one fem!reader, 2k
“Mummy and Daddy’s evening off though, love? Really?”
“Oh shut up, you horrid thing. I know.”
-
astarion is a newly-minted girldad. that's it. that's the plot.
word count: 2,028
an: fluff, fluff n more fluff. no smut this time. soon. promise. parts ONE and TWO linked respectively but can be read alone.
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“She’s asleep, Astarion!”
You are wide eyed, furious; speaking in a whispered shout at your husband.
His pale hands flit across the ties of your shirt, frisking every which way they turn. You slap them off like flies on fruit.
“Even more reason to take advantage of the situation, if you ask me.” He murmurs hungrily in your ear, hands now circling down to your waist to tug on your waistband.
“It’s a fine job I didn’t ask you then!” Gritted teeth. Eyes aflame. Cornered against the dresser.
The crib beside your bed holds your infant daughter - skittish and fresh to a world wholly unknown in every sense of the word. She rests rarely and wails often for company in these early months of being alive with you both. Pallid and red-eyed yet beautiful beyond comparison and entirely yours.
Seeing you together brings him joy unparalleled.
He has, genuinely; never been prouder of anything of his doing - saving the Sword Coast is a drop in the ocean that is completely and utterly awash with love for your youngling. The mistaken mess of his own bastard elven vampiric genetics now born unto another. This time it would be right. The hunger, the rot; the abuse and neglect, they were hundreds of miles away.
He would make it right.
But it was already so. She was here, and you all cried together in that dark, sweaty birth chamber. His great guttural sob at her birth, wracked with emotion he never knew he could possibly be permitted to feel on this immortal coil. Your genuinely feral howls of pain turned weeping with pure joy.
Two full days of agony unlike any you’ve ever endured and she had arrived, breathing; wailing; skin of a changeling in birthing viscera and lungs keen to rival any bellow of the Gods.
Astarion weakly clinging to you both; tears salting your lips and wetting her tiny head for hours on end.
The great weight of another being on your shoulders. His sincere - yet cliche - fervently whispered oath to her just moments after being placed in his arms.
She is home. She is loved beyond any unit of measure. She will want for nothing, and she will never know anguish like that of her parents and their complex lives. No matter who she is or what she becomes, she has two people who are in her corner. She will be fierce if she so desires. Cunning. Witty. Roguish. Barbaric. Horrid.
It didn’t matter. It never would.
She was yours, and his; and she would always have a choice.
He had spoken with her for hours, the nurse whispered to inform you once you had awoken from the deepest slumber of your life. Even then when you looked he was hanging over her small form in her cot, running his lithe fingers over her tiny hands and feet in a repetitive soothing pattern.
When you queried the topic of conversation he simply looked at you with a grin so lovesick it would flip your stomach completely. Butterflies.
-
“We deserve a bit of fun though, darling. Mummy and Daddy’s evening off? No?”
Astarion pouts, wrapping his arms around you - still pinned against the dresser - and inhaling your scent deeply.
You return the gesture and cough reactively.
“You stink of Noblestalk. I know your tricks.”
You playfully shove him away and tiptoe from your room to the landing, the pale elf hot on your heels.
“I have never stunk in my life, thank you.” He sulks.
You pointedly stop to look at him, before picking up a basket of waiting laundry and descending the stairs. He follows.
“I’m trying to fuck you, dear. Don’t make it weird.” He rolls his eyes and huffs.
You hum.
“Corpses tend to smell awful.”
“Warning.”
“You started it.”
“Touché.”
A beat of silence.
“Mummy and Daddy’s evening off though, love? Really?”
“Oh shut up, you horrid thing. I know.”
“You’re getting rusty.”
He captures you in a kiss as you reach the bottom of the stairs, slow and patient. Holding your free arm to keep you close.
“Look at me. I’m the epitome of the fatherly jester!’
Waggles his free hand.
‘I have been blessed with brains and humour anew by the birth of our daughter, clearly.’
He grimaces.
‘Not necessarily superior versions of either, but I - am - changed.”
From the moment of her conception you’d felt it. An old wives’ tale. The night you’d agreed to mother a brood alongside him, you knew she was there. That she was her. That she was brewing as something brilliant deep inside you and nothing would be as it was ever again.
He’d called it ridiculous, gestured wildly and rolled his eyes to the deepest hells, but a hazardous hope never left them until you’d far missed your bleed and it was confirmed to be true.
From that moment onwards, something shifted even further in Astarion.
The domestic tether to your townhouse in the city - no longer just a convenience to remain a steady base for you both, but a fundamental part of his scene setting, to plant roots and grow together. Two centuries of rot and abuse, and his reward was finally nearing completion.
His nesting phase began far earlier than yours and with greater intensity than you could’ve matched even without the issue of your later-heaving belly. Entire pinboards tacked with decadent fabric swatches for every occasion - be it swaddling or nursery curtains. Tailor’s tape around his neck each morning and notebook in hand to note your measurements and take inventory of your wardrobe; ensuring you never looked awry or felt anything less than wholly comfortable.
Because gods forbid ill-fitted clothing stand in the way of you and your brutal vomiting spells, obviously. A pointed click of his tongue as he fixes your sleeve.
In the middle months of your gestation, the typically discerning clientele who visited you and Astarion in your tailor’s store at the dead of night were the first to become privy to the news. Rounder by the week, flushed; brimming with a deep fatigue and yet somehow absolutely aglow.
Children to be fitted for yet another presentation evening placed sleepy hands on your belly with a saccharine softness. Their parents jostle you - sometimes in congratulations, sometimes to whisper in sheer curiosity. Dhampir are a notoriously rare breed, and you’re certain there were rumours of a third party involvement in the process.
‘No, no. We just tried really, really hard.’ You’d smile, as if in a blissful stupor from just the recollection. He’d turn to you with his ridiculously brilliant hearing; needle between teeth, brow raised; lips upturned in a slight quirk. Devilishly handsome, never anything less.
-
You drop the laundry basket in the kitchen corner. A stuffed bear falls from it. Clive.
A pause.
“You never asked what I did with that shirt, you know.”
It takes you a moment to recall which shirt he’s referring to. He sits at the table and watches you lazily.
“Which? The one for Mr. Chugley? I didn’t think it needed much by way of adjustment, at least?”
A stale piece of burnt toast sits on the counter untouched. You bite and chew and bite and chew like a woman who has never once tasted a morsel so divine; so untainted by the evils of hot butter and a filling bronze crunch.
“Oh - Bunt? Gods, no.’
He sips his stone-cold tea. A fresh film wobbles on top.
‘Bunt Chugley.”
A snort of laughter sends it straight back through his nose and out onto the table. You begin to choke on your toast.
“Bunt Chugley.” You giggle, crumbs spilling from your mouth.
Astarion stands to wipe himself down, creasing over with an escalating laughter.
“Bunt Chugley.”
He waggles his hands, eyes heavy lidded with lack of rest.
He looks purely maniacal.
“That’s- that’s what we should-’
You stop for breath, cackling now; hands over knees for a brief moment.
‘We should call the next one Bunt Chugley.”
He launches into a wheezing fit.
“How- How would that even work, darling? Like Bunt Chugley Ancunín, or- or-”
“No! No, no. Just that. Bunt Chugley.”
You hold both hands to your eye as if framing a canvas, looking through the gap at the ludicrous proposition in front of you.
He takes a moment to still. Smiles at you dopily.
Crosses the floor and brings both hands down to your waist with a gentle grasp.
“I am so sorry, my love.” He grins and holds his forehead against yours.
You look at him, dazed.
“Hmm?’
He simply looks up.
A profoundly gut-wrenching wail becomes apparent to you from above. Your face falls.
‘Oh for fuck’s sake, Astarion.”
-
He’s up the stairs before you can comment further, swiftly darting back into your chambers and grinning with an unbridled joy - though, you note, with lack of rest that grin is beginning to look more insane by the hour.
“Sweetheart! My darling girl. Shush now. You’re sounding something absolutely wicked.”
You watch on from the doorway, arms folded; stale toast in hand and jaws meeting in a firm chew.
He’s far too good with her.
It somewhat surprised you at first just how innately fatherhood came to him, but as he picks her up and cradles her intently it’s as if there are fractures of his own childhood coming back. How he was loved, how he was held.
A piece of him, now alive and breathing again after all these years of death.
He coos at her, bouncing her small frame gently in his arms and hushing her with each wail. It takes very little for soft mewls to take their place as she reaches aimlessly in his direction.
He leans towards her grasping fingers and allows her to take one of his ringlets from the front of his head as he kisses her tummy. She’s enthralled by him; recognises him. She wants to know more of him.
As he lifts his head her grasp remains firm.
“We have some work to do on your sleight of hand, I think. Not to worry.”
Ever so gently, he unpicks her fascinated fingers and kisses them all in tow. Her face looks almost ready to crumple before he reaches for one final kiss on the very top of her head.
“There, now. All better. Back to sleep?’
A gurgle. A puzzled blink.
‘Absolutely. Mummy does look particularly radiant today, doesn’t she? I’ll be sure to send your regards.”
He catches the smile on your face. Winks your way.
“You’re getting the baby to flirt on your behalf now?” You tease.
“That’s the lady of the house to you. She was simply passing on her praises.” He whispers as he places her back into her crib and steps back fondly. Sidles over to you as you finish the last bite of toast and pulls you in for a soft kiss.
“Stop playing coy. I know you feel the same way I do.’
He whispers down at you.
‘You want another one, don’t you?’
A kiss on the very top of your head.
“You’re projecting.” You smile.
You can’t deny him for long, he knows this. You don’t particularly want to.
Since becoming a mother you’ve taken to parenthood almost as naturally as he has; and when the topic has come up since you’ve struggled to say no and mean it.
“Think, though. The sooner we try again, the sooner we can begin building our little mercenary force.” He looks at you with the face of a man who thinks he’s just had a really good idea.
