#she chose sword and on her own terms

[ilynpilled]

“Everywhere swords were singing.” - Arya XI

[sadisthetic]

hi. this is my dnd character for toonkind dnd that i first made 7 years ago that ive recycled twice now because i wanted to finally play an ongoing campaign with him. for his third life, not only did i give him a design update, hes also has undergone a MAJOR overhaul in terms of personality and backstory tho i kept some bare basics the same (human ranger with urchin background who LOVES swords and knifes A LOT. and that he has an ambiguous age) the overhaul includes the isekai. and that hes a cunt now. but hes funnier now too lol.

im adding some more details and trivia about him under the readmore

so like if it isnt obvious the double isekai is meant to mirror the fact that i fucking played with him in 3 separate campaigns now. its part of him metatextually now lol. he was such a different guy tho. an EXTREMELY LOYAL guy. now hes significantly more selfish. and rude as hell. but hes not that to be mean or malicious. hes actually a pretty nice guy hes just extremely inconsiderate bc he prioritizes his own wellbeing most of the time. its how he had to grow up

copy pasting this tweet i wrote about him "blade at 15 was a guy that shouldve been playing halo while drinking monster but instead hes a guy stealing apples and eating mushrooms off tree bark. miraculously few instances of poisoning all things considered"

he wouldve been a fucking gamer otaku fr. he got isekaied in the mid 2000s and as a kid he fucking LOVED watching dragonball on saturday mornings. if he got to be a teen on earth, he would eventually found the anime and gaming subcommunities online BUT ALAS. he grew up trying to catch fish with his bare hands. or at least he did until he gave up quick and ate weeds.

also. despite the hardships. hes like. fine? somethings wrong with him. but its not trauma. he didnt mourn his parents much although its not like he couldve done anything with their freshly isekaied corpses when immediately hes being chased by fucking beasts. its okay they were like b-tier parents. (hes definitely not a normal person.)

he wandered the woods trying his best to survive alone and in spite of everything trying to kill him (including the shit he ate...) he ended up in a nearby(?) town and things got a bit easier after that. because he could fucking steal to eat real food now. he stayed in the woods on the outskirts of town bc no one showed grace to a thief and just dropped in every so often to swipe shit. steadily he learned forage (through sheer trial and error)

he was highkey a menace. but eventually in his late teens, a traveling party gave him an idea to like fucking. get a job. as something. he managed to make it work as a ranger/guide for hire

he fucking loves booze. he absolutely underage drank. when he could steal it. and later pay for it. and also even though he could pay for things as an adult, he still steals shit if he thinks he can get away w it (he has an absurdly (or at least pretty) high sleight of hand stat)

before he got isekai'd a second time, went through a CATASTROPHIC DIVORCE with an elf woman who he met in an expedition party who became enamored with him after he saved her life. the uh. fallout happened bc blade didnt realize (and still hasnt realized) that hes kinda aro (fundamentally did not understand her romantic intentions and thought she was just a friend wanted to hang out w him a lot. those were dates.) and his ex didnt realize how onesided it was bc she was so love with him. geez.

also. he was from arizona. hes half white half mexican. but with all the time spent not speaking spanish in a different fucking world, it made any spanish speaking skills he had atrophy to hell. it happens and it was bound to happen bc he was so young and had like no reason or opportunity to practice.

also he chose his name. he hated his lame ass name so much he was like "wait. i dont have to use it anymore." but he was 13 fucking years old. anyways he thought blade sounded cool for a name. knifedad happened later when he got his first knife. he still had a bad naming sense. he was 14.

also although his ethics are kinda wack, whats important to note is that he ultimately doesnt want anyone to like. die. its like his policy. save people that he can while trying his best to not die himself

he also has a soft spot for kids. whether hed bc a good dad is debatable but like. i think hed be a nice one

most important note: his longsword is named Darla, his dagger is named Samantha, the knife in his pack is named Nicky, and his newly acquired strange glowy sword is named lucia, and he wants a cool greatsword very very very fucking bad

i drew him in his under clothing also so that i could have a better sense for his body type when i designed his new outfit im adding it here too. he has a shitton of scars bc hes the type that pisses ppl off that they wanna shank him and also he routinely eats shit a lot. a lot of the scars in this sketch are pretty random except for one specific injury for a certain backstory event i have in mind

[dragongirltongue]

working on a story/game/thing set in the 1990s, it's about the world changing and and the age of magic beginning. time is going to progress narratively only and I want the ending to take place on New Years to fit into the things are changing vibe.

The story is going to be playful but take itself seriously enough, think like Adventure Time or SLARPG in terms of tone, at least at this point in concept and development.

I'm thinking it'll either take place in '99 for the big heavy theming of entering the new millennium as the world changes forever.

Or

Somewhere earlier where the actual year turnover won't ultimately matter beyond the imagery of a new year beginning by the end of the story.

No show results option or suggest your own, though if you choose the second option and have a specific year in mind I'm very willing to listen, do give reasons if you suggest a specific year. Hell feel free to give reasons if you chose '99 too.

If you want more deets hit the read more.

So you wanna know more about this idea huh?

Well I was playing Tunic not long after Lenna's Inception and the Anodyne games and thought, hey I'd really love to make my own Zelda game too.

The idea is that 12,000ish years ago magic was discovered to be a thing by humanity, around this time a dragon appeared and warned that magic would doom the world. The magic users refused to listen and so a fight broke out, the dragon killed them all.

With the magic users all dead the dragon sealed earth in an anti-magic bubble and requested that their followers kill them to truly end all magic on earth, in their final moments they cast a spell with what magic is left inside the bubble to ensure they reincarnate if magic ever returns and can influence their new incarnation to destroy magic once again.

skip forward to the 1990s, after the industrial revolution caused untold amounts of ecological damage the anti-magic bubble is damaged along with all the horrors we know to have happened in reality.

At some point a corporation happens to find the truth, that magic exists and that a dragon is central to how it will alter our world. So they use it in several projects and build dragons to guard the locations these projects are taking place in. These locations then transform into dungeons.

Our hero finally enters the picture, Connie, a young woman who's just been doing whatever with her life, after investigating a rumor about monsters at a construction site she finds herself guided by a voice to take up a sword and fight the immitation dragons so she can achieve her true power, take on the form of a dragon herself, and save the world from the threat of magic.

Connie decides however after an accident at the first dungeon that maybe the world will be better off with magic as long as it's not solely in the hands of greedy rich bastards.

There's a lot more I have figured out but I think this is enough to get an idea for the poll. I am happy to blather more about the setting and Connie herself, her friends eventually too once I have them figured out. Feel free to send me asks about this. I'm prolly gonna make a sideblog for this at some point. Ideally once I have an idea if I can reasonably make a videos game or not lol.

[alena-draws]

I watched Blue Eye Samurai!

Something different for a change..let's make a series review! I finally came around to watching this Netflix Show that caught my interest about a year ago. Short summary: a full 8.5/10! Read under the cut if you want the long (not spoiler free) version of my review:

So first, let me tell you what I loved:

The Soundtrack? 10/10. That thing is beautiful, atmospheric, fitting...just overall, I love it.

The Voice Cast! 10/10 I just really think they are really fitting for their characters! Especially love the bad guys' voices.

The Artwork holy cow. 10/10. This thing could be a movie piece with how much care and effort is put into each background. Character designs also top notch! The colours, wow.

Scene writing/Shot writing. 10/10. I think they are done marvellously. The composition of each scene, how it progresses, the narration, I got nothing to complain!

Which, now, brings me to the overall story of the show! It's not a bad story, not at all, but I still have two things that I personally would have liked differently:

One, I am a bit disappointed that there's a second season. Probably a strong personal reference but I would have preferred this story to be done in one season only. It feels like they are turning this story about revenge into a bigger epos of finding your identity, coming to terms with the past and finding a new reason to keep going. Which are all cool themes. But, I'm not all that interested in them with these characters. I would have much rather preferred they keep this short, either Mizu gets her revenge, breaks apart in the process, or fails...whatever, but a quick definite ending for this story. On top of that, I don't feel like Mizu is really in a different place at the end of the season compared to the beginning. Of course she has found friends, and when she went back to her master she cleared her head to NOT be the demon everyone sees her at. But at the end, we're still on our way to England, for her to get her revenge. I'm sure they will make a good story out of it nonetheless- but with all the amazing skills in this project, they had the potential to make a great story out of it! Something shorter but with much more impact!

Which brings me to point 2: The story itself. Because it's a good story- but it's not a story that makes me go „Woaah ooof“ The writing of the scenes I think is really high level, but when it comes to the overall story, there's nothing that really takes me by surprise? For example: Mizu being a woman, and making her own sword out of the meteorite. Her childhood antagonist reappearing, they start off as antagonists but with some witty bickering they become somewhat friends, only to promise the potential to become even more in season 2. Of course they are back at the swordsmith's place before the final battle so that Mizu can find clarity of mind there. And Akemi, the girl that never should have been allowed to chose her own path stands atop the ruins of a country, where she might be one of the leading figures in s2. I like that there's a lot of character developmet with most characters, and that the circumstances are drastically different at the end of s1- but in a way, it feels a bit cliché to me.

My biggest fear is that everything that has been teasered, like the romance between Mizu and Taigen, Akemi's path to power, Mizu's return to the master to make her own sword- and everything that I can imagine Mizu might encounter in the new land with all the conflicting feelings that facing her ancestry will bring her- my fear is, that this might all come to be, in some way. I want to be surprised, and I want sudden unexpected elements to enter the story and change the relatively clear path that the characters are on! And going by season1, I'm not entirely sure I might get that. Well, that all sounds a bit more negative that it should probably. It's a great show! I'm just sulking a bit because..well, they could have closed everything off in one epic season with an epic showdown and BOY would I have loved to see a story about revenge where the main character completely breaks apart after accomplishing their goal. Anyway, I'm still excited for s2, and I dearly hope that everything I said and predicted here will be proven wrong!

