#the experience of seven years of game of thrones ... again

[xcziel]

you know, someone should organize a dracula daily-style mass watchalong of some classic tv series that's available for free

Production houses: but if the writers stay on strike we can't guarantee the future safety of your favorite shows 🥺🥺😭😭

Viewers who 1, have already lost their favorite shows because they were cancelled in spite of good ratings and good reviews or 2, have stopped watching new content entirely until the entire series has aired and concluded as a result of so many good shows getting cancelled on cliffhangers and thus leaving said viewers unable to gain closure with those characters and with a hollow viewing experience, so they've begun a, watching older shows they know came to a planned conclusion or b, revisiting their old favorites and enjoying the nostalgia or c, reading new books or fanfic instead: YOU ALREADY CAN'T GUARANTEE THE FUTURE OF OUR SHOWS SO GET FUCKING WRECKED AND PAY WRITERS WHAT THEY DESERVE!

[p-artsypants]

In the Tallest Tower

The Princess is supposed to be locked away in the tallest tower, only to be freed by True Love’s kiss. This is the story Astrid knew and expected to experience herself. Apparently, there was some wiggle room in the logistics on who kissed her and who slayed her guardian.

Ao3

I wrote this fiveever ago, thinking I'd make it longer one day, and never did. So here it is! The idea came from a writing prompt on Tumblr that was 'A knight goes to save the princess from the dragon, but it's a divorced dad who needs the money for alimony.' That's not exactly what happens, but that's what inspired me.

@sanfangirl-cynicalromantic Weren't you looking for Royalty AUs? Here's a little baby one. Hope you like!

—-

Astrid Hofferson really hated the whole Princess schtick, especially when she wasn’t the Crown Princess. Since her brother was the Heir to the throne, her role was political pawn in the big game of chess that was the ever shifting landscape of alliances. 

She’d argue she knew more about the kingdoms than her brother did. She knew more about everything than he did! The alliances, laws, traditions, warfare, and fighting! 

But no. Because she was the second born, and a girl, tradition dictated she’d be locked in a tower and guarded. 

Gods, the sorcerer that her family had picked as her guardian was certainly a piece of work. Viggo Grimborn, cold, ruthless, and cruel. He was offered a generous amount of gold for his protection, and in exchange, he wouldn’t attack her kingdom. 

Astrid would argue there were better ways to get a treaty with this psychopath, but again, she was ignored. 

Her only relief came from the fact he didn’t care about her, at all. Sometimes he even forgot to feed her. He rarely spoke to her, and when he did, it was a few harsh words. Eventually, she got him to allow her some more freedom within his ruined fortress, so she could fetch her own food and books from the meager library. 

He agreed, only so that he could ‘give up his babysitting duties’. 

Really, the only thing he was really charged with was protecting her from the knights and lords that would come to take her hand. They had until she was 21 to rescue her, of course winning the privilege of marrying her, before she’d be released from Viggo’s clutches and married to the highest bidder. 

The fact her father had picked the most brutal and fearsome sorcerer of their time had not escaped her. She expected a very long, lonely seven years of captivity. 

One day, about a year into her stay, she saw motion by the gate. A knight, decked out in gold and emerald armor, flew into view on the back of a black dragon. The knight was huge, even from here she could see he was imposing. And his mount was a dragon? Incredible! 

But this man stood no chance against Viggo. No one did. Every knight that entered these ruins would meet a horrendous fate. She didn’t know what it was exactly, but the screams that echoed through the stone walls gave her enough of an indication. 

And she never saw anyone leave. 

Still, she had her role. So she went to her bed, smoothed out the sheets and laid down. She folded her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. 

Then she waited. Waited for the inevitable screams of pain, of torment. Waited for the scream that would twist into the snarl of an animal, and then silenced. 

As the hour crept on, there was nothing. No clang of swords, no nothing. Surely Viggo would have detected the knight's presence by now?

Finally, she heard the clamoring of armor coming up the stairs. 

No way! 

The door creaked open, and she kept her eyes shut, trying to relax. 

“So there’s the princess,” said a gruff, older voice. 

“Wow, she’s pretty!” A younger, nasally, dorky voice squeaked. 

Astrid stifled a confused frown. Two people? The younger one must be the knight’s squire. Unusual, but allowed, if she recalled. 

“Aye. The Princess Astrid, daughter of King Axel of Berk. Once, our allies.” There were footsteps as the two came closer. “Alright, you go and kiss her.” 

“What?! Why me?!” 

The man barked a laugh. “Well I certainly won’t! Your mother would have my hide!” 

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” 

“I told you on the way!” 

“Dad, I can’t hear anything when I’m flying.” 

“Well, why do you think I brought you along?” 

A pause. “I thought you needed a ride?” 

“Ha! That’s a good one!” There was a thump and someone stumbled forward. “Go kiss her and tell her what’s going on.” 

“Isn’t it supposed to be True Love’s Kiss? What if it doesn’t work?” 

“That’s just the stories, lad. She’s not really asleep.” 

“What!?” 

“I’ve got to go fight the wizard. You stay with the princess until I get back.” 

“But—!” 

Astrid heard the armored man clamor out of the room while the younger one shuffled his feet. 

“Gods above, I can’t believe this.” 

Astrid stifled a smile. The situation was unorthodox, but rather humorous. 

And she was finally going to get her kiss and freedom! 

Well, she’d probably have to marry this young man, but it was preferable to getting married off to an older noble. 

She heard him approach slowly. He seemed to be wearing armor too, perhaps just chainmail, and a cape if the flutter was anything to go by. Then a hand caressed her own, a thumb gently running over her knuckles. He leaned closer, and she heard him breathing deeply. 

“Princess?” He asked softly. “Any chance you’ll let me out of this?” 

“No,” she murmured, still desperately trying to stick to her script. “It’s the law. I can’t leave unless you kiss me.” 

“Ah geez, okay. But…this is my first kiss and I didn’t know I was expected to do this and if it’s not very good I’m really sorry because you’ve probably been looking forward to this and I’m not much of a Prince Charm—“ 

“For the love of Thor, shut up and kiss me!” She snapped, eyes still shut. 

“Right! Sorry sorry…”

His hand over hers squeezed as he leaned in, face just within reach. His breath was warm over her face and she swore she heard him gulp. 

Then he pecked her. So swiftly, so briefly, she barely felt it. 

As he started to pull away, she grabbed his wrist and held tight. “You’re going to have to do better than that.” 

He whimpered, then cleared his throat. His other hand touched her cheek, just gently brushing over her skin. Then he pressed his lips to hers, firmly, but trembling. He caught her bottom lip between his and held her for a moment. His lips were warm, sweet, but slightly chapped. There was tenderness and care in his touch, like she was precious, and not some prize to claim. Then he pulled away. 

Finally, she opened her eyes to look at the face of her rescuer. 

He wasn’t conventionally attractive. No chiseled jaw or cut cheekbones. He had some baby fat on his ruddy cheeks, a round nose, freckles, and the most awkward, sheepish smile with crooked teeth she’d ever seen. But he had very pretty deep green eyes and a mop of auburn hair. He was slight and frail, like a stiff wind would knock him over. He might not even be able to carry a sword. 

She let out a loud snort and a laugh. 

The smile fell suddenly and he huffed. “Yeah, real ego boost, Milady.”

“Sorry sorry!” She giggled. “I just—...”

“Was expecting a manlier man?” 

She cleared her throat and sat up. “It matters little what I was expecting. You are what I have now. I am Princess Astrid…as your father said?” 

He sighed and sat on the bed next to her. “Yep, dear ol’ dad. I’m Hiccup, by the way.” 

Her eyes crinkled at his name. “It’s nice to meet you, Hiccup.” She crossed her legs, giving him more room on the bed. Might as well get comfortable while they waited. “I think I knew a Hiccup once. A prince.” 

“Son of King Stoick the Vast?” He lifted an eyebrow. 

She nodded. 

“Welp, that’s me. And that other man you heard was the King. Well, not king anymore…” He said the last sentence a little bitterly. 

“Oh!” She snapped her fingers. “That’s right! He was usurped! By King Drago.” 

Hiccup scoffed. “Gods hearing his name like that still sounds stupid.” 

“So what are you doing here? Why have you come for me? It’s rather unheard of for two people to come for a Princess together, let alone one deliver the kiss and the other slay the guardian.” 

He shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. He told me we were rescuing you to get into your father’s good graces, but beyond that, I’m not sure. Apparently he told me on the way here, but I couldn’t hear him.” 

“I think I understand. By having you marry me, you will become a Prince and given back your birthright. And given your um…” she gestured to him. “Physicalities, he decided to aid you to make sure it was a success.” 

“Again, big ego boost.” 

“I don’t know if it will work out the way Stoick wants,” she tapped her chin. “I’m supposed to marry the person who slays the guardian. The kiss is just a formality. But he’s already married, isn’t he?” 

“Yep. Mom’s waiting at home.” He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassment clear on his face. “He’s trying to be a knight. My Uncle, Lord Spitelout, retained his land and fortune when my father was usurped. Only by his loyalty to his sister, my mom, were we saved from certain death. Now dad’s trying to find a way to restore his honor, even if it's not in the monarchy.” 

“Then this mission has two objectives.” 

“The whole ‘marriage’ thing was a surprise, honestly.” 

She smirked. “And I thought my life was rough.” 

Suddenly, the ruins shook violently as a horrendous roar shook the stone. Not the roar of a warrior, but the roar of a horrible beast. 

“That would be dad,” Hiccup stated, dully. 

“What?! How—?” 

He gave her a strange look. “You don’t know why we were usurped? I thought everyone knew by now.” 

She shook her head, confused. “I’ve been in this tower for about a year, before that, I tried to keep up with the changing politics and the war, but I was often boxed out of meetings.” 

He chuckled. “Boy, are you in for a treat.” 

Another roar, another tremble, the sound of thunder, explosions, yelling…

“Is your dad an experienced warrior then? I was under the impression kings only ceremonially know how to fight, but from what I’ve seen of my father…they don’t practice much.” 

Hiccup grinned. “Don’t worry. Some stupid sorcerer is no match for dad.”

“Viggo is very formidable,” she insisted. “He’s slain every knight that’s come to rescue me, without much effort.”

“Again, Dad’s way out of his league.”  

One more tremble, this time making rubble fall from the ceiling, followed by the crack of stone splitting. The tower shook violently, throwing Astrid into Hiccup. 

“Hiccup!” A bellowing voice echoed through the fortress. “Get the Princess out of here!” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Hiccup shouted back. He leapt from the bed and held a hand out for her. “Quick, we’re going out the window!” 

“What! Are you mad?!” 

“Just trust me!” He took her hand and headed for the window. He used his cape as a shield to protect her from falling debris. 

Then he leapt up to the window ledge. “It’ll be safe to climb up on my back,” he said, giving her that awkward smile. 

Astrid had doubts. He didn’t really seem strong enough to hold her, but she’d already insulted him enough today. “...okay.” 

He grabbed the edge of his cape and swirled it around him. As it passed, it turned black and leathery, and a moment later, the black dragon she had seen Stoick ride in was perched on the window ledge and the ex-Prince was gone. 

“Oh,” she squeaked. 

He warbled at her, gesturing up on his back. 

A chunk of the ceiling fell a few feet away, prompting her to leap on him and hug around his neck for dear life. 

He dipped forward and out the window, then spread his wings to glide out over the crumbling ruins. 

Astrid peeled one eye open to look. 

A huge red and green dragon with six eyes and a mouth that could swallow her whole was breaking through the ruins of the fortress. 

Viggo was nowhere to be seen, but the cool green light that she had associated with his spells was rippling through the stone. 

Hiccup flew quickly over the lava mote that surrounded the castle and landed at the edge of the volcano. 

Astrid slid off his back so he could transform back into a man. 

“You and King Stoick…” she began, pointing at the devastation. “You’re Dragonborn?” 

“The last Dragonborn family, at least as far as we know.” 

“I didn’t think they existed anymore.” 

“If Drago had his way, we wouldn’t.” 

“And your kingdom…they knew?” 

He sighed. “Unfortunately, yeah. I uh…I had a little incident with my first transformation. It happens rather randomly the first time. You get a strong enough emotion and whoosh!” He flailed his arms. “My strong emotion was anxiety, and it happened while I was addressing the kingdom for the first time.” 

“Oh dear…” 

“Yeah, not great. The people weren’t thrilled that they were being ruled by a family of Dragonborn. Made Drago’s coup a real threat.” 

Astrid watched as the giant dragon emerged from the ruins again and took off into the sky. It circled once before coming in for a landing by them. 

“Watch out,” Hiccup urged, before transforming once again. 

The giant dragon couldn’t land as he was, and retook his human form while still up in the air. Hiccup flew up to catch him, and then landed by Astrid’s side. 

“Nice to see you up, lass!” Stoick called, holding his hand out. 

Now she remembered. She’d met Stoick once when she was younger and he was still a king. There was no way to forget the giant man. Huge stature, big red braided beard, and eyes of kindness and wisdom. He wore gleaming gold and emerald armor that befitted a king. Although, now that armor was tarnished in scorch marks and blood.

“Are you alright?” 

“Perfectly fine!”  

She took hold of his hand, and he lifted her up to sit in front of him on Hiccup’s back. 

“Alright lad, take us out of here!” 

Hiccup warbled and pushed off the ground, taking to the sky at a dizzying speed. 

A large hand rested on her shoulder, a comforting, paternal hand. “I would have flown us back, but the boy is so much faster than I am.” 

It was bizarre to hear them both talk about transforming into dragons so casually.

“Where are we going?” Astrid tilted her head back to ask. The man loomed over her. 

