#friend: shattered light (avalon)

[tiny-cloud-of-flowers]

Xeno Femslash February Day 1: Beginning (Lora/Aline)

Following a lead discovered by Haze, Lora travels to the small hamlet of Torigoth in search of her mother, Rynea. Although she is shocked to find the village left in ruins, she is determined to find survivors - and manages to find a Driver hidden in the nearby forest. (2360 words) Takes place near the beginning of Torna ~ The Golden Country. This piece was written for the “Beginning” prompt of the Xeno Femslash February event.

My friend @artificervaldi is running an event/prompt list for this month, aaand.. well, I wanted to have a go at writing some selfship pieces for some of the prompts, so this is my piece for the first one! I hope that this is alright ^-^

(Anyone is welcome to comment on and/or reblog my work if they want to, as long as my DNI is respected!)

Tag list and document transcript under the readmore:

Tag list: @starlit-selfships | @edencantstopfallininlove | @yoomtahsgf | @sunlight-ships | @dragonsmooch | @thatslikesometaldude | @artificervaldi | @keyblade-ships | @seahydra | @alrest | @neuvilline (If you would like to be tagged in any of my future work, please use this form!)

Document transcript:

Travelling with the lord of Aletta himself was a vastly new experience to Lora - as was the might of the Blade he had resonated with. Everything was so different, from the decoration of the inter-Titan transport to his refreshing and light-hearted banter. It was quite clear that Jin was unsure of how to see the situation, but Haze's confidence in the lead she had found was granting her Driver the strength and the hope that she dared to let build up in herself. She found herself enjoying Addam's demeanour, even if Mythra's standoffish nature made for a stark contrast - yet even she had her moments of more genuine appreciation.

When the party, as they could perhaps now be termed, landed on the grass of Gormott, Lora was amazed by the Titan's rolling plains and verdant scenery. Despite the drizzle drifting down from skies above, the wide-open views felt no less dreary; if anything, the plant life seemed almost more invigorated for the water. It was not cold, but neither was it humid - a clear freshness punctuated the air and put a spring in everyone's steps as they made their way to their destination. At times, there were a few tense moments of keeping watch for Ardainian or Coeian forces potentially skirmishing over resources, but these groups were not a strong presence in the local vicinity. Everything felt that little bit new and exciting.

It was only as Torigoth came closer, and the mists of rain had risen into stormclouds as dark as the plumes of extinguished flame-smoke, that the tone of the mission plummeted completely.

Lora found herself gripped by worry that dived headfirst into panic once she realised what had happened, fears rising almost as strongly as if she had stumbled upon her birthplace torn to shreds. Her pace picked up into a sprint as she flew along the path leading to the razed hamlet, not slowing even as she passed through the thick stone walls and further along the path and forwards into what should have been a lively and calm village square but was instead now.. no more than a mere clearing amidst piles of blackened timber and burnt remnants of buildings. There were glimpses of fallen townsfolk, here and there in the chaos; these were peaceful farmers whose lives had been gluttonously cut short by looters.

"Oh, no.."

"Here, too?" Addam wondered aloud from behind her, staring grimly at the carnage wrought before him. "Gormott's an attractive target, but this? Whoever did this.. clearly had no compassion or respect for the people they killed.."

Mythra seemed decidedly less affected by the scene, even if she was frowning slightly as she examined it. "Whether it was Malos, or someone else. Either way, clearly they're all toast."

This casual dismissal earned her a chiding look from her Driver. "Mythra.."

Meanwhile, Jin had become keenly aware of how distraught his own Driver had become, despite her face not being visible from where he was standing. Mythra had reminded Milton before that Drivers and Blades were one in body and soul, and in that moment it certainly did feel as though some of her distress was tangibly adding to his concern.

"Lora.." he began, wondering whether to approach her.

There was a moment's pause before she spoke up. "It's.. It's okay." she then said, mustering up what levity she could. "Mother.. could have run away somewhere safe.."

Her words held little hope or confidence, and everyone would likely have settled into an uncomfortable silence had that silence not been punctured by the sound of armoured footsteps running up to the group.

"You there! A moment, if such may be spared!"

All attention gladly turned from the destruction, the party looked over to one side to see a very tall figure approaching from a side path. They were dressed in quite extravagant white and golden armour, with a long cape and skirt that came down to above their knees, plus silver gauntlet-like gloves and greaves - all of which combined to make an impressive first impression. They were also almost completely soaked through, as could be seen from how much their hair was dripping pitch-black from the rain.

"Might I presume thee to be travellers?" they continued to ask as they ran, stopping upon getting close enough to speak without having to call out.

Haze had been standing closest, and so was primed to step forward to address the stranger while they stopped to catch their breath, crosier in hand. "Are you okay? What happened here?"

In response, they simply shook their head, though it was more in a dismissive way than a negative answer. "Pray be not concerned as to my status. 'Tis that of my Driver for which I would deign to seek thine aid."

"So you're a Blade, then.." Lora mused - but at the sound of her voice, he frowned. He looked up after a moment only to find himself locking eyes with her - and his brow furrowed even more fiercely at the sight.

"Art thou not Lady-?" Then his voice caught in his throat, and he had to take another moment to reassess the situation. This caused Lora and Haze to glance between each other confusedly.

Mythra, on the other hand, was eyeing up the Blade with an unusual amount of interest, looking over the gleaming gold of their armour and the blue sword-shaped Core Crystal set in their chest. "Sure don't see Blades like you in places like this.. Who's your Driver, the lord of Gormott or something?"

"Do not jest so, lest thou receivest the wrong impression. Her name is Aline - a woman of Gormott, whose hair and height art alike to yours save in length." they explained. "She is dressed in verdant green, which may yet aid in her concealment from my view.. I bid her flee for safety at first sight of the brigands responsible for this travesty, yet she is wont to fear all conflict, and mine endeavours in dealing with such scoundrels hath left me wholly unknowing of her location."

The party listened carefully to his description, committing the details to memory. Addam was keen to take charge, his expression more serious than Lora had seen it since first meeting him.

"Right then." he declared as they finished. "A blonde Gormotti girl wearing green. Don't worry, my good fellow - we'll do what we can to find her."

"Full glad am I to hear this." replied the Blade, before pausing as if remembering something. "Ah! Pray forgive my discourtesy. Mine urgency did prevent the proper introductions; you all may address me as Avalon."

"It's good to meet you." Lora said quickly, though her mind seemed to be elsewhere. "I'm thinking that- since there are a few of us, we could split off into pairs to cover more ground. Maybe.. Jin, would you mind staying with Avalon?"

The ice-element Blade, who had clearly been rather taken by their attire, frowned slightly. "..Not outright, but will you and Haze be alright on your own?"

"Yes, don't worry." she insisted. "If anything happens, or you find Aline or anyone else, come back here to the square. I saw that the forest here encroaches on the village quite a bit, so.. if Haze and I look through there, you can check over the immediate area, and then Addam and Mythra can search in the fields to the north. Sound like a plan?"

Everyone quickly gave their assent, and set off to search for the girl.

==========

The rain had not relented, splashing down in heavy raindrops through the towering trees overhead. Haze and Lora were quickly but carefully picking their way through the drenched forest, expressions tense with apprehension. Neither woman was familiar with the flora or fauna of the Titan, and it also had not been clear whether Avalon was able to successfully rout all of the brigands, so the pair kept close together in order to observe without drawing too much attention to themselves. It was a tricky and tentative situation, searching for someone they had never even seen in an environment where she would be almost perfectly-camouflaged.

Trying as she might to concentrate, Lora's mind was racing too quickly to let her focus properly. The way in which Avalon had faltered at the sight and sound of her was unsettling, and most unexpected - yet the more she dwelled on the moment, the more she wondered if it could have meant something. It had been far too long since she last saw her mother, and.. the thought suddenly came to her that it was possible the two could share some resemblance. Which, of course, meant that Avalon was familiar with her. ..She didn't quite know how to feel about that, let alone right in this moment.

Meanwhile, Haze was looking around nervously, but finding the details of her surroundings difficult to discern in the driving storm. "My lady, do you think we should call out for her?"

"I think so." Lora replied. "Avalon said she might be scared, so if she's hiding, it might not be easy to find her ourselves. Besides, we don't want to startle her.."

The Blade gave a dutiful nod, and opened her mouth to cry Aline's name - but it was then that Lora's attention was caught once again, and she failed to hear it.

The trailing ends of a long grey scarf were fluttering in the wind that had just picked up, and their sudden movement drew her gaze to spy a startling peridot gleam just above where they began. As quickly as she had glimpsed it, it fled from view behind a tree whose bark almost shone in the low light from being so rain-saturated.

"Lady Lora? Is everything alright?"

Haze had now stepped into her field of view, her golden eyes examining Lora's own with some concern.

"Wait there a moment, Haze. I think someone else is here.."

As carefully as if she were approaching a sleeping Pippito, Lora kept her sights set on the scarf tails that were even now still just about visible from around the back of the tree trunk, and stepped forward slowly to investigate.

"We're not here to hurt you, if that's what you're worried about." she said to the tree trunk after a moment. "Avalon sent us.."

This seemed to have been the right thing to say, as a hand slowly crept its way around the side of the tree. Following it was the face of a shy young woman, whose drenched blonde hair was poking out from under her grey hood that had pockets for feline Gormotti ears. She was wearing a rustic sort of dress with light, puffy sleeves - and a green skirt and bodice, just as Avalon had implied. Her face was frozen by worry, wet with what could have been rainfall or tears, and her eyes seemed to catch what little light there was in the forest to shimmer with brimming anxiety.

Lora couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief from having found who she was looking for, but she could tell that the young woman was very shaken, and so maintained as gentle a kindness as possible.

"Hello there; my name is Lora. It's alright - I promise you don't need to be scared of us."

"Ah! I'm sorry!" she replied suddenly. "Um, I- I'm Aline.. And I think I might already know a bit about you, Lora.."

This remark caused Lora to blink in confusion as Aline nervously drew back from the soaking tree bark. She noticed that her heart was racing, and had to place her hand over her chest to try and settle it. Meanwhile, Haze had crept up behind her Driver, giving a gentle smile and wave that seemed to ease Aline's worries somewhat.

"My name is Haze." she said softly, after seeing her relax a bit. "I'm really glad we found you, Aline. You're not injured or anything, are you?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you. But- thank you for asking." she stated. "Sorry, I'm not.. normally this anxious, I promise.."

"Oh, please don't worry about that!" Lora exclaimed, almost sheepishly, to try and reassure her. "You'll be safe with us now, that I can assure you. Avalon is, too, in case you were worried - they'll be pleased to see you again, I'm sure."

This remark made Aline's eyes widen. "I didn't want to just leave them alone! But they insisted on this being safer, and.. I-I don't know whether anyone else managed to get out.."

Tears began to well up in her bright green eyes once again, and she raised a soaking-wet hand to unsuccessfully try to dry them. Lora felt a rush of intense pity for her, and quickly tried to sift through her things for a not-yet-completely-soaked handkerchief to use. She had meant to offer it to her, but Aline could do instead was blink as she felt the soft fabric on her face, and her eyes instinctively darted away in every direction to avoid being faced with Lora's.

"Thank you very much-!", she squeaked, causing Lora herself to feel slightly mortified. Why had she done that? She stopped herself and pulled backwards, taking in Aline's expression in full - and then realised the answer, as the fearful aura clouding her had now finally vanished. Haze, meanwhile, couldn't help but chuckle at the kind and instinctive gesture; it was clear that Lora had been worried about her wellbeing, on top of everything else going through her mind. Above them, the rain also began to ease slightly.

There was still a blanket of worry hanging over the three as they decided to make their way back, and each was bracing for a difficult scenario upon their return to the others. Even so, the fact that Haze and Lora had found at least two survivors of Torigoth felt like it had to be something - and that feeling that dared to feel positive was persistent in its slowly-rising nature. With Aline's wealth of experience as guidance, they found a straightforward path back out through the forest, returning to the ruined- but, at least, no longer smouldering - remnants of Torigoth.

And thus, girl met girl.

#heart of the void #creations from the void #selfshipping #this post is okay for anyone to reblog as long as my DNI is respected #love: knight of the people (lora) #selfship: to fight for what matters (lora/aline) #(or at least the beginnings of it - since this is how the two met!) #self‑insert: hope without courage (aline) #and also featuring #friend: shattered light (avalon) #who is my OC for this game! I.. tried. when it came to their speech patterns. #friend: windfall memories (haze) #plus others but to less of an extent #platonic F/Os #of gods and titans (xenoblade chronicles) #some of the dialogue here is directly taken from when I rendered a part of this in the past #I probably could have added those images back in actually.. but oh well #if you see them in there after the fact then that's what I have done!

[void-kissed]

Hello friend! I got thinking about Torna's crafting system again recently and was curious -- What kinda crafts would Aline, Avalon, and Ursula make? I could see Ursula making song sheets similar to Minoth's plays -- but what about you and Avalon? Do you have any ideas or have you not thought about it before? Do you have something else in mind for Ursula?

Ooh!! Thanks for this ask, friend!!

I feel like I've definitely made a post about this at some point in the past, but I can't quite find it right now. My main logic at the time, as I remember, was to let Team Aline provide some of the types of pouch items that are present in XC2 itself but not in TTGC - these types in full being art, board games, drinks, instruments, and textiles. From a gameplay perspective it might arguably make sense to pick the ones that don't have equivalents for the effects they provide, but that seems a bit limiting, so I'm disregarding actual gameplay benefits here.

With the list of missing types in mind, Ursula seems a perfect fit for making handmade instruments, since she mentions in her Heart-to-Heart that she can play a few! I do really like that song sheet idea, though - I can definitely imagine her coming up with little melodies to sing in her own time ^-^ She might feel a bit too shy to share them with the entire rest of the party all at once, though, admittedly. Maybe with Aline eventually, but it would take a long time for her to feel confident enough to sing in front of the others.

When it comes to the other two (i.e. me and Avalon).. I want to say that, originally, I said that Aline would make textiles? Considering she's from a small village, I can definitely imagine her weaving or sewing while she was there before it got razed and she met the party. Then, for Avalon.. making drinks comes to mind as something that might fit him, and that would technically go along well with the fact that every other team has a Blade who cooks (except that the other Blades all make food, specifically). However, I could also honestly see either one of us making art, too - maybe Aline's textile-making is a mix of traditional fabrics (that give textile effects) but also items of embroidery (that give art effects)? That could be sweet ^-^

I hope that all of this was alright as an answer, friend!! Thank you again for this ask - it was really fun to think about~

#a call from the void #heart of the void #selfshipping #self-inserts #self‑insert: hope without courage (aline) #and then #daughter: arctic harmony (ursula) #familial F/Os #friend: shattered light (avalon) #platonic F/Os #my OCs #of gods and titans (xenoblade chronicles) #out of the inbox #selfship asks #sort of #B tag! #i feel like going on a ramble about how much i adore ursula because she is just. so baby. and I love her #she is my child and i care about her immensely #I still don't know the whole story around when aline finds her core crystal and resonates with her but maybe one day i'll solidify that #I just know it's somewhere in the story #I feel bad thinking about her being playable (as part of team aline) in TTGC considering she is. a child. #but i just really like the idea of her getting to interact with mikhail and milton too. 'cause they're there for things as well #except there's always going to be that little bit of a divide by virtue of her being a blade when they are both not #but they can still all be friends with each other!! #I also need to think about how she fits in to my version of XC2 events (i.e. who awakens her) since she is there too #she gets to be friends with poppi and also with ruby and sapphire dotes on her a lot just like aline did

[moved-to-void-kissed]

Aline: "It feels so strange to me, wearing armour like this. I'm really not used to it yet.." Lora: "Well, you've got to be well-protected if you're coming with us into combat. I know you've got Avalon with you, but I still wanted to make sure you were safe in your own right!"

