#hope you are all ferin well too

[bluequillss]

JAY FERINNNNNN this haircut was relevant like 20 episodes ago when she got it pretend this isn't months late

[v-i-r-i-d-i-a-n]

I’m starting episode 53 of JRWI; Riptide, I’m terrified, and scared and I feel like I’m gonna be HEARTBROKEN by the end of this, I’ve been warned

AHHH ALL THE COSPLAYS <333 THEYRE SO COOLL Grizzly >>>

“He’s not well..he’s not well” - every DM ever

“He makes me feel like a little sea rat :((“ “he makes me feel like a weasel.”

“This is not a Jay you know, this is a timid little girl.” WHAT THE FUCK????? WHAT THE HELLLL WE ARE 9 MINUTES IN

“19 doesn’t hit..???”

“Just stop…please..just stop. You don’t need to do this.. if I- come with you, will you let them leave?” - I’m gonna cry

I’ve decided I’m murdering Jayson Ferin RGGGHH HIK CALLING HER “JAY JAY” :((((

“Chip we took an oath!” “It’ll be alright. I promise”

“Sincerely, I hope it was worth it.” “Gillion went down with a smile too” CHARLIE WHEN I CATCH YOU CHARLIE

“You wanna know my secret so bad Chip. I was using you. From the beginning.” “It meant nothing to me” “I don’t believe that.”

“What do you..what do you really want? And just say it so I can fight for it.” JESUS CHRIST OUUUUCHHH

“I really want to keep adventuring with you guys Gill.” “that’s really what I was hoping you’d say…now can we get the fuck out of here?”

[bu-blegh-ost]

Each Riptide captain deals with their emotions so differently.

Jay despises not having problems addressed. If she is left to her own devices, the problem will not leave her head. It'll torture her, prevent her from enjoying herself, and thus, she needs to get it out as soon as possible. She'll seek someone to talk to, she'll seek comfort and immediate solution, cause the worst thing that can ever happen to Jay Ferin is not knowing, but not a fact or information, but a piece of herself. She hates, not knowing within her own heart what she stands on, and if she can't figure it out, she begins feeling hopeless. It weighs on her, so she struggles with letting her emotions flow freely sometimes, she tries to gather them into a pattern that makes sense to her, cause only then will she be at peace. This helps her overcome certain issues quicker than Chip or Gill, but causes her to struggle with the issues that need time to process (her conversation with her grandma, her situation with her dad, Lizzy). She's been left in the void of indecision for much too long in her life, which makes her react badly to things that need such approach out of fear of repeating the mistakes of the past. At the same time, she is the one who expresses herself in the clearest way and this helps to avoid unsolved grivances between her and her crew, which is why I believe her conversation with Lizzy is still heavy on her. Cause it didn't settle everything she needed settled within her heart. Same with her decision in the Black Sea. The guilt, she wants to let go off is still within her, which causes her to lose confidence and grip on the situation at hand. But patience is something Jay can afford, as long as she knows her friends are there to wait for her. That her not having the answer immedaitely will not cause her to loose the ones she loves. It still bothers her, but for them, she can wait.

Chip's emotions are a violent hurricane. He struggles with expressing himself, and when something has him down, he becomes defensive and lashes out. At the same time, he does his best to isolate himself, usually departing somewhere high, I've noticed (the crow's nest, a roof, somewhere very little people can get to or look for). Once he is there, he cannot stop thinking about the emotional state he's in. It tears him from the inside, begs to be let out, but he leaves it to himself for far too long, let's it fester, until the self-deprecation is too much to keep inside, and it bursts foreward in a violent and ugly, but usually short outburst of emotion. It's raw and incredibly upsetting for both him and those who care about him, but at the same time cathartic. And Chip in all of that, doesn't truly need much. Just a reassurance that the awful things he tells himself sometimes are not true, that he is enough and that he's loved. He's usually not ready to receive it immediately after he breaks, but later, once he calms down, it makes his entire world brighter and more hopeful. It's a terribly unhealthy system if one allows it to run its full course, but at the same time, the more you know Chip, the easier it is to spot the storm brewing and stop it before it spills over. And Chip himself is slowly getting better in confiding in people, reaching out to people such as Drey, Roofus, Gillion and Jay who can keep him from drowning, make sure to keep him from the spiral.

Gillion is terrible in expressing himself, but in a way so much different than Chip. When Gill faces the problem, his first reaction is to take the emotion it causes and shove it deep inside, never to be seen again. He snuffs it out, quickly and efficiently, making both himself and others believe that he is not upset at all, something he learned during his training. Gill loves pretending that he is not a person who deserves to be sad. And he does his best to trust in that lie as well. But the feelings can't just be forgotten and put somewhere where he can't see them. They lay dormant, but keep coming back, stronger and stronger everyday, demanding to be heared, demanding of Gillion to let himself go and break. But Gillion doesn't want to break. It scares him more than anything, to have someone see him broken. As if he still thinks he will be punished for it. So he keeps himself busy, does not allow himself to rest, throws himself into danger with no regard of his own life, demands to be hurt, demands to be fought, anything to deplete that adrenalin, this turbulent itch inside, so there is no more time, no more energy to feel, to cry, to be in pain. Which is why it is the hardest to determine if Gillion is truly okay. Cause he'd never tell you. He'd never let himself think about it. This benefits him at times making him seem like the most emotionally stable of the crew. It helps in keeping his head clear in stressful situations, yet the problem comes when he finally stops. When there is nothing more to distract himself with and he is left with his own heart, heavy and suffering, and he can't force it into silence anymore. There is nothing else he can do, but break. And he does. Usually alone, he still tries to hide, not let anyone see, cause if someone sees then his biggest little lie is over. They can never see him as indestructible anymore. And it took Gill a long time to understand, that he means so much more to them than this indestructible shield he tries to be. That the fragile, gentle heart inside matters so much more to them than the armour around it.

Each Riptide captain deals with their emotions differently, but they all learn to overcome their bad habits, they all learn from each other, and they will never succumb to the darkness, as long as they can light the way for one another, and walk hand in hand towards better future.

[looking-at-the-bottom]

(The envelope seems to be aware of Arlin's situation, as it reads itself in a voice Arlin recognizes to be Drey's, even if it's not as clear as it might have been before reaching down here.)

Dear Arlin, I know I was a stupid and young pirate, I don't think I learned how to grow up. There's a part of me that hopes this gets to you. The part that's finally matured knows it's as likely as a meeting with Jayson ending well.

(Drey seems to sniffle a bit, as though he's tearing up. As he talks, his voice cracks in parts.)

I however got the chance to meet someone who cares about me, who cared for me after saving me from that sea. I've had some memory issues, and as it turned out, we are married. I got separated from him hard, but I refound him, and I don't think I'll let this one go, not like...you.

(There's a hiccupped sob, and a pause before it continues.)

I'm getting remarried to him, so I can remember that special day this time. I know you couldn't, but it would mean the world to me if somehow, if the goddesses for once could choose to not hate us, you could come. It's on the 31th, so in 4 days, reach out if you can just...I'm sorry.

(He starts to more openly cry.)

I'm sorry that I failed you, failed Chip, failed Rose. It feels like I could have done something different, that I could have fixed it. It...I'm sorry.

(Active sobs start happening. He chokes them back, just to get out a final line.)

If it means anything, thank you for being there, whether or not you can make it. Greatest regards from the failed Sureshot, Drey Ferin-Stain. (The paper stops reading.)

Arlin flinched when he first hears the voice of his old friend come through from the paper. It takes a moment to reel back in from hearing the first sound other than his own voice and the sound of crashing water in over 10 years but after he does he carefully listens to all the words Drey has to say. He can feel the emotions start to rise up inside him and feels what he thinks is tears start to fall down his cheeks.

why did he have to be stuck in this god forbidden place? Why did he have to miss all the important events in his loved ones lives? Gods he wished more than anything to be there at Drey’s wedding. He cursed whatever god decided that this is the way his life should go.

he tries to get the message to replay, to be able to hear Drey’s voice once more but with it being so dark he finds it quite difficult and gives up after a bit

… I am so sorry Drey. I’m the one that failed. I wish I could be there too, buddy.