“We’re going to Berk, to show your father we’ve rescued you…and to arrange your marriage to my son!” 

“I thought so,” Astrid chuckled helplessly. “You know, I think my father will put up a stink. After all, Hiccup didn’t defeat Viggo.” 

Stoick clicked his tongue to his teeth. “He doesn’t need to know Hiccup didn’t fight him. It was a joint effort, right Princess?” 

She hummed noncommittally. 

“Unless…you don’t want to marry my son?” 

“I don’t get a choice who I get to marry,” she replied, a tinge of sadness in her tone. “I’ve already decided that Hiccup is probably better than the old nobles that would pay a lot of money for my hand.”

Hiccup huffed, as if to say, ‘so glad I rank so high up’. 

“But I worry that my father will try to find a loophole to get out of this, given who you are…or who you were.” She said the last bit with a grimace, figuring it would make him mad. 

He just laughed. 

“If anything, who I am will only convince him more. I’m a very powerful ally, afterall.” 

Astrid thought back to the crumbling castle, and the fact she was riding on a dragon right now. 

Her soon-to-be-betrothed dragon, at that. 

Stoick was right. He was a very powerful ally.

[ashrifts]

@deathfavor asked:

❛  i'm going to make sure nothing bad will ever happen to you again.  ❜ ( okay hear me out here but them pre-tenjiku )

in a world where the light of the law cannot reach the downslopes to drugs and death slithering in the shadows the haitani brothers have always called home, there's only two rules that will always ring true: you cannot trust anyone but yourself, and the only currency worth anything more than money was spilled blood with a name attached to it and a debt it neglected to repay.

at twelve, ran does not simply witness, but enforces this factㅤ───ㅤthe first pay is enough to get rindou brand new glasses, and they no longer have to sneak into the cinema theatre in between functions, and they spend hours arguing over which vending machine to drop their loose change in, and ran eats so many new desserts that rindou had panicked when he wouldn't wake up the day after. at thirteen, this becomes routine, and they become the kings of the world.

they never needed anyone else but each other; not the parents out of the polaroid pictures ran keeps in his pocket, not the bosses who believed them pawns in ran's own chessboard, not the fickleness of teaming up with people who would betray them when the opportunity arose.

this kid may be strong, but he is foolishㅤ───ㅤand the most foolish thing of all is the part of ran that wants to believe him.

ㅤㅤㅤ‘ㅤthat's a tall promise.ㅤ’ㅤㅤand arrogant, too. ran grins.ㅤㅤ‘ㅤi can look after myself just fine. i have been looking after myself just fine a~ll this time. i don't need you to do it for me.ㅤ’

yet. yetㅤ───ㅤthere's a tight curl to his smile, almost a grimace, and a shadow over his eyes, almost resentment. he doesn't understand it now, but in five years, in seven, in seventeen, he will look back at this moment and realize he'd just been a child, even with the blood smeared on his hands, even with the ability to choose who lives and who dies with a smile on his face. he'd just been a child, and no one but his own little brother had looked out for him.

they never needed anyone else but each other, after allㅤ───ㅤbut what happens when one is gone? when the debt collector has an overdue debt of his own, and only death can pay it off? before meeting izana, ran had never thought of his past catching up to him, because he'd be strong enough to fend off anyone who came for his throne... but the person who had broken his dreams in the first place sits at his prison cell's bunk bed by him, with words so earnest, compassionate, it almost makes ran laugh to his face.

he doesn't. he stops smiling, and he looks at him in the eye, assessing.

ran does not believe in much, but he believes in izana's strength, and he believes in his ambition. he realizes, too, that izana would gain nothing from betraying them, that whatever he needed from them, he'd take if he truly wanted it, and no honeyed words would be necessary when his fists had already spoken convincingly enough. he didn't need to win ran over, not when ran had willingly chosen to follow him, even if izana saw his obedience as submission or cowardice. these words were honest, so ran allows him the same honesty in return.

ㅤㅤㅤ‘ㅤthat's not something people can control. not even you.ㅤ’ㅤㅤhe tells him bluntly, but not unkindly. there's a foreign softness to him that smooths out the edges of his voice and warmths the indifference in his eyes as he tilts his head, closely, carefully observing the very first person he considered an equal. subordination is as new to him as it is to the rest of this vicious generation, and his own words feel oddly clumsy in his mouth in a way they never have before. he doesn't know if it's the unknown budding comradeship throwing off his game or something like wonder at someone wanting to protect him. he doesn't know how to rationalize it, so he does not know how to accept it... but it doesn't feel belittling. it feels... reassuring, and that in itself is a newer experience than being bested in a fight.ㅤㅤ‘ㅤwe'll look out for each other when you make our team, right? i watch your back, you watch mine, all that corny stuffㅤ───ㅤand in the case i bite the dust first... then you do your best to make sure nothing bad happens to rindou.ㅤ’

he allows his new grin to wash out the melancholy mood from the air, playfully holding up his pinky finger.

ㅤㅤㅤ‘ㅤhow's that for a promise?ㅤ’

[theroseandthebeast]

Yuletide 2022 Recs, Batch Five

17 recs for Master & Commander, Midsommar, Nope, Only Murders In The Building, Peacemaker, Persuasion, Point Break, Pyre, Ready or Not?, Severance, The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Transistor, and Under the Banner of Heaven

Cadential Motion

Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin - “I’ll be frank with you, Captain, it’s a relief to finally have you in my chair. I was beginning to worry that you didn’t trust my expertise.”

Aubrey and Maturin discover that their first impressions of one another were borne out of some misunderstandings.

Hasaeti 

Dani Ardor/Pelle - Dani learns about the ongoing responsibilities of the May Queen, deepens her relationship with the land - and finds her throne.

Beyond The Stars

Angel Torres, OJ Haywood - It'd been seven months since they last spoke, but who's counting?

Making wishes is a sucker’s game, but at least there’s cake

Mabel Mora & Oliver Putnam & Charles-Haden Savage - Mabel isn’t celebrating her birthday because she stopped doing that when she was 8 years old. Charles and Oliver find a way to be there for her anyway.

Portrait of the Artist

Theo Dimas/Mabel Mora, Mabel Mora & Oliver Putnam & Charles-Haden Savage - Winter brings back memories for Mabel, but also the opportunity to make new ones.

I'm Feeling This

Adrian Chase/Christopher Smith - Adrian doesn't have feelings but he does feel things. He feels a lot for Chris. More than for anyone else.

I Must Go Up From The Seas Again.

Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth - It sounds bitter to say that he's still not over his ex who wouldn't uproot her entire life, leave her entire support system behind, and go be a trailing spouse for five years in a place with no career prospects for herself.

Of Duty, and A Path Not Ridden

Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth - Two years after Miss Anne Elliot declined to marry Captain Frederick Wentworth of His Majesty's Navy, an opportunity arises for the captain to renew his suit.

come as you are

Bodhi/Johnny Utah - Johnny goes to Mexico, and there's one more Ex-President.

The Ultimate Ride

Bodhi/Johnny Utah - Even reeling from the shock that Johnny jumped out of the plane without a parachute to tackle him mid-air and point a gun at his head, Bodhi has never felt more connected to anyone.

Because Bodhi’s been chasing the ultimate ride his whole life and one look into Johnny’s eyes as they fall to earth together makes it crystal clear that Johnny is already there.

Constellations of the fall

Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood, Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq - Terrible starlight shines on Oralech as he lays dying on the northern slopes of Mount Alodiel. The same truth hangs over Volfred and Tariq, who are left to mourn. All they have is their memories and the warm embrace of failure.

A Smudge of Red

Daniel Le Domas/Grace Le Domas - "Funny story. Not really. But. Yeah. We were all adopted, Alex and Emilie and me, but I guess the old folks thought—rightly so—that baby me couldn't exactly play, uh, any board game. But Alex and Emilie were toddlers when their papers came through and they joined the family, so they did it, and I hadn't blown up yet by then, so. Yeah. Got left out of that one. A lot of goat sacrifices, though. To make up for it. Not fun. But, hey, I'm still in one piece. I guess."

"Great," is about all she can come up with. "I'm being asked some awkward questions, but glad I can blame it on your all being adopted and not on demons or whatever the fuck."

"Ah. The proper authorities." He grimaces."And hospital personnel, yeah." Her chair creaks. It's uncomfortable and noisy, and not making this conversation any easier.

all you are

Helena Eagan & Helly R. - In a dream, Helly meets Helena.

r/severed

gen - Welcome to r/severed! This is a subreddit to discuss the experience of severance and provide advice and support to fellow severed people (and friends and family).

Dear and Beloved

Tang Fan/Wang Zhi - Wang Zhi and Tang Fan are a lot more candid in their letters to each other than they are in person. One thing leads to another, until they have no choice but to admit what they really want.

i genuinely love to hear your thoughts

Mr. Nobody | Man Inside Transistor/Red - Red’s cheeks feel warmer than before. She’s never shared unfinished material with anybody—not even Sybil. She’d always thought it would cast a curse, doom the song to die before its first breath. If it dies, she thinks in the quiet of her lonely apartment, then let it be with him.

The Dust They Leave Behind

Jeb Pyre/Bill Taba - When to move on, and what to take with you.

[fire-lady-ilah]

Random Lu Ten Centric Headcanons

Because I love looking at the Fire Nation Royal Family in general, but Lu Ten holds a specific soft spot in my heart.

He’s ten years older than Zuko and was the fourth person to hold his new cousin, after Zuko’s parents and the Fire Lord but before his own father (who had fallen asleep before the baby was born). He does not feel an immediate love for him, but he does feel immediate curiosity at the way Zuko’s little face scrunches up.

He adores Zuko as he grows. To Lu Ten, Zuko is like the younger sibling he never got without the jealousy that stems from a little sibling getting more attention. After all, Iroh still has plenty of time for his actual son, and Zuko has his own parents. He tries to teach the baby firebending before realizing that won’t work (he’s just a baby after all) and resorting to simple games.

When Azula is born, Lu Ten already has experience as a doting older cousin and adores her just as much as he adores Zuko. He tries to help Zuko deal with the lack of attention from his parents by giving him attention— it only partially works.

Lu Ten has a complicated relationship with Ozai. The easiest way to picture it is to think of Simba and Scar before Mufasa’s death. Ozai resents Lu Ten for taking his place in the line of succession, though he tolerates the little prince. Lu Ten, for his part, can’t imagine someone hating him as a child and views Ozai as just a grumpy person in general. It is only when he gets older that he starts to realize that Ozai might hate him, but by that point he can’t avoid him because it would mean avoiding his cousins.

Lu Ten is also quite close to his grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon. While it may seem a surprise, Lu Ten is expected to inherit the throne one day. Azulon’s love of tea passes down to Iroh, which then passes down to Lu Ten. Grandfather and grandson spend long hours talking on night the full moon every month, starting when Lu Ten is only seven. When he’s young, it’s about topics like what he’s learned in school and how his hobbies are going. As he gets older, the topics become more serious and nuanced. This is another source of envy from Ozai— Lu Ten has a closer relationship to his father than he ever did.

All in all, he has a happy childhood and is viewed as the perfect prince. A prodigy firebender (Azula breaks all his records, but that’s okay. It makes him proud and he teaches her the next move in the set before her tutors will), knowledgeable in Fire Nation culture and history, an expert tactician. Everyone looks at him and knows he’ll be the greatest Fire Lord the Nation has ever seen.

When he is seventeen, he takes a season long break from his typical studies and duties to study under Master Piandao. He takes Zuko with him. He mentions the name to his grandfather, who sneers but does not forbid him from going. Under Piandao he discovers a love of painting. He also discovers the first thing he doesn’t immediately excel at. While Zuko’s dual swords flow as if they are an extension of his body, Lu Ten works from sundown to sunset to accomplish only half of what Zuko does while barely trying. He’s happy that Zuko has something he’s good at. It’s the only thing that keeps him from quitting swordsmanship. He knows that he’s the only reason Zuko is able to learn under Master Piandao. So Lu Ten persists so Zuko can flourish.

Lu Ten is a flirt, and in this he takes after his father. He’s also bisexual, although he keeps that fact carefully hidden from his family. He’s well aware of his Nation’s laws after all. Despite all his flirting, there’s very few people that he actually develops relationships with.

Lu Ten enlists at eighteen and insists on being trained with the other soldiers and treated the same. He regrets this soon after under two tutelage of Master Jeong Jeong, who he swears treats him worse because he’s a prince. It gets worse when he heards that Jeong Jeong is an old friend of his father’s and an old “friend” of Master Piandao— so he has no qualms about pushing him to his limits and forcing him to incorporate weaponry into his firebending. Yet despite it all, he’s still not Jeong Jeong’s star student.

The first time he kills someone, he throws up. He wants to quit. He wants to run away. He wants to go back to the palace and pull his little cousins into his arms and tell them to never, ever go to battle. He keeps fighting and kills again a moment later because it’s an active fight and the sky is grey and he doesn’t have anything left in his stomach but he’s still dry heaving again when his friends find him and the battle is done. He never quite gains the stomach for killing, preferring to make a killing strike and move away without ensuring they die. That way there is doubt in his mind.

Lu Ten takes his issued leave a few months before he dies, travelling to the Fire Nation and spending some time with his cousins. They are a balm to his soul and he finds years of battle induced ache begin to ease. He spoils them both, sparring with Zuko with swords (the boy beats him soundly) and Azula with firebending (she doesn’t quite beat him, but he knows he’s one of the few people she’s okay with being stronger than her... for now). He gives them their favourite treats until their stomachs ache. He gives them both paintings he’s done of the three of them together, even though Azula complains about Zuko being in the painting and Zuko complains about Azula. He meets with his grandfather on the full moon and talks through the whole night. He returns to the front happy and relaxed.

