#huntress wiz

[southernbaphomet]

finntress kid name of datura :] hes rlly quiet and hates shoes and also baths

[reigobun]

euyueuyeu i love ur stuff can u draw anything w huntress wiz

i have these hw doodles from yesterday .. i’ll draw something better soon i swear lol

[mozshroom]

adventure tim doodels lol

so we got huntress wiz, flame king, fern, lady rainicorn, finn and jake drawn on magma with @kroyfisher ᓚᘏᗢ

[jakesuit0]

Wizard Battle Review

This one has a great setup. I love how nerdy Finn is over the wizards. It’s also cool seeing a bunch of wizards from different episodes return, it really adds to the worldbuilding of Ooo. We have Naked Wizard from “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain”, Bufo from “Wizard”, Forest Wizard from “Storytelling”, and other wizards wearing the robes from “Wizard”. There’s a bunch of new wizards that make their debut who will reappear throughout the series, most notably Laser Wizard, Abracadaniel, Flame Lord, Grand Master Wizard, and Huntress Wizard. Huntress Wizard has one of the coolest designs of any character in Adventure Time. In terms of silent background characters (for now), only Jungle Princess can compete with how sick she looks. So much so that she built up quite a reputation in the fandom long before “Flute Spell”. Doctor Princess tries to enter the competition, disguised as Science Whyzard. Totally in line with Doctor Princess’s pattern of faking her identities. She has a psychological disorder or something, I swear! Grand Master Wizard disqualifies her for using science, setting up the conflict in “Wizards Only, Fools”. Considering the prize, this could suggest her sexuality is something other than straight. HW cheers at the idea of kissing Bubblegum, which is hard proof that she’s bi. I also think it's hilarious that the audience consists of only a handful of people that are filled by the most random characters possible like LSP, who’s on her phone, and Phil (him being moved to tears by Abracadaniel’s speech later is really funny). 

Grand Master Wizard mentions eight schools of magic, which is a reference to Dungeons & Dragons. In D&D, they are abjuration, alteration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, invocation, and necromancy. Several of these are classes that Pep and Cadebra will take in “Wizard City”. The episode sets up the wizards’ strict isolation from outsiders. As Finn says, “only wizards allowed!” Ice King is a contestant. This builds on The Lich referring to him as an “ice wizard” in “Mortal Recoil”. It’s interesting which magic users can be considered a wizard in Ooo, seeing as Ice King’s magic comes from his crown. Finn and Jake are real dicks to him. Even before he says he’s going to cheat, they boo him and call him a loser. 

This brings us to….Princess Bubblegum. Her being a prize is just yuck, especially in the context of seasons two and three usually just using her character as a plot device. It’s totally out of character for her, even putting aside her hatred of wizards. Even Pendleton Ward has said he regrets putting her in this role. Jesse Moynihan and Ako Castuera, who boarded this episode, also felt weird about it. Too bad this still made it through. But yeah, this makes even less sense with her portrayal later in “Wizards Only, Fools.” Jesse Monyihan and Kent Osborne argued she’s there as a diplomat. I don’t think that’s enough to excuse her absolute disdain for magic society. Like, she doesn’t give a fuck about diplomacy with these guys in season five. Oh and I’m not even close to done complaining about PB in this one. Uhh, the straight women being mad about the prize, and Brain Wiz forfeiting because it's not an open mouth kiss was funny though.

Finn and Jake enter the battle dressed as wizards under Finn’s guise of saving PB from having to kiss Ice King. He really wants a chance at kissing Bubblegum again. He’s grown from his attitude towards smooching in “Go With Me”. Ice King testing how his breath smells by breathing on his hand is really funny. Ice King seems impressed, so maybe kissing him wouldn’t be so bad! Finn and Jake team up with Abracadaniel. He’s a really funny character, and I don’t think any of his future appearances are quite as funny. “Turn and push” is the funniest thing he ever says. Ice King battles the Flame Lord (our first “Frost & Fire”!) using nunchucks, referencing his ninja skills in “The Chamber of Frozen Blades”. I’m not sure why he doesn’t just use his ice weapons, which would be legal, but he’s crazy. 

Abracadaniel beats Ice King and Finn forfeits, presumably just to get Jake to stop teasing him about wanting to kiss PB. He can live with that, as long as nobody else kisses her. I love Abracadaniel’s excitement making him want to kiss Princess Bubblegum after all. Finn’s high pitched scream at this is also really funny. It knocks him out, making Finn the winner. Kind of messed up that he betrayed Abracadaniel! He really is the series punching bag, alongside NEPTR. Jake’s teasing of Finn continues to be funny, but it leads to a big outburst from Finn, who says he’s sick of keeping his feelings hidden. This is strange, as he was totally open about his feelings with Jake in “Too Young”. Jake continues to encourage Finn’s pursuit of Bubblegum, pushing him to go kiss an adult woman.

Finn and Jake are exposed. Princess Bubblegum thanks Finn for going through the trouble to save her from kissing Ice King. I can’t imagine PB would have actually kissed Ice King though, even with how out of character she’s written in this episode.  Anyway, she kisses Finn. Not her usual kiss on the cheek, but on the lips. This is a strong contender for my least favorite scene of the franchise. I don’t even think I need to get into the problem with an 18 year old (800+) kissing a 13 year old, but bad Adventure Time, bad! I hate that it hurts the kiss and meaning in “Too Young”. That was special and tragic partially because it was the one time Finn got to kiss her! In addition, it is completely contradictory of PB turning down Finn at the end of “Too Young”. That is supposed to be a big development for PB that will stay consistent in “Incendium”. I like that PB had a character flaw in the first two seasons with humoring Finn’s advancements, and how that eventually gets addressed in “Burning Low”. But, the development in “Too Young” was really important and I’m not sure why this one episode decided to ignore it. She slaps Finn for ruining the sanctity of wizard battle, something she shouldn’t care about respecting. She tells the wizards to get ready for next year. Despite the implication, I’m going to choose to believe she doesn’t participate in it again. The ending of Finn and Jake trying on the wizard glasses to look cool is cute and Ice King gets in a hilarious line to finish the episode on. 

This episode has a lot of good jokes, and I like parts of it. Unfortunately, Princess Bubblegum just ruins this one for me. She shouldn’t have even been in the episode. Finn and Jake joining the competition to stop Ice King from cheating is enough of a motivation. More focus on cool wizard battles and Ice King being Ice King would have made this a great episode. Instead we get easily Princess Bubblegum’s worst portrayal in the series. She is written badly on multiple levels. As a PB stan, I can’t forgive that. We’re also at the point where I want the series to move on from Finn trying to get with Bonnie. I don’t mind Finn still having feelings for her. He isn’t even over her as late as “Breezy”. But there’s no real reason to be invested in Finn’s pursuits after “Too Young���. I just want the conflict to be wrapped up so the series can move on from something that’s finally gotten tired. Luckily, we are almost there!

Grade: C-

[yzeltia]

An U'rahn Story

Title: A Very U'rahn Heavensturn

AKA: U'rahn's Very Grown Up and Mature Date

Characters: U'rahn Nuhn and Family, @biot08 's Nyx Blackmoon

Rating: G for Gentleman

Notes: Thank you to biot8 for letting me pilot Nyx and helping Nyx's lines and editing! Borrowed a bit from FFVIII

"Aww! She's so cute!!!"

U'rahn crossed his arms and nodded as the Drake women praised his Starlight gift from Nyx. "Naturally," he boasted, "Nyx is an amazing crafter and a wiz with technology. She enjoyed what we made too…I think. She's really the best."

The tribe looked onto U'rahn, nodding, eating up his charmed gaze as his mind wandered to his friend. Embarrassed , he chuckled then rubbed at his nose, ears perking as he heard a familiar scoff.

"Got something to say U'khuba," the warrior challenged.

"You're a child."

"Excuse me!?"

"I said, you're a child," U'khuba repeated, pushing at the bridge of his glasses. "An exchange of dolls? Sledding. Cocoa. Blanket fort. All the machinations of a boy attempting romance."

"I recall you pitching in, U'khuba," U'napa pointed out, ears folding back in annoyance.

"I couldn't let our tribe be represented by such poor craftsmanship. We now, more than ever, need to be seen as our own economy in Thanalan," he protested.

"Yes, I'm sure your dear Lolorito would be oh so disillusioned by the Drake's one-time venture into toy making," U'ralka responded wryly as she passed through.

As the huntresses laughed, the tightening of leather cut through, U'rahn clenching both fists while grinding his teeth.

"I'm not a child. I'm a man! And a Nuhn of this tribe," he declared, beating his palm against his chest as he glowered to his smug cousin, "I'm going to show Nyx all the maturity and romance I have on my honor as a Drake!"

"Hear hear," the ladies cheered. U'khuba left to roll his eyes.

"Speaking of being a Nuhn," U'goromuli sang, hopping up to hug U'rahn's neck from behind, "Don't forrrget about us here!"

The warrior swallowed, cheeks turning a shade darker as he rolled his eyes away and scratched at his cheek. " 'Course I'm not gonna forrrget about you. But I gotta go see the Post Moogle!"

Hastily he turned tail towards the door, letting U'goromuli hang off him until she let go and landed behind him with a little huff. As U'rahn arriving at his destination, he looked to the Moogle, and crossed his arms.

"What can I do you for, kupo?"

"I gotta letter for you to write. No funny business. Just as I say, got it?"

"Fire away, Kupo."

Nodding, U'rahn scratched his chin hairs, thinking for a moment before nodding rapidly. 

"Got it! Ready?"

Dear Ms. Blackmoon, is that too formal?

I wish to invite you to escort you on an evening out to one of Limsa Lominsa 's finest dining establishments on the eve of Heavensturn. It will be a night of food, music, and dance. No, I won't be singing. Just write the letter. Anyroad, where was I. Right! Please meet me at The Bismark at 2100 hours on the last day of the year. We should dress formally.

Best,

Rahn

That sounded mature right? Hey! Stop writing now!

-Post Moogle General as dictated by U'rahn "Nuhn"

U'rahn cracked his knuckles as the letter disappeared into the aether, eye twitching as he looked down at the Moogle, "You little…"

"M-Mail for U'rahn Nuhn, K-Kupo!"

"That was fast," U'rahn said, blinking a bit as the letter appeared in the red bag. Taking it, he quickly opened it, eyes wide with delight as he read over the singular word.

Acknowledged.

"Heck yeah," he cheered, pumping up into air while the Post Moogle quickly snuck off behind him before the Nuhn could remember his annoyance. "I gotta take care of reservations…and get a suit!"

And with that, U'rahn made all the arrangements, accepting just a bit of help from the ladies and his father until the big day came about.

—

 "I…I look like one of those big birds mom had in her etchings from Thavnair," U'rahn half screamed as he looked at himself in the mirror, U'odh behind him looking proud of his son in the turquoise and green suit with ruffles on the chest.

"This was the latest thing when I was a lad. Your motherrr said I looked sharp in it. It was great for dancing in, she was quite the performer," the man mused nostalgically with a rub of his beard.

"The same mom we couldn't remember for six years? That mom," the young man panicked, "I don't think you've got it all back old man. There's no way you pulled this off!"

"Peacock," U'tykha sounded out beside the mirror, lost in thought.

U'rahn jumped, ears and tail high as he looked down and patted at his groin. "What are you on about!? I thought you were saying my little Nuhn was showin'!"

His father and U'khuba snickered from behind while U'thyka shook his head, "The bird you're talking about. You look like a peacock," he explained, "It's in Uncles’ books."

"I guess it's what I got. Nyx won't care though. It's about spending time together, yeah?"

"Rrright," U'odh agreed.

"Absolutely not! You're not leaving this hut like that! Let alone this village!! Take it off! Now," U'khuba ordered.

"I gotta go! I don't have time for your pettiness, U'khuba."

"I'm going to fix this mess," his cousin hissed, slamming his weaver kit on the table, "Meanwhile, get some grey pigment and create some dye."

U'rahn looked on warily then kicked off his shoes before dressing down to his smalls, letting his cousin seize the outfit and start to tear and stitch things. Huffing, the Nuhn fished out his alchemist gloves and grinder then got to work as instructed, plopping himself on the ground with the bowl nested in his bare legs, tongue between his lips as he started to roll the mortar around rapidly until he made a fine powder. 

After a few minutes, U'khuba stood and flopped out the garment, letting the ruffles fall away, revealing a much more sleek and trim fit. Standing, U'rahn offered the dye over and let his cousin coat the garment in it before walking out to the stream to soak. U'rahn in his smalls garnered a few whistles from the ladies, sending him into a bit of a pose mode while U'khuba rolled his eyes then slapped the wet dyed clothes over the other's head. 

"Dry them and get out of here," the Miqo'te ordered while cleaning off his glasses on his vest.

"Ah, thanks."

Wet, U'rahn grumbled then slung the wet clothes off him before whistling for his drake, "Sandy! C'mere!"

Wiggling over, his faithful drake bumped into his stomach and let out an affectionate hiss, whacking U'khuba with his tail as he wandered back to the hut.

"Good boy," U'rahn praised, scratching at the soft under scales before stepping back spread eagle, each piece of the suit draped over his arms, "Dry me off."

