#the natural order of things restored <3

[butchdonne]

guys i was SO silly and whimsical in that latin exam

[reasonsforhope]

hey, how do you cope with people saying we only have a small amount of time left to stop the worst effects of climate change? no matter how hopeful and ok i am, that always sends me back into a spiral :(

A few different ways

1. The biggest one is that I do math. Because renewable energy is growing exponentially

Up until basically 2021 to now, all of the climate change models were based on the idea that our ability to handle climate change will grow linearly. But that's wrong: it's growing exponentially, most of all in the green energy sector. And we're finally starting to see proof of this - and that it's going to keep going.

And many types of climate change mitigation serve as multipliers for other types. Like building a big combo in a video game.

Change has been rapidly accelerating and I genuinely believe that it's going to happen much faster than anyone is currently predicting

2. A lot of the most exciting and groundbreaking things happening around climate change are happening in developing nations, so they're not on most people's radars.

But they will expand, as developing nations are widely undergoing a massive boom in infrastructure, development, and quality of life - and as they collaborate and communicate with each other in doing so

3. Every country, state, city, province, town, nonprofit, community, and movement is basically its own test case

We're going to figure out the best ways to handle things in a remarkably quick amount of time, because everyone is trying out solutions at once. Instead of doing 100 different studies on solutions in order, we get try out 100 (more like 10,000) different versions of different solutions simultaneously, and then figure out which ones worked best and why. The spread of solutions becomes infinitely faster, especially as more and more of the world gets access to the internet and other key infrastructure

4. There's a very real chance that many of the impacts of climate change will be reversible

Yeah, you read that right.

Will it take a while? Yes. But we're mostly talking a few decades to a few centuries, which is NOTHING in geological history terms.

We have more proof than ever of just how resilient nature is. Major rivers are being restored from dried up or dead to thriving ecosystems in under a decade. Life bounces back so fast when we let it.

I know there's a lot of skepticism about carbon capture and carbon removal. That's reasonable, some of those projects are definitely bs (mostly the ones run by gas companies, involving carbon credits, and/or trying to pump CO2 thousands of feet underground)

But there's very real potential for carbon removal through restoring ecosystems and regenerative agriculture

The research into carbon removal has also just exploded in the past three years, so there are almost certainly more and better technologies to come

There's also some promising developments in industrial carbon removal, especially this process of harvesting atmospheric CO2 and other air pollution to make baking soda and other industrially useful chemicals

As we take carbon out of the air in larger amounts, less heat will be trapped in the atmosphere

If less heat is trapped in the atmosphere, then the planet will start to cool down

If the planet starts to cool down, a lot of things will stabilize again. And they'll probably start to stabilize pretty quickly

[thatdeadaquarius]

GREETINGS! How are you doing? I've been practically gobbling up your posts (there very tasty)

Ok so hear me out- I've seen a couple posts like this but imagine-

The almighty all powerful wise creator isss

✨️A literal child✨️

Thanks for hearing me out! For you ->->❤️

Baby you taking on the world aw

DAMN SORRY FOR TAKING FOREVER!! i started fics before i answered my askbox :/

Aw i fucking love child reader stuff,

Lots of isekai animes/manhwa/manga do it and i eat that shit up everytime-

I also deeply appreciate when its not done creepily, like being turned 8 again, and having crushes on others who are... yknow, actually 8 yrs old or sm fucked up shit, like even if its 16 yr olds that doesnt make it any better, bc the protag will actually be like,, actually 20?!?!💀 the straights r wild man, i feel like it happens either way too, like its usually a male MC but thats just bc theyre more common tbh, like regardless of gender of protag 🥲

☆

Sun: Child God Reader (you/they/them)

Orbit: Short Headcanons

Stars: Mondstadt ppl bc i don't show them i love them enough

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: none known & Trigger Warnings: none known.

Please comment any I missed. /gen

Klee has recruited converted you to throwing bombs with her.

You are the only leash on that child too and the only thing standing between Jean and full head of gray hair. 💀

Kaeya doesn’t know whether he’s endlessly worried or endlessly amused that the most powerful god is currently a child

if Jean isnt freaking out over ur whereabouts, Diluc is instead, and worst case scenario, Noelle/Lisa/Albedo is in charge of you

and YES someone has to look out for you, bc ur ass will just start making a hot springs spot like ur in ur teapot or smth in dragonspine (Albedo was fascinated it stayed warm despite the weather so he let you make it/enjoy it before asking u to restore natural order lol)

(Albedo has definitely asked to study you and, unfortunately for Jean, asked u to demonstrate several powers u have)

You do work as a lucky charm for Bennett tho so he does babysit u sometimes

it mostly consists of Fischl, Benny, and Razor “adventuring” by trying to do smth like who can jump on the Anemo slimes and ride them around longest

(the answer is you btw, u managed to get a small fleet of them to bus you around, the teens were simultaneously terrified running around below u to catch you and also amazed)

Noelle is so happy making toddler you all the pancakes you can eat, Sucrose had to stop her from going overboard and not just listening completely to kids when it comes to food

She is now very concerned with making you a balanced diet, tho she will still make u an ungodly tall stack of pancakes every now and then <3

They kind of all equally provide for you, obv ur their god, and ur a literal cutie patootie child, they cant just leave you

(also u might like move a mountain or change the weather or smth if they don't watch you so most are a little paranoid of that too)

Lisa gets u all kinds of cute outfits, still stuff you'd like, but definitely snuck in some sumeru looking clothing lol

Fischl lends you all kinds of books to read, Bennett shows u all the cool views in the city and outside of it (when Jean lets him get away with taking u that far), and Razor…

Razor brings you to Andrius and the wolf pack for a wolf pack party and gives u all kinds of shiny trinkets he’d collected for you

Diluc/Jean/Noelle/Eula nearly had a heart attack when they found out

Amber lets you have all the piggyback rides you want lol

she even managed with her own crafting powers (and your probably editing the game code or smth) she somehow makes a reinforced glider with a small harness on the back for you to glide with her

(Venti has definitely helped for some fun flights by boosting the winds for you two)

SPEAKING OF BARBATOS

ur absolutely spoiled rotten by him (and Dvalin, and Andrius, and the wind sprites)

if this god had money he’d spend it on wine and you lol

takes u flying all the time, any time, would drop everything to go to Mondstadt wilds and use his archon form wings to take you wherever you wanna go

tries to bring u to Angel’s Share but Diluc nearly hits him on the head with a wine bottle and brings you back home after kicking Venti out and giving you grape juice (yes you get all you want, within a healthy amount)

anyway the most important part abt you being a god and child is that you can now fulfill your childhood dreams of riding a dragon whenever you want

(one way to quickly get Mondstadt citizens to trust Dvalin again was just constantly seeing him flying overhead, occasionally seeing a small child on his back also helped lol)

(neither you nor Venti tell Jean you ride Dvalin and keep it an active secret from her.)

☆

srry i took so long! i hope u liked my hot mess of writing (i think its even sloppier than usual bc of all the fic writing full sentences lately)

and if not, I'm sorrryyy 😭😭

I'm focusing on getting thru a haul of asks before getting around to posting that Eldritch AU Part 2 if anyone reads this :)

hope u guys are have a great weekend, thanks for all the birthday wishes!! :D

Safe Travels Anon,

💀♒

If you wanna join a taglist, DM me what for! "Pspspsss, please tag me for [All SAGAU posts, Only SAGAU Language AUs, diff fandom, etc.]!"

(If you ever wanna drop, just DM me! "No more taglists/[specifically this AU/fandom] please!")

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche / @chocogi / @fallen-starr / @areaderofbooks / @devilangel657 / @esthelily / @justinsomniachild / @nanithefuck / @questionotmystopit

@kiyomi-uchiha777

[dailyadventureprompts]

The Mechanics of Baldur's Gate 3

As someone who's constantly tinkering with the mechanics of my favourite RPG, I LOVE a lot of what Larian has done with D&D; not only accurately translating the base system but improving upon in ways I never thought of.

Playing BG3 feels good, and I want to see how much of their work I can adapt for my own table. As such, here's a breakdown of a bunch of little tweaks they've made to 5e (taken from the bg3 wiki) and whether or not I think they're a good fit for regular pencil and paper d&d.

Shove is not a part of the attack action. It is a bonus action available to all characters. Shove only pushes the target back an amount that depends on the shover's strength and the target's weight. It normally does not knock them prone unless they are shoved off a high ledge.

This might be THE best design Larian implemented and is instantly going in my games. Bonus action shoving is such a natural addition to combat, gives so many more tactical options. My one protest is that I am NOT calculating the weight of every creature and object ( mainly because I'm terrible at guessing weights for things) so I'd go with the distance calculation based on the creature's size and con score.

Gaining inspiration based on backgrounds

Gee, a mechanical reward for roleplaying your character, one that's way more straight forward than the DM arbitrated "ideals, bonds, flaws," system. From now on I'm going to give each of my players an upfront " You gain inspiration when you ______" note on their character sheet based on their backgrounds.

The party is limited to two short rests per long rest. Short rests restore each ally's hit points by an amount equal to half their maximum HP (rounded down). There is no hit die rolling. Long rests require camp supplies, which are food items that must be looted or purchased. In towns you will be able to rest at an inn.

This is a mixed bag for me only because I like hitdie as a mechanical abstract and I don't want to see them removed. Tbh I wish more mechanics interacted with them and they were called something abstract like "stamina" or something. That said I ADORE the camp supplies idea because it not only gives you something minor to reward exploration with besides GP. On the otherhand tracking all those supplies without the game's inventory management would be tedious as hell so it'd need to be highly simplified.

I especially like the idea of limited short rests/supplies in larger survival based adventures where time isn't at a premium like it is inside a dungeon.

If you hide while not in a creature's sight cone, you automatically succeed. If you try to hide while in a creature's sight cone, you automatically fail. If you are hidden and enter a creature's sight cone, you must roll stealth against the creature's passive perception. This may be a straight roll, advantage, or disadvantage, based on the creature's senses and the level of lighting. Some creatures with different senses such as blindsight may follow different rules

Congrats on fixing stealth rolls Larian. No notes.

LOTS more opinions under the cut.

When a creature is at least 10 ft above their target and makes a ranged attack, they receive a +2 bonus to the attack roll due to high ground. When a creature is at least 10 ft below their target and makes a ranged attack, they receive a -2 penalty to the attack roll due to low ground.

This is fine, and quite inline with a lot of fixes I've seen for flanking rules. I'm fine with a little extra battlefield math in order to make moments of advantage (spending inspiration, reckless attacking etc) shine.

The game does not stop a character from casting a leveled spell with both an action and a bonus action

Mixed on this, on one hand I've played enough clerics to know how much it sucks to have to use your bonus action to do a necessary spell and then be stuck with a so-so cantrip or melee attack for standard. On the other hand there's some design balance issues at play here.

Help is an Action. This ability allows characters to aid an ally in combat and remove negative Conditions. Using the help action on a downed ally brings them back to 1 hit point and leaves them prone.

Love the idea of help doing multiple things AND being a solution to minor status conditions. and giving everyone the ability to help means I can be a lot more aggressive when it comes to knocking character to 0. if I had to further patch this, I'd say that this also allows for a medicine check to allow a creature to spend a hitdie when they're downed, or allows the helping character to make a "SNAP OUT OF IT, WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS" charisma roll for charmed allies.

Jumping is a bonus action which consumes 10 ft of movement speed. With a Strength score of 10 or below, a creature can jump 15 ft, and this increases by 5 ft for every two points in strength above 10. At 20 Str a creature may spend 10 ft of movement speed and a bonus action to jump, and can travel 35 ft effectively increasing the creature's movement speed by up to 25 feet.

This, combined with the prone rules (see below) is JUICY, as it allows for risk-reward battlefield mobility . That said I'd add some caveats/clarifications: The jump always succeeds in moving you, but if you're taking damage, jumping up or down more than 10ft, or into rough terrain you need to make an acrobatics check not to beef it and fall prone (ending your turn). Your jump is likewise a buffer for how far you can willingly fall before taking damage, but if you fall after your jump, you always land prone.

Weapon actions, 'nough said.

It's more complexity than I'd give to first time players but HOT DAMN if it isn't a great idea to give the martial characters some options instead of just making the same attacks over and over again. I've actually been sockpiling 3rd party versions of this for a while now and I can't wait to add them in.

All The conditions are great:

Blinded: In addition to the other effects, ranged attacks are limited to 15 ft range. Blinded creatures can also make opportunity attacks.

Frightened: Creatures which are frightened are unable to move at all (rather than being unable to move toward the source of their fear), unless the effect instead makes them "fearful" which gives them the frightened effect as well as making them flee.

Prone: Being prone gives disadvantage on Strength and Dexteritysaving throws, attacks against a prone creature have advantage out to a range of 10 ft rather than 5 ft, and ranged attacks against a prone creature do not have disadvantage. Your character cannot do anything while prone. Starting the turn while prone will cause you to automatically use half your movement to stand up. Becoming prone during your turn automatically ends your turn.

Wet: This is a new condition that prevents the character from burning (e.g. from Searing Smite) and grants resistance to fire damage, but also makes the creature vulnerable to lightning and cold damage

[lazaruspiss]

Do you know what side effects of the pit are actually canon

Typically it's safer to assume no on most pit side effects. Or ask yourself "do people also say this about Talia, Ra's, etc or is this just a Jason fan thing"

Red Hood: Lost Days is your best bet for clearing up what's canon vs fanon in terms of Jason's resurrection, but I'll try and summarize the important bits.

1) The pit is not what brought Jason back. A superman from an alternate timeline punched the timeline itself so hard that it accidentally revived Jason.

2) Jason ended up in a hospital for a while before he escaped and wandered the streets for five months. He doesn't have any memories aside from his muscle memory, so he can fight but not much else. He can't communicate at all and only reacts to things to defend himself or to manage physical needs.

(Side note. Talia cares so much about him it makes me wanna cry.)

3) Ra's tells Talia this is over. He thinks Talia's attempts to save Jason are part of a desperate attempt to make Bruce love her, and tells her it's over. This is when Talia resorts to using the pit. Jason is alive, mute, doesn't seem to remember much, but still showed extremely small signs of recognition. I do think Jason could have eventually recovered naturally under Talia's care. He would have still been disabled to some extent and his progress would be excruciatingly slow, but it does seem like it would have been possible if Ra's hadn't cut it off.

4) After bringing Jason to the pit Talia guides him to make a break for it. She has him take a survival kit and run into the river in order to escape Ra's' anger. Ra's is the first instance of anyone implying the pit made Jason mad, and Talia immediately shoots him down and says it has had no such affect. Ra's is also speaking out of anger and giving Talia a hard time. I wouldn't take his words about it seriously.

5) Jason does not go "mad". He is mad. Because his murderer is alive. He is not irrational. His reactions are not disproportionate or unusual. After the pit restores his brain functions he is incredibly strategic. Even through the grief he is thinking and planning. He never acts on blind rage, pit induced or otherwise.