The next time he sees battle, he falls. He knows he will be mourned. He will be mourned by a Nation, by a father, a grandfather, and two little cousins. One will yell and cry. The other will hide behind her cold masks and clutch a painting so tightly it creases the paper.

Lu Ten sees his father from a distance in the spirit world. It might be a close distance, it might be a far one, the spirit world is tricky. He sees the way he hurts, but he also knows that his father is learning things he wished he learned before he died. He turns and walks away, hoping his father will forgive him when they eventually do meet again.

[cozycottagetarot]

Pick A Pile: Your Next 6 Months

July - December 2021

Disclaimer: All readings and tarot/blog games are for fun and entertainment purposes only. It is in no way meant to act as or replace professional advice of any kind. You know yourself and what’s going on in your life best so I asks that you trust yourself above all else. Finally please take only what resonates from the reading which may be some of it, all of it, or none at all.

Reading Specific Disclaimer: Keep in mind this is just for fun and ultimately your actions and things you can’t control are the factors that will truly determine how the next 6 months pan out for you.

PILE 1

Theme // The Lovers Rx — Hello Pile 1! The theme for your next 6 months are all about finding your passion and building a relationship with yourself. Are you going through a rough patch right now Pile 1? Because I’m seeing you getting out of it or having a major shift by the end of the year.

July // Knight of Cups — With the knight of cups, I see you need to get your mood and mindset in check during the month of July. The energy you are in right now could be sooo much better my love. I feel like you’re holding back, there’s this brooding energy I’m picking up on. Focus on expressing yourself in some format (creatively, journaling, when talking to others) because if you do so I see you can allow yourself to begin this journey of transformation.

August // Seven of Pentacles — I’m picking up this energy you may potentially have of “when will things start to get better?” The answer— when you start putting in the work. That’s what August is about. Take some time during this month to really check your strategy at whatever it is you’re brooding about and come up with a game plan.

September // Ten of Swords Rx — So far if you’ve taken the tarot’s advice, then in September you’ll find yourself finding your momentum and strength again as the Ten of Swords Rx can signal getting off of rock bottom in a sense.

October // Ace of Pentacles — To me aces represent new beginnings. During the month of October something you’ve been manifesting (remember August?) is going to start coming thru. I’m also picking up on your financial situation improving or new financial opportunity coming through.

November // Ace of Swords — Your are going to be able to think and see things much clearer during November Pile 1. I don’t see a major ‘aha’ moment, but I do sense a subtle "oh my gosh look how well I’ve been doing" type of energy. 6 may also be a number of importance for you here too.

December // Death — Finally we’ve made it to December and I feel so much good vibes. The previous months may have been… challenging and have pushed you to grow, but when I look at the cards I see something beautiful, and I see progression. You started out, Pile 1, with the knight of cups riding forward with his/their white horse, cup in hand (an intention of sorts) and end with Death on their white horse but now a skeleton holding a flag of what we’ll call victory. I know, it sounds morbid, but the point I’m trying to make is that Death represents transitions and endings, and that is what December had in stored for you.

Oracle Card — Chant//Invoke

Yogi Tea Messages — “In every moment of life, you should be what you ought to be.” | “If we are happy, everybody looks up and shares our happiness.”

PILE 2

Theme // The Fool — Pile 2, I’m not sure the cards wanted you to know what’s in store for you over the course of the next three months. Therefore your reading is kind of short so if you have specific questions just send it in an asks. The general energy is very guarded. The fool here represents, beginnings and potential.

July // Ace of Cups — Ace of Cups is mainly about love and peace. I felt inclined to draw another card and out popped the Ten of Swords. Maybe you’ve had a not-so great experience happen recently, and July is about healing from it and trying to find a place of love and peace within yourself.

August // The Hermit — On this idea or energy, I see The Hermit as hinting that during the month of August you may find yourself doing a lot of self reflection Pile 2. I wanted to know what you were potentially doing self reflection on and out came the Six of Wands which, summarised, is about success and recognition. Self reflection on your progress maybe?

September // Death Rx — During the month of September beware of being resistant. Alternately, things maybe moving slowly and in wanting things to move faster, you maybe creating resistance to your blessings coming thru. Ultimately going with the flow.

October // Eight of Wands — I moved the eight of wands and under it was The Star which I hadn’t realised and was pleasantly surprised. With these two cards, I’m hearing if you heed death’s advice of being aware of your resistance to whatever is going on, you’ll see a sudden improvement in your situation. In October things are picking up and the things you’ve been wishing for will come to you.

November // The Chariot — One of the first things to come to me with this card was ‘faith, trust and pixie dust’. I have no idea why but maybe you do Pile 2. I see you having lots of motivation with The Chariot, finding balance, and success with a problem or situation you maybe having.

December // Four of pentacles Stability will be yours by the end of the year pile 2. However there’s an energy I’m not feeling. I pulled a card to clarify and got the Knight of Swords. Things are coming through for you in December but there is also a message to be aware that the chariot energy you’re carrying from November to December doesn’t morph into an energy stemming from greed and superiority.

Oracle Cards  — Mystery//Dream & Align//Ignite

Yogi Tea Messages — “Think seriously and think honestly.” | “We are born wise, we are born complete.”

PILE 3

Theme // 10 of Swords — Have no fear pile 3,   I’m reading this card as the next 6 months marking completion to a rough  phase in your life.

July // 6 of Wands — Success and   victory you’ve been growing and working on yourself or a creative endeavor. During July you may find yourself acknowledging your progress,  or other’s may comment on how well you’re doing.

August // 8 of Swords Rx — If you have been feeling powerless or trapped Pile 3, that is going to change. You may be opening your eyes to a situation or a truth maybe revealed.

September // King of Swords — I’m seeing you stepping up and being in-charge... being more levelheaded. With the butterflied on the throne, I’m thinking maybe you were more erratic in thought or and emotion? Or maybe during September butterflied will be of importance. Honesty and good communication is also key.

October // 6 of Cups — During October you maybe taking a trip down memory lane, or indulging in old/childhood enjoyments. Someone from your past may also be showing back up in your life.

November // 10 of Pentacles — I see you coming into abundance. It could be material abundance but it doesn’t have to be. There’s also a message of keep doing what you’re doing.

December // 9 of Cups — To end the year off you maybe feeling more content and satisfied with the things you’ve been doing. Keep up the mindset you’ve seemingly come into and enjoy the good things life has to offer.

Oracle Card —  Love//Empathy

Yogi Tea Messages — “People who love are giving.” | “Let your energy be used to build not destroy.”

PILE 4

Theme // 6 of Swords Rx — Pile 4, my chaotic little bunch. With the 6 of Swords reversed I feel you maybe regressing if you’re not careful.

July // 5 of Wands Rx — Here this card represents the end of conflict and moving on. I don’t know if it’s working out for you... I feel like you might just be like ‘screw it’ and move on. Throughout the reading I kept feeling like it was related to familial disagreements so for some of you that could be it.

August // The Fool —  The fool is about fresh starts, potential and being carefree. While I do see that, in this reading the dog by the fool’s foot jumps out at me as a warning of sorts. While new beginnings may be in the works, be careful of making rash decisions and not thinking things through.

September // Justice — I see things as balanced for you during September Pile 4, maintain that energy of balance going forward.

October // Queen of Wands — For me this is one of my favourite cards because I see it as being in your ideal energy, being your own muse. It’s time to come into that healthy, attractive, confident, creative energy.

November // Queen of Cups Rx — Why would you be wallowing Pile 4? You were doing so well and now the cards show me you finding yourself in an upset and moody energy. This is where familial disagreements really came to me since depending where you live the holiday season really kicks off in November and potentially so does family tension. Regardless of what it is, during November you may need to show yourself some extra love and prioritize self care.

December // 5 of Swords — You’re fiery Pile 4, and I don’t see you as they type to take crap from anyone. You know your situation best and the people around you best so there are two main messages with this card. The first message being one of ‘the world doesn’t revolve around you’. While you need to put yourself first, you also need to understand your actions and decisions affects those around you. Alternately — you need to claim control your rights, your power... whatever you want to see it as. If someone is taking advantage of you, you need to break free and be able to choose yourself.

Oracle Card —  Spiral//Cycle

Yogi Tea Messages — “Life is a flow of love; your participation is requested.” | “An attitude of gratitude brings opportunities.”

[bitchfitch]

Character and Story Repository (under construction)

The Birth and Death of Everything

Summary:

Seven siblings are tasked with becoming gods by the monarch of their species. The monarch hoped they would fail and perish in the attempt, removing them as threats to the monarchs throne. But, Through many lifetimes worth of experiences and with the help of many of their new creations, the humans, the seven succeed at their task and truly witness the birth and death of everything.

Setting Info:

Alternative history and urban fantasy. Magic is real and almost anyone can use it but around the industrial revolution the eldest of the seven wiped the existence of magic from everyone's memory to keep in line with the latest of the Monarch's demands. The seven are from a fairy realm and rifts between the two worlds are used as an explanation as to where the myths come from

Notes:

The Seven are hyper predatory fairy people monster things. I call them Dauvi.

Wrought Divinity

The Story / Image Gallery

Story Summary:

Copper, the third youngest of the seven siblings and the god of the afterlife, meets a beautiful man under unfortunate circumstances. The man, a bounty hunter named Mikely, is trying very hard to kill him because he has been framed for many deaths and robberies. Now, Copper could explain the situation, he Could talk this out and be done with it fairly quickly. But this game of cat and mouse he finds himself playing with the hunter makes him feel more Alive than he has in years. In the background, their dance leads to the final gear in the goddess of fate's grand plan clicking into place. Her chosen warrior will soon ascend and join his lover in god hood.

Notes:

the first part of wrought divinity, where Mikely and Copper meet and fall in love takes place over the course of three or so years. but they stay together until the heat death of the universe finally kills the both. So, many of the posts about them take place in the many many years following the initial story and they are both major players in the rest of the plot as well as having their own subplots

Mikely / Copper / Paladen / Metok / Nulk

[# Wrought Divinity] [#Death and Chaos ] [#Mikely] [#Copper][#Paladen] [#Metok] [#Nulk]

💜💜💜

That Dragon Thing

Summary:

The rains that feed a lush tropical paradise suddenly cease when an artifact of great value is stolen from a dragon storm god. With no other options, the fauns who live within the jungle make the difficult decision to offer the most beautiful and virtuous amongst them as a sacrifice to their god. Tahir accepts his fate without so much as a shed tear. His love for his people and for their god being more than enough to steady him through the ceremony. The god, Daeodon, finds him more than repayment enough for the stolen artifact and returns the rains to the jungle. Over the course of the following years the two fall deeply in love. To the point the already thriving jungle grows even more verdent and fruitful, the sun shines brighter and the air stays warm even during the dreadfulest of winters. Until eventually, Tahir becomes a god of love, marriage, community, and the warmth of the sun.

All is good, until that stolen artifact, a beautiful ornate sword, is drawn and with it Tahir falls.

In his dying moments, knowing his husband's rage, Tahir makes his beloved promise not to ever take the rains away from their jungle. Daeodon agrees, and as his husband dies in his arms it begins to pour, and pour, and pour, the rain never stopping. They took away Daeodon's sunshine, and so he will take away theirs.

Years pass, the downpour never ceases, and the clergy try and try again to sate their angry god. Sacrifices turn up ripped to shreds, their deaths serving only to worsen the deluge. All their begging prayers are ignored. Until finally they stoop to their last resort. Through great difficulty and effort, they reincarnate their god of love as a mere babe.

Tahir, named for his predecessor, is raised to be exactly like him, but, by forcing the boy to always be kind instead of allowing him to choose kindness on his own, by forcing him to love everyone instead of letting that love grow on its own, by forcing him to be Tahir instead of allowing him to become Tahir, the clergy instead raised a deeply angry and frustrated young man. Who's only similarity to the love god they need was their identical beauty.

Tahir didn't wait for his wedding to go find his absentee god of a husband. Instead he took that grand blade and challenged him to a battle in the pouring rain.

Enraged by this mockery of his love, Daeodon took his offer with gusto. The two clashed only once, Tahir being badly wounded in the process.

Daeodon fails to finish him off, because there in the mud in front of him was a crying man suffering injuries Daeodon had inflicted, who looked and sounded exactly like his long lost husband.

Daeodon does not allow Tahir to return to village, and instead brings him inside to heal his wounds. There Tahir learns that his predecessor's body has been kept in perfect condition through all of these years, as Daeodon has refused to fully let him go.

The two of them end up embarking on a journey to revive the deceased god. Through the trials they too fall for eachother. And Tahir comes into his own as a person separate from his predecessor. When they do finally succeed in bringing Tahir back from the dead, one simple question hangs over their heads,

What now?

Daeodon / Tahir / Twohir

[#(oc) Daeodon] [#Tahir] [# Twohir] [#That Dragon Thing]

[readermishok]

Top 20: my favorite interactive stories

Hello, guys!

Once I saw that one of my popular and mostly likeable posts was about IF, I decided to share with you my personal top of the best IF authors I have known. 

I read a lot of WIPs (work in progress) and finished novels since three long years, so I might recommend truly incredible stories. I apologies for adding pics and some additional info about my MC, but I wanted to bring spark of life into this top.

MC – Julia (deShanre), she|her.

I'll start with telling about quartet of works greatly affected on me. It was almost like… living my second life. It felt so real, so vibrant. In the darkest times it gave me the strenght to meet the next day.

1. Samurai of Hyuga, Books 1-4 by Devon Connell (WIP, planned 7 books). Patreon. Buy Book 1.  Buy Book 2. Buy Book 3. Buy Book 4.

