#watcher amali

[undyingembers]

Uncommon question 8 for Len, 12 for Katala, 35 for Amali, and 38 for Victoire?

8. What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child

Len was scolded for many things: for wanting to leave his/her room when they had company, for complaining whenever the doctors came, but one thing the Viscountess could not stand was whenever Lenarius/Leonosa would rub his/her tail against the carpet and the curtains. S/he just loves the feel of fabric when his/her tail rubs up against them, but it drove his/her mother crazy.

12. How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

Grab the nearest non-poisonous stick and scratch. If there's someone nearby she considers a fairly close friend, and the spot isn't too embarrassing, she'll ask that person for help. Katala is quite stubborn, though. If these two methods are not available for her, she will twist herself in a pretzel trying to get at it.

35. How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? 

Very much so! Amali is the last person who would make fun of someone because of their interests. She has macabre and unusual interests herself and wants people to be able to pursue their passions.

38. What memory do they revisit the most often? 

Before the game, it is her time in the Imperial prison. She was a crime lord. A whole star system had been hers. She ran an empire, only for it to come crashing down due to one mistake, one betrayal. Victoire thinks about her time there, the torture, the mistreatment. She also plans all the devious ways in which she will repay that traitor.

[windermeresimblr]

The Bachelor Beaumaris, 2.2

After the hunt, the contestants retreat to the drawing room for some socialization. Gregory talks about two things: idle chit-chat, and horses. Girls like horses, right?

Gregory: And the poor lad painted--can you believe this--Potoooooooo on the stable door!

As you can see, Amalie doesn't find this as amusing.

Gregory's conversation with Demelza went about the same (apparently nobody really likes hearing random horse trivia?), though a distressing lack of speech bubbles prevents the Watcher from writing a witty caption.

Gregory: And the piece was really quite moving... Isadora: (thinking) How much would it cost to repaint these walls something other than brown?

Isadora's response to Gregory's discussion of horses ended poorly; they both lost favor with each other. I wonder what she said!

Gregory: It's like Welsh Rarebit, but there's an extra piece of bread on top... Marie-Claude: (thinking) Daisies. I think I'll carry daisies at our wedding. Marie-Claude: But if you put the clotted cream on top of the strawberries... Mathilde: (thinking) Oh, that's it, I'm finished, I know nothing about desserts all of a sudden, I wish the earth would swallow me whole...

Gregory: Having a house is capital, absolutely capital!

(At times like this I wished I actually played with sound on so I could try and glean some other meaning from the conversation. I'm a bit bored of him going on about his house!!!)

Gregory: And so the Duchess was almost kicked out of the townhouse, and if the Viscountess of ---- hadn't interceded, she would have been quite separated... Vivian: (thinking) Townhouse...if I marry Gregory, I could have a fashionable townhouse! Perhaps in Bath. And have all the latest furniture...and ride in a sedan chair... Vivian: ...and it comes in a glass bottle, but it's much softer and somehow much tougher than glass, and it bubbles like mineral-water...

(WHY were they discussing divorce and soda??? I know I need to put in the "historical speech bubble contents" mod, but I keep forgetting...)

Anyways, here are our ladies' relationship scores now that we've had some more socialization. I've rounded these numbers to the nearest tenth.

Amalie is now at 13.78.

Demelza is now at 15.03.

Gabrielle is now at 12.03.

Isadora is now at 7.65. (Yikes!!!!! Isadora, what are you DOING. You barely went up 3/4 of a point!)

Marie-Claude is at 15.03. (An increase of almost five and a half points! Good for you, Marie-Claude!)

Mathilde is also at 15.03.

Vivian is at 13.02.

Since Demelza, Marie-Claude, and Mathilde are tied, here are our official "place" rankings.

Demelza, Marie-Claude, and Mathilde

Amalie

Vivian

Gabrielle

Isadora

How is this going to end??? Find out tomorrow!!!

[pupika-samika]

A King is Nothing Without His People

Chapter 8

As Lave Burns

CW:  light mentions of violence

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Revali came back an hour before twelve, taking a few minutes to relax before joining in on the games. No one bothered to ask about his experience, he'd explain when he wanted to. After a few games, when the sun hit the middle of the sky, Link began his descent back to Rito village. Saki and Amali had prepared a delicious seafood curry and lunch was filled with profuse thanking both of the Rito. Fostri was happily weaving between Link and Kass, the two having to control their laughter when the Korok decided to bring his leaf flier out and create a small whirlwind in the kitchen. When everyone was done eating, Link decided it was time to say goodbye for now. He had Saki help him take his new feathered accessory off, sheepishly explaining that it would burn up from the heat within Death Mountain.

"You know, if you undo the loop right here, you can widen it and wear this as a necklace." She explained, showing a knot hidden near the three coils of rope. Link hesitated with a response. Is it disrespectful to take the feathers off? What if they get dirty or messed up? After a beat of silence, Saki said "as long as you keep the original feathers, you can wear them however you want. This was a bit last minute so we went the easiest route and made a hair accessory but Rito have made them into necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and other types of jewelry." She laughed as she handed the feathers over to Link.

He took the feathers and looked at them before stashing them in his slate, putting them in his important items window. "I should leave now if I want to have enough time to inform the Gorons before sundown. Can you tell Kaneli I'll be back soon? Within the month at least," he asked, knowing Kaneli would forget; on purpose or on accident. Saki nodded, promising to pass the message. He received farewells and good lucks before he took his slate off his hip and turned it on to the map screen. He scrolled until he saw the Shae Mo'sah shrine and waved goodbye to his family- his family- before clicking the teleport button.

It didn't take long for the heat of death mountain to fry him, causing him to rip the Snowquill set off and throw his Flame Breaker set on. The enchantment of the armor didn't help to alleviate his overheating but at least he wasn't close to bursting into flames. Link worriedly looked at Fostri, wondering if the Korok really would be ok with the intense heat. Maybe I should catch some lizards and make him a fireproof elixir. Would that help? He seemed fine enough, a little droopy but fine.

"I can't wait to see your grandson again! It's been so long since we've seen him," Mipha said from somewhere behind Link. He couldn't care much to turn around to look at her, instead barely dodging a rock thrown at him.

"Hello, Jafar! Lovely seeing you too," Link greeted enthusiastically as he took out a Royal Bow he had managed to fight a lizalfol for. He knocked a normal arrow and fired, internally cheering when the arrow hit and killed the octorok. Normally that didn't work on the first try.

A scoff was heard as he put the bow away, his armor making a clacking sound as he moved. "I can't believe you named that octorok Jafar. Actually, I can't believe you named any frequent monster you see." Revali huffed, not backing down when Link sent him a mystified look.

He made his way across the bridge, not paying attention to the lava running under him or the rocks so hot they could set him on fire. "If I didn't name them then how would they know it's me and not some random traveler? I wouldn't want them to hit a passerby." He said, keeping his voice low as he got closer to Bargoh, the city's watcher. Link waved in greeting to the Goron and made his way down the small hill. "Daruk, how likely are the Gorons to accept what I tell them?" 

Link figured it was a good idea to ask the Goron in the group, surely he'd know the most about the race. Said Goron didn't hesitate in answering the question. "Well, they probably won't care. If culture stayed the same after the Calamity then at most some will ask how you became King, at worst you’ll probably be threatened, and at terrible they’ll follow up on that threat.” Daruk paused as he thought over the consequences that could happen, earning two glares and a half scowl from his fellow ghostly companions. “But you have us here little guy, we’ll protect you! You have nothing to worry about while we’re here!" That's... reassuring. I pray to Hylia that their culture has remained the same, I don't think I could passively handle a whole city of angry Gorons. 

"Bludo should be at his house at this time. I plan to talk to him then go look at Rudania but I don't think I can get much done. It's way too close to the volcano, I was lucky I didn't burst into flames while I was completing the beast. I'll have to find a way to move it to safer, accessible ground." He rambled as he made his way down the slope, waving to Bludo when he saw the elder Goron. Bludo half-heartedly waved back, giving Link a curious look. The Hylian had last visited less than a week ago. Usually, there were a few weeks between his visits. 

Ohh goddess, what if he questions me because I don't visit often? What if he's mad I don't visit here as often as I visit the other races? He should really stop thinking so little of everyone else. It's not good for his mental health.

