for help, even if it wasn’t in those specific words. Danny looked down at the handwritten note in his hand. Helmet hadn’t planned for meeting today. He’d been just as shocked as Danny. He’d written him instructions with no guarantee Danny would ever help him, despite struggling with this anger. 

Danny did not owe him anything, Danny was not beholden to anyone in this dimension, but he was asking for help.

Danny hesitantly stepped around the counter. 

Mentally he countered each argument for why this was stupid. 

He took a step forward. There was no trap. Danny chose to believe him when he said he didn’t want to use whatever device that had been on him. 

Danny took another step forward, and step after step until he was right in front of him. Danny didn’t look up to see whatever expression may be on his face, it was easier like this standing face to chest. And it was a nice chest, wearing a red henley worn soft and fuzzy through countless washes. It was easy to take the last step into his space and lean his forehead forward to rest against him. 

It was harder to let go of the tight ball he’d pulled his emotions into. 

“Can I?” Helmet asked, arms hovering slightly away from him. 

“Yeah,” Danny replied hoarsely, and then arms settled around him hesitantly, warm, human - not tight or trapping him, it was considerate but not what Danny needed. A wounded sound left his chest and he pressed closer. He clenched his eyes shut but still tears ran wet tracks down his cheeks as he finally gave in - let go. 

His core was a cacophony of grief warring with happiness. Melancholy and joy twisting and churning neither one really winning. Danny was so tired and worn he couldn’t focus on what he should feel. All this and maybe he couldn’t even help him? 

If he couldn’t get the happiness going what use was he?

But then the arms tightened around him and it was a proper hug. He was being held. There was a hand in his hair tugging him into the crook of Helmet’s neck, as he bent slightly over to surround him. Danny’s forehead against the crook of his neck, skin again skin. A warm body. A fast heartbeat in his ears. 

He was not alone. 

His core thrummed with the knowledge. 

Danny lost time. 

It was terrifying. It could have five minutes or an hour that they stood there for all Danny knew. He had been so lost in the warmth of human contact and the content song of his core. 

A shiver of fear went up his spine and he tensed.

Last time he had fallen asleep. That, he could at least understand. He’d been extremely exhausted after everything that happened. But this was different. Danny didn’t even know if he would have noticed Helmet moving him - he hadn’t; they still stood in the exact same spot. 

He made to draw away and for one heart-stopping fraction of a second, Danny thought Helmet wouldn’t let him go. But that was uncharitable, he had to give Helmet time to even realize what he was doing. Just cause Danny’s brain was running a mile a minute, and a second seemed like an eternity, didn’t mean it was to anyone else - and Helmet did let him slide out of his arms. Danny looked up, eyes just a bit wide. He was trying to stay calm, he was. He didn’t know how to interpret Helmet’s expression. His eyes met Danny’s, his brows were doing something, his mouth was a line downturned at the corners. His arms were raised, drawn back just slightly after Danny slipped away.

Danny took another step back.

Helmet didn’t move. Danny realized suddenly what the expression was; he looked sad.

Danny’s core pulsed painfully, and his breath stuttered. He wanted to go back to that embrace, he wanted to stay and forget everything else. 

It was all he could do not to run, because those feelings were terrifying in and of themselves. He turned and he carefully walked to the far wall. He stopped there, clenched his trembling hands. His eyes trailed an uneven line on the white wallpaper. 

This wasn’t just about him.

“The day after tomorrow,” he said, loud enough he was sure Helmet could hear him. Then he couldn’t hold back anymore and he threw himself through the wall. His heart raced in his chest all the way back to his lair. 

It went against every cautious bone in his body to reveal he’d be somewhere at a specific time, even such a vague promise as the day after tomorrow. It was as much as he could get himself to do.

It wasn’t just about him. 

-

Alright and that's probably it for the rapid updates, this part mostly needed edits to fit better with what actually ended up happening in the earlier parts and I hadn't written the ending, I wasn't sure I'd get the time today, but I did so, tadaa!

Things are going better! It's not all misery anymore.

Danny wasn't quite this terrified early in the story, but then he felt relatively safe in his ability to get out of situations. Having his powers knocked out, really brought up a boatload of trauma. It's just also really making him out of sorts to be that at odds with his core.

I hope it makes sense.

[dreamy-selkie]

My Time at Sandrock: Pokemon Team (Bachelor Edition)

Bachelorette Version [LINK]

