#el could be the empress

[byler-alarmist]

So I know we collectively hate time reset/dimension wipe theories about S5, but.....maybe it does need to happen?

Assuming the last couple seasons of ST weren't some elaborate manifestation by Mike to deal with the trauma of losing Will, there are some problems that seem like they can't be fixed without some kind of a reset.

El. Just El in general. Owens was able to give her a fresh start, a new name and a chance at being "normal", However, too many people know about her telekinetic abilities and the ability to open and close gates to the Upside Down. I think she would be in danger of being kidnapped and studied/used as a weapon forever. She can't just kill off/destroy the entire U.S. government (if only), so her file will probably be available for years and even if not, enough people know about her existence that bad actors could target her.

Now that the UD is merging with the RU, will it be contained to Hawkins? Will it spread throughout the country? The world? Even if it is all a hive mind, if they killed Vecna and somehow closed all the gates (it exhausts El to even close one) , would those spores or whatever still be floating around and infecting things in the RU? How could they ever get rid of all of it or ensure that it was all contained in the UD?

As long as both the UD and El exist, even if Vecna is defeated, scientists/governments will always track her because trhey will want to know more about/study/find lucrative applications for the UD. They would still want to use El or use her to find their own way to open gates.

If all this is true and Will/El/the Party need to destroy the UD to make sure no one ever crosses over again, is that really fair? Even if Vecna harnessed the dark particles and created dangerous monsters out for blood, it is hinted that the UD is not inherently malicious. Sure, the Party want to kill Vecna, but if he's gone and the creatures are just minding their own business, would they be fine with destroying it?

And even if they wanted to, could they? How? If it turns out we're right about Will having powers, how would he use them to destroy the Upside Down? I highly doubt his powers would be like El's or involve gates. If he had some kind of creation powers, would he just recreate the UD with glowy light particles and make it beautiful? But even if he did this, wouldn't scientists still want to find a way inside to study it with El"s gate-opening powers?

On the other hand if he (or someone else) has some kind of time powers,, when would they reset it back to? Or what would they go back in time to change? Is there something out of space and time that doesn't belong? (Somehow I am reminded of El saying she doesn't belong anywhere).

If Will or someone else wiped out the dimension that contains the UD (or banished it to another dimension), MKUltra would still have been doing their telekinetic children experiments, right? And if they went back in time, how far back would they have had to go? Back before Henry was taken to Brenner? Would El have been created at all if her mother wasn't part of the MKultra experiments?

Bonus thoughts about a reset: we know how much the Duffers love The Neverending Story. Spoilers for Neverending Story after the cut:

At the end of the Neverending Story movie, Fantasia (the world of fantasies and dreams a bowlcut kid has been reading about in his book) is destroyed by the manifestation of emptiness that is the Nothing. Bastian ({the bowlcut kid) realizes he has the power to make Fantasia (the world of his fantasies) anything he dreams.

After he takes ownership of his role as master of this reality (by giving rhe Childlike Empress a new name 🤔), the entire world of Fantasia is wiped out and it's just Bastian and the Empress together in a black void. All that remains is one grain of sand (a glowing particle, if you will).

The Empress hands the particle to Bastian and tells him his wishes will recreate Fantasia. He recreates it the way he imagined it, and notably brings back all the people who died as a result of the Nothing.

Even more tellingly, he exclaims:

"It's like the Nothing never was!!"

👀👀👀👀

[hijinxinprogress]

Independently YJ are definitely geniuses but you put them within a mile of each other and their collective iq drops to zero

Cissie made the mistake of sending Cassie and Kon to pick up Anita’s birthday cake while she picks up Anita and Greta, Bart, and Tim set up the party decorations Cissie, letting Cassie and Kon in through the window: Did you pick up the cake?

Kon, leaning through the window: Yeah?? We’re not idiots

Cissie, deadpan bc she smells okra: then wtf is that?

Cassie, trying to figure why Cissie’s so stressed rn: Callaloo cake?? That’s what you asked for?? 

Cissie, about to lose it bc that’s in no way what she said: Kahlua cake

Kon, still trying to take Cissie’s temperature despite Cissie smacking his hand away: Yeah?? Callaloo cake, why do you keep repeating it…?

Cissie, in disbelief: No…Kahlua cake

Cassie, opening the box to show Cissie the cake bc they’re not stupid: Yeah?? Callaloo cake

Cissie, showing them a picture: KAHLUA CAKE

Cassie, through sobs: callaloo cake 

Kon, who thought it sounded kind of odd but figured it was a cultural difference that he or Cadmus didn’t understand: 🫢

Greta, trying to figure out where the hell they found someone to put callaloo and frosting on a cake: ???

Tim, who assured them it was in fact callaloo cake bc it sounded right and he was doing six things at the time:  😬

Yj, trying to do damage control (everyone’s yelling and trying to console Anita who’s not upset at all and currently goading Bart into trying the cake)

After that she definitely goes ‘don’t you mean callaloo?’ whenever someone on yj mispronounces anything

“I lost my fucking-!” “You lost your fucking callaloo??” “…Anita…Anita 😐 istg”

[sapphicreadsdb]

Hi do you by chance have any sapphic fantasy recs? preferably adult fantasy but YA is fine too

sure! tho this could will get quite long... no links, sorry!, bc it was kicking up a fuss with those for some reason

+ = ya

pennyblade by j.l. worrad

lady hotspur by tessa gratton

sofi and the bone song by adrienne tooley (+)

she who became the sun by shelley parker chan

the scapegracers by h.a. clarke (+)

the third daughter by adrienne tooley (+)

the daughters of izdihar by hadeer elsbai

the malevolent seven by sebastien de castell

blackheart knights by laure eve

the warden by daniel m. ford

the unbroken by c.l. clark

dark earth by rebecca stott

witch king by martha wells

scorpica by g.r. macallister

the mirror empire by kameron hurley

now she is witch by kirsty logan

silverglass by j.f. rivkin

the woman who loved the moon and other stories by elizabeth a. lynn

...(this answer is how i discover there's a character limit per block so. doing this in chunks.)

fire logic by laurie j. marks

a restless truth by freya marske

when angels left the old country by sacha lamb (+)

the traitor baru cormorant by seth dickinson

an archive of brightness by kelsey socha

the bladed faith by david dalglish

the winged histories by sofia samatar

dragonoak by sam farren

the forever sea by joshua phillip johnson

into the broken lands by tanya huff

the jasmine throne by tasha suri

daughter of redwinter by ed mcdonald

the last magician by lisa maxwell (+)

the fire opal mechanism by fran wilde

...

the black coast by mike brooks

high times in the low parliament by kelly robson

foundryside by robert jackson bennett

the enterprise of death by jesse bullington

mamo by sas milledge (+)

from dust, a flame by rebecca podos (+)

uncommon charm by emily bergslien & kat weaver

wild and wicked things by francesca may

the unspoken name by a.k. larkwood

brother red by adrian selby

the final strife by saara el-arifi

way of the argosi by sebastien de castell (+)

the bone shard daughter by andrea stewart

ghost wood song by erica waters (+)

into the crooked place by alexandra christo (+)

ashes of the sun by django wexler

the midnight girls by alicia jasinska (+)

the midnight lie by marie rutkoski (+)

the never tilting world by rin chupeco (+)

water horse by melissa scott

...

a master of djinn by p. djeli clark

the good luck girls by charlotte nicole davis (+)

among thieves by m.j. kuhn

black water sister by zen cho

the velocity of revolution by marshall ryan maresca

sweet & bitter magic by adrienne tooley (+)

the dark tide by alicia jasinska (+)

the library of the unwritten by a.j. hackwith

a dark and hollow star by ashley shuttleworth (+)

the chosen and the beautiful by nghi vo

the councillor by e.j. beaton

these feathered flames by alexandra overy (+)

the factory witches of lowell by c.s. malerich

fireheart tiger by aliette de bodard

...

