#i'm already living in a world w/o magic

[alteredphoenix]

‘Kay, well I picked The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons as my next read because I have had dragons on the melonas mind for the past week and a half (been trying to draw one with little success), let’s see what the dragons are like in this book.

[cookieg122]

\^o^/ MORE Aya drawings!!! Recently, I was discussing with @pekoeboo some major changes to Aya's character, specifically to her age, backstory, and abilities. I'm gonna go in-depth about her lore here, so if you're interested, there's more under the cut! Khalan belongs to @pekoeboo!

Aya is an elven fairy princess from the Farfalla Empire. Her people are known for being war-hungry, ruthless, and proud people, but they weren't always like that. *wink wink* Aya grew up very sheltered. She lived in a secluded part of the castle with very few attendants. Her knowledge of the world is limited to the contents of storybooks, textbooks, and her father's triumphant war tales. Since she wasn't allowed to leave the castle, she spent most of her time on her hobbies, sword fighting, reading, and studying. >w</ No wonder she goes so crazy when she gets outta the house!! Aya may be naive and poorly socially adjusted, but she always maintains a very positive, childlike, and carefree demeanor. Speaking of childlike!! Her attitude is childlike because she is!! A child, haha. She is now 9 years old (in human years). I felt the age change better reflected her character. More info about her species! Aya's world is inhabited by fairy-elf-bug hybrids. These guys live super long lives, grow very tall, and can perform magic. They are characterized by their wings and antennae that differ depending on their birth region. (Aya's race's wings are based on butterflies! ^w^ <33) Anyway, since I changed her backstory from space alien to elven fairy princess, I figured it was only natural she could perform some basic spells. However, Aya is not very good with magic. ><' She can only cast strength and regen on herself to aid in battle. Unfortunately, casting these spells takes a lot out of her, so she has to eat TONS to regain her energy. Poor Khalan;; He already cooked so much! Previous details about Aya still hold true. She can still sense people nearby with her antennae, has a fast metabolism, and hosts a generally oblivious/chaotic nature. However, other things have changed. Her eyes no longer change color depending on mood, and her body is no longer naturally strong; she will have to cast a strength spell for that. The last lil quirk I added was Aya's BED TIME. Aya has a set time she goes to sleep every day, and if it hits that point- she is gonna sleep no matter WHAT is happening or where it is. It is TIME~. She just XD sits down on the pavement and goes to sleep. I always say this, BUT RIP Khalan, who has to carry her and bring her back safely from wherever they are. I promise she loves him;;; >< <33 Lastly is Aya's obsession with FIRE. She just- has a lot of wrong ideas that were taught to her as a child, and BURNING down a house is not OKAY. Please don't let the baby have fire. This is a PSA warning. x'D

OMG That was a lot! >o</ Thanks if you made it this far! Let me know if you have any questions about my baby. I still have much more lore about her that I'll have to share in the future so if you like her! Stay tuned! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

[darksaiyangoku]

RWBY: Patience

Jaune laid on his bed after rough day of training. Ozpin took control of Oscar today and ramped his and Noctis's training tenfold. Even with his fast healing, he still felt sore. Sitting next to him was Yang, staring at him quizzically.

Yang: Jaune? You okay?

Jaune: Huh? O-Oh yeah, I-I'm fine. *sits up* W-Why? What's up?

Yang: ...that's what I was gonna ask you. You invited me to your room and didn't say a word to me since.

Jaune: Oh. Um, well, I... I kinda wanted to talk about what we're dealing with.

Yang: The Haven situation?

Jaune: Not just that. It's everything. I mean, just last year, the only thing we had to worry about were Team CRDL being a bunch of jerks. Now we find out there are gods, girls who can do magic, these relic things and a witch to top it all off. *deep sigh* I'm starting to think we're in way over our heads.

Jaune felt an oddly warm touch of metal and looked down to see Yang holding his hand. He looked back up and saw her frowning. Her lilac eyes looked dull, as if all the joy had left her.

Yang: To tell you the truth, I think so too. All I really wanted to do was get Ruby back. But now we're dragged back into this mess and it's not gonna get any easier.

Jaune: Well... what's stopping us from walking away from this? We don't have to do this, you know? We could all just start fresh. Let Ozpin deal with this himself.

Yang shook her head. She couldn't believe how selfish he was sounding right now.

Yang: Jaune, listen to me, *turns to face him* if we really could walk away from this, don't you think we would've done it already? This isn't exactly how I imagined ending up. But if we're not gonna stand up to Salem, who else is there?

Jaune: There has to be some other huntsmen and huntresses more capable than us, though. Why would Ozpin put his faith in a bunch of kids?

Yang: Because we've faced these dangers and we know it better than they do. Think about what we've lost. Vale, Lucis, Beacon. It's all gone now. *clenches fist* If we don't join him, all of Remnant is gonna end up just like them or worse... and that's not a world I want to live in.

Jaune stared into Yang's eyes and turned himself to her. A newfound fire was burning in his heart.

Jaune: I don't wanna live in that world either. I'm just scared.

Yang: So am I. *smiles* But we're not facing this alone. Haven won't fall like Beacon did.

Jaune and Yang continued staring into each other's eyes. They leaned in closer and Yang closed hers. Jaune was about to do the same, but hesitated and dragged himself back. Yang momentarily opened her eyes and gasped faintly. What were they doing?

Yang; Oh no. J-Jaune, I'm so sorry-

Jaune: N-No, that was my fault. I shouldn't have-

Yang: No don't say that I- I should probably go.

Jaune: Yang, wait!

Yang shook her head and reached for the door, frantically leaving the room. Jaune's arm was still outreached. Clenching his fist, he growled quietly. What was he thinking? He didn't mean to scare her like that. His chest was aching at the thought that Yang would hate him. Tears fell from his eyes as he sank to the floor. He didn't want to face it, but the truth was that he started to fall for her. It had been a month since they arrived in Mistral and he and Yang had been through so much together. He wanted to be with her so much. But in the back of his mind, he thought of Pyrrha and the pain that casued him was unbearable. It was tearing him apart.

Jaune: 🎶Just have a little patience.

Still hurting from a love I lost

I'm feeling your frustration

But any minute all the pain will stop🎶

Outside the door, Yang was sitting down, crying to herself.

Yang: 🎶Just hold me close inside your arms tonight

Don't be too hard on my emotions🎶

Jaune/Yang: 🎶'Cause I need time

My heart is numb, has no feeling

So while I'm still healing

Just try and have a little patience🎶

Yang: 🎶I really wanna start over again

I know you wanna be my salvation

The one that I can always depend🎶

Jaune: *pounds ground with his fist* 🎶I'll try to be strong, believe me

I'm trying to move on

It's complicated but understand me🎶

Jaune/Yang: 🎶'Cause I need time

My heart is numb, has no feeling

So while I'm still healing

Just try and have a little patience, yeah🎶

Jaune: 🎶Have a little patience, yeah🎶

Yang: 🎶'Cause these scars run so deep🎶

Jaune/Yang: 🎶It's been hard

But I have to believe

Have a little patience

Have a little patience🎶

Jaune/Yang: 🎶Woah, 'cause I, I just need time

My heart is numb, has no feeling

So while I'm still healing

Just try, and have a little patience

Have a little patience

My heart is numb, has no feeling

So while I'm still healing

Just try and have a little patience🎶

The two of them breathed in deep and stared at the door between them.

Jaune: Yang...

Yang: Jaune...

Jaune/Yang: I'll wait for you.

[librarycards]

hihi, i work in a public library & m always seeking new (to me) books & writers! i read largely magical realism & specfic w the occasional litfic (most recently Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!) & plenty of poetry by qtpoc whose imagery gets called “weird”, trying to avoid repetition of titles i’ve seen in ur already answered asks, here r some books/authors i love:

Past Lives, Future Bodies & Gods of Want (everything, rlly, but emphasis on the short stories & poetry) by K-Ming Chang

Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi (particularly for the sense of utter existential dread it left me)

M Archive by Alexis Pauline Gumbs (hybrid forms <3)

Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde

& Jamie Berrout’s entire bibliography

tyty!!! p.s. just bc i can imagine them being clear connections to make, i also already know & cherish Akwaeke Emezi’s & Rivers Solomon’s books!

given that you're a library professional, i'm going to focus on un(der)known books with relatively little buzz! hopefully this might inspire you to order some of these or maybe find a new hidden gem :)

Niki Tulk, O.

Jesi Bender, Kinderkrankenhaus

Keely Shinners, How to Build a Home for the End of the World

Mairead Case, Tiny

Jay Besemer, The Ways of the Monster

Marwa Helal, Ante Body

Precious Okoyomon, Ajebota

i also have a book (forthcoming in aug., but I have ARCs/pre-orders open now!) you may like :3

there are other books I could rec, but I trust you've seen them in my other asks or know about many of them already!

[llycaons]

Cor’s Definitive MDZS/CQL Fanfiction Recommendation Page

Hi and welcome!

About me: I'm white and can only speak English, so while I’ve read a some analysis and done some research, I know my perspective is limited and I apologize in advance for any mistakes or misinterpretations.

I'm primarily a cql fan, though I did enjoy the donghua. I read the ExR novel translation several years ago and I have a complicated relationship with it, enjoying the explicit character development, humor, worldbuilding, originality, and some romantic scenes, while disliking how homophobia and sexual assault are handled as well as some structural elements. I have no familiarity with the audio drama or mdzs q show. I like tgcf, but the fics here are only for cql/mdzs.

About the fics: Any version of canon, though I prefer cql characterizations. Mostly wangxian, with a handful of other background relationships and some character studies. My favorite characters are wwx, lwj, jyl, wen ning, and jin ling, but lwj has a very special place in my heart. I enjoy jc as a character but find it hard to find fics that write him in a way I agree with. I prefer shorter works.