The trek down the slope didn't take very long and soon Link was standing in front of Bludo. Fostri retreated from Link's shoulder to hover with his magic leaf, floating a safe distance away from the pair. The reason Fostri wasn't currently laying over Link like a cat desperate for attention? The metal of his armor was too hot for the Korok to touch. "What are you doin' back here? You 'ere just here some days ago." Straight to the point, no use dancing around the topic, as always with Bludo.

Should Link do the same? How does he go about doing this? 

"Take a deep breath little guy and just tell him. Nothing will go wrong, trust me." Daruk assured Link. He didn't turn to look at the Goron, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to the empty space the spirit resided in. 

"You remember around a week ago when Vah Rudania fired a beam aimed at the castle? That was because of me. Rudania was helping me defeat Calamity Ganon." He started off, forcing his arms to his sides so he didn't fidget with them. "I defeated the Calamity and saved the Princess. She was too weak to survive long after the Calamity was destroyed so she entrusted me to run this kingdom for her." 

It was quiet for a few seconds. Bludo stared at Link, making the Hylian fidget with nervousness. Why isn't he saying anything? "Gorons! Link here is the new King of Hyrule!" Bludo unexpectedly yelled, his voice louder than Link thought he could possibly yell. The surrounding Gorons, and singular Gerudo, paused. Most sounds stopped, making Link realize just how busy the city was. The sound of rolling rocks and metal on metal resumed after a beat or two. No outraged cries, no confusion, no anger. No nothing. Nobody was reacting. That was it? He had expected something climatic to happen. Not even Ramella seemed to have a reaction besides staring at Link for a second longer.

He couldn't help but flinch slightly when a guttural laugh sounded from beside him. "See, I told you you had nothing to worry about. Us Gorons take change in stride!”

“Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe your exact wording was ‘At worst you’ll probably be threatened and at terrible, they’ll follow up on that threat.’ And I, for one, would not have defended this featherless cucco."

"You wouldn't defend Link? Really? I'm certain I saw you glaring daggers at Bludo. Did you see that too Mipha?"

"Leave me out of this, please."

"I would have protected the little guy."

"We know Daruk."

"I love the little guy."

"We know Daruk."

"That all you 'ere for Link?" Bludos voice startled him, forcing him to focus on the conversation at hand and not the conversation going on behind him. 

A few seconds of thinking were required for Link to remember what else he had to say. "That's the basics of what I had to say, yeah. I uh- I'll come back in around a month with more news for you. You don't… have any questions?" He asked, not believing Bludo accepted this that easily. 

With no hesitation, Bludo shook his head. "Nope. 'Sides asking when you'll come visit us again." The familiarity of the situation was enough to make Link's body shake with a surprised laugh. Bludo always asked when he'd visit and Link always said after the next blood moon. That’s something that stayed consistent between the two of them.

"I'd say I'll come back after the next blood moon but I'm not sure if I actually will. If that's all, I'm going to check on Rudania then talk to Yunobo. After that, I'll be gone before tomorrow morning." Link took his slate off his hip as he explained his plans, the map window quickly replacing his item screen. 

As Link was scrolling the cursor to the Divine Beast, Bludo bid his farewell. "It was fun seein' you, come back soon. Don't keep us waiting for so long again." Bludo waved a dismissive hand to Link and made his way back to standing in front of his rocky hut. With his talk with Bludo over, Link decided to get Rudania out of the way next, wanting to spend as much time with Yunobo as possible. It was only ten a.m and checking Rudania shouldn't take more than four or five hours, leaving him with plenty of time to talk with his best friend. 

Fostri, who Link had embarrassingly forgotten about, was looking around the city with amazement. If not for Mipha's gentle reminders to follow, the Korok very well may have been left behind. Link looked around, hoping Bludo and anyone else were too far away to hear what he was about to say. "Fostri, I want you to stay down here. It's way too hot up there and I'd feel better if you stayed down here."

The reaction Link got, while unwanted, wasn't unexpected. "B-but Mr. Link I want to go up with you!" Fostri whined, focus suddenly honing in on Link.

"You can't come with us Fostri, it's too hot and you don't have any protection against the heat. I can do my job much easier if I knew you were down here, safe and somewhere I trust. Stay down here so I don't have to worry you'll burn up?" 

What could he say to make the Korok listen? "Revali can stay behind while Urbosa, Mipha, and Daruk come with me. We'll only be gone for a few hours and will be back before you know it." 

It had been a surprise for everyone when Fostri had bonded with Revali. The Rito would never admit it but he had grown to like the Korok as well. "Hey! I never agreed to stay behind!" Said Rito protested, feathers fluffed up in mock anger.

"I'll stay if Revali stays, but I go if Revali goes!" Fostri negotiated

The expectant glares from the other four party members were enough to make Revali puff up his feathers, letting out a false sigh of annoyance. "Fine- Fine! I'll stay down here babysitting while you four trek up that hot mountain and have fun fixing an even hotter overgrown lizard!" He huffed and turned his beak up at the group.

Mipha perked up at that, raising a ghostly hand to ask for attention. "Actually, if it's ok with everyone, I'd like to stay down here as well. Even dead, I don't appreciate being in this heat, let alone going to the mouth of the volcano." She ended, letting her hand fall to her side with as much grace as possible.

Link shrugged, glancing at Urbosa and Daruk who both nodded. "If you want to stay then that's fine with us. You should have said something earlier, you could have stayed at the foot of the mountain instead of coming up with us." He pointed out, a frown forming on his armored head. 

"No I don't mind the heat, it's a personal preference at this point. You could say it's instinctive to not want to be near an open-source of dry heat." Mipha explained, taking brief pauses to think over what she wanted to say. 

The blond nodded in understanding. He didn't understand the whole instincts thing but he could understand not wanting to be in the heat. Plus, if she didn't want to go then he wouldn't make her. 

"So Revali and Mipha will stay behind while Daruk and Urbosa will come with?" He waited for any objection, humming when there were none. 

Link, after making sure Fostri wouldn’t follow him, pressed teleport on the great Divine Beast Rudania. The beast was laid over the opening of the volcano like a sack of potatoes. All four legs were dangling uselessly over the sides, the head sat limply against the walls. It was difficult to tell but Link was sure the tail was just barely hanging above the hot lava inside. 

The three shared similar looks of unease, though Daruk seemed more concerned on how they would get on. 

"Maybe we should- can you check if it can be moved?" Link asked the Goron, the lava flowing below was enough to have him rethink this whole plan.

Daruk scratched the back of his head, putting his thinking face on. You know he was thinking really hard about something when he put his thinking face on. "Maybe? The slate would need to go on the control unit before I could check. Even if she could be moved, I don't think she'd listen to me." He nodded as he talked, his thinking face melting back to his happy-go-lucky smile the second he was done explaining. "I'm sure she'd listen to you so there's no problem! Well- aside from getting the slate to the control unit. How are you goin to get it over there?" 

It took an embarrassingly long amount of time for even the smartest of the trio to come up with a solution. Link had accidentally dropped his slate and, on instinct, Urbosa bent down to pick it up. Successful holding the slate in her hands, she held the item out for Link to take. The five seconds of silence seemed to last an eternity as the three of them saw how the slate stayed perfectly still in Urbosa's transparent hand. 

"Well, it seems we found a way to get the slate over. You stay here Little Dove and we'll get this Divine Beast moving in no time." Urbosa made sure to have a tight grip on the slate as she walked on air over to the beast's control unit. 

Little Dove? Since when did she give me a nickname? Link thought as he watched Daruk also walk on air to join his Gerudo counterpart. Urbosa held the slate up to the control unit, staring down as slowly turned on. The control unit slowly lit up, starting from the bottom ring and making its way up each petal-like ridge. Soon the whole unit was glowing a brilliant blue. Rudania, affectionately called Ruda for short, slowly lifted its head. A loud, mechanical grumble arose from the beast, clearly showing its distaste of being woken up from its long deserved rest. 

Minutes seemed to pass in a second, Urbosa's call snapping him back to reality. "How's it looking Big Guy? Can she be moved?"

Daruk, who Link hadn't even realized had gone missing, materialized next to the Gerudo. "She can get down the volcano and a little more, probably all the way to deep Akkala over the course of a few days." He summarized, glancing in the direction of deep Akkala. While the land over there wasn't ideal, not enough flat land and rainy weather every day, it was the best they could do. 

