#i doubt gil can cook

[hydrachea]

Gonna go with the obvious here and ask GilRin for that ship meme

ship meme

My favorite, the culmination of "this is getting out of hand, now there's two of them", a double serving of tsundere, and validated by word of god. What's there not to love?

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

"The Last Temptation": One Megathread to Rule Them All - Clues and Speculation, PART 3

9) How will Sauron prove his love for Galadriel?

We are back, and we are cracking the code here, we are cooking, and I want to thank @justacynicalromantic; @pearlstomyeyes and @historical-romances9, for their ideas, and with whom I wholesome agree. And there's foreshadowing to back it up.

In both Part 1 and Part 2, we already discussed some crucial points leading to “The Last Temptation” scene: (1) Sauron in love with Galadriel, (2) Galadriel having conflicted feelings for him in return and (3) her seek him out alone at the finale, and how the director of the finale, Charlotte Brändström teased on “X-Ray Vision” podcast:

I think Sauron even really loves Galadriel and you see that at the very end. 

The season seems to be building towards: 

Against all warnings, Galadriel will seek out Sauron alone at the finale; 

She’s ready to sacrifice herself (based on the visions of Nenya in 2x04, my bet is that Galadriel knows she’ll die in her duel with Sauron, but will go to fight him anyway);

She’ll 100% want to destroy Sauron, and there is no doubt in her mind (especially after seeing first-hand what he did to Celebrimbor, in 2x07).

Sauron will somehow prove he really loves Galadriel (to both her, and the audience).

The question is: how?

As I’ve mentioned on Part 2 of this megathread, I don’t think visions alone are enough to put this point across, because Sauron will always look/sound manipulative by showing Galadriel visions of Halbrand/“what could have been”/or whatever.

He can show her all the same, but I don’t think that will be *the* proof that he truly loves her, and that everything they shared before (when she believed him to be “just Halbrand”) wasn’t a deception on his part. 

Morgoth’s iron crown isn’t only a means to lure Sauron out or to used as a mere "sword", as we’ve seen on the trailers. And, as I’ve discussed in Part 2, my bet is Galadriel will try to test Adar’s theory that Morgoth’s iron crown + Nenya can destroy Sauron for good.

From this “Behind the Scenes” teaser, we know that Galadriel will get Nenya back, and has it during her fight with Sauron in 2x08. 

I already talked about this being Galadriel’s plan in Part 2, but I will develop it here. With that being said, and as @justacynicalromantic so brilliantly observed, Morgoth’s iron crown is not a MacGuffin, but the Chekhov’s gun of the plot. The iron crown is a very powerful object, infused with Dark magic (maybe Blood Magic even) who has the power to destroy Sauron’s physical form, as we’ve seen in 2x01.  

Now, prepare for strangeness and to be mind-blown because Morgoth's Iron crown is fatally wounding someone at the finale (coming full circle). And there will be some healing involved, to save this character’s life. Now, this sounds out of “Star Wars” (and I'm not sure if I’m a huge fan of this myself), but stay with me.  

In 2x04, we already saw that Nenya has powerful healing properties, when Galadriel saves Camnir from a fatal Orc arrow wound, before heading to fight the Orcs alone, and allowing Elrond & co. to escape back to Lindon and warn Gil-galad the Orc legions are marching towards Eregion.  

(This screenshot looks terrible because I had to up the brightness otherwise, we wouldn’t see anything).

We have two possible scenarios here: 

Either Galadriel stabs Sauron with the iron crown, regrets it, and heals Sauron; 

Or Galadriel accidentally scratches/stabs herself or Sauron does, with Morgoth’s iron crown during the fight, and is dying, but she’s healed by Sauron (hence proving his love for her). 

My main problem with being Sauron getting stabbed in this scenario: (1) we already saw that happening; and (2) it wouldn’t prove to the audience and to Galadriel that he’s actually in love with her. And I do believe Galadriel’s mindset going into this fight will be to destroy Sauron, and so I don’t see her regretting stabbing him, nor leaving him for dead.

My bet: Galadriel is the one who gets fatally wounded by Morgoth's Iron Crown.

This season, there’s already been a female character dying of poisoning by an Orc arrow (R.I.P. Bronwyn). And as Arondir explains to the audience, in 2x03, Orc arrows have a foul substance the flesh doesn’t forget (couldn’t find the actual quote). So: can this be foreshadowing?  

With Orc arrows the poison is slower (Bronwyn didn’t die right away), but what of Morgoth’s very crown? The Dark magic on it it’s 10000 times stronger. Meaning, a mere scratch can be enough to be fatal, even to an Elf. So, I can definitely see this mirroring Frodo’s Morgul wound from the “Fellowship of the Ring”, leaving Galadriel at the brink of death. 

Now, will Nenya come into play in this scenario?

I think it can go both ways, really. Because Sauron is a powerful Dark sorcerer on his own and he’s a servant of Morgoth, so he doesn’t exactly need Nenya to save Galadriel’s life. But maybe he’ll have to use it? The magic on the crown can be so strong, that Nenya’s power might have to come to the rescue (meaning Nenya's healing powers in 2x04 are also foreshadowing to this scene).

This would make Galadriel “touch the darkness” for real, because with Frodo the wound from the Morgul-blade never fully healed throughout the years. So what will happen to Galadriel if she does get stabbed by Morgoth’s iron crown, and is healed by Sauron himself? Unless the power of Nenya acts as counterbalance to this.

Can Elrond’s choice come into play in this scenario, as well? 

If Elrond isn't forced to make this choice in 2x07, I think this scene will be it (especially since fans have already noticed "Elrond’s theme" on the "Last Temptation theme").

Elrond can witness Galadriel get wounded by Morgoth’s Iron Crown and falling down, and have to face the choice between saving her life or stopping Sauron (in the future), just like he promised her in 2x04. And, in this scenario, he would eventually choose to save the Elves, and leave Galadriel for dead.

Where do we go from here? 

As I’ve already speculated in Part 2, I think Galadriel’s true feelings for Sauron will either be: (1) explicit portraited or (2) highly implied in this scene, and that’s why Magda Walma aka “the Polish reviewer” believes that Celeborn won’t ever in “Rings of Power” (he will, but I’m betting no earlier than Season 4 or even Season 5, to help Galadriel heal from all of this).

In this scenario, I can only see two possible outcomes, really: 

Either Galadriel willingly goes with Sauron at the end; 

Sauron goes away by himself, and leaves Galadriel behind, unarmed and saved (further proving his love for her). 

Either way, and even if these theories aren’t true, I think it’s safe to say we can expect an insane and highly emotional scene between Sauron and Galadriel at the finale. I don’t believe for a second, she’ll outright resist him again. It’s not what the season has been building up towards.

[tricksterfiction]

Prompt #11 Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Time passed, somehow, but it was all blurry.

Active erosion, chiselling away at something, there were always so many distractions. The discontent was fleeting, sparks before being drowned away. She was conscious, propped upright, she had survived it all relatively intact. And yet... There was a pinprick of a hole, slowly widening.

Brief glimpses of the distractions, she was away from her ceiling hanging indoor plants, her beloved creeping ivy spilling over the window sill, the small animal bones, the messy desk piled with books with reference marks, dusty spines, and piles of old candle wax. A carefully tended shrine to Althyk with incense ash in pewter bowls. What all used to be such an important sanctuary.

Her bed was neat, orderly, sheets tucked so tightly you could bounce a single gil off it. It was cold and untouched.

Stranger's beds were so comfy, inviting, and she had tumbled endlessly into them.

"Would you like to join my girlfriend and I tonight?" He would ask, behind a blurry face.

"Sure," She would say, "Don't blame me if you break up once she realizes you can't perform oral for shit."

A good hearty laugh from both. Sen would laugh too.

Hands bound, the tip of a fang dragging delicately along the nape of her neck.

"Remember, you can do whatever you want. It'll be gone by the morning."

"I know, pet," A hot breath rolled over her neck, but their tone changed out of play mode, "Remember your safe word." Another, different blurry face swam into view as her blindfold was pulled down to make eye contact.

Another was seated beside her, similarly bound. Her posture was perfect.

"Of course." Sen would say.

Sat down at Carline Canopy.

"Sorry Sen, this isn't working out anymore. You-..." She sighed, "Barely take any time off, and I don't feel like we can fit into your life. You haven't told your parents about us." Both of them held hands, separate from Sen. They looked hurt.

"I-I understand." A strained frown, her heart ached, a spark of discontent flew. "I wish you both the best."

Another party of strangers, the sound of wine pouring. Holding out her mug.

"Whats the matter, little dragon?" A tilt of her chin.

She was suddenly shy, quailing, blushing. She was sandwiched by a handsome midlander and seeker, by her own deliberate efforts to join the party. Now that she was where she had wanted to be she was losing all nerve. Confused above all else why she was reacting so strongly to such a familiar set up. "N-nothing, just don't call me pet, kay?"

"Whatever you say," His face too was a blur, as he leaned in for a kiss and she gladly met him. More than ready to tune out the doubts, retreat gratefully into her body.

He stopped again, this time catching her hands and could tell her heart wasn't in it. He sweetly pressed his lips to her knuckles, searching her face, "Tell us, what is hurting?"

She brushed it off, cutting sharply, "I said it was nothing because it would only bore you."

A flick of leaflet, a letter, open exuberant excitement.

"Oh, Sen, the botanists commendations have finally arrived! Glowing as expected," Madame Dubois was elated, "Now only the military commendations...! Everything we've worked for is finally bearing fruit."

Sen stared at the leaflet, summoning a smile, "Yeah, I was wondering when it'd arrive."

Sensing something was off, Madame Dubois cautiously inquired, "You are still seeing the counsellor?"

"Yes, every week." She answered.

"Meditating?"

"Yes and praying before you ask." She answered dryly.

Madame Dubois wrung out her hands, worried, "Of course you're not expected to be here every night, I'll always cook for two- I..." She hesitated, "You've been so busy out of the house and speak so little of your social excursions."

"They're nothing really to talk about, truthfully. Please don't be worried, I'm just-"

"You miss Miss Kemp, yes?" She was taking shots in the dark.

Sen sighed loudly, "Everyday but that's not the problem. I'm just in a funk, okay? Untangle those hands."

---

Moons passed, summers came and went. Sen found herself in the spring again. Still stumbling in and out of her patterns. Presently bent over her current patient.

"Hold still." A small thin hook being threaded, aether surrounding her fingertips as pain relief, she stitched the back of some soldier's head. She blinked, zoning out. The soldier waited patiently for several moments, trying to stay still as time passed.

"Corporal?"

Every muscle was taut. Her entire body tensed, brow deeply furrowed. The hole in her heart had expanded so widely that the emptiness couldn't, wouldn't be ignored any longer. It throbbed hungrily to be filled, and not to be filled by sex, love or work.

Sen's breathing grew rapid, she flinched at the touch of her colleague tapping her shoulder. More time had passed than she realized, the soldier flinched as well.

"Ow!"

Snapped back to reality, "Ah- I, sorry one moment." She rapidly finished the stitching, tying it off. Patting the soldier's shoulder, free to go.

They rubbed their neck, giving Sen a strange look before heading out of the ward.

