#BACK ON THE FALK TRAIN

[wealmostaneckbeard]

Signalis and Dungeon Meshi: Unorganized Comparison

Both are about crawling through dungeons, fighting monsters, and picking things up to get into inaccessible places.

There's a pair of siblings and a lesbian couple, both are cruelly separated by powerful forces. The living half (Marcille Donato, Elster, Isa Itou, Laios Touden) is willing to do anything to bring back their loved one (Falin Touden, Erika Itou, Ariane Yeong) from the depths of the dungeon. The searchers are motivated not just by love but guilt too, a stubborn refusal to fail their beloved one last time by abandoning then.

Both stories are about the evils of anthropocentric ideologies. It is the inescapable first lense that we all see the world through. It is a subjective, selfish, and almost nihilistic view point. It is the belief that the universe cannot match the significance of humanities existence. For anyone who has loved another human, this is an easy ideology to embrace.

It's also the foundation for hierarchical authoritarianism which dictates that you are either a productive member of humanity or a nonhuman agent of a hostile universe. Those who try to view the universe as itself and not as a means of, or obstacle to, the gratification of human desire are put into the latter grouping. Those who conform are elevated to positions of power within the hierarchy. This is illustrated by the suffering of Ariane Yeong and Laios Touden. As well as the elevation of various political figures in Dungeon Meshi and Kommandant Falke in Signalis.

Both universes feature similar world building elements: a cosmic force grants individual humans their anthropocentric desires resulting in the formation of impossible things. In Signalis, bioresonance allows for the colonization of other worlds and the creation of replikas. In Dungeon Meshi, the Demon's intercession has resulted in the formation of different races, monsters, dungeons, and the magical arts.

And now we come to where the two narratives truly differ with each other:

The characters in Dungeon Meshi are able to triumph over anthropocentric thought and create a better world. Tragically, the characters in Signalis are not able to do the same and become trapped in a hellish existence. This isn't exclusively because of their traits, they are unconsciously conforming to a larger pattern.

In Dungeon Meshi, the natural world still exists and can be defended from corrupting supernatural influence. Even when the earth is devastated by magically augmented warfare, the world is big enough to recover. There are trained specialists, like the canaries, who are able to counter the expansion of dungeons and it's associated threats. Because magic is so important to the world dungeon meshi, knowledge is prevalent with a few severe restrictions.

In Signalis, Vineta/Earth was destroyed by the war between the Eusan Nation and Empire. The closest that people can get to nature is potted plants and a nights sky. The Eusan Nation limits knowledge about bioresonance so that no one can use that to challenge their authority. As a result, no one can understand what's happening during a bioresonance crisis.

In Dungeon Meshi, food preparation is a narrative focal point, it connects people to the world and each other. In Signalis, food is a secondary consideration, it is rationed out by the Eusan Nation, given to good citizens and denied to dissidents.

Ryoku Kui is a japanese manga creator and Rose Engine are a pair of german game developers. One could guess that the artistic differences between them are reflective of their nations history during a certain conflict that happened in the last century...

#signalis #dungeon meshi #cosmic horror #writing #narrative #crossover #philosophy #sociology #anthropocentrism #laios touden #falin touden #marcille donato #elster #ariane yeong #erika itou #isa itou #isolde itou #falke #canaries #replikas #replika #elves #dwarf #dwarves #delicious in dungeon #senshi of izganda #food #fantasy #scifi #world building

[cetra]

It's like there's this fog inside my head, and whenever I try to do anything, I just can't focus. I want to go outside, I want to breathe fresh air, I want to feel wind on my face and in my hair.

[Image ID: 7 GIFs of Ariane Yeong from SIGNALIS. In the first GIF, we see Ariane's face from the side. She has a small smile on her face and is looking down. In the second GIF, Ariane looks directly at the viewer with an ominous smirk on her face. In the third GIF, we see various silhouettes of Ariane and other SIGNALIS characters she has a vague connection with, Falke and Alina. Their backs are facing the viewer until the silhouettes simultaneously look off to the side, revealing their faces. The fourth GIF shows an extreme close-up of half of Ariane's face from a horizontal angle. She has a few cuts on her face, as though injured, and is on the verge of tears. She closes her eyes. The fifth GIF shows the inside of a moving train where Ariane can faintly be seen sitting in the distance. A city is seen rolling past in the windows. In the sixth GIF, Ariane lays still in a pool of red water. The seventh GIF shows Ariane and her lover Elster sleeping peacefully while leaning against one another. /End ID.]

#SIGNALIS #signalis spoilers #ariane yeong #gifs #mygifs #blood tw

[orange-demons-deactivated2024]

Hi ! I see you’re a fellow Ed enjoyer^^

Can I ask for some Headcannons about Ed with a shy/soft-spoken reader ? It can be the avatar or a random reader, however you prefer

ps: I looove your writing, you’re a blessing to the community

And congrats on getting to your new school 🥳

omg you're so sweet thank you for your kind words! I'm glad I can make a couple people's day with my writing bc I'm def not the best at it.

Funnily enough, if you are shy/soft-spoken, Ed wouldn't hold it against you.

If anything, he does change his demeanor around you.

He relates your timidness to the living experiments he's freed in the past, all of which were scared and hesitant around other people too.

So he tries to find a middle ground when interacting with them because of his temper.

And it ended up forcing him to be patient with people with your personality.

Those he considered to be his close friends, had varying degrees of timidness, and they gradually opened up to him over the years. So he knew where to thread when accommodating your shyness.

But learning this was still very new to him, so he might sound a bit mean when he tells you to speak up because he can't hear you.

He does want to know what’s on your mind and will tell everyone to shut up so you can have the floor.

Your shyness is also why he won't initiate anything romantic unless you do it.

He's going on your terms, so he wants you to make that first step in the relationship.

He didn’t think you would until you pulled him in for a kiss during a movie marathon.

And it actually made him freeze.

Not because he wasn't used to this type of affection, but because he didn't think the relationship would ever go this far.

So he guessed this was your way of making it official.

When you two go on dates, he makes sure to pick a spot that isn't full of people, like a corner booth or a record store at night.

Maybe you had other forms of communication other than talking, like listening to music. You would share your headphones with him as you sat in the train station, watching people pass by.

Or maybe you communicated with your fist like he does.

Just because you're shy doesn't mean he thinks you're weak.

Like he said, his friends, who are strong fighters, were shy in the past too. So Ed doesn't compare your demeanor to your strength.

Either way, he gets to see your true personality when you warm up to him.

He won't reject any physical affection you initiate because he knows you have been contemplating whether to do it in your head.

So he just rolls with it.

You may have cues he's picked up on when you don't want to interact with people.

Like the slight tremble of your hands or when you advert your eyes to the ground.

Ed would speak in your place if you didn't want to talk to anyone. But he still checks to see if you're fine with it.

He finds solace in the small intimate moments he has with you behind closed doors. For example, tending to his wounds.

He would hiss in pain when you wiped an alcohol pad along his split lip.

You squeaked a quick apology before going back to address the rest of his wounds.

He likes being close to you, especially when your fingers gently graze his skin.

You didn't give him a lecture because he got into another street brawl like Falke does. Or berate him for letting the other person land so many hits on him like his old man.

You both just sat in comforting silence as you cleaned him up.

He doesn't let people get close to him, much less let them touch him. But since you were, he doesn't flinch at your touch when you show him affection because your movements are slow and gentle.

Ed would let you rest your head on his chest when you two lie down in bed and run his fingers along your back, as he listened to your quiet breaths.

Having downtime to relax like this puts him at ease after coming back from kicking those Shadaloo wannabe's asses.

He does get protective over you because it's people with your personality type that get taken advantage of the most.

And he wouldn't put it past others to do just that if they knew how you would react. Or if you would even react at all.

Ed wouldn't just sweep your feelings under the rug if he knew something was affecting you this much.

So if he sees that someone isn’t letting up on you, he’ll tell them to back off.

He'll pull you closer with an arm around your waist and say “Hey, don’t you have anything better to do? Unless you came here wanting to start something.” And it should be more than enough to make them back down with their tail between their legs.

Yeah he sometimes gives you shit for it, but that doesn't mean anyone else can.

But don’t get him wrong, he won't hold your hand all the time when you need to speak up for yourself. He'll give you the reins and sit back.

Ed knows you aren't the best in social situations, but he still wants to let you try and experience things on your own.

And if he sees you starting to get uncomfortable, he will step in.

He doesn't think there's anything wrong with you being shy, if anything, at least he knows you're not associating yourself with the wrong crowd. But if you do want to break out of your shell, Ed will find ways to make you do things on your own.

Because as your boyfriend he wants to see you grow into your own person and not regret the life you have with him.

#street fighter x reader #ed x reader #ed x avatar #sf6 x reader #sf x reader #street fighter 6 x reader #street fighter ed #ed headcannons #street fighter #street fighter 6

[whatawonderfulexistence--blog]

To Have and To Hold (Falk Maria Schlegel x Fem! Reader) - Part I

Well Hello! So, uh, this happened during my hiatus. I decided before jumping back into, well, everything, that I should probably get my toes wet writing for one of my beautiful men. This is going to be a multi part fic but I decided to not make it a whole series, since I don't think it's going to be too too long. But, apologies for my absence to all the Powerwolf girlies, I should be back for good this time. I hope you enjoy, I'd love to know what you think so feel free to drop a comment!

WARNINGS: None

My Masterlist! ~ A03 Link!

Part II

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You set the steaming mug of coffee down on your desk, humming softly to yourself as you sorted through the pile of mail that had been delivered when making your daily morning drink run. You tucked the few envelopes under your arm, snatching up the mug with a sigh. You pushed into the room without thinking, your eyes trained on the cup in your hand to try and ensure that you didn't spill any of the contents. Your mouth fell open to speak as your eyes trailed upwards. The words dying in your throat, your jaw snapping shut as you realized that Roel was not alone in his office. “I am so sorry, I didn’t see a meeting on the schedule.” You felt warmth settle behind your cheeks as you met Falk’s warm brown eyes. “Father Falk, good morning.” You give him a soft smile that he returns with his own lopsided grin.

“Good morning to you too, Maus.” The sight of the amused smirk on Roel 's lips made you want to scream, you were sure you were going to get an earful about your flustered state after Falk had left. But, for now at least, you were too focused on the way his voice was still slightly gravelly and thick with sleep as he greeted you.

“You weren't interrupting anything, don't worry.” Roel finally decided to speak up, deciding he had let you simmer in your embarrassment long enough. “Falk just swung by for a visit before Mass.”

“Will you be attending Mass this morning, schwester?” Hearing him speak even a single word in his native tongue sent a shiver down your spine, his voice growing slightly deeper at the language shift.

“Of course, I wouldn't miss one of your sermons for anything Father.” Roel snorts out a laugh, trying to cover it up by turning it into a cough. Falk either didn't notice or decided that it wasn't worth the trouble to acknowledge.

“Well, I always look forward to seeing that pretty face of yours in the front pew.” You sucked in a sharp breath at his words, managing to knock over Roel’s mug of coffee, sending it smashing to the floor. Your eyes widen before they snap up to Falk before immediately turning to Roel.

“I'm going to get something to clean that up.” You rush from the room, slamming the door shut behind you. You buried your face in your hands, stomping your foot against the floor a few times to quell the need to thrash around after making yourself look like a fool. You groan as you start down the hallways, hopefully by the time you get back Falk would have left for Mass so you wouldn't have to be face to face with him after that.

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“You’re going to give that poor girl a heart attack one of these days.” Roel chuckles.

“You're the one who encouraged me to flirt with her in the first place!” Falk exclaims in response, dragging a hand down his face. “Now look at what happened, she’s embarrassed, she’s probably going to do everything in her power just to avoid me after that.”

“If I remember right that's not something that wouldn't have stopped you befo-”

“This is different.” He snaps, cutting Roel off. He immediately raises his hand in defeat, knowing it was better to not try and poke at Falk’s temper.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to strike a nerve.” He leans back in his chair, eyes raking over his friend’s disheveled state. “You were up thinking about her again weren't you?”

Falk just shoots him a look. Of course he was, and Roel knew that was a stupid question to ask. It started off as something simple; glances that lasted a little too long, accidentally brushing his hand against hers. But, Falk’s little crush on his friend's assistant quickly grew into something much more than that. You eventually started coming around to see him, even outside of the errands you had to run for Roel. Your short conversations gradually became longer, you would go to see him to borrow books, he would invite you to his study for afternoon tea. “It’s wasteful to make a whole pot for myself, it'll get cold before I finish it.” He would always argue. “You know… I'm not a young man anymore Roel. It's foolish of me to even entertain the idea of courting her.”

“It doesn't seem to change the fact that she’s interested.” Falk struggled not to roll his eyes in response.

“Coming from you, I don't know how true that statement is.” He quips in response, causing Roel to chuckle.