[marichive]

𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 : 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎

Writing / roleplay prompts collected from the POV chapters of Catelyn Tully / Stark in A Clash of Kings , the second book of the ASOIAF saga. Feel free to adjust pronouns / etc. as needed.

tw: dark & mature themes, death, violence, suggestive / sexual content

❝ The ancient crown of the Kings of Winter had been lost three centuries ago. ❞

❝ It is no easy thing to wear a crown. ❞

❝ Kneel before the king. ❞

❝ He is not a bold man, this one. ❞

❝ I brought you from our cell to carry my message to your cousin. ❞

❝ I should be most glad to bring your message to the queen. ❞

❝ Understand, I am not giving you your freedom. ❞

❝ You chose to fight beneath a foe’s banner. ❞

❝ I want your pledge, on your honor as a knight. ❞

❝ I do so vow. ❞

❝ Every man in this hall has heard you. ❞

❝ I will do as I pledged. ❞

❝ What is this message? ❞

❝ An offer of peace. Meet my terms, and I will sheath this sword, and make an end to the war between us. ❞

❝ Living men had gone south, and cold bones would return. ❞

❝ He had the truth of it. ❞

❝ He will remain my hostage for his father’s good behavior. ❞

❝ Henceforth, we are no part of their realm, but a free and independent kingdom, as of old. ❞

❝ These are the terms. If she meets them, I’ll give her peace. ❞

❝ Did you see the look on his face? ❞

❝ Take this back to my bedchamber. ❞

❝ I wager there were others who felt the same. ❞

❝ How can we talk of peace while they spread like pestilence over my father’s domains, stealing his crops and slaughtering his people? ❞

❝ We lack the strength. ❞

❝ Do we grow stronger sitting here? ❞

❝ You cannot ask them to remain idle while their fields are being pillaged and their people put to the sword. ❞

❝ It would be an ill thing if he were to leave us. ❞

❝ He lost sons. Who can blame him if he does not want to make peace with their killers? ❞

❝ More bloodshed will not bring your father back to us. ❞

❝ An offer had to be made. ❞

❝ I can’t release him, not even if I wanted to. My lords would never abide it. ❞

❝ Your lords made your their king. ❞

❝ If your crown is the price we must pay to have them returned safe, we should pay it willingly. ❞

❝ Was it war that made you grow so fast, or the crown they put on your head? ❞

❝ The boy has the right of this. ❞

❝ Don’t call me ‘the boy’. I am a man grown, and your king. ❞

❝ That was unworthy of me. ❞

❝ Gods be good, what has become of me? ❞

❝ He is doing his best, trying so hard, I know it, I see it, and yet . . . ❞

❝ I have lost him, the rock my life was built on. ❞

❝ I could not bear to lose them as well. ❞

❝ I’ll do all that I can for them. ❞

❝ If she has any sense, she’ll accept my terms. ❞

❝ I’ll make her rue the day she refused me. ❞

❝ Kings are not supposed to have mothers, it would seem. ❞

❝ I could command you to go. As king. I could. ❞

❝ He’s been a hostage half his life. ❞

❝ He is not a man to be trusted. ❞

❝ Does he know you have returned? ❞

❝ You will want to hear my tidings in private first. ❞

❝ You have her face. I can see it in your cheekbones, and your jaw. ❞

❝ You remember more of her than I do. ❞

❝ I wish I had their faith. ❞

❝ That’s blood up there, smeared across the sky. ❞

❝ Was there ever a war where only one side bled? ❞

❝ When he hears this, he will rage. ❞

❝ Even terror has its purpose. ❞

❝ He would like to fight on a field of his own choosing. ❞

❝ He’ll want something. ❞

❝ I want to weep. I want to be comforted. I am so tired of being strong. ❞

❝ I want to be foolish and frightened for once. Just for a small while. ❞

❝ No one has ever died of restlessness, but rashness is another matter. ❞

❝ You are all your lord father claimed you were. ❞

❝ As champion, you may ask of me any boon that you desire. ❞

❝ If it lies in my power, it is yours. ❞

❝ My life for yours, Your Grace. From this day on, I am your shield, I swear it by the old gods and the new. ❞

❝ If you wish, we may stand here in the mud and debate what honors and titles are rightly due to each, but it strikes me that we have more pressing matters to consider. ❞

❝ My lady, when you are rested, I would be honored if you would share our meat and mead at the feast tonight. ❞

❝ What is mine is yours. ❞

❝ My sweet queen is all the woman I desire. ❞

❝ Can you drown in grief? ❞

❝ They are boys drunk on song and story, and like all boys, they think themselves immortal. ❞

❝ They’re young and strong, full of life and laughter. ❞

❝ And lust, aye, more lust than they know what to do with. There will be many a bastard bred this night, I promise you. ❞

❝ They are the knights of summer, and winter is coming. ❞

❝ In the songs all knights are gallant, all maids are beautiful, and the sun is always shining. ❞

❝ I feel the need of some air. Will you walk with me? ❞

❝ He would make an appalling king. Nor is he like to become one. ❞

❝ Men respect him, even fear him, but precious few have ever loved him. ❞

❝ I mean to be king, my lady, and not of a broken kingdom. ❞

❝ We are the first. ❞

❝ Gods grant that I shall do the same. ❞

❝ This is no fight of ours. ❞

❝ I know the king would not wish his mother to put herself at risk. ❞

❝ We are all at risk. ❞

❝ Do you think I wish to be here? ❞

❝ He sent me to speak for him, and speak for him I shall. ❞

❝ It is a sort of game kings play. ❞

❝ I had not thought to find you here. ❞

❝ I am sorry for your lord’s death, though he was no friend to me. ❞

❝ He was never your enemy. ❞

❝ He did his duty, I will not deny it. Did I ever do less? ❞

❝ Yet he took it. That which should have been mine. ❞

❝ How they love to promise heads, these men who would be king. ❞

❝ Men give their allegiance where they will. ❞

❝ I only want what is mine by rights. ❞

❝ We share a common foe who would destroy us all. ❞

❝ The whole of the realm denies it. Old men deny it with their death rattle, and unborn children deny it in their mothers’ wombs. They deny it in Dorne and they deny it on the Wall. No one wants you for their king. ❞

❝ I swore I would never treat with you while you wore your traitor’s crown. ❞

❝ Younger, bolder, and far more comely. ❞

❝ We are all traitors, however good our reasons. ❞

❝ I fear she never saw your little letter. ❞

❝ They are bastards. ❞

❝ Isn’t that a sweet story, my lady? ❞

❝ I must say, it took my breath away. ❞

❝ Do you name me a liar? ❞

❝ If you step in a nest of snakes, does it matter which one bites you first? ❞

❝ You’ve never tasted anything so sweet, I promise you. ❞

❝ I did not come here to eat fruit. ❞

❝ A man should never refuse to taste a peach. ❞

❝ I did not come here to be threatened, either. ❞

❝ When I make threats, you’ll know it. ❞

❝ You’ll be pleased to know she came to me a maid. ❞

❝ Oh, I expect I’ll get a son on her within the year. ❞

❝ How many sons do you have? Oh, yes – none. ❞

❝ If my wife looked like yours, I’d send my fool to service her as well. ❞

❝ Enough! I will not be mocked to my face, do you hear me? I will not! ❞

❝ I hope your new god’s a merciful one. ❞

❝ It grieves me that it must come to this. ❞

❝ You have a cheerful way of grieving. ❞

❝ You must allow a king some flaws, my lady. ❞

❝ I had hoped to help you make peace. I will not help you make war. ❞

❝ She loves him, poor thing. ❞

❝ She’d play his squire just to touch him, and never care how great a fool they think her. ❞

❝ Stay and help me pray. It’s been so long I’ve quite forgotten how. ❞

❝ Did your old gods ever answer you? When you knelt before your heart tree, did you hear them? ❞

❝ When they took his head off, they killed me too. ❞

❝ Death came in that door and blew the life out of him as swift as the wind snuffed out his candles. ❞

❝ Are you blind? The girl loved him. ❞

❝ Some say that after the battle, the king cut out Stafford Lannister’s heart and fed it to the wolf. ❞

❝ I would not believe such tales. He is no savage. ❞

❝ That is no common wolf, that one. ❞

❝ The gods don’t care about men, no more than kings care about peasants. ❞

❝ A good king does care. ❞

❝ Only a mother would keep her children safe, however she could. ❞

❝ I am not made to be a mother. I need to fight. ❞

❝ I could serve you. If you would have me. ❞

❝ You could have let them kill me. I was nothing to you. ❞

❝ When the time comes, I will not hold you back. ❞

❝ I am yours, my lady. Your liege man, or … whatever you would have me be. I will shield your back and keep your counsel and give my life for yours, if need be. I swear it by the old gods and the new. ❞

❝ I vow that you shall always have a place by my hearth and meat and mead at my table, and pledge to ask no service of you that might bring you into dishonor. I swear it by the old gods and the new. ❞

❝ He asked for you. I did not know what to tell him. ❞

❝ He risks all for a baseborn boy whose blood is not even his own. ❞

❝ He has made common cause with a power greater and darker. ❞

❝ Have you forgiven me? ❞

❝ You’ve done nothing that needs forgiveness. ❞

❝ He loves you fiercely. Believe that. ❞

❝ I gave him my favor to wear. ❞

❝ I gave my maidenhood to this solemn stranger and sent him off to his war and his king and the woman who bore him his bastard, because I always did my duty. ❞

❝ Why do boys so love to play at war? ❞

❝ Knights die in battle, as ladies die in childbed. No one sings songs about them. ❞

❝ Children are a battle of a different sort. A battle without banners or warhorns, but no less fierce. ❞

❝ At times I feel as though I am being torn apart. ❞

❝ And who will keep you safe, my lady? ❞

❝ Someday you must sing for me. ❞

❝ If we are winning, why am I so afraid? ❞

❝ I am a creature of grief and dust and bitter longings. There is an empty place within me where my heart was once. ❞

❝ I only thought you might enjoy happier company than mine. ❞

❝ Will holding it secret in your heart make it any less true? ❞

❝ What god would let this happen? He was only a baby! How could he deserve such a death? ❞

❝ Ice can kill as dead as fire. ❞

❝ The Starks do not use headsmen. They always said that the man who passes the sentence should swing the blade. ❞

❝ I will not sleep away my grief. ❞

❝ I fear I am in no condition to receive you. ❞

❝ Look at me, ser. ❞

❝ I see you had no taste for the wine I sent you. ❞

❝ I can have your head off anytime I want. Why would I need to poison you? ❞

❝ We granted you the comfort of a tower cell befitting your birth and station. You repaid us by trying to escape. ❞

❝ A cell is a cell. ❞

❝ No? Then surely it was to have your pleasure of me. It’s said that widows grow weary of their empty beds. ❞

❝ I suppose I could still service you if that’s what you need. Pour us some of that wine and slip out of that gown and we’ll see if I’m up to it. ❞