Her colleague, face sharply in focus, young miqo'te woman with a bushy brow and slowly invading unibrow. She was climbing the ranks, and despite Sen's sharp tongue leaned on her for her experience, "You alright, Urabe?"

Sen blinked at her, before she knew what she was saying - the words smashed past all internal filters, "I don't want to do this anymore."

Her colleague began to laugh, "Yeah it's slow today, you don't have any physicals scheduled today right?"

Sen was uncharacteristically neutral, no hints of amusement to be found, she got up. In a flurry of movement she cleaned up her workspace, washed her hands, tugging off her uniform over her head.

Her colleagues complained, "Go to the change rooms, for godssakes-"

She didn't reply but pulled on a deep green cloak, fastening it, not sparing them a second look.

"Sen?"

She stopped, the three of them in total were staring at her. She reassured them, "I'll see you tomorrow." Then was gone.

---

Sen wondered through Gridania on foot, holding the reigns of her chocobo. Moonshine was kweh'ing with delight, expectant of exercise and exploration. The conjurer found herself by the massive community board, staring at the various flyers for bar nights, fights, and other social events.

A Private she recognized was pinning recruitment flyers up when she approached, squinting at something in particular. She reached tugging it free from underneath the colourful layers.

"Bokh?" She said aloud, "Authentic Bokh?" She deliberated, would it be a waste of time? How many scantily clad muscle men and women would be drawn to a traditional wrestling event?

The hyur private noticed her, a salute before leaning over to see what caught her eye. He chuckled, "You lizards really do like wrestling huh?"

"Don't call me lizard, Private." She warned sharply, folding the flyer to tuck into her belt.

He straightened, rolled his eyes, and returned to his flyer pinning while muttering, "Whatever, foreigner."

That got him a shove, "That's rich coming from you, Private Steele."

"Hey! Watch it-"

She continued, piercing, "When your family only moved to the Shroud two summers ago, you've barely got the stink of Greenwrath off of you." She cut deep, "I've lived here nearly my entire life and you would do well showing some godsdamn respect to the people mending your bruised ego after a snapped bow string nearly took out your eye three moons ago."

He blushed furiously, but elected wisely to shut up.

Sen walked away, reading the flyer closely. With the evening off she tapped the folded flyer to her chin with thought. She spared a look down at herself - not really dressed for the beach. It wouldn't really matter, she wasn't going to do any wrestling herself.

She went to Limsa Lominsa, down to the Mists, Moonshine happiest of all.

She arrived late for the start, riding up along the seabreeze markets, looking over the stone walls past patrons perched on them. She rode on taking herself down to the sands. It was busy - crowds were gathered around three separate rings of wrestlers paired off already in full swing of their matches.

To her surprise there was a great deal of variety of wrestlers from miqo'te, auri, hyur, lalafells, men and women across the spectrum. A rare smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she dismounted shooing Moonshine off to explore and find a good patch of grass to graze. Instead the chocobo went bounding to play in the surf.

Coming up behind a considerable crowd she pushed past to get to the front, many excuse me's, begging of pardons, gentle shouldering to get to the front for a good view to watch.

A dark keeper, only shades above shadow faced off against a towering xaela. He was lanky, distantly familiar, and the way he moved past the mountain he faced off against he was practically acrobatic. Fangs flashed with a confident grin. Red eyes lit up with adrenaline.

"I don't fucking believe it." A face snapped sharply into focus past all the noise. The same face smiling with latent approval while he carried home his younger sister Dolyea after their tree mishap. A face screwing up with disgust at tasting something foul they had snuck into his lunch. His face barely restrained fury, holding up his lance speared with a Bog Yarzon's limb shaking it at the pair of troublemakers, they snickered behind their hands.

The match ended, she found his discarded shirt thrown off to the side while two others swarmed to his side as he had all but collapsed in the sands from the exertion. They were congratulating him on the wonderful match.

Sen offered him his shirt, "Hey Twig."

He stared up at her, scrutinizing the nickname long since unheard. Jesser'to accepted his shirt, he replied curiously, "Pipsqueak?"

[softquietsteadylove]

Helloooo.

We haven’t read from the zombie au for a while!

Thena and Gil were traveling a while now and decide to take a break in an abandoned farm. They are exhausted, especially Gil because the fight before was pretty rough on them (zombies were a bit too strong for Thena).Later she walks into the room with some stuff to cook, calling for Gil only to find him leaned against a wall visible exhausted and sleeping.

Let’s do some very sweet and soft moments between them.

Thena picked through the remains of the farmhouse's cupboards. Most were abandoned, as expected. But if she had learned anything in her time with Gil, it was that she really didn't know what cans of mundane food could be made delicious.

She didn't know how she had gotten so lucky.

Gil was an incredible find in the current state of the world. Not even just in terms of the skills he had, but to find someone who wasn't just...some psycho?--a rare find indeed.

And Gil was not only not bad, but rather sweet--charming even. He was really funny, although he seemed surprised every time he said something that made her laugh. She didn't know how, because he was hysterical. And he was gallant! He had a chivalry to him that Thena couldn't remember seeing since...maybe ever.

She had never met anyone like Gil before.

So, he was sweet, he was funny, he was great company, especially since Thena was so silent she worried she might go insane because she would sooner that than start talking to herself. But Gil was somehow still personable after all of this.

Other people noticed it, too. Anyone they came across - who also wasn't just some psycho - always asked him to join them and their people. Sometimes it was just one or two people, and sometimes it was a pretty sizable group. And always, he turned them down.

Thena was always more than a little relieved when he did. She didn't mesh well with people. But with Gil...it was much more natural. And the fact that he could cook was just the icing on the cake.

Thena made the quick trip from the farmhouse to the barn they had secured a few hours prior. They'd had to clear out a massive horde from inside of it, some of them really massive from the skylight having let in rainwater. Gil had done the heavy lifting, of course. He was a little overprotective at times, but Thena gave him the benefit of the doubt. He was just worrisome like that--almost a bit of a fraidy cat. She wasn't surprised he would insist on handling the bigger ones for her.

"There wasn't exactly a feast left in there," Thena murmured as she locked the door to the barn behind her. At least they were right, and the smell was already improved from when they'd first opened the doors. She rummaged through the bundle of cans she did find. "But there are three different kinds of beans, and I found your favourite: cranberry-Gil?"

The man in question was leaned up against one of the support pillars, out like a light. He was sleeping so heavily she was glad she always insisted on setting perimeter traps before they set down anywhere. He was snoring.

Thena set down her finds gently on the wooden floor, kneeling down to peek at his sleeping face. It was completely relaxed in his dozing, his mouth slightly open. There was something kind of beautiful about his face, sometimes.

Look, she wasn't ignorant, okay? She was aware that Gil had a certain...stature. She had noticed that her companion for the aftertimes was built like a built like a bear but soft like a teddy.

Once or twice - a few times at most! - she had been too unnerved by their surroundings to sleep, and had cuddled up to Gil. He was warm! And something about him calmed the part of her that was always alert--always alarmed. But she always tried to wake up before him and put some distance between them.

If he didn't bring it up, then it never happened.

"Oh, Gil," Thena smiled at him as he let out another soft snore. She retrieved his bag and pulled out two blankets, folding up one around the side of the pillar for herself. Even while used to sleeping on the ground, a wood floor would feel very different.

Once seated on her little pillow, Thena draped the other blanket around Gil and guided him down gently. She pulled until his head met her lap, letting him settle against her comfortably.

As if able to sense immediately that his neck wasn't cramped in an awkward position, he sighed. He shimmied a little, adjusting to his position against her.

Thena watched him smile in his sleep, running her fingers through his hair. It was feathery soft, dark with just a few greys starting at his hairline. She would have to ask him how to cut it for him come the time.

"Anything out there?"

Thena smiled, still running her hand through his hair. "No, you sleep."

"Okay," he sighed blissfully, "I'll take next watch."

They were both asleep within the hour.

[zoronadotatanado]

Crescendo in the Clouds Pt II

Theme: Of Molten Stars

The airship was a perfect fit… for a single Highlander Hyur man. Zoronado had to stretch his arms all the way out just to hold onto the steering bars, with the three pedals needing extension just to reach his feet. There was no possible way he could rest his back against the rest either, forcing him to sit on the very edge of the seat if he wanted to remain in control of the airship; but the sheer size of the cockpit meant there was plenty of room for two Lalafell, allowing Leleni to sit behind him on the seat. Zoronado leaned forward and pulled the crank between his legs again as soon as Leleni placed her hands on his shoulders and got comfortable on the seat, causing the propellers to speed up. They broke away from the edge of the floating island with a shake and shutter, then they sped off into the sky.

Leleni’s voracious appetite for knowledge compelled her to ignore the beautiful view of the floating islands they sailed past to instead focus her attention on her champion. She watched his wrists slightly twist the steering grips to bend the dorsal sail to their right, causing the ship to gently turn in that direction. Every now and then his feet would push against the pedals, or he’d let go of a steering stick with one hand to crank a lever or push a few buttons. Zoronado– understanding as he is– remained silent, letting her figure it all out on her own without his input unless asked. He couldn’t feel her breath against his neck thanks to the cool breeze rushing over them, but he could feel her warmth all the same. Her hand gently gripped his shoulder for balance, occasionally tightening when he had to change course faster than she expected. There was a lot he wanted to tell her; but instead he kept his mouth closed, and made sure to use all of the levers, pulleys, cranks, and pedals until she would lose interest.

“Zoronado…” She muttered, turning around to press their backs together. “... maybe we should go exploring again soon… you know, like we used to.”

“We should!” He replied, now able to relax a bit with his talkative backrest. “We’re just about out of gil… and it will be good to get out of the estate.” Furtively he rubbed at his stomach, which has gotten noticeably softer and rounder; even without the ability to taste food, Coco’s cooking was rich, and plentiful… and most of all, free! “But…” He started, turning his head slightly. “... you’ve been really busy with Heartwood. I don’t want you to forsake your duties on my account.”

“Once Rising is found we can all rest easy…” Leleni closed her eyes and tilted her head back against his. The sun was glaring overhead but the breeze made the temperature perfect for snoozing, and already she could feel herself getting sleepy again despite the extra rest she received from his absence. “Until then… I need to get stronger and make myself useful to Heartwood.”

“You’ve been pushing yourself really hard to become a Thaumaturge…” Zoronado gently pushed forward on the controls, causing the nose of the ship to drop as they descended between two floating islands. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

Her eyes flicked open and her brow furrowed; being doubted by Augusta and Ziv were par for the course, but by her most loyal companion? “What do you mean by that? You don’t think I can do it?!”