“Listen, all I'm saying is it wouldn't hurt to try.” Roel states your name with a particular fondness as he tries to find the words to describe you to his fellow high clergy member, in his years of working with you he not only found an incredible assistant but also a friend. “She’s… a bit difficult to read, sometimes, I won't lie.” He chuckles. “But, I can tell. The way she looks at you, the way she straightens up and almost glows whenever you're in a room, my friend, that's the closest thing to being in love with another person I've ever seen.” He explains. Roel sighs, leaning back in his chair as he studies Falk’s somewhat disheveled state, it was obvious this was eating away at him. 

Falk was reaching the age and the point in his career where he was being expected to settle down. With his title, however, things worked a bit differently than your standard marriage. Falk being a high clergy member meant that there were specific traditions and rituals that were passed down throughout his family that he was expected to partake in. “Okay, hypothetically, let’s say her feelings are mutual. Is all of this something I could really ask of her?”

“Well, unfortunately my friend, that's a question only the two of you can answer.” The two men perk up at the sound of you chittering to one of your fellow Siblings in the hallway as you make your way back towards the office. “You seem to be pretty confident that she’s you Seelenbindung.” He continues quickly, in a hushed tone. Both of them listen cautiously for the click of the doorknob signaling your entrance.

“Listen, I know it sounds crazy, I know the whole soul tie concept is nothing more than an old wives tale-”

Roel cuts him off, jutting himself closer to the other man, “old wives tale or not, all of us can tell that there’s been something different about you. You're more irritable, high strung… all of that until she’s by your side.” The pair fell silent as you made your way back into the room.

“I should be heading out to prepare for Mass.” Falk pipes up cheerfully, but despite his pleasant demeanor you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Falk stands, nodding his goodbye to Roel before starting to walk out. He pauses as he reaches you, his eyes scanning over your much smaller form in a way that has heat settling behind your cheeks. “Schwester, I look forward to seeing you again later.” He gives you a wink before quickly slipping from the room. Your gaze landed on Roel, the shit eating grin already spreading across his features.

“Don't even start.” You groan, walking over to the puddle of coffee you had spilled and dropping to your knees to clean it up. You pause at Roel calling your name.

“Don't worry about that right now. Come, sit.” He motions to the chair across from him. You noticed the leather arm was still warm to the touch, the image of Falk sitting there flashing through your mind and making your heart thrum in your chest.

“Why do I feel like I'm about to get in trouble for something?” You ask with a nervous chuckle.

“What did we talk about last week?” You groaned, collapsing back in the seat, whatever professionalism you had immediately disappeared at his question.

“It's not that simple!” You exclaim in response. “What? You expect me to walk in here, bat my lashes, and tell him to take me to dinner?”

“That is exactly what I'm saying to you!” He booms, standing up with a force that sends his chair scraping backwards against the hardwood floor. “Do you understand how much that would make that man melt? If you walk in here and look at him with those big pretty eyes I think you could convince him to do a lot of things, personally.” 

“It's not like he would feel the same way.” You scoff, crossing your arms over your chest and turning to the window to hopefully hide the defeated expression on your face.

“How do you know?” He asks softly in response.

“Because he's a High Cler-”

“That means nothing and you know that.” You chew the inside of your cheek in irritation. He was right, you did know that. There was no rule against Siblings and High Clergy members starting relationships, it wasn't something your superiors believed in. This was supposed to be a place to experience joy in all aspects of your life, dictating who you can and can't fall in love with just never seemed to sit right with their ideals.

“I'm scared…” you finally admit, and he didn't miss the slight tremble in your voice as you spoke. “If he finds out it could ruin everything between us.”

“I think you need to remember this is Falk we're talking about here.” He finally sits back down with a soft sigh, resting his elbows on the dark wooden surface of his desk. “You saying your entire relationship will just disappear because he finds out you have feelings for him… well I'd say that's a little harsh, wouldn't you agree?” He did have a point. You were talking about the same man who sat there drying your tears and telling you that you still looked beautiful after spilling wine on your dress at a party, who would offer up his free time to go visit with the kids in the Abbey's daycare, who no matter the time of day or night always offered you a safe place to go work through anything with a warm fire in his hearth and a piping hot pot of tea ready in a moments notice. This was Falk you were talking about. Roel took your silence as a cue to continue. “Now, I know I'm just some old man who doesn't know anything.” A soft smile passes over his lips at the sound of you giggling at his joke. “But, I think you should go get ready for Mass, make yourself look all nice.” He glances down, scanning quickly over the planner he had open in front of him. “Oh, would you look at that, after Mass Father Falk just happens to have the rest of the day off.” He looks back at you, his eyes narrowing slightly as he leans in. “Are you feeling alright, ducky? You're not looking so good… maybe you should take the rest of the day off as well.” Your jaw fell open in shock as you tried to stammer out any words at all in response, but nothing came. He nods in the direction of the door, “get out of here, I don't want to see you until tomorrow.”

“Don't get mad at me if I just end up having a relaxing day at home.” You chuckle as you push yourself out of your chair. “But, thank you Roel.”

“Oh, don't you worry sweetheart. If I have anything to say about it you're in for a lovely afternoon with your little crush.” He smirks in response before turning back to his paperwork. You just simply roll your eyes in response, used to this kind of behavior from him after so many years working at his side.

“Goodbye Roel.” You call loudly as you swing the door shut behind you. You cleaned up your desk as you got ready to head out. Checking the time, you realized you had about an hour left to get ready before Mass, you decided that for once you would actually take Roel’s advice seriously considering it sounded like he was up to something. You found yourself standing in front of your wardrobe, agonizing over your outfit decision as you pulled out just about every article of clothing you owned. “Too formal, too formal, too formal.” You cursed under your breath. Your closet was filled with clothes suitable for meetings and business trips, but not much else. All of your casual clothes would be acceptable for Mass but you felt like it was defeating the purpose of making yourself look nice. You pulled out a plain, black dress. It was one of your favorites, it hugged your curves in all the right places. You stood in front of your mirror, holding the fabric up to your body. “I guess it's better than nothing.” You shrug, deciding to take the plunge.

You smoothed the dress down your legs, making sure your hair was fixed how you liked it and that you hadn't managed to already smudge your makeup. You stepped carefully into a pair of low heels taking one final deep breath before leaving the safety of your dorm. “Someone's got a hot date!” Father Matthew’s voice booms from behind you. You whip around, eyes wide as you hurry up to him.

“Keep your voice down.” You whisper aggressively at him. “I'm trying to not draw attention to myself.”

“Wearing that?” He smiles playfully at you. “Hun, I don't know if you've noticed but there isn't a single person in this room that hasn't checked you out at least once. You look hot, just accept it.” You groan, rolling your eyes before turning to continue on your way to Mass. “So who's the lucky guy?” He jogs to catch up with you, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he saunters at your side.

“I don't believe that's any of your concern, is it Father?” You quip, causing Matthew to grumble.

“You're no fun, Charles and Attila��s assistants always catch me up on their gossip.”

“Well, Rachel is the biggest gossip I know and Jeremy, even if he means well, can't keep a secret to save his life.” You wave to a few Siblings that greet you on your way into the chapel. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to my seat.” The phrasing of your words was enough to set Matthew off.

“Your seat, huh?” He chuckles. He leans in, looking around to make sure no one was trying to eavesdrop. “You got all dressed up because you knew you would be seeing Falk, isn't that right little bird?” The sudden color change of your cheeks gave you away immediately. “Well, don't let me keep you from the object of your affection any longer. Just make sure you swing by and tell me all about it later.” He winks before ducking into the crowd, disappearing before you had the chance to yell at him. You hurried up the aisle, hoping your usual seat would still be open considering the massive turnout this morning. You glanced up at the pulpit only to lock eyes with Falk. His mouth slightly agape as you watched him drink in the sight of you. You're snapped from your thoughts when a hand is placed on your back. You recognize the face you're met with, but just barely. You felt the need to cross your arms over your chest as he leered in your direction, your dress leaving you feeling exposed under his malicious gaze 

“Now how did I miss a pretty thing like you?” Your brows furrow at his mumbled statement. The hand he had on you now burning against your skin.

“Excuse me?” You step away from him, his arm smacking against his side as it falls away..

“What can't you take a compliment?” He chuckles, straightening himself up to make himself appear bigger. “Wait a second, I know you. You're Roel's girl, right?”

“I'm his assistant.” Your snap I'm response, eyes darting around, looking for an escape.

“It's a shame that you let that pompous asshole keep you all to himself.” He sneers, realizing that he wouldn't be able to win you over with what he considered charm. “I guess it makes sense that his lap dog would be such a stuck up bitch.” You took one step forward, ready to put this jackass in his place. Before you had the chance a body placed itself between you and the random sibling who had decided to give you grief. It takes you a moment to recognize the familiar sight of Falk’s vestments. “Father Fa-”

“Shut up.” He growls, pushing the now terrified younger man back with every step. “You are going to turn your sorry ass around and pack up your belongings, I want you out of here by nightfall.”

“Sir, I don't know what this is about-”

“Don't. Play. Dumb.” Every word dared him to try and come up with another excuse, you could feel the seething rage rolling off of Falk in waves. “Since it seems you don't remember, Father Roel is your superior.” The color drained from the man's face. Falk adjusted his stance, blocking you from his gaze when the man's eyes flashed to you. “Don't look at her. I saw your little stunt, the last thing I want is for a member of my ministry to be so shamelessly disrespectful and predatory towards any of the other siblings. You’re lucky I'm letting you just walk out of here after what you just called her, I suggest you get out of here before I change my mind.” Falk watches him run off with his tail between his legs, making sure he had left the chapel before allowing his attention to focus on you. “I'm sorry you had to see that Maus.”

“Thank you.” His mouth snaps shut, whatever he was about to say dying in his throat at your thanks. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of that… I'm really happy you were here to protect me.” He breathes out a laugh, giving you a polite nod in response.

“I'll always be here to protect you.” You grow flustered under his warm gaze, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth before your eyes dart to the floor. 

“Father Falk, um…” you wring your hands nervously. You had to take matters into your own hands before Roel inevitably blew things out of control. You looked back up at him, your eyes meeting his warm golden brown ones. “Can I talk to you after Mass?” You couldn't do it, losing all of your nerve at the sight of his patient smile.

“Of course you can Maus. I'm free the rest of the day so we can talk as long as you like.” He chuckles. “I'll be looking forward to it.” He winks at you before hurrying up to the pulpit, doing his final checks before starting Mass. You quickly found your seat in the front row. Your gaze catching Falk’s as he greeted the congregation, you didn't miss the sight of the faint smirk passing over his lips as you locked eyes.

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You waited patiently in the pew, watching person after person approach Falk at the pulpit. Finally, as the last person left, you rose to your feet. You eagerly approached the altar, you could already feel your words tangling together as Falk’s eyes met yours. “Can I take you out to lunch?” You freeze when he beats you to the punch, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

“Yeah,” you let out a flustered giggle as you tried to string together a sentence. “I have the rest of the day off.”

“Perfect.” He gives you a lopsided grin. “I’ll meet you in the garage in a half hour?” You nod, swaying on your heels slightly.

“Works for me.” You blush as he carefully studies your features. “I’ll see you then.” You politely excuse yourself, trying your best to walk calmly out of the chapel. The moment the door closed behind you, you kicked off your shoes and bolted down the hall. Turning every corner perfectly from memory until you skidded to a halt in front of Roel’s office. You knocked firmly on the door, hearing him welcome you in from the inside.

“Well don’t you look nice.” He smiles at you. “How was Mass?”

“What did you do?” You point an accusatory finger at him.

“Normally you would be aiming in the right direction, but whatever happened, I have nothing to do with.” He explained, his tone perplexed. You froze on the spot, your arm falling slack.

“So you mean, you don’t have anything to do with him asking me out to lunch?” You asked, confused. 

He points to the chair across from him, “sit, explain.” You fall into the seat, recounting the afternoon's events to him. Roel stared back at you with a shocked expression, comparable to an old woman clutching her pearls. “That son of a bitch beat me to the punch.” He lets out an exasperated sigh.

“So you were planning something!” You exclaim.

“I may or may not have planned to slip you both an anonymous letter asking you to meet at a specific place at a specific time in order to… encourage you to spend some alone time together.” You can’t help but chuckle at the lengths he was willing to go to. “Guess I didn’t have to after all.”

“What am I going to do?” You groan, anxiously raking a hand through your hair.

“What do you mean? You’re going to go down there and have a wonderful afternoon with him.”

“It’s not that simple.” You attempt to argue.

“Oh, I think it might be.” He rebuttals instantly. “Just think of it like we’re talking.”

“I want him to, you know, like me, so no, I don't think I will.” You quip in response, causing Roel’s jaw to fall slack in shock.

