#looks at kiki’s mantle

[casukaga]

i just think it’d be really funny for fearne to steal something from each member of vox machina like collectibles in a video game

[tiamat-zx]

So you know how starting in Season 2, the end credits of each episode have minimalist-style keyframes for key moments?

For instance, “The Sunken Tomb” having that haunting keyframe of the aftermath of the trap.

It’s honestly making me eager to see if they will continue the trend for Season 3.

And if so… I hope that one such keyframe is… the big damn kiss between Vax and Kiki. Especially if it’s the last keyframe of that particular episode.

Another keyframe that I hope we see is, potentially, the haircut. Because that’s a moment that should be adapted as well, as a meaningful character growth moment AND just another tender moment between them.

Hell, looking ahead, an absolute banger keyframe would be Keyleth’s coronation as the Voice of the Tempest.

Short hair, the mantle, and cherry blossoms in the wind. Couldn’t be more perfect.

[littlebosslady7]

Just You and Me

(A/N No one asked for this. It's just been stuck in my head for awhile. Apologies for any mistakes. Feeling a bit under the weather these past couple days.)

A raven perched on a window tree during a strangely warm autumn morning. Constant chatter was heard through these bustling bed chambers. Clerics and trainees were prepared for the royal birth.

A pained scream breaks through this constant rhythm of directions

"Gah, Gods, h-how much longer?" Keyleth asked, panting and sweaty.

Her hand dug into the familiar scarred wrist of her best friend Percy. He'd been in this helpful position before a few months earlier with his wife Vex and their newborn daughter Vesper. He thought about saying something about that particular tight grip, akin to a vine growing through stone.

But then he looked to an equally exhausted Vex'ahlia, who had just shot him a glare that warned, "I wouldn't if you want to live to see our firstborn have siblings, my darling."

"Right." Percy championed, switching hands for her to squeeze, "You've got this, Keyleth."

She doubted, yet agreed, "O-okay."

"You've got this Kiki." She declared, patting Trinket on his fluffy hind quarters, "You've got this for them."

Both her boys. Vax and their firstborn

Nell advised, "We're at the ring of fire, Tempest. Give of three solid pushes, and you'll meet your boy."

Keyleth bared and grunted. Everyone heard strong cries even before their airways were fully cleared.

"Oh!" Keyleth cried too in both pain and joy, "He sounds so beautiful."

"They're perfect, dear," concurred Vex, peeking down to ensure fellow clergy people were cleaning his airways correctly.

Percy reminded, "Not done yet, dear."

Her legs trembled on the second push, but Percy and Vex kept her steady. His torso was out.

"Nell, can I take a break?" Keyleth requested, voice an octave lower, "I'm fucking exhausted,"

"Just one more Tempest." Nell assured, "You've got to give me more."

With every breath, every fiber in her being, she pushes her baby, her and Vax's child out in this world. A scream as if she summoned a fireball disturbed that visiting raven.

Keyleth whimpered in recognition, "Ashton?"

He was crying as some of the birthing staff carefully place the newborn on her bare chest. She cried too when she blearily spotted that same sleek dark hair.

Both Vex and Kiki sniffled in harmony, "Like his dad."

Nell's unsure of who to hand the medical shearers.

"Oh, I'll-". Percy volunteered with hesitation, "If that's okay with you Keyleth."

She nodded amid a scrunched face.

Percy snipped the umbilical cord. Nell's team cleaned up the Tempest's firstborn. Keyleth and Vex were sobbing and giving a one shoulder hug. The druid had an annoying bout pushing out the afterbirth. But it was all worth when she sees him again. Ashton looked at shapeless tapestries, but their eyes settled on his mama's face.

"Congratulations Key." Vex bid as she and Percy give them some privacy and take Vesper from Pike, Scanlan, "My brother would be so proud."

She whispered with a tired smile, "Yeah, he would."

"We'll be right next door with your cousin if you need us, Keyleth," Percy said, looping an arm around Vex's waist.

Keyleth ran a tentative finger down her newborn's face. He tried to latch onto the digit for some milk. She nursed him with a bit of fussing, but before they slept, she looked for that majestic visiting raven and saw none.

Keyleth mentioned, "Hm, just you and me, kid. But we'll be okay. I swear it."

He cooed with a gassy grin. Right before they slipped into slumber, that visiting raven cawed and perched on her interior mantle.

[ravendruid]

Falling asleep to the sound of the other’s heartbeat?

Hi! Thank you for the prompt. Here it is :) This drabble is set at the beginning of episode 65, after the pan to the fireplace. Falling asleep to the sound of the other's heartbeat.

Keyleth’s gaze fixed on the stone ceiling above the bed, both so familiar and strange at the same time. This was not the bed – or the room – she had been given on her first visit to Whitestone, the one that had become hers by default ever since, yet, the furniture, the walls, the ceiling, they all looked the same, except for the few trinkets here there, the dark feather mantle and armor dropped on the floor, the equally black clothes scattered about and, above all, the presence next to her, pressing hard against her side. 

Time had always amazed Keyleth: how things could change so fast sometimes and how long it took others. The last twelve – maybe twenty-four – hours had been in the first bracket, making her feel like days or weeks had gone by, yet, it had barely been a day since they found the dead body of their Dragonborn friend and even less time since she knocked at Vax’s door, unsure of what to expect. 

Time is a remarkable thing, albeit scary, and now that she found herself skin-to-skin with Vax, who had been so patient during gods know how many months – that felt like years – and waited for her, she wanted nothing more than for time to stop, or at least to slow down so she could cherish this moment forever, or for as long as fate allowed.

Keyleth chuckled at the thought of fate allowing her time with Vax. She never cared much about the gods, so the idea that her boyfriend was a champion of the goddess of fate was incredibly ironic and funny. 

“You alright?” Vax asked in a weary voice. Keyleth turned her head to him and saw his soft, sleepy, brown eyes stare at her in amusement. 

“I was thinking about time, and then I started thinking about fate,” Keyleth said, turning around to face him, “and how things can change so fast, yet it still feels like the attack on Emon was way longer than a few weeks ago.” Vax hummed and pulled her closer, laying her head on his chest. “And, of course, there is the fact that you are a champion of a god now too.”

“Trust me, I’m as surprised as you are,” Vax spoke, and the reverberation of his voice on his chest sent chills down Keyleth’s spine.

“I’m sorry.” Keyleth’s voice softened as Vax started combing his fingers through her hair.

“For what?” 

“For taking me so long to tell you I love you,” Keyleth replied, drawing circles with her index finger on his stomach.

“You’ve already apologized for that, Kiki,” Vax whispered, kissing the crown of her head.

“Just making sure,” Keyleth started feeling the weight of her eyelids as Vax’s nimble fingers brushed her hair. “That feels good,” She whispered, focusing her hearing on the slow beating of his heart. Vax didn’t answer. He barely had time to anyway because sleep took Keyleth immediately as soon as her eyes closed. He kept combing his fingers through her hair for another minute, making sure she was deep asleep before he stopped and allowed himself to fall asleep as well, his heart warm and full of love, feeling the luckiest man in the world for having the chance to hold her in his arms, to feel her soft, warm breath against his skin, and to hear the slow and steady beating of her heart in unison with his.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

action #1 just screams MFL Vax, like the first big celebration after they're openly married, and he goes as her husband rather then her guard, and feels out of his depth on how fancy everything is now that he's actually In it

1. Smoothing your fingers down your lover's tie, fixing where your lover couldn't tie it right. so anon, i have actually already written the drabble involving vax's first foray into court as mr. keyleth (look for that later this week!), so instead of making this mfl, i'm gonna make cr! also it's not gonna be a tie bc ties feel out of place in this world, idk.

Keyleth's Aramenté, it turns out, was far more successful than she had ever imagined it would be. When she left Zephrah a knock-kneed, wet-behind-the-ears girl, she thought she'd see the world, meet some cool people, learn some magic, check in on the other Ashari tribes, and yes, she did all of those things. But what she didn't expect were the iron-clad connections she'd since forged with those tribes, whose people no longer feel like distant, nameless cousins, but siblings. Since her ascension to the role of Voice of the Tempest, Zephrah's sister tribes have sought out more regular connections, frequent gatherings to keep in touch and, of course, to put into place the kinds of protections that will prevent future Thordak-level disasters.