18+ rec list. Explicit works can be in any category.

I try to include content warnings on fics, depending on how well I remember. Please always defer to the tags and the author notes.

Works with be starred once for faves, and twice for ultimate faves.

Fics recommended in the first 5 sections of this list are guaranteed NOT to have the following

pedophilia/csa, teacher/student relationship, sexual ageplay, explicit works involving the juniors, or any couple with a significant age gap

incest, including wwx with jc, lsz with ljy, and jin ling with lsz. the canon qin su and jgy incest may be mentioned, but I find that comes up rarely

romanticized rape, including everything under the umbrella of noncon, dubcon, fuck or die, sex pollen, sex curses, drunk sex scenes, warprize, nonconsensual somnophilia, necrophilia, etc

note on novel ‘canonical kinks’ - a couple of fics do reference rape fantasy/cnc but they’re few and far between, and only in a few fics will there be any actual scenes of it

abusive or 'dark' wwx or lwj (or anyone not already abusive)

lxc/jgy, 3zun, or xy/xxc unless it’s treated critically. some fics may mention it but none will have scenes of them in a relationship

fics feminizing wwx - some gray area here, but if it's really bad I put it in section 6

genderbends/cisswaps

A/B/O

cop AUs

harry potter crossovers

Section 6 is reserved for fics with one of more of these issues (mostly background 3zun, some weirdness w the sex scenes, or hinted jl/lzs) , but none will have csa or sibling incest.

A note on authors: Vetted to an extent, based on tags for mdzs and cql works only. Anything above is listed in ‘author issues’ section. Current as of early 2023. There should be nobody on here who’s written csa or adult/child smut, so please let me know if you find something I’ve missed.

I haven’t reread all works on this list recently and I may have overlooked something about them. I welcome any corrections.

With no further ado, let’s get to the fanfiction!

The list is split into sections and then categories by theme. The fics are otherwise not listed in any particular order.

Section One: The heart of it all

I. The name of the song: that sweet sweet postcanon getting-together content II. To be in the world again: wei wuxian (or others), relearning how to live III. From then on, he was unable to look away again: postcanon wangxian

Section Two: Snapshots

IV. So this first love was all for you: anything short and sweet! V. If I was doomed to death: angsty flashback-era fics VI. Now try saying something true and beautiful: explicit works that make a point using sex or sex scenes

Section Three: Character

VII. A-xian is my didi: on jiang yanli VIII. I still am: oh, lan wangji IX.  Let’s be brothers again: jiang cheng, you clown

Section Four: Possibilities

X. Wicked tricks and beyond: modern with magic AUs XI: In another life: modern AUs - no magic XII. Things that might have been: canon divergences/retellings. (includes works with pre-ep50 getting togethers)

Section Five: Others

XIII. The little ones: works focused on the children XIV. Well well well what have we here: an exploration of other side characters XV: Shenanigans: COMEDY. boy do I love a laugh

Section Six: Lower your standards

XVI: Just a bit eh: fics that are fine, but that I didn’t like enough to rec in the sections above XVII: Put on some horse blinders: fics for which I have to list particularly egregious author issues (rape porn, incest) XVIII: The shame corner for naughty fanfiction: fics with issues within the actual work (again, mostly minor)

Section Seven: The Dumpster Fire

Fics that are so bad I’m posting them for the sole purpose of mocking them and/or complaining about them

bonus: some misc treats

includes interviews, poetry, meta, and writing resources

this concludes my rec list! feel free to send me an ask about anything you found on here. thanks for reading! be well, stay safe, and have fun out there :)

[helianskies]

hello! for the dialogue prompts, i was wondering if you could you 28 + turkspa. thanks!! <33 (i love your writing!!!)

anon ily and i'm sorrry this took a while (i got distracted by things) but look. turkspa. sacred sacred (angsty) turkspa 💘

Conflict

Everything hurts. His chest, his head, the pouring wound in his abdomen whose painful consequence is overwhelming his entire lower half… but not just them; his heart aches, too, and his eyes sting with bitter tears as he tries to stand back up, yet hardly has the energy to hold himself up on his knees, let alone his feet. 

Antonio hates that it has come to this. He may not be surprised—perhaps, in the end, this is the only path he has—a cruel inevitability—but that does not make the pain any easier to bear.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts in a way he does not recognise—in a way he fears he has not known pain before. He knows he won't die—not from anything other than blood loss, if he is so unlucky—but he feels otherwise. He feels Death. He wants Death. He wants an escape, because the pain he will have to live with instead will surely kill him anyway.

He had thought himself in love. He had thought that he had found a way to overcome the grip of politics, of culture, of society, and to live a double life. He had thought he could cheat the system of being a personification. He had thought he could play at being an ordinary human. But it had all been a lie. And now Antonio remains there kneeling in a growing puddle of his own blood, choking on vanishing air and his own naivety.

The person—the personification—that he holds responsible (yet also is hesitant to blame; is that naive of him, too?) stands over him, in the meantime. Cupid's arrow, Damocles' sword. Why does he watch? Why does he stand there silently and watch? Antonio cannot bear to face him. He fears moving, and being struck again. He fears pleading for a quickened end, but fears a crueller version of mercy.

The pain ebbs and flows in small surges. Pain, then numbness. 

"I am sorry it had to come to this between us," the other says, though there is a lack of apology in his tone. A brute after all. “I tried to warn you. I tried to tell you to stay away.”

A laugh, stinging and sardonic, squeezes past drying lips. “Yet you kept coming back,” Antonio counters. “All this time, you… you let me believe, l-let me…” 

But he can’t even get the words out. Ebbs and flows, pain and numbness. Antonio coughs and groans and makes the risky decision to lie down. He knows he’s going to die. He would prefer to save himself the fall—the sensation of being on the verge of dying and suddenly plummeting, as though down to Hell.

When his head hits the ground, it is both bliss, and surrender. 

“This was never going to end any other way,” Sadık narrates all the while. 

Antonio can barely hear him. His head throbs too loudly. 

“You should have known that.”

If he were human, he would already be dead. His injury would have killed him.

“We could never be more than a fantasy.”

If he were human, he would have died so fast, but nation bodies, oh, they were such resilient things…

“We would never have survived war.”

Why couldn’t his heart be that strong…?

Antonio blinks and the tear that has held him together finally releases, dropping down into the dirt. How much of the world has been watered by tears, he wonders? How many nations weep, only for a flower to eventually sprout in that same place? Maybe there is something in that thought. Maybe his loss will become a gain for the world; a single flower, imbued with an impossible magic, resilient like a nation—like a nation should be, at least.

Still, with what energy remains, he searches for the other. His breathing may be frantic, blood may be blossoming from his body, a funeral rose, but he still searches for Ottoman, only to find him… walking away. Walking away from him, from them, from everything they once had. 

Something possesses Antonio. Fear, perhaps. Desperation.

“W… Wait,” he calls out, though it may only come out as a breathy whisper, “don’t leave. Don’t leave…”

And by some miracle, he is heard. Ottoman stops—Sadık stops—and he turns back to look at Spain—at Antonio—and he exceeds all expectations. It takes a moment. It takes some deliberating. But, in the end, the other steps back towards the dying nation and crouches down. Perhaps that is so Antonio does not have to strain. Perhaps that is so he can get a better look at his cheap victory.

“What is it?” he asks. His hand finds Antonio’s and, suddenly, they are not enemies but lovers again. It almost steals the Spaniard’s last breath away. “I was going to leave you in peace. I would hate to be the last thing you see, this time.”

But Antonio doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about what Sadık wants or does not want. It is time for him to be selfish.

So he musters what he can—squeezes a hand—and says, “I need you to tell me something.”

Silence is an invitation.

“Was it… ever real for you…?”

Silence is an answer. 

Silence is an answer that Antonio does not get to hear, because as he stares at Sadık for those few seconds and waits to know, waits for the truth, waits for peace, his breath and blood run out. He stares at Sadik for a few seconds more, but he does not see, like he does not hear, like he does not breathe. He does not know what that answer is, and he likely never will.

Sadık can only sigh. He regrets, in some ways, the things that have happened between them. He wishes it could have gone differently. But life as a nation—as an empire, like they both are and must now always be—rarely allows for the sort of life that Antonio has pursued. Perhaps Sadık should have warned him sooner…

Seeing that there is no one around—certainly no Spaniards, nor any of their allies—Sadık makes a decision. He makes a decision that surprises the other half of himself that would have left Spain there to die and wake up and struggle, and that decision prompts him to spend a minute or so carefully bringing a lifeless body into his arms. 

With it, he stands. Blood will stain his clothes and hands, but since when has that bothered him? He will take Antonio with him so that he will not be alone when he revives. Because that is worse, he feels: to revive alone, rather than to die alone. 

And think about it, he tells his other half, his empire-self, what an advantage it would be for the personification of the Spanish Empire to be under our charge, in our camp, in our custody. 

Such an argument helps him walk, and walk faster than he thought he could.