Wobbling with excitement, the Drake stepped back then let out a steady small flame from its maw, blasting the Nuhn with a heated gust. Closing his eyes, U'rahn waited until he felt the fabric stiffen and crease. His companion tapped out of fire power, tilted his head and watched as the Miqo'te hopped around, tugging up the right pants leg before skipping back into the crisp shirt and jacket. 

"Thanks! I'll have dad get you an extra big marmot steak tonight," he called out before heading back inside to present himself back to his father and cousins.

"Good? Khuba made me look sharp. You must secrrretly admire me cousin, makin' me look so good," U'rahn praised.

"If you're courting outside the tribe, the more chances there are of you finding yourself away…leaving leadership to someone much more focused on the tribe."

"Yeah, yeah. Doesn't make you a Nuhn," U'rahn chuckled.

"Enough barbs," U'odh gruffed, pointing to the chronometer, "You need to be leaving, son."

"Ah! Heck! Thanks pops," the younger Nuhn breathed out before hurrying to the counter and grabbing some mint from a small potted plant. 

With that, he blipped to the Limsan Aetheryte plaza before running to the edge of the white stone, spitting out the mint before his stomach turned too much. Once his breath was caught, he hurried to the upper decks, pushing through the crowds of excited people ready for the big event being set up at the Aftcastle. Arriving at The Bismark, he swallowed, then headed to the lower fancier level where he was greeted by a young woman in a suit, "Happy Heavensturn, name?"

"U'rahn Nuhn."

"Ah, a pleasure, sir. And your expected guest? I can only seat you once both parties have arrived. 

The Miqo'te 's head swiveled about, not spotting his date.

"Oh. Well, she…she's surprisingly late."

"Very well. If you'd step aside until she arrives sir…"

"Y-Yeah."

U'rahn's ears folded as he was ushered aside. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he shuffled over to a small aquarium and sighed, forehead resting against the glass.

"I hope she didn't leave cause I'm a little late," he mumbled to himself as he followed a yellow tang with his finger.

Gazing through the glass, he watched as fish scattered, eventually finding a familiar set of mismatched eyes staring blankly back at him from the other side. Smiling softly, he ran his hand back through his hair then breathed upon the glass, drawing a little heart on the glass.

"Rahn, I am late for our evening. I was detained by a classified engagement," she announced from the other side of the tank. 

"Ah. That's okay! I'm just glad you're here."

U'rahn walked to the edge of the aquarium in tandem with his date, meeting her at the end. He swallowed, feeling himself heat up as she rounded the corner in her Doman dress. Stepping back, he took a deep breath then held out his hand with a little bow. 

"Ms. Blackmoon, may I take you to our table."

"There are instructions to wait to be seated, Rahn," the woman stated, taking his hand.

"Well, right, but…," he started, staring at her palm in his for a moment before quietly returning to the podium, "My date has arrived."

The waitress nodded then looked to Nyx, ears perking in surprise, "Oh. Well, yes. Right this way, I suppose. I am C’thkya, and will be personally seeing to you tonight.

With that, the hostess led them through to their destination, passing by the more crowded seating and up to a semi-private table for two upon a deck that overlooked the harbor, a bottle of champagne already chilling in an ice bucket beside it. U'rahn whistled as he gazed out into the sea, the sun threatening to dip below the horizon any second.

"Have you ever seen such a view," he asked, hand lightly squeezing hers.

"I have seen Limsa Lominsa's sunsets many times."

"Yeah, but, isn't it…kinda more beautiful cause….y'know…we're seeing it togetherrr?"

The waitress rolled her eyes behind them as she laid out their menus, U'rahn expectantly looking to Nyx, free hand covering his mouth a bit from the escaped purr.

"It has not changed aesthetically with our combined presence; however, this is a unique shared experience, having not traveled here together prior."

The Seeker perked up a bit from her words, seeming rather excited by them, much to their waitress's confusion, "We have our normal array of entrées available this evening, though our master culinarian has prepared a special menu for the esteemed friends of Mr. Erick Gage. Would you like me to prepare the champagne?"

"Let me," U'rahn offered, letting go of Nyx's hand carefully before trotting over to lift the bottle, leaving his date to examine the menu.

Tugging on the cork, U'rahn gave a little twist while their waitress lightly put up her hand in protest before the bottle loudly went 'POP'. The Nuhn’s head flung back as he let out a small scream while bubbly overflowed out of its neck and over his fist. Wincing, he snapped his attention to the running fluids and poured them into their flutes before stumbling back and rubbing his eye.

“Sir!”

“Are you alright Rahn?”

“I-I’ll be f-fine,” he weakly assured them, wincing a bit before showing off his blackened eye.

“You have sustained an injury,” Nyx commented.

“It’s fine, promise.”

“Sir…I really think…” C’thkya started.

“We should order! Me too! Let’s see,” U’rahn interjected, holding his menu up to hide his face.

He swallowed, already a poor reader with two unswollen eyes. Scanning the menu, he stifled a whimper, unable to make heads or tails before peeping over to Nyx as she stared at him from across the table. “So uh, what are you getting?”

“I would like the The Ruby Sea Bhoot Pepper Curry.”

“That sounds kinda good! Two of those please.”

C’thkya looked between the two a bit nervously then gave a bow before heading out to give the order.

“Huh? Think I said something weird,” he asked Nyx.

“I believe her reaction was to our willingness to consume a bhoot pepper.”

“Eh? I eat peppers all the time.”

“A bhoot pepper registers 2.5 Million S’coville Tia Heat Units, the highest in Eorzea.”

“Sounds like a challenge! I can handle it if you can!”

"My tolerance for flavour and culinary experience is broader than that of many others. I recommend caution if you try this."

“My mom was Thavnarian and my father is from Southern Thanala. I grew up eating peppers off the vine.”

Nyx stared for a moment then shook her head, “The blood pepper and dragon peppers you may have encountered do not have the same SHUs as that of the bhoot pepper.”

“I got this. Nothin’s to spicy for a-” he started, feeling the purr of ‘herrro’ rise in his throat, “Gentleman.”

His date nodded then let him start on one of his stories, U’rahn calmly taking care to not exaggerate himself, for once. Timing his story well, the violently red seafood curry was placed before them, squid carved into little decorative rabbits. The Nuhn’s mouth watered as he stared at it, stomach growling a bit loudly while across from him Nyx quietly took efficient bites. For whatever reason, he forgot his date’s usual lack of emotive tells and took her usual silence for quiet enjoyment. With a hearty spoonful, he took a large bite.

He wondered if he’d somehow licked Ifrit himself, eyes watering as every nerve on his tongue screamed from the spice, nearly burying the subtle buttery taste of the fish it covered. Eyes watering, he swallowed while reaching for his glass, C’thkya coughing to hide her amusement.

“Does it displease you, Rahn?”

“No. It’s. Fine,” he breathed out after downing his flute of champagne, “Miss! Could you possibly bring me a glass of milk.”

“Right away, Master U’rahn.”

Shaking, he took another bite, not wanting to seem fussy about the food. He began to sweat as the heat radiated through him, every bite a little battle. Despite the discomfort, the underlying melody of seafood, coconut, and various vegetables were rather pleasing and he did his best to enjoy them. Their attentive hostess, realizing his pain, kept the milk flagon flowing to ease his suffering, letting out a little sigh each time he struggled down a bite. 

“Perhaps you’d like the dessert you ordered,” C’thkya finally offered, U’rahn starting to mechanically scrape the bottom of the bowl.

“Please,” the Miqo’te managed to whisper while Nyx studied his flushed, sweaty face.

Nodding, the woman disappeared again, leaving the two alone. Unable to easily converse, silence quickly grew between them and lingered. U’rhan’s ears drooped, realizing he tended to monopolize so much of their conversations, on some level, knowing she did need prompts that he seldom offered. Straightening up, he looked on to his date then managed a small smile.

“It’s…hard to talk…tongue hurts…But, are you enjoying yourself so far?”

Nyx nodded, “You have provided amusing expressions for me this evening.”

“I tend to do that a lot for you.”

“Correct.”

“...”

“...”

“I’m used to…babbling. Tell me…something about yourself.”

“What do you wish to know?”

“What, uh, what do you like?”

“I enjoy new experiences.”

“That’s good. I hope…I’m doing that… Giving good new experiences.”

` “You are. I enjoy the experiences you provide.”

U’rahn flushed, heart skipping as he looked on. “Yeah? I’d really like to give you more…”

As the words left him, C’thkya arrived, letting him shyly retreat into them for a moment. Having placed an order before, a small chocolate mousse cake was set before them in the shape of a heart, layered with white vanilla cream. Taking from his date’s aesthetic palette, the heart was mismatched, one side topped with the chocolate, the other the vanilla. With a little bow, the young woman left them with two spoons.

Picking up a utensil, U’rahn sliced into the cake then held it out toward Nyx. “Ah, here.”

“I am able to feed myself, Rahn. I do not need assistance.”

“Well, yeah…But, it’s kinda sweet to do this? Something a couple might do?”

Nyx stared, then leaned forward to take the offered bite. The life nearly left his body, taking the simple acknowledgment of his gesture and running with it in his mind. In turn, he was offered his own bite, which he eagerly latched on to. Red faced, he leaned back, savoring the bite before looking across to Nyx.

“How was it?”

“Cool. Smooth. Sweet.”

“Yeah…it was,” he mused sheepishly, leaning on the table and taking another bite before perking his ears, “Oh. You meant the cake didn’t you.”

“Correct.”

“I see…” he mused, watching her quietly with a small smile on his face.

Soon they finished the desert, leaving U’rahn to leave a hefty bag of gil on the table. Cooled down from dinner, he stood, then offered his hand again, “Shall we move on to the next part of our evening?”

“We can, Rahn.”

Nodding, he laced their fingers together then watched her rise from the seat before escorting her to the lower openair deck turned dance floor for the evening.  Below, couples danced merrily, celebrating the pending turn of the year together. Hearing a familiar tune, he smiled then excitedly wandered out to the floor with Nyx to follow. Finding himself, he beamed at her, fluttering his ears before bashfully rubbing the back of his head.

“Are you wishing to dance this waltz, Rahn?”

“Well…yeah, but I don’t know the moves necessarily…My mom tried to teach me when I was a little sprout, but my tail was kinda long for my body at the time…”

“I’ve seen you dance around your room.”

“Y-You were watching that!?”

“You have given me an open invitation to make myself comfortable in your quarters.”

“I did…didn’t I…I see. Well, that’s not the same kind of dance! I’m not sure about this fancy stuff,” he mumbled, ears lowering.

“Your intention was still to dance with me this evening, Rahn?”

“Well…yeah.”

“Then I shall assist you.”

With that, she tugged Rahn along by the hand to a more open space. Flushing, he let her put his palm on her waist and then felt them sway. Ignoring the eyes on them, he stumbled a bit, letting her lead before nervously stumbling into her. He grinned bashfully, letting her push him upright and reposition his hands to puppet him into the basic steps, soon pushing him back into a fan position and return him to closed, once more sending them colliding together as he lost his footing.  Embarrassed, he looked for an escape, turning to take a few steps away before finding Nyx taking his hand once more and side stepping around him in time with the rest of the patrons. Getting the rhythm, he mirrored her movements, getting the hang of it. 

Though clumsily bumping into others at times, he managed to get into the swing of it, spinning Nyx with a smile, watching her glide away then back into his arms. The waltz winding down, he managed to pivot and fan her away all on his own before pulling her close into his arms as the lights around them dimmed. 

Soon, fireworks exploded above as the bells tolled, ushering in the new year. Boyish awe lit up across U’rahn’s face as he watched the carefully rabbit-shaped explosions explode overhead, light glittering across his face. Turning to find Nyx’s gaze upon him, as always, he smiled softly then stroked his palm over the pale half of her cheek before closing his eyes and embracing her finally. The kiss returned, he flushed then held her tight, others around them celebrating with their own confetti poppers before breaking into song together.

Laughing softly, he stroked a palm over her ear then closed his eyes, “Nyx, I’ve always kinda had to make myself the center of attention to get people to look at me…your eyes though, they’re kinda always on me, even when I’m not really doing anything. I feel like you see me in a way I want to be seen…in a genuine way.”

“You are genuinely interesting to watch, Rahn.”

“I am?”

“Yes. You are full of expression. Of note, you also spend an above average time looking at me. Many avoid doing so.”

“Well, of course I do…I…I think you’re beautiful. And you’re smarrrt, and insightful…”

“Thank you, Rahn.”

U’rahn smiled, feeling Nyx’s head rest against his chest as they swayed together. His tail curled as he melted with happiness. Sighing, he hummed along with the rest of the crowd to their new year’s tidings, secretly wishing for the moment to last for a while longer.

[myfatmuses]

perhaps next time, FP would be invited along. Hunting together is like third base, for the hunting mind of the Wizard. Waddling along into the Fire Kingdom, carrying three large boars, certainly gave her the aura of a wilderness avatar.

She placed down her kills before FP, proud of her handiwork. She had fashioned the boar tusks into a crude necklace, wearing it. Partly as she had enchanted it to provide protection from the general heat of the area.

Huffing as she got to her knees, she proceeded to skin the kills before FP. It was often diry work but with magic, it was clean and in a short time, FP was presented with two whole boars worth of raw bacon, hammocks, pork steaks and more!

She always had a morbid curiosity about more physical beings than herself how they're inside works how they work so seeing huntress wiz skin and collect the meat interesting to her.

