#gils such a good dancer

[melon-nyan]

I found a Belly Dance motion and used it on Gil

Just enjoy Gil dancing

[Credits for the Model etc.]

Caster Gilgamesh: オッティー

https://bowlroll.net/file/145992

Motion: Shiro Neko Vocaloid

https://youtu.be/4r-SIjOGlPA?si=02wTeqC8gnFOaMyM

Arabian Nights Stage: kaahgomedl

https://www.deviantart.com/kaahgomedl/art/Arabian-Nights-612048412

[cidnangarlond]

trying to find something cute on eorzea collection for the hannish wool autumn shirt that won't cost an arm and a leg WILL EVERYONE STOP SHOWING ME THEIR PUSSIES IN GLAMOURS !!! wish I could filter out the 2B bottoms in glams I've HAD IT. GET CREATIVE

[thesummerestsolstice]

Headcanon Crafts for Everyone I Missed Last Time:

Idril: a sculptor. She worked with every kind of stone imaginable, and often went looking for new material in Gondolin’s mines with Maeglin. (Look my Maeglin head canons are complicated but they should get to be friends the narrative has hurt them too much already) She actually preferred not to make elvish figures, instead focusing on strangely beautiful stone landscapes and various animal-like figures. She was actually responsible for Middle-Earth’s version of the gargoyle, having carved several to stand guard over Gondolin. Several elves swore that the statues moved, but she never addressed those rumors. She also liked to paint her work with bright colors, which would’ve been seen as odd back in Valinor, but fit right in in First Age Middle-Earth.

Maeglin: a smith, but his craft was more in-line with Avarin practice than Noldor practice; with much less focus on the idea of making gems and heavier focus on understanding natural geology and the properties of various gems and metals. He knew the mines of Gondolin better than anyone, and wrote plenty about the the earth under the earth. His work also had fairly significant Dwarfish influences. He liked to make mechanically complex pieces, with moving parts or even some internal gear work.

Finduilas: a hunter. Her and her father were both nature people, just in very different ways. She was silent, with all the grace of a dancer, and quick enough to outrun most of what she hunted. She preferred to go after more aggressive animals– wild boar, wolves, bears, even wargs– and leave the deer and rabbits be. She was born in Beleriand, and had never met the Valar, but sometimes, privately, offered up prayers to Orome. She liked to imagine she could’ve been in his hunt, if things had turned out a bit differently.

Celebrimbor: a smith, in the very traditional Noldor sense. Gemworker, specialized in jewelry, made various famously beautiful pieces, etc. Was never quite happy sticking to hairpins and necklaces. Longed to try his hand at imbuing his work with real power, but always talked himself out of it. A whole binder of concepts for works of power sat locked away in a chest in his workshop for centuries. He never talked to anyone about it. He was as ashamed of his feelings for his craft as he was of his feelings for his family. By the end of his life, he’d made peace with only one of those things.

Earendil: a mariner? Alright, he was definitely a mariner, and he loved the ship life– he even built a few boats of his own, in a similar fantastic style to Turgon’s architecture– but he also had a longstanding fascination with the natural world, and filled volumes and volumes of journals with information on various plants, animals, and minerals. But natural lore isn’t a recognized Noldor craft, since it involves learning but doesn’t really produce tangible results. Still, it was a passion he got from afternoons spent learning about geology with “Uncle Mole,” and one he shared with Elrond. Researching the beauty and wonder of nature gave Earendil something to do with his immortal life, and was a big part of the reason Elrond chose to be immortal at all.

Gil-Galad: a king. No, really, he’d been the high-king of the Noldor since he was a child, and hadn’t really had time for trivialities like “finding a life purpose” or “having fun.” He was too busy learning how to stay alive in late stage Beleriand (read: hell) and learning to rule the least cooperative group of elves imaginable. He wanted to be a painter, and while he found enough practice time to get good at his chosen craft; because of how long detailed paintings can take, he almost never had time to actually make anything. He tried not to let it bother him too much. He didn’t always succeed at that.

Elrond: in a bit of a weird spot. Elrond is most associated with lore and healing; but, as discussed, “lore” isn’t considered a craft. And, well. Healing had to be Elrond’s craft, right? He’d been doing it since he was seven, and just about the only person in Amon Ereb who could still use healing powers. And it was good work, and it was rewarding, even if it often left him feeling so burned out and worried that he forgot to eat or sleep. It took him a long time to admit to himself that healing for him was what fighting was to many other elves: a necessity. Truth be told, he’d rather be gardener, working with the earth to create a place of peace and beauty. Also, Elrond is basically a nature spirit. So. It was something he began to explore in the peace of the early Second Age. He found that his Ainuric powers had all sorts of interesting effects on plant life. He also learned how to breed new varieties of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Still, he never really considered that it could be a proper craft for him. At least, not until he first saw the valley that would one day become Rivendell.

Headcanon Crafts for Finwe and his Children, the House of Feanor, the House of Fingolfin, and the House of Finarfin.

[peacock-mooncat]

♦ B A S I C S ♦

Name: Sierra bihn Gamduhla

Nicknames: Sie (to her friends), the Jewel of Thavnair (to her admirers), and goddess (to Ul'dahn elites with enough gil)

Age: Late 20s, early 30s

Nameday: 13th Sun of the Sixth Umbral Moon

Race: Miqo'te, Keeper of the Moon 🌙☺️

Gender: Female 

Orientation: Pansexual

Profession: Adventurer, dancer, socialite

♦ P H Y S I C A L ~ A S P E C T S ♦

Hair: A dark, saturated purple with blonde streaks, kept at medium length with straight-cut bangs in front. Some of her blonde streaks are natural, but she likes to add a few herself.

Eyes: A vibrant red-magenta, with the trademark large moonkitty eyes 🥺

Skin: Rich brown

Tattoos/scars: A prominent scar runs across her left eye. No one has gotten her to say how it came to be, only that she considers it the fault of her own hubris.

♦ F A M I L Y ♦

Parents: Sierra never knew her father. She's descended from a long line of Thavnairian merchants; her mother is the current matriarch of her Keeper clan, and a decently successful merchant as well. Sierra doesn't talk about her too much, hinting that maybe their relationship is not cordial.

Siblings: Rhekka bihn Gamduhla is Sierra's much-younger, more-chaotic sister. Her and Sierra see eye-to-eye on very little.

Grandparents: Sierra's grandparents passed away before she was born.

 In-laws and Other:  Since she married Yrja, she's only got, uh, Fran and Balthier as in-laws. Well, technically anyway; it's likely neither of them know Sierra even exists.

Pets: Ingot, her Othardian Peacock! Sierra got Ingot when he was just a chick, and helped raise him. He grew quite a bit larger than she expected, and now helps ferry her across Etheirys.