With Pokemon Indigo Disk being released I thought I might make a small Pokemon team for the bachelors and bachelorettes of the game; both will be posted separately and if anyone had other ideas as to what other Pokemon they would have don't hesitate to put them down. Buckle-up, this is a long one.

~~~

Arvio would probably have Pokemon that would have his energy, so the team I think he would have is an Scyther, Plusle, and Roserade; the trio especially would put up a performance to draw the attention of tourists over to By the Stairs. Scyther is based on the fact he uses dual weapons when MC spars, of course him and Amirah both would have the Plusle-Minum duo, and with Roserade I can see as his ace for various reasons; roses being a symbol of love while Arvio is a charmer being one of the big reasons.

Burgess is a kind-hearted pacifist and a devoter to the church, so to match his kindness I think his Pokemon team would be Togetic, Sylveon, and Blissey. Togetic's entry is that it only approaches those with a good heart, a top-perfect Pokemon, Sylveon would be his ace and its entry also says that it'll emit an aura that would erase hostility, and Blissey is a compassionate Pokemon that evolves through high friendship; I can definitely see Burgess raising it as a Happiny.

Ernest was a little tough, but I think he would have a Toxtricity (Amped form), Meowstic (Male ver.), and Alolan Persian. Both the Toxtricity and Meowstic, his ace, would match with his twin Luna, while the Alolan Persian is considered the symbol of wealth and it matches with his background.

Fang's team would definitely be Corviknight, Mimikyu, and Audino. Corviknight, his ace, is obviously based on his crow X, Mimikyu I can see Fang adopting from years back and Audino not only acts as his assistant but the Pokemon would also help soothe him when his PTSD would come around.

Justice was pretty easy as well, since he's for... well, justice, I picture him having noble and quite strong Pokemon; his team would Rapidash, Mabosstiff, and Pidgeot. Rapidash would definitely be based on his horse Truth, Mabosstiff, I can see as his ace, would be a Birthday gift from Vivi, and Pidgeot can be his eyes in the sky.

Logan was interesting to say the least, but I think he would have a team of Gogoat, Lucario, and Mightyena. Gogoat, his ace, is based on his companion Rambo, Lucario I see Logan adopting as a Riolu while on the first couple of weeks being on the run, and Mightyena while not only having canon hyena enemies in the game but one of its entries mentions that it obey only certain trainers that possess superior skill, which the Pokemon can see in him.

I admit I don't know much about Miguel, so it was a guessing game based on the wikia- with that I think his Pokemon team would be Luxray, Gallade, and Talonflame. His Pokemon team would match his calm and clever demeanor with Gallade as his ace.

With Owen working at the Blue Moon Saloon he would have at least a couple of Pokemon that would assist him, being Slurpuff, Centiskorch, and Indeedee (Male ver.). Slurpuff is a gift from his father when he first took over the saloon, each of Centiskorch's segmented body has coil-like heat that Owen can use whenever something happens to the oven, and of course he has an Indeedee to help wait tables before Grace came in. He probably won't have an ace since he believes all Pokemon are good Pokemon, but if I do give him one it would be Dusk Lycanroc.

Pablo's team would be Furfrou, Delcatty, and Smeargle. With Furfrou I can see Pablo having it as a guard Pokemon, Pablo's favorite trim would be the Heart trim, Delcatty is considered to have sublime fur which I think Pablo would love in a Pokemon, and Smeargle, his ace, matches with how Pablo is canonically an artist based on Arvio's questline.

Pen, of course, would have muscular and powerful Pokemon to match him in all aspect; so it would be no surprise that his team would have Palafin, Machamp, and Feraligatr. His aces are both Palafin and Machamp and he would be the trainer who would love double-battle.

Qi's team would be quite interesting, let me explain why: his team'll be Magnezone, Charjabug, and Minccino. Magnezone is his ace that he would have since back in Vega 5, Charjabug was a trade from Mint and refuses to evolve it when he finds out about Vikavolt, and Minccino it just happened to stumble upon his research center and saw it cleaning so he decided to keep it as a mini-assistant. Though I also imagine finding a Minior one night through a telescope and saw that it fell close to Sandrock premises and with the assistance of MC he kept it around as a memento.

And last but not least, Unsuur I can see as a Rock-type trainer only; his team would be Gigalith, Naclstack, and Graveler; Gigalith, his rockin' ace, being his gift from Justice when he became a Civil Corps memeber, and throughout his time caught the latter two- and eventually took in a Carbink that took an immediate liking to him and, of course, he named the little Carbink, Wilson.

[soggypotatoes]

also this wack thing is happening that is very significant

i have Parts, right, and theyre very distinct. i started being aware of them when i was like 8, except i thought they were ghosts at first lol. at 14/15 they told me their names. it's been a very long time, and i've had a lot, a LOT, of communication with them over the years. they've grown and evolved as i have, and my relationship with them, and their relationships with each other, have evolved.

there's one named Jenny. i've been mean to her since i first discovered her. for one thing, she named herself Jenny. what a boring name, i said!!! but she wants to be a boring girl. she's 14. she's purple. she's skinny with long, straight hair. my teachers when i was little got me to sit with the big groups of girls, and she saw how they looked at me, and she wanted them to accept her. she wanted her mum to pay as much attention to her as she did to her normal, normal students.

she obsesses. she keeps me up all night, she talks constantly, she goes in loops. she spends her life constantly aware of how people might see her, and it's safer to assume the worst. guys, i HATE her, i always have.

but last week i finally paid attention to her. i've done this with all the others - even the angry, mean ones. jenny isn't mean, she's just terrified. i cleared some space, and i asked her, what do you like?

she froze. she had never, ever wondered that before. only what other people like, and how she can become that. it took a few days of her thinking about it to answer, and in that time she was oddly quiet for the first time.. ever..

she said, very hesitantly, i'm not sure.. i like clothes. i like matching colours. i like drawing figures. i like tidying up and organising my things.

girl... where have you been lmao, we HATE organising things. have you considered that you could be incredibly useful to us? that you can help and be important without obsessing, that that's not the only way to be a part of me?

she's been thinking about this for days. she's been thinking about changing her name to Violet, after the girl in a series of unfortunate events. she's been wondering if she could turn her energy to keeping my body and surroundings clean, and practicing simple drawings. she's not sure she's Violet yet, it might take years to grow into. she still keeps me up, obsessing. but i'm not mean to her anymore. i listen. i say, hey, we don't do that anymore. do you want to lay next to me instead? we can be quiet together.

[profanepurity]

So Lucifer's favorite is Primo. Terzo is Asmodeus' favorite. Do other Demon Lords consider Secondo or Copia their favorite?

Oh, very good question! You guys are going to get more design peaks and small name changes for the Lords with this one! (and a lore dump oops)

Secondo and Beelzebub actually see eye to eye on quite a few things. You would think two very similar, powerful men- stubborn, cold, and bitter powerful men I might add- would clash. However, they actually get along quite well. Secondo always provides exceptional offerings and has proven himself to be a worthy devotee and prophet, so much so that Beelzebub has even invited Secondo out to drink with him on several occasions. (They both made a freind you guys this a big accomplishment for both them.)

Beelzebub even offered to personally oversee Bellamy's education when she is older. To the church he may be a bishop, or a terrifying king of Hell, but in some circles he is known as "Reverend Professor Avarice". Many of the siblings, like Sister Natalie, can attest to how good of a teacher he is.

Copia on the other hand is a bit of a special case, since he gets baby privileges with the fact that many of the demons want to be close to him for one reason or another. But Saltarian and Imperator have Copia so locked down that Satanas even has to "put effort" into reaching out to him. This has deterred a lot of demons from working with our rat boy unfortunately...

except for Belial...

Belial is a wicked and cruel king. There are very few members within the church that are willing to work with him, simply because of how dark his energy is. (Something to note, Belial is very good at spotting witches, keep that in mind for later). His name roughly translates to "Godless", "worthless", "evil" and you feel that when you are in the presence of Lucifer's second. "Father Null" on the other hand is a very sweet young man, but is simply a lowly priest, often over looked and often dismissed. As Copia gets older, that is perhaps what draws him to Father Null and the darkness of Belial. Copia just wants companionship in the shadows from someone who's like him, over looked and dismissible.

If you look back at my post about Copia's "dedication", you can see a very old sketch of Belial in the background. Many of you caught on to how pissed he looked lol. Lilith actually ended up telling the other Lords what the church had done a few years after Copia had been born. Many of the Lords had been "out" for one reason or another, so when they'd returned they had done so excitedly, expecting to come back to two of their partners and a baby. Instead, Lilith looked more pale and ill than the day they had found her in that cave. She could barely describe what had happened without breaking into sobs. Lucifer was like a wounded animal being forced to perform as "Bishop Stell", giving sermon after sermon for the church while Saltarian practically held him at "gun point" to do so. It would not matter how many people spontaneously combusted into fire in the pews, how black the water became, how many swarms of locusts and toads covered the church, Lucifer could do nothing for Copia. He could only drag his bloody claws against Imperator's door at night, whispering all the things he as going to do to her in Hell (Oh I have a comic idea for that later hehe).

So you can imagine just how livid Belial was to come back to this. He only regretted not spending more time comforting Lilith initially. After she told him where Copia was, Belial took Lilith's head in both of his slightly shaking claws and kissed her in silence. He only broke it once her breathing had evened, and he watched her until she looked up at him. Belial was a sadistic fucker that rarely took anything seriously. His humor is a reflection of just how black his heart is.

But he has never looked more concerned and angry than in that moment in quite a long time. He looked at Lilith's face, which Belial adored, even as it was stricken by grief and anxiety. He had pressed his forehead to hers.

"Baby, can I leave you alone for a little bit?"

The Unholy Mother said yes, but she wanted him to come back with Lucifer. She was scared for him, terrified of Lucifer tearing himself apart trying to get them to release Copia.

Of course, Belial promised her everything would be fine.

He killed 36 monks who were under Nihil on his way to the nursery, one for each month Copia had been kept from his mother at that point. He left their bodies piled in the hall of Imperator's office, practically trapping her inside with corpses draped in red, cotton robes and sparkling grucifixes in front of her door.

When "Father Null" entered the nursery, he saw Copia playing on the ground, alone, with a couple rats who he was sharing his food with. In that moment, all the vile, sick intentions of the wicked king dissolved. All he saw when he looked at Copia was two of the loves of his life. He saw Lilith's eyes and Lucifer's smile in little Copia, who barely even noticed the priest had walked in. Null sat with Copia for a little while as a gentle priest, watching Copia play with his tail that he decided to unmask. Copia thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Before Belial returned to Lilith, he came into Bishop Stell's office to do as he promised. He approached Lucifer slowly and knelt before his king at his chair. Belial pulled both his beloved's hands away from his work, and kissed each of his damaged fingers. Lucifer didn't say a word as he looked at his lover, covered in the blood of traitors. Then he saw Belial smile at him. The evil demon, with such pure and warm affection, told Lucifer that their child was beautiful. He promised he would remain in the church for the entirety of Copia's childhood to ensure their child would be looked after in the shadows. Belial was seen as worthless and wicked in heaven and on earth, but Lucifer, the perfect being, has always looked at him with weakness and adoration. For that, Belial would be eternally devoted.

"I know you're angry, but you're scaring her."

Belial had whispered that against his head, and that was all it took for Lucifer to finally break down into sobs- that he'd been suppressing for three years- into Belial's arms.

Lilith felt like she could breath again when she saw Lucifer walk in behind Belial, hardly hearing him apologize to her as she pulled both the fallen angels closer to her and the other kings.

Copia has no idea how loved he is.