Samurai of Hyuga is a brutal, heart-pounding interactive tale. Prepare to enter the land of silk and steel, where fantasy clashes against grim reality, and where the good guys don't always win in the end. It's a harsh world with tough choices at every turn. Good thing you're the toughest ronin around.

My MC: Ronin, the master of the Jigoku Ittō-ryū, The Sword Who Cuts the Heavens

Jigoku:

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2. Fallen Hero by Malin Ryden (WIP, planned 4 books). Tumblr: @fallenhero-rebirth​. Patreon. Buy Book 1.

Become the greatest telepathic villain Los Diablos has ever known! Once you were famous; soon you will be infamous. That is, unless your old friends in the Rangers stop you first. Juggle different identities and preserve your secrets as you build new alliances and try to forget the friendships you've left behind.

My MC: Sidestep Puppetmaster:

Jane (puppet):

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3. I, the Forgotten one by Bacondoneright (WIP, planned dilogy). No tumblr or Patreon|Ko-fi. Demo.

It has been five long years since the end of The Border Wars. Five long years without a purpose. Endlessly drifting around from one job to the next, serving your apathetic father only to receive no credit. Nobody in Kanton truly knows what you did. How you won The War, leading the armies of Kanton as a youth.

Nobody knows what it took out of you. Spending your formative years in war is not good for one’s outlook on life. Your emotions now lie behind a mask of stoicism. After all, all emotions do is cloud one’s judgement and wind up costing lives.

Nobody knows how much it hurt to be cast down from the throne and succession. To be disinherited, cast away from the family, and left aside to die.

My MC: The Marshal, the bastard child:

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4. The Exile by Pheo (WIP). Tumblr: @exilethegame​. Patreon. Demo.

You’re the ex-commander of the Kingdom of Plaithus, and your name is known by all. It used to be whispered in fear by your enemies, and the very mention of it could send men fleeing. Your people had cried it out in battle, swords raised in your honor as they faced death fearlessly. You were a hero, and to some, a legend.

Until you weren’t.

You can’t remember what happened. All that’s left are blurry faces, screams, and the feeling of blood on your hands. The only reason you still have your head is because of the pity of an old friend.

And now? It’s only been a year since the incident, and already things are going wrong again when a rather peculiar sorcerer offers you absurd amounts of gold in exchange for protection from… well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? You don’t know.

My MC: the Commander:

Ex-commander.

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Shepherds of Haven by Lena Nguyen (WIP). Tumblr: @shepherds-of-haven​ Patreon. Demo.

Shepherds of Haven is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. In it, you play as a Mage living in a world where magic is outlawed and your people—those possessing supernatural powers—are oppressed and reviled. The world is ruled by humans who believe in science, technology, and industry: at best, you and your kind are nothing more than a fairytale, and at worst you are the state’s greatest threat.

My MC: Human Mage, gunner

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God of the Red Mountain (WIP). Tumblr: @friendlybowlofsoup​​​ Demo.

You are a spirit born of the Red Mountain–though you’ve run away from it long ago. You’d be content to stay away, too, if not for the mountain god who suddenly comes looking for you. But what purpose do they have? And what exactly is your end goal?

Based on East Asian myths and folklore, you play as a powerful, nameless spirit in a shifting world. As a being caught between death and life, you are connected to a stream of limitless power, and the more you are known, the more powerful you become.

However, your journey will not be so smooth. You have been cursed by powerful, malignant beings known as Foxes, and it’s only a matter of time before you fall from sanity yourself.

My MC: Owl spirit, human appearance

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The Bastard of Camelot by Rebelgirl (WIP). Tumblr: @llamagirl28​ Demo. Ko-fi.

Your child will be the undoing of Camelot. Born under an ominous prophecy, you are the incestuous bastard of King Arthur and Morgana Le Fay. Will you fulfill the prophecy, or rebel?

Be the villain they expect you to be, or the hero they don’t- be remorseful or unapologetic, make your destiny or be Morgana’s tool of revenge.

Arthur can’t have any more children, making you the sole blood heir, and sole other Pendragon. As a Pendragon, you have the power of dragons.

The Bastard of Camelot is a trilogy following Mordred as they become a knight of the Round Table, and save or destroy Camelot.

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The Seven Heirs of Ophaesia: Part One by (WIP). Tumblr: @fantasyfawkes​​​ Demo. Patreon.

The Seven Heirs of Ophaesia is a low-fantasy game set in a Renaissance-esque world where you play as one of seven heirs to a fictional kingdom rife with intrigue. As the King’s seventh child, you are a prince or princess of Ophaesia, a luxurious nation along the southern coast of Selanes. You are the first child of your father’s third wife, a woman hated throughout the realm due to the pervasive suspicion that she poisoned the previous queen, and her poor reputation taints your image in the eyes of the court and beyond. From your days in the palace nursery all the way to adulthood, you must navigate treacherous court politics and delicate foreign affairs while trying to find your place in the world — and your family.

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 Attollo by A.E. Jendryke (WIP). Tumblr: @attollogame Demo. Patreon.

After several years of radio silence, you receive a message from your younger sibling that carries a strange sense of urgency to it. Either out of familial concern, or boredom, you embark on a journey from your residence to your siblings apartment in New Hampshire to see what’s wrong and then get on with your life. Too bad it’s never so simple.

Deal with cults, interdimensional entities, and far too many people with superpowers (where, for once, you’re the odd one out) in your journey to bring your sibling back from an underworld far out of your control.

My MC: lawyer

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 Land of the Dragon (WIP) by Hilsee Foo. Demo. Last update was long ago... (crying)

Welcome to the Land of the Dragon! Here you shall experience an adventure in an ancient land, navigate court politics, forge friendships, and maybe even pursue romance if you so choose!

The Dragon Emperor sits upon the throne, as he inherited it from his father before him. But all is not well in the realm. In the provinces, an Uprising is gaining both strength and popularity. At court, the Elder Prince plots in secret to usurp his brother's throne. And within the Emperor's harem, the Empress and Imperial Consort vie for power.

As the Emperor and Empress' only trueborn child, you are at the centre of this power struggle. When all hell breaks lose on your 21st nameday, what will you do to find your place in this world?

All this, and more... In the Land of the Dragon.

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The Northern Passage by Kit H.J. (WIP). Tumblr: @northern-passage​ Demo. 

The Northern Passage is a horror fantasy CYOA, where you play as a hunter sent up north to investigate a series of missing people along the border and in the port cities of the Blackwater.

Working with your handler, Lea, you will travel north and discover that things are far worse than you ever could have imagined, and that there is something powerful lurking out in the deep, dark sea…

My MC: Hunter

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 The Nameless by Parker Lyn (WIP). Tumblr: @parkerlyn​​ Demo. Ko-fi.

The Nameless is a low fantasy WIP that is character and romance driven, with your race (sheevra) loosely based on stories about the fey and other myths. Where deals are a weapon and a name is the most intimate secret someone can offer. You play as a sheevra investigating the city of Renescen after the complete disappearance of one of four sheevra Clans in the world, running across a ragtag group of both sheevra and mortalis along the way.

Will you find out what happened before it comes for you?

Mortalis appearance

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Virtue’s End by Crimsis (WIP). Tumblr: @virtuesend-if​​​ Demo. Patreon.

In a dark world overrun by monsters from the shadow plane, you exist as a hybrid monster hunter called a helvling, a human whose very soul has been Bound to one such entity. Travelling from warded settlement to warded settlement with your surly Keeper, Shea, you have the thankless task of defending the common folk against these horrors from Hel.

Usually, a fate such as yours is only reserved for the lowest of criminals, as penance for their loathsome deeds… You wouldn’t know if your fate has been deserved, however, since upon completion of your Binding seven years ago, all former memories of your human life have been lost.

You’ve been moulded into a weapon by the Virtuous Order, trained to be an unfeeling and ruthlessly efficient hunter… But is that who you are? Who are you, truly?

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A Tale of Crowns (WIP). Tumblr: @ataleofcrowns​​​​ Itch.

A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy love story with Middle Eastern roots, both on pc as well as mobile! It’s entirely text-based, with choices throughout to shape both your main character’s personality and skills as well as influence their relationships with others. There are four love interests for you to choose from, both female as well as male, each with their own stories and secrets for you to uncover!

Crown of Arsur

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 Wayfarer (WIP). Tumblr: @idrellegames​ Demo. Patreon.

When your mercenary work backs you into a corner, you take the only option available and accept a contract: to travel to the city of Velantis and steal an ancient artifact said to be blessed by the gods. Simple, right?

But Velantis holds more than you bargained for. Gathering a ragtag party of malcontents and renegades from across the city, you must navigate enemy factions, meddling guilds, and escalating political tensions. Your choices will ultimately determine the city’s fate – and the fate of every person who lives there. 

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When Twilight Strikes by evertidings (WIP). Tumblr: @evertidings​ Demo. 

You are a bounty hunter. Responsible for taking in rogue supernaturals, you work for IAOS—the International Agency of Supernaturals—where, alongside your best friend and partner, you two have quickly become the best hunting duo of the branch. After a particular tricky hunt, you brief your boss, Caine Atheron, and come back to work the next day to find that he has mysteriously disappeared overnight, the company is now in the hands of his best friend, Sebastian Mai. And though no one else seems to question it, something tells you that there’s more to the story.

With bounty cases rising at an alarming rate and a second mystery unfolding, you and your ragtag team of allies set out to find the truth.

But as you go further and further, the secrets you uncover begin to make you question: who… or what exactly are you fighting for? 

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Passanger by Pime (WIP). Tumblr: @the-passenger-if Demo. Ko-fi.

Do you like monsters? Do you think they are the best part of their respective movies, books, and shows? Then The Passenger might be the game for you.

The Passenger is a choice script work in progress in which you are an eldritch abomination that’s about to be devoured by another unthinkable creature. Good news is you are pretty crafty and know how to jump dimensions to escape your ghastly fate; bad news is, you’re now stuck on Earth, trapped inside a dumb human larva.

As years go by, you realize the amount of energy you need to leave this horrible dimension behind is a lot more than you anticipated. Not to mention the creature that almost ate you all those years ago never really stopped looking for you. But there’s no way it’ll pinpoint your actual location… right?

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Scout: An Apocalypse Story by Anya (WIP). Tumblr: @anya-dev​ Itch.

It has been over a decade since a worldwide natural disaster obliterated the natural planet and decimated human civilization. There are small groups of humans still alive, fending for themselves, trying to create communities amongst the rubble.

You are a 24-year old scout living in a small community on the edge of the Orange Plains. You lost your mother and your sister before finding your way here. You are primarily an academic, and you put your skills to use on regular scouting missions. With your best friend and your scouting team leader in tow, your small group is a pillar of the Community.

On your first scouting mission of the hot season, you meet the leader of the People Across the Orange Plains. Will you break from the Community you have known your whole life? Ask a romantic partner to join you? Discover secrets that your own people have been hiding? Become a leader yourself?

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Body Count by Nell Bolton (WIP). Tumblr: @bodycountgame​ Demo. Ko-fi.

Your life isn’t going how you’d hoped. Despite having big plans when you graduated, you’re stuck in a dead end job and a crappy flat with zero romantic life to speak of. All until a friend convinces you to join the cast of a new reality TV show.

The premise is simple: 12 singles are sent to a villa on a tropical island and they live there together for a month. After 28 days, the couple who is voted by the other islanders as being most likely to withstand the test of time will win £500,000. In addition, the couple with the highest body count will win £500,000. Total prize pool? £1,000,000.

In this context, “body count” refers to how many people you’ve slept with… right? Well, that’s what you think when you sign your contract. Turns out, though, that not all of your fellow cast members will be using that definition to get to the prize.

Fall in love, win big money, solve some murders and try to stay.

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Project Hadea by nyehilism (WIP). Tumblr: @nyehilismwriting​​ Itch. Ko-fi.

You play as an OPERATIVE of Scytha Industries, a highly selective private security company. As their most elite Operative, you possess many skills and talents, not to mention top-of-the-line equipment - including your very own AI module, IVI.

This, of course, puts a price on your head. An AI module goes for billions on the black market; carrying one around in your skull is, perhaps, not the safest idea. Sure, you’re more than a match for anyone who might come after you - but no-one outside the high levels of Scytha knows about it, so you should be safe anyway, right?

Wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I do want to thank all these tremendously talented authors for creating such complex and beautiful worlds. I love it with all my soul.

Thanks for reading, I hope you will find story for yourself. I’ll gradually extand this top! 

Stay tuned.

[fearsmagazine]

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience Featuring Emmy-Award-Winning Composer Ramin Djawad.

For one night only, the critically acclaimed Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience featuring two-time Emmy® Award-winning composer Ramin Djawadi will return for a special encore event at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. Come relive this incredible concert on Saturday, May 13, 2023, the immersive live concert produced by Live Nation will have Djawadi conducting The Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra as they perform the iconic live music from all eight seasons from the blockbuster hit HBO® series including the “Main Title Theme,” “Light of the Seven,” “The Night King” and more. Complete with an array of big-screen visuals and dazzling bursts of pyrotechnics and fireworks, the concert will transport viewers to the world of Westeros once again while bringing to life one of the most memorable scores in television history.

General on-sale tickets for the show will be available beginning this Friday, December 2nd at 10AM Pacific Time.

“Performing Game of Thrones Live at The Hollywood Bowl is a very special experience,” says Djawadi. “This concert has been such an amazing ride and being able to share it with the incredible GoT fans is a blast.”  