[ final wordcount, 1148; prompts can be found here! ]

[rbthestoryoftherubynecklace]

Aftermath of the first Moonstone appearance

~~~~~

charlotte brings moon to her bedroom and lays her there, by this time moonstone was already gone. Moon slowly wakes up and is startled by the stranger.

W-who are you!?

I'm charlotte and.. We're kinda need to have a conversation. B- WHERE'S SHADOW? CASES?? cassey and shadow are together...The thing that just happened.. It's about your necklace moon. H-how do you know me!? I'll answer all your questions if you let me speak. Okay then, speak. Your necklace originated to the earlier times of the universe...the power in that ruby necklace was to powerful for this world, so the Gods and goddesses put the power inside a ruby gem and it was turned into a necklace... It was lost long ago, and it came to your hold.. Woah woah- this thing is magic!? Pretty much.. do you know where you got it? I had this since I was a kid.. Wait- how do you know all this shit? Well, I kind of... Live in the necklace..? WHAT. I am a demon, when I was young, I was chosen to accompany your vengeful spirit in the ruby necklace... You turned into her earlier. S-so!? s-shes like my emo side!? Yeah.. The ruby necklace holds a dimension itself, me, and her.. Well.. Her name is moonstone. She was created to accompany your emotions for the rest of your life because you now hold the most powerful power in the universe. I am here to accompany her to not go to far the line... W-wait! W-when moonstone was out, I felt paralized and I watched everything on a big screen in this.. Purple thingy reddish thingy room.. Was that..? Yep, the ruby necklace... That's where me and her live while your alive.. Wait- that means you guys know everything about m-me.. yep, Everything. The ruby necklace cracked, meaning your emotions were a tad powerful and moonstone was able to take control. Moonstone feeds on the power of your emotions... Jealousy, envy, vengeance where she's most powerful. O-oh.. You are now the Guardian of this necklace...please.. Keep it safe. W-where is moonstone exactly? In the ruby necklace.. Why aren't you in the ruby necklace? Because when she's been out, that means that there's a risk she's gonna take control again... My job is to keep your emotions at bay and not let any powers from the ruby necklace get out. A shard broke apart off the necklace earlier... Isn't that a bit dangerous? *charlotte takes the shard and puts it back in place, a couple seconds later, the ruby necklace is all fixed*

Wooaahh... I hope that doesn't happen again.. You know, your basically stuck with me for the rest of your life you know..

Dang, looks like we need to get to know each other huh? I know everything about you. You should get to know me.

[limetimo]

RAB fics I read 14-20 March

the salt and the sea by WizardGod I'm not usually one to read "James Potter' little sister this and that" fics, but boyyy am I glad I gave this one a chance. It's their NEWT year and Theresa (Teddy) Potter is paired up with Regulus Black for Prefect Patrols. The disinterest/disdain they feel for each other is whacked all out of balance when they fuck against a wall. Evan ships it :D

Best Friend's Brother by zeppazariel this is!!!!!!!! fantastic!!!!!! I know I've been reading a lot of Jegulus/Wolfstar identity porn lately but this one *chef kiss* stands out. Regulus and Sirius didn't talk or see each other since Sirius run away from home, and Regulus run away at 18. Regulus and Remus are coworkers at a café. Regulus starts dating James, not knowing that James is his beloathed brother's best friend. Remus starts dating Sirius (and he doesn't even know Regulus HAS a brother until later). Eventually Remus and James realise that their boyfriends are the infamous hated brothers and they're kinda in deep shit: because Black Brothers are petty, bad bitches that should not be fucked with. Mind the tags for hardcore past child abuse and other trigger warnings.

a shrike (to your sharp and glorious thorn) by nyxveuss the author announced they were rewriting this glorious story, so I re-read the whole thing for my pleasure. I'm sad to see it go but eager to see nyx's new vision of the "Regulus dies and is yeeted to his fifth year"

Dripping With Sin by ScreamingFae I! Bartender!Regulus catches Vampire!Barty's eye who simply must make him his. Doesn't matter Regulus is already dating Guitarist!James.

Silent Screams by Izumi284 semi-dead Regulus gets tossed to OotP! Also who's the white and gold cat? O.O

I see you in the stars by Bibliosmia0 James is having nightmares about Regulus drowning which makes him approach the younger Slytherin... and I mean ofc he accidentally falls in love with Regulus. Feat a really good friend Remus!

Finders Keepers by jeggie_toast a slowburn Jegulus that starts when Regulus signs up for the Quidditch team, just checked the tags and it's canon COMPLIANT :( as I said, slow burn, and pretty long, I'm currently about 1/5 way through :D

Follow In Her Paw Prints by Erica45 Regulus gets offered a helping paw... hand... from Mcgonagall :D AKA Regulus gets adopted! And fuck Dumbledore! All my homies hate Dumbledore! I hope he gets stabbed honestly

when you were mine by battlehamster our most beloved "secret high school sweetheart turned single parent and a criminal on house arrest" AU Regulus and baby Harry are SO CUTE I'm gonna die

Drugs and surgical scrubs by anauro another most beloved! Doctor!Regulus and addicts!Marauders! Slowburn Jegulus! Black Brothers drama! Battling one's demons! Platonic Bartylus subplot that makes me smile! And much more on Drugs and surgical scrubs~

My Own Private Blackpool by LadyVisenya an OC from Percy's year makes friends with a deeply traumatised man who lives in a villa in her town... turns out his name is Regulus Black. When Harry Potter claims Voldemort is back, these two set of Horcrux hunting! And accidentally fall in love but it's super slowburn and pretty organic and doesn't give me creepies despite the age difference.

The Horcrux Hunt by Keysie I can't believe there's only two chapters left of this beauty ugh. Regulus comes to the conclusion Voldy is a little bitch, goes to Dumbledore, Dumbledore hooks him up with Remus to do some Horcrux hunting; Remus wants to date Sirius but Sirius is a dummy with attachment issues; Remus and Regulus develop a friendship only two men who almost died together numerous times can develop. Their combined snark makes Dumbledore want to retire :D In short, Voldy's going d o w n ♥

As The World Caves In by reylo_is_canon Hermione/Theo Nott time travel with Regulus as the head cockblock :D

Professor Black by FaithlessBex Regulus teaches History of Magic, yay. (Quick thought, did anyone think of Astronomy!Professor Regulus? I think it'd be very sexy of him.)

Born to Run, Break the Mold by agentofreedom Regulus goes to cave and survives and ends up on Sirius' couch, time to fuck some shit right up :D

glimpses of heaven by lunahunt !!!!!! So good!!!!! After the Prank, James is all off his groove. Euphemia signs him up for a Quidditch course with Wronski, the Seeker who invented the Wronski's faint. But guess who else got enrolled in the course! Yep, you guessed right, Regulus Black! Them boys gonna be seeing each other once a week for the rest of the summer :D

Harry just can’t wait to be a big brother by anauro for battlehamster what it says on the tin! super cute dometic Jegulus ♥

Lion's Roar by Seralyn semi-dead Regulus to OotP

and we're gone by blackkat the night Sirius run away

Black Madness by LimeOfMagicLimo Regulus is Tired and when Walburga hexes Kreacher over a minor mistake, he snaps and kills her. And then he becomes and alcoholic and kills Voldemort too.

---

Strike a Pose by Anonymous okay so this is Ron Weasley/Draco Malfoy PWP but it's??? so good??? and the first time I read this pairing so I'm just going to leave it here as a treat for ppl who want to broaden their horizonts

[gale-dragon-writer]

Master List of A/Us and Stories That I'm Currently Working On.

Marked by the Soul (Miraculous Ladybug Soulmark and Young Justice crossover AU based on Cornerverse's Soulmark Headcanon)

Miraculous Tales of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Cainis (Disabled but Abled AU with Marinette being Autistic, Adrien being Diabetic, and Max being Blind)

They're Twins!?!? (Bio Twins; Marinette and Max AU or Dupain-Cheng Twins AU)

Marinette's New Look (Punkenette LIVES!!! And be careful what you wish for Lila, because now Marinette ain't gunna take any of your shit anymore!)

Miraculous Adventure in Joey Drew Studio (Miraculous Ladybug and Bendy & the Ink Machine crossover. Warning; Horror/Survival)

Miraculous Juuni (Miraculous Ladybug x Juuni Taisen Crossover... I blame the Chinese Zodiac connections on this one, but I like the characters from the Juuni Taisen too much to let this one go)

Paris Dragon Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Miraculous Ladybug in the Universe of American Dragon Jake Long. It’s basically Marinette being the Dragon defending all of Paris’ Magical Creatures while trying to survive human school w/o blowing her identity)

Phantom Relations (Danny Phantom “What If” story where Clockwork raises Danny, Nocturn raises Jazz [who is also a Halfa in this], and Walker raises Sam)

Shokugeki no Sōma: Nashi Saito de Chīfu (A Shokugeki no Sōma story where Sōma is blind, also mild crossovers)

Usagi and the Ink Machine (A blended universe with Juuni Taisen and Bendy and the Ink Machine)

Juuni Taisen Chat Group (Title says it all)

Kurīchā Sekai (Creature World). (A Bleach/He-Man/Marvel/DC Comics crossover where hybrids exist)

Juuni Taisen: CSI (Sumino Tsugiyoshi is the newest member of the Juuni Taisen Crimes Labs Team, Codename; Nezumi. He may be young but he's brilliant. Now he has to use both his brains and his ability to help solve crimes, mysteries, and survive the other Juuni Taisen members.)

Juuni Taisen's A to Z Mysteries (It's basically a modernized version of the A to Z Mysteries with the Juuni Taisen Characters. When Alphabetical Mysteries start happening to Tsugiyoshi "Nezumi" and his friends Misaki, Takeyasu, and Nagayuki in their town of Green Lawn, they must solve these Mysteries with their wits and skills before the worse can happen.)

Cybertron A/U Mystery. (Transformers A/U. After the Great War, Cybertron fell into a state of peace especially after forming a treaty with a Planet called Earth. But as we all know, peace is a fragile thing and the unexpected can happen. On Cybertron, a new team will take on these unexpected events, these mysteries.)

Transformers: Disabled but United. (Transformers A/U where there aren't any Autobots and Decepticon sides and the majority of the characters have some kind of disability. I've already made some headcons regarding this but I am going to have to do some more research on disabilities and the range of them before I truly start writing it out)

Amefuto isn't just for Boys (Amefuto's a tough sport, not really something girls would play, right? WRONG! What if some of the amefuto players in Eyeshield 21 were girls instead of boys. Let's find out and let the chaos start. Important notes: rating may change due to Hiruma's mouth, and THIS IS NOT A FEM!SENA FANFICTION. ps, I should really get back to this...)