Here is my piece for today, which is the twenty-first day of the month! It's of my self-insert Aline trying on the pieces of armour that Lora gets made for her during the journey; she is really surprised to have received some that are so high-quality, but that's the advantage of travelling with a Tornan prince and the Emperor of Mor Ardain.

This was one of those scenes that kinda could have just gone with any background, so I tried to spice it up a little bit with some sparkles and so on, but I hope it still looks alright even if it is rather simple ^~^

Tag list: @catake | @vampking | @wazzuppy | @cherry-bomb-ships | @call–me–home | @xenobabble | @beeon | @coralward | @sanderswife | @pandapup | @altamont498 | @mercuryships | @lemonloven (to be tagged in what I make, please see this post!)

Comments on and reblogs of my work are always okay, and appreciated, but are by no means required!~

#a call from the void #creations from the void #made using MMD #xenoblade chronicles selfshipping #this post is okay to reblog! #sapphic september 2022 #selfship #selfshipping #heart of the void #love: knight of the people (lora) #selfship: to fight for what matters (lora/aline) #self‑insert: hope without courage (aline) #and i suppose they are mentioned so i'll throw in a #friend: shattered light (avalon) #you know how I was ahead by the end of monday? ..yeah i'm back to making things the day they get posted #courtesy of yesterday being quite a few things after each other #i still reckon there's only one day in the month where i won't be able to work on anything whatsoever #actually drat tomorrow is pretty busy too on top of that #..i'll be fine. i've gotten this far and i intend to go all the way to the end #not because i have to but because i would like to

[thequeendomhq]

NAME. Ikaros AGE & BIRTH DATE. 567 & June 15th, 2457 GENDER & PRONOUNS. Cismale & He/Him NATIONALITY. Avalonian SPECIES. High Elvhen FACTION. N/A OCCUPATION. Prince of Avalon FACE CLAIM. Matthew Daddario

biography

( tw: n/a )

To reach out through time, through what is seen and felt, is a gift. That’s what Ikaros’ grandmother would whisper to him as he sat on her knee as a child, on the highest branch of the Laurelin where it seemed like the stars could fit in the palm of their hands. The monarch was a gentle soul, whose radiance passed to her daughter, and finally her grandson – Ikaros. The one who touches the sky, his name held meaning, as he reached with her under Mythal’s glade, a broken Eluvian not far from their spot. This was the honor that Ikaros was raised with.

An ambitious mother, a kind father – one that would let him down in more ways than one. His father frequented the glade, but that wasn’t Ikaros’ issue as a child. Nothing that he ever considered strange until it was too late, perhaps. As a child, Ikaros would run through the branches of the Laurelin, Arvandoril being his home. Yet the call of all the different sights to see, as magic created small biomes for him to uncover. There was nothing that could harm him within Avalon, though the Moongate was always barred to him. He was never allowed to pass through, not unless in the presence of another that would take him. Finding someone proved difficult, but it was for his own good, perhaps. 

His ability manifested itself when he was deep within Mythal’s Glade. When another child went to shove and he simply moved out of the way, having seen that coming moments prior. It was a natural instinct, a reaction that he didn’t know how to control. The child fell, and a laugh escaped Ikaros before he could stop it. It was hard enough to remain friends with others, some remorseful part of Ikaros after being chastised by his family. He was heir to the throne, that was never an attitude befitting of a prince. So he learned the hard way. He learned to try and repress what his sight would show him, ignoring it at times if it meant another could win, or another could reap what they wouldn’t be able to with his help. Or sometimes he’d let them fail, a young and naive part of him glad that he could say I told you so. 

What he didn’t see coming, however, was the sorrow that would befall his mother. His father had wandering eyes, no longer a noble spirit – and Ikaros turned away. He stood behind Titania, a young adult now that could see what was right and wrong. Though pieces of the puzzle made sense. Oberon’s time in Mythal’s Glade, a bastard who now had a bastard son to be raised on one of the highest branches. Ikaros’ favorite escape, somewhat tainted by the actions of his family. A shattered picture of perfection, Oberon was sent on his way – there was no hell like the wrath of Titania. Either way, Ikaros had a brother, someone that could not be blamed for the actions of their parents. Perhaps his only true friend, Ikaros held on to Abelas in the hopes that they wouldn’t have to have some weird generational issue.

As Ikaros got older, he learned that his precognition would simply take what it wanted. He could focus on something that he wanted, receive the vision that he desperately asked for. And as it kept going, the worse his headache would get. Visions would become unreliable, he wouldn’t be able to see straight, either. Fatigue that would leave him out of the light for days, locked away in the palace so he couldn’t be bothered. His grandmother would tell him that even gifts require penance, and while the gods had given the Elvhen an Oracle, he had to take care of himself, as well.

When Titania had deemed Ikaros old enough to venture out into Taravell on his own, it was with a warning. To not get too close, to make sure that he returned, there was a timeframe on everything. Ikaros would do as asked, though he wished to travel and learn what he could. He’d been to the Tower, he’d seen a crumbling Legionnaire Keep, and he’d seen Caribella. The places he’d heard of, the places he’d wanted to see and bring back to Avalon. He’d been to Lorien’dal, to live amongst the Silver Elvhen – all things his mother had done centuries upon centuries prior, only to be called back as distress filled his heart.

His grandmother had turned ill, a few days short of his three hundredth summer, the Blight having taken hold finally. His mother was crowned, and Ikaros was there to be the first to bend the knee to their new monarch. Titania was loved, and as her mother began to get more ill, there was terror that filled the hearts of the Elvhen. The Blight had been spreading so quickly, things that had normally seemed untouchable to the Elvhen becoming the things of waking nightmares.

Ikaros had watched as visions began to swarm his head, as nightmares began to become real. Blighted hands, a dying tree – the earth would shake as one fell from the Laurelin, another remembrance of a time where there was peace, and how it had shattered. Ikaros could feel the new weight of tradition and life fall on his shoulders, and while he would spend his time trying to give other Elvhen answers, he had to pull away. Titania would tell him that his time would come, he could help others but only if he took care of himself. Frustration would boil, and Ikaros would have to wonder if he would spend his life attempting to grasp at futures that weren’t his own.

Blighted hand after blighted hand, nightmares that would come to fruition – the more time he spent caged, Ikaros would wonder if he would ever see the sky again. So he did what he could within Avalon, told his mother and grandmother that he would return, and set out for answers within Taravell.  

personality

+ observant, patient, perseverant – pessimistic, spoiled, manipulative

played by lauren. ???. she/her.

#the oracle #high elvhen

[sky-kenobye]

when you get this ask you have to answer with 5 of your fav songs and then send this ask to 10 of your followers !!

I went waaayyyyy overboard here, so here's my 50 favorite songs instead lmao sorry (20 of those are instrumental music though).

I put it under the cut and sorted by different categories:

(There's a star wars category at the end)

English (the language, I don't know about the countries)

- Voulez-Vous, by ABBA

- '74-'75, by The Connells

- Take Me Home, Country Roads, by John Denver

- I'm still standing, by Elton John

- It's my life, by Bon Jovi

- Civil War, by Guns & Roses

- The Chain, by Fleetwood Mac

- You're So Vain, by Carly Simon

- The song of Silence, by Disturbed (the original too but I like this one better)

- Another Sunny Day, by Belle and Sebastian

- Because the night, by Patti Smith

- It's a Sin, by Pansy Division

- Any Other Way, by We The Kings

- The Story, by Sara Ramirez (the version from Grey's Anatomy)

- Dream On, by Aerosmith

- Children of The Sky, by Imagine Dragons

- Happy Ending, by Mika

Disney/musicals

- Speechless, by Naomi Scott (from Aladdin)

- Show Yourself, by Idina Menzel (from Frozen 2)

- I'll make a man out of you, from Mulan

- Friends Never Say Goodbye, by Elton John (from Road to Eldorado)

- Never Enough, by Loren Allred (from The Greatest Showman)

French

- Amour Censure, by Hoshi

- Kid, by Eddy de Pretto

- Dans les yeux d'Émilie, by Joe Dassin

- Mourir Sur Scène, by Dalida

- Pour que tu m'aimes encore, by Céline Dion

- Je te promets, by Johnny Hallyday

- Ce soir, by Amir

Instrumental

- Honoring the dead, by Marc Steitenfeld (from The Wolf's Call)

- Red & Black light, by Ibrahim Maalouf

- Fate has smiled upon us, by Marc Steitenfeld (from Robin Hood)

- The Landing, by Justin Hurwitz (from First Man)

- Victory, by Two Steps From Hell

- The Winner is, by DeVotchKa (from Little Miss Sunshine)

- Alan Turing's Legacy, by Alexandre Desplat (from The Imitation Game)

- the Main Theme from Europa Universalis IV

- Arrival to Earth, by Steve Jablonsky (from Transformers)

- Above and Beyond, by Audiomachine

- Into Eternity, by Brian Tyler (from Thor 2)

- Il Mostro, by Ashram

- Shattered Empire, by Secession Studios

- Conquest of Paradise, by Vangelis (from 1492)

- Arrival of the Birds, by the cinematic orchestra

Star Wars

- Ahsoka is ready, by Kevin Kiner (from Tales of the Jedi)

- My name is Kino Loy, by Nicholas Britell (from Andor)

- Battle of the Heroes & Up is Down (epic version), by Samuel Kim

- The Hyperspace Jump, by Kevin Kiner (from Ahsoka)

- Memory (star wars style), by Whitney Avalon

- Order 66 Theme Epic Version, by Samuel Kim

[scifriskyxy]

I've been thinking lately a lot about the new sonic game and recently heard about a restructuring that Sega went through a while back so I went searching for more information and pondered on the companies actions

By what I can tell somewhat by their actions Sega seems to be one of those few game companies that haven't been taken over by greedy CEO/managers, incompetent higher ups or controlling ones...ever since the restructuring I can feel the freedom something I haven't sensed or seen In a large company ever since I was a kid when I first played sonic frontiers it felt like cold water was dumped on me and at the same time a sense of something that I haven't felt in a very long time

I got brought back to my childhood I wasn't as informed as I am today the game that officially Dove me into the community with was sonic and the black knight, even tho it was a budget game I adored the characters...Sir lancelot is the one that I still remember vividly even now

The game that gave me a taste was ironically what's considered the worse game ever aka Sonic 06...even now I'm not sure what's wrong with it maybe it's because I focus more on the story more than anything else, how they introduced shadow,silver...the death of blaze...when blaze died I cried I'm not sure why but it did I didn't understand what exactly happened but I felt what silver felt In that scene his heart shattered...

Now today because of sonic frontiers drenching me in water and pushing me off a cliff,Im re-developing my first and only Full fledged OC currently doing art and modernizing her and getting her more lore accurate basing myself on the original idea I had for her a knight well the next user of caliburn after sonic left...even tho sonic and the black knight was a budget game i fell in love with some of the characters I wanted to give caliburn[the sword] a second chance in my own special way as I felt he would never be used again i wanted to make someone that would be part of the sonic lore but not a part of the main cast yet she or he aware of the team while they arent...an ancient evil an explanation to what happened to Avalon after sonic left on how it became but a myth a story...a legend at the same time I want to keep her story as accurate as I made her as a child...my memory of her isn't the best but I'm gathering the fragments and revitalizing her into a brand new light... someone that was tarnished by war loss ,alone once parallel to sonic but lost everything events didn't pan out,alone... even tho they'll never encounter eachother I want her to be a cracked yet still shining light someone that shows what sonic could have becomed properly if things didn't turn out right someone even shadow can relate to if they ever encounter, someone Amy would have a very hard time with making friends with someone knuckles would be amazed by him having a proper glimpse of the past and maybe even a glimpse of his people and perhaps even what caused the eventual downfall...someone whom can remind and tell tails that having two tails isn't evil or a bad thing but a blessing a sigh he's meant to do great things and go far

Someone shadow would be shocked that there is an ultimate life form that wasn't created in a God damn lab and maybe she'd some light on parts of his creation mainly DNA related that made him look as he does

Sonic the hedgehog was my childhood I wish Sega the best and I hope they don't end up corrupt and greedy once more and don't lose their momentum and fall into the pits of greed and power like many of the game-developing companies today

I hope Sega truly manages to reach the stars and be a force of good in this sea of greed, corruption, and control

#sonic the hedgehog #sega games #childhood #memories #random thoughts #hopes for the future #aint sure what else to put-

[sekhisadventures]

Battle Plans

A hole in the very sky itself. It sounded insane, even by the standards of what Azeroth had been through, but it was true enough. From the hole had come the dark angelic beings that had stolen away Thrall, Anduin, Jaina, and Baine to whatever fate lay beyond... and in their wake came a host of nightmarish monsters to take control of the Scourge.

Even Bolivar and the Ebon Blade could barely hold against such an army. Icecrown Citadel itself was well defended both by powerful spells and their own, still controlled undead warriors... but those outside the walls had turned against the now uncrowned Lich King and assailed the gates from outside along with whatever came from beyond the veil!

In response, the Alliance and Horde mobilized at once. The Vindicaar had been put into action once more, ferrying soldiers of both Orgrimmar and Stormwind northward to defend against the renewed threat of the Scourge while the Illidari's flagship, the Fel Hammer, bombarded the battlefield from above and provided cover to the Army of the Light's vessel. While the Vindicaar was a swift and trustworthy ship, it was a troop transport and not outfitted for a prolonged fight... while the Fel Hammer most certainly was.

Backing up both was Acherus. The necropolis currently under the leadership of Bolivar's second in command, Highlord Darion Mograine, who led the Ebon Blade to fight their ground forces as only a death knight could.

While they held the armies of the dead at bay, the Alliance and Horde scrambled to make a battle plan against the Scourge.

Dalaran had retreated from its usual base over Crystalsong Forest, the mage city returning to the skies above the Broken Isles as Khadgar and the Kirin Tor frantically searched their archives for some hint of where the portal may lead.

Inside the magistrocratic city is where our story begins, where the members of Avalon and Savage United are meeting to plan their way forward.

Dalaran, the Day After Sylvannas Shattered the Sky

Jaie Swiftpaw padded into the Legerdemain Lounge that day, past their newest member who was leaning against the wall outside. Samuel Montebank, the void elf rogue, was a rather quiet one by and large. He tried to turn on the charm when he first met them and it had resulted in him almost getting crushed under Shalandrae in her bear form. Since then the ren’dorei man had made a point of being very polite and courteous to her… and anxiously watching the rest. Jaie nodded to him as she entered, he nodded back, then returned to honing the edge of his dagger.

Inside the inn the rest of the groups had already assembled. Seated along a large table were most of her friends in Avalon. Nelen was near the head, a scroll already in the mage’s hands, with Dareley next to him. Shalandrae, however, was leaning against the far wall and eyeing their Horde counterparts with barely disguised anger.