Claiming a chapter in the history books of television scores, Djawadi’s critically acclaimed music from Game of Thrones earned him two Grammy® Award nominations and back-to-back Emmy® Awards wins in the category of “Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score).” To give fans the chance to relive and enjoy the most memorable moments of his score while tracing the entire journey of the series, Ramin conceptualized The Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience in 2017 and presented the show over 100 times in arenas spanning North America and Europe between 2017 and 2019.

The Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience (Photo Credit: Andrés Jiménez)

Ramin returned to the world of Westeros to compose the music for HBO��’s House of the Dragon, the smash hit successor series to Game of Thrones®, and has had a prolific year creating the music for the fourth season of Westworld, Uncharted, Eternals, and the forthcoming third season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan which will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on December 21, 2022. Versatility has continued to define his career, from celebrated scores for Uncharted, Eternals, Iron Man, Pacific Rim, A Wrinkle in Time, Clash of the Titans, Great Wall and Prison Break. Ramin has also composed scores for blockbuster video games including New World, Gears 5, Gears of War 4, and Medal of Honor.  

Most notably, Game of Thrones illuminates the breadth of his talent. Season Six boasted one of his most popular compositions, “Light of the Seven”, which has impressively surpassed 116 million Spotify streams to date. His entrancing and elegant compositions typically average over 2.8 million plays monthly on Spotify, while spawning countless viral covers, and even topping Billboard’s Top Soundtracks chart. Ramin’s Game of Thrones® score albums have amassed over 1 billion streams to date.

Ramin Djawadi onstage at The Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience (Photo Credit: Andrés Jiménez)

[eirikaanemo]

Your Place

Warnings: Near death experience, more angst than I usually write

Venti x GN!Reader

1.2k Words

You were six when you first met Venti. He was hiding behind some curtains on the second story, third-to-the-right corridor. Slipping behind the curtains as well, you whisper, “Hi! Whatcha doing?” Apparently you were being too sneaky because he jumped into the air and you had to cover his mouth before he screamed.

“Shhh,” you hushed him. “You must’ve been hiding for a reason, and if you scream we’re gonna get caught! Got it?” He nodded vigorously so you let him go. “Thanks for that,” he said. “I’ve been hiding from my tutors, they want to teach me ar-ith-ma-tic but I don’t wanna.” You nod, not knowing exactly what he’s talking about but knowing what it’s like that hide when you don’t want to do something.

“Follow me, there’s a place we can go where we won’t get caught.” You instruct him. “Just be quiet or they’ll catch us and give away the spot.” Venti nods again and follows you quietly down the stairs, two rights, a left, and three doors down. This was your secret place. An old closet that no one realized didn’t have anything in it any more.

It was large for a closet and had plenty of space for two people. “Wow, this is awesome!” He loudly whispered. “I never knew there was a place like this!” You giggle. “That’s the point silly! No one can know, so don’t tell anyone. Pinky promise?” His pinkie loops around yours. “Yeah, I promise.”

Over the next many years the two of you spend a lot of time together, stolen away in that closet. You learn a lot about each other and end up developing feelings as well. It took a little while for the two of you to come to terms with that. But when you did, those moments became more than just a break from life, they became magical moments to never forget.

However, it was not to be. One moment the two of you were together in your closet, the next you were yanked out, informed that Venti was the crown prince, and ordered to stay far away from him. "Know your place," you were told. Later you received orders sending you on a quest far away from the castle, far away from your lover.

As you packed, you wondered some to yourself. Why didn’t he tell me he was the prince? Did he really like me? Was this all a game to him? How is it fair that I’m being sent away when I didn’t even know I was doing anything wrong?

Your questions never made it past your lips as you left the castle on your quest. Looking back you can see that you were still in shock. You remained in shock until you reached your destination. Then you snapped out of it, because you had to. The quest was to clear the entire north-western forest of Hilichurls. This mission was no regular mission. It was meant to either indefinitely detain you… or it was meant to kill you.

But what was there to do? Here you are, far from home, all alone, with a death quest. Did you regret the time you spent with (Prince) Venti that got you here? ...no, no you couldn’t bring yourself to regret that. There was nowhere to go but forward. So you rolled up your sleeves and got to work.

Seven months in, you haven’t made much progress on your quest. Your skills have grown a lot and you aren’t in danger of dying to slimes anymore. But your luck has started to run out. Bigger and badder monsters are starting to take note of you and seek you out. So far you’ve been able to handle them. It’s inevitable that one will come that you won’t be able to handle.

That day comes sooner than you think. One moment you’re fighting a couple Hilichurls, the next you’re turning to face a Mitachurl behind you. You’re unprepared and completely outmatched. Still you fight as long as you can before you’re knocked to the ground, stunned. At this point you know there’s no way you’re getting out of this alive. Your eyes close as you accept your unavoidable death. If only… if only you could have seen him one last time…

An arrow whistles past and you hear a ‘thwap’ then a ‘thud’. You carefully open one eye, then try to sit up before gasping in pain and lying back down. Someone calls your name, but the sudden pain has become overwhelming. “...please, don’t leave! Don’t let me be too late!” You hear before you surrender to the darkness.

The next few days are spent in a haze of pain, drifting in and out of consciousness. Someone is taking care of you but you don’t quite know who. They seem familiar though and you feel safe with them. A few tears roll down your cheeks at this realization. You’ve missed people. You’ve missed feeling safe.

You finally fully regain consciousness a week later. From what you can see without moving, it looks like whoever saved you set up camp not too far from where you were attacked. The camp is nicer than the basic one you were given some materials for before you left. The bedroll you’re on is certainly nicer at least.

Something- no, someone warm is pressed up against your back. Their arms are wrapped around you. You try to carefully turn to face them before hissing in pain and settling back down right where you were. But apparently your movement and hiss were enough to wake them and they hurriedly woke up and helped you roll over onto your back.

You open your eyes, hissing in pain again at your first attempt before your eyes adjust to the light of day. Blinking another few times to try and wipe the sleep from your eyes clears your vision. But you still blink a couple more times, because this couldn’t possibly be real. What in the world would Venti be doing here?

“What are you doing here?” You murmur, confused. “You’re the Prince, your place is on the throne, not in some forest.” Venti is, in fact, there at your bedside. He falls to his knees, grasps one of your hands tightly in his, and gives a small sob. “I save your life and that’s the first thing you say? I thought I was too late! I thought I was going to lose you!” A drop of water falls on you. It isn’t raining.

“And you’re wrong. My place has never been on the throne, note without you there! It didn’t take long for me to realize that a life there, without you, wasn’t worth living. So I came to find you. I can’t believe they tried to kill you. I’m so glad I wasn’t too late.

“There are so many things I haven’t said yet and feared I’d never be able to. I love you so, so much. You’re the light of my life. You make me happy and laugh when no one else can. You mean everything to me. My place is by your side.” He presses a kiss to the back of your hand. You smile. “Thank you, Venti,” you say. “That means a lot to me. I love you lots too. Life just hasn’t been the same without you. So despite all the trouble we’ve been through, I’m glad you’re here.”

Things don’t get better immediately, and you have a couple scars to show for the experience. But Venti is with you every step of the way to reassure you that he loves you, no matter what. You’re in this together, so everything will be alright.

[dornish-queen]

Pedro Pascal: “I already took all my drugs very early. In middle age, a hangover is not an option ”

When he was approaching 40, he resigned himself to having sporadic papers that would allow him to pay the rent. But playing Oberyn Martell in 'Game of Thrones' changed his life and opened the doors of 'Narcos'. Since then it has not stopped. Now he's the villain from the blockbuster 'Wonder Woman 1984'

JUAN SANGUINO

THE ANGELS OCT 2, 2020 - 3:19 PM EDT

The first big opportunity of his career was presented in 2011, when he participated in the pilot episode of Wonder Woman for NBC, but the network discarded the series and Pedro Pascal returned to his main occupation: casting castings to play the criminal of the week in the Law and order of duty. “That cancellation was a disappointment, of course, I wanted to work. I did not care if it was something good or bad, I just wanted to work, "he recalls today from his home in Los Angeles during a virtual conversation with ICON. Now Pascal plays the villain of Wonder Woman 1984 , one of the blockbusters destined to return audiences to movie theaters .

How can you not believe in fate? The boy who broke his arm twice playing Indiana Jones has ended up becoming the favorite hero of the kids (the bounty hunter in The Mandalorian ), his parents (Agent Peña in Narcos ) and, well, everyone's. world (Oberyn Martell, The Red Viper, in Game of Thrones ). When Pedro was little, the good guys were always white and the bad guys were Russian, Arab or Latino. The Wonder Woman 1984 villain , however, is a white billionaire played by a Chilean.

“The film is set in the United States of the eighties, which were marked by capitalist greed. It was a tainted concept of evil. Stripped of humanity, but still absolutely attractive and alluring. People who dreamed of being rich and successful had to be salivated. It is true that at that time villains in the cinema projected a xenophobic image. Now the white man can finally be the bad guy, ”explains Pascal.

 Some already compare his character, Maxwell Lord, to Donald Trump because of that muck in this mud: Reagan's glorification of rogue moguls in America turned guys like Trump into aspirational role models and glamorous stars. “Trump was not the core of inspiration for my character, on our costume designer's board were Gordon Gekko [Michael Douglas on Wall Street ], American Psycho's Patrick Bateman and other suckers in expensive eighties suits. All those millionaires who hid despair, unbridled ambition and terrified masculinity ”, he clarifies. If Pedro Pascal sounds like a socialist infiltrated in Hollywood it is because that is exactly what he is.

“When Reagan was elected, many people around me were frustrated that the worst forms of capitalism were winning. In my home, with refugee and socialist parents, conservatism was not demonized but it did go against what was important to my family, ”he says. Pascal's father, José Balmaceda, was an Allende supporter doctor who saved the life of a priest wounded by Pinochet's militia .

The priest was later tortured and ended up confessing the name of his savior. When the police went to look for Balmaceda at the hospital where he worked, he took his wife and the newborn Pedro and jumped over the wall of the Venezuelan embassy in Santiago de Chile to request political asylum. That's why Pedro ended up growing up in San Antonio (Texas), in a socialist home but in Reagan's land. A Chilean with no memories of Chile who was called Peter in high school.

At the age of 20, Pascal was in Madrid working as a go-go and keeps good memories. Here she is wearing a Prada sweater. Photo: Danielle DeGrasse-Alston / Realization: Warren Alfie Baker

The Chilean-born but US-raised actor wears a Paul Smith sweater and suit. Photo: Danielle DeGrasse-Alston / Realization: Warren Alfie Baker

Pascal has never left the immigrant mentality behind. Even his father, who came to open a practice in California, always lived in terror that at any moment everything could vanish. “It doesn't matter who you are, how much you are working or how much you get paid. Deep down you always think that each job is the last one ”, confesses the actor. Maybe that's why he didn't dare move from his Red Hook, Brooklyn, hovel to a house more suitable for a Hollywood star until filming for Kingsman 2 and Narcos was over . Nor is it that he had spent more than an entire week at his house since, in 2014, Game of Thrones made him the guy most people would want to party with.

Pascal knew right away that Oberyn Martell, the Westerosi rockstar who always seemed willing to fight or fornicate with the same bravado, was going to change his life. “I had done a lot of castings for friends' plays, for copier factory ads or for very serious independent films that no one was going to see, while I watched how many characters that I had been about to play changed the lives of others. actors. And thanks to my experience and maturity, I recognized the potential of Oberyn. I understood who he was and who he could be ”, he presumes.

The actor found out about the audition when one of his acting students told him that he had taken the test but had been discarded because of his youth. Pedro snapped up and must have thought, “What would Oberyn do?” So he recorded a video on his phone and sent it to his good friend, actress Sarah Paulson . She passed it on to her good friend actress Amanda Peet and this one to her husband, David Benioff, one of the creators of Game of Thrones . The rest is the history of television and headaches: when he informed the Narcos producer that he was available to play Pablo Escobar's pursuing policeman, he accused him of making a spoiler for Game of Thrones: If Pascal had a free agenda, it is because Oberyn was going to lose his fight against La Montaña . He couldn't imagine, of course, in what way.

  Part of that electric, lively and hedonistic energy of Oberyn comes to Pascal from the summer (that of 1996) that he spent in Madrid, where in addition to studying he worked as a go-go in a disco. That stay was transformative because the actor realized that he had had to adapt his identity all his life with each new move, but in Madrid he felt effortlessly at home. “I was 20 years old and I liked it so much that I almost moved. My main language is English, I have an American accent and I can pass for white. But in my house there were many cultural differences with respect to the outside world and I remember that when I was 20 years old, when I came to Madrid, I felt very comfortable in my own skin in a way that I had never felt anywhere else. I guess I was not aware that I had spent my childhood and adolescence learning new ways of adapting, connecting, learning, and pulling. On the contrary, living in Madrid was organic and easy for me. I made friends right away and I felt supported, ”he recalls.

By the time he was 40 Pascal was resigned to being an actor with enough odd jobs to pay the rent. According to him, his aquiline nose was a bad nose by Hollywood standards. Far from being offended or frustrated by this typecasting, he was looking forward to it, if it translated into a new check. “It is very strange to develop a fantasy as a child, to have the opportunity to turn it into a hobby, then some studies and finally transform all that into a career. That is the bet. But my dream of becoming Leonardo DiCapriodied. He died dozens and dozens of times. So to move on he had to accept that, at best, he was going to be an actor with a job. That was already a triumph, "he says. "Also, I accepted that I was not qualified for anything else, I had no more skills: I had put all my time, my energy and my concentration in being an actor and the rest in living life and having fun."