“Wow, and after all this time I considered you a friend.” He feigns a hurt tone in his voice before it almost immediately dissolves into a chuckle, you letting out a soft laugh of your own. “But, in all seriousness, you don't have anything to worry about. You've been alone with Falk plenty of times, what about this is so different?”

“This is the first time him and I are going to be alone together without an excuse to hide behind.” You explain slowly, trying to pinpoint what exactly was making this so nerve wracking for you. “Before it was business meetings, or I was delivering something for you and it turned into a prolonged visit, asking to borrow books for my studies, it’s my turn to help with Mass for the week, there's always a reason that can just explain away why we’re together… This time it's just because we want to be together. There's no event to prepare for, no notes to go over. It's just the two of us, sitting across from each other at a table, with all the time in the world for him to realize that I'm nothing special.”

“You are more special than you could ever realize, I have a feeling Falk’s already figured that out.” He glances up at the time and then back down at you. “Do me a favor, go see Charles.” You shoot him a curious look. “He’ll give you a better idea of what to talk about. Falk and I might be friends but I feel like you're looking for more… more intelligent topics to discuss with him than what I could provide.” You share a laugh. Even if everything wasn't magically fixed like you were hoping, your talk with Roel did make you feel a bit better.

“Thank you Roel, for everything.” A tender smile passes over his lips before he stands up.

“Come here.” He beckons you closer, pulling you into a tight hug. “I know it's hard, but try not to be too nervous. I think out of everyone at the Abbey I know you better than most, and if he can't see how wonderful you are he's an idiot.” He stops down slightly, taking you by the shoulders as he brings his eyes level with yours. “Everything is going to be just fine.” You sucked in a deep breath, balling your hands into fists as you realized your fingers were trembling at your side. “You can do this.” He states firmly.

“I can do this.” You respond in a similar tone.

The short walk to Charles’ office felt almost insurmountable at the moment. Every second that ticked by only brought you closer to seeing Falk. You were excited, of course, but you couldn't stop the anxiety that drowned you as it bubbled up in your throat. You tap gently on the heavy door, hearing Charles call for you to come in. “What a pleasant surprise.” He smiles warmly at you, removing his reading glasses from their position perched on his nose and setting them down on his desk. “What can I do for you, my dear?”

“I'm sorry to bother you, Father, Roel told me I should come talk to you.” You fall comfortably into one of the worn leather chairs across from him, folding your hands neatly in your lap as you recount the events of this morning to him. Charles listened attentively, doing little more than give you an occasional nod or hum to show he was paying attention. “And now I have to go meet him downstairs in twenty minutes and it’s taking everything I have to not just run off and disappear because I'm so scared I'm going to make myself look like an idiot in front of him.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” He coos fatherly. “Don’t trouble yourself with thoughts like that. You're very smart and I'm sure the two of you have a lot in common, you shouldn't have any trouble keeping up a conversation with him.” He chuckles, reaching across his desk to pick up your hand in his. “I could tell you exactly what to talk about, what to say, things that are going to impress him. But, sweetheart, falling in love isn't about being perfect.” Your cheeks grew warm at the mention of falling in love. Falk was definitely a man you could see a future with down the line, that was something apparent from when you first acknowledged your feelings for him, but the road to get to that point was always so terrifying you had trouble finding the nerve to even try.

“I just don't want to mess this up.” Your voice comes out softly.

“You won't.” He reassures you. “You just need to go down there and be your usual radiant self and the rest will fall into place.” You give his hand a gentle squeeze, trying your best to put on a brave face. “You should get going, don't want to be late.” He pays your arm before pulling his hand back.

“Yessir, thank you for your advice.”

“Of course my dear, anytime.” You smile at each other before you get up, preparing to leave. Just as your hand slid over the knob Charles chimes in again, “and don't be such a stranger. I know Roel has you on a tight leash but the rest of us would like to see you from time to time.” He chuckles.

“I'll make sure to have a word with him.” You shoot him a playful wink in response before you slip out of the room. You tried your best to steady your racing heart as you made your way down to the garage. You paused as you reached the top of the stairs, Falk adjusting the cuff of his sleeve he had rolled up as he hurried in your direction. He glances up, freezing in place when his eyes land on you.

“Perfect timing, huh?” He chuckles. Slowly striding forward to close the distance between you. “I'm really happy you agreed to come with me.”

“Well thank you for asking.” You smile sweetly at him. “What's the plan for the day?”

“Well,” the two of you head down the stairs side by side. “There’s this hole in the wall cafe I like to go to sometimes. After that I have something planned, but it's a surprise.” He chuckles.

“Fine, keep your secrets.” You giggle. Falk pulls his keys out of his pocket, twirling the ring around his finger a few times before catching the keys in his hand with a jingle. He opens the door for you, taking your hand carefully in his own as he helps you lower yourself into the car. Falk walks towards the back of the car, you can't stop a smile from passing over your lips as you catch sight of him shaking his hands to try and steady his nerves before getting into the driver's seat. His eyes trail over you, you blush under his gaze.

“Sorry… I just can't get over how pretty you look.” You breathe out a laugh, your cheeks flushing at his compliment.

“Thank you Fath-” You freeze, cringing slightly as you realize you might be acting too formally.

“Just Falk is fine Maus.” He chuckles at your flustered state. “I think we’ve known each other long enough to drop the honorifics, don’t you?” You nod, fidgeting with your fingers in your lap.

“Sorry, I'm just a little nervous I guess.” You admit, looking out the window to avoid meeting his gaze accidentally.

“Nervous?” He asks softly. “Maus, I can promise you there's nothing to be nervous about.” He pauses for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek as he pulls over whether or not to say something. “Would it help to know I'm a little nervous myself?”

“You?” It was hard to hide your tone of disbelief. “Why?”

“Well, it just so happens that the most beautiful woman I've ever met agreed to have lunch with me this afternoon. Now you're sitting here in my passenger seat and for the life of me I can't think of a single thing to talk about.” Your eyes widen slightly, your head snapping in his direction. You couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up in your throat, dropping your face into your hands as you struggled to regain your composure.

“I'm sorry.” You breathe through a fit of laughter, wiping your eyes with the heel of your hand. “I was so scared I was going to look stupid because I didn't know what to talk to you about.”

“I guess we just got ourselves all worked up over nothing then.” He chuckles. You notice his shoulder visibly relax, the prior tension fading away with ease as you both acknowledged how silly you were both acting. The silence you shared after that wasn't uncomfortable, if anything it was actually kind of nice. Falk turns on the radio, some random station crackling to life in the confined space. His hand leaves the knob, hovering in midair for a moment before he tentatively rests it over your own. “Is this okay?” He asks softly. You nod, carefully pushing your fingers in between his. 

“This is more than okay.” You smile back at him. You gasped as a small head jutted out of one of the windows of the car in front of you, a small hound dog letting his long ears flap freely in the breeze.

“I take it you're a dog person?” That was all it took. One question tumbled from Falk’s lips and any nerves left between the two of you melted away. You spent your long drive swapping stories of your various escapades around the Abbey, Falk told you about moments from his childhood that he still held onto with extreme fondness.

“You know, I've always been curious about what it was like for you and the other High Clergy members growing up, I imagine you were all under a lot of pressure.” You muse, your thumb tracing around one of Falk’s prominent knuckles.

“Eh, it's probably not that different. I went to school, had friends, I grew up like any other normal kid. It wasn't until I hit puberty that any changes really started to come up.” He chuckles at how effortlessly he referred to these changes. “It doesn't always go over very well when a 16 year old finds out they have to transform into a hideous beast once a month.”

“Hey, same here.” You joke. “Except I learned that harsh reality at 12 and instead of the super strength and the cool transformation my body just releases an alarming amount of blood once a month.” Falk laughs loudly, making you smile in response.

“Yeah, I guess that also has to really suck didn't it?”

“You really had no idea until you were 16?” You ask.

“It's not exactly the easiest thing to explain to a child.” He ponders over his thoughts for a moment before continuing. “To be honest, my parents weren't even sure the transformation was going to happen. See, you have families like Charles and Matthew’s. Both of them changed, and I think both of them started showing signs before I ever did. Attila is an only child, so is Roel.”

“And you?” You question, hanging on every word of his explanation.

“I have an older sister.” He responds.

“When did she first transform?”

“She didn't. At first my parents thought it was just some type of delay, there was no reason for her to have to take over from my father at the time so they figured it would be better to just wait it out. It wasn't until I started to show signs of my first transformation that they looked into it a bit more seriously. Apparently, nobody really knows why this transformation happens. There's been tests done with genetics, learned behavior that could awaken it, any rituals that would cause or stop it, nothing.” He absentmindedly fidgets with your fingers as he talks.

“So, they never figured it out?” He shakes his head in response to your question.

“No, she’s just as mortal as you are.” He sighs. “I'm sorry when you have to meet her, she still has a huge chip on her shoulder about it.”

“When I have to meet her, huh?” You shoot him a flustered grin. “Already planning on bringing me home to meet the family, huh?” You tease, lightly nudging his shoulder with your own.

“Sorry, it's way too soon for me to start talk-”

“I'm flattered.” You cut him off, watching the panic briefly pass over his features as he worries he said the wrong thing. “Our first date isn't even over and you've already decided I'm decent enough to meet your parents, I must be doing a damn good job at the whole small talk thing.” You both laugh.

“I can officially say this is a date, huh?” His deep brown eyes meet yours, the smirk lacing its way across his lips threatening to make you melt on the spot.

“I mean, if you want it to be.” You stutter in response, making Falk chuckle.

“I just wish I'd planned something a little more exciting, all things considered.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List: @spookyghostjelly @herripinkle @belnovacaine @iamsarahsaysso (If you would like to be added or I forgot you please let me know!)

#falk powerwolf #powerwolf band #powerwolf #falk maria schlegel powerwolf #falk maria schlegel x reader #powerwolf falk #falk x reader #falk maria schlegel #fan fiction #falk maria schlegel fluff #falk maria schlegel smut

[comicsart3]

Julie Walker, the Lady Phantom, is an intriguing comic book heroine. The lineage of The Phantom goes back centuries, and is an hereditary crime-fighting and justice-seeking heroic role. Usually it is the eldest male of the line who becomes the mysterious masked figure, but occasionally a female will assume the purple costume and Julie Walker was the first such woman, taking on the role of Lady Phantom in the mid nineteenth century. Julie worked with her twin brother, Kit, the seventeenth Phantom, and if Kit was injured or absent, it would be Julie that assumed The Phantom mantle, as depicted in the above page. Both were born in the famed Skull Cave and received rigorous training from their father, the sixteenth Phantom, in the jungle, which equipped them with unarmed combat skills, proficiency in a range of weaponery as well all round athleticism. Like Batman and Batgirl the twins also received intellectual training making them fearsome researchers and detectives as well as street-savvy crime fighters.

Julie Walker was created as early as 1969 by Lee Falk, but it took more pro-feminist times for Lady Phantom to really receive the exposure she deserved, appearing regularly in the 2000s in Fantomen, Fantomet and Indragal comics. Walker was also known as The Ghost Who Walks for her mysterious appearance and apparently supernatural abilities.

Source: The Ghost Who Walks Fandom Wiki; with thanks to Mats Karlsson for the page displayed here.

#lady phantom #girl phantom #the ghost who walks #the phantom #Julie walker #kit walker #women in comics #fantomen comics

[dropsofnightshade]

Recapping Chapters 81 - 85

Harry prepares to board the Nerida, the ship to take him to Durmstrang. He encounters Arie on the dock, and meets Arie’s parents, Bas and Sanne, and Arie’s grandfather, Hendrik. Harry introduces Sirius and Arcturus in turn, and Sirius hits it off with Arie’s parents. Arie’s grandfather is quite reserved though. 

The two boys say goodbye to their relatives and then board the Nerida. They find their friends on the lowest deck of the ship, and see Dani, Adele and Ella interrogating Liam, who apparently had been spotted talking to another girl in their year level, Astrid Feyling. This was apparently a big deal, though Harry was uncertain why. 

Harry had hoped to learn more about Durmstrang on the trip there, but learned his enrolment was not actually complete, and that there was one more thing he needed to do before he could be let in on all of the school’s secrets. 

He did though learn the ship would travel through to the end of the Geirangerfjorden and then dive for the final portion of the trip to reach the school’s location. 

Harry spends the trip to Durmstrang socialising with friends, trying new snacks, and enjoying the sights on deck. He reveals to his friends that he is a Metamorphmagi — though Liam already knew after reading about Harry.

Harry encounters Finn, who appears to be good friends with Arie. Finn mentions the woman in the tailor’s shop that had been with him was his aunt, Annika Vogel. He expects Harry to know the name for some reason, but it is unfamiliar to Harry. 

Liam and Arie comment on the tension between the two boys, and Harry plays it off as lingering awkwardness after their duel. 

When the ship arrives at Durmstrang the other students go ahead while Harry and the first years wait behind to be brought in separately for their sorting. 