[razberrypuck]

Jay's ep 100 speech to jayson :) wrote it down during my liveblogging but may as well put it in a separate post

"You keep saying that people took me away from you. No one took me away from you, dad. You haven't had me for a long time. You lost me. You lost me in the lies, the training, your obsession with your work, it was all you cared about. Things change, dad. After ava died, you weren't there. You weren't there for me or for mom. And when I tell you we hurt, we struggled, I say we hurt and struggled so goddamn much. And I'm sure you did too, but you made it so goddamn clear where your priorities lied with the family. And in my grieving, you were the only one who wasn't there. Jayson Ferin, you are someone I've known my entire life. You've known me longer than I can remember, and maybe I've made decisions that you don't agree with, but they are my decisions, and I would've hoped that in the years you've known me, that you would give me even a modicum of trust, a modicum of what I saw in you my entire goddamn childhood. And now, you stand here in front of me again, you're making the same mistakes... You don't get to just take me back, you need to earn it. And the way it stands, you're on a fast track to lose both me, and your wife. You are the strongest man I've ever known but you are a fucking pathetic father. So come on. Go ahead, finish it, do your fucking job-- if that's where your priorities still lay, as they always have."

[the0retically]

114 Thoughts

- I wrote down almost every thought I had while watching this episode and I already want to go back and rewatch it, but if anyone wants to read my descent to madness here it is!

- Jay and Chip peak siblings this episode though

- IT’S GILLY SKIN??

- “That’s gilly skin.” “Well….hope he’s alright”

- Why do I feel like Goobleck is about to come back

- Also them talking about the ways they’ve thought about dying is So sad

- God fuck RAFT, they’re studying the hollowed to use it??

- Oh god other triton skin, is edyn here??

- Also when I said I wanted another Chip and Jay session of them doing stuff I didn’t want this

- Bizly and Condi need to deafen and leave for this?????

- That’s gotta be Edyn in this room with Gill right?

- WAIT IS IT ARLIN?? IS ARLIN UP ON THE HOOKS WITH GILLION?? Ok no it’s a triton

- KUBA KENTA?? He always said rats, is it him?? HOLY SHIT OH MY GOD IT IS

- GILLION YOU PUT THE HELMET ON??

- Oh god this helmet device is Not good, Gillion :(

- HE FEELS THE NEED TO BE A MORE OBEDIENT SOLDIER WHAT THE FUCK??

- Charlie rolled a zero on initiative goodness

- 20 ON STEALTH LETS GOOO GILLION!!

- HES BACK WITH THE GROUP!

- Also Gill please tell them about Kuba, good job that they know about his thoughts about the prophecy now but please they should know about Kuba

- “Fuck my fucking gay ass stupid life” CONDI PLEASE

- Fish and chips I hate you /j what the hell do you mean you dock your poles together??

- I do love that Chibo is still a nickname that’s just fun

- Oh god please tell me the crew didn’t follow them into the stronghold

- Chip is going through it

- “Praise the solar mother” ???? Ok grandma ferin

- But also I cannot believe they split up and left Jay alone

- And now Condi has to deafen while we’re with Gill and Chip goodness

- WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT GILLION IS NOT GILLION

- “They didn’t make me with all of his memories; you didn’t really think I just grew the skin back did you?”

- God and Condi is deafened for this oh not Not Ferin Well OH NO

- “I took the fireball for you” “yeah and that’s when I knew I had you”

- Charlie you’re too good at this

- My face is numb oh god chip please be ok

- “You hear in your head: chip is about to die” NO NO NO NO

- I have never felt dread like this before for a piece of media oh my god

- “…I don’t know how chip works?” “I don’t either dude!”

- Also I really want the riptide dice whenever they come out

- God Gillion seeing himself again must be Difficult

- Gill still has 1 HP goodness

- They’re gonna die, I’ve never been this scared for them

- THANK GOD THEYRE OUT THEYRE BACK TOGETHER

- oh god a chase now

- I JUST CHOKED OH MY WATER “oh yeah guys Kuna Kenta is downstairs! :D”

- Literally had to get up and pace for a few minutes

- “Do you think we can befriend doppel-Gilly?”

- Thank god doppel-Gilly can’t use prophetic screwup

- “Hey dopple-Gilly it is your destiny to jump into the hole” OH MY GOD??

- This has become some looney tunes shenanigans and I love it

- “I killed you once and I’ll do it again!” “I’m gonna go down with a smile and fuck you up and change the trajectory of your life!”

- This is insanity

- Also ok but both Chip and Gillion trying to convince Jay to get the other out of that room and save the other was Heartbreaking

- DOPPLE-GILLY IS PULLING FROM THE DECK?????? BIZLY WHY DID YOU SUGGEST THAT

- Prophetic screwup playing during this is so funny

- Condi just losing it and then everyone else just laughing is killing me

- This episode has been incredible holy shit

[sparkbugs]

Been thinking bout jrwi all day it’s finally time to watch ep 104. liveblog under the cut!!

So I actually watched the intro (well Bizly’s song of the intro) at 5 am and it’s been stuck in my head ever since! Good song, really wish it was on other platforms to listen to :(

(I can’t believe I’ve “caught up” so fast) ((I’ve been binge watching episodes instead of sleeping so oops!))

Ooo Grizz got white/silver hair :o it looks so nice!!

Haha! Corruption! That sounds so good haha!! Land is going to be worse I feel but ok guys

FUCK THE FUCKING COMPASS. Chip please get rid of it please mannnnn

CORRUPTION SCORE?!? Fuck. Haha that’s a great mechanic! Terrified to see how it works out. Haha how the fuck do you get rid of your corruption points. Grizzly what the fuck /pos this is terrifying and for good reason

(I love getting ads for one piece during this campaign (I haven’t watched one piece))

God they’re all gonna die man I’m so worried godddddd

Ayo Chip calm down man jeez- QUEEN LMAOOOOO

Jay don’t fucking DRINK THE BLACK SEA.

Broken heart island :o OOOO THE TREE :o save the treeeeeee. This is the tree May Ferin draws her power from no?? Save it guys you got this- Oh shit this island is HUGE huge. Ok then

Oh I feel like burning (the tree branches in the way) will go so poorly oh god oh no. Oh… never mind then??

Alphonse ship :) hope they make him a new body that’s not a ship so he can do the things he wants too-

Yeah I think it’s an illusion maybe?? Oh it’s. Not wtf is it the hell. “We should pull up?- we should pull up” yea gillion pull up

LMAO CONTESTED DEX ROLLS AND GILLION WON??? Rip chip

Aw village :( god it would suck if they go by Gryffon (Gryffin? Gryffen??)’s home town :(

“Chip! while the tree is distracted!!” Gillion never change <3

God damn it. “Our specialty: subtle” please. You’re not being subtle and you knew that but god y’all gonna die.

Fyck here they come- “hostile mobs inbound” they’re not gonna be friendly. There’s no way there’s anyone in sane mind around here man. LMAO THEY THREW A ROCK AT HIM AHDJDHSK

Minor illusion to make sounds behind them as they go by that would be kinda smart methinks maybe but! They’re also. Out of magic almost so maybe not hm-

Yeah it’s not safer on land at fucking all man Jesus- Gillion don’t fucking go on land alone I swear to god

They need to rest so fucking badly man shitttt this is so fuckeddddd this is not gonna go welllll aaaaaaaaaa

Nightmare nightmare nightmare nightmare /ref

Man I wonder what this place looked like before the Black Sea :( it must’ve been so pretty

Ichor webs! Haha!! Not dangerous or foreboding at all

(In the tone of “the claw from Toy Story”) The Treeeee…

Aw Gryffon :( mannnn i love weeping willows I love pink cherry trees this is such a good tree I agree gillion go save it

The thumbnail is sick btw I don’t think I mentioned that, amazing colors.. I wanna eat the art /pos

God please do Not Split Up for the love of god… STOP FIGHTING YOURE GONNA ATTRACT THE BADDIES OH MH GODDD..:. Aaaaaaaaa DONT SPLIT UPPPP FUCKKK EVERYONE GO TOGETHERRRR the old men on the ship are gonna die :(

“Leave no tres” that’s amazinf holy shit “leave no cinco” is also good

“Do you guys think the tree has chicken??” ????? Chip??????