Once the meat was collected she carried most of it back to her Palace she didn't even have to tell the guards to let them throw just allowing anyone to come through with their kids permission

[umontortle]

Look... I drew Huntress wiz again

[cometbirthmoved-blog]

important: even if finn has just met you, he will die for you if he believes you're a good person. and he always tries to give (almost) everyone the benefit of the doubt

[ask-ivory]

RWBY Random Rant #2!

What villain is the best? (Cinder vs Roman)

Second rant everyone! This one may be a bit longer than the first, so if you don't have time but find this interesting, then I suggest reading this later. If you have infinite time on your hands and your board, then this might help depending on your interests. So let's jump into today's rant!

So, the world of Remnant is a big place. There, you'll find friendly people, weird people, mean people, and people who are just flat out crazy. But today, we're looking at a certain group of people: Villains. Now before we jump in to the blender of craziness, this post is an analysis that can be used for predictions and plot lines. I may be wrong, but I'm writing this off of what I know.

Anyways... Let's start with the basic question, What IS a villain? A villain (or for the more technical term: antagonist) is a character who is trying to stop the hero (or protagonist) from accomplishing his or her goal. Either this, or they're trying to get something and the hero is trying to stop them because what the villain wants is wrong. This is the loosest definition, so you can imagine that this goes way deeper than you think.

There are some things that you need to ask and have answered before you confirm who is the villain in a story. Some of which includes the following:

Who is this guy? (Basic background)

Why is he or she interested in this scenario? (Could this benefit to their cause?)

Why are they doing this? (If so, then why?)

So if we take this and try and apply it to the "villain" we can tell if this is a VILLAIN. Another important thing to note is the quality of the character. What sort of events cause the villain to act like this, and why?

Well, when we're talking RWBY, then villains come in different shapes and sizes. Some villains are immature, and others have experienced enough pain and defeat to know exactly what will work to achieve their goal and/or stop the hero. Then you have the peeps in the middle who aren't as overwhelming as the big baddie, but have enough common sense to know what's going on, what needs to be done, and why they're doing it.

So I'mma gonna start at the bottom of the rainbow and work my way up to the best colors. I'll also be rating these characters on a scale of one to ten. I won't do everyone. Let's start with the entire fandom's LEAST favorite character.

Cinder Fall

Stars: 0/10

Now if I was a writer for the show, I think the most interesting thing that could happen to Cinder is if she just dropped dead. That's how bad she. Literally. Now, what makes her so disgusting? There are two answers.

She did horrible things. Like hacking the communication towers (With help from Watts, of course), making the people at the Vytal Festival Tournament doubt the leaders of Vale, and, to top it off, KILLED Pyrrah and Ozpin.

But these are the actions a normal villain would do, so what really makes her Terrible? The second answer has the reason.

2. She's a poorly written character with a lack of depth are perception.

I have no idea what made the writers want to make Cinder a hated character, but whatever did worked really well. Honestly, it's like Roosterteeth did the opposite of what Disney did to Cinderella. But when I say she lacks depth, I mean there is nothing that makes her character any good. She's also one of the biggest mysteries in the show, and I don't mean that in a good way. Here are some of the questions that I often ask about her:

Why does she want power?

Does she want to rule the world?

Why does she wear an outfit that's guaranteed to help her freeze to death?

Does she want to kill Salem?

Why doesn't she learn from her mistakes?

WHY THE HECK DOES SHE EVEN EXIST?!?!?!

Well, after some examination, I found out something shocking. She is just a plot device. She may talk and act evil, but in reality, she's just there so that the characters have something to worry about. She has nothing that makes her good, or relatable. To add to that, she's like the Grimm, all she does is attack and kill and if she loses, she DOESN'T reflect on her actions, and she DOESN'T try to fix her mistakes. She just goes back into the fight with the same strategy as before. If the main protagonists studied Cinder's basic movement, then they would be able to take her down, no doubt.

Can Cinder be saved? The answer is no. I bet that, judging from the road she's going down, her strategy will be her ultimate end.

Hazel Rainheart

(I may have spelled his name wrong. Sorry.😁)

Stars: 2/10 ☆☆

Now Hazel is a bit more interesting. Unlike Cinder, he has a reason he's on the side he is now, but like everyone, he has his flaws. He lets his anger get the better of him, and he's quick to judge. But the real reason why he's not so good is because of his reasoning. His sister died on a training mission because SHE chose to become a huntress. But Hazel takes all of his anger out on Oscar and Ozpin just because he (Ozpin) was the headmaster of Beacon, and let her into the school in the first place.

And I gotta say, this reasoning is understandable, but it's still dumb.

But there is something that makes Hazel a huge threat to the heros: his semblance of pain nullification. This gives him the ability to block out pain. And I kinda get where it comes from.

When his sister died, he was broken. She was probably the only family Hazel had, and when she was killed, he wanted to block out the emptiness, the grief, the pain. Thus his semblance was unlocked and he could no longer feel pain. This ability is probably how his aura charges up so quickly. If pain can block aura from charging, then he has the tools to be a force to be reckoned with. The only downside is that just because he can't feel pain doesn't mean that he's not hurt.

Can Hazel be saved? Maybe. But if he goes on a redemption arch, then he will probably die. But that doesn't mean that he's a lost cause. There's still plenty of things that can be added to Hazel's character to make it better. But at the present, he could be better.

Adam Taurus

Stars 2/10 ☆☆

This character is relatively horrible. In fact, he's worse than Hazel!

But the thing is, he's like Hazel in a special way: he has a tragic past. Certain events that wreck a kid's childhood can scar them for life. Adam was discriminated for his faunus traits, and this set him on a path of revenge that would be his bitter end.

He was a threat, but small compared to the real one. His semblance made him very dangerous, but it also makes sense. To be more specific, his semblance is, what I like to call, absorption of impact (or for the EruptionFang version, moon slice). This gives him the ability to absorb any damage done by the enemy into his blade, then release it back at a more powerful rate. This can cause devastating damage to both the enemy and the environment. As for why he had this semblance is pretty basic once you think about it.

Adam desired to get back at those who mistreated him. He wanted them to feel his pain, but a lot more extreme. He wanted them to feel what he felt, but worse.

Adam had a lot of potential, but, well when you get stabbed in the back, it's not easy to get back at your enemies. Over all in terms of writing, the thing that would've made him better was a better understanding of what he went through.

Tyrian Callows

Stars 4/10 ☆☆☆☆

If Adam wasn't crazy enough for you, then Tyrian's your go to guy.

I think that Tyrian is insane enough to join Salem, but has enough sense to know how to kill. He's kinda tough to figure out, but thanks to some much needed information in Volume 7, we now know a bit about Tyrian's past.

Tyrian was a mad man killer on the continent of Anima but was captured. He was then rescued by Salem and her Grimm. Since he's mad he owed his life to her ever since.

He's mad, so there's no bad excuse. And to add to that, he is flat down dangerous. His semblance is the ability to cut through aura, making him a hard to beat.

Can Tyrian be saved? Not really. The only way to kill him is for someone to fall victim to him while another strikes the killing blow.

Doctor Aurthor Watts

Stars: 5/10 ☆☆☆☆☆

Alright. Here we go!

Watts is very interesting. That's saying alot. Now that we have more information on him, it's easier to see why he wants to screwer Ironwood.

He was an Atlasian scientist who went against Pietro in the effort to make something great for Atlas. While Watts helped write the Atlas security code, Pietro found that the best inspiration is found inside. That was were Penny was created. Watts was disgraced and faked his death. Then Salem found him and he joined her group to get both revenge on Ironwood and respect from Atlas. Though he is clearly unaware of what Salem's true plans are.

He is a wiz when it comes to technology. Besides that, I believe he has some experience with combat. His semblance could have something to do with technology, but we're still figuring that out.

Can Watts be saved? Writing wise, maybe we can get more details about Watts in the final episodes. He's not a lost cause when it comes being a more interesting villain.

Story wise though? He's a dead man.

Salem

Stars: 6/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆

Yes, I didn't save her for until the end.😼

Now from the writer's point of view, Salem's backstory has been completely fleshed out. It's pretty complicated so I won't go into details. But from that alone, Salem's actons make sense. As a prisoner of life, she yearns to be free. She wants to die. And she believes that the only way to do this is to divide humanity and summon the gods in there darkest hour. Then the gods destroy the world and Salem is free. She doesn't care about the people she is hurting. She hates humanity and wants to destroy everything. But above all, she wants to get permanent revenge on her ex Ozma (or Ozpin or Oscar). She wants him to die and stay dead when millennia ago she made great sacrifices to try bringing him back from the dead.

Now she has nothing to show for it except endless years of war, hatred, and suffering. There is some relation that one can have with Salem. If anyone who is reading this tried to do something for someone you cared about, but got nothing to show for it in return, then that's what Salem would be feeling. And this has caused her to spiral into madness. She is the purest definition of crazy.

Can Salem be saved? It depends at this point. Story wise, most likely not.

Emerald and Mercury!

Stars for them both 7/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

These two are going to be paired in honor of their beloved ship: Emercury.

Both characters have tragic pasts, so that gives them some common ground, but both are looking for something different. Emerald is looking for love, the one thing that she never had in her entire life. Mercury is looking for a purpose in life, a way to make himself Worthy of greatness. He claims that Cinder recruiting him was just destiny.

Both of these peeps are incredibly good at what they do. Both can fight better than the members of team CFVY.

Emerald's semblance is Perception manipulation, which makes perfect sense in her case. In a very special case, her semblance is similar to Adam's. She wants others to see what she sees, Emerald wants people to see how alone she is, and just how much she needs family. Her semblance is an incarnation of her desire. And she uses it to make people see what she wants them to see.

Mercury's semblance is currently unknown at this time. But we do know that his semblance was stolen by his father. After killing him, Mercury probably got his semblance back, but lives under the illusion that it's still gone.

Mercury grew up in an abusive household, under the guard of a murderer. He was tortured everyday by his father.

Emerald grew up on the streets.

Basically, these characters are well written, and both have great potential as well. There's even some hope of a redemption Arch for these two, and possibly some romance.

Can Emerald and Mercury be saved? Writing wise, yes. More trauma and info can definitely help. Story wise? Hopefully, yes.

Roman Torchwick

Stars: 9/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Time for the classics!

This charming young schemer has been the first character in the actual show. Fans everywhere love him, and will often mark him as the best villain. Honestly, I have nothing against it. But for the sake of this post, let's break down this lovely character and examine his awesomeness.

Roman's origin is currently unknown, but maybe we'll get some light cast on it with Neo's backstory as well. Many believe that he is somehow connected to Brunswick Farms, and it's still a possibility that has yet to be ruled out.

Roman is a good fighter and a master mind behind the underground crime rings of Vale. By himself, he is a relatively good fighter. Though his semblance has yet to be determined, he has his own Roman candle.

Another aspect of this character that won the hearts of fans is his charming personality. I mean, who can blame him? Though his death was sudden, and unfair, his handsome face will live on in the hearts of many.

Neo Politan

Stars: 10/10⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The star of the show, folks!

Neo made her big enterence in Volume 2 episode 4 Painting the Town, and ever since has been one of the most popular characters in the entire show. If you break down Neo's character based on what we know, then it's actually really interesting. Let's scoop ice cream!

Neo's backstory is unknown, but we're hoping to have some light shed on the subject. Based off of the song "One Thing", we can tell that Neo's backstory is tragic in some way. She lost everything except for Roman. And she is willing to fight to protect Roman from the death. How do I know?

Her semblance is called illusions by many, but Unicorn of War calls it Mirrors, which I think is the most accurate. Her semblance gives her the ability to reflect her opponent's attacks upon themselves, and she can change her appearance right down to her hair and eye color.

What does any of this have to do with protecting Roman? She will use Any means necessary to protect what little she has left, and to her, that one thing is enough. She Will change her identity as many times as possible, and she often gets away with it. But she is so fierce in protecting that during a fight, any pain that the enemy can dish out to her dumdum would make her determined to kick her opponent's butt. She would give them a taste of their own medicine and literally reflect their attacks upon themselves.

She is a reflection of protection. And like that reflection she represents, she says not a word, but shows people how exactly they can hurt the one she loves.

After Roman's death, Neo Politan is determined to reflect her loves justice upon the true enemies. If you can't face yourself, then you can't face Neo.

So, there you have it, villains everywhere.

Be sure to reblog if you found this interesting!

If you have questions, then ask away!😁

[heroicadventurists]

DCeased issues 1-3 (spoilers)

The Source: Cyborg

First infected: Darkseid

List of the DCeased

Batfamily: Batman, Catwoman, Nightwing, Robin (Tim), Batgirl, Huntress and Batwoman

Superfamily: Jonathan (Pa) Kent

Lanterns: Hal Jordan

Aquafamily: Aquaman and Tempest

Survivors

Batfamily: Alfred, Robin (Damian), Harley (not officially a member)

Superfamily: Superman, Lois Lane, Superboy (Jon), Martha (Ma) Kent

Arrowfamily: Green Arrow and Black Canary (now a Green Lantern via Hal's ring)

Black Lightning Family: Black Lightning, Thunder and Lightning

Aquafamily: Mera

Miraclefamily: Mister Miracle and Big Barda

Who do you think will be among the dceased in upcoming issues?