“I didn’t say that.” He quickly answered after hearing the indignance in her voice. “I know you’ve had a love for knowledge ever since Kol’din. Exploring this unknown and foreign place was all you wanted to do when I came back with my report from the ‘Land of Giants’. And I’ve seen you practice and practice and practice… already you can cast such powerful spells. To be honest I’m quite jealous… I can’t cast any magick at all.” Leleni settled down to hear him out– she was still skeptical of his answer but that would have to wait until he was finished. “I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished in such a short time… but I just… I don’t know if you’ll… still want me around, once you’re proficient with magick…” Zoronado furtively glanced over at her, his cheeks reddening. “W-what I mean to say is… well… you’re… you’re precious to me, is all…”

“I’m not going to leave you behind.” Was all Leleni could muster. She closed her eyes once she heard his subtle sigh of relief, and just like that, her anger was once again extinguished. The idea of abandoning her champion once she no longer needed him to protect her put a rock in her stomach– she would never do something so callous and terrible! She took a deep breath and turned around to place her hands on his shoulders, causing him to stiffen and sit up straight. “... and you’re precious to me too…” 

Leleni then sat there and watched his ears turn red. Despite her angry outbursts, her mood swings, and her overall sassy demeanor, this man has never once even suggested he might one day leave. It was nice to know he would always be there for her, for better or for worse. She was a married woman, but her arranged husband was thousands of malms away; if Zoronado offered to take her hand in marriage she would accept it without question.

He suddenly pushed down on both steering handles, and the ship took a sharp nosedive. "Whaaa-!" Leleni squeaked, tightly wrapping her arms around him! Something large swept over their heads and left behind a cloud of feathers! Both Lalafell looked back to see a giant griffin turning around to make another pass! "Zoronado! It's gaining on us!"

"Hang on!" He leaned forward and pulled a side lever, causing the propellers to spin even faster! She felt her stomach rise up into her throat as they dove through the sky, winding and weaving beneath and between the jagged rocks and crystals jutting out from the bottom of an island! Black curved talons raked through the air above their heads, causing Leleni to squeak again! Zoronado put the pedal to the floor, causing the engine to roar with the ship lunging forward into open sky again. Miraculously the winged beast gave up the chase after that, swooping back down to the nearby cliffs and landing on an outstretched nest.

Relief washed over them once they realized the griffin was only trying to protect her young. Nervously and awkwardly they both started chortling, even as they trembled with adrenaline. Getting attacked on solid ground was one thing– but getting ambushed this far above everything was something else entirely; they had nowhere to run or hide, which only made it infinitely more stressful.

But the fear was gone, and the two could finally coast the skies in peace.

[gingerel]

Ignis says they should take a day. With everything that’s happened they should give themselves day to decompress, to not think about everything they still have to do. He lets Noctis pick what to do and where to go, no doubt expecting a request for Lestallum to take advantage of soft beds and guaranteed hot water.

But Noctis takes one look at Prompto’s profile in the car, frowning more than Noctis can handle and asks Ignis if they could possibly spend a day — or two — at Wiz’s ranch.

“It’ll be a couple nights in the camper,” Ignis reminds him.

“I know,” Noctis says easily, honestly. “I don’t mind.”

— —

Sometimes, they make fun of Prompto’s hair. Not because any of them actually think it’s laughable — Noctis loves it — but because Prompto flustering and bristling with outrage is more adorable than it has any right to be. It doesn’t really look like a chocobo butt though; a fact that’s highlighted by how obviously a feather stands out amongst the strands.

When they arrived this morning Prompto immediately wheedled his way into the chocobo pens with an offer of help. Wiz, always soft on Prompto, ushered him into the barn with the babies without hesitation. Noctis doesn’t rush to follow him, not right away, not when he knows Prompto is not only safe but happy to boot.

He takes himself for a stroll around the outpost, putting down enough gil with Wiz to cover their meals and give Ignis a break from cooking, then tops up the rental fees on their birds. These are the little things he can do to help out, nothing extravagant unfortunately, but it knocks a few minor tasks off everyone’s plate.

The vendor uses too much syrup in the fountain drinks, but Noctis honestly prefers it this way. He picks out a yellow striped straw and jams it through the lid as he walks more aimlessly now. Ignis and Gladio are playing cards in front of the camper, remnants of their lunch pushed to one side.

Prompto’s sandwich is still sitting there, wrapped in wax paper, and waiting for him to come out and eat. It’s been a while now, hours even, since he went inside.

The door is wedged open a little, wide enough for Noctis to slip through. It’s almost dark inside, the excessive heat of outside diminished under the wood ceiling. It takes no time at all to find Prompto, sitting down in the pen with all the little chirps and squawks. Noctis leans over the barrier, almost drapes over it, hands dangling down towards the straw strewn floor.

“Hi,” Noctis says.

Prompto blinks up at him, smile so wide and beautiful it steals half the breath from Noct’s lungs.

“Hi,” Prompto breathes back.

“You having fun?”

“The best,” Prompto enthuses — maybe a little too energetically judging by the way the bird on his thigh cries and fidgets. “Thanks for convincing Ignis to let us come.”

It was really no work at all, but Noctis is a little in love with the way Prompto is looking at him right now and doesn’t bother to point it out. Instead, he leans further over the barrier, wood pressing almost painfully into his belly and extends his drink until it’s comically close to Prompto’s face.

“Drink some,” Noctis insists – when was the last time Prompto has a drink?

Prompto sighs but shifts forward, mouth sealing around the thing plastic tube. With a few strong pulls the soda floods Prompto’s mouth. At first he seems relieved, to be enjoying it, but he gives a little when he pulls away, he grimaces a little. Makes sense — he doesn’t share Noct’s sweet tooth.

Noct gets himself comfortable, arms folded across the top of the barrier.  

“You coming out any time soon?” Noct asks him.

Prompto shrugs, “Nah.”

“Your lunch is waiting,” Noctis points out.

“Not worth it,” Prompto says — surprisingly serious.

“There’s a shower,” Noct tries. Prompto shakes his head. “Wiz is making pie for dinner.”

“Not even Ignis’ pie,” Prompto says.

“A kiss?”

Prompto’s hand freezes where it’s petting over a tiny chocobo head.

“You could just come here and kiss me,” Prompto cajoles.

“That’s not how this works,” Noctis laughs. “You want a kiss; you have to re-join the human world.”

And ideally have a shower before Noctis has to share a bed with him. Has to — like it’s not his singular preference at all times.

The beat is too long, the time it takes Prompto to decide exceeding Noctis’ comfort. Eventually Prompto sighs, lifts the bird on him off his lap and nuzzles the top of its downy head before setting it onto the ground. He stands, cracking his back with an audible pop and almost saunters over to where Noctis is waiting at the barrier.

“Hi,” Prompto says again.

“Come here, then,” Noctis says, needy now the possibility of being denied was dangled so close.

Prompto snorts, pressing his palms to the smooth wood and using it for leverage to go up on his tiptoes and crowd into Noctis’ space. Prompto’s lips are a little dry, almost always just on the edge of being chapped, but he tastes like cherry flavouring in Noct’s soda and sighs so prettily against Noctis’ mouth that makes every issue in the world feel a little less insurmountable.

He pulls back, just a little, but stays close.

“You hate staying here,” Prompto accuses.

“Yeah,” Noct admits. “I wanted to see you happy — and it worked.”

“It did,” Prompto says, dropping their foreheads together. “Hey — I love you.”

They don’t say it much, never really felt the need to after the first time, just acknowledged it as something true and moved on.

“You smell like chocobo feed,” Noctis complains. But he kisses Prompto again, just to be sure he feels the unspoken I love you too that simmers in the air around them.

[quill-pen]

I've just been inspired for these rewrites lately, so here's another one! Another Evan Hansen song--one of my favorites. I love everything about it: the tune, the harmonies, the speed, the emotions--all great! It's so much fun to sing and it never fails to make me feel hopeful despite the actual context and content of the song.

The plan right now is this number would take place right before Bess and Ebenezer meet for the first time. The night before Bess had to break the news to her siblings that the London thing is permanent for the foreseeable future. Needless to say, they are not happy. And Bess is already struggling with figuring out how to be a mother to them all instead of just their big sister, so she has no idea how to handle this turn of events with them. Ebenezer, on the other hand, is very gung-ho about being a philanthropist and bursting at the seams with ideas to make London a better place. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like anyone else who could make his ideas possible is anywhere near as pumped. Two people in completely new worlds trying to figure out how the hell to navigate them when they have absolutely zero idea and zero help.

Anybody Have a Map?

Bess: *trying her best to be chipper amidst a sea of gloomy kids* So, what are the plans today, everybody? Finish getting settled into our rooms for one, but then? Explore the house? Help the cook get all our birthdays on the calendar so he knows when to bake cakes?

Josie: Locking ourselves in our rooms and waiting for the slow creep of death to overtake us.

Bess: Now, come on, I don't wanna hear any of that. I know this isn't where any of us thought we'd ever be or even want to be, but we're here now and there's no changing that.

Millie: Maybe if I pray really hard for a really long time, God will take us all back home.

Bess: 🎶Can we try and have an optimistic outlook?

Huh?

Can we buck up just enough to see the world won't fall apart?

How about we decide there's no givin' up before we've tried?

London will be a fresh start.

Bess: *spoken* Hey, I know! Granny said it's Mr. Cooksley's baking day. Why don't you all see if he'll let you guys help? You all loved helping bake back home.

Gil: Yeah. B-Back home.

Bess: Oh, come on. I bet you'll still have fun. I've talked to Mr. Cooksley--he's very nice.

Jules: Yeah, I don't think any of us feels like doing anything today, Sis.

*kids all get up and leave the table*

Bess: 🎶 Another tally on the board beneath the flub-ups.

Another stumble as I'm reaching for the right things to say.

I'm only comin' up empty--

Can't find a way on through.

Does anybody have a map?

Anybody, maybe, happen to know how the hell to do this?

I don't know if you can tell, but this is me just pretending to know!

So where's the map?!

I need a clue,

'Cuz the scary truth is:

I'm flyin' blind and I'm makin' this up as I go.

*across town having breakfast in the Mayor's house*

Scrooge: Lord Mayor, I know what I'm asking to do is quite uncommon-

Mayor: *laughing* Uncommon?! Scrooge--it's completely unheard of! Unthinkable!

Scrooge: W-Well, I wouldn't go as far as that, Sir-

Mayor: You're talking about building a fine establishment that rivals many of our city's best hotels and using it to house tramps and vagabonds.

Scrooge: More so homeless families and destitute invalids that currently have nowhere else to go, m'Lord. You see, I-

Mayor: Now, Scrooge, let me assure you that I am among many people that are very happy you've... eh-uh adopted a new outlook on life. And all these plans and dreams you've thought up to try and improve the city are all very well and good and quite admirable. But you've always been a reasonable fellow; surely you must realize that something like this--you simply won't find the backers for it.

Scrooge: I'd be more than willing to pay for it all myself, Sir. I have more than sufficient funds.

Mayor: *laughing raucously* With how you've hoarded money the past thirty years, I've no doubt! But it's more than that, Old Boy. You see, if you start building a home for laze-abouts, you're going to bring about a world of hurt on your own head from the rest of hard-working society.

Scrooge: This would only be a form of temporary housing for a majority of those who would use it, m'Lord. Of course, services would be offered to help find work for those able-bodied so that they might-

Mayor: *looking at itinerary, not really listening* Yes, yes, I'm sure you're intentions are wonderful, Chum. But I'm afraid it's just not going to work. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to be late for an interview for the Weekly. Stebbins will see you out when you're ready to leave. *gets up and leaves the dining room*

Scrooge: 🎶Another masterful attempt ends with disaster.

Footman: *spoken, as he takes a pile of neatly stacked plates* Why, thank you, Sir.

Scrooge: 🎶 Just another "fleeting fancy" that comes crashing down to burn.