The harbourmaster, Halvard Nordhal, takes the students on rowboats to shore and then guides them away from the school through the valley. They meet a teacher, Professor Falk, who explains before the students may enter the school, they must make a pledge in the most sacred place in the school. 

The promise is: “I pledge to conceal the secrets of the Durmstrang Institute and to honour its legacy.” 

Harry is called up first, and follows Professor Falk to a hidden entrance behind a waterfall at the edge of the valley. He enters the space alone, and as he travels down the tunnel he realises there are ashgaräz lining the ceiling and walls.

He hears a disembodied female voice directing him to approach the altar at the back of the cave, and make his pledge. Harry makes his pledge at the altar, and as soon as he does, a ghostly figure of a woman materialises on the other side of the altar. 

She introduces herself as Nerida Vulchanova — the founder of Durmstrang. She guides Harry through his sorting, calling upon the judgment of their kin, the wisdom of the first peoples who practiced magic on this land, and the divine guidance of magic. 

Harry feels like there is a hand steadying him during the ritual sorting, and the touch is like lighting, leaving a lasting impression. 

He is sorted in the House of the Phoenix. Nerida comments that Harry has powerful kin and he bears a heavy legacy. Harry gets the feeling she might be hinting at Morgana, and wonders if perhaps the Dark Lady herself had been called upon in the ritual. But before he can question Nerida, something appears to frighten her and she quickly disappears. 

Harry exits the cave and learns Professor Falk is his head of house as they walk back to join the others. The fives houses of Durmstrang were created during a time of war in this part of the world, and each of the houses had a particular purpose for which it trained its students for war. 

The House of the Dragon is for those with an affinity for combative spellcraft — traditionally the soldiers. They are the largest house at Durmstrang. 

The House of the Griffin is for those with an affinity for defensive spellcraft — traditionally the engineers. They are the second largest house at Durmstrang. 

The House of the Unicorn is for those with an affinity for logistical spellcraft — traditionally the healers, communicators, transporters and constructors. They are the third largest house at Durmstrang. 

The House of the Chimaera is for those with an affinity for runecraft — traditionally the intelligence operatives, saboteurs and disrupters. They are the second smallest house at Durmstrang. 

The House of the Phoenix - Harry’s house, is for those with an affinity for ritual magic — traditionally the spiritual leaders, diplomats and generals. 

Harry realises upon returning that he needs to do something about Tom — he is capable of hearing things outside the diary, and Harry has now made a pledge to conceal the secrets of the school. His belongings, including Tom, and set to be transported up to his new dormitory. 

Harry is escorted by another teacher, Professor Abioye, to the school now that he has been sorted. Professor Abioye is the head of the Unicorn house and he teaches the Healing Arts. 

Harry learns more about the school, and Professor Abioye shares that he offers a fortnightly healing class for those who cannot fit the proper elective into their schedules. 

As they approach the gates to the school a pair of golden statues shaped like eagles swoop them both and Harry learns that these are the guardian eagles, and they survey everyone who enters the school. They are tied to the records of the school, and know exactly who is meant to be entering. Polyjuice Potion, illusory magic, or being in an Animagus form will not fool the guardian eagles. 

Harry also learns that there is a second altar, or hörgr, within a grove of trees maintained inside the school walls, which students are allowed to access to use. 

At the top of the stairs Harry meets Professor König, the head of House of the Chimaera and the Runecraft teacher at Durmstrang. 

Professor Abioye takes Harry to a waiting room across from the great hall to wait for the other students to finish their sorting. Inside, Harry meets Professor Niva and Professor Björnsson.

Professor Niva is the Head of the House of the Dragon and the Duelling professor. Professor Björnsson is the Head of the House of the Griffin and the Martial Magic professor. 

Throughout the evening Harry met the first years who shared the same house as him; Emilia Aho, Klara De Vos, Alexander Sommer and Frida Vester.

Professor Falk informs he and Alexander that as they are both the only boys in their respective year levels, they have the choice of rooming together or having seperate rooms. 

Harry agrees to room with Alexander, as the younger boy is keen to have company, and Harry knows it would not be a true boarding school experience without sharing a dormitory.

The students are all announced to the school one by one, and as Harry is announced he meets his House Captain, Léna Katona, who directs him to sit at the second year table. 

Harry’s friends saved him a seat. After the students are all announced, Headmaster Karkaroff commences the feast, saving his address to the school once dinner is cleared. 

At the dinner table, Harry meets Christian Sørensen, who is from Denmark and a Unicorn like Adele. He has transferred into Mind Arts this year, and so he will be new to the class like Harry. 

Harry learns Christian’s back up if he fails Mind Arts is to arrange a private tutor to teach him. When Harry questions how Christian would find such a tutor, given how few people teach Mind Arts, Christian mentions the National Tutor Register. It is a system in Denmark of regulating people offering teaching services. 

Liam sitting nearby shares that you do not have to be a citizen of a particular country to access their registry.

Harry speaks later with the rest of his friends, still marvelling about meeting the ghost of Nerida Vulchanova. He learns whilst Headmaster Karkaroff handles the day to day responsibilities of running the school, and any public engagements, he answers ultimately to Nerida Vulchanova. 

After Karkaroff’s announcements the students are dismissed to head back to their common rooms. Harry is approached by Ezra, who he had not spotted at the staff table. Ezra informs Harry he was visiting Sirius and Arcturus — he felt guilty about not being able to warn them about the pledge. He hand delivered the legal agreement Harry’s guardians would need to sign for Harry to speak with them about the school.

Sirius and Arcturus had been unhappy to learn about the pledge, but had signed the legal agreement, meaning Harry could communicate more easily with them both. 

Professor Falk interrupted Harry and Ezra’s conversation, asking to speak with Harry privately. She took him to her office, and explained she needed to speak with him about two unauthorised items identified in his belongings. The guardian eagles not only regulate the people who enter, but any items too.

Professor Falk explains the two items that were picked up were a diary and an invisibility cloak. Starting with the diary, Professor Falk informs him it is necromantic in nature. Necromancy is of course illegal in this part of the world, and even just possessing a necromantic item is an offence. 

Professor Falk assures Harry she will not report him — but she does impart a warning. The diary needs to be stored appropriately until it can be discreetly transported back home over the Yuletide break. She has placed the diary in a secure box, which can only be opened by herself or Harry. The box is designed to contain the necromantic influence of the item. Professor Falk tells Harry it is his responsibility to keep the item safe in his belongings - she will not hide it for him. There will be consequences if he tries to bring it back after the Yule break. 

Professor Falk is extremely reluctant to talk much about necromancy or how she knew the diary was necromantic. She shares that for those who are familiar with necromancy, they have a way to detect it

Regarding the invisibility cloak, Professor Falk theorises it was identified by the guardian eagles because they could not ascertain the nature of the item. Professor Falk herself could not work out what type of magic infused the cloak. 

She confirmed Harry could keep it without any special precautions in place, though she was curious for how long the cloak had been in Harry’s family for. Harry answered vaguely, and Professor Falk seemed thoughtful. 

Professor Falk escorted Harry to his common room, passing through the main residential building. All of the house common rooms opened on a communal foyer area. Each door was guarded by a stone statute that represented the symbol of the house.

Harry meets back up with the first years inside the common room, who were waiting for him to appear. They are approached by their house captain, Léna, who gives them a quick tour of the common room and then takes them through to the dormitories. 

Inside their dormitory, Harry and Alexander check their timetables, which are on their beds. There are also maps to help them navigate the school. 

After getting ready for bed, Harry speaks with Sirius and Arcturus and then he writes to Tom in the diary. 

Tom, panicked after being shut inside the secure box and cut off from the world for a period of time, is unable to resist reaching out to Harry’s presence the moment his senses return to him. 

Harry is immediately apprehensive, and Tom realises his impulsive action might have just revealed his true sentience and ability to influence the world to Harry.

Harry interrogates Tom about the diary being a necromantic item, and what necromantic influence is. 

Tom tells Harry a limited amount of information, and Harry remains suspicious. He confronts Tom with his belief that Tom has the ability to interact with the world beyond just being able to hear outside of the diary. 

Tom attacked. 

Harry wakes up with a headache, disoriented in bed. He realises he must have fallen asleep while writing to Tom, as the diary is still open in his lap. He goes to bed soon after, figuring the headache is from tiredness. He lays awake for some time though, feeling strangely on edge, like something is wrong. 

In the morning he still has a headache and his magic feels unusually reactive under his skin, giving him a sense of aimless alarm. 

He and Alexander head to the dining room, and Léna brings them over to meet a girl sitting alone, Mira Zamfir. She is one of the two girls in Harry’s year level.

Mira is cold and rude to Harry and Alexander, ignoring them. 

Harry speaks with Alexander, ignoring the girl in turn. Alexander asks some questions about Hogwarts and Harry is taken aback with how homesick the conversation makes him feel, and also the sharp pain he feels in his head. 

The first year girls arrive together and Mira treats them to the same appraising silence as the boys. Harry spots Astrid Feyling entering the room and sitting down with some older students — she gives Harry a nod of acknowledgement when she catches him looking her way. 

Mira leaves soon after, and Harry decides to head to the owlery to check on Hedwig and then to the hospital wing to pick up a pain relief potion for his headache. 

The first years notice his distraction and discomfort and he admits he has a headache and did not sleep well. They all encourage him to get to the hospital wing.

Harry checks in on Hedwig first, and then heads to the hospital wing. He meets Healer Nyström, who documents his symptoms and performs a simple medical scan. She concludes he does have a headache, likely a tension headache caused by stress or poor sleep. The Healer gives Harry a pain relief potion, which helps immediately. She also prescribes him enough pain relief potions to take one every four hours for no more than two days. The Healer instructs him to return right away if the headache worsened or lasted longer than two days.

Harry enters his first class late, the Alchemy teacher, Professor Sundberg, unimpressed at his tardiness. However, he reads the note Healer Nyström prepared for Harry and calms down quite quickly realising Harry had good reason to be late.

Harry sits next to Jan Łaski, who he met at the DAYS gathering. Arie and Finn sit at the work table next to them. Speaking to Jan, Harry learns that Mira behaves coldly to everyone, and also that she and Astrid do not get along. 

After class, Harry heads to Runecraft. He runs into Liam on the way, who shares the class with him. Harry feels a bit foggy as he walks to class with Liam, feeling like something the other boy said earlier had triggered a thought in Harry. 

Harry’s head started to throb, even though he was not yet due for another pain-relief potion, and he found himself telling Liam that he was having second thoughts about choosing Mind Arts as an elective. 

Liam is confused where this feeling came from, assuring Harry he can help him in class, and Harry feels conflicted. His magic also feels alert.

Liam grows worried about Harry’s behaviour and attempts to enquire if everything is okay, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Dani and Adele, who are also in the Runecraft class with them. 

Professor König teaches them in a blunt manner, but as a Runes Mistress they are fortunate to have her for a teacher. 

Over lunch Harry takes another potion, and notices Finn watching him. 

He walks with Arie to Charms, running into another boy from the DAYS gathering, Luther Verbeke. As they walk Harry keeps dwelling on his conversation with Liam and feels the awful headache flicker to life in his head again. He wonders if he should go back to the hospital wing. 

In the Charms classroom Harry sees Kasia sitting down and joins her with Arie and Luther in tow. Kasia asks him if he is looking forward to Mind Arts that afternoon, and felt the same conflict rise up in him about how he felt about the elective. 

He was saved from answering by the arrival of Professor Hyseni, the cheerful Charms teacher. Harry could sense she had a powerful light magical core. 

Professor Hyseni explained they would be starting the year leaning about the Memory Charm. A shiver runs down Harry’s spine hearing that, and his magic, which had settled back down into a period of calm, suddenly spikes back to life with alarm. 

His head started to throb painfully again. 

Professor Hyseni lectured them all on the Memory Charm and its counter spell, and then got them all up to come practice the Obliviate spell on a target. 

Kasia notices how pale and unwell Harry looks and suggests he go to the hospital wing. After a moment of hesitation, Harry agrees and leaves the classroom. 

Healer Nyström immediately takes him to a private room when she sees him, and scans him again. She concludes his headache has evolved into a migraine, and explains what this is. She gives him a more heavy-duty pain relief potion and explains the best thing to do now is the rest. The potion will also make him feel drowsy. 

Harry wakes up a couple of hours later to Ezra standing outside his room. He learns he has missed his afternoon classes, and it is nearly dinner. 

Alone with Ezra, Harry explains the strange behaviour of his magic, and Ezra theorises it might be his magic reacting to his illness. 

Ezra suggests they find time that weekend for a meditation session, to get to the bottom of the behaviour of his magic. Harry promises to keep Ezra up to date on any changes to his magic, and to come to him if he needs to talk. 

Harry takes his dinner in the hospital wing to avoid the noise of the great hall, and then walks back to the common room after being discharged. 