[lumilasi]

I wanted to draw today but had little motivation, so I decided to try and finish something I've meant to do for ages; Shura is such a central character, but I didn't have up-to-date bio until now. I just reused some of the stuff I'd already made of him, with fixing some details about it. I took inspo from Helias' design as Helias is like their first prototype/Firstborn sibling.

(I decided to leave his battle form beefy looking instead of his squishy dad-bod, mainly to further empathize the point of how different he is in that form)

Info below: (more tba later)

Name: Shura Kano

Nicknames: Dummy Shura (Youko) Dear, Darling (Shika) Shuu (Jurou)

Age: He has existed for around the same time as his bestie Jurou (roughly 150 years) and is also considered to be middle-aged (I.E human equivalent of 30-40)

Height: 186 cm

Friends: Childhood friend Jurou Blackthorne, pretty much every other person he meets lol, he has giant golden retriever energy

Family: Fiancee Shika, niece Youko, baby brother-in-law Yago, Sister-in-law Uma. Mother/Creator Spectra, The Elder Sibling Helias. Honorary member Chouma

Love interest: Shika Kano

A Seemingly goofy himbo working as a beloved teacher for young children, as well as a Guardianship Caretaker on stand-by for any newly manifested moth spirits.

VIGOUR SPIRIT LORE

Shura's kin are creations of Ether's Guardian Deity Spectra, who initially created them to help her make the world thrive and guide its citizens. Shura's type specifically was created shortly after the Ancient War around 6000 years ago, so his type are relatively new.

There are 5 types of Vigour spirits, representing five different aspects of life according to Spectra: Heart, Spirit, Mind, Will, strength

MUSES: The original type of Vigour Spirit, represent "Spirit" as the original guides of life on Ether. Nowadays you only see Muses on Spectra's moon, looking after their younger siblings and newborns. (At this point Spectra doesn't have to create them consciously, the moon itself manifests them)

BATTLE SPIRITS: The youngest type representing Strength, they were created after the Ancient War by Spectra, their purpose is to prevent another massive threats and battles from rising on Ether. They are also often considered her army. (Shura is this type)

(I'll add the other 3 types later once I have a clearer idea of them)

Powers:

Basic Vigour Spirit abilities: being cosmic light spirits, all of his kind can perform lot of basic light magic spells, such as healing, exorcism or just create flashy lightshows and illusions. They all can fly.

Moon connection: They all can travel to their Moon anytime they want, and tend to become stronger when their home moon is closest to the planet, which happens once a month.

Battle Spirit power: As a special Strength type spirit, Shura has a battle form which essentially allows him to utilize light in offensive form, such as burning/melting heat, lasers, etc. He can also form his light into powerful blades that can burn pretty much anything. His kind are also far more durable than any other light spirit. They are the only spirit type with dragonic wings as well, and these wings can protect them from all sorts of attacks.

Multilingualism: Vigours can adapt and essentially assimilate any language their hear, meaning Shura needs only a couple of minutes of listening to locals talk before he can speak whatever the language is fluently. (Each spirit does end up with an accent still, and it is somewhat random what it sounds like to humans. In Shura's case it is an Aussie accent, strongest when he speaks English naturally)

Weaknesses:

Shura can be gullible and often falls for silly scams and nonsense, he's had his wallet stolen more than thrice in tourist traps.

(more tba)

Personality:

Shura is an easy-going, generous and kind person that tends to light up any room he goes into (sometimes literally). While he might come off like a goofy himbo, Shura is far smarter than he let's on, and tends to exaggerate his airheadedness as to not intimidate people so much; being a Battle Spirit, many tend to be a bit cautious of them, even if they are seen as forces of good.

he is very sappy and romantic with his beloved, the type to sing cheesy serenades under her window (mainly because it makes her laugh) and he is also excellent with kids due to his patience and high level of emotional intelligence.

FUN FACTS

Shura's kin don't actually have to eat food, they just do it as a social activity. They don't poop either as a result, given any food they eat just gets burned into oblivion inside their bodies.

Some of his kin choose to still keep their more spirit appearance even when living on Ether, Shura chooses to utilize a full human form, because its easier whenever he visits earth (typically as a guest for his best friend Jurou's father)

His kind are the only type with dragon wings, Spectra gave them those because they remind her of the first scary creatures from earth that appeared on her planet, the dragon's ancestors. (Aka Dinosaurs lol)

He made friends with Jurou due to noticing the emo goth Soul Eater kid was lonely, and also empathizing with the way people were afraid of him just because of what he was. While not as severe, Shura has had to deal with something similar.

Shura is very over-the-top dramatic with his mannerism usually, so when he gets serious and acts "normal" you KNOW shit is serious.

Shura is pansexual, which is pretty much the default setting for his kind. (They're either Pan or Ace.)

Youko tends to be rude and mean towards him, because she's afraid of growing attached to her uncle, after having lost her dad dramatically. Shura is aware of this fear and is patient with her, more so than many others outside her family. who find her bratty and annoying to deal with....

Shura and Shika were the caretakers for the Moth Spirit Chouma when he manifested. Shura had actually done this before meeting Shika as well, as it is a common duty taken by his kin, to look after newly manifested moth spirits.

Guardianship Caretakers are people who have agreed to foster/help guide any new moth-spirits manifested in their world from the 3 Life Trees at the start of their new life. (These spirits aren't always children, so it is not the same as fostering/adoption, although that can also happen) Shura specifically has agreed for any green Willow tree manifests, as those cases tend to be more traumatized and need someone with good level of patience and empathy. His current Guardianship is a moth spirit called Chouma.

Chouma doesn't live with them anymore, but he is still in regular contact with Shura and Shika, and typically for any incidents, injuries and health problems, they are informed and listed as his next-of-kin.

When Shura speaks, he tends to have a strong Australian accent, making humans assume he is Australian that just married a Japanese woman and chose to take her surname instead for whatever reason.

Shura's kin can naturally adapt to speaking just about any language, but they always tend to have some sort of accent that human brain translates into whatever they believe it sounds like.

When asked from Spectra why he sounds like this specifically, she tends to just go "uwu funni" (if she is serious or not is hard to tell...)

While Shika's brother Yago is still known as Yago Kano, her sister Uma (and niece Youko) have her late husband's surname Tanaka.

[burnwater13]

Grogu thought a lot about what his dad said that day on Tatooine. “If I can locate another of my kind…”. That turned out to be pretty easy. When Mandalorians weren’t hiding they stuck out like sore thumbs. But that wasn’t the problem. The problem was did anyone know what ‘kind’ Grogu was?

Ahsoka Tano had said she knew Master Yoda, but then so did Grogu. He wasn’t locked away in some closet at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He was there with the rest of the younglings and Master Yoda visited them all from time to time. But that didn’t mean he knew what ‘kind’ they were. 

Lot of different kinds of people were at the Jedi Temple. Lots of different kinds of people became Jedi. But of Grogu’s kind there were only three of them. Master Yoda, Master Yaddle, and Grogu. Grogu didn’t have any illusion that he was their child either. That was sweet and romantic and convenient. Nope. Not their kid. 

And even if he had been their child, what kind of parents were they? They weren’t raising him. They didn’t teach him songs to learn his numbers, or tell him stories about their home world, or even pat him on the head when he’d done something particularly clever. He much preferred to think of them both as people he had met and could not un-meet. 

Now, here he was on Nevarro, with his dad, Din Djarin, Mandalorian Bounty Hunter and all around good guy. They watched out for each other. They told each other funny stories. They ate the same food (sometimes) and they both burped in the same distinctive manner. They even had the same eye color. 

Grogu was Din Djarin’s apprentice and was going to learn how to fly a starship and be a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter. That seemed really cool and so far it had been pretty exciting. But considering everything that had happened with the Clan Mudhorn Festival and the fact that Luke Skywalker had come all the way across the galaxy to help him when he really needed the help, Grogu felt a tiny bit of the old Jedi spirit tugging back at him. Were they actually his kind?

He wasn’t sure who he should talk to about this sort of stuff. Grogu didn’t want to talk to his dad. That would just make the Mandalorian sad and think that Grogu didn’t love him and that was beyond wrong and there was no way he was going to hurt his dad like that. Nope. 

But then, Luke wasn’t the right person to talk to either. Luke had a vested interest in Grogu returning to Jedi Sleep Away Camp and Grogu was well aware of that. He should probably just start training his nephew and see how things went. Grogu knew too much to be a student and too little to be a master and most importantly, he knew that.

He supposed that he could talk to the High Magistrate, but Greef Karga was still too excited over how the Clan Mudhorn Festival had worked out in Nevarro City and was already planning one for next year. Sure the name would change a little, but then it wasn’t going to just be something Clan Mudhorn put together for everyone to enjoy. ‘The Nevarro City Council of Civic Engagement Proudly Presents an Evening of Story Telling, Culture, and Friendship’ is what Grogu heard the High Magistrate tell Fennec, once the prior night’s event was all wrapped up.

Maybe he should talk to Fennec. She had done a lot of different things and had dealt with some real setbacks and knew exactly how to analyze a situation. She collected data, drew conclusions, took action and made it all look so easy. The only draw back to speaking with Fennec was that she might think he’s not as cute and competent as she told other people he was. ‘Listen to the kid, he’s got a good feel for that’, ‘Grogu knows what he’s doing, pay attention people’, and ‘Don’t tell your dad, you’ll be fine, you always are’. He really didn’t want to risk that happening. 

Grogu sighed deeply.

“Hey! Ya little womp rat… oh, sorry, you don’t like being called a womp rat any more, you’re growin’ up so fast! Would you like Auntie Peli to get ya some nice dung worms? You need to keep up your energy if you’re goin’ to go all dark side on us.” 

Peli Motto scooped him up, tweaked his nose gently and carried him over to the campfire that his dad set up outside the cabin. They had all been having a quiet day together, chatting and playing games, like chase the frog, find the target, and hide from the Jedi. 

“Ya know, you need to get some rest, just relax, and maybe, just maybe, watch the clouds float by. Look at me! First time off Tatooine ever and here I am with my best friends doin’ nothing but havin’ fun. This is my kind of life… I just hope Treadwell doesn’t sell the garage while I’m gone.”

HA! There it was! This was Grogu’s ‘kind’ too. Kind of life that is. Surrounded by friends, just having fun and eating a big bowl of slow roasted dung worms. What could be better than that?

[mythica0]

So I was messing around with the Headcanon generator with Fop anw Characters + OC’s and took screenshots of my favorites (either cause they make so much sense, I think are really neat, or are hilarious.) here they are and some thoughts on them below the cut(quotes are the HC’s. Non quotes are relating thoughts) different characters have different amounts of HC’s both because some of them had more that I liked pop up and also I’m obsessed with some more than others lol.

-“If Hazel likes someone, she will give them a pretty rock” considering she is obsessed with rocks, this is just facts. She would also probably yap about the rocks origins and other stuff.

-“Dev is a very good singer” I love this idea. That Dev is great at singing and loves to do so when alone but is super embarrassed about it around other people. (Maybe because his dad told him that it was annoying and to stop. So now he sees it as forbidden) so he absolutely will not preform for an audience.

-“if the source media were a musical, Dev would be the one asking why everyone’s singing” considering the above, I find this amusing. Especially due to my OC fan episode where Emma wishes that life was a musical. I can just see dev all confused like ‘why in the world is everyone singing???’

-“Dev believes in ghosts and insists on trying to summon one at every sleepover.” I thought this one funny cause this literally happened in canon.

-“Winn uses the word ‘like’ as a comma” considering their cool-guy(gender neutral) persona, it makes sense that they would use like a lot.

-“Winn tells dad jokes” Idk why but I like this idea. Winn telling dad jokes and Hazel laughing and Jazz groaning. I just thought it was neat :3