“Oh! Yes! You’ve sold me!’
You pull him into a long kiss, the kind that still makes you swoon after all this time together. He tastes like cold tea and smells so clinical you can’t help but laugh heartily as you pull away.
‘That Noblestalk is getting to me. Have a bath and try again with a little less?”
He scowls before narrowing his eyes in thought.
“Does that mean what I think it means?”
“It just might, my darling dearest.”
You wink this time.
The bath starts running before you’ve fully made it back down the stairs.
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On Visual Novels and Catharsis
I never had a high opinion of Visual Novels. In my mind, they always seemed to boil down to the most basic wish fulfillment tripe that we'd collectively assign to the isekai genre these days, I'd wager. To me it was a waste of time or energy trying to interact with them (as an aside, I'm well aware that the Phoenix Wright series is arguably a visual novel, but I missed that boat by not having DS-era device). Even today, with a glance over most of games tagged 'visual novel' on Steam, you'll see what could be generously described as fetish pornography. So, seeing all this, I reinforced my belief that visual novels were for people who wanted some plot with their porn, and never thought much of it.
To my surprise, Steam insisted on recommending visual novels to me. I usually just tossed them aside from the recommendation queue, until I got two recommended almost back-to-back: Mice Tea and Changeling Tale.
Mice Tea had generally positive reviews, and many of them cited that the game's writing and characterization were generally humorous and appealing. So, given that it was on sale during the Steam Winter Sale, I figured it was worth a shot. Then, after basically binging on the game for 20 hours, I walked away thinking that I might have misjudged the genre on some levels.
I wouldn't say I was entirely surprised by Mice Tea - the reviews did it justice in terms of you, as the reader, wanting to root for the main cast to succeed. Most of the conflict didn't necessarily arise from an outside force, but rather internalized conflicts and the struggle to essentially be honest with yourself and those around you, risking vulnerability, essentially. At its core, I still felt like it was wish fulfillment to a significant degree, but the implausibilities were generally smoothed over enough to allow for suspension of disbelief to ride along with the story. And yeah, there... was a fair amount of catering to various fetishes and such worked in, but all in a fairly world-consistent sort-of perspective? At its core, the story was light, cheerful with moments of self-reflection and introspection, and wrapped up in a generally nice bow all in the end.
But what Mice Tea ended up doing for me, personally, was allowing me to lower my defenses during a particularly stressful point in my life, staying present in my mind when I then read over the reviews and such for Changeling Tale. I brushed off the emotion reviews, thinking that they were likely being dramatic.
I could not have been more wrong.
While set in a backdrop of old Scottish fantasy, I continually found myself impressed at how grounded Changeling Tale managed to make itself felt. I believe this is because the main character / player character of Changeling Tale (hereafter referred to as "Malcolm") is primarily reacting to the supernatural events occurring around him, rather than necessarily driving them by his own volition. Malcolm is thrust into a world that he already feels disconnected from due to his service in the military, and it cracks further open as fae magic begins seeping into the world around him.
That said, no one in the backwater town in which Malcolm has returned to handles the public appearance of fae magic particularly well, much less the three parallel storylines available to the reader between Jessie, Marion, and Grace. If anything, the most unreasonable reactions come from the player themselves, in how flippant or otherwise easygoing they handle changes happening to the people around them. That said, many decisions have a snowballing / weighted effect that can change plot directions far later on than one might expect, leading to fallings-out with friends and family, or worse.
But then something strange happened to me, as a reader, while working my way through these split storylines. Core messages seemed to stick out to me, interwoven among the stories. But they cut me straight to the core as a person; after finishing all 3 major storylines I was left shaking and bleary-eyed, wishing events could have turned out differently, desperately trying to reject the messages that had been suggested despite knowing deep-down that they were right.
"Be the best you that you can be."
"Encourage people to chase their dreams, but make sure you're pursuing your dream too."
"Sometimes peoples' dreams are irreconcilable with one another. That doesn't mean the love is gone, it just means that it isn't fair to either person."
"The size of the dream does not diminish its value; the holder of the dream determines its value."
(I intentionally omitted the storyline associations I would make)
When I held all of these thoughts together, an emotional dam burst in my heart. For years I never considered myself as having dreams or goals. For years I felt kind of confused and wondering if what I was doing mattered, or had worth. But somehow, a visual novel about fae shenanigans that dances alongside a transformation kink broadsides me with the realization that I AM where I want to be, doing what I am doing. I have a family who l love and loves me back. I am not pursuing a dream; rather, I am cultivating and maintaining a dream I have already attained. I am doing what is important to me and my family, and even if I'm not changing the world around me and leaving a name in the history books, I know that I am here and directly affecting the lives of those around me, and I'm not sure what more I could want for at this very moment.
And for the first time in quite a while, I feel content and satisfied.
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To bring this chain of asks full circle, what are your top ten favorite Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi monsters and why? Either on the basis of biology, design, or even story significance? What are your favorite dishes from Delicious in Dungeon? 😋
I thin the chapter that introduced Dungeon Meshi's take on living armor is the moment where most readers realize they're in for something special and more than just the gag manga it could have been. For me, it's the epitome of what makes Dungeon Meshi's world-building so special. Living Armors are a stock monster in fantasy fiction, and normally the thought that goes into them begins and ends with "a suit of armor moves on its own because magic." That's all they have to be for an audience to accept them and move on, and in most fiction, that's all they will be.
Dungeon Meshi, by contrast, came up with the most creative explanation for why a suit of armor would walk around and attack people I've ever encountered. It's so bizarre that it's fascinating on its own - BUT THEN, just to show she's a fucking master of story-telling, Ryoko Kui makes the process of our hero discovering the nature of living armor vital to stopping them, saving his friends, and making his way through the dungeon. Dungeon Meshi took a monster archetype that is usually little more than a footnote and turned it into a crucial and iconic story beat, one so important that it continues to figure in to the plot thereafter in the form of Laios's living sword, Kensuke.
Griffins are a monster I have a great deal of fondness for, and one I feel should be more prominent given how iconic they are. There should be more kickass griffins in fiction, more memorable griffin stories, more griffins in general! Dungeon Meshi didn't reinvent the wheel with its take on griffins like it did with Living Armors, but its griffin/hippogriff arc is nonetheless one of the most important emotional beats in the story, and also led into the changeling arc, which is one of the funniest in the entire manga. They also gave griffins the gravitas as a monster that they rightfully deserve. A+ griffin use.
The vegetable lamb is one of my favorite obscure medieval folklore monsters and seeing it show up in this manga made me so happy. It is exactly the kind of bonkers idea that fits perfectly into Ryoko Kui's fantasy world, perfect addition, no notes.
I'm of two minds on how Quetzalcoatl has been reduced to a monster in pop culture instead of, you know, the benevolent god he was originally, but Dungeon Meshi's coatl at least gets a lot of gravitas and even plays a semi-heroic role in some scenes, which is better than most knockoff Q's get. Also the one in the manga itself is covered in psychedlic flower pictures because of SPOILERS and it's really cute.
...Falin's chimera form is ridiculously hot in ways that make me look long and hard at myself in the mirror and wonder why I'm wired like this.
On a less existential side of things, Laios's Ultimate Monster design is, for my money, the absolute best running gag in the manga, with the PERFECT punchline at the story's climax that you'll think you've guessed but trust me, you haven't quite. If you're looking at it and thinking, "That looks like what a four year old would draw when making a monster," you are right, and that is the gag, and trust me, it is ALWAYS funny when it pops up.
How many slots do I have left? Four? Fuck it, let's talk about the dragons, we can go over I don't give a shit. The Red Dragon is the Heavy for the first third of the manga, and it's built up impressively throughout all the monster-eating shenanigans, so that when it finally arrives as this small-scale kaiju who makes the dungeon tremble and quake in its path, you really get a sense of dread attached to it. A lot of modern fantasy fiction gets lazy with dragons, content to let their cultural reputation do the work for them, but Kui made sure that when a dragon entered her story, it feels like an EVENT.
I haven't watched the anime yet, but what I've seen shows they did a good job handling Kui's design, which has this wonderful blend of T.rex, sauropod, and crocodile to give it this primordial reptilian strength. I also love how they animated its Thor Thimble, it's a great touch.
About the only thing I'd change about the Red Dragon is its lack of wings, but then you see how the other dragon species look in Dungeon Meshi, and it makes more sense. Another trope of modern dragons I dislike is giving them all one body plan, when their mythic predecessors could have all sorts of arrangements and numbers of limbs. Kui's dragons follow suit - the red dragon is a stocky quadruped, green dragons have the hexapodal look with two wings and slightly more gracile proportions, we've got two-legged and two-winged wyverns, two-armed wyrms, multi-finned leviathans, Asian-style dragons, and even a big fluffy arctic dragon for those freaks out there who don't want dragons to have scales for some inexplicable reason. All of them are still very much dragons, but each one feels unique and broadens what a "dragon" can be in the setting. It's great, I love it, A+ dragon usage.
Oh, yeah, there's one other dragon species I forgot to put up there - the Nightmares, which in your dreams look like, well, a nightmare, and in the waking world look like... shellfish. Apparently it's a Japanese pun that doesn't translate easily into English. They're not really my favorite monster but I knew if I included all the other dragons and not these guys then at least one person would feel compelled to "Um, actually" me. That nightmare form for the Nightmare looks pretty wicked, though.
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One of the reasons I really don’t engage much with fandom spaces at all these days is just how much casual ableism there is in fandom spaces, a lot of which is internalized ableism. And unfortunately, when you try to explain this to people, they often don’t want to hear it or accept that the ideas they’ve latched onto are actually often pretty harmful to people in the real world.