♦ S K I L L S ♦

Abilities: Dancing, a bit of blue magic, hosting friends

Hobbies: Goldsmithing, reading Ishgardian romance novels, performing in minor events at the Carnivale

♦ T R A I T S ♦

Most Positive Trait: She tries her best to read a room and make everyone comfortable. Whether it's in a dungeon with fellow adventurers or relaxing with friends in safety, Sierra strives to keep spirits light -- sometimes to her detriment.

Most Negative Trait: Not all that glitters is gold -- gems, silks, and flesh fascinate just as well. While she normally has a good head on her shoulders, beautiful things make her weak. She's made some poor choices in life due to her greed for gil, due to a pretty girl's wink, or due to the promise of a rare gemstone.

♦ L I K E S ♦

Colors: Emerald green, deep purple, gold; jewel tones in general

Smells: Floral scents! The smell of Thavnair's markets, and of fresh-baked sweets

Textures: Smooth textures, especially fabrics. Silk is one of her favorites.

Drinks: Tea, though she's open and will try other drinks when the opportunity presents itself.

♦ O T H E R ~ D E T A I L S ♦

Smokes: She partakes of a smoking pipe every now and again in social situations, but it's not something she does on the regular.

Drinks: She drinks socially, and prefers tastier drinks to hard liquor.

Drugs: Not yet. Probably not likely, but the right one could pique her curiosity.

Mount Issuance:  Ingot, her Othardian Peacock! ... deja vu.

Been Arrested: Nah, Sierra is fairly law-abiding.

------------------ Thanks for tagging me @iona-xiv, this was really fun!! ☺️

A'ight, time to start tagging -- sorry if you've already been tagged, I tried to check first but I might've missed it! @tsunael, @starforger, @airis-ray, @cassandra-allegra (GIMME YRJA LORE); I am 100% positive there are people I am forgetting and I am so sorry, my brain is mush after this post haha

[shariefaerie]

Doll Show! (and goodwill/my friend!!!) haul!!!!

This year the creator of strawberry shortcake was there. so there was a LOT of original strawberry dolls and toys, and a WHOLE LOT of ADORABLE costumes!!! I had strawberry shortcake toys as a kid in the early 2000s, but I didn't see any of those at the show.

Super happy with my purchases this year! I was also super lucky to have my tax return hit right before the show, so I went a liiiiitle overboard with the monster high dolls. Ghoulia and Cupid are grails, and Robecca and Spectra aren't grail status but they were right up there on the ISO list. Lagoona was just really pretty and had her fins and was only 15 bucks.

I got some skrm accessories as well, lagoonas knee pads and and wheel love gils knee pads, also ghoulias skates. skrm is so weird but one of my favorite lines, it's just so unique!

I got my very first (sort of) BJDs as well! I'll talk more about them in a bit because oh no i am in love.

Last thing from the doll show is an AG ballet outfit. it was only 15 bucks and something I'd been looking to get! so, yay!!! I had originally intended for it to be given to corinne, my (at the time) only American girl doll, but as you can see in the second pic, that has changed.

I have weirdly good luck finding AG dolls at the thrift, and today I got VERY lucky! I've actually found an Addy before, a PC one O_O but she went to live with my cousin, I was a bit sad to see her go so im happy to find another, this one is a 2008 but I really don't mind modern AG dolls, and shes so darling!!! I tried the ballet outfit on her last night and it belongs to her now x3 she's going to be a dancer.

Found another bratz board game! It's complete as well which is awesome. it wasn't used at all, for good reason, it's very convoluted, like monopoly but weirder. I now have Make Me Up, Mall Crawl, Passion 4 Fashion, Bratz Twister, and the 2015 bratz CIY Shoppe Game. even if i don't play them I like to have them for the boxes x3

My friend who I brought to the doll show with me gave me a few of her childhood hamtaros! some are fakies but they're all adorable! She and I also got the BJDs together, hers is the Sakura one and mine is the grey haired one, we ended up swapping faces for a while lol. I got one of the boy BJDs too, I definitely got my least favorite of the options but he is cute! He just needs new pants.

Overall, what an awesome day! I'm so happy I got to go buy pretty dolls and see my friends!!

[hitchell-mope]

Descendants celebrity au

Benjamin LeRoi. The latest in a long line of French born Australian family of Shakespearean actors. Wanting to get out of the pigeonhole he was raised in he auditions for and wins the role of dashing rogue Balthazar Buckingham in Persey Pantheon’s directorial debut Reincarnate next the highly sexually intriguing Mallory Perrault as Emmeline Atkinson.

Mallory Perrault. A rockstar whose act would make the Pussycat Dolls look like the nuns from The Sound Of Music. Her first acting role is alongside Ben in her half sibling Persey’s directorial debut Reincarnate as the ingenue Emmeline Atkinson and Ben as the dashing rogue Balthazar Buckingham.

Evangeline Grimhilde. An accomplished singer known for her sugary sweet stage persona which she hopes to break out of with her boyfriends latest movie Baby It’s Cold Outside as the seductive demon Seraphina

Douglas Greenman. An EGOT winning director, actor and dancer. He’s been reluctant to cast Evie in his works for fear of nepotism accusations. But she’s finally persuaded him to cast her as Seraphina in Baby It’s Cold Outside alongside him as Reverend Oliver Bentley after a very spirited late night talk.

Carlos De Vil. A sitcom actor known for his role in The Isolation Room as the nerdy technology teacher Miles Carp who has a long winded relationship going with the rebellious art teach Allen Qasim that he oversees detention with. Unfortunately this has led to a rather rabid fan base who insist he and Jay are dating in real life despite the both of them being in very stable relationships with other people.

Jane Babineaux. A rather mousy Broadway actress with a very powerful voice. Carlos’s girlfriend. Currently cross cast in a revival of The Phantom Of The Opera as Erika the Phantom. Tries to be okay with Carlos’s TIR fans. But the invasion of privacy is starting to affect her performance

Jay Tahan. Carlos costar in The Isolation Room. Dating Gil. Decidedly less kind to the fans than Carlos and Jane are to the point that he’s disabled all of his social media accounts except for the shows official twitter account. Sadly no amount of flaunting his and Gil’s relationship has quelled the fandom yet.

Gil Legume. A lead on the adult fantasy epic The Norseland Empress as Viking Chieftain Sigurd Nordling alongside Lonnie as Ancient Chinese Empress Liu Cheng. Dating Jay. The fanbase is for TNE is just as bad if not worse than the TIR fanbase due to all the contractually obligated love scenes that Gil and Lonnie are required to do which the fanbase uses as “proof” of an offscreen romance.

Li Lonnie. Gil’s leading lady in The Norseland Empress. Liu Cheng is her first leading role in a drama show. Her background is Janeane Garofalo type standup comedy. As such. She wasn’t ready for how rabid the fanbase became. But fortunately for her, she’s got Jay on her side to tell the fans where to shove it.