Juuni Taisen: Bloody Maze. (Just some OCs battling it out in the next 12-year war)

My Miraculous Hero Academia (ML x My Hero Academia [or Boku no Hero Academia to you hardcore fans] I'm still kinda sort of working on this, mostly me trying to figure out who the big baddie in this is going to be since Gab is a decent parent and Emilie isn't in a coma in this A/U)

Along For the Ride (An odd request brings the Young Justice team to a strange village in the middle of one of their biggest events, and the next thing they know Sportsmaster crashes the whole thing. (Young Justice x Juuni Taisen crossover)

Beware the Blue Rose that the Marionette Holds (Uhh, Just a Miraculous Ladybug story with a few Crossovers that are kinda A/Us of existing media... If that makes sense...)

Chaotic Culture (Just me basically rewriting Chaotic [the cartoon based on the card game] with the reboot and fixes ideas that I had posted on Tumblr a while ago)

Miraculously Chaotic (just a Miraculous x Chaotic crossover that's been picking at my brain).

Lila Rossi's Lies are Exposed Fics that aren't Miracuclass Salt! (Tired of having Lila's lies are exposed fics that are oversaturated with Miraculous class salt? Well, here's a series of Class Salt-free fics I wrote to I can prove that it can be done and maybe balance out the Lila's lies are exposed tags a bit). Link to list of stories I plan to work on, (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/gale-dragon-writer/679985357785284608?source=share)

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock (Encanto, but Maribel travelling back in time to the day where she didn't get her gift, but this time around, She gets a Gift and she plans on using it to save her family from the crushing pressures so they can be happier!)

Kid Martian (A Young Justice What If A/U where "What if M'gann took M'comm with her to Earth?". Kinda have season 1 outlined for this) Ninja Chat Group (Just two Ninjas in a Chat Group, and those Ninjas happen to be Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow).

Boku no Magic Hero (DC’s Jason Blood being the biological father of Izuku Midoriya and there’s Magic. Might need to rewrite this quick synopsis later) Adventuring in Another World (Nezumi finds himself transported to Another World. He finds adventures and unlikely allies along the way) Cursed Tapes (Just a few of the Warriors of the Zodiac going into an attic and finding some videos. What's the worst that can happen?) Abducted into Black (Just a Detective Conan What If fic that's based on the idea "What if... Gin found Conan in the locker")

Stuck within Playtime co (Don’t ask where this came from, because I have no idea! It’s the He-Man characters Stratos and Tri-Klops trying to survive the horrors inside the Playtime Co. Factory while trying to find their way back home).

Detective Conan and Assistant Arthur (Yet another Detective Conan A/U, but where Gin and Vodka get shrunk instead of Shinichi.) American Dragon: Jake Long. Realm of Magic (Just me getting back on the AD:JL train and riding it while adding some more world-building and making it a bit more mature. Expect a few crossover references in this) Quirks of the Cosmos (The last thing the Gold Saints remember doing was breaking through the Wall of Lamentation in the Underworld so that the Bronze Saints could get through to defeat Hades. Now the next thing the Gold Saints knew, they’ve been reincarnated into the world of Boku no Hero with Quirks that match their Cosmic Constellations. How will they fare in this new life?) Inside Playtime Co. (A mysterious package and letter from Playtime Co. are sent to Nezumi’s dad. However, the Warriors of the Ox, Tiger, Rat, Dragon, and Snake decide to venture into the old toy factory that has been abandoned since the disappearance of all their employees a decade ago. Unaware of the horrors still lurking in the darkness inside.) Stars Under Playtime Co. (It’s been 16 years since Deathmask was at Playtime Co… And 15 years since everyone there disappeared without a trace. Despite his resolve to forget, he never could. Deathmask knew he couldn’t. And when the Underworld needs information about that place. Well, Deathmask is going to have to return to Playtime Co. and face his past and find the secrets Playtime Co. kept.) As the Path Shifts (A/U canon divergence where Saga and Kanon are closer and make a plan to go against the ‘Traditions’ of the Gemini Saints w/o anyone noticing. But things don’t always go as planned. And when one thing changes, so does many more things.) I'll add more if anything comes to mind. Asks are welcome on any of these! (I will, however, not give out any direct spoilers)

[ohhipstaplease]

idk if you're still doing prompts but nh + fluff 15? I'm sorry about all the fluff pieces but I live for fluff 😅

I’m sorry if it isn’t as fluffy as usual but I HAD to write something Team 8 centric to soothe my soul today. I can see this turning into a full fanfic though...at some point (I promise)

Fluff #15: “She’s/he’s not my boyfriend!”

After Hinata confesses to Naruto—and her “I love you” goes right over his head—Kiba takes matters into his hands to (finally) get the two idiots together.

Post Pain-Arc | Canon Divergence | Jealous (!) Naruto | Ao3

“You look cute today,” Kiba said nonchalantly to his teammate as she walked towards him. 

The Hyuga beauty had uncharacteristically pulled her hair up onto the top of her head in a high ponytail, her delicate features now on display for the world to see.

Hinata, already used to Kiba’s compliments, didn’t bat an eye when he said it, she simply responded, “Thank you! I just wanted to try something a little different,” She patted Akamaru’s head in greeting, the gentle giant licking her palm as she giggled.

Kiba took the opportunity to sneak up behind her and pull on her ponytail slightly, wanting to fix the slight hairs that were sticking out. He adjusted the simple lavender tie she had placed upon the top of it for good measure as well. 

Had anyone happened upon the pair, they probably would have thought there was more between them than a simple friendship, but they were used to it. Hinata didn’t even try to push him off, she simply let him fix her hair and looked up at him with a thankful smile when he was finished.

They were meeting up to have lunch, a much needed distraction after all the chaos that had ensued in the village during Pain’s attack. Unfortunately Shino was unable to join the pair for a well-deserved day off, leaving them to their own devices.

Kiba nodded as he stepped back and appreciated his work, “I like it. I’m sure Naruto will too,” He smirked.

She exhaled, her cheeks red and splotchy, “We’re not going to let it go, are we?”

“Hinata, you confessed to him.”

“It was in the middle of battle...spur of the moment,” She tried, suddenly regretting admitting to Kiba and Shino that she had, in fact, told the love of her life, Naruto Uzumaki, her true feelings for him. She knew they’d never let it go, not until Naruto gave her an answer either way. 

She just wasn’t ready to hear what he had to say. Even if he was ready to face what she had said to him head-on, “Besides,” she mumbled, “he didn’t even acknowledge it...”

“You told him you loved him...you literally died for him. How could the idiot not see it?”

She shrugged pathetically, “It is what it is, don’t worry, Kiba.”

He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets when suddenly it hit him. An idea so genius, even Shino had to approve. Akamaru, sensing that Kiba was about to say something Shino would in fact not approve of, whined and hit his master gently on his leg with his paw. 

Kiba ignored him, knowing that what he had in mind was just too perfect not to share, “Hinata?”

“Yes?”

“What if...what if we made Naruto jealous? Just to make him see what he’s missing.”

“W-what?”

“It’s the oldest trick in the book, Hyuga,” He took her hand into his as if he had done it millions of times before, “We go on a fake date, act all cute and shit, and when he sees us together he’ll magically realize his feelings for you. You know, because someone else has what he thought was his and all that bullshit?”

“You’re insane.”

“I know what boys are like, Hinata.”

She looked down at their interlaced fingers and sighed, “You’re sure this will work?”

“If it doesn’t, I’ll pay for lunch.”

“And dessert?”

“As many cinnamon rolls as your heart desires.”

Hinata exhaled and nodded, “Alright. I mean, there’s nothing left to lose, right?”

“That’s the spirit!” 

Kiba led Hinata forward, Akamaru following close behind. He was sure his plan was going to work, after all, he barely had enough to cover his portion of lunch. That alone should have proved how confident Kiba was that he’d get Naruto and Hinata to finally acknowledge their feelings for each other. 

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Okay, just follow my lead,” Kiba said as he spotted Naruto at his usual stool at Ichiraku. 

“Naruto! How are you? Healing up okay?” Kiba asked as he sat down next to the blonde, his hand still in Hinata’s.

Naruto squinted at them, tilting his head, “I-I’m fine. Thanks for asking...”

“That’s good to hear, we all deserve some time off after that mess, right Hinata?”

Hinata didn’t dare meet Naruto’s gaze, simply nodded and pretended as if he wasn’t even there. 

“Two bowls of pork miso ramen, please!” Akamaru barked and Kiba smiled down at him, “Oh right, it’s a special occasion. Make that three bowls!”

“Special occasion?” Naruto asked.

“Nothing you have to worry about, just celebrating a certain someone saying yes to a question I asked,” He said, looking at Hinata.

Naruto’s cheeks grew redder by the second as he studied them, “W-what?”

“I asked Hinata to be my girlfriend,” Kiba said, holding up her hand in his, “And she said yes.” He roughly pulled her into his embrace and pressed his cheek to hers, “Isn’t it great?”

Akamaru groaned behind the three, trying to ignore what was happening before him. It was getting a little too painful to watch. Kiba had never been known for his tact after all.

“So you two...are...dating?”

Hinata tried to interject, feeling sick over everything that was unfolding, “N-no we-” 

Kiba quickly slapped a hand over Hinata’s mouth and laughed, “Yeah! I confessed to her right after we got back to the village. I mean, it just seemed to be the right time and all, considering everything that happened.”

Naruto let out a breath and instead of continuing the conversation further, he flagged down Teuchi, “Old man, how much do I owe you?”

Teuchi quickly put up a hand and waved Naruto off, “Oh, no, we could never charge the village hero. Not after everything. Consider it on the house.”

Naruto nodded solemnly, gave a glance Kiba and Hinata’s way, and quickly turned to leave.

“Kiba!” Hinata said in a panic, “That definitely couldn’t have been a part of your plan!”

Kiba huffed, “Yeah...I didn’t think he’d just walk away like that. Maybe we need to try a different-”

Hinata ignored Kiba and decided to take matters into her own hands, what she should have done in the first place, really.