city of lies by sam hawke

bestiary by k-ming chang

the raven and the reindeer by t. kingfisher

the winter duke by claire eliza bartlett (+)

master of poisons by andrea hairston

the empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo

night flowers shirking from the light of the sun by li xing

down comes the night by allison saft (+)

wench by maxine kaplan (+)

girls made of snow and glass by melissa bashardoust (+)

girls of paper and fire by natasha ngan (+)

the impossible contract by k.a. doore

burning roses by s.l. huang

the house of shattered wings by aliette de bodard

not for use in navigation by iona datt sharma

weak heart by ban gilmartin

girl, serpent, thorn by melissa bashardoust (+)

the devil's blade by mark alder

...

we set the dark on fire by tehlor kay mejia (+)

the true queen by zen cho

moontangled by stephanie burgis

a portable shelter by kirsty logan

sing the four quarters by tanya huff

all the bad apples by moira fowley doyle (+)

the drowning eyes by emily foster

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

miranda in milan by katharine duckett

the afterward by e.k. johnston (+)

thorn by anna burke

penhallow amid passing things by iona datt sharma

in the vanishers' palace by aliette de bodard

summer of salt by katrina leno (+)

the gracekeepers by kirsty logan

out of the blue by sophie cameron (+)

black wolves by kate elliott

the circle by sara b. elfgren & mats strandberg (+)

unspoken by sarah rees brennan (+)

thistlefoot by gennarose nethercott

passing strange by ellen klages

(and breathe)

[ragingbookdragon]

She enjoyed Rudy’s silence. He didn’t talk often. Kind of like Ghost, but he smiled more and laughed at her jokes. He also wasn’t terrible to look at, and she’d long since had plans of taking the man to bed at some point, so spending time around him gave her the chance of familiarity with him. Until of course, someone decided to ruin it.

Soap had come skidding to a halt in front of her chair, but she had her eyes closed, feet resting on the table. “Empress, I need your help.”

“Don’t you all?” she murmured, not bothering to open her eyes. “What’d you do?”

“How do you know I did anything?” he asked, tone rather offended and she could just imagine his fists planted on his hips. “I could be dying for all you know and here you think I’ve done something wrong?”

“I know you did something, because I know my chucklefucks,” she replied. “What’d you do?”

“I fucked up.”

“Uh huh, established that one, MacTavish. What’d you do?”

“I may or may have not misplaced Ghost’s favorite knife.”

She pursed her lips, cracking one open. “…How?”

Soap frowned. “I, uh, well, you see, I was toying around with it and then I accidentally dropped it and…”

“And?” she urged.

He reached up and scratched the back of his head. “I dropped it off a cliff.” Empress let out a long and tired sigh and Soap almost hit his knees. “I know, I’m sorry,” he begged. “Please, I’m so sorry, Empress, please help me. Ghost loves you. He can’t stay mad at you.”

“The Empire is running low on favors, but this one time will be considered.” She waved him off. “Begone, you bore me, peasant.”

Soap bent down, took her hand, and kissed her knuckles, once, twice, thrice and flirted, “I love you, Empress.”

“Leave me,” she griped and he hurried off, leaving her with Rudy. “I shall deal with your ignorance later.”

He watched Soap leave before looking at her. “Ghost and Soap really seem to have quite a fondness for you, Empress,” he said and she snorted.

“It’s ‘cause they’re my bitches.” She shrugged. “Kidding, but I am one of the only women they have constant contact with so, you learn to get along. But I don’t take anyone’s shit and I make them work for what they want from me, so my respect has been well earned.”

“How’d you get the nickname ‘Empress’?”

She adjusted her seat, propping her feet in his lap. “Queen was already taken in my squad, so I went with the next best thing.” Her eyes found his. “So far, I’ve brought everything in my path to its knees. Empires, countries, men and women alike.”

Rudy swallowed thickly, nerves very aware of where her ankles were resting on his thigh. “Is that so?”

“Oh, sí que lo es. Todavía tengo que encontrar algo que se me resista.” Empress pulled her feet away and stood from her seat, taking her things from the table before she walked around Rudy’s seat, bending down to murmur in his ear, “Espero que estés cómodo de rodillas, vaquero, porque eres el próximo.”

His head shot up, staring wide-eyed at her as she gave him a wink and wandered off to find Ghost and hopefully appease the man’s anger when he found out his favorite knife was gone—he already knew.

[thestrangestthing89]

A Neverending Story and Dawson's Creek both end with this idea of a story within a story. Dawson creates a tv show about his teen years called The Creek and it's the same dialogue as the first episode of the show. A Neverending Story ends with the reveal that the audience is viewing the story of Bastian while he is viewing the story of Atreyu.

There is a blending of fantasy and reality with the story coming to life for Bastian and how this relates to Stranger Things and the ending being revealed to be a story within the story (i.e. it's a story being written by one of the characters, likely Mike).

Atreyu is a projection of Bastian. Bastian is a quiet kid with a bowl cut who gets bullied. He is grieving his mothers death so he escapes into a story to cope. Atreyu is a warrior child who fights battles but ultimately it's Bastian who needs to save everyone.

El represents Atreyu and Will represents Bastian. And how Will could have created El to cope with a non-supernatural trauma.

El and Will are confused for each other several times in S1. And how Max asked her if she was real when she was fighting Henry. And how El and Will look the same in S4. The same bangs, El wearing Will's clothes. Like she is morphing into him as he grows more comfortable with himself. Like she may not be there at the end because he doesn't need her to save him anymore.

It seems like Atreyu is the main character because he gets the most screen time but the story is about Bastian and his grief the whole time.

The Nothing represents depression creeping in and the loss of hope. And how the Upside Down is a cold, dark place that is void of hope and how it's now creeping into Hawkins when the town is showing its worst impulses.

And I'm thinking about the movie poster. And how Bastian - the main character who the whole story is about - isn't even on the poster at all. And how The Empress - who is on screen for 5 minutes is the largest person on the poster. And how Atreyu - who gets the most screen time - is pretty small.

Because movie posters are misleading and they don't want to give away the story. So when people say El is the main character because she is biggest on the poster and Will is really small - it doesn't matter at all. Because I'm pretty sure this whole story is about Will and his grief and how he learned to cope with it even if one of the ways he learned to cope was by creating a stronger version of himself until he was ready to face things on his own.

It's Susie who is associated with A Neverending Story and how her house is absolutely important.

Susie is also associated with A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. About 2 boys who go on an adventure to stop a shadow much like I suspect Mike and Will will go into the Upside Down to fight the Big Bad in the end.

Because even though Dustin and Susie are cute, realistically two 13 year olds who spent 1 month together wouldn't be able to survive a long-distance relationship. But they are fine. So what is Susie's deal? Is she the narrator? The Empress? Does she know everything that's about to happen and will help Will with something at the end? Is she secretly working for the government because she's a genius hacker and finds out valuable intel? I'm kidding about the last one. Mostly. But she's important.

[strawberrycircuits]

Wait I'm listening tell me more about the rosadaisy illness

oh boy here we go

so like. my understanding of these characters is that daisy is spunky and sporty and bold and very much Not graceful or outwardly sweet as the other princesses. she comes off as a little brutally honest and brash but she really doesn't mean anything by it, you know? and also like. if you pay attention to the game she originates from (super mario land i believe?), sarasaland is an empire consisting of 4 kingdoms and she's literally an empress rather than a princess. i think where peach, a smaller ruler, has like... toadsworth keeping her """in line""" (like he could ever) and she has that like. council of toads from the mario movie. daisy is a completely self-sufficient ruler and because of that kind of gets to do as she pleases. her kingdoms happy, she's long since fortified her kingdom from any attacks on her or her subjects, shes doing well and she's going to play sports and call waluigi a bitch for taking her golf clubs again because that's what she wants to do and who is going to stop her. however i will say that her encounter with tatanga probably impacted her STRONGLY considering she hasn't been captured since so shes FOR SURE made sure that will never happen to her again. tatanga is from outer space. remember that

(side analysis of peach, i think peach operates within the confines of her role? so while she is naturally kind and sweet and all of that, i think she's very good at finding loopholes when advisors tell her what not to do. i also by no means think she's weak-- i think the bowser thing started as a genuine threat and then she let it happen because she knew it wasn't a big deal (and it shook things up! gave her something to gossip with daisy about over tea yk) and nowadays it's just something bowser, mario, and peach do for funsies. no ones ever in danger peach is just like oh my... I wish I had a chance to visit the flower kingdom... mario are you busy next week i think im gonna ask bowser to kidnap me and take me there :)! like she knows what she's doing and she's fine with it. happy even. if she wanted to she could get herself outta there. el em ay oh)

rosalina however. we learn a couple of things about rosalina

-she has seen the universe restart multiple times, enough to know the fact that it never restarts in quite the same way each time

-she spent eons looking for and eventually mourning her lost mother, which she coped with by becoming the mother of the lumas. lumas who will eventually leave, become other celestial bodies, and never come back to her again.