The first of these happens shortly after Vox Machina decides to settle into something of a normal life, at least for now. Vax has joined Keyleth in Zephrah, and they share a little house on a bluff overlooking the majority of the town below. (Korrin had offered to let them stay in her childhood bedroom back home, but she stammered through a too-polite refusal, face beet red as she tried to come up with an excuse as to why that would very much not be happening.) Cerkonos and a troupe of other Pyrans will be coming through a tree on the edge of town in about half an hour, and Keyleth, much to her own surprise, is excited by the prospect, rather than nervous. This is her first real duty as Tempest, and it's with Cerkonos, a man she respects and feels comfortable around. She couldn't ask for a better situation in which to begin her new role.

She's just finished settling her mantle across her shoulders, adjusting the latch to make her it's secure, when she hears a low swear coming from inside the closet. She pokes her head inside to see Vax clearly struggling with the Deathwalker's Ward. "You okay in here?"

The feathers on the pauldrons of the armor are all askew as Vax wrenches the cape around his shoulders. "I'm fine," he grits out, very clearly not fine.

"C'mere." She walks into the closet and shoos his hands away, taking over control of the armor. She smooths the leather over his shoulders, taking the bent and twisted feathers and pulling them gently to straighten them out. "There. All neat and stinky."

Vax, who normally rolls his eyes at her jokes about the armor's smell, frowns. "Does it really stink? Because I've been replacing those sachets you give me religiously, I thought they were working—"

"Hey!" She grabs his face to stop him from whipping around to inspect the armor. "I was kidding. You're all aflutter, what's going on with you?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. It's your big day. I just...I just don't want to embarrass you."

And though she knows he's being serious, she can't fight the enormous grin breaking across her face. "Vax..." She pulls his face to hers to kiss him, slow and soft. "You could never embarrass me."

"Everyone's gonna know I'm there for you, and I want Cerkonos and all of them to know that you're a strong and capable leader who doesn't have a doofus by her side."

"Well, I mean, I do have a doofus by my side."

"Kiki..." he groans.

"A doofus I love," she continues, throwing her arms around his neck. "A doofus who has the heart of the Voice of the Tempest. A doofus whose home is Zephrah and whose people are the Air Ashari, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Okay? You're one of us now, not just my boyfriend. You belong at the table because of who you are, not who I am."

He hugs her back, burying his face into her neck. "You mean it?" he asks, muffled.

"My home is your home," she whispers, "and my people are your people."

He sighs, presses a kiss to her cheek, and then steps back, arms outstretched. "I look okay?"

"You look beautiful and sexy and wonderful and like we're going to be late."

"Alright, alright." And he lets her drag him by the hand out of the house and down into Zephrah proper, the home he never knew he had been looking for until he found it.

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

for the prompts, Vaxleth with any of the ones that you've really wanted to write?:)

someone threw a rock at the window (medieval au)

Keyleth's lady in waiting has been dismissed for the night, leaving the princess to her own devices. Keyleth sits at the small table, nibbling on the plate before her. As always, the food is delicious, but Keyleth finds herself lacking an appetite. Vax's new guard schedule means they've been seeing each other less and less. She finds herself missing him extraordinarily.

As she's taking a sip of her wine, something hits her window. Keyleth jumps, but thinking it was just a bird, she turns back to her food. Only for the same sound to come again moments later.

With a frown, she walks over and opens the window, sticking her head out. Standing on the ground several stories below her window is Vax. He's not wearing his armor and his hair is loose around his shoulders rather than his uniform tight braids.

As they see each other, Keyleth and Vax smile widely and before she can say anything, Vax runs towards the wall and starts scaling it. This is a feat she's seen him preform many times before, but it never ceases to amaze her. In no time, she steps back as Vax climbs through the window.

"Hi," Vax pants, out of breath from the exertion.

"Hi," Keyleth crosses to him quickly, taking his face in her hands as she kisses him softly. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he tells her. As he pulls back, he spends just a moment looking at her, drinking in her face. He can't stop himself from gently kissing her again. "Freddie on guard tonight?"

Keyleth nods as she takes him by the hand and leads him over to the table. "He's switching in at ten."

Vax looks at the clock on the mantle, a gift from said guard. "Less than an hour then." As they sit down, Keyleth pulls her chair right next to Vax, pushing her dinner over towards him as she leans her head on his shoulder. "You should eat, Kiki."

Simply to appease him, she cuts a small slice of meat an eats it slowly. Encouraged by her taking the first bite, Vax eats a little as well. Vex has long since discovered that he adores the food the chefs make for her far better than anything he can find in the barracks.

And when the plate is empty, evenly divided between the two of them, Vax kisses Keyleth again. As always, he's so incredibly gentle. His fingertips are rough from his work, but they're always so soft when his hands fall to her waist or her knees or her cheeks.

"I wish you could stay," Keyleth breathes against his lips when he pulls back.

Vax sighs, "I do too and I'm sorry, Keyleth."

She shakes her head and caresses his cheek, "You don't have to be. I know it's naive, but someday you'll be able to. And we'll be able to stay together."

Vax brushes her hair out of her eyes with a sad smile, "It's not naive to have hope. And I really hope you're right."

[kikis-works]

You Kept Me Waiting

Summary: Keyleth’s time has finally come. Who will be there to greet her?

Trigger Warning: Death A young woman was walking across the river, long bright ginger hair not yet adorned with grey streaks. From the trees, a raven flew down and landed on the arm of the woman who had stopped at the sound of the bird. Words echoed in her mind from that snowy night.

“I’ll find you. I promise.”

“I’ll never be that far away.”

“Forever.”

The sound of birds chirping awoke the Voice of the Tempest. She took a moment to look around and lower her feet to the soft padded floor that lay on her wooden floor. The elder used her staff, still embellished with vines that wrapped around it to stand, her joints and bones not the way they used to be. They had been through so much, that she didn’t blame them for giving out on her. As she walked out the doorway, immediately voices greeted her.

“Good morning Lady Keyleth!”

“Good morning, my lady!”

The druid smiled as children ran by, chasing a butterfly that had wandered into the village. She made her way down the stairs where she was greeted by her handmaidens. 

“Today is the day my lady.” Keyleth smiled as the leaves that hung from her shoulders swayed in the wind. There were three to choose from. Three magnificent and beautiful souls and only one would take the mantle. Since the half-elf bore no children in her lifetime, three of the most well-trained youngsters were plucked out and taught the ways of the Air Ashari.

“Don’t you think that today is such a beautiful day? Do walk with me.”

Her maidens were unsure of what to say, the other leaders were desperate for Keyleth to find her replacement before her time came. The trio took a stroll through the woods that surrounded the village before the elderly woman took a seat on a fallen tree.

“Those old fools think that I am wasting time. So that I may be the headmaster for just a little while longer. But I do trust that the two of you do not think the same.”

“Of course not my lady.” Sara was a brunette elf who had silver eyes. She was naive and young.

“The truth is…” And then there was Elmira. The same fiery red hair that the Tempest had previously worn was adorned atop her head as well. She had strong features and brown eyes that could match wet dirt. “The other members are hurrying us to ask you to decide. They become impatient.”

The puzzle pieces clicked together.

“Well, you don’t you worry, my dear. I have already made my decision.” The two handmaidens looked at each other. Lady Keyleth had only met the three choices only yesterday. What had taken her so less time to choose? The elder stood slowly. 

“I will report my decision tomorrow. Do not be late.” And with those words she walked away, her handmaidens unsure if they should follow.

Keyleth sat under an old oak tree took out a quill and paper and wrote a letter addressed to the council members.

“To whom it may concern,

My name is Keyleth and I am the headmaster of the Air Ashari. I regret to inform you that I will not be choosing a successor from the ones you have chosen for me. Instead, I declare Elmira the new headmaster. May she go on her Aramenté and return the young woman I believe she will be. Thank you for allowing me to serve you for these past few centuries.

Keyleth of the Air Ashari, last surviving member of Vox Machina.”

 Once finished, she unclipped her mantle and lay it across the grass that sit beneath her. She leaned against the tree and felt sleep become her. Not too soon after, the caw of a raven awoke her. The druid looked above her to see the animal sitting on a branch, staring down at her. As she stood, she noticed it was slightly easier than it had been before. She looked toward the cliffside to see a face she had been waiting for centuries to see.

“Hey Kiki, it’s been a long time.”