An example, one of many: people have had theories on N being a Zoroark since Black and White first came out in 2010. That was ableist then, and it’s ableist now - the changeling myth is thought to be rooted in children turning out to be neurodivergent (especially autistic), and if you’re looking at a human character that feels neurodivergent-coded and going “What if they’re not human?” it’s...well, neurodivergent people are already dehumanized in the real world. We’re so often treated as less than human that having a character who comes across as neurodivergent suddenly being not human can feel like a slap in the face to our own humanity.
(Ironically, neurodivergent people often found representation in non-human characters before human characters with neurodivergent traits started popping up in media - this goes back at least to the half-human, half-Vulcan Spock in Star Trek, and possibly far, far further. But that’s a topic for another time.)
Every time I see a character who feels pretty damn neurodivergent, I also see a wide chunk of the fandom interpret their neurodivergent traits really negatively, and it hurts. I don’t engage with the Submas fandom anymore outside of answering people’s train questions that they bring to me because enough people in said fandom looked at Emmet, a character who is more like me than any other fictional character I’ve ever seen in my life, and decided he was scary and unhinged, creepy because of the way he talks when he isn’t close to someone, potentially violent because of his intensity. He’s none of these things, he’s just one of the most autistic characters to ever be written. But the damage was done, because when I saw people treating a character just like me like that...well, it basically told me how they saw me, too.
I graduated high school way, way back in 2007. Some of the people on this website now weren’t alive back then. I wouldn’t get my autism diagnosis for two more years, and all I knew was that I was somehow different from the kids around me, and so many of them had bullied me for this. I was treated horribly because I was intense about my interests, talked differently, walked differently, and acted differently from them. It more or less went on for my entire time in school before I got to undergrad. That shit stays with you. I had this notion that this was how everyone saw me, and that still sits in the back of my mind in my 30s. It’s actually one of the things that prevents me from trying dating, because my bullies were primarily my male peers growing up. It was so important for me to see Ingo and Emmet being themselves and being accepted as themselves, because it meant that maybe people could accept me, too. Except then PLA dropped, and a bunch of new people came rushing in...and enough of them reacted in ways similar to how my bullies did when I was younger, so I had to disengage because it hurt too much.
And the cycle continues with every new character that takes the stage. Nemona debuted in Scarlet and Violet, and once you get more of her backstory in the later game and eventually the postgame you realize she sounds like a neurodivergent person surrounded by neurotypicals. I’ve seen headcanons of autism, ADHD, and a few other neurodivergencies, all of which were definitely people relating to her experiences with their own - Geeta even introduces the “weird girl” to the “new kid” at the beginning of the game in the hopes that she’ll make a friend, a common experience for neurodivergent kids growing up. But then I started seeing people calling her a yandere, and they weren’t joking, and I knew that people who related to Nemona who saw that were going to feel hurt the way I did with people taking Emmet’s autistic traits so negatively.
Fandom spaces tend to be online bubbles, so to speak, and people don’t often realize the impact that these attitudes have in the real world. It’s important for people to have representation and see themselves in the media they interact with, because that’s extremely affirming and validating. Seeing a fictional character just like you being accepted for who they are goes a long, long way when you’re being bullied for who you are in your real life. When you see a bunch of people looking at those harmless traits of yours that people bully you for and interpret them in ways that portray you as scary, creepy, or even unhinged and dangerous...it does damage.
I think about people with psychosis. I think about how media has portrayed them throughout the ages, and how stigmatized they are as a result. I think about people with personality disorders, about people with OCD (of which I’m one myself), about autistic people and ADHD people and people with Tourette’s and other tic disorders, about plural people/systems...the list can go on, and on, and on, and this post doesn’t even touch upon physical disabilities and how ableist fandom spaces can be to them, too (cons being physically difficult to navigate are just one challenge of many they face). I think about how desperate we’ve all been to see ourselves as characters - nuanced characters that feel like real people, not caricatures. The days of the “evil, unhinged schizophrenic” need to be over. We know people with disabilities and mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators; we have so many studies affirming this. And yet the rest of the world is taking a long time to catch up on this.
Sometimes, you’re 12 years old and you make an edgy OC who wears a straitjacket because they like to stab people, and then you get a little older and you realize that was pretty ableist and you grow and change as a person. That’s normal - you’re learning about the world around you and learning how to be more kind. But if someone who’s out there in the real world explains why something is ableist towards their disability or mental illness, and they provide examples, that’s not the moment you double down and act like you can do no wrong and that everything you’ve written is fine. It’s supposed to be a learning moment for you, a chance to step back and try to do better. And this especially applies to internalized ableism - like I said, so many fandom spaces are heavily neurodivergent, and the internalized ableism I’ve encountered in fandom spaces has grown substantially with the rise of social media. Sometimes the call is coming from inside the house, and we need to be mindful of how we’re portraying people like ourselves, too.
I think it’s a good idea to really try to be aware as we engage with others in fandom spaces and try not to perpetrate harmful stereotypes or portrayals, and becoming more thoughtful and nuanced about how we depict characters is a big part of that. If you’re writing something edgy just for yourself, that’s for you, and you don’t really have to think too hard about it. But if you’re sharing it in a public space, remember that anyone can encounter it, and it might do damage you’re not really thinking about. It’s important to remember that the internet is a public space, too, just like the places we go in real life, and that we should carry ourselves the way we would if we were interacting in person - we need to try to be respectful, and accept feedback and improve things when we accidentally aren’t.
As an extra reminder, here’s a great graphic from Sonny Jane Wise on Instagram that shows just how many things fit under the neurodivergent umbrella:
Please do your best to do no harm, but if you accidentally do, please listen to the people who are being harmed and want to help you do better.
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Day 3: Sunshine
Summary: Elain enjoys a picnic with Lucien, pondering the future they'll share in Day.
AN: This event is my first time posting Elucien. Naturally, I ask you to be polite in your feedback.
Read on Ao3
Word Count: 658
CW: None
He was far too handsome for his own good. Elain was all too aware he knew that as he lounged on the thin blanket spread out beneath them, a glint of golden sun catching in the red of his hair as the mid-summer breeze ruffle the strands that weren't pinned beneath his shoulders. "I can feel you staring, mate."
He smirked slightly as she settled on her elbow beside him, his eyes still closed against the light peaking through the leaves swaying above them. "Sometimes I wonder when I'm going to wake up."
Lucien peeled his eyes open, rolling onto his side to mirror his mate. "What do you mean, love?"
She fiddled with a fallen leaf. "Things have always been... For years and years, it's been one danger or drama or expectation after the next. And now..."
Now she was happy. Her future was bright, unrestrained by conflict or social expectations. She had the leisure to build a real relationship with her sisters even as she no longer depended on them so entirely. She had the freedom to build a life of her own with the male she loved with her whole heart. To spend the rest of her long, long life in his arms, content to lie beneath the sun day after day with only the sounds of bright laughter and music and unadulterated joy around them.
That's not to say the Day Court was flawless. Every person and place had their faults. But it was a far cry from the first few years she spent in Prythian, one court as cold as the next as they tried to piece together a war-cleaved continent. She hadn't bore the brunt of it and she'd never try to claim she had. But it had still been an exhausting few years.
Middle sister.
Mediator.
Gentle and good and kind and perfect.
Breaking away was the most terrifying and exhilarating thing she had ever done, to be frank. And it had brought her here, out of the box she had been pushed into as a girl and into a whole new way of seeing the world.
"Now I'm free of it all and waiting for reality to set in. For some conflict or conundrum to shatter this dreamscape." Her mate hummed, an arm curling around her waist so she was forced to shift with him when he rolled onto his back again. Contentment shuttered down the thread between them as she buried her face in his chest, letting their legs tangle around one another. Full from their picnic with the warmth of the high sun around them it would be all too easy to drift to sleep there, she knew. Another little element of this utopia of theirs. "It all feels too perfect to last."
His fingers tangled in her unbound hair, stroking from her scalp to the curled ends before repeating the motion. "I've never taken kindly to good fortune either," he murmured. "At least, not until you came along. It was far too fleeting to trust. But with the war behind us, the courts near peace, our bond officiated, here with my true family and you at my side... I'm willing to risk it."
"Can you promise me this is forever?"
He smiled, kissing her hair. "No, my love. But I can promise it's the beginning of a brilliance to bloom. And I'll push Lady Luck as long as I'm able if that means we'll have our happily ever after."
"Promise?"
"By the sun above us," he murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth. "By the moon to rise." Another kiss fell under her jaw before he raised his head again, lips just inches from her own. "Every star that falls or burns for us night after night. By the very bond between us, I swear with all I am, Elain, we'll have a lifetime of joy and light."
And as his lips finally found hers, she believed.
~~~~~
General/Elucien taglist:
@elucienweekofficial // @goddess-aelin // @acotar-fanns // @shallyne // @the-lonelybarricade // @the-lost-changeling // @faeriequeensuriel // @pandavelaris // @s-uppertime // @elentiyawhitethorn // @vulpes-fennec // @headcanonheadcase // @aldbooks // @panicatthenightcourt // @corcracrow // @jennity-blog
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Tales of Arcadia fic recs-Rise of the Titans fix it edition
This project's been a long time coming and I'm super happy to finish at last. Here we have a compilation of written responses to the complete dumpster fire that was supposed to be the franchise finale for Tales of Arcadia. Now this is not a comprehensive list by any means, just a collection of my personal favorites and what I consider the best fix-it takes of Rise of the Titans, broken down into several categories.
Bits and Pieces-Not full fix its, but some short little one shots and alternate takes that make the worst parts of of RotT easier to swallow.
Let’s Try That Again-Jim uses the Krohnisfere only to go back to earlier parts of RotT, not the entire franchise.
Instinct of Self-Preservation-Undoes Strickler's pointless death and Jim doesn't go back in time.
Remembering and Honoring a Hero-In a world where the Krohnisfere doesn't exist, the city of Arcadia gathers to remember the fallen hero, Toby Domalski.
Hope Overture-Canon compliant Stricklake, in the new timeline Barbara and Strickler are hit with memories they shouldn't rightly have.