❝ Was there ever a man as beautiful or as vile as this one? ❞

❝ If you said that in my son’s hearing, he would kill you for it. ❞

❝ Why should I tell you anything. ❞

❝ You think I fear death? ❞

❝ Your crimes will have earned you a place of torment in the deepest of the seven hells, if the gods are just. ❞

❝ If there are gods, why is the world so full of pain and injustice? ❞

❝ There are no men like me. There’s only me. ❞

❝ There is nothing here but arrogance and pride, and the empty courage of a madman. ❞

❝ If there was ever a spark of honor in him, it is long dead. ❞

❝ Stay, and you shall have your answers . . . for a price. ❞

❝ Answer my questions and I’ll answer yours. ❞

❝ People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it’s served up. ❞

❝ I am strong enough to hear anything you care to say. ❞

❝ You would never ask that unless you knew the answer. ❞

❝ I want it from your own lips. ❞

❝ He is mine. ❞

❝ You admit to being her lover? ❞

❝ Do all my kin still live? ❞

❝ You were a knight, sworn to defend the weak and innocent. ❞

❝ He was spying on us. ❞

❝ You meant for him to die. ❞

❝ I seldom fling children from towers to improve their health. Yes, I meant for him to die. ❞

❝ You swear you had no part in sending him? ❞

❝ I may indeed have shit for honor, I won’t deny it, but I have never yet hired anyone to do my killing. ❞

❝ Are you trying to deceive me? ❞

❝ Believe what you will, I’m past caring what people say of me. ❞

❝ Your boy must be feeling lonely. ❞

❝ How can you still count yourself a knight, when you have forsaken every vow you ever swore? ❞

❝ So many vows … they make you swear and swear. It’s too much. No matter what you do, you’re forsaking one vow or the other. ❞

❝ Only a man like you would be proud of such an act. ❞

❝ We made a bargain, I can deny you nothing. ❞

❝ I do not want to know this. ❞

❝ I think it passing odd that I am loved by one for a kindness I never did, and reviled by so many for my finest act. ❞

❝ Come, don’t you find this all terribly amusing? ❞

❝ That name again. I don’t think I’ll fuck you after all, he had you first, didn’t he? I never eat off another man’s trencher. ❞

❝ Give me your sword. ❞

[blueskittlesart]

Something that I wish I saw more people talk about is that 10,000 years between cycles is a /really/ long time. Like, all of human civilization long. Personally I think that feels like too long and it kinda frustrates me, like, stagnating in the middle ages for that long just seems incredibly unlikely. What're your thoughts on this? Do you think there's a reason they chose this time frame? That is has some sort of significance, some thematic tie-in to waiting and hope, etc?

the 10k year gap is the most important piece of botw's setting and it's fundamentally the reason everything in the story happens. you're right that it seems frustratingly long. that's deliberate. 10k years of peace is an unprecedented amount of time, especially for hyrule, which we know to be stuck in a repeating cycle which has NEVER taken that long to reset before. if you want to know why i think the gap happens in terms of like, in-universe cause and effect you can read this, but from a writing perspective, the 10k year gap gives context to the entire setting of botw.

botw is one of the most interesting explorations of the franchise's lore to date because it shows us a hyrule which has essentially forgotten its own history. every game post-sksw except botw has shows us hylians with a decent understanding of the creation myth and the reincarnation cycle. how much is remembered and accurate varies from game to game, but hyruleans almost always know that the goddess hylia gave humans a gift (the triforce) which offered a wish/ultimate power, and that throughout history evil forces have risen up to try to claim that power for themselves, requiring the goddess's heir and a hero chosen by fate to work together to defeat that evil. sometimes the courage/wisdom/power balance will be well-known, sometimes it won't be, but they almost always have at least a baseline understanding of that story. botw hyrule does not.

botw hyruleans have only the most surface-level understanding of what's actually going on irt ganon -- they know that he is somehow related to another evil force which rose 10k years ago, they know that the princess is supposed to inherit a power with the capability of stopping ganon, and they know that the soldier who is capable of wielding the master sword is supposed to help the princess somehow. this is the complete extent of their knowledge. it's unclear if zelda even knows that her power is because she is directly related to the original reincarnation of hylia or not. the triforce has been completely lost to time, and with it the reason why ANY OF THIS is happening in the first place. with so little actual understanding of the conflict they find themselves in the middle of, OF COURSE link and zelda are doomed to fail. Zelda can't possibly awaken her sealing power with no understanding of where it comes from. Link can't possibly defeat ganon without zelda's power to back him up, not to mention the inadequacy he feels for not being able to hear the sword's "voice" -- presumably fi, who hasn't been heard in a single game since sksw, but link doesn't KNOW that. he only knows that there's a voice he's supposed to hear that he can't. no one in hyrule has any idea what ganon's motivation for attacking them is because they don't even have any CONCEPT of the triforce anymore. they had no chance of winning because they had no understanding of what they were up against. and the REASON they have no understanding about what they're up against is because it's been then thousand years since that knowledge was last topical. maybe the knowledge was passed down for a hundred, or even a thousand years after the last cycle, but after a couple thousand years of peace humans will start to wonder why they bother learning all this complicated war history if it's never going to be topical again. thus, the knowledge that might have saved modern link and zelda is lost to time, and so when the time comes that a new hero and princess ARE needed, they are forced to spend years carrying out empty gestures, with no clue what they ACTUALLY need to defeat ganon. i think the most obvious example of this is the spring ceremonies zelda does in botw. they're obviously imitations of the purifying ceremonies sksw zelda went through to regain her memories as the goddess hylia, but to botw zelda they're just motions she has to carry out in the hopes of gaining hylia's power. she doesn't understand the significance behind the motions she's carrying out, so of course she doesn't get the desired result.

so yeah, tldr the 10k year gap is the most important framing device in all of botw. it contextualizes the struggles of link and zelda as they attempt to recreate a story they only have a few burnt pages of. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[mysticraven20]

Something new coming for @adrinetteapril

Synopsis:

In the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Adrien Agreste, the up and coming movie star, finds himself in a sticky situation after his father’s villainous past is exposed.

Meanwhile, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his quirky and adorable best friend, is determined to move on from her secret crush on Adrien by diving into the world of online dating.

But their carefully constructed plans unravel when Marinette stumbles upon the shocking truth: Adrien is engaged—to her!

Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, Marinette must come to terms with her unrequited love while navigating the complexities of a newfound relationship with the man of her dreams.

Filled with hilarious misunderstandings and heartfelt moments, they must confront their own feelings and decide if their love story is meant for the silver screen or something even more magical.

Releasing 01/04/24 - posting (hopefully) one chapter per day

Sneak peek 👀

Chapter One - Marinette

Prompt: Dating Sim

In the secret realm of guilty pleasures, where indulgence meets amusement, lies a world where chocolate conspiracies and Netflix binges are celebrated like noble quests. A place where ice cream tubs are thrones, and the remote control wields power unmatched by any swords. The dessert of existence – delightful, often decadent, and occasionally leaving you questioning your life choices. In the grand symphony of life, guilty pleasures are the cheeky notes that play when society’s serious strings take a coffee break.

Or, in Marinette’s case, during your coffee break.

“Oh, Ladybug, Ladybug, Ladybug! What are you doing?” Sitting on the bench by the side of the Seine, Marinette moved around a little to try and get herself more comfortable. She continued to angrily tap around on her phone.

She was sure she hadn’t instructed her sim to do this!

Her eyes shifted back down to her phone, the speech bubbles appearing as her character started talking once again to the guy she was trying her hardest to date, it was such a shame that no matter which option she chose, her character still managed to mess it up.

Example A: Ladybug landed on the rooftop in front of a worried Chat Noir, yet with every option she chose he seemed to get angry and vault off into the sunset. She’d reset the level multiple times and was still failing on getting her date.

…Much like real life.

Reset!

[primatechnosynthpop]

Bustin' meshi. Or something idk (click for full view)

[ID: drawings of fantasy versions of the real ghostbusters, specifically set in the universe of dungeon meshi. Peter is a cat beastkin and is sitting with his knees drawn up and a somewhat sullen expression. Ray is a half-foot who's reading with an excited smile from a book that's giving off magic energy. Egon is an elf who's wearing a cape and holding a staff, hair blowing in the wind as he casts a spell. Winston is a tall-man wearing armour and has a hand poised near his sword, but is otherwise relaxed. Janine is an elf hybrid holding a staff with a sly smile. The colours of their outfits evoke their designs from the show. Each drawing is accompanied by a short bio, transcribed under the cut:

Peter- His father had him made into a werecat as a young child so he could earn money as an attraction at the traveling circus his family worked for. He reluctantly agreed only because he and his mother needed the money. Unbeknownst to either of them at the time, the spell didn't include the ability to switch between forms. After his mother died, he took up refuge in the dungeon, scrounging and scavenging to survive while searching for a way to remove the spell.

He bartered with adventurers for supplies and sometimes ripped them off, but never robbed anyone directly. When he got a little older he started working as a rogue for hire, but never stuck around with anyone for long until he met his current party members. He has solid fighting skills, and lately his teammates have been trying to teach him magic, but he’s largely disinterested despite showing aptitude for it. He doesn’t care much for monsters.

Ray- When his parents died deep in the dungeon, he was taken in by gnomes who were their former party members. They taught him gnomish magic, but his curiosity ran deeper and he began researching elven magic as well. He can’t use much offensive magic himself, but he likes learning about it anyway.

Apart from an impressive collection of tomes and grimoires, he also enjoys books of the non-magic variety. Lately he’s taken up blacksmithing as a hobby. He’s weaker in direct combat and often has to stay on the sidelines during fights-- much to his own frustration, as he’d like to see monsters up close

Egon- A top student at the country's leading magic academy, he's obsessed with magic of all kinds, including the forbidden sort. He knows all there is to know about monsters and the dungeon.

His parents were court magicians and wanted the same for him, but he chose to venture into the dungeon against their warnings because he wanted to see monsters up close and prove to himself he could defeat them. His spellcasting ability is tremendous, but his arrogance has gotten him in trouble often and his healing magic, though effective, is quite painful for the recipient. His long-term goal is to destroy the demon.

Winston- He wasn’t interested in joining his father’s carpentry guild but knew he had to support his family somehow, so he left home and spent some years as a soldier in his youth. When he returned home, he put the fighting skills he’d learned to use as an adventurer for hire despite not being especially interested in dungeons. His lockpicking skills also came in handy here, as some parties would hire him as a rogue if they already had enough fighters. He’s skilled in his trade and has a lot of valuable experience, but knows very little about monsters or magic apart from what his grandmother taught him as a child.