She walked towards the cliff to see translucent gold stairs that lead up to where he was standing.

“Vax…what are you doing here?” Her voice was soft and full of life, tears threatening to spill over.

“What do you think I’m doing here? The others are waiting for you.” He smiled at her and held out his hand to her. Her head turned to look at the tree, and there she was, still sleeping. But she was not sleeping. Keyleth looked down at her hands and noticed the wrinkles had all but vanished. Her joints did not cause her as much pain, and she didn’t feel so drained. The Tempest turned to smile at Vax, and slowly took his hand, cautious of the steps.

“Don’t worry, Kiki. I’ve got you.”

“I knew I would see you again.”

“I wasn’t that far away.”

“Yes, but you kept me waiting.”

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

The Princess of Wales’ Stats - Fourth Quarter

In the final three months of 2022, the Princess of Wales completed 40 engagements, averaging around 13.3 engagements a month. Her busiest month was November, during which she completed 20 engagements. She undertook 12 engagements in December and 8 in October, where she also appeared in four released photos, videos, or statements. In December, Catherine appeared in 6 officially released photos, videos, or statements (most of which were related to her 'Together at Christmas' carol concert) and she was spotted once (on Christmas Day). While 2022 was a notably quiet October for the Princess, it was Catherine's second busiest December (behind 2014 and 2020 - both of which also included 'tours'), and busiest November ever.

Of her 25 patronages, (Catherine became Patron of Captain Harpreet Chandi's solo expedition to cross Antarctica in October), she has visited or completed work for 4, totalling 15 engagements in total. In October, Catherine completed two engagements on behalf of her patronages. 1 of those was the above mentioned Captain Chandi patronage, where Catherine made a phone call to Polar Preet. The other was for the Royal Foundation. In November, she completed five engagements on behalf of the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales, one for the Rugby Football League and one for the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. All her patronage work in December (6 engagements) was related to the Royal Foundation.

Of her 40 engagements, 19 have been solo while another 16 were when she was accompanied by her husband, the Prince of Wales. Seven engagements took place with wider range of members of the British Royal Family - many of them related to Remembrance Sunday, as well as the Diplomatic Corps Reception, the South African State Visit, and Catherine's own Carol Concert.

Her engagements have mostly taken place in the UK, in England (25) and Northern Ireland (3). Her other 12 engagements took place in the USA, in Boston. Of her UK-based engagements, 15* took place in London, while she had two telephone meetings. She also undertook engagements in Windsor, Surrey, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Scarborough, Wigan and Reading. NOTE: A number of her engagements were meetings and could have taken place in either London or Windsor. As the Princess of Wales’ official residence remains in London, I will be counting these as taking place there until informed otherwise.

With a tour, State Visit and the Diplomatic Corps reception, many of her engagements have been diplomatic in nature, with seven engagements falling in that area specifically, while the majority of her engagements were once again under the mantle of Early Years (8). 4 of her engagements have focused on the mental health, while 3 engagements have been focused on sport. Two engagements apiece were on the themes of the military and culture. She also undertook an engagement specifically linked to the outdoors, as well as one linked to children and young people. Twelve of her engagements did not fit into the theme headings I have created.

Clotheswise, her most worn identified designer has once again been Alexander McQueen, followed by Gabriela Hearst and Roland Mouret, although she has worn three unidentifed looks. Her most carried bag designer was Mulberry, followed by DeMellier. Her most-worn shoe designer is, again, Gianvito Rossi, althought she has three unidentified shoes (thought to be bespoke Rossi designs). In terms of jewellery, she has predominantly worn Kiki McDonough pieces or pieces inherited from the late Princess of Wales (with 5 wears each), closely followed by items borrowed from the late Queen with 4, and Bentley and Skinner and Annoushka with 4. When it comes to hats, Catherine was seen in three hats, with Philip Treacy creating 2 of them (the other is from Sean Barratt). She also wore two tiaras - the Lotus Flower Tiara and Queen Mary's Lovers Knot Tiara.

Tomorrow, the full review of Catherine’s work in 2022 will be released.

[percyslist]

Another life

Thank you to @romeoandjulietyouwish for letting me take inspiration from some of their posts!

In another life, Vex helped him pick out the ring. After what felt like countless hours searching various jewelry shops, he found the perfect one: a simple gold ring with an Emerald as the corner stone. It was practical and it would be perfect for her to wear in her day-to-day life as she led the Air Ashari.

As he listened to his sister gush about how perfect they were for each other, he couldn’t stop smiling.

In another life, he forgot his plans the instant he saw her. He always did.

So he led Keyleth to her favorite spot in Zephrah: a secluded clearing amidst the cherry trees, perfect for watching the sun as it dipped below the horizon, painting the sky a series of pinks and oranges.

But it was only when the sky had begun to darken again that he remembered why he had brought her here. He took her hands in his own and opened his mouth, but his tongue refused to form the words that he had meticulously planned with the assistance of Percy and Scanlan. (Grog had tried to help, too, but Vax refused to count him due to the unhelpful and crude nature of his suggestions. Scanlan himself was on thin ice.)

Keyleth, sensing his discomfort, kissed him gently and told him how thankful she was for him.

It took another few moments before Vax regained his courage and decided to throw out his stupid proposal speech altogether. He began to talk, barely going over the words in his head before he spoke them.

“Kiki,” he said, “there are no words that I can use to express just how much I love and admire you. I’ve had the opportunity to watch you throughout all of Vox Machina’s adventures, and I am so proud of how far you’ve come.

“It may not feel like it, but you are the perfect leader for your people. As I’ve watched you set an example for them, I’ve come to the realization that I’d like to make this my home, if you’d let me.

“I hope you know that every word I said that day at the Sun Tree remains true. I love you, and there will never be a day where I don’t fall for you a little more. So,” he sank down to one knee, nearly falling over as tried to pull out the ring at the same time. “Keyleth of the Air Ashari, will you marry me?”

Keyleth’s eyes flickered between him and the ring, tears falling gently down her cheeks as she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes,” she breathed, laughing. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He took her hand, sliding the ring onto her fourth finger, and kissed her, unable to contain the wide smile that was spreading across his face.

She was the first to break away, resting her forehead against his. “You do know that this is your home now, right?”

“My home is wherever you are,” he replied.

—

In another life, Scanlan was in the middle of giving Vax a “pep talk” when a knock sounded on his door. Keyleth was the exact last person Vax would have expected to be on the other side of the threshold, but there she stood, in an extravagant dress, with the Mantle slung around her shoulders. Her hair was in some elaborate updo, but she still wore her signature antlers she was rarely seen without.

“You— you look beautiful,” Vax said, immediately embracing his soon-to-be wife. She practically fell against him, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to him for support.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Scanlan said softly, excusing himself from the room without another word.

Vax gently led Keyleth to a nearby chair, sitting beside her as he traced circles on her skin with his thumb. “Are you nervous?”

“It’s our wedding, Vax. How could we not be nervous?”

He only shrugged. “I’m not.”

“What if I mess up my vows? What if I slip and fall while I’m walking down the aisle? What if—“

“Keyleth,” Vax said, his hands coming up to rest on either side of her jaw. “Even if any of that happens, it won’t matter. Do you know why? Because all that matters is you and I. Hells, we could send everyone away, and it could just be us, because that’s all we need.

“As fun—or stressful— a wedding day may be, that’s all it is: a day. One day, compared to the rest of our lives. So no, I’m not nervous, because after this, I get to spend the rest of my life with you. What is one day compared to so many more to come?”

She sighed, resting her head against his chest. “I just want it to be perfect.”

“And it will be. As long as you and I get married, it will be perfect. We deserve this, Kiki. After everything we’ve gone through, we deserve this.”

“People don’t always get what they deserve,” Keyleth murmured.

Vax hummed. “Yes, that’s true. But we’re gods, right?”

—

In another life, Vex stood by his side as Korrin walked Keyleth down the aisle. Vax could feel his peripheral vision melt away; the only thing he could see—the only thing he even wanted to see— was her.

She beamed as she kissed her father’s cheek and took her place by Vax. He took her hands in his, lacing their fingers together as Pike began to speak.

“Welcome, everyone, to the blessed union of two of the most amazing people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Today, I have the absolute honor of marrying two of my closest friends: Keyleth of the Air Ashari, the Voice of The Tempest, and Vax’ildan, the sworn enemy of closed doors.”