Nedahk Thatch. Singer, dancer, choreographer and actor. Playing Patrick Swayze’s role in a musical adaptation of Dirty Dancing alongside his girlfriend Uma. They’re celebrated for their chemistry. But a favour for her father threatens to overhaul the movie.

Uma Facillier. Actress and singer. The Dirty Dancing musical is her first leading role. Before this her biggest role was one of the muses in an off-off-broadway production of Hercules. She’s enjoying the newfound recognition. If only her dad hadn’t begged her to play act at dating a volatile train wreck.

Harold Hook. A punk rock singer. Wants to be the next Sid Vicious. He doesn’t have a single talented bone in his body. Well. Unless you count his almost prodigious ability to cause scandal and ruin everywhere he goes. It’s gotten so bad that his father and Uma’s dad had to set them up in a fake relationship in the hope he gains some good will from the press. It’s not working.

Persey Pantheon. Actor and director. Reincarnate is their prospective comeback after losing over half of their fanbase when they came out as non-binary. They didn’t plan on Reincarnate being political. But it’s an occupational hazard when you make a movie set throughout and beyond human history

Maddox Hatter. Persey’s girlfriend. Recently played Margaret White in a revival of Carrie but had to be let go after an on stage psychotic break led her to fall to pieces during “And Eve Was Weak” at the start of the eight performance. She’s on medication now and is the researcher on Reincarnate

Hadie Pantheon. Persey’s twin brother. Harry, Mal and Evie’s half brother. Aspires to be the next Johnny Cash. Only he can’t play guitar. He can however play the piano. So he’s settled for being a mix between Johnny Cash and Ray Charles. He’s also a gifted song writer and serves as the lyricist on Reincarnate.

Antony Tremaine. Hadie’s boyfriend and singing partner. Guitarist. Serves as the composer for Reincarnate. Gave Persey the idea for the movie by gifting them The Time Traveller’s Wife for their birthday. He’s also giving Mallory elocution lessons in preparation for the Regency and Victorian segments of the movie.

[amaiguri]

Amai's Fantasy Noble Houses

^^ The Courthouse of Nouveau Thuille

So yesterday, I went on a big info dump about Nouveau Thuille itself, but its most important aspect is its people -- the Noble Houses of Nouveau Thuille. Factions are one of my FAVORITE PARTS of worldbuilding, so please indulge me as I gush about how COOL all my Houses are <3 <3 ,3

**House d'Magnia**

^^ The Manor d'Magnia

House d'Magnia is Arlasaire's House, my protagonist! Well, kinda. See, House d'Magnia sigil is a winged serpent and its words are "Eshew Axiom for Ascendancy" which basically means "We break the law to win." They are known for being the most brutal and underhanded in their tactics -- Giluniques, the heir, had his eye cut out as a baby with the hopes that he would become a mage. (He did.) And one of the House's favorite things to do is take in society's undesirables and turned them into hitmen. Arlasaire was one such person -- she was effectively Gil's human pet, growing up. He got to teach her to read and write and murder people and stuff. His father probably did this because Gil's mom died in childbirth with his stillborn sister and Arlasaire was a burned orphan child whose village was destroyed in a Dragonstorm. Who was going to say "No"? It wasn't a great environment for her, despite her pride in her upbringing. It really messed with her head. House d'Magnia is known for its Ysse engineering -- though Arlasaire never took to the House's art

**House d'Aramitz**

Ah, the good ole House d'Aramitz! This grand old House has controlled the military since House d'Solais ruled a united North. Their sigil (or maybe they're coats-of-arms?) is a gold sword with two shields on each side. They also are in charge of military production and were probably some of the earliest adopters of the assembly line. They value tradition and typically, their members most staunchly believe in the notion that they are keeping order and fulfilling the will of the long dead Emperor.

As of the start of my World Letters, House d'Aramitz is led by Silvestre and he has two or three sons (idk, doesn't matter) -- the eldest of whom is a sweet gay guy named Cleiv who really wishes his dad would stop trying to make him get married.

Oh, and I think their art isssssssss Martial Arts? Or maybe textilesssss? Idk, I'll roll with it now lol

**House d'Fealtoire**

House d'Fealtoire is currently being run by a young woman and her sisters are all women, but gender isn't the reason it's sometimes called "The House of Wh*res" -- that's because the House's ongoing political strategy is just to suck up to whoever is in power and keep them there. They're considered to be charming but duplicitous -- but hey! It's working! They're extremely rich and they typically end up funding the plots of the other Houses and their many, numerous smaller houses. Their sigil is a bowl of blooming Tobacco violets with vines dripping out on either side.

Lucienne d'Fealtoire is currently running the House, with her two younger sisters, Celia and Derecina. Luce has a sorted history with House d'Magnia -- she was engaged to Gil as a child and they grew up quite fond of each other. But then, her dad tried to poison every other noble at Court. Arlasaire dropped a chandelier on him to stop him. Lucienne and Gil's engagement was technically cut off at that point... except when his dad died of a heart attack a few years later, they promptly picked up where they left off. And you can imagine the kind of relationship two ambitious, horny teens have...

Anyway, House d'Fealtoire is full of musicians and dancers. Performance arts. Unfortunately, over the 5 years since I started Yssaia, I didn't always remember this and I did this whole portrait of Lucienne painting Arlasaire (below). Not that there's anything WRONG with her being multitalented, but she should definitely be an excellent actress and dancer. It just WORKS with her characterization.

**House d'Romanach**

House d'Romanach is a fan favorite because they're the House of the People. They're only three generations old, run by Lady Isaurala d'Romanach, and they're basically a factory and farmer's union that became a noble house. Isaurala's #1 priority is the well-being of the people -- but this puts her diametrically opposed to many of the Houses in the war, who are interested in fighting for independence and sovereignty, where she would rather just surrender to the seemingly less-corrupt South. Of course, she also knows when elections come, she'll keep her power and privilege, even when the others don't, so like... you know... Their sigil is a hammer and anvil, and their artform is painting.

**House d'Solais** (Gone)

House d'Solais -- or actually, just House Solais because grammar worked differently 400 years ago -- died when Riavh d'Solais, the Once and Future Emperor, the Sun King, etc. etc. died in a civil war with his son. Under the justness of his rule (and very nice, Dragon-summoning sword and amazing propaganda machine and a wife who could see all the possibilities of the future to pick the best one), Riavh united the North 400 years ago. He rose to power at age 14, when he pulled a sword out of an anvil at the back of the last king's Trialhall. He married a fairy for his wife. And his champion was the strongest and most charming fighter in all the land. But the world was not ready for a man so pure and kind. And so, he was killed by his own, wicked son in a revolt. (It was definitely the son's fault. Definitely. And Riavh was definitely not a depressed, young father with incredible military advisors who could only unite a culturally diverse North for barely a generation under the threat of force.) Their sigil is a radiant sun-shaped crown. Riavh did not leave behind a Trialhall for a next Emperor -- instead, he is allegedly sleeping until such a time arises that he can rise again and bring about a world without war. And the Noble Houses hold his crown until this inevitable return.

