#i think he would still choose to appear as the ice king for 2 reasons. 1 seeing himself reminds him of Before The Crown

[presidentalpaca]

thinking aloud here on the off chance that simon died and ascended to the dead world he would get to choose what version of himself to present as. would he choose ice king? at this point in f&c I'm thinking probably, but he's after ice king's mental state, not so much his appearance. and based on what we saw in distant lands especially, you aren't going to mentally regress to that time in your life. so imagine simon dying, learning that he can be the ice king again, then facing that the change is only external

[minaramen]

Torao Midou - 16 Idol Album - Part 3: Playtime with friends

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Torao: Superheroes… we only played superheroes together 

Torao: They were the only things that connected me with my older brother except from blood, since we were years apart 

Torao:....never mind

Minami: Oh, Historangers, the World’s Four Great Civilization Squadron. Some older child actors I used to know appeared in that show

Haruka: I don’t think I know it

Torao: I guess you were more into the next series, Satsumago Kai the Bakumatsu King of Beasts

Haruka: Yeah, that one! How nostalgic…!

Haruka: But in the end things got so vague, and I don’t remember what the last part was about…

Torao: It became problematic because it turned out that enemies had their good reasons as well. It was quite a unique situation

Torao: You can still find the last part  featured in programs like “Nostalgic TV shows”

Haruka: Now you sound like you’re possessed by Rokuya Nagi from Idolish7…

Minami: You still watch it in the dressing room with the corner of your eye, when they feature the episodes on the TV

Torao: Mh? I don’t…They’re just in my field of vision

Touma: I understand your feelings! I glance at it as well, it’s so nostalgic!

Touma: I was happy to hear a story about little Tora! The gap is pretty good!

Haruka: Yeah. At least, it’s way better than a Torao hitting on every single woman he meets

Minami: I think the current Midou san has charm as well, but when I think about the pure boy he was back then I find him somehow cute

Torao: Give it a rest. I didn’t choose this picture because I wanted people to think I was cute

Torao: How did you guys have fun?

Touma: Let’s see… I used to go to the park and climb the jungle gym. We competed over who would reach the top first, or scrambled to get possession of the castle…

Haruka: Was it Tom Tiddler’s Ground? How nostalgic, I played that game too! 

Haruka: But you’re not supposed to play in a jungle gym, are you? You should use trees that are in the park or some puzzling sculptures

Minami: Sculptures are pretty common. In a park you can easily find things like octopus and elephant sculptures, and even monuments with indefinable shapes

Torao: Does a park really look so much like a museum…?

Touma: No, it’s not such a splendid place! The park I used to go when I was a child didn’t have anything like a monument 

Touma: There was only a jungle gym and some swings, then a slide, an exercise bar and a sandbox

Minami: Oh dear, in my opinion that’s a splendid park

Touma: Naw, there were places with much more to offer

Touma: Like those that have playsets where slides are included into the jungle gym, or animals you can ride and swing on

Haruka: Those animal playsets are pretty indefinable as well. Sometimes there are bugs, other times rabbits…

Torao: I can understand rabbits, but…bugs? Are children happy with that?

Minami: I guess they’re quite particular steeds

Touma: I loved them when I was a child! Even now, when I see them, I feel the urge to take a ride!

Touma: Ah, but I don’t do it! I’d just like to, but I don’t!!

Minami: Nobody said anything, Inumaru san

Haruka: You should just ride them, if you want to!

Haruka: Then I’ll sneak a pic of you from behind and upload it on Rabbiter

Touma: Stop it!

Torao: What kind of playset did you like, Haruka?

Haruka: The slide was the one I liked the most! Grandma used to wait for me at the end of the slide. Then, after I slid down ten times, the game was up for me and we went to buy ice-cream on our way home 

Minami: Fufu, what a precious memory

Minami: I….well, I’ve been a child actor ever since I can remember, and I only went to parks for recordings

Touma: I bet you got surrounded by many parents and children who were interested in watching you when you went!

Haruka: You surely could make many friends!

Minami: Well, I couldn’t take enough time for that. You weren’t used to going to park as well, were you, Midou san?

Torao: No, because I’ve been kept in a golden cage. They didn’t let me play outside so I wouldn’t get injured 

Torao: I played superheroes alone inside the house, or with my two older brothers

Torao: Now that I think about it my brother took time out from his busy schedule to play with me

Torao: It must have been hard for him dealing with a brat who was ten years younger than him. I could never do that. Using my free time to line up at a toy store…

Minami: I’m sure those were moments of reprieve that your brother holds dear

Torao: Who knows

Torao: Even now if I happen to meet my brother, he persistently asks me what superhero is popular nowadays 

Torao: Not the kind of speech that a man who passed his twenties should make

Minami: Surely…he’s trying to keep a connection with you 

Torao:....... well, maybe

Touma:........! Play superheroes with us!

Torao: With you?

Touma: Just like they keep you connected with your older brother, superheroes could connect the four of us…or something like that

Torao:.......!

Haruka: I agree. Tickling Torao must be fun!

Minami: Let me play the villain, please. I’m pretty good at it

Touma: Alright, let’s do it now!!

Touma: Which superheroes are we? You choose, Tora!

Torao: Hey, you must be joking. Aren’t we too old to play around?

Touma: It doesn’t matter! Also, there’s nobody here except for us

Touma: You can play with all our strength and laugh like an idiot, you can even skin your knees, and nobody will scold you

Touma: We’ll play with you, Tora

Torao:....! Ahah, that’s crazy…

Torao: Let’s say it’s the opposite. It’s me playing with you. Don’t forget I’m a professional playboy

Haruka: What does it mean?

Torao: Something that Yuki from Re:vale told me.  “If you’re a pro, play with all your strength like a pro would do”

Minami: As always, he has quite a curious way of speaking

Torao: I’ll play, then. With all my strength. I’ll do it with you too…

Torao: On stage too…

Touma: Okay, so which superheroes are we?

Torao: We could be the Four Great Civilization Squadron. Too bad we don’t have any transformation items, however…

Haruka: Is it okay if I make one? I mean, with cardboard. I made plenty of them with cardboard when I was a child 

Torao: I see. So, there’s also this way of making them?

Minami: I’ll go and ask if they have some cardboard, then

Torao: It’s getting interesting…if we have to make it, that’s definitely the best way

Torao: I’m gonna play for real, just like I do on stage. Wear your Miracle Historangers’ belt and join me!

End 

TL notes:

Thank you so much Gloria for sending me so many helpful recordings, including Torao’s 16 Idol Album!

Next up... Yuki’s I-Hake!

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: April 13th, 2021

And we’re back again with more replies so soon, haha. Thank you for the asks!

Your game literally saved me this hell ass year. Thank you so much for the most perfect piece of art I've ever laid eyes on 😫 ... Do you guys have a rough idea when step 3 DLC will be released? I hope I'm not coming off as rude. I just really really love your game.

I’m sorry for the late reply on this! You might’ve already seen the answer by now, but the Step 3 DLC is coming out on the 16th. We’re almost there :D

This may be a silly question but did Jeremy's parents ever find out that Pran had lied about his age and if so, when/how? :3

Pran came clean to them after a couple of years, when he felt secure enough that it wouldn’t ruin the relationship. The Kings were a little embarrassed, the dad more than the mom, but they’re quite good at brushing past those kind of mistakes so it was all water under the bridge pretty fast.

hi! i know you’ve answered a question about alterations in the our life moments by playing them in different orders, but i was wondering if there was a canon order that the moments for each step happen in? i figure with such a customizable game the “canon” timeline for the moments is whatever order the player completes them in, for example in step 1, i like playing the runaway moment pretty early, since cove trying to run away early in summer makes more sense to me personally. thanks!

Yeah, there’s no canon order we’d insist on. Whatever you like can be the official route for you! And that’s a neat way to look at that event.

What if your character isn’t that into physical contact but still wants to be in a relationship with Cove? Would he be offended if you shy away or something along those lines?

He wouldn’t be. Cove knows how hard that can be and is very understanding. If you set his initiative to low, the game always checks to make sure if you want to be touched or not rather than assuming that you do. And if you do choose that you don’t want to, there’s no stress or drama about it. Cove will just say that’s okay!

Hellu! First off, I want to thank you all for such a wonderful game, it's been the best feel-good game I've ever stumbled upon and I can't express enough how much it has meant to me. Second, I've seen lots of people having trouble with making Cove confess before MC which makes me wonder if people will have the same problem in the dlc when you can propose to him. Is it possible to post a guide for that as well when it no longer could count as a spoiler? Again, thanks for such a beautiful game <3

I’m really happy you had such a nice time with it c:. We’ll answer questions about it on tumblr/in the discord if they come up and, if need be, we’ll find somewhere to upload a guide.

Do we get steam key from buying dlc on itch io?

I’m afraid not. That’d be unfair to those who get it on Steam. Plus, Steam isn’t super cool with giving out thousands of keys to be handed out for free on other sites anymore. They can refuse to give us the keys if they feel we’re trying to take advantage of their system.

hi! so if we reject cove's confession in step 3, can we still have MC and cove get together in step 4?

You can confess to him, yeah. But Cove won’t ever try confessing again if the MC turns him down in Step 3.

What if MC acts like someone Cove doesn't like, like Lizzie or Baxter lol

You can’t do what Lizzie or Baxter does to make Cove dislike them. You can play the game and try, but it doesn’t work out. The MC is just too compatible with Cove if you’re fond/crush/love, haha.

Hi! I absolutely love your game, I love the characters they’re all so amazing, thank you for the game haha

I was wondering if you would get the NSFW DLC no matter what Patreon level you were at, or if you would could get it at any level? :)

&

What pateron tier do we need to get the 18+ content for Our Life? It's my new favourite game, keep up the good work!

It will eventually be available at the $5 tier and anything above that! Glad you both like OL ^^

On a scale from 1 (being the worst) to 10, how well do the XOXO jerk squad including JB handle horror?

JB: 8

Everett: 5

Nate: 4

Shiloh: 10

Bae: 10

Jeremy: 8 for non-gore horror, 2 for gory horror

Pran: 9

hello!! i was wondering if any of the boys from the Jerksquad would ever wear a skirt/dress?

None of them wear skirts/dresses out of personal preference. But if there was some kind of reason where they had to do it, none would be that bothered.

How does the jerk squad feel about Christmas? 

Everett: He fucking loves it. That’s the best time of year.

Nate: Commercialized nonsense.

Shiloh: It’s wonderful! So he claims.

Bae: He likes it quite a bit, but only for the joy it brings children/family. He thinks that’s sweet but is too mature to be whipped up into a festive fervor himself.

Jeremy: It’s awful.

Pran: He hates it.

does cove have any pet allergies? yes I know this is a little weirdly specific

He doesn’t! The lucky boy isn’t allergic to any animal.

Very important question: Would Lee and a musical-theatre loving MC run around belting Into The Unknown from Frozen 2? Because I feel that they would 

Probably, haha.

This might seem like a dumb question, so I’m sorry, but with the Derek DLC are we gonna get to hang out with him in person instead of just calling him in step 3? 

The Derek DLC adds events in Step 2 and Step 4. It’s part of his story that you don’t really get to be around him in Step 3. But you don’t need to apologize for wondering!

hello! i'd like to ask if it's possible to play the android version of the game with the dlcs after buying the dlcs from steam. i wasn't expecting my android version to have my dlcs since i bought them from steam, but it had my step 2 dlc for some reason. is this a glitch or does the apk actually detect what dlcs you already have on your pc? if so, how come i don't have the step 1 dlc appearing on android? thanks!

That is some kind of glitch. It isn’t possible for the Android DLCs to be unlocked by having them on PC. Maybe in one of the old builds we accidentally didn’t lock the Step 2 DLC properly. Sorry for the confusion!

Does Derek and Baxter have canon sexualities? Will Derek still flirts with the MC regardless of their gender?

They’re both pansexual and can like the MC regardless of what gender they have.

I was wondering if Miranda had a crush on Cove in Step 3? I'm not sure why, but I got those vibes from her?

She thinks of him only as a friend. Cove isn’t her type, haha.

This is probably a dumb hope, but I hope Cliff find someone he loves after Cove is grown up and everything. Or at the very least he has someone he's very close with after Cove leaves. 

That’s a really sweet thought to have. Cliff stays single, but he’s graysexual and not-particularly romantically inclined. He only dated when he was really young ‘cause that’s what everyone did. Family and friend relationships are more important to him, and he has plenty of that in his life ^^.

Heya! I was curious if there might be a nickname system in N&F? I kind of pull an Elizabeth when I play and choose a different variation of a name like having Rosie in step one and changing it to Rose in step two, then maybe Rosetta in step three for example, but it also feels a little bit odd being scolded using my nickname hehe. That's all I was wondering about, thank you for your time and the wonderful games!

We are hoping to include the option to go by a nickname in Our Life: Now & Forever. But nothing has been programmed yet, so we can’t 100% guarantee it, haha.

Just curious, what would Liz's and Cove's relationship be if MC wasn't around? I feel like they wouldn't get along as well as they do now, especially during the first and second step 

They’d definitely have a lot of friction growing up and they’d likely avoid each other as much as possible. Once they were both older, I imagine they’d be decent neighbor acquaintances. But they still wouldn’t be nearly as close as they are with the MC bringing Cove into things.

What do the customizable eyes look like in the game? Do they look as they are in the creating avatar section? Or do they look different when actually playing the game?

That’s up to you! The doll is just meant to be a general idea. You can apply it to your imagined MC as much or as little as you prefer.

Did Cove go through a "phase" during his adolescence? I don't really wanna headcanon it so I wonder if there's anything (cringy) canon since we missed out on the ages of 14-17 hahaha

Not really, aha. 14-17 Cove is pretty recognizable to his 13 and 18 year old self.

Hello! I'm sorry to bother you, especially with all the messages you get. I was just wondering if the religious wedding venue was exclusive to a church or if there will be different religions of weddings? Also, I love this VN so much, it's so well written and every character is so amazing, thank you for making such a beautiful game.

The church is treated as a historic building rather than anything actively religious, but it’s not the only option like that. There’s a historic synagogue and stuff too! And that’s really nice of you to say <3.

How differently would it play out If MC told their moms about the 20$ deal back when it happened? 

They wouldn’t have been happy and would’ve been far more skeptical of Cliff, aha. But they wouldn’t want to keep Cove away from the MC, so it wouldn’t have been too different in the long run.  

Hello may I ask what Cove's favorite fudge/ice cream flavor would be? Its alright if its not answered 

He appreciates them all, but his top favorites would be the fruit flavored ones and the ones with nuts.

Hi! I really wanted to make mc's house in a game and tried really hard to figure out the floor plan, but I wondered if you have the floor plan of the mc's house so that i can try again with more accuracy?

Thank you a lot for this game, i loved it a lot! (my first play took me 8 hours lol)

I’m really sorry, we don’t have anything like that. But at least you can headcanon that what you did is correct and nothing can prove it wrong, haha.

Hello,I recently started playing lake of voices (I put it off for a long while since I’m usually not very good with horror) and I’m really happy I did!I’m a big fan of your games in general and lake of voices was absolutely great as well.I loved the characters and the dark setting of it,I adored the beautiful art and music and the story was great too,sometimes unsettling and sometimes very sweet.My favorite Route in the game was definitely Lu,I liked his character and was really shocked and distraught by his Route at least two times.I didn’t see the plot twist(s) coming at all!

Besides these ramblings I’ve also wanted to ask if you still remember how to get the lower two CGs on page 5?I seem to always miss them and would appreciate any help.Anyways I hope I wasn’t too much of a bother and I wish the devs a great day!:)

Thank you for all the kind words <3. You get those DLCs by going through the end of the Guide’s character path. You can use the guides on Steam to help you find it/reach the end!

—– —– —– —–

Thank you again for all of these questions :D

We released a new FAQ! It answers common questions and we’ll keep adding more to it. Please check there before sending an ask. FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[j4gm]

Obsidian lore thread!

Sharing this thread of lore, episode connections, and Easter eggs from Adventure Time: Distant Lands: Obsidian, originally written for my Twitter.

SPOILERS AHEAD, WATCH OBSIDIAN ON HBO MAX IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY

Keep reading for the full thread!

1) We've seen bombs scattered around the Land of Ooo before, but this is the first time we've seen the word "fission", confirming that they are nukes. Although we have seen the radiation roundel plenty of times so it's pretty obvious.

2) The "magic lightning" that created the Glass Kingdom could itself have been one of the nukes. Alternatively, it could have been the catalyst comet, although Finn has no connection to this place so that's probably not the case.

3) The subtitles for the first four minutes video suggested that Glassboy was saying "crap" here. However, the HBO Max subtitles confirm he is actually saying "crack".

4) All of Marceline's classic furniture is present, but Bubblegum's influence is very visible; a doily on the couch, a flask underneath, new barstools from the Candy Kingdom, and the pink lamp in the bedroom, just to name a few examples.

5) Lady Rainicorn slippers. That is all.

6) Chocoberry on the cover of a magazine. Looks like she's been dipped in white chocolate for this shoot.

7) This is the first time we've seen Choose Goose since he appeared as "Achoos Goose" in the Elements miniseries. Last time we saw his normal form was all the way back in season five's "Blade of Grass", nearly seven years ago. Is it weird that Choose Goose was the first thing in the episode to make me cry?

8) It appears that Princess Bubblegum has not rebuilt the Gumball Guardians since they were destroyed in the battle against GOLB.

9) There are lots of familiar candy people in and around the tavern, from a variety of seasons, including Kenneth, Dirt Beer Guy, Cherry Cream Soda, a Banana Guard 500, Lollipop Girl, and Smudge.

10) Simon is of course singing "Remember You". He is also using the omnichord that was used in that episode. Interestingly, this suggests he might remember some of his experiences as the Ice King.

11) This isn't the first time Dirt Beer Guy's tavern has hosted an open mic night. He also held one in "Son of Rap Bear", and even used the same banner, although it's looking a little tattered and worn out now.

12) Simon doesn't look any older than he did in the finale. This might mean that Betty's wish made him immortal, or it simply might not have been long enough for him to visibly age.

13) This is the oversized shirt given to Marceline by her father in the episode "Marcy & Hunson". It's looking a little faded these days.