-“Jazz is a great artist” in addition to music I think that Jazz would like to draw as well. Especially abstract art and patterns.

-“Jazz is afraid to close their eyes in the shower” Considering her being a fraidy-cat was a whole plot point, I thought this was amusing.

-“Cosmo tells dad jokes” He’s a father. And A very silly guy. Obviously he tells dad jokes.

-“Wanda has a very low alcohol tolerance.” I think it would be funny if Cosmo and Wanda were at some fairy gathering and Wanda had like 1/4 of a beer and is all drunk and Cosmo has to make sure she’s okay.

-“Peri is the gay cousin” idk if he’s anyone’s cousin cause I never saw the og series but this man is not straight

-“peri was dropped out of a window as a child” again, never saw the og series but I know he was dropped multiple times so this might as well be canon

-“peri is smart but also very stupid” he gets it from his mom <3.

-“Peri can’t sit in a chair properly.” This twink does NOT sit in chairs like a normal person. He be laying across the chair in the wildest way you can think of

-“Peri is a horrible liar” my boy caNOT lie. It is immediately obvious whenever he tries. He gets all nervous and stutters abunch. And won’t make eye contact.

-“Ray has a diary that they write in with glittery gel pen” CANON CAUSE I SAID SO. It’s all good things. She writes about her day and how she or someone else she saw improved the world or someone’s day. She writes Everytime she made someone smile, every kind act she witnessed, every cute animal she fawned over. If you read her diary you’re gonna be flooded with the overwhelming positivity that is her mind.

-“Ray sings in the shower” She loves to sing cause music is a way to spread joy. She would absolutely be singing pop songs and positive vibes songs only. I’m thinking trolls songs and MLP songs about friendship, love and happiness.

-“Ray is not allowed to drink energy drinks.” Do you KNOW how energetic this woman is 24/7? If she had an energy drink she would probably explode. Sometimes she’ll see Yar drinking one and be like ‘hey can I have some,looks like it tastes good!’ And Yar holds it away from her and says ‘absolutely not’

-“Ray always has half a watermelon on them” her favorite fruit is watermelon, and she likes to share! So she just keeps half a watermelon on her at all times.

-“Ray doesn’t know how to say ‘no’” as I’ve said before, MASSIVE people pleaser. She refuses to say no to someone no matter how much work she has to do or how many favors she’s already committed herself to. And the thing is, she is genuinely happy to do it anyway. She isn’t like stressed out and feels like garbage but says yes anyway because she feels bad, she just loves helping people. Both Yar and Cosmo/Wanda have to look after her and make sure she doesn’t take on too much and destroy her body.

-“if Ray was presented with an intergalactic portal, they would enter it without question.” She’s a big fan of adventure and so much of an optimist, that the idea that something might go wrong or that there’s something bad on the other side doesn’t even cross her mind. She just sees something fun to do.

-“Ray is constantly singing for no reason” She likes to sing joyful tunes of what she’s doing. She’s the type to wake up and sing a designated good morning song to the whole neighborhood. She starts her day by opening her window and loudly singing ‘good morning~~’ to everyone around.

-“Ray tells dad jokes” She loves to make people happy and laugh, and loves humour and all things relating to joy, so of course she tells dad jokes at every opportunity. She’s always ecstatic when someone actually laughs at her dumb jokes. (Especially Yar. She secretly finds them hilarious) also, because we’ve already established that Winn and Cosmo also tell dad jokes, the three of them would have friendly dad-joke competitions where they tell eachother their best dad jokes and try to see who has the best one.

-“Ray knocks people over by hugging them” Once again, CANON. Especially when Yar comes to visit. She will absolutely tackle you into a hug anytime you show up. As long as you’re comfortable with touch, that is

-“Yar sleeps in until noon” This gal is SLEEPY. She’s the opposite of Ray, so instead of being full of energy, she lacks it almost entirely.

-“Yar forgets to eat sometimes” as a chronically depressed Anti-fairy, she will often times forgo eating and just rot in bed. If she’s having a bad episode Ray will come and check on her and make sure she eats and drinks enough water.

-“Yar bites their nails” It’s a habit that she has. Especially when she’s nervous or particularly upset.

-“Yar has chronic nightmares” Again, Ray and Yar are opposites. Ray’s head is full of nothing but sunshine and rainbows, even in sleep, whereas Yar’d head is full of sorrow, Trauma and Fear, resulting in nightmares every single night. (And yet she still prefers being asleep over being awake) most of her nightmares are more sad than scary, however.

-“Emma sings in the shower” again, based on me, so obviously she sings in the shower. She listens to a wide variety of music.

-“Emma doesn’t own a single pair of matching socks.” She finds that mismatching is more fun. Also she doesn’t care about fashion or what other people think of her, so she makes it obvious

-“Emma cries while watching Disney movies” Very emotional, this one. Cries at every Disney movie, whether it be sad or happy tears.

-“Emma tells dad jokes” We’ve been over this with the other three. She’s a fan of dad jokes, more specifically puns. Because again- based on me. She doesn’t usually partake in the dad joke battles, purely because she would rather be the judge.

-“Emma is constantly singing for no reason.” Once again, based on me, so there’s that. There’s also the fact that she literally wished for life to be a musical for a day.

-“Emma is a theatre kid” Speaking of which- big fan of musicals! Especially animated ones. She loves to act and is very dramatic. Very much a drama queen.

————————-

And that’s all I got! Hope you enjoyyeeeeeedd

[skayafair]

I have to admit I miss season 1 and 2 atmosphere. I fell in love with this podcast as my most comfort one because it had everything I love - lots of supernatural stuff, a very mysterious air - not horror one, really, - a thick plot and two very imperfect characters growing as the action went, good character studies - and it was very well-balanced.

I think going downhill started back in the pits time, the balance tipped quite considerably to the macabre side. But it was still mostly alright, season 2 is my favorite.

The real change happened in season 3.

Firstly, the enemy weren't some supernatural beings anymore - it's humans now. Using some otherwordly technics and creating monsters, sure, but still humans. The town's folk, Uncle, Larson, people in the mines (weren't exactly enemies but they were considered a possible threat for some time). When it was going on for just one season, it was okay - felt different, not as nice and comforting as the first 2, but okay. But now in season 4 there's a heavy focus on the Butcher (who is just revolting to me even as an enemy), who has been appearing as a human so far, although now we know there might be some supernaturally weird shit going on with him either. And... If I wanted to listen to a true crime or be reminded how cruel people are, how they can enjoy hurting and killing others, I'd just listen to a true crime or open any news website. The place I live in won't let me forget anyway. Podcasts are my escape.

Secondly, the drama or even tragedy level. The balance between the lighthearted or not as emotionally charged parts and the dramatical ones used to be very good, but in season 3 it dipped VERY much. I mean it's great to have emotionally intense episodes from time to time - season 2 was edging on its limits but still held the balance, but almost the whole season 3 is just an emotional wringer. I love the episodes with Yellow, they were GREAT, but soon enough afterwards I've noticed for the first time that I was postponing listening to the new episodes because I was dreading of how emotionally intense and draining they were going to be. This podcast was supposed to restore my energy like it did for 2 seasons, not drain it. While I'm glad we had so much character development for Arthur, I wish the mood of the season was balanced much better than it actually was. The 4th one started well in this regard, but the nightmares episode and the last one were too much for me. I think it has to do with the torture - emotional or physical one, doesn't matter. It happens too often now, and I don't respond well to it. It's too intense.

And lastly, the pacing. This is my beef mostly with season 4 and probably with the 2nd half of season 3 as well - it's slow. The mines part was just too dragged out for me, and now the events sort of happen but also it didn't feel much like it for the last few episodes. Half of the nightmares ep was just boring (probably the fact that I don't like Kellin one bit contributed to the impression as well), the 33rd was nice to have character development-wise but not much in any other regard and the 34th is just insufferable for 2 reasons: I can't stand the Butcher (he was more or less ok in ep 1 because there wasn't much of him, but listening to a narcissist for 45 minutes straight? No thanks) and the chase is... well, mostly running and chasing, which is plain boring to me. Characters interactions weren't much to me either, I don't see any common points between them, any chemistry, and they don't work as mirrors like it was with Larson. I mean looking at Arthur from an outside perspective was nice, but that was the only interesting thing there. Season 1 was quite like season 4 with the investigation and a lot of human characters, but it had crazy pacing and frankly that was the only thing that saved it initially for me (I enjoyed it properly later, but when I just began to listen it took quite a while to draw me in). Season 2 was thankfully slower, more introspective, which was great, but it was great thanks to a very good balance of what was going on in both inner and outer worlds. The Dreamlands itself as a location with completely unknown rules and plenty of various creatures, when one could never know if it was going to be a friend or a foe, was dynamic enough to keep just the right pacing.

I'm not looking for a discussion and not trying to berate the podcast, not dropping it either - I mean it's just about an hour once a month at most and the plot is still interesting to me, so no reason to drop it. But I really miss the way it used to be, I want my comfort series back - monsters don't scare me, people do, so I wish we went back to cosmic horror instead of a very real one.

[dynmghts]

Following from my other headcanon post on what happened with Katsuki's arm, I've decided to dig into the immediate aftermath of the war and his hospitalisation + healing process!

This is possibly subject to change based on how the manga goes. Warning for some heavy hospital and medical talk!

IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH.

In the manga, as you might remember for you manga readers like me, Katsuki has passed out near a playground - I highly doubt that he'll be getting up again, but even if he does (by nothing short of a miracle), the repercussions are going to be immense. When the war draws to a close and Katsuki is taken to the nearest hospital, I really don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon.

We have to remember that he revived himself with his Quirk. Not only that, but Edgeshot was still working hard to ensure that Katsuki was functioning enough on his own before he left him to All For One. Combine it with the damage he's sustained in the previous battle - which Edgeshot could not have repaired all on his own - and the likelihood of Katsuki getting back up straight away from this is exponentially low. He spent two days down after the Paranormal Liberation War.

I'm estimating that he spends at LEAST a week comatose, or drifting in and out of fitful sleep, before he actually maintains any sort of lucid consciousness. Here are my main reasons:

Recovery Girl is not a be-all, end-all cure. Her Quirk uses the energy of the recipient to hasten the progress of healing, yes, but she cannot push the recipient beyond their limit lest she set them back. Katsuki's body is already under stress trying to heal naturally. Beyond her Quirk use to save Katsuki's arm, it's likely that she can't spare more of his energy to heal elsewhere, and thus he needs to continue some of his recovery naturally.

Eri's Quirk does not have the energy for a Rewind that significant. Also, she's just a kid. Let's not use her as a means to heal every single person that's sustained injuries during this war.

There is a lot of damage to cover. Even though Edgeshot repaired his organs and they were perfectly sufficient to ensure he could function again, they still endured a lot of stress and have not had the chance to heal per se. Internal injuries are tricky. This isn't even mentioning the numerous bone breaks, the muscle damage, tendons, complications with joints... Beyond his arm, we're looking at ribs and sternum for other bones. Hell, the musculature system connected to the bones is extremely complex too, and they would've been impacted. We know that Katsuki's lungs and heart took the brunt of the damage in the fight against Shigaraki. Yeah, there's a lot to heal - and with his limited energy, it's going to take a while.

Credit where credit is due: Edgeshot is the reason Katsuki does not need organ transplants. And while I'm definitely considerate of the fact that Edgeshot also repaired any damage to blood vessels that required it (specifically the most vital ones), I doubt he could've done more with the bones save for maybe... Weaving them into place, almost. And THAT would only be a temporary fix to prevent shards of bone re-puncturing the organs.