Stebbins: *spoken, as he sees Scrooge out the door* Have a good day, Sir.

Scrooge: 🎶 It's a puzzle--it's a maze.

I try to steer through it a million ways!

But each try's another wrong turn.

Old beggar woman: *spoken, as she shakily holds out a battered old tin cup* Spare a coin for someone who is blind, sir?

Scrooge: *spoken, as he places a sizable lump of bills and sovereigns into her cup* There you go, old dear. I only wish I could do more.

Woman: *tearing up as she fingers around at the absolute fortune in her cup* Why, thank 'e kindly, sir! Thank 'e most very kindly!

Scrooge: 🎶 Does anybody have a map?

Bess: Anybody have a map?

Scrooge: Anybody maybe--

Both: --happen to know how the hell to do this?!

I don't know if you can tell, but this is me just pretending to know!

Bess: So where's the map?!

Scrooge: I need a clue!

Both: (Be)'Cause the scary truth is--

Scrooge:--I'm flying blind.

Bess:--I'm flyin' blind.

Scrooge: I'm flying blind!

Bess: I'm flyin'-

Both: I'm flyin'(g) blind, and I'm makin'(g) this up as I go!

As I go!

@rom-e-o I DID IT. Now to transplant it successfully to the actual fic.

[franciebelle-com]

Harvey novel, Chapter One (I think)

As I posted the first time, I have been working on a book focusing on Harvey and a farmer named Lucy. I'm having trouble with Chapter One, and had a sort of existential crisis last week, thinking that everything in this chapter is crap, the book is crap, and generally feeling much self-doubt and despair. So, I could use some constructive criticism. I have cut off the very first part of the chapter for now... it doesn't "sing" for me yet. But this is the part I do like. Let me know what you think.

Hello, Doctor

It was just past four when Mara leaned her head through the door to his office to say good night.  Harvey looked up and thanked her for coming in an extra day this week, and wished her a pleasant weekend. 

Mara was probably the only person in town who knew him as a friend and not just an employer or doctor.  She had been kind to him when he first arrived a few years before and had been ever since.  She was an attractive woman, he thought, not for the first time.  He idly wondered if she was dating anyone, then immediately brushed that aside.  None of your business, he reminded himself.  She was one of the few women in town who paid him any attention, albeit friendly attention.   Thinking of women in town made his stomach clench, like some gremlin inside, tickling his spleen.  Anatomically, he knew that was inaccurate, but it didn’t matter. 

A loud grumble emanated from his belly, the first normal feeling he’d had all day.  It was kind of a relief to be able to identify it as hunger.  At least that was a normal feeling.  He looked forward to a dinner he didn’t have to thaw before cooking tonight.  He checked his watch.  There were a few things to wrap up before leaving, but then, he was done, and able to focus on something else.

The Rusty Anchor was just a short walk away.  Harvey hung up his lab coat, shrugged himself into his jacket, and peered into the mirror behind the sink.  As usual, his hair was untidy, and running his hands through it didn’t improve the look much.  He sighed.  He was looking forward to some sleep tonight.  A cup of coffee might help settle his nerves, but then he thought of that queasiness earlier in the day (and now that he thought about it again, it returned) and thought better of it. 

Coffee.  His belly squeezed again, and the anxiety that had bothered him the night before returned.  A sense of disappointment lingered around the fringe of his awareness, vague and elusive.  It was time to eat.  Maybe that would help settle his equilibrium.  He locked the clinic door and breathed in the warmth of the day, the scent of flowers, cut grass, pines, and the sea.  He looked out across the small square in the center of town, towards the water.  The sun picked out sparkles of brilliance on the undulating waters, and he breathed deeply.  Invigorated, he stepped lightly down the stairs towards the pub. 

Walking in the door, he glanced around briefly, recognizing a few of the local clientele.  He went to an unoccupied spot near the end of the counter, raised a finger at the barman, who came over as soon as he caught it. 

“Hi, Doc!  What can I get for you tonight?  Same as last time?”  Gil was smiling, friendly as ever.

“Is the bottle still good?”

“I’ll check.”

“Thanks, Gil.  It’s a good vintage!”  A glass of wine after work was always a good way to relax.  Considering the week he’d been having, he contemplated having two.  That would certainly act as a soporific.  And maybe tonight, he’d have Gil’s spaghetti.  It was his specialty:  The pasta handmade daily, the sauce from locally grown tomatoes, and the meatballs made from a closely guarded family secret, according to Gil.  He thought he might skip the meatballs, though, considering his intestinal activity during the day.  Something greasy or fatty wouldn’t be a wise option.

He heard the pub door creak open, and turned to look at who had come in.  Just some of the local women, probably having their occasional girls’ night.  His stomach gremlin had intensified its squirming the minute he heard the door open, and he felt a rush of heat to his limbs, tingling slightly.  What the hell was wrong with him?  Fever?  Maybe he shouldn’t have that second glass after all, he thought.

Gil returned with his wine.  Harvey thanked him and raised his glass to Gil, who smiled, and turned to attend the ladies at the table on the other side of the pub.  He would wait for Gil to come back before ordering dinner.  He looked around, checking tonight’s population.  The usual group of guys lounging in the game room, puffing a cigarette or two and shooting pool.  He could tell it was a re-match for Mick and Dylan, as the wagers and cheers rose in volume.  Dylan almost always won, mostly because Mick accepted too many beers of encouragement and lost his accuracy with each one.  Harvey missed having friends to join, as he had back in medical school.  Most of them were now employed across the country, although a few worked in the city, but that was at least an hour away in good traffic.  Not on a Friday night, though. 

The mayor, Mortimer (“call me Morty”) Lewis, had taken Harvey around to meet various members of the community after his original arrival in the area, and had probably thought that Harvey would have something in common with the local young men.  They were a small group of twenty-somethings who mostly knew each other from having grown up in the area, and who hung out together frequently.  Their communications were frequently punctuated with guffaws and arm punches, as well as high-fives.  Harvey recalled the first friendly shoulder-punch he received from one of them when he’d joined them in his first year at the clinic, and winced inwardly. 

The door opened with a light screech, and Marti, Mayor Lewis’ local friend, entered, hailing the mayor immediately, working her way over to his table.  Soon they were deep in conversation.  His gaze passed over the rest of the room, recognizing some acquaintances and a few patients.  The local barfly, Pat, loudly asked Gil for another “one of the good stuff.”  She stood alone at the opposite end of the bar from Harvey.  Catching his glance as she received her drink, she gave him a leering grin, and raised her frothy mug to him.  He blushed and continued looking around.  Mara and her friends were nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t arrive eventually. 

Harvey peered down into his glass.  He knew the wine was nearing the end of its prime, having been open for several days, and he savored the aroma before sipping.  Most of the guys around here drank beer, ale, mead, or hard liquor, but only a few men drank wine.  Still, Gil did have a decent collection of good vintages, so rather than buy a bottle and let it go bad at home before he could finish it, he chose to enjoy the supply Gil provided. 

The door creaked again, and another man came in, a fellow wine enthusiast who nodded to Harvey.  His long, bronze hair moved as gracefully as the man himself did.  His arrival was not unnoticed by the people in the pub.  Heads seemed to turn collectively at him when he entered a room, and Harvey could have sworn that Desmond always had a breeze flowing through his wavy mane.  Desmond kept himself somewhat apart from people in the area, preferring to spend time in his cabin on the beach, apparently occupied as a writer.  This gave an air of mystique to his personality, something Harvey suspected was deliberately cultivated.  Women seemed to wilt slightly whenever Desmond talked to them, and Harvey envied his ease and suavity.  Maybe it was the burgundy velvet jacket, something few men could really pull off successfully.

The door admitted a couple of men, and Harvey ordered his dinner from Ellie, who worked at the pub in the evenings.  He inspected the contents of his glass again, listening to the hum of various conversations, laughs, and the liveliness of the people gathered here.  He’d heard the old saying that no man was an island, but he wasn’t sure that was true.  After a few minutes, Ellie brought him his entrée, and he took it and his glass to a booth near the back of the pub where he could eat more privately.  He didn’t see other people eat their meals standing at the bar, only appetizers or snacks, and honestly, he preferred to eat while seated.  He enjoyed his meal quietly, appreciating the convivial, relaxed ambiance of the end of the week. 

The pub door squealed, but he didn’t know the woman who came through.  For a moment, the shadows by the doorway made her hair seem dark, and his pulse picked up.  He followed her movements as she joined a companion in a booth, and his pulse subsided the moment her light brown hair was illuminated by the light above the table.  False alarm.

Disgusted with himself, he decided that he’d had enough of this.  Stifling a yawn, he checked the time.  It was later than he usually stayed.  He finished his wine, asked for a takeout box for the remainder of his dinner, paid his bill, and headed out the door.  It had been a long day, and his lack of sleep and weird anxiety had worn him out. 

The lingering scent of leaves and grass in the warm night air reminded Harvey of summer evenings in college, when he’d take walks to a local lookout to contemplate life, the future, and simply daydream.  It was a narrow strip of park at the edge of a cliff overlooking the bay.  In the evening, it was dotted with the lights of boats, residences, and businesses around the lip of the water, reflected in bright ripples across the waves.  It was also a favorite couples’ hangout, so he didn’t stick around too long after dark.  Not part of a couple, he felt awkward being there alone, and he’d decamp back to his dorm. 

He felt the same way now, actually; slightly disappointed, as if something was missing.  Unable to identify the source of this feeling, he walked back to the clinic, let himself in, and went up the stairs at the end of the hallway.  Inside the now dark apartment, he opened the fridge, a shallow wedge of light illuminating the small space he called a kitchen, and deposited his leftover spaghetti.  It was looking rather bare in the fridge, just a few water bottles, some fruit in one drawer, a half-full jar of dill wedges, a paper basket of mushrooms, salad dressing, salsa, and other condiments.  The grocery store was definitely one of his errands for Saturday.

He shouldered his jacket off, brushing it a little before hanging it over a chair at his work table.  He listened to night sounds outside the windows.  He left them open during the day to let air circulate, with screens to keep the insects out.  He didn’t bother to turn on any lights, and walked to a faded brown leather armchair he’d found in the city a few years ago.  It was unusual, shaped a bit like the letter U, with a back not quite tall enough to keep his head fully upright when he sat in it. Loosening his tie, he pulled at the top few buttons on his shirt, and dragged out his shirttails.  That was better.  He sat with his arms propped on the edges of the chair, and slouched into a comfortable position, stretching his legs out fully.

The studio apartment was fairly spacious, convenient, and was included with the lease of the clinic.  It was a pretty good deal for a first practice, and he liked it here.  The people in the community were friendly, some a bit idiosyncratic, but pleasant.  The town itself was fairly small, and residences spread out from this central hub, extending to the forest, the waterfront, and the mountains.  The further you got from town, the landscape bloomed into farmland.  This was a good area in which to settle, a homey sort of environment, far away from the harsh, cold glass and steel of the city.  Most of the houses he’d seen were quaint and cozy, and the residents generally the same. 