14) Bubblegum's outfit is of a similar style to the one in "The Vault", but it's not the same. The fact she's not wearing her amulet might suggest this flashback takes place after "The Vault", but nothing is known for certain.

15) There are gravestones outside Marceline's house, but these actually aren’t new. They previously appeared in “Go With Me”. So don’t worry, these don’t belong to Jake or anything like that.

16) Simon's coping mechanism would be funny if it wasn't so sad. It's going to be a long time before he fully recovers. On a lighter note, the magnets on the fridge say "M PB" which is pretty cute.

17) This is our first time seeing the outside of Elise's van. We previously saw the interior in "Everything Stays". Also, we learned from the credits and subtitles that her name is Elise!

18) Previously, it wasn't known whether or not Elise survived the Mushroom War. Turns out she did... but not for long. It's also now unclear whether the flashback from "Everything Stays" happened before or after the war.

19) A nice little timeline detail: Marceline travelling with her mother for a while explains the awkward two year gap between the Mushroom War and the events of "Simon & Marcy".

20) Here's a comparison of the parts of Marceline's song that got corrupted into the current version. The Glass People got really obsessed with the idea of the song being about coconuts for some reason.

21) PB yelling "Scree!" to summon the Morrow is a callback all the way to the season two episode "Death in Bloom", which is when the Morrow made their debut.

22) Disease is added to the long list of things that helped wipe out humanity. I wonder if this disease is related to the one that Hugo and his crew gave to the grays in the BMO special. I also wonder if Marceline is immune thanks to her demon half.

23) The mutant puppy was able to say the word "wassup". Perhaps this is a halfway stage to the talking animals that now populate the Land of Ooo.

24) Turns out Marceline discovered her demon powers before she defeated the Fool. This is the first appearance of these kinds of soulless husks since "It Came From the Nightosphere" in season two.

25) This is the first new candy power we've seen Princess Bubblegum use since she learned how to create mints and soda in "Jelly Beans Have Power".

26) Marceline not caring about the glass people is very in line with her personality in the early seasons, such as when she was happy to let her father suck souls as long as she got her bass back.

27) No Easter egg here, just an extremely good image.

28) Here's the screenshot leaked by Adam Muto last month. Like the gas station in "Bonnibel Bubblegum", the graffiti here tells an interesting story. Seems like the Land of Ooo had a bit of a Mad Max phase while the humans were still around.

29) This is (as far as I know) only the second time an Adventure Time character has ever been shown bleeding. The first was the heart monster in "The Enchiridion", but that was a lot less realistic.

30) The fact that humans survived long enough to construct a whole Fallout-style bunker confirms that the near-extinction of humanity wasn't a quick process. It makes you wonder whether any other groups made it, besides the Islanders.

31) Apart from this being one of the darkest scenes in the entire show, I like the background detail of bank notes being used as toilet paper.

32) Marceline grew up blaming herself for her mother leaving, and says she is like her dad. It sounds like Elise has told Marceline a bit about Hunson Abadeer, and is scared and angry at him.

33) This actually isn't the first time Marceline's bass has been broken. She also snapped the handle during her fight with the Vampire King. However, it's never been completely shattered like this.

34) This might be a reference to the Hall of Egress. That's the only other time we've heard Bubblegum use that word.

35) Confirmation that Princess Bubblegum doesn't have bones. I guess that counts as lore?

36) The gag of the Banana Guards slipping over each other was also done in "The Thin Yellow Line" and probably some other episodes I'm forgetting.

37) Jake’s granddaughter Bronwyn is certainly an unexpected appearance. I wonder what affiliation she has with the main cast now?

38) And of course... FINN! I would estimate he's aged about five to ten years since the finale, but it's hard to tell with Adventure Time's style. He looks younger than he did in Puhoy's alternate future.

39) Lots of people have been theorising that the tattoo implies that something unfortunate has happened to Jake. Perhaps we'll get to know more about that in Together Again. Let's not dwell on it for now.

40) A canon origin story for the shirt, plus a Bubbline first meeting! This overrides the P.B. & Marcy comic, and re-contextualises a whole bunch of the old Bubbline episodes!

That’s all for now! Let me know if you can think of anything I missed!

[redvoid-40]

A Game for a Kiss

Don’t ask me where this came from. I’ve watched BSD a couple months ago and of course I got the hots for the feral rat-man. -.-

Anyway, slowly I came up with a little plot for an arc with some OCs (weird calling them OCs, when they’re all named after past writers but oh well) and even thought about developing it, but since I’m not in the mood to write a whole multi-chaptered fic, I decided to just write this interaction between Fyodor and my main OC for the BSD-universe, Mary Shelley. You know, as a treat. >.<

I know the fandom is super small, but I thought someone might enjoy this, so here it is! :)

Also, Fyodor might be OOC (it’s hard to get a full understanding of his character) but I see him as creepy-pretty, with no qualms in manipulating women in ways that border on dub-con. So... TW: some making out; Fyodor’s thoughts making it clear his morals are more twisted than a pretzel. 

Anyway, enjoy! :)

Part 1 / Part 2 (NSFW) / Part 3 (NSFW)

“How about a game?” Fyodor proposed, smiling from ear to ear as he moved a chessboard from the side table to the coffee table in front of them. It was small, with tiny and expensive crystal pieces that had a purely decorative role, but he had never minded playing with valuable and irreplaceable things before, so why start now? Much worse to die of boredom than to shatter a hundred-dollar pawn. “I heard you had quite the reputation at the Chess Club in Oxford.”

“It’s been a few years since I last played,” Mary admitted as placed her glass of anise-infused gin on the coffee table and reached out to touch the white king, as if she was caressing a long-lost lover. “Not sure I’ll be a worthy opponent to you, Mr Dostoevsky.”

“How about I give you some impetus then?” Fyodor asked, raising a sole eyebrow as Mary’s eyes shone with interest. “If you win, I’ll give you something. Something I know you want from me.”

Mary quickly pulled back, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie-jar. “You’re already doing so, and I’m eternally grateful for it. Helping me retrieve Adam and right my wrong is all I could ever hope for and more, Mr Dostoevsky. There’s nothing el-”

“A kiss.”

Fyodor’s smile widened and his eyes darkened as a pink dusted over Mary’s cheeks. Her dark eyes made it hard to discern her emotions, but if he were to guess, Fyodor would bet her pupils had doubled in size at his indiscretion.

“I can feel your gaze on me, Doctor Shelley. Every time I walk in a room, your eyes peruse my figure like I’m an appetising treat,” Fyodor spoke, feet planted on the floor as he projected his body forwards, elbows on spread knees and the fingers of his hands intertwined. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you are interested in me in a way that’s not entirely professional or proper.”

Mary reached for her lowball glass and quickly brought it to her lips, downing the rest of her gin in a way that also wasn’t professional or proper. Fyodor watched her throat move, amused and admitedly a bit impressed at the pace at which she was draining her gin, wondering if maybe he should have proposed a drinking game instead. Who would fare better, her with her gin infusions or him with his chilled vodka?

“... and if I lose?”

Fyodor blinked, lazily trailing his eyes up her chin, passing by her pouting lips, blushing cheeks and up to dark eyes that stared at him so attentively. Lips curled at the corners, he raised a single eyebrow, urging Mary to continue.

“If I lose the game, what would you demand as compensation?” She clarified, and Fyodor exhaled at how she pressed her thighs together beneath her knee-length, black skirt.

“I’m not sure,” Fyodor said. “Why don’t you let me decide later? If I win the game, that is.”

Mary’s eyes turned away from his, moving down to gaze at the empty glass in her hands as some luster in her eyes darkened into distrust. “I think I’ll pass on your offer, Mr Dostoevsky. A kiss for an IOU? Your proposition doesn’t sound fair to me.”

Fyodor retreated, letting his spine fall comfortably against the back of the sofa as an airy laugh left his lips. The woman wasn’t as foolish as he had expected, at least; despite admitting in all but words she was enamoured with him, her shackles remained raised, certain she couldn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.

Must be a woman’s intuition, Fyodor thought, remembering the looks he so often received from the fairer sex throughout his late adolescence and adult life. So many inviting smiles were thrown his way, only to morph into barely veiled jitters when he got close enough to touch. For all his years of manipulating the brightest of the brightest to have his way, Fyodor still hadn’t figured out how to lull women into unravelling themselves for him without promises of money - or some other stimulant - as reward.

“If I win I vow not to abuse my freedom, and will only ask for something of equivalent value to what I offer,” Fyodor proposed, lips relaxing in a smile he hoped Mary deemed trustworthy. “And if you feel I ask too much, you can deny me and I’ll give up my reward altogether. Does that sound fair, Doctor Shelley?”

Mary looked at him through lowered lashes and he could almost hear the gears turning in her head, lust and reason rotating in opposing directions in a struggle to decide.

“Fair enough,” Mary spoke at last, and placed her glass back on the coffee table. Her hand then moved to the chessboard and spun it around so the white pieces were close to her. “But I play white.”

Fyodor almost protested, but the smile Mary threw his way demanded enough endearment that he’d allow her this little bit of despotism just this once. 

He found he rather liked it.

---

To Fyodor’s surprise and satisfaction, Mary proved herself to be a worthy opponent. For the first time in years, Fyodor stood over a chessboard with furrowed eyebrows as he macerated the pad of his thumb between his teeth to the point he could taste iron on his tongue.

“Don’t do that. You’re hurting yourself.” 

Fyodor had just moved his knight when a hand seemed to appear out of nowhere and gently wrapped around his wrist to guide his thumb out of his mouth. Purple eyes narrowed, shooting up from the board to Mary, but his scowl melted into something almost benign at finding the woman hunched over the board, positively pouting. Her hand released his wrist, leaving an imprint of heat on his flesh despite not touching skin, and floated back to her, fingers twitching as they hovered over her pieces, debating their next move.

There was a brief knock on the doors before they opened and in walked Ivan, pulling Fyodor’s attention just in time to see the narrowing of his silver eyes as they fell on the back of Mary’s head. The glare disappeared as soon as it came, so when Mary turned around to greet the newcomer with a polite smile, he responded with an enormous grin and flamboyant mannerisms.

“I’ve come to check upon you, see if everything was alright,” Ivan announced as he stood behind Mary, silver eyes fixed on Fyodor with adoration. “It’s almost midnight.”

Mary’s eyes widened in surprise as she reached for the phone she had forgotten on the cushion by her side. “Oh my, there are twenty calls from Jane. I really should take this thing off silent mode.”

Fyodor’s jaw tightened as Mary’s focus shifted from their match to her phone. “Ivan,” he called with a firm voice that demanded to be the centre of attention again. “Please, let Doctor Shelley’s companions know she is safe and sound with me, and that we’re both occupied at the moment. Also, would you be so kind to have someone bring us something to eat? Something sugary would be best. I will have a drink as well. Vodka, chilled but no ice,” then he lowered his eyes back to the woman in front of him and smiled as he motioned to her empty glass. “Doctor Shelley, would you care for another?”

“Ah, I-”

“A gin for the lady, Ivan. Thank you.”

Ivan’s smile didn’t falter as he bowed his head. “Of course, I’ll have someone bring your drinks. As for sweets, I believe there are a few strawberry shortcakes in the fridge. Would that be to your liking?”

This time, Fyodor remained silent as he stared at Mary, giving her the illusion she had a say in this whole matter, that she could choose her treat in the way she couldn’t choose to refuse a drink. 

Mary’s eyes were glued to his and once again he noticed how her thighs rubbed together at his attention, leaving her phone forgotten by her side. Blushing, she craned her neck to glance at Ivan and nodded. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

“Very well. Someone will bring everything here briefly,” Ivan said, moving his eyes back to Fyodor. “If you need me-”

“We will be fine,” Fyodor dismissed, purple eyes fixed on Mary as he gave her a smile that showed too many teeth. “I believe it’s your turn, Doctor Shelley?”

Mary nodded, turning her gaze to the chessboard. Her hand hovered while her brain readjusted to their match, reviewing the last rounds as it calculated the best moves she could make. It took her only a couple of seconds to review their entire game and make her move.

“Good,” Fyodor said, right hand rising to his lips out of habit, only to stop midway as he felt an intense stare on him. When he looked up, Mary was giving him a look that quickly morphed into a smile when he aborted the movement. He snorted and smiled back. “Worried about my delicate fingers?”

“You’re the one who said you have an anemic constitution,” Mary replied, eyes dropping back to the board. “You shouldn’t hurt yourself; it might take longer than usual to heal.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Fyodor said, letting his eyes move up and narrow slightly at finding Ivan remained still behind Mary, staring at him with a doll-like smile on his face and wide eyes. “Ivan, our drinks?”

“Oh, of course! My apologies,” the man said before bowing theatrically. “I’ll leave you to your match. Good night!”

Fyodor nodded as Mary turned back to Ivan, throwing a polite “Good night, Mr Goncharov”, before once more focusing her attention on their game, waiting for Fyodor to take his turn. He grinned, purple eyes fixed on her as he made his move, enjoying the way Mary’s lips pouted as she concentrated.

He really was having fun playing with her.

---

The game came to its inevitable conclusion hours later, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon and the birds chirped outside the window. After a couple slices of strawberry shortcake and a few refills of vodka and gin, Fyodor let his body fall back on the sofa, smiling from ear to ear as he stared at the pouting woman in front of him.

“Check-mate, Doctor,” Fyodor purred, purple eyes darkening in satisfaction. 

Mary stared at the board for a couple more seconds, as if a solution to her defeat would present itself to her. But when none did, she sighed in acceptance as her forefinger gently laid down her king.

“Don’t beat yourself, Doctor. It was a splendid game; the best I had in years,” Fyodor commented.

“Thank you, Mr Dostoevsky. But your words don’t make defeat taste any less bitter.”

“I guess not,” Fyodor said. “Especially since I have to claim the spoils of my victory from you.”

Fyodor didn’t miss the glance Mary threw his way, clearly torn between enticed curiosity and rational diligence, clearly still wary that he hadn’t made his wants known before their game despite his guarantees. Those intelligent eyes clouded with lust made him lick his lips, and her breath hitched in response.

“I want… a kiss.”

Mary’s eyebrows shoot up. “What?”

“I promised to ask for something reasonable, didn’t I?” Fyodor mused. “What’s more fair than to ask for the very thing I offered?”

“But then… why did we play?” Mary asked, head dropped to the side.

“Well, I don’t feel like moving at the moment,” Fyodor said, letting his knees fall open as his eyes ran over the woman in front of him. “So, since you’re the one owing me a kiss, you come here and give it to me.”

Fyodor had never seen someone’s skin change colour so rapidly before, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the bright red that bloomed all over the pale skin on Mary’s cheeks and neck. Without thinking, he brought his left thumb to his mouth, nibbling gently on the soft flesh as he regarded the woman with his own sort of unprofessional and improper interest.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” she said, eyeing the contour of his lips around his digit.

“Come and stop me,” he replied.

Mary swallowed his words with the same relish she swallowed her gin as she stood from the sofa, taking a moment to straighten the fabric of her pleated skirt, before walking towards him with soft, elegant steps. She came around the coffee table, sparing a glance at her toppled king before her eyes fell on his widespread knees and ran up his body until they reached his face. And while Fyodor was used to such appreciative looks, he didn’t expect the soft smile she gave him when their gazes crossed; it was usually at this moment that women stepped back from him, frightened by the intensity in his eyes.

Mary sat down by his left, so warm against the side of his body, and reached up with both hands to pull his thumb away from the abuse of his teeth. She brought his hand down to her chest to examine the damage, pouting when she saw the pad of his thumb was red and swollen, with a small laceration that had just barely crusted over and still threatened to bleed.

Fyodor watched her through half-lidded eyes, exhaling deeply when she glanced up at him. From such close-quarters he could make out the limits between the black of her pupils and the brown of her irises; just like he imagined, her pupils were dilated to extremes, wary of and eager for him. The red on her cheeks subsided, leaving a light pink colour in its place that enticed him to run his lips over the skin.

With a small quirk of her lips, Mary glanced back at his hand and shook her head at the damage on his thumb, before bringing it to her mouth to kiss the wound. The touch was soft as a rose’s petal but still knocked the breath out of Fyodor’s lungs. His warm breath gusted over the top of her head, then hitched as a soft, warm hand laid on his cheek.

“That was not what I had in mind when I asked for a kiss,” Fyodor spoke, smiling down at the woman. 

A chuckle escaped Mary and once again she gave him that soft look he was unfamiliar with. Before he could taunt her further, Mary tilted her head and guided his face down, letting her lips ghost over a corner of his mouth before moving to the other, soft and sweet. Hypnotised, Fyodor’s eyelids fluttered shut as he relaxed into these teasing touches that, despite being feather-light in their delicacy, made heat rush in his veins like molten metal, erupting out of his heart to his cock and leaving a trail of feverish desire in his veins that demanded more. More contact, more kisses, more pressure.

Fyodor pushed forwards, folding his body over Mary as his hand reached out to grab the back of her neck, only to freeze mid-air as her cold air took the place of her warm flesh. Somewhere he heard an unholy sound, and only after he opened his dark purple yes to find startled brown staring back at him he noticed he was the source of it. He was growling.

In a fraction of a second, Fyodor wondered about the stage he had set for them. Had he misjudged her interest? Hadn’t he offered her enough drinks? How much did she need his help? How much did he need her and her companions? How far could he push? Was everyone in the house still asleep? If she screamed, would anyone come to help?

Brown eyes narrowed slightly and Fyodor swore he saw a glimpse of himself in them; of something aware, astute, and artful. It was there for a moment so short he wasn’t sure he had projected the connection, so before he could let his brain process it, he was once more being subjugated to that look. That nauseatingly soft look no one had ever given him before, and that he did not know what to do with.

Without words, Mary bent the rules of their game and took his turn from him, cancelled aggression with tenderness as she pushed him back against the sofa gently before swinging her leg over his lap to settle herself on his thighs, pulling a pleased hum from deep inside his chest. 

“May I?” Mary asked, hand playing with the flap of his ushanka hat.