Technically canon compliant-These fics don’t contradict any of the events of RotT, rather pick up where RotT left off with the new timeline of Toby being the Trollhunter. In general I'm not a fan of this particular type of fic. RotT was such a mess all around I don't like the idea of building on it, but the stories below are exceptions for a reason. Not only do these fics work as continuations, each of them is enjoyable on their own merits.
Challenging Destiny @pinkytoothlesso11-Picks up where canon left off, but with the twist of Jim and Toby sharing the amulet as co Trollhunters. From there it grows to include wizards, changelings, and Akiridions working together to bring back magic and create a better future for all. Not only is this story fantastic as it navigates the benefits and pitfalls of knowledge of the future, but the buildup to an eventual post-Masquerade world is set up so well. And this might be a continuation of canon but don't let that fool you, this story never misses an opportunity to throw well deserved shade at the source material.
Trollhunters: Becoming yeeterparker-A fun, fast paced romp that has the characters using their knowledge of the future to speedrun though obstacles while flipping the baddies off on the way. And not only are they able to turn some foes into friends, but troll Jim is back and he's here to stay. All the character interactions are so warm and caring, showing their strong bonds with each other in a way RotT wishes it did.
Atlas through the aftermath @atlasthroughtheaftermath-Jim went back in time, but from the very first morning in the past everything starts going wrong. The amulet was never supposed to choose Toby. Now Jim is forced to walk the line between truth and lies in order to use his knowledge of the future to ensure a better outcome. But as things drift further and further from the timeline he knows he finds himself adrift in uncharted waters. If you like fics that go into all the nitty gritty details with heartbreakingly realistic fight scenes and depictions of armor/sword fighting, this is the fic for you.
RotT fix its-Just like it says on the tin folks, fics that are complete rewrites of Rise of the Titans. But with better characterization, plot points that aren't hamfisted, no time travel retcon; and most importantly, no Steve mpreg.
Rise of the Titans-Secundo Ire @nickelwick-Part two in a series already containing a fabulous Wizards rewrite. Follows the same events of Rise of the Titans, only with the characters actually acting in character. But with the twist of someone else wielding Excalibur, and Jim going through a magical problem of his own. Not only do these changes make for a very interesting read but every character, even the minor ones, is well fleshed out and true to their established characters. All coming together to create an incredible franchise finale.
Fall of the Titans @purplerose244 This one's more a character study than anything else, but holy hell what a character study! This story goes through and analyzes each character's perspective and journey as they struggle against the titans, with plenty of Akiridion worldbuilding and a very interesting twist on the Arcane order's lore, and who gets Excalibur. Salty about how Jim-centric RotT was and the lack of compelling character arcs? Give this a read.
Tales of Arcadia: The Final Becoming @nikibogwater-Rather than focusing on Jim, the main arcs center on Douxie and Nari's relationship, but without sidelining any of the other characters. A rewrite that's short and sweet that never fails to deliver an epic finale with a satisfying conclusion.
The Eternal Day:Tales of Arcadia @rikalovesrice-An epic rewrite that really delivers on the promise to unite the worlds of trolls, aliens, and wizards. Along with some fascinating original lore and some killer redesigns of the Titans themselves (art on author's tumblr). Takes the bare bones of RotT and builds an incredible story on them. Brilliantly weaving the worlds of trolls, Akiridions, and wizards together all leading up to a final battle of epic magical proportions and a brave new world on the other side.
Entire series rewrites-Kind of a cheat category, which is why it's the largest, in that technically none of these fics are RotT rewrites. They're au takes on canon, and many of them were well in progress before RotT was released. Some haven't been updated in a while and some are on full blown hiatus, but they're all worth a read and all have been confirmed by the authors that they will be concluding differently than RotT does.
Becoming the Mask @magic-and-moonlit-wings-Possibly one of the most well known fics in the TOA fandom, and for darn good reason. Starts at the very beginning of Trollhunters with the premise, what if Jim was a changeling all along? Not a half-changeling or a sleeper agent, but a full blown self aware member of the Janus Order. An excellent highly detailed read, juggles a large cast of complex characters, and subtly addresses plot holes as they come along with care and attention.
What the Night Brings @blund3r-bust3r-When Jim has a chance encounter with a creature of the night he barely escapes with his life. Now less than human himself, he's introduced to a vast world below his feet full of danger and wonder, and sets churning gears that have been spinning for centuries. A wonderfully dark, fantastical au that stays true to a lot of existing TOA lore while still being very much its own story.
Sunshine through the Clouds aka shameless self promotion @rockymaidenvixen-Through events neither fated nor accidental, at five years old Jim Lake starts transforming into a troll with each sunset, and back into a human at sunrise. An ability both a gift and a curse that he carries with him through his childhood into adolescence. Changing nothing and everything once he's chosen as the Trollhunter (more about this au under the tag "sunshine au" on my blog).
Tulips of Time @avirxy-Starts with the events of Wizards, but with two major twists. Toby falls through the time rift with the rest of the gang, and Claire's the one with a shard of evil in her heart. Really this story does the trio's characters justice in a way Wizards wishes it did. The trio struggles to make their way in Camelot and find their way back to the future, but medieval Camelot is a harsh time for trolls and humans alike, with the line between good and evil getting blurrier by the day. And their greatest threat may just come from within.
A Brief Reliving of Troll Lore @i-am-gun-robot-This one's just getting started, and hasn't been updated in a long time, but is definitely worth a read. Did you enjoy Wizards but hate what it did for the overall TOA continuity? Then this is the fic for you. A very different take on Camelot of the past, with worldbuilding that can be dark, but is so very rich and nuanced.
Blue Moon Rising @tunafishprincess-On indefinate hiatus, but definitely worth a read. A half changeling Jim au with a dark twist. What if Jim was stolen from Barbara and found by the Janus order, and raised by the top changeling himself under the new name Atlas. Atlas though his fate was certain, but then on his first real mission a certain amulet calls a hauntingly familiar name.
Self Determination @appendingfic-A completed series rewrite that diverges from canon very early on. It starts with the premise, what if the Trollhunter was always human? Spinning out and crossing over with multiple other properties colliding on an epic scale. To say any more would spoil some of the truly earth shattering twists and turns this story has going for it. For those put off by all the crossovers this is a Tales of Arcadia story more than anything else, and you can still follow along and get fully immersed without knowing anything about the other properties tied into it.
You can check out my original TOA fanfic rec list here, and @feather-dancer has made several much more comprehensive fic rec lists all compiled here.
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Extended fae-mily
“The people will not care. We are beings of Rules, Talia, and those won’t change until there is no other option. Even then…” He shook his head.
(Or: Talia needs an heir)
Talia’s real name was not actually Talia, just like her father’s name was not actually Ra’s (what kind of person would seriously name their child Head?), but it would be improper for a faerie of her status to release her True Name to just anyone. Much less to an author intent on telling her story to anyone who will take the time to read it. So, for the time being, we shall all pretend that everything up to this point and hereafter has not been recontextualized in any way, and that these thoughts are as historically accurate as possible.
After all, faerie cannot lie.
They do, however, twist the truth in any way they see fit.
And, regardless, is any one person’s perception of reality ever completely true?
Still, this story is not about any of that. It’s not even, entirely, about her.
It’s about her duty. As the heir to the In-Between.
She needed to bear a child. To carry on her family's legacy and ensure that they could continue to serve their people through future generations.
This did not mean she was exactly ecstatic about that particular responsibility, though.
The air behind her held more weight than it usually did. She craned her head back to look, and sighed when her eyes landed on her father, floating in the doorway to her room. She was pretty sure she had never seen the man touch the ground, not in all of the years she had lived. Now, he appeared to be sitting in an invisible chair, though leaning forward quite a bit, on the edge of his nonexistent seat.
“Father…” she groaned.
“I haven’t even said anything!” he defended himself, smiling.
She fixed him with a flat look.
He dropped pretenses. And his chin into his hands. He slumped back in his ‘chair’, but his smile never wavered. “I’m not getting any younger.”
“Nor is anyone else,” she pointed out. “And you are hardly frail.”
He gave a long, drawn-out sigh.
“I still do not see why my son could not —.”
“He is not a True Fae, you know this,” he cut her off. It was impolite to do so, technically, but the rules were never quite as strict when with loved ones. “Therefore, he cannot rule. The people would not allow it.”
“There simply aren’t enough True Fae for it to be sustainable anymore.”
“The people will not care. We are beings of Rules, Talia, and those won’t change until there is no other option. Even then…” He shook his head.
“None of us have ‘proper’ heirs. Superman’s oldest son is a Changeling. His wife was human, meaning their youngest child is not a True Fae, either. As for Batman, all of his children were once human, outside of his own Changeling.” She ran a hand through her hair, trying to soothe herself. “If we are to alter this, now is the time, when all three realms can agree.”
Ra’s looked at her for a long moment, something inscrutable in his eyes. “Changing tradition is not that simple.” Slowly, he made his way over, until he could rest his hand upon her shoulder. He didn’t apologize, for an apology would imply a debt, and what she would ask of him would not be something he believed he could give her, but he was still apologetic. “We are given power and, in return, our people ask us to prove we are worthy of it. How could we be worthy, if we cannot do one of the few things they ask of us?”
She looked at the ground.
“I understand.”
~
Talia made her way through the halls of her family home. A ball of light wound and weaved itself around her feet with every step she took, allowing her to see despite the darkness that loved to find a home there just as much as she did.
Like everyone else in the In-Between, her house was made up of a series of carved-out tunnels deep underground. The winds were simply too harsh for any structures to be built above ground, and it wasn’t as if the magically inclined couldn’t make the world beneath the surface a beautiful paradise, anyway.
She ran her fingers along the wall as she made her way down, further into their home. The walls were a deep, emerald green… at first. The light refracted off of the Alexandrite as she passed, making the gem look pink instead, leaving the area around her to feel far less cold, far more inviting.