The silence in the apartment was sometimes overwhelming, however, filling him with a deep longing for something more.  He knew something was missing from his existence, something ephemeral, just out of his reach.  Sitting here alone in the gloom was not an effective method to find a solution, he knew.  He felt the absence of human companionship the most in these hours of the night.  He tried to picture a woman, imagining the warmth of another body nestled up in the chair with him, legs draped over his, reading, or just talking.  He thought of a child in their arms, trusting, sleeping, heck, even drooling on his shirt.  But the image was vague and didn’t linger long, leaving him just as solitary as he was every day.

He slipped off his shoes without moving from the chair, settling in a little, and letting the strange feelings of the recent days seep out of his bones and fade into a gray haze, his chin slowly drawing lower as he slipped into an exhausted sleep.

[yukihirata]

I Believe In You

“Honey, the thing Yuki gave us is making a racket,” an elderly Raen said as he passed a linkpearl over to his wife. “I do not understand such things.”

“Hello?” the woman said into the pearl as she pressed it against her right horn. “Yuki is that you?”

“Hi mom!” Yuki said through the linkpearl, the smile on her face audible to her parents. “How are you? I miss you guys!”

“We’re both doing well. Your dad is getting ready to harvest the rice, much to the ducks disdain. How are you doing, Yuki? Are your adventures going well?”

“Yeah! I’ve made some really nice friends and even got a job! I was hired on as a cook for a company! So far everyone absolutely loves my cooking, so, thanks mom!”

Yuki’s mother smiled as she leaned back in her rocking chair, her husband puffing away on a pipe. The two sat facing their large rice paddy, swarms of brown ducks casually drifting around in the shallow water. The Hingan countryside was quiet, the song of cicadas audible in the distance.

“You’re welcome! I’m glad that my teachings stuck and others are enjoying your food.”

“Can I talk to dad real quick? I have something I need to tell him.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Yuki’s mom said, passing the linkpearl over to her husband. “Here, just hold it against your horn, either one works.”

The old man did as he was told and took the linkpearl, holding it against his right horn.

“Hey dad! So, uhm, I have a question for you.”

“If you need more money I’ll have Takeshi at the bank set aside some some Gil for you,” the old man said before blowing a plume of sweet smelling smoke.

“Oh! Well, I’m not calling about money. I wanted to ask you something.”

“And that something is..?”

“Were you scared when you first became a samurai?” Yuki asked with a slight hesitation.

“I was, yes. Standing before the emperor was very intimidating. Why, are you having doubts?”

“Kinda,” Yuki admitted. “Yeah. I’m just scared. You know me, dad. I’m not a violent or angry person. Am I truly capable of being a samurai?”

“Of course, Yuki. You are a very talented and competent swordsman. You may doubt yourself, but you are a better swordsman than I ever was. Everything you do, you do well,” Yuki’s father said with a proud smile etched onto his wrinkled features. I have, without a doubt in my mind, that you would make a fantastic samurai. Hingashi is very lucky to have a strong woman like you willing to defend it.”

“Thank you dad,” Yuki said, sniffling back tears. “I love you so much.”

“You are my world, Yuki. I see great things in your future,” the old man said with a warm smile as he looked over at his wife. “Your mother and I have a gift for you, one that may boost your confidence and erase any doubts you have.”

“Ooh, I love surprises! Did you finally hire someone to help you on the farm, because that would be really surprising if you did!”

Yuki’s father laughed and shook his head before saying, “No sweetheart. I had a set of armor made for you. It is made from my old armor, refitted to fit you and only you. Shortly after you left I had a carrier take it to Kugane. You’ll find it and some other treats in our old apartment.”

“My own armor made from your old armor?! YIPEE!” Yuki let out a cheer and clapped her hands together with a big grin on her face. “Thank you so much, daddy. I will wear it with pride.”

Unseen by her parents, Yuki started to dance, unable to contain her excitement. Her antics rose a few eyebrows from passerby's but otherwise went unnoticed. After a minute of working out her energy she returned her focus to the call. For the next several minutes the conversation drifted towards how Yuki’s parents were and catching them up on everything she had done so far. When they were done talking Yuki slipped her linkpearl into one of her oversize sleeves.

With the conversation over, Yuki turned to face the chocobo hitched to the small hitching post outside the company’s estate. She wandered over to the large birds, waving at them with a smile on her face. Her hand was held out for the animals to sniff, and once they were satisfied she didn’t smell like a predator they appeared eager to receive some pets.

“Aww, you guys are so cute! Ooh, your feathers are a really pretty blue, like the sky!” Yuki told the birds, speaking in Hingan. Her conversation was cut short when someone approached from behind, drawing the Raen’s attention. She turned to face the person, bowed and smiled before getting lost in the conversation.

[emily-nightray]

Ranking Pandora Hearts crossovers with anime I've finished watching

Manga only Pandora Hearts with the anime I've watched.

A Certain Magical Index seasons 1 and 2: I don't think it would fit. It could be done, but it would be hard and forced. Very few characters from both series would be able to mesh well. If somehow managed, I'd say 3/10.

Bananya: No. 0/10

Black Butler: Book of Circus: With few episodes but good characters, I'd say there's a chance. I think it'd do well with PH members also being disguised to infiltrate. I see young Gilbert and Vincent being there in a pre-Sablier universe. There's potential. However, it is limited due to the single setting. At best it'd get 7/10.

Bungo Stray Dogs all seasons and movie: A lot of people who have read Pandora Hearts somehow migrate to Bungo Stray Dogs. I still don't understand how that works. It just does. Obviously somehow there is a connection that will make it work. I think chains could be mistaken as abilities and the other way around. This could make a good way of working together. The mains and sides could definitely find different ways to work together. Might be hard, but it'd work so 9/10.

Bungo Stray Dogs Wan!: Doubtful. 1/10

Cute Executive Officer: No. 0/10

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! all seasons: The Magical Girl Lacie extra would fit in perfectly but that's all. It's comedy and silliness. Pandora Hearts could barely mesh together with it. 1/10 in general, 5/10 with Magical Girl Lacie omake.

Deadman Wonderland: Since this was a short anime, I don't see much possibility of the worlds working. The supernatural powers don't match up in anyway and it would be a stretch to make it happen. I don't see a reason to find that prison good enough for Pandora to investigate. Maybe if it were longer, it'd be better. 1/10 because I would like to see those fights.

Dragon Ball Z: It has been so long since I watched this. I watched this as a child. I don't remember much of it. 3/10 because it would be chaos.

Free! seasons 1 and 2 plus omakes: Let's be honest. No one in Pandora Hearts is going to enter a swimming contest. 1/10 because I know people who would pay to see fanart of the characters shirtless.

FMA and FMA:B: I can totally see this working with a variety of characters interacting. Gil and Roy messing with fire? Yes. Homunculi and chains? Definitely. Ed getting furious at Elliot for calling him shortie? 100% going to happen. There would obviously be issues, but I don't think it would be forced in. I'd say pretty close to perfect so 9/10.

Hetalia all seasons: I have roleplayed this before. Me as Gil and my partner as America. It was so weird and hard to do. We both agreed to change the characters. I'm sure somehow there would be one character to fit in with another character but my gosh is it weird and uncomfortable. 0/10

I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying both seasons: Slice of Life and Pandora Hearts together? No. Too hard to make it work. 0/10

Obey Me! season 1 and extras: I could see some of the PH characters willingly (Break) and unwillingly (Reim and Gilbert) going to the Devildom for some reason. I'm not sure how well it would go with the dating game setting. 2/10 Gilbert would get sucked into cooking for Beel.

Odd Taxi and movie: Odd Taxi is amazing and I don't think it needs a crossover. Pandora Hearts characters wouldn't do well without removing all things that make them Pandora Hearts characters. I know some already have animal identities and they already have the character ready, but they really wouldn't work. 1/10 because Equus and Jabberwock would look horrifying.

Pokemon 1997-2002: Turning chains into Pokemon or Pokemon into chains would be pretty interesting. The characters would probably work together better in the Pokemon world rather than the Pandora Hearts world. I could see it happening. 6/10 because it wouldn't do well in the PH world but Oz would be a Buneary.

Powerpuff Girls Z: Highly doubt it would fit in without changing A LOT of things. Again, Magical Girl Lacie would fit so 1/10.

Pretty Boy Detective Club: I'm not going to judge the prettiness of the PH children. 0/10

Sailor Moon 1992-1993: Again, only with Magical Girl Lacie. You probably could make a few adjustments to make one character fit but it'd be hard. 0/10

So I'm a Spider, So What?: I can see some points interacting decently but both main plot points would be steered in a completely different direction. It could work well and would be a nice try. 3/10

Sushi Police: No. Absolutely not. Not enough food jokes. 0/10 because the vibe would die immediately.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime everything: The same with Spider, I can sort of see it. There'd be a way to fit some of the characters together because Slime has so many. Despite this positive, it'd be weird to have their plots interact. I would love to see the PH characters interact with Slime characters. 3/10

The Case Study of Vanitas: I mean, Jun Mochizuki made them both. So many characters would be able to interact and the plots would meld together without destroying each other. I want to see Break and Teacher fight or team up. 10/10 definitely because Jun wrote them both.

The Devil is a Part-Timer! season one: I can see the abyss and Ente Isla working together in some way. The characters, not so much. This is limited due to the few episodes. Plot wouldn't be hurt too much with either of them. 5/10 because I haven't seen enough potential.

The Vampire Dies in No Time first season: Another one that doesn't go well because it's a comedy. You could have contractors turn into chains or the vampires be contractors but that's about it. 2/10

The Way of the House Husband: Gilbert and Tatsu would 100% be best friends. They'd be sharing recipes and ways to take care of the house and the people around them while the other characters just watch. They'd even talk about saving money while shopping. Sadly the plots just don't match and the episodes being super short hinder them going together. 3/10 for Gilbert and Tatsu becoming best friends.

Watamote: Another humor/slice of life genre. These don't go well. I don't see the PH characters fitting in with the awkward like of Kuroki and she definitely wouldn't find a place in the PH world. She could imagine herself there, but it'd be super weird. I would not put myself through that. 0/10.

[all-hail-the-witcher]

the absolute best quotes from bdylanhollis's vintage baking tiktoks

• "thought this was a joke. turns out im the joke."

• "you can use a mixer, i just do this to feel something"

• "fold in sauerkraut carefully. or what? im going to ruin your disaster?"

• "can a cake be tried for treason?"

• "either chocolate fixes everything or this is alchemy"

• *disgusted chewing noises* "DEMON BABY!!!"

• "before pumpkin pie became king people ate this....now they're dead."

• "combine all ingredients except for pie shell. were you rEALLY WORRIED I WAS GOING TO PUT A F U L L Y C O N S T R U C T E D PIE SHELL INTO THIS?"

• "im a fool, not an idiot."

• "its like reading directions to purgatory"

• "now we have carbonated mayonnaise lime water"

• "MARSHMALLOWS!! with the m a y o??"

• "chop up your dehydrated cow"

• "it tastes like it's insulting me"

• "and its not just a little bit. no. its a severe unauthorized CUP of mayonnaise."

• "honey you cant dilute a war crime"

• "you know its horrible now but i hope it turns out okay. like children."

• *beans boiling over in a pot* "ahhhhHH BEAN REBELLION!!"

• "eggie!! how many? i don't know. it just says EGGS."