His father didn’t want him exploring dungeons or hanging around magic users, which deepened the existing conflict betwen them. His mother doesn’t mind as much long as he keeps himself safe, and even gets along with some of his party members. He had never gone deeper than the third floor before joining his current party.

Janine- Raised in a diverse community in the Southern Central Continent, she has gnome ancestry on her mother's side, which often leads to her being mistaken for a half-elf. Because of this, she has some hangups about her appearance, particularly her red hair. Her magic is largely self-taught and there’s a lot she still doesn’t know, but several parties have hired her as a healer/support caster, and she’s proven herself quite capable. However, she’s not content to stay in support roles, and tries to contribute to fights even if she still needs to work on aiming her fireball spells. Her healing magic is only mildly painful, but her bedside manner leaves much to be desired.

She's not too interested in monsters, let alone the dark arts, but she'll follow the person she loves down any path, no matter how dangerous it may be-- although not without voicing her complaints now and then.

End ID]

[mantisgodsdomain]

Can u perchance turn the pale king into some sort of bird... Different bug eldritch horror than a snake

We like to think that the worship of a god can directly impact the forms that they can appear in, as well as the way they're seen. We want to clean this up and add some more lore later, here - apocryphal depictions are fun to toy with, with gods.

[With the region's prior population overwhelmingly favoring The Radiance, often depicted in similar forms, it is perhaps inevitable that the region's previous artistic shorthands and predispositions carried forward into worship of this newer god, particularly as His domain overlapped so much with The Radiance. The Star, though it turns up consistently across a multitude of paintings, is always simply a low presence - attributed, perhaps, to the Pale King's lack of desire to be confused with his predecessor, especially as worship of the Pale King and worship of The Radiance were often pitted against each other in this time. As the symbol could easily be confused with that of his predecessor, The Star was discouraged as a depiction, and at some times explicitly not allowed. Still, it remained as a consistent motif throughout the years, even occasionally being used as a symbol of both gods at once.

The Sword-beak is quite facinating, by comparison - though it incorporates many details formerly seen in depictions of The Radiance, particularly in depicting the god as a feathered fleshbeast. Still, it is unique in how it depicts this aspect - whereas The Radiance is most often depicted as a larger, rounder beast, with a heart-shape for a face, The Sword-beak towers over the scene, depicted as a long, stretched-out beast with a many-sided beak. Depicted by some artists, the feathers of the beast itself are seen as nails or similar tools.

Commonly, He is explicitly shown as being "above" His kingdom when depicted in this form - though gifts and tools from its feathers may fall down from above, He himself does not see or hear the bugs below, too massive of a presence to acknowledge the peasantry below. This, as such, is in direct contrast to many depictions of The Radiance in Her own feathered beast depictions, often still shown as among Her moths even when She is a beast of a nature wholly different from theirs.

The Sword-beak's detached nature meant it was more frequently used for satirical depictions of the King, or political art, than art made for sake of worship. As such, it was prone to coming under fire from those who believed that all depictions of Him made in such a way were purely for the sake of mockery, or those who believed it was too similar to prior depictions of The Radiance – notably, there are multiple records from this time showing a trend towards accusing artists who chose to depict him in this way of worship of The Radiance, despite this depiction being very notably distinct from Her own featherbeast depictions, both in terms of literal form and in terms of stylism.]

[tobifuyu]

Die For You • Chapter 01

RAN HAITANI x f!reader

You’re losing me: And I wouldn’t marry me either, a pathological people pleaser, who only wanted you to see her.

cw: nsfw, mdni, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, eventual smut, smut, fluff, angst, references to depression, drugs, panic attacks, blood and violence, prostitution, basically anything that has to do with bonten, protective haitani ran, sanzu haruchiyo is his own warning.

Masterlist. | Previous Chapter.

Pah's wedding had finally come to an end. Straight out of a fucking movie, Chizu had whispered to Chifuyu when Hina had caught the bouquet.

They are now walking back home, just the two of them, Kazutora had chosen to stay behind and have a drink with Inupi. The odd pair had become unusually close through the years despite how she thought their past would clash. After all, Kazutora was the one who had killed Inupi's mentor.

Chizu guesses people could say the same about his relationship with the pet shop's owner and herself. They had picked up Kazutora when he got out of juvie and offered him a place to stay, a job, and comfort as he navigated back into the world after 10 years of being locked away. But most of all, forgiveness.

It took Chifuyu a couple of years to come to terms with it, not the fact that Baji was gone itself, but how it wasn't Kazutora's fault entirely. For Chizu, that had never even gone into question.

She grow up alongside her brother and Kazutora and knew how much the former loved him. So much he was willing to die for him. So who was she to question it?

She had always thought of how unfair it was, that Keisuke chose to die for Kazutora and Mikey, instead of living for her and Chifuyu.

"Hold onto each other." He had told them. Maybe that was why when the two had to be dragged away from his cold body, they had grabbed ahold of one another, with blood still staining their clothes and held on for days on end, until no more salty tears were coming out of puffy eyes and the sobs stopped shaking their smaller bodies.

Baji Keisuke had died to protect Kazutora and Mikey, to protect Toman.

So when the first stages of grief stopped clouding the mind of a then-younger Chizu, she decided her life purpose was to make sure her brother had not died in vain.

She would hold onto Chifuyu, forgive Kazutora, and save Mikey for her brother.

Not too long after it, Chifuyu and her had come to their first agreement of many.

"So he's back, huh."

"Fucking finally, that moron."

"Y'know it's only been something like 2-3 seconds for him, right Fuyu?"

"Yeah, but he made us wait 12 freaking years, I get to be mad." But he isn't and she knows, 'cause a smile is stretching his pretty lips so hard that his pearly whites are showing. Chizu likes it when he gets like this, he hasn't been this happy in a while.

She'd hate to ruin the mood but she feels like if she doesn't ask she might just choke on it, the question that is rising up her throat so fast she feels like vomiting.

"Is he happy?"

"Seems like it, yeah."

"Does he know, babe?" She adds the pet name to sweeten the pill.

At a very young age, surrounded by mostly boys, she quickly realized that her womanhood was a double-edged sword, so she learned how to use her voice, her manners, and her body to get what she wanted. It's not like she ever enjoyed flaunting herself, far from it, but even now she doesn't know any better. Most men are simple, and she is not a woman of many talents, but a smart one at that, always trying to make do with what she is given.

"Draken-kun and I stuck to the plan, he doesn't need to know as of now..."

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard this week!" But with Chifuyu, Chizu never learned to hide her rough edges. "You and Draken both, are dumb pieces of shit. Withholding something like that from the man that saved your asses!" She shakes her head disapprovingly, freeing herself from the grip he had on her hand. "Just know that if it comes to it, I won't lie to Takemichi. He deserves to know the truth. I don't care if you both selfishly wanna keep your perfect little future. Mikey is lost, and after all Michi has gone through to save him, he deserves to know."

Hearing her words, it's like a switch flips off inside Chifuyu's head, and all the pent-up anger comes rushing out of his mouth like an avalanche carrying away sweet little old Chifuyu.

"You're joking, right? Me and Draken, selfish? Perfect little future? Emma-chan is dead, and Draken-kun’s plan after having to sit through that fucking wedding is to visit her grave. Baji-san died in my arms twelve fucking years ago and I dream about it every single shitty night you don't come back home because you're out doing god knows what-" He grips her shoulders to steady her body and looks into her wide eyes.

He realizes her lower lip is trembling, and he knows he's gone too far. He also knows she can take it, Chizu's a big girl, but whenever her brother is mentioned it's like her mind goes back to that junkyard. He can sense she's far away now.

"I just- he just came back, give him some time to adjust. Some time to be with Hina-chan, that's what he deserves." At this point, his thumbs are rubbing circles on the skin left bare by the sleeves of her pale lilac dress, a color he'd always found pretty on her, and always made sure to tell her so. "And what if... even if he came to know, doesn't mean he'll want to go back again. I hope he doesn't, Chizu. I- call me selfish, I don't care. I don't wanna lose you too."

She's rotating the ring on her finger as he speaks, feeling the weight of it and the friction against her skin. She doesn't know if it feels comforting or foreign, but when she raises to meet his stare, Chifuyu's eyes are so green that all she wants to do is kiss him, now.

She understands. Chifuyu, just like Takemichi, has spent years of his life sacrificing himself to make others happy, her included. For Chizu to be calling him selfish just because he wants to hold onto her a little longer is very ironic.

Isn't she doing the same thing by not telling him?

 

So when they reach their home in silence, she's the one who kisses him once the door closes behind his back. The pillowy feeling of his lips against hers is so welcomed after such a long day of pretending, just like the heat he brings to her body when he grabs her waist and presses against her. The slip dress is thin, she can feel the rough fabric of his suit and she drops her head back while he descends his kisses down the column of her neck, holding the back of it with one of his hands tangled in the root of her hair.

She wants him to pull, she likes when he's rough. They've only ever been with one another, and the other's body is no secret to either one of them. When she begs “Fuyu, please” with that whiny voice of hers, she doesn't have to ask twice. He would give her anything and everything.

So he makes his hands run down the side of her body, ‘cause he likes to touch her just as much as he likes to taste her, and grasps a handful of her tighs, lifting her with her arms around his neck while he walks the way to their room, mouths never parting from each other if not for the occasional moan that leaves her pretty, now kissed raw, lips.

—

The morning after, Chizu decides to bring Chifuyu lunch at work (which she used to do all the time when he first opened up the shop, mostly to have an excuse to see him throughout their busy and different work schedules). Her off day is not an eventful one so far. She still has to pick up her crappy car from Draken and Inupi’s, but she has no rush to do so.

As she walks to the building her mind is somewhere else. She can still hear Naoto’s words ringing inside her ears from previously this week. She had been feeling guilty for a long time, but ever since his reprimand she kept picking herself apart for not being truthful with Chifuyu about her job, and her clouded mind ends up being her demise. This time, Chizu cannot stop herself from noticing them, as she has done in the past.

She has a hand on the handle while the other is holding onto the bento box that she has happily prepared, still giddy from the night before, and the cloth tied with a ribbon over it is as red as the apple of his cheeks when the noise of the bell startles him, making him take a rushed step away from the brunette who’s back is to her.

He doesn’t have to turn around, she’d recognize him anywhere, and she mentally chastises herself for realizing too late how their similarity is most likely what makes it so enjoyable for her to drive around on his bike.