It wasn’t long before she reached a door, her fingers coming to rest upon the dark wood for just a moment.
If she told Jason, it would be official.
That was… a lot of commitment.
She wasn’t sure if she was ready for a child.
To be clear, she was not against children. If she was then she would not have taken in Jason in the first place.
She was not even against having a child. She was a fae, she would not have to carry a child to term or anything of that nature. The hardest part of creating a child would probably be making the trip to the Water of Life, and the paperwork that would be boring and tedious, but otherwise painless.
But it was different, asking her to raise a child from birth. She had found Jason when he was in his teenage years, more than capable of taking care of himself so long as he was provided with adequate resources and affection, and additionally resourceful due to his less-than-stellar original parents (the thought made her want to tear into the man a second time, even if she knew he was long dead).
A baby, however, would be completely reliant on her, and she was a busy woman.
She would have help, though, she supposed, in the form of the baby’s other parent.
She already knew who that would be.
For Talia had made a Deal with Batman, many years ago, when they had been arguing over who got to lay claim to Jason — for Batman’s oldest children, as much as she loathed to admit it, had found Jason first, making her claim over the boy somewhat hazy, even if, ultimately, she had been the one with the claim. If it had gone to Court, she probably would have won… but, in the end, neither she nor Batman had wanted to steal their son away from someone who made him happy.
On the other hand, there was the matter of fairness...
A decision had been made: they could co-parent Jason, but only if they could also co-parent another child one day in the future.
A child of her choosing.
She doubted Batman had caught on to what she was really aiming for, but it hadn’t mattered regardless. Again, the actual act of having a child for a fae was basically effortless, so, for all intents and purposes, he was simply getting another child — one that looked more like him, perhaps, but simply another child regardless.
And, really, was Batman one to say no to another child? If she hadn’t known better, she would say they were collecting them simply for the sake of having as many as possible. Even while knowing better, she couldn’t help but wonder.
Either way, he had experience with children, more than even she did. Beyond that, his butler-dad (or was it dad-butler?), A, had experience helping raise children, as did her own father…
It shouldn’t be that bad.
With that in mind, she finally let her fingers rap against the wood.
“Jason, it’s me,” she called.
The door swung open without even a second’s hesitation, and she couldn’t help but smile a little, stepping further into the room, letting the ball of light disperse itself behind her.
She almost didn’t see Jason, at first. The boy had taken to her tigers from the day he’d met them and, accordingly, he never left their side when he was home. Now, he was buried beneath three piles of fur. The only evidence he was there at all was the set of wings, stretched over the top of one of the tigers to make sure they didn’t get crushed under all of their weight.
“Jason,” she said.
He didn’t look at her, really, but he waved a wing in acknowledgment.
“I have been thinking. It has been a while since you’ve gotten a new sibling, yes?”
Jason snorted. “Did you find another kid on the brink of death to steal away?”
“No, no, nothing like that… but… about that…”
Jason sat up, frowning just slightly as he tried to reason out exactly what she was getting at.
She gave him a slightly nervous smile. “If I were to create a new child, would you be okay with that?”
He raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.
But then he smiled.
“It’s not like the Old Man is going to be getting another kid anytime soon, since we got run out of town ‘n all, so…” Jason shrugged. “I have an opening.”
Talia hesitated. “I’m glad you’re open to the idea of another sibling… however… again… about that…”
~
Talia didn’t need to make nearly as long of a trip as the other two rulers would need to. After all, the Water of Life lay within the borders of the In-Between.
It was easy to think of those about to die as being within their realm, but was birth not just that in reverse? Neither alive nor dead?
Whether or not people agree, it is simply the way of their world. Meaning that, while the waters weren’t exactly close, they weren’t far, either.
She stepped out of her home, the winds immediately picking up in response to her presence, buffeting at her hair and clothes. The skies swirled overhead, the clouds smudged with pinks, oranges, and pale yellows. Beautiful, until you catch the crackle of lightning dancing among the otherwise pleasant sight, and realize that the clouds were not simply swirling, but instead churning with enough force to kill a fae even without iron. The pale, fine sand making up the ground reflected the light perfectly, and yet it was unsteady beneath her feet, threatening to sweep her up and away, never to be seen again – or, at least, to never be seen whole again, her body ripped into unidentifiable shreds.
She planted her feet beneath the sand, shouldered her bag, sighed…
And then, she walked.
~
She did not pout at the cliff face in front of her, doing so would be undignified, but she did send it a particularly nasty scowl. The cliff, being a cliff, and therefore inanimate, did not seem all that offended by her blatant disdain. It still made her feel better, though.
Hopefully, they will get Batman’s wings, she thought dully, making sure her backpack was as secure as it could be before she started climbing.
Jagged rocks dug into the skin of her palms, painting the otherwise white limestone a deep red (the splotches of color would surely be swept away soon enough, weathered away by the elements), but it was all worth it when she finally pulled herself up and over that last ledge. It was as if she had stepped into a new world entirely, the wind dying down in an instant, the roaring in her ears dying down in favor of the quiet trickle of water. The limestone falling away in favor of crystalline walls and floors.
The waters glimmered shades of blue and green. It was endless, constantly replenishing itself from an unknown source even when logic dictated that it should have long since run out. Especially because the pool before her was not stationary. No, it would roll over rocks and crystals, away from her, towards the opening on the opposite end of the cave. It spilled over the edge, and then plummeted towards the ground so far below.
It would never truly reach it, swept away by the winds long before it hit the sand, but that didn’t make the waterfall any less enchanting.
Talia smiled faintly despite her exhaustion, picking her way along the edge of the waters in want of something to do while she waited for the other two rulers to arrive…
And, for better or for worse, she found that 'something'.
Her eyes caught on the edge of a flower petal. Part of a dandelion. Minuscule in size, but she would bring shame upon the Ghul family name if she were to miss even the smallest of details. She picked it up, her head tilting to the side as she ran her fingers over the soft petal. The yellow of the flower shimmered just slightly, dancing with magic.
Someone had failed to clean up after themselves properly.
The sound of someone touching down behind her – quiet, but echoing strangely against the walls of the otherwise quiet cave – drew her gaze, and she raised an eyebrow at Superman. He looked windswept, for lack of a better word. His usually perfectly coiffed hair hung limp, having been shaken loose of its gel by the harsh winds of the In-Between.
It didn’t help that he was only just tall enough to reach her waist. He might have literally been windswept.
He didn’t seem as amused by this as she was.
He was only there for the sake of tradition. Bringing a peer along as an official witness was necessary when bringing a True Fae into the world, and he was the only person of similar status to the two future parents. However, she was suddenly glad to have him here:
“Someone under your jurisdiction used the waters without doing the appropriate paperwork,” she said, tossing the petal his way. It fluttered to the ground between them.
“Never one for hellos, are you?” Superman sighed.
“Hello,” she said. “Someone under your jurisdiction used the waters without doing the appropriate paperwork.”
He gave her a long, tired look, before picking up the petal and running his thumb over it. It looked much larger when held in his tiny hands, though he only did so for a short moment before tucking it into his chest pocket.
“I’ll look into it,” he promised.
“Look into what, exactly?” A new voice said.
Superman flinched and whirled around to send the Batman an exasperated look. “You and Talia are practically made for each other. Neither of you know how to greet someone.”
“Hello,” said Batman, his lips quirking upwards at the corners in amusement. “Pleasure seeing you today, Superman.”
Superman, always so impossible to please, simply shook his head, apparently deciding that it was best to simply move on:
“Should I worry about you two’s alliance?” he joked lightly. “I mean, you’re already painfully alike, this might become a problem.”
“If you were going to worry about any of that, you should have worried when we adopted our human son,” Talia said. “We are hardly any more bonded now.”
Batman, of course, had other plans. He leaned over Superman, smiling. “I could always have a kid with you as well. It might even things out for you.”
“You only want me for my potential to have kids,” Superman gasped.
“True.”
Superman pretended to wipe away a tear, but his twinkling laughter could never be mistaken for crying.
For just a moment, Talia thought that Superman was so… light, like the realm that he ruled over. So unbelievably bright that it felt like he would have been able to float even if he hadn’t been a fae. He was so pleasant. Much more so than the people of her own realm, not hardened by the elements in the way that the people of the In-Between were.
She quickly dismissed that thought. It was a common misconception, but a misconception nonetheless. Because, for all that Superman was seemingly endlessly happy, small enough to throw, and prone to literally glowing when he was happy enough… he was also a Sprite. And that was their entire method of garnering victims. They would lure humans in, and only once they were so hopelessly lost that they could never get back home and their legs were stuck in a terrible bog they couldn’t escape from, would the Sprite get close enough for the person to realize that their teeth were razor-sharp.
Perhaps it was a good thing that she was going to be gaining a proper heir, while Superman wasn’t. She hadn’t been paying enough attention to his movements as of late, too easily disarmed by his charming smiles and pleasant demeanor and insistence on seemingly useless things like whether someone had greeted him properly or not… and now the idea of him gaining even that little piece of power made her skin crawl. At least it seemed as if that would not be happening anytime soon, since he had fallen in love with that human and started bearing children with her instead of having True Fae children. That, plus the uprising in the land of the Day that she had heard whispers of, led by a faerie who called himself Kryptonite, should keep the man in front of her sufficiently distracted. He shouldn’t become a problem, much less a threat.
She smiled faintly at the thought, clapping her hands together once. “Let’s get this underway.”
Batman seemed relieved, though she doubted it was for the same reason as her. He started pulling a few jars from the satchel on his hip. They were all filled with tiny balls of light – of pure magic. They bounced around within their tiny walls, beating against their confines, the glass already starting to crack.
They wanted out.
Batman was happy to grant their wish, though perhaps not in the way they were hoping for. He dropped the jar in the water and, before it had even been allowed to shatter against the bottom, it collapsed in on itself. The water enveloped the magic, and even a few shards of glass, picking it up and starting to compress it.