-until the events of mario galaxy, she's spent her life in solitude, watching her children leave as soon as they come and waiting for the universe to die over and over again.

-if you look at how she appears in the storybook, her hair starts as strawberry blonde then lightens when she's a teenager. which to me implies that being in space that long physically changed her, especially when you see how tall she is in comparison to other chars (in mario kart 8 I believe she's in the same weight class as donkey kong, waluigi, and link as opposed to being in peach and daisys. point is she's Tall as Shit and it's noticeable compared to the other princesses)

on top of all of this is (in her original appearance) an air of melancholy, understanding, and peace. she knows where these events will lead; she's seen it all before. it still makes her sad, still makes her long for the family she's never stopped searching for, but she's come to terms with it.

and like. I know people hold a lot of contempt regarding rosalina as being playable in the spinoff games, since they've completely stripped her original character of all its personality, but like. bear with me for a moment because rosalina in the spin off games is... happy. she's having fun. after countless lifetimes of loss and grief and loneliness, she's putting herself out there and trying to regain the humanity she once (willingly, mind you) abandoned. i think peach, luigi, or mario one invited her to a racing event or a sports event because they cared about her, wanted her to be included, and she came and she loved it!!! she loved being with other people and just having fun!!!!!! and now she has friends who she can depend upon and who can depend upon her!!!!!!!! she is not excluded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok so rosadaisy. ouhhh rosadaisy. like imagine being daisy. you know One other ruler like you and you are best friends. she is constantly in a state of either being gone or having just come back. she likes it this way. you respect this, but cannot fathom it, because the one time it happened to you, it didn't come from a neighboring kingdom-- it came from the endless expanse of space. space, where there is nowhere to run to. space, where flowers do not grow and pyramids do not stand. it was terrifying, seeing such an absense of comfort like that, and you have made sure that that will never happen to you again.

your friend gets back one day and is telling you about her most recent escapades, how she was pulled out of orbit into the stars. she tells you she has met another ruler out there. she says she's invited her to the next go karting tournament. she doesn't think she will come.

you're sort of relieved at that-- you're still not quite over the whole alien thing, and the idea of someone who rules over that endless abyss-- when you live in a world with people like bowser and the kongs-- does not bring you comfort. you would never admit it.

you go to the next karting tournament and all your friends are there, and you look over and there's this ethereal lady standing there, a star twinkling at her side, staring at everything like it's the first time she's ever seen it before, and your friends tell you oh, yeah, that's princess rosalina. she comes from the stars. she is the most gorgeous person you have ever seen in your entire life.

she keeps coming to events. when she serves in tennis, her feet do not touch the ground. you are loud, and rambunctious, and bold, and she is quiet and kind and she is starting to smile more, but there's still this atmosphere about her that tells you thats a very new development. you thought you and your initial friend were different, but you and rosalina-- you're like day and night.

and she adores it. she adores how human you are, how different you are from the endless cosmos. she learns to say good game! even when you pull a foul ball and it seems as though she is always, always on your team.

you start to think that space can't be all that bad if it brought her to you.

(and she wishes she'd come back to your planet sooner, just for the chance of meeting you.)

[dangermousie]

Some thoughts on Empress Ki

There are a lot of things I love about this drama (there is a reason it's in my Top 5 sageuks) but one of them is how uncompromisingly bleak it is.

Nobody gets a happy ending because you cannot have one in this environment. It does not matter if you keep your soul and your morals and your heroism (Wang Yu) or you descend as a way to survive (Sung Nyang and Togon) - there is no way out.

It's a never-ending circle of power hunger and trauma and damage and it forces people into their roles regardless of how they started. For example, El Temur is not a uniquely power hungry minister and Togon is not a uniquely put upon emperor - it all repeats in endless cycle. I love that after Togon takes down El Temur, there is no end in triumph. I am thinking of a scene early on where Togon literally grovels and begs El Temur, the man who killed his father and brother and tried to kill him. In any traditional revenge narrative, he'd eventually take the man down and yay, victory, the end as we flashback to that grovel scene and go aha see it was worth it. But not in this drama. El Temur is taken down and so Togon avenges his family and SN avenges hers (sort of - it's pretty telling that she started out wanting revenge on Togon but ends up with him; nothing is clear cut) but guess what? They don't get to ride into the sunset because we then have El Temur mark 2 - Bayan. The whole system is set up for talented ambitious non royals to try to control the royal and the royal to fight them and everyone ending up a monster.

I mean, at the very end of the drama, as Sung Nyang is left as the Dowager Empress, it would not surprise me if she will end up another version of Togon's mother, ruling through her child, more power obsessed than anything. This drama is very much "power corrupts absolute power corrupts absolutely" but with an even bleaker caveat - but if you don't fight for it, you will be killed.

The thing is, when I see the young SN and Togon in the beginning eps of my rewatch, my heart hurts for them - SN still so right and idealistic (and thinking the worst is behind her) and Togon a puppy even if seeds of damage and madness are there (how could they not be with his background.) If they saw themselves at the end of the drama, they'd be horrified. This drama is very much not about love healing - love does not heal or save any of the main three or any of the supporting. But it's not even the narrative of loving dooming you either. It's just that love may make dwelling in a pit of monsters more bearable but it won't heal you or defeat the monsters.

Both Togon and SN had only two choices - Togon from birth and SN from the moment she ended up in Yuan - become a monster or die. With or without love, that calculus does not change. Loving Togon did not make SN worse just as loving WY did not make her better - she did what she did to survive regardless of any romantic entanglements. And with Togon, love did save him in a sense - without SN to fixate his incredible powers of obsession on he'd have become a monster without any shred of any feeling, as opposed to a monster in love. Because the choice is not to heal or chose darkness for either of them tbh - it's what you grab onto in that darkness, if anything. (The fact that the greatest, most useful, most loving gift he ever gave SN was that epic murder spree he went on once he found he was dying, in order to clear the path of safety for SN and their son about sums it up.)

And yet - the drama does not give you even a relief of "well this is Yuan and its royal monsters, it's better elsewhere." It’s everywhere. Wang Yu is noble, smart, competent, tough, and utterly incapable of relinquishing his soul. All that gets him is death. But then crossing any line to keep himself and his loved ones safe got Togon death too. And all of SN's drive and strength got her utter loneliness and a path of eventually becoming a monster to be removed by the next generation in a never-ending cycle.

Anyway, gonna stop but god I love this drama!

[terristarstrike]

Terrina Ave-Lo

Character Lore:

Terrina Ave-Lo is half-Jotuzon and half-Human, hailing from the Giant homeworld of El-Doe. She is of Brindlian descent on her Jotuzon form, and Puerto Rican/Taino descent on her human half, and her mothers are Empress Genn Ave-Lo (her birthgiver) and Mayor Selina Nunez.

She is nicknamed as the Incredible Shrinking Giant and the Giant of Westshore. While she felt a little uneasy being called a giant at first, she was very quick to embrace the title and her enormous stature.

She was named Terrina after the planet Earth, symbolizing her connection to the planet. Terrina is also a play on the French word Terre, which translates to Earth.