That absence of vanity lives on today, even when he's been involved in large-scale projects for five years without stopping. After Game of ThronesHe has made eight films, of which seven are action blockbusters. The wave of fame came to him when he was no longer expecting it but when he was well prepared to ride it. Still, every workday is a surprise and she acknowledges that what amazes her most about Hollywood is the sheer physical stamina that people have. “Sometimes a project can look like building a city, with all the hours, all the work and all the energy it requires. Some people have better stamina and can get by with little sleep. That is an interesting contradiction: all the people creatively involved in a film have a special sensitivity and at the same time have developed a very tough skin and energy to go through the physical experience of shooting it, ”he admires.

 Then Pascal switches to Spanish (the language he uses to confess intimacies) and explains, in a few words, that he is old for this shit. “I thought I had all the energy in the world and now, in my 40s, I see that ... wow! There are times when I don't know if I will be able to reach the goal, because my energy is not at the necessary level. But I always take it forward ”, he guarantees. Maybe that's why people get so high in Hollywood. Pascal responds between laughter and again in Spanish.

“I already took all my drugs very early. It is something that is already too much in the past, and in middle age a hangover is not an option. No, no, no ”, she assures. What if the other hangover, that of the wave of fame, runs over you? “I was a good waiter. Not at first, because they fired me many times, but I ended up getting the hang of it, ”he jokes. If the Hollywood thing doesn't go well, you can always put drinks again. But for now Pedro Pascal is the personification that the American dream , although sometimes it takes a little longer to materialize, really exists. Even Ronald Reagan would be proud.

source

[botwstoriesandsuch]

DEAR FISH FUCKERS, YOU’RE WELCOME

I’ve done what no other has done before (to my knowledge) and found the aging system for the Zora! 

Ok so this started as simple research for this ask

See, I misread the phrasing of “best educated guess” to “research for 2 hours and come to a conclusive answer” so anyhow before I indulge you into the answers of the universe allow me to explain the research I’ve come across 

[TL;DR at the bottom]

So firstly, we have to look at our conclusive evidence, from which we’ll base our theory/headcanon on, which can mainly be found in the Creating a Champion book, and some dialogue in game. I’ve compiled them all in these bullets here

Zora children are around 20ish years old [as said by dialogue with Finley in her love letter sidequest, I don’t have a screenshot but please just take my word for it]

150ish is considered middle-aged for Zora

Muzu is around 4 centuries old 

Curved claws, weathered fins, and worn noses are signs of an older Zora that is more than 3 centuries(ish) old

Zora that were friends with Link must be around 150ish (not just 100), since you need to also account for the 20+ years of growing from a child stage, to the more normal sized form that you see them in the game, ergo, it’s that age plus the 100 years stasis that we determine the “middle age” of around 150

150 is the middle age, double that for the average old age of 300 years, but I say it could go to 400 too for additional reasons I’ll explain later with examples with my final age system. Anyhow, Muzu is around 400 if you take the 100 years for actually growing up from childhood, additional 100+ years of holding a different job as I doubt you just straight out hire a councilman without experience, and then another century for where he first started working in in the council, training Mipha, which would overlap with the period of the pre and post Great Calamity and Link’s return, meaning that’s 3 centuries plus 50ish years if we’re being generous with the overlap. This would help line up with the “for over a century” line as that doesn’t quite mean 2 centuries of working in the council, but Muzu is definitely getting up there to 4 centuries for his age alone

Now, I thought, this was gonna be my breakthrough, this screenshot here, depicting the traits of the older Zora. The elderly Zora are probably around 3 centuries old (since King Dorephan said they were young men around Mipha’s time, 150ish+100 gives us the range of 250-300), so I was like “Oh l can look at the size of their fins and noses and head/tail things and find a more efficient way to find their age” but nOPE. There is very little variation in that ballpark, the Zora either have exaggerated weathered noses or nice and shiny fins and no in between. The size of their head fins are roughly the same, with again, the only exaggerated differences being with the King and Sidon which doesn’t help at all because the Royal Zora already have a bunch of other difference such as their SIZE to name one.

I even went to the part about their curved toes, which initially would line up with some other Zora like Muzu

And let me tell you

I’ve looked at their toes

This is them from a child, a middle-aged, and an elderly. Color doesn’t matter and the curve? Well there’s

BARELY A DIFFERENCE 

At least not nearly enough to find an efficient way to find age. Even Muzu’s final model didn’t have the exaggerated curvature as seen in the book.

I looked at their tail tail fins, (not the tail on their head, but their actual small rounded tail fin by their butts) because the book also mentioned how the grown Zora have more pronounced tail fins compared to the kids, but it was the same for the 150s and the 300s sooo not that helpful

So I kept digging. In the book I found that King Dorephan was crowned around 100 years before the game started. In addition I reread the 10 Zora stone monuments and found that he had killed a Guardian with his bare hands and thrown it off a cliff, which he still had a scar from. 

[and yes I attempted to find his definitive age by seeing how long it takes for a scar to fade but I gave up cause Zora anatomy is too different to find a conclusive answer]

So I was like, “ok Dorephan had to have been around 150 when he came to the throne, then 50 years later the guardians are excavated giving way to the story about the guardian...” blah blah blahbla I even went to the supposed site where that guardian was, but it all didn’t really give me that much more info than what I already knew. I was researching ways to age the rock monuments from visuals alone which needless to say is pretty impossible, so I gave up on finding Dorephan’s age and I kept digging. 

All I wanted was something physical that could properly give way to identifying a Zora’s age was that too much to ask???

Now this is where I had all but given up, it seems that my only answer was this vague note about how their fins move up when they grow

Which, to be fair, held true when I looked at the in-game character models myself, but I can’t exactly pixel measure these things for each Zora.

But THAT’S where the revelation came. I was so focused on finding inconsistencies within the elderly Zora, when I should have been looking at the young baby ones. See, this pictures, literally right next to the page about elderly Zora that I was analyzing for ages, is the key to it all

Now, I was thinking about the rings on a tree, and certain species of banded fish that grow and discard different markings as they grow older, I even counted the neck rings on certain Zora to see if they did that thing where they add a ring for each birthday like some African and Asian cultures do (look it up, that stuff’s pretty interesting!) and that is where it struck me.

Count how many luminescent markings are on their head 

The males have 11, the females have 8  (on the one side, the other side has the same number of dots but for simplicity purposes I’m doing one side)

Now let’s count for these Zoras, who are middle aged-ish

The male has 10, the female has 7.

Now let’s look at the oldest Zora that we know of

3 dots above the eye, four on the tail. Muzu that motherfucker has 7 damn dots and I couldn’t be happier.

MY DUDES, GALS, AND PALS THIS IS IT, I’VE CHECKED AND DOUBLE CHECKED WITH NEARLY EVERY ZORA I COULD AND THE NUMBER OF LUMINESCENT MARKINGS ON THEIR HEAD CORRESPONDS WITH THE AMOUNT OF CENTURIES THEY’VE LIVED, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY      DOWN     TO     THE     DOT

First we have Muzu, who as I’ve preciously stated is around 4 centuries old. 11-4? Oh, it’s seven, and that’s the amount of markings he has? OOoo??

How about this Zora Lady who recognized Link from 100 years ago?

Seven dots? 8-7 is 1 so shes just over one century which lines up timeline wise. You can even see how the third dot is slowing shrinking on her head so she’s coming up on 2 centuries 

Ok how about the elders?

NINE. 11-9 is 2 centuries, with again, the dot by their head shrinking significantly showing how they’re getting up on 3 centuries.

The part I circled in green there is jewelry, not a marking, however this only goes further to prove my point. What better way to appear youthful than to have jewelry that makes it look like you have more markings than you have, made with luminous stone, no less.

This guy? Seggin? Super close to 4 centuries, those dots are fading away fast. Count your days old timer

Random dude that doesn’t recognize Link but is an new apprentice for sculpture making? 10 dots, a fresh 1 century pal, lookin young

I was a feral child running across the Domain screaming people’s ages in their face like a rude, naive, brat, I was elated to say the least. Especially since this system even works on the King himself

[plus one dot slightly behind the fin here...]

King Dorephan has 7 dots, he’s 400 years old. Which still lines up timeline wise, especially since he’s similar age with Muzu who he has stated is one of his most trusted advisors, beecaaaaaaaause of the years they’ve spent working together the timelines match uppppppp

This system works for almost all Zora, with 2 exceptions. Guards have helmets that cover their markings, so it’s impossible to tell. In addition, Prince Sidon, has sixteen lights on this hammerhead because he’s fancy like that (we already know he’s canonically 2ish centuries old anyhow from the DLC)

EDIT: I WAS WRONG THIS WORKS FOR SIDON TOO. The sixteen markings I was referring to was actually the amount of marking on each side of the head total, however if we look at the markings for only one side, like intended

Ten dots, Sidon’s over 100 years old. I’d say he’s closer to 150 given the timeline

Essentially, the most surefire way to find almost any Zora’s age is to identify a male or female Zora, count the number of lights on the side of their head/tail thing, then subtract from 11 if they’re a male, and from 8 for a female. The number left is how many centuries they’ve lived. You can check to see if their markings are shrinking and fading to get a sense if they’re coming up on the next century anytime soon. Comparing this with the oldest Zora we see in game, we can conclusively say that the Zora lifespan is around 3 to 4 centuries since no Zora has been seen with less than seven markings

Now go and make your Zora ocs with your appropriate number of lights. I’m gonna have a cookie

[loyalannister]

UNDER THE LENS : Daenerys I, A Game of Thrones

The first perspective of Daenerys Targaryen opens in Magister Illyrio's manse at Pentos, where we meet the last scions of House Targaryen and get a glimpse of the contrasting traits, dreams and ambitions of the two siblings even as the chapter ends with a step forward in the narrative of the future mother of dragons.

• Probably no PoV other than her very first one does a better job of showing us exactly what Dany really wants - momentarily and for her future:

Dany could hear [...] the shouts of ragged children playing games beyond the walls of the estate. For a moment she wished she could be out there with them, barefoot and breathless and dressed in tatters, with no past and no future...

The text explicitly says that the Iron Throne & the lost glory of the Targaryens was something exclusive to Viserys' desire - not his sister's:

Viserys lived for that day.

It's absurd to claim that Daenerys would have rejected an opportunity to return to Westeros & reclaim the prosperity of her house at this point in the narrative but Martin does sharply contrast Viserys' desire with that of his sister's in the very next sentence :

All that Daenerys wanted back was the big house with the red door, the lemon tree outside her window, the childhood she had never known.

• The house with the red door looms large on Dany's innermost desires not only in A Game of Thrones but in her journey throughout the series. There have been various speculations on this house and its location, even some theorizing that it exists only as a figment of her imagination. But Daenerys recalls her emotions surrounding the red door with sharp clarity :

After Ser Willem had died, the servants had stolen what little money they had left, and soon after they had been put out of the big house. Dany had cried when the red door closed behind them forever.

Of course, one might argue that Daenerys was younger and she might not be recalling certain things correctly. But that begs the question - which parts of her childhood memories are trustworthy & which parts are not?

• One thing which captured my attention early on in the chapter was the fact that Daenerys is far more observant, intuitive & wary of everything offered to her compared to her older brother :

“Why does he give us so much?” she asked. “What does he want from us?” For nigh on half a year, they had lived in the magister’s house, eating his food, pampered by his servants. Dany was thirteen, old enough to know that such gifts seldom come without their price, here in the free city of Pentos.

Dany is right to be wary of Illyrio though, She even thinks back to the words spoken of Illyrio in the streets - 'he’d never had a friend he wouldn’t cheerfully sell for the right price.' When Illyrio assures Viserys that the common people of Westeros are sewing dragon banners & awaiting his return, she knows better than to hang on to his every word:

Dany had no agents, no way of knowing what anyone was doing or thinking across the narrow sea, but she mistrusted Illyrio’s sweet words as she mistrusted everything about Illyrio.

When Viserys vows to kill powerful people like Jaime Lannister and Robert Baratheon, Daenerys is quick to note Illyrio's reaction, which her brother misses:

Dany saw the smallest hint of a smile playing around his full lips, but her brother did not notice.

• As much as Viserys is and should be criticized by the readers for his abusive behavior, this chapter lays out the psychological basis for his behavior and makes me feel somewhat sympathetic for him. Viserys is essentially stuck in the past even though the events occuring around his escape from Westeros has long transpired:

Nodding, he pushed back a curtain and stared off into the night, and Dany knew he was fighting the Battle of the Trident once again.

He is desperate to reclaim the glory and power of House Targaryen (which is essentially why he arranges Dany's match with Drogo):

“We will have it all back someday, sweet sister,” he would promise her. Sometimes his hands shook when he talked about it. “The jewels and the silks, Dragonstone and King’s Landing, the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms, all they have taken from us, we will have it back.”

Though he spins his own 'web of dreams', Viserys is not as confident as he might appear at first glance - his resolution wavers at times & he looks for reassurance from Illyrio to validate his desires and plans:

“The realm will rise for its rightful king. [...] And the smallfolk will be with us. They cry out for their king.” He looked at Illyrio anxiously. “They do, don’t they?”

• Daenerys shares a number of parallels with Tyrion Lannister (widely believed to be one of the three heads of the dragon with good reason). This sentence, in particular, sharply reminded me of the dynamic between Tyrion and Cersei:

Her mother had died birthing her, and for that her brother Viserys had never forgiven her.

Much like Viserys did to Daenerys, Cersei too has physically abused Tyrion (on more than one occasion, I dare say)

• This PoV introduces us to slaves for the first time in the series. Daenerys is astute enough to note that :

Illyrio’s servants entered, bowed, and set about their business. They were slaves, a gift from one of the magister’s many Dothraki friends. There was no slavery in the free city of Pentos. Nonetheless, they were slaves.