But that's just the New Earth timeline. Prime Earth/N52 gave him magic resistance or something. Unrelated to the pit he also seems to have just learned some magic. He can do a magic punch and summon swords that can only be used on beings of pure evil.

Gotham Knights is the funniest one. They needed a fast travel method for him for gameplay reasons and gave him magical bunny hops. GK has the most shit going on with the lazarus pits:

1) repeated use gradually drives you nuts. Jason is fine, Talia is a bit wacky, and Ra's is completely off the deep end before the game even starts.

2) the fast travel abilities are still funny. Talia can turn into mist and Jason can do magic jumps.

3) Jason got magic punches and Talia can do all sorts of fun magic attacks.

4) the pit magic reacts to Jason's trauma/panic attacks, but still doesn't seem to cause them or any other emotional reactions. Even the fanon pile that is GK doesn't have pit rage.

[tornrose24]

I’ve been rewatching The Ghost and Molly McGee and have concluded watching season 1. These are my thoughts and observations:

-I love how Scratch slowly warms up to Molly across the season and it is easier to catch when you watch the episodes in order. From going to a complete jerk, to valuing her friendship, to caring about how she views him, to not wanting to lose her.

-I also love how this show’s art style is like a storybook come to life in every shot.

-It makes even more sense as to why Scratch haunts Adia’s old home. Todd’s soul gravitated to the one place in Brighton that held happy memories for him, where life had yet to turn him into an anxious, fearful adult. It was a safe space for him, and he was mad when a family managed to move in and invade it. Especially Molly specifically moving into his personal room/the safest spot in the house for him.

-Molly and Scratch are BOTH horrible liars. It’s funny how similar they are in that detail, and it’s even funnier if they call each other out on it.

-Scratch is an absolute asshole to a lot of people and enjoys seeing them suffer during this season, but I think that partly stems from a ‘I was/am miserable so I like seeing others suffer.’

-I’d say Molly’s worst episode is the Snow Day episode (not listening to what everyone else wants to do) and Scratch’s worst episode is the Internship episode (taking advantage of an intern to do basic, unhelpful tasks and being a bigger asshole than usual).

-Molly nearly dies 4 times (the machine during ‘Friend off,’ was willing to catch hypothermia in order to have fun in the snow, was almost hit by the truck, and was nearly sliced in half by Jinx).

-Scratch, Mr. ‘So afraid of dying that I never lived a day’…. Gets trampled by animals, eats poison berries, gets hit by a tour bus, gets blended by the machine from ‘Friend off,’ and is sliced in half by Jinx among all the possible things that WOULD have killed him in this season if he hadn’t been a ghost at the time.

-In ‘Very Hungry Ghost’ Scratch doesn’t get to eat any of the food intended for the ghosts. Because he wasn’t fully a ghost, that feast was not meant to be eaten by him.

-I admit I have yet to catch Scratch’s ‘nervous habit of scratching his arm’ during these episodes.

-There’s a recurring theme of the adult characters regaining their passion for something they once loved in a few episodes.

-However I also appreciate showing very realistic struggles, like financial concerns and how you can’t magically restore your community and town to its glory days without some effort put into it.

-Libby’s mom can be seen as an early cameo during ‘The (Un)natural.’ Of course, she would be there for her daughter ^_^

-I’m not a huge fan of the Christmas episode (never rewatched it until now) but GOD do I love the pink sky they use against the Christmas decorations and snow.

-In Pete’s news article in ‘Twin Trouble’, it mentions that other city planners mysteriously disappeared. However, I don’t think the show EVER addressed that, because such a story fascinated me and made me wonder if there was more to Brighton than meets the eye.

-There was a wasted opportunity in not discussing who or WHAT The Chairman was. Was this mystery meant for season 3?

-Scratch mentioning that he is dead throughout the show hits differently now that we know its quite the opposite. So does seeing him having to do mandatory things for the ghost world that he technically shouldn’t NEED to be doing at that moment.

-So does his interactions with Geoff. Oh boy.

-Was Scratch specifically assigned to scare Brighton? What about the other ghosts from there, like the Tugbottom siblings? Howlin Harriet? Sonia? Why don’t we see them doing their job as much as Scratch has to?

-The sheer irony of Scratch believing that he didn’t have any fears in ‘Scaring is Caring’ only for fear to be the reason WHY he was a ghost to begin with. Once again, there’s a hell of a difference between ‘Scratch as a human being afraid of everything’ and ‘Scratch as a ghost being afraid of losing Molly and would do anything to save her.’

-No seriously, it gets to a point where Scratch risks his existence to save Molly in this season and in the next one-if he had been human, he would have been willing to die for her.

-‘All Night Plight’ is an episode I hadn’t rewatched until recently. And it hits a LOT differently this time around. Molly wanted to form a forever memory with Libby and Scratch by seeing that comet and she managed to win over Scratch who went above and beyond to ensure that was possible. While that memory is now somewhere hidden in Scratch’s mind as a living person, this episode likely was one of the events needed to push him into becoming someone who would take chances and embrace life upon coming back to life.

-Considering the number of times Molly almost dies, it would have been one thing if Scratch didn’t take it too well if he failed to save Molly. But if he learned that he was the one who had the chance to come back to life and not her? Yeah, that would have seriously wrecked his mental state.

-That moment when you realize that it was TWO souls hovering on the edge between life and death that changed everything in the Ghost World. Also I could be wrong, but I caught that Molly AND Scratch both have a brighter glow compared to most other ghosts in the Ghost World. Was this stealth foreshadowing, or just a coincidence?

-Scratch’s declaration that knowing Molly was the highlight of his afterlife. That moment when you realize Molly brought him joy after years of being miserable as both a ghost and as a human. This girl reached out to him and was able to get him to open up when no one else did. This girl who is showing him how to truly live once more. This girl who he openly declares to be his friend no matter what others will think.

-When I see Wraith!Molly hugging Libby and Scratch, I just wonder ‘WHY DOES MOLLY HAVE 3 ARMS?!’

-As good as this show is, a lot of folks who watch these Disney Channel shows are likely used to the more story-oriented shows. While the ‘slice of life’ style for TGAMM did pay off, the slow pace and length it took for the episodes to release likely worked against it and I could see why it didn’t attract more viewers at the time.

Stuff relating to Todd:

-Scratch possesses people a lot in this show, but especially in season 1. I’m reminded of someone who talked about the wraith theory on YouTube and he had this guess that Scratch might someday possess Todd and then realize something is different this time. I think that having Scratch use the possession trick so often was building up to that one moment in the last episode because it WAS a matter of time until he possessed Todd.

-As I said in a previous post, I caught Todd in the stands during The (Un)Natural, which was his ACTUAL debut episode. It was easy to miss the first time, but its a noticeable establishing character moment since he’s the only audience member who is visibly NOT happy despite that the team is winning.

-Molly stopping at Todd’s house during the song montage in the bandshell episode hits a lot differently now after the series finale. But then I laughed when she smacked him in the face with a flyer upon stopping by the house a second time in the same episode.

-We have confirmation that Scratch (as Todd) knew the mayor when they were kids and that is a tale I’m very curious about.

-I caught Todd in the audience during ‘Citizen McGee’ when the mayor bestows the honor of being mayor for a day to Molly. I admit a cynical side of me thinks that this is how he actually remembers her name in the last episode…. But at the same time he was so on auto-pilot during that time that he likely wouldn’t pay much attention or remember those events that well. (Plus, you can’t be expected to remember someone’s name once all the time). I refuse to believe that he remembered this event and that Scratch’s memories were what actually triggered the name.

-Todd’s actual lines are very limited (I don’t think he gets many in season 2 compared to this one). While Dana Snyder was voicing him, Snyder lowered his voice so much that it’s really hard to tell that he’s the one voicing Todd. I keep putting my ear to my computer to listen, but Todd barely sounds like Dana. I think they did this on purpose to avoid making it too obvious that Todd IS Scratch. (And that’s probably why he doesn’t talk as much in season 2…. Until the last episode of course).

-The Internship seems to double as foreshadowing, and not just because Todd appears or that his ‘junk’ held some very crucial clues. Molly believes that the pawnshop is where happy memories go to die while Weird Larry assures her that it’s where memories can be reborn into something new. So… is the pawnshop a metaphor for Scratch’s own depression causing his ‘death’ and how he’ll be resurrected into a happier person?

[blueskittlesart]

Tell me your thoughts on the link is dead in MM theory?

yeah ok. i feel like it's pretty widely known at this point that i do not care for it but let's really go into why. in the post that i assume prompted this ask i compared it to a similar permadeath botw theory in that i feel both theories only work if one ignores the central theme of the game in question. in terms of theme, majora's mask and botw are quite similar. both feature a highly traumatized link after a hard-reset of his life and follow the beginning of his healing process.

majora's mask features the hero of time after the timeline reset. He is physically a nine-year-old boy, but he has spent significant time in the body of a sixteen-year old and he has spent much of his life essentially as a child soldier without any regard for his feelings. he has fought monsters that adults twice his size and age refused to get within 200 feet of, and NO ONE REMEMBERS THIS, because in order to restore hyrule to what it once was he went back and stopped it all before it even began. understanding what has been done to link and how he remembers the events of oot are crucial to understanding mm.

now we have the actual setting of mm, termina. termina is deliberately strange and off-putting immediately upon entering it. you as the player are meant to pick up on the fact that something is off about your surroundings. the entire game plays this up--something is Wrong about termina. you're never supposed to be completely sure if it's real or a dreamscape. truly, i don't fault people for looking at a deliberately offputting, dreamlike, horror-filled world like termina and equating it to some sort of afterlife. the skull kid himself is often interpreted as a metaphor for death in oot--being a child who wandered into the forest and never came out. (i personally see it more as a reflection of oot's greater themes of coming-of-age and adult/child relationships, but that's a point for another post.) i do understand that the evidence for the theory is THERE, and that the tendency to want to explain away the offputting environment of termina as link being dead is kind of natural. but I think it's worth examining WHY termina is the way it is; how its weird vibe ties back to mm's central themes and link's story arc within it. and when you do, in my opinion, the theory falls apart pretty quickly.

majora's mask is a story about healing from trauma. Link, as previously mentioned, is a child soldier who feels trapped between childhood and adulthood and who has seen firsthand that nothing he does matters because in the end no one but him will remember it. termina is designed to enforce this point of view, initially. link can do everything in his power to help the people of termina, to fix their problems, to be a good kid, but at the end of those 3 days no matter what he does the moon will always come crashing down and he will always have to reset. no one will remember him. he can't change anything, not really. but as you play through the game, you find one thing that DOESN'T go away with each reset--the masks. these are given as rewards for link's good deeds--physical representations of the good he has done, even after everything resets. even though he remains trapped in this cycle, he gains a little something for every person he helps, something that can't be taken away from him. he begins to have hope that everything he does isn't in vain. he begins to HEAL.

on the final cycle, when you've completed all the dungeons and you stop the moon, the game performs a check to see if you have all the masks. if you've done every one of the side quests and helped the people in termina, even though they don't remember it. the check comes in the form of a game of hide-and-seek, a metaphorical return to the childhood that link feels he has lost. if every mask has been collected, link receives the fierce diety mask, making the final battle with majora quite a bit easier. he becomes more powerful because he has taken the time to grow and heal and learn that what he does matters no matter if people remember him or not. this is a central point of majora's mask. and when he wins, when he comes out the other side, the message that greets the player is "Dawn of a new day." a promise that the story will continue. a promise of many more days to come. a promise that the cycle has been broken and everyone in termina, link included, can finally begin to truly live.

again, i think the tendency to equate an obviously metaphorical dreamlike world like termina to an afterlife is somewhat natural. but to suggest that link is dead in the context of a game that is fundamentally about link HEALING and continuing to LIVE is kind of ridiculous imo. a world can be strange and function as a metaphor without being an afterlife. the tendency to try to explain termina's oddity is natural, but the fact that it's not explained is part of the point. whether it really exists or not doesn't matter, what matters is that the spiritual journey link went on DID happen, and he came out the other side able to continue living. he broke the cycle. now a new day can begin. THAT is the point of majora's mask. if link is dead, then that point loses ALL of its impact. what awaits link after breaking termina's cycle if he's dead?? to me, it's tantamount to suggesting his fate WAS sealed. that it's TRUE that nothing he did mattered and he was too late to truly change anything. nothing you do matters when you're dead. mm just functions so much better on a thematic level if link is allowed to continue living in the aftermath.

[hollyethecurious]

CS AU: The Law of Surprise (3/3)

Summary: The Law of Surprise: a custom as old as humanity itself. The Law dictates that a man saved by another is expected to offer to his savior a boon whose nature is unknown to one or both parties. In most cases, the boon takes the form of the saved man's firstborn child, conceived or born without the father's knowledge.

A/N: This is NOT a Witcher AU. The idea for this fic WAS inspired by the show, however. I’m not sure if the Law of Surprise was a show/game creation or if it existed before. Regardless, this fic is my spin on the concept and will be posted in three parts.

Much love and thanks to the @cssns mods for keeping this event going year after year! A HUGE shout out to my artist @eastwesthomeisbest for the AMAZING pieces she made to accompany my fic. Go give her ALL the flails! Finally, all the hot chocolate, rum, and grilled cheese sandwiches for my amazing betas @ultraluckycatnd and @kmomof4. LOVE YOU LADIES TO BITS!

Rated T / Also available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list / Curious? Come Ask Me!  

Part One | Part Two

Part Three

The castle was brimming with life and gaiety. Orchestral sounds spilled over the balconies and light seeped from every window, illuminating the stone walls and bathing the gardens in an exuberant glow. If he’d had to guess, Hook would estimate the overflow from the ballroom to be in the hundreds as he made his way through the crush of courtiers, adorned in their finery as they eagerly awaited to be announced.

Dukes and earls. Ambassadors and emissaries. Military leaders and loyal sycophants. The creme de la creme of Misthaven and her allied kingdoms were all in attendance - all who had received a royal summons, that is. Hook had witnessed a number of people being turned away at the gate when they had failed to produce the invitation. The exquisitely designed edict with its filigree and gilded letters announcing the event of the century:

The Formal Betrothal Ceremony and Ball between Her Royal Highness Princess Emma of Misthaven and His Royal Highness Prince Neal, Son and Heir of the Dark One.

Not that Hook had received one himself, of course; their Majesties had learned their lesson the last time they’d attempted to share blessed news and an invitation with him. Pan had been serious when he’d meant no interference, though they had underestimated what the evil bastard considered as such until he’d enticed most of the Misthaven male youths away from their beds and nearly to their deaths over one of the kingdom’s cliffs, because the sovereigns had dared to have an envoy deliver him news of the arrival of their second child - a son. When David and Hook had confronted Pan before he could lure the boys to their deaths, the demon brat had made it clear that any communication, any interaction, any attempts to maintain or strengthen relationships between Misthaven and “his pirate” would be seen as a breach of contract and met with severe penalties. After that, Hook had once again kept his distance from Misthaven, and Misthaven had kept its distance from him. So, naturally, Hook did not fault them for failing to send him an invite to tonight’s festivities. They could not possibly have known that circumstances were different now.