• "did you just kill my blender?" *broken blender noises* "hello?" *insane maniacal laughter* "this is personal now. you swung first!!"

• "why are you good? yOU HAVE A BAG OF BEANS IN YOU!!"

• "one of the many questionable substances people experimented with in the 70s...pistachio pudding."

• "smells like a palm springs retirement home"

• "nixon wished it was this easy."

• "this was the cold war after all. fear of communist bananas was at an all time high."

• "the 70s. sponsored by the color beige."

• "its uncomfortably appetizing"

• "meat and desserts was quite common back then. so was botulism."

• "'honey would you like earl gray or pork?' 'ill take a divorce'"

• "sweet, bitter and meaty. like my ex."

• "don't say it dylan" *2 seconds later* "CIMMANIMM!!"

• "350 for two and a half hours! i suppose any less and it might gain consciousness."

• "its a little late in the century for war crimes."

• "are you just making things up? who are you??"

• *opening a can of spam* "you know ive never been particularly religious. but today might be the day."

• "a cup of evaporated milk?! have you lost the plot?!"

• "i feel like if i do this correctly im going to invoke the spirit of richard nixon"

• "this aint food honey this is a bioweapon"

• "sir your phone number is 4 digits"

• "well i don't have sorghum because i don't have a life expectancy of twelve"

• "thats the power of pine sol baby!"

• "bake to your liking. sweetie none of this is to my liking."

• "this is what id imagine a toilet brush to taste like"

• "this is why we don't perform lobotomies anymore."

• "should be a pale white." *holds butter up to arm for comparison*

• "i bet this recipe is just all the wrong answers on a baking test."

• "smells like dentures."

• "not bad dead people"

• "its incredible. and im mad about it."

• "sift your flour three times. lady your cake has tomato soup in it, this is thE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES!!"

• "'911 whats your emergency?' 'yeah that lady carol is at the barbecue again.'"

• "careful not to over mix. sorry im just trying to kill it."

• "now i know this is going to be awful because it calls for soured milk. not buttermilk, not milk and vinegar, no honey sOURED B A D MILK!"

• "disgusting wasnt enough for you?!"

• "call the U.N."

• "bake until done. you're a piece of work."

• *plays accordion on his kitchen floor*

• "tastes like a shower drain or a bunion"

• "this recipe was sent to me by herbert hoover feet pics. theres something for everybody"

• "are you nine inches yet?? said 14 year old me."

• "i suppose its better than eating your offspring"

• "oh betty crocker WHAT ARE YOU UP TO??"

• "you could just use canned pineapple. if you were a communist."

• "can you bake a pie with four ingredients? yes! i could also eat my mattress."

• "add three gils of water. was this written for a fish?"

• "i think this qualifies as a preexisting condition"

• "unconstitutional!"

• "its a breast implant"

• *clunking from the cabinets* "i think ive summoned something"

• "it seems to have collapsed. like the south."

• "the slogan for this cookbook is 'it's digestible'"

• "remember kids the main ingredient in pie pastry is self doubt"

• "fry in two tablespoons of crisco. on this episode of dead white people."

• "i didnt know tuberculosis had a color scheme"

• "ive baked a toilet."

• "how am i supposed to know how big your teacups are, ira?"

• "why do dead people like dates?"

• "easy does it. wouldn't want to ruin a disaster."

• "'ira honey i'm going to war.' 'over what?' 'your cooking'"

• "tastes like a boot. like a size 10 boot."

• "why just live in the great depression when you could also have chronic diarrhea"

• "it wants me to plumpen my prunes in water. well i won't be plumping my prunes in just anything. buy me dinner first."

• "it looks like a failed grave robbery"

• "walnuts aint gonna save this recipe sweetie"

• "you know its not bad it just vaguely tastes like a felony."

• "'where you goin with that tuna dylan?' 'oh you know just making jello"

• "this recipe is making me cry, not the onions"

• "are we sure this recipe wasnt written by a cat?"

• "it already looks like the great depression"

• "bake in a moderate oven. no need to get political"

•"don't tell gordon ramsey"

• "it tastes like a question mark. but a good question mark"

[siempre-bucky]

Hi i love your dad!druig stories, could you do one with the eternals meeting orla for the first time maybe on the way to phastos house? Happy holidays 🎅

Dad!Druig x Reader | Headcanons

Summary: Your and Druig's daughter meeting/interacting with the other Eternals for the first time

A/N: BESTIE LISTEN I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS WAY TOO MUCH. jfc I love dad!druig... buckle up bc this is a little long since I did little headcanons for each of them...with a cute ass bonus at the end

requests are open♡

Sersi

Sersi ADORES Orla! As soon as she met the kid, she took up the 'greatest aunt ever' mantle.

Orla was just excited to meet her from all the stories you told her

she introduced Orla to the wonderful world of Snapchat filters

"Orla, do you want to see something funny?" she asked

Orla erupted into the biggest fit of giggles that could be heard throughout the ship after she saw herself as an old person

Sersi 10/10 is going to take her on a shopping spree when everyone got settled on earth

Orla loved when Sersi showed her how her powers worked, asking if she could turn everything into water

they're besties 10/10

Makkari

Makkari was more excited to tease Druig about being a dad than anything else!

'Being a father made you soft.' she signed up to him as she knelt in front of her goddaughter. "It's a good look for you."

Druig rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall

Makkari was the ONLY Eternal that was allowed to tease him about it

she was overjoyed when Orla introduced herself in sign language, her little fingers slowly spelling out her name

she was so happy when Makkari gve her a sign name

"Aunt Makkari can we race around the Domo?"

'You know how that's going to end right?'

"Yeah...but I still wanna try."

Makkari let her win :')

Gilgamesh

Gil was the one Orla was the most nervous about meeting, he was big and strong, looming over her

he smiled down at her and introduced himself

he instantly turned into her personal teddy bear

carrying her around the Domo

lifting her up to the top shelf in the kitchen to get the cookies you hid

Orla was his personal taste tester while he cooked family meals again

no doubt you and Druig asked him to be your children's godfather

Thena

Thena was wary of meeting Orla

after being isolated for so long it was unusual to see a child

especially one made by 2 Eternals, she didn't think it was possible

but after Orla flashed her a toothy grin and asked the goddess to tell her a story she instantly warmed up to your daughter

showing off her weapons and letting her touch them

"She doesn't need combat lessons," you gasped

"She needs to know how to defend herself on the battlefield, Y/n."

"Orla's 6!"

Sprite

Sprite gives off older cousin energy

Orla thought she was just 'ok'

her powers were really cool but that was about it

plus she could tell Druig wasn't fond of her so naturally, she didn't like Sprite either

Ikaris

Orla didn't introduce herself to the flying one

she only met him after the fight in the amazon, she was too petrified and clung to Druig's side

and it wasn't like Ikaris made an attempt to get to know her either

she was 6... not stupid. Orla could sense the tension between the two men

so it was ok he yeeted himself into the sun

Phastos

There was an instant connection between Orla and Phastos after the initial shock went away

being a dad he could sympathize with what she was going through

so he wanted to be her best distraction

watched her while you and Druig got some rest

her favorite part was when he would let her play in his lab helping him come up with new inventions

she and Jack became best friends after Phastos introduced them when they got to Ajak's

Kingo

Kingo made Orla laugh the first time they met

he stared at her for a while, "Druig's your dad?"

she nodded happily, "mmhmm"

"Oh...wanna watch one of my movies?"

Kingo was bound and determined to make Orla a fan of his work

halfway through one of his movies she turned and looked at him, "Can we watch Frozen now?"

regardless, she was his new movie buddy even if that meant just watching Disney movies

Ajak

Orla didn't understand the concept of death

she heard everyone going on and on about Ajak being gone...dead

Orla sat next to Druig as he looked out the window

"When do I get to meet Ajak, Daddy?"

Druig's face fell. "Ajak's gone...she, ehm... passed away."

"But will she be back?"

"No, m'love. Passed away means she won't be back."

Orla frowned and clutched her pink stuffed bunny tighter, "She didn't know me."

"She did." Druig leaned forward and touched one of the stuffed animal's ears. "When mommy found out we were having you, we went to see Ajak and told her. She was the only one that knew about you, and before we left she gave you that bunny."

B O N U S HEADCANONS

Druig

obviously she met her father, but thanks to Karun who just refused to leave the battle on the beach, Orla got to see Druig for who he really was. An Eternal, a hero

she sat on the couch of Ajak's home, nuzzled up next to her dad as she watched him

Druig never let Orla see him use his powers, he didn't want her to see him as someone who controlled people just because he could

but she was in awe as she watched his blue eyes glow, golden swirls covering his body, illuminating his armor

she gasped when those same swirls appeared around everyone else

"Daddy!" She gasped, hopping into his lap, her hands pressed against his cheeks. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, "Make your eyes glow! Please, please, please!"

his worried face softened, "Maybe someday."

she whined, "Please!"

Y/N

Orla loved you more than life itself

she rarely saw you angry

so it was a huge thing when she saw you creating boulders out of thin air on the tv, hurling them at the man in the blue and gold suit

"Woah," she said in wonder at your powers and the cool suit you wore

you sucked in your lower lip, a little embarrassed at yourself... but then again Ikaris did try to kill your husband

"Mommy that was awesome! Ugh you're so cool."

Druig looked over to you with an amused smile

"All that just for me?" he joked

you hummed and nodded, "And I would do it again."

[orangejuice707]

I have a feeling that Gilbert got bullied in his childhood more specifically chased with swords or smth dangerous like that . As in my this theory (og post was v's) I explained why he never rejected Clavis's bad cooking .

Now I am gonna connect it to Gilbert's character design

So we have all seen Gilbert wearing all black and covering almost ALL of his body including face (eyepatch!) . Could there be reasons for it other than character design?

Yes .

Scary appearance (more like "to appear" scary)

Covering body parts which are hurt in an attempt to hide scars and appear strong

Now if we say that the people who used to bully him left cuts and scratches on certain parts of his body including his eye . So basically

Him covering up his body can be an effect of bullying .

Reasons why he got bullied

• he was a weak kid (as I said in the linked theory abt his food habits)

Now let's talk abt canebert

Why not a sword? Why not a gun? Though I doubt that the stick is only a stick and not a covering for a gun .

But the question is

Why?

Why does he need to cover up such a dangerous artifact when it can scare anybody and let him get his way with them ?

Why not kill/beat people using a gun/sword ?

That's bcoz he knows

He knows how much it hurts. So he would rather beat up his opponent with a cane rather than beat them with smth more dangerous.

Why does he reads so many military based books when he can literally posses a gun kill off his opponents ?

(OK I might be bullshitting a bit here)

At times a legit article on the internet or a certain thing from a certain book can change our whole world and make us feel a type of way .

In this case .

Gilbert found comfort (a weird kind) in reading military books and possessing the knowledge. He didn't just wanted to be a weak victim of bullying . Rather he wanted to be stronger at least in one field (personal defense rather than military strength in this case)

Now .

Why is he trying so hard to be friends with mc and the other princes ?

Now before starting I wanna say that this is pretty far fetched so yeah.

What if the people who bullied him in his childhood were his own family members? Like idk anything abt gil's fam tbh (does any of us except cybird does tho???) .