YEA JAYS THINKING ABOUT THE NOISE THING YEAAAAA the noise attracts them?? I hope. I fuckin hope. Zombie game in the pirate campaign

Hahaaa uh ohhhh… uhh ohhhhh (the uh ohs from tattletail when they get low battery) uhhh. Oooohhhhh…

CONSTRUCT??? A GOOD LIVING THING?? SOMETHING GOOD. OMG IRON GOLEM LIKE MINECRAF.

Just realizing this episode is filmed after Genloss cause of the painting in the back of Charlie’s room. Damn- IS THAG A PRETZEL PLUSHIE IN CONDIS ROOM??

MINECRAF GOLEM YEAAAA HEHEHE… oh chip wtf man :( he didn’t ask for his home to be corrupted :( thisbis a friend I’ve decided I want to keep him

Oh. A rose :D he’s such minecraf moment he’s asking to be friends- aw :( rose died. MARBLE!!! THATS A FRIEND I LOVE THEMMMM

I’ve decided I would die for Marble <3

Oh shit. The black rose!! AAAA GUYS STOP OVER THE FUCKIN TREE. Oh. Black rose pirates. Black Sea. Uhmmmm. Uhmmmmmmmmmmm there’s a connection here I’m missing besides the tragedy of The Hole in the Sea but. Somethings wrongggg mannnn

Mhm totally different gillion totally not the same.

Chip :( aw nooooo :( the memory aaggagshhaaaaa OHHHH HE WAS THERE AS A KID IM SO NORMALLL

Midroll baybeeeee honey time lesgo (Bizly stop ripping your pants)

ISNT IT THE SAME TREE? Was I wrong. WHAT. Ohh it’s in all port isn’t it . Shit

STOPPP RUNNING THROUGH THE PLACE PLEASE

marble :D

STOP RUNNINGGG… bean shape… creechur

KENKU SAVE THEMMMM OHHHG THATS A FRIEND. I too got the impression they were ignoring the party but if it does notice them. I’ll cry

Kenku friend :( save themmmm YEAAA SAVE BIRD

NOOOO WTF A TURTLE FRIEND NEEDS TO SAVE FHEM NOW TOO FUCKKK

Uh oh. Beetle guy uh oh. OH IT HAS A CUTE VOICE. Oh nos

“That’s mine.” “… Nuh uh-“ *gets flattened by hammer*

NOT A DEX SAVE FUCK- oh thank god good job gillion

Man them yawning makes me yawn wtf.

GILLIONNNNNN DONT SAY THATTTT SHHHH

Hollow knight boss lookin ass mf /pos

Kenku friend :D also grizz lookin majestic while beating the shit outta the team

Oh. My god. “You win! Im sorry” im. This is going bad

“Im on team you can just walk out, you can leave” I love jay so much

“Queen, play despacido” i hate it here- Bruno mars canon in mana??

Tortle friend and Kenku friend :D

… oh fuck. OH FUCK WHY DOES IT MOVE SO FAST

80 POINTS ?!?!!! Oh thank god. Fuck man that would’ve been insane

JAY NOO DONT CAGE THE BIRD >:( GET HER OUT THE NET

Jay is so me “I don’t wanna be dealing with this guy right now” yea me too man

Of course he gets two natural 1s in a row rip Charlie slimecicle

“EYE POWER ACTIVATE” CONDI LMAOOOOO AHSHDIDHS

THE FUCKING MIRROR HELPPPPPPPPPP HAHAHAAAA JAY NOOO

Put the big bug guy in the mirror :) catch like a Pokémon NOOOO JAYYYY . Well. Chip please get her she’s in the mirror helpp

Gillion is the Lorax moment.

GILLION NOOOOO FUCKK AWHWHDISBA FISH BOY. A FAIL ON A DEATBSAVE TOO FAURKSHAAHA this is so fine. This is soooo fine haha. This is so fineeee. Grizz realizing how bad this is,, is me right now it’s so fine thoughhhh

GILLON. Fuck that tree mannnn. CHIP GRAB THE FUCKING MIRROR. CHIP. YOU FUCKINGGNGGHDJDHSIHA HOWWWW THIS IS SO FUCKED UPOPP AAAAA IM SO SCAREDDD

GRYFFON GOOOOOOOOOO GET THEY ASS COME ONNNNNNNNN GET THEMM.

In. Frared? Infrawered?? GRIZZLY you good?

Gryffon beat they ass mannn aahdjdhdoaua

CHIP. Thank god. “YOU ALL SMELL LIKE GOOD VESSELS” ?!?!??!? HELLOOOOOO

Gillionnnnnaaaaa my boy :( my fish mannnn also GET JAY PLEASE? Didn’t chip grab the fucking mirror why hasn’t he freed her

…. Treeeeeeeeeeeeeee ….

CHIP YOURE FONNA LEAVE YOUR CREW??? . Gillion. God. Damn it gillion. Aw Kenku :( Kenku friend trying to help Gill :( that’s a friend

Gillion. Pleaseeeeeeeeee fucking hell man. He’s dead AGAINNNNNNN

AWWWW BIRD BIRD TRYINF TO PROTECT GILLION NOOOOOOO BIRD BIRD :( THATS A FRIENDDDD PROTECT HER

“Do we really wanna risk our lives over this random bird?!?” “YES!!!” YEA GILLIONNNNN GET HER >:( JAYGET HER OR ILL FUCKIFN YELL >:(

NIOOOOO BIRD BIRDDDFD LET HER GO YOU BASTARD

PLEASEEEEEEE BIRD BIRD :( I’m so sad

GILLIONNNN AAAGSJDHDSHDJSHS IM SO SCAREDDDD IM SO FUCKIFNHFDISHSKA

Let her out >:( Charlie is so distraught over bird bird me too mannnn

GILLION. Grow big and make bird bird big :D BREAK BIRD BIRD OUR THE CAGE LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOO that’s a friend :D

Uh. Ohhggg… uh ohhhhh (tattletail uh ohs again)

Uh oh he’s not sleepy anymore. Uh oh. Im so fucking scared

Bird bird better not fuckinf die I love her so much

Corruption. Point. Uh oh.

noc? Knock? Kenku friend :D

NOOOOOOOOOOO BIRD BIRD IM GONNA CRY LET HER BE OKAY

Size coin… come on it better go well. LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOO

This is some power ranger like mecha battle shit power up thing idk how to explain it. (Gillion growing giant and fighting this bitch)

(It’s almost 1 am I’ve been awake too long but I need to finish this episode)

Murder bug guy :D riptide pirates the crew that gets into everyone else’s shit

Uh oh. Gillion goes down again I’m gonna. Lose my mind. Oh my god they’re gonna attract so much trouble with the noise when they fall fucking hell

I totally missed jay leaving the mirror btw she’s 60 ft away but like where??? How???

YEAAA JAY AND GRYFFON SHOOT TO KILL. MURDERRRRR

INFAWRARD LAZER BEAM CANON!!!!!!

You. Tortle. MURDERRR HDJXHSJS HAHAHA GOOD JOB CHIP. NOOOO I KNEW ITTTT THEY WERE ATTRACTING ATTENTION FUCK

“Im gonna start drinking” me fucking too gillion damn.

Good episode, fishman is still down im worried, he went down three times Jesus fuck, also! I knew they were gonna attract attention from zombie ichor guys… debating on watching ep 105 as well before sleeping but we’ll see :)

[withercrown]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @spicedrobot!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

26!

2. What's your total A03 word count?

561,816

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Star Wars. I wrote OFMD and some Tolkien but I don't often stray outside my main.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Curse of Hospitality, an OFMD Stede x Izzy fic about Stede taking care of Izzy while he's sick. I wrote it for the approximate one month I was into the show haha.

Found, a BobaDin fic where Boba is deaf. Actually one of the first fics I did for Star Wars!