A fact Tink kept nagging on about these past few months.

Months they had spent attempting to set things right in the wake of Neverland’s liberation. Months they had spent establishing authority and restoring order while dealing with uprisings from those still loyal to Pan. Months Hook had spent ferrying those who had wished to return to their homes, not knowing if one even still existed for them, as he warred with himself over the prospect of returning to his own.

It had been the news of Emma’s betrothal that had started the quarrel with Tink up again. Enjoying a pint in a dark corner of anonymity whilst patroning a tavern in Glowerhaven, they’d heard the toasts and cheers go up wishing the princess and “her prince” well. The Dark One’s son wasn’t truly royalty, of course, but none were fool enough to challenge the title.

While the other patrons had reveled in the news of the betrothal, their spirits high from the glee of gossip and tankards of toasts, Hook had sat with a weighty stone of despondency in his belly even as he’d tried to muster up some semblance of jubilation over the news.

“You must go to Misthaven,” Tink urged. “You have to tell them. Tell her. You can’t let her enter a betrothal or get married without--”

“Do you think I would interfere in her life now?” Hook replied through grit teeth. “Burden her with this… with me, when she has finally found happiness?”

“How do you know it is true happiness she has found? The Law of Surprise entrusted her to you. Gave you the responsibility and privilege of her destiny. You cannot sit by and allow her to--”

“To what?” Hook snapped. “To decide for herself? To pursue a destiny she has chosen? To fall in love and follow her heart while making alliances that will strengthen her kingdom and secure her reign? I am not her lord and master, nor am I her overseer.”

“No. You are not,” Tink said softly. “But you are fated to her. Bonded to her through the Law. Connected in a way she isn’t even aware of, because you haven’t allowed her to know. You owe her the truth before she establishes new bonds with another.”

Hook scoffed, but tapped the ring on his thumb against his tankard as he considered her words.

“At the very least,” Tink continued, “go see her. Before she is whisked off to the Dark Realm to prepare for her new life as Neal’s wife and future Queen of the Dark One’s subjects, go meet her. Make sure it is for love that she has chosen this path, and not out of a sense of duty or obligation. Slake your curiosity of who she has become and give yourself the peace of knowing that in spite of everything, she turned out well.” Hardening her gaze, she added, “And for the sake of all the gods, stop being a coward and go face your brother.”

He hated when the infernal fairy was right.

It was cowardice that had kept him from returning. Fear of having to divulge all he’d done in order to achieve his freedom, the lengths he’d had to go to and the ways in which he’d made Pan believe he’d broken him before finally being able to…

Afraid that there was no longer a place for him among society. Terrified over the prospect that, despite Neverland’s magic and the way it had kept him youthful, his life had already passed him by. Petrified to face the girl he’d been meant to watch over, daunted by the uncertainty of how she might react if he ever managed to work up the nerve to tell her the truth about him, about the Law of Surprise, about the fate’s design that had bonded them to one another before she was even born.

Tink had been right, though. He could not give in to cowardice, so he’d commissioned a new waistcoat and duster, one befitting a gentleman pirate paying court, and made port in Misthaven the evening of his princess’ betrothal ball. His lack of an invitation was no issue with the guards at the gate, he’d merely flashed them his hook and they’d allowed him entry, certifying that the king’s pardon of Hook’s crimes and promises of sanctuary within Misthaven still stood. Though Hook did feel it prudent to tuck his left arm behind his back, beneath his quilted, leather coat whilst in the receiving line, lest one of the guests glimpse it and start a fuss.

He wasn’t sure if it was the maddening wait, the stifling corridor, or the crowd of plumed and perfumed guests that began to grate on his nerves, spiking his anxiety and forcing him to withdraw from the ballroom hall. All he knew was that he’d suddenly found himself in a dark and isolated alcove around the corner from the crush, attempting to steady his breathing while muttering curses at himself for falling apart over something as simple as queuing for a ball.

“Is everything alright, good sir?”

Hook spun around, once more tucking his hook behind his back while his hand swept through his hair in an attempt to straighten his appearance. He stood in stupified silence for several skips of his heartbeat, too stunned by the gorgeous woman before him, until he finally cleared his throat and found his voice.

“Aye, lass,” he replied, unable to keep some of the awe out of his tone. “No need to concern yourself with me.”

The woman, young, blonde, with a slender form that did not fail to fill out the curves of her gown while demonstrating the strength he could detect beneath her proper posture, cocked her head to one side, her seaglass eyes narrowing at him even as a smile slightly tugged at the corners of her exquisite lips, rebutted, “A man hiding away in the shadows is a bit concerning, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose so,” Hook conceded with a slight chuckle. Taking a step forward so she could get a better look at him, his smile broadened when her eyes widened and swept over his form with similar interest. “Truth be told,” he continued in a low timbre, “I am rather out of practice in the rules of court. It has been many years since I’ve attended a royal ball.”

Eyes snapping back up to his, she schooled her features and lifted her chin. “Have you not escorted someone to attend with you? Have you no one whose company you can rely on?”

Hook sighed wistfully. “My brother is here,” he said, attempting to keep all sense of melancholy or apprehension from his tone, “but I have not seen him in many years. My presence may come as something of a shock, and I do not wish to cast a pall on the evening. I would never wish to tarnish the memory of it for the princess.”

“The princess?” she parroted, her brows arching and achieving heights that nearly matched her voice. “You hold her in high regard then?”

“Aye. Very much.” Thoughts of his Emma, and the maelstrom of emotions they brought with them, made his voice constrict in his throat, making his next words a bit strained. “Though, I have not had the pleasure of her acquaintance since she was a child.”

The woman’s expression shifted, becoming pensive, almost far away, but as quickly as they had taken hold of her features, she shook off whatever thoughts she’d been contemplating. “Well, I highly doubt anything you do could tarnish this night for her.”

“I appreciate that vote of confidence, love.” Killian scratched behind his ear, his hips swinging with another swaggering step forward as he pressed a little too closely for decorum’s liking into her personal space. “I don’t suppose, once I’ve mustered up the courage to make my way into the ballroom, you would consider bestowing me the pleasure of a waltz?”

The corners of the woman’s lips tipped up again, and Hook wondered what it would take to encourage a full smile from her. Not that it mattered. He’d already accepted the challenge.

“Would such a consideration give you the necessary encouragement to face your brother and the court?” she asked.

Boldly, he took her hand and ran his thumb over the backs of her knuckles, murmuring, “Such consideration would give me the encouragement to do a great many things, Miss…”

Her lips parted, the response of her name on the tip of her tongue, when an attendant rounded the corner and jolted them apart with her exclamations. “Your Highness! I have been looking everywhere for you!”

Hook whipped his head from the attendant back to the woman who had snatched her hand from his and taken several steps back.

“Your Highness?” he said incredulously. “As in Her Royal Highness? Princess Emma?”

“I… I,” she stuttered. “I’m sorry, I must…”

“Excuse us, my lord,” the attendant said, encouraging her charge away from the alcove and towards the hallways that led to the royal entrance at the back of the ballroom.

Hook watched her depart, stunned by the realization that the woman with whom he’d been conversing - and was now rather taken with - was none other than the princess. His princess. His Emma. His Child of Surprise who was no longer a child.

He’d known that already of course, that she was no longer a child. More than ten years had passed since he’d last seen her, but as she was escorted down the hallway, briefly taking the opportunity to glance at him over her shoulder with an apologetic smile and a glimmer of attraction in her eyes, the reality of those years hit him full force. His princess was no longer a child, and once the betrothal ceremony was complete, she would no longer be his.

Forgoing the queue, Hook forced his way into the ballroom without being announced and found himself a vantage point where he could observe without taking on much notice. A resurgence of duty and responsibility filled him. He wanted to - no, needed to - weigh the measure of the man his princess was about to bind herself to in betrothal. Needed to know he was worthy of her.

Although, he was quite certain no man ever would be.

As the ballroom began to fill, his vantage point proved to be less than ideal. Unable to clearly see the dais, he started to shuffle his way through the throng as the prince and his father were announced, followed swiftly by Their Majesties and Princess Emma.

He was halfway across the room when the ceremony began, and the heavy weight of regret, knowing he was too late to do anything, pressed down upon him, keeping him rooted to his spot. His heart twisted painfully in his chest. He was about to lose her forever without having the chance to truly know her. He was a fool for wasting these past few months. A damned fool. All he could do now was watch as the prince and princess recited their vows while a fairy wove the betrothal bonds around them with her wand.

His heartache was quickly forgotten, however, when the final binding spell failed, leaving the betrothal void and eliciting a collective gasp from those assembled.

“I… I don’t understand,” the fairy stammered. “The magic should have worked. I… I don’t know what--”

“Clearly, you did something wrong, dearie,” the Dark One accused as he took a threatening step towards the young fairy.

“No,” Emma stated, stepping between her would-be father-in-law and the scared-out-of-her-wits fairy. “She didn’t. The magic failed to bind us, because…” Turning her attention back towards her would-be groom, Emma declared, “as I have told you numerous times, I have no intentions of marrying you. I don’t care about the deal our fathers made in order to end the war. My heart will never be yours, therefore no vows I make to love you will ever be true.”

Chaotic murmurs erupted throughout the ballroom, but Hook kept his focus on the dais.

“That matters not!” the Dark One shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Emma which made Hook’s hand itch for the hilt of his sword, unfortunately left behind on his ship. “Your feelings have no bearing and are not enough to void the betrothal spell.” Casting his ire upon King David and Queen Snow, he demanded, “Explain yourselves! We made a deal! You agreed to this betrothal on your daughter’s behalf. It is your word and your authority over her that binds that agreement, so why did it fail?”

Hook sucked in a startled breath. He knew why.

“I think I can answer that, and settle this matter,” he called out, causing all eyes to fall on him.

“And who might you be?” Prince Neal demanded.

“Captain Killian Jones,” he proclaimed, stepping forward as the crowd parted. “Though some have taken to calling me by my more colorful moniker.” Raising his left arm, he displayed his hook and a hysteria of murmurs further erupted amongst the crowd that was now cowering away from him.

David and Snow’s mouths dropped open and Liam, who had been standing by off to the side of the dais, rushed forward and took his place next to his sovereigns, a look of complete elation and shock coloring his aged face. The fairy fled, leaving Emma, Prince Neal, and the Dark One alone at the center of the raised platform, each of them staring at him with a variety of expressions.

“Hook!” Prince Neal exclaimed, before catching the eye of the many guards stationed along the walls. “Seize him!”

When none of the guards acquiesced to the command, an incensed and clearly alarmed Prince Neal sputtered, “W-Why are you all just s-standing there! Arrest him!”

“Oh, you must not be aware,” Hook said, swaggering his way towards the dais and stopping short of its steps. “You see, I have pardon in this land.”

Turning his incredulity and ire towards the King, Prince Neal opened his mouth, but was silenced by the quiet yet dangerous tone of the Dark One’s question.

“How, pray tell, do you plan to settle this matter, Captain?”

“By claiming that which was owed me the day I saved King David’s life and he vowed to honor me with a boon, dictated by the Law of Surprise.”

“A boon? What boon?” Emma demanded.

With confident, measured steps Hook made his way up to the top of the platform and stood in front of his princess, his body strategically placed between her and his new adversaries. His eyes captured hers and he knew they were crinkling in the corners as he smiled down at her.

“Don’t you know, Emma?” he murmured softly. “It’s you.”

Confusion and outrage flashed within her seaglass eyes and displayed themselves through each feature of her exquisite face. Though her reaction, not being what he’d hoped for, sliced through him, he could do nothing about that now, not when a fresh round of threats was being issued by the Dark One and his spawn.

“We had a deal!” the Dark One bellowed. “Your daughter’s hand in marriage to my son in exchange for me ending your war with George! You made a deal--”

“Which they have kept in good faith!” Hook roared, rounding on the imp and causing his son to stumble backwards. “They have prepared and presented the princess for betrothal, and Emma herself recited the vows, even as it went against everything she wished for herself. It is not their fault the fates did not bind the agreement. If you wish to lay declarations of war at anyone’s feet, then let it be mine, but I warn you…” Stepping closer, Hook loomed over the Dark One and in a timbre of hushed menace, he advised, “do so at your own peril.”

The Dark One’s eyes narrowed, perhaps sensing something about the man who stood before him that he had not registered before. Beside him, Prince Neal scoffed.

“Are we to be threatened by the likes of you? You are nothing but a filthy pirate.”

Hook grinned darkly and rocked back on his heels, tucking his thumb in his belt. “A few months ago I was nothing but a filthy pirate, but today,” hardening his expression, he declared, “I am Neverland’s King, and you do not want Neverland as your enemy.”

The Dark One visibly started, but the Prince merely snorted. “Neverland has no king.”

Keeping a calculating eye on the Dark One, Hook shrugged and addressed Neal with a casual air. “True. I never understood, with all his theatrics, why Pan had never outright declared himself king, but make no mistake…” The hard edge returned to his tone and countenance, “Pan ruled that island as a dictator king with an iron scepter and a crown of cruelty not even George could have dreamed of matching. Now that Pan’s dead,” the Dark One’s head snapped towards him, seemingly pulled from his thoughts with a number of questions swirling behind his dark gaze, “Neverland is under my rule. The island, its inhabitants, and…” Hook flicked his wrist and the entirety of the ballroom gasped when a jar of glittering dust appeared in his hand, “its magic. They all serve me now, so I say again. You do not want me as an enemy.”

Shrewdly, the Dark One scrutinized the jar in Hook’s hand, then inquired, “What, then, do you propose we do? The terms of the deal have not been met. I ended the war with King George. A debt is still owed.”

“Indeed,” Hook replied, holding out the jar towards the Dark One. “And I believe this canister of pixie dust is more than sufficient in settling that debt.” Hook pulled the jar back when the prince made an attempt to take it. “So long as you promise that accepting it means no further repercussions. Misthaven is safe from any further threats or acts of retaliation from you, and Emma is free to find love and happiness with whomever she chooses. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Papa, no!” Prince Neal protested. “You can’t just--”

“I can, and I have,” the Dark One clipped in a tone of censure before snatching the jar from Hook’s hand. Addressing the King and Queen, he confirmed, “Our deal has been satisfied. My son and I will now take our leave, but heed this… do not call upon me for aid ever again.”

“We won’t,” King David assured him. His eyes cut to Hook’s, relief and gratitude swimming within their depths, but before he could make any further statements another round of gasps rippled through the ballroom as the Dark One and Prince Neal were enveloped in a plume of dark smoke and vanished.

A heavy exhale fell over Hook’s lips and he stood, frozen, in the gazes of his friends, his sovereigns, his brother, and… his Emma.

“It’s you,” she said, her expression and voice void of any inflection he could identify as her eyes seemed to look past him to that far off place he’d seen her subconscious go when they were alone before. “You’re… him. We’ve… we’ve met before.”