Scattered laughs came from the members of the crowd who understood the joke, which was relatively few. Pike continued: “Your love has broken the bonds of death itself. It has preserved through countless hardships, and it has overcome the most impossible of foes. I am truly honored to have been there to watch your relationship grow into what it is today, and I hope to be there in the future as you continue to support each other.”

“You have helped each other grow, and supported each other through some of the most difficult moments in your lives, and I find comfort in the fact that you have learned to seek solace in each other. You both deserve it. So, let today become a day of joy, a celebration of the love of two people who have gone through hell and back to be together.”

“Keyleth,” Pike said gently, “your vows.”

When Keyleth opened her mouth to speak, she struggled to say anything. Her eyes widened in panic as her breathing quickened, and she looked to Vax desperately.

He squeezed her hand, rubbing his thumb over her skin softly. “I’m here, he whispered. “It’s just us. Nobody else is here.”

She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment to compose herself. Then, with a small smile and newfound confidence, she took a deep breath and began. “I never could have imagined a world in which I get to love someone like you. When we met, I was lost. I wanted so badly to live up to the expectations of my people, and I became unable to even entertain the idea of being someone outside of who I was expected to be. I had prepared myself for a life of loneliness, of trying to live up to other people’s expectations and hoping against hope that someday, I would be enough. It was you who helped me see that I already was.

Thank you for having faith in me, Vax. Thank you for helping me when I wasn’t brave enough to ask. And most of all, thank you for loving me when I wasn’t sure anyone could.”

Pike sniffled. “That was fucking beautiful,” she murmured, wiping a tear from her eye. “Vax, your vows.”

“I have been a wanderer all my life,” said Vax, feeling the audience melt away again. No amount of people could ever compare to the feeling of having Keyleth by his side. “Every place I’ve ever dared to call home has been destroyed without mercy or remorse, and I learned quickly that I should never get attached to something, because then it would be ripped away from me, and I would be lost again. For the longest time, it was Vex and I against the world, alone and lost. Then I found you. I found you, and you showed me that a home doesn’t have to be a place.

“Keyleth, you are my home. Wherever you go, I will follow, whether it be Zephrah or Whitestone or wherever else you may wish to go. I was once lost, but now I am found. I was once a wanderer, damned to live a life in the shadows, but now I’ve found a home at your side, and I intend to stay there for as long as you’ll let me.”

Pike’s voice rang out through the audience. “Keyleth, do you promise to take this man and cherish and love him in every way?”

Keyleth grinned, wiping a stray tear from her face. “I do.”

Vax produced the golden ring from his pocket, sliding it onto the fourth finger of her left hand.

“Vax, do you promise to take this woman and cherish and love her in every way?”

The easiest answer of his life. “I do,” said Vax, watching in wonder as Keyleth gave him his ring.

“By the power vested in me by the goddess Sarenrae, I pronounce you husband and wife. Now kiss.”

Keyleth and Vax both laughed at Pike’s blunt request, but they didn’t need any further prompting. He pulled her in by the waist, and she met him in the middle.

It was only when the sound of his friends’ loud cheering met his ears did he remember where he was. He pulled away, laughing as Keyleth beamed up at him.

His grin kept widening, and his cheeks were starting to ache, but he didn’t dare stop smiling, because he was hers, and there was no better feeling.

Vax’ildan had found his home, and he would never let go of it.

[bornspellcaster]

Verse: Little Firefly

Luz comes across a portal that she believes may take her home, but she’s instead transported back in what appears to still be The Boiling Isles, but vastly different. Magic runs wildly unrestrained and while witches are free to practice any magic freely, it’s utter chaos and destruction as much of it is practiced in unsafe manners.

The portal is a time portal and before Luz is able to return back to her time, it closes and leaves the girl stranded. There’s a forest fire raging nearby from out of control fire magic and as she rushes to find safety a man cloaked tightly in a magic cape comes to her rescue, shielding the girl and taking her back to his house.

Once the two get to safety, Luz gets a better look at this man and realizes, to her utter shock, that he appears to be human other than a ‘facial deformity.’. Slender and looking to be in his thirties, he’s clad in the type of clothing Luz recognizes from Shakespeare plays and Luz finds out she’s in the 1600s. The man introduces himself as Philip Wittebane, and he has strange black markings around his eyes, with one eye being black with a blue iris. 

Luz learns Philip and his family were cursed by wild magic and that it’s a curse that will eventually destroy the Wittebane line that he’s desperate to cure. Despite wild magic being what caused the brutal curse, they’ve learned products that contain wild magic can at the same time counter the symptoms…much like a palismen.

Luz realizes that she’s found the original human of the Isles, who appears to have started a family in the demon realm. They live with their house spirit, who also seems to appear familiar. She’s known as Kiki or ‘Ki’, but with her hand-hair looking different, both eyes exposed and her being in a different outfit and kind, Luz doesn’t possibly think she could be Kikimora.

Philip explains to Luz that the wild magic practiced in the Savage Ages creates a lot of sporadic anomalies, the time portals being one of them. He explains that unfortunately there isn’t much that can be done until one opens again. Knowing the stranded girl is homeless and quite paternal himself, Philip offers to take the girl in until he can find a way to get her back to her time.

Luz is with the Wittebanes for months despite not a day going by in present time on The Isles, and quickly bonds with them—especially Philip. He’s much like Eda and herself as well—parental and protective, and much of a goofy impulsive dork. They share stories of their different time periods in the human realm and bond over their love of magic and being general ‘outcasts.’ When Philip learns about Luz’s culture and that her name means ‘light’, he affectionately calls her ‘Firefly.’

Luz even bonds well with Kiki, who sews her a dress much like a child in the 1600s would wear. Although knowing she probably won’t be wearing it much, Luz loves and cherishes the dress sewn with love.

Never having had a father, Luz sees Philip as a father figure as he sees her much like a daughter. Despite this, she misses her Isle home and her Earth home deeply. Philip promises he’ll get the child home if it’s the last thing he does and that he’ll protect her, and subsequently, Luz promises to cure his curse if it’s the last thing she does.

Eventually, another anomaly opens a time portal and Luz gives a tearful good-bye to the only father she’s ever known and one she likely will never see again. She leaves with her dress and a quill and papers Philip gave her when he taught her how to write calligraphy.

The moment Luz stumbles back into her time, she realizes that it’s only been a few seconds in real time since she’s been gone even though she’d been with the Wittebane family for months. Subsequently, Belos finds himself suddenly slammed with memories of his little firefly he sat with by the fire mantle as they wrote stories and recorded memories, and Kiki remembers the young girl she’d stood up in front of a mirror, smiling proudly as she’d twirled in her dress.

Eventually coming to the anguishing realization the dear friend and father she’d looked up to is the monster that caused her so much pain, Luz also recalls the promise she made: to cure what’s left of the Wittebane family curse. Belos also remembers his promise to get Luz back to the human realm…and to protect her.

The two find themselves locked in the biggest turmoil of their life. Neither can let the other stop their plans, but how can they bring themselves to hurt someone they once loved so much?

NOTES:

Philip - Philip is in almost every way possible, completely different from Belos. Philip is kind and caring, paternal to the extent that Eda is maternal where he’d take in any helpless child or creature that needs a home. He’s dorky and goofy, easy to ramble off if you get him in a topic he’s excited about. He’s also quite impulsive and scatter brained, although highly intelligent. He was an inventor back home and eventually invents the portal that takes him home. Unfortunately, his rambling about the demon realm has him tried as a witch and he’s tortured and set to be executed. Managing to escape with his family, Philip starts to die once back on The Isles and Kiki takes him to bathe in the Titan’s blood. He’s cured and given the ability to communicate with the Titan. It’s through the blood coursing through him that gives him the ability to live the longest through the curse.

The Titan conveys the message that witches are out of control and tasks him with bringing them to the light. This starts out as a benevolent mission, but as the curse and trauma begins to transform him, it becomes more brutal and controlling until he becomes the tyrant known as Emperor Belos.

Although it’s only Luz that falls into the portal, this can be subject to change depending on the muses, and who wishes to write it. Anyone in TOH can be in the portal with her. And anyone in general, really.