My predictions: Based on his weapons of choice, I think Red Hood will survive. I think Spoiler will be dceased, since she is a tech wiz (on a smaller scale of Robin (Tim) and Batgirl). If Wonder Woman was on Themyscira then I think the Amazons are safe. I think Kid Flash is dceased (he's always on his cell phone), which may spell disaster for the Flashfamily. Everyone else is up in the air for me.

[ringwandervng]

welp, so real life kinda happened and a couple of days turned out to be a whole week... and i’m about to head to bed but a quick update !! 

so i spent the whole day working on about pages for all my characters ( my hands slipped and i,,, might have,,, ended up with 10 extra muses,,, somehow??? i have their blurb under the cut if y’all wanna check them out ). tho that also made me think that i might be moving blog because.... i kinda wanna redo my tagging system smdlkamdk i haven’t fully decide yet,,, so i’ll make up my mind tomorrow while i continue working on my blog & track down all the threads that i was gonna reply to !!

elias saito (yamazaki kento fc) – aka my witch boy who is basically the pied piper of hamelin. he really just wants to share his passion for music, but being a starving artist Sucks™ so he also does a lot of witchy shady side jobs  on the side. 

kirani saraswati (lulu antariksa fc) – ok, lowkey i’ve had her for a while and i’ve wanting to write her for the longest time ?? but basically she was born on the 1800s in the dutch east indies who sworn into being a huntress of artemis. she has always been a bit more serious, but she kind of learned to let loose a little over the past few centuries, especially around those she trusts (so mostly her fellow huntress lmao)

irene choi (kim goeun fc) – my idealist kid who really just wants to help those in need in the eye of justice. she recently graduated law school & is working at her father’s law firm, trying her best to climb her way up from the bottom

malcolm zhao (brandon soohoo fc) – son of an infamous thief, who had learned from his mother the art of stealing and heists from a pretty young age. though he doesn’t exactly want to live this kind of life anymore, his mom had always been the only family that he got so he kind of feel obliged to tbh

cassandra of troy (indya moore fc) – aka a royal of troy who is gifted with the power of clairvoyance. however, they were cursed to have people not believe what they prophesied, even though they always end up coming true.

elphaba thropp (dian sastrowardoyo fc) – aka wicked witch of the west! i still gotta work on some kinks in her bio but i’m gonna be pulling more influences from wicked tbh, so she’s a well-meaning witch who is misunderstood & heavily judged for being so different.

rory park (yeo jingoo fc) – my mutant son with the ability to cloak himself and others. his main verse is set in a world where mutants are kind of shunned so he try to keep his power a secret. 

xander maxon (avan jogia fc) – aka my trash son who’s a damn good hacker, and he knows it. he’s a spy who works as part of the tech division, which is cool and all, but he’s been trying to prove himself of more than just a ‘computer wiz’ and is capable to handle field work. 

fiona theron (candice patton fc) – ok so she’s a canon character from tales from the borderlands, who is a con-artist-turned-vault-hunter. though tbh, i might write her more in modern settings, where she’s a private investigator who’s trying to keep her business going y’know?

toph beifong (brianne tju fc) – aka the legend herself. i’ve just been wanting to write her again after rewatching the series last month tbh so i figured why not lol

[eliseliedl]

tagged by @shadowelfs thank you!! :3♥

Rules: Put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first 10 that come up. Then tag 10 others to do the same!

—  Good Thing by Zedd and Kehlani

—  Redemption by GACKT

—  Zetsubou Billy by Maximum The Hormone

—  Rap wa Kan no Tamashii da! (a song from the anime Gurren Lagann)

—  Unpretty Dreams by Jessi

—  Sin Pijama by Becky G (ft. Natti Natasha)

—  Love is the Name by Sofia Carson

—  Payphone by Maroon5 (ft. Wiz Khalifa)

—  Walk by Foo Fighters

—  Baby One More Time by Britney Spears

I tag (feel free not to do it if you don’t feel like it :3): @moserahs @jasontoddism @yozorra @archer-pinnes @sirolau @angelnamine @the-word-huntress @residentevil2remake @placeofmemory @hopefulencounter

Also @ anyone who wanna do it, go ahead~

[nightshadedawn]

Persona 6 Concept Part 3

{First} {Previous} {Next} {Last}

Unfortunately, this part deals with talk of depression and attempted suicide. It’s not pretty, nor do I claim to have done such a serious topic justice. However, if you have even the smallest thought that it might be triggering, don’t continue on to read the Plot/Playthrough section of this. The next part will have a summer that you can skim past if you prefer to do that. Be safe, everyone.

Opening

We need to talk about the opening. A lot of them have symbolism. And most of them have upbeat songs. Let’s get something a little slower this time, to really experience it, and feel the slow pace of this little town. We don’t need to lie to everyone about how this game’s gonna be played. (I’m also going to recommend some of my own kind of sample music for other things in the next section, so be patient) Also, most stuff I do by accident. If I point it out, I did that on purpose. If I didn’t, that was purely accident and I’m an accidental genius which is the best thing to be. 

We’ve got it down slow, right? What kind of symbolism do we got going on? Well, everything’s green to start off with. And kind of like Persona 5’s opening, it’s going to be bright, NOTICE ME. Basically, it’s going to assault your eyes so no matter when or what context you’re thinking of this game in, your first thought is GREEN. Got that? Good. 

So we’re thinking green. We’re thinking nature. And as you’ll see below, we’ve got roses. (Okay, so the roses were literally incorporated to be added into this FOR the opening, and I love it so I don’t care) And the only colors we’re going to use for this, besides on the roses, is going to be green, white, and black. This will make the green more assaulting and probably more irritating, but who cares! It’ll be gorgeous. 

Now we need other themes. Obviously since there’s two possible MCs, we need to showcase them both. I think in this way we’re going to show them both as the dual sided coin of ‘sickness’ and ‘rebirth.’ You’ll get what I’m seeing in a minute. Obviously this represents how there’s two of them, but also how they’re caught in the middle of this battle with The Plague.

All of the party members will first be seen in situations enabling their sickness, Avis will flit through the screen, and they’ll rip a bandaid off. (This bandaid will also have the image on it that they have on their face mask, which I will provide some example images for below). Their last shot will always be of their rose being left behind. 

It starts off in the forest. Pointedly, it starts off on the waterfall. The waterfall, now great and white, crashed down and washes downstream. The next scene is the female and male MC both trapped in a purely white room (representing their blank personalities, for the player to decide, of course), sitting against the far walls. The female MC holds the black rose, while the male MC holds the white for aesthetic reasons (considering the female MC has white hair is lighter colored, the black rose will pop with her, while the reverse is true for the male MC) After this, we start getting into the other characters.

Sayaka is up first, considering the order that I do things, though perhaps she won’t show up first in the opening due to how important she is. (Like how in the last scene of Persona 5’s opening, it was Yusuke, Ann, then Ryuji and Morgana who showed up after the Protagonist) Anyway, we’ll find her by the riverside, holding both arms around her guitar with broken strings (to symbolize a broken heart, eh, eh?), and crying. When her last segment comes around, she pulls her bandaid off one of her fingers and leave behind her rose.

Yūdai is next. At first you’ll find him consuming and consuming. But by the end, he’ll leave the bandaid from inside his elbow with his rose and begin cooking. 

Miyako is first found in the graveyard, in front of a grave with Tomomi’s name on it. By the end, she rips the bandaid from her neck and leaves it behind with her rose. 

Masahiko is first seen in his father’s office, clenching his thorny rose until his hand bleeds. He leaves both the rose and a bandaid on the office floor as he leaves the room. 

Hoshiko will be found in the forest, shadows and flashes of people running through the trees around her as she cowers, nothing to hold onto but her rose. She pulls the bandaid off her cheek and runs after them. 

Jun is in the courtyard of the school, breathing heavily and in the middle of a fight. He pulls off the bandaid on his nose and lets it fall to the ground by his rose. 

Shinju sits in her chair, looking outside a window and longing to go out. She pulls the bandaid off her knee and leaves it with her rose before going outside. 

And then there’s The Plague. He doesn’t get to leave behind a rose. The only rose he gets is the one pinned to his coat. And the biggest frame we see him in is he’s there, an almost fully corrupted core held between his hands before the scene flashes away. It will flash to the MCs in their little white room. 

Saying that, let’s get back to the MC. Those will probably take up most of the opening, if I’m being honest. But there’s one really important scene that I think needs added to the opening. Well, two, I suppose. 

This first’s one’s easier to explain, and perhaps the scene that come right after the one with The Plague. They’re back in the white room, this time back to back, no longer holding the roses, and instead gripping at their heads. They’re curled away from each other, as if in immense pain. But they both stand and turn towards the camera, walking through a door. Is it blue, is it white, is it black? Who knows?

The second is a popular trope, I think, in openings to have something like this, especially when they two in question are rivals and enemies. But this needs done, I believe, though it’s a bit harder to explain. One side of the screen is light, while the other is dark. It doesn’t matter if it’s the male MC or the female MC is on either side, they will go to the other before this segment is over. The dark side is their Other World, while the light side is their town. I think, instead of walking to the other side, the camera will spin around them, a line down the screen so it always stayed with one light half and one dark half, so you can see each of them in the light and dark but also both on seperate sides. This one was a little hard to explain. Sorry, guys.

Maybe the second one will be in the middle of the first? Like right after they stand up, it does this before they start walking out.

The end scene will start immediately after they walk out of the door, and have all the roses of the different party members tied up in a bouquet in a vase by a hospital bed, but the black and white roses will be left crossed and forgotten on the floor. (If it’s insinuated that this was the hospital room the MC’s mother died in, all the better)

With that out of the way, onto music!

I don’t think everything should be slow, obviously, but having some slower tracks really would set the mood. Considering that this is a small down, without a lot of adventure waiting to happen, I don’t think a BUNCH of upbeat tracks would be appropriate. Here’s some music that I found that I think would fit within the confines of this supposed game, even if they can’t be used legitimately. 

Music

On top of some of these, let’s get some traditional Japanese songs on modern instruments up in here, maybe to some modern beats. Put a new spins on things. Also, make sure to check out the original video that inspired this in the first place for his idea on the music! I found a lot of instrumentals, though his ideas will work a lot better for some parts.

Opening

Sailor Moon - Moonlight Densetsu / Star Locket Theme (Harp Cover)

手紙 ～拝啓 十五の君へ～ Tegami Haikei Juugo no Kimi e 歌ってみた 【Ventus】 w/ English, Japanese, 中文字幕 subs

Ivan Torrent - Skyborn

L'Arc~en~Ciel 05 Dive to Blue

Background Tracks That I Don’t Know Where to Put

Magical Forest - Enchanted Celtic Woods (Album)

Most Popular Harp Covers of Popular Songs 2018 || The Best Harp Music - Harp Cover Version Playlist

"Fireflies" by Owl City (Harp cover)

Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do // Amy Turk, Harp

Epic Adventure Music - Journey Of Wonders

(Epic Adventure Music) - Venturing To The New World -

Fantasy Music - Lumina

See You Again | Wiz Khalifa ft.Charlie Puth | Melodious Flute Cover | Swarnim Maharjan

Happy forest song!

Morning Jazz - Amazing, Happy, Upbeat, Positive Music | Relax Music to Start Your Day

Most Epic Music Ever: Tosca Fantasy

Inside Tracks - Breathing Hope & Confidence - Song Mix (Epic Music)

Most Beautiful Music Ever: "Everdream" by Epic Soul Factory

Most Emotional Music Ever: "Nightsky" by Tracey Chattaway

Japanese Fantasy Music - Between Worlds

Autumn Leaves and Wind Chimes – 10 Hour Soundscape for Sleep, Meditation, Ambience, Relaxation

Morning Musume - Sakura Mankai

GIRLS`GENERATION 少女時代_ALL MY LOVE IS FOR YOU_Music Video

WORLD ORDER "HAVE A NICE DAY"

Town - Day

Hallelujah on a Harp - Leonard Cohen Tribute

Moana - 'How Far I'll Go' - Flute Cover

Lana Del Rey - Summertime sadness for cello and piano (COVER)

Good Vibes In Forest Upbeat - Vlog Music Royalty Free

Town - Rainy Days

Toto - Africa // Amy Turk, Harp

"Sweater Weather" by The NBHD | Harp Cover

Town - Night

"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran | Harp Cover (Wedding)

John Legend - All of Me Flute Cover

Emotional Music - A Nostalgic Dream

Forest - Day

Fíonnula's Tale | Celtic Flute Music

Elisabeth Wentland - Kuhlau fantasy for flute solo op. 38 D major

(Epic Asian Music) - Dance Of The Sun -

(Epic Celtic Music) - Splendor of Nature

Forest - Night

(Epic Celtic Music) - Spirit Of The Moon (feat. Léa FANTIN)

(Epic Battle Music) - The Moonlight Huntress

Fantasy Elven Music - The Voice of the Forest

Moonlight Sonata (Liquid Dubstep Remix)

Exploring the Other World

Fantasy Celtic Music - Spirit of the Wild

(Celtic Adventure Music) - Spirit Of Freedom

(Celtic Adventure Music) - Running Free - Peter Crowley

Into an Enchanting Forest || Magical Celtic Music @432Hz || Mystical Forest Sounds

Into a Mystical Forest || Enchanted Celtic Music @432 Hz || Nature Sounds || Magical Forest Music

Enchanted Forest Music (528Hz) : Brings Positive Transformation | Mystical Forest Sounds

Battle/Difficult Boss Approaching

(Viking Medieval Metal) - The Valley Of Myths - Peter Crowley

Epic Heroic Music - Horizon Of Hope

The Hobbit - Misty Mountains Cold on STL Ocarina

Upbeat Background Music - Nature Magic - by MusicForYourMedia

Empire of Angels

Celtic Battle Music - Iron Queen

From the Fields of Gallia (Epic Celtic Metal)

Celtic Music - Wolf Blood

-The Most Epic Sound- Tchaikovsky Remix

Epic Violin Battle Music

Shizen - Skydancer (Epic Dark Dramatic Orchestral)

World's Most Epic Music Ever: False God (Shizen)

Ending Theme

Yiruma - "River Flows in You" (cover by Bevani flute)

桑田佳祐 - 明日晴れるかな Kuwata Keisuke - Ashita Hareru Kana

'Ashita hareru kana?' cover by Fika Hime [Akan kah besok cerah?]