“Aye, Your Highness,” he hedged. Her demeanor and lack of response to all that had just transpired made him hesitant to push her too far, too fast. “Moments ago in the corridor--”

“No… no, that’s not. I mean…” Her eyes refocused on him with a mixture of awe, disbelief, and something that hadn’t quite made its way to the surface yet swirling through their verdant beauty as she whispered, “It’s you, isn’t it? The man from my… you’re him.”

“Him… who?”

“My pirate,” she exhaled, stunning Hook to his core as she lifted a chain that had been concealed beneath the high neck of her white gown. Dangling from the delicate links was a familiar looking pendant. The seashell he had gifted her - after she’d plucked it from his desk, the little thief - he realized. The far off look returned as she murmured, “Not a day has gone by that I have not thought of you.”

His heart swelling, Hook elated, “Good,” and took a step towards her. The action, like all his actions since he’d revealed himself, was not met with the response he’d been hoping for.

Taking several steps back from him, Emma rounded on her parents and shouted, “You lied to me! You made me think it was all in my head! You knew! You knew why I felt so… wrong, so deficient. So… broken. My entire life I’ve… You knew about him all this time and you never--”

“You mustn’t blame them, love,” Hook insisted. “It’s not their fault. I made your mother promise never to tell--”

“Perhaps we should take this discussion elsewhere,” Snow said, making them all acutely aware of their audience. The societal vultures practically circling in anticipation of the feast such morsels of scandal might provide.

“That won’t be necessary,” Emma seethed. “There won’t be any more discussion, because I’m not interested in anything any of you have to say!”

Hook gaped when she raised her hand, calling forth magic to transport her from the ballroom in a plume of white smoke.

“She has magic?”

“She’s the product of True Love. Of course she has magic,” the Blue Fairy replied with a terse and exasperated tone, having made her way onto the dais to address her sovereigns and offer her assistance. “Your Majesties, perhaps it would be best for you to withdraw with the… captain, whilst the other fairies and I tend to your guests?”

“Yes,” Snow agreed. “Thank you, Blue.”

Hook followed his sovereigns and brother to an adjoining room where they could converse and continue their reunion in private, though none of them seemed to know where to begin.

“I think I ought to go and check on Em--”

“No,” Hook said, cutting off Snow. “Leave her be. She’s had a terrible shock and no doubt needs some time to work out all that’s…”

They stood there awkwardly for a moment more until reality set in. They were here, together, reunited at last, and in a synchronized heartbeat they suddenly found themselves in a united embrace, laughing and crying tears of joy and relief at finally having the nightmare of separation behind them.

“Admit it,” Hook demanded of David, wiping the vestiges of his emotional release from his eyes. “You were hedging your bets when you made that deal with the Dark One. You suspected The Law of Surprise would void it when the time came, didn’t you?” Turning towards his brother, Hook surmised, “That’s why you wouldn’t let me relinquish my claim and bestow it upon you.”

Sheepishly, Snow admitted, “Blue was the one who suggested the idea. We could not be sure, though, given your… uncertain future under Pan’s rule.”

“Speaking of,” Liam chimed in. “However did you manage to defeat the little bastard?”

“It’s a bit of a sordid tale,” Hook told them. “And one I do not wish to relive in detail. Suffice it to say, I managed to gain a certain amount of trust with Pan, which allowed me close access to him. Revealing some of his weaknesses. One of them being… squid ink.”

Liam led them over to the settees and they all sat down as he remarked, “Squid ink is no easy substance to obtain.”

“Aye,” Hook affirmed. “Fortunately, whilst on one of my missions for Pan, I ran into a mermaid who wished to leave her life in the sea behind. In exchange for safe passage, and because she felt bad for nearly crashing my ship upon rocky shoals when she enchanted me with her siren song, she gave me the squid ink she’d stolen from her father’s vault. Tink and I used the ink to subdue Pan.” Fiddling with his hook, he cast his eyes towards the floor as he confessed, “My hook did the rest.”

“And Pan’s death gave you… magic?”

“Not exactly.” Hook pulled back the sleeve of his right arm, exposing the cuff secured to his wrist. “This does,” he said, tapping it with the side of his hook. “It was Pan’s. He was never without it. I learned that it tethered the Shadow to him, acting as a conduit to the island’s power which he could then bend to his will. At first, I had no desire for it, but its use became necessary in order for me to begin to set things right.”

Hook told them how he and Tink had spent the past few months: squashing rebellions from those on the island still loyal to Pan, learning about the island’s magic while working with the Shadow to restore balance to her shores, and returning those he’d brought there under Pan’s order against their will.

“There is still much to be done, but when I heard about Emma’s betrothal, I…” Not wishing to tell anymore half-truths, or admit that the news of her betrothal had not been enough without Tink’s prompting, he let his words trail off. He hadn’t shared with them his misgivings in returning, allowing them to believe these other distractions had been the reason for his delay, causing guilt to churn in his gut as he sat amongst them.

“Where is Tinkerbell?” Snow asked, perhaps sensing the shift in his demeanor.

“She remained behind in Neverland,” Hook replied. “Awaiting further orders.”

“Further orders?” David parroted. “What more could you ask of her?”

“Not from me,” Hook assured. “From Blue.” Glancing down at the cuff on his wrist, he imparted, “The island should go to the fairies. They are the only ones who can truly wield and balance its power. I have no wish to be its sovereign forever, but...”

“But?”

Hook sighed. “All magic comes with a price, and the price of using this cuff is that it cannot be removed unless both the wearer and the island agree to its removal.” A wry smile pulled at the corner of his mouth and he cheekily added, “or unless the wearer is dead and no longer has a say in the matter.”

“I don’t…” Liam floundered. “I don’t understand what you--”

“The island won’t let me relinquish my connection with its magic,” Hook said. “After Pan, I believe it finds me preferable and won’t risk falling into the wrong sort of hands again. My hope is that the fairies might be able to convince the island to free me of the obligation, which is one of the reasons Tink remained there. To continue working towards that end until reinforcements arrive.”

“Well,” Snow said, standing and causing the men to follow suit. “That is something we can certainly discuss in greater detail tomorrow. For now,” she turned to her husband and with a firm, yet regal, look, declared, “we really must return to our guests and assure them that all is well.”

“Of course,” David agreed. “You’re right. The gossip mill is no doubt having a field day and our allies deserve whatever reassurances we can give them.”

“My apologies for creating a spectacle.” Hook gave his sovereigns a chagrined and contrite look, but they quickly waved off his self-condemnation.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Snow assured him.

“Snow is right,” David asserted. “Without you, we’d likely be preparing for war with the Dark One. You saved us… again.”

Hook grinned and nonchalantly scratched behind his ear. “I imagine another boon might be in order then?”

David shot him a less than amused look. “I’m not granting you another Law of Surprise, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Though we do not plan to have any more children, I agree with Charming,” Snow said, a hint of amusement coloring her words. “Once was more than enough.”

Hook sobered at the reminder of his Emma, and the mess he’d made of things between them.

“You owe me nothing,” he said. “It isn’t as though I’ve lived up to the last--”

“Enough of that,” Snow admonished. “I know things may not have gone as you’d hoped with Emma, but tomorrow is a new day. Let me have a room made up for you, and tomorrow we can all--”

“Thank you, Snow, but I think I’d rather return to my ship.” When Liam opened his mouth to protest, Hook assured him. “I’ll remain in port. I won’t leave without discussing the matter with you first, I just… I need…”

“Much has changed for you, too, little brother,” Liam acknowledged.

“Aye,” Hook admitted. “Freedom is not something I’ve had much practice with, and I’m still getting my bearings. Still trying to decide what I want to do with my life.”

���You know you always have a home here, right?” David said, placing a heavy hand upon his shoulder. “A place to belong.”

“I appreciate that, Your Majesty,” Hook said, hoping his eyes reflected just how much that fact meant to him. “But do you honestly think things can go back to how they would have been if you’d never sent us to Neverland? Or if we’d all managed to return from the accursed mission?”

David flinched and his features twisted into an expression of guilt and regret.

“Don’t misunderstand,” Hook said, now placing his own hand on his sovereign's shoulder. “I do not blame you. I have never blamed you, but let’s not pretend I can just take my place within your navy and serve as captain of one of your ships. For one, I am no longer a man who takes orders from others willingly, and two… what crew would wish to serve under the likes of me? A pirate. A blackguard.”

“No one is suggesting we pretend the past twenty years did not happen,” Liam said. “There is much to work out, much to resolve and decide upon. For you… and for Emma.”

David’s expression shifted and he now regarded Hook in a way the pirate had never experienced before. Not as his sovereign, nor as his friend, but as a father. A rather protective father. A protective father who might have just registered the charged interactions the pirate and his daughter had shared in the ballroom.

“Indeed,” the man said with a slightly hardened edge on his words. “Perhaps we should have a talk about your intentions with my daughter.”

“Charming,” Snow scolded, saving Hook from having to respond. “Now is not the time.” Squaring her shoulders and taking up her regal posture, the queen declared, “While these matters are all important and worthy of our time and thoughtful consideration, the more pressing issue awaits us in the ballroom.” Fixing her eyes on Liam, she continued, “David and I will need your diplomacy in dealing with our allies. You and the fairies are our ambassadors for the duration of the event.” Shifting her attention to Hook, she offered, “You are welcome to stay, however, it may be best if--”

“If it is all the same to you, Your Majesty,” Hook interrupted, “I think I’d prefer to take my leave for the evening and return to my ship.”

Giving him an acquiescing nod, Snow replied, “Very well. Let us all get through this evening and get ourselves as restful of a night’s sleep as we can. We will then reconvene tomorrow.”

“And Emma?” Hook inquired.

Snow and David shared a quick look of solidarity, then confirmed with a glance towards Liam before affirming, “We will leave her be, for now. As you requested.”

Their silent recognition and acceptance of his sovereignty in Emma’s life both relieved and disquieted him. He’d meant what he’d said to Tink about not being her lord and master, but he would not hesitate to advocate for her if he felt those around her were not acting in her best interest. She needed time. They both did.

“Then I shall bid you all a good night,” Hook said, not waiting for them to reciprocate before transporting himself back to the Jolly Roger in a swirl of crimson, in dire need of a refuge where he himself could process all that had come to pass this evening.

~/~

Hook’s jaw cracked from the wide yawn he released early the next morning, his body stiff and feeling its true age as he went about his normal routine, shuffling through his cabin in naught but his skin. He’d managed to pull on his leather pants, leaving them loosely tied around his waist, when he heard a voice drifting towards him from the dock.

“Ahoy! Captain, are you there?” a woman’s voice softly called out. From the tentative tone and reserved volume, he could tell she was trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible. It mattered not, though. He’d know that voice anywhere.

Hastily, Hook pulled on his shirt, a few of the buttons he kept fastened in the front slipped free from their closures, leaving his chest completely exposed. Forgoing his boots or even bothering to check the state of his hair, he rushed from his quarters and onto the deck, stopping short at the sight of his Emma standing atop the gangplank, just shy of the deck. The morning sun bathed her in an ethereal glow, silhouetting her form, which was adorned in her riding apparel, hugging her curves and highlighting her shapely legs in a way that had Hook glad he’d left his trousers loose.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, Hook continued to approach her, only now taking in her observations of him. Rather wide-eyed and pinked cheeked observations, he noted with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Princess?” he said, pulling her from her own thoughts, his breath catching at the way she wet her lips before clearing her throat.

“I apologize for arriving so early and unannounced,” she said, straightening her posture before inquiring, “Permission to come aboard, Captain?”

Hook grinned and closed the space between them with swaggering steps, holding out his hand to assist her. “Permission granted, Your Highness.”

When her feet hit the boards of the deck they stood there for a long moment, her hand still tucked in his as she took in the sight of his ship. When her gaze lifted to the mainsail a shudder ran down her spine. Though he was unsure how much she remembered from that night long ago when she last stood there, Hook was certain he knew what had caused her response.

“I sent him back,” he assured her, his voice low and soft.

“Who?”

“The Shadow. He’s the reason the sail is typically black, but I won’t need him until it is time for me to return to…”

Sensing this topic made her uneasy, his words trailed off and she pulled her hand from his. Noises from further up the dock grabbed their attention momentarily and Hook caught sight of her horse hitched at one of the posts, alone.

“Did you come here unaccompanied?”

“Yes,” she replied, uneasiness once again taking hold of her tone and demeanor. “I hadn’t planned it. I was out for my morning ride, clearing my head when…” Looking about she asked, “Is there somewhere we could go? Somewhere more private where we might converse?”

“Of course,” he said, not faulting her for not wanting to be seen fraternizing with him. “Follow me, Your Highness.”

He led her to his quarters and stopped at the threshold, allowing her entrance as he hung back. A soft gasp fell from her lips.

“It’s… it’s just as I remembered,” she whispered under her breath, taking in every detail of his cabin. “I thought you were a dream,” she confessed, though he wasn’t certain she was actually talking to him, her gaze far away and her words almost murmured to herself.

“I thought the whole thing was a nightmare.” Her hands skimmed over the top of his desk, pausing at his hook which he’d failed to secure in his brace before going on deck. “The shadow that kidnapped me, the dark island, the glass cage, the boy…” Her eyes flicked up, meeting his as she continued in a whisper, “The pirate.” Wetting her lips, her gaze never wavered even if his did briefly drop down to her mouth. “You’re real. You were real all this time.”

“Aye.”

Picking up his hook, she turned it over in her hands. “This is the hook you used to attach yourself to the barrel? The one my mother later gifted you?”

“How did you know--”

Setting it down she leaned back against his desk and let out a heavy breath. “I talked with them last night,” she told him. “My parents. After the ball, I demanded they tell me everything.” Her gaze dropped for a moment, then her eyes snapped up to his, determination shining from their depths. His princess was on a mission for the truth. “Did you really not know of my existence until Pan had…”

“No,” he confirmed. “I had no idea the King and Queen had a child, nor that the child was the fulfillment of the Surprise your father had granted me until Pan kidnapped you.”

Nodding her head in acceptance of his word her demeanor shifted slightly, her shoulders relaxing and her gaze softening.

“I want to apologize for the way I behaved last night,” she said. “How I reacted when you…” Her contrite expression gave way to one tinged with anger as she continued. “The morning after Neverland, when I woke up, everyone acted as though it hadn’t happened. My being kidnapped. My parents insisted I had dreamt the whole thing, even Blue made me think I’d…” Her hands gripped the edge of his desk, her knuckles turning white as she continued to lean against it for support, and it took everything within him to not go to her and offer himself as an anchor for her feelings of hurt and betrayal. “My whole life I have been sheltered, not allowed to make decisions for myself, feeling as though something… vital was missing from my life, yet unable to seek it out. Made to feel as though I were mad, because of this dream that would not leave me.”

Swallowing hard, she glanced around his cabin once more before her eyes fell shut. A deep breath filled her chest, followed by a cleansing exhale. When she opened her eyes the anger was gone, but a sadness lingered. Hook would do anything to alleviate it, but he knew she was not finished. There was still so much she needed to work through, to process, to accept, and he would give her the space to do all of it.

“Last night,” she carried on, “when the betrothal bond failed, I truly thought it was because my vows had been a lie. I thought I was standing up to Neal and his father, taking control of my destiny for the first time in my life, only to discover my future was never my own to control, because of another agreement my father made before I was even born.”