He might be similar to the isekaid villainess we(or atleast I) often read abt in manhwas , etc.

Getting bullied by Palace staff

Getting bullied by family members

Almost losing their life

Forming new allies

(Falling in love)

I kept the last one in brackets bcoz that is not what we are gonna discuss here .

He tries hard to get along with people outside his hometown . Especially people who don't want to take advantage of him (like that one nobleman) bcoz in his past along with the bullying he probs faced issues with who took advantage of him .

So now since he is grown and healthy he is like "nope" and "gonna make my own friends found family" .

Now, why more specifically mc?

(Crack theory : bcoz it is Emma duhhh)

Ok now in all seriousness it is her bcoz she is given the role of belle

A very vital role in Rhodolite .

And the main requirement?

● pure heart

This . This is the exact reason as to why Gilbert would never not ask her to be his friend .

A pure person would never take advantage of anyone . This probably puts Gilbert at ease .

Now for another kinda bullshit like theory

What if he himself wants to destroy Obsidian and side with Rhodolite?

This is extremely weird so feel free to ignore this .

He once mentioned that he never took part in the war 10 years ago on Bloodstained Rose Day (i forgot the name so sorry if it is incorrect)

This can easily mean that he never wanted to go on a war with Rhodolite.

Now ik Luke's route kinda proves this to be wrong but what if whatever he did 10 years ago was bcoz he was being controlled by the king of Obsidian? Like idk lololololol

Anyways if u made it this far then here is a sword 🗡 for ya . Thank u for reading .

(Took me almost 1 hr to write lolol)

[qvid-pro-qvo]

headcanon: “when the svu boys knew they were in love with you”

created in conjunction with @hurricanejjareau. 

1. rafael barba -

his head’s on the desk, and he’s fairly sure any coherent thought has long since fled his mind. rafael’s breaking down, slowly, and somehow you know. you always know. you have to get a text, or something, a call from whoever decides to unload the weight of the world on rafael’s shoulders. oh, don’t worry, carino, your boyfriend is simply working himself to death again. 

because you always show. and this time, it’s in the nick of time. he’s about to collapse, perhaps quite literally as he leans against his window for what he’s calling a break, when you push open the door to his office with a... look. it’s not angry, not even disappointed, just the perfect mixture of concerned and amused and exasperated that makes him feel so incredibly loved. 

loved. in love. in love with the way you walk over with a decaf coffee to remind him of the taste, give him enough energy to drag him back home and make sure he cleans up before collapsing into bed next to you.

rafael barba loves you, and falls asleep before he can overthink it. an ultimate blessing, because the last thing he really processes is that he’s got his arms around the love of his life, and he’s unsure if that’s a feeling he’ll ever get over. 

2. sonny carisi -

sonny realizes he loves you at the exact moment he says it. 

it’s not premeditated. it’s not thought out. it just happens. he’s watching you try your hand at cooking (”it’ll never live up to you, sonny carisi”), and he can’t help but come up behind you and kiss your temple as you tell him about your day. he’s watching your hands move a little as you speak, watching the way your brow furrows and your eyes widen as you describe your day, laughs with you but quiets so he can just hear your voice as you speak. it doesn’t matter what his day was like (long and boring and tedious) because you make it better just by being there. and before he can think about anything else, he’s thinking it and he’s saying it. 

“i love you.” 

and of course you freeze, of course you do. and sonny goes bright red, because that’s how sonny carisi works - his face lights up like a goddamn fire hydrant, and he’s stumbling to take it back, to apologize. because holy hell, he loves you, and he’s looking at you and blinking, eyes wide, as it hits him all at once.

you smile at him, though. and that’s what matters in the end. smile at him, offer him a taste of what you’ve been stirring, and he knows that it’ll all be okay. 

3. nick amaro - 

nick doesn’t doubt you’ll like zara and gil. he has no reason to. 

hell, he’s almost positive zara will love you, in her both arms open and gripping you tight kind of way. and gil will adore you, in his shyer ask you questions until you’ve bared your soul to the kid kind of way. they’re good kids, great kids, and you’re incredible in the way that makes him smile when he thinks about you. 

what he doubts is that everything will truly slot into place. because maria is halfway across the country, and cynthia is still holding back that little bit of her life that she absolutely has the right to, and nick is so damaged that he’s unsure he even has the right to ask you into his life at all. 

but because you’re you, you come in like a little bit of a wave. a gentle rush of warmth over everyone. and you woo maria with your grin, and you charm cynthia with your gentle teasing, and zara and gil have just as much fun racing you on their bikes as they do fielding grounders from him. and he’s watching you, your hair in the wind looking wild as the three of you laugh ahead on the path, knowing that the warmth in his chest won’t ever go away. 

he loves you. he really loves you. and he can’t help but hope that maybe he can have it all. just this once. 

4. mike dodds -

mike’s in the hospital... again. because of course he is. he’s pretty bad at staying out of it, if he’s honest. and all he can think about is you. 

he’s been in enough of hospital rooms to know they’re not the greatest places in the world. he’s very aware of every part of him that’s hurt and busted, but all of that takes a backseat. because all he can think is how your face must’ve looked when the doctors called you, how your eyes must’ve narrowed, how your jaw must’ve clenched. you’ve been with him through a lot, so he knows your eyes roll with the frustration before telling her you’ll be there as soon as you can. he knows you better than he knows himself. 

and when he hears your voice outside his door, everything else fades away. because even though you come in, exhausted, glaring, arms crossed over your chest, he knows exactly what you’re thinking. even in the face of your frustration he gives a bright, wide smile. one you return, despite yourself. 

“you’re impossible, mike.” 

“i know.” 

mike dodds is really lucky, he realizes, in that moment, to be so in love with someone so special. he’s in love with you, and nothing else matters. and he knows that no matter how many time he ends up in this exact spot, watching you walk into a hospital room, you’ll always be there. 

5. peter stone -

peter gets home before you, for once, and it feels a little bit like a miracle. one he’s determined to take advantage of, as he shrug out of his pullover and gets to work. 

there are things that fall apart as the both of you dive into your work weeks - things like the dishes, the living room, the bedroom. there’s a lot of going, going, going, and then the week is gone. but peter is home early, and he finds himself diving in without thinking. 

he doesn’t exactly know why he does it - maybe because he knows that your shoulders will sag in relief as you come through the door and realize the weekend can start exactly how it’s meant to, with relaxing against him on the couch with a show pulled up you can both finally finish. maybe because you love the feeling of clean sheets after a shower in the evening. maybe because after everything this week has thrown at you, you deserve to come home and not worry about a thing. 

and then it hits him as he’s turning down the bed, folding the comforter back so it’s perfectly laid out so you can crawl right in if you want to - he loves you. he loves you, and so things like this are the easy option, and he smiles to himself as he finishes up the bed, smiles even wider when he hears the jingle of your keys outside the door. 

-

tag list: @crazyshannonigans // @writefasttalkevenfaster // @altsvu // @ssaic-jareau // @encounterthepast // @mijop // @bureaudart // @1234-angelika // @nuvoleincielo // @wanniiieeee // @averyhotchner // @barbasbodaciousbeard // @caracalwithchips // @xxlovingfandomsxx // @mad-girl-without-a-box // @alliekenner 

[takecare-fandoms]

Random Stardew Valley Headcanons

These are some of my own ideas about the Stardew Valley universe, which I hope don't completely contradict anything in the actual canon! ^_^ This is also a bit long - I've got a bushel of thoughts! (Though I must say, I have more thoughts about some characters than others it seems...)

Stardew Valley is in the Southeast of the Ferngill Republic, and Pelican town is in the south of the valley (south-central, specifically)

Linus is significantly older than he appears and grew up in a large family

Leah played softball and/or football (soccer) in high school

Willy plays the fiddle, which he was taught by his father

Sebastian is pretty skilled at doing makeup, but only wears light makeup on a daily basis

Sam was really into sharks and weather as a kid. He could tell you so many fun facts about sharks (like, how their skeleton is made of cartilage instead of bone!) and identify every single type of cloud in the sky

One of the few topics Sebastian and Demetrius like to talk about is frogs - which ones are in the valley, when they come out, how to differentiate different varieties, how frogs have been used in different cultures (for food, poison, pets, etc), and so on

Penny gets headaches before it rains

Yoba isn't the only god worshipped in the Ferngill Republic. Others are worshipped in different areas as well (based on the weather, flora, fauna, etc), but Yoba is worshipped as the creator of the world, protector of Stardew Valley, and god of new beginnings

Abigail makes collages out of old magazines and catalogues from Pierre's shop

Sam wants to get a lip piercing

also, Kent had an ear piercing as a teenager, done with a safety pin and a potato by a friend. it has since closed, but he has considered getting his ears re-pierced

Sam's music taste is heavily influenced by his parents' music. He likes a lot of the same bands and songs as Kent and Jodi

Jas has tea parties with Shane and Marnie, including titles (Princess Jas, the noble Sir Shane, and Lady Marnie)

Caroline wanted to become a speech-language pathologist but didn't because the nearest university with a speech-language pathology program was too far away

Vincent wants to get a pet snake, but Jodi has a fear of snakes

Alex can cook well but doubts his skills because Evelyn is so comfortable in the kitchen

Haley really likes animated films with darker themes, like Isle of Dogs / Coraline -esque movies (Emily, on the other hand, very much does not, and leaves the room whenever Haley puts one on)

Lewis was a landscaper before becoming mayor

Evelyn used to work at a drive-in theatre

Emily and Caroline meditate together

At one point Penny considered studying business before deciding on teaching

Abigail took off time to work before starting university. Her online classes are in history and anthropology and are with a school across the country. She is studying to become an archaeologist

And Shane studied kinesiology at university

Sam has taught Vincent and Jas some songs (as a guest during arts and music class with Penny)

Clint wears cowboy boots

Gunther lives in a neighbouring village, about 20 minutes east of Pelican Town, and Morris commutes nearly an hour every day from the city

Harvey really likes to cook, but doesn't have the time, money, or space to do so frequently. He sometimes goes to the community centre and meal preps

Elliott began writing with alternate-ending fanfics and (admittedly not good) poetry about nature and the sea

Willy supplied the anchovies for the luau for which Sam got community service hours. Willy did know what Sam was going to do with them and supported it (though did feel guilty and apologise to Sam when he was caught, keeping him company as much as possible during his service hours)

Shane sleeps with an absurd number of pillows - upwards of six on most nights

Emily and Sandy met through Girl Guides/Scouts/whatever the Stardew equivalent is of those groups

Leah, Elliott, and Pierre all had rock collections growing up

Pierre also collected sports trading cards

Robin watches a lot of documentaries (especially true crime and nature), as well as cooking shows

Kent and Jodi were high school sweethearts and started dating when they were seventeen. They had Sam when they were in their very early 20s (21 or 22 maybe?), and Vincent more than a decade later

Pam did beauty pageants as a teenager (and did well in them!)