I would say that in this period, Katsuki is much more susceptible to viral and bacterial infection. Bacterial infection is increasingly likely; even if he was taken to hospital as soon as they found him, and Edgeshot sanitised himself before performing surgeries, it is increasingly likely Katsuki will endure complications because he went back into a fight the moment he woke up. Not only that, but he did so in agony.

Working on the fact that Katsuki had surgery to his heart and lungs, therefore we could call it a sort of thoracic surgery (because, you know, it's the chest region)... No wonder my guy was suffering. Have you ever looked into all the things people are not meant to do post-op for these things?

Dudes, I only considered that he'd need heavy pain medication for his arm - but he's probably drugged to absolute hell and back for his chest ALONE. On top of the fact that thoracic surgery is often described to be excruciatingly painful, but an operation like that still leaves room for potential complications like pneumonia, and it's possible his lungs are still trying to recover from collapsing in the first place. So considering that, he'd need oxygen treatment to ensure healthy oxygen saturation... They'd even have to watch his heart to make sure that there is no cardiac arrhythmia.

There's also the possibility of Katsuki developing post-thoracotomy pain syndrome, which means feeling pain in his chest months after the fact.

To summarise the immediate aftermath:

Katsuki is hospitalised and treated for injuries that weren't initially or completely repaired - or were exacerbated from his fight with AFO.

Injuries that they have to accommodate for include the impromptu thoracic surgery Edgeshot performed on Katsuki, the numerous fractured and broken bones, damage to the musculature and any connecting tissues, as well as torn tendons.

Katsuki likely develops infection; pneumonia, namely. He has no other post-op infections thanks to Edgeshot's use of Wash's bubble and proper care from the hospital.

Recovery Girl is called in to administer treatment of her own, specifically to fix bone placement first, and he is put on oxygen treatment and analgesia (heavy painkillers) to take the edge off.

He remains in a comatose state - or, he is in and out of consciousness - for the next week.

AWAKENING.

After about a week of fighting infection and his energy being poured into healing all of his wounds, Katsuki manages to hold onto consciousness. He can talk, answer questions, and take in a few visitors - though said visitors have to take precautions, because of his recovering state. He's still quite disjointed, but stubbornly coherent enough to ask of the end result for the war, as well as Izuku's whereabouts, then the class, his teachers, etc.

At this stage, Katsuki is encouraged to get up and move with others to promote the use of his organs after being out for so long. He also has to do deep breathing and coughing to keep his lungs active. Overall, though, he isn't doing too much, because his doctors don't want to set him back - they just resolved his previous infection, so it's pain management and post-op care now that he was awake to participate.

The road to recovery is shortened by advancements in medical technology and the presence of healing Quirks like Recovery Girl's, but that doesn't mean Katsuki isn't spending time in the hospital. There are a few intense days of rigorous healing, monitoring, pain management, and overall care before he's discharged to go home. (Without advancements, Katsuki would've been looking at another week-long stay. The combined damage of his arm and his chest makes his hospitalisation period lengthy as it is, but it's a small blessing he doesn't have to stay nearly as long as he might've with the absence of healing Quirks.)

As a generalisation of what his subsequent days would've looked like after waking:

There is frequent pulse checks, heart monitoring, and he often has blood taken to check his levels. If he is low on blood count in general - which is unlikely, as it was one of the first things remedied - then there is a transfusion of platelets and blood cells.

He is given breakfast. On the first day, he is unsuccessful stomaching it, but they wait until lunch to determine if he needs intervention.

After a dose of analgesia and his first deep breathing exercise of the day, Katsuki is encouraged with staff support to get up and walk around. It's difficult with the equipment attached to him, but they make it as easy as they can.

Lunch is served. On the first day, Katsuki keeps it extremely light, and he manages to stomach it on this attempt. He has no complications after this. His second breathing exercise occurs.

He is administered Recovery Girl's treatment after lunch and ends up resting through the majority of the afternoon. His third breathing exercise is just before dinner.

They encourage him to get up and move again after dinner. On the third day of this, he stubbornly attempts to do this himself, and he stumbles a few times without support. He doesn't fall. Doctors and nurses reprimand him for a reckless action, but if he hasn't seen many of his friends by now, he'll insist on their visits as a means of justifying his stubbornness.

The final breathing exercise occurs before he sleeps... Well, part of his sleep. It's broken into three parts due to checks throughout the night.

Note that he's doing this with only one arm in action. It's impressive just how much Katsuki does in this short timeframe.

DISCHARGE.

This one I'm going to try and keep brief, but Katsuki is discharged and left in his parents' care once the doctors have no reason to keep him in the hospital.

On top of the numerous setbacks enlisted about his arm, they tell him to only have frequent walks, no heavy lifting, and to have frequent check-ups with their physicians until he makes a full recovery. The timeframe for the full recovery is hastened thanks to Recovery Girl's treatment (so instead of ~6-12 weeks, look at more 4-8 weeks), but it still takes time - and his contact with the hospital seems unending for the first two weeks after discharge. Longer, when they want to check up on him every few months after he resumes his hero training.

Katsuki doesn't return to the dorms until the end of his first week at home. Even then, the school has to keep a rigorous eye on him to ensure that he doesn't push it beyond what he's been allowed to do - which, thankfully, he doesn't. He's not so reckless that he'll set his healing progress back, especially in knowing the repercussions of doing so.

The main thing is that Katsuki still has to take regular pain medication while keeping up his exercises, and I think that his parents likely agreed that he would have better luck in doing so if he was surrounded by his friends at the dorms. He cannot use his right arm and cannot join on any heroics until his doctors are sure that he is healed enough to do so. It frustrates him, but that's also why he's back at the dorm with his friends: they help him keep a level head while reminding him what he's working for.

(And as for recurrent pain, I think that Katsuki's efforts to stick to the healing process given has almost completely diminished the possibility. However, I like to think that he does experience a sort of phantom pain under specific circumstances.)

[lonesomedreamer]

SNW Liveblog: “The Elysian Kingdom”

This episode? Messy af. Spock in a wig? Sexy af.

The scene with M’Benga and Rukiya is precious, as always—though the subtext of it (her desire to change endings and rewrite stories more to her liking) is a little on-the-nose, considering that the writers of SNW are basically rewriting a classic television show to suit their own whims.

If Rukiya is running out of time, in theory all M’Benga has to do is stop materializing her so frequently…assuming that, while her pattern is in the transporter, she’s not conscious/aware. If she IS, that’s an entirely different (and horrifying) can of worms.

The exchange about superstitions between Pike and Spock is nice.

“Drinks are on me.” This is why Pike’s crew seems so undisciplined, imo. We know that Kirk would, and did, drink with his crew. But he wasn’t casually offering to buy them drinks from the captain’s chair.

“You gonna say the thing?” “Hit it.” Thanks, I still hate it.

I miss TOS’s buttons and tactile controls so much. They’re just more visually appealing (and frankly, more practical) than touch screens.

“Perhaps you did, indeed, jinx it.” I love Spock, lmao. (Also, as someone who calls out sports announcers and coworkers for jinxing things regularly…Pike totally jinxed it.)

People falling out of their chairs during turbulence is a real Trek classic!

Great, M’Benga is what, hallucinating?

These kinds of zany episodes on TOS/TNG took place either on a strange planet—like in “Squire of Gothos” or “Shore Leave”—or on the holodeck. Setting this on the Enterprise instead was…well, a choice.

La’an’s princess costume is delightfully ridiculous and sparkly.

It’s kind of a bummer to see that Christina Chong has real acting chops (even if “Princess Thalia” is intentionally way over-the-top), but is denied the chance to do much acting thanks to how flatly her character is written.

Ethan is hot. No notes.

“Maybe I can get us out of here with the help of some powerful magic called science.”

I vastly prefer hammy/possessed Kirk to hammy/possessed Pike. Sorry ’bout it. (Maybe it’s just the actors, or maybe it’s because regular Kirk comes off as so much more sincere than Pike to me?)

Why is Hemmer, an alien with inherent telepathic abilities, immune to whatever’s happening on the Enterprise, whereas Spock, an alien (well, half-alien) with inherent telepathic abilities, succumbed to it? I can hand-wave most plot holes…this one’s just lazy writing, though.

Worth it? Worth it.

I would watch THIS show.

“Truthfully, I should have known it as well…since that’s what he does in the book.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

“There’s no such place, my queen, he’s bluffing.”

All those lines were funny and delivered well!

Even though classic tricorders look pretty out-of-place on this redesigned Enterprise, I still love seeing them.

The resolution of the Rukiya subplot reminds me a lot of the end of The Motion Picture.

The moral quandry of it is enormous, way bigger than “storing your daughter’s biological pattern in the transporter to keep her alive,” which raises plenty of ethical questions of its own. M’Benga tells Rukiya that “it’s up to you”—but how can such a young child make such a huge decision: to exist in space as a disembodied consciousness for an infinite amount of time or to wait in stasis for a cure for her human body?! It’s uncomfortably reminiscent of the “willing” sacrifice made by the little boy in Episode 6…not really the comparison you want viewers to be drawing, given how that one ended. Children that age can’t give meaningful consent.

Besides, what does M’Benga know about this entity? How do either of them know that they can trust it? It’s been using the Enterprise as a dollhouse for hours out of boredom/loneliness! What might it do to Rukiya’s energy? And how will becoming said disembodied consciousness impact a nine- or ten-year-old human girl? There are actually a number of great science fiction (horror) stories about this, the premise being that human minds are ill-equipped for that kind of existence. For all M’Benga knows, he could find the cure next week. It was teased in Episode 6. All he needs to do is keep Rukiya safely the transporter—which really shouldn’t be a problem unless she is, in fact, conscious in there. But the writers obviously just wanted to wrap this problematic subplot up and move on.

A grown-up version of Rukiya appears to comfort M’Benga and tell him about her many “adventures,” because it turns out time exists differently for her now even though it’s been ~30 seconds of real time…? It cheapens the scene before and makes me feel belittled as a viewer. I’m okay with feeling uneasy about M’Benga’s choice! I’m not okay with being cajoled into thinking that it was the correct choice. When Kirk let Edith Keeler die, her ghost didn’t reappear to assure him that she understood why he had to! He—and by extension, the audience—just had to live with it.

“She’s safe.” He doesn’t and can’t know that for certain. He let an alien consciousness he neither studied/analyzed nor communicated directly with spirit his daughter away after two minutes of deliberation! Anything could be happening to her out there. Though, to be totally fair, she’s not going to die, so…there’s that?

So yes: this episode is messy. I rewatched it after seeing the ending and reading a lot of reviews/commentary and actually revised this liveblog. It’s not as bad as I initially thought! However, I’ve come to think that the Rukiya subplot itself was a poor choice, one full of troubling implications, dubious decision-making, and questionable ethics. I understand why the writers scrambled to get rid of it. And conveptually, this episode wasn’t even a bad send-off for Rukiya! The execution was just lacking. It could’ve been so much more.

But hey…at least we got La’an’s princess dress, Uhura’s evil queen ensemble, and Spock in that wig.

The Good: Gorgeous costumes—the actress playing Rukiya was a delight; I’ll miss her—Spock in general—some very funny lines/delivery—Christina Chong gets to act!

The Bad: The writing, pacing, set design, and some of the acting was all pretty clumsy—for an episode that turned so heavy, the campy fairy tale stuff was too light and took up too much time. Too much of Ortegas and Pike; not enough of La’an and Spock. (I think there’s too much Ortegas on the show, period. She just doesn’t work for me. No judgment towards other people who may feel differently.) Some truly WTF parenting choices made by M’Benga—huge unresolved questions/plot holes by the end.