Jaie didn’t blame her, but she hoped her friend could keep that in check until after their meeting was over… they had never found out just what Savage United had done at Teldrassil, they'd never had the chance with the Blood War making cross-faction communication all but impossible and then the hunt for Sylvannas taking precedence over all else. Still, now was not the time...

Leaning against another nearby wall was the warlock Dissonantia, accompanied as always by her massive companion Az’arad the Wrathguard. She was idly eating a fried kebab that she’d bought at the bar, grinning as she enjoyed the druid’s clear distress at someone other than her.

Seated across the table were Grimo Blamstick, Nitika Dawnhoof, and a face Jaie didn’t recognize. A very small face really.

Sekhi, the vulpera shamaness, who had filled the vacant slot in their group left by the sacrifice of Krag’thar Stoneshaper on the ruined world of Argus when he gave his life to protect his allies. She felt a pang in her heart at that thought. She hadn’t been conscious for that, having been horribly wounded by the impact of a salvo of infernals, but from what Nelen had told her the old orc may well be the reason they all made it out alive.

Against the far wall, as far away as he could get from Dissonantia, was another fel magic user, but one that despised warlocks and demons with an intensity few could match. Merahim Suneater, the Illidari, glared around the room.

Jaie slowed as she drew close to the table, the pandaren looking confused. She remembered being told that there were six members now, but two were missing. She knew Mola’raum, but she had heard that their ranks now contained…

“WHAT DO YA FUCKIN’ MEAN THAT’S THE STRONGEST YA GOT?!” snarled a voice as the pandaren jumped, turning to the source of the noise as Nitika sighed and shook her head, Grimo grumbling angrily under her breath.

The pandaren froze for a moment, seeing an orc with dusky reddish-brown skin and swirling tattoos… and for a moment her mind flashed back to the atrocities committed in Pandaria, but then she looked closer and recognized that this was an orcish woman, not the infamous Hellscream. Whats more, this orc was wielding something very familiar.

“H-hey… that’s a pandaren sword!” she said, pointing at the woman’s back.

The orc glanced over at her, raising her eyebrow. She had a sturdy metal ring through her septum of her nose and thick black hair tied into a braid down her back, her armor made of thick sturdy leather and red metal plates. “Yeah, what of it?” she grunted, standing up.

“… why are you using a pandaren weapon?” she asked, cocking her head at the massive orc… thoughts ran through her mind. Did she steal it? Did she kill a pandaren and take it?

“None of your fuckin’ business lady!” barked the orc as she strode forward. “You wanna try to take it from me?” she grinned, cracking her knuckles as she advanced on Jaie.

The pandaren frowned, her body relaxing as she smoothly slipped into a fighting stance… and then suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder and she was on the other side of the bar as a massive shape moved infront of the orc.

“Jaie! That’s enough!” shouted Nelen as he let go of her, having blinked her back across the room.

“Galdia, stop it! She’s not an enemy! She just wanted to know where you got the sword!” protested Nitika as she blocked the orc’s path to the pandaren monk.

“Hrmph… fuckin’ bear…” grumbled the orc as she stomped to the table and slammed down in a chair with excessive force, the wood creaking under her as Nitika turned to them.

“Sorry everyone… Jaie, that’s our new member. Galdia Grimaxe, and she was given that sword after she and I helped stop a sha outbreak at the Red Crane Temple.” she explained.

Jaie looked between the orc and the tauren, then gave a hesitant nod and took a breath. “Sorry, just… surprised me.” she murmured, glancing over the woman’s tattoos once again. She didn’t know enough about the orc clans to recognize the symbols of a member of the Warsong over another clan, but she knew they were very similar to those that Garrosh Hellscream had favored… disturbingly so for her.

Nelen sighed, shaking his head. “So, if we’re done there… we need to work out what the fel happened in Icecrown. Somehow Sylvannas tore open a portal big enough to move an army through… but how did she do it?”

“Heh, that’s th’ ‘undred gold question innit?” cackled Dissonantia. “How’d ol’ roittytits go ‘n break reality in a way that’d make Sargeras ‘imself jealous?” grinned the warlock. “Anyone wanna guess a pact wiv th’ Void Lords? I say ten silver on ‘em.”

Galdia chuckled a bit as Nelen sighed, shaking his head, then Grimo snorted, “I got fifteen on some powerful fel bullshit.” and then the door at the far end of the bar opened wide and a cold breeze blew in carrying the smell of preservatives and decay.

“Ya both be wrong…” said the newcomer as he walked in, his armor clanking with each step, a spear resting over his shoulder with runes glowing on the head. “Ya all may wanna sit down fer dis. It gunna be a doozy.” warned Mola’raum as he took a seat next to Nitika’s chair.

Then he told them of how, after fighting off the val’kyr who had attacked Orgrimmar he had returned to Acherus and met with Darion and the rest of the Ebon Blade and learned of what had occurred. What Sylvannas had done and what it could mean for all of Azeroth.

The rest of the group stared at him. Dareley looked flabbergasted, the old dwarf having never heard of such a thing. He hadn’t known it’d even be possible… but finally he spoke up. “She… destroyed th’ Lich King’s crown?” he asked, then shook his head, “Pull th’ other one lad. Why destroy it when she could just put it on ‘n declare herself Lich Queen?”

Mola’raum chuckled, “Toldja it be hard ta believe, but ya betta believe it bruddah. Destroyin’ such a powerful relic o’ death there, where de veil be thinnest in alla Azeroth, broke the walls between our realm ‘n da realm o’ de dead…” he explained in the sort of grave tone that only one of the Ebon Blade could manage. “Dat hole? It be leadin’ straight to de Shadowlands, ‘n dat be where Sylvannas took ‘er captives. Darion ‘n de odders saw ‘em get dragged in, but her army be too big ta risk goin’ after ‘em.”

Dissonantia snorted in annoyance, the worgen looking exceptionally angry, but her lupine features betraying the tiniest hint of fear as well. “I ain’t buyin’ it. If th’ bleedin’ crown could do that th’ whole time then why th’ feck didn’t th’ Legion just do that back durin’ th’ Third War? Seems like that’d ‘ave worked a lot better ‘n just settin’ a buncha zambies loose.” she snarled.

Mola’raum shrugged, the question had occurred to him as well, but he didn’t know the answer any better than she did. However, Jaie spoke up. “I think Mola’raum is right. I was in Boralus when that happened, and right before the val’kyr came for Admiral Proudmoore I felt…” she shuddered, “It felt like the chi of the entire world had been… hurt somehow, like a huge wound in Azeroth’s life energies.”

Across the table the tiny vulpera nodded, whimpering softly, “… ‘s when th’ song stopped…” she mumbled, idly turning a wooden flute in her hands. Nitika gave her a worried look, placing her massive tauren hand gently on the vulpera’s shoulder, and Sekhi gave her a small smile in return.

Finally however, Shalandrae spoke. “Yeah… I felt something too. I heard Azeroth cry out in horror the moment it happened. Nature felt the hole open, and the world is terrified.” she added in a soft tone, glancing away from the group.

Grimo frowned at her, then sat up and cupped a hand to his ear. “Hey whut’d she say? Ya mind speakin’ up a little toots? Ears don’t work so fuckin’ well these days, explosives work y’see.” grunted the goblin in an annoyed tone.

In response Shalandrae’s head snapped towards him and she glared with her one good eye, casually but meaningfully brushing her hair back to reveal the burned half of her face and her still blinded eye from Teldrassil. “Care to repeat that Grimo?” she snarled angrily, bearing her fangs as a saberfang might.

Grimo paled, sinking back into his chair. “Fine fine… geez… sorry…” he mumbled as Nitika gasped in shock. She hadn’t seen Shalandrae since before Teldrassil’s burning and seeing the result of it that close… she felt sick. That was what she had almost been a part of?!

Finally however, Nelen waved his hand. “Right, everyone calm down. Focus on the threat at hand. That portal leads to the realm of death. How do we close it?” he asked pointedly.

Mola’raum raised his eyebrow, “Ain’t it obvious wolfmon? Somebuddy gotta go through ‘n close it from de odder side.”

The entire room fell silent at the death knight’s words as they all processed what he’d said.

After several long moments, Grimo spoke up. “Not it.” said the goblin.

Nelen glanced down at the map of the known lands of Azeroth he’d brought with him, marked with annotations and what intelligence he had been able to gather from the Kirin Tor, and what Dareley could learn from his contacts within the Alliance Military. “I… don’t know if we can Mola’raum. We’re needed here. Ever since Sylvannas did that, the Scourge has gone insane." said the worgen mage in a warning tone.

"Northrend has all but fallen already. They’ve overrun most of Crystalsong and Zul’drak, the Vrykul are barely hanging on in the Howling Fijord, and the Tuskarr and preparing to evacuate the Borean Tundra. The tanuka tribes are in serious danger, and it’s a safe bet once they hold Northrend their first targets will be Zandalar, Kul’Tiras, and the Broken Isles… we’ll need everyone we can just to hope to hold them at bay.” he frowned.

Mola’raum nodded, “I getcha bruddah, but it ain’t gonna stop till someone close it up from de Shadowlands side… so de boss mon be sendin’ a squad o’ de Ebon Blade in wit’ Darion at de lead. I be goin’ too but…” he frowned, “Dey needin’ people dat ain’t Death Knights… just incase.”

Nelen looked at him, “Incase of what?” he asked.

Dissonantia snorted. “Ain’t it feckin’ obvious boyo? That portal leads ta th’ bleedin’ Shadowlands ‘n th’ Crown opened it up… so if it was th’ key ta th’ lock…” she gestured.

Mola’raum nodded, “Ya got it. De locksmith be on de odder side. ‘n if dey made da Crown, den dey may have de power de Crown had. Dey might be able ta control de undead… like me ‘n me bruddahs ‘n sistahs. Ya be needin’ us ta get in, but we dunno if we won’t wind up turnin’ on ya once we be inside, so we need anudder group o’ fighters ta come wit us who still be breathin.”

They all fell silent again, then finally… “I’ll go.” came a faint voice, barely more than a whisper, as Jaie stepped forward. “Don’t look at me like that, one of us has to go, right?!” she nodded. “I’m a monk, I use chi, life energy! I might have some ability to resist whatever is in that place! I’ll go with Mola’raum first, send word back somehow, and then the rest of you follow us!”

It was more than just that, some part of her was really bothered by how badly she lost to the val’kyr in Boralus.

She knew on some level she was being irrational, that Jaina was a LOT stronger than her and that if she couldn’t beat them then the pandaren had no hope of winning… but she felt responsible.

She was the one who tried to warn Jaina of the assault, and if she’d just gotten past those thick-headed guardsmen sooner then Jaina’s mother might have been able to get the rest of their defenders ready in time…

One week later, Icecrown Glacier…

Jaie padded out among the assembled leaders of the Horde and Alliance, the pandaren glancing anxiously at the burnt shape of the Highlord-turned-Lich-King Bolivar Fordragon as he stood before the shattered remains of the Helm of Domination, her eyes darting around nervously.

Now that the time had actually come the pandaren rather regretted her choice, but it was too late for second thoughts now. At least she wasn’t alone however, several dozen members of the Alliance and the Horde stood with the knights, a vanguard of the living incase the dead could be controlled by the being beyond the rift in the sky.

The assembled members of the Ebon Blade placed the pieces of the broken crown in their spots in a magic circle that had been set up before the frozen throne, their remaining members standing by as they waited for their leader’s command to pass through the veil.

Among them she noticed Mola’raum, the undead troll inclining his head towards her respectfully. He couldn’t show more right now, it was definitely serious business time for him, but he wanted to make sure she knew she’d have at least one person on the other side who’d be watching out for her specifically…

As they placed the final shard Jaie felt a chill pass over her body that had nothing to do with ice and snow, her fur standing on end as a pool of inky blackness began to spread outwards from the center of the circle, and then a feminine voice let out a loud cry as Tyrandae Whisperwind rushed forward from the Alliance leaders and dove headfirst into the opening portal even as Greymane and the others cried for her to stop.

However, she wasn't the only one.

A familiar creature, a lion with skin like tree bark and leaves instead of a mane, seemed to leap out of the shadows as well, following the Night Warrior into the hole between realities! “Shalandrae?!” gasped Jaie, but her friend ignored her completely and vanished into the darkness as well, the pandaren looking around in a panic as Mola’raum almost broke ranks with his other Ebon Blade allies.

Jaie’s mind raced frantically as she felt the portal pulling at her! Shalandrae wasn’t supposed to be here! After the meeting she said she was going to go to Val'sharah and help the other druids of the Cenarion Circle prepare for the Scourge attack, so why... and then it hit her.

Sylvannas.

She remembered the day in the portal room, Shalandrae so furious she’d tried to break her arm and forced Dareley to stun her just so they could get her to abandon her suicide mission.

She thought that she’d managed to see reason, but this must’ve been too tempting to pass up for her!

Well, one way or another, she was about to join the druidess! The pandaren felt reality warp all around her, feeling a strange sensation of being pulled both up and down at the same time as Bolivar called for his knights to march into the portal as well, and then suddenly Azeroth went away… and she was falling… falling into a scene out of a nightmare!

Jaie Swiftpaw beheld the Maw before her in all its horror.

Dissonantia's Lair, shortly after their meeting in Dalaran

Dissonantia had long needed a hideaway from her 'allies' in Avalon and Savage United, somewhere she could perform her deeds without worrying about the scrutiny of people like Dareley or Shalandrae, and during the Legion's invasion she'd gotten very lucky.

A portal on the Broken Isles had led back to a hidden cave system in the Twisting Nether, home of a renegade eredar warlock. She didn't remember his name anymore, just that he'd screamed really good when he'd died to her spells and Az'arad's axe.

Right now however, her sanctum echoed with her furious snarls as she stormed in, gnashing her fangs as she stomped her way into her hidden headquarters.

"Bloody feckin' undead BITCH!" she barked, "All this bleedin' effort fer NOTHIN!"

In the center of her sanctum sat a massive blackened cauldron which was full to the brim with boiling felbood, and nearby curled up on a table was the world's ugliest black tomcat. As she entered it jerked awake, then stretched and twisted until it regained it's true form of Quzgup, her imp minion and the first demon she'd ever made a pact with all those years ago in Blackwald Forest.

"Hissss..." grumbled the Imp, "Why is Wicked Witch so angry?" it muttered sleepily.

Dissonantia's head snapped towards Quzgup as she bared her fangs, then her hand lashed out and grabbed him by the throat. The imp squealed like a stuck pig and kicked frantically as she lifted him off the table, gasping for breath.

"Why?! FECKIN' WHY?! ONE HUNDRED BLOODY YEARS STEALIN' SOULS TA BE IMMORTAL 'N STAY OUTTA TH' LANDS O' TH' DEAD, 'N THEN SYLVANNAS HAS TA GO 'N FLIP THE WHOLE DAMN TABLE OVER!" she roared, shaking him viciously.

Quzgup squealed, then managed to get his grip and with a loud chomp Dissonantia swore and threw him across the cave, the imp landing near a pool of lava they used to dispose of, well, things that needed disposing of.

"Sylvannas?" hissed Quzgup as he stood, "What did the Queen of the Forsaken do?" he asked, rubbing his neck.