Roses

Two flowers for two MCs. Both are associated with purity, rebirth, and new beginnings. As the black rose cannot be found naturally, it’s also associated with a cloud of mystery, much like the MC of any Persona game. 

Sakaya’s rose is red, as which represent a deep understanding and love. They could be exchanged with Yūdai’s pink, as pink roses are often used to represent friendship or crushes

Yūdai’s rose color is pink, as pink roses are often used to represent friendship or crushes. They could be exchanged with Sakaya’s red roses, which represent a deep understanding and love.

Miyako’s rose color is blue, because they are known for mystery and intrigue, but also for mourning and sadness. 

Masahiko’s rose color is purple, as they are associated with royalty, pride, attachment, and enchantment. 

Hoshiko’s flower is yellow, a shade that is often associated with cheeriness, joy, and friendship. It is also rumors to be associated with jealousy in older times.

Jun’s rose is orange, a color associated with passion, energy, desire, and excitement.  

Shinju’s rose is green, representing rejuvenation and spirit. 

The Plague is represented by a wilting rose, as everyone else has a rose theme and obviously he’s up to shady shit if his rose is dying. And people around town were dying. This only seemed to fit.

The Doors

The doors will be your entrances to the Other World and the Velvet Room. You’ll be able to enter and exit through the doors however many times you like, but once you leave out from under the waterfall, you’re done for the day. Like Persona 5, the world behind each door, called Moarte, will be unique to the owner. Unlike Persona 5 where it reflected their desires, the Moarte will reflect their sickness and the world as their sickness makes it, especially the closer you get to their Shadow, though all of it will be nature themed.

White Door - The white door will be your door to Padure Nesfarsita, the endless forest. This is where you’ll do your crunching. The Shadows here will take the shape of large animals and gigantic, carnivorous plants. Everything is overgrown, and there will be times when you’ll be forced to stop because the path is so overgrown. (When the next section of the game starts it will become clear and you may continue on) The beginning of the forest will be bright and easier to navigate, but the further you go in, it’ll steadily grow darker and become almost maze like in how often it’ll lead you off the path. And going off the path, in any part of the forest, will greet you with Shadows above your level. (if you’re a high level, reaching into the 70s, this won’t be much of a problem because there is a lack of Shadows that usually reach that level. Be warned if you are not a high level) This will be the door the blue butterfly will lead you through, and will be where you first see The Plague.

Yellow Door - This will be your first dungeon, and will be where Yūdai’s Shadow is. The door will be opened when the MC and Sayaka use their keys to unlock it, if the keys are used to summon Personas. The other side leads to what looks like a paradise. Picture every description of Eden you’ve ever heard. A tropical paradise, with fruits hanging low from the trees and just begging to be picked. But not long into the place, you’ll discover that it’s incredibly hostile. In the distance is a large Aztec style building. The first half of your crawl will be getting to the building, the rest of it will be getting to the center.

Red Door - This is your second dungeon, and Miyako’s door. You will use the keys of all current party members (if applicable) to open this door. If not applicable, the key retrieved from Yūdai’s dungeon will open it. Immediately upon entering, it will be a different feeling to the previous dungeon because this one is immediately hostile. Everything is overgrown, you have to climb over and under large, thorned vines. Once you manage to get through this, you’ll come across a Sleeping Beauty type castle, with a wall of thorns surrounding it. You’ll have to find Miyako’s Shadow within the Palace.

Pink Door - This is your third time doing this, so you know the drill. Use the party’s keys (or the key gained form the previous door) to enter this one. This will be Masahiko’s door. Inside, it’s only desert. There’s not so much as a tumble weed in sight. Eventually, you’ll come to a water source that leads down, down, down and this will take up the entirety of your dungeon crawl. At the bottom, you’ll find Masahiko’s Shadow.

Purple Door - Hoshiko’s dungeon, the next on your list, will look like something out of a horror movie. The Shadows of this dungeon will looks like ghosts and demons and there will be a much higher chance of them coming out of nowhere, so be careful here. The foggy forest you go through will eventually lead you to a wooden cabin (or creepy Victorian mansion, whichever is more terrifying, maybe an abandoned school or temple since I think those apply more to a Japanese audience?). Once you enter this building (whatever it may be), you’ll be separated from your teammates. You must find them all before you can embark below into the basement to find Hoshiko’s Shadow. This will be a long, harrowing process seeing as it will not be made easy on you. You’ll have to fight, even team members short, and you cannot leave or save until you’ve found them all.

Blue Door - This is the Velvet Room entrance, obviously. It has only one keyhole, and will be unlocked by the MC’s key to the Velvet Room.

Green Door - Jun’s dungeon, your fifth run, will be… a work in progress. Maybe a deadly forest, like the Amazon, because of his explosively dangerous anger, or a swamp, ‘cause his personality’s shit.

Silver Door - Shinju’s door will be a frozen wasteland. It won’t take you long to get to the building, and it will be where you spend your dungeon crawl. The building is a broken fortress, with large gaping holes. It will be freezing, with snow and ice storms blocking your vison in some places, making it impossible to see Shadows. 

Gold Door - A major mishap has caused Sayaka to loose control of her Persona and loose her immunity to the virus. After being in town so long, she quickly catches the virus, and thanks to The Plague, she gains her own door. You and your party now must go in and save her before the virus kills her. But this time, you’re on a time crunch. Because while you know what you’re doing by now, so does The Plague. And he thinks it’s time to get rid of you. (Who knows what this one actually looks like? That’s a work in progress too)

Black Door - It’s time to face The Plague. And I’m actually very excited to talk about this part. Be prepared!

Plot/Playthrough

Wow. That was a lot of stuff to go through, and a lot of music, huh? Sorry, I got a little carried away there. I’d also recommend looking through the music on the video that provided this train of thought! But without further ado, let’s get into the plot.

April 7: MC arrives in town.

April 8: MC and Yuuki go to the school to finish registration. MC meets Tomomi.

April 9: MC is walked to school by Tomomi and meets Sakaya. 

April 10: An old lady died last night, and it’s rumors to be of the virus. No one is worried. It’s never killed before. MC sees the cores for the first time, and see Tomomi’s corrupted core. Sakaya takes the MC out after school to go explore the town and surrounding forest, and they end up in the other world where they confront The Plague and MC awakens their Persona. MC dreams of the Velvet Room.

April 11: They receive the news that Tomomi is dead. Sakaya drags MC back to the waterfall and beyond the door from before. Today Sayaka awakens her Persona. They meet and heal Avis. While exploring and trying to get out, you’ll come across a Shadow that looks similar to Yūdai.

April 12: Sayaka confronts you about Yūdai’s corrupted core, and you decide to go back and try to do something about it before he ends up like Tomomi. Yūdai joins the party.

April 13 - May 3: This is your time to go through Yūdai’s Palace (I’m just going to call it that because it’s easier on everyone, okay?). You defeat the boss and Yūdai stops going to school. If you’ve still got time left after defeating the final boss, up your stats and start on as many confidants as you can!

May 4: Yūdai is released from the hospital and the MC’s family goes to Dr. Ueda to get checked out. The MC is the only one not infected by the virus. Natsuki asks you to attend Tomomi’s funeral.

May 5: Tomomi’s funeral, and the first time you meet Miyako.

May 6: Yūdai and Sakaya will take the MC and Avis out to celebrate Yūdai’s release from the hospital, and you’ll hear that the virus has taken a married couple.

May 7 - May 10: You’ll be free to do as you like.

May 11 - May 14: Exams.

May 15: Natsuki takes you to Miyako’s house, and you find Miyako in bad shape. Investigating Padure Nesfarsita will guide you to Miyako’s Shadow, but The Plague takes her away.

We return to our playthrough on May 16.

Worried for Miyako’s safety, the MC, Sayaka, Yūdai, and Avis go to her house once more, only for no one to answer when the knock. However, the door is unlocked and open. (Not a lot, just a crack, as if it were pushed shut in an uncaring haste…)

Considering the state of Miyako the last time, and the state of her Shadow, the group pushes in and just goes inside. Only to find Miyako about to hang herself in her living room. 

There’s no talking her down, just a mad rush to get her down from the chair as quickly as possible and remove the rope from sight. Obviously, she fights and yells and screams. One of them calls an ambulance and/or police (for one, it’s a small town, and two, who do you call in this situation? I’ve never been in their shoes, and I hope I never have to be)

Anyway, Miyako ends up in the hospital under surveillance. The three of you leave the hospital late that night, only to be informed early the next morning that Miyako ran out of the hospital and no one knows where she’s gone (honestly, terrible hospital staff)

Avis informs MC and friends that she can slightly sense Miyako due to having met her Shadow in Padure Nesfarsita. So Avis leads you to the forest, and you’ll chase her closer and closer to the waterfall. 

Miyako ends up under the waterfall in the cave, and the red door swings wide open. She runs through it, but it locks and closes before you can go through it. You have to use all previously collected keys to unlock it. 

Going through the door leads you to a tunnel of thorns, thorny stalks blocking out any and all light from above. It’s much colder than Yūdai’s Palace, and much darker. A complete contrast, not even trying to hide its hostility. 

And Miyako is running right towards the castle at the end. 

The team follows, and you’ll have to chase her inside the castle a bit before finally cornering her in an elaborate bedroom, out on the balcony. She’ll stand there at the edge, steely eyed and daring you to come a step further, hospital gown and hair fluttering in the wind.

No matter what is said, there’ll be no reasoning with her. It’ll be then that you’ll be able to notice the shimmer by her. Sending a projectile with good aim its way will reveal Miyako’s Corrupted Depression (and it’s already fucking corrupted as it is, isn’t it?) as it moves away from her. 

As it is the physical embodiment of depression, it’s going to do everything in its power to make your party back off or take a swan dive. It will also bring your attention to Shadow Miyako, who is sleeping on the bed behind you, looking every image of a sleeping beauty. 

It’ll summon Shadows to come fight you when you refuse to back off, and the Corrupted Depression will disappear as the Shadows corner you on the balcony. The fight will be stalled by the balcony crumbling, and Miyako will begin to fall. 

I’m tempted to have the MC catch her, panic at the thought of death, then remember that’s what she wanted anyway, and beg to be let go. In this scenario, the MC will say something to make her want back up but- oops! She’s slipped and is now falling towards her death again.

In the other scenario, she’s still falling towards her death, but she was never caught. After some thought, she decides that fuck no, she doesn’t want to die. I mean, she kinda does, ‘cause she doesn’t want to live. But she wants it to be on her terms. 

Either way, before she reaches the ground, she will summon for the first time her Persona. Her’s will likely be the only Persona with wings. Anyway, Persona catches her and deposits her back on the balcony to fight along the rest of the team (fuck yeah, you’ve got a full four member team now!)

The Shadows are easy to fight, unfortunately, much harder Shadows will appear and drive you out of the castle and you’ll have to escape back to the cave. However, as you’re leaving through the door, the tunnel of thorns will twist and turn and become a forest of thorns instead, making it deadly and difficult to maneuver. There’s no need to worry about it now, but instead time to get Miyako to safety.

So, they leave Miyako’s Palace and gather around the table under the waterfall, as they do, and you explain everything to Miyako. About the Palace, her corrupted core, and her Persona. And her impending death if they don’t cure her Shadow.

Miyako questions if curing her Shadow will also cure her depression, but they don’t really know if it’ll do that. Yūdai is still obese, hesitant about doing this fighting thing at all, and likes food too much for his own good. Depression is… a much more serious issue. It’s not something that can just be magicked away. Curing her Shadow will rid her of the corruption, and defeating the Corrupted Depression will free her to do something about it. It’s her first step to getting better. 

Miyako is quiet after the conversation. Finally, she says she wants to go back and help to fight. She agrees to go back to the hospital AFTER the Corrupted Depression is defeated. 

May 18 - June 8 will be your allotted time to complete her palace. As before, if you don’t complete her palace, Miyako will die on the last day and it’ll be an automatic game over. However, if you do complete the palace, that very night, Miyako will turn herself in. She will return to school the next Monday afterward June 8, and we’re going to say that’s June 10 since that’s what the calender I’m using as reference for my numbers says.

Your first time back, you will immediately be able to tell that this Palace is a lot more hostile than Yūdai’s. This forest of thorns you have to get through will try its damndest to prevent you from getting back to the castle. This one will also be much less straightforward, as you’ll have to find openings to get through the thorns. But you will prevail, as you must.