Smiling, Fyodor nodded, and Mary pulled the hat off his head. The motion left his hair messy, drawing a giggle from her lips as she combed the knots away so gently he couldn’t help but shut his eyes and relax against the caresses. 

“Your hair is so soft,” Mary murmured, letting Fyodor smell the gin and strawberries on her breath. He felt her fingers dance on his face, collecting his long fringe to push it back and away from his features. “And you’re so beautiful.”

Fyodor’s eyes opened slightly, just enough so he could stare at the rosy lips hovering so close to his. His hands twitched by his sides, unsure where to go or how to touch. He was used to grabbing, pulling, bruising and scratching; not to soft lips or delicate touches dancing over his skin like her hands ghosted over the chess-pieces only minutes before.

Mary’s lips let out a delicious, trembling breath before moving towards him, avoiding his own mouth altogether to give a kiss on his cheek before moving to whisper into his ear: “You feel so tense. Relax.”

Easier said than done, Fyodor thought, turning his head to bury his nose in Mary’s long, black hair and breath in the scent of her shampoo - something citrusy and common that made him light-headed in a way he only felt when his anaemia got the best of him, causing him to black out and wake up stretched on a hospital bed, with an IV bag of O- blood connected to his arm. 

Still, he couldn’t possibly lose consciousness now, not with Mary’s warm body grounding him so sweetly, not with her breasts pressed against his chest and the heat between her legs trapping him against the sofa’s cushions in the best possible way. Gently, like everything she did, Mary finally laid her mouth over his, allowing a whimper to escape the back of her throat when he pressed against her, not as much as he would have liked, but enough to hold back the most violent aspects of his desires, for now.

At the contact, Fyodor’s passive hands took action, sneaking up Mary’s thighs and hips, before slipping under her blouse to rack his short nails over her naked back as he used his hold over her to press her heat harder against his cock. He half-expected her to pull back again, startled at his boldness, but Mary surprised him by letting out a delighted gasp as she tightened her grip on his hair and arched her back, pushing her breasts even more against his chest.

Fyodor took the opportunity and shoved his tongue inside her mouth, groaning as the taste of her invaded his senses. One of his hands danced over Mary’s skin, causing her to shudder as it tickled by her ribs before moving up to her-

“Oh, Dos! Are you in there? Why is the door locked?”

Nikolai’s happy-go-lucky voice breached the door’s barrier, causing Mary to pull back from their kiss, panting. Fyodor’s nails tensed over her skin before his hands relaxed again, dropping to her waist as he sighed and dropped his forehead against her collarbone.

“I guess your debt is paid, Doctor,” Fyodor spoke against her skin. “There’s work to be done.”

“Of course. I have my mission in a couple of hours as well,” Mary agreed as she pulled away to stand up on shaky legs. “It would be best if I got a couple some sleep before it.”

Fyodor glanced down at himself, at the wet spot on the crotch of his pants, and looked up at her through half-lidded eyes with a devil’s smirk. “Think you need a shower too?”

Mary blushed as she straightened her clothes in a modicum of decency. “I guess.”

Fyodor chuckled, but before he could tease her further, Nikolai’s loud voice invaded the room once more, making his eyes roll upwards in exasperation.

“Quiz time! How long until I force the door open? Two minutes? Two seconds?”

“I will leave you two alone,” Mary said. “Excuse me, Mr Dostoevsky.”

Fyodor nodded dismissively, but the look in his eyes was anything but uninterested. “I will see you later… Mary.”

The woman’s breath hitched at having her first name spoken with such heavy desire before she quickly made her escape, almost slamming against Nikolai when she unlocked the door.

“Good morning, Mr Gogol,” she said with a polite smile.

“Good morning, Mary!” He replied enthusiastically, pulling one of her hands to his lips. “What a treat to see your charming figure so early in the day! Don’t tell me Dos has summoned you at such ungodly hours to talk business?”

“Oh no, we were just having a match,” Mary said, pointing to the chessboard on the coffee table. “He wiped the floor with me.”

Nikolai took a few moments to examine the board and what he saw made him raise an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Really? Looks like a tight match to me,” he said, before turning to Mary. “Next time you should invite me so I can cheer you on! Gods, what I wouldn’t give to watch Dos lose a game…”

Mary chuckled and opened her mouth, but Fyodor beat her to the punch. “You wanted to talk, Nikolai?” He called, smiling tightly at the other Russian. “Come in and close the door behind you.”

“Hmm, grumpy,” Nikolai whispered, sharing a conspiratory smile with Mary as he once again kissed the back of her hand. “Lovely to see you, my dear.”

“You too, Mr Gogol. Have a good one,” Mary said before walking away, throwing one last smile in Fyodor’s direction.

Nikolai waved at Mary’s back as she walked away, closing the door once she turned a corner.

“You know,” Nikolai began in Russian, spinning on his heels to face Fyodor. Both men smiled, but the emotions they showed were something dark, almost cruel. “I believe this is the first time I see a woman in a room alone with you leave without tears in her eyes.”

Feet planted on the floor and knees spread, unashamed of his hard-on or the wet spot on the fabric of his pants, Fyodor hummed a little song as he reached for his hat and adjusted it back on his head. Satisfied, he reached forward and grabbed Mary’s fallen king from the board.

“Honestly, my friend,” he said, bringing the piece to his smiling lips. “I do not know what you’re talking about.”

[expired-monster-craft-smp]

Vibes Dream SMP members give off (in my opinion)

Dream

Barked at people in high school ironically but it became unironic real quick

Can’t cook very well but is good with a knife, especially at a fast pace

One of those kids who either purposely spells the first word wrong in a spelling bee to just be done with it right away or tries the hardest and manages to win (there is no inbetween for this heathen)

Bites ice cream with his teeth

Has snorted pixie stix far too many times and sneezed blue after each time

Eats bananas with the peels

Wears mismatched socks

Has taken a bite out of a pool noodle because he liked the texture and impulsively bit it (ADHD things✨😌)

Walks around looking extremely high but he’s just spacin out and stuck in his head

Dreams (lmao) in Minecraft and video games in general

Will flirt with anything that moves but has no idea how to respond to compliments

Makes fun of himself first before anyone else can

Has eaten an orange peel and it wasn’t that bad in his humble opinion

Wears khaki shorts

Eats the wax part of the baby bell cheese

Doesn’t actually know what genre his music taste is cause he vibes to everything

Georgenotfound

Picks at the skin on his lip when it’s dry so it bleeds and he tries not to give in by licking his lips often enough to the point where it became a habit

Wears velcro shoes because he doesn’t feel like tying them (he knows how, he just doesn’t wanna do it)

Eats peanut butter straight from the jar

Makes that disgusting “ants on a log” thing (celery stick filled with peanut butter topped with a row of raisins)

Can’t drink milk plain, it’s gotta have some sort of flavour

Can draw a perfect straight line but his circles look Terrible

Eats cheez-its like cereal without milk

Loves making little noises so much like he walks around his house doin chores and he’s just goin “memememenownownwnkwkshskshkshskhs”

Hates wearing socks

Coloured his tongue with highlighters because they’re non-toxic

Constantly tapping his feet and hands to a song/beat playing in his head

I can’t imagine this man using a bike of any sort, so Imma say he doesn’t know how

Can’t be licked by dogs because he’s used to being licked by his cat so it makes him uncomfortable

Can actually sing pretty well but gets real nervous in front of people so he fucks it up

Sapnap

No idea how to cook anything other than Mac and cheese please help this man

Meows at cats because he wants to confuse them and laughs Way too hard when he does (his laugh is like sunshine so I’ll allow it)

Would be fantastic at braiding hair Idk why

Gives the BEST fuckin hugs EVER

When singing, he makes noises for the instrumental parts too

Wanted to play the drums at one point

Really likes pit bulls but he’s more of a cat person so he loves them from afar

Only vaguely knows how to shave his face properly without hurting himself

Opportunities for him come up out of pure luck but mans is skilled for them so it works out well almost Always

Used to or currently has a skateboard and isn’t too bad

ALWAYS has bruises appearing everywhere for no reason, he doesn’t even know where 90% of them are from

Calls his friends twinks to jokingly bully them and gets away with it because he himself is not a twink

Gets sudden bursts of energy in the middle of the night and just shimmies around a bit to try and deal with it

Favours spearmint over peppermint

Arsonist

Banned from three (3) Dave & Busters in Texas

Badboyhalo

Washes his hands after doing literally anything

Likes the bird exhibits at the zoo (specifically the penguins)

Very good at cooking, best at soups and stews

If he painted his nails they would definitely be a baby blue

Overthinks very simple things and it makes him look less smart than he actually is

Drinks tap water

Probably prefers whiskey over beer

Knows how to tap dance a bit

Surprisingly good at taking and handling shots

Steady hands

Adds extra chocolate to hot chocolate

Plays sudoku and is really really good at it (only uses pen when he plays)

Everytime he sees a Himalayan salt lamp he NEEDS to lick it despite knowing it’s very salty and he’ll pull a face afterwards

Not great at Rock Paper Scissors

Wears sunglasses inside for no reason at all, he just,,,Does

Still has a stuffed animal from childhood perched on his bed

Probably tried his hand at archery

Tommyinnit

He has no idea how to use a baby voice on children or animals, so he just talks to them normally

Wears socks to bed

His fingers are double jointed

Always starts twitching if he stays still for too long because he’s gotta move around

His shoes and have different laces and it bothers everyone but himself

Doodles on himself in class when he’s bored or not paying attention

Has really good hearing, both with pitch and volume

Can’t eat tomato’s by themselves, it’s either gotta be in sauce form or with something else

FUCKING LOVES STRING CHEESE

Terrible handwriting

Favourite part of a slice of bread is the crust

Wants to paint his nails black to be cool and edgy but his hands are far from steady and he has no clue how to paint nails

Pretty affectionate with close friends (like Tubbo and Wilbur) off stream/camera

He likes pears for some reason

Wilbur Soot

Is constantly having to decide between leaving his hair as is or shaving all of it off

He also thinks about adding some colour but never actually does

Most tea is gross to him

Everytime he puts a breath mint thats circular in his mouth, he pretends it’s a pill and he’s taking drugs because he thinks that’s funny

He does that vacant state as a joke but that really what he looks like when he’s spacing out

Likes to aggressively flirt with his male friends but if his female friends flirt with him, he gets a bit flustered

Has probably accidentally swallowed a guitar pick

Once drank two entire jars of pickle juice

Bonks his head on anything and everything

He has broken a pair of glasses by walking face first into a pole outside

Thinks kinetic sand is fun

Has passionate arguments with others about trivial and random topics like chicken feet

Can open a beer bottle with his teeth

Would accidentally pop and swallow a bracket if he had braces

Tubbo

Hates sharp cheddar cheese

Everytime he learns a new word it’s in every sentence he says for the next week or so

Ate candle wax for a dare once

Doesn’t know how to tie a tie and will probably never learn

Wanted to do ballet at one point but decided not to

He has eaten multiple flowers for absolutely no reason other than wanting to know how they taste

Starts vibrating if he’s too excited

Used to bite his nails

ABSOLUTELY DESPISES MUSTARD

Has eaten paper and says it doesn’t taste that bad

Enjoys telling his friends how much they mean to him (this has resulted in Tommy and Wilbur crying on a few seperate occasions)

Spaces out a lot and doesn’t often pay attention to his surroundings

Gets lost inside of Best Buy’s

Likes s’mores but doesn’t properly understand how to make them

Technoblade

Learned to cook purely out of spite and found it’s actually pretty fun

Constantly getting smacked in the face by trees when walking outside

Really likes apple pie

Everytime he looks at potatoes he thinks of all the hours he spent trying to win the potato war

Starts things as a joke and gets too into it

Doesn’t like the taste of most energy drinks

Has rubbed salt and lemon juice into an open wound to just,,see how it felt (he did it once and Hated it but did it again because he forgot what it felt like)

Sometimes hates how quiet he is because everyone he knows is loud and talks over him

Despite how he is portrayed in the Dream SMP, he is extremely loyal to his friends and would kill for them

Over seasons his food because he can’t taste it otherwise

Really good balance

Doesn’t like to wear bright colours, but still enjoys wearing colours

Good at knitting

Quackity

Actually fairly quiet when off camera

Will accidentally use Spanish grammar while speaking English sometimes

Country music confuses him

Doesn’t really like kids but they really like him

Can’t dance

Hardest drugs he’s ever done is second hand smoke from a cigarette and children’s Tylenol

His favourite jolly ranchers are the red and blue ones

He uses lighters as fidget toys basically

Will have a breakdown, take a bubble bath, and call himself the self care king

Dehydrated

Wants a pet rat but he already has a cat and doesn’t wanna risk anything

Constantly questions why his main source of income is playing Minecraft with two 16 year olds

Karl Jacobs

Probably ate a spider once

Would wear those socks that are like gloves for you feet where it separates all the toes

Eats ravioli straight from the can, cold

Can answer an incredibly complex math equation fairly easily but will stumble over 12x11

Loves kids so much and speaks to them in a soft voice

Tried making ramen in a coffee pot and broke it

Drinks 2 monster energy drinks a day on average

Likes to open walnuts with his teeth but doesn’t actually eat them

The embodiment of that one John Maulany joke where he says you could spill soup in his lap and HE’D apologize to YOU

Loves physical affection so so much!!!!

If he moves his wrists in a certain way, they pop Really Loudly

Fantastic at making cookies

Fundy

Lowkey actually a furry but more on like, a cat boy level than fursuit level

Drives a Honda Civic

Likes ABBA

Adds parsley to almost anything he makes food-wise

Loves garlic bread so much, he’d commit a federal crime for it

Middle child vibes

Decent at skiing

Good at singing but isn’t terribly confident

Seems responsible at first glance but in reality he’s pretty chaotic and childish

Bad at spelling

Always cuts his nails way too short so they always feel weird/hurt

Likes bracelets and rings

Thinks pastel colours slap

JSchlatt

Despite the character he plays, he’s actually really sweet

He’s genuinely that cryptic off camera as he is on camera

Can cook but chooses not to most of the time

Would probably say “what pussy size you wear” to anyone who asks him to buy pads

Not actually as intimidating as he appears to be

Lowkey would fight a child

Shuts down when someone compliments him, often using aggression as a front because holy shit they just called him handsome and kind what the Fuck-

Jokingly says his license is suspended but in all actuality he never got his license in the first place

He has two (2) extra teeth but they don’t need to be removed so he kept them

Has a stick n poke of a stickman on his ankle he got in high school

Likes physics

This is already very long, and I still plan on adding more.

[marveloushiddleston]

The Monster Within

English German

Chapters: Prologue / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

Plot: After the last fight against Thanos, the task of the remaining Avengers was done. And a new team of Avengers must now protect the Earth from a new unknown force. Together with SWORD, Wanda, Vision, Doctor Strange, Carol, Bucky, Sam and Loki, who must first prove himself on Midgard as a team and face unknown enemies.

Chapter 2

Loki unexpectedly appears behind the Black Order and seems cheerful, "If I could interject ... if you are going to Earth, you may need a guide. I have a little experience in that terrain."

"If you mean mistake experience.", Thanos explains unimpressed.

"I consider experience to be experience. Almighty Thanos, I ... Loki ... Prince of Asgard ...", Loki looks meaningfully at Thor, "Odinson ... the rightful King of Jotunheim ... God of Mischief ... do hereby swear my undying fidelity."

Thor blinks in confusion and notices a dagger appear in Loki's hand. Loki readies himself, thrusts upward with lightning speed, and attempts to stab Thanos, but is frozen by the power of the Space Stone before the dagger could strike Thanos.

"Undying? You should choose your words more carefully.", Thanos twists the dagger out of Loki's hand with his right hand, then grabs Loki's neck with his glove and lifts him to eye level. Loki struggles and kicks as his throat is compressed. Thanos makes eye contact with Thor before increasing his force on Loki's neck.

Finally Loki gives up the fight against Thanos, "You will ... never ... be a god." Thanos broke Loki's neck and killing him.

"NO!" screams Thor in a muffled voice.

Thanos walks over to Thor and drops Loki's lifeless body in front of Thor.

"No resurrection this time.", Thanos raises his glove, sends purple force fire through the remains of the spaceship and uses the space stone to teleport away with the Black Order.

"No ... Loki ...", Thor is released from his bonds. He crawls to Loki's body and rests his head on Loki's chest, shedding tears for all he has lost. The ship explodes along with Loki and Thor....

Loki wakes up startled and sits up in bed in one swift movement. The haze of sleep is still heavy on him. He rubbed the sleep from his face. The sky was turning yellow-gold, slowly chasing away the dark night as Loki looked to his window. He realized it was still very early in the morning. After returning from the dead, like so many millions in the universe, nightmares had become commonplace for Loki. He wondered if the people who had shared his fate of returning from the dead shared the same torment. But perhaps it was just his punishment, the price only he had to pay to be alive. After a while Loki managed to push aside the tormenting thoughts that occupied him and pulled aside the velvet green bedspread. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his feet touching the cold black floor, and if he weren't an ice giant, the cold would bother him. Loki let his gaze wander around his room. It may be that this room did not remotely resemble his chambers in Asgard, but even Loki had to admit that living in Avengers Tower was not as bad as he had first feared. Loki turned his gaze down to his left hand and closed his eyes for a moment. As he let the semblance of his appearance, imposed on him by Odin as a newborn, fade, he took a deep breath. Loki, after a moment's hesitation, opened his eyes and studied his blue hand closely, markings running along his hand. He got up from his bed and walked across the room to the dark wooden mirror that stood in the right corner in his room next to the door. His eye color was ruby red instead of the usual green of his eyes and blue markings ran along his face. Markings that showed his origin. The blue markings on his blue skin ran across his neck, his arms, and all over his chest. Loki cautiously walked closer to the mirror. He raised his hand up to the mirror and pressed his flat palm against it. The mirror began to freeze in a few seconds and when it was completely covered with ice, he removed his hand from the mirror surface. Loki waited until the mirror was completely thawed before hiding his ice giant form, his true appearance, again. With a quick flick of his wrist, he made a dark green short-sleeved T-shirt appear over his muscular torso. Loki knew that he would probably not find any kind of peaceful sleep after the nightmare. Training would not hurt him and perhaps will help him against the thoughts that occupied his mind. He remembered that during the tour of the Tower with Thor, he had noticed an internal gym.