Which House do you think you'd work for?

[kyndaris]

Way to Dawn

There is something to be said of old turn-based games with pixellated graphics. For many, they hark back to the good old days where things in the world actually made sense. In these halcyon days, things were simple. There was not as much grey in the world because everything was black and white. Unfortunately, as time has passed me by, games have become grittier with worlds as drab and bleak as the one we face in reality. Octopath Traveler, however, is a series that knows exactly how to tap into the nostalgia we have for our childhoods.

When the first game released in 2018, I was immediately hooked. In 2023, the second game came out. Due to the fact I was drowning in far too many lengthy games that released in the back-half of 2022, coupled with an overseas trip, and a host of other compelling titles, I simply could not find the necessary time to sink into Octopath Travler II. Enter January 2024.

After finishing off a few key games like Assassin's Creed: Mirage and Spider-Man 2 over December, I managed to eke out some time to give Octopath Traveler II my undivided attention. 90+ hours of it, in fact.

While I started with Alfyn in the original Octopath Traverl, this time I decided to go with my gut and pick my favourite class in almost every single role-playing game I've ever had the chance to dabble in: a thief. Unlike the happy-go-lucky apothecary, Alfyn, Throne finds herself trapped in an endless cycle of death. Her opening chapter sees her scurrying through the sewers of New Delsta with three other members of her gang, the Black Snakes. As the chapter progress, we see the internal struggle among the members of the gang before Throne is then confronted with a long-time friend as both are keen to escape the chains that bind them.

Despite the bleak nature of this first part, Throne's story is still one filled with optimism as she fights for freedom and to break free from the cycle that has kept her trapped for all her life.

From there, I slowly recruited the rest of the Travelers, starting off with Temenos and Osvald. From there, I jumped on a ship to Beastling Island, recruited Ochette and moved to the Eastern Continent - nabbing Castti, Hikari, Partitio and Agnea. The journey took me all across the world of Solistia.

Later, as the game progressed, I would hop to and fro from both continents as I chased after each dangling story thread for my odd band of characters.

And while I liked all of the stores, the two that stuck out to me belonged to Partitio and Agnea. Possibly because of how positive their outlooks were, and how undaunted they were of the cruelties inherent in the world. I know others on the internet may disagree but given the state of the world these days, I was in the mood for something light-hearted and fun.

Let's start with the Dancer shall we?

Agnea is a girl from the village of Cropdale. Her mother was a dancer and, like her, Agnea dreams of becoming a star. Her story, although simple, sees her travel all across the world to show off her dancing talent and bring a smile to people's faces.

Along the way, she meets a colourful cast of intrepid performers from Gil to Giselle's Travelling Troupe.

Of course, it wouldn't be a video game without a villain. And Dolcinaea serves as the perfect foil to Agnea's optimism. Hers is a tale of hardship growing up in the deserts of Sai, being inspired by Cuani (Agnea's mother) and working hard to become a star to take her away from her roots. But while she views her past with disdain and wishes to eradicate it, Agnea is there to remind her of the people her actions will affect, culminating in a dance battle at the Grand Gala in the Merry Hills region.

Plus, there's some fruity goodness along the way with a few key lines between Veronica and Dolcinaea.

Who doesn't like an uplifting journey, anyways?

As for Paritio...where to begin?

If all merchants were like him, I'd think the world would be a much better place. Growing up in a silver mine, Partitio has experienced both prosperity and the depths of poverty when the former land owner of the silver mine takes back the land and levies a huge tax on the silver that is mined in the area. Crushed underneath the weight of oppressive capitalism, Partitio and his gang of friends push back against the enforcers (including a man named Giff - which felt like it was ripping off Biff from the Back to the Future series).

From there, Partitio seeks to do away with the devil that is 'poverty' and seeks out a means to make money but also give back to the community at large. He does so by buying the rights to the steam engine. But not before securing himself a grand sum of 80 billion leaves!

And instead of running away with the money, makes good on his promise to make the world a better place.

While there are some forums that declare Partitio as a capitalist in the truest sense (where human greed does not enter the equation and people know how to share the wealth), I thought many of his ideas somewhat left-leaning. True, he is no communist but Partitio is a person who understands the plight of the common-man and knows how to utilise the talents of those around him to the greatest benefit. More than that, though, he is filled with empathy for those around him and isn't shy to splash his own money around to improve the lives of those around them by 1. giving them a living wage and 2. not push people down in order to get ahead.

Plus, when his theme starts playing and the saxophone kicks in...you know you've got a winner on your hands.

I also really liked Agnea's Song of Hope theme. But I'm also a sucker for any fiddle or string instrument. Which is also why I'm in love with Throne's and Osvald's themes. And that is something else I wanted to praise about Octopath Traveler II. The music! My goodness, the music!

Both Octopath Traveler games are scored by Yasunori Nishiki and he is a genius when it comes to composing such great music. There is something so magical about all the tracks in Octopath Traveler II that I loved.

And that's saying a lot because I very much enjoyed the tracks of the game. Heck, I even bought the CD for the first game and had my mother play it while we drove back up from Melbourne.

The music also proved great at selling the emotion of the song and kept the story aloft, proving to be very poignant at several points. It always kept me engaged during the boss battles. Such a shame it was overlooked at The Game Awards in 2023. I'm sure Flute Guy would have kicked it out of the park if Octopath Traveler II had been nominated for Game of the Year. He certainly was living his best life when Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was nominated and was grooving out to Tears of the Kingdom.

But back to the story of Octopath Travler II. Like the first game, the stories of the Travelers are connected to a central antagonist. But whereas Galdera was a hidden boss hidden behind several side quests, after finishing off each of the Traveler's stories and the Crossed Paths storylines, the Travelers come together and ACTUALLY interact with each other.

When the world plunges into darkness, the Travelers soon piece together that the Moonshade Order was behind it all. Together, they set about re-igniting the flames scattered around the world before confronting the big bad: Vide after Oboro sacrifices himself to the God.

And like many games of the past decade, Octopath Traveler II is a game that explores themes of despair and hope through the lens of nihilism. In fact, I was reminded very much of Danganronpa. True, we didn't have a crazy antagonist obsessed with despair, but we did encounter individuals who saw a cruel unforgiving world and gave into the darkness (or Shadow) within their hearts to quell the suffering.

It's a sentiment I can understand. Humans are cruel. Wars are started for petty reasons, be they for resources or simple pride.

Worse, we turn a blind eye to certain inconvenient truths. Especially if they would only serve to make us feel bad.

Sometimes it's easy to think: what would life be like if humans were all wiped out from existence?