Dissonantia shook out her hand as the wound from the imp's fangs closed by sheer force of will, then growled. "Roight, that big feckin' hole over Icecrown? That half-rotten troll Mola'raum sez it leads inta th' Shadowlands! We're gonna get invaded by th' forces of Death!" she growled. " 'n th' only way ta fix it is ta go INTA th' very place I've been doin' me damndest ta stay OUT OF since we bleedin' met!"

As she said this however, Quzgup froze, his eyes going wide in surprise.

"... a way to the Shadowlands is open?" he gasped, then suddenly he clambered back up to her and lept up onto the table he'd been sleeping on, "Then Wicked Witch may have what she seeks at last!" he chattered.

Dissonantia stared at him, "You wot..." she muttered, then leaned in, "Get talkin' Quzgup, HOW?!" she demanded.

Quzgup grinned, "Anima... Wicked Witch needs anima! A powerful resource, the soul but purified and rarified, can only be created in the Shadowlands!" he nodded. "The Legion had tried to claim it for eons, but they were always forced back! Maldraxxus, guardians of the Shadowlands, too powerful for even the forces of the Fallen Lord Sargeras!"

Dissonantia frowned, cocking her head at him. "So... wot... I need ta find this... Maldraxxus?" she asked.

At this Quzgup shook his head frantically, "No no! Not them! Nothing but brutes and savages! Wicked Witch needs to seek the Venthyr of Revendreth!" he nodded, "The Venthyr! Masters of anima extraction and control they are! They have the power Wicked Witch seeks! With anima, she can gain what she has always wanted..." he grinned widely, spreading his arms in a grand gesture, "With anima... Mistress Dissonantia will be young again!"

Dissonantia stared at him, then glanced at Az'arad. "Azzy, izzie tellin' th' truth?" she asked.

The Wrathguard gave a grunt, then nodded his head in reply.

Dissonantia stared into the distance for a moment, then a grin spread over her muzzle. "Well well... ain't that a fing... looks like ol' Windrunner did me a bleedin' favor! Roight then m'boys... as soon as th' teddy bear finds us a way in, we make fer this 'Revendreth.'" she sneered.

Next Story

Previous Story

#warcraft #warcraft roleplay #fanfiction #adventures in azeroth #shadowlands

[drjohndisco]

The Anchor Chapter 10 - Dragon's Den

Word Count: 731 words

Summary: Douxie is broken, and things are doomed.

Sadly Alice didn’t get what they wished for. Douxie didn’t come back from the mission safe. He came back broken. Alice knelt their glowing form down next to Douxie, placing a hand on his shoulder.

‘It’s all gone. Everything. The Heart of Avalon. Camelot, Merlin.’ Douxie said, kneeling down to pick a piece of the shattered crystal. 

‘Maybe we should say a few words?’ Claire asked, looking over at Steve. 

‘Yeah, okay.’ He replied. ‘Ahem, battleship. November. Fruit Punch. Purple…’ He then gave himself over to his sobs, much like Alice wished they could do.

‘Oh, what could I say about Merlin? He was,’ Douxie started, looking down at the staff in his hands. ‘He was everything. He was all that we had.’ He then sat down and patted Archie on the head, defeated. Alice followed suits well, leaning on his shoulder. They were now in their troll form; which often happened in times of great stress.

‘We’ll get through this together.’ Claire stated, walking over to Douxie and Alice with the book. ‘We need you, Doux. Now more than ever. The world, our friends are in danger.’ Gingerly Douxie took the book from her. 

‘And the order is about to kick off an arcane apocalypse.�� Archie added.

‘Merlin didn’t tell me anything. And of course he gave us a book that I can’t even read!’ He said, turning the pages around. ‘I mean, what is that supposed to be? Orcish? Elvish?’

Archie gasped then, startling Alice. ‘It looks like Ancient Draconic.’ Archie said, backing away off the rock he was on and transforming into a dragon. ‘Charlemagne the Devourer.’

‘Charlemagne, the Devourer. Keeper of the most sacred stones and treasure. A vicious dragon.’ Douxie said.

‘Which is why we shouldn’t trouble him. Maybe someone else can translate?’ Archis asked, worriedly.

‘Come on, Arch! This is clearly about The Genesis Seals. And if the order finds them first-’

‘Yes, yes. We’re all doomed. I suppose we’ll have to pay Charlemagne a visit.’ Archie concurred. Douxie then summoned Merlin’s ship and turned to face Claire and Steve. 

‘What about Jim? I need to find him.’ Claire questioned. 

‘Go back to Hex Tech. Research any dark magic that could help him.’

‘Okay. Let’s go Steve.’ Claire said.

‘Aw, but the dragon quest!’ Steve complained.

‘What are you going to do? Get eaten again?’ Claire sassed, before pushing Steve through a portal. She then opened another one

‘Stay safe, my love. And, please, bring me back some rocks if possible.’ Alice said, saluting Douxie with a smile. Douxie saluted them back, and within seconds (and a flash of golden light) they were gone.

+

‘I can’t believe that Merlin’s gone.’ Alice said, still fresh from seeing Douxie so distraught.

‘And Master Jim is still trapped in the body of a loathsome beast by Arthur’s corruption.’ Blinky said.

‘I sense all souls, small and great.’ Nari said, floating a small flower. ‘And I felt Merlin’s soul leave this plane.’

‘Nari, if you can feel all souls, do you think you can find Jim’s?’ Claire questioned.

‘I will try.’ Nari replied, stepping off the computer desk and walking away. They then made the floor glow green with roots and began to float. ‘My roots extend across the world. But I can���t find the soul of your friend.’

‘So all that’s left of Jimbo is the beast?’ Toby queried.

‘I won’t accept that.’ Claire stated. ‘If I can’t find him here I’m going to find him in the shadow realm.’

‘Claire, you mustn't!’ Blinky cried. ‘With Morgana back, that dimension is no longer safe’

‘I can’t abandon him. Jim was turned by dark magic. So I’ll save him with my own.’ Claire then created a small portal and stepped through defiantly.

+

‘Come on, Claire. Come on.’ Toby muttered anxiously. A few seconds later Claire crashed through the portal and landed on the floor of the technology shop. Morgana followed a moment later, causing everybody else to jump into defensive positions.

‘Stop! You’ve got it wrong! She’s not the enemy.’ Claire defended. Then, from somewhere outside a horn blared. 

‘They’ve followed me.’ Morgana said, sadly. ‘We have to get out of here.’

So they all rushed towards the doors of Hex Tech (which was now empty), only to find they were far too late. The Arcane Order’s castle was hovering over the small town. They had nowhere to run.

#universe || the anchor #my writing*

[chilling-seavey]

Qui Totum Vult Totum Perdit (d.s.) - 11

A/N An absolution 

Warnings: This story is centered around a murder so there will be graphic descriptions of blood, death/manslaughter, dealing with corpses, possible domestic abuse (physical/verbal), crime/covering up a crime, shock/grief, and other possibly heavy or triggering topics. Please read at your own discretion.

The sun was setting over the hills as I drove Jonah and myself out of Los Angeles and towards the desert. It was already getting later in the day so we decided to take the route through Palm Springs to stay there for the night and then make the straight shot to our shared ski lodge in Utah early the next morning.

Our drive was reasonably quiet, Jonah had connected his phone and was playing music quiet through the Bluetooth speakers in the car but neither of us were really focussed on the songs. That was a first, honestly.

I was too busy in my own mind; two Advil deep and still sporting a persistent headache while trying to piece together the events of the day. It had been both the fastest and longest day of my life. Did everyone always have it out for Avalon or was I just disgustingly dense? The way my brother spoke about her made me sick and the way Zach left our conversation with that sly dig made my blood boil. Avalon and I may have argued a lot but she was still my wife and I was supposed to protect her.

Right?

I’d be a complete asshole if I didn’t follow through with the one thing I swore to do in front of a whole congregation of our family and friends ‘til death do us part.

Goddammit.

It was dark by the time we pulled up to the resort in Palm Springs and the desert mountains were smudged into the starry sky in hues of black and dark blues. The city seemed quiet as if nightlife was non-existent. Normally, Jonah and I would complain about that – always ones to thrive off good nightlife, especially on a vacation – but right now, the quiet was perfectly ideal.

The sign out front of the resort read Riviera in curling letters and was lit from two spotlights on the grass below if beckoning us towards it. The parking lot didn’t seem too crowded, so we figured it was a safe place to stay. I parked the car near the entrance and pulled out a bit of the cash from the glovebox before we stepped out into the humid air.

Palm Springs felt far stickier than Los Angeles despite only being a two-hour drive away and I tugged haphazardly at the front of my black t-shirt to try and cool myself down a little as we headed for the doors. The burst of air conditioning that tumbled out of the building when the sliding glass doors opened for us was such a relief, even if our walk from the car hadn’t been that far. The lady behind the desk welcomed us with a smile and chipper hello and Jonah and I shuffled over quietly.

“We’re looking for a room for tonight. Two double beds preferably.” I said, keeping my voice down.

Being quiet felt necessary, even in the near empty lobby at the mere hour of 7:30pm.

The young lady typed away into her computer, her calm smile making me feel only more on edge than I already was. What was there to smile about? I drummed my fingers impatiently on the front desk and glanced back through the large windows to the direction of my car.

Her voice brought me back around, “We have a room available for you! It will be $185 for one night. Two double beds. Is a view of the pool alright with you?”

“Yeah.” I answered quickly. Pool, mountain, who gave a fuck. Honestly, dear reader, I never knew how much people can annoy me until I didn’t want to be around them.

“What’s the name for the booking?” she asked, glancing between Jonah and me expectantly.

“Seavey.” I answered and she typed it into her computer.

I figured since I told Christian we were going on a road trip it would only make sense to use my honest name if anyone came after us. God, I hoped no one would come after us.

I paid in full in cash – much to her surprise but she didn’t argue – and she passed us each a swipe key to our room.

“248. Second floor right past the pool on the other side.”

“Is there a Tesla charging station around here?” I asked.

“You’ll see it across the lot. Closer to the middle entrance doors!”

The hotel was built in a circular shape with the pool in the open courtyard centre and the two storeys of rooms in a pinwheel around it. Our room was at the far end of the building from the lobby and I drove my car down to the Tesla charging stations by the centre entrance to plug it in while Jonah pulled our bags from the backseat.

“What are we going to do with…the case in the trunk?” he asked me softly.

The quiet desert night made for ease of eavesdropping. Who could one trust at a time like that?

“The ice should keep it.” I whispered.

We opened the trunk and Jonah stood close to me for privacy as I unclipped the case and opened the top. The southern California heat had melted most of the ice on the drive and Jonah and I sighed in unison.

“Can’t keep her out here in this humidity.” Jonah whispered.

“I know.” I closed the equipment case and locked the clips again, “Bring her in with us then. It’ll be safer anyway.”

Jonah and I each draped our own bags over our shoulders and then each took a side of the case to lift it out of the trunk and onto the pavement. It was much heavier with the bags of melted ice and we found ourselves staggering a little down the hotel hallway with the weight of it. Of course we had to be on the second floor meaning we had to wait for the elevator.

Have you ever waited for the slowest elevator in the country with a dead body in your suitcase in the wide open? Didn’t think so. It is probably the most torturous thing one could experience. Or…one of the most torturous things one could experience.

I wonder if Avalon suffered.

The room was, of course, the lightest colours possible; the walls painted a light blue and the furniture and sheets all a crisp white. Jonah and I set the equipment trunk on the light brown carpet between us once we stepped inside and we took a second to look around the perfectly clean room. Where was there a place to put a bloody body that wouldn’t raise suspicions from housekeeping the following day?

Jonah peeked into the washroom that was directly to our left and he flicked on the light. The white tile floor was lit by warm pot lights along the ceiling and framed with white walls and a wood toned accent wall behind the dual vanity. The stand-alone tub was against the far wall and sat empty and perfectly clean.

We exchanged silent glances before letting the hotel room door close behind us and we lifted the equipment case into the ensuite. With equal soft huffs, we set it down on the tile and I unclipped the lid to open it up. Each melted ice bag was drained down the tub and the plastic packaging was left on the tile while we situated ourselves on either side of the case. I slid my hands under Avalon’s arms and directed Jonah to take her ankles and we lifted her up together and carefully set her in the tub. She was getting stiff so we tried to keep her in the same position we needed to put her back in the case come morning.

Jonah stuffed the empty ice bags into the bottom of the equipment case with the stained towel from home and he pulled it out of the bathroom and into the corner of the main room to keep it out of the way. I sat on the side of the tub and silently eyed the body of my wife that was lain in front of me. She seemed paler than when we left home and I sat there, afraid to touch her like she was stranger again.

“I’m going to grab some ice from the machine down the hall, okay?” Jonah said.

I glanced over at him and simply nodded before turning back to Avalon.

“Are you alright here?” he questioned.

I nodded again.

He hesitated in the doorway but left the room anyway.  

I felt numb when I first found her and I felt numb staring at her now, only hours apart but at the same time it felt like months. My God; my heart hurt.

I got up from the side of the tub and went back into the main room to where my laptop case was left on one of the beds. My hoodie and jeans were still inside it and I pulled out my sweater to take back into the ensuite. I carefully slid Avalon’s arms in it and then tucked it over her head and down her torso before resting her back against the side of the porcelain tub. The light bloody handprint over the chest was easier to look at than the gash across her neck and the completely dark red colour of her clothes. She looked nicer in my clothes anyway.

I sat back on the side of the tub and let my eyes study her face again. She was staring at the wall with that eery blank expression and I carefully reached over to close her eyelids. She looked like she was sleeping. I liked to think that’s what she was doing anyway…seemed to feel a little easier that way.

I let out a soft breath and reached my hand down to brush my fingers over hers, feeling the coolness of her once warm skin. She was unfamiliar now but, at the same time, still nothing less than the supposed love of my life. I ran my thumb over her knuckles and across the diamond ring on her left hand.

The glass fell and shattered on the kitchen floor between us, silencing our screaming match except for our heavy breaths and Avalon’s sniffled tears.

I sighed at the realization that the whole confrontation went on too far and I tried to reach for her, but she pulled her hand back and moved away from me, “Aves.”

“Don’t.” she snapped.

“Avalon, I’m sorry, I-”

“Sorry doesn’t fix everything.” she retorted sharply, yet I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. “I’m sleeping in the studio tonight.”

I swallowed thickly and nodded, glancing to the ground with a heavy heart, the pieces of broken glass shimmering in the kitchen light between us. She went to step around me but I instinctively reached out a hand to her to keep her back from accidently stepping on any broken glass, “Careful.”

“God, Daniel.” she huffed, “Please don’t.”

I didn’t make a move to stop her as she walked around me to storm across the living room and to the back door. She didn’t look back as she opened the sliding glass door and slipped out into the darkness that the falling night brought. I watched her disappear out of the house and into the backyard, her form fading from view like she had been a figment of my imagination the whole time, the cruelest most perfect kind of dream.

Oh, how I loved her. And I was so, so stupid.

I swallowed back my tears of realization as the pieces of the night came clearer to me. How I let her leave to the studio so easily, our last words spat in hatred, and how I could never truly apologize for not being the husband she wanted and deserved. I was too much of a coward and she was too good for me.