Biting his lip in frustration, Link looked over the land. It was hard to tell distances without his map, but he could see the faintest blue glow coming from the distance. "Hey Daruk, would you say Gut Check Rock is a good spot? It's mostly flat and dry, plus it's much closer than Deep Akkala." He suggested, switching his focus from the slate in Urbosa's hands to the faintly glowing shrine that sat upon the highest rock.  

A quick look at the map was enough to get Daruk rethinking his plan. "That could work! Good thinking little guy! You hear that Rudania? Head over in that direction." Daruk tried commanding the beast. The beast was having none of it, letting groans and thumping its tail against the side of the volcano. If it wasn't for Link's impeccable balance and heavy armor he was sure he would have fallen over due to the fierce vibrations. 

"Rudania! Quit it! Come on, get a move on!" 

"Is it… supposed to be doing that?" Link tentatively asked as the beast continued to refuse to move.

"For a divine beast, it's not. But for Rudania? I'm surprised it even listened to turn on. A stubborn, lazy thing it is. Even moreso than Medoh. She doesn't like listening to anyone, not even Daruk." Urbosa explained as she made her way back over to Link, holding out the slate.

Eagerly taking the device back and strapping it to his waist, Link had to wonder how much personality the machines had. "They can be stubborn?"

"Yes. They can be stubborn, lazy, dramatic, loyal. They're exactly like animals. Except much bigger, deadlier, and more mechanical. It's not- or wasn't- uncommon to see Daruk and Revali arguing with their beasts. For Daruk and Rudania, most arguments were one-sided with Rudania throwing tantrums. Revali and Medoh were much more fun. And louder. Medoh would scream at Revali, Revali would scream back. Rudania is a giant baby while Medoh is just a drama queen."

"You hear that Rudania?! Would you quit being a baby! It's not that far a walk!"

"What are Naboris and Ruta like?" He was curious about the four beasts. He wasn't sure if he'd known much about them in his past life but he's sure as hell going to know about them as much as possible in his current one.

"Naboris and Ruta were like the perfect older children. Naboris would listen to almost any command and wouldn't raise a fuss. Ruta on the other hand was careful about everything. Ruta had incredible spatial awareness, always careful about where he put his feet down. Naboris wouldn't care about such things. If you were in her way then you better move before you got squashed. She cared in her own way, though. She'd back up her team however she could, taking over fights that looked like they could get out of hand."

Silence, aside from Daruks yelling, filled the air as Link thought overall this new information. The beasts have personalities? So did they also have consciousness? Were they sentient beings? Should they be classified as animals instead of machines? This- this was a breakthrough he wasn't ready for. Purah would have a field trip with this information if she didn’t know about it already.

Urbosa chuckled, holding a hand up to sweep the hair away from her face. "I can hear the gears turning in your head Little Dove, don't think about it too much. They're still machines. They can't do anything by themselves, they need a pilot. They can have as much personality as they want but without a pilot, they're as useful as a pile of rocks." 

"That's it! You hear that? Get moving you giant pile of rocks!"

"They need pilots? Maybe that's why Rudania isn't moving. Since Daruk is technically dead, he can't grab the controls to move the beast."

This time silence truly did hang in the air. Both Daruk and Urbosa looked stunned. Had they forgotten they couldn't interact with most things? "That would make sense, wouldn't it? So then, who do you suggest we bring to get Rudania moving?" 

He knew it was a trap. He knew what she was trying to do. Even so, he had to take the bait. "Daruk, you said it would probably listen to me. You want to put that theory to the test?" 

A look of surprise came over the Gorons face. Had he not heard the suggestion in Urbosa's question? "Sure! Hop on, let's see you whip old Rudania into moving!" 

Link nodded and made his way over to the ledge of the small rock hill. He carefully crouched down and got his glider, readying Revali's gale. Without said spirit present the gale wasn't as strong, only managing to get him just enough high to make it to the very edge of the beast. He wobbled as he caught his balance, taking a few seconds to stabilize himself. A huff of embarrassment left him as he made his way over to the control panel. The panel phased between a bright and dull blue glow. 

A hesitant look was shared with the Goron in front of him. An encouraging look was returned, giving Link a slight boost in confidence. He put a hand to the panel and closed his eyes in anticipation, waiting for something to happen. He opened one eye and looked around. The beast continued to sit over the side of the volcano, the panel continued to glow and dull. 

"Maybe try yelling at her? She never listened with a simple asking her to."

"...do I have to?" 

"Yep!"

"Alright Rudania. Time to get moving. Over to Gut Check Rock. Let's go, move it."

The beast continued to refuse to move.

"No, you have to be louder. Shout as loud as you can! Watch, like this. Alright Rudania! Are you going to continue sitting here like a pebblit or are you going to get a move on like the strong Talus you are!" 

Once again, no reaction. Wait no- there was a reaction. And that reaction was slumping over the volcano more. "Go on, give it a try. You never know." 

"Please don't make me yell Daruk," Link felt his ears growing hotter at the embarrassing moment he could feel brewing. The expectant look he was given showed the Goron wasn't backing down. His hand ghosted down to his hip, making sure the slate was glued to his side and couldn't be used to take a video of him. 

"Rudania! Get moving! Now! Please-" He added weakly, not getting a chance to finish as the beast began moving. He stumbled around as the ground started moving. The only reason he stayed standing upright was because he quickly grabbed the control panel and braced himself against it. 

Surprised laughter arose from next to him. "See! That wasn't so hard now was it!" Daruk cheered. He made a motion to slap Links back but the hand flew through him instead, something Link was grateful for. He couldn't imagine the bruise he'd get if the rocky hand could actually touch him. "It should take a few hours to get to Gut Check Rock. Even though Rudania isn't the fastest, she's the most agile and can climb over anything! Scaling this volcano should be a breeze!"

--

Scaling the volcano had, in fact, not been a breeze. Sure, Rudania was able to climb over lava rivers and giant piles of rocks… when it wanted to. Multiple times Link had to yell at the beast to get it moving. Once, it had stopped right as an Igneo Talus had spotted them and was making its way over to the beast. That hadn't been fun. 

By the time the group made it to Gut Check Rock the sun was more than halfway across the sky, slowly making its way to the edge of the horizon. Rudania suddenly lowered itself to the ground, creaks, and groans echoing from within the beast at the action. "Alright, alright. You earned this rest you lump of coal." Daruk affectionately huffed, patting at the control unit. 

A group of Gorons had started the crowd near the beast, staying a few ten feet away from the beast. Link turned to the two spirits next to him, a plan for crowd control quickly formulating. "You two go and see if there's anything major I should fix-up. I'll go see if I can convince them to head back to the city."

"Aye aye, your Highness." "Sure thing little buddy!"

A heatless glare was sent to Urbosa before he jumped off the beast, paraglider deployed at the last second. As he put his glider away he noticed the term crowd may have been an overstatement as there were only three Gorons present. "Brother! Why's that beast doing over there?! Is it here to partake in the extreme challenge!?" Bayge all but yelled, getting himself pumped up at the thought of the gut challenge.

Link barely hid his wince as he remembered the gut challenge. That hadn't been easy the first time around, his body still ached whenever he has to climb for long amounts of time. "No, Rudania needs to rest here for a bit. Just until a Sheikah tech can make their way over to give it a look over. Is that fine with you guys? I'll turn it off before I leave so there's no risk it'll accidentally attack you." He explained, leaving out some pieces of less important information.

"If we can keep training I see no problem with it. What about you brother?"

"I agree with you brother! Brother?"

"I agree with both of you, brothers. As long as it stays over there and doesn't get in the way of our training, it can stay as long as needed! Now, are you here to partake in the extreme challenge?!" 

"N-No, I'm just here to look over the beast then I'll be going." Subtlety, he began walking back to the beast. "I should get going. The faster I get Rudania fixed up the sooner it'll be out of your hair." 

Rudania thankfully hadn't been too high up, a short burst of Revali's gale being enough to get him to the top of Rudanias back. He waved to the three Gorons before heading inside the divine beast. The panels that let light in were still open, allowing Link to see the inside of the divine beast with no problem. "Urbosa, Daruk? Anything broken?" He called out, taking the slate off his hip to count how many ancient parts he had on hand. It was dropping worryingly low, only two hundred and some for each ancient part.