Our Travelers, though, are made of sterner stuff. Despite witnessing atrocities, they continue to fight for the dawn. In their hearts lay a glimmer of light - of hope - for a better world. And in a video game, their actions do bring on positive change.

Together, they drive back Vide and look to the future. Thus bringing a happy end to it all.

But while the overarching story might feel quite simplistic, the themes explored in Octopath Traveler II, I felt were especially poignant. In each Traveler's story, we got to see elements of our current world - be it corrupt bureaucracy, the inherent greediness in humans or their lack of care for the natural world. Each time, though, the Travelers managed to triumph over their foes and bring new understanding.

It's a story I can get behind. And it's probably why I fell in love with Partitio and Agnea's story (but also, who wouldn't want to fight a steam train?)

Gameplay-wise, Octopath Traveler II doesn't stray too far from the first game. It does, however, have a few tweaks that make the game fun and exciting such as Latent Powers and character abilities. For example, Throne is able to increase the strength of all characters at the start of battle when it's night-time. Hikari, on the other hand, has access to learned skills which can be gained by challenging NPCs scattered around the world.

This brings a whole host of different ways to play the game and to optimise the party. Even as weigh in on when to use brave points to unleash on our foes and break past their shields or to hoard them for a devastating attack later on.

Combined in this way, Octopath Traveler II is a marvel of a game. True, there were moments where I felt the story was a little bogged down, but I certainly enjoyed my time with it. Better yet, it never felt like it was a grind. The 90+ hours I sunk into it flew by without me even realising it as my characters levelled up and grew stronger with each passing hour. Beyond these factors, it also added elements of fruitiness between NPCs but it never tried to shove it in the player's face.

Still, in my head-canon, Dolcinaea and Veronica are a couple. As are Temenos and Crick (before his untimely demise - but he was giving off mass death vibes in Chapter 3. Just saying), Pala and Mikka, and possibly Castti and Malaya (although Malaya, too, is dead).

Plus, I loved the dynamics between all the Travelers with Castti being the mum of the group, Osvald the dad, with the others being chaotic siblings.

[khytal]

octopus adventurer 2 thoughts :)

-negatives first (this is the only one). my biggest criticism is how the beastlings were handled; we got rid of the awful dancer design but received “‘savage and uncivilized’ natives” in return. which. what the fuck

-if you liked ot1 to any degree you will enjoy the sequel I can almost guarantee it (but try the demo first)

-there are improvements in nearly every aspect (essentially there’s a lot more variety in everything, but especially the sprites for both regular characters and enemies)

-most importantly the party feels like they’re actually traveling together :) and the crossed paths chapters are fun, although I wish they were a little longer x)

spoilers section (only to be read if you’ve seen the credits roll)

ochette: -aside from the shit subplot between the colonizers and beastlings (which was resolved by abruptly slapping a bandaid on it in ochette’s last chapter) I thought ochette’s story was passable -it wasn’t anything super special but I like ochette as a character. she’s fun and honest and her travel banter was very sweet (especially the one about gil’s piano playing wahhh) -she also gets the “tempest on the battlefield” song, which only plays 3 other times in the game so. yeah :]

castti: -hey check out how hard i can cry -my favorite comparison between alfyn and castti is that even though both of them were forced to take a life to save several others, for alfyn it made him reconsider what it meant to save lives while castti had ZERO qualms about killing trousseau -apothecaries also get the best pre-boss fight prelude themes for no reason -idk how else to describe castti other than “strong”. in more ways than one. she’s my favorite of the girls for sure -and she definitely had one of my favorite stories (although I guessed pretty early on that malaya was already dead x’) ). I love how her path/job actions played into the last few scenes o(-<

throné: -yeah hi what the fuck -genuinely just. what the fuck -i don’t even know what to say. I love throné I like that she’s socially awkward but not necessarily shy, and she’s not exactly closed off either -she’d look better with pants (it’d also be way more practical for her job) but that’s beside the point I guess -good god her last chapter had me reeling. I thought they were going to reveal at the garden that all of the blacksnakes were like. clones grown in a laboratory and that’s what the garden was but it was so much worse. wdym this guy’s been fucking for decades -oh also shoutout to the writers for letting throné actually go through with killing mother in front of the little girl desperately begging her not to do it (bc usually that leads to “maybe i should reconsider” but that didn’t happen and it was nice for a change lmao)

osvald: -you know how I said I didn’t really care much for him. yeah that opinion flipped by chapter 4 -idk if this is accurate or not but the travel banter between him and the rest of the party felt like it got more amicable as it went on (obviously this is. tracked in the “wasted time” series but I mean in like other travelers’ conversations) -I’m glad he got his daughter back, and that he at least plans on reuniting with her instead of being like “no I must stay away for her own good forever” -also the voice acting is really good. it’s really good across the board but especially for osvald’s last 2 chapters

partitio: -sorry before i say anything I need to mention that partitio’s ch1 is one of the 4 times that “tempest on the battlefield” plays and it’s SO funny to me that it’s even there. because otherwise the song plays during 3 major, high-stakes confrontations and meanwhile partitio’s here beating up some thugs in the mines sdkjfhgkjdf. anyway -i love him he’s everything to me -honestly surprised that they managed to make partitio more connected to the overarching plot than agnea, who was only tied in because she encountered tanzy. the fact that he’s so selfless that he was able to give one of the antagonists hope in humanity.,.,.,augh -the scent of commerce stuff was fun and I liked that that, along with his story, really did end up taking him all over solistia -he doesn’t kill anyone BUT he was absolutely prepared to end giff’s life in ch1 so I 100% believe that he wouldn’t have any issues with committing murder under very specific circumstances (hope this explains why I put “murder is okay” for him in that one meme) -huge props to his VA. unfortunately “yeehaw” is now a part of my vocabulary because partitio was my protagonist and I have 104 hours logged lmao -also something he and alfyn (my fave from ot1) have in common is saxophone being their associated instrument x)

agnea: -she’s so sweet I love her.,,.. -her story was also really good!! again nothing special but I enjoyed the execution + her final fight was really cool (esp with the unique song wahhh) -did not think she would be one of my favorites but she’s definitely up there :)

temenos: -temenos. -I ended up liking him a lot more than I expected x’) -me when characters have a seemingly infallible, confident mask and it only slips because they’re angry on behalf of another. me when temenos does this twice for crick’s sake o(-< -god. what do you MEAN crick is dead. orz