[traditional-with-a-twist]

xxxiv. Beauty and Her Beast

@the-pompous-potato awww, yeah, even though they’re so relieved to be past all Izana’s machinations, it couldn’t help but be sad after everything that’s happened since the war :( heheh I’m glad Zen had you guessing for a minute there; it’s hard to feel that he’s gone forever! thanks for hanging with me through all the cliffhangers! ^_^

@claudeng80 nothing better than reading a review and thinking YES EXACTLY! Love how you put the problems here - that Obi feels like he’s getting away with something, that Shirayuki is detached from reality - as many of you have pointed out, they rushed into this but the piper must be paid sometime

@bubblesthemonsterartist you are so perfectly in tune with Shirayuki’s feelings here! cheers to better days moving forward, Shirayuki has earned a break after all this grief followed by unnecessary drama

<<Previous || first arc || second arc || AO3 || Next>>

Parallel scene: Promises to Keep from Obiyuki Winter Challenge 2018.

~

‘It’s a handsome gesture, people would say.’

Obi pronounced this expression of gratitude gloomily, hunched over an amber-filled glass and a plate of fast-disappearing dumplings.

Ryuu sat beside him, round-eyed at the matching glass that Obi had plonked in front of him - not full, of course, just a splash.

Obi tipped back a swallow of his own helping, hoping it would improve his mood.

...

Unfortunately, as soon as he lowered the glass, he was confronted again by the author of his discontent: the gilted, beribboned behemoth now occupying more than its fair share of the courtyard where they had arranged their wedding celebration.

Trumpets had heralded its arrival - trumpets that sounded like a declaration of war, shocking him nearly senseless so that he was halfway out the window, prepared to attack barehanded, before conscious thought caught up with him.

The memory of a dark night had fired his limbs; he was ready to spill blood if necessary to stop anyone from parting them again.

...

At his first look into the courtyard, he thought nothing less might be necessary.

A row of men stood shoulder to shoulder, arrayed in cream and crimson. Short capes snapped in the brisk air; glossy hilts glittered at their hips.

Overhead unfurled a pennant emblazoned with two beasts intertwined: a winged horse, neck outstretched and wings mantled, against a dragon with gaping jaws.

They were soldiers from Tanbarun, amassed on the castle doorstep.

...

It was nigh unfathomable. The Tanbarun military? Here?

Still more inexplicable, a white-draped platform towered behind them, an outsized and anonymous bulk.

For a moment, Obi’s sense of urgency subsided as he looked on this addition to their party in complete confusion.

A dozen explanations flitted through his mind, each more unlikely than the last: the soldiers were lost; it was a charade; he had mistaken them…

More persistently, more plausibly, intrudes the thought: Had they come for her?

...

He couldn’t rule out the possibility. 

Though it might be more the painful shadow of memory, the half-healed echo of an old nightmare, than a rational assessment of the situation, it had happened before.

It could happen again.

Kiki’s hints, that Raj or someone in his court might somehow feel it necessary to intervene, were morphing before Obi’s mind’s eye from thin political fictions to a horrifying omen, the advent of a threat made material in the blank mass dwarfing the soldier’s line.

If not that, then what business could they have in Clarines?

...

One of the men stepped forward.

Obi tensed. Kiki had positioned herself at Shirayuki’s side, he was grateful to note; no one else in the room - as far as he could detect - had moved.

He was alone at the window.

...

Down below the Tanbarunian reached into his coat.

Obi’s knees flexed, prepped to spring. In less time than it took to draw breath, he would be at the man’s throat - faster than a sword, quick as an arrow.

The soldier drew forth a dark square. Golden tassels dangled: it was a purple velvet pouch.

...

Obi checked himself, eyes narrowing as he re-assessed. 

From this bag, the man produced a glossy sheet of paper, stamped with a curly seal visible even at a distance.

Clearing his throat, he blazed, ‘Hear ye, hear ye! The first prince of Tanbarun, Raj Shenazard, sends greetings to the kingdom of Clarines…’

The words began to run together in Obi’s ears. If this was a declaration of war, it was a long-winded one.

‘...and most particularly to the Friend of the Crown, Lady Shirayuki of Tanbarun.’

Obi was listening again, but what followed was nearly incomprehensible save for a few phrases that bubbled up from the murky depths.

‘...utmost congratulations….this most auspicious occasion...a day of joy for all who love her...accept this token...good will and fortune…’

...

He knew when it was over because the man - more messenger, Obi realized now, than soldier - signaled another blast on the trumpets.

By now Obi was listening with his arms folded across his chest, weight resting on one hip. His glower had lost its lethal edge and acquired something of a glazed look.

As the trumpeting faded, Izana punctuated the spectacle with a chuckle.

‘Well, well,’ he said into the silence, ‘then let the festivities begin!’

...

They had done their best, although the wagon with its honor guard left precious little space for the guests.

As soon as the Tanbarunians had spotted Shirayuki, they wanted to deliver the proclamation all over again, but she assured them very prettily that she had heard it the first time, so they had to content themselves by unveiling Raj’s gift with as much pomp and ceremony as a dozen men before a scattered and bemused audience could muster.

The thing made no more sense uncovered than it had under its veil.

...

Obi had put his head to one side then the other, even peeked around the back in case it had gotten turned around, but it remained grandiose and incomprehensible from every angle.

The only thing he could safely conclude was that it had cost a great deal of gold and jewels to make, and a great deal of trouble to haul up the road from Tanbarun to Clarines.

No wonder they had sent a dozen soldiers, since it must have attracted the notice of every brigand in the countryside.

...

Even his miss was hard-pressed to find something nice to say about it, though she had gone at once to thank the men and inquire after arrangements for their lodgings.

That is to say, the missus was hard-pressed, Obi corrected himself with a start.

She was no longer his miss - they were married now.

...

The thought stirred a queasy feeling in his stomach and propelled him to his feet. His wife, his missus - where had she gone?

His practised eye discerned her shape among a cluster of well wishes from the pharmacy.

‘Look, Little Ryuu - there’s the chief!’ Sidling between a table and the edge of the platform erected by the soldiers for their charge, he led Ryuu to the others.

...

Reaching into the knot of white coats, Obi caught Shirayuki’s elbow. She looked up and blushed - a welcome sight.

Obi found he was grinning back like a fool. 

From the corner of his eye, he caught Garrack laughing at them, but he pretended not to see, drawing Shirayuki away into a circle of their own.

...

‘Say, missus,’ he savored the word, ‘you haven’t forgotten me already, have you?’

He chuckled at the look of alarm this produced. ‘Only joking, missus… It’s good you’re enjoying the party.’

Her eyes slid sideways.

He darted a look in the same direction and found himself eyeing rows of pearls and silver plates.

...

‘Ah. Not your style, missus?’

‘Oh, no, it’s just--’ She hesitated. ‘It’s very--well, I--very--very--very thoughtful of Raj, I’m sure,’ she mumbled.

‘Hmmm,’ said Obi.

‘I’m sorry he couldn’t come himself,’ Shirayuki added, glad that she could say something with sincerity.’

‘Hmmm,’ said Obi again. Princes, he felt, were an interfering bunch. Perhaps it was better in the end to keep one’s distance.

...

‘Only,’ said Shirayuki, her brow furrowed, ‘I’m not sure how to thank him…’

‘A flower?’ Obi suggested vaguely. ‘Or...a letter?’ 

Raj was a funny fellow, but it didn’t feel to Obi as though Shirayuki had to do much to please him.

...

No sooner had he said the word than he felt the air stir - a tiny redirection in its currents.

Obi pivoted sharply, placing himself between Shirayuki and the movement.

His frayed nerves had him on a hair trigger, but it was only a page, dressed in Clarinese livery.

...

‘For you...sir,’ the boy stumbled over the honorific, reflecting the uncertainty in the court over the fine details of Obi’s legal status. 

He ducked his head and offered up a plate bearing a folded square of paper.

As Obi reached for it, his eye fell on the seal, and he stopped.

...

It was from Lord Haruka.

[vennilavee]

doubles

pairing: levi x reader, ft baby kaiya (moon/stars universe) summary: it’s kaiya and levi’s birthday. and you have a proposition for levi. warnings: some suggestive themes (kissing, nudity, the use of the word daddy) but it’s very brief a/n: i struggle with writing holiday themed things so this is the closest i could come up with. enjoy and happy holidays :))

Kaiya’s birthday being two days before Levi’s birthday was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because she loved sharing her special day with Levi, and a curse because it hardly gave you time to think about what to get Levi for his own birthday. And not to mention that their birthdays were both right in the middle of the holidays.