He does his homework in the study area, and is joined eventually by the first years returning from dinner. Léna comes over to tell Harry Professor Falk wanted to see him and asked Harry to attend her office tomorrow morning before his first class. 

That night Harry talks with Sirius and Arcturus, who are both very worried by his illness and the behaviour of his magic. They agree it is a good idea for Harry to have a meditation session with Ezra that weekend, but Sirius takes it further, wanting to get a second opinion if Harry’s headaches continue. Arcturus is able to diffuse the tension between them, with Harry not wanting to miss any more school and Sirius wanting to pull him out for medical assessment if he remains unwell. 

After his conversation with his guardians, Harry writes to Tom. He informs Tom about missing classes that afternoon and the migraine. Tom shares that he has an idea of what might help.

Harry wakes up, realising he somehow fell asleep again while writing to Tom. 

Fortunately there is no headache this time to wake up to, and the ever-present alarm from his magic is hushed to nothing more than a whisper at the back of his mind. 

He continues to write to Tom, who asks what classes Harry missed that afternoon. Harry confirms he left during Charms and missed Transfiguration and Mind Arts completely. Tom comments that it is a shame, because Harry was particularly looking forward to Mind Arts. 

Harry realised he was looking forward to it, and his earlier doubt about the subject seemed silly now. He couldn’t pinpoint what had him so bothered before about it. 

Harry sleeps well that night, and wakes up still without a headache. After breakfast he visits Professor Falk in her office as requested. 

She checks up on him, having heard he had spent time in the hospital wing. But then she admits she also needs to speak with him about the diary. She has not been entirely transparent with him, and she has been agonising over what to tell him over the past two days. There is apparently some terrible risk to those who know more about necromancy than the average person, though the teacher is vague on the details of this. 

She stresses to him about the need for safe storage of the item, and confesses the real reason why she gave it back to him instead of keeping it herself, was because she is vulnerable to it. 

People with light and neutral magical cores are particularly susceptible to necromantic influence. Someone like Harry, with a dark magical core, is protected from necromantic influence. 

Harry learns necromantic influence can influence the behaviour of people. Even short exposure can be enough to have an impact. Professor Falk is already affected, and so she had no choice but to give it back to Harry. 

Harry is worried about his roommate, Alexander, who has a light magical core. Professor Falk assures him as long as Alexander doesn’t know about the diary and it remains stored appropriately, there is no risk. 

Harry feels guilty knowing the diary is not stored appropriately at all.

He attends Martial Magic first up with Ella, Luther and unfortunately, Finn. Astrid is in the class too, though she doesn’t interact with any of them during class itself. 

Finn gets on Harry’s nerves, but the class is intense enough to distract Harry from his annoyance. They all freshen up after class, and Harry steps out of the change rooms to see Astrid exiting the girl’s area. 

They formally introduce themselves to one another, and Astrid asks if Harry wants to walk to class together, as they both have Mind Arts. 

He happily agrees, and the two get to know each other a bit more as they walk together. 

Astrid mentions the War of Princes, and Harry recalls this is the name of the conflict that was ongoing in the region when Durmstrang was founded. He admits to not knowing much about it, and wanting to know more. 

Astrid asks him if he wants to meet up with her in the library after school and she can show him some books she recommends and Harry agrees. 

They arrive at the Mind Arts classroom and Astrid asks if Harry wants to sit with her, but he regretfully tells her his friend has saved him a seat, seeing the free spot next to Liam. 

Harry sits with Liam and notices Christian and another boy giving him wide eyed looks. Christian tips his head towards Astrid meaningfully, and when Harry still doesn’t get it, Christian whispers to talk after class. 

Kasia arrives and sees the only spot left is next to Astrid. Harry sees her face tighten and asks Liam if the two girls don’t get along. Liam admits he is not sure, but the two tend not to sit together if they can avoid it. 

Professor Sylvan arrives, and she is not what Harry was expecting. She is younger than he imagined, in her thirties, with long red hair and unusual lilac eyes. She gets the students to resume the exercise they had been working on yesterday, and directs Harry over to her to talk. 

Professor Sylvan is unimpressed that Harry was absent from class yesterday, and even though he tries to explain his absence, she does not want to hear it. 

She instructs him he will sit the test he missed yesterday. It is tricky, and Harry does not quite finish it by the end of his allotted time. 

He is made to wait while Professor Sylvan moves the other students onto the next part of their exercise. 

Finally, Harry is able to sit down with the teacher to have his test marked. For any answers he got wrong she put him on the spot to guess again, and she picked apart his written responses. 

It felt a bit like bullying, and Harry just wanted to join the other students to actually practice Occlumency. 

Professor Sylvan made him take a seat again though as she moved the students onto the final part of their exercise, leaving Harry out of it. 

For the final portion of class, Harry was permitted to join the others, as they were moving onto a new exercise. 

After class, Professor Sylvan asks to speak with him again. She asks if he has any practice with Occlusion mediation, and when he answers no, she explains she guided the new student through the exercise yesterday. She tells him he can come to her office after school that day to be caught up on what he missed. 

Harry is surprised at the offer from the acerbic teacher, and readily agrees. 

Outside he finds Liam, Christian, and Christian’s friend waiting for him. Christian introduces his friend as Michael, and interrogates Harry about arriving to class with Astrid. 

He learns from the boys that Astrid keeps to herself, and even though she is popular, she is quite unapproachable. 

Harry has lunch with his friends. He spots Astrid and her friends Sara and Lucja getting up to leave the table at the end of lunch, and approaches them. 

He notices as he does so there is a lot of attention on him from surrounding students at the table, who seem incredulous about him approaching Astrid. 

Sara and Lucja seem cooly distant, but Astrid is as warm as she was earlier. Harry explains he has a catch up class with Professor Sylvan after school, so he can’t meet up with her in the library like they planned. 

Astrid suggests they catch up tomorrow instead, and Harry agrees. 

Dani corners him after Astrid walks away with her friends, and says they have a lot to talk about. 

#recap #dark heritage

[columboscreens]

Oh for sure it'd be really difficult to find somebody who could play the role even half as well as Peter Falk, but I don't like to roll over and say it's impossible to recast the role. One big story problem would be his being a cop. Which uhhhh I don't think that'd fly. As bad as police were then, they are so much worse. A man like Columbo just wouldn't last long. He's too good. One cop murders someone, Columbo'd expose him as is his moral obligation, and he'd lose his job.

The mental image of basically the Martin Landau episode but it's Peter Falk hunting down Peter Falk is such a gonzo idea I'm sure Falk would love it. It wouldn't make a lick of sense but DAMN IT it'd be fun!

two peter falks a la landau in double shock is exactly what i had in mind! itd be so campy that i think it would wrap back around and be good. i could probably talk him into it. now i just need a ouija board...

regarding cophood, i've had that talk on twitter a few times. i wrote a little thread on it here.

i imagine a current-day columbo as likely a licensed private investigator, someone who works in tandem with the law but not as part of the police. that way, he'd retain the legal authority and access to resources that he uses to obtain and interpret information, but without being part of the problematic entity that is the modern institution of american policing.

really, they're incompatible. there's no way in hell a police department in the 2020s would let columbo exist, and i don't think a columbo in the 2020s would want to remain a police officer. i mention in that twitter thread that cops were always bastards, but at least back then a cop was just some asshole with a shirt and a revolver, maybe a semiauto pistol or vest if they wanted to really beef it up. nowadays they're armed like combat soldiers with none of the commensurate training.

SWAT gear? carrying an AR? bullying, beating, killing a suspect into compliance? that's not how columbo conducts business.

pictured: sly, unarmed little elf

in terms of a new person inhabiting columbo, as much as i'd like to see it, i am pretty firmly in the camp of it being nearly impossible to do. columbo was as much peter falk as peter falk was columbo. they're two different men obviously, but as i've mentioned before, falk put so much of himself into columbo that it's difficult to divorce the two entities. they're like dr. jekyll and mr. hyde.

i'd be totally down for something else. maybe an animated series, an origin story, a columbo descendent, or even just a series with an inverted mystery and a new character who evokes columbo but isn't by name (last i heard natasha lyonne is working on something like this with rian johnson, the knives out director). we need more new media and less reboot media, anyway.

but my opinion on a modern revival of columbo proper? ech. it really isn't as simple as "mark ruffalo looks like columbo" or "natasha lyonne acts like columbo". i think a project relying on that is doomed to fail.

i cannot overstate how legendary a show 70s columbo is in almost every regard. it's not enough to merely have curly hair or channel peter falk in a performance; that show was such an insanely auspicious coalition of talented moving parts that i think it'd be nearly impossible to recapture that sheer magic. you would have to have a huge budget, a ton of the RIGHT talent, a strong creative vision, and a lot of time to even have a chance of approaching that baseline of quality, which, good luck getting on netflix or amazon prime or whatever.

but even if you managed a big budget, it'd be dicey. hell, the bar was set so high that falk himself mostly failed to clear it when he brought his own series back. that's the real barometer of success potential for me.

that said, if i'm ever proven wrong, and on this i would love to be proven wrong, i'd be extremely impressed with whoever managed it. i'd even have to give them brownie points for merely trying--as long as they don't try any weird CGI necromancy.

#guys just green screen peter falk in and you have columbo. its so easy #columbo #ask #text #longpost

[falke-scribblings]

"It's Old Town above us now," Nick said.

"Above us?"

"More or less." He felt that sense of weight again, and felt the urge to lower his voice to a murmur. "That used to be the edge of the city, way back when the river was the boundary. And then they built a road to cross it for all of the trade and mammals who came through." He followed Judy's gaze up, as if they might see through to where traffic bustled along it now. "And then they redid it again when the trains were built."

She looked impressed at his knowledge. "You say you didn't come down here at all as a kit? You'd make a nice tour guide."

"Are you kidding? It scared the hackles off me." He nodded forward, at where the light picked out a sharp curve approaching. "Flashlights weren't this nice back then. Besides, it's just a tunnel."

Judy played the beam around, through dark recesses that probably hadn't seen the light for decades.

Maybe just a tunnel was selling it short. Nick could see locked diverter gates and cramped passages going every which way, and a lot of old stonework vaulting. The viaduct had once been a commercial interface of its own - the lone waterway and its attendant path had spread like a delta into Old Town back when it was open to the sky, full of workshops, storeyards and housing.

It just wouldn't have lasted long after things got built out. These days there were only a few species that still lived in fully underground burrows, and even fewer who tolerated the idea of being underfoot. Any homes that had once been down here would have long been abandoned.

Nick hoped, anyway. The harder he peered into the ancient labyrinth the more he thought of the stories his mother had told him as a young kit, of the monsters who lurked under bridges and preyed on mammals who strayed from the path...

#zootopia #zootopia fanfiction #wildehopps #nick x judy #halloween #harvest

[gowns]

had a terrifying hallucinogenic bad dream / night terror last night. (i feel that it’s important to make note of these; when they happen, what was happening.) i was in a house with my friends, and suddenly -- there was unspeakable violence and murder, methodical, gory, with no escape. every part of the house, which had seemed so innocuous at first, was a part of the horror; it was all out to get us. bodies, blood, the sound of screams, bodies hitting the metal walls of a dumpster. i climbed a very tall tower. it was comprised of blocks printed with cheerful trivia about a children’s tv show. it bent under my weight and i felt myself dropping back down into the mayhem.

i woke up and i was paralyzed, trying to shake it off. i tried to tell myself, "that isn't real. that doesn't happen." then i thought, sadly, that it does happen. murder is real. violence is real. it is naive to pretend otherwise. somewhere in the world, at this moment, there is the same unspeakable violence. i felt trapped by this thought, heavy on my chest like an anvil. i tried to touch my body and ground myself -- these are my arms, these are my legs -- my fallible body -- that which can be destroyed. it was no use. i thought of death. the inevitable. i can't pretend that won't happen, because it will.

i looked around the room and thought of what i could do. watch tv? oh no, there were demons there. look at my phone? no, that would be demonic. maybe i could open my laptop and do work. no, that wouldn’t be good, i don’t need to see my clients’ faces shifting into dead-eyed demons. look up, there’s the ceiling fan. it’s trying to kill me. hear the train outside my window, it’s going to drag me to hell. etc. etc. thoughts like this, in this vein, for what felt like an eternity.

i had to get out of this. i couldn't get up, i felt like i would be swallowed alive. i couldn't turn on a light; i would see the unreality all the clearer. there was no way out of this except to lean into it. live in it. talk through it. except there was no one to talk to.

i lay there, hot, barely breathing, and i conjured up a person who i thought could help me. maria bamford. she appeared in a lavender track suit. she sat down next to me.