Krobus is a young shadow person, and yet is older than almost every other resident of Pelican Town (they age differently)

Vincent doodles on his homework

Shane read a LOT about genetics (and talked with Demetrius a bit) when first breeding his blue chickens, and found that he was very interested in the topic

George had a pet rat as a child

Sam started an acapella group in high school

Sebastian loves theatre and did sound/audio for his school's musicals

Dusty was a gift from Alex's mum, and Alex has had Dusty for almost a decade

Elliott handwrites his work before typing it

Maru cuts the tags out of her shirts

Harvey can knit, as can Haley

Pierre took more than one foreign language class in school

Haley reads graphic novels often, though doesn't really tell anyone

Abigail was in band (concert and/or marching)

Caroline can play piano

Sam really likes the colour pink

Harvey took gymnastics when he was younger, and the day they started on the high bar is when he discovered (or perhaps solidified) his fear of heights

Maru can decorate cakes beautifully

Finally, the ages of the villagers - those who live in or near Pelican Town - from youngest to oldest: Vincent, Jas, (Leo), Maru, Abigail, Penny, Sam, Sebastian, Haley, Alex, Emily, Elliott, Leah, (Sandy), Shane, Harvey, Jodi, Kent, Clint, Pam, Pierre, Robin, Demetrius, Caroline, Gus, Marnie, Willy, Marlon, Lewis, Gil, Krobus, Linus, George, Evelyn, Wizard, and the Dwarf

Thanks for reading my dump of thoughts :) I'd love to hear any opinions on these headcanons!

[thefinalwitness]

@kitkatkimble THIS RESULTED IN PROBABLY ONE OF MY NEW FAVORITE L'AIHA HEADCANONS BLESS YOU.

in which your seeker of the sun mom friend takes it upon herself to make sure everyone goes to bed at a decent hour

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

L'aiha Kh is, above all else, helpful.

She's a lot of things besides—magically skilled, smart, acrobatic, a good cook—but at the end of the day, these things seem to feed back to helpfulness.

And never is it as much so as, quite literally, at the end of the day. Because if it weren't for her, none of these crazy Scions would sleep.

"Thancred. Urianger."

"I know!" Thancred says at once, glaring across the table at Urianger from over a hand of pitifully few cards. "I know, but I'm this close to beating him. THIS close."

L'aiha looks over the table, where a great many of Urianger's astrologian cards have been repurposed for some game or another, along with a helping of various snacks in place of gil. She smiles, crossing her arms.

"You have reconnaissance first thing in the morning," she reminds.

"The lady is correct," Urianger points out. "Thee would best concede while thee still has't snacks to thy name."

"Just thirty seconds," Thancred says, settling in with a glare at Urianger. "Bole."

"Nay, wend and fish."

Thancred groans, and pushes a pile of things across the table. Urianger smiles.

"Doth thou has't the Arrow?"

"Bloody seven hells!" Thancred barks, throwing down the card in question and standing from the table. "If L'aiha wasn't right here, I'd rematch you—with Triad cards. I swear you're cheating with that astrologian deck."

"Thee needeth not beest a sore loser," Urianger says.

"Fuck you," Thancred says, then turns to pat L'aiha's shoulder. "Thanks, goodnight."

"Aye, my thanks for bringing a swift end to our contest," Urianger says, collecting his bounty.

L'aiha smiles, recognizing their feud for the theatrical jest that it is. "Get some sleep, Go Fish champion."

Urianger bows his head, following Thancred into the hallway where the Scions' chambers reside. Satisfied, L'aiha moves on to her next step in her nightly routine.

"Tataru!" she calls, leaning over the secretary's ever cluttered desk in search of her.

"I'm here!" answers the small, busy voice. L'aiha looks up, surprised, and then can't help a small laugh finding the lalafell high up on a bookshelf ladder with a stack of ledgers in her arms. "I know, I know, I'm late to bed, but this paperwork just can't wait—"

"Oh, can't it?" L'aiha says.

"No, I mean it this time!"

"And were I to take a look, this would not be something that would set back your wakefulness tomorrow?"

"Um, well..." Tataru sighs and then laughs. "Fine, you've made your point! Just—let me put it on my desk for first thing tomorrow."

"A sound idea," L'aiha says as Tataru scurries down the ladder and hefts the ledgers atop the rest of the mess. "Goodnight, Tataru."

"Goodnight, L'aiha!" she chimes back, and disappears down the same hall Thancred and Urianger had.

Next stop: the Solar, where a great many of the Scions' sensitive texts laid safely away from clients' eyes. L'aiha pokes her head into the room, and at once finds what she seeks, a head of red hair buried in a stack of books.

"G'raha," she calls.

"Oh!" He startles, sitting up straight and looking frantically for a clock. "It can't be that late already—?"

"So it is. Are you almost done?"

"Er, well..." Even after he pushes aside what L'aiha can guess are the books he's finished, the stack that remains is still staggering. "It surely won't take much longer, and—"

"G'raha, that stack of books is taller than I am."

"I-I am a very fast reader!"

L'aiha levels him with a doubting look. His ears flatten, and he laughs shyly as he shuts the current tome.

"Oh, fine, you have the right of it," he sighs, setting his studies aside. "Thanks."

L'aiha smiles. "It's my pleasure. Sleep well."

Estinien is by far the hardest to find, and being such a new addition to the Scions, L'aiha is still learning the ins and outs of his activities. But suffice to say, she can reliably find him out in the fields just beyond the Toll's walls, training as always.

"Sir Estinien!" she calls from the hill, wrapping her coat tightly around herself. "It's getting late!"

She can't see well in the darkness, but Estinien's shock of white hair often gives him away amidst Mor Dhona's dark foliage and trees. She sees his lance glint in the moonlight as he strikes a target dummy, the sound of wood and fabric straining hard enough to tell her he'd done a number on it already.

Her keen ears pick up his dismissive grunt. "Night training is valuable to me," he calls back. "You must be at your best, even in debilitating conditions such as darkness."

"That's all well and good," L'aiha says, "but the sun set four hours ago. Surely you've gotten enough training in for tonight?"

He becomes harder to see when he stops moving, but L'aiha continues to track him by that bright white hair. He stands still, silent for a long moment.

"Of course," she adds, "if you'd prefer I put Krile on the linkpearl..."

Estinien grunts again, turning to walk up the hill. "You're a damned pain, Kh."

"You're welcome," L'aiha says. "Goodnight."

"Hrmph."

L'aiha follows him inside, shedding her coat once more. This time, she makes for the halls, stopping at one door labeled with a sign that just reads, in Alphinaud's handwriting, "Beware of Red Mage". She knocks.

"Ugh, Aiha!" whines Alisaie's voice. "Not yet!"

L'aiha lets herself in, where Alisaie and her twin have congregated on the latter's bed, Alphinaud's hands full of yet more research and Alisaie's with a rapier and polishing cloth.

"We're investigating a promising lead as to the towers!" Alphinaud says. "Surely sleep can wait a bit longer—"

"Knowing the two of you, it'll be a long wait." L'aiha playfully plucks the book out of Alphinaud's hands, and shoos Alisaie to her own bed. "Tomorrow. Tis better to look at your findings with fresh eyes at least once."

Alphinaud doesn't fight her, instead smiling fondly as he pulls himself under the covers. Alisaie is less graceful in her surrender, rolling her eyes and flopping her head down on her pillow.

"You're not our mother, you know," she sulks, as L'aiha pulls the girl's blanket over her.

"No, I'm not, but your grandfather imparted many a parental impulse in me."

Alisaie huffs, but doesn't argue further. L'aiha knows deep down they both appreciate being looked after, even if only a fragment of Louisoix yet lives on within her.

She turns to Alphinaud next, tucking him in the way he likes. The boy blushes, turning his eyes to the wall. "Y-you don't have to do that."

"I like to, so long as it's still okay with you," L'aiha softly says. "You're both growing so fast, but you needn't give up on all your childhood comforts just yet."

"You truly do sound like our grandfather at times," Alphinaud laughs shyly.

"He still worries for you both, you know. I can feel it."

Alphinaud smiles, and settles in for sleep. L'aiha pinches out the lights on their desk, and heads for the door.

"Aiha," calls Alisaie, surprisingly small.

L'aiha stops in the threshold, using the hallway light to spot the girl staring back at her. "Yes?"

"Is he still proud of us?" she asks, barely only a mumble.

L'aiha closes her eyes for a moment, seeking that little bit of Louisoix that yet burns in her heart. She smiles. "Forever and always."

The weight of her sincerity reassures Alisaie, who hunkers down for the night. "Goodnight, Aiha."

"Goodnight, Aiha," Alphinaud echoes his twin, his eyes already closed with fatigue.

"Goodnight," L'aiha says, and gently closes the door.

She sighs, the satisfied sort that comes after a job well done. There's only one stubborn soul left to persuade.

L'aiha heads further up the hallway. This time she doesn't knock, but quietly opens the door so as to not startle the occupant within.

Y'shtola sits at her desk, as expected, so engrossed in her work she doesn't seem to hear L'aiha arrive. Yet L'aiha approaches knowing that's not the case.

"Shtola," she coos. "It's late."

"Forgive me," Y'shtola responds, not taking her eyes off her books, even as she reads with her fingertips on the braille words. "I'm afraid I'll be late to bed."

"But Shtola," L'aiha teases still, draping her arms across the sorceress's turned away shoulders; Y'shtola places a free hand on her elbow in response. "I'm tired."

"I shant stop you from sleeping," Y'shtola laughs sweetly.

"But I want to go to sleep next to you."

"Is here in the room not close enough?"

"No!" L'aiha laughs. She peers at her lover's project. "What are you reading?"

"Passage of the rift," Y'shtola says.

L'aiha frowns, and gently bumps her temple against Y'shtola's. "You were serious about finding a way back then?"

"To the First, yes," Y'shtola says. "But to the other Reflections as well. The knowledge we could glean—of the Ascians, of Hydaelyn and Zodiark and the lost era where all was as one—is far too valuable to let slip through our fingers."

"Perhaps it can slip a little," L'aiha says. "Just for tonight?"

Y'shtola sighs with laughter. "Have you sent everyone else to bed?"

"I always come to you last," L'aiha says. "So you can read a bit longer."

"How thoughtful. Tell me, what makes me so important to your nightly ritual—and how could it be so when we have only recently begun sharing a bed?"

L'aiha blushes a little, tucking her nose against her arms. "Do you want the truth?"

"Always."

"I..." She sighs. "I did not realize how easy it is to stave off my nightmares, when we're together."

The answer surprises Y'shtola. They share a silence for a moment, before the sorcerer gently unwinds L'aiha's arms from around her, kissing one of her hands before standing.

"Well then," Y'shtola says, smiling coyly. "I suppose there is nothing for it. The chance to protect my loved ones trumps even the most engaging research."

L'aiha laughs, surprised, as Y'shtola guides her by the hand toward the bed. "I won't stop you if you really insist."

"Nonsense," Y'shtola says, teasing in how suddenly she's changed her tune. "How will I ever be able to focus, knowing you need me?"

"Shtola—"

"It simply will not do. After what lengths you go through to keep the rest of us on a functional schedule, it seems only fair that someone make sure you sleep soundly as well."

L'aiha giggles again, climbing into bed as bidden. Y'shtola flicks her wrist, and the torchlights around the room go out with a brush of magical wind. Her arm then descends to wrap around L'aiha, pulling the mage close to her.

"Goodnight, Aiha."

L'aiha smiles warmly, and surrenders to Y'shtola's safe embrace.

"Goodnight, Shtola."