Mand'alor Darasuum, a DinMaul longfic where Maul saves Grogu from Gideon instead of Luke. This is probably the fic I'm proudest of and enjoyed writing the most. :)

Stardust Legacies, a DinLuke fic that I'm always very close to deleting. I am glad I wrote it for a lot of reasons, but it needed way more work than it got and I don't have the energy nor desire to improve it. But hey, some people really like it.

Memories of Water, an ObiMaul longfic where they train Luke on Tatooine together. Super happy with this one.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I respond always. I just think it's good form. I'm also looking for community in the fandom, not just one-sided praise.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Fateful Absence, most likely. It's not really angsty? It's just not a happy ending. I'm not a whump person tbh.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ferine Love Language! It's the sweetest ending more than the happiest I think, but it's the one that makes me happiest.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yes, on DinLuke fics, from DinLuke fans. Outright flames, weird/entitled comments, pestering for updates or bitching about creative choices. I stopped being interested in the pairing once I discovered TCW thankfully, because honestly it just wasn't a nice community.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! But not often. I tend to write awkward sex. I think it's more fun to write about first times realistically.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not for a long time. In my former fandoms I had some stuff translated into Chinese but that's all I remember.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Again, a long time ago. I would absolutely love to collaborate on Star Wars fics sometime though. :)

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Realistically, probably ObiMaul. But DarthFett is an extremely close second. They're both wonderful but in completely different ways.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

An ObiMaul (or) JangObi dating sim. I wrote/coded probably 70k of it and it was good, but dating sims are obviously a bit more likely to get litigated against, among other things. I'd really love to do something with it, given that we had some great art for it, but I'm not sure how that will pan out.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Long stories. I feel like I'm good at pacing a story and bringing together plot threads into a cohesive ending.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

SHORTER STORIES. I really struggle with oneshots. I've written quite a few but it always takes so much longer. I can sit on a oneshot for months and months before feeling like it's finished.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it can be done well, but don't just stick stuff into google translate and hope for the best. I think using Mando'a words for texture, for instance, can be really good.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh man. Silence of the Lambs, I think?

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Faith's Fetters. It's the only fic that I've really done a deep dive into the potential relationship between Vader and Maul. I think it's the most interesting fic I've written, too.

[twinkfromconvergence]

Hello!!!!! I have finished my art @jrwi-art-exchange piece for @alkalineleak and I really really hope you enjoy it!!!

It’s raining. Water collects in puddles on the floorboards and thunder curls around the patter of the storm. Caspian flicks his wrist and the water twirls upward and then out through the window he hadn’t yet closed. The spring storms of the oversea tend to bring a certain unpredictability to life. The ship’s rocking aides him in recalling memories of a time past. Absently, Caspian hums one of his favorites of the traditional tunes and swirls into one of the Undersea’s intricate dances. Growing up so far from the Capital there was no true reason for him to learn, but it was fun to feel the swish of the fabrics he helped his family work as they swirl around his form.

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Just Roll With It (Podcast)

Relationships:

Caspian & Gillion Tidestrider

Caspian/Gillion Tidestrider

Caspian & Captain Lizzie Lafayette

Characters:

Caspian (Just Roll With It)

Gillion Tidestrider

Captain Lizzie Lafayette

Additional Tags:

platonic or romantic idc its a choose your own adventure relationship

Bonding

Dancing

Tooth-Rotting Fluff

no beta we die like Ava Ferin

i have no clue how to tag this i write fluff so rarely

The Undersea (Just Roll With It)

Language: English Stats: Published:2023-06-14Words:1,358Chapters:1/1Hits:0

heart light enough to float

MaybeWren

Summary:

Sometimes there can be peace when the grandberry and riptide crews convergence. Sometimes it can spark late-night memories of homes half recalled.

Notes:

This is for the jrwi art exchange!!! Alkaline I really hope you enjoy, I adore your headcanons so very much and hope this piece does well honoring them!!!!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

It’s raining. Water collects in puddles on the floorboards and thunder curls around the patter of the storm. Caspian flicks his wrist and the water twirls upward and then out through the window he hadn’t yet closed. The spring storms of the oversea tend to bring a certain unpredictability to life. The ship’s rocking aides him in recalling memories of a time past. Absently, Caspian hums one of his favorites of the traditional tunes and swirls into one of the Undersea’s intricate dances. Growing up so far from the Capital there was no true reason for him to learn, but it was fun to feel the swish of the fabrics he helped his family work as they swirl around his form.

They can hear the ruckus above deck as Lizzie returns from a likely drunken night spent with the Riptide crew. Afterwards she is also a combination of so relaxed yet tense that he can only hope he is not caught in her hurricane of emotion, no matter how she might deny it. That’s not to say that crew does not bring out emotions within him as well.

The door clicks as its worn hinges ease open. Caspian just barely flicks his head in acknowledgement as one of the newer crew members pushes a slumping over body into his room. The spin he was in flows to a half as Caspian leans to take in Gillion’s disheveled form.

“No, keep singing,” he slurs “I want to actually know the words.”

“My friend, I fear you may be too drunk for them to stick,” Caspian chuckles, striding over to begin the ordeal of having Gillion rise.

Gillion shakes his head, green hair sticking out ever so wild. “I’ve heard that one, through the walls. Teach me it.”

Caspian pauses. That single sentence already has much to unpack. Gillion has rarely mentioned his childhood in all their time together, most of Caspian’s knowledge arriving from Edyn in the form of whispered or fearful confessions. Of course, he had grown up even with his tribe hearing of the chosen one, but never before meeting Gillion did they consider what it may mean.

“I fear you would have to be sober for it to stick,” they say.

Gillion groans. “I want you to teach me now, Caspian.”

They shake their head and push Gillion about a single step away, holding him by the shoulders. The air between them muddles for a moment before Gillion gives one of his dopey, toothy grins. Caspian adjusts their grip before beginning to guide Gillion through the elegant and swirling yet fast-paced moves. There are several times when he steps on Caspian’s feet, but once the moves are fine enough Caspian begins to guide him through the song itself.

The guttural lyrics have an ocean wave edge to them, coming and going as the tides. Gillion’s accent is more polished than the accents of Caspian’s tribe, but it suits him. It has the vowels of the capital and the words carry less of the signature stormy rasp. On Gillion’s tongue, the tale of lost loves and vengeance upon the land sounds like a hymn from the goddesses.  It is one of the darker Undersea songs, but it has always been Caspian’s favorite.

In one of the final spins, Caspian bears their weight in a way more fitting for the water whilst Gillion missteps and together they crash to the floor. Laughter immediately bubbles from Gillion and after a moment Caspian joins. They’ve rarely heard this hard of laughter since Ava has died.

“Shut up, goddammit,” Lizzie’s voice muffled from being above deck.

Neither of them makes an attempt to leave the pile the two of them are in. Rather, Gillion’s hands callous covered hands trace patterns in the wood grain as Caspian takes in the striking swirls of his coloring.

“You have twenty-three piercings,” Gillion says, awe obvious in his expression.

Their lips curve into a smirk, “That is only the ones you can see, friend.”

A laugh shakes Gillion’s entire body like a tsunami. Time ticks on for several moments before Caspian speaks once more.

“Edyn gave me this one,” they say whilst pointing to the piercing on their brow. “Lizzie gave me the lip one after I gave her one.”

Gillion nods. His claws twitch as though craving to reach out, but he suppresses the urge. A wince entangles Gillion’s features and Caspian reaches out to pull his hand into their own. Caspian smiles as Gillion makes a face at the cold touch of their rings.

“Are any from your family?” Gillion asks.

Caspian shakes their head. “None of them came to the surface with me. I miss them, sometimes.”

“How do you deal with it?” Gillion asks, head turned to the ceiling now. His eyes widen upon registering his words. “I mean, I call Edyn, but, I- my parents, it’s different. And then there’s Finn but he left when I was young and-”

“Calm down, friend,” Caspian says and Gillion’s jaw clicks shut. “To answer your question, I sew. We were a family of tailors, and in working with fabric again I can almost feel them with me.”