--

The trio didn't spend long in the divine beast, the more major of damage required tools and parts Link didn't have while the minor was far too expansive. The only thing they could do was make clear warnings of what was broken and defeat any stray monsters that made their way onto the beast. Once the sun had started kissing the horizon, Link figured it'd be a good time to stop. Besides, he had one last thing he wanted to do before he headed back to the city. 

Grabbing his slate, Link began thinking of where he could find a cooking pot to make some needed elixirs. He was running low on most elixirs, making a few fireproof ones for Fostri was just an excuse to stock up and make more. There should be a cooking pot at the mines but there's also a few in the city, plus I'm sure there's one up at Gut Check Rock and it's the closest. 

He hummed and mulled over the possibilities. The pros and cons of each location. Making up his mind, Link tapped on the Gorae Torr Shrine. Sure it was just a hop and a skip away but after all the moving and stress he's gone through today, Link thought he deserved to be a little lazy. 

His body dissolved into brilliant blue tendrils, each spiraling upwards and dancing around each other as if they were strings in the wind. It took only but a fraction of a second but to Link, that second became an eternity. That was until he was shoved on his feet on the platform of the Gorae Torr Shrine. He quickly got to work, pulling out different kinds of lizards, frogs, butterflies, dragonflies, and monster parts. He preferred the tastes of Moblins better than all monsters, but Bokos, Lizals, and Keese were close seconds. He absolutely hated Molduga and Hinox parts. They tasted absolutely revolting, the raw frogs he used probably tasted better than those monster parts. Chuchu and Octorok were fair game. Not as tasty as Boko or Lizal parts but definitely better than Molduga and Hinoxes. 

He preferred using fangs, talons, and horns since they were easier to grind up and mix. Though Chuchu Jelly, Keese eyes, Lizal tails were the second easiest, and messiest, to grind. 

As Link went on his internal ramble on monster part flavors, he made multiple elixirs of every kind. From stamina to hearty, hasty to sneaky. He didn't stop until he ran out of space to put the elixirs, his window quickly filling with the different colored bottles. Urbosa and Daruk had vanished some time ago, resting in the depths of Link's soul. It made him nostalgic in a way. Having his friends so close yet so far away from him. 

Cleaning the cooking pot with clean water and a rag, Link gave one last look at Vah Rudania. The beasts had been turned off before the three left, a short goodbye shared between pilot and machine. The legs were hugged close to its body and its head resting on the ground, blue eyes dulled to nothing. It looked peaceful. You wouldn't think such a relaxed-looking being was capable of destroying half of Hyrule on its own. 

Opening the map, Link scrolled until his cursor sat over the Shae Mo'sah shrine. He clicked teleport and once again disappeared into thousands of blue tendrils. Each one had a mind of its own yet worked together to transport him to his destination. 

He plopped heavily on the shrine platform, his armor clanking as it made contact with the stage. He looked around the city, looking for the telltale teal flames to show where his other ghostly (plus leafy) friends were. He couldn't see them from where he was, which was a little worrying. "Hey Urbosa, Daruk? Do either of you have any idea where they are?" Link hesitantly asked. He wasn't sure if they could hear him from within his soul. 

"Mipha says they headed to the hot springs near Eldin bridge. They're making their way back now." Urbosa helpfully answered the question. How she hears Mipha from within his soul was a mystery but he wouldn't question it too much. 

Instead of waiting around for the trio to arrive, Link decided to head off to find Yunobo. It was 7 pm, meaning Yunobo should still be on the bridge overlooking the path leading to the city. A brief look at the bridge showed the Goron standing exactly where Link knew he'd be. It took a few minutes but eventually, Link made his way to the young Goron. 

As he stepped on the bridge his armored feet loudly announced his presence. "Hey Yunobo! How's lookout going?" He asked as he stood next to Yunobo, standing comfortably next to his friend. 

"Link! Lookouts going great, goro! No suspicious activity aside from Rudania moving. … that was your doing right? We don't have to fight Rudania again do we, goro?! Please tell me we don't have to fight Rudania again-"

"Don't worry Yunobo, Rudania won't be attacking anytime soon. It's dormant over at Gut Check Rock with Bayge and his brother's. You don't have to worry," Link comforted. In a weird, twisted way, he was glad to be friends with Yunobo. The poor guy panicked more in an hour than Link did in a day.

"That's a relief, goro! I would have helped you take it down again though! At least after I've had a few seconds to shake like a leaf." Yunobo laughed at himself. "So, what brings you over to me, goro? Rudania isn't secretly attacking, is it?" He whispered the last part, looking around to make sure no one was close enough to hear. 

"Ah, nothing really. I wanted to see you before I headed off the mountain. I don't know when I'll be back so I thought I'd say goodbye before I left."

"Wah?! But you just got here! You're leaving already, goro? At least stay till morning and have breakfast with us, goro!" Yunobo cried, making the bridge creak from his sudden movements.

The Hylian winced just thinking about the hotel… beds. Sure, he understood why they couldn't have fabrics and soft items up at the volcano but Hylia, those beds were rock hard! "I'm not sure Yunobo, I still have a lot to do and only a few days to-" 

"I have important information and I won't tell you until you at least have dinner with me!" A tense silence followed the abrupt yell. Yunobo clamped a rocky hand over his mouth, realizing how forceful he sounded. Link looked at the Goron, surprise, and shock on his face, a little pride mixed in as well. The Goron had never raised his voice, let alone threaten (though is it really a threat if there's no physical harm involved?) anyone. "I-I'm sorry goro, I-"

"Alright. I'll stay the night until breakfast tomorrow," Link decided. If Yunobo threw himself out of his comfort zone for a simple request then Link would grant that request. Plus, he loved the rocky guy. Spending a few hours with him would be enough for him to ignore how uncomfortable the hot mountain made him. 

"You- you will? You'll stay the night?" 

"Well, you asked me to. If you want me to stay then I will. Besides, we haven't had a sleepover in ages. I want to try your rock roast, how has your practice with that been going?"

The conversation between them flowed smoothly. The breaks for silence weren't awkward, instead, they were spent target practicing with the few ostriches that wandered too close to the city or watching the nearby lava streams flow. 

At 9 pm, Yunobo stood up and stretched his body. "I'd say it's around time we head to my house, wouldn't you goro?" Link nodded and stood up as well, enjoying how his bones cracked as he moved. 

"Yeah let's head to your house, I'm starving!"

"Good thing I prepared some rock roast earlier! I planned to share them with my brothers but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I shared them with you instead goro!" 

The walk to Yunobos house was relatively short and quiet, Yunobo's hole-in-the-wall house being close to his lookout. Link sighed at the slight decrease in temperature, feeling it was cool enough to take his helmet off. He didn't need to wear the full armor set, hell wearing only the pants would suffice in keeping him from overheating. But he'd rather be safe than sorry. Couldn't defeat Calamity Ganon only to have a stray ember be his demise. 

He groaned in relief as the humid helmet finally left his head, allowing his sweaty skin to have some fresh air. Well, as fresh as you could get on a volcano. 

"This is exactly why I refused to visit this horrid place when I was alive. Honestly, how do Gorons and Gerudos live in such horrible environments!" A disgusted voice broke the peaceful silence. Link subtlety turned his gaze to the entryway, his focus moving from the Goron to a blue Rito. 

Revali was openly glaring around the area as if it had personally offended him by existing. "It's not that bad at a lower altitude but I admit, even I wouldn't have come up this high while I was alive. This heat would fry me alive." A softer voice said, followed by a red Zora walking in the entryway. A small leafy creature followed after the Zora, happy chimes radiating off of it. Crap, I knew I had forgotten something. 

"Oh by the way goro, this is for you," Yunobo said suddenly, startling Link enough that he almost dropped his helmet. He stored the armor in his slate before taking a closer look at the gift in front of him.

It wasn't anything special, just a thick, giant red ribbon. Link, although confused, took the ribbon with a grateful smile. "It's pretty. What's it used for, exactly?" 

"Down in the mines goro, it's easy for hair to get in the way and block our view. We use these fireproof ribbons to keep our hair out of the way. I know you already have a hair tie but just in case it breaks while you're out there or you find a need for a new one. Plus, you could see this as an honorary Goron ticket goro!"

Link looked down at the ribbon in surprise, then looked back up at Yunobo. He had noticed most Gorons, especially those in the mines, wore ribbons but he didn't expect the reason behind that was so important. "Thanks Yunobo, I appreciate it. I'll make sure to use it soon," he ran a finger over the material before putting it in his slate. He'd make sure to wear it next time his hair tie breaks, which should be any day now. 