Hook winced. “I am sorry, Princess. Truly.” Pushing off from the doorway where he’d been leaning against the jamb, Hook took a few steps into the cabin, stopping at the corner of his bunk. “It was never my intention to leave you feeling powerless or alone. If I could go back, I’d--”

“You don’t have to apologize,” she said, her voice sincere and her eyes full of forgiveness. “You had no way of knowing what the Surprise would be, and with what George did to my mother, who would have ever guessed? I don’t blame you for how my life--”

“You shouldn’t blame your father either, Your Highness,” Hook said in defense of his sovereign. “He had no way of knowing either, otherwise you would never have become my Surprise.”

“True.” She crossed her hands over her chest, a hardened expression once more tightening her features. “The blame belongs to Blue and my mother.”

“What?” Hook balked.

Meeting his gaze, she informed him, “Blue knew about the barrel. She saw it listed on the inventory that was taken when the Jewel made it back with the survivors. They must have put it in the hold when they fished it and you from the sea. Blue could not be sure it had not been corrupted, so she gave the water to my mother without her knowing. It wasn’t until weeks later, when my mother came to Blue worried that something was terribly wrong with her, that Blue confessed what she’d done. She told my mother it was still too early to know for certain and that she should wait to tell my father until she was further along, then later that very same day…”

“He granted me the Law of Surprise.”

“My mother knew he intended to reward you for your bravery and sacrifice, but said she had no idea it would be… Father said it hadn’t even occurred to him to grant it to you until the moment before he declared it. So, no. I do not blame my father.”

Stepping forward, Hook closed the gap between them and took her hand in his. “I will not tell you how you ought to feel, Princess. I just urge you to not let anger and blame linger in your heart for too long. I know what it is like to let such emotions fester, letting darkness creep in and take root in your spirit, giving it a foothold in your soul. Learn from my mistakes, love. Resist it.”

“Why couldn’t you?”

Running his thumb over the back of her knuckles, he softly imparted, “For many years during my first deal with Pan, I didn’t think I had anything to live for. The demon made me a pirate and I became a villain, unworthy of association with people like your parents or my brother. I had resigned myself to a life of exile and wasn’t certain I’d even return to Misthaven, until…”

“Until… what?”

“Until I met you.” How he wished he still had his other hand so he could take both of hers in his grasp, instead, he settled for threading their fingers together. “I wanted to be a better man for you, Princess. I knew Pan would still require a villain, but I was determined to defeat him by any means necessary so that I could take back my own power and control my own destiny.”

“So… what now?” she asked, a soft tremble quaking through her words.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” she wet her lips, trying her best to hide her trepidations. “Your expectations. You said you returned in order to claim that which--”

“I said all that in an attempt to stop a war from brewing, and so you might be freed from a deal you never wished to be a part of,” he quickly assured her. “I know all too well the perils of making deals with demons, and it is a fate I would not wish upon anyone, least of all you.” Hook lifted their hands and cradled hers against his chest. “I have no expectations of you, love. I only wish to… to try and make up for lost time. To get to know you and have you get to know me. Fate may very well have its own plan, but as far as I’m concerned, whatever we become to one another is as much up to you as it is to me.”

A smile curled at the corners of her lips. “I’d hoped I hadn’t made that up about you,” she said. “I am glad to know you are, indeed, a man of honor and good form… just as I remembered you to be.”

Hook cocked his head to one side, his brows furrowed as he asked, “If you’ve always remembered the kidnapping, then why did you not recognize me in the alcove last night?”

“My memories weren’t… detailed,” she told him. “More like fragments. Impressions.” Looking past him, she began to call forth some of those memories. “I remembered you were a pirate. I remembered the silver fastenings of your waistcoat and the fact that you had dark hair, and I remembered… your eyes. They were probably the most vivid thing about you that I remembered.” Flicking her gaze up to his, she went on to say, “The truth of a person can always be found in their eyes.” Dipping her head, she demurred, “I’ve always been pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me. It’s always in the eyes. I knew, from the moment I looked into yours, that I could trust you. That you were telling the truth about taking me home. Your eyes told me I’d be safe with you.” Locking her eyes with his, she wistfully admitted, “I’ve thought about your eyes so many times over the years.”

Her cheeks reddened and she suddenly could not meet his gaze. Hook wondered what other thoughts she might have had about her dream pirate as she grew older, but held back from making a saucy quip, allowing her to move past him towards his bookcase. Truth be told, he could do with a bit of space between them as well.

“My parents tell me that though you are finally free of Pan, there are still loose ends for you to tie up in Neverland.” Distracting herself she focused her attention on the contents of his shelves, picking through the books and lifting the lids on a few of the boxes. “Once that is done, what do you intend to do with your newfound freedom?”

“Honestly?” Hook exhaled heavily. “I’m not sure.” A tinkling melody filled the room when she lifted the top of what turned out to be a music box, hastily letting it fall shut before turning apologetic eyes towards him.

“Sorry,” she muttered, running her hands down the front of her riding jacket before clasping them in front of herself. “You were saying?”

Hook chuckled, then sobered a bit when he remembered what he was about to reveal. “I was saying, I’m not sure what I’ll do once my duty to Neverland is complete. I would like to return to Misthaven, I just… I’m not certain I have a place here any longer.” Fiddling with a few of the items on his desk, he added, “Of course, there are people here whom I wish to build relationships with.”

“Like your brother?”

“Aye,” he replied, lifting his gaze towards her. “Among others.” He paused, hoping she knew she was at the top of those considerations. “I have missed so much, and while I realize he is now old enough to be mistaken as my father, Liam is the only family I have left.” They both shared a quick laugh over that observation before he declared, “I do not want to miss any more of his life, or anyone else’s of importance to me.

Emma hummed, her eyes cast down towards her feet, perhaps unable to meet his gaze because of the intensity of it. “I’d imagine you’d want the chance to get to know his wife and your nephews as well.”

Her words rocked Hook to his core. “What?”

Emma’s head snapped up, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping from the realization. “I’m so sorry! I thought… I thought you knew!”

Hook slumped down on the edge of his bed, a new sense of melancholy and injustice washing over him as he ran his hand through his hair and pulled at the strands in the back. “How long has he… how old are his… why did he not…”

“They’ve been married almost ten years, and have two sons. Her name is Belle and she’s…”

Emma paused when Hook buried his face in his hand. So much time wasted. The toll of the years Pan had stolen from him never seemed to cease in its increase.

The sound of the music box filled his cabin once more, prompting Hook to look up from his sorrows. Tentatively, Emma approached.

“I wish there was something I could do about the time that was taken from you and your brother. I wish I had words of wisdom or answers that might guide you towards what’s next, but I don’t. All I can do in this moment is… make good on a promise I gave you last night.”

Confused, Hook could only stare at her, until she clarified, “I believe I owe you a waltz?”

Hook huffed out an amused breath. Reaching up he pawed at the patch of skin behind his ear and confessed, “I know I instigated that, but truth be told… I haven’t danced a waltz in over twenty years.”

“Well,” she replied, clearly not letting him off the proverbial hook. “Good thing for you there is only one rule.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet before wrapping his braced arm around her waist. Taking his hand in hers she flicked up her gaze and murmured, “Pick a partner who knows what they’re doing.”

She took the lead until muscle memory returned, then Hook glided them around his cabin, holding her close and marveling at how she’d been able to pull him from his sulliness with such a simple act of kindness.

His Emma was a marvel, to be sure.

“Do you, Princess?” he asked, causing her brows to pinch together as her head tilted to one side. “Do you know what you’re doing?” he clarified, his voice low and hushed, wanting to keep the moment tender despite the question burning at the back of his throat. “What you are going to do now that the threat of Pan and your obligation to marry Prince Neal has been lifted?”

Chewing her lip, she gave the inquiry her considerations before drawing closer to him. Moving her hand from his shoulder to toy with the back of his neck, she sent a cascade of shivers down his spine as she addressed his question with one of her own.

“Did you know that other than the night I was taken to Neverland, this is the furthest I have even been from the castle?”

That piece of information shocked him, though he knew it should not have. Her existence had been kept a secret for the first half of her life because of George, and the threat of Pan had kept her parents cautious for the past decade. Fear had made his sovereigns hypervigilant with their greatest treasure, so no, it should not have surprised him that they’d kept her close to home, safe behind the castle walls, never straying from the grounds.

“I have never left these shores. Never seen the beauty or experienced the culture of other realms, or met anyone who wasn’t thoroughly vetted by my parents.” Wetting her lips, her eyes fell to the charms hanging around his neck, but Hook knew her gaze was far away once again. “I know I have a duty and obligation to my kingdom, my people, and my parents, but…”

“But?”

Glancing back up with a slight expression of guilt pulling at her features, she murmured, “I can't help but wonder if my brother, Leo, was the fates way of allowing me to… That is… I know I should not wish to burden him unnecessarily, it’s just that--”

“Where would you go first?” Hook asked, still swirling them around his cabin, maneuvering their bodies with the same ease in which he attempted to change the course of their conversation. “If you had the means to go anywhere, where would you go first?”

“Neverland.”

Her quick and unexpected reply had him stopping them in their tracks. “Neverland? Why?”

Once again, she worried her lip, her breath hitching shallowly in her chest. “As much as I long to see the world, the memory of the one time I left Misthaven still haunts me,” she said, her voice a tad unsure at first, though it gained a sense of certainty and resolve as she continued on. “I want to go back so I can face it. So I can put the fear it has held over my life behind me, once and for all.”

When she flicked her gaze up to his, something new stirred within those seaglass depths and the effect of it seemed to hum between them, electrifying the atmosphere of his cabin.

“I want to see what sort of place it is now. With Pan gone. I want to know how it has fared under your rule. How it’s changed due to your influence and direction.” Swaying closer to one another, she was practically a hair’s breadth away when she murmured, “I want to see it for myself in the hopes that…”

“That what?”

Her eyes fell to his mouth and his pulse quickened.

“That it proves that I am… not wrong about you.”

It took his mind several skips of his heartbeat to register the feel of her lips against his, but once it did, instinct took over. His braced arm pressed into the small of her back, bringing her even closer to him, their chests nearly touching with the only obstacle between them being her hand. Her fingers curled through his chest hair, pulling a groan from the back of his throat that vibrated against her lips as his own slanted across them. Threading his fingers through her hair, he wrapped his hand around the base of her skull so he could position her head to his liking, deepening the kiss and coaxing her lips apart with his tongue.

The taste of her was captivating. He could spend the rest of his life drinking her in yet never be satisfied, always wanting more, always needing more… of her. Just her. His Emma.

However, now was not the time for more, and from the gentle, yet insistent, press of her hand against his chest, it was evident that his princess was not ready for what could come next if they continued down this path of passion.

“That was…” he whispered against her lips, chasing them without thought.

“Destiny?” She giggled, her nerves and inexperience quivering through her laugh.

Brushing his nose against hers, he loosened his hold, creating some space between them while assuring her, “As I said before, I have no expectations of you, no expectations for what might happen between us or what we might come to mean to one another. Only… only hope and a promise.”

“What promise would that be?”

“I promise to do whatever it takes to win your heart, Princess. I promise, that for as long as it pleases you, I’ll be here, at your service.” Taking her hand in his, Hook vowed, “I will take you to Neverland, and any other realm you wish to see. I will remain by your side, even if, one day, it is only to stand in support of my future queen.”

“What about Liam?” she said, clearly overjoyed by the prospects he’d laid out whilst harbouring some guilt that their fulfillment would take him away from his brother.

“My brother will be here whenever we choose to return,” he comforted. “Besides… he has his own life to live, and whether he chooses to acknowledge it or not, he’s been shouldering a duty and responsibility he was never meant to carry.”

“Are you suggesting I’ve been burdensome to your brother?” Her tone was laced with offense, but it was betrayed by the teasing expression she could not keep from her features.

“Oh, yes,” he cheeked back, winding his arms around her waist. “Quite the burden you are. How will I ever bear being bonded by the fates to Your Highness?”

“Hmmm,” she hummed, running her palms up his chest then wrapping her arms around his neck. “Perhaps, you could start by calling me by my name, Captain.”

“As you wish… Emma,” he obliged on an exhale.

She graced him with a smile, then asked, “And you? How may I address you? Or do you prefer Captain?”

He wouldn’t deny the pleasure it gave him, hearing her call him Captain, and he was about to make a tawdry statement attesting to that fact when his eye caught a glimpse of his hook, still sitting atop his desk.

“Call me…” he said, his voice choked and barely able to utter the name he’d long abandoned. “Killian. Please, Emma. Call me Killian.”

“Killian.”

The sound of his name on her breath shot a thrill of wonder up his spine. His lips crashed against hers and they both surrendered to the destiny fate had planned for them long ago.

Which, honestly, should not have come as a… surprise.

Thank you all for going on this journey with me! I hope you enjoyed the ride!

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[monstersdownthepath]

Herald of Erastil: The Grim White Stag

CR 15

Lawful Good Colossal Outsider

Inner Sea Gods, pg. 286

The second largest of all the Heralds, the Grim White Stag lives up to its name in every respect it can. Despite serving the god of community and family, the Grim White Stag (which I will be referring to as the Stag from now on) is almost always alone, preferring the company of animals and non-sapient beasts to anything else. Despite the fact it can speak and understand multiple languages, even those of the Druids, the Stag has never said a single word to any being that could possibly understand it, leading many to believe it simply can't speak. It is said that the Stag is only ever seen by human life every 20 to 30 years, as it spends all other times withdrawn from civilization walking a relatively lonely path through the forests of Golarion, instinctively avoiding stomping over innocent creatures and valuable plants as wildlife follows in its wake.

Despite its isolationist behavior, the Stag will leap into the fray to defend whatever tiny settlement Erastil commands it to protect with a show of force that may simply scatter the invading force immediately. What fool would stand in the path of a stone and wood deer 60ft tall? Worse still, when the Stag arrives, it often does so with an army; its echoing Bugle can be heard for miles around, with all wildlife and followers of Erastil instinctively recognizing it and instantly knowing the distance and direction of its source. Like something out of a Disney movie (or perhaps a Lord of the Rings film), invading soldiers may hear a low, mournful noise that echoes throughout a nearby forest and hear the footsteps of a titan growing slowly, inexorably closer. Then a 60ft tall incarnate of the wilds breaks the treeline in plodding steps so calm it practically radiates the idea that you couldn't harm it with any weapon you own, glowing white eyes fixed on you and your wicked allies with what is unquestionably a look of judgment, and before your commander can even give the order to fire upon this creature, the forest is alive with the sounds of every beast, bug, and blade of grass turning to take up arms against you.

The first arrow that flies isn't from your side, it's from the men and women in camouflage and animal skins that you didn't even realize had surrounded you until you were already routed, and it's embedded itself in your commander. The battle breaks out, and the titan of nature lowers its head and charges into the fray.