Loki snaps his fingers as he enters the studio, thereby turning on the lights with his seidr. He looks around the studio at the various sports equipment. Loki spots a punching bag hanging in the corner and walked across the studio to it. He punched the punching bag, first one punch, then harder, faster, and more often, as if he were repressing memories by doing so. Loki's punches get harder. With one powerful punch, he hits the punching bag and flings it from its moorings across the gym floor.

"How do you feel about fighting with something alive.", Loki turns around and saw Bucky standing behind him in the doorway, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Why are you up so early?", Loki asks as he tries to catch his breath.

"I think the reason that keeps us both from sleeping is one and the same."

"Are you sure you can keep up with me?" asks Loki, smiling.

"With you? All the time."

🐍

Bucky struck unexpectedly as Loki caught Bucky's clenched fist. Bucky and Loki continue to fight. Loki grabs Bucky's right arm and tucks it behind him.

"Who's winning?" asks Sam as he sits down next to Stephan on the bench. Wanda offered him some of the popcorn from the bowl. Sam ate some of the popcorn and watched the fight intently.

"I'll bet on Bucky," Stephan says.

Loki pushes Bucky back. The two continue to fight. Loki punches Bucky in the face, causing him to fall backward. Bucky jumped up before sweeping his leg under Loki's legs, causing Loki to lose his balance. Bucky tried to kick Loki, who was on the ground, but he rolled out from under him and got up behind Bucky in a quick leap. Loki punched him in the back, sending him stumbling forward.

"I'm Team Loki." said Wanda, continuing to eat popcorn.

"Alright, I'm on Loki's team too.", Sam explains, leaning back as he watches the fight.

"Vis?" asks Wanda, the hitherto silent Vision.

"Although I don't really participate in this sort of thing, I have to disagree with you, Wanda. Bucky clearly seems to have the advantage," Vision states matter-of-factly. Bucky lands a kick to Loki's side. Punches went back and forth between the two.

"What does the losing team have to do?" asks Stephen, crossing his arms in front of his chest."

"Take over the cleaning schedule for two weeks," Wanda says without taking her eyes off the fight.

"Sounds fair to me. Deal.", Stephan agrees. Bucky's foot connects with Loki's face, nearly dropping him to the floor. Loki's hands twisted Barnes' wrists and arms, keeping him from moving for a moment. With a kick to the back, Bucky gets Loki to loosen his grip and is able to break free.

"Since when they do that?" asked Carol, confused, as she joined them in the gym. Sam looked at his watch.

"About an hour and a half now."

"And neither of you are intervening? ", Danvers asked.

"Nope." said Sam, Wanda and Stephen in unison, only Vision doesn't answer as he continues to watch the fight intently. Bucky tries to hit Loki's head with his metal arm, but Loki ducks and kicks Barnes in the right side, this made him stagger back a little. Unexpectedly, an orange protonblast hit the two during their fight, knocking them off their feet and sending Loki and Bucky backwards across the studio onto their backs. Loki strained to lift his head to see what happened and looked in the direction from where the protonblast was shot. Carol smiled triumphantly at the two as her fists returned to normal.

"Now if you're done with your...little comparison. We have a mission.", Danvers explained. She took some of popcorn from Wanda before walking out of the room.

"So no team is the winner." declared Sam, disappointed. He stood up and walked behind Carol.

"According to my calculations, we'll have plenty of that to watch," Vision explained matter-of-factly. As Vision left the room with Wanda and Stephan. Loki and Bucky, meanwhile, still didn't get up from the floor.

A/N: My tag list is open, post in the comments if you want in it. And please also write me in the comments what you think of the chapter!

Tag-List: @silvers-hero-vault

[akegatacchi]

Sense8 AU!aftg

In the honor of absolutlynothing I’ve decided to put out there one of the many au I have on my phone and archive it there

Big shout out to @a-m-peengoo and @bluesuederose for participating in this mess with genius lines and always be there to bear my 36 ideas per hour. We did a masterpiece girls.

Here we go it’s gonna be long

The cluster:

Kevin: Nomi. He’s just a fuckin hacker who’s running away from his family (riko). When he’s bored, he spends nights crashing the Pentagon system for fun, and makes every screen in the White House play Best Exy Actions Compilation (the longest and hardest part is choosing one compilation to play).

Dan: Will. One of them have to keep them under control. Plus, Dan with a gun i can’t even-

Matt: Riley. Soft, blue strand of hair, a heart of gold, maternal. As a DJ. Yes. SO SOFT (he still knows how to box)

Allison: Capheus. Listen. Imagine Allison in high heels, skin tight leather pants, driving a bus. Also, a F1 pilot champion who can drive anything (even if it’s the first time)

Andrew: Wolfgang. Duh. Do I need to explain myself. Just think abt him saying “This is Berlin. Those are my people. And we go to our knees for no one”.Boy he does NOT like this situation, at all. Will keep the others out with sheer willpower and no blockers. The cluster’s deadliest weapon. PLUS HELLO???? ANDREW IN A PASTEL PINK BOMBER SHOOTING ON A HELICOPTER WITH A BAZOOKA????

Aaron: Felix? Sorta? not a senseate but a great doctor. Senses bullshit and when someone is in Andrew’s body real quick  (Andrew: says more than 2 sentences and is pleasant. Aaron:.....who’s that bitch where is my brother) . Later helps to manufacture blockers.

Neil: Kala. A pharmacist that uses his skill for arson and may or may not be running away from mafia/family matter and currently hiding in India. Him saying “Bring it, bitch” to Riko is my sexuality and Andrew’s. Can create explosives from a Fanta can and spices I mean it’s already canon in aftg. (plus andreil would work even better bc technically Neil can’t even touch Andrew for real)

Nicky: Lito. The drama, the sass. Also the scene where he discovers the Twinyard in Germany are his cousins would be hilarious. The scene where Lito seduces the nurse but with Nicky (“engaging into heterosexual activity? me????”) or the scene where Lito screams in the museum but with Nicky

Erik as Hernando. That’s it that’s the post.

Renee: Sun. I mean, a korean fighter lady in prison trying to be a better person and had a silent bffs relationship with a german gangster? Come on. Also. Allison in a bus and Renee doing art martials stuff. 

Riko: whispers i guess he can eat Allison’s high heels

Now the ~scenes~ (it’s just shitposting):

Aaron, on the verge on several break downs: wait so you have like … DJ Blue Matt and F1 pilot Allison Reynolds in your head? since when? ANDREW SINCE WHE-

*

Neil: what’s a better use of a multiple thousands dollars education than precise arson?????

*

Aaron: why does your boyfriend always end up burning things up?

Andrew: he lits up my heart as well

Aaron: FOR FUCK SAKE

*

Kevin, shocked and betrayed: is there a better sport than exy?

Aaron and Allison: YEAH A REALLY GOOD CAR RACE

*

Allison: you’re - you’re like the spirit of Lucy Liu. In Charlie’s Angels. I watch it once a day. Renee:.....that’s sweet actually :) 

*

Neil: does a molotov cocktail

Matt: I tHoUgHt yOu wErE a PhArMaCiSt

Neil: Yes? That’s PHYSICS

Matt: no that’s ARSON NEIL

Alternative:

Kevin: breaks into the Pentagon virtually

Neil: breaks into the Pentagon physically

Matt, again: i thought you were a PHARMACIST!!!! Neil: Yes I am??? That’s irrelevant

*

A senseate sibling, escaping, grabbing a vehicle at random: someone knows how to drive that?

Allison, in stilettos : no, but I sure will soon

*

Just Allison driving Renee around to fight people

*

Everytime someone mocks a senseate sibling Neil or Nicky shows up to roast them. Sometimes they do it both at the same time. It’s apocalyptic. The sass. The drama. 

They can also bullshit their way out of any situation. Neil is such a smooth liar and Nicky is just ridiculous. The FBI agent charged to arrest them somehow ends up crying abt childhood trauma while hugging a teddy bear.

Neil, caught in the act of making a string of explosives by the FBI guy: uuuuuuh….Nicky?

Nicky, currently dealing with a white mom in retail: somehow convince the FBI to buy christmas lights

(Yes Nicky works in retail bc his family cut ties with him but he hopes to be an actor.ON BROADWAY)

(From retail to actor to cluster negotiator real quick)

A  fuckin moron to Allison: a hottie like you driving a bus? what is this, hooker on wheels?

Neil: please let me have this one

Allison: seats back and enjoys Neil roasting him

Nicky: brings the popcorn

Nicky, to the FBI guy: You can’t arrest me Daryl I’m your long lost little brother

The FBI guy, a white man: My name is not Daryl Neil: THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO BELIEVE

The FBI guy, texting Neil (don’t ask): I guess I’m still in love with my ex

Nicky: aaaaaw we have to help this sweetheart

Neil: do you want me to burn his current boyfriend’s car, buddy?

(Nicky: DON’T REMIND HIM THAT HE’S SUPPOSED TO ARREST US)

*

A fuckin homophobe: ready to get your ass kicked, faggot?

Andrew: appears through Nicky

Nicky, smiling: fuck yeah, baby 

*

Andrew, between two bazooka shot, to Neil:  we’re nothing

*

Nicky, through Andrew, all cheery: Hi!!!! :D

(Aaron jumps like a scared cat)

*

Andrew: ready to kill ppl for mafia business

All the senseate siblings in the back minus Renee, eating popcorn and enjoying the show: Kick ass, Drew!

*

Andrew, on the hospital bed: has an emotional moment with Aaron

Aaron: sir or ma'am, idk who you are but it’s family only, I will ask you, as his doctor, to leave my brother’s body

*

Aaron: Andrew is2g if you’re making psychic love to that fuckin red hair rn i will-

*

Andrew each time a senseate is hurt: Aaron it’s for you

(Just Aaron doing med tutorials for a whole cluster while Andrew repeats it with a bored tone to everyone)

(Aaron, sighs: it is Neil again? Just let him bleed for a few minutes)

*

Neil, making bomb with kitchen stuff: If it means losing you then no

Andrew, falling in love: oh

*

Bad guy: You have no weapon, blondie!

Allison, with Renee and Dan behind her: Think again, sweetheart

*

They made a little “honorary cluster member” badge to Aaron (he does not cry STFU NEIL)

*

Dan and Neil both knows by heart the laws of different countries…..for very different reasons.

*

Luther: humiliates Nicky once again

Renee: calmly breaks his hand at dinner while smiling like an angel, all the while stopping Andrew from killing him with the other hand

*

Neil, a pharmacist: blowing shit up and arson

Aaron, a doctor, watching him: yk what hold my beer I know several ways to stop a man’s heart

*

The whole “You don’t know how to use a gun” “No, but you do” with andreil or matt and dan

*

Just Drew and Renee kicking some mafia asses together as buddies

(While Neil blows some shit up in the background and Allison/Nicky cheer)

*

Matt has the perfect ear too

Him and Kevin are the remote operation/communication team but one day all the fighters/criminals of the cluster are busy so they both start to fight as well and fuck they are good at it

Nicky: I expected this from Biceps Matt but Kevin??? You can land a kick like that???

Kevin, outraged: I WENT TO THE EXY OLYMPICS WHEN I WAS 16

*

Speaking of Kevin, they all call him “nerd” or “einstein”

Allison: so the nerd can fight uh

*

Aaron, counting down on his fingers: so you have F1 Pilot Superstar Allison Reynolds, former gold medalist and tech genius Kevin Day, a human diapason, a multilingual arsonist, World no.1 Taekwondo Champion Renee Walker, a cop, an actor…..what are you there for??

Andrew, literally a mafia king:....ice cream and crime?

*

Neil to Andrew, after the whole debacle with his father is out: You did know there were mafia out of Germany too, right?

Andrew: I can’t even have that for myself fuck this family

*

Dan, every time before each “mission”: okay guys I know we need to do it but I’d like to remind ALL of you *looks pointly at Neil and Andrew* it’s STILL illegal and morally dubious

Neil: …….like I said to Nicky, irrelevant *without missing a beat blows up the entire building and puts on stolen Gucci shades*

Alternative:

Neil: ok saint theresa why were you the one to suggest we explode Riko’s brain off then

Dan: ...don’t turn the conversation around me it’s about you

*

Allison “guess we’re detourning a place next” Reynolds and Kevin “It’s not that hard to pilot” Day

(Kevin: But why are you on a plane to Russia? I thought you were in India last time?

Neil:....don’t ask)

*

Aaron to Andrew, where they are trapped and betrayed: your boyfriend wouldn’t happen to know how to poison a whole room with gaz?

Neil: I was born for this moment

(Andrew: just bc you’re my brother doesn’t mean you have the right to dirty talk my boyfriend)

*

Andrew: be gay, do crime and eat ice cream

Nicky: AND BLOW NEIL’S D-

*

(before they know abt Neil’s past, when Andrew is angsty bc he caught feelings)

Andrew: You  shouldn’t get close to me, it’s dangerous, i’m mafia

Neil: oh haven’t you heard-

*

Jeremy, bouncing out of nowhere: Hey Kev ! Love how you BI-nary code ahah have you heard of the ARCHIPELAGO 

*

Neil, sipping tea: so my father is the Butcher

Matt:  okokokok coolcoolcoolcool yk what arson doesn’t sound like a bad idea after all

*

(this one is not funny sorry) but Neil taking over each time someone is hurt bc he is used to deal with it

“Give the pain to me”

*

Andrew and Aaron like to fuck around a lot with the whole sensate stuff (since only one of them is a sensate)

Bad guy: only one of you is a sensate, which one is it?

Twinyard, in a perfect and flat tone: try to guess

A bad guy is spying on Andrew and waiting to kill him in Germany, via a cam, thinking he’s safe BUT SUPRISE MOTHERFUCKER it was aaron dressed as Andrew in a mafia meeting and now you have to deal with a 5 feet tall mafia boy

*

For real tho they are a little protective of the normal doctor who heal them every time (yes even Neil but don’t tell him) so you bet something like that happens one day:

Aaron: comes home from work angry

Andrew, cleaning up blood or counting money: whassup shithead?

Aaron: There’s this older doctor he’s great and all but he’s a fuckin asshole to me he belittles me everyday bc i’m young and we lost a patient today bc he rathers humiliate me than let me save him 

Andrew, a dangerous glint in his eyes and a whole cluster behind him: oh?

Kevin, opens his computer and digs up dirt on him: give me a sec

Allison: I can roll over him with my truck

Neil: there is so many ways to mix two meds and kills him ON ACCIDENT

Dan: let’s see how he deals in prison

Nicky: oh this is going to be fun

Kevin, reciting facts like he’s reading a grocery list: so yeah he smuggles meds from the hospital so local drug dealers, illegally sells meds for himself on the black market, does tax evasion, is friend with a local senator and both of them are involved with minors….i have already several reservation at X hotel btw and cases of work harassment on nurses and interns, threats to others older doctors in serve, and OH. OH. We have a spanking kink on our hands too.

Every members of the cluster, turning to Nicky and Neil:....go wild

Nicky, giggling: not that’s it’s a shame when it’s consensual but not here so - let’s start with the spanking :D

Neil: Can I make him cry

No violence is used but the doctor is found on the floor drowning in his own tears after a few minutes and after an hour he’s resigned and leaving the country

Andrew was dressed as Aaron for that (that being: smuggling Neil and Nicky into the hospital to meet the doctor through him)  and sends him a selfie of a 5 feet surgeon and the man crying on the floor 

It’s their best memory as a family (Aaron hates Neil a little less after that)

Neil to Nicky: why did you stop me from pushing towards suicide??? He’s gonna do that in another country

(Kevin: no if I can help it)

Nicky: bc we don’t do that to people!

Neil, Andrew, Aaron, Allison:...........right

Neil: killing even indirectly is no good but destroying their life and humiliating them publically is good?

Nicky: YES!

Matt and Dan: WAIT NO

(Allison: don’t brother Neil you’ll just hurt your head)

(Neil, close to tears: but...but...but arson?? Andrew, with knives out: alright fuckers who broke his heart?)

*

Matt and Dan bc they’re fuckin weak to Neil: ITS OK BUDDY ARSON IS GOOD

*

I have to end on this note:

Storyline wise, Neil would have make the perfect Wolfgang too….if Wolfgang was a twink.

[garamonder]

Changing of the Seasons - Part 2 (Downton Abbey)

Before the London Season begins, there are things to consider.

Featuring Sybil and Tom. Set after 1.06, prior to Sybil’s London Season. Written as a companion piece to a previous story.

“Are you nervous, then?” Branson asked, glancing up from the front of the Renault. The day was young still, yet there seemed a thousand little tasks to do preparatory to embarking for London for the Season. The Yorkshire countryside ambled past as they sped into town for Sybil to pick up the writing paper which Mama had ordered from Paris.

“I am,” Sybil admitted. “What if I accidentally turn my back on the Queen?”

“S'pose they'll have to behead you,” said Branson.

Sybil grimaced at him from the backseat. “Granny might prefer that to humiliation of the Crawley name.”

“D'you actually have to talk to them?”

Sybil shook her head. “Edith says there's not time. I curtsey at each royal and go. It happens in a flash, they won't remember me apart from the other hundreds of debutantes. Not unless we meet at a ball later in the Season.”

“Takes the pressure off then, doesn't it? If you make a mistake they won't remember you anyway.”

“They might remember the mistake.”

“Then make one, so they'll remember you.”

Sybil could not completely hide a smile. “You're impossible.”

Looking out at the familiar Yorkshire roads, which would soon be replaced by city streets and old mansions, she asked him: “Have you studied your map?”

“Are you afraid I'll get lost on the way to the palace, or hoping so?”

Sybil laughed. “I want Papa to be glad he brought you.”

In the aftermath of the count at Ripon, Lord Grantham had seriously considered whether to take Branson along to act as chauffeur in London or leave him behind in Yorkshire. London was regarded as a reward for service and it had taken his daughter's spirited entreaties on Branson's behalf, and several  promises of good behavior, before Robert had conceded. It helped that Branson was a more qualified mechanic than any chauffeur the lord could hire on short notice. The threat of a decommissioned motor, and of embarrassing reliance on the kindness of neighbors, reigned supreme above the other arguments.