My tears came suddenly, breaking my breath in my chest with a shutter and I clenched my jaw to try and keep myself somewhat composed as the grief washed over me in heavy unbearable waves. I clutched her hand in mine and brought it up to my lips to press a soft kiss to her cold skin through my tears.

“I’m so sorry.” I whispered shakily to her, only hoping somehow she could hear me. Wherever she was. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

Detective Team: @jonahlovescoffee​ @randomlimelightxxx​ @stuffofseaveyy​ @hopinglimelight​ @tempus-ut-luceant​ @br4nd1s​ @xkelsev​ @hiya-its-amber​ @sexyseavey15​ @the-girl-who-cried-wolf​

#🔪 #daniel seavey #jonah marais #why dont we #jack avery #corbyn besson #zach herron #why dont we fanfic #daniel seavey fanfic

[k1rishiki]

i am curious, as someone who’s only exposure to arthurania was reading jane yolen’s young merlin as a child, would you mind saying why hnoc is a bad adaptation? i’m super curious but no worries if not <3

this has been sitting in my inbox for months bc i kept telling myself i needed to write a full essay with proof from medieval lit to make myself feel smarter.  however, since i’ve recently lost all credibility bc i can’t articulate points to save my life, and since i’ve realized that i could answer this in a just a couple paragraphs, now seems like the right time to answer this ask. sorry for the wait.

under a cut bc length

also warnings for mentions of racism bc this is hnoc we're talking abt and sexual assault bc this is med lit we're also talking abt

the basic problems are pendragon polycule itself, the story beats of the album, the fridging and lack of characterization of morgan le fay, the clear influence of pop culture arthuriana, and whatever the fuck happened with gawain/e.

pendragon polycule is... just not a good take.  there’s a bit in the lancelot-grail abt arthur viewing lancelot like a son (and lancelot not giving a shit abt him).  also arthur knew his parents for years before lancelot was even born.  plus lancelot just Doesn’t care abt him and i can’t stress this part enough.  arthur repeatedly tries to have guinnevere killed, mostly in the lancelot-grail, and guinn didn’t really have any say in marrying him bc she was a teenager.  lancelot and guinnevere is a lot better but that’s not saying much.  guinn doesn’t exactly treat lancelot too well... like at all, BUT it’s not intrinsic to their relationship and is completely caused by medieval misogyny and i’m all in favor of modern retellings saying fuck that.  but also lancelot has multiple pseudo-canon boyfriends (this is med lit after all), and one pseudo-canon husband so like... there were better options.  (also lancelot’s husband is basically in a lavender marriage with guinnevere’s maybe girlfriend who most authors just eventually forget abt as the story progresses).

this next one is a problem with a lot of modern arthurian works bc the inclusion of elayne of astolat is too much to ask apparently.  the grail quest isn’t tied to the fall of camelot, it just happens to be one of the last grand adventures the knights of the round table have.  the event that traditionally sets off the fall is the death of the maiden of astolat/the lady of shalott/elayne of escolat/she has a lot of names, her story has a few variations but usually she either is cursed to stay in a tower and weave and only be able to see the outside world through a mirror positioned across from her window, until lancelot rides by and she rushes to see him out of the actual window and her mirror shatters, setting off her death, or she lives with her father and brothers and takes care of lancelot bc he was injured for a time and she gets to go on adventures to find him and she’s friends with gawaine and she dies bc lancelot rejects her and this version’s a lot more fun but also more happens which makes it harder to explain.  the way her story ends however, is that she dies after she makes arrangements for a glorious boat to drift from astolat to camelot carrying nothing but her dead body and a letter explaining that she died of love for lancelot du lac and the court mourns the death of such a beautiful and young maiden (her age varies a lot but i’ve always read her as a young teenager at most).  but the important thing is, camelot is doomed from the moment she washes up on its shore bc she’s an omen of the end and has symbolic meaning and all that, the maiden of astolat washes up on camelot’s shores, the court mourns the loss of a maiden in her prime and she marks the end of camelot’s prime as well, morgan le fay reappears after being presumed dead and warns arthur of guinnevere and lancelot’s affair, aggravaine and modred conspire to bring lancelot and guinnevere’s affair to light, they succeed but lancelot escapes, guinnevere is to be burnt at the stake and lancelot rescues her, killing aggravaine, gaheris and gareth (gawaine’s brothers) in the process, gawaine drags his uncle and camelot to war bc he was driven mad due to the loss of his brothers, lancelot accidentally kills gawaine, his best friend and maybe boyfriend (i have RECEIPTS), and gawaine forgives him on his detahbed while lancelot and guinn rejoin arthur, meanwhile modred, who practically had the throne handed to him, usurps and invites the saxons in, camlann happens, and camelot is destroyed.  no where in there is the grail quest.

morgan le fay is honestly the most questionable part of the album bc there’s not a single text where she dies.  like....  at least with eurydice in udad she died in the original... there’s no basis for morgan dying.  also she is NOT modred’s mother and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar, she interacts with him once in the vulgate bc she had three of her nephews over and that’s IT.  it’s a horrible take which originated in the mists of avalon by marion zimmer bradley who is an honest to god monster for reasons i don’t want to trigger tag this post for.  also she’s one of the most dynamic and thought-out characters in the entire canon and they just made her a watered down morgause (modred’s actual mother, morgan’s sister, canonical milf)... there was no reason for it to be her apart from the fact that she’s more well known......

pop culture arthuriana is,,, one of my least favorite things.  no, morgan wasn’t modred’s mother, no, morgause wasn’t abusive but her husband sure was implied to be, no, aggravaine didn’t kill his mother, that was gaheris, he loved his mother, you’re only saying that bc he has a reputation as the “evil” orkney, no, the once and future king is not a good descriptor for arthur, stop making me read it, no, morgause wasn’t the one to initiate the thing with arthur resulting in modred, no, lancelot and arthur weren’t friends, no, tristan wasn’t a self-centered asshole, tennyson is a fucking liar, no, galahad didn’t have sex or want to, he’s one of the first ever explicitly asexual characters out there, no, galahad’s conception was NOT consensual, lancelot was tricked, and no, elayne of astolat wasn’t galahad’s mother, she’s implied to be younger than him.  those are just the big glaring ones, but i swear it’s bc of arthuriana’s reputation as a mythology and the connotations belonging to that word (no one true canon (which is true but there are still things that just AREN’T canon, not completely written down, passed by oral tradition) that causes ppl to see mediocre modern texts and go “oh. well this is abt as close to the original as i’m going to get” and don’t bother to look into so much as malory (who i only name bc he’s one of the most well known medieval authors with the most commonly used storylines, don’t read malory kids, he’s a mediocre-at-best writer even by medieval standards).  the big perpetrators of modern arthurian tropes are the books the once and future king by th wh*te, who is a shitty person and lets it bleed into his writing (which isn’t like... nice to read or anything, seriously why do ppl love this book so much it doesn’t have redeeming qualities), and the mists of avalon by marion zimmer bradley (it’s poorly written, the story is a mess, and mzb is honestly a monster and one google search will tell you that), and unfortunately the writings of tennyson, which are mostly good but he clearly didn’t read the povest (a later text that’s also my favorite, known for significantly improving ppl’s opinions on tristan, isolde and co.) before deciding he hated both tristan and isolde and he has HORRIBLE takes on them.  high noon over camelot is SEEPED in pop culture arthuriana and i think it would have been so much better if the band had read so much as a SUMMARY of the events of le morte.  it’s evident in the song “the once and future king” bc it’s,,,, literally named after one of the worst books in existence.  it’s shown in the morgan le fay thing, and it’s shown in the pendragon polycule thing.  and hell, i think you can even explain away the lack of elayne of astolat with pop culture arthuriana, bc ppl have had bad takes on her ever since th wh*te combined her character with that of ela*ne of corbenic, and the band probably went “huh, let’s write lancelot’s abuser out of this” and they would’ve been right to do so if that’s who elayne of astolat was.

the final big issue is gawaine, the closest thing the genre has to a protagonist, he’s pretty much canon bi and, in some texts, arospec, he’s a dashing knight of great reknown and he derails every romance to steal hearts, commit murder, and make out with every knight and lady mentioned.  and in hnoc he’s... racist.  that’s it.  it’s,,, almost completely unfounded by the arthurian canon and shows a major misunderstanding of his motivations (like i said earlier, he wants to avenge his brothers bc there’s a reoccuring motif of how much the orkneys value family).  i say almost bc in one text it’s his motivations for killing palomydes but i’ve never heard it mentioned by name bc that’s just what it’s known for.  most arthuriana fans just look away from it except when critiquing hnoc but that one text is an outlier, shouldn’t be counted, and i highly doubt the mechs made hnoc gawain how he is bc they found this text.  it’s just a bad text.

hnoc has,,, quite a few more minor issues, such as villainized ladies of the lake (their ONLY crimes were sealing away merlin bc he tried to assault teenage nimue/ninniane (proto-nimue/vivianne from the vulgate), and that one time vivviane/ninniane kidnapped adopted baby lancelot), assigning brain to merlin (y’know,,, the predator who helped arrange the [redacted] of arthur’s mother and tried to assault a teenager,,,) although merlin is portrayed in a positive light throughout modern arthuriana so i don’t think they knew, giving a song to pellinore, who my perception of has been forever altered bc i was introduced to him through malory and the explanation of torre’s conception, which you can just look up “sir torre arthurian” to find out abt if you can’t just Guess, if they wanted a song abt the questing beast palomydes was Right There AND has been associated with the questing beast for longer, but once again i don’t think they knew.

also namedropping a bunch of knights in the fiction is... it Suggests a bigger world full of all these other stories but they just don’t work bc the world of hnoc wasn’t designed in a way where the appearance of half these characters would make sense.  like,, tristan is referenced as dying in the grail quest in the same sentence as bedevere (one of the characters who is known for almost always surviving), but tristan Isn’t one of the knights who dies on the grail quest, his possible deaths (ignoring the potentially happy ending of the povest for a second) are either being murdered by his uncle, king mark (bc mark married tristan’s gf to try and get tristan killed and also to spite him), bc he was driven into a fury bc of tristan and isolde’s affair, or he’s injured and only isolde (the best healer in the world) can save him so he sends for her and if the ship he sent for her is supposed to fly white sails if she’s there, or black sails if she’s not, and the ship flies white sails but his wife (also named isolde) says it’s black sails (the why depends but usually comes down to jealousy), and so he gives up bc he thinks all hope is lost and usually succumbs to his injuries, either way isolde dies of a broken heart over his body.  there’s no way for the tristan and isolde story to play out like it’s supposed to in the world of hnoc, just as there’s no way for any story with gawaine (and Oh Boy are there a lot of stories with gawaine) or pretty much anyone else, without severely altering the canon.

of course, there are still parts of hnoc i like a lot, most of the music i adore and i just like the idea of space cowboys and the secret good hnoc that lives in my head.  and it has one of my favorite characterizations of galahad, even though galahad hnoc is nothing like galahad arthuriana.  it’s not GOOD but i like it and it’s fun to turn my brain off too, and i’ll always value it as my introduction to arthuriana.

also there are modern arthurian tropes i do like such as characters being genre-savvy/knowing they’re fictional/knowing they’ve done this before (which hnoc does wonderfully!) and bedevere-as-the-storyteller (everyone say thank you lord tennyson).

WOW that was longer than expected, i feel very passionately abt this, when i was planning to write a fully sourced essay i meant to include a bit at the bottom with recommendations to get into better arthuriana and i think i’ll keep that in this post.

if you like hnoc for the arthurian music i’d like to suggest heather dale’s arthurian music to you, she does occasionally fall into the trap of modern arthuriana (some parts of lancelot and arthur being close, morgan as modred’s mother), sometimes she’s just wrong (galahad at lancelot’s trial, a lot of tristan and isolde), and her stuff is kinda straightwashed sometimes (sir gawain and the green knight, for example) but i’d be lying if it wasn’t catchy, and it’s not quite as bad as hnoc adaptation-wise.  culwch and olwen is pretty accurate (albeit abridged bc culwch and olwen has SO many tangents), as is lily maid (it’s abt elayne of astolat!).

if you liked hnoc for king arthur... in space! then may i recommend to you my own fanfic? it's not posted yet but the second i finish writing the first chapter i'm going to make a Big Deal out of it that'll be impossible to miss!

if you want to learn abt arthuriana through tumblr-osmosis like i did at first, i’d like to recommend the love of my life @acegalahads, first and foremost (it’s me on a sideblog i’m just obsessed with myself), and i can’t recommend my arthuriana mutuals over there, @/gringolet, @/merlinenthusiast, @/jcbookworm, @/elayneofshalott, and @/elaineofascolat (the elayne urls have been popular recently), also i know for a fact that my mutual-in-law, @/itonje makes great arthuriana posts that i look forwards to whenever i open the tag.

here are a few good reference posts, a quick guide to the characters, a guide to characters of color, and a much more comprehensive intro to arthuriana post with even more texts linked to it.

if you want to ease into med lit, i’d like to introduce you to pre-raphaelite poetry, alfred lord tennyson and william morris are my favorites, although tennyson can’t be trusted with tristan and isolde.  the poem the lady of shalott is basically a rite of passage for arthuriana fans, although when it comes to tennyson’s writings abt elayne of astolat, i prefer lancelot and elaine, which is part of his much larger story, idylls of the king.  for morris, don’t trust what he says abt aggravaine killing his mother, but my favorites of his are sir galahad, a christmas mystery, which sounds like a shitty disney sequel, and palomyde’s quest, which i blame for my love of palomydes (that and the one bit of the povest where he asks tristan to be his greatest enemy and that he wants nothing more, gay ppl,,,,).

if you want to read abt lancelot and his husband, there’s the lancelot-grail cycle, which i believe was taken off of archive dot org and i think i found it on @/tobeisexhausting’s blog but don’t quote me on that.

the povest, which was a religious experience for me and i can’t reccomend enough if you want to like tristan and isolde, is here, i don’t know who scanned it but i think i found it on @/lanzelet’s blog

the dutch texts are just good in general, here’s a link to their section of a(n unfinished) site for hosting various texts by my former mutual @/reynier (who’s no longer on tumblr).  i’d like to recommend lancelot and the white hart specifically bc it’s mainly just just gawaine being gay for lancelot.

if you want older works, here’s my scan of the history of the kings of britain, and here’s culwch and olwen and pa gur.

oh wow this is even longer than i thought it would be so i’m going to wrap this up by saying that i always love to talk abt arthuriana more than anything if you have any questions or just are curious!

#med lit on main #asks #hnoc #the mechs #romeo.txt

[tiny-cloud-of-flowers]

Do I give Avalon (my TTGC OC) an Urianger-esque style of speaking (so, like, lots of "thou"s and "thee"s and "art"s and "wouldst"s and so on and so forth)

I'm not sure whether they've featured in anything that I've made and posted here, but I do still have a DQIX WIP (since, they appear there as part of my party in my version of events where I selfship with Pavo!) where they don't have that style of speaking, but it may not fit as well there because Pavo and Ardea already speak quite formally anyway. So this could just be a TTGC quirk.