Gillion nods and curls into himself, eyebrows scrunched in contemplation. Caspian does not intervene. Not every storm will cause the ship to capsize, some of them need to be weathered. They wait for Gillion to think himself into a slumber before picking him up. Caspian stares at their bed for a moment to ponder. Triton and water genasi anatomy are different, tritons often need some sort of water in their slumber in order to not dry out. Caspian is not as acquainted with the customs of tritons, tough, especially those from the capital. After a moment of debating the social implications, they turn away from the beg and stride towards the door to their room.

It takes more hassling than they would like to admit to get the door open and Gillion out. Most of the Grandberry crew is asleep already, Caspian having to step over John’s unconscious body at some point. When above deck they take note of the light still on within Lizzie’s chambers and resolve to take care of that next. I’s rarely a good night if she has been out drinking, especially when the riptide crew is involved. Not that it’s their fault, of course. She’s good at wrapping herself in the heavy cloak of misery and memories.

Thankfully the crescent moon and the albatross are still connected. Most of Gillion’s crew also seem to be asleep and Caspian draws upon the conch shell conversations to recall that the captains actually sleep below deck on their ship. They pass the hammocks where Chip and Jay sleep looking for once unaware of the stress fracturing their waking moments. Gillion’s tub is already full even if it is still stained with blood that makes Caspian’s stomach clench. They set Gillion within it and watch the rise and fall of his chest for a moment before twirling their way back to their ship. In the short amount of time since he left, Lizzie’s light has been put out likely in an attempt to avoid any heartfelt conversations. There has been far too many of those in the recent months since Chip has resurfaced.

Things would have been simpler if they had stayed in the Undersea, but Caspian has found a home within these oddities. They help wage a war in the name of vengeance that could kill them any day in the name of someone who would have hated the concept. Still, they have found a family here in Lizzie and have helped Edyn and Gillion reconnect. If it weren’t for their mistakes and triumphs, Caspian would have never even known Gillion beyond the whisperings of the Chosen One. He offers Caspian some of the happier memories of home, one of the few people who understand the pain of leaving but the hatred of staying. They continue to hum an Undersea waltz underneath their breath, one they’ve barely thought of for the past years. Sometimes it is nice to be reminded of the simpler memories.

[battle-of-the-jrwi-aus]

POKETIDE AU!

Creator: @burning-sol

Links: au tag, animation

Summary!

Riptide x Pokemon but *I* have the most based takes about it. Girl don't look at those other AUs, I have the best iteration.

Additional Propaganda

Okay so you can check the #jrwi poketide <- that tag if you wanna see shit. It's not fully developed but like here are some of my fav bits.

I have pokeball lore!!! It's actually pretty different to canon pokemon, so I just wanna shout it out. Jay Ferin has traditional pokeballs that grow and shrink and have the symbol of her family because they're custom made for the Ferins. Chip has older pokeballs he recieved as hand downs that do NOT work that good and don't adjust in size <- this is like a cheaper and more common pokeball, they're made from acorns. Gillion has undersea pokeballs that can hold multiple pokemon and are based on like shells? Which helps explain his much larger team of pokemon. And you should totally check out this underrated lil' video of mine that shows off how they look when used. (https://burning-sol.tumblr.com/post/695164166727663616) But yeah, basically they got some greater implications to themz.

ALSO FUCK STANDARD POKEMON TEAMZ. I don't wanna be rude but this is a bracket so I just wanna say, these bitches teams reflect something about them down to just how many pokemon they use. Jay has less pokemon because she's more rigid and deathly unsure about what she's meant to do with herself. Chip has a ragtag found family team, a lot of them very silly additions. Gillion has WAY too many pokemon, and he doesn't rlly follow the unspoken "6 pokemon battle" rule because he is a bad bitch!! Let Gillion have like 4 corsola btw, I think he's allowed to be high key obsessed with them and looking after them. (BTW pokemon fight alongside their trainers they arent separate battlez, just want you to know)

Pokemon highlights:

Jay and Eevee "Eevee was a pokemon she inhereted from her family. She was given a firestone to eventually evolve them into a Flareon but she hasn't done it on her journey yet. Jay thought that she was just procrastinating at first but as time goes on she's starting to realise she hasn't followed through because that's not what she wants for her Eevee or for her." And I have considered drawing a custom evolution for Eevee because that'd be so cool.

Chip and Bonsley "Chip stole this house plant. I mean house plant I mean house plant I mean house plant I mean-" He accidentally took a pokemon he mistook for a houseplant.

Chip and Sableye "Chip is so distressed that Gillion is throwing all their money away just wait until he realises his pokemon is eating it too. He genuinely has no fucking clue what this thing is."

Gillion and many magikarp "Gillion has a collection of Magikarp (all on the smaller side) he looks after so that one day they will evolve into big strong Gyarados. :) Jay and Chip did not understand why Gillion was collecting these Pokemon until one of them evolved on the journey with them and they're just, "WAIT THAT'S WHAT THEY EVOLVE INTO??" Gillion thought they knew."

...and Chip spinoff of above story "Funny side story, you remember Gillion and all those Magikarp? Well Gillion suggested that Chip help look after them and Chip found a Magikarp he fucking ADORED. He was feeding them! He was chatting with them! They were BESTIES!!! And then the Magikarp evolved but it didn't want to go back into the sea, they wanted to stay with Chip. Chip has a Gyarados because Gillion convinced him to look after a Magikarp and Chip decided they were the best Magikarp ever. I hope that makes you happy."

Gillion and Seadra "gillion has basically had kingdra since he was really really small, and it was regarded as one of the few times as a child where he really managed to step up and sort of embody what he's meant to be? but the kingdra actually was just a pokemon who looked at the tiny not very well treated child and adopted him. kingdra is older than gillion and i didnt quite realise HOW big kingdra was, but searching it up for drawing... kingdra is 5'11″ (180cm), which makes it even TALLER than gillion at his tallest. and that's a height i dont use so gillion is like 5'1" (154cm). kingdra rlly does just look like gillion's poke parent, its so silly." Seadra adopted gillion you guys.

Gillion and honedge "gillion STILL has a honedge when he joins the story, and they evolve into doublade episode 15 which coincicides with gillion's growth as he develops a better understanding of the world (also there was a sword fight like yeah its fitting). HOWEVER, to evolve into an aegislash you need a dusk stone. ... i propose that doublade evolves episode *73* in tandem with when gillion makes the oath of vengence... i feel like its such a noteworthy moment for gillion AND the magical effects charlie describes are as follows "..and you see as the sparkles around him- this funny, zanny, quirky pixie dust starts to turn into almost a charcoalish colour-" <- that seems like adequate dusk stone vibes to me."

also gillion has an Omanyte and Kabuto that he was given as a child that hate him because they think he's a disappointment i love when pokemon trauma <3

so that's a lot anyways MY pokemon au is the MOST fucking based PLEASE believe me

[dykes4timrand]

in my loving ayva ferin arc. fic under the cut.

Ayva’s first act of rebellion came at 13. Her uncle was dead and nobody wanted to talk about it. 

“It would not do well for us to memorialize that traitor,” was all her father had to say on the matter. 

Their mother lit a candle for him on the new moon and that was that, there was no funeral, no final rituals, no last mournful goodbyes. There was no trace of her uncle anywhere- he had been completely scrubbed from the Ferin family tree. Ayva wouldn’t accept that. 

So, on the next full moon Ayva stole one of her moms candles, grabbed the stack of letters they kept under their bed, and snuck out to the docks. 

The waves lapped gently at the docks, and the light of the moon reflected on the water. This was a good night for a final voyage- well she hoped it was, the only one Ayva had been to was for her grandfather and that was when she was really young. Typically they would have the ashes of the dead for the final voyage but Ayva couldn’t get that- they didn’t even have Dreys body- so she hoped Drey’s letters would represent him well enough. 

Once she reached the end of the docks Ayva set up. Under the light of the full moon she placed the candle at the edge and called upon her magic, feeling the familiar warmth travel through her body until her hand ignited into flame. Ayva grimaced, this was more than she wanted, but it would definitely do. She lit the candle with her finger, extinguished her hand, and took out one of the letters from its envelopes. Quickly she skimmed over the writing of the letter; it detailed an adventure on an island in the Horsea, then she flattened it and began the process of folding the paper into a boat. Once again, Ayva hoped that her solo-endeavor was sufficient, typically the entire family of the deceased would make a tiny paper armada to set out to sea. 