But the beauty of SNW returning to Trek’s episodic roots is that it’s a standalone episode. Hoping for better (and more Spockstine!) in the next installment.

[player-1]

Throwing in another hot take/theory rant for demon Plant arm Tessla since TriStamp Knives would definitely have had some complications in those 150+ years before the main story. And for some TriMax spoilers below:

-While Knives still has some lingering connections to the Plant network, Tessla could be his "seeing-eye dog" when looking for Plants both thriving or near-death, especially when town/cities apart. Might be easy to connect that to ep. 3 when his knives point directly to the Plant from outside the generator instead of immediately hacking and slashing through the the town to get to it.

-Speaking of the Plant network, while TriStamp labels Plant production in the broad scope of water, heat, electricity and gravity; there exists geo-Plants (Plants that can create biological/plant life), though it mostly happens when a Plant has already died or exhausted all viable energy. TriStamp puts it in the blatant fact that she's still alive in the pickle jar , TriMax presents in an interesting factoid that a Plant's hair goes black when overexterting themselves (which is somewhat shown with Vash's hair slowly turning brown in the Ship 5 arc). Tessla's hair never turned black, even after everything that happened to her (ch. here for your perusal and horror) and the so-called "tumors" that she develops could be some type of mushroom/fungi to ease the stress on her body without going into a Last Run. But to be fair, Plants themselves are pure energy given a physical form and their Gates are their connection that source (in TriStamp/TriMax? logic); Tessla would already be teetering that line between life and "death", storing up an entire wealth of energy and knowledge before and/or during merging with Knives (something something mycelium network). Case in point, hc that Tessla could be Knives' interdimensional radio with the price of living out of pure spite and eldritch vibes.

-As for Tessla being a Plant radio, she would mainly communicate to Knives through different sounds/voices she heard or copied off his memories (either because Knives never heard her voice or that she forgotten). Knives is fine with the inconsistency, but she always has hell to pay if she even attempts to copy Rem's or (older) Vash's voice.

-To fit the older sister role, Tessla would also be a permanent meme machine that Knives (and anyone in their vicinity) has to suffer through whenever she gets particularly feisty or playful. Legato, without fail, would suddenly get bombarded with Blue if she ever gets a second of eye contact with him. Zazie would hear another set of buzzing apart from their Worm network, maybe like a cat purring, but Knives had to put his arm into a chokehold the one time they ask him what kind of Worm a bee is. Livio gets teased with nondescript elevator music since the lights are on but nobody's home. Monev/Rollo becomes the unofficial lap-dog (before going rogue) because Tessla gushes about how much of a good boy he is despite easily crushing Knives like a trash compactor. Elendira learns about a monster made from the folly of an insane “doctor” (ie. Frankenstein), and with enough prodding from her younger brother, lets Tessla teach her how to shoot a Lost Tech nailgun for target practice (using a drawing of Conrad’s face as said-target). Conrad would get a marathon of death threats or the aura of dread whenever he so much as breathes in her general direction; it’s always a coin toss if he gets to privately talk to Knives on their plans or gets mentally trampled by his pseudo-daughter/alien guinea pig.

-And of course, Knives has to bare the brunt of it all every single time it happens; waking him up at May 3rd midnight to demand a cake, sibling-joking him so bad that he actually considers Vash the lesser of two evils, and even if he took all that time and effort to build the Eye of Michael from the ground up (even writing the Bible 2.0) and considers her the "messenger of faith", Tessla would've haggled him so hard to even put her in the book in the first place. And yes, even if they're connected to each other on the mental/physical/memory level, she doesn't know how to read.

Case in point, if Knives could merge but barely control an entire trove of Dependent Plants in TriMax, how the hell are we supposed to expect that he can control one Independent with the same level of ease in TriStamp? Not to mention keeping the one person who killed his older sister alive to become to backbone of the Eye of Michael in the first place...She would've lashed out enough times for the team to notice and realize that Knives was literally holding another monster back by the skin of his teeth. If it somewhat justifies Legato having that oddly specific sleeve-glove thing on only his left hand and Conrad always avoiding Knives' within a 25 ft radius, then I don't what else to say.

[retrosimp]

Okay respectfully I neeeeed some domestic fluffy headcanons (buying a house, getting married, having children etc etc) w Terry McCain bc I’m OBSESSED with how amazing n cute u wrote the last ones ✨🌸🤍

ok as this might be getting out of hand knowing myself :'DDD   I'll probably split this in two sections. I have one domestic Boyfriend!Terry coming up soon so I'll answer w Married!Terry HCs for now

A/N Note: Just toothrotting fluff, gn neutral reader

Hope you enjoy 🖤

Married Life with Terry McCain (Excessive Force 1993)

I: The Prequel

After all the relationship drama beforehand you and Terry slowly rekindle your relationship

The lifestyle Terry leads makes it kinda hard to really consider starting a family or even getting married at first

He knows you are worried and offput by the violence in his day to day life and Terry is offput at first too - scared that he will make you a widow/widower the day after your marriage due to some unfortunate gang fight

So he waits. And you wait.

Over time Terry turns to music more balancing his two careers side by side

Getting offered a promotion to Captain puts Terry in a difficult position as he really wants his life with you but he also needs the adrenaline, wants to do good and is out for seeking justice and revenge for the unjust

Also he can't abandon his work, the city, as he knows as long as you live in this town it has to be as safe as possible for his beloved and friends

Finally things seem to have calmed down. Terry has made it his job to mainly train the new police forces and oversee everything as Captain, only jumping into the big action when needed.

Instead he cures his energy with Taekwondo and music as he has pursued playing part-time in the Jazz Club

It took him a lot of effort to do so, but the adoption of Dylans cat has made him more "Homey" and comfort seeking

The owner of the jazz club Jake still has the plan to get him signed at some stage

So finally aprox. 5 years later sometime in 1997/8 he proposes (thank god)

Just that you didn't realize that it had been on his mind forever

You simply agreed on waiting and as life with Terry is a new adventure everyday you did not really think of much when he asked you to wear something you love (because that's when you're the most comfortable)

Its a spontaneous and not really spontaneous decision on his part - it's Christmas Eve the 24th of December 1997 and originally he and you were invited over to Frankies house for a small party, Dylan and his fiancée coming too

So when Terry suddenly takes the snow-covered highway you know something has to be in the bushes

II. Proposal

"Why are we speeding down the highway Terry ? You haven't forgotten about Frankie have you?" Eyebrows raised in slight bewilderment your eyes find Terrys blue orbs in the rear-view. You watch as the corners of his mouth quirk in mischief. "They can wait for just a bit longer."

A rather shy grin tringles it's way onto your face, biting your lip brow furrowed in confusion. Even after years of being together you can't help but get a little bashful when he eyes you like that. "Terry, they will be mad and rightfully so it's Christmas." You watch your lover shrug his broad shoulders in nonchalance, still smirking but you notice him mirroring your expression, biting his lip as if he was trying to compose himself. Terry being nervous didn't happen often. He was rather a bit too cocksure most of the time. A little bratty but sweet. Similar to a cat. You get a little uneasy yet somewhat giddy as the air reeks of adventure the unspoken question still drifting in the car. Eyes still narrowed on his as they flick over the road you draw back into your seat trying for equal nonchalance. "Okay and what exactly are we doing out there?" 

Terry doesn’t respond as his orbs remain fixed on the headlights in the dark but presses a button on the stereo and Abbas Happy New Year starts slurring in the background earning him a quizzed look from his partner. „It's a bit early for that no?“ You mock irked by Terry's silence trying to get him to use his tongue on what the hell is transpiring. He chuckles softly, the sound resonating in every fibre of your body and warming your ice cold digits beneath the wool covering your hands. 

It's the end of a decade....

In another ten years time

Who can say what we'll find

What lies waiting down the line

In the end of eighty-nine..!”

The car comes to an halt at a little further as Terry turns to face you abruptly, the seatbelt slinging from his shoulder as he leans across the small space between you, effectively trapping you in his arms. “Do you still remember New Year ‘89?” Instinctively you chuckle. “Course I do. It was horrible, the party had turned out to be quite disastrous, most of the people I knew did their last line of coke in the bathroom that night. “ You grin in nostalgia “And then I met this 9′5 tall guy who apparently was seeing one of my closest friends off and on. Naturally I only found out about that in the new decade.” Terry roles his eyes a smirk tugging at his lips the voice husky as he speaks. “Yeah. But do you remember this place? When we were listening to the song in this car?” A smile and a little warmth flood your visage as you recall the two of you sitting on the trunk of Terrys car stargazing and watching fireworks explode. A little tipsy. A little melancholic on your part. Sharing the first kiss in the 90s together.  “Yes, a magical night it was.”

Terry seems to have gone through the events in his mind just like you. With a swing his arm grabs the door handle on your side motioning for you to exit before he comes to stand next to you, leading you through to the snow. “How do you even remember the exact place ?” you huff slightly breathless for no reason besides Terrys odd behaviour, him effectively manoeuvring you with his arms so that he blocks the sight behind him. When he turns you catch a glimpse of what he hides. The bench. Your bench sits decorated in cushions blankets and candle lights, lightly dusted in the falling snow. “I remember everything from that night. I was not able to forget. Being back with Anna was not enough to forget it. Not seeing you was not enough because I already knew the truth - “ The beating of your heart overtakes breath as you look up into his earnest eyes, melting as you see your reflection dancing in his orbs who have taken the colour of a sky on a summers day. Your eyes remain fixated as you realize Terrys body shifting so that he is no longer looking down but up towards you, kneeling in the white sea of flakes around him, tangling in his curls and making him an outwardly dream. A manifestation hidden in your heart ever since that night. “And the truth being that I knew that the only person I wanted to kiss through this decade was you. Now as this decade will soon come to an end but I had no patience to wait for ‘99 to ask you. Will you marry me?” *

 A strangled noise somewhere in your throat is all you verbally communicate ferociously nodding your head as you yourself into Terrys wide arms. Overcome with emotion you trace him over and over finding his cheeks his nose  “No tears love.” Terry hushes as his fingertips reach out to brush them from your cheeks as you nuzzle into him laughing and crying. Terry laughs, a deep angelic baritone tone vibrating against your chest as he engulfs your face in his hands kissing you like he had been starved for an eternity. A kiss that turns heated against the cold snow trickling nape and cheeks. Terry scrunches his nose in playful disgust as you sit up on him “I could have saved the deco part had I known you’d rather sit on me.” His hands find your waist squeezing lightly as you wheeze in laughter “Shut up Terry or I will think this over.” Hands quick Terry turns you so you lie pressed into a bed of snow his nose brushing yours as he gives you a lazy smile, lips brushing yours “It’s to late to back out now McCain.”

Part III Marriage!

this is going to be fun >:>>

Dylan and Frankie are Terrys best men (bcs I said so and i liked their relationship) 

That means the bachelor party is going wiiiiilllld

They arrange something in secret with some colleagues of the department and use some excuse to get Terry into the event

Dylan & Frankie take Terry to a “90s guys” bar with pool tables and vip rooms 

There all the others are already waiting for Terry, probably like a handful so that they are 10 ppl max. as Terry keeps a tight circle 

Frankie later introduces some strippers because hell it’s Frankie 

So the boys get pissed as hell (don’t we all love drunk Terry :PP)

bahaha we all know what that means

Terry doesn’t really bother with the strippers but he does get kinda itchy to see sb. - his somebody 

he will arrive home in almost feral state bcs he’s drunk and horney

and will kinda jump you 

“I missed you. Badly. There were many people. So many. But none of them was you.”

Take Bad Boy to bed 🥴

Soooo when ur party comes around you and Anna decide to step it up 

She insists on throwing a proper rager for you 