Kazutora looks just like Keisuke with his back turned, damned be his dyed hair. That’s the same view he must’ve had of my brother right before stabbing him, she thinks.

Chizu also realizes it must be the reason why Chifuyu never opens his eyes when he kisses them both, any long dark hair he can grab onto will do, right?

Standing still and lost in thoughts, she flinches the moment the box of food reaches the ground filling the silent space between them with a resounding thump. Her grip had wavered, and now with wide eyes and anger pumping through her veins as if it were laced with her own blood, she fully takes a step inside and lets the door of the shop close behind her figure.

She doesn’t know exactly why she’s mad. Didn’t she know about it already? She had always known about Chifuyu’s little crush on her older brother, ever since the day the latter brought him home to eat that cheap yakisoba of his. Keisuke had approached her after the blond had left to enthusiastically tell her how he had “Found a nice guy for you to get over stupid Mikey”. But in actuality, he hadn’t, and she hadn’t.

Is she mad because the last 12 years were nothing but a lie she had gladly believed? The bruises of last night are still fresh on her skin and now stinging like an open wound, reminding her of how she had given herself to him willingly and had selfishly believed his “I love you”. Or is it because she suspects Kazutora is just as much of a victim in all of this?

Kazutora, whom all his life had never been able to tell apart who cared about him from who didn’t.

But Chifuyu isn’t cruel like that. Then is she mad because he finally found what she had failed to give him for over a decade in someone else?

Maybe… just maybe, she’s mad because she feels like she has to be. She has to keep pretending, holding onto her façade so that everything can go as smoothly as planned. The timing is excellent, this is her way out.

This is the only way she can do this without ending up as the bad guy. She has unfortunately always cared about appearances. She could come out of it clean, without ever having to tell him about that and then inevitably alarming every single one of their friends.

The problem is, she has also always been incredibly proud, and nothing but a sore loser. And when you mix these two, you get a cold-ass bitch who doesn’t know when to hold her tongue, ready to pierce through people’s hearts with it.

She craves to hit where it hurts the most and takes pleasure in knowing that she can knock people down a couple of pegs by simply not giving a fuck. When she gets like this, no remark can even phase her.

Until she comes down from the high and ends up crying about it alone in her room. She doesn’t enjoy being mean, it just happens. And there’s no stopping it now, not when Chifuyu pretends like nothing has happened. Yeah, she might’ve been willing to close a blind eye in the past, but she was done being played with like she was stupid.

A slow clapping is what accompanied her bittersweet laugh, “Oh, I see how it is.”

Both of them stay uncharacteristically quiet, but they know nothing could be said to save the situation anymore. Kazutora finally turns to face her, and the sight of his apologetic face sends her over the edge. He pities her, she doesn’t like it.

“I hope you know Kazutora, that he’s just using you because you’re the next best thing to my brother. You definitely have something that I don’t.”

His eyes are big like saucers, but he doesn’t dare to say anything back. Chifuyu, on the other hand, looks offended, as if he wasn't shoving his tongue down their friend’s throat just now.

“Chizu, I understand you're mad but don't take it too far.”

“I don’t even know what to say to you,” she scoffs, and he moves closer to her, extending his arms to grab at her frame and rub over her skin like he usually does when she gets distraught, “Don’t touch me.”

Chifuyu drops his hold, and Chizu moves as if to leave but he calls out to her, “Please, we need to talk about this, just hear me out.”

She can see Kazutora in her peripheral, rubbing his neck out of embarrassment.

“You need to move on.”

“Rich coming from you out of all people.”

He’s right , I’m a hypocrite. I’m doing all of this so that I can finally run off and look for him , and he doesn’t even know.

“Well, at least Mikey is not dead.”

 

The moment those words leave her lips she knows there is no going back. Chifuyu looks at her as if she’s the one who had stabbed Baji in the first place. The sadness in his emerald eyes reflects the feeling of betrayal that she, herself, is feeling on the inside

Serves him well.

“Don’t come looking for me.” she warns both of them as she leaves the shop, heart-wrenching as those words resound in her head.

She will never forget the faces they made as she walked away. Chizu wishes that in another life – another timeline – all four of them could have been happy together.

—

Chizu doesn’t cry as she walks to the bike shop, nor when Draken takes her upstairs to his shared apartment and sits her down on the couch.

“What happened?” He knows her, so he can tell something is wrong.

“I found Chifuyu kissing someone else.”

She doesn’t have to say whom, Draken already knows, but he is taken aback all the same. He had never thought Chifuyu would do such a thing to her.

“I’m gonna kill him,” He whispers as he gets up from his crouched position in front of the couch, but she grasps his forearm before he can make his exit.

“No, I don’t care. I just needed to leave, can I crash here for a couple of days? Just until we move forward with the plan and I can get my shit together.”

“Knock yourself out,” he holds the hand that was grabbing at him and rubs over her knuckles with his thumb, “you know where everything is. You can wear some of my clothes.”

“Thank you, Ken, I appreciate it.”

 

When Drakes comes back to the apartment later that day, Chizu is trying to whip up something for dinner. She has never been much of a cook, so instant Ramen will do. She wanted to repay Ken’s kindness with a hot meal, so she plates it to make it look more presentable.

Inupi is trailing behind him, their faces look tired and their slumped shoulders are covered by overalls stained with dark greases.

When Inupi sees her he asks how she’s doing. He doesn’t know and she appreciates Draken for not airing out her dirty laundry, but she tells him all the same.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Same reaction.

God, these two spend too much time together.

Chizu calms him down, puts on her display of indifference, and doesn’t stop to think over what she’s feeling as she asks them to get cleaned to eat together.

Over dinner, they talk about what will happen this week. They go over their plan of staking out The Chano Club one more time. Chizu is excited until she isn’t, exhaustion catching up to her and making her fall asleep with her hands crossed over the table pillowing her heavy head.

 

The day after she wakes up in a bed. Draken must’ve carried her there, and she finds him asleep on the couch when she leaves the room for breakfast. Today the shop doesn’t open until the afternoon, so she lets him rest.

She thinks it’s sad how uncomfortable he looks with his big body resting on such a tiny piece of furniture, and swears to take the couch tonight.

The boredom makes itself known as she lazes around the apartment while the two are working till the evening, avoiding visiting them at the shop downstairs in fear of Chifuyu or Kazutora showing up looking for her.

Inupi comes up to check on Chizu and finds her cleaning the apartment. “You don’t have to,” he tells her, but she’s trying to do everything in order not to think.

He realizes and suggests she orders takeout for the night, he’s gonna pick up some beers so the three of them can have a small party to clear their heads.

Chizu can hold her alcohol, but she figures out pretty soon that Draken and Inupi out-drink her, most likely because she is not one to do so often.

Her problem, whenever she gets drunk, is that her filter completely shuts off and lets her air her thoughts without a single care in the world.

Mid-dinner she starts to feel the beers get to her and is suddenly reminded of the ring she has yet to take off. It’s like its metal is burning around her finger, shiny emerald stone – the color of his eyes – staring back at her, judging Chizu for her lack of sadness.

Her face is now wet with tears, and sobs shake her body like an unexpected earthquake.

The rest of the evening is spent on the couch, Inupi and Draken trying to sober up and comfort a tipsy Chizu.

“I don’t even know who’s truly at fault,” she whispers with her head resting on Seishu’s shoulder, he’s rubbing her side as she finally talks about what’s been bothering her for the past two days, “He never looked at me like that, right?”

Ken and Inupi look at each other, confused as to whether she wants them to reply or just sit and listen.

“‘s not his fault anyway… I have a picture of Mikey on my nightstand,” Chizu laughs at that, playfully shoving Draken before adding “He thought we were sleeping together some time ago. Crazy, right??”

Inupi decides that’s his clue to head to bed, and leaves the poor men to deal with a now sleepy Chizu, who falls asleep on the other’s shoulder soon after she was pushed against it by the former.

 

Chizu comes to a couple of hours later, Draken is still sitting near, on the couch, phone in hand as he scrolls through it. When he notices the girl is awake, he grabs the glass of water sitting on the small table in front of them before she can complain about getting a headache.

“You were saying all kinds of stuff, you know?”

“I’m sorry Ken,” she says as she swallows the pill he passes to her, “I think it didn’t hit me until now.”

“It’s normal, your life is changing. It’s more about losing that comfort. But I’m here for you,” he brings up a hand to stroke one of her scrunched brows, “I want you to know that.”

She raises her gaze to stare up at his big frame, dark eyes fixed on her reddening face. Draken truly is a sight to see, his black hair is now out of his usual ponytail and framing his pale skin, making the rosy of his lips stand out even more. She reaches out to brush a strand away from his face, “Thank you, Ken. I’m sorry for giving you this much trouble.”

“Don’t even say that, I love it when you’re here,” her breath catches in her throat, but she doesn’t stop stroking his cheek with the pad of her thumb, “Inupi does too, of course.”

He coughs to cover up his embarrassment, but as she leans her head over his hand, his heart rate picks up. She’s so pretty, he thinks.

He’s too scared to move and curses himself for his selfish thoughts. She was crying about her broken engagement not even two hours ago, he reasons, and she’s still wearing the ring. He realizes he’s never seen her wear it before, if not when she was out with Chifuyu himself.

“What are you thinking about?” Chizu asks because she doesn’t like being kept in the dark, but also because she recognizes that glint in his eyes.

“It’s nothing-“

“Ken, it’s okay.”

“I want to kiss you.”

She doesn’t know if it’s because she’s so used to having someone by her side and she’s withdrawing, or because his dark eyes remind her of someone else.

Or it might be simply because Draken is Draken: he’s loyal, caring, and – honestly – so fucking hot. Her mind is fucked up, she’s aware of it.

No matter the reason why, she’s the one who gets closer to him, chest pushing against his side as her hand cups his strong jawline, redirecting his face towards hers, a couple of inches below.

He stares at her while she presses her soft lips against his and doesn’t dare close his eyes while she simply pecks at them.

“Are you sure you wanna kiss me? You seem quite unresponsive,” she giggles against his mouth, making him let out a groan as he finally gives in.

He wraps Chizu in strong arms, making her sit on his thighs to get her as close as possible, mouth parting to slot their lips together, kissing her back with fierceness.

Chizu shivers in his grip when he tangles one hand in her hair, pulling as he exposes her neck. Needy wet kisses are pressed against the skin as she pants for air, “Fuck, Ken.”