Every year since Kaiya was born, you and Levi at least put some multicolored lights around the house, spent a weekend decorating stockings to put over the mantle of the fireplace, and spent another weekend stringing lights up outside. You had even bought a five foot tall light up snowman for the front yard, which Kaiya had loved. She had nearly fallen over when she had seen it for the first time, and then immediately tried to hug it.

And Levi glared at it whenever he pulled out of the driveway. 

Even when it was just you and Levi, you’d both put some lights up around your previous apartment. That didn’t mean that Levi didn’t grumble about it the whole time.

For Kaiya’s third birthday this year, you had decided to combine her birthday party with a dinner for Levi over the weekend. And it worked out- Kaiya adores her father, and she had squealed when you asked if she would be okay with it. Levi had protested, not wanting to do anything for his birthday and wanted to give his baby the spotlight. It’s her third birthday, after all. His baby girl’s third birthday. But he had relented when Kaiya looked at him with tear filled eyes and her hands clasped together in pleading-

“Pwease, daddy! I wanna hab birfday wif daddy!”

And really, how could he ever say no to that? So you put Levi to work, asking him to pick up some gold and green glittery streamers the week before and some helium balloons the day of. Kaiya is with Erwin while you run around to pick up a cake and other last minute things. 

Kaiya had wanted a tea party with some of her toddler friends from the neighborhood park for her third birthday and if that doesn’t solidify that she’s Levi’s daughter, you don’t know what does. Her favorite colors right now were greens and yellows, and so that’s how the color scheme of the party goes. But you subtly include bits and pieces of Levi’s personality in there as well- with a silver birthday hat that you had bought specially for him and with his matte black teacup with his name engraved in gold lettering. 

She’s wearing a cute green glittery headband in her dark hair, black pants and a yellow long sleeve shirt with a big, glittery sunflower on it. 

She’s sunshine personified, Levi thinks. He matches her, with a dark green shirt and Kaiya gasps when you whisper to her that her daddy matched her-

“We gween!” Kaiya exclaims happily.

“We have the same birthdays, princess. Of course daddy will match you,” Levi murmurs, taking her in his arms and kissing her cheek.

It’s funny- Levi hardly ever graced you with public displays of affection and vice versa. But when Kaiya came along, he’s become a little more fond of little pecks and soft displays of affection. Kaiya eats it up, with big eyes.

His eyes. Her eyes are so inexplicably a reflection of his. 

“Gween nice, daddy,” Kaiya says, squeezing her Totoro stuffed toy close to her chest.

“It is nice,” Levi agrees, “What else is green the color of?”

“Umm… sky!” Kaiya shouts confidently.

“Good job, princess,” Levi murmurs, gracing her with another kiss to the cheek.

It makes you soft. Watching him carry her to her tea party with her party of three. Her two friends are seated in plastic blue chairs around the play table, while their parents linger with snacks in their hands.

You could combust, watching Levi take a seat on the small plastic chair and tipping his head so Kaiya can place a tiara on his hair. He only gives the kids a soft look, letting them fawn over him. Kaiya’s friends each pour Levi some imaginary tea from the teapot and with soft, toothy grins, “Happy birfday Uncle Levi.”

You take a video and pictures of him to save for later.

Some snow still remains on the grass from a previous snowfall, covering your front and backyard in a pretty coat of paper white magic. Of course, by the time Kaiya’s friends leave and your friends arrive for dinner, Kaiya is asking to build a snowman and make snow angels.

Levi bribes her with cookies to get her to stay inside with him. She had only just gotten over a terrible cold last week and the last thing anyone needed was for her to get sick. Kaiya sits on Erwin’s lap, listening intently to a story he’s telling her about a space princess. Erwin feeds her half of a cookie and she wordlessly chews on it with wide, curious eyes.

You had cut a small cake for Kaiya with her friends and had gotten a bigger cake for both Levi and Kaiya to cut together. It’s a lemon cheesecake and you know both father and daughter will love it. Neither of them have a terribly fond sweet tooth, but this cake is just the right amount of sweet.

After all, you had baked it.

When dinner is over and you’ve refilled glasses of spiced wine for everyone, you bring out the cake with a hearty start of singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Everyone chimes in, Hange with her arms around your shoulders and Kaiya beaming happily. She reaches for Levi and pats his cheek, as if to say ‘pay attention’.

“Hap birfday, daddy,” Kaiya whispers shyly.

“Happy birthday, Kai,” Levi murmurs and pats her forehead fondly. Levi moves to stand next to you and lets Kaiya blow out the candles for him. Levi holds his hand above yours as you cut a slice of cake into sections to feed to both him and Kaiya.

“When did you make this?” Levi asks.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, birthday boy,” You tease and feed Kaiya the first piece of cake. She gasps and claps her hands enthusiastically.

“Mommy, it yum,” Kaiya giggles. You kiss her cheek and wipe away some stray cream. 

“Wanna feed daddy, Kiki?” 

Kaiya nods and you help guide the fork to Levi’s mouth. “Thanks, Kai,” Levi says, “Can I feed you?” With another nod, Levi gives Kaiya a small bite. Not wanting to have a sugar rush later in the evening. And finally, you feed Levi a piece of cake, smiling at Erwin when he tells you all to look at him for a photo.

You’re tempted to smear some cake on Levi’s cheek, just to irritate him but you ultimately decide against it. After all, you have something you want to say to him later.

“Hey,” You murmur with a grin, “Happy birthday, my love.”

The tips of his ears tint pink and you pat his cheek before cutting more slices for everyone to have. Mike helps you pass out slices to everyone and you smile at him in thanks.

After everyone has had their fill of wine and cake, everyone begins to yawn and Kaiya even falls asleep in Erwin’s arms. It starts to flurry as well, light specks of white dotting the still air.

Your guests begin to leave after helping you clean up and after you give them leftovers to take home. After the hugs, happy birthdays, and promises that they’ll text you when they get home, Levi swiftly pulls you into his arms for a deep kiss, your knees buckling immediately.

“Is it my birthday?” You ask slyly, “You only kiss me like that when it’s my birthday.”

“That’s a fuckin’ lie,” Levi rolls his eyes.

“Yeah,” You say dreamily, “It is. You wanna go to bed or have another glass of wine?”

Levi wordlessly pulls you into the bedroom after making sure Kaiya is asleep, dropping kisses up and down your neck. His lips muffle your soft sounds, his hands gripping the curve of your hips and sliding down to your ass. He undresses you easily, peeling you out of your blouse and unbuttons your jeans. 

You’re in no rush. You only press against him, hands traveling the expanse of his broad chest and squeezing lightly.

“I wanna tell you something,” You mumble weakly, lips deliciously close to his ear.

He hums in response, pulling away to look you in the eyes. A hand comes to rest against your cheek, thumb caressing your cheekbone.

“I love you,” You say earnestly, “But also. I want another kid. I wanna give Kai a sibling. I wanna make you a daddy again. Wanna give me a baby, daddy?”

Levi rolls his eyes at your use of the word, swatting your ass lightly. “Kaiya would be a good big sister. And… I’ve been thinking about it, too.”

“Why didn’t either of us say anything then?”

“The idea was marinating-”

“Marinating? Don’t say that the idea of a second baby was marinating like meat in the fridge,” You joke, swatting his chest, “I was trying to be cute, by telling you on your birthday celebration. And you just compared our second baby to marinade-”

“I wanna make us parents again,” Levi whispers, cutting you off, “Want some of my marinade?”

“Do I ever,” You grin, licking a stripe up his neck, “So a second kid? You ready for it?”

“Are you ready for it? Are we ready for it?”

“I’m ready if it’s with you, my love,” You say softly, with a smile, “I’m ready for anything if it’s with you.”

tags: @simpingmaize​ @captainchrisstan​ @alrightberries​

[ravendruid]

For the drabble things

"Is it time?"

Send me a sentence and I'll write a Vaxleth drabble. Hi Anon, sorry this took me a while. I hope you like it <3 This happens post-Campaign 1.

Is it time?

Keyleth doesn’t recognize the wrinkled face that looks at her in the mirror. The green eyes are much older and filled with so many more memories than a millennia ago. The freckles are still there, barely visible now underneath her pale skin. Her hair has long lost its vibrant red color and down cascades in silvery curls down her back. Keyleth’s body is different, changed too. She has pains in joints she didn’t know existed and can’t turn and shape herself as easily as she used to. 