Ayva made 3 more boats until the worry of being caught set in. They pulled out one of the remaining letters and put it into the flame of the candle, allowing it to turn into ash in their hand, unaffected by the flames. They sprinkled the ash into one of the paper barges and set it out to sea, trying to conjure a memory of the travelers blessing. Admittedly, Ayva should’ve paid more attention during temple. 

“May the waves be gentle,” she began tentatively. “And the Moon shine bright. May your sails be full and your course be true. May the sea be kind and may you-“ she took a deep, shuddering breath, “-may you find your way home safely.” 

Her first paper boat had disintegrated in the water now, the ashes of the letter scattering across the water. Ayva burned her remaining letters, placing the ash into the remaining boats and setting them out to sea. She stayed on the dock until the last boat disappeared under the waves. 

“I love you Uncle Drey, I know that Dad does too, he's just- he’s just being an idiot right now.” 

And with that she set her back on the empty ocean, and under the light of the moon returned home. 

[wings-of-flying]

*clears throat* 43 with Ayva and Lizzie perhaps? :)

43 - “I don’t want to have to live without you. I can’t”

The bedroom was dark, the sliver of light from under the door acting as the sole barrier between this faint illumination and complete blackness. Though the room itself was different - it always was - the situation was very familiar to Lizzie. It had been repeated a thousand times before. She lay, tucked beneath the covers, limbs tangled with the woman beside her, in a knot she never wished to undo.

It was difficult to see Ava's face, in the dimness, but Lizzie watched her nonetheless. No matter how many times she saw them like this, she wouldn't ever stop being in awe. The curve of her jaw; the freckles that dotted her cheeks like stars; the little scar that cut through her top lip. It was all fascinating. Little things that made her perfect.

Though they did not speak, it was far from silent. Below, the tavern still was serving, even this late into the night, and all the sounds of tankards slamming, drunken singing and every other ambient noise that you could think of echoed all the way to the rented rooms above. It was sort of comforting to know the world continued without them.

Ava shifted a little, freeing her arm from beneath Lizzie. They sat up and Lizzie grew cold in their absence. Something changed, in that moment. She wasn't sure why until Ava spoke.

"We need to stop this." Her voice was clear and unwavering. She'd been thinking through her words for a while.

Lizzie sat up too, leaning forwards to try and meet Ava's eyes. It stung a little when they turned away, hanging their legs off the side of the bed.

"You're serious," Lizzie realised.

Ava exhaled sharply. "Of course I'm serious. Can't you see that this has gone too far?" She looked back over their shoulder. Their eyes were pleading. "This was never meant to last this long."

"Something's changed. You've never said anything like this before, something's changed. What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened! I just-"

Lizzie shook her head. "I don't believe you. You were acting weirdly all day, what happened?"

Ava groaned, hiding her head in her hands. Lizzie edged closer. She'd never seen the Ferin frustrated like this, not at her at least.

"What changed?"

Raising her head slightly, Ava met Lizzie's eyes. "I'm getting promoted."

Despite it all, Lizzie let out a laugh. "Well that's great. Congratulations. I don't see how-"

"I'll be a Captain, Liz. Away at sea for months on end. Doing Raft's most important jobs." They spoke gravely, and Lizzie soon realised what was coming next. "They'll want me to kill pirates. And I don't get a say in it."

Shit.

They'd both known something like this would happen eventually. It was inevitable really. But they pretended otherwise. It'd worked out fine, this game of pretend, for nearly a year now. It had to stop at some point.

"We have to stop this," Ava repeated.

Something broke in Lizzie's chest. "I don't want to have to live without you. I-" Her voice faltered as tears pricked her eyes. "I can't. I just can't."

"I know." Ava's voice was quiet, barely louder than the noise from downstairs. "I love you, Liz. Which is why this has to stop. You have to stay away from me, because I can't bear the thought of having to hurt you."

The silence was deafening.

"I love you t-"

"Don't say it. It'll make this so much harder if you say it." Ava stood up and began pulling on their clothes. An end. Lizzie's heart ached.

"I'll see you on the battlefield," She said quietly.

"Goodbye." Was the response.

When Ava left, despite Lizzie's wistful hopes, she didn't once look back. They didn't see each other again until Shatterskull. And that was the true end.

[phantom-does-a-thing]

1 and 31 :]? also hi o/ hope you’ve been well ^_^!!!

HI HI HI HI I HOPE YOUVE BEEN WELL TOO!!!!!!!!!! I feel like its been years since I've talked to you hi hi hi I missed you ty for the ask <3

1) who is/are your comfort character(s)? hmmm comfort characters... Probably definitely William Wisp, Danny Phantom, Jay Ferin, Rolan Deep, im trying to think of non jrwi ones too, Edward Elric thats about all I can think of

31) what type of music keeps you grounded? Usually softer music, like if I am genuinely having a very bad night or feeling kinda spacey and like Not Into it I have like my sleep playlist or just like a playlist of quieter softer songs. Ones with lyrics but they're just calmer and quieter, a lot of Tamino on there. It calms me down.

Ask game

[bu-blegh-ost]

me again !! :> i do really hope kira gets to be riptide pirate as well i think she's super cool !! also drey ferin is the best uncle ever and we need more of him and finn imo !! jay ferin is my favourite but i love gillion!!

do you have any really big headcanons? :> cause i love to hear everyones different ones

Jay Ferin is such a good choice dear friend! She's fucking awesome! Tell you what, lemme give you all the Jay Ferin headcanons I can possibly think of just for you!

-You know that thing Jay does, when she's especially stressed, angry or flustered? The only thing I can describe it as is as if she was making an audible keysmash with her mouth cause no words could possibly describe the emotions she wishes to convey.

I headcanon that this is something Ava used to do and Jay kinda picked it up by proximity.

-As a kid Jay would be an insanely curious child. She'd run off to something and explore a lot, touch everything she sees and she'd be very interested in how things work, which is why she is an amazing artificer now. But not only that, I imagine her being quite stubborn, never asking her mum for anything more than minor pointers when it comes to magic. Then she'd lock herself in her room for hours and practice on her own until she gets it right, refusing to ask for help. She'd be the type of person that learns best on her own mistakes and so, she'd seek solitude when there is something she needs to figure out.

-Ava would be the absolute biggest hype person for Jay when growing up. Anytime Jay had an idea for something she'd immediately jump on that and be excited about it even more than Jay is.

-Jay isn't necessairly hard to wake up, but there is one pet peeve she shall never forgive. Once she is already in bed and then they call her for something five minutes after she already got cozy, she will not move for the life of her. She's is the "I already ended my day, this is where I lay" kind of person. If Jay says she's done, you better respect that she's done xD

-Jay isn't the best at casual improvisation. For example when she has to make an impromptu song or rhyme, or sketch, she immediately blanks out. On the other hand she is insanely good at working under pressure and can literally come up with the most elaborate ruse on the spot if it means safety of her friends or if she has a bit of preparation. She never lets it show but sometimes she likes to lay awake at night and come up with scams she could do with Chip if the opportunity arises. I like to think that it used to be Chip's thing alone, but she got super into it after a while.

-She has this thing that she can have entire conversations with Chip without words. They can literally convey information to each other by stares alone. With Gill, on the other hand she can do the same but with feelings. Somehow the two of them just always know what the other is feeling and can transfer the emotions to one another without ever fully conveying it with words. It doesn't always provide them with ways to confront one another, but there is always this extra layer of understanding and sympathy which is why they rarely fight.

-Sometimes Jay hides food away from the rest of the crew xD Chip swallows things too fast to risk it and there is literally no telling what Gillion decides to throw overboard this time so she took a habit of protecting her favourite snacks from them just in case. Everyone kinda notices that there were more things on the shelf last night, but no one could possibly expect that it would be Jay stealing it away. They'll never know, she'll make sure of that 😈

-Jay is ambidextrous and she has the most precision in her hands out of the group.