“Don’t say a word,” he hushes her, covering her mouth with his once again. This time he runs the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip, asking for entrance, she gladly accepts and moans at his taste, not even bothering to fight for dominance as he’s overpowering her in all aspects.

She feels herself getting wet and knows they’re pushing their boundaries. She has never hooked up with anyone, but Draken feels so good under her.

Unconsciously, she starts moving her hips against his, chasing the friction that so deliciously comes from rubbing against the cock hardening underneath his sweatpants.

He grunts at that, grabbing her hips with two big hands and angling her so that his tip can slide against her covered clit.

“Fuck, I can feel how wet you are-“

“Ken, please.”

“Tell me to stop, tell me to stop now or I’ll fuck you right here on this couch.”

That line is tempting, the feeling of his cock, and how big it is, even more so. But when she meets his eyes once again, she’s reminded of who’s the man underneath her.

Her best friend, for fuck’s sake, they’ve known each other for years.

Chizu still remembers when Emma died. They shouldn’t be doing this.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers as she pulls away from him. Draken is not mad, just slightly flustered. He makes sure to reassure her by leaving a caste kiss on her forehead.

“Let’s get you to bed, shall we?” He says after they’ve spent some minutes trying to catch their breath and calm themselves. He’s silently rubbing her hips with both of his thumbs as they look everywhere but at one another.

“Do you mind if I sleep on the bed with you, tonight? I won’t touch you, I swear.”

“I was thinking about taking the couch, you looked uncomfortable this morning.”

“It’s fine if you don’t wanna, but I won’t let you sleep out here.” He says while standing up, holding Chizu to him as they head to his bedroom.

“I guess we can cuddle then.” She accepts while giggling. Draken is a gentleman, and he’s too good to her. He doesn’t deserve to be used. She wants to make sure there’ll never be any awkwardness or hard feelings between them.

—

When Chizu wakes up her head is pounding, a headache due to the big crying session she couldn't escape from the night before. Light is peering from the white curtains shading the small window and as she reaches around the bed, she realizes she was left alone in the room.

She can hear the sounds of cooking and hushed arguing behind the door, so she makes her way to the kitchen without even checking her appearance in the mirror, knowing the two of them had seen her in worse conditions already.

Draken and Inupi are moving around the small area, bodies too big to not be knocking against one another every now and then, but their dexterity comes from living under the same roof for such a long time.

Inupi is not surprised to see her, nor particularly happy, probably having been made aware of the situation. She has stepped out of Draken’s room wearing one of his white shirts.

The thing is that Inupi cares about both of them deeply, and doesn’t want either to suffer over something so stupid, a kiss that could’ve been avoided easily if only they had not given in to the heat of the moment. Even more so, the crazy plan they’ve been devising for tonight.

He moves out of her way then, sending her a glare as he brings his plate of food along to his room, planning on eating alone.

When she meets Draken’s eyes she shies away from his gaze. And that’s exactly what she has been dreading since the night before. Even her sleep got messed up from the idea of fucking up their lifelong friendship.

“Here, eat something. Gotta be in top form for tonight.”

Yeah, tonight. She has been staying at their apartment for a couple of days now, and her and Draken’s plan – mostly hers, but he will only come to find out about that later on – has been refined up to the littlest detail.

“Don’t mind Inupi,” he adds, “he’s just being protective, as always.”

She knows that. Chizu had met Inupi when he joined Toman years ago and was taken aback by his brashness at first. They hadn’t gotten around to talking to each other for a couple of years, as she was intimidated by his aura, and figured he didn’t care about getting to know her. On the other hand, Inupi just didn’t feel like making an effort whenever he got a glimpse of her ever-present angry face, considering she was known in the delinquent world for having the same short temper as her brother and a knack for picking up fights with any men.

When the time had come for Inupi and Draken to open up the bike shop together, they got used to each other's presence and eventually became close friends. Draken had been elated, Chifuyu a little less, considering he felt disrespected by the men for whatever reason (she figured both their obsessing over Takemichi had something to do with it).

Inupi had shared with Chizu, on a drunken night at first, but then again with a clearer head, the story of his scar. He had told her about Kokonoi Hajime, one of the very men she is after.

She knew about Seishu’s sister and what it did to their relationship, and she had watched him cry as he, still, silently grieved both his older sister and his missing friend – or lover, she had reasoned.

Seishu and Chizu had boned over the grief of losing their loved ones: siblings to death, and lovers to Bonten.

So she had come to know him eventually and could read his mood even from his apparent apathetic face.

“He’s right, the kiss was a mistake-“

“He’s just anxious about tonight-“

They speak in unison, and it takes her a second to understand that he’s not concerned about that at all, unlike her. He looks distraught for a second but composes himself before gesturing at her to sit down and have her breakfast. He leaves the room without another word.

Chizu knows he’s mad, and wonders if they both hadn’t fallen for the Sano siblings back then, maybe they could’ve worked out.

 

As night falls, Inupi had to shake off his fears and concerns to help Chizu get ready, as promised.

The dress he had bought for her was a simple black one, on the shorter side, with arms covered and a low neckline. They had tried going for the classy look, knowing they would have to look the part to get inside the expensive club in Roppongi.

“Wish I could borrow your Louboutines, ‘nupi…” she sighs, acting sad as to strategically make him feel bad enough to give in.

“My feet are like twice your size. And you can barely walk in heels as it is.”

That’s not true… she pouts. Inupi thinks sometimes she reminds him of Akane. They’re nothing alike, really, so maybe he’s lying to himself because he can’t help but like the idea of the two of them being somewhat of a sibling figure to one another.

He hopes tonight will go smoothly, he can’t bear the thought of losing another person.

Draken makes his way inside the room and shoots them a smile, “Ready? You look lovely, by the way.”

Chizu genuinely smiles at that, Draken has always been nothing but a gentleman to her, and after feeling like an ugly and crying mess for the past week, she deserves to get a compliment.

He’s dressed in a simple black shirt and dress pants, it reminds her of his early complaints about feeling like a clown when they had first started their search for Bonten from club to club, months ago. He must’ve gotten used to this by now, she thinks. He looks good.

Seishu does something so uncharacteristically sweet that would have nearly made her cry right there and there if she hadn’t spent the past forty minutes or so carefully applying makeup. He hugs her to his side, patting the top of her crown before releasing her.

“Don’t do anything reckless, Chizu.”

—

The inside of the club is dark, they have yet to approach the dance floor but they can already feel their skin starting to dampen with sweat beneath their clothes at the sight of the crowd swaying amongst each other. The air is anything but breathable, smoke swirling up from the elegant red booths circling the perimeter of the lower level of the club.

Above their heads is a balcony-like area that allows the VIP patrons to stare down at the sweaty mass with a lustful gaze from the privacy of their lounges, each of them looking for the innocent victim of the night, ready to max out their cards in exchange of pleasurable favors.

Chizu and Draken have already been to this specific club, in one of their past scouting they even managed to get a glimpse up the stairs at the closed doors of the rooms inhabiting the upper floor. The private spaces have been known to accommodate a particular kind of crowd. The kind of crowd that would engage in prostitution and exchange of illegal substances.

Unfortunately, without a mandate, this kind of underground work is the only thing that could help her confirm that.

Draken walks a few steps behind her frame, taking seriously his role of personal bodyguard, under Inupi’s vehement advice. In reality, he knows she can take care of herself, but having someone to watch your back in a situation as dangerous as this one, makes both of them feel better about it all.

What if we find Mikey tonight? he wonders. They have been trying to bait him out of the shadows for a long time. They are the only appropriate people who can complete the job.

The three of them had always been together.

Mikey, Draken, Chizu. Toman’s strongest.

Ten years have passed since their time together, how would any of them react to seeing each other after such a long time? Would Mikey even care enough to spare them? Chizu’s a detective, snooping around Bonten’s business. Draken thinks it over, and feels scared for the first time in a while, watching her walk in front of him with the confidence of someone who has nothing to lose, and finally realizes his mistake.

 

She has nothing to lose, her ten years long relationship has just ended on an ugly note, the promise of living a peaceful and happy life gone just like her brother; her job is the one thing pushing her towards this madness in the first place.

“Chizu, I think we should-” he tries to talk over the bass shaking the ground, but as they keep merging amongst the partygoers, they reach the center of the oval dance floor.

The DJ booth is in front of them, a raised platform extends behind it, a railing protecting the people in its confinement from falling over as they lean forward.

Chizu stares ahead, right at that area, the LED lights of the screen behind it making it hard to focus on what or who resides in it. She can make out the silhouettes of those peering down at them. Strobe flashes blinding her as she tries to meet their eyes. She squints, nothing still.

“I liked you when we were kids.” Draken has gotten closer, his voice more clear over the tune of a catchy pop song.

“What?” she’s taken aback, but acts like she didn’t hear him properly, and keeps facing the direction of the spot hidden in the shadows.

“I liked you, back when we were in Toman, for a little bit. The kiss yesterday meant something, to me.”

She thinks Draken is rarely this straightforward. He is blunt, but not very honest when it comes to feelings. That’s what made him lose Emma years back. She feels sorry for him but doesn’t turn around.

What Draken doesn’t know is that she never had anything to lose to begin with. She doesn’t think she has felt that sense of happiness and belonging that she used to feel in Toman ever again, since her brother died. After that, she only ever felt buried. Under an ever-growing pile of responsibilities she took on to make sure she could go back to those times.

“Take care of each other,” Keisuke had told her and Chifuyu as he was dying. And they had done that for the longest time until it was unbearable. “Forgive Kazutora,” Check.

“Save Mikey.”

Had her brother known back then that Mikey’s mental illness would deteriorate to such an extent? She doesn’t know, but she was never one to back out from a fight. That’s what most people liked about her. Some more than others.

—

Leaning on the railing and staring down at the crowd are the lazy eyes of Haitani Ran.

He looks pensive, two long fingers balancing a cigarette he’s barely smoking as he thinks of a reason why they’re all standing in one of his best clubs. Bonten executives rarely hit nightclubs together, especially not any of his, for safety reasons and also because, except for him and his brother, most of them are not really the partying type.

He wonders what he must’ve done to piss off Mikey so much he’s being put through this hell. He hates being left without a clue of what is going on.

Haitani Ran is one of the most perceptive people there is out there.

At first glance, people would think of him as the less intelligent brother. His downturned eyes never fixated on anything, and the blank stare giving the impression of someone who’s spaced out. Not a single thought inside that pretty head of his. But, as much as he doesn’t like when people underestimate him, he also truly doesn’t give a shit.