However, once you get to the castle, there will many more Shadows, so you’ll have to be very careful unless you want to fight your way through them all. But the good news is that if you remember your way to the bedroom from before, it’ll be really easy to get there. 

Once again, as soon as you interact with Miyako’s sleeping Shadow, the Corrupted Depression will appear. It’ll attempt to talk Miyako into just laying down and dying. After all, her Shadow looks so peacefully sleeping- a sleep she’ll never wake up from. An endless sleep.

This pisses Miyako off, exceptionally, and she shouts something along the lines of “If you want me dead, don’t make me do your dirty work for you, coward! Kill me yourself like every other deadly disease!”

What ensues is the big boss battle, and it’ll use ‘Despair’ a lot, which Miyako is highly susceptible to. It’ll be weak to Light/Bless skills, though, which’ll be helpful. Be sure to take advantage of that. 

You’ll win, of course. Which is always nice! What’s even better is that nothing else attacks you as you go up and heal Miyako’s Shadow. Her core goes from black to green, and she’s saved! Another Palace down, and you leave without issue.

If you haven’t gotten a key from Miyako awakening her Persona, when you visit the Velvet Room that night, Lucius/Gilbert will reward you with the next key you’ll need. You’ll be congratulated, learn a little more, and all that good stuff. Until Miyako comes back to school, you’re free to do as you like.

Her first day back, she’ll cause quite the commotion, not only because of the rumors of her attempted suicide and escape from the hospital following her around, but also because she’ll go to the third year’s classroom at lunch and go right up to the MC, Sayaka, and Yūdai as they’re talking. She’ll deeply bow and thank you for saving her life before attempting to leave.

Sayaka will invite her out to celebrate her release from the hospital, and she’ll agree, if that’s what her senpais want. After some agreement (begrudging or not on your part) it will be agreed to go out the next day. The party’s great! No news of another death this time! When you go home after the party, Yuuki will be complaining about a new transfer this late into the school year (it’s only June, old man)

The news od another death happens the day after. This time, it’s a kid. Yikes. Fuck. That’s not good. But at the same time, Masahiko enters the picture about a week later.

After Sayaka hears about the new transfer student (and rumors about how handsome he is) both you and Yūdai are dragged down to the second year classroom under the guise of seeing how Miyako is holding up.

Which is a good thing. Because the moment you enter the classroom, you see Miyako chewing Masahiko out and yelling at him for sitting in Tomomi’s seat, the flowers and vase Miyako put there shattered on the ground, and Yuuki trying to amend the situation. The second years are a big class, that’s the only open seat. If they had two classrooms instead of one, he could be placed somewhere else, but they can’t now because it’s literally the only open seat. In an INCREDIBLY crowded classroom. 

Of course, Miyako is still stressed and angry and crying, and Masahiko is being a dick about it until Miyako throws something in his face and storms out of the classroom, past the MC and friends. Masahiko is only mildly perturbed by what Miyako was saying, and only shows it for a moment before playing it off as being disgusted by what she threw at him. 

So, next time, we’ll be talking about Masahiko! And a surprise guest?

{First} {Previous} {Next} {Last}

[huntressthewizard]

HW’s backstory that I never finished writing.. prt 2

Part 1 is here

- After leaving Princess Fern with the Spirit of the Woods, Cyrene (Huntress Wizard) travels to the Ice Kingdom and presses Ice King for information on Wizard City’s location. The two get in a physical fight, but with Ice King’s magic, he is much too strong for her plant-elemental magic and novice skills. It takes a very emotional threat of impaling one of his pet penguins with a spear until he finally reveals it to her. After this, he tells her that she was one of his least favorite princesses and to never come back (he forgets this over the years.)

- Cyrene begins to travel to Wizard City. On her journey, she decides to recite the name or title of every person she plans to kill in revenge every night before bed. The Mud Princess, Flame Count, the 1st guard division of the Mud Kingdom. This aids her in her motivation and goals.

 - On her fourth day, she enters Wizard City, dressed in a dirty bathrobe and paper cone hat colored in stars. She also covers up the royal gem on her forehead with a roll of gauze. None of the guards suspect a thing.

- Wandering into various buildings, she stumbled upon a group of Salamander Shamans, who recognize her as Woodland Princess. They give chase.

- Cyrene manages to lose them by turning down an alley and sneaking into the back entrance of a shop. The shop belongs to Laser Wizard, who is playing cards with his two pals, Bufo and Forest Wizard, the Woodland King’s court mage.

- Forest Wizard immediently recognizes her as Woodland Princess, and exclaims his astonishment at her survival of the invasion of the Mud and Fire Kingdoms, since they had started their attack right in the feast hall.

- Cyrene questions how he knew they attacked in the feast hall specifically, since she hadn’t seen him there, and why he didn’t help if he knew all that.

- Forest Wizard states that he overheard Cyrene and Spirit of the Wood’s conversation about her magical blockage involving not following her heart. FW then states “that conversation was so cliche I knew exactly what you were going to do about it and what was going to happen at that Feast, so I high-tailed it.”

- Enraged, Cyrene lunges at the former court mage, only to be stopped by a forcefield put up by Laser Wizard. Forest Wizard then says that she shouldn’t even try to come at any of them with the lame excuse of shaman magic she learned from the Spirit.

- Calming down slightly, Cyrene remembers why she came to the City in the first place, to learn real magic. She then asks the three if they know where she can do that.

- Bufo and Forest Wizard are both tight-lipped about it, stating that it’s a secret that only the initiated wizard-apprentices can know and learn about. Laser Wizard, however, spills the beans, and tells her about the College of Maegus, a magic school where, after a certain amount of time and credentials earned, the students are allowed to take up the Wizard Trials and gain their wizarding lisence. He then gives her the location and password of the college. Elated, Cyrene thanks him, sucker-punches Forest Wizard in the groin, flips him off, and then runs away, adding him to the Murder List to recite each night.

- When the other two question Laser Wizard why on earth he did that, he simply states it’s because “she’s kinda cute.”

--

- Cyrene arrives at the college, doing all that was told to her to gain access. It’s fucking huge and magnificent, kinda reminds her of her castle home.

- She gets stopped by a goblin who interrogates her on her entry, she gets nervous until a student steps in and vouches for her, then drags her along into one of the buildings.

- The student’s name is Keina, a reptilian woman and heir to the Lizard Kingdom. Cyrene is skeptical of her at first, since no one had helped her since she left home, but soon they become fast friends.

- As classes go on,  Cyrene also makes a few other student friends (name later)

- Months go by, during a class, one of the professors picks four students in the class to help him with a special project; Cyrene is disappointed he does not pick her.

- At night, Keina and Cyrene both decide to secretly follow the chosen students. They follow them to the cellar of the castle.

- The profesor is waiting for the students with a boiling cauldron. He then turns the chosen students into frogs, and then begins using them in a potion. 

- Enraged, Cyrene attacks, despite Keina’s objections. The professor easily knocks her aside.

- Upon being asked why, the professor simply states that the number one rule of Wiz Biz is that, if you’re powerful enough and have the right influence, you can do anything with your magic. He then proceeds to state that the students he chose weren’t going to amount to anything, and was simply weeding out the weak students.

- Keina calls bullshit, and says she’ll tattle. The professor scoffs, tells them to go ahead, because he has tenure. This drives Cyrene even harder, adding another person to her Murder List.

- Ten years pass since the incident. Keina and Cyrene are officially eligible to undergo the Wizard Trials and, upon successful completion, will become Wizards.

end of part 2.

[sky-writes-daydreams]

How They Met Chapter 31

A/n: So this ending of this is where The path will Split off. I’m going with the original ending first. It will be a longer part so be ready for that. Then I will post Episode Skylar. Thank you all for hanging in there with me. it’s been a long ride and I can only hope it was worth it. 

@valkyrieofardyn @shigekihizashi @blackpaladinarchive @lola-mcevil13 @the-altissian-authors @the-wallflower-artist

I got into Talcott's truck in the middle and Ignis got next to me. They wanted me to go to lestallum where it was safer. The Marshall was there after all. I was a little worried about seeing him again but I was trying to think of a plan. Lestallum was really far from my goal. I guess I must have seemed edgy because after a while I felt a hand on my lower arm. I looked over and smiled.

“Yes iggy?”

“You’re shaking…. It’s ok. Cor won’t be upset with you. I rather think he’d be glad to see you there alive. As prompto said, a body bearing your resemblance was found.” I nodded then and smiled.

“It’s so weird being back…. It was like I was living in Heaven before now Ignis…. And now I’m back on earth…. It feels so different….” I could see that cute little smile he always gave then in the passing streetlights.

“I can believe that…. It’s going to be a rough adjustment… But you have friends willing to help.”

“Like you?”

“Possibly.” I smiled a bit then and felt his hand. It was even scarred.

“What happened…? Ardyn never… He didn’t tell me.” Ignis nodded then.

“He knew it would make you worry so he withheld…. It was back in altissia…. I had to save the ring from Him… And ended up putting it on…. And paid the price to save noctis.” I cringed then.

“The power blinded you as payment?”

“Yes. I’ve adjusted quite well though.”

“He’s only better than before when Aranea is around.” I jumped then as Talcott spoke. He laughed a bit then.

“Relax…”

“Sorry… But what do you mean?” I looked over then and smiled.

“Still got her number?”

“Yes. She called last week. She’s been watching caem for us. Wiz has set up there to save the chocobos.” I laughed a bit then and he smiled.

“Your son damien has been a huge help.”

“Wait…. Damien is still alive!?”

“Quite.”

“Oh you mean the blue one? Yeah. He helps us find other chocobos. He’s leader of the pack now.” I smiled then sighing.

“That idiot….. Gods I’m glad he’s ok…. I worried about him for a while but I trusted prom.” They nodded and I just relaxed while they talked and caught me up. At least till I had to lean over on Ignis and take a nap. I was so tired.

We got to lestallum and easily got past the barricade. Cor was there and chuckled as I slid out of the truck.

“There’s a hunter I never thought I’d see again. Skylar annaliese…. Terror of the desert.” I laughed then slowly walking over.

“Immortal Marshall. It’s been some time.” He nodded then and looked over.

“How?”

“He sent her out…. There’s a chance Noctis is on his way back.”

“Right… Tal have you heard…?”

“Not yet… think I should drive by?”

“Be a good idea. Take ignis back to the others. I’ll get sky a place here.” They nodded and I smiled.

“Behave.”

“Always.”

“Maybe.” Ignis said with a slight wink. I choked back a giggle then and watched them leave. I wanted to go back with them but I knew better. I needed a cover so it would be Harder for Cor to follow me. He got my shoulder then and I let him lead me further in. I saw people staring and whispering as we walked. I felt so self conscious about it. Was it that obvious that I had been with him? We got into the main part then and I saw. They had the city sectioned off. Glavies and hunters were all together here taking jobs or talking weapons. I even saw people I had never seen here before.

“We’re a center for the refugees right now. There are other spots but everything started here.”

“Wow….” Cor nodded and looked back.

“Where have you been? The boys said they saw you in altissa but then…” I smiled then.

“I went home with Ardyn. We were in nifelheim until it fell… Then somehow he got us here.” Cor nodded and sighed.

“How much do you know? About what's going on?”

“Enough to know that they’re pawns of that damn dragonian….. And that we won't get a dawn until…” He held up a hand then stopping me. I nodded then. I wasn't going to be able to say it anyway.

“Come chill with iris then…. Until things are done, you’re best off staying in lestallum. I’ll go see if there's a room open at the hotel.” I nodded then and let him lead me to iris.  She had grown up so much and was a true hunter now. She was glad to see me and happily hugged me. I hugged her back a bit stunned as Cor wandered off. I sat down near her stall and She smiled.

“You’ve barely aged… it’s hard to think of it being ten years now.”

“I know…. The only way I knew time was still moving was a clock in the library.” she laughed then and I smiled.

“Hey…. Um…. Can you tell me why people might..?”

“Stare and whisper? Well besides the fact that most of them are hunters…. You made nifelheim news. So Almost everyone knows you’re engaged to ardyn.”

“Right…. And he’s public enemy number one right now huh?”

“Sort of… those who don’t know the whole truth…. He believe he is the enemy But Talcott, Cindy, monica, and me all believe differently… We know you at the least. There’s no way you would…” I smiled then and leaned back on the wall. I looked down at the ring and sighed.

“He’s not bad… but… when the daemons inside flare up… He changes… He gets angry… Dark…. You can see it then. How the years haven’t been kind to him.” She nodded then and smiled.

“But you have been… I can see it…. You really loved him.” I nodded then holding back everything. Just thinking back to how many times I saw him like that and how a few words from me fixed him… It killed me to think that I would never get to see that grateful smile again.

“I’ve never been happier than I was by his side…. And Now… I can’t be there for him. He shut me out and…” She nodded then and smiled.

“He won’t tell you a thing… And thinks you’re safer away from them like you haven’t proven time and time again that You can handle yourself.”

“Exactly!!!” I looked at her and she had that knowing smile.

“Gladio did the same thing to me when he got back… It took a month before I got through… But seeing how you don’t have that kind of time….” She moved then and got into a box before tossing a jacket at me. I caught it looking at it confused.

“Huh?”

“Just put it on and follow me.” I nodded then and got the jacket on before following her into a tent close by.

In a matter of minutes with the help of some scissors and Makeup, Iris made me look totally different. A fresh haircut and some blush added color to my normally pale face. An outfit change later and she stepped back and nodded.