She got up from her seat, a flustered mess, and chased after Naruto. She screamed out without thinking, “Naruto-Kun!”

His head turned immediately towards her, his brow furrowed in confusion, “Hinata?”

“Naruto-” She panted, attempting to catch her breath as she caught up to him. 

“What are you doing? Aren’t you on...” He took a breath as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, a pout playing upon his lips, “Aren’t you on a date with your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” She yelled out, a little too passionately.

Naruto stifled a laugh at how ridiculously cute she looked. Her ponytail was slightly askew, her cheeks flushed and her lips ridiculously red from her biting her bottom lip. He had been biding his time since he had returned from the village, waiting to approach Hinata and talk about everything that had happened. About what she had said to him.

“Then why did he...”

Hinata sighed, so clearly embarrassed for going along with it. But...she quickly realized that Naruto was...jealous? She could see it in his eyes, the way he acted back at Ichiraku. He was clearly bothered by what had happened. Kiba was actually...right.

So she gathered her courage and firmly asked, “Why do you care?”

“Huh?”

“Whether or not Kiba and I are dating....why do you care?”

Naruto furrowed his brow, “I don’t, I-I just,” He groaned, “Hinata, it doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter!”

“Why!?”

“I told you I loved you!”

Naruto looked at her wide-eyed, clearly in shock. Of course he knew she had confessed her feelings, but...they were also in the middle of a battle. He thought that...that maybe it wasn’t true. It was an adrenaline-fueled confession that she would walk back the moment they got back. That maybe...maybe she meant she loved him like she loved her teammates. That he was her precious friend, just as Sakura and Sasuke were his. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that the girl he’d always taken notice of always wanted to protect had been watching him too. That he’d grow to want to take care of her, to ensure she was okay. He didn’t know what that meant then, but he did now.

He didn’t understand his feelings until that day, in the midst of battle, and it killed him to think it took them nearly dying for him to comprehend that what he felt for her was far greater than friendship. 

“I-I know...” He managed to mutter, “It was just such a crazy day, Hinata. I thought that maybe I misheard you, or that you didn’t mean it in the way you did. I didn’t want to embarrass you by bringing it up again. I mean...we haven’t even talked since we got back.”

“Then let’s talk,” She said, looking down and shyly placing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I-I’d like that.”

“Yeah?”

Naruto grabbed the same hand Kiba had intertwined in his earlier, and claimed it as his, protectively interlacing his fingers in hers and squeezing her hand for good measure. 

It wasn’t like with Kiba at all, Hinata realized. Her heartbeat was out of time, her knees felt weak. Feeling Naruto under her touch was nearly too much for her to handle.

“Oh..um...” Naruto blushed as he met her gaze, “I really like your hair up, you know?”

“O-oh,” She smiled as she looked away, unable to look at him head on.

“It’s really cute.”

“T-thank you.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, of course. Um, why don’t we go get something sweet, yeah? We can talk at the tea shop?”

“Okay.”

The pair, hands still intertwined, walked toward the tea shop, a blush upon each of their faces.

Kiba, watching from outside Ichiraku, smiled to himself as he said to Akamaru, “See boy, it all went exactly as I said it would. Didn’t it? Next thing you know, we’ll be helping Hinata pick out a wedding dress.”

Akamaru rolled his eyes and continued eating from the offered bowl of ramen. It was better to let Kiba think he had won this round.

“Ah, first love,” Kiba sighed dreamily as he sat back down on his stool, “I can’t wait to see it all play out.”

[thisdreamplace]

I'm so close to giving up on practicing the law (consciously) overall. It's like yet another habit (of conscious manifesting, living like a king in a kingdom/reality etc) that I've failed to incorporate

However, like a chronic sufferer who actually wants a way out ie who seeks a chance of living differently and not permanently not living I really don't want to give up. But I'm so disheartened of this

Ik yk what it's like, and I'm aware of how u pushed thru despite everything, and yk very well what it's like when u too were on this side

I feel like I'm caught in the claws of a beast that grows larger and larger. Btw this isn't a msg abt 'im the only one for whom manifesting doesn't work'. (Coz I have, by consciously focusing etc, seen evidence of the law and all), so this ain't even about believing in something unseen

Maybe it's an info overload thing. Idk. Ik enough by now, to realise the core of it is to live like it's already happened, deliberate before reacting so u don't perpetuate the old patterns/story/consequences yadda yadda

So what should I do? How do I refocus? How do I stop thinking Idk enough (even tho even now im aware of how the 3d is an illusion etc and I think I've caught up on all the real free deal on manifesting, law of assumption on the 'net). I think I'm tired of reading up on it and implementing it. Ik it's effortless (and sometimes it really is!) Still, I want utter power over my reality (not micro managing like, but there are still major aspects of my life that I wanna change). What do u suggest? ig my question (or monologue, amirite? 😉) relates to how I feel I'm all over the place related to this. I mean, you can't measure a company's performance w/o numbers yeah? And I'm an analyst (tho the messy-desk sort who teeters b/w must-get-the-finest-details to aye-imma-wing-it: and I can't force myself to be either at will 😒) who's gotten a mind blank

So yeah, please, by all means, knock me on the head, give me a wake up call, throw a book or two at me. I've been enrolled in the manifesting course (figure of speech) for so long, yet I'm not focused enough to garner true results (not blaming the 3d, but I mean it's kinda obvi when u ARE working but there aren't much results, how's that different from day dreaming or wishful thinking yeah?)

In conclusion, also, any idea how I can improve? What could I do (or not do) (other than self concept. I oft subject myself to the I Am Love peeps and they're pretty cool and the stuff they say is 💯) How do I pull myself together?

Thanks for reading this far! Thank you overall! 😎

I know you asked about what you can do other than self concept and I'm sorry but my advice is going to be #1: self concept. haha If it wasn't for me deciding to give myself my all, I don't think I'd still be here.

Here's the craziest thing about the law: we come to the law because we desire for something, then find out it was never about our desire. It was always about us. You see, the more you keep your desires at the forefront of your life, without putting yourself first in line, the more complicated you make your journey. The truth is, nothing needs to change except you. So you don't want to hear my self concept advice, you want there to be anything else except self concept, but the truth is your conception of self is your everything. It is the foundation upon which your world is happening automatically. Change your conceptions of self and you change your world. Period.

I mean, even now this is important for you because of everything you are saying. If you truly want to use the law to your advantage and finally live the life you know you deserve, stop running away from yourself. Stop wanting your desires to fix your issues. Stop looking for a technique to make the magic happen. Only you can make this work. That's the thing about it. You've said you read enough, no? So at this point you should have some sort of idea of what you're into, what kind of things make sense to you. Actually start to apply it now. Like seriously. Dedicate the rest of the year to applying the law in the way that makes sense to you. Make sure your #1 goal is yourself. The only progress/change you need be worried about is a change within yourself.

If you want utter power you give it to yourself. And I'll be upfront. For some it's an easy and powerful experience. For me, it's been difficult, painful, and uncomfortable. But that's because I was so engulfed in my victim mentality for so many years. I wanted someone to come by so badly and save me and even after the law, I had a hard time giving that up. The more attached we are to the old story, the more difficult our journey will be. And that's okay. We have to be gentle with ourselves in those tough moments. It's not a race and you're doing everything perfectly. When I finally decided to take responsibility for myself was the moment my life changed for the better. More and more the law clicks and I feel more confident in who I am as God of my reality. But you have to be willing to leave that victim mentality behind you. How can you take on full power of your reality, while living like a victim? You automatically give your power away like that. So, drop it. No matter how scary and uncomfortable it is. You must.

There's a certain amount of mental discipline that must be practiced when it comes to the law. So for that, I recommend meditation. Any way you want to do it. No you don't need to be focused on the law all the time but you need to be aware who's in control of your reality. It's you. You don't get anytime off from being God, it's a full time job. That's why self concept is so important, because it's what is manifesting naturally 24/7. So the least you can do is make sure your foundation is one in which you actually want to be operating from.

Hopefully this helps to pick you up and give you some idea of where to go next on your journey! You absolutely got this! And don't forget to take care of yourself and look out for yourself as you continue on your manifestation journey. 💖

[juicemitio]

Alright I went to Louisville Galaxycon and saw Travis and Clint twice, for their worldbuilding workshop and their Q&A. Here's some interesting stuff I learned (I didn't include stuff they talked about that's pretty common knowledge or they talked about on the last ttazz)

Graduation 

Fitzroy was originally going to be a jock that was weak bc he no longer had a team, Travis told Griffin that that didn't really work for the world so they reframed it as him training to be a hero, was great academically and behaviorally, but had a problem no one had seen before and no one felt like dealing with. It specifically wasn't "barbarian fails bc he can't keep his rage in check," it was that no one was willing to deal with his magic so they shipped him off

Someone asked Travis to explain fitzroy's magic, so from the DM's mouth- he's a barbarian subtype with elemental magic which has a random effect while raging, which we haven't seen yet (path of the wild soul if you want to look it up and see what he can do) and he took a feat which gives him the ability to cast 3 cantrips of his choosing. What I thought was interesting was that Travis described Fitz's magic using the word "elemental" twice, even though that isn't specifically stated in the path of the wild soul entry