Terrina is best described as the gentlest of giants. With a heart (or two) as big as her body, Terri is as loveable and clumsy as much as she is immense and powerful, but she also has a fierce and feral temper that only explodes whenever people get on her bad side.

Her status as the first and original Giant of Westshore makes her a well-known celebrity on Earth. The human civilians of Westshore have embraced herself as the town's "adopted daughter". It sure takes a village to raise a fifty-foot-tall child.

She shrinks down to human level for the times when she needs to attend school or hang out with her human-sized friends.

Terrina has a pet Morph named Gellatine. Gelli is a protoplasmic blob with the ability to shapeshift and camouflage. Because the Morphs have already evolved centuries beyond human speech, Gellatine only communicates to her owner with murmurs, squeaks, and her shapeshifting abilties.

After briefly living inside the Wilsons garage, she now has her own giant-sized home outside of Westshore, one that is called the Starship Pod. The Starship Pod is at least 10 stories tall, and is large enough to house at least 6 giants of Terri's size.

Terrina's hobbies include making DIY art with human trinkets, playing basketball, and singing karaoke with her friends.

Her go-to karaoke songs are "Together Again" by Janet Jackson and "Sittin' Up In My Room" by Brandy

Terrina is a true Cancer. Anyone who would dare to hurt her - or her friends - will have their pitiless little soul crushed to the ground like a bug, and hell hath no fury like a giantess scorned!

She always preaches about protecting the earthlings, but even she recognizes that not all humans are worth protecting. Some humans end up being so awful and irredeemable, that she could crush them underfoot and not feel a sense of remorse.

Terri often plays as the quirky ditz to Bailynn's super-smart genius, but she’s a lot smarter and cynical than she looks. 

She is fascinated and passionate about the tiny human species. Sometimes she loves being around the humans so much that she ends up isolating herself from her own people.

She has a turbulent relationship with her human mother, Selina. While Terrina is over-the-moon to have a tiny human mom, Mayor Selina often acts as her boss while also running the town, but she's also learned to be a kind and compassionate mother towards her newfound alien daughter. The Mayor often becomes a doting mother who is showing off her giant daughter as the town's (literally) biggest tourist attraction.

Terrina is Puerto Rican, through her human mother Selina Nunez. She doesn’t know much about being Puerto Rican cuz she’s a space alien, but she loves to eat all of the sweets that Selina bakes for her like pan de mallorcas and quesitos, and refuses to try mofongo or arroz con habichuelas.

She’s a very picky eater. She always eats french fries, ice cream, hot dogs, pepperoni pizza, and gummy candies. Granted, she has a diet that is more Jotuzonian than human.

She has a hilarious habit for mispronouncing human stuff she’s unfamiliar with, she also believes in misinformation about humans from her fellow Jotuzons, but she’s always willing to learn from the humans.

She has the heavenly singing voice of a Disney Princess™. While she mostly prefers to sing to herself, her voice is more likely to allure everyone around her.

Terrina's personality is as multifaceted as her heritage: She's curious, snarky, and constantly bursting with joyous energy. She's very sweet and gentle towards the tiny humans, but she becomes a fierce and terrifying force of nature when she needs to be. She absolutely DOES NOT play around when she's fighting for equality between Jotuzons and humans, and she is determined to convince the humans that the giants are not as terrifying or destructive as they imagine them to be.

Terri's a bit of klutz. As a micronized Giant, she retains her original giant strength, and she often tends to wreck everything in her path if she's not careful. She tries to neutralize her strength with her Jotu-Bracelet, but only a little bit.

She is the youngest daughter of the royal Ave-Lo family. Her older sisters are Azlin (she/her, 27 y.o.), Leyna (they/them, 23 y.o.) and Rayna (she/her, 18 y.o.).

Terrina was born eleven minutes after her twin sister Rayna. Terri was the planned child, but Rayna came out as a surprise.

The Empress kept both of the twins' half-human identity a secret for the longest time, but even their own sizeshifting abilities was harder to conceal.

Terrina felt inadequate compared to her "normal" sisters, and even worse when she shrunk down for the first time, but as she grew up, she learned to embrace her "noncomformity" as a way to sneak around the palace walls and collect human-sized trinkets in her explorations. However, Rayna doesn't prefer to shrink as often as Terri does.

She likes to joke that Rayna kept complaining to the Empress to give her a seperate room because she couldn't stand Terrina's strange obsession with humanity.

Rayna and Leyna were very protective of Terri growing up, they were the only known Jotuzons who knew about her sizeshifting powers and they watched over her safety when she shrunk down.

She had a huge collection of human artifacts in her closet and collects human-sized trinkets scattered all over El-Doe.

As the youngest daughter of Empress Genn, she remains unsure of her purpose in the royal family. She’s not a natural born leader like her eldest sister Azlin, or a genius intellect like her elder sister Leyna, or a fierce warrior like her twin sister Rayna, but she wants to be an advocate for the Jotuzons to peacefully co-exist with humans.

As opposed to Bailey wanting to leave her mark on the world, Terri prefers to go with the flow and focus on having a happy life with the things that make her life worthwhile.

Despite not being fully fluent in Spanish, Terrina started to uses Spanish endearment words to refer to Bailynn like “chica, corazón, muñequita, mi vida”, doing so makes her feel more in-touch with her human half.

She doesn't understand why some humans want to go to war with each other. She believes in harmony, peace and acceptance for ALL humans and she wants to help as many of them as she can.

Regardless of where she was born, Terrina considers herself an honorary Earthling through her mixed-species blood.

She has one mission on her mind: Stop the war. Mend the broken bond. Peaceful coexistence is how the humans and Jotuzons can learn about each other's worlds and understand each other, in spite of their size differences.

[nightshadedawn]

Non-Binary Glossary

As someone who is non-binary myself, I felt it important to include lots of non-binary characters in my fantasy novel that does not give a SHIT about what you present as, thus I needed to come up with titles for various things, and I thought I'd share what's so far in my glossary, with perhaps a smidgen of hope it'll get a bit of recognition.

Baba/Babby/Bather/Grandbather - The non-binary word for parents and grandparents.

I imagine the 'papa' or 'granny' equivalent of this one would be 'tata' or 'batty'.

Why, yes, this word was built off of 'baba' which it to my understanding, a word for 'father' in many cultures. But did you know it's meaning differs in many different cultures? And, also, it's catching on as the 'parent' word, and if I ever become a parent (highly unlikely) I want to be called Baba, if not just by my name because I absolutely can't picture being called by a title of any sort.

Crown - The non-binary word used used for someone of the status of queen or king.

This idea I obtained from an interactive fiction I read, where your character was referred to as 'Crown [Insert Name]' no matter what gender you made your character. It flowed well, so I decided I'd use the thematics of it in my own works going forward.

Emperus - A non-binary title used for someone of the status of empress or emperor.

I had a bit of trouble coming up with this one. But seeing as both emperor and empress both started with that 'emp' I knew I had to keep that, and from there, I played around with multiple second-halves, ending on the 'erus' because I'm a simple creature and it combined the 'er' and 'ess' of the other two, so it didn't feel entirely out of place.

Enna - The non-binary word for your parent’s sibling. 

I fucking hate pibling. I don't know why, but it makes my skin CRAWL. I'd rather the niblings just call me by my name than have pibling anywhere in the conversation. Specifics wise, both 'aunt' and 'uncle' begin with vowels, but end differently. So I knew I wanted the word to begin with a vowel, and one different than the ones already used. I also knew it couldn't end with the hard 't' sound or the drawling 'el'. So I came up with a few options, and landed on enna because it was four letters like aunt, but two syllables like uncle, and began with the letter 'e' which is the most common letter in the alphabet. It's probably my favorite word on this list.

Laus - A non-binary word for someone of the status of Lord or Lady.

Ah, probably my second favorite word. Like for emperus and enna, I looked at the original words to find what they had in common. Only the 'L' followed by a vowel, which meant my word had to end different than both lord and lady. Well, it did have that pesky d in there, which proved a problem when I was trying to come up with words. I didn't like any of the other words I came up with, and landed on laus because it was the least miserable. The only other memorable ones were 'lent', 'lurt', and 'ludt' which all look terrible. Laus may stand out next to lord and lady, but at least it looks nice.