hikari: -in ch2 I was like “haha what if kazan betrays hikari” and I was relieved when that wasn’t the case. and then I went into the final chapter. -ngl i did tear up a little in the scene after the fight with rai mei. the voice acting was fantastic there -also the travel banter with osvald where hikari smashes osvald’s train of thought by going “but you have magic”. lmao -I really expected a moment where the cursed blood forces hikari to take a life against his will and he has to deal with the consequences afterward but that didn’t happen. probably because mugen was the endgame rather than figuring out what the cursed blood was -related note everything about the archmage dar’qest went in one ear and out the other I do NOT remember what he did x’) -other than that I liked hikari a lot. I’m glad he wasn’t a brooding character, though he’s not exactly one for jokes. he’s just very humble and polite. straightforward

final chapter: -I was so SO excited that there were scenes where all of the travelers got to talk together. one of the few things I desperately wanted out of ot2 and I got it :’D -ALSO I’m glad that this was a mandatory chapter bc it really pulled everything together in a much better way -my only complaint about it is that at vidania, only the protagonist you chose talks. and I know hikari has a comment about kazan before entering vidania but it’s just a little weird that they don’t all have something to say when directly facing kazan/vide. like of all the times to cop out on the travelers being together.,...,,.lmao -having all 8 travelers on the screen was SO cool btw -the epilogue was really sweet too I had a huge grin on my face when it was over :’)

thanks for reading all this sorry that it’s so long o(-< anyway this is a standout sequel it’s very very very good. easily one of my favorite 2023 games so far

[carmodance]

Why doesn’t BTF break ties? Like how is it impressive to say you got top 10, when the top 10 has 30-50 dancers?

What I heard when Gil was here was like the kids at btf that get top 3 for example are all SO good and elite that can you really say for example Gracyn solo was .01 better than crystals? Like dance is an art form not a science

I do get it’s frustrating and I wish they at least did half points bc I think that would help break it up a bit. But I also understand the reasoning of did someone really out perform you by .01

[idololivine]

new FFXIV update means I'm getting pulled back into an old hyperfixation, so I'm bringing you a crossover that appeals to literally just me and no one else babey! AU where the gang are FFXIV players

Eiden: the all-rounder of all time. happily plays all roles, crafts and gathers on the side. FC leader for the rest of the clan and also raid leads the FC static.

Aster: the crafter-gatherer main of all time, king of the marketboard, island sanctuary spreadsheeter. he made sure the FC has the biggest mansion in the best location, always has the best glam, and supplies the FC static with gear/food/pots.

Morvay: omni-tank main and absolute king of "how the fuck did you survive that?". very solid player, you're always happy to see him in your party. ERPs in between raid nights and actually earns a lot of gil doing so.

Yakumo: likes healing casual content, but he mains DPS in raids because he's so afraid of holding the party back. Eiden and Olivine are encouraging him to try healing harder content, so he's thinking about playing a healer the next time they tackle a new extreme.

Edmond: wishes Paladin were a DPS. mains Paladin anyway. his character has a lore compliant name and backstory, but he doesn't talk about it because he's embarrassed about it. deeply invested in MSQ.

Olivine: omni-healer main with a preference for White Mage. he can flex roles in a pinch, but generally prefers support roles. he leans casual in terms of attitude and time commitment towards raiding, but he's the kind of healer who can salvage a really fucked up pull without missing a beat. secretly interested in ERP but has no idea how to start.

Quincy: Fisher main, but he doesn't go hard for big fish because they're too troublesome. also a retired raider and double legend, but you'd never know because he doesn't use the titles and you rarely see him on a combat job. sometimes Eiden begs him to sub in for a night in the FC static, and then Quincy will roll up on whatever role is needed, play like a god, then go back to fishing.

Kuya: Black Mage ONLY. 1.0 oldhead who still bitches about the devs removing Scholar DOTs, and swears that he would play healer if they just brought back cleric stance. you're glad cleric stance is no longer a thing because he'd spend half the instance rescue trolling the party.

Garu: the cutest Dancer main you've ever seen, but Eiden could be playing an Astrologian and Garu would still try to dance partner him. doesn't know his rotation, doesn't need to because he doesn't raid.

Karu: tries to be a big dick Samurai main but he's not very good at it. he has the capacity to be a lot better, but he's too prideful to take advice. gets mad when Dancers don't dance partner him.

Blade: a solid omnirole player, but he's an absolute beast on any DPS. casually PFs ultimates, regularly RPs, and does all the yellow sidequests. no one knows how he has the time for all of that.

Dante: doesn't have a lot of time to play, but always gives it full effort. tank/melee enjoyer. strict about punctuality and effort in the static, even though he's not the raid lead. you'd think he'd be a cutscene skipper, but he actually enjoys MSQ quite a bit.

Rei: Scholar main, but of the "fairy can deal with it" / "but did you die?" variety. you're getting absolutely no healing from him in pot windows, his fairy has been consumed and he's dumping nine aetherflow stacks into raid buffs. crafts a lot of raid food and pots, but if his static members want any they have to pay market prices.

[yukiotacon]

👉👈

Can I get general relationship hcs for either Nald'thal or Azeyma?

Heaven of fire relationship hcs

Azeyma

You are her favorite mortal and she never let's you forget it

Every time you are happy , she is happy

The sun is always bright, because of her love

Will feel super guilty when it summer and she sees you overheating

Tries to cool you down , unfortunately heats you even more

Poor Nald'thal had to stop her else you perish through heat stroke

Her heart skips a beat when she sees you in your dancer job

Seeing you move is enthralling

You will get a buff called Azeyma's blessing you are protect with a bubble of radiant energy . Said bubble will pop after the first hit but will regenerate after a few seconds of not damage

Likes to sneak into your chambers for cuddles much to the other gods dismay ( though they cannot judge her)

All in all, enjoy your lovely sun goddess

Nald'thal

Together

Let's be perfectly honest, you date one you date the other

It's a two for one package deal

Both love you with all fiber of their being

To which, they tend to show much more emotion to which Azyema loves to tease them for

They are aware they cannot be biased, but they cannot help but favor you most of all

I am sorry to say you need a bigger bed

These two will share your bed

Both sandwiching you in bed leaving you with no explain

Will get a twin buffs

Nald's blessing ( a 10 % boost in gil farming )

Thal's blessing ( 10% magic damage buff to all attacks )

Nald

The more openly affectionate of the two

Will shower you with praise ,every time he sees you

" Ah if it isn't our beloved" Nald says enthusiastically

You don't get to see it but Thal is blushing under him

Nald is rather open to the idea of using mortal forms to spend time with you

The excuse of " to better understand mankind" but in actuality Nald just wants to spend time with you his love

Nald is also the one who would be the first to kiss you much to Thal's dismay

Makes it a habit of peppering you with kisses before bed

If you complain Nald will chuckle and say " why how else would we show our love to you?

Thal

The reserved one between the two

Though what he lacks in boldness he makes up for with quite gestures

Ie holding your hand

Giving you advice and quiet praises

Lingering kisses on the lips and cheek

He is the one who is rather intimidating and protective when it comes to you

If you ever get harassed, let's just say they will feel the chill of death

Tends to savor all the quiet moments with you ie drinking tea sight seeing etc

Always ends the night with kissing your head and quietly saying " Good night dear Y/n"

[welcomingdisaster]

did I already ask Morwen and Maedhros for the ask game? if so I am so sorry. if not them!