Travis knows Argo's secret and is very excited about it 

Clint has a pirate fiction book he reads every night before they record to get into the headspace to play Argo, he told us the name but I forgot it 

There is one small little concept that made the whole of graduation make sense to Travis and is what the arc will be about, and he only figured it out a few days before recording. Obviously he didn't tell us what it was

Originally it was going to start with everyone starting at age 11 and slowly killing the other kids off, but Justin didn't feel comfortable playing a game surrounded by kids dying 

The accounting scene is already one of Travis' all time favorite taz scenes

The pegasus scene informed Travis on exactly how he was going to treat the firbolg

Also Travis referred to Justin's character exclusively as "the firbolg," which means "master firbolg" is solely a thing going on with the npcs in the game which I find hilarious. They just all decided to give him a dope title bc he deserves it, meanwhile no one will call Fitzroy "sir"

To Fitzroy, social threats are an extremely real and serious thing, like the Biggest thing to him (we were talking about what characters found threatening in the workshop, for context)  

There's some big concept/idea that comes up in the next episode that travis almost let spill and had to quickly stop himself from saying it

Someone mentioned eating breakfast in their question in the workshop and Travis goofed on it for a second, then said "cereal world" suddenly, and Clint had to pick up the question bc Travis had to take a second to make a note of it in his phone 

Travis started brainstorming graduation in March and they recorded the first episode in October, and his main job in that time was working on graduation 

Before Buckminster was adapted for graduation he could not fight at all, if he got into a fight he would die, he poured everything into charisma and could talk his way out of any fight (even the big bad of the game he crit 20d his check and the big bad walked away from the fight) 

Travis is really into psychology and how if you assign a label to someone they're going to act more like it (ie you tell a kid they're amazing and smart and talented and they become more like that, you tell a kid they're annoying and dumb and a problem they become more like that), and how that was a major contributor to play into hero/villain/sidekick/henchperson dynamics, you get assigned this arbitrary title of good/evil/subservient and you become like that to fit the role, and then the inevitable pushing against that mold

Travis is fully aware of his story being compared to harry potter and he doesn't care bc it's apt (people in a school arbitrarily divided into four groups and one of them is the Bad One), also he knows people describe it as "sky high meets Harry Potter meets my hero academia" and he actually finds that really flattering bc he thinks that sounds cool and like something he'd want to watch 

On that note, Travis is a self-identified Slytherin and he's always upheld that the reason Slytherin is depicted in a bad light is bc Rowling decided she didn't like them, and he's always sympathized with the idea of a first year Slytherin working their ass off following the rules and doing their work and getting points, and Dumbledore rewards three idiots for breaking like every rule and pulls the trophy away from you. This was a big inspiration for graduation, of one group getting a bad rep and being portrayed as evil for literally no reason 

Amnesty

Clint & Travis's favorite scene they've ever done together was Ned & Aubrey's final scene together 

Aubrey and Dani do move in with each other at the end of amnesty

Balance

Travis' main emotion around taz is pride and he's most proud of the scene in stolen century with the spirits in the robots, bc they had to record it a second time bc it got way too dark and ended in a really grim way and about 20 min after they finished they all decided that they weren't happy with it, that it didn't fit the tone, he's really proud they didn't just leave it be and they took the second pass at it to make it right

I'm pretty sure he's talked about wanting to kill Magnus off at the beginning before but he mentioned that it was only at the end of petals to the metal he actually realized he wanted Magnus to live, bc Hurley had to sacrifice herself to save Magnus bc Magnus had been so reckless, that hit Travis really hard. Travis realized that Magnus' recklessness was getting people hurt and so Magnus did too, so Magnus become a bit more cautious and took up rogue training to try not to get anyone killed again 

Dust

Dust wasn't designed to be anything more than a one off and the workload was completely unsustainable, the document of notes for dust was about 100 pages and only about 10% of it got used

The reason Travis loved it so much was bc it was a mystery and he found it really fun

Commitment

Clint would love to revisit commitment, but probably not in podcast form bc he didn't find himself really being in the moment as much bc of all the different things he had to keep track of, he'd like to see a comic adaptation/continuation if possible

It was based of a comic he wrote that never got published bc the company producing it failed (he still cashed his paycheck) so he reused it bc he still liked it a lot, it was about how America was founded as a monarchy instead of a democracy and what that changed in the usa's (united sovereignty of america's) history, and how people now were fighting to establish a democracy. Also there were cowboys and spaceships and other cool stuff he put in there bc he liked it

General adventure zone

The reason why they're are able to do romantic relationships w/o being weirded out by it (they joke about it but they don't actually care) is bc it's never done in an explicit or sexual way and since it's the decision the characters would make to pursue the relationship then that's the decision they make. He reframed it as it wouldn't be weird if a family were writing a script together and there was a romance and one person wrote lines for one character and the other wrote lines for the other. He did mention that two siblings playing characters in a relationship as actors on screen wouldn't be cool though

They sometimes get comments that some of the stuff they do is "fanservice," but they feel that they owe their success to their fans and they owe some to them 

They are both aware of and proud that Justin is the best at character creation, Clint specifically really was talking about how Justin's strong suit is definitely character creation and characterization

General mcelroy stuff

They walked pretty close to me when they entered the stage room for the q&a and like… they're short, like shorter than you think

Travis referred to his unborn child as "baby dod" (I'm not 100% certain but I'm pretty sure) which I looked up and is a nickname for George, and given with their older kid being named Barbera and nicknamed BeBe and Travis talking before about how he and his wife like classic names with cool nicknames it makes sense

Travis had an earing in his right ear, I didn't get to see his left ear and I couldn't tell if it was an actual piercing or a fake, it looked really good though. Also his tinted glasses look a lot cooler irl than they do in pictures

Clint told the teenage mutant Ninja turtle story with the signatures that griffin told on mbmbam, but Clint remembered it as happening at King's Island, not Disney. This story was prompted by the question of the biggest lie he ever told his kids, and he only came clean about this a few months ago

Travis told a story about how he finished a videogame when he was younger and was so excited that he picked up a plastic knife, yelled "throwing knife!" threw it directly at Griffin who dodged it and it hit and shattered a window

[thedrag0nking]

3:15 P.M. Chireiden

Within the underground the entirity of that is Chireiden is a heaven for Koishisaurs and the residence of the abandoned hell however far away from those parts, the earth palace is now rebuilt but it's much more larger now than it was before and it's now ruled by the two neo complex synthetic versions of both Satori and Koishi. Satori is the intelligence and formerly a hacker for Maquis to stop any all cyber terrorists attack but went rogue and quit. Now she's currently in hiding with her younger problematic sister Koishi who's now broken beyond repair due to an accident in the solarium NCS programmed and the said accident itself not only forever damaged the brain but also her speech, instead of her own voice speaking normally her voices sounded lile that of a text to speech generator which drove Satori unedge at that point hence why she takes care of her and take her wherever they go. Due to her disability alone Koishi is a bit special, also she sees things that no one has ever seen but at least just like all of neo complex mechs and synthetics she and her older sister still have magic and their old abilities just like with the originals. The older sister is currently in hiding for going rogue and taking care of her younger sister with all she can as she just stands there staring into the window smoking while Koishi is just in the room playing all by herself.

" God it's december 18th it's almost christmas and I have not gotten my sister anything. What kind of older sister am I? "

While Satori is struggling to keep her sense of stability Koishi burst in smiling and also holding a juice box in her arms.

" Sat0ri! S8t0ri! l00k! hey Sato0ri? o man chek men otu!11!one im so drunnnk! "

The child takes a sip of that apple juice box and pretends she's drunk.

Satori hated hearing her sister's now awful voice but regardless she loves her so much and she refuse to be alone with her, just like with every NCM or NCS they all regain their memory of the past, especially the horrors of gensokyo dying. So much blood, so much of the genocide. It's the reason she became too nihilistic.

" We're falling apart Koishi what the hell is it about us? Can't our lives be fucking Normal for once? "

" :O So wat is u saying, huh? U wanna left me al0ne? Stop being w/ me and others? Is that it? Is that wat ur saying? That's wat ur saying right b8g siss? "

Hearing her ask that question now made her shed tears, Satori couldn't stand the thought of leaving her younger sister even when both of their lives fallen apart, she's still in a state of trauma from the horrors of the past and with the accident that happen with Koishi in the solarium NCS program.

" No. I don't want to leave you or stop being with you, besides orin or Okuu you're the only person I ever loved and cherished. You're the only family I have, I'm scare of loosing you... "

" hahaha I'm gonna lived forever /flex :D "

" ....Orin's gone, Okuu's gone, everyone's gone. Without you, I'll truly be alone.

The idea terrifies me. I don't want to die like that Koishi, I rather have my baby sister than nothing at all. I already sold my soul and I'm already a piece of shit of an older sister either way. How do you feel about all of this? "