These are the servants (or rather slaves) who inform Dany of the many slaves working under Khal Drogo :

“Drogo is so rich that even his slaves wear golden collars...”

What many people seem to forget along the line is that Dany did not randomly take pity on slaves along her journey and decide to free them. Her revolution to end this horrible tradition stems from her own experience : she was essentially sold as a slave to Drogo. Even in her very first PoV, she is made to wear a collar before meeting Drogo - a very fancy collar but a collar nonetheless:

Last of all came the collar, a heavy golden torc emblazoned with ancient Valyrian glyphs.

• Obviously the Targaryens are not fireproof but they are resistant to heat to some extent. Will this come in useful for Daenerys in the future?

The water was scalding hot, but Daenerys did not flinch or cry out. She liked the heat. It made her feel clean.

• It's interesting that Viserys refers to Khal Drogo as 'Aegon the Dragonlord come again', while later on Tyrion Lannister refers to Daenerys herself as 'Aegon the Conqueror with teats'.

(I think it's high time antis stop denying that if Daenerys is to be compared to any of her forebears, it's Aegon the Conqueror, NOT Aerys the Mad King and if she is to be compared to any of her brothers, it's Rhaegar, NOT Viserys. Martin does a really good job of pointing out these comparisons throughout the series)

TRIVIA :

• Daenerys meets the Unsullied for the first time in her very first PoV.

• Magister Illyrio possesses a menagerie (which boasts of a panther among other animals).

[oxenfurt-archives]

When the Time Comes - witcheress Ważka aka Dragonfly

The Witcher Lore (143/∞)

Gra Wyobraźni

Gra Wyobraźni, A Game of Imagination, is a pen-and-paper role-playing game published by MAG in 2001. There's no English translation of the system other than the ones created by fans, and even those are more focused on the mechanics of the game than the bits and pieces of lore. And there's surprising a lot of lore. Most of it obviously no longer applies to the versions of canon presented in the CDPR's games and Netflix show, but are still pretty interesting.

Gdy nadejdzie czas

On wiki the title is was translated to When the Time Comes. The story was published in polish rpg magazine Gwiezdny Pirat (issue 8 from 2004) written by Joanna and Maciej Szaleniec, writers involved in never published expansion about the Falka's Rebellion. Gdy nadejdzie czas was supposed to be one of the adventures leading up to that expansion, but unfortunately the publishing house MAG ceased to exist before it could be finished.

The adventure takes place in the 1160s in Gemmera, before the kingdom was conquered by Nilfgaard. The party should be composed of the Prince, heir to the throne, son of late prince Wodaryk and Dairida, who after 16 years returns to the homeland his mentor and other friends. The Prince had to fly from Gemmera when he was 12 - Wodaryk was killed by his own brother, Ponderyk. Ponderyk wanted to make it look like Dairida and her son were responsible for Wodaryk's death, so he could easily take the throne for himself. But the Prince managed to escape and only Dairida was imprisoned. The new prince of Gemmera locked her in a tower, Wieża Wiatrów [Tower of the Winds], from where she never escaped, lost her mind within the wall of her cell and eventually died. When the Prince and his party visit the tower they can't find anything that could have belonged to Dairida, no one other than her was held there, but it's just an abandoned place. Only the ones with really keen eyes can notice the traces of writing on walls, floors, and even the ceiling. All that can actually be read is a nursery rhyme:

Aa-a, kotki dwa, zaśnij już, córeczko ma, nie płacz, nie kwil, będziesz śpiewać, gdy nadejdzie czas.

My rough translation: Aha, two kittens / sleep my daughter now / don't cry, don't whine / you will sing one day / when the time comes.

[Also it seems to be to some extent based on the most popular polish lullaby Ach śpij kochanie that was first performed in the movie in 1938. So that's a fun fact.]

In this seemingly crazy rhyme, the Prince finds a clue that will help him fight Ponderyk - in her prison Dairida gave birth to Wodaryk's daughter and trusted Destiny to keep her safe.

As the Prince learns from common gemmerians, there was a legend about Wodaryk fighting a monster, just a few nights before he was killed. The seven-headed dragon lost most of its head to Wodaryk, but had the prince pinned to the ground, reading another attack, and then the vedymin from Stygga appeared. He proposed Wodaryk a deal, Vedymin will help with killing the dragon, and the prince will give him "what he already has at home, but doesn't expect". Wodaryk agreed and Vedymir cut off the seventh head of the monster. This story leads the Prince to believe that Dairida believed that her daughter will be safe in Stygga castle among the witchers of the school of the cat.

The party travels to Stygga, a grim, full of cruel mutants castle. The is plenty of gossips about the cat witchers and their experiments, who they change even the youngest ones, even the unborn ones. Cat witchers are fast and capable warriors and mages, with shattered minds - unable to coexist with the rest of society. But they greet the Prince and his companions and point out the child that was found years ago on a beach underneath the Tower of the Winds.

Ważka is a 15 years old witcheress - she's the monster slayer, not a princess. Uncannily agile. The only thing that makes her look anything like Dairida is her strong and healthy golden hair, braided in a single thick braid. She doesn't care about her legacy, but she agrees to go with the Prince back to the Tower of the Winds and try to find some other clue their mother could have left behind.

[Ważka is a name of insect, dragonfly, but it can be also a feminine form of somewhat old-timey ważki, meaning important, crucial]

Before the party reaches the Tower of the Winds they are however met with forces of Ponderyk and the prince himself. Most of the people of Gemmera heard of the return of the Prince and they start to doubt the legitimacy of Ponderyk's claim to the throne. That's why Ponderyk is forced to meet with his nephew and speak with him. Ponderyk tries to persuade the Prince to join him, as the fight between the two of them would inevitably lead the country to ruin. Ponderyk's speech is so successful that the Prince is ready to agree to do whatever uncle wishes of him. But Ważka doesn't feel the same - she's immune to Ponderyk's magical words and without even climbing down from her horse, she simply kicks uncle right in the jaw. The party regains their senses and realizes that they were under the charm - Ponderyk wasn't really speaking, his mouth is empty. Years ago he gave his tongue away for the magical powers of persuasion. The party fights Ponderyk's forces.

After the battle, the Prince notices that Ważka's clothing was ripped revealing her naked back and a weird old tattoo on her skin. The shape is deformed but still resembles Gemmera's coat of arms. All her life Ważka believed that the mark is just an ugly deformation after the Changes she did undergo during her training. Instead, it's a clue Dairida left their children - she tattooed on newborn's skin a map of one of the provinces of the country, with a single dot marking a spot there.

It's deep in the mountains where people rarely wander, where the party finds a cave occupied by the same monster years ago fought Wodaryk. The monster was placed there by Ponderyk, to guar whatever is deeper in the cave. After the party kills the monster they go inside and discover the old abandoned shrine dedicated to Coram Agh Tera, The Cult of the Lionheaded Spider. Years ago the cultist convinced young and ambitious Ponderyk to join them. They promised him power and the throne, and Podaryk cut off his own tongue and offered it to the Spider, who gave him the power of manipulation. As long as the tongue is within the temple, Ponderyk can use his dark powers. Cultists planned to use the prince and blackmail him, but Ponderyk was smarter - he killed all of them but Strażniczka Bramy [Keeper of the Gate]. The old woman was imprisoned in her temple where for years she performed rituals preventing the Spider God from leaving the mountains.

Sixteen years ago, just a few days before Ponderyk killed Wodaryk, the priestess used her powers to give Wodaryk a dream - revealing to him the location of her cave as well as warn against the brother. Wodaryk went to investigate this, fought the monster, was saved by the witcher, and wounded returned to his castle where he was killed by Ponderyk. Now knowing everything the Prince can destroy Ponderyk's tongue, leaving him mute, decide what to do with the traitor, and take back his throne.

The story seemingly has seemingly a happy ending, but as it turns out while Ponderyk was a greedy dictator, his dark powers made him also a remarkable diplomat. It was he who negotiated Gemmera's independence from Nilfgaardian Empire... And soon after his dethronement, Nilfgaard once again begins to pose a threat to Gemmera.

[hopeaterart]

Mario Odyssey: Paper Kingdom AU

Or: The AU where I adapt Paper Mario characters into a kingdom in Mario Odyssey because while my brain is small, it has a big mind that keeps thinking up new ideas. This tackles the kingdom’s backstory, it’s travel brochure, why Mario ends up going there, and the frankly ridiculous political context he stumbles into. I might tackle the characters in another post.

Backstory

A long time ago, a creature made out of shadows and thin as paper rose out of an island. Calling itself- or herself- the Shadow Queen, the malevolent spirit could wield the power of seven stars, and her heart was pitch-black and full of chaotic hatred. She reigned over the land with an iron fist, terrified painted shadows at her command.

Until one day, a small faction of her own people turned against, led by four heroes and eight mages. They studied her magic, and turned it against her, folding themselves like paper get close to her and stealing her stars to destroy her body, the eight mages using their magic to separate her heart from her spirit

Enraged, her spirit lashed out, cursing the four heroes into suffering the same fate as her, reduced to spirits enclosed in coffins just as she unleashed the full power of her heart. But before she could turn her wrath on the other rebels, the eight mages sacrificed themselves, turning their souls into pure energy and setting it on the Shadow Queen’s heart, ripping it out and sending both the heart and the soul of the Shadow Queen into a deep sleep.

The only thing left was a prophecy- a warning. If a cruel monster and a gentle maiden marry each other in a farce, the Chaos Heart will rise again. If this happens, the Shadow Queen’s rise is imminent, and she will take over the body of the maiden. The only way to stop her is to find her Seven Stars, and use them to destroy her soul once and for all.

The throne of the Paper Kingdom is left symbolically empty, and the country is ruled by a council.

-

Travel Brochure

Population: Sparse, but plentiful

Size: Wide

Locals: Shapeshifters

Currency: Paper fortune teller shaped

Industries: Construction, stories

Temperature: Average  73 °F

A craft for the ages

Multi-level: The Paper Kingdom is made of multiple levels carved within the plateau, and all of them have something to offer. From the charming beach town of Rogueport to the looming Castle of Chaos, this place is vibrant and full of carefully crafted layers.

Rich History: The Paper Kingdom’s history is something for the ages: A demon rising out of the earth, her own people standing up against her, a battle ending in tragedy, and a prophecy! And they know it too! Their own history is so rich and captivating, they transformed telling people about it into a spectacle. If you’re ever in the need of someone to give a grandiose speech, a Paper Kingdom storyteller is what you need!

Origami Festival: If you visit the Paper Kingdom during their fall season, you might bear witness to the Origami Festival! While considered unorthodox and dangerous, Shapeshifters recognize origami as an incredibly powerful type of magic, allowing one to become anything their heart wish. As such, they have festivities centered around this concept that lasts a week, where they put up tons of different and incredible origami displays celebrating the concept.

-

How it fits in the game

For it’s location, it would be a decently sized island between the Luncheon Kingdom and Snow Kingdom, and would be the last place you go to before Bowser’s castle. From above, it would look rectangular, and most of it would be very elevated (think of a plateau, but in the middle of the ocean.) While it would seem small at first glance, the truth is that most of the earth is hollowed out, and there’s a lot of communities that live underground. You would be able to visit the two surface ones (Rogueport at the base of the plateau, and Castle of Chaos (Equivalent to Castle Bleck) on top of it) from the start, and at least one additional area under Castle of Chaos would unlock after the main story.

As for it’s place in the story, a wedding needs an officiant, and Bowser decided to get a storyteller from the Paper Kingdom because they’re known to give quite touching speeches. Bowser was originally planning to make his announcement of his marriage to Peach, take someone by force if he got denied, and leave the kingdom in disarray as punishment for denying him.

So you can imagine his surprise when not one, but two storytellers volunteered to be his officiant: Dimentio, royal jester and local agent of chaos who’s starting to find the current situation in the Paper Kingdom boring because it’s stagnating (albeit because they want to stop the hostilities temporarily for the upcoming Origami Festival), and the Beldam, eldest of the shadow Sirens and actively trying to resurrect the Shadow Queen. 

Let’s be clear, here: Neither of them are really interested in Bowser’s marriage, but both are after the power of the Chaos Heart, which has the potential to arise from this union: Dimentio to create even more chaos, and Beldam to harness it’s power and bring the Queen back to life. He picked the storyteller who had actual experience with being an officiant: Dimentio, who officiated multiple noble weddings- and left a fuming Beldam behind. In her rage, she decided to make the King of Koopas not choosing her as an evil marriage officiant everyone else’s problem and promptly started freezing everything in sight.

And that’s where Mario and Cappy come in, looking for Power Moons...

-

What’s going on?

A few weeks before Bowser shows up, the wedding of Blumiere, the son of an important count, and his human girlfriend Timpani (I don’t know from where she could be, probably New Donk CIty), was happening. However, in part due to a sinister prophecy that foretold the rebirth of the Chaos Heart if a furious monster lord (Blumiere is not human, and he has quite the unstable temperament) and a fair and lovely maiden (Timpani is a bit shy, cares for everything around her, and is nothing but kind) got married, and in part due to being a racist fuck, Blumiere’s father tried to stop the marriage by lethally attacking the bride.

Big mistake.

Blumiere ended up flying into a rage, messily killing his father with his bare hands and the assistance of a surge of magic, and destroyed the wedding venue. He then took Timpani, who was dying, to the origami craftsman, who earned himself a reputation of defying nature’s law by creating Olly and Olivia for an Origami festival, which was. Not planned. He then more or less forced him to heal his bride. 