-Sometimes when she has some free time Jay creates small metal or wooden figures that reseamble the members of her crew. She has made a figurine of Mei, Ava and Kira as well, and a secret small figurine of her father hidden carefully somewhere.

That'll be all for the time being, I Hope it was fun to read <3

[urskekyagvi]

Questions

"-And...And did you know- UrLii, did you know that Drenchen can hold their breath for 3 hours at a time? Good luck trying to drown them!"

He chuckled to himself at his own little joke, gleaned from this new knowledge; The book he had gleaned it from, almost bigger than him, laid spread out on the large table, pages wide open for his viewing. He grinned up at his teacher, eager for a hum of approval, some small gesture that would say: "how smart you are, Amri! Well done!"

But that did not come. UrLii, sorting shelves behind him, paused in his slow labor. His head tilted to the side, and for a moment Amri wasn't certain if UrLii, perhaps too moldered by age, had heard him.

"...UrLii? Did you hear me? I said Drenchen-"

"Yes, yes. I heard you, little one…"

"And what do you think?"

"...What do you think?"

"What?"

UrLii placed his things down and moved to sit across from Amri. He laid two of his arms- folded one atop the other- on the table, the last pair propped upon elbows to support his chin.

"...How do you know that it's truth?"

"Well, because it's right here." He pointed to the line in the book with great emphasis, wondering how UrLii, someone so wise and sagely, could not understand something so simple.

UrLii was not fazed. He sniffed, blinked at the book, and lifted the cover to peek at the title.

"...And who wrote this book? Ah-" he chuckled, his tone adopting a dramatic sir reserved usually for his stories.

"Written by the illustrious SkekOk the Scroll-Keeper…"

He placed the book back down, facing Amri once again.

"Tell me, Amri, do you know him?"

Did Amri know him? What a question! Amri had never even seen the surface, much less met a Skeksis lord; Well, he had met SkekYag, but the Geologist was mean and grumpy and usually wanted to be left alone.

"No, but-"

"So how do you know he's not lying?"

"Well...um...why would he?" It seemed ridiculous to lie about the drenchen.

UrLii shrugged. "He could have his own reasons. You wouldn't know. Maybe he lies because he can't help it...or perhaps he just wants to."

That seemed ludicrous; but the more Amri thought of it, the better sense it made, and the more it terrified him. He himself had lied before; that was natural for any child caught between punishment or a painful confession of guilt- but why should lies stop there, in youth? Adults lied, too.

Why wouldn't one who wrote books also alter them?

But...Amri shook his head furiously. What nonsense! This was nothing more than another one of UrLii's riddles! Madness woven in verse that had no reason at all!

"No," he said, a bit sourly, "it would be dumb to lie about how long the Drenchen can hold their breath. You're confused!"

UrLii chuckled, amused rather than offended by the display.

"Sometimes, yes. Now, no. I wasn't just talking about the lung capacity of drenchen or whether or not they can hold their breath. I was asking a question: why wouldn't SkekOk lie in the books he writes? Especially about clans he has probably never visited himself?"

He glanced away, tapping his chin in thought.

"...How would he know how long Drenchens can hold their breath, anyway? Aren't the Drenchen so deep in the swamp the Skeksis don't bother counting them?- Ask the Geologist, he'd tell you. So how would he accrue such information? Besides that...I believe I read in this book right here, written by the famed Vapra author and explorer Inea, that Drenchen have gills. Why hold their breath?"

He shrugged. "Just seems...rather strange, don't you think?"

Amri felt a lump form in his throat, though he wasn't certain why.

"...A little," he admitted at last, "a little…"

He closed the book and pushed it away. Suddenly, he didn't feel like reading anymore.

UrLii nodded, unaware perhaps of the distress he was causing the child.

"And not only that, but in that same book, SkekOk, who has possibly never seen a Drenchen before in his life, was quick to describe them as 'fat, hairy, and near to ferine'- how would he know that? Why would he want anyone else to think that way about Drenchen? Rather rude, don't you think?" 

"-But SkekOk wouldn't lie!" He snapped, finally unable to control his own outburst. What foolishness was this? Everyone knew- even the Grottan, who only had elusive lord SkekYag as example- knew the Skeksis lords were pious and protected the gelfling. That had been woven into their history and songs since time began. He swallowed. 

"...Skeksis wouldn't lie to us!" 

"Oh? Wouldn't they? Everyone lies, childling." 

"Not you," he murmured, more into his shirt than to the urru across from him. It was the foolish hopefulness of a child, of course, that made him say such a thing. 

"How do you know that? I'm a storyteller. My job is to lie-" 

"Stories aren't lies just because they aren't real-" 

"-and how do you know," UrLii said then, dashing any hope he had, "that I'm not lying to you right now?" 

"Simple," Amri said, though the words came out trembling with uncertainty, stained with tears, "You've never lied before."

UrLii raised his brows, a very rare display of emotion. 

"...And how, dear Amri, do you know that? You very well can't dreamfast with me and discern the truth for yourself." 

He spread his hands, shrugging almost, before folding them all up again as they had been before. It occured to Amri then that he had never even thought of this. Never even thought to consider that UrLii might at any time lie to him. 

He looked at the strange creature sitting across from him, realizing for the first time that this was indeed not gelfling, but a creature- something perhaps even unnatural. Yet, he had taught the Grottan all of these ages...but now Amri wondered, after all these years of knowing him, if he really was just a senile old sage after all. 

If he even really knew him at all.

[beaflower77]

Creamy Coffee In The Wood

“No!,” Lamberta hollered, half crazed out of her mind. “No!”

“Yes!,”  He bellowed back. “Yes you are!” And he pointedly directed his finger at her face. 

“No!,” she begged, implored, “I cannot, I cannot! Please, I am happy here, truly I am! Do not ask this of me! It will ruin me!” 

“Enough!,” he demanded more forcefully than necessary, “Enough! In a week you are to be married and gone. It is high time too, you are twenty six! You are more than old enough, you are too old to remain here, me supporting you longer.  Now no longer! I cannot continue to house and feed you, with only a pittance to recover. You are very lucky I have kept you this long. If your mother had lived longer, I would have you here more. No. My mind’s made. You have one week to prepare. I have made a fine choice for you, finer than any other maid hereabouts. You should be grateful, any other maid would be. Now go. Out of my sight tonight,” and Bassett pointed rudely, deliberately, toward her bedroom door and tiny, cramped room her only solitude. His decision was finite. 

Lamberta couldn’t, just couldn’t stomach this decision. Could not believe after giving all, willingly caring for, filling in as nursemaid, housekeeper, cook to her mother’s latest husband, Bassett would be so cruel as to casually arrange a marriage between herself and a stranger. Just to be rid of her presence no longer loving or caring what befell her. Not just any stranger either, a stranger some twenty five years difference. And someone she only heard sour attributes of character. Lamberta would be saddled with an old husband, whatever baggage his past carried, and a makeshift kitchen to cook and clean. No love, no actual friendship, no chance to choose, she would play the part of a bought wife, a maiden bride, and servant. A servant to sleep in the longhouse, unless she was needed by him, if he even asked.

Too upset, too angry to argue longer, Lamberta bolted! Tearing away from that grimy, dark building she had once thought of as a safe home, she bolted from the kitchen, as she clumsily collided with the doorjamb, and tripped into her small hovel of a room. Remaining quiet, Lamberta wildly threw something, anything into a small packet, waiting till way past supper when a bright half moon had risen high enough in the sky. With the golden sliver of the moon, quietly she traipsed through the darkened house, unhinging the front door, closing it as softly as possible. And ran. Lamberta ran through the streets, wanting to grab and rip her smooth hair, gouge her eyes out, anything for some pity, some empathy of her plight. 

Running, fleeing, she became a fugitive of her own town. And now she had become a burden, she realized this too late. The streets empty, devoid of life at this hour, dark, pitch night beset her, but still she ran. She cared not where she went, where she ended, just so long as it wasn’t back there. At least not this night. Perhaps, when her step-father had forgotten about her, but no, she couldn’t, wouldn’t consider the option at this juncture, so onward she ran. 