"i know," she said. "i totally get it. i know. it's like, the fear of going crazy, the fear of losing your mind -- there's nothing worse than that. your mind is where you live, the means by which you experience the world. it's scary to feel yourself slipping. to feel the edges of everything. i've been there."

i couldn't say anything in response. i just wanted her to keep talking. i was worried she might shift into something else, and i did, in fact, see the edges of her face melting a little --

"focus," she said. "just focus on the sound of my voice. it's ok. they'll do that. the bad forces. they'll try to convince you that everything is slipping into chaotic evil. but it's not. there are people like me, people trying to tell our stories. that's the point of being alive. we have to tell stories to make sense of it all, to keep the wolves at bay. to keep the fear of the presence of wolves away. to focus on each other. our experiences."

i needed a second source who could validate her. columbo sat down on the other side of me.

"yeah," he said, "it's all right. you're going to be ok. you can't let these things trick you. you're here. you haven't done anything bad. you're a real person. just like me, just like maria."

"wait," i said, "are you lieutenant columbo, really, or are you peter falk playing columbo?"

"what do you think? why not both?" he said with a wink. "of course, both have passed away by now. but we also live on. it's what maria was talking about... the power of storytelling."

"do you think i can storytell my way out of this?" i asked.

"sure," he said, gesturing towards me, like columbo does.

"yeah," maria said. "that's what i do. that's what i'm always trying to do, anyway. don't get me wrong. it still gets to me. i've felt your terror, your anxiety. but i can write it all out, make it a story, tell it to other people, and they laugh from the recognition. not everyone gets it. but there are people out there... they'll get it. they'll appreciate it."

"the honesty!" columbo said. "there is great power that comes from being honest. from not ignoring the wolf at the door. your deepest, most sincere truths."

"why do you guys sound like myself?"

"because we are you, duh," maria said. "you had to conjure up this imaginary conversation so you could calm down a little. and you feel better, don't you?"

"i do," i admitted.

"check in with your body," columbo said. "how do you feel?"

i breathed. i placed my sweaty palms on my chest.

"i feel... ok."

"still scared shitless," maria confirmed, "but you're going to be ok."

"this feels very maternal," i told her.

"isn't it?" she said. "don't you think i remind you of your mom?"

she pointed, and i looked. there my mom stood, at a distance.

"yeah," i admitted. "you're like my mom, if she was more honest. more revealing. easier to talk to. funnier."

"and aren't i kinda sorta like your dad?" columbo asked.

i saw him at a distance, too.

"yeah," i said, "if my dad was more... noble. more moral. easier to talk to. more compassionate."

"you feel connected to us because we're like your parents. that's why you conjured us up to talk to you," maria said.

"yes. but you're also not my parents. that's why i'm not talking to THEM right now. i'm talking to you. and you're helping. you really are."

"right," maria said. "we all need avatars of our parents. we make connections to people and their stories based on how they pluck the same chords from our childhood. we resonate with you on that level."

"not just that," columbo added, "it's important to have heroes. your parents are, well, they're people, very fallible people. which is all well and good, really. but you need to have heroes, and the stories about heroes. people like me. people who are always morally in the right; people who are compassionate and caring in all the right ways; people who are as true as a compass."

"your parents could have been heroes, but they're not. they're just people. and that frustrates you. i get it. it frustrates me too, with my own parents. but they still love you," maria said.

my mom and dad waved at me, from a distance.

"aren't we about the same age as your parents, too?" maria asked.

"yeah," i said.

"that's... something," columbo said.

"and you're also kind of vaguely attracted to both of us," maria said.

"yeah," i admitted.

"and we both lost our minds," maria said.

"who, me?" columbo said.

"peter falk. he had alzheimer's."

"ah," he said. "yes. that i did."

"that sounds like a terrible way to go."

"it is," he said. "it really is."

a pause.

"yes," he said with a sigh, "i've felt it too. the edges of unreality."

"it's important to keep a hold of your mental acuity," maria said. "while you still have it. while you can still reason with yourself."

"remember that your mind is very powerful. you can be sucked into any black hole around -- they're everywhere. death could happen at any moment. violence, murder. disease. they're facts of life," columbo said.

"but your mind can also do this," maria said. "you can imagine terrible things, but you can also imagine very nice things."

"things that can distract you from the void," columbo said.

"and isn't that the point?" maria said.

"the point of being alive?"

"the point of having a brain at all," maria said.

"this is what all those electrons in that big lump of meat were made for," columbo said, tapping my head.

"for having conversations with figures from popular media?"

"for imagining. for telling stories," maria said gently.

"we're not kidding. it's important. don't forget it," columbo said.

"and the next time you feel afraid, remember this."

they each placed their hands around my shoulders, on my chest, where my heart is. i felt their weight, their heat.

yes. i felt better.

still knowing: the fear was real. it would always be there, ready for me. when i'm happy. when everything is going fine. it can always drag me back down. powerful visions. haunting images. but. roll with it. surf it. find another meaning. construct another wall of words. confront it. level up. find a deeper level of hell. get terrified again. do it all over again. this is what it means. this is the point. talking about it. sharing it. writing it. long-ass text posts. they're important. it's all important. as important as dreams. each post is reaching out. trying to create a physical touch, through words.

can you feel my fingertips?

[tierra-posting]

*

1st Report on Aladic d'al Sancroix, by Agent Friedrich vam Graz

Full report on the potential threat posed by Alaric d'al Sancroix.

Pre observation notes: Alaric has proven an excellent military mind, playing a key role in multiple major battles in the Antari-Tierran conflict. Yet he has also proven a rather forward thinking man, especially compared to his peers, on matters of equality and progress. His friendship with ambassador Cassius vam Holt proves that he is malleable to Tarakan influence, though his friendship with anti-Takaran elements such as Markus d'al Havenport may prove troubling.

1st Observation: He has proven himself to not just be a brilliant officer but a budding statesman as well. His speech before the court, in support of Duke Wulfram, on his first day in the courtes has steered quite a few lords towards Wulfram's position. This has also revealed either a genuine care for the common people of Tierra, a noble and very Takaran ideal, or a unforseen streak of opportunism. More investigation will need to be done to discover his driving force before I can determine if he is a viable candidate for our efforts.

Should he prove viable he will truly be one of our greatest assets, Takara aun Tau'zenkai!

Personal note: Aetoria has proved a strange city to me. Here I see sights so strange yet so familiar to me. Back home it was unheard of for any Takaran citizen to starve let alone be without a home. Yet that speaks only of us, the Falkish and not of the human population. Our country is great in many ways but one could never say we are without flaws.

The way we treat the humans born within Takara is not only shameful but hypothetical. Is it not our task as the Falkish, as determined by our place in the tree of life's hierarchy, should we not have guided these humans enough to be our equal by now? And if not should we not make a greater effort to do so, is it not our great task?

Yet even that is bullshit used to justify our foreign policy to the citizenry. That's why they dispel those illusions when they train us agents isn't it? So we can maintain the lie of Falkish supremacy? Yet even then you only replace that illusion with a cold reality and a hopeful alternative.

You present us with the idea that should Takara falter in this great game with the Kian they will invade our home and slaughter us to the falk, a truth the Kian would gladly admit. Yet you also provide us with a vision of a better future, one where democracy and egalitarianism has been spread to all corners of the infinite sea. One where every nation, human and falk, would work together to better both themselves and in turn each other.

I only hope that dream is not simply another illusion, and I hope it's worth the blood shed in its name. I know no one back at HQ will read this because if you are, I've most likely been tried and executed for treason already. Yet I'm still writing this to you, to air my frustration even if only to this paper on which I write. Takara will persevere and grow grander by the day, till one day I'll feel truly proud to be a Takaran.

#dragoon saga spoilers #dragoon saga #lords of infinity spoilers #lords of infinity #infinity series #Takara #in universe document #in character

[haledamage]

and Wayhaven asks for Kira: I also want to know 15, 29, and, um, 30, bc I think I know all the rest already xD

15. Would they have reacted to Falk's flirting, if given the opportunity?

in a situation where she wasn't already deep in her feelings about one of our favorite vampires... probably. he is very pretty, if a little intense, and I'm starting to get a sense that she likes men with long hair

but as it stands, no. by the end of book 2, she's already very aware of how she feels, and has probably considered the L-word at least once on all the routes (with various levels of trepidation)

29. If they could have chosen a different profession, what would it be?

I have a half-formed au of Kira as an editor for the newspaper instead of a detective, which I think would suit her really well! it would be a job that would actually use her English degree, and would let her apply both her people skills and her deductive/knowledge skills. plus, it would let her be selectively antisocial instead of being so public-facing like her detective job!

the only downside being... Bobby. so much interacting with Bobby. but hey, at least she might be able to report him for sexual harassment if he keeps calling her "angel"

(the reason it's only a half-formed au is because I haven't figured out how Kira would actually get involved with all the Unit Bravo/Agency stuff. she wouldn't have any reason to cross paths with Murphy, and UB aren't good enough actors to convince Kira that a small town newspaper editor needs a team of four trained secret agents to protect her. the only way it would happen is if outside forces dragged her into it. or if only one team member went in undercover or something 🤔 hmmmm, that has potential)

30. Any funfacts about them you'd like to add?

hmmmm what fun facts do I have about Kira that I haven't already shared...

oh! I really want to give her another tattoo after the events of book 3, or between 3 and 4 depending on if there's any timeskip there. something unique to each romance but not necessarily like a romantic tattoo, if you know what I mean

the idea came to me because one of my favorite tattoo artists had some flash designs that involved crystals and I was like 👀

(not this exact design, but it was along the same line)

and now all I can think is Kira getting a crystal tattoo on Mason's route (probably on her sternum, right about where it would hang if it were on a necklace 👀)

I haven't figured out what she'd get on Nate's or Felix's route yet. they are very difficult to pin a solid idea on, but I'm working on it

I have a few possible thoughts for Adam's route, but I keep coming back to the idea (this is your fault, you put this in my head) of "fear makes us fighters" along the slope between her neck and shoulder, starting just under the scar from Murphy >:3 won't that be a fun thing for Adam to (eventually) find when he (eventually) gets his act together and (eventually) romances Kira the way she deserves

also not really a fact about her, but I'm considering retconning parts of Kira's backstory and making her American 😆 pretty sure that idea came about because I wrote a line in something recently where she mentioned her senior prom and then I had to go down a research rabbit hole to find out if that's even a thing outside the US

plus, once I look past Mishka's Britishness leaking through, Wayhaven does have deep-south-small-town vibes. somewhere near Savannah or Charleston, maybe 🤔

#kira kingston #wayhaven asks #that au's gonna stick around I can feel it #can you imagine the potential chaotic meetcute of having one of UB show up at her newspaper office like 'hi I'm your new assistant'? #like realistically it would only make sense if it was nate but also it would be so much funnier if it was *anyone else* #'this is adam our new assistant editor. he's 6'1" of solid muscle; supermodel hot; and clearly does NOT want to be here.' #'plus he keeps trying to boss me around. how is this my life'

[kirnet]

dorotea 🤝 triss having fucked up supernatural encounters back in the day love that for them ! 🍓🍓 for tea pls and also 🍓 for miss stoja as well hehe

Omg what was triss’s?? :o

🍓 dorotea… is just like her mom. In personality and attitude and her face. The only thing she really got from her dad is her eyes. Seeing them next too each other is fucking eerie. Tea is aware of it and fucking hates it.

🍓 teas romance with Adam doesn’t actually start until she jumps in between falk and Adam at the carnival. I think that’s when Adam starts to catch feelings. Tea doesn’t begin to start to crush until Adam is really injured from trying to save sanja and they have a tender moment and she hums him to sleep while playing with his hand. Before that they are BITTERLY at each other’s throats but they have a grudging respect for each other

🍓 stoja is attracted to rosy from the get go, but she’s 100% playing it up to annoy both rosy and Nick. She loves the attention. She only goes ‘oh shit’ when he calls her by her first name during training rip

#stoja will do anything for attention. ANYTHING #TY LOVE #ask #rosykims #dorotea langford #stoja wiseman

[chibi-sunrise]

Everything I could find on Hugo Simon

Friends with Leo and Celia since childhood. Although earnest and deeply caring for his friends, he has an awkward tendency to keep his worries to himself. During his activities as a member of Blaze with Leo and the others, an incident caused him to become increasingly distrustful of the federation until a meeting with August lured him over to the imperial side. Now he fights for the empire alongside his contemporaries, Amelie and Falk.

Profile

Birthday - May 7, 982 Y.C.

Age - 16 (998 Y.C.) 17 (999 Y.C.)

Embleo Location - On the back of his left shoulder

Long Sword wielder

Height - 178cm

Left-handed

Theme Color - #37761d

Here’s the post on where you can watch the story. Here’s the post on where you can watch the anime.