Of course this gets out of hand and one has to look twice to recognize your apartment 

Terry will shoo the other people from your apartment at some point after coming home purposefully late having been up in the Jazz Club until 5 in the morning

Will carry you upstairs in bridal style (PUN INTENDED) and change your clothes with you leaning against him half asleep half tipsy while you let him pull your top over your head

After having you brushed your teeth and tucked into the warm sheets man’s going to deal with the mess downstairs and clean the remainders finding the weirdest things. 

Terry will never address them. 

Or will he?

Planning the marriage takes up all nerves and Terry’s not that much of a great help even though he tries 

He doesn’t need much but whatever you say goes

Therefore he is the one in charge of massages and comfort when the pressure gets to much 

------------------------------------------------------------

Then comes the big day. FINALLY 

AND HERE U THOUGHT MEETING TERRYS PARENTS WAS SCARY WHEN HE ACTUALLY HAS HIS ENTIRE FAMILY WITH HIM NOW

Church wedding most likely because of the ceremony's sake 

It’s good weather for once in Chicago; the sky is brilliant 

A moment of breathlessness as your eyes catch his blue seas, them light with emotion seeing you step into the church, the sun light flooding in behind you 

The sweetest wedding vows, and the moment he says them the way he practically gazes into your soul, you know that he means every word of what he said and where you go Terry will go. Always

Honeymoon you spend travelling Europe briefly, visiting the Ireland and Terrys family that wasn’t able to come over exploring Terry herritage

The majority of your honeymoon you spend touring the Japan and its country side

You got married in spring so it’s cherry blossom season over there

Shrine visits in Yukatas 

Private Shrine visits without Yukata 

Lots of photos and collection of moments of this unique and one of a kind journey

Part IV Married Life Together 

When you wake he’s always there, like before but different. It'll as if overnight, through the words or the ceremony or the whatever you had interwoven into one another. As if there was no physical space dividing you in your respective bodies.. You feel him stir as you shift Terrys arms around you and he complies, still half asleep half mumbling while burying his nose into the tender skin behind your earlobe, warm breath soft as it touches your skin. There is nothing better, more vivid and alive in you these days as when you are together. The realisation that you belong to one another officially doesn't fail to knock the breath out of you once again. It still did. Signing the agreement to your new home, your eyes had marvelled at the surname on the paper. Somewhat surreal although so familiar.

You smile when being addressed at work in the early stages

The sound of your new surname ringing from your ears

Having Terry around always was already exciting enough in your shared apartment 

Buying a house is a different high

The house speaks through it’s furniture and tapestry; all the hours of work you have out into making the first “something” together that you both own

The house is overrun by cats Terry “finds”

A grand piano and various smaller instruments make their way into your home 

Hosting dinners at home

Nothing has changed with your morning evening routine besides the fact of being addressed as Mrs/Mr McCain by Terry occasionally before he pulls you into a quick kiss before heading off

Soon enough you find yourself expecting/ adopting a child together

Terry takes time off work to take of you during the last stages to look after you and your needs; prepare everything for the child's arrival

To many size jokes from everyone

(Holds your hand without flinching once when you’re in labour)

Will take time of work to help with the baby (in case you adopt a young child he will do the same) 

Plays the piano and writes music for his children (lullabies etc) 

Music will be an essential part of the McCain household 

No matter if Terrys teaching his children or just plays for himself, some tune will almost always be heard floating through the house

If Terry has a son he will teach him how to bind ties by the age of 5 haha

Taekwondo will be proposed but not forced though passively taught 

Outdoor activities and family vacations include going rafting in Canada, discovering Irelands marshes and finally taking you on that trip to the Caribbean 

I feel Terry McCain is a man who would try to make time with his family and bond with his children, trying to invest himself by interactive activities but his job would always remain a part of who he is. I can’t see Terry giving that up until he is at least 50. He wants to help people and especially needs a safe city for his loved ones

Oh the glare when your kid finally brings someone home 

Intense stare so they will not try anything funny

Will rough up any kid who mistreats his child like lol homeboy better move his ass before McCain get’s involved 

Will pick up and drive kids because he wants them safe but the compromise is that you go to the parents evenings in school because he can’t stand that and the other parents o.o

Lots of memories of his kids in the Jazz Club with him trying out different instruments

Jake and Dylan will be made godfathers, Anna the godmother and Frankie is the hip uncle that stops by occasionally and gets the kid(s) to pull pranks on their dad 

*END NOTE: I actually thought about just cutting this enitre part but maybe you enjoyed it. I thought about how Terry would propose and after self debating 

I came to the conclusion he would be the classic church straight out guy. Do you agree??! 

Also my shadowban is finally lifted so I will be accepting requests on this account again :DD

[morocosmos]

Returning - Epilogue

Intro chapter | Thancred | Urianger | Y’shtola | Alphinaud, Estinien | Tataru | Alisaie, Krile | G’raha

Warrior of Light & Erenville

Takes place during Endwalker, just after the end of 6.0. This is a series of vignettes on each of the Scions’ relationships with my Warrior of Light, Moro’a as he’s recovering after the end of the Final Days.

We made it to the end! Thank you to anyone who’s enjoyed these, whether you read one, a couple or all of them :>

It’s a chilly morning, early enough that some of the market stalls in the Agora have yet to fully open. Moro’a takes his time, walking slowly as he takes in the sea air and the quiet bustle of Sharlayan scholars and students, out procuring supplies and sundries. From across the plaza, he sees a small group of Ironworks engineers hurrying past the aetheryte, and even a handful of Gridanian conjurers at the benches, gawping at the sights around them.

Change, Moro’a thinks to himself, suppressing a yawn and wrapping his scarf around his neck an ilm tighter as a breeze rushed through the Agora, before settling on an empty bench.

The Scions had agreed to embark for the Rising Stones by the end of the sennight, giving Moro’a ample time to rest and build up his strength before the voyage. In an effort to do just that, he’d been going on walks such as this around Old Sharlayan. He’s growing a little stronger every day, but still has to be careful not to overexert himself. Dawn has proven to be the best time for walks; while he doesn’t entirely wish to be left alone, less attention from passersby means more energy for walking, and he much prefers appreciating the simultaneously quiet, yet bright atmosphere, watching as sunlight gradually bathes the city’s white stone buildings in a rosy golden hue.

But change is still on his mind, as it had been for several days now, and with it the certainty that it would come about soon for him and the Scions. Estinien would sooner or later embark wherever the wind took him. Thancred had already mentioned his and Urianger’s plans, while Krile and G’raha spent more and more time in the Annex these days, and Y’shtola in the Noumenon. There’d also been murmurs between the twins about Garlemald, wishing they could do more there, and Tataru has her business to run. Each Scion’s desires had begun to draw them along different paths, some converging and others not.

It was bound to happen, now that the mission that brought us together has concluded, Moro’a thinks to himself. He’s not sure how to feel about it; happy and upset are far too extreme for the precipice they stand upon now.

“Fancy meeting you here.” A low, musical voice brings Moro’a out of his reverie, and he turns around to see Erenville approach from behind.

“Erenville.” Moro’a finds himself glad to see the gleaner. “It’s good to see you.”

“And you.” Erenville wears a light, warm smile, and he hesitates before adding, “countless people were concerned for your well-being when you returned from your mission…myself amongst them. But if you are here, I trust your recovery proceeds at a welcome pace, then?”

Moro’a nods, briefly explaining his treatment and how the Scions would be leaving for Limsa Lominsa within the next few days. Erenville takes it all in stride and without comment, until he poses another question. “What next, then?”

What next, indeed? The Scions may well not be needed anymore, which leaves me free to do just about anything, he considers saying. He’d told Thancred he’d like to go adventuring, but he hadn’t quite expressed how impatiently eager he’s become to do just that – to take the unknown road and venture forth to wherever it might lead him. The same desire that’d led him to Eorzea in the first place, more than a decade ago now.

“I’d like to go somewhere new,” he answers, looking out towards the ocean. “Or perhaps someplace I can see with new eyes. But not as some champion or saviour. I’d like to just be myself – just any other adventurer, if you would. Find some stories that don’t revolve around being a hero.”

Erenville doesn’t reply immediately. In fact, the viera appears to be deep in thought, as though suddenly thrust into some sort of internal debate. There’s a sparkle to his eyes that hadn’t been there before, as though Moro’a’s words had done something to capture Erenville’s own spirit, and it makes him wonder. What's your story?

“Oh, don’t mind me. I was simply distracted by, ah, a quandary of my own,” Erenville responds at length, shaking his head. Upon seeing Moro’a’s curious expression, the viera tilts his head ever so slightly to the side. “That being said, while gleaners go wherever we are needed, it does result in a healthy amount of travel. Not that much different from the life of an adventurer, in some respects.” Erenville taps his chin. “Should our paths happen to align…I don’t suppose I could trouble you for a means to contact you? Depending on where my work takes me and the timing thereof, I might just appreciate having an experienced travelling companion.”

Oh? It’s Moro’a’s turn to consider the other’s words. Erenville had worded it as a suggestion, and yet something about the way he said it made it sound more like an invitation. It might just be the adventure Moro’a’s looking for, and he can’t say he’s not interested in getting to know the gleaner better. “I can pass you a linkpearl before we leave for Limsa Lominsa – find me here at the same time tomorrow if you can make it,” he replies, and Erenville nods with a smile.

“Excellent. Well, I’d best be off for now. Can’t make good on my offer if I don’t take the necessary steps to make it happen,” he says, more than a little mysteriously. They bid each other goodbye, and as the viera heads off in the direction of the Annex, Moro’a turns his attention back to the horizon.

Days and days spent confined in the Technon had sprouted seeds of wanderlust in him like never before, eager to bloom. But Moro’a knows that much and more have served to propel him on the path he wishes to walk now: an old friend’s footsteps. Cryptic parting words from an enemy turned ally, and the sun-coloured crystal he keeps close by. The words of the tireless woman who’d beseeched him to champion her cause, but who had celebrated the spirit of adventure in him as well, long before they would meet in this life.

Has your journey been good? Has it been worthwhile? It has, he thinks to himself, but I’m not done yet. And whether or not the Scions of the Seventh Dawn would still exist in the days to come, it’s comforting to know that they would continue to be there for each other, come what may.

[coffeedrgn87]

Blurbs On Writing (2022 Edition)

I had this idea for a little thought compilation about my writing a while back, but I held back, unsure whether I wanted to write it all down. If I am honest, the thought of sharing something personal scared me, and still does. Today, I decided that I do want to look back on my writing exploits over the past year and add my observations. These will be at random, and I'll note them down as they come into my head. You can find the list after the break.

I enjoy writing for someone (I like the challenge), and teasing the recipient with excerpts or talking about their idea with them makes me so happy. There's something special about sharing a piece of my writing with someone or dedicating it to a particular person. Unfortunately, I don't get to do this nearly enough, and my anxiety makes it difficult to reach out to people. Occasionally, I'll jump over my shadow and ask, but it takes a lot of effort, and most of the time, I do not have the energy.

I guess not many people like reading unfinished or WIP multi-chapter things, and I understand why it doesn't work for some folx, but I've discovered that I love writing this way. It's hard for me to withdraw into a corner, quietly work on something long, and only share it once it's completely done. I don't know how other writers feel about creating their work and/or sharing it as they go, but my personal perception is that even if an author posts a chapter a week or every other day, the work is usually already finished. I may be entirely mistaken, so don't consider this opinion etched in stone. For me, writing a chapter and sharing it is thrilling. The anticipation of being able to share an update, the readers' excitement, and potential interaction via comments/messages. I thrive on that. It often lets me incorporate ideas, tweak future chapters slightly, or sometimes change course entirely.