She stands alone in the small cottage she has called home for her entire life as the bustling sounds of life in Zephrah enter from the opened window. Keyleth knows her successor is ready. She ensured their training for years and is fully confident in their capacities. The mantle has been passed on, the Spire of Conflux long given to a young druid who needed it the most, and her Circlet passed down to the next generation. All she has are the memories of a different time. 

There is a sound of rustling from the window, and she sees the large raven perched on the windowsill, its beak full of new shinies. Keyleth lets down a tear, knowing today is the last day she will greet him, the last day she will take his gifts and store them in the wooden box like she has done every day for the past thousand years. She scratches its chest and steps back, bowing slowly at it – as much as her body allows. 

The raven’s beady black eyes stare at her intensively, and she can’t help but feel a knot in her throat. Keyleth never dared to cast the spell before, afraid of the answer, but today is her last day on this plane, and she has nothing else to lose. Whether it is him or not, she knows she will see him soon.

“Hi,” She approaches, scratching its neck again.

“Hey, Kiki. You look beautiful.”

Hot and thick tears stream down Keyleth’s face as she chuckles wetly. 

“So it was you all this time?”

“Of course,” The raven bows elegantly before it jumps down from the windowsill.

The feet that land on the wooden boards produce a very faint, soft thud as a pair of boots appear. There are feet and legs, and Keyleth’s gaze moves upward, observing his body. Nothing changed. He still looked the same as he did all those years ago. 

“I’m sorry,” She apologizes. For what, she doesn’t know.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, my love.”

Vax’ildan, the Champion of the Raven Queen, kisses her longingly, one hand softly cupping the side of her face, the other tightly around her waist.

“Is it time?” He asks. Keyleth nods, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “Come, our friends and family are waiting for you.

They walk hand in hand through Zephrah. If anyone notices her vigorous gait, no one mentions anything. In fact, Keyleth realizes no one is looking at her. She asks herself if Vax did something to ease her transition or if she is already on the other side of the veil and didn’t know about it. Before Keyleth steps into the Raven Tree, she looks around at the development they achieved in Zephrah. She remembers the innovations the de Rolo family accomplished for both her village – now a bustling city – and Whitestone. Her thoughts go out to all the places she had the opportunity to visit in her lifetime, to Pyrah, Terrah, and Vesrah, and to how she helped unite all of the Ashari. Keyleth feels peace and pride as she steps into the tree. She knows she did a good job. She has left the world a better place than what she found it. 

Vax’s smile is the last thing Keyleth sees before darkness surrounds her and the first thing that greets her on the other side. She hears a familiar disembodied voice welcoming her, and then the darkness vanishes into light as she takes Vax’s hand. He leads her through a beautiful garden in bloom and onto a cottage that resembles the one they shared in their year together in Zephrah. There is anticipation in the air, crackling energy on her skin just before he touches the wooden doorknob. 

Vax waits a moment with his gaze focused on her. He doesn’t say anything, but there is no need for words anymore. They are together at last. Keyleth nods, answering his silent question, and they step into the inviting abode, where Keyleth is greeted with cheers, claps, and tears as, one by one, she sees the faces of those she has held dear in her heart for so long. Faces she has never forgotten, from the memories that kept her moving on, one step at a time. 

Keyleth is home with her family, and finally, the void inside her is no more.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

“breaking down mid-hug because they just needed this so much “

You know what I want: the mother-daughter reunion of Keyleth and Vilya.

breaking down mid-hug because they just needed this so much

Many things change in two decades. Children become adults. Saplings become sprawling trees. A tiny hamlet in the mountains becomes a bustling town of growing importance on the world stage.

(A gaping wound becomes a scar, dully aching but ever-present.)

At the center stands a woman, unchanged in these two decades, and in many more to come. All of Tal'dorei knows the Voice of the Tempest, a champion of righteousness and hero of the realm. She is a leader to her people, a fierce advocate for the betterment of all societies, an apostle of the natural world. People come to Zephrah to seek her wisdom, and she travels beyond its borders to maintain the balance, maintain the peace.

Only her friends, those she is closest to, still see Kiki. Only when she slips away to Whitestone, to hide in a grand castle and become a great cat to the amusement of her nieces and nephews, does even she remember the person she once was. (The person he fell in love with.) She doesn't mind it, though. There is beauty in the responsibility, a freedom; as long as she is the Tempest, she has tasks to accomplish, wrongs to right, many things to fill her endless days. And when she goes to bed at night, she is so exhausted by the day's flurry of activity that she slips quickly into sleep, and when she wakes, she mercifully does not remember her dreams. (Usually.)

The day is like any other. She can hardly tell them apart anymore. She is in the center of Zephrah, shortly before the sun disappears below the Summit Peaks, with a handful of the Air Ashari's most important advisors. They're discussing an upcoming pilgrimage to Terrah—no more will the Ashari be artificially separated by time, not when Keyleth can connect them in all in an instant—as they sit among the benches around the grand cherry tree in the middle of town. Keyleth prefers to meet outside, especially in these crepuscular hours; this is when the famed ravens of Zephrah come to roost in the tree, the pink and white branches hanging heavy with specks of black. (She makes better decisions when he is watching, or so she tells herself.)

The familiar cracking and tearing of wood trumpets the arrival of someone through the tree. Derrig, always at the ready, grips the hilt of his sword, subtly shifts himself between Keyleth and the trunk. Others begin to stand, curious, as Zephrah had not been expecting any visitors. A woman steps through, and just behind her, Keyleth can see a jungle, and a halfling in a yellow dress.

Her eyes return to the figure now standing in the center of Zephrah. The first thing she notices is the leg, or rather, the twisting vines coalesced into a leg. Something twinges in her brain, a memory, a connection. Her eyes then find the the woman's face, and oh. She knows those eyes. She knows that hair.

The portal in the tree is closed. As if possessed, Keyleth drifts forward, several slow, disbelieving steps, ignoring Derrig's low words of caution. The slow steps stumble into faster ones, and then she's running, throwing herself at the woman. "Mom!"

She is caught. She was falling, but she is caught, and Vilya of the Air Ashari smells like rain and sand and smoke and all of the nights Keyleth laid awake as a child, the only time she dared let herself dream of this moment. There is a voice in her ear, and Keyleth is no longer the Voice of the Tempest, but a little girl, knee-high and wide-eyed. "Keyleth, oh my baby girl, look at you."

Keyleth sobs, hot and wet, into her mother's neck. (A scar ripped open, then healed in an instant, brand-new skin in its wake.) The mantle trembles around her shoulders, but her mother's arms keep her whole, a hand up and down her back over and over like when she was a child, crawling into her parents' bed after a nightmare.

"I'm here," Vilya whispers, and Keyleth only cries harder. "I'm here, Keyleth." (A miracle. A promise. A new day.)

[rakumel]

Raku Plays Her Faves: Pocky and Rocky

Part 1: A Very Very Quick Timeline

To see what prompted this, go watch the gameplay trailer of Pocky and Rocky Reshrined, either back a few posts or just click here.

For the past few months I’ve mostly been in a slump, or outright hating the world and everyone in it, so it’s nice to be talking about something I’m genuinely looking forward to. You have to understand, this is something that I never in a million years expected to happen. It makes sense for big-name, well-known-and-loved games like Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana to get remakes. But one of my absolute favorite obscure games? That I rented so many times back in the day I lost count? That was the first game I ever played with a girl protagonist, who went on cool adventures with her friends instead of just being the prize at the end, and it was fuckin’ lovely AND had beautiful music AND IT JUST MEANT SO MUCH TO ME YOU HAVE NO IDEA-

(okay, now you have some idea)

Anyway, yeah, I didn’t expect that. I mean, a teaser was posted several months earlier, but this feels more definite, y’know?

“So what is this a remake of, exactly?” you might be wondering. To answer that, I’m going to have to dip back into my memories for the broad strokes, but also call upon the services of Wikipedia for the details.