The craftsman was absolutely able to say no: Olly brought to life multiple office supplies and all of them are ready to attack on sight, but he still went and healed up Timpani, albeit altering her physical appearance permanently due to having to heal her up using Origami Magic. Olly does not take his father being threatened into helping someone well, and barges into Castle of Chaos two weeks later and self-proclaim himself king with the assistance of the office supplies, which he dubs his Legion of Stationery, because of a perceived disrespect toward his family.

He is twelve.

Blumiere- who renamed himself Count Bleck following his father’s death- is understandably outraged, and denounces Olly with the support of his companions. Said companions are: his wife lady Timpani whom he (and most of the kingdom) adores, a small bat-like woman and his spokesperson Nastasia, the strong but dimwitted warrior and champion O’Chunks, the robotic but emotional Mimi who works in banking, and local shit-bastard jester Dimentio. This is due to Bleck being a direct descendant of one of the eight mages that sacrificed themselves, and he’s forced to make a claim to the throne to be taken seriously in trying to stop Olly.

He does not want to take the throne.

So now, there’s a twelve years old and a pissed off count who murdered his father in a blind rage fighting over the throne of the Paper Kingdom, neither of them know what they’re going to do next, and no one is happy about this situation. The instability allows a third party to make an appearance and grab for the throne: The X-Nauts, a race of robotic aliens led by the tyrannical Sir Grodus. Their goal? Resurrect the Shadow Queen and use her power to remake the Paper Kingdom, and eventually the planet, in their image.

The good news is that neither Olly nor Bleck want the X-Nauts to succeed. Bleck because he knows they’re planning on resurrecting the Shadow Queen and he does not want that to happen, and Olly because Grodus’ second in command was mean to Olivia once. This means that they are able to put their difference aside, which means there’s still hope an all-out civil war can be avoided.

Speaking of Olivia, poor girl think her brother went evil and wants to reign over the Paper Kingdom like a tyrant. This is understandable, as he’s a irritable twelve years boy with six killing machine at his command and also starting his emo edge lord phase, and she’s a literal ray of sunshine. As such, Olivia decided to find other people willing to stop Olly, Bleck and Grodus from burning the country to the ground in their squabble, not realizing that, as the leader of this group, she is also making .a claim for the throne.

She is also twelve.

And now, there’s Beldam losing her shit over being turned down and freezing everything into unmoving sheets on the walls. Ironically, this common enemy might just be what’s needed to calm everyone down.

[the-melting-world]

The Empress | Side B: “I Will Be Blessed”

I want to give a special dedication to my amazing friend and partner in crime Ligia Nunes @ligiawrites​ ​. This installment of The Empress is a major turning point in Kip’s journey. The opening scene was strongly inspired by the Strength throne art created by Ligia a while back (located at the end of the fic). I don’t think this moment would have ever existed if had it not been for that throne. So thank you, Ligia for continuing to inspire so much of my storytelling.

***

~ In which a humble gardener stops resisting…

The Trio Appearances: Kipling | Khleo | Ozy

Arcana LI appearances: Asra | Nadia | Muriel 

Track Origins: “I Will Be Blessed” by Ben Howard

Not sure if this is the right track? The full album can be found here: The Empress

cw: none

~ 2.2k words

 Kipling opens a Door that takes her and Asra to Strength’s Gate.

Kipling and Asra crowded around a golden throne in the middle of a flowering vale. The magicians’ fingers were already grazing the surface of the elaborate throne, trying to capture the shape of every groove, the curl of each engraved leaf glinting under the midday sun. 

“Was this here the last time you came through this realm?” Asra asked as he crouched down in order to study the finer stalks of wheat fanning out from the base. 

“No,” Kip replied airily, her focus still mostly absorbed by the face of a lion staring out at her from the backrest. Its features were half concealed by depictions of broad leaves and delicate flora.

If it hadn’t been for the boisterous game of catch and chase between the three familiars in the background, Kipling and Asra might have never been able to snap out of whatever spell the throne had over them.

Taro, Faust and Abaco kicked up an assortment of purple and orange wildflowers during their romp. The ring of flowers remained suspended in the air for much longer than normal before they languidly drifted back down to the earth.

Kipling wondered how much longer she and Asra would have to wait for Khleo or Strength to arrive. Only thing was certain – she didn’t want to walk away from this throne. And, she noticed, neither did Asra.

“There is a body that belongs in that seat, but it is not my own.”

Kipling and Asra straightened up and spun abruptly to come face to face with the guardian of the realm. The Major Arcana was just as beautiful and terrifying as Kipling remembered. This time Strength had settled on her sphinx form, her face an impossible fusion of female and feline.

The Arcana was well past the seven foot mark, glowing, and draped in fabrics whose color constantly shifted between red wine and raw berries. Whatever words Kip had for the celestial being died on her lips. Asra, who had more experience conversing with the Arcana, took Kipling’s hand and addressed Strength directly.

“Thank you for permitting us into your realm. I’m Asra Alnazar and this is my partner, Kipling Bronne.”

Without moving her mouth, Strength said, “I know who you are, Small Magician. And I know why both of you are here.”

When she didn’t elaborate, Kipling found her voice and asked, “What did you mean earlier when you mentioned the throne?”

Strength fixed the gardener with her predatory gaze. “I meant what I said, Small Empress. It does not belong to me.”

Kipling’s heart began to race. She squeezed Asra’s hand. “Then who does it belong to?”

“Who else?” Strength cocked her head to the side. “The cub you call Khleo.”

Kip stepped forward. “Tell me where she is.”

“Kipling.” 

Asra’s hand came down on her shoulder.

“She’s not here,” Strength said flatly. Then she walked past both of them and made herself comfortable on the throne. “I’m keeping this seat warm for her in the meantime. You must understand, Small Empress. I can only protect my cubs from the nest. When they leave, things are out of my control.”

“Is Khleo in danger?” Kip asked, wishing she didn’t sound so desperate.

Strength did not mock her for it. In fact, her expression appeared sympathetic. As sympathetic as a werelion could hope to look.

“Danger is a strong word.” Strength gave a wistful sigh. “The cub is being kept in a cage. Perhaps not one with metal bars and padded locks, but a cage all the same. Under such circumstances, she is more of a danger to herself than anything else.”

Kipling closed her eyes and took back her hand from Asra. He watched in concern as she hugged herself and swayed on her feet.

Not Khleo. Not her Khleo. 

“It’s my fault,” Kipling croaked. “I always tried to blame it on Ozy, but that’s because it was easier. That way I didn’t need to face what I had done.”

Asra reached for her again. “No, you can’t do this to yourself, Kip.”

“But she is correct, Small Magician.” Strength interjected. “The Small Empress helped put my lion cub where they currently are.”

Kipling’s knees gave out as she choked on a sob. Asra caught her before she could completely stumble.

“Stop it!” 

He hadn’t meant to shout at a Major Arcana, but he couldn’t keep watching Kip beat herself up.

“Strength,” Kipling made eye contact with the Major Arcana as she leaned on Asra for support, “tell me how I can help Khleo. What can I do to set her free?”

“Now you’re asking the right questions.” Some manner of a grin stretched across the werelion’s maw. “Ultimately it is up to Khleo to set herself free, but these things, as you know, cannot be done alone.”

She stood up, her face sobering right before she rested her paws on Kip’s shoulders.

“The beast in Khleo has fought. She has done nothing but fight since she walked through that Door that you opened all those years ago.”

Kip couldn’t stop the tears from snaking down her face. But she wouldn’t dare look away from Strength now.

“Khleo has fought and fought and fought. As exhausted as she is, she doesn’t know how to stop. And she will go on fighting until she can’t anymore. The body I gave her is both a blessing and a curse.” Strength sighed and let her paws drop from Kip’s shoulders. “I’ve done all I can, but the cub is stubborn and will not hear me.”

She drifted away from Asra and Kipling. The wildflowers in her path bowed to her and blazed gold.

“Something tells me that Khleo will listen to you. I took away their magic so that they may live, but that does not mean they have lost their command over the Doors. It may not look the same for them as it does for you, but…. They just need someone to show them the way.”

By this time, Taro and Abaco were back on Kipling’s shoulders and Faust had reunited with Asra. 

“Finish your training, Small Empress. Then seek out your Patron.”

Strength waved her arm. A Door appeared.

“Now go.”

Kipling and Asra walked away from the throne towards the portal. On the way, Kip stopped and rested the tips of her fingers on Strength’s wrist. The Arcana looked down on the gardener. Kipling didn’t say anything. She just stroked the light coating of fur and gazed up into the eyes of the sphinx.

Strength let go of another heavy breath, lacing it with a purr.

“Your friend. All she wants is to be free. To rest.”

Kip wished she was tall enough to catch the sun-lit tears before they streaked down Strength’s whiskers. 

“She deserves it.”

***

Back at the Palace, Kipling found Ozy meditating in the gardens. She had come alone this time. The familiars had gone inside with Asra when they returned from Strength’s realm.

Instead of disturbing Ozy, Kipling walked over, sat down and joined him. She fell into the trance quicker than usual. As if Ozy’s disciplined presence had served as a catalyst.

Kipling wasn’t sure how long she and Ozy sat there under the weeping willows with their legs crossed, their palms face up, relaxed and resting on the peaks of their knees. Their breaths were independent of each other. Each one entered deep and left with ease. Each thought floated in uninvited and drifted off unnoticed. 

Despite the coverage of the silky willows, Kipling felt the sun on her, giving the shapes that danced behind her eyelids a peculiar glow.

By the time Ozy’s voice called Kipling back, there were more warm tears hugging her freckled cheeks.

“You went to go see Khleo on your own. Without me.”

Ozy didn’t sound angry, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t.

“I had to,” Kip said, her voice surprisingly steady despite the emotions that the trip had brought to the surface. The more the trance of the meditation wore off, the harder she cried. She wished she could take a breath in order to tell Ozy that they were tears of relief rather than pain. She would see Khleo again. She was meant to help them. Strength herself said she needed Kipling’s help. 

Kipling felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart. When she dried what she could of her tears and looked up at Ozy, she found that she could focus on him completely. Her heart was still being pulled in other directions, but not as strongly as before.

Kipling allowed Ozy to help her onto her feet. 

“What did Strength say?” Ozy asked, his tone implying that he knew Khleo wasn’t there. His words briefly brought back images of daisies materializing spontaneously in the shape of a Door.

“She saved Khleo’s life by taking away their magic.”

Ozy confirmed with a gentle nod. “Right. She blessed Khleo’s body with accelerated healing and more strength than the average human, but they won’t ever be able to open another Door. What else did the Arcana say?”

“She said that Khleo needs to rest.”

Ozy made a thoughtful sound, his hazel eyes turning to the sky. “That’s what she told me too.”

Kipling reached up and lightly pulled on his ghost lock. “I’m ready to talk, Ozy,” she said it with a smile. “About everything.”

Ozy brought his attention back to Kipling. She was surprised to see that same hesitation on his face that he wore when he first arrived. As if he was expecting a rejection. 

Kip felt her confidence slip as she wrung her hands and fought to maintain eye contact.

“Before we help Khleo, there’s a lot we still have to do first. For one, I need to apologize to you.” She closed her eyes and inhaled a meditative breath before going on. “Ozy, I didn’t want to leave you on the island that day, but I was so disgusted with myself. I had felt like that all year. No matter how much I wanted to, I just couldn’t own up to what I did… to your face.” Her eyes burned, but she opened them anyway and forced herself to look at Ozy and the telling scar over the bridge of his nose. 

“Every time I looked at you, I told myself that everything was my fault. I was the reason Khleo was gone.”

Ozy shook his head and set his jaw. Before Kip could blink, she was holding onto him and he to her. It came somewhat as a shock, this being the most affection they had allowed themselves to show each other since before Khleo’s accident.

“Everything happened like it was supposed to, coz,” Ozy reassured her. But his voice was shaking, his hand trembled as he massaged his fingers into her curls and coils. He was remembering the pain, Kip could tell. And it made her remember too. How much she had pushed Ozy away in the beginning. How she punished him for something that was her fault too. She remembered the year between the accident and leaving for Vesuvia when she refused to let him back in. No matter how much Ozy begged and begged.

Everything happened like it was supposed to.

“No one’s supposed to be alone for ten years!” Kipling sobbed. “But I didn’t know, Ozy. I swear I didn’t know.”

Ozy’s voice regained some of its usual lightness. “Oh no, don’t you dare try to take the blame for that. I knew what I was signing up for. Remember that, Kipling. I put myself down there. Not you.”

Kip hugged him harder. “But I was the one who hurt you. I forced you to make that choice. Family isn’t supposed to do that to each other!”

Ozy pulled back just enough to lift Kip’s chin. “You’re right. Family shouldn’t do that. But you know what else?” He smiled softly. “Family forgives.” He reigned her in against his chest, this time bringing his face to the crown of her head. He breathed in those nostalgic notes of shea butter, coconut oil, and sea salt. Ozy closed his eyes and imagined he was kissing the sugar white shores of his youth. He imagined himself kissing every painful unsavory memory goodbye.

“Now can we be a family again?” He asked, his face still buried in Kip’s hair. “Please? I need to put everything behind me... but I cannot until you let go of all this guilt. Trust me, you don’t need it anymore, Kip. You can let it go.”

And then Kipling… she broke. Water and thunderous sobs poured out of her like she was the sky. Ozy didn’t walk away from the downpour. If anything he held Kipling closer. She had so much water in her, it seemed. As if that sea where they were all were born had been with her this whole time. Kipling had brought it with her to Vesuvia, but pushed it deep, deep down and locked it away.

Ozy let himself be the stone well to catch all of Kipling’s rain. Though he had spent all that time surrounded by water and knowledge, in many ways, it had left him feeling very empty. Oz’mandias knew that as long as he had Kipling, he would never need to know that emptiness again.