So while the Crawleys made a detour to Paris to make an appearance at Worth's Branson would go ahead to London, taking advantage of their absence to familiarize himself with the streets.

“I know a cabbie in London,” said Branson. “Not only have I studied my map, I've studied his. You'll be first to the anterooms at Buckingham Palace.”

Mary and Edith had both regaled their younger sister with horrific accounts of the interminable logjam which all but the earliest of debutantes endured on their way to be presented to the king and queen. It was nigh on five hours of sitting in the back of an automobile, praying for the mercy of London weather upon the long succession of cars while crowds of onlookers angled for close looks at the new debs. Some went so far as to stand upon the car's ledges to get a proper gander inside. Sybil had wondered aloud how Branson would respond to that and he'd answered with typical cheek: “Irishly.”

Poor Edith, whose fortunes never seemed to vary, had suffered an early London heat wave in her layers of finery for four-and-a-half hours while Taylor glared ineffectually at onlookers peering in at the debutante and her sponsor. Even Mary had had such a vexing time of it that by the time she reached the photographer's at last that evening, following the presentation, her patience was so taxed that rendered in her gorgeous gown she'd appeared an ice queen of legend.

“That will be a relief,” said Sybil earnestly. “The ostrich feathers will be drooping enough by midnight without sitting in the car for hours on end.”

“Have your frock sorted?”

“Gown,” Sybil corrected, half-laughing, “and very nearly. Worth's sent sketches, I just need to choose what I like. Mama narrowed down the choices but said I may have the final pick.” She drew the portfolio of sketches out now, almost musingly, to consider them as she had been doing over the last several days.

Branson pulled to a stop and braked before the stationery shop. “No trousers in the running this time?”

Sybil grinned. “No, but for the care Mama and Granny are taking you'd think they believe me likely to try.”

The trousers seemed such a small rebellion now, but she was still fond of that frock and had mounted a joking campaign to start a new trend for ladies' trousers during the Season. Granny had taken her entirely too seriously and subsequently made her opinion known when ordering the entirety of Sybil's wardrobe.

When it was only the two of them, Sybil never waited for Branson to open the door for her when exiting. He didn't seem to mind. Before climbing out, Sybil wordlessly handed him the drawings sent from Paris. It didn't occur to her how strange it might appear to a casual peer, handing Parisian dress sketches to her chauffeur for his opinion.

Branson took the portfolio and flipped through the pages. “Just the first few are the options for the presentation,” Sybil said, feeling oddly anxious as he looked them over. “The others are for the wardrobe the rest of the Season.”

His expression was carefully neutral as he examined the choices. Had it been thoughtless to solicit his opinion? What did he care about balls and debutantes?

Then: “Well, you know which one I like,” he said with a slightly crooked smile.

“Really? Which one?”

“Which do you like?” he pressed.

In truth, though they were all quite different, they were starting to look somewhat the same to Sybil, after studying them so much. “I like the striped circus elephant costume with the ten-foot nose.”

“And you think the royals won't remember you.”

“The green one, I suppose,” Sybil sighed.

“I'd call it emerald,” said Branson as he handed the portfolio book back, “but that's my favorite too, if I'm any Irishman at all.”

Emerald. Sybil flipped the portfolio again to consider the drawing with fresh eyes. Granny had been advocating for the blush pink, which was the most fashionable color in London that year, and reason enough for Sybil to consider choosing something else. The green—emerald, rather—was pretty, and her mother would be pleased to think Sybil would stand out (as much as was proper.) Now that there was at least some personal connection to attach, the dress seemed elevated above its peers.

“What's your favorite color, milady?” asked Branson, glancing back at her. “You could request that.”

Her favorite color was the dimming of the sky before sunset, but she wasn't sure how to ask for it. “Is there such a color as gloaming?”

For some reason this made him smile at her, a slow kind of smile that made her cheeks heat up unaccountably. Feeling suddenly awkward, she laid the portfolio on the seat and left the car, looking back with an embarrassed little smile as Branson exited the Renault to wait for her return.

Later that night, once Sybil had retrieved her writing paper and returned home to change, Mama asked over the gentle clink of china at supper: “Did you give any thought to your presentation gown, darling?”

“The emerald one, I think,” she said. Her mother looked pleased.

. .

.

written in a fit of nostalgia! Anyone here still? lol.

[123dragonage]

Shizuka Cousland.

Full Name:

Shizuka Cousland.

Nickname/Alias:

Lady, Lady Cousland, Lady Shizuka, Ice lady,  Yukion'na, Shirayuki-hime.

Meaning:

Shizuka:

Quiet, Summer, Fragrance.

Yukion'na:

Snow Woman.

Shirayuki-Hime:

Snow White.

Title:

Lady, Warden, Lady Warden, Shirayuki, Shirayuki-Hime, Shizu.

Pet Name:

Pup, Ice Lady, Hime.

Gender Role:

More lady-like than anything. But, she has her moments.

Class:

Enchanted Warrior

Sheild and sword.

Orientation:

Straight.

Real Age:

Depends on the place and time.

Age Appearance:

17-20.

Birthday:

August, 24th.

Birthplace:

High Ever.

Zodiac Sign:

Virgo.

Immediate Family:

Father:

Bryce Cousland.

Mother: Eleanor Mac Eanraig.

Brother: Fergus Cousland

Sister in law: Oriana.

Nephew: Oren Cousland.

Ethnicity:

Alamarri and a Fereldan.

Eye Colour:

Crystal blue.

Hair Colour:

White-Silver, with a blue Tint in it.

Hairstyle:  

You would think her hair was easy to tame, but it wasn't. She has thick hair and while it was still straight and seemed to look neat, Shizuka always had a hard to taming it into the usaul hairstyle. It was down, never tied up so what could be hard about that. Right? you would be surprised to know how many tugs is there.  Brushing it into a neat place and leaving it was the hard part mostly, unlike most nobles who move there hair into buns or braids. She preferred it down and long, at least to her hips. Her bangs were combed to both ends, right and left. Leaving the centre of her forehead and face to be seen.

Makeup:

Her lips are painted red or pink, depending on her mood or how they got up. There was no need to put anything on her face really, she was perfect the way she is and her mother believed that woman should wear less than more when it comes to make up. She did, have some silver eye shadow as well. It was barely seen though.

Appearance:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Body Type:

Athletic, but looks fragile from the first glance.

Build:

Petite looking, but well built for a women.

Birthmarks/scars:

There was a birth mark, of two eagles on her right shoulder, her twin has it as well.

Distinguishing Features:

Her pure white hair, pale skin and blue eyes.

Posture:

Lady-like.

Scent:

No one can place her scene, but apparently it's a flower called Andraste's Grace.

Heroes:

Mother and Father, Though recently it was the Grey Wardens.

Pets/Familiars:

A wolf, Though for this it is going to be like a normal dog, able to withstand the Taint.

Wardrobe examples:

F-o-r-m-a-l. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. B-a-l-l-r-o-o-m. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. F-i-g-h-t-i-n-g. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. C-a-s-u-a-l O-u-t-f-i-t-s. D-a-n-c-i-n-g. O-u-t-f-i-t-s. N-i-g-h-t w-e-a-r.

Equipment:

-Family sword.

-Sword level one.

-Sword level two.

-Sword level three.

-Cousland Shield.

-Shield level one.

-Shield level two.

-Shield level three.

Accessories:

-Locket.

-Family Ring with the crest on it.

-Magic book

-Journal/Diary.

-The crest of the Cousland family.

Element:

Water.

Biggest Failure:

Letting the people she loved die alone, even at all.  Her life was always about them and how she would bring her people up as a heir. At least, they told her as much. If she didn't then her brother would. Even then, they would have found someone willing to marry her anyway.

Secrets:

As a young girl she wished to be free, never to hold herself back. Her family always knew she wanted to be free and wander like her brother did. However, due to her class he was forced to ignore that and grow up. But, in there group she fears that her secret love for freedom might come out. A witch who has been free since a child, A sister who choose her path and lived with it, Even there Assassin friend made her wonder.  No one like her should even be thinking of that, but she did.

Hobbies/Interests:

Writing in her journal and diary, by herself, Walking in the forest alone or with someone, Watching the night sky, singing, Dancing, writing poems, horse riding.

Skills/Talents:

-There is a small part of magic in her, but not enough to call it dangerous. I'm trying something new with this, so I hope you will accept this part- She is NOT a full blood mage. -Casting without her hands. -Making her magic flow into her weapons. -Knowing different herbs, poisons. -Cooking. -Flower Arranging. -Can work with a shield, but she choose a smaller one than most.

Likes:

Singing, Dancing, Children, Animals, her brother, Alistair, morrigan, Writing poems, Cooking, Night walks.

Dislikes:

People treating Elves, Servants or anyone of low class bad, Her title coming up, talking about the past,  howe.

Pet Peeves:

-The Servants being treated badly. -Someone giving up with not say in the matter. -Pointless talk. -Bringing up the past. -Judging someone for no reason.

Personality Detailed:

Personality:

Intelligent

The Virgo are an intelligent lot, who would love to know about various subjects and increase their general knowledge.

Practical They don't believe in living in the fantasy world and will be very much in touch with the reality. Their practical approach is one of their biggest strength.

Analytical The Virgo possess an analytical mind and see things in black and white. They are capable of producing a clear analysis and thereby a solution of even the most complicated problems.

Reliable You can trust a Virgo for following the instructions and trying his best to do the job well. Besides, he is a rational person and would not let emotions affect his decisions.

Modest Since they are goal-oriented, perfectionists, rational and reliable, it is very likely that they are great achievers too. But you will rarely see them boasting about their accomplishments. Overcritical They have such a clear picture in their minds as to how things should be, the Virgo tend to be overcritical and lose the plot in the process. Fussy The Virgo-born often get lost in details and they will not have a peace of mind till they resolve all the issues. Besides, their strong likes and dislikes make them quiet fussy. Fastidious Pleasing or impressing a Virgo is tough job, as anything less perfect (in their eyes) does not make the cut. Harsh They call a spade a spade and they don't sugar-coat their opinions before putting them across. Their harshness does not always go down well with the people around them.

Conservative The Virgo are conservative and won't readily accept modern ideas. Maybe it has to do with their need to test the waters and be sure of the outcome.

Judgemental

The Virgo-born are criticised for being judgemental. They cannot ignore faults and mistakes as anything less than perfect is not good enough for them.

Symbol:

Cousland Crest.

Vice:

Chastity.

Virtue:

envy.

Background.

The outpost of Highever was originally a bannorn and was held by the Elstan family, who was a secondary branch of the then-freeholder family of Howes. During the Towers Age, Bann Conobar Elstan was murdered by his wife, Flemeth, thus ending the bloodline. Sarim Cousland, the captain of Conobar's guard, took the lands and title. The Couslands declared their independence from Amaranthine, starting a war that lasted thirty years. When the war ended, Highever won its independence and possession of half the land that had once been southwestern Amaranthine. Highever became a teyrnir during the Black Age. Previously, the Couslands held only the minor title of Bann. During the lycanthrope plague, Bann Haelia Cousland[1] or Mather Cousland[2] according to other sources, gathered the lords together under the Cousland banner to drive the werewolves out of their lands, thus earning the title of Teyrn. Calenhad Theirin was born in Highever in 5:10 Exalted as the third son of a poor merchant. He left at a young age to become a squire, but returned during the Unification of Ferelden as a Teyrn. The contemporary ruler of Highever was Teyrna Elethea Cousland; She fought the soon-to-be-King Calenhad in an attempt to maintain Highever's independence, and so when Calenhad's army reached Highever, Teyrna Elethea led the local banns against him, but lost against the future king. After Elethea's men were defeated, Calenhad asked her to swear fealty. She did, thus allowing the Couslands to retain the teyrnir in Calenhad's new kingdom.[2] In the beginning of the Storm Age, the Couslands conspired with Warden-Commander Sophia Dryden in the Grey Wardens' attempted rebellion. The rebellion was betrayed to King Arland by politicians before it began, and the king's guard ambushed their meeting place, with the rebels barely managing to escape. The Couslands were not so lucky, however. King Arland executed the Cousland Teyrn and a number of others, and then sent soldiers to Soldier's Peak to stamp out the remainder of the rebellion. During the rebellion against Orlais, the Couslands opposed the Orlesian rule. However, Arl Tarleton Howe of Amaranthine supported the Orlesians and this resulted in several bitter battles between Amaranthine and Highever. Eventually, the Couslands manage to capture Harper's Ford and hang Tarleton Howe for his treachery. Unlike his father, Rendon Howe was part of the rebellion like his uncle Arl Byron Howe. Rendon and Bryce Cousland fought beside each other at the battle of White River, becoming two of the fifty rebels who survived the defeat. Thereafter, Arl Rendon Howe was a great friend of the Couslands. Arl Howe later betrayed the Couslands, using the chaos of the Fifth Blight as his route to power. Teyrn Cousland had called together the forces of Highever and Amaranthine, intending to ride with Howe to support King Cailan against the darkspawn. However, upon arriving at Highever, Arl Howe told Teyrn Cousland that the Amaranthine forces would be delayed for a few of days. Not one to keep the King waiting, Teyrn Cousland sent the bulk of Highever's forces ahead to Ostagar under the command of his eldest son Fergus Cousland, intending to leave with Howe's Amaranthine men once they arrived. After Fergus left the castle, Howe's forces took advantage of the Couslands' weakened defense and made a surprise attack during the night, killing the teyrn, his wife Teyrna Eleanor Cousland, and Fergus' wife Oriana and son Oren, as well as most of the other inhabitants of the castle. Though Fergus was left as the rightful heir to the Teyrnir of Highever, Howe then declared himself the new teyrn. Eventually, however, Duncan will rescue the human noble from the surprise attack on Castle Cousland in exchange for joining the Grey Wardens. Following the end of the Fifth Blight, Fergus Cousland will inherit Highever and become the next Teyrn. Fergus will also be given control of Amaranthine, which he presents to the Grey Wardens.

Theme song:

[advernia]

F and M for the ask game? 😊

reply’s late but thank you for asking, anon! happy new year to you! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

dialogue scenes… (ʃ⌣́,⌣́ƪ) i skimmed the last 10 fics i posted for this, and i think this wins:

“Though the thrones are numerous and never vacant, the crown still remains unworn.”

i think i’m proud of this bc it was one of my favorite results of thinking about different angles to see the black army’s meritocracy system, haha! i’m awfully fond of thinking about stuff like this… anyway, the beauty of the system is that you base worth on skill and ability, rather than other given factors (wealth, bloodline, etc). in-game, the approach is pretty straightforward: it seems that anyone(?) can claim the title of the chosen thirteen, given that the individual can beat the current titleholder in a fair one-on-one fight. it’s still vague to me and tbh i hope there’s more explaining to this, but this seems to be the case presented in ray’s route……

for the person speaking though, rather than seeing the system as something like champions defending their titles, he sees it as a matter of choice - the black army’s thrones are created by the hands of those who wish to be chosen, not the black army creating the thrones for the chosen… and while the crown does go the strongest soldier, does it belong to the strongest throne? no, not necessarily… and why is that? who decides this?

…. the choice falls onto the soldiers of the black army themselves. if the throne of the strongest soldier doesn’t appeal to the majority and is built on lies, is there a reason for an army to support him? if the throne of the weakest soldier is as weak as his body but as strong as his will, is there a reason for an army to support him? if the throne of the king has been built alongside his fellowmen and its foundation is made of his hard work, is there a reason for an army to support him? it goes on and on, and on………

… thrones are made by choice, but ultimately, it is the army that decides - who chooses - whose throne they will and shall serve.

that is because the soldiers - the black army as a whole - form the crown, and if it is left unworn… it means that there’s yet a throne to fascinate them, or there hasn’t been a throne worthy enough yet to serve in their eyes.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

Σ(゜゜) b-b-back burner premises!?!?! got a lot of that…. but two premises have been bugging me for months tho, so here’s one of them!

it’s an ikerev mafia!au, inspired from the game’s actual mafia cards! i saw the posts about them pretty late but still, bless the kind souls who posted those cards bc wOW…. my eyes???????? they have been cleansed + my crops have been watered??????? ( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

i guess it clung to me pretty bad bc 1) i like mafia themes, 2) it reminded me that otomate’s piofiore no banshou is gonna be localized and i’ve been pretty interested in it despite polarizing opinions, and 3) those gacha cards look great???????? i was half expecting cybird to make an event about it lolol!

anyway, here’s my outline about it! excuse the odd formatting, i wrote it to be play-like the day i plotted it out!