Princer/Prinx/Prinxer - A non-binary word for a royal heir. The ‘x’ is pronounced with a ‘zz’ sound.

Enby equivalents tends to have the 'x' at the end of their words, for whatever reason, since there's so many other things we could have done, but that's not the point. The point is both princess and prince begin with the 'princ'. I just needed to fluff up the end. In the end, I came up with these three, which I have not actually decided which one I'm going to use in my book. Pincer and prinxer are pronounced similarly, being 'prin-sehr' and 'prin-zer'. Phonetically, they don't sound similar to prince or princess, but at least one of them looks similar.

Ser/Sur - Honorifics used for knights in a similar vein to ‘Sir’. Sur is used for women, while ser is used for nonbinary, and sir remains for men. All are pronounced similarly.

I thought I was brilliant when I came up with this one. Originally, it was going to be 'sar' for women, and 'sur' for non-binary, but when I realized how similar 'sur' sounded in my head to 'sir' my brain went 'ser too' and thus, here we are. Because am I the only one who thinks it's dumb how men have all these titles and women keep having to use the same one over and over and over again? It's always "lady this" and "lady that". Well, no longer for the knights, as they will be referred to with Sur. Ser will be used for enbys due to so many of my other words containing the e. E for enby, everyone.

Words I am currently working on:

Madam/master

Duke/duchess

Baron/baroness

Countess/count

Earl - Will be looking for both an enby and women word, because currently, it's just countess here again.

Going down this route will be pretty easy, except for the madam/master one. Once I decide on the princess/prince word, the rest of these will just follow those rules, as princess just added 'ess' onto the end of 'prince' after all.

[pirataimperatix]

Peroration

@wintermulitplied

“Nem fogsz visszajönni.” (You will not be coming back.) Liliána accused, tears already glistening in her eyes. Her mother's silence was an admission on its own, causing helpless anger and fear burst from and coat her heart.

“Apa haldoklik, és te is itt hagysz.” (Dad is dying and you will leave me too.) The daughter of the Devil and Sea hissed through a curtain of tears, cutting straight to the point, just as she learned

“Kislányom-” (My little girl-) Rozália tried before an another outburst cut her off

“Meghalni jobban szeretsz, mint engem!” (You love dying more than me!) Liliána's black pearl eyes flashed dangerously; truly the perfect combination of them.

“Ha ez igaz lenne, akkor visszamentem volna az országba, amit egyszer hazának hívtam.” (If that had been true, I would've gone back to the country, that once I called homeland.) Rozália dismissed that belief sharply “Te nem látod a gyásztól, de én igen. Lassulok, kislányom. Érzem.” (You cannot see it from the grief, but I do. I'm getting slower, my little girl. I feel it.) The Duelist -no longer the best since the title was won by Liliána five years ago- Captain, the Empress of the Caribbean admitted

“Ne akard anyád lógni látni. És azt se kívánd, hogy az emberek elveszítsék a tiszteletet, mert öregszem. Mi történne veled, amikor széttépik a holttestem? Hogyan gyászolnál és lépnél a helyembe egyszerre, tiszta tudattal?” (Don't want to see your mother hanged. And don't wish people losing their respect for me because I'm getting old. What would happen to you when they are tearing my dead body apart? How could you grieve and step into my place at the same time, with a clear mind?) By now Rozália was holding her sobbing child, desperately clinging to her mother the very last time.

Her arms equally as tight around her, this wasn't a decision that she made easy. Continuing after losing James was an entirely different kind of agony, now Jack also at the door of death...she couldn't let him go through it alone. No matter how her other instincts and part of her soul screamed at the thought of separating from Liliána, this decision, in this world ensured her survival. Both pirates and empires feared her, her fleet. She can't allow a change in that state. Cannot allow to risk her daughter.

“Mindennél jobban szeretlek, utolsó gondolatom is te leszel. Gyászolj, majd lépj helyembe. Tudom, hogy képes vagy rá. Búcsúzz el apukádtól, biztos hiányzol neki.” (I love you more than anything, my last thought will be you as well. Grieve, then step into my place. I know you're capable. Say goodbye to your dad, I'm sure he misses you.) Kissing her tears away Rozália slowly parted, no matter how her heart twisted at the movements. How she had to bite her lips with sharp gold sewing them shut after Liliána's I love you too mom, to prevent herself from calling after her to reassure, to hug, to cry. She stood until she disappeared from sight and decided to visit the graveyard.

“We're coming James. You don't have to wait long.” One might mistake this lush part of the bay for an oasis instead, vivid green leaves and uncountable kinds, colors of flowers lined the crescent land. It disappeared during high tide, the sea taking all gifts left by relatives, friends. It was the cemetery of the old Vihar crew as well; her whole family and their memory rested here.

She couldn't bear the thought of throwing them into the sea, but eventually they became sailors, pirates, especially James. This was a compromise, a tiny cheat of habits, as most of them eventually found love and children even. And Rozália had to be able to visit them.

“I miss you. Have been ever since; like I'm not complete.” hands now marred by tiny wrinkles traced gently the wooden albatross, Jack's latest gift.

Two years, yet it felt as it happened yesterday. Even at 62, Rozália led every attack and defense with the Vihar, a living legend of that age still the best, the first to arrive, the last the leave the battlefield. She wasn't fast enough. It was too late when she noticed the man charging at her with the bayonet already within too close range to evade. But James managed to be faster, killing the man while metal burrowed deep into his body. The fleet switched to defense, Jack soaring across ships to reach his husband. World seemed to stop as the two of them cradled the ex Admiral, who even in death joked: why wouldn't he not do that? He would've gone mad if he only had Jack as company. James Norrington fell in battle, succumbing to his injuries in the arms of those who loved him the most.

Of course Rozy tracked down the source of the attack and burned Port Royal to ashes, the scale of mayhem, the raw insanity in her vicious eyes rekindling the stories of the Hungarian Devil. Those tales mentioned nothing of her anguish. “I'm sorry.” and she didn't know what she was apologizing for, only shifted in the sand, kneeling hurt, so did walking. No matter the mobility aids, herbs; she permanently ruined her knees with her inhumane fencing style. About that, she had no regrets and would do the same even if she knew where it led.

“I love you. We're coming.” one last loving kiss against the sun warmed wooden albatross, her fingers parting with difficulty.

“Barátaim, családom. Mindent köszönök. Itt ér véget a történet, de a legenda századokig megmarad. Megtiszteltetés volt veletek lenni.” (My friends, my family. Thank you for everything. Here is where the story ends, but the legend will stay for centuries. It was an honor being by your side.) The Captain stood tall, emerald eyes glassy at her goodbye to the legendary Vihar crew, the family who saved her decades ago.

Captain Jack Sparrow's last journey. Picking the crew for this voyage took a day, the most trustworthy and in a way pure hearted sailors allowed on board of the Black Pearl, his ringed fingers resting on the railing of the quarterdeck. Sharp eyes overseeing the bustling of pirates under his command. Both him and Rozália giving a last hug to Liliána, their miracle. One last shout of ‘I love you!’ ringing together before the sails unfurled gracefully. They were out of sight when she collapsed sobbing.

Rozália felt before she saw him join her, salty spray of the sea restoring some of his vitality. He took her in, one last time basking in sunlight. By now few strands of silver woven in her short, unruly hair, haven't lost the slightest from her towering height nor danger laced charisma and there was still plenty dynamic strength within. Her eyes the same pure color but ultimately not the same ones he used to get lost in. Something changed after James and he couldn't blame her for it. Perhaps he was the same way.

His time seemed to arrive, sneak in unnoticed, brushed off as exhaustion after a long day, blamed on age, until everything was harder, harder and then impossible. Something icy settled in his chest along with the knowledge. Still, he faced it with all his remaining dignity, he had done this before, although the beast was...vastly different than what was coming.