Being underestimated has brought him so far as being one of the top executives of Bonten, his skills unrivaled even amongst them.

The truth is that Ran knows how to read people and how to manipulate them, a little too well. Some would say it must be a mix of luck and pretty privilege, but in reality, he’s just too smart for anyone’s good.

That’s why, whenever he fails to foresee what goes on behind Mikey’s blank stare and firm orders, he gets unreasonably annoyed. Especially if it has something to do with his own business, his and his brother’s very first club, which had cashed them a pretty penny back in their starting days.

 

“What are you looking at,” Rindou, who’s as always standing right beside him, asks with his usual brash tone, “You’ve been staring intensely at the dance floor like it has all the answers you need in this world.”

“Nothing,” he flicks his cig before taking a puff, “Thought I recognized someone in the crowd.”

Is that what they’re all here for? Mikey has never really given a fuck about the police. The thought of being caught not even on his mind as they have always been able to buy their way out of anything, thanks to Kokonoi’s funds and Akashi’s experience and connections in the underworld. But lately, he seems to have been stressing over something, or rather someone.

It was Ran himself who had caught her at first. He could recognize her face even after all these years, especially as she kept reappearing in most of his clubs, wandering around with none other than Ryuguji Ken, whose tattoo was hard to miss or mismatch.

He quickly put two and two together, understanding that the detective was trying to get dirt on them by starting in the easiest place, a place where she could see all of it go down at once.

Drugs, prostitution, money laundering. Their clubs were the starting point of it all. But he had let her do so, making sure to tell his bouncers to always let her in when he was around.

Honestly, he had always been intrigued by Baji Chizu. Ever since their first meeting 17 years ago. He knows she doesn’t back down from a fight, so he’d like to see how far along she can go before Mikey himself decides to kill her. He guesses the time has finally come.

As he tries to look for her in the crowd, Mikey calls them over. Rindou sits beside him on the leather seat, Kakucho on the other side, the one closer to Mikey.

Behind their boss, with his hands clasped behind his back and a straight, military-like, posture, stands Sanzu. Ran thinks Sanzu looks different tonight, vigilant, lucid. The drugs must have yet to hit.

When Mikey starts to talk they all lean closer to hear him over the music. He’s not one to yell, but he doesn’t expect them to miss a single word.

“A detective that has been insistently looking into our affairs is present tonight. I had a fake leak go around about the Haitani selling the place to specifically loom them here.”

Right on the money. Ran is rarely wrong, after all.

Mikey is slouched back in his chair, careless demeanor as usual. Black eyes fixed on his executives as he calls their attention, “Rindou, Ran. I need the two of you to drag the detective’s chaperone out of the club. Hold him down, knock him out for all I care. But he has to leave. Alive.”

Ran knows why he’s asking the two of them, Draken has quite a big frame and is known to be undeniably strong, their underlings would have to put up a fight and cause a scene to drag him out of the place. Rindou can easily block his joints as Ran dirties his hands after what feels like such a long time.

He’s gotten so used to guns he barely has any time to whip out his trusty baton, as of lately. So this will do. Where’s the fun in letting others do his job, after all?

“Sanzu, take care of the detective. You can choose how, but I need her alive.” Once again, he doesn’t seem to be willing to let his annoying friends die, yet.

Mikey never has to repeat himself, the executives stand up as they make their way down to the lower level of the club.

 

“Are you sure sending those three is a good idea?” asks Takeomi, who knows by now how hot-tempered and messy they can be. “We’re talking about your friends, after all. Someone is gonna end up dead.”

“Old acquaintances, and they’re gonna do what Mikey asked them to.” The one replying is Kakucho, whose calmness is ever-present as he sits back with his torso exposed. He doesn’t defend Mikey to Sanzu’s extent, but especially in front of other people, he likes to keep up with appearances.

Kokonoi is smirking while sipping on a martini, the classy drink looks fitting in his elegant hand. Kokonoi gets entertained with very little, relaxing comes easy to him when money is not on the table. However, if it were, you would see him fidget and panic by now.

“I’m gonna get our drivers know to go out back, I figured we’re gonna make a quick exit,” announces Mochi.

Mikey mumbles something in accordance while trying to peer down at the crowd for his spot, cross-legged.

He can’t see much, he’s gonna have to wait.

—

Chizu wants to rip the strobe lights from the hinges with her bare hands. It’s so annoying, how she’s getting momentarily blinded every time she stares up.

She turns around to tell Draken that she wants to get closer. She wants to try and get upstairs this time. But Draken is not there anymore.

“Ken?” Chizu calls his name loudly, but she knows it’s unlikely for him to hear her, mentally cursing herself because she should’ve stayed closer.

Chizu guesses she must act on the second part of the plan now, the one Draken was not even aware of. The one she needs to carry on by herself. She just wishes Inupi and Draken will forgive her for it.

But as she takes some steps towards the stairs, she catches Ken’s big frame getting carried away by two others.

It’s a blur of purples, so she runs to follow them, getting closer to the exit that by now she knows opens up in a back alley.

One moment she is pushing against people to make way, the next her body is being held back by two long arms.

“Eh eh,” she hears the man snicker, his sinister and familiar voice making dread fill her throat like bitter bile.

Something is so terribly wrong in his embrace, but because of the adrenaline cursing through her veins, she can’t feel the sting of the blade piercing the skin of her belly until she looks down and sees his blood-stained hand, Bonten tattoo branded on the inside of his forearm.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, Chizu-chan,” strands of pink colored hair slip past her shoulder as he leans forward, but she can barely see anymore, her eyes foggy, the crimson of the blood fresh in her mind like the day her brother had died.

She doesn’t feel herself falling, Sanzu holds her tight as she passes out. He thinks she’s weaker than she used to be, he could slice her neck open right there and get this over with, but he can feel the wrath of his King looming over him.

What a stupid girl you are, Sanzu thinks as he lifts her body into his arms.

—🎴—

Next Chapter.

[beatriceeagle]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series)

Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast, Beauregard Lionett/Yasha, Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast

Characters: Caleb Widogast, Beauregard Lionett, Bren Aldric Ermendrud, Original Male Character(s), Yasha (Critical Role), Essek Thelyss, Astrid Beck

Additional Tags: canon compliant through Mighty Nein Reunited, canon inspired through Echoes of the Solstice, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, technically this is kidfic in both senses of the term

Chapter: 19/24

Summary: Six months ago, Beau adopted a teenager who loves the Cobalt Soul, but can't stand her. Ten minutes ago, Caleb accidentally summoned his own teenage self into his living room. So you know, they're both going though some shit.

At least Caleb's got experience befriending novice monks with attitude problems. And Beau's got experience befriending Caleb.

Chapter Summary:

Three apologies, two favors, and a nap.

_____

"Yasha. Yasha, wake up."

The tone more than the words sank into Yasha's dream, and she woke up already anxious. She instinctively reached for a sword that wasn't there as she opened her eyes. Beau sat cross-legged on the bed. She hadn't lit a lamp, and her eyes were enormous in the darkness.

"What's going on?" Yasha said. "Why aren't you in Port Damali?"

"It's Jasper," Beau said. "He ran away."

Yasha was halfway out bed before Beau caught her. "He's back! Sorry, sorry, he's back already." She eased Yasha back down to sitting. "He took a teleportation circle to Port Damali about an hour ago, but we caught up with him and convinced him to come back."

Yasha couldn’t put into words the fear she felt, waking up and realizing an entire disaster had happened while she was asleep. It was so much like waking up from the Iron Shepherds at Molly's grave. Like waking up from Obann after running through Beau's stomach. Waking up that first morning after leaving Zualla behind, knowing what must have happened.

Read more

[shakertwelve]

hello! i’ve been really enjoying sword and sorcery + your general estateposting so far and i noticed in the crystal interlude that fleur is still alive in this au. does this have any significant effects on the dallon-pelham torment nexus? since she’s only tenuously connected to the family, what’s she up to now?

if you don’t have answers for these feel free to ignore them lol i just think jess being alive might be an interesting change to their dynamic from canon!

since the new wave rebrand never happened (without the publicity boost from arresting marquis), the brigade never unmasked, so everyone is still acting under secret identities. they've avoided the emotional impact of jess's death, but vic "dying" is even worse; jess, at the very least, was an adult who chose to get involved in cape conflict, while vic was their own child.

lightstar left in order to pursue more or less what he describes in ward, the minimal amount of cape work to keep his shard happy while trying to give his family a 'normal' life, and has fully moved away from the rest of the family. fleur stuck around for a little longer after that, but without the direct familial connection, there wasn't much keeping her there. she's on another team in the area, so she's still on speaking terms with them, unlike mike.

the brigade is fairly effective in their work, which is why they're still around at all, but they still haven't had any big high-profile successes, which is grating on them. fleur's transfer was rationalized with the idea that it would strengthen the brigade's professional ties to the rest of the local hero scene, and crystal used the same argument to propose joining the wards, but there's still the sense that they're losing people one by one.

the environment within the family itself is even worse than usual; along with all the work-related stress, losing vicky has turned carol and mark into the worst versions of themselves—in mark's case, falling deeper into his depression, and in carol's case, channeling her pain into her hero work. the two of them are still married, but they're more or less just coworkers who live together. crystal and eric are the only kids left, so the pressure on them is higher; crystal, who triggered young, had been sick of it all for years by the time she finally got some distance.

so, not exactly the same, but still a dallon-pelham torment nexus.