Episodes he appears in

Leo ep. 1 Budding Heroes

Leo ep. 2 The Noble One

Celia ep. 1 The Selection Exam

Celia ep. 2 Mercy and Resolve

Michelle ep. 2 Compromise

Lisette ep. 1 Remedial Training

Lucien ep. 1 The Secret Blade of Wisdom

Alexandra ep. 2 A Pardon for Justice

Hugo ep. 1 The Traitor

Hugo ep. 2 Battlefield of Farewells

Falk ep. 1 The Lone Falcon

Falk ep. 2 The Ghost-Devouring Falcon

Crossroads ep. 1 The Habakiri Incident

ep. Final Blossoming Heroes

Event stories he appears in

White Day

Anime episodes he appears in

Tales of Luminaria the Fateful Crossroad ep. 1

Tales of Luminaria the Fateful Crossroad ep. 2

Event stories he’s mentioned in

April Fools Day

References and Miscellany

Video of his outfits/Mystic Artes (EN audio and text)

Some references for Hugo’s outfits. Here’s a back shot for his academy uniform

Video of Hugo’s outfits, weapons, all while wearing the ears and tail attachment

Some screenshots of Hugo’s ears and tail attachment for reference

Thread of Hugo wearing both glasses and the spiral glasses in various outfits. Here’s some more.

Video of Hugo’s Mystic Artes (JP audio and text) Scroll down for some screenshots of descriptions of his Mystic Artes

Hugo’s various egg forms

If you wanted to know what the back of Hugo’s ep 2 outfit looks like without the jacket on. Bonus, you also get to see what the back of Lisette’s outfit looks like without the bottom half of her jacket on.

If you wanted a better look at the thigh harness belt Hugo wears in his Aedis Academy uniform

If you wanted a better look at how Hugo’s shoulder armor is assembled in his Imperial Combat wear

If you wanted a better look at Huggy Hugo in addition to having his textures

A tweet trying to figure out the pattern on Hugo’s coat. The user cropped it out and mirrored it

A tweet trying to figure out how many reactors Hugo has on him and where

A tweet of various Hugo dialogue (JP text)

A tweet that compares Hugo’s reaction to Leo failing a counter with Hugo’s reaction to Falk failing a counter. The user notes that even Lisette’s reaction is respectful during this situation, so Hugo’s agitated response is unique to Leo

A tweet that recorded all the dialogue of Leo and Hugo’s final battle and kept it under two minutes. What I like about this video is that it also shows Hugo parrying the final hit of Leo’s 2nd Mystic Arte. I heard and knew it was possible because a lot of JP Hugo mains remarked on it, but I hadn’t seen it recorded for myself till this point

JP Voice Collection

His archive section

Favorite Dishes (excluding Noble dishes and Elixir)

Beginner’s Pot-Au-Feu

Bitter Ratatouille

Colten Fresh Salad

Colten’s Stuffed Cabbage Roll

Creamy Egg & Vegetable Galette

Green Veggie Drink

Healthy Archonis Quinoa Cake

Healthy Glass Noodle Salad

Jantbelle’s Silky Smooth Tofu

Meat Stew *secret recipe

Michelle’s Special Pot-Au-Feu

Mild Seafood Bouillabaisse

Simmered White Radishes

Ultra Smoothie

Veggie Bagna Càuda

Hated Dishes (excluding expired event dishes and Ana-Maria’s cooking)

Amelie’s Stamina Bowl

Crispy Rice Croquettes

Egg Cutlet Sandwich

Herb-Roasted Reintz Catfish

High Protein Fried Bugs

Level-10 Spicy Mabo Curry

Nutritional Non-Perishable

Nutritional Non-Perishable B

Schnitzel & Tartar Sauce

Special Nutritional Drink

#tales of luminaria #luminaria #Hugo Simon

[whatawonderfulexistence--blog]

Band of Sisters, Band of Thieves (Medieval! Powerwolf x Fem! Princess! Reader) - Part II

WARNINGS: None

Part I - Part III

My Masterlist! ~ AO3 Link!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“She seems a lot happier since Sir Charles has started to visit her during the day.” You strolled side by side around the castle grounds with your older sister. You hum in agreement, folding your hands neatly in front of you as you walk.

“I think his tales of adventure really lift her spirits.” You respond with a smirk. “I think all of us yearn for a little more danger in our lives.” She laughs in response to your statement.

“Maybe you do, but some of us prefer a more predictable lifestyle.” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, leave it to the eldest to always have to be the perfect daughter. No matter how proper and responsible she tried to be, you knew that under the mask she wore the two of you wanted similar things. You yearned for something different than the only life you had ever known; somewhere you could live your life freely without the neverending list of rules you had been accustomed to, somewhere exciting, somewhere with people that you didn’t have to filter your personality for.

“Please, you think that Duke you’re scheduled to marry is about as interesting as sitting through a portrait painting.” You rebuttal with an uninterested glance.

“Yes… Well, at least the painters offer interesting conversations.” She sighs with a chuckle. Both of your attentions are caught by the sound of someone retrieving an arrow from their quiver. You both stared on as he raised his bow, the arrow whizzing straight into the center of the target effortlessly. He readied himself once more, shooting off another arrow that split the first one clean in half. A triumphant smile crossed his face as he pushed a gloved hand through his hair, you were hypnotized by the sight of him. Your sister leans in closer to whisper something in your ear. “You know, I’m sure Sir Falk would be honored if the Princess wanted to watch him train.” She offers with a grin, your eyes dart up to meet hers. She nods in his direction, your attention drifts back to him as he heads to retrieve his arrow from the target. You took a single step forward, your body moving on its own, surely it wouldn’t hurt just to watch. You found yourself striding over to him, freezing as his gaze lands on you as you exit the tree covered path.

“Your Highness, what do I owe the pleasure?” He crosses an arm over his chest, giving you a low bow.

“I,” you cleared your throat as you struggled to find your voice. “I saw you training while I was on a walk, your skills are really impressive.” Your compliment is meant with a bashful smile, he gives you a slight nod.

“Well thank you for the compliment Princess, it means a lot coming from you.” You can’t help but blush under his warm gaze. He glances down at the bow at his side and then back up at you. “Would you like to give it a try?”

“Me?” You ask in disbelief, he nods with a soft laugh. “Oh, I appreciate the offer Sir Falk but I’ve never handled a weapon in my life.”

“Okay, if you’re positive.” He smirks, retrieving another arrow. “I’d be right by your side the whole time.” It was hard to hide your amused smirk. You held up your hands in defeat as you stepped closer to him. “I knew you had it in you!” He exclaims jovially. He steps behind you, your back pressed firmly against him as he helps you nock an arrow. You attempted to draw the bow yourself, your muscles shaking as you barely pulled it back halfway. Falk chuckles, resting his hands on top of yours in order to assist you. With his help you drew the bow effortlessly, the weapon a clear extension of his body from what must have amounted to decades of practice. “You’re shaking.” He points out with a smirk. How could you not be? Your body pressed tightly into his, warm hands covered your own, his chin tucked itself neatly next to your ear. The smell of wild flowers, dirt, and musk enthralled your sense of smell. “Take a nice deep breath and hold it.” He tells you in a tone just above a whisper. You did as he instructed, taking in as much air as you could before holding your breath. You noticed yourself instantly steady, Falk assisting you in lining up your shot. “Let go… Now.” The drawstring slipped past your fingertips, a sharp sting where it snapped against the inside of your elbow as it sent the shot. The arrow hit the dead center of the target, the tail rocking back in forth as it stuck out of the small red circle. You look up at him to find his eyes already trained on you, “excellent shot, Your Highness.” Watching the smile spread across his lips caused you to blush. You stepped away from him, clearing your throat in an attempt to hide your flustered state.

“That was, um… Thank you, Sir Falk.” You wanted the earth to swallow you up as you tripped over your words. You heard the sound of your fathers voice in the distance. You allowed yourself one last moment to take the sight of him in. “Excuse me, I unfortunately have to go.” He offers you a polite nod and one last smile before you run off. You managed to slip into the castle before your father realized what you had been up to, hurrying around to a spot you could see the courtyard from to hopefully allow you to watch his practice from afar. You perched yourself on a windowsill, watching him flip a knife effortlessly around in his hand before tossing it, it stuck into the target with a loud thunk. He adjusted the strap on his gloves, his attention suddenly getting caught by someone approaching him. He gives a low bow as your father emerges into the clearing.

"Sir Falk, I'm glad I caught you. I have a favor to ask." Your father slaps him on the shoulder, raising him to a standing position. You can't help but smile at the interaction, he always seemed to have somewhat of a soft spot for the archer.

"Anything at all, Your Grace." Falk returns your father's jovial greeting with a toothy grin of his own.

"It's been a while since my daughters have gotten to take their horses out, my youngest has been begging me incessantly for weeks." He chuckles. "I was hoping you would be able to accompany them on a ride up a nearby trail and back."

"It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty." He agrees with a nod. "They'll all be in excellent hands with me." He reassures him. Your father knew exactly who he was asking to complete this task. 

"I'm sure they will be." Your father gives him a knowing grin. Falk was an infamous ranger known throughout the country, not to mention an expert rider, you couldn't be in safer hands if you tried. The next day you found yourself sitting at your vanity, fussing over every little detail you could find. You let out a startled shriek as your sister started speaking behind you.

"Alright, what's going on with you?" She leans against the wall at your side, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're never one to get all dressed up to go on a ride."

"I just feel like putting in a little extra effort today, that's all." You fix your hair for what must have been the millionth time in the mirror before deciding how you look would have to do. You both hurried out of your room to meet the others down at the stables. The moment Falk's eyes landed on you a smile broke out on his face, your stride paused momentarily under his gaze.

"Your majesties." He gives both of you a bow before helping your sister get situated on her horse. Your three younger siblings sat and idly chatted at the stables exit, waiting for you and your guard to catch up. "Is everything alright Princess? Forgive me for being so blunt, but you look a bit nervous." You can't help but smile at his concern.

"Can I speak honestly?" He nods, drifting closer to you subconsciously. "I'm not exactly the greatest rider, horses frighten me a little." You whisper, blushing slightly as you admit a secret only you and your father knew about. You watch his smile widen ever so slightly, his fingers running through your horse's mane and carefully untangling any knots he found.

"I can understand where your apprehension comes from." He chuckles, giving the animal a firm pat on his back. "This guy's massive, but he's very well trained." The coat that passed below your fingers was incredibly soft. "Besides," your eyes drift up to meet Falk's, "as long as I'm here I won't let anything bad happen to you Princess, you have my word." You look to your horse and then back to him, giving him a sharp nod to show you were ready. He knelt down, allowing you to use his leg as an extra step to help you hoist yourself into the saddle, struggling to adjust your dress around the bridle. Falk stands, motioning to your skirt, "may I?" You nod, pulling your hands back so they wouldn't get in his way. He helps you get comfortable, before handing the reins to you. "Take it nice and easy, I'll be right behind you." He says with a comforting smile before hoisting himself up into his own saddle with one swift motion. You shouldn't have been shocked, riding was second nature to him, but you couldn't stop your eyes widening in amazement at the sheer fluidity of his movements. You give your horse a gentle squeeze with your legs, jolting slightly as he starts to move forward. You joined your sisters, the four of you starting down your usual riding trail. You looked around, suddenly realizing you were missing someone.

"She's journeying to the Duke's with Sir Attila." Your youngest sister chimes in seeing your confusion. You nod, your posture stiffening at the sound of your horse snorting. You looked back, catching Falk's gaze in the process. He was keeping far enough back to where he could still keep an eye on the four of you but not close enough to where he could listen in on your conversation with your sisters, something you were very fortunate for at the moment. "You know… Sir Falk hasn't been able to keep his eyes off you since you arrived." You couldn't help but roll your eyes at her observation.

"Oh, is that why you're all made up today?" One of the others pipes up with a giggle. "I think someone knew who would be riding with us today." She teases.

"I don't have the faintest idea what you could be talking about." You tried to remain stoic, but being with the people who knew you better than anyone else made things difficult. The smallest crack in your composure would be a dead giveaway, something they had apparently already noticed.

"You know, next time you're trying to hide your little crush, maybe don't let us catch you staring." You hear one of them say behind you with a laugh. Your cheeks heated up, you were definitely guilty of that, playing off your flustered state with a laugh.

"That's rich coming from the woman I have caught multiple times with Sir Matthew's-"

"Okay, that's enough!" She cuts you off before you have a chance to finish eliciting a chorus of giggles from the group. You caught the briefest flash of red fur, probably a fox darting across the trail, but that was enough to spook your horse. He squeals, rearing up on his hind legs. You grab on to whatever you possibly could, just trying to keep yourself from plummeting to the ground. The second his hooves hit the ground he took off.