#they're meant to be themed around the archetype of a knight in shining armour.. they're named after something from arthurian legend.. #these are already both quite archaic things.. do I dare try to go all the way #this is relevant because they appear in my current piece of writing and I'd quite like to get the writing posted on thursday #so any opinions are welcome #heart of the void #friend: shattered light (avalon) #OC F/Os #platonic F/Os #I was not going to add a poll and then I remembered that polls exist so #have a poll #while I sleep #because it's gone two o'clock in the morning *again* #and *yes* i'm aware I didn't give myself an option but! I figured out how to view poll results without voting on them! so I do not need one

[void-kissed]

Hello friend it's ya boi Berry I saw the post abt what fandoms would ship irt your SIs and as someone who spent hours looking at ships in this fandom I have thoughts.

Sapphire: Nia would def be a ship w her. Mythra as well, I tend to see most characters shipped w one Aegis often shipped w the other. Her excitable nature playing of Mythra being more guarded would intrigue people.

Calanthe: Shion/Koshion ot3 deffo would happen. That fandom is wlw paradise for ships lol. Helps she and Shion have a lot in common -- invested in KOS-MOS, glasses for reasons other than eyesight, Zohar shenanigans.... T-elos in saga and 2 both would also happen. Similar to the Aegis situation I find.

Aline: Def would be shipped w Haze as well as prolly her and Lora as an ot3. Her and Brighid also feels possible -- jewel of Mor Ardain and a village girl would go hard for ppl. Curve ball here but Avalon as well. Blade Driver pairings are super popular and I figure that'd extend here too -- they're friends so some ppl would ship em.

Citri: Fiora and Shulk predictions are spot on. Reyn would also be a potential one bc of the similar childhood friends angle, tho might be more popular w her in ot3+s. Melia also feels incredibly possible, actually -- people in recent years have really been feeling her wlw vibes and chances are she'd have cute interactions with Citri, making her a potentially popular choice. Linada might also be one of only bc she and Vanea are somewhat shipped -- ship her w one gf why not the other? Lots of ot3+s here specifically would happen I think.

This has been berry can't sleep and is autistic about ships in xc fandom hour. Thank you

HELLO BERRY THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR THESE and also I really hope you were able to sleep. Sorry that they took so long for me to write out responses to!

Sapphire with Mythra would be pretty interesting actually, especially with the context of Mythra first appearing in XC2 not too long after Sapphire joins the party in Chapter 3. Not perhaps the best of introductions Plus, with Mythra’s connection to Poppi, that’s another way the two can kind of come together despite being quite different personality-wise! And, I can also definitely see shipping happening with Nia, haha. Not only out of catgirl solidarity, but there's also a Blade Eater/Flesh Eater contrast, which is made more fun by the fact that the Blade whose Core Crystal is in Sapphire was a healer Blade~

Today I found out that Shion doesn't wear glasses to correct her vision either, huh. I didn't realise they were a sentimental thing for her (from what I read on the wiki)! Anyway - yes, you're right that Calanthe and Shion do have possibly a bit too many similarities, oops, but you're right that it would definitely make them fit ships! Shoutout to Xenosaga for all the wlw ships, honestly. t-elos is someone I had not considered, but honestly now you mention it I can absolutely see it. Calanthe is not an overly confident self-insert, so that combined with t-elos' general demeanour would be quite the contrast, hehe. Plus, if going by her XC2 version: glasses solidarity again!

I would definitely call Aline with Avalon a curveball for the reason that Avalon isn't attracted to girls (I keep considering shipping them with Minoth, or possibly one of the other two male Blades), but at the same time I can see it persisting despite that, given what some people are unfortunately like. I will readily admit I hadn't considered Aline with Brighid, but I can definitely see the logic in it, haha - you're right that that kind of trope can be pretty fun! And, yes, Aline with Haze does definitely sound very cute, I can definitely imagine it ^-^

Regarding Citri, I don’t know how I forgot about Melia! My first attempts at making an XC1 self-insert was to selfship with Melia, actually - that self-insert was a fellow half-High Entia, also called Sapphire but without XC2 Sapphire's energetic-ness. Citri has actually probably turned out somewhat similar to that initial iteration, now that I think about it, despite her lore now being different (and me thinking of her as an alternate version of Calanthe, not of Sapphire). In terms of the others, I can definitely see them happening through OT3s specifically, as those would give more opportunity for more dynamics to develop properly, you could say.

..Sorry that this took me so long to properly get to, but thank you so so much again for sending this in, friend!! It really means a lot that you took the time to write this out in such a way, so thank you ^-^

#a call from the void #heart of the void #selfshipping #self‑insert: gem of garfont (sapphire) #friend: light of the aegis (mythra) #friend: catgirl solidarity (nia) #appreciated characters: shion #self‑insert: in a world displaced (calanthe) #love: power of another world (KOS‑MOS) #appreciated characters: t-elos #self‑insert: hope without courage (aline) #friend: shattered light (avalon) #friend: jewel of the empire (brighid) #friend: windfall memories (haze) #self‑insert: vessel of nemesis (citri) #friend: heir to a lost throne (melia) #why did that tag take me so long to remember #appreciated characters: linada #waaah that was a lot of tags i probably missed some and I apologise if that is the case #of gods and titans (xenoblade chronicles) #out of the inbox #selfship asks #berry tag! #it is now late and I am now very tired myself but hopefully these answers are alright #thank you very much once again

[moved-to-void-kissed]

2 and 15 for your xenoblade/xenosaga SIs? :0

Thank you very much for this!!

(question source: "ask game: self-insert lore" by inserthaven)

2. when in canon do your self-inserts come in? do you have a scene in mind for your entrances? -

Sapphire first shows up in Chapter 3 shortly after the battle with Vandham, when the party enters Garfont Village. I sort of have an image of her leaping off one of the roofs since she’s quite agile, spotting Pyra and blushing, and then Vandham introduces her as his daughter and then the cutscene goes from there.

Aline appears early into TTGC when the party are exploring what remains of Torigoth Village. She is scared of the party initially because she worries that they are the brigands that razed the village, only to then recognise Lora due to her resembling Rynea. When Gort appears shortly after, she and Avalon help the others to fight him and his allies, which is when they then ask her to travel with them because they are impressed by Avalon’s power. Aline agrees (mostly for Avalon’s sake, as they are her Blade), but also because a) she has nowhere to go with the village destroyed and b) because she wants to get to know Lora and the others more.

Calanthe enters Alrest during Chapter 7 of XC2, when Rex touches the third Aegis Blade in the Vault of Heroes and it resonates with the Conduit; this also affects the Zohar in the world of Xenosaga, which KOS-MOS draws power from, and Calanthe was working on KOS-MOS at that moment so the effect of that power overflow transported her across worlds. She actually appears in the Architect’s room, where she and the Blade version of KOS-MOS (that she awakened upon entering Alrest) talk to him for a bit before exploring the World Tree; however, the two of them fall off one of the skyports and down through the Great Void before it closes, so the party spots KOS-MOS’ distress shot before seeing the pair falling from above the Land of Morytha where Poppi flies up to catch them both.

Mera appears at the same time Vanea does, as the two of them had gone to save the party from Jade Face together. I imagine they would probably notice her underlying resemblance to Face Nemesis here, so she would explain her position as Vanea’s design inspiration and her bond with Lady Meyneth at that point too.

15. how do your self-inserts play a role in the plot of the story? do they help directly defeat the villain, support the heroes, etc.? - All four of these self-inserts are protagonists of some kind, working to stop the antagonists by either directly fighting against them as part of the playable party (in Sapphire and Aline’s cases) or indirectly supporting the playable party in stopping them (in Calanthe’s and Mera’s cases)!

Sapphire becomes a playable character after Chapter 4 of XC2, replacing Tora as Poppi’s “Driver” when he goes back home with his father. She does not have the ability to awaken Blades herself, but since Poppi is an artificial Blade, she doesn’t need to have aptitude to fight alongside her like a typical Blade-Driver pair. Notably, after the first awakening of Pneuma on the Cliffs of Morytha (which in my version of events was only possible since Sapphire filled in the missing piece of Pyra’s Core Crystal with her own ether crystallisation ability), Sapphire kicks Malos off the cliff during the fight, because.. he deserves it at that point.

Team Aline (which consists of Aline herself plus her Blades Avalon and Ursula) would be part of the party of TTGC after visiting Torigoth Village, although we might not become playable until later since Aline might find and awaken Ursula’s Core Crystal during everyone’s travels. She isn’t much of a fighter herself, but supports the party and wants to stop Malos to end the war.

Calanthe could in theory join the party as a playable Driver with KOS-MOS as her starting Blade, but since Sapphire is already playable and Calanthe would probably not be overly eager to resonating with other Blades despite having aptitude (as well as early Chapter 8 being really late to introduce a new party member), she might just remain a non-playable supporting part of the cast who travels with them. If she had remained in the world of Xenosaga, I again imagine her moreso as someone travelling with and supporting the party rather than a playable character in combat, mainly since I have no idea what type of weapon she would use.

I don’t especially envision Mera as a playable party member (though I reaaaally wish Vanea had been!!), but she wants the people of the Bionis and the Mechonis to be able to live peacefully together, so she works together with the party to help them navigate the Mechonis like Vanea does.

I hope that all of those answers were alright!! Thank you very much again for sending in the ask!!

#a call from the void #selfship #selfshipping #heart of the void #self‑insert: gem of garfont (sapphire) #selfship: to our own elysium (pyra/sapphire) #daughter: poppi power! (poppi) #were both kinda mentioned enough to warrant the tags #self‑insert: hope without courage (aline) #selfship: to fight for what matters (lora/aline) #friend: shattered light (avalon) #daughter: arctic harmony (ursula) #self‑insert: in a world displaced (calanthe) #ah drat the tag for my selfship with KOS-MOS is not showing up #self‑insert: daughter of the mechonis (mera) #selfship: a love to last millennia (vanea/mera) #that will do #spoilers for XC2 #of gods and titans (xenoblade chronicles) #out of the inbox #selfship asks #B tag! #long post #ask to tag #this one was kinda all over the place so if anyone wants me to elaborate on anything then you're more than welcome to ask me to #i want things to be as easy for everyone to understand as possible #selfship: encoded emotions (KOS‑MOS/calanthe) #there we go hopefully that should work now i've typed it up on my computer

[fantasy2739]

If you’re still taking requests, could you possibly do a small fix where Douxie is captured? And Merlin comes to save him?

Yes I’m still taking requests! I hope I’ve done what you asked, less capture and more rescue I think.

Hope you enjoy it:

He’d been ready. Or at least, Merlin had agreed that he could come along. And going into the Wild Woods with Merlin and the knights was exciting. The sudden appearance of Gumm-Gumms was not. They thought they’d make it to Killahead Bridge before anyone even came close. The Gumm-Gumm attack was swift, scattering Arthur’s forces. Douxie was separated from Merlin, his horse rearing violently. He was near other knights, who were valiantly trying to fight the Gumm-Gumms. But they didn’t have enchanted swords to turn them to stone. Douxie was trying to keep up with them, blasting spells as best he could. Archie flew around, breathing flames to support him. Unfortunately the familiar couldn’t stop a Gumm-Gumm from sending Douxie flying. He’d had a shield, but it broke as he hit the tree. He was surrounded by Gumm-Gumms, including one Gunmar the Black. Douxie was flat on his back, staring at the troll in fear.

“The little sorcerer separated from his master.” Gunmar mocked. Douxie mustered a glare to hide how he felt. The sword pointed at his chest kept him from even thinking about lashing out. “Tell me boy, will you beg me to spare you?”

“I don’t beg.” Douxie’s said firmly. Gunmar laughed. “You’d never show mercy anyway.”

“You have guts. A pity you don’t fight for our kind.” Gunmar said, raising his sword. Douxie knew he was going to die. He wouldn’t bow his head, or close his eyes, he was going to stare his killer down. The sword didn’t swing down, instead put into its holder. “Take him. The old wizard will come for him.” He was grabbed by two Gumm-Gumms, struggling as they grabbed him.

“No!” He yelled. He tried to use magic but one knock to the head and he was out cold.

He awoke in a darkened cave. There was no light but the faint glow of Gunmar’s blue skin and thin streams of light around a stone that was most likely the exit.

“So the young apprentice awakens.” He mocked. “Tell me boy, will you cry as we rip your Master to shreds.” Douxie glared.

“As if you could.” He growled. “Merlin is the most powerful wizard in the world.”

“True boy.” Gunmar agreed easily. “But with you here, he’ll be distracted.” A sneer twisted on his face. “How does it feel, knowing you will cause your mentors downfall?” Douxie looked away. He shouldn’t have come with the knights. He was bait. He almost hoped that Merlin didn’t come. He wasn’t sure he could cope with knowing he’d gotten his master killed. But he also didn’t want to die here. In a cave. Alone. He stared at Gunmar with loathing. He tried to use his magic but Gunmar grabbed his arm and chucked him across the cave. He yelped as he contacted the cave wall. His back hurt, everything hurt. He wanted to curl up. He mentally pleaded for Merlin to come save him. Even though he didn’t want his master to suffer for him.

“What if he doesn’t come for me?” Douxie asked, panting a little as he rolled onto his front.

“If he does not come by tomorrow at sundown, then I will removed your head and send it to Camelot.” Gunmar said. “Pray he comes for you.” Douxie curled up in pain and fear. Gunmar laughed as he left him in the dark. He was there for hours until he heard something. It sounded like yelling. He could feel magic pulsing in the air. He approached what seemed to be the cave entrance. Maybe he could levitate the stone, no doubt everyone was distracted by whatever was going on. He managed to move it just enough to slip out. He saw Merlin wielding his staff with frightening skill. Archie was flying about, roaring flames at unsuspecting trolls.

“Douxie!” He called flying into the boy as he emerged. “Are you alright?” Douxie nodded as he stumbled. His leg hurt, probably from the wall impact.

“I’m fine Arch.” He said, moving as quickly as he could. “We should go.”

“Hisirdoux!” Merlin called. Douxie made his way over.

“I’m fine.” Douxie said before Merlin could ask. “Let’s get out of here.” Merlin conjured a shield, frowning at his apprentice. Douxie wondered if he was annoyed he’d had to come all this way only to find Douxie moving about freely. Douxie tried to pull his mentor along as he heard a roar from Gunmar.

“So you’ve arrived old man.” He sneered before charging with his sword. He slammed it into the shield making it collapse, sending both Merlin and Douxie flying. Archie managed to avoid being hit and breathed fire on the Gumm-Gumm leader. As Douxie impacted the wall he heard a crunch, with his right wrist shattering on impact. He couldn’t help the scream that escaped his lips. Merlin was over in a heartbeat, pulling him to his feet.

“We had better go while Archie’s distracting him.” Merlin said, pulling apprentice along. Douxie tried to walk but his leg and arm were screaming.

“Just go without me.” He tried, feeling as though he might collapse any minute. “They’re not interested in me, I’m just bait.”

“Nonsense Hisirdoux.” Merlin said briskly, practically dragging him along. “I’m not leaving you here to die.” He held the staff of Avalon aloft as he cast a flight spell. “Now hold on.” Douxie wrapped his good arm around Merlin’s neck as best he could as they took off.

“Archie, come on!” Douxie called as they rose up higher. Archie caught up quickly, giving Douxie a quick nuzzle.

“I think we showed them.” Archie smirked. “Kidnap my familiar will you.” Daylight was streaming through the clouds. Douxie didn’t think he’d seen anything so beautiful.