"Here! Have a rock roast, goro! Tell me how it tastes!" 

The two shared dinner (Yunobos rock roast wasn't as good as Daruks but Link wouldn't tell him that. Despite the raw feeling to it it still tasted pretty good.) and conversation as the sky grew darker and darker.

"I should get going and see if the inn has any spare beds this late at night. It was fun hanging out with you Yunobo."

"Huh? Why go to the inn when you can stay the night here goro? Besides, I'm sure my bed is much more comfortable than the inn beds."

Link looked around the small house. There wasn't much room to begin with, plus with the furniture and decorations, there was barely any room to walk around. Where would he even store a spare bed? " If you're offering, sure. Where's the spare bed?" 

"Spare bed? Why would I have a spare when mine is big enough for the both of us?"

"..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Yunobo, I fear if I slept in the same bed as you, you'd crush me in your sleep." 

"W-What?! I wouldn't crush you! At least… not on purpose." 

The Hylian sighed and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll just sleep on the floor."

"No! I couldn't make a guest sleep on the floor when there's a perfectly good bed here!"

"Don't worry, the ground is actually more comfortable than most beds I've slept in." He didn't include the fact that the ground oftentimes has grass and a stuffed shirt pillow substitute could be added.

"If you're sure… Goodnight Goro! See you tomorrow!" Yunobo bid goodbye much too excitedly as Link laid down on the ground. Truthfully it wasn't that bad. The ground was much cooler than he thought it'd be. If only he could add a blanket to lay on, then it'd be on par with even the softest beds in the stables.

"Goodnight Yunobo, see you tomorrow."

Followed by a whispered,

"Goodnight Fostri. Don't wander too far away." 

Said korok hummed, content to lay down on the floor a foot away from the hero. 

Tomorrow he'll visit the Zora's. Hopefully, everything went well. He hoped everything would go well.

[wyrmhaven]

Session #5

Mar 14, 2023

That Friday, our group meet in the Commons room to discuss how they did on their exams Most of the group discuss how well they did Zoey is forced to admit that she did not do so well The conversation to Carmilla's undeath, and then to the undeath of Rin's brother, Bec The idle chitchat is interrupted when a gaggle of girls enter the Commons room, two of which are Asher and Larksann Asher approaches White, and asks to discuss what happened with the book White agrees, and asks for Grayson to join the conversation since he works for the Wyrm Watcher Asher informs White that both Javenish and Nicollin also had books that did the same thing - both of which were Mazoth's Mighty Digressions The two groups decide that letting the faculty investigate isn't enough, and decide to take action They make wager: The two groups (White and our group vs Asher and her friends) would investigate the problem, and whoever found the most information would win a favor from the other Grayson offers to help investigate, and relay his findings to both groups The groups decide to take two different approaches: Asher and her friends will talk to other students, while White and his group will go to No Refunds to try to find the source One of the girls, a human named Amalie, introduces herself, and explains that their group is actually a band named Missing Peace She introduces Asher, Larksann, and a quiet elf girl named Mailu to our group She wonders if our group is a band too, and suggests that a battle of the bands during the talent show if they are Our group tells her that they are not a band, or even cool enough to have a proper name for their group The groups part ways White asks Graysonn about the Digressions book Grayson knows that it's an expensive bestiary, but not much at the moment He leaves to investigate more Carmilla and Doya go to talk to Nicollin about his encounter with the book Doya goes in too aggressive Carmilla asks him to tone it down

Nicollin gives them a second chance at their good cop/bad cop routine Doya pulls out a hammer, and demands to know what he saw After stalling for a while, Niclloin admits that he was attacked by a creature that left him feeling drained, and he talked to a teacher about it afterwards He refuses to give anymore information, instead stalling to feed off of the two's energy Doya raises her hammer, but accidentally flings it back into a pile of instruments near Aurora Carmilla and Zoey go to talk to Aurora, and make sure she's ok Aurora is ok, and was working on a new song for the talent show before she was interrupted Our group reunite, and head out to No Refunds Along the way, Doya talks about her prowess with an Ouija board They reach the store, and enter to find a shop lined with oddities that seem out of place They see something move between two skulls They approach the counter, and see a creature made of ink behind it which they recognize as a Silverquill mascot They start to talk to it, but are interrupted when a human voice tells them that he'll be with them in a minute A human man who had been clearly sleeping behind the counter gets up, and introduces himself as the owner of No Refunds, Fain He refuses the groups request for information, saying that he doesn't give information about other clients out Doya attempts to purchase an ouija board, but stops when she finds out how expensive it is When he hears about the books being possessed, he takes the party to a backroom to a crate of books He hits it with a blast of acidic ink, which causes all of the Digressions books to animate before melting away Fain realizes how serious the situation is, and asks the group to investigate after assuring them that he did not animate them He admits that he got them from the Lux Concordia market, from a stall called Amberdune Books He asks the group to go to the stall and get a refund for the 1500 GP he spent on the books As the group begin to leave, they see a group of professors being led by a human man heading towards No Refunds The group realize how bad it would look if they were spotted leaving the store as was about to be investigate, and hide! The human man, a professor named Nils Auron, demands to know why Fain was selling cursed book Fain plays dumb, and assures him that he has no more copies of the book Nils reminds him that he's under Wyrm Academy authority, and can be asked to leave at any time Nils looks around the store, but doesn't spot the group He eventually leaves, and the group breathe a sigh of relief Fain asks them to leave, and reminds them to get the refund The group return to the dorms to rest Carmilla approaches Aurora, and apologizes for Doya's behavior Aurora mentions that she will be participating in the talent show, and asks if Carmilla will be too Carmilla is unsure

Zoey apologizes to Carmilla for shooing away Guillermo earlier She then goes to speak with Larksann, who she asks about the band Larksann tells Zoey that she likes playing with the band, but admits she doesn't like being on stage Zoey tries to help her with her stage fright The conversation shifts to Sproing, Zoey's familiar The night passes, and in the morning our group reconvenes Carmilla Doya and White need to get get jobs, so the group decide to meet up again later in the day Rin suggests to Zoey that they go to talk to a friend of his that could help They go to the office of Nadia, and Rin explains that Nadia is a friend of his brother The two enter the office, and explain to Nadia the situation She doesn't know anything about Amberdune Books, but tells them to check out the market district She's surprised that the two brought it up with her, but are happy that they think of her as a friend Carmilla goes to the theater, and talks to Professor Totsky The professor asks her why she wants to work there, and if she will be able to keep er job duties and the theater club separate She asks what Carmilla can do Carmilla tells her that she can paint sets, is good at cleaning, and has a familiar that can help out too The professor accepts the application, and asks if she's good to start working immediately She has Carmilla clean and fix sets for several hours Meanwhile, White goes to the Firejolt Cafe He approaches Elina, and rather directly asks for a job He admits that he doesn't know much about coffee, but he is more than capable of learning Elina accepts, and has him start working immediately He meets Dawn and Mina, who also work at the café Meanwhile, Doya goes to the Bow's End Tavern She finds a far-less polished and orderly eatery than the Café She encounter Javenish working there, who tells her that he's working as a bouncer and to speak to Tulk if she wants a job She goes to the back of the tavern and finds a large orc man working the bar The man, named Tulk, asks what her qualifications are She tells him that she's capable of doing whatever needs done, and adds that she's good at hacky-sack He accepts her qualifications, and lets her have a job He takes her back to the kitchen, and tells the chef that she has new help The chef, a dwarf named Curtie, asks Doya to start helping immediately, and lets her know she can have a little of it since she works there Doya talks to Mailu, who is also working in the kitchen Doya is horrified to find out that they have a uniform there, and it's ugly She does her best to keep up with the fast-paced work The group reunite later that day in the commons, and discuss what happened at their jobs Grayson approaches the group, and gives them the location of Amberdune Books He leaves to give that information to Missing Peace The group leaves the Wyrm Academy campus, led by Carmilla As they exit the campus, they find themselves in a city of towers knitted together with bridges spanning like cobwebs All around them, flying vehicles and creature move through the air As they travel, the party see a noble proposing to another, an aarakocra preacher, a warforged made of gold, and a very powerful halfling They reach the marketplace, which is bustling with people moving between stalls and guards watching over the place After a while, they find Amberdune Books