-@outofangband

@outofangband you didn't! :) here they are

Morwen:

one aspect about them i love

her vibes! the fact that she apparently intimidates servants of morgoth! the witchiness of it all!

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

hmm i'm not sure if i've got one for this! her fandom is so small that everyone who writes her seems to know her better than I do.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

for some reason i always picture her as having a big herb garden/using a lot of dried herbs. she also reads to me as superstitious.

one character i love seeing them interact with

turin! they seem like they really get each other. also, thanks to you, aerin.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

hmm i want her to hang out with beleg. i think they'd have a good time. also i want her to meet fingon.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

hmm... i feel like she saw a lot of herself in turin and part of the reason she sent him away was knowing that he would be treated similarly to how she was.

and Maedhros:

one aspect about them i love

White fire in his eyes as one who returns from the dead!! AHHHHHH. Love this vibe so much I'm obsessed with it.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

I think a lot of fandom portrayals tend to write his PTSD as very quiet/sad/anxious and understate his canon tendencies towards anger and violence. I really wish more people were interested in exploring the "sharper" aspects of his PTSD, since canonically we see quite a lot of that. And I think it's a more interesting internal struggle for him -- lashing out at people he loves, despite not wanting to, struggling to keep his cool, etc.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

I personally don't think he wore a prosthetic all that often! Probably only in diplomatic settings. I think he got very good at using the stump of his wrist to hold/steady/manipulate objects. I also think he did use it to be affectionate with people -- it is the natural one for someone to hold, after all.

one character i love seeing them interact with

Oh man so many! Very basic answers are Maglor and Fingon, which seems to be all I've been writing lately lol.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

Gil-galad! Especially in contexts where Gil is not closely related to him or his favorite people (so, Gil as Finrod's or Orodreth's son). I think they work well as foils for one another -- both doomed leaders trying to herd cats in very unstable times.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

I think he and Maglor often share the same bed in the later days, which is definitely somewhat strange for brothers. Both very paranoid about losing each other, both are very prone to nightmares, and both of them sleep fully dressed just in case. Also I think he's a very clunky dancer.

[softquietsteadylove]

Hello hello, could you please write something with ballet dancer/Thena and boxer/Gil pretty please?.

Gil had caught glimpses of her once or twice: the Swan, he called her (in the privacy of his own thoughts). She was long and lithe, elegant and graceful, pale and a little dangerous looking.

She taught the dance class in the studio space across the hall from him. He knew she taught because he'd seen her at the head of the room, keeping a deadly eye on them as they did their jumps and turns and shit that made his ankles hurt just by watching.

He'd caught her eyes once, and immediately ran straight into his own door in his distraction. He made an effort not to run into her for a while after that.

But she still taught across from him, seemingly everyday. Every day that he was there teaching his boxing classes, that was to say. The building was closed sundays anyway.

"See ya, Gil!"

"Night, guys!" he waved as the last of his pupils headed out. He groaned, untaping his knuckles and stretching out his back. He loved his job--he loved teaching, and he loved being his own boss especially. But he could still be glad it was saturday night.

He locked up, trying to build up some nerve. It was silly, really. He didn't even know the woman. But still, he felt nervous - in a giddy kind of way - whenever he thought of potentially seeing her again. Even if it was just through the glass walls of her studio.

She was still in there, despite everyone else being gone for the night. She actually seemed to be practising by herself. She was good, too--all smooth motions, long, thin arms and fingers waving through the air like feathers on wings.

"Shit!" Gil swore, seeing her suddenly drop out of view. He panicked, dropping his bag from his shoulder and pushing her door open. "Are you okay?!"

She was just fine. It was a move--or something. She turned to look at him from her spot on the floor, very strategically folded over herself. She raised an eyebrow at him.

Gil felt himself go red from the neck up. "Uh, s-sorry, I thought--I didn't-"

The Swan untangled herself and walked over to him, her music still playing in the background. Her long skirt swayed with the movement of her hips, like the branches of a willow in the breeze. "Falls are part of the choreography, from time to time."

"Right," Gil muttered, feeling nothing short of mortified. He looked out the door again, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry I interrupted-"

"It was sweet."

They'd spoken at the same moment, their words folding over each other. He blinked at her, suddenly paying more attention to brushing off the skirt over her white leotard. "It...it was?"

She lifted her head and gave him a faint smile, although it was still one hell of a smile when she was so pretty. "I do appreciate your concern."

"Well," Gil stuttered. He didn't want to admit that he'd had some creepy pseudo-crush on her from afar. That would be a great way to make her demand to change studio spaces, for sure.

"You're Gilgamesh?"

He looked at her, jaw open. She knew his name?

She cleared her throat. "The sign."

What?

"For your space?" she smiled again, clearly trying to suppress it in some way. It was probably something dancers had to do when they were being serious or whatever. But there was no way to hide that amazing a smile--no way. "It says 'Gilgamesh's boxing' on it?"

The studio plate. Of course. Gil twitched; why had he not looked at her studio plate?

"Mine just says Eternal Ballet Troupe 729," she was kind enough to tell him. "I head the classes for new recruits, though. I'm Thena."

"Wow." Why did he say that out loud? He knew he was still blushing, but that name on this woman... "I never get to see much, since our classes are always around the same time. But what I have seen--you're really good!"

The Swan tipped her head with an indulgent smile. She smoothed out her skirt again. "Thank you."

He couldn't be sure if it was the harsh studio lighting or if she was blushing a little. He wanted to know. He wanted to talk to her more. "Just Gil is fine, though. I teach classes monday-wednesday-friday, and of course tonight."

"My schedule is the same," she answered much more primly, but still smiling. "I've been curious about what a class of yours is like. I've spoken with Makkari before and she says you're a wonderful teacher."

"Ah," Gil laughed through his embarrassment, rubbing his sweaty palms together. "She's a great student. I guess I don't know enough about dancing--or ballet, really."

Thena accepted it in stride. "It is a rather specialised field. It takes a lifetime of dedication to get anywhere in it."

"I can only imagine," Gil nodded. He raised an eyebrow, "do you just teach the classes or do you do shows and stuff?"

"Sometimes I'll be called upon for a solo in an a show," she nodded. "I am a seasoned company member. Although..."

Gil raised his brows.

Thena's smile became almost mischievous, "I don't excel at partner work."

Something about the way she said it was almost flirtatious; Gil's hair stood on end. "That's, uh, pretty important, huh?"

"Hm," she nodded. "Much of ballet involves lifting, and I...am not always the most receptive to it."