“Thank you for coming to get me.” He said into Merlin’s neck. “Sorry for letting you down and getting caught.” Merlin kept his gaze firmly on the horizon.

“Of course I came.” He said snappishly. “Leave my apprentice to die? Gunmar has some nerve to think he can just take you.”

“Right.” Douxie said, trying not to think too hard about it sounding like Merlin only came because it was embarrassing for him to be caught and killed by the enemy. They flew in silence until they reached the edge of the Wild Woods. Merlin set them down and helped him walk back to Camelot.

“I need to teach you more offensive spells if I’m to take you out again.” Merlin said as they reached the tower. Douxie stared at his mentor for a moment, wondering if maybe instead of embarrassed his mentor was angry at himself.

“That might be a while yet.” Douxie said. “With my arm like this and all.” Merlin turned around quickly.

“What?” He asked. “I thought it was your leg.”

“That happened the first time I got thrown into a wall.” Douxie said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with his good hand. “I think I broke my wrist.”

“Let me see.” Merlin said briskly. “Hmm yes definitely broken. We’ll have it fixed soon. Looks like you’ll have plenty of time to read up on defensive magic.” He added lightly. He helped Douxie to his room, lying him down on the bed. If Douxie didn’t know better he’d say Merlin was hovering.

“I’ll get some rest Master.” Douxie said, tugging the blanket up.

“I need to set your wrist first.” Merlin said. “It’s going to hurt.” Douxie extended his arm and clamped his mouth shut tightly. Merlin frowned but set the wrist quickly, with Douxie only letting out a small noise of discomfort. They both knew wizards could heal quickly but it didn’t make the pain any easier to bare. Merlin gave him a stern look. “No getting out of this bed until I say so.”

“Yes Master.”

“Archie make sure he does as he’s told.”

“Of course Merlin.” Archie said. “Even if I have to sit on him to do it.” Douxie rolled his eyes.

“You weigh nothing Archie, it wouldn’t stop me.” He said. “Not that I would even think of moving.” He hastily added at Merlin’s look.

“Get some rest Hisirdoux. We’ll talk more later.” Merlin said, heading out the door.

“For a first outing it could have been worse.” Archie said, curling up next to Douxie.

“How Arch?” Douxie asked tiredly, feeling a bone deep weariness setting in.

“You could have died.” Archie said quietly.

“I’m fine Arch.” Douxie said softly, running a hand over his familiar. “You and Merlin got me out before anything bad happened.”

“Still, I’ve become quite fond of you.” Archie said, readjusting his ruffled fur.

“Aww you do like me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, breaking in a new wizard would just take far too long.” Archie replied, giving him a fond nuzzle.

“I like you too Arch.” Douxie said with a smile, feeling himself begin to drift.

“Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” Archie asked pointedly. He got no reply, only soft snoring. Archie curled back up and joined his friend in sleep.

#fanfiction #submission #asks #toa #tales of arcadia #tales of arcadia wizards #toa wizards #toa archie #toa merlin #gunmar #douxie #hisirdoux casperan #the amount of pain I put this boy through #seriously #all the angst #Merlin isn’t dad of the year but he tries #he does care about douxie #hes just bad at showing #archie is the best friend

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/76637180

Chapter 59

Morrie had left the door of his room slightly open, so he could hear what was happening in the corridor. He had been waiting with curiosity, would’ve stayed the whole night there, waiting for something to happen. 

Or nothing. 

He would’ve been fine if Norbert had stayed in his hideout all night. 

He would’ve liked to witness that. 

But when he heard his lover leave the dressing room, with a slight squeak of the door, and his footsteps coming quietly downstairs, he wasn’t disappointed. He was somehow beyond that point of being disappointed. He only wanted to see the truth. So, in fact, he rather thanked Norbert for his audacity. Without it, he would’ve never learned the truth. 

Morrie was certain that Nick would lead him there. He needed to go after him, after all. He had suspected that Norbert felt a lot of sympathy for that random reporter. 

Well, Norbert liked people, that fas a fact. 

He was almost naive, trusting strangers and being comfortable around them. That was why every fan immediately believed they were close friends. Someone who didn’t know him couldn’t see the little difference between sympathy and well, further interest. 

The image of how he had lifted Arthur up from the ground appeared in front of his eyes. Morrie quickly blinked. 

Oh, Norbert just liked his tall guys.

Morrie’s plan didn’t go as far as knowing what he should do when he saw them together. 

Jump out of a bush? Boo? 

That would’ve been funny. 

But Morrie never was the funny type. 

After everything that had happened, he didn’t know if he even wanted to scold Norbert. Morrie had known better, all the time, but simply all those empty years without his reckless lover had given him enough reason to stay. 

He had lied too. 

He wasn’t done trying. 

He wasn’t done hearing excuses and he wasn’t done watching Norbert pleading for his love. 

That reporter had no idea who Norbert was, what he needed and what he did!

However, there was still another possibility. What if that reporter had completely different intentions? Norbert also had the bad habit of trusting the wrong people, and every wrong word in the press could bring him to fall. He needed protection. And all he needed to do was to understand that only Morrie could be his protector.

His heart was throbbing. This was pulling his nerves. The farther Norbert went, the more he was afraid. But he had to wait, gather all his patience, until he could finally leave his room and follow, passing by the drunkards in the hallway. At the top of the stairs he waited. Norbert was careful but decisive. He didn’t hesitate once when he walked out of the backdoor. Morrie already felt cold before the night breeze touched his skin. 

Panic took over him because he couldn’t find Norbert in the dark. He turned a corner in the narrow backyard, listening carefully over the sound of his own footsteps. 

There was so much noise. The whistling, stomping Bobbies of the night shift, the humming drones, squealing of rats in the grass - how was he supposed to hear the footsteps of a light-footed rockstar? 

He went the only way that made sense to him, towards the street, not the cliffs, god forsake, and soon his eyes fell on a slim figure walking in a hurried, but careful pace. 

He must’ve done this before, the way he was completely calm around the functioning alarm system, fooling it constantly. Morrie stumbled along, starting to wonder if it really was a good idea to take a night stroll only for good old verity’s sake. Walking over the cobblestone, his footsteps were incredibly loud to him, no matter how faintly he treaded. The way they echoed along the streets was unbearable. 

But wait - were they his own? 

Morrie promptly stopped, pressing himself against a wall, staring at Norbert’s figure that went off in a steady pace. Drops of sweat ran down his forehead. He was definitely not made for this. Shortly glancing back, he found only dark emptiness behind him. 

God, his nerves! His intuition went crazy out here! 

He broke away from the wall and hurried behind Norbert.

Nick had to keep himself from thinking too much. If he realized what he was doing, he was afraid he’d panic and hide under his blanket again. He had no idea what he’d say to Arthur, if he could stick to his quickly worked out plan, or if he’d simply break. 

The image of saying goodbye to someone only brought back bad memories. 

It was never done right. 

It shouldn’t be done at all. 

So all he could do was being afraid, actually keeping his chest from bursting with fear and climb down the ladder. 

For the first time he felt like he could trip and fall at any moment. The walls seemed to watch him, as if he was an intruder, the chaos invading this silent den of toxic fog and rats. 

Arthur was right. 

This was a romantic place only for a stoned druggie. Not a home for a man like him.

Back on solid ground, nothing stopped Nick from running anymore. 

When he reached Arthur’s shelter, he found the door open. The lump in his throat kept him from speaking while he turned every corner in the shelter. 

It was empty. Just the dirty, abandoned place that it had been before Arthur had filled it with life. 

“No…“ His whisper echoed through the chamber. He hurried to his tunnel suite. Inside, the bed was still unmade. Nick walked over to it, his gaze wandering along every little fold that held the last memory of their forbidden love. 

The last beautiful moment before everything had fallen apart. 

Nick sat down on the bed, ran his fingers along the sheets and started to sob.

Bad timing! 

Bad fucking awful timing! 

Why did that always happen to him? 

Because he had to go down memory lane, dwell in his own fucking self-pity before he got his arse up! No time to live in memories during his escape, right? So better do it now. 

And then thinking he’d be hungry at his journey. He couldn’t just walk into a shop as a Downer in the Parade. Of course he had to go the easiest way. And there was a still good-filled storage nearby, owned by someone who wouldn’t notice if a few things were missing. Or all of them. Someone who bloody deserved an empty kitchen! But of course it couldn’t be that easy, Arthur thought cowering behind a counter. 

This didn’t look like it would end soon.

Did Sally cry for him after she betrayed him? If so, was it self-pity too?

Was there a selfless way to cry?

Well, Nick didn’t betray him. He just…broke up with him for no reason. And now he was crying about it. Should’ve made up his mind.

Instead, he made Arthur want to walk over and put his arms around him. Maybe pet that pretty caramel hair. 

Oh, for fuck’s sake, why couldn’t he be tougher? He had been tough with Sally, right? Well, throwing a stranded girl out onto the streets had been not very tough. 

Oh, heavens!

His legs started to itch. He needed to get out of there. Arthur crawled along the counter and then eyed his options. Nick was focused on the bedsheets, perhaps he wouldn’t look around. Arthur darted out of his corner and found a new spot behind a shelf. He gasped triumphantly while his heart nearly jumped out of his throat. 

This wasn’t so bad! Nick wouldn’t see him, if he squeezed around the furniture and disappeared into the tunnel. Quickly, he began to crawl, setting his eyes on the devastated rockstar. 

What an image! This was almost like he saw him for the first time. Broken, desperate and helpless. This image had been very impressive because during all the crying and rueing, he had also shown deep interest in a certain Downer…

Arthur couldn’t help but dwell. 

That sweet taste, their intimacy that Arthur hadn’t felt since… 

It had been a dream. 

A world where nobody could harm him, where his own desires mattered. 

Well, every dream eventually ended. 

It was time to wake up.

Forcefully, Arthur brought himself to move on. With his gaze still set on Nick, he didn’t notice that he had moved the clobber on the shelf along with him. When he saw something golden floating in the corner of his eye it was already too late. The statue of Nick touched the stoney tiles and shattered into little shiny pieces.

“Sorry“, Arthur said to a flabbergasted Nick, “Was that important to you?“

“Arthur…you’re still here.“ Nick’s voice was a rasp. Arthur nervously clutched the bag he had packed with Nick’s stash.

“Uh…I…I need supplies for my escape and…I figured you wouldn’t need these anymore…since you have the Avalon suite and your own kitchen and your manager who gets you things and… I don’t have to explain myself to you! Why are you here? Stroking the bed, as if it was some precious treasure of yours? You’re the one who broke up with me!“

Nick watched Arthur rant, spilling all these words out of his mouth. He barely heard them. They sounded hostile and made Nick clutch the sheets, adding more folds to the picture.

“I made a horrible mistake“, he brought out.

Arthur talked over the pang he felt in his chest: “No, you’re right! If you want to stay here, there’s nothing I can do for you! It’s better we…stop lying to ourselves and do what’s best for us!“

God, did he have to sound so much like an arse, Arthur thought while the darkness of the tunnel lurked in the corner of his eye. It was so close, one tiny step and he’d be out of here. But his feet didn’t obey him.

“Why do you want to go so badly?“, Nick asked, no, pleaded.

God, why did he have to make this so awkward?

“Why? I told you, I can’t live this life! There’s more important things in the world than Wellington Wells! Things like…like…“ 

Family?

Arthur stopped himself just at the last moment.

“What does it matter to you? It’s is none of your business anymore!“

Nick let go of the bed. His hands now clung to each other.

“I wish it was.“

Arthur let out a silent breath. “What?“

Nick got up.

Run, Arthur, run! 

But his damn feet…

Nick’s feet worked just fine. He stopped in a safe distance to Arthur, not close enough to make him run away. “Arthur, I know I sounded like I don’t care about you anymore. But that’s not true. I care very much about you. You mean…a lot to me.“

Arthur’s expression darkened. “So what? What do you want?“

Nick had gone a long way to come this far. He had accomplished so much. He was only one step away from fulfilling his dream. 

From this day on, he could be true, let all his past mistakes go, find the better person in himself and become the man Morrie had always wanted. All it took was sacrificing the poor bugger that fate had made cross his path. 

Easy as that.

But didn’t better people aways say you should listen to your heart?

“I know I don’t have the right…you asked for it before and I refused…but I have to ask you now…Could we…start over?“

“What?“

Suddenly the bag in Arthur’s hands felt very heavy. He had no idea how long he’d been holding it. And he really planned to go all the way to the bridge with this?

“No…we can’t…I prepared everything and I really need to go…“

Nick lowered his head and his shoulder fell. “I didn’t want it to end like this…“, he said quietly.

“Me neither, but you…“

The bad slipped from Arthur’s shoulder and the many cans inside caused a loud clank.

“What is this, Nick?“, Arthur cried out. “First you break up and now you want me back right after? Just like that? Is that how it works with you?“

Nick made an awkward gesture as if he wanted to shrug and then decided otherwise.

“You see…I’m a bad person…but believe me, I love you!“

Arthur gave the bag a helpless glance. He could still lift it up and go. But it didn’t look like it was in a hurry. 

“What are we supposed to do now?“

“Well“, Nick dared to make a few steps forward. “If you’re too mad at me for now, you could tell me to leave you alone. I could come back later, when you know if you still want me around or not…Or we could try it right now…We could act like we met for the first time.“ 

He leaned against the greasy wall with one arm, in an overly nonchalant way and gave him a look with a spark in his eyes that suddenly came out of nowhere. 

“Hello, beautiful stranger“, he purred. „Nice to meet you down here. Would you like a drink?“

It was so over the top. Arthur wished he could pull off a perplexed chuckle, or a sigh, anything else than turning as red as a beet. How weird was he to find that cute?

“That doesn’t work“, he said trying not to smile. “I know you.“

“Sure you know me. Everyone knows me. You can call me Nick, just like everyone else“, he replied as if Arthur wouldn’t know that by now. “So, can I cheer you up with a drink? Believe me, talking is much easier when you’re sitting down and smelling a fruity bouquet.“

It had been a question, but still Nick was setting himself into motion right after. Arthur followed him without hesitation. “Fine. But no drugs this time“, he demanded.

Nick made an upset expression. “God, no! What gave you that idea? I’m just talking about a harmless, tasty refresher. You’ll see, you’ll like it.“ Nick put two glasses on the counter before his eyes wandered along Arthur’s features. “By the way, what’s your name?“

Arthur blinked. “Guess.“

Nick opened his mouth in surprise, then let out a playful chuckle. “With pleasure…hmm…I think you have a name with a strong meaning…a name that people consider as common but describes you better than any other…“

“You’d find all of that out at the first meeting?“, Arthur teased, accepting his drink.

“Sshh“, Nick hissed quietly and waved him off. “I think you are a…“ He eyed him nonchalantly. “A Percival, yes?“

Arthur nearly choked. 

“A…P…Percival…huh…“, he stuttered wiping his mouth. “Why?“

“Because it’s strong, because it has the right sound, because I think it has a connection to you…no?“

“Uh…well…it’s close…“, Arthur stuttered, trying to sound amused. “I’m impressed.“

“Only close?“ Nick said with fake disappointment. “Aww, I thought I had it.“

Arthur tasted more of the drink. It was a more subtle savour, not overly sweet but not bitter either, with an indeed fruity smell surrounding it.