…

welcome to cradle, all you ladies and gentlemen gathered here today! here, in this seemingly quaint crescent-shaped city, the citizenry live like they’re dying, so watch your back! always think twice before you act, or else you may end up in a sack!

what’s the reason for that, you ask? well now! you see, here in cradle, families run rampant! and we’re not talking about some happy household kind of family… we’re talking about men, women and children of all ages unafraid to spill blood, if only to protect their families or their families’ interests! are they noble, or simply selfish? are they justified, or simply paranoid? was this for survival, or for profit? all the lines have blurred!

what interests are we talking about, and why exactly has this beautiful city turned this way, you ask? tsk, tsk! you’ll never learn if all you do is question others for answers! so instead, why don’t we look around first? do follow me closely as we observe this place we call cradle, this city that is our stage!

enter stage left!

there goes a raven-haired lad and with him his band of merry men, forming a renegade group that bows down to no family or any other ruling power in cradle (except the government, what model citizens they are!). 

it’s been at least three years since the group has entered + made themselves known in cradle, and sometimes the citizens start to think they’re a family, too - they’re the good kind, though!(?) they help the powerless citizens, watch over clueless tourists, assist the government in maintaining order (in their own ways - while they help, they also refuse to be fully bound to the government), and even go as far as keeping tabs on all the families present in cradle! 

but why are they here, and why do they do what they do for cradle? it turns out the lad who appears to be their leader is searching for answers about a certain major incident that happened years ago in cradle. not everyone in the group knows about this purpose of his, though - refusing to get the whole group involved in his business, the lad allows only a select few to (grudgingly)assist him in his search for the truth.

one day, things get complicated: unfamiliar men are suddenly after the lad’s head! this was not an unusual occurrence for him or in cradle, but what throws everyone off is that these hitmen are different and dangerous: they’re incredibly skilled, annoyingly hard to brush off, and will do anything to complete their task… and that includes killing themselves off with their own blade / poison / hands once they are defeated / failed their mission.

the lad’s been on the run for three whole months without rest until he finally discovers a lead about his pursuers… deciding that it’s better than nothing, the lad and his trusty men follow this lead… even if it would make things more complicated, because the lead points the way to investigating five certain families in cradle that they’re not too keen in getting involved with at all.

will the lad ever find the answers to both his old and new questions, or will he eventually end up dead? will he ever know why he’s being hunted in the first place and discover who’s after him? where will this lead bring him: who will he meet, who will he trust, what will he do? destiny has quite a lot in store for him and his friends….

enter stage right!

if you cross paths with a beautiful man with hair spun like fine gold threads but with eyes as cold as ice, it would be wise not to offend him - he is the son and the future boss of a highly respectable family in cradle! this family has a long history and is still the leading voice in the council, an organization created by the government that enlists the aid of five special families in maintaining a semblance of balance and order among the many families and powers in cradle (think something like one piece’s shichibukai).

everything is fine and dandy until one day, the son’s father is found dead in cradle’s central square, his mutilated body hung up in the fountain for everyone to see……… naturally, this becomes a very serious issue + hot topic in cradle: who would do such a thing, why a man from the council from all people, and how mad was this person to display a corpse in such a gruesome  fashion? so many questions….

but the son has hardly any time to pay attention to such whispers - his family has suffered a grave loss + a blow to their reputation and is now seen as vulnerable, the four other families of the council see an opportunity to claim the power of the leading voice, and there are no leads about his father’s murderer. hardly having any time to mourn, he takes up his father’s mantle and goes about to set things right.

in the short span of four months, he succeeds: he picks his family up again and gives no one any doubt that their family is stable and still not to be underestimated, manages to maintain the position of the leading voice and keeps the greedy hands and prying eyes of the other council members at bay, and also restores the public’s respect for his family.

while he was busy doing all that, he had ordered a handful of his men to search for any clues about his father’s death - it seemed like the search was going nowhere, until one rainy day one of them discover a tattered letter stuffed away haphazardly in an unsuspecting dark alley - it bears the family’s rose seal and a single word is spelt on its surface through messy, bloody fingerprints: jabberwock.

was this some sort of code? did the word actually mean anything to the family, to anyone? was this the name of a family, a person, or the murderer? was this even related to the murder, or a different issue entirely? it’s a pursuit with not much to start with………..

finally, center stage!

enter the algarde, cradle’s “most notorious crime” family. why the quotation marks? simple: despite being a prime suspect in perhaps every crime that happens in cradle, they have never been caught. all evidence against them always happens to be circumstantial and never incriminating enough to pin them to the crime….. how was this even possible????

the algarde is one of the oldest families reigning in cradle, and going against them is a guaranteed swift trip to death. both the government + council have never been able to tame the algarde, nor have they been able to keep proper + regular track of their movements. one thing is really for sure about the algarde, though: once you get directly involved with their business, you might as well start to treasure + be thankful for each day you’re still alive…

their current head is an odd middle-aged man known for his sharp silver eyes - his name is farlan, and he’s really quite charismatic as he is elusive. he’s said to have the whole of cradle dancing on the palm of his hand, but he claims he’s not that influential… what a joke. he’s constantly on the move to find something that amuses him and depending on his mood, the whole of cradle can be subjected to his whims - what a fearsome man!

what role does the algarde family play in this story, you ask? who knows! are they the ones after the lad’s head? do they hold the key to understanding the word jabberwock? better yet - are they responsible for both incidents, or are they shockingly unrelated to them? the plot thickens….

ah, before i forget! you didn’t hear this from me, but it’s said that farlan has a child, of all things! a son or a daughter??? who cares! it’s a joke, a made-up tale on the streets!

………………………………… or is it?

[tamayokny]

Name ten favourite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.) then tag ten people

This was extremely difficult to do. The first two were easy, since they are my ride or die, but choosing 10 different characters? From ten different things? I don’t know if I even like 10 different things, but I found some loopholes, lol.

tagged by @bpdanakins <3

1. Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

Lara Croft has been one of my idols since I was a small child. My mom had bought Tomb Raider: Starring Lara Croft and Tomb Raider: Adventures of Lara Croft for my sister on the PlayStation. I remember watching my sister play it, and then sometimes I was allowed to play it. I continued the Tomb Raider legacy throughout the years.

Lara Croft is just. Amazing. I love every version of her. Classic Lara deflected the life her parents had wanted her to have, and paid the price for it. Did that stop her? No, it did not! She was able to make her own mark in the world. LAU!Lara wanted to find out what happened to her mother, and honestly I love Keeley Hawes as Lara. She was witty and funny, and Legend is one of my favorite TR games. And Reboot!Lara? I love her. I honestly don’t care what people say, Reboot!Lara is great! Her first game is also fun to play. Each version of Lara Croft offers something different, and I love it. While many of Lara’s core values are in each incarnation (adventurous, ambitious, brave, etc.), each brings a new perspective which I enjoy!

Fun fact: my irl best friend and Lara share the same zodiac sign!

2. Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) - Marvel

I LOVE WANDA MAXIMOFF WITH ALL MY HEART!!! She’s a huge comfort character for me. She’s one of the most powerful mutants (yes, I am ignoring the retcon), and she’s complex. Wanda first appeared in X-Men #4 alongside her brother, Pietro, as members of Magneto’s Brotherhood. Eventually, the twins become heroes and join the Avengers.

Wanda’s mutation is magic; probability, to put it at best. She can warp reality. While she is strong, she is also human. Many remember her best as having a mental breakdown and creates House of M (influenced by her beloved brother). After this, she goes off the radar for a few years before her reincarnated sons find her.

I love Wanda because she has heart, courage, and cares for others. She’s intuitive and sensitive and, in many ways, reminds me of myself. I genuinely love Wanda with all my heart. She remains to be my number one favorite superhero. I wish more people knew her--the real her. The MCU does not do her (or her brother) justice. At all. (At least AOU kind of got their “reluctant villains to heroes” origin story well enough?)

Also: fuck you Marvel for retconning Magneto as the Maximoffs’ father. It’s been 5 years but I still elect to ignore that.

3. Phoebe Halliwell - Charmed

Growing up, Charmed was one of my favorite TV shows. To sum it up, it’s about a group of sisters who discover that they’re witches. Specifically, they’re the Charmed Ones and they protect the innocent. For awhile, I’ve said that Piper is my favorite sister but after my last rewatch, I say that Phoebe is my favorite.

At the beginning of the series, Phoebe was the youngest and the rebel of the family. Before the pilot, Phoebe was living in New York but we see her move back in. We also see that she has a strained relationship with her eldest sister, Prue, due to her scummy fiancé. Phoebe is also the reason why their magic was unlocked. (As children, their powers were bounded in order to keep them safe.)

Over time, we see Phoebe mature more. However, there are a few things that never changes with Phoebe. She’s kind and caring for others, always wanting to help them no matter what. (She shares this trait with the youngest sister, Paige.) She is deeply connected with her emotions (which causes her to gain the power of empathy in season 6). Phoebe has also had rough luck with love (see: Cole the demon, etc.) but no matter how much she gets hurt, Phoebe still has hope. She still has love in her heart. No matter how much she gets knocked down, she finds a way of getting back up, and I admire her a lot for it.

4. Catelyn Stark - A Song of Ice and Fire

Family. Duty. Honor. This is House Tully’s family motto, which is deeply embedded into Catelyn. Catelyn was married to Ned Stark during Robert’s Rebellion, after her former betrothed was murdered in King’s Landing (who, ironically, was Ned’s older brother). Their wedding night resulted in the birth of their firstborn: Robb Stark, heir to Winterfell and King in the North.

Catelyn Stark is the mother of the wolves, and her love for her family is no doubt a core of her character. However, Catelyn is clever and if you mess with her, you will certainly gain her wrath. Her eldest values her for her wisdom, and will turn to her for help. She will do anything for her family, such as freeing Jaime Lannister to get her girls back, or offering herself to save her eldest during the horrific events of the Red Wedding.

Catelyn is murdered, along with majority of the Stark party, at the Red Wedding. However, she is resurrected and becomes Lady Stoneheart. Stoneheart is out for vengeance, because she believes all of her children are gone; taken by the enemy. Stoneheart murders Frey or Lannister alike--whoever is associated with them. She holds no mercy.

There is so much more to Catelyn that I could go on, but I will stop here. (Besides, I need to reread the books again!) I will say this: fuck you, D&D.

5. Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) - Marvel

MAGNETO TIME? MAGNETO TIME.

Erik Lehnsherr was a young boy when World War II happened and because he was Jewish, he was sent to Auschwitz. His family did not survive, but Erik did. Depending on what you follow on, Erik either A) escaped with Magda (who is the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s mother) and started a life with her or B) he hunted down the men who worked for Sebastian Shaw (movie universe).

Anyway, Erik had been a mutant since around the time he was sent to the camps and after the horror and trauma he’s faced, Erik decided that mutants would never be accepted by “their less evolved kin”. So, he became Magneto, a protector for mutants and enemy for humans.

Magneto is only one side of the coin, however. Charles Xavier is a longtime frenemy of sorts, both having different perspectives in life. Xavier believes in coexistence, but Magneto believes otherwise. He had seen what humanity is capable of, and he never wants that to happen again. If he must be a villain, than so be it.

Magneto is beautifully complex. He has done some questionable things (I’m thinking of the comics for this one), but he has also done great things for his people. “Never again,” he says. He fights to keep it that way. Magneto is sympathetic at best, and I certainly understand where he comes from. Tell me this: if you were Magneto, what would you have done?

Also: while Michael Fassbender is not Jewish in any way, he did one hell of a job portraying this amazing character.

6. Kira Yukimura - Teen Wolf

I wasn’t planning on adding Teen Wolf to the list, but here I am.

Kira was introduced to us in season 3b, written as a “new love interest” for Scott McCall. I remember a lot of fans of a certain ship were pissed, but whatever. I’m not here to talk about romance.

So, in 3b Kira was a new student, with her dad as the new history teacher at Beacon Hills High School. She’s of both Korean and Japanese descent, and she ends up playing an important role in the story arc. We find out that she’s a Kitsune, thanks to her mother who explains how a Kitsune and a werewolf must come together to defeat the Nogitsune, who happens to be possessing the loveable Stiles Stilinski.

After this, Kira becomes a part of the McCall Pack and Scott’s girlfriend. In my opinion, they’re cute together but many people hate them together. Oh well. Kira also becomes a badass in her own right, as her abilities evolve. However, in season 5, the creators put her on the shelf, as she trains with Skinwalkers and is never seen again. I am so fucking MAD about that.

Like many characters on this list, Kira has heart and courage. She’s a bit of an introvert but she is loyal, and cares for her pack. She’s cute and a bit goofy. She is skilled and deadly. Kira is one of the coolest characters Teen Wolf had, and the way they treated her was disappointed. (Even though after her death, Allison was always mentioned/connected in some way. I like Allison, don’t get me wrong but all I can say is: interesting...)

Fun fact: Arden Cho, the actress, is the VA for Sam Nishimura in Tomb Raider (2013)!

7. Lois Wilkerson - Malcolm in the Middle

The mother of four boys, the matriarch of the Wilkerson household is not one to push around.

Lois has had a rather rough life. Her parents were not the best, and everyone tries to push her down. However, Lois fights back and is not afraid to stand up for what is right. Francis, her oldest, describes her as an absolute menace and while her sons and husband fear her, they also admire her for her strength and courage. Lois is tough as nails, but she can also break, too. However, her family--the family she and Hal created, no one else--is there for her. Lois is incredibly strong willed no matter what, and I love her so much.

8. Theon Greyjoy - A Song of Ice and Fire

No words can describe on how much I love this fashionable war criminal.

Before the start of the series, Theon is a hostage/ward of Lord Stark, as a result of his father’s failed rebellion. Theon was a reminder that if Balon Greyjoy pulled something again, his last (male) heir would get the chopping block. Pretty brutal for a young child, right?

Now, at the start of the series, Theon is nineteen and is seemingly best friends with Robb Stark, the heir to Winterfell and the North. He shows loyalty to Robb and the Starks, claiming that Lord Stark was like a father to him. He’s also skilled with archery and, like I mentioned earlier, fashion.

Then A Clash of Kings occur, and we began to see how Theon Greyjoy is.

Robb Stark has been proclaimed as King of the North, and sends Theon to the Iron Islands in hopes to gain allies with Balon Greyjoy. However, this does not occur. Old Greyjoy says “fuck that and if you’re [Theon] aren’t with us, then you‘re against us.” We see Theon conflicted, but we also see how strained his relationship with his father is. In the end, Theon joins the Greyjoys, and promptly sacks Winterfell. However, that is not the end. Theon is tricked by Ramsay Bolton and this vile man takes Winterfell. I believe while he took the women and children captive, the men were killed...save for Theon, of course.

Theon is held captive by Ramsay Bolton, and is tortured quite brutally. Theon goes through a lot in this time. His appearance had changed drastically: black hair turned white and brittle, he becomes skin and bones, and loses a few fingers and toes. Theon is no longer Theon. He became Reek. The new Reek.

Then, Jeyne Poole (or Sansa; I hate you D&D) arrives, under the guise that she is Arya Stark and she is to wed Ramsay Bolton. Jeyne begged Theon to help her, but he is in no position of power. He is a completely broken man. Time flies by. Jeyne is in absolute misery but with the help of Mance and some spearwives, Theon is able to escape Winterfell with Jeyne during a winter storm. Currently, in the books, Theon is set to be executed by Stannis Baratheon, who is currently holding him captive.

Theon Greyjoy may be a fuckup, but to me he is such an amazing character. He holds much conflict, from being a hostage/ward to Prince to prisoner. Theon Greyjoy may have done a lot of shit, but he is also a survivor. Everything he has been put through, he somehow lives to see another day. Despite holding negative feelings to Lord Stark and everyone around, claiming he owed no one anything (fair enough), he loved Robb. When Theon had found out he was murdered at the Red Wedding, you know what he thought?

I should have been with him. Where was I? I should have died with him.

Theon is far from perfect, but that is what makes him great. He has come so far, and I hope his journey does not end any time soon.

9. Suki - Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko may have the best redemption arc (or does he? See above.), but Suki holds a special place in my heart.

We first meet Suki season one, on Kyoshi Island. She is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and effectively puts Sokka in his place. However, when Sokka requests a few lessons, Suki is happy to help...as long as he followed the guidelines.

Suki is a certified badass. Although a non-bender, Suki has incredible skill and event went against Azula. However, Suki and the others surrendered (so that Appa would not be captured), leading to her imprisonment at Boiling Rock. Eventually, Sokka and Zuko free her (with the help of Mai). After this, Suki joined the Gaang in ceasing the 100 Year War.

Suki is strong but like many other characters in this list, she has heart. She is an effective leader and fighter, offering her help whenever she can. Too bad she was never mentioned in The Legend of Korra. Suki is underrated and she deserves more love and respect.

10. Max Mayfield - Stranger Things

We first meet Max in season 2 as the new girl in Hawkins. She seems like your average girl but she quickly gets tied into the party after Lucas begs her to show her what has happened with him and the rest of the party. However, there’s a lot more to Max.

Max moved to Hawkins with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother. It’s easy to see that Max and Billy, her stepbrother, do not get along. Billy is outright mean to her, lashing out at practically every chance he gets. Max fights back, however...especially when he threatens her friends.

In season 3, we finally get to see Max and El bond. (Thank God we didn’t have to put up with the “jealousy” tidbit. I would have--) El believes that Mike is lying and Max is like, “Well yeah. Come on let’s go to the mall!” and the girls have a blast together. I was so happy to see the two bond and have fun. I was so happy that El was spending time with someone other than Mike. I was so happy the girls were having fun by themselves. Honestly, the best part of season 3 was them becoming friends.

I love Max because she is confident and is not afraid to speak her mind. She’s funny and in many ways, we are alike. (Especially with our attitudes on boys and relationships.) However, Max is also vulnerable. We see this with her stepbrother, especially in season 3 I think. Their relationship was drastically different in season 3 and while many didn’t like it (myself included)...I also thought about Max. She’s a young girl and no matter how much bad blood was in between them, it will be traumatizing to see a transformation like this to someone you know quite well. It would be scary.

Anyway, I love Max.

Honorable mentions: Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), Ororo Munroe (Storm), Jean Grey (Phoenix), Anna Marie (Rogue), Sam Nishimura, Malia Tate, all of House Martell, Dustin Henderson...

Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Tell me, do I have a certain type of character that I’m attracted to? Also, I’m not sure who has all done this, so if you haven’t it: who are your top 10 favorite characters? Let me know!

[sankta-arya]

let the reason come in the common tongue of you loving me (2)

Jon isn't sure how Sansa managed to convince Stannis they should have a tourney, but perhaps he doesn't want to know. Sansa has always been a dutiful wife, after all.

Stannis has never struck him as the type who's easily swayed by womanly wiles, but he's also seen Sansa work her magic on him, charm him into changing his mind or even choosing a different course. It sickens him to think of it, this semblance of a succesful, a happy marriage even. He knows it's a lie, but Sansa was born to be a queen, and she plays her part so well.

It shouldn't bother him. Stannis is her king and her husband, and Jon is the interloping bastard seducing her into secret meetings and dalliances. He's the one who’s dishonouring her and putting her in danger.

He's made up his mind. He's going to tell her they need to end this.  He'll do it after the tournament, let her enjoy these last few days.  He'll take her anger and her pain, because he knows this is what's best for her. Even if he's hurting her, he's only doing so to protect her.

The flap of his tent is lifted, and he hears two voices exchange some words. She steps inside then, as if summoned by his thoughts.

"Good morning to you,  Jon," she greets him.

"Your Grace," he nods.

She informs him she sent his squire away. "So we can talk freely."

He arches an eyebrow, watching as she closes the distance between them. Her hand glides up his chest and around his neck, into the hair at the nape of his neck.