“It should be enough…” I looked in the mirror here in the tent and smiled. She had made me look almost completely different.

“I can blend in as a new glaive…”

“Exactly. Now… Head towards the entrance. There’s a another truck leaving soon!” I nodded then and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you…”

“You’d do the same for me if it was Gladio…. If you see him tho.. Keep an eye on him.”

“You know it kid.” She laughed a bit as I let go grabbing my satchel and left the tent carefully. Cor was still gone so I just headed down. I saw others walking so I tired to follow them. Then I felt someone get my shoulder. I jumped a mile high and they laughed. He was a cute looking man with braids set in his hair. He smiled then and offered a hand.

“Libertus. Main glavie for newbies here.” I smiled then and took his hand tightly.

“Sarah. Nif.”

“Serious? Damn…. Well come on then. First trip out?”

“Yeah.”

“Well you chose a good one. We’re heading to the crown city.” I nodded then and followed. A few others were in the alley as well and looked back.

“Lib! Did you hear the Rumor!?”

“What’s up now?”

“That dark huntress that kid talks about? The one who fell in love with Ardyn?”

“Yeah! Skylar!” They nodded and smiled.

“She was seen in Hammerhead.” He gave them a look then.

“No way. There’s no way she’d leave.”

“Well rumor is from the kid, She was sent away.” He sighed then shaking his head.

“Damn… She’s gonna be crushed.” They nodded then and I looked over.

“What are they talking about?”

“Oh… Well you saw on the news. The woman the chancellor was engaged to?” I nodded then.

“She’s a hunter from here in lucis. Apparently most of the guard knew her and the king did as well. The other three called her sis at times. The way the kid tells us is there’s a good chance The dawn is on it’s way if we ever see her because he and a few others… They don’t think she’d ever leave his side.”

“Well.. I mean the one time I saw them… They were really in love. I’ve been there for a while and he always seemed so sad… but the last time he was so happy next to her.” LIbertus nodded then and smiled.

“Well hey. Maybe she’ll have us help her get back in…. Not sure how the others would like that tho. She needs to be safe.” I nodded then before letting him into the back of the truck. He helped me up and I sat down across from him. I looked back as the truck started and right as we headed out the gate, I saw Cor coming running down panicked. I just had to hope to all the gods he would forgive me.

[texanredrose]

By Moonlight - The Killing

Yang didn't need to think. 

She pushed away from Winter, began charging for Cardin, hardly catching sight of the little vial glowing with some sort of hex. 

On the upside, it meant he wasn't a warlock, because those sort of contained spells weren't designed for magic users, always running the chance of reacting to the magic running through a warlock's veins. 

On the downside, though, it meant there was no stopping the damn thing from being released as he tossed it towards the dais, neither Blake nor Weiss familiar with such devices to know that the little vial spelled their doom. 

So the hunter did the only thing left to her- she jumped, diving to intercept the projectile, hoping the enchantments in her furs and armor might protect her and counteract whatever was in the vial as the fragile glass broke. 

But that was a touch too optimistic. 

She fell to the ground, a scream tearing from her chest as lightning ran throughout her body, weaving agony in its wake. Her dragon magic emerged, but a touch too late, now fighting a spell designed to paralyze its target and torture the person in the prison of their own body, images at the edges of her vision, old faces she hadn't seen in years lingering just out of focus.

A growl loud enough to rattle bones echoed in the room before screams joined hers but she couldn't parse what happened, writhing against the stone floor as she regained and lost her mobility in turns, all the while trying her hardest to ground herself in the moment. 

"Huntress!" A voice called, alarmed and worried, and then hands on her somewhere. "Yang, can you hear me?" 

Was that someone else or the same person? Her hearing started suffering, whispers sounding like those long dead with words- what were they saying? 

Where was she? 

"Call for the castle healer! Any healer! Any witch or wiz-" 

"Stop your screaming." A tired voice drawled as it came closer. "It's giving me a headache." 

Yang didn't dare open her eyes; she could feel her body trying to shift, because taking her dragon form would increase her innate magic, would make fight back the hex so much easier, but the hall was too crowded. If she swung her tail, she'd likely send people flying, and she couldn't keep her human form still at the moment. 

It was too dangerous and the last thing any of them needed was a dragon showing up- a creature often seen as a bad omen in Atlas. At the same time... everything hurt. 

"Stop your thrashing and look at me." Her eyes opened to see the former Queen looming over her, a frown on her lips. "Ah, a dragon. That would explain why you're still alive. Now open your mouth." She pulled her lips back, hoping it would be enough to display why that was a bad idea, her teeth already beginning to enlarge and sharpen into fangs. "Try harder, you overgrown lizard."

"Mother." Weiss- it must've been her- warned as the shouting and growling stopped. "I'm quite certain Winter is fond of her-" 

"Then she can thank me in the morning. Open. Up." The hex worked deeper, into her chest and stopping her heart for a moment before her dragonfire ignited, restarting her heart and singeing the woman's hair as a burst of fire left her lips. "I should've expected that." Fingers like steel traps grabbed her jaw, holding it open. "This will only take a moment." 

Whining- high, keening, conveying worry and concern- drew closer to her. 

"Keep her back." 

"That's... going to be difficult," Blake said, though shuffling followed. 

In the next moment, Yang's world narrowed to the excruciating sensation of lightning and fire being drawn up her throat and out her mouth, the hex and her own magic sucked out so forcefully beyond unpleasant, and she tried to struggle against the grip holding her jaw open. 

However, with the hex still somewhat in effect, she couldn't seem to get the muscles to cooperate, forced to do nothing more than scream as it felt like her very soul was being pulled from her body. 

"Mother, hurry!" 

"We can't keep her back!"

A few more moments that drug on like small eternities before Yang felt her body slump back to the stone, unsure when her back had arched like a bow, coughing and hacking as her whole body ached. 

"Ha- hah- hag," she said, blinking up as her inner dragon chased away the lingering lightning running through her veins. 

"Excuse you, she just saved your life. I think." 

"Hush, Weiss; she's not insulting me." The woman looked into her eyes, nodding and immediately reaching for her wine. "The stories never differentiate, but hags are witches who specialize in manipulating magic rather than casting it." She took a deep pull, shaking her head and rubbing at her temple. "Don't tell me you're so optimistic as to think this is the first time your father- or one of his cretins- has tried killing any of us with tools he hardly understands; the damned fool only got me to marry him with a love potion. He's always been a puppet in the hands of those thrice blasted warlocks in Vacuo, just like half the court." 

Her chest still burned, but it lessened in degrees as she recovered, having lost some of her own strength in the process. "Does tha... wine help with..."

"It keeps the magic I ingest from taking hold; the smell of alcohol masks the smell created by potions of my own." 

"So that's why father left that poisoned bottle for you? He was trying to take away your own weapon and poison you in the same stroke?" Weiss appeared at the edge of her vision, quickly overshadowed by Winter sticking her face closer, sniffing at Yang. 

The older woman paused, making a noise in the back of her throat. "I honestly thought he knew; I'd never drink from a bottle other than my own. I wonder how many others are poisoned." 

"Did you just leave them there?" 

The werewolf nosed at Yang's hand until she weakly lifted it up, resting it on white fur stained red by blood. 

"Well, I wasn't expecting my daughters to raid my wine cabinet when my back was turned." 

Winter pressed closer, nosing her chest and waist, whining softly as she moved her hand to scratching along the werewolf's jaw. 

"That's a terrible excuse!" 

"Hey... are you okay?" Yang's voice was hoarse and scratchy, eyes falling shut for a moment. Winter whined in response, nosing under her shoulder, as if encouraging her to sit up. "I'm fine... tired, but fine." 

"I'll keep that in mind," the woman said, getting to her feet unsteadily. "Now, congratulations on your ascension to the throne, I wish you happiness in your impending union, and I'll excuse myself from the festivities. I'd suggest you take the Huntress to her rooms; she'll need to recover her strength."

"I can... get there myself." Pushing herself up to her feet, Yang leaned against Winter briefly to gather her strength. "I'll just-" 

The werewolf growled, shooting a look at her sister, which was somehow immediately understood. With a gesture towards her fiancé, the two somehow transferred Yang from her own feet to sitting astride Winter's shoulders. 

"... uh-" 

"Are you really about to argue with her?" Amber eyes glanced down briefly. "I don't think you'll win the fight in your state." 

"Guards!" Weiss yelled out, waving over two men with spears in their hands. "Escort them to the Huntress' quarters. Neither of them are... in a position to open doors." 

"Yes, Your Majesty." 

"Don't I get a say in this?" Her lips lifted in a weak smirk before slumping against Winter's neck. "Ah, nevermind. A night in a bed sounds good."

With that, the werewolf carried her out of the feasting hall, people stepping out of her way and bowing their heads in reverence, more than a few whispering quick prayers for Yang to recover her strength. 

She hardly registered much after they left, lulled into semi consciousness by the easy rocking motion of the werewolf's gait. It stopped only once, accompanied by a growl and the quick shuffling of the guards, moving to go down a different hallway than before, into a part of the castle Yang hadn't been in before- the royal wing. 

Everything looked nicer if more... impersonal. Were it not for the guards leading the way and Winter bearing her weight, she might've passed the door by completely, hardly able to see it among the pristine white walls. 

The antechamber wasn't much better, with everything in its place, if a bit more... damaged, poorly concealed claw marks combined with a fine layer of dust and the musty scent of a room abandoned stinging her nose. Considering she'd spent her nights in the woods and mornings in the shed, Winter probably only came into the room to change clothing daily and avoid suspicion.

The guards excused themselves, at first trying to offer their assistance in moving Yang to the bed and finding that wasn't appreciated, considering how the werewolf began growling. 

"They're just tryin' ta help, y'know." She drawled, sliding from Winter's back and fumbling with the straps and buttons to her furs and armor, letting them fall to the ground and resolving to tidy up when she awoke. The night air bit into her skin, making her shiver as she bent over and pulled at the laces of her boots, which were quickly latched onto by Winter, fangs lightly digging into the leather and tugging. "Heh, thanks, Miss Winter." 

A growl answered her as the other boot was pulled off. 

"I'll keep calling you that until you come up with something different." Finally, she laid back, sighing deeply and cracking her eyes open when she felt the bed dip. 

Although far larger than perhaps the bed could comfortably fit, Winter got up and settled down beside Yang, clearly intending to remain there until she'd recovered. 

"You can go back to the feast," she said. "I'm sure you're hungry." 

The werewolf deeply sighed, settling further into her spot. 

Yang laughed. "Take that as a no. Alright. See ya... in the morning." 

Letting go, she fell into a deep slumber, surrounded by warmth despite not having drawn the covers over herself.

Yang woke slowly, warm and comfortable despite the irritation along her right side. So exhausted from the ordeal, she hadn't even removed her prosthetic, and had rolled onto it sometime during the night, the metal biting into her chest a mild discomfort she could ignore during bone weary slumber but not outside it. However, trying to move immediately became a bit difficult, seeing as an arm was draped over her waist, holding her in place, and her breath caught in her throat at what she might find if she rolled over. 

"I'm awake... to an extent," Winter said, though the words were soft at the edges, warm breath hitting the back of her head. "And I'm wearing clothes." Relieved, she shifted and rolled onto her back, finding the woman beside her in a long shirt that went past the swell of her hips, a contrast to the thin shift Yang wore under her armor and the leggings she couldn't have gotten off the night before due to lack of energy. "I find your sense of modesty odd, for one raised by werewolves."

Her lips curled into a grin. "Just because we're a bunch of beasts doesn't mean we can't be civilized about it."

Winter chuckled, a bright sound in the early morning that made her grin grow; from the stories she'd heard upon arriving in the royal city, she wouldn't think it possible. Surely, half the kingdom thought the entire royal family had no humor at all, but now it seemed that the removal of the dark cloud lording over them gave each the ability to relax, be happy. Weiss obviously wasted no time securing her own happiness; her sister would likely follow in time. 

Which actually brought up a thought. 

"What happened to your brother?" 

A frown tugged at her lips as the woman looked away briefly. "He fled. I don't know any specifics but I can... smell it- fear, panic, on the south wind. He's running and I'm not sure when he'll stop." 

"Are you going to chase him?" It probably wasn't her place to ask. She hunted fearsome and fantastic beasts, not people, but her eyes were glued to the woman's expression. 

"No," she said, eyes unfocused for a moment before she closed them, sighing deeply as she turned into the mattress. "He'll return, someday. Either to beg forgiveness or avenge our father. We'll be ready for him."

"I'm glad you're confident." Yang reached over and detached her prosthetic, sighing in relief. Her shoulder needed time to recover before she got up and faced the day. "He might run to Vacuo. But those warlocks don't like when their toys get taken away." 

"We'll deal with it when it comes," she said, shuffling closer and laying an arm across Yang's stomach. "You should rest. You deserve it." 

A few moments of silence passed, a hundred thoughts ricocheting around inside her skull. "I should start packing." Winter immediately stiffened but she pressed on, staring at the intricate moldings on the ceiling above. "This job's done. I'll need to go report back so no one else comes up here trying to kill you. Plus, I can visit the Elders-" 

"You could send a messenger for that." 

"... I could." 

"But you won't." She pushed herself up, scrubbing at her eyes. "I suppose there's no reason for you to stay, now." 