"(Y/N)!" You hear Falk yell behind you. No matter what you tried you couldn't calm your horse down, the sharp sting of branches whipping across your face clouding your judgment. You could always try to jump, no that was ridiculous. The trail you were on was narrow, there's no telling what you would hit once you landed on the ground. Your horse was also moving so incredibly fast that you were positive you would break a bone on impact. You had to think, there had to be something you could do. "(Y/N)!" You were snapped from your thoughts by Falk yelling your name at your side. Your head snapped in his direction. "I need you to trust me, can you do that?" You give him a weak nod. He rides closer to you, grabbing you by the waist and ripping you from your saddle and sitting you in his lap. You cling to him, cheeks wet with tears that you hadn't realized were there. "You're alright, I got you." He says through heavy breaths. You watch as he pulls back on the reins, slowing you to a gentle trot. He cradles your body against his, chin resting on your head as he circled around to bring you back to your sisters. "Are you alright? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No… I'm alright, but, my horse-"

"I'll go get him Princess, don't worry." You were shaking, your hands fisted in his shirt in an attempt to calm yourself down.

"I'm sorry, I made a terrible mess of our ride." Your voice breaks slightly as you fight back a sob that had bubbled its way into your throat.

"Oh goodness, don't worry about that." His voice was undeniably kind as he spoke to you softly. "Etan has bolted on me like that before." He chuckles, patting the horse's neck. "You did everything right, you kept a level head despite how terrified you must have been." You smile faintly, your eyes growing heavy now that the adrenaline has worn off. You felt so safe and warm in his arms. Your attention was captured by your sisters fussing over you as the two of you came into view. "She's alright your majesties, don't worry. She's just a little shaken up." You make no movement to leave Falk's side as your sisters ride up to you, questions coming from every direction, the youngest looking ready to burst into tears any second.

"Ducky, I'm alright." You reach out and pat her head. "Falk promised before he left that nothing bad would happen as long as he was here." You giggle, trying to reassure her.

"Alright, let's get you four back, I think our runaway here deserves a chance to rest." He smiles down at you, your sisters turning to head back up the trail out of the corner of your eye. "I'll go look for your horse once I drop you off at the castle, he'll be back in the stable before nightfall." The two of you shift positions, your head now comfortably resting against his back. You held his sleeve tightly in your hand, he seemed to be the one thing that was able to ground your racing mind at the moment. He slipped effortlessly from his horse once you were safely back at the castle, offering his hand to help you down. You watched him as he rode off towards the woods once more, a feeling of helplessness settling in your chest once he was out of view. You retired to your quarters with the excuse of needing to rest after so much excitement. You sat by your window, diligently watching the entrance to the trail for Falk's return. You wanted to thank him properly for saving you today. When you saw him exit the trail, your horse in tow, you found yourself hesitating. You wished your sister was here, she would be the first to tell you how irrational you were being right now. You let out a frustrated groan, dropping your head into your hands. You wanted to thank him, yes, but it was more than that. The entire ride home you had one nagging thought in the back of your head. You divulged a fear to him, he had saved your life, but not once had he ever seemed to pity you. Every member of the court, visitor to your kingdom, even your own parents, they all treated you like some frail baby bird. You were sick of it. You planned exactly what you were going to say to him, knowing how strange this would sound coming from one of the princesses. You headed down to the courtyard to find him practicing, a soft smile forming on your lips at the sight.

"Sir Falk." He drops his bow immediately, turning in your direction.

"Ah, if it isn't the runaway!" He chuckles, taking a couple steps closer to you. "Princess, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, I wanted to come thank you for earlier." You fidgeted nervously with your hands, all the resolve you had built up practicing in the mirror dissolving the second his gaze landed on your face. "I also wanted to ask a favor, if that's alright."

"For you Princess, anything." He gives you a toothy grin you can't help but return.

"I'd like you…" you cursed internally as you stumbled through your words. "I was hoping you could train me."

"Train you?" He crosses his arms over his chest, a perplexed expression on his face as he ponders over your question. You pursed your lips, looking down at the ground to hopefully ease your flustered mind.

"I'm sick of feeling helpless… I want to be a mercenary… like you." Your voice came out soft, much different than the firm diction you held with your reflection. Falk could tell by your words that this wasn't some silly daydream you wanted to pursue. He could tell by your expression that you didn't just want him to train you, you needed him to. Sure, training a Princess wasn't going to be an easy feat, but since when had he ever turned down a challenge?

"Training starts tomorrow, meet me here at noon." He chuckles, returning to his target practice. You nod, unable to hide your elated smile as you turned to leave. "Oh, your highness?" You glanced back at him, a playful smirk on his lips. "I want you to know, just because you're of royal blood doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you." You chuckle, you knew he was the perfect man for the job.

"I didn't expect you to."

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Tag list: @moss-the-moth @ramblingoak @kissingghouls @the-hole-in-terzos-shoe @vampghoulette @rabidghoul @belnovacaine @iamsarahsaysso @copiousloverofcopia @jumpcauseimfroggy @littlegirlsdontplaynice @jennmakesitweird @gothdaddyissues @angellayercake @angel-layer-cake @mustluvecho (I think I got everyone! If I missed you or you'd like to be added to the tag list let me know!)

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[magdasabs]

Five points: Spain-Sweden

CORDOBA. Anna Rydén's five points from the Spain-Sweden training international.

1. Small glimpses are not enough

Kosovare Asllani spoke once again about Sweden not playing its best international match, that there are several more levels. It was a mantra we heard over and over again during the EC and of course it is, but when will we see a Sweden playing its best international game? A national team that delivers over 90 minutes.

This international competition was a starting point for the WC next summer and there is a lot to think about if Sweden will join and challenge for the medals in Australia and New Zealand.

It started well with an aggressive Sweden where Rolfö took charge and operated inside the court several times while EC jokers Rytting Kaneryd and Nildén flew forward on the edges. The attack behind the early lead goal was beautiful. From Sembrant's opening pass to Rolfö who in turn chipped the ball to Asllani. A touch and a tunnel later, Rebecka Blomqvist, after a nice run, was able to score 1-0 and the feeling was that this could be quite a pleasant evening in south-west Spain.

Then something happened. Sweden lost momentum and let Spain into the match. A bit like in the semi-final against England where Sweden started with a high tempo but did not manage to manage the chances. Those glimpses show what this national team can do when everything clicks, but 20-30 minute periods in the matches are not enough if Sweden is to keep up and challenge the very best in the future.

"I think we're getting a bit tired," says Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, while she and several other players talk about how they feel in good physical shape. It is clear that it is tiring to have to chase the ball, but no matter how you twist and turn it, Sweden must manage to find the balance here. Maybe it's that you lack a leader on the field who controls the pace. A Caroline Victory.

That will be a nut for Gerhardsson and the gang to crack.

2. What has happened to the Swedish defense?

Sweden was good for the first twenty minutes, then Spain were allowed into the match. Blågult lost in the high pressure and fell back more often in a five-back line than the aggressive three-back line that you want to play with this line-up.

Spain were allowed to create a lot of scoring chances, Sweden lost the ball in their own half and there were large areas for the opponents to work on. What if this had been a star-studded Spain? Then this could have been quite a ride.

The fact that it also looks like it did with Spain's equalizing goal is worrying. Fixed situations have been Sweden's strength, but here they lose their mark and it seems that the communication is not there.

3. Give a goalkeeper the confidence

Since Hedvig Lindahl announced that she is no longer the first goalkeeper in the Swedish national team, it is completely open in that position. Because even if it hasn't been pronounced even in Lindahl's case, she has been the given choice when it comes down to it.

The times the experienced keeper has been missing in recent years, Gerhardsson has rotated, both Falk and Musovic have had the chance. The latter made some really important saves in the second half against Spain and Falk also has a couple of good efforts in his bag.

There is no doubt that Sweden has several good goalkeepers, but considering the special situation they find themselves in, I think the Swedish national team captain should give one of them the trust as the declared first goalkeeper. Regardless of whether it will be Musovic or Falk, I think it will lift both the goalkeeper and the Swedish national team. Among the outfield players, it is possible to work more, but at the back there needs to be a safe point.

4. Up to proof against France!

Now a crowd party awaits at home at Gamla Ullevi for Sweden. There will be twists and turns on the Swedish starting eleven and it is needed. As I touched on earlier, there is savings capital on the bench. Blackstenius, Andersson, Angeldahl and Björn are players who could very well step into the eleven. In addition, I see it as a complete given that Zecira Musovic will, for the first time, be allowed to play two international matches in a row.

France will be a much tougher match for Sweden. It's a star-studded team full of players who are skilled one-on-one. They keep a high pace and will challenge Blågult, which means that Sweden needs to get speed into the backline. The feeling is that this means that Gerhardsson will switch to a four-back line. Because he doesn't want to risk being pushed back in a five-back line for large parts of the match at Gamla Ullevi?

5. How long does this Vilda last?

When Jorge Vilda's name was called over the speakers at the Estadio Nuevo Arcangel, it was met with boos from the crowd. Although Spain stood up well against Sweden, the crisis in Spanish football is total. It is clearly not okay that fifteen players feel compelled to boycott the national team because they feel that they feel bad in the national team environment. Exactly where the problem lies is of course only known to the players and the federation, but Spanish media have reported an authoritarian leadership style from Vilda and that players are being pressured to play despite being injured.

Regardless of what the problem is, it is a problem that must be solved and the union cannot turn a deaf ear. They need to listen to the players and make sure this ends because I don't want to see a World Cup without stars like Putellas, Bonmati, Patri, Mapi Leon and Paredes, to name but a few.

In a World Cup, the world's best must play. End of discussion.

#swewnt #article #posting it because I think it's a very good read!

[toughgirlchallenges]

Mireille Siné: Pushing Boundaries - From Lupus to Long-Distance Running, Tackling the Speed Project with Unlimited Women.

Mirelle in her own words:

“My name is Mireille and I’m a certified run coach, autoimmune athlete, and podcast host based in Los Angeles, California.

I have been an athlete all my life but I found myself in distance running while in college. 

As an exercise science major, I was immersed in the world of bio-mechanics, physical performance, and health. 

However it was also in college where I was diagnosed with Lupus; an autoimmune disorder that left me sidelined from physical activity for 1.5 years. 

Luckily after treatment, I was able to use running to gain back my health and then some! 

Over the last ten years, I have experienced so much of what running can bring; determination, fun, discipline, adventure, and confidence." 

Some accomplishments include:

-   Completed 12 marathons (& counting)

-   First Black women to run from Boston to NYC (200 miles in 11 days as part of the FALKE team)

-   Completed a relay from Santa Monica to Las Vegas. (The Speed Project 2023 - with Unlimited Women)

***

This episode of the Tough Girl Podcast is proudly sponsored by INOV8, the pioneers in cutting-edge sportswear. 

Learn more about INOV8 and get your 15% discount. Click Here.

***

Show notes

Who is Mireille

Living in LA, California, but originally from Cameroon, West Africa

Growing up in Cameroon before moving over to America at 6 years old

Wanting to finish school and to go on to college

Being inspired by her dad who was active and loved to ride bikes

Playing basketball, and enjoying being active

Having ambitious dreams and a love for learning 

Wanting to have a safe profession 

Being interested in science and wanting to pursue college

Studying exercise science for her undergraduate degree

Running track in high school and being curious about distance running at college

Wanting to pursue physical therapy and the challenges of trying to progress in the career

Enjoying running and feeling healthier while doing it 

Dealing with stress while at college

Being diagnosed with Lupus an auto immune disease and the impact it had on her life

The impacts of Lupus on her body

Making changes and how Lupus impacted on her life

Needing to pivot and make a change in her life

Having a year left in school and needing to make some key decisions about her future

Doing what she thought was best

Needing to take a semester off from school/college

Working as a PT assistant and getting back into running 

Balancing health and fitness while having Lupus

Turning to vegetarianism to help manage her Lupus

Training for her first marathon

Magical moments while running 

Running in the Speed Project (2023) - running from LA to Las Vegas over a weekend

Unlimited women - a team of 10 women, bringing diversity and awareness into the running sphere

Dealing with challenges on the Speed Project

Mental tips and tricks for when it gets tough 

Race strategy and how the race worked 

Starting to eat meat again and dabbling in veganism 

Nutrition while running and racing and making it easy. 

Running from Boston to NYC and becoming the first Black woman to be involved in the project with FALKE

Working with FALKE 

Running the Berlin Marathon

Entering the lottery for the London Marathon

The Los Angeles Marathon

Working as a running coach and her coaching philosophy and values

Coaching road, trail and autoimmune athletes 

Education, communication, commitment and joy. 

Why it’s more than just a training plan

Making the training adaptable to your life

Hosting the “Running in Public” Podcast - combining messages about running and public health.

How to connect with Mireille on social media

Final words of advice for other women who want to get into running

Speaking up and the power of advocating for yourself 

The importance of making it fun!

  Social Media

Website: www.coachedbymireille.com 

Instagram: @heycoachmireille 

Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/coachmireille 

  Check out this episode!

#podcast #women #sports #health #motivation #challenges #change #adventure #active #wellness #explore #grow #support #encourage #running #swimming #triathlon #exercise #weights