Unlike many of the Heralds we've seen thus far, the Stag is almost entirely built for battle. It's got some minor curative magic, able to use Neutralize Poison and Cure Disease 3/day each, and it's able to use Lay on Hooves 10/day to restore 9d6 HP to any creature in its reach, or to itself as a swift action, but all of this is window dressing. Like the Grand Defender, the Stag exists hit things really hard a lot of times in a row, and in turn be really hard to harm.

To begin with its defenses: A lot of the time, I outright don't talk about any DR or Regeneration Heralds have, because it's often shut down by exposure to Evil weapons and spells, meaning the very creatures they're destined to fight have the easiest time harming them. The Stag, however, has a novel DR that makes it that much harder for most creatures to hurt it: Its DR 10 can only be bypassed by a weapon that's both Evil and silver. Silver weapons are anathema to many fiends and creatures that would otherwise hunt the Stag, so they aren't likely to be carrying them around, and any creature which relies on Evil-charged natural attacks simply can't pierce its DR unless their natural attack somehow counts as silver.

Like many angelic beings, the Stag sheds a 20ft Protective Aura around itself, but sadly it's much weaker than the auras of most true Angels, only granting +4 to AC and +4 to saving throws to every being inside it against the attacks and effects of Evil creatures, rather than just all the time. It also doesn't hedge out hostile spells like the usual Aura, but in all honesty I can see why: it's got a 30ft space. A 20 radius sphere surrounding a 30ft space is a ludicrous area of protection, and since it's Colossal, the Stag can share its space with any number of its smaller allies. Were it afforded the full Protective Aura of the angels, it'd cover a fourth or even half of a typical battlefield with it... but of course, a DM can always modify that if they really feel like giving the Stag some extra juice.

This isn't all the Stag has to offer its allies, though. Defense is well and good, but the Stag can also give some offense with its Cascade of Spears, an intimidating-sounding ability that's actually harmless for approximately 6 seconds. This cascade sees the Stag shaking its head, its antlers shedding massive fragments to the ground below--18 fragments, to be exact, each of which can take the shape of a +1 shortspear, spear, longspear, or bundle of five +1 arrows or +1 crossbow bolts, individually chosen by the Stag as they fall from its head. These weapons retain their magic for only 18 minutes before losing their charge, but that's often enough for them to make a difference in the fight the Stag has joined.

When the Stag itself finally starts swinging, it hurts. It has a pair of hooves which deal 2d8+7 damage each, but its primary attack is a gore, dealing 4d6+14 damage and throwing whoever is hit 10ft away from it... but because it's got a 30ft space and a 20ft reach, its target is likely not knocked out of its melee range, but their own melee range, forcing them to waste time walking back up to it to try again and essentially making it a pseudo-stagger. This also has the side effect of pushing a target out of melee with the Stag's squishier allies while allowing them to still attack with the superior range of their fancy new spears.

Against a whole army of foes, the Stag can simply rush in and Trample over the lot of them, dealing 2d8+21 damage to any creature that doesn't move or doesn't succeed a DC 33 Reflex save. With the majority of its foes likely unable to meaningfully harm it, the colossal cervid can elect to just Trample them over and over each round until the majority are dealt with and its allies move in to mop up. Simple, direct, and effective.

To close out, the Stag has one more unusual act it can perform in order to either bolster an army before a battle or restore them after a pitched fight: Heroes Feast. This isn't like a normal casting of the power, though; the Stag can only perform this act once a month, and it does so by laying down and dying, its wood and stone body splitting open to reveal a banquet for up to 18 creatures. Anyone who partakes gains the benefits of the spell, restoring their bodies and minds and bolstering them against foul elements, whether that be what has passed or what is to come. Thankfully this does not put a permanent end to the Stag, as it returns to full life and health the very next sunrise... so if it performs this feasting ritual at sunset, by the next morning it will be back at full power, just in time for whatever mission Old Deadeye has for it.

You can read more about it here.

[theblueprincess590]

Roxas’s Prologue at the Beginning of KH2 is the perfect introduction for KH2 Because it firmly establishes the 3 core themes of the Game through Roxas’s character. The First theme Roxas’s Story talks about is the idea of duality. Roxas is Sora’s Nobody, his Other, an integral part of Sora’s being that he needs back in order to become a complete person again and wake up. To put it in another way Roxas is the Prince Charming to Sora’s Snow White. But Roxas of course rejects his role in the fairy tale, he has become his own person after all why would he ever want to go back to Sora. Roxas fights his fate all the way until the very end when he finally meets Sora and understands everything. Roxas knows that things could be the other way around, that he could if he wanted to leave Sora to his eternal sleep and take his place in the universe but he won't because in this moment he truly gazes upon the sanctuary that is Sora’s heart and realizes that it is beautiful. Roxas knows that it has to be Sora, that only his heart has the power and kindness to understand the hearts of others and connect to all. So Roxas does what he was meant to do and returns to the sky he was born from. He restores Sora and brings about duality, right? The tragic ending of Roxas’s story hints that perhaps true duality has not actually been achieved, after all can it even be called duality when one has to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the other? Maybe just maybe true duality could be achieved if Sora and Roxas existed together side by side rather than as one being, but answering that question is no longer Roxas’s responsibility, it’s Sora’s now.

The Second theme relates back to KH1. In Kingdom Hearts 1 the game asks what is the true nature of the heart and answers with light so in KH2 the biggest question is “What does it mean to have a heart?” This Question is raised right from the beginning with the reveal that Roxas is a nobody. As stated in the 13th Ansem Report from KH1 the Nobody is the shell that is left behind after a heart becomes heartless, A body that still goes on despite its lack of a heart. And by the logic of KH Roxas should be an emotionless husk devoid of any real purpose but he isn’t any of that. Roxas by all accounts behaves like a normal teenager with emotions as real and passionate as Sora’s. Heck one could even argue he’s more like a real teenager tha his somebody. Sora is at his core a cartoon fairy tale character, his behavior and action exaggerated for dramatic and comedic effect, he yearns to see what lies beyond him in the great wide somewhere, and most importantly of all his beliefs are rooted in a sense of pure whimsical idealism. And Roxas isn’t really like that at all, he is far more grounded than Sora with his emotions being much more reserved often times giving in to melancholy rather than fairy tale wonder and only entering emotion as extreme as Sora’s when he’s forced into situations of intense stress by forces beyond his control, his desires are nothing more than a simple wish to spend his summer days on the beach playing with his friends, And he’s not at all concerned with grand ideals or beliefs just focusing on his small personal life. Perhaps the biggest piece of symbolism for Roxas being a normal teenager at his core would be his home, Twilight Town. Twilight Town is unique in the series for being the only normal world. It’s not a Gothic fairy tale castle like Hollow bastion nor a Child’s paradise like destiny Islands, rather it is just a simply quiet suburban town where the most exciting things to do are go to the beach or play Struggle. It’s the type of video game level that makes you feel at home with its music theme being the pure embodiment of summer melancholy. There is the Old Mansion of course which radiates haunted house energy but it’s important to note that the mansion is very much cut off from the rest of the town with the only people living there being outsiders rather than the actual citizens of Twilight Town. Now one could claim that Roxas only acts like a real person because of the false memories forced on him once he was trapped in the digital Twilight Town but it’s important to note that Roxas doesn’t lose any of his emotions or personality after he regains his real memories, in fact his emotions become even more passionate, like a star going supernova. So when Roxas definitely declares he has a Heart of his own to DiZ we can’t help but believe him despite everything else in the series telling us otherwise. With the entire nature of the series put into question it must be asked, What does it mean to have a heart if a being who is defined by his lack of a heart and emotions not only claims to have heart but shows the most humanity out of everyone else in the cast? Is a Nobody like Roxas truly capable of having a heart separate from Sora’s? All these Questions and more now Sora’s responsibility to answer as Roxas’s Other.

And Now we have the final theme of KH2 which is without a doubt the most important theme in the entire series, “Separation is inevitable.” In Kh1 the game explored the idea of People’s hearts staying connected even when they’re world’s apart through The Destiny Islands Trio and Sora’s faith that he will find them again even after the ending. KH2 further expands on this idea by confronting the truth that separation is inevitable, everything must someday end whether we want it to or not at that includes the time we spend with our loved ones. This is ultimately why Roxas' time in the digital world takes place during the end of Summer Vacation, to teach Roxas and the audience this fact. Every kid knows that summer vacation is going to end, that their time in the sun isn’t eternal so the days they dread the most are those final days of summer. By placing the story in this time frame it allows the kids playing the game to understand how Roxas feels, to let them experience and empathize with his growing sense of dread as every day counts down so that when Roxas’s finally says “Looks Like My Summer Vacation is Over” they all feel it. The digital Twilight Town existes to teach Roxas that separation is inevitable and that is because Roxas was rejecting this truth. When Roxas left Organization XIII he refused to say Goodbye to Axel, rejecting their friendship outright simply because it was easier to pretend they were never friends than to accept the pain of losing him. So the narrative punishes Roxas by giving him a normal happy life full of friends and then ripping it all away from him. And we see Roxas beginning to understand this Truth as he attempts to give Axel a real goodbye even if it was more for his own sake rather than Axel’s. However the take away from this theme and Roxas’s Story is much more than “we just have to accept the pain of separation”, rather it is something far far more beautiful.

“We can’t be together forever so we better make the time we do have together something to remember.”

That is everything Kingdom Hearts is about summed up in one sentence. Everything ends including the time we spend with our loved one but instead of wallowing in that heartbreaking truth we must embrace it and enjoy every second we have with our friends so that we will always be connected to them even when they’re gone. Or to simplify it, “Don’t be sad that Summer is almost over instead savor those last few days with your friends so you never forget them”

[frozen-snowflakesandsunflowers]

Frozen: Forces of Nature Podcast

Everything we know so far:

So as we all know and have been talking about for the past few days, there's a newly announced podcast called 'Frozen: Forces of Nature'. The podcast will tell a cannon story set after Frozen 2 and before Frozen 3. The podcast is going to be a 12 part series, 15 - 20 minutes each episode and this will be season 1. The story will feature two new characters; Queen Disa of Sankerhus and Wolfgang is the Duke of Weselton's nephew. It is set to release in October ahead of the 10th anniversary of the franchise (and the first movie). The plot goes as follows:

'The series follows Queen Anna, who has a lot on her plate – there are visitors in her Kingdom, a friend in need, and even the Duke of Weselton’s nephew skulking around – so when the Spirits of Nature start acting up, she knows she has to solve the problem – and fast – before things get more out of control. But when Anna and Elsa travel to the Enchanted Forest, they find mysterious copper machines that are disrupting the natural order of things. Who made these machines and what are they doing in the forest? And more importantly, how do Anna and Elsa stop them?'

In other official sources, they've given a little more detail about the events going on:

'Queen Anna has a lot on her plate. She has welcomed Disa, the Queen of the small neighboring nation and her people to Arendelle when their kingdom is flooded. Disa is eager to learn about the scientific nature of magic.

Also in Arendelle is Lord Wolfgang, the Duke of Weselton’s nephew, on an apology tour for his uncle’s behavior. He very much wants to secure Queen Anna’s forgiveness and hopes to convince the people of Arendelle of the merits of trade with Weselton.

When a mysterious fire happens at the castle and the Spirits of Nature start acting up Elsa, Anna, and Disa travel to the Enchanted Forest to uncover the cause, where they discover mysterious steam-powered copper machines: automatons.

Where do the automatons come from and what are they doing? Who is directing them? Most importantly, how do Elsa, Anna, and Disa stop them from upsetting the natural balance of the Enchanted Forest and Arendelle?'

So let's point out the key things here and other information in other official sources too:

- Anna is feeling the pressure of being Queen so far, which for me is no surprise given she wasn't prepared to be Queen so soon.

- The Duke of Weselton's nephew, Wolfgang is visiting Arendelle to apologize to Elsa and Anna on behalf of his uncle for the things he did in Frozen and restore the trading relationship of Weselton with Arendelle

- Queen Disa's Kingdom, Sankerhus, is flooded (most likely due to chaos in the forest) and hence she and her people temporarily move to Arendelle

- Sankerhus is one of the neighbouring Kingdoms of Arendelle, like the Southern Isles

- Queen Disa is intrigued by the "scientific nature of magic"

- A mysterious fire occurs in Arendelle castle which causes the spirits to go wild causing Elsa, Anna and Disa to travel to the Enchanted Forest where they discover steam - powered, copper machines called automatons

- The person who created these machines will most likely be revealed in the podcast

Some of you may be wondering why a podcast? Why not an official novel/ book? Why not a short? I was wondering the same thing when this was first announced. I had mixed feelings on this too. But the more I read posts and the more I thought about it the more I started seeing why the story was chosen to be in this format. I think with books and movies it's typical that that's how stories would be told to us. But I think Disney is trying a new way of telling stories without animation involved with audio steaming as a first of its franchises. It is said that it's also for parents to help kids reduce screen time and I also so that they save money for future animation projects especially for Frozen 3, which is a sensible thing to do honestly speaking. Perhaps they didn't make it a Short because the story was more detailed than just a simple one like Frozen Fever and Olaf's Frozen Adventure and the story would not fit in a short but a long enough to be a movie.

But you still might be unsure about the story of the podcast being with the whole nature Vs machine thing. But to be fair we don't know much about these machines or what their purpose is so we can't really say anything about it yet. All we know is that they are "steam powered, copper machines" and when I searched them up on Google I found images like these:

They sound (by the name of it) and look very appropriate for the time period Frozen is set in. But let's not panic if you're still unsure with the machines taking the focus. Frozen is about magic - in each and every movie, long or short, they've explored some kind of magic. So it's given they're not gonna go all out with this science Vs magic theme. The characters and their intentions in the story are the focus of the story. When the sisters find out about these machines they will stop them because it disturbs the enchanted forest. That's the point - to get rid of these machines. Obviously what this person is doing is wrong and has to stop and that's what the sisters will be doing in the first season of the podcast. Besides the podcast cast multiple seasons so this will be the plot for season 1 only.

And no this isn't going to be the plot of Frozen 3 or anything similar because why would they make it the plot of the podcast and not of Frozen 3? Frozen 3 will be entirely different from this podcast. We still have a couple more years til Frozen 3 is out with a rough estimate. They might drop some Frozen 3 plot hints in these podcasts and some of the characters might make an appearance in the upcoming movie but the plot will be different. but highly doubt they would make Frozen all industrial machinery. If the person behind these machines has a good intention they might use their machinery to help advance Arendelle just a little more (I'm guessing). But they won't play a role in it. Frozen is about the characters - some of which have magic! Elsa and Anna have no links to machinery or anything so let's not jump to conclusions and judge the story without, let alone listening to it, but it even being out yet.

I don't think the podcast will be crucial to the story in Frozen 3 so if some of you don't want to watch it by all means don't but Frozen 3 is something different altogether. I think they're just trying to expand the franchise and keep the fandom alive and talking and theorising in the run up to the movie because it's fine Frozen fandom would die done because Frozen 2 was originally going to be the last movie of the movie series, but now that's it not they want to make sure we're all back in the game again.