"And it upsets you." Winter glanced at her, then pointedly directed her gaze elsewhere. Slowly, the hunter sat up, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder. "I know it feels like you’re going against who you are, but you have to adapt to this new side of you. Wolves are social and very vocal; they communicate everything with their pack."

"I don't even know what that means." Frustration colored her tone, brows pinching together. "I don't have a pack; as far as I know, there are no werewolves in Atlas besides myself." 

"Your pack isn't just other werewolves." She licked her lips. "Think, right now, if the castle was under siege. An army just outside the gates, swords looking for throats to slit. Who would you rush to protect? Weiss? Blake? Servants? Soldiers?" 

Winter's expression darkened, a flash of gold in her eyes as she tensed, lips pulling back in a snarl. The idea of a threat called to both the elder sibling and the wolf within her, and she replied readily. "Weiss and Blake, yes. Klein. James. Healer Goodwitch..." then blue eyes turned her way. "You." 

Yang nodded, not at all surprised. But that didn’t make it easier. "Packs stick together, usually. You see me as part of your pack; it's only natural to be upset that I'm leaving." 

The woman stood, pulling away from her touch, shaking her head as she paced. "That... it doesn't feel right. There's something else. More."

To some extent, she knew. Humans were weaker creatures- adaptable, resilient, yet ultimately brought down by their own failings- but wolves were sure, steady, they understood their place in the world intrinsically. The wolf in her knew what she wanted... or was at least willing to accept inclinations. 

Shortly after turning, after accepting the mantle of werewolf, it wasn't uncommon for... mistakes to be made, to bond with someone out of gratitude or overwhelming- but, ultimately, short lived- affection. Being the one who helped Winter, of course their bond would be strong... but was it true? 

Yang scratched at the back of her head, looking down at her lap. On the one hand, the werewolf might genuinely want her as a mate... on the other, it could be the byproduct of confusion and stress, a need to have someone- anyone- as a partner.

"Miss Winter... I have to go," she said, watching the woman stop her pacing and look back, a slump to her shoulders. "It's for the best." 

"I don't believe that," she replied, expression smoothing out into polite stoicism, so very much like when they’d first met, minus the aggression. "But I understand I can't change your mind." Pressing her lips into a thin line, Winter turned, retrieving a robe and sliding it over her shoulders. "I'll see to the arrangements myself. You should rest while you can; the packing I'll leave to you, but I'll have a mount and provisions ready when you decide to depart." 

"Thanks." 

Just before stepping out of the bedchamber, the woman turned and offered her a genuine smile. "Thank you, Yang. You've done more than words can say and I'll never be able to express the depths of my gratitude."

Her heart clenched but she offered an answering smile all the same, watching as Winter slipped out before collapsing back against the mattress. 

In the back of her mind, she wondered if she was making the right decision. She liked the woman- the gruff soldier dedicated to her mission, the elder sibling drawing their father's ire to protect her sister, the proud soul learning to show weakness with grace- and with every turn, she discovered more facets, more layers, and each called to her. Yang could fall in love so quickly and it had burned her before; she'd nursed a broken heart, being left behind for one reason or another. And Winter was the sort of person she could fall for, if she hadn't already.

But the doubt lingered. She was a hunter, an adventurer, a warrior scarred from battles- not someone fit to sup with nobles, and she couldn't even be certain Winter truly cared for her. It could just as easily be clinging to someone who understood during a period of uncertainty. A lifeline. 

Distance and time would tell. She was making the right decision. 

For a moment, Yang cast her gaze around, unsure if she wanted to try sleeping a bit later, but she had to shut her eyes. On the dresser, there were little trinkets- bobbles from the southern tips of Atlas, effigies of deities, the sorts of tokens people would give to someone to wish for safe passage- and tucked up in the corner of the vanity mirror was a child's rendering of the royal family with 'me' scrawled above the middle child's white ponytail. 

If she allowed herself to look around... she might never leave. 

"My job is done. Other people need my help," she said, rolling onto her left side and massaging her right shoulder. "This'll pass." 

In a few years, maybe she'll come back out this way. If not for a job, then just to pass through. Maybe she could pen a letter to Blake- the Faunus seemed inclined to discreet communications, given how hard and long she'd worked to keep her relationship with Weiss as secret as either of them could manage. And when she returned, saw Winter standing tall beside her chosen mate, she would be happy for her. Werewolves mated for life and Winter seemed loyal before that. 

Whoever she chose would be lucky. 

Yang shut her eyes, and dozed lightly, entertaining a dozen daydreams. 

The wind blew softly- cold, but bitter only in spurts. New flags flew from every rampart- the old heraldry discarded in favor of a white snowflake on a black field, a wolf's head with a crown between its ears above- and even some of the guards and knights had their uniforms and decorations swapped out for the new design. Weiss' reign was only three days old but the eagerness to embrace her rule was more than telling and her mother, now sober more often than not, provided the wise council she was once so well known for, though she yielded readily when the reigning Queen stood firm.

Yang sighed, her breath coming out in a puff of fog. Early morning in the Atlas winter meant weak light and short days but the people seemed in high spirits, bowing and waving as the little procession made its way through the royal city, towards the southern gate. She'd tried telling them the fanfare wasn't necessary- rarely did the people who hired her personally walk her to the gates for a farewell- but the Queen insisted and there was no talking her out of it. Her head went bare, bereft of the crown of her forefathers, and she'd yet to decide if a new one would be made. Yet, she'd managed to convince Blake to wear the former Queen's, and Yang had to smile at the way the woman had done her best to keep her composure while suggesting it while Blake blushed madly. In hindsight, the Faunus should've probably expected so ostentatious a courtship favor, belated though it may be with the wedding on the way. The royal couple led the little procession, smiling and waving to the people they passed, pausing for a step or two to bend an ear.

Behind them, Yang shuffled along, lead in hand as a horse easily worth more gold than she'd ever carried on her person marched behind her- had to be a war horse, alert and on guard, proud and stubborn, all the headstrong might of a stallion packed into a mare that promised fierce retribution to any who provoked her. Honestly, Yang thought they'd get along swimmingly, especially after the first chuff at her hand, the horse's dark brown eyes almost daring her to do something- as if she could sense or smell the dragon's blood in her veins. To her left, Winter strode purposefully down the thoroughfare, chin up and shoulders back, bedecked in her best dress uniform with new, silver pauldrons attached to a white cloak with golden trim- a foolhardy decision, perhaps, but one that sent a clear message of resolute fearlessness. It likely wouldn't kill her, but if either pauldron touched her skin, it would burn, even in human form; Yang found herself admiring the werewolf's absolute determination, even if it was ill advised. 

"You look good." The words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them, a blush rising in her cheeks as she tried to make herself sound a little more articulate. "I mean- your new armor. It looks very good on you. Strong, dependable, warm." 

Mentally, she slapped herself, but Winter offered a wan smile. "Thank you, Yang. I'm glad you approve." She nodded ahead of them. "Weiss thinks it's reckless. I think it sends a message." 

"That every cloud has a silver lining?" She grinned, lips pulling wider at the startled laughter that burst into the morning air. Winter hadn't laughed like that in the past few days; she wasn't entirely humorless, but she'd been subdued, morose. It felt good to see her in higher spirits. "I think it's a little of all three. And it's good to see you smiling again." 

"Strange, I think, that you've known me so little, you think the absence of a smile is odd." She shrugged- carefully. "Yet, you know me best of any."

"Do I though?" She tried to play it off but a voice whispered in the back of her mind: she did know, that the person most people saw was an act, that though she'd been cold and stiff before it wasn't born of personal choice but necessity. Winter could be kind, warm, encouraging... she did know the person beneath the mask. "But you... know a few things about me, too." 

"Yes. I know the blood in your veins, the strength of your convictions, the height of your intelligence, your perceptiveness- you were forced to grow up quickly. I assume you helped raise and teach some of the new werewolves, acted as guide and guardian." Winter paused. "I'd like very much to hear what stories you might have to tell." 

Lilac eyes fell on the city gates. "I'm afraid none of them are short, and our time is." 

"Permit me my fantasies," she replied, expression turning a touch somber. "A goodbye isn't painful unless you're never going to say hello again." 

"Who told you that?" Yang thought back on... a lot of goodbyes and found herself unable to agree fully. 

"It's an old saying. Hopeful, I suppose." Winter glanced her way. "I suspect you see it differently."

"The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained." Tears stung at her eyes. "That's from experience. Doesn't matter if it's the last one or not." A hand laid on her shoulder, bringing them to a brief halt. 

Winter's brows pinched together, voice soft. "You are strong, not just for the power in your arms or the scars you bear." Her right hand clenched, though only for a moment. "Your strength comes from rising above the pain others have put you through, and not letting it darken your heart." 

"I guess." Again, doubts swirled. She'd given Winter reasons for her leaving... but they weren't the whole truth, now were they? Was she repeating history? 

"Yang." She met the werewolf's gaze- blue, with a hint of gold about the iris, a sure sign the two sides had started to find their balance. "I understand why you're leaving." She paused. "I don't like it. I don't want it... but I understand your reasons. And it's not like you're slipping off in the dead of night." 

"I think that's more your bag." The words left her mouth before she could think better of it, surprising both of them. Lips tugged up before both of them started laughing, bringing the rest of the procession to a halt.

"I- I have to admit, you have a fair point," Winter finally said after reining in her amusement. "But I do try to give warning now." 

"Just give it a few more years." They started walking again, Weiss and Blake throwing little looks and whispers back and forth. "Once you can change at will... now that will be when giving heads up matters." 

"I realize this may come off as selfish..." Winter paused, weighing her words before speaking. "But I'll admit I wish I had someone to help me in the time to come. It'll be difficult, being alone." 

"You won't be alone. You have your pack," she swallowed, offering a small smile. "I'm... I'm still with you, even when I'm not here." 

The werewolf looked at her, nodding solemnly. "You will be indeed." The corners of her lips tugged up. "You're a very difficult person to forget, Yang." 

She gripped the reins a little tighter as they approached the gates, trying to keep the words locked behind her teeth, but they tumbled out all the same. "You're pretty remarkable yourself, Miss Winter."

Weiss had restored her sister's title first and foremost, once again putting the elder sibling as heiress apparent, though she'd joked once or twice about only having the title for the next two decades, if that. Given the way Blake had blushed, she'd be willing to bet that charge wasn't too far off. 

Her expression tightened, gaze turning away. "Promise me you'll try to be careful. Invest in some enchantments to repel hexes, or perhaps a shield?" 

"I'll pick one up. Just for you." She shouldn't have said that. Yet she did and found herself sharing a smile with Winter just before they passed through the gates, Weiss and Blake awaiting them on the other side. "I suppose this is it, Your Majesty."

"The end of one chapter and the beginning of another one," Weiss said, offering a brief hug- which took Yang off guard, though she quickly recovered, returning the embrace. "You do realize you'll be welcomed in Atlas, correct? Whenever you might deign to return, our borders and our castle will be open to you." 

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yang nodded, then turned to Blake, who also embraced her. "And, uh, Your Majesty?" 

"Just Blake is fine." The Faunus gave her a little smile that seemed to hint at a tease. "People like us should stick together." 

What that meant, the hunter had an idea and rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Just Blake." 

Her shoulder was shoved lightly, a small laugh following that brought a smile to her lips. Then she turned towards Winter, unsure what to expect. 

After a pause, she stepped forward, offering a hand. "Farewell, Huntress. Thank you, for everything." 

She grabbed Winter's forearm- a warrior's gesture. "My pleasure, Your Highness." 

They held each other there a moment, looking into each other's eyes before breaking contact, both tight lipped. Yang turned, opting to lead the horse a bit further up the road before mounting, and dragging her feet in the process. 

A weight slammed into her back, arms wrapping around her chest as she staggered forward. Looking over her shoulder, she found Winter's face buried in her furs, eyes shut tight and teeth grit as one pauldron pressed against her skin, grey smoke wafting up. 

"I know you can't stay. I know I can't go." Her voice, soft, hardly rose above the din of the royal city awakening, but Yang heard every word. "But if you ever return, I will be here for you. You can always come back." 

She laid a hand on the arm about her waist, sighing. Yang turned in Winter's arms, letting the lead drop and returning the embrace. She simply couldn't ignore the powerful pull in her chest.

"Follow your heart. Listen to your wolf. You'll find your path." She pulled far enough away to run the backs of her knuckles against silver burned flesh, allowing some of her dragon magic to leak out and speed along the recovery process. Wouldn't be good for the people to see their divine werewolf sporting a fresh silver burn, after all. The way Winter leaned into the touch had nothing to do with it. "If you ever come to Vale for business, ask for the Elders. They'll welcome you as a sister." She paused, debating. "And they know the quickest way to find me." 

"I'll keep it in mind." She drew back, reluctant to break contact but doing so all the same and offering a small smile. "Safe travels." 

"Hunter's luck," she replied, grabbing the abandoned reins and going off, mounting up and beginning down the road, the horse's steady gait comforting, but only so much. When she got to the top of a hill- right before the bend that would hide the heart of Atlas from her sight- she looked back. 

Winter stood there, watching her, and the pain in her heart confirmed at least one thing. Regardless if the werewolf saw her as a packmate, a playmate, or a lifemate, Yang had already started to fall in love with her. 

She pulled on the reins and gave the horse- Ember, she decided, that would be a good name- her head, launching them both into a full gallop towards the coast.