“You're beautiful Love.” he smiled at last, well aware every moment was his last

“So are you, Love.” dexterous fingers gently squeezed his, raw sincerity dripping from her words.

The sun dimmed slowly, the piercing pain especially in her right knee flaring told Rozália what was ahead. And she couldn't think of a more fitting final stroke to their grand epos told by many future generations to come. The wind was picking up, the crew about finishing tying every sail in position, longboats ready. A little boy just arrived back with rum, his face gleaming when Jack asked him for it. He didn't know he brought the legendary Captain his last drink, only knew his kindness and playful ruffle of his hair as thank you.

The darkened sky was the indicator, final glances at the Captain as the deck eventually emptied, boats slowly distancing from the Pearl and the storm she was about to go into.

“Maradsz, ugye?” (You're staying, don't you?) Jancsi, the last one of the Vihar crew fought with his tears at the realization. He didn't need a yes as confirmation, he should've known she simply couldn't live without him.

“Vigyázz a lányomra, amíg gyászol.” (Take care of my daughter while she grieves.) Rozália issued her last command, causing the emotional barrier breaking in the now 55 year old man, shattering further when he felt her hug farewell. His head burying in her shoulder and cried softly as if he was a little boy again.

“Megtiszteltetés volt minden perc.” (Every minute was an honor.) He eventually managed to choke out, his life flashing against his eyes from the first moment he sneaked onto the rescue ship

“Úgyszintén.” (Likewise.) Rozália kissed his cheek before letting go of her first mate. “Elboldugolok majd a hajóval egyedül?” (Can I man the ship alone?) she asked softly

“Igen. Minden...jól van. Biztosan- biztosan-” (Yes. Everything...is well. It will surely- it will surely-) Jancsi simply couldn't finish that sentence. Not if he wanted to avoid a complete breakdown.

“Jó. Ne keressetek minket, se a hajót. A Vihar és a Végzet flotta új kapitánya Liliána Thalassa Véghváry és te vagy az első tisztje.” (Good. Don't look for us, nor for the ship. The Vihar and the Végzet fleet's new Captain is Liliána Thalassa Véghváry and you are her first mate.) She named her successor, put her in the arms of the very few she trusted. Jancsi stood straighter at the well known news, she could see he would go any lengths to protect her.

“Viszlát...Rozália.” (Goodbye...Rozália.) One last tight hug as farewell before the man descended into the last boat, cradling his chest where the warmth of her touch lingered.

With a heavy sigh, she turned, not surprised to see Jack glaring at her.

“You're still here.” an acknowledgement with no surprise behind it. She knew he suspected her plan all along and only didn't try to change it because he wouldn't be able to convince her to leave.

“Do I look like a ferryman to you? Who will only lead you to the door and not through it?” Rozália challenged, noting his sickly pale complexion and shivers with the weather change

“Does Lili...” he choked, those eyes still burning with life

“She knows. She will fully understand later. This wasn't a choice I made on the whim or with an easy heart, Jack. I cannot live any longer. Especially not without you.” by now only they remained so she allowed her pained limp to show before she embraced her soulmate.

“Retire to your cabin, Captain. Wait for me. There was a reason why James' speech missed the ‘till death do us part’. Because not even death can or will separate us.” Rozália smiled, supporting him all the way to the door with a shattering heart. “Rest. I will join shortly.”

The Black Pearl tossed around like a toy among the abyss waves, both the sea and the downpour flooding the deck. Her hair wildly whipping in the wind and she refused to give up her fight with the helm, driving the prized ship further into the vicious storm, perhaps the worst she had seen. Tightly corded muscle fought with the very strength of the sea, defiant, no matter how many times she was knocked from her feet. At last the course and outcome set in stone. The Devil turned her head towards the pitch dark sky and roared one last time, fangs bared, lightning flashing in the storm like her swords did.

She turned her back to the elements to wrestle herself through the cabin door, water already ankle deep.

“Jack?” she called, her heart settled when she saw the slight raise of his head. Shaking her soaked coat off, slicking her hair out of her face, she immediately joined him, her soulmate in her arms' gentle yet protective hold. Still, she winced as the Pearl's hull groaned, drawing a fond smile from Jack.

“Just look at me darlin’. Nowhere to else. Look at me.” Rozália could hear the plea underneath the comfort, draping her body closer till they couldn't be told apart. Light...not from outside but...the ghost wings she had seen plenty times on him. Golden sparrow wings were dimming rapidly, his body more and more lax in her hold.

“Jack, Jack stay with me a little longer. Please hold out just a little longer. I know you can.” saltwater from her hair mixed with tears at the sight of her dying soulmate, just one last look. A few more moments. His eyes gently fluttered open, some of the glow returning to the wings but not steadily.

“Anythin’ for you.” his easy smile made her bring their foreheads together, her only relief that she will follow him soon.

The sea seemed to still, the raging storm pausing noticeably enough for her head to jerk up; did she accidentally navigate into the eye of the storm? The water now lapping at the bed trembled and morphed into a familiar shape.

“You know what happens now, do you?” Calypso, the Goddess asked, melancholy heavily tinting her accented voice. Rozália only could nod carefully cradling Jack's head

“His time has come. Yours, no.” the Goddess' glare bore into the woman who outright denied her in response.

“Yes it did. I lived on my own terms. I will die the same way. And I decided I will, today, with him. I am in control of my fate.” she sit straighter, emerald fire burning in her eyes, rebellious, strong, undeterred and unapologetically fierce.

“Be it then.” Calypso sighed, not bothering hiding the pain at the sight of the soulmates about to perish in each other's arms “I will make it quick.”

“Wait!” Rozália cried suddenly, before she could sink back to the ruthless sea she emerged from. The urgency in her voice making her pause with a piercing gaze.

“Thank you. For Liliána. For Jack. For giving me a true second chance to live. For granting us this death. Please sometimes look towards our daughter, she's also yours.” her throat was closing in, overflowed with emotions, fragments of her life

“Bring us under. Don't let anyone find the Pearl...or us.” Jack rasped his last request

“Fine. Farewell Sparrow and Phoenix.” with the lingering cryptic message, the goddess dissolved into droplets, back into the depths she had risen from.

“Rozy...your...wings” Jack whispered and for the first time she also saw them. Enormous phoenix wings arched gracefully from her back, closing around him protectively. They burned bright, with ferocious intensity, his glow nowhere near hers but at least steady. “I'm sure I didn't drink enough rum to see” the signature hand gesture at his own ones “this”

Calypso's gift. It was unsaid, along with the fact they only had moments remaining. Her lips on his soft, careful and passionate “Szeretlek.” (I love you.) Rozália said with a teary, loving smile. Safe in her wings, shielded by the rage of the world, Jack reached for her face, strength dissipating from him with every lazy heartbeat. Unlike her, he couldn't call a language his own, unless...“Én is téged.” (I love you too.) A kiss with his last breath.

The sea seemingly split open, waves reaching mountain heights, accompanied by the largest lightning ever cutting across the sky they crashed down the Black Pearl, bringing it down to its final rest and extinguishing the two burning souls.

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Liliána Thalassa Véghváry was just as feared and respected as her mother was. As her fathers were. She fenced like Rozália and James combined did, navigated better than Jack and led people just as effectively. The sea what ultimately claimed her parents seemingly always favoring her, almost akin to an apology. Despite Jancsi's tremendous support, there were still times when the agony became unbearable to keep locked within. After a sleepless night, she stumbled to the deck of the Vihar at the very crack of a misty dawn and screamed silently with tears like translucent pearls sliding from her cheeks, soaked up by the wood.

Eventually, she rose, straightened just like they would've wanted. In the distance she noticed a ship...not a traditional one, more akin to the Flying Dutchman? Flinging herself against the railing, Liliána stared at the three figures standing united on the deck. Bright seafoam, blazing emerald, brilliant black pearl eyes looked at her tenderly, full of pride and love.