I absolutely adore one-word prompts. There's something magical about building a short story around a prompt. Sometimes the story is centred around the prompt; other times, it's just a support, an aid. Whichever it is, it's always exciting. I particularly enjoy noun prompts, though I don't limit myself in that regard. The way these tiny prompts spark an idea is magical, but it's also frustrating when you stare at a prompt and draw a complete blank. Especially when that uninspiring prompt is part of a challenge.

Describing scenes, particularly outdoor scenes such as a forest, a meadow, a cave, or a beach (to name but a few), is such fun. I like painting a pretty picture, going into detail about what's happening, what can be seen, how things smell, what they look like... It's not been a big focus for me before, but in 2022 I really made it my priority, and I feel it's elevated my writing. I've had a few lovely comments from readers who enjoyed it, so I guess I'm on the right track.

Smells and tastes are a delight to describe, and I first dipped my toes into making that a priority when I took part in a fest in 2020, but it took time for me to turn it into a habit. My Google search has since learnt that I like to research these things. Thrilling. Thank you, Google, my trusted research partner.

If I can make it happen, I like it when my characters spent time in the kitchen. Growing up, a lot of life happened in our kitchen (mainly because my dad was a kitchen person, but it's also my inner cat, associating the kitchen with warmth, chatter, and coffee, which awakens the dragon in me), and that shows in my writing. I think I did it unconsciously until I, at one point, added the tag "life happens in the kitchen" to one of my fics on AO3, and now writing scenes in the kitchen has become a staple of mine.

I never thought I might enjoy writing sprints with other people, but for a brief period, I got to try this and found it delightful. It tickled my competitive side. Perhaps I'll dip my toes into that again at some point...we'll see.

I've gotten much better at showing rather than telling how a character feels, and it's become such a joy to add in all those little descriptors that my readers can hopefully identify with when they read my works.

Eyes seem to be something I focus a lot on when describing a person. Eyes are stunning, and I truly enjoy describing them, especially the colour and how it makes the other person feel. Knowing that one of my characters is smiling or laughing or just genuinely happy makes me happy, and I always quietly hope that the same applies to my readers.

I'm no longer all that fussed about writing super-detailed sex scenes. I go there, but in recent months I've found that stripping away some of the details of the actual "this goes there in this way" and replacing it with feelings or a character's reaction gives me much more joy. Perhaps it's loosely related to a recent discovery I made about myself, or perhaps it's just my writing evolving, but I find this interesting. We'll see where this goes. One thing that I'm very sure about, though, is that my love for smut will always burn brightly.

Pets or animals in general. I love including a pet or an animal as a character, especially when I can give them an attitude, a quirk, or something that makes the pet or animal a delight to read. I've invented a few furry/feathery/scaly companions over the past year, and it's something I want to focus on even more. I'd be happy to have 50K of one character + a menagerie of animals, and while I don't know how my readers would feel about that, a writer can dream, can they not?

I don't especially feel like I'm part of my favourite fandoms. This might be a sad revelation, but it's true. While I thrive on making new connections and responding to messages/comments (after all, I am a chatterbug), I sadly am not the kind of person to reach out to people. It takes me forever to decide to take the plunge, and my anxiety always wreaks havoc on every attempt. I no longer feel confident enough to make the first move. I overthink, worry, and convince myself that there isn't a space for me. On a few occasions, it's made me want to stop writing, but I have since learnt not to give in to that impulse. My writing is all mine. It's something I would never give up, not for anyone. Still, not having that sense of belonging makes it hard to connect. I tried for a while, but I just don't have that much strength (for personal reasons, I won't elaborate any further).

Lastly, (and to end this on a positive note) I have learnt not to compare myself to other writers, whether they've been published or whether they're fanfic writers whose works I gobble up like coffee. Occasionally, the feeling still creeps in, but for the most part, I manage to ignore it. To continue to grow as a writer, I need to be able to appreciate without feeling like reading a gorgeous piece of writing makes me want to give up on my own writing. Instead, I allow other works to push me towards doing better.

[amberrskiies]

What Amber Bonds over with Them - MC! Monday prompt #10

Prompt : What does MC bond with the characters over or how does their relationship strengthen?

Characters : Amber(MC), The Demon Brothers, The Royals, Purgatory Boys && The New Exchange Students

Prompt provided by @obeythedemons ! For the full MC! Monday List, it can be found here!

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Lucifer && Amber

Lucifer sometimes finds Amber as a handful when she gets roped into Mammon's mess or just plans pranks with Satan and Belphegor. But he finds her pretty much responsible and since both her and him have the same favor in classical music they would always exchange recommendations on it. Sometimes she accompanies Lucifer when he goes to the Demon Lord's castle for any business he has with Diavolo and her presence alone makes the environment calming and nice

Mammon && Amber

Mammon pretty much gets along with Amber on a regular basis though hanging out with him sometimes leads to her getting roped up into his messes and he dislikes it when Amber sometimes takes the fall for him. Luckily, Lucifer isn't strict with her and just scolds her on it, knowing she didn't deserve that. She's the only one that sticks up for him so he just wants to repay her back in some way but she told him that he doesn't have to do anything for her. Their bond is like big brother and little sister sort of energy so their dynamic is pretty chaotic yet fun

Leviathan && Amber

Leviathan bonded with Amber over Anime, movies and games most of his time. He would sometimes hang around her room and talk about different things which she would intently listen to. Amber would sometimes try different ways to get Levi out of the House of Lamentation only to fail yet Levi finds her attempts cute. She would share her drawings with them and he would compliment all of them. He's pretty much over the moon whenever she draws an anime character. Considering they are together, Levi tries to go outside just for her and she has to reassure him to not force himself and take it easy which he listened to and he's slightly more comfortable now

Satan && Amber

Satan always looked past her since the start and wanted to use her by making a pact to make Lucifer angry but that didn't go as planned. He feels bad about it but she forgave him on that nonetheless. After he learned that she herself has interests in different books after asking him what he was reading, he would share different books and recommend a few to her and she would do the same. You'll mostly see the two constantly talking about a book they both read and share the same reaction on it. He also loves her prank ideas and pretty much made it clear she's a valuable asset to the Anti-Lucifer League

Asmodeus && Amber

Asmodeus was indifferent about Amber throughout the start until Amber accepted his offer to go shopping with her when no one else was able to. They pretty much became shopping buddies and Asmo would always help her out with outfits and other things when it comes to parties and such. Both of them have mutual respect for each other and enjoy each others company time to time

Beelzebub && Amber

Beelzebub was indifferent with Amber as well but after slowly opening up with her, he took a liking to her, knowing he can rely on her when needed. he saw how selfless she was when she defended him and Luke in front of Lucifer and was scared thinking Lucifer might hurt her but luckily that didn't happen. He likes her cooking and learned that she also likes food herself so they are pretty much Food Buddies. Amber would always ask Beel if he wants to go to Madame Screams with her whenever given the chance, making Beel happy with the request

Belphegor && Amber

Belphegor had a rocky start bonding with her. The start of their bonding was nothing but him gaining her trust but to him it sometimes felt like he was bonding for real and just not for his gain. After the whole ordeal, things became really bumpy with the two but Amber forgave him nonetheless yet Belphie thought he didn't deserve until she knocked some sense into him. Belphie would sometimes talk about the stars and the constellations with her and would always find it pretty whenever she looked in wonder whenever he spoke about them. Sometimes he would use her as a pillow just for his fun. Needless to say, he loves her but knowing she wouldn't return them and he's okay with that

Diavolo && Amber

Diavolo would always talk about his plans with Amber when it came to the Exchange Program besides Lucifer. He thinks that she's a great listener since she would always respond well to his questions about it and give honest opinions about something. He likes whenever Amber always finds the time to visit him when he's being drowned in paperwork since he always looks towards her company. He's glad Barbatos even lets her in when he's busy with those papers

Barbatos && Amber

Barbatos saw potential in Amber from the start. Even if he didn't like how she would visit Diavolo when he's busy with paperwork, he believes that you being here will help him feel motivated. He also enjoys her company and would talk over tea. Amber has shown intimidation towards him which he picked up on and reassured that there is no reason for her to feel that way but he sees why she feels that way. Their bond is like father and daughter since how fatherly he acts towards her

Simeon && Amber

Simeon had a welcoming smile which Amber likes a lot. It reminded her of the lady at the orphanage who always had this bright smile. After she learned that Simeon was the said writer of TSL, she took a lot of interest in his work and would give her honest opinions on the plot and setup of the story which he loves to hear from her. Simeon took an interest in her artwork as well and is pretty much liking her illustrations on his series as well. He's also grateful of her taking care of Luke whenever possible and spending time with him when he's not able to

Luke && Amber

Luke at first was just wanting to protect Amber from the demons even after countless times she told him that she's fine and she'll be able to handle it, despite his doubts. He started to see her as an older sister. He took a notice on how well she is with children when both of them were in the human world and she helped a lost child calm down and find their parents. He enjoys baking with her and Barbatos but mostly her since she always give him her time. Luke always would make sweets for her as a thank you for being there with him

Solomon && Amber

Solomon and Amber's first greeting was something else with him returning her D.D.D. which she dropped on her first day at RAD. Upon learning who Solomon was, she was pretty shocked and surprised, making the sorcerer chuckle at her reaction. Solomon after some time did make her his apprentice after seeing that she pretty much has potential for becoming a sorceress and being able to use magic. She is pretty eager to learn it as well so she basically gives as much time to practice whatever she learns from him, making the immortal man impressed by how she is growing

Thirteen && Amber

Thirteen took an instant liking to her upon first greeting her. She had somethings about the human apprentice of that sorcerer and meeting her made the reaper's day. From that day on, they were besties. She was ecstatic on how Amber found interest on the different kinds of traps she makes and would show her a few of her creations and teach her how to make one

Raphael && Amber

Raphael was indifferent upon meeting her but Amber pretty much knew how Raphael was thanks to Simeon and Luke so she introduced herself in a way he would be comfortable in. This was shocking to him since he heard how she would enthusiastically greet students and such compared to his energy but he did not expect that. Luckily he grew well acquainted with her and would tell her about somethings about the Celestial Realm with Luke in tow

Mephistopheles && Amber

Mephistopheles and Amber both tolerated each other but she was pretty much more open compared to him. Though slowly and gradually they would exchange conversations on topics which mostly included how he was the head of the newspaper club and was the one with the Princess Diavolo and Lucifer on a unicorn stickers. Even if they are well acquainted, Amber still tolerates him as an individual since Mephisto would sometimes pick on her on the worst possible days and she would instantly ruin his entire career by shutting him off completely from saying another word, only for Mammon and Thirteen for being the only spectators of this comedic ordeal