They discuss strategies, and decide to just be direct They approach the stall, and ask one of the men working there for a refund He refuses The group explain the situation, and ask for a refund He laughs the idea of the books being possessed off, telling them that there's wards in the city to prevent that The group double-down on their claim, and ask for a refund He asks who sold them the books The group refuse to answer, and ask for a refund He claims that he didn't sell any possessed books, and accuses the group of being scammers Doya asks for a copy of the Digressions book As one of the men working the stall goes to the back to find it, a woman exits it and asks for IDs for the students White introduces himself and shows his ID She claims to not know anything about the books White threatens to get the authorities involved She counters that she could get the guards called on them for being thieves White concedes that Fain sold them the books The woman, named Corvala, agrees to discuss a refund at a second location after hours The group agree, and then leave They discuss how it's an obvious trap, and what to do Doya suggests hiding for an ambush Zoey calls Doya a coward for trying to hide The group agree to check out the place before the arranged meeting They go there, and find a rather small shack They see several people of Zerulf heritage enter and leave The party return to the campus to tell Nadia what the found Nadia tells the group that there isn't much she can do about the situation White assures her that he just wanted someone to know where they were The group return to the site for the meeting time The knock on the door, and Corvala lets them in The group find themselves looking at a rather busy living room during a meal Corvala takes them into a backroom, where she explains that she cannot give them money because she and her family are saving up for seomething expensive She assures the party that she meant no harm, and that endangering students would endanger her family's plans She removes her hat to reveal animal ears, and then shifts into a Jackalwere hybrid form! She explains that the creatures inhabiting the books were Gingwhatits, creatures of energy that feed off of other creatures She was molding them into expensive books to sell for a profit, thinking that they would be dormant for a long time and not hurt anyone She offers to recall the books, but explains that she cannot afford to refund them The group ask why she was doing that in the first place She explains that her group had a sphynx leader named Nidalia who died, and that they were raising funds to resurrect her She goes to tell about how she was approached by a man with a black mask with purple lines, who offered to teach her how to summon Gingwhatsits on the condition that she sell some Digressions books to Fain She doesn't know much about the man, and wasn't in any position to ask questions She offers to give the group some of the money, and the original books she was copying as a sign of good faith She asks if there was a way for her to sneak onto campus to do business The group tell her that's a bad idea They thank her for her time, and head back to campus

[astrocassette]

a commission for @undyingembers of their watcher Amali cuddling with Tekehu in the bathhouse!

> commission info <

[rannadylin]

☕ for Amali please.

[Send ☕ for a tea blend based on your muse] 

 Hm, how about a blend of good, dark teas (like her art? :-D) along with some spices?

And for accents, a bit of chocolate and a hint of lavender:

(I’m not entirely sure how well the lavender would blend with the rest but it’s there for a hint of her perfumes :-D)

[dragonologist-phd]

If it's all right, could you please do the playlist thing for Amali?

Of course, Amali is awesome!

Strangeness and Charm- Florence + The Machine

Wanderers- Stars

Golden Dandelions- Barns Courtney

Crystals- Of Monsters And Men

Night Sky- CHVRCHES

[pillarsheadcanons]

PHC’s Bigass Fanfic Author Masterlist

That’s right we’re gonna be doing some author shoutouts! What’s equally as good as amazing fanart? FANFICTION AND THE PEOPLE WHO WRITE IT, YA SILLY GOOSE. I put it together so you don’t have to, everything ranging from sweet sweet fluff content to that dirty nasty your sinning eyes are looking for.

@aban-ataashi (Does a great deal of sfw pieces and they also do killer aesthetic moodboards! Here’s a link to their tumblr fanfic master list as well! Watchers: Desta, Miervalids, Rudi)

Ao3 link 

@ampleappleamble (She draws elves kissing! Mature work on archive. Watcher: Axa Mala)

Ao3 link

Bazylia_de_Grean (No longer active on Tumblr but deserves the shoutout just as equally! They have an incredible amount of fics ranging from sfw to the nsfw: all worth the read. Watcher: Eidis)

Ao3 link

brightephemera ( @caed-nua-state-of-mind on tumblr, they post on both platforms so send the likes and kudos all around! Varied content between sfw and nsfw. Watcher: Vailond)

Ao3 link

@captainofthefallen (Lots of great one offs featuring our favorite animal loving farm boy! Watcher: Mara Emerys)

Ao3 link

@dreamerinsilico (Has a few great Iovara fics and mostly short pieces of varying ratings. Watcher: Acantha)

Ao3 link

@illustrious-e (Phynoma on Ao3. Plenty of Aloth content between Teen+ and Explicit! Watcher: Mirad)

Ao3 link

@long-john-furby (Firelight-And-Rain on Ao3. Cute one offs rated G. Watcher: Kadri)

Ao3 link

@lunarowena (Here’s a link to their tumblr fanfic master list! Mostly G rating with a few Mature in the mix. Watchers: Calendula, Lillian)

Ao3 link

@orime-stories (More varying works between the ratings of G and M, written by an awesome human being! Also posts works to their tumblr as well. Watcher: Seluna)

Ao3 link

@queen_scribbles (A truly extensive list of Pillars works. Like seriously how do you do it. Watchers: Adela, Emiri, Kei, Tavi)

Ao3 link

@rannadylin (Plenty of G rated works ranging from Watcher works to those involving their Leaden Key Inquisitor. Watcher: Lenneth, Violet)

Ao3 link

RisuAlto/RisuMezzo (Another extensive list of works with varying ratings! Some really awesome Aloth content worth the read! Watchers: Lili, Junsice, and Tai Lon)

Ao3 link (pseud link)

@samaelstoker (Currently one work, well worth the read! Watcher: Tehanu)

Ao3 link

@undyingembers (Mature and Explicit stories with plenty of the Handsome Fish c; Watcher: Amali)

Ao3 link

@yanara126-writing (G-M rating. Their Vela piece is very interesting! Watcher: Favaen, Francesca.)

Ao3 link

I’m going to do my best to keep this regularly updated for convenience sake! Please let me know if I need to include any more Watchers or if there’s any other main OC you’d really love to highlight.

[ariela-of-aedyr]

@undyingembers and I finished a Pillars RP not too long ago, and since I have the day off work for once, I decided to make a group picture of our little team for Watcher Wednesday.

Featuring: Companion!Mia, Aloth, a Pillars 1 Era Ariela, Companion!Amali, Companion!Faenna, and Eder.

[harapirena]

ON SUNDAY THE 24TH OF DECEMBER 1837, Her Royal Highness Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie was born in Munich, Bavaria. Sisi, as she later became known, was the fourth child of Duke Maximilian Joseph & Duchess Ludovika. She had been born one of fortune’s darlings as she was born on a Sunday & on Christmas Eve. In a poem she wrote the following stanza :

Ich bin ein Sonntagskind, ein Kind der Sonne; Die goldnen Strahlen wand sie mir zum Throne, Mit ihrem Glanze flocht sie meine Krone, In ihrem Lichte ist es, dass ich wohne.

[I am Sunday’s child, a child of the sun; / Her golden rays she wove into my throne, / With her glow she wove my crown, / It is in her light that I live.] ( translation from The Reluctant Empress by Brigitte Hamann )

Shy & introverted, Sisi grew up in a carefree & warm environment, a contrast to the environment she found herself surrounded in after she became Empress Elisabeth. She was a child of nature & of the sun who cared little for lessons & court protocols. She lived & yearned for freedom which she says she “foolishly gave away” when she married Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria at the age of sixteen. Unlike her older sister Helene, Sisi was unprepared for life as Empress of Austria. She was never able to adapt to the strict & rigid Hapsburg court ceremonials & protocols. Health problems eventually arose.

As Empress, Sisi became renowned for her beauty & her peculiarities. She considered her hair to be her crowning glory. Her strict & rigid beauty regimen -- which had been her means of controlling her own life -- became a source of interest for royal watchers. During her beauty rituals, Elisabeth was able to learn several languages, including Greek & Hungarian. However, beyond her strict beauty regimen, what shocked people is the fact that she often exercised to maintain her weight as well as used tight lacing to maintain her 50cm waistline. After her early thirties, she refused to sit for any more paintings nor did she allow herself to be photographed as she wanted to maintain her public image as a beauty.

Most importantly, however, was Sisi’s love for Hungary. She became renowned for advocating for the Hungarians. Her influence helped create the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy.