His body responds of its own accord, leaning in to capture her lips in an almost bruising kiss, almost, it wouldn't be wise to leave marks. HIs shoulders relax and a sigh of relief escapes from his mouth, disappearing between her eagerly parted lips. His arms encircle her waist as she smiles into the kiss, and she nips at his bottom lip, pulling back with a giggle.

"I have something for you," she tells him, slightly panting as she steps out of his embrace.

"Oh," he manages, he'd rather just have her again.

She laughs at his poor response and reaches into the pocket of her gown, extracting a tiny bundle she unfolds before handing it to him. "I'd ask you to wear it for me in the melee on the morrow," she tells him.

The fabric is smooth in his hands, but slightly warm from being carried so close to her body. It's shaped rectangularly, quartered in sections of black and blue, the two lower ones have a pair of wolves facing each other. Even if her needlework wasn't as skilled and detailed, he would recognize them as Ghost and Lady. The empty sections are trimmed with weirwood leaves, his half has snowflakes scattered across the black fabric, hers yellow flowers across the blue.

He takes a deep breath, resisting the urge to crumple her favour in his fist. "I can't accept this," he sighs, trying to hand it back to her.

She keeps her hands clutched in front of her chest, but her face falls. "Why not?"

His head jerks down. He's not doing this now. "Red on black," he murmurs half-heartedly, knowing she'll easily see through the lie, but he still adds: "It's too dangerous."

She puts her hands on her hips, shaking her head, and it reminds him too much of the girl she used to be, the past they both lost. "Don't be ridiculous. We're the only ones who know. Black is for the Night's Watch, it's still the only colour you ever wear."

Of course he can't fool her, especially when he's not even trying. He shakes his head. It appear he is doing this now. "I don't deserve this."

"Jon, please." She reaches for him, but he turns away, knowing how her touch or even one look from her can make him weak.

"I don't deserve this," he repeats, squeezing his eyes shut as she puts her hand on his elbow. "This is wrong. All the things I did to you, made you do..."

Her grip on his elbow tightens and he's forced to look at her. Her mouth is set in a harsh line and her eyes are blazing. Good, he thinks, give me your rage. He wants it.

"Jon Snow," she begins, nostrils flaring. "Do I need to remind you that I chose you? You never made me do anything. I'm not some silly maid wet with love for you, too young and stupid to know her own heart. You forget that I have been there once."

"Does it matter, Sansa?" he asks her, forcing the question out through gritted teeth. "It's still wrong. Gods, what would your father say?" Perhaps that's not enough. "What about your mother?"

Her eyes ice over. "My mother and father are long dead. They don't get to decide. Life is not a song, Jon, if we want something, we have to take it ourselves, and I want you!"

"You shouldn't."

"Please, Jon," she whispers, her anger fading again. "I don't want to argue. You're all I have left in this world."

"Sansa," he implores her, pinching the bridge of his nose, avoiding her eyes again. "I'm a sick, depraved bastard. You deserve so much better than me."

"I don't care about you being a bastard!" she practically shouts. "In fact, I might prefer you this way! None of my ladies' noble husbands love them the way you love me!"

He glances up at her, arms hanging limp by his side, allowing her to close the distance between them and tuck her favour into the pocket of his doublet before reaching up and cupping his cheeks.

"Please," she repeats with a sad smile. "I don't want to fight, Jon. I love you. I love your sweet face and your true heart."

"I love you," he answers despite himself, because it's the truth and he always wants to tell her, wants her to know she is so loved.

She presses a soft kiss to his lips. She rubs their noses together and sighs: "I love you." His eyes fly open as he senses the shift in her tone, the languid warmth in her body. "And I love your bastard mouth, and what it can do to me."

She kisses him again, licking at the seam of his lips until they part for her, and he groans into her mouth as she curls her tongue around his.

Her voice is needy and breathless when she says: "I love your bastard hands on my body." She takes his hands and puts one on her hip, the other on her breast. He revels in the soft pliant warmth of her, squeezes lightly, and she arches into his touch.

"And I love your bastard cock," she finishes her declaration. She cups him through his breeches, even as her cheeks go red at those words coming out of her mouth.

He's more than a bit shocked, even though he probably shouldn't be. He's usually the one who enjoys whispering filthy endearments into her ear and neck, against her mouth or the swell of her breasts, into the hot wet flesh of her cunt, but she keeps surprising him. Perhaps he should have expected this.

He reaches up to frame her face in his hands as heat starts coiling low in his groin. Her hand squeezes him, ever so lightly, and he can already feel himself dissolving into a panting mess.

"Tell me more," he growls as he bucks into her hand, his fingers spearing into her hair so he can crush their lips together again. She moans, surrendering to the push and pull of his mouth, nipping and nibbling at his lips.

"I love the weight and feel of it in my hand," she whispers as her dainty fingers unlace him. She sighs as she wraps her hand around his length, as if to prove her words.

"I love the way it fills me up and how you fuck me so nice with it," she murmurs against his lips, lightly stroking him into hardness.

"I fuck you nice?" he asks, the hint of amusement in his voice dying on a hiss when she flicks her wrist to squeeze the head of his cock.

She releases him then and sinks to her knees. She presses a soft kiss to the very tip of him and glances up at his face with big, innocent eyes. "And I love taking it in my mouth."

She moans around him as she does so, and his eyes nearly roll into the back of his head. She flattens her tongue, dragging it back along the underside and swirling it around the head, prodding the slit before she takes him in deeper again.

"Seven Hells, Sansa," he groans, a curse he's picked up after so many years in the south. "So good," he babbles. "So good." In the back of his mind, he vaguely registers this is not how that conversation was supposed to end, but he's already too far gone to truly care.

He opens his eyes as she smiles around his cock and the sight of it almost ends him.

He frames her face in his hands again, winding his fingers through her hair. As gently as possible, he starts guiding her, brushing his thumbs over her cheekbones. Her gaze is dark and eager as his glistening cock moves in and out of the enclosure of her warm, swollen lips.

"Wait," he tells her. "Stop."

She sucks him hard before releasing him, a slight frown knitting her eyebrows together.

"We don't have much time. I want to be inside you."

Her lips curl up. "How do you want me?"

Every possible way he can imagine, but one will have to do. He reaches for her hands to help her up. "Get on the cot and lift your skirts for me."

She obeys eagerly, perching herself on the edge of the cot and bunching the layers of her skirts up over her belly, spreading her legs for him.

He goes to kneel in front of her, unlacing her smallclothes and pulling them down and off. The curls between her thighs are glistening and she's slippery when he brushes a finger over her folds.

"Fuck, you're so wet," he groans.

"I always get wet sucking your cock," she answers, bracing herself on her elbows.

He runs his hand up her stocking and then the smooth bare flesh of her thigh, lifting her leg over his shoulder. "I want to have a taste first."

She shudders as he licks up her slit, and even though he doesn't really believe in any gods anymore, he'll never get tired of worshipping at the altar that is her cunt.

He laps up her arousal, tongues the sensitive spot right below her entrance before dipping into it. Her heads drops back when he starts circling her swollen nub. He could do this for hours, but they don't have time, so he closes his lips over it and sucks.

"Gods," she whimpers. "Inside me, Jon, now!"

"As my queen commands," he rumbles into her sensitive flesh, before straightening up. He gives himself a couple of tugs before lining his cock up with her entrance and pushing into her. They moan in unison as he slowly fills her up. He pulls her closer by her hips and she pushes herself up to wrap her arms and legs around him, slanting her mouth over his to kiss him.

As he starts moving, putting one hand on the small of her back, he slips a hand between their bodies to push his thumb to her pearl. He won't last long, and he wants to feel her peak around him.

"Do you like the way I'm fucking you with my bastard cock?" he asks. Her walls spasm around him, and she whimpers. He's not sure why being reminded of his being a bastard arouses her, but he loves it regardless.

"Harder," she tells him, nuzzling his cheek. "Faster."

Being so close to her only feels good, even if it's wrong. Her cunt grips him so deliciously, and he can't be inside her half as often as he'd love to be, so truly, he would like to savour the experience, draw it out as long as he can, but he can't resist her, can't refuse her anything, so he obeys.

He buries his face in her neck and her hot breath ghosts over his ear. "Come on my bastard cock," he murmurs into her skin, and a mewl escapes from her lips.

She's already tightening and fluttering around him, and he can feel the coil in his groin growing tighter, the pressure at the base of his spine rising. He rubs her nub harder, feeling her entire body tense up around his, but he won't make it, he can feel it.

He tries to slow down, pull back, but she whines in protest. "I'm so close."

"So am I," he grunts. "I won't be able to stop."

"Then don't," she answers, her voice high and breathless. "Spill inside me."

"Sansa," he warns her.

"Fuck, please don't stop," she starts to cry out, and he muffles her moans with a kiss.

Her cunt clenches around him, and her peak prompts his, waves of pleasure crashing through his body as his hips stutter and snap.

He goes slack against her, head dropping to her shoulder, as the last tremors of her climax almost stir his softening cock back to life.

"I shouldn't have done that," he mutters as she lowers her legs and loosens her hold on him. "I shouldn't have spilled inside you." It has happened before, but he always tries to avoid it.

She presses her lips to his hair. "It's all right, Jon," she whispers. "No harm was done. I'm already with child."

The soft warm bliss in his limbs is chased away by the ice that instantly spreads through his veins.

[rufousnmacska]

Goodbye and Hello - 2

Manon and Dorian said goodbye in Orynth. But for them, saying hello again is only a matter of time.

Tagging @itach-i @nestasbucket @manontrashbeak

If you’d like to be tagged in the next few parts, let me know!

Kingdom of Ash spoilers

fanfic master list (including the link to my fics on AO3, under the same username)

Part One: I Wish…

Part Two: Another Day

Giving up on sleep, Manon pulled herself out of bed. With a heavy, wool blanket wrapped around her, she poked at the dying fires in the braziers. The winter moon was still weeks away, but with each night, the temperature dropped.

This would be their first full winter living in the Wastes and she hoped they had enough stores to see them through. If they didn’t, or if something went wrong, there was always Briarcliff.

Upon arriving from Orynth with not much more than the packs they carried, she’d reluctantly accepted Ansel’s offer to use Briarcliff as a base until the weather eased. And so, while the majority of witches stayed in the Western Wastes, scouting parties were sent to Rhiannon Crochan’s ruined city, to do whatever might be done to ready the place for the spring.

Refusing to sit idly by, Manon often led the groups herself, despite protestations from Petrah. She did it to keep herself from dwelling on the memories and what-ifs eating away at her, to keep from giving in to the darkness that always called.

Unexpectedly, it had the benefit of raising her status in the eyes of the Crochans, some of whom were reverting back to their distrust of the Ironteeth. Without a common enemy to unite them, witches from both clans were falling prey to old grudges. Manon quickly realized that sheltering and feeding thousands of witches might not be the hardest thing she would face as queen.

The food and housing aspects were progressing well at least. Luckily, the ruins hid some relatively undamaged structures, enough to hold the witches who’d come with their families. The rest stayed in tents as they rebuilt. And although they had no prior experience in the Wastes to judge whether their recent harvest would be sufficient, her council was pleased by the crops brought in and the other supplies gathered.

All of their work and planning would soon be put to the test, she thought now, staring out her window as the first rays of dawn filtered through the bands of purple clouds. A heavy layer of frost sparkled as the sun broke over the horizon.

Rhiannon’s original Queen’s Keep was long gone, but they’d found one building still standing that could take its place for now. Manon eventually gave in to the demands of the council and moved into it. Her rooms were on the top floor, and because the stone Keep sat on a rise, she was able to see well beyond the city walls. After experiencing that view, she’d given up the battle to stay in a tent.

The true beauty of the Wastes could only be seen from above. Perhaps in gifting this seemingly barren and empty land to the witches, Brannon knew his people would not protest its loss. But with their love for the wind and ability to fly, her ancestors saw what the humans couldn’t: the ocean of rippling grasses that changed from a springtime green to fiery autumn red, the lazy rivers that stretched and curved like snakes sunning themselves, the rocky outcrops that cut through rolling hills like the earth itself was cracked open, the herds of game leaving swaths of bare dirt in their wake, the patchwork of flowers that filled the short, hot summer with their brilliant colors and scents.

Manon loved all of it. It didn’t matter if she was soaring on Abraxos or walking on her own two feet. The Wastes were her home.

And yet, she still felt like something was missing.

For a long time, she’d thought her coven was that something.

But as the months had passed, and the edges of her grief had become a little less sharp with each day, that missing something remained. Diminished, but still there. Always there.

A black shape darted across her peripheral vision and Manon’s heart stopped.

The crow disappeared, only to glide back into view a moment later. It swooped and cawed before finally landing next to a refuse bin in the street below. With quick movements, it hopped into the bin, took a piece of something, tossed it into the air and ate it. Another caw, and more appeared, joining their friend for breakfast.

Definitely just a regular bird.

For a second, she had thought maybe...

But no. There was no reason he would come here. Not with his own kingdom to rebuild. And not when she had ignored all of his letters.

They had planned to meet at the Ferian Gap, without deciding on the timing. Neither knew what truly awaited them, so it was foolish to try and set a date. Waiting until things stabilized made the most sense.

What had not been planned was the unbearable heaviness that greeted her every day. Or the slowly disappearing willpower required to get out of bed on the bad days. The long, empty nights spent staring into the dark.

Manon leaned on Glennis during those bad days. She was the one person who felt like family. The trust she had in her great grandmother grew each day, but there were things she still kept to herself.

Like the guilt of being the one who survived. The untethered feeling of knowing there was no one left who’d known her as a witchling. The irrational anger at seeing her Crochan cousins, in name only, gathered around a fire.

The constant glances over her shoulder expecting to see Asterin following close behind, the rest further back in their usual formation.

The longing to have them here so she could tell them how much they meant to her. Something she felt she hadn’t done when they were alive.

If Dorian had been here, she might have shared this with him. But he wasn’t. And they weren’t things she could convey in writing.

Replying to his first letter would’ve taken no time. Setting it aside for another day, a better day, was so much easier though. When it happened with the next letter, and the next... the stack was eventually placed in a drawer, out of sight.

There were mornings when she woke with the best intentions, a reply already half written in her head. But her attention always seemed to be pulled in other directions.

And then, five months ago, the letters stopped coming.

Since then, each time she thought of him, she tried to remind herself that this way was better. This way, neither of them would be forced to choose between their duties and their desires. A false choice because ultimately, there was only ever one option, for both of them. The only real choice they had was to spare each other more pain.

And if her inaction forced them both to move on, then so be it. This way was less painful than being on the receiving end of that choice.

Sunlight crept across the floor. Manon closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to prepare herself for another day of ruling. Another day spent not thinking about her coven, or the king.

***

Chaol was the only one who noticed the ice spreading out in a circle from where Dorian sat at the head of the table. The yammering nobles wasting their time didn’t have a clue. No surprise, as they were here arguing against letting the Wild Men have representatives at court. Apparently, giving the people of the Fangs the same access to the King that the nobility enjoyed was too much for this group of lords to bear.

Dorian glared sidelong at Chaol. His friend gave him a look back that clearly said this had not been his doing. He knew that, but his annoyance with these men was about to become uncontrollable.

As someone began listing off their grievances, Dorian stood, not bothering to keep his chair from screeching against the floor. Chaol winced, from the sound, and the fury radiating from the King.

“The men and women of the Fangs fought and died for Adarlan. While you hid in your country estates and watched it burn. Nothing you say will change my mind in this matter. Get out.”

The lords’ exhaled breaths were visible in the now freezing air and Dorian forced himself to calm down. Chaol ushered them out as quickly as he could and by the time he returned, Dorian was slumped back in his chair.

“I wouldn’t have let them in if I’d known that’s what they wanted,” Chaol offered as apology. “I’ll be more careful with the next group.”

Dorian waved him off. He knew Chaol was in favor of including the Wild Men in their councils and wouldn’t have given those lords an audience with him if they’d been honest about their intentions. Leaning forward, he propped his head in his hands and rubbed his temples.

He’d never been under any illusions that ruling a kingdom would be easy. After a war, after his father’s reign, he knew it would be much more difficult. But the day to day drudgery and petty politics were beginning to wear him down. 

The door creaked open and they both turned to see a young woman enter. “A message, Your Majesty,” she said, bowing and waiting to be called over.

Even after months of disappointment, a rush of excitement coursed through him. Chaol motioned her forward and all of Dorian’s hope died when he saw that the letter bore the royal stamp of Eyllwe. Thanking her, he waited until Chaol escorted her out before he tossed it over onto his desk. Without a word, he returned to massaging his aching head.

“So, how long do you plan on wallowing like this?” Chaol asked as he leaned back against the long meeting table and crossed his arms.

Dorian ignored him.

“You’re good at it, I’ll give you that. But as your friend, it’s getting rather annoying.” When Dorian didn’t take the bait, he continued, “Or does this qualify as brooding? Your vocabulary was always better than mine.”

He lifted his head and growled, “It’s neither.”

“Obviously,” Chaol said with a wave. “You’re not wallowing or brooding. You didn’t almost leap out of your chair just now, thinking that letter had come from the Wastes. You don’t walk around at night in all kinds of weather. You don’t-“

“Enough,” Dorian said. But his voice had lost all of its earlier bite as the truth of his best friend’s words sank in.

Chaol pulled out a chair next to him and sat. “It’s been ten months-“

“I know how long it’s been.” Down to the day, he knew.

When they’d parted ways in Orynth, he’d worried that the time and distance might weaken his feelings for her. The opposite had occurred. Even Manon’s silence had done nothing to diminish the bond he felt connecting them.

Most days offered plenty of distractions with paperwork, meetings, and visits to war torn villages. Sometimes the drudgery, he’d had to admit, was better than nothing. Nights were a different matter.

Dorian had fallen into the habit of walking around the grounds or on the parapets and imagining her life in the Wastes. Imagining her life with him, in some vague yet happy future that he shouldn’t allow himself to consider. It was the only way he could hope to get any sleep.

At least he wasn’t having imaginary conversations with her, he thought. At least, not yet.

“Dorian.”