[jrwi-transgender-swag]

Alastyr Cross

"bro u cant convince me he doesnt cook up his own T" - Submitted For Transmasc Swag "He just has that tboy swag. Mans goes by his "Adventuring Name". He did his and Strangle Macock's top surgeries fr." - Submitted For Transmasc Swag "Dude is a mad scientist with a poor relationship with his childhood and left to persue a life of perceived adventure. Alastyr literally chose their own name and has cycled through several in canon. Has been (accidentally) referred to with she/her pronouns by Bizly. Due to their lack of magic despite their family's skill in it they created magic of their own, like gender. Has performed diy top surgery for the prime defenders and made the convergence crew's hrt." - Submitted For Transmasc Swag

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

Gillion Tidestrider

(strap in for alot of propaganda lmao)

"4 of the 5 JRWI fans I actually know fall under the transgender umbrella and all of them are absolutely in love with Gillion so here’s got to have something going on there" - Submitted For Transmasc Swag "dude hes a fucking fish what else do you want from me. he has it all. the religious trauma. the swagger. the autism. he even has a cool fucking sword. his entire backstory is him being forced into a role against his will and only when he finds others does he get to fully embrace himself come the fuck ON" - Submitted For All Swag "he literally has gilded top surgery scars (saturn art that proves this even if it’s noncanon) that kind of trans swag cannot be ignored!! fucking!! golden scars!!! that shit kicks so much ass are you kidding!!! the koolest fish trans boy ever my goal in life truly" - Submitted For Transmasc Swag "same sorta thing as jay, he has this whole arc of changing from trying to live up to expectations to just being what he wants and thinks is good (very trans of him). also he's a fish guy and probably has no understanding of gender, at least in oversea terms. and he canonically referred to himself with it/its pronouns one time which. yes. i think his titles are like pronouns to him, like in the undersea you refer to yourself by describing yourself and your achievements (pretty sure that's actually a triton thing in actual dnd who knows). he is the chosen one and the chosen one was referred to with they/them pronouns for a reason (definitely because the chosen one is genderqueer and not just to be inclusive mhm you can trust me i have no biases, the goddesses told me themselves)" - Submitted For Nonbinary Swag "gives birthout of his pussy?"  - Submitted For Transmasc Swag "he is like sooo xenogenderr. that fish is just transgender im so sorry. too swagful not to be." - Submitted For Secret Fourth Swag

[aufi-creative-mind]

assuming youre asking for like general loz/totk thoughts, what are your thoughts/ideas that have sprouted from the light dragon?

No worries!

I actually got spoiled about the Light Dragon, literally on TotK's release day. Partly because of the YouTube algorithm and partly because my sheer curiosity was too strong that day. I essentially went into a singular state of TotK madness that day and the next 2 weeks afterwards. lmao

So I didn't get a strong emotional reaction like many other players did to the "reveal" once I knew what happened and why the Light Dragon exists. And as a result, I had a different gamplay experience as well as a different set of headcanons to how Link would comprehend the Light Dragon's existence.

And MAJOR TOTK SPOILERS AHEAD. Reader's discretion advised. (and long post incoming....)

The whole plot twist about Zelda transforming into the Light Dragon to spend the next 10 000 years to repair and infused her Sacred Powers into the Master Sword. It actually reminded me a lot of Doctor Who and the story tropes they had in regards to time travelling and what kind of impact that would inflict onto the characters involved. Particularly their individual perspectives of time.

Zelda essentially had to take the long path to the future.

With no other options to time travel herself back to the future...along with the Master Sword needing to be repaired...with what little time she had left. Zelda chose to undergo draconification and in a way, the Light Dragon was her vassal to travel into the future.

And...dare I say, to describe Zelda's plan to - transforms into an immortal dragon and restore the Master Sword for the next 10 000 years and that Link will hopefully recognise her as the Light Dragon and retrieve the Master Sword from her - as "long shoot" would be an understatement.

Her chances of her plan to succeed is - in the closest real life terms I can think of - the equivalent of NASA launching the New Horizon satelite in 2006, travelling through space in hibernation until it reached Pluto in the closest range that they could get to, in 2015. And it worked! (There's probably a better analogy to this but this is the closest I can think of.)

AND THEN, at the ending when the Light Dragon was transformed back into Zelda and how she woke up with the "feeling of a warm hug". This indicates that despite the looong path to the future she had to take... Her time perspective felt so short!

One moment, she was in a state of pain-filled dread and hope before her draconifcation. The next moment, she was in the warm arms of Link.

AND THEN THERE'S LINK'S OWN TIME PERSPECTIVE.

For Link, it must be very jarring for him to experience the whiplash of the Light Dragon's reveal as he experienced each Dragon's Tear memory.

One day, Link's arm almost gets severely damaged along with the Master Swird and watches Zelda disappear in a flash of light. Then the next moment, he wakes up with a strange new arm and then watches the Decayed Master Sword disappear in the same way as Zelda! And then finds out that its been....a month I guess (they didn't really say how long were Link & Zelda were missing from Hyrule) and the Upheavel happened while Link was in a coma...again.

And then...a week or heck a month later...Link finds out that Zelda willingly sacrificed her own state of being and spent the next 10 000 years as the Light Dragon as a means to travel back to the future and strengthen the Master Sword....all for HIM.

That is so gut wretching for Link to find out.

Whether or not, Zelda was completely lost in the Light Dragon...or was in a "state of preserved slumber" is another question though. Especially after the Ending.

I don't know if other players think about what the Wibbly-Wobbly-Timey-Wimey perspectives would be like for these two. But this is my deep thoughts about the Light Dragon and the story plot around it.

--

I do have a couple of prompts and comic ideas in regards to Link and the Light Dragon. Including my headcanon on how Link would react it to the Light Dragon's reveal, based on my perspective. A comic idea of Link spending time with the Light Dragon.

Also noodle cuddles.

[bloody-wonder]

assuming you've read tsc, what are ur thoughts?

mixed feelings, anon!

on the one hand, tsc is just another confirmation that nora is a talented writer - i think the dialogue especially is where she really excels. the reading experience was overall very fun, i did enjoy seeing my faves again. neil is an icon, obviously. the culture clash between jean and the trojans was Comedy Gold. and it was interesting to see an exploration of a different trauma response than we've seen in aftg in jean.

on the other hand, i feel like jean's story in tsc mirrors neil's story in aftg - a troubled youth joins an exy team where he will make new friends and get better mentally - but is like. a simplified and less compelling version of that. it's good that jean is his own character, i don't need him to be a copy of neil, but i gotta say - neil's cameo appearances totally stole the show and made me wonder why i wasn't reading a book about him instead. however, it's all the other characters who were the real problem - it felt like i'm reading a version of aftg where a less fun iteration of neil joins an exy team consisting just of the upperclassmen and nicky hemmick which uhhh,, if you've read some of my old posts you know how i feel about him so there was no chance in hell i'd like cat alvarez and her whole shtick. the foxes felt good for the soul bc there was a balance between the upperclassmen's and the monsters' type of care for neil - and crucially neil chose the latter group to be his close circle, among other things, bc he felt they could understand him better. by constrast, jean is alone with the trojans who don't give any credibility to his claims that they just can't understand what he went through, don't respect his right to keep his trauma private and just keep trying to force his "recovery". aftg felt like a bunch of freaks with various but equally fascinating issues put in close quarters and you watch them sometimes butt heads, sometimes uplift each other in the most unexpected ways. tsc however felt like a bunch of normies bullying a traumatized kid - so basically one of those obnoxious fics where the upperclassmen are all in neil and andrew's business.

jean's bisexuality was a double-edged sword too: on the one hand, i felt very smug reading about how his attraction works bc 1) it's so obviously different from neil and 2) wow turns out years of psychological, physical and sexual abuse do not in fact take away your sexuality! le gasp! surprised fucking pikachu!! crazy how through all of this jean is still bi. the human spirit is unbreakable. (unless your mom hits you for kissing a girl, then it's breakable). so i did feel vindicated but at the same time this was not relatable to the point that i can't see myself getting invested in jean and jeremy's developing relationship. nothing is more of a turn off for me in fictional romances than when both of them are immediately attracted to each other and let the reader know in no uncertain terms. where are the mind games? where are the intricate rituals? it feels like a lazy shortcut. but good for them, i guess?

sooo idk. i didn't hate tsc by any means but i'm sad i didn't enjoy it as much as my mutuals😭

[bunmellos]

archambeau sibling backstories ♡( •ॢ◡-ॢ)✧˖° ♡

text under the cut

Pavane Archambeau

Age: 24

Pronouns: she/her

Occupation: Performing violinist, wanderer, swordswoman

From: Guillaume, Marion. Traveling the Plains of Marion

Defining features:

Green, orange, white

Gold accents

Gold jewelry with red and green jewels

Stripes

Flowers

Rapier sword

Inlaid Baroque violin

An accomplished professional violinist who was cursed to turn her audiences into flora. On the day of her debut performance in the illustrious Marion National Concert Hall, she prayed that she would be able to make her audience’s hearts bloom. This prayer was answered not by a protective god, but by a trickster creature who chose to give her exactly what she asked for. After a disastrous performance in which every spectator turned into an overgrown forest of roses, thorns, and vines, she escaped to the Marion Wilds. She does not play in front of others anymore. Also an accomplished swordswoman, she roams the countryside, saving fellow travelers from the creatures that lurk in the forest. In emergencies, she has onlookers plug their ears before pulling out her violin and turning all who hear her into a field of flowers and vines.

One day, caught in one of these situations, a heavily injured traveler was unable to cover their ears in time. However, instead of turning to roses, the traveler was mysteriously healed instead. This began to happen more frequently, though the threat of her curse continued to loom over her and those whom she attempted to heal. Therefore, Pavane uses this power only in the most dire of circumstances.

At the same time Pavane discovered her talent for healing, serial disappearances began to occur around the country. Could these two events be connected…?

Sicilienne Archambeau

Age: 28

Pronouns: he/him

Occupation: Maestro of the Guillaume Sinfonia

From: Guillaume, Marion

Defining features:

Dark green, purple, white

Pale, blind-like eyes

Porcelain prosthetic right arm

Perpetual smile

Silk

Gold accents

The young genius of the Guillaume Sinfonia. In the past, many would come for the charming, attractive young conductor and stay for the vividly passionate music he drew out of his ensemble. He was not on stage on the night Pavane was cursed. Standing backstage, supporting her from behind- that was always how he protected his younger sister. That fateful night, he saw the audience turn to flora before she did. As the tragedy unfolded before his eyes, he rushed onto stage. Ignoring his own transforming right arm, he pulled the violin from Pavane’s grip, but it was already too late. Pavane fled the city the next day, leaving him behind to deal with the aftermath.

For months, Ilienne searched in vain for his sister while maintaining his position at the Sinfonia. The city buzzed with rumors of a sullen, eerie woman who drifted from place to place like a ghost, never unsealing the violin case slung across her back. Desperately, furiously, Ilienne wished for something, anything, that could help Pavane find peace and happiness. No matter what it took, no matter what he had to sacrifice; he would damn himself to hell if it would help his sister find meaning again. Once again, the trickster creature answered his wishes literally. For every life taken by Ilienne himself, Pavane could save one with her music. Once Ilienne collected enough souls to build an orchestra of the dead, Pavane would be freed from the curse. Ilienne agreed to the terms of the contract, swearing to never let Pavane discover the source of her newfound strength. However, he did not anticipate the degenerative effect the necromancy would have on his mind, and is rapidly forgetting his original goal of saving his sister…