Still, she was not a woman active in politics. In fact, she did everything she could to avoid her duties. She was restless to the point of hyperactivity & melancholic. She spent more time away from Vienna – dragging her fourth & youngest child Marie Valerie with her – than in the capital. The introverted Elisabeth preferred a private life away from the eyes of the court.

Her melancholy grew into severe depression after the Mayerling incident. Rudolf, her only son, was found with a self inflicted gunshot wound ; his seventeen year old mistress, Mary Vetsera, was found dead as well. Already dealing with bouts of depression due to the loss of another child years before, the murder-suicide pushed Elisabeth into severe depression. From that point forward, she wore black. It’s also around this time that others whom she cared for died as well, one of them being Count Gyula Andrássy whom Sisi had a close friendship with. She traveled & traveled & traveled, never once stopping – almost as if she wanted to escape or search for the happiness & freedom she lost.

Unfortunately, Sisi never found true happiness or freedom in life. On Saturday the 10th of September 1898, Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s life came to an end when she was assassinated by Luigi Lucheni, a 25-year-old Italian anarchist.

romy schneider as empress elisabeth of austria in sissi & ludwig ii

[undyingembers]

hc + 🥣, hc + 🎵 for the muse of your choice

hc + 🥣 for a food-themed headcanon

Doing this one for Lenarius/Leonosa. S/he loves spicy and savory foods. S/he attributes her high tolerance for spices to his/her tiefling resistances (also devil-born tieflings do have a bonus to constitution, so there could be some truth to that). She also loves really bitter chocolate.

hc + 🎵 for a music-themed headcanon

Amali plays the violin and the pianoforte very well. She and Tekehu often play duets together with their respective instruments and music styles. The results are quite interesting.

[windermeresimblr]

The Bachelor Beaumaris, 2.0

The next morning, there is a breakfast (of cookies), as Gregory waxes rhapsodic about mawwiage.

Gregory: I know you ladies are here for the right reasons...and I've got to trust the process...but gadzooks, do I want to get married, and fast.

Why's everyone in hunting gear? Why is there a...cowboy-themed bull-rider?

Background music: From a find to a check, from a check to a view / From a view to a kill in the morning.

Gregory, after some directional assistance, addresses the crowd.

Gregory: My future wife will need to keep up with me on a horse...and be a crack shot if we're invited to any hunts. So we're going "riding"! and then hunting!

(The Watcher would like to clarify that all proceeds from the hunt will be donated to the Dragon Valley food bank.)

Amalie's certainly showing off her assets. What is this, Flashdance?

Demelza: Tally-ho! Don't look at my hairrrrrrr!

Gabrielle is careening dangerously close to a fall.

I'd never seen someone do this before, and I thought she'd bought it for sure--but Isadora walked away with the "Conquered the Bull" moodlet! Impressive!

Mathilde is practicing her best orange-polishing wave. I think she has the wrong idea about Ferncombe Hall's place in the peerage.

Poor Marie-Claude is not having a good time, ladies. Please think about something other than sandwiches, cutlery (are you picking out the wedding silver???), and lifetime wants. [She got the Pwned by the Bull moodlet. Poor thing.]

Vivian, however, had the time of her life.

Nobody aside from Marie-Claude and Isadora got moodlets, so hopefully we'll get a better range of scores on the second part of the challenge, which I will play and post tomorrow.

I don't feel like it's fair to have winners and losers if only two Sims got a moodlet. It's like having a test and only two people actually put any answers in, and the others just handed in a blank paper. What kind of a curve is that?

[purpledragonsart]

My DeviantArt watchers told me to watch Little Witch Academia last month, and it was super cute! So here’s some belated fan art of best girl  Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank Albrechtsberger (copy paste is my best friend)

It was true love at first gun.

[undyingembers]

I'll confess I don't know the base of the AU but I badly want to know about that Saya no Uta AU. I have never seen anyone say they had a Saya no Uta AU for anything.

Oh, this one will be fun!

CW: heavy blood/gore. I'm not joking. Do not read if this kind of stuff disturbs you. Also cannibalism mention and body horror.

To catch you up on the base universe (Pillars of Eternity), it is a fantasy RPG with a unique world and races. The biggest component of this game world is that souls exist, and that when a person dies, their soul travels through a Wheel to be distributed to the next person. Soul essence is also very powerful and can be used to power various wonders and technologies. The player character is a Watcher, someone who can see and manipulate souls.

The second game takes place on an archipelago where various factions compete for resources and dominance while a god tracks his way through the islands to get to a lost city. It falls very heavily into dark fantasy (especially the first game), but in a cool way and not a GoT-wannabe kind of way. It has many settings that are (awesome) super dark and gruesome. I love it so much.

My OC Amali is a death godlike. Her base race is human (though any race can be a godlike), but when she was in-utero, the god of death imparted some of their essence into her, giving her horrifying features and a few abilities related to death and dying. Amali is a poor artist from Old Vailia (a culture resembling Renaissance Italy but in decline). She's also a cipher, which gives mind reading and mind manipulation powers. Her love interest is Tekēhu, an NPC who is a native of the Deadfire Archipelago. Tekēhu is also a godlike, but unlike Amali, Tekēhu's culture hold the godlike in high regard. Tekēhu especially received special treatment and privileges because he is a marine godlike, a super rare type of godlike not available to player characters that holds special importance to his culture, unlike Amali, whose culture view the godlike with suspicion and disdain, especially death godlike.

Amali is what TvTropes would call a Nightmare Fetishist. As both a person and an artist, she is absolutely drawn to the dark and macabre. Her drawings are all drawn in painstakingly, almost disgustingly meticulous detail, meant to "pull back the curtain" and showing the ugly and often overlooked side of the world. Despite this, she is a very pleasant and passionate individual, having more of an anti-nihilistic view than a depressing one.

Okay, now on with the AU!

Because of Amali's fascination with the dark and frightening, I always thought it would be fun to see how she would react if she were struck with the same affliction Fuminori had, to see the world as some sort of gore and fleshy hellscape, to see everyone around her, including her loved ones, as awful oozing monsters that were barely recognizable as the people she knew before.

I'm not exactly sure how Amali comes to be "infected", but I imagined a huge dramatic change right in the docks of Neketaka. Idk, Amali and her party are there, and Amali detects horrific disgust for absolutely everything coming from a young man from Rauatai (the setting's version of Imperial Japan). The sheer hatred this young man is broadcasting is completely overwhelming and Amali goes to find him. She makes the mistake of trying to telepathically reach out to him, and is overwhelmed by the horrific images in his mind. She passes out right there on the docks.

Amali wakes up to a nightmare. The wood and stones of the docks and streets and boats and houses are awful edifices of bone and sinew bobbing up and down an ocean of sludge while fleshy bits stick out of everything. The sky is a mesh of rotting rust with an oozing and pulsating sun overhead. The once salty air reeks of bile and rot, but is also...faintly sweet? (The fish guts now smell of floral perfume). And Amali is surrounded by monsters, creatures of exposed flesh and pulsating ooze with horrible alien appendages, gurgling monstrosities of every size and form, each unique in how disgusting they all are. When Amali comes to on the dock, she does not recognize where she is, nor does she recognize her party members (including her lover Tekēhu and her best friend Aloth), who have gathered around her. At first Amali freaks out, even pointing her gun at Tekēhu when he tries to come close. She runs from her party members, and they give chase, pursuing her right through the docks of Neketaka. Amali manages to lose them, having to navigate this fleshy and alien nightmare, until she reaches a high point over the docks, where she realizes...the very shape of those pulsing towers of flesh, the shoreline where bone and sinew meet sludgy water, the structure of the streets...holy shit, one of those bone ships docked in her spot looks suspiciously like the vessel she herself captains...Amali realizes with dawning horror that this aberrant hellscape...is Neketaka.

I didn't spend too much time on a "plot". It was basically an excuse to have Amali react to this new situation and imagine little scenarios of her and her friends dealing with it. Amali eventually returns to her ship and meets back with all her friends. She is truthful to her party members about what is going on with her and explains that she seems to be suffering from some sort of agnosia that is making the world around her seem like a living hell. However, she asks them not to disclose her condition without her permission. They all agree and are generally very supportive of her.