Pocky and Rocky is the English name of one of the games from the Kiki KaiKai series in Japan, originally developed by Natsume (some of you might know them better as the company behind the Harvest Moon series) and published by Taito (who’s known for...a LOT), both of whom are involved in the remake as well. The series follows the adventures of a shrine maiden named Sayo-chan (Pocky), and starting with the SNES game, her friend Manuke (Rocky) the tanuki. Virtually all the games (as far as I know) are top-down shoot-em-ups with environments, characters, and monsters that borrow heavily - in fact, often directly - from Japanese mythology.

For example, the very first Kiki Kaikai arcade game in 1986 had Pocky rescuing the Seven Lucky Gods from bands of yokai and other evil spirits, before throwing down with none other than Orochi himself. Yep, same one that’s in Okami. I haven’t played this one, so I couldn’t say if it’s any good, but the internet doesn’t seem too impressed with it. Probably the main takeaway from this game is its final boss, Rocky himself - this was the game he came from, and apparently where he and Pocky became friends.

But the game being remade and the one I fell in love with so long ago was the sequel to this - Kiki KaiKai: Nazo no Kuro Manto (Riddle of Black Mantle),  released in 1992 on the SNES. The plot is relatively simple: something is making Rocky’s friends, the Nopino goblins, go crazy and cause even more chaos than usual. He can’t seem to calm them down, so Rocky goes to Pocky’s shrine and asks for her help. Together (or by themselves, if you were me - but co-op was an option), they travel across the land, “curing” the goblins (by beating the shit out of them, this being an action game and all) and uncovering the reason why they got so riled up in the first place. If you figured out from the title that it’s because of a being called Black Mantle, give yourself a gold star. Again, it’s simple. But to kid Raku, the graphics looked amazing for the time and the background music - especially the one that plays in Black Mantle’s castle - is to this day some of my favorites.

This was followed up with another SNES sequel, Kiki KaiKai: Tsukiyo Soushi (Moonlit Night). (Or just Pocky and Rocky 2 stateside.) In this game, Pocky and her friends are enjoying a festival along with Princess Luna and her rabbit entourage. Suddenly, demons crash the party and kidnap the princess on behalf of their master. Personally I don’t like this one quite as much, but it’s still a very solid game, the graphics and music are still top-notch, and the new characters introduced are pretty cool. You don’t control them directly, but they follow Pocky around and shoot their own projectiles at enemies. You can also throw them at boss monsters.

No really, that’s a thing that happens. And it’s not even the most messed-up thing she can do to them. Stay tuned for that in-depth explanation in a later post! :D

Unfortunately, the third game in the series, Pocky and Rocky with Becky, was pretty disappointing. I never rented this one, it was for the Game Boy Advance, which I never had as a kid - but through the magic of emulators, I was able to give it a try a few years ago. It was slow and just wasn’t very good, gameplay-wise. Probably my first clue should have been the title. Not only is it a mouthful, it’s not very original to boot. Even in Japan it was known only as Kiki KaiKai Advance. Nowhere near as cool-sounding as Moonlight Night or Riddle of Black Mantle. Poor Becky doesn’t stand out very much either, not compared to the colorful cast of people and monsters on Pocky’s side in the last game. A spiritual sequel to Pocky and Rocky, Heavenly Guardian, was released on the PS2 in 2007, but I haven’t played this one either. According to the article though, critics didn’t really care much for it. Kind of sad for a series I liked so much to go out on a terrible note.

But again, I do like what I see in this new trailer for Reshrined. The animations look great, the music still sounds good, and it looks like they’re giving some of the bosses a revamp both in looks and attack patterns. I’d like to compare some of what I see in the trailer to the original I know and love, but that’s a lot of details, so I’ll save it for another post.

[arclundarchivist]

A Tale of Home

(SPOILERS FOR C2E107!!!)

(Turn back lest ye be spoiler masochists!)

(Final warning before the broadside!)

Vilya stepped across the threshold, the air growing chill within an instant as she shifted not only locales but elevations.

She spotted a motley group of strangers staring at her from across this amphitheater-like space, but her eyes immediately went blind to them as her eyes fell on the woman standing before them.

Keyleth.

Her Keyleth, a grown woman, her mane of red hair just as untamed as when she was a willful teenager, wearing the Mantle of the Tempest across her shoulders.

Her little girl was grown up, and she wondered for the briefest of moments if her daughter even knew who she was.

That fear was dashed aside immediately as her daughter gasped and rushed towards her, mantle and hair whipping in the wind as her bare feet pounded a frantic tempo against the earthen floor beneath their feet.

The embrace is ferocious, hungry for an affection long left to starve and Vilya holds on for dear life as if expecting her girl to turn to smoke in her grasp.

“Mom?!” Keyleth cries, her head buried in Volta’s shoulder, her voice choked by a bitter yet joyful sob.

“My girl.” Vilya returns, tears welling in her own eyes and her voice cracking with a relief filled grief, “I missed you.”

Keyleth buries her head deeper into her shoulder, and Vilya winces slightly as her daughter’s antlers crown nearly pokes her in the eye.

“Watch the antlers.” she jokes, eliciting a tear-madden laugh from her daughter.

Keyleth pulls away, clutching to her mother’s arms frantically, “How...how are you here?!”

Vilya chuckles, even as tears drip down her face, “That’s a long story.”

She draws her fingers through the Mantle on her daughter’s shoulders, “You’ve grown so much. My daughter the Tempest! I...I am so proud of you!”

She grasps Keyleth by the cheeks and kisses her forehead, eliciting and joyful gasp from her daughter, “That’s a long story too.”

It is then that Vilya becomes aware of the crowd standing around them, a host of wide smiles and tearful gazes standing waiting in the wings.

“Guys,” Keyleth says, turning to look at them with that big dorky grin Vilya swore was drawn straight from her memory, “My Mom’s alive!”

“We can see that Key.” a tanned Half-Elven woman with long dark hair states, her eyes filled with a smattering of unshed tears.

“Mom this is Vox Machina.” Keyleth said, gesturing around the crowd with a wide smile, “My other family.”

“Vex’ahlia de Rolo.” the Half-Elf woman stated, a wide but slightly imperious smile crossing her face, “But darling, you’re family, so call me Vex.”

Vilya nodded, turning to look at the man beside Vex who extended his hand to shake.

“Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the 3rd.” he offered, grinning slightly at the baffled look she gave him even as she took his hand.

“O-oh.” Vilya stuttered, blinking several times.

“Call me Percy.” he finished.

“You’re Keyleth’s mum?” another voice interrupted and Vilya found her eyes drawn further and further upward as she stared up into the face of a doleful bearded Goliath.

“I am.” she returned, gasping as he suddenly surged forward, dragging her off the ground in a bone-cracking hug.

“Welcome to the family!” he roared excitedly.

“She’s already family Grog,” Keyleth stated, fighting a smile at her mother’s increasingly bewildered expression.

He froze for several moments, “Welcome back then!”

He set her down as she was able to draw breath back into her body and turned at the sound of an elated chuckle.

“You get used to him.” a gnome man stated, dressed all in purple with a sort of smirking grin on his face, “Scanlan Shorthalt, at your service as is my wonderous, and beautiful wife Pike Trickfoot.”

He gestured next to himself, where an admittedly adorable gnome woman with stark white hair rolled her eyes and gave Vilya a wide smile.

“It’s so good to meet you,” she stated taking Vilya’s hand in a surprisingly strong grip.

“You’re right to be proud of Kiki.” Scanlan stated, “She’s a world-renowned hero.”

Vilya started, turning and looking at her daughter.

“Like I said.” Keyleth said with an awkward shrug of her shoulder, “It’s a long story.”

“It’s can’t wait to hear it,” Vilya stated, “But first is like to find your father.”

“Korrin should be here in a bit if the twerps don’t keep him anymore,” Scanlan stated.

Vilya turned and stared at her daughter, noticing her face becoming slightly wane in older grief, “Twerps? K-kids?

“Not mine.” Keyleth stated softly.

“She’s an Auntie.” Grog stated.

“Sorry, that took so long, I couldn’t find any ale Gro-.”

Vilya froze, as a familiar voice touched her ears, followed by a clattering of wood and shattering of clay cups, as she turned to see Korrin staring at her with a befuddled, but joyful expression.

She found herself caught in another sudden crushing hug, and as she melted into it she looked up spotting an overly large raven, who cocked its head as their eyes met. At that moment she swore that she saw a grin cross its beaked face as it winged into the air.

And she swore that carried on the breeze a voice whispered in her ear, “Welcome home.”