Koishi already knowing the answer she shed tears as well and hugged her tightly showing that regardless, she can never be truly alone not anymore no matter what the entire awful world think about them. She will never ever leave by her side.

" Hurting ur self w/ bad thoughts isn't gud, that's fucked. "

Satori returned the said hug. The past and the circumstances of today has screwed them over beyond belief, despite how much of a nuisance her sister became she loved her to death, no matter what. Satori and her younger sister in their previous lives are the most inseparable individuals. Now they're even more inseparable than before as neo complex synthetics doing the right thing behind the scenes.

[thebibliosphere]

Hi! Uhm, I don't know if you can help me, but do you know a cleansing and or protection spell against ghosts? A cemetary is right down the street from my house and I've already had 2 ghostly visitors on Halloween the last couple of years from there (forgot to close the window that night NEVER AGAIN). If not, would it be possible to direct me to someone who would know sth like this? I hope, I'm not too forward w/ this request. Thank you so much and have a lovely day!

Not too forward at all! My parents house is actually between a cemetery and a fairy mound, so we were always finding bits or charms people made to keep both at bay. It was an interesting childhood in the garden in that regard. One time dad dug one of them up and discarded it. The streak of bad luck that ensued led to my mother going to the Totally Not Witches in our church to get another one.

One of the main charms I am aware of for keeping unwanted visitors out of your house is to plant iron around the entryways. Everyone thinks this is always just for fae, but iron is just one of those good, solid, dependable metals for when it comes to protecting the home. My parents have iron horseshoes above the doors. Some people like to have them facing down the way (like a U) because they believe it keeps luck inside your house, other people flip them like an upside down U so that anyone with bad or unwelcome intentions, will feel turned away and be in theory unable to cross the threshold.

You can also take iron sheers and plant them in your yard, blades open and facing outward so that anyone unwelcome will cut their soul if they try to break in or enter where they are not welcome. You don’t necessarily need to do anything too magical too them either to do this. It’s the will of your intent as you bury them that does most of the work, but it doesn’t hurt to remind them every day when you walk over/past them that they are there to Protect you, and focus a little of your will toward that notion.

You can also create a protection charm like that out of pretty much anything, iron is just traditional and preferable to some people. I didn’t have any iron when someone tried to break into mine and Etd’s home (except the iron curtain rail I threatened the guy with, happy coincidence) so I actually took my favorite quartz crystals, told them they were going to look after my house now and buried them near the thresholds. Ocassioanly I will rework the charm whenever I am cleaning house, focusing on where I know them to be in the yard, and willing them to be filled with light and the general vibe of “if you’re here without my invitation fuck the fuck right off”. It works well for me. You could also use lemons or something else that is biodegradable, but then you need to redo the spell in full fairly often, which some people like cause it helps them feel protected, and some people don’t.

I also keep crystals by all the windows which I work with similarly, with the extra notion that I don’t want people looking in and they should feel uncomfortable if they try. This would also work easily for ghosts too. My preference is clear quartz or amethyst.

I will also once a year, usually on Hogmanay, go around all thresholds and windows with salt, imagining an invisible ward around everything that seals the house from malice or unwanted guests, living or otherwise. I’ll usually do each window individually. Then when I’m done I open them up and brush the salt outwards towards the outside world, as a symbolic gesture of brushing the evil/bad energies out of the home. It’s something my mother always did, which she got from her mother, and it stuck with me. Those are my basic house wards.

If you feel like your ghost buddies have decided they want to stay and are disregarding the wards, you may need to have a chat with them regarding boundaries. And by chat I mean reminding them this is your house and to kindly gtfo. You can do this with your average cleansing house spell, a million and one of which you can find in Google. But my personal fave is to bang my iron pots and pans together walking through the house saying firmly “this is my space, you’re not welcome here, leave please”. If I’m feeling particularly special I’ll light some incense, but if you couldn’t tell I’m a very “fuck off I’ve not got time for this bullshit” witch.

Also if it's just specific to Halloween? Keep candles lit by the windows, or if you can, throw the traditional jack-o-lantern outside with a candle inside, give them something else to focus on, a bit like moths to a flame. But be sure to have your wards in place, you want them to focus on the light, not your actual home. Good luck.

[zoofles]

So the librarians? :0 Are they like traditional librarians? I'm guessing they don't help old people fill out bus pass applications and run toddler story time sessions? What kinda stuff do they do? How did they end up becoming librarians? Are they related? You said Za'gan was a level below Gremory, how do they get leveled and level up? What are the other librarians called?

:’D…..soft i love you. 1. Kind of? Each Librarian is a person of GREAT ( and i mean great as in the BEST ) knowledge in one specific area. So Gremory is potions, herbalism, good spells and hexes if you get me? His house is FULL of plants and stuff, books on each plant and bottles of different concoctions. Each Librarian has their own expertise and specialise in it so much that their Enna use revolves around it. So Za’gan’s specialty is in the mind, her magic can just about do anything to your mind, and she knows everything there is to know about minds, psychology and magic use on the mind. 2. They each do their own thing really, although they live in the same realm, they live separately. Some wallow in knowledge and creation, other use their knowledge to help others, some don’t use it at all? Each Librarian has its own ‘Book’, a person that is similar to an apprentice or assistant. Books are just called Books because that’s their rank, but their Omniaen name is a Oro’logis. Books make up the majority of the people living in the realm of the Librarians, but some are chosen to be a Librarians assistant. 3. There are only 12 Librarians on the same level as the gods, (Librarians are Omniaen) who are all lead by Mörker, the GOD of Knowledge. Mörker himself wasn’t a god to begin with, he was Omniaen and young, an explorer who wanted to see the world. He’d heard of a god who could give you anything you wanted in exchange for one thing of yours, so without really thinking, he summoned Sire and asked to “know everything”. Sire was like “O u silly boi U lol ok,” and gave him the knowledge of everything. The MOMENT he had all that knowledge, all his emotions dr ai ned a w a y. He wanted to know everything because he was an explorer, a young mind who wished to see and discover, but once you know everything, there’s really nothing left to discover now is there? Sire took joy in seeing him just drain like that, and when Mörker asked what he wanted in return, Sire said “I’ve already taken from you what i need, enjoy,” and left him. Mörker has an emotional disorder, where, he can no longer read or understand or even PORTRAY emotions correctly anymore. He doesn’t know the difference between the different kinds of love and hate or how to portray them. When he’s sad, he might start laughing and seem really joyous! Or when he’s happy he’ll get angry and no one will know why? After Chrono discovered him, and realised his heart was strongly located in his mind, he knew instantly that he had the power of a god. But Mörker was so STRONGLY neutral, that he refused to live with the gods and chose to stay in his own realm that he created. Chrono was like “o okay but um, you can’t just live on your own bro, that knowledge is like…important” and Mörker was all “yeah i know” and then Chrono was like “i’m gonna go on a quest and like, find other people like you bcus i’m sure it’s happened again by now…” and Mörker was like “yeah it has…go and uh..yeah go and find them” and Chrono did, Chrono basically MADE the other Librarians. He found them and with the help of Mörker gave them all the capacity to hold onto all that knowledge without exploding. 4. Kind of? Not originally they weren’t, but after Mörker and Chrono gave them a piece of themselves, they all LOWKEY became brother’s and sisters, but they don’t look at it like that. The only people that are related in the Librarians are Sabanoc, Malua and Gremory. 5. Well, the Librarians were made in an order, one after the other, they only had enough to make 9 of them, but luckily, triplets popped up (Grem, Sab and Malua) who all shared ONE heart, so they did a sneaky and gave them all the same ‘knowledge’ just altered for each person. In order of importance they go: 1. Mörker2. Loxilos3. Gremory and Sabanoc and Malua4. Za’gan5. Maarboc6. Pur’sonn7. Mur’mur 8. Vual’coc (Vual for short)9. Fur’fur10. Ma’rax11. Ipos’Huo (Ipos for short)12. Bo’tis’Jik (Bo or Botis for short)The only way one can “level up” as you worded, is if one librarian become corrupted, which did happen. So when that Librarian was taken out and exiled, the lined moves up, 6th becomes 5th and 5th becomes 4th and so on!!AHHHH THANK YOU SMMSMSMS FOR ASKING ABOUT THESE BABIES I REALLY NEEDED TO DEVELOP THEM MOREE!!! Oh and on more thing…they’re all like rainbows together, there’s ZERO BLACK AND WHITE WITH THESE GUYS. ALL COLOUR BINCH. THE MOST NEUTRAL PEOPLE. 

[jolienjoyswriting]

Mortem In Contumeliam FFVI, Prelude

The prologue chapter of "Mortem In Contumeliam Final Fantasy VI," a Final Fantasy VI fan fiction story (duh). (Formerly "Nova Fabula Final Fantasy VI")

Welcome to something I've been diligently working on for a little over half a month!

I've been in a Final Fantasy kind of mood, lately.  It started when I played-and-beat Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII at the end of June.  I couldn't stop thinking about it and even started a New Game Plus session at the start of July… only to get distracted with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.  Shortly after, I looked into Final Fantasy Record Keeper and found that to be a lot of fun!  Revisiting scenarios from the games in a Final Fantasy VI style was pretty cool!  However, when I got into the Record Dungeon with actual Final Fantasy VI content… I got drawn back into the world of the game I abandoned way back in May. (Don't worry, I've beaten VI at least three times in my life.) Anyway, as the Imperial Mission to Narshe played out, I got a whimsical idea for a story that showed some interactions between the mind-controlled girl and the Imperial soldiers.  After getting that out of my system, I ended up liking the soldiers' personalities so much that I ended up with a new idea: "What if Wedge and Biggs hadn't been erased by Valigarmanda?  And, what if they, somehow, became involved in the journey of The Returners?"