“Nick…perhaps we should act normal…“

“Oh, sure.“ Nick smiled warmly. “Just be natural. Do whatever you want around me. Be free.“

“No, I mean…I don’t think this works.“ He drank more. 

Nick sighed and leaned an elbow onto the counter. “At least the drinks are drinkable, hm?“

Arthur put the glass down, still feeling the taste on his tongue. “Nick…I don’t know what you put into this again, but it makes me want to grab you.“

Nick’s face lit up. “Whoa, tiger, you really let it all out on your first date! I like that!“

“Is this even a date?“

Nick chuckled irresistibly. “I think so…“

“Honestly, what did you put in there?“

Nick lifted an eyebrow. “Are you sure you had alcohol before?“

Arthur reached out a hand. “Let me touch you to see if you’re real.“

“Oh my…“ Nick acted flattered. “I don’t even know your name yet…“

Arthur palpated the other man and immediately felt his warmth under his fingers. The cloth was so soft…to touchable.

“I’m afraid we have to save that for later…“

Nick was beaming with joy. “You go by ’beautiful stranger’ for now.“

Arthur leaned over to Nick. “Fine with me…“

The shadow moved, soundless but definite, stalking his prey. There couldn’t have been a better night. Starless. 

There was nothing that could stop him, because someone’s time was definitely over. 

He had been curious about how it’d turn out for this particular one. He had been watching him for a while, how he kept spilling venom into Nick’s heart and put him in chains. It had been a very interesting time. But now he had to end the farce.

Morrie’s fear grew again when Norbert suddenly left the road. Turning around, he was seen only for a short glimpse, then he was gone, and only Morrie’s sense told him that he hadn’t vanished into thin air. 

He was thankful when his feet touched grass again. It was so soft and quiet. In a corner behind a fountain he found Norbert again. Morrie ducked behind it. 

Great, he’ll meet him here, of all places. Wasn’t there a better location for…? 

His train of thoughts was cut off when he saw Norbert put his hands on a wheel and turn it. What was that about? A hatch? Really? Morrie shivered in the cold. He didn’t want to go down there. What the hell was Norbert doing? Morrie suddenly had a very bad feeling in his guts. What if this wasn’t about a love affair? What if Norbert was in real danger this time? A second later, Morrie found the heart to come out of his hiding spot and rush over to Norbert, hands reaching out for him.

“Nick, what are you doing?“ Arthur chuckled helplessly. Nick had grabbed his hand, his other hand lay on Arthur’s hip, and he dragged him away from the bar.

“Have you never danced before?“, Nick teased him.

“Not in this state“, Arthur protested, while he clumsily tried to follow the other man’s pace. He let out a surprised gasp when Nick suddenly swirled him around.

“Careful!“

Nick moved fluidly. “Step on my feet all you want, beautiful stranger.“

Arthur grabbed him, eyes fixed on the ground, watching his lovers’ feet move and slowly adjusting to the rhythm. He began to feel comfortable. Nick’s tender eyes assured him he could do no wrong. Each time they set foot on the stoney floor their bodies came closer. Arthur was about to embrace Nick, what made his nerves tickle with joy. He figured that they danced like his schoolmates must’ve done it at parties. Not really dancing, rather hugging while moving along. 

Did he ever dance like that? 

If he wasn’t fooling himself, he remembered having at least a tiny bit of talent. Perhaps he could pull it off…

He put both hands on Nick’s hips and lifted him up in the air. Soon, he heard Nick rejoice. Two hands quickly clutched his shoulders for security. Then Arthur panicked about his spontaneous courage and wondered about the next step. If he recalled it right, he was supposed to put his partner back down in a romantic way. A second later, Nick landed not only on his feet, but also in Arthur’s arms, that were his only protection between him and the floor.

Nick melted away. He felt save. And loved. Also, it was a lot of fun.

“Can you do that again?“

Morrie didn’t come very far. The moment he decided to run was also the moment that something else caught his attention.

All he could see at first were eyes. In the glimpse of the moment, their red shine emerged from the dark. They were set on him, distorted with anger, with black pupils that stared right trough him and made his insides turn to ice. The face they belonged to, even though covered in an unnatural shimmer, seemed familiar, but Morrie couldn’t tell why. The way the stranger approached him made Morrie feel that this was very personal. But he was sure that only the devil himself could look this way.

When he realized his fate he felt grief. Grief for himself, for his love and for the world that had been beautiful once. His mouth was wide open when he took a breath, gasping a silent cry.

“Nick“, Arthur sighed and reached out for the other man, needing multiple tries to find him.

“Yeah?“, Nick purred with a voice like silk.

“Do you always put a spell on people you like?“

“Uh…I guess so…“ Nick, stuttered, not quite getting it. His fingers stroked Arthur’s skin.

“I could be far away by now. In a strange country, without even knowing you.“

Nick’s hand stopped, lingering on the spot.

“It’s true…I’m sorry…“

Arthur turned around, crawling towards the other man, until his lips nearly touched the other man’s cheek.

“Thank you“, he whispered into Nick’s ear.

#wehappyfew #we happy few #whf #whfnick #whf nick #nick lightbearer #nicklightbearer #nickxmorrie #nickxarthur #arthur hastings we happy few #whfarthurhastings #whf arthur #whfarthur #morriememento #morrie memento

[thebladeblaster]

Heart of the Vanguard Concept Chapter part 2

(Concept chapters are basically just to test to see if people will like a fic idea I have. This fic crosses over Yugioh Duel Monsters and Cardfight Vanguard.)

“Hello Aichi. It’s been awhile.”, Yami replied.

“Remember Aichi normal people can’t see Yugi’s little ghost friend.”, Misaki whispered.

“Oh! Yeah that’s right!”, Aichi replied, remembering.

“It’s fine I’m simply a observer.”, Yami replied, and Aichi nodded.

“Ghost? What?”, Emi questioned.

“It’s nothing, Emi.”, Aichi replied.

The two of them started a rock paper scissors. Aichi threw scissors and Yugi threw rock.

“Looks like you're going first.”, Aichi said and Yugi nodded.

As the duel started Yugi could feel an intensity from him. He could easily tell just how passionate he was just from his eyes alone.

Yugi

Hand: 6

“First, I summon Beformet allowing me to add Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to my hand. I’ll activate Polymerization fusing together Berformet and Gazelle to summon Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!”, Yugi started.

Chimera the Flying Mythical beast

ATK 2100/DEF 1800

Yugi

Hand: 3

“Woah, a fusion monster already! That’s not good.”, Emi commented, looking at her brother worriedly.

“That’s our Yugi!”, Honda said.

“I set one card facedown and end my turn.”, Yugi finished.

Yugi

Hand: 2

“A strong start as always.”, Aichi complimented.

“Let’s see if you can get through this.”, Yugi replied.

“We’ll see. I draw. I summon Noble Knight’s Companion Wingal.”, Aichi started.

Aichi

Hand: 5

Noble Knights’ Companion Wingal

( BEAST-WARRIOR / LIGHT / EFFECT/ ATK : 1400 / DEF : 1200 / LV 4

This monster is always treated as a warrior monster. You can tribute this monster to special summon a monster with “Blaster Blade” in its name from your deck or hand, this card becomes equipped to it and the equipped monster gains 400 attack. When this monster is in the graveyard you can equip this monster to one light warrior monster you control. When this monster is equipped to a “Noble Knight” monster it counts as a “Noble Arms” equip spell.

“That’s not good.”, Yugi commented.

“You remember Wingal’s effect don’t you. With his effect I tribute him to special summon Noble Knight Blaster Blade! Stand up my avatar!”, Aichi replied, searching his deck for Blaster Blade and placing it down.

Noble Knight Blaster Blade

( WARRIOR / LIGHT / EFFECT/ ATK : 2100 / DEF : 1500 / LV 5

Effect: When this monster is summoned or special summoned you can select one Noble Arms equip spell from your graveyard to equip to it. Once per turn, when this card is summoned or special summoned you can tribute one equip spell card you control to destroy one card your opponent controls.)

Yugi imagined the form of the silver knight clad in futuristic armor. He had piercing emerald green eyes and blue glowing lines on his armor. This was Aichi’s ace monster for a reason.

“And with his effect he equips himself to Blaster Blade from the graveyard and Blaster Blade gains 400 attack.”, Aichi continued.

Noble Knight Blaster Blade

ATK 2100->2500

“I equip Blaster Blade with Noble Arms Caliburn raising his attack by 500 and with its effect I gain 500 life points.”, Aichi continued.

Aichi

Hand: 4

Noble Knight Blaster Blade

ATK 2500->3000

Aichi LP 4000->4500

“Oh no! Now Blaster Blade is as strong as Blue Eyes!”, Anzu commented.

“Stronger it has a effect after all.”, Misaki replied, causing Anzu to turn to her.

Somewhere Kaiba felt more grumpy than usual, gripping the phone he was on a call with across the room. The phone shattered on impact, scaring his poor employees.

“Fire whoever designed that weak phone!”, Kaiba ordered.

“But they don’t work for you?”, an employee questioned.

“Then I’ll hire them so I can fire them!”, Kaiba replied angrily.

Back at Card Capital…

“I activate Blaster Blade’s effect tributing Caliburn to destroy your facedown card. Burst Buster!”, Aichi continued.

Blaster Blade ATK 3000 ->2500

Yugi sent the card to the graveyard revealing it to be Magic Cylinder.

“Why did he get rid of the bigger boost though?”, Honda questioned.

“Have you not learned anything about his deck from all his duels you’ve seen?”, Misaki questioned.

“I activate the effect of Caliburn. Once per turn when it’s destroyed I can re-equip it to a Noble Knight monster I control.”, Aichi continued.

“So, Blaster Blade?”, Honda questioned.

“Obviously. Not only that but he can reactivate its effect to gain more life points”, Misaki replied.

“You sure know a lot about Aichi’s deck.”, Anzu commented, sweat dropping.

“Well, he does duel here everyday and I have a perfect memory.”, Misaki pointed out.

“That’s true.”, Anzu replied.

“Yeah...that’s why Misaki always beats me when we duel. She knows everything I’m about to do like she’s reading my mind.”, Aichi said.

“I’m not reading your mind, you're just really straightforward.”, Misaki replied, causing Aichi to chuckle.

“Don’t take it too personally, Bro you're simply a man of culture. The strategy is attack, attack and attack again! Offense is where it’s at. ”, Kamui said to Aichi.

Aichi LP 4500->5000

“I set two cards face down and I attack Chimera with Blaster Blade!”, Aichi continued.

Aichi

Hand: 2

Yugi LP 4000->3100

“I activate Chimera’s effect allowing me to special summon Gazelle from the graveyard.”, Yugi said.

Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts

ATK 1500/DEF 1200

“I end my turn.”, Aichi replied.

“I draw, I activate Pot of Greed.”, Yugi started.

Yugi

Hand: 4

“I activate Ancient Rules to special summon Dark Magician from my hand.”, Yugi continued.

Dark Magician

ATK 2500/ DEF 2100

Yugi

Hand: 2

“I activate Thousand Knives, allowing me to destroy one monster on your field if I control a face up Dark Magician.”, Yugi continued.

Yugi

Hand: 1

“I don’t think so! I activate the effect of Morgan, the Enchantress of Avalon from my hand! With her effect if I control a Noble Knight monster and a Noble Arms spell I can tribute one to negate that effect.”, Aichi countered.

Aichi

Hand: 1

“That’s what I wanted you to do I activate One Shot Wand! Dark Magician gains 800 attack and I attack Blaster Blade! Dark Magic Attack!”, Yugi replied.

Yugi

Hand:0

Dark Magician

ATK 2500->3300

“That’s going to go through however before that I activate my trap! Until Noble Arms Are Needed Once Again which allows me to evacuate cards on the top of my deck equal to the number of Noble Arms equip spells I have on the field and add one then place the other in any order.”, Aichi replied.

Aichi

Hand: 2

He looked at the two cards on the top of his deck choosing one and placing the other on top of his deck.

Aichi LP 5000->4700

“Due to One Shot Wand’s effect it is destroyed and I draw one card. Then I attack you with Gazelle!”, Yugi declared.

Yugi

Hand: 1

“Alright.”, Aichi nodded.

Aichi LP 4700->3200

Yami narrowed his eyes.

“He’s planning something he could have activated the graveyard effect of his trap to avoid damage but he didn’t.”, Yami whispered.

“Yeah, I think you're right. I think he’s planning to summon ‘that card’.”, Yugi whispered.

“I end my turn.”, Yugi said.

“Alright, I draw. You know I never thought we would get to duel like this outside a big tournament.”, Aichi said.

Aichi

Hand: 3

“Well, you're a good guy to spend time with outside them.”, Yugi replied.

“Gah! D-don’t say that! I’m not really great. I’m honored that you actually accepted my invitation.”, Aichi replied, blushing nervously.

“Don’t sell yourself too short. You really are a great friend besides honesty I was nervous to meet you at first too. I saw the last nationals Q4 was really impressive for newcomers.”, Yugi replied.

“Well...we lost though?”, Misaki questioned.

“Even still you got to make up for it in Battle City and I’m sure next time you’ll beat Team Asteroid at nationals!”, Yugi replied.

“You really have a lot of confidence in us. I understand Kai, Misaki, and Kamui but why me?”, Aichi questioned.

“Cause from what I saw your a great duelist who has a strong bond with your cards.”, Yugi replied.

Aichi looked very embarrassed with steam coming out of his ears and Emi tried to cool him down a bit.

“Aichi doesn’t take praise too well.”, Emi said.

“The poor guy looks like he’s about to explode.”, a kid with green hair and glasses said.

“Atb yo.”, a kid with brown hair and green eyes added.

“He’s just modest. Honestly, I prefer that to Jonouchi’s overconfidence.”, Anzu replied.

“I-I don’t deserve y-your praise. Your y-you know you.”, Aichi stuttered.

Yugi couldn’t help but feel a warm feeling at how much Aichi really seemed to admire him.

“Don’t tease him too much, Yugi. He might actually explode.”, Honda joked.

“No, I mean it. I think you're a really reliable guy and a good rival.”, Yugi replied.

“R-rival!? T-to y-“, Aichi stuttered as more steam came out of his ears.

“There he goes, I think you broke him, Yugi.”, Miwa joked.

“I-I summon N-noble Knight Drystan. I a-activate Wingal’s effect f-from the graveyard to e-equip him to one light warrior monster I control.”, Aichi continued stuttering nervously.

Noble Knight Drystan

ATK 1800/DEF 800

Aichi

Hand: 2

“D-Drystan’s effect activates w-when a Noble Arms spell is equipped to h-him I can t-target one face up card a-and destroy it. I chose Dark Magician.” Aichi continued still stuttering.

“I can’t stop that.”, Yugi replied, sending Dark Magician to the graveyard.

Aichi took some deep breaths trying to calm down.

“It can be rather cute how nervous he gets.”, Anzu teased, immediately causing Aichi to become a blushing mess again.

#yugioh duel monsters #ygo dm #cardfight vanguard #cfv #yugi muto #katsuya jonouchi #honda hiroto #anzu mazaki #joey wheeler #tristan taylor #tea gardner #seto kaiba #aichi sendou #misaki tokura #kamui katsuragi #kai toshiki #emi sendou #taishi miwa #yuta izaki #reiji and eiji #yami yugi #atem #blaster blade #dark magician #my crappy writing #crossover