We only have theories of our own. Nothing is confirmed regarding Frozen 3 other than the fact that the main Original cast will be returning (voices of Elsa, Ann, Olaf and Kristoff (plus Sven!)) and that it will be run with a new director instead of Jennifer Lee. Who else will be returning or will be joining new, we have to wait and see.

New changes to something old we love is hard but we have to give it a try in order to see if the change was good or not.

But in conclusion to this post, that's all we know so far about the podcast. Hope some of you found this useful if you didn't know something about the podcast.

[payidaresque]

Gifmaking/general photoshopping tips and tricks for beginners (and not)

Hi all! Before we start, I’d like to tell that I’m no expert in any way and everyone should work they way they are comfortable with, these are just some things that I’ve collected over the years to make my life a little easier. And hopefully, yours too. There’s no particular order. I’ll try to keep this nice and short. Let’s get down the rabbit hole, weee! WARNING: IMAGE/GIF /TEXT HEAVY!

Tip #1: Use cropping presets Instead of typing dimensions by hand, use cropping presets for quick access. To do that, chose the Crop Tool, type in your dimensions, then go down the dropdown menu on the left and chose New Crop Preset. Tada! You saved your settings for further use. Here are some of mine

Tip #2: If available, work with video timeline instead of frame animation I personally think that it’s much handy and saves you from a lot of unnecessary clicks, plus you can do a lot of effects (such as text animating etc) without too much trouble. It all comes down to personal preference tho, of course. Here's super useful in-depth tutorial on how to make gifs with video timeline

Tip #3: When working with colors (especially very vibrant ones), convert your document from 8 bit to 16 bit first I bet many of you come across this issue: when you work with colors and using brush tool, the visible stripes may appear and ruin your whole image/gif. Like this:

It’s called color banding. Ugly, right? Without too much of technical terms banding happens when an image loses its colors after being digitized (e.g. screencaps, or basically anything that was captured using any capable device). Bad news is that you can’t fully fix it because you can’t restore what’s been lost for good (here’s a great and detailed walk-down on what banding is and how to fix it). But what you can do, is make it less visible. To do that, open your document, and before doing anything with it, go to image > mode > 16 bit. (32 bit is more advanced, i never use it because 16 bit is quite enough for my work) It adds more color depth (or should i say imitates it) to the document, so now when you work on your gifs, the color stripes won’t be as harsh. Another way to fix color banding is to add noise manually. But I prefer to switch image modes because photoshop does a better job at adding more natural kind of noise and it’s barely visible to the eye

Tip #4 (requires video timeline): when slowing down gifs, change the amount of FPS Sometimes when you slow gifs down they may look kind of choppy. A quick way to fix that is go to your video timeline, click on the three lines button, chose Set Timeline Frame Rate and change the number in the pop-up window. The higher the number, the smoother it will be, but don’t overdo it. I personally go from 60 to 120 FPS and see what looks best for my case. Some times it's barely noticeble, some times it can make a huge difference

Tip #5 There’s no quick solution to anything Well it’s not exactly a tip, more of an advice actually. I know many of us want our work come to life as fast as possible, preferably, exactly in a way how it was in our mind. But for better or for worse, nothing in this like works like that. So when you make gifs, remember that there’s no «universal» psd coloring, sharpening, blend mode, texture, etc that works exactly the same in every case. Bc every scene is different, the lighting is different, the original color grading is different. As soon as you get used to that, it won’t be a problem anymore. So don’t get scared or discouraged when something doesn’t happen in a matter of «poof» — it’s completely normal. Don’t be too hard on yourself, don’t rush things, take your time and don’t try to be «like that person who’s gifs I like very much». It’s wonderful to get inspired, but try and discover your own tools and ways to work, something that will make your work unique and maybe even becomes sort of your personal signature. Most of the things I did came out of pure experiments i liked the end result of

Tip #6: Discover the power of blend modes and opacity Don’t be scared to play around with the layers you use, they don’t have to be untouched, on the contrary, they should be modified in ways to achieve interesting results. For example: original gif with only sharpening applied (16 bit mode)

Colored with a whole bunch of Gradient Maps on different blend modes and opacity settings (also 16 bit mode. Not my best work but it pretty much illustrates the point)

Tip #7: Uncheck the «Delete cropped pixels» option in Crop Tool Sometimes when you do gifs, you often find yourself wanting to reposition them because you feel they’re not quite in the right place, but this happens It’s because this option is checked and Photoshop deletes everything what’s outside of canvas once applied. When it’s unchecked, it just hides those pixels away, so you can freely move your image around whenever you want (not the best example but you get the idea)

Tip #8: Use text boxes instead of individual text layers That’s pretty self-explanatory. It looks much, much better. Take your Text Tool, drag it across the document to create a box, then paste/type your text and you’re done! Here's a great and detailed guide on subtittles.

And that's about it folks! Have fun being creative :) And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to drop 'em in my askbox.

[kermiethefroog]

Lessons from a Global Ecological Restoration Conference

I know this is not the usual thing I post on here, but I wanted to gather my thoughts in a place I know that I'll check in the future. I hope that this is somehow useful for others and provides insight to work in this field.

1. Ecologists do have hope for the environment!

If there's one main takeaway I've had so far, it's that people working to restore and protect our natural habitats is that they have passion and a deep hope that their efforts will make a difference.

This field is full of so many challenges when it comes to funding and politics, so it was inspiring to see that despite present barriers people from all over the world are trying their hardest to make things change for the better.

2. This conference has set a precedent towards integrating and including the input from Indigenous and First Nations peoples internationally

The entire theme of the conference was to center and uplift voices of Indigenous people from around the globe who are working in habitat and ecocultural restoration.

This is exciting! Many countries do not have formal systems in place to allow Indigenous voices to be major informants and decision makers on projects that occur on their land. It has been and will always be important to include those who are traditional stewards of the land when considering any sort of restoration or land management decisions.

I cannot be sure what the results of this initiative will be. It is a small step in the right direction though and I hope that this conference created opportunities for connections, lessons, and more conversations in the future.

We all have a part to play in recognizing the First Nations Peoples who inhabit or inhabited our land in the past (this goes without saying that this applies internationally) and working toward a future that creates proper access to funding, land, recognition, reparations, and true reciprocity for Indigenous and First Nations Peoples.

If you have not yet invested time in learning, now is a better time than ever. Research your area, connect with community, and raise your voice to make a difference.

3. Collaboration is Key

Most talks I went to and projects I read about lived and died by their ability to collaborate with a diverse group of people who have stakes in each restoration project.

It works best when implemented early, if all groups are equally represented at all levels of decision making, and if factors like environmental outcomes and the human/social dimensions of planning are considered first before the financial.

The most successful projects in ecosystem restoration were only possible due to connections that spanned industries, cultures, generations, and modes of work.

If we want our planet to thrive we need to be willing to have everyone in the room so as many people as possible can have a hand in creating a better future.

4. Things are still an uphill battle

While many of the presentations I witnessed were hopeful and fulfilling, perhaps just as many lacked a positive or negative conclusion that could wrap everything in a neat bow. Navigating government systems, changing climates, barriers to accessible and affordable resources for restoration etc. are all things that impacted various projects discussed this week.

It's also without saying that governments themselves, the policies they hold, and the rates they pass legislation will always create a delay in working towards restoration of our environment in order to prevent further harm and degradation. This of course goes for most policy making (though I suppose it depends on the country).

Climate change still presents unprecedented challenges and will impact all aspects of our livelihoods. That being said, no one atteding suggested any of the efforts being made were futile. I know it can be challenging to see any bright future with the way climate change is discussed in the media so I want to approach this subject with some cautious optimism.

Beyond policies and politics specifically, it is clear that so many people care about and for the planet that we live on. So much so that I think that it can be taken for granted at times or looked over. Yes the science is bleak, yes the outcomes are scary, yes things are going to change no matter what. We still have time to determine the trajectory of that change.

Scientists, government workers, NGO workers, nonprofits, citizen scientists, and many more groups of people at this conference had a staggering sense of hope that was unexpected and so refreshing. As one of the presenters I watched said, "It's better that we at least try. If the outcome isn't ideal we can at least say we gave it a shot." and I think that's a beautiful way to approach any uncertainty. In this field or otherwise.

I would be happy to discuss my experiences more or elaborate on any points made. I put this together hastily at the end of the conference to make sure I didn't forget anything important.

[n3xii]

This reading aims to give you pratical insight of what you need to know right now in order to keep moving forward with your full potential. Choose the picture that you feel most drawn to and find your reading below ♡

Pile one

Where you are right now- five of cups

There's a strong motivation to transform both physically and mentally at the moment. The reason I say that is because 5 of cups is represented by Mars in Scorpio. There might have been a period of loss or disappointment that triggered you to recover and restore the parts of you that were repressed perhaps by a relationship, friendship, or cycle in life. You're motivation to change and transform comes from a deep place of sadness, maybe even a place of getting revenge to prove your worth.

What you need to know about this 》 7 of wands and 3 of wands

In order to stay committed to this change, you need to stand your ground. You're illuminating a new path for yourself, this requires boldness and courage. You have the strength to pull through. You have established within yourself the emotional resources to stand up to old habits and old thought patterns. You have the mental fortitude to illuminate the courage within. What you need to know is that the transformation you're enacting isn't just external, it's internal as well. You have the strength to overcome past habits and thinking patterns so dont be afraid to use it. Don't let old patterns and self concepts bully you out of your place. You have been through so much and already established so much progress, your old beliefs about yourself cant stop you unless you let them.

Practical advice - 4 of cups + 2 of pentacles reversed

Don't take on too many things at this moment. Focus on recovering your emotional health. Meditation, naps, listening to asmr, spending time with family. Anything that helps you go within and refresh. Over doing it with too many tasks and responsibilities will drain you, so if you can try not to over occupy yourself. Enact help and support if you need too.

Pile two

Where are you right now- queen of cups

At the moment, you're able to hold signifigant space for yourself, more than you were able to before. You allow yourself to emotionally ride the rollar coaster of life, to ride the ups and downs of your emotions without abdoning yourself on the ride. I feel like before you were in a place where any hint of an overwheling feeling would shut you doen completely, sending you into apathy or overdrive. Now youre able to pratice prescense with yourself. You don't place judgement or limitations on what you feel, instead you simply allow your emotions to go through their natural states. Because of this, you're especially receptive to psychic ability, your intution is speaking to you through your emotions. Because you don't judge what emotions are occurring, your intution speaks to you through this as a channel. Track your moods and take inventory of what your emotions are communicating to you. Being aware of what your emotional senses are communicating allows you to tend to your emotional needs.

What you need to know about this - the sun and 9 of pentacles

You're attracting financial opportunities that are gonna sustain you for long periods of time. Like the sun sustians the earth with warmth and sunlight, your able to sustain your own inner world through tending to your emotional needs. Your operating from a place of authenticity, and this authenticity is attracting material gain and illuminating new ways to sustain yourself financially. Opportunities for self employment will likely arise, if you're looking to manifest money and sustainable income your already attracting it. The way you've been treating yourself is opening up so many doors for abundance. Your inner light is now bestowing externally and illuminating abundance.

Practical advice- page of cups and page of wands

Your Dreams are communicating important things about your passions and interests. Pay attention to your dreams and take inventory of what messages are coming through. Write down symbols and signs, interpret them and let them be a guide for inspiration. I'm seeing here that for you guys, there is an important message you need to hear about your passions as your dreams want to help you materlize these passions. Your Dreams are providing ideas, maybe e en a blue print of what action you can take so let them inspire you and motivate you in your journey.

Pile three

Where you are right now - ace of pentacles

You're at the root of a new beginning. You're planting seeds for future plans to materialize and come to fruition. Right now, your energy is attracting the nurturing people and tools needed to fullfill whatever it is you're planting. You're in a place where the right mindset and energy as come together. Youre generating a source of infinite potiental from within. Meaning the source of potiental comes from you and the effort you put forward in the future. The pentacle of potential lies within, you are enchanted in your own way.

What you need to know about this- nine of pentacles reversed and knight of cups

Take this new beginning day by day. Take care of yourself, be slow and gentle. I feel like you guys want to rush to the finish line before you've even started the race. It's going to be ok. Slow down and accept that it's going to take some time and sustained effort to be where you want to be. This new seed you're planting requires you to step up put in the work. Don't rush it or half ass it. The nine of pentacles teaches us about thr importance creating a sanctuary for ourselves to work and complete our daily responsibilties with ease. You're in a new beginning, don't compare yourself to where others are, instead focus your energy on creating a sanctuary for yourself. A place where you can do all the work that's needed of you with comfort and stability.

Practical advice -justice reversed and 2 of cups

Now is not a time to make promises or commitments offical. You're being asked to hold off of making any promises you don't know if you can keep. Your integrity to other people, especially close partnerships and friendships, is really important in this time period. You may not be able to put in equal effort or hold up your end of the deal when it comes to any potential commitments. This could include relationship offers, job responsibilities or offers, maybe even 0offers to hang our with someone. Be honest with yourself in this time, don't accidently make a promise you can't keep.

[queenmarytudor]

Mary I's Fight For The Throne

16th May 1553 - Mary writes to her brother Edward VI

My duty must humble remembered to your majesty, it may please the same to be advertised that, as the hearing of your highness’s late rheum cough was to me as much grief as ever was any worldly thing, even so the hope which I have conceived since I received your majesty’s last token by my servant has been not a little to my comfort, praying Almighty god our lord according to my most bounden duty to give your majesty perfect health and strength with long continuance in prosperity to reign, beseeching your highness to pardon this my bold and rude writing, and if in the same I do trouble your majesty at this present, as I hope I do not, that than my humble duty and nature which enforced me thereunto, may excuse my default. Thus most humble taking my leave of your majesty I do and shall daily pray for the prosperous preservation of your most royal estate, as of all others I am most bounden. From Beaulieu the 16th of May, scribbled with a rude hand. Your majesty’s most humble sister, Mary 1

Mary writes the above letter to her brother after hearing he has recovered from his long illness. On the 12th May, Imperial ambassador Jehan Scheyfve wrote "A rumour was spread recently that the King was on the way to recovery and his illness was decreasing, to appease the people who were disturbed" 2; this could have been referring to a panicked Mary, who in her letter here describes how she was in "as much grief as ever was any worldly thing." 3

Though Edward was ill, there is evidence that he did in fact rally for a brief while. In a letter to William Cecil dated the 7th May, the Duke of Northumberland wrote "our physicians hath, this last two or three mornings, revived my spirits withal, which is that our sovereign lord doth begin, very joyfully, to increase and amend, they having no doubt of the thorough recovery of His Highness." 4 The physicians were newly appointed, with one of them being the Duke's own. 5

Northumberland remains friendly with Mary, continuing to send her news of Edward, and offering "his good offices [...] on several occasions." 6 This is proven true by the Privy Council's response to her stolen hawks, ordering interrogators the Earl of Sussex and Sir Richard Southwell, that to "the end that the said hawks be restored to the Lady Mary's grace, if they [criminals] refuse to [confess] by gentleness, then we desire your lordship to force them to do the same by straight handling and punishment." 7

Northumberland may have been trying to convince Mary to return to court, to sort the problem in person and visit her brother again, as the Imperial ambassador believed that "those in power are making attempts to induce the Lady Mary to come to Court to visit the King." 8

Meanwhile...