[agir1ukn0w]

In the Meadow - a Graylora Ficlet for #WillowWednesday

Synopsis: It's Elora's birthday and Graydon has taken her for a picnic in the woods surrounding Tir Asleen. But things get a lot more romantic than they anticipated😌✨

feat. Kit Tanthalos and Jade Claymore

Note: I wrote this fic for @krazy-ky-sta-hatter because she's been having a hard time lately, and I wanted to cheer her up. Hope this helps, Queen!!💖💋🦋✨

The flowers tickled her nose with their mixture of fragrances. The wind was soft, serene, playing with her hair. Elora Danan smiled, content beyond what words could describe. Graydon was off somewhere relieving himself behind a tree (or so he said, though it seemed to be taking him longer than expected). Beyond the treeline, the meadow sang with light and clear spring color. Elora lay back on the picnic blanket that was spread over a moss bed and stared up at the blinding blue sky.

Kit and Jade were a bit farther off, but still just within earshot, in case the empress needed something or was imperiled in some way. Elora knew that Jade really came for Kit, to protect her princess who was also the empress’s sword and shield. Still, she was grateful for the extra support of Jade’s quick eye and steady hand, ever on the hilt of her sword. Jade also came to protect the empress, of course, but Elora knew that someone would need to watch Kit’s back while she was watching hers.

The sound of Graydon’s boots shuffling awkwardly back through the undergrowth brought Elora back to the present, and she sat up. He was walking towards her with one hand behind his back. His normally gentle smile betrayed a hint of eagerness that Elora also knew well. His luscious black hair was slightly out of place, a few strands hanging down over his eyes as though he’d been bent over for a while. She’d already guessed why by the time he unveiled a bouquet of gorgeous spring blooms.

“Graydon!” Elora said, jumping up to receive the multi-colored gift. She inhaled their fragrance and smiled.

“I’m glad you like them.” Graydon blushed, something which happened often when he gave her gifts, another not infrequent occurrence.

“I love them.” Elora placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him. Graydon’s hands found her hips and pulled her closer. His goatee was always rough but not too scratchy against her cheeks, similar to how the marks on his chest felt against her body. He was a very good kisser, though whenever she told him this his blush deepened and he only shook his head, (which wasn’t necessarily a disagreement, Elora thought).

“I know it’s not much of a birthday present, but—”

“Graydon,” Elora stopped him, “you’ve already given me more than I could ever ask for. And I don’t just mean the books, the chocolate, the carriage ride, the private dinner…am I missing something?”

“The bubble bath.”

“Yes, thank you! And the bubble bath.”

Graydon laughed. He even looked pleased, which excited Elora. Then, in the next moment, he looked concerned. “Oh. Did you not enjoy those things?”

Elora gave him a look. “Graydon, they were perfect. And you know how I felt about the bubble bath.”

He looked down, smiling. “No, yeah, you were unequivocal about how much you enjoyed the bubble bath.”

“Well,” she grinned mischievously, “only after you joined me.” Her hand had crept down from his face to his collar and begun absentmindedly undoing the buttons. His eyes went back to her parted lips, as his own hands wandered up to where her dress ended and her dewy skin began.

Graydon kissed her again, passionately, the tender forcefulness of his lips causing Elora to moan in surprise. She bit his lower lip and he grunted quietly.

“What is it?” Elora said, pulling away to look at him.

He looked slightly agitated. “It’s not…you wouldn’t—”

“Yes, I would. Tell me.”

Graydon took her face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together. “It’s stupid, but…I wish we could…I wish I could—”

Elora finished for him, “Have me?”

“In essence, yeah,” he said, embarrassed. “Yes. I know I’m not making this sound very romantic, but—”

Elora was smiling, her cheeks turning bright pink.

Graydon looked down again, admonishing himself. “See, it’s stupid.”

She lifted his face. It was all she could do to keep from giggling like a five year old. Then, in a low voice, she said, “You’re saying you want to have sex. Here.”

He nodded, a look of desperation beginning to bloom across his face. His fingers combed hungrily through her hair, and she could feel the tightness in his pants already.

Elora’s smile grew devious, as she whispered in his ear, “You’ll have to catch me first.”

Graydon had a split second to look confused before Elora took off running towards the meadow. Although she was fast, it didn’t take him long to catch up with her, grabbing her by the waist and causing them both to tumble head over heels into the tall grass, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

Elora climbed on top of Graydon, straddling him and holding both of his hands down over his head. His chest rose and fell rapidly under her.

“So,” she said, “right here?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

In the next instant, Graydon had enthusiastically unbuttoned his pants, and Elora removed her underwear and climbed back on top of him. Her hair was already disheveled, cascading over her bare shoulder like a burning waterfall. Elora let him put his hands on her hips to help guide her, and she sank down onto him slowly. The second he was inside her she gasped, and a shuddering breath left her throat.

“You okay?” Graydon asked.

Elora nodded, her eyes closed as she began rocking back and forth. Graydon tried breathing softly through his mouth, but as Elora’s pace quickened they both found it difficult to stay calm. Elora busied herself with undoing the rest of the buttons on his shirt, lovingly tracing each intricate line that had been carved into his skin when he was young.

“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured, before another exclamation rose up in her chest and leapt out into the sun dappled air. “Oh, gods!”

Graydon inhaled sharply, baring his teeth. He pulled himself up so that he was facing her, their bodies pressed together. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he adjusted her position so that it was more comfortable, and they swayed together in unison, breathing fast and loud into each other’s mouths. Elora clutched the fabric of his shirt with one hand and raked her fingers through his dampened hair with the other. Graydon lifted her up and bent his head reverently to trail kisses along her breasts, even biting them at one point and making Elora squeak excitedly. His hands slid up the side of her legs, lifting her skirt, before coming to rest back on her hips.

Sensing that they were both nearing the edge, Elora said, “Ready?”

Graydon could only nod, kissing her roughly. His final thrusts were forceful, and Elora cried out as they came together, panting and shimmering with more than just sweat. A golden aura had settled around their bodies, glinting in the falling sunlight. Their magic, combined as one. Their bond.

Releasing a final shuddering exhale, the two fell gently back into the grass, Elora’s arm slung across his torso, her head resting on his shoulder. As soon as she caught her breath, she laughed contentedly, and Graydon joined her. Their voices were tired but clear. The wind rose up again and the fragrance of the flowers drifted over them like a thin blanket. They breathed deeply together, hearts beating in time with one another.

Elora’s eyes slid closed as she whispered, “I want to stay like this, with you, forever.”

“I know,” Graydon said, pressing a kiss to her dewy forehead.

A few minutes later, they were woken by both Kit and Jade calling their names. Quickly buttoning himself back up and handing Elora her under things, he helped her to stand. They walked back languidly towards the others, fingers tightly intertwined.

“What are you two grinning about?” said Kit, smirking as she took in their unkempt appearance, the blades of grass hanging from Elora’s tangled hair and the uneven way Graydon had buttoned his shirt.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” said Elora, her voice still slightly breathy.

“We’ll take your word for it,” said Jade, eyeing Kit. “It’s time to go home, Empress.”

[bracketsoffear]

The Cruel Empress (Lene Kaaberbol) "When Hay Lin receives an ancient lantern from one of her grandmother's friends, strange things begin to happen. She wanders into a store and finds a magical mirror, and then hears a mysterious call for help.

The other Guardians of the Veil are worried. Together, they try to find out who is trying to contact Hay Lin. To solve the mystery, the Guardians travel through a portal to a city where they face a cruel empress…and an unfulfilled promise. " In this book, the W.I.T.C.H girls fight the titular Cruel Empress who uses control over insects to rule over people with an iron fist. So they fight a Corruption avatar essentially."

El almohadón de plumas (The feather pillow) (Horacio Quiroga) "The quiet, fragile happiness between Alicia and her aloof but still deeply in love husband Jordan is cut short when, just three months after their wedding, she mysteriously falls deathly ill. Jordan keeps bringing doctors to check on her, but to no avail: No doctor can answer why this young woman is suddenly and visibly dying with every night that passes.