Amali has a lot of fun coming up with ways to deal with her new condition. It's still frightening and disturbing to her, and she would still rather go back to normal, but she enjoys the certain aspects of it that she can. Using her talents as an artist, she is able to find decorations and color schemes that are more pleasing to her. She also uses her sketchbook to draw everything she sees in this new perspective, including her friends. The people around her are super disturbed, but her friends are still supportive as they try to help her through this. She also learns that, once she finishes a painting or a drawing of something she sees, when she turns away from it and comes back, it looks just like its normal subject matter, which helps tremendously.

Food is also a lot of fun. Amali never resorts to cannibalism like Fuminori does, but at some point she figures out that the fish guts and other refuse from meat stores look and smell like lovely herbs and berries. Like with colors, she goes around collecting disgusting foods that are safe to eat. Most of her crew and party members are appalled, but some of the ones more inclined to macabre and dark humor (like Maia and Xoti) make a game of going out and finding what awful disgusting glop they can feed Amali. When she recovers, they make a point of never mentioning some of the things she ate while in her condition.

The hardest and most sad part of all this is Tekēhu. Whereas he was a very handsome man and the most beautiful person Amali has ever met, now he is the most grotesque of monsters. While Amali has no problem conversing with people in her state and connecting with them as people, she cannot bear to let Tekēhu touch her anymore. Amali feels horrible about this, whereas Tekēhu is just worried about her. (Also, Amali is demisexual and gray-ace with very intermittent interest/disinterest in sex to begin with; this is not helping). There is a sweet, if mildly disturbing moment, where Tekēhu covers himself in fish guts and puts on a cloak in the same colors Amali decorated her room in so that they could share a cuddle in the bed. (I should also mention that Tekēhu is very squeamish about horror and gore; this is a kind of a huge deal for him).

At some point Amali tracks Fuminori down, as he was the Rauataian young man from the docks, in her search for a cure. Fuminori still sees her as a disgusting monster, however, as a death godlike, Amali's deformities look like lovely crystals sticking out of her head and skin, so Fuminori can tolerate having conversations with her if he focuses on those. However, he is still super weird towards her and very unhelpful.

Fuminori's opinions on Amali are very weird. She is slightly less disgusting than the other "monsters". Fuminori hates not being the only person with this affliction--he wants Saya all to himself--yet at the same time he cannot help but form some sort of kinship with Amali?

Fuminori completely loses his shit when he catches sight of Amali looking fondly at Tekēhu. As you might know from the original Saya no Uta, when Fuminori develops his agnosia, he is absolutely horrible to his friends and to everyone around him, dehumanizing them and thinking nothing of killing them, and he blames it all on the fact that he sees them as horrific monsters and assumes that anyone with his condition would react the same way. Seeing Amali not being a complete monster to those "creatures" and even showing affection...? This forces Fuminori to grapple with his own morals and the fact that he had no excuse for treating the people around him like crap, and he. Just. Cannot. Deal.

At some point, Fuminori and Saya kidnap Tekēhu. When Amali gets to them, Fuminori offers her a sadistic choice: Saya can either change Tekēhu's body so that he becomes a creature like Saya (and thus look like his normal beautiful self to Amali again, but it will subject him to the most painful and torturous body horror imaginable), or Saya can change Tekēhu's brain so that he will have the same condition that Amali and Fuminori have. I haven't figured out how this AU ends, so I'll leave it on this cliffhanger.

Here's a drawing of Amali and Tekēhu commissioned from me and Tumblr user astrocassette because I love these two so much.

[undyingembers]

OH man I loved Pillars. 3, 4, and 8 for the deadfire meme! I'm curious to hear what Amali thought of her companions :D

3. How about a favourite companion? Or a favourite NPC?

Other than Tekēhu, who was her love interest...Amali got along very well with Aloth in Pillars I. The two hit it off very well, both of them having tremendous respect for each other's intelligence. Aloth admires Amali's blunt honesty and wishes he could be just as upfront as she is. They were a great support for each other during their lowest moments, and it is not an exaggeration that the two of them are best friends, and only friends. I knew from the off that that's all they would ever be.

As for favorite NPC...I'm not sure. She loved some of her more unusual crew members in Deadfire. Handsome Elias and Copperhead come to mind.

4. Was there a companion or an NPC that they just couldn’t stand? What was it about them that irritated your Watcher?

Other than Durance, who Amali stayed far away from whenever she could? She never got along with religious types of any sort, particularly not ones that had low opinions of women. Also, while she adored Eder in Pillars I and still does to an extent, his racial comments got a bit much in Pillars II.

Oh, there were so many people she absolutely couldn't stand in Pillars I, powerful assholes who used their authority to commit atrocities on the people they had power over: Raedric, Lord Harond, Caedman Azo, the nobleman in Defiance Bay who has a theatre troupe kill for sport, the gods. She is also not very fond of liars, which is highly ironic given her close friendship with Aloth. It takes a lot for Amali to dislike someone, but injustice, cruelty, and dishonesty are her biggest buttons.

8. Did your Watcher find romance, or close companionship, in the Deadfire? If so, who did they get close to, and how did that relationship develop?

Amali romanced Tekēhu. It was highly unexpected at first. Amali was a poor artist from Old Valia who changed her fortune after her adventures, and he was given every privilege growing up in the Deadfire. Tekēhu's art are works of passion and beauty. Amali's paintings and sketches are detail-oriented and focus on the dark and gritty. He was told that he was destined for greatness; she was told that she was worth nothing.

At first, Amali didn't think much of Tekēhu. Though she respects confidence, arrogance she can't really stand, and she had strong reservations about taking in him in her group. She didn't know how he would be able to handle himself in dangerous situations. Amali thought that she would take him on her missions through the Gullet and then replace him with Xoti once she was done with her missions. However, Tekēhu showed a surprising amount of compassion and maturity when faced with the ugly side of Neketaka. She held his hand and helped him through this, and a sort of bond formed ever since. It turns out that they are both passionate and forward-thinking people.

Amali's romance with Tekēhu was also very healing. Amali has a lot of self-esteem issues surrounding how she grew up as a death godlike in Old Valia. Tekēhu thinks that she is just larger than life, the most amazing person on Eora, and he tells her so every day. He is absolutely confident that she can be the sun that can outshine him, that he can be safe in her shadow, free from the cares and burdens placed on him.

[undyingembers]

#1, 6, 9, and 10 for the Deadfire ask meme?

What did your Watcher make of the Deadfire Archipelago? Was it their first time there, or had they been there previously?

Amali had never been to the Deadfire Archipelago before. The whole "Eothas stole my soul and the Wheel might break" did take most of her time while she was there, but she enjoyed herself immensely. She really took to becoming a ship captain and sailing around the islands. She thought it was a really beautiful place, and she was glad she got to see it, even if the circumstances (especially Caed Nua getting crushed and everyone dying).

6. What was your Watcher’s ship(’s) name(s)? Did they enjoy being Captain of a boat? Would they rather have been back at Caed Nua?

Amali had three ships: The Defiant, which is the starting ship. Her second ship was a dhow named The Valiant, which was the fastest of her ships. Finally, the last ship is a strong luxurious galleon called The Triumphant. Amali had a bit of a theme going on. When she started out, she didn't have many resources to take on Eothas, but she stayed determined or defiant of her situation*. When she got The Valiant, she was more sure of her situation and more eager to go on her adventures. And finally The Triumphant represented how much she has come to get to that point at the end of the game.

As much as she loves her boats and sailing around, Amali still misses Caed Nua. That place was her haunted baby. It was a nice and spooky place she could come back to and work on her art. She doesn't get that many chances to paint while captaining a ship (though she did come back with some amazing sketches!).

*I know the Defiant is already supposed to be a reference to Defiance Bay in the Dyrwood, but Amali had a theme going.

9. Which faction did your Watcher side with in the end, if any? Was there a particular reasoning behind their decision?

Amali sided with the Huana. By all rights, the islands belong to the people already living there. Everyone else is basically a colonizer.

That being said, Amali didn't agree with everything Queen Onekaza wanted her to do. Amali refused to blow up the Rauatai powder warehouse. She managed to resolve that by killing Hazanui Karū in self-defense.

10. Where do you imagine your Watcher’s life takes them after the events of Deadfire?

Amali returns to rebuild Caed Nua. It was a good place to live, and the study of Animancy is still new and growing, something she is very interested in. She returns to her castle to set up her studio once more, and restart her spider collection. Dark spooky places are more her style.