Batman breathed a short sigh of relief.
She was grateful that the traditional offering of her people was far less complicated to obtain. Expensive, yes, and sometimes requiring a trip deeper underground in search of rarer gemstones, but this was hardly as exhausting as dealing with live magic.
Carefully, one by one, she set each and every gem in the water.
Pyrite for protection.
Moonstone for perceptiveness.
Carnelian for compassion.
Amber for balancing emotions and logic.
She hesitated here. The last gem in her bag wasn’t like the other four, which were either customary (what kind of parent would neglect to protect their child?) or traits that were necessary for the title and power he would one day possess, but what she considered next was not necessary.
Still, she wanted her child to have something beyond all of that.
So, quickly, as if she thought she would be stopped if she allowed people time to process it, she added aventurine for creativity.
The gems, too, were swept away to join the magic at the bottom of the pool. They began to press against each other, congealing into one mass, forced to combine under the water's strength, and then combine even more. As if the mingling gemstones and magic wasn’t enough, the water seemed determined to make them one on an atomic level. The magic and the minerals reacted, lighting up a too-bright red.
She hadn’t wanted to look away, she had wanted to see the exact moment her child was brought into the world, but it became too much to bear.
Regrettably, she turned her head.
Until she felt something brushed against her leg.
A small faerie came to wash up on the shore, bumping against her knee. They were curled up in a tight ball, tiny bat wings wrapped around themself tightly. Despite the fact that they had just come from the water, their dark locks were not the slightest bit wet.
She leaned in to tell Batman the names she had come up with, but he simply held up his hands, palms facing out.
“The deal was that the child is of your choosing.”
Talia mouthed a thanks before ducking down to whisper.
“Welcome to the world, Damian.”
When they opened their eyes, they were a vibrant green.
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I had an idea for a Tales of Arcadia/Wings of Fire AU in the middle of my math test so now I'm obligated to talk about it here (Ill add on as I go)
-Jim and Toby are MudWings who are apart of the same little troop. They consider each other brothers, even if they aren't actually related. If they were to go to the main MudWing kingdom they'd be considered weird as their group only consists of them, Jim's mother Barbara, and Toby's Nana. But the four of them are close-knit and don't really intend on ever leaving Arcadia... except for Jim. One day on a mini-adventure, Jim stumbles upon a animus-cursed artifact that serves as his opportunity to see more of the rest of the world
-Claire is a NightWing with mindreading and foresight. Her abilities were taught to be suppressed by her parents (mostly her mom) because Arcadia (again, mom) is superstitious/leery about those and believes they will just bring trouble with the war. She later on gets cursed by Morgana (Darkstalker equivilent) to become an animus dragon
-Arcadia is a little town somewhat like Possibility (aka everyone gets along, and is staying out of the ongoing war). The dragon who mostly runs everything is Ophelia (who something something is a relative of the royal NightWing bloodline who left to do her own thing)
-I haven't gotten around to the full trolls (Blinky, AAARRRGGHH) yet because I don't really know how to incorporate them yet. But characters such as Strickler and Nomura are RainWings (nicknamed Changelings) who use their camoflage to disguise as other types. RainWings are pretty much entirely distrusted as they largely keep to themselves in the rainforest, can change their appearance, and are rumored to be able to spit acid
-Akiridion-5 is basically going to be this AU's equivilant of Pantala. Princess Aja and Prince Krel of the SilkWings had their coronation disrupted by General Morando's combined forces of SilkWings and HiveWings. Along with their guardian Varvatos, they made the dangerous journey across the ocean to Pyrrhia, where they settled as normal citizens in Arcadia
-Douxie is a Night/Sea hybrid. Hybrids are not an uncommon sight now, but in the days when Queen Aretha (Arthur) ruled the NightWings, they were looked down the same as Changelings are in the present. Between that and the fact he's an animus, he moves around the continent every 7 years or so before dragons start to notice he doesn't age. He's been settled in Arcadia for a couple years by this point, and works part-time as a musician, bookstore keeper, and whatever WOF's equivilant of a waiter would be. After Claire's animus curse becomes public knowledge, he decides to join team Trollhunters
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@ectolilly
Honestly, Amaryllis fjghfgvfhg
Her entire character and design was me being "ok how self indulgent can I be when making this character, how many of my favorite personal aesthetics and designs and everything can i shove into one design"
Favorite OC backstory, hmmm
I think Bom is my favorite
Bom is a changeling who grew up in a wasteland, and never knew his parents (they died before he can remember), and spent his entire childhood alone and just surviving. He didn't even understand language for a long time because he was alone and just eating what he could, working on instincts
Then, he was found by a cult for a dark religion, and made into a child slave for 4 or so years, along with a bunch of others. That's actually where he learned how to speak and understand language! He copied the other slaves and slowly got the hang of it
He was often tortured and punished bc of his disobedience, but he refused to scream and let them have satisfaction of hearing it
Bom decided to do something to escape, and secretly stole fireworks and, through trial and error, made his own exposives. He used them to explode the chains and shackles off his body (neck, wrists, ankles), and it's why he's got such big scars over those parts of his body
He also made more bombs to blow the rest of the cult up and free everyone else
Bom named himself Bom after the explosives (he didn't know how to spell), and the first real color he saw after escaping the bleak and dreary wasteland was pink, on some fiowers. So to him, pink became a symbol of freedom
Bom is very proud of his scars!! To him, they're a symbol of his freedom too. They're proof that his spirit was never broken, and he was able to save himself by his own hand
Bom also became very aware after all that about how there's so much he doesn't know, and it made him curious and made him want to explore the world and learn more about science and engineering!!
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Redoing the Intro One More Time!
Updated 9/30/23
Call me Moshke Palmoni (they/them). I spend as much time as I can writing, but that is not as much as it might be because there's also a lot of life going on right now. I also like to read, knit, collect vintage ephemera, and play with my cat.
General WIP tag list: [your url here!]
Active WIPs:
7 Days for Fae
Coming October 2024
10-year-old Fae is isolated by her disabilities—autism and ataxia—that causes her communication and mobility issues. She doesn’t have any friends her age, and she’s accepted that. She reads a lot and plays pretend in the forest at the end of the street. Her family loves her for who she is and so far that’s been enough. Until, that is, she meets the new kid. His name is Brownie and for reasons Fae can’t imagine he wants to be her friend no matter how weird or awkward she is. When he still invites her over after a meltdown in class gets her suspended for a week, she decides to take a risk and accept. The ensuing adventures are marred only by the other sudden change in her life—an aunt Fae barely knows has moved in with her family. She doesn’t know how to talk to Fae and, worse, refuses to accept Fae’s nonbinary parent’s identity. But since no one else seems to know how to deal with the mess their home life has become, Fae tries—with Brownie’s encouragement—to sort the situation out herself.
Cold Iron
In 1956, Shakatra Zoawin is 40. Or they might be 20, depending on how you look at it. They are a changeling and their aging is kind of weird, but that doesn't matter to them because they have a good life in the subway tunnel with their brother, Kris. Both of them are changelings swapped as infants for human children and then rejected by their human families. Their wits and powerful magic have kept them alive this long, and Shaka is perfectly content to keep going. After they do one little thing to appease their guilt: find the 40-year-old they were swapped for and free her to have her own life in the human world free from servitude in the courts of the Fae. And so begins an adventure that will have repercussions neither of them could have imagined.
Intro posts for the books in this series: Cold Iron, City of Frost, Song on Repeat, and Future Not Found
Character Intro Posts: Shakatra, Kris, Lynn, Tatiana, Liliana, Harry, Doug, Beth, Aaron, Cassie, and Althea
Tag list: @pga-books
Blades of Ice
In the kingdom of Halara, orcs and elms and slimes and centaurs live peacefully side-by-side with humans. Less peaceful is the relationship between Halara and their neighboring kingdom of Eng. The generation-long conflict has drawn in other nearby kingdoms and stagnated artistic and social works. All Aryel ever wanted to do was be left alone to love who they want and practice sparring with their axe, but as a royal child they have responsibilities, namely leading the entire army. There's no talk of ending the war in any way but victory, just as Halara won its initial freedom from Eng 300 years ago, but this endless fighting is getting them nowhere but too many funerals and not enough bread. And then when a familial tragedy leads to Aryel leading both the army and the kingdom, they know they can't balance the tensions and demands of everyone at once and win this war. Something has to give, and they just hope it isn't the entire kingdom.
Backburnered and still-in-planning WIPs under the cut.
Time Traveling Anthropologists
(permanent title coming soon)
Set approximately 2 generations in the future. Esther Dahan has her dream job. She gets to time travel with her new team, and against all historical odds they are there to study ancient cultures rather than do anything violent. Their first assignment is 8 months in the 9th century Jewish kingdom of Khazaria. Everything is going great—illicit romance with a Khazarian blacksmith notwithstanding—until Esther finds a plate that doesn't belong in this time. Curious and suspicious but without enough evidence to involve her boss, she investigates on her own, discovering much more than she planned—and leading to far worse consequences than she could have imagined.
Tag list: @amielbjacobs @kingkendrick7 @moonluringfrost @another-white-hole
To Die Among the Stars:
20 people have been chosen to test the effects of faster-than-light space travel on human minds and bodies. They were taken from prisons, wellness centers, and other areas where near-certain death seemed like a reasonable chance to take. Each have their reasons for being there, and their secrets. Against all odds, the jump to FTL doesn't destroy the ship. But the further away from Earth they travel, the more strange things begin to happen that call the purpose of the experiment into question. And then the impossible: a human distress signal in deep space.
Told from 4 rotating perspectives: Pixel, a semiverbal illegal human modder; Ri, whose body and mind are overloaded with mods; Zippy, a young disabled woman desperate to support her family; and Peppermint, a genetic experiment combining human and cat DNA raised in an isolated lab.