Gil snorted in the middle of laughing. He was almost embarrassed by it, but Thena seemed charmed by the laughter. Maybe it was hard to have a good laugh when everyone around you was so serious. "I've never been lifted - I doubt it's possible - but it's probably not that fun."

"I suppose not." She laughed. It was just a little one, but it filled the room more than the tinny bluetooth speaker did.

He loved it. "Well, I guess if you, uh, need a lift-"

Thena's eyes caught the light, sparkling at him, "are you offering to dance with me?"

"No, I meant if you need a drive."

Thena let out full, complete, unhindered laugh. Her smile burst, exposing pearly teeth. Her head lulled back, and a stray wisp of hair escaped her tight bun.

He was in love with her. Goddammit.

She calmed eventually, touching the pads of her fingers to the corners of her eyes to mind her makeup. "Are all boxers funny?"

"Are all ballerinas cute?"

Well, no going back now. Thena's smile shifted to something almost shy again, her hand raising to tuck back hair that was still pulled back already. "So...a lift?"

Gil's chest swelled, "dancing or driving?"

Thena drifted back into the studio just a step, her hands clasped behind her, "which do you have time for?"

He had all the time in the world for her. He walked in after her, completely forgetting his gym bag out in the hall, and his eagerness to get off his feet. "You're the one offering to teach me how to dance, how much time do you got?"

Thena reached out, positioning him herself. He caught a glimpse of one more smile, "all the time in the world."

[valdiis]

Site Write Prompt #12: Dowdy

There was little and less that L'coreus knew about the Ul'dah markets. He'd arrived several days ago and found himself agog at the variety and noise of the entire district. He'd also learned quite quickly that he needed gil to purchase items. Unfortunately, he didn't have any gil. But after observing some girls off Pearl Lane, he had a way to do so. The only problem was that he couldn't do it in the attire he currently wore - at least, not and make any gil at it.

After some asking around, Cori ended up at a stall on Pearl Lane that didn't have its wares meticulously laid out. No, everything was in a heap together and it was the customer's job to dig through the pile and find whatever it was they wanted. Such shops, he'd been told, didn't always take gil for payment.

Cori dug and dug, looking for something even remotely suitable. At one point, he found a rather dowdy skirt and considered it, but it wouldn't entirely solve his problem. No, he needed something a little more enticing.

Luckily, somewhere near the middle of the pile, he found what he wanted. Purple and gauzy - though not completely see-through, the dancer's silks would hide and reveal adequately as he performed. The dances he knew were all tribal ones, but he had picked up a lot from watching the girls on the corner.

"These," he said as he held up the top and bottom. "I want these."

"And what will you trade for them?"

Cori swallowed. He couldn't disrobe here on the street, and he couldn't spend all his time in dancer's silks anyway. But...he didn't need his good boots here. "My boots," he said decisively as he sat on the ground to pull them off. They were a fine sandworm leather, if a little worn on the soles. With them in hand, he stood up and looked expectantly at the shop keep.

The man sighed as if heavily put-upon. "Fiiiine. This is highway robbery, though."

"Sorry," Cori apologized. "But I need them. I'll come back with gil later."

It was only weeks later that Cori realized it wasn't the merchant who got robbed.

[froggi-mushroom]

Ok ok I want to hear your version of engport and also pruk if you've thought of them enough

Thanks for the ask!

I love pruk I just never finish any of my ideas for them 😭

Ask game can be found here

Putting it under the cut cuz it’s quite long

Engport (Arthur and Gabriel cuz I have different hcs for Edith and Joana)

Gives nose/forehead kisses:

Gabriel likes forehead and temple kisses, Arthur likes nose kisses

Gets jealous the most:

This really depends on the time period tbh but I’d say generally in the modern day, neither tbh

Takes care of on sick days:

Both take good care of each other, they’re both a little bit stubborn with others but I think they’re so used to being together that they’re less inclined to argue with one another and they know what each other need so well that looking after each other comes more naturally

Drags the other person out into the water on beach day:

Neither, they’re both lovers of the sea, you have to drag them out of it if anyone

Brings the other lunch at work:

Both tbh, Gabriel likes to to force Arthur to actually take a break whilst they sit and eat together, Arthur does as an excuse to spend time with Gabriel without having to ask explicitly

Tries to start role-playing in bed:

Arthur because he is a Shakespeare fanboy at heart, but quickly abandons it cuz neither of them can take it seriously (plus I don’t think either of them get off on it tbh)

Embarrassingly drunk dancer:

Both, oh my god they both do stupid dad dancing

Firmly believes in couples costumes:

Both of them, they are such nerds together, they’d love it

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas:

Neither, like a lot of old couples, they don’t tend to go all out on gifts because they’ve been together so long, historically, that’s a different question entirely but I won’t get into that too much

Makes the other eat breakfast:

Gabriel, he wakes up before Arthur on their days off so makes them both breakfast and sits Arthur down to eat or else he literally won’t eat anything all day until dinner

Remembers anniversaries:

Arthur, he’s very good with dates

Brings up having kids first:

In a human au, neither

Kills the bugs:

Neither, they both set the bugs free

First to define them as a couple:

I don’t think either of them do, they just kinda end up together, though Francis or Antonio are the most likely to point it out to the two of them

Who hides their guilty pleasures longer:

Arthur obviously, he’s a Brit we’re all like that

Snorts while laughing:

Arthur, and Gabriel finds it adorable

Pruk

Gives nose/forehead kisses:

Arthur loves nose kisses, Gilbert loves forehead kisses to flex how much taller he is than Arthur

Gets jealous the most:

I feel like Gilbert’s more prone to jealousy, but only a little bit

Takes care of on sick days:

Like engport, they’re both stubborn however, unlike engport, they have to wrestle each other to stay in bed when sick, but aside from that, they’re both about the same at looking after each other, I think Gil is slightly better though

Drags the other person out into the water on beach day:

Arthur cuz Gil can’t really swim all that well

Brings the other lunch at work:

Both do!

Tries to start role-playing in bed:

Gil does, it goes so bad, Arthur never lets him forget it

Embarrassingly drunk dancer:

Both of them, though Gilbert has more rhythm

Firmly believes in couples costumes:

Again, both of them

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas:

Neither, they’re both too pragmatic to do that

Makes the other eat breakfast:

They’re both awful at actually eating breakfast tbh, but I think Gilbert’s more likely to make them both eat breakfast

Remembers anniversaries:

Both do, though Arthur’s a little bit better

Brings up having kids first:

In a human au, neither

Kills the bugs:

Arthur let’s them free, Gil grabs a slipper to kill them

First to define them as a couple:

Gilbert, goes around proudly calling Arthur his boyfriend whilst Arthur’s still a little bit confused

Who hides their guilty pleasures longer:

Both of them, though Gil holds out a little longer

Snorts while laughing:

Both do, they have such goofy laughs that they make each other laugh with them