Saying anything more would spoil the plot twist, so here's the Project Gutenberg link

SPOILERS BELOW CUT"

Not only are bloodsucking parasites well within the Corruption's domain, but it should also be noted that a common motif across those who fall victim to this particular entity is a desire for love or to connect with others, which the Entity takes advantage of. Alicia's wish for 'childish fancies', her resigned frustration with her husband's unaffectionate attitude and her seemingly complete lack of other human relationships besides said husband would make her fit right in with that pattern. And in a TMA context, the bug growing that impossibly big and yet no one being able to notice it until it was too late could easily be explained as being due to both the bug and the circumstances around its existence being supernatural in nature.

[hijinxinprogress]

YJs ability to piss people off occasionally backfires (But they’re still gonna do it again)

Imagine YJ pisses off a telepath with a stupid costume so the villain with a habit of telepathically tormenting mfs starts targeting yj by making them hear things they’re afraid of and everyone else’s is like regular run of the mill shit like their family/friends dying or telling them they hate them, sometimes they hear them listing every bad quality they have and every mistake they’ve ever made, they know it’s not still happening but they’ll hear a loved one or a civilian they couldn’t save using their last breath to blame them for their deaths in the middle of the night which is usually followed by the voice that reminds them that ‘they just don’t quite measure up to their peers or predecessors so really, wouldn’t it be for the best if they just disappeared? No one would even notice and if they did, how likely is it that they’d care? What could they possibly be contributing to the world that can’t be done better by someone else?’ And that’s normal for yj but what causes them to lose it is when they start to hear the sound of someone clicking their tongue and humming in disapproval whenever they’re doing something ill advised but they only figure out who fears that sound when Anita loses her shit so they find her and they’re like wtf?? you live like this?? but she’s fucking petrified and muttering to herself

[quitealotofsodapop]

Camel Rigde pudo haber sido detenido en un instante por la Reina Madre en el canon si no fuera por el poder del guion en esta caso seria Buda no la hubiera retenido (¿así paso verdad?)

translated via google:

"Camel Rigde could have been stopped in an instant by the Queen Mother in canon if it weren't for the power of the script in this case it would be Buda wouldn't have stopped her (that's what happened, right?)"

In Journey to the West; it is more so that the Queen Mother is essentially "retired" from her days of raw physical power. She's a mother, grandmother, and Empress now - not a fighter.

However, the appearance of the Buddha at the very last moment during the War on Heaven was the only thing that stopped her from having monkey brains for dinner. Her restraint is immense, unless her husband is threatened.

As for Camel Ridge, it was established after the War + was on Earth. The Queen Mother of the West has no interest what common mortals get up to. She may have been impressed by the way the Brotherhood stronghold/demon city destroyed the land around it however.

[unclefredandjohnnierutter]

#26: Tomb of the Lost Queen

AS FOR THE ONE WHO BROKE THE SEAL AGONIES OF DEATH AWAIT YOU

A Nancy Drew inspired playlist // listen here 🪲

↓ tracklist and more below ↓

Featuring:

Cairo - Bananarama

A Cool Wind Is Blowing - Djivan Gasparyan

Enta Ma Oltesh Leih - Amr Diab

Sand Dance - Temples

Archeological Longing - Elaine Howley

Pushin Against the Wind - Kelsey Lu

Mabruk - Ali Hassan Kuban

1 Thing To Smash - Yaeji with Loraine James

El Sobhiya - Al Masseieen

Sphynx - La Femme

Water Water - Empress Of

The Snakepit - The Cure

Nefertari - The Pink Flowers

‎ بين نارين - Hanan

Walk Like an Egyptian - The Bangles

Genres include Egyptian pop through a few different decades, American pop that is Egyptian themed, and more songs for desert level Nancy

I am interested in ancient egypt quite a bit so I do like that aspect in this game a lot. Its very cool to walk around in the tomb and be in the desert BUT this games story kind of sucks imo. Idk if thats a controversial opinion but IF they could redo it:

less emphasis on nancy messin around in the tomb

more exploration in the desert , maybe a character at an active excavation area that unlocks later in the game

smaller tomb and more outside areas to explore

nancy experiences more curses like locusts or getting stuck in a tomb trap or smth

more actual archaeology and practical puzzles

more parallels to the original expedition’s experience

A Mirage of some kind!!!

No setup for sonnys appearance in med

more clear motive for the villain, maybe its just me but its still a bit unclear to me what was truly going on

Character swapping and recasting!

make dylan into abdullahs character as a self important british archaeologist with questionable motives

jamila into lilys character as second in command egyptian archaeologist who takes history and the curse more seriously

abdullah into dylans character but as an opportunistic egyptian tour guide and salesmen who may have black market connections

make lily into jamilas character but as an american graduate assistant doing her first dig, who excavates another distant part of the tomb and had maybe been swayed by sonnys ideas

instead of jamilas spied association just pamphlets that sonny left and the head archaeoligist knows sonny and hates his alien nonsense or whatever, maybe sonny was fired from his assistant position right before nancy got there in true sonny fashion

[scrpcntincs]

The venom-less viper

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         aslihan malbora,  27,  cis woman,  she/her.    announcing  the  arrival  of  ELIF MARTELL  of  house  MARTELL,  the  LADY  of  SUNSPEAR.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  ENERGETIC  and  EMOTIONAL  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  reading.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  a smile on a face as you greet someone, tears flowing from eyes despite nothing being wrong, an ornate teacup being held with steady hands.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  THE  MARTELLS.          (  ooc  :  gisele,  26,  she/her,  est  ) * filling prince calyx targaryen moth to his flame wanted connection *

Full name: Elif Leyla Martell

Nicknames: El, Sweet Serpent

Age: 27

Status: Unbetrothed & Unmarried

Station: Lady (Legitimized Bastard of Prince Doran and Lady Eyva)

Title: Lady Martell

Orientation: Bisexual & Heteromantic

Children: N/A

Spoken languages: Common tongue, Low and High Valyrian, Pentoshi, Braavosi, Myrish, Lysene

Religion: Faith of The Seven

Family: Prince Doran Martell (Father), Lady Eyva (Mother), UTP Martell (Older Full Sibling), Princess Nehir Martell (Older Half-Sister), Lady Esila Martell (Older Half-Sister), Princess/Ruling Lady Dafne Stark née Martell (Older Half-Sister), UTP Martell (Younger Half-Sibling)

Traits: Positive- Energetic, Caring, Generous, Intelligent, Fun-loving, Wise Negative- Emotional, Naive, Mean, Arrogant, Impulsive, Perfectionist

Character inspo: Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones), Persephone (Greek Mythology), Eloise Bridgerton (Bridgerton), Penelope Featherington (Bridgerton), Helaena Targaryen (House of The Dragon), Helene (The Empress), Mary Musgrove (Persuasion)

Background

The halls were filled with wails as her mother birthed her. It wasn't an easy birth, but she arrived after hours and hours of a strenuous birth. She cried in her mother's arms and her crying would be no different later on in her life as she grew up into a young lady.

She was a bastard, a legitimized bastard along with her older sister. She never cared much about the label, she knew in other parts of Westeros that being a bastard held a heavy and negative weight to it... but not in Dorne. Despite this, she grew up and was determined to soak up knowledge of anything she could. She read books often, learned languages other than the common tongue and she learned the people surrounding her, she studied them and held the things she learned about others close to her chest... that is if she deemed it worthy of her time. She was and still is a bit of a gossiping mean girl, a bit of a spy, a bit of a sneaky serpent... the type to think she knows how to play the game when she's more naive than she thinks she is. Even still, she loves her family and remains unwaveringly loyal to them and to Dorne.

She is a sweet little sister when it comes to her siblings but when it comes to people she doesn't know as well, she becomes a tiny bit more cautious but her demeanor remains as bright as the Dornish sun on it's sandy horizons. Elif is an emotional and slightly dramatic lady however, a bug could land on her hand and she'd cry about how gross it is. She's still learning to get a grip on her own tears in certain situations but for now she's comfortable with being a supportive yet a crybaby emotional young Lady of Sunspear.