Tag list: @hd-literature
Falling Petals
A multigenerational story about trauma, love, and disability set against the backdrop of one Jewish family. Beginning in the 1920's with Ira Katz, who is brilliant and charming with no understanding at all of tact or why the best way isn't always blunt observations and mean jokes. It follows him as he grows up, marries, and inherits his father's drugstore, and then moves on to following one of his sons, Daniel. Daniel grows up in the 1940's and is naturally gentle, kind, and sensitive, but is treated so harshly for these traits he learns to hide himself away inside and only show emotion in explosive bouts of anger. It follows him through adolescence, college, and marriage, before moving on to one of his daughters, Shoshana. Shoshana grows up in the 1960's and is colorful, young for her age, and full of social panic. None of them know how to relate to each other or survive in a world that each of them see the beauty in but aren't allowed to connect with in their own way. And yet through the pain and confusion, they are full of love. And then everything changes for them with Shoshana's niece, Naomi, growing up in the 1990's, who will not be allowed to see herself as broken.
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Wings are a very.. interesting thing.
I know I experience them.
They're usually the thing that gets me called schizophrenic. They're the hardest part of my experience to explain to a human.
I obviously know that no one else can see them. If they were visible to humans, that would blow my cover. Knowing my human family, they would have cut them off.
I don't know if another changeling would be able to see them, but I hope so. They're beautiful, and I don't want to be the only one to know their beauty.
They're the first thing about me to be criticised, but they're such a big comfort for me.
I can just turn on some music and lay on my stomach, flapping my wings. And the rest of the world falls away for a moment.
The rest of the human world I was forced to live in, with the mortality I was cursed to have.
I may never know my fae family. I might never get to see the place I was born. I may never know why I of all fae children was chosen to be placed here.
But I can flap my wings and remember who I am. I can remember that I have a home somewhere. Somewhere, there is an entire realm of creatures just like me.
And if my wings are my only physical connection to any of this, I'm going to be proud of it. No matter how many humans call me crazy or schizo, I'm not going to deny them. Maybe one day, I'll make it back home. Maybe one day I'll be able be able to see so many sets of wings.
But for now? I'll just sit here and admire my own.
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extremely vague spoilers for pathologic 1 and 2 endings‼️‼️‼️
So. You know how Pathologic 2 Haruspex route is pretty clearly portrayed as, on some level, a play being staged in the Theater? I mean, you start the game backstage after a failed production, and in the (implicitly canon) Diurnal ending you end the game by exiting into the wings. Plenty of characters refer to you very literally as an actor, including your own “replacement” on day 11 (who you even meet on a stage!), and the events of the Deal & Late endings (and all your deaths) serve to further cement this fact. Plus, on a more metaphorical level, the Haruspex is portrayed as a character who is not entirely opposed to the idea of having a prewritten fate. Like, he understands that he is not in control of the story, but ultimately he doesn’t need to be as long as he’s in control of his own actions? He just needs to know his Lines (hee hee hoo hoo). There’s also the fact that the Haruspex is connected to the Town (seeing as how saving the Town is his ultimate goal) and the Theater is also representative of the Town. The Theater is the Town in microcosm; any event which takes place in the Town takes place on the stage, and vice versa. The backdrop of the stage is literally the Town itself flanked by the two Mistresses.
We know the Haruspex is an actor in the Theater. That’s the context in which his story is framed. But—hear me out—it’s not how the other two healers will be portrayed. They’re going to have different meta explanations, for Character Reasons, and also because the Haruspex route doesn’t have either of the secret endings from Pathologic Classic (which made me suspicious).
I think the Bachelor’s route will be the one to utilize the angle about the Powers that Be. First of all, it’s intrinsically connected to the Polyhedron, which is in keeping with both his canon ending and his parallel to the Haruspex. Second of all, it’s just a way bigger slap in the face for him—he’s the one who wants to overcome inevitability, so discovering that he was never in control of his actions at all would of course be the worst epiphany ever. In the Haruspex’s storyline, the Bachelor might be an actor, but in his own storyline he is a puppet for a child as they play a meaningless game with his life. Also, it would make sense for his prologue to start in (or maybe at the base of) the Polyhedron, and for Measly and Thrush to take the place of Mark Immortell (so they can berate him for doing a terrible job at stopping the plague). In his canon ending he could also end in the Polyhedron (where Measly and Thrush could “dismiss” him in the same way), ‘cause the Polyhedron is the most significant location for him and it’s also…basically the only thing left in his ending. The same applies to all his deaths and whatnot. It’s mechanically similar to the Haruspex’s route, but narratively it fits the Bachelor much better to have his route framed in a way that emphasizes the futility of his actions.
As for the Changeling route’s framing device… Well, she’s always been the one who was most aware of Pathologic’s meta, right? So, yeah, she’s gonna be in a video game. Canonically. She’s gonna get death penalties and pro/epilogue explanations from the Tragedian and Executor who represent the developers. It fits, okay?? She’s connected to the game’s world as a whole rather than any specific part, she’s often alluded to as a vessel of some higher power who is incomprehensible to any of the characters, uh…there are…two of her…? I don’t know. It made so much sense in my head and I got so excited about this idea. I’m too tired to explain every little detail in a coherent manner, so just, like…fill in the gaps, I guess? You can do it. I believe in you.
Anyway, yeah, that’s my Pathologic 2 prediction. I’m sort of…half-expecting this to actually happen, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if it didn’t. I just think it would be cool, y’know?
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tysm for answering my qs about werewolf!eliot !! not to keep bugging you lol but i remember you mentioned in the tags of a post one time about a hc/au of parker being some sort of fae or otherworldly being who’s just kinda found herself here in the non-magical world - could you elaborate on that? like how come she’s in the non-fantasy part of the leverage universe, or whether the other characters know, etc? only if you want to of course, no pressure :) i’m really enjoying reading your posts about all these ideas!
You're welcome! And you're definitely not bugging me, I love getting the chance to ramble about my thought lol
(werewolf!eliot post here)
(link to the post and my tags that started this)
Honestly I don't have as clear ideas for Parker as I did for Eliot, but I imagine her being some kind of changeling or air/wind sprite that was left with humans for whatever reason.
(ooh i'm getting more ideas for this the more i think about it..)
okay, Parker is actually half-fey, half-human
no one really knows who her parents were or how she came to be on her own (me included lol), she was just found on a doorstep as a baby
the people who took her in had their own issues and the state eventually intervened and sent Parker into foster care
she found out at a very early age that she was different to other kids - she could move around without making a sound, she could fit into tiny spaces - all very helpful for a young girl in a foster system that was chewing her up and spitting her out
she also discovered that she could ... not turn invisible exactly, but she could be less visible if she wanted to be; all she has to do is think about not being seen and people's eyes just drift over her
Archie had absolutely no idea what she was when he got his hands on her, but even he knew that she was beyond just a gifted child
he only realised there was something magical about her after she fell off the roof of the warehouse he'd been training her in - then walked it off like it was no biggie
fey creatures love puzzles and riddles, so of course Parker has always had a natural affinity for puzzles (aka locks)
her super artistic talent is a trait that is Entirely Parker and, given that she entered a life of crime early and was surrounded by artistic masterpieces all the time, she never even considered that other people would draw/paint/whatever with any lower skill level
this contributes to her not understanding what the fuss is over art
she gave herself the name Parker when Archie met her and asked her name; it was the first thing that came to mind
she doesn't remember her birth name and isn't bothered by that in the slightest
Eliot was the first of the team to figure out she was fey - being a werewolf, he can smell and/or sense that kind of thing on others
Hardison suspected something was up with her, but then felt bad for thinking that, but then strange things kept happening around her so he started to keep a list ...
pretty much Hardison has a red-string conspiracy theory-style board of Parker Things. He's too terrified of offending her to ask her outright, but he's more convinced every day
(he's also more in love with her and just thinks her fey-ness is another thing to celebrate)
Parker finds Hardison's board of Parker Things and is utterly fascinated. It's like he understands her better than she understands herself. He's super flustered when he finds her poring over the board and tries to make excuses, but Parker's quick to steamroll over that and demands if he knows what she is
Eliot finds them 15 mins later, stuck in an endless loop of confusion over which of them actually knows what Parker is
he just rolls his eyes, says she's half-fey, it's obvious, like, "what? it's a very distinctive smell!"
which leads to how the hell would he know what the fey are and Eliot's like, oh crap, right, they still don't know I'm a werewolf whoops
Hardison and Parker stage a coming-out for her to Nate and Sophie
(Eliot refuses to be involved but still gets roped into carrying the banner. He's still finding glitter in his hair weeks later)
Sophie is thrilled about the reveal and confesses to being a siren (or some other supernatural/magical creature that can manipulate people, idk i have less thoughts about her than i do about parker)
Nate is all like are you kidding me right now what the hell is my life
after a lot of badgering, he confesses he didn't know about Parker, although he has been ... aware of magical beings for some time
no he will not be discussing this any further, can we just get back to the con now??
Parker finds that, now she's aware of her fey-ness, her magical abilities develop further
she doesn't quite gain the ability to fly but ... yeah okay, she can pretty much fly
she wants to test how far this flying ability goes - by, of course, jumping off tall buildings with Hardison in her arms (and no harness for either of them)
Hardison flat out refuses this, so Eliot somehow finds himself the unwilling victim
of course, Parker masters flying while carrying people in no time and proves it to Hardison by just grabbing him and jumping off a building one day
(he's still in therapy for it)
Parker also discovers she can make herself kind of ... misty
this skill is harder to learn but she's already been able to make her hand go misty and whoosh inside a lock
picking the lock is harder in this incorporeal state but Parker's instincts say there's a way to do this, so she keeps practising until she can pretty much disintegrate herself and float through locked doors to rematerialise on the other side
it's a nightmare for the whole team because, sure, it's not like locked doors stopped her in the past. But now she's so excited about it all the time that any concept of privacy completely leaves her brain and she jumps in and out of rooms and safes etc any time of day or night
Wow. This ended up longer than expected! Guess I did have some ideas about fey!Parker after all..
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oh my god… you should share abt your mlp au 😳😳😳😳
I have a whole storyline planned out so I won't share TOO much... but some little world building things include Leon aka Prince Soleo being the protector of the whole kingdom of Galar. He lives in Wyndon, which is this AU's Crystal Empire. Galar, like Equestria, has its own smaller Kingdoms across it. Hammerlocke is kingdom of Dragons, Hulbury is the kingdom of Seaponies, Serpents, and Sirens, Spikemuth is the kingdom of Changelings, Motostoke is the kingdom of Kirins etc etc... though these kigdoms aren't exclusive to each species. They each welcome ponies and creatures of all kind and highly encourage tourism.
Leon is kind of a Princess Celestia/Luna here where he's the main Prince taking care of everything meanwhile all the other gym leaders are more like Princess Cadence taking care of their own little Kingdoms/Towns. He's still a bit new to the prince role and misses home dearly. Leon still struggles with princely duties, like ordering ponies around and punishing others. Rose is there to give him a bit of a push though, and Leon is quick to make do.
Rose, aka Velvet Rose is Leon's cabinet who takes care of all the political issues and relationships with other regions and such. He is constantly encouraging Leon to become the strongest Prince he can be, and Leon is maybe just the smallest bit put off by it.
Raihan is the prince of dragons, he is known as The Great Raihan and he takes care of his respective city. He's a big believer in breaking the stereotype of the "evil and greedy" dragons across Galar. Luckily, inhabitants and visitors find him charming and fun to be around. He has such an addictive personality that attracts many tourists from across Galar. Raihan's popularity is well known, it's hard to ignore a dragon like him when he has such an honest and successful lifestyle.
Remember when I said all kingdoms encouraged visitors? Well I lied. Spikemuth is the only place closed off from anyone except its changeling population. King Calignous is its ruler, he doesn't mind being called Queen either but if it were truly up to him he would be neither. King calignous isn't an entirely evil individual. He just wishes to keep his kingdom running and little sister alive. He'd rather be not running anything at all. But Marnie, his only living relative, is much too young and still has lots to learn.
Piers, Leon, and Raihan have their own "elements of harmony" that I won't disclose yet... But the big plot of my little story in my head is just Learning To Love. Smile.
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hi! i was wondering if i could get matchup for demon slayer?
i'm 6'0 and have amber eyes, long gold blond curly hair and hourglass figure
i'm positive and upbeat person, i try to see the bright side in most situations
i'm friendly, energetic, confident, responsible, maybe a bit chaotic, cheerful and bubbly
i care about my friends and family a lot, and go out of my way to show it
i enjoy having fun and living life to the fullest
i really like puzzles, riddles and crosswords
i love making people smile
i have morbid, dark sense of humor
sometimes i randomly say a weird obscure fact in the middle of conversation
i can play on violin, cello, piano, guitar, saxophone, harp and drums, i'm currently learning how to play on trumpet
i like poetry and sometimes i write a poem or two, also i'm writing my book
i'm ballet dancer since i was a kid and i love performing
i'm working on my own cartoon
i never quite grew out of the fantasy phase, and i'm still enamored with tales of changelings and witches
i work as illustrator for fantasy books and books for kids
i'm kinda struggling with taking rest, doing nothing, because there is always something to do, something new to learn, etc.
i'm afraid of stagnation
i overuse this kind of emojis→(ㆁωㆁ)
i love: sunflowers, collecting things, colors yellow, maroon, blue and green, astronomy, tea, making and watching movies, photography, forests, making jewelry, cooking, baking, d&d, fantasy books, horrors, playing chess, animals, plants, dollmaking, dancing, gardening, traveling, drawing, painting, knitting, art, history, world mythologies, spirits, fantasy creatures, eldrich beings, folklore, sculpting, works of J.R.R Tolkien, linguistics, death, burial, beliefs about afterlife, learning new things, embroidery, cartoons, music, psychology, writing
sorry if it's too chaotic (꒪꒳꒪)
thank you so much for even reading this! (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
i hope you have a fantastic day (◍•ᴗ•◍)
Matchup for @pinezki
╰┈➤ Thank you for doing Matchups at Sugutoad
╰┈➤ Muichiro Tokito ‘Even if I die, I won't let you get away with this!’
Ok, so I haven’t been interacting with Demon Slayer lately so my memory is slightly fuzzy
Have you realised how bright a person you are? He has been so alone his whole life, trouble after trouble facing him. Then you come. So bright and happy, blonde curls bouncing up and those amber eyes, reflecting the sun, were an entrance to your beautiful soul that always seems to be making him smile
Your demeanors go so well. His quiet, stoic and logical nature seems to be the exact opposite of your bubbly, upbeat and chaotic nature. He seems to be also making sure the two of you stay out of trouble at all times just to be sure that you don’t charge straight into battle. He knows you're capable of yourself but he always wants to make sure that everything is perfect and safe so neither of you die.
He finds you so graceful. Your fighting style was almost mirroring Mitsuri in a way but the way you gently get rapidly run around and twist like a ballerina is enchanting. You make fighting look like a dance that even him , the youngest hashira, couldn’t achieve.
Whenever you are working on your illustrations and stressed out/ overworking yourself, he brings in a sunflower as a sweet reminder. You remind him of a sunflower in fact. A sunflower is a symbol of faith and devotion, and here you are, working so hard if something you are devoted to entirely. A sunflower also represents radiating brightness and positive energy. And when I tell you to make this boy so happy, you don’t understand. He always seems to be smiling at you, even when you crack a dark joke that he may not understand.
He always makes sure you take rest in between your work periods. You come home from a mission and immediately start doing something? He will immediately drag you to bed and do it yourself. And don’t even try telling him that you are fine, he may be quiet but he is also observant.
You are so tall! He thinks he should be the taller one of the relationship due to being the male but he loves your height. Always telling people ‘that’s my girlfriend’ when they look at you.
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Is there anything you want to tell us about Charlie that you didn't get to develop yet? 👀
That's a hard one!
I don't think there are things I didn't tell, but totally things I didn't draw!
First of all I want to draw his entire flat. My dear friend designed it for me and I plan to draw it by hand sometime
I don't even know how long he's going to live here, but I'm thrilled he has his own home for the first time in 200 years. Even tho his coterie leader paid for the rent haha. I want to draw much more pictures of the whole family in this flat, doing regular and not so regular things ( like idk, summoning ghosts (they did it))
I want to draw more of the times before Glinda,but I just can't get enough of her..She is a pure perfection, our Dm is a wizard !
For example, Charlie traveled with Wicca witch and her student for 2 and a half moths.And slept under her bed haha. She herself is a dhampir, a very sweet and calm character. In the world of very serious vampires he needed someone who keeps that spark of wonder and a desire for adventures. They never had any romantic relationship (the hot threesome was purely for the ritual *cough*) but first in many years he felt so calm, like if he was a part of a family.
Witch's student later on became a student of Garry Dresden ( because our ST loves him very much as do I, so he made this lil cameo).
I totally want to explore more the changelings of our game. For example we had a wonderful, beautifully described woods in Umbra, near Arcadia. Charlie went here on almost suicidal mission with witch's student, to get an ingredient to heal Gilnda and Monica. He sang to the trees asking them to let them through haha
(it was a super scary session)
And I want to draw local changeling's freehold, on a chemistry. And ofcourse more changelings that we met ( a changeling king, chimeras, pookas, eshu..ah..)
Surprisingly for me, I got VERY into that part of our game and thanks for our ST he gave me plenty food for future drawings!
I want to draw more pictures with Folly, the demon who Charlie let out of his prison and made a contract with. He is insanely (ha!) cruel but devilishly charismatic entity. Little by little he is trying to take charlie's soul,what's left of human in him. But only when he's in the mood, he has a lot of other stuff to do, he is a busy demon.
I want to draw Adzone, demon's jailer and the oldest vampire of the city, in his changeling plane outfit. Black plate armor with the cloak made of chains ended with hooks, a little dead body on the each hook. And a broken tower symbol on his chest. Adzone is the one who always helped changelings and keeps contact with them. (look at him he is so sexy haha)
I want to draw more pictures of Johnny, Charlie's friend and another malkavian of the city. I love him so much I made a similar character to play in another game >W<
Speaking of demons.. I want to draw an angel of our game. Yes, a real angel that keeps and old gangrel, Enkidu, prisoned, shopping his head off every day, every night. The place Enkidu trapped in is in the deep Umbra. But every time gangrels falls asleep they see a "dream" of that place. Enkidu lures them in, as an astral projections I suppose. Demon was there. So do Charlie.And Monica..again, so many wonderful, scary visons!! I already have a face claim for that angel just didn't draw them yet..
As for Gangrels, they had they embrace night described, showed in that dreams. Again, it was very inspiring and I hope to draw some of them someday. For now I even barely drew gangrels at all when there are SO MANY and the main plot of the game is tied with them. I..didn't even draw Enkidu, a fucking super duper old vampire who is (partially) here since second arc! See, I was so hyperfixated on Charlie's "save the princess, save the queen" quest i didn't even tell much about main theme of the game!! To see more gangrels of our game please check out @fj0rge !
and there are so so so much more! Salubri that once saved Charlie in 1910th, when he and his sires jumped into apocalypse. Apocalypses. His sires. His human family. His time in Cairo before he died.I want to redraw the pictures of when he killed a priest, because I find it an important part of the character, that feel of justice. I want to draw fomori we fought. I want to draw bug shaped werewolf that now our ally. I want to properly draw the horny Wicca ritual it was COOL. I want to draw the story of when Charlie killed his first human lover/his ghoul..
oh there is so many you have to stop me haha
my brain never stops
closest to be drawn- Glinda riding her chimera and circled by ghosts and changeling freehold
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