“She never replied. Not once.” He hadn’t told anyone that, but Chaol didn’t seem surprised. “It’s been ten months, as you so helpfully pointed out. Why are you bringing this up now?” Guilty eyes glanced around the room. “What’s going on?”

“First, I just want to say this was not my idea,” Chaol said.

Dorian sighed. “What has Yrene done?”

“She’s been writing to Glennis. For a while.”

“What?” He couldn’t hide the anger and annoyance. The humiliation. It was bad enough that Manon had ignored him. Apparently, it was a popular topic of conversation.

As if reading his mind, Chaol explained. “They were corresponding about the Torre that Yrene wants to start. She’s planning to include Crochan and Ironteeth instructors.”

“Oh. Of course,” he said, kicking himself for jumping to conclusions. “That’s a good idea.”

Chaol nodded, then slid his chair closer. His face, his whole body, was lined with concern. Dorian tensed, not sure what was coming, even as worse case scenarios filled his head.

“Manon isn’t doing well.”

It was a struggle to remain seated and not go to the balcony and shift. He could be there in a few days if he went as a wyvern, if he didn’t stop for rest. But he stayed where he was.

“What do you mean, not well?” A few seconds ago, his worst case scenario involved her no longer caring for him, either due to the distance or because she’d met someone new. To immediately think that and not consider anything else. How selfish could he be?

“Glennis didn’t give any details,” Chaol replied. “But I don’t think it’s hard to figure out. A witch losing her coven...” He didn’t need to elaborate.

“I stopped writing,” Dorian said quietly, shaking his head in disbelief at his own stupidity and stubbornness. Quickly, he rose and spun, looking around the room. “I need to go and...” He trailed off as his eyes landed on the desk overflowing with proclamations and treasury reports and messages from Eyllwe and Terrasen and on and on. All waiting for his attention.

"As it so happens,” Chaol said, a smile forming on his face, “Glennis, Yrene, and I have arranged a meeting at the Ferian Gap.”

Dorian froze, not knowing what to say. Thank you seemed inadequate for the gratitude he felt.

Looking a bit apologetic, Chaol added, “There are actually some things that need to be settled between our kingdoms. Boundaries, trade, the usual. And that small matter of the aerial host you are creating? Orghana reported last week that the wyverns were big enough to begin training. At least, she thinks they are. She’s only ever dealt with ruks.” He shrugged. “So, it’s perfect timing.”

Realizing he hadn’t asked the question, Dorian breathed, “When?”

A grin practically split Chaol’s face in two. “You’ll need to leave in the morning, so I suggest you go pack.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Yrene wanted to. But, I thought that this way, you only have one night to wait, instead of weeks or days.”

Too many emotions thundered through him to speak as Dorian walked around the table and pulled Chaol into a hug. His friend laughed, and offered to thank Yrene for him.

When he stepped away and turned to rush to his chambers, Chaol called after him, his voice grown serious again. “You know her better than any of us. And I can’t imagine what she’s going through. But you can’t fix her.”

He paused at the door, considering everything that had befallen her just in the short time they’d known each other. There was a part of him that knew he couldn’t fix her. But it was overshadowed by the part that knew she wasn’t broken, would never be broken, not even by grief. Dorian left without replying, and went directly to his rooms to pack.

***

“You did what?”

Manon was rarely stunned to silence. But Glennis had just managed it with her announcement that their queen would be meeting with the King of Adarlan in a few days. The witches attending the council meeting didn’t so much as blink, thinking nothing of having Bronwen and Petrah take over for the week Manon would be at the Ferian Gap. Thankfully no one looked at her. The shock would have given away that she’d had no part in this development.

After the others left, Manon regained her composure and cornered Glennis for answers. Only to discover she had planned this with the healer and her husband.

“I am one of your close advisors and I took it upon myself to arrange a meeting with the King-”

“Yes,” she growled. “I understand that part. You wrote to his friends? About me?”

Her great grandmother didn’t back down. “I mentioned you only in the course of discussing Yrene’s plans for a Torre in Rifthold. She wants to allow our healers to teach there.”

“And why was this Ferian Gap thing only brought to my attention now?”

Glennis frowned, staring at her with the bright eyes of a hawk. Eyes Manon had no defense against. “Sit down, granddaughter.” She pulled a chair out and stood by it until Manon gave in and sat.

She didn’t know why she was angry about Yrene and Glennis writing to each other. If it was truly about the Torre, she could understand. But clearly, that was not the only thing they’d discussed.

Sitting across from her, Glennis said, “I’m not blind, Manon. Nor am I stupid. And my memory works quite well for my age.”

Unsure where this was going, she said, “I wasn’t implying-”

“I was with you two for long enough to see what was going on. Refusing to admit you have feelings for him won’t make them disappear.”

Of course, she thought, releasing an annoyed huff. “I’m not refusing to admit it. But even with your keen eyes and perfect memory, you can agree that it won’t work.” When Glennis had no reply, she stood and turned to leave, certain that would be the end of it.

“Manon.”

The authority in her great grandmother’s voice made her stop and turn around, albeit reluctantly.

“I will agree that it might not be easy. But that is true of all relationships, regardless of titles or distance or whatever else you want to claim is standing in your way. This is not insurmountable. But it might become so if you don’t take  some time now to explore what’s already there.” Glennis walked over to her, a soft smile on her face. “You deserve to be happy.”

Manon opened her mouth to argue that no, she did not deserve it. And what made anyone think Dorian would be the thing to make her happy? A look from Glennis and she closed it, saying nothing.

“At this point, it doesn’t matter,” the crone said, done with arguing. “We need to come to an agreement with Adarlan about our eastern border. And our scouts have said the wyverns at the Ferian Gap will be ready to fly soon. You agreed to train them, so you will be going.”

Fine. It was fine, Manon thought, even as her stomach tightened with anxiety. She would go and work with the Rukhin and their wyverns. She would even meet with Dorian and negotiate for whatever the council wanted. But she would not let herself give in to any feelings she might still harbor for him.

Before she went, she stared down at Glennis. “I am the queen, you know. It’s my place to give the orders, not take them.”

Glennis gave her a bright smile. “And I am your great grandmother. There are times when that outranks royalty.”

This was why she’d come to trust her. Even if she didn’t like what she heard, even when she flat out disagreed with it, Manon knew Glennis had her best interests at heart. And like the witch’s hawkish stare, Manon had no defense against her smile.

“When do I leave, great grandmother?” she asked with a faint smile of her own, and a dip of her head.

“First thing in the morning.”

For the second time in one evening, Manon was speechless.

Glennis linked their arms together and walked out the door. “Come. I’ll help you pack.”

To be continued...

[emberprince]

Answer ALL of those in the ask meme you reblogged (or just cocoa if you're a coward)

oh you have no idea how badly I wanted to do this already I was just waiting for the opportunity... and you have given it to me you FOOL! now I have a reason to continue procrastinating on my homework

lantern - how did you meet your best friend? What were your first impressions of each other?

‣ I had just joined my first ‘good’ RP guild on World of Warcraft. She was sitting in the same building as me when my character was interviewed. I thought she was very cool but also very intimidating... I wanted to be friends with her but I was also an IDIOT and very new to roleplay so I kind of hope she remembers little of that time... We sort of fell out of contact for like 5 years but I followed her deviantart account and always added her art to my favorites because it was very CUTE and GOOD... anyway by sheer coincidence we ended up in a guild together again after many years and got to know each other more and now I think I would die if my best friend was anyone else

frost - if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say?

‣ man, high school doesnt matter. literally nothing matters as much as you think it does. it’s OKAY. stop caring what people think of you because it’s only going to give you depression and no one likes that. it’s okay. trust me. just chill. skip school once in a while

maple - is there a hobby / skill that you’ve always wanted to try but never did?

‣ I’ve always wanted to learn sign language... I’ve also wanted to learn like, blacksmithing or woodworking but I’ve never had the opportunity or tools to do so :(

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why?

‣ normally I would list one of my OCs but that’s cheating. I’d have to say Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, she seems the most like me. I’d LIKE to identify as a cool protagonist but I don’t have the protagonist personality

fireside - if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like?

‣ cloaks and cool leather jackets and long flowing coats that make me look cool as FUCK. also dresses with pockets PLEASE I just want a semi-casual dress with functioning POCKETS PLEASE also I would love to have some nice boots and leggings that are a little thicker and don’t show as much as the flimsy ones. Coats/leggings/boots are just nice. I like shirts that are flowy and breathable, kind of like tunics

cider - a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy?

‣ onions, mustard, peppers, broccoli, guacamole. basically no one ever cooked them for me when I was a kid then I grew up and realized that cooked vegetables are delicious as FUCK

amber - share an unpopular opinion that you may have.

‣ I’m really tired of seeing all the anti-cop posts. My dad is a wildlife law enforcement officer and one of the best people I know, and this whole new view on police has made his job a lot more dangerous. I understand that some cops are horrible people but the majority of them are really kind and unique individuals once you get to know them. Most of them dedicated their entire career to helping others, even if it means getting into dangerous situations. you can unfollow me for this if you want

fog - how well do you think you’d do in a zombie apocalypse scenario?

‣ I wouldn’t die instantly because I’d immediately run into the wilderness and hide instead of raiding stores where the outbreak is literally happening, but I’m not great at living off the land so I’d probably eat something poisonous and die of a disease or starvation a couple weeks later. If I somehow found a good food source or had something to hunt with I’d be alright.

jack-o-lantern - if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose?

‣ jameela jamil...

spice - have you ever encountered a house that you believed to be haunted?

‣ no

orchard - share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn.

‣ I’d like to pass all my classes and maybe get A’s and B’s... I’d also like to just be happy for a little while. Maybe get the hell out of my dorm but I don’t think that’s likely to happen. Most other years I’d say ‘fall in love’ but I really just am not ready for that right now. OH wait I’d like to receive 1 million dollars please

crow - which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for?

‣ CHEMISTRY. holy shit

bonfire - describe your dream house.

‣ a few minutes outside a town with everything I need like a grocery store, hospital, etc. A BIG spacious house in the middle of the woods near a waterfall with a rustic cabin design. Pine forest, one big window in the living room so I can look out at the mountains and watch it snow in the winter. Lots of comfortable furniture, a sectional couch, a big kitchen so I can do a lot of cooking and a big bedroom with a king sized bed. A jacuzzi. One room is like a giant playroom for Zuko with lots of perches and toys and ropes so he can just have the time of his life. My large bedroom also has a nice window with a view of the mountains and a windowseat in front of it. The living room has an electric fireplace. I have a couple guest rooms so I can host people and the basement has a bar where we can have little get-togethers.

cinnamon - if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where?

‣ idk I kind of like the present. we have all these nice things we don’t normally have. I’d say like 10-20 years into the future maybe but I have no idea what the world is going to be like then sooo... maybe not. I wouldn’t want to live without the internet and running water and all the comforts I have now, though

cobweb - (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school?

‣ I... miss parts of it. I miss the drama club in the high school I went to before I transferred. I had a lot of great memories there and sometimes I wish I could go back. And I miss the friends I made there that I don’t really talk to anymore. I don’t miss ANYTHING about the school I actually graduated from, that place was hellllllllllllll

cranberry - what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on?

‣ I think... hair? Usually when I get compliments it’s just general about my appearance but I think I’ve heard hair mentioned before

maize - share the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street.

‣ I haven’t really had street encounters since I don’t talk to anyone when I’m walking, but I have a few wild stories from when I worked at mcdonalds. One person came through the drive thru with 2 monkeys that tried to climb into the restaurant. Another person raved to me about how Google was taking over the world (they were right). Another person pulled up and I was about to hand them their food and the conversation went like this:

him: [grinning at me] you see the person in the line behind me?

me: yeah haha why? [hands him his food]

him: she looks like madam mim from the sword in the stone [laughs and drives away]

there are truly some cryptids out there.

quilt - how do you take your tea (or coffee)?

‣ I like iced tea in the summer and hot tea in the winter. With coffee, I prefer frappes in the summer and in the winter I drink a lot of mochas or regular coffee with just. so much creamer

pumpkin - do you think that humans are inherently good or bad?

‣ I think humans are inherently good, or at least neutral. We’re very social animals and for society to survive we have to be kind to one another so that we stick around, I think. Bad behavior seems to be learned.

moonlit - are you a neat or messy person? Is your room / house orderly?

‣ I am... neutral. I used to be VERY messy but now I’m mostly clean. My own area can get a little disorganized but I never encroach on anyone else’s space.

flannel - have you ever gone on a bad date?

‣ One. I met up with this guy and he talked about himself the entire time. Other dates have been pretty neutral, I wouldn’t say I’ve had many ‘good’ dates either.

cocoa - if you could have any type of hair, what colour and cut would you have?

‣ I used to want really long red anime hair, and I still kind of want that. I haven’t dyed my hair in a while because I want to see what my natural color looks like before I dye it again. Lately I’ve considered cutting it to shoulder-length but I think I probably won’t. I like red hair (dark red, not the natural red) but I’ve always REALLY wanted to try silver hair. If I couldn’t do silver, I’d do rose gold. For those colors I have to get it professionally dyed though, and I’m really cheap... so if I can’t walmart dye it, it’s gonna be a while until I get what I want.

ghost - is there someone that you miss having in your life?

‣ I guess my cat and bird are still in my life, but I can’t have them in my dorm, and that sucks. I miss a few of my old friends, but not that much because I have better friends now. It’s really weird not having my grandpa around anymore. He wasn’t a great person but I’ve never gone to a family gathering without him. I think that’s going to be weird to get used to. I wish I had a supportive significant other that I just click with but usually my luck is awful with relationships so I’m not going to try anything like that for a while.

[silver-wields-a-pen]

OC asks! 25, 27, 34

Thanks for the ask ^=^

Oc asks

25: What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them?

I’m just gonna do my faves else I’ll be making the longest post ever lool

Nyima: Came to life because @illthdar asked for characters to write about for a story idea she had and I keep developing her as the series goes on. I’m a huge final fantasy fangirl and my fave character has always been the summon, Shiva. Who has zero backstory or character development, which I’m salty forever about. So, I took the base form of an ice elemental and made my own version, which calls out the whole “must serve others” because that’s slavery and I always wondered why anyone would choose to do that — because the summon doesn’t seem too fussed by that concept even when she’s a literal god. This leads to Nyima needing to be the hero for her own people in her own story and save them by serving others and completing a set of trials or amount of years in service. Obviously there’s been several physical and physiological adjustments like how her skin tans from light to dark blue depending on how cold it is — still my fave thing I came up with. There’s other fun details like she can’t eat ice cream because her body doesn’t produce heat so it’s basically like eating sand and that her periods are spaced longer apart and go on for longer and that her blood is blue and she’s smart but kind of naïve and she’s a lot softer and warm-hearted than people assume because ice=bitch, which is stupid. Physically, she went from a face claim appearance of Mila Jovovich to a more culturally relevant appearance of Khulan Chuulun because the majority of her world build is based around Mongolian culture — which is awesome and I highly recommend reading up on it because awesome. She’s had a lot of work done on her for about 2 years and I’ll never stop coming up with stuff for her because she’s so much fun to play with ^=^

Belias: I needed a character that fit into the storyline for my Frozen series that used to be an Aetumuh like Nyima is. The name’s an easter egg for final fantasy – which isn’t the only one in my story series. His personality and appearance have always been the way I designed them. He needed to look similar to some other characters because he’s their King, but he also needed a few differences because of things he went through. He’s a big guy 6′5, muscular, four arms, red skin, horns, black hair and golden eyes, and his personality is big and idgaf. He’s still a work in progress and doesn’t get as much attention as other characters in my story because he’s a support character, not a main, but I love him and I’ll definitely be reusing him and developing him more.

27. What kind of childhood did your character have?

Nyima: Had a good childhood. Her world is harsh and a tough place to grow up, but the people were loving and close-knit. Her parents were great teachers and people she looked up to — especially her mother, Caleen. Her father, Cid, was a bit of a dreamer, with grand ideas about changes he wanted to make for all his people to make their lives easier. It was this reason they ended up dead because the religious order in charge didn’t like the threat they posed. They used the ifrit — men cursed by the Goddess Sylmy — to take them out. This happened when Nyima was around 11 and she spent her teenage years in a depressed state with survivor’s guilt, which led to her desire to help her people and ultimately led to her becoming an Aetumuh to get the kind of power she needed to effect change.

Belias: Was a spoilt little prince, adored and coddled by his mother and inner circle. The dzoavits’ kingdom comprised two locations: the city of Ozma and the caverns underneath, which were habited during breeding season which came about every 25 years and lasted for 5. Belias grew up under the expectation he’d marry, build a harem and lead his people. Part of that was an arranged marriage to build an alliance with the kingdom of Rhogmar – a gigantic, turtle island populated with undersea fae. Belias thought it was the stupidest thing ever for a fire demon to mate with a water fae, but the alliance stood and the princess of Rhogmar took a liking to his pretty face and wouldn’t let him out of it. In a fit of teenage petulance, Belias took off and ran away. A celestial found him; one who was part of the conglomerate responsible for the Aetumuh. They convinced him to go with them, offering enough power as payment that Belias could break the contract because his people wouldn’t need an alliance with anyone if their King was strong enough to defeat an army single-handed. When Belias eventually returned home he found his people kicked out by a bunch of ice elementals and when he tried to rally an army the Elder King, Frejn, tricked him, and he spent the next decade as a prisoner, while the ifrit, Vasuman, took control of his people.

34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

Nyima: Isn’t the most social of people. She’s an introvert and likes small groups and spending time 1-2-1 with people so she can give them her full attention. She’ll attend parties, but needs an outside space to retreat to when it gets hot as she easily overheats. She’ll happily wears costumes and join in with local customs and likes learning different things. Her typical role is helping organise things because she’s logically minded and likes problem solving. She’s not a natural leader, but she can take over if needed and think on her feet to quickly resolve problems.

Belias: Gets bored stiff at fancy parties. Likes rougher things and large crowds, with a bit of chaos to liven things up. Loves cooking activities. He likes being in charge, but only until people get on his nerves, then he needs a break or he’ll start yelling. He usually takes the role that involves being a snarky butt because he can’t help making smartass comments.