After arriving at Greenwich, King Edward "has only shown himself once, in the gardens, the day after his arrival." 9

On 10th May the new French ambassador, Antoine de Noailles, visits the King, though "The ceremony was so lightly gone through [...] that they did no more than go in and come out." 10

Sources

1. Spanish State Papers, 16th May 1553

2. Spanish State Papers, 12th May 1553

3. Spanish State Papers, 16th May 1553

4. Letters and Memorials of State in the Reigns of Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, King James, King Charles the First, Part of the Reign of King Charles the Second, and Oliver's Usurpation

5. Spanish State Papers, 5th May 1553

6. Spanish State Papers, 20th May 1553

7. Original Letters illustrative of English History, Vol. 3

8. Spanish State Papers, 12th May 1553

9. Spanish State Papers, 28th April 1553

10. Spanish State Papers, 12th May 1553

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

Love Song for a Vampire Pt.18

Pairing(s): Edward Cullen x Wolf!Reader, Edward Cullen x Bella Swan, Jacob Black x Bella Swan, Slight!Embry Call x Reader

Warnings: awkward encounter, Jacob gives Bella your phone number without asking

Words: 3074

Summary: An unlikely breakfast with Bella Swan

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 12  Part 13  Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 19  Part 20  Part 21  Part 22  Part 23  Part 24  Part 25  Part 26  Part 27  Part 28  Part 29  Part 30  Part 31  Part 32  Part 33  Part 34  Part 35  Part 36  Part 37  Part 38  Part 39

Edward sat there, fixed to the spot as (y/n) dashed off unable to meet his imploring stare. Her scent though, the scent of earth and life lingered in the air that Edward attempted to take huge inhales in order to obtain it. Keep it within him. Closing his eyes, Edward leans back and lets the sounds of nature wash over him. Thinks about what (y/n) had revealed. The naked truth that bled through her words. How vulnerable she allowed herself to be in front of him. He wanted to return her affection. Felt himself being tugged toward her the more the interact. He couldn't though, didn't want to allow himself to play with his daydreams that had been assaulting him as of late. The life he could have with her. He couldn't let himself be swept up, not when he was still thoroughly in love with Bella.

Deciding he had spent enough time brooding, basking in the warm caress of the sun, Edward gets to his feet and begins his slow way back to the Cullen house. He blocked out the minds of others that were nearby. Could sense a wolf or two lurking in the brush. Keeping an eye on him despite the new clauses of the treaty. As he got nearer to the lines of his estate, Edward could hear the thoughts of his family and a furious Charlie Swan. Charlie's thoughts, which were not kind as they were targeting Edward in particular, made him pick up pace until he passed through the lining of trees that bordered the white house restored by Esme.

Walking down the porch steps was Charlie and a weary looking Bella who held onto her father's arm as support. His family lingered on the porch, watching silently. Edward inwardly flinched at the hiss emitted through Charlie's thoughts when he saw Edward coming up the driveway. Possibly his least favorite Cullen, Charlie stops near the last few steps and tightened his grip on Bella's shoulder.

Bella couldn't resist the longing that thumped in her chest at the sight of Edward. Love still enveloped her when she gazed at his unnaturally handsome face. The face that she had been determined to kiss for the rest of eternity. This wasn't how she imagined things to end. She had been so close to her dream of becoming a vampire and consequently marrying Edward. He had never wanted her to become like him though. Had stressed it enough that he had no desire to take away her mortal life. What was so great about being human when your lover would live forever? After her time with Victoria and her newborns, Bella had to confess that perhaps Edward had been right. Newborns were fickle things with only blood on their minds. Even Edward had reveled in the rich taste of human blood when he strayed from his vegetarian diet oh so many years ago.

Being an immortal like Edward was like walking on a razor’s edge. Dangerously capable of breaking if they were to smell the fresh tang of blood that make their dead cells feel alive. Would she be able to resist it if she were a newborn? Was it really worth the risk?

Edward halts his stride at the first step of the wooden stairs. He already knew what Charlie would say to him. Winced at the yell that penetrated his thoughts. Charlie’s anger was deserved. Every thought, Edward agreed with for they were true. He hadn’t really protected Bella. If he had then none of these terrible events would have happened. Many times he had tried to distance himself from her. But. . . Blind love always got in the way.

Charlie’s jaw is clenched before he opens it to say “I don’t care if you are a vampire. I don’t want to see you near my daughter ever again. You and your family keep your distance. Don’t think me ungrateful. I will never be able to repay you for finding Bella, but it was your fault she got into this situation in the first place. With. . . With monsters.”

“Dad-“ Bella hisses under her breath, drawing his attention to her pale face “don’t be like that.”

”No, your dad is right.” Edward whispered. He had to let her go. This had been too close of a call for Bella. At any time she could have been killed by a newborn who had got too drunk off her blood. Riley had rewarded her guards with a splash of her blood. “I. . . Never meant to put you in harm’s way. It happened though and will again if you stay with me.”

He and the wolves would figure out what to do with the Volturi. Bella. . . She was better off without him.

Eying him, Charlie takes the last few steps down, passing by Edward who stood so rigid while keeping his gaze forward. He couldn’t look back. Not unless he break his resolution. So easily he could wrench Bella from her father’s grip and keep her for himself, damn the consequences. But he wouldn’t do that.

That would prove that he was indeed a monster.

Edward listened as the roar of Charlie’s car engine came to life. The groan of the wheels crunching over the gravel of the driveway before tearing off toward Forks. Toward safety.

Never had he felt so broken. It was the right decision, Edward tried to convince himself. The words were hollow. He felt like he could bite through his tongue but that wouldn’t offer him the physical pain he wanted to wreck on himself.

Comforting hands beckon him up the stairs and into solid arms that wrap around him. She would never be his biological mother and he may be nearly 100 years old, but Esme was willing to try and soothe him of his heartbreak.

The rest of his family followed suit, each offering him their own act of comfort. Even Rosalie with her icy exterior gave Edward a strong squeeze on his shoulder that told him all the things she could never voice out loud. One thing none of them dared to speak about was the new danger that hung over them. When the Volturi find out that Bella won't actually be turned, there will be hefty consequences to face. And they would inevitably find out. Try all they may to hide and protect the fact, the Volturi had eyes and ears everywhere. They had to start preparing for when that happens. Devise a plan with the wolves and whichever other friendly covens they could find. The Denali coven had always been close allies with the Cullens and Edward hoped they could be relied upon to support them now.

"Whatever happens Ed" Alice held his hand, applying a firm squeeze "we're on your side."

"If it comes down to another fight you bet we'll be there with you." Emmett grinned.

In his human life he had never had such a sense of family and closeness. Not like he had with them. Such perfect unity he now had abundance of. Gratefulness swelled inside of him, combating his shattered heart.

**

ONE WEEK LATER

Quiet. Everything had stilled and turned utterly quiet in Forks and La Push. Such a dramatic change from just a week ago. You actually found yourself bored on the days that you didn't have patrol or summer school. Unfortunately the way you ended your most recent school year warranted you to attend summer school for a few hours each day of the week. Many of the others from your pack had ended in the same situation as you. Being a Quileute shapeshifter didn’t allow you much time for studying. That was okay. Victoria and her ilk were gone. Your life was getting relatively back to normal. The calmness in the air even reached your parents as they saw the shift on your packmates' faces. Immediate danger was over. For now at least. They didn't need to know about the dark cloud of the Volturi hovering over all of them, silent as the reaper. Hopefully Alice's gift to gaze into the future would help alert them to when the Volturi found out that Bella would not be turning into one of them.

With the new treaty in place, a shift took place. Twice you had caught the younger members on the border that met up with the Cullen estate. Surprisingly they would be with Emmett and Jasper, laughing and sharing combat techniques. Paul and Jared kept a few paces away from them, watching with curious eyes; a part of them wanting to join but natural instincts kept them at a safe distance from someone who had been their enemy for centuries. More time was needed until the barrier was fully demolished, but this was a very good start.

Scars still showed on all members of your pack from the fight with the newborns. Slow healing, silvery scars that looked like someone smeared stardust paint with a brush onto their tan skin. Similar scars would flash against Jasper's prism-esque skin in the sunlight. So many of them that you couldn't count them all. Before this he had known war, a familiar atmosphere for him. On the days you would listen in on his stories that he told the younger wolves, you learned that he had been in the Civil War.

Odd when you really thought about how old many of the Cullens truly were. You wouldn’t lie, it slipped your mind that they were immortal beings. Yes you and your pack had your own supernatural powers, but unlike the vampires you and your pack mates would grow old. Live a regular human lifespan before succumbing to the reassuring arms of death. A natural part of life.

Even if you were with Edward. . . You still had a mortal life. He would never be able to turn you into a vampire like he could easily do with Bella. A vampire’s bite meant the outcome was death. Not like normal humans who could succumb to their venom and trigger the transformation.

You hadn’t seen nor heard about Edward in the past week and you felt an invisible tug to the woods, to the direction of his house. It was expected but that thought didn’t soothe the gaping wound that had opened up within you from not seeing him. Most days it was easy to push it to the back of your mind. To forget that he was within your reach. Then there was always a moment of sudden clarity, awareness that made you feel as if you had been asleep this entire time. And you would remember his existence.

You would scold yourself whenever you felt your heart stop. Telling yourself that it was good enough that he was happy. Maybe he and Bella had worked things out. Well, that’s what you hoped since you hadn’t heard anything from the Forks side of town.

There was no real reason for you to go into Forks. You didn’t know anyone there besides the Cullens and Swans.

That was until Jacob stopped by your house one day, hands in the pockets of his shorts. “So i hope you don’t mind, but i gave Bella your number.”

Widening your eyes in genuine shock, you want to ask him exactly WHY he had given Bella Swan your personal cellphone number until Jacob replied “She asked for it. I’m sorry. I should have asked you first-“

“N-No. It’s. . . Um, it’s fine. Did she say why she wanted my number?”

Pathetically he shrugs. “No idea. She didn’t tell me that.”

Curious, you only had to wait a day after for Bella to ring your number. Since you didn’t recognize her number, it was a safe guess that it was Bella’s. “Hello?

You heard her exhale a nervous breath “Hi (y/n)?”

“Hi Bella.”

Her stammer was evident through the phone as she stumbled out “Sorry. . . Sorry if this is a weird thing to ask but. . . B-but do you think we can meet up somewhere? To talk.”

What could she have to ask about? You agreed and let her choose a local restraunt in Forks. Puzzled and wanting a break from your studies, you actually looked forward to the time when you would have to make your where over to her side of town.

A small, cozy diner was what greeted you when you got off the back of Jacob’s bike. He cuts off the rumbling engine as you take off your helmet. With his own off, you meet his worried eyes.

“Don’t look so worried, Jake.” You chuckle and thump his bicep. “I’m sure it will be fine. Not as scary as some others I’ve faced.”

His brow attempted to soften at your reassurance. “Sorry, I know. I just know that the both of you are a little anxious right now.”

Being anxious was an understatement. You had never spoken with Bella. Not during this whole ordeal. You had spoken less to her than you had spoken with Rosalie. Both of you would find a way around it though. You would let her speak her mind, regardless of what that might be.

Finding her immediately in a small booth, you slide into the opposite seat. Her cheeks are tinged with the faintest of pink while she picked her words carefully.

Taking pity on her, you start with “How are you feeling?”

Her deep eye flick up to you with gratitude. “A lot better.” Even so. . . She was still very thin with waxen skin. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but thank you for everything. Edward told me you were the first one to really try and look for me.” Against her pale cheeks you saw her long, dark lashes flutter down. her slim fingers lace together on the table. “You had absolutely no obligation to do so. You could have just let me die there. But you didn’t.”

A waitress cuts off whatever else Bella was about to say, her notepad out and ready to take your orders.

Once she left, Bella got the courage to begin again. “Edward said it was because of Alice’s vision of you, he left to join you. So. . . Thank you.”

You don’t know why you felt so self conscious and embarrassed at her gratitude. “I guess you’re welcome. I know what its like to be. . . Terrified. Wondering if you’re really going to die right then and there. And you think of the people you love.” Without thinking about it, you feel the brush of your own fingertips against the stairs on your cheek. You had thought about your parents in that moment.

Bella had scars of her own which she pulls the sleeve of her shirt to cover them.

“Have you really decided that you don’t want to be turned anymore?” You had to know if indeed precautions had to be made.

The expression on her face told you everything. She had been exposed to newborns at their worse. Seen how easily it was to fall over and get high on bloodlust.

You nod in understanding, happy when your waitress quietly puts down your plate of French toast. Bella picked up her fork to dig into her omelet. Though your appetite wasn’t there, you stuffed your face with syrup covered pieces.

Eyes fixed on her plate, Bella whispered “I’ve seen what imprinting does to people. As you must know too. . .” Sam, Emily and Leah. Leah had become a bitter person and still resented both Sam and her cousin Emily. You could feel it through your pack telepathy all the time. The others pretend that didn’t hear anything but you couldn’t ignore the pain in her inner thoughts. It was obvious even to Bella that no forgiveness would be filling the she-wolf’s heart anytime soon. Maybe it would take years or maybe never. “I don’t want to become that either. The Volturi though-”

“Don’t worry about them. Do what will ultimately make you happy. No matter the outcome the pack will protect you and everyone else in Forks.”

She shook her head though. “I don’t want to be protected. I’m tired of people risking their life for me because I’m a weak human. I don’t want that. I never did. Edward thinks its his job to protect me. I should be able to protect him too. It’s one of the reasons why I wanted to be turned. That and because I wanted to spend eternity with him.”

Uncomfortable warmth crept up your neck as she admitted all of it. She trusted you enough though to feel safe enough to tell you. “Being something like us isn’t all its cracked up to be. Vampire or wolf, with our power there comes the taking of certain freedoms.”

Like choosing who you would end up with or the fact that your body was basically a ticking time bomb. Your anger greatly influenced the leash you have on your wolf.

Bella had seen the truth of it though. That’s why she no longer wished to turn. That and there was no reason to. Not if she wasn’t going to be with Edward. Live in his harsh world.

“What did you want to do with your life before you meet Edward and got caught in all the craziness?” You tentatively ask. She must have had her own ambitions, her own dreams before going along with whatever Edward’s life involved.

“I don’t even remember anymore.” She said it with a tinge of shame in her tone, like you were going to judge her for being some lovesick girl who had lost sight of her own path in life.

No judgments came from you though. You were the last one who would ever judge her. “Take this time to get to know Bella.” You wanted her to be happy, honestly. She had gone through so much, seen things humans should never see and experienced pain at too young of an age.

That was the best advice you could give her. You yourself were still trying to figure out what you wanted once you graduated high school which would be next year. Your parents had reminded you time and time again that being a shape-shifter didn’t pay. True. You would have to figure what you wanted in life that didn’t involve the supernatural aspect of your life.

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