The dark, saddened night chasing her tail, Lamberta experienced all sorts of woodsy noises, and found herself bewildered, frightened, and searched the vast forest of trees, and vines, as the luminescent moon shone down exposing her tear streaked face. They saw her before hearing her footfalls. Wondering what a small, young woman would be doing seemingly strolling alone, here in their forest. They watched and waited. 

“Speak with her,” wisped the low gentle voice through the breeze. “Keep her for the night, for she is lost and much troubled,” it urged.

Coming upon her, startling her into submission, two elves quickly but with much grace quarantined Lamberta off. “Where are you going? You should not be here,” the one inquired. 

Looking Lamberta over a little timidly, the other spoke, “Why are you alone? Why are you here in the middle of the night? Do you not realize it is nighttime? You should be in bed.” Then perceiving the situation differently, he asked, “Are you lost? Were you out, and lost your way?” Such concern for her safety was etched upon his humble, and sweet face.

“I. I. No, I do not think I am lost, just … I cannot go back there,” she pleaded. “Please. Do not send me back! Please!.” And Lamberta ungracefully toppled upon the ground, among the dirt and golden leaves. And baffled the elves into concern.

Bewildered, baffled, two elves looked her over, wanting to understand what had happened to turn from her own home, or did she leave willingly? Turning to each other, “What do we do with her? Why is she even here? Should we keep her? Or send her back? This woman is despondent.” On that point, they agreed.

“You heard our Lady as well as I. We are to keep her for the night. Let us take this woman to Haldir. He will know what to do.”  

Bending down, one elf cautiously extended his arm, holding out his hand. Surrounding Lamberta’s waist, the elf pulled her up, holding her a little too close to his ever warming body. “It is alright,” Rumil calmly whispered. “You are alright. We will take you to our brother Haldir. He is Marchwarden here in the Golden Wood. He will know what to do with you.”

Looking down on her in curiosity, Orophin couldn’t but touch her face, centering his eyes on her mouth, wanting it, and lent in … 

“Stop,” countered Rumil, “She may have fleas,” he whispered to his brother. 

Shock ran through her. As distraught as Lamberta was, she was not devoid of hearing or hurt feelings. “Fleas?,” she shot back. “I do not have fleas! Take me to this Haldir of yours, but I will not go back there!” And she demanded admittance into their wood, while pointing in the opposite direction she had come, and wanted only to weep once more.

“The Lady told you to keep her here?,” Haldir asked, carefully looking the woman over in grave concern. 

“Yes. I told you already Haldir. Our Lady said, ‘Keep her for the night for she is lost and much troubled’,” Rumil reiterated. Haldir soberly, earnestly eyed the woman for the remainder of the evening, and then some into mid morn.

They gave her warmed toast, an egg, and a cup of hot coffee. 

“Thank you kindly. What is this?,” she asked, trying not to sound ungrateful, for it tasted pleasant on her tongue. 

“That is an egg,” stated Rumil, looking at Lamberta strangely. “Have you never had an egg?”  

“Yes, an egg. Of course an egg, I meant this ..,” holding up the crockery, sipping generously, “It is sweet, creamy, yet most potent,” and she hungrily, greedily looked over Rumil as she sipped. He felt her blue iridescent eyes on his person and felt a twinge of excitement, and imagined perhaps .. and he edged an inch closer.

Orophin, not wanting to be left out, or outdone by his brother, “Coffee,” he interjected. “We brew it here, over there a ways,” pointing off in the distance to the left. “I could show you tomorrow, if you would like.” He hoped longingly Lamberta would still be here in the morning and would agree. 

“She must go back,” commanded Haldir. All eyes instantly dragged themselves up toward Haldir’s standing presence. Alarm and dread coursed through each  person. 

“No! No, I cannot go back there! There is only pain and sorrow back there! I will suffer! Please,” as the woman nearly spilled her hot, milk soaked coffee on Rumil, and jumped at Haldir’s chest firmly clutching at his tunic. And she threw herself fully upon his mercy. Such suddenness caused him shock and he breathed deep afraid for her once more. Haldir took a step back, unclutched Lamberta’s fingers, and looked toward his brothers, as they pleaded with their own misgivings. 

And this is how each morning presented itself. Hot, creamy, sweet coffee, an egg and warm toast, surrounded by two pairs of possessive, protective young elves. Their morning kisses dripping upon Lamberta’s hands, and cheek, lingering longer than Haldir cared to watch his brothers dote on her, and wondering if the elves weren’t interfering with something they shouldn’t. But still, the young woman seemed happy, content with both his brothers’ attentions, as she sweetly placed her lips back on theirs, each in his own turn. Haldir then wondered, which one would Lamberta choose if she stayed, for she was equally affectionate and praiseworthy toward both. Shaking his head of such nonsense, Haldir turned toward the sunset. “I should not concern myself with such thoughts,” he reminded himself. “The elves at some point will find her family, and then,” … but for now all were content, so he let things be. 

The morning light gave Rumil time to sketch her likeness. Her smile was genuine, filled with warmth. She didn’t fathom anyone would take the drawing to the closest settlements and inquire as to her dilemma. Until one place ..

“Over there. In that house. She lives with her foster father,” announced a shopkeeper. “She is to be married I hear,” and the shopkeeper laughed not too gaily after their retreating backs, “The old sot is no good. Little help you will bring her now.” 

“She is to be married?,” Haldir inquired, already starting to be annoyed, infuriated, as he and his companions politely sipped the bitter, crudely made coffee Bassett brewed and set before them. 

“Of course. She is old enough. And too old for me to continue feeding,” Bassett dismissed. “I’ve found a most appropriate suitor for her.” He was on a roll, not being able to stop himself. “A girl that old should be grateful, lucky for her I am around to marry her off, otherwise she’d be an old maid.” Bassett was not good with diplomacy, whether he cared for Lamberta’s feelings, future, or not. It clearly showed Haldir he did not. 

“She does not wish to be married to this … person,” Haldir snapped, “And he is much too old for her. Too…ferine. Abominable!,” spat Haldir. Getting up, no longer having concern of diplomacy or the offensive rank coffee, he spilled it into the shallow sink. Motioning for his companions to ready their leave, “No. I shall not return her here, to you, or that raw, swinish human. The last of your charge you have seen! She will stay with the elves now!” And Haldir made the decision, and it was final. There was no contesting from his fellow elves.

Enraged, Bassett stood, knocking back his chair, heaving his own steaming coffee against the wall, breaking the crockery in the process, which narrowly missed Haldir’s pretty face. “Fine! Keep her! What little do I care? That marriage would have brought me a decent recompense. I’ve kept her for longer than I needed. But you keep her. So long as I do not have to house and feed her more! Let her stay with the elves then!”

Slamming the door, Haldir left, not before kicking over a pile of neatly stacked logs for hearth kindling. It was impolite, but he had hoped it would relieve some of his frustration. It did not. 

Angrily the elves galloped back, retreating to the wood they called home. What he found there perplexed him. Finding Rumil and Orophin both entangled in a rather promiscuous situation with Lamberta, he hotly huffed, not bothering to cover his annoyance with their amorous dallying. Haldir interrupted all three. “You are to stay here,” he announced. And he desired to kick more logs. 

Jumping to attention, seeing his older brother was more annoyed than usual, “Of course she will,” matter of factly replied Rumil. He then announced, “Lamberta is married now.”

What?!,” startling Haldir out of his grim stupor. He looked from one brother to the other, “To whom?” 

Orophin stood proudly with his brother, wrapping his arms protectively about Lamberta’s waist, “To us,” he smiled, kissing her check softly. 

Smiling, Rumil agreed and pulled his now shared spouse into a kiss himself, “Yes. To us. She will enjoy much between us,” he declared. And he felt this was the best, safest answer. 

Lamberta sheepishly smiled, a small blush crept across her cheeks. She had agreed to this? Haldir shook his head, resigned himself to sighing and walked away. “Brothers,” he mumbled. And then it occurred to him, “Elflings.” Haldir cautioned over his shoulder toward his younger brothers. “Elflings. You better have not given her elflings. Just yet.” 

And Haldir walked away to take up his station for the night.