That idea… is this story.  And, what a story it is!  You're gonna see quite a few updates for this one, before it's conclusion!

It's also worth mentioning that the in-production title for this story was simply "The Adventures of Wedge and Biggs." But, that sounded kinda lame. Also, just before September 1st of this year, I found out that Square-Enix already used the second title of this story, "Nova Fabula," in something of theirs – specifically, Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy, the compilation of Final Fantasy XIII.  How.  Why.  If I thought, for a moment, that they had, I would've checked.  Now, I know better!! (I ain't mad…  I'm not.  I'm… jes' full'a surprise.)

Word count: 1,562 – Character count: 9,345 Originally written: July 15, 2019

Soldiers of the Gestahlian Empire invade Narshe in search of a frozen Eidolon… and, get more than they bargained for.

Final Fantasy VI, Wedge, Biggs, and related characters, scenarios, and properties created by Square Soft, Inc. and © Square Enix Co, Ltd.

[ ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → ]

    “What the hell happened…?  Why does my head hurt…?  Biggs…?”     “Ugh… I don’t– I don’t know…  The last thing I remember was… was… a bright light?”

    In the deep recesses of a dank, cold cavern, two men were stirring.  They’d had a fairly rough encounter with an Eidolon which was supposed to be frozen and inert.  But, as the two found out… that just wasn’t the case.

    “Hey, Biggs…”     “Yes, Wedge?”     “Can… can you move?”     “Uh…  No, actually.”

    Eidolons – otherwise known as “phantom beasts” – were magical creatures of unfathomable power.  As the stories go, these creatures once co-existed with humanity over a thousand years prior.  But, man’s lust for power brought that to a screeching halt…

    “Biggs?”     “What?”     “I… think we’re tied up.”     “Y… yeah…”

    The Great Magic War, also known as “The War of the Magi,” brought chaos to the planet.  Many creatures, both-man-and-beast, perished during the wars and the planet was almost brought to a point of irreversible destruction.  But, in the end… the beasts were beaten back and hid away in a pocket dimension accessible only through one specific location…  Sealing themselves away, life went on the separate species and, after a few hundred years… the planet recovered.

    “Wh-why are we tied up…?  Do you remember?”     “I told you… the last thing I remember was–”     “Partner…?”     “What, now?”     “Where’s… our armor?”     “Our what– wait.  Where is our Magitek Powered Anti-Personnel Armor?”

    One day, many years later… a human woman had lost her way during an unnaturally-violent storm.  Displaced, confused, and fatigued, she collapsed within a cave to hide from the weather.  When she awoke… she saw herself surrounded by creatures of folklore!  As it happened, she’d managed to stumble her way into the Eidolons’ World!

    “No, Biggs.  No.  I mean, where’s our armor-armor?”     “What…?  H-hey…  Wedge?”     “Yeah, partner?”     “Why are we only wearing our shorts…?”     “That’s what I’m sayin’!!  What the hell?!”

    There, the woman known as Madeline told her story to whoever would listen.  None seemed interested… except for one particular being.  Madin, the creature who had found her, listened with great interest.

    “Hey, move your arm.”     “What?  Uh… alright?”     “Yeah, yeah– no-no-no, not that way!”     “I’m not deaf, Wedge.  You don’t have to yell.”     “L-look, just… kind of shimmy.  Yeah, like that.”     “I don’t understand, but–”     “Aaand… there!”

    Madeline explained that she was disgusted by the greed and selfishness of mankind.  She tried running as far as her legs would take her, desperate to separate herself the worst of humanity.  By the end of her story, Madin had become infatuated with her… and, before long, the feeling was mutual.  Not long after, the two defied the very tales that both man and beast had told over the ages…  They brought unto the world a child of mixed heritage.

    “I’ll… be damned.”     “Pretty cool, huh?  I learned that one from a book!”     “Huh.  I guess you’re not as incompetent as I thought.”     “Yeah, heh heh– heeey…”     “Now, get the rest of these ropes untied.  We need to find someplace warmer…”     “You’re getting all chicken-skinned, too, huh?  Heh.”     “Just… untie us, already.”

    Half-Eidolon, half-human, the child was unlike anything anyone had seen, before…  By simply existing, the mixed child proved the legends wrong – humans and Eidolons could co-exist!  And, as the days passed, even the most skeptical of Eidolon had to admit… maybe, they were wrong about the girl.  But, one day, two years after the child’s birth… tragedy struck.

    “Um… uh… partner?”     “W-what…?”     “Remember how I said I learned that trick from a book?”     “Yeah…?”     “Weeell… I… never actually finished reading that book.     “W… what.”     “Yeeaaah… I’m not really sure what to do next?  So, uh…”     “Gods damn it, Wedge, you’re useless.”

    On a stormy day, not unlike the day when Madeline was found, human invaders had located the entrance to the Eidolons’ World… and, they had a mission: capture all of the magical creatures and bring them back to the human world for experimentation!

    “Okay, okay, I think I… yeah– yeah, there we go!”     “Wedge…”     “I’m free, Biggs!  Uh, Biggs…?  Where’d you–”     “Behind you.”     “Whoa!  Wait.  Where?”     “Behind you, still.”     “What?  Biggs, now’s not the time for games, partner!  Where are you?!”     “Behind.  You.  Somehow, you tied me to your back.”     “I… oh.  I thought I was just weak from hunger, hah!  Welp… let’s get goin’!”

    As a regiment of soldiers led by Emperor Gestahl, himself, took prisoners and killed those who wouldn’t submit, the elder of the village decided that desperate actions became necessary.  Using all of his energy, he cast a powerful incantation, expelling the invaders!

    “Do you even know where we’re going…?”     “Nope!  I just figure… if I head toward the light, we’ll get outta here, eventually!”     “That’s… not entirely unsound.  Are you sure you wouldn’t rather let me down, though?”     “Nah, this is great for my leg muscles!  Girls love a guy with huge calves!”     “You’re an idiot…”     “But, I’m your idiot.  Heh.”     “For-better-or-worse… I wouldn’t have it any other way, Wedge.”

    Every last human had been expelled from the magical realm and impenetrable doors had sealed them away from further intrusion from the outside world!  But, in casting his conjuration… the child of mixed heritage managed to get swept up in the enchanted wind.  Madeline chased after the babe, then Madin after Madeline.  By the time they realized what had happened… they were trapped in the human world.  But, to make matters worse… the person who had invaded was holding their child in his arms.

    “G-g-geez…!  It’s even colder, out here!  H-how do p-p-people live like this…?!”     “B… by staying inside a-and wearing more than a pair of boxer sh-shorts… obviously…”     “Never mind that… I found the trail down to th-the city…  Man, I hope n-no one recognizes us…”     “W-worst-case-scenario… they’ll just think w-we’re a traveling circus a-act.”     “Ya… haa… think so?  Man, you’re heavy…”     “Well, what would y-you think if you saw two nearly-naked, strong-looking men tied together with some rope?”     “Heh heh.  Heh-heh-heh…  Heh heh.”     “Get that thought o-out of your head.”     “Sorry.  Heh.”     “Just… go.  We’ll find help, then be on our way back to Vector.  Hopefully…”

    Madeline begged and pleaded with the Emperor to return the child… but, Emperor Gestahl would not be moved.  In the end, he murdered the crying woman in cold blood and took the child, raising her as a weapon of war.  It was this very “living weapon” which was forced into a mission to find a frozen Eidolon, sixteen years later.

    “Hey, excuse me.  We seem t-to be lost…”     “My word!  What are you two?”     “W-we’re a traveling circus act, of course!  B-but, see…”     “You look half-frozen!  Goodness… come with me!  Quickly!”     “Th-thanks, lady…!  Y-you’re a real life-saver!”

    Narshe.  A city of cold steel and warm steam.  Built into the mountain range far to the north of the Kingdom of Figaro, the city was a technological marvel of the world.  Known for its heavy mining industry and weapon-smithing, the Empire tried, time-and-time-again, to pull it into its claws and use its resources in the bid for global supremacy.  But, each time it came up… the elder refused, preferring to stay neutral and help no one.  Needless to say, he was extremely shocked when a pair of troops showed up, wearing Magitek Powered Anti-Personnel Armor.  Even more surprising was the third member of their party, an innocent-looking girl wearing a crown of brass and controlling the element of fire… with her bare hands.

    “There you go.  This clothing should serve you well until you can get to South Figaro.”     “Thank you, ma’am.  If there is anything we can do for you–”     “Oh, think nothing of it!  After all, we at the House of New Beginnings believe in helping those who help themselves!  In doing so, we also hope to spread the message to others!”     “Indeed.  Your generosity is quite inspiring.  Isn’t that right, partner?”     “Can’t talk.  Eating.”     “Goodness, your friend certainly has an appetite!”     “The… uh, ‘circus…’ doesn’t exactly provide us with five-star food.”     “Hee!  Well, you’re always welcome, here!  Do take care!”     “Thank you.  Come on…”     “N-nooo, come back, soooup…”

    After slaughtering a small detachment of town militia and trained creatures, the soldiers – along with what people were calling a “witch” – made their way into the mines.  It was there that they slew the lightning-eating whelk called “Ymir,” then found the treasure the town had been hiding from the Empire: an Eidolon from ages past, fully-preserved and encased in ice!

    “So, we’re going back to Vector… just like that?”     “What other choice do we have, Wedge?  We failed in our mission.”     “Yeeaaah, about that…  What was our mission, again?  My head’s still fuzzy…”     “We were sent to Narshe, by the Empire, to locate and claim a… a… um…”     “Weapons cache?  Gems and gold?  Uh… five Gil for coffee?”     “Don’t be absurd!  We were sent to Narshe for… I… don’t remember what.”     “Well, whatever the case, it couldn’t have been too important if you can’t remember it!”     “Y… yeah… I guess so.”

    Just when it looked like the Empire was going to have its magical creature… the girl, who was supposed to be completely-and-totally under the mind-locking effects of the Puppeteer’s Wheel she wore… stepped forward.  Not long after, something happened – something that changed the course of everyone involved.     It is after